Mass spectrometry for the biophysical characterization of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hao; Cui, Weidong; Gross, Michael L

2014-01-21

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are powerful therapeutics, and their characterization has drawn considerable attention and urgency. Unlike small-molecule drugs (150-600 Da) that have rigid structures, mAbs (∼150 kDa) are engineered proteins that undergo complicated folding and can exist in a number of low-energy structures, posing a challenge for traditional methods in structural biology. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based biophysical characterization approaches can provide structural information, bringing high sensitivity, fast turnaround, and small sample consumption. This review outlines various MS-based strategies for protein biophysical characterization and then reviews how these strategies provide structural information of mAbs at the protein level (intact or top-down approaches), peptide, and residue level (bottom-up approaches), affording information on higher order structure, aggregation, and the nature of antibody complexes. Copyright © 2013 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

proceedings of the 11. Annual meeting of the Federation of Societies on Experimental Biology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

The proceedings of the 11. Annual meeting of the Federation of Societies on Experimental Biology contains 1850 abstracts, which include the following topics: neuroscience and behaviour; biophysics; pharmacology; comparative physiology; nervous regulation; endocrinology; nefrology; vascular biology; toxicity; molecular biophysics; radiobiology and others. Among these, 169 abstracts have been indexed separately for the INIS database

Biophysical pathology in cancer transformation

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Pokorný, Jiří; Pokorný, Jan

S1, Nov (2013), s. 1-9 ISSN 2324-9110 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP102/11/0649 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 ; RVO:67985882 Keywords : cancer biophysics * Warburg effect * reverse Warburg effect * biological electrodynamics * coherent states Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics

Realized Bond-Stock Correlation: Macroeconomic Announcement Effects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Charlotte; Ranaldo, Angelo

2005-01-01

We investigate the effects of macroeconomic announcements on the realized correlation between bond and stock returns. Our results deliver insights into the dominating drivers of bond-stock comovements. We find that it is not so much the surprise component of the announcement, but the mere fact...... that an announcement occurs that influences the realized bond-stock correlation. The impact of macroeconomic announcements varies across the business cycle. Announcement effects are highly dependent on the sign of the realized bond-stock correlation which has recently gone from positive to negative. Macroeconomic...

21st Annual Conference of Ramanujan Mathematical Society

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 11; Issue 4. 21st Annual Conference of Ramanujan Mathematical Society. Information and Announcements Volume 11 Issue 4 April 2006 pp 108-108. Fulltext. Click here to view fulltext PDF. Permanent link:

Living the Information Society in Asia | IDRC - International ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2009-04-13

Apr 13, 2009 ... Asian societies are in a period of transition, as people are learn to live with ... to announce that the first call for applications for the new Early Career Women. ... water management: Innovative solutions from the Global South”.

[Pediatrician's experience in announcing bad news].

Science.gov (United States)

Crosnier-Schoedel, C; Trocmé, N; Carbajal, R; Leverger, G

2018-02-01

Few studies are available on pediatricians' experience with announcing bad news. Announcing bad news is an important component of medical practice and is even more complex in pediatrics because parents must be associated. We had 20 hospital pediatricians complete a questionnaire containing 30 questions about their own experience announcing bad news to a child or a teenager. In spite of their experience and the time they have spent practicing medicine, there are many limitations stemming from different factors concerning children, teenagers, their families, and themselves. The difficulties encountered by pediatricians are mainly related to the timing of the announcement, the location, the choice of the words used, and the poor understanding of children and families, due to intellectual, cultural, or psychological limitations. Pediatricians question their own capacity to make such an announcement, wondering if the information has actually been well understood. They indicate that they are themselves affected. Most of them develop and implement strategies to refute the emotional instability caused by the announcement of bad news. Yet many of them feel weak, even talking about a deep sense of loneliness and guilt. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Progress and challenges of engineering a biophysical CO2-concentrating mechanism into higher plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Rae, Benjamin D; Long, Benedict M; Förster, Britta; Nguyen, Nghiem D; Velanis, Christos N; Atkinson, Nicky; Hee, Wei Yih; Mukherjee, Bratati; Price, G Dean; McCormick, Alistair J

2017-06-01

Growth and productivity in important crop plants is limited by the inefficiencies of the C3 photosynthetic pathway. Introducing CO2-concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) into C3 plants could overcome these limitations and lead to increased yields. Many unicellular microautotrophs, such as cyanobacteria and green algae, possess highly efficient biophysical CCMs that increase CO2 concentrations around the primary carboxylase enzyme, Rubisco, to enhance CO2 assimilation rates. Algal and cyanobacterial CCMs utilize distinct molecular components, but share several functional commonalities. Here we outline the recent progress and current challenges of engineering biophysical CCMs into C3 plants. We review the predicted requirements for a functional biophysical CCM based on current knowledge of cyanobacterial and algal CCMs, the molecular engineering tools and research pipelines required to translate our theoretical knowledge into practice, and the current challenges to achieving these goals. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Market liquidity around earnings announcements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pronk, M.

2002-01-01

Prior literature indicates that bid-ask spreads are higher and depths are lower around earnings announcements than during non-announcement periods. This thesis investigates two important aspects of this drop in market liquidity, namely (a) the ability of management to mitigate the drop in market

Biophysical applications of satellite remote sensing

CERN Document Server

Hanes, Jonathan

2014-01-01

Including an introduction and historical overview of the field, this comprehensive synthesis of the major biophysical applications of satellite remote sensing includes in-depth discussion of satellite-sourced biophysical metrics such as leaf area index.

76 FR 30368 - Announcement of the Publication of Funding Opportunity Announcements under the Runaway and...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-25

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Administration for Children and Families Announcement of the Publication of Funding Opportunity Announcements under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act AGENCY... (SOP) are now available for application. CFDA Number: 93.623, 93.557. Statutory Authority: Runaway and...

Mathematical biophysics

CERN Document Server

Rubin, Andrew

2014-01-01

This book presents concise descriptions and analysis of the classical and modern models used in mathematical biophysics. The authors ask the question "what new information can be provided by the models that cannot be obtained directly from experimental data?" Actively developing fields such as regulatory mechanisms in cells and subcellular systems and electron transport and energy transport in membranes are addressed together with more classical topics such as metabolic processes, nerve conduction and heart activity, chemical kinetics, population dynamics, and photosynthesis. The main approach is to describe biological processes using different mathematical approaches necessary to reveal characteristic features and properties of simulated systems. With the emergence of powerful mathematics software packages such as MAPLE, Mathematica, Mathcad, and MatLab, these methodologies are now accessible to a wide audience. Provides succinct but authoritative coverage of a broad array of biophysical topics and models Wr...

Historical and Critical Review on Biophysical Economics

Science.gov (United States)

Adigüzel, Yekbun

2016-07-01

Biophysical economics is initiated with the long history of the relation of economics with ecological basis and biophysical perspectives of the physiocrats. It inherently has social, economic, biological, environmental, natural, physical, and scientific grounds. Biological entities in economy like the resources, consumers, populations, and parts of production systems, etc. could all be dealt by biophysical economics. Considering this wide scope, current work is a “biophysical economics at a glance” rather than a comprehensive review of the full range of topics that may just be adequately covered in a book-length work. However, the sense of its wide range of applications is aimed to be provided to the reader in this work. Here, modern approaches and biophysical growth theory are presented after the long history and an overview of the concepts in biophysical economics. Examples of the recent studies are provided at the end with discussions. This review is also related to the work by Cleveland, “Biophysical Economics: From Physiocracy to Ecological Economics and Industrial Ecology” [C. J. Cleveland, in Advances in Bioeconomics and Sustainability: Essay in Honor of Nicholas Gerogescu-Roegen, eds. J. Gowdy and K. Mayumi (Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, England, 1999), pp. 125-154.]. Relevant parts include critics and comments on the presented concepts in a parallelized fashion with the Cleveland’s work.

78 FR 26375 - Food and Drug Administration/International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering Co-Sponsorship...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-06

...] Food and Drug Administration/International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering Co-Sponsorship... Society of Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE), is announcing a conference entitled ``Redefining the `C' in CGMP: Creating, Implementing and Sustaining a Culture of Quality'' Pharmaceutical Quality System (ICH...

Plasma membrane--cortical cytoskeleton interactions: a cell biology approach with biophysical considerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Kapus, András; Janmey, Paul

2013-07-01

From a biophysical standpoint, the interface between the cell membrane and the cytoskeleton is an intriguing site where a "two-dimensional fluid" interacts with an exceedingly complex three-dimensional protein meshwork. The membrane is a key regulator of the cytoskeleton, which not only provides docking sites for cytoskeletal elements through transmembrane proteins, lipid binding-based, and electrostatic interactions, but also serves as the source of the signaling events and molecules that control cytoskeletal organization and remolding. Conversely, the cytoskeleton is a key determinant of the biophysical and biochemical properties of the membrane, including its shape, tension, movement, composition, as well as the mobility, partitioning, and recycling of its constituents. From a cell biological standpoint, the membrane-cytoskeleton interplay underlies--as a central executor and/or regulator--a multitude of complex processes including chemical and mechanical signal transduction, motility/migration, endo-/exo-/phagocytosis, and other forms of membrane traffic, cell-cell, and cell-matrix adhesion. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the tight structural and functional coupling between the membrane and the cytoskeleton. As biophysical approaches, both theoretical and experimental, proved to be instrumental for our understanding of the membrane/cytoskeleton interplay, this review will "oscillate" between the cell biological phenomena and the corresponding biophysical principles and considerations. After describing the types of connections between the membrane and the cytoskeleton, we will focus on a few key physical parameters and processes (force generation, curvature, tension, and surface charge) and will discuss how these contribute to a variety of fundamental cell biological functions. © 2013 American Physiological Society.

45. Annual Convention of the Austrian Physical Society

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

This volume contains lectures of the 45 th symposium of the Austrian Physical Society which had been held in Leoben, Austria in 1995. The following topics are included: Atomic physics, molecular physics, plasma physics, solid state physics, nuclear and particle physics, biophysics, environmental physics, quantum electronics and quantum optics. (Suda)

Civil Society and Public Powers : Partners for Social Economy and ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Civil Society and Public Powers : Partners for Social Economy and Solidarity ... Working paper : food security and sovereignty ... to announce the results of its 2017 call for proposals to establish Cyber Policy Centres in the Global South.

Enhancing Irreversible Electroporation by Manipulating Cellular Biophysics with a Molecular Adjuvant.

Science.gov (United States)

Ivey, Jill W; Latouche, Eduardo L; Richards, Megan L; Lesser, Glenn J; Debinski, Waldemar; Davalos, Rafael V; Verbridge, Scott S

2017-07-25

Pulsed electric fields applied to cells have been used as an invaluable research tool to enhance delivery of genes or other intracellular cargo, as well as for tumor treatment via electrochemotherapy or tissue ablation. These processes involve the buildup of charge across the cell membrane, with subsequent alteration of transmembrane potential that is a function of cell biophysics and geometry. For traditional electroporation parameters, larger cells experience a greater degree of membrane potential alteration. However, we have recently demonstrated that the nuclear/cytoplasm ratio (NCR), rather than cell size, is a key predictor of response for cells treated with high-frequency irreversible electroporation (IRE). In this study, we leverage a targeted molecular therapy, ephrinA1, known to markedly collapse the cytoplasm of cells expressing the EphA2 receptor, to investigate how biophysical cellular changes resulting from NCR manipulation affect the response to IRE at varying frequencies. We present evidence that the increase in the NCR mitigates the cell death response to conventional electroporation pulsed-electric fields (∼100 μs), consistent with the previously noted size dependence. However, this same molecular treatment enhanced the cell death response to high-frequency electric fields (∼1 μs). This finding demonstrates the importance of considering cellular biophysics and frequency-dependent effects in developing electroporation protocols, and our approach provides, to our knowledge, a novel and direct experimental methodology to quantify the relationship between cell morphology, pulse frequency, and electroporation response. Finally, this novel, to our knowledge, combinatorial approach may provide a paradigm to enhance in vivo tumor ablation through a molecular manipulation of cellular morphology before IRE application. Copyright © 2017 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ACHP | News | Laura Bush Announces Preserve America Grants Budget

Science.gov (United States)

Search skip specific nav links Home arrow News arrow Laura Bush Announces Preserve America Grants Budget Laura Bush Announces Preserve America Grants Budget First Preserve America Communities Also Announced ) Jan. 15, 2004, Washington, DC—Mrs. Laura Bush announced today that the President's budget for FY 2005

Differential Investors’ Response to Restatement Announcements: An Empirical Investigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sebahattin Demirkan

2018-02-01

Full Text Available When firms announce a restatement of their financial reports, they inform investors that their prior announcements were faulty. Not only do companies lose credibility at times such as this but also their securities are revalued as investors respond to the substance of the announcement. We investigate investor size to understand how large and small investors differ in their responses to restatement announcements. Our results indicate that large investors seemingly anticipate the announcement; their holdings decrease before restatement announcements; consequently large investors trading after announcements is less pronounced than for smaller investors. The response of small investors depends on who has prompted the restatement: the company itself, FASB or the SEC and not on the reason for the restatement such as problems with revenue recognition, restructuring or cost/expense. Large investor trading volume is affected by both the source of the restatement and the reason for it. Large investors seem to anticipate potential problems, and sell securities before restatement announcements.

Theoretical Molecular Biophysics

CERN Document Server

Scherer, Philipp

2010-01-01

"Theoretical Molecular Biophysics" is an advanced study book for students, shortly before or after completing undergraduate studies, in physics, chemistry or biology. It provides the tools for an understanding of elementary processes in biology, such as photosynthesis on a molecular level. A basic knowledge in mechanics, electrostatics, quantum theory and statistical physics is desirable. The reader will be exposed to basic concepts in modern biophysics such as entropic forces, phase separation, potentials of mean force, proton and electron transfer, heterogeneous reactions coherent and incoherent energy transfer as well as molecular motors. Basic concepts such as phase transitions of biopolymers, electrostatics, protonation equilibria, ion transport, radiationless transitions as well as energy- and electron transfer are discussed within the frame of simple models.

Biophysics an introduction

CERN Document Server

Cotteril, Rodney

2002-01-01

Biophysics: An Introduction, is a concise balanced introduction to this subject. Written in an accessible and readable style, the book takes a fresh, modern approach with the author successfully combining key concepts and theory with relevant applications and examples drawn from the field as a whole. Beginning with a brief introduction to the origins of biophysics, the book takes the reader through successive levels of complexity, from atoms to molecules, structures, systems and ultimately to the behaviour of organisms. The book also includes extensive coverage of biopolymers, biomembranes, biological energy, and nervous systems. The text not only explores basic ideas, but also discusses recent developments, such as protein folding, DNA/RNA conformations, molecular motors, optical tweezers and the biological origins of consciousness and intelligence.

47. annual symposium of the Austrian Physical Society

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kutschera, W.

1997-01-01

This volume contains lectures (short communications) of the 47. symposium of the Austrian Physical Society which had been held at the University of Vienna (Austria) in 1997. The following topics are included: atomic physics, molecular physics, plasma physics, solid state physics, nuclear and particle physics, biophysics, environmental physics, quantum electronics and quantum optics. (Suda)

Integrated Molecular and Cellular Biophysics

CERN Document Server

Raicu, Valerica

2008-01-01

This book integrates concepts and methods from physics, biology, biochemistry and physical chemistry into a standalone, unitary text of biophysics that aims to provide a quantitative description of structures and processes occurring in living matter. The book introduces graduate physics students and physicists interested in biophysics research to 'classical' as well as emerging areas of biophysics. The advanced undergraduate physics students and the life scientists are also invited to join in, by building on their knowledge of basic physics. Essential notions of biochemistry and biology are introduced, as necessary, throughout the book, while the reader's familiarity with basic knowledge of physics is assumed. Topics covered include interactions between biological molecules, physical chemistry of phospholipids association into bilayer membranes, DNA and protein structure and folding, passive and active electrical properties of the cell membrane, classical as well as fractal aspects of reaction kinetics and di...

Information and Announcements

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Information and Announcements. lfijRefresher Course in ... Classical encrypton techniques, block ciphers and DES, AES, confidentiality using symmetric encryption, message ... network security', W Stallings, PHI, III Ed. (2004). Recent trends in ...

78 FR 48674 - Announcement of the IRIS Public Meeting Schedule for Calendar Years 2013 and 2014; Announcement...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-09

... assessments. In accordance with the recently announced enhancements of the IRIS Program, EPA is announcing a... meeting. These materials are being released for public viewing and comment prior to the public meeting on... than time allows, the time limit for each presentation will be adjusted. During the meeting, remote...

48. annual symposium of the Austrian Physical Society

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Netzer, F.P.

1998-01-01

This volume contains short communications of lectures and posters of the 48 th Symposium of the Austrian Physical Society which had been held at the University of Graz (Austria) in 1998. The following topics are included: atomic physics, molecular physics, plasma physics, solid state physics, nuclear and particle physics, polymer physics, biophysics, environmental physics, quantum electronics and quantum optics. (Suda)

49. annual symposium of the Austrian Physical Society

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blatt, R.; Maerk, T.

1999-01-01

This volume contains short communications of lectures and poster sessions of the 49th symposium of the Austrian Physical Society which has been held at the University of Innsbruck (Austria) in 1999. The following topics are included: atomic physics, molecular physics, plasma physics, solid state physics, nuclear and particle physics, polymer physics, biophysics, environmental physics, quantum electronics and quantum optics. (Suda)

News & Announcements

Science.gov (United States)

2000-01-01

/TD/TDhome.html. This site also has links to JCE guidelines for prospective authors. Volunteers should contact Vitz by the medium of their preference: Ed Vitz, Editor, Tested Demonstrations, Journal of Chemical Education, Department of Chemistry, Kutztown University, Kutztown, PA 19530; phone: 610/683-4443; fax: 610/683-1352; email: vitz@kutztown.edu. Awards Announced ACS Regional Awards in High School Chemistry Teaching The American Chemical Society has announced winners of regional awards in high school chemistry teaching for 1999. Winners have demonstrated excellence in teaching, exceptional ability to challenge and inspire students, extracurricular work, and willingness to keep up to date in the field. The award consists of two certificates (one for the recipient, the other for display at the recipient's school) and a cash prize of 1,000. Thomas W. Adams, Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics & Humanities at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana: Central Region Arthur J. Crumm, Barstow School, Kansas City, Missouri: Midwest Region Esther H. Freeman, Tabb High School, Yorktown, Virginia: Southeast Region Joan A. Laredo-Liddell, St. Barnabas High School, Bronx, New York: Middle Atlantic Region, 1998 David T. Lee, Mountain Lakes High School, Mountain Lakes, New Jersey: Middle Atlantic Region, 1999 Diane Coley McGann, Santa Ana High School, Santa Ana, California: Western Region William J. Pilotte, Newington High School, Newington, Connecticut: Northeast Region Judith C. Seydel, Idaho Falls High School, Idaho Falls, Idaho: Northwest Region Brenda A. Wolpa, Canyon Del Oro High School, Tucson, Arizona: Southwest/Rocky Mountain Region NSF Distinguished Public Service Award As a part of its celebration in 2000 of its half-century in existence, the National Science Foundation has announced the recipient of its Distinguished Public Service Award. Samuel P. Massie, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland (Emeritus) 1999 Ford Foundation Fellowships The National Academies have announced the

Smoothing of, and parameter estimation from, noisy biophysical recordings.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Quentin J M Huys

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Biophysically detailed models of single cells are difficult to fit to real data. Recent advances in imaging techniques allow simultaneous access to various intracellular variables, and these data can be used to significantly facilitate the modelling task. These data, however, are noisy, and current approaches to building biophysically detailed models are not designed to deal with this. We extend previous techniques to take the noisy nature of the measurements into account. Sequential Monte Carlo ("particle filtering" methods, in combination with a detailed biophysical description of a cell, are used for principled, model-based smoothing of noisy recording data. We also provide an alternative formulation of smoothing where the neural nonlinearities are estimated in a non-parametric manner. Biophysically important parameters of detailed models (such as channel densities, intercompartmental conductances, input resistances, and observation noise are inferred automatically from noisy data via expectation-maximization. Overall, we find that model-based smoothing is a powerful, robust technique for smoothing of noisy biophysical data and for inference of biophysical parameters in the face of recording noise.

Structure and biophysics

CERN Document Server

Puglisi, Joseph D

2007-01-01

This volume is a collection of articles from the proceedings of the ISSBMR 7th Course: Structure and Biophysics - New Technologies for Current Challenges in Biology and Beyond. This NATO Advanced Institute (ASI) was held in Erice at the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture on 22 June through 3 July 2005. The ASI brought together a diverse group of experts in the fields of Structural Biology, Biophysics and Physics. Prominent lecturers, from seven different countries, and students from around the world participated in the NATO ASI organized by Professors Joseph Puglisi (Stanford University, USA) and Alexander Arseniev (Moscow, RU). Advances in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and x-ray crystallography have allowed the three-dimensional structures of many biological macromolecules and their complexes, including the ribosome and RNA polymerase to be solved. Fundamental principles of NMR spectroscopy and dynamics, x-ray crystallography, computation and experimental dynamics we...

40. annual convention 1990 of the Austrian physical society

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1990-01-01

Titles and abstracts of the 1990 Convention of the Austrian Physical Society, 17-21 September 1990 at Salzburg, Austria, are given. The topical sections are: 1. Atomic, Molecular- and Plasma Physics; 2. Solid State Physics; 3. Polymer Physics; 4. Nuclear- and Particle Physics; 5. Medical Physics and Biophysics. There are alltogether 193 contributions, 61 thereof of INIS interest

Biophysics: for HTS hit validation, chemical lead optimization, and beyond.

Science.gov (United States)

Genick, Christine C; Wright, S Kirk

2017-09-01

There are many challenges to the drug discovery process, including the complexity of the target, its interactions, and how these factors play a role in causing the disease. Traditionally, biophysics has been used for hit validation and chemical lead optimization. With its increased throughput and sensitivity, biophysics is now being applied earlier in this process to empower target characterization and hit finding. Areas covered: In this article, the authors provide an overview of how biophysics can be utilized to assess the quality of the reagents used in screening assays, to validate potential tool compounds, to test the integrity of screening assays, and to create follow-up strategies for compound characterization. They also briefly discuss the utilization of different biophysical methods in hit validation to help avoid the resource consuming pitfalls caused by the lack of hit overlap between biophysical methods. Expert opinion: The use of biophysics early on in the drug discovery process has proven crucial to identifying and characterizing targets of complex nature. It also has enabled the identification and classification of small molecules which interact in an allosteric or covalent manner with the target. By applying biophysics in this manner and at the early stages of this process, the chances of finding chemical leads with novel mechanisms of action are increased. In the future, focused screens with biophysics as a primary readout will become increasingly common.

April 2014 Arizona thoracic society notes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2014-04-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated at 150 words. The April 2014 Arizona Thoracic Society meeting was held on Wednesday, 4/23/2014 at Scottsdale Shea Hospital beginning at 6:30 PM. There were 15 in attendance representing the pulmonary, critical care, sleep, pathology and radiology communities. It was announced that there will be a wine tasting with the California, New Mexico and Colorado Thoracic Societies at the American Thoracic Society International Meeting. The tasting will be led by Peter Wagner and is scheduled for the Cobalt Room in the Hilton San Diego Bayfront on Tuesday, May 20, from 4-8 PM. Guideline development was again discussed. The consensus was to await publication of the IDSA Cocci Guidelines and respond appropriately. George Parides, Arizona Chapter Representative, gave a presentation on Hill Day. Representatives of the Arizona, New Mexico and Washington Thoracic Societies met with their Congressional delegations, including Rep. David Schweikert, to discuss the Cigar Bill, NIH funding, and the Medicare Sustainable Growth ...

Radiation dosimetry and radiation biophysics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1981-01-01

Radiation dosimetry and radiation biophysics are two closely integrated programs whose joint purpose is to explore the connections between the primary physical events produced by radiation and their biological consequences in cellular systems. The radiation dosimetry program includes the theoretical description of primary events and their connection with the observable biological effects. This program also is concerned with the design and measurement of physical parameters used in theory or to support biological experiments. The radiation biophysics program tests and uses the theoretical developments for experimental design, and provides information for further theoretical development through experiments on cellular systems

Radiation dosimetry and radiation biophysics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1979-01-01

Radiation dosimetry and radiation biophysics are two closely integrated programs whose joint purpose is to explore the connections between the primary physical events produced by radiation and their biological consequences in cellular systems. The radiation dosimetry program includes the theoretical description of primary events and their connection with the observable biological effects. This program also is concerned with design and measurement of those physical parameters used in the theory or to support biological experiments. The radiation biophysics program tests and makes use of the theoretical developments for experimental design. Also, this program provides information for further theoretical development through experiments on cellular systems

76 FR 16630 - Announcement of an Award

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-24

... Development announces the award of a cooperative agreement with the Congressional Hunger Center (CHC) in Washington, DC, to work with ACF programs on hunger and obesity issues for young children. An award in the... Children and Families (ACF) announces the award of a cooperative agreement to the Congressional Hunger...

Similar Biophysical Abnormalities in Glomeruli and Podocytes from Two Distinct Models.

Science.gov (United States)

Embry, Addie E; Liu, Zhenan; Henderson, Joel M; Byfield, F Jefferson; Liu, Liping; Yoon, Joonho; Wu, Zhenzhen; Cruz, Katrina; Moradi, Sara; Gillombardo, C Barton; Hussain, Rihanna Z; Doelger, Richard; Stuve, Olaf; Chang, Audrey N; Janmey, Paul A; Bruggeman, Leslie A; Miller, R Tyler

2018-03-23

Background FSGS is a pattern of podocyte injury that leads to loss of glomerular function. Podocytes support other podocytes and glomerular capillary structure, oppose hemodynamic forces, form the slit diaphragm, and have mechanical properties that permit these functions. However, the biophysical characteristics of glomeruli and podocytes in disease remain unclear. Methods Using microindentation, atomic force microscopy, immunofluorescence microscopy, quantitative RT-PCR, and a three-dimensional collagen gel contraction assay, we studied the biophysical and structural properties of glomeruli and podocytes in chronic (Tg26 mice [HIV protein expression]) and acute (protamine administration [cytoskeletal rearrangement]) models of podocyte injury. Results Compared with wild-type glomeruli, Tg26 glomeruli became progressively more deformable with disease progression, despite increased collagen content. Tg26 podocytes had disordered cytoskeletons, markedly abnormal focal adhesions, and weaker adhesion; they failed to respond to mechanical signals and exerted minimal traction force in three-dimensional collagen gels. Protamine treatment had similar but milder effects on glomeruli and podocytes. Conclusions Reduced structural integrity of Tg26 podocytes causes increased deformability of glomerular capillaries and limits the ability of capillaries to counter hemodynamic force, possibly leading to further podocyte injury. Loss of normal podocyte mechanical integrity could injure neighboring podocytes due to the absence of normal biophysical signals required for podocyte maintenance. The severe defects in podocyte mechanical behavior in the Tg26 model may explain why Tg26 glomeruli soften progressively, despite increased collagen deposition, and may be the basis for the rapid course of glomerular diseases associated with severe podocyte injury. In milder injury (protamine), similar processes occur but over a longer time. Copyright © 2018 by the American Society of Nephrology.

Human cloning and 'posthuman' society.

Science.gov (United States)

Blackford, Russell

2005-01-01

Since early 1997, when the creation of Dolly the sheep by somatic cell nuclear transfer was announced in Nature, numerous government reports, essays, articles and books have considered the ethical problems and policy issues surrounding human reproductive cloning. In this article, I consider what response a modern liberal society should give to the prospect of human cloning, if it became safe and practical. Some opponents of human cloning have argued that permitting it would place us on a slippery slope to a repugnant future society, comparable to that portrayed in Aldous Huxley's novel, Brave New World. I conclude that, leaving aside concerns about safety, none of the psychological or social considerations discussed in this article provides an adequate policy justification for invoking the state's coercive powers to prevent human cloning.

The biophysics of neuronal growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franze, Kristian; Guck, Jochen

2010-01-01

For a long time, neuroscience has focused on biochemical, molecular biological and electrophysiological aspects of neuronal physiology and pathology. However, there is a growing body of evidence indicating the importance of physical stimuli for neuronal growth and development. In this review we briefly summarize the historical background of neurobiophysics and give an overview over the current understanding of neuronal growth from a physics perspective. We show how biophysics has so far contributed to a better understanding of neuronal growth and discuss current inconsistencies. Finally, we speculate how biophysics may contribute to the successful treatment of lesions to the central nervous system, which have been considered incurable until very recently.

Biophysical regulation of stem cell differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Govey, Peter M; Loiselle, Alayna E; Donahue, Henry J

2013-06-01

Bone adaptation to its mechanical environment, from embryonic through adult life, is thought to be the product of increased osteoblastic differentiation from mesenchymal stem cells. In parallel with tissue-scale loading, these heterogeneous populations of multipotent stem cells are subject to a variety of biophysical cues within their native microenvironments. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells-the most broadly studied source of osteoblastic progenitors-undergo osteoblastic differentiation in vitro in response to biophysical signals, including hydrostatic pressure, fluid flow and accompanying shear stress, substrate strain and stiffness, substrate topography, and electromagnetic fields. Furthermore, stem cells may be subject to indirect regulation by mechano-sensing osteocytes positioned to more readily detect these same loading-induced signals within the bone matrix. Such paracrine and juxtacrine regulation of differentiation by osteocytes occurs in vitro. Further studies are needed to confirm both direct and indirect mechanisms of biophysical regulation within the in vivo stem cell niche.

The relationship between fetal biophysical profile and cord blood PH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valadan M

2009-02-01

Full Text Available "nBackground: The Biophysical Profile (BPP is a noninvasive test that predicts the presence or absence of fetal asphyxia and, ultimately, the risk of fetal death in the antenatal period. Intervention on the basis of an abnormal biophysical profile result has been reported to yield a significant reduction in prenatal mortality, and an association exists between biophysical profile scoring and a decreased cerebral palsy rate in a given population. The BPP evaluates five characteristics: fetal movement, tone, breathing, heart reactivity, and amniotic fluid (AF volume estimation. The purpose of study was to determine whether there are different degree of acidosis at which the biophysical activity (acute marker are affected. "nMethods: In a prospective study of 140 patients undergoing cesarean section before onset of labor, the fetal biophysical profile was performed 24h before the time of cesarean and was matched with cord arterial PH that was obtained from a cord segment (10-20cm that was double clamped after delivery of newborn. (using cord arterial PH less than 7.20 for the diagnosis of acidosis. "nResults: The fetal biophysical profile was found to have a significant relationship with umbilical blood PH. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value of fetal biophysical profile score were: 88.9%, 88.6%, 50%, 98.1%. "nConclusion: The first manifestations of fetal acidosis are nonreactive nonstress testing and fetal breathing loss; in advanced acidemia fetal movements and fetal tone are compromised. A protocol of antepartum fetal evaluation is suggested based upon the individual biophysical components rather than the score alone.

Biophysical Evaluation of SonoSteam®:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Ann Zahle; Duelund, Lars; Brewer, Jonathan R.

and safety evaluations. Our results show that there are no contradictions between data obtained by either approach. However, the biophysical methods draw a much more nuanced picture of the effects and efficiency of the investigated decontamination method, revealing e.g. an exponential dose/response...... relationship between SonoSteam treatment time and changes in collagen I, and a depth dependency in bacterial reduction, which points toward CFU counts overestimating total bacterial reduction. In conclusion the biophysical methods provide a less biased, reproducible and highly detailed system description...

Biophysical Cancer Transformation Pathway

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Pokorný, Jiří

2009-01-01

Roč. 28, č. 2 (2009), s. 105-123 ISSN 1536-8378 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20670512 Keywords : Biophysics * Cancer * Electromagnetic fields Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering Impact factor: 0.729, year: 2009

Volume, Volatility and Public News Announcements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bollerslev, Tim; Li, Jia; Xue, Yuan

We provide new empirical evidence for the way in which financial markets process information. Our results are based on high-frequency intraday data along with new econometric techniques for making inference on the relationship between trading intensity and spot volatility around public news...... announcements. Consistent with the predictions derived from a theoretical model in which investors agree to disagree, our estimates for the intraday volume-volatility elasticity around the most important news announcements are systematically below unity. Our elasticity estimates also decrease significantly...

Post-earnings announcement drift in Greece

OpenAIRE

Forbes, William; Giannopoulos, George

2015-01-01

This paper presents evidence regarding the post-earnings announcement drift (PEAD) anomaly for the Greek market in the years 2000–2006 (covering earnings announcements in the years 2001–2007). The impact of the introduction of International Financial Reporting Standards on the size and prevalence of the PEAD anomaly is examined. Unlike recent evidence for the US market we find PEAD to be\\ud alive and well, and of growing importance in our Greek sample. It may be the adoption of international ...

The physical basis of biochemistry the foundations of molecular biophysics

CERN Document Server

Bergethon, Peter R

1998-01-01

The objective of this book is to provide a unifying approach to the study of biophysical chemistry for the advanced undergraduate who has had a year of physics, organic chem­ istry, calculus, and biology. This book began as a revised edition of Biophysical Chemistry: Molecules to Membranes, which Elizabeth Simons and I coauthored. That short volume was written in an attempt to provide a concise text for a one-semester course in biophysical chemistry at the graduate level. The experience of teaching biophysical chemistry to bi­ ologically oriented students over the last decade has made it clear that the subject requires a more fundamental text that unifies the many threads of modem science: physics, chem­ istry, biology, mathematics, and statistics. This book represents that effort. This volume is not a treatment of modem biophysical chemistry with its rich history and many contro­ versies, although a book on that topic is also needed. The Physical Basis of Biochemistry is an introduction to the philosophy...

LVIF announces five more funded projects | IDRC - International ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2018-04-10

Apr 10, 2018 ... Minister Bibeau announces appointments of IDRC's President and new members of the Board of Governors. IDRC's Board of Governors congratulates Jean Lebel on his appointment as President and CEO. View moreMinister Bibeau announces appointments of IDRC's President and new members of the ...

October 2012 Arizona thoracic society notes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2012-10-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated at 150 words. A dinner meeting was held on 10/24/2012 at Scottsdale Shea beginning at 6:30 PM. There were 23 in attendance representing the pulmonary, critical care, sleep, infectious disease, pathology, and radiology communities. An announcement was made that the Colorado Thoracic Society has accepted an invitation to partner with the Arizona and New Mexico Thoracic Societies in the Southwest Journal of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Discussions continue to be held regarding a combined Arizona Thoracic Society meeting with Tucson either in Casa Grande or electronically. Six cases were presented: Dr. Tim Kuberski, chief of Infectious Disease at Maricopa Medical Center, presented a 48 year old female who had been ill for 2 weeks. A CT of the chest revealed a left lower lobe nodule and a CT of the abdomen showed hydronephrosis and a pelvic mass. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA was elevated. All turned out to be coccidioidomycosis on biopsy. CEA decreased …

The Effects of Inflation and Money Supply Announcements on Interest Rates

OpenAIRE

Thomas Urich; Paul Wachtel

1984-01-01

This paper examines the impact of the money supply and inflation rate announcements on interest rates. Survey data on expectations of the money supply and consumer and producer price indexes are used to distinguish anticipated and unanticipated components of the announcements. This distinction is used to test for the efficiency of the financial market response to the announcements of new information. The results indicate that the unanticipated components of the announced changes in the Produc...

Global energy modeling - A biophysical approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dale, Michael

2010-09-15

This paper contrasts the standard economic approach to energy modelling with energy models using a biophysical approach. Neither of these approaches includes changing energy-returns-on-investment (EROI) due to declining resource quality or the capital intensive nature of renewable energy sources. Both of these factors will become increasingly important in the future. An extension to the biophysical approach is outlined which encompasses a dynamic EROI function that explicitly incorporates technological learning. The model is used to explore several scenarios of long-term future energy supply especially concerning the global transition to renewable energy sources in the quest for a sustainable energy system.

Biophysical Regulation of Vascular Differentiation and Assembly

CERN Document Server

Gerecht, Sharon

2011-01-01

The ability to grow stem cells in the laboratory and to guide their maturation to functional cells allows us to study the underlying mechanisms that govern vasculature differentiation and assembly in health and disease. Accumulating evidence suggests that early stages of vascular growth are exquisitely tuned by biophysical cues from the microenvironment, yet the scientific understanding of such cellular environments is still in its infancy. Comprehending these processes sufficiently to manipulate them would pave the way to controlling blood vessel growth in therapeutic applications. This book assembles the works and views of experts from various disciplines to provide a unique perspective on how different aspects of its microenvironment regulate the differentiation and assembly of the vasculature. In particular, it describes recent efforts to exploit modern engineering techniques to study and manipulate various biophysical cues. Biophysical Regulation of Vascular Differentiation and Assembly provides an inter...

46th annual symposium of the Austrian Physical Society. Programme and abstracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schindler, H.G.

1996-01-01

This volume contains lectures (short communications) of the 46 th symposium of the Austrian Physical Society which had been held at the University of Linz (Austria) in 1996. The following topics are included: atomic physics, molecular physics, plasma physics, solid state physics, nuclear and particle physics, biophysics, environmental physics, quantum electronics and quantum optics. (Suda)

Biophysics and systems biology.

Science.gov (United States)

Noble, Denis

2010-03-13

Biophysics at the systems level, as distinct from molecular biophysics, acquired its most famous paradigm in the work of Hodgkin and Huxley, who integrated their equations for the nerve impulse in 1952. Their approach has since been extended to other organs of the body, notably including the heart. The modern field of computational biology has expanded rapidly during the first decade of the twenty-first century and, through its contribution to what is now called systems biology, it is set to revise many of the fundamental principles of biology, including the relations between genotypes and phenotypes. Evolutionary theory, in particular, will require re-assessment. To succeed in this, computational and systems biology will need to develop the theoretical framework required to deal with multilevel interactions. While computational power is necessary, and is forthcoming, it is not sufficient. We will also require mathematical insight, perhaps of a nature we have not yet identified. This article is therefore also a challenge to mathematicians to develop such insights.

Large-scale biophysical evaluation of protein PEGylation effects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vernet, Erik; Popa, Gina; Pozdnyakova, Irina

2016-01-01

PEGylation is the most widely used method to chemically modify protein biopharmaceuticals, but surprisingly limited public data is available on the biophysical effects of protein PEGylation. Here we report the first large-scale study, with site-specific mono-PEGylation of 15 different proteins...... of PEGylation on the thermal stability of a protein based on data generated by circular dichroism (CD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), or differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF). In addition, DSF was validated as a fast and inexpensive screening method for thermal unfolding studies of PEGylated...... proteins. Multivariate data analysis revealed clear trends in biophysical properties upon PEGylation for a subset of proteins, although no universal trends were found. Taken together, these findings are important in the consideration of biophysical methods and evaluation of second...

Biophysical models of larval dispersal in the Benguela Current ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

We synthesise and update results from the suite of biophysical, larval-dispersal models developed in the Benguela Current ecosystem. Biophysical models of larval dispersal use outputs of physical hydrodynamic models as inputs to individual-based models in which biological processes acting during the larval life are ...

Delineating Biophysical Environments of the Sunda Banda Seascape, Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mingshu Wang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The Sunda Banda Seascape (SBS, located in the center of the Coral Triangle, is a global center of marine biodiversity and a conservation priority. We proposed the first biophysical environmental delineation of the SBS using globally available satellite remote sensing and model-assimilated data to categorize this area into unique and meaningful biophysical classes. Specifically, the SBS was partitioned into eight biophysical classes characterized by similar sea surface temperature, chlorophyll a concentration, currents, and salinity patterns. Areas within each class were expected to have similar habitat types and ecosystem functions. Our work supplemented prevailing global marine management schemes by focusing in on a regional scale with finer spatial resolution. It also provided a baseline for academic research, ecological assessments and will facilitate marine spatial planning and conservation activities in the area. In addition, the framework and methods of delineating biophysical environments we presented can be expanded throughout the whole Coral Triangle to support research and conservation activities in this important region.

Structural biophysics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1979-01-01

Summaries of research projects conducted during 1978 and 1979 are presented. The structural biophysics group explores the high-resolution structure of biological macromolecules and cell organelles. Specific subject areas include: the basic characteristics of photosynthesis in plants; the chemical composition of individual fly ash particles at the site of their damaging action in tissues; direct analysis of frozen-hydrated biological samples by scanning electron microscopy; yeast genetics; the optical activity of DNA aggregates; measurement and characterization of lipoproteins; function of lipoproteins; and the effect of radiation and pollutants on mammalian cells

14 CFR 1214.1101 - Announcement.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Recruitment and Selection Program § 1214.1101 Announcement. (a) Astronaut candidate opportunities Will be... continuing pool of applicants. The military services will convene their internal selection boards and provide...

Biophysical mechanisms of endotoxin neutralization by cationic amphiphilic peptides.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaconis, Yani; Kowalski, Ina; Howe, Jörg; Brauser, Annemarie; Richter, Walter; Razquin-Olazarán, Iosu; Iñigo-Pestaña, Melania; Garidel, Patrick; Rössle, Manfred; Martinez de Tejada, Guillermo; Gutsmann, Thomas; Brandenburg, Klaus

2011-06-08

Bacterial endotoxins (lipopolysaccharides (LPS)) are strong elicitors of the human immune system by interacting with serum and membrane proteins such as lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) and CD14 with high specificity. At LPS concentrations as low as 0.3 ng/ml, such interactions may lead to severe pathophysiological effects, including sepsis and septic shock. One approach to inhibit an uncontrolled inflammatory reaction is the use of appropriate polycationic and amphiphilic antimicrobial peptides, here called synthetic anti-LPS peptides (SALPs). We designed various SALP structures and investigated their ability to inhibit LPS-induced cytokine secretion in vitro, their protective effect in a mouse model of sepsis, and their cytotoxicity in physiological human cells. Using a variety of biophysical techniques, we investigated selected SALPs with considerable differences in their biological responses to characterize and understand the mechanism of LPS inactivation by SALPs. Our investigations show that neutralization of LPS by peptides is associated with a fluidization of the LPS acyl chains, a strong exothermic Coulomb interaction between the two compounds, and a drastic change of the LPS aggregate type from cubic into multilamellar, with an increase in the aggregate sizes, inhibiting the binding of LBP and other mammalian proteins to the endotoxin. At the same time, peptide binding to phospholipids of human origin (e.g., phosphatidylcholine) does not cause essential structural changes, such as changes in membrane fluidity and bilayer structure. The absence of cytotoxicity is explained by the high specificity of the interaction of the peptides with LPS. Copyright © 2011 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated Announcements of Approaching Emergency Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Bachelder, Aaron; Foster, Conrad

2006-01-01

Street intersections that are equipped with traffic lights would also be equipped with means for generating audible announcements of approaching emergency vehicles, according to a proposal. The means to generate the announcements would be implemented in the intersection- based subsystems of emergency traffic-light-preemption systems like those described in the two immediately preceding articles and in "Systems Would Preempt Traffic Lights for Emergency Vehicles" (NPO-30573), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 28, No. 10 (October 2004), page 36. Preempting traffic lights is not, by itself, sufficient to warn pedestrians at affected intersections that emergency vehicles are approaching. Automated visual displays that warn of approaching emergency vehicles can be helpful as a supplement to preemption of traffic lights, but experience teaches that for a variety of reasons, pedestrians often do not see such displays. Moreover, in noisy and crowded urban settings, the lights and sirens on emergency vehicles are often not noticed until a few seconds before the vehicles arrive. According to the proposal, the traffic-light preemption subsystem at each intersection would generate an audible announcement for example, emergency vehicle approaching, please clear intersection whenever a preemption was triggered. The subsystem would estimate the time of arrival of an approaching emergency vehicle by use of vehicle identity, position, and time data from one or more sources that could include units connected to traffic loops and/or transponders connected to diagnostic and navigation systems in participating emergency vehicles. The intersection-based subsystem would then start the announcement far enough in advance to enable pedestrians to leave the roadway before any emergency vehicles arrive.

Recent progress in Biophysics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bemski, G.

1980-03-01

Recent progress in biophysics is reviewed, and three examples of the use of physical techniques and ideas in biological research are given. The first one deals with the oxygen transporting protein-hemoglobin, the second one with photosynthesis, and the third one with image formation, using nuclear magnetic resonance. (Author) [pt

The Investors- Reaction to Investment Rating Change Announcements

OpenAIRE

Chih-Hsiang Chang; Liang-Chien Lee; Shu-Ling Wu

2012-01-01

This study investigates the investors- behavioral reaction to the investment rating change announcements from the views of behavioral finance. The empirical results indicate that self-interest does affect the intention of securities firms to release investment ratings for individual stocks. In addition, behavioral pitfalls are also found in the response of retail investors to investment rating change announcements.

