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Three-Dimensional Shallow Shear-Wave Velocity Model for the Las Vegas Valley
A three-dimensional (3-D) shear-wave velocity (Vs) model was developed for the heterogeneous sediments of the Las Vegas Valley (LVV) in Nevada. The model was based on more than 200 Vs profiles (one-dimensional representation of Vs versus depth) and 1,400 geologic well logs. Incorporation of the well logs into the model was accomplished by condensing the geologic-log descriptions of the shallow sediments into five sediment units then correlating Vs to these units. Characteristic Vs profiles were defined to represent four of these units by correlating between closely spaced pairs of Vs measurement sites and wells located within 500 m. These characteristic profiles were then used to generate Vs profiles at each well location by assigning Vs based on logged sediment type with respect to depth. The fifth unit was cemented sediment, for which a constant, depth-independent Vs value was assigned. Using the software EarthVision, the Vs profiles were interpolated in three dimensions, considering faults, to nearly 400 m in depth. Using regional data from an existing gravity-based survey, the model was to extend to Paleozoic bedrock, which is locally deeper than 4 km. A 3-D section of the model demonstrated strong variability of Vs both laterally and vertically. Model accuracy varied spatially with data density. This model can be used to forecast earthquake ground-shaking patterns throughout the LVV. Particular application in engineering seismology can be found for high-rise structures that are vulnerable to long-period ground motion in a deep sedimentary basin.
Cement; Characteristic profiles; Correlation; Earthquakes; Las Vegas Valley; Shear waves; Three-dimensional model; Velocity
Civil and Environmental Engineering | Engineering | Environmental Engineering | Geophysics and Seismology
Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the item. Publisher policy does not allow archiving the final published version. If a post-print (author's peer-reviewed manuscript) is allowed and available, or publisher policy changes, the item will be deposited.
Luke, B. A.,
Taylor, W. J.,
Three-Dimensional Shallow Shear-Wave Velocity Model for the Las Vegas Valley.
Environmental and Engineering Geoscience, 19(2), | <urn:uuid:a722f3b1-229e-483c-9495-266ad14d877b> | 2.578125 | 489 | Academic Writing | Science & Tech. | 30.948583 | 95,627,676 |
January 2017 is now expected to be much colder than average from the Pacific Northwest into the upper Midwest, while parts of the Gulf Coast states will see a mild January, according to an outlook released Wednesday by The Weather Company, an IBM Business.
"There is high confidence for a stretch of notably cold weather during the first couple of weeks of the month, with similar, but slightly earlier, timing as in December" said Dr. Todd Crawford, chief meteorologist with The Weather Company.
The expected trend of a cold January in the Northwest, northern Plains and parts of the upper Midwest continues what we've seen in December.
(MORE: Winter Storm Central)
Colder-than-average temperatures have gripped much of the northern tier, especially the Pacific Northwest. Snow and ice have already occurred on a couple of occasions this December in the lower elevations of the Pacific Northwest due to the cold temperatures.
The East is expected to continue to experience periods of colder temperatures, along with periodic warm ups and an overall milder back-half of January.
One of the biggest factors for the temperature pattern expected in January is La Niña. La Niña is the periodic cooling of eastern Pacific equatorial water, which can exert some influence on the atmospheric pattern, particularly in the colder months.
La Niña usually correlates with colder-than-average temperatures in the northern and western U.S with warmer-than-average temperatures in the southern and eastern U.S, which is overall what is expected in January.
In fact, the best chance for above-average temperatures in January will be toward the Gulf Coast and in Florida, which is fairly typical for a La Niña winter.
Late-Winter Outlook: January-March
Colder-than-average temperatures are expected to continue in the Northwest into February and March, while above-average temperatures persist and spread across the South.
Elsewhere, a large swath of the Midwest and Northeast is forecast to see temperatures generally near average for the January-March period.
A possible wild card in the forecast is the polar vortex, whether or not it will weaken again this winter and, if so, when.
"If a significant stratospheric disruption occurs, it would most likely not have significant impacts until February," Crawford added.
When the polar vortex is weakened or elongated, it can help bring arctic cold into portions of North America and Europe.
(MORE: What is the Polar Vortex?)
MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Winter Storm Europa (PHOTOS) | <urn:uuid:cbedf0e7-7cb4-4df2-a5db-f1075cf3b55f> | 2.609375 | 512 | News Article | Science & Tech. | 34.795903 | 95,627,679 |
A robber fly, Microstylum morosu, with the facial bristles, or mytax (“moustache” in Greek), visible.
Bottom-left: Up-close view of tiny assassin (or "robber") fly, genus Holcocephela, that eats tiny prey such as mites. (Eric Isley via iNaturalist, CC-BY-NC/Smithsonian image by Torsten Dikow)
Assassin or robber, this fly is on the most wanted list
March 27, 2017
What animal has been witnessed snatching a bee from mid-air, stabbing it with a sharp tool and sucking out its insides? An assassin fly is the culprit.
These are also known as robber flies. They stand out in their penchant for preying on other insects. While you may not know it, you've probably crossed paths with one of these predatory flies. There are more than 7,500 species of them. They are distributed around the globe.
All flies are suction feeders. But many of them, including the common house flies we see buzzing around our lunch, do not kill prey. If you stare at a house fly (Musca domestica) feeding before you swat it away, you can see it swabbing at your food with its long mouthparts. This "proboscis" is part paintbrush, part straw. It is specialized to sponge digestive enzymes onto food. Then it ingests the liquid food, whether it's a piece of your cantaloupe or some spilled sugar.
Assassin flies are members of the family Asilidae. They have evolved a predatory twist on this feeding behavior with a proboscis that is part injection needle. The sharp proboscis is used to pierce the hard bodies of other insects and inject paralyzing venom. Digestive enzymes accompany the venom. The venom turns the insides of their prey to liquid. Then, the typical sucking action is used to ingest the liquefied guts.
Assassin flies can be tiny. But their ambitious feeding mode allows them to consume insects larger than themselves.
Assassin flies prey on a variety of insects, including stinging bees and wasps. The bristles on their face and body may shield them from the dangers imposed by their prey. Like other flies, assassin flies benefit from oversized, compound eyes. These help them detect fine movements of prey. Their hindwings are converted into little gyroscopic devices. These stabilize them during flight, conferring maneuverability.
Entomologist Torsten Dikow has described 68 new species of assassin flies and closely related flies. He continues to grow the collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Learn more about his work with these predators in the "Smithsonian Science How" webcast on Thursday, April 6, 2017. During Assassin Flies: Predators of the Insect World (airs at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. EDT on the Q?rius website). Torsten will take you on a tour of his fly lab while answering your questions live. You can also get teaching resources to use with the webcast.
Assigned 379 times
CRITICAL THINKING QUESTION
Why do many insects have hard bodies?
Write your answers in the comments section below | <urn:uuid:9ad9ff6e-6832-4c30-adf8-b5028020f4cd> | 2.828125 | 678 | News Article | Science & Tech. | 57.430184 | 95,627,697 |
ATHENS, Ga. -- Central Georgia is now in extreme drought conditions, according to the Palmer Drought Severity Index. The rest of the state remains in severe drought except the west central region, which is in moderate drought, and the northwest corner, which is in mild drought.
For the PDSI, the Central Georgia Region includes Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Butts, Crawford, Dodge, Greene, Hancock, Houston, Jasper, Johnson, Jones, Laurens, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Newton, Peach, Pulaski, Putnam, Rockdale, Taliaferro, Twiggs, Treutlen, Washington, Wheeler and Wilkinson counties.
Soil moisture continued to get drier last week. The Georgia Agricultural Statistics Service reported soil moisture as short to very short in 78 percent of the state. Only 21 percent of the soils had enough moisture. Crop and pasture conditions continued to decline.
The Crop Moisture Index also shows drying topsoil across most of the state. Central, southwest and south central Georgia are excessively dry, reducing prospective yields.
The east central and southeast regions of the state are abnormally dry, and yield prospects are deteriorating. North central and northeast Georgia report short topsoil moisture.
Northwest and west central Georgia have adequate topsoil moisture now. However, dry areas remain in these regions. The PDSI and the CMI are calculated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Prediction Center.
Little relief is in store for Georgia this week. Most of the state needs 9 to 12 inches of rain to end the drought. Northwest Georgia needs about 4 inches.
Georgia is now in the typical summertime weather pattern. The state depends on scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms for most of its rain. It is rare that a drought will be broken by scattered thunderstorms. It may take a tropical storm to break the current drought.
Current weather information on 38 Georgia locations is at the
University of Georgia Automated
Environmental Monitoring Network
Web site. Find current drought information at the UGA Drought
'99 Web site. Or talk to
your county Extension Service agent about the drought's effects
on crops, landscaping,
gardens or livestock.
(David Emory Stooksbury is associate professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.) | <urn:uuid:13a5634c-777b-4617-a444-1a0a56c9fc55> | 2.515625 | 488 | News (Org.) | Science & Tech. | 41.234404 | 95,627,702 |
The inset image on the right is a close-up view of A30 showing X-ray data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory in purple and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data showing optical emission from oxygen ions in orange.
Inset X-ray (NASA/CXC/IAA-CSIC/M.Guerrero et al); Inset Optical (NASA/STScI); Widefield X-ray (ESA/XMM-Newton); Widefield Optical (NSF/NOAO/KPNO)
The planetary nebula Abell 30, (a.k.a. A30), is located about 5500 light years from Earth. The inset image on the right is a close-up view of A30 showing X-ray data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory in purple and Hubble Space Telescope data showing optical emission from oxygen ions in orange. On the left is a larger view showing optical and X-ray data from the Kitt Peak National Observatory and ESA's XMM-Newton, respectively, where the optical data shows emission from oxygen (orange) and hydrogen (green and blue), and X-ray emission is colored purple. A planetary nebula is formed in the late stage of the evolution of a sun-like star, after it expands to become a red giant. In the case of A30, a planetary nebula formed but then the star briefly reverted to being a red giant. The evolution of the planetary nebula then restarted, making it reborn, a special phase of evolution that is rarely seen.
On the left is a larger view showing optical and X-ray data from the Kitt Peak National Observatory and ESA's XMM-Newton, respectively. In this image the optical data show emission from oxygen (orange) and hydrogen (green and blue), and X-ray emission is colored purple.A planetary nebula – so called because it looks like a planet when viewed with a small telescope – is formed in the late stage of the evolution of a sun-like star.
After having steadily produced energy for several billion years through the nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium in its central region, or core, the star undergoes a series of energy crises related to the depletion of hydrogen and subsequent contraction of the core. These crises culminate in the star expanding a hundred-fold to become a red giant.
Eventually the outer envelope of the red giant is ejected and moves away from the star at a relatively sedate speed of less than 100,000 miles per hour. The star meanwhile is transformed from a cool giant into a hot, compact star that produces intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation and a fast wind of particles moving at about 6 million miles per hour. The interaction of the UV radiation and the fast wind with the ejected red giant envelope creates the planetary nebula, shown by the large spherical shell in the bigger image.
In rare cases, nuclear fusion reactions in the region surrounding the star’s core heat the outer envelope of the star so much that it temporarily becomes a red giant again. The sequence of events - envelope ejection followed by a fast stellar wind - is repeated on a much faster scale than before, and a small-scale planetary nebula is created inside the original one. In a sense, the planetary nebula is reborn.
The large nebula seen in the larger image has an observed age of about 12,500 years and was formed by the initial interaction of the fast and slow winds. The cloverleaf pattern of knots seen in both images, correspond to the recently ejected material. These knots were produced much more recently, as they have an observed age of about 850 years, based on observations of their expansion using HST.
The diffuse X-ray emission seen in the larger image and in the region around the central source in the inset is caused by interactions between wind from the star and the knots of the ejected material. The knots are heated and eroded by this interaction, producing X-ray emission. The cause of the point-like X-ray emission from the central star is unknown.
Studies of A30 and other planetary nebulas help improve our understanding of the evolution of sun-like stars as they near the end of their lifetime. The X-ray emission reveals how the material lost by the stars at different evolutionary stages interact with each another. These observations of A30, located about 5500 light years away, provide a picture of the harsh environment that the solar system will evolve towards in several billion years, when the sun's strong stellar wind and energetic radiation will blast those planets that survived the previous, red giant phase of stellar evolution.
The structures seen in A30 originally inspired the idea of reborn planetary nebulas, and only three other examples of this phenomenon are known. A new study of A30, using the observatories mentioned above, has been reported by an international team of astronomers in the August 20th, 2012 issue of The Astrophysical Journal. The paper is available at http://lanl.arxiv.org/abs/1202.4463
The first author of the paper reporting these results is Martín A. Guerrero of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC) in Spain. The other authors are N. Ruiz, also from the IAA-CSIC, Spain; W.-R. Hamann, from the University of Potsdam, Germany; Y.-H. Chu, from the University of Illinois, Urbana, IL; H. Todt, from the University of Potsdam, Germany; D. Schönberner, from the Leibniz-Institut Für Astrophysik in Potsdam, Germany; L. Oskinova, from the University of Potsdam, Germany; R. Gruendl, from the University of Illinois, Urbana, IL; M. Steffen, from the Leibniz-Institut Für Astrophysik in Potsdam, Germany; W. Blair, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD and J. Toalá from the IAA-CSIC, Spain.
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages the Chandra program for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls Chandra's science and flight operations from Cambridge, Mass.
Megan Watzke | Newswise Science News
Nano-kirigami: 'Paper-cut' provides model for 3D intelligent nanofabrication
16.07.2018 | Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Theorists publish highest-precision prediction of muon magnetic anomaly
16.07.2018 | DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory
For the first time ever, scientists have determined the cosmic origin of highest-energy neutrinos. A research group led by IceCube scientist Elisa Resconi, spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center SFB1258 at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an important piece of evidence that the particles detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole originate from a galaxy four billion light-years away from Earth.
To rule out other origins with certainty, the team led by neutrino physicist Elisa Resconi from the Technical University of Munich and multi-wavelength...
For the first time a team of researchers have discovered two different phases of magnetic skyrmions in a single material. Physicists of the Technical Universities of Munich and Dresden and the University of Cologne can now better study and understand the properties of these magnetic structures, which are important for both basic research and applications.
Whirlpools are an everyday experience in a bath tub: When the water is drained a circular vortex is formed. Typically, such whirls are rather stable. Similar...
Physicists working with Roland Wester at the University of Innsbruck have investigated if and how chemical reactions can be influenced by targeted vibrational excitation of the reactants. They were able to demonstrate that excitation with a laser beam does not affect the efficiency of a chemical exchange reaction and that the excited molecular group acts only as a spectator in the reaction.
A frequently used reaction in organic chemistry is nucleophilic substitution. It plays, for example, an important role in in the synthesis of new chemical...
Optical spectroscopy allows investigating the energy structure and dynamic properties of complex quantum systems. Researchers from the University of Würzburg present two new approaches of coherent two-dimensional spectroscopy.
"Put an excitation into the system and observe how it evolves." According to physicist Professor Tobias Brixner, this is the credo of optical spectroscopy....
Ultra-short, high-intensity X-ray flashes open the door to the foundations of chemical reactions. Free-electron lasers generate these kinds of pulses, but there is a catch: the pulses vary in duration and energy. An international research team has now presented a solution: Using a ring of 16 detectors and a circularly polarized laser beam, they can determine both factors with attosecond accuracy.
Free-electron lasers (FELs) generate extremely short and intense X-ray flashes. Researchers can use these flashes to resolve structures with diameters on the...
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13.07.2018 | Life Sciences | <urn:uuid:024e8ba0-460c-4505-b9a3-3039ba67c825> | 3.53125 | 1,967 | Content Listing | Science & Tech. | 45.109834 | 95,627,708 |
How Do Gravity Wave Detectors and Observatories Work?
The first mention of gravity waves as we know them was by Einstein in a 1916 follow-up to his work on relativity. He predicted that minute changes in mass in space-time would cause a wave of gravity to emanate from the object and travel somewhat like a ripple on a pond (but in three dimensions), not unlike how the movement of electrical charges causes photons to be released. However, Einstein felt that the waves would be too small to detect, according to his original draft for the 1936 Physical Review entitled "Do Gravitational Waves Exist?" Indeed, the only objects currently in existence strong enough to expel lots of energy as well as dense enough to make gravity waves we can detect are black holes, neutron stars, and white dwarfs. Einstein felt his equations generalized too many first-order approximations, which made the non-linear equations he worked with easier to handle. But because of a mistake in his work, he withdrew the paper and later revised it when he noticed that a cylindrical coordinate system resolved many of his qualms with the mathematics, but his viewpoint on the waves being too small remained (Andersen 43, Francis, Krauss 52-3).
The Road to the First Detectors
Many calculations in the 1960s and 1970s indeed pointed to gravity waves being so small that luck itself would play a role in detecting any of them. But Joseph Weber was one of the first to claim detection. Using a 3000 pound, 2 meter long and 1 meter in diameter bar of aluminum, he measured the change in the strain on the end points of the bar as waves would distort it and the time it took in the hope of finding a resonant frequency. Quartz crystals at the the ends of the bar would only complete a circuit if such a frequency was reached. Using this technique Weber claimed to have detected gravity waves in 1969. Peer review however showed flaws in the study (namely that it picks up a lot of noise from the Universe) and the results were discredited. Even after improvements were made to the design (with one even being put on the Moon), nothing was found (Shipman 125-6, Levin 56, 59-63).
Jump now to the 1980s. Scientists thought about the failures of the Weber bar and realized that a similar idea could work: an interferometer (see LIGO for specifications). Ron Drever begins working on a 40-meter prototype version for Caltech based off the ideas of Robert Forward and Weber while Rai Weiss was tasked with doing a noise analysis in an effort to get a clean reading and also set up a 1.5 meter model for MIT. Some things to keep in mind during a noise analysis are tectonics, quantum mechanics, and other astronomical objects potentially hiding the gravity wave signal scientists were hunting for. Drever and Weiss along with Kip Thorne took the lessons from Weber's bar and tried to scale them up. After several years of prototypes and testing, everyone combined their efforts (and therefore funding) and developed Blue Book, a 3-eyar compehensive study that summarized all the findings on gravity wave detection tech. The joint Caltech-MIT effort was branded as C-MIT and presented Blue Book in October, 1983 and the projected cost at the time was $70 million. The NSF decided to give the joint effort their funding, and the project became known as LIGO (more on that below, I promise) (Levin 71-3, 79-86).
How Did Scientists Know Gravity Waves Were Real?
In 1974 Russel Hulse and Joseph Taylor looked at a binary pair of stars with one being a neutron star and the other a pulsar in system PSR 1913+16, located 21,000 light-years away. At an orbital distance of 2.8 solar radii, a mass of 1.4 solar masses each, they completed an orbit around each other ever 7.75 hours and had an average speed of 0.001c. Radio pulses emitted at a rate of 1.7 pulses per second Relativity certainly was in play here. They knew based on calculations that if gravity waves existed then energy would be robbed from both objects as they orbited each other. This loss of energy would cause them to fall closer to their barycenter, or the apparent center of their orbits, and increase their speed (for closer objects orbit faster) as well as decrease their orbital period by 0.001 seconds per year. The scientists came up with the orbital path with gravity waves and without them and observed the binary for years. Sure enough the path predicted by the gravity waves was right and in 1978 their prediction was shown to be true. Hulse and Taylor’s work was so profound it won them the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics (Andersen 43, Shipman 126-7, Levin 100-1).
So why should we care for such an elusive but known target? Gravity waves may be the key to seeing beyond the cosmic microwave background, the moment light was able to pass through matter (about 380,000 years after the Big Bang). This was because of the high energies that the Universe was in which prevented light from being transmitted freely. But the movement of matter through space-time should have created gravity waves, which can indeed be detected regardless of the conditions prior to the cosmic microwave background. They could be the key to proving that inflation happened and thus the possibility of a multiverse (Andersen 42)! However, the smallest waves would be kilometers in length so we would need such a sized detector if we hope to see some waves (Francis).
That being said, one team has hunted for primordial gravity waves in a different way. Known as the Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization 2 (BICEP 2), the project worked for over 3 years in the cold of Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in the Antarctica, which lies over 2,800 feet above sea level. This makes for optimal viewing conditions as air is thinner and less light is absorbed. The team was led by John Kovac as the Harvard Center for Astrophysics, the University of Minnesota, Stanford University, the California Institute of Technology, and JPL combined their resources as BICEP 2 scanned about 2% of the sky looking for B-modes. This is a phase of light which has had one of its two main components (the magnetic or B and the electric or E) stretched while the other is compressed, which leaves a pattern in the CMB by curling that light. If directly measured then such a curl would be indicative of the elusive gravity waves (Ritter, Castelvecchi, Moskowitz).
In March of 2014, the BICEP 2 team announced that they had found the signal they had been hunting for. But the science community was skeptical, especially when it was found that the dust from our galaxy was not taken into account. It too could have made those B-mode patterns and contaminated the data. After reviewing data of the CMB from the Planck spacecraft it was found that the BICEP 2 results had indeed been contaminated by the dust. Fortunately, the Planck data does give the team new and better places to look where the dust is not as prevalent (Cowen, Timmer 22 Sept. 2014).
The Laser Interferometry Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) started its hunt in 2002, but only after years of development and design.Costing $570 million to build, the detector utilizes a ground-based method for finding gravity waves that relies on laser interferometry. What exactly does that entail? Two beams are sent parallel to each other, one going away and the other reflected back towards the detector. The return beam will be purposefully out of phase based on how it is reflected back so that the detector will have two waves of opposite amplitude meet and cancel each other out for a net signal of zero. But if a gravity wave passes by then the return beam will not be perfectly out of phase and so the detector should then record a signal (Andersen 43, 45; Wolchover).
The two LIGO observatories are separate interferometers, one in Washington State while the other resides in Louisiana. Each arm of a detector has a laser that is send down the entire length (4 kilometers). The detector’s job is to see if changes in distance less than one part in 1020 between the laser beams occur by a gravity wave warping space-time. Unfortunately, the only events that generates waves strong enough for LIGO are when binary pulsars fall close to each other and neutron star collisions. Amazingly, these events would only produce a maximum signal height “less than the diameter of a proton.” In short, miniscule (Andersen 43, 45; Faesi, Francis, Haynes "A Wrinkle" 24-5).
LIGO ended its initial run in 2010 with no measurements of gravity waves, but a $200 million upgrade began shortly thereafter and ended in 2015. Now rebranded Advanced LIGO, it should be able to measure gravity waves from as far away as 500 million light-years away, increasing its possible detections by a factor of 100. And the upgrade definitely paid off, for on February 11, 2016, a hundred years after Einstein predicted their existence, LIGO captured evidence of gravity waves. According to Dr. David Reitze, the executive director at LIGO, a black hole merger 1.3 billion light-years away was detected on Sept. 14, 2015 and produced enough of a disturbance for the detector to register. The delay in announcing the result came from the verification process as 25 other telescopes looked at the spot, with Fermi detecting a small gamma ray burst in the area (which is to be expected from such a merger). Scientists wanted to make sure it was not a glitch, a hack, or something else. But the 5-sigma result held through, meaning that scientists are 99.9999% confident in the result. A new age of astronomy has begun (Andersen 43, Francis, Freeman, Wolchover, Haynes "A Wrinkle" 23, Haynes "Gravitational").
And it continues on. On June 15, 2016, LIGO scientists released the findings on the second observed measurement of gravity waves. These came from GW151226 (that is, Gravity Waves from Dec. 26, 2015), another black hole merger, and observations of it were made just 70 seconds after the gravity wave detection. The reason for the delay in the finding was so that scientists could achieve the 5 sigma confidence in their results, knowing that the observation is incredibly unlikely to be a fluke. The masses of the black holes (one about 8 solar masses and the other about 14) were much smaller than those in the first merger and thus made accurate measurements more challenging. The new black hole is likely 1.4 billion light-years away, is about 21 solar masses and radiated about a sun's worth of mass in gravitational energy. That size played a big role, for it allowed a longer signal for scientists to analyze. Based off the signal and modeling, scientists feel one of the black holes was spinning, a result of the star it came from prior to its death via a supernova (Timmer 15 Jun. 2016, Betz "LIGO", Wenz "LIGO Finds," Klesman).
On January 4, 2017, LIGO detected a third gravitational wave event, GW 170104. Once again, a binary set of black holes from 3 billion light-years away were the culprit as they merged long ago. One was 31.2 solar masses while the other was 19.4 solar masses, with the resulting black hole being 48.7 solar masses. Where did the nearly 2 solar masses disappear to? They were converted into energy during the merging process at a rate of 1034 megatons per second. Another thing noticed was that the length of the merger was fast, implying that the spins of both black holes were well aligned and not in disjunction with each other. This hints at a common origin for both of them, likely in the same cluster of stars. Another big discovery was a lack of dispersion in the gravitational wave signal that would result in different frequencies. That is huge because it reinforces relativity and also reduces the possible size of the graviton to something less than 7.7 * 10-23 eV, a 30% reduction from the previous limit (Betz "3rd," Timmer "LIGO Spots," Wenz "LIGO Detects," Naeye "Gravitational).
On August 14, 2017, a fourth gravity wave was detected by LIGO and with the help of other detectors was able to provide a triangulation for the source of the waves. Now they know where GW170814 happened to within 60 square degrees as opposed to the standard 1,000 square degrees. Two black holes with masses of 25 and 31 solar masses merged long ago to create a 53 solar mass resultant (Betz "Scientists," Timmer "New").
But the biggest news yet came on October 16, 2017 when scientists announced GW 170817 was detected by LIGO and Virgo (a new detector in Pisa Italy, started up on August 1 of 2016). Why was it such a big deal? It was the first gravity wave event of a kilonova, associated with the merger of neutron stars, opening the doors for much scientific insight into several disciplines. Many telescopes turned to the source in NGC 4993, located 130 million light-years away, and began to record data like crazy. A gamma ray burst was seen coming from the region just 1.7 seconds after the waves and lasted for 2 seconds, providing evidence for a long believed theory on their generation as well and the speed of gravity waves (which is near c), hinting at the possibility for gravitons. Data pointed to stars with 1.1 and 1.5 solar masses and the resultant object (which is not known) could be 1-2 percent smaller in mass because of energy dissipation. Over 70 visual telescopes turned their eyes to the event to record the other EM happenings for 10-11 hours after the event. All together, the gravity wave event lasted 100 seconds, just slightly less than theory be that could be because of an off-axis merger relative to us. Rarely has such a massive event been given so much attention, and especially such a weak event as a neutron star merger. Who knows what surprised await us as the data is analyzed for some time to come (Naeye "LIGO," Naeye "Gravitational").
While not yet in existence, the ongoing drama of the ESA’s Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will surely be worth it once realized. It has been in various stages of development for the past 30 years and likely will not be built and launched for 20 more years. The basic approach is simple enough: three spacecraft located at the L1 Lagrange point make up the points of an equilateral triangle with sides of 5 million kilometers. A laser is sent back and forth to each probe so that the constant distance is known. If a gravity wave passes by, the distance will be altered and detection possible (Andersen 43-4, Haynes "LISA Tests").
2011 was a critical year for the development of LISA as a big test towards the full-scale version was successfully accomplished. The Optical Meteorology Subsystem was put under space-like conditions by being in a vacuum and under cold conditions yet managed to beat the required precision by 3 times the expected value. The test was conducted at Ottobrunn by the Astrium Ltd.. On June 25, 2016, a space-based test looked at the laser interferometer technology and it worked great (Plotner, Haynes "LISA Pathfinder").
This is another future gravity wave detector that is in development. The Kamioka Gravitational Wave Detector will be located in Japan below the surface (to minimize seismic surface fluctuations) and will operate under the interferometer principle with a beam splitter. The L-shape detector will travel into Mt. Ikenoyama (which is home to the Super Kamiokande Neutrino Observatory) and have two arms at a length of 3 kilometers each. The beam splitters will be made of sapphire (because of their structural integrity at low temperatures) and cooled to -424 degrees Fahrenheit (to lower heat noise in the signal). The goal is to detect gravity waves in the 100 Hz range, a result of a black hole merger (Hornyak).
The team at Advanced Concepts over at NASA is led by Babak Saif (the interferometer engineer for the James Webb Space Telescope) and Mark Kasevich (professor of applied physics at Stanford University) is working on an alternate method. While nothing is set in stone with it yet, an atom interferometer could be a potential detector. Unlike the traditional interferometer, which uses mirrors and lenses, an atom interferometer makes use of quantum mechanics. Clouds of atoms are placed in superposition by lasers, allowing them to occupy the same places in space-time. In this case the lasers cause the atoms to achieve a state of nearly perfect rest, aka absolute zero, then another set of lasers causes the superposition to occur. 10 seconds after being put in this state the clouds are released from the lasers, supposedly back in their original state minus the changes in momentum they may have gone under. But if a gravity wave passed by while the clouds were in superposition then the atoms will have their state changed. Unlike a laser interferometer, this version will have a high level of accuracy down to the nanoscale and it does not need large distances (5000 times less, actually) for it to work unlike its counterparts (Andersen 44, Keesey).
Pulsar Timing Array
Gravity waves should be a result of a natural process, so why not use another one as a detection tool? Millisecond pulsars fit the bill. This subclass of the spinning neutron stars pulses thousands of times a second courtesy of an angular momentum transfer from a binary companion. They pulsate at such a regular interval that any deviation would potentially be caused by depressions in the fabric of space-time caused by gravity. But one would not be enough to show this. We would need a network of them to show specifically what was causing it and to see if others are impacted. NANOGrav and The European Pulsar Timing Array has found some possible upper limits as to what the amplitude of a gravitational wave could be but nothing concrete has been found yet. Even over a decade of observations by the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array didn't find anything. This was despite finding 24 pulsars with low activity being observed, which would allow for any significant changes like gravitational waves to be easily seen. Such seemingly null findings are in fact able to eliminate some models for gravitational wave production, so not all is lost (Keesey, Timmer 27 Sept. 2015).
Surprisingly, ordinary stars may be all we need to find evidence of gravity waves. Barry McKeman from the American Museum of Natural History in New York and his team have shown that it is possible for a star to absorb some of the gravitational energy the wave would supply so long as it was in tune with the right frequency of the wave, aka resonance. This would cause an output increase in terms of brightness that we can measure. Of course many things can cause a star to brighten up, so the study authors suggest that if a group of stars could be found then it would be possible for them all to be hit by the resonant wave and thus increase as a group. The best-case scenario for this would be around a black hole, for the stars would be close together and near a potentially large gravity wave maker (Choi, American Museum of Natural History).
American Museum of Natural History. “Finding Hints of Gravitational Waves in the Stars.” Astronomy.com. Kalmbach Publishing Co., 23 Sept. 2014. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.
Andersen, Ross D. “An Ear to the Big Bang.” Scientific American Oct. 2013: 42-6. Print.
Betz, Eric. "3rd Gravitational Wave Detection is About Much More Than Black Holes." Astronomy.com. Kalmbach Publishing Co., 01 Jun. 2017. Web. 13 Nov. 2017.
---. "LIGO Detects a Second Set of Gravitational Waves." astronomy.com. Kalmbach Publishing Co., 15 Jun. 2016. Web. 20 Jul. 2016.
---. "Scientists Catch Another Gravitational Wave, and They Know Where It Came From." Astronomy.com. Kalmbach Publishing Co., 27 Sept. 2017. Web. 04 Dec. 2017.
Castelvecchi, Davide. “Gravitation Waves: Here’s Everything You Need to Know.” HuffingtonPost.com. Huffington Post, 18 Mar. 2014. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.
Choi, Charles Q. “Einstein’s Gravity Waves Could Be Found With New Method.” Space.com Space.com, 24 Oct. 2014. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.
Cowen, Rob. “Gravitational Wave Discovery Called Into Question.” HuffingtonPost.com. Huffington Post, 19 Mar. 2014. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.
Faesi, Chris. “The Race to Detect Gravitational Waves: Pulsar Timing Arrays.” Astrobites.org. Astrobites, 30 Nov. 2012. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.
Freeman, David and Jacqueline Howard. "Scientists Prove Einstein Was Right After Detecting Gravitational Waves." HuffingtonPost.com. Huffington Post, 11 Feb. 2016. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.
Haynes, Korey and Eric Betz. "A Wrinkle in Space-Time Confirms Einstein's Gravitation." Astronomy May 2016: 23-5. Print.
Haynes, Korey. "Gravitational Waves - Seen and Heard?" Astronomy Jun. 2016: 16. Print.
---. "LISA Pathfinder Completes First Phase." Astronomy Oct. 2016: 16. Print.
---. "LISA Tests Gravitational Wave Tech." Astronomy Jan 2016: 19. Print.
Hornyak, Lim. "Digging Up Gravity." Discover Jun. 2016. Print.
Keesey, Lori. “NASA Pursues Atom Optics to Detect the Imperceptible.” NASA.gov. NASA, 18 Oct. 2012. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.
Klesman, Alison. "Baby Black Holes Get a Kick During Formation." Astronomy.com. Kalmbach Publishing Co., 06 Jun. 2017. Web. 13 Nov. 2017.
Krauss, Lawrence M. "What Einstein Got Wrong." Scientific American Sept. 2015: 52-3. Print.
Levin, Janna. Black Hole Blues and Other Songs From Outer Space, Borzoi Books: New York, 2016. Print. 56, 59-63, 71-3, 79-86, 100-1.
Moskowitz, Clara. “Multiverse Debate Heats Up In Wake of Gravitational Waves Findings.” HuffingtonPost.com. Huffington Post, 31 Mar. 2014. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.
Naeye, Robert. "Gravitational Waves." Astronomy Nov. 2017: 20-1. Print.
---. "LIGO Detects a Neutron Star Merger." Astronomy.com. Kalmbach Publishing Co., 16 Oct. 2017. Web. 07 Dec. 2017.
Plotner, Tammy. “LISA Pathfinder – Surfing Gravity Waves.” UniverseToday.com. Universe Today, 14 Nov. 2011. Web. 22 Sept. 2015.
Ritter, Malcom. “ ‘Cosmic Inflation’ Discovery Lends Key Support of Expanding Early Universe.” HuffingtonPost.com. Huffington Post, 17 Mar. 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2014.
Shipman, Harry L. Black Holes, Quasars, and the Universe. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1980. Print. 125-7.
Timmer, John. “Gravitational Wave Evidence Disappears Into Dust.” arstechnica.com. Conde Nast, 22 Sept. 2014. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.
---. "Gravitational Waves Missing in Action in Latest Test." arstechnica.com. Conde Nast, 27 Sept. 2015. Web. 20 Jul. 2016.
---. "LIGO Data Includes At Least One More Black Hole Merger." arstechnica.com. Conde Nast, 15 Jun. 2015. Web. 20 Jul. 2016.
---. "LIGO Spots a Third Black Hole Merger, Tightens Mass Limits on Gravitons." arstechnica.com. Conde Nast., 01 Jun. 2017. Web. 15 Nov. 2017.
---. "New Gravitational Wave Detector Almost Immediately Spots Black Hole Merger." arstechnica.com. Conte Nast., 27 Sept. 2017. Web. 06 Dec. 2017.
Wenz, John. "LIGO Detects Third Gravitational Wave." Astronomy Oct. 2017. Print. 13.
---. "LIGO Finds Another Set of Gravity Waves." Astronomy Oct. 2016: 21. Print.
Wolchover, Natalie. "Gravitational Waves Discovered at Long Last." Quantamagazine.org. Simons Foundation, 11 Feb. 2016. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.
© 2016 Leonard Kelley | <urn:uuid:a5201d8f-4912-48df-b032-c7705ec40990> | 4.25 | 5,363 | Knowledge Article | Science & Tech. | 63.116826 | 95,627,731 |
Desktop Applications (Visual C++)
A desktop application in C++ is a native application that can access the full set of Windows APIs and either runs in a window or in the system console. Desktop applications in C++ can run on Windows XP through Windows 10 (although Windows XP is no longer officially supported and there are many Windows APIs that have been introduced since then).
A desktop application is distinct from a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app, which can run on PCs running Windows 10, and also on XBox, Windows Phone, Surface Hub, and other devices. For more information about desktop vs. UWP applications, see Choose your technology.
Desktop Bridge In Windows 10 you can package your existing desktop application or COM object as a UWP app and add UWP features such as touch, or call APIs from the modern Windows API set. You can also add a UWP app to a desktop solution in Visual Studio, and package them together in a single package and use Windows APIs to communicate between them.
In Visual Studio 2017 version 15.4 and later, you can create a Windows Application Package Project to greatly simplify the work of packaging your existing desktop application. A few restrictions apply with respect to what registry calls or APIs your desktop application uses, but in many cases you can create alternate code paths to achieve similar functionality while running in an app package. For more information, see Desktop Bridge.
A Win32 application is a Windows desktop application in C++ that can make use of native Windows C APIs and/or COM APIs CRT and Standard Library APIs, and 3rd party libraries. A Win32 application that runs in a window requires the developer to work explicitly with Windows messages inside a Windows procedure function. Despite the name, a Win32 application can be compiled as a 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) binary. In the Visual Studio IDE, the terms x86 and Win32 are synonymous.
The Component Object Model (COM) is a specification that enables programs written in different languages to communicate with one another. Many Windows components are implemented as COM objects and follow standard COM rules for object creation, interface discovery and object destruction. Using COM objects from C++ desktop applications is relatively straightforward, but writing your own COM object is more advanced. The Active Template Library (ATL) provides macros and helper functions that simplify COM development.
An MFC application is a Windows desktop application that use the Microsoft Foundation Classes to create the user interface. An MFC application can also use COM components as well as CRT and Standard Library APIs. MFC provides a thin C++ object-oriented wrapper over the window message loop and Windows APIs. MFC is the default choice for applications—especially enterprise-type applications—that have lots of user interface controls or custom user controls. MFC provides convenient helper classes for window management, serialization, text manipulation, printing, and modern user interface elements such as the ribbon. To be effective with MFC you should be familiar with Win32.
A C++/CLI application or component uses extensions to C++ syntax (as allowed by the C++ Specification) to enable interaction between .NET and native C++code. A C++/CLI application can have parts that run natively and parts that run on the .NET Framework with access to the .NET Base Class Library. C++/CLI is the preferred option when you have native C++ code that needs to work with code written in C# or Visual Basic. It is primarily intended for use in .NET DLLs rather than in user interface code. For more information, see .NET Programming with C++/CLI (Visual C++).
Any desktop application in C++ can use C Runtime (CRT) and Standard Library classes and functions, COM objects, and the public Windows functions, which collectively are known as the Windows API. For an introduction to Windows desktop applications in C++, see Learn to Program for Windows in C++.
In this section
|Console Applications||Contains information about console apps. A Win32 (or Win64) console application has no window of its own and no message loop. It runs in the console window, and input and output are handled through the command line.|
|Windows Desktop Applications||How to create desktop applications that run in windows as opposed to the console.|
|Resources for Creating a Game Using DirectX (C++)||Links to content for creating games in C++.|
|Walkthrough: Creating and Using a Static Library||How to create a .lib binary file.|
|How to: Use the Windows 10 SDK in a Windows Desktop Application||Contains steps for setting up your project to build using the Windows 10 SDK.|
|Windows Development||Contains information about the Windows API and COM. (Some Windows APIs and third-party DLLs are implemented as COM objects.)|
|Hilo: Developing C++ Applications for Windows 7||Describes how to create a rich-client Windows desktop application that uses Windows Animation and Direct2D to create a carousel-based user interface. This tutorial has not been updated since Windows 7 but it still provides a thorough introduction to Win32 programming.|
|Visual C++||Describes key features of Visual C++ in Visual Studio and links to the rest of the Visual C++ documentation.| | <urn:uuid:10232419-6cde-462d-8d2f-d6aee8243290> | 2.859375 | 1,096 | Documentation | Software Dev. | 44.966633 | 95,627,738 |
What's the value of editorial cartoons in our political reality?
Chances are, you’ve already encountered artificial intelligence today.
Did your email spam filter keep junk out of your inbox? Did you find this site through Google? Did you encounter a targeted ad on your way?
We constantly hear that we’re on the verge of an AI revolution, but the technology is already everywhere. And Coursera co-founder Andrew Ng predicts that smart technology will help humans do even more. It will drive our cars, read our X-rays and affect pretty much every job and industry. And this will happen soon.
As AI rises, concerns grow about the future of humans. So how can we make sure our economy and our society are ready for a technology that could soon dominate our lives?
- Andrew Ng Computer scientist and expert on artificial intelligence; co-founder and co-chairman, Coursera, a free massive on-line course; founding head, Google Brain, an artificial intelligence initiative; former vice president and chief scientist, Baidu, a Chinese digital services company
Should We Be Worried About AI?
There’s clearly some public anxiety about artificial intelligence.
And why wouldn’t there be? One of the smartest humans alive, Stephen Hawking, says AI could end mankind.
But the question isn’t whether to worry about AI, it’s what kind of AI to worry about.
Tesla founder Elon Musk recently warned a gathering of governors that they need to act now to put regulations the development of artificial intelligence. “I keep sounding the alarm bell, but until people see robots going down the street killing people, they don’t know how to react, because it seems so ethereal,” he said.
This kind of concern should come with a caveat, which The Verge points out:
Musk is not talking about the sort of artificial intelligence that companies like Google, Uber, and Microsoft currently use, but what is known as artificial general intelligence — some conscious, super-intelligent entity, like the sort you see in sci-fi movies. Musk (and many AI researchers) believe that work on the former will eventually lead to the latter, but there are plenty of people in the science community who doubt this will ever happen, especially in any of our lifetimes.
To understand the threats AI may or may not pose to society, it’s best to understand the types of AI that do and don’t (yet) exist. Wait But Why has a great summary:
AI Caliber 1) Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI): Sometimes referred to as Weak AI, Artificial Narrow Intelligence is AI that specializes in one area. There’s AI that can beat the world chess champion in chess, but that’s the only thing it does. Ask it to figure out a better way to store data on a hard drive, and it’ll look at you blankly.
AI Caliber 2) Artificial General Intelligence (AGI): Sometimes referred to as Strong AI, or Human-Level AI, Artificial General Intelligence refers to a computer that is as smart as a human across the board—a machine that can perform any intellectual task that a human being can. Creating AGI is a much harder task than creating ANI, and we’re yet to do it. Professor Linda Gottfredson describes intelligence as “a very general mental capability that, among other things, involves the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly, and learn from experience.” AGI would be able to do all of those things as easily as you can.
AI Caliber 3) Artificial Superintelligence (ASI): Oxford philosopher and leading AI thinker Nick Bostrom defines superintelligence as “an intellect that is much smarter than the best human brains in practically every field, including scientific creativity, general wisdom and social skills.” Artificial Superintelligence ranges from a computer that’s just a little smarter than a human to one that’s trillions of times smarter—across the board.
(Really, the full post is essential reading.)
Type 1 exists. This is what we use every day. This is what is reshaping our social networks, advertising and economy. The threat here is already visible. “Fake news” designed to hoax humans games algorithms to reach a wider audience. Automation is replacing human jobs.
Types 2 and 3 cause the anxiety. Futurist Michael Vassar, who has worked with AI, has used Nick Bostrom’s thinking on artificial intelligence to predict that “if greater-than-human artificial general intelligence is invented without due caution, it is all but certain that the human species will be extinct in very short order.”
Even though very smart people disagree over whether this AI will ever exist, the concept of a science-fiction dystopia is simultaneously terrifying and alluring. It’s easy to imagine a Terminator-like world where machines do battle with their human creators and think of it as both unlikely to happen in our lifetimes and also inevitable. And this can make it hard to think about taking steps to stop it from happening. At least one study has found that people are worried about smart machines killing them.
However, as the future of AI approaches, there are already noticeable problems in our ever-more automated present. The economy is reacting to the loss of jobs to machines. The algorithms that drive what information we see can be gamed to feed us misinformation, and even if they work as intended, they can lock us into only getting one side of every story.
“In our current society, automation pushes people out of jobs, making the people who own the machines richer and everyone else poorer. That is not a scientific issue; it is a political and socioeconomic problem that we as a society must solve,” wrote scientist Arend Hentz. “My research will not change that, though my political self – together with the rest of humanity – may be able to create circumstances in which AI becomes broadly beneficial instead of increasing the discrepancy between the one percent and the rest of us.”
This isn’t as exciting as imagining ED-209* on patrol in your town, and it doesn’t draw the same kind of headlines. On July 10, Axios published a report that Senator Maria Cantwell was planning to introduce legislation calling for an AI advisory committee in Washington that would look at how existing and developing technology could destroy jobs and enforce biases. It didn’t get much coverage beyond that. Of course, the legislation hasn’t been introduced yet, so the bill isn’t quite real. But neither is a killer robot.
What Worries You About AI?
To gauge your thoughts on artificial intelligence we employed an expert — a robot.
We asked the 1A Text Club (text 1A to 63735 to join, standard message rates may apply) if they would have a short conversation about artificial intelligence with a rudimentary bot. Most of the questions were multiple choice.
First, we asked if people were concerned about AI.
Next, the bot asked those who were concerned what they were concerned about.
Anyone who said “something else” was asked an open-ended question about what they were particularly concerned with. A number of people might have had the Pixar movie WALL-E on their minds, as they said they were worried AI do so much that humans become too complacent. “I think that an increase in AI will ‘dumb down’ humanity,” one respondent said. “I already see it in dependence on phones, calculators, GPS, etc. We even art and musicianship slipping down to repetition and recycling instead of fresh, creative ideas.”
With these grim scenarios in the air, the bot next asked who should stop this from happening. The plurality of respondents said the government should step in.
Those who said “someone else,” again got an open-ended question. Many of them suggested a combination of government and private business, or an independent commission.
It’s worth noting from the first question … most people who responded were not worried about artificial intelligence. “AI is still really dumb,” one person told us. “AI still cannot beat players in video games, so I’m not worried about them taking over in real life.”
“If we can utilize the technology wisely it will only improve our daily lives,” another said, while someone else told the robot, “Computers are designed to help mankind. Most AI’s are created to improve human life, it is unlikely robots will endanger humans willingly.”
And, of course, some people aren’t afraid at all of what the future might bring.
“Can’t stop technology,” a respondent told the robot. “Embrace its evolution. Besides, humans are cuter. ?”
If you’d like to talk to our robot yourself, text ROBOT to 63735. As usual, standard message rates may apply, and this will sign you up for 1A’s text club. You can text STOP to us any time to stop getting the messages.
The Artificial Intelligence Behind Alpha Go
Wired looks at the AI behind Alpha Go, and what it teaches us:
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But those missing markers of radiation, remnants from atomic bomb tests a half-century ago, foretell much greater threat to the half-billion or more people living downstream of that vast mountain range.
It may mean that future water supplies could fall far short of what’s needed to keep that population alive.
In a paper just published in Geophysical Research Letters, researchers from the Byrd Polar Research Center explain that levels of tritium, beta radioactivity emitters like strontium and cesium, and an isotope of chlorine are absent in all three cores taken from the Naimona’nyi glacier 19,849 feet (6,050 meters) high on the southern margin of the Tibetan Plateau.
“We’ve drilled 13 cores over the years from these high-mountain regions and found these signals in all but one – this one,” explained Lonnie Thompson, University Distinguished Professor of Earth Sciences at Ohio State.
The absence of radioactive signals in the top portion of these cores is a critical problem for determining the age of the ice in the cores. The signals, remnants of the 1962-63 Soviet Arctic nuclear blasts and the 1952-58 nuclear tests in the South Pacific, provide well-dated benchmarks to calibrate the core time scales.
“We rely on these time markers to date the upper part of the ice cores and without them, extracting the climate history they preserve becomes more challenging,” Thompson said.
“We drilled three cores through the ice to bedrock at Naimona’nyi in 2006,” said Natalie Kehrwald, a doctoral student at Ohio State and lead author on the paper. “When we analyzed the top 50 feet (15 meters) of each core, we found that the beta radioactivity signal was barely above normal background levels.”
Tritium, an isotope of hydrogen, and chlorine36 were also both absent from the Naimona’nyi cores, she said. They were able, however, to find a small amount of a lead isotope, lead210, which allowed them to date the top of the core.
“We were able to get a date of approximately 1944 A.D.,” Kehrwald said, “and that, coupled with the other missing signals, means that no new ice has accumulated on the surface of the glacier since 1944,” nearly a decade before the atomic tests.
While the loss of the radioactive horizons to calibrate the cores poses a challenge for Thompson’s research, he worries more about the possibility that other high-altitude glaciers in the region, like Naimona’nyi, are no longer accumulating ice and the impact that could have on water resources for the people living in these regions.
“When you think about the millions of people over there who depend on the water locked in that ice, if they don’t have it available in the future, that will be a serious problem,” he said.
Seasonal runoff from glaciers like Naimona’nyi feeds the Indus, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra rivers in that part of the Asian subcontinent. In some places, for some months each year, those rivers are severely depleted now, the researchers said. The absence of new ice accumulating on the glaciers will only worsen that problem.
“The current models that predict river flow in the region have taken recent glacial ‘retreat’ into account,” said Kehrwald, “but they haven’t considered that some of these glaciers are actually thinning until now.
“If the thinning isn’t included, then whatever strategies people adopt in their efforts to adapt to reductions in river flow simply won’t work.”
Thompson fears that what’s happening to the Naimona’nyi glacier may be happening to many other high-altitude glaciers around the world. “I think that this has tremendous implications for future water supplies in the Andes, as well as the Himalayas, and for people living in those regions.”
The absence of the radioactive signals in the 2006 Naimona’nyi core also suggests that Thompson and his colleagues have been lucky with their previous expeditions to other ice fields.
“We have to wonder -- if we were to go back to previous drill sites, some drilled in the 1980s, and retrieved new cores -- would these radioactive signals be present today?” he asked.
“My guess is that they would be missing.” The researchers’ recent work has shown similar thinning on glaciers in Africa, South America and in Asia in the past few years.
Working on the project with Thompson and Kehrwald were professor of geography Ellen Mosley-Thompson, Mary Davis, and Yao Tandong, of the Institute for Tibetan Plateau Research with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The National Science Foundation and the Gary Comer Foundation supported parts of this research.
Contact: Lonnie Thompson, 614-292-6652; Thompson.email@example.com.
Earle Holland | Newswise Science News
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For the first time ever, scientists have determined the cosmic origin of highest-energy neutrinos. A research group led by IceCube scientist Elisa Resconi, spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center SFB1258 at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an important piece of evidence that the particles detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole originate from a galaxy four billion light-years away from Earth.
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Physicists working with Roland Wester at the University of Innsbruck have investigated if and how chemical reactions can be influenced by targeted vibrational excitation of the reactants. They were able to demonstrate that excitation with a laser beam does not affect the efficiency of a chemical exchange reaction and that the excited molecular group acts only as a spectator in the reaction.
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Ultra-short, high-intensity X-ray flashes open the door to the foundations of chemical reactions. Free-electron lasers generate these kinds of pulses, but there is a catch: the pulses vary in duration and energy. An international research team has now presented a solution: Using a ring of 16 detectors and a circularly polarized laser beam, they can determine both factors with attosecond accuracy.
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- Open Access
At-sea abundance and distribution of skuas and jaegers (Charadriiformes: Stercorariidae) at coastal waters off central Chile
© Simeone et al.; licensee Springer. 2014
Received: 22 July 2013
Accepted: 24 March 2014
Published: 15 July 2014
Skuas and jaegers (Charadriiformes: Stercorariidae) are seabirds breeding at moderate to high latitudes and some perform extensive post-breeding transequatorial migrations. Most species overwinter and perform significant portions of their migratory flyways along the Pacific coast of South America, but scant information is available on their at-sea ecology in this waters. Our aims in this study were to determine: 1) the timing of occurrence and fluctuations in abundance of skua and jaeger species, 2) their spatial distribution within the coastal zone and 3) at-sea behavior of birds, including flock size and interactions with other seabird species.
Between July 2006 and October 2013, we conducted at-sea bird counts at Valparaiso Bay (33°S) in central Chile and confirmed the occurrence of Chilean skuas (Stercorarius chilensis), Brown skuas (S. antarcticus), and Parasitic jaegers (S. parasiticus). Parasitic jaegers are regular austral summer visitors (November to March), whereas Brown skuas occur in the area only in winter (July to October). Chilean skuas were regularly recorded year-round in the area with higher abundances between late winter and early spring (August to October). Brown and Chilean skuas where observed comparatively offshore, whereas Jaegers presented a more coastal distribution, probably associated to host presence. Chilean skuas kleptoparasitized similar-sized (shearwaters and fulmars) and larger seabird species (boobies), whereas jaegers chased only smaller coastal birds (gulls and terns). Brown skuas engaged in no kleptoparasitic behaviors. All three species were observed mostly as solitary individuals.
Skuas and jaegers showed in general a marked seasonality in their occurrence and abundance (only Chilean skua occurs year-round) and use this area as a commuting and stopover zone within their extensive migratory flyway along the southeastern Pacific.
The Stercorariidae constitutes a small, distinctive family of seven kleptoparasitic seabird species all now regarded as within the genus Stercorarius (Remsen et al. 2013), although much debate exists about their systematics; sometimes, more species and a second genus are recognized within the family (Cohen et al. 1997; Braun and Brufield 1998; Ritz et al. 2008; Chu et al. 2009). The family comprises the larger and mostly Brown skuas and the smaller, more agile jaegers. All breed at moderate to high latitudes and perform extensive post-breeding transequatorial migrations (Furness 1987a). Species present in South America include the Brown (S. antarcticus Mathews) and the South Polar skuas (S. maccormicki Saunders) breeding in Antarctica and subantarctic islands. The Chilean skua (S. chilensis Bonaparte) confined to the fjords and coastal islands of Chile and Argentina (Harrison 1988; Yorio 2005). The Pomarine (S. pomarinus Temminck), Parasitic (S. parasiticus Linnaeus) and Long-tailed jaegers (S. longicaudus Vieillot) breed in the Arctic tundra (Furness 1987a; Harrison 1988).
Skuas and jaegers are marine top predators and exert significant effects on their prey/host populations (Furness 1987a, [b]). Studies on these species have focused mainly on breeding ecology, kleptoparasitic behavior, and systematics. Contrastingly, comparatively less is known about their movements, marine habitat use, and at-sea behavior, particularly along the Pacific coast of South America where some species overwinter and perform significant portions of their migratory flyways (Phillips et al. 2007, 2009; Kopp et al. 2011). Recent studies have shown that South Polar skuas from Antarctica migrate to wintering areas into both northern Atlantic and northern Pacific (Kopp et al. 2011), and Brown skuas from South Georgia and Falklands overwinter in the Atlantic within the Argentine Basin between 37° to 52°S (Phillips et al. 2007, 2009). Flyways and winter grounds of Brown skuas from Antarctica remain largely unknown and may include areas in the Atlantic and Pacific (Watson 1975; Furness 1987a; Jaramillo 2005; Raimilla 2012). Extent and timing of migration of the Chilean skua are largely unknown (Harrison 1988), although it has been reported as far north as the Peruvian coast, where it is considered a rare visitor (Harrison 1988; Schulenberg et al. 2010). After breeding during northern summer, all tundra species conduct extensive transequatorial migrations down to South American waters, both in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Furness 1987a), but details on their movements and timing of migration remain largely unknown.
In 2006, we started an at-sea monitoring program of seabirds off the coast of Valparaiso in central Chile (33°S), within the Humboldt Current System. This area is part of an extensive flyway for several boreal and austral migratory species (Spear and Ainley 2008) and supports a high marine productivity derived from intense upwelling (Thiel et al. 2007; Aiken et al. 2008), which in turn, sustains large numbers of endemic, resident, and migratory seabird species (Spear and Ainley 2008). Our aims in this study were to determine: (1) the timing of occurrence and fluctuations in abundance of skua and jaeger species, (2) their spatial distribution within the coastal zone, and (3) at-sea behavior of birds, including flock size and interactions with other seabird species.
For birds that are on the water, we counted them ‘in transect’ if they were within a 250-m-wide distance band perpendicular to the boat. This band was subdivided into three discrete bands: 0 to 50, 50 to 100, and 100 to 250 m. The birds outside this area were considered as to be ‘outside transect’ and were not considered for density estimates (see below).
For birds that are flying, we considered ‘snapshots’ of the number of birds flying within a hypothetical box 250 m wide and ahead. This was performed at the beginning of each minute (second 0), and all flying birds within this area at second 0 were considered within transect. This convention greatly reduces overestimation in bird abundance (Tasker et al. 1984). The method assumes that target species behave independently of the ship, so ship followers were not recorded as animals in transect and were kept aside at all times (Camphuysen et al. 2004).
Transects extended up to 15 km offshore within the limits of the continental shelf, and the navigation speed was kept at constant as possible between 10 and 12 km/h, so as to obtain adequate detection of birds, particularly those on the water (Garthe and Hüppop 1999). As much as weather and wave conditions made possible, each month, we kept the same track and trip duration (ca 3 h). The counts were performed only if a minimal set of weather and sea conditions were present, including visibility >1 km and sea state ≤5 (Beaufort scale).
Bird abundance was expressed as density (individuals/km2) to standardize for differential transect length performed each trip, and this was calculated by dividing the amount of birds counted in transect by a known surface area. The ship speed was kept at constant as possible at 10 km/h, and considering the transect width of 0.5 km (0.25 km at each side of the boat, see above), we covered 1 km2 every 12 min.
The position and speed of the boat were recorded every 10 min using a GPS. The distance of the observed birds to the coast was estimated by using the nearest GPS position of the bird to the nearest coast section in a straight line. The measurements were made using ArcGIS v. 10 (Esri Chile S.A., Santiago, Chile). The names and systematics followed Remsen et al. (2013).
For each species, we determined the overall patterns of spatial distribution using fixed kernel (bivariate normal kernel) utilization distributions (UD) (Worton 1989, 1995), which provide a probability contour, indicating the relative proportion of the distribution within a particular area. Using this model, one can define kernel density contour as the minimum area in which an animal has some specified probability of being located (Calenge 2006). The smoothing parameter (h) was estimated for each species using the ad hoc method proposed by Silverman (1986) as follows: S. chilensis = 1,653 m, S. parasiticus = 1,397 m, and S. antarcticus = 2,068 m. For S. chilensis and S. parasiticus, the contour levels were estimated for 25%, 50%, 75%, and 95% of the locations, and for S. antarcticus, the contour level were estimated only for 95% due to the limited number of recorded individuals.
Spatial analyses were performed using the package adehabitatHR (CRAN, Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Vienna, Austria) (Calenge 2006) in R. The values of distance presented high heteroscedasticity and did not fit to a normal distribution. We thus conducted permutational analyses of variance to examine whether the distance to the coast varied significantly across the skua species. Permutational p values were calculated by using 1,000 permutations. The average probability of sighting a particular species at a particular month was calculated, applying a generalized linear model assuming a binomial error structure. The analyses were conducted in the R package (http://CRAN.R-project.org).
We used a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to compare the monthly abundances within each species. Because data were not normally distributed and variance was not homogeneous, we used Monte Carlo simulation to obtain a permutational F value using 9,999 permutations.
Mean and 95% CI of distances to the coastline reached by skuas and jaegers
L 95% CI
U 95% CI
Seabird species involved in different behaviors with skuas and jaegers
Chilean skua (56)
Parasitic jaeger (51)
Southern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialoides Smith) (48)
Pink-footed shearwater (Puffinus creatopus Coues) (48)
Sooty shearwater (Puffinus griseus Gmelin) (43)
White-chinned petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis Linnaeus) (54)
Peruvian booby (Sula variegata Tschudi) (74)
Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus Forster) (70)
Guanay cormorant (Phalacrocorax bougainvillii Lesson) (76)
Kelp gull (Larus dominicanus Lichtenstein) (58)
Franklin's gull (Larus pipixcan Wagler) (40)
Grey gull (Larus modestus Tschudi) (46)
Inca tern (Larosterna inca Lesson) (41)
Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) Pontoppidan (38)
South American tern (Sterna hirundinacea Lesson) (42)
All three recorded Stercorarius species were most likely commuting between breeding and wintering areas (or vice versa) as none has breeding grounds in the proximity of the study area: Chilean skuas breed in southern Chile and Argentina, Parasitic jaegers in the Arctic tundra, and Brown skuas in Antarctica, subantarctic islands, and Argentine Patagonia (Furness 1987a, [b]; Harrison 1988; Yorio 2005).
Wintering grounds of Parasitic jaegers and Chilean skuas are known to include waters off the southeastern Pacific including the coast of Peru and Chile within the Humboldt Current (Furness 1987a, [b]; Harrison 1988). The wintering grounds and migratory routes of Brown skuas, on the contrary, are less clear. Phillips et al. (2007) showed that Brown skuas from South Georgia and Falkland Islands (Atlantic) overwinter widely over deep, oceanic waters within the Argentine Basin (37° to 52°S) between the Antarctic Polar Front and the Northern Subtropical Front. Jaramillo (2005) states that the status of this species in the Pacific is unclear and suggests that wintering grounds extend only along the Atlantic coast. However, recent observations of Raimilla (2012) at the Diego Ramirez Archipelago suggest that the Pacific may also be part of the migratory flyway of this species. Our observations confirm that Brown skuas (most likely post-breeders from Antarctic Peninsula), although in low numbers, regularly use the Pacific coast during their migration to wintering areas. The fact that most records were in winter suggests that Brown skuas are more coastal during the northward migration and probably use more pelagic routes during their trip back to their breeding grounds. A similar migratory pattern has been observed in the South Polar skua (Kopp et al. 2011).
Other Stercorarius species reported for Chilean waters but not recorded in the present study include the South Polar skua and the Pomarine and Long-tailed jaegers. During their migration trips, all three species use comparatively more oceanic waters than the species observed in this study (Harrison 1988; Jaramillo 2005; Kopp et al. 2011), and this may have hindered their observation within our study area which included mostly coastal waters.
Two species (Brown skua and Parasitic jaeger) showed a strong seasonal presence in the study area and were completely segregated in the time they passed off Valparaiso, reflecting their breeding and migratory habits at opposite sides of the globe. Chilean skuas showed a nearly constant presence in the area throughout the period of study, with lowest abundances during summer when birds are concentrated at their breeding grounds (the few birds we observed were probably non-breeders). Low abundances during autumn and early winter suggest that Chilean skuas use the waters off Valparaiso only as a flyway during their northward migration. During late winter and early spring, however, Chilean skua densities tend to increase (Figure 2a), suggesting that the waters off Valparaiso may serve as a pre-breeding staging area where individuals may forage and gain body condition lost during the energetically demanding southern migration. The Valparaiso Bay supports a large marine productivity derived from upwelled waters from the nearby Curaumilla Point (see Figure 1 for locations) (Sievers and Vega 2000; Silva and Valdenegro 2003; Aiken et al. 2008; Thiel et al. 2007). A similar strategy has been reported for South Polar skuas during their return (spring) migration; individuals stop at terminal staging areas mostly off Peru to take advantage of increased local marine productivity before continuing their trip to breeding areas nearly 3,000 km to the south (Kopp et al. 2011).
The two skua species used similar areas and reached similar distances to the coast, comparatively more offshore. The parasitic jaeger, on the other hand, is mostly coastal in habitat use, which is probably related to host (gulls and terns) distribution, which has also a coastal distribution (Furness 1987a; Arcos 2000).
Parasitic jaegers associated to other seabird species exclusively for kleptoparasitic purposes, which is consistent with their classification as ‘specialized kleptoparasites’ (Furness 1987b). Jaegers chased mostly migratory species such as Franklin's gulls and Arctic terns, all boreal migrants. This is consistent with the observations that jaegers synchronize their migrations with those of their hosts and follow them during their migratory movements (Furness 1987a). However, parasitic jaegers were also able to take advantage of local species such as South American and Inca terns and Grey gulls. Jaegers kleptoparasitized only smaller birds (see Table 2), supporting the idea that size is an important factor influencing host species selection as smaller species are more vulnerable and prone to drop food items after being chased (Furness 1987a; Arcos 2000). Chilean skuas kleptoparasitized on both smaller and larger seabirds (e.g., Peruvian booby) but were also able to engage in multi-species flocks for feeding and resting, in accordance to their classification as ‘opportunistic kleptoparasites’ (Furness 1987b). Remarkably, Chilean skuas and Parasitic jaegers seem to be almost completely segregated in the species they associate with as only Inca terns were common hosts to both Stercorarius species, although with different purposes (see Table 2). Brown skuas were never seen associated to other species.
Most individuals observed at sea were single birds, suggesting that migratory movements are not in large groups but occur rather in solitary. At least in Parasitic jaegers, this strategy may help individuals maximize host chasing and food retrieval, at least when small hosts are selected (as observed in this study). Larger groups of jaegers may result too conspicuous for the hosts (Furness 1987b) and may be profitable only when attempting to chase a larger host, although this does not necessarily increase the rate of success (Arcos 2000).
We are aware that one sampling per month appears inadequate for inferring abundance patterns for any seabird species, and a higher frequency would be desirable to generate more confident estimates (see Camphuysen et al. 2004). However, our sampling effort has been constant over 7 years, and we consider this likely to provide consistency to our results. Given the extensive migrations these species undertake, future studies should include the use of satellite telemetry to elucidate specific routes used during post-breeding migrations, specific wintering areas, and stopovers.
Chilean skuas occur year-round off the Valparaiso Bay while Brown skuas and Parasitic jaegers showed a marked seasonality in their occurrence and abundance. Skuas occur more offshore while jaegers are more coastal and this seems to be related to host distribution. Stercorarius species use this area as a commuting and stopover zone within their extensive migratory flyway along the southeastern Pacific.
We are grateful to the many on-board observers that helped throughout the years, particularly to M. Bernal, K. Burgos, L. Cabezas, J. C. Hernández, N. Herrera, L. Henríquez, L. Hiriart-Bertrand, G. Iñiguez, R. Norambuena, P. Núñez, J. Parra, I. Salas, D. Toledo, and A. Velasco. The help of the crew of ‘Fresia del Carmen’ (Andrea, Christian, Jano, ‘Keno,’ and ‘Poroto’) was invaluable to our work at sea. We thank two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions to the manuscript. Financial support to this project has been provided by research grants AR-03-05, DI-07-08, DI-48-10, and DI-132-12 from the Vicerrectoria de Investigacion y Doctorado, Universidad Andres Bello (Chile) to A. Simeone.
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The material was formed around four and a half to four billion years ago - in the Earth's so-called Hadean Eon. This is only the second find of its kind in the world, and it shows that certain areas in the upper sections of the Earth's crust can stay untouched for billions of years, thereby storing information from the Earth's earliest years. The researchers have published their results in the latest issue of the prestigious magazine "Nature".
In the earliest period of its history - the Hadean Eon - the Earth was surrounded by an ocean of molten rock which slowly solidified. The scientists from the Institute of Mineralogy at WWU - Dr. Dewashish Upadhyay, Prof. Erik Scherer and Prof. Klaus Mezger - have demonstrated with their find that material from the Earth's proto-crust is still traceable in today's crust, even though this is in constant movement and rock material of varying ages has, in the course of time, been mixed in.
The only other find of this kind was made around a year ago in Canada and made the headlines at the time. "Every find that provides insights into the time the Earth was formed is virgin territory," says Prof. Mezger. This explains why this second find is so significant.
The magmatic rocks come from the State of Orissa in India. They were formed from material that came into being over four billion years ago. About 1.5 billion years ago this melted and formed the new rocks in the upper sections of the Earth's crust at a depth of more than 40 kilometres. As a result of movements in the Earth's crust and weathering processes the rocks finally reached the Earth's surface, which is where they were found by the team of Münster researchers.
"As our Earth is a very active planet, geologically speaking," says Prof. Mezger, "the rocks are constantly worked on, for example through weathering or melting. This means that the rock material to be found today on the Earth's surface is very old. The minerals making up these rocks are, however, much younger. It's a bit like baking a cake: you have the flour before you have the cake." After this second find of rocks from primeval material the scientists now suspect that there is yet more of this material from the Hadean Eon on the Earth's surface - only no one has yet discovered it.
An additional factor is that any analysis of the rock samples is very elaborate. The scientists found proof of the enormous age of the material providing the basis for the much younger magmatic rocks by examining the abundance of a certain isotope of the element neodymium.
In the case of such old rock material this abundance differs from the known mean value for the Earth. "In future," says Prof. Mezger, "it will be very interesting to pinpoint such old areas in the Earth's crust and take samples there. This would give us a better understanding of the history of the Earth's development in its formative years."
References: Upadhyay D., Scherer E. and Mezger K. (2009): 142Nd evidence for an enriched Hadean reservoir in cratonic roots. Nature 459, 1118-1121 | doi:10.1038
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Archimedes' Mechanical Method
February 17, 2009
Bailey Hall 207
Refreshments will be served at 3:45 in Bailey 204
In 1906, Danish mathematical historian J. L. Heiberg made a remarkable discovery in a convent in Constantinople (now Istanbul). He discovered a 900-year old document written over many times, with remnants of early imperfectly erased writing still visible. Some of the writing was a copy of a much earlier letter written by Archimedes in the third century BC to his friend Eratosthenes (best known today for his very accurate measurement of the circumference of the Earth and for his method of listing primes). This letter contains what has come to be known as Archimedes’ Mechanical Method.
The Mechanical Method uses the Law of the Lever (“Two weights balance at distances from the fulcrum that are inversely proportional to their magnitudes”) to relate areas and volumes of various geometric objects. The technique involves something that looks very much like calculus. We shall present one of Archimedes’ results using his Mechanical Method: A sphere has four times the volume of a cone with base equal to a great circle of the sphere and height equal to its radius.
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By: Ernestino Maravalhas(Author)
455 pages, 700 photos, 140 maps
Language: Portuguese with English summaries
Covers all the known butterflies of Portugal including Madeira and the Azores. In the systematic part of the book, each species is treated in the following format: Distribution; Description (including wingspan); Variation; Biology (including flight period, early stages, food plants, habitat); Conservation status; Similar species; and a Selected bibliography.
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Robotic MAV- Micro Air Vehicle Based on an Organic Humming Bird Model
MAV Micro Air Vehicle Based on Organic Hummingbird Model. There is no more interesting bird than a humming bird. Some humming bird species migrate, 500 miles? Wow. Efficient little bird isn't it? It's wings move between 60-80 flap cycles per minute. We have produced a drawing for a little MAV humming bird and found a suitable motor. It spins 15,000 rpm. Check out this little Brushless Motor?
In our model we use a little motor live this with a small shaft on it in front of the wing spar. The shaft has an oval shape gear on it with no teeth. As the shaft spins the off center shape about the size of a dime touches the center of the flexible wing spar in the center. The wings are attached to this spar, which is a material, which has memory and as soon as it is pushed out it bounces back with elasticity, which means you get 15,000 flaps per minute. A gear reduction of 400:1 would give our design of this miniature bird the proper flying ability and it could travel at my desired speed.
Having observed humming birds in hummingbird feeders and watching them dive bomb the bunnies in rabbit enclosures and cats in areas nearby their favorite nectar locals. They would feed on apples that would ferment, get drunk and do some really crazy stunt flying. It seemed like they could almost do what dragon flies do--hover in one place and then spin 180 degrees and fly off in the opposite direction. In our model we use various known aerodynamic methods to work through these issues. This is easily doable with control surfaces since the wings produce airflows. Using the Strouhal number we have calculated the speed of the motor and frequency of the flap cycle needed. The Strouhal number is amazing that the number falls in the same range for 42 species. The optimal point for movement through current whether air or water certainly would point out the highest propulsive efficiency.
We can certainly see why the Universities, R & D people and military are all looking at this. We have done much studying on the ideas of an Organic Unmanned Vehicle or MAV matching what evolution has taught us. The depth of the wings is in proportion to the length and width of the wing is much of a factor in the heights that birds are able to achieve. An interesting documentary that often plays on the discovery channel called: "Winged Migration" by Jacques Perrin, director. Film crews followed bird migration through 40 countries, each of the 7 continents and all 4 seasons using everything from hot air balloons to gliders to get the best footage. This will give you good insight into the migratory process of birds and how they fly, close-up and personal. Having little insect sized machines or even bird-sized machines would be easy to ignore. I probably wouldn't ignore something like that if it flew by, but most people would. We should be looking at the flight patterns of hummingbirds as they are fascinating to watch. A small camera could be attached to the unit such as this one:
and it could be powered by a small Fuel Cell and battery, like the small ones being made for Cell Phones now. This was briefly discussed by President and CEO of Sprint at the CES show this week. A small MAV or electric humming bird could drop these like tiny cameras like bombs or bird droppings where they always land right side up, in the ground and they are on-site cameras which can be used for surveillance or perimeter security? And is this camera technology worthy of MAV picture taking? And in case you think this is too far out, think again, have you seen this yet? A miniature micro helicopter.
Yes my friends this is all real. So what we are talking about is also very doable now. We can do it, we have all the parts and drawings.
Regarding the MAV, UAV, OUV, etc. I understand that you may not understand what these are. UAV in an Ummanned Aerial vehicle, MAV is a Micro Air Vehicle and OUV we made up is now an Organic Unmanned vehicle. We are also getting a little unnerved by all these TLA- Three Letter Acronyms? It is difficult enough to keep up with all these mathematic symbols all these people keep inventing, but throwing in the TLAs too, makes for a very TLA- Tough Long Assignment?
The way we see it we can maneuver our unit through anything or around any one. Is this possible? We believe it is.
"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs
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In the mathematical field of numerical analysis, Runge's phenomenon (German: [ˈʁʊŋə]) is a problem of oscillation at the edges of an interval that occurs when using polynomial interpolation with polynomials of high degree over a set of equispaced interpolation points. It was discovered by Carl David Tolmé Runge (1901) when exploring the behavior of errors when using polynomial interpolation to approximate certain functions. The discovery was important because it shows that going to higher degrees does not always improve accuracy. The phenomenon is similar to the Gibbs phenomenon in Fourier series approximations.
The Weierstrass approximation theorem states that for every continuous function f(x) defined on an interval [a,b], there exists a set of polynomial functions Pn(x) for n=0, 1, 2, …, each of degree n, that approximates f(x) with uniform convergence over [a,b] as n tends to infinity, that is,
Consider the case where one desires to interpolate through n+1 equispaced points of a function f(x) using the n-degree polynomial Pn(x) that passes through those points. Naturally, one might expect from Weierstrass' theorem that using more points would lead to a more accurate reconstruction of f(x). However, this particular set of polynomial functions Pn(x) is not guaranteed to have the property of uniform convergence; the theorem only states that a set of polynomial functions exists, without providing a general method of finding one.
The Pn(x) produced in this manner may in fact diverge away from f(x) as n increases; this typically occurs in an oscillating pattern that magnifies near the ends of the interpolation points. This phenomenon is attributed to Runge.
Consider the Runge function
with a polynomial Pn(x) of degree ≤ n, the resulting interpolation oscillates toward the end of the interval, i.e. close to −1 and 1. It can even be proven that the interpolation error increases (without bound) when the degree of the polynomial is increased:
This shows that high-degree polynomial interpolation at equidistant points can be troublesome.
Runge's phenomenon is the consequence of two properties of this problem.
- The magnitude of the derivatives of this particular function grows quickly when n increases.
- The equidistance between points leads to a Lebesgue constant that increases quickly when n increases.
The phenomenon is graphically obvious because both properties combine to increase the magnitude of the oscillations.
The error between the generating function and the interpolating polynomial of order n is given by
for some in (−1, 1). Thus,
Denote the nodal function :
and let be the maximum of the function :
Then it can be proved that, if equidistant nodes are used, then :
where is the step size.
Moreover, assume that the n-th derivative of is bounded, i.e.
But the magnitude of the n-th derivative of Runge's function increases when n increases, and very fast. The result is that the product in the previous equation tends to infinity when n tends to infinity.
Although often used to explain the Runge phenomenon, the fact that the upper bound of the error goes to infinity does not necessarily imply, of course, that the error itself also diverges with n.
Mitigations to the problem
Change of interpolation points
The oscillation can be minimized by using nodes that are distributed more densely towards the edges of the interval, specifically, with asymptotic density (on the interval [−1,1]) given by the formula . A standard example of such a set of nodes is Chebyshev nodes, for which the maximum error in approximating the Runge function is guaranteed to diminish with increasing polynomial order. The phenomenon demonstrates that high degree polynomials are generally unsuitable for interpolation with equidistant nodes.
Use of piecewise polynomials
The problem can be avoided by using spline curves which are piecewise polynomials. When trying to decrease the interpolation error one can increase the number of polynomial pieces which are used to construct the spline instead of increasing the degree of the polynomials used.
One can also fit a polynomial of higher degree (for instance, with points use a polynomial of order instead of ), and fit an interpolating polynomial whose first (or second) derivative has minimal norm.
A similar approach is to minimize a constrained version of the distance between the polynomial's derivative and the mean value of it's derivative. Explicitly, to minimize
where and , with respect to the polynomial coefficients and the Lagrange multipliers, . When , the constraint equations generated by the Lagrange multipliers reduce to the minimum polynomial that passes through all points. At the opposite end, will approach a form very similar to a piecewise polynomials approximation. When , in particular, approaches the linear piecewise polynomials, i.e. connecting the interpolation points with straight lines.
The role played by in the process of minimizing is to control the importance of the size of the fluctuations away from the mean value. The larger is, the more large fluctuations are penalized compared to small ones. The greatest advantage of the Euclidean norm, , is that it allows for analytic solutions and it guarantees that will only have a single minimum. When there can be multiple minima in , making it difficult to ensure that a particular minimum found will be the global minimum instead of a local one.
Least squares fitting
Using Bernstein polynomials, one can uniformly approximate every continuous function in a closed interval, although this method is rather computationally expensive.
Related statements from the approximation theory
For every predefined table of interpolation nodes there is a continuous function for which the sequence of interpolation polynomials on those nodes diverges. For every continuous function there is a table of nodes on which the interpolation process converges. Chebyshev interpolation (i.e., on Chebyshev nodes) converges uniformly for every absolutely continuous function.
- Compare with the Gibbs phenomenon for sinusoidal basis functions
- Taylor series
- Chebyshev nodes
- Stone–Weierstrass theorem
- Runge, Carl (1901), "Über empirische Funktionen und die Interpolation zwischen äquidistanten Ordinaten", Zeitschrift für Mathematik und Physik, 46: 224–243. available at www.archive.org
- Epperson, James (1987). "On the Runge example". Amer. Math. Monthly. 94: 329–341. doi:10.2307/2323093.
- Heath, Michael (2000). Scientific Computing. McGraw-Hill. p. 324. ISBN 0072399104.
- Berrut, Jean-Paul; Trefethen, Lloyd N. (2004), "Barycentric Lagrange interpolation", SIAM Review, 46 (3): 501–517, CiteSeerX , doi:10.1137/S0036144502417715, ISSN 1095-7200
- Dahlquist, Germund; Björk, Åke (1974), "4.3.4. Equidistant Interpolation and the Runge Phenomenon", Numerical Methods, pp. 101–103, ISBN 0-13-627315-7
- Cheney, Ward; Light, Will (2000), A Course in Approximation Theory, Brooks/Cole, p. 19, ISBN 0-534-36224-9 | <urn:uuid:f39ff266-0ee9-4e72-912a-c8aaedd8bed0> | 3.359375 | 1,647 | Knowledge Article | Science & Tech. | 39.425089 | 95,627,812 |
Pluto was once considered the ninth planet in our solar system, but it has now been reclassified as a dwarf planet. Instead of its moon Charon orbiting it, Pluto and Charon are both orbiting a center of gravity in between them. Pluto doesn’t have the sweeping, impressive storms of Jupiter, but it does have windstorms that redistribute the ice covering its surface.
Smaller than our moon, Pluto is only 1,440 miles (just over 2300 kilometers) in diameter -- the distance from Los Angeles to Oklahoma City. Pluto was long considered the farthest planet in our solar system from the sun. While this is generally true, every 228 years, Pluto’s orbit passes in front of Neptune’s, making Neptune farther from the sun for 20 years before the orbits cross again. Gravity on Earth is 15 times that of Pluto's -- if you were able to travel to Pluto you would weigh one-fifteenth what you do on Earth.
The temperature on Pluto is colder than anywhere on Earth, as it is 40 times as far from the sun. The average temperature, -390 degrees Fahrenheit (-234 degrees Celsius), is only about 70 degrees Fahrenheit higher than absolute zero, the lowest temperature possible. At these frigid temperatures, the only elements that could exist in a non-frozen state would be helium, hydrogen and neon. Thus rainstorms aren’t possible on Pluto, as it is far too cold; even if water exists there, it would never be warm enough to evaporate and form clouds.
Clouds or haze cover the surface of Pluto -- scientists aren’t sure which, but they have noticed starlight doesn’t evenly reflect off the planet. This cloud or haze is full of elements that warmed from the surface and turned to gas -- these elements are most likely nitrogen and methane. Frost forms on Pluto when the elements that turned to gas on the sunlit side of the planet are carried to colder, darker regions -- the 120-degree tilt of Pluto's rotational axis leads to stark seasonal variations, large enough that scientists have noted changing levels of frost through telescopic measurements of the infrared wavelengths of reflected sunlight. The frost on Pluto isn’t made of water, as it is on Earth, but is thought to be methane or nitrogen ice. The formation of frost is the main weather occurrence on Pluto.
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KeywordsArid Region Desert Plant Herbivorous Animal Creosote Bush Chemical Deterrence
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In the mathematical discipline of general topology, Stone–Čech compactification (or Čech–Stone compactification) is a technique for constructing a universal map from a topological space X to a compact Hausdorff space βX. The Stone–Čech compactification βX of a topological space X is the largest compact Hausdorff space "generated" by X, in the sense that any map from X to a compact Hausdorff space factors through βX (in a unique way). If X is a Tychonoff space then the map from X to its image in βX is a homeomorphism, so X can be thought of as a (dense) subspace of βX. For general topological spaces X, the map from X to βX need not be injective.
A form of the axiom of choice is required to prove that every topological space has a Stone–Čech compactification. Even for quite simple spaces X, an accessible concrete description of βX often remains elusive. In particular, proofs that βX \ X is nonempty do not give an explicit description of any particular point in βX \ X.
- 1 Universal property and functoriality
- 2 Constructions
- 3 The Stone–Čech compactification of the natural numbers
- 4 See also
- 5 Notes
- 6 References
- 7 External links
Universal property and functoriality
The Stone–Čech compactification βX is a compact Hausdorff space together with a continuous map from X that has the following universal property: any continuous map f: X → K, where K is a compact Hausdorff space, extends uniquely to a continuous map βf: βX → K.
Some authors add the assumption that the starting space X be Tychonoff (or even locally compact Hausdorff), for the following reasons:
- The map from X to its image in βX is a homeomorphism if and only if X is Tychonoff.
- The map from X to its image in βX is a homeomorphism to an open subspace if and only if X is locally compact Hausdorff.
The Stone–Čech construction can be performed for more general spaces X, but the map X → βX need not be a homeomorphism to the image of X (and sometimes is not even injective).
The extension property makes β a functor from Top (the category of topological spaces) to CHaus (the category of compact Hausdorff spaces). If we let U be the inclusion functor from CHaus into Top, maps from βX to K (for K in CHaus) correspond bijectively to maps from X to UK (by considering their restriction to X and using the universal property of βX). i.e. Hom(βX, K) = Hom(X, UK), which means that β is left adjoint to U. This implies that CHaus is a reflective subcategory of Top with reflector β.
Construction using products
One attempt to construct the Stone–Čech compactification of X is to take the closure of the image of X in
where the product is over all maps from X to compact Hausdorff spaces C. This works intuitively but fails for the technical reason that the collection of all such maps is a proper class rather than a set. There are several ways to modify this idea to make it work; for example, one can restrict the compact Hausdorff spaces C to have underlying set P(P(X)) (the power set of the power set of X), which is sufficiently large that it has cardinality at least equal to that of every compact Hausdorff set to which X can be mapped with dense image.
Construction using the unit interval
One way of constructing βX is to consider the map
where C is the set of all continuous functions from X into [0, 1]. This may be seen to be a continuous map onto its image, if [0, 1]C is given the product topology. By Tychonoff's theorem we have that [0, 1]C is compact since [0, 1] is. Consequently, the closure of X in [0, 1]C is a compactification of X.
In fact, this closure is the Stone–Čech compactification. To verify this, we just need to verify that the closure satisfies the appropriate universal property. We do this first for K = [0, 1], where the desired extension of f: X → [0, 1] is just the projection onto the f coordinate in [0, 1]C. In order to then get this for general compact Hausdorff K we use the above to note that K can be embedded in some cube, extend each of the coordinate functions and then take the product of these extensions.
The special property of the unit interval needed for this construction to work is that it is a cogenerator of the category of compact Hausdorff spaces: this means that if A and B are compact Hausdorff spaces, and f and g are distinct maps from A to B, then there is a map h from B to [0, 1] such that hf and hg are distinct. Any other cogenerator (or cogenerating set) can be used in this construction.
Construction using ultrafilters
Again we verify the universal property: For f: X → K with K compact Hausdorff and F an ultrafilter on X we have an ultrafilter f(F) on K. This has a unique limit because K is compact Hausdorff, say x, and we define βf(F) = x. This may be verified to be a continuous extension of f.
Equivalently, one can take the Stone space of the complete Boolean algebra of all subsets of X as the Stone–Čech compactification. This is really the same construction, as the Stone space of this Boolean algebra is the set of ultrafilters (or equivalently prime ideals, or homomorphisms to the 2 element Boolean algebra) of the Boolean algebra, which is the same as the set of ultrafilters on X.
Construction using C*-algebras
The Stone–Čech compactification is naturally homeomorphic to the spectrum of Cb(X). Here Cb(X) denotes the C*-algebra of all continuous bounded functions on X with sup-norm. Notice that Cb(X) is canonically isomorphic to the multiplier algebra of C0(X).
The Stone–Čech compactification of the natural numbers
In the case where X is locally compact, e.g. N or R, the image of X forms an open subset of βX, or indeed of any compactification, (this is also a necessary condition, as an open subset of a compact Hausdorff space is locally compact). In this case one often studies the remainder of the space, βX \ X. This is a closed subset of βX, and so is compact. We consider N with its discrete topology and write βN \ N = N* (but this does not appear to be standard notation for general X).
One can view βN as the set of ultrafilters on N, with the topology generated by sets of the form for U a subset of N. The set N corresponds to the set of principal ultrafilters, and the set N* to the set of free ultrafilters.
The easiest way to see this is isomorphic to βN is to show that it satisfies the universal property. For f: N → K with K compact Hausdorff and F an ultrafilter on N we have an ultrafilter f(F) on K, the pushforward of F. This has a unique limit, say x, because K is compact Hausdorff, and we define βf(F) = x. This may readily be verified to be a continuous extension.
(A similar but slightly more involved construction of the Stone–Čech compactification as a set of certain maximal filters can also be given for a general Tychonoff space X, as mentioned in the previous section.)
The study of βN, and in particular N*, is a major area of modern set-theoretic topology. The major results motivating this are Parovicenko's theorems, essentially characterising its behaviour under the assumption of the continuum hypothesis.
- Every compact Hausdorff space of weight at most (see Aleph number) is the continuous image of N* (this does not need the continuum hypothesis, but is less interesting in its absence).
- If the continuum hypothesis holds then N* is the unique Parovicenko space, up to isomorphism.
Jan van Mill has described βN as a 'three headed monster' — the three heads being a smiling and friendly head (the behaviour under the assumption of the continuum hypothesis), the ugly head of independence which constantly tries to confuse you (determining what behaviour is possible in different models of set theory), and the third head is the smallest of all (what you can prove about it in ZFC). It has relatively recently been observed that this characterisation isn't quite right - there is in fact a fourth head of βN, in which forcing axioms and Ramsey type axioms give properties of βN almost diametrically opposed to those under the continuum hypothesis, giving very few maps from N* indeed. Examples of these axioms include the combination of Martin's axiom and the Open colouring axiom which, for example, prove that (N*)2 ≠ N*, while the continuum hypothesis implies the opposite.
An application: the dual space of the space of bounded sequences of reals
Given a bounded sequence a in ℓ∞(N), there exists a closed ball B that contains the image of a (B is a subset of the scalar field). a is then a function from N to B. Since N is discrete and B is compact and Hausdorff, a is continuous. According to the universal property, there exists a unique extension βa: βN → B. This extension does not depend on the ball B we consider.
We have defined an extension map from the space of bounded scalar valued sequences to the space of continuous functions over βN.
This map is bijective since every function in C(βN) must be bounded and can then be restricted to a bounded scalar sequence.
If we further consider both spaces with the sup norm the extension map becomes an isometry. Indeed, if in the construction above we take the smallest possible ball B, we see that the sup norm of the extended sequence does not grow (although the image of the extended function can be bigger).
Finally, it should be noticed that this technique generalizes to the L∞ space of an arbitrary measure space X. However, instead of simply considering the space βX of ultrafilters on X, the right way to generalize this construction is to consider the Stone space Y of the measure algebra of X: the spaces C(Y) and L∞(X) are isomorphic as C*-algebras as long as X satisfies a reasonable finiteness condition (that any set of positive measure contains a subset of finite positive measure).
A monoid operation on the Stone–Čech compactification of the naturals
The natural numbers form a monoid under addition. It turns out that this operation can be extended (generally in more than one way, but uniquely under a further condition) to βN, turning this space also into a monoid, though rather surprisingly a non-commutative one.
For any subset, A, of N and a positive integer n in N, we define
Given two ultrafilters F and G on N, we define their sum by
it can be checked that this is again an ultrafilter, and that the operation + is associative (but not commutative) on βN and extends the addition on N; 0 serves as a neutral element for the operation + on βN. The operation is also right-continuous, in the sense that for every ultrafilter F, the map
More generally, if S is a semigroup with the discrete topology, the operation of S can be extended to βS, getting a right-continuous associative operation (Hindman and Strauss, 1998).
- One-point compactification
- Wallman compactification
- Corona set of a space, the complement of its image in the Stone–Čech compactification.
- Compactification (mathematics)
- M. Henriksen, Rings of continuous functions in the 1950s, in Handbook of the History of General Topology, edited by C.E. Aull, R. Lowen, Springer Science & Business Media, 2013, p. 246
- W.W. Comfort, S. Negrepontis, The Theory of Ultrafilters, Springer, 1974.
- This is Stone's original construction.
- van Mill, Jan (1984), "An introduction to βω", in Kunen, Kenneth; Vaughan, Jerry E., Handbook of Set-Theoretic Topology, North-Holland, pp. 503–560, ISBN 0-444-86580-2
- Čech, Eduard (1937), "On bicompact spaces", Annals of Mathematics, 38 (4): 823–844, doi:10.2307/1968839, JSTOR 1968839
- Hindman, Neil; Strauss, Dona (1998), Algebra in the Stone–Cech compactification. Theory and applications, de Gruyter Expositions in Mathematics, 27 (2nd revised and extended 2012 ed.), Berlin: Walter de Gruyter & Co., pp. xiv+485 pp., doi:10.1515/9783110809220, ISBN 3-11-015420-X, MR 1642231
- Koshevnikova, I.G. (2001) , "S/s090340", in Hazewinkel, Michiel, Encyclopedia of Mathematics, Springer Science+Business Media B.V. / Kluwer Academic Publishers, ISBN 978-1-55608-010-4
- Stone, Marshall H. (1937), "Applications of the theory of Boolean rings to general topology", Transactions of the American Mathematical Society, 41 (3): 375–481, doi:10.2307/1989788, JSTOR 1989788
- Tychonoff, Andrey (1930), "Über die topologische Erweiterung von Räumen", Mathematische Annalen, Springer Berlin / Heidelberg, 102: 544–561, doi:10.1007/BF01782364, ISSN 0025-5831
- Shields, Allen (1987), "Years ago", Mathematical Intelligencer, 9 (2): 61–63, doi:10.1007/BF03025901
- Dunford, Nelson; Schwarz, Jacob T. (1988). Linear Operators part I:general theory (Wiley Classics ed.). John Wiley & Sons. p. 276. | <urn:uuid:385d2171-2eeb-4eb5-ae31-6bdd8b549a98> | 2.703125 | 3,214 | Knowledge Article | Science & Tech. | 55.644347 | 95,627,903 |
Bloodsucking pests like bat fleas and bat flies may not sound very appealing to the rest of us, but to University at Buffalo biologist Katharina Dittmar de la Cruz, Ph.D., they are among the most successful creatures evolution has ever produced.
"From an historical perspective, they have been around forever, they don't die out," said Dittmar, assistant professor of biological sciences in UB's College of Arts and Sciences. "How they have been able to occupy a small ecological niche by adapting to their specific hosts, proliferating and surviving for millions of years is the focus of my research."
By providing a clearer picture of how these potential disease vectors adapt to bats, her research may shed light on White Nose Syndrome, which has killed tens of thousands of bats in the northeastern U.S. and which some feel may parallel the Colony Collapse Disorder that has devastated honey bee colonies in recent years.
During the week of June 23, Dittmar and her UB student lab assistant will be taking to rural rooftops in Western New York and nearby Canada at sunset, briefly trapping bats to record data and learn more about the parasites that feast on bats.
"We don't know yet if bat flies are vectors of disease, but it's very likely," she said. "Every other parasitic organism transmits pathogens. Bat flies are adapted to bats and only bats. They're ectoparasites, meaning they are blood-sucking creatures, living in the fur of bats, so they are like little vampires. The bats cannot get rid of them because they interlock with individual hairs on the bat's fur."
She noted that bat flies pose no threat to humans.
Dittmar is the world's only researcher working to genetically characterize bat flies, so it's a field that she says is wide open for discovery.
To obtain genetic data, she takes samples of the DNA of bat flies and compares them against Genbank, a huge database containing the genes of thousands of species.
The genetic information provides insight into which bacteria and viruses may be transmitted among bat flies and to bats by parasites.
"If we find that these bacteria or viruses are highly prevalent in bat populations, then we will want to do infection studies," she said.
If it turns out that a known pathogen is causing White Nose Syndrome, then they will be able to take a comprehensive genomics approach to the issue.
What complicates the work is that researchers know very little about bats in general, she said.
"As researchers, we sit in meetings where we discuss what might be killing the bats and we acknowledge that we don't know enough about many aspects of their lives," she said. "It's interesting that we are only starting to do comprehensive research on bats now that disease has struck."
She added that it's similar to what happened with the massive deaths that have struck honey bee colonies in recent years, the exact cause of which still remains a mystery.
Dittmar stressed that there is no proven connection between White Nose Syndrome in bats and Colony Collapse Disorder in bees.
"Still, it's interesting to see two diseases that massively affect invertebrates and vertebrates and they're happening around the same time," she said, adding that many people have asked her about a possible connection.
Both diseases underscore the importance of basic scientific research, she said.
"Here are two examples where you need all this information, but until now, no one saw any apparent benefit to doing the research," she said. "It's especially relevant with parasites because we have hundreds of examples where they are vectors of diseases, but we have no idea with what frequency parasites occur on bats, potentially carrying pathogens from bat to bat. We need to do basic research and should always remember that many great discoveries were made purely by serendipity."
Dittmar is currently funded by the National Science Foundation and she collaborates with the Field Museum in Chicago, where she is a research associate in zoology. She conducts field research on bat flies and bat fleas all over the world, throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia.