MODELLING BIOPHYSICAL PARAMETERS OF MAIZE USING LANDSAT 8 TIME SERIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Dahms

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Open and free access to multi-frequent high-resolution data (e.g. Sentinel – 2 will fortify agricultural applications based on satellite data. The temporal and spatial resolution of these remote sensing datasets directly affects the applicability of remote sensing methods, for instance a robust retrieving of biophysical parameters over the entire growing season with very high geometric resolution. In this study we use machine learning methods to predict biophysical parameters, namely the fraction of absorbed photosynthetic radiation (FPAR, the leaf area index (LAI and the chlorophyll content, from high resolution remote sensing. 30 Landsat 8 OLI scenes were available in our study region in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. In-situ data were weekly to bi-weekly collected on 18 maize plots throughout the summer season 2015. The study aims at an optimized prediction of biophysical parameters and the identification of the best explaining spectral bands and vegetation indices. For this purpose, we used the entire in-situ dataset from 24.03.2015 to 15.10.2015. Random forest and conditional inference forests were used because of their explicit strong exploratory and predictive character. Variable importance measures allowed for analysing the relation between the biophysical parameters with respect to the spectral response, and the performance of the two approaches over the plant stock evolvement. Classical random forest regression outreached the performance of conditional inference forests, in particular when modelling the biophysical parameters over the entire growing period. For example, modelling biophysical parameters of maize for the entire vegetation period using random forests yielded: FPAR: R² = 0.85; RMSE = 0.11; LAI: R² = 0.64; RMSE = 0.9 and chlorophyll content (SPAD: R² = 0.80; RMSE=4.9. Our results demonstrate the great potential in using machine-learning methods for the interpretation of long-term multi-frequent remote sensing

Modelling Biophysical Parameters of Maize Using Landsat 8 Time Series

Science.gov (United States)

Dahms, Thorsten; Seissiger, Sylvia; Conrad, Christopher; Borg, Erik

2016-06-01

Open and free access to multi-frequent high-resolution data (e.g. Sentinel - 2) will fortify agricultural applications based on satellite data. The temporal and spatial resolution of these remote sensing datasets directly affects the applicability of remote sensing methods, for instance a robust retrieving of biophysical parameters over the entire growing season with very high geometric resolution. In this study we use machine learning methods to predict biophysical parameters, namely the fraction of absorbed photosynthetic radiation (FPAR), the leaf area index (LAI) and the chlorophyll content, from high resolution remote sensing. 30 Landsat 8 OLI scenes were available in our study region in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. In-situ data were weekly to bi-weekly collected on 18 maize plots throughout the summer season 2015. The study aims at an optimized prediction of biophysical parameters and the identification of the best explaining spectral bands and vegetation indices. For this purpose, we used the entire in-situ dataset from 24.03.2015 to 15.10.2015. Random forest and conditional inference forests were used because of their explicit strong exploratory and predictive character. Variable importance measures allowed for analysing the relation between the biophysical parameters with respect to the spectral response, and the performance of the two approaches over the plant stock evolvement. Classical random forest regression outreached the performance of conditional inference forests, in particular when modelling the biophysical parameters over the entire growing period. For example, modelling biophysical parameters of maize for the entire vegetation period using random forests yielded: FPAR: R² = 0.85; RMSE = 0.11; LAI: R² = 0.64; RMSE = 0.9 and chlorophyll content (SPAD): R² = 0.80; RMSE=4.9. Our results demonstrate the great potential in using machine-learning methods for the interpretation of long-term multi-frequent remote sensing datasets to model

45. Annual Convention of the Austrian Physical Society; 45. Jahrestagung der Oesterreichischen Physikalischen Gesellschaft

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-12-31

This volume contains lectures of the 45{sup th} symposium of the Austrian Physical Society which had been held in Leoben, Austria in 1995. The following topics are included: Atomic physics, molecular physics, plasma physics, solid state physics, nuclear and particle physics, biophysics, environmental physics, quantum electronics and quantum optics. (Suda).

Editor's Comment and Announcement.

Science.gov (United States)

Bortolussi, Robert

2017-12-17

It is hard to believe but Clinical and Investigative Medicine (CIM), the official journal of Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation (CSCI), will soon celebrate its 40th birthday!  Over these past four decades, CIM has been the premier journal for Canadian clinician scientists; publishing over 1,000 articles on breakthroughs and major advances from Canada and around the world.  We are listed on Medline, PubMed and the Library of Science. We have been, and will continue to be, an independent journal. To celebrate this auspicious occasion, we have plans to become an even bigger showpiece for national and international clinical advances. We want to connect more closely with Canadian clinician scientists and trainees and we particularly want to encourage more Canadian publications. Changes will soon be coming to CIM with several new features: Newsletter with announcements and news on activities of interest to clinician scientists and trainees; Focused Reviews on specific areas of research; Reflections on work and life experiences of trainees and senior clinician scientists; Methods Papers describing novel methods anticipated to be useful for others; and  Guidelines or Recommendations on clinical care that are endorsed by a Canadian Medical or Surgical Society. Starting in 2018, we will be publishing on a quarterly basis. This will help to ensure we will focus on important breakthroughs and commentaries. However, we are also planning a special edition in the autumn to commemorate the 40th birthday. Stay tuned! Of course CIM will continue to publish original papers on discoveries in pathophysiology, prevention, management, treatment and outcome of clinical problems confronting clinicians in Canada and around the world.  Please join us as we embark on these changes and a new era for CIM, Robert Bortolussi Clinical and Investigative Medicine (CIM) Editor in Chief.

Announcement, observation and honesty in the voluntary contributions game

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Denant-Boemont, L.; Masclet, D.; Noussair, C.N.

2011-01-01

In this paper, we study the effect of pre-play announcements and ex-post observation of decisions on voluntary public good provision. We find that requiring announcements, in conjunction with making contribution decisions public, has a significantly positive effect on the average level of

Handbook of Single-Molecule Biophysics

CERN Document Server

Hinterdorfer, Peter

2009-01-01

The last decade has seen the development of a number of novel biophysical methods that allow the manipulation and study of individual biomolecules. The ability to monitor biological processes at this fundamental level of sensitivity has given rise to an improved understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms. Through the removal of ensemble averaging, distributions and fluctuations of molecular properties can be characterized, transient intermediates identified, and catalytic mechanisms elucidated. By applying forces on biomolecules while monitoring their activity, important information can be obtained on how proteins couple function to structure. The Handbook of Single-Molecule Biophysics provides an introduction to these techniques and presents an extensive discussion of the new biological insights obtained from them. Coverage includes: Experimental techniques to monitor and manipulate individual biomolecules The use of single-molecule techniques in super-resolution and functional imaging Single-molec...

Biophysical impacts of climate-smart agriculture in the Midwest United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Bagley, Justin E; Miller, Jesse; Bernacchi, Carl J

2015-09-01

The potential impacts of climate change in the Midwest United States present unprecedented challenges to regional agriculture. In response to these challenges, a variety of climate-smart agricultural methodologies have been proposed to retain or improve crop yields, reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, retain soil quality and increase climate resilience of agricultural systems. One component that is commonly neglected when assessing the environmental impacts of climate-smart agriculture is the biophysical impacts, where changes in ecosystem fluxes and storage of moisture and energy lead to perturbations in local climate and water availability. Using a combination of observational data and an agroecosystem model, a series of climate-smart agricultural scenarios were assessed to determine the biophysical impacts these techniques have in the Midwest United States. The first scenario extended the growing season for existing crops using future temperature and CO2 concentrations. The second scenario examined the biophysical impacts of no-till agriculture and the impacts of annually retaining crop debris. Finally, the third scenario evaluated the potential impacts that the adoption of perennial cultivars had on biophysical quantities. Each of these scenarios was found to have significant biophysical impacts. However, the timing and magnitude of the biophysical impacts differed between scenarios. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Role of Membrane Biophysics in Alzheimer's - related cell pathways

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donghui eZhu

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Cellular membrane alterations are commonly observed in many diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD. Membrane biophysical properties, such as membrane molecular order, membrane fluidity, organization of lipid rafts, and adhesion between membrane and cytoskeleton, play an important role in various cellular activities and functions. While membrane biophysics impacts a broad range of cellular pathways, this review addresses the role of membrane biophysics in amyloid-β peptide aggregation, Aβ-induced oxidative pathways, amyloid precursor protein processing, and cerebral endothelial functions in AD. Understanding the mechanism(s underlying the effects of cell membrane properties on cellular processes should shed light on the development of new preventive and therapeutic strategies for this devastating disease.

75 FR 76056 - FEDERAL REGISTER CITATION OF PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENT:

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-07

... SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Sunshine Act Meeting FEDERAL REGISTER CITATION OF PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENT: STATUS: Closed meeting. PLACE: 100 F Street, NE., Washington, DC. DATE AND TIME OF PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED MEETING: Thursday, December 9, 2010 at 2 p.m. CHANGE IN THE MEETING: Time change. The closed...

Biophysics of molecular gastronomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Brenner, Michael P; Sörensen, Pia M

2015-03-26

Chefs and scientists exploring biophysical processes have given rise to molecular gastronomy. In this Commentary, we describe how a scientific understanding of recipes and techniques facilitates the development of new textures and expands the flavor palette. The new dishes that result engage our senses in unexpected ways. PAPERCLIP. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Can Technical Analysis Signals Detect Price Reactions Around Earnings Announcement?: Evidence from Indonesia

OpenAIRE

Dedhy Sulistiawan; Jogiyanto Hartono

2014-01-01

This study examines whether technical analysis signals can detect price reactions before and after earnings announcement dates in Indonesian stock market. Earnings announcements produce reactions, both before and after the announcements. Informed investors may use private information before earnings announcements (Christophe, Ferri and Angel, 2004; Porter, 1992). Using technical analysis signals, this study expects that retail investors (uninformed investors) can detect preannouncements react...

Biotic games and cloud experimentation as novel media for biophysics education

Science.gov (United States)

Riedel-Kruse, Ingmar; Blikstein, Paulo

2014-03-01

First-hand, open-ended experimentation is key for effective formal and informal biophysics education. We developed, tested and assessed multiple new platforms that enable students and children to directly interact with and learn about microscopic biophysical processes: (1) Biotic games that enable local and online play using galvano- and photo-tactic stimulation of micro-swimmers, illustrating concepts such as biased random walks, Low Reynolds number hydrodynamics, and Brownian motion; (2) an undergraduate course where students learn optics, electronics, micro-fluidics, real time image analysis, and instrument control by building biotic games; and (3) a graduate class on the biophysics of multi-cellular systems that contains a cloud experimentation lab enabling students to execute open-ended chemotaxis experiments on slimemolds online, analyze their data, and build biophysical models. Our work aims to generate the equivalent excitement and educational impact for biophysics as robotics and video games have had for mechatronics and computer science, respectively. We also discuss how scaled-up cloud experimentation systems can support MOOCs with true lab components and life-science research in general.

Preface: Special Topic on Single-Molecule Biophysics.

Science.gov (United States)

Makarov, Dmitrii E; Schuler, Benjamin

2018-03-28

Single-molecule measurements are now almost routinely used to study biological systems and processes. The scope of this special topic emphasizes the physics side of single-molecule observations, with the goal of highlighting new developments in physical techniques as well as conceptual insights that single-molecule measurements bring to biophysics. This issue also comprises recent advances in theoretical physical models of single-molecule phenomena, interpretation of single-molecule signals, and fundamental areas of statistical mechanics that are related to single-molecule observations. A particular goal is to illustrate the increasing synergy between theory, simulation, and experiment in single-molecule biophysics.

Biophysical shunt theory for neuropsychopathology: Part I.

Science.gov (United States)

Naisberg, Y; Avnon, M; Weizman, A

1995-11-01

We present a new model of the origin of schizophrenia based on biophysical ionic shunts in neuronal (electrical) pathways. Microstructural and molecular evidence is presented for the way in which changes in the neuronal membrane ionic channels may facilitate membrane property rearrangement, leading to a change in the density and composition of the ion channel charge which in turn causes a change in ionic flow orientation and distribution. We suggest that, under abnormal conditions, ionic flow shunts are created which redirect the biophysical collateral neuronal (electrical) pathways, resulting in psychiatric signs and symptoms. This model is complementary to the biological basis of schizophrenia.

2. biophysical work meeting. Papers; 2. Biophysikalische Arbeitstagung; Vortraege

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1992-11-01

The report comprises 18 papers held at the 2nd Biophysical Work Meeting, 11 - 13 September 1991 in Schlema, Germany. The history of biophysics in Germany particularly of radiation biophysics and radon research, measurements of the radiation effects of radon and the derivation of limits, radon balneotherapy and consequences of uranium ore mining are dealt with. (orig.) [Deutsch] Der Report enthaelt 18 Vortraege, die auf der 2. Biophysikalischen Arbeitstagung in Schlema vom 11. bis 13. September 1991 gehalten wurden. Es werden die Geschichte der Biophysik in Deutschland, speziell der Strahlenbiophysik und Radonforschung, Messungen von Radon und seinen Folgeprodukten, Epidemiologie und Strahlenbiologie zur Bestimmung der Strahlenwirkung des Radons und die Ableitung entsprechender Grenzwerte, Radon-Balneotherapie und Folgen des Uranerzbergbaus behandelt. (orig.)

Mass spectrometry in structural biology and biophysics architecture, dynamics, and interaction of biomolecules

CERN Document Server

Kaltashov, Igor A; Desiderio, Dominic M; Nibbering, Nico M

2012-01-01

The definitive guide to mass spectrometry techniques in biology and biophysics The use of mass spectrometry (MS) to study the architecture and dynamics of proteins is increasingly common within the biophysical community, and Mass Spectrometry in Structural Biology and Biophysics: Architecture, Dynamics, and Interaction of Biomolecules, Second Edition provides readers with detailed, systematic coverage of the current state of the art. Offering an unrivalled overview of modern MS-based armamentarium that can be used to solve the most challenging problems in biophysics, structural biol

PyFolding: Open-Source Graphing, Simulation, and Analysis of the Biophysical Properties of Proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Lowe, Alan R; Perez-Riba, Albert; Itzhaki, Laura S; Main, Ewan R G

2018-02-06

For many years, curve-fitting software has been heavily utilized to fit simple models to various types of biophysical data. Although such software packages are easy to use for simple functions, they are often expensive and present substantial impediments to applying more complex models or for the analysis of large data sets. One field that is reliant on such data analysis is the thermodynamics and kinetics of protein folding. Over the past decade, increasingly sophisticated analytical models have been generated, but without simple tools to enable routine analysis. Consequently, users have needed to generate their own tools or otherwise find willing collaborators. Here we present PyFolding, a free, open-source, and extensible Python framework for graphing, analysis, and simulation of the biophysical properties of proteins. To demonstrate the utility of PyFolding, we have used it to analyze and model experimental protein folding and thermodynamic data. Examples include: 1) multiphase kinetic folding fitted to linked equations, 2) global fitting of multiple data sets, and 3) analysis of repeat protein thermodynamics with Ising model variants. Moreover, we demonstrate how PyFolding is easily extensible to novel functionality beyond applications in protein folding via the addition of new models. Example scripts to perform these and other operations are supplied with the software, and we encourage users to contribute notebooks and models to create a community resource. Finally, we show that PyFolding can be used in conjunction with Jupyter notebooks as an easy way to share methods and analysis for publication and among research teams. Copyright © 2017 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of biophysical factors influencing on emphysema quantification with low-dose CT

Science.gov (United States)

Heo, Chang Yong; Kim, Jong Hyo

2014-03-01

Emphysema Index(EI) measurements in MDCT is known to be influenced by various biophysical factors such as total lung volume, and body size. We investigated the association of the four biophysical factors with emphysema index in low-dose MDCT. In particular, we attempted to identify a potentially stronger biophysical factor than total lung volume. A total of 400 low-dose MDCT volumes taken at 120kVp, 40mAs, 1mm thickness, and B30f reconstruction kernel were used. The lungs, airways, and pulmonary vessels were automatically segmented, and two Emphysema Indices, relative area below -950HU(RA950) and 15th percentile(Perc15), were extracted from the segmented lungs. The biophysical factors such as total lung volume(TLV), mode of lung attenuation(ModLA), effective body diameter(EBD), and the water equivalent body diameter(WBD) were estimated from the segmented lung and body area. The association of biophysical factors with emphysema indices were evaluated by correlation coefficients. The mean emphysema indices were 8.3±5.5(%) in RA950, and -930±18(HU) in Perc15. The estimates of biophysical factors were 4.7±1.0(L) in TLV, -901±21(HU) in ModLA, 26.9±2.2(cm) in EBD, and 25.9±2.6(cm) in WBD. The correlation coefficients of biophysical factors with RA950 were 0.73 in TLV, 0.94 in ModLA, 0.31 in EBD, and 0.18 WBD, the ones with Perc15 were 0.74 in TLV, 0.98 in ModLA, 0.29 in EBD, and 0.15 WBD. Study results revealed that two biophysical factors, TLV and ModLA, mostly affects the emphysema indices. In particular, the ModLA exhibited strongest correlation of 0.98 with Perc15, which indicating the ModLA is the most significant confounding biophysical factor in emphysema indices measurement.

Indian Vacuum Society: The Indian Vacuum Society

Science.gov (United States)

Saha, T. K.

2008-03-01

expert members on the subject to deliver lectures and take part in devising courses in the universities. IVS publishes a quarterly called the `Bulletin of Indian Vacuum Society' since its inception, in which articles on vacuum and related topics are published. NIRVAT, news, announcements, and reports are the other features of the Bulletin. The articles in the Bulletin are internationally abstracted. The Bulletin is distributed free to all the members of the society. The society also publishes proceedings of national/international symposia and seminars, manuals, lecture notes etc. It has published a `Vacuum Directory' containing very useful information on vacuum technology. IVS has also set up its own website http://www.ivsnet.org in January 2002. The website contains information about IVS, list of members, list of EC members, events and news, abstracts of articles published in the `Bulletin of Indian Vacuum Society', utilities, announcements, reports, membership and other forms which can be completed online and also gives links to other vacuum societies. Our Society has been a member of the executive council of the International Union of Vacuum Science, Techniques and Applications (IUVSTA) and its various committees since 1970. In 1983 IVS conducted an International Symposium on Vacuum Technology and Nuclear Applications in BARC, Mumbai, under the sponsorship of IUVSTA. In 1987 IVS arranged the Triennial International Conference on Thin Films in New Delhi, where more than 200 foreign delegates participated. IVS also hosted the IUVSTA Executive Council Meeting along with the conference. The society organized yet again an International Conference on Vacuum Science and Technology and SRS Vacuum Systems at CAT, Indore in1995. IVS arranges the prestigious Professor Balakrishnan Memorial Lecture in memory of its founder vice-president. Leading scientists from India and abroad in the field are invited to deliver the talks. So far 23 lectures have been held in this series. IVS

Radiation biophysics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1979-01-01

Summaries of research projects conducted during 1978 and 1979 are presented. The overall thrust of the research is aimed at understanding the effects of radiation on organisms. Specific subject areas include: the effects of heavy-particle beam nuclear interactions in tissue on dosimetry; tracer studies with radioactive fragments of heavy-ion beams; the effects of heavy/ions on human kidney cells and Chinese hamster cells; the response of a rhabdomyosarcoma tumor system in rats to heavy-ion beams; the use of heavy charged particles in radiotherapy of human cancer; heavy-ion radiography; the biological effects of high magnetic fields; central nervous system neurotoxicity; and biophysical studies on cell membranes

75 FR 28590 - Announcement of Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO)

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-21

... announcement directly to a state or local government, a local education agency, or other public entity or to a... announcement is published in the Federal Register. Any proposal received after this time will be considered non-responsive and the respondent will not be invited to make a formal application for funding. OEA will invite...

2007 DHS Distinguished Fellows Announced

OpenAIRE

Center for Homeland Defense and Security

2007-01-01

Center for Homeland Defense and Security, PRESS RELEASES The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA and the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) are pleased to announce the selection...

2008 DHS Distinguished Fellows Announced

OpenAIRE

Center for Homeland Defense and Security

2008-01-01

Center for Homeland Defense and Security, PRESS RELEASES The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA and the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security are pleased to announce the selection of John...

75 FR 11610 - Notice Announcing Addresses for Service of Process

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-11

... SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION [Docket No. SSA-2009-0076] Notice Announcing Addresses for Service of Process AGENCY: Social Security Administration. ACTION: Notice announcing addresses for summonses and complaints. SUMMARY: The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) is responsible for processing and...

Unusual Market Activity Announcements: A Study of Price Manipulation on the Indonesian Stock Exchange

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mamduh M. Hanafi

2010-05-01

Full Text Available We investigate stocks involved in the Unusual Market Activity (UMA Announcements. The Indonesian Stock Exchange occasionally issues UMA announcements when it suspects that there are unusual price increases (positive UMAs or price decreases (negative UMAs, as well as unusual increases in trading volumes. We believe that UMA announcements signal a high probability that stocks are being manipulated. We find no differences in fundamentals and trading variables between stocks in the UMA announcements and those not in the UMA announcements. Any stock is vulnerable to market manipulation. Stocks in the UMA announcements do not exhibit reversal patterns, suggesting that price effect is permanent. UMAs seem to convey relevant information, which is most likely in the form of insider type of information. Keywords: emerging market; price manipulation; unusual market activity announcement.

Biophysics of Human Hair Structural, Nanomechanical, and Nanotribological Studies

CERN Document Server

Bhushan, Bharat

2010-01-01

This book presents the biophysics of hair. It deals with the structure of hair, its mechanical properties, the nanomechanical characterization, tensile deformation, tribological characterization, the thickness distribution and binding interactions on hair surface. Another important topic of the book is the health of hair, human hair and skin, hair care, cleaning and conditioning treatments and damaging processes. It is the first book on the biophysical properties of hair.

Earnings announcements and the variability of stock returns

OpenAIRE

Eilifsen, Aasmund; Knivsflå, Kjell Henry; Sættem, Frode

1999-01-01

This paper is concerned with the dissemination process of firm-specific annual earnings information in the Norwegian capital market. We find a significant reduction in stock price volatility in the post-announcement period relative to the pre-announcement period for companies traded on the Oslo Stock Exchange in the period 1990-1995. Potential explanations for this phenomenon are tested by relating the observed return volatility to changes in the volatility of the underlying business, the spe...

The Economic Side Effects of Dangerous Drug Announcements.

OpenAIRE

Dranove, David; Olsen, Chris

1994-01-01

Immediately prior to the passage of the 1962 Food and Drug Administration Amendments, there were a number of drugs recalled from markets worldwide. Announcements about the dangerous side effects of these drugs were associated with lower-share prices for their manufacturers and the industry as a whole. We perform several analyses to sort out alternative explanations for the observed declines. We find that dangerous drug announcements had no effect on the sales of other drugs and didn't affect ...

Applications of synchrotron radiation in Biophysics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bemski, G.

1983-01-01

A short introduction to the generation of the synchrotron radiation is made. Following, the applications of such a radiation in biophysics with emphasis to the study of the hemoglobin molecule are presented. (L.C.) [pt

Dividend announcements reconsidered: Dividend changes versus dividend surprises

OpenAIRE

Andres, Christian; Betzer, André; van den Bongard, Inga; Haesner, Christian; Theissen, Erik

2012-01-01

This paper reconsiders the issue of share price reactions to dividend announcements. Previous papers rely almost exclusively on a naive dividend model in which the dividend change is used as a proxy for the dividend surprise. We use the difference between the actual dividend and the analyst consensus forecast as obtained from I/B/E/S as a proxy for the dividend surprise. Using data from Germany, we find significant share price reactions after dividend announcements. Once we control for analys...

September 2017 Arizona thoracic society notes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2017-09-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated at 150 words. The September 2017 Arizona Thoracic Society meeting was held on Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at the HonorHealth Rehabilitation Hospital beginning at 6:30 PM. This was a dinner meeting with case presentations. There were 16 in attendance representing the pulmonary, critical care, sleep, and radiology communities. There was a discussion of the Tobacco 21 bill which had been introduced the last session in the Arizona State Legislature. Since it seems likely that the bill will be reintroduced, the Arizona Thoracic Society will support the bill in the future. Dr. Rick Robbins announced that the SWJPCC has applied to be included in PubMed. In addition, Dr. Robbins was assigned the task of tracking down the campaign contributions to congressional members from the tobacco PAC before the next election. There were 7 case presentations: 1.\tAshley L. Garrett, MD, pulmonary fellow at Mayo, presented an elderly man with insulin-dependent diabetes who felt he …

CreditCoin: A Privacy-Preserving Blockchain-Based Incentive Announcement Network for Communications of Smart Vehicles

KAUST Repository

Li, Lun

2018-01-23

The vehicular announcement network is one of the most promising utilities in the communications of smart vehicles and in the smart transportation systems. In general, there are two major issues in building an effective vehicular announcement network. First, it is difficult to forward reliable announcements without revealing users\\' identities. Second, users usually lack the motivation to forward announcements. In this paper, we endeavor to resolve these two issues through proposing an effective announcement network called CreditCoin, a novel privacy-preserving incentive announcement network based on Blockchain via an efficient anonymous vehicular announcement aggregation protocol. On the one hand, CreditCoin allows nondeterministic different signers (i.e., users) to generate the signatures and to send announcements anonymously in the nonfully trusted environment. On the other hand, with Blockchain, CreditCoin motivates users with incentives to share traffic information. In addition, transactions and account information in CreditCoin are tamper-resistant. CreditCoin also achieves conditional privacy since Trace manager in CreditCoin traces malicious users\\' identities in anonymous announcements with related transactions. CreditCoin thus is able to motivate users to forward announcements anonymously and reliably. Extensive experimental results show that CreditCoin is efficient and practical in simulations of smart transportation.

Is macroeconomic announcement news priced?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Goeij, Peter; Hu, Jiehui; Werker, Bas

2016-01-01

We test whether news contained in macroeconomic announcements (MEAs) is priced in the cross-section of stock returns. When including news on a set of widely followed individual macroeconomic fundamentals in the cross-section of stock returns, estimates of their prices of risk are consistent with the

Understanding catchment dynamics through a Space-Society-Water trialectic

Science.gov (United States)

Sutherland, Catherine; Jewitt, Graham; Risko, Susan; Hay, Ducan; Stuart-Hill, Sabine; Browne, Michelle

2017-04-01

Can healthy catchments be utilized to secure water for the benefit of society? This is a complex question as it requires an understanding of the connections and relations between biophysical, social, political, economic and governance dimensions over space and time in the catchment and must interrogate whether there is 'value' in investing in the catchment natural or ecological infrastructure (EI), how this should be done, where the most valuable EI is located, and whether an investment in EI will generate co-benefits socially, environmentally and economically. Here, we adopt a social ecological relations rather than systems approach to explore these interactions through development of a space-society-water trialectic. Trialectic thinking is challenging as it requires new epistemologies and it challenges conventional modes of thought. It is not ordered or fixed, but rather is constantly evolving, revealing the dynamic relations between the elements under exploration. The construction of knowledge, through detailed scientific research and social learning, which contributes to the understanding and achievement of sustainable water supply, water related resilient economic growth, greater social equity and justice in relation to water and the reduction of environmental risk is illustrated through research in the uMngeni Catchment, South Africa. Using four case studies as a basis, we construct the catchment level society-water-space trialectic as a way of connecting, assembling and comparing the understanding and knowledge that has been produced. The relations in the three elements of the trialectic are constructed through identifying, understanding and analysing the actors, discourses, knowledge, biophysical materialities, issues and spatial connections in the case studies. Together these relations, or multiple trajectories, are assembled to form the society-water-space trialectic, which illuminates the dominant relations in the catchment and hence reveal the leverage

77 FR 33223 - Announcement of the Publication of Funding Opportunity Announcements Under the Runaway and...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-05

... the Publication of Funding Opportunity Announcements Under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act AGENCY... Statutory Authority: Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, 42 U.S.C. sections 5701-5752, as amended by the.... Porter, Director, Runaway and Homeless Youth Program, Family and Youth Services Bureau, 1250 Maryland Ave...

Surgery Goes Social: The Extent and Patterns of Social Media Utilization by Major Trauma, Acute and Critical Care Surgery Societies.

Science.gov (United States)

Khalifeh, Jawad M; Kaafarani, Haytham M A

2017-01-01

The evolving influence of social media in trauma, acute, and critical care surgery (TACCS) cannot be ignored. We sought to investigate the extent and patterns of use of social networks by major regional, national and international TACCS societies. The two leading social networking sites, Facebook (FB) and Twitter (TW), were thoroughly examined for the presence of official accounts for each of the major TACCS societies. An official FB or TW account was defined as one which has a blue verified badge and/or is linked the society's official website. For societies with confirmed official accounts, the extent and patterns of use of the two platforms were systematically examined over a 2-week period through: (1) manual inspection of the societies' FB and TW pages, (2) the SQLite database containing downloaded samples of posts, and (3) the TW analytics database, symplur.com. Standardized social media metrics were calculated for each society. Posted content was categorized as being: (1) society news updates, (2) event announcements, or (3) general medical information. From a total of 64 TACCS societies, only 27 (42%) had FB and/or TW accounts. Ten out of the 12 American societies had accounts compared to 13/39 of European, 2/9 of Australasian, and 0/2 of international societies. For the societies with social media presence, the mean numbers of monthly tweets and FB posts per society were 22 and 8, respectively. We summarize the FB and TW activity of the studied TACCS societies. Most tweets/posts were society news updates and event announcements intended to the society's constituents not the general public. A text cloud was constructed to summarize the major featured topics. Less than half of the TACCS societies are currently using social media; those that do are arguably underutilizing its potential. Non-American societies in particular lag behind in their use of social networking.

Society News: Queen honours Fellows; The Society and legacies; Thesis prizes; Lectures on laptops; Stonehenge story

Science.gov (United States)

2007-08-01

The Queen's Birthday Honours list announced on 16 June contained some familiar names from astronomy. Prof. Mark Bailey (1) of Armagh Observatory, currently a Vice-President of the RAS, was awarded an MBE and Dr Heather Couper (2), former President of the British Astronomical Association, a CBE. Prof. Nigel Mason (3) of the Open University and inaugural Director of the Milton Keynes Science Festival received an OBE. Prof. Jocelyn Bell-Burnell (4), President of the RAS from 2002-2004, was awarded a DBE - and an Honorary Doctorate from Harvard University. In addition, Prof. Lord Rees (5), Astronomer Royal, president of the Royal Society and President of the RAS from 1992-1994, was appointed to the Order of Merit.

Biophysical aspects of photodynamic therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Juzeniene, Asta; Nielsen, Kristian Pagh; Moan, Johan

2006-01-01

Over the last three decades photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been developed to a useful clinical tool, a viable alternative in the treatment of cancer and other diseases. Several disciplines have contributed to this development: chemistry in the development of new photosensitizing agents, biology in the elucidation of cellular processes involved in PDT, pharmacology and physiology in identifying the mechanisms of distribution of photosensitizers in an organism, and, last but not least, physics in the development of better light sources, dosimetric concepts and construction of imaging devices, optical sensors and spectroscopic methods for determining sensitizer concentrations in different tissues. Physics and biophysics have also helped to focus on the role of pH for sensitizer accumulation, dose rate effects, oxygen depletion, temperature, and optical penetration of light of different wavelengths into various types of tissue. These are all important parameters for optimally effective PDT. The present review will give a brief, physically based, overview of PDT and then discuss some of the main biophysical aspects of this therapeutic modality.

Announcing the Sociation Today Urban Sociology and Reprint Collection Series

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

George H. Conklin

2007-11-01

Full Text Available "Sociation Today" is happy to announce the Urban Sociology Reprint Series. Other reprints will be focused on DuBois and his work available on-line, while the Max Weber video now has its own page. Articles printed in the current and past issues of Sociation Today have been gathered together in one place so they can be viewed conviently. The MENU link to the left will direct you to the proper place, as will the link above (for the urban reprints. The files will enable you to see the articles on a specific topic in one place, and also will enable the professor to assign the articles easily in classes. As an open access journal, Sociation Today's goal remains to provide scholars, the public and students with refereed articles exploring the nature of society and its interactions at no charge, unlike traditional journals and JSTOR.

Building biophysics in mid-century China: the University of Science and Technology of China.

Science.gov (United States)

Luk, Yi Lai Christine

2015-01-01

Biophysics has been either an independent discipline or an element of another discipline in the United States, but it has always been recognized as a stand-alone discipline in the People's Republic of China (PRC) since 1949. To inquire into this apparent divergence, this paper investigates the formational history of biophysics in China by examining the early institutional history of one of the best-known and prestigious science and technology universities in the PRC, the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). By showing how the university and its biophysics program co-evolved with national priorities from the school's founding in 1958 to the eve of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, the purpose of this paper is to assess the development of a scientific discipline in the context of national demands and institutional politics. Specific materials for analysis include the school's admission policies, curricula, students' dissertations, and research program. To further contextualize the institutional setting of Chinese biophysics, this paper begins with a general history of proto-biophysical institutions in China during the Nationalist-Communist transitional years. This paper could be of interest to historians wanting to know more about the origin of the biophysics profession in China, and in particular how research areas that constitute biophysics changed in tandem with socio-political contingencies.

Effects of pictures and textual arguments in sun protection public service announcements.

Science.gov (United States)

Boer, Henk; Ter Huurne, Ellen; Taal, Erik

2006-01-01

The effect of public service announcements aimed at promoting primary prevention of skin cancer may be limited by superficial cognitive processing. The use of both pictures and textual arguments in sun protection public service announcements were evaluated for their potentially beneficial effects on judgment, cognitive processing and persuasiveness. In a 2 x 2 factorial experimental design individuals were shown public service announcements that advocated the advantages of sun protection measures in different versions in which a picture was present or not present and a textual argument was present or not present. The 159 participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions. In each condition, participants were shown 12 different public service announcements designed according to the condition. Participants judged each public service announcement on attractiveness, credibility, clarity of communication and the required amount of reflection. After the judgment task, they completed a questionnaire to assess knowledge, perceived advantages and disadvantages of sun protection and intended use of sun protection measures. Pictures enhanced attractiveness, but diminished comprehension. Textual arguments enhanced attractiveness, credibility and comprehension. Pictures as well as textual arguments increased knowledge of sun protection measures. Pictures and textual arguments in public service announcements positively influence the individual's perception of the advantages of sun protection methods and the advantages of their adoption.

Biophysical aspects of cancer - Electromagnetic mechanism

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Pokorný, Jiří; Hašek, Jiří; Vaniš, Jan; Jelínek, František

2008-01-01

Roč. 46, č. 5 (2008), s. 310-321 ISSN 0019-5189 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20670512; CEZ:AV0Z50200510 Keywords : Electromagnetic Fields * Biophysics * Cancer Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering Impact factor: 0.599, year: 2008

Announcements to Attentive Agents

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bolander, Thomas; van Ditmarsch, Hans; Herzig, Andreas

2016-01-01

-based announcement can also be described as an action model. We extend our logic by integrating attention change. Finally, we add the notion of common belief to the language, we exploit this to formalize the concept of joint attention, that has been widely discussed in the philosophical and cognitive science...... literature, and we provide a corresponding axiomatization. This axiomatization also employs the auxiliary notion of attention-based relativized common belief....

A dataset mapping the potential biophysical effects of vegetation cover change

Science.gov (United States)

Duveiller, Gregory; Hooker, Josh; Cescatti, Alessandro

2018-02-01

Changing the vegetation cover of the Earth has impacts on the biophysical properties of the surface and ultimately on the local climate. Depending on the specific type of vegetation change and on the background climate, the resulting competing biophysical processes can have a net warming or cooling effect, which can further vary both spatially and seasonally. Due to uncertain climate impacts and the lack of robust observations, biophysical effects are not yet considered in land-based climate policies. Here we present a dataset based on satellite remote sensing observations that provides the potential changes i) of the full surface energy balance, ii) at global scale, and iii) for multiple vegetation transitions, as would now be required for the comprehensive evaluation of land based mitigation plans. We anticipate that this dataset will provide valuable information to benchmark Earth system models, to assess future scenarios of land cover change and to develop the monitoring, reporting and verification guidelines required for the implementation of mitigation plans that account for biophysical land processes.

PRICE REACTION TO CORPORATE GOVERNANCE RATING ANNOUNCEMENTS AT THE ISTANBUL STOCK EXCHANGE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aslıhan BOZCUK

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to investigate the price reaction to corporate governance rating announcements at the Istanbul Stock Exchange and to identify the factors which could be driving the results. Using an event study analysis framework, the cumulative abnormal returns (AR are calculated for various event windows surrounding the announcement day for each firm. The average AR is 0.5% on announcement day, followed by all positive average cumulative ARs for the next 18 days following the announcement. In the multivariate regression analysis, a number of variables are used to proxy for factors suggested as relevant by the agency theory and the corporate governance literature; such as the size of the Audit Committee, the size of the Board of Directors, Corporate Governance Rating of each firm, number of non-executive members on the board, percentage of firm’s stock traded on the market, number of blockholders, family ownership, the price-earnings ratio, the market-to-book ratio and firm size. Audit committee size (P: 0.012 and board size (P: 0.043 together explained 32% of the variation in announcement day returns (F: 5.215, P: 0.018. Surprisingly, the corporate governance rating per se was not found to be significant. Overall, the price reaction on announcement day tends to be higher for firms with larger boards and smaller audit committees.

News & Announcements

Science.gov (United States)

2001-09-01

Helge H. Wehmeier, President and Chief Executive Office of Bayer Corporation, is the recipient of the 2001 Leadership in Education Award from the Keystone Center. Wehmeier was cited for his support in spearheading ongoing education and volunteer efforts such as Bayer's Making Science Make Sense program, which, in partnership with NSF, advances science literacy through hands-on, inquiry-based science learning. You are invited to send contributions to the News & Announcements column. They should be sent to Elizabeth A. Moore, Associate Editor, by email or by mail at Journal of Chemical Education, 209 N. Brooks St., Madison, WI 53715-1116. Contributions should be concise, to the point, and appropriate for the Journal's audience. They may be edited for clarity, timeliness, appropriateness, or length.

76 FR 30369 - Announcement of the Award of a Replacement Grant

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-25

... the Award of a Replacement Grant AGENCY: Office of Community Services (OCS), ACF, DHHS. ACTION: Announcement of the award of a replacement grant from the Office of Community Services to Humboldt State... Services (OCS), announces the award of a replacement grant under the Strengthening Communities Fund (SCF...

A mathematical approach to protein biophysics

CERN Document Server

Scott, L Ridgway

2017-01-01

This book explores quantitative aspects of protein biophysics and attempts to delineate certain rules of molecular behavior that make atomic scale objects behave in a digital way.  This book will help readers to understand how certain biological systems involving proteins function as digital information systems despite the fact that underlying processes are analog in nature. The in-depth explanation of proteins from a quantitative point of view and the variety of level of exercises (including physical experiments) at the end of each chapter will appeal to graduate and senior undergraduate students in mathematics, computer science, mechanical engineering, and physics, wanting to learn about the biophysics of proteins.  L. Ridgway Scott has been Professor of Computer Science and of Mathematics at the University of Chicago since 1998, and the Louis Block Professor since 2001.  He obtained a B.S. degree (Magna Cum Laude) from Tulane University in 1969 and a PhD degree in Mathematics from the Massachusetts Ins...

USAJOBS Job Opportunity Announcements (JOA) REST API

Data.gov (United States)

Office of Personnel Management — This REST-based API is designed to support lightweight Federal Job Opportunity Announcement (JOA) content consumption by consumers. It is anticipated that this API...

Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Research Report 1996-1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

Scientific interests of the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences have evolved from classical biochemistry, biophysics and physiological chemistry to up-to-date molecular biology. Research interests are focussed on replication, mutagenesis and repair of DNA; regulation of gene expression at various levels; biosynthesis and post-translational modifications of proteins; gene sequencing and functional analysis of open reading frames; structure, function and regulation of enzymes; conformation of proteins and peptides; modelling of structures and prediction of functions of proteins; mechanisms of electron transfer in polypeptides

Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Research Report 1996-1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-07-01

Scientific interests of the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences have evolved from classical biochemistry, biophysics and physiological chemistry to up-to-date molecular biology. Research interests are focussed on replication, mutagenesis and repair of DNA; regulation of gene expression at various levels; biosynthesis and post-translational modifications of proteins; gene sequencing and functional analysis of open reading frames; structure, function and regulation of enzymes; conformation of proteins and peptides; modelling of structures and prediction of functions of proteins; mechanisms of electron transfer in polypeptides.

Biophysical Influence of Airborne Carbon Nanomaterials on Natural Pulmonary Surfactant

OpenAIRE

Valle, Russell P.; Wu, Tony; Zuo, Yi Y.

2015-01-01

Inhalation of nanoparticles (NP), including lightweight airborne carbonaceous nanomaterials (CNM), poses a direct and systemic health threat to those who handle them. Inhaled NP penetrate deep pulmonary structures in which they first interact with the pulmonary surfactant (PS) lining at the alveolar air–water interface. In spite of many research efforts, there is a gap of knowledge between in vitro biophysical study and in vivo inhalation toxicology since all existing biophysical models handl...

Research Institute for Medical Biophysics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wynchank, S.

1989-01-01

The effects of ionising and non-ionising radiation on rodent tumours and normal tissue were studied in terms of cellular repair and the relevant biochemical and biophysical changes following radiation. Rodent tumours investigated in vivo were the CaNT adenocarcinoma and a chemically induced transplantable rhabdomyosarcoma. Radiations used were 100KVp of X-Rays, neutron beams, various magnetic fields, and microwave radiation of 2450MHz. The biochemical parameters measured were, inter alia, levels of adenosine-5'-triphoshate (ATP) and the specific activity of hexokinase (HK). Metabolic changes in ATP levels and the activity of HK were observed in tumour and normal tissues following ionising and non-ionising radiation in normoxia and hypoxia. The observation that the effect of radiation and chemotherapeutic treatment of some tumours may be size dependent can possibly now be explained by the variation of ATP content with tumour size. The enhanced tumour HK specific activity implies increased metabolism, possibly a consequence of cellular requirements to maintain homeostasis during repair processes. Other research projects of the Research Institute for Medical Biophysics involved, inter alia, gastroesophageal scintigraphies to evaluate the results of new forms of therapy. 1 ill

Joint Annual Meeting of the Swiss Physical Society and the Austrian Physical Society

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-01-01

The meeting was organised - as every two years - as a joint meeting with the Austrian Physical Society ((ÖPG) and the Swiss Society for Astrophysics and Astronomy (SSAA). The Swiss Institute of Particle Physics (CHIPP) participated additionally to their usual 2-year rhythm. We also welcomed for the first time the NCCR MARVEL (Computational Design and Discovery of Novel Materials). They all together guarantee an exciting conference covering physics at its best. This meeting was hosted by CERN, Genève. The plenary sessions gave an overview of the present status of research in molecular spintronics, biophotonic micro manipulation of cells, gravitational waves, spectroscopy of trapped antihydrogen atoms, reflective optical systems for astronomical applications, trapped-ion interfaces for quantum networks and quantum photonics. The topical sessions were dedicated to: Applied Physics and Plasma Physics; Astronomy and Astrophysics; Atomic Physics and Quantum Optics; Biophysics, Medical Physics and Soft Matter; Condensed Matter Physics; Correlated-Electron Physics in Transition-Metal Oxides; Earth, Atmosphere and Environmental Physics; Emergent phenomena in novel low-dimensional materials; History of Physics; Magnetism and Spintronics at the Nanoscale; Nuclear, Particle- and Astrophysics; Physics in Startups; Scientific Opportunities with SwissFEL; Surfaces, Interfaces and Thin Films; Theoretical Physics. Those contributions which are in the INIS subject scope are indexed individually.

Biophysics of Hair Cell Sensory Systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Duifhuis, Hendrikus; Horst, Johannes; van Dijk, Pim; van Netten, Sietse

1993-01-01

The last decade revealed to auditory researchers that hair cells can not only detect and process mechanical energy, but are also able to produce it. Thanks to the active hair cell, ears can produce otoacoustic emissions. This book gives the newest insights into the biophysics and physiology of

OPEC announcements and their effects on crude oil prices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Sharon Xiaowen; Tamvakis, Michael

2010-01-01

We investigate evidence on the effects of OPEC announcements on world oil prices by examining announcements from both official conferences and ministerial meetings on major international crudes, including the key benchmarks and several other heavy and light grades. With data from 1982 to 2008, we use event study methodology and find differentiation in the magnitude and significance of market responses to OPEC quota decisions under different price bands. We also find some (weak) evidence of differentiation between light and heavy crude grades. (author)

Replacing natural wetlands with stormwater management facilities: Biophysical and perceived social values.

Science.gov (United States)

Rooney, R C; Foote, L; Krogman, N; Pattison, J K; Wilson, M J; Bayley, S E

2015-04-15

Urban expansion replaces wetlands of natural origin with artificial stormwater management facilities. The literature suggests that efforts to mimic natural wetlands in the design of stormwater facilities can expand the provision of ecosystem services. Policy developments seek to capitalize on these improvements, encouraging developers to build stormwater wetlands in place of stormwater ponds; however, few have compared the biophysical values and social perceptions of these created wetlands to those of the natural wetlands they are replacing. We compared four types of wetlands: natural references sites, natural wetlands impacted by agriculture, created stormwater wetlands, and created stormwater ponds. We anticipated that they would exhibit a gradient in biodiversity, ecological integrity, chemical and hydrologic stress. We further anticipated that perceived values would mirror measured biophysical values. We found higher biophysical values associated with wetlands of natural origin (both reference and agriculturally impacted). The biophysical values of stormwater wetlands and stormwater ponds were lower and indistinguishable from one another. The perceived wetland values assessed by the public differed from the observed biophysical values. This has important policy implications, as the public are not likely to perceive the loss of values associated with the replacement of natural wetlands with created stormwater management facilities. We conclude that 1) agriculturally impacted wetlands provide biophysical values equivalent to those of natural wetlands, meaning that land use alone is not a great predictor of wetland value; 2) stormwater wetlands are not a substantive improvement over stormwater ponds, relative to wetlands of natural origin; 3) stormwater wetlands are poor mimics of natural wetlands, likely due to fundamental distinctions in terms of basin morphology, temporal variation in hydrology, ground water connectivity, and landscape position; 4) these

The XXXV annual conference of the Finnish physical society. Proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolhinen, V.; Eskola, K.J.; Ruuskanen, V.; Tuominen, K.

2001-01-01

The 35th Physics Days of the Finnish Physical Society will have the traditional structure with plenary lectures, short contributions of young researchers, poster sessions, and social events. The number of members of the society has exceeded 1000 and nearly half of them, more than 400, are expected to participate the Physics Days. The Finnish physicists and the Society can be proud of keeping up this tradition. The annual meeting of the Finnish Physical Society will take place during the Physics Days. I wish all the members of the Finnish Physical Society to attend the meeting and continue the discussions more informally at the conference dinner following the annual meeting. The fifth Magnus Ehrnrooth Price for Physics will be given during the opening ceremony of the Physics Days. Also the winners of the SOLIS competition for high school students will be announced. Traditionally, the Days will end by giving prices for the best poster and the best talk. The 35th Physics Days are held in the new congress center Jyvaeskylae Paviljonki and arranged by the University of Jyvaeskylae. The proceedings includes all the abstracts of the presentations given during the 35th Physics Days

An operational event announcer for the LHC control centre using speech synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Page, S.; Alemany Fernandez, R.

2012-01-01

The LHC Island of the CERN Control Centre is a busy working environment with many status displays and running software applications. An audible event announcer was developed in order to provide a simple and efficient method to notify the operations team of events occurring within the many subsystems of the accelerator. The LHC Announcer uses speech synthesis to report messages based upon data received from multiple sources. General accelerator information such as injections, beam energies and beam dumps are derived from data received from the LHC Timing System. Additionally, a software interface is provided that allows other surveillance processes to send messages to the Announcer using the standard control system middle-ware. Events are divided into categories which the user can enable or disable depending upon their interest. Use of the LHC Announcer is not limited to the Control Centre and is intended to be available to a wide audience, both inside and outside CERN. To accommodate this, it was designed to require no special software beyond a standard web browser. This paper describes the design of the LHC Announcer and how it is integrated into the LHC operational environment. (authors)

CAPITAL MARKET’S REACTION TOWARDS 2014 WORKING CABINET ANNOUNCEMENT (INDONESIAN CASE STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anindya Ardiansari

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to examine the market reaction regarding the announcement  of working cabinet following the election of Jokowi as the President of Indonesia. Political events such as presidential election, government change, cabinet announcement, and other events are very influential towards price and trade volume at the stock exchange since the political events are closely related to the state economy stability.  The Sample in this study is stock which was listed as issuers in Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX which included in LQ45 company group during this research period from 20 October– 3 November 2014. The result shows that there was significant effect towards abnormal return difference before and after the cabinet announcement on the companies listed in LQ 45. The existence of this significant difference means that market reacted with the cabinet announcement event.

Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics research report 1994-1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-12-31

Scientific interests of Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences are focused on DNA replication and repair, gene expression, gene sequencing and molecular biophysics. The work reviews research projects of the Institute in 1994-1995.

Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics research report 1994-1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

Scientific interests of Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences are focused on DNA replication and repair, gene expression, gene sequencing and molecular biophysics. The work reviews research projects of the Institute in 1994-1995

Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics research report 1994-1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-12-31

Scientific interests of Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences are focused on DNA replication and repair, gene expression, gene sequencing and molecular biophysics. The work reviews research projects of the Institute in 1994-1995.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering: a new optical probe in molecular biophysics and biomedicine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kneipp, J.; Wittig, B.; Bohr, Henrik

2010-01-01

Sensitive and detailed molecular structural information plays an increasing role in molecular biophysics and molecular medicine. Therefore, vibrational spectroscopic techniques, such as Raman scattering, which provide high structural information content are of growing interest in biophysical and ...

76 FR 58332 - Announcement of Meeting of the International Telecommunication Advisory Committee

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-20

..., NW., Washington, DC 20520, to seek further advice from the telecommunications industry on (a) whether... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice: 6869] Announcement of Meeting of the International Telecommunication Advisory Committee Summary: This notice announces a meeting of the International Telecommunication...

[Biophysical methods in assessment of the skin microcirculation system].

Science.gov (United States)

Dynnik, O B; Mostovoĭ, S E; Berezovskiĭ, V A

2008-01-01

In this work has been analyzed the potential of biophysics methods in estimations of the microcirculatory system. Capillaroresistometry, Computer capillaroscopy and Laser Doppler Flowmetry can to detect of the endothelial dysfunction in the patients with chronic hepatic diseases. This instrumentals biophysics methods may be used in clinical investigations for screening early pathological conditions with dysfunction of the microcirculatory system. The methods Laser Doppler Flowmetry is important for investigations the patients with others diseases and for dynamical monitoring by quality of the treatment. The purpose of these methods an objective estimation of disorders in the microcirculatory system.

USAJOBS Job Opportunity Announcements (JOA) SOAP API

Data.gov (United States)

Office of Personnel Management — The purpose of the SOAP based API is to provide the full Federal Job Opportunity Announcement (JOA) content to the consumer. It is anticipated that this API will be...

76 FR 75899 - Announcement of Vacancy on the Osage Tribal Education Committee

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-05

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Announcement of Vacancy on the Osage Tribal Education Committee AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Education, Interior. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Bureau of Indian Education is announcing that a vacancy has occurred on the Osage Tribal Education Committee. This...

Engineered biomaterial and biophysical stimulation as combinatorial strategies to address prosthetic infection by pathogenic bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Boda, Sunil Kumar; Basu, Bikramjit

2017-10-01

A plethora of antimicrobial strategies are being developed to address prosthetic infection. The currently available methods for implant infection treatment include the use of antibiotics and revision surgery. Among the bacterial strains, Staphylococcus species pose significant challenges particularly, with regard to hospital acquired infections. In order to combat such life threatening infectious diseases, researchers have developed implantable biomaterials incorporating nanoparticles, antimicrobial reinforcements, surface coatings, slippery/non-adhesive and contact killing surfaces. This review discusses a few of the biomaterial and biophysical antimicrobial strategies, which are in the developmental stage and actively being pursued by several research groups. The clinical efficacy of biophysical stimulation methods such as ultrasound, electric and magnetic field treatments against prosthetic infection depends critically on the stimulation protocol and parameters of the treatment modality. A common thread among the three biophysical stimulation methods is the mechanism of bactericidal action, which is centered on biophysical rupture of bacterial membranes, the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and bacterial membrane depolarization evoked by the interference of essential ion-transport. Although the extent of antimicrobial effect, normally achieved through biophysical stimulation protocol is insufficient to warrant therapeutic application, a combination of antibiotic/ROS inducing agents and biophysical stimulation methods can elicit a clinically relevant reduction in viable bacterial numbers. In this review, we present a detailed account of both the biomaterial and biophysical approaches for achieving maximum bacterial inactivation. Summarizing, the biophysical stimulation methods in a combinatorial manner with material based strategies can be a more potent solution to control bacterial infections. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B

Cellular normoxic biophysical markers of hydroxyurea treatment in sickle cell disease

OpenAIRE

Hosseini, Poorya; Abidi, Sabia Z.; Du, E; Papageorgiou, Dimitrios P.; Choi, Youngwoon; Park, YongKeun; Higgins, John M.; Kato, Gregory J.; Suresh, Subra; Dao, Ming; Yaqoob, Zahid; So, Peter T. C.

2016-01-01

There exists a critical need for developing biomarkers reflecting clinical outcomes and for evaluating the effectiveness of treatments for sickle cell disease patients. Prior attempts to find such patient-specific markers have mostly relied upon chemical biomarkers or biophysical properties at hypoxia with limited success. We introduce unique biomarkers based on characterization of cellular biophysical properties at normoxia and show that these markers correlate sensitively with treatment usi...

An allosteric gating model recapitulates the biophysical properties of IK,L expressed in mouse vestibular type I hair cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Spaiardi, Paolo; Tavazzani, Elisa; Manca, Marco; Milesi, Veronica; Russo, Giancarlo; Prigioni, Ivo; Marcotti, Walter; Magistretti, Jacopo; Masetto, Sergio

2017-11-01

showed complex activation and deactivation kinetics, which we faithfully reproduced by an allosteric channel gating scheme where the channel is able to open from all (five) closed states. The 'early' open states substantially contribute to I K,L activation at negative voltages. This study provides the first complete description of the 'native' biophysical properties of I K,L in adult mouse vestibular type I hair cells. © 2017 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Physiological Society.

Biophysical behavior of Scomberoides commersonianus skin collagen.

Science.gov (United States)

Kolli, Nagamalleswari; Joseph, K Thomas; Ramasami, T

2002-06-01

Some biophysical characteristics of the skin collagen from Scomberoides commersonianus were measured and compared to those of rat tail tendon. Stress-strain data indicate that the strain at break as well as the tensile strength of the fish skin without scales increased significantly. The maximum tension in case of rat skin is at least a factor of two higher than that observed in fish skin. The much lower hydrothermal isometric tension measurements observed in fish skin are attributable to a lesser number of heat stable crosslinks. Stress relaxation measurements in the fish skin indicate that more than one relaxation process may be involved in the stabilization of collagenous matrix. The observed differences in the biophysical behavior of fish skin may well arise from combination of changes in extent of hydroxylation of proline in collagen synthesis, hydrogen bond network and fibril orientation as compared to rat tail tendon.

An Operational Event Announcer for the LHC Control Centre Using Speech Synthesis

CERN Document Server

Page, S

2011-01-01

The LHC Island of the CERN Control Centre is a busy working environment with many status displays and running software applications. An audible event announcer was developed in order to provide a simple and efficient method to notify the operations team of events occurring within the many subsystems of the accelerator. The LHC Announcer uses speech synthesis to report messages based upon data received from multiple sources. General accelerator information such as injections, beam energies and beam dumps are derived from data received from the LHC Timing System. Additionally, a software interface is provided that allows other surveillance processes to send messages to the Announcer using the standard control system middleware. Events are divided into categories which the user can enable or disable depending upon their interest. Use of the LHC Announcer is not limited to the Control Centre and is intended to be available to a wide audience, both inside and outside CERN. To accommodate this, it...

REAKSI PASAR TERHADAP DIVIDEND ANNOUNCEMENT PERUSAHAAN YANG SAHAMNYA MASUK DAFTAR EFEK SYARIAH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moh. Khoiruddin

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Tujuan dilakukan penelitian ini adalah untuk menguji reaksi pasar yang diukur dengan variabel abnormal return dan trading volume activity (TVA di sekitar pengumuman dividen (dividend announcement. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah semua pengumuman dividen dari perusahaan yang sahamnya masuk pada daftar efek syariah (DES Indonesia pada tahun 2013, yang berjumlah 40. Sampel penelitian diambil dari semua jumlah populasi. Analisis data dilakukan dengan uji One Sample t-test untuk menguji reaksi pasar yang terjadi selama periode pengamatan (event window 21 hari yaitu t-10 (10 hari sebelum pengumuman dividen, t0 (saat pengumuman dividen, dan t+10 (10 hari sesudah pengumuman dividen. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan terdapat reaksi pasar di sekitar hari pengumuman dividen yang diukur menggunakan variabel abnormal return dan trading volume activity (TVA. The purpose of this study was to test the market reaction which was measured by abnormal return variable and trading volume activity (TVA around the dividend announcement. The population of this study was all companies’s dividendannouncement which their shares were listed on Indonesia Syariah Securities List published in 2013, they were 40 companies. The samples were taken from all population. The data were analyzed by one sample t-test to test the market reactions which occurred during event window for 21 days; they were t-10 (10 days before the dividend announcement, t0 (at the dividend announcement time, and t+10 (10 days after the dividend announcement. Based on the research results, it can be seen that there was a market reaction around the dividend announcement which was measured by abnormal returns variable and trading volume activity (TVA.

Joint Annual Meeting of the Austrian Physical Society and the Swiss Physical Society together with the Austrian and Swiss Societies for Astronomy and Astrophysics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-01-01

For the fourth time the annual meetings of ÖPG, SPS, SSAA and ÖGAA took place together. The success of previous events in Innsbruck (2009), Lausanne (2011) and Linz (2013) indicates clearly that physicists from both countries appreciated the broader range of topics as well as the opportunity to meet colleagues from the other societies. This meeting was hosted by the Vienna University of Technology. The plenary sessions gave an overview of the present status of research in optoelectronics, atomic crystals, many body techniques and solid state physics. The topical sessions were dedicated to: Applied Physics, Acoustics and Polymer Physics; Astronomy and Astrophysics; Atomic Physics and Quantum Photonics; Biophysics and Medical Physics; Condensed Matter Physics; Geophysics, Atmosphere and Environmental Physics; Nuclear, Particle- and Astroparticle physics; Plasma Physics; Surfaces, Interfaces and Thin Films; Theoretical Physics. Those contributions which are in the INIS subject scope are indexed individually

Cell biology, biophysics, and mechanobiology: From the basics to Clinics.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Y

2017-04-29

Cell biology, biomechanics and biophysics are the key subjects that guide our understanding in diverse areas of tissue growth, development, remodeling and homeostasis. Novel discoveries such as molecular mechanism, and mechanobiological mechanism in cell biology, biomechanics and biophysics play essential roles in our understanding of the pathogenesis of various human diseases, as well as in designing the treatment of these diseases. In addition, studies in these areas will also facilitate early diagnostics of human diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. In this special issue, we collected 10 original research articles and 1 review...

Sonographic biophysical profile in detection of foetal hypoxia in 100 cases of suspected high risk pregnancy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ullah, N.; Khan, A.R.; Usman, M.

2010-01-01

Background: The foetus has become increasingly accessible and visible as a patient over the last two decades. Ultrasound imaging has broadened the scope of foetal assessment. Dynamic real time B-Mode ultrasound is used to monitor cluster of biophysical variables, both dynamic and static collectively termed as biophysical profile. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of sonographic biophysical profile score on perinatal outcome in terms of mortality and morbidity. Methods: This descriptive study was carried on 100 randomly select ed high risk pregnant patients in Radiology Department PGMI, Government Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar from December 2007 to June 2008. Manning biophysical profile including non-stress was employed for foetal screening, using Toshiba ultrasound machine model Nemio SSA-550A and 7.5 MHZ probe. Results: Out of 100 cases 79 (79%) had a normal biophysical profile in the last scan of 10/10 and had a normal perinatal outcome with 5 minutes Apgar score >7/10. In 13 (13%) cases Apgar score at 5 minute was < 7/10 and babies were shifted to nursery. There were 2 (2%) false positive cases that showed abnormal biophysical profile scores of 6/10 but babies were born with an Apgar score of 8/10 at 5 minutes. There were 2 (2%) neonatal deaths in this study group. The sensitivity of biophysical profile was 79.1%, specificity 92.9%. Predictive value for a positive test was 98.55%; predictive value for a negative test was 41.93%. Conclusion: Biophysical profile is highly accurate and reliable test of diagnosing foetal hypoxia. (author)

Can Cross-Listing Mitigate the Impact of an Information Security Breach Announcement on a Firm's Values?

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yong; Dong, Feng; Chen, Hong; Xu, Li

2016-08-01

The increase in globalization in the markets has driven firms to adopt online technologies and to cross-list their stocks. Recent studies have consistently found that the announcements of information security breaches (ISBs) are negatively associated with the market values of the announcing firms during the days surrounding the breach announcements. Given the improvement in firms’ information environments and the better protection for investors generated by cross-listing, does cross-listing help firms to reduce the negative impacts caused by their announcements of ISBs? This paper conducts an event study of 120 publicly traded firms (among which 25 cross-list and 95 do not), in order to explore the answer. The results indicate that the impact of ISB announcements on a firm's stock prices shows no difference between cross-listing firms and non-cross-listing firms. Cross-listing does not mitigate the impact of ISBs announcement on a firm's market value.

Effect of ambient light on the time needed to complete a fetal biophysical profile: A randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Said, Heather M; Gupta, Shweta; Vricella, Laura K; Wand, Katy; Nguyen, Thinh; Gross, Gilad

2017-10-01

The objective of this study is to determine whether ambient light serves as a fetal stimulus to decrease the amount of time needed to complete a biophysical profile. This is a randomized controlled trial of singleton gestations undergoing a biophysical profile. Patients were randomized to either ambient light or a darkened room. The primary outcome was the time needed to complete the biophysical profile. Secondary outcomes included total and individual component biophysical profile scores and scores less than 8. A subgroup analysis of different maternal body mass indices was also performed. 357 biophysical profile studies were analyzed. 182 studies were performed with ambient light and 175 were performed in a darkened room. There was no difference in the median time needed to complete the biophysical profile based on exposure to ambient light (6.1min in darkened room versus 6.6min with ambient light; P=0.73). No difference was found in total or individual component biophysical profile scores. Subgroup analysis by maternal body mass index did not demonstrate shorter study times with ambient light exposure in women who were normal weight, overweight or obese. Ambient light exposure did not decrease the time needed to complete the biophysical profile. There was no evidence that ambient light altered fetal behavior observed during the biophysical profile. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Biophysics and the Challenges of Emerging Threats

CERN Document Server

Puglisi, Joseph D

2009-01-01

This volume is a collection of articles from the proceedings of the International School of Structural Biology and Magnetic Resonance 8th Course: Biophysics and the Challenges of Emerging Threats. This NATO Advance Study Institute (ASI) was held in Erice at the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture on 19 through 30 June 2007. The ASI brought together a diverse group of experts who bridged the fields of virology and biology, biophysics, chemistry and physics. Prominent lecturers and students from around the world representant a total of 24 countries participated in the NATO ASI organized by Professors Joseph Puglisi (Stanford University, USA) and Alexander Arseniev (Moscow, RU). The central hypothesis underlying this ASI was that interdisciplinary research, merging principles of physics, chemistry and biology, can drive new discovery in detecting and fighting bioterrorism agents, lead to cleaner environments, and help propel development in NATO partner countries. The ASI merged the relat...

Cellular normoxic biophysical markers of hydroxyurea treatment in sickle cell disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Hosseini, Poorya; Abidi, Sabia Z; Du, E; Papageorgiou, Dimitrios P; Choi, Youngwoon; Park, YongKeun; Higgins, John M; Kato, Gregory J; Suresh, Subra; Dao, Ming; Yaqoob, Zahid; So, Peter T C

2016-08-23

Hydroxyurea (HU) has been used clinically to reduce the frequency of painful crisis and the need for blood transfusion in sickle cell disease (SCD) patients. However, the mechanisms underlying such beneficial effects of HU treatment are still not fully understood. Studies have indicated a weak correlation between clinical outcome and molecular markers, and the scientific quest to develop companion biophysical markers have mostly targeted studies of blood properties under hypoxia. Using a common-path interferometric technique, we measure biomechanical and morphological properties of individual red blood cells in SCD patients as a function of cell density, and investigate the correlation of these biophysical properties with drug intake as well as other clinically measured parameters. Our results show that patient-specific HU effects on the cellular biophysical properties are detectable at normoxia, and that these properties are strongly correlated with the clinically measured mean cellular volume rather than fetal hemoglobin level.

Biophysical radiosensitization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vladescu, C.; Apetroae, M.

1983-01-01

Experimental studies on normal and tumor-bearing rats revealed that chronic treatment with hydroquinone (5 mg/kg/day) inhibited catalase activity in liver, spleen, blood, and H 18R tumor. 3 H-hydroquinone (1.5 μCi/g body weight) showed tumor specificity, with maximum radioactivity in the tumor at 1 h after administration. The biological half-time of 3 H-hydroquinone in the tumor was 2 h, but there seems to exist a longer component, since 24 h after administration, some 30% of the maximum radioactivity could be detected in the tumor. Hydroquinone treatment produces a specific inhibition of catalase in the tumor and a higher degree of oxygenation at this level. These findings support the assumption that the mechanism of action of hydroquinone as an anticancer agent is achieved mainly via peroxide production. The oxygenation of the hypoxic tumoral tissue is done at non-toxic levels of hydroquinone, through a natural and specific biophysical pathway, recommanding hydroquinone for combined anticancer treatment (radiotherapy and chemotherapy). (orig.)

The biophysics of renal sympathetic denervation using radiofrequency energy.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Hitesh C; Dhillon, Paramdeep S; Mahfoud, Felix; Lindsay, Alistair C; Hayward, Carl; Ernst, Sabine; Lyon, Alexander R; Rosen, Stuart D; di Mario, Carlo

2014-05-01

Renal sympathetic denervation is currently performed in the treatment of resistant hypertension by interventionists who otherwise do not typically use radiofrequency (RF) energy ablation in their clinical practice. Adequate RF lesion formation is dependent upon good electrode-tissue contact, power delivery, electrode-tissue interface temperature, target-tissue impedance and the size of the catheter's active electrode. There is significant interplay between these variables and hence an appreciation of the biophysical determinants of RF lesion formation is required to provide effective and safe clinical care to our patients. In this review article, we summarize the biophysics of RF ablation and explain why and how complications of renal sympathetic denervation may occur and discuss methods to minimise them.

The biophysical link between climate, water, and vegetation in bioenergy agro-ecosystems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bagley, Justin E.; Davis, Sarah C.; Georgescu, Matei; Hussain, Mir Zaman; Miller, Jesse; Nesbitt, Stephen W.; VanLoocke, Andy; Bernacchi, Carl J.

2014-01-01

Land use change for bioenergy feedstocks is likely to intensify as energy demand rises simultaneously with increased pressure to minimize greenhouse gas emissions. Initial assessments of the impact of adopting bioenergy crops as a significant energy source have largely focused on the potential for bioenergy agroecosystems to provide global-scale climate regulating ecosystem services via biogeochemical processes. Such as those processes associated with carbon uptake, conversion, and storage that have the potential to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). However, the expansion of bioenergy crops can also lead to direct biophysical impacts on climate through water regulating services. Perturbations of processes influencing terrestrial energy fluxes can result in impacts on climate and water across a spectrum of spatial and temporal scales. Here, we review the current state of knowledge about biophysical feedbacks between vegetation, water, and climate that would be affected by bioenergy-related land use change. The physical mechanisms involved in biophysical feedbacks are detailed, and interactions at leaf, field, regional, and global spatial scales are described. Locally, impacts on climate of biophysical changes associated with land use change for bioenergy crops can meet or exceed the biogeochemical changes in climate associated with rising GHG's, but these impacts have received far less attention. Realization of the importance of ecosystems in providing services that extend beyond biogeochemical GHG regulation and harvestable yields has led to significant debate regarding the viability of various feedstocks in many locations. The lack of data, and in some cases gaps in knowledge associated with biophysical and biochemical influences on land–atmosphere interactions, can lead to premature policy decisions. - Highlights: • The physical basis for biophysical impacts of expanding bioenergy agroecosystems on climate and water is described. • We

Raman spectroscopy reveals biophysical markers in skin cancer surgical margins

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Xu; Moy, Austin J.; Nguyen, Hieu T. M.; Zhang, Yao; Fox, Matthew C.; Sebastian, Katherine R.; Reichenberg, Jason S.; Markey, Mia K.; Tunnell, James W.

2018-02-01

The recurrence rate of nonmelanoma skin cancer is highly related to the residual tumor after surgery. Although tissueconserving surgery, such as Mohs surgery, is a standard method for the treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancer, they are limited by lengthy and costly frozen-section histopathology. Raman spectroscopy (RS) is proving to be an objective, sensitive, and non-destructive tool for detecting skin cancer. Previous studies demonstrated the high sensitivity of RS in detecting tumor margins of basal cell carcinoma (BCC). However, those studies rely on statistical classification models and do not elucidate the skin biophysical composition. As a result, we aim to discover the biophysical differences between BCC and primary normal skin structures (including epidermis, dermis, hair follicle, sebaceous gland and fat). We obtained freshly resected ex vivo skin samples from fresh resection specimens from 14 patients undergoing Mohs surgery. Raman images were acquired from regions containing one or more structures using a custom built 830nm confocal Raman microscope. The spectra were grouped using K-means clustering analysis and annotated as either BCC or each of the five normal structures by comparing with the histopathology image of the serial section. The spectral data were then fit by a previously established biophysical model with eight primary skin constituents. Our results show that BCC has significant differences in the fit coefficients of nucleus, collagen, triolein, keratin and elastin compared with normal structures. Our study reveals RS has the potential to detect biophysical changes in resection margins, and supports the development of diagnostic algorithms for future intraoperative implementation of RS during Mohs surgery.

X-Ray structure and biophysical properties of rabbit fibroblast growth factor 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jihun; Blaber, Sachiko I.; Irsigler, Andre; Aspinwall, Eric; Blaber, Michael; (FSU)

2010-01-14

The rabbit is an important and de facto animal model in the study of ischemic disease and angiogenic therapy. Additionally, fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF-1) is emerging as one of the most important growth factors for novel pro-angiogenic and pro-arteriogenic therapy. However, despite its significance, the fundamental biophysical properties of rabbit FGF-1, including its X-ray structure, have never been reported. Here, the cloning, crystallization, X-ray structure and determination of the biophysical properties of rabbit FGF-1 are described. The X-ray structure shows that the amino-acid differences between human and rabbit FGF-1 are solvent-exposed and therefore potentially immunogenic, while the biophysical studies identify differences in thermostability and receptor-binding affinity that distinguish rabbit FGF-1 from human FGF-1.

Review of the 25th annual scientific meeting of the International Society for Biological Therapy of Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Balwit, James M; Kalinski, Pawel; Sondak, Vernon K; Coulie, Pierre G; Jaffee, Elizabeth M; Gajewski, Thomas F; Marincola, Francesco M

2011-05-12

Led by key opinion leaders in the field, the 25th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Biological Therapy of Cancer (iSBTc, recently renamed the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, SITC) provided a scientific platform for ~500 attendees to exchange cutting-edge information on basic, clinical, and translational research in cancer immunology and immunotherapy. The meeting included keynote addresses on checkpoint blockade in cancer therapy and recent advances in therapeutic vaccination against cancer induced by Human Papilloma Virus 16. Participants from 29 countries interacted through oral presentations, panel discussions, and posters on topics that included dendritic cells and cancer, targeted therapeutics and immunotherapy, innate/adaptive immune interplay in cancer, clinical trial endpoints, vaccine combinations, countering negative regulation, immune cell trafficking to tumor microenvironment, and adoptive T cell transfer. In addition to the 50 oral presentations and >180 posters on these topics, a new SITC/iSBTc initiative to create evidence-based Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines was announced. The SITC/iSBTc Biomarkers Taskforce announced the release of recommendations on immunotherapy biomarkers and a highly successful symposium on Immuno-Oncology Biomarkers that took place on the campus of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) immediately prior to the Annual Meeting. At the Annual Meeting, the NIH took the opportunity to publicly announce the award of the U01 grant that will fund the Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network (CITN). In summary, the Annual Meeting gathered clinicians and scientists from academia, industry, and regulatory agencies from around the globe to interact and exchange important scientific advances related to tumor immunobiology and cancer immunotherapy.

Chief, Structural Biophysics Laboratory | Center for Cancer Research

Science.gov (United States)

The SBL Chief is expected to establish a strong research program in structural biology/biophysics in addition to providing leadership of the SBL and the structural biology community in the NCI Intramural Program.  Applicants should hold a Ph.D., M.D./Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree in a relevant discipline, and should possess outstanding communication skills and documented leadership experience.  Tenured faculty or industrial scientists of equivalent rank with a demonstrated commitment to structural biophysics should apply.  Salary will be commensurate with experience and accomplishments.  This position is not restricted to U.S. citizens. A full civil service package of benefits (including health insurance, life insurance, and retirement) is available. This position is subject to a background investigation.  The NIH is dedicated to building a diverse community in its training and employment programs.

Satellite mapping of surface biophysical parameters at the biome scale over the North American grasslands: A case study

Science.gov (United States)

Wylie, B.K.; Meyer, D.J.; Tieszen, L.L.; Mannel, S.

2002-01-01

Quantification of biophysical parameters is needed by terrestrial process modeling and other applications. A study testing the role of multispectral data for monitoring biophysical parameters was conducted over a network of grassland field sites in the Great Plains of North America. Grassland biophysical parameters [leaf area index (LAI), fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (fPAR), and biomass] and their relationships with ground radiometer normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were established in this study (r2=.66–.85) from data collected across the central and northern Great Plains in 1995. These spectral/biophysical relationships were compared to 1996 field data from the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in northeastern Oklahoma and showed no consistent biases, with most regression estimates falling within the respective 95% confidence intervals. Biophysical parameters were estimated for 21 “ground pixels” (grids) at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in 1996, representing three grazing/burning treatments. Each grid was 30×30 m in size and was systematically sampled with ground radiometer readings. The radiometric measurements were then converted to biophysical parameters and spatially interpolated using geostatistical kriging. Grid-based biophysical parameters were monitored through the growing season and regressed against Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) NDVI (r2=.92–.94). These regression equations were used to estimate biophysical parameters for grassland TM pixels over the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in 1996. This method maintained consistent regression development and prediction scales and attempted to minimize scaling problems associated with mixed land cover pixels. A method for scaling Landsat biophysical parameters to coarser resolution satellite data sets (1 km2) was also investigated.

Developing spatial biophysical accounting for multiple ecosystem services

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Remme, R.P.; Schroter, M.; Hein, L.G.

2014-01-01

Ecosystem accounting is receiving increasing interest as a way to systematically monitor the conditions of ecosystems and the ecosystem services they provide. A critical element of ecosystem accounting is understanding spatially explicit flows of ecosystem services. We developed spatial biophysical

Achievements and challenges in structural bioinformatics and computational biophysics.

Science.gov (United States)

Samish, Ilan; Bourne, Philip E; Najmanovich, Rafael J

2015-01-01

The field of structural bioinformatics and computational biophysics has undergone a revolution in the last 10 years. Developments that are captured annually through the 3DSIG meeting, upon which this article reflects. An increase in the accessible data, computational resources and methodology has resulted in an increase in the size and resolution of studied systems and the complexity of the questions amenable to research. Concomitantly, the parameterization and efficiency of the methods have markedly improved along with their cross-validation with other computational and experimental results. The field exhibits an ever-increasing integration with biochemistry, biophysics and other disciplines. In this article, we discuss recent achievements along with current challenges within the field. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press.

Evolution and Biophysics of the Escherichia coli lac Operon

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, J. Christian; Igoshin, Oleg; Quan, Selwyn; Monds, Russell; Cooper, Tim; Balázsi, Gábor

2011-03-01

To understand, predict, and control the evolution of living organisms, we consider biophysical effects and molecular network architectures. The lactose utilization system of E. coli is among the most well-studied molecular networks in biology, making it an ideal candidate for such studies. Simulations show how the genetic architecture of the wild-type operon attenuates large metabolic intermediate fluctuations that are predicted to occur in an equivalent system with the component genes on separate operons. Quantification of gene expression in the lac operon evolved in growth conditions containing constant lactose, alternating with glucose, or constant glucose, shows characteristic gene expression patterns depending on conditions. We are simulating these conditions to show context-dependent biophysical sources and costs of different lac operon architectures.

The behavior of crude oil spot and futures prices around OPEC and SPR announcements: An event study perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demirer, Riza; Kutan, Ali M.

2010-01-01

This paper examines the informational efficiency of crude oil spot and futures markets with respect to OPEC conference and U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) announcements. We employ the event study methodology to examine the abnormal returns in crude oil spot and futures markets around OPEC conference and SPR announcement dates between 1983 and 2008. Our findings regarding OPEC announcements indicate an asymmetry in that only OPEC production cut announcements yield a statistically significant impact with the impact diminishing for longer maturities. We also find that the persistence of returns following OPEC production cut announcements creates substantial excess returns to investors who take long positions on the day following the end of OPEC conferences. In the case of SPR announcements, we find that the government's use of this program initiates a short-run market reaction following the announcement date. Furthermore, our tests of cumulative abnormal returns suggest that the market reacts efficiently to SPR announcements providing support for the use of the strategic reserves as a tool to stabilize the oil market. Our findings have significant policy implications for investors and are useful in designing effective energy policy strategies.

75 FR 25239 - Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS); Announcement of Availability of Literature Searches...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-07

... Information System (IRIS); Announcement of Availability of Literature Searches for IRIS Assessments AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency. ACTION: Notice; Announcement of availability of literature searches for IRIS... the availability of literature searches for four IRIS assessments and requesting scientific...

Direct Scaling of Leaf-Resolving Biophysical Models from Leaves to Canopies

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, B.; Mahaffee, W.; Hernandez Ochoa, M.

2017-12-01

Recent advances in the development of biophysical models and high-performance computing have enabled rapid increases in the level of detail that can be represented by simulations of plant systems. However, increasingly detailed models typically require increasingly detailed inputs, which can be a challenge to accurately specify. In this work, we explore the use of terrestrial LiDAR scanning data to accurately specify geometric inputs for high-resolution biophysical models that enables direct up-scaling of leaf-level biophysical processes. Terrestrial LiDAR scans generate "clouds" of millions of points that map out the geometric structure of the area of interest. However, points alone are often not particularly useful in generating geometric model inputs, as additional data processing techniques are required to provide necessary information regarding vegetation structure. A new method was developed that directly reconstructs as many leaves as possible that are in view of the LiDAR instrument, and uses a statistical backfilling technique to ensure that the overall leaf area and orientation distribution matches that of the actual vegetation being measured. This detailed structural data is used to provide inputs for leaf-resolving models of radiation, microclimate, evapotranspiration, and photosynthesis. Model complexity is afforded by utilizing graphics processing units (GPUs), which allows for simulations that resolve scales ranging from leaves to canopies. The model system was used to explore how heterogeneity in canopy architecture at various scales affects scaling of biophysical processes from leaves to canopies.

A quantitative overview of biophysical forces impinging on neural function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, Jerel K; Tyler, William J

2014-01-01

The fundamentals of neuronal membrane excitability are globally described using the Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) model. The HH model, however, does not account for a number of biophysical phenomena associated with action potentials or propagating nerve impulses. Physical mechanisms underlying these processes, such as reversible heat transfer and axonal swelling, have been compartmentalized and separately investigated to reveal neuronal activity is not solely influenced by electrical or biochemical factors. Instead, mechanical forces and thermodynamics also govern neuronal excitability and signaling. To advance our understanding of neuronal function and dysfunction, compartmentalized analyses of electrical, chemical, and mechanical processes need to be revaluated and integrated into more comprehensive theories. The present perspective is intended to provide a broad overview of biophysical forces that can influence neural function, but which have been traditionally underappreciated in neuroscience. Further, several examples where mechanical forces have been shown to exert their actions on nervous system development, signaling, and plasticity are highlighted to underscore their importance in sculpting neural function. By considering the collective actions of biophysical forces influencing neuronal activity, our working models can be expanded and new paradigms can be applied to the investigation and characterization of brain function and dysfunction. (topical review)

Perceived Effectiveness of Weekly Announcements in Provision of Learning Support to Sociology Students

Science.gov (United States)

Jabeen, Sadia

2015-01-01

Announcements are considered as important source in provision of academic support to the students. Announcements assist students to get information about the university learning mechanisms, courses and other time management skills, which may help them to make their learning smooth and pleasant. In this context present study documents the perceived…

Research of Features of the Phonetic System of Speech and Identification of Announcers on the Voice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roman Aleksandrovich Vasilyev

2013-02-01

Full Text Available In the work the method of the phonetic analysis of speech — allocation of the list of elementary speech units such as separate phonemes from a continuous stream of informal conversation of the specific announcer is offered. The practical algorithm of identification of the announcer — process of definition speaking of the set of announcers is described.

75 FR 76982 - Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS); Announcement of Availability of Literature Searches...

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2010-12-10

... Information System (IRIS); Announcement of Availability of Literature Searches for IRIS Assessments AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency. ACTION: Announcement of availability of literature searches for IRIS... the availability of literature searches for four IRIS assessments, acetaldehyde (CAS No. 75-07-0...

76 FR 13402 - Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS); Announcement of Availability of Literature Searches...

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2011-03-11

... Information System (IRIS); Announcement of Availability of Literature Searches for IRIS Assessments AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency. ACTION: Announcement of availability of literature searches for IRIS... the availability of literature searches for cobalt (CASRN 7440-48-4) and inorganic cobalt compounds...

77 FR 20817 - Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS); Announcement of Availability of Literature Searches...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-06

... System (IRIS); Announcement of Availability of Literature Searches for IRIS Assessments AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency. ACTION: Announcement of availability of literature searches for IRIS... the availability of literature searches for acetaldehyde (75-07-0) and 1,2,3-trimethlybenzene (526-73...

Biophysical characteristics reveal neural stem cell differentiation potential.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fatima H Labeed

Full Text Available Distinguishing human neural stem/progenitor cell (huNSPC populations that will predominantly generate neurons from those that produce glia is currently hampered by a lack of sufficient cell type-specific surface markers predictive of fate potential. This limits investigation of lineage-biased progenitors and their potential use as therapeutic agents. A live-cell biophysical and label-free measure of fate potential would solve this problem by obviating the need for specific cell surface markers.We used dielectrophoresis (DEP to analyze the biophysical, specifically electrophysiological, properties of cortical human and mouse NSPCs that vary in differentiation potential. Our data demonstrate that the electrophysiological property membrane capacitance inversely correlates with the neurogenic potential of NSPCs. Furthermore, as huNSPCs are continually passaged they decrease neuron generation and increase membrane capacitance, confirming that this parameter dynamically predicts and negatively correlates with neurogenic potential. In contrast, differences in membrane conductance between NSPCs do not consistently correlate with the ability of the cells to generate neurons. DEP crossover frequency, which is a quantitative measure of cell behavior in DEP, directly correlates with neuron generation of NSPCs, indicating a potential mechanism to separate stem cells biased to particular differentiated cell fates.We show here that whole cell membrane capacitance, but not membrane conductance, reflects and predicts the neurogenic potential of human and mouse NSPCs. Stem cell biophysical characteristics therefore provide a completely novel and quantitative measure of stem cell fate potential and a label-free means to identify neuron- or glial-biased progenitors.

A Job Announcement Analysis of Educational Technology Professional Positions: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, YoungJu; Ritzhaupt, Albert D.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this research was to identify the competencies of an educational technologist via a job announcement analysis. Four hundred job announcements were collected from a variety of online job databases over a 5-month period. Following a systematic process of collection, documentation, and analysis, we derived over 150 knowledge, skill,…

Biochemical and Biophysical Cues in Matrix Design for Chronic and Diabetic Wound Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Yun; Ahadian, Samad; Radisic, Milica

2017-02-01

Progress in biomaterial science and engineering and increasing knowledge in cell biology have enabled us to develop functional biomaterials providing appropriate biochemical and biophysical cues for tissue regeneration applications. Tissue regeneration is particularly important to treat chronic wounds of people with diabetes. Understanding and controlling the cellular microenvironment of the wound tissue are important to improve the wound healing process. In this study, we review different biochemical (e.g., growth factors, peptides, DNA, and RNA) and biophysical (e.g., topographical guidance, pressure, electrical stimulation, and pulsed electromagnetic field) cues providing a functional and instructive acellular matrix to heal diabetic chronic wounds. The biochemical and biophysical signals generally regulate cell-matrix interactions and cell behavior and function inducing the tissue regeneration for chronic wounds. Some technologies and devices have already been developed and used in the clinic employing biochemical and biophysical cues for wound healing applications. These technologies can be integrated with smart biomaterials to deliver therapeutic agents to the wound tissue in a precise and controllable manner. This review provides useful guidance in understanding molecular mechanisms and signals in the healing of diabetic chronic wounds and in designing instructive biomaterials to treat them.

46th annual symposium of the Austrian Physical Society. Programme and abstracts; 46. Jahrestagung der Oesterreichischen Physikalischen Gesellschaft. Programm und Kurzfassungen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schindler, H G [ed.

1997-12-31

This volume contains lectures (short communications) of the 46{sup th} symposium of the Austrian Physical Society which had been held at the University of Linz (Austria) in 1996. The following topics are included: atomic physics, molecular physics, plasma physics, solid state physics, nuclear and particle physics, biophysics, environmental physics, quantum electronics and quantum optics. (Suda)

Biophysical models of radiobiological effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Obaturov, G.M.

1987-01-01

Radiobiological effect models at different organization levels, developed by the author, are presented. Classification and analysis of concepts and biophysical models at molecular, genetic and cellular levels, developed by Soviet and foreign authors in comparison to inherent models, are conducted from the viewpoint of system approach to radiobiological processes and of modelling principles. Models are compared with each other, limits of their applicability and drawbacks are determined. Evaluation of the model truthfulness is conducted according to a number of criteria, ways of further investigations and experimental examination of some models are proposed

On the Differential Market Reaction to Dividend Announcement: Evidence from an Emerging Equity Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muntazir Hussain

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The corporate finance literature for market reaction to dividend announcements reports mixed results: some of studies support a positive response of markets as a result of dividend announcement whereas some report negative. This study is an attempt to investigate the heterogeneous market reaction to dividend announcement for 73 firms listed in the Karachi Stock Exchange. We investigated this phenomenon with a novel methodology using both the event study and multivariate regression for the possible effects of firm-specific factors associated with dividend announcements. We report that the market reaction is one-sided as the majority of companies in the sample are with positive CAR for the given period. We cannot ignore the importance of firm-specific factors that have an effect on the dividends but we conclude that the majority of companies in the sample period portray a positive CAR and the market reaction is positive.

Annual Earnings Announcements and Market Reaction: The Influence of Screening Criteria for Thin Trading

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møller, Peder Fredslund; Thinggaard, Frank; Lønroth, Helle L.

2001-01-01

This paper presents the findings of an event study of the Danish stock market price reactions to annual earnings announcements in the period 1993-1997, with a dual purpose. The primary purpose is to find out how market reactions vary with different screening criteria for thin trading. Our findings...... on this point suggest that the Danish stock market, although small, seems to have different segments of shares in relation to earnings announcements. Applying different screening criteria we find differences both in terms of how quickly the market reacts to earnings announcements and the relative quality...... purpose of our study is briefly to compare our findings with those of a similar study for the period 1971-1981. The aim is to find indications of developments in the Danish market's reactions to earnings announcements since that study. We find distinct indications that the Danish stock market in some...

Biophysical model of prokaryotic diversity in geothermal hot springs.

Science.gov (United States)

Klales, Anna; Duncan, James; Nett, Elizabeth Janus; Kane, Suzanne Amador

2012-02-01

Recent studies of photosynthetic bacteria living in geothermal hot spring environments have revealed surprisingly complex ecosystems with an unexpected level of genetic diversity. One case of particular interest involves the distribution along hot spring thermal gradients of genetically distinct bacterial strains that differ in their preferred temperatures for reproduction and photosynthesis. In such systems, a single variable, temperature, defines the relevant environmental variation. In spite of this, each region along the thermal gradient exhibits multiple strains of photosynthetic bacteria adapted to several distinct thermal optima, rather than a single thermal strain adapted to the local environmental temperature. Here we analyze microbiology data from several ecological studies to show that the thermal distribution data exhibit several universal features independent of location and specific bacterial strain. These include the distribution of optimal temperatures of different thermal strains and the functional dependence of the net population density on temperature. We present a simple population dynamics model of these systems that is highly constrained by biophysical data and by physical features of the environment. This model can explain in detail the observed thermal population distributions, as well as certain features of population dynamics observed in laboratory studies of the same organisms. © 2012 American Physical Society

Biophysics of DNA

CERN Document Server

Vologodskii, Alexander

2015-01-01

Surveying the last sixty years of research, this book describes the physical properties of DNA in the context of its biological functioning. It is designed to enable both students and researchers of molecular biology, biochemistry and physics to better understand the biophysics of DNA, addressing key questions and facilitating further research. The chapters integrate theoretical and experimental approaches, emphasising throughout the importance of a quantitative knowledge of physical properties in building and analysing models of DNA functioning. For example, the book shows how the relationship between DNA mechanical properties and the sequence specificity of DNA-protein binding can be analyzed quantitatively by using our current knowledge of the physical and structural properties of DNA. Theoretical models and experimental methods in the field are critically considered to enable the reader to engage effectively with the current scientific literature on the physical properties of DNA.

Effect of annual and quarterly financial statement announcements on trading volume and return variability in ISE

OpenAIRE

Çakmak, S. Serdar

1996-01-01

Ankara : Department of Management and Graduate School of Business Administration of Bilkent University, 1996. Thesis (Master's) -- Bilkent University, 1996. Includes bibliographical references leaves 22-24 Announcements of financial statement informations provide valuable signals for investors. There are evidences documenting the changes in trading volume and stock returns at the time of annual and interim financial statement announcements in comparison to those in non-announcement p...

75 FR 54655 - Announcement of the Career Videos for America's Job Seekers Challenge; Correction

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-08

... Training Administration (ETA) will screen, review, and identify the top three career videos in each... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration Announcement of the Career Videos for..., 2010, announcing the Career Videos for America's Job Seekers Challenge. The dates for all phases of...