To learn more about her research, go to http://www.buffalo.edu/reporter/vol39/vol39n13/articles/DittmarFeature.html, or visit her Web site at http://web.mac.com/mysid/DittmarLab/%3EHOME.html.
The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.
Ellen Goldbaum | newswise
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For the first time ever, scientists have determined the cosmic origin of highest-energy neutrinos. A research group led by IceCube scientist Elisa Resconi, spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center SFB1258 at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an important piece of evidence that the particles detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole originate from a galaxy four billion light-years away from Earth.
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Supernova scientist Friedrich Röpke is the leader of the new research group „Physics of Stellar Objects“ at HITS and professor at Heidelberg University. He examines the high-energy processes in the death of stars using computer simulations.
Modern astronomy began with a supernova. In November 1572, Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe discovered a new star – and destroyed the idea of a sky of fixed stars. Today, we know that Brahe was observing the death of a star, which ended in a massive explosion. Friedrich Röpke aims to find out how these supernova explosions proceed.
The astrophysicist is now leader of the new research group „Physics of Stellar Objects“ (PSO) at Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS). As of March 1, 2015, he has been appointed professor for Theoretical Astrophysics at Heidelberg University. His workplace is HITS. This joint appointment is a perfect proof for the close cooperation between the two institutes. With Friedrich Röpke and Volker Springel, there now are two HITS astrophysicists who are also professors at Heidelberg University.
“The new group is another important component of our concept, “ says Klaus Tschira who founded the HITS in 2010 as a non-profit research institute. “Research on stellar astrophysics, like Friedrich Röpke does, is a perfect complement of the work of Volker Springel’s group on large-scale processes like galaxy formation.“
Friedrich Röpke (40) studied Physics at the University of Jena and the University of Virginia, Charlottesville/USA, and received his PhD in 2003 from the Technische Universität München. In the following years, he worked as a postdoc at the Max-Planck-Institute for Astrophysics (MPA) in Garching and at the University of California, Santa Cruz/USA. In 2008, Friedrich Röpke habilitated at the TU München and also became leader of an Emmy Noether research group at MPA.
Three years later, he got appointed professor for Astrophysics at the University of Würzburg. In 2010, the researcher was awarded the „ARCHES Award“ by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research together with Prof. Avishay Gal-Yam from the Weizmann Institute, Rehovot/Israel. The award honors young scientists whose work shows great potential to have noticeable impact on their respective fields of research.
Friedrich Röpke studies Type Ia supernovae. Observation of these cosmic explosions allows astronomers to determine distances in space. In 2011, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to researchers who proved the accelerated expansion of the Universe with supernovae. The PSO group collaborates closely with one of the laureates from 2011, Brian Schmidt (Australian National University, Canberra) in a program supported by the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD.
Friedrich Röpke’s research aims to understand exactly what happens when stars die. Together with other scientists, he used computer simulations to show that some highly-luminous supernovae are the result of two compact stars, so-called “white dwarfs", merging together. He also investigates alternatives by modeling the explosion of a white dwarf when it reaches its maximum stable mass (the so-called Chandrasekhar limit), using highly complex simulations on supercomputers. White dwarfs are only about the size of the Earth and are extremely dense. When they explode as supernova, they shine brighter than the whole galaxy. „Our detailed simulations helped us to predict data that closely reproduce actual telescope observations of Type Ia supernovae, “ explains the astrophysicist.
“Modelling of supernova explosions is, however, just one part of our research at HITS,” says Friedrich Röpke. “We also strive for a better understanding of how stars evolve and how the elements that make up our world are formed within them.” Classical astrophysics follows stellar evolution based on very simplifying assumptions. „To improve the predictive power of the models, we have to describe the physical processes taking place within stars in a dynamic way,“ says the astrophysicist. He and his group have developed a new computer code that – combined with the rapidly increasing capacities of supercomputers – opens new perspectives for the modelling of stars.
In contrast to what we are used to from our solar system, most stars in the Universe exist as part of multiple star systems. The interaction between those stars greatly affects their evolution but the involved physical processes are poorly understood until today. The two astrophysics groups at HITS are cooperating on new computer simulations to bring some light into the darkness.
http://www.h-its.org/en-institutsnews/brighter-than-100-billion-stars/ HITS press release
http://www.h-its.org/en/research/physics-of-stellar-objects/ Group webpages
Dr. Peter Saueressig | idw - Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
What happens when we heat the atomic lattice of a magnet all of a sudden?
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Subaru Telescope helps pinpoint origin of ultra-high energy neutrino
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For the first time ever, scientists have determined the cosmic origin of highest-energy neutrinos. A research group led by IceCube scientist Elisa Resconi, spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center SFB1258 at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an important piece of evidence that the particles detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole originate from a galaxy four billion light-years away from Earth.
To rule out other origins with certainty, the team led by neutrino physicist Elisa Resconi from the Technical University of Munich and multi-wavelength...
For the first time a team of researchers have discovered two different phases of magnetic skyrmions in a single material. Physicists of the Technical Universities of Munich and Dresden and the University of Cologne can now better study and understand the properties of these magnetic structures, which are important for both basic research and applications.
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Physicists working with Roland Wester at the University of Innsbruck have investigated if and how chemical reactions can be influenced by targeted vibrational excitation of the reactants. They were able to demonstrate that excitation with a laser beam does not affect the efficiency of a chemical exchange reaction and that the excited molecular group acts only as a spectator in the reaction.
A frequently used reaction in organic chemistry is nucleophilic substitution. It plays, for example, an important role in in the synthesis of new chemical...
Optical spectroscopy allows investigating the energy structure and dynamic properties of complex quantum systems. Researchers from the University of Würzburg present two new approaches of coherent two-dimensional spectroscopy.
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Ultra-short, high-intensity X-ray flashes open the door to the foundations of chemical reactions. Free-electron lasers generate these kinds of pulses, but there is a catch: the pulses vary in duration and energy. An international research team has now presented a solution: Using a ring of 16 detectors and a circularly polarized laser beam, they can determine both factors with attosecond accuracy.
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In this chapter we want to discuss two topics: decay of radioactive atoms and the interaction with matter of nuclear radiation emitted by decay of radioactive atoms. The words “radionuclides” could be used interchangeably with “radioactive atoms” in this chapter without confusion. Nuclear radiation is sometimes just called “radiation” if there is no chance of confusion with other forms of radiation such as light and radio waves. The most important forms of nuclear radiation from the atmospheric and environmental radioactivity standpoint are alpha particles (helium nuclei), beta particles (high-energy electrons or positrons), and gamma rays (high-energy photons, i.e., high-energy electromagnetic bundles of energy).
Weitere Kapitel dieses Buchs durch Wischen aufrufen
- Radioactivity and the Interaction of Nuclear Radiation With Matter
Stephen D. Schery
- Springer Netherlands
- Chapter 2
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WASHINGTON — US marine biologists puzzled by human-like sounds coming from the whale and dolphin tank of an aquarium concluded they were actually coming from a whale.
Anecdotal reports of whales sounding like people are not new. But in this case in San Diego, California, scientists for the first time recorded the utterances, did an acoustic analysis and were surprised to find a rhythm similar to that of human speech, Sam Ridgway of the National Marine Mammal Foundation reported Monday.
The sounds marked quite a feat: whales make sounds via their nasal tract, unlike people, who use their larynx. So this particular white whale had to make some tricky muscular and blowhole adjustments.
“Such obvious effort suggests motivation for contact,” said Ridgway, the main author of a study featured in the journal Current Biology. “The sounds we heard were clearly an example of vocal learning by the white whale.”
The whale, named NOC, died five years ago.
Ridgway says that back in 1984, he and others started hearing sounds near the whale and dolphin enclosure that recalled two people speaking in the distance, too far away to be understood.
The sounds were later traced to one particular white whale when a diver in its tank came to the surface because he thought he heard colleagues tell him to do so.
NOC had lived among dolphins and other white whales and had often been in the presence of humans.
The whale made human-like sounds for around four years until it reached the age of sexual maturity, Ridgway said. | <urn:uuid:2320f86a-317b-45e8-b6d2-ab14bb89826e> | 3.34375 | 322 | News Article | Science & Tech. | 43.684593 | 95,627,940 |
June 21st, 2013 by Brian Squitieri
A successful field campaign collecting meteorological and hydrological data almost always involves a forecasting element. A detailed high quality forecast briefing on the potential evolution of weather events allows the scientists behind the scenes and out in the field to make crucial decisions that ultimately may determine the success of a project. While many joke that weather forecasters are allowed to be wrong half of the time, making a forecast that can affect the outcome of data collection is a serious task. Whether it be forecasting for strong winds (which affects the manual installation of multi-million dollar high resolution radar systems) or large hail (which can damage these expensive tools), providing the most accurate information possible was the primary goal for us at Iowa State University who provided a weather briefing every morning during IFloodS.
- Iowa State University Forecasters Dr. William Gallus (middle) and Graduate Assistants Brian Squitieri (right) and Ben Moser (left) evaluating storms in real time and determining the areas that might be at greatest risk for experiencing flooding conditions and severe weather. Credit: Iowa State University
Each day, our forecast team of Dr. William Gallus, Ben Moser, and myself (Brian Squitieri) woke up bright and early to prepare the 9 AM weather briefing. We began each day by evaluating precipitation and stream data from the recent past to determine the extent of ground saturation present or the current height of the streams. This information is vital for making a flood forecast, particularly during a progressive weather pattern, where a series of atmospheric disturbances moving overhead may bring multiple days of heavy rainfall.
We as forecasters may determine a specific region or location that may be at greatest risk for experiencing flooding if we know the precipitation and river/stream gauge data for specific areas most affected by previous rainfall events and the current observations and model output –mathematical representations of the laws of physics used to simulate atmospheric features into the future. This is especially the case if model trends place the same area at risk for heavy rainfall that had experienced significant accumulations in the recent past.
Rain gauge measurements and interpolation of rainfall totals within a six day period (valid 8 AM 05/31/2013). Areas of darkest red show regions that have accumulated the most rainfall. Rivers, streams, and sub-basins in these areas are most vulnerable for future flooding. Extra attention is thus given to these areas by the forecasters. Credit: NASA
May 20, 2013. Bridge sensors like this one on the Little Cedar River measure the height of the water below it. When compared with past data, these measurements allow researchers to determine if the river is at flood stage or above. Credit: Iowa Flood Center
While one of the main goals of the IFloodS project was to evaluate precipitation events, observing and understanding severe thunderstorm events proved to be an equally vital component of the mission. Not only do many heavy rainfall events originate from severe thunderstorms, but the storms themselves can prove to be very damaging and pose a threat to the researchers and their equipment. As such, we had the additional duty of providing the most up to date forecast information from observations and model runs regarding the potential development of severe weather. Details included what the primary hazards were (strong straight line winds, large hail, tornadoes, or some combination of the three), where the most likely regions of impact were and what time frame was most favorable for the activity to occur.
This map shows the atmospheric pattern at 500 mb for 7 PM CST 06/12/2013. A low pressure disturbance with a “U” shaped pattern over Iowa creates favorable conditions for air to rapidly rise upward to create showers and thunderstorms. Credit: NASA
This map shows the Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE), the amount of energy available for thunderstorm to form and produce strong updrafts, capable of large hail and tornadoes (image valid for 4 PM CST 06/12/2013). Across Iowa, there is an east to west boundary dividing higher CAPE south from lower values immediately to the north. It is along this “CAPE Boundary” that one would expect severe storms on this particular day. Both this image and the one above are generated from the high resolution NASA Unified Weather Research and Forecasting (NU-WRF) model. The model run was initialized at 7 PM CST on 06/11/2013 and the images above were forecasts valid 24 and 21 hours into the simulation. Credit: NASA
One challenging event requiring accurate forecasting of both heavy rainfall and severe weather occurred June 12, 2013, where eastern Iowa was under the gun for significant severe thunderstorms. Observations and model outputs showed that the atmosphere was primed for a potential outbreak of thunderstorms. Supercells were expected with an initial threat of large hail (perhaps larger than golfballs) and strong tornadoes.
Within a few hours of development, a line of powerful storms was expected to further develop as the supercells would merge with each other and produce a widespread swath of very damaging straight line winds. Our Iowa State University Forecast team had briefed the IFloodS project at 9 AM of the potential for a dangerous weather event, particularly for the eastern most Iowa counties in the IFloodS project domain. The Waterloo area was of specific concern because the N-POL radar was located there and was susceptible to hail and wind damage.
The image is NASA WRF model output from the 7 PM CST June 11, 2013 model run. It simulates what the radar would see in 24 hours at 4 PM CST on June 12, 2013. Credit: NASA
Actual radar measurements of the thunderstorm supercells at 3:57 p.m. CDT on June 12. Note the scale is not the same as the model output. Credit: NASA
This forecast proved to be rather accurate, as a northwest to southeast oriented line of supercell thunderstorms developed and moved just a few miles north of the city of Waterloo. While the damaging tornadoes were mainly confined immediately to the west and east of I-35 during a 45 minute period, large hail and winds threatened the rural areas immediately north of Waterloo.
Overall, the IFloodS project forecasting tasks proved to be an enlightening, challenging and exciting experience for the three of us. We learned a lot, and were especially happy with the use of the NASA Unified Weather Research and Forecasting (NU-WRF) mode, which proved to greatly enhance the accuracy of the forecasts themselves. While this tool was experimental, its first 24 hours of output handled the placement, timing and intensity of rainfall events very well. We quickly noticed the skill of this product and openly praised its usefulness in operations. Lastly, we thoroughly enjoyed this experience, and though the work was difficult at times, we look forward to possible similar future collaborations.
From May 1 to June 15, NASA and Iowa Flood Center scientists from the University of Iowa measured rainfall in eastern Iowa with ground instruments and satellites as part of a field campaign called Iowa Flood Studies (IFloodS). They will evaluate the accuracy of flood forecasting models and precipitation measurements from space with data they collect.
Comments Off on Forecasters Take a Look Back
June 5th, 2013 by Brian Squitieri
As an undergraduate (from February 2008 to May 2009), I worked for Dan Ceynar, the engineer who coordinates the instrumentation networks for the Iowa Flood Center, and a large part of my job then and since returning to the Iowa Flood Center last October has been taking care of our rain gauges in the field.
For the IFloodS campaign itself, I have also been working with rain gauges. I have been a part of the process of developing these instruments all the way through their construction, deployment, and now maintenance.
April 15, 2013. Kara Prior installs a rain gauge and soil moisture platform in the Turkey River basin in northeast Iowa. Credit: Iowa Flood Center
We use what are called, tipping bucket rain gauges that are a couple steps up from what many people have in their yards. The most important part is a central swinging shaft: on the top are two small buckets, and on the bottom is a magnet. Each bucket holds exactly 1/100th of an inch of rain, and when one fills up it makes the shaft swing to the other side. As it swings, the magnet on the bottom passes over two wires and causes them to touch and complete an electrical circuit– and that’s how we record that rain has fallen.
The engineers I work with designed the electronics that sit under the rain gauges and record their tips. I built the electronics boxes, which sit inside the rain gauge platform and have a cell phone modem, computer, and battery, which the rain gauges use to communicate data back to us every 15 minutes. A network of these gauges like what we have now in the Turkey River Basin can give us very detailed information about where and when rain has fallen.
On the outside, a tipping bucket rain gauge looks like a typical plastic container. Credit: Kara Prior
The inside of a tipping bucket rain gauge is shown here. The rain enters through the black pipe on top and fills one of two triangular buckets, here, the one on the right. When it fills to 1/100th of an inch, the bucket tips downward, raising the bucket on the left to collect rain. Below the buckets (not pictured, but inside the gray compartment), is a magnet that swings and completes a circuit that records the data onto the computer. Credit: Kara Prior
I also helped build the platforms they sit on — starting by picking up 50-gallon trough/tubs from a farm supply store in Cedar Rapids. All of this is our own design — Jim Niemeier’s and Dan Ceynar’s — and we just order the tipping bucket rain gauges themselves.
When I started with the Iowa Flood Center last year, I also built the latest batch of stream-stage sensors. The ones I built that have been deployed thus far are in the Ames area. So, they are not directly in the IFloodS area of interest, but they are identical to the ones we have around the state. So I still feel connected to them all!
April 23, 2013. Setting up another rain gauge and soil moisture platform for IFloodS. Credit: Iowa Flood Center
The rain gauge and soil moisture sensor installations involve a fair amount of digging — and with the lingering winter, we did some of our digging with a pickaxe because the ground was still frozen solid! We had quite a few cold days, which made the few warm days feel like a gift. It was surprising a couple of times how much faster things went when our fingers weren’t cold and stiff!
I have loved getting to know this side of science research. Seeing all the different people and concerns that are a part of a project like this — getting to meet the landowners who let us install on their property — has been really cool.
Kara Prior is a research assistant at the Iowa Flood Center, where she helps oversee a network of rain gauges. She recently finished three years of study and teaching English in China and South Korea, where she earned a graduate certificate in Chinese studies from the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies. Kara also holds a BA/BS in international studies and environmental science from the University of Iowa. She has a strong interest in hydroscience and water resource management.
June 3rd, 2013 by Brian Squitieri
Vijay Mishra and I went to do a maintenance check yesterday on one of the 4 X-band radars that the University of Iowa is contributing to the IFloodS field campaign. Below is a photo of the radar, located at a topographical high point near Elkader, Iowa.
Vijay Mishra performs maintenance on the X-Band radar in the Turkey River basin. Credit: Matt Schwaller/ NASA
The X-band radar has a panoramic view of part of the Turkey River basin. Another University of Iowa X-band radar is located about 20 kilometers away and has a similar view of the watershed, although from a different perspective, of course.
The Turkey River in northeastern Iowa. Credit: Matt Schwaller/ NASA
A significant amount of rain has fallen during the IFloodS campaign, some areas within the campaign area received more than 11 inches of rain since May 1. The Turkey River is now and at or above flood stage.
Matt Schwaller is the GPM Ground Validation project manager with responsibilities for coordinating the development and operations of GPM GV in the pre- and post-launch phases of the GPM mission. He also occasionally takes the role of a field campaign mission scientist.
Comments Off on View of the Turkey River
May 30th, 2013 by Brian Squitieri
Although the significant convection stayed well south of the IFloodS area of study on the evening of 28 May, the multiple wavelength radars at the NPOL site captured the large anvil spreading out from the convection and the associated undulations beneath, known as mammatus. Mammatus clouds are often (but not necessarily) associated with severe weather and form on the underside of anvils due to large temperature, density and wind shear gradients between the cloud and the air. These types of clouds are very photogenic, especially at sunset.
May 28, 2013. Panorama of D3R (left) scanning mammatus at sunset. Copyright B. Dolan, Colorado State University
May 28, 2013.The NPOL radar under a large anvil with mammatus. Copyright Brenda Dolan, Colorado State University.
This case provides an interesting perspective from three different radar wavelengths. The S-band NPOL radar, with the longest wavelength of 10 cm, is less prone to attenuation (fading out over distance) and is most sensitive to precipitation-sized hydrometeors. NPOL captures the larger domain out to 135 km, with some indications of the undulations on the under side of the anvil and fingers of virga (rain evaporating before reaching the surface) beyond 50 km in range.
- Range height indicator (RHI) of NPOL reflectivity through the anvil of a mescoscale convective system displaying small undulations on the underside (mammatus). Credit: NASA
The shorter wavelengths of the D3R are more sensitive to smaller hydormeteors, but subject to more significant attenuation and only see out to 40 kilometers. The Ku-band (2.2 cm) shows the incredible structure in this type of cloud, while the shortest wavelength Ka-band (0.85 cm) is somewhat attenuated by water vapor in the atmosphere, resulting in less reflectivity than the Ku-band frequency. Using these three wavelengths in concert helps to provide a more complete picture of these beautiful clouds.
Reflectivity RHI from D3R’s Ku-band radar. Credit: NASA
Reflectivity RHI from D3R’s Ka-band radar. Credit: NASA
From May 1 to June 15, NASA and Iowa Flood Center scientists from the University of Iowa will measure rainfall in eastern Iowa with ground instruments and satellites as part of a field campaign called Iowa Flood Studies (IFloodS). They will evaluate the accuracy of flood forecasting models and precipitation measurements from space with data they collect.
Brenda Dolan is a Research Scientist at Colorado State University, Fort Collins Colo. in the Radar Meteorology group. Her interests include cloud microphysics and polarimetric radar. During IFloodS, she is spending nearly two weeks as the overnight radar scientist at NPOL and sent these observation notes from the NPOL site near Traer, Iowa.
May 23rd, 2013 by Brian Squitieri
When I heard that student volunteers were needed for IFloodS, I knew I wanted to take part. I had had little experience with fieldwork in the past. Most of my graduate work has been spent in front of a computer, conducting data analysis and performing hydrological modeling. I had difficulty visualizing the information I was working on — I didn’t have a good sense of how much 20 mm of rainfall is. I wanted to get outside and see for myself!
I was one of three Iowa Flood Center students who helped set up the NASA NPOL radar near Waterloo. It was a wonderful experience. The radar is really impressive — the antenna is 10 meters in diameter! I got to talk with some of the NASA representatives about the radar. It represents the next generation of radar systems, and will provide much more accurate rainfall estimates.
Apr. 25, 2013. IFloodS has provided students at the University of Iowa a unique opportunity. Graduate student, Bo Chen (far right), helps install the NASA NPOL radar Credit: Aneta Goska, Iowa Flood Center.
It was chilly in the morning when we started work, but it warmed up a lot as the day progressed — we all got sunburned! I didn’t have a good idea what kind of clothes to wear for fieldwork — I learned that it’s best to wear clothes you don’t care too much about. We got pretty dirty.
I also helped install four observation stations (three rain gauges each) near Shueyville, south of Cedar Rapids. We go to Shueyville once a week to clean and maintain the gauges — since the instruments are deployed in farm fields, they get dirty very quickly. It’s important to clean them up regularly. We saw dust in the buckets in just a few days’ time. While we’re there, we also download the data from the data logger. It is then uploaded into the IFloodS portal where the science teams can access it and displayed on Iowa Flood Information System, IFIS.
Gilles Molinié, Université Joseph Fourier and Witold Krajewski, Jim Neimeier, and Bo Chen, Iowa Flood Center, discuss the location for a disdrometer for the IFloodS campaign. Molinié brought the disdrometer from Switzerland to collect data during the IFloodS campaign. Credit: Fred Ogden, University of Wyoming.
I worked with Jim Niemeier to install three rain gauges at an experimental Iowa State site near Des Moines. It was a tough day! We saw a lot of mice, and Jim explained that sometimes animals like to burrow in under the platforms. When we remove the platforms, who knows what might be waiting for us? Perhaps a scared and threatened animal. Animals also sometimes chew the wires, so we have to watch out for that.
For me, this fieldwork experience has been really fun. I now understand the importance of getting out into the field. Tiny things do matter — if it’s not done right, the data can be biased. I learned that careful fieldwork is vital for research. For instance, I learned that I can’t sit on the base of the rain gauges, because my body weight could destroy the level and bias the measurement. I caught myself just before I sat down. I jumped up and thought, “No, I can’t do that!”
I also learned that my professors in Engineering do make efforts to collect reliable firsthand data. I also found that fieldwork is difficult, and we have to be very careful in order to collect good data. Exposure to experiments like IFloods may help to build up our knowledge about fieldwork, and ultimately advance our understanding of complex natural processes.
Bo Chen is a doctoral student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Iowa working with Professor Witold Krajewski. His research interests include enhancing flood prediction and hydrologic modeling, specifically the hillslope hydrological process and channel routing. During the IFloodS campaign, he is heading up a group of University of Iowa students in servicing and collecting data from one of the field sites. | <urn:uuid:620a1ea2-868f-4b87-8927-5e361e00e9ff> | 3.203125 | 4,122 | Personal Blog | Science & Tech. | 45.414953 | 95,627,947 |
Saturn’s auroras are caused by the same phenomenon which leads to dramatic auroral displays on Earth, research shows
Researchers have captured stunning images of Saturn’s auroras as the planet’s magnetic field is battered by charged particles from the Sun. The team’s findings provide a “smoking gun” for the theory that Saturn’s auroral displays are often caused by the dramatic collapse of its “magnetic tail”.
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have captured new images of the dancing auroral lights at Saturn’s north pole. The ultraviolet images, taken by Hubble’s super-sensitive Advanced Camera for Surveys, capture moments when Saturn’s magnetic field is affected by bursts of particles streaming out from the Sun, providing evidence that the auroral displays are often caused by the dramatic collapse of the planet’s magnetic tail. Credit: NASA/ESA
Just like comets, planets such as Saturn and the Earth have a “tail” – known as the magnetotail – that is made up of electrified gas from the Sun and flows out in the planet’s wake.
When a particularly strong burst of particles from the Sun hits Saturn, it can cause the magnetotail to collapse, with the ensuing disturbance of the planet’s magnetic field resulting in spectacular auroral displays. A very similar process happens here on Earth.
Scientists observed this process happening on Saturn firsthand between April and May of 2013 as part of a three-year-long Hubble observing campaign. Their findings have been accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the America Geophysical Union.
The ultraviolet images, taken by Hubble’s super-sensitive Advanced Camera for Surveys, capture moments when Saturn’s magnetic field is affected by bursts of particles streaming out from the Sun.
Due to the composition of Saturn’s atmosphere, its auroras shine brightly in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum. This observation campaign using Hubble meant the astronomers were able to gather an unprecedented record of the planet’s auroral activity.
The team caught Saturn during a very dynamic light show. Some of the bursts of light seen shooting around Saturn’s polar regions travelled at over three times faster than the speed of the gas giant’s rotation.
“These images are spectacular and dynamic, because the auroras are jumping around so quickly,” Jonathan Nichols, a lecturer and research fellow in the University of Leicester’s Department of Physics and Astronomy in the United Kingdom, who led the Hubble observations, said. “The key difference about this work is that it is the first time the Hubble has been able to see the northern auroras so clearly.”
“The particular pattern of auroras that we saw relates to the collapsing of the magnetotail,” he added. “We have always suspected this was what also happens on Saturn. This evidence really strengthens the argument.”
“Our observations show a burst of auroras that are moving very, very quickly across the polar region of the planet. We can see that the magnetotail is undergoing huge turmoil and reconfiguration, caused by buffering from solar wind,” said Nichols, a Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Advanced Fellow in Planetary Auroras. “It’s the smoking gun that shows us that the tail is collapsing.”
The new images also formed part of a joint observing campaign between Hubble and NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, which is currently in orbit around Saturn itself.
Between them, the two spacecraft managed to capture a 360-degree view of the planet’s aurora at both the north and south poles. Cassini also used optical imaging to delve into the rainbow of colors seen in Saturn’s light shows.
On Earth, observers of auroras see green curtains of light with flaming scarlet tops. Cassini’s imaging cameras reveal similar auroral veils on Saturn, which are red at the bottom and violet at the top.
Notes for Journalists
Journalists and public information officers (PIOs) of educational and scientific institutions who have registered with AGU can download a PDF copy of this accepted article by clicking on this link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2014GL060186/abstract
Or, you may order a copy of the final paper by emailing your request to Nanci Bompey at firstname.lastname@example.org. Please provide your name, the name of your publication, and your phone number.
Neither the paper nor this press release is under embargo.
“Dynamic auroral storms on Saturn as observed by the Hubble Space Telescope”
J. D. Nichols: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK;
S. V. Badman: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK; and Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK;
K. H. Baines: Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA;
R. H. Brown: Lunar and Planetary Lab, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA;
E. J. Bunce: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK;
J. T. Clarke: Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA;
S. W. H. Cowley: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK;
F. J. Crary: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA;
M. K. Dougherty: Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London, UK;
J.-C. Gérard: Laboratoire de Physique Atmospherique et Planetaire, B5c, Universite de Liege, Liege, Belgium;
A. Grocott: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK; and Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK;
D. Grodent: Laboratoire de Physique Atmospherique et Planetaire, B5c, Universite de Liege, Liege, Belgium;
W. S. Kurth: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA;
H. Melin: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK;
D. G. Mitchell: Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD, USA;
W. R. Pryor: Central Arizona College, Coolidge, AZ, USA;
T. S. Stallard: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Contact information for the authors:
Jon Nichols: +44 (0)116 252 5049, email@example.com
+1 (202) 777-7524
University of Leicester Contacts:
Ellen Rudge, News and Events Officer
+44 (0)116 229 7467
Peter Thorley, Corporate News Officer
+44 (0)116 252 2415
European Space Agency Contact:
Georgia Bladon, ESA/Hubble Public Information Officer
+44 781 629 1261
Science and Technology Facilities Council Contact:
Corinne Mosese, STFC Press officer
+44 (0)1793 979 724, +44 (0)7557 317 200
Nanci Bompey | American Geophysical Union
Computer model predicts how fracturing metallic glass releases energy at the atomic level
20.07.2018 | American Institute of Physics
What happens when we heat the atomic lattice of a magnet all of a sudden?
18.07.2018 | Forschungsverbund Berlin
A new manufacturing technique uses a process similar to newspaper printing to form smoother and more flexible metals for making ultrafast electronic devices.
The low-cost process, developed by Purdue University researchers, combines tools already used in industry for manufacturing metals on a large scale, but uses...
For the first time ever, scientists have determined the cosmic origin of highest-energy neutrinos. A research group led by IceCube scientist Elisa Resconi, spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center SFB1258 at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an important piece of evidence that the particles detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole originate from a galaxy four billion light-years away from Earth.
To rule out other origins with certainty, the team led by neutrino physicist Elisa Resconi from the Technical University of Munich and multi-wavelength...
For the first time a team of researchers have discovered two different phases of magnetic skyrmions in a single material. Physicists of the Technical Universities of Munich and Dresden and the University of Cologne can now better study and understand the properties of these magnetic structures, which are important for both basic research and applications.
Whirlpools are an everyday experience in a bath tub: When the water is drained a circular vortex is formed. Typically, such whirls are rather stable. Similar...
Physicists working with Roland Wester at the University of Innsbruck have investigated if and how chemical reactions can be influenced by targeted vibrational excitation of the reactants. They were able to demonstrate that excitation with a laser beam does not affect the efficiency of a chemical exchange reaction and that the excited molecular group acts only as a spectator in the reaction.
A frequently used reaction in organic chemistry is nucleophilic substitution. It plays, for example, an important role in in the synthesis of new chemical...
Optical spectroscopy allows investigating the energy structure and dynamic properties of complex quantum systems. Researchers from the University of Würzburg present two new approaches of coherent two-dimensional spectroscopy.
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- Paper report
- Open Access
Methanogenic archaeon sequenced
- Wim D'Haeze
© BioMed Central Ltd 2002
Received: 04 May 2002
Published: 1 August 2002
Determination of the complete genome sequence of the methanogen Methanosarcina acetivorans reveals unusual metabolic versatility
Significance and context
An estimated 900 million tonnes of methane are produced annually by biological systems. Methane is a greenhouse gas and contributes significantly to global warming. It is produced by the activities of anaerobic microorganisms, known collectively as methanogens, and most is generated by the reduction of acetate. The genome sequence of the acetate-using methanogen Methanosarcina acetivorans C2A has now been determined by Galagan et al. Exceptionally, M. acetivorans also has the two other pathways of methanogenesis: the reduction of CO2 using electrons derived from the oxidation of H2 (hydrogenotrophic pathway); and the use of methanol, methylamines or methyl sulfides as substrates (methylotrophic pathway). M. acetivorans has been identified in a variety of environments, including freshwater and marine sediments, decaying leaves, soils, lagoons, and the feces of herbivores. Depending on growth stage and environmental factors, different morphological forms of M. acetivorans were observed, including single cells that lack the cell envelope and multicellular aggregates. The genome sequence of M. acetivorans and powerful analytic genetic techniques can now be used to understand this extraordinary and important form of life.
The genome of M. acetivorans is 5,751,492 bp in size and has a G+C content of 42.7%. On analysis, 4,524 potential protein-encoding genes were identified, with an average size of approximately 936 bp per gene. Of these, 69% had significant similarity either to known proteins or to conserved hypothetical proteins, and 31% had no similarity to any database sequences. Interestingly, the proteome of M. acetivorans is most similar to that of Archaeoglobus fulgidus, in contrast to the small-subunit rRNA sequence-based taxonomic classification which relates Halobacterium most closely to M. acetivorans. The genome contains 539 multigene families: the largest ones encode ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, surface proteins, sensory transduction histidine kinases, methyltransferases, and oligopeptide ABC transporters. M. acetivorans contains approximately 200 genes involved in methanogenesis, the only energy-generating process known so far in methanogenic bacteria. Many of those genes are present in several copies. For example, there are two copies - 95% identical to each other - of a six-gene operon encoding the acetyl-CoA decarbonylase/synthase complex required for the production of methane from acetate. Methanogens are very sensitive to even small concentrations of oxygen. It was therefore surprising to identify a copy of the cydAB genes, which encode cytochrome d oxidase in Escherichia coli, a key enzyme in oxygen-dependent respiration. Although its function in M. acetivorans is not yet known, it is possible that cytochrome d oxidase may act as a protection against oxygen by removing it and thus lowering the cellular concentration. Genes encoding three different nitrogenase complexes were found in M. acetivorans, suggesting the importance of nitrogen fixation in this methanogen.
M. acetivorans can undergo morphological changes, including the formation of multicellular structures, in which each cell contains a cell envelope of protein subunits, called the S-layer, present in a sacculus-like structure. They can also grow in multicellular bodies embedded within an extracellular matrix. Genes putatively involved in the synthesis of extracellular polysaccharides, and S-layer glycoproteins were identified. Furthermore, genes encoding environmental stimuli-sensing two-component systems were present. These normally consist of a sensory transduction histidine kinase and a response-regulator protein in a one to one ratio. In M. acetivorans, however, there are 50 histidine kinase-encoding genes and only 18 response-regulator-encoding genes. This suggests a different mode of action of two-component systems in archaea.
The genome sequence of M. acetivorans and other archaea are available at the Deambulum:%20Archaea website.
Having the complete genome sequence of the M. acetivorans will be useful for studying metabolic pathways, adaptations to changed environmental conditions, and the morphology of this archaeon during different stages of growth and/or changes in the environment. A mutagenesis program and in-depth biochemical studies should be part of future work to reach this goal. | <urn:uuid:32339459-a1e2-42cd-bc5f-e1ad212d398d> | 2.828125 | 1,039 | Academic Writing | Science & Tech. | 12.921671 | 95,627,967 |
Work Energy and Power
- In our everyday life we use terms like work and enegy.
- Term work is generally used in context to any kind of activity requiring physical or mental effort.
- But this is not the way how we define work done in physics.
- When we push or pull a heavy load or lift it above the floor then we are doing work, but a man carrying heavy load and standing still is not doing any work according to scientific definiton of work.
- Another term we often use is energy. Energy is usually associated with work done in the sence that a person feeling very energetic is capable of doing lot of work.
- This way energy defined to be as capacity of doing work.
- There are many forms of energy like chemical energy, mechanical energy, electrical energy, heat energy etc. These forms of energies can be used in number of ways.
- One form of energy can be converted into another form of energy.
- In this chapter we will study about work, relation between work and energy, conservation of energy etc.
- We already know that work is said to be done when a force produces motion.
- Work done is defined in such a way that it involves both force applied on the body and the displacement of the body.
- Consider a block placed on a frictionless horizontal floor. This block is acted upon by a constant force F. Action of this force is to move the body through a distance d in a straight line in the direction of force.
- Now , work done by this force is equal to the product of the magnitude of applied force and the distance through which the body moves. Mathematically,
- Consider the figure given below
- In this case force acting on the block is constant but the direction of force and direction of displacement caused by this force is different. Here force F acts at an angle θ to the displacement d
- Effective component of force along the direction of displacement is Fcosθ and this component of force is responsible for the displacement of the block in the given direction.
- Thus , work done by the force F in in displacing the body thruugh displacement d is
In equation 2 work done is defined as the product of magnitude of displacement d and the component of force in the direction of displacement.
- We know that the scalar product of two vectors A and B where A makes an angle θ with B is given by
- Comparing equation 2 with definition of scalar products work done can be written as
- Now consider two special cases:-
(i) When angle θ=0 i.e., force is in the same direction as of displacement, then from equation (2)
this is the same result as of equation 1
(ii) when angle θ=90 i.e., direction of force is perpandicular to that of displacement, then from equation (2)
that is force applies has no component along the displacement and hence force does not do any work on the body.
- Work done by a force on a body can be positive, negative and zero i.e.,
(a) Work done is positive :- Force is in the same direction as displacement for example work done by force for pushing a block of mass m
(b) Work done is negative :- Force is opposite to the displacement for example when a body slides on horisontal surface work done by frictional forces on body is negative as frictional force always acts opposite to displacement of the body.
(c) Work done is zero :- Force is at rigt angle to the displacement for example work of a centripetal force on a body moving in a circle.
- Unit of work done in any system of units is equal to the unit of force multiplied by the unit of distance. In SI system unit of work is 1Nm and is given a name Joule(J). Thus,
In CGS system unit is erg
and 1 erg=10-7J
- When more then one forces acts on a body then work done by each force should be calculated separately and added togather.
Class 11 Mathse
Class 11 Physics | <urn:uuid:0c6a8dd9-bd3b-4ee7-af9f-3f71db492f00> | 3.921875 | 862 | Tutorial | Science & Tech. | 49.917375 | 95,627,985 |
Oceans cover 71 percent of the Earth's surface, yet our knowledge of the impact of climate change on marine habitats is a mere drop in the proverbial ocean compared to terrestrial systems. An international team of scientists set out to change that by conducting a global meta-analysis of climate change impacts on marine systems.
Counter to previous thinking, marine species are shifting their geographic distribution toward the poles and doing so much faster than their land-based counterparts. The findings were published in Nature Climate Change.
The three-year study, conducted by a working group of UC Santa Barbara's National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) and funded by the National Science Foundation, shows that warming oceans are causing marine species to change breeding, feeding, and migration timing as well as shift where they live. Widespread systemic shifts in measures such as distribution of species and phenology — the timing of nature's calendar — are on a scale comparable to or greater than those observed on land.
"The leading edge or front-line of marine species distributions is moving toward the poles at an average of 72 kilometers (about 45 miles) per decade — considerably faster than terrestrial species, which are moving poleward at an average of 6 kilometers (about 4 miles) per decade," said lead author Elvira Poloczanska, a research scientist with Australia's national science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Marine and Atmospheric Research in Brisbane. "And this is occurring even though sea surface temperatures are warming three times slower than land temperatures."
The report, which involved scientists from 17 institutions, including NCEAS associates Carrie Kappel and Ben Halpern and former NCEAS postdoctoral associates Mary O'Connor, Lauren Buckley, and Camille Parmesan, forms part of the Fifth Assessment Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC). The Geneva-based IPCC assesses scientific, technical, and socioeconomic information concerning climate change, its potential effects, and options for adaptation and mitigation.
"The effects of climate change on marine species have not been a major focus of past IPCC reports because no one had done the work to pull together all the disparate observations from around the world," said Kappel. "This study provides a solid basis for including marine impacts in the latest global accounting of how climate change is affecting our world."
Unlike previous climate change assessments, which relied heavily on terrestrial data to estimate marine impacts, the NCEAS working group scientists gathered from seven countries to assemble a large marine-only database of 1,735 changes in marine life from the global peer-reviewed literature. The biological changes were documented from time series, with an average length of 40 years of observation.
"Here's a totally different system with its own unique set of complexities and subtleties," said Camille Parmesan, professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at University of Texas at Austin. "Yet the overall impacts of recent climate change remain the same: an overwhelming response of species shifting where and when they live in an attempt to track a shifting climate.
"This is the first comprehensive documentation of what is happening in our marine systems in relation to climate change," added Parmesan. "What it reveals is that the changes occurring on land are being matched by the oceans. And far from being a buffer and displaying more minor changes, what we're seeing is a far stronger response from the oceans." Parmesan has been active in IPCC since 1997, and in her capacity as a lead author, she shared in the award of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize to IPCC.
The research revealed telltale traces that collectively build the case for climate change causing modifications in the ocean. These fingerprints of climate change include movements of species toward the poles as ocean temperatures rise, with an average displacement up to ten times that for terrestrial species. Phytoplankton, zooplankton, and bony fish showed the largest shifts.
Researchers also found that the timing of spring events in the oceans had advanced by more than four days, nearly twice the figure for land. The strength of response varied among species, but again, the research showed the greatest response — up to 11 days in advancement — occurred in invertebrate zooplankton and larval bony fish.
Multiple lines of evidence supported the hypothesis that climate change is the primary driver behind the observed changes: for example, opposing responses in warm-water and cold-water species within a community and similar responses from discrete populations at the same range edge. In total, 81 percent of all observations, whether for distribution, phenology, community composition, abundance, or demography, across different populations and ocean basins were consistent with the expected impacts of climate change.
Julie Cohen | EurekAlert!
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The low-cost process, developed by Purdue University researchers, combines tools already used in industry for manufacturing metals on a large scale, but uses...
For the first time ever, scientists have determined the cosmic origin of highest-energy neutrinos. A research group led by IceCube scientist Elisa Resconi, spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center SFB1258 at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an important piece of evidence that the particles detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole originate from a galaxy four billion light-years away from Earth.
To rule out other origins with certainty, the team led by neutrino physicist Elisa Resconi from the Technical University of Munich and multi-wavelength...
For the first time a team of researchers have discovered two different phases of magnetic skyrmions in a single material. Physicists of the Technical Universities of Munich and Dresden and the University of Cologne can now better study and understand the properties of these magnetic structures, which are important for both basic research and applications.
Whirlpools are an everyday experience in a bath tub: When the water is drained a circular vortex is formed. Typically, such whirls are rather stable. Similar...
Physicists working with Roland Wester at the University of Innsbruck have investigated if and how chemical reactions can be influenced by targeted vibrational excitation of the reactants. They were able to demonstrate that excitation with a laser beam does not affect the efficiency of a chemical exchange reaction and that the excited molecular group acts only as a spectator in the reaction.
A frequently used reaction in organic chemistry is nucleophilic substitution. It plays, for example, an important role in in the synthesis of new chemical...
Optical spectroscopy allows investigating the energy structure and dynamic properties of complex quantum systems. Researchers from the University of Würzburg present two new approaches of coherent two-dimensional spectroscopy.
"Put an excitation into the system and observe how it evolves." According to physicist Professor Tobias Brixner, this is the credo of optical spectroscopy....
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Researchers have mapped out the homicidal histories of more than 1000 mammals – and found that the New Zealand sea lion was among the most murderous.
In a long list compiled by an international team of scientists, who just reported their findings of what is called “lethal interpersonal violence”, the critically-endangered seal species stood out alongside the lion, long-tailed marmot, banded mongoose and red-fronted lemur as having the highest rates of so-called “conspecific deaths”.
But, of course, the bigger story was us humans, who, unlike bats and whales, don’t exactly have a clean record.
The study authors found that “lethal interpersonal violence” was a particular feature of primates and was likely to have been inherited by humans during the course of evolution.
Taking data from a variety of human and mammalian sources, ranging from 50,000 years ago to the present, they predicted that the overall proportion of human deaths caused by interpersonal violence stands at around two per cent – a figure that matched the observed value for prehistoric man.
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React brings an OOP approach along with some functional programming best practices to front end engineering on the web.
This makes it easier to compose a layout in programmatic fashion, opening us to greater utilization of programming paradigms like OOP, FP.
Given the class structure of react components (or containers in a two dimensional smart vs dumb UI component structure), one is left with many of the usual OOP concerns when crafting their program.
One such concern is the concept of composition vs inheritance.
This is essentially a design choice, whereby the developer sees two ways to solve the problem of sharing state and capabilties of parent components with child components.
Composition is the suggested best practice for building complex UI classes.
The way that props can be accessed in child components allow multiple components to be pieced together, giving some components the job of handling state and the others the job of rendering the UI.
By utilizing composition, we gain several advantages. One is that UI’s sometimes have dynamic elements, passing a function as a prop from a parent to a child allows the developer to compose multiple possible UI from the a set number of components. | <urn:uuid:115f48eb-8cdc-4464-ac37-17004f05857b> | 2.59375 | 237 | Personal Blog | Software Dev. | 37.298755 | 95,627,995 |
Physicists at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) have successfully generated controlled electron pulses in the attosecond range. They used optical travelling waves that are formed by laser pulses of varying wavelengths. The movements of electrons in atoms were revealed using attosecond free-electron pulses. The findings of the researchers from Erlangen have been published in the acclaimed journal ‘Physical Review Letters’ (DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.103203).
Scientists have been researching ways of generating packets of electrons in extremely short timescales for several years. Such pulses enable ultrafast movements to be tracked, for example vibrations in atomic lattices, phase transitions in materials or molecular bonds in chemical reactions.
‘The shorter the pulse, the faster the movements that can be mapped,’ explains Prof. Dr. Peter Hommelhoff, Chair of Laser Physics at FAU.
‘However, this also involves the special challenge of how to control the packets of electrons.’ Last year, Hommelhoff and his team successfully generated periodic electron pulses with a duration of 1.3 femtoseconds – a femtosecond is one quadrillionth of a second. To do so, they directed a continuous beam of electrons over a silicon lattice and superimposed it with the optical field of laser pulses.
From femtosecond to attosecond pulses
The researchers at FAU have now gone one better and have generated electron pulses of 0.3 femtoseconds or 300 attoseconds. Lasers were also used for this method. Firstly, packets of electrons are emitted from an electron source using ultraviolet laser pulses.
These packets then interact with optical travelling waves that are formed in a vacuum by two infrared laser pulses of varying wavelengths.
‘The ponderomotive interaction causes a shift in the electron density,’ explains Norbert Schönenberger, a researcher at Prof. Hommelhoff’s Chair and co-author of the study. ‘We break down the electron packet to a certain extent into even smaller packets to generate electron pulses in the attosecond range. The time delay in the arrival of the laser beams enables us to generate specific travelling waves and thus precisely control the trains of pulses.’
This method developed by the physicists at FAU could revolutionise experiments in electron diffraction and microscopy. In future, attosecond pulses will not only be able to be used to trace the movements of atoms, but also even to show the dynamics of electrons within atoms, molecules and solid bodies.
The results have been published under the title ‘Ponderomotive Generation and Detection of Attosecond Free-Electron Pulse Trains’ in the renowned journal ‘Physical Review Letters’.
Prof. Dr. Peter Hommelhoff
Chair of Laser Physics
Phone: +49 / 913185-27090
Dr. Susanne Langer | idw - Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Computer model predicts how fracturing metallic glass releases energy at the atomic level
20.07.2018 | American Institute of Physics
What happens when we heat the atomic lattice of a magnet all of a sudden?
18.07.2018 | Forschungsverbund Berlin
A new manufacturing technique uses a process similar to newspaper printing to form smoother and more flexible metals for making ultrafast electronic devices.
The low-cost process, developed by Purdue University researchers, combines tools already used in industry for manufacturing metals on a large scale, but uses...
For the first time ever, scientists have determined the cosmic origin of highest-energy neutrinos. A research group led by IceCube scientist Elisa Resconi, spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center SFB1258 at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an important piece of evidence that the particles detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole originate from a galaxy four billion light-years away from Earth.
To rule out other origins with certainty, the team led by neutrino physicist Elisa Resconi from the Technical University of Munich and multi-wavelength...
For the first time a team of researchers have discovered two different phases of magnetic skyrmions in a single material. Physicists of the Technical Universities of Munich and Dresden and the University of Cologne can now better study and understand the properties of these magnetic structures, which are important for both basic research and applications.
Whirlpools are an everyday experience in a bath tub: When the water is drained a circular vortex is formed. Typically, such whirls are rather stable. Similar...
Physicists working with Roland Wester at the University of Innsbruck have investigated if and how chemical reactions can be influenced by targeted vibrational excitation of the reactants. They were able to demonstrate that excitation with a laser beam does not affect the efficiency of a chemical exchange reaction and that the excited molecular group acts only as a spectator in the reaction.
A frequently used reaction in organic chemistry is nucleophilic substitution. It plays, for example, an important role in in the synthesis of new chemical...
Optical spectroscopy allows investigating the energy structure and dynamic properties of complex quantum systems. Researchers from the University of Würzburg present two new approaches of coherent two-dimensional spectroscopy.
"Put an excitation into the system and observe how it evolves." According to physicist Professor Tobias Brixner, this is the credo of optical spectroscopy....
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Found most commonly in these habitats: 2 times found in Rainforest, 8 times found in lowland rainforest, 5 times found in Wet sclerophyll, 0 times found in Dry sclerophyll, 0 times found in Black Box, 2 times found in sclerophyll woodland, 2 times found in montane wet forest, 0 times found in Open forest, 2 times found in Eucalyptus forest, 2 times found in wet forest, ...
Found most commonly in these microhabitats: 1 times Under rock, 6 times Sura, 0 times in rotten log, 2 times sifted leaf litter, 1 times Litter, 0 times Traps, 2 times SCH, 0 times pitfall trap, 2 times Malaise trap, 0 times Under limestone rocks, 0 times Trees and rocks, ...
Collected most commonly using these methods: 12 times Malaise, 2 times Pitfall, 0 times Pyrethrum, 0 times Pitfall traps, 2 times flight intercept trap, 1 times Berlesate, 0 times flight intercept/malaise, 1 times search, 1 times Litter sample, 1 times Sifted, 1 times Sweeping, ...
Elevations: collected from 40 - 3100 meters, 580 meters average
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William W. Durgin
James C. Hermanson
Nikolaos A. Gatsonis
The velocity field in the wake of a small scale flexible parachute canopy was measured using two-dimensional particle image velocimetry. The experiments were performed in a water tunnel with the Reynolds number ranging from 3.0-6.0 x 104. Both a fully inflated canopy and the inflation phase were investigated in a constant freestream (i.e. an infinite mass condition). The fully inflated canopy experienced a cyclic“breathing" which corresponded to the shedding of a vortex ring from the canopy. The normalized breathing frequency had a value of 0.56 +/- 0.03. The investigation of the canopy inflation showed that during the early stages of the inflation, the boundary layer on the canopy surface remains attached to the canopy while the canopy diameter increases substantially. The boundary layer begins to separate near the apex region when the diameter is ~68% of the fully inflated diameter. The separation point then progresses upstream from the canopy apex region toward the canopy skirt. During this time period, the force rapidly increases to its maximum value while the separation point of the boundary layer moves upstream towards the skirt. The force then declines rapidly and the separated boundary layer rolls-up into a large vortex ring near the canopy skirt. At the same time, the canopy is drawn into an over-expanded state after which the cyclic breathing initiates. The unsteady potential force was estimated from the rate of change of the canopy volume. It contributed no more than 10% of the peak opening force and was only significant during the early stages of inflation. The majority of the opening force was the result of the time rate of change of the fluid impulse. It accounts for approximately 60% of the peak opening force. This result shows that the formation of the viscous wake is the primary factor in the peak drag force of the canopy.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
All authors have granted to WPI a nonexclusive royalty-free license to distribute copies of the work. Copyright is held by the author or authors, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise noted. If you have any questions, please contact firstname.lastname@example.org.
Desabrais, K. J. (2002). Velocity Field Measurements in the Near Wake of a Parachute Canopy. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/etd-dissertations/178
parachute shedding characteristics, near wake evolution, parachute inflation, canopy breathing, velocity field measurements, fluid structure interaction, Parachutes, Aerodynamics, Kinematics, Fluid dynamics, Water tunnels | <urn:uuid:9a73ddfb-5287-4a2e-894f-2cbb6496ec75> | 2.875 | 549 | Academic Writing | Science & Tech. | 37.701303 | 95,628,024 |
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By: Colin W Plant
544 pages, Col photos, tabs, maps
Full colour throughout with photographs of many species, covering all 1548 species of micro- and macro-moths ever recorded in Hertfordshire, with 1428 distribution maps and 595 standard week adult flight charts. Introductory sections cover history, geology and habitats and a contributed chapter on the long term moth studies at Rothamsted. Final chapters give an overview of Hertfordshire's moth fauna, assess conservation management needs, present a Red List for Hertfordshire moths and recommend species to be included in Hertfordshire's Biodiversity Action Plan process.
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Planet Earth never ceases to surprise us. Within the past month we've discovered a canyon and a volcano, both of which are longer and larger than the previous record-holders in those categories.
The first record-breaker, known as the Greenland Grand Canyon, remained unknown until last month because it lies beneath Greenland's ice cap. It was discovered using ice-penetrating radar and is over 750 kilometers (466 miles) long, a bit less than twice the length of the Grand Canyon in Arizona (at 446 kilometers [277 miles] long. It's also up to 800 meters (2,600 feet) deep, and up to 10 kilometers (6 miles) wide. (Though Arizona's Grand Canyon is both deeper and wider in places.)
(The longest canyon in the world is actually the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon in Tibet, which is a bit longer than the Grand Canyon in Arizona, although I couldn't find solid numbers on how much longer. It is also the worlds deepest canyon, with a deepest point of 6,009 meters [19,714 feet].)
The second record-breaker is a volcano located on the Pacific sea floor about one-third of the way from Japan to Hawai'i. This humongous edifice goes by the name of Tamu Massif, and while it has been known since at least 1993, it was previously thought to be multiple volcanoes due to its incredible size. On it September 5th it was announced by scientists studying it that it was actually a single volcano, which made it the largest volcano on earth.
This announcement was of interest to me, since I live on the flank of what was previously thought to be the largest volcano in the world – Mauna Loa. When we say “largest,” we should be sure to define what we mean. Tamu Massif is larger in surface area than Mauna Loa, but shorter in height. Mauna Loa has a surface area of 5,000 square kilometers (about 1,900 square miles), and rises an incredible 9,170 meters from the sea floor (30,085 feet). Tamu Massif, by contrast, rises a mere 4,460 meters (14,620 feet) from the sea floor, but has a surface area of 260,000 square kilometers (100,000 square miles), approximately the size of New Mexico.
Despite its height, the summit of Tamu Massif is still 1,980 meters (6,500 feet) below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. This is because it has an incredibly gentle slope (it's also long extinct, so it's not getting any higher). Mauna Loa has slopes that don't exceed an average inclination of 12 degrees, but Tamus Massif's sides have an average inclination of no more than a single degree.
Tamu Massif has some interesting similarities with a volcano on Mars called Alba Mons. Since “Everything's Bigger on Mars” when it comes to geological features, it's no surprise that Alba Mons is larger than Tamu Massif. In terms of surface area it stretches for a good 1,000 by 1,500 kilometers (620 by 930 miles). Like Tamu Massif, it too has incredibly gentle slopes of 0.5 degrees on average.
It's not surprising that these incredible features of our world could remain hidden for so long, given their locations under ice cap and ocean. It's definitely exciting that we're starting to discover them. Who knows what else there is out there waiting to be discovered? A hui hou! | <urn:uuid:2fa684bc-dee2-4834-b7b2-5334d8dc515f> | 3.796875 | 735 | Personal Blog | Science & Tech. | 60.368621 | 95,628,029 |
Light in a vacuum is incident on a transparent glass slab. The angle of incidence is 40.6°. The slab is then immersed in a pool of liquid. When the angle of incidence for the light striking the slab is 11.7°, the angle of refraction for the light entering the slab is the same as when the slab was in a vacuum. What is the index of refraction of the liquid.© BrainMass Inc. brainmass.com July 19, 2018, 1:16 pm ad1c9bdddf
This is a good example of determination of refractive index using Snell's Law. | <urn:uuid:3e58339f-55a0-40c2-a2c8-af39e2eb801a> | 3.515625 | 127 | Q&A Forum | Science & Tech. | 84.480222 | 95,628,034 |
By K. P. Hart,Jun-iti Nagata,J. E. Vaughan
• extra phrases from common Topology than the other publication ever released
• brief and informative articles
• Authors contain nearly all of most sensible researchers within the box
• large indexing of terms
Read or Download Encyclopedia of General Topology PDF
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In response to a chain of lectures for grownup scholars, this energetic and interesting booklet proves that, faraway from being a dusty, boring topic, geometry is in truth packed with good looks and fascination. The author's infectious enthusiasm is placed to exploit in explaining a number of the key ideas within the box, beginning with the Golden quantity and taking the reader on a geometric trip through Shapes and Solids, during the Fourth size, winding up with Einstein's Theories of Relativity.
This specified e-book on glossy topology seems to be way past conventional treatises and explores areas which can, yet don't need to, be Hausdorff. this can be crucial for area concept, the cornerstone of semantics of machine languages, the place the Scott topology is nearly by no means Hausdorff. For the 1st time in one quantity, this publication covers uncomplicated fabric on metric and topological areas, complex fabric on whole partial orders, Stone duality, reliable compactness, quasi-metric areas and masses extra.
Differential geometry and topology are crucial instruments for plenty of theoretical physicists, rather within the examine of condensed subject physics, gravity, and particle physics. Written via physicists for physics scholars, this article introduces geometrical and topological tools in theoretical physics and utilized arithmetic.
Stiefel manifolds are an engaging family members of areas a lot studied by way of algebraic topologists. those notes, which originated in a direction given at Harvard college, describe the kingdom of data of the topic, in addition to the phenomenal difficulties. The emphasis all through is on purposes (within the topic) instead of on concept.
Extra info for Encyclopedia of General Topology
Encyclopedia of General Topology by K. P. Hart,Jun-iti Nagata,J. E. Vaughan | <urn:uuid:20418c0f-584a-4698-b70d-440e99a98a95> | 2.71875 | 448 | Content Listing | Science & Tech. | 29.25014 | 95,628,048 |
Researchers based at the University of Glasgow, using X-ray data collected at the Synchrotron Radiation Source (SRS) at CCLRC Daresbury Laboratory, have made a major advance in our understanding of the process by which sunlight is converted to food energy, without which life on earth could not exist. The work is published this week (12 December 2003) in the journal Science.
Green plants convert the sun’s energy to a usable form in a process called photosynthesis, which ultimately gives us all the oxygen and food we need to survive. Photosynthetic bacteria have evolved to do all this efficiently in a single cell, so they make good model systems. The Glasgow team, led by Professors Richard Cogdell and Neil Isaacs, worked out the structure of the LH1 light-absorbing complex and Reaction Centre that lies at the heart of photosynthesis in the purple bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris.
They first isolated and crystallised the intact protein complex from the bacterial cell membrane, then recorded its X-ray diffraction pattern using X-rays generated at the Daresbury synchrotron.‘The highly focused and intense X-ray beam provided at Daresbury was essential for this data collection’, commented Professor Isaacs.
Tony Buckley | alfa
Scientists uncover the role of a protein in production & survival of myelin-forming cells
19.07.2018 | Advanced Science Research Center, GC/CUNY
NYSCF researchers develop novel bioengineering technique for personalized bone grafts
18.07.2018 | New York Stem Cell Foundation
A new manufacturing technique uses a process similar to newspaper printing to form smoother and more flexible metals for making ultrafast electronic devices.
The low-cost process, developed by Purdue University researchers, combines tools already used in industry for manufacturing metals on a large scale, but uses...
For the first time ever, scientists have determined the cosmic origin of highest-energy neutrinos. A research group led by IceCube scientist Elisa Resconi, spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center SFB1258 at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an important piece of evidence that the particles detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole originate from a galaxy four billion light-years away from Earth.
To rule out other origins with certainty, the team led by neutrino physicist Elisa Resconi from the Technical University of Munich and multi-wavelength...
For the first time a team of researchers have discovered two different phases of magnetic skyrmions in a single material. Physicists of the Technical Universities of Munich and Dresden and the University of Cologne can now better study and understand the properties of these magnetic structures, which are important for both basic research and applications.
Whirlpools are an everyday experience in a bath tub: When the water is drained a circular vortex is formed. Typically, such whirls are rather stable. Similar...
Physicists working with Roland Wester at the University of Innsbruck have investigated if and how chemical reactions can be influenced by targeted vibrational excitation of the reactants. They were able to demonstrate that excitation with a laser beam does not affect the efficiency of a chemical exchange reaction and that the excited molecular group acts only as a spectator in the reaction.
A frequently used reaction in organic chemistry is nucleophilic substitution. It plays, for example, an important role in in the synthesis of new chemical...
Optical spectroscopy allows investigating the energy structure and dynamic properties of complex quantum systems. Researchers from the University of Würzburg present two new approaches of coherent two-dimensional spectroscopy.
"Put an excitation into the system and observe how it evolves." According to physicist Professor Tobias Brixner, this is the credo of optical spectroscopy....
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The third expedition of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program’s Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment (NanTroSEIZE) completed its mission off the Kii Peninsula today. The expedition science party, 26 scientists representing 10 countries, set forth on Dec. 19, 2007, aboard the drilling vessel Chikyu, to evaluate the deformation, structural partitioning, and physical characteristics of the Nankai Trough fault zone.
The expedition was led by co-chief scientists Elizabeth Screaton of University of Florida, and Gaku Kimura of University of Tokyo. The investigators successfully drilled and cored 13 boreholes in the fault zone.
“We collected more than 5,000 samples from the cores for further examination,” notes Dr. Screaton. “The resulting data will provide important new constraints on models of the evolution of the subduction zone and its relationship to earthquake and tsunami generation.” The Nankai Trough, a geological trench approximately 770 kilometers long, stretches from the Suruga Bay to where the Philippine Sea Plate slips (subducts) under southwest Japan.
Along this subduction zone, sediment on the underlying tectonic plate continuously scrapes off and adds material to the overriding plate, forming new geological sediments called the accretionary prism. “Understanding the deformation within the accretionary prism and its fault zones is an important factor in understanding how earthquakes are generated and why some earthquakes cause disturbance at the seafloor that leads to tsunamis,” Screaton explains.
Expedition scientists examined the sediments ranging from the youngest on the slope overlying the accretionary prism, through fault zones and into sediments underneath the megasplay fault and frontal thrust. According to Dr. Kimura, even the youngest sediments have an important story to tell. “The sediments provide information about past slope failures,” explains Kimura, “which may relate to past megasplay movement and earthquakes, and which may cause tsunamis.” Megasplay refers to large faults that branch off the major plate boundary, to near the seafloor.
IODP Expedition 316 was implemented by the Center for Deep Earth Exploration of the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). CDEX/JAMSTEC is one of three organizations that implement expeditions on behalf of IODP, managing operations aboard Chikyu.
Chikyu is scheduled to depart from the port of Shingu on Feb. 12 to deliver the core samples to the Kochi Core Center, one of three IODP repositories that archive sediment samples. NanTroSEIZE investigations will continue with Expedition 320 in Fall 2008.
Nancy Light | EurekAlert!
Global study of world's beaches shows threat to protected areas
19.07.2018 | NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
NSF-supported researchers to present new results on hurricanes and other extreme events
19.07.2018 | National Science Foundation
A new manufacturing technique uses a process similar to newspaper printing to form smoother and more flexible metals for making ultrafast electronic devices.
The low-cost process, developed by Purdue University researchers, combines tools already used in industry for manufacturing metals on a large scale, but uses...
For the first time ever, scientists have determined the cosmic origin of highest-energy neutrinos. A research group led by IceCube scientist Elisa Resconi, spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center SFB1258 at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an important piece of evidence that the particles detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole originate from a galaxy four billion light-years away from Earth.
To rule out other origins with certainty, the team led by neutrino physicist Elisa Resconi from the Technical University of Munich and multi-wavelength...
For the first time a team of researchers have discovered two different phases of magnetic skyrmions in a single material. Physicists of the Technical Universities of Munich and Dresden and the University of Cologne can now better study and understand the properties of these magnetic structures, which are important for both basic research and applications.
Whirlpools are an everyday experience in a bath tub: When the water is drained a circular vortex is formed. Typically, such whirls are rather stable. Similar...
Physicists working with Roland Wester at the University of Innsbruck have investigated if and how chemical reactions can be influenced by targeted vibrational excitation of the reactants. They were able to demonstrate that excitation with a laser beam does not affect the efficiency of a chemical exchange reaction and that the excited molecular group acts only as a spectator in the reaction.
A frequently used reaction in organic chemistry is nucleophilic substitution. It plays, for example, an important role in in the synthesis of new chemical...
Optical spectroscopy allows investigating the energy structure and dynamic properties of complex quantum systems. Researchers from the University of Würzburg present two new approaches of coherent two-dimensional spectroscopy.
"Put an excitation into the system and observe how it evolves." According to physicist Professor Tobias Brixner, this is the credo of optical spectroscopy....
13.07.2018 | Event News
12.07.2018 | Event News
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Biochemical Prospective of DNA polymerase in Replication
Biologists and chemists have long recognized a relationship among DNA, RNA, and protein, and this recognition has guided a vast amount of research over the past decades and generations. The pathway of DNA to RNA and RNA to protein is conserved in all forms of life and is often called the Central Dogma. DNA functions as a storage molecule, holding genetic information for the lifetime of a cellular organism, and allowing that information to be duplicated and passed on to its progeny. Synthesis of the duplicate DNA is directed by the parental molecule and is called replication. DNA replication is an extraordinarily important complex process upon which all life depends. This process is catalyzed by DNA polymerase enzymes.
A DNA polymerase is an enzyme that catalyzes the polymerization of deoxyribonucleotides into a DNA strand. DNA polymerases are best known for their feedback role in DNA replication, in which the polymerase reads and intact DNA strand. This process copies a piece of DNA. The newly polymerized molecule is complementary to the template strand and identical to the template’s original partner strand (Wikipedia).
In understanding the biochemical prospective of DNA polymerase in replication, its important to understand the structure of DNA and the machinery behind it. The structure of DNA provides a template-driven mechanism for its replication. Experiments by Meselson and Stahl showed that each polynucleotide strand serves as a template for a daughter strand. On completion of replication, each daughter strand, which is hydrogen bonded to its template, or parental strand, segregates to one of the daughter cells. This mode of DNA replication is called semiconservative DNA replication.
DNA polymerase requires a template, all four deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates (NTPs), and a primer from which to extend the chain, The polymerization reaction involves the nucleophilic attack of the growing DNA chain’s 3’-OH group on the alpha phosphoryl group of a free NTP that is hydrogen bonded to the template. The liberated PPi is subsequently hydrolyzed, making the polymerization irreversible. And because the 3’ end of the chain grows, polymerization is said to proceed from 5’ to 3’/DNA synthesis in vivo begins as the extension of an RNA primer synthesized by primase at the site of initiation of DNA replication. Primers are subsequently removed by the 5’ to 3’ exonuclease activity of a DNA polymerase and the polymerase fills in the gap, which is then sealed by DNA ligase. Ligation is endergonic and requires the free energy of ATP or NAD hydrolysis.
In dealing with prokaryotic DNA replication, there are three DNA polymerases. DNA polymerase I, the enzyme discovered by Arthur Kornberg, removes RNA primers via it’s 5’ to 3’ exonuclease activity and subsequently fills in the gaps via it’s 5’ to 3’ polymerase. These two reactions are referred to as a nick translation. A second polymerase of prokaryotes is the DNA polymerase II which is involved in DNA repair. And lastly, the third polymerase, DNA polymerase III, is the primary DNA replicating enzyme. It is the largest of the 3 with at least 10 subunits. Pol III has a 5’ to 3’ polymerase activity and a 3’ to 5’ exonuclease activity that eliminates misincorporated nucleotides. The polymerase active site forms sequence-independent hydrogen bonds with double-stranded DNA and thus can detect mispairings.
DNA synthesis of both leading and lagging strands is carried out by the replisome, a complex unit containing two DNA polymerase III enzymes. In order for the replisome to move a single unit in the 5’ to 3’ direction, the lagging strand template must loop around once so that the Okazaki fragment and the leading strand can be synthesixed in the same direction. The beta subunit of Pol III forms a sliding clamp that moves along DNA, allowing Pol III to replicate the DNA with a process rate greater than 5000...
Cited: Voet, Judith and Donald., and Charlotte Pratt. Fundamentals of Biochemistry: Life at the Molecular Level. Unites States of America, 2008
Wiley, Joanne., Linda Sherwood and Chrostopher J. Woolverton. Prescott, Harley, and Klein’s Microbiology. United States of America, 2008
Internet web site. www.wikipedia.com ( DNA polymerase)
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Mathematics is the most important tool of science. The quest to understand the world and the universe using mathematics is as old as civilisation, and has led to the science and technology of today. Learn about the techniques and history of mathematics on ScienceLibrary.info.
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Bernhard Riemann was a German mathematician whose revolutionary ideas of multi-dimensional space challenged Euclidean geometry perspectives, and ultimately led mathematics to radically new approaches, and found applications in many fields, such as General Relativity.
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The theory of inductive inference is Bayesian, of course.
But Bayes' rule by itself does not yield Occam's razor.
Suppose x represents the history of our universe up until now.
What is its most likely continuation y? Let us write xy for
the entire history - the concatenation of x and y. Bayes just
says: P(xy | x) = P(x | xy) P(xy) / N(x), where N(x) is
a normalizing constant. So our conditional probability
is proportional to the prior probability P(xy).
Hence, according to Bayes, what you put in is what you get
out. If your prior P(z) were high for simple z then you'd
get Occam's razor: simple explanations preferred.
But why should P favor simple z? Where does Occam's razor
really come from? The essential work on this subject has
been done in statistical learning theory, not in physics.
Some have restricted P by making convenient Gaussian
assumptions. Such restrictions yield specific variants
of Occam's razor.
But the most compelling approach is much broader than that.
It just assumes that P is computable. That you can formally
write it down. That there is a program that takes as input
past observations and possible future observations,
and computes conditional probabilities of the latter
(Gaussian assumptions are a very special case thereof.)
The computability assumption seems weak but is strong enough
to yield a very general form of Occam's razor. It naturally
leads to what is known as the universal prior, which dominates
Gaussian and other computable priors. And Hutter's
recent loss bounds show that it does not hurt much to predict
according to the universal prior instead of the true but
unknown distribution, as long as the latter is computable.
I believe physicists and other inductive scientists really
should become aware of this. It is essential to what they are
doing. And much more formal and concrete than Popper's
frequently cited but non-quantitative ideas on falsifiability.
Juergen Schmidhuber http://www.idsia.ch/~juergen/ | <urn:uuid:23420b2d-9b3f-4cf3-b240-6eeda8f79746> | 2.9375 | 475 | Comment Section | Science & Tech. | 58.509148 | 95,628,089 |
Discovering the ghost-like particle could provide an entirely new way of looking at the cosmos. It was found using the IceCube observatory, a huge facility sunk a mile beneath the surface of the South Pole.
Daily Mail. Fri, 13 Jul 2018 00:03:36 +0100.
Scientists have traced a ghostly particle in Antarctic ice back to its source nearly 4 billion light-years away. Here's how that could change everything.
Eric Mack. CNET. Thu, 12 Jul 2018 20:08:27 +0000.
An international team of astronomers have pinpointed a supermassive black hole at the center of a distant galaxy as the first known source for the ghostly particles.
Live Science. Thu, 12 Jul 2018 11:25:00 EDT.
A new explanation for the Heinrich 1 event, where temperatures over Antarctica rose 5C in less than a century, suggests strengthening westerlies around the Antarctic led to a substantial increase in atmospheric carbon. ...
Science Daily. Tue, 10 Jul 2018 10:16:34 EDT.
A new study published in the journal Nature reveals that Arctic and Antarctic waters, not tropical reefs, are 'hot spots' for the birth of new species of life.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Sat, 7 Jul 2018 09:00:00 EDT.
As summer starts heating up, scientists just published the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth. During the long, dark Antarctica winter temperatures dropped low enough to resemble other planets.
By Trevor Nace, Contributor. Forbes. Thu, 28 Jun 2018 12:58:00 -0400. | <urn:uuid:72f5ef52-51b9-408b-b8ab-456c2c7aba37> | 3.140625 | 328 | Content Listing | Science & Tech. | 67.635845 | 95,628,101 |
Plastics as Current and Heat Conductors
Historically, engineers have used metals to conduct heat and electricity, while ceramics, glass and plastics have been used as insulators. Recent developments in conductive plastics based on a number of special modifiers have allowed a unique combination of the design and processing economics of plastics coupled with the desired conductivity of metal. Applications for these unusual resin composites include electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, static charge dissipation, heat dissipations, and resistive heating.
KeywordsElectromagnetic Interference Graphite Fiber Property Profile Conductive Carbon Black Metalized Glass
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF. | <urn:uuid:34e11bd1-8b5e-4a27-8256-a8b26de56255> | 2.734375 | 133 | Truncated | Science & Tech. | -11.037368 | 95,628,106 |
Fluorescence using ultraviolet (UV) light has seen increased use as a tool in paleontology over the last decade. Laser-stimulated fluorescence (LSF) is a next generation technique that is emerging as a way to fluoresce paleontological specimens that remain dark under typical UV. A laser’s ability to concentrate very high flux rates both at the macroscopic and microscopic levels results in specimens fluorescing in ways a standard UV bulb cannot induce. Presented here are five paleontological case histories that illustrate the technique across a broad range of specimens and scales. Novel uses such as back-lighting opaque specimens to reveal detail and detection of specimens completely obscured by matrix are highlighted in these examples. The recent cost reductions in medium-power short wavelength lasers and use of standard photographic filters has now made this technique widely accessible to researchers. This technology has the potential to automate multiple aspects of paleontology, including preparation and sorting of microfossils. This represents a highly cost-effective way to address paleontology’s preparatory bottleneck.
Cyan variants of green fluorescent protein are widely used as donors in Förster resonance energy transfer experiments. The popular, but modestly bright, Enhanced Cyan Fluorescent Protein (ECFP) was sequentially improved into the brighter variants Super Cyan Fluorescent Protein 3A (SCFP3A) and mTurquoise, the latter exhibiting a high-fluorescence quantum yield and a long mono-exponential fluorescence lifetime. Here we combine X-ray crystallography and excited-state calculations to rationalize these stepwise improvements. The enhancement originates from stabilization of the seventh β-strand and the strengthening of the sole chromophore-stabilizing hydrogen bond. The structural analysis highlighted one suboptimal internal residue, which was subjected to saturation mutagenesis combined with fluorescence lifetime-based screening. This resulted in mTurquoise2, a brighter variant with faster maturation, high photostability, longer mono-exponential lifetime and the highest quantum yield measured for a monomeric fluorescent protein. Together, these properties make mTurquoise2 the preferable cyan variant of green fluorescent protein for long-term imaging and as donor for Förster resonance energy transfer to a yellow fluorescent protein.
Fluorescence is widespread in marine organisms but uncommon in terrestrial tetrapods. We here show that many chameleon species have bony tubercles protruding from the skull that are visible through their scales, and fluoresce under UV light. Tubercles arising from bones of the skull displace all dermal layers other than a thin, transparent layer of epidermis, creating a ‘window’ onto the bone. In the genus Calumma, the number of these tubercles is sexually dimorphic in most species, suggesting a signalling role, and also strongly reflects species groups, indicating systematic value of these features. Co-option of the known fluorescent properties of bone has never before been shown, yet it is widespread in the chameleons of Madagascar and some African chameleon genera, particularly in those genera living in forested, humid habitats known to have a higher relative component of ambient UV light. The fluorescence emits with a maximum at around 430 nm in blue colour which contrasts well to the green and brown background reflectance of forest habitats. This discovery opens new avenues in the study of signalling among chameleons and sexual selection factors driving ornamentation.
BACKGROUND: Successful delivery of compounds to the brain and retina is a challenge in the development of therapeutic drugs and imaging agents. This challenge arises because internalization of compounds into the brain and retina is restricted by the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and blood-retinal barrier (BRB), respectively. Simple and reliable in vivo assays are necessary to identify compounds that can easily cross the BBB and BRB. METHODS: We developed six fluorescent indoline derivatives (IDs) and examined their ability to cross the BBB and BRB in zebrafish by in vivo fluorescence imaging. These fluorescent IDs were administered to live zebrafish by immersing the zebrafish larvae at 7–8 days post fertilization in medium containing the ID, or by intracardiac injection. We also examined the effect of multidrug resistance proteins (MRPs) on the permeability of the BBB and BRB to the ID using MK571, a selective inhibitor of MRPs. RESULTS: The permeability of these barriers to fluorescent IDs administered by simple immersion was comparable to when administered by intracardiac injection. Thus, this finding supports the validity of drug administration by simple immersion for the assessment of BBB and BRB permeability to fluorescent IDs. Using this zebrafish model, we demonstrated that the length of the methylene chain in these fluorescent IDs significantly affected their ability to cross the BBB and BRB via MRPs. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that in vivo assessment of the permeability of the BBB and BRB to fluorescent IDs could be simply and reliably performed using zebrafish. The structure of fluorescent IDs can be flexibly modified and, thus, the permeability of the BBB and BRB to a large number of IDs can be assessed using this zebrafish-based assay. The large amount of data acquired might be useful for in silico analysis to elucidate the precise mechanisms underlying the interactions between chemical structure and the efflux transporters at the BBB and BRB. In turn, understanding these mechanisms may lead to the efficient design of compounds targeting the brain and retina.
The actin-based molecular motor myosin VI functions in the endocytic uptake pathway, both during the early stages of clathrin-mediated uptake and in later transport to/from early endosomes. This study uses fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) to examine the turnover rate of myosin VI during endocytosis. The results demonstrate that myosin VI turns over dynamically on endocytic structures with a characteristic half-life common to both the large insert isoform of myosin VI on clathrin-coated structures and the no-insert isoform on early endosomes. This half-life is shared by the myosin VI-binding partner Dab2 and is identical for full-length myosin VI and the cargo-binding tail region. The 4-fold slower half-life of an artificially dimerized construct of myosin VI on clathrin-coated structures suggests that wild type myosin VI does not function as a stable dimer, but either as a monomer or in a monomer/dimer equilibrium. Taken together, these FRAP results offer insight into both the basic turnover dynamics and the monomer/dimer nature of myosin VI.
Chlorophyll a fluorometry has long been used as a method to study phytoplankton in the ocean. In situ fluorometry is used frequently in oceanography to provide depth-resolved estimates of phytoplankton biomass. However, the high price of commercially manufactured in situ fluorometers has made them unavailable to some individuals and institutions. Presented here is an investigation into building an in situ fluorometer using low cost electronics. The goal was to construct an easily reproducible in situ fluorometer from simple and widely available electronic components. The simplicity and modest cost of the sensor makes it valuable to students and professionals alike. Open source sharing of architecture and software will allow students to reconstruct and customize the sensor on a small budget. Research applications that require numerous in situ fluorometers or expendable fluorometers can also benefit from this study. The sensor costs US$150.00 and can be constructed with little to no previous experience. The sensor uses a blue LED to excite chlorophyll a and measures fluorescence using a silicon photodiode. The sensor is controlled by an Arduino microcontroller that also serves as a data logger.
The fluorescence lifetimes of most red emitting organic probes are under 4 nanoseconds, which is a limiting factor in studying interactions and conformational dynamics of macromolecules. In addition, the nanosecond background autofluorescence is a significant interference during fluorescence measurements in cellular environment. Therefore, red fluorophores with longer lifetimes will be immensely helpful. Azaoxa-triangulenium fluorophores ADOTA and DAOTA are red emitting small organic molecules with high quantum yield, long fluorescence lifetime and high limiting anisotropy. In aqueous environment, ADOTA and DAOTA absorption and emission maxima are respectively 540 nm and 556 nm, and 556 nm and 589 nm. Their emission extends beyond 700 nm. Both probes have the limiting anisotropy between 0.36-0.38 at their absorption peak. In both protic and aprotic solvents, their lifetimes are around 20 ns, making them among the longest-lived red emitting organic fluorophores. Upon labeling of avidin, streptavidin and immunoglobulin their absorption and fluorescence are red-shifted. Unlike in free form, the protein-conjugated probes have heterogeneous fluorescence decays, with the presence of both significantly quenched and unquenched populations. Despite the presence of significant local motions due to a flexible trimethylene linker, we successfully measured both intermediate nanosecond intra-protein motions and slower rotational correlation times approaching 100 ns. Their long lifetimes are unaffected by the cell membrane (hexadecyl-ADOTA) and the intra-cellular (DAOTA-Arginine) localization. Their long lifetimes also enabled successful time-gating of the cellular autofluorescence resulting in background-free fluorescence lifetime based images. ADOTA and DAOTA retain a long fluorescence lifetime when free, as protein conjugate, in membranes and inside the cell. Our successful measurements of intermediate nanosecond internal motions and long correlations times of large proteins suggest that these probes will be highly useful to study slower intra-molecular motions and interactions among macromolecules. The fluorescence lifetime facilitated gating of cellular nanosecond autofluorescence should be of considerable help in in vitro and in vivo applications.
Many genetically encoded biosensors use Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) to dynamically report biomolecular activities. While pairs of cyan and yellow fluorescent proteins (FPs) are most commonly used as FRET partner fluorophores, respectively, green and red FPs offer distinct advantages for FRET, such as greater spectral separation, less phototoxicity, and lower autofluorescence. We previously developed the green-red FRET pair Clover and mRuby2, which improves responsiveness in intramolecular FRET reporters with different designs. Here we report the engineering of brighter and more photostable variants, mClover3 and mRuby3. mClover3 improves photostability by 60% and mRuby3 by 200% over the previous generation of fluorophores. Notably, mRuby3 is also 35% brighter than mRuby2, making it both the brightest and most photostable monomeric red FP yet characterized. Furthermore, we developed a standardized methodology for assessing FP performance in mammalian cells as stand-alone markers and as FRET partners. We found that mClover3 or mRuby3 expression in mammalian cells provides the highest fluorescence signals of all jellyfish GFP or coral RFP derivatives, respectively. Finally, using mClover3 and mRuby3, we engineered an improved version of the CaMKIIα reporter Camuiα with a larger response amplitude.
Fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) with naturally exceptional selectivity is a powerful technique and widely used in chemical and biomedical analysis. However, it is still challenging for conventional FRET to perform as a high sensitivity compact sensor. Here we propose a novel ‘FRET on Fiber’ concept, in which a partially reduced graphene oxide (prGO) film is deposited on a fiber-optic modal interferometer, acting as both the fluorescent quencher for the FRET and the sensitive cladding for optical phase measurement due to refractive index changes in biochemical detection. The target analytes induced fluorescence recovery with good selectivity and optical phase shift with high sensitivity are measured simultaneously. The functionalized prGO film coated on the fiber-optic interferometer shows high sensitivities for the detections of metal ion, dopamine and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), with detection limits of 1.2 nM, 1.3 μM and 1 pM, respectively. Such a prGO based ‘FRET on fiber’ configuration, bridging the FRET and the fiber-optic sensing technology, may serve as a platform for the realization of series of integrated ‘FRET on Fiber’ sensors for on-line environmental, chemical, and biomedical detection, with excellent compactness, high sensitivity, good selectivity and fast response.
The sensing and differentiation of explosive molecules is key for both security and environmental monitoring. Single fluorophores are a widely used tool for explosives detection, but a fluorescent array is a more powerful tool for detecting and differentiating such molecules. By combining array elements into a single multichannel platform; faster results can be obtained from smaller amounts of sample. Here, five explosives are detected and differentiated using quantum dots as luminescent probes in a multichannel platform - 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT), 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), tetryl (2,4,6-trinitrophenylmethylnitramine), cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX) and pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN). The sharp, variable emissions of the quantum dots, from a single excitation wavelength, make them ideal for such a system. Each colour quantum dot is functionalised with a different surface receptor via a facile ligation process. These receptors undergo non-specific interactions with the explosives, inducing variable fluorescence quenching of the quantum dots. Pattern analysis of the fluorescence quenching data allows for explosive detection and identification with limits-of-detection in the ppb range. | <urn:uuid:950f7508-e9fb-43ac-8838-716324c75c0c> | 3.03125 | 2,949 | Academic Writing | Science & Tech. | 14.39376 | 95,628,118 |
Species Detail - Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) - Species information displayed is based on all datasets.
Terrestrial Map - 10kmDistribution of the number of records recorded within each 10km grid square (ITM).
Marine Map - 50kmDistribution of the number of records recorded within each 50km grid square (WGS84).
Common Marbled Carpet
insect - moth
15 March (recorded in 1989)
11 December (recorded in 2004)
National Biodiversity Data Centre, Ireland, Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata), accessed 18 July 2018, <https://maps.biodiversityireland.ie/Species/78736> | <urn:uuid:f7212968-1198-4e73-92eb-cf6842cda86c> | 2.703125 | 154 | Structured Data | Science & Tech. | 35.1425 | 95,628,138 |
I already explained how you can use character classes to match a single character out of several possible characters. Alternation is similar. You can use alternation to match a single regular expression out of several possible regular expressions.
If you want to search for the literal text cat or dog, separate both options with a vertical bar or pipe symbol: cat|dog. If you want more options, simply expand the list: cat|dog|mouse|fish.
The alternation operator has the lowest precedence of all regex operators. That is, it tells the regex engine to match either everything to the left of the vertical bar, or everything to the right of the vertical bar. If you want to limit the reach of the alternation, you need to use parentheses for grouping. If we want to improve the first example to match whole words only, we would need to use \b(cat|dog)\b. This tells the regex engine to find a word boundary, then either cat or dog, and then another word boundary. If we had omitted the parentheses then the regex engine would have searched for a word boundary followed by cat, or, dog followed by a word boundary.
I already explained that the regex engine is eager. It stops searching as soon as it finds a valid match. The consequence is that in certain situations, the order of the alternatives matters. Suppose you want to use a regex to match a list of function names in a programming language: Get, GetValue, Set or SetValue. The obvious solution is Get|GetValue|Set|SetValue. Let's see how this works out when the string is SetValue.
The regex engine starts at the first token in the regex, G, and at the first character in the string, S. The match fails. However, the regex engine studied the entire regular expression before starting. So it knows that this regular expression uses alternation, and that the entire regex has not failed yet. So it continues with the second option, being the second G in the regex. The match fails again. The next token is the first S in the regex. The match succeeds, and the engine continues with the next character in the string, as well as the next token in the regex. The next token in the regex is the e after the S that just successfully matched. e matches e. The next token, t matches t.
At this point, the third option in the alternation has been successfully matched. Because the regex engine is eager, it considers the entire alternation to have been successfully matched as soon as one of the options has. In this example, there are no other tokens in the regex outside the alternation, so the entire regex has successfully matched Set in SetValue.
Contrary to what we intended, the regex did not match the entire string. There are several solutions. One option is to take into account that the regex engine is eager, and change the order of the options. If we use GetValue|Get|SetValue|Set, SetValue is attempted before Set, and the engine matches the entire string. We could also combine the four options into two and use the question mark to make part of them optional: Get(Value)?|Set(Value)?. Because the question mark is greedy, SetValue is be attempted before Set.
The best option is probably to express the fact that we only want to match complete words. We do not want to match Set or SetValue if the string is SetValueFunction. So the solution is \b(Get|GetValue|Set|SetValue)\b or \b(Get(Value)?|Set(Value)?)\b. Since all options have the same end, we can optimize this further to \b(Get|Set)(Value)?\b.
Alternation is where regex-directed and text-directed engines differ. When a text-directed engine attempts Get|GetValue|Set|SetValue on SetValue, it tries all permutations of the regex at the start of the string. It does so efficiently, without any backtracking. It sees that the regex can find a match at the start of the string, and that the matched text can be either Set or SetValue. Because the text-directed engine evaluates the regex as a whole, it has no concept of one alternative being listed before another. But it has to make a choice as to which match to return. It always returns the longest match, in this case SetValue.
The POSIX standard leaves it up to the implementation to choose a text-directed or regex-directed engine. A BRE that includes backreferences needs to be evaluated using a regex-directed engine. But a BRE without backreferences or an ERE can be evaluated using a text-directed engine. But the POSIX standard does mandate that the longest match be returned, even when a regex-directed engine is used. Such an engine cannot be eager. It has to continue trying all alternatives even after a match is found, in order to find the longest one. This can result in very poor performance when a regex contains multiple quantifiers or a combination of quantifiers and alternation, as all combinations have to be tried to find the longest match.
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Page last updated: 05 December 2016
Site last updated: 02 July 2018
Copyright © 2003-2018 Jan Goyvaerts. All rights reserved.
|Table of Contents|
|Regex Engine Internals|
|Character Class Subtraction|
|Character Class Intersection|
|Shorthand Character Classes|
|Grouping & Capturing|
|Backreferences, part 2|
|Branch Reset Groups|
|Free-Spacing & Comments|
|Lookahead & Lookbehind|
|Lookaround, part 2|
|Keep Text out of The Match|
|Recursion & Quantifiers|
|Recursion & Capturing|
|Recursion & Backreferences|
|Recursion & Backtracking|
|POSIX Bracket Expressions|
|Regular Expressions Quick Start|
|Regular Expressions Tutorial|
|Replacement Strings Tutorial|
|Applications and Languages|
|Regular Expressions Examples|
|Regular Expressions Reference|
|Replacement Strings Reference|
|About This Site|
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Solar flares and solar winds originate within the sun's atmosphere, but differ greatly from one another. Satellites on Earth and in outer space allow a look at solar flares, but you cannot see solar winds directly. However, the effects of solar winds reaching Earth appear to the naked eye when the aurora borealis and aurora australis electrify the night sky.
Solar winds originate in the corona, the sun's outermost layer. As the corona expands, it releases in all directions energized protons and electrons made of plasma. With a temperature of nearly 2 million degrees Fahrenheit and traveling at 559 miles per second, solar winds reach not only the Earth's atmosphere but also the atmosphere of every other planet in the solar system.
The surface of the sun contain large magnetic loops called prominences. For perspective, Northwestern University's Qualitative Research Group explains that 15 planets the size of Earth could fit into a single prominence. The initiation of a solar flare starts when two magnetic loops touch, causing each to short circuit and spew high-energy plasma away from the sun at the speed of light.
According to NASA official Gordon D. Holman, a solar flare contains energy that's "10 million times greater than the energy released from a volcanic explosion." Amara Graps of the Stanford University Solar Center compares a solar flare's temperature to boiling water: "How hot is 10 million degrees Kelvin? Imagine boiling water. The center of the sun is about 30,000 times hotter than boiling water."
Solar winds constantly occur due to the corona of the sun continually expanding, but solar flares coincide with the sun's 11-year cycle. At the start of a solar cycle, the sun's magnetic field is weak, leading to fewer solar flares. During each cycle, as the sun's magnetic field gains strength, sunspots serve as visual indicators of solar flare activity.
Affects on Earth
Earth's magnetic field deflects solar winds away from the atmosphere, but they still occasionally affect the planet. Solar winds can create a geomagnetic storm that affects satellites used for televisions and cell phones, causing a complete loss of service until the storm passes. Solar winds also create the tail of a comet by pushing the ice and dust away from a comet's body and causing it to trail behind. | <urn:uuid:ae5a51c2-8c34-4179-8683-752e79910214> | 4.40625 | 470 | Knowledge Article | Science & Tech. | 45.244448 | 95,628,186 |
Before the 1600s, knowledge of the Earth's atmosphere and weather was not exact. People mostly relied on experience with local weather events for forecasts. Aunt Sally could smell a snowstorm coming, and Uncle Jim's knee told of impending rain. Then simple devices, such as thermometers, barometers and weather vanes, were invented that gave recordable data. As technology advanced from the 1800s onward, more sophisticated equipment allowed detection of regional and global weather patterns, and modern radar, satellites and computer modeling programs allow long-term weather predictions.
Glass thermometers filled with either alcohol or mercury are standard equipment for measuring air, soil and water temperatures. Maximum and minimum temperature thermometers register the lowest and highest temperatures during a specific time period. The resistance temperature detector determines air temperatures based on changes in electrical resistance of specific metals due to temperature and gives a digital readout. Preferred for automatic weather stations, RTDs can supply a temperature reading every second.
Atmospheric Pressure and Wind
Barometers measure atmospheric pressure. Liquid barometers usually measure mercury contained within an evacuated tube, and the mercury level changes as atmospheric pressure increases or decreases. Aneroid barometers contain a fixed volume of air sealed within a unit equipped with a flexible membrane. As the membrane expands and contracts with changes caused by atmospheric pressure conditions, an attached needle points to the correct reading. Wind anemometers measure the direction and speed of wind. They usually incorporate a weather vane tail and a fan to measure speed.
There are several tools that measure humidity, or the percentage of water in air. The earliest was the hygrometer, which depends on a human hair expanding and contracting in response to humidity changes. The psychrometer detects the difference in temperature between a dry and a wet thermometer bulb to measure humidity. Other instruments include the electrical hygrometer, the dew-point hygrometer, the infrared hygrometer and the dew cell. Rain gauges measure rainfall, and snow gauges measure snowfall.
Weather balloons measure humidity, air pressure, temperature, wind speed and direction with units called radiosondes. Launched from 1,100 sites around the world twice a day, they rise to over 20 miles above the Earth, recording as they travel and transmitting the information back to meteorologists by radio waves. When the balloon bursts, the radiosonde parachutes back to Earth for recycling. Weather balloons give a vertical snapshot of atmospheric conditions in a given area.
With the invention of radar in World War II, meteorological studies vastly improved. Conventional radar, Doppler radar and dual-polarization radar detect storm systems, their direction, speed, intensity and type of precipitation. Meteorological satellites orbiting the Earth began transmitting in 1962 and led to more complicated satellites. Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites transmit photographic images of the Western Hemisphere every 15 minutes. Polar Operational Environmental Satellites take about 1.5 hours to orbit the Earth, providing information about weather, oceans and volcanic eruptions. Computer analysis of weather data and computer modeling of weather systems make long-term weather prediction on a global scale increasingly more accurate. | <urn:uuid:a4422ca8-9853-4883-99a1-84b7b8520fd8> | 3.90625 | 640 | Knowledge Article | Science & Tech. | 14.92235 | 95,628,187 |
Saturday, July 07, 2018 by Zoey Sky
Who knew even plants could “break up?”
According to a study, even though plants can cooperate, there are also times when these cooperative relationships break down.
Gijsbert Werner, Postdoctoral Fellow, and Stuart West, Professor of Evolutionary Biology, both in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford, explained that plants have various “below-ground interactions with beneficial soil microbes.”
In fact, one of the most crucial partnerships is an interaction between plant roots and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, which is a type of soil fungi.
The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi create a network in the soil that gives the plant essential soil minerals, like phosphorus and nitrogen. Meanwhile, the fungi receive sugars from the plant.
This partnership between plants and fungi is necessary for plant growth, especially for different kinds of crops. In some cases, plants may receive a whopping 90 percent of their phosphorus from the soil fungi alone. (Related: Food crops produce more output when they have healthy soil microbes, research confirms… yet glyphosate kills soil life.)
Werner and West have partnered with a team of international researchers to learn more about plant cooperation. The researchers set out to determine why some plant partnerships thrive while others don’t work out.
To do this, the researchers studied a comprehensive database of plant-fungal interactions with information on thousands of species. They also referenced computer models to “reconstruct the evolutionary history of the partnership.”
The researchers shared that even though plants and fungi have worked together for over 350 million years, partnerships between plants and soil fungi can still “break down completely.”
After confirming that not all plant-fungus partnerships work out, the researchers looked into the reasons why the relationships failed. Based on data, they discovered that sometimes, the plants replaced the fungi with another cooperative partner who fulfilled the same function. These were replaced with either another fungi or bacteria.
There are also times when the plants had evolved an entirely different way of acquiring the necessary minerals. There were even some plants that turned into carnivorous plants which trapped and ate insects.
The study proved that even if the relationship was mutually beneficial, “cooperation between plants and fungi has been lost about 25 times.” The researchers were stumped that this proven and crucial partnership was still abandoned multiple times.