Review of the 25th annual scientific meeting of the International Society for Biological Therapy of Cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaffee Elizabeth M

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Led by key opinion leaders in the field, the 25th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Biological Therapy of Cancer (iSBTc, recently renamed the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, SITC provided a scientific platform for ~500 attendees to exchange cutting-edge information on basic, clinical, and translational research in cancer immunology and immunotherapy. The meeting included keynote addresses on checkpoint blockade in cancer therapy and recent advances in therapeutic vaccination against cancer induced by Human Papilloma Virus 16. Participants from 29 countries interacted through oral presentations, panel discussions, and posters on topics that included dendritic cells and cancer, targeted therapeutics and immunotherapy, innate/adaptive immune interplay in cancer, clinical trial endpoints, vaccine combinations, countering negative regulation, immune cell trafficking to tumor microenvironment, and adoptive T cell transfer. In addition to the 50 oral presentations and >180 posters on these topics, a new SITC/iSBTc initiative to create evidence-based Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines was announced. The SITC/iSBTc Biomarkers Taskforce announced the release of recommendations on immunotherapy biomarkers and a highly successful symposium on Immuno-Oncology Biomarkers that took place on the campus of the National Institutes of Health (NIH immediately prior to the Annual Meeting. At the Annual Meeting, the NIH took the opportunity to publicly announce the award of the U01 grant that will fund the Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network (CITN. In summary, the Annual Meeting gathered clinicians and scientists from academia, industry, and regulatory agencies from around the globe to interact and exchange important scientific advances related to tumor immunobiology and cancer immunotherapy.

The value of mechanistic biophysical information for systems-level understanding of complex biological processes such as cytokinesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Pollard, Thomas D

2014-12-02

This review illustrates the value of quantitative information including concentrations, kinetic constants and equilibrium constants in modeling and simulating complex biological processes. Although much has been learned about some biological systems without these parameter values, they greatly strengthen mechanistic accounts of dynamical systems. The analysis of muscle contraction is a classic example of the value of combining an inventory of the molecules, atomic structures of the molecules, kinetic constants for the reactions, reconstitutions with purified proteins and theoretical modeling to account for the contraction of whole muscles. A similar strategy is now being used to understand the mechanism of cytokinesis using fission yeast as a favorable model system. Copyright © 2014 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Biophysical approach to low back pain: a pilot report

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Foletti, A.; Pokorný, Jiří

2015-01-01

Roč. 34, č. 2 (2015), s. 156-159 ISSN 1536-8378 Institutional support: RVO:67985882 Keywords : Bioelectromagnetic medicine * Biophysical therapy * Coherence domains Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering Impact factor: 1.208, year: 2015

75 FR 33641 - Announcement of the Career Videos for America's Job Seekers Challenge; Correction

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-14

..., the DOL/ETA will screen, review, and identify the top three career videos in each occupational... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration Announcement of the Career Videos for... Register of May 18, 2010, announcing the Career Videos for America's Job Seekers Challenge. The dates for...

7 CFR 1124.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1124.53 Section 1124.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

DANTE announces new research and education link to India

CERN Multimedia

2006-01-01

"Research networking organization DANTE (Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe) has announced that high-speed communication links for students and researchers between India and Europe are now live." (1 page)

Taking it to the grave: gender, cultural capital, and ethnicity in Turkish death announcements.

Science.gov (United States)

Ergin, Murat

Popularly considered a great equalizer, death and the rituals around it nevertheless accentuate social distinctions. The present study focuses on a sample (N = 2554) of death announcements in a major Turkish daily newspaper (Hürriyet) from 1970 to 2006. Out of the liminal position of Turkish death announcements between obituaries and death notices emerges a large decentralized collection of private decisions responding to death, reflecting attitudes toward gender, ethnic/religious minority status and cultural capital, and echoing the aggregate efforts of privileged groups to maintain a particular self-image. Class closures lead to openings for traditionally under-represented minorities, such as Jewish Turkish citizens and citizens of Greek or Armenian origin. Results reveal that signs of status and power in announcements are largely monopolized by men of Turkish-Muslim origins. Although the changes in the genre-characteristics of death announcements are slow, they correspond to major turning points in Turkish social history.

5 CFR 362.202 - Announcement, nomination, and selection.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... for, as well as a clear interest in and commitment to, leadership in the analysis and management of.... 362.202 Section 362.202 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PRESIDENTIAL MANAGEMENT FELLOWS PROGRAM Program Administration § 362.202 Announcement, nomination...

Does timing and announcement matter?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Adams, Philip D; Andersen, Lill Thanning; Jacobsen, Lars Bo

We address the issue of timing and announcement within a dynamic applied general equilibrium model of the Danish economy. Specifically we analyse the introduction of a quota on the production of pigs. Two scenarios are analysed, namely the introduction of a once-off quota without any previous...... and rental rates when making their investment decisions. Hence, the capital stock starts to adjust from the start of the simulation. When the quota is implemented without warning investors adjusts fully when the quota is implemented. However, the environmental gains are obtained faster in this case due...

Theoretical molecular biophysics

CERN Document Server

Scherer, Philipp O J

2017-01-01

This book gives an introduction to molecular biophysics. It starts from material properties at equilibrium related to polymers, dielectrics and membranes. Electronic spectra are developed for the understanding of elementary dynamic processes in photosynthesis including proton transfer and dynamics of molecular motors. Since the molecular structures of functional groups of bio-systems were resolved, it has become feasible to develop a theory based on the quantum theory and statistical physics with emphasis on the specifics of the high complexity of bio-systems. This introduction to molecular aspects of the field focuses on solvable models. Elementary biological processes provide as special challenge the presence of partial disorder in the structure which does not destroy the basic reproducibility of the processes. Apparently the elementary molecular processes are organized in a way to optimize the efficiency. Learning from nature by means exploring the relation between structure and function may even help to b...

Biophysical dosimetry using electron paramagnetic resonance in human tooth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, R.F.H.; Boreham, D.R.; Rink, W.J.

2002-01-01

Accidental dosimetry utilizing radiation induced paramagnetic species in biophysical tissues like teeth is a technique; that can measure the amount of radiation exposure to an individual. The major problem in implementing this technique at low doses is the presence of native organic signal, and various other artifacts produced as a result of sample processing. After a series of experimental trials, we developed an optimum set of rules, which uses high temperature ultrasonic treatment of enamel in KOH, multiple sample rotation during in-cavity measurement of natural and calibrated added irradiations, and dose construction using a backward extrapolation method. By using this we report the successful dose reconstruction in a few of our laboratory samples in 100 mGy range (76.29 ± 30.14) mGy with reasonably low uncertainty. Keywords: biophysical dosimetry, human tooth enamel, low dose measurements, accidental dosimetry (author)

Radiobiology, biochemistry and radiation biophysics at CYLAB

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ftacnikova, S.

1998-01-01

The Cyclotron Laboratory (CYLAB) should fill the gap in the field of nuclear medicine, radiotherapy, basic research, metrology of ionizing radiation, education and implications of accelerator technology existing today in Slovak Republic. The main planned activities of this facility are in the fields of nuclear medicine (production of radioisotopes for Positron Emission Tomography - PET and for oncology) and radiotherapy (neutron capture therapy, fast neutron therapy and proton therapy). The radiobiological and biophysical research will be closely connected with medical applications, particularly with radiotherapy. Problems to be addressed include the determination of the values of Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE) for different types of ionizing radiation involved in the therapy, microdosimetric measurements and calculations, which are indispensable in the calculation of the absorbed dose (lineal and specific energy spectra) at the cellular and macromolecular level. Radiation biophysics and medical physics help in creating therapeutic plans for radiotherapy (NCT and fast neutron therapy). In nuclear medicine, in diagnostic and therapeutical procedures it is necessary to assess the biodistribution of radiopharmaceuticals and to calculate doses in target and critical organs and to determine whole body burden - effective equivalent dose for newly developed radiopharmaceuticals

Ultrasound assessment of the fetal biophysical profile: What does an radiologist need to know?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guimaraes Filho, Helio Antonio; Araujo Junior, Edward; Marcondes Machado Nardozza, Luciano; Linhares Dias da Costa, Lavoisier; Fernandes Moron, Antonio; Mattar, Rosiane

2008-01-01

Proposed by Frank Manning about 26 years ago, fetal biophysical profile has been incorporated to the propaedeutics of non-invasive fetal well being assessment in high-risk gestations. Despite the existence of other methods for assessing fetal vitality, as Doppler flowmetry, the biophysical profile continues to be important in estimating the risk of hypoxia and perinatal morbimortality for those fetuses. In the present article, the authors review the regulatory mechanisms of fetal biophysical activities, as well as physiological and pathological factors that interfere with them. The main objective of the study is to discuss the present and important aspects of the method, and the practical applications and interpretation of its findings, in order to help radiologists improve their knowledge in this specific area of fetal ultrasonography

77 FR 11127 - Medicaid Program; Announcement of Medicaid Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) Contingency Fee Update

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-24

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS-6034-N] Medicaid Program; Announcement of Medicaid Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) Contingency Fee Update AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: This notice announces an...

A biophysical approach to the optimisation of dendritic-tumour cell electrofusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sukhorukov, Vladimir L.; Reuss, Randolph; Endter, Joerg M.; Fehrmann, Steffen; Katsen-Globa, Alisa; Gessner, Petra; Steinbach, Andrea; Mueller, Kilian J.; Karpas, Abraham; Zimmermann, Ulrich; Zimmermann, Heiko

2006-01-01

Electrofusion of tumour and dendritic cells (DCs) is a promising approach for production of DC-based anti-tumour vaccines. Although human DCs are well characterised immunologically, little is known about their biophysical properties, including dielectric and osmotic parameters, both of which are essential for the development of efficient electrofusion protocols. In the present study, human DCs from the peripheral blood along with a tumour cell line used as a model fusion partner were examined by means of time-resolved cell volumetry and electrorotation. Based on the biophysical cell data, the electrofusion protocol could be rapidly optimised with respect to the sugar composition of the fusion medium, duration of hypotonic treatment, frequency range for stable cell alignment, and field strengths of breakdown pulses triggering membrane fusion. The hypotonic electrofusion consistently gave a tumour-DC hybrid rate of up to 19%, as determined by counting dually labelled fluorescent hybrids in a microscope. This fusion rate is nearly twice as high as that usually reported in the literature for isotonic media. The experimental findings and biophysical approach presented here are generally useful for the development of efficient electrofusion protocols, especially for rare and valuable human cells

Seminal Fluid Analysis And Biophysical Profile: Findings And ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Seminal Fluid Analysis And Biophysical Profile: Findings And Relevance In Infertile Males In Ilorin, Nigeria. EK Oghagbon, AAG Jimoh, SA Adebisi. Abstract. To determine if there was a bearing of body mass index (BMI) on male infertility, a cross-sectional study of males of infertile couples, attending our infertility clinic was ...

78 FR 43145 - Announcing Approval of Federal Information Processing Standard 186-4, Digital Signature Standard

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-19

...-01] Announcing Approval of Federal Information Processing Standard 186-4, Digital Signature Standard.... SUMMARY: This notice announces the Secretary of Commerce's approval of Federal Information Processing... changes are effective on July 19, 2013. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elaine Barker (301) 975-2911...

An ethnographic study: Becoming a physics expert in a biophysics research group

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, Idaykis

Expertise in physics has been traditionally studied in cognitive science, where physics expertise is understood through the difference between novice and expert problem solving skills. The cognitive perspective of physics experts only create a partial model of physics expertise and does not take into account the development of physics experts in the natural context of research. This dissertation takes a social and cultural perspective of learning through apprenticeship to model the development of physics expertise of physics graduate students in a research group. I use a qualitative methodological approach of an ethnographic case study to observe and video record the common practices of graduate students in their biophysics weekly research group meetings. I recorded notes on observations and conduct interviews with all participants of the biophysics research group for a period of eight months. I apply the theoretical framework of Communities of Practice to distinguish the cultural norms of the group that cultivate physics expert practices. Results indicate that physics expertise is specific to a topic or subfield and it is established through effectively publishing research in the larger biophysics research community. The participant biophysics research group follows a learning trajectory for its students to contribute to research and learn to communicate their research in the larger biophysics community. In this learning trajectory students develop expert member competencies to learn to communicate their research and to learn the standards and trends of research in the larger research community. Findings from this dissertation expand the model of physics expertise beyond the cognitive realm and add the social and cultural nature of physics expertise development. This research also addresses ways to increase physics graduate student success towards their PhD. and decrease the 48% attrition rate of physics graduate students. Cultivating effective research

Representing biophysical landscape interactions in soil models by bridging disciplines and scales.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Ploeg, M. J.; Carranza, C.; Teixeira da Silva, R.; te Brake, B.; Baartman, J.; Robinson, D.

2017-12-01

The combination of climate change, population growth and soil threats including carbon loss, biodiversity decline and erosion, increasingly confront the global community (Schwilch et al., 2016). One major challenge in studying processes involved in soil threats, landscape resilience, ecosystem stability, sustainable land management and resulting economic consequences, is that it is an interdisciplinary field (Pelletier et al., 2012). Less stringent scientific disciplinary boundaries are therefore important (Liu et al., 2007), because as a result of disciplinary focus, ambiguity may arise on the understanding of landscape interactions. This is especially true in the interaction between a landscape's physical and biological processes (van der Ploeg et al. 2012). Biophysical landscape interactions are those biotic and abiotic processes in a landscape that have an influence on the developments within and evolution of a landscape. An important aspect in biophysical landscape interactions is the differences in scale related to the various processes that play a role in these systems. Moreover, the interplay between the physical landscape and the occurring vegetation, which often co-evolve, and the resulting heterogeneity and emerging patterns are the reason why it is so challenging to establish a theoretical basis to describe biophysical processes in landscapes (e.g. te Brake et al. 2013, Robinson et al. 2016). Another complicating factor is the response of vegetation to changing environmental conditions, including a possible, and often unknown, time-lag (e.g. Metzger et al., 2009). An integrative description for modelling biophysical interactions has been a long standing goal in soil science (Vereecken et al., 2016). We need the development of soil models that are more focused on networks, connectivity and feedbacks incorporating the most important aspects of our detailed mechanistic modelling (Paola & Leeder, 2011). Additionally, remote sensing measurement techniques

Remote sensing of the Canadian Arctic: Modelling biophysical variables

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Nanfeng

It is anticipated that Arctic vegetation will respond in a variety of ways to altered temperature and precipitation patterns expected with climate change, including changes in phenology, productivity, biomass, cover and net ecosystem exchange. Remote sensing provides data and data processing methodologies for monitoring and assessing Arctic vegetation over large areas. The goal of this research was to explore the potential of hyperspectral and high spatial resolution multispectral remote sensing data for modelling two important Arctic biophysical variables: Percent Vegetation Cover (PVC) and the fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fAPAR). A series of field experiments were conducted to collect PVC and fAPAR at three Canadian Arctic sites: (1) Sabine Peninsula, Melville Island, NU; (2) Cape Bounty Arctic Watershed Observatory (CBAWO), Melville Island, NU; and (3) Apex River Watershed (ARW), Baffin Island, NU. Linear relationships between biophysical variables and Vegetation Indices (VIs) were examined at different spatial scales using field spectra (for the Sabine Peninsula site) and high spatial resolution satellite data (for the CBAWO and ARW sites). At the Sabine Peninsula site, hyperspectral VIs exhibited a better performance for modelling PVC than multispectral VIs due to their capacity for sampling fine spectral features. The optimal hyperspectral bands were located at important spectral features observed in Arctic vegetation spectra, including leaf pigment absorption in the red wavelengths and at the red-edge, leaf water absorption in the near infrared, and leaf cellulose and lignin absorption in the shortwave infrared. At the CBAWO and ARW sites, field PVC and fAPAR exhibited strong correlations (R2 > 0.70) with the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) derived from high-resolution WorldView-2 data. Similarly, high spatial resolution satellite-derived fAPAR was correlated to MODIS fAPAR (R2 = 0.68), with a systematic

Examination of the association between announced inspections and inspection scores.

Science.gov (United States)

Waters, A Blake; VanDerslice, James; Porucznik, Christina A; Kim, Jaewhan; DeLegge, Royal; Durrant, Lynne

2013-09-01

In 2010 the Salt Lake Valley Health Department conducted a pilot of an announced inspection program utilizing a randomized assignment of restaurants to an intervention group with announced inspections and a control group that remained on the usual schedule of unannounced inspections. After adjusting for food type, visible kitchen, outside quality assurance, season, and standardized inspector, significant reductions were found in the odds ratios of personal hygiene (adjusted odds ratios [aOR] = 0.11, p = .00) and equipment cleanliness (aOR = 0.19, p = .00) violations. In the models for the control group, none of the odds ratios were statistically different from one, indicating no change in the postintervention time period as compared to the preintervention period.

Biophysical constraints on leaf expansion in a tall conifer.

Science.gov (United States)

Fredrick C. Meinzer; Barbara J. Bond; Jennifer A. Karanian

2008-01-01

The physiological mechanisms responsible for reduced extension growth as trees increase in height remain elusive. We evaluated biophysical constraints on leaf expansion in old-growth Douglas-fir (Psuedotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) trees. Needle elongation rates, plastic and elastic extensibility, bulk leaf water, (L...

78 FR 48851 - Wireline Competition Bureau Announces Closing of the Bureau's Cost Model Virtual Workshop

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-12

... Competition Bureau Announces Closing of the Bureau's Cost Model Virtual Workshop AGENCY: Federal... Wireline Competition Bureau announces the closing of the Bureau's Connect America Cost Model (CAM) virtual...-90. The Bureau has not yet finalized and adopted a cost model, and will raise any additional...

Biophysics and cancer

CERN Document Server

Nicolini, Claudio

1986-01-01

Since the early times of the Greek philosophers Leucippus and Democritus, and later of the Roman philosopher Lucretius, a simple, fundamental idea emerged that brought the life sciences into the realm of the physical sciences. Atoms, after various interactions, were assumed to acquire stable configurations that corresponded either to the living or to the inanimate world. This simple and unitary theory, which has evolved in successive steps to our present time, remarkably maintained its validity despite several centuries of alternative vicissitudes, and is the foundation of modern biophysics. Some of the recent developments of this ancient idea are the discovery of the direct relationship between spatial structures and chemical activity of such molecules as methane and benzene, and the later discovery of the three-dimensional structure of double-helical DNA, and of its relationship with biological activity. The relationship between the structure of various macromolecules and the function of living cells was on...

Biophysical aspects of using liposomes as delivery vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Ulrich, Anne S

2002-04-01

Liposomes are used as biocompatible carriers of drugs, peptides, proteins, plasmic DNA, antisense oligonucleotides or ribozymes, for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and biochemical purposes. The enormous versatility in particle size and in the physical parameters of the lipids affords an attractive potential for constructing tailor-made vehicles for a wide range of applications. Some of the recent literature will be reviewed here and presented from a biophysical point of view, thus providing a background for the more specialized articles in this special issue on liposome technology. Different properties (size, colloidal behavior, phase transitions, and polymorphism) of diverse lipid formulations (liposomes, lipoplexes, cubic phases, emulsions, and solid lipid nanoparticles) for distinct applications (parenteral, transdermal, pulmonary, and oral administration) will be rationalized in terms of common structural, thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of the lipids. This general biophysical basis helps to understand pharmaceutically relevant aspects such as liposome stability during storage and towards serum, the biodistribution and specific targeting of cargo, and how to trigger drug release and membrane fusion. Methods for the preparation and characterization of liposomal formulations in vitro will be outlined, too.

Epigenetic modulation of the biophysical properties of drug-resistant cell lipids to restore drug transport and endocytic functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Vijayaraghavalu, Sivakumar; Peetla, Chiranjeevi; Lu, Shan; Labhasetwar, Vinod

2012-09-04

In our recent studies exploring the biophysical characteristics of resistant cell lipids, and the role they play in drug transport, we demonstrated the difference of drug-resistant breast cancer cells from drug-sensitive cells in lipid composition and biophysical properties, suggesting that cancer cells acquire a drug-resistant phenotype through the alteration of lipid synthesis to inhibit intracellular drug transport to protect from cytotoxic effect. In cancer cells, epigenetic changes (e.g., DNA hypermethylation) are essential to maintain this drug-resistant phenotype. Thus, altered lipid synthesis may be linked to epigenetic mechanisms of drug resistance. We hypothesize that reversing DNA hypermethylation in resistant cells with an epigenetic drug could alter lipid synthesis, changing the cell membrane's biophysical properties to facilitate drug delivery to overcome drug resistance. Herein we show that treating drug-resistant breast cancer cells (MCF-7/ADR) with the epigenetic drug 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (decitabine) significantly alters cell lipid composition and biophysical properties, causing the resistant cells to acquire biophysical characteristics similar to those of sensitive cell (MCF-7) lipids. Following decitabine treatment, resistant cells demonstrated increased sphingomyelinase activity, resulting in a decreased sphingomyelin level that influenced lipid domain structures, increased membrane fluidity, and reduced P-glycoprotein expression. Changes in the biophysical characteristics of resistant cell lipids facilitated doxorubicin transport and restored endocytic function for drug delivery with a lipid-encapsulated form of doxorubicin, enhancing the drug efficacy. In conclusion, we have established a new mechanism for efficacy of an epigenetic drug, mediated through changes in lipid composition and biophysical properties, in reversing cancer drug resistance.

The International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT) Announces ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT) Announces: Registration of Plant Names, Test and Trial Phase (1998-1999). KL Wilson. Abstract. Journal of East African Natural History Vol. 85 (1&2) 1996: 91-93. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors ...

Biophysical Evaluation of Food Decontamination Effects on Tissue and Bacteria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Ann Zahle; Duelund, Lars; Brewer, Jonathan

2011-01-01

Traditionally, the effects and efficiency of food surface decontamination processes, such as chlorine washing, radiation, or heating, have been evaluated by sensoric analysis and colony-forming unit (CFU) counts of surface swabs or carcass rinses. These methods suffice when determining probable...... consumer responses or meeting legislative contamination limits. However, in the often very costly, optimization process of a new method, more quantitative and unbiased results are invaluable. In this study, we employed a biophysical approach for the investigation of qualitative and quantitative changes...... that there are no contradictions between data obtained by either approach. However, the biophysical methods draw a much more nuanced picture of the effects and efficiency of the investigated decontamination method, revealing, e.g., an exponential dose/response relationship between SonoSteam® treatment time and changes in collagen...

A biotic video game smart phone kit for formal and informal biophysics education

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Honesty; Lee, Seung Ah; Riedel-Kruse, Ingmar

2015-03-01

Novel ways for formal and informal biophysics education are important. We present a low-cost biotic game design kit that incorporates microbial organisms into an interactive gaming experience: A 3D-printable microscope containing four LEDs controlled by a joystick enable human players to provide directional light stimuli to the motile single-celled organism Euglena gracilis. These cellular behaviors are displayed on the integrated smart phone. Real time cell-tracking couples these cells into interactive biotic video game play, i.e., the human player steers Euglena to play soccer with virtual balls and goals. The player's learning curve in mastering this fun game is intrinsically coupled to develop a deeper knowledge about Euglena's cell morphology and the biophysics of its phototactic behavior. This kit is dual educational - via construction and via play - and it provides an engaging theme for a formal biophysics devices class as well as to be presented in informal outreach activities; its low cost and open soft- and hardware should enable wide adoption.

Biophysical and lipofection studies of DOTAP analogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Regelin, A E; Fankhaenel, S; Gürtesch, L; Prinz, C; von Kiedrowski, G; Massing, U

2000-03-15

In order to investigate the relationship between lipid structure and liposome-mediated gene transfer, we have studied biophysical parameters and transfection properties of monocationic DOTAP analogs, systematically modified in their non-polar hydrocarbon chains. Stability, size and (by means of anisotropy profiles) membrane fluidity of liposomes and lipoplexes were determined, and lipofection efficiency was tested in a luciferase reporter gene assay. DOTAP analogs were used as single components or combined with a helper lipid, either DOPE or cholesterol. Stability of liposomes was a precondition for formation of temporarily stable lipoplexes. Addition of DOPE or cholesterol improved liposome and lipoplex stability. Transfection efficiencies of lipoplexes based on pure DOTAP analogs could be correlated with stability data and membrane fluidity at transfection temperature. Inclusion of DOPE led to rather uniform transfection and anisotropy profiles, corresponding to lipoplex stability. Cholesterol-containing lipoplexes were generally stable, showing high transfection efficiency at low relative fluidity. Our results demonstrate that the efficiency of gene transfer mediated by monocationic lipids is greatly influenced by lipoplex biophysics due to lipid composition. The measurement of fluorescence anisotropy is an appropriate method to characterize membrane fluidity within a defined system of liposomes or lipoplexes and may be helpful to elucidate structure-activity relationships.

Antimicrobial and biophysical properties of surfactant supplemented with an antimicrobial peptide for treatment of bacterial pneumonia.

Science.gov (United States)

Banaschewski, Brandon J H; Veldhuizen, Edwin J A; Keating, Eleonora; Haagsman, Henk P; Zuo, Yi Y; Yamashita, Cory M; Veldhuizen, Ruud A W

2015-01-01

Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections represent an emerging health concern in clinical settings, and a lack of novel developments in the pharmaceutical pipeline is creating a "perfect storm" for multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been suggested as future therapeutics for these drug-resistant bacteria, since they have potent broad-spectrum activity, with little development of resistance. Due to the unique structure of the lung, bacterial pneumonia has the additional problem of delivering antimicrobials to the site of infection. One potential solution is coadministration of AMPs with exogenous surfactant, allowing for distribution of the peptides to distal airways and opening of collapsed lung regions. The objective of this study was to test various surfactant-AMP mixtures with regard to maintaining pulmonary surfactant biophysical properties and bactericidal functions. We compared the properties of four AMPs (CATH-1, CATH-2, CRAMP, and LL-37) suspended in bovine lipid-extract surfactant (BLES) by assessing surfactant-AMP mixture biophysical and antimicrobial functions. Antimicrobial activity was tested against methillicin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All AMP/surfactant mixtures exhibited an increase of spreading compared to a BLES control. BLES+CATH-2 mixtures had no significantly different minimum surface tension versus the BLES control. Compared to the other cathelicidins, CATH-2 retained the most bactericidal activity in the presence of BLES. The BLES+CATH-2 mixture appears to be an optimal surfactant-AMP mixture based on in vitro assays. Future directions involve investigating the potential of this mixture in animal models of bacterial pneumonia. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Biophysical approach to low back pain: a pilot report.

Science.gov (United States)

Foletti, Alberto; Pokorný, Jiry

2015-01-01

Since biophysical treatment has been reported to be effective in the general management of pain, we decided to assess the specific effect and treatment duration of this therapeutic strategy in low back pain. We were interested in verifying the possibility that a single clinical procedure could reduce pain and improve patients' quality of life within a period of three months. An Electromagnetic Information Transfer Through Aqueous System was employed to record endogenous therapeutic signals from each individual using an electromagnetic recording device (Med Select 729). A highly significant reduction in the Roland Morris low back pain and disability questionnaire score was observed after 3 months following a single biophysical intervention (11.83 ± 6 at baseline versus 2.3 ± 3.25 at 3 months, p < 0.0001). This preliminary report provides further evidence of the theoretical implications and clinical applications of Quantum Electro Dynamic concepts in biology and medicine.

Quantum-Sequencing: Biophysics of quantum tunneling through nucleic acids

Science.gov (United States)

Casamada Ribot, Josep; Chatterjee, Anushree; Nagpal, Prashant

2014-03-01

Tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy has extensively been used in physical surface sciences to study quantum tunneling to measure electronic local density of states of nanomaterials and to characterize adsorbed species. Quantum-Sequencing (Q-Seq) is a new method based on tunneling microscopy for electronic sequencing of single molecule of nucleic acids. A major goal of third-generation sequencing technologies is to develop a fast, reliable, enzyme-free single-molecule sequencing method. Here, we present the unique ``electronic fingerprints'' for all nucleotides on DNA and RNA using Q-Seq along their intrinsic biophysical parameters. We have analyzed tunneling spectra for the nucleotides at different pH conditions and analyzed the HOMO, LUMO and energy gap for all of them. In addition we show a number of biophysical parameters to further characterize all nucleobases (electron and hole transition voltage and energy barriers). These results highlight the robustness of Q-Seq as a technique for next-generation sequencing.

Biophysical processes in the Indian Ocean

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Mc; Murtugudde, R.; Vialard, J.; Vinayachandran, P.N.; Wiggert, J.D.; Hood, R.R.; Shankar, D.; Shetye, S.R.

Ocean Biogeochemical Processes and Ecological Variability Geophysical Monograph Series 185 Copyright 200� by the American Geophysical Union. 10.102�/2008GM000768 Biophysical Processes in the Indian Ocean J. P. McCreary, 1 R. Murtugudde, 2 J. Vialard, 3...) also plots the upper-layer thickness, h 1 , from the model of McCreary et al. [1��3] (hereinafter referred to as MKM); h 1 simulates the structure of the top of the actual thermocline reasonably well, except that it is somewhat too thin from 5...

IDRC and the Government of India announce their renewed support ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2018-02-22

Feb 22, 2018 ... IDRC and the Government of India announce their renewed support for research ... challenges in areas including agriculture and environment, inclusive economies, and technology and innovation. ... Related content ...

Hierarchy and Interactions in Environmental Interfaces Regarded as Biophysical Complex Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Mihailovic, Dragutin T.; Balaz, Igor

The field of environmental sciences is abundant with various interfaces and is the right place for the application of new fundamental approaches leading towards a better understanding of environmental phenomena. For example, following the definition of environmental interface by Mihailovic and Balaž [23], such interface can be placed between: human or animal bodies and surrounding air, aquatic species and water and air around them, and natural or artificially built surfaces (vegetation, ice, snow, barren soil, water, urban communities) and the atmosphere. Complex environmental interface systems are open and hierarchically organised, interactions between their constituent parts are nonlinear, and the interaction with the surrounding environment is noisy. These systems are therefore very sensitive to initial conditions, deterministic external perturbations and random fluctuations always present in nature. The study of noisy non-equilibrium processes is fundamental for modelling the dynamics of environmental interface systems and for understanding the mechanisms of spatio-temporal pattern formation in contemporary environmental sciences, particularly in environmental fluid mechanics. In modelling complex biophysical systems one of the main tasks is to successfully create an operative interface with the external environment. It should provide a robust and prompt translation of the vast diversity of external physical and/or chemical changes into a set of signals, which are "understandable" for an organism. Although the establishment of organisation in any system is of crucial importance for its functioning, it should not be forgotten that in biophysical systems we deal with real-life problems where a number of other conditions should be reached in order to put the system to work. One of them is the proper supply of the system by the energy. Therefore, we will investigate an aspect of dynamics of energy flow based on the energy balance equation. The energy as well as

Linking biophysical models and public preferences for ecosystem service assessments: a case study for the Southern Rocky Mountains

Science.gov (United States)

Bagstad, Kenneth J.; Reed, James; Semmens, Darius J.; Sherrouse, Ben C.; Troy, Austin

2016-01-01

Through extensive research, ecosystem services have been mapped using both survey-based and biophysical approaches, but comparative mapping of public values and those quantified using models has been lacking. In this paper, we mapped hot and cold spots for perceived and modeled ecosystem services by synthesizing results from a social-values mapping study of residents living near the Pike–San Isabel National Forest (PSI), located in the Southern Rocky Mountains, with corresponding biophysically modeled ecosystem services. Social-value maps for the PSI were developed using the Social Values for Ecosystem Services tool, providing statistically modeled continuous value surfaces for 12 value types, including aesthetic, biodiversity, and life-sustaining values. Biophysically modeled maps of carbon sequestration and storage, scenic viewsheds, sediment regulation, and water yield were generated using the Artificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services tool. Hotspots for both perceived and modeled services were disproportionately located within the PSI’s wilderness areas. Additionally, we used regression analysis to evaluate spatial relationships between perceived biodiversity and cultural ecosystem services and corresponding biophysical model outputs. Our goal was to determine whether publicly valued locations for aesthetic, biodiversity, and life-sustaining values relate meaningfully to results from corresponding biophysical ecosystem service models. We found weak relationships between perceived and biophysically modeled services, indicating that public perception of ecosystem service provisioning regions is limited. We believe that biophysical and social approaches to ecosystem service mapping can serve as methodological complements that can advance ecosystem services-based resource management, benefitting resource managers by showing potential locations of synergy or conflict between areas supplying ecosystem services and those valued by the public.

Effects of LiDAR point density, sampling size and height threshold on estimation accuracy of crop biophysical parameters.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Shezhou; Chen, Jing M; Wang, Cheng; Xi, Xiaohuan; Zeng, Hongcheng; Peng, Dailiang; Li, Dong

2016-05-30

Vegetation leaf area index (LAI), height, and aboveground biomass are key biophysical parameters. Corn is an important and globally distributed crop, and reliable estimations of these parameters are essential for corn yield forecasting, health monitoring and ecosystem modeling. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is considered an effective technology for estimating vegetation biophysical parameters. However, the estimation accuracies of these parameters are affected by multiple factors. In this study, we first estimated corn LAI, height and biomass (R2 = 0.80, 0.874 and 0.838, respectively) using the original LiDAR data (7.32 points/m2), and the results showed that LiDAR data could accurately estimate these biophysical parameters. Second, comprehensive research was conducted on the effects of LiDAR point density, sampling size and height threshold on the estimation accuracy of LAI, height and biomass. Our findings indicated that LiDAR point density had an important effect on the estimation accuracy for vegetation biophysical parameters, however, high point density did not always produce highly accurate estimates, and reduced point density could deliver reasonable estimation results. Furthermore, the results showed that sampling size and height threshold were additional key factors that affect the estimation accuracy of biophysical parameters. Therefore, the optimal sampling size and the height threshold should be determined to improve the estimation accuracy of biophysical parameters. Our results also implied that a higher LiDAR point density, larger sampling size and height threshold were required to obtain accurate corn LAI estimation when compared with height and biomass estimations. In general, our results provide valuable guidance for LiDAR data acquisition and estimation of vegetation biophysical parameters using LiDAR data.

Lord Sainsbury announces outcome of Research Council review

CERN Multimedia

Dept. Trade & Industry

2002-01-01

Science and Innovation Minister, Lord Sainsbury, today announced the outcome of a review of the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC). The report is the second stage of a five-yearly review, which outlines ways to strengthen and promote greater value for money from the UK's investment in science (1 page).

76 FR 7817 - Announcing Draft Federal Information Processing Standard 180-4, Secure Hash Standard, and Request...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-11

...-02] Announcing Draft Federal Information Processing Standard 180-4, Secure Hash Standard, and Request... and request for comments. SUMMARY: This notice announces the Draft Federal Information Processing..., Information Technology Laboratory, Attention: Comments on Draft FIPS 180-4, 100 Bureau Drive--Stop 8930...

Modelling benthic biophysical drivers of ecosystem structure and biogeochemical response

Science.gov (United States)

Stephens, Nicholas; Bruggeman, Jorn; Lessin, Gennadi; Allen, Icarus

2016-04-01

The fate of carbon deposited at the sea floor is ultimately decided by biophysical drivers that control the efficiency of remineralisation and timescale of carbon burial in sediments. Specifically, these drivers include bioturbation through ingestion and movement, burrow-flushing and sediment reworking, which enhance vertical particulate transport and solute diffusion. Unfortunately, these processes are rarely satisfactorily resolved in models. To address this, a benthic model that explicitly describes the vertical position of biology (e.g., habitats) and biogeochemical processes is presented that includes biological functionality and biogeochemical response capturing changes in ecosystem structure, benthic-pelagic fluxes and biodiversity on inter-annual timescales. This is demonstrated by the model's ability to reproduce temporal variability in benthic infauna, vertical pore water nutrients and pelagic-benthic solute fluxes compared to in-situ data. A key advance is the replacement of bulk parameterisation of bioturbation by explicit description of the bio-physical processes responsible. This permits direct comparison with observations and determination of key parameters in experiments. Crucially, the model resolves the two-way interaction between sediment biogeochemistry and ecology, allowing exploration of the benthic response to changing environmental conditions, the importance of infaunal functional traits in shaping benthic ecological structure and the feedback the resulting bio-physical processes exert on pore water nutrient profiles. The model is actively being used to understand shelf sea carbon cycling, the response of the benthos to climatic change, food provision and other societal benefits.

Developing a protocol for managing the biophysical condition of a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Their function will focus on the overall management of water resources on a ... for the integrated management of the biophysical component of a catchment, with ... and implement a protocol which will combine and integrate the knowledge of ...

Biophysical properties of the normal-sized aorta in patients with Marfan syndrome: evaluation with MR flow mapping

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groenink, M.; de Roos, A.; Mulder, B. J.; Verbeeten, B.; Timmermans, J.; Zwinderman, A. H.; Spaan, J. A.; van der Wall, E. E.

2001-01-01

PURPOSE: To investigate the feasibility of magnetic resonance (MR) flow mapping in the assessment of aortic biophysical properties in patients with Marfan syndrome and to detect differences in biophysical properties in the normal-sized aorta distal to the aortic root between these patients and

77 FR 38070 - Office of Refugee Resettlement; Announcing the Award of a Single-Source Program Expansion...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-26

....676] Office of Refugee Resettlement; Announcing the Award of a Single- Source Program Expansion... (BCFS) in San Antonio, TX AGENCY: Office of Refugee Resettlement, ACF, HHS. ACTION: The Office of Refugee Resettlement announces the award of a single-source program expansion supplement grant from its...

A Method Sustaining the Bioelectric, Biophysical, and Bioenergetic Function of Cultured Rabbit Atrial Cells

OpenAIRE

Noa Kirschner Peretz; Sofia Segal; Limor Arbel-Ganon; Ronen Ben Jehuda; Ronen Ben Jehuda; Yuval Shemer; Yuval Shemer; Binyamin Eisen; Binyamin Eisen; Moran Davoodi; Ofer Binah; Ofer Binah; Yael Yaniv

2017-01-01

Culturing atrial cells leads to a loss in their ability to be externally paced at physiological rates and to maintain their shape. We aim to develop a culture method that sustains the shape of atrial cells along with their biophysical and bioenergetic properties in response to physiological pacing. We hypothesize that adding 2,3-Butanedione 2-monoxime (BDM), which inhibits contraction during the culture period, will preserve these biophysical and bioenergetic properties. Rabbit atrial cells w...

Nanoscale biophysics of the cell

CERN Document Server

Ashrafuzzaman, Mohammad

2018-01-01

Macroscopic cellular structures and functions are generally investigated using biological and biochemical approaches. But these methods are no longer adequate when one needs to penetrate deep into the small-scale structures and understand their functions. The cell is found to hold various physical structures, molecular machines, and processes that require physical and mathematical approaches to understand and indeed manipulate them. Disorders in general cellular compartments, perturbations in single molecular structures, drug distribution therein, and target specific drug-binding, etc. are mostly physical phenomena. This book will show how biophysics has revolutionized our way of addressing the science and technology of nanoscale structures of cells, and also describes the potential for manipulating the events that occur in them.

Effects of Anti-Smoking Public Service Announcements on the Attitudes of Korean College Students toward Smoking.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Kyoung Won; Lee, Jakyoung; Ryu, Ji-Hye; Kim, Soo Jeong

2017-12-01

This study aimed to identify the effects of anti-smoking public service announcements on the attitudes of Korean college students toward smoking. This study involved students via convenience sampling from seven universities who were randomly assigned to four groups. All groups completed a preliminary questionnaire, before being shown a public service announcement twice, and then completed a post viewing questionnaire. For announcements with positive messages, the proportion of changes in beliefs and attitudes were 39.1% and 19.8%, respectively, whereas those with negative messages showed a greater proportion of changes in the beliefs (59.7%) and attitudes (40.3%). After adjusting for sex and change in belief, the message types and smoking status were identified as factors affecting the change in the participants attitudes. A negative message resulted in a greater change in attitudes (odds ratio [OR], 3.047; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.847-5.053). Ever-smokers including current smokers showed a greater positive change in attitude than never-smokers (OR, 6.965; 95% CI, 4.107-11.812). This study found that positive anti-smoking public service announcements were more effective on attitude change than negative messages. Additionally these announcements were more effective among viewers who were current smokers or had a prior smoking experience.

Why are convertible bond announcements associated with increasingly negative abnormal stock returns? An arbitrage-based explanation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Duca, E.; Dutordoir, M.; Veld, C.; Verwijmeren, P.

2012-01-01

While convertible offerings announced between 1984 and 1999 induce average abnormal stock returns of -1.69%, convertible announcement effects over the period 2000-2008 are more than twice as negative (-4.59%). We hypothesize that this evolution is attributable to a shift in the convertible bond

Trading in Target Stocks Before Takeover Announcements: An Analysis of Stock and Option Markets

OpenAIRE

Marcus Clements; Harminder Singh; Antonie Van Eekelen

2007-01-01

In this study we examine both informed trading and contraire trading preceding takeover announcements on US target firms. Our findings suggest that both informed trading and contraire trading exists within the period preceding takeover announcements on both the stock and option markets as evident through abnormal returns and trading volumes. In regard to contraire trading, this study investigates possible explanations for its existence including liquidity clustering, falsely informed trading ...

Coupling Biophysical and Socioeconomic Models for Coral Reef Systems in Quintana Roo, Mexican Caribbean

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jessica Melbourne-Thomas

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Transdisciplinary approaches that consider both socioeconomic and biophysical processes are central to understanding and managing rapid change in coral reef systems worldwide. To date, there have been limited attempts to couple the two sets of processes in dynamic models for coral reefs, and these attempts are confined to reef systems in developed countries. We present an approach to coupling existing biophysical and socioeconomic models for coral reef systems in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. The biophysical model is multiscale, using dynamic equations to capture local-scale ecological processes on individual reefs, with reefs connected at regional scales by the ocean transport of larval propagules. The agent-based socioeconomic model simulates changes in tourism, fisheries, and urbanization in the Quintana Roo region. Despite differences in the formulation and currencies of the two models, we were able to successfully modify and integrate them to synchronize and define information flows and feedbacks between them. A preliminary evaluation of the coupled model system indicates that the model gives reasonable predictions for fisheries and ecological variables and can be used to examine scenarios for future social-ecological change in Quintana Roo. We provide recommendations for where efforts might usefully be focused in future attempts to integrate models of biophysical and socioeconomic processes, based on the limitations of our coupled system.

Winnowing and Flocculation in Bio-physical Cohesive Substrate: A Flume Experimental and Estuarine Study

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, L.; Parsons, D. R.; Manning, A. J.

2016-12-01

Cohesive sediment, or mud, is ubiquitously found in most aqueous environments, such as coasts and estuaries. The study of cohesive sediment behaviors requires the synchronous description of mutual interactions of grains (e.g., winnowing and flocculation), their physical properties (e.g., grain size) and also the ambient water. Herein, a series of flume experiments (14 runs) with different substrate mixtures of sand-clay-EPS (Extracellular Polymeric Substrates: secreted by aquatic microorganisms) are combined with an estuarine field survey (Dee estuary, NW England) to investigate the behavior of suspensions over bio-physical cohesive substrates. The experimental results indicate that winnowing and flocculation occur pervasively in bio-physical cohesive flow systems. Importantly however, the evolution of the bed and bedform dynamics and hence turbulence production can be lower when cohesivity is high. The estuarine survey also revealed that the bio-physical cohesion provided by both the clay and microorganism fractions in the bed, that pervasively exists in many natural estuarine systems, plays a significant role in controlling the interactions between bed substrate and sediment suspension and deposition, including controlling processes such as sediment winnowing, flocculation and re-deposition. Full understanding of these processes are essential in advancing sediment transport modelling and prediction studies across natural estuarine systems and the work will report on an improved conceptual model for sediment sorting deposition in bio-physical cohesive substrates.

Adaptation of water resources systems to changing society and environment: a statement by the International Association of Hydrological Sciences

OpenAIRE

Serena Ceola; Alberto Montanari; Tobias Krueger; Fiona Dyer; H. Kreibich; Ida Westerberg; Gemma Carr; Christophe Cudennec; Amin Elshorbagy; Hubert Savenije; Pieter van der Zaag; Dan Rosbjerg; Hafzullah Aksoy; Francesco Viola; Guido Petrucci

2016-01-01

We explore how to address the challenges of adaptation of water resources systems under changing conditions by supporting flexible, resilient and low-regret solutions, coupled with on-going monitoring and evaluation. This will require improved understanding of the linkages between biophysical and social aspects in order to better anticipate the possible future co-evolution of water systems and society. We also present a call to enhance the dialogue and foster the actions of governments, the i...

78 FR 34395 - Announcement of Foreign-Trade Zones Test

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-07

...) business days of release. The FTZ test is intended to evaluate whether liberalizing certain FTZ operational... notice. SUMMARY: This notice announces U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (``CBP's'') plan to conduct a... FTZ operational procedures will impact CBP's obligations. I. CBP Form 216 Not Required for...

Anti-pulmonary fibrotic activity of salvianolic acid B was screened by a novel method based on the cyto-biophysical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Miao; Zheng, Mingjing; Xu, Hanying; Liu, Lianqing; Li, Yanchun; Xiao, Wei; Li, Jianchun; Ma, Enlong

2015-01-01

Various methods have been used to evaluate anti-fibrotic activity of drugs. However, most of them are complicated, labor-intensive and lack of efficiency. This study was intended to develop a rapid method for anti-fibrotic drugs screening based on biophysical properties. A549 cells in vitro were stimulated with transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and fibrogenesis was confirmed by conventional immunological assays. Meanwhile, the alterations of cyto-biophysical properties including morphology, roughness and stiffness were measured utilizing atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was found that fibrogenesis was accompanied with changes of cellular biophysical properties. TGF-β1-stimulated A549 cells became remarkably longer, rougher and stiffer than the control. Then, the effect of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) as a positive drug on ameliorating fibrogenesis in TGF-β1-stimulated A549 cells was verified respectively by immunological and biophysical markers. The result of Principal Component Analysis showed that stiffness was a leading index among all biophysical markers during fibrogenesis. Salvianolic acid B (SalB), a natural anti-oxidant, was detected by AFM to protect TGF-β1-stimulated A549 cells against stiffening. Then, SalB treatment was provided in preventive mode on a rat model of bleomycin (BLM) -induced pulmonary fibrosis. The results showed that SalB treatment significantly ameliorated BLM-induced histological alterations, blocked collagen accumulations and reduced α-SMA expression in lung tissues. All these results revealed the anti-pulmonary fibrotic activity of SalB. Detection of cyto-biophysical properties were therefore recommended as a rapid method for anti-pulmonary fibrotic drugs screening. - Highlights: • Fibrogenesis was accompanied with the changes of cyto-biophysical properties. • Cyto-biophysical properties could be markers for anti-fibrotic drugs screening. • Stiffness is a leading index among all biophysical markers. • SalB was

Anti-pulmonary fibrotic activity of salvianolic acid B was screened by a novel method based on the cyto-biophysical properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Miao; Zheng, Mingjing; Xu, Hanying [Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016 (China); Liu, Lianqing [Shenyang Institute of Automation China Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016 (China); Li, Yanchun [Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016 (China); Xiao, Wei [Jiangsu Kanion Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nanjing, 222001 (China); Li, Jianchun, E-mail: lijianchun0317@sina.com.cn [Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016 (China); Ma, Enlong, E-mail: enlong_ma2014@hotmail.com [Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016 (China); Jiangsu Kanion Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nanjing, 222001 (China)

2015-12-04

Various methods have been used to evaluate anti-fibrotic activity of drugs. However, most of them are complicated, labor-intensive and lack of efficiency. This study was intended to develop a rapid method for anti-fibrotic drugs screening based on biophysical properties. A549 cells in vitro were stimulated with transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and fibrogenesis was confirmed by conventional immunological assays. Meanwhile, the alterations of cyto-biophysical properties including morphology, roughness and stiffness were measured utilizing atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was found that fibrogenesis was accompanied with changes of cellular biophysical properties. TGF-β1-stimulated A549 cells became remarkably longer, rougher and stiffer than the control. Then, the effect of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) as a positive drug on ameliorating fibrogenesis in TGF-β1-stimulated A549 cells was verified respectively by immunological and biophysical markers. The result of Principal Component Analysis showed that stiffness was a leading index among all biophysical markers during fibrogenesis. Salvianolic acid B (SalB), a natural anti-oxidant, was detected by AFM to protect TGF-β1-stimulated A549 cells against stiffening. Then, SalB treatment was provided in preventive mode on a rat model of bleomycin (BLM) -induced pulmonary fibrosis. The results showed that SalB treatment significantly ameliorated BLM-induced histological alterations, blocked collagen accumulations and reduced α-SMA expression in lung tissues. All these results revealed the anti-pulmonary fibrotic activity of SalB. Detection of cyto-biophysical properties were therefore recommended as a rapid method for anti-pulmonary fibrotic drugs screening. - Highlights: • Fibrogenesis was accompanied with the changes of cyto-biophysical properties. • Cyto-biophysical properties could be markers for anti-fibrotic drugs screening. • Stiffness is a leading index among all biophysical markers. • SalB was

[Leaking: Frequency and correlates of announcements and threats of homicidal violence reported by Berlin schools between 1996 and 2007].

Science.gov (United States)

Leuschner, Vincenz; Bondü, Rebecca; Allroggen, Marc; Scheithauer, Herbert

2016-01-01

Threats and announcements of homicidal violence at schools may have massive consequences like evacuations, police searches, criminal investigations, or loss of the sense of security by students, teachers, and parents. However, there is a lack of systematic studies about that phenomenon. The present article would like to contribute to closing the research gap. It presents results about the frequency and structure of threats and announcements of homicidal violence in schools in Berlin. The study is based on an official dataset from school administration reports of violent acts in Berlin schools which has been studied within the Berlin Leaking-Projekt. The sample consists of 427 threats and announcements of homicidal violence between 1996 and 2007. The study is an exceptional analysis of the phenomenon: it presents crosscutting results about frequency and characteristics of threats and the threatening students as well as results of a longitudinal analysis about the development of threats and announcements. Results show a rate of 0,3 threats and announcements per 1 000 student and year. During the observation time span a steady increase of threats and announcements – year by year, influenced by imitation effects after school shootings – has been observed.

Synchrotron radiation applications in biophysics and medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burattini, E.

1985-01-01

The peculiar properties of synchrotron radiation are briefly summarized. A short review on the possible applications of synchrotron radiation in two important fields like Biophysics and Medicine is presented. Details are given on experiments both in progress and carried out in many synchrotron radiation facilities, all over the world, using different techniques like X-ray absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence microanalysis, X-ray microscopy and digital subtraction angiography. Some news about the photon-activation therapy are briefly reported too

Short-Term Memory and Its Biophysical Model

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei; Zhang, Kai; Tang, Xiao-wei

1996-12-01

The capacity of short-term memory has been studied using an integrate-and-fire neuronal network model. It is found that the storage of events depend on the manner of the correlation between the events, and the capacity is dominated by the value of after-depolarization potential. There is a monotonic increasing relationship between the value of after-depolarization potential and the memory numbers. The biophysics relevance of the network model is discussed and different kinds of the information processes are studied too.

Enhancing the biophysical properties of mRFP1 through incorporation of fluoroproline

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deepankumar, Kanagavel; Nadarajan, Saravanan Prabhu; Ayyadurai, Niraikulam; Yun, Hyungdon, E-mail: hyungdon@ynu.ac.kr

2013-11-01

Graphical abstract: Enhancing the biophysical properties of mRFP1 through incorporation of (2S, 4R)-4-fluoroproline at proline residues after mutating non-permissive site Pro63 into Ala. -- Highlights: •We incorporate (4S)-FP into mRFP1 led to insoluble protein. •Whereas, incorporation of (4R)-FP resulted in soluble but lost its fluorescence. •mRFP1-P63A mutant accommodate (4R)-FP and gave soluble protein with fluorescence. •Moreover mRFP1-P63A[(4R)-FP] showed enhanced biophysical properties of protein. -- Abstract: Here we enhanced the stability and biophysical properties of mRFP1 through a combination of canonical and non-canonical amino acid mutagenesis. The global replacement of proline residue with (2S, 4R)-4-fluoroproline [(4R)-FP] into mRFP1 led to soluble protein but lost its fluorescence, whereas (2S, 4S)-4-fluoroproline [(4S)-FP] incorporation resulted in insoluble protein. The bioinformatics analysis revealed that (4R)-FP incorporation at Pro63 caused fluorescence loss due to the steric hindrance of fluorine atom of (4R)-FP with the chromophore. Therefore, Pro63 residue was mutated with the smallest amino acid Ala to maintain non coplanar conformation of the chromophore and helps to retain its fluorescence with (4R)-FP incorporation. The incorporation of (4R)-FP into mRFP1-P63A showed about 2–3-fold enhancement in thermal and chemical stability. The rate of maturation is also greatly accelerated over the presence of (4R)-FP into mRFP1-P63A. Our study showed that a successful enhancement in the biophysical property of mRFP1-P63A[(4R)-FP] using non-canonical amino acid mutagenesis after mutating non-permissive site Pro63 into Ala.

Materials science and biophysics applications at the ISOLDE radioactive ion beam facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wahl, U., E-mail: uwahl@itn.pt [Instituto Tecnologico e Nuclear, Estrada Nacional 10, 2686-953 Sacavem (Portugal); Centro de Fisica Nuclear da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto 2, 1649-003 Lisboa (Portugal)

2011-12-15

The ISOLDE isotope separator facility at CERN provides a variety of radioactive ion beams, currently more than 800 different isotopes from {approx}70 chemical elements. The radioisotopes are produced on-line by nuclear reactions from a 1.4 GeV proton beam with various types of targets, outdiffusion of the reaction products and, if possible, chemically selective ionisation, followed by 60 kV acceleration and mass separation. While ISOLDE is mainly used for nuclear and atomic physics studies, applications in materials science and biophysics account for a significant part (currently {approx}15%) of the delivered beam time, requested by 18 different experiments. The ISOLDE materials science and biophysics community currently consists of {approx}80 scientists from more than 40 participating institutes and 21 countries. In the field of materials science, investigations focus on the study of semiconductors and oxides, with the recent additions of nanoparticles and metals, while the biophysics studies address the toxicity of metal ions in biological systems. The characterisation methods used are typical radioactive probe techniques such as Moessbauer spectroscopy, perturbed angular correlation, emission channeling, and tracer diffusion studies. In addition to these 'classic' methods of nuclear solid state physics, also standard semiconductor analysis techniques such as photoluminescence or deep level transient spectroscopy profit from the application of radioactive isotopes, which helps them to overcome their chemical 'blindness' since the nuclear half life of radioisotopes provides a signal that changes in time with characteristic exponential decay or saturation curves. In this presentation an overview will be given on the recent research activities in materials science and biophysics at ISOLDE, presenting some of the highlights during the last five years, together with a short outlook on the new developments under way.

Enhancing the biophysical properties of mRFP1 through incorporation of fluoroproline

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deepankumar, Kanagavel; Nadarajan, Saravanan Prabhu; Ayyadurai, Niraikulam; Yun, Hyungdon

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: Enhancing the biophysical properties of mRFP1 through incorporation of (2S, 4R)-4-fluoroproline at proline residues after mutating non-permissive site Pro63 into Ala. -- Highlights: •We incorporate (4S)-FP into mRFP1 led to insoluble protein. •Whereas, incorporation of (4R)-FP resulted in soluble but lost its fluorescence. •mRFP1-P63A mutant accommodate (4R)-FP and gave soluble protein with fluorescence. •Moreover mRFP1-P63A[(4R)-FP] showed enhanced biophysical properties of protein. -- Abstract: Here we enhanced the stability and biophysical properties of mRFP1 through a combination of canonical and non-canonical amino acid mutagenesis. The global replacement of proline residue with (2S, 4R)-4-fluoroproline [(4R)-FP] into mRFP1 led to soluble protein but lost its fluorescence, whereas (2S, 4S)-4-fluoroproline [(4S)-FP] incorporation resulted in insoluble protein. The bioinformatics analysis revealed that (4R)-FP incorporation at Pro63 caused fluorescence loss due to the steric hindrance of fluorine atom of (4R)-FP with the chromophore. Therefore, Pro63 residue was mutated with the smallest amino acid Ala to maintain non coplanar conformation of the chromophore and helps to retain its fluorescence with (4R)-FP incorporation. The incorporation of (4R)-FP into mRFP1-P63A showed about 2–3-fold enhancement in thermal and chemical stability. The rate of maturation is also greatly accelerated over the presence of (4R)-FP into mRFP1-P63A. Our study showed that a successful enhancement in the biophysical property of mRFP1-P63A[(4R)-FP] using non-canonical amino acid mutagenesis after mutating non-permissive site Pro63 into Ala

News and Announcements

Science.gov (United States)

1999-06-01

: July 15, 1999 Postdoctoral Program in Environmental Chemistry: February 26, 1999 Further information may be obtained from The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc., 555 Madison Avenue, Suite 1305, New York, NY 10022; phone: 212/753-1760; email: admin@dreyfus.org; WWW: http://www.dreyfus.org/ Research Corporation Cottrell College Science Awards: May 15 and November 15 Cottrell Scholars: First regular business day in September Partners in Science: December 1 (the final opportunity for this program is summer 1999) Research Opportunity Awards: May 1 and October 1 Research Innovation Awards: May 1 Further information may be obtained from Research Corporation, 101 North Wilmot Road, Suite 250, Tucson, AZ 85711-3332; phone: 520/571-1111; fax: 520/571-1119; email: awards@rescorp.org; www: http://www.rescorp.org 1999 American Oil Chemists' Society Awards The American Oil Chemists' Society announce the following awards, to be presented at their annual meeting in Orlando, FL, May 1999. Supelco/Nicholas Pelick Research Award Andrew Sinclair, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology-University of Australia Stephen S. Chang Award Edwin N. Frankel, University of California at Davis 16th BCCE Coming Up The Web site for the 16th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education is up and running at http://www. umich.edu/ bcce. The Biennial Conference will be held from July 30 through August 3, 2000, at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Organizers of symposia and workshops and proposers of papers are invited to submit their ideas via the Web or in writing to either the Program Chair, Brian Coppola; phone: 734/764-7329; email: bcoppola@umich.edu, or to the Workshop Coordinator, Evelyn Jackson; phone: 517/355-9715 ext 204; email: ejackson@argus.cem.msu.edu. For general information please contact Seyhan Ege; phone: 734/764-7340; email: snege@umich.edu. Student Participation at ACS Meetings The ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety (CHAS) announces a new program to encourage student

Chiropractic biophysics technique: a linear algebra approach to posture in chiropractic.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, D D; Janik, T J; Harrison, G R; Troyanovich, S; Harrison, D E; Harrison, S O

1996-10-01

This paper discusses linear algebra as applied to human posture in chiropractic, specifically chiropractic biophysics technique (CBP). Rotations, reflections and translations are geometric functions studied in vector spaces in linear algebra. These mathematical functions are termed rigid body transformations and are applied to segmental spinal movement in the literature. Review of the literature indicates that these linear algebra concepts have been used to describe vertebral motion. However, these rigid body movers are presented here as applying to the global postural movements of the head, thoracic cage and pelvis. The unique inverse functions of rotations, reflections and translations provide a theoretical basis for making postural corrections in neutral static resting posture. Chiropractic biophysics technique (CBP) uses these concepts in examination procedures, manual spinal manipulation, instrument assisted spinal manipulation, postural exercises, extension traction and clinical outcome measures.

Radiation biophysics in space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buecker, H.; Horneck, G.

1983-01-01

In a demonstration experiment bacterium sporules have been exposed to the space vacuum and to the solar radiation field at 254 nm, with the following results: 1) a short vacuum exposition of 1.3 h does not affect the vitality of the sporules, 2) the survival rate of humid sporules after UV-irradiation is consistent with terrestrial control samples, 3) after a simultaneous exposition to vacuum and solar UV-radiation the effect on the sporules is enhanced by a factor of ten as compared to the situation without vaccum exposition. Additional studies in biophysical simulation systems revealed, that the enhanced UV sensitivity is caused by the dehydration of the sporules. By this process the structure of the essential macromolecules in cell, such as DNA and proteins, is modified such that new photo-products can be formed. For these products the cells have no effective repair systems. (AJ) [de

Biophysics of radiation action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dertinger, H.

1984-01-01

Understanding the cellular response to ionizing radiation is not only necessary to meet the requirements of radioprotection, but also for medical application of radiation in cancer treatment. In terms of radiobiology, cancer therapy means the selective inactivation of malignant cells without affecting the normal healthy tissue. However, for several physical and biological reasons, this ideal situation is normally not attained. The elaboration of biophysical parameters that could be used to improve the selective sterilization of tumor cells has become one of the main activities of cellular radiobiology during the last two decades. Progress in this field has been facilitated by the development of tissue culture techniques allowing to grow and analyze cells in a synthetic nutrient medium. This chapter describes the physical and biological factors which determine cellular radiosensitivity and which are important to know for better understanding the cellular radiation action, in particular with reference to cancer treatment

77 FR 58404 - Announcing the Award of Two Urgent Single-Source Grants To Support Unaccompanied Alien Children...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-20

...] Announcing the Award of Two Urgent Single-Source Grants To Support Unaccompanied Alien Children Program...) announces the award of two urgent single-source grants from the Unaccompanied Alien Children's Program to... providing services under the Unaccompanied Alien Children's program. Award Grantee organization Location...

Perspectives and Plans for Graduate Studies. 16. Biophysics 1974.

Science.gov (United States)

Ontario Council on Graduate Studies, Toronto. Advisory Committee on Academic Planning.

In March, 1973, after a review of the Ontario universities' three-year plans, a provisional embargo was placed on doctoral work in biophysics. A full-scale assessment with outside consultants was not necessary in the case of a provisional embargo. Instead, the method used to remove the embargo was self-study by the discipline group leading to a…

Southwest Ecological Restoration Institutes (SWERI) Biophysical Monitoring Workshop Report

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph Seidenberg; Judy Springer; Tessa Nicolet; Mike Battaglia; Christina Vothja

2009-01-01

On October 15-16, 2009, the Southwest Ecological Restoration Institutes (SWERI) hosted a workshop in which the participants would 1) build a common understanding of the types of monitoring that are occurring in forested ecosystems of the Southwest; 2) analyze and agree on an efficient, yet robust set of biophysical variables that can be used by land mangers and...

Biophysical and electrochemical studies of protein-nucleic acid interactions

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Bowater, R. P.; Cobb, A:M.; Pivoňková, Hana; Havran, Luděk; Fojta, Miroslav

2015-01-01

Roč. 146, č. 5 (2015), s. 723-739 ISSN 0026-9247 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP206/12/G151; GA ČR(CZ) GAP301/11/2076 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : ISOTHERMAL TITRATION CALORIMETRY * OSMIUM-TETROXIDE COMPLEXES * SURFACE-PLASMON RESONANCE Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 1.131, year: 2015

Oracle announces increased uptake of Oracle9i Application Server

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

Oracle Europe this week announced that increasingly, companies in the region are selecting the Oracle9i Application Server (Oracle9iAS) to develop and deploy web-based business application. CERN is one of its customers (1/2 page).

78 FR 21180 - Announcement of the 2013 SBA-Visa Export Video Contest Under the America COMPETES Reauthorization...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-09

... submitted per business. Videos must not contain violence, profanity, sex, images of a prurient nature, or... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Announcement of the 2013 SBA-Visa Export Video Contest Under the... the ``Cosponsors'') announce a video contest for eligible small businesses to showcase the advantages...

From hadron therapy to cosmic rays: a life in biophysics

CERN Multimedia

Christine Sutton

2014-01-01

In 1954 – the year CERN was founded – another scientific journey began at what is now the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Beams of protons from a particle accelerator were used for the first time by John Lawrence – a doctor and the brother of Ernest Lawrence, the physicist after whom the Berkeley lab is named – to treat patients with cancer. For many years, Eleanor Blakely has been one of the leaders of that journey. She visited CERN last week and spoke with the Bulletin about her life in biophysics.   Use of the cylcotron beam to mimic "shooting stars" seen by astronauts. Black hood on subject Cornelius Tobias keeps out light during neutron irradiation experiment at the 184-inch accelerator. Helping to position Tobias in the beam line are (left to right) John Lyman of Biomedical Division, and Ralph Thomas of Health Physics. (Photo courtesy of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.) Interested in biophysics, which was still a new...

Biophysical mechanisms complementing "classical" cell biology.

Science.gov (United States)

Funk, Richard H W

2018-01-01

This overview addresses phenomena in cell- and molecular biology which are puzzling by their fast and highly coordinated way of organization. Generally, it appears that informative processes probably involved are more on the biophysical than on the classical biochemical side. The coordination problem is explained within the first part of the review by the topic of endogenous electrical phenomena. These are found e.g. in fast tissue organization and reorganization processes like development, wound healing and regeneration. Here, coupling into classical biochemical signaling and reactions can be shown by modern microscopy, electronics and bioinformatics. Further, one can follow the triggered reactions seamlessly via molecular biology till into genetics. Direct observation of intracellular electric processes is very difficult because of e.g. shielding through the cell membrane and damping by other structures. Therefore, we have to rely on photonic and photon - phonon coupling phenomena like molecular vibrations, which are addressed within the second part. Molecules normally possess different charge moieties and thus small electromagnetic (EMF) patterns arise during molecular vibration. These patterns can now be measured best within the optical part of the spectrum - much less in the lower terahertz till kHz and lower Hz part (third part of this review). Finally, EMFs facilitate quantum informative processes in coherent domains of molecular, charge and electron spin motion. This helps to coordinate such manifold and intertwined processes going on within cells, tissues and organs (part 4). Because the phenomena described in part 3 and 4 of the review still await really hard proofs we need concerted efforts and a combination of biophysics, molecular biology and informatics to unravel the described mysteries in "physics of life".

Social and Biophysical Predictors of Public Perceptions of Extreme Fires

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, T. E.; Kooistra, C. M.; Paveglio, T.; Gress, S.; Smith, A. M.

2013-12-01

To date, what constitutes an 'extreme' fire has been approached separately by biophysical and social scientists. Research on the biophysical characteristics of fires has identified potential dimensions of extremity, including fire size and vegetation mortality. On the social side, factors such as the degree of immediate impact to one's life and property or the extent of social disruption in the community contribute to a perception of extremity. However, some biophysical characteristics may also contribute to perceptions of extremity, including number of simultaneous ignitions, rapidity of fire spread, atypical fire behavior, and intensity of smoke. Perceptions of these impacts can vary within and across communities, but no studies to date have investigated such perceptions in a comprehensive way. In this study, we address the question, to what extent is the magnitude of impact of fires on WUI residents' well-being explained by measurable biophysical characteristics of the fire and subjective evaluations of the personal and community-level impacts of the fire? We bring together diverse strands of psychological theory, including landscape perception, mental models, risk perception, and community studies. The majority of social science research on fires has been in the form of qualitative case studies, and our study is methodologically unique by using a nested design (hierarchical modeling) to enable generalizable conclusions across a wide range of fires and human communities. We identified fires that burned in 2011 or 2012 in the northern Rocky Mountain region that were at least 1,000 acres and that intersected (within 15 km) urban clusters or identified Census places. For fires where an adequately large number of households was located in proximity to the fire, we drew random samples of approximately 150 individuals for each fire. We used a hybrid internet (Qualtrics) and mail survey, following the Dillman method, to measure individual perceptions. We developed two

Past and Present Biophysical Redundancy of Countries as a Buffer to Changes in Food Supply

Science.gov (United States)

Fader, Marianela; Rulli, Maria Cristina; Carr, Joel; Dell' Angelo, Jampel; D' Odorico, Paolo; Gephart, Jessica A.; Kummu, Matti; Magliocca, Nicholas; Porkka, Miina; Prell, Christina;

Past and present biophysical redundancy of countries as a buffer to changes in food supply

Science.gov (United States)

Fader, Marianela; Rulli, Maria Cristina; Carr, Joel; Dell'Angelo, Jampel; D'Odorico, Paolo; Gephart, Jessica A.; Kummu, Matti; Magliocca, Nicholas; Porkka, Miina; Prell, Christina; Puma, Michael J.; Ratajczak, Zak; Seekell, David A.; Suweis, Samir; Tavoni, Alessandro

2016-05-01

Spatially diverse trends in population growth, climate change, industrialization, urbanization and economic development are expected to change future food supply and demand. These changes may affect the suitability of land for food production, implying elevated risks especially for resource-constrained, food-importing countries. We present the evolution of biophysical redundancy for agricultural production at country level, from 1992 to 2012. Biophysical redundancy, defined as unused biotic and abiotic environmental resources, is represented by the potential food production of ‘spare land’, available water resources (i.e., not already used for human activities), as well as production increases through yield gap closure on cultivated areas and potential agricultural areas. In 2012, the biophysical redundancy of 75 (48) countries, mainly in North Africa, Western Europe, the Middle East and Asia, was insufficient to produce the caloric nutritional needs for at least 50% (25%) of their population during a year. Biophysical redundancy has decreased in the last two decades in 102 out of 155 countries, 11 of these went from high to limited redundancy, and nine of these from limited to very low redundancy. Although the variability of the drivers of change across different countries is high, improvements in yield and population growth have a clear impact on the decreases of redundancy towards the very low redundancy category. We took a more detailed look at countries classified as ‘Low Income Economies (LIEs)’ since they are particularly vulnerable to domestic or external food supply changes, due to their limited capacity to offset for food supply decreases with higher purchasing power on the international market. Currently, nine LIEs have limited or very low biophysical redundancy. Many of these showed a decrease in redundancy over the last two decades, which is not always linked with improvements in per capita food availability.

Announcement effects of convertible bond loans versus warrant-bond loans : An empirical analysis for the Dutch market

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Roon, F.A.; Veld, C.H.

1995-01-01

This study investigates the announcement effects of offerings of convertible bond loans and warrant-bond loans using data for the Dutch market. Using standard event study methodology it is found that on average stock prices show a positive but insignificant abnormal return for the announcement of a

BIOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF NUCLEIC ACIDS AT SURFACES RELEVANT TO MICROARRAY PERFORMANCE.

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Archana N; Grainger, David W

2014-04-01

Both clinical and analytical metrics produced by microarray-based assay technology have recognized problems in reproducibility, reliability and analytical sensitivity. These issues are often attributed to poor understanding and control of nucleic acid behaviors and properties at solid-liquid interfaces. Nucleic acid hybridization, central to DNA and RNA microarray formats, depends on the properties and behaviors of single strand (ss) nucleic acids (e.g., probe oligomeric DNA) bound to surfaces. ssDNA's persistence length, radius of gyration, electrostatics, conformations on different surfaces and under various assay conditions, its chain flexibility and curvature, charging effects in ionic solutions, and fluorescent labeling all influence its physical chemistry and hybridization under assay conditions. Nucleic acid (e.g., both RNA and DNA) target interactions with immobilized ssDNA strands are highly impacted by these biophysical states. Furthermore, the kinetics, thermodynamics, and enthalpic and entropic contributions to DNA hybridization reflect global probe/target structures and interaction dynamics. Here we review several biophysical issues relevant to oligomeric nucleic acid molecular behaviors at surfaces and their influences on duplex formation that influence microarray assay performance. Correlation of biophysical aspects of single and double-stranded nucleic acids with their complexes in bulk solution is common. Such analysis at surfaces is not commonly reported, despite its importance to microarray assays. We seek to provide further insight into nucleic acid-surface challenges facing microarray diagnostic formats that have hindered their clinical adoption and compromise their research quality and value as genomics tools.

BIOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF NUCLEIC ACIDS AT SURFACES RELEVANT TO MICROARRAY PERFORMANCE

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Archana N.; Grainger, David W.

2014-01-01

Both clinical and analytical metrics produced by microarray-based assay technology have recognized problems in reproducibility, reliability and analytical sensitivity. These issues are often attributed to poor understanding and control of nucleic acid behaviors and properties at solid-liquid interfaces. Nucleic acid hybridization, central to DNA and RNA microarray formats, depends on the properties and behaviors of single strand (ss) nucleic acids (e.g., probe oligomeric DNA) bound to surfaces. ssDNA’s persistence length, radius of gyration, electrostatics, conformations on different surfaces and under various assay conditions, its chain flexibility and curvature, charging effects in ionic solutions, and fluorescent labeling all influence its physical chemistry and hybridization under assay conditions. Nucleic acid (e.g., both RNA and DNA) target interactions with immobilized ssDNA strands are highly impacted by these biophysical states. Furthermore, the kinetics, thermodynamics, and enthalpic and entropic contributions to DNA hybridization reflect global probe/target structures and interaction dynamics. Here we review several biophysical issues relevant to oligomeric nucleic acid molecular behaviors at surfaces and their influences on duplex formation that influence microarray assay performance. Correlation of biophysical aspects of single and double-stranded nucleic acids with their complexes in bulk solution is common. Such analysis at surfaces is not commonly reported, despite its importance to microarray assays. We seek to provide further insight into nucleic acid-surface challenges facing microarray diagnostic formats that have hindered their clinical adoption and compromise their research quality and value as genomics tools. PMID:24765522

Biophysical Approach to Mechanisms of Cancer Prevention and Treatment with Green Tea Catechins.

Science.gov (United States)

Suganuma, Masami; Takahashi, Atsushi; Watanabe, Tatsuro; Iida, Keisuke; Matsuzaki, Takahisa; Yoshikawa, Hiroshi Y; Fujiki, Hirota

2016-11-18

Green tea catechin and green tea extract are now recognized as non-toxic cancer preventives for humans. We first review our brief historical development of green tea cancer prevention. Based on exciting evidence that green tea catechin, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in drinking water inhibited lung metastasis of B16 melanoma cells, we and other researchers have studied the inhibitory mechanisms of metastasis with green tea catechins using biomechanical tools, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and microfluidic optical stretcher. Specifically, determination of biophysical properties of cancer cells, low cell stiffness, and high deformability in relation to migration, along with biophysical effects, were studied by treatment with green tea catechins. The study with AFM revealed that low average values of Young's moduli, indicating low cell stiffness, are closely associated with strong potential of cell migration and metastasis for various cancer cells. It is important to note that treatments with EGCG and green tea extract elevated the average values of Young's moduli resulting in increased stiffness (large elasticity) of melanomas and various cancer cells. We discuss here the biophysical basis of multifunctions of green tea catechins and green tea extract leading to beneficial effects for cancer prevention and treatment.

[Assessment of the announcement procedure in 29 cancer-accredited hospitals in the Aquitaine region: the EVADA project].

Science.gov (United States)

Rongère-Casteigt, Julie; Pinon, Elodie; Domecq, Sandrine; Hoppe, Stéphanie; Bousser, Véronique; Vimard, Edwige; Saillour-Glenisson, Florence

2015-01-01

An announcement procedure is mandatory to obtain accreditation to treat cancer patients. Health care professionals in the Aquitaine region evaluated the organization of this announcement procedure in their institutions and the patients' perception, in order to initiate actions to improve the structure and traceability of this procedure. Self-assessment approach based on a retrospective study plan comprising three concomitant steps: organizational audit, medical records audit and patient experience survey. 29 institutions participated in the study. Heterogeneous organizations were observed, although progress had been made in the deployment of the announcement procedure in terms of personnel training,formal organization and the resources devoted to this procedure, but there remains considerable room for improvement in terms of traceability, coordination between doctors and nursing staff, and referral of patients to supportive care. This evaluation triggered active mobilization of hospital teams concerning the announcement procedure in the Aquitaine region and a better awareness of the patient's perception. The regional dynamic allowed exchanges between institutions, facilitating the implementation of improvement actions.

October 2013 Arizona thoracic society notes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2013-10-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. The October Arizona Thoracic Society meeting was held on Wednesday, 10/23/2013 at Shea Hospital beginning at 6:30 PM. There were 21 in attendance representing the pulmonary, critical care, sleep, and thoracic surgery communities. A proposal was made to decrease the number of meetings from 10 to 8 per year. After a brief discussion, this was adopted. Dr. Parides will try and coordinate these changes with Tucson. Meetings were announced for December in Tucson, January in Carmel, February in Albuquerque, and April in Phoenix. A suggestion was made to have a separate area for meetings on the SWJPCC website. There were 2 cases presented-both by Nick Sparacino, a first year fellow at Good Samaritan/VA. 1. The first case was a 48 year old man admitted to podiatry for chronic diabetic foot ulcers. His preoperative chest x-ray revealed multiple pulmonary nodules. Importantly, he had a history of working in a brake pad …

Structural and biophysical characteristics of human skin in maintaining proper epidermal barrier function

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magdalena Boer

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The complex structure of human skin and its physicochemical properties turn it into an efficient outermost defence line against exogenous factors, and help maintain homeostasis of the human body. This role is played by the epidermal barrier with its major part – stratum corneum. The condition of the epidermal barrier depends on individual and environmental factors. The most important biophysical parameters characterizing the status of this barrier are the skin pH, epidermal hydration, transepidermal water loss and sebum excretion. The knowledge of biophysical skin processes may be useful for the implementation of prophylactic actions whose aim is to restore the barrier function.

Nanoscale quantification of the biophysical characterization of combretastatin A-4-treated tumor cells using atomic force microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yanchun; Chen, Jv; Liu, Yutong; Zhang, Weige; He, Wenhui; Xu, Hanying; Liu, Lianqing; Ma, Enlong

2017-01-01

As an inhibitor of microtubule assembly, combretastatin A-4 (CA-4)-induced biological responses in tumor cells have been well known, but the corresponding changes in nano-biophysical properties were not investigated given the lack of an ideal tool. Using AFM technique, we investigated the alteration of nano-biophysical properties when CA-4-treated tumor cells underwent the different biological processes, including cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and autophagy. We found that CA-4-resistant cells were rougher with the presence of characteristic "ridges", indicating that the development of "ridge" structure may be a determinant of the sensitivity of cells to CA-4 compounds. CA-4 induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis in sensitive cells but triggered anti-apoptotic autophagy in resistant cells. CA-4 treatment caused an increase in stiffness in both sensitive and resistant cells. However, these cells exhibited different changes in cell surface roughness. CA-4 decreased Ra and Rq values in sensitive cells but increased these values in resistant cells. The reorganization of F-actin might contribute to the different changes of nano-biophysical properties in CA-4-sensitive and-resistant cells. Our results suggest that cellular nano-biophysical properties, such as "ridges", roughness and stiffness, could be applied as potential biomarkers for evaluating CA-4 compounds, and knowledge regarding how biological alterations cause changes in cellular nano-biophysical properties is helpful to develop a new high-resolution screening tool for anti-tumor agents.

Biophysical approach to chronic kidney disease management in older patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alberto Foletti

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Chronic kidney disease (CKD and its clinical progression are a critical issue in an aging population. Therefore, strategies aimed at preventing and managing the decline of renal function are warranted. Recent evidence has provided encouraging results for the improvement of renal function achieved through an integrated biophysical approach, but prospective studies on the clinical efficacy of this strategy are still lacking. This was an open-label prospective pilot study to investigate the effect of electromagnetic information transfer through the aqueous system on kidney function of older patients affected by stage 1 or 2 CKD. Patients received biophysical therapy every 3 months over a 1-year period. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR values were calculated using the CKD–Epidemiology Collaboration formula, and were recorded at baseline and at the end of treatment. Overall, 58 patients (mean age 74.8 ± 3.7 years were included in the study. At baseline, mean eGFR was 64.6 ± 15.5 mL/min, and it significantly increased to 69.9 ± 15.8 mL/min after 1 year (+5.2 ± 10 mL/min, p<0.0002. The same trend was observed among men (+5.7 ± 10.2 mL/min, p<0.0064 and women (+4.7 ± 9.9 mL/min, p<0.014. When results were analyzed by sex, no difference was found between the 2 groups. Although further and larger prospective studies are needed, our findings suggest that an integrated biophysical approach may be feasible in the management of older patients with early-stage CKD, to reduce and prevent the decline of renal function due to aging or comorbidities.

Photobiology of Symbiodinium revisited: bio-physical and bio-optical signatures

Science.gov (United States)

Hennige, S. J.; Suggett, D. J.; Warner, M. E.; McDougall, K. E.; Smith, D. J.

2009-03-01

Light is often the most abundant resource within the nutrient-poor waters surrounding coral reefs. Consequently, zooxanthellae ( Symbiodinium spp.) must continually photoacclimate to optimise productivity and ensure coral success. In situ coral photobiology is becoming dominated by routine assessments using state-of-the-art non-invasive bio-optical or chlorophyll a fluorescence (bio-physical) techniques. Multiple genetic types of Symbiodinium are now known to exist; however, little focus has been given as to how these types differ in terms of characteristics that are observable using these techniques. Therefore, this investigation aimed to revisit and expand upon a pivotal study by Iglesias-Prieto and Trench (1994) by comparing the photoacclimation characteristics of different Symbiodinium types based on their bio-physical (chlorophyll a fluorescence, reaction centre counts) and bio-optical (optical absorption, pigment concentrations) ‘signatures’. Signatures described here are unique to Symbiodinium type and describe phenotypic responses to set conditions, and hence are not suitable to describe taxonomic structure of in hospite Symbiodinium communities. In this study, eight Symbiodinium types from clades and sub-clades (A-B, F) were grown under two PFDs (Photon Flux Density) and examined. The photoacclimation response by Symbiodinium was highly variable between algal types for all bio-physical and for many bio-optical measurements; however, a general preference to modifying reaction centre content over effective antennae-absorption was observed. Certain bio-optically derived patterns, such as light absorption, were independent of algal type and, when considered per photosystem, were matched by reaction centre stoichiometry. Only by better understanding genotypic and phenotypic variability between Symbiodinium types can future studies account for the relative taxonomic and physiological contribution by Symbiodinium to coral acclimation.

Biophysical EPR Studies Applied to Membrane Proteins

Science.gov (United States)

Sahu, Indra D; Lorigan, Gary A

2015-01-01

Membrane proteins are very important in controlling bioenergetics, functional activity, and initializing signal pathways in a wide variety of complicated biological systems. They also represent approximately 50% of the potential drug targets. EPR spectroscopy is a very popular and powerful biophysical tool that is used to study the structural and dynamic properties of membrane proteins. In this article, a basic overview of the most commonly used EPR techniques and examples of recent applications to answer pertinent structural and dynamic related questions on membrane protein systems will be presented. PMID:26855825

Spectrum of topics for world congresses and other activities of the International Society for Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM): a first proposal

OpenAIRE

Gutenbrunner, Christoph; Ward, Anthony B; Li, Leonard SW; Li, Jianan; Guzman, Manuel; Fialka-Moser, Veronika; Vanderstraeten, Guy; Imamura, Marta; Stucki, Gerold

2013-01-01

Background: One of the objectives of the International Society for Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine is to improve the continuity of World Congresses. This requires the development of an abstract topic list for use in congress announcements and abstract submissions. Methods: An abstract topic list was developed on the basis of the definitions of human functioning and rehabilitation research, which define 5 main areas of research (biosciences in rehabilitation, biomedical rehabilitation...

The timing of drug funding announcements relative to elections: a case study involving dementia medications.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sudeep S Gill

Full Text Available Following initial regulatory approval of prescription drugs, many factors may influence insurers and health systems when they decide whether to add these drugs to their formularies. The role of political pressures on drug funding announcements has received relatively little attention, and elections represent an especially powerful form of political pressure. We examined the temporal relationship between decisions to add one class of drugs to publicly funded formularies in Canada's ten provinces and elections in these jurisdictions.Dates of provincial formulary listings for cholinesterase inhibitors, which are drugs used to treat Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, were compared to the dates of provincial elections. Medical journal articles, media reports, and proceedings from provincial legislatures were reviewed to assemble information on the chronology of events. We tested whether there was a statistically significant increase in the probability of drug funding announcements within the 60-day intervals preceding provincial elections.Decisions to fund the cholinesterase inhibitors were made over a nine-year span from 1999 to 2007 in the ten provinces. In four of ten provinces, the drugs were added to formularies in a time period closely preceding a provincial election (P = 0.032; funding announcements in these provinces were made between 2 and 47 days prior to elections. Statements made in provincial legislatures highlight the key role of political pressures in these funding announcements.Impending elections appeared to affect the timing of drug funding announcements in this case study. Despite an established structure for evidence-based decision-making, drug funding remains a complex process open to influence from many sources. Awareness of such influences is critical to maintain effective drug policy and public health decision-making.

The timing of drug funding announcements relative to elections: a case study involving dementia medications.

Science.gov (United States)

Gill, Sudeep S; Gupta, Neeraj; Bell, Chaim M; Rochon, Paula A; Austin, Peter C; Laupacis, Andreas

2013-01-01

Following initial regulatory approval of prescription drugs, many factors may influence insurers and health systems when they decide whether to add these drugs to their formularies. The role of political pressures on drug funding announcements has received relatively little attention, and elections represent an especially powerful form of political pressure. We examined the temporal relationship between decisions to add one class of drugs to publicly funded formularies in Canada's ten provinces and elections in these jurisdictions. Dates of provincial formulary listings for cholinesterase inhibitors, which are drugs used to treat Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, were compared to the dates of provincial elections. Medical journal articles, media reports, and proceedings from provincial legislatures were reviewed to assemble information on the chronology of events. We tested whether there was a statistically significant increase in the probability of drug funding announcements within the 60-day intervals preceding provincial elections. Decisions to fund the cholinesterase inhibitors were made over a nine-year span from 1999 to 2007 in the ten provinces. In four of ten provinces, the drugs were added to formularies in a time period closely preceding a provincial election (P = 0.032); funding announcements in these provinces were made between 2 and 47 days prior to elections. Statements made in provincial legislatures highlight the key role of political pressures in these funding announcements. Impending elections appeared to affect the timing of drug funding announcements in this case study. Despite an established structure for evidence-based decision-making, drug funding remains a complex process open to influence from many sources. Awareness of such influences is critical to maintain effective drug policy and public health decision-making.

Biophysical characterization of the proton-coupled oligopeptide transporter YjdL

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Johanne Mørch; Simonsen, Fie C.; Mastali, Amir

2012-01-01

significantly different from prototypical POTs such as the human hPepT1. Nonetheless YjdL contains several highly conserved POT residues, which include Glu388 that is located in the putative substrate binding cavity. Here we present biophysical characterization of WT-YjdL and Glu388Gln. Isothermal titration...

In-Vision Continuity Announcers: Performing an Identity for Early Television in Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sonja de Leeuw

2013-12-01

Full Text Available In-vision continuity announcers have played central – yet understudied – roles in early television history. Through their performances on and off the screen, they mediated the identity of the televisual medium in the 1950s and 1960s, popularizing it as a medium of sound and vision, a domestic and gendered medium as well as a national and transnational institution.Focusing primarily on Dutch and Romanian female in-vision continuity announcers in the 1950s and 60s and making extensive comparisons with other countries in Europe, this article illustrates how these early professionals of television performed as part of a European-wide phenomenon of defining the identity of the new televisual medium.

The application of multiple biophysical cues to engineer functional neocartilage for treatment of osteoarthritis. Part I: cellular response.

Science.gov (United States)

Brady, Mariea A; Waldman, Stephen D; Ethier, C Ross

2015-02-01

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a complex disease of the joint for which current treatments are unsatisfactory, thus motivating development of tissue engineering (TE)-based therapies. To date, TE strategies have had some success, developing replacement tissue constructs with biochemical properties approaching that of native cartilage. However, poor biomechanical properties and limited postimplantation integration with surrounding tissue are major shortcomings that need to be addressed. Functional tissue engineering strategies that apply physiologically relevant biophysical cues provide a platform to improve TE constructs before implantation. In the previous decade, new experimental and theoretical findings in cartilage biomechanics and electromechanics have emerged, resulting in an increased understanding of the complex interplay of multiple biophysical cues in the extracellular matrix of the tissue. The effect of biophysical stimulation on cartilage, and the resulting chondrocyte-mediated biosynthesis, remodeling, degradation, and repair, has, therefore, been extensively explored by the TE community. This article compares and contrasts the cellular response of chondrocytes to multiple biophysical stimuli, and may be read in conjunction with its companion paper that compares and contrasts the subsequent intracellular signal transduction cascades. Mechanical, magnetic, and electrical stimuli promote proliferation, differentiation, and maturation of chondrocytes within established dose parameters or "biological windows." This knowledge will provide a framework for ongoing studies incorporating multiple biophysical cues in TE functional neocartilage for treatment of OA.

The application of multiple biophysical cues to engineer functional neocartilage for treatment of osteoarthritis. Part II: signal transduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Brady, Mariea A; Waldman, Stephen D; Ethier, C Ross

2015-02-01

The unique mechanoelectrochemical environment of cartilage has motivated researchers to investigate the effect of multiple biophysical cues, including mechanical, magnetic, and electrical stimulation, on chondrocyte biology. It is well established that biophysical stimuli promote chondrocyte proliferation, differentiation, and maturation within "biological windows" of defined dose parameters, including mode, frequency, magnitude, and duration of stimuli (see companion review Part I: Cellular Response). However, the underlying molecular mechanisms and signal transduction pathways activated in response to multiple biophysical stimuli remain to be elucidated. Understanding the mechanisms of biophysical signal transduction will deepen knowledge of tissue organogenesis, remodeling, and regeneration and aiding in the treatment of pathologies such as osteoarthritis. Further, this knowledge will provide the tissue engineer with a potent toolset to manipulate and control cell fate and subsequently develop functional replacement cartilage. The aim of this article is to review chondrocyte signal transduction pathways in response to mechanical, magnetic, and electrical cues. Signal transduction does not occur along a single pathway; rather a number of parallel pathways appear to be activated, with calcium signaling apparently common to all three types of stimuli, though there are different modes of activation. Current tissue engineering strategies, such as the development of "smart" functionalized biomaterials that enable the delivery of growth factors or integration of conjugated nanoparticles, may further benefit from targeting known signal transduction pathways in combination with external biophysical cues.