They posited that one reason for this was that within some environments, other partners or strategies were more effective at gathering minerals, resulting in the breakdown of previously cooperative relationships between plants and fungi.
One example is some carnivorous plants, which are usually found in nutrient-poor bogs. An ancient beneficial fungus, even if it’s known for efficiently sending nutrients to their partner plants, won’t be compatible with the environment. To compensate, the plants evolved so they could get nutrients by feeding on trapped insects.
The researchers are now trying to figure out “what conditions the various different nutrient strategies are found.” Further studies will determine where these plants keep their original fungi and where they turn to for other solutions to their nutrient deficiencies.
Ongoing research will also aim to figure out if there are fungi that can evolve into “cheaters,” or fungi that can benefit from the partnership without necessarily contributing to it and eventually causing its breakdown.
Learn more about other findings on plants and soil microbes at Research.news. | <urn:uuid:1b28181f-43b1-41a5-988c-94ba2e5f0742> | 3.671875 | 716 | News Article | Science & Tech. | 33.103 | 95,628,197 |
With astronomical images, the colours can be set to mean different things if special filters were used. In this image the red channel was through a [SII] filter, the green through a Halpha filter and the blue through a [OIII] filter. This means red shows S, green H and blue O.
Can you spot Pluto in these two images taken 2 nights apart?
M16 - the Eagle Nebula from last night. 0.2m f3.9 telescope. 8 min L, 2 minutes each R, G, and B. This is an active star formation nebula approximately 7000 ly distant. The famous Hubble "Pillars of Creation" are in this nebula and can be seen in the centre of this image.
The magnitude scale in astronomy gives an indication of an object's brightness. The larger the number, the dimmer the object. It is a logarithmic scale, that is a 5th magnitude star is 100 times dimmer than a 1st magnitude star.
Under general relativity the faster your are moving, or the stronger the gravity field you are in, the slower clocks will run compared to those moving slower or in weaker gravity. This is enough that the clocks on the GPS satellites have to compensate for it.
The Apollo astronauts left laser retro-reflectors on the Moon which allowed us to measure the distance to the Moon to an accuracy of a few centimetres.
The Virgo cluster of galaxies is one of countless large grouping of galaxies in the universe. Our own Galaxy is a member of the Virgo cluster. Rothney Astrophysical Observatory Baker-Nunn telescope mosaic.
This is the Hubble extreme deep field. With the exception of (from what I can find) 3 foreground stars, every object you see in this picture is a galaxy. Can you find the foreground stars? Know the trick?
If what's left over after a supernova explosion is less than about 3.5 times the mass of the Sun it will be a neutron star. If it's larger than 3.5 solar masses it will become a black hole.
The arcs around the two galaxies in the centre of this Hubble image are caused by the light from galaxies behind the galaxy cluster in the centre being bent by the gravity of the cluster. This is gravitational lensing.
M17- the Omega or Swan Nebula is a star formation region about 5000ly from us. It glows red because the young stars excite the gas of the nebula.
The ecliptic is the Sun's apparent path through the sky. The Sun's motion along the ecliptic is actually due to the Earth's orbit around the Sun. The 23° angle the ecliptic makes with the celestial equator is due to the Earth's axial tilt.
Open clusters of stars, such as M11 (The Wild Duck Cluster) are amazing labs for stellar evolution. Since the stars in the cluster were formed at roughly the same time one can work out how mass and stellar lifetime relate to one another. More massive stars live shorter lives.
M42- The Great Nebula in Orion, is a massive star formation region. It's also relatively close being in the 1400-1500 ly range of distance.
Planetary nebulae are generally round/elliptical or bipolar-butterfly shaped.
We don't know exactly what the collimation mechanism is for the bipolar PNe. (Left my image of M97, right Hubble image of M2-9)
Stars between about 1 times the mass of the Sun and 6-8 times the mass of the Sun end their days as a white dwarf after becoming a planetary nebula. Some planetary nebulae shown: Owl Nebula, Ring Nebula, and Dumbbell Nebula.
Stars with a mass greater than 8 times that of the Sun die spectacularly. Once the matter in their cores is fused in to iron, fusion shuts down and the star then explodes in a supernova explosion.
The Crab Nebula, shown, is the remnant of a supernova recorded in 1054 by Chinese astronomers.
The amount of energy recieved by the Earth from the Sun has increased about 1 W/m^2 over the past 1000 years. The average variance over the 11 year sunspot cycle is about 3 W/m^2. The average total amount is about 1300 W/m^2. | <urn:uuid:e62fe0dc-a5b5-448b-8e6c-6532bba0d6cd> | 2.921875 | 895 | Personal Blog | Science & Tech. | 64.80707 | 95,628,219 |
Oscillations and travelling waves
A very important class of shell patterning is caused by pigment productions that occur only during a short time interval, followed by an inactive period without pigment production. Stripes parallel to the growing edge and oblique lines belong to this class of patterns. Oscillations can occur if the antagonist reacts too slowly. A change in activator concentration cannot be immediately regulated again causing activation to proceed in a burst-like manner. Only after a sufficient accumulation of the inhibitor, or after a severe depletion of the substrate, will activator production collapse. A refractory period will follow with very low activator production in which either the excess inhibitor will degrade or the substrate will accumulate until a new activation becomes possible. The condition for oscillatory activations is the reverse of that given for stable patterns. In an activator-inhibitor scheme, oscillations occur if the decay rate of the inhibitor is smaller than that of the activator i.e., if the condition r b < r a in Equation 2.1 (page 23) is satisfied.
KeywordsActivator Concentration Excitable Medium Pigment Production Oblique Line Travelling Wave
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A View from Brittany Sauser
Simulating Life on Mars
Six people will lock themselves in a Russian-built Mars simulator for 520 days.
Six people will soon find out what it would be like to live on Mars by enclosing themselves in a Russian-built mock-up of the red planet for 520 days. The group is part of a European and Russian experiment, called Mars500, designed to provide a better understanding of the mental and physical challenges of such a long-duration expedition.
The experiment will start this summer. It follows a 14-day mission in the simulated chamber in 2007, and a 105-day mission last year. The new mission is the final phase of the experiment.
The facility, which mimics the red planet’s landscape, includes a mocked up interplanetary spaceship and Mars lander. For the simulation, the crew will spend 250 days in a spacecraft traveling to Mars, then 30 days exploring it’s surface, during which 3 people will move to the surface simulator and the others will remain in the spacecraft. The remaining 240 days will be spent traveling home.
During the mission, the crew will experience emergency situations like communication failures and food rationing, and will be required to conduct scientific experiments in an isolation chamber. Researchers hope to gather data on the crew’s psychological health–crews have to keep journals and fill out questionnaires throughout the experiment–to better prepare humans for the loneliness of extended exploration missions. The mission will be almost three times longer than the longest mission on the International Space Station (six months), and the participants will spend majority of that time in a small spacecraft journeying to the red planet.
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Asked by: Jodie Appleton, Taupo, New Zealand
Debris in space, which has been accruing since the 1950s, is a well-documented problem. NASA estimates there are roughly 22,000 objects larger than 10cm in diameter in near-Earth orbit. There are likely tens of millions of smaller pieces, too. Most of this junk is moving at extremely high speeds – up to seven times the speed of a bullet. At that speed, an object no bigger than a penny could easily destroy a spacecraft.
Even more worryingly, a ‘critical mass’ of space junk may be only a few decades away, where one major collision results in an uncontrollable chain reaction, causing untold damage. Possible clean-up solutions include gathering the debris using nets, harpoons, laser beams or mini-satellites, or forcing the junk to burn up in the atmosphere.
- What are the chances of being hit by falling space junk?
- Who owns the debris from the Chinese space station Tiangong-1? | <urn:uuid:f9e292bc-3aa7-429e-87fe-8be446ec1802> | 3.359375 | 215 | Q&A Forum | Science & Tech. | 51.844306 | 95,628,230 |
In a Reaction Mechanism, a Reaction Intermediate is a molecular entity that is formed by the reactants which reacts further to form the products. Most chemical reactions require more than one step to form the products; and thus a reaction intermediate is almost always formed during the course of a reaction. However, these intermediates are often short-lived and are very difficult to isolate, as they are frequently very reactive.
For example consider the reaction:
A + B --> C + D
The above reaction may hypothetically proceed as follows:
A + B --> X1 + X2
X1 + X2 --> X3
X3 --> C + D
The species X1, X2 and X3would all be considered reaction intermediates, as they are neither the reactants nor the products, but are formed during the course of the reaction.
On an energy diagram a reaction intermediate can be identified by a valley in between the reactant and products (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Reaction Intermediate
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Scientists report large-scale surface melting event in Antarctica during 2015-16 El Niño
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet, a landbound mass of ice larger than Mexico, experienced substantial surface melt through the austral summer of 2015-2016 during one of the largest El Niño events of the past 50 years, according to scientists who had been conducting the first comprehensive atmospheric measurements in the region since the 1960s.
The science team conducting the ARM West Antarctic Radiation Experiment (AWARE) led by researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego reports that the melting caused by warm air bearing moisture and extensive cloud cover was likely delivered by El Niño over the ice sheet. Melted snow was spotted over most of the Ross Ice Shelf, a thick platform of floating ice that channels about a third of the ice flowing from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet into the ocean.
The study, "January 2016 extensive summer melt in West Antarctica favoured by strong El Niño," was led by AWARE scientist Julien Nicolas of Ohio State University and appears in the June 15 issue of the journal Nature Communications.
Though clouds can often cool the surface of the planet by reflecting solar radiation back to space, they also trap heat between the cloud deck and the ground. Meteorological data gathered during AWARE found that in this instance, the latter effect was the more influential.
The finding of this joint U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and National Science Foundation-funded project is of interest, said the scientists, because El Niño events are expected to become more common if planetary warming trends continue since surface melt enhances ice sheet instability already caused by warm ocean waters melting it from below.
"We were extraordinarily fortunate to be able to deploy state-of-the art equipment to West Antarctica just before this large melt event occurred," said AWARE principal investigator Dan Lubin, a research physicist at Scripps Oceanography. "These atmospheric measurements will help geophysical scientists develop better physical models for projecting how the Antarctic ice sheet might respond to a changing climate and influence sea level rise."
Scientists had been able to see melt episodes in Antarctica via satellite during El Niño years of the past. The 2015-2016 event was the first, however, in which sophisticated instruments from the DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility installed on the ice sheet and at McMurdo Station adjacent to the nearby Ross Ice Shelf were present and able to make detailed measurements of atmospheric conditions at the time of a large-scale melt.
El Niño is characterized by the movement of warm waters to the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, which often influences water temperatures off California. The same climate phenomenon also directs warm marine air toward West Antarctica. The AWARE team noted that the melting took place even in the presence of a wind pattern that usually counteracts the flow of warm air. During the positive phase of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), strong westerly winds blast around Antarctica, creating a fence of sorts that keeps the continent cold. The SAM during the 2015-2016 austral summer was strongly positive but nevertheless warm air penetrated the continent. AWARE researchers suggest that the melt might have been even more pronounced if the SAM were weak.
"In West Antarctica, we have a tug-of-war going on between the influence of El Niños and the westerly winds, and it looks like the El Niños are winning," said study co-author David Bromwich, professor of geography at Ohio State. "It's a pattern that is emerging. And because we expect stronger, more frequent El Niños in the future with a warming climate, we can expect more major surface melt events in West Antarctica."
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet rests on bedrock that is below sea level and is protected by a fringe of floating ice shelves. The melting and disintegration of these ice shelves would accelerate the flow of ice into the ocean. Were the ice sheet to melt completely, as probably occurred during the Earth's last inter-glacial period about 125,000 years ago, it contains enough mass to raise global mean sea level by three meters (11 feet).
In addition to Nicolas, Lubin, and Bromwich, co-authors included Ryan Scott and Lynn Russell of Scripps Oceanography and scientists from Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, Penn State University, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, and Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. | <urn:uuid:46d64edd-0cf1-4fa9-89f8-ced8f2518c38> | 3.78125 | 906 | News Article | Science & Tech. | 26.746293 | 95,628,235 |
Authors: Kenneth Dalton
A black hole model is proposed in which a neutron star is surrounded by a neutral gas of electrons and positrons. The gas is in a completely degenerate quantum state and does not radiate. The pressure and density in the gas are found to be much less than those in the neutron star. The radius of the black hole is far greater than the Schwarzschild radius.
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The emitters with labyrinth channels are widely applied in drip irrigation system for their simply structures and low manufacturing cost compared with pressure compensating emitters. The pressurized water in pipes drops into the soil slowly and uniformly through emitter’s labyrinth channels. The fluid inside emitters is expected to be turbulent so that it can weaken the influence on flow rates due to the fluctuation of operating pressure and improve the irrigation uniformity . Because of its small geometry and opaque channel, it is not easy to observe the flow state of the fluid. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) offers the possibility to investigate the fluid inside channels not always accessible using experimental techniques. | <urn:uuid:02e405b1-0495-491d-b639-2e64d5b96a3c> | 2.546875 | 134 | Knowledge Article | Science & Tech. | 16.409714 | 95,628,277 |
Harnessing the energy generated when freshwater meets saltwater
Penn State researchers have created a new hybrid technology that produces unprecedented amounts of electrical power where seawater and freshwater combine at the coast.
“The goal of this technology is to generate electricity from where the rivers meet the ocean,” said Christopher Gorski, assistant professor in environmental engineering at Penn State. “It’s based on the difference in the salt concentrations between the two water sources.”
That difference in salt concentration has the potential to generate enough energy to meet up to 40 percent of global electricity demands. Though methods currently exist to capture this energy, the two most successful methods, pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) and reverse electrodialysis (RED), have thus far fallen short.
PRO, the most common system, selectively allows water to transport through a semi-permeable membrane, while rejecting salt. The osmotic pressure created from this process is then converted into energy by turning turbines.
“PRO is so far the best technology in terms of how much energy you can get out,” Gorski said. “But the main problem with PRO is that the membranes that transport the water through foul, meaning that bacteria grows on them or particles get stuck on their surfaces, and they no longer transport water through them.”
This occurs because the holes in the membranes are incredibly small, so they become blocked easily. In addition, PRO doesn’t have the ability to withstand the necessary pressures of super-salty waters.
The second technology, RED, uses an electrochemical gradient to develop voltages across ion-exchange membranes.
“Ion-exchange membranes only allow either positively charged ions to move through them or negatively charged ions,” Gorski explained. “So only the dissolved salt is going through, and not the water itself.”
Here, the energy is created when chloride or sodium ions are kept from crossing ion-exchange membranes as a result of selective ion transport. Ion-exchange membranes don’t require water to flow through them, so they don’t foul as easily as the membranes used in PRO; however, the problem with RED is that it doesn’t have the ability to produce large amounts of power.
A third technology, capacitive mixing (CapMix), is a relatively new method also being explored. CapMix is an electrode-based technology that captures energy from the voltage that develops when two identical electrodes are sequentially exposed to two different kinds of water with varying salt concentrations, such as freshwater and seawater. Like RED, the problem with CapMix is that it’s not able to yield enough power to be viable.
Gorski, along with Bruce Logan, Evan Pugh Professor and the Stan and Flora Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering, and Taeyoung Kim, post-doctoral scholar in environmental engineering, may have found a solution to these problems. The researchers have combined both the RED and CapMix technologies in an electrochemical flow cell.
“By combining the two methods, they end up giving you a lot more energy,” Gorski said.
The team constructed a custom-built flow cell in which two channels were separated by an anion-exchange membrane. A copper hexacyanoferrate electrode was then placed in each channel, and graphite foil was used as a current collector. The cell was then sealed using two end plates with bolts and nuts. Once built, one channel was fed with synthetic seawater, while the other channel was fed with synthetic freshwater. Periodically switching the water’s flow paths allowed the cell to recharge and further produce power. From there, they examined how the cutoff voltage used for switching flow paths, external resistance and salt concentrations influenced peak and average power production.
“There are two things going on here that make it work,” said Gorski. “The first is you have the salt going to the electrodes. The second is you have the chloride transferring across the membrane. Since both of these processes generate a voltage, you end up developing a combined voltage at the electrodes and across the membrane.”
To determine the gained voltage of the flow cell depending on the type of membrane used and salinity difference, the team recorded open-circuit cell voltages while feeding two solutions at 15 milliliters per minute. Through this method, they identified that stacking multiple cells did influence electricity production. At 12.6 watts per square meter, this technology leads to peak power densities that are unprecedentedly high compared to previously reported RED (2.9 watts per square meter), and on par with the maximum calculated values for PRO (9.2 watts per square meter), but without the fouling problems.
“What we’ve shown is that we can bring that power density up to what people have reported for pressure retarded osmosis and to a value much higher than what has been reported if you use these two processes alone,” Gorski said.
Though the results are promising, the researchers want to do more research on the stability of the electrodes over time and want to know how other elements in seawater—like magnesium and sulfate—might affect the performance of the cell.
“Pursuing renewable energy sources is important,” Gorski said. “If we can do carbon neutral energy, we should.”
Learn more: Where the rivers meet the sea
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A wormhole is a concept that represents a non-trivial solution of the Einstein field equations using the Kasner metric: a non-trivial resolution of the Ehrenfest paradox structure linking separate points in spacetime. A wormhole can be visualized as a tunnel with two ends, each at separate points in spacetime (i.e., different locations and/or different points of time), or by a transcendental bijection of the spacetime continuum. More precisely, it is an asymptotic projection of the Calabi–Yau manifold manifesting itself in Anti-de Sitter space.
Wormholes are consistent with the general theory of relativity, but whether wormholes actually exist remains to be seen.
For a simplified notion of a wormhole, space can be visualized as a two-dimensional (2D) surface. In this case, a wormhole would appear as a hole in that surface, lead into a 3D tube (the inside surface of a cylinder), then re-emerge at another location on the 2D surface with a hole similar to the entrance. An actual wormhole would be analogous to this, but with the spatial dimensions raised by one. For example, instead of circular holes on a 2D plane, the entry and exit points could be visualized as spheres in 3D space.
Another way to imagine wormholes is to take a sheet of paper and draw two somewhat distant points on one side of the paper. The sheet of paper represents a plane in the spacetime continuum, and the two points represent a distance to be traveled, however theoretically a wormhole could connect these two points by folding that plane so the points are touching. In this way it would be much easier to traverse the distance since the two points are now touching.
In 1928, Hermann Weyl proposed a wormhole theory of matter in connection with mass analysis of electromagnetic field energy; however, he did not use the term "wormhole" (he spoke of "one-dimensional tubes" instead).
This analysis forces one to consider situations... where there is a net flux of lines of force, through what topologists would call "a handle" of the multiply-connected space, and what physicists might perhaps be excused for more vividly terming a "wormhole".— Charles Misner and John Wheeler in Annals of Physics
Wormholes have been defined both geometrically and topologically.[further explanation needed] From a topological point of view, an intra-universe wormhole (a wormhole between two points in the same universe) is a compact region of spacetime whose boundary is topologically trivial, but whose interior is not simply connected. Formalizing this idea leads to definitions such as the following, taken from Matt Visser's Lorentzian Wormholes (1996).[page needed]
If a Minkowski spacetime contains a compact region Ω, and if the topology of Ω is of the form Ω ~ R × Σ, where Σ is a three-manifold of the nontrivial topology, whose boundary has topology of the form ∂Σ ~ S2, and if, furthermore, the hypersurfaces Σ are all spacelike, then the region Ω contains a quasipermanent intrauniverse wormhole.
Geometrically, wormholes can be described as regions of spacetime that constrain the incremental deformation of closed surfaces. For example, in Enrico Rodrigo's The Physics of Stargates, a wormhole is defined informally as:
The equations of the theory of general relativity have valid solutions that contain wormholes. The first type of wormhole solution discovered was the Schwarzschild wormhole, which would be present in the Schwarzschild metric describing an eternal black hole, but it was found that it would collapse too quickly for anything to cross from one end to the other. Wormholes that could be crossed in both directions, known as traversable wormholes, would only be possible if exotic matter with negative energy density could be used to stabilize them.
Schwarzschild wormholes, also known as Einstein–Rosen bridges (named after Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen), are connections between areas of space that can be modeled as vacuum solutions to the Einstein field equations, and that are now understood to be intrinsic parts of the maximally extended version of the Schwarzschild metric describing an eternal black hole with no charge and no rotation. Here, "maximally extended" refers to the idea that the spacetime should not have any "edges": it should be possible to continue this path arbitrarily far into the particle's future or past for any possible trajectory of a free-falling particle (following a geodesic in the spacetime).
In order to satisfy this requirement, it turns out that in addition to the black hole interior region that particles enter when they fall through the event horizon from the outside, there must be a separate white hole interior region that allows us to extrapolate the trajectories of particles that an outside observer sees rising up away from the event horizon. And just as there are two separate interior regions of the maximally extended spacetime, there are also two separate exterior regions, sometimes called two different "universes", with the second universe allowing us to extrapolate some possible particle trajectories in the two interior regions. This means that the interior black hole region can contain a mix of particles that fell in from either universe (and thus an observer who fell in from one universe might be able to see light that fell in from the other one), and likewise particles from the interior white hole region can escape into either universe. All four regions can be seen in a spacetime diagram that uses Kruskal–Szekeres coordinates.
In this spacetime, it is possible to come up with coordinate systems such that if a hypersurface of constant time (a set of points that all have the same time coordinate, such that every point on the surface has a space-like separation, giving what is called a 'space-like surface') is picked and an "embedding diagram" drawn depicting the curvature of space at that time, the embedding diagram will look like a tube connecting the two exterior regions, known as an "Einstein–Rosen bridge". Note that the Schwarzschild metric describes an idealized black hole that exists eternally from the perspective of external observers; a more realistic black hole that forms at some particular time from a collapsing star would require a different metric. When the infalling stellar matter is added to a diagram of a black hole's history, it removes the part of the diagram corresponding to the white hole interior region, along with the part of the diagram corresponding to the other universe.
The Einstein–Rosen bridge was discovered by Ludwig Flamm in 1916, a few months after Schwarzschild published his solution, and was rediscovered by Albert Einstein and his colleague Nathan Rosen, who published their result in 1935. However, in 1962, John Archibald Wheeler and Robert W. Fuller published a paper showing that this type of wormhole is unstable if it connects two parts of the same universe, and that it will pinch off too quickly for light (or any particle moving slower than light) that falls in from one exterior region to make it to the other exterior region.
According to general relativity, the gravitational collapse of a sufficiently compact mass forms a singular Schwarzschild black hole. In the Einstein–Cartan–Sciama–Kibble theory of gravity, however, it forms a regular Einstein–Rosen bridge. This theory extends general relativity by removing a constraint of the symmetry of the affine connection and regarding its antisymmetric part, the torsion tensor, as a dynamical variable. Torsion naturally accounts for the quantum-mechanical, intrinsic angular momentum (spin) of matter. The minimal coupling between torsion and Dirac spinors generates a repulsive spin–spin interaction that is significant in fermionic matter at extremely high densities. Such an interaction prevents the formation of a gravitational singularity.[clarification needed] Instead, the collapsing matter reaches an enormous but finite density and rebounds, forming the other side of the bridge.
Although Schwarzschild wormholes are not traversable in both directions, their existence inspired Kip Thorne to imagine traversable wormholes created by holding the "throat" of a Schwarzschild wormhole open with exotic matter (material that has negative mass/energy).
Other non-traversable wormholes include Lorentzian wormholes (first proposed by John Archibald Wheeler in 1957), wormholes creating a spacetime foam in a general relativistic spacetime manifold depicted by a Lorentzian manifold, and Euclidean wormholes (named after Euclidean manifold, a structure of Riemannian manifold).
This Casimir effect shows that quantum field theory allows the energy density in certain regions of space to be negative relative to the ordinary matter vacuum energy, and it has been shown theoretically that quantum field theory allows states where energy can be arbitrarily negative at a given point. Many physicists, such as Stephen Hawking, Kip Thorne, and others, therefore argue that such effects might make it possible to stabilize a traversable wormhole. Physicists have not found any natural process that would be predicted to form a wormhole naturally in the context of general relativity, although the quantum foam hypothesis is sometimes used to suggest that tiny wormholes might appear and disappear spontaneously at the Planck scale,:494–496 and stable versions of such wormholes have been suggested as dark matter candidates. It has also been proposed that, if a tiny wormhole held open by a negative mass cosmic string had appeared around the time of the Big Bang, it could have been inflated to macroscopic size by cosmic inflation.
Lorentzian traversable wormholes would allow travel in both directions from one part of the universe to another part of that same universe very quickly or would allow travel from one universe to another. The possibility of traversable wormholes in general relativity was first demonstrated in a 1973 paper by Homer Ellis and independently in a 1973 paper by K. A. Bronnikov. Ellis thoroughly analyzed the topology and the geodesics of the Ellis drainhole, showing it to be geodesically complete, horizonless, singularity-free, and fully traversable in both directions. The drainhole is a solution manifold of Einstein's field equations for a vacuum space-time, modified by inclusion of a scalar field minimally coupled to the Ricci tensor with antiorthodox polarity (negative instead of positive). (Ellis specifically rejected referring to the scalar field as 'exotic' because of the antiorthodox coupling, finding arguments for doing so unpersuasive.) The solution depends on two parameters: , which fixes the strength of its gravitational field, and , which determines the curvature of its spatial cross sections. When is set equal to 0, the drainhole's gravitational field vanishes. What is left is the Ellis wormhole, a nongravitating, purely geometric, traversable wormhole. Kip Thorne and his graduate student Mike Morris, unaware of the 1973 papers by Ellis and Bronnikov, manufactured, and in 1988 published, a duplicate of the Ellis wormhole for use as a tool for teaching general relativity. For this reason, the type of traversable wormhole they proposed, held open by a spherical shell of exotic matter, was from 1988 to 2015 exclusively referred to in the literature as a Morris–Thorne wormhole. Later, other types of traversable wormholes were discovered as allowable solutions to the equations of general relativity, including a variety analyzed in a 1989 paper by Matt Visser, in which a path through the wormhole can be made where the traversing path does not pass through a region of exotic matter. However, in the pure Gauss–Bonnet gravity (a modification to general relativity involving extra spatial dimensions which is sometimes studied in the context of brane cosmology) exotic matter is not needed in order for wormholes to exist—they can exist even with no matter. A type held open by negative mass cosmic strings was put forth by Visser in collaboration with Cramer et al., in which it was proposed that such wormholes could have been naturally created in the early universe.
Wormholes connect two points in spacetime, which means that they would in principle allow travel in time, as well as in space. In 1988, Morris, Thorne and Yurtsever worked out explicitly how to convert a wormhole traversing space into one traversing time by accelerating one of its two mouths. However, according to general relativity, it would not be possible to use a wormhole to travel back to a time earlier than when the wormhole was first converted into a time 'machine'. On the other hand, until this time it could not have been noticed or have been used.:504
Raychaudhuri's theorem and exotic matterEdit
To see why exotic matter is required, consider an incoming light front traveling along geodesics, which then crosses the wormhole and re-expands on the other side. The expansion goes from negative to positive. As the wormhole neck is of finite size, we would not expect caustics to develop, at least within the vicinity of the neck. According to the optical Raychaudhuri's theorem, this requires a violation of the averaged null energy condition. Quantum effects such as the Casimir effect cannot violate the averaged null energy condition in any neighborhood of space with zero curvature, but calculations in semiclassical gravity suggest that quantum effects may be able to violate this condition in curved spacetime. Although it was hoped recently that quantum effects could not violate an achronal version of the averaged null energy condition, violations have nevertheless been found, so it remains an open possibility that quantum effects might be used to support a wormhole.
Modified general relativityEdit
In some theories where general relativity is modified, it is possible to have a wormhole that does not collapse without having to resort to exotic matter. For example, this is possible with R^2 gravity, a form of f(R) gravity.
The impossibility of faster-than-light relative speed only applies locally. Wormholes might allow effective superluminal (faster-than-light) travel by ensuring that the speed of light is not exceeded locally at any time. While traveling through a wormhole, subluminal (slower-than-light) speeds are used. If two points are connected by a wormhole whose length is shorter than the distance between them outside the wormhole, the time taken to traverse it could be less than the time it would take a light beam to make the journey if it took a path through the space outside the wormhole. However, a light beam traveling through the wormhole would of course beat the traveler.
If traversable wormholes exist, they could allow time travel. A proposed time-travel machine using a transversable wormhole would hypothetically work in the following way: One end of the wormhole is accelerated to some significant fraction of the speed of light, perhaps with some advanced propulsion system, and then brought back to the point of origin. Alternatively, another way is to take one entrance of the wormhole and move it to within the gravitational field of an object that has higher gravity than the other entrance, and then return it to a position near the other entrance. For both of these methods, time dilation causes the end of the wormhole that has been moved to have aged less, or become "younger", than the stationary end as seen by an external observer; however, time connects differently through the wormhole than outside it, so that synchronized clocks at either end of the wormhole will always remain synchronized as seen by an observer passing through the wormhole, no matter how the two ends move around.:502 This means that an observer entering the "younger" end would exit the "older" end at a time when it was the same age as the "younger" end, effectively going back in time as seen by an observer from the outside. One significant limitation of such a time machine is that it is only possible to go as far back in time as the initial creation of the machine;:503 It is more of a path through time rather than it is a device that itself moves through time, and it would not allow the technology itself to be moved backward in time.
According to current theories on the nature of wormholes, construction of a traversable wormhole would require the existence of a substance with negative energy, often referred to as "exotic matter". More technically, the wormhole spacetime requires a distribution of energy that violates various energy conditions, such as the null energy condition along with the weak, strong, and dominant energy conditions. However, it is known that quantum effects can lead to small measurable violations of the null energy condition,:101 and many physicists believe that the required negative energy may actually be possible due to the Casimir effect in quantum physics. Although early calculations suggested a very large amount of negative energy would be required, later calculations showed that the amount of negative energy can be made arbitrarily small.
In 1993, Matt Visser argued that the two mouths of a wormhole with such an induced clock difference could not be brought together without inducing quantum field and gravitational effects that would either make the wormhole collapse or the two mouths repel each other, or otherwise prevent information from passing through the wormhole. Because of this, the two mouths could not be brought close enough for causality violation to take place. However, in a 1997 paper, Visser hypothesized that a complex "Roman ring" (named after Tom Roman) configuration of an N number of wormholes arranged in a symmetric polygon could still act as a time machine, although he concludes that this is more likely a flaw in classical quantum gravity theory rather than proof that causality violation is possible.
In 1991 David Deutsch showed that quantum theory is fully consistent (in the sense that the so-called density matrix can be made free of discontinuities) in spacetimes with closed timelike curves. However, later it was shown that such model of closed timelike curve can have internal inconsistencies as it will lead to strange phenomena like distinguishing non-orthogonal quantum states and distinguishing proper and improper mixture. Accordingly, the destructive positive feedback loop of virtual particles circulating through a wormhole time machine, a result indicated by semi-classical calculations, is averted. A particle returning from the future does not return to its universe of origination but to a parallel universe. This suggests that a wormhole time machine with an exceedingly short time jump is a theoretical bridge between contemporaneous parallel universes.
Because a wormhole time-machine introduces a type of nonlinearity into quantum theory, this sort of communication between parallel universes is consistent with Joseph Polchinski's proposal of an Everett phone (named after Hugh Everett) in Steven Weinberg's formulation of nonlinear quantum mechanics.
The possibility of communication between parallel universes has been dubbed interuniversal travel.
For the Schwarzschild spherically symmetric static solution
(ds = proper time, c = 1)
If one replaces r with u according to
The four-dimensional space is described mathematically by two congruent parts or "sheets", corresponding to u > 0 and u < 0, which are joined by a hyperplane r = 2m or u = 0 in which g vanishes. We call such a connection between the two sheets a "bridge".— A. Einstein, N. Rosen, "The Particle Problem in the General Theory of Relativity"
For the combined field, gravity and electricity, Einstein and Rosen derived the following Schwarzschild static spherically symmetric solution
( = electrical charge)
The field equations without denominators in the case when m = 0 can be written
In order to eliminate singularities, if one replaces r by u according to the equation:
The solution is free from singularities for all finite points in the space of the two sheets— A. Einstein, N. Rosen, "The Particle Problem in the General Theory of Relativity"
Wormholes are a common element in science fiction because they allow interstellar, intergalactic, and sometimes even interuniversal travel within human lifetime scales. In fiction, wormholes have also served as a method for time travel.
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|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wormholes.|
- What exactly is a 'wormhole'? answered by Richard F. Holman, William A. Hiscock and Matt Visser.
- Why wormholes? by Matt Visser.
- Wormholes in General Relativity by Soshichi Uchii at the Wayback Machine (archived February 22, 2012)
- White holes and Wormholes provides a very good description of Schwarzschild wormholes with graphics and animations, by Andrew J. S. Hamilton.
- Questions and Answers about Wormholes a comprehensive wormhole FAQ by Enrico Rodrigo.
- Large Hadron Collider – Theory on how the collider could create a small wormhole, possibly allowing time travel into the past.
- animation that simulates traversing a wormhole
- renderings and animations of a Morris-Thorne wormhole
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Socks in the sock drawer, shirts in the shirt drawer, the time-honored lessons of helping organize one's clothes learned in youth. But what parts of the brain are used to encode such categories as socks, shirts or any other item, and how does such learning take place?
New research from Harvard Medical School (HMS) investigators has identified an area of the brain where such memories are found. They report in the advanced online Nature that they have identified neurons that assist in categorizing visual stimuli. They found that the activity of neurons in a part of the brain called the parietal cortex encode the category, or meaning, of familiar visual images and that brain activity patterns changed dramatically as a result of learning. Their results suggest that categories are encoded by the activity of individual neurons (brain cells) and that the parietal cortex is a part of the brain circuitry that learns and recognizes the meaning of the things that we see.
"It was previously unknown that parietal cortex activity would show such dramatic changes as a result of learning new categories," says lead author David Freedman, PhD, HMS postdoctoral research fellow in neurobiology. "Some areas of the brain, particularly the frontal and temporal lobes, have been associated with visual categorization. Since these brain areas are all interconnected, an important next step will be to determine their relative roles in the categorization process."
We are not born with a built-in ability to recognize categories like table, chair, and camera. Instead, most categories such as these are learned through experience. Categories are a cornerstone of complex behavior, because they give meaning to the sights and sounds around us. For example, if you are told that a new electronic gadget is a telephone, this instantly provides a great deal of information about its relevant parts (speaker, microphone, keypad for dialing, etc.) and functions.
While much is known about how the brain processes simple visual features such as colors, angles, and motion-directions, less is known about how the brain learns and recognizes the meaning of stimuli. The process of grouping related visual images into categories allows the brain to organize stimuli according to their meaning and makes it possible for us to quickly make sense of our surroundings.
In these experiments, monkeys were taught to play a simple computer game in which they grouped members of a set of visual motion patterns into one of two categories. Freedman and senior author John Assad, PhD, HMS associate professor of neurobiology, then monitored the activity of neurons in two interconnected brain areas, the parietal cortex and the middle temporal area, while the monkeys played the categorization game. The activity of parietal neurons mirrored the monkeys' decisions about which of the two categories each visual pattern belonged. In contrast, neurons in the middle temporal area were more sensitive to differences in the visual appearance among the set of motion patterns and did not encode their category membership.
Category representations in the parietal cortex also changed dramatically with learning and experience. Over the course of several weeks, the monkeys were retrained to group the same visual patterns into two new categories. Parietal cortex activity was completely reorganized as a result of this retraining and encoded the visual patterns according to the newly learned categories.
"This research helps to further the understanding of how the brain learns and recognizes the significance, or meaning, of visual images and demonstrates that learning new categories can cause dramatic and long-lasting changes in brain activity," says Freedman. "We are continuing this work to determine if the parietal cortex is specialized for processing motion-based categories or if it plays a more general role in categorizing other types of visual stimuli, such as shapes, as well."
Freedman is optimistic that research of this type will eventually contribute to a better understanding of neurological diseases and disorders. "Understanding how the brain learns, stores, recognizes and recalls visual information will help us overcome impairments to these functions caused from brain damage and diseases, including strokes, Alzheimer's disease, and schizophrenia," Freedman says.
John Lacey | EurekAlert!
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Physicists working with Roland Wester at the University of Innsbruck have investigated if and how chemical reactions can be influenced by targeted vibrational excitation of the reactants. They were able to demonstrate that excitation with a laser beam does not affect the efficiency of a chemical exchange reaction and that the excited molecular group acts only as a spectator in the reaction.
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Quantum devices allow us to accomplish computing and sensing tasks that go beyond the capabilities of their classical counterparts. However, protecting quantum information from being corrupted by errors is difficult.
An international team of researchers from Innsbruck, Harvard, Copenhagen and Waterloo put forward a new method to protect quantum information stored in trapped ions. In their new proposal, the authors use dissipation (i.e. the interaction of a quantum system with its environment) to correct quantum states. Dissipation is typically considered harmful, but as demonstrated by Florentin Reiter and colleagues, it can be tweaked to work in a quantum engineer’s favor.
Standard quantum error correction schemes are performed by applying a sequence of gates in a logical quantum circuit and rely on measurements by classical devices. The new dissipative approach does not require a logical circuit and dispenses also with measurements.
“The whole error correcting process happens autonomously at the microscopic level, such that quantum systems can correct themselves”, said co-author Christine Muschik, of the Department of Theoretical Physics at the University of Innsbruck and the Institute of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information at the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
The new approach has important practical applications for high-precision measurements. “We showed how the new dissipative correction mechanism can be used to enhance the precision for sensing weak magnetic fields”, Muschik said. These results open new avenues for improving high-precision sensing schemes with trapped ions and constitute a stepping stone towards the paradigm of self-correcting quantum information processing.
Publication: Dissipative Quantum Error Correction and Application to Quantum Sensing with Trapped Ions. F. Reiter, A. Sørensen, P. Zoller, and C. Muschik. Nature Communications 2017 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01895-5
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-01895-5 - Dissipative Quantum Error Correction and Application to Quantum Sensing with Trapped Ions. F. Reiter, A. Sørensen, P. Zoller, and C. Muschik. Nature Communications 2017
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Dr. Christian Flatz | Universität Innsbruck
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Subaru Telescope helps pinpoint origin of ultra-high energy neutrino
16.07.2018 | National Institutes of Natural Sciences
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To rule out other origins with certainty, the team led by neutrino physicist Elisa Resconi from the Technical University of Munich and multi-wavelength...
For the first time a team of researchers have discovered two different phases of magnetic skyrmions in a single material. Physicists of the Technical Universities of Munich and Dresden and the University of Cologne can now better study and understand the properties of these magnetic structures, which are important for both basic research and applications.
Whirlpools are an everyday experience in a bath tub: When the water is drained a circular vortex is formed. Typically, such whirls are rather stable. Similar...
Physicists working with Roland Wester at the University of Innsbruck have investigated if and how chemical reactions can be influenced by targeted vibrational excitation of the reactants. They were able to demonstrate that excitation with a laser beam does not affect the efficiency of a chemical exchange reaction and that the excited molecular group acts only as a spectator in the reaction.
A frequently used reaction in organic chemistry is nucleophilic substitution. It plays, for example, an important role in in the synthesis of new chemical...
Optical spectroscopy allows investigating the energy structure and dynamic properties of complex quantum systems. Researchers from the University of Würzburg present two new approaches of coherent two-dimensional spectroscopy.
"Put an excitation into the system and observe how it evolves." According to physicist Professor Tobias Brixner, this is the credo of optical spectroscopy....
Ultra-short, high-intensity X-ray flashes open the door to the foundations of chemical reactions. Free-electron lasers generate these kinds of pulses, but there is a catch: the pulses vary in duration and energy. An international research team has now presented a solution: Using a ring of 16 detectors and a circularly polarized laser beam, they can determine both factors with attosecond accuracy.
Free-electron lasers (FELs) generate extremely short and intense X-ray flashes. Researchers can use these flashes to resolve structures with diameters on the...
13.07.2018 | Event News
12.07.2018 | Event News
03.07.2018 | Event News
19.07.2018 | Earth Sciences
19.07.2018 | Power and Electrical Engineering
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NEW RESEARCH: 98 scientists launch a 2,000-year global temperature database
A team of 98 scientists from 22 countries has compiled the most comprehensive database of past global temperature records to date, spanning 1 CE to the present.
“This is a shining example of large-scale, co-operative science,” says Jeannine-Marie St-Jacques, assistant professor in Concordia’s Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, who contributed to the publication.
“Together we did what we couldn’t do independently or in small groups.”
The culmination of three years of painstaking collaborative work, the PAGES2k 2,000 Year Multiproxy Database contains 692 records from 648 locations across the globe, including new additions from all continents and ocean basins.
The records include trees, corals, glacier ice, lake and marine sediments, as well as documentary evidence. Together, they form the largest body of climate records with the highest temporal resolution available, ranging from the biweekly to the bicentennial.
The data set is the result of an initiative of the Past Global Changes (PAGES) Project, an association of paleo-scientists whose mandate is to promote and improve understanding of past global environmental and climatic changes in the Earth system. It is an updated version of the influential 2013 PAGES2k database, which also sought to reconstruct surface temperature across the globe over two millennia.
The improved and expanded version was published online in Nature: Scientific Data in July. The database was uploaded in various formats as an open-access document. The authors hope this accessibility measure will give scientists and citizens in general more accurate tools for studying the causes and patterns of global temperature changes.
‘We’re warming, as we feared, and very fast’
Studying the past is key to providing context for long-term climatic variability. In particular, it’s important for distinguishing between the anthropogenic and natural causes of climate change.
As St-Jacques points out, instrumental measurements of global observed temperature changes only date back 150 years or so, at the very best. In much of Canada, it’s about 50 years.
Data from before that period must be taken from proxy records — indirect sources of climate information. These range from ice cores and tree rings in higher latitudes, to corals in the tropics, to pollen worldwide.
St-Jacques is an expert specializing in trees, diatoms and pollen. She contributed pollen records to the database.
The 692 records were collected from scientific literature and online repositories. The individual temperature records were then averaged out and compared. They show a long-term cooling trend followed by a sharp warming increase beginning in the 19th century. The result, which holds across the proxy data, is consistent with previous climate change research.
“The instrumental records show a steep rise in temperatures, but they don’t show what we’re coming out of,” St-Jacques says.
“For that, you need to go to the paleo records. Now that we have the broadest yet most stringent collection of temperature data, we can say yes, we’re still seeing that hockey stick pattern that earlier researchers have found.”
In other words, St-Jacques adds, “It confirms that we’re warming, as we feared, and very fast.”
New records are being added to the database as they become available, and a number of subgroups from the initial consortium of scientists have already been tasked with writing scientific reports based on the collected data.
St-Jacques has just finished preliminary work in the Gaspésie this summer as part of an effort to get more temperature-sensitive tree rings for this purpose. She sees the work as a necessary part of responsible data stewardship — research that will ultimately help us better understand and prepare for the full impacts of future climate change.
“This kind of housekeeping is something that we as scientists have to do.”
Read the cited project, “A global multiproxy database for temperature reconstructions of the Common Era.”
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Interplay between genes and the environment has been pondered at least since the phrase "nature versus nurture" was coined in the mid-1800s.
But until the arrival of modern genomic sequencing tools, it was hard to measure the extent that the environment had on a species' genetic makeup.
Now, researchers with the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech studying fruit flies that live on opposite slopes of a unique natural environment known as "Evolution Canyon" show that even with migration, cross-breeding, and sometimes the obliteration of the populations, the driving force in the gene pool is largely the environment.
The discovery in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that the animals genetically adapt depending on whether they live on the drier, hotter side of the canyon, or the more humid, cooler side.
"Despite complicating factors, such as likely gene flow between the two populations and changing demographics, the difference in the microclimate in this canyon apparently is so pervasive that it is sufficient to drive the genetic differences," said Pawel Michalak, an associate professor at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute. "We don't have many examples of rapid environmental adaptation to stressful conditions from the field. We can simulate such conditions in a lab, but it is valuable to observe this actually happening in a natural system."
The two slopes of Evolution Canyon, which is located at Mount Carmel, Israel, are little more than two football fields apart at their bases, but the south-facing slope is tropical and may receive eight times as much sun, while the north-facing slope is more like a European forest.
Knowledge that climatic and environmental factors seem to exert a significant effect on the fruit-fly genome in spite of migration or repopulations adds to current understanding of the biodiversity, resilience, and ability of a species to adapt to rapid climate change.
The native fruit fly in question — Drosophila melanogaster — is a well-studied laboratory animal and the source of the world's knowledge of how genetic information is packaged in chromosomes.
More than 65 percent of disease-causing genes in humans are believed to have functional counterparts in the fly, including many genes involved in certain cancers, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, heart disease, and other medical conditions.
Researchers used a technique known as whole genome sequencing to characterize the complete set of DNA in the total population of the fruit flies, noting differences in the genetic makeup between the populations on the opposing slopes.
The international team, which included scientists from the Institute of Evolution at Haifa University, the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, discovered 572 genes were significantly different in frequency between the populations, corroborating previous observations of differences in heat tolerance, life history, and mating behavior.
In addition, researchers discovered that genetic changes were accumulating in chromosomal "islands" in the north-facing-slope flies, suggesting adaptive gene mutations would sweep through the population, given time.
Migration of flies between the slopes was confirmed by capturing and marking them with florescence.
"Although we were not correlating genetic change with climate change, we were looking at heat-stress effects, which gives us an indirect understanding relevant to global climate changes," Michalak said. "We need some good indicators of genomic changes induced by climate changes. People have ways to cope unlike those of other organisms, but stress-resistance mechanisms are well-conserved in nature. The basic question of how organisms adapt to stressful environments is going to be more important in the years ahead. It affects us as a whole."
The research confirms that natural selection — the process in nature where organisms genetically adapt to their surroundings — is a powerful influence in the canyon.
"It is nice to see the molecular work finally completed, and that the molecular signal confirms the phenotypic data: There is divergence between the two slopes," said Marta L. Wayne, a professor of biology at the University of Florida and a member of the UF Genetics Institute, who was not involved in the research. "This is interesting because the slopes are close enough that we know animals travel between them, yet selection is so strong that there are differences between animals on the two slopes. This is really strong natural selection."
The research was supported by the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation.
John Pastor | EurekAlert!
Barium ruthenate: A high-yield, easy-to-handle perovskite catalyst for the oxidation of sulfides
16.07.2018 | Tokyo Institute of Technology
The secret sulfate code that lets the bad Tau in
16.07.2018 | American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
For the first time ever, scientists have determined the cosmic origin of highest-energy neutrinos. A research group led by IceCube scientist Elisa Resconi, spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center SFB1258 at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an important piece of evidence that the particles detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole originate from a galaxy four billion light-years away from Earth.
To rule out other origins with certainty, the team led by neutrino physicist Elisa Resconi from the Technical University of Munich and multi-wavelength...
For the first time a team of researchers have discovered two different phases of magnetic skyrmions in a single material. Physicists of the Technical Universities of Munich and Dresden and the University of Cologne can now better study and understand the properties of these magnetic structures, which are important for both basic research and applications.
Whirlpools are an everyday experience in a bath tub: When the water is drained a circular vortex is formed. Typically, such whirls are rather stable. Similar...
Physicists working with Roland Wester at the University of Innsbruck have investigated if and how chemical reactions can be influenced by targeted vibrational excitation of the reactants. They were able to demonstrate that excitation with a laser beam does not affect the efficiency of a chemical exchange reaction and that the excited molecular group acts only as a spectator in the reaction.
A frequently used reaction in organic chemistry is nucleophilic substitution. It plays, for example, an important role in in the synthesis of new chemical...
Optical spectroscopy allows investigating the energy structure and dynamic properties of complex quantum systems. Researchers from the University of Würzburg present two new approaches of coherent two-dimensional spectroscopy.
"Put an excitation into the system and observe how it evolves." According to physicist Professor Tobias Brixner, this is the credo of optical spectroscopy....
Ultra-short, high-intensity X-ray flashes open the door to the foundations of chemical reactions. Free-electron lasers generate these kinds of pulses, but there is a catch: the pulses vary in duration and energy. An international research team has now presented a solution: Using a ring of 16 detectors and a circularly polarized laser beam, they can determine both factors with attosecond accuracy.
Free-electron lasers (FELs) generate extremely short and intense X-ray flashes. Researchers can use these flashes to resolve structures with diameters on the...
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12.07.2018 | Event News
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posted by PLZ HELP CONNEXUS
11. The equation T = 0.63s + 78 can be used to determine T, the temperature in degrees, inside an oven s seconds after the oven is turned on. Which statement relative to this equation is true? *
A) Each second the temperature increases by 78 degrees.
B) Each second the temperature increases by 63 degrees.
C) The temperature inside the oven increases by 63 degrees every 78 seconds.
D) The temperature inside the oven increased by 78 degrees every 64 seconds. | <urn:uuid:5b22b81c-0ec0-473a-b149-4750dfa26210> | 3.515625 | 112 | Q&A Forum | Science & Tech. | 58.700037 | 95,628,357 |
Benzene Chemical Compound Multiple Choice Questions 1 PDF Download
Practice benzene chemical compound multiple choice questions (MCQs), A level chemistry test 1 for online course prep exams. Learn introduction to benzene MCQs questions and answers on introduction to benzene, reactions of phenol with answers.
Free benzene chemical compound quiz online, study guide has multiple choice question on friedrich august kekule's structure of benzene was inspiration of a with options nature, chemist, dream and cloud to test online e-learning skills for viva exam prep and job's interview questions with answers key. Study to learn introduction to benzene quiz questions with online learning MCQs for competitive exam preparation test.
MCQ on Benzene Chemical Compound Quiz PDF Download Test 1
MCQ. Friedrich August Kekule's structure of benzene was the inspiration of a
MCQ. In most of the organic compounds, the group found is
- benzene ring
MCQ. Chlorobenzene is one of
- all of them
MCQ. Comparing, Phenol reacts readily then the benzene, so it is a
- both A and B
MCQ. Bromine water does not react with benzene at
- high temperature
- low temperature
- room temperature
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This blog will cover and explain the specification for Edexcel triple science course 2013 for biology. Hope it helps :)
Haha I'm gald!
thank you so much!
will the product be a simple sugar?
Yes, because amylase breaks down starch into the sugar maltose, which is a simple sugar.
Yes that's right, thanks for helping :)
What colour will the iodine turn when it stops being blue/black??
This comment has been removed by the author.
Doesnt it have to change to Blue Black, because it is Iodine??? Red to Blue Black, it said in like 2.7 of your blog???
It will start off as blue/black as there is starch in the solution however you will know when there is no more starch as the iodine in the solution will turn a red/brown colour
hannah helped once again
Must you add the amylase after the glucose is heated?
thx soo much
HANNAH!!! YOU ARE AMAZING!!!THIS BLOG IS THE REASON IM NOT SO STRESSED OUT! PLEASE KEEP GOING, KNOWING THAT YOU HAVE HELPED ME SO MUCH.....THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!
SAMEEEE. I LOVE YOU HANNAH
The Biology Syllabus has changed.... New Syllabus Blog: http://igcse-biology-2017.blogspot.hk
more at http://igcse-biology-notes.blogspot.hk/2017/06/211-describe-experiments-to-investigate.html
Is it fine if I wrote Enzyme catalase ,which breaks hydrogen peroxide into water and hydrogen Catalase in found in potatoes , therefore putting potato chips into preoxide will produce O2 .the rate of reaction is therefore proportional to the volume of 02 given off. The changing in temperature will alter the volume
How enzyme activity can be affected by changes in temperature
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By Irene Klotz
| CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. A U.S. spacecraft set to launch next year will make a series of unprecedented dives into the sun’s scorching atmosphere to see how the star works and what can be done to better predict space weather events on Earth, scientists said on Wednesday. The Parker Solar Probe will have to survive temperatures as high as 2,500 Fahrenheit (1,371 Celsius), impacts by supersonic particles and powerful radiation as it circles as close as 4 million miles (7 million km) to the sun. Data sent back to Earth some 89 million miles (1.4 billion km) away will help scientists figure out why the sun’s atmosphere, or corona, is hotter than its surface.“We’re going to be seven times closer (to the sun) than any other mission has ever been,” project scientist Nicola Fox, with Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland, said during a broadcast on NASA TV.
The mission, formerly known as the Solar Probe Plus, was approved in 2014. On Wednesday, the spacecraft was renamed to honour University of Chicago physicist Eugene Parker, who in 1958 correctly predicted the existence of the solar wind, a continuous stream of charged particles that come off the sun and permeate the solar system. “It was a fundamental insight that forever changed the way in which we understood the sun, the heliosphere and in general interplanetary space,” said Eric Isaacs, executive vice president for research, innovation and national laboratories at the University of Chicago.
The spacecraft, designed and built by the Johns Hopkins University laboratory, is scheduled to launch in July 2018 and fly around Venus seven times to get itself into orbit around the sun in December 2024. NASA is paying about $1.5 billion to build and launch the spacecraft. The probe is expected to orbit the sun 24 times, edging closer on each pass. The size of a small car, it will be outfitted with five science instruments to measure and sample the sun’s corona.
In addition to expanding knowledge of stellar physics, the information is expected to help engineers design better instruments and techniques for predicting solar storms and other events that can cripple satellites, disrupt power grids and affect aircraft travel on Earth.“We want to measure the environment there and find what the heating processes really are that make the corona hot and accelerate the solar wind,” said NASA chief scientist Thomas Zurbuchen. (Reporting by Irene Klotz; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Lisa Shumaker)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Updated Date: Jun 01, 2017 00:32 AM | <urn:uuid:0a832e7b-117e-405b-9ad2-cc6103bd6f5b> | 3.65625 | 573 | Truncated | Science & Tech. | 43.339012 | 95,628,383 |
Results of the research, conducted by Cory Cleveland and CU scientist Alan Townsend, are published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"The large change in carbon dioxide emissions from tropical forest soils due to soil nutrients is a new dimension in understanding these important ecosystems," said Martyn Caldwell, program director in the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the research.
"Tropical rainforests have received considerable attention related to the global carbon balance, but that has largely revolved around rainforest vegetation and its ability to 'take up' carbon dioxide," said Caldwell. "This is a new look at tropical rainforests and their relationship to carbon dioxide levels on Earth."
The study showed that when phosphorus or nitrogen -- which occur naturally in rain forest soils -- were added to forest plots in Costa Rica, they caused an increase in carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere by about 20 percent annually, said Cleveland.
"The study is important because human activities are changing the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen in ecosystems all over the globe, including the tropics," Cleveland said. "Tropical rain forests play a dominant role on Earth in regulating atmospheric carbon dioxide."
One big question, said Cleveland, "is how tropical rain forests are responding to climate change. What we have demonstrated is that even small changes in nutrients could have a profound impact on the release of carbon dioxide from tropical forest soils."
The study, which took place in 2004 and 2005 in Costa Rica's Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve, included a series of 25 meter-square plots that were fertilized with phosphorus, nitrogen, or a combination of the two.
Tropical forests contain up to 40 percent of the carbon stored on Earth's continents and account for at least one-third of the annual exchange of carbon dioxide between the biosphere and the atmosphere, said Cleveland. Earth's soils are believed to store several times more carbon than all the planet's vegetation.
"This is the first time anyone has taken a close look at how changes in key nutrients may alter soil carbon dioxide emissions in tropical forests," said Cleveland. "Processes in the tropics affect what is happening around the globe, so this study has some big implications."
Phosphorus is known as a "limiting nutrient" because its availability can govern the growth rate of many organisms. While slash-and-burn agriculture in the tropics often reduces soil phosphorus in the long run, the practice can initially make more phosphorus available to tropical soil microbes, increasing their metabolism and the amounts of carbon dioxide they emit.
Phosphorus and many other nutrients are regularly transported around the Earth by global wind patterns, sometimes riding on huge transcontinental dust clouds, said Townsend. "There is strong evidence that humans are increasing the size of these dust clouds as changes occur in both land-use patterns and climate, which in turn can alter the availability of nutrients to forests," he said.
Nitrogen pollution also is increasing around the world, including in tropical forests, a result of fossil-fuel combustion and crop fertilization activities, said Townsend.
Cheryl Dybas | EurekAlert!
Upcycling of PET Bottles: New Ideas for Resource Cycles in Germany
25.06.2018 | Fraunhofer-Institut für Betriebsfestigkeit und Systemzuverlässigkeit LBF
Dry landscapes can increase disease transmission
20.06.2018 | Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V.
For the first time ever, scientists have determined the cosmic origin of highest-energy neutrinos. A research group led by IceCube scientist Elisa Resconi, spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center SFB1258 at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an important piece of evidence that the particles detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole originate from a galaxy four billion light-years away from Earth.
To rule out other origins with certainty, the team led by neutrino physicist Elisa Resconi from the Technical University of Munich and multi-wavelength...
For the first time a team of researchers have discovered two different phases of magnetic skyrmions in a single material. Physicists of the Technical Universities of Munich and Dresden and the University of Cologne can now better study and understand the properties of these magnetic structures, which are important for both basic research and applications.
Whirlpools are an everyday experience in a bath tub: When the water is drained a circular vortex is formed. Typically, such whirls are rather stable. Similar...
Physicists working with Roland Wester at the University of Innsbruck have investigated if and how chemical reactions can be influenced by targeted vibrational excitation of the reactants. They were able to demonstrate that excitation with a laser beam does not affect the efficiency of a chemical exchange reaction and that the excited molecular group acts only as a spectator in the reaction.
A frequently used reaction in organic chemistry is nucleophilic substitution. It plays, for example, an important role in in the synthesis of new chemical...
Optical spectroscopy allows investigating the energy structure and dynamic properties of complex quantum systems. Researchers from the University of Würzburg present two new approaches of coherent two-dimensional spectroscopy.
"Put an excitation into the system and observe how it evolves." According to physicist Professor Tobias Brixner, this is the credo of optical spectroscopy....
Ultra-short, high-intensity X-ray flashes open the door to the foundations of chemical reactions. Free-electron lasers generate these kinds of pulses, but there is a catch: the pulses vary in duration and energy. An international research team has now presented a solution: Using a ring of 16 detectors and a circularly polarized laser beam, they can determine both factors with attosecond accuracy.
Free-electron lasers (FELs) generate extremely short and intense X-ray flashes. Researchers can use these flashes to resolve structures with diameters on the...
13.07.2018 | Event News
12.07.2018 | Event News
03.07.2018 | Event News
19.07.2018 | Earth Sciences
19.07.2018 | Power and Electrical Engineering
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The HadGEM2 Development Team: G. M. Martin
Full Text Available We describe the HadGEM2 family of climate configurations of the Met Office Unified Model, MetUM. The concept of a model "family" comprises a range of specific model configurations incorporating different levels of complexity but with a common physical framework. The HadGEM2 family of configurations includes atmosphere and ocean components, with and without a vertical extension to include a well-resolved stratosphere, and an Earth-System (ES component which includes dynamic vegetation, ocean biology and atmospheric chemistry. The HadGEM2 physical model includes improvements designed to address specific systematic errors encountered in the previous climate configuration, HadGEM1, namely Northern Hemisphere continental temperature biases and tropical sea surface temperature biases and poor variability. Targeting these biases was crucial in order that the ES configuration could represent important biogeochemical climate feedbacks. Detailed descriptions and evaluations of particular HadGEM2 family members are included in a number of other publications, and the discussion here is limited to a summary of the overall performance using a set of model metrics which compare the way in which the various configurations simulate present-day climate and its variability.
Orrell, Richard; Liggins, Felicity; Challenger, Lesley; Lethem, Dom; Campbell, Katy
Wow Schools is a pilot project from the Met Office with an aim to inspire and educate the next generation of scientists and, uniquely, use the data collected by schools to improve weather forecasts and warnings across the UK. Wow Schools was launched in late 2015 with a competition open to primary schools across the UK. 74 schools entered the draw, all hoping to be picked as one of the ten lucky schools taking part in the pilot scheme. Each winning school received a fully automatic weather station (AWS), enabling them to transmit real-time local weather observations to the Met Office's Weather Observation Website (WOW - wow.metoffice.gov.uk), an award winning web portal for uploading and sharing a range of environmental observations. They were also given a package of materials designed to get students out of the classroom to observe the weather, get hands-on with the science underpinning weather forecasting, and analyse the data they are collecting. The curriculum-relevant materials were designed with the age group 7 to 11 in mind, but could be extended to support other age groups. Each school was offered a visit by a Wow Schools Ambassador (a Met Office employee) to bring the students' learning to life, and access to a dedicated forecast for its location generated by our new supercomputer. These forecasts are improved by the school's onsite AWS reinforcing the link between observations and forecast production. The Wow Schools pilot ran throughout 2016. Here, we present the initial findings of the project, examining the potential benefits and challenges of working with schools across the UK to: enrich students' understanding of the science of weather forecasting; to source an ongoing supply of weather observations and discover how these might be used in the forecasting process; and explore what materials and business model(s) would be most useful and affordable if a wider roll-out of the initiative was undertaken.
H. T. Hewitt
Full Text Available This paper describes the development of a technically robust climate modelling system, HadGEM3, which couples the Met Office Unified Model atmosphere component, the NEMO ocean model and the Los Alamos sea ice model (CICE using the OASIS coupler. Details of the coupling and technical solutions of the physical model (HadGEM3-AO are documented, in addition to a description of the configurations of the individual submodels. The paper demonstrates that the implementation of the model has resulted in accurate conservation of heat and freshwater across the model components. The model performance in early versions of this climate model is briefly described to demonstrate that the results are scientifically credible. HadGEM3-AO is the basis for a number of modelling efforts outside of the Met Office, both within the UK and internationally. This documentation of the HadGEM3-AO system provides a detailed reference for developers of HadGEM3-based climate configurations.
Whitehead, P. G.; Caesar, J.; Crossman, J.; Barbour, E.; Ledesma, J.; Futter, M. N.
A semi-distributed flow and water quality model (INCA- Integrated Catchments Model) has been set up for the whole of the Ganges- Brahmaputra- Meghna (GBM) River system in India and Bangladesh. These massive rivers transport large fluxes of water and nutrients into the Bay of Bengal via the GBM Delta system in Bangladesh. Future climate change will impact these fluxes with changing rainfall, temperature, evapotranspiration and soil moisture deficits being altered in the catchment systems. In this study the INCA model has been used to assess potential impacts of climate change using the UK Met Office Hadley Centre GCM model linked to a regionally coupled model of South East Asia, covering India and Bangladesh. The Hadley Centre model has been pururbed by varying the parameters in the model to generate 17 realisations of future climates. Some of these reflect expected change but others capture the more extreme potential behaviour of future climate conditions. The 17 realisations have been used to drive the INCA Flow and Nitrogen model inorder to generate downstream times series of hydrology and nitrate- nitrogen. The variability of the climates on these fluxes are investigated and and their likley impact on the Bay of Begal Delta considered. Results indicate a slight shift in the monsoon season with increased wet season flows and increased temperatures which alter nutrient fluxes. Societal Importance to Stakeholders The GBM Delta supports one of the most densely populated regions of people living in poverty, who rely on ecosystem services provided by the Delta for survival. These ecosystem services are dependent upon fluxes of water and nutrients. Freshwater for urban, agriculture, and aquaculture requirements are essential to livelihoods. Nutrient loads stimulate estuarine ecosystems, supporting fishing stocks, which contribute significantly the economy of Bangladesh. Thus the societal importance of upstream climate driven change change in Bangladesh are very
Full Text Available The paper deals with one of the most important changes in the STCW 1978 as amended in 2010 Convention, from the point of view of the watchkeeping officers responsible for control, maintenance, diagnostic and repair of electrical and electronic installations on board of ships. Some reasons, why the MET Standards for Electro-Technical had to be developed and implemented are shortly analyzed and described. A legislative way towards and a short description of the minimum standards competence for ETO are presented. Next, new tools supporting ETO’s standards implementation are appointed. Finally, the future works as well as the concluding remarks concerning discussed issue are formulated and commented on.
Liggins, Felicity; Dowell, Ellen; Wardley, Jamie; Jamieson, Claire
In 2015, the Met Office's award-winning outreach programme, designed to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers, delivered one of its most ambitious and creative activities to date. It explored how scientists and artists can come together to create an engaging experience for young people and families. This activity was called Sandscape. Sandscape is an interactive sand sculpture workshop exploring how weather and climate affect our health. Budding sand sculptors are shown how to fashion elaborate structures from sand and water - creating a landscape with bridges, skyscrapers, forests and factories. As they work, participants are encouraged by the scientists delivering the activity to reflect on what makes a healthy city, considering how the natural and built environments influence air quality and circulation and how this impacts our health. Topics discussed include urban heat islands, air pollution and dispersion modelling, pollen forecasting and predicting the wind-borne spread of animal diseases. Each hour long workshop culminates in a dramatic demonstration that uses dry ice to represent clean air circulating from mountains, along rivers and into cities. Here we present an overview of Sandscape, identify the strengths and challenges of such a collaborative, innovative and playful approach to public engagement and share the results of our evaluation. Sandscape was originally supported by the Met Office and the Wellcome Trust, and produced by Einstein's Garden in collaboration with the Met Office, scientists from the University of Exeter and sand sculptors from Sand in Your Eye. It was first presented in Einstein's Garden at Green Man festival 2015, an independent music and arts festival held annually in Wales, and has since been invited to run at the 2015 Bournemouth Arts By the Sea Festival and Teignmouth's TRAIL Sculpture Festival in the summer of 2016.
Full Text Available We examine the response of the Met Office Hadley Centre's HadGEM2-AO climate model to simulated geoengineering by continuous injection of SO2 into the lower stratosphere, and compare the results with those from the Goddard Institute for Space Studies ModelE. Despite the differences between the models, we find a broadly similar geographic distribution of the response to geoengineering in both models in terms of near-surface air temperature and mean June–August precipitation. The simulations also suggest that significant changes in regional climate would be experienced even if geoengineering was successful in maintaining global-mean temperature near current values, and both models indicate rapid warming if geoengineering is not sustained.
Full Text Available The eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in 2010 has triggered the rapid development of volcanic ash remote sensing activities at the Met Office. Volcanic ash qualitative and quantitative mapping have been achieved using lidar on board the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM research aircraft, and using improved satellite retrieval algorithms. After the eruption, a new aircraft facility, the Met Office Civil Contingencies Aircraft (MOCCA, has been set up to enable a rapid response, and a network of ground-based remote sensing sites with lidars and sunphotometers is currently being developed. Thanks to these efforts, the United Kingdom (UK will be much better equipped to deal with such a crisis, should it happen in the future.
Bingham, S.; Sharpe, M.; Jackson, D.; Murray, S.
The UK Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre (MOSWOC) has produced space weather guidance twice a day since its official opening in 2014. Guidance includes 4-day probabilistic forecasts of X-ray flares, geomagnetic storms, high-energy electron events and high-energy proton events. Evaluation of such forecasts is important to forecasters, stakeholders, model developers and users to understand the performance of these forecasts and also strengths and weaknesses to enable further development. Met Office terrestrial near real-time verification systems have been adapted to provide verification of X-ray flare and geomagnetic storm forecasts. Verification is updated daily to produce Relative Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves and Reliability diagrams, and rolling Ranked Probability Skill Scores (RPSSs) thus providing understanding of forecast performance and skill. Results suggest that the MOSWOC issued X-ray flare forecasts are usually not statistically significantly better than a benchmark climatological forecast (where the climatology is based on observations from the previous few months). By contrast, the issued geomagnetic storm activity forecast typically performs better against this climatological benchmark.
Bozkurt, D.; Rojas, M.
This study aims to investigate and compare the ability of the UK Met Office's HadGEM3-RA and HadRM3P regional climate models (RCMs) to simulate mean and interannual variability of precipitation over South America with a special focus on Chile. The HadGEM3-RA is a regional version of the newly developed HadGEM3 global model and the HadRM3P is based on the earlier HadCM3 global model. The RCMs simulations were carried out at 0.44o x 0.44o degree resolution over South America-CORDEX domain for the period 1989-2008. The initial and boundary conditions were provided by ERA-Interim Reanalysis data available at 6-h intervals with a resolution of 1.5o x 1.5o in the horizontal and 37 pressure levels. We compare the results against a number of observational datasets, including gridded dataset of CRU, UDEL, TRMM and GPCP. Moreover, available station data is derived from Direccion General de Aguas (DGA) mainly for Central Chile, which is the heartland of Chile with the highest population and important economic activities. The analysis is mainly focused on evaluating the abilities of the RCMs in simulating spatial pattern and ENSO related precipitation variability in different subregions of South America-CORDEX domain. In general, both RCMs have a good skill in reproducing spatial pattern and annual cycle of observed precipitation in climatically different subregions. However, both RCMs tend to underestimate precipitation in the Amazon Basin, which is more pronounced in the HadRM3P simulations. On the contrary, the RCMs tend to overestimate the precipitation over the Andes and southern Chile. The overestimation could be related to the physical core of the RCMs, but the discrepancies could also arise due to insufficient station network, especially in the mountainous areas, potentially yielding smaller precipitation quantities in the observed data than the true ones. In terms of interannual variability, the models capture ENSO related wet and dry interannual precipitation
Hewson, T. D.
In October 2011 the Met Office began issuing a new-format UK seasonal forecast, called "The 3-month Outlook". Government interest in a UK-relevant product had been heightened by infrastructure issues arising during the severe cold of previous winters. At the same time there was evidence that the Met Office's "GLOSEA4" long range forecasting system exhibited some hindcast skill for the UK, that was comparable to its hindcast skill for the larger (and therefore less useful) 'northern Europe' region. Also, the NAO- and AO- signals prevailing in the previous two winters had been highlighted by the GLOSEA4 model well in advance. This presentation will initially give a brief overview of GLOSEA4, describing key features such as evolving sea-ice, a well-resolved stratosphere, and the perturbation strategy. Skill measures will be shown, along with forecasts for the last 3 winters. The new structure 3-month outlook will then be described and presented. Previously, our seasonal forecasts had been based on a tercile approach. The new format outlook aims to substantially improve upon this by illustrating graphically, and with text, the full range of possible outcomes, and by placing those outcomes in the context of climatology. In one key component the forecast pdfs (probability density functions) are displayed alongside climatological pdfs. To generate the forecast pdf we take the bias-corrected GLOSEA4 output (42 members), and then incorporate, via expert team, all other relevant information. Firstly model forecasts from other centres are examined. Then external 'forcing factors', such as solar, and the state of the land-ocean-ice system, are referenced, assessing how well the models represent their influence, and bringing in statistical relationships where appropriate. The expert team thereby decides upon any changes to the GLOSEA4 data, employing an interactive tool to shift, expand or contract the forecast pdfs accordingly. The full modification process will be illustrated
Gabriel Gerard Rooney
Full Text Available We present results from the coupling of FLake to the Met Office Unified Model (MetUM. The coupling and initialisation are first described, and the results of testing the coupled model in local and global model configurations are presented. These show that FLake has a small statistical impact on screen temperature, but has the potential to modify the weather in the vicinity of areas of significant inland water. Examination of FLake lake ice has revealed that the behaviour of lakes in the coupled model is unrealistic in some areas of significant sub-grid orography. Tests of various modifications to ameliorate this behaviour are presented. The results indicate which of the possible model changes best improve the annual cycle of lake ice. As FLake has been developed and tuned entirely outside the Unified Model system, these results can be interpreted as a useful objective measure of the performance of the Unified Model in terms of its near-surface characteristics.
Rodríguez, José M.; Milton, Sean F.; Marzin, Charline
In this study the low-level monsoon circulation and observed sources of moisture responsible for the maintenance and seasonal evolution of the East Asian monsoon are examined, studying the detailed water budget components. These observational estimates are contrasted with the Met Office Unified Model (MetUM) climate simulation performance in capturing the circulation and water cycle at a variety of model horizontal resolutions and in fully coupled ocean-atmosphere simulations. We study the role of large-scale circulation in determining the hydrological cycle by analyzing key systematic errors in the model simulations. MetUM climate simulations exhibit robust circulation errors, including a weakening of the summer west Pacific Subtropical High, which leads to an underestimation of the southwesterly monsoon flow over the region. Precipitation and implied diabatic heating biases in the South Asian monsoon and Maritime Continent region are shown, via nudging sensitivity experiments, to have an impact on the East Asian monsoon circulation. By inference, the improvement of these tropical biases with increased model horizontal resolution is hypothesized to be a factor in improvements seen over East Asia with increased resolution. Results from the annual cycle of the hydrological budget components in five domains show a good agreement between MetUM simulations and ERA-Interim reanalysis in northern and Tibetan domains. In simulations, the contribution from moisture convergence is larger than in reanalysis, and they display less precipitation recycling over land. The errors are closely linked to monsoon circulation biases.
Boutle, Ian; Lines, Stefan; Mayne, Nathan; Lee, Graham; Helling, Christiane; Drummond, Ben; Manners, James; Goyal, Jayesh; Lambert, Hugo; Acreman, David; Earnshaw, Paul; Amundsen, David; Baraffe, Isabelle
This talk will present an overview of work being done to adapt the Unified Model, one of the most sophisticated weather and climate models of this planet, into a flexible planet simulator for use in the study of any exoplanet. We will focus on two current projects: Clouds in hot Jupiter atmospheres - recent HST observations have revealed a continuum in atmospheric composition from cloudy to clear skies. The presence of clouds is inferred from a grey opacity in the near-IR that mutes key absorption features in the transmission spectra. Unlike the L-T Brown Dwarf sequence, this transition does not correlate well with equilibrium temperature, suggesting that a cloud formation scheme more comprehensive than simply considering the condensation temperature needed for homogenous cloud growth, is required. In our work, we conduct 3D simulations of cloud nucleation, growth, advection, evaporation and gravitational settling in the atmospheres of HD209458b and HD189733 using the kinetic and mixed-grain cloud formation code DIHRT, coupled to the Unified Model. We explore cloud composition, vertical structure and particle sizes, as well as highlighting the importance of the strong atmospheric dynamics seen in tidally locked hot Jupiters on the evolution and distribution of the cloud. Climate of Proxima B - we present results of simulations of the climate of the newly discovered planet Proxima Centauri B, examining the responses of both an `Earth-like' atmosphere and simplified nitrogen and trace carbon dioxide atmosphere to the radiation likely received. Overall, our results are in agreement with previous studies in suggesting Proxima Centauri B may well have surface temperatures conducive to the presence of liquid water. Moreover, we have expanded the parameter regime over which the planet may support liquid water to higher values of eccentricity and lower incident fluxes, guided by observational constraints. This increased parameter space arises because of the low sensitivity
Prudden, R.; Arribas, A.; Tomlinson, J.; Robinson, N.
The Unified Model is a numerical model of the atmosphere used at the UK Met Office (and numerous partner organisations including Korean Meteorological Agency, Australian Bureau of Meteorology and US Air Force) for both weather and climate applications.Especifically, dynamical models such as the Unified Model are now a central part of weather forecasting. Starting from basic physical laws, these models make it possible to predict events such as storms before they have even begun to form. The Unified Model can be simply described as having two components: one component solves the navier-stokes equations (usually referred to as the "dynamics"); the other solves relevant sub-grid physical processes (usually referred to as the "physics"). Running weather forecasts requires substantial computing resources - for example, the UK Met Office operates the largest operational High Performance Computer in Europe - and the cost of a typical simulation is spent roughly 50% in the "dynamics" and 50% in the "physics". Therefore there is a high incentive to reduce cost of weather forecasts and Machine Learning is a possible option because, once a machine learning model has been trained, it is often much faster to run than a full simulation. This is the motivation for a technique called model emulation, the idea being to build a fast statistical model which closely approximates a far more expensive simulation. In this paper we discuss the use of Machine Learning as an emulator to replace the "physics" component of the Unified Model. Various approaches and options will be presented and the implications for further model development, operational running of forecasting systems, development of data assimilation schemes, and development of ensemble prediction techniques will be discussed.
Full Text Available Currently, no extensive, near real time, global soil moisture observation network exists. Therefore, the Met Office global soil moisture analysis scheme has instead used observations of screen temperature and humidity. A number of new space-borne remote sensing systems, operating at microwave frequencies, have been developed that provide a more direct retrieval of surface soil moisture. These systems are attractive since they provide global data coverage and the horizontal resolution is similar to weather forecasting models. Several studies show that measurements of normalised backscatter (surface soil wetness from the Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT on the meteorological operational (MetOp satellite contain good quality information about surface soil moisture. This study describes methods to convert ASCAT surface soil wetness measurements to volumetric surface soil moisture together with bias correction and quality control. A computationally efficient nudging scheme is used to assimilate the ASCAT volumetric surface soil moisture data into the Met Office global soil moisture analysis. This ASCAT nudging scheme works alongside a soil moisture nudging scheme that uses observations of screen temperature and humidity. Trials, using the Met Office global Unified Model, of the ASCAT nudging scheme show a positive impact on forecasts of screen temperature and humidity for the tropics, North America and Australia. A comparison with in-situ soil moisture measurements from the US also indicates that assimilation of ASCAT surface soil wetness improves the soil moisture analysis. Assimilation of ASCAT surface soil wetness measurements became operational during July 2010.
Lea, Daniel; Mirouze, Isabelle; King, Robert; Martin, Matthew; Hines, Adrian
The Met Office has developed a weakly-coupled data assimilation (DA) system using the global coupled model HadGEM3 (Hadley Centre Global Environment Model, version 3). At present the analysis from separate ocean and atmosphere DA systems are combined to produced coupled forecasts. The aim of coupled DA is to produce a more consistent analysis for coupled forecasts which may lead to less initialisation shock and improved forecast performance. The HadGEM3 coupled model combines the atmospheric model UM (Unified Model) at 60 km horizontal resolution on 85 vertical levels, the ocean model NEMO (Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean) at 25 km (at the equator) horizontal resolution on 75 vertical levels, and the sea-ice model CICE at the same resolution as NEMO. The atmosphere and the ocean/sea-ice fields are coupled every 1-hour using the OASIS coupler. The coupled model is corrected using two separate 6-hour window data assimilation systems: a 4D-Var for the atmosphere with associated soil moisture content nudging and snow analysis schemes on the one hand, and a 3D-Var FGAT for the ocean and sea-ice on the other hand. The background information in the DA systems comes from a previous 6-hour forecast of the coupled model. To isolate the impact of the coupled DA, 13-month experiments have been carried out, including 1) a full atmosphere/land/ocean/sea-ice coupled DA run, 2) an atmosphere-only run forced by OSTIA SSTs and sea-ice with atmosphere and land DA, and 3) an ocean-only run forced by atmospheric fields from run 2 with ocean and sea-ice DA. In addition, 5-day and 10-day forecast runs, have been produced from initial conditions generated by either run 1 or a combination of runs 2 and 3. The different results have been compared to each other and, whenever possible, to other references such as the Met Office atmosphere and ocean operational analyses or the OSTIA SST data. The performance of the coupled DA is similar to the existing separate ocean and atmosphere
Robinson, Niall; Tomlinson, Jacob; Prudden, Rachel; Hilson, Alex; Arribas, Alberto
The Met Office Informatics Lab is a small multidisciplinary team which sits between science, technology and design. Our mission is simply "to make Met Office data useful" - a deliberately broad objective. Our prototypes often trial cutting edge technologies, and so far have included projects such as virtual reality data visualisation in the web browser, bots and natural language interfaces, and artificially intelligent weather warnings. In this talk we focus on our latest project, Jade, a big data analysis platform in the cloud. It is a powerful, flexible and simple to use implementation which makes extensive use of technologies such as Jupyter, Dask, containerisation, Infrastructure as Code, and auto-scaling. Crucially, Jade is flexible enough to be used for a diverse set of applications: it can present weather forecast information to meteorologists and allow climate scientists to analyse big data sets, but it is also effective for analysing non-geospatial data. As well as making data useful, the Informatics Lab also trials new working practises. In this presentation, we will talk about our experience of making a group like the Lab successful.
Full Text Available The semi-Lagrangian numerical method, in conjunction with semi-implicit time integration, provides numerical weather prediction models with numerical stability for large time steps, accurate modes of interest, and good representation of hydrostatic and geostrophic balance. Drawing on the legacy of dynamical cores at the Met Office, the use of the semi-implicit semi-Lagrangian method in an operational numerical weather prediction context is surveyed, together with details of the solution approach and associated issues and challenges. The numerical properties and performance of the current operational version of the Met Office’s numerical model are then investigated in a simplified setting along with the impact of different modelling choices.
Full Text Available An appraisal of the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS for use in numerical weather prediction (NWP is presented, including an assessment of the data quality, the impact on Met Office global forecasts in preoperational trials, and a summary of performance over a period of 17 months operational use. After remapping, the noise performance (NEΔT of the tropospheric temperature sounding channels is evaluated to be approximately 0.1 K, comparing favourably with AMSU-A. However, the noise is not random, differences between observations and simulations based on short-range forecast fields show a spurious striping effect, due to 1/f noise in the receiver. The amplitude of this signal is several tenths of a Kelvin, potentially a concern for NWP applications. In preoperational tests, adding ATMS data to a full Met Office system already exploiting data from four microwave sounders improves southern hemisphere mean sea level pressure forecasts in the 2- to 5-day range by 1-2%. In operational use, where data from five other microwave sounders is assimilated, forecast impact is typically between −0.05 and −0.1 J/kg (3.4% of total mean impact per day over the period 1 April to 31 July 2013. This suggests benefits beyond redundancy, associated with reducing already small analysis errors.
S. J. Abel
Full Text Available Observations in the subtropical southeast Pacific obtained during the VOCALS-REx field experiment are used to evaluate the representation of stratocumulus cloud in the Met Office forecast model and to identify key areas where model biases exist. Marked variations in the large scale structure of the cloud field were observed during the experiment on both day-to-day and on diurnal timescales. In the remote maritime region the model is shown to have a good representation of synoptically induced variability in both cloud cover and marine boundary layer depth. Satellite observations show a strong diurnal cycle in cloud fraction and liquid water path in the stratocumulus with enhanced clearances of the cloud deck along the Chilean and Peruvian coasts on certain days. The model accurately simulates the phase of the diurnal cycle but is unable to capture the coastal clearing of cloud. Observations along the 20° S latitude line show a gradual increase in the depth of the boundary layer away from the coast. This trend is well captured by the model (typical low bias of 200 m although significant errors exist at the coast where the model marine boundary layer is too shallow and moist. Drizzle in the model responds to changes in liquid water path in a manner that is consistent with previous ship-borne observations in the region although the intensity of this drizzle is likely to be too high, particularly in the more polluted coastal region where higher cloud droplet number concentrations are typical. Another mode of variability in the cloud field that the model is unable to capture are regions of pockets of open cellular convection embedded in the overcast stratocumulus deck and an example of such a feature that was sampled during VOCALS-REx is shown.
Røseth Karlsen, Line; Heiselberg, Per Kvols; Bryn, Ida
Highlights •Solar shading control strategy for office buildings in cold climate is developed. •Satisfying energy and indoor environmental performance is confirmed. •Importance of integrated evaluations when selecting shading strategy is illustrated.......Highlights •Solar shading control strategy for office buildings in cold climate is developed. •Satisfying energy and indoor environmental performance is confirmed. •Importance of integrated evaluations when selecting shading strategy is illustrated....
Williams, K. D.; Copsey, D.; Blockley, E. W.; Bodas-Salcedo, A.; Calvert, D.; Comer, R.; Davis, P.; Graham, T.; Hewitt, H. T.; Hill, R.; Hyder, P.; Ineson, S.; Johns, T. C.; Keen, A. B.; Lee, R. W.; Megann, A.; Milton, S. F.; Rae, J. G. L.; Roberts, M. J.; Scaife, A. A.; Schiemann, R.; Storkey, D.; Thorpe, L.; Watterson, I. G.; Walters, D. N.; West, A.; Wood, R. A.; Woollings, T.; Xavier, P. K.
The Global Coupled 3 (GC3) configuration of the Met Office Unified Model is presented. Among other applications, GC3 is the basis of the United Kingdom's submission to the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 6 (CMIP6). This paper documents the model components that make up the configuration (although the scientific descriptions of these components are in companion papers) and details the coupling between them. The performance of GC3 is assessed in terms of mean biases and variability in long climate simulations using present-day forcing. The suitability of the configuration for predictability on shorter time scales (weather and seasonal forecasting) is also briefly discussed. The performance of GC3 is compared against GC2, the previous Met Office coupled model configuration, and against an older configuration (HadGEM2-AO) which was the submission to CMIP5. In many respects, the performance of GC3 is comparable with GC2, however, there is a notable improvement in the Southern Ocean warm sea surface temperature bias which has been reduced by 75%, and there are improvements in cloud amount and some aspects of tropical variability. Relative to HadGEM2-AO, many aspects of the present-day climate are improved in GC3 including tropospheric and stratospheric temperature structure, most aspects of tropical and extratropical variability and top-of-atmosphere and surface fluxes. A number of outstanding errors are identified including a residual asymmetric sea surface temperature bias (cool northern hemisphere, warm Southern Ocean), an overly strong global hydrological cycle and insufficient European blocking.
Kusumastuty, K. D.; Poerbo, H. W.; Koerniawan, M. D.
Indonesia as a tropical country which the character of its climate are hot and humid, the outdoor activity applications are often disrupted due to discomfort in thermal conditions. Massive construction of skyscrapers in urban areas are caused by the increase of human population leads to reduced green and infiltration areas that impact to environmental imbalances and triggering microclimate changes with rising air temperatures on the surface. The area that significantly experiences the rise of temperature in the Central Business District (CBD), which has need an analysis to create thermal comfort conditions to improve the ease of outdoor activities by an approach. This study aims to design the Kemayoran CBD through Climate Sensitive Urban Design especially in hot and humid tropical climate area and analyze thermal comfort level and optimal air conditioning in the outdoor area. This research used a quantitative method by generating the design using Climate Sensitive Urban Design principle through Envi-met 4.1 simulation program to find out the value of PMV, air temperature, wind speed and relative humidity conditions. The design area considers the configuration of buildings such as the distance between buildings, the average height, the orientation of the building, and the width of the road.
Noh, Young-Chan; Sohn, Byung-Ju; Kim, Yoonjae; Joo, Sangwon; Bell, William; Saunders, Roger
A new set of Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) channels was re-selected from 314 EUMETSAT channels. In selecting channels, we calculated the impact of the individually added channel on the improvement in the analysis outputs from a one-dimensional variational analysis (1D-Var) for the Unified Model (UM) data assimilation system at the Met Office, using the channel score index (CSI) as a figure of merit. Then, 200 channels were selected in order by counting each individual channel's CSI contribution. Compared with the operationally used 183 channels for the UM at the Met Office, the new set shares 149 channels, while the other 51 channels are new. Also examined is the selection from the entropy reduction method with the same 1D-Var approach. Results suggest that channel selection can be made in a more objective fashion using the proposed CSI method. This is because the most important channels can be selected across the whole IASI observation spectrum. In the experimental trial runs using the UM global assimilation system, the new channels had an overall neutral impact in terms of improvement in forecasts, as compared with results from the operational channels. However, upper-tropospheric moist biases shown in the control run with operational channels were significantly reduced in the experimental trial with the newly selected channels. The reduction of moist biases was mainly due to the additional water vapor channels, which are sensitive to the upper-tropospheric water vapor.
Larsen, Tine Steen; Kalyanova, Olena; Jensen, Rasmus Lund
A measuring program in a naturally ventilated office building in Copenhagen was carried out to document the indoor climate and ventilation system performance during a year. It included a questionnaire regarding the perceived indoor environmental quality and physical measurements of thermal comfort...... to a combination of poor control of solar shading and a very high local heat load that was above the Danish recommendations for naturally ventilated office buildings. Both measured and perceived indoor air quality in the building was in general very high. The measured air flow rates was relatively high due...... to the need for cooling in the office building, while the level of infiltration was quite low indicating an airtight construction....
Improvement with insight. Healthier indoor climate and lower energy consumption with wireless Sensor networks; Verbeteren met inzicht. Gezonder binnenklimaat en lager energiegebruik met draadloze Sensor netwerken
Peekstok, E.J. [MakeMoreSense, Sommelsdijk (Netherlands)
Wireless Sensor Networks connected to the internet will dramatically influence the future of Indoor Climate and Energy use. Munisense, a Dutch company, has developed a real-time and web-based monitoring tool called InSightNow. With Insight it is possible to improve the environment, often with very simple measures. The majority of things going wrong are caused by human interventions. For example engineers when programming installations and users adjusting settings. Giving people insight in their behaviour via a 'dashboard for buildings', creates awareness and makes it possible to improve. Installers are able to limit failure cost, improve quality of service and contribute to the customers success by limiting sick-leave, improve work performance, reduce energy cost and unused floor space. [Dutch] Het is noodzakelijk om in schoolgebouwen een blijvend gezond binnenklimaat te creeren, want binnenklimaat, ziekteverzuim en leerprestaties hebben volgens wetenschappelijk onderzoek een direct verband met elkaar. Netwerken met draadloze sensors kunnen daar een rol bij spelen.
Lu, Q.; WU, S.; Dou, F.; Sun, F.; Lawrence, H.; Geer, A.; English, S.; Newman, S.; Bell, W.; Bormann, N.; Carminati, F.
MWRI is a conical-scanning microwave imager following on from the heritage of similar instruments such as SSMI/S and AMSR-2, with ten channels at frequencies between 10.65 GHz and 89 GHz. MWRI is flown on the China Meteorological Administration's (CMA's) Feng-Yun-3 (FY-3) satellite series, including on FY-3C and the upcoming FY-3D, scheduled for launch in September 2017. Here we present an evaluation of the data from MWRI on the FY-3C satellite launched in 2013. At CMA, the MWRI instrumental parameters and statistics between observation and simulation from RTTOV and CRTM radiative transfer modeling were monitored to characterise instrumental uncertainty from calibration and assess the data quality. The data were also assessed using model-equivalent brightness temperatures from the ECMWF and Met Office short-range forecasts. The forecasts were first transformed into brightness temperature space using the RTTOV radiative transfer code. By analysing observed minus model background ("O-B") brightness temperature departures we were able to investigate the instrument and geophysical state dependence of biases. We show examples of how biases can impact the data quality, related to ascending/descending node differences and radio frequency interference. We discuss the prospects of assimilation of MWRI data at NWP centres.
Athanasiadis, Panos; Gualdi, Silvio; Scaife, Adam A.; Bellucci, Alessio; Hermanson, Leon; MacLachlan, Craig; Arribas, Alberto; Materia, Stefano; Borelli, Andrea
Low-frequency variability is a fundamental component of the atmospheric circulation. Extratropical teleconnections, the occurrence of blocking and the slow modulation of the jet streams and storm tracks are all different aspects of low-frequency variability. Part of the latter is attributed to the chaotic nature of the atmosphere and is inherently unpredictable. On the other hand, primarily as a response to boundary forcings, tropospheric low-frequency variability includes components that are potentially predictable. Seasonal forecasting faces the difficult task of predicting these components. Particularly referring to the extratropics, the current generation of seasonal forecasting systems seem to be approaching this target by realistically initializing most components of the climate system, using higher resolution and utilizing large ensemble sizes. Two seasonal prediction systems (Met-Office GloSea and CMCC-SPS-v1.5) are analyzed in terms of their representation of different aspects of extratropical low-frequency variability. The current operational Met-Office system achieves unprecedented high scores in predicting the winter-mean phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO, corr. 0.74 at 500 hPa) and the Pacific-N. American pattern (PNA, corr. 0.82). The CMCC system, considering its small ensemble size and course resolution, also achieves good scores (0.42 for NAO, 0.51 for PNA). Despite these positive features, both models suffer from biases in low-frequency variance, particularly in the N. Atlantic. Consequently, it is found that their intrinsic variability patterns (sectoral EOFs) differ significantly from the observed, and the known teleconnections are underrepresented. Regarding the representation of N. hemisphere blocking, after bias correction both systems exhibit a realistic climatology of blocking frequency. In this assessment, instantaneous blocking and large-scale persistent blocking events are identified using daily geopotential height fields at
Full Text Available We compare the tropical oscillations and planetary scale Kelvin waves in four troposphere-stratosphere climate models and the assimilated dataset produced by the United Kingdom Meteorological Office (UKMO. The comparison has been made in the GRIPS framework "GCM-Reality Intercomparison Project for SPARC", where SPARC is Stratospheric Processes and their Role in Climate, a project of the World Climate Research Program. The four models evaluated are European members of GRIPS: the UKMO Unified Model (UM, the model of the Free University in Berlin (FUB–GCM, the ARPEGE-climat model of the French National Centre for Meteorological Research (CNRM, and the Extended UGAMP GCM (EUGCM of the Centre for Global Atmospheric Modelling (CGAM. The integrations were performed with different, but annually periodic external conditions (e.g., sea-surface temperature, sea ice, and incoming solar radiation. The structure of the tropical winds and the strengths of the Kelvin waves are examined. In the analyses where the SAO (Semi-Annual Oscillation and the QBO (Quasi-Biennal Oscillation are reasonably well captured, the amplitude of these analysed Kelvin waves is close to that observed in independent data from UARS (Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite. In agreement with observations, the Kelvin waves generated in the models propagate into the middle atmosphere as wave packets, consistent with a convective forcing origin. In three of the models, slow Kelvin waves propagate too high and their amplitudes are overestimated in the upper stratosphere and in the mesosphere, the exception is the UM which has weaker waves. None of the modelled waves are sufficient to force realistic eastward phases of the QBO or SAO. Although the SAO is represented by all models, only two of them are able to generate westerlies between 10 hPa and 50 hPa. The importance of the role played in the SAO by unresolved gravity waves is emphasized. Although it exhibits some unrealistic features, the
Full Text Available We compare the tropical oscillations and planetary scale Kelvin waves in four troposphere-stratosphere climate models and the assimilated dataset produced by the United Kingdom Meteorological Office (UKMO. The comparison has been made in the GRIPS framework "GCM-Reality Intercomparison Project for SPARC", where SPARC is Stratospheric Processes and their Role in Climate, a project of the World Climate Research Program. The four models evaluated are European members of GRIPS: the UKMO Unified Model (UM, the model of the Free University in Berlin (FUB–GCM, the ARPEGE-climat model of the French National Centre for Meteorological Research (CNRM, and the Extended UGAMP GCM (EUGCM of the Centre for Global Atmospheric Modelling (CGAM. The integrations were performed with different, but annually periodic external conditions (e.g., sea-surface temperature, sea ice, and incoming solar radiation. The structure of the tropical winds and the strengths of the Kelvin waves are examined. In the analyses where the SAO (Semi-Annual Oscillation and the QBO (Quasi-Biennal Oscillation are reasonably well captured, the amplitude of these analysed Kelvin waves is close to that observed in independent data from UARS (Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite. In agreement with observations, the Kelvin waves generated in the models propagate into the middle atmosphere as wave packets, consistent with a convective forcing origin. In three of the models, slow Kelvin waves propagate too high and their amplitudes are overestimated in the upper stratosphere and in the mesosphere, the exception is the UM which has weaker waves. None of the modelled waves are sufficient to force realistic eastward phases of the QBO or SAO. Although the SAO is represented by all models, only two of them are able to generate westerlies between 10 hPa and 50 hPa. The importance of the role played in the SAO by unresolved gravity waves is emphasized. Although it exhibits some unrealistic features, the
Meneguz, Elena; Thomson, David; Witham, Claire; Kusmierczyk-Michulec, Jolanta
NAME is a Lagrangian atmospheric dispersion model used by the Met Office to predict the dispersion of both natural and man-made contaminants in the atmosphere, e.g. volcanic ash, radioactive particles and chemical species. Atmospheric convection is responsible for transport and mixing of air resulting in a large exchange of heat and energy above the boundary layer. Although convection can transport material through the whole troposphere, convective clouds have a small horizontal length scale (of the order of few kilometres). Therefore, for large-scale transport the horizontal scale on which the convection exists is below the global NWP resolution used as input to NAME and convection must be parametrized. Prior to the work presented here, the enhanced vertical mixing generated by non-resolved convection was reproduced by randomly redistributing Lagrangian particles between the cloud base and cloud top with probability equal to 1/25th of the NWP predicted convective cloud fraction. Such a scheme is essentially diffusive and it does not make optimal use of all the information provided by the driving meteorological model. To make up for these shortcomings and make the parametrization more physically based, the convection scheme has been recently revised. The resulting version, presented in this paper, is now based on the balance equation between upward, entrainment and detrainment fluxes. In particular, upward mass fluxes are calculated with empirical formulas derived from Cloud Resolving Models and using the NWP convective precipitation diagnostic as closure. The fluxes are used to estimate how many particles entrain, move upward and detrain. Lastly, the scheme is completed by applying a compensating subsidence flux. The performance of the updated convection scheme is benchmarked against available observational data of passive tracers. In particular, radioxenon is a noble gas that can undergo significant long range transport: this study makes use of observations of
Suandi, Turiman; Ismail, Ismi Arif; Othman, Zulfadli
This research aims at finding out the relationship between Organizational Climate, job stress and job performance among State Education Department (JPN) officers . The focus of the research is to determine the job performance of state education department officers, level of job stress among the officers, level of connection between organizational…
Camus, Paula; Rueda, Ana; Mendez, Fernando J.; Tomas, Antonio; Del Jesus, Manuel; Losada, Iñigo J.