Predictive biophysical modeling and understanding of the dynamics of mRNA translation and its evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Zur, Hadas; Tuller, Tamir

2016-01-01

mRNA translation is the fundamental process of decoding the information encoded in mRNA molecules by the ribosome for the synthesis of proteins. The centrality of this process in various biomedical disciplines such as cell biology, evolution and biotechnology, encouraged the development of dozens of mathematical and computational models of translation in recent years. These models aimed at capturing various biophysical aspects of the process. The objective of this review is to survey these models, focusing on those based and/or validated on real large-scale genomic data. We consider aspects such as the complexity of the models, the biophysical aspects they regard and the predictions they may provide. Furthermore, we survey the central systems biology discoveries reported on their basis. This review demonstrates the fundamental advantages of employing computational biophysical translation models in general, and discusses the relative advantages of the different approaches and the challenges in the field. PMID:27591251

Biophysical and sociocultural factors underlying spatial trade-offs of ecosystem services in semiarid watersheds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marina García-Llorente

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Biophysical and social systems are linked to form social-ecological systems whose sustainability depends on their capacity to absorb uncertainty and cope with disturbances. In this study, we explored the key biophysical and socio-cultural factors underlying ecosystem service supply in two semiarid watersheds of southern Spain. These included variables associated with the role that freshwater flows and biodiversity play in securing the system's capacity to sustain essential ecosystem services and their relationship with social demand for services, local water governance, and land-use intensification. Our results reveal the importance of considering the invisible dimensions of water and biodiversity, i.e. green freshwater flows and trait-based indicators, because of their relevance to the supply of ecosystem services. Furthermore, they uncover the importance of traditional irrigation canals, a local water governance system, in maintaining the ecosystems' capacity to supply services. The study also highlights the complex trade-offs that occur because of the spatial mismatch between ecosystem service supply (upstream and ecosystem service demand (downstream in watersheds. Finally, we found that land-use intensification generally resulted in losses of the biophysical factors that underpin the supply of some ecosystem services, increases in social demand for less diversified services, and the abandonment of local governance practices. Attempts to manage social-ecological systems toward sustainability at the local scale should identify the key biophysical and socio-cultural factors that are essential for maintaining ecosystem services and should recognize existing interrelationships between them. Land-use management should also take into account ecosystem service trade-offs and the consequences resulting from land-use intensification.

LBA-ECO ND-01 Reflectance and Biophysical Measures, Grass Pastures: Rondonia, Brazil

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — ABSTRACT: This data set provides the results of spectral reflectance (350 to 2,500 nm at 1-nm increments) and biophysical measurements on grass pastures in eight...

Estimation efficiency of usage satellite derived and modelled biophysical products for yield forecasting

Science.gov (United States)

Kolotii, Andrii; Kussul, Nataliia; Skakun, Sergii; Shelestov, Andrii; Ostapenko, Vadim; Oliinyk, Tamara

2015-04-01

Efficient and timely crop monitoring and yield forecasting are important tasks for ensuring of stability and sustainable economic development [1]. As winter crops pay prominent role in agriculture of Ukraine - the main focus of this study is concentrated on winter wheat. In our previous research [2, 3] it was shown that usage of biophysical parameters of crops such as FAPAR (derived from Geoland-2 portal as for SPOT Vegetation data) is far more efficient for crop yield forecasting to NDVI derived from MODIS data - for available data. In our current work efficiency of usage such biophysical parameters as LAI, FAPAR, FCOVER (derived from SPOT Vegetation and PROBA-V data at resolution of 1 km and simulated within WOFOST model) and NDVI product (derived from MODIS) for winter wheat monitoring and yield forecasting is estimated. As the part of crop monitoring workflow (vegetation anomaly detection, vegetation indexes and products analysis) and yield forecasting SPIRITS tool developed by JRC is used. Statistics extraction is done for landcover maps created in SRI within FP-7 SIGMA project. Efficiency of usage satellite based and modelled with WOFOST model biophysical products is estimated. [1] N. Kussul, S. Skakun, A. Shelestov, O. Kussul, "Sensor Web approach to Flood Monitoring and Risk Assessment", in: IGARSS 2013, 21-26 July 2013, Melbourne, Australia, pp. 815-818. [2] F. Kogan, N. Kussul, T. Adamenko, S. Skakun, O. Kravchenko, O. Kryvobok, A. Shelestov, A. Kolotii, O. Kussul, and A. Lavrenyuk, "Winter wheat yield forecasting in Ukraine based on Earth observation, meteorological data and biophysical models," International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, vol. 23, pp. 192-203, 2013. [3] Kussul O., Kussul N., Skakun S., Kravchenko O., Shelestov A., Kolotii A, "Assessment of relative efficiency of using MODIS data to winter wheat yield forecasting in Ukraine", in: IGARSS 2013, 21-26 July 2013, Melbourne, Australia, pp. 3235 - 3238.

76 FR 50744 - Notice To Announce the Award of an Urgent Single-Source Grant to Survivors of Torture...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-16

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Office of Refugee Resettlement Notice To Announce the... AGENCY: Office of Refugee Resettlement, ACF, HHS. ACTION: The Office of Refugee Resettlement announces..., twenty-eight percent of the country's asylum-seekers came to California for resettlement. In 2010, a...

Low temperature experiments in radiation biophysics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moan, J.

1977-01-01

The reasons for performing experiments in radiation biophysics at low temperatures, whereby electron spectra may be studied, are explained. The phenomenon of phosphorescence spectra observed in frozen aqueous solutions of tryptophan and adenosine is also described. Free radicals play an important part in biological radiation effects and may be studied by ESR spectroscopy. An ESR spectrum of T 1 bacteriophages irradiated dry at 130K is illustrated and discussed. Hydrogen atoms, which give lines on the spectrum, are believed to be those radiation products causing most biological damage in a dry system. Low temperature experiments are of great help in explaining the significance of direct and indirect effects. This is illustrated for the case of trypsin. (JIW)

Assimilation of Biophysical Neuronal Dynamics in Neuromorphic VLSI.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jun; Breen, Daniel; Akinin, Abraham; Broccard, Frederic; Abarbanel, Henry D I; Cauwenberghs, Gert

2017-12-01

Representing the biophysics of neuronal dynamics and behavior offers a principled analysis-by-synthesis approach toward understanding mechanisms of nervous system functions. We report on a set of procedures assimilating and emulating neurobiological data on a neuromorphic very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuit. The analog VLSI chip, NeuroDyn, features 384 digitally programmable parameters specifying for 4 generalized Hodgkin-Huxley neurons coupled through 12 conductance-based chemical synapses. The parameters also describe reversal potentials, maximal conductances, and spline regressed kinetic functions for ion channel gating variables. In one set of experiments, we assimilated membrane potential recorded from one of the neurons on the chip to the model structure upon which NeuroDyn was designed using the known current input sequence. We arrived at the programmed parameters except for model errors due to analog imperfections in the chip fabrication. In a related set of experiments, we replicated songbird individual neuron dynamics on NeuroDyn by estimating and configuring parameters extracted using data assimilation from intracellular neural recordings. Faithful emulation of detailed biophysical neural dynamics will enable the use of NeuroDyn as a tool to probe electrical and molecular properties of functional neural circuits. Neuroscience applications include studying the relationship between molecular properties of neurons and the emergence of different spike patterns or different brain behaviors. Clinical applications include studying and predicting effects of neuromodulators or neurodegenerative diseases on ion channel kinetics.

Biophysical basis for the geometry of conical stromatolites.

Science.gov (United States)

Petroff, Alexander P; Sim, Min Sub; Maslov, Andrey; Krupenin, Mikhail; Rothman, Daniel H; Bosak, Tanja

2010-06-01

Stromatolites may be Earth's oldest macroscopic fossils; however, it remains controversial what, if any, biological processes are recorded in their morphology. Although the biological interpretation of many stromatolite morphologies is confounded by the influence of sedimentation, conical stromatolites form in the absence of sedimentation and are, therefore, considered to be the most robust records of biophysical processes. A qualitative similarity between conical stromatolites and some modern microbial mats suggests a photosynthetic origin for ancient stromatolites. To better understand and interpret ancient fossils, we seek a quantitative relationship between the geometry of conical stromatolites and the biophysical processes that control their growth. We note that all modern conical stromatolites and many that formed in the last 2.8 billion years display a characteristic centimeter-scale spacing between neighboring structures. To understand this prominent-but hitherto uninterpreted-organization, we consider the role of diffusion in mediating competition between stromatolites. Having confirmed this model through laboratory experiments and field observation, we find that organization of a field of stromatolites is set by a diffusive time scale over which individual structures compete for nutrients, thus linking form to physiology. The centimeter-scale spacing between modern and ancient stromatolites corresponds to a rhythmically fluctuating metabolism with a period of approximately 20 hr. The correspondence between the observed spacing and the day length provides quantitative support for the photosynthetic origin of conical stromatolites throughout geologic time.

Biophysics of filament length regulation by molecular motors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuan, Hui-Shun; Betterton, M D

2013-01-01

Regulating physical size is an essential problem that biological organisms must solve from the subcellular to the organismal scales, but it is not well understood what physical principles and mechanisms organisms use to sense and regulate their size. Any biophysical size-regulation scheme operates in a noisy environment and must be robust to other cellular dynamics and fluctuations. This work develops theory of filament length regulation inspired by recent experiments on kinesin-8 motor proteins, which move with directional bias on microtubule filaments and alter microtubule dynamics. Purified kinesin-8 motors can depolymerize chemically-stabilized microtubules. In the length-dependent depolymerization model, the rate of depolymerization tends to increase with filament length, because long filaments accumulate more motors at their tips and therefore shorten more quickly. When balanced with a constant filament growth rate, this mechanism can lead to a fixed polymer length. However, the mechanism by which kinesin-8 motors affect the length of dynamic microtubules in cells is less clear. We study the more biologically realistic problem of microtubule dynamic instability modulated by a motor-dependent increase in the filament catastrophe frequency. This leads to a significant decrease in the mean filament length and a narrowing of the filament length distribution. The results improve our understanding of the biophysics of length regulation in cells. (paper)

Biophysical Approach to Mechanisms of Cancer Prevention and Treatment with Green Tea Catechins

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masami Suganuma

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Green tea catechin and green tea extract are now recognized as non-toxic cancer preventives for humans. We first review our brief historical development of green tea cancer prevention. Based on exciting evidence that green tea catechin, (−-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG in drinking water inhibited lung metastasis of B16 melanoma cells, we and other researchers have studied the inhibitory mechanisms of metastasis with green tea catechins using biomechanical tools, atomic force microscopy (AFM and microfluidic optical stretcher. Specifically, determination of biophysical properties of cancer cells, low cell stiffness, and high deformability in relation to migration, along with biophysical effects, were studied by treatment with green tea catechins. The study with AFM revealed that low average values of Young’s moduli, indicating low cell stiffness, are closely associated with strong potential of cell migration and metastasis for various cancer cells. It is important to note that treatments with EGCG and green tea extract elevated the average values of Young’s moduli resulting in increased stiffness (large elasticity of melanomas and various cancer cells. We discuss here the biophysical basis of multifunctions of green tea catechins and green tea extract leading to beneficial effects for cancer prevention and treatment.

Variation of Biophysical Parameters of the Skin with Age, Gender, and Body Region

Science.gov (United States)

Firooz, Alireza; Sadr, Bardia; Babakoohi, Shahab; Sarraf-Yazdy, Maryam; Fanian, Ferial; Kazerouni-Timsar, Ali; Nassiri-Kashani, Mansour; Naghizadeh, Mohammad Mehdi; Dowlati, Yahya

2012-01-01

Background. Understanding the physiological, chemical, and biophysical characteristics of the skin helps us to arrange a proper approach to the management of skin diseases. Objective. The aim of this study was to measure 6 biophysical characteristics of normal skin (sebum content, hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), erythema index, melanin index, and elasticity) in a normal population and assess the effect of sex, age, and body location on them. Methods. Fifty healthy volunteers in 5 age groups (5 males and females in each) were enrolled in this study. A multifunctional skin physiology monitor (Courage & Khazaka electronic GmbH, Germany) was used to measure skin sebum content, hydration, TEWL, erythema index, melanin index, and elasticity in 8 different locations of the body. Results. There were significant differences between the hydration, melanin index, and elasticity of different age groups. Regarding the locations, forehead had the highest melanin index, where as palm had the lowest value. The mean values of erythema index and melanin index and TEWL were significantly higher in males and anatomic location was a significant independent factor for all of 6 measured parameters. Conclusion. Several biophysical properties of the skin vary among different gender, age groups, and body locations. PMID:22536139

Closed-Loop Control Without Meal Announcement in Type 1 Diabetes.

Science.gov (United States)

Cameron, Faye M; Ly, Trang T; Buckingham, Bruce A; Maahs, David M; Forlenza, Gregory P; Levy, Carol J; Lam, David; Clinton, Paula; Messer, Laurel H; Westfall, Emily; Levister, Camilla; Xie, Yan Yan; Baysal, Nihat; Howsmon, Daniel; Patek, Stephen D; Bequette, B Wayne

2017-09-01

A fully closed-loop insulin-only system was developed to provide glucose control in patients with type 1 diabetes without requiring announcement of meals or activity. Our goal was to assess initial safety and efficacy of this system. The multiple model probabilistic controller (MMPPC) anticipates meals when the patient is awake. The controller used the subject's basal rates and total daily insulin dose for initialization. The system was tested at two sites on 10 patients in a 30-h inpatient study, followed by 15 subjects at three sites in a 54-h supervised hotel study, where the controller was challenged by exercise and unannounced meals. The system was implemented on the UVA DiAs system using a Roche Spirit Combo Insulin Pump and a Dexcom G4 Continuous Glucose Monitor. The mean overall (24-h basis) and nighttime (11 PM-7 AM) continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) values were 142 and 125 mg/dL during the inpatient study. The hotel study used a different daytime tuning and manual announcement, instead of automatic detection, of sleep and wake periods. This resulted in mean overall (24-h basis) and nighttime CGM values of 152 and 139 mg/dL for the hotel study and there was also a reduction in hypoglycemia events from 1.6 to 0.91 events/patient/day. The MMPPC system achieved a mean glucose that would be particularly helpful for people with an elevated A1c as a result of frequent missed meal boluses. Current full closed loop has a higher risk for hypoglycemia when compared with algorithms using meal announcement.

76 FR 18238 - Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee; Announcement of Public Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-01

...] Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee; Announcement of Public Meeting AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife... (Service), will host a Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee (Committee) meeting on April 27, 2011... [[Page 18239

Quantum Nanobiology and Biophysical Chemistry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2013-01-01

An introduction was provided in the first issue by way of an Editorial to this special two issue volume of Current Physical Chemistry – “Quantum Nanobiology and Biophysical Chemistry” [1]. The Guest Editors would like to thank all the authors and referees who have contributed to this second issue....... Wu et al. use density functional theory to explore the use of Ni/Fe bimetallic nanotechnology in the bioremediation of decabromo-diphenyl esters. Araújo-Chaves et al. explore the binding and reactivity of Mn(III) porphyrins in the membrane mimetic setting of model liposomal systems. Claussen et al....... demonstrate extremely low detection performance of acyl-homoserine lactone in a biologically relevant system using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Sugihara and Bondar evaluate the influence of methyl-groups and the protein environment on retinal geometries in rhodopsin and bacteriorhodopsin, two...

Society News: GJI celebrates student authors; Celebrating 5000 years of astronomy at Stonehenge; New Fellows; Council nominations; NAM website opens; Going public;

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-01

Geophysical Journal International has announced the winners of its 2009 Student Author Awards for the best papers in the field with young scientists as lead authors. The RAS and English Heritage celebrated the close of IYA2009 at Stonehenge from 16-19 December, with an event bringing archaeologists and astronomers together on the site to talk to the public. The following were elected to Fellowship of the Society on 11 December 2009:

IBM announces global Grid computing solutions for banking, financial markets

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

"IBM has announced a series of Grid projects around the world as part of its Grid computing program. They include IBM new Grid-based product offerings with business intelligence software provider SAS and other partners that address the computer-intensive needs of the banking and financial markets industry (1 page)."

PUBLISHER'S ANNOUNCEMENT: Editorial developments

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

We are delighted to announce that from January 2009, Professor Murray T Batchelor of the Australian National University, Canberra will be the new Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical. Murray Batchelor has been Editor of the Mathematical Physics section of the journal since 2007. Prior to this, he served as a Board Member and an Advisory Panel member for the journal. His primary area of research is the statistical mechanics of exactly solved models. He holds a joint appointment in mathematics and physics and has held visiting positions at the Universities of Leiden, Amsterdam, Oxford and Tokyo. We very much look forward to working with Murray to continue to improve the journal's quality and interest to the readership. We would like to thank our outgoing Editor-in-Chief, Professor Carl M Bender. Carl has done a magnificent job as Editor-in-Chief and has worked tirelessly to improve the journal over the last five years. Carl has been instrumental in designing and implementing strategies that have enhanced the quality of papers published and service provided by Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical. Notably, under his tenure, we have introduced the Fast Track Communications (FTC) section to the journal. This section provides a venue for outstanding short papers that report new and timely developments in mathematical and theoretical physics and offers accelerated publication and high visibility for our authors. During the last five years, we have raised the quality threshold for acceptance in the journal and now reject over 60% of submissions. As a result, papers published in Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical are amongst the best in the field. We have also maintained and improved on our excellent receipt-to-first-decision times, which now average less than 50 days for papers. We have recently announced another innovation; the Journal of Physics A Best Paper Prize. These prizes will honour excellent papers

The Biophysics Microgravity Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Gorti, S.

2016-01-01

Biophysical microgravity research on the International Space Station using biological materials has been ongoing for several decades. The well-documented substantive effects of long duration microgravity include the facilitation of the assembly of biological macromolecules into large structures, e.g., formation of large protein crystals under micro-gravity. NASA is invested not only in understanding the possible physical mechanisms of crystal growth, but also promoting two flight investigations to determine the influence of µ-gravity on protein crystal quality. In addition to crystal growth, flight investigations to determine the effects of shear on nucleation and subsequent formation of complex structures (e.g., crystals, fibrils, etc.) are also supported. It is now considered that long duration microgravity research aboard the ISS could also make possible the formation of large complex biological and biomimetic materials. Investigations of various materials undergoing complex structure formation in microgravity will not only strengthen NASA science programs, but may also provide invaluable insight towards the construction of large complex tissues, organs, or biomimetic materials on Earth.

Predicting the Presence of Scyphozoan Jellyfish in the Gulf of Mexico Using a Biophysical Model

Science.gov (United States)

Aleksa, K. T.; Nero, R. W.; Wiggert, J. D.; Graham, W. M.

2016-02-01

The study and quantification of jellyfish (cnidarian medusae and ctenophores) is difficult due to their fragile body plan and a composition similar to their environment. The development of a predictive biophysical jellyfish model would be the first of its kind for the Gulf of Mexico and could provide assistance in ecological research and human interactions. In this study, the collection data of two scyphozoan medusae, Chrysaora quinquecirrha and Aurelia spp., were extracted from SEAMAP trawling surveys and were used to determine biophysical predictors for the presence of large jellyfish medusae in the Gulf of Mexico. Both in situ and remote sensing measurements from 2003 to 2013 were obtained. Logistic regressions were then applied to 27 biophysical parameters derived from these data to explore and determine significant predictors for the presence of medusae. Significant predictors identified by this analysis included water temperature, chlorophyll a, turbidity, distance from shore, and salinity. Future application for this model include foraging assessment of gelatinous predators as well as possible near real time monitoring of the distribution and movement of these medusae in the Gulf of Mexico.

Stock Price Reaction to Announcements of Right Issues and Debenture Issues: Evidence from Colombo Stock Exchange

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Udani Chathurika Edirisinghe

2015-02-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the stock market reaction for right issues and debenture issues of Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE during the period of 2005 to 2011 while providing evidence for the research question “how do stock prices react to the debt and equity issue announcements of listed companies in CSE?” In investigating the ex-ante and ex-post market reactions the study employees event study methodology, while predicting abnormal returns, based on three alternative normal/expected returns modeling methods, namely Mean Adjusted Model, Market Adjusted Model, and Capital Asset Pricing Model. When testing the alternative hypothesis, whether stock prices significantly reacts to the announcement of right & debenture issues, results of all models show positive market reaction during the 30 days prior to the announcement and react negatively from 2 days after the announcements for right issues, but for debenture issues market reacted negatively during the period prior to debenture issues and continue to do the same during the post event period. Although the magnitude and significance of abnormal return generated through three alternatives methods differ, the pattern of the CAAR of all models are similar. Thus, as far as the speed of the price adjustment is concerned it seems that the CSE is not efficient.

Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Mechanobiology: Manipulating the Biophysical Microenvironment for Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Ireland, Ronald G; Simmons, Craig A

2015-11-01

A stem cell in its microenvironment is subjected to a myriad of soluble chemical cues and mechanical forces that act in concert to orchestrate cell fate. Intuitively, many of these soluble and biophysical factors have been the focus of intense study to successfully influence and direct cell differentiation in vitro. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have been of considerable interest in these studies due to their great promise for regenerative medicine. Culturing and directing differentiation of hPSCs, however, is currently extremely labor-intensive and lacks the efficiency required to generate large populations of clinical-grade cells. Improved efficiency may come from efforts to understand how the cell biophysical signals can complement biochemical signals to regulate cell pluripotency and direct differentiation. In this concise review, we explore hPSC mechanobiology and how the hPSC biophysical microenvironment can be manipulated to maintain and differentiate hPSCs into functional cell types for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering applications. © 2015 AlphaMed Press.

Riparian influences on the biophysical characteristics of seston in headwater streams.

Science.gov (United States)

Scott R. Elliott; Robert J. Naiman; Peter A. Bisson

2004-01-01

Suspended particles (seston) in streams are an important source of nutrition for many invertebrates, forming a strong trophic link between plant and animal production. In forested regions the management of riparian corridors may alter alloehthonous and autochthonous contributions to streams, ultimately changing the biophysical characteristics of seston. This article...

Biophysical studies of irradiated thymocytes. 1. Surface changes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sungurov, A Yu; Tokalov, S V; Petrov, Yu P; Sharlaeva, T M

1985-08-15

In order to study postirradiation changes in thymus lymphocyte surface, a number of biophysical analytical methods was used: the cell two-partition method, the physical adhesion method, fluorescence intensity and binding parameters of negatively charged ANS probe. Reduction of cell distribution factor in two-phase system and adhesion of thymocytes to cotton 1 hour after irradiation, as well as abrupt change in parameters of binding the probe in the interval of 3-4 hours after X-ray irradiation at the dose of 4 Gy are demonstrated.

76 FR 37376 - Sunshine Act Meeting Federal Register Citation of Previous Announcement: 76 FR 35472, June 17, 2011

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-27

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Parole Commission Sunshine Act Meeting Federal Register Citation of Previous Announcement: 76 FR 35472, June 17, 2011 PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED TIME AND DATE OF THE MEETING: 10 a.m., Tuesday, June 21, 2011. CHANGES IN THE MEETING: Removal of agenda item 5: Discussion and vote on a final rule on...

Announcing the arrival of enrichment increases play behaviour and reduces weaning-stress-induced behaviours of piglets directly after weaning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dudink, S.; Simonse, H.; Marks, I.; Jonge, de F.H.; Spruijt, B.M.

2006-01-01

Piglets have difficulties with the abrupt changes at weaning associated with conventional pig production systems. Previously, it has been shown in rats that reward and announcement of reward counteracts impact of stress effects. In the present study, it was investigated if announcement of an

Best Collaborative Publication Announced during Spring Research Festival Week | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

By Nancy Parrish, Staff Writer The winner of the 2012 competition for the best collaborative publication was announced on May 7, as part of the lead-up to the Spring Research Festival sponsored by the National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research (NICBR) and the National Cancer Institute at Frederick on May 8 and 9.

76 FR 37774 - Announcement of Value-Added Producer Grant Application Deadlines

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-28

... communities in urban or rural areas, with limited access to healthy foods and with a high poverty and hunger... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Rural Business-Cooperative Service Announcement of Value-Added Producer Grant Application Deadlines AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of Funding...

The role of bio-physical cohesive substrates on sediment winnowing and bedform development

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Leiping; Parsons, Daniel; Manning, Andrew

2017-04-01

Existing sediment transport and bedform size predictions for natural open-channel flows in many environments are seriously impeded by a lack of process-based knowledge concerning the dynamics of complex bed sediment mixtures comprising cohesionless sand and biologically-active cohesive muds. A series of flume experiments (14 experimental runs) with different substrate mixtures of sand-clay-EPS (Extracellular Polymeric Substance) are combined with a detailed estuarine field survey (Dee estuary, NW England) to investigate the development of bedform morphologies and characteristics of suspended sediment over bio-physical cohesive substrates. The experimental results indicate that winnowing and sediment sorting can occur pervasively in bio-physical cohesive sediment - flow systems. Importantly however, the evolution of the bed and bedform dynamics, and hence turbulence production, is significantly reduced as bed substrate cohesivity increases. The estuarine subtidal zone survey also revealed that the bio-physical cohesion provided by both the clay and microorganism fractions in the bed plays a significant role in controlling the interactions between bed substrate and sediment suspension, deposition and bedform generation. The work will be presented here concludes by outlining the need to extend and revisit the effects of cohesivity in morphodynamic systems and the sets of parameters presently used in numerical modelling, particularly in the context of the impact of climate change on estuarine and coastal systems.

The media-driven risk society, the anti-vaccination movement and risk of autismo.

Science.gov (United States)

Vasconcellos-Silva, Paulo Roberto; Castiel, Luis David; Griep, Rosane Härter

2015-02-01

Marked changes have been seen in the epidemiological profile of infectious diseases among middle-class families in industrialized countries due to beliefs related to the risks of vaccination. These beliefs are proliferating globally due to internet sites, blogs and the influence of celebrities in the mass communication media. Due to the complexity of a cultural phenomenon of this nature, contemporary concepts aligned to the idea of reflexivity in the risk society are analyzed. The concept of a receptive media-driven society in which the announcement of danger and protection in mutual reference and contradiction are also assessed. The frequent emergence of tensions derived from cycles of utterances and baseless comments construed as symbolic "biovalues" are discussed. The persistent effect of threatening biotechnological and fraudulent utterances has influenced virtual networks for almost three decades, supporting the debate about the connection between autism and vaccines. The conclusion reached is that the processes of production of significance interconnect at various levels in which representations circulate that support communication and group identity based on historical and cultural references.

Anti-pulmonary fibrotic activity of salvianolic acid B was screened by a novel method based on the cyto-biophysical properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Miao; Zheng, Mingjing; Xu, Hanying; Liu, Lianqing; Li, Yanchun; Xiao, Wei; Li, Jianchun; Ma, Enlong

Various methods have been used to evaluate anti-fibrotic activity of drugs. However, most of them are complicated, labor-intensive and lack of efficiency. This study was intended to develop a rapid method for anti-fibrotic drugs screening based on biophysical properties. A549 cells in vitro were stimulated with transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and fibrogenesis was confirmed by conventional immunological assays. Meanwhile, the alterations of cyto-biophysical properties including morphology, roughness and stiffness were measured utilizing atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was found that fibrogenesis was accompanied with changes of cellular biophysical properties. TGF-β1-stimulated A549 cells became remarkably longer, rougher and stiffer than the control. Then, the effect of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) as a positive drug on ameliorating fibrogenesis in TGF-β1-stimulated A549 cells was verified respectively by immunological and biophysical markers. The result of Principal Component Analysis showed that stiffness was a leading index among all biophysical markers during fibrogenesis. Salvianolic acid B (SalB), a natural anti-oxidant, was detected by AFM to protect TGF-β1-stimulated A549 cells against stiffening. Then, SalB treatment was provided in preventive mode on a rat model of bleomycin (BLM) -induced pulmonary fibrosis. The results showed that SalB treatment significantly ameliorated BLM-induced histological alterations, blocked collagen accumulations and reduced α-SMA expression in lung tissues. All these results revealed the anti-pulmonary fibrotic activity of SalB. Detection of cyto-biophysical properties were therefore recommended as a rapid method for anti-pulmonary fibrotic drugs screening. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DEIMOS-1 Announcement of Opportunity: New Challenges and Achievements

Science.gov (United States)

Casanova, J.-L.; Duque, P.; Calle, A.; Romo, A.; Sanz, J.; Bello, M.

2010-12-01

This paper will show the projects and results obtained as consequence of the Deimos-1 Announcement of Opportunity, AO, offered by the Spanish company Deimos Imaging, owner and manager of the first commercial Spanish satellite dedicated to Earth Observation: Deimos-1. The satellite Deimos-1 belongs to the DMC (Disaster Managing Constellation) and it was launched on July, 2009, by means of a Dnepr rocket, from the Russian cosmodrome of Baikonur.

Bone marrow-derived cells and biophysical stimulation for talar osteochondral lesions: a randomized controlled study.

Science.gov (United States)

Cadossi, Matteo; Buda, Roberto Emanuele; Ramponi, Laura; Sambri, Andrea; Natali, Simone; Giannini, Sandro

2014-10-01

Osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) frequently occur after ankle sprains in young patients participating in sports activities. These injuries may lead to chronic pain, joint swelling, and finally osteoarthritis, therefore, surgical repair is frequently needed. A collagen scaffold seeded with bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) harvested from patient's iliac crest and implanted into the OLT through a single arthroscopic procedure has been recently proposed as an effective treatment option. Nevertheless, BMDCs, embedded in an inflammatory environment, tend to differentiate toward a fibroblast phenotype with a consequential loss of mechanical characteristics. Biophysical stimulation with pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) has been shown to promote anabolic chondrocyte activity, stimulate proteoglycan synthesis, and reduce the release of the most relevant pro-inflammatory cytokines. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the effects of PEMFs on clinical outcome in patients who underwent BMDCs transplantation for OLT. Thirty patients affected by grade III and IV Outerbridge OLT underwent BMDCs transplantation. After surgery, patients were randomly assigned to either experimental group (PEMFs 4 hours per day for 60 days starting within 3 days after operation) or control group. Clinical outcome was evaluated with (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society) AOFAS score, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and Short Form-36 (SF-36). Significantly higher AOFAS score was recorded in the experimental group both at 6 or 12 months follow-up. At 60 days and 6 and 12 months follow-up, significant lower pain was observed in the experimental group. No significant difference was found in SF-36 between groups. A superior clinical outcome was found in the experimental group with more than 10 points higher AOFAS score at final follow-up. Biophysical stimulation started soon after surgery aided patient recovery leading to pain control and a better clinical outcome

75 FR 39953 - Modification to the Basic Center Program Funding Opportunity Announcement

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-13

.... Announcement Type: Modification. Funding Opportunity Number: HHS-2010-ACF-ACYF-CY-0002. CFDA Number: 93.623... points. Margins less than \\1/2\\ inch: Deduction of 3 points. Font is not at least 12-point size or Times...

6th international conference on biophysics and synchrotron radiation. Program/Abstracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pittroff, Connie; Strasser, Susan Barr

1999-01-01

This STI product consists of the Program/Abstracts book that was prepared for the participants in the Sixth International Conference on Biophysics and Synchrotron Radiation that was held August 4-8, 1998, at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. This book contains the full conference program and abstracts of the scientific presentations

6th international conference on biophysics and synchrotron radiation. Program/Abstracts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pittroff, Connie; Strasser, Susan Barr [lead editors

1999-08-03

This STI product consists of the Program/Abstracts book that was prepared for the participants in the Sixth International Conference on Biophysics and Synchrotron Radiation that was held August 4-8, 1998, at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. This book contains the full conference program and abstracts of the scientific presentations.

Announced reward counteracts the effects of chronic social stress on anticipatory behavior and hippocampal synaptic plasticity in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamal, Amer; Van der Harst, Johanneke E; Kapteijn, Chantal M; Baars, Annemarie J M; Spruijt, Berry M; Ramakers, Geert M J

2010-04-01

Chronic stress causes insensitivity to rewards (anhedonia) in rats, reflected by the absence of anticipatory behavior for a sucrose-reward, which can be reversed by antidepressant treatment or repeated announced transfer to an enriched cage. It was, however, not clear whether the highly rewarding properties of the enriched cage alone caused this reversal or whether the anticipation of this reward as such had an additional effect. Therefore, the present study compared the consequences of the announcement of a reward to the mere effect of a reward alone with respect to their efficacy to counteract the consequences of chronic stress. Two forms of synaptic plasticity, long-term potentiation and long-term depression were investigated in area CA1 of the hippocampus. This was done in socially stressed rats (induced by defeat and subsequent long-term individual housing), socially stressed rats that received a reward (short-term enriched housing) and socially stressed rats to which this reward was announced by means of a stimulus that was repeatedly paired to the reward. The results were compared to corresponding control rats. We show that announcement of enriched housing appeared to have had an additional effect compared to the enriched housing per se as indicated by a significant higher amount of LTP. In conclusion, announced short-term enriched housing has a high and long-lasting counteracting efficacy on stress-induced alterations of hippocampal synaptic plasticity. This information is important for counteracting the consequences of chronic stress in both human and captive rats.

Tales from the hundred year history of the American Physical Society

Science.gov (United States)

Lustig, H.

1999-05-01

The tale to be told on this occasion - a tale only slightly out of school - is that of the punctuated evolution of the APS in pursuing its hundred years old mission, "the advancement and diffusion of the knowledge of physics". For long periods this goal was pursued, singlemindedly and impressively, through scientfic meetings and the Society's journals. However, within a year of its founding, the APS,in concert with other scientific societies, had already "lobbied" successfully for the establishment of the Bureau of Standards. But then all was quiet on the public front until after World War II. Since that time there have been three waves of forays into the public arena. The first, which spanned the "McCarthy period", was in defense of the freedom of scientists to practice their profession across national boundaries; of the right to announce the results of their research even if they trod on powerful toes (the Astin case); and of individual physicists, such as E.U. Condon and J.Robert Oppenheimer,who had been unfairly accused and badly treated. The second wave occurred in the late sixties and early seventies when, initially much pushed by activist members, the Society's leadership came to grips with broad social issues, such as segregation in the South, the Equal Rights Amendment, and, eventually, arms control and nuclear weapons. The third immersion in public affairs, which is still very much in progress, can be characterized as worrying and speaking out on what physics can do for the country (provide authoritative studies on nuclear energy, renewables, directed energy weapons, etc.) and what the country can do for physics (provide more money). Although lobbying for better funding is still a relatively minor occupation of the Society, it raises the question how physics -an elitist pursuit -can be truthfully and effectively "sold" in a democratic and egalitarian society.

A synthesized biophysical and social vulnerability assessment for Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yung-Jaan

2017-11-01

Taiwan, located in the Western Pacific, is a country that is one of the most vulnerable to disasters that are associated with the changing climate; it is located within the Ring of Fire, which is the most geologically active region in the world. The environmental and geological conditions in Taiwan are sensitive and vulnerable to such disasters. Owing to increasing urbanization in Taiwan, floods and climate-related disasters have taken an increasing toll on human lives. As global warming accelerates the rising of sea levels and increasing of the frequency of extreme weather events, disasters will continue to affect socioeconomic development and human conditions. Under such circumstances, researchers and policymakers alike must recognize the importance of providing useful knowledge concerning vulnerability, disaster recovery and resilience. Strategies for reducing vulnerability and climate-related disaster risks and for increasing resilience involve preparedness, mitigation and adaptation. In the last two decades, extreme climate events have caused severe flash floods, debris flows, landslides, and other disasters and have had negative effects of many sectors, including agriculture, infrastructure and health. Since climate change is expected to have a continued impact on socio-economic development, this work develops a vulnerability assessment framework that integrates both biophysical and social vulnerability and supports synthesized vulnerability analyses to identify vulnerable areas in Taiwan. Owing to its geographical, geological and climatic features, Taiwan is susceptible to earthquakes, typhoons, droughts and various induced disasters. Therefore, Taiwan has the urgent task of establishing a framework for assessing vulnerability as a planning and policy tool that can be used to identify not only the regions that require special attention but also hotspots in which efforts should be made to reduce vulnerability and the risk of climate-related disaster. To

Taking stock of work-family initiatives: How announcements of "family-friendly" human resource decisions affect shareholder value.

OpenAIRE

Michelle M. Arthur; Alison Cook

2004-01-01

This study examines share price reactions to 231 work-family human resource policies adopted by Fortune 500 companies and announced in the Wall Street Journal between 1971 and 1996. Consistent with past research, the results suggest that firm announcements of work-family initiatives positively affected shareholder return. The authors also empirically test three hypotheses concerning how the timing of work-family initiatives influences shareholder reaction. They find that a pioneering company ...

Shor-Preskill-type security proof for quantum key distribution without public announcement of bases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Won-Young; Wang Xiangbin; Matsumoto, Keiji; Kim, Jaewan; Lee, Hai-Woong

2003-01-01

We give a Shor-Preskill-type security proof to quantum key distribution without public announcement of bases [W.Y. Hwang et al., Phys. Lett. A 244, 489 (1998)]. First, we modify the Lo-Chau protocol once more so that it finally reduces to the quantum key distribution without public announcement of bases. Then we show how we can estimate the error rate in the code bits based on that in the checked bits in the proposed protocol, which is the central point of the proof. We discuss the problem of imperfect sources and that of large deviation in the error rate distributions. We discuss when the bases sequence must be discarded

Interplay of mycolic acids, antimycobacterial compounds and pulmonary surfactant membrane: a biophysical approach to disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinheiro, Marina; Giner-Casares, Juan J; Lúcio, Marlene; Caio, João M; Moiteiro, Cristina; Lima, José L F C; Reis, Salette; Camacho, Luis

2013-02-01

This work focuses on the interaction of mycolic acids (MAs) and two antimycobacterial compounds (Rifabutin and N'-acetyl-Rifabutin) at the pulmonary membrane level to convey a biophysical perspective of their role in disease. For this purpose, accurate biophysical techniques (Langmuir isotherms, Brewster angle microscopy, and polarization-modulation infrared reflection spectroscopy) and lipid model systems were used to mimic biomembranes: MAs mimic bacterial lipids of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTb) membrane, whereas Curosurf® was used as the human pulmonary surfactant (PS) membrane model. The results obtained show that high quantities of MAs are responsible for significant changes on PS biophysical properties. At the dynamic inspiratory surface tension, high amounts of MAs decrease the order of the lipid monolayer, which appears to be a concentration dependent effect. These results suggest that the amount of MAs might play a critical role in the initial access of the bacteria to their targets. Both molecules also interact with the PS monolayer at the dynamic inspiratory surface. However, in the presence of higher amounts of MAs, both compounds improve the phospholipid packing and, therefore, the order of the lipid surfactant monolayer. In summary, this work discloses the putative protective effects of antimycobacterial compounds against the MAs induced biophysical impairment of PS lipid monolayers. These protective effects are most of the times overlooked, but can constitute an additional therapeutic value in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis (Tb) and may provide significant insights for the design of new and more efficient anti-Tb drugs based on their behavior as membrane ordering agents. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantify the Biophysical and Socioeconomic Drivers of Changes in Forest and Agricultural Land in South and Southeast Asia

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, X.; Jain, A. K.; Calvin, K. V.

2017-12-01

Due to the rapid socioeconomic development and biophysical factors, South and Southeast Asia (SSEA) has become a hotspot region of land use and land cover changes (LULCCs) in past few decades. Uncovering the drivers of LULCC is crucial for improving the understanding of LULCC processes. Due to the differences from spatiotemporal scales, methods and data sources in previous studies, the quantitative relationships between the LULCC activities and biophysical and socioeconomic drivers at the regional scale of SSEA have not been established. Here we present a comprehensive estimation of the biophysical and socioeconomic drivers of the major LULCC activities in SSEA: changes in forest and agricultural land. We used the Climate Change Initiative land cover data developed by European Space Agency to reveal the dynamics of forest and agricultural land from 1992 to 2015. Then we synthesized 200 publications about LULCC drivers at different spatial scales in SSEA to identify the major drivers of these LULCC activities. Corresponding representative variables of the major drivers were collected. The geographically weighted regression was employed to assess the spatiotemporally heterogeneous drivers of LULCC. Moreover, we validated our results with some national level case studies in SSEA. The results showed that both biophysical conditions such as terrain, soil, and climate, and socioeconomic factors such as migration, poverty, and economy played important roles in driving the changes of forest and agricultural land. The major drivers varied in different locations and periods. Our study integrated the bottom-up knowledge from local scale case studies with the top-down estimation of LULCC drivers, therefore generated more accurate and credible results. The identified biophysical and socioeconomic components could be used to improve the LULCC modelling and projection.

Publicly announced access recommendations and consumers’ service time choices with uncertain congestion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Han, Q.; Benedict, G.C.; Dellaert, W.; van Raaij, W.F.; Timmermans, H.J.P.

2014-01-01

This article investigates consumers' anticipation of other consumers' service time choices in capacity-constrained services and how this is affected by publicly announced access recommendations. Empirical results from an experiment with simulated congestion experiences show that the impact of

Publicly announced access recommendations and consumers' service time choices with uncertain congestion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Han, Q.; Dellaert, B.G.C.; Raaij, W.F.V.; Timmermans, H.J.P.

2014-01-01

This article investigates consumers' anticipation of other consumers' service time choices in capacity-constrained services and how this is affected by publicly announced access recommendations. Empirical results from an experiment with simulated congestion experiences show that the impact of

76 FR 31241 - Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) Program; Massachusetts; Announcing Delegation...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-31

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 52 [A-1-FRL-9310-9] Prevention of Significant... Department of Environmental Protection AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Announcement of... an agreement with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) delegating...

76 FR 48939 - Announcement of Meeting of the International Telecommunication Advisory Committee

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-09

... Street, NW., Washington, DC 20520, to seek advice from the telecommunications industry on: (a) The consultation of International Telecommunication Union, Telecommunication Standardization Sector Study Group 15... Telecommunication Advisory Committee SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the International Telecommunication...

UK Announces Intention to Join ESO

Science.gov (United States)

2000-11-01

Summary The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) , the UK's strategic science investment agency, today announced that the government of the United Kingdom is making funds available that provide a baseline for this country to join the European Southern Observatory (ESO) . The ESO Director General, Dr. Catherine Cesarsky , and the ESO Community warmly welcome this move towards fuller integration in European astronomy. "With the UK as a potential member country of ESO, our joint opportunities for front-line research and technology will grow significantly", she said. "This announcement is a clear sign of confidence in ESO's abilities, most recently demonstrated with the construction and operation of the unique Very Large Telescope (VLT) on Paranal. Together we will look forward with confidence towards new, exciting projects in ground-based astronomy." It was decided earlier this year to place the 4-m UK Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope (VISTA) at Paranal, cf. ESO Press Release 03/00. Following negotiations between ESO and PPARC, a detailed proposal for the associated UK/ESO Agreement with the various entry modalities will now be presented to the ESO Council for approval. Before this Agreement can enter into force, the ESO Convention and associated protocols must also be ratified by the UK Parliament. Research and key technologies According to the PPARC press release, increased funding for science, announced by the UK government today, will enable UK astronomers to prepare for the next generation of telescopes and expand their current telescope portfolio through membership of the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The uplift to its baseline budget will enable PPARC to enter into final negotiations for UK membership of the ESO. This will ensure that UK astronomers, together with their colleagues in the ESO member states, are actively involved in global scale preparations for the next generation of astronomy facilities. among these are ALMA

Standards for Endovascular Neurosurgical Training and Certification of the Society of Korean Endovascular Neurosurgeons 2013

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Dong-Seong; Park, Sukh-Que; Kang, Hyun-Seung; Yoon, Seok-Mann; Cho, Jae-Hoon; Lim, Dong-Jun; Baik, Min-Woo; Kwon, O Ki

2014-01-01

The need for standard endovascular neurosurgical (ENS) training programs and certification in Korea cannot be overlooked due to the increasing number of ENS specialists and the expanding ENS field. The Society of Korean Endovascular Neurosurgeons (SKEN) Certification Committee has prepared training programs and certification since 2010, and the first certificates were issued in 2013. A task force team (TFT) was organized in August 2010 to develop training programs and certification. TFT members researched programs and systems in other countries to develop a program that best suited Korea. After 2 years, a rough draft of the ENS training and certification regulations were prepared, and the standard training program title was decided. The SKEN Certification Committee made an official announcement about the certification program in March 2013. The final certification regulations comprised three major parts: certified endovascular neurosurgeons (EN), certified ENS institutions, and certified ENS training institutions. Applications have been evaluated and the results were announced in June 2013 as follows: 126 members received EN certification and 55 hospitals became ENS-certified institutions. The SKEN has established standard ENS training programs together with a certification system, and it is expected that they will advance the field of ENS to enhance public health and safety in Korea. PMID:24851145

Biophysical Neural Spiking, Bursting, and Excitability Dynamics in Reconfigurable Analog VLSI.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, T; Sejnowski, T J; Cauwenberghs, G

2011-10-01

We study a range of neural dynamics under variations in biophysical parameters underlying extended Morris-Lecar and Hodgkin-Huxley models in three gating variables. The extended models are implemented in NeuroDyn, a four neuron, twelve synapse continuous-time analog VLSI programmable neural emulation platform with generalized channel kinetics and biophysical membrane dynamics. The dynamics exhibit a wide range of time scales extending beyond 100 ms neglected in typical silicon models of tonic spiking neurons. Circuit simulations and measurements show transition from tonic spiking to tonic bursting dynamics through variation of a single conductance parameter governing calcium recovery. We similarly demonstrate transition from graded to all-or-none neural excitability in the onset of spiking dynamics through the variation of channel kinetic parameters governing the speed of potassium activation. Other combinations of variations in conductance and channel kinetic parameters give rise to phasic spiking and spike frequency adaptation dynamics. The NeuroDyn chip consumes 1.29 mW and occupies 3 mm × 3 mm in 0.5 μm CMOS, supporting emerging developments in neuromorphic silicon-neuron interfaces.

Biophysical and biochemical constraints imposed by salt stress:Learning from halophyte

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernardo eDuarte

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Soil salinization is one of the most important factors impacting plant productivity. About 3.6 billion of the world’s 5.2 billion ha of agricultural dryland have already suffered erosion, degradation and salinization. Halophytes typically are considered as plants able to complete their life cycle in environments where the salt concentration is 200 mM NaCl or higher. Different strategies are known to overcome salt stress, as adaptation mechanisms from this type of plants. Salinity adjustment is a complex phenomenon characterized by both biochemical and biophysical adaptations. As photosynthesis is a prerequisite for biomass production, halophytes adapted their electronic transduction pathways and the entire energetic metabolism to overcome the salt excess. The maintenance of ionic homeostasis is in the basis of all cellular stress in particular in terms of redox potential and energy transduction. In the present work the biophysical mechanisms underlying energy capture and transduction in halophytes are discussed alongside with their relation to biochemical mechanisms, integrating data from photosystem light harvesting complexes, electronic transport chains to the quinone pools, carbon harvesting and energy dissipation metabolism.

Bibliography of Lewis Research Center Technical Publications announced in 1991

Science.gov (United States)

1992-01-01

This compilation of abstracts describes and indexes the technical reporting that resulted from the scientific engineering work performed and managed by the Lewis Research Center in 1991. All the publications were announced in the 1991 issues of STAR (Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports) and/or IAA (International Aerospace Abstracts). Included are research reports, journal articles, conference presentations, patents and patent applications, and theses.

Indoor Fast Neutron Generator for Biophysical and Electronic Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Cannuli, A.; Caccamo, M. T.; Marchese, N.; Tomarchio, E. A.; Pace, C.; Magazù, S.

2018-05-01

This study focuses the attention on an indoor fast neutron generator for biophysical and electronic applications. More specifically, the findings obtained by several simulations with the MCNP Monte Carlo code, necessary for the realization of a shield for indoor measurements, are presented. Furthermore, an evaluation of the neutron spectrum modification caused by the shielding is reported. Fast neutron generators are a valid and interesting available source of neutrons, increasingly employed in a wide range of research fields, such as science and engineering. The employed portable pulsed neutron source is a MP320 Thermo Scientific neutron generator, able to generate 2.5 MeV neutrons with a neutron yield of 2.0 x 106 n/s, a pulse rate of 250 Hz to 20 KHz and a duty factor varying from 5% to 100%. The neutron generator, based on Deuterium-Deuterium nuclear fusion reactions, is employed in conjunction with a solid-state photon detector, made of n-type high-purity germanium (PINS-GMX by ORTEC) and it is mainly addressed to biophysical and electronic studies. The present study showed a proposal for the realization of a shield necessary for indoor applications for MP320 neutron generator, with a particular analysis of the transport of neutrons simulated with Monte Carlo code and described the two main lines of research in which the source will be used.

Epigenetic Modulation of the Biophysical Properties of Drug-Resistant Cell Lipids to Restore Drug Transport and Endocytic Functions

OpenAIRE

Vijayaraghavalu, Sivakumar; Peetla, Chiranjeevi; Lu, Shan; Labhasetwar, Vinod

2012-01-01

In our recent studies exploring the biophysical characteristics of resistant cell lipids, and the role they play in drug transport, we demonstrated the difference of drug-resistant breast cancer cells from drug-sensitive cells in lipid composition and biophysical properties, suggesting that cancer cells acquire a drug-resistant phenotype through the alteration of lipid synthesis to inhibit intracellular drug transport to protect from cytotoxic effect. In cancer cells, epigenetic changes (e.g....

Protein Engineering: Development of a Metal Ion Dependent Switch

Science.gov (United States)

2017-05-22

Society of Chemistry Royal Society of Chemistry Biochemistry PNAS Escherichia coli Journal of Biotechnology Biochemistry Nature Protocols Journal of...Molecular Biology Biochemistry Royal Society of Chemistry Proteins: Structure, Function, and Bioinformatics Journal of Molecular Biology Biophysical...Biophysical Journal Protein Science Journal of Computational Chemistry Current Opinion in Chemical Biology Royal Society of Chemistry

Quantifying Vegetation Biophysical Variables from Imaging Spectroscopy Data: A Review on Retrieval Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Verrelst, Jochem; Malenovský, Zbyněk; Van der Tol, Christiaan; Camps-Valls, Gustau; Gastellu-Etchegorry, Jean-Philippe; Lewis, Philip; North, Peter; Moreno, Jose

2018-06-01

An unprecedented spectroscopic data stream will soon become available with forthcoming Earth-observing satellite missions equipped with imaging spectroradiometers. This data stream will open up a vast array of opportunities to quantify a diversity of biochemical and structural vegetation properties. The processing requirements for such large data streams require reliable retrieval techniques enabling the spatiotemporally explicit quantification of biophysical variables. With the aim of preparing for this new era of Earth observation, this review summarizes the state-of-the-art retrieval methods that have been applied in experimental imaging spectroscopy studies inferring all kinds of vegetation biophysical variables. Identified retrieval methods are categorized into: (1) parametric regression, including vegetation indices, shape indices and spectral transformations; (2) nonparametric regression, including linear and nonlinear machine learning regression algorithms; (3) physically based, including inversion of radiative transfer models (RTMs) using numerical optimization and look-up table approaches; and (4) hybrid regression methods, which combine RTM simulations with machine learning regression methods. For each of these categories, an overview of widely applied methods with application to mapping vegetation properties is given. In view of processing imaging spectroscopy data, a critical aspect involves the challenge of dealing with spectral multicollinearity. The ability to provide robust estimates, retrieval uncertainties and acceptable retrieval processing speed are other important aspects in view of operational processing. Recommendations towards new-generation spectroscopy-based processing chains for operational production of biophysical variables are given.

Assessment of the biophysical impacts of utility-scale photovoltaics through observations and modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Broadbent, A. M.; Georgescu, M.; Krayenhoff, E. S.; Sailor, D.

2017-12-01

Utility-scale solar power plants are a rapidly growing component of the solar energy sector. Utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) solar power generation in the United States has increased by 867% since 2012 (EIA, 2016). This expansion is likely to continue as the cost PV technologies decrease. While most agree that solar power can decrease greenhouse gas emissions, the biophysical effects of PV systems on surface energy balance (SEB), and implications for surface climate, are not well understood. To our knowledge, there has never been a detailed observational study of SEB at a utility-scale solar array. This study presents data from an eddy covariance observational tower, temporarily placed above a utility-scale PV array in Southern Arizona. Comparison of PV SEB with a reference (unmodified) site, shows that solar panels can alter the SEB and near surface climate. SEB observations are used to develop and validate a new and more complete SEB PV model. In addition, the PV model is compared to simpler PV modelling methods. The simpler PV models produce differing results to our newly developed model and cannot capture the more complex processes that influence PV SEB. Finally, hypothetical scenarios of PV expansion across the continental United States (CONUS) were developed using various spatial mapping criteria. CONUS simulations of PV expansion reveal regional variability in biophysical effects of PV expansion. The study presents the first rigorous and validated simulations of the biophysical effects of utility-scale PV arrays.

Contributions of computational chemistry and biophysical techniques to fragment-based drug discovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Gozalbes, Rafael; Carbajo, Rodrigo J; Pineda-Lucena, Antonio

2010-01-01

In the last decade, fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) has evolved from a novel approach in the search of new hits to a valuable alternative to the high-throughput screening (HTS) campaigns of many pharmaceutical companies. The increasing relevance of FBDD in the drug discovery universe has been concomitant with an implementation of the biophysical techniques used for the detection of weak inhibitors, e.g. NMR, X-ray crystallography or surface plasmon resonance (SPR). At the same time, computational approaches have also been progressively incorporated into the FBDD process and nowadays several computational tools are available. These stretch from the filtering of huge chemical databases in order to build fragment-focused libraries comprising compounds with adequate physicochemical properties, to more evolved models based on different in silico methods such as docking, pharmacophore modelling, QSAR and virtual screening. In this paper we will review the parallel evolution and complementarities of biophysical techniques and computational methods, providing some representative examples of drug discovery success stories by using FBDD.

Biophysical and structural considerations for protein sequence evolution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grahnen Johan A

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Protein sequence evolution is constrained by the biophysics of folding and function, causing interdependence between interacting sites in the sequence. However, current site-independent models of sequence evolutions do not take this into account. Recent attempts to integrate the influence of structure and biophysics into phylogenetic models via statistical/informational approaches have not resulted in expected improvements in model performance. This suggests that further innovations are needed for progress in this field. Results Here we develop a coarse-grained physics-based model of protein folding and binding function, and compare it to a popular informational model. We find that both models violate the assumption of the native sequence being close to a thermodynamic optimum, causing directional selection away from the native state. Sampling and simulation show that the physics-based model is more specific for fold-defining interactions that vary less among residue type. The informational model diffuses further in sequence space with fewer barriers and tends to provide less support for an invariant sites model, although amino acid substitutions are generally conservative. Both approaches produce sequences with natural features like dN/dS Conclusions Simple coarse-grained models of protein folding can describe some natural features of evolving proteins but are currently not accurate enough to use in evolutionary inference. This is partly due to improper packing of the hydrophobic core. We suggest possible improvements on the representation of structure, folding energy, and binding function, as regards both native and non-native conformations, and describe a large number of possible applications for such a model.

Microwave Tissue Ablation: Biophysics, Technology and Applications

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

Microwave ablation is an emerging treatment option for many cancers, cardiac arrhythmias and other medical conditions. During treatment, microwaves are applied directly to tissues to produce rapid temperature elevations sufficient to produce immediate coagulative necrosis. The engineering design criteria for each application differ, with individual consideration for factors such as desired ablation zone size, treatment duration, and procedural invasiveness. Recent technological developments in applicator cooling, power control and system optimization for specific applications promise to increase the utilization of microwave ablation in the future. This article will review the basic biophysics of microwave tissue heating, provide an overview of the design and operation of current equipment, and outline areas for future research for microwave ablation. PMID:21175404

Abstracts of the 9. Brazilian Congress of Biophysics, 2. Brazilian Congress of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and 19. Brazilian Congress of Physiology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

Abstracts about biophysics, pharmacology, experimental therapeutics and physiology are presented. The use of radioisotopes in radioassays involve topics like biophysics and renal physiology; central nervous system; endocrinology; animal and comparative physiology; general physiology, digestion and nutrition; general pharmacology. (M.A.C.) [pt

Canopy-scale biophysical controls on transpiration and evaporation in the Amazon Basin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mallick, Kaniska; Trebs, Ivonne; Bøgh, Eva

2016-01-01

to directly quantify the canopy-scale biophysical controls on λET and λEE over multiple plant functional types (PFTs) in the Amazon Basin. Combining data from six LBA (Large-scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia) eddy covariance tower sites and a TR-driven physically based modeling approach, we...

New Media Institute – Personal Public Service Announcement Project

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2009-05-15

In this podcast, Erin Edgerton, CDC, and Scott Shamp, New Media Institute, University of Georgia, discuss new media and the personal public service announcement project.  Created: 5/15/2009 by National Center for Health Marketing (NCHM), Division of eHealth Marketing (DeHM).   Date Released: 2/10/2010.

29 CFR 793.11 - Combination announcer, news editor and chief engineer.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Combination announcer, news editor and chief engineer. 793... OF CERTAIN RADIO AND TELEVISION STATION EMPLOYEES FROM OVERTIME PAY REQUIREMENTS UNDER SECTION 13(b... editor and chief engineer. The 13(b)(9) exemption, as was made clear during the debate on the amendment...

Evaluating the Effect of a Television Public Service Announcement about Epilepsy

Science.gov (United States)

Martiniuk, Alexandra L. C.; Secco, Mary; Yake, Laura; Speechley, Kathy N.

2010-01-01

Public service announcements (PSAs) are non-commercial advertisements aiming to improve knowledge, attitudes and/or behavior. No evaluations of epilepsy PSAs exist. This study sought to evaluate a televised PSA showing first aid for a seizure. A multilevel regression analysis was used to determine the effect of the PSA on epilepsy knowledge and…

DOE announces multi-well experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1981-07-01

US Department of Energy has announced the launch of a carefully designed, multi-well experiment to develop technology to tap the unrealized production potential of the tight lenticular formations of the Western US. The 5-yr, $20-million project well be conducted in the Mesa Verde sandstones in the Rulison area of Garfield County, Colorado. DOE's objective is to define the critical parameters affecting the technology for producing gas from the tight sandstones containing hundreds of trillions of cubic feet of gas in the Piceance Basin and many other basins in the west. DOE will make any technology advances available so that this vast resource can be tapped and added to the US energy supply. Rulison field's low-permeability Mesa Verde sandstones have resisted numerous production experiments, including nuclear blast and massive hydraulic fracturing tests. The results have been inconsistent, and there has been no reliable method for determining why results were good or poor.

From autopoiesis to neurophenomenology: Francisco Varela's exploration of the biophysics of being

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

DAVID RUDRAUF

2003-01-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews in detail Francisco Varela's work on subjectivity and consciousness in the biological sciences. His original approach to this "hard problem" presents a subjectivity that is radically intertwined with its biological and physical roots. It must be understood within the framework of his theory of a concrete, embodied dynamics, grounded in his general theory of autonomous systems. Through concepts and paradigms such as biological autonomy, embodiment and neurophenomenology, the article explores the multiple levels of circular causality assumed by Varela to play a fundamental role in the emergence of human experience. The concept of biological autonomy provides the necessary and sufficient conditions for characterizing biological life and identity as an emergent and circular self-producing process. Embodiment provides a systemic and dynamical framework for understanding how a cognitive -a mind- can arise in an organism in the midst of its operational cycles of internal regulation and ongoing sensorimotor coupling. Global subjective properties can emerge at different levels from the interactions of components and can reciprocally constrain local processes through an ongoing, recursive morphodynamics. Neurophenomenology is a supplementary step in the study of consciousness. Through a rigorous method, it advocates the careful examination of experience with first-person methodologies. It attempts to create heuristic mutual constraints between biophysical data and data produced by accounts of subjective experience. The aim is to explicitly ground the active and disciplined insight the subject has about his/her experience in a biophysical emergent process. Finally, we discuss Varela's essential contribution to our understanding of the generation of consciousness in the framework of what we call his "biophysics of being."

The Announcement Effect: Evidence from Open Market Desk Data

OpenAIRE

Oscar Jorda; Selva Demiralp; Holly Liu; Jeffrey Williams

2003-01-01

This paper investigates the ability of the Federal Reserve to manipulate the overnight rate without open market operations (which Demiralp and Jorda (2000) term the announcement effect), using high-frequency, open-market-desk data. Using similar data, Hamilton (1997) takes advantage of forecast errors in the Treasury balance to compute the elasticity of the federal funds rate to these errors and thus to obtain a measure of the liquidity effect. Similarly, one can view daily deviations of the ...

Final report for Conference Support Grant "From Computational Biophysics to Systems Biology - CBSB12"

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansmann, Ulrich H.E.

2012-07-02

This report summarizes the outcome of the international workshop From Computational Biophysics to Systems Biology (CBSB12) which was held June 3-5, 2012, at the University of Tennessee Conference Center in Knoxville, TN, and supported by DOE through the Conference Support Grant 120174. The purpose of CBSB12 was to provide a forum for the interaction between a data-mining interested systems biology community and a simulation and first-principle oriented computational biophysics/biochemistry community. CBSB12 was the sixth in a series of workshops of the same name organized in recent years, and the second that has been held in the USA. As in previous years, it gave researchers from physics, biology, and computer science an opportunity to acquaint each other with current trends in computational biophysics and systems biology, to explore venues of cooperation, and to establish together a detailed understanding of cells at a molecular level. The conference grant of $10,000 was used to cover registration fees and provide travel fellowships to selected students and postdoctoral scientists. By educating graduate students and providing a forum for young scientists to perform research into the working of cells at a molecular level, the workshop adds to DOE's mission of paving the way to exploit the abilities of living systems to capture, store and utilize energy.

A Method Sustaining the Bioelectric, Biophysical, and Bioenergetic Function of Cultured Rabbit Atrial Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noa Kirschner Peretz

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Culturing atrial cells leads to a loss in their ability to be externally paced at physiological rates and to maintain their shape. We aim to develop a culture method that sustains the shape of atrial cells along with their biophysical and bioenergetic properties in response to physiological pacing. We hypothesize that adding 2,3-Butanedione 2-monoxime (BDM, which inhibits contraction during the culture period, will preserve these biophysical and bioenergetic properties. Rabbit atrial cells were maintained in culture for 24 h in a medium enriched with a myofilament contraction inhibitor, BDM. The morphology and volume of the cells, including their ability to contract in response to 1–3 Hz electrical pacing, was maintained at the same level as fresh cells. Importantly, the cells could be successfully infected with a GFP adenovirus. Action potentials, Ca2+ transients, and local Ca2+ spark parameters were similar in the cultured and in fresh cells. Finally, these cultured cells' flavoprotein autofluorescence was maintained at a constant level in response to electrical pacing, a response similar to that of fresh cells. Thus, eliminating contraction during the culture period preserves the bioelectric, biophysical and bioenergetic properties of rabbit atrial myocytes. This method therefore has the potential to further improve our understanding of energetic and biochemical regulation in the atria.

Start-up date announced

CERN Multimedia

7th August 2008. CERN has announced that the first attempt to circulate the beam in the LHC will be made on the 10th September. This news comes as the cool down phase of commissioning the accelerator reaches a successful conclusion.The next phase is the synchronization of the LHC with the SPS accelerator, the last link in the LHC’s injector chain. A first synchronization test is scheduled for the 9th August, for the clockwise circulating beam, with the second to follow over the coming weeks.Once stable circulating beams have been established in September they will be brought to collision, and the final step will be to commission the LHC’s acceleration system to boost the energy to 5 TeV, the target energy for 2008.“We’re finishing a marathon with a sprint”, said LHC project leader Lyn Evans. “It’s been a long haul, and we’re all eager to get the LHC research programme underway.”For more information, please see the recent press release at: http://press.web.cern.ch/press/PressReleases/Rele...

Suicide announcement on Facebook.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruder, Thomas D; Hatch, Gary M; Ampanozi, Garyfalia; Thali, Michael J; Fischer, Nadja

2011-01-01

The media and the Internet may be having an influence on suicidal behavior. Online social networks such as Facebook represent a new facet of global information transfer. The impact of these online social networks on suicidal behavior has not yet been evaluated. To discuss potential effects of suicide notes on Facebook on suicide prevention and copycat suicides, and to create awareness among health care professionals. We present a case involving a suicide note on Facebook and discuss potential consequences of this phenomenon based on literature found searching PubMed and Google. There are numerous reports of suicide notes on Facebook in the popular press, but none in the professional literature. Online social network users attempted to prevent planned suicides in several reported cases. To date there is no documented evidence of a copycat suicide, directly emulating a suicide announced on Facebook. Suicide notes on online social networks may allow for suicide prevention via the immediate intervention of other network users. But it is not yet clear to what extent suicide notes on online social networks actually induce copycat suicides. These effects deserve future evaluation and research.

Bibliography of Lewis Research Center technical publications announced in 1990

Science.gov (United States)

1991-01-01

This compilation of abstracts describes and indexes the technical reporting that resulted from the scientific and engineering work performed and managed by the Lewis Research Center in 1990. All the publications were announced in the 1990 issues of STAR (Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports) and/or IAA (International Aerospace Abstracts). Included are research reports, journal articles, conference presentations, patents and patent applications, and theses.

Bibliography of Lewis Research Center technical publications announced in 1992

Science.gov (United States)

1993-01-01

This compilation of abstracts describes and indexes the technical reporting that resulted from the scientific and engineering work performed and managed by the Lewis Research Center in 1992. All the publications were announced in the 1992 issues of STAR (Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports) and/or IAA (International Aerospace Abstracts). Included are research reports, journal articles, conference presentations, patents and patent applications, and theses.

Bibliography of Lewis Research Center technical publications announced in 1993

Science.gov (United States)

1994-01-01

This compilation of abstracts describes and indexes the technical reporting that resulted from the scientific and engineering work performed and managed by the Lewis Research Center in 1993. All the publications were announced in the 1993 issues of STAR (Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports) and/or IAA (International Aerospace Abstracts). Included are research reports, journal articles, conference presentations, patents and patent applications, and theses.

Bibliography of Lewis Research Center technical publications announced in 1989

Science.gov (United States)

1990-01-01

This compilation of abstracts describes and indexes the technical reporting that resulted from the scientific and engineering work performed and managed by the Lewis Research Center in 1989. All the publications were announced in the 1989 issues of STAR (Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports) and/or IAA (International Aerospace Abstracts). Included are research reports, journal articles, conference presentations, patents and patent applications, and theses.

Biophysics of NASA radiation quality factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cucinotta, Francis A.

2015-01-01

NASA has implemented new radiation quality factors (QFs) for projecting cancer risks from space radiation exposures to astronauts. The NASA QFs are based on particle track structure concepts with parameters derived from available radiobiology data, and NASA introduces distinct QFs for solid cancer and leukaemia risk estimates. The NASA model was reviewed by the US National Research Council and approved for use by NASA for risk assessment for International Space Station missions and trade studies of future exploration missions to Mars and other destinations. A key feature of the NASA QFs is to represent the uncertainty in the QF assessments and evaluate the importance of the QF uncertainty to overall uncertainties in cancer risk projections. In this article, the biophysical basis for the probability distribution functions representing QF uncertainties was reviewed, and approaches needed to reduce uncertainties were discussed. (author)

Developing a physics expert identity in a biophysics research group

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, Idaykis; Goertzen, Renee Michelle; Brewe, Eric; Kramer, Laird H.

2015-06-01

We investigate the development of expert identities through the use of the sociocultural perspective of learning as participating in a community of practice. An ethnographic case study of biophysics graduate students focuses on the experiences the students have in their research group meetings. The analysis illustrates how the communities of practice-based identity constructs of competencies characterize student expert membership. A microanalysis of speech, sound, tones, and gestures in video data characterize students' social competencies in the physics community of practice. Results provide evidence that students at different stages of their individual projects have opportunities to develop social competencies such as mutual engagement, negotiability of the repertoire, and accountability to the enterprises as they interact with group members. The biophysics research group purposefully designed a learning trajectory including conducting research and writing it for publication in the larger community of practice as a pathway to expertise. The students of the research group learn to become socially competent as specific experts of their project topic and methodology, ensuring acceptance, agency, and membership in their community of practice. This work expands research on physics expertise beyond the cognitive realm and has implications for how to design graduate learning experiences to promote expert identity development.

Institutional Branding: A Content Analysis of Public Service Announcements from American Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Clayton, Michael J.; Cavanagh, Kevin V.; Hettche, Matt

2012-01-01

American universities receive millions of dollars worth of media exposure every year via Public Service Announcements (PSAs) broadcast during their respective school's athletic competitions. This research explores the message strategies and executional devices used by NCAA FBS (National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision)…

75 FR 4414 - Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee; Announcement of Public Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-27

...] Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee; Announcement of Public Meeting AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife... (Service), will host a Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee (Committee) meeting March 2- 4, 2010. The.../wind_turbine_advisory_committee.html , by February 23, 2010. Seating is limited due to room capacity...

Symposia, congresses, societies, meetings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

NN,

1985-01-01

Please submit your announcement to this Bulletin as early as possible! Several made here were received too late for interested readers to make use of. After the event please send a summary of the doings, and/or the Proceedings, if any. Settlement of aliens was the subject of a colloquium held at

Coupling the Biophysical and Social Dimensions of Wildfire Risk to Improve Wildfire Mitigation Planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Ager, Alan A; Kline, Jeffrey D; Fischer, A Paige

2015-08-01

We describe recent advances in biophysical and social aspects of risk and their potential combined contribution to improve mitigation planning on fire-prone landscapes. The methods and tools provide an improved method for defining the spatial extent of wildfire risk to communities compared to current planning processes. They also propose an expanded role for social science to improve understanding of community-wide risk perceptions and to predict property owners' capacities and willingness to mitigate risk by treating hazardous fuels and reducing the susceptibility of dwellings. In particular, we identify spatial scale mismatches in wildfire mitigation planning and their potential adverse impact on risk mitigation goals. Studies in other fire-prone regions suggest that these scale mismatches are widespread and contribute to continued wildfire dwelling losses. We discuss how risk perceptions and behavior contribute to scale mismatches and how they can be minimized through integrated analyses of landscape wildfire transmission and social factors that describe the potential for collaboration among landowners and land management agencies. These concepts are then used to outline an integrated socioecological planning framework to identify optimal strategies for local community risk mitigation and improve landscape-scale prioritization of fuel management investments by government entities. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

Novel biophysical determination of miRNAs related to prostate and head and neck cancers

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Hudcová, K.; Trnková, L.; Kejnovská, Iva; Vorlíčková, Michaela; Gumulec, J.; Kizek, R.; Masarik, M.

2015-01-01

Roč. 44, č. 3 (2015), s. 131-138 ISSN 0175-7571 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA * ELIMINATION VOLTAMMETRY * CYTOSINE SIGNALS Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 1.444, year: 2015

Ground-and satellite-based evidence of the biophysical mechanisms behind the greening Sahel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brandt, Martin Stefan; Mbow, Cheikh; Diouf, Abdoul A.

2015-01-01

After a dry period with prolonged droughts in the 1970s and 1980s, recent scientific outcome suggests that the decades of abnormally dry conditions in the Sahel have been reversed by positive anomalies in rainfall. Various remote sensing studies observed a positive trend in vegetation greenness...... over the last decades which is known as the re-greening of the Sahel. However, little investment has been made in including long-term ground-based data collections to evaluate and better understand the biophysical mechanisms behind these findings. Thus, deductions on a possible increment in biomass...... remain speculative. Our aim is to bridge these gaps and give specifics on the biophysical background factors of the re-greening Sahel. Therefore, a trend analysis was applied on long time series (1987-2013) of satellite-based vegetation and rainfall data, as well as on ground-observations of leaf biomass...

Developing A Transdisciplinary Process and Community Partnerships to Anticipate Climate Change at the Local Level: The Role of Biophysical and Sociocultural Calendars

Science.gov (United States)

Kassam, K. A.; Samimi, C.; Trabucco, A.

2017-12-01

Difference is essential to solving the most complex problems faced by humanity. Anthropogenic climate change is one such "wicked problem" that demands cognitive diversity. Biophysical and social scientists must collaborate with scholars from the humanities to address practical issues of concern to local communities, which are at the forefront of impacts of climatic variation. As such, communities of inquirers (e.g. biophysical and social sciences, humanities) must work in tandem with communities of practice (e.g. farmers, fishers, gatherers, herders, hunters). This leads to co-generated knowledge where an adaptation strategy to climatic variation is locally grounded in the biophysical and sociocultural context of the communities where the impacts of climatic variation are most felt. We will present an innovative and `real time' example participatory and transdisciplinary research from an international project where we are developing integrated biophysical and sociocultural calendars, in short, ecological calendars, which are ecologically and culturally grounded in the local context to develop anticipatory capacity to anthropogenic climate change.

Youth Gambling Prevention: Can Public Service Announcements Featuring Celebrity Spokespersons Be Effective?

Science.gov (United States)

Shead, N. Will; Walsh, Kelly; Taylor, Amy; Derevensky, Jeffrey L.; Gupta, Rina

2011-01-01

Children and adolescents are at increased risk of developing gambling problems compared to adults. A review of successful prevention campaigns targeting drinking and driving, smoking, unprotected sex, and drug use suggests that public service announcements (PSAs) featuring celebrity spokespersons have strong potential for raising awareness of the…

Earnings announcement lag and non-mandatory disclosure impact on the cost of debt: Hong Kong empirical evidence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Achraf Guidara

2015-02-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the association between voluntary disclosure, earnings announcement lag and the cost of debt in Hong Kong. The research sample consists of 20 listed companies in the Hong Kong Stock exchange over the period spanning from 2008 to 2011. A disclosure checklist is used to measure the extent of voluntary disclosure in companies ‘annual reports. Earnings announcement lag is proxied by the difference between the end of fiscal year and the publication date of financial statements. Results of this study confirm that voluntary disclosure and earnings announcements lag reduce the cost of debt in Hong Kong. These findings suggest that voluntary disclosures play an essential role in reducing cost of debt in Hong Kong context, and managers tend to disclose in early manner to reduce the information asymmetry between their firm and creditors. These findings may have policy implications for managers since they demonstrate that the extent of voluntary and timely disclosures affect the cost of debt.

An introduction to environmental biophysics

CERN Document Server

Campbell, Gaylon S

1977-01-01

The study of environmental biophysics probably began earlier in man's history than that of any other science. The study of organism-environment interaction provided a key to survival and progress. Systematic study of the science and recording of experimental results goes back many hundreds of years. Ben­ jamin Franklin, the early American statesman, inventor, printer, and scientist studied conduction, evaporation, and radiation. One of his observations is as follows: My desk on which I now write, and the lock of my desk, are both exposed to the same temperature of the air, and have therefore the same degree of heat or cold; yet if I lay my hand successively on the wood and on the metal, the latter feels much the coldest, not that it is really so, but being a better conductor, it more readily than the wood takes away and draws into itself the fire that was in my skin. 1 Franklin probably was not the first to discover this principle, and certainly was not the last. Modem researchers rediscover this principle f...

Efficacy of betamethasone on the fetal motion and biophysical profile and amniotic fluid index in preterm fetuses.

Science.gov (United States)

Abbasalizadeh, Shamsi; Pharabar, Zahra Neghadan; Abbasalizadeh, Fatmeh; Ghojazadeh, Morteza; Goldust, Mohamad

2013-11-15

The term ofpreterm birth is used to define the premature neonates considering pregnancy age. In less than 34 week pregnancies, corticosteroids are prescribed to promote embryos' lung maturity. The presents study aimed at evaluating effects of betamethasone injection on feeling embryo motion by mother and index and biophysical profile in preterm pregnancies. In a descriptive-analytical study, 40 pregnant women with the pregnancy age of 30-34 weeks were evaluated. Embryo motion and index and biophysical profile of the amniotic fluid were checked before prescription of double dosage of muscular betamethasone (12 mg) at a 24 h time interval. The injection was repeated for 24 and 48 h after the first injection. The resulted outcomes were compared with those results related to before betamethasone injection. In this study, there was statistically meaningful relationship between embryo motions before injection of betamethasone and 12 h after its injection (p = 0.03). Also, there was a significant relationship between embryo motions 24 and 48 h after injection of betamethasone (p = 0.001). In other words, the embryo motions decreased 12 h after injection of betamethasone. They were improved 48 h after betamethasone injection. But, index and biophysical profile results of amniotic fluid were left unchanged. Application of betamethasone leads to evident but transient decrease in embryo motions. Although motion element of index and biophysical profile of amniotic fluid which is one of the tests used in evaluating the embryo health is fixed and normal, it can be concluded that injection of betamethasone may not affect embryo health.

Share price reaction to earnings announcement on the JSE-ALtX: A ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

of testing this concept has been the observation of stock market reaction to corporate ... earnings. Earnings also display management's competitiveness in profitably running a company ... drifts positively in the case of good announcements or negatively in the case of bad ... the gains from trading on annual earnings strategy.

Religiosity and the Construction of Death in Turkish Death Announcements, 1970-2009

Science.gov (United States)

Ergin, Murat

2012-01-01

Death and rituals performed after death reflect and reproduce social distinctions despite death's popular reputation as a great leveler. This study examines expressions of religiosity and constructions of death in Turkish death announcements, paying particular attention to gendered, ethnic, and temporal variations as well as markers of status and…

Acceptance of the 2014 Geochemical Society Distinguished Service Award by Carla Koretsky

Science.gov (United States)

Koretsky, Carla

2015-06-01

I am deeply touched to have received the Geochemical Society Distinguished Service Award. It was a great surprise when I received the notice that I had been chosen for the award. It has been a tremendous pleasure to work on behalf of student members of the Geochemical Society, Japanese Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemists to organize the student travel grants over the past few years. Certainly, this is not an effort that I undertook on my own. Many, many members of the GS, the JGS and the EAG generously donated their time and expertise to serve as reviewers for the many travel grant applicants we receive each year. Seth Davis, the GS Chief Operating Officer, spent countless hours helping to organize applications, the website, distribution of funds and many other aspects of the competition. Without Seth and the many expert reviewers, we could not run the travel grant program each year and provide this important financial support to allow more students to experience the Goldschmidt Conference. I also enjoyed my time as Geochemical News co-editor, and I should point out that GN during those years was ably co-edited by Johnson Haas. It has been a pleasure to see Elements take off, and GN evolve into a timely source of important announcements and information about cutting-edge science since I stepped down as co-editor. I feel very fortunate to work with so many outstanding colleagues in the global geochemical community, and I am a little embarrassed, and also very grateful, to have been selected for the Geochemical Society Distinguished Service Award. Thank you!

76 FR 62806 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Announcement of Board Approval Under Delegated...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-11

...; and request for designation as a wholesale or limited purpose bank, 4 hours. Disclosure Requirement... request for designation as a wholesale or limited purpose bank, 1. Disclosure Requirement, public file... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Agency Information Collection Activities: Announcement of Board Approval...

77 FR 15757 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Announcement of Board Approval Under Delegated...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-16

...)) authorize the Federal Reserve to require the information collection and recordkeeping requirements set forth... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Agency Information Collection Activities: Announcement of Board Approval Under Delegated Authority and Submission to OMB AGENCY: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System...

Introducing "biophysical redundancy": the global status and past evolution of unused water, land and productivity resources for food production

Science.gov (United States)

Fader, Marianela

2017-04-01

Countries have different resilience to sudden and long-term changes in food demand and supply. An important part of this resilience is the degree of biophysical redundancy, defined as the potential food production of 'spare land', available water resources (i.e., not already used for human activities), as well as production increases through yield gap closure on cultivated areas and potential agricultural areas. The presentation will show the results of a recently published paper1 on the evolution of biophysical redundancy for agricultural production at country level, from 1992 to 2012. Results indicate that in 2012, the biophysical redundancy of 75 (48) countries, mainly in North Africa, Western Europe, the Middle East and Asia, was insufficient to produce the caloric nutritional needs for at least 50% (25%) of their population during a year. Biophysical redundancy has decreased in the last two decades in 102 out of 155 countries, 11 of these went from high to limited redundancy, and nine of these from limited to very low redundancy. Although the variability of the drivers of change across different countries is high, improvements in yield and population growth have a clear impact on the decreases of redundancy towards the very low redundancy category. We took a more detailed look at countries classified as 'Low Income Economies (LIEs)' since they are particularly vulnerable to domestic or external food supply changes, due to their limited capacity to offset for food supply decreases with higher purchasing power on the international market. Currently, nine LIEs have limited or very low biophysical redundancy. Many of these showed a decrease in redundancy over the last two decades, which is not always linked with improvements in per capita food availability.

Radiation dose responses for chemoradiation therapy of pancreatic cancer: an analysis of compiled clinical data using biophysical models.

Science.gov (United States)

Moraru, Ion C; Tai, An; Erickson, Beth; Li, X Allen

2014-01-01

We analyzed recent clinical data obtained from chemoradiation of unresectable, locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) in order to examine possible benefits from radiation therapy dose escalation. A modified linear quadratic model was used to fit clinical tumor response and survival data of chemoradiation treatments for LAPC reported from 20 institutions. Biophysical radiosensitivity parameters were extracted from the fits. Examination of the clinical data demonstrated an enhancement in tumor response with higher irradiation dose, an important clinical result for palliation and quality of life. Little indication of improvement in 1-year survival with increased radiation dose was observed. Possible dose escalation schemes are proposed based on calculations of the biologically effective dose required for a 50% tumor response rate. Based on the evaluation of tumor response data, the escalation of radiation dose presents potential clinical benefits which when combined with normal tissue complication analyses may result in improved treatment outcome for locally advanced pancreatic cancer patients. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Radiation Oncology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Single Nucleobase Identification Using Biophysical Signatures from Nanoelectronic Quantum Tunneling.

Science.gov (United States)

Korshoj, Lee E; Afsari, Sepideh; Khan, Sajida; Chatterjee, Anushree; Nagpal, Prashant

2017-03-01

Nanoelectronic DNA sequencing can provide an important alternative to sequencing-by-synthesis by reducing sample preparation time, cost, and complexity as a high-throughput next-generation technique with accurate single-molecule identification. However, sample noise and signature overlap continue to prevent high-resolution and accurate sequencing results. Probing the molecular orbitals of chemically distinct DNA nucleobases offers a path for facile sequence identification, but molecular entropy (from nucleotide conformations) makes such identification difficult when relying only on the energies of lowest-unoccupied and highest-occupied molecular orbitals (LUMO and HOMO). Here, nine biophysical parameters are developed to better characterize molecular orbitals of individual nucleobases, intended for single-molecule DNA sequencing using quantum tunneling of charges. For this analysis, theoretical models for quantum tunneling are combined with transition voltage spectroscopy to obtain measurable parameters unique to the molecule within an electronic junction. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy is then used to measure these nine biophysical parameters for DNA nucleotides, and a modified machine learning algorithm identified nucleobases. The new parameters significantly improve base calling over merely using LUMO and HOMO frontier orbital energies. Furthermore, high accuracies for identifying DNA nucleobases were observed at different pH conditions. These results have significant implications for developing a robust and accurate high-throughput nanoelectronic DNA sequencing technique. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Biophysical influence of airborne carbon nanomaterials on natural pulmonary surfactant.

Science.gov (United States)

Valle, Russell P; Wu, Tony; Zuo, Yi Y

2015-05-26

Inhalation of nanoparticles (NP), including lightweight airborne carbonaceous nanomaterials (CNM), poses a direct and systemic health threat to those who handle them. Inhaled NP penetrate deep pulmonary structures in which they first interact with the pulmonary surfactant (PS) lining at the alveolar air-water interface. In spite of many research efforts, there is a gap of knowledge between in vitro biophysical study and in vivo inhalation toxicology since all existing biophysical models handle NP-PS interactions in the liquid phase. This technical limitation, inherent in current in vitro methodologies, makes it impossible to simulate how airborne NP deposit at the PS film and interact with it. Existing in vitro NP-PS studies using liquid-suspended particles have been shown to artificially inflate the no-observed adverse effect level of NP exposure when compared to in vivo inhalation studies and international occupational exposure limits (OELs). Here, we developed an in vitro methodology called the constrained drop surfactometer (CDS) to quantitatively study PS inhibition by airborne CNM. We show that airborne multiwalled carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplatelets induce a concentration-dependent PS inhibition under physiologically relevant conditions. The CNM aerosol concentrations controlled in the CDS are comparable to those defined in international OELs. Development of the CDS has the potential to advance our understanding of how submicron airborne nanomaterials affect the PS lining of the lung.

78 FR 8535 - Medicare Program: Comprehensive End-Stage Renal Disease Care Model Announcement

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-06

... develop and test innovative health care payment and service delivery models that show promise of reducing... test innovative payment and service delivery models that reduce spending under Medicare, Medicaid or...] Medicare Program: Comprehensive End-Stage Renal Disease Care Model Announcement AGENCY: Centers for...

75 FR 81606 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Announcement of Board Approval Under Delegated...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-28

... December 13, 2010. The Federal Reserve did not receive any comments. 2. Report title: Statement of Purpose.... The purpose statement is a recordkeeping requirement for brokers and dealers to document the purpose... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Agency Information Collection Activities: Announcement of Board Approval...

CMS announces new payment model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2018-01-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. On Tuesday, 1/9/18, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS announced a new voluntary bundled-payment model that will be considered an advanced alternative payment model under Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA (1. The new model is the first advanced Alternative Payment Model (APM to be introduced by the Trump administration. The Trump administration has been a vocal advocate of reducing administrative burden for clinicians and has touted voluntary models as a solution (2. The new, voluntary model comes less than two months after the CMS officially decided to eliminate two mandatory bundled-payment models created during the Obama administration. Under the model, clinician payment will be based on quality measures during a 90-day episode of care. Participants must select at least one of the 32 clinical episodes to apply to the model. The inpatient clinical episodes are listed in Table 1 (3. Table 1. Clinical inpatient episodes under …

Public figure announcements about cancer and opportunities for cancer communication: a review and research agenda.

Science.gov (United States)

Noar, Seth M; Willoughby, Jessica Fitts; Myrick, Jessica Gall; Brown, Jennifer

2014-01-01

Announcements by public figures and celebrities about cancer diagnosis or death represent significant events in public life. But what are the substantive effects of such events, if any? The purpose of this article is to systematically review studies that examined the impact of public figure cancer announcements on cancer-oriented outcomes. Using comprehensive search procedures, we identified k = 19 studies that examined 11 distinct public figures. The most commonly studied public figures were Jade Goody, Kylie Minogue, Nancy Reagan, and Steve Jobs, with the most common cancers studied being breast (53%), cervical (21%), and pancreatic (21%) cancer. Most studies assessed multiple outcome variables, including behavioral outcomes (k = 15), media coverage (k = 10), information seeking (k = 8), cancer incidence (k = 3), and interpersonal communication (k = 2). Results fairly consistently indicated that cancer announcements from public figures had meaningful effects on many, if not most, of these outcome variables. While such events essentially act as naturally occurring interventions, the effects tend to be relatively short term. Gaps in this literature include few contemporary studies of high-profile public figures in the United States and a general lack of theory-based research. Directions for future research as well as implications for cancer communication and prevention are discussed.

Elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular response to biophysical cues using synthetic biology approaches

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Denning, Denise; Roos, Wouter H

2016-01-01

The use of synthetic surfaces and materials to influence and study cell behavior has vastly progressed our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in cellular response to physicochemical and biophysical cues. Reconstituting cytoskeletal proteins and interfacing them with a

Exploring the biophysical properties of phytosterols in the plasma membrane for novel cancer prevention strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Fakih, Omar; Sanver, Didem; Kane, David; Thorne, James L

2018-05-03

Cancer is a global problem with no sign that incidences are reducing. The great costs associated with curing cancer, through developing novel treatments and applying patented therapies, is an increasing burden to developed and developing nations alike. These financial and societal problems will be alleviated by research efforts into prevention, or treatments that utilise off-patent or repurposed agents. Phytosterols are natural components of the diet found in an array of seeds, nuts and vegetables and have been added to several consumer food products for the management of cardio-vascular disease through their ability to lower LDL-cholesterol levels. In this review, we provide a connected view between the fields of structural biophysics and cellular and molecular biology to evaluate the growing evidence that phytosterols impair oncogenic pathways in a range of cancer types. The current state of understanding of how phytosterols alter the biophysical properties of plasma membrane is described, and the potential for phytosterols to be repurposed from cardio-vascular to oncology therapeutics. Through an overview of the types of biophysical and molecular biology experiments that have been performed to date, this review informs the reader of the molecular and biophysical mechanisms through which phytosterols could have anti-cancer properties via their interactions with the plasma cell membrane. We also outline emerging and under-explored areas such as computational modelling, improved biomimetic membranes and ex vivo tissue evaluation. Focus of future research in these areas should improve understanding, not just of phytosterols in cancer cell biology but also to give insights into the interaction between the plasma membrane and the genome. These fields are increasingly providing meaningful biological and clinical data but iterative experiments between molecular biology assays, biosynthetic membrane studies and computational membrane modelling improve and refine our

Temporal measurement and analysis of high-resolution spectral signatures of plants and relationships to biophysical characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Bostater, Charles R., Jr.; Rebbman, Jan; Hall, Carlton; Provancha, Mark; Vieglais, David

1995-11-01

Measurements of temporal reflectance signatures as a function of growing season for sand live oak (Quercus geminata), myrtle oak (Q. myrtifolia, and saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) were collected during a two year study period. Canopy level spectral reflectance signatures, as a function of 252 channels between 368 and 1115 nm, were collected using near nadir viewing geometry and a consistent sun illumination angle. Leaf level reflectance measurements were made in the laboratory using a halogen light source and an environmental optics chamber with a barium sulfate reflectance coating. Spectral measurements were related to several biophysical measurements utilizing optimal passive ambient correlation spectroscopy (OPACS) technique. Biophysical parameters included percent moisture, water potential (MPa), total chlorophyll, and total Kjeldahl nitrogen. Quantitative data processing techniques were used to determine optimal bands based on the utilization of a second order derivative or inflection estimator. An optical cleanup procedure was then employed that computes the double inflection ratio (DIR) spectra for all possible three band combinations normalized to the previously computed optimal bands. These results demonstrate a unique approach to the analysis of high spectral resolution reflectance signatures for estimation of several biophysical measures of plants at the leaf and canopy level from optimally selected bands or bandwidths.

Biophysics at the Boundaries: The Next Problem Sets

Science.gov (United States)

Skolnick, Malcolm

2009-03-01

The interface between physics and biology is one of the fastest growing subfields of physics. As knowledge of such topics as cellular processes and complex ecological systems advances, researchers have found that progress in understanding these and other systems requires application of more quantitative approaches. Today, there is a growing demand for quantitative and computational skills in biological research and the commercialization of that research. The fragmented teaching of science in our universities still leaves biology outside the quantitative and mathematical culture that is the foundation of physics. This is particularly inopportune at a time when the needs for quantitative thinking about biological systems are exploding. More physicists should be encouraged to become active in research and development in the growing application fields of biophysics including molecular genetics, biomedical imaging, tissue generation and regeneration, drug development, prosthetics, neural and brain function, kinetics of nonequilibrium open biological systems, metabolic networks, biological transport processes, large-scale biochemical networks and stochastic processes in biochemical systems to name a few. In addition to moving into basic research in these areas, there is increasing opportunity for physicists in industry beginning with entrepreneurial roles in taking research results out of the laboratory and in the industries who perfect and market the inventions and developments that physicists produce. In this talk we will identify and discuss emerging opportunities for physicists in biophysical and biotechnological pursuits ranging from basic research through development of applications and commercialization of results. This will include discussion of the roles of physicists in non-traditional areas apart from academia such as patent law, financial analysis and regulatory science and the problem sets assigned in education and training that will enable future

Cellular biophysics during freezing of rat and mouse sperm predicts post-thaw motility.