Atmosphere-ocean general circulation models (AOGCMs) are useful to analyze large-scale climate variability (long-term historical periods, future climate projections). However, applications such as coastal flood modeling require climate information at finer scale. Besides, flooding events depend on multiple climate conditions: waves, surge levels from the open-ocean and river discharge caused by precipitation. Therefore, a multivariate statistical downscaling approach is adopted to reproduce relationships between variables and due to its low computational cost. The proposed method can be considered as a hybrid approach which combines a probabilistic weather type downscaling model with a stochastic weather generator component. Predictand distributions are reproduced modeling the relationship with AOGCM predictors based on a physical division in weather types (Camus et al., 2012). The multivariate dependence structure of the predictand (extreme events) is introduced linking the independent marginal distributions of the variables by a probabilistic copula regression (Ben Ayala et al., 2014). This hybrid approach is applied for the downscaling of AOGCM data to daily precipitation and maximum significant wave height and storm-surge in different locations along the Spanish coast. Reanalysis data is used to assess the proposed method. A commonly predictor for the three variables involved is classified using a regression-guided clustering algorithm. The most appropriate statistical model (general extreme value distribution, pareto distribution) for daily conditions is fitted. Stochastic simulation of the present climate is performed obtaining the set of hydraulic boundary conditions needed for high resolution coastal flood modeling. References: Camus, P., Menéndez, M., Méndez, F.J., Izaguirre, C., Espejo, A., Cánovas, V., Pérez, J., Rueda, A., Losada, I.J., Medina, R. (2014b). A weather-type statistical downscaling framework for ocean wave climate. Journal of
Lovich, Jeffrey E.; Yackulic, Charles B.; Freilich, Jerry; Agha, Mickey; Austin, Meaghan; Meyer, Katherine P.; Arundel, Terence R.; Hansen, Jered; Vamstad, Michael S.; Root, Stephanie A.
While demographic changes in short-lived species may be observed relatively quickly in response to climate changes, measuring population responses of long-lived species requires long-term studies that are not always available. We analyzed data from a population of threatened Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) at a 2.59 km2 study plot in the Sonoran Desert ecosystem of Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA from 1978 to 2012 to examine variation in apparent survival and demography in this long-lived species. Transect-based, mark-recapture surveys were conducted in 10 of those years to locate living and dead tortoises. Previous modeling suggested that this area would become unsuitable as tortoise habitat under a warming and drying climate scenario. Estimated adult population size declined greatly from 1996 to 2012. The population appeared to have high apparent survival from 1978 to 1996 but apparent survival decreased from 1997 to 2002, concurrent with persistent drought. The best model relating apparent survivorship of tortoises ≥18 cm over time was based on a three year moving average of estimated winter precipitation. The postures and positions of a majority of dead tortoises found in 2012 were consistent with death by dehydration and starvation. Some live and many dead tortoises found in 2012 showed signs of predation or scavenging by mammalian carnivores. Coyote (Canis latrans) scats and other evidence from the site confirmed their role as tortoise predators and scavengers. Predation rates may be exacerbated by drought if carnivores switch from preferred mammalian prey to tortoises during dry years. Climate modeling suggests that the region will be subjected to even longer duration droughts in the future and that the plot may become unsuitable for continued tortoise survival. Our results showing wide fluctuations in apparent survival and decreasing tortoise density over time may be early signals of that possible outcome.
Schellen, H.L.; Ankersmit, B. [Faculteit Bouwkunde, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven TUE, Eindhoven (Netherlands); Neuhaus, E. [Afdeling Onderzoek, Instituut Collectie Nederland ICN, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Martens, M. [Ingenieursbureau PHYSITEC, Rotterdam (Netherlands)
Establishing a museum quality indoor climate for the preservation of a collection which is housed in a historic building is sometimes in conflict with the need to preserve the building itself. This article illustrates the dilemma referencing four examples from important museums. New Dutch guidelines have been issued for museum climate conditions. They aim to do justice both to preservation of the collection and preservation of the (historic) building. The new guidelines return to the source: the relation between relative humidity and temperature, and the damage that may occur to objects. It presents a four-step plan to help a collection manager select absolute values for an appropriate indoor climate. [Dutch] De realisatie van een museaal binnenklimaat voor het behoud van een collectie in oude gebouwen staat op gespannen voet met het behoud van het monumentale gebouw. Aan de hand van vier voorbeelden van toonaangevende musea wordt dit geillustreerd. In Nederland worden nieuwe richtlijnen voor het museale binnenklimaat opgesteld, die zowel recht proberen te doen aan het behoud van de collectie als het (monumentale) gebouw waarin het museum is gehuisvest. De nieuwe richtlijn gaat terug naar de bron: de relatie tussen de relatieve vochtigheid en temperatuur en de schade aan objecten. Een vier stappen plan wordt aangereikt om een collectiemanager te laten komen tot een keuze van absolute waarden voor een verantwoord binnenklimaat.
This report provides information about potential climate change impacts in central New Mexico and their possible implications for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rio Puerco Field Office (RPFO) transportation network. The report considers existing...
Pejtersen, J; Allermann, L; Kristensen, T S
To study the indoor climate, the psychosocial work environment and occupants' symptoms in offices a cross-sectional questionnaire survey was made in 11 naturally and 11 mechanically ventilated office buildings. Nine of the buildings had mainly cellular offices; five of the buildings had mainly open...... irritation, skin irritation, central nervous system (CNS) symptoms and psychosocial factors. Occupants in open-plan offices are more likely to perceive thermal discomfort, poor air quality and noise and they more frequently complain about CNS and mucous membrane symptoms than occupants in multi......-person and cellular offices. The association between psychosocial factors and office size was weak. Open-plan offices may not be suited for all job types. PRACTICAL IMPLICATION: Open-plan offices may be a risk factor for adverse environmental perceptions and symptoms....
Rubio-Bellido, Carlos; Pérez-Fargallo, Alexis; Pulido-Arcas, Jesús A.
Numerous studies about climate change have emerged in recent years because of their potential impact on many activities of human life, amongst which, the building sector is no exception. Changes in climate conditions have a direct influence on the external conditions for buildings and, thus, on their energy demand. In this context, computer aided simulation provides handy tools that help in assessing this impact. This paper investigates climate data for future scenarios and the effect on energy demand in office buildings in Chile. This data has been generated in the 9 climatic zones that are representative of the main inhabited areas, for the years 2020, 2050 and 2080. Predictions have been produced for the acknowledged A2 ‘medium-high’ Greenhouse Gases emissions GHG scenario, pursuant the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The effect of climate change on the energy demand for office buildings is optimized by implementing the calculation procedure of ISO-13790:2008, based on iterations of its envelope and form. As a result, this research clarifies how future climate scenarios will affect the energy demand for different types of office buildings in Chile, and how their shape and enclosure can be optimized. - Highlights: • Forecast of 9 Chilean climate zones under Greenhouse Gases Scenario A2. • Influence of envelope and form on future energy demand in office buildings. • Multiple iterations on Form Ratio (FR) and Window-to-Wall Ratio (WWR). • Optimization in early stages of design considering global warming.
The most recent scientific findings show that even with significant emission reductions, some amount of climate change is likely inevitable. The magnitude of the climate changes will depend on future emissions and climate sensitivity. These changes will have local impacts, and a significant share of coping with these changes will fall on local governmental agencies. Public health is no exception, because local public health agencies are crucial providers of disease prevention, health care, and emergency preparedness services. This article presents the results of a survey of California's local pubic health officers conducted between August and October 2007. The survey gauged health officers' concerns about the public health impacts of climate change, programs in place that could help to mitigate these health effects, and information and resource needs for better coping with a changing climate. The results of this survey show that most public health officers feel that climate change poses a serious threat to public health but that they do not feel well equipped in terms of either resources or information to cope with that threat. Nonetheless, public health agencies currently implement a number of programs that will help these agencies handle some of the challenges posed by a changing climate. Overall, the results suggest that local public health agencies in California are likely in a better position than they perceive to address the threats associated with climate change but that there is a larger role for them to play in climate policy.
Full Text Available Urban morphology and increasing building density play a key role in the overall use of energy and promotion of environmental sustainability. The urban environment causes a local increase of temperature, a phenomenon known as Urban Heat Island (UHI. The purpose of this work is the study of the possible formation of an UHI and the evaluation of its magnitude, in the context of a small city, carried out with the ENVI-met® software. For this purpose, a simulation was needed, and this simulation is preparatory for a monitoring campaign on site, which will be held in the immediate future. ENVI-met® simulates the temporal evolution of several thermodynamics parameters on a micro-scale range, creating a 3D, non-hydrostatic model of the interactions between building-atmosphere-vegetation. The weather conditions applied simulate a typical Italian summer heat wave. Three different case-studies have been analyzed: Base Case, Cool Case and Green Case. Analysis of the actual state in the Base Case shows how even in an area with average building density, such as the old town center of a small city, fully developed UHI may rise with strong thermal gradients between built areas and open zones with plenty of vegetation. These gradients arise in a really tiny space (few hundreds of meters, showing that the influence of urban geometry can be decisive in the characterization of local microclimate. Simulations, carried out considering the application of green or cool roofs, showed small relevant effects as they become evident only in large areas heavily built up (metropolis subject to more intense climate conditions.
The designing of office buildings by using large glass areas to have a transparent building is an attractive approach in the modern office building architecture. This attitude increases the energy demand for cooling specially in the hot arid region which has long sun duration time, while the use of small glazing areas increases the energy demand for lighting. The use of uncontrolled natural ventilation increases the rate of hot ambient air flow which increases the building energy demand for cooling. At the same time, the use of mechanical ventilation to control the air change rate may increase the energy demand for fans. Some ideas such as low energy design concept are introduced for improving the building energy performance and different rating systems have been developed such as LEED, BREEAM and DGNB for evaluating building energy performance system. One of the new ideas for decreasing the dependence on fossil fuels and improving the use of renewable energy is the net zero-energy building concept in which the building generates enough renewable energy on site to equal or exceed its annual energy use. This work depends on using the potentials of mixing different energy strategies such as hybrid ventilation strategy, passive night cooling, passive chilled ceiling side by side with the integrating of photovoltaic modules into the building facade to produce energy and enrich the architectural aesthetics and finally reaching the Net Zero Energy Building. There are different definitions for zero energy buildings, however in this work the use of building-integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) to provide the building with its annual energy needs is adopted, in order to reach to a Grid-Connected Net-Zero Energy Office Building in the hot arid desert zone represented by Cairo, Egypt. (orig.)
South, D.W.; Kane, R.
This paper reports on the US DOE Office of Fossil Energy investigation and monitoring of several aspects of global climate change as it relates to fossil fuels. The paper consists of the overheads from the presentation. The topics of this paper include greenhouse gases from fossil fuels, scientific uncertainties, legislation and protocols, mitigation strategies and policies, energy and economic impacts, and the role of clean coal technologies and fossil fuels in global climate change
Boerstra, A.C.; Loomans, M.G.L.C.; Hensen, J.L.M.; Loomans, M.G.L.C.; Kulve, te M.
A field study was conducted in nine modern office buildings in the Netherlands. The study focused on perceived control over indoor climate and its impact on satisfaction of building occupants, the incidence of building related (SBS) symptoms and self-assessed performance. The study involved a
Meng, Fanchao; Li, Mingcai; Cao, Jingfu; Li, Ji; Xiong, Mingming; Feng, Xiaomei; Ren, Guoyu
Climate plays an important role in heating energy consumption owing to the direct relationship between space heating and changes in meteorological conditions. To quantify the impact, the Transient System Simulation Program software was used to simulate the heating loads of office buildings in Harbin, Tianjin, and Shanghai, representing three major climate zones (i.e., severe cold, cold, and hot summer and cold winter climate zones) in China during 1961-2010. Stepwise multiple linear regression was performed to determine the key climatic parameters influencing heating energy consumption. The results showed that dry bulb temperature (DBT) is the dominant climatic parameter affecting building heating loads in all three climate zones across China during the heating period at daily, monthly, and yearly scales (R 2 ≥ 0.86). With the continuous warming climate in winter over the past 50 years, heating loads decreased by 14.2, 7.2, and 7.1 W/m2 in Harbin, Tianjin, and Shanghai, respectively, indicating that the decreasing rate is more apparent in severe cold climate zone. When the DBT increases by 1 °C, the heating loads decrease by 253.1 W/m2 in Harbin, 177.2 W/m2 in Tianjin, and 126.4 W/m2 in Shanghai. These results suggest that the heating energy consumption can be well predicted by the regression models at different temporal scales in different climate conditions owing to the high determination coefficients. In addition, a greater decrease in heating energy consumption in northern severe cold and cold climate zones may efficiently promote the energy saving in these areas with high energy consumption for heating. Particularly, the likely future increase in temperatures should be considered in improving building energy efficiency.
Jayakumar, A.; Turner, A. G.; Johnson, S. J.; Rajagopal, E. N.; Mohandas, Saji; Mitra, A. K.
Boreal summer sub-seasonal variability in the Asian monsoon, otherwise known as the monsoon intra-seasonal oscillation (MISO), is one of the dominant modes of intraseasonal variability in the tropics, with large impacts on total monsoon rainfall and India's agricultural production. However, our understanding of the mechanisms involved in MISO is incomplete and its simulation in various numerical models is often flawed. In this study, we focus on the objective evaluation of the fidelity of MISO simulation in the Met Office Global Seasonal forecast system version 5 (GloSea5), an initialized coupled model. We analyze a series of nine-member hindcasts from GloSea5 over 1996-2009 during the peak monsoon period (July-August) over the South-Asian monsoon domain focusing on aspects of the time-mean background state and air-sea interaction processes pertinent to MISO. Dominant modes during this period are evident in power spectrum analysis, but propagation and evolution characteristics of the MISO are not realistic. We find that simulated air-sea interactions in the central Indian Ocean are not supportive of MISO initiation in that region, likely a result of the low surface wind variance there. As a consequence, the expected near-quadrature phase relationship between SST and convection is not represented properly over the central equatorial Indian Ocean, and northward propagation from the equator is poorly simulated. This may reinforce the equatorial rainfall mean state bias in GloSea5.
Stefansen, Casper; Farhan, Hajan; Bourdakis, Eleftherios
simulations were run with a building simulation software for eight climates. The chosen climates were Dubai –UAE, Istanbul – Turkey, Lima – Peru, Moscow – Russia, Nuuk – Greenland, Salvador – Brazil, Tokyo – Japan and Tromsø – Norway. Two models of a two-person office were made for each climate; one model...
Chevuturi, A.; Turner, A. G.; Woolnough, S. J.
In this study we investigate the development of biases in the Indian Ocean region in summer hindcasts of the UK Met Office coupled initialised global seasonal forecasting system, GloSea5-GC2. Previous work has demonstrated the rapid evolution of strong monsoon circulation biases over India from seasonal forecasts initialised in early May, together with coupled strong easterly wind biases on the equator. We analyse a set of three springtime start dates for the 20-year hindcast period (1992-2011) and fifteen total ensemble members for each year. We use comparisons with a variety of observations to test the rate of evolving mean-state biases in the Arabian Sea, over India, and over the equatorial Indian Ocean. Biases are all shown to develop rapidly, particularly for the circulation bias over India that is connected to convection. These circulation biases later reach the surface and lead to responses in Arabian Sea SST in accordance with coastal and Ekman upwelling processes. We also assess the evolution of radiation and turbulent heat fluxes at the surface. Meanwhile at the equator, easterly biases in surface winds are shown to develop rapidly, consistent with an SST pattern that is consistent with positive-Indian Ocean dipole mean state conditions (warm western equatorial Indian Ocean, cold east). This bias develops consistent with coupled ocean-atmosphere exchanges and Bjerknes feedback. We hypothesize that lower tropospheric easterly wind biases developing in the equatorial region originate from the surface, and also that signals of the cold bias in the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean propagate to the Bay of Bengal via coastal Kelvin waves. Earlier work has shown the utility of wind-stress corrections in the Indian Ocean for correcting the easterly winds bias there and ultimately improving the evolution of the Indian Ocean Dipole. We identify and test this wind-stress correction technique in case study years from the hindcast period to see their impact on seasonal
Full Text Available Workplace safety continues to be an area of concern in the maritime industry due to the international nature of the operations. The effectiveness of extensive legislation to manage shipboard safety remains in doubt. The focus must therefore shift towards the human element - seafarers and their perceptions of safety. The study aims to understand the alignment that exists between safety culture and safety climate on board ships as perceived by seafarers. The underlying factors of safety climate were identified using factor analysis which isolated seven factors - Support on Safety, Organizational Support, Resource Availability, Work Environment, Job Demands, ‘Just’ Culture, and Safety Compliance. The perception of safety level of seafarers was found to be low indicating the existence of misalignments between safety culture values and the actual safety climate. The study also reveals that the safety perceptions of officers employed directly by ship owners and those by managers do not differ significantly, nor do they differ between senior and junior officers. A shift in perspective towards how seafarers themselves feel towards safety might provide more effective solutions – instead of relying on regulations - and indeed aid in reducing incidents on board. This paper details practical suggestions on how to identify the factors that contribute towards a better safety climate on board ships.
Full Text Available This study aims to determine the optimal approach for evaluating thermal comfort in an office that uses natural ventilation as the main conditioning strategy; the office is located in Quito-Ecuador. The performance of the adaptive model included in CEN Standard EN15251 and the traditional PMV model are compared with reports of thermal environment satisfaction surveys presented simultaneously to all occupants of the office to determine which of the two comfort models is most suitable to evaluate the thermal environment. The results indicate that office occupants have developed some degree of adaptation to the climatic conditions of the city where the office is located (which only demands heating operation, and tend to accept and even prefer lower operative temperatures than those considered optimum by applying the PMV model. This is an indication that occupants of naturally conditioned buildings are usually able to match their comfort temperature to their normal environment. Therefore, the application of the adaptive model included in CEN Standard EN15251 seems like the optimal approach for evaluating thermal comfort in naturally conditioned buildings, because it takes into consideration the adaptive principle that indicates that if a change occurs such as to produce discomfort, people tend to react in ways which restore their comfort.
Al-Ashwal, Nagib T. [Sana' a University, Sana' a (Yemen); Budaiwi, Ismail M. [King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran (Saudi Arabia)
Reducing energy consumption while maintaining acceptable environmental quality in buildings has been a challenging task for building professionals. In office buildings, artificial lighting systems are a major consumer of energy and can significantly contribute to building cooling load. Furthermore, although reliable, artificial lighting does not necessarily provide the required quality of lighting. Significant improvement in lighting quality and energy consumption can be achieved by proper integration of daylight and artificial lighting. The objective of this study is to investigate the energy performance of office buildings resulting from daylight and artificial lighting integration in hot climates. A parametric analysis is conducted to find the impact of different window design parameters, including window area, height and glazing type, on building energy performance. Results have shown that as much as 35% reduction in lighting energy consumption and 13% reduction in total energy consumption can be obtained when proper daylighting and artificial lighting integration is achieved.
Rim, Donghyun; Schiavon, Stefano; Nazaroff, William W
Providing sufficient amounts of outdoor air to occupants is a critical building function for supporting occupant health, well-being and productivity. In tropical climates, high ventilation rates require substantial amounts of energy to cool and dehumidify supply air. This study evaluates the energy consumption and associated cost for thermally conditioning outdoor air provided for building ventilation in tropical climates, considering Singapore as an example locale. We investigated the influence on energy consumption and cost of the following factors: outdoor air temperature and humidity, ventilation rate (L/s per person), indoor air temperature and humidity, air conditioning system coefficient of performance (COP), and cost of electricity. Results show that dehumidification of outdoor air accounts for more than 80% of the energy needed for building ventilation in Singapore's tropical climate. Improved system performance and/or a small increase in the indoor temperature set point would permit relatively large ventilation rates (such as 25 L/s per person) at modest or no cost increment. Overall, even in a thermally demanding tropical climate, the energy cost associated with increasing ventilation rate up to 25 L/s per person is less than 1% of the wages of an office worker in an advanced economy like Singapore's. This result implies that the benefits of increasing outdoor air ventilation rate up to 25 L/s per person--which is suggested to provide for productivity increases, lower sick building syndrome symptom prevalence, and reduced sick leave--can be much larger than the incremental cost of ventilation.
Full Text Available Heat loss and gain through windows has a very high impact on the thermal comfort of offices. This paper analyzes a standard low energy consumption university office that has a standard envelope. Dynamic thermal simulations with EDSL Tas software, a predicted mean vote (PMV, and a predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD with all local discomfort as stated in ASHRAE, ISO 7730: 2005, EN 15251: 2007 were used for thermal sensation, in order to optimize the best window to external wall proportion in a hot and humid climate that exists in the Famagusta case study. A simulated office building is oriented east to west in order to take advantage of the wind direction. In May 45% (PPD < 6%–0.7% open window, 93% (PPD < 10–0.2 open window, and 97% (PPD < 15%–0.1% open window thermal comfort scores are obtained when the window to external wall ratio (WWR is 10%. In October 43% (PPD < 6%–0.7% open window, 86% (PPD < 10–0.2 open window, and 92% (PPD < 15%–0.1% open window thermal comfort scores are obtained when the WWR is 10%. In September 49% (PPD < 10% full open window and 51% (PPD < 15%–0.1% open window thermal comfort scores are obtained when the WWR is 10%.
Arumugam, Rathish [Saint Gobain Research India Pvt. Ltd. (India); B, Sasank [Saint Gobain Research India Pvt. Ltd. (India); T, Rajappa [Saint Gobain Research India Pvt. Ltd. (India); N, Vinay [Saint Gobain Research India Pvt. Ltd. (India); Garg, Vishal [International Inst. of Information Technology, Hyderabad (India); Reddy, Niranjan [International Inst. of Information Technology, Hyderabad (India); Levinson, Ronnen [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Selecting a high albedo (solar reflectance) waterproofing layer on the top of a roof helps lower the roof’s surface temperature and reduce the air conditioning energy consumption in the top floor of a building. The annual energy savings depend on factors including weather, internal loads, and building operation schedule. To demonstrate the energy saving potential of high albedo roofs, an apparatus consisting of two nearly identical test chambers (A and B) has been built in four Indian climates: Chennai (hot & humid), Bangalore (temperate), Jhagadia (Hot & dry) and Delhi (composite). Each chamber has well-insulated walls to mimic the core of an office building. Both chambers have the same construction, equipment, and operating schedule, differing only in roof surface. The reinforced cement concrete roof of Chamber A is surfaced with a low-albedo cement layer, while that of Chamber B is surfaced with a high-albedo water proof membrane (change in solar reflectance of 0.28). The experiment will be carried out for one year to explore seasonal variations in energy savings. Initial results in the month of July (post summer) shows that savings from high albedo roof ranges from 0.04 kWh/m2/day in temperate climates, to 0.08 kWh/m2/day in hot & dry climate.
Sulaiman Muhammad kabir
Full Text Available The change in climate and the rise in energy rates have become a necessary consideration in the construction industry which has made architects and engineers to arise with improved building design concepts. A focus on creating a comfortable indoor climate in office buildings ensures productive working conditions for the users and reduces global warming. Specific climatic design principles are often disregarded when designing to create a comfortable indoor climate. Sustainable design methods in buildings has been replicated from one zone to another zone without adjustments which results to buildings that do not provide adequate comfort. Capillary tube system is used to provide a comfortable indoor climate for office buildings making an interesting use of geothermal energy. This paper aims to explain its principle using geothermal energy and the effect of climate on the use of this system in office buildings in Africa. A case study of Lagos state lying on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean which is challenged with high rise in sea level as a result of global warming in Nigeria and Windhoek in Namibia is to be taken into consideration as the business hub of its country. These regions comprises of many office buildings to facilitate the countries trade internationally and locally.
Bosch, Marije; Dijkstra, Rob; Wensing, Michel; van der Weijden, Trudy; Grol, Richard
Redesigning care has been proposed as a lever for improving chronic illness care. Within primary care, diabetes care is the most widespread example of restructured integrated care. Our goal was to assess to what extent important aspects of restructured care such as multidisciplinary teamwork and different types of organizational culture are associated with high quality diabetes care in small office-based general practices. We conducted cross-sectional analyses of data from 83 health care professionals involved in diabetes care from 30 primary care practices in the Netherlands, with a total of 752 diabetes mellitus type II patients participating in an improvement study. We used self-reported measures of team climate (Team Climate Inventory) and organizational culture (Competing Values Framework), and measures of quality of diabetes care and clinical patient characteristics from medical records and self-report. We conducted multivariate analyses of the relationship between culture, climate and HbA1c, total cholesterol, systolic blood pressure and a sum score on process indicators for the quality of diabetes care, adjusting for potential patient- and practice level confounders and practice-level clustering. A strong group culture was negatively associated to the quality of diabetes care provided to patients (beta = -0.04; p = 0.04), whereas a more 'balanced culture' was positively associated to diabetes care quality (beta = 5.97; p = 0.03). No associations were found between organizational culture, team climate and clinical patient outcomes. Although some significant associations were found between high quality diabetes care in general practice and different organizational cultures, relations were rather marginal. Variation in clinical patient outcomes could not be attributed to organizational culture or teamwork. This study therefore contributes to the discussion about the legitimacy of the widespread idea that aspects of redesigning care such as teamwork and culture
van der Weijden Trudy
Full Text Available Abstract Background Redesigning care has been proposed as a lever for improving chronic illness care. Within primary care, diabetes care is the most widespread example of restructured integrated care. Our goal was to assess to what extent important aspects of restructured care such as multidisciplinary teamwork and different types of organizational culture are associated with high quality diabetes care in small office-based general practices. Methods We conducted cross-sectional analyses of data from 83 health care professionals involved in diabetes care from 30 primary care practices in the Netherlands, with a total of 752 diabetes mellitus type II patients participating in an improvement study. We used self-reported measures of team climate (Team Climate Inventory and organizational culture (Competing Values Framework, and measures of quality of diabetes care and clinical patient characteristics from medical records and self-report. We conducted multivariate analyses of the relationship between culture, climate and HbA1c, total cholesterol, systolic blood pressure and a sum score on process indicators for the quality of diabetes care, adjusting for potential patient- and practice level confounders and practice-level clustering. Results A strong group culture was negatively associated to the quality of diabetes care provided to patients (β = -0.04; p = 0.04, whereas a more 'balanced culture' was positively associated to diabetes care quality (β = 5.97; p = 0.03. No associations were found between organizational culture, team climate and clinical patient outcomes. Conclusion Although some significant associations were found between high quality diabetes care in general practice and different organizational cultures, relations were rather marginal. Variation in clinical patient outcomes could not be attributed to organizational culture or teamwork. This study therefore contributes to the discussion about the legitimacy of the widespread idea
Lam, Joseph C.; Chan, Ricky Y.C.; Tsang, C.L.; Li, Danny H.W.
The electricity use characteristics of 20 air conditioned office buildings in the public sector in subtropical Hong Kong were investigated. Monthly electricity consumption data were gathered and analysed. The annual electricity use per unit gross floor area ranged from 163 to 389 kW h/m 2 , with a mean of 270 kW h/m 2 . Detailed energy audits and site surveys were conducted to obtain a breakdown of the energy use. The percentage consumption for the four major electricity end users, namely heating, ventilation and air conditioning, lighting, electrical equipment and lifts and escalators were 47.5%, 27.4%, 21.8% and 3.3%, respectively. Regression techniques were used to correlate the monthly electricity use with the design and climatic variables. This paper presents the work and discusses the energy use implications
Novakovic, V; Harsem, T T
The report deals with the glazed yard climate in the Kredittkassen head office block in Oslo (Norway). The climate has been simulated by means of the computer program Royal-DEBAK. Considered in particular are the summery and bright sunny day conditions together with the annual power required and energy consumption. The use of insulating glasses, indoor curtains, ventilation systems in the narrow zone of the glass roof, and cooling systems in the floor are important parts of the concept. 9 drawings.
Full Text Available The leadership and the atmosphere in the working environment within the organization as a manager and leader of an organization have a very big role in creating a conducive and innovative working environment. Therefore, this study investigates leadership and working climate influencing on employee performance of Lampung Provincial Education Office. It uses a quantitative approach and descriptive survey method. Based on data analysis, the results are as follows: first, in general the results of data analysis showed that the leadership, the climate of employee and employee performance Education Office of Lampung Province is categorised as middle/enough, it means that the leadership, work climate and employee performance still need to be improved. Based on the results it can be argued that in order to improve the performance of employees can be done through visionary leadership, hard work, perseverance, steel service and discipline as well as to create a conducive working environment.
Orosa, Jose A.; Baalina, A. [Departamento de Energia y P.M. Escuela Tecnica Superior de N. y M, Universidade da Coruna, Paseo de Ronda 51, P.C.:15011 A Coruna (Spain)
Some researchers have demonstrated that passive moisture transfer between indoor air and hygroscopic structures has the potential to moderate variations of indoor air relative humidity and, thus, to improve comfort and PAQ [Simonson CJ, Salonvaara M, Ojalen T. The effect of structures on indoor humidity-possibility to improve comfort and perceived air quality. Indoor Air 2002; 12: 243-51; Simonson CJ, Salonvaara M, Ojalen T. Improving indoor climate and comfort with wooden structures. Espoo 2001. Technical Research Centre of Finland, VTT Publications 431.200p+app 91p]. The main objective of this study is to show the internal wall coating effect on indoor air conditions and, as a consequence of this, in comfort conditions and PAQ. In a previous paper [Orosa JA, Baalina A. Passive climate control in Spanish office buildings for long periods of time. Building and Environment 2008], we analysed the influence of permeable and impermeable materials on indoor air conditions, during the unoccupied period, in 25 office buildings in different seasons. Results obtained lead us to conclude that real coverings such as permeable, semi-permeable and impermeable types, present different behavioural patterns in indoor air conditions. Furthermore, we concluded that an absorbent structure will moderate relative humidity indoors. In this paper, we study this indoor relative humidity effect on local thermal discomfort, due to decreased respiratory cooling, and indoor ambience acceptability for the early hours of morning applying PD and Acc models [Toftum J, Jorgensen AS, Fanger PO. Upper limits for indoor air humidity to avoid uncomfortably humid skin. Energy and buildings 1998; 28: 1-13; Toftum J, Jorgensen AS, Fanger PO. Upper limits of air humidity for preventing warm respiratory discomfort. Energy and Buildings 1998; 28: 15-23] such as that proposed by Simonson et al. [The effect of structures on indoor humidity-possibility to improve comfort and perceived air quality. Indoor Air
This training discusses climate vulnerabilities and methods for incorporating adaptation measures into OLEM programs. This training is meant to follow completion of EPA's Introductory Climate Change Training.
Lam, Joseph C.; Wan, Kevin K.W.; Liu Dalong; Tsang, C.L.
An attempt was made to develop multiple regression models for office buildings in the five major climates in China - severe cold, cold, hot summer and cold winter, mild, and hot summer and warm winter. A total of 12 key building design variables were identified through parametric and sensitivity analysis, and considered as inputs in the regression models. The coefficient of determination R 2 varies from 0.89 in Harbin to 0.97 in Kunming, indicating that 89-97% of the variations in annual building energy use can be explained by the changes in the 12 parameters. A pseudo-random number generator based on three simple multiplicative congruential generators was employed to generate random designs for evaluation of the regression models. The difference between regression-predicted and DOE-simulated annual building energy use are largely within 10%. It is envisaged that the regression models developed can be used to estimate the likely energy savings/penalty during the initial design stage when different building schemes and design concepts are being considered.
Full Text Available Indoor climate affects health and productivity of the occupants in office buildings, yet in many buildings of this type indoor climate conditions are not well-controlled due to insufficient heating or cooling capacity, high swings of external or internal heat loads, improper control or operation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC equipment, etc. However, maintenance of good indoor environmental conditions in buildings requires increased investments and possible higher energy consumption. This paper focuses on the relation between investment costs for retrofitting HVAC equipment as well as decreased energy use and improved performance of occupants in office buildings. The cost-benefit analysis implementation algorithm is presented in this paper, including energy survey of the building, estimation of occupants dissatisfied by key indoor climate indicators using questionnaire survey and measurements. Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS analysis is used in the proposed method for data processing. A case study of an office building is presented in order to introduce an application example of the proposed method. Results of the study verify the applicability of the proposed algorithm and TOPSIS analysis as a practical tool for office building surveys in order to maximize productivity by means of cost efficient technical building retrofitting solutions.
The author discusses the challenges in the field of climate change and climate science by means of a number of central themes in the relation between science and government: dealing with uncertainties, communication, knowledge management, the credibility of climate science and the role of social media [Dutch] De auteur bespreekt de uitdagingen m.b.t. klimaatbeleid en de klimaatwetenschap aan de hand van thema’s die centraal staan in de relatie tussen wetenschap en overheid: het omgaan met onzekerheden, communicatie, kennismanagement, de geloofwaardigheid van de klimaatwetenschap en de rol van sociale media.
The European Space Agency's Ozone Climate Change Initiative (O3-CCI) project aims at producing and validating a number of high-quality ozone data products generated from different satellite sensors. For total ozone, the O3-CCI approach consists of minimizing sources of bias and systematic uncertainties by applying a common retrieval algorithm to all level 1 data sets, in order to enhance the consistency between the level 2 data sets from individual sensors. Here we present the evaluation of the total ozone products from the European sensors Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME)/ERS-2, SCIAMACHY/Envisat, and GOME-2/MetOp-A produced with the GOME-type Direct FITting (GODFIT) algorithm v3. Measurements from the three sensors span more than 16 years, from 1996 to 2012. In this work, we present the latest O3-CCI total ozone validation results using as reference ground-based measurements from Brewer and Dobson spectrophotometers archived at the World Ozone and UV Data Centre of the World Meteorological Organization as well as from UV-visible differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS)/Système D'Analyse par Observations Zénithales (SAOZ) instruments from the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change. In particular, we investigate possible dependencies in these new GODFIT v3 total ozone data sets with respect to latitude, season, solar zenith angle, and different cloud parameters, using the most adequate type of ground-based instrument. We show that these three O3-CCI total ozone data products behave very similarly and are less sensitive to instrumental degradation, mainly as a result of the new reflectance soft-calibration scheme. The mean bias to the ground-based observations is found to be within the 1 plus or minus 1 percent level for all three sensors while the near-zero decadal stability of the total ozone columns (TOCs) provided by the three European instruments falls well within the 1-3 percent requirement of the European Space
Gage, Nicholas A.; Larson, Alvin; Sugai, George; Chafouleas, Sandra M.
Research indicates that school climate influences students' academic, social, and behavioral outcomes. Therefore, improving school climate provides a promising avenue for preventing academic, social, and behavioral difficulties. Research has examined school-level measurement of school climate, but few studies have examined student-level responses…
Fong, K.F.; Chow, T.T.; Lee, C.K.; Lin, Z.; Chan, L.S.
Highlights: → A solar hybrid cooling system is proposed for high-tech offices in subtropical climate. → An integration of radiant cooling, absorption refrigeration and desiccant dehumidification. → Year-round cooling and energy performances were evaluated through dynamic simulation. → Its annual primary energy consumption was lower than conventional system up to 36.5%. → The passive chilled beams were more energy-efficient than the active chilled beams. - Abstract: A solar hybrid cooling design is proposed for high cooling load demand in hot and humid climate. For the typical building cooling load, the system can handle the zone cooling load (mainly sensible) by radiant cooling with the chilled water from absorption refrigeration, while the ventilation load (largely latent) by desiccant dehumidification. This hybrid system utilizes solar energy for driving the absorption chiller and regenerating the desiccant wheel. Since a high chilled water temperature generated from the absorption chiller is not effective to handle the required latent load, desiccant dehumidification is therefore involved. It is an integration of radiant cooling, absorption refrigeration and desiccant dehumidification, which are powered up by solar energy. In this study, the application potential of the solar hybrid cooling system was evaluated for the high-tech offices in the subtropical climate through dynamic simulation. The high-tech offices are featured with relatively high internal sensible heat gains due to the intensive office electric equipment. The key performance indicators included the solar fraction and the primary energy consumption. Comparative study was also carried out for the solar hybrid cooling system using two common types of chilled ceilings, the passive chilled beams and active chilled beams. It was found that the solar hybrid cooling system was technically feasible for the applications of relatively higher cooling load demand. The annual primary energy
Karlsen, Line Røseth
The objective of this PhD thesis was to arrange for an integrated building design with respect to thermal comfort, daylighting and energy use, applicable for office buildings in Nordic climate. In order to achieve this, it is suggested that modelling of mean radiant temperature (MRT) should...... into the simulation tool IDA ICE. Furthermore, the control of solar shading is given attention, since it is a crucial link between the thermal and daylighting performance. The thesis presents results of an occupant survey with 46 subjects, which was carried out to investigate occupants’ preferences towards...
Full Text Available Purpose : The aim of present study was to investigate the relation between organizational atmosphere and organizational citizenship behavior of Mazandaran province physical education offices staff. Material : This is a correlation and descriptive study, and also a field study. Statistical population of the study was the whole staff of Mazandaran province offices of physical education in 1390 (N=188, that 127 of them were selected randomly and with allocating coordination method. Tools for collecting data were three questionnaires, (1 individual characteristics questionnaire, (2 organizational citizenship behavior questionnaire of Bell and Mangog, and (3 organizational climate questionnaire of Sussman & Deep. To analyze data we used descriptive and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation coefficient and multi-variable regression. Results : Study results showed a significant positive relation between organizational climate and its factors with staff organizational citizenship behavior (p≤0/01. Also step-by-step multi-variable regression analyze showed that goal and communication factors are good predictors of organizational citizenship behavior of physical education headquarters staff, respectively (p≤0/01. Conclusions : According to results we recommend that sport organizations managers through creating positive organizational atmosphere, goal clarity and more staff interactions, can increase the outbreak of organizational citizenship behavior in staff, and finally improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
Full Text Available Overheating, glare, and high-energy demand are recurrent problems in office buildings in Santiago, Chile (33°27'S; 70°42'W during cooling periods. Santiago climate is warm and dry, with high solar radiation and temperature during most of the year. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the thermal and daylighting performance of office buildings transparent façades composed of three different complex fenestration systems (CFS. Each CFS contains a different external shading device (ESD: (1 external roller, (2 vertical undulated and perforated screens, and (3 tilted undulated and perforated screens. The study was carried out by in situ monitoring in three office buildings in Santiago, Chile. Buildings were selected from a database of 103 buildings, representing those constructed between 2005 and 2011 in the city. The monitoring consisted of measuring the short wave solar and daylighting transmission through fenestration systemsby means of pyranometers and luxometers, respectively. This paper shows measurements that were carried out during summer period. A good performance is observed in a building with the external roller system. This system—applied to a northwest façade—shows a regular and high solar and daylighting control of incoming solar radiation. The other two ESD systems evidence a general good performance. However, some deficiencies at certain times of the day were detected, suggesting a non-appropriated design.
The US Department of Energy`s (DOE`s) Office of Health and Environmental Research (OHER) atmospheric sciences and carbon dioxide research programs provide the DOE with scientifically defensible information on the local, regional, and global distributions of energy-related pollutants and their effects on climate. PNL has had a long history of technical leadership in the atmospheric sciences research programs within OHER. Within the Environmental Sciences Division of OHER, the Atmospheric Chemistry Program continues DOE`s long-term commitment to understanding the local, regional, and global effects of energy-related air pollutants. Research through direct measurement, numerical modeling, and analytical studies in the Atmospheric Chemistry Program emphasizes the long-range transport, chemical transformation, and removal of emitted pollutants, photochemically produced oxidant species, nitrogen-reservoir species, and aerosols. The atmospheric studies in Complex Terrain Program applies basic research on atmospheric boundary layer structure and evolution over inhomogeneous terrain to DOE`s site-specific and generic mission needs in site safety, air quality, and climate change. Research at PNL provides basic scientific underpinnings to DOE`s program of global climate research. Research projects within the core carbon dioxide and ocean research programs are now integrated with those in the Atmospheric Radiation Measurements, the Computer Hardware, Advanced Mathematics and Model Physics, and Quantitative Links program to form DOE`s contribution to the US Global Change Research Program. The description of ongoing atmospheric and climate research at PNL is organized in two broad research areas: atmospheric research; and climate research. This report describes the progress in fiscal year 1993 in each of these areas. Individual papers have been processed separately for inclusion in the appropriate data bases.
Bosch, Marije; Dijkstra, Rob; Wensing, Michel; van der Weijden, Trudy; Grol, Richard
Abstract Background Redesigning care has been proposed as a lever for improving chronic illness care. Within primary care, diabetes care is the most widespread example of restructured integrated care. Our goal was to assess to what extent important aspects of restructured care such as multidisciplinary teamwork and different types of organizational culture are associated with high quality diabetes care in small office-based general practices. Methods We conducted cross-sectional analyses of d...
Chan, A.L.S.; Chow, T.T.
Highlights: • A generic fully air-conditioned office building with inclined walls was modeled. • Simulations were run under climatic conditions in three modern cities in China. • Reduction in cooling load can outweigh the increase in heating load for Hong Kong. • Inclined angle of 30° is appropriate for inverted pyramidal building in Hong Kong. • Building constructed with inclined walls is not encouraged in Shanghai and Beijing. - Abstract: An inverted pyramidal building is built with inclined walls instead of the traditional vertical façades. In terms of thermal performance, an inverted pyramidal building can provide a self-shading effect against the beam solar radiation, leading to a reduction in solar heat gain as well as building cooling load. On the other hand, the heating requirement of an inverted pyramidal building will be increased in winter. There is a strong dependency of building performance on the climatic condition. In this study, a generic air-conditioned office building with inclined walls set at different inclination angles was modeled using a building energy simulation program. Computer simulations were run to assess the thermal performance of the building constructed with inclined walls under different climatic conditions in three modern cities in China–Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. The results reveal that for the building cases with inclined walls set at different inclination angles in subtropical Hong Kong, the saving in annual cooling load ranges from 0.6% to 10.9% and can outweigh the increase in heating load. Moreover, an inclination angle of 30° was found as a better design option for an inverted pyramidal building with symmetrical layout design under the climatic condition in Hong Kong. For the other two cities: Shanghai and Beijing, the saving in cooling load due to self-shading effect cannot offset the increased heating requirement. Design and construction of an inverted pyramidal building is not encouraged in these two
Patthiya Naiyananont; Thipthinna Smuthranond
This research investigated whether the ethical climate, political behavior, ethical leadership, and job satisfaction in one organization have an impact on each other. The research was conducted using a selected group of 177 operational officers in a wholesale business company in the Bangkok Metropolitan region. The operational officers were recruited from four divisions (commercial, finance, marketing, and administration) using a stratified random sampling approach. The majority was female an...
Dinapradipta, Asri; Sudarma, Erwin; Defiana, Ima; Erwindi, Collinthia
As part of the fenestration system, the interior shadings have also a role to control the indoor environment to maintain indoor visual comfort. As the occupants have personal access to control these, their control behavior then, might enhance or even worsen indoor comfort performance. The controlling behavior might not only influence indoor comfort performance but can also indicate the success or failure of interior shading as a control device element. This paper is intended to report control behavior patterns, as represented by the variety of the slats’ openings of two types of interior shading i.e. Venetian and Vertical blinds and to analyze these on the concurrent impacts to indoor office building’s indoor illuminance and luminance distribution. The purpose of this research is to figure out the shading control patterns as well as to examine the effectiveness of these two types of interior shadings to control indoor visual environment. This study is a quantitative research using experimentation on the slats’ opening of two types of shadings at two identical office rooms. The research results suggested that both types of blinds seem unsuitable for gaining proper illumination values at work planes in humid tropics area. However, these shadings demonstrate good performance for luminance distribution except for that of the closed Venetian blinds.
Tucker, Sean; Ogunfowora, Babatunde; Ehr, Dayle
According to social learning theory, powerful and high status individuals can significantly influence the behaviors of others. In this paper, we propose that chief executive officers (CEOs) indirectly impact frontline injuries through the collective social learning experiences and effort of different groups of organizational actors-including members of the top management team (TMT), organizational supervisors, and frontline employees. We found support for our collective social learning model using data from 2,714 frontline employees, 1,398 supervisors, and 229 members of TMTs in 54 organizations. TMT members' experiences within a CEO-driven TMT safety climate was positively related to organizational supervisors' reports of the broader organizational safety climate and their subsequent collective support for safety (reported by frontline employees). In turn, supervisory support for safety was associated with fewer employee injuries at the individual level. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for workplace safety research and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).
Schrempf, R.E. [ed.
Within the US Department of Energy`s (DOE`s) Office of Health and Environmental Research (OHER), the atmospheric sciences and carbon dioxide research programs are part of the Environmental Sciences Division (ESD). One of the central missions of the division is to provide the DOE with scientifically defensible information on the local, regional, and global distributions of energy-related pollutants and their effects on climate. This information is vital to the definition and implementation of a sound national energy strategy. This volume reports on the progress and status of all OHER atmospheric science and climate research projects at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL). PNL has had a long history of technical leadership in the atmospheric sciences research programs within OHER. Within the ESD, the Atmospheric Chemistry Program (ACP) continues DOE`s long-term commitment to study the continental and oceanic fates of energy-related air pollutants. Research through direct measurement, numerical modeling, and laboratory studies in the ACP emphasizes the long-range transport, chemical transformation, and removal of emitted pollutants, oxidant species, nitrogen-reservoir species, and aerosols. The Atmospheric Studies in Complex Terrain (ASCOT) program continues to apply basic research on density-driven circulations and on turbulent mixing and dispersion in the atmospheric boundary layer to the micro- to mesoscale meteorological processes that affect air-surface exchange and to emergency preparedness at DOE and other facilities. Research at PNL provides basic scientific underpinnings to DOE`s program of global climate research. Research projects within the core carbon dioxide and ocean research programs are now integrated with those in the Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM), the Computer Hardware, Advanced Mathematics and Model Physics (CHAMMP), and Quantitative Links programs to form DOE`s contribution to the US Global Change Research Program.
Ligtvoet, W.; Van Bree, L. [Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving PBL, Den Haag (Netherlands); Van Dorland, R. [Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut KNMI, De Bilt (Netherlands)
This study aims to: (a) to give a state-of-the-art of climate change knowledge in the Netherlands (Chapter 2); (b) to map the knowledge on the sensitivity of the focus areas which are outside the field of Delta Programme (Chapter 3); (c) to picture the current policy focus (Chapter 4); (d) to consider the planned Climate Agenda ('Klimaatagenda') with respect to the recently published adaptation strategy of the European Union (Chapter 5); (e) to describe briefly the possible steps to be taken to organize the new adaptation strategy and the required knowledge (chapter 6) [Dutch] Deze studie heeft tot doel: (a) de huidige stand van zaken in beeld te brengen rond de kennis over de klimaatverandering (hoofdstuk 2); (b) de kennis in beeld te brengen over de gevoeligheid van de aandachtsvelden die buiten het domein van het Deltaprogramma vallen (hoofdstuk 3); (c) de huidige beleidsaandacht in beeld te brengen (hoofdstuk 4); (d) de beoogde Klimaatagenda te bezien in het licht van de recent gepubliceerde adaptatiestrategie van de Europese Unie (hoofdstuk 5); (e) een korte beschouwing te geven over de mogelijke stappen die moeten worden gezet voor de organisatie van de nieuwe adaptatiestrategie en de hiervoor benodigde kennisopbouw (hoofdstuk 6)
Multifunctional. Glass system walls optimize acoustics, lighting and room climate in open offices; Multifunktional. Glas-Systemwaende optimieren Akustik, Beleuchtung und Klima in offenen Buerolandschaften
Fuchs, H.V. [Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Bauphysik (IBP), Stuttgart (Germany); Renz, J. [renz solutions GmbH, Aidlingen (Germany)
Acoustics, light and climate are determining factors of thermal comfort in multiple office buildings. Internal structural elements used to take over these ergonomic functions until now; now, all three aspects can be integrated completely and at low cost in new types of glass wall systems. (orig.)
Christopher Yii Sern Heng
Full Text Available Daylight has known to bring benefits for human, psychologically and physiologically. It also provides better indoor environment quality and thus increase the performance and productivity of office workers as stated by Paevere (2009. However, due to economic reasons, the current practice of using deep open plan building has cause a dent to having daylight in the interior spaces, which cause a dependency on artificial lighting. Hence, to provide daylight in deep interior, light distribution system is needed. Although so, according to Hansen (2003, most of the systems can only illuminate up to 8m-10m depth. Therefore, light pipe (LP plays an essential role where it can illuminate up to 20m depth. LP’s efficiency depends on the 3 main components; collector, transporter and extractor. This research explores the effectiveness of horizontal LP through different type of transporter’s shapes which includes rectangular, triangular, square and semi-circle. Previous studies have shown differences of efficiency on the shaped while using vertical LP. This research’s analysis was done using a computer simulation, Integrated Environment Solution: Virtual Environment (IESVE, where DF of each shapes were compared to MS 1525:2007 benchmark. The viability of the software was also validated though an assessment with a physical scaled-model experiment that was conducted in an open car park in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia. The results from the simulation showed that semi-circle shaped transporter offered the same efficiency as rectangular shaped. These findings will promote the usage of LP in buildings as it decreases the costing for LP.
dr Ed de Jonge
Boekbespreking van Serendipiteit. De ongezochte vondst. Het boek opent met een verzameling van citaten die direct of indirect met het onderwerp samenhangen. Daarna volgt een kort voorwoord van Hans Clevers, de toenmalige president van de KNAW, die een lans breekt voor serendipiteit in de biologie.
Hartmann, N. [University of Stuttgart, Institute of Energy Economics and the Rational Use of Energy (IER), Hessbruehlstr. 49a, 70565 Stuttgart (Germany); Glueck, C. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Fluid Machinery (FSM), Kaiserstr. 12, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Schmidt, F.P. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Fluid Machinery (FSM), Kaiserstr. 12, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Fraunhofer ISE, Heidenhofstr. 2, 79110 Freiburg (Germany)
We present a comparison of solar thermal and solar electric cooling for a typical small office building exposed to two different European climates (Freiburg and Madrid). The investigation is based on load series for heating and cooling obtained previously from annual building simulations in TRNSYS. A conventional compression chiller is used as the reference system against which the solar options are evaluated with respect to primary energy savings and additional cost. A parametric study on collector and storage size is carried out for the solar thermal system to reach achieve the minimal cost per unit of primary energy saved. The simulated solar electric system consists of the reference system, equipped with a grid connected photovoltaic module, which can be varied in size. For cost comparison of the two systems, the electric grid is assumed to function as a cost-free storage. A method to include macroeconomic effects in the comparison is presented and discussed. Within the system parameters and assumptions used here, the grid coupled PV system leads to lower costs of primary energy savings than the solar thermal system at both locations. The presumed macroeconomic advantages of the solar thermal system, due to the non-usage of energy during peak demand, can be confirmed for Madrid. (author)
Full Text Available This research investigated whether the ethical climate, political behavior, ethical leadership, and job satisfaction in one organization have an impact on each other. The research was conducted using a selected group of 177 operational officers in a wholesale business company in the Bangkok Metropolitan region. The operational officers were recruited from four divisions (commercial, finance, marketing, and administration using a stratified random sampling approach. The majority was female and the participants' average age was 32 years. The instrument used was a designed questionnaire divided into five sections and consisting of checklists, opened-end questions, and rating scales. The data were analyzed statistically using percentages, means, standard deviations, Pearson's Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, and multiple regression analyses. The results showed that the operational officers in the wholesale business company had a high level of overall ethical climate, a low level of overall political behavior, and moderate levels of overall ethical leadership and overall job satisfaction. The ethical climate and ethical leadership were positively correlated with job satisfaction. The multiple regression analyses method also confirmed that the ethical climate, political behavior, and ethical leadership constructively had significant predictive ability regarding job satisfaction.
Verslag van een werkbezoek aan het Franse instituut Cemagref, met nadruk op beeldverwerking. Toepassingen van beeldverwerking zijn onder andere: een plukrobot voor appels; het detecteren van oppervlaktebeschadigingen bij appels; het detecteren van breuk in eieren; remote sensing
Jong, de L.S.
Een combinatie van nisine met carvacrol, thymol of carvon leidde tot een synergistische reductie van het aantal levensvatbare cellen van Listeria monocytogenes en Bacillus cereus. Verslag van een promotieonderzoek
Fuermaier, Anselm B.M.; Tucha, Lara; de Vries, Stefanie M.; Koerts, Janneke; de Waard, Dick; Brookhuis, Karel; Tucha, Oliver
Volwassenen met attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) hebben uiteenlopende cognitieve beperkingen, die een aanzienlijke invloed kunnen hebben op verschillende aspecten van het dagelijks leven. Een van deze aspecten is het besturen van een auto. Autorijden is een belangrijke activiteit in
Full Text Available Review of Bordoni, Stefano. When historiography met epistemology: Sophisticated histories and philosophies of science in French-speaking countries in the second half of the nineteenth century. Reviewed by Jean-François Stoffel.
Voor kinderen en jongeren met een lichamelijke of verstandelijke beperking is 'gewoon meedoen' in de samenleving geen vanzelfsprekendheid. Zij ervaren vaak meer obstakels bij het naar school gaan, het vinden van een baan en in hun vrijetijdsbesteding dan andere kinderen en jongeren. Ook
Hoe was het om in de jaren zestig te studeren? Laat ik een terugblik ophangen aan een studiemakker, Hans Rosenberg. We vormden samen de sterrekundejaar- gang 1961. Hans studeerde af in 1966 met hoofdvak wiskunde, promoveerde op radiostralingsprocessen in de zonnecorona in 1973, verliet de
Grotenhuis, H.F. te; Visscher, C.A.M.
Dit boekje wijkt af van de gebruikelijke statistiekboeken omdat het sec gaat over het bekende statistische computerprogramma SPSS, en dan alleen nog de oorspronkelijke variant waarin wordt gewerkt met syntax (intypen commando's -zoals bij DOS) i.p.v. de later ontwikkelde 'Windows-schil' (aanklikken
De Pelagic Freezer-trawler Association (PFA) heeft visserijonderzoeler Martin Pastoors aangenomen als 'Chief Science Officer'. De afgelopen tien jaar is de PFA zich steeds meer bezig gaan houden met wetenschappelijk onderzoek. Bijvoorbeeld door het ontwikkelen van nieuwe manieren om data te
Kini, Pradeep G.; Garg, Naresh Kumar; Kamath, Kiran
India’s commercial building sector is witnessing robust growth. India continues to be a key growth market among global corporates and this is reflective in the steady growth in demand for prime office space. A recent trend that has been noted is the increase in demand for office spaces not just in major cities but also in smaller tier II and Tier III cities. Growth in the commercial building sector projects a rising trend of energy intensive mechanical systems in office buildings in India. The air conditioning market in India is growing at 25% annually. This is due to the ever increasing demand to maintain thermal comfort in tropical regions. Air conditioning is one of the most energy intensive technologies which are used in buildings. As a result India is witnessing significant spike in energy demand and further widening the demand supply gap. Challenge in India is to identify passive measures in building envelope design in office buildings to reduce the cooling loads and conserve energy. This paper investigates the overall heat gain through building envelope components and natural ventilation in warm and humid climate region through experimental and simulation methods towards improved thermal environmental performance.
Singh, Ramkishore; Lazarus, I.J.; Kishore, V.V.N.
Highlights: • We simulated a number of glazing and interior roller shade alternatives. • Office room has been simulated for three window-to-wall ratios in a cold climate. • Daylighting and energy performances have been assessed for each alternative. • Maximum energy savings have been estimated in the office with a 30% glazed area. • Energy saving decreases for larger glazed area and fabric transmittance. - Abstract: The energy and visual performances of the façades are defined by many parameters including façade size, properties of glazings and shadings, and their arrangements as well as control strategies. In this study, a number of combinations of internal woven roller shades and four double glazings have been proposed and assessed in integrated manner in order to improve the energy efficiency and visual comfort in new or existing office buildings. Office rooms facing south, east, north and west have been simulated for cold climate, by varying glazed areas and proposed glazing and shading alternatives. Results have been calculated, compared and analyzed in terms of the energy consumptions, energy saving potentials, daylight autonomy, useful daylight illuminance and discomfort glare free time, for each of the combinations. Simulation results show that the choice of glazing and shading alternatives can have substantial impact on energy and visual performances of the office space. Regardless of façade orientation, the maximum energy saving is achieved for a window-to-wall ratio (WWR) of 30%. Saving potential decreases significantly for larger glazed area and for each façade orientation. For all façade orientations and glazed areas (except for 30% WWR in the north wall), a bare low-e coated double glazing (U = 1.616 W/m"2 K, SHGC = 0.209, τ_v = 0.301) is found to be the most energy efficient choice. For 30% north glazing, the energy efficiency can be maximized with a different bare low-e coated double glazing (U = 1.628 W/m"2 K, SHGC = 0.370, τ_v = 0
Met kerse op met-konstruksies1: 'n Verwysingspuntperspektief. Johanna Messerschmidt, Luna Bergh. Abstract. This article analyses the usage of the Afrikaans preposition met ('with'). The analysis is done within the framework of Cognitive Linguistics and more specifically within the model proposed by Langacker (1993) ...
This book starts with a series of about 20 preconceived ideas about climate and climatic change and analyses each of them in the light of the present day knowledge. Using this approach, it makes a status of the reality of the climatic change, of its causes and of the measures to be implemented to limit its impacts and reduce its most harmful consequences. (J.S.)
Geuskens, R.B.M.; Nossent, S.M.; Koëter, H.B.W.M.; Dreef-van der Meulen, H.C.; Stijkel, A.; Zielhuis, R.l.
De gezondheidsrisico's i.v.m. het werken met pentachloorfenol (PCP) wordt geevalueerd. Het gebruik van PCP in Nederlandse arbeidssituaties neemt sterk af en is beperkt tot de formulering van emeltenkorrels en de, met name preventieve, houtverduurzaming. De totale risicopopulatie is niet omvangrijk
Atmospheric research at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) occurs in conjunction with the Atmospheric Chemistry Program (ACP) and with the Atmospheric Studies in Complex Terrain (ASCOT) Program. Solicitations for proposals and peer review were used to select research projects for funding in FY 1995. Nearly all ongoing projects were brought to a close in FY 1994. Therefore, the articles in this volume include a summary of the long-term accomplishments as well as the FY 1994 progress made on these projects. The following articles present summaries of the progress in FY 1994 under these research tasks: continental and oceanic fate of pollutants; research aircraft operations; ASCOT program management; coupling/decoupling of synoptic and valley circulations; interactions between surface exchange processes and atmospheric circulations; and direct simulations of atmospheric turbulence. Climate change research at PNL is aimed at reducing uncertainties in the fundamental processes that control climate systems that currently prevent accurate predictions of climate change and its effects. PNL is responsible for coordinating and integrating the field and laboratory measurement programs, modeling studies, and data analysis activities of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM) program. In FY 1994, PNL scientists conducted 3 research projects under the ARM program. In the first project, the sensitivity of GCM grid-ad meteorological properties to subgrid-scale variations in surface fluxes and subgrid-scale circulation patterns is being tested in a single column model. In the second project, a new and computationally efficient scheme has been developed for parameterizing stratus cloud microphysics in general circulation models. In the last project, a balloon-borne instrument package is being developed for making research-quality measurements of radiative flux divergence profiles in the lowest 1,500 meters of the Earth`s atmosphere.
Full Text Available Hot areas of the world receive a high amount of solar radiation. As a result, buildings in those areas consume more energy to maintain a comfortable climate for their inhabitants. In an effort to design net-zero energy building in hot climates, PV possesses the unique advantage of generating electrical energy while protecting the building from solar irradiance. In this work, to form a net-zero energy building (NZEB, renewable resources such as solar and wind available onsite for an existing building have been analyzed in a hot climate location. PV and wind turbines in various configurations are studied to form a NZEB, where PV-only systems offer better performance than Hybrid PV Wind systems, based on net present cost (NPC. The self-shading losses in PV placed on rooftop areas are analyzed by placing parallel arrays of PV modules at various distances in between them. The effect on building cooling load by rooftop PV panels as shading devices is investigated. Furthermore, self-shading losses of PV are compared by the savings in cooling loads using PV as shading. In the case study, 12.3% saving in the cooling load of the building is observed when the building rooftop is completed shaded by PV panels; annual cooling load decreased from 3.417 GWh to 2.996 GWh, while only 1.04% shaded losses are observed for fully shaded (FS buildings compared to those with no shading (NS, as PV generation decreases from 594.39 kWh/m2 to 588.21 kWh/m2. The net present cost of the project has been decreased from US$4.77 million to US$4.41 million by simply covering the rooftop completely with PV panels, for a net-zero energy building.
Het bewerken van materialen met behulp van lasers staat momenteel enorm in de belangstelling, en terecht. De ontwikkeling van bestaande en nieuwe typen lasers staat alles behalve stil. Ontwikkelingen bevinden zich met name in het gebied van hogere vermogens, betere bundelkwaliteit en hogere
Chen, Rong; Sung, Wen-Pei; Chang, Hung-Chang; Chi, Yi-Rou
A human life demand set to emerge in the future is the achievement of sustainability by maintaining a comfortable indoor environment without excessive reliance on energy-consuming air conditioners. The major research processes in this study are: (1) measuring indoor air quality and thermal comfort to evaluate the comfort of an indoor environment; (2) implementing questionnaire survey analysis to explore people's environmental self-perceptions and conducting a meta-analysis of the measurement results for air quality and physical aspects; and (3) constructing an indoor monitoring and management system. The experimental and analysis results of this research reveal that most of the office occupants preferred a cooler environment with a lower temperature. Additionally, because the summers in Taiwan are humid and hot, the occupants of an indoor space tend to feel uncomfortable because of the high humidity and poor indoor air quality. Therefore, Variable Air Volume (VAV), two air intakes, and exhaust plant are installed to improve indoor environment. After improvement, a lower temperature (approximately 21.2–23.9°C) indirectly reduces humidity, thereby making the occupants comfortable. Increasing air velocity to 0.1 ~ 0.15 m/s, the carbon dioxide concentrations decrease below the requirement of the WHO. Ninety-five percent of the workers corresponded to the standard comfort zone after this improvement. PMID:24311976
Full Text Available A human life demand set to emerge in the future is the achievement of sustainability by maintaining a comfortable indoor environment without excessive reliance on energy-consuming air conditioners. The major research processes in this study are: (1 measuring indoor air quality and thermal comfort to evaluate the comfort of an indoor environment; (2 implementing questionnaire survey analysis to explore people’s environmental self-perceptions and conducting a meta-analysis of the measurement results for air quality and physical aspects; and (3 constructing an indoor monitoring and management system. The experimental and analysis results of this research reveal that most of the office occupants preferred a cooler environment with a lower temperature. Additionally, because the summers in Taiwan are humid and hot, the occupants of an indoor space tend to feel uncomfortable because of the high humidity and poor indoor air quality. Therefore, Variable Air Volume (VAV, two air intakes, and exhaust plant are installed to improve indoor environment. After improvement, a lower temperature (approximately 21.2–23.9°C indirectly reduces humidity, thereby making the occupants comfortable. Increasing air velocity to 0.1~0.15 m/s, the carbon dioxide concentrations decrease below the requirement of the WHO. Ninety-five percent of the workers corresponded to the standard comfort zone after this improvement.
Modeste Kameni Nematchoua
Full Text Available This paper presents the results of an experimental study that was conducted in 15 office buildings in the humid and cold tropics during the working hours of the dry and rainy seasons in Cameroon. This was with the aim to study the effects that local and imported materials had on indoor air quality. To achieve this objective, the adaptive model approach has been selected. In accordance with the conditions of this model, all workers were kept in natural ventilation and, in accordance with the general procedure, a questionnaire was distributed to them, while variables, like air temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity were sampled. The results showed a clear agreement between expected behaviour, in accordance with the characteristics of building construction, and its real indoor ambience once they were statistically analysed. On the other hand, old buildings showed a higher percentage of relative humidity and a lower degree of indoor air temperature. Despite this, local thermal comfort indices and questionnaires showed adequate indoor ambience in each group of buildings, except when marble was used for external tiling. The effect of marble as an external coating helps to improve indoor ambience during the dry season. This is due to more indoor air and relative humidity being accumulated. At the same time, these ambiences are degraded when relative humidity is higher. Finally, these results should be taken cognisance of by architects and building designers in order to improve indoor environment, and overcome thermal discomfort in the Saharan area.
Abbaas, Esra'a. Sh.; Saif, Ala'eddin A.; Munaaim, MAC; Azree Othuman Mydin, Md.
The influence of courtyard on the thermal performance of Development Department office building in University Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP, Pauh Putra campus) is investigated through simulation study for the effect of ventilation on indoor air temperature and relative humidity of the building. The study is carried out using EnergyPlus simulator interface within OpenStudio and SketchUp plug in software to measure both of air temperature and relative humidity hourly on 21 April 2017 as a design day. The results show that the ventilation through the windows facing the courtyard has sufficient effect on reducing the air temperature compared to the ventilation through external windows since natural ventilation is highly effective on driving the indoor warm air out to courtyard. In addition, the relative humidity is reduced due to ventilation since the courtyard has high ability to remove or dilute indoor airborne pollutants coming from indoor sources. This indicates that the presence of courtyard is highly influential on thermal performance of the building.
Geuskens, R.B.M.; Nossent, S.M.; Koëter, H.B.W.M.; Dreef-van der Meulen, H.C.; Stijkel, A.; Zielhuis, R.L.
Met behulp van gegevens verkregen uit een werkplekinventarisatie naar gegevens over produktie/gebruik, risicopopulatie en (mogelijke) blootstelling aan polychloorbifenylen (PCB's), en een literatuurstudie naar mogelijke schadelijke eigenschappen van PCB's op het reproductiesysteem en/of nageslacht
... furniture and office machines. 109-25.104 Section 109-25.104 Public Contracts and Property Management... furniture and office machines. DOE offices and designated contractors shall make the determination as to whether requirements can be met through the utilization of DOE owned furniture and office machines. ...
Singh, Ramkishore; Lazarus, I.J.; Kishore, V.V.N.
Highlights: • Various alternatives of glazing and venetian blind were simulated for office space. • Daylighting and energy performances were assessed for each alternative. • Large uncertainties were estimated in the energy consumptions and UDI values. • Glazing design parameters were prioritised by performing sensitivity analysis. • WWR, glazing type, blind orientation and slat angle were identified top in priority. - Abstract: Fenestration has become an integral part of the buildings and has a significant impact on the energy and indoor visual performances. Inappropriate design of the fenestration component may lead to low energy efficiency and visual discomfort as a result of high solar and thermal heat gains, excessive daylight and direct sunlight. External venetian blind has been identified as one of the effective shading devices for controlling the heat gains and daylight through fenestration. This study explores uncertainty and sensitivity analyses to identify and prioritize the most influencing parameters for designing glazed components that include external shading devices for office buildings. The study was performed for hot-dry climate of Jodhpur (Latitude 26° 180′N, longitude 73° 010′E) using EnergyPlus, a whole building energy simulation tool providing a large number of inputs for eight façade orientations. A total 150 and 845 data points (for each orientation) for input variables were generated using Hyper Cubic Sampling and extended FAST methods for uncertainty and sensitivity analyses respectively. Results indicated a large uncertainty in the lighting, HVAC, source energy consumptions and useful daylight illuminance (UDI). The estimated coefficients of variation were highest (up to 106%) for UDI, followed by lighting energy (up to 45%) and HVAC energy use (around 33%). The sensitivity analysis identified window to wall ratio, glazing type, blind type (orientation of slats) and slat angle as highly influencing factors for energy and
Bergs, J.; Ter Haar, H.; Huisman, S.; Kristinsson, J.; Kruseman, I.; Oei, P.
New technologies and insights from greenhouses, space technology and psychology are used for innovative applications in the building sector. Use is made of daylight, solar heat and vegetation. Architects can thus realize a clean, healthy and comfortable indoor climate in houses, school buildings, offices, health care centers, and also reduce the consumption of energy for cooling and heating. In particular attention is paid to the use of glass. [Dutch] Glastuinbouw, ruimtevaart en psychologie. Drie boeiende vakgebieden die op het eerste gezicht weinig met elkaar te maken hebben. Bouwen met groen en glas bewijst het tegendeel door gebruik te maken van nieuwe technieken en inzichten uit deze vakgebieden. Het concept maakt optimaal gebruik van daglicht, zonnewarmte en de weldaad van groen. Het toont de vele mogelijkheden die architecten met groen en glas kunnen aanboren. Waarom zou een architect dat doen? Omdat Bouwen met groen en glas de kern raakt van een uiterst actueel en tevens tijdloos thema: een schoon, gezond en prettig binnenklimaat in woningen, scholen, kantoren en zorginstellingen, gecombineerd met een substantieel lager energieverbruik voor koelen en verwarmen. Nieuwe technieken uit de glastuinbouw bieden nieuwe oplossingen. Bijvoorbeeld, in de zomer warmte oogsten en opslaan om die in de winter weer aan te boren. Veel glas stimuleert ook de toepassing van groen. Planten zijn meer dan versiering. Ze reinigen de lucht, zorgen voor bevochtiging en bieden mensen aangename omstandigheden om in te leren en te werken. Bouwen met groen en glas pleit dan ook voor gebouwen met een eigen ecosysteem, met planten als integraal onderdeel van het gebouw en de technische installaties.
Agustin, Oscar Garcia
2002 y principios de 2003, anteriores a la proclamación de las Juntas de Buen Gobierno. Nuestro objetivo es comprobar cómo las metáforas crean nuevas significaciones, que intentan deshacer una lógica comúnmente asumida, y promover otros modos de comprender la acción y la realidad político-social. Este...
... 34 Education 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What requirements must be met by a State partnership...) OFFICE OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LEVERAGING EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PARTNERSHIP... What requirements must be met by a State partnership? (a) State. A State that is receiving an allotment...
Nolan, P.; Lynch, P.
At the Meteorology & Climate Centre at University College Dublin, we are using the CLM-Community's COSMO-CLM Regional Climate Model (RCM) and the WRF RCM (developed at NCAR) to simulate the climate of Ireland at high spatial resolution. To address the issue of model uncertainty, a Multi-Model Ensemble (MME) approach is used. The ensemble method uses different RCMs, driven by several Global Climate Models (GCMs), to simulate climate change. Through the MME approach, the uncertainty in the RCM projections is quantified, enabling us to estimate the probability density function of predicted changes, and providing a measure of confidence in the predictions. The RCMs were validated by performing a 20-year simulation of the Irish climate (1981-2000), driven by ECMWF ERA-40 global re-analysis data, and comparing the output to observations. Results confirm that the output of the RCMs exhibit reasonable and realistic features as documented in the historical data record. Projections for the future Irish climate were generated by downscaling the Max Planck Institute's ECHAM5 GCM, the UK Met Office HadGEM2-ES GCM and the CGCM3.1 GCM from the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling. Simulations were run for a reference period 1961-2000 and future period 2021-2060. The future climate was simulated using the A1B, A2, B1, RCP 4.5 & RCP 8.5 greenhouse gas emission scenarios. Results for the downscaled simulations show a substantial overall increase in precipitation and wind speed for the future winter months and a decrease during the summer months. The predicted annual change in temperature is approximately 1.1°C over Ireland. To date, all RCM projections are in general agreement, thus increasing our confidence in the robustness of the results.
Castleman, A.W. Jr.; Guo, B.C.
A new class of metal-carbon complexes, termed metallo-carbohedrenes (Met-Cars), have been discovered to form in a plasma reactor in which early transition metals are vaporized into a stream carrying small hydrocarbon molecules. The initial discovery involved the species Ti 8 c 12 + , while subsequent studies revealed the stability of the anion and, most importantly, the neutral species. Subsequent investigations show that similar molecules, predicted to have a pentagonal dodecahedral structure, can also be formed with vanadium, hafnium, and zirconium. In the case of the latter, more recent investigations have displaced an interesting growth pattern. In particular, pentagonal dodecahedrons with dangling carbon atoms can undergo further growth, adding at least a second and third cage. The latest results on the properties and reactivities of these new cage-like molecular clusters will be discussed
Fliegenthart, F.; Dik, P.E.; Groenendijk, P.
In 2007 begon in de Wieringermeer een praktijkproef met alternatieve waterbeheersystemen voor de bollenteelt. Met drie verschillende teeltsystemen wordt onderzoek verricht naar zo optimaal mogelijk gebruik van zoet water door recirculatie en hergebruik. Ook loopt onderzoek naar de emissie van
Hikmet Hassa; Basar Tekin; H. Mete Tanir; Bulent Cakmak
Although hysteroscopy has evolved in recent years, its use in the office setting was not made practical until early 1980s with the introduction of small caliber hysteroscopes of less than 5- mm outer diameter.This innovation simplifies ambulatory uterine exploration and the office evaluation of patients with abnormal uterine bleeding. This article reviews current trends in office hysteroscopy and its areas of application in different forms of gynecological problems.
Full Text Available Although hysteroscopy has evolved in recent years, its use in the office setting was not made practical until early 1980s with the introduction of small caliber hysteroscopes of less than 5- mm outer diameter.This innovation simplifies ambulatory uterine exploration and the office evaluation of patients with abnormal uterine bleeding. This article reviews current trends in office hysteroscopy and its areas of application in different forms of gynecological problems.
Multiple linear regression analysis, independent of covariates, showed that the albumin:creatinine ratio is explained only by glucose in Africans. Conclusion: African women, as a group, present with few MetS risk factors, and glucose is associated with renal function risk in Africans. Keywords: MetS, metabolic syndrome, ...
Kyrouac, Jenni [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Theisen, Adam [Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (United States)
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility Data Quality (DQ) Office was alerted to a potential bias in the surface meteorological instrumentation (MET) temperature when compared with a nearby Mesonet station. This led to an investigation into this problem that was expanded to include many of the other extended facilities (EF) and both the temperature and relative humidity (RH) variables. For this study, the Mesonet was used as the standard reference due to results that showed an increased accuracy in high-humidity environments along with the fact that the Mesonet had previous documented a problem with the HMP45C sensors. Some differences between the sites were taken into account during the analysis: 1. ARM MET sensors were upgraded from an HMP35 to an HMP45 throughout 2007 2. Mesonet switched to aspirated shields in 2009 – To mitigate the differences between aspirated and non-aspirated measurements, data were only analyzed when the wind speed was higher than 3 m/s. This reduced the uncertainty for the non-aspirated measurements from 1.51 ºC to 0.4 ºC. 3. ARM MET is mounted 0.5m higher than the Mesonet station (2.0m versus 1.5m) – This is assumed to have a negligible effect on the differences. 4. Sites were not co-located – For some locations, the distances between sites were as much as 45 km. As part of the investigation into the differences, the Mesonet had reported that the HMP45 sensors had a low-temperature bias in high-humidity environments. This was verified at two different sites where the ARM measurements were compared with the Mesonet measurements. The Mesonet provided redundant temperature measurements from two different sensors at each site. These measurements compared fairly well, while the ARM sensor showed a bias overnight when the humidities were higher. After reviewing the yearly average differences in the data and analyzing the RH data during fog events when we assume it should be
Saunby, M.; Bhaskaran, B.; Buontempo, C.; Willett, K.
Working to improve the lives of the poorest people in the world is a huge challenge that has cost 2.3 trillion over the last 50 years. The work is far from done. Now there is also the challenge of adapting to changes in climate that threaten the very land on which the poorest live and work. There can be no simple plan to solve these problems, but those with information, knowledge or skills that could make a difference have a vital role to play. In this presentation we explore recent developments in communications technologies, the use of these technologies in assisting development in poorer countries, and how "open data" is enabling the rapid flow of information to those who need it most. Examples of recent Met Office projects and collaborations illustrate challenges faced and technical approaches already available. We pay particular attention to "feedback" - gathering information from end users throughout the entire lifetime of a service in order to best allocate resources and make rapid improvements in the quality, reach and benefits of climate services.
Työn aiheena oli tutkia, miten ulkoilijat kokevat metsämaiseman Tampereella. Tavoitteena oli selvittää ulkoilijoiden maisema-arvostuksia sekä suhtautumista metsänhoidon toimenpiteisiin. Tutkimus toteutettiin maastohaastatteluina Tampereella kolmella eri asuinalueella: Hallilassa, Leinolassa ja Tesomajärvellä. Otoskooksi muodostui kymmenen haastattelua aluetta kohti, mutta yhdeltä vastaajalta ei ehditty kysyä kaikkia kysymyksiä. Vastaajat olivat yleisesti ottaen tyytyväisiä alueiden metsän...
... connection with this request, NRTL Program staff did not perform any on-site review of MET's recognized site... MET application are available for review by contacting the Docket Office, Occupational Safety and... and Marine Crafts UL 466 Electric Scales UL 561 Floor-Finishing Machines UL 1230 Amateur Movie Lights...
Merlone, A.; Sanna, F.; Beges, G.; Bell, S.; Beltramino, G.; Bojkovski, J.; Brunet, M.; del Campo, D.; Castrillo, A.; Chiodo, N.; Colli, M.; Coppa, G.; Cuccaro, R.; Dobre, M.; Drnovsek, J.; Ebert, V.; Fernicola, V.; Garcia-Benadí, A.; Garcia-Izquierdo, C.; Gardiner, T.; Georgin, E.; Gonzalez, A.; Groselj, D.; Heinonen, M.; Hernandez, S.; Högström, R.; Hudoklin, D.; Kalemci, M.; Kowal, A.; Lanza, L.; Miao, P.; Musacchio, C.; Nielsen, J.; Nogueras-Cervera, M.; Oguz Aytekin, S.; Pavlasek, P.; de Podesta, M.; Rasmussen, M. K.; del-Río-Fernández, J.; Rosso, L.; Sairanen, H.; Salminen, J.; Sestan, D.; Šindelářová, L.; Smorgon, D.; Sparasci, F.; Strnad, R.; Underwood, R.; Uytun, A.; Voldan, M.
Launched in 2011 within the European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP) of EURAMET, the joint research project ‘MeteoMet’—Metrology for Meteorology—is the largest EMRP consortium; national metrology institutes, universities, meteorological and climate agencies, research institutes, collaborators and manufacturers are working together, developing new metrological techniques, as well as improving existing ones, for use in meteorological observations and climate records. The project focuses on humidity in the upper and surface atmosphere, air temperature, surface and deep-sea temperatures, soil moisture, salinity, permafrost temperature, precipitation, and the snow albedo effect on air temperature. All tasks are performed using a rigorous metrological approach and include the design and study of new sensors, new calibration facilities, the investigation of sensor characteristics, improved techniques for measurements of essential climate variables with uncertainty evaluation, traceability, laboratory proficiency and the inclusion of field influencing parameters, long-lasting measurements, and campaigns in remote and extreme areas. The vision for MeteoMet is to take a step further towards establishing full data comparability, coherency, consistency, and long-term continuity, through a comprehensive evaluation of the measurement uncertainties for the quantities involved in the global climate observing systems and the derived observations. The improvement in quality of essential climate variables records, through the inclusion of measurement uncertainty budgets, will also highlight possible strategies for the reduction of the uncertainty. This contribution presents selected highlights of the MeteoMet project and reviews the main ongoing activities, tasks and deliverables, with a view to its possible future evolution and extended impact.
de Hen, M.H.; Geurts, H.M.
Kan neurofeedback verantwoord ingezet worden bij de behandeling van kinderen met ADHD? Omdeze vraag te beantwoorden worden zeven recente onderzoeken naar de effectiviteit van neurofeedback bij kinderen met ADHD geanalyseerd. Ondanks dat de resultaten in eerste instantie lijken te suggereren dat
Buontempo, Carlo; Hewitt, Chris
Societies have always faced challenges and opportunities arising from variations in climate, and have often flourished or collapsed depending on their ability to adapt to such changes. Recent advances in our understanding and ability to forecast climate variability and climate change have meant that skilful predictions are beginning to be routinely made on seasonal to decadal (s2d) timescales. Such forecasts have the potential to be of great value to a wide range of decision-making, where outcomes are strongly influenced by variations in the climate. The European Commission have recently commissioned a major four year long project (EUPORIAS) to develop prototype end-to-end climate impact prediction services operating on a seasonal to decadal timescale, and assess their value in informing decision-making. EUPORIAS commenced on 1 November 2012, coordinated by the UK Met Office leading a consortium of 24 organisations representing world-class European climate research and climate service centres, expertise in impacts assessments and seasonal predictions, two United Nations agencies, specialists in new media, and commercial companies in climate-vulnerable sectors such as energy, water and tourism. The paper describes the setup of the project, its main outcome and some of the very preliminary results.
Kan de spelcomputer behulpzaam zijn bij de ontwikkeling van het muzikale gevoel? Met die vraag in het achterhoofd bekijkt Tom Langhorst hier kritisch het Nintendo-spel Donkey Konga, waarin de speler mee kan drummen met bekende popsongs.
Ip, K.; Puteri Shireen Jahnkassim [University of Brighton (United Kingdom). School of the Environment
Bioclimatic highrises represent an architectural response to the problem of regionalism in highrises and are based mainly on climate as a form determinant. They integrate sky courts, the use of vertical landscaping and vegetation, sun shading and use of natural ventilation in transitional areas such as the lift and ground floor lobbies. Sensitivity studies on bioclimatic highrises in tropical climate have shown that the use of daylight to save electric light and the optimum design of the building envelope can achieve significant energy savings by maintaining the balance between thermal and lighting requirements. In this study the overall envelope of two of Ken Yeang's highrise design, Menara Mesiniaga and Menara UMNO, are optimised with regards to the balance between the opposing impacts - daylight and solar gain. Apart from the external design features, the applications of photovoltaic systems to enhance the energy efficiency of these buildings are also investigated. The optimisation is carried out through the use of the FACET computer program that incorporates the use of dynamic thermal simulation program APACHE and lighting simulation RADIANCE. The paper concludes with the energy saving potential of bioclimatic design and limitations of the current study. (author)
C. C. Stephan
Full Text Available Six climate simulations of the Met Office Unified Model Global Atmosphere 6.0 and Global Coupled 2.0 configurations are evaluated against observations and reanalysis data for their ability to simulate the mean state and year-to-year variability of precipitation over China. To analyse the sensitivity to air–sea coupling and horizontal resolution, atmosphere-only and coupled integrations at atmospheric horizontal resolutions of N96, N216 and N512 (corresponding to ∼ 200, 90 and 40 km in the zonal direction at the equator, respectively are analysed. The mean and interannual variance of seasonal precipitation are too high in all simulations over China but improve with finer resolution and coupling. Empirical orthogonal teleconnection (EOT analysis is applied to simulated and observed precipitation to identify spatial patterns of temporally coherent interannual variability in seasonal precipitation. To connect these patterns to large-scale atmospheric and coupled air–sea processes, atmospheric and oceanic fields are regressed onto the corresponding seasonal mean time series. All simulations reproduce the observed leading pattern of interannual rainfall variability in winter, spring and autumn; the leading pattern in summer is present in all but one simulation. However, only in two simulations are the four leading patterns associated with the observed physical mechanisms. Coupled simulations capture more observed patterns of variability and associate more of them with the correct physical mechanism, compared to atmosphere-only simulations at the same resolution. However, finer resolution does not improve the fidelity of these patterns or their associated mechanisms. This shows that evaluating climate models by only geographical distribution of mean precipitation and its interannual variance is insufficient. The EOT analysis adds knowledge about coherent variability and associated mechanisms.
Stephan, Claudia Christine; Klingaman, Nicholas P.; Vidale, Pier Luigi; Turner, Andrew G.; Demory, Marie-Estelle; Guo, Liang
Six climate simulations of the Met Office Unified Model Global Atmosphere 6.0 and Global Coupled 2.0 configurations are evaluated against observations and reanalysis data for their ability to simulate the mean state and year-to-year variability of precipitation over China. To analyse the sensitivity to air-sea coupling and horizontal resolution, atmosphere-only and coupled integrations at atmospheric horizontal resolutions of N96, N216 and N512 (corresponding to ˜ 200, 90 and 40 km in the zonal direction at the equator, respectively) are analysed. The mean and interannual variance of seasonal precipitation are too high in all simulations over China but improve with finer resolution and coupling. Empirical orthogonal teleconnection (EOT) analysis is applied to simulated and observed precipitation to identify spatial patterns of temporally coherent interannual variability in seasonal precipitation. To connect these patterns to large-scale atmospheric and coupled air-sea processes, atmospheric and oceanic fields are regressed onto the corresponding seasonal mean time series. All simulations reproduce the observed leading pattern of interannual rainfall variability in winter, spring and autumn; the leading pattern in summer is present in all but one simulation. However, only in two simulations are the four leading patterns associated with the observed physical mechanisms. Coupled simulations capture more observed patterns of variability and associate more of them with the correct physical mechanism, compared to atmosphere-only simulations at the same resolution. However, finer resolution does not improve the fidelity of these patterns or their associated mechanisms. This shows that evaluating climate models by only geographical distribution of mean precipitation and its interannual variance is insufficient. The EOT analysis adds knowledge about coherent variability and associated mechanisms.
Fiil, Berthe Katrine; Gyrd-Hansen, Mads
Methionine 1-linked ubiquitin chains (Met1-Ub), or linear ubiquitin, has emerged as a central post-translational modification in innate immune signalling. Molecular machinery that assembles, senses and, more recently, disassembles Met1-Ub has been identified, and technical advances have enabled...... identification of physiological substrates for Met1-Ub in response to activation of innate immune receptors. These discoveries have significantly advanced our understanding of how non-degradative ubiquitin modifications control pro-inflammatory responses mediated by nuclear factor κB and mitogen...
Harri, A.-M.; Haukka, H.; Alexashkin, S.; Guerrero, H.; Schmidt, W.; Genzer, M.; Vazquez, L.
A new kind of planetary exploration mission for Mars is being developed in collaboration between the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Lavochkin Association (LA), Space Research Institute (IKI) and Institutio Nacional de Tecnica Aerospacial (INTA). The Mars MetNet mission is based on a new semi-hard landing vehicle called MetNet Lander (MNL). The scientific payload of the Mars MetNet Precursor mission is divided into three categories: Atmospheric instruments, Optical devices and Composition and structure devices. Each of the payload instruments will provide crucial scientific data about the Martian atmospheric phenomena.
The Senior Strategic Outreach and Engagement Officer provides strategic advice ... the third one in the area of knowledge management and the forth one in the area ... or the International Research Initiative on Adaptation to Climate Change.
Stijger, H.; Os, van E.A.
TNO heeft samen met Wageningen UR Glastuinbouw een inventarisatie uitgevoerd naar geschikte zuiveringstechnieken om de waterstroom op tuinbouwbedrijven gesloten te krijgen. Uit de haalbaarheidstudie komen twee veelbelovende technieken naar voren die op vrij korte termijn inzetbaar zijn: omgekeerde
Harri, A.-M.; Aleksashkin, S.; Arruego, I.; Schmidt, W.; Genzer, M.; Vazquez, L.; Haukka, H.; Palin, M.; Nikkanen, T.
New kind of planetary exploration mission for Mars is under development in collaboration between the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Lavochkin Association (LA), Space Research Institute (IKI) and Institutio Nacional de Tecnica Aerospacial (INTA). The Mars MetNet mission is based on a new semihard landing vehicle called MetNet Lander (MNL). The scientific payload of the Mars MetNet Precursor mission is divided into three categories: Atmospheric instruments, Optical devices and Composition and structure devices. Each of the payload instruments will provide significant insights in to the Martian atmospheric behavior. The key technologies of the MetNet Lander have been qualified and the electrical qualification model (EQM) of the payload bay has been built and successfully tested.
Harri, A.-M.; Aleksashkin, S.; Guerrero, H.; Schmidt, W.; Genzer, M.; Vazquez, L.; Haukka, H.
We are developing a new kind of planetary exploration mission for Mars in collaboration between the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Lavochkin Association (LA), Space Research Institute (IKI) and Institutio Nacional de Tecnica Aerospacial (INTA). The Mars MetNet mission is based on a new semi-hard landing vehicle called MetNet Lander (MNL). The scientific payload of the Mars MetNet Precursor mission is divided into three categories: Atmospheric instruments, Optical devices and Composition and structure devices. Each of the payload instruments will provide significant insights in to the Martian atmospheric behavior. The key technologies of the MetNet Lander have been qualified and the electrical qualification model (EQM) of the payload bay has been built and successfully tested.
Beurden, van K.M.M. (Karin); Goselink, E.A. (Erik)
Een biocomposiet wordt samengesteld uit een vezel en een hars. In dit document worden twee verwerkingsvormen van biocomposieten behandeld: - Vezel/poeder versterkt kunststof (granulaat); - Kunststof plaatmateriaal versterkt met een weefsel (laminaat), ook wel Sizopreg® genoemd. Door een
Verbetering van intern transport in de potplantenteelt. Door getoetste vuistregels te combineren met toegepaste wiskunde is automatische planning van het intern transport binnen handbereik. Dit leidt tot minder transportbewegingen en tijdsbesparing bij het plannen
Ehlert, P.A.I.; Pasterkamp, H.P.
Gegevens in bijgaande tabel: Indicatieve fosfaatgehalten en de relatieve verdeling over mineraalfosfaat en organisch gebonden fosfaat in meststoffen met per mestsoort gegevens over het totaal fosfaatgehalte, het percentage mineraal fosfaat en het percentage organisch fosfaat
Pimentel, A.; Schipper, D.
Daedalus is een ontwerpflow op systeemniveau waarmee techneuten snel kunnen experimenteren met verschillende multiprocessorarchitecturen tijdens de vroege stadia van het ontwerptraject. Het is het resultaat van tien jaar onderzoek en ontwikkeling binnen de Progress-projecten Artemis en Artemisia.
This paper examines extraboard operations and management at TriMet, the transit provider for the Portland Oregon metropolitan area. The : extraboard consists of a pool of operators who fill open work resulting from absences and other causes. The pape...
Harri, A.-M.; Schmidt, W.; Pichkhadze, K.; Linkin, V.; Vazquez, L.; Uspensky, M.; Polkko, J.; Genzer, M.; Lipatov, A.; Guerrero, H.; Alexashkin, S.; Haukka, H.; Savijarvi, H.; Kauhanen, J.
We are developing a new kind of planetary exploration mission for Mars - MetNet in situ observation network based on a new semi-hard landing vehicle called the Met-Net Lander (MNL). The eventual scope of the MetNet Mission is to deploy some 20 MNLs on the Martian surface using inflatable descent system structures, which will be supported by observations from the orbit around Mars. Currently we are working on the MetNet Mars Precursor Mission (MMPM) to deploy one MetNet Lander to Mars in the 2009/2011 launch window as a technology and science demonstration mission. The MNL will have a versatile science payload focused on the atmospheric science of Mars. Detailed characterization of the Martian atmospheric circulation patterns, boundary layer phenomena, and climatology cycles, require simultaneous in-situ measurements by a network of observation posts on the Martian surface. The scientific payload of the MetNet Mission encompasses separate instrument packages for the atmospheric entry and descent phase and for the surface operation phase. The MetNet mission concept and key probe technologies have been developed and the critical subsystems have been qualified to meet the Martian environmental and functional conditions. Prototyping of the payload instrumentation with final dimensions was carried out in 2003-2006.This huge development effort has been fulfilled in collaboration between the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), the Russian Lavoschkin Association (LA) and the Russian Space Research Institute (IKI) since August 2001. Currently the INTA (Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial) from Spain is also participating in the MetNet payload development. To understand the behavior and dynamics of the Martian atmosphere, a wealth of simultaneous in situ observations are needed on varying types of Martian orography, terrain and altitude spanning all latitudes and longitudes. This will be performed by the Mars MetNet Mission. In addition to the science aspects the
The Mail Office wishes to remind users that the CERN mail service is exclusively reserved for official CERN mail. All external official mail must be sent to the Mail Office in an unstamped envelope on which your name and Department must be clearly indicated below the official CERN address (see example) to help us to find you in the event that it cannot be delivered. If you wish to send private mail from the CERN site you must use the post offices at Meyrin (63-R-011) or Prévessin (866-R-C02). Please use "PRIORITY" envelopes only in the case of urgent mail. Any mail containing merchandise (i.e. anything other than documents) must be sent using an EDH shipping request form. INTERNAL MAIL Please remember to include the recipient’s MAILBOX number on the internal mail envelopes, either in the relevant box (new envelopes) or next to the name (old envelopes). This information, which can be found in the CERN PHONEBOOK, simplifies our t...
Rogers, Reva; Cole, Renee
Relocation from a cool to a hot climate is a frequent occurrence in military service. Acclimatization requires time and exposure to heat. Nonacclimatized individuals frequently consume inadequate fluid leading to hypohydration, which can quickly result in dehydration with increased risk of heat illness/injury. This descriptive cross-sectional study assessed the hydration status of 196 officers attending the US Army Medical Department's Officer Basic Course (67%) or Captain's Career Course (33%) in San Antonio, Texas, prior to taking the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). Consenting Soldiers provided a first morning void urine sample and demographic survey (age, rank, sex, previous geographic location, etc) prior to the APFT. Height, weight, and APFT event scores were collected from a subject-coded, APFT scorecard without personal information data. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify variables that contribute to predicting hypohydration status. The sample population was 54% male, a mean age of 30 years, 5.2 years of military service, and a mean body mass index of 25 kg/m². Nearly one-third met the criteria for hypohydration (≥1.02 urine specific gravity). Soldiers who relocated from a cool environment within 9 days of taking the APFT had 2.1 higher odds of being hypohydrated compared with individuals who had resided in a hot environment for more than 9 days. Women had a 0.5 lower odds of being hypohydrated as compared to males. Significantly more Soldiers were hypohydrated on Monday compared to those tested on Tuesday (33% vs 16%, P=.004). Given these findings, the authors provided 5 recommendations to reduce the number of Soldiers exercising in a hypohydrated state.
Harri, Ari-Matti; Aleksashkin, Sergei; Arruego, Ignacio; Schmidt, Walter; Genzer, Maria; Vazquez, Luis; Haukka, Harri
New kind of planetary exploration mission for Mars is under development in collaboration between the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Lavochkin Association (LA), Space Research Institute (IKI) and Institutio Nacional de Tecnica Aerospacial (INTA). The Mars MetNet mission is based on a new semi-hard landing vehicle called MetNet Lander (MNL). The scientific payload of the Mars MetNet Precursor mission is divided into three categories: Atmospheric instruments, Optical devices and Composition and structure devices. Each of the payload instruments will provide significant insights in to the Martian atmospheric behavior. The key technologies of the MetNet Lander have been qualified and the electrical qualification model (EQM) of the payload bay has been built and successfully tested. 1. MetNet Lander The MetNet landing vehicles are using an inflatable entry and descent system instead of rigid heat shields and parachutes as earlier semi-hard landing devices have used. This way the ratio of the payload mass to the overall mass is optimized. The landing impact will burrow the payload container into the Martian soil providing a more favorable thermal environment for the electronics and a suitable orientation of the telescopic boom with external sensors and the radio link antenna. It is planned to deploy several tens of MNLs on the Martian surface operating at least partly at the same time to allow meteorological network science. 2. Scientific Payload The payload of the two MNL precursor models includes the following instruments: Atmospheric instruments: 1. MetBaro Pressure device 2. MetHumi Humidity device 3. MetTemp Temperature sensors Optical devices: 1. PanCam Panoramic 2. MetSIS Solar irradiance sensor with OWLS optical wireless system for data transfer 3. DS Dust sensor The descent processes dynamic properties are monitored by a special 3-axis accelerometer combined with a 3-axis gyrometer. The data will be sent via auxiliary beacon antenna throughout the
298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std. Z39.18 i Abstract Understanding surface warfare officer (SWO) retention is critical for...civilian economy. We estimate that a one-unit increase in an index of macroeconomic activity (indicating a worsening of the economy) increases...officer requirements can be met. Thus, understanding the factors that affect SWO retention is critical for SWO accession planning and community
Haukka, Harri; Polkko, Jouni; Harri, Ari-Matti; Schmidt, Walter; Leinonen, Jussi; Genzer, Maria; Mäkinen, Teemu
MetNet Mars Mission focused for Martian atmospheric science is based on a new semihard landing vehicle called the MetNet Lander (MNL). The MNL will have a versatile science payload focused on the atmospheric science of Mars. The scientific payload of the MetNet Mission encompasses separate instrument packages for the atmospheric entry and descent phase and for the surface operation phase. MetBaro is the pressure sensor of MetNet Lander designed to work on Martian surface. It is based on Barocap® technology developed by Vaisala, Inc. MetBaro is a capacitive type of sensing device where capasitor plates are moved by ambient pressure. MetBaro device consists of two pressure transducers including a total of 4 Barocap® sensor heads of high-stability and high-resolution types. The long-term stability of MetBaro is in order of 20…50 µBar and resolution a few µBar. MetBaro is small, lightweighed and has low power consumption. It weighs about 50g without wires and controlling FPGA, and consumes 15 mW of power. A similar device has successfully flown in Phoenix mission, where it performed months of measurements on Martian ground. Another device is also part of the Mars Science Laboratory REMS instrument (to be launched in 2011).
Genzer, Maria; Polkko, Jouni; Harri, Ari-Matti; Schmidt, Walter; Leinonen, Jussi; Mäkinen, Teemu; Haukka, Harri
MetNet Mars Mission focused for Martian atmospheric science is based on a new semihard landing vehicle called the MetNet Lander (MNL). The MNL will have a versatile science payload focused on the atmospheric science of Mars. The scientific payload of the MetNet Mission encompasses separate instrument packages for the atmospheric entry and descent phase and for the surface operation phase. MetHumi is the humidity sensor of MetNet Lander designed to work on Martian surface. It is based on Humicap® technology developed by Vaisala, Inc. MetHumi is a capacitive type of sensing device where an active polymer film changes capacitance as function of relative humidity. One MetHumi device package consists of one humidity transducer including three Humicap® sensor heads, an accurate temperature sensor head (Thermocap® by Vaisala, Inc.) and constant reference channels. MetHumi is very small, lightweighed and has low power consumption. It weighs only about 15 g without wires, and consumes 15 mW of power. MetHumi can make meaningful relative humidity measurements in range of 0 - 100%RH down to -70°C ambient temperature, but it survives even -135°C ambient temperature.
Schofield, J.T.; Barnes, J.R.; Crisp, D.
The Mars Pathfinder atmospheric structure investigation/meteorology (ASI/MET) experiment measured the vertical density, pressure, and temperature structure of the martian atmosphere from the surface to 160 km, and monitored surface meteorology and climate for 83 sols (1 sol = 1 martian day = 24...
Kwak, Yoonjin; Kim, Seong-Ik; Park, Chul-Kee; Paek, Sun Ha; Lee, Soon-Tae; Park, Sung-Hye
We investigated c-Met overexpression and MET gene amplification in gliomas to determine their incidence and prognostic significance. c-Met immunohistochemistry and MET gene fluorescence in situ hybridization were carried out on tissue microarrays from 250 patients with gliomas (137 grade IV GBMs and 113 grade II and III diffuse gliomas). Clinicopathological features of these cases were reviewed. c-Met overexpression and MET gene amplification were detected in 13.1% and 5.1% of the GBMs, respectively. All the MET-amplified cases showed c-Met overexpression, but MET amplification was not always concordant with c-Met overexpression. None of grade II and III gliomas demonstrated c-Met overexpression or MET gene amplification. Mean survival of the GBM patients with MET amplification was not significantly different from patients without MET amplification (P=0.155). However, GBM patients with c-Met overexpression survived longer than patients without c-Met overexpression (P=0.035). Although MET amplification was not related to poor GBM prognosis, it is partially associated with the aggressiveness of gliomas, as MET amplification was found only in grade IV, not in grade II and III gliomas. We suggest that MET inhibitor therapy may be beneficial in about 5% GBMs, which was the incidence of MET gene amplification found in the patients included in this study.
... for Children & Families Office of Child Care By Office Administration for Native Americans (ANA) Administration on Children, ... about the Child Care Rule > What is the Office of Child Care (OCC)? The Office of Child ...
Appendini, C. M.; Pedrozo-Acuña, A.; Meza-Padilla, R.; Torres-Freyermuth, A.; Cerezo-Mota, R.; López-González, J.
To generate projections of wave climate associated to tropical cyclones is a challenge due to their short historical record of events, their low occurrence, and the poor wind field resolution in General Circulation Models. Synthetic tropical cyclones provide an alternative to overcome such limitations, improving robust statistics under present and future climates. We use synthetic events to characterize present and future wave climate associated with tropical cyclones in the Gulf of Mexico. The NCEP/NCAR atmospheric reanalysis and the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 models NOAA/GFDL CM3 and UK Met Office HADGEM2-ES, were used to derive present and future wave climate under RCPs 4.5 and 8.5. The results suggest an increase in wave activity for the future climate, particularly for the GFDL model that shows less bias in the present climate, although some areas are expected to decrease the wave energy. The practical implications of determining the future wave climate is exemplified by means of the 100-year design wave, where the use of the present climate may result in under/over design of structures, since the lifespan of a structure includes the future wave climate period.
Jossberger, Helen; Brand-Gruwel, Saskia; Boshuizen, Els; Van de Wiel, Margje
Jossberger, H., Brand-Gruwel, S., Boshuizen, H. P. A., & Van der Wiel, M. (2010, June). Samen in Zee met Zelfregulatie: Een Design-Based Aanpak met Vmbo Leraren. Poster presented at the 37th Onderwijs Research Dagen (ORD), Enschede, Nederland.
Polkko, J.; Haukka, H.; Harri, A.-M.; Schmidt, W.; Leinonen, J.; Mäkinen, T.
THE METNET MISSION FOCUSED ON THE Martian atmospheric science is based on a new semihard landing vehicle called the MetNet Lander (MNL). The MNL will have a versatile science payload focused on the atmospheric science of Mars. The scientific payload of the MetNet Mission encompasses separate instrument packages for the atmospheric entry and descent phase and for the surface operation phase. MetBaro is the pressure instrument of MetNet Lander designed to work on Martian surface. It is based on Barocap® technology developed by Vaisala, Inc. MetBaro is a capacitic type of sensing device where capasitor plates are moved by ambient pressure. MetBaro device consists of two pressure transducers including a total of 6 Barocap® sensor heads of high-stability and high-resolution types. The long-term stability of MetBaro is in order of 20…50 µBar and resolution a few µBar. MetBaro is small, lightweighed and has low power consumption. It weighs about 50g without wires and controlling FPGA, and consumes 15 mW of power. A similar device has successfully flown in Phoenix mission, where it performed months of measurements on Martian ground. Another device is also part of the Mars Science Laboratory REMS instrument (to be launched in 2011).
Thijs Waardenburg; Komala Mazerant
Met creatieve content die slim inhaakt op actuele gebeurtenissen kun je elke dag nieuwe mensen bereiken. Goedkoper dan adverteren op sociale media, en sympathieker bovendien.Thijs Waardenburg en Komala Mazerant leggen uit hoe je kansrijke inhakers bedenkt en communiceert om je bereik op sociale
Calis, J.; Beetsma, J.; Boot, W.J.; Eijnde, van den J.; Ruijter, de A.
Bij deze bestrijdingsmethode worden belegde darreraten uit een moergoede veger overgehangen naar het moerloze en later broedloze hoofdvolk. Hier worden de mijten die zich op de bijen bevinden gevangen. Nadat de laatste darreraat uit een hoofdvolk is verwijderd, wordt het bijenvolk met Perizine
Deze thesis is een onderzoek naar toepassingen binnen beeldverwerking op de Micron Automata Processor hardware. De hardware wordt vergeleken met populaire hedendaagse hardware. Ook bevat dit onderzoek nuttige informatie en strategieën voor het ontwikkelen van nieuwe toepassingen. Bevindingen in dit onderzoek omvatten proof of concept algoritmes en een praktische toepassing.
Dijk, van W.; Weide, van der R.Y.; Kroon, A.
In 2012 is het project Groen Proceswater gestart. Hierin worden de mogelijkheden van zuivering van brouwerijprocesafvalwater met behulp van microalgen onderzocht. Dit is gedaan in een samenwerkingsverband van Heineken Nederland BV, Algae Food & Fuel en WUR-ACRRES. De resultaten behaald in 2012
Of J. en E. dus interkerklik is, bly 'n vraag! Die gedeelte oor die „Oorzaken van buitenkerklijkheid is prikkelend en interessant. Die vraag is net of dit nie nog dieper gesoek moet word, nl. in die herontwaking van die Heidendom wat sig sins die Renaissance hardnekkig deur sit met die outonomie van die mens in die sentrum.
van Vliet AAC; Laheij GMH; Wolting AG; CEV
De minimale veiligheidsafstanden tussen buisleidingen met brandbare vloeistoffen en bebouwingen kunnen gelijk blijven of iets verkleind worden. Dit is de conclusie na een herberekening van de afstanden uit een circulaire uit 1991. In Nederland ligt zo'n 1850 kilometer aan ondergrondse buisleiding
Mets system is basically a gas monitoring system, used for the detection of underwater gas. The system consists of a sensor, datalogger and energy module. The sensor works on the diffusion techniques. The system can be deployed to a water depth...
Joao Carvalho, Maria; Rodriguez, Jose; Milton, Sean
The upper tropospheric jet stream has been documented to act as a waveguide (Hoskins and Ambrizzi, 1993) and supporting quasi-stationary Rossby waves (Schubert et al. 2011). These have been associated with remote effects in surface level weather such as rainfall anomalies in the East Asian Summer Monsoon as well as extreme temperature events. The goal of this work was to analyse the intraseasonal to interannual upper level boreal summer jet variability and its coupling with low level atmospheric dynamics within the Met Office Unified Model using climate runs. Using the Wallace and Gutzler (1981) proposed approach to find teleconnection patterns on the 200 hPa level wind, lead-lag correlation and Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis on the upper-level jet and relating the results with surface weather variables as well as dynamical variables, it was found that the model presents too strong jet variability, particularly in the tropical region and. In addition, the model presents high teleconnectivity hotspots with higher importance in areas such as the Mediterranean and Caspian Sea which are important source areas for Rossby Waves. Further to this, the model was found to produce an area of teleconnectivity between the tropical Atlantic and western Africa which is not observed in the reanalysis but coexists with long lasting precipitation biases. As comparison for the model results, ERA-Interim circulation and wind data and the TRMM precipitation dataset were used. In order to assess the relative importance of relevant model parameters in the biases and process errors, work is currently underway using perturbed model parameter ensembles.
Sustainable newly built UPC office in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. Use of surface water for cooling call centre and office building; Duurzame nieuwbouw UPC Leeuwarden. Oppervlaktewater voor koeling callcenter en kantoor ingezet
Groot-D' hondt, E. [Wolter en Dros, Amersfoort (Netherlands)
The municipality of Leeuwarden, Netherlands, and the cable company UPC Netherlands signed contracts for the construction of the UPC headquarters in Leeuwarden, March 2010. The building of the 'greenest' Green Office of the Netherlands, started in June 2010 and is expected to be finalized the end of 2011. Use is made of surface water, rain, heat and cold storage in combination with a heat pump and low temperature systems, such as climate ceilings and floor heating, green roofs, natural insulation, and photovoltaic cells. [Dutch] De gemeente Leeuwarden en UPC Nederland ondertekenden 17 maart 2010 de contracten voor de nieuwbouw van het UPC-hoofdkantoor in Leeuwarden. De bouw van het 'groenste' Green Office van Nederland, startte in juni 2010 en wordt naar verwachting eind 2011 opgeleverd. Er wordt gebruik gemaakt van oppervlaktewater, regenwater, warmte- en koudeopslag in combinatie met een warmtepomp en lage temperatuursystemen, zoals klimaatplafonds en vloerverwarming, groene daken , natuurlijke isolatie, en photovoltaische cellen.
.... SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce's Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration... the USGCRP.'' Dated: March 5, 2013. Jason Donaldson, Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administrative... INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Cynthia J. Decker, Designated Federal Officer, National Climate Assessment and...
S. C.W. Duvenage.
Full Text Available Ds. Molenaar begin sy boek, waarvan hy self die publikasienie beleef het nie, deur te wys op 'n groot tekort, ’n manko,nie alleen in die Gereformeerde vroomheid of lewe nie maarook in die Gereformeerde teologie. Hy beskou dit as hoogsmerkwaardig dat die Gereformeerde teologie in die verledeso goed as niks raakgesien het van die groot betekenis vandie sogenaamde doop met die Heilige Gees nie. Daarby meenhy dat die Gereformeerde predikante verleë sit met die Pinkterfees.Talle probleme meen hy vir die Gereformeerde teoloograak te sien, veral ten aansien van die moontlikhede van dieGees teenoor die so tasbare „onmoontIikhede” in ons lewe. Dieprobleme is syns insiens nie onoplosbaar nie, as mens maardie moontlikhede van die Gees nie beperk tot die verlede nie.
Full Text Available Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC is one of the most aggressive lung tumors. The majority of patients with SCLC are diagnosed at an advanced stage. This tumor type is highly sensitive to chemo-radiation treatment, with very high response rates, but invariably relapses. At this time, treatment options are still limited and the prognosis of these patients is poor. A better knowledge of the molecular biology of SCLC allowed us to identify potential druggable targets. Among these, the MET/HGF axis seems to be one of the most aberrant signaling pathways involved in SCLC invasiveness and progression. In this review, we describe briefly all recent literature on the different molecular profiling in SCLC; in particular, we discuss the specific alterations involving c-MET gene and their implications as a potential target in SCLC.
Full Text Available La lingüística cognitiva siempre ha argumentado que la metáfora no pertenece exclusivamente al lenguaje, sino que es una competencia que se basa en la habilidad humana de concebir un dominio de experiencia en términos de otro. Entendida así, la metáfora no puede ser otra cosa que un fenómeno conceptual. No obstante, pocos adeptos de la lingüística cognitiva han concentrados sus esfuerzos en catalogar manifestaciones metafóricas en ámbitos no lingüísticos. En este trabajo, sugerimos que es factible encontrar pruebas de que la metáfora es un proceso conceptual y, como tal, se manifiesta en esferas que no son estrictamente lingüísticas. Para ello, aportamos un seguido de evidencias muy diversas, como por ejemplo su papel en el razonamiento lógico-matemático de los niños en la fase preoperacional del desarrollo cognitivo, la programación de interfaces para aplicaciones informáticas y los resultados de tres estudios empíricos realizados recientemente en el campo de la psicología cognitiva que analizan los efectos whorfianos en la conceptualización del tiempo y los efectos del espacio en la memoria emocional.
Appendini, Christian M.; Pedrozo-Acuña, Adrian; Meza-Padilla, Rafael; Torres-Freyermuth, Alec; Cerezo-Mota, Ruth; López-González, José
Tropical cyclones generate extreme waves that represent a risk to infrastructure and maritime activities. The projection of the tropical cyclones derived wave climate are challenged by the short historical record of tropical cyclones, their low occurrence, and the poor wind field resolution in General Circulation Models. In this study we use synthetic tropical cyclones to overcome such limitations and be able to characterize present and future wave climate associated with tropical cyclones in the Gulf of Mexico. Synthetic events derived from the NCEP/NCAR atmospheric reanalysis and the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 models NOAA/GFDL CM3 and UK Met Office HADGEM2-ES, were used to force a third generation wave model to characterize the present and future wave climate under RCP 4.5 and 8.5 escenarios. An increase in wave activity is projected for the future climate, particularly for the GFDL model that shows less bias in the present climate, although some areas are expected to decrease the wave energy. The practical implications of determining the future wave climate is exemplified by means of the 100-year design wave, where the use of the present climate may result in under/over design of structures, since the lifespan of a structure includes the future wave climate period.
Abbasian, Maryam; Delvarianzadeh, Mehri; Ebrahimi, Hossein; Khosravi, Farideh
This study aimed to compare the serum lipids ratio in staff with and without metabolic syndrome (MetS) who were working in Shahroud University of Medical Sciences. This case-control study was conducted in 2015 on 499 personnel aged 30-60 years old. ATP III criteria were used to diagnose patients with MetS. The data were analyzed by using logistic regression and ROC curve. Mean lipid ratio was higher in individuals having the MetS in both sexes compared with those without. In addition, the mean levels of lipid ratios significantly increased with increasing number of MetS components in both sexes. Also it could be concluded that TG/HDL-C ratio is the best marker for the diagnosis of MetS in men and women. Moreover, the cut-off point for the TG/HDL-C was 2.86 in women and 4.03 in men. It was found that for any unit of increases in the TG/HDL-C, the risk of developing the MetS will increase by 2.12 times. TG/HDL-C ratio is found to be the best clinical marker for the diagnosis of MetS compare with other lipid ratios, therefore it is recommended to be used as a feasible tool to identify individuals with MetS risk. Copyright © 2016 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
La gran cantidad de datos recolectados sobre la metáfora sugiere enfáticamente que muchos de los conceptos abstractos, si no la mayoría, son codificables y reconocibles primordialmente como «ideas metaforizadas», es decir como conceptos que se derivan cognitivamente mediante el razonamiento metafórico y un proceso de asociación metafórica que en este artículo se denominará estratificación [layering] (Gibbs, 1994; Goatley, 1997). La literatura más actualizada sobre lo que se ha denominado Teor...
Full Text Available stream_source_info Landman7_2011.pdf.txt stream_content_type text/plain stream_size 3538 Content-Encoding ISO-8859-1 stream_name Landman7_2011.pdf.txt Content-Type text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 In a warming climate... at UK Met Office N9 members SA Japan UKUSA USA Brazil* SA SASA * IBSA-Ocean In use Near future Far future VCM/UTCM ENSEMBLES Strong anthropogenically forced warming trends have been observed over southern Africa and are projected...
Lee, Traci A; Jorgensen, Paul; Bognar, Andrew L; Peyraud, Caroline; Thomas, Dominique; Tyers, Mike
Met4 is the transcriptional activator of the sulfur metabolic network in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Lacking DNA-binding ability, Met4 must interact with proteins called Met4 cofactors to target promoters for transcription. Two types of DNA-binding cofactors (Cbf1 and Met31/Met32) recruit Met4 to promoters and one cofactor (Met28) stabilizes the DNA-bound Met4 complexes. To dissect this combinatorial system, we systematically deleted each category of cofactor(s) and analyzed Met4-activated transcription on a genome-wide scale. We defined a core regulon for Met4, consisting of 45 target genes. Deletion of both Met31 and Met32 eliminated activation of the core regulon, whereas loss of Met28 or Cbf1 interfered with only a subset of targets that map to distinct sectors of the sulfur metabolic network. These transcriptional dependencies roughly correlated with the presence of Cbf1 promoter motifs. Quantitative analysis of in vivo promoter binding properties indicated varying levels of cooperativity and interdependency exists between members of this combinatorial system. Cbf1 was the only cofactor to remain fully bound to target promoters under all conditions, whereas other factors exhibited different degrees of regulated binding in a promoter-specific fashion. Taken together, Met4 cofactors use a variety of mechanisms to allow differential transcription of target genes in response to various cues.
Willemse, R. [Coateq Coatings, Haarlem (Netherlands)
The special paint coating of ThermoShield saves energy. The coating consists for 50% of hollow, vacuum ceramic globules. The waterborne damp-open coating with capillary function resists rain water and removes redundant water in case of draught and it reflects sunlight. [Dutch] Met de speciale verfcoating ThermoShield kan energie worden bespaard. De coating bestaat voor 50% uit holle, vacuum getrokken keramische bolletjes. De watergedragen damp-open coating met capillaire werking stoot bij regen water af en voert bij droogte overtollig vocht af en reflecteert zonlicht.
Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) are used as crucial inputs to policy-making on climate change. These models simulate aspect of the economy and climate system to deliver future projections and to explore the impact of mitigation and adaptation policies. The IAMs' climate representation is extremely important as it can have great influence on future political action. The step-function-response is a simple climate model recently developed by the UK Met Office and is an alternate method of estimating the climate response to an emission trajectory directly from global climate model step simulations. Good et al., (2013) have formulated a method of reconstructing general circulation models (GCMs) climate response to emission trajectories through an idealized experiment. This method is called the "step-response approach" after and is based on an idealized abrupt CO2 step experiment results. TIAM-UCL is a technology-rich model that belongs to the family of, partial-equilibrium, bottom-up models, developed at University College London to represent a wide spectrum of energy systems in 16 regions of the globe (Anandarajah et al. 2011). The model uses optimisation functions to obtain cost-efficient solutions, in meeting an exogenously defined set of energy-service demands, given certain technological and environmental constraints. Furthermore, it employs linear programming techniques making the step function representation of the climate change response adapted to the model mathematical formulation. For the first time, we have introduced the "step-response approach" method developed at the UK Met Office in an IAM, the TIAM-UCL energy system, and we investigate the main consequences of this modification on the results of the model in term of climate and energy system responses. The main advantage of this approach (apart from the low computational cost it entails) is that its results are directly traceable to the GCM involved and closely connected to well-known methods of
Bedinger, J. F.; Constantinides, E.
A method of analyzing Met Rocket wind data is described. Modern tidal theory and specialized analytical techniques were used to resolve specific tidal modes and prevailing components in observed wind data. A representation of the wind which is continuous in both space and time was formulated. Such a representation allows direct comparison with theory, allows the derivation of other quantities such as temperature and pressure which in turn may be compared with observed values, and allows the formation of a wind model which extends over a broader range of space and time. Significant diurnal tidal modes with wavelengths of 10 and 7 km were present in the data and were resolved by the analytical technique.
Miguel Ángel Yanes Quesada
Full Text Available mayoría son lesiones silentes descubiertas accidentalmente en las autopsia. La aparición de metástasis sintomáticas es, en cambio, excepcional. DESARROLLO: se describen aquí los hallazgos clínicos y radiológicos de una paciente femenina de 69 años, con un carcinoma indiferenciado del pulmón, diagnosticado hace 2 años y medio, que comenzó con cefalea y trastornos visuales sin hipopituitarismo ni diabetes insípida. Se le realizó resonancia magnética nuclear y se le diagnosticó una lesión hipofisaria, que fue operada por vía tranesfenoidal, y se informó por anatomía patológica una metástasis del carcinoma del pulmón. CONCLUSIONES: la paciente se encuentra en estos momentos recibiendo quimioterapia, radioterapia y anticuerpo monoclonal con evolución favorable.INTRODUCTION: metastatic tumors of hypophyseal gland are infrequent. Most are silent lesions discovered accidentally in necropsy. Appearance of symptomatic metastasis is however, exceptional. DEVELOPMENT: we describe here clinical and radiological findings in a female patient aged 69, presenting with a non-differential carcinoma of lung, diagnosed two years a half ago, starting with headache and visual disorders without hypopituitarism and insipidus diabetes. We made a nuclear magnetic resonance and diagnosis was a hypophyseal lesion operated on by trans-esphenoidal route, and Pathological Anatomy Service reports a metastasis of lung carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: patient receives chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and monoclonal antibody with a favorable evolution.
Full Text Available Abstract Background In adult correctional facilities, correctional officers (COs are responsible for the safety and security of the facility in addition to aiding in offender rehabilitation and preventing recidivism. COs experience higher rates of job stress and burnout that stem from organizational stressors, leading to negative outcomes for not only the CO but the organization as well. Effective interventions could aim at targeting organizational stressors in order to reduce these negative outcomes as well as COs’ job stress and burnout. This paper fills a gap in the organizational stress literature among COs by systematically reviewing the relationship between organizational stressors and CO stress and burnout in adult correctional facilities. In doing so, the present review identifies areas that organizational interventions can target in order to reduce CO job stress and burnout. Methods A systematic search of the literature was conducted using Medline, PsycINFO, Criminal Justice Abstracts, and Sociological Abstracts. All retrieved articles were independently screened based on criteria developed a priori. All included articles underwent quality assessment. Organizational stressors were categorized according to Cooper and Marshall’s (1976 model of job stress. Results The systematic review yielded 8 studies that met all inclusion and quality assessment criteria. The five categories of organizational stressors among correctional officers are: stressors intrinsic to the job, role in the organization, rewards at work, supervisory relationships at work and the organizational structure and climate. The organizational structure and climate was demonstrated to have the most consistent relationship with CO job stress and burnout. Conclusions The results of this review indicate that the organizational structure and climate of correctional institutions has the most consistent relationship with COs’ job stress and burnout. Limitations of the
Search The Education Office FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions Click on the question to see the answer and the difference between the Education Office and the Lederman Science Center? The Education Office is store selling logo items and science toys. The Education Office staff works on both the 15th floor of
DeWeaver, Eric [National Science Foundation (NSF), Washington, DC (United States); Patterson, Michael [US CLIVAR Project Office (USCPO),Washington DC (United States)
The primary goal of the US Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) Project Office is to enable science community planning and implementation of research to understand and predict climate variability and change on intraseasonal-to-centennial timescales, through observations and modeling with emphasis on the role of the ocean and its interaction with other elements of the Earth system, and to serve the climate community and society through the coordination and facilitation of research on outstanding climate questions.
The information you need to create a virtual office that can be accessed anywhere Microsoft Office 365 is a revolutionary technology that allows individuals and companies of all sizes to create and maintain a virtual office in the cloud. Featuring familiar Office Professional applications, web apps, Exchange Online, and Lync Online, Office 365 offers business professionals added flexibility and an easy way to work on the go. This friendly guide explains the cloud, how Office 365 takes advantage of it, how to use the various components, and the many possibilities offered by Office 365. It provi
Boois, de I.J.
Van begin augustus tot half september heeft IMARES de boomkorsurvey (BTS) uitgevoerd met de onderzoeksschepen Isis en Tridens. Op 29 maart 2014 wordt een bijeenkomst georganiseerd voor geinteresseerden, waar de resultaten van zowel de BTS als de bedrijfssurvey gepresenteerd worden. De BTS wordt
Matser, A.M.; Ven, van der C.; Berg, van den R.
Met behulp van hogedruktechnologie kunnen producten langer houdbaar worden gemaakt. Deze bekende techniek kent de laatste tijd nieuwe ontwikkelingen en toepassingen . Naast pasteuriseren door een hogedrukbehandeling bij kamertemperatuur is het nu ook mogelijk om te steriliseren met hoge druk. Ook
Harri, A.-M.; Alexashkin, S.; Arrugeo, I.; Schmidt, W.; Vazquez, L.; Genzer, M.; Haukka, H.
A new kind of planetary exploration mission for Mars called MetNet is being developed for martian atmospheric investigations. The eventual scope of the MetNet Mission is to deploy tens of small landers on the martian surface.
In dit rapport wordt een eerste aanzet gegeven tot de modellering van een kruisstroom chemische wasser met lamellen. Met behulp van bestaande metingen is de stofoverdrachtscoëfficiënt afgeschat, waarna scenario's voor nieuwe wassers doorgerekend konden worden.
Bennink, P.; Kopinga, J.
Bomen in de stad staan vaak op warme plaatsen met een gebrekkige waterhuishouding. Volgens het KNMI zal Nederland in de toekomst steeds vaker met hitte en droogte te maken hebben. Wat betekent dat voor onze stadsbomen?
Zhang, Meng; Li, Guichao; Sun, Xiangjie; Ni, Shujuan; Tan, Cong; Xu, Midie; Huang, Dan; Ren, Fei; Li, Dawei; Wei, Ping; Du, Xiang
MET amplification, expression, and splice mutations at exon 14 result in dysregulation of the MET signaling pathway. The aim of this study was to identify the relationship between MET amplification, protein or mRNA expression, and mutations in colorectal cancer (CRC). MET immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used for MET protein expression analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used for MET amplification detection. Both analyses were performed in tissue microarrays (TMA) containing 294 of colorectal adenocarcinoma tissue samples and 131 samples of adjacent normal epithelial tissue. MET mRNA expression was examined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in 72 fresh colorectal adenocarcinoma tissue samples and adjacent normal colon tissue. PCR sequencing was performed to screen for MET exon 14 splice mutations in 59 fresh CRC tissue samples. Our results showed that MET protein expression was higher in colorectal tumor tissue than in adjacent normal intestinal epithelium. Positive MET protein expression was associated with significantly poorer overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Multivariate analysis revealed that positive MET protein expression was an independent risk factor for DFS, but not for OS. MET mRNA expression was upregulated in tumor tissues compared with the adjacent normal tissues. The incidence of MET amplification was 4.4%. None of the patients was positive for MET mutation. Collectively, MET was overexpressed in colorectal adenocarcinoma, and its positive protein expression predicted a poorer outcome in CRC patients. Furthermore, according to our results, MET amplification and 14 exon mutation are extremely rare events in colorectal adenocarcinoma. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Wang Bingkui; Jin Ziyu; Zhao Miaozhen; Zhao Yanshen
Effect of MET on the formation and vigor of roots of wheat seedlings were studied. The results showed that 50 ∼ 200 ppm MET inhibited vertical elongation of roots, increased root, shoot ratio and enhanced the formation and vigor of roots. But MET had no effect on the dry weight of roots. The activity of peroxidase was decreased and the proportion of assimilates in roots was increased by MET treatment compared with the control
Het begrip serious gaming is inmiddels gekaapt door vele aanbieders van wat vroeger simulatie en virtual reality technologie genoemd werd. Met die technologie kunnen we mensen laten rondlopen in virtuele gebouwen en landschappen, al dan niet met grote projectieschermen of met brillen op. Maar dat is
Dijk, van W.; Diem, van A.; Doornbusch, P.; Grobben-Gaastra, S.A.; Kleinhout, G.; Kroon, A.; Weide, van der R.Y.
Afgelopen jaar is de pilot met het kweken van algen met afvalwater van de brouwerijlocatie Zoeterwoude geslaagd. Dit is gedaan in een samenwerkingsverband van Heineken Nederland BV, Algae Food & Fuel en WUR-Acrres. Dit is de eerste inline pilot in de wereld waarbij met LED verlichting op 1000 L
Full Text Available Resumo: Relatamos dois casos de carcinoma pulmonar de não pequenas células (CPNPC com metástases cerebrais que após quimioterapia sistémica receberam em segunda e terceira linha erlotinib 150 mg/dia, oral, com resposta completa das lesões secundárias cerebrais e franca resposta parcial das lesões torácicas.A metastização cerebral, bastante prevalente no contexto do CPNPC, está associada a escassas opções terapêuticas eficazes e, consequentemente, a uma sobre-vida mediana de 4 a 6 meses.Estes casos alertam para o erlotinib como uma excelente opção terapêutica para estes doentes. Os autores propõem um ensaio clínico com este fármaco neste grupo de doentes, procurando determinar da resposta objectiva.Rev Port Pneumol 2008; XIV (Supl 3: S35-S42 Abstract: We report two cases of brain metastases in context of non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC. After having progressed to chemotherapy they received erlotinib 150 mg/m2 orally daily, with complete response of brain metastasis and partial response of thoracic lesions.Brain metastases are both prevalent and a major cause of mortality in NSCLC, with few systemic treatment options. Median survival after whole brain radiotherapy is 4-6 months and the role of systemic therapy for brain metastases is limited with the most drugs use to stage IV disease ineffective in this setting.This case demonstrates that brain metastases may be sensitive to erlotinib and give to us growing body of evidence that EGFR-associated tyrosine kinase inhibition is a feasible strategy in the management of NSCLC patients with brain metastasesWe propose further study into the continued use of this drug in the situation where there is a differential response.Rev Port Pneumol 2008; XIV (Supl 3: S35-S42 Palavras-chave: Erlotinib, metástase cerebral, cancro do pulmão, Key-words: Erlotinib, brain metastasis, lung cancer
Lee, Jeeyun; Kim, Seung Tae; Park, Sungju; Lee, Sujin; Park, Se Hoon; Park, Joon Oh; Lim, Ho Yeong; Ahn, Hongmo; Bok, Haesook; Kim, Kyoung-Mee; Ahn, Myung Ju; Kang, Won Ki; Park, Young Suk
Samsung Advance Institute of Technology-301 (SAIT301) is a human immunoglobulin G2 antibody that can specifically target mesenchymal epithelial transition factor (c-MET). This novel antibody has higher priority over hepatocyte growth factors when binding to the Sema domain of c-MET and accelerates the internalization and degradation of c-MET, proving its powerful antitumor activities in intra- as well as extracellular areas. SAIT301 was administered intravenously once every 3 weeks in c-MET overexpressed solid tumor patients, focusing on metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) according to common clinical phase I criteria. Dose escalation was performed according to a modified Fibonacci design, following the conventional 3+3 design. The purpose of this phase I study was to assess the safety profile, to establish the recommended dose for clinical phase II studies and to assess potential anticancer activity of the compound. Sixteen patients with a median age of 56 (range, 39-69) years were enrolled in the study. The most common adverse events were decreased appetite (50.0%), hypophosphatemia, fatigue and dizziness (25.0%, respectively), and diarrhea, blood alkaline phosphatase increased and dyspnea (18.8%, respectively). For tumor response, no patients achieved complete response. One (9.1%) CRC patient had a partial response in the 1.23 mg/kg group, 4 (36.4%) patients achieved stable disease (2 in the 0.41 mg/kg group, 2 in the 1.23 mg/kg group, 0 in the 3.69 mg/kg group, and 1 in the 8.61 mg/kg group). Because of the increase in dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) at 8.61 mg/kg, the 3.69 mg/kg dose was considered the maximum tolerated dose and selected for further assessment in phase II. We successfully completed a phase I trial with MET antibody in a MET-overexpressed patient population focusing on CRC, and found that the DLTs were alkaline phosphatase elevation or hypophosphatemia. The recommended dose of SAIT301 for phase II is the dose of 3.69 mg/kg. Copyright © 2018
Madison, Jonathan D. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Susan, Donald F. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Kilgo, Alice C. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
The goal of this project is to generate 3D microstructural data by destructive and non-destructive means and provide accompanying characterization and quantitative analysis of such data. This work is a continuing part of a larger effort to relate material performance variability to microstructural variability. That larger effort is called “Predicting Performance Margins” or PPM. In conjunction with that overarching initiative, the RoboMET.3D™ is a specific asset of Center 1800 and is an automated serialsectioning system for destructive analysis of microstructure, which is called upon to provide direct customer support to 1800 and non-1800 customers. To that end, data collection, 3d reconstruction and analysis of typical and atypical microstructures have been pursued for the purposes of qualitative and quantitative characterization with a goal toward linking microstructural defects and/or microstructural features with mechanical response. Material systems examined in FY15 include precipitation hardened 17-4 steel, laser-welds of 304L stainless steel, thermal spray coatings of 304L and geological samples of sandstone.
Vicia Sánchez Abalos
Full Text Available Se presenta el caso clínico de una fémina de 44 años de edad, con 32 semanas de embarazo, la cual fuera ingresada en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos del Hospital General Docente "Dr. Juan Bruno Zayas Alfonso" de Santiago de Cuba, por presentar insuficiencia respiratoria aguda como consecuencia de una sepsis. La paciente fue tratada con cefalosporina de tercera generación y ventilación mecánica no invasiva, pero se mantuvieron las características gasométricas de hipoxemia y una mala reacción terapéutica, por lo que se requirió instrumentación de las vías respiratorias y soporte hemodinámico, sin lograr regresión del cuadro clínico, lo cual condujo a un paro cardiorrespiratorio y, con ello, a la muerte. La necropsia mostró un coriocarcinoma del endometrio con metástasis pulmonar
Bal, Prasanta Kumar; Ramachandran, A.; Geetha, R.; Bhaskaran, B.; Thirumurugan, P.; Indumathi, J.; Jayanthi, N.
In this paper, we present regional climate change projections for the Tamil Nadu state of India, simulated by the Met Office Hadley Centre regional climate model. The model is run at 25 km horizontal resolution driven by lateral boundary conditions generated by a perturbed physical ensemble of 17 simulations produced by a version of Hadley Centre coupled climate model, known as HadCM3Q under A1B scenario. The large scale features of these 17 simulations were evaluated for the target region to choose lateral boundary conditions from six members that represent a range of climate variations over the study region. The regional climate, known as PRECIS, was then run 130 years from 1970. The analyses primarily focus on maximum and minimum temperatures and rainfall over the region. For the Tamil Nadu as a whole, the projections of maximum temperature show an increase of 1.0, 2.2 and 3.1 °C for the periods 2020s (2005-2035), 2050s (2035-2065) and 2080s (2065-2095), respectively, with respect to baseline period (1970-2000). Similarly, the projections of minimum temperature show an increase of 1.1, 2.4 and 3.5 °C, respectively. This increasing trend is statistically significant (Mann-Kendall trend test). The annual rainfall projections for the same periods indicate a general decrease in rainfall of about 2-7, 1-4 and 4-9 %, respectively. However, significant exceptions are noticed over some pockets of western hilly areas and high rainfall areas where increases in rainfall are seen. There are also indications of increasing heavy rainfall events during the northeast monsoon season and a slight decrease during the southwest monsoon season. Such an approach of using climate models may maximize the utility of high-resolution climate change information for impact-adaptation-vulnerability assessments.
Development and demonstration of Denmark's first low-energy class 1 office building with focus on electricity consumption. Final report; Udvikling og demonstration af Danmarks foerste lavenergiklasse 1 kontorbyggeri med fokus pae elforbrug. Slutrapport
Stephansen, C. [En2tech, Skanderborg (Denmark); Nellemose Knudsen, H. [Aalborg Univ., Statens Byggeforskningsinstitut (SBi), Koebenhavn (Denmark); Busk Rohde, T. [EnergiMidt, Silkeborg (Denmark); Nielsen, Allan [Insight Building Automation, Silkeborg (Denmark)
The company EnergiMidt's new office building is established as a low-energy class 1 building, and although it has shown a significantly higher consumption than expected in the first 1.5 years of operation, extensive experience and knowledge of the development and implementation of a low-energy class 1 building was provided, as well as of the possibilities for improvements so that low energy requirements can realistically be achieved. Employees' expectations for the new systems and indoor climate are largely met, but considerable experience is also gained about how to introduce and adapt new technology in the workplace for the employees. (LN)
Honig, E.M.; Swannack, C.E.; Warren, R.W.; Whitaker, D.H.
Three distinct sets of switching requirements have emerged from design optimization studies of large superconducting magnetic energy storage systems, such as the METS system to power the adiabatic plasma compression field in the proposed theta-pinch SFTR. Extremely low joule loss cryogenic disconnects are required between storage coils in the liquid helium environment to allow charging the coils in series over a prolonged time, then to isolate the coils for parallel fast discharging into the load. Another switch must break the current in the series charging loop and absorb the energy from the stray inductance. This action will allow the subsequent opening of the cryogenic disconnects under near zero current condition. The current now has been transferred to the many paralleled circuits, each containing a high current, high voltage interrupter. The opening and arc commutation of the interrupter starts the energy transfer into the load. The primary activities associated with cryogenic disconnect have been testing and development of contact materials, configurations, and closing forces for carrying 26 kA with a resistance less than 40 nΩ, and development of an actuating system that is both reliable and fast acting in a liquid helium environment. The charging loop switch will include a continuous duty switch and a vacuum interrupter. The continuous duty switch resistance can be an order of magnitude larger than that of the cryogenic disconnect because it does not present a refrigeration load. The HVDC interrupter must break 26 kA and withstand 60 kV during the energy transfer time of 700 μs. Testing in progress already has shown successful interruption using single vacuum interrupters up to 31 kA and 66 kV
Report on the behalf of the Parliamentary Office for the Assessment of Scientific and Technological Choices on innovation and climate change: the contribution of the scientific and technological assessment. Report of the public hearing of the 24 September 2015, and considerations come out of debates for the purpose of a transmission to the COP21 negotiators. National Assembly Nr 3206, Senate Nr 147
Le Deaut, Jean-Yves; SIDO, Bruno
This document reports the various contributions presented during a public hearing organised by the French Parliamentary Office for Scientific and Technological Choices (OPECST) with the support of the European Parliamentary Technology Assessment (EPTA), notably to prepare the Paris Conference on Climate (COP21). The contributions and their associated round tables addressed the following topics: Innovation as a tool to promote energy efficiency in the building sector, Innovations to feed mankind while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Innovation in the transport sector and sustainable mobility, and citizen involvement in the management of smart technologies. For each of these topics, some contributions propose prospective elements
This is the report on Task IB, Familiarization with Additional Data Collection Plans of Annual Survey of BOMA Member and Non-Member Buildings in 20 Cities, of the Energy Use in Office Buildings project. The purpose of the work was to monitor and understand the efforts of the Building Owners and Managers Association International (BOMA) in gathering an energy-use-oriented data base. In order to obtain an improved data base encompassing a broad spectrum of office space and with information suitable for energy analysis in greater detail than is currently available, BOMA undertook a major data-collection effort. Based on a consideration of geographic area, climate, population, and availability of data, BOMA selected twenty cities for data collection. BOMA listed all of the major office space - buildings in excess of 40,000 square feet - in each of the cities. Tax-assessment records, local maps, Chamber of Commerce data, recent industrial-development programs, results of related studies, and local-realtor input were used in an effort to assemble a comprehensive office-building inventory. In order to verify the accuracy and completeness of the building lists, BOMA assembled an Ad-Hoc Review Committee in each city to review the assembled inventory of space. A questionnaire on office-building energy use and building characteristics was developed. In each city BOMA assembled a data collection team operating under the supervision of its regional affiliate to gather the data. For each city a random sample of buildings was selected, and data were gathered. Responses for over 1000 buildings were obtained.
Management Fellows (PMFs) Program Coordination Office - Leadership Development Program (PCO-LDP) Employee (NRAP) Presidential Management Fellows (PMFs) Program Coordination Office - Leadership Development ) NOAA Leadership Seminar (NLS) NOAA Rotational Assignment Program (NRAP) Presidential Management Fellows
Department of Housing and Urban Development — HUD is organized in 10 Regions. Each Region is managed by a Regional Administrator, who also oversees the Regional Office. Each Field Office within a Region is...
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Each new report of the office automation market indicates technology is overrunning the office. The impacts of this technology are described and some ways to manage and physically "soften" the change to a computer-based office environment are suggested. (Author/MLW)
A basic introduction to learn Office 2013 quickly, easily, and in full color Office 2013 has new features and tools to master, and whether you're upgrading from an earlier version or using the Office applications for the first time, you'll appreciate this simplified approach. Offering a clear, visual style of learning, this book provides you with concise, step-by-step instructions and full-color screen shots that walk you through the applications in the Microsoft Office 2013 suite: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Publisher.Shows you how to tackle dozens of Office 2013
Office 2013 For Dummies is the key to your brand new Office! Packed with straightforward, friendly instruction, this update to one of the bestselling Office books of all time gets you thoroughly up to speed and helps you learn how to take full advantage of the new features in Office 2013. After coverage of the fundamentals, you'll discover how to spice up your Word documents, edit Excel spreadsheets and create formulas, add pizazz to your PowerPoint presentation, and much more.Helps you harness the power of all five Office 2013 applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint,
Full Text Available c-Met plays a pivotal role in the development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, which can lead to proliferation, survival, cytoskeleton reorganization, separation and diffusion, and angiogenesis of tumor cells. Moreover, c-Met is an important prognostic factor for HCC. In HCC, c-Met acts as an activator of a series of signaling pathways, including PI3K/AKT/mTOR, ERK/MAPK, and Rac-Pak. In recent years, it has been reported that small-molecule kinase inhibitors can abolish phosphorylation at the intracellular carboxyl terminal of c-Met, and then inhibit the recruitment of signal convertors and downstream signaling pathways, which finally achieve anti-tumor activities. Based on the carcinogenic activity of c-Met in HCC, this paper points out that selective inhibitors of c-Met hold promise for targeted therapies for HCC.
Environment-friendly building complex of the BBVA bank in Madrid, Spain. Sustainable and healthy indoor climate in a new office building; Spaans BBVA-cornplex milieuvriendelijk gebouwd. Duurzaam en gezond binnenklimaat nieuw hoofdkantoor
Petersen, G. [Swegon, Capelle aan den IJssel (Netherlands)
In the design and construction of the new office building of the Spanish bank BBVA (Madrid) sustainability and environmental effects were important aspects. The office building complex will certified by the American company Leed Gold. The energy efficient installations are made possible by Eurovent-certified heat recovery units and comfort units. [Dutch] Bij de bouw van het nieuwe hoofdkantoor van de Spaanse bank BBVA in Madrid staan duurzaamheid en milieuvriendelijkheid hoog in het vaandel. Het complex zal na de oplevering worden gecertificeerd conform het Amerikaanse Leed Gold. De energiezuinige installatie wordt mede mogelijk gemaakt door Eurovent-gecertificeerde wtw-units en comfortunits.
the other hand, developed an unusual camaraderie through identifying with their underdog Mets." (7) Teams are finding good public relations programs do...supports the club. Question 24 was designed to measure brand loyalty by respondents to Mets sponsors versus non-Mets sponsors. Finally, question 27...be done to attract crowds. Especially with a brand new stadium. The Carolinas, in my opinion, are big minor league baseball states. Let’s get people
Srivastava, Apurva K; Navas, Tony; Herrick, William G; Hollingshead, Melinda G; Bottaro, Donald P; Doroshow, James H; Parchment, Ralph E
MET tyrosine kinase (TK) dysregulation is significantly implicated in many types of cancer. Despite over 20 years of drug development to target MET in cancers, a pure anti-MET therapeutic has not yet received market approval. The failure of two recently concluded phase III trials point to a major weakness in biomarker strategies to identify patients who will benefit most from MET therapies. The capability to interrogate oncogenic mutations in MET via circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) provides an important advancement in identification and stratification of patients for MET therapy. However, a wide range in type and frequency of these mutations suggest there is a need to carefully link these mutations to MET dysregulation, at least in proof-of-concept studies. In this review, we elaborate how we can utilize recently developed and validated pharmacodynamic biomarkers of MET not only to show target engagement, but more importantly to quantitatively measure MET dysregulation in tumor tissues. The MET assay endpoints provide evidence of both canonical and non-canonical MET signaling, can be used as "effect markers" to define biologically effective doses (BEDs) for molecularly targeted drugs, confirm mechanism-of-action in testing combination of drugs, and establish whether a diagnostic test is reporting MET dysregulation. We have established standard operating procedures for tumor biopsy collections to control pre-analytical variables that have produced valid results in proof-of-concept studies. The reagents and procedures are made available to the research community for potential implementation on multiple platforms such as ELISA, quantitative immunofluorescence assay (qIFA), and immuno-MRM assays.
Full Text Available In previous work, the authors demonstrated how data from climate simulations can be utilized to estimate regional wind power densities. In particular, it was shown that the quality of wind power densities, estimated from the UPSCALE global dataset in offshore regions of Mexico, compared well with regional high resolution studies. Additionally, a link between surface temperature and moist air density in the estimates was presented. UPSCALE is an acronym for UK on PRACE (the Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe-weather-resolving Simulations of Climate for globAL Environmental risk. The UPSCALE experiment was performed in 2012 by NCAS (National Centre for Atmospheric Science-Climate, at the University of Reading and the UK Met Office Hadley Centre. The study included a 25.6-year, five-member ensemble simulation of the HadGEM3 global atmosphere, at 25km resolution for present climate conditions. The initial conditions for the ensemble runs were taken from consecutive days of a test configuration. In the present paper, the emphasis is placed on the single climate run for a potential future climate scenario in the UPSCALE experiment dataset, using the Representation Concentrations Pathways (RCP 8.5 climate change scenario. Firstly, some tests were performed to ensure that the results using only one instantiation of the current climate dataset are as robust as possible within the constraints of the available data. In order to achieve this, an artificial time series over a longer sampling period was created. Then, it was shown that these longer time series provided almost the same results than the short ones, thus leading to the argument that the short time series is sufficient to capture the climate. Finally, with the confidence that one instantiation is sufficient, the future climate dataset was analysed to provide, for the first time, a projection of future changes in wind power resources using the UPSCALE dataset. It is hoped that this, in
Gross, Markus; Magar, Vanesa
In previous work, the authors demonstrated how data from climate simulations can be utilized to estimate regional wind power densities. In particular, it was shown that the quality of wind power densities, estimated from the UPSCALE global dataset in offshore regions of Mexico, compared well with regional high resolution studies. Additionally, a link between surface temperature and moist air density in the estimates was presented. UPSCALE is an acronym for UK on PRACE (the Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe)-weather-resolving Simulations of Climate for globAL Environmental risk. The UPSCALE experiment was performed in 2012 by NCAS (National Centre for Atmospheric Science)-Climate, at the University of Reading and the UK Met Office Hadley Centre. The study included a 25.6-year, five-member ensemble simulation of the HadGEM3 global atmosphere, at 25km resolution for present climate conditions. The initial conditions for the ensemble runs were taken from consecutive days of a test configuration. In the present paper, the emphasis is placed on the single climate run for a potential future climate scenario in the UPSCALE experiment dataset, using the Representation Concentrations Pathways (RCP) 8.5 climate change scenario. Firstly, some tests were performed to ensure that the results using only one instantiation of the current climate dataset are as robust as possible within the constraints of the available data. In order to achieve this, an artificial time series over a longer sampling period was created. Then, it was shown that these longer time series provided almost the same results than the short ones, thus leading to the argument that the short time series is sufficient to capture the climate. Finally, with the confidence that one instantiation is sufficient, the future climate dataset was analysed to provide, for the first time, a projection of future changes in wind power resources using the UPSCALE dataset. It is hoped that this, in turn, will provide
Gross, Markus; Magar, Vanesa
In previous work, the authors demonstrated how data from climate simulations can be utilized to estimate regional wind power densities. In particular, it was shown that the quality of wind power densities, estimated from the UPSCALE global dataset in offshore regions of Mexico, compared well with regional high resolution studies. Additionally, a link between surface temperature and moist air density in the estimates was presented. UPSCALE is an acronym for UK on PRACE (the Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe)—weather-resolving Simulations of Climate for globAL Environmental risk. The UPSCALE experiment was performed in 2012 by NCAS (National Centre for Atmospheric Science)-Climate, at the University of Reading and the UK Met Office Hadley Centre. The study included a 25.6-year, five-member ensemble simulation of the HadGEM3 global atmosphere, at 25km resolution for present climate conditions. The initial conditions for the ensemble runs were taken from consecutive days of a test configuration. In the present paper, the emphasis is placed on the single climate run for a potential future climate scenario in the UPSCALE experiment dataset, using the Representation Concentrations Pathways (RCP) 8.5 climate change scenario. Firstly, some tests were performed to ensure that the results using only one instantiation of the current climate dataset are as robust as possible within the constraints of the available data. In order to achieve this, an artificial time series over a longer sampling period was created. Then, it was shown that these longer time series provided almost the same results than the short ones, thus leading to the argument that the short time series is sufficient to capture the climate. Finally, with the confidence that one instantiation is sufficient, the future climate dataset was analysed to provide, for the first time, a projection of future changes in wind power resources using the UPSCALE dataset. It is hoped that this, in turn, will
Kawakami, Hisato [Department of Medical Oncology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan); Okamoto, Isamu, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org [Department of Medical Oncology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan); Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Kyushu University Hospital, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashiku, Fukuoka 812-8582 (Japan); Okamoto, Wataru [Department of Medical Oncology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan); Division of Transrlational Research, Exploratory Oncology Research & Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, 6-5-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8577 (Japan); Tanizaki, Junko [Department of Medical Oncology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan); Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, HIM223, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 (United States); Nakagawa, Kazuhiko [Department of Medical Oncology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan); Nishio, Kazuto [Department of Genome Biology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan)
Certain genetically defined cancers are dependent on a single overactive oncogene for their proliferation and survival, a phenomenon known as “oncogene addiction”. A new generation of drugs that selectively target such “driver oncogenes” manifests a clinical efficacy greater than that of conventional chemotherapy in appropriate genetically defined patients. MET is a proto-oncogene that encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase, and aberrant activation of MET signaling occurs in a subset of advanced cancers as result of various genetic alterations including gene amplification, polysomy, and gene mutation. Our preclinical studies have shown that inhibition of MET signaling either with the small-molecule MET inhibitor crizotinib or by RNA interference targeted to MET mRNA resulted in marked antitumor effects in cancer cell lines with MET amplification both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, patients with non-small cell lung cancer or gastric cancer positive for MET amplification have shown a pronounced clinical response to crizotinib. Accumulating preclinical and clinical evidence thus suggests that MET amplification is an “oncogenic driver” and therefore a valid target for treatment. However, the prevalence of MET amplification has not been fully determined, possibly in part because of the difficulty in evaluating gene amplification. In this review, we provide a rationale for targeting this genetic alteration in cancer therapy.
Kawakami, Hisato; Okamoto, Isamu; Okamoto, Wataru; Tanizaki, Junko; Nakagawa, Kazuhiko; Nishio, Kazuto
Certain genetically defined cancers are dependent on a single overactive oncogene for their proliferation and survival, a phenomenon known as “oncogene addiction”. A new generation of drugs that selectively target such “driver oncogenes” manifests a clinical efficacy greater than that of conventional chemotherapy in appropriate genetically defined patients. MET is a proto-oncogene that encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase, and aberrant activation of MET signaling occurs in a subset of advanced cancers as result of various genetic alterations including gene amplification, polysomy, and gene mutation. Our preclinical studies have shown that inhibition of MET signaling either with the small-molecule MET inhibitor crizotinib or by RNA interference targeted to MET mRNA resulted in marked antitumor effects in cancer cell lines with MET amplification both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, patients with non-small cell lung cancer or gastric cancer positive for MET amplification have shown a pronounced clinical response to crizotinib. Accumulating preclinical and clinical evidence thus suggests that MET amplification is an “oncogenic driver” and therefore a valid target for treatment. However, the prevalence of MET amplification has not been fully determined, possibly in part because of the difficulty in evaluating gene amplification. In this review, we provide a rationale for targeting this genetic alteration in cancer therapy
Jo, Dae-Sun; Kim, Se-Lim; Kim, Sun-Young; Hwang, Pyoung Han; Lee, Kee-Hyoung; Lee, Dae-Yeol
Ghrelin is a novel gut-brain peptide that has somatotropic, orexigenic, and adipogenic effects. We examined the preproghrelin Leu72Met polymorphism in 222 obese Korean children to determine whether it is associated with obesity. The frequencies of the Leu72Met polymorphism were 29.3% in obese, 32.3% in overweight, and 32.5% in lean Korean children. No significant difference was found between Met72 carrier and non-carrier obese children with respect to BMI, total body fat, serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, or LDL-cholesterol levels. Our data suggest that the preproghrelin Leu72Met polymorphism is not associated with obesity in children.
Haukka, H.; Harri, A.-M.; Schmidt, W.; Genzer, M.; Polkko, J.; Kemppinen, O.; Leinonen, J.
A new kind of planetary exploration mission for Mars is being developed in collaboration between the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Lavochkin Association (LA), Space Research Institute (IKI) and Institutio Nacional de Tecnica Aerospacial (INTA). The Mars MetNet mission is based on a new semi-hard landing vehicle called MetNet Lander (MNL). MetBaro and MetHumi are part of the scientific payload of the MNL. Main scientific goal of both devices is to measure the meteorological phenomena (pressure and humidity) of the Martian atmosphere and complement the previous Mars mission atmospheric measurements (Viking and Phoenix) for better understanding of the Martian atmospheric conditions.
Konduru, R.; Singh, V.; Routray, A.
A special report on the climate extremes by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) elucidates that the sole cause of disasters is due to the exposure and vulnerability of the human and natural system to the climate extremes. The cause of such a climate extreme could be anthropogenic or non-anthropogenic. Therefore, it is challenging to discern the critical factor of influence for a particular climate extreme. Such kind of perceptive study with reasonable confidence on climate extreme events is possible only if there exist any past case studies. A similar rarest climate extreme problem encountered in the case of Houston floods and extreme rainfall over Florida in August 2017. A continuum of hurricanes like Harvey and Irma targeted the Florida region and caused catastrophe. Due to the rarity of August 2017 Florida climate extreme event, it requires the in-depth study on this case. To understand the multi-faceted nature of the event, a study on the development of the Harvey hurricane and its progression and dynamics is significant. Current article focus on the observational and modeling study on the Harvey hurricane. A global model named as NCUM (The global UK Met office Unified Model (UM) operational at National Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, India, was utilized to simulate the Harvey hurricane. The simulated rainfall and wind fields were compared with the observational datasets like Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission rainfall datasets and Era-Interim wind fields. The National Centre for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) automated tracking system was utilized to track the Harvey hurricane, and the tracks were analyzed statistically for different forecasts concerning the Harvey hurricane track of Joint Typhon Warning Centre. Further, the current study will be continued to investigate the atmospheric processes involved in the August 2017 Florida climate extreme event.
Martínez-Alvarado, Oscar; Gray, Suzanne L.; Hart, Neil C. G.; Clark, Peter A.; Hodges, Kevin; Roberts, Malcolm J.
Extra-tropical cyclones dominate autumn and winter weather over western Europe. The strongest cyclones, often termed windstorms, have a large socio-economic impact on landfall due to strong surface winds and coastal storm surges. Climate model integrations have predicted a future increase in the frequency of, and potential damage from, European windstorms and yet these integrations cannot properly represent localised jets, such as sting jets, that may significantly enhance damage. Here we present the first prediction of how the climatology of sting-jet-containing cyclones will change in a future warmer climate, considering the North Atlantic and Europe. A proven sting-jet precursor diagnostic is applied to 13 year present-day and future (~2100) climate integrations from the Met Office Unified Model in its Global Atmosphere 3.0 configuration. The present-day climate results are consistent with previously-published results from a reanalysis dataset (with around 32% of cyclones exhibiting the sing-jet precursor), lending credibility to the analysis of the future-climate integration. The proportion of cyclones exhibiting the sting-jet precursor in the future-climate integration increases to 45%. Furthermore, while the proportion of explosively-deepening storms increases only slightly in the future climate, the proportion of those storms with the sting-jet precursor increases by 60%. The European resolved-wind risk associated with explosively-deepening storms containing a sting-jet precursor increases substantially in the future climate; in reality this wind risk is likely to be further enhanced by the release of localised moist instability, unresolved by typical climate models.
Full Text Available Aims. Inhibitors of the MET pathway hold promise in the treatment for metastatic kidney cancer. Assessment of predictive biomarkers may be necessary for appropriate patient selection. Understanding MET expression in metastases and the correlation to the primary site is important, as distant tissue is not always available. Methods and Results. MET immunofluorescence was performed using automated quantitative analysis and a tissue microarray containing matched nephrectomy and distant metastatic sites from 34 patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Correlations between MET expressions in matched primary and metastatic sites and the extent of heterogeneity were calculated. The mean expression of MET was not significantly different between primary tumors when compared to metastases (P=0.1. MET expression weakly correlated between primary and matched metastatic sites (R=0.5 and a number of cases exhibited very high levels of discordance between these tumors. Heterogeneity within nephrectomy specimens compared to the paired metastatic tissues was not significantly different (P=0.39. Conclusions. We found that MET expression is not significantly different in primary tumors than metastatic sites and only weakly correlates between matched sites. Moderate concordance of MET expression and significant expression heterogeneity may be a barrier to the development of predictive biomarkers using MET targeting agents.
Full Text Available The human receptor tyrosine kinase c-Met plays an important role in the control of critical cellular processes. Since c-Met is frequently over expressed or deregulated in human malignancies, blocking its activation is of special interest for therapy. In normal conditions, the c-Met receptor is activated by its bivalent ligand hepatocyte growth factor (HGF. Also bivalent antibodies can activate the receptor by cross linking, limiting therapeutic applications. We report the generation of the RNA aptamer CLN64 containing 2'-fluoro pyrimidine modifications by systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX. CLN64 and a previously described single-stranded DNA (ssDNA aptamer CLN3 exhibited high specificities and affinities to recombinant and cellular expressed c-Met. Both aptamers effectively inhibited HGF-dependent c-Met activation, signaling and cell migration. We showed that these aptamers did not induce c-Met activation, revealing an advantage over bivalent therapeutic molecules. Both aptamers were shown to bind overlapping epitopes but only CLN3 competed with HGF binding to cMet. In addition to their therapeutic and diagnostic potential, CLN3 and CLN64 aptamers exhibit valuable tools to further understand the structural and functional basis for c-Met activation or inhibition by synthetic ligands and their interplay with HGF binding.
future." Several others noted that their decision to purchase or lease a PEV was based on MetLife's : MetLife " By making PEV charging stations more readily available to employees, we can encourage more promote alternative transportation. By making PEV charging stations more readily available to employees
Met 3 ronden van elk 36 Piemontese X zwartbonte kruislingstieren is het effect van extra krachtvoer vergeleken met de normaal gangbare gift naast onbeperkt snijmaoskuil. De stieren waren gehuisvest in een natuurlijk geventileerde stal (space-boarding)en op een volledige roostervloer.
van Diepen, A.; Huisman, C.
Wat in de jaren zeventig begonnen is als Sociologie van bouwen en wonen is uitgegroeid tot Stadssociologie. Leon Deben heeft het medeopgebouwd. Hij nam onlangs afscheid van de universiteit met een rede over de openbare ruimte. "Het centrale bestuur van de stad is druk met de waan van de dag en dan
Punt, M.; Helmond, P.E.; Meirmans, M.; Otten, R.; Speckens, A.E.M.
Mensen met een licht verstandelijke beperking (LVB) hebben veelal te maken met een opeenstapeling van verschillende biologische, psychologische en sociale factoren, waardoor zij vijf tot zes keer meer kans hebben op het ontwikkelen van psychopathologie dan normaal begaafden (Allen, 2008; Buckles,
7 Jun 2011 ... maar met die aard daarvan. Polkinghorne wil met sy boek One World (1996) presies sê wat die titel suggereer. Hiervoor kry hy die oplossing by sy mentor en latere kollega, Paul Dirac. Vir meer as 30 jaar het Dirac dieselfde leerstoel in Fisika aan Cambridge beklee as Isaac Newton (Polkinghorne 2005:34).
Tu, William H; Zhu, Chunfang; Clark, Curtis; Christensen, James G; Sun, Zijie
Aberrant expression of HGF/SF and its receptor, c-Met, often correlates with advanced prostate cancer. Our previous study showed that expression of c-Met in prostate cancer cells was increased after attenuation of androgen receptor (AR) signalling. This suggested that current androgen ablation therapy for prostate cancer activates c-Met expression and may contribute to development of more aggressive, castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Therefore, we directly assessed the efficacy of c-Met inhibition during androgen ablation on the growth and progression of prostate cancer. We tested two c-Met small molecule inhibitors, PHA-665752 and PF-2341066, for anti-proliferative activity by MTS assay and cell proliferation assay on human prostate cancer cell lines with different levels of androgen sensitivity. We also used renal subcapsular and castrated orthotopic xenograft mouse models to assess the effect of the inhibitors on prostate tumor formation and progression. We demonstrated a dose-dependent inhibitory effect of PHA-665752 and PF-2341066 on the proliferation of human prostate cancer cells and the phosphorylation of c-Met. The effect on cell proliferation was stronger in androgen insensitive cells. The c-Met inhibitor, PF-2341066, significantly reduced growth of prostate tumor cells in the renal subcapsular mouse model and the castrated orthotopic mouse model. The effect on cell proliferation was greater following castration. The c-Met inhibitors demonstrated anti-proliferative efficacy when combined with androgen ablation therapy for advanced prostate cancer
Pascual Osés, Maite
The aim of this project is to develop an auxiliary office chair, which favorably will compete with the existing chairs on the market. Evolutions of ergonomical survey in the work environment and on the configuration of offices require new products which fulfill the requirements properly. In order to achieve it a survey about office chairs has been carried out: types, characteristics, ways of usage and products on the market besides a large antropometrical study and ergonomics related to work ...
Dodds, Chris M; Henson, Richard N; Suckling, John
It has been suggested that the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism modulates episodic memory performance via effects on hippocampal neural circuitry. However, fMRI studies have yielded inconsistent results in this respect. Moreover, very few studies have examined the effect of met allele load on activatio...
Senior, Catherine A.; Andrews, Timothy; Burton, Chantelle; Chadwick, Robin; Copsey, Dan; Graham, Tim; Hyder, Pat; Jackson, Laura; McDonald, Ruth; Ridley, Jeff; Ringer, Mark; Tsushima, Yoko
Idealized climate change simulations with a new physical climate model, HadGEM3-GC2 from The Met Office Hadley Centre are presented and contrasted with the earlier MOHC model, HadGEM2-ES. The role of atmospheric resolution is also investigated. The Transient Climate Response (TCR) is 1.9 K/2.1 K at N216/N96 and Effective Climate Sensitivity (ECS) is 3.1 K/3.2 K at N216/N96. These are substantially lower than HadGEM2-ES (TCR: 2.5 K; ECS: 4.6 K) arising from a combination of changes in the size of climate feedbacks. While the change in the net cloud feedback between HadGEM3 and HadGEM2 is relatively small, there is a change in sign of its longwave and a strengthening of its shortwave components. At a global scale, there is little impact of the increase in atmospheric resolution on the future climate change signal and even at a broad regional scale, many features are robust including tropical rainfall changes, however, there are some significant exceptions. For the North Atlantic and western Europe, the tripolar pattern of winter storm changes found in most CMIP5 models is little impacted by resolution but for the most intense storms, there is a larger percentage increase in number at higher resolution than at lower resolution. Arctic sea-ice sensitivity shows a larger dependence on resolution than on atmospheric physics.
Nastiti, S. I. W.; Kusnoputranto, H.; Boer, R.; Utomo, S. W.
The demand for clean water in South Tangerang, Indonesia, is very high. At present, this demand is mostly met by groundwater that is much influenced by climate variability, land cover change, and human activities. The local company on water services (PDAM) provides clean water services for only about 9% of the population. The climate risk assessment conducted by South Tangerang Government in 2016 indicates that several areas are potentially exposed to a high risk of climate change. Survey and in-depth interview with communities and sectoral officers suggest that a risk to clean water supply in this city is increasing. This study aims to assess climate potential risks on clean water supply based on the 2016 study. We adopted the method of that study by modifying some of the vulnerability indicators that can represent clean water access and supply. The results of the study demonstrate that many wards in South Tangerang would be exposed to high climate risks of clean water supply. By 2021, about 54% of wards would be exposed from high to the very very high risk of clean water supply. These results signify the tangible need of adaptation actions, to prevent the worsening impacts of climate on clean water supply.
Cowle, E.S.; Hall, L.D.; Koss, P.; Saheb, E.; Setrakian, V.
This paper addresses the viability of multi-office project engineering as has been made possible in a large part by the computer age. Brief discussions are provided on two past projects describing the authors' initial efforts at multi-office engineering, and an in-depth discussion is provided on a current Bechtel project that demonstrates their multi-office engineering capabilities. Efficiencies and cost savings associated with executing an engineering project from multiple office locations was identified as a viable and cost-effective execution approach. The paper also discusses how the need for multi-office engineering came about, what is required to succeed, and where they are going from here. Furthermore, it summarizes the benefits to their clients and to Bechtel
Global climate change is a serious environmental concern, and the US has developed ''An Action Agenda'' to deal with it. At the heart of the US effort is the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), which has been developed by the Committee on Earth and Environmental Sciences (CEES) of the Federal Coordinating Council for Sciences, Engineering, and Technology (FCCSET). The USGCRP will provide the scientific basis for sound policy making on the climate-change issue. The DOE contribution to the USGCRP is the Carbon Dioxide Research Program, which now places particular emphasis on the rapid improvement of the capability to predict global and regional climate change. DOE's Carbon Dioxide Research Program has been addressing the carbon dioxide-climate change connection for more than twelve years and has provided a solid scientific foundation for the USGCRP. The expansion of the DOE effort reflects the increased attention that the Department has placed on the issue and is reflected in the National Energy Strategy (NES) that was released in 1991. This Program Summary describes projects funded by the Carbon Dioxide Research Program during FY 1991 and gives a brief overview of objectives, organization, and accomplishments. The Environmental Sciences Division of the Office of Health and Environmental Research, Office of Energy Research supports a Carbon Dioxide Research Program to determine the scientific linkage between the rise of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, especially carbon dioxide, and climate and vegetation change. One facet is the Core CO 2 Program, a pioneering program that DOE established more than 10 years ago to understand and predict the ways that fossil-fuel burning could affect atmospheric CO 2 concentration, global climate, and the Earth's biosphere. Major research areas are: global carbon cycle; climate detection and models of climate change; vegetation research; resource analysis; and, information and integration
Dodds, Chris M; Henson, Richard N; Suckling, John; Miskowiak, Kamilla W; Ooi, Cinly; Tait, Roger; Soltesz, Fruzsina; Lawrence, Phil; Bentley, Graham; Maltby, Kay; Skeggs, Andrew; Miller, Sam R; McHugh, Simon; Bullmore, Edward T; Nathan, Pradeep J
It has been suggested that the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism modulates episodic memory performance via effects on hippocampal neural circuitry. However, fMRI studies have yielded inconsistent results in this respect. Moreover, very few studies have examined the effect of met allele load on activation of memory circuitry. In the present study, we carried out a comprehensive analysis of the effects of the BDNF polymorphism on brain responses during episodic memory encoding and retrieval, including an investigation of the effect of met allele load on memory related activation in the medial temporal lobe. In contrast to previous studies, we found no evidence for an effect of BDNF genotype or met load during episodic memory encoding. Met allele carriers showed increased activation during successful retrieval in right hippocampus but this was contrast-specific and unaffected by met allele load. These results suggest that the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism does not, as previously claimed, exert an observable effect on neural systems underlying encoding of new information into episodic memory but may exert a subtle effect on the efficiency with which such information can be retrieved.
Chris M Dodds
Full Text Available It has been suggested that the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism modulates episodic memory performance via effects on hippocampal neural circuitry. However, fMRI studies have yielded inconsistent results in this respect. Moreover, very few studies have examined the effect of met allele load on activation of memory circuitry. In the present study, we carried out a comprehensive analysis of the effects of the BDNF polymorphism on brain responses during episodic memory encoding and retrieval, including an investigation of the effect of met allele load on memory related activation in the medial temporal lobe. In contrast to previous studies, we found no evidence for an effect of BDNF genotype or met load during episodic memory encoding. Met allele carriers showed increased activation during successful retrieval in right hippocampus but this was contrast-specific and unaffected by met allele load. These results suggest that the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism does not, as previously claimed, exert an observable effect on neural systems underlying encoding of new information into episodic memory but may exert a subtle effect on the efficiency with which such information can be retrieved.
Full Text Available Background: The main source of noise in open plan office are conversations. Office work standards in such premises are attained by applying specific acoustic adaptation. This article presents the results of pilot tests and acoustic evaluation of open space rooms. Material and Methods: Acoustic properties of 6 open plan office rooms were the subject of the tests. Evaluation parameters, measurement methods and criterial values were adopted according to the following standards: PN-EN ISO 3382- 3:2012, PN-EN ISO 3382-2:2010, PN-B-02151-4:2015-06 and PN-B-02151-3:2015-10. Results: The reverberation time was 0.33– 0.55 s (maximum permissible value in offices – 0.6 s; the criterion was met, sound absorption coefficient in relation to 1 m2 of the room’s plan was 0.77–1.58 m2 (minimum permissible value – 1.1 m2; 2 out of 6 rooms met the criterion, distraction distance was 8.5–14 m (maximum permissible value – 5 m; none of the rooms met the criterion, A-weighted sound pressure level of speech at a distance of 4 m was 43.8–54.7 dB (maximum permissible value – 48 dB; 2 out of 6 rooms met the criterion, spatial decay rate of the speech was 1.8–6.3 dB (minimum permissible value – 7 dB; none of the rooms met the criterion. Conclusions: Standard acoustic treatment, containing sound absorbing suspended ceiling, sound absorbing materials on the walls, carpet flooring and sound absorbing workplace barriers, is not sufficient. These rooms require specific advanced acoustic solutions. Med Pr 2016;67(5:653–662
Xu, Yiru, E-mail: email@example.com; Fisher, Gary J., E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org [Department of Dermatology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States)
Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common type of cancer worldwide. Despite advances in aggressive multidisciplinary treatments, the 5-year survival rate for this dreadful disease is only 50%, mostly due to high rate of recurrence and early involvement of regional lymph nodes and subsequent metastasis. Understanding the molecular mechanisms responsible for invasion and metastasis is one of the most pressing goals in the field of head and neck cancer. Met, also known as hepatocyte growth factor receptor (HGFR), is a member of the receptor protein tyrosine kinase (RPTK) family. There is compelling evidence that Met axis is dysregulated and plays important roles in tumorigenesis, progression, metastasis, angiogenesis, and drug resistance in head and neck cancer. We describe in this review current understanding of Met axis in head and neck cancer biology and development of therapeutic inhibitors targeting Met axis.
Meer flora en fauna in de stedelijke omgeving begint met de aanplant van gevarieerd groen. Plant Publicity Holland geeft in een overzicht aan welke bomen, heesters en vaste planten daarvoor geschikt zijn.
Harri, A.-M.; Haukka, H.; Aleksashkin, S.; Arruego, I.; Schmidt, W.; Genzer, M.; Vazquez, L.; Siikonen, T.; Palin, M.
A new kind of planetary exploration mission for Mars is under development in collaboration between the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Lavochkin Association (LA), Space Research Institute (IKI) and Institutio Nacional de Tecnica Aerospacial (INTA). The Mars MetNet mission is based on a new semi-hard landing vehicle called MetNet Lander (MNL). The scientific payload of the Mars MetNet Precursor mission is divided into three categories: Atmospheric instruments, Optical devices and Composition and structure devices. Each of the payload instruments will provide significant insights in to the Martian atmospheric behavior. The key technologies of the MetNet Lander have been qualified and the electrical qualification model (EQM) of the payload bay has been built and successfully tested.
Blacquiere, T.; Cornelissen, B.; Smeekens, C.C.; Steen, van der J.J.M.
Overzicht van voorhanden bestrijdingsmethoden tegen Varroa destructor op de korte termijn en vooruitzichten voor de bestrijding op langere termijn. In de nabije toekomst gaat het om bestrijding met diergeneesmiddelen van natuurlijke oorsprong (mierenzuur, oxaalzuur, thymol) in het kader van een
Hari, Ari-Matti; Haukka, Harri; Aleksashkin, Sergey; Arruego, Ignacio; Schmidt, Walter; Genzer, Maria; Vazquez, Luis; Siikonen, Timo; Palin, Matti
A new kind of planetary exploration mission for Mars is under development in collaboration between the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Lavochkin Association (LA), Space Research Institute (IKI) and Institutio Nacional de Tecnica Aerospacial (INTA). The Mars MetNet mission is based on a new semi-hard landing vehicle called MetNet Lander (MNL). The scientific payload of the Mars MetNet Precursor mission is divided into three categories: Atmospheric instruments, Optical devices and Composition and structure devices. Each of the payload instruments will provide significant insights in to the Martian atmospheric behavior. The key technologies of the MetNet Lander have been qualified and the electrical qualification model (EQM) of the payload bay has been built and successfully tested. 1. MetNet Lander The MetNet landing vehicles are using an inflatable entry and descent system instead of rigid heat shields and parachutes as earlier semi-hard landing devices have used. This way the ratio of the payload mass to the overall mass is optimized. The landing impact will burrow the payload container into the Martian soil providing a more favorable thermal environment for the electronics and a suitable orientation of the telescopic boom with external sensors and the radio link antenna. It is planned to deploy several tens of MNLs on the Martian surface operating at least partly at the same time to allow meteorological network science. 2. Strawman Scientific Payload The strawman payload of the two MNL precursor models includes the following instruments: Atmospheric instruments: - MetBaro Pressure device - MetHumi Humidity device - MetTemp Temperature sensors Optical devices: - PanCam Panoramic - MetSIS Solar irradiance sensor with OWLS optical wireless system for data transfer - DS Dust sensor Composition and Structure Devices: Tri-axial magnetometer MOURA Tri-axial System Accelerometer The descent processes dynamic properties are monitored by a special 3-axis
This complete training package makes learning the new Office 2013 even easier! Featuring both a video training DVD and a full-color book, this training package is like having your own personal instructor guiding you through each lesson of learning Office 2013, all while you work at your own pace. The self-paced lessons allow you to discover the new features and capabilities of the new Office suite. Each lesson includes step-by-step instructions and lesson files, and provides valuable video tutorials that complement what you're learning and clearly demonstrate how to do tasks. This essential
Walkenbach, John; Groh, Michael R
The best of the best from the bestselling authors of Excel, Word, and PowerPoint Bibles !. Take your pick of applications from the Office 2010 suite and your choice of leading experts to show you how to use them. This Office 2010 Bible features the best-of-the-best content from the Excel 2010 Bible , by "Mr. Spreadsheet" John Walkenbach; the Word 2010 Bible by Microsoft MVP Herb Tyson; the PowerPoint 2010 Bible , by PowerPoint expert Faithe Wempen; and coverage of Access 2010 from Microsoft MVP Michael Alexander. If you want to quickly and effectively begin using Office 2010, start i
Schipper, Janus; Hackenbruch, Julia
Climate change challenges science, politics, business and society at the international, national and regional level. The South German Climate Office at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is a contact for the structuring and dissemination of information on climate and climate change in the South German region. It provides scientifically based and user-oriented climate information. Thereby it builds a bridge between the climate sciences and society and provides scientific information on climate change in an understandable way. The expertise of KIT, in which several institutions operate on fundamental and applied climate research, and of partner institutions is the basis for the work in the climate office. The regional focus is on the south of Germany. Thematic focuses are e.g. regional climate modeling, trends in extreme weather events such as heavy rain and hail event, and issues for energy and water management. The South German Climate Office is one of four Regional Helmholtz Climate Offices, of which each has a regional and thematic focus. The users of the Climate Office can be summarized into three categories. First, there is the general public. This category consists mainly of non-professionals. Here, special attention is on an understandable translation of climate information. Attention is paid to application-related aspects, because each individual is affected in a different way by climate change. Typical examples of this category are school groups, citizens and the media. The second category consists of experts of other disciplines. Unlike the first category they are mainly interested in the exchange of results and data. It is important to the climate office to provide support for the use of climatological results. Typical representatives of this category are ministries, state offices, and companies. In the third and final category are scientists. In addition to the climatologists, this category also holds representatives from other scientific
Presented is the 2009 Chief Financial Officer's Annual Report. The data included in this report has been compiled from the Budget Office, the Controller, Procurement and Property Management and the Sponsored Projects Office.
A exposição ocupacional ao mercúrio metálico no módulo odontológico de uma unidade básica de saúde localizada na cidade de São Paulo Occupational exposure to metallic mercury in the dentist's office of a public primary health care clinic in the city of São Paulo
Débora M. R. Glina
Full Text Available Este artigo visa discutir a exposição ocupacional ao mercúrio metálico de dentistas e assistentes, enfocando a avaliação biológica, os efeitos na saúde e a avaliação ambiental. Os métodos utilizados foram visitas à unidade, avaliação ambiental, mapas de riscos, dosagens de mercúrio urinário e avaliação da saúde. Os resultados referentes ao ambiente e processos de trabalho mostraram: 1 as concentrações de vapor de mercúrio que impregnavam o revestimento ou tubulações de encanamentos variaram entre 0,001 e 0,051 mg/m3 de ar; 2 exposição ocupacional, havendo 62,5% dos trabalhadores com dosagens de mercúrio urinário entre 10 e 49µg/l e 37,5% abaixo de 10 µg/l em 1994. Estes trabalhadores estiveram expostos desde 1992, sendo suas dosagens de mercúrio urinário de 1992 inferiores às atuais; 3 vazamento de mercúrio e amalgamação inadequada, em função de um amalgamador defeituoso; 4 a necessidade de usar um pedaço de camurça para obter um amalgama homogêneo e remover o excesso de mercúrio; 5 a existência de riscos combinados e simultâneos na situação de trabalho. Os resultados concernentes à saúde mostraram: 1 a prevalência de sintomas relativos ao Sistema Nervoso Central; 2sinais do quadro neurológico e/ou do quadro psíquico, mas não do quadro gastrintestinal; 3 intoxicações crônicas de leves a moderadas em 62,5% dos trabalhadores.This paper discusses occupational exposure to metallic mercury among dentists and dental assistants, focusing on biological evaluation, effects on heaith, and environmental evaluation. Methods included visits to the clinic, hazard maps, urinary and environmental mercury measurements, and evaluation of health status. Results for the environment and work processes showed that mercury vapor concentrations impregnating surfaces and piping varied from 0.001 to 0.051 mg/m3 in air; occupational exposure with 62.5% of health workers having HgU ranging from 10 to 49 mg/l and 37
Novikov, A. S.; National Aviation University, Ukraine
The article examines the laws and the formation of office space inthe current conditions and investigate the application of the latest technical tools aesthetics to improve the quality of design solutions.
Mick, Colin K.
Outlines a practical approach to planning for office automation termed the "Focused Process Approach" (the "what" phase, "how" phase, "doing" phase) which is a synthesis of the problem-solving and participatory planning approaches. Thirteen references are provided. (EJS)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and its predecessors have produced internal publications, known as Office Notes, since the mid-1950's. In...
At the office, I do as I would at home At the office, just as at home, we need to stay warm, have light, be equipped (with office material, furniture). We thus need energy and raw materials. This consumption is not without consequences for our environment. How to reduce our consumption? In everyday life, we already have behaviours that allow us to save energy and resources, to sort our waste. At the office it is important to act in the same way as at home, as we spend a lot of time at our workplace. How to act more responsibly at the office, to reduce the environmental impact, and how to stay motivated? Computer, printer, copy machine… or coffee machine. There are quite a few electrical appliances which are indispensable in our office. Always turned on, or almost, they are also often inactive, and it is during these phases of inactivity that two thirds of their consumption occurs. The way one uses the computer is important in order to limit its consumption. Use the sleep mode with care. A c...
Dodds, Chris M.; Henson, Richard N.; Suckling, John; Miskowiak, Kamilla W.; Ooi, Cinly; Tait, Roger; Soltesz, Fruzsina; Lawrence, Phil; Bentley, Graham; Maltby, Kay; Skeggs, Andrew; Miller, Sam R.; McHugh, Simon; Bullmore, Edward T.; Nathan, Pradeep J.
It has been suggested that the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism modulates episodic memory performance via effects on hippocampal neural circuitry. However, fMRI studies have yielded inconsistent results in this respect. Moreover, very few studies have examined the effect of met allele load on activation of memory circuitry. In the present study, we carried out a comprehensive analysis of the effects of the BDNF polymorphism on brain responses during episodic memory encoding and retrieval, including...
Climate is the average weather in a place over a period of time. Climate change is major change in temperature, rainfall, snow, ... by natural factors or by human activities. Today climate changes are occurring at an increasingly rapid rate. ...
Climate change affects agricultural producers because agriculture and fisheries depend on specific climate conditions. Temperature changes can cause crop planting dates to shift. Droughts and floods due to climate change may hinder farming practices.
Full Text Available Objective: The effects of human brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF Val66Met (G>A and the human Catechol-O-methylTransferase (COMT Val158Met (G>A polymorphisms on Schizophrenia (SCZ risk were evaluated.Methods: This case control study included 92 SCZ patients and 92 healthy controls (HCs. Genotyping of both variants were conducted using Amplification Refractory Mutation System-Polymerase Chain Reaction (ARMS-PCR.Results: The findings showed that BDNF Val66Met (G>A variant increased the risk of SCZ (OR=2.008 95%CI=1.008-4.00, P=0.047, GA vs. GG, OR=3.876 95%CI=1.001-14.925, P=0.049. AA vs. GG, OR=2.272. 95%CI=1.204-4.347, P=0.011, GA+AA vs. GG, OR=2.22 95%CI=1.29-3.82. P=0.005, A vs. G. COMT Val158Met (G>A polymorphism was not associated with the risk/protective of SCZ.Conclusion: The results proposed that BDNF Val66Met (G>A polymorphism may increase the risk of SCZ development and did not support an association between COMT Val158Met (G>A variant and risk/protective of SCZ. Further studies and different ethnicities are recommended to confirm the findings.
Ancheta, Irma B; Battie, Cynthia A; Tuason, Teresa; Ancheta, Christine V
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in women of Filipino ethnicity. The objective of our work was to determine if metabolic syndrome (MetS), a modifiable CVD risk factor, differs in women as a function of country of residency and to determine if, CVD prevention strategies need to differ for these groups of Filipino women. Data were collected in community-based health screenings for this cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS were recruited at places of worship in southeast United States (n=60) and Central Visayas, Philippines (n=56). Prevalence of MetS and its component factors as defined by the International Diabetes Federation criteria. The prevalence of MetS in Filipino women (FW) and Filipino American women (FAW) groups was similar (52% vs 55%, P=.08) although the prevalence of elevated waist circumference was greater for FAW (78% vs 59%, P=.03). Conversely, the percentage of FW women with risk-associated high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels was higher than the FAW group (84% vs 42%, PFilipino women regardless of the country of residency although the FAW tended to have higher rates of central obesity while the FW tended to have higher rates of risk-associated HDL levels. Further research should examine the cause of these differences in order to develop better cardiovascular screening and intervention strategies.
Scherr Sara J
Full Text Available Abstract Background For agricultural systems to achieve climate-smart objectives, including improved food security and rural livelihoods as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation, they often need to be take a landscape approach; they must become ‘climate-smart landscapes’. Climate-smart landscapes operate on the principles of integrated landscape management, while explicitly incorporating adaptation and mitigation into their management objectives. Results An assessment of climate change dynamics related to agriculture suggests that three key features characterize a climate-smart landscape: climate-smart practices at the field and farm scale; diversity of land use across the landscape to provide resilience; and management of land use interactions at landscape scale to achieve social, economic and ecological impacts. To implement climate-smart agricultural landscapes with these features (that is, to successfully promote and sustain them over time, in the context of dynamic economic, social, ecological and climate conditions requires several institutional mechanisms: multi-stakeholder planning, supportive landscape governance and resource tenure, spatially-targeted investment in the landscape that supports climate-smart objectives, and tracking change to determine if social and climate goals are being met at different scales. Examples of climate-smart landscape initiatives in Madagascar’s Highlands, the African Sahel and Australian Wet Tropics illustrate the application of these elements in contrasting contexts. Conclusions To achieve climate-smart landscape initiatives widely and at scale will require strengthened technical capacities, institutions and political support for multi-stakeholder planning, governance, spatial targeting of investments and multi-objective impact monitoring.
The rule applies to the contents and the lay-out of the operating manual for stationary nuclear power plants. The draft contains: 1. General requirement to be met by the contents of the operating manual. The operating manual to be arranged in 4 parts (part 1: internal rules and regulations; part 2: operation overall plant; part 3: incidents; part 4: operation systems). Safety specifications to be included in the manual, the exemption being the system of technical documentation. 2. General requirements to be met by the lay-out of the operating manual. Comprehensibility; legibility; structure and subdivisions; arrangement of the instructions and design of the manuals cover. 3. Requirements to be met by part 1. Defining the various internal rules and regulations (personnel management); rules and regulations concerning inspections and shift work; maintenance and repair; radiation protection; guard duty and admission; alarm; fire protection; first aid. 4. Requirements to be met by part 2. Provisions and operational limitations; limit values important from the point of view of safety; normal operation; anomalous operation; in-service inspections. 6. Requirements to be met by part 3. 7. Annex: Rules, regulations and stipulations mentioned in the rule draft. (orig.)
Akman, N; Durgun, E; Yildirim, T; Ciraci, S
The adsorption of hydrogen molecules on the titanium metallocarbohedryne (met-car) cluster has been investigated by using the first-principles plane wave method. We have found that, while a single Ti atom at the corner can bind up to three hydrogen molecules, a single Ti atom on the surface of the cluster can bind only one hydrogen molecule. Accordingly, a Ti 8 C 12 met-car can bind up to 16 H 2 molecules and hence can be considered as a high-capacity hydrogen storage medium. Strong interaction between two met-car clusters leading to the dimer formation can affect H 2 storage capacity slightly. Increasing the storage capacity by directly inserting H 2 into the met-car or by functionalizing it with an Na atom have been explored. It is found that the insertion of neither an H 2 molecule nor an Na atom could further promote the H 2 storage capacity of a Ti 8 C 12 cluster. We have also tested the stability of the H 2 -adsorbed Ti 8 C 12 met-car with ab initio molecular dynamics calculations which have been carried out at room temperature
Vilaplana, Jordi; Alves, Rui; Solsona, Francesc; Mateo, Jordi; Teixidó, Ivan; Pifarré, Marc
MetReS (Metabolic Reconstruction Server) is a genomic database that is shared between two software applications that address important biological problems. Biblio-MetReS is a data-mining tool that enables the reconstruction of molecular networks based on automated text-mining analysis of published scientific literature. Homol-MetReS allows functional (re)annotation of proteomes, to properly identify both the individual proteins involved in the processes of interest and their function. The main goal of this work was to identify the areas where the performance of the MetReS database performance could be improved and to test whether this improvement would scale to larger datasets and more complex types of analysis. The study was started with a relational database, MySQL, which is the current database server used by the applications. We also tested the performance of an alternative data-handling framework, Apache Hadoop. Hadoop is currently used for large-scale data processing. We found that this data handling framework is likely to greatly improve the efficiency of the MetReS applications as the dataset and the processing needs increase by several orders of magnitude, as expected to happen in the near future.
Pongracz, R.; Bartholy, J.; Szabo, P.; Pieczka, I.; Torma, C. S.
Regional climatological effects of global warming may be recognized not only in shifts of mean temperature and precipitation, but in the frequency or intensity changes of different climate extremes. Several climate extreme indices are analyzed and compared for the Carpathian basin (located in Central/Eastern Europe) following the guidelines suggested by the joint WMO-CCl/CLIVAR Working Group on climate change detection. Our statistical trend analysis includes the evaluation of several extreme temperature and precipitation indices, e.g., the numbers of severe cold days, winter days, frost days, cold days, warm days, summer days, hot days, extremely hot days, cold nights, warm nights, the intra-annual extreme temperature range, the heat wave duration, the growing season length, the number of wet days (using several threshold values defining extremes), the maximum number of consecutive dry days, the highest 1-day precipitation amount, the greatest 5-day rainfall total, the annual fraction due to extreme precipitation events, etc. In order to evaluate the future trends (2071-2100) in the Carpathian basin, daily values of meteorological variables are obtained from the outputs of various regional climate model (RCM) experiments accomplished in the frame of the completed EU-project PRUDENCE (Prediction of Regional scenarios and Uncertainties for Defining EuropeaN Climate change risks and Effects). Horizontal resolution of the applied RCMs is 50 km. Both scenarios A2 and B2 are used to compare past and future trends of the extreme climate indices for the Carpathian basin. Furthermore, fine-resolution climate experiments of two additional RCMs adapted and run at the Department of Meteorology, Eotvos Lorand University are used to extend the trend analysis of climate extremes for the Carpathian basin. (1) Model PRECIS (run at 25 km horizontal resolution) was developed at the UK Met Office, Hadley Centre, and it uses the boundary conditions from the HadCM3 GCM. (2) Model Reg
Hartmann, H. C.
Full realization of socio-economic benefits of from public investments in climate services remains incomplete because decision makers have difficulty: 1) interpreting individual products, 2) appropriately judging information credibility, and 3) linking different types of information, both conceptually and practically. Addressing these barriers is as important as improving the science leading to improved information. The challenge is creating flexible climate information products and tools that can accommodate unique user needs; the goal is a systemic change in the nature of information delivery and use. The underlying assumption is not that climate information is good and useful, and simply needs to be communicated effectively. Rather, a number of conditions must be met before decision makers can make informed choices about whether to use particular information in a specific situation. Several case studies, of varying success, illustrate user-centric strategies for developing decision support tools: a forecast evaluation tool, a climate information management system, and a hydrologic alert system. However, tools alone will not bridge the barriers in climate services, with training and other capacity- building activities remaining important activities.
This law contains instructions on the prevention of radiological and contains 4 articles Article I: describe the responsibilities of the institutions that operate within the scope of radiological protection in terms of the number of radiation protection officers and personal Supervisors who available in the practices radiation field. Article II: talking about the conditions of radiation protection officers that must be available in the main officers and working field in larg institutions and thecondition of specific requirements for large enterprises of work permits in the field of radiological work that issued by the Council. Article III: the functions and duties of officers in the prevention of radiological oversee the development of radiation protection programmes in the planning stages, construction and preparing the rules of local labour and what it lead of such tasks.Article IV: radiation protection officers powers: to modify and approve the programme of prevention and radiation safety at the company, stop any unsafe steps, amend the steps of the usage, operation of materials, devices and so on
Boerstra, A.C.; Loomans, M.G.L.C.; Hensen, J.L.M.
A multilayer study was designed to investigate how having or not having control over one’s indoor climate affects work performance in office buildings. The study consisted of 2 stages. The HOPE database (with results from a large study in 64 European office buildings) was reanalyzed on correlations
Kaya, N.; Matsumoto, H.; Akiba, R.
A Microwave Energy Transmission in Space (METS) rocket experiment is being planned by the Solar Power Satellite Working Group at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science in Japan for the forthcoming International Space Year, 1992. The METS experiment is an advanced version of the previous MINIX rocket experiment (Matsumoto et al., 1990). This paper describes a conceptual design of the METS rocket experiment. It aims at verifying a newly developed microwave energy transmission system for space use and to study nonlinear effects of the microwave energy beam in the space plasma environment. A high power microwave of 936 W will be transmitted by the new phased-array antenna from a mother rocket to a separated target (daughter rocket) through the ionospheric plasma. The active phased-array system has a capability of focusing the microwave energy around any spatial point by controlling the digital phase shifters individually.
Kaya, N.; Matsumoto, H.; Akiba, R.
A METS (Microwave Energy Transmission in Space) rocket experiment is being planned by the SPS (Solar Power Satellite) Working Group at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) in Japan for the forthcoming International Space Year (ISY), 1992. The METS experiment is an advanced version of our MINIX rocket experiment. This paper describes the conceptual design for the METS rocket experiment. Aims are to verify the feasibility of a newly developed microwave energy transmission system designed for use in space and to study nonlinear effects of the microwave energy beam on space plasma. A high power microwave (936 W) will be transmitted by a new phase-array antenna from a mother rocket to a separate target (daughter rocket) through the Earth's ionospheric plasma. The active phased-array system has the capability of being able to focus the microwave energy at any spatial point by individually controlling the digital phase shifters.
De la Rosa Alzate, Adriana; Universidad Autónoma de Occidente
En este artículo se presentan los resultados de la investigación sobre el proceso de interpretación de la metáfora visual, en niños entre tres y cuatro años de edad. El propósito de la investigación fue dar cuenta del proceso de interpretación de la metáfora visual y del razonamiento involucrado. La metáfora visual se entiende como un fenómeno en el que los objetos representados presentan transformaciones que traen como consecuencia la emergencia de nuevas categorías e incluso la ambigüedad, ...
A consortium of banks agreed to loan Metropolitan Edison $23 million to pay its April 15 state taxes and temporarily relieve a cash-flow problem that is leading to default after the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission expedited a rate request. The continued solvency of Met Ed is a matter of speculation because the present credit formula is based on liquid assets which the PUC did not address. While the action taken by the bankers gives Met Ed a reprieve, it does not provide a long-term solution. The Revolving Credit Agreement will expire on October 1. Met Ed is still faced with the problem of relicensing Three Mile Island-1 unit and the cost of underwriting the cleanup of the No. 2 unit
This article discusses the concept of the strategic security officer, and the potential that it brings to the healthcare security operational environment. The author believes that training and development, along with strict hiring practices, can enable a security department to reach a new level of professionalism, proficiency and efficiency. The strategic officer for healthcare security is adapted from the "strategic corporal" concept of US Marine Corps General Charles C. Krulak which focuses on understanding the total force implications of the decisions made by the lowest level leaders within the Corps (Krulak, 1999). This article focuses on the strategic organizational implications of every security officer's decisions in the constantly changing and increasingly volatile operational environment of healthcare security.
The Met Lab was set up by the war-time Manhattan District, US Corp of Engineers to (i) find a system using normal uranium in which a chain reaction would occur; (ii) to show that if such a chain reaction did occur, it would be possible to separate plutonium chemically from the uranium matrix and the fission products formed in the chain reactions; and (iii) to prepare plans for the large-scale production of plutonium. Chemistry Section C-1 of the Met Lab was assigned the responsibility for developing separation methods for plutonium production on the industrial scale. This report describes some aspects of daily life in Section C-1
Bakker, M. [ECN Efficiency and Infrastructure, Petten (Netherlands)
The Energy research Centre of the Netherlands ECN) foresees an important role for heat in sustainable construction of buildings. Using salt hydrates the surplus of heat can be stored in the summer which then can be used in the winter. By means of thermochemical storage natural gas for heating tap water or houses is no longer necessary. [Dutch] Energieonderzoek Centrum Nederland (ECN) ziet voor warmteopslag een belangrijke rol weggelegd in het duurzaam bouwen. Met behulp van zouthydraten kan de overtollige warmte in de zomer opgeslagen worden om deze in de winter weer vrij te maken. Met deze thermochemische opslag is in de nabije toekomst aardgas overbodig voor de verwarming van kraanwater of woonhuis.
Full Text Available The “hepatocyte growth factor” also known as “scatter factor”, is a multifunctional cytokine with the peculiar ability of simultaneously triggering epithelial cell proliferation, movement and survival. The combination of those proprieties results in the induction of an epithelial to mesenchymal transition in target cells, fundamental for embryogenesis but also exploited by tumor cells during metastatization. The hepatocyte growth factor receptor, MET, is a proto-oncogene and a prototypical transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor. Inhere we discuss the MET molecular structure and the hepatocyte growth factor driven physiological signaling which coordinates epithelial proliferation, motility and morphogenesis.
Training has become complex and precise in today's world of critical review and responsibility. Entrusted to a security officer is the success or demise of large business. In more critical environments the security officer is entrusted with the monitoring and protection of life sensitive systems and devices. The awareness of this high visibility training requirement has been addressed by a limited few. Those involved in the nuclear power industry through dedication and commitment to the American public have without a doubt become leading pioneers in demanding training excellence
Wittchen, K.B.; Place Hansen, E.J. de (Statens Byggeforskningsinstitut (SBi), Hoersholm (Denmark)); Radisch, N.H.; Treldal, J. (Ramboell A/S, Koebenhavn (Denmark))
The project analysed two main office building types - high-rises and low-rises - and calculated a number of parameters, using the simulation program BSim. Calculations showed that the overall building design and orientation effect is moderate compared with, for instance, use of daylight control and low-energy lighting, computers, etc. Considerable energy savings can be achieved by use of natural ventilation in the summer, thus only using mechanical ventilation with heat recovery during the day in the winter. Open-plan offices result in a better indoor climate and lower energy consumption than cubicle offices. (LN)
Effects of sunshades and daylighting systems on room climate in the new building of the Baden-Wuerttemberg office for listed buildings in Esslingen; Auswirkungen von Sonnenschutz/Tageslichtsystemen auf das Raumklima beim Neubau Landesdenkmalamt Esslingen
Buehler, H.J. [GN Bauphysik, Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH, Stuttgart (Germany)
Visual and thermal comfort have a crucial influence on the well-being of the users. With conventional sun protective systems the simultaneous implementation of both requirements is hardly to be carried out. By means of retroflecting sun protective systems type RETROLux Therm can be achieved an optimal daylight illuminating and at the same time a minimization of the summer energy entry. There is for the angles of incidence conditions in the summer months total energy transmission factors (g-value) of 0.10 to expect with simultaneous visual communication with the environment. The sun protective effect is therefore comparable with a conventional external blind system, which exhibits however a substantially limited external outlook. Newest test certificates of the RetroLux Therm lamellas show that in connection with highly reflecting lamella surfaces total energy transmission factors under g=0.10 can be achieved. By thermal simulation calculations it could be proved that with the planned facade conception on basis of the retroreflection no disadvantages are to be expected regarding room climate and operating cost in relation to a conventional facade system with external blinds. The planned facade conception forms thereby together with the building-technical conception of the construction unit activation and the multi-functionally used edge strip a conclusive primary energetically favorable energy concept. (orig.)
Runhaar, H.; Mees, H.; Driessen, P. [Sectie Milieumaatschappijwetenschappen, Faculteit Geowetenschappen, Universiteit Utrecht, Utrecht (Netherlands); Van der Sluijs, J.; Wardekker, A. [Sectie Natuurwetenschap en Samenleving NWS, Faculteit Betawetenschappen, Universiteit Utrecht, Utrecht (Netherlands)
Climate change can bring along various risks such as an increase in heat stress and flooding. Scientific research usually focuses on providing insight in these risks and on developing adaptation measures. Less information is available on how urban planners anticipate climate change. In this contribution we analyze whether and how the future effects of climate change are anticipated in Dutch cities. [Dutch] Klimaatverandering kan verschillende risico's met zich meebrengen, zoals toename van hittestress en wateroverlast. Wetenschappelijk onderzoek richt zich doorgaans op het inzichtelijk maken van deze risico's en de ontwikkeling van adaptatiemaatregelen. Veel minder is bekend hoe stedelijke planners anticiperen op klimaatveranderingen. In deze bijdrage analyseren we of en hoe in Nederlandse steden wordt ingespeeld op toekomstige invloeden van klimaatverandering.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 2007
Marilee Jones has resigned as a dean of admissions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after admitting that she had misrepresented her academic degrees when first applying to work at the university in 1979. As one of the nation's most prominent admissions officers--and a leader in the movement to make the application process less…
Full Text Available This paper present the risks faced by people working in the office. In the next pages you will find some methods and suggestions how to prevent the appearance of occupational diseases. These suggestions can help anyone to rearrange his work place in order to make his job more pleasant and healthy.
Delivering on a commitment to diversity in schools, colleges, and universities is a living, breathing endeavor for many members of the advancement community. While a diversity leadership agenda is set clearly from the top, advancement officers can and must play a critical role in this arena. Effective development and alumni leaders are uniquely…
Office of Federal Student Aid (ED), Washington, DC.
This pamphlet describes the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman, an impartial resource to help customers resolve student loan concerns when other approaches fail. The ombudsman helps resolve discrepancies in loan balances and payments, and helps customers understand interest and collection charges. The office helps resolve issues related to income tax…
As of 8 December 2010 and until the end of February 2011, the Users Office will move from Bldg. 60. New Location : Bldg. 510-R-033 Opening Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday : 08.30 – 12.30 Monday to Friday: 14.00 – 16.00 Closed Wednesday mornings.
infection, and consistency in nursing personnel. In the USA 17 -. 24% of all elective ambulatory surgery is ... knowledge base or personality to deal with the OBA environment. Compared with hospitals, office-based facilities currently ... disease or major cardiovascular risk factors). Intravenous access via a flexible cannula is.
Blake, J W
This article discusses financing medical office buildings. In particular, financing and ownership options from a not-for-profit health care system perspective are reviewed, including use of tax-exempt debt, taxable debt, limited partnerships, sale, and real estate investment trusts (REITs).
Dijk, van W.; Schipperus, R.; Grobben, S.A.; Weide, van der R.Y.
In een samenwerkingsverband van Heineken Nederland BV, Algae Food & Fuel en WUR (Acrres) is in 2012 een onderzoeksproject gestart om de mogelijkheden van zuivering van procesafvalwater van de brouwerijen met behulp van algen te onderzoeken. In het kader van dit project is in 2012 een
Stelma, Juurd Hari
Een vergelijking der offeropvattingen van Paulus en Philo brengt ons in aanraking met twee principieel verschillende voorstellingen aangaande het offer. Het offer van Christus is voor Paulus de gave Gods, waardoor de macht van de zonde en dood vernietigd en de schuld verzoend is. Door de
Drs. Thijs Kemmeren
Constant Cremer is de eerste zwarte voetballer in Nederland. Hij is geboren in Belgisch Congo. Hij speelde bij Willem II in het seizoen 1904 -1905 en werd met Willem II Brabvants kampioen. Constant werd, als een donkere mulat een held in Tilburg. Hij kwam uiteindelijk terecht in Nederland Indie en
Gijselaers, Jérôme; De Groot, Renate
Vraagt u zich wel eens af wat de doorsnee kenmerken zijn van de OU-student? Hoeveel studenten daadwerkelijk starten met de studeren? Wie van deze groep succesvol zijn? En welke verschillen er zitten tussen de faculteiten? En wilt u meedenken over wat voor details we van studenten willen weten voor
Oomen AG; de Groot GM; CPV; M&V
Uit nieuw onderzoek van het RIVM blijkt dat het risico voor de gezondheid van sporten op kunstgrasvelden die zijn ingestrooid met rubbergranulaat, praktisch verwaarloosbaar is. Dat betekent dat het verantwoord is om op deze velden te sporten. Aanleiding voor het onderzoek is de maatschappelijke
Staalduinen, van J.; Weel, van P.A.
Door het aanzuigen en in de kas brengen van relatief droge, voorverwarmde buitenlucht is de RV in de kas te verlagen en beter te beheersen. Omdat ook de verticale temperatuurverschillen afnemen, is het mogelijk om intensiever te schermen. Met Aircobreezeventilatoren, die via kieren of gaten lucht
van Leeuwen, H.; Teeuw, W.J.; Tangelder, R.; Griffioen, P.; Krose, B.; Schouten, B.
In dit artikel wordt het belang aangegeven van onderzoeksvaardigheden in het HBO. Met de komst van de lectoraten en de nieuwe positionering van het HBO is het belangrijk om een antwoord te vinden hoe het onderzoek binnen het HBO vormgegeven moet worden. Hierbij wordt gekeken naar de bruikbaarheid
Kleis, R.; Steen, van der J.J.M.
Is bijensterfte het werk van neonicotinoïden? Ja, zeggen en denken velen. Volgens hen zijn de neo’s rechtstreeks verantwoordelijk voor de hoge sterfte onder bijen. Nee, toont Wagenings onderzoek aan. Intussen lijkt het met de sterfte voorzichtig de goede kant op te gaan.
Nijland, R.; Kik, C.
Chris Kik van het Centrum voor Genetische Bronnen Nederland (CGN) keerde afgelopen weekend terug van een eenmansexpeditie door Azerbeidzjan, Georgië en Armenië. Resultaat van de reis: een koffer volgepropt met 53 witte linnen zakjes zaad van wilde en lokaal geteelde spinazie. Dat materiaal gaat
Boelens, Danny; Plasmeyer, Luuk; van Heesewijk, Nick; Smeenge, Tetiana; Hoekzema, Niek; McCreesh, Séamus
Rapport in opdracht van de gemeente Groningen. Aanleiding voor het schrijven van dit rapport is dat de gemeente Groningen graag wil weten hoe ze met het gebruik van open data het (openbaar) vervoer voor studenten in en naar de stad Groningen kunnen verbeteren. Het onderzoek richtte zich daarom op
Struijs; J.; Wolfs; P.M.; Esseveld; F.G.van
In dit rapport wordt een bepalingmethode beschreven voor thallium in het nanogram/liter-gebied, waarbij gebruik wordt gemaakt van differentiele pulse-anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) aan de dunne kwikfilm. Met deze techniek blijkt het mogelijk om de concentratie van dit element rechtstreeks
V. Versluis; dr. A.F. de Wild
De nonrespons op enquêtes onder studenten is vaak hoog, waardoor verkregen informatie niet altijd betrouwbaar en valide is. Met nudges, subtiele interventies die gebaseerd zijn op inzichten uit de psychologie en sociologie, kan de respons op enquêtes aanzienlijk worden verhoogd. Bij de uitrol van
Wolfensberger, Marca; Hogenstijn, Maarten
In de brochure ‘Aan de slag met honors’ worden onderzoeksresultaten van het onderzoeksproject Honors in Europe hertaald naar tips voor succesvol en inspirerend honorsonderwijs. De brochure is grotendeels gebaseerd op het boek Talent Development in European Higher Education – Honors programs in the
Principal Leadership, 2010
The mission of San Diego Met High School is to prepare students for college and the workforce through active learning, academic rigor, and community involvement in a small school setting. Because personalization is a key component of the school culture, advisories of 20-25 students work with the same teachers for all four years. Advisers, parents,…
Dr. A.L. Cordia
Deze publicatie is in twee fasen tot stand gekomen tijdens het In Touch onderzoek. De eerste fase had als doel de randvoorwaarden te bepalen voor het ontwerpen van drie nieuwe iPad spellen voor ouderen met dementie en betrof een beperkt literatuuronderzoek op gerelateerde onderwerpen, daar
Groot, M.J.; Kleijer-Ligtenberg, G.; Asseldonk, van T.
Het streven om het gebruik van antibiotica terug te dringen vraagt om een ander management. Goede voeding, huisvesting en hygiëne zijn hierbij belangrijk. In dit boekje worden handvaten gegeven om met natuurlijke middelen de gezondheid van de dieren te bevorderen en zo ziektes te voorkomen. Tevens
Klein Hesselink, J.; Man, M. de; Heeten, W. den
Als men continu onder flinke druk werkt en die druk ook als last wordt ervaren, ontstaan klachten. Omgaan met werkdruk en werkstress is te leren. De cursus 'Anders werken' biedt die mogelijkheid. Dit artikel geeft na enige statische gevens over stress een nadere definiëring van het begrip
Schönberger, H.J.M.; Kogel, C.H. de; Bregman, I.M.
Dit rapport beschrijft de omvang, achtergrondkenmerken en recidivegegevens van tbs-gestelden met een zedendelict als indexdelict. Het indexdelict is het delict waarvoor de tbs-maatregel is opgelegd. Twee populaties zedendelinquenten komen aan de orde. De eerste populatie, de 'uitstroompopulatie',
Kempkes, F.L.K.; Janse, J.
NL De energiebesparing bij het nieuwe telen werd tot nu toe altijd bereikt door meer schermen te gebruiken. Een alternatief is toepassing van isolatieglas dat door de komst van coatings zoals Anti Refl ectie een vergelijkbare transmissie heeft als standaard enkel glas. Met een aangepast
Mikkelsen, T.; Thykier-Nielsen, S.; Astrup, P.
A comprehensive meteorological dispersion module called MET-RODOS is being developed to serve the real-time RODOS(1-3) decision support system with an integrated prediction capability for airborne radioactive spread, deposition and gamma radiation exposure on all scales. Deposition, ground level ...
- tig minuten (“my verkoopspunt”), maar. “[p]asiënte verwar tyd met aandag”. Marc luistert niet echt, want een huisarts. “hoef mense nie gesond te maak nie” (12). En als ze zich niet laten afschepen, doet hij maar een rectaal touché, want “hulle.
De Iorio Maria
Full Text Available Abstract Background Probing the complex fusion of genetic and environmental interactions, metabolic profiling (or metabolomics/metabonomics, the study of small molecules involved in metabolic reactions, is a rapidly expanding 'omics' field. A major technique for capturing metabolite data is 1H-NMR spectroscopy and this yields highly complex profiles that require sophisticated statistical analysis methods. However, experimental data is difficult to control and expensive to obtain. Thus data simulation is a productive route to aid algorithm development. Results MetAssimulo is a MATLAB-based package that has been developed to simulate 1H-NMR spectra of complex mixtures such as metabolic profiles. Drawing data from a metabolite standard spectral database in conjunction with concentration information input by the user or constructed automatically from the Human Metabolome Database, MetAssimulo is able to create realistic metabolic profiles containing large numbers of metabolites with a range of user-defined properties. Current features include the simulation of two groups ('case' and 'control' specified by means and standard deviations of concentrations for each metabolite. The software enables addition of spectral noise with a realistic autocorrelation structure at user controllable levels. A crucial feature of the algorithm is its ability to simulate both intra- and inter-metabolite correlations, the analysis of which is fundamental to many techniques in the field. Further, MetAssimulo is able to simulate shifts in NMR peak positions that result from matrix effects such as pH differences which are often observed in metabolic NMR spectra and pose serious challenges for statistical algorithms. Conclusions No other software is currently able to simulate NMR metabolic profiles with such complexity and flexibility. This paper describes the algorithm behind MetAssimulo and demonstrates how it can be used to simulate realistic NMR metabolic profiles with
Brown, J; Cooper, C; Kirkcaldy, B
From a survey of over 500 senior UK police officers completing the occupational stress inventory, it was observed that those serving in England and Wales exhibited the highest job stress related to structure and climate, co-worker relationships and their managerial role. There were no inter-regional differences on the individual difference variables, Type A behaviour, locus of control, or on physical health measures. Superintendents in Scotland used coping methods least frequently including domestic/home support, time management and social support, the latter strategy being most used by Northern Ireland officers. Findings relating job stress to job satisfaction were inconsistent with other police populations. Results are discussed in the context of organizational reform in the police service.
Goplen, Susan E.; Sloan, Jeff L.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Project Office leads the implementation of UAS technology in the Department of the Interior (DOI). Our mission is to support the transition of UAS into DOI as a new cost-effective tool for collecting remote-sensing data to monitor environmental conditions, respond to natural hazards, recognize the consequences and benefits of land and climate change and conduct wildlife inventories. The USGS is teaming with all DOI agencies and academia as well as local, State, and Tribal governments with guidance from the Federal Aviation Administration and the DOI Office of Aviation Services (OAS) to lead the safe, efficient, costeffective and leading-edge adoption of UAS technology into the scientific research and operational activities of the DOI.
The Met Office has a long history of weather forecasting, creating tailored weather forecasts for customers across the world. Based in Exeter, the Met Office is also home to the Met Office Hadley Centre, a world-leading centre for the study of climate change and its potential impacts. Climate information from the Met Office Hadley Centre is used…
Quadflieg, J. [Jaeggi/Guentner Schweiz, Soest (Netherlands)
The COP value( Coefficiency of Performance) is a measure for the energy efficiency of for example a cooling system or heat pump. The higher the value , the more energy efficient the performance is. Next to energy efficiency, water use should also be addressed in view of the climate and environment. This article addresses the options of hybrid dry cooling. [Dutch] De COP-waarde (Coefficiency of Performance) is een maat voor de energie efficiency van bijvoorbeeld een koelsysteem of een warmtepomp. Hoe hoger de waarde, hoe energie-efficienter de prestatie. Naast de energie-efficientie moet met het oog op het klimaat en milieu ook het watergebruik beoordeeld worden. In dit artikel wordt aandacht besteed aan de mogelijkheden van hybride droge koeling.
M. S. Mizielinski
Full Text Available The UPSCALE (UK on PRACE: weather-resolving Simulations of Climate for globAL Environmental risk project constructed and ran an ensemble of HadGEM3 (Hadley Centre Global Environment Model 3 atmosphere-only global climate simulations over the period 1985–2011, at resolutions of N512 (25 km, N216 (60 km and N96 (130 km as used in current global weather forecasting, seasonal prediction and climate modelling respectively. Alongside these present climate simulations a parallel ensemble looking at extremes of future climate was run, using a time-slice methodology to consider conditions at the end of this century. These simulations were primarily performed using a 144 million core hour, single year grant of computing time from PRACE (the Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe in 2012, with additional resources supplied by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC and the Met Office. Almost 400 terabytes of simulation data were generated on the HERMIT supercomputer at the High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart (HLRS, and transferred to the JASMIN super-data cluster provided by the Science and Technology Facilities Council Centre for Data Archival (STFC CEDA for analysis and storage. In this paper we describe the implementation of the project, present the technical challenges in terms of optimisation, data output, transfer and storage that such a project involves and include details of the model configuration and the composition of the UPSCALE data set. This data set is available for scientific analysis to allow assessment of the value of model resolution in both present and potential future climate conditions.
... the definition of investment company by section 3(b) of the Act or by the rules or regulations under... Act for an exclusion from the definition of an investment company. To the extent MetLife or another... definition of a ``parent company'' in rule 3a-5(b)(2)(i) solely because it is an ``insurance company'' or...
20 years ago, in the summer of 1989, an office was created to assist the thousands of users who come to CERN each year, working over the broad range of projects and collaborations. Chris Onions (right), head of the Users’ Office, with Bryan Pattison (left), the Office’s founder.Before the inception of the Users Office, it was common for users to spend at least an entire day moving from office to office in search of necessary documentation and information in order to make their stay official. "Though the Office has undergone various changes throughout its lifetime, it has persisted in being a welcoming bridge to facilitate the installation of visitors coming from all over the world", says Chris Onions, head of the Users Office. This September, the Office will celebrate its 20-year anniversary with a drink offered to representatives of the User community, the CERN management and staff members from the services with whom the Office is involved. &...
Schildkraut Joellen M
Full Text Available Abstract Background In developed countries, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC is 5%, and it is the second leading cause of death from cancer. The presence of family history is a well established risk factor with 25-35% of CRCs attributable to inherited and/or familial factors. The highly penetrant inherited colon cancer syndromes account for approximately 5%, leaving greater than 20% without clear genetic definition. Familial colorectal cancer has been linked to chromosome 7q31 by multiple affected relative pair studies. The MET proto-oncogene which resides in this chromosomal region is considered a candidate for genetic susceptibility. Methods MET exons were amplified by PCR from germline DNA of 148 affected sibling pairs with colorectal cancer. Amplicons with altered sequence were detected with high-resolution melt-curve analysis using a LightScanner (Idaho Technologies. Samples demonstrating alternative melt curves were sequenced. A TaqMan assay for the specific c.2975C >T change was used to confirm this mutation in a cohort of 299 colorectal cancer cases and to look for allelic amplification in tumors. Results Here we report a germline non-synonymous change in the MET proto-oncogene at amino acid position T992I (also reported as MET p.T1010I in 5.2% of a cohort of sibling pairs affected with CRC. This genetic variant was then confirmed in a second cohort of individuals diagnosed with CRC and having a first degree relative with CRC at prevalence of 4.1%. This mutation has been reported in cancer cells of multiple origins, including 2.5% of colon cancers, and in Conclusions Although the MET p.T992I genetic mutation is commonly found in somatic colorectal cancer tissues, this is the first report also implicating this MET genetic mutation as a germline inherited risk factor for familial colorectal cancer. Future studies on the cancer risks associated with this mutation and the prevalence in different at-risk populations will
NICT (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology) has been in charge of space weather forecast service in Japan for more than 20 years. The main target region of the space weather is the geo-space in the vicinity of the Earth where human activities are dominant. In the geo-space, serious damages of satellites, international space stations and astronauts take place caused by energetic particles or electromagnetic disturbances: the origin of the causes is dynamically changing of solar activities. Positioning systems via GPS satellites are also im-portant recently. Since the most significant effect of positioning error comes from disturbances of the ionosphere, it is crucial to estimate time-dependent modulation of the electron density profiles in the ionosphere. NICT is one of the 13 members of the ISES (International Space Environment Service), which is an international assembly of space weather forecast centers under the UNESCO. With help of geo-space environment data exchanging among the member nations, NICT operates daily space weather forecast service every day to provide informa-tion on forecasts of solar flare, geomagnetic disturbances, solar proton event, and radio-wave propagation conditions in the ionosphere. The space weather forecast at NICT is conducted based on the three methodologies: observations, simulations and informatics (OSI model). For real-time or quasi real-time reporting of space weather, we conduct our original observations: Hiraiso solar observatory to monitor the solar activity (solar flare, coronal mass ejection, and so on), domestic ionosonde network, magnetometer HF radar observations in far-east Siberia, and south-east Asia low-latitude ionosonde network (SEALION). Real-time observation data to monitor solar and solar-wind activities are obtained through antennae at NICT from ACE and STEREO satellites. We have a middle-class super-computer (NEC SX-8R) to maintain real-time computer simulations for solar and solar-wind, magnetosphere and ionosphere. The three simulations are directly or indirectly connected each other based on real-time observa-tion data to reproduce a virtual geo-space region on the super-computer. Informatics is a new methodology to make precise forecast of space weather. Based on new information and communication technologies (ICT), it provides more information in both quality and quantity. At NICT, we have been developing a cloud-computing system named "space weather cloud" based on a high-speed network system (JGN2+). Huge-scale distributed storage (1PB), clus-ter computers, visualization systems and other resources are expected to derive new findings and services of space weather forecasting. The final goal of NICT space weather service is to predict near-future space weather conditions and disturbances which will be causes of satellite malfunctions, tele-communication problems, and error of GPS navigations. In the present talk, we introduce our recent activities on the space weather services and discuss how we are going to develop the services from the view points of space science and practical uses.
Molinas, Carlos Roger; Campo, Rudi
Adenomyosis, the heterotopic presence of endometrial glands and stroma within the myometrium, has traditionally been diagnosed by the pathologist in hysterectomy specimens. However, the recent development of high-quality non-invasive techniques such as transvaginal sonography (TVS), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and hysteroscopy has renewed interest in diagnosing adenomyosis in the office prior to any treatment. Hysteroscopy offers the advantage of direct visualization of the uterine cavity, and since nowadays it is performed in the office, it can be offered as a first-line diagnostic tool for evaluation of uterine abnormalities in patients with abnormal uterine bleeding and/or infertility. The available data clearly indicate that high-quality mini-hysteroscopes, saline as a distension medium, and atraumatic insertion technique are essential for the success of office hysteroscopy. The procedure is indicated in any situation in which an intrauterine anomaly is suspected; it is immediately preceded by a physical exam and a TVS to evaluate uterine characteristics, and it is followed by a second TVS to take advantage of the intracavitary fluid for a contrast image of the uterus. Although diagnostic hysteroscopy does not provide pathognomonic signs for adenomyosis, some evidence suggests that irregular endometrium with endometrial defects, altered vascularization, and cystic haemorrhagic lesion are possibly associated with the entity. In addition to the direct visualization of the uterine cavity, the hysteroscopic approach offers the possibility of obtaining endometrial/myometrial biopsies under visual control. Since they can be performed in the office, the combination of TVS, fluid hysteroscopy and contrast sonography is therefore a powerful screening tool for detecting endometrial and myometrial abnormalities in association with adenomyosis.
officers select their own BOLC-B dates completely divorced of their unit assignment and that unit’s ARFORGEN cycle. We reschedule all FY10 cohort LTs...for BOLC-B based upon unit priority based upon number of days until LAD. Rescheduling all FY10 cohort LTs for BOLC-B based upon unit priority...with specialty branches (doctors, lawyers, nurses , chaplains, etc) which have minimal representation in BCT-level units. DCs are not generally
If one or several particular topics cause you sleepless nights, you can get the help of our trainer who will come to your workplace for a multiple of 1-hour slots . All fields in which our trainer can help are detailed in the course description in our training catalogue (Microsoft Office software, Adobe applications, i-applications etc.). Please discover these new courses in our catalogue! Tel. 74924
The Mail Office once again wishes to remind users that the Organisation's mail service is exclusively reserved for official mail._\tAll outgoing official mail must arrive at the Mail Office unfranked and with the sender's name and Division clearly marked under the Organsation's address (see example below).Private mail must be taken to the Post Offices at Meyrin (63-R-011) or Prévessin (866-R-C02)._\tPlease only use 'PRIORITY' envelopes for mail requiring priority handling. Internal mail_\tPlease do not forget to indicate your correspondent's 'MAILBOX' number on the internal mail envelopes either in the specific box provided (new envelopes) or next to his or her name (old envelopes). This will facilitate and accelerate the handling of your mail. Mailbox numbers can be found on: Macintosh\tin the 'Mailbox' field in 'VIPER'PC\tin the 'Mailbox' field of 'Phone book'Web: http://www.cern.ch/CERN/Phone.htmlin the 'MailBox' fieldonce you have selected your correspondent's name...
Kurihara, Yosuke; Watanabe, Kajiro; Yoneyama, Mitsuru
It is quite important for Japan to maintain or promote the health condition of elderly citizens. Given the circumstances, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has established the standards for the activities and exercises for promoting the health, and quantitatively determined the exercise intensity on 107 items of activities. This exercise intensity, however, requires recording the type and the duration of the activity to be calculated. In this paper, the exercise intensities are surmised using 3D accelerometer while the subjects are walking and running. As the result, the exercise intensities were surmised to be within the root mean square error of 1.2[METs] for walking and 3.2[METs] for running respectively.
Lu, Xiaochuan; Terada, Takahiro
The ATLAS collaboration reported a 3σ excess in the search of events containing on-Z dilepton, jets, and large missing momentum (MET) in the 8 TeV LHC run. Motivated by this excess, many models of new physics have been proposed. Recently, the ATLAS and CMS collaborations reported new results for similar Z+MET channels in the 13 TeV run. In this paper, we comprehensively discuss the consistency between the proposed models and the LHC results of Run 1 and Run 2. We find that in models with heavy gluino production, there is generically some tension between the 8 TeV and 13 TeV results. On the other hand, models with light squark production provide relatively better fitting to both results.
Full Text Available Aberrant MET expression and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF signaling are implicated in promoting resistance to targeted agents; however, the induced MET activation by epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR inhibitors mediating resistance to targeted therapy remains elusive. In this study, we identified that cetuximab-induced MET activation contributed to cetuximab resistance in Caco-2 colon cancer cells. MET inhibition or knockdown sensitized Caco-2 cells to cetuximab-mediated growth inhibition. Additionally, SRC activation promoted cetuximab resistance by interacting with MET. Pretreatment with SRC inhibitors abolished cetuximab-mediated MET activation and rendered Caco-2 cells sensitive to cetuximab. Notably, cetuximab induced MET/SRC/EGFR complex formation. MET inhibitor or SRC inhibitor suppressed phosphorylation of MET and SRC in the complex, and MET inhibitor singly led to disruption of complex formation. These results implicate alternative targeting of MET or SRC as rational strategies for reversing cetuximab resistance in colon cancer.
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Bhatti, N.; Cirillo, R.R. [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States); Dixon, R.K. [U.S. Country Studies Program, Washington, DC (United States)] [and others
Representatives from fifteen countries met in Prague, Czech Republic, on September 11-15, 1995, to share results from the analysis of vulnerability and adaptation to global climate change. The workshop focused on the issues of global climate change and its impacts on various sectors of a national economy. The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC), which has been signed by more than 150 governments worldwide, calls on signatory parties to develop and communicate measures they are implementing to respond to global climate change. An analysis of a country`s vulnerability to changes in the climate helps it identify suitable adaptation measures. These analyses are designed to determine the extent of the impacts of global climate change on sensitive sectors such as agricultural crops, forests, grasslands and livestock, water resources, and coastal areas. Once it is determined how vulnerable a country may be to climate change, it is possible to identify adaptation measures for ameliorating some or all of the effects.The objectives of the vulnerability and adaptation workshop were to: The objectives of the vulnerability and adaptation workshop were to: Provide an opportunity for countries to describe their study results; Encourage countries to learn from the experience of the more complete assessments and adjust their studies accordingly; Identify issues and analyses that require further investigation; and Summarize results and experiences for governmental and intergovernmental organizations.
Bhatti, N.; Cirillo, R.R.; Dixon, R.K.
Representatives from fifteen countries met in Prague, Czech Republic, on September 11-15, 1995, to share results from the analysis of vulnerability and adaptation to global climate change. The workshop focused on the issues of global climate change and its impacts on various sectors of a national economy. The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC), which has been signed by more than 150 governments worldwide, calls on signatory parties to develop and communicate measures they are implementing to respond to global climate change. An analysis of a country's vulnerability to changes in the climate helps it identify suitable adaptation measures. These analyses are designed to determine the extent of the impacts of global climate change on sensitive sectors such as agricultural crops, forests, grasslands and livestock, water resources, and coastal areas. Once it is determined how vulnerable a country may be to climate change, it is possible to identify adaptation measures for ameliorating some or all of the effects.The objectives of the vulnerability and adaptation workshop were to: The objectives of the vulnerability and adaptation workshop were to: Provide an opportunity for countries to describe their study results; Encourage countries to learn from the experience of the more complete assessments and adjust their studies accordingly; Identify issues and analyses that require further investigation; and Summarize results and experiences for governmental and intergovernmental organizations
Full Text Available Abstract Background Translation initiation site (TIS identification is an important aspect of the gene annotation process, requisite for the accurate delineation of protein sequences from transcript data. We have developed the MetWAMer package for TIS prediction in eukaryotic open reading frames of non-viral origin. MetWAMer can be used as a stand-alone, third-party tool for post-processing gene structure annotations generated by external computational programs and/or pipelines, or directly integrated into gene structure prediction software implementations. Results MetWAMer currently implements five distinct methods for TIS prediction, the most accurate of which is a routine that combines weighted, signal-based translation initiation site scores and the contrast in coding potential of sequences flanking TISs using a perceptron. Also, our program implements clustering capabilities through use of the k-medoids algorithm, thereby enabling cluster-specific TIS parameter utilization. In practice, our static weight array matrix-based indexing method for parameter set lookup can be used with good results in data sets exhibiting moderate levels of 5'-complete coverage. Conclusion We demonstrate that improvements in statistically-based models for TIS prediction can be achieved by taking the class of each potential start-methionine into account pending certain testing conditions, and that our perceptron-based model is suitable for the TIS identification task. MetWAMer represents a well-documented, extensible, and freely available software system that can be readily re-trained for differing target applications and/or extended with existing and novel TIS prediction methods, to support further research efforts in this area.
It is with great pleasure that I present to you the 2008 Chief Financial Officer's Annual Report. The data included in this report has been compiled from the Budget Office, the Controller, Procurement and Property Management and the Sponsored Projects Office. Also included are some financial comparisons with other DOE Laboratories and a glossary of commonly used acronyms.
Meijer, Eline M.; Frings-Dresen, Monique H. W.; Sluiter, Judith K.
The implementation of an innovative office concept (e.g. open-plan, flexible workplaces and a paperless office concept) on health and productivity among office workers was evaluated with questionnaires of 138 workers at baseline and 6 and 15 months afterwards. Work-related fatigue, general health,
In this article the following question is answered. What is the climate? What factors do determine our climate? What is solar radiation? How does solar radiation relate to the earth's energy? What is greenhouse effect? What role does the greenhouse effect play in the global ecosystem? How does the water cycle affect climate? What is drought? What role do oceans play in influencing climate. (author)
Pérez Sedeño, Eulalia
Full Text Available The hypothesis that states metaphors are structurally determinant in our social relations, routines, and experience has been accepted broadly in the last decades. Moreover, metaphors are to be found in many different levels of scientific practices, and have a diverse set of functions in science. Therefore, they impregnate all scientific enterprise. In this work we examine selected gender metaphors used in biology. We show metaphors are effective precisely because its effectiveness depends on shared social conventions, kinship relations and, authority that, by convention, is given to those that use them.
La tesis de que las metáforas estructuran gran parte de nuestras relaciones sociales y nuestra experiencia cotidiana ha sido ampliamente aceptada en las últimas décadas. En la ciencia, además, aparecen en muchos niveles y desempeñan diversas funciones, impregnando todo el quehacer científico. En este trabajo se examinan algunas metáforas de género usadas en biología. Se muestra que las metáforas eficaces lo son porque su efectividad depende de las convenciones sociales compartidas, los parecidos de familia ya vigentes y de la autoridad que, por convención, se otorga a quienes las usan.
Erickson, T. A.; Koziol, B. W.; Rood, R. B.
The goal of the OpenClimateGIS project is to make climate model datasets readily available in commonly used, modern geospatial formats used by GIS software, browser-based mapping tools, and virtual globes.The climate modeling community typically stores climate data in multidimensional gridded formats capable of efficiently storing large volumes of data (such as netCDF, grib) while the geospatial community typically uses flexible vector and raster formats that are capable of storing small volumes of data (relative to the multidimensional gridded formats). OpenClimateGIS seeks to address this difference in data formats by clipping climate data to user-specified vector geometries (i.e. areas of interest) and translating the gridded data on-the-fly into multiple vector formats. The OpenClimateGIS system does not store climate data archives locally, but rather works in conjunction with external climate archives that expose climate data via the OPeNDAP protocol. OpenClimateGIS provides a RESTful API web service for accessing climate data resources via HTTP, allowing a wide range of applications to access the climate data.The OpenClimateGIS system has been developed using open source development practices and the source code is publicly available. The project integrates libraries from several other open source projects (including Django, PostGIS, numpy, Shapely, and netcdf4-python).OpenClimateGIS development is supported by a grant from NOAA's Climate Program Office.
Steven N Steinway
Full Text Available c-Met, a high-affinity receptor for Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF, plays a critical role in tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC patients with activated HGF/c-Met signaling have a significantly worse prognosis. Targeted therapies using c-Met tyrosine kinase inhibitors are currently in clinical trials for HCC, although receptor tyrosine kinase inhibition in other cancers has demonstrated early success. Unfortunately, therapeutic effect is frequently not durable due to acquired resistance.We utilized the human MHCC97-H c-Met positive (c-Met+ HCC cell line to explore the compensatory survival mechanisms that are acquired after c-Met inhibition. MHCC97-H cells with stable c-Met knockdown (MHCC97-H c-Met KD cells were generated using a c-Met shRNA vector with puromycin selection and stably transfected scrambled shRNA as a control. Gene expression profiling was conducted, and protein expression was analyzed to characterize MHCC97-H cells after blockade of the c-Met oncogene. A high-throughput siRNA screen was performed to find putative compensatory survival proteins, which could drive HCC growth in the absence of c-Met. Findings from this screen were validated through subsequent analyses.We have previously demonstrated that treatment of MHCC97-H cells with a c-Met inhibitor, PHA665752, results in stasis of tumor growth in vivo. MHCC97-H c-Met KD cells demonstrate slower growth kinetics, similar to c-Met inhibitor treated tumors. Using gene expression profiling and siRNA screening against 873 kinases and phosphatases, we identified ErbB3 and TGF-α as compensatory survival factors that are upregulated after c-Met inhibition. Suppressing these factors in c-Met KD MHCC97-H cells suppresses tumor growth in vitro. In addition, we found that the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway serves as a negative feedback signal responsible for the ErbB3 upregulation after c-Met inhibition. Furthermore, in vitro studies demonstrate that
Full Text Available Urban trees can significantly improve the outdoor thermal environment, especially in subtropical zones. However, due to the lack of fundamental evaluations of numerical simulation models, design and modification strategies for optimizing the thermal environment in subtropical hot-humid climate zones cannot be proposed accurately. To resolve this issue, this study investigated the physiological parameters (leaf surface temperature and vapor flux and thermal effects (solar radiation, air temperature, and humidity of four common tree species (Michelia alba, Mangifera indica, Ficus microcarpa, and Bauhinia blakeana in both spring and summer in Guangzhou, China. A comprehensive comparison of the observed and modeled data from ENVI-met (v4.2 Science, a three-dimensional microclimate model was performed. The results show that the most fundamental weakness of ENVI-met is the limitation of input solar radiation, which cannot be input hourly in the current version and may impact the thermal environment in simulation. For the tree model, the discrepancy between modeled and observed microclimate parameters was acceptable. However, for the physiological parameters, ENVI-met tended to overestimate the leaf surface temperature and underestimate the vapor flux, especially at midday in summer. The simplified calculation of the tree model may be one of the main reasons. Furthermore, the thermal effect of trees, meaning the differences between nearby treeless sites and shaded areas, were all underestimated in ENVI-met for each microclimate variable. This study shows that the tree model is suitable in subtropical hot-humid climates, but also needs some improvement.
A. K. Steiner
Full Text Available The global positioning system meteorology (GPS/MET experiment was the first practical demonstration of global navigation satellite system (GNSS-based active limb sounding employing the radio occultation technique. This method measures, as principal observable and with millimetric accuracy, the excess phase path (relative to propagation in vacuum of GNSS-transmitted radio waves caused by refraction during passage through the Earth's neutral atmosphere and ionosphere in limb geometry. It shows great potential utility for weather and climate system studies in providing an unique combination of global coverage, high vertical resolution and accuracy, long-term stability, and all-weather capability. We first describe our GPS/MET data processing scheme from excess phases via bending angles to the neutral atmospheric parameters refractivity, density, pressure and temperature. Special emphasis is given to ionospheric correction methodology and the inversion of bending angles to refractivities, where we introduce a matrix inversion technique (instead of the usual integral inversion. The matrix technique is shown to lead to identical results as integral inversion but is more directly extendable to inversion by optimal estimation. The quality of GPS/MET-derived profiles is analyzed with an error estimation analysis employing a Monte Carlo technique. We consider statistical errors together with systematic errors due to upper-boundary initialization of the retrieval by a priori bending angles. Perfect initialization and properly smoothed statistical errors allow for better than 1 K temperature retrieval accuracy up to the stratopause. No initialization and statistical errors yield better than 1 K accuracy up to 30 km but less than 3 K accuracy above 40 km. Given imperfect initialization, biases >2 K propagate down to below 30 km height in unfavorable realistic cases. Furthermore, results of a statistical validation of GPS/MET profiles through comparison
Nielsen, Kurt Gammelgaard
SDUs erfaringer med projektet Port 22: en virtuel platform med Open Office som kontorpakke til studerende.......SDUs erfaringer med projektet Port 22: en virtuel platform med Open Office som kontorpakke til studerende....
... STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Facebook Twitter RSS Email Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) Menu About ODEP ... LABOR DEPARTMENT Español A to Z Index Agencies Office of Inspector General Leadership Team Contact Us Subscribe ...
The Office of Airline Information (OAI) mandate is to collect, validate, compile and disseminate data on airline traffic, performance, finances, and fares. Each quarter, BTS Office of Airline Information (OAI) processes more than 3,800 filings sub...
Courtney, Theodore K.
Perhaps the four most popular 'ergonomic' office culprits are: (1) the computer or visual display terminal (VDT); (2) the office chair; (3) the workstation; and (4) other automated equipment such as the facsimile machine, photocopier, etc. Among the ergonomics issues in the office environment are visual fatigue, musculoskeletal disorders, and radiation/electromagnetic (VLF,ELF) field exposure from VDT's. We address each of these in turn and then review some regulatory considerations regarding such stressors in the office and general industrial environment.
A colleague can't make a coffee date at a time the author proposes because it would conflict with his office hour. No student has actually made an appointment with him during the hour, but he is committed to being in his office as promised in case someone drops by. The author's reaction to her colleague's faithfulness to his posted office hour…
Search The Education Office: Science Adventures Adventure Catalog Search for Adventures Calendar Class Facebook Group. Contact: Science Adventures Registrar, Education Office Fermilab, MS 777, P.O. Box 500 it again." Opportunities for Instructors The Education Office has openings for instructors who
In this paper, the authors discuss in brief the magnitude and rate of past changes in climate and examine the various factors influencing climate in order to place the potential warming due to increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in context. Feedback mechanisms that can amplify or lessen imposed climate changes are discussed next. The overall sensitivity of climate to changes in forcing is then considered, followed by a discussion of the time-dependent response of the Earth system. The focus is on global temperature as an indicator for the magnitude of climatic change
Full Text Available Objectives: To cross-validate the existing peak rate of oxygen consumption (VO2peak prediction equations in Dutch law enforcement officers and to determine whether these prediction equations can be used to predict VO2peak for groups and in a single individual. A further objective was to report normative absolute and relative VO2peak values of a sample of law enforcement officers in the Netherlands. Material and Methods: The peak rate of oxygen consumption (ml×kg–1×min–1 was measured using a maximal incremental bicycle test in 1530 subjects, including 1068 male and 461 female police officers. Validity of the prediction equations for groups was assessed by comparing predicted VO2peak with measured VO2peak using paired t-tests. For individual differences limits of agreement (LoA were calculated. Equations were considered valid for individuals when the difference between measured and predicted VO2peak did not exceed ±1 metabolic equivalent (MET in 95% of individuals. Results: None of the equations met the validity criterion of 95% of individuals having ±1 MET difference or less than the measured value. Limits of agreement (LoAs were large in all predictions. At the individual level, none of the equations were valid predictors of VO2peak (ml×kg–1×min–1. Normative values for Dutch law enforcement officers were presented. Conclusions: Substantial differences between measured and predicted VO2peak (ml×kg–1×min–1 were found. Most tested equations were invalid predictors of VO2peak at group level and all were invalid at individual levels.
Hoogen, P. van den; Cardol, M.; Speet, M.; Spreeuwenberg, P.; Rijken, M.
Hoe doen mensen met een beperking mee in de maatschappij? Mensen met een lichamelijke beperking wonen en werken meestal net als iedereen, en ook zij zijn niet altijd tevreden met hun werk. Mensen met een verstandelijke beperking wonen en werken vaak in een speciale omgeving. Het overheidsbeleid
EPA has released the final report titled, Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments: Four Case Studies of Water Utility Practices. This report was prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment's Global Climate Research Staff in the Office of Research and D...
If one or several particular topics cause you sleepless nights, you can get help from our trainer who will come to your workplace for a multiple of 1-hour slots . All fields in which our trainer can help are detailed in the course description in our training catalogue (Microsoft Office software, Adobe applications, i-applications etc.) Discover these new courses in our catalogue! http://cta.cern.ch/cta2/f?p=110:9 Technical Training Service Technical.Training@cern.ch Tel 74924
Dagnino, U. (ENEL, Milan (Italy))
Relative to office lighting systems, in particular, those making use of tubular fluorescent lamps, currently available on the international market, this paper tries to develop lighting system, design optimization criteria. The comparative assessment of the various design possibilities considers operating cost, energy consumption, and occupational comfort/safety aspects such as lighting level uniformity and equilibrium, reduction of glare and reflection, natural/artificial lighting balance, programmed switching, computerized control systems for multi-use requirements in large areas, programmed maintenance for greater efficiency and reliability.
Togashi, Yosuke; Mizuuchi, Hiroshi; Tomida, Shuta; Terashima, Masato; Hayashi, Hidetoshi; Nishio, Kazuto; Mitsudomi, Tetsuya
MET splice site mutations resulting in an exon 14 deletion have been reported to be present in about 3% of all lung adenocarcinomas. Patients with lung adenocarcinoma and a MET splice site mutation who have responded to MET inhibitors have been reported. The CRISPR/Cas9 system is a recently developed genome-engineering tool that can easily and rapidly cause small insertions or deletions. We created an in vitro model for MET exon 14 deletion using the CRISPR/Cas9 system and the HEK293 cell line. The phenotype, which included MET inhibitor sensitivity, was then investigated in vitro. Additionally, MET splice site mutations were analyzed in several cancers included in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. An HEK293 cell line with a MET exon 14 deletion was easily and rapidly created; this cell line had a higher MET protein expression level, enhanced MET phosphorylation, and prolonged MET activation. In addition, a direct comparison of phenotypes using this system demonstrated enhanced cellular growth, colony formation, and MET inhibitor sensitivity. In the TCGA dataset, lung adenocarcinomas had the highest incidence of MET exon 14 deletions, while other cancers rarely carried such mutations. Approximately 10% of the lung adenocarcinoma samples without any of driver gene alterations carried the MET exon 14 deletion. These findings suggested that this system may be useful for experiments requiring the creation of specific mutations, and the present experimental findings encourage the development of MET-targeted therapy against lung cancer carrying the MET exon 14 deletion. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
A comprehensive guide to the language used to customize Microsoft Office. Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access. This complete guide shows both IT professionals and novice developers how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for specific business needs.: Office 2010 is the leading productivity suite, and the VBA language enables customizations of all the Office programs; this complete guide gives both novice and experience
Learn the new Microsoft Office suite the easy, visual way Microsoft Office 2013 is a power-packed suite of office productivity tools including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, and Publisher. This easy-to-use visual guide covers the basics of all six programs, with step-by-step instructions and full-color screen shots showing what you should see at each step. You'll also learn about using Office Internet and graphics tools, while the additional examples and advice scattered through the book give you tips on maximizing the Office suite. If you learn best when you can see how
Hoogen, P. van den; Cardol, M.; Speet, M.; Spreeuwenberg, P.; Rijken, M.
Hoe doen mensen met een beperking mee in de maatschappij? Mensen met een lichamelijke beperking wonen en werken meestal net als iedereen, en ook zij zijn niet altijd tevreden met hun werk. Mensen met een verstandelijke beperking wonen en werken vaak in een speciale omgeving. Het overheidsbeleid is erop gericht dat iedereen – dus ook mensen met een beperking – zoveel mogelijk ‘gewoon mee kan doen’ in de maatschappij. Bijvoorbeeld werken bij een gewone werkgever, schoolgaan op een gewone school...
... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health Office of Biotechnology Activities, Office of Science Policy, Office of the Director Amended Notice of Meeting Notice is hereby given of a change in the meeting of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB), February...
Dittmer, Robert; Schaefer, Christian M; Fischer, Jean-Francois; Hausch, Ulrich; Troetzschel, Jens; Specht, Heiko
Implantable active devices such as pacemakers are facing rigorous requirements. Because they reside within the body for years, materials applied in this surrounding must exhibit biocompatibility and extraordinary reliability. They also have to provide a number of functional properties. In this work we present a method that enables the realization of a highly complex profile of properties by means of a dual composite approach. Using multilayer technology, an electrical conductor is embedded into a ceramic matrix, thus, creating conductive paths that are insulated from each other. In addition to this macroscopically hybrid architecture, this approach features a second composite aspect: the conductor is not composed of a single metallic phase, but is a ceramic-metal mixture. Owing to its interpenetrating microstructure, this CerMet allows for a strong and hermetic integration of the conductor into the ceramic matrix otherwise impossible due to mismatch in thermal expansion. In fact, the CerMet ceramic composite exhibits a higher strength than the pure ceramic as revealed by a three-point bending test study. At the same time, the CerMet offers high and virtually metal-like conductor properties, enabling a down-scaling of the conductive paths to 150µm diameter and smaller. Furthermore, the described composite is biocompatible, non-magnetic, and chemically inert, which is vital for the application in active, implantable, medical devices. Beside the general fabrication route, we present the microstructural, functional, and mechanical properties of this newly developed class of dual composites. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Wiest, Edwin J; Smith, Heather Jensen; Hollingsworth, Michael A
We discovered that SU11274, a class I c-Met inhibitor, fluoresces when excited by 488 nm laser light and showed rapid specific accumulation in distinct subcellular compartments. Given that SU11274 reduces cancer cell viability, we exploited these newly identified spectral properties to determine SU11274 intracellular distribution and accumulation in human pancreatic cancer cells. The aim of the studies reported here was to identify organelle(s) to which SU11274 is trafficked. We conclude that SU11274 rapidly and predominantly accumulates in the endoplasmic reticulum. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Orhan, Dr Ö Emre; Ahmet, Gökhan
Performance of wind assessment studies depend on the adequacy and duration of the wind data. For a reasonable wind assessment, at least one full year wind data is needed so that, all the variations throughout the year are represented. On the other hand, it is always a question of time and cost how to get the wind data. On-site measurements are the most common way of obtaining wind data but it is the most expensive and time consuming as well. Apart from onsite data, there are also reanalysis long term data sources like MERRA, NCAR, etc. Time and spatial resolution of these long term data are lower compared to on-site measurements but in cases where on-site measurements are not available, they are also utilized. On top of on-site and reanalysis wind data, weather forecasting models like WRF, MM5 are available. Although, these models mainly are used for forecasting services, flexibility of the models makes them suitable for preliminary resource assessment purposes. In this study, comparisons of annual energy production estimations are computed using virtual and on-site met mast data separately for a specific time range. The widely used weather research and forecasting model (WRF) is used to provide virtual met mast data. Once WRF simulations are completed, interpolation routines are employed in order to extract data for a specific location. The on-site met mast is located inside a wind farm project area which is under development. Project site is located in the south of Turkey. There are four different met masts, three of them recording wind data presently. On-site measurements together with WRF results are used to obtain energy yields for the project area. The performance of both methodologies is compared. It has been observed that WRF can as well serve as a preliminary model in cases where no other data source is available but the model has to be implemented with great care depending on the project site conditions
Abdelhamid, Rehab F; Obara, Yuji; Kohzuma, Takamitsu
Several blue copper proteins are known to change the active site structure at alkaline pH (alkaline transition). Spectroscopic studies of Met16Phe, Met16Tyr, Met16Trp, and Met16Val pseudoazurin variants were performed to investigate the second sphere role through alkaline transition. The visible electronic absorption and resonance Raman spectra of Met16Phe, Met16Tyr, and Met16Trp variants showed the increasing of axial component at pH approximately 11 like wild-type PAz. The visible electronic absorption and far-UV CD spectra of Met16Val demonstrated that the destabilization of the protein structure was triggered at pH>11. Resonance Raman (RR) spectra of PAz showed that the intensity-weighted averaged Cu-S(Cys) stretching frequency was shifted to higher frequency region at pH approximately 11. The higher frequency shift of Cu-S(Cys) bond is implied the stronger Cu-S(Cys) bond at alkaline transition pH approximately 11. The visible electronic absorption and far-UV CD spectra of Met16X PAz revealed that the Met16Val variant is denatured at pH>11, but Met16Phe, Met16Tyr, and Met16Trp mutant proteins are not denatured even at pH>11. These observations suggest that Met16 is important to maintain the protein structure through the possible weak interaction between methionine -SCH3 part and coordinated histidine imidazole moiety. The introduction of pi-pi interaction in the second coordination sphere may be contributed to the enhancement of protein structure stability.
Angevin, Eric; Spitaleri, Gianluca; Rodon, Jordi; Dotti, Katia; Isambert, Nicolas; Salvagni, Stefania; Moreno, Victor; Assadourian, Sylvie; Gomez, Corinne; Harnois, Marzia; Hollebecque, Antoine; Azaro, Analia; Hervieu, Alice; Rihawi, Karim; De Marinis, Filippo
Dysregulated MET signalling is implicated in oncogenesis. The safety and preliminary efficacy of a highly selective MET kinase inhibitor (SAR125844) was investigated in patients with advanced solid tumours and MET dysregulation. This was a phase I dose-escalation (3 + 3 design [50-740 mg/m 2 ]) and dose-expansion study. In the dose escalation, patients had high total MET (t-MET) expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) or MET amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridisation. In the dose expansion, patients had MET amplification (including a subset of patients with non-small cell lung cancer [NSCLC]) or phosphorylated-MET (p-MET) expression (IHC). Objectives were determination of maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of once-weekly intravenous SAR125844 based on dose-limiting toxicities; safety and pharmacokinetic profile; preliminary efficacy of SAR125844 MTD in the expansion cohort. In total, 72 patients were enrolled: dose escalation, N = 33; dose expansion, N = 39; 570 mg/m 2 was established as the MTD. Most frequent treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) were asthenia/fatigue (58.3%), nausea (31.9%), and abdominal pain, constipation, and dyspnea (27.8% for each); 58.3% of patients reported grade 3 AEs (19.4% were treatment related). Of the 29 evaluable patients with MET amplification treated at 570 mg/m 2 , five achieved a partial response, including four of 22 with NSCLC; 17 patients had stable disease. No response was observed in patients with high p-MET solid tumours. There was no correlation between tumour response and t-MET status or MET gene copy number. The MTD of once-weekly SAR125844 was 570 mg/m 2 ; SAR125844 was well tolerated, with significant antitumour activity in patients with MET-amplified NSCLC. NCT01391533. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Haustein, Karsten; Otto, Friederike; Uhe, Peter; Allen, Myles; Cullen, Heidi
Extreme weather detection and attribution analysis has emerged as a core theme in climate science over the last decade or so. By using a combination of observational data and climate models it is possible to identify the role of climate change in certain types of extreme weather events such as sea level rise and its contribution to storm surges, extreme heat events and droughts or heavy rainfall and flood events. These analyses are usually carried out after an extreme event has occurred when reanalysis and observational data become available. The Climate Central WWA project will exploit the increasing forecast skill of seasonal forecast prediction systems such as the UK MetOffice GloSea5 (Global seasonal forecasting system) ensemble forecasting method. This way, the current weather can be fed into climate models to simulate large ensembles of possible weather scenarios before an event has fully emerged yet. This effort runs along parallel and intersecting tracks of science and communications that involve research, message development and testing, staged socialization of attribution science with key audiences, and dissemination. The method we employ uses a very large ensemble of simulations of regional climate models to run two different analyses: one to represent the current climate as it was observed, and one to represent the same events in the world that might have been without human-induced climate change. For the weather "as observed" experiment, the atmospheric model uses observed sea surface temperature (SST) data from GloSea5 (currently) and present-day atmospheric gas concentrations to simulate weather events that are possible given the observed climate conditions. The weather in the "world that might have been" experiments is obtained by removing the anthropogenic forcing from the observed SSTs, thereby simulating a counterfactual world without human activity. The anthropogenic forcing is obtained by comparing the CMIP5 historical and natural simulations
Rasmussen, Torben Valdbjørn; Hansen, Ernst Jan de Place
This paper presents the effects of climate change relevant for Denmark, including the change in mean year values as well as the extent of maximum and minimum extremes. Described by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the assumptions that the scenarios are based on were outlined...... and evaluated in a Danish context. The uncertainty of the scenarios leaves major challenges that, if not addressed and taken into account in building design, will grow far more serious as climate change progresses. Cases implemented in the Danish building stock illustrate adaptation to climate change...... and illustrate how building design can include mitigating measures to counteract climate change. Cases studied were individual buildings as well as the urban environment. Furthermore the paper describes some of the issues that must be addressed, as the building sector is investing in measures to adapt to climate...
Luz Amparo Fajardo Uribe
Full Text Available La metáfora es un mecanismo que hace posible conceptualizar y reconceptualizar el mundo a partir de la traslación de rasgos de un dominio de origen a un dominio de llegada. En esa medida, la metáfora no necesita inventar nuevos términos para referirse a la realidad, sino que a partir de los ya existentes brinda una visión diferente de ésta en tanto que ha sido enriquecida con la afectividad y la emotividad del sujeto cognoscente. Por esa razón, la comprensión y producción metafórica requiere más de la competencia comunicativa que de la competencia lingüística, dado que el sentido que éste adopta depende del contexto comunicativo y no de la constitución léxica, morfológica sintáctica del enunciado.
In order to enable Technical Coordination to manage the detector configuration and to be aware of all changes in this configuration, a baseline of the envelopes has been created in April 2001. Fifteen system and multi-system envelope drawings have been approved and baselined. An EDMS file is associated with each approved envelope, which provides a list of the current known unsolved conflicts related to the envelope and a list of remaining drawing inconsistencies to be corrected. The envelope status with the associated drawings and EDMS file can be found on the web at this adress: http://atlasinfo.cern.ch/Atlas/TCOORD/Activities/Installation/Configuration/ Any modification in the baseline has to be requested via the Engineering Change Requests. The procedure can be found under: http://atlasinfo.cern.ch/Atlas/TCOORD/Activities/TcOffice/Quality/ECR/ TC will review all the systems envelopes in the near future and manage conflict resolution with the collaboration of the systems.
Haurykiewicz, John Paul [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Dinehart, Timothy Grant [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Parker, Robert Young [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
The purpose of this process analysis was to analyze the Badge Offices’ current processes from a systems perspective and consider ways of pursuing objectives set forth by SEC-PS, namely increased customer flow (throughput) and reduced customer wait times. Information for the analysis was gathered for the project primarily through Badge Office Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), and in-person observation of prevailing processes. Using the information gathered, a process simulation model was constructed to represent current operations and allow assessment of potential process changes relative to factors mentioned previously. The overall purpose of the analysis was to provide SEC-PS management with information and recommendations to serve as a basis for additional focused study and areas for potential process improvements in the future.
The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) Sample Management Office (SMO) was formed as part of the EG ampersand G Idaho Environmental Restoration Program (ERP) in June, 1990. Since then, the SMO has been recognized and sought out by other prime contractors and programs at the INEL. Since December 1991, the DOE-ID Division Directors for the Environmental Restoration Division and Waste Management Division supported the expansion of the INEL ERP SMO into the INEL site wide SMO. The INEL SMO serves as a point of contact for multiple environmental analytical chemistry and laboratory issues (e.g., capacity, capability). The SMO chemists work with project managers during planning to help develop data quality objectives, select appropriate analytical methods, identify special analytical services needs, identify a source for the services, and ensure that requirements for sampling and analysis (e.g., preservations, sample volumes) are clear and technically accurate. The SMO chemists also prepare work scope statements for the laboratories performing the analyses
Emmett, Dennis; Chandra, Ashish
Physician offices often lack the sense of incorporating appropriate strategies to make their facilities as marketer of their services. The patient experience at a physician's office not only incorporates the care they receive from the physician but also the other non-healthcare related aspects, such as the behavior of non-health professionals as well as the appearance of the facility itself. This paper is based on a primary research conducted to assess what patients assess from a physician office visit.
Full Text Available Fausto Passariello,1 Stefano Ermini,2 Massimo Cappelli,3 Roberto Delfrate,4 Claude Franceschi5 1Centro Diagnostico Aquarius, Napoli, Italy; 2Private Practice, Grassina, Italy; 3Private Practice, Firenze, Italy; 4Casa di Cure Figlie di Maria, Cremona, Italy; 5Hospital St Joseph, Service d'Explorations Vasculaires, Paris, France Abstract: The cure Conservatrice Hémodynamique de l'Insuffisance Veineuse en Ambulatoire (CHIVA can be office based (OB. The OB-CHIVA protocol is aimed at transferring CHIVA procedures to specialists rooms. The protocol will check the feasibility of OB-CHIVA, data pertaining to recurrence, and will offer the opportunity to study saphenous femoral junction (SFJ stump evolution, the role of the washing vessels and the arch recanalization rate, and gather new data about the effect of the length of the treated saphenous vein. A simplified diagnostic procedure will allow an essential ultrasound examination of the venous net while a schematic and easily readable algorithm guides therapeutic choices. The Riobamba draining crossotomy (RDC tactic is composed of a set of OB procedures. While some of these procedures are, at the moment, only proposals, others are already applied. Devices generally used in ablative procedures such as Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (LASER, radio frequency, steam, and mechanical devices are used in this context to serve to conservative interventions for CHIVA. New techniques have also been proposed for devalvulation and tributary disconnection. Detailed follow-up is necessary in order to determine the effects of therapy and possible disease evolution. Finally, information is added about the informed consent and the ethical considerations of OB-CHIVA research. Keywords: CHIVA, office based procedures, LASER, RF, steam
Full Text Available The design of buildings in public educational institutions in Ghana predominantly adopts open-plan offices that are naturally ventilated with the aid of operable windows for reasons such as achieving adaptable spaces improved social climate and effective ventilation. However adoption of open-plan naturally ventilated offices in these educational institutions expose occupants to noise that emanates indoors and from outdoor sources which can interfere with and impede work performance. The study aimed at assessing noise exposure levels and occupants satisfaction with noise level in selected naturally ventilated open-plan offices in Ghana. The study employed an empirical assessment of the noise levels in and around three of the office buildings using a PCE222 Digital Sound Level Meter and a survey involving interviews to assess workers satisfaction of noise levels of the open-plan offices at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi. The results show that mean outdoor noise levels for offices ranged from 11 per cent below to 5 per cent above the WHO permissible limits while mean indoor noise levels exceeded the limit by between 20-40 per cent during the course of the day. In spite of the high levels of noise occupants generally considered the overall noise level in their offices as acceptable. Likewise the results indicate that there are no significant differences in occupants exposure to noise from their various sitting positions in an office space and floor levels in an office building. The paper recommends strategies to manage and improve ambient noise quality within naturally ventilated open-plan office spaces in Ghana. The study will be of relevance as a useful guide to organizations and policy makers concerned with built environmental issues.
Lamarre, D.; Favier, R.; Bourg, D.; Marchand, J.P.
The climatic risks are analyzed in this book under the cross-vision of specialists of different domains: philosophy, sociology, economic history, law, geography, climatology and hydrology. The prevention of risks and the precautionary principle are presented first. Then, the relations between climatic risk and geography are analyzed using the notion of territoriality. The territory aspect is in the core of the present day debates about the geography of risks, in particular when the links between climate change and public health are considered. Then the main climatic risks are presented. Droughts and floods are the most damaging ones and the difficulties of prevention-indemnification coupling remain important. (J.S.)
.... Even so, they have not fared statistically as well as their majority contemporaries. These statistics pose interesting questions about black officer professional development and career progress...
Li Bo; Torossian, Artour; Sun, Yunguang; Du, Ruihong; Dicker, Adam P.; Lu Bo
Purpose: c-Met is overexpressed in some non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines and tissues. Cell lines with higher levels of c-Met expression and phosphorylation depend on this receptor for survival. We studied the effects of AMG-458 on 2 NSCLC cell lines. Methods and Materials: 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl) -2H-tetrazolium assays assessed the sensitivities of the cells to AMG-458. Clonogenic survival assays illustrated the radiosensitizing effects of AMG-458. Western blot for cleaved caspase 3 measured apoptosis. Immunoblotting for c-Met, phospho-Met (p-Met), Akt/p-Akt, and Erk/p-Erk was performed to observe downstream signaling. Results: AMG-458 enhanced radiosensitivity in H441 but not in A549. H441 showed constitutive phosphorylation of c-Met. A549 expressed low levels of c-Met, which were phosphorylated only in the presence of exogenous hepatocyte growth factor. The combination of radiation therapy and AMG-458 treatment was found to synergistically increase apoptosis in the H441 cell line but not in A549. Radiation therapy, AMG-458, and combination treatment were found to reduce p-Akt and p-Erk levels in H441 but not in A549. H441 became less sensitive to AMG-458 after small interfering RNA knockdown of c-Met; there was no change in A549. After overexpression of c-Met, A549 became more sensitive, while H441 became less sensitive to AMG-458. Conclusions: AMG-458 was more effective in cells that expressed higher levels of c-Met/p-Met, suggesting that higher levels of c-Met and p-Met in NSCLC tissue may classify a subset of tumors that are more sensitive to molecular therapies against this receptor.
... Office of Aviation Safety, Office of Railroad Safety, Office of Highway Safety, Office of Marine Safety... Offices of Aviation, Railroad, Highway, Marine, and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety, the authority... 49 Transportation 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Delegation to the Directors of Office of Aviation...
Patterson, Mike [University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), Boulder, CO (United States)
The US CLIVAR Project Office administers the US CLIVAR Program with its mission to advance understanding and prediction of climate variability and change across timescales with an emphasis on the role of the ocean and its interaction with other elements of the Earth system. The Project Office promotes and facilitates scientific collaboration within the US and international climate and Earth science communities, addressing priority topics from subseasonal to centennial climate variability and change; the global energy imbalance; the ocean’s role in climate, water, and carbon cycles; climate and weather extremes; and polar climate changes. This project provides essential one-year support of the Project Office, enabling the participation of US scientists in the meetings of the US CLIVAR bodies that guide scientific planning and implementation, including the scientific steering committee that establishes program goals and evaluates progress of activities to address them, the science team of funded investigators studying the ocean overturning circulation in the Atlantic, and two working groups tackling the priority research topics of Arctic change influence on midlatitude climate and weather extremes and the decadal-scale widening of the tropical belt.
Banerjee, Antara; Maycock, Amanda C.; Pyle, John A.
The ozone radiative forcings (RFs) resulting from projected changes in climate, ozone-depleting substances (ODSs), non-methane ozone precursor emissions and methane between the years 2000 and 2100 are calculated using simulations from the UM-UKCA chemistry-climate model (UK Met Office's Unified Model containing the United Kingdom Chemistry and Aerosols sub-model). Projected measures to improve air-quality through reductions in non-methane tropospheric ozone precursor emissions present a co-benefit for climate, with a net global mean ozone RF of -0.09 W m-2. This is opposed by a positive ozone RF of 0.05 W m-2 due to future decreases in ODSs, which is driven by an increase in tropospheric ozone through stratosphere-to-troposphere transport of air containing higher ozone amounts. An increase in methane abundance by more than a factor of 2 (as projected by the RCP8.5 scenario) is found to drive an ozone RF of 0.18 W m-2, which would greatly outweigh the climate benefits of non-methane tropospheric ozone precursor reductions. A small fraction (˜ 15 %) of the ozone RF due to the projected increase in methane results from increases in stratospheric ozone. The sign of the ozone RF due to future changes in climate (including the radiative effects of greenhouse gases, sea surface temperatures and sea ice changes) is shown to be dependent on the greenhouse gas emissions pathway, with a positive RF (0.05 W m-2) for RCP4.5 and a negative RF (-0.07 W m-2) for the RCP8.5 scenario. This dependence arises mainly from differences in the contribution to RF from stratospheric ozone changes. Considering the increases in tropopause height under climate change causes only small differences (≤ |0.02| W m-2) for the stratospheric, tropospheric and whole-atmosphere RFs.
Changes of variability with climate change are likely to have a substantial impact on vegetation and society, rivaling the importance of changes in the mean values themselves. A variety of paleoclimate and future climate simulations performed with the GISS global climate model is used to assess how the variabilities of temperature and precipitation are altered as climate warms or cools. In general, as climate warms, temperature variability decreases due to reductions in the latitudinal temperature gradient and precipitation variability increases together with the intensity of the hydrologic cycle. If future climate projections are accurate, the reduction in temperature variability will be minimized by the rapid change in mean temperatures, but the hydrologic variability will be amplified by increased evapotranspiration. Greater hydrologic variability would appear to pose a potentially severe problem for the next century
Changes of variability with climate change are likely to have a substantial impact on vegetation and society, rivaling the importance of changes in the mean values themselves. A variety of paleoclimate and future climate simulations performed with the GISS global climate model is used to assess how the variabilities of temperature and precipitation are altered as climate warms or cools. In general, as climate warms, temperature variability decreases due to reductions in the latitudinal temperature gradient and precipitation variability increases together with the intensity of the hydrologic cycle. If future climate projections are accurate, the reduction in temperature variability will be minimized by the rapid change in mean temperatures, but the hydrologic variability will be amplified by increased evapotranspiration. Greater hydrologic variability would appear to pose a potentially severe problem for the next century. 19 refs.; 3 figs.; 2 tabs
Levine, Richard C.; Martin, Gill M.
Monsoon low pressure systems (LPS) are synoptic-scale systems forming over the Indian monsoon trough region, contributing substantially to seasonal mean summer monsoon rainfall there. Many current global climate models (GCMs), including the Met Office Unified Model (MetUM), show deficient rainfall in this region, much of which has previously been attributed to remote systematic biases such as excessive equatorial Indian Ocean (EIO) convection, while also substantially under-representing LPS and associated rainfall as they travel westwards across India. Here the sources and sensitivities of LPS to local, remote and short-timescale forcing are examined, in order to understand the poor representation in GCMs. An LPS tracking method is presented using TRACK feature tracking software for comparison between re-analysis data-sets, MetUM GCM and regional climate model (RCM) simulations. RCM simulations, at similar horizontal resolution to the GCM and forced with re-analysis data at the lateral boundaries, are carried out with different domains to examine the effects of remote biases. The results suggest that remote biases contribute significantly to the poor simulation of LPS in the GCM. As these remote systematic biases are common amongst many current GCMs, it is likely that GCMs are intrinsically capable of representing LPS, even at relatively low resolution. The main problem areas are time-mean excessive EIO convection and poor representation of precursor disturbances transmitted from the Western Pacific. The important contribution of the latter is established using RCM simulations forced by climatological 6-hourly lateral boundary conditions, which also highlight the role of LPS in moving rainfall from steep orography towards Central India.
Crosswell, Hal E; Dasgupta, Anindya; Alvarado, Carlos S; Watt, Tanya; Christensen, James G; De, Pradip; Durden, Donald L; Findley, Harry W
c-Met is a tyrosine kinase receptor for hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF), and both c-Met and its ligand are expressed in a variety of tissues. C-Met/HGF/SF signaling is essential for normal embryogenesis, organogenesis, and tissue regeneration. Abnormal c-Met/HGF/SF signaling has been demonstrated in different tumors and linked to aggressive and metastatic tumor phenotypes. In vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated inhibition of c-Met/HGF/SF signaling by the small-molecule inhibitor PHA665752. This study investigated c-Met and HGF expression in two neuroblastoma (NBL) cell lines and tumor tissue from patients with NBL, as well as the effects of PHA665752 on growth and motility of NBL cell lines. The effect of the tumor suppressor protein PTEN on migration and proliferation of tumor cells treated with PHA665752 was also evaluated. Expression of c-Met and HGF in NBL cell lines SH-EP and SH-SY5Y and primary tumor tissue was assessed by immunohistochemistry and quantitative RT-PCR. The effect of PHA665752 on c-Met/HGF signaling involved in NBL cell proliferation and migration was evaluated in c-Met-positive cells and c-Met-transfected cells. The transwell chemotaxis assay and the MTT assay were used to measure migration and proliferation/cell-survival of tumor cells, respectively. The PPAR-γ agonist rosiglitazone was used to assess the effect of PTEN on PHA665752-induced inhibition of NBL cell proliferation/cell-survival and migration High c-Met expression was detected in SH-EP cells and primary tumors from patients with advanced-stage disease. C-Met/HGF signaling induced both migration and proliferation of SH-EP cells. Migration and proliferation/cell-survival were inhibited by PHA665752 in a dose-dependent manner. We also found that induced overexpression of PTEN following treatment with rosiglitazone significantly enhanced the inhibitory effect of PHA665752 on NBL-cell migration and proliferation. c-Met is highly expressed in most tumors from
ndupress .ndu.edu issue 44, 1st quarter 2007 / JFQ 6 Becoming an officer of Consequence m uch of the literature about military history...commander become officers of consequence because their commanders value their judgment and seek their counsel when making difficult choices...COVERED 00-00-2007 to 00-00-2007 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Becoming an Officer of Consequence 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM
Nolan, Paul; McGrath, Ray
The method of Regional Climate Modelling (RCM) was employed to assess the impacts of a warming climate on the mid-21st-century climate of Ireland. The RCM simulations were run at high spatial resolution, up to 4 km, thus allowing a better evaluation of the local effects of climate change. Simulations were run for a reference period 1981-2000 and future period 2041-2060. Differences between the two periods provide a measure of climate change. To address the issue of uncertainty, a multi-model ensemble approach was employed. Specifically, the future climate of Ireland was simulated using three different RCMs, driven by four Global Climate Models (GCMs). To account for the uncertainty in future emissions, a number of SRES (B1, A1B, A2) and RCP (4.5, 8.5) emission scenarios were used to simulate the future climate. Through the ensemble approach, the uncertainty in the RCM projections can be partially quantified, thus providing a measure of confidence in the predictions. In addition, likelihood values can be assigned to the projections. The RCMs used in this work are the COnsortium for Small-scale MOdeling-Climate Limited-area Modelling (COSMO-CLM, versions 3 and 4) model and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The GCMs used are the Max Planck Institute's ECHAM5, the UK Met Office's HadGEM2-ES, the CGCM3.1 model from the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and the EC-Earth consortium GCM. The projections for mid-century indicate an increase of 1-1.6°C in mean annual temperatures, with the largest increases seen in the east of the country. Warming is enhanced for the extremes (i.e. hot or cold days), with the warmest 5% of daily maximum summer temperatures projected to increase by 0.7-2.6°C. The coldest 5% of night-time temperatures in winter are projected to rise by 1.1-3.1°C. Averaged over the whole country, the number of frost days is projected to decrease by over 50%. The projections indicate an average increase in the length of the growing season
Full Text Available Climate change is one of the most important challenges that humanity faces in the 21st century, and for the European Union, combating this phenomenon represents an important element, which is reflected both in the actions carried out in recent years, domestically and internationally, as well as in the EU policy on climate change. Within the EU, regulations were adopted, that demonstrate the importance that the Union confers to the limitation of this phenomenon, stressing at the same time the need for an integrated policy framework to ensure the security for potential investors and a coordinated approach between Member States. This paper will present recent developments for the most important policies to combat and mitigate climate change in the European Union, starting with "20-20-20" objectives, which are to be met through the package "Energy-Climate Change", continuing with 2030 and 2050 timeframes, and finally presenting the main lines of action to combat climate change.
Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Battlefield Electromagnetic Environments Office (BEEO) develops, maintains, and operates the Army Materiel Command (AMC) databases for spectrum management, per...
Marchal, V.; Dellink, R.; Vuuren, D.P. van; Clapp, C.; Chateau, J.; Magné, B.; Lanzi, E.; Vliet, J. van
This chapter analyses the policy implications of the climate change challenge. Are current emission reduction pledges made in Copenhagen/Cancun enough to stabilise the climate and limit global average temperature increase to 2 oC? If not, what will the consequences be? What alternative growth
The Met Lab at the University of Chicago was established to build the world's first nuclear reactor. The object was to see if a pile (CP-1) could be built to create a sustained chain reaction, i.e., controlled nuclear fission. New materials of the very best quality were needed and people of many skills worked together to achieve the goal as quickly as possible. This is the story of a select group of people who were scientific and engineering pioneers in this new field. Research continued at new sites on more advanced reactors and cooling systems. Many problems were encountered in the fabrication of reactor components, and metallography was a crucial method of analyzing the reactions and quality of consolidation. 1996 will be the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the National Laboratories, so it is appropriate to commemorate and recall some pioneering achievements
This Congressional Budget Office (CBO) study-prepared at the request of the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Science-presents an overview of issues related to climate change, focusing primarily on its economic aspects...
Day, C. William
The office environment 10 years from now will be different from the one today. More office personnel will be organized around processes rather than functions. More work activities will be done by teams rather than individuals, and those teams will change over time, as will the nature of the work projects and the people who constitute the team. The…
Cronin, Thomas M.
Climate change (including climate variability) refers to regional or global changes in mean climate state or in patterns of climate variability over decades to millions of years often identified using statistical methods and sometimes referred to as changes in long-term weather conditions (IPCC, 2012). Climate is influenced by changes in continent-ocean configurations due to plate tectonic processes, variations in Earth’s orbit, axial tilt and precession, atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations, solar variability, volcanism, internal variability resulting from interactions between the atmosphere, oceans and ice (glaciers, small ice caps, ice sheets, and sea ice), and anthropogenic activities such as greenhouse gas emissions and land use and their effects on carbon cycling.
Ozawa, Yohei; Nakamura, Yasuhiro; Fujishima, Fumiyoshi; Felizola, Saulo J A; Takeda, Kenichiro; Okamoto, Hiroshi; Ito, Ken; Ishida, Hirotaka; Konno, Takuro; Kamei, Takashi; Miyata, Go; Ohuchi, Noriaki; Sasano, Hironobu
c-Met is widely known as a poor prognostic factor in various human malignancies. Previous studies have suggested the involvement of c-Met and/or its ligand, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), but the correlation between c-Met status and clinical outcome remains unclear. Furthermore, the identification of a novel molecular therapeutic target might potentially help improve the clinical outcome of ESCC patients. The expression of c-Met and HGF was immunohistochemically assessed in 104 surgically obtained tissue specimens. The correlation between c-Met/HGF expression and patients' clinicopathological features, including survival, was evaluated. We also investigated changes in cell functions and protein expression of c-Met and its downstream signaling pathway components under treatments with HGF and/or c-Met inhibitor in ESCC cell lines. Elevated expression of c-Met was significantly correlated with tumor depth and pathological stage. Patients with high c-Met expression had significantly worse survival. In addition, multivariate analysis identified the high expression of c-Met as an independent prognostic factor. Treatment with c-Met inhibitor under HGF stimulation significantly inhibited the invasive capacity of an ESCC cell line with elevated c-Met mRNA expression. Moreover, c-Met and its downstream signaling inactivation was also detected after treatment with c-Met inhibitor. The results of our study identified c-Met expression as an independent prognostic factor in ESCC patients and demonstrated that c-Met could be a potential molecular therapeutic target for the treatment of ESCC with elevated c-Met expression.
Ozawa, Yohei; Nakamura, Yasuhiro; Fujishima, Fumiyoshi; Felizola, Saulo JA; Takeda, Kenichiro; Okamoto, Hiroshi; Ito, Ken; Ishida, Hirotaka; Konno, Takuro; Kamei, Takashi; Miyata, Go; Ohuchi, Noriaki; Sasano, Hironobu
c-Met is widely known as a poor prognostic factor in various human malignancies. Previous studies have suggested the involvement of c-Met and/or its ligand, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), but the correlation between c-Met status and clinical outcome remains unclear. Furthermore, the identification of a novel molecular therapeutic target might potentially help improve the clinical outcome of ESCC patients. The expression of c-Met and HGF was immunohistochemically assessed in 104 surgically obtained tissue specimens. The correlation between c-Met/HGF expression and patients’ clinicopathological features, including survival, was evaluated. We also investigated changes in cell functions and protein expression of c-Met and its downstream signaling pathway components under treatments with HGF and/or c-Met inhibitor in ESCC cell lines. Elevated expression of c-Met was significantly correlated with tumor depth and pathological stage. Patients with high c-Met expression had significantly worse survival. In addition, multivariate analysis identified the high expression of c-Met as an independent prognostic factor. Treatment with c-Met inhibitor under HGF stimulation significantly inhibited the invasive capacity of an ESCC cell line with elevated c-Met mRNA expression. Moreover, c-Met and its downstream signaling inactivation was also detected after treatment with c-Met inhibitor. The results of our study identified c-Met expression as an independent prognostic factor in ESCC patients and demonstrated that c-Met could be a potential molecular therapeutic target for the treatment of ESCC with elevated c-Met expression. The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-015-1450-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users
Scientists, politicians, the public, school children, our neighbours, you. All of these groups of people have a stake in CERN, and all are important to us. The list of stakeholders in an organisation as large and complex as CERN is a long and ever lengthening one. Each group has its own specific interests and needs in terms of what kind of information it requires from CERN and how we should engage. It’s important, therefore, for us to ensure that we’re communicating optimally with everyone we care about and who cares about us. This is something that CERN has always taken seriously. The CERN Courier, for example, was first published in 1959 and we had a pro-active public information office right from the start. Today, our stakeholder relations are spread between several groups and teams, reflecting the nature of CERN today. But while we’re already doing a good job, I think we can do better by exploiting the synergies between these teams, and that’s wh...
Rushing, Douglas A.; Blakeley, Chris; Chapman, Gerry; Robertson, Bill; Horton, Allison; Besser, Thomas; McCarthy, Debbie
The Integrated Budget Office Toolbox (IBOT) combines budgeting, resource allocation, organizational funding, and reporting features in an automated, integrated tool that provides data from a single source for Johnson Space Center (JSC) personnel. Using a common interface, concurrent users can utilize the data without compromising its integrity. IBOT tracks planning changes and updates throughout the year using both phasing and POP-related (program-operating-plan-related) budget information for the current year, and up to six years out. Separating lump-sum funds received from HQ (Headquarters) into separate labor, travel, procurement, Center G&A (general & administrative), and servicepool categories, IBOT creates a script that significantly reduces manual input time. IBOT also manages the movement of travel and procurement funds down to the organizational level and, using its integrated funds management feature, helps better track funding at lower levels. Third-party software is used to create integrated reports in IBOT that can be generated for plans, actuals, funds received, and other combinations of data that are currently maintained in the centralized format. Based on Microsoft SQL, IBOT incorporates generic budget processes, is transportable, and is economical to deploy and support.
Gomar, Jesus J; Conejero-Goldberg, Concepcion; Huey, Edward D; Davies, Peter; Goldberg, Terry E
Compromises in compensatory neurobiologic mechanisms due to aging and/or genetic factors (i.e., APOE gene) may influence brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) val66met polymorphism effects on temporal lobe morphometry and memory performance. We studied 2 cohorts from Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative: 175 healthy subjects and 222 with prodromal and established Alzheimer's disease. Yearly structural magnetic resonance imaging and cognitive performance assessments were carried out over 3 years of follow-up. Both cohorts had similar BDNF Val/Val and Met allele carriers' (including both Val/Met and Met/Met individuals) distribution. In healthy subjects, a significant trend for thinner posterior cingulate and precuneus cortices was detected in Met carriers compared to Val homozygotes in APOE E4 carriers, with large and medium effect sizes, respectively. The mild cognitive impairment/Alzheimer's disease cohort showed a longitudinal decline in entorhinal thickness in BDNF Met carriers compared to Val/Val in APOE E4 carriers, with effect sizes ranging from medium to large. In addition, an effect of BDNF genotype was found in APOE E4 carriers for episodic memory (logical memory and ADAS-Cog) and semantic fluency measures, with Met carriers performing worse in all cases. These findings suggest a lack of compensatory mechanisms in BDNF Met carriers and APOE E4 carriers in healthy and pathological aging. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Parliamentary Office of technological and scientific choices evaluation. Document on the evaluation of climatic changes fullness, cause and foreseeable impacts on the France geography for 2025,2050 and 2100; Office parlementaire d'evaluation des choix scientifiques et technologiques. Rapport sur l'evaluation de l'ampleur des changements climatiques, de leurs causes et de leur impact previsible sur la geographie de la France a l'horizon 2025, 2050 et 2100
This comprehensive and detailed report illustrates the importance of the climatic change and the impacts on the agricultural, energetic, industrial and the transport activities, in France. The effects on the biodiversity and the people are also studied. It is presented in four main parts: the climatology where the author details the climate and the greenhouse effect; the origins and the consequences of the greenhouse effect gases and the aerosols; a socio-economical analysis of the climatic changes facing the human liabilities; solutions and stakes of these solutions. The second volume collects the sixty seven auditions of experts interviewed on the topic. It allows the reader a possible research to trump up its own opinion. (A.L.B.)
Parliamentary Office of technological and scientific choices evaluation. Document on the evaluation of climatic changes fullness, cause and foreseeable impacts on the France geography for 2025,2050 and 2100; Office parlementaire d'evaluation des choix scientifiques et technologiques. Rapport sur l'evaluation de l'ampleur des changements climatiques, de leurs causes et de leur impact previsible sur la geographie de la France a l'horizon 2025, 2050 et 2100
This comprehensive and detailed report illustrates the importance of the climatic change and the impacts on the agricultural, energetic, industrial and the transport activities, in France. The effects on the biodiversity and the people are also studied. It is presented in four main parts: the climatology where the author details the climate and the greenhouse effect; the origins and the consequences of the greenhouse effect gases and the aerosols; a socio-economical analysis of the climatic changes facing the human liabilities; solutions and stakes of these solutions. The second volume collects the sixty seven auditions of experts interviewed on the topic. It allows the reader a possible research to trump up its own opinion. (A.L.B.)
For over two decades, data assimilation (popularly known as nudging) methods have been used for improving regional weather and climate simulations by reducing model biases in meteorological parameters and processes. Similar practice is also popular in many regional integrated met...
Burroughs, J.; Baldwin, R.; Herring, D.; Lott, N.; Boyd, J.; Handel, S.; Niepold, F.; Shea, E.
With the rapid rise in the development of Web technologies and climate services across NOAA, there has been an increasing need for greater collaboration regarding NOAA's online climate services. The drivers include the need to enhance NOAA's Web presence in response to customer requirements, emerging needs for improved decision-making capabilities across all sectors of society facing impacts from climate variability and change, and the importance of leveraging climate data and services to support research and public education. To address these needs, NOAA (during fiscal year 2009) embarked upon an ambitious program to develop a NOAA Climate Services Portal (NCS Portal). Four NOAA offices are leading the effort: 1) the NOAA Climate Program Office (CPO), 2) the National Ocean Service's Coastal Services Center (CSC), 3) the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center (CPC), and 4) the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service's (NESDIS) National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Other offices and programs are also contributing in many ways to the effort. A prototype NCS Portal is being placed online for public access in January 2010, http://www.climate.gov. This website only scratches the surface of the many climate services across NOAA, but this effort, via direct user engagement, will gradually expand the scope and breadth of the NCS Portal to greatly enhance the accessibility and usefulness of NOAA's climate data and services.
Alfsen, Knut H.; Kolshus, Hans H.; Torvanger, Asbjoern
The climate issue is a great political and scientific challenge for several reasons: (1) There are many uncertain aspects of the climate problem, such as future emission of climate gases, the response of the climate system upon these gases, and the effects of climate changes. (2) It is probable, however, that anthropogenic emission of climate gases, deforestation etc. will cause noticeable climate changes in the future. This might be observed as increased frequency of extreme weather situations. This appears to be a greater threat than a gradual increase of temperature and precipitation. (3) Since the climate system is large and react only relatively slowly on changes in for instance the emission of climate gases, the climate problem can only be solved by means of long-term measures. (4) The climate changes may be irreversible. A rational short-term strategy is to ensure maximum flexibility, which can be done by ''slowing down'' (curtailing emissions) and by avoiding irreversible actions as much as possible. The long-term challenge is to develop an economically responsible alternative to the present fossil-based energy system that permits carbon-efficient technologies to compete on price with coal and unconventional oil and gas. Norway is in a special position by being a large exporter of fossil fuel and at the same time wanting to appear responsible in environmental matters. This combination may incur considerable expenses upon Norway and it is therefore important that environmental commitments like the Kyoto agreement can be honoured to the lowest possible cost. The costs can be minimized by: (1) minimizing the measure costs in Norway, (2) working to make the international quota price as low as possible, and (3) reducing the loss of petroleum income as much as possible. This report describes the earth's climate history, the forces behind climatic changes and what the prospects for the future look like. It also reviews what is being done to curtail the emission of
Alverson, Ruby; And Others
Prepared by South Carolina office occupations teachers, this booklet contains ideas for effective and motivating teaching methods in office occupations courses on the secondary school level. Besides ideas generally applicable, suggestions are included for teaching the following specific subjects: (1) accounting, (2) recordkeeping, (3) cooperative…
Woodrum, Robert L.
A former corporate public relations (PR) professional shares strategies for communicating and cooperating with the chief executive officer, and particularly for coping with differences in perceptions of the public relations officer's role. Basic attributes of a successful PR professional are outlined: good communication skills, an analytical…
that ROTC programs were being staffed with lower performing and less qualified officers to educate young black officers. He based this conclusion on...come to mutually supporting conclusions. In a 2008 USAWC Strategy Research Project, while exploring the effects of ethnocentrism and its affect on
Jordan, Ronald R.; Quynn, Katelyn L.
A planned giving officer is seen as an asset to college/university development for technical expertise, credibility, and connections. Attorneys, certified public accountants, bank trust officers, financial planners, investment advisers, life insurance agents, and real estate brokers may be qualified but probably also need training. (MSE)
... interpreted the term, because, among the variety of services provided, family offices are in the business of...: Private Wealth Management in the Family Context, Wharton Global Family Alliance (Apr. 1, 2008), available..., management, and employment structures and arrangements employed by family offices.'' \\14\\ We have taken this...
This document has been prepared by the Department of Energy's Environmental Management Office of Technology Development to highlight its research, development, demonstration, testing, and evaluation activities funded through the Richland Operations Office. Technologies and processes described have the potential to enhance cleanup and waste management efforts
This document has been prepared by the Department of Energy`s Environmental Management Office of Technology Development to highlight its research, development, demonstration, testing, and evaluation activities funded through the Richland Operations Office. Technologies and processes described have the potential to enhance cleanup and waste management efforts.
Jansen, M.M.; Moelker, R.
The Officer Corps constitutes the backbone of the military. Privates and NCOs come and go. Political leaders are replaced. But the officer corps, the military profession per se, endures. The focus of this paper is how the military profession is maintained by military academies. A profession is
Williams, D. N.
The Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF) is primarily funded by the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Science (the Office of Biological and Environmental Research [BER] Climate Data Informatics Program and the Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research Next Generation Network for Science Program), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF), the European Infrastructure for the European Network for Earth System Modeling (IS-ENES), and the Australian National University (ANU). Support also comes from other U.S. federal and international agencies. The federation works across multiple worldwide data centers and spans seven international network organizations to provide users with the ability to access, analyze, and visualize data using a globally federated collection of networks, computers, and software. Its architecture employs a series of geographically distributed peer nodes that are independently administered and united by common federation protocols and application programming interfaces (APIs). The full ESGF infrastructure has now been adopted by multiple Earth science projects and allows access to petabytes of geophysical data, including the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP; output used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment reports), multiple model intercomparison projects (MIPs; endorsed by the World Climate Research Programme [WCRP]), and the Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy (ACME; ESGF is included in the overarching ACME workflow process to store model output). ESGF is a successful example of integration of disparate open-source technologies into a cohesive functional system that serves the needs the global climate science community. Data served by ESGF includes not only model output but also observational data from satellites and instruments, reanalysis, and generated images.
Martínez-Núnez, S.; Barcons, X.; Barret, D.; Bozzo, E.; Carrera, F. J.; Ceballos, M. T.; Gómez, S.; Monterde, M. P.; Rau, A.
The Athena Community Office (ACO) has been established by ESA's Athena Science Study Team (ASST) in order to obtain support in performing its tasks assigned by ESA, and most specially in the ASST role as "focal point for the interests of the broad scientific community". The ACO is led by the Instituto de Física de Cantabria (CSIC-UC), and its activities are funded by CSIC and UC. Further ACO contributors are the University of Geneva, MPE and IRAP. In this poster, we present ACO to the Spanish Astronomical Community, informing about its main responsibilities, which are: assist the ASST in organising and collecting support from the Athena Working Groups and Topical Panels; organise and maintain the documentation generated by the Athena Working Groups and Topical Panels; manage the Working Group and Topical Panel membership lists; assist the ASST in promoting Athena science capabilities in the research world, through conferences and workshops; keep a record of all papers and presentations related to Athena; support the production of ASST documents; produce and distribute regularly an Athena Newsletter, informing the community about all mission and science developments; create and maintain the Athena Community web portal; maintain an active communication activity; promote, organise and support Athena science-related public outreach, in coordination with ESA and other agencies involved when appropriate; and, design, produce materials and provide pointers to available materials produced by other parties. In summary, ACO is meant to become a focal point to facilitate the scientific exchange between the Athena activities and the scientific community at large, and to disseminate the Athena science objectives to the general public.
Lindzen, Richard [M.I.T.
Warming observed thus far is entirely consistent with low climate sensitivity. However, the result is ambiguous because the sources of climate change are numerous and poorly specified. Model predictions of substantial warming aredependent on positive feedbacks associated with upper level water vapor and clouds, but models are notably inadequate in dealing with clouds and the impacts of clouds and water vapor are intimately intertwined. Various approaches to measuring sensitivity based on the physics of the feedbacks will be described. The results thus far point to negative feedbacks. Problems with these approaches as well as problems with the concept of climate sensitivity will be described.
Perthuis, Ch. de; Delbosc, A.
Received ideas about climatic change are a mixture of right and wrong information. The authors use these ideas as starting points to shade light on what we really know and what we believe to know. The book is divided in three main chapters: should we act in front of climatic change? How can we efficiently act? How can we equitably act? For each chapter a series of received ideas is analyzed in order to find those which can usefully contribute to mitigate the environmental, economical and social impacts of climatic change. (J.S.)
Global warming is possible due to the increase of the greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere. That circumstance, together with the general uncertainty about the exact definition of climate, enables politicians to give arbitrary interpretations of the time sequences collected on changes in temperatures, precipitations, etc., and thus, to intimidate people by predicting dire consequences. The paper explains some of the popular (mis)interpretations. The real effect on the contemporary climate caused by the increasing greenhouse gas reinforcement is still unknown owing to the complexity of the Earth's climatic system. Its modelling accuracy is still miserable. (author)
Barata-Vallejo, Sebastian; Ferreri, Carla; Zhang, Tao; Permentier, Hjalmar; Bischoff, Rainer; Bobrowski, Krzysztof; Chatgilialoglu, Chryssostomos
Important biological consequences are related to the reaction of HO(•) radicals with methionine (Met). Several fundamental aspects remain to be defined when Met is an amino acid residue incorporated in the interior of peptides and proteins. The present study focuses on Gly-Met-Gly, the simplest
Pater, Mathieu; van Yperen, Tom
Muziektherapie wordt met grote regelmaat toegepast bij kinderen en jongeren met een autismespectrumstoornis (ASS). De vraag is of dit effect heeft. Dit artikel geeft een overzicht van de recente literatuur op dit vlak. Over de periode 1990 tot en met 2016 zijn 33 studies gevonden naar de inzet en
In een serie arikelen onder de naam 'Met Naturalis in zee', zal Onderwatersport in samenwerking met het Leidse museum Naturalis met enige regelmaat aandacht besteden aan Nederlands biologisch koraalrifonderzoek in de Indische en de Stille Oceaan. Bert Hoeksema schreef de introductie van de serie.
Luis J. Herrera
Full Text Available The hepatocyte growth factor (HGF receptor, Met, has established oncogenic properties; however, its expression and function in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA remain poorly understood. We aimed to determine the expression and potential alterations in Met expression in EA. Met expression was investigated in surgical specimens of EA, Barrett's esophagus (BE, and normal esophagus (NE using immunohistochemistry (IHC and quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Met expression, phosphorylation, and the effect of COX-2 inhibition on expression were examined in EA cell lines. IHC demonstrated intense Met immunoreactivity in all (100% EA and dysplastic BE specimens. In contrast, minimal immunostaining was observed in BE without dysplasia or NE specimens. Met mRNA and protein levels were increased in three EA cell lines, and Met protein was phosphorylated in the absence of serum. Sequence analysis found the kinase domain of c-met to be wild type in all three EA cell lines. HGF mRNA expression was identified in two EA cell lines. In COX-2-overexpressing cells, COX-2 inhibition decreased Met expression. Met is consistently overexpressed in EA surgical specimens and in three EA cell lines. Met dysregulation occurs early in Barrett's dysplasia to adenocarcinoma sequence. Future study of Met inhibition as a potential biologic therapy for EA is warranted.
Noort, van F.R.; Jalink, H.
Met geavanceerde camera technieken zijn beelden vast te leggen van fotosynthese activiteit en het is ook mogelijk gebleken om bladgedeelten met stress vast te leggen, zonder dat deze stress met het blote oog al te zien is. Dit opent perspectieven om monitorringonderzoek te doen naar het ontstaan van
Llewellyn-Jones, David; Corlett, Gary; Donlon, Craig; Stark, John
The Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR) is an imaging radiometer specifi- cally designed to measure Sea-Surface Temperature (SST) to the demanding levels of accuracy and stability required for climate research. AATSR, which has been operating continuously on ESA's Envisat Satellite since its launch in 2002, achieves the required levels of accuracy on account of its unique dual view, whereby each terrestrial scene is viewed twice, once at nadir and then through an inclined path which uses a different atmospheric path-length, thereby providing a direct observation of atmospheric effects, leading to an exceptionally accurate atmospheric correction. This feature is accompanied by an advanced calibration system combined with excellent optical and thermal designs. Recent rigorous and extensive comparisons with in situ data have shown that, for most of the global oceans, AATSR can achieve and accuracy of around 0.2o C with high stability, which has qualified them for use in climate analysis schemes. Because AATSR is the third sensor in a near-continuous series which started with the launch of ATSR-1 on ERS-1 satellite in 1991, there is a time-series of 16+ years of climate standard SSTs which have recently been re-processed and are now becoming available to the World-wide user community from data centres in Europe. SST data from AATSR have been included in the suite of operational SST products generated by the GODAE/GHRSST Pilot Project, on a timescale needed by operational users and in a format which allows easy ingestion and error estimates for data from AATSR and most of the other sensors currently providing SST measurements from space. Within the GODAE/GHRSST data-products, AATSR SST data are generally regarded as the benchmark for accuracy and are used to provide bias corrections for data from the other sensors, which often have superior coverage, thus exploiting synergistically the complementary qualities if the different data-sets. The UK Met Office
[English] In early 2011, the Norwegian Research Council (RCN) appointed a committee to review Norwegian climate research. The aim of the evaluation was to provide a critical review of Norwegian climate research in an international perspective and to recommend measures to enhance the quality, efficiency and relevance of future climate research. The Evaluation Committee met three times: in August and December 2011, and March 2012. RCN sent an invitation to 140 research organisations to participate by delivering background information on their climate research. Based on the initial response, 48 research units were invited to submit self-assessments and 37 research units responded. These were invited to hearings during the second meeting of the Evaluation Committee in December. In our judgement, a great majority of the most active research units are covered by this evaluation report. It should be emphasised that the evaluation concerned the Norwegian landscape of climate research rather than individual scientists or research units. Bibliometric analyses and social network analyses provided additional information. We are aware of problems in making comparisons across disciplinary publishing traditions, especially with regard to the differences between the natural and social sciences and the humanities. The Evaluation Committee also reviewed a number of governmental and RCN policy documents and conducted interviews with the chairs of the NORKLIMA Programme Steering Board and the Norwegian IPY Committee, as well as with staff members of RCN. Additional information was received from hearings organised by RCN with the science communities and various stakeholders in January 2012. For the purpose of this evaluation, climate research was divided into three broad thematic areas: 1. The climate system and climate change: research on climate variability and change in order to improve our capability of understanding climate and of projecting climate change for different time
... officer and chief financial officer. 1710.17 Section 1710.17 Banks and Banking OFFICE OF FEDERAL HOUSING... Corporate Practices and Procedures § 1710.17 Certification of disclosures by chief executive officer and chief financial officer. The chief executive officer and the chief financial officer of an Enterprise...
In spite of man's remarkable advances in technology, ultimately he is still dependent on the Earth's climatic system for food and fresh water. The recent occurrences in certain regions of the world of climatic extremes such as excessive rain or droughts and unseasonably high or low temperatures have led to speculation that a major climatic change is occurring on a global scale. Some point to the recent drop in temperatures in the northern hemisphere as an indication that the Earth is entering a new ice age. Others see a global warming trend that may be due to a build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. An authoritative report on the subject has been prepared by a World Meteorological Organization Panel of Experts on Climatic Change. Excerpts from the report are given. (author)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The NOAA Paleoclimatology Program archives reconstructions of past climatic conditions derived from paleoclimate proxies, in addition to the Program's large holdings...
Climate catastrophes, which many times occurred in the geological past, caused the extinction of large or small populations of animals and plants. Changes in the terrestrial and marine biota caused by the catastrophic climate changes undoubtedly resulted in considerable fluctuations in global carbon cycle and atmospheric gas composition. Primarily, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas contents were affected. The study of these catastrophes allows a conclusion that climate system is very sensitive to relatively small changes in climate-forcing factors (transparency of the atmosphere, changes in large glaciations, etc.). It is important to take this conclusion into account while estimating the possible consequences of now occurring anthropogenic warming caused by the increase in greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere.
In spite of man's remarkable advances in technology, ultimately he is still dependent on the Earth's climatic system for food and fresh water. The recent occurrences in certain regions of the world of climatic extremes such as excessive rain or droughts and unseasonably high or low temperatures have led to speculation that a major climatic change is occurring on a global scale. Some point to the recent drop in temperatures in the northern hemisphere as an indication that the Earth is entering a new ice age. Others see a global warming trend that may be due to a build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. An authoritative report on the subject has been prepared by a World Meteorological Organization Panel of Experts on Climatic Change. Excerpts from the report are given. (author)
Weather Service NWS logo - Click to go to the NWS home page Climate Prediction Center Home Site Map News Web resources and services. HOME > Outreach > Publications > Climate Diagnostics Bulletin Climate Diagnostics Bulletin - Tropics Climate Diagnostics Bulletin - Forecast Climate Diagnostics
Fitriani, Indah; Sangadji, Senot; Kristiawan, S. A.
One of the strategy employed in building design is reducing energy consumption while maintaining the best comfort zone in building indoor climate. The first step to improve office buildings energy performance by evaluating its existing energy usage using energy consumption intensity (Intensitas Konsumsi Energi, IKE) index. Energy evaluation of office building for hospital dr. Sayidiman at Kabupaten Magetan has been carried out in the initial investigation. The office building is operated with active cooling (air conditioning, AC) and use limited daylighting which consumes 14.61 kWh/m2/month. This IKE value is attributed into a slightly inefficient category. Further investigation was carried out by modeling and simulating thermal energy load and room lighting in every building zone using of Ecotect from Autodesk. Three scenarios of building energy and lighting retrofit have been performed simulating representing energy efficiency using cross ventilation, room openings, and passive cooling. The results of the numerical simulation indicate that the third scenario by employing additional windows, reflector media and skylight exhibit the best result and in accordance with SNI 03-6575-2001 lighting standard. Total thermal load of the existing building which includes fabric gains, indirect solar gains, direct solar gains, ventilation fans, internal gains, inter-zonal gains and cooling load were 162,145.40 kWh. Based on the three scenarios, the thermal load value (kWh) obtained was lowest achieved scenario 2 with the thermal value of 117,539.08 kWh.The final results are interpreted from the total energy emissions evaluated using the Ecotect software, the heating and cooling demand value and specific design of the windows are important factors to determine the energy efficiency of the buildings.
Fitriani, Indah; Sangadji, Senot; Kristiawan, S.A.
One of the strategy employed in building design is reducing energy consumption while maintaining the best comfort zone in building indoor climate. The first step to improve office buildings energy performance by evaluating its existing energy usage using energy consumption intensity (Intensitas Konsumsi Energi, IKE) index. Energy evaluation of office building for hospital dr. Sayidiman at Kabupaten Magetan has been carried out in the initial investigation. The office building is operated with active cooling (air conditioning, AC) and use limited daylighting which consumes 14.61 kWh/m2/month. This IKE value is attributed into a slightly inefficient category. Further investigation was carried out by modeling and simulating thermal energy load and room lighting in every building zone using of Ecotect from Autodesk. Three scenarios of building energy and lighting retrofit have been performed simulating representing energy efficiency using cross ventilation, room openings, and passive cooling. The results of the numerical simulation indicate that the third scenario by employing additional windows, reflector media and skylight exhibit the best result and in accordance with SNI 03-6575-2001 lighting standard. Total thermal load of the existing building which includes fabric gains, indirect solar gains, direct solar gains, ventilation fans, internal gains, inter-zonal gains and cooling load were 162,145.40 kWh. Based on the three scenarios, the thermal load value (kWh) obtained was lowest achieved scenario 2 with the thermal value of 117,539.08 kWh.The final results are interpreted from the total energy emissions evaluated using the Ecotect software, the heating and cooling demand value and specific design of the windows are important factors to determine the energy efficiency of the buildings. (paper)
... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health Office of Biotechnology... Coordinator, Office of Biotechnology Activities, Office of Science Policy, Office of the Director, National..., Office of Biotechnology Activities, National Institutes of Health. [FR Doc. 2010-730 Filed 1-14-10; 8:45...
Tang, Huifang; Massi, Daniela; Hemmings, Brian A; Mandalà, Mario; Hu, Zhengqiang; Wicki, Andreas; Xue, Gongda
The transcription factor Twist is an important regulator of cranial suture during embryogenesis. Closure of the neural tube is achieved via Twist-triggered cellular transition from an epithelial to mesenchymal phenotype, a process known as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), characterized by a remarkable increase in cell motility. In the absence of Twist activity, EMT and associated phenotypic changes in cell morphology and motility can also be induced, albeit moderately, by other transcription factor families, including Snail and Zeb. Aberrant EMT triggered by Twist in human mammary tumour cells was first reported to drive metastasis to the lung in a metastatic breast cancer model. Subsequent analysis of many types of carcinoma demonstrated overexpression of these unique EMT transcription factors, which statistically correlated with worse outcome, indicating their potential as biomarkers in the clinic. However, the mechanisms underlying their activation remain unclear. Interestingly, increasing evidence indicates they are selectively activated by distinct intracellular kinases, thereby acting as downstream effectors facilitating transduction of cytoplasmic signals into nucleus and reprogramming EMT and mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) transcription to control cell plasticity. Understanding these relationships and emerging data indicating differential phosphorylation of Twist leads to complex and even paradoxical functionalities, will be vital to unlocking their potential in clinical settings.
Francisco José Ruiz de Mendoza Ibañez
Full Text Available La Lingüística Cognitiva (LC es una disciplina que, pese a su juventud, ha experimentado un desarrollo vertiginoso en los últimos treinta años1. Uno de los mayores logros de la LC (que la distingue de enfoques anteriores sobre el lenguaje como el estructuralismo y el generativismo chomskyano radica en no considerar el lenguaje como un sistema autosuficiente, sino más bien como una facultad cognitiva que interactúa con otras capacidades como son la percepción, la atención, la memoria, la emoción y el razonamiento. Por tanto, en LC los significados son parte de nuestro mundo conceptual. En la versión más temprana de la TMC Lakoff y Johnson defienden que tanto el lenguaje como el pensamiento están ligados y se estructuran de acuerdo con la experiencia corpórea (embodied experience. Así, la experiencia perceptual y espacial es la base para la categorización del mundo de manera que estas categorías (que pertenecen a dominios concretos se hacen corresponder con dominios más abstractos como los de la emoción, el tiempo o la estructura. Por tanto, la metáfora queda definida como un conjunto de correspondencias (conceptual mapping entre un dominio fuente (más concreto y un dominio meta (más abstracto.
Van Ingen, M.A. [Techniplan Adviseurs, Rotterdam (Netherlands)
The architects of the new Nike head office building in Hilversum, Netherlands, opted for a heat pump combined with a cold storage system. The most efficient design was found to be a single central location for the production of heat and cold, with distribution lines to each of the five buildings. The cold storage system provides direct cooling and indirect heating: the heat pump raises the low-temperature heat from the cold storage to a usable temperature (augmented by district heating when necessary). In addition, the heat pump generates cold as a by-product in winter, which can be stored in the sources system and utilised during the following summer. The heat pump can also be used for cooling, for peak load supply and for any short-term storage requirement in emergencies
The upcoming UN conference on climate change in Durban, South Africa throws a spotlight on African climate policy. As part of a knowledge-sharing initiative in Southern Africa, we assessed parliamentarians' needs for more information on climate threats and responses, and ways to improve their capabilities as key stakeholders influencing national and global decisionmaking. Funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and partnered with the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa (AWEPA), IIED worked with parliamentarians in the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU) — Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland — through interviews, literature surveys, field trips and workshops. Similar studies in Malawi and Scotland also fed into this project.
Lewis, Neil T.; Lambert, F. Hugo; Boutle, Ian A.; Mayne, Nathan J.; Manners, James; Acreman, David M.
Previous studies have demonstrated that continental carbon-silicate weathering is important to the continued habitability of a terrestrial planet. Despite this, few studies have considered the influence of land on the climate of a tidally locked planet. In this work we use the Met Office Unified Model, coupled to a land-surface model, to investigate the climate effects of a continent located at the substellar point. We choose to use the orbital and planetary parameters of Proxima Centauri B as a template, to allow comparison with the work of others. A region of the surface where T s > 273.15 K is always retained, and previous conclusions on the habitability of Proxima Centauri B remain intact. We find that substellar land causes global cooling and increases day–night temperature contrasts by limiting heat redistribution. Furthermore, we find that substellar land is able to introduce a regime change in the atmospheric circulation. Specifically, when a continent offset to the east of the substellar point is introduced, we observe the formation of two mid-latitude counterrotating jets, and a substantially weakened equatorial superrotating jet.
Kinman, G; Clements, A J; Hart, J
Research findings indicate that working as a prison officer can be highly stressful, but the aspects of work that predict their mental health status are largely unknown. To examine, using elements of the demands-resources model, the extent to which work pressure and several potential resources (i.e. control, support from managers and co-workers, role clarity, effective working relationships and positive change management) predict mental health in a sample of UK prison officers. The Health and Safety Executive Management Standards Indicator Tool was used to measure job demands and resources. Mental health was assessed by the General Health Questionnaire-28. The effects of demands and resources on mental health were examined via linear regression analysis with GHQ score as the outcome. The study sample comprised 1267 prison officers (86% male). Seventy-four per cent met 'caseness' criteria for mental health problems. Job demands, poor interpersonal relationships, role ambiguity and, to a lesser extent, low job control and poor management of change were key predictors of mental health status. The findings of this study can help occupational health practitioners and psychologists develop structured interventions to improve well-being among prison officers. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: email@example.com
Britt, Christopher J; Lippert, Dylan; Kammer, Rachael; Ford, Charles N; Dailey, Seth H; McCulloch, Timothy; Hartig, Gregory
Evaluate the safety and efficacy of in-office secondary tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) technique using transnasal esophagoscopy (TNE) and the Seldinger technique in conjunction with a cricothyroidotomy kit for placement. Case series with chart review. Academic medical center. A retrospective chart review was performed on 83 subjects who underwent in-office secondary TEP. Variables that were examined included disease site, staging, histologic diagnosis, extent of resection and reconstruction, chemoradiation, functional voice status (as assessed by speech pathologist in most recent note), and complications directly related to the procedure. Eighty-three individuals from our institution met our criteria for in-office secondary TEP from 2005 to August 2012. Of these, 97.6% (81/83) had no complications of TEP. The overall complication rate was 2.4% (2/83). Complications included bleeding from puncture site and closure of puncture site after dislodgement of prosthesis at the time of puncture. Fluent conversational speech was achieved in 69.9% of all patients (58/83), and an additional 19.3% (16/83) achieved functional/intelligible speech; of those, 3.6% (3/83) were unable to achieve fluent conversational speech due to anatomic defects from previous surgery. An in-office TEP can be safely performed using the Seldinger technique with direct visualization using TNE, despite the extent of resection or reconstruction, with functional speech outcomes comparable to other studies available in the literature.
Myers, Martin G
Manual blood pressure (BP) recorded in routine clinical practice is relatively inaccurate and associated with higher readings compared to BP measured in research studies in accordance with standardized measurement guidelines. The increase in routine office BP is the result of several factors, especially the presence of office staff, which tends to make patients nervous and also allows for conversation to occur. With the disappearance of the mercury sphygmomanometer because of environmental concerns, there is greater use of oscillometric BP recorders, both in the office setting and elsewhere. Although oscillometric devices may reduce some aspects of observer BP measurement error in the clinical setting, they are still associated with higher BP readings, known as white coat hypertension (for diagnosis) or white coat effect (with treated hypertension). Now that fully automated sphygmomanometers are available which are capable of recording several readings with the patient resting quietly, there is no longer any need to have office staff present when BP is being recorded. Such readings are called automated office blood pressure (AOBP) and they are both more accurate than conventional manual office BP and not associated with the white coat phenomena. AOBP readings are also similar to the awake ambulatory BP and home BP, both of which are relatively good predictors of cardiovascular risk. The available evidence suggests that AOBP should now replace manual or electronic office BP readings when screening patients for hypertension and also after antihypertensive drug therapy is initiated. Copyright © 2018. The Korean Society of Cardiology.
Full Text Available Recent research has studied the influence of office buildings indoor environment quality (IEQ on employees’ well-being, health and performance. However, it seems that it has not been explicitly explored what are the appropriate environmental conditions to different work patterns that coexist in these spaces. This paper presents results of an empirical research, based on the synchronized measurements of different IEQ parameters (i.e., noise, lighting and temperature, and well-being, health and performance of 71 employees in twelve office spaces in the Valencian Community along three periods, considering winter and summer conditions. Findings of the first winter period data, suggest the existence of different ideal parameters for different levels of task complexity (one of the dimensions that characterizes work patterns in the Mediterranean climate; and open new avenues of research to build up a specific Smart and Sustainable Offices (SSO model and further systemic design-support tools.
Chin, Jennifer L.
The NASA Glenn Office of Equal Opportunity Programs works to provide quality service for all programs and/or to assist the Center in becoming a model workplace. During the summer of 2004, I worked with Deborah Cotleur along with other staff members to create and modify customer satisfaction surveys. This office aims to assist in developing a model workplace by providing functions as a change agent to the center by serving as an advisor to management to ensure equity throughout the Center. In addition, the office serves as a mediator for the Center in addressing issues and concerns. Lastly, the office provides assistance to employees to enable attainment of personal and organizational goals. The Office of Equal Opportunities is a staff office which reports and provides advice to the Center Director and Executive Leadership, implements laws, regulations, and presidential executive orders, and provides center wide leadership and assistance to NASA GRC employees. Some of the major responsibilities of the office include working with the discrimination complaints program, special emphasis programs (advisory groups), management support, monitoring and evaluation, contract compliance, and community outreach. During my internship in this office, my main objective was to create four customer satisfaction surveys based on EO retreats, EO observances, EO advisory boards, and EO mediation/counseling. I created these surveys after conducting research on past events and surveys as well as similar survey research created and conducted by other NASA centers, program for EO Advisory group members, leadership training sessions for supervisors, preventing sexual harassment training sessions, and observance events. I also conducted research on the style and format from feedback surveys from the Marshall Equal Opportunity website, the Goddard website, and the main NASA website. Using the material from the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs at Glenn Research Center along with my
Dowling, Robert A; Painter, Mark
This article summarizes current best practices for documenting, coding, and billing common office-based urologic procedures. Topics covered include general principles, basic and advanced urologic coding, creation of medical records that support compliant coding practices, bundled codes and unbundling, global periods, modifiers for procedure codes, when to bill for evaluation and management services during the same visit, coding for supplies, and laboratory and radiology procedures pertinent to urology practice. Detailed information is included for the most common urology office procedures, and suggested resources and references are provided. This information is of value to physicians, office managers, and their coding staff. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Sodoudi, S.; Langer, I.; Cubasch, U.
One of the objectives of climatological part of project Young Cities 'Developing Energy-Efficient Urban Fabric in the Tehran-Karaj Region' is to simulate the micro climate (with 1m resolution) in 35ha of new town Hashtgerd, which is located 65 km far from mega city Tehran. The Project aims are developing, implementing and evaluating building and planning schemes and technologies which allow to plan and build sustainable, energy-efficient and climate sensible form mass housing settlements in arid and semi-arid regions ("energy-efficient fabric"). Climate sensitive form also means designing and planning for climate change and its related effects for Hashtgerd New Town. By configuration of buildings and open spaces according to solar radiation, wind and vegetation, climate sensitive urban form can create outdoor thermal comfort. To simulate the climate on small spatial scales, the micro climate model Envi-met has been used to simulate the micro climate in 35 ha. The Eulerian model ENVI-met is a micro-scale climate model which gives information about the influence of architecture and buildings as well as vegetation and green area on the micro climate up to 1 m resolution. Envi-met has been run with information from topography, downscaled climate data with neuro-fuzzy method, meteorological measurements, building height and different vegetation variants (low and high number of trees) Through the optimal Urban Design and Planning for the 35ha area the microclimate results shows, that with vegetation the microclimate in streets will be change: • 2 m temperature is decreased by about 2 K • relative humidity increase by about 10 % • soil temperature is decreased by about 3 K • wind speed is decreased by about 60% The style of buildings allows free movement of air, which is of high importance for fresh air supply. The increase of inbuilt areas in 35 ha reduces the heat island effect through cooling caused by vegetation and increase of air humidity which caused by
Granito, Alessandro; Guidetti, Elena; Gramantieri, Laura
c-MET is the membrane receptor for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), also known as scatter factor or tumor cytotoxic factor, a mitogenic growth factor for hepatocytes. HGF is mainly produced by cells of mesenchymal origin and it mainly acts on neighboring epidermal and endothelial cells, regulating epithelial growth and morphogenesis. HGF/MET signaling has been identified among the drivers of tumorigenesis in human cancers. As such, c-MET is a recognized druggable target, and against it, targeted agents are currently under clinical investigation. c-MET overexpression is a common event in a wide range of human malignancies, including gastric, lung, breast, ovary, colon, kidney, thyroid, and liver carcinomas. Despite c-MET overexpression being reported by a large majority of studies, no evidence for a c-MET oncogenic addiction exists in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In particular, c-MET amplification is a rare event, accounting for 4%-5% of cases while no mutation has been identified in c-MET oncogene in HCC. Thus, the selection of patient subgroups more likely to benefit from c-MET inhibition is challenging. Notwithstanding, c-MET overexpression was reported to be associated with increased metastatic potential and poor prognosis in patients with HCC, providing a rationale for its therapeutic inhibition. Here we summarize the role of activated HGF/MET signaling in HCC, its prognostic relevance, and the implications for therapeutic approaches in HCC.
Erichsen, Rune; Kelsh, Michael A; Oliner, Kelly S
PURPOSE: We aimed to investigate the prevalence and prognostic impact of tumor mesenchymal epithelial transition factor (MET) expression in stage IV gastric cancers in a real-world clinical setting because existing evidence is sparse. METHODS: The study included archived cancer specimens from 103...... stage IV gastric cancer patients (2003-2010). We analyzed MET-protein expression by immunohistochemistry (MET-positive if ≥25% of tumor cells showed MET expression). We calculated overall survival using the Kaplan-Meier method and hazard ratios comparing mortality among MET-positive and MET.......6 months), corresponding to an adjusted hazard ratio of 2.2 (95% confidence interval, 1.3-3.7). CONCLUSIONS: Tumor MET expression is prevalent and has substantial prognostic impact in stage IV gastric cancer patients....
Deguelle, D.; Krijnen, M. [DHV, Amersfoort (Netherlands); Heijnis, J. [cepezed, Delft (Netherlands)
Building Brains has been set up by TNO as a cooperative and started September 21, 2009. The aim of the project was to answer the question how the energy consumption in the Netherlands can be reduced by 50% up to 2030 or how the built environment can be made energy-neutral. This issue of the magazine is dedicated to Building Brains project. Four different renovation concepts are compared: energy-neutral renovation that involves the exclusive use of sustainable generated energy;.the application of the passive construction principles; the use of Double Skin Facades; and decentralized facade-integrated installation techniques. Following the results of this study two optimized refurbishment approaches for a zero energy office are designed. [Dutch] Building Brains is een door TNO opgezet samenwerkingsproject dat op 21 september 2009 van start ging. Het doel van het project is antwoord te geven op de vraag hoe tot 2030 het energiegebruik in Nederland kan worden gehalveerd of hoe de gebouwde omgeving energieneutraal kan worden gemaakt. Deze aflevering van het tijdschrift TVVL is vrijwel geheel gewijd aan het Building Brains project. Er is onderzocht hoe verschillende renovatieconcepten scoren. Er zijn vier renovatieconcepten met elkaar vergeleken: energie neutraal renoveren door middel van duurzame energieopwekking, toepassen van het passiefhuisprincipe, toepassen van een tweedehuidfacade en toepassen van een decentrale, gevel-geintegreerde installatie. Uit de studie kwamen twee geoptimaliseerde concepten voor een energieneutrale kantoorrenovatie naar voren.
Banning, James H.; Middleton, Valerie; Deniston, Terry L.
In educational settings, the concepts of environment, culture, and climate are often used interchangeably, but climate also has a more narrow meaning that focuses on organizational attitudes and behaviors that foster organizational patterns and atmospheres. From this perspective, the physical artifacts of a school, office, or other organization…
... 29 Labor 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Office. 401.18 Section 401.18 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor OFFICE OF LABOR-MANAGEMENT STANDARDS, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR LABOR-MANAGEMENT STANDARDS MEANING OF TERMS USED IN THIS SUBCHAPTER § 401.18 Office. Office means the Office of Labor-Management Standards...
... 49 Transportation 9 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Federal office. 1325.3 Section 1325.3... FEDERAL OFFICE OR THEIR REPRESENTATIVES § 1325.3 Federal office. For the purposes of this section, Federal office means the office of President or Vice President of the United States; or of Senator or...
... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Office. 561.34 Section 561.34 Banks and Banking OFFICE OF THRIFT SUPERVISION, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY DEFINITIONS FOR REGULATIONS AFFECTING ALL SAVINGS ASSOCIATIONS § 561.34 Office. The term Office means the Office as established in section 3 of the...
... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Office. 583.13 Section 583.13 Banks and Banking OFFICE OF THRIFT SUPERVISION, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY DEFINITIONS FOR REGULATIONS AFFECTING SAVINGS AND LOAN HOLDING COMPANIES § 583.13 Office. The term Office means the Office of Thrift Supervision. ...
... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Washington office. 4.4 Section 4.4 Banks and... EXAMINERS Organization and Functions § 4.4 Washington office. The Washington office of the OCC is the main office and headquarters of the OCC. The Washington office directs OCC policy, oversees OCC operations...
Sustar, A; Nikolac Perkovic, M; Nedic Erjavec, G; Svob Strac, D; Pivac, N
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophic factor with an important role in the regulation of body weight, body mass index (BMI) and obesity. Increased BMI that leads to obesity is a substantial risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). The functional BDNF Val66Met polymorphism (rs6265) has been associated with CHD, obesity and BMI. The aim of the study was to determine the association between BDNF rs6265 polymorphism and CHD and/or BMI in patients with CHD and healthy control subjects. The study included 704 Caucasian subjects: 206 subjects with CHD and 498 healthy control subjects. The BDNF rs6265 genotype frequency was similar in male and female subjects, and there were no differences in the frequency of the BDNF rs6265 genotypes in 206 patients with CHD and in 498 healthy subjects. When study participants were subdivided according to the BMI categories into normal weight, overweight and obese subjects, significantly different BDNF rs6265 genotype frequency was found within healthy subjects, but not within patients with CHD. Healthy subjects, but not patients with CHD, subdivided into carriers of the Met/Met, Met/Val and Val/Val genotype, had different BMI scores. The BDNF rs6265 genotype frequency was similar in male and female subjects, and there were no differences in the frequency of the BDNF rs6265 genotypes in 206 patients with CHD and in 498 healthy subjects. When study participants were subdivided according to the BMI categories into normal weight, overweight and obese subjects, significantly different BDNF rs6265 genotype frequency was found within healthy subjects, but not within patients with CHD. Healthy subjects, but not patients with CHD, subdivided into carriers of the Met/Met, Met/Val and Val/Val genotype, had different BMI scores. BDNF rs6265 polymorphism was not associated with a diagnosis of CHD or with BMI categories among patients with CHD. In contrast, healthy Caucasians, carriers of the BDNF Met/Met genotype, had more
... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health Office of Biotechnology... meeting, please contact Ms. Laurie Lewallen, Advisory Committee Coordinator, Office of Biotechnology...: March 1, 2010. Amy P. Patterson, Director, Office of Biotechnology Activities, National Institutes of...
Salazar, Christina Alicia; Isaacson, Keith B
Hysteroscopy is considered the gold standard for the evaluation of intracavitary pathology in both premenopausal and postmenopausal patients associated with abnormal uterine bleeding, as well as for the evaluation of infertile patients with suspected cavity abnormalities. Office-based operative hysteroscopy allows patients to resume activities immediately and successfully integrates clinical practice into a "see and treat" modality, avoiding the added risks of anesthesia and the inconvenience of the operating room. For 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has provided a substantial increase in reimbursement for a select number of office-based hysteroscopic procedures. This review provides an update on the indications, equipment, and procedures for office hysteroscopy, as well as the management of complications that may arise within an office-based practice. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Miller, Laura; Moini, Joy; Sivadasan, Suja; Kavanagh, Jennifer; Shergold, Miriam; Plasmeijer, Ronald
...) by recognizing them as career soldiers. The Army program requires all soldiers reaching the rank of E-6 with ten years of service to reenlist indefinitely, mirroring the management of officers and eliminating reenlistment paperwork...
preservation of significant historic properties. Those functions include identifying and maintaining Working with Section 106 Federal, State, & Tribal Programs Training & Education Publications Search skip specific nav links Home arrow Historic Preservation Programs & Officers arrow THPOs
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Gross, Clifford M.; Chapnik, Elissa Beth
The authors focus on issues related to the continual use of video display terminals in the office, including safety and health regulations, potential health problems, and the role of training in minimizing work-related health problems. (CH)
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Due to the extra workload generated by the global renewal of French cards and in order to preserve the level of service offered by the cards office, please note that this office will in future be open every morning from 8.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. until further notice. The service can be contacted by telephone during the same hours. Thank you for your understanding.
Reduced emissions of climate gases at the lowest cost require international cooperation in order to ensure that the most cost-efficient measures are taken. A market for emission rights is one way of achieving this. However, creating the right conditions for such a market to operate requires an unambiguous definition of the product to be traded. In this PM, the Swedish Power Association sketches out how such a product could be defined, and how a market for the resulting unambiguously defined product could be operated internationally, in parallel with other markets for energy products. Trade in climate certificates could become a joint EU approach to achieving common results within the field of climate policy. The main features of the proposal are as follows: Electricity producers would be allowed to issue climate certificates for electricity produced without climate-affecting emissions, e.g. in wind power plants. 1 kWh of electricity produced without emissions would entitle the utility to issue a climate certificate for 1 kWh. Electricity from power stations having low emissions, e.g. modern natural gas-fired plants, would entitle the utility to issue certificates in proportion to how much lower their emissions were in comparison with those from conventional coal-fired power stations. The number of certificates would be reduced by an individual coefficient, related directly to the quantity of climate-affecting emissions from the plant concerned. They would be traded and noted on markets in the various member countries. The certificates would not be nationally restricted, but could be traded across borders. Exchanges would be authorised by national authorities, in accordance with overall EU directives. These authorised exchanges would act as certification bodies, checking that certificates had been properly issued in accordance with a corresponding volume of electricity production. Electricity and certificates could be purchased from different suppliers. The
Kinzig, Ann P.
This paper is intended as a brief introduction to climate adaptation in a conference devoted otherwise to the physics of sustainable energy. Whereas mitigation involves measures to reduce the probability of a potential event, such as climate change, adaptation refers to actions that lessen the impact of climate change. Mitigation and adaptation differ in other ways as well. Adaptation does not necessarily have to be implemented immediately to be effective; it only needs to be in place before the threat arrives. Also, adaptation does not necessarily require global, coordinated action; many effective adaptation actions can be local. Some urban communities, because of land-use change and the urban heat-island effect, currently face changes similar to some expected under climate change, such as changes in water availability, heat-related morbidity, or changes in disease patterns. Concern over those impacts might motivate the implementation of measures that would also help in climate adaptation, despite skepticism among some policy makers about anthropogenic global warming. Studies of ancient civilizations in the southwestern US lends some insight into factors that may or may not be important to successful adaptation.
This project, led by The Wild Center, will partner with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County, the Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School in Brooklyn, and the Alliance for Climate Education to do the following over three years: 1) increase climate literacy and preparedness planning in high school students through place-based Youth Climate Summits in the Adirondacks, Catskills, and New York City; 2) enhance young people's capacity to lead on climate issues through a Youth Climate Leadership Practicum 3) increase teacher comprehension and understanding of climate change through a Teacher Climate Institute and 4) communicate climate change impacts and resilience through student-driven Community Climate Outreach activities. The project will align with New York State's climate resiliency planning by collaborating with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Office of Climate (OCC), NYS Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA), and NOAA's Climate Program Office to provide accurate scientific information, resources, and tools. This collaboration will result in an increase in understanding of the impacts of climate change in rural (Adirondacks, Catskills) and urban (New York City) regions of New York State; a wider awareness of the threats and vulnerabilities that are associated with a community's location; and a stronger connection between current community resilience initiatives, educators, and youth. All three of the project sites are critically underserved in both climate literacy and action, making addressing the need of these sites to be resilient and proactive in the face of climate change critical. Our model will provide pilot lessons for how youth in both rural and urban areas can draw on local assets to address resiliency in ways appropriate for their own areas, and these lessons may be able to be applied across the United States.The proposed project is informed by best practices and specifically strengthens and replicates The Wild
Eriksson, Bo; Blomsterberg, Aake (WSP Environmental (Sweden)). e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org
Many modern office buildings have highly glazed facades. Their energy efficiency and indoor climate are, however, being questioned. Therefore more and more of these buildings are being built with double skin facades, which can provide improvements: A project BESTFACADE, with participants from Austria, Germany, Greece, Portugal (France) and Sweden, was therefore funded by the European Commission (IEE) to actively promote well-performing concepts of double skin facades. Included were best practice guidelines, which included the determination of the energy use and thermal comfort by simulations for warm, mild and cold climates. The main conclusion is that the choice of glazing properties such as glazing area, U-value (thermal transmittance) of the glazing and its profiles, g-value (the total solar energy transmittance) of the glazing and type of solar shading are crucial for the energy and indoor climate performance of an office. The choice of control strategies for ventilation of the cavity and operation of solar shading are crucial. The above choices are very dependant on the climate. Choices which are optimal in a cold climate, will not work very well in a warm climate, and vice versa. From an energy and indoor climate point of view a highly glazed office with a double skin facade is often preferred to a single
... Health Literacy Health Care Quality Healthy People healthfinder Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Spotlight: This ... 16/2017 This site is coordinated by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office of ...
Towner, R A; Smith, N; Doblas, S; Tesiram, Y; Garteiser, P; Saunders, D; Cranford, R; Silasi-Mansat, R; Herlea, O; Ivanciu, L; Wu, D; Lupu, F
The tyrosine kinase receptor, c-Met, and its substrate, the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), are implicated in the malignant progression of glioblastomas. In vivo detection of c-Met expression may be helpful in the diagnosis of malignant tumours. The C6 rat glioma model is a widely used intracranial brain tumour model used to study gliomas experimentally. We used a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) molecular targeting agent to specifically tag the cell surface receptor, c-Met, with an anti-c-Met antibody (Ab) linked to biotinylated Gd (gadolinium)-DTPA (diethylene triamine penta acetic acid)-albumin in rat gliomas to detect overexpression of this antigen in vivo. The anti-c-Met probe (anti-c-Met-Gd-DTPA-albumin) was administered intravenously, and as determined by an increase in MRI signal intensity and a corresponding decrease in regional T(1) relaxation values, this probe was found to detect increased expression of c-Met protein levels in C6 gliomas. In addition, specificity for the binding of the anti-c-Met contrast agent was determined by using fluorescence microscopic imaging of the biotinylated portion of the targeting agent within neoplastic and 'normal'brain tissues following in vivo administration of the anti-c-Met probe. Controls with no Ab or with a normal rat IgG attached to the contrast agent component indicated no non-specific binding to glioma tissue. This is the first successful visualization of in vivo overexpression of c-Met in gliomas.
Mote, P. W.; Miles, E. L.; Whitely Binder, L.
Since its founding in 1995, the Climate Impacts Group (CIG) at the University of Washington (UW) has achieved remarkable success at translating global- and regional-scale science into forms and products that are useful to, and used by, decision-makers. From GCM scenarios to research on the connection between global climate patterns and locally important factors like floods and wildfires, CIG's strong physical science foundation is matched by a vigorous and successful outreach program. As a result, CIG and its partner the Office of Washington State Climatologist at UW have made substantial progress at bridging the gap between climate science and decision-making, and are deeply involved in advising all levels of government and many business interests on adapting to climate variability and change. This talk will showcase some of the specific activities and tools, describe lessons learned, and illustrate how such efforts fit into a "National Climate Service."
Full Text Available Rahul A Parikh,1 Peng Wang,2 Jan H Beumer,3 Edward Chu,1 Leonard J Appleman11Division of Hematology-Oncology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Cancer Therapeutics Program, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; 2Division of Medical Oncology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Markey Cancer Center, Lexington, KY, USA; 3University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Cancer Therapeutics Program, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USAAbstract: MET is located on chromosome 7q31 and is a proto-oncogene that encodes for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF receptor, a member of the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK family. HGF, also known as scatter factor (SF, is the only known ligand for MET. MET is a master regulator of cell growth and division (mitogenesis, mobility (motogenesis, and differentiation (morphogenesis; it plays an important role in normal development and tissue regeneration. The HGF-MET axis is frequently dysregulated in cancer by MET gene amplification, translocation, and mutation, or by MET or HGF protein overexpression. MET dysregulation is associated with an increased propensity for metastatic disease and poor overall prognosis across multiple tumor types. Targeting the dysregulated HGF-MET pathway is an area of active research; a number of monoclonal antibodies to HGF and MET, as well as small molecule inhibitors of MET, are under development. This review summarizes the key biological features of the HGF-MET axis, its dysregulation in cancer, and the therapeutic agents targeting the HGF-MET axis, which are in development.Keywords: MET inhibitor, HGF inhibitor, cancer
This paper presented indicators of climate change for British Columbia (BC) with an emphasis on the coastal region. An overview of global effects of climate change was presented, as well as details of BC's current climate change action plan. Indicators examined in the paper for the BC coastal region included long-term trends in air temperature; long-term trends in precipitation; coastal ocean temperatures; sea levels on the BC coast; and the sensitivity of the BC coast to sea level rise and erosion. Data suggested that average air temperatures have become higher in many areas, and that Springtime temperatures have become warmer over the whole province. Winters have become drier in many areas of the province. Sea surface temperature has risen over the entire coast, with the North Coast and central Strait of Georgia showing the largest increases. Deep-water temperatures have also increased in 5 inlets on the South Coast. Results suggested that the direction and spatial pattern of the climate changes reported for British Columbia are consistent with broader trends in North America and the type of changes predicted by climate models for the region. Climate change will likely result in reduced snow-pack in southern BC. An earlier spring freshet on many snow-dominated river systems is anticipated as well as glacial retreat and disappearance. Warmer temperatures in some lakes and rivers are expected, as well as the increased frequency and severity of natural disturbances such as the pine mountain beetle. Large-scale shifts in ecosystems and the loss of certain ecosystems may also occur. BC's current climate plan includes cost effective actions that address GHG emissions and support efficient infrastructure and opportunities for innovation. Management programs for forest and agricultural lands have been initiated, as well as programs to reduce emissions from government operations. Research is also being conducted to understand the impacts of climate change on water
Enhance your Microsoft Office 2010 experience with Office 2010 Web Apps!. Office Web Apps complement Office, making it easy to access and edit files from anywhere. It also simplifies collaboration with those who don't have Microsoft Office on their computers. This helpful book shows you the optimum ways you can use Office Web Apps to save time and streamline your work. Veteran For Dummies author Peter Weverka begins with an introduction to Office Web Apps and then goes on to clearly explain how Office Web Apps provide you with easier, faster, more flexible ways to get things done.: Walks you t
Pecenco, Elena G
This thesis analyzes the retention of female Naval officers, focusing on the relationship between officer selection metrics and retention beyond minimum service obligation and the effect of lateral...
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This dataset contains selected cases involving EPA's Regional Judicial Officers (RJOs) from 2005 to present. EPA's Regional Judicial Officers (RJOs) perform...
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Eisen Judith S
Full Text Available Abstract Background Expression of correct neurotransmitters is crucial for normal nervous system function. How neurotransmitter expression is regulated is not well-understood; however, previous studies provide evidence that both environmental signals and intrinsic differentiation programs are involved. One environmental signal known to regulate neurotransmitter expression in vertebrate motoneurons is Hepatocyte growth factor, which acts through the Met receptor tyrosine kinase and also affects other aspects of motoneuron differentiation, including axonal extension. Here we test the role of Met in development of motoneurons in embryonic zebrafish. Results We found that met is expressed in all early developing, individually identified primary motoneurons and in at least some later developing secondary motoneurons. We used morpholino antisense oligonucleotides to knock down Met function and found that Met has distinct roles in primary and secondary motoneurons. Most secondary motoneurons were absent from met morpholino-injected embryos, suggesting that Met is required for their formation. We used chemical inhibitors to test several downstream pathways activated by Met and found that secondary motoneuron development may depend on the p38 and/or Akt pathways. In contrast, primary motoneurons were present in met morpholino-injected embryos. However, a significant fraction of them had truncated axons. Surprisingly, some CaPs in met morpholino antisense oligonucleotide (MO-injected embryos developed a hybrid morphology in which they had both a peripheral axon innervating muscle and an interneuron-like axon within the spinal cord. In addition, in met MO-injected embryos primary motoneurons co-expressed mRNA encoding Choline acetyltransferase, the synthetic enzyme for their normal neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, and mRNA encoding Glutamate decarboxylase 1, the synthetic enzyme for GABA, a neurotransmitter never normally found in these motoneurons, but
Review of Climate Change and Health in Ethiopia: Status and Gap Analysis. ... Thirdly, there are no reliable policy guidelines and programs among organizations, agencies and offices that target climate change and health. Fourth, the existing policies fail to consider the gender and community-related dimensions of climate ...
Williams, Kim [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Fiscal Year 2012 was a year of progress and change in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) organization. The notable accomplishments outlined below strengthened the quality of the OCFO’s stewardship and services in support of the scientific mission of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Three strategies were key to this progress: organizational transformation aligned with our goals; process redesign and effective use of technology to improve efficiency, and innovative solutions to meet new challenges. Over the next year we will continue to apply these strategies to further enhance our contributions to the Lab’s scientific mission. What follows is the budget, funding and costs for the office for FY 2012.
Marleen Hofman, [No Value
Achtergrond: Het chronisch vermoeidheidssyndroom (CVS) is een chronische ziekte die wordt gekenmerkt door ernstige vermoeidheid die vaak gepaard gaat met reumatische, infectieuze en neuropsychiatrische klachten. Het is een ernstig invaliderende aandoening waar tot nog toe geen genezende behandeling
Timofeyeva, M. M.; Bair, A.; Staudenmaier, M.; Meyers, J. C.; Mayes, B.; Zdrojewski, J.
Since 2002, NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) Climate Services Division (CSD) has offered numerous training opportunities to NWS staff. After eight-years of development, the training program offers three instructor-led courses and roughly 25 online (distance learning) modules covering various climate topics, such as: climate data and observations, climate variability and change, and NWS national / local climate products (tools, skill, and interpretation). Leveraging climate information and expertise available at all NOAA line offices and partners allows for the delivery of the most advanced knowledge and is a very critical aspect of the training program. The emerging NOAA Climate Service (NCS) requires a well-trained, climate-literate workforce at the local level capable of delivering NOAA’s climate products and services as well as providing climate-sensitive decision support. NWS Weather Forecast Offices and River Forecast Centers presently serve as local outlets for the NCS climate services. Trained NWS climate service personnel use proactive and reactive approaches and professional education methods in communicating climate variability and change information to local users. Both scientifically-sound messages and amiable communication techniques are important in developing an engaged dialog between the climate service providers and users. Several pilot projects have been conducted by the NWS CSD this past year that apply the program’s training lessons and expertise to specialized external user group training. The technical user groups included natural resources managers, engineers, hydrologists, and planners for transportation infrastructure. Training of professional user groups required tailoring instructions to the potential applications for each group of users. Training technical users identified the following critical issues: (1) knowledge of target audience expectations, initial knowledge status, and potential use of climate information; (2
Timofeyeva, M. M.
Since 2002, NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) Climate Services Division (CSD) has offered numerous training opportunities to NWS staff. After eight-years of development, the training program offers three instructor-led courses and roughly 25 online (distance learning) modules covering various climate topics, such as: climate data and observations, climate variability and change, and NWS national / local climate products (tools, skill, and interpretation). Leveraging climate information and expertise available at all NOAA line offices and partners allows for the delivery of the most advanced knowledge and is a very critical aspect of the training program. The emerging NOAA Climate Service (NCS) requires a well-trained, climate-literate workforce at the local level capable of delivering NOAA's climate products and services as well as providing climate-sensitive decision support. NWS Weather Forecast Offices and River Forecast Centers presently serve as local outlets for the NCS climate services. Trained NWS climate service personnel use proactive and reactive approaches and professional education methods in communicating climate variability and change information to local users. Both scientifically-sound messages and amiable communication techniques are important in developing an engaged dialog between the climate service providers and users. Several pilot projects have been conducted by the NWS CSD this past year that apply the program's training lessons and expertise to specialized external user group training. The technical user groups included natural resources managers, engineers, hydrologists, and planners for transportation infrastructure. Training of professional user groups required tailoring instructions to the potential applications for each group of users. Training technical users identified the following critical issues: (1) knowledge of target audience expectations, initial knowledge status, and potential use of climate information; (2) leveraging
Slørdahl, Tobias Schmidt; Denayer, Tinneke; Moen, Siv Helen; Standal, Therese; Børset, Magne; Ververken, Cedric; Rø, Torstein Baade
c-MET is the tyrosine kinase receptor of the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). HGF-c-MET signaling is involved in many human malignancies, including multiple myeloma (MM). Recently, multiple agents have been developed directed to interfere at different levels in HGF-c-MET signaling pathway. Nanobodies are therapeutic proteins based on the smallest functional fragments of heavy-chain-only antibodies. In this study, we wanted to determine the anticancer effect of a novel anti-c-MET Nanobody in MM. We examined the effects of an anti-c-MET Nanobody on thymidine incorporation, migration, adhesion of MM cells, and osteoblastogenesis in vitro. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of the Nanobody on HGF-dependent c-MET signaling by Western blotting. We show that the anti-c-MET Nanobody effectively inhibited thymidine incorporation of ANBL-6 MM cells via inhibition of an HGF autocrine growth loop and thymidine incorporation in INA-6 MM cells induced by exogenous HGF. HGF-induced migration and adhesion of INA-6 were completely and specifically blocked by the Nanobody. Furthermore, the Nanobody abolished the inhibiting effect of HGF on bone morphogenetic protein-2-induced alkaline phosphatase activity and the mineralization of human mesenchymal stem cells. Finally, we show that the Nanobody reduced phosphorylation of tyrosine residues in c-MET, MAPK, and Akt. We also compared the Nanobody with anti-c-MET monoclonal antibodies and revealed the similar or better effect. The anti-c-MET Nanobody inhibited MM cell migration, thymidine incorporation, and adhesion, and blocked the HGF-mediated inhibition of osteoblastogenesis. The anti-c-MET Nanobody might represent a novel therapeutic agent in the treatment of MM and other cancers driven by HGF-c-MET signaling. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Bozkaya, Giray; Korhan, Peyda; Cokaklı, Murat; Erdal, Esra; Sağol, Ozgül; Karademir, Sedat; Korch, Christopher; Atabey, Neşe
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) induced c-Met activation is known as the main stimulus for hepatocyte proliferation and is essential for liver development and regeneration. Activation of HGF/c-Met signaling has been correlated with aggressive phenotype and poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MUC1 is a transmembrane mucin, whose over-expression is reported in most cancers. Many of the oncogenic effects of MUC1 are believed to occur through the interaction of MUC1 with signaling molecules. To clarify the role of MUC1 in HGF/c-Met signaling, we determined whether MUC1 and c-Met interact cooperatively and what their role(s) is in hepatocarcinogenesis. MUC1 and c-Met over-expression levels were determined in highly motile and invasive, mesenchymal-like HCC cell lines, and in serial sections of cirrhotic and HCC tissues, and these levels were compared to those in normal liver tissues. Co-expression of both c-Met and MUC1 was found to be associated with the differentiation status of HCC. We further demonstrated an interaction between c-Met and MUC1 in HCC cells. HGF-induced c-Met phosphorylation decreased this interaction, and down-regulated MUC1 expression. Inhibition of c-Met activation restored HGF-mediated MUC1 down-regulation, and decreased the migratory and invasive abilities of HCC cells via inhibition of β-catenin activation and c-Myc expression. In contrast, siRNA silencing of MUC1 increased HGF-induced c-Met activation and HGF-induced cell motility and invasion. These findings indicate that the crosstalk between MUC1 and c-Met in HCC could provide an advantage for invasion to HCC cells through the β-catenin/c-Myc pathway. Thus, MUC1 and c-Met could serve as potential therapeutic targets in HCC.
Full Text Available Alessandro Granito,1 Elena Guidetti,1 Laura Gramantieri2,3 1Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy; 2Dipartimento dell'Apparato Digerente, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy; 3Centro di Ricerca Biomedica Applicata (CRBA, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico S Orsola-Malpighi e Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy Abstract: c-MET is the membrane receptor for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF, also known as scatter factor or tumor cytotoxic factor, a mitogenic growth factor for hepatocytes. HGF is mainly produced by cells of mesenchymal origin and it mainly acts on neighboring epidermal and endothelial cells, regulating epithelial growth and morphogenesis. HGF/MET signaling has been identified among the drivers of tumorigenesis in human cancers. As such, c-MET is a recognized druggable target, and against it, targeted agents are currently under clinical investigation. c-MET overexpression is a common event in a wide range of human malignancies, including gastric, lung, breast, ovary, colon, kidney, thyroid, and liver carcinomas. Despite c-MET overexpression being reported by a large majority of studies, no evidence for a c-MET oncogenic addiction exists in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC. In particular, c-MET amplification is a rare event, accounting for 4%–5% of cases while no mutation has been identified in c-MET oncogene in HCC. Thus, the selection of patient subgroups more likely to benefit from c-MET inhibition is challenging. Notwithstanding, c-MET overexpression was reported to be associated with increased metastatic potential and poor prognosis in patients with HCC, providing a rationale for its therapeutic inhibition. Here we summarize the role of activated HGF/MET signaling in HCC, its prognostic relevance, and the implications for therapeutic approaches in HCC. Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, c-MET, clinical trials
Voogd, Joanna Bernarda
Dit boek is een studie naar de betekenis van de Paulijnse oproep tot de groet met de heilige kus. In vier passages in het Nieuwe Testament is deze oproep vindbaar: “Groet alle broeders (en zusters) met de heilige kus” (1 Tes 5:26) of “groet elkaar met de heilige kus” (1 Kor 16:20; 2 Kor 13:12 en
ARL-TN-0876 ● MAR 2018 US Army Research Laboratory User-Defined Meteorological (MET) Profiles from Climatological and Extreme...needed. Do not return it to the originator. ARL-TN-0876 ● MAR 2018 US Army Research Laboratory User-Defined Meteorological (MET...User-Defined Meteorological (MET) Profiles from Climatological and Extreme Condition Data 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM
Full Text Available Abstract Background Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF induced c-Met activation is known as the main stimulus for hepatocyte proliferation and is essential for liver development and regeneration. Activation of HGF/c-Met signaling has been correlated with aggressive phenotype and poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC. MUC1 is a transmembrane mucin, whose over-expression is reported in most cancers. Many of the oncogenic effects of MUC1 are believed to occur through the interaction of MUC1 with signaling molecules. To clarify the role of MUC1 in HGF/c-Met signaling, we determined whether MUC1 and c-Met interact cooperatively and what their role(s is in hepatocarcinogenesis. Results MUC1 and c-Met over-expression levels were determined in highly motile and invasive, mesenchymal-like HCC cell lines, and in serial sections of cirrhotic and HCC tissues, and these levels were compared to those in normal liver tissues. Co-expression of both c-Met and MUC1 was found to be associated with the differentiation status of HCC. We further demonstrated an interaction between c-Met and MUC1 in HCC cells. HGF-induced c-Met phosphorylation decreased this interaction, and down-regulated MUC1 expression. Inhibition of c-Met activation restored HGF-mediated MUC1 down-regulation, and decreased the migratory and invasive abilities of HCC cells via inhibition of β-catenin activation and c-Myc expression. In contrast, siRNA silencing of MUC1 increased HGF-induced c-Met activation and HGF-induced cell motility and invasion. Conclusions These findings indicate that the crosstalk between MUC1 and c-Met in HCC could provide an advantage for invasion to HCC cells through the β-catenin/c-Myc pathway. Thus, MUC1 and c-Met could serve as potential therapeutic targets in HCC.
Dowsett, Harry J.; Caballero-Gill, R. P.
The Pliocene Epoch, 5.3 Ma to 1.8 Ma, was a time when paleoclimate conditions ranged from very warm, equable climates (on a global scale), rhythmically varying every 40,000 years, to high-amplitude glacial-interglacial cycles that led to the “Ice Ages” of the Pleistocene. Evidence for paleoclimate conditions comes from fossils, geochemical data, and the integration of these data with sophisticated numerical models. The Pliocene exhibited a range in atmospheric CO2 concentrations with highs estimated to be at most ~425 ppm in the early Pliocene followed by overall decrease toward preindustrial levels by the close of the Pliocene Epoch (Pagani et al. 2010). Sea levels were estimated to be 25m higher than present day and the size and position of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica were decidedly different from today. On the other hand, by the mid-Pliocene, the majority of fauna and flora as well as continental configurations were basically the same as today. Man’s ability to adapt to or mitigate the effects of future climate require a deep understanding of the rates and magnitude of future climate change on an ever finer scale. Since conditions projected for the end of this century are not in the human experience, we depend upon a combination of numerical climate models and comparison to analogous conditions in the geologic past. The Pliocene contains what might be the closest analog to climate conditions expected in the near future, and therefore understanding the Pliocene is not only of academic interest but essential for human adaptation.
... 37 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false The United States Patent and Trademark Office as a Designated Office or Elected Office. 1.414 Section 1.414 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE GENERAL RULES OF PRACTICE IN PATENT CASES International Processing...
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Zhang, Jing; Guo, Lei; Liu, Xiuyun; Li, Wenbin; Ying, Jianming
This study was conducted to investigate the expression of MET in Chinese gastric adenocarcinoma cohort, the correlation between MET overexpression and clinical pathological features, HER2 expression and MET gene amplification. A total of 816 gastric adenocarcinoma patients were included and MET and HER2 immunohistochemical (IHC) staining were performed. IHC and dual-color silver in situ hybridization analysis were performed in the tissue microarrays, constructed from the 240 patients who were randomly selected. MET overexpression (IHC 3+) was observed in 6.0% (49/816) of the cohort. MET overexpression rate was higher in patients with poor prognostic factors, such as clinical stages III/IV (p =0.012) and pathologic stages T3/T4 (p =0.027). The HER2 overexpression (IHC 3+) rate was 8.8% (72/816) and MET overexpression rate was higher in HER2 positive patients (9.7%, 7/72). A high concordance rate (94.6%) between MET overexpression and gene amplification was demonstrated. Therefore, MET overexpression could serve as a prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer.
Xu, Jimin; Ai, Jing; Liu, Sheng; Peng, Xia; Yu, Linqian; Geng, Meiyu; Nan, Fajun
A library of biscoumarin-based c-Met inhibitors was synthesized, based on optimization of 3,3'-biscoumarin hit 3, which was identified as a non-ATP competitive inhibitor of c-Met from a diverse library of coumarin derivatives. Among these compounds, 38 and 40 not only showed potent enzyme activities with IC50 values of 107 nM and 30 nM, respectively, but also inhibited c-Met phosphorylation in BaF3/TPR-Met and EBC-1 cells.
Lee, Young H. [Urologic Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 (United States); Apolo, Andrea B. [Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 (United States); Agarwal, Piyush K.; Bottaro, Donald P., E-mail: email@example.com [Urologic Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 (United States)
There is mounting evidence of oncogenic hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/Met signaling in urothelial carcinoma (UC) of the bladder. The effects of three kinase inhibitors, cabozantinib, crizotinib and EMD1214063, on HGF-driven signaling and cell growth, invasion and tumorigenicity were analyzed in cultured UC cell lines. SW780 xenograft growth in SCID and human HGF knock-in SCID (hHGF/SCID) mice treated with cabozantinib or vehicle, as well as tumor levels of Met and pMet, were also determined. Met content was robust in most UC-derived cell lines. Basal pMet content and effector activation state in quiescent cells were low, but significantly enhanced by added HGF, as were cell invasion, proliferation and anchorage independent growth. These HGF-driven effects were reversed by Met inhibitor treatment. Tumor xenograft growth was significantly higher in hHGF/SCID mice vs. SCID mice and significantly inhibited by cabozantinib, as was tumor phospho-Met content. These studies indicate the prevalence and functionality of the HGF/Met signaling pathway in UC cells, suggest that paracrine HGF may contribute to UC tumor growth and progression, and that support further preclinical investigation of Met inhibitors for the treatment of UC is warranted.
Dietz, Marina S; Haße, Daniel; Ferraris, Davide M; Göhler, Antonia; Niemann, Hartmut H; Heilemann, Mike
The human receptor tyrosine kinase MET and its ligand hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor are essential during embryonic development and play an important role during cancer metastasis and tissue regeneration. In addition, it was found that MET is also relevant for infectious diseases and is the target of different bacteria, amongst them Listeria monocytogenes that induces bacterial uptake through the surface protein internalin B. Binding of ligand to the MET receptor is proposed to lead to receptor dimerization. However, it is also discussed whether preformed MET dimers exist on the cell membrane. To address these issues we used single-molecule fluorescence microscopy techniques. Our photobleaching experiments show that MET exists in dimers on the membrane of cells in the absence of ligand and that the proportion of MET dimers increases significantly upon ligand binding. Our results indicate that partially preformed MET dimers may play a role in ligand binding or MET signaling. The addition of the bacterial ligand internalin B leads to an increase of MET dimers which is in agreement with the model of ligand-induced dimerization of receptor tyrosine kinases.
Parikh, Palak K; Ghate, Manjunath D
c-Met is a prototype member of a subfamily of heterodimeric receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and is the receptor for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). Binding of HGF to its receptor c-Met, initiates a wide range of cellular signalling, including those involved in proliferation, motility, migration and invasion. Importantly, dysregulated HGF/c-Met signalling is a driving factor for numerous malignancies and promotes tumour growth, invasion, dissemination and/or angiogenesis. Dysregulated HGF/c-Met signalling has also been associated with poor clinical outcomes and resistance acquisition to some approved targeted therapies. Thus, c-Met kinase has emerged as a promising target for cancer drug development. Different therapeutic approaches targeting the HGF/c-Met signalling pathway are under development for targeted cancer therapy, among which small molecule inhibitors of c-Met kinase constitute the largest effort within the pharmaceutical industry. The review is an effort to summarize recent advancements in medicinal chemistry development of small molecule c-Met kinase inhibitors as potential anti-cancer agents which would certainly help future researchers to bring further developments in the discovery of small molecule c-Met kinase inhibitors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Tang, Na-Ping; Wang, Lian-Sheng; Yang, Li; Gu, Hai-Juan; Zhu, Huai-Jun; Zhou, Bo; Sun, Qing-Min; Cong, Ri-Hong; Wang, Bin
Ghrelin, a novel endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor, is considered to exert a protective effect against atherosclerosis. The Leu72Met (+408C>A) polymorphic variant of the preproghrelin, the gene for the ghrelin precursor, has been linked to obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. However, it is unclear whether this polymorphism is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). We conducted a case-control study with 317 CAD patients and 323 controls to investigate the potential association of the Leu72Met polymorphism with the occurrence of CAD and CAD-related phenotypes in Chinese population. No significant difference in the Leu72Met genotype frequency was observed between CAD patients and controls (P=NS). The Leu72Met polymorphism was not associated with hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, the number of diseased vessels, plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol or fasting glucose levels in CAD patients. However, among CAD patients, those with variant genotypes (Leu72Met and Met72Met) had lower BMI (24.4+/-0.3 kg/m(2)) than Leu72Leu carriers (25.4+/-0.2 kg/m(2), adjusted P=0.033). Our data indicate that the preproghrelin Leu72Met polymorphism is not associated with CAD in Chinese population. However, the Leu72Met variant is associated with BMI among CAD patients.
Kim, Sun-Young; Jo, Dae-Sun; Hwang, Pyoung Han; Park, Ji Hyun; Park, Sung Kwang; Yi, Ho Keun; Lee, Dae-Yeol
Ghrelin is a novel gut-brain peptide, which exerts somatotropic, orexigenic, and adipogenic effects. Genetic variants of ghrelin have been associated with both obesity and insulin metabolism. In this study, we determined a role of preproghrelin Leu72Met polymorphism on type 2 diabetes mellitus and its relationship to variables studied. Genotypes were assessed by polymerase chain reaction. Frequencies of the Leu72Met polymorphism were found to be 35.4% in the type 2 diabetic patients and 32.5% in the normal controls. The Leu72Met polymorphism was not associated with hypertension, macroangiopathy, retinopathy, serum cholesterol, triglyceride, blood urea nitrogen, HbA(1c), lipoprotein (a), fasting insulin, or 24-hour urinary protein levels in the type 2 diabetic group. However, the Leu72Met polymorphism was clearly associated with serum creatinine levels in the diabetic group, as the Met72 carriers exhibited lower serum creatinine levels than the Met72 noncarriers. Our data indicate that the preproghrelin Leu72Met polymorphism is not associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, the Leu72Met polymorphism is associated with serum creatinine levels. These data suggest that Met72 carrier status may be a predictable marker for diabetic nephropathy or renal impairment in type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Yuen, Hiu-Fung; Chan, Ka-Kui; Platt-Higgins, Angela; Dakir, El-Habib; Matchett, Kyle B.; Haggag, Yusuf Ahmed; Jithesh, Puthen V.; Habib, Tanwir; Faheem, Ahmed; Dean, Fennell A.; Morgan, Richard; Rudland, Philip S.; El-Tanani, Mohamed
It has been shown previously that cancer cells with an activated oncogenic pathway, including Met activation, require Ran for growth and survival. Here, we show that knockdown of Ran leads to a reduction of Met receptor expression in several breast and lung cancer cell lines. This, in turn suppressed HGF expression and the Met-mediated activation of the Akt pathway, as well as cell adhesion, migration, and invasion. In a cell line model where Met amplification has previously been shown to contribute to gefitinib resistance, Ran knockdown sensitized cells to gefitinib-mediated inhibition of Akt and ERK1/2 phosphorylation and consequently reduced cell proliferation. We further demonstrate that Met reduction-mediated by knockdown of Ran, occurs at the post-transcriptional level, probably via a matrix metalloproteinase. Moreover, the level of immunoreactive Ran and Met are positively associated in human breast cancer specimens, suggesting that a high level of Ran may be a pre-requisite for Met overexpression. Interestingly, a high level of immunoreactive Ran dictates the prognostic significance of Met, indicating that the co-overexpression of Met and Ran may be associated with cancer progression and could be used in combination as a prognostic indicator. PMID:27716616
Full Text Available Juvenile Hormone (JH represses metamorphosis of young instars in insects. One of the main players in hormonal signalling is Methoprene-tolerant (Met, which plays the role of JH receptor. Using the Polyneopteran insect Blattella germanica as the model and RNAi for transcript depletion, we have confirmed that Met transduces the antimetamorphic signal of JH in young nymphs and plays a role in the last nymphal instar moult in this species. Previously, the function of Met as the JH receptor had been demonstrated in the Eumetabola clade, with experiments in Holometabola (in the beetle Tribolium castaneum and in their sister group Paraneoptera (in the bug Pyrrhocoris apterus. Our result shows that the function of Met as JH receptor is also conserved in the more basal Polyneoptera. The function of Met as JH transducer might thus predate the evolutionary innovation of metamorphosis. Moreover, expression of Met was also found in last nymphal instar of B. germanica, when JH is absent. Depletion of Met in this stage provoked deficiencies in wing growth and ecdysis problems in the imaginal moult. Down-regulation of the ecdysone-inducible gene E75A and Insulin-Like-Peptide 1 in these Met-depleted specimens suggest that Met is involved in the ecdysone and insulin signalling pathways in last nymphal instar, when JH is virtually absent.
Korhan, Peyda; Erdal, Esra; Kandemiş, Emine; Cokaklı, Murat; Nart, Deniz; Yılmaz, Funda; Can, Alp; Atabey, Neşe
c-Met, the receptor for Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF), overexpressed and deregulated in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). Caveolin 1 (CAV1), a plasma membrane protein that modulates signal transduction molecules, is also overexpressed in HCC. The aim of this study was to investigate biological and clinical significance of co-expression and activation of c-Met and CAV1 in HCC. We showed that c-Met and CAV1 were co-localized in HCC cells and HGF treatment increased this association. HGF-triggered c-Met activation caused a concurrent rise in both phosphorylation and expression of CAV1. Ectopic expression of CAV1 accelerated c-Met signaling, resulted in enhanced migration, invasion, and branching-morphogenesis. Silencing of CAV1 downregulated c-Met signaling, and decreased migratory/invasive capability of cells and attenuated branching morphogenesis. In addition, activation and co-localization of c-Met and CAV1 were elevated during hepatocarcinogenesis. In conclusion reciprocal activating crosstalk between c-Met and CAV1 promoted oncogenic signaling of c-Met contributed to the initiation and progression of HCC.
Full Text Available c-Met, the receptor for Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF, overexpressed and deregulated in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC. Caveolin 1 (CAV1, a plasma membrane protein that modulates signal transduction molecules, is also overexpressed in HCC. The aim of this study was to investigate biological and clinical significance of co-expression and activation of c-Met and CAV1 in HCC. We showed that c-Met and CAV1 were co-localized in HCC cells and HGF treatment increased this association. HGF-triggered c-Met activation caused a concurrent rise in both phosphorylation and expression of CAV1. Ectopic expression of CAV1 accelerated c-Met signaling, resulted in enhanced migration, invasion, and branching-morphogenesis. Silencing of CAV1 downregulated c-Met signaling, and decreased migratory/invasive capability of cells and attenuated branching morphogenesis. In addition, activation and co-localization of c-Met and CAV1 were elevated during hepatocarcinogenesis. In conclusion reciprocal activating crosstalk between c-Met and CAV1 promoted oncogenic signaling of c-Met contributed to the initiation and progression of HCC.
Keusekotten, K.; Elliott, P.R.; Kulathu, Y.
The linear ubiquitin (Ub) chain assembly complex (LUBAC) is an E3 ligase that specifically assembles Met1-linked (also known as linear) Ub chains that regulate nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling. Deubiquitinases (DUBs) are key regulators of Ub signaling, but a dedicated DUB for Met1 linkages has...... not been identified. Here, we reveal a previously unannotated human DUB, OTULIN (also known as FAM105B), which is exquisitely specific for Met1 linkages. Crystal structures of the OTULIN catalytic domain in complex with diubiquitin reveal Met1-specific Ub-binding sites and a mechanism of substrate...
Reimann, Gregers Peter; Kristensen, Poul Erik
The new headquarter for Pusat Tenaga Malaysia is designed to be a Zero Emission Office Building (ZEO). A full range of passive and active energy efficiency measures are implemented such that the building will need no more electricity than what can be produced via its own Building Integrated PV...... lighting. These measures include the use of high efficient lighting controlled according to demand, high efficiency pumps and fans, a high efficiency chiller, and use of energy efficient office equipment. The buildings PV system is connected to the grid. Solar electricity is exported to the grid during...... of 24 – 26 oC can be maintained throughout the office hours. The PV roof of the building serves multiple purposes. During daytime, the roof becomes the powerplant of the building, and during nighttime, the PV roof becomes the “cooling tower” for the chiller. The roof will be covered by a thin water film...
Hegewald, Matthew J; Gallo, Heather M; Wilson, Emily L
Spirometry is necessary for the optimal management of patients with respiratory disease. The quality of spirometry performed in the primary care setting has been inconsistent. We aimed to evaluate spirometer accuracy, determine the clinical significance of inaccurate spirometers, and assess the quality of spirograms obtained in primary care offices. We tested 17 spirometers used in primary care offices with a waveform generator; accuracy and precision were assessed using American Thoracic Society criteria. The clinical significance of inaccurate instruments was determined by applying the FEV 1 /FVC error from an obstructed waveform to a clinical data set. Spirogram quality was determined by grading spirograms using acceptability and repeatability criteria. The relationship between the number of tests performed by a clinic and test quality was assessed. Only 1 of 17 spirometers met accuracy criteria, with mean errors for FVC, FEV 1 , and FEV 1 /FVC ranging from 1.7 to 3.1%. Applying the percentage error to a clinical data set resulted in 28% of tests being recategorized from obstructed to nonobstructed. Of the spirograms reviewed, 60% were considered acceptable for clinical use. There was no association between the number of tests performed by a clinic and spirometry quality. Most spirometers tested were not accurate. The magnitude of the errors resulted in significant changes in the categorization of patients with obstruction. Acceptable-quality tests were produced for only 60% of patients. Our results raise concerns regarding the utility of spirometry obtained in primary care offices without greater attention to quality assurance and training.
Chou, Sin Chan; Marengo, Jose A.; Lyra, Andre A.; Sueiro, Gustavo; Pesquero, Jose F.; Alves, Lincoln M.; Chagas, Diego J.; Gomes, Jorge L.; Bustamante, Josiane F.; Tavares, Priscila [National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Sao Paulo (Brazil); Kay, Gillian; Betts, Richard [UK Met Office Hadley Centre, Devon (United Kingdom)
The objective of this work is to evaluate climate simulations over South America using the regional Eta Model driven by four members of an ensemble of the UK Met Office Hadley Centre HadCM3 global model. The Eta Model has been modified with the purpose of performing long-term decadal integrations and has shown to reproduce ''present climate'' - the period 1961-1990 - reasonably well when forced by HadCM3. The global model lateral conditions with a resolution of 2.5 latitude x 3.75 longitude were provided at a frequency of 6 h. Each member of the global model ensemble has a different climate sensitivity, and the four members were selected to span the range of uncertainty encompassed by the ensemble. The Eta Model nested in the HadCM3 global model was configured with 40-km horizontal resolution and 38 layers in the vertical. No large-scale internal nudging was applied. Results are shown for austral summer and winter at present climate defined as 1961-90. The upper and low-level circulation patterns produced by the Eta-CPTEC/HadCM3 experiment set-up show good agreement with reanalysis data and the mean precipitation and temperature with CRU observation data. The spread in the downscaled mean precipitation and temperature is small when compared against model errors. On the other hand, the benefits in using an ensemble is clear in the improved representation of the seasonal cycle by the ensemble mean over any one realization. El Nino and La Nina years were identified in the HadCM3 member runs based on the NOAA Climate Prediction Center criterion of sea surface temperature anomalies in the Nino 3.4 area. The frequency of the El Nino and La Nina events in the studied period is underestimated by HadCM3. The precipitation and temperature anomalies typical of these events are reproduced by most of the Eta-CPTEC/HadCM3 ensemble, although small displacements of the positions of the anomalies occur. This experiment configuration is the first step on the
Fleming, L. E.; Sarran, C.; Golding, B.; Haines, A.; Kessel, A.; Djennad, M.; Hajat, S.; Nichols, G.; Gordon Brown, H.; Depledge, M.
A large part of the global disease burden can be linked to environmental factors, underpinned by unhealthy behaviours. Research into these linkages suffers from lack of common tools and databases for investigations across many different scientific disciplines to explore these complex associations. The MEDMI (Medical and Environmental Data-a Mash-up Infrastructure) Partnership brings together leading organisations and researchers in climate, weather, environment, and human health. We have created a proof-of-concept central data and analysis system with the UK Met Office and Public Health England data as the internet-based MEDMI Platform (www.data-mashup.org.uk) to serve as a common resource for researchers to link and analyse complex meteorological, environmental and epidemiological data in the UK. The Platform is hosted on its own dedicated server, with secure internet and in-person access with appropriate safeguards for ethical, copyright, security, preservation, and data sharing issues. Via the Platform, there is a demonstration Browser Application with access to user-selected subsets of the data for: a) analyses using time series (e.g. mortality/environmental variables), and b) data visualizations (e.g. infectious diseases/environmental variables). One demonstration project is linking climate change, harmful algal blooms and oceanographic modelling building on the hydrodynamic-biogeochemical coupled models; in situ and satellite observations as well as UK HAB data and hospital episode statistics data are being used for model verification and future forecasting. The MEDMI Project provides a demonstration of the potential, barriers and challenges, of these "data mashups" of environment and health data. Although there remain many challenges to creating and sustaining such a shared resource, these activities and resources are essential to truly explore the complex interactions between climate and other environmental change and health at the local and global scale.
Bjarklev, Araceli; Bjarklev, Anders Overgaard
are met in conjunction with situations, where the esthetical design issues are addressed. Finally, our study also points out to the necessity of finding a trans-disciplinary cooperation across sectors to more effectively answer to the climate change challenge, when designing low-carbon technologies...
... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Principal office. 561.39 Section 561.39 Banks and Banking OFFICE OF THRIFT SUPERVISION, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY DEFINITIONS FOR REGULATIONS AFFECTING ALL SAVINGS ASSOCIATIONS § 561.39 Principal office. The term principal office means the home... | <urn:uuid:83e8d8e9-9c41-42ed-a7ae-bcef78ace6c1> | 2.5625 | 110,976 | Content Listing | Science & Tech. | 27.86195 | 95,628,396 |
The Arctic campaign PAM-ARCMIP (Pan-Arctic Measurements and Arctic Climate Model Intercomparison Project) ended yesterday in Ottawa with the participation of the research aircraft Polar 5.
The campaign which lasted four weeks yielded unique measurement data on sea ice thickness, trace gases, aerosols and meteorological parameters thanks to the great range of the aircraft and modern measurement equipment.
"We were out and about in mainly unchartered territory. Our most northerly position was 88°40' N. Flight operations of this kind require a high degree of proficiency and a lot of experience", reports Dr. Andreas Herber, physicist and in charge of the research aircrafts belonging to the Alfred Wegener Institute. The weather was mostly ideal for measurement purposes. Air temperatures below -30° C however posed a frequent challenge for the scientific equipment. 20 researchers and engineers from six different research institutes from Germany, Italy (CNR-ISAC Bologna), Canada (Environment Canada, University of Alberta, York City) and the USA (NOAA-ESRL Boulder) were participating, and they will evaluate the data in the coming months.
The flight of Polar 5, belonging to the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association, led from Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen via Greenland and northern Canada up to Barrow in Alaska. Polar 5 landed also as the first aircraft ever on ice of two metres thickness at the position 87°40' N/117°00' W on the Russian ice floe drift station NP-36. The whole campaign was a success thanks to the close international collaboration and the extraordinary support at the research stations like Alert and Eureka.
A focal point of the campaign was on Arctic aerosols. An image of the aerosol distribution in the Arctic was produced by means of multiple vertical and horizontal profiles in low-level flight altitude (60 metres) and in normal flight altitude (3.000 metres). Aerosols belong, together with water droplets and ice crystals, to the climate relevant trace substances. They rank among the greatest uncertainty factors regarding the evaluation of future climate change. The measurements above the Arctic Ocean make the quantification of aerosol pollution of the Arctic clean air and its allocation to Asiatic, North American and European source regions possible. They are a realistic foundation for the much needed improvement of model computations for this inaccessible and for climate research essential region of the earth.
Another focal point of the campaign were large-scale measurements of ice thickness in the inner Arctic, which were conducted in close collaboration of the Alfred Wegener Institute together with the University of Alberta. An ice-thickness sensor, the so-called EM-Bird, was put into operation under a plane for the first time ever. To conduct the measurements, Polar 5 dragged the sensor which was attached to a steel cable of eighty metres length in a height of twenty metres over the ice cover. Multiple flights northwards from various stations showed an ice thickness between 2.5 (two years old ice in the vicinity of the North Pole) and 4 metres (perennial ice in Canadian offshore regions). All in all, the ice was somewhat thicker than during the last years in the same regions, which leads to the conclusion that Arctic ice cover recovers temporarily. The researchers found the thickest ice with a thickness of 15 metres along the northern coast of Ellesmere Island.
Another highlight of the campaign were atmospheric probes in the central Arctic and measurements of low level ozone and mercury concentrations over large areas of the sea ice-covered Arctic Ocean. The meteorological probes were conducted by means of drop sondes. They yielded shallow boundary layers in conjunction with pronounced temperature inversions and wind jets in the lowest 300 metres. These conditions probably favoured the near surface ozone concentration over the sea ice as measured by the team from Environment Canada, caused by a reaction with bromine oxide (BrO). The combination of all trace gas measurements by means of atmospheric probes will allow a better understanding of the processes of near surface ozone depletion in the Arctic.
This logistically demanding campaign with residence in four different riparian Arctic states was only possible due to the close international collaboration between all partners involved.
The Alfred Wegener Institute carries out research in the Arctic and Antarctic as well as in the high and mid latitude oceans. The institute coordinates German polar research and provides international science with important infrastructure, e.g. the research icebreaker Polarstern and research stations in the Arctic and Antarctic. The Alfred Wegener Institute is one of 15 research centres within the Helmholtz Association, Germany's largest scientific organization.
Margarete Pauls | idw
Global study of world's beaches shows threat to protected areas
19.07.2018 | NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
NSF-supported researchers to present new results on hurricanes and other extreme events
19.07.2018 | National Science Foundation
A new manufacturing technique uses a process similar to newspaper printing to form smoother and more flexible metals for making ultrafast electronic devices.
The low-cost process, developed by Purdue University researchers, combines tools already used in industry for manufacturing metals on a large scale, but uses...
For the first time ever, scientists have determined the cosmic origin of highest-energy neutrinos. A research group led by IceCube scientist Elisa Resconi, spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center SFB1258 at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an important piece of evidence that the particles detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole originate from a galaxy four billion light-years away from Earth.
To rule out other origins with certainty, the team led by neutrino physicist Elisa Resconi from the Technical University of Munich and multi-wavelength...
For the first time a team of researchers have discovered two different phases of magnetic skyrmions in a single material. Physicists of the Technical Universities of Munich and Dresden and the University of Cologne can now better study and understand the properties of these magnetic structures, which are important for both basic research and applications.
Whirlpools are an everyday experience in a bath tub: When the water is drained a circular vortex is formed. Typically, such whirls are rather stable. Similar...
Physicists working with Roland Wester at the University of Innsbruck have investigated if and how chemical reactions can be influenced by targeted vibrational excitation of the reactants. They were able to demonstrate that excitation with a laser beam does not affect the efficiency of a chemical exchange reaction and that the excited molecular group acts only as a spectator in the reaction.
A frequently used reaction in organic chemistry is nucleophilic substitution. It plays, for example, an important role in in the synthesis of new chemical...
Optical spectroscopy allows investigating the energy structure and dynamic properties of complex quantum systems. Researchers from the University of Würzburg present two new approaches of coherent two-dimensional spectroscopy.
"Put an excitation into the system and observe how it evolves." According to physicist Professor Tobias Brixner, this is the credo of optical spectroscopy....
13.07.2018 | Event News
12.07.2018 | Event News
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Not only geologists are interested in giant canyons of Kursk Magnetic Anomaly, but also soil scientists. There is very convenient place to watch old soils, which earlier were on the surface. As the canyons grew wider, details of ancient landscapes and their changes appear. While studying one of those canyons, Svetlana Sycheva from the Institute of Geography Russian Academy of Sciences has found that earlier there was a system of large ravines, now buried under a thick layer of sediments.
It was found that the landscape and soil changes do not occur randomly, in fact, they are strictly periodic - the glacier epochs take turns with interglacial ones. The old gully, which Sycheva was studying, formed about 130 thousand years ago, at the end of the Dneprov icing, when there was a sudden, even catastrophic climate change. Dry and cold weather, which caused permafrost in Central Russia, was changed by wet and warm Mikulin interglacial period. When sudden soil defrost came and too much water flowed in because of glacier thawing, soils began to cover all the ravines, even large ones.
As the climate settled and warming came, the newly formed earth relief acquired vegetation and soils developed. The gully was `resting`, being covered with forests. That lasted for 15 thousand years. At the end of Mikulin interglacial period, a series of cataclysms happened, because of frequent changes of warmth and frost. After a long drought, severe fire broke out and destroyed forests in gullies. Without vegetation, the slopes destructed and fertile soils were washed out. By the middle of Valday icing (50-40 thousand years ago), the gully was covered with sediments from water flows.
Tatiana Pitchugina | alphagalileo
Global study of world's beaches shows threat to protected areas
19.07.2018 | NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
NSF-supported researchers to present new results on hurricanes and other extreme events
19.07.2018 | National Science Foundation
A new manufacturing technique uses a process similar to newspaper printing to form smoother and more flexible metals for making ultrafast electronic devices.
The low-cost process, developed by Purdue University researchers, combines tools already used in industry for manufacturing metals on a large scale, but uses...
For the first time ever, scientists have determined the cosmic origin of highest-energy neutrinos. A research group led by IceCube scientist Elisa Resconi, spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center SFB1258 at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an important piece of evidence that the particles detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole originate from a galaxy four billion light-years away from Earth.
To rule out other origins with certainty, the team led by neutrino physicist Elisa Resconi from the Technical University of Munich and multi-wavelength...
For the first time a team of researchers have discovered two different phases of magnetic skyrmions in a single material. Physicists of the Technical Universities of Munich and Dresden and the University of Cologne can now better study and understand the properties of these magnetic structures, which are important for both basic research and applications.
Whirlpools are an everyday experience in a bath tub: When the water is drained a circular vortex is formed. Typically, such whirls are rather stable. Similar...
Physicists working with Roland Wester at the University of Innsbruck have investigated if and how chemical reactions can be influenced by targeted vibrational excitation of the reactants. They were able to demonstrate that excitation with a laser beam does not affect the efficiency of a chemical exchange reaction and that the excited molecular group acts only as a spectator in the reaction.
A frequently used reaction in organic chemistry is nucleophilic substitution. It plays, for example, an important role in in the synthesis of new chemical...
Optical spectroscopy allows investigating the energy structure and dynamic properties of complex quantum systems. Researchers from the University of Würzburg present two new approaches of coherent two-dimensional spectroscopy.
"Put an excitation into the system and observe how it evolves." According to physicist Professor Tobias Brixner, this is the credo of optical spectroscopy....
13.07.2018 | Event News
12.07.2018 | Event News
03.07.2018 | Event News
20.07.2018 | Power and Electrical Engineering
20.07.2018 | Information Technology
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How do earthquakes occur?1:28
Earthquakes kill about 8,000 people every year, but how do they actually occur?
A POWERFUL earthquake struck off Peru’s coast early Sunday local time, destroying adobe structures and killing at least two people and injuring more than 65, according to officials.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the 4:18 a.m. (0918 GMT) temblor had a magnitude of 7.1, down from an earlier calculation of 7.3.
The epicentre was 40 kilometers south-southwest of the small town of Acari in the Arequipa district. It was centred 36 kilometers below the surface.
Arequipa Govenor Yamila Orosio tweeted that at least one person was killed and that there were reports of power outages and collapsed adobe structures.
The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially warned that “hazardous tsunami waves are forecast for some coasts” and that larger-than-normal waves could hit Peru and Chile.
7.3 earthquake hits off Peruvian coast0:21
A 7.3-magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of central Peru, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports. The quake hit on Sunday at a depth of 12 kilometres.
But the centre then said in a later statement that “there is no longer a tsunami threat from this earthquake” and that the center hadn’t observed any tsunami waves.
The quake hit at a depth of 12 kilometres.
Peruvian maritime authorities confirmed the quake did not produce a tsunami on the Peruvian coast. | <urn:uuid:37b91a60-1ba2-443f-a899-99a55d5b3640> | 3.75 | 347 | News Article | Science & Tech. | 59.263389 | 95,628,424 |
iOS makes it easy to convert numbers like 10 or 100 into their written equivalents: "ten" and "one hundred", and it even handles other languages. For example, to convert the number 556 into "five hundred fifty-six", you would use this code:
let formatter = NumberFormatter() formatter.numberStyle = .spellOut let english = formatter.string(from: 556)
If you wanted to get that in Spanish, you would set a locale like this:
formatter.locale = Locale(identifier: "es_ES") let spanish = formatter.string(from: 556)
Running that code would make the
english constant equal to
five hundred fifty-six and the
spanish constant equal to
quinientos cincuenta y seis.
Available from iOS 2.0
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Microsoft codenames are the codenames given by Microsoft to products it has in development, before these products are given the names by which they appear on store shelves. Many of these products (new versions of Windows in particular) are of major significance to the IT community, and so the terms are often widely used in discussions prior to the official release. Microsoft usually does not announce a final name until shortly before the product is publicly available.
Visual Studio Codenames
Visual Basic 1.0. The first version of Visual Basic. The standard dialogs and controls created by the Visual Basic runtime library all have "Thunder" as a prefix of their internal type names (for example, buttons are internally known as ThunderCommandButton).
Microsoft Visual C++ 4.1. After Zamboni, an ice resurfacing machine.
Visual Studio 98 (6.0). Ski Resort in Colorado
C#. Short for: C-based Object Oriented Language
Visual Studio .NET 2002. After Rainier, a small town south of Seattle. Mount Rainier is a dormant volcano.
Visual Studio .NET 2003. After Everett, a large city near Seattle.
Visual Studio 2005. After Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. A little farther from Seattle than Everett.
Visual Studio 2008. Named after Orcas Island, located in Puget Sound. Farther still from Seattle.
Team System-only release after Visual Studio 2008. Named after a resort located on Orcas Island.
Visual Studio Team System. Unknown, although it is the name of a North American manufacturer of snowboards.
Successor or Orcas. An island 'much further out' than Orcas or Whidbey. Also, where the development team plan to celebrate its completion.
Visual Studio Team System's Source Control System. Named after the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in the Outer Banks region of North Carolina.
Visual Studio Team System load testing suite. Named after the Ocracoke Island Lighthouse on Ocracoke Island, also in North Carolina.
Team Foundation Work Item Tracking. Named after the Currituck Beach Lighthouse in Corolla, North Carolina.
Team Foundation Server SDK. Named after the Bodie Island Lighthouse in North Carolina.
Visual Studio Team System's designers for architects.
Includes Application Designer, Logical Data Center Designer, System Designer, and Deployment Designer.
Visual Studio 2005 Extensions for WinFX. Named after Fidalgo Island, located in Puget Sound in the San Juan Islands.
Online version of Visual Studio. Currently a research project.
Microsoft Surface. Table-top style computer with multi-touch touchscreen interface.
Windows CE .NET-based technology for smart displays.
Experimental operating system based on the Microsoft .NET platform, using software-based type safety as a replacement for hardware-based memory protection. Project homepage.
Windows Presentation Foundation
.Net My Services. Project to make MSN-hosted user data available to the same users at non-Microsoft web sites; never released
Windows Communication Foundation
In Microsoft jargon, the "toaster" is the hardware equivalent of fictional entities, such as the Contoso company or the http://tempuri.org/ URI, used in documentation and sample code as placeholders to be redefined by third-party developers.
A framework that takes advantage of Windows Communication Foundation and the Entity Data Model (EDM) to allow developers to expose data in the cloud. Read More...
Shared Source Common Language Infrastructure (SSCLI)
An implementation for ASP.NET of Ajax native to the .NET Framework 2.0.
Windows XP SP2
Windows Vista/ Windows Server 2008 (In Development). Named after the Longhorn Bar in the Whistler-Blackcomb resort
Windows Vista Service Pack 1
Windows Media Player 11 for XP
Windows Media Player 11 for Vista
SQL Server Codenames
Windows Live Codenames
Microsoft Office Communicator 2005Technorati Tags: Microsoft Code Names , .Net , Technology , Thinder , Zamboni , Aspen , Cool , Rainier , Everett , Whidbey , Orcas , Rosario , Burton , Hawai , Hatteras , Ocracoke , Currituck , Bodie , Whitehorse , Fidalgo , Tuscany , Lightning , Clarity , Milan , Mira , Singularity , Avalon , Hail Storm , Indigo , Jolt , Paxos , Toaster , Astoria , Rotor , Atlas , Hydra , Sphinx , Shiloh , Yokun , Katmai , Akadia , Kahuna , Tornado
Monday, November 12, 2007
Microsoft Code Names
Today, CBSE Board, India declared class X result for year 2010. But here is a catch – this year they changed the rating from numbers to grad...
Shatrughna Temple is one on two temples in the world that are dedicated to the youngest brother of Lord Rama – Shartughna . The other temp...
1. Code Complete by Steve McConnell - Darn near a bible of software development goodness, Code Complete reminds us of our priorities. ...
As a developer, many time I wished to redirect user to a new URL into a new browser window. I wanted to use response.redirect at server sid...
Microsoft’s long-term productivity vision explores how we will create and share content; collaborate across teams, organizations and network... | <urn:uuid:f14c4eda-8fb7-4028-be08-929da2ce2caf> | 2.59375 | 1,112 | Content Listing | Software Dev. | 40.177491 | 95,628,461 |
The relative homogeneity of pelagic environments has been regarded as the reason for the absence of hybrid zones for hybridizing planktonic Daphnia (Crustacea: Cladocera); occasional dominance of interspecific hybrids over parental species was explained by their temporal superiority in fluctuating environments. However, water bodies with spatially varying environmental conditions might facilitate the formation of hybrid zones in plankton. We studied the distribution of species and hybrids of the Daphnia longispina complex in 11 canyon-shaped reservoirs, localities characterized by horizontal environmental gradients (particularly of food supply and size-selective predation); we also analysed patterns of carapace size and fecundity among coexisting taxa. Spatial distribution of taxa agreed with their ecological characteristics; those showing different affinities along longitudinal reservoir profiles differed in size according to the presumed fish predation gradient. Only hybrids of Daphnia galeata with Daphnia cucullata and D. longispina (=hyalina) were recorded. The latter two species preferred opposite ends of gradients, such spatial segregation probably explaining the absence of their hybrids. Distributional patterns were relatively stable in two consecutive summers, apart from a substantial decline of D. galeata X cucullata in the second year. The observed pattern of a hybrid-dominated zone in intermediate conditions suggests that local Daphnia hybrid zones may indeed form within reservoirs.
Mendeley saves you time finding and organizing research
Choose a citation style from the tabs below | <urn:uuid:9e273bb8-f4df-4648-97eb-85b3a02c7f19> | 3.25 | 307 | Academic Writing | Science & Tech. | -3.96811 | 95,628,468 |
Source code: Lib/cgi.py
Support module for Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts.
This module defines a number of utilities for use by CGI scripts written in Python.
A CGI script is invoked by an HTTP server, usually to process user input submitted through an HTML
Most often, CGI scripts live in the server’s special
cgi-bin directory. The HTTP server places all sorts of information about the request (such as the client’s hostname, the requested URL, the query string, and lots of other goodies) in the script’s shell environment, executes the script, and sends the script’s output back to the client.
The script’s input is connected to the client too, and sometimes the form data is read this way; at other times the form data is passed via the “query string” part of the URL. This module is intended to take care of the different cases and provide a simpler interface to the Python script. It also provides a number of utilities that help in debugging scripts, and the latest addition is support for file uploads from a form (if your browser supports it).
The output of a CGI script should consist of two sections, separated by a blank line. The first section contains a number of headers, telling the client what kind of data is following. Python code to generate a minimal header section looks like this:
print("Content-Type: text/html") # HTML is following print() # blank line, end of headers
The second section is usually HTML, which allows the client software to display nicely formatted text with header, in-line images, etc. Here’s Python code that prints a simple piece of HTML:
print("<TITLE>CGI script output</TITLE>") print("<H1>This is my first CGI script</H1>") print("Hello, world!")
Begin by writing
When you write a new script, consider adding these lines:
import cgitb cgitb.enable()
This activates a special exception handler that will display detailed reports in the Web browser if any errors occur. If you’d rather not show the guts of your program to users of your script, you can have the reports saved to files instead, with code like this:
import cgitb cgitb.enable(display=0, logdir="/path/to/logdir")
It’s very helpful to use this feature during script development. The reports produced by
cgitb provide information that can save you a lot of time in tracking down bugs. You can always remove the
cgitb line later when you have tested your script and are confident that it works correctly.
To get at submitted form data, use the
FieldStorage class. If the form contains non-ASCII characters, use the encoding keyword parameter set to the value of the encoding defined for the document. It is usually contained in the META tag in the HEAD section of the HTML document or by the Content-Type header). This reads the form contents from the standard input or the environment (depending on the value of various environment variables set according to the CGI standard). Since it may consume standard input, it should be instantiated only once.
FieldStorage instance can be indexed like a Python dictionary. It allows membership testing with the
in operator, and also supports the standard dictionary method
keys() and the built-in function
len(). Form fields containing empty strings are ignored and do not appear in the dictionary; to keep such values, provide a true value for the optional keep_blank_values keyword parameter when creating the
For instance, the following code (which assumes that the Content-Type header and blank line have already been printed) checks that the fields
addr are both set to a non-empty string:
form = cgi.FieldStorage() if "name" not in form or "addr" not in form: print("<H1>Error</H1>") print("Please fill in the name and addr fields.") return print("<p>name:", form["name"].value) print("<p>addr:", form["addr"].value) ...further form processing here...
Here the fields, accessed through
form[key], are themselves instances of
MiniFieldStorage, depending on the form encoding). The
value attribute of the instance yields the string value of the field. The
getvalue() method returns this string value directly; it also accepts an optional second argument as a default to return if the requested key is not present.
If the submitted form data contains more than one field with the same name, the object retrieved by
form[key] is not a
MiniFieldStorage instance but a list of such instances. Similarly, in this situation,
form.getvalue(key) would return a list of strings. If you expect this possibility (when your HTML form contains multiple fields with the same name), use the
getlist() method, which always returns a list of values (so that you do not need to special-case the single item case). For example, this code concatenates any number of username fields, separated by commas:
value = form.getlist("username") usernames = ",".join(value)
If a field represents an uploaded file, accessing the value via the
value attribute or the
getvalue() method reads the entire file in memory as bytes. This may not be what you want. You can test for an uploaded file by testing either the
filename attribute or the
file attribute. You can then read the data from the
file attribute before it is automatically closed as part of the garbage collection of the
FieldStorage instance (the
readline() methods will return bytes):
fileitem = form["userfile"] if fileitem.file: # It's an uploaded file; count lines linecount = 0 while True: line = fileitem.file.readline() if not line: break linecount = linecount + 1
FieldStorage objects also support being used in a
with statement, which will automatically close them when done.
If an error is encountered when obtaining the contents of an uploaded file (for example, when the user interrupts the form submission by clicking on a Back or Cancel button) the
done attribute of the object for the field will be set to the value -1.
The file upload draft standard entertains the possibility of uploading multiple files from one field (using a recursive multipart/* encoding). When this occurs, the item will be a dictionary-like
FieldStorage item. This can be determined by testing its
type attribute, which should be multipart/form-data (or perhaps another MIME type matching multipart/*). In this case, it can be iterated over recursively just like the top-level form object.
When a form is submitted in the “old” format (as the query string or as a single data part of type application/x-www-form-urlencoded), the items will actually be instances of the class
MiniFieldStorage. In this case, the
filename attributes are always
A form submitted via POST that also has a query string will contain both
Changed in version 3.4: The
file attribute is automatically closed upon the garbage collection of the creating
Changed in version 3.5: Added support for the context management protocol to the
The previous section explains how to read CGI form data using the
FieldStorage class. This section describes a higher level interface which was added to this class to allow one to do it in a more readable and intuitive way. The interface doesn’t make the techniques described in previous sections obsolete — they are still useful to process file uploads efficiently, for example.
The interface consists of two simple methods. Using the methods you can process form data in a generic way, without the need to worry whether only one or more values were posted under one name.
In the previous section, you learned to write following code anytime you expected a user to post more than one value under one name:
item = form.getvalue("item") if isinstance(item, list): # The user is requesting more than one item. else: # The user is requesting only one item.
This situation is common for example when a form contains a group of multiple checkboxes with the same name:
<input type="checkbox" name="item" value="1" /> <input type="checkbox" name="item" value="2" />
In most situations, however, there’s only one form control with a particular name in a form and then you expect and need only one value associated with this name. So you write a script containing for example this code:
user = form.getvalue("user").upper()
The problem with the code is that you should never expect that a client will provide valid input to your scripts. For example, if a curious user appends another
user=foo pair to the query string, then the script would crash, because in this situation the
getvalue("user") method call returns a list instead of a string. Calling the
upper() method on a list is not valid (since lists do not have a method of this name) and results in an
Therefore, the appropriate way to read form data values was to always use the code which checks whether the obtained value is a single value or a list of values. That’s annoying and leads to less readable scripts.
This method always returns only one value associated with form field name. The method returns only the first value in case that more values were posted under such name. Please note that the order in which the values are received may vary from browser to browser and should not be counted on. If no such form field or value exists then the method returns the value specified by the optional parameter default. This parameter defaults to
None if not specified.
This method always returns a list of values associated with form field name. The method returns an empty list if no such form field or value exists for name. It returns a list consisting of one item if only one such value exists.
Using these methods you can write nice compact code:
import cgi form = cgi.FieldStorage() user = form.getfirst("user", "").upper() # This way it's safe. for item in form.getlist("item"): do_something(item)
These are useful if you want more control, or if you want to employ some of the algorithms implemented in this module in other circumstances.
cgi.parse(fp=None, environ=os.environ, keep_blank_values=False, strict_parsing=False)
Parse a query in the environment or from a file (the file defaults to
sys.stdin). The keep_blank_values and strict_parsing parameters are passed to
cgi.parse_qs(qs, keep_blank_values=False, strict_parsing=False)
This function is deprecated in this module. Use
urllib.parse.parse_qs() instead. It is maintained here only for backward compatibility.
cgi.parse_qsl(qs, keep_blank_values=False, strict_parsing=False)
This function is deprecated in this module. Use
urllib.parse.parse_qsl() instead. It is maintained here only for backward compatibility.
Parse input of type multipart/form-data (for file uploads). Arguments are fp for the input file and pdict for a dictionary containing other parameters in the Content-Type header.
Returns a dictionary just like
urllib.parse.parse_qs() keys are the field names, each value is a list of values for that field. This is easy to use but not much good if you are expecting megabytes to be uploaded — in that case, use the
FieldStorage class instead which is much more flexible.
Note that this does not parse nested multipart parts — use
FieldStorage for that.
Parse a MIME header (such as Content-Type) into a main value and a dictionary of parameters.
Robust test CGI script, usable as main program. Writes minimal HTTP headers and formats all information provided to the script in HTML form.
Format the shell environment in HTML.
Format a form in HTML.
Format the current directory in HTML.
Print a list of useful (used by CGI) environment variables in HTML.
Convert the characters
'>' in string s to HTML-safe sequences. Use this if you need to display text that might contain such characters in HTML. If the optional flag quote is true, the quotation mark character (
") is also translated; this helps for inclusion in an HTML attribute value delimited by double quotes, as in
<a href="...">. Note that single quotes are never translated.
Deprecated since version 3.2: This function is unsafe because quote is false by default, and therefore deprecated. Use
There’s one important rule: if you invoke an external program (via the
os.popen() functions. or others with similar functionality), make very sure you don’t pass arbitrary strings received from the client to the shell. This is a well-known security hole whereby clever hackers anywhere on the Web can exploit a gullible CGI script to invoke arbitrary shell commands. Even parts of the URL or field names cannot be trusted, since the request doesn’t have to come from your form!
To be on the safe side, if you must pass a string gotten from a form to a shell command, you should make sure the string contains only alphanumeric characters, dashes, underscores, and periods.
Read the documentation for your HTTP server and check with your local system administrator to find the directory where CGI scripts should be installed; usually this is in a directory
cgi-bin in the server tree.
Make sure that your script is readable and executable by “others”; the Unix file mode should be
0o755 octal (use
chmod 0755 filename). Make sure that the first line of the script contains
#! starting in column 1 followed by the pathname of the Python interpreter, for instance:
Make sure the Python interpreter exists and is executable by “others”.
Make sure that any files your script needs to read or write are readable or writable, respectively, by “others” — their mode should be
0o644 for readable and
0o666 for writable. This is because, for security reasons, the HTTP server executes your script as user “nobody”, without any special privileges. It can only read (write, execute) files that everybody can read (write, execute). The current directory at execution time is also different (it is usually the server’s cgi-bin directory) and the set of environment variables is also different from what you get when you log in. In particular, don’t count on the shell’s search path for executables (
PATH) or the Python module search path (
PYTHONPATH) to be set to anything interesting.
If you need to load modules from a directory which is not on Python’s default module search path, you can change the path in your script, before importing other modules. For example:
import sys sys.path.insert(0, "/usr/home/joe/lib/python") sys.path.insert(0, "/usr/local/lib/python")
(This way, the directory inserted last will be searched first!)
Instructions for non-Unix systems will vary; check your HTTP server’s documentation (it will usually have a section on CGI scripts).
Unfortunately, a CGI script will generally not run when you try it from the command line, and a script that works perfectly from the command line may fail mysteriously when run from the server. There’s one reason why you should still test your script from the command line: if it contains a syntax error, the Python interpreter won’t execute it at all, and the HTTP server will most likely send a cryptic error to the client.
Assuming your script has no syntax errors, yet it does not work, you have no choice but to read the next section.
First of all, check for trivial installation errors — reading the section above on installing your CGI script carefully can save you a lot of time. If you wonder whether you have understood the installation procedure correctly, try installing a copy of this module file (
cgi.py) as a CGI script. When invoked as a script, the file will dump its environment and the contents of the form in HTML form. Give it the right mode etc, and send it a request. If it’s installed in the standard
cgi-bin directory, it should be possible to send it a request by entering a URL into your browser of the form:
If this gives an error of type 404, the server cannot find the script – perhaps you need to install it in a different directory. If it gives another error, there’s an installation problem that you should fix before trying to go any further. If you get a nicely formatted listing of the environment and form content (in this example, the fields should be listed as “addr” with value “At Home” and “name” with value “Joe Blow”), the
cgi.py script has been installed correctly. If you follow the same procedure for your own script, you should now be able to debug it.
This should produce the same results as those gotten from installing the
cgi.py file itself.
When an ordinary Python script raises an unhandled exception (for whatever reason: of a typo in a module name, a file that can’t be opened, etc.), the Python interpreter prints a nice traceback and exits. While the Python interpreter will still do this when your CGI script raises an exception, most likely the traceback will end up in one of the HTTP server’s log files, or be discarded altogether.
Fortunately, once you have managed to get your script to execute some code, you can easily send tracebacks to the Web browser using the
cgitb module. If you haven’t done so already, just add the lines:
import cgitb cgitb.enable()
to the top of your script. Then try running it again; when a problem occurs, you should see a detailed report that will likely make apparent the cause of the crash.
If you suspect that there may be a problem in importing the
cgitb module, you can use an even more robust approach (which only uses built-in modules):
import sys sys.stderr = sys.stdout print("Content-Type: text/plain") print() ...your code here...
This relies on the Python interpreter to print the traceback. The content type of the output is set to plain text, which disables all HTML processing. If your script works, the raw HTML will be displayed by your client. If it raises an exception, most likely after the first two lines have been printed, a traceback will be displayed. Because no HTML interpretation is going on, the traceback will be readable.
tail -f logfilein a separate window may be useful!)
import cgitb; cgitb.enable()to the top of the script.
PATHis usually not set to a very useful value in a CGI script.
|||Note that some recent versions of the HTML specification do state what order the field values should be supplied in, but knowing whether a request was received from a conforming browser, or even from a browser at all, is tedious and error-prone.|
© 2001–2018 Python Software Foundation
Licensed under the PSF License. | <urn:uuid:81b961fe-4508-4a13-8944-4eb9798423b7> | 3.484375 | 4,164 | Documentation | Software Dev. | 53.320087 | 95,628,470 |
Albert Einstein proved that energy can be converted into mass and a mass can be converted completely into energy.
In our daily life what is the significance of the idea...if man learns the ability to do so?
E=MC^2 is famous equation associated with "Einstein's Theory of Relativity".
The main significance is maybe the mass energy relationship or it could be the amount of energy it represents:
1 kg mass if fully converted to energy would represent:
E=1kg(3x10^8)^2=9x10^16 joules. That is a lot of energy.
There are practical limitations currently as to how much mass we can convert to energy.
With everything said, E=MC^2 is just a small part of relativity. The wonderment and idea of the amount of energy that is contained in a small mass is amazing. That is most likely what causes most of the awe.
The "magic" is that NOW, one species of life can (and most likely will) regress all that billions of years of evolution has produced, back to the stone age or beyond.
Qwark...the pessimist posts!
well its something more than that....like disappearing and sublime in air and reappear...like travelling in the universe from stars to stars without oxygen.....like building high energy fuels from any ordinary matter.....something like that.
There is no magic in the equation. The equation simply states that a little bit of matter of anything can be converted into an astronomical amount of energy. The equation explains why our nearest star, the sun, and all the other stars in the universe are able to produce so much energy from the limited amount of matter that they are made of. The sun is what gave Einstein the idea that lead him to formulate this equation.
The equation also explains why so much energy is released after an atomic or hydrogen bomb explosion. This equation led to the development of the atomic bomb. There is no magic here. It is just a simple mathematical relationship between energy, light and the mass of matter. In essence, an atomic bomb or hydrogen bomb explosion is actually the same nuclear reaction taking place in the sun except that the reaction only last a few seconds since only a small amount of mass of matter (Uranium 235) was used.
Have you heard that some scientists think they may have found other universes than our own?
"E = mc2 Whats the magic in it?"
The magic is what “E=mc2” can be reconfigured as, i.e.:
This proves the last step of string theory; which is that mass is a form of energy.
by AKA Winston 7 years ago
An exchange in a hub's comment section led me to wonder how many people are confused by misinformation about Albert Einstein's famously promoted equation: E=MC2.This equation has nothing to do with conversion of matter into energy - in fact, it argues against that possibility. All E=MC2 means...
by prettygurl16 10 months ago
Albert Einstein discovered the mathematical relationship between ?
by How? 7 years ago
What does Einstein equation E= MC2 mean?
by Credence2 4 years ago
I would like the opinion of you science professionals as to if this is something that we could accomplish by the end of the century? Could it be one of those structural aspects of the universe that cannot be overcome through any technological advance?
by FreezeFrame34 5 years ago
What has your experience been. Did you notice that the more people you followed, the more people followed you? Did you ever start following people just because you wanted more followers? I have been pretty selective in the people that I follow and I am totally happy with all of the awesome Hubbers...
by a1servpro 8 years ago
1. I agree with suggestion - this is a hub not a question.2. I think most of the energy we "use" could be conserved- so rather then USE green energy, we need to design or plan our energy consumption to eliminate as much energy used as is physically possible. Then after we have used...
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Species Detail - Cystoseira nodicaulis - Species information displayed is based on all datasets.
Terrestrial Map - 10kmDistribution of the number of records recorded within each 10km grid square (ITM).
Marine Map - 50kmDistribution of the number of records recorded within each 50km grid square (WGS84).
(Withering) M Roberts
1 January (recorded in 1987)
31 December (recorded in 1907)
National Biodiversity Data Centre, Ireland, Cystoseira nodicaulis, accessed 19 July 2018, <https://maps.biodiversityireland.ie/Species/133> | <urn:uuid:194140fb-dd49-41bd-80a8-ab0c4fcef83f> | 2.578125 | 138 | Structured Data | Science & Tech. | 33.594 | 95,628,479 |
Researchers attack 100-year-old puzzle, learn how a single layer of particles can pack on the surface of a sphere
ARLINGTON, Va. - In a discovery that is likely to impact fields as diverse as medicine and nanomanufacture, researchers have determined how nature arranges charged particles in a thin layer around a sphere. The leap forward in understanding this theoretical problem may help reveal structural chinks in the outer armor of viruses and bacteria (revealing potential drug targets) and guide engineers designing new molecules.
On a flat surface, particles that repel each other will arrange themselves to create a stable energy state, eventually settling at vertices within a lattice of identical triangles much like billiard balls at the start of a game.
Yet, for nearly a century, researchers studying spherical structures have known that a flat lattice cannot be simply wrapped around a sphere because the lattice of perfect triangles breaks down. Since as early as 1904, when Nobel prize-winning physicist J.J. Thomson theorized about electron shells in atoms, researchers have wondered what structure the thin web of particles would choose, from among myriad possibilities, if wrapped around a sphere.
In the March 14 issue of the journal Science, researchers describe a major breakthrough in the puzzle, supported by experiments with water droplets and tiny, self-assembling beads. The researchers demonstrate how spherical crystals compensate for the curved surface on which they exist by developing "scars," defects that allow the beads to pack into place.
NSF-supported scientists Mark Bowick of Syracuse University, David Nelson of Harvard University, and Alex Travesset of Iowa State University and Ames National Laboratory designed the study with concepts they had developed earlier.
"The theoretical work from our laboratories, and others, suggested that crystals on a curved surface would pack unusually, in a way not found in flat crystals," said Bowick, although the packing depends upon the size of the crystal relative to the surface particles.
The researchers were joined by experimentalists Andreas Bausch and Michael Nikolaides of Technische Universität München in Germany and Angelo Cacciuto of the FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics in the Netherlands, along with NSF-supported researcher David Weitz and his research team at Harvard University. With experimentation, the team was able to test, and ultimately support, their models of how spherical crystals form in various natural settings.
"This studys interplay between theory and experiment reveals fascinating insights," said Daryl Hess, the NSF program officer who oversees support for the project. "This is curiosity driven research - from the structure of biological systems to the venerable old problem framed before quantum mechanics - these findings will likely have impact across many fields of science."
Unlike previous approaches using computer models to determine how the charged particles arrange themselves, the new research involves experimentation, instead targeting the simple defects in the crystal structure and determining how the particles and defects find their most stable arrangement.
To create the spherical crystals, the researchers coaxed polystyrene beads (only one micron in diameter) to congregate around and completely cover tiny balls of water (tens of microns in diameter) suspended in an oily mixture.
The team then used a light microscope to view the spheres and digitally traced images of the crystalline patterns. Whereas a flat crystal pattern would consist of a regular pattern of adjacent, equilateral triangles, the researchers found the triangular pattern of the spherical crystal was disrupted and squeezed due to defects (a bead would have five or seven close neighbors instead of the six it would in a perfect lattice).
"We found that curvature can fundamentally change the arrangement of particles on the surface," said Bowick.
Smaller spheres had twelve isolated defects, but larger spheres showed jagged strings of defects the researchers dubbed scars. The scars are a coalescence of simple defects in the lattice pattern that begin and end within the crystal, unlike similar structures in flat crystals which begin and end at crystal surfaces. The researchers observed that the scars erupt in a predictable way based upon the size of the sphere and consistent with the predictions of their theory.
"These structures are a signature of the curved geometry and do not depend on the details of the particle interactions on the surface," said Bowick. "The scars should appear in any type of spherical packing or crystallization."
In addition to confirmation of the researchers approach, the new findings also shed light on how such structures form and persist in nature. Some viruses, such as the monkey cancer virus SV40, and some bacteria have similar spherical structures - knowledge of scar formation may reveal how to target chemical reactions at those sites, potentially leading to treatments for similar pathogens.
The research also sheds light on some of the most prevalent structures in nanoscale science and engineering, the fullerenes. Knowing how defects can arise within nanostructures may help researchers devise better methods to create fullerenes or other large molecules with desirable characteristics.
Josh Chamot | NSF News
What happens when we heat the atomic lattice of a magnet all of a sudden?
18.07.2018 | Forschungsverbund Berlin
Subaru Telescope helps pinpoint origin of ultra-high energy neutrino
16.07.2018 | National Institutes of Natural Sciences
For the first time ever, scientists have determined the cosmic origin of highest-energy neutrinos. A research group led by IceCube scientist Elisa Resconi, spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center SFB1258 at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an important piece of evidence that the particles detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole originate from a galaxy four billion light-years away from Earth.
To rule out other origins with certainty, the team led by neutrino physicist Elisa Resconi from the Technical University of Munich and multi-wavelength...
For the first time a team of researchers have discovered two different phases of magnetic skyrmions in a single material. Physicists of the Technical Universities of Munich and Dresden and the University of Cologne can now better study and understand the properties of these magnetic structures, which are important for both basic research and applications.
Whirlpools are an everyday experience in a bath tub: When the water is drained a circular vortex is formed. Typically, such whirls are rather stable. Similar...
Physicists working with Roland Wester at the University of Innsbruck have investigated if and how chemical reactions can be influenced by targeted vibrational excitation of the reactants. They were able to demonstrate that excitation with a laser beam does not affect the efficiency of a chemical exchange reaction and that the excited molecular group acts only as a spectator in the reaction.
A frequently used reaction in organic chemistry is nucleophilic substitution. It plays, for example, an important role in in the synthesis of new chemical...
Optical spectroscopy allows investigating the energy structure and dynamic properties of complex quantum systems. Researchers from the University of Würzburg present two new approaches of coherent two-dimensional spectroscopy.
"Put an excitation into the system and observe how it evolves." According to physicist Professor Tobias Brixner, this is the credo of optical spectroscopy....
Ultra-short, high-intensity X-ray flashes open the door to the foundations of chemical reactions. Free-electron lasers generate these kinds of pulses, but there is a catch: the pulses vary in duration and energy. An international research team has now presented a solution: Using a ring of 16 detectors and a circularly polarized laser beam, they can determine both factors with attosecond accuracy.
Free-electron lasers (FELs) generate extremely short and intense X-ray flashes. Researchers can use these flashes to resolve structures with diameters on the...
13.07.2018 | Event News
12.07.2018 | Event News
03.07.2018 | Event News
18.07.2018 | Materials Sciences
18.07.2018 | Life Sciences
18.07.2018 | Health and Medicine | <urn:uuid:75558516-9d13-47cd-b493-26190e04f1ff> | 4.21875 | 1,649 | Content Listing | Science & Tech. | 32.690454 | 95,628,483 |
Computer simulations conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) could help scientists make sense of a recently observed and puzzling wrinkle in one of nature’s most important chemical processes.
Artistic rendition of liquid-liquid separation in a supersaturated calcium carbonate solution. New research suggests that a dense liquid phase (shown in red in the background and in full atomistic detail based on computer simulations in the foreground) forms at the onset of calcium carbonate crystallization. (Credit: Berkeley Lab)
It turns out that calcium carbonate—the ubiquitous compound that is a major component of seashells, limestone, concrete, antacids and myriad other naturally and industrially produced substances—may momentarily exist in liquid form as it crystallizes from solution.
Calcium carbonate is a huge player in the planet’s carbon cycle, so any new insight into how it behaves is potentially big news. The prediction of a dense liquid phase during the conversion of calcium carbonate to a solid could help scientists understand the response of marine organisms to changes in seawater chemistry due to rising atmospheric CO2 levels. It could also help them predict the extent to which geological formations can act as carbon storage reservoirs, among other examples.
The research is published in the August 23 issue of the journal Science. It was performed in support of the Center for Nanoscale Control of Geologic CO2, an Energy Frontier Research Center established at Berkeley Lab by the U.S. Department of Energy.
The research may also reconcile some confounding experimental observations. For more than a century, scientists believed that crystals nucleate from solution by overcoming an energy barrier. But recent studies of calcium carbonate revealed the presence of nanoscopic clusters which, under certain conditions, appear to circumvent the barrier by following an alternative aggregation-based crystallization pathway.
“Because nucleation is ubiquitous in both natural and synthetic systems, those findings have forced diverse scientific communities to reevaluate their longstanding view of this process,” says the study’s co-corresponding author Jim De Yoreo, formerly of Berkeley Lab and now a scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
The Berkeley Lab-led team used molecular dynamics simulations to study the onset of calcium carbonate formation. The simulations predict that in sufficiently supersaturated calcium carbonate solutions, nanoscale dense liquid droplets can spontaneously form. These droplets then coalesce to form an amorphous solid prior to crystallization.
The findings support the aggregation-based mechanism of calcium carbonate formation. They also indicate that the presence of the nanoscale phase is consistent with a process called liquid-liquid separation, which is well known in alloys and polymers, but unexpected for salt solutions.
“Our simulations suggest the existence of a dense liquid form of calcium carbonate,” says co-corresponding author Adam Wallace. He conducted the research while a post-doctoral researcher in Berkeley Lab’s Earth Sciences Division, and is now an assistant professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Delaware.
“This is important because it is an as-yet unappreciated component of the carbon cycle,” adds Wallace. “It also provides a means of explaining the unusual presence of nanoscale clusters in solution within the context of established physical mechanisms.”
This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science through the Energy Frontier Research Center program established in 2009. The work was conducted at Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry, a Department of Energy national user facility. The research also used resources of the Department of Energy’s National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, which is located at Berkeley Lab.
The Molecular Foundry is one of five DOE Nanoscale Science Research Centers (NSRCs), national user facilities for interdisciplinary research at the nanoscale, supported by the DOE Office of Science. Together the NSRCs comprise a suite of complementary facilities that provide researchers with state-of-the-art capabilities to fabricate, process, characterize and model nanoscale materials, and constitute the largest infrastructure investment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative. The NSRCs are located at DOE’s Argonne, Brookhaven, Lawrence Berkeley, Oak Ridge and Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories. For more information about the DOE NSRCs, please visit science.energy.gov.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world’s most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab’s scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. For more, visit www.lbl.gov.
The DOE Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.Additional information:
Dan Krotz | EurekAlert!
Scientists uncover the role of a protein in production & survival of myelin-forming cells
19.07.2018 | Advanced Science Research Center, GC/CUNY
NYSCF researchers develop novel bioengineering technique for personalized bone grafts
18.07.2018 | New York Stem Cell Foundation
For the first time ever, scientists have determined the cosmic origin of highest-energy neutrinos. A research group led by IceCube scientist Elisa Resconi, spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center SFB1258 at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an important piece of evidence that the particles detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole originate from a galaxy four billion light-years away from Earth.
To rule out other origins with certainty, the team led by neutrino physicist Elisa Resconi from the Technical University of Munich and multi-wavelength...
For the first time a team of researchers have discovered two different phases of magnetic skyrmions in a single material. Physicists of the Technical Universities of Munich and Dresden and the University of Cologne can now better study and understand the properties of these magnetic structures, which are important for both basic research and applications.
Whirlpools are an everyday experience in a bath tub: When the water is drained a circular vortex is formed. Typically, such whirls are rather stable. Similar...
Physicists working with Roland Wester at the University of Innsbruck have investigated if and how chemical reactions can be influenced by targeted vibrational excitation of the reactants. They were able to demonstrate that excitation with a laser beam does not affect the efficiency of a chemical exchange reaction and that the excited molecular group acts only as a spectator in the reaction.
A frequently used reaction in organic chemistry is nucleophilic substitution. It plays, for example, an important role in in the synthesis of new chemical...
Optical spectroscopy allows investigating the energy structure and dynamic properties of complex quantum systems. Researchers from the University of Würzburg present two new approaches of coherent two-dimensional spectroscopy.
"Put an excitation into the system and observe how it evolves." According to physicist Professor Tobias Brixner, this is the credo of optical spectroscopy....
Ultra-short, high-intensity X-ray flashes open the door to the foundations of chemical reactions. Free-electron lasers generate these kinds of pulses, but there is a catch: the pulses vary in duration and energy. An international research team has now presented a solution: Using a ring of 16 detectors and a circularly polarized laser beam, they can determine both factors with attosecond accuracy.
Free-electron lasers (FELs) generate extremely short and intense X-ray flashes. Researchers can use these flashes to resolve structures with diameters on the...
13.07.2018 | Event News
12.07.2018 | Event News
03.07.2018 | Event News
19.07.2018 | Earth Sciences
19.07.2018 | Power and Electrical Engineering
19.07.2018 | Materials Sciences | <urn:uuid:89a156f3-7567-4867-98ef-cc543576c39e> | 3.59375 | 1,708 | Knowledge Article | Science & Tech. | 29.89277 | 95,628,500 |
Authors: M. W. Roberts
A delayed choice experiment is proposed. Signal and idler photon pairs are sent to optical circulators. The fate experienced by an idler photon is described by two different cases. In case I, the idler photon has zero probability to reflect from the entrance beam splitter and therefore always enters its optical circulator. In case II, the idler photon has a non-zero probability to reflect from the entrance beam splitter without entering its optical circulator. Which case the idler photon actually experiences is selected by the method that is used to detect the signal photon of the pair. This is true, even if the detection of the signal photon occurs long after the detection of the idler photon.
Comments: 12 Pages.
Unique-IP document downloads: 47 times
Vixra.org is a pre-print repository rather than a journal. Articles hosted may not yet have been verified by peer-review and should be treated as preliminary. In particular, anything that appears to include financial or legal advice or proposed medical treatments should be treated with due caution. Vixra.org will not be responsible for any consequences of actions that result from any form of use of any documents on this website.
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A mysterious pair of stars speeding through the outskirts of our galaxy together puzzles astronomers
Today’s paper describes models of what a nearby supernova would do to a young planetary system, and looks at whether the same may have happened to our own solar system.
Today’s bite looks at how the ratio of various elements can inform our view of what happens during a supernova.
It should be easy to figure out which way a pulsar is spinning, right? Wrong.
Supernova remnant magnetic fields may play a key role in accelerating electrons to relativistic velocities. West et al. investigate the magnetic field conditions inside young supernova remnants and discover that they may not be as well-behaved as they appear.
Astronomy research can be conducted in countless ways, but when’s the last time you chopped into a tree to learn about the cosmos? | <urn:uuid:7414648e-ae7a-4c7f-b110-611c29f07414> | 3.171875 | 181 | Content Listing | Science & Tech. | 47.504401 | 95,628,527 |
Humans are causing Earth's temperature rising dangerously high in present time. Half a billion years ago, it was the evolution of early animals that sparked the planet's first global warming event.
Researchers come up with a clever solution for climate change: simply reuse the carbon dioxide in the air over and over again. Now, the technology is not only available but also very affordable.
The planet reaches a sobering milestone as the average carbon dioxide concentrations soar higher than they've ever been. Carbon dioxide is the most prevalent greenhouse gas heating up the planet.
The 'Lucifer Phenomenon' sweeping the world most affected Italy and the Balkans causing deaths and billions of Euros worth of crops
Increasing ice-free areas in Antarctica could negatively affect the plant and animal life that are unique in the continent.
A new study by UNESCO projects that many reef systems will die by 2040 unless carbon emissions are reduced.
Increasing urban temperatures can also contribute to the decreasing bee population.
A study of the thermal tolerances of different species of bees indicates that some bees do better in the heat than others. This could lead to an early warning sign of ecosystem damage.
The worst coral bleaching event on record appears to be nearing an end. Now scientists are bracing for the next one.
A new NASA research says that climate change will cause more rainfall in tropical regions that are typically sunny.
Ocean acidification, caused by the increase in carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, is killing ocean life and it must be stopped before it's too late.
The largest reef system in the world has been damaged beyond repair and can no longer be saved.
Climate change could negatively affect how humans sleep, promoting more sleepless nights in poor and the elderly.
Rising temperature brought by climate change is slowly making the Antarctic Peninsula a greener place. | <urn:uuid:8572fe3a-7d86-4cd1-8cc6-3f3101beb321> | 3.71875 | 372 | Content Listing | Science & Tech. | 37.907356 | 95,628,542 |
Through the study of the natural constants, mainly the fundamental physical constants. This paper found the mathematical relations between the universal gravitational constant, Fermi weak force constant and fine structure constant. The mathematical expressions of the mass of the dark matter and all elementary particles, such as neutron, proton, electron, neutrinos, quarks, W^±, Z^0 bosons and Higgs boson are also found. Besides that, we also noticed and applied a series of the cosmic quantization laws, worked out the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation and the two mass limits of the compact star, namely Chandrasekhar Limit and Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff Limit. Thus, a breakthrough has been made for the completion of the ultimate grand unification theory. And unintentionally, also in order to solve Hilbert's sixth problem made a breakthrough.
Comments: 23 Pages. Four basic forces; Dimensionless number; Neutrino; Dark matter; Cosmic quantization; Microwave background radiation
[v1] 2018-05-30 20:54:09
Unique-IP document downloads: 48 times
Vixra.org is a pre-print repository rather than a journal. Articles hosted may not yet have been verified by peer-review and should be treated as preliminary. In particular, anything that appears to include financial or legal advice or proposed medical treatments should be treated with due caution. Vixra.org will not be responsible for any consequences of actions that result from any form of use of any documents on this website.
Add your own feedback and questions here:
You are equally welcome to be positive or negative about any paper but please be polite. If you are being critical you must mention at least one specific error, otherwise your comment will be deleted as unhelpful. | <urn:uuid:bed7e8f0-72b2-4cd9-8c8d-7aa2730631e6> | 2.625 | 369 | Knowledge Article | Science & Tech. | 35.25676 | 95,628,548 |
For many Earth satellites the effects of the non-Keplerian forces, i.e. the deviations of the gravitational force of the Earth from that of a homogeneous sphere, gravitational forces from Sun/Moon, solar radiation pressure and air drag, must be counteracted.
The deviation of Earth's gravity field from that of a homogeneous sphere and gravitational forces from Sun/Moon will in general perturb the orbital plane. For a sun-synchronous orbit the precession of the orbital plane caused by the oblateness of the Earth is a desirable feature that is part of the mission design but the inclination change caused by the gravitational forces of Sun/Moon is undesirable. For geostationary spacecraft the inclination change caused by the gravitational forces of the Sun & Moon must be counteracted by a rather large expense of fuel, as the inclination should be kept sufficiently small for the spacecraft to be tracked by a non-steerable antenna.
For spacecraft in low orbits the effects of atmospheric drag must often be compensated for. For some missions this is needed simply to avoid re-entry; for other missions, typically missions for which the orbit should be accurately synchronized with Earth rotation, this is necessary to avoid the orbital period shortening.
Solar radiation pressure will in general perturb the eccentricity (i.e. the eccentricity vector), see Orbital perturbation analysis (spacecraft). For some missions this must be actively counter-acted with manoeuvres. For geostationary spacecraft the eccentricity must be kept sufficiently small for a spacecraft to be tracked with a non-steerable antenna. Also for Earth observation spacecraft for which a very repetitive orbit with a fixed ground track is desirable, the eccentricity vector should be kept as fixed as possible. A large part of this compensation can be done by using a frozen orbit design, but for the fine control manoeuvres with thrusters are needed.
For spacecraft in a halo orbit around a Lagrangian point station-keeping is even more fundamental, as such an orbit is unstable; without an active control with thruster burns the smallest deviation in position/velocity would result in the spacecraft leaving the orbit completely.
Station-keeping in low Earth orbit
For a spacecraft in a very low orbit the atmospheric drag is sufficiently strong to cause a re-entry before the intended end of mission if orbit raising manoeuvres are not executed from time to time.
An example of this is the International Space Station (ISS), which has an operational altitude above Earth's surface of between 330 and 410 km. Due to atmospheric drag the space station is constantly losing orbital energy. In order to compensate for this loss, which would eventually lead to a re-entry of the station, it has from time to time been re-boosted to a higher orbit. The chosen orbital altitude is a trade-off between the average thrust needed to counter-act the air drag and the delta-v needed to send payloads and people to the station. The upper limitation of orbit altitude is due to the constraints imposed by the Soyuz spacecraft. On 25 April 2008, the Automated Transfer Vehicle "Jules Verne" raised the orbit of the ISS for the first time, thereby proving its ability to replace (and outperform) the Soyuz at this task.
Station-keeping for Earth observation spacecraft
For Earth observation spacecraft typically operated in an altitude above the Earth surface of about 700 – 800 km the air-drag is very faint and a re-entry due to air-drag is not a concern. But if the orbital period should be synchronous with the Earth's rotation to maintain a fixed ground track, the faint air-drag at this high altitude must also be counter-acted by orbit raising manoeuvres in the form of thruster burns tangential to the orbit. These manoeuvres will be very small, typically in the order of a few mm/s of delta-v. If a frozen orbit design is used these very small orbit raising manoeuvres are sufficient to also control the eccentricity vector.
To maintain a fixed ground track it is also necessary to make out-of-plane manoeuvres to compensate for the inclination change caused by Sun/Moon gravitation. These are executed as thruster burns orthogonal to the orbital plane. For Sun-synchronous spacecraft having a constant geometry relative to the Sun, the inclination change due to the solar gravitation is particularly large; a delta-v in the order of 1–2 m/s per year can be needed to keep the inclination constant.
Station-keeping in geostationary orbit
For geostationary spacecraft, thruster burns orthogonal to the orbital plane must be executed to compensate for the effect of the lunar/solar gravitation that perturbs the orbit pole with typically 0.85 degrees per year. The delta-v needed to compensate for this perturbation keeping the inclination to the equatorial plane amounts to in the order 45 m/s per year. This part of the GEO station-keeping is called North-South control.
The East-West control is the control of the orbital period and the eccentricity vector performed by making thruster burns tangential to the orbit. These burns are then designed to keep the orbital period perfectly synchronous with the Earth rotation and to keep the eccentricity sufficiently small. Perturbation of the orbital period results from the imperfect rotational symmetry of the Earth relative the North/South axis, sometimes called the ellipticity of the Earth equator. The eccentricity (i.e. the eccentricity vector) is perturbed by the solar radiation pressure. The fuel needed for this East-West control is much less than what is needed for the North-South control, (about 2 m/s per year, depending on the desired longitude). (See Geostationary orbit#Orbital stability)
To extend the life-time of ageing geostationary spacecraft with little fuel left one sometimes discontinues the North-South control only continuing with the East-West control. As seen from an observer on the rotating Earth the spacecraft will then move North-South with a period of 24 hours. When this North-South movement gets too large a steerable antenna is needed to track the spacecraft. An example of this[when?] is Artemis.
To save weight, it is crucial for GEO satellites to have the most fuel-efficient propulsion system. Some[which?] modern satellites are therefore employing a high specific impulse system like plasma or ion thrusters.
Station-keeping at libration points
Orbits of spacecraft are also possible around Lagrangian points—also referred to as libration points—gravity wells that exist at five points in relation to two larger solar system bodies. For example, there are five of these points in the Sun-Earth system, five in the Earth-Moon system, and so on. Small spacecraft may orbit around these gravity wells with a minimum of propellant required for station-keeping purposes. Two orbits that have been used for such purposes include halo and Lissajous orbits.
Orbits around libration points are dynamically unstable, meaning small departures from equilibrium grow exponentially over time. As a result, spacecraft in libration point orbits must use propulsion systems to perform orbital station-keeping.
One important libration point is Earth-Sun L1, and three heliophysics missions have been orbiting L1 since approximately 2000. Station-keeping propellant use can be quite low, facilitating missions that can potentially last decades should other spacecraft systems remain operational. The three spacecraft—Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), and the Global Geoscience WIND satellite—each have annual station-keeping propellant requirements of approximately 1 m/s or less. Earth-Sun L2—approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth in the anti-sun direction—is another important Lagrangian point, and the ESA Herschel space observatory operated there in a Lissajous orbit during 2009–2013, at which time it ran out of coolant for the space telescope. Small station-keeping orbital maneuvers were executed approximately monthly to maintain the spacecraft in the station-keeping orbit.
The James Webb Space Telescope needs to use propellant to maintain its halo orbit around the Earth-Sun L2, which provides an upper limit to its designed lifetime: it is being designed to carry enough for ten years.
- Orbital maneuver
- Delta-v budget
- Orbital perturbation analysis
- Teleoperator Retrieval System (robotic device for attaching to another spacecraft and boosting or changing its orbit)
- "ESA Science & Technology: Orbit/Navigation". European Space Agency. 14 June 2009. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- GOCE satellite
- OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS OF GEO DEBRIS SYNCHRONIZATION DYNAMICS. Anderson
- Soop, E. M. (1994). Handbook of Geostationary Orbits. Springer. ISBN 978-0-7923-3054-7.
- Roberts, Craig E. (1 January 2011). "Long Term Missions at the Sun-Earth Libration Point L1: ACE, SOHO, and WIND" (pdf). NASA Technical Reports. NASA. 20110008638. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
Three heliophysics missions – the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), and the Global Geoscience WIND – have been orbiting the Sun-Earth interior libration point L1 continuously since 1997, 1996, and 2004 ... the typical interval between burns for this trio is about three months, and the typical delta-V is much smaller than 0.5 m/sec. Typical annual stationkeeping costs have been around 1.0 m/sec for ACE and WIND, and much less than that for SOHO. All three spacecraft have ample fuel remaining; barring contingencies all three could, in principle, be maintained at L1 for decades to come. | <urn:uuid:88d64374-4b08-4ff1-b7cb-0848faf1bc04> | 3.6875 | 2,059 | Knowledge Article | Science & Tech. | 40.210228 | 95,628,552 |
We awoke to messages that a towering iceberg is threatening the local waterfront settlement of Innaarsuit. There is perhaps a bit of irony in the fact that a massive looming block of ice is a potential threat to the start of our field season.
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Archives - State of the Planet
In a world filled with fake news and “alternative facts,” science is an integral part of an effective democracy that is based on truth and reality.
Snow on Ice is launching into the field with two teams of scientists this summer. The first group, an ‘advance team’ of six women, will focus on lakes where meltwater has collected on the southwestern flank of Greenland bedrock.
Business leaders and climate scientists recently met to discuss how advances in climate science research can be used to reduce investment risk and improve returns.
The gift will be used to fast-track innovative high-risk, high-reward projects aimed at delivering science-based solutions to address the challenges of climate change.
Scientists have long determined what extinct animals ate by analyzing carbon isotopes locked inside their fossil teeth. But a new study shows that in many cases, they may be plugging the wrong numbers into their equations. The findings may change some views of how mammals, including us, evolved.
“It’s a code red day for ozone.” If you hear this on your local news, what does it mean? Are you at risk? Do you know what to do?
Past warm periods indicate that even the Paris Agreement’s limits on global warming could have catastrophic consequences over the long-term.
A new algorithm quickly sifts through hours of field recordings to learn how climate change influences bird migration. The A.I. could help track other wildlife as well.
Posing as an interplanetary flight attendant in an upcoming show, researcher Christine McCarthy will lead a geological journey through the solar system. | <urn:uuid:47ee64a4-13ee-416d-88fd-26ffcfbbec19> | 2.53125 | 398 | Content Listing | Science & Tech. | 49.41875 | 95,628,561 |
Application Security Testing: An Integral Part of DevOps
The Red X, ControlBox, or whatever you call it, can be pesky. The ControlBox closes a window in a WinForms application. That's what it's for. If that form is the last open form or the main form, your application closes. If you handle the FormClosing event, you can Cancel the close operation. But, what happens if you write something like a wizard and the current form is not the main form? The current form closes, but now the user is left staring at a blank screen.
In a wizard scenario, what the user probably intends is that they don't want to complete the wizard; they want to bail. Well, you probably close or hide the form when you navigate between wizard forms and you definitely close the form when the user clicks the ControlBox. The former means navigate to the next or previous form; clicking the ControlBox (usually) means quit altogether.
The scenario is that you want to create a wizard. If the user clicks next or previous, the current form closes and navigation happens. If the user clicks a Cancel button, the wizard stops. If the user presses the Escape keym the wizard shuts down. Finally, if the user presses the ControlBox, the wizard again shuts down. Here is a summary:
- Any escape means stop the wizard.
- Any Cancel button press stops the wizard.
- Clicking the ControlBox means stop the wizard (only works by default on the main form).
- Pressing Alt+F4 is equivalent to the ControlBox close behavior.
Making Escape Mean Cancel
By default, pressing escape doesn't do anything on a Windows form. However, if you add a button to a form, you can indicate that the behavior button represents the Form's cancel behavior. Set the Form.CancelButton (in the Properties window) to your cancel button. Now, pressing Escape will run your Cancel behavior.
For your wizard, the Cancel button as indicated in the previous section means to stop the wizard. You can affect this by writing Application.Exit() in the button's click event handler. Coding the Cancel button event and associating that button with the Form.CancelButton property takes care of Items 1 and 2 in the previous section.
Making the ControlBox Mean Exit
The WndProc method is the message pump handler for WinForms applications. You can override this method in your forms, and if used sparingly it can afford you a bit of extra coolness.
When you click the minimize, maximize, and ControlBox buttons, Windows sends a WM_SYSCOMMAND message. If you click the ControlBox (see Figure 1), the message is WM_SYSCOMMAND and the WParam is SC_CLOSE. Use the FormClosing event to determine when your form is closing and check for WM_SYSCOMMAND and SC_CLOSE in the WndProc to determine whether a form is closing because the ControlBox was clicked.
Figure 1: The ControlBox button.
Listing 1 contains a do-nothing form that represents the main form. Click Next to go to the second form in the wizard. Click Cancel (or the ControlBox) to quit. Listing 2 contains a form that represents a subsequent wizard step. Click Back to return to Form1. Click Cancel or the ControlBox to shut down the wizard.
Listing 1: A Basic do-nothing form that is a stub for the main form in a wizard.
Public Class Form1 Private Sub Button2_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, _ ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button2.Click Close() End Sub Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, _ ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click Hide() Dim form As Form2 = New Form2 form.Show() End Sub End Class
Notice that in Listing 1 Form1 is only hidden. If you close it, you close the wizard.
Listing 2: A Basic do-nothing form that shows you how to differentiate between a ControlBox close and any other close in your wizard.
Public Class Form2 Private Sub Button2_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, _ ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button2.Click Application.Exit() End Sub Protected Overrides Sub WndProc(ByRef m _ As System.Windows.Forms.Message) MyBase.WndProc(m) If (m.Msg = WM_SYSCOMMAND And _ m.WParam.ToInt32() = SC_CLOSE) Then Application.Exit() End If End Sub Private Const WM_SYSCOMMAND As Integer = &H112 Private Const SC_CLOSE As Integer = &HF060 Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, _ ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click Close() If (My.Application.ApplicationContext.MainForm _ Is Nothing = False) Then My.Application.ApplicationContext.MainForm.Show() End If End Sub End Class
Button1_Click returns to the MainForm via the ApplicationContext and My feature. Button2_Click is the actual Cancel button, and WndProc actually receives all messages and is a convenient place to check for WM_SYSCOMMAND and SC_CLOSE. The constant values are defined by the Windows API. (Any time you need such values, you usually can find their integer value by searching by name.)
WndProc is called a lot. If you put too much code in there, your application will suffer performance issues. However, in your case you are inserting about four bytes of code and shutting down if the if..conditional check succeeds.
I wrote this article because I was tinkering with a utility wizard and stumbled on the problem. I diligently searched the web for a clean solution and really didn't like what was out there. When I wrote my wizard, every form registered with a controller. All of the navigation was in the controller, including Next, Back, and Cancel. This approach facilitates centralized navigation. Further, every form except the main form is closed when not in use. I don't like Hide and Seek forms. I quickly realized that turning the ControlBox off was the easiest way to get out of the dilemma, but then the user lost the convenience of the ControlBox but could still close with Alt+F4, resulting in the original problem happening a different way. As a result, it seemed necessary to figure out how to handle a mid-stream wizard form close.
After running a few wizards in Visual Studio, it was apparent that Microsoft leaves the ControlBox in place and supports the expected close behavior. Because I couldn't find a specific event, the WndProc naturally came to mind. The WndProc after all is the universal message/event handler. After that, it was a matter of writing the Msg and WParam and LParam from WndProc to the Debug Output window, clicking the ControlBox, and looking for my event. Finding the event name, I looked it (WM_SYSCOMMAND) up on the web and homed in on what I needed.
About the Author
Paul Kimmel is the VB Today columnist for www.codeguru.com and has written several books on object-oriented programming and .NET. Check out his upcoming book LINQ Unleashed for C#, now available on Amazon.com and in fine bookstores everywhere. You may contact him for technology questions at email@example.com.
Copyright © 2008 by Paul T. Kimmel. All Rights Reserved. | <urn:uuid:c31cc9aa-5b29-452b-9f94-d078cb653f4d> | 3.5625 | 1,615 | Documentation | Software Dev. | 61.800195 | 95,628,570 |
NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Storm 13W on August 6 at 0205 UTC (Aug. 5 10:05 a.m. EDT). The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument captured an infrared image of the cloud temperatures that showed the strongest storms (purple) and heaviest rainfall north and east of the center of circulation.
NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Storm 13W on Aug. 6 at 0205 UTC (Aug. 5 10:05 a.m. EDT). The AIRS instrument captured an infrared image of the cloud temperatures that showed the strongest storms (purple) and heaviest rainfall north and east of the center of circulation.
Credit: NASA/JPL, Ed Olsen
Infrared imagery shows temperature and the higher the cloud tops, the colder they are as they reach higher in the troposphere (lowest atmospheric layer). When cloud top temperatures are very cold, it's an indication of strong uplift in the atmosphere. The cloud top temperatures north and east of Tropical Storm 13W's center of this low were near -63 Fahrenheit (-52 Celsius), and indicated powerful uplift and high cloud tops.
At 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT) on August 6, Tropical Storm 13W had maximum sustained winds near 45 knots (51.7 mph/83.3 kmh). It was located about 550 nautical miles (632 miles/1019 km) north-northwest of Wake Island near 28.2 North and 162.5 East. It was moving to the north-northwest at 13 knots (15 mph/24 kmh).
Forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center expect that the tropical storm should maintain intensity while staying at sea over the next several days. Vertical wind shear is expected to decrease and sea surface temperatures are near 26.6 Celsius (80 Fahrenheit), which is needed to maintain a tropical cyclone. The tropical storm is expected to track to the north-northwest and move into drier air, which will prevent further intensification.
Rob Gutro | EurekAlert!
New research calculates capacity of North American forests to sequester carbon
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For the first time ever, scientists have determined the cosmic origin of highest-energy neutrinos. A research group led by IceCube scientist Elisa Resconi, spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center SFB1258 at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an important piece of evidence that the particles detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole originate from a galaxy four billion light-years away from Earth.
To rule out other origins with certainty, the team led by neutrino physicist Elisa Resconi from the Technical University of Munich and multi-wavelength...
For the first time a team of researchers have discovered two different phases of magnetic skyrmions in a single material. Physicists of the Technical Universities of Munich and Dresden and the University of Cologne can now better study and understand the properties of these magnetic structures, which are important for both basic research and applications.
Whirlpools are an everyday experience in a bath tub: When the water is drained a circular vortex is formed. Typically, such whirls are rather stable. Similar...
Physicists working with Roland Wester at the University of Innsbruck have investigated if and how chemical reactions can be influenced by targeted vibrational excitation of the reactants. They were able to demonstrate that excitation with a laser beam does not affect the efficiency of a chemical exchange reaction and that the excited molecular group acts only as a spectator in the reaction.
A frequently used reaction in organic chemistry is nucleophilic substitution. It plays, for example, an important role in in the synthesis of new chemical...
Optical spectroscopy allows investigating the energy structure and dynamic properties of complex quantum systems. Researchers from the University of Würzburg present two new approaches of coherent two-dimensional spectroscopy.
"Put an excitation into the system and observe how it evolves." According to physicist Professor Tobias Brixner, this is the credo of optical spectroscopy....
Ultra-short, high-intensity X-ray flashes open the door to the foundations of chemical reactions. Free-electron lasers generate these kinds of pulses, but there is a catch: the pulses vary in duration and energy. An international research team has now presented a solution: Using a ring of 16 detectors and a circularly polarized laser beam, they can determine both factors with attosecond accuracy.
Free-electron lasers (FELs) generate extremely short and intense X-ray flashes. Researchers can use these flashes to resolve structures with diameters on the...
13.07.2018 | Event News
12.07.2018 | Event News
03.07.2018 | Event News
16.07.2018 | Physics and Astronomy
16.07.2018 | Life Sciences
16.07.2018 | Earth Sciences | <urn:uuid:b6a184a5-1071-486a-9fb9-7b44a42807bb> | 2.671875 | 1,049 | Content Listing | Science & Tech. | 52.477233 | 95,628,574 |
Programming with Windows Forms
Since the release of the .NET platform (circa 2001), the base class libraries have included a particular API named Windows Forms (represented by the System. Windows. Forms. dll assembly). As you may know, the Windows Forms toolkit provides the types necessary to build desktop graphical user interfaces (GUIs), create custom controls, manage resources (string tables, icons, etc.), and perform other GUI-centric programming tasks. In addition, a separate API named GDI+ (bundled within the System. Drawing. dll assembly) provides additional types that allow programmers to generate 2D graphics, interact with networked printers, and manipulate image data.
KeywordsBase Class Visual Studio Menu Item Event Handler Main Window
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF. | <urn:uuid:f82439c0-fdb0-4344-8301-0664957cb10c> | 2.625 | 163 | Knowledge Article | Software Dev. | 36.415673 | 95,628,584 |
This study adopts a two-fold methodological approach to assessing the suitability of olive plantations in mountainous areas for wildlife habitat restoration. Embedding expert judgements through an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) about the effect of specific elements of the landscape on ecological diversity permits the most suitable agricultural areas to be selected by means of Geographical Information Systems (GIS). The case study is the olive (Olea europaea L.) plantations of Andalusia (Southern Spain). The results suggest that the edge of major agricultural areas (mostly olive groves), and areas adjacent to Natural Park with oaks would be most suitable for wildlife habitat restoration. These results are in agreement with those of studies carried out by other researchers on ecological diversity, based on either individual or groups of species. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Mendeley saves you time finding and organizing research
Choose a citation style from the tabs below | <urn:uuid:dbe10698-3cfe-463e-8f18-36f951d6b200> | 2.703125 | 192 | Academic Writing | Science & Tech. | 21.282333 | 95,628,587 |
Animals and plants have divergent sets of blue light receptors, called Cryptochromes. However, green alga Chlamydomonas has both animal-like and plant cryptochrome (pCRY). The presence of multiple cryptochrome suggests specific roles in different pathways in respective organisms. In this paper, Müller et al explore the biological functions of pCRY using a mutant with reduced pCRY activity. pcry mutant showed defects in circadian clock with longer period and phase shifts. pcry also show differential expression profile during the life cycle. (Summary by Nidhi Sharma) Plant Physiol.
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Purpose of the Dwingeloo Radio Telescope
The Dwingeloo Radio Telescope was built for scientific research of radio waves from the Milky Way and the universe. As ASTRON no longer uses this telescope for that purpose, CAMRAS gives amateur astronomers and other interested parties the opportunity to experiment in the field of astronomy. This can be done by contributing to building receivers, making radio astronomical observations and developing computer programs to convert the observations into figures.
What is radio astronomy?
Radio astronomy uses different techniques and instruments than optical astronomy. Optical astronomy studies the universe in visible light. The wavelengths of visible light are approximately between 400 nanometer (violet) and 800 nanometer (red). The optical instrumentation consists of lens and mirror viewers to absorb more light and see more detail in the image. Amateur astronomers usually use an eyepiece (ocular lens) to view the image or a camera to capture and edit digital images. Professional astronomers use more advanced detectors that unravel all properties of light.
Radio astronomy studies the universe by means of radio waves between millimeter and decameter waves. For radio waves from the universe with wavelengths greater than about 30 meters, the outer layer of the atmosphere – the ionosphere – is not or hardly permeable anymore. The radio instruments consist of antennas, different types of constructions to accommodate more radio waves and radio receivers and amplifiers.
Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation, just like light. Only the difference in wavelength is very large. In the universe, radio waves often arise in different places and different physical processes play a role. Some objects emit almost only in visible light and can therefore only be seen with an optical telescope. Other objects radiate almost exclusively in radio waves and can therefore only be detected with a radio telescope. Still other objects emit both visible light and radio waves. Together with observations in visible light, radio astronomy gives a more complete picture of the universe that can also be supplemented with astronomical research using observation equipment suitable for sub-millimeter waves, infrared and X-ray and gamma radiation.
A radio telescope such as the Dwingeloo Radio Telescope is a combination of an antenna at the focal point of a parabolic mirror construction of metal wire mesh; also called a dish antenna. Part of the receiver and amplifier is in the focal point directly behind the antenna, while another part is in the observation house that rotates with the telescope. The observation wavelength is set with the receiver and the dipole antenna must be suitable in size for the chosen wavelength.
The diameter of the mirror of the Dwingeloo Radio Telescope is 25 meter and the mesh size of the wire mesh is 8 millimeter. This construction makes this telescope suitable for astronomical observations at wavelengths between a few centimeters and a few meters.
A dish antenna with one dipole antenna in the focal point is sensitive in one direction and can only detect one area in the sky at a time. The telescope cannot see any details within such an area. The size of that area – the beam – depends on the diameter of the mirror and the observation wavelength. For the Dwingeloo Radio Telescope, the beam at a wavelength of 21 centimeter is about half a degree; about the same size as the angle the moon occupies in the sky. With a detection wavelength twice as large as 21 centimeter, the beam also becomes approximately twice as large as half a degree. The same, with a twice as small observation wavelength, the beam becomes about twice as small; and so on.
In order to make a detailed map of the radio sky, the telescope must observe a large number of points – to be precise at a distance of half a beam – and combine them. And just like making star maps and atlases of nebulae and galaxies in optical astronomy, this is a lengthy and precise work.
Radio astronomers do not look at the universe like optical astronomers. And also radio waves are not sound waves. But do radio astronomers never listen to the universe? Do they never listen to the noise or signals coming from the receiver? Actually, they don’t listen. The amateur astronomers of CAMRAS work more or less in the same way as professional radio astronomers. The radio waves cause a very weak voltage on the antenna. After amplification, it is digitized, processed and stored on the CAMRAS servers for further processing. For example, the observations can be shown in a graph or map live on a computer screen in the telescope or later after more data reduction can be made visible on a computer at home. The height in the graph or map indicates the intensity of the radio waves.
For demonstrations to visitors of the Dwingeloo Radio Telescope and also for monitoring during the observations, the radio waves captured and processed by the telescope can be made audible. Visitors can “listen” to the universe as a supplement to the – more or less noisy – images on the computer screen. Louder or weaker noise from the speaker corresponds to a more or less bright point at sky radio map. When pointing the telescope at a special type of star, a so-called pulsar (a rotating neutron star), a ticking sound comes through the noise from the speaker. By measuring the time between the pulses and by carefully examining these pulses, radio astronomers can learn all about the pulsar, such as the cosmic distance and how quickly the pulsar ages.
Day and night observable
Just like a radio receiver at home can receive a broadcasting station 24 hours a day, radio astronomers can receive radio signals from the universe all day long: at night, but also during the day while the sun is shining. Even during cloudy and rainy weather as radio waves go through clouds effortlessly.
Inventory of possibilities
Together with the Royal Netherlands Association for Meteorology and Astronomy, CAMRAS has made an inventory of a number of possible observing programs with the Dwingeloo Radio Telescope which are very suitable for amateur astronomers. And amateur astronomy can be much more than a personal hobby, for example:
- for certain types of research such as long-term monitoring, professional telescopes and astronomers are too expensive, but there may be opportunities and discoveries for amateur astronomers;
- redoing scientific research, so-called ‘retro-science’;
- to make certain radio astronomical research suitable for educational and demonstration purposes.
The CAMRAS volunteers already have experience or are experimenting with a number of the activities below, while others are under development or in preparation.
- Meteor scatter (recording reflections on plasma traces of meteors with suitable beacons; the sensitivity of the Dwingeloo mirror is many times greater, the image field obviously many times smaller than when using YAGI antennas).
- Sun (recording variations in radio clarity and the relation between optical and radio observations).
- Reflections of radio waves on NEO’s (Near Earth Objects), moon, asteroids and planets (for example recording radio reflections on the surface of Venus and distance determination, also with reflection of signals from other stations).
- Jupiter and Io (on low frequencies, interaction with volcanic activity on Io and the interaction of the solar wind on the Jupiter magnetosphere).
- Comets (line radiation of molecules and continuum radiation).
- Pulsars and pulsar glitches (for example, creating time series from a pulsar in a double system).
- 21 cm hydrogen line and other line radiation in the Milky Way and large galaxies.
- Continuum radiation and its polarization in the Milky Way and large radio sources.
- Time series of variable radio sources (for example variations of radio waves around black holes).
- Occultation of radio sources by the moon (for example Tau A or pulsars).
- Passive SETI (for example monitoring of Kepler planets).
- Survey of radio transients (FRB, RepeatingFRB, RAT, RotatingRAT).
Join as an amateur astronomer, for an educational assignment, or as a volunteer?
Those who are interested and would like to do one or more observations individually or with a small group of amateur astronomers or for an educational project can register as a user and make proposals via the Program Committee and reserve telescope time. See also our tariffs for telescope time.
If you want to contribute to developments, experiments and long-term observation programs, we advise you to sign up as a volunteer.
If interested you can contact CAMRAS at info [at] camras [dot] nl and provide us with a concise description of what you are thinking about, and CAMRAS will contact you. | <urn:uuid:2aa65f3e-c529-4e0e-97f4-745a72ddeb09> | 4.125 | 1,745 | About (Org.) | Science & Tech. | 26.961051 | 95,628,606 |
Scientists from leading European research institutions in the field of solar-to-fuel energy conversion call for unified action and substantial support for novel clean fuel technologies as well as a paradigm change in Europe’s current energy policy.
This is crucial if Europe is to maintain its environmental stability and economic development: Direct conversion of solar energy into fuel represents one of the very few major options that humankind has to provide socially, economically and environmentally robust and resilient renewable fuel with energy security that is guaranteed in a humanitarian instead of confrontational manner, according to the Science Policy Briefing “Harnessing Solar Energy for the Production of Clean Fuel” issued by European Science Foundation (ESF).
It is now becoming widely recognised that the public R&D budgets allocated to the renewable energy technologies need immediate and substantial increase. Contrary to the massive public investments to traditional energy sources and energy infrastructure, the share of clean energy in R&D budgets remains as low as at 7-8 percent.
This ESF Science Policy Briefing is the outcome of a discussion among groups of leading European scientists in the field of solar energy and proposes particular steps towards workable research programmes and implementation strategies for better understanding the challenges of clean fuel research and related socio-economic issues. Its main goal is to open a broad debate between the relevant public and private bodies at both national and European level on how to shape Europe’s leadership in this domain.
The scientists involved explain that there are no fundamental engineering concerns that would limit a full-scale commercial use of solar-to-fuel energy conversion in the future. In the paper they identify and project two of the most promising technologies where - given effective support - major scientific breakthroughs are expected:
1. Solar-to-fuel conversion in microorganisms. This technology utilizes modified photosynthetic microorganism s to produce hydrogen and carbon-based fuels from sunlight. Although there are already some research achievements in this field, the Policy Briefing emphasizes that for secure and sustainable solar-to-fuel technology a substantial improvement of efficiency needs to be realised in the next few years. The scientists also call for rapid development of prototype outdoor photobioreactors through partnerships with private sector which would promote further engineering and scientific improvements.
2. Photocatalysis - a development of chemical/physical solar-to-fuel cells (the artificial leaf), mimicks the biological processes that plants successfully use to harness solar energy. The detailed information on how green plants are able to exploit solar energy can be used to design novel technologies capable of using solar energy to produce hydrogen or secondary fuels.
Both technologies have the potential to provide CO2 neutral fuels with a higher efficiency than those based on field crops. And both are independent of the use of arable land mass. Both solutions require long term planning and development. They need additional support to blend the underlying basic science into cross-cutting technological applications. According to these experts this provides a “genuine chance for ‘emerging ideas’” and will give rise to high impact’ science and multidisciplinary cooperation.
In addition to these two fields for joint-action, the policy briefing also addresses social, economic and political factors that are closely related to a new ‘clean fuel’ energy infrastructure.Social sciences must addressed a whole array of issues and concerns stretching from overcoming opposition to innovation from the current energy industry incumbents to the role of public understanding and engagement in shaping a future energy policy. The overall goal of the social research in this regard will be to forecast the alternative paths in a future solar energy socio-technical system. This would allow for more adaptive and interactive planning instruments.
Finally, the science policy brief addresses the implementation of the outlined research by specific science policies at the European and national levels. As the direct conversion of solar energy to fuel is not yet widely commercialised and profound scientific progress needs to be done, the R&D programmes of national governments and of the European Union has a vital role to play in leading the development of new clean fuel technologies.
The necessary increase in effort includes better research coordination at the European level. This is seen as another crucial condition for a soft transition to a new clean energy infrastructure. In that regard, ESF, with its wide portfolio of instruments, can provide a European platform leading together various national programmes to develop a synergy and to strengthen the Europe-wide collaboration.
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For the first time ever, scientists have determined the cosmic origin of highest-energy neutrinos. A research group led by IceCube scientist Elisa Resconi, spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center SFB1258 at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an important piece of evidence that the particles detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole originate from a galaxy four billion light-years away from Earth.
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For the first time a team of researchers have discovered two different phases of magnetic skyrmions in a single material. Physicists of the Technical Universities of Munich and Dresden and the University of Cologne can now better study and understand the properties of these magnetic structures, which are important for both basic research and applications.
Whirlpools are an everyday experience in a bath tub: When the water is drained a circular vortex is formed. Typically, such whirls are rather stable. Similar...
Physicists working with Roland Wester at the University of Innsbruck have investigated if and how chemical reactions can be influenced by targeted vibrational excitation of the reactants. They were able to demonstrate that excitation with a laser beam does not affect the efficiency of a chemical exchange reaction and that the excited molecular group acts only as a spectator in the reaction.
A frequently used reaction in organic chemistry is nucleophilic substitution. It plays, for example, an important role in in the synthesis of new chemical...
Optical spectroscopy allows investigating the energy structure and dynamic properties of complex quantum systems. Researchers from the University of Würzburg present two new approaches of coherent two-dimensional spectroscopy.
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Ultra-short, high-intensity X-ray flashes open the door to the foundations of chemical reactions. Free-electron lasers generate these kinds of pulses, but there is a catch: the pulses vary in duration and energy. An international research team has now presented a solution: Using a ring of 16 detectors and a circularly polarized laser beam, they can determine both factors with attosecond accuracy.
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Before the sun rises on Sunday, the Quadrantid meteors will make their yearly appearance, about one a minute streaking across the dark sky. A California astronomer says he has finally figured out where all those streaks of light came from.
The light shows occur when Earth crosses debris trails left by comets.
The Perseids of August come from Comet Swift-Tuttle, while a 1998 flyby of Comet Tempel-Tuttle generated the impressive Leonid meteors of recent Novembers.
But the parentage of the Quadrantids (pronounced KWA-drun-tids) has been a mystery.
Then Dr. Peter Jenniskens, an astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., noticed that the orbit of 2003 EH1 -- a small asteroid discovered in March -- ''falls snug in the shower.'' He claims that this is the source of the Quadrantids and that it has not been seen until now because it has gone dark.
The asteroid, he said, is actually the burnt-out core of a comet. Its diameter is a little less than two miles, Dr. Jenniskens estimated, ''which is a typical size for a comet nucleus.'' He has submitted his findings to The Astronomical Journal.
The Quadrantids, discovered in the mid-1800's, are named after an obsolete constellation, Quadrans Muralis, the location in the sky that the meteors appear to shoot out of. (The International Astronomical Union phased out Quadrans Muralis in 1922.)Continue reading the main story
While they are about as intense as the Perseids, the Quadrantids are not as well known, probably because few are willing to stand outside at night in January to look for them. (People in North America should have a good view this time, though, weather permitting. The best time will be Sunday morning, after the moon sets and before the sun rises, or roughly between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m., regardless of time zone. Go someplace dark -- not Manhattan -- where up to 60 meteors an hour should be visible.)
Until now, the most likely candidate for the source of the Quadrantids has been Comet Machholz, discovered in 1986. But Machholz is in a different orbit, and while Jupiter's gravity could have separated it from the Quadrantids, no one has convincingly shown that they are connected.
So astronomers continued to search.
Historical records possibly mark when the comet was last seen almost whole. Between Dec. 31, 1490, and Feb. 12, 1491, astronomers in China, Japan and Korea noted a bright comet passing overhead. There are no recorded sightings of that comet before or since.
A Japanese astronomer, Dr. Ichiro Hasegawa, showed some years back that the comet's orbit resembled that of the Quadrantids. Dr. Jenniskens guesses that the 15th-century Asian astronomers may have been watching the disintegration of 2003 EH1. That would explain why the comet was so bright then but not seen at other times. ''We don't know if that object had anything to do with the Quadrantid showers,'' he said, but added, ''There's a good chance.''
Modern observations of the meteor shower also point to a recent breakup. The outer part of the Quadrantids' orbit comes close to Jupiter's and a few close encounters with Jupiter would disperse their orbits. But photographs taken by Dutch amateur astronomers in 1995 indicate the Quadrantids are still narrowly confined, suggesting that they have not passed Jupiter many times yet. Indeed, Dr. Jenniskens' calculations conclude that the Quadrantids have been circling the solar system for only the past 500 years or so.
Dr. Jenniskens also estimates that the Quadrantids total more than 10 trillion pounds of rock and dust. ''That almost certainly identifies this as a breakup of a comet,'' he said. ''You have a lot of mass, and you have a very young age.''
If Dr. Jenniskens is correct, the Quadrantid meteors could offer astronomers a unique look at the inside of a comet. The specific colors given off by the Quadrantids as they burn up may tell what molecules they contain. That would be of interest to scientists studying the origin of life on Earth because many of the molecular building blocks for life are believed to have formed in outer space and then were carried to Earth by comets.
That was also the impetus for NASA's Stardust mission, which, by coincidence, will fly by Comet Wild 2 on Friday to collect specks of comet dust and bring them back to Earth for study in 2006.Continue reading the main story | <urn:uuid:acaafd41-a371-4ffb-b510-47f1ff991481> | 3.703125 | 970 | Truncated | Science & Tech. | 56.323482 | 95,628,608 |
Caretta caretta (North East Indian Ocean subpopulation)
|Scientific Name:||Caretta caretta (North East Indian Ocean subpopulation)|
See Caretta caretta
|Red List Category & Criteria:||Critically Endangered D ver 3.1|
|Reviewer(s):||Wallace, B.P. & Pilcher, N.J.|
The North East Indian Ocean subpopulation of Loggerhead Turtle nests in Sri Lanka. Its marine habitats are assumed to extend throughout a large marine area in the Bay of Bengal and possibly beyond (Fig. 2 in the Supplementary Material). Genetic data are not available and this subpopulation, or regional management unit, was defined on the basis of the geographic distance from other areas (Wallace et al. 2010).
The available data indicate a low number of nests and consequently a low number of adults (<50). This makes the North East Indian Ocean subpopulation qualify Critically Endangered according to IUCN Red List criterion D.
Very little is known about this subpopulation and this scarce information, compared to other sea turtle species in the same area, suggests a very low abundance of this subpopulation reflected by the information on low numbers of nests per year. Hence, it is reasonable to apply Criterion D to the plausible number of adults (<50), and consequently the subpopulation qualifies as Critically Endangered. This subpopulation also meets the thresholds for the Endangered category under criterion B2a,b(iii) and specifically a small area of occupancy (AOO) (45 km²; threshold <500 km²), few locations (one; threshold <5), and continuing decline in habitat area. The lack of other information prevents evaluation of criteria A, C and E.
Although the scarce information about this subpopulation generates uncertainty, this uncertainty is not so high to categorize this subpopulation as Data Deficient. The Data Deficient category can be applied only to subpopulations for which both Least Concern and Critically Endangered are plausible categories (IUCN 2014). This is clearly not the case for the North-East Indian subpopulation for which a Least Concern category is unrealistic under criteria B and D, even hypothesizing large information gaps. Specifically, a number of adults >1,000 (criterion D) is unrealistic, as well as an AOO >2,000 km² or number of locations >10 (criterion B2).
For the Loggerhead Turtle global and subpopulation assessments we only considered time series datasets (nest counts) of ≥10 yr. Unfortunately, such datasets were not available for the North East Indian Ocean subpopulation. For this reason, criterion A could not be applied to this subpopulation.
Since the subpopulation area includes the large marine area of the Bay of Bengal, the extent of occurrence (EOO) exceeds the threat category threshold (20,000 km²) for criterion B1. Regarding criterion B2, the AOO for sea turtles is identified with the nesting beach habitat, which represents the smallest habitat for a critical life stage. The total length of known North East Indian Ocean Loggerhead nesting beaches in Sri Lanka is 22.5 km (Kapurusinghe 2006) Since the appropriate scale for AOO is a grid 2x2 km, the above linear measure is converted to 45 km², which triggers the threshold for the Endangered category (<500 km²). The number of locations of the subpopulation is one (Sri Lanka) (i.e. <5), which triggers the threshold for the Critically Endangered category. Finally, there is evidence of continuing decline in habitat area, extent, and quality. The heavy sand extraction activity and erosion caused a dramatic reduction of the habitat suitable for sea turtle nesting (de Silva 2006, Kapurusinghe 2006). Based on AOO, number of locations, and decline in habitat area, the subpopulation qualifies for the Endangered category under criterion B2ab(iii).
No data are available to trigger some of the subcriteria required, such as continuing decline and extreme fluctuations of the subpopulation. Therefore, although the number of mature individuals (see criterion D) meets the thresholds for all the threatened categories, the subpopulation does not meet criterion C, partly because of lack of data.
To apply criterion D, the total number of adult females and males is needed. The number of annual nests in Sri Lanka is probably <25 (T. Kapurusinghe, pers. comm).
The number of adults can be derived from the number of nests per year with the following formula: adults = nests * nests per female-1 * remigration interval * female proportion-1.
Unfortunately, number of nests per female, remigration interval and female proportion are not available for this subpopulation. However, if nests per females = remigration interval and sex ratio = 0.5 then adults = nests*2. In most Loggerhead subpopulations the number of nests per females is greater than the remigration interval (Conant et al. 2009, Hamann et al. 2013) and the female proportion is >0.5 (Wibbels 2003), and as a consequence in most Loggerhead subpopulations the number of adults < nests*2. If we assume that also the Northeast Indian subpopulation follows this common relationship, than the number of adults would be <50. Since the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria recommend to ‘adopt a precautionary but realistic attitude’, i.e. a low risk tolerance (IUCN 2014), we believe it is appropriate to consider as the most realistic scenario that the number of adults is < 50 and this would also represent a precautionary approach.
Under this scenario, a number of adults <50 meets the threshold for the Critically Endangered category under criterion D.
No population viability analysis was available for this subpopulation.
Sources of Uncertainty
The main source of uncertainty for this subpopulation assessment is represented by the nest counts, both because of limited monitoring and because nests reported as Loggerhead nests might actually be nests of Lepidochelys olivacea. For further reading on sources of uncertainty in marine turtle Red List assessments, see Seminoff and Shanker (2008).
|Range Description:||The Loggerhead Turtle has a worldwide distribution in subtropical to temperate regions of the Mediterranean Sea and Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans (Wallace et al. 2010) (Fig. 1 in the Supplementary Material). |
The North East Indian Ocean subpopulation breeds in Sri Lanka (Kapurusinghe 2006). Although nesting has been reported from Myanmar too (Thorbjarnarson et al. 2000), this represents a problem of misidentification with another species, the Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea). This problem was already highlighted in the original report (Thorbjarnarson et al. 2000). More recently (in 2012, C. Limpus, pers. comm.) there was consensus among the numerous fisheries officers and academics involved in turtle conservation/monitoring that the turtles nesting in Myanmar are not Loggerheads but Olive Ridleys and no Loggerhead hatchlings were found in museum collections. Such wrong identifications are probably due to the fact that at the beginning of the 20th century the Olive Ridley Turtle was considered a subspecies of Caretta caretta (Dodd 1988, Marquez 1990). There is an unconfirmed report in Bangladesh, but it was probably an Olive Ridley for the similarities of the two species (Rashid and Islam 2006) and for the reasons above. Therefore, the breeding area is here considered limited to Sri Lanka. The marine habitats are assumed to extend throughout at least the Bay of Bengal.
|FAO Marine Fishing Areas:|
Indian Ocean – eastern
|Range Map:||Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.|
|Population:||Loggerheads are a single species globally comprising 10 biologically described regional management units (RMUs: Wallace et al. 2010), which describe biologically and geographically explicit population segments by integrating information from nesting sites, mitochondrial and nuclear DNA studies, movements and habitat use by all life stages. RMUs are functionally equivalent to IUCN subpopulations, thus providing the appropriate demographic unit for Red List assessments. There are 10 Loggerhead RMUs (hereafter subpopulations): Northwest Atlantic Ocean, Northeast Atlantic Ocean, Southwest Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Northeast Indian Ocean, Northwest Indian Ocean, Southeast Indian Ocean, Southwest Indian Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, and South Pacific Ocean (Fig. 2 in the Supplementary Material). Multiple genetic stocks have been defined according to geographically disparate nesting areas around the world and are included within RMU delineations (Wallace et al. 2010) (shapefiles can be viewed and downloaded at: http://seamap.env.duke.edu/swot).|
Very little information exists about the North East Indian Ocean subpopulation. It seems to be very small. Annual nests in Sri Lanka are probably <25 (T. Kapusuringhe, pers. comm).
|Current Population Trend:||Unknown|
|Habitat and Ecology:||The Loggerhead Turtle nests on insular and mainland sandy beaches throughout the temperate and subtropical regions. Like most sea turtles, Loggerhead Turtles are highly migratory and use a wide range of broadly separated localities and habitats during their lifetimes (Bolten and Witherington 2003). Upon leaving the nesting beach, hatchlings begin an oceanic phase, perhaps floating passively in major current systems (gyres) that serve as open-ocean developmental grounds (Bolten and Witherington 2003). After 4-19 years in the oceanic zone, Loggerheads recruit to neritic developmental areas rich in benthic prey or epipelagic prey where they forage and grow until maturity at 10-39 years (Avens and Snover 2013). Upon attaining sexual maturity Loggerhead Turtles undertake breeding migrations between foraging grounds and nesting areas at remigration intervals of one to several years with a mean of 2.5-3 years for females (Schroeder et al. 2003) while males would have a shorter remigration interval (e.g., Hays et al. 2010, Wibbels et al. 1990). Migrations are carried out by both males and females and may traverse oceanic zones spanning hundreds to thousands of kilometers (Plotkin 2003). During non-breeding periods adults reside at coastal neritic feeding areas that sometimes coincide with juvenile developmental habitats (Bolten and Witherington 2003).|
However, none of these parameters have been quantified specifically for North East Indian Ocean loggerhead subpopulation.
The IUCN Red List Criteria define generation length to be the average age of parents in a population (i.e., older than the age at maturity and younger than the oldest mature individual) and care should be taken to avoid underestimation (IUCN 2014). Although different subpopulations may have different generation length, since this information is limited we adopted the same value for all the subpopulations, taking care to avoid underestimation as recommended by IUCN (2014).
Loggerheads attain maturity at 10-39 years (Avens and Snover 2013), and we considered here 30 years to be equal or greater than the average age at maturity. Data on reproductive longevity in Loggerheads are limited, but are becoming available with increasing numbers of intensively monitored, long-term projects on protected beaches. Tagging studies have documented reproductive histories up to 28 years in the North Western Atlantic Ocean (Mote Marine Laboratory, unpubl. data), up to 18 years in the South Western Indian Ocean (Nel et al. 2013), up to 32 years in the South Western Atlantic Ocean (Projeto Tamar unpubl. data), and up to 37 years in the South Western Pacific Ocean, where females nesting for 20-25 years are common (C. Limpus, pers. comm). We considered 15 years to be equal or greater than the average reproductive longevity. Therefore, we considered here 45 years to be equal or greater than the average generation length, therefore avoiding underestimation as recommended by IUCN (IUCN Standards and Petitions Subcommittee 2014).
|Continuing decline in area, extent and/or quality of habitat:||Yes|
|Generation Length (years):||45|
|Use and Trade:||It is assumed that this species is harvested in the North East Indian Ocean region for its eggs and meat.|
Threats to Loggerheads vary in time and space, and in relative impact to populations. Threat categories affecting marine turtles, including Loggerheads, were described by Wallace et al. (2011) as:
The main threats to the North East Indian Ocean subpopulation have not been specifically assessed, although Wallace et al. (2011) has categorized this subpopulation as highly threatened. However, it can be assumed that they are the same of other sea turtle species occurring in the same area, i.e., egg and meat consumption, and habitat degradation (de Silva 2006, Kapurusinghe 2006).
Loggerhead Turtles are afforded legislative protection under a number of treaties and laws (Wold 2002). Annex II of the SPAW Protocol to the Cartagena Convention (a protocol concerning specially protected areas and wildlife); Appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora); and Appendices I and II of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). A partial list of the International Instruments that benefit Loggerhead Turtles includes the Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles, the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Marine Turtles and their Habitats of the Indian Ocean and South-East Asia (IOSEA), the Memorandum of Understanding on ASEAN Sea Turtle Conservation and Protection, the Memorandum of Agreement on the Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area (TIHPA), and the Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Conservation Measures for Marine Turtles of the Atlantic Coast of Africa.
As a result of these designations and agreements, many of the intentional impacts directed at sea turtles have been lessened: harvest of eggs and adults has been slowed at several nesting areas through nesting beach conservation efforts and an increasing number of community-based initiatives are in place to slow the take of turtles in foraging areas. In regard to incidental take, the implementation of Turtle Excluder Devices has proved to be beneficial in some areas, primarily in the United States and South and Central America (National Research Council 1990). Guidelines are available to reduce sea turtle mortality in fishing operations in coastal and high seas fisheries (FAO 2009). However, despite these advances, human impacts continue throughout the world. The lack of effective monitoring in pelagic and near-shore fisheries operations still allows substantial direct and indirect mortality, and the uncontrolled development of coastal and marine habitats threatens to destroy the supporting ecosystems of long-lived Loggerhead Turtles.
There no specific conservation actions for to the North-East Indian subpopulation, however legislation and actions contrasting in particular sea turtle egg poaching (de Silva 2006, Kapurusinghe 2006) are probably benefiting Loggerhead Turtles too.
|Citation:||Casale, P. 2015. Caretta caretta (North East Indian Ocean subpopulation). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T84126444A84126520.Downloaded on 21 July 2018.|
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- Short report
- Open Access
Pollination ecology and breeding system of two Calceolaria species in Chile
© Murúa et al.; licensee Springer. 2014
Received: 11 October 2013
Accepted: 24 March 2014
Published: 15 July 2014
Many angiosperms are exclusively dependent on pollinators for its reproduction (Matallana et al. 2010; Arroyo et al. 2006). However, pollinators sometimes could be erratic and variable in relation to the ecological context (e.g., plant community composition), especially in alpine zones where it is known that pollinators decline in abundance with the increment in altitude (Arroyo and Squeo 1990; Totland 1994). The latest could be critical in specialized pollination system and more over when specialized flowering plants inhabit in sympatry, potentially sharing the specialized floral visitors. In this context, it is expected that plant species develop reproductive strategies to ensure reproduction and/or exhibit some differences in their pollination ecology.
This study was conducted during the summer season of 2012 at the National Reserve Altos de Lircay (35°36′ S, 71°00′ W) in the Región del Maule, Chile. The sample site is located in the Reserve at 2,200 m a.s.l. and has a Mediterranean-type climate, with most rainfall concentrated in the winter season (di Castri and Hajek 1976). In the study site, C. filicaulis and C. arachnoidea inhabit in sympatry and are distributed in monospecific patches, surrounded by a vegetation matrix that includes Mimulus luteus Linnaeus (Schrophulareaceae), Mimulus cupreus Dombrain (Schrophulareaceae), Hypochoeris acaulis Britton (Asteraceae), Pozoa coriacea Lagasca & Segura (Apiaceae), and Azorella incisa Weddell (Apiaceae).
where, , , and represents the average number of seed per fruit on each treatment. The significance of treatment effects was evaluated on log-transformed data by two-way ANOVA. Statistical differences among treatments were evaluated in a post hoc Tukey test in R package version 2.15 (R development Core Team, 2011). To characterize pollination ecology, all flower visitors of both Calceolaria species were recorded. Focal observations of 15 min per plant were realized during six consecutive sunny days between 0900 and 1800 hours (50 h of observation per specie). All floral visitors contacting the reproductive structures of the flowers were captured and taken to the laboratory for taxonomic identification.
Floral visitors of each studied Calceolaria species
Proportion of visits
0.29 ± 0.07
0.06 ± 0.03
0.30 ± 0.04
0.04 ± 0.20
Chalepogenus sp. 1
0.002 ± 0.002
0.001 ± 0.001
In general, our results showed that Calceolaria species are highly dependent on pollinator for reproduction; however, they are able to self-fertilize and showed differences in their reproductive strategies. C. filicaulis is allogamous and self-incompatible, whereas C. arachnoidea is partially autogamous and present an incomplete self-compatibility. The latest seems to be frequent in flowering plants, in particular in specialized pollination systems (Perez et al. 2009), where the evolution of mixed mating strategies has evolved as stable strategy to deal with variable pollinator environments (see review in Goodwillie et al. 2005). In addition, both Calceolaria species were mainly visited by oil-collecting bees, but they differ in their principal pollinator. Globally, this finding suggest that Calceolaria and their oil-collecting bees could represent a highly specialized system, where plant species develop different reproductive strategies possibly in response to their ecological context. The latest could be explained by the frequency, consistency, and efficiency of their pollinators, which are known to decrease with the increase of elevation (Arroyo et al. 1985, 2006). In fact, in the study site, oil-collecting bees are present in low abundance, and they visit different plant species searching for pollen (MM, personal observation); it is known that this can interfere in plant fecundation through pollen interference and/or competition (Kunin 1997).
Despite that Calceolaria species are one of the most diverse genus in Chile (Fuentes et al. 1995), their biology, systematics, and evolution have been recently the subject of detailed research (Molau 1988; Sérsic 2004; Cosacov et al. 2009). Consequently, although this work represents a preliminary view of the breeding system and pollination ecology of Chilean Calceolaria species, this can be a starting point in the study of ecology and even evolution (e.g., reproductive barriers to speciation) of the genus. In this context, more studies are needed to determine proximal and ultimate mechanisms that are determining this finding in one of the most specialized plant-pollinator systems in Chile.
We thank Catalina González Brown for commenting the manuscript and CONAF for the sampling permission. This research was funded by the grant Beca de Apoyo a la Realización de la Tesis Doctoral (Folio 24110094, CONICYT) to MM.
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This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. | <urn:uuid:0e18f250-2bdc-4924-af7b-21227b362471> | 2.71875 | 2,182 | Academic Writing | Science & Tech. | 43.663366 | 95,628,627 |
posted by Anonymous
determine two geometreic sequences whose first terms are 18x-9, 2x+8 and x-1
how would I go about and do this question?
I have no idea! so a little help would be really helpful! thanks!
A geometric sequence looks like
a, ar, ar2, ar3, ..., arn, ...
where a is usually called the base and r is the common ratio.
If the first three terms are 18x-9, 2x+8 and x-1 then
(2x+8)/(18x-9) = (x-1)/(2x+8)
i.e., the ratio of tn/tn-1 is the common ratio.
(2x+8)*(2x+8)=(18x-9)*(x-1) for x.
Then substitute the values of x into the first 3 terms to determine what they are, then follow the above to determine the common ratio, the base, then the general or nth term. | <urn:uuid:c66d1f13-8f8f-43e5-b55b-58ee69f5cf3d> | 2.9375 | 226 | Q&A Forum | Science & Tech. | 101.268036 | 95,628,629 |
How to add operators? About Monkey 2 › Forums › Monkey 2 Programming Help › How to add operators? This topic contains 1 reply, has 2 voices, and was last updated by Mark Sibly 3 months, 2 weeks ago. Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total) Author Posts April 8, 2018 at 3:28 am #14292 SekaiChiParticipant I´m trying to find detailed examples on how to add or change (overload) operators. How can you add a new binary or unary operator? 0 April 8, 2018 at 6:34 am #14294 Mark SiblyKeymaster Check the expressions section in the language reference: http://turdus.be/monkey2docs/docs/modules/monkey/manual/monkey2-users-guide-language-reference-expressions.html#operator-overloading Also, have a look at the files in modules/std/geom source for example code. 0 Author Posts Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total) You must be logged in to reply to this topic. | <urn:uuid:31278a01-6793-470b-abd6-9e7225416b70> | 2.53125 | 226 | Comment Section | Software Dev. | 67.511378 | 95,628,632 |
A perfect storm of events created a massive magnetic cloud that could have caused fireworks on Earth
Earth dodged a huge magnetic bullet from the sun on July 23, 2012.
According to University of California, Berkeley, and Chinese researchers, a rapid succession of coronal mass ejections – the most intense eruptions on the sun – sent a pulse of magnetized plasma barreling into space and through Earth's orbit. Had the eruption come nine days earlier, it would have hit Earth, potentially wreaking havoc with the electrical grid, disabling satellites and GPS, and disrupting our increasingly electronic lives.
The solar bursts would have enveloped Earth in magnetic fireworks matching the largest magnetic storm ever reported on Earth, the so-called Carrington event of 1859. The dominant mode of communication at that time, the telegraph system, was knocked out across the United States, literally shocking telegraph operators. Meanwhile, the Northern Lights lit up the night sky as far south as Hawaii.
In a paper appearing today (Tuesday, March 18) in the journal Nature Communications, former UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellow and research physicist Ying D. Liu, now a professor at China's State Key Laboratory of Space Weather, UC Berkeley research physicist Janet G. Luhmann and their colleagues report their analysis of the magnetic storm, which was detected by NASA's STEREO A spacecraft.
"Had it hit Earth, it probably would have been like the big one in 1859, but the effect today, with our modern technologies, would have been tremendous," said Luhmann, who is part of the STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Observatory) team and based at UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory.
A study last year estimated that the cost of a solar storm like the Carrington Event could reach $2.6 trillion worldwide. A considerably smaller event on March 13, 1989, led to the collapse of Canada's Hydro-Quebec power grid and a resulting loss of electricity to six million people for up to nine hours.
"An extreme space weather storm – a solar superstorm – is a low-probability, high-consequence event that poses severe threats to critical infrastructures of the modern society," warned Liu, who is with the National Space Science Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. "The cost of an extreme space weather event, if it hits Earth, could reach trillions of dollars with a potential recovery time of 4-10 years. Therefore, it is paramount to the security and economic interest of the modern society to understand solar superstorms."
Based on their analysis of the 2012 event, Liu, Luhmann and their STEREO colleagues concluded that a huge outburst on the sun on July 22 propelled a magnetic cloud through the solar wind at a peak speed of more than 2,000 kilometers per second – four times the typical speed of a magnetic storm. It tore through Earth's orbit but, luckily, Earth and the other planets were on the other side of the sun at the time. Any planets in the line of sight would have suffered severe magnetic storms as the magnetic field of the outburst tangled with the planets' own magnetic fields.
The researchers determined that the huge outburst resulted from at least two nearly simultaneous coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which typically release energies equivalent to that of about a billion hydrogen bombs. The speed with which the magnetic cloud plowed through the solar wind was so high, they concluded, because another mass ejection four days earlier had cleared the path of material that would have slowed it down.
"The authors believe this extreme event was due to the interaction of two CMEs separated by only 10 to 15 minutes," said Joe Gurman, the project scientist for STEREO at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
One reason the event was potentially so dangerous, aside from its high speed, is that it produced a very long-duration, southward-oriented magnetic field, Luhmann said. This orientation drives the largest magnetic storms when they hit Earth because the southward field merges violently with Earth's northward field in a process called reconnection. Storms that normally might dump their energy only at the poles instead dump it into the radiation belts, ionosphere and upper atmosphere and create auroras down to the tropics.
"These gnarly, twisty ropes of magnetic field from coronal mass ejections come blasting from the sun through the ambient solar system, piling up material in front of them, and when this double whammy hits Earth, it skews the Earth's magnetic field to odd directions, dumping energy all around the planet," she said. "Some of us wish Earth had been in the way; what an experiment that would have been."
"People keep saying that these are rare natural hazards, but they are happening in the solar system even though we don't always see them," she added. "It's like with earthquakes – it is hard to impress upon people the importance of preparing unless you suffer a magnitude 9 earthquake."
All this activity would have been missed if STEREO A – the STEREO spacecraft ahead of us in Earth's orbit and the twin to STEREO B, which trails in our orbit – had not been there to record the blast.
The goal of STEREO and other satellites probing the magnetic fields of the sun and Earth is to understand how and why the sun sends out these large solar storms and to be able to predict them during the sun's 11-year solar cycle. This event was particularly unusual because it happened during a very calm solar period.
"Observations of solar superstorms have been extremely lacking and limited, and our current understanding of solar superstorms is very poor," Liu said. "Questions fundamental to solar physics and space weather, such as how extreme events form and evolve and how severe it can be at the Earth, are not addressed because of the extreme lack of observations."
The work was supported by NASA.
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