Science.gov (United States)

Hagiwara, Mie; Choi, Jeung Hwan; Devireddy, Ramachandra V; Roberts, Kenneth P; Wolkers, Willem F; Makhlouf, Antoine; Bischof, John C

2009-10-01

Though cryopreservation of mouse sperm yields good survival and motility after thawing, cryopreservation of rat sperm remains a challenge. This study was designed to evaluate the biophysics (membrane permeability) of rat in comparison to mouse to better understand the cooling rate response that contributes to cryopreservation success or failure in these two sperm types. In order to extract subzero membrane hydraulic permeability in the presence of ice, a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) method was used. By analyzing rat and mouse sperm frozen at 5 degrees C/min and 20 degrees C/min, heat release signatures characteristic of each sperm type were obtained and correlated to cellular dehydration. The dehydration response was then fit to a model of cellular water transport (dehydration) by adjusting cell-specific biophysical (membrane hydraulic permeability) parameters L(pg) and E(Lp). A "combined fit" (to 5 degrees C/min and 20 degrees C/min data) for rat sperm in Biggers-Whitten-Whittingham media yielded L(pg) = 0.007 microm min(-1) atm(-1) and E(Lp) = 17.8 kcal/mol, and in egg yolk cryopreservation media yielded L(pg) = 0.005 microm min(-1) atm(-1) and E(Lp) = 14.3 kcal/mol. These parameters, especially the activation energy, were found to be lower than previously published parameters for mouse sperm. In addition, the biophysical responses in mouse and rat sperm were shown to depend on the constituents of the cryopreservation media, in particular egg yolk and glycerol. Using these parameters, optimal cooling rates for cryopreservation were predicted for each sperm based on a criteria of 5%-15% normalized cell water at -30 degrees C during freezing in cryopreservation media. These predicted rates range from 53 degrees C/min to 70 degrees C/min and from 28 degrees C/min to 36 degrees C/min in rat and mouse, respectively. These predictions were validated by comparison to experimentally determined cryopreservation outcomes, in this case based on motility. Maximum

Biomechanical and biophysical environment of bone from the macroscopic to the pericellular and molecular level.

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Li; Yang, Pengfei; Wang, Zhe; Zhang, Jian; Ding, Chong; Shang, Peng

2015-10-01

Bones with complicated hierarchical configuration and microstructures constitute the load-bearing system. Mechanical loading plays an essential role in maintaining bone health and regulating bone mechanical adaptation (modeling and remodeling). The whole-bone or sub-region (macroscopic) mechanical signals, including locomotion-induced loading and external actuator-generated vibration, ultrasound, oscillatory skeletal muscle stimulation, etc., give rise to sophisticated and distinct biomechanical and biophysical environments at the pericellular (microscopic) and collagen/mineral molecular (nanoscopic) levels, which are the direct stimulations that positively influence bone adaptation. While under microgravity, the stimulations decrease or even disappear, which exerts a negative influence on bone adaptation. A full understanding of the biomechanical and biophysical environment at different levels is necessary for exploring bone biomechanical properties and mechanical adaptation. In this review, the mechanical transferring theories from the macroscopic to the microscopic and nanoscopic levels are elucidated. First, detailed information of the hierarchical structures and biochemical composition of bone, which are the foundations for mechanical signal propagation, are presented. Second, the deformation feature of load-bearing bone during locomotion is clarified as a combination of bending and torsion rather than simplex bending. The bone matrix strains at microscopic and nanoscopic levels directly induced by bone deformation are critically discussed, and the strain concentration mechanism due to the complicated microstructures is highlighted. Third, the biomechanical and biophysical environments at microscopic and nanoscopic levels positively generated during bone matrix deformation or by dynamic mechanical loadings induced by external actuators, as well as those negatively affected under microgravity, are systematically discussed, including the interstitial fluid flow

78 FR 6106 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Announcement of Board Approval Under Delegated...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-29

... Federal Reserve did not receive any comments. 2. Report title: Disclosure Requirements in Connection With... requirements associated with Subpart H of Regulation H (12 CFR 208.81-208.86). Since the Federal Reserve does... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Agency Information Collection Activities: Announcement of Board Approval...

Biophysical and biomathematical adventures in radiobiology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, B.R.

1991-01-01

Highlights of my biophysical and biomathematical adventures in radiobiology is presented. Early adventures involved developing ''state-vector models'' for specific harmful effects (cell killing, life shortening) of exposure to radiation. More recent adventures led to developing ''hazard-function models'' for predicting biological effects (e.g., cell killing, mutations, tumor induction) of combined exposure to different toxicants. Hazard-function models were also developed for predicting harm to man from exposure to large radiation doses. Major conclusions derived from the modeling adventures are as follows: (1) synergistic effects of different genotoxic agents should not occur at low doses; (2) for exposure of the lung or bone marrow to large doses of photon radiation, low rates of exposure should be better tolerated than high rates; and (3) for some types of radiation (e.g., alpha particles and fission neutrons), moderate doses delivered at a low rate may be more harmful than the same dose given at a high rate. 53 refs., 7 figs

Biophysics of NASA radiation quality factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Cucinotta, Francis A

2015-09-01

NASA has implemented new radiation quality factors (QFs) for projecting cancer risks from space radiation exposures to astronauts. The NASA QFs are based on particle track structure concepts with parameters derived from available radiobiology data, and NASA introduces distinct QFs for solid cancer and leukaemia risk estimates. The NASA model was reviewed by the US National Research Council and approved for use by NASA for risk assessment for International Space Station missions and trade studies of future exploration missions to Mars and other destinations. A key feature of the NASA QFs is to represent the uncertainty in the QF assessments and evaluate the importance of the QF uncertainty to overall uncertainties in cancer risk projections. In this article, the biophysical basis for the probability distribution functions representing QF uncertainties was reviewed, and approaches needed to reduce uncertainties were discussed. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Manager Characteristics and Employee Job Insecurity around a Merger Announcement: The Role of Status and Crossover

Science.gov (United States)

Lam, Jack; Fox, Kimberly; Fan, Wen; Moen, Phyllis; Kelly, Erin; Hammer, Leslie; Kossek, Ellen

2014-01-01

Most existing research theorizes individual factors as predictors of perceived job insecurity. Incorporating contextual and organizational factors at an information technology organization where a merger was announced during data collection, we draw on status expectations and crossover theories to investigate whether managers’ characteristics and insecurity shape their employees’ job insecurity. We find having an Asian as opposed to a White manager is associated with lower job insecurity, while managers’ own insecurity positively predicts employees’ insecurity. Also contingent on the organizational climate, managers’ own tenure buffers, and managers’ perceived job insecurity magnifies insecurity of employees interviewed after a merger announcement, further specifying status expectations theory by considering context. PMID:26190868

Predicting Variation of DNA Shape Preferences in Protein-DNA Interaction in Cancer Cells with a New Biophysical Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Batmanov, Kirill; Wang, Junbai

2017-09-18

DNA shape readout is an important mechanism of transcription factor target site recognition, in addition to the sequence readout. Several machine learning-based models of transcription factor-DNA interactions, considering DNA shape features, have been developed in recent years. Here, we present a new biophysical model of protein-DNA interactions by integrating the DNA shape properties. It is based on the neighbor dinucleotide dependency model BayesPI2, where new parameters are restricted to a subspace spanned by the dinucleotide form of DNA shape features. This allows a biophysical interpretation of the new parameters as a position-dependent preference towards specific DNA shape features. Using the new model, we explore the variation of DNA shape preferences in several transcription factors across various cancer cell lines and cellular conditions. The results reveal that there are DNA shape variations at FOXA1 (Forkhead Box Protein A1) binding sites in steroid-treated MCF7 cells. The new biophysical model is useful for elucidating the finer details of transcription factor-DNA interaction, as well as for predicting cancer mutation effects in the future.

Biophysical stimulation improves clinical results of matrix-assisted autologous chondrocyte implantation in the treatment of chondral lesions of the knee.

Science.gov (United States)

Collarile, Marco; Sambri, Andrea; Lullini, Giada; Cadossi, Matteo; Zorzi, Claudio

2018-04-01

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) on clinical outcome in patients who underwent arthroscopic matrix-assisted autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI) for chondral lesions of the knee. Thirty patients affected by grade III and IV International Cartilage Repair Society chondral lesions of the knee underwent MACI. After surgery, patients were randomly assigned to either experimental group (PEMFs 4 h per day for 60 days) or control group . Clinical outcome was evaluated through International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective knee evaluation form, Visual Analog Scale, Short Form-36 (SF-36) and EuroQoL before surgery and 1, 2, 6, and 60 months postoperative. Mean size of chondral lesion was 2.4 ± 0.6 cm 2 in the PEMFs group and 2.5 ± 0.5 cm 2 in the control one. No differences were found between groups at baseline. IKDC score increased in both groups till 6 months, but afterward improvement was observed only in the experimental group with a significant difference between groups at 60 months (p = 0.001). A significant difference between groups was recorded at 60 months for SF-36 (p = 0.006) and EuroQol (p = 0.020). A significant pain reduction was observed in the experimental group at 1-, 2- and 60-month follow-up. Biophysical stimulation with PEMFs improves clinical outcome after arthroscopic MACI for chondral lesions of the knee in the short- and long-term follow-up. Biophysical stimulation should be considered as an effective tool in order to ameliorate clinical results of regenerative medicine. The use of PEMFs represents an innovative therapeutic approach for the survival of cartilage-engineered constructs and consequently the success of orthopaedic surgery. II.

Student-Designed Public Service Announcement (PSA) Videos to Enhance Motivation and Engagement

Science.gov (United States)

Abrams, Kenneth

2012-01-01

Educators often focus on enhancing student motivation and engagement. This article describes an activity with these aims, in which undergraduates (a) learn about theories and research on means of persuasion and (b) in small groups design and record a public service announcement (PSA) video, write a brief paper that outlines the theories used to…

Fragility of complexity biophysical systems by neutron scattering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Magazu, Salvatore [Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Messina, P.O. Box 55, I-98166 Messina (Italy)]. E-mail: smagazu@unime.it; Migliardo, Federica [Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Messina, P.O. Box 55, I-98166 Messina (Italy); Bellocco, Ersilia [Dipartimento di Chimica Organica e Biologica, Universita di Messina, I-98166 Messina (Italy); Lagana, Giuseppina [Dipartimento di Chimica Organica e Biologica, Universita di Messina, I-98166 Messina (Italy); Mondelli, Claudia [CNR-INFM OGG and CRS-SOFT, c/o ILL, 6 Jules Horowitz, BP 156, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9 (France)

2006-11-15

Neutron scattering is an exceptional tool to investigate structural and dynamical properties of systems of biophysical interest, such as proteins, enzymes, lipids and sugars. Moreover, elastic neutron scattering enhances the investigation of atomic motions in hydrated proteins in a wide temperature range and on the picosecond timescale. Homologous disaccharides, such as trehalose, maltose and sucrose, are cryptobiotic substances, since they allow to many organisms to undergo in a 'suspended life' state, known as cryptobiosis in extreme environmental conditions. The present paper is aimed to discuss the fragility degree of disaccharides, as evaluated of the temperature dependence of the mean square displacement by elastic neutron scattering, in order to link this feature with their bioprotective functions.

On the biophysics and kinetics of toehold-mediated DNA strand displacement.

Science.gov (United States)

Srinivas, Niranjan; Ouldridge, Thomas E; Sulc, Petr; Schaeffer, Joseph M; Yurke, Bernard; Louis, Ard A; Doye, Jonathan P K; Winfree, Erik

2013-12-01

Dynamic DNA nanotechnology often uses toehold-mediated strand displacement for controlling reaction kinetics. Although the dependence of strand displacement kinetics on toehold length has been experimentally characterized and phenomenologically modeled, detailed biophysical understanding has remained elusive. Here, we study strand displacement at multiple levels of detail, using an intuitive model of a random walk on a 1D energy landscape, a secondary structure kinetics model with single base-pair steps and a coarse-grained molecular model that incorporates 3D geometric and steric effects. Further, we experimentally investigate the thermodynamics of three-way branch migration. Two factors explain the dependence of strand displacement kinetics on toehold length: (i) the physical process by which a single step of branch migration occurs is significantly slower than the fraying of a single base pair and (ii) initiating branch migration incurs a thermodynamic penalty, not captured by state-of-the-art nearest neighbor models of DNA, due to the additional overhang it engenders at the junction. Our findings are consistent with previously measured or inferred rates for hybridization, fraying and branch migration, and they provide a biophysical explanation of strand displacement kinetics. Our work paves the way for accurate modeling of strand displacement cascades, which would facilitate the simulation and construction of more complex molecular systems.

76 FR 15953 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of Office of Management and Budget...

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2011-03-22

... and Planning, Office of Information Technology and Technology Services, Consumer Product Safety... the supporting statement for this information collection is available on the Internet at http://www... CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of...

78 FR 46339 - Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Programs: Announcement of Temporary Moratoria...

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2013-07-31

...] Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Programs: Announcement of Temporary Moratoria on... combat fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP... Health Insurance Programs; Additional Screening Requirements, Application Fees, Temporary Enrollment...

Annual earnings announcements and market reaction: The case of a small capital market

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lønroth, Helle Langhoff; Møller, Peder Fredslund; Thinggaard, Frank

suggest that only a model based on reported IBES-estimates of earnings per share shortly before earnings release is descriptive of the market´s expectations. Some of these findings contradict the results in the only published 17 year old Danish event study on annual earnings announcements...

Pakistani English Newspaper Paid Obituary Announcements: A Descriptive Analysis of the Transliterated Vocabulary

Science.gov (United States)

Chaudhry, Sajid M.; Christopher, Anne A.; Krishnasamy, Hariharan A/L N.

2016-01-01

The study, qualitative and descriptive in nature, examines the use of transliteration in the paid Pakistani obituary announcements authored in the English language. Primarily, it identifies the frequently used transliterated vocabulary in these linguistic messages and reconnoiters the functional relationship that emerges in and between the textual…

A multivariate decision tree analysis of biophysical factors in tropical forest fire occurrence

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Rey S. Ofren; Edward Harvey

2000-01-01

A multivariate decision tree model was used to quantify the relative importance of complex hierarchical relationships between biophysical variables and the occurrence of tropical forest fires. The study site is the Huai Kha Kbaeng wildlife sanctuary, a World Heritage Site in northwestern Thailand where annual fires are common and particularly destructive. Thematic...

Maximum likelihood estimation of biophysical parameters of synaptic receptors from macroscopic currents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrey eStepanyuk

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Dendritic integration and neuronal firing patterns strongly depend on biophysical properties of synaptic ligand-gated channels. However, precise estimation of biophysical parameters of these channels in their intrinsic environment is complicated and still unresolved problem. Here we describe a novel method based on a maximum likelihood approach that allows to estimate not only the unitary current of synaptic receptor channels but also their multiple conductance levels, kinetic constants, the number of receptors bound with a neurotransmitter and the peak open probability from experimentally feasible number of postsynaptic currents. The new method also improves the accuracy of evaluation of unitary current as compared to the peak-scaled non-stationary fluctuation analysis, leading to a possibility to precisely estimate this important parameter from a few postsynaptic currents recorded in steady-state conditions. Estimation of unitary current with this method is robust even if postsynaptic currents are generated by receptors having different kinetic parameters, the case when peak-scaled non-stationary fluctuation analysis is not applicable. Thus, with the new method, routinely recorded postsynaptic currents could be used to study the properties of synaptic receptors in their native biochemical environment.

Interactive Biophysics with Microswimmers: Education, Cloud Experimentation, Programmed Swarms, and Biotic Games

Science.gov (United States)

Riedel-Kruse, Ingmar

Modern biotechnology gets increasingly powerful to manipulate and measure microscopic biophysical processes. Nevertheless, no platform exists to truly interact with these processes, certainly not with the convenience that we are accustomed to from our electronic smart devices. In my talk I will provide the rational for such Interactive Biotechnology and conceptualize its core component, the BPU (biotic processing unit), which is then connected to an according user interface. The biophysical phenomena currently featured on these platforms utilize the phototactic response of motile microorganisms, e.g., Euglena gracilis, resulting in spatio-temporal dynamics from the single cell to the self-organized multi-cellular scale. I will demonstrate multiple platforms, such as scalable biology cloud experimentation labs, tangible museum exhibits, biotic video games, low-cost interactive DIY kits using smartphones, and programming languages for swarm robotics. I will discuss applications for education as well as for professional and citizen science. Hence, we turn traditionally observational microscopy into an interactive experience. I was told that presenting in the educational section does not count against the ''one author - one talk policy'' - so I submit two abstracts. In case of conflict - please contact me: ingmar@stanford.edu.

76 FR 6487 - National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine; Announcement of Workshop on...

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2011-02-04

... Complementary and Alternative Medicine; Announcement of Workshop on Clarifying Directions and Approaches to...: The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) invites the research [email protected] . Background: The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) was...

78 FR 49271 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of Office of Management and Budget...

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2013-08-13

...] Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of Office of Management and Budget Approval; Communicating Composite Scores in Direct-to-Consumer Advertising AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS... information entitled ``Communicating Composite Scores in Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Advertising'' has been...

75 FR 27824 - Announcement of the Career Videos for America's Job Seekers Challenge

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2010-05-18

... 21 to July 9. During this phase, the DOL/ETA will screen, review, and identify the top three career... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration Announcement of the Career Videos for..., Skills, and Abilities (KSAs), and career pathways. Video makers are free to choose which occupation to...

Mechanoresponsive stem cells to target cancer metastases through biophysical cues.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Linan; Zhang, Shirley X; Liao, Wenbin; Farhoodi, Henry P; Wong, Chi W; Chen, Claire C; Ségaliny, Aude I; Chacko, Jenu V; Nguyen, Lily P; Lu, Mengrou; Polovin, George; Pone, Egest J; Downing, Timothy L; Lawson, Devon A; Digman, Michelle A; Zhao, Weian

2017-07-26

Despite decades of effort, little progress has been made to improve the treatment of cancer metastases. To leverage the central role of the mechanoenvironment in cancer metastasis, we present a mechanoresponsive cell system (MRCS) to selectively identify and treat cancer metastases by targeting the specific biophysical cues in the tumor niche in vivo. Our MRCS uses mechanosensitive promoter-driven mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based vectors, which selectively home to and target cancer metastases in response to specific mechanical cues to deliver therapeutics to effectively kill cancer cells, as demonstrated in a metastatic breast cancer mouse model. Our data suggest a strong correlation between collagen cross-linking and increased tissue stiffness at the metastatic sites, where our MRCS is specifically activated by the specific cancer-associated mechano-cues. MRCS has markedly reduced deleterious effects compared to MSCs constitutively expressing therapeutics. MRCS indicates that biophysical cues, specifically matrix stiffness, are appealing targets for cancer treatment due to their long persistence in the body (measured in years), making them refractory to the development of resistance to treatment. Our MRCS can serve as a platform for future diagnostics and therapies targeting aberrant tissue stiffness in conditions such as cancer and fibrotic diseases, and it should help to elucidate mechanobiology and reveal what cells "feel" in the microenvironment in vivo. Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

78 FR 23568 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of Office of Management and Budget...

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2013-04-19

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76 FR 65729 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of Office of Management and Budget...

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2011-10-24

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77 FR 38303 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of Office of Management and Budget...

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2012-06-27

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76 FR 36541 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of Office of Management and Budget...

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2011-06-22

... Drug Advertisements'' has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the...] Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of Office of Management and Budget Approval; Prescription Drug Advertisements AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Food...

76 FR 48174 - Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee; Announcement of Public Teleconference and Webcast

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2011-08-08

...] Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee; Announcement of Public Teleconference and Webcast AGENCY..., the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), will host a Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee... London, Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee Alternate Designated Federal Officer. [FR Doc. 2011...

76 FR 17659 - National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Announcement of Stakeholder Roundtable

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2011-03-30

... Complementary and Alternative Medicine Announcement of Stakeholder Roundtable ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) invites the public to a Stakeholder... site at http://nccam.nih.gov/about/plans/ . Request for Participation: Representatives of stakeholder...

76 FR 66306 - Announcement of Requirements and Registration for Leading Health Indicators App Challenge

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2011-10-26

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Announcement of Requirements and Registration for Leading... People 2020 leading health indicators (LHIs). The LHIs were developed to communicate high-priority health... , 240-453-6113. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Subject of Challenge Competition: Leading Health Indicators...

The biophysical properties of the aorta are altered following Kawasaki disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Vaujois, Laurence; Dallaire, Frédéric; Maurice, Roch L; Fournier, Anne; Houde, Christine; Thérien, Johanne; Cartwright, Daniel; Dahdah, Nagib

2013-12-01

The long-term sequelae of Kawasaki disease (KD) are based on the coronary complications. Because KD causes generalized vasculitis, with documented aneurysms in the femoral, iliac, renal, axillary, and brachial arteries, the aim of this study was to assess the biophysical properties of the aorta (BPA) after KD. The BPA are biometric measurements representing vascular structural and dynamic changes in response to cardiac work. Anthropometric and echocardiographic measurements of the aorta in a series of patients with KD were compared with those of healthy subjects. The BPA were calculated noninvasively by extrapolating previously validated equations that were conceived for invasive measurements. Because BPA vary with body habitus, control subjects were used to normalize BPA parameters for height to compute BPA Z-score equations. Between June 2007 and February 2010, BPA were recorded in 57 patients with KD >1 year after the onset of the disease, 45 without and 12 with coronary artery sequelae. The mean intervals between the acute onset of KD and enrollment were 10.0 ± 5.0 and 5.8 ± 4.5 years for patients with and without coronary artery sequelae, respectively (P = .008). Patients with KD with coronary artery sequelae had significantly altered Z scores of aortic diameter modulation, Peterson's elastic modulus, and β stiffness index (P = .001-.016). Patients with KD without coronary artery sequelae also exhibited altered elasticity, stiffness, and pulse-wave velocity (P = .001-.026). Altered BPA after KD are detectible despite apparent resolution of acute vasculitis. Future directions toward determining multilevel and multilayer vascular impact, including vascular autonomous homeostasis, require thorough investigation. Copyright © 2013 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

The conformational stability and biophysical properties of the eukaryotic thioredoxins of Pisum sativum are not family-conserved.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Aguado-Llera

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Thioredoxins (TRXs are ubiquitous proteins involved in redox processes. About forty genes encode TRX or TRX-related proteins in plants, grouped in different families according to their subcellular localization. For instance, the h-type TRXs are located in cytoplasm or mitochondria, whereas f-type TRXs have a plastidial origin, although both types of proteins have an eukaryotic origin as opposed to other TRXs. Herein, we study the conformational and the biophysical features of TRXh1, TRXh2 and TRXf from Pisum sativum. The modelled structures of the three proteins show the well-known TRX fold. While sharing similar pH-denaturations features, the chemical and thermal stabilities are different, being PsTRXh1 (Pisum sativum thioredoxin h1 the most stable isoform; moreover, the three proteins follow a three-state denaturation model, during the chemical-denaturations. These differences in the thermal- and chemical-denaturations result from changes, in a broad sense, of the several ASAs (accessible surface areas of the proteins. Thus, although a strong relationship can be found between the primary amino acid sequence and the structure among TRXs, that between the residue sequence and the conformational stability and biophysical properties is not. We discuss how these differences in the biophysical properties of TRXs determine their unique functions in pea, and we show how residues involved in the biophysical features described (pH-titrations, dimerizations and chemical-denaturations belong to regions involved in interaction with other proteins. Our results suggest that the sequence demands of protein-protein function are relatively rigid, with different protein-binding pockets (some in common for each of the three proteins, but the demands of structure and conformational stability per se (as long as there is a maintained core, are less so.

Evaluation of biophysical skin parameters and assessment of hair growth in patients with acne treated with isotretinoin.

Science.gov (United States)

Kmieć, Małgorzata L; Pajor, Anna; Broniarczyk-Dyła, Grażyna

2013-12-01

Treatment of the severe forms of acne vulgaris remains a challenge. Isotretinoin is a drug often used in these cases. Retinoids affect the mechanisms that play a role in the pathogenesis of acne, reduce the production of sebum and sizes of the sebaceous glands. However, isotretinoin appears to have undesirable side effects in the skin, mucous membranes and hair. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF ACNE VULGARIS TREATMENT WITH ISOTRETINOIN ON BIOPHYSICAL SKIN PARAMETERS: skin sebum and stratum corneum hydration levels, transepidermal water loss values, pH, erythema and hair growth parameters: total number, density and proportion of anagen hair. THE STUDY INCLUDED THIRTY PATIENTS WITH ACNE TYPES: papulopustular, conglobata and phlegmonosa. Patients were treated with isotretinoin at a dose of 0.5-1.0 mg/kg/day for a period of 4-7 months. The measurements of skin biophysical parameters were performed before and after the treatment using Sebumeter SM815, Corneometer CM825, Tewameter TM300, MX Mexameter MX18 and Skin-pH-Meter PH908. Hair growth parameters were evaluated with FotoFinder Dermoscope using the TrichoScan Professional V3.0.8.76 software. The results of biophysical skin parameter measurements after the treatment showed a reduction in the severity of seborrhea. However, the skin was dry, which confirmed a lowered degree of stratum corneum hydration and an increase in transepidermal water loss values. Moreover, severity of erythema, an increase in pH value, and variations in selected hair growth parameters: decrease in total count, density and proportion of anagen hair were demonstrated. The reduction in the skin sebum levels was observed after the treatment. There was dryness of the skin, which was confirmed by biophysical skin parameter measurements. Changes in the hair growth parameters showed telogen effluvium hair loss.

Summaries of fiscal year 1994 projects in medical applications and biophysical research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-04-01

This report provides information on the research supported in Fiscal Year 1994 by the Medical Applications and Biophysical Research Division of the Office of Health and Environmental Research. A brief statement of the scope of the following areas is presented: dosimetry; measurement science; radiological and chemical physics; structural biology; human genome; and medical applications. Summaries of the research projects in these categories are presented

Unraveling biophysical interactions of radiation pneumonitis in non-small-cell lung cancer via Bayesian network analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Yi; El Naqa, Issam; McShan, Daniel L; Ray, Dipankar; Lohse, Ines; Matuszak, Martha M; Owen, Dawn; Jolly, Shruti; Lawrence, Theodore S; Kong, Feng-Ming Spring; Ten Haken, Randall K

2017-04-01

In non-small-cell lung cancer radiotherapy, radiation pneumonitis≥grade 2 (RP2) depends on patients' dosimetric, clinical, biological and genomic characteristics. We developed a Bayesian network (BN) approach to explore its potential for interpreting biophysical signaling pathways influencing RP2 from a heterogeneous dataset including single nucleotide polymorphisms, micro RNAs, cytokines, clinical data, and radiation treatment plans before and during the course of radiotherapy. Model building utilized 79 patients (21 with RP2) with complete data, and model testing used 50 additional patients with incomplete data. A developed large-scale Markov blanket approach selected relevant predictors. Resampling by k-fold cross-validation determined the optimal BN structure. Area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve (AUC) measured performance. Pre- and during-treatment BNs identified biophysical signaling pathways from the patients' relevant variables to RP2 risk. Internal cross-validation for the pre-BN yielded an AUC=0.82 which improved to 0.87 by incorporating during treatment changes. In the testing dataset, the pre- and during AUCs were 0.78 and 0.82, respectively. Our developed BN approach successfully handled a high number of heterogeneous variables in a small dataset, demonstrating potential for unraveling relevant biophysical features that could enhance prediction of RP2, although the current observations would require further independent validation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Microscale Ocean Biophysics, Aspen Center for Physics: January 11-16 2015

Science.gov (United States)

2017-04-19

dissolved   organic  matter  persist  in  the  deep  ocean:  Is  the  solution   dilution ?”     8.45  –  Kwangmin  Son...AUTHORS 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAMES AND ADDRESSES 15. SUBJECT TERMS b. ABSTRACT 2. REPORT TYPE 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 15. NUMBER OF PAGES...Microscale Ocean Biophysics, Aspen Center for Physics, January 11-16, 2015 Microscopic organisms control ocean processes at global scales. However

Minimal experimental requirements for definition of extracellular vesicles and their functions: a position statement from the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Lötvall, Jan; Hill, Andrew F; Hochberg, Fred; Buzás, Edit I; Di Vizio, Dolores; Gardiner, Christopher; Gho, Yong Song; Kurochkin, Igor V; Mathivanan, Suresh; Quesenberry, Peter; Sahoo, Susmita; Tahara, Hidetoshi; Wauben, Marca H; Witwer, Kenneth W; Théry, Clotilde

2014-01-01

Secreted membrane-enclosed vesicles, collectively called extracellular vesicles (EVs), which include exosomes, ectosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, apoptotic bodies and other EV subsets, encompass a very rapidly growing scientific field in biology and medicine. Importantly, it is currently technically challenging to obtain a totally pure EV fraction free from non-vesicular components for functional studies, and therefore there is a need to establish guidelines for analyses of these vesicles and reporting of scientific studies on EV biology. Here, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) provides researchers with a minimal set of biochemical, biophysical and functional standards that should be used to attribute any specific biological cargo or functions to EVs.

Dissimilar Effects of World News Announcements on Euro/Dollar/Yen Exchange Rates: An Econophysics Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Matesanz

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper revisits the issue of the influence of macro-economic announcements over the exchange rates volatility, but from a different perspective as it is the usual in the econometric literature. By quantifying the impact of world-wide macroeconomic information published in the economic calendar in several recent years we were able to construct long events’ time series with the objective to test whether they influence exchange rate volatilities in several currencies. In order to do that, Granger causality test was employed by using a computational approach. Our results show that announcements from U.S.A are, by far, the most important influence over the three spot forex quotes, Euro/Dollar, Euro/Yen and Dollar/Yen. The method proposed here opens the door to address several open questions until now.

76 FR 12712 - Announcing Draft Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 201-2, Personal Identity...

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2011-03-08

...-02] Announcing Draft Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 201-2, Personal Identity..., ``Personal Identity Verification of Federal Employees and Contractors Standard.'' Draft FIPS 201-2 amends... Issuing Personal Identity Verification Cards under HSPD-12.'' The purpose of this change is to update the...

78 FR 28224 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of Office of Management and Budget...

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2013-05-14

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2010-12-30

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2011-03-03

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76 FR 38677 - Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee; Announcement of Public Meeting and Webcast

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2011-07-01

...] Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee; Announcement of Public Meeting and Webcast AGENCY: Fish and... Wildlife Service (Service), will host a Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee (Committee) meeting in... are filled. Date: June 27, 2011. Rachel London, Alternate Designated Federal Officer, Wind Turbine...

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2013-04-23

... Television Advertising'' has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork...] Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of Office of Management and Budget Approval; Experimental Study: Examination of Corrective Direct-to-Consumer Television Advertising AGENCY: Food and Drug...

Society and Ecosystem Carbon Budget through Life Cycle Assessment: Results from Asian Drylands

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Chen, J.

2017-12-01

Land use, land cover changes, and ecosystem-specific management practices are recognized for their roles in mediating the climatic effects on ecosystem structure and function. A major challenge is that our understanding and forecasting of ecosystem functions, such as C fluxes, cannot rely solely on conventional biophysical regulations from the local ecosystem to the global scale. A second challenge lies in quantifying the magnitude of the C fluxes from managed ecosystems and landscapes over the lifetime of the C cycle, and to deduct the various energy inputs during management. Our specific challenge here is to quantify the landscape-scale C footprint of both managed agricultural-forest landscapes and people - the societal input and engagement in ecosystem studies. Using the East Asia Drylands (Chen et al., 2013) and an agricultural watershed in southwestern Michigan as a test bed, the mechanisms (carbon as an example) from both human activities and biophysical changes on ecosystem C dynamics at different temporal and spatial scales are proposed to be explored by modeling total net ecosystem C production (physical and social C fluxes), performing a spatially-explicit life cycle assessment (LCA) on the total C production. Remote sensing technology, available geospatial data, records of management practices, surveys of historical practices, a land surface model, and in situ measurements of C fluxes are all needed to achieve our objectives. Our case study calls for direct involvement of society as both the driver and beneficiary of ecosystem dynamics. Reference Chen, J., Wan, S., Henebry, G., Qi, J., Gutman, G., Sun, G., and Kappas, M. (Eds.) 2013. Dryland East Asia (DEA): Land Dynamics Amid Social And Climate Change. HEP and De Gruyter, 470 pp.

PUBLISHER'S ANNOUNCEMENT: Editorial developments Editorial developments

Science.gov (United States)

Gillan, Rebecca

2009-01-01

We are delighted to announce that from January 2009, Professor Murray T Batchelor of the Australian National University, Canberra will be the new Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical. Murray Batchelor has been Editor of the Mathematical Physics section of the journal since 2007. Prior to this, he served as a Board Member and an Advisory Panel member for the journal. His primary area of research is the statistical mechanics of exactly solved models. He holds a joint appointment in mathematics and physics and has held visiting positions at the Universities of Leiden, Amsterdam, Oxford and Tokyo. We very much look forward to working with Murray to continue to improve the journal's quality and interest to the readership. We would like to thank our outgoing Editor-in-Chief, Professor Carl M Bender. Carl has done a magnificent job as Editor-in-Chief and has worked tirelessly to improve the journal over the last five years. Carl has been instrumental in designing and implementing strategies that have enhanced the quality of papers published and service provided by Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical. Notably, under his tenure, we have introduced the Fast Track Communications (FTC) section to the journal. This section provides a venue for outstanding short papers that report new and timely developments in mathematical and theoretical physics and offers accelerated publication and high visibility for our authors. During the last five years, we have raised the quality threshold for acceptance in the journal and now reject over 60% of submissions. As a result, papers published in Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical are amongst the best in the field. We have also maintained and improved on our excellent receipt-to-first-decision times, which now average less than 50 days for papers. We have recently announced another innovation; the Journal of Physics A Best Paper Prize. These prizes will honour excellent papers

75 FR 74678 - Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance; Office of Food for Peace Announcement...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-01

... Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance; Office of Food for Peace Announcement of Request for... Majernik, Grants Manager, Policy and Technical Division, Office of Food for Peace, Bureau for Democracy...

CreditCoin: A Privacy-Preserving Blockchain-Based Incentive Announcement Network for Communications of Smart Vehicles

KAUST Repository

Li, Lun; Liu, Jiqiang; Cheng, Lichen; Qiu, Shuo; Wang, Wei; Zhang, Xiangliang; Zhang, Zonghua

2018-01-01

(i.e., users) to generate the signatures and to send announcements anonymously in the nonfully trusted environment. On the other hand, with Blockchain, CreditCoin motivates users with incentives to share traffic information. In addition, transactions

Cellular Biophysics During Freezing of Rat and Mouse Sperm Predicts Post-thaw Motility1

Science.gov (United States)

Hagiwara, Mie; Choi, Jeung Hwan; Devireddy, Ramachandra V.; Roberts, Kenneth P.; Wolkers, Willem F.; Makhlouf, Antoine; Bischof, John C.

2009-01-01

Though cryopreservation of mouse sperm yields good survival and motility after thawing, cryopreservation of rat sperm remains a challenge. This study was designed to evaluate the biophysics (membrane permeability) of rat in comparison to mouse to better understand the cooling rate response that contributes to cryopreservation success or failure in these two sperm types. In order to extract subzero membrane hydraulic permeability in the presence of ice, a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) method was used. By analyzing rat and mouse sperm frozen at 5°C/min and 20°C/min, heat release signatures characteristic of each sperm type were obtained and correlated to cellular dehydration. The dehydration response was then fit to a model of cellular water transport (dehydration) by adjusting cell-specific biophysical (membrane hydraulic permeability) parameters Lpg and ELp. A “combined fit” (to 5°C/min and 20°C/min data) for rat sperm in Biggers-Whitten-Whittingham media yielded Lpg = 0.007 μm min−1 atm−1 and ELp = 17.8 kcal/mol, and in egg yolk cryopreservation media yielded Lpg = 0.005 μm min−1 atm−1 and ELp = 14.3 kcal/mol. These parameters, especially the activation energy, were found to be lower than previously published parameters for mouse sperm. In addition, the biophysical responses in mouse and rat sperm were shown to depend on the constituents of the cryopreservation media, in particular egg yolk and glycerol. Using these parameters, optimal cooling rates for cryopreservation were predicted for each sperm based on a criteria of 5%–15% normalized cell water at −30°C during freezing in cryopreservation media. These predicted rates range from 53°C/min to 70°C/min and from 28°C/min to 36°C/min in rat and mouse, respectively. These predictions were validated by comparison to experimentally determined cryopreservation outcomes, in this case based on motility. Maximum motility was obtained with freezing rates between 50°C/min and 80�

77 FR 38305 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of Office of Management and Budget...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-27

... To Support Food and Nutrition Product Communications as Used by the Food and Drug Administration...) is announcing that a collection of information entitled ``Data to Support Food and Nutrition Product... proposed collection of information entitled ``Data to Support Food and Nutrition Product Communications as...

7 CFR 1131.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1131.53 Section 1131.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

7 CFR 1005.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1005.53 Section 1005.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

7 CFR 1126.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1126.53 Section 1126.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

7 CFR 1032.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1032.53 Section 1032.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

7 CFR 1030.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1030.53 Section 1030.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

7 CFR 1033.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1033.53 Section 1033.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

7 CFR 1001.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1001.53 Section 1001.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

7 CFR 1007.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1007.53 Section 1007.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

7 CFR 1006.53 - Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Announcement of class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. 1006.53 Section 1006.53 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture... class prices, component prices, and advanced pricing factors. See § 1000.53. ...

76 FR 31964 - Announcement of the Award of Nine Single-Source Expansion Supplement Grants

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-02

... the Award of Nine Single-Source Expansion Supplement Grants AGENCY: Office of Refugee Resettlement, ACF, HHS. ACTION: Notice to announce the award of nine single-source expansion supplement grants to.... Maintaining Funding Level of Matching Grant Program (a) Maintaining Funding Level--Subject to the availability...

76 FR 70461 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of Office of Management and Budget...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-14

... Capezzuto, Office of Information Management, Food and Drug Administration, 1350 Piccard Dr., PI50-400B... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0015] Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of Office of Management and Budget Approval...

77 FR 59992 - Announcement of Humanities Medal Design Competition Under the America COMPETES Reauthorization...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-01

... imaginative visual representation of the humanities for a Presidential medal, this notice announces the... entities, except in the case of willful misconduct, for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property... competition, whether the injury, death, damage, or loss arises through negligence or otherwise. Provided...

77 FR 48157 - Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; Announcement of...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-13

... Information Technology (ONC) announces the launch of the Managing Meds Video Challenge. This challenge is an... or pharmacist, you can also participate by demonstrating how you use health information technology... Health Information Technology. (7) Federal grantees may not use Federal funds to develop COMPETES Act...

77 FR 41784 - Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS); Announcement of Availability of Literature Searches...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-16

... System (IRIS); Announcement of Availability of Literature Searches for IRIS Assessments AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency. ACTION: Notice of availability of a literature search for benzo(a)pyrene... availability of a literature search for benzo(a)pyrene (CASRN 50- 32-8). EPA is also requesting scientific...

75 FR 62684 - Health Insurance Reform; Announcement of Maintenance Changes to Electronic Data Transaction...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-13

... 0938-AM50 Health Insurance Reform; Announcement of Maintenance Changes to Electronic Data Transaction Standards Adopted Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 AGENCY: Office of... of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 standards made by the Designated...

Local climate activities in co-operation between municipality, civil society and science shop

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard

The Science Shop at DTU co-operates with the local municipal administration and the local branch of an environmental NGO about climate change. The co-operation was initiated by a proposal to the Science Shop from the municipal administration. Since the Science Shop requests civil society...... involvement in projects it was proposed to involve the local branch of the environmental NGO. The starting point was topics developed by the administration and the NGO together and announced to students as part of the Science Shop project supply. The focus is climate impact of local activities and strategies...... are initiated and co-ordinated by a group with members from municipal administration, the local NGO and the Science Shop. All projects have involved student projects, but most projects have also contributed to ongoing research activities. The projects up till now have focused on the municipal food supply...

77 FR 60707 - National Toxicology Program Board of Scientific Counselors; Announcement of Meeting; Request for...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-04

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health National Toxicology Program... announces the next meeting of the National Toxicology Program (NTP) Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC... such as toxicology, pharmacology, pathology, biochemistry, epidemiology, risk assessment...

Biophysics of skin and its treatments structural, nanotribological, and nanomechanical studies

CERN Document Server

Bhushan, Bharat

2017-01-01

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the structural, nanotribological and nanomechanical properties of skin with and without cream treatment as a function of operating environment. The biophysics of skin as the outer layer covering human or animal body is discussed as a complex biological structure. Skin cream is used to improve skin health and create a smooth, soft, and flexible surface with moist perception by altering the surface roughness, friction, adhesion, elastic modulus, and surface charge of the skin surface. .

Obama Announces Science Education Goal at White House Science Fair

Science.gov (United States)

Showstack, Randy

2012-02-01

With student participants in the second annual White House Science Fair as a backdrop, President Barack Obama announced on 7 February programs to help prepare new math and science teachers and to meet a new goal of having 1 million more U.S. college graduates in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) over the next decade than there would be at the current graduation rate. That goal is outlined in a report entitled “Engage to excel,” by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), released the same day. Obama also announced several other initiatives, including a $22 million private-sector investment, led by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, to invest in STEM teacher training. After he toured the science fair projects, Obama said the science fair students “inspire” him. “What impresses me so much is not just how smart you are, but it's the fact that you recognize you've got a responsibility to use your talents in service of something bigger than yourselves,” he said. What these young people are doing is “going to make a bigger difference in the life of our country over the long term than just about anything,” adding, “We've got to emphasize how important this is and recognize these incredible young people who are doing that that I couldn't even imagine thinking about at fifth grade or eighth grade or in high school.”

77 FR 38066 - Medicare Program; Announcement of a New Opportunity for Participation in the Advance Payment...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-26

...This notice announces a new opportunity for participation in the Advance Payment Model for certain accountable care organizations participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program scheduled to begin in January 2013.

76 FR 74067 - Medicare Program; Announcement of a New Application Deadline for the Advance Payment Model

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-30

...This notice announces a new application deadline for participation in the Advance Payment Model for certain accountable care organizations participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program scheduled to begin in 2012.

76 FR 50481 - Announcement of Requirements and Registration for “Lifeline Facebook App Challenge”; Correction

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-15

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Announcement of Requirements and Registration for ``Lifeline Facebook App Challenge''; Correction AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness... Requirements and Registration for ``Lifeline Facebook App Challenge''. DATES: This correction is effective...

78 FR 54626 - Announcing Approval of Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) Publication 201-2, Personal...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-05

...-01] Announcing Approval of Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) Publication 201-2, Personal... Commerce's approval of Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) Publication 201-2, Personal Identity... Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12, entitled ``Policy...

76 FR 40679 - Household Water Well System Grant Program Announcement of Application Deadlines and Funding

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-11

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Rural Utilities Service Household Water Well System Grant Program Announcement of Application Deadlines and Funding AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, Department of Agriculture. ACTION: Notice of funding availability and solicitation of applications. SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities...

An ultra-sensitive biophysical risk assessment of light effect on skin cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennet, Devasier; Viswanath, Buddolla; Kim, Sanghyo; An, Jeong Ho

2017-07-18

The aim of this study was to analyze photo-dynamic and photo-pathology changes of different color light radiations on human adult skin cells. We used a real-time biophysical and biomechanics monitoring system for light-induced cellular changes in an in vitro model to find mechanisms of the initial and continuous degenerative process. Cells were exposed to intermittent, mild and intense (1-180 min) light with On/Off cycles, using blue, green, red and white light. Cellular ultra-structural changes, damages, and ECM impair function were evaluated by up/down-regulation of biophysical, biomechanical and biochemical properties. All cells exposed to different color light radiation showed significant changes in a time-dependent manner. Particularly, cell growth, stiffness, roughness, cytoskeletal integrity and ECM proteins of the human dermal fibroblasts-adult (HDF-a) cells showed highest alteration, followed by human epidermal keratinocytes-adult (HEK-a) cells and human epidermal melanocytes-adult (HEM-a) cells. Such changes might impede the normal cellular functions. Overall, the obtained results identify a new insight that may contribute to premature aging, and causes it to look aged in younger people. Moreover, these results advance our understanding of the different color light-induced degenerative process and help the development of new therapeutic strategies.

Austria announces new money for research infrastructure and social sciences

CERN Multimedia

2008-01-01

Austria's Minister for Science and Research, Johannes Hahn, has announced funding for research infrastructures and the social sciences, amounting to EUR 6.9 million in total. The largest chunk of the money will go to a new data processing centre for the analysis of data from the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN). The idea is that the new centre will provide Austria with access to the key technology for solving highly complex scientific and technological problems, while strengthening Austria's domestic research infrastructure in the field of 'advanced communication networks'.

78 FR 59939 - Announcement of Requirements and Registration for Respirator Trusted-Source Mobile Application...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-30

... key features of the product as they relate to the challenge. (a) Narrative: One of the slides in the... should not include endorsements of private products, services, or enterprises. (10) Videos containing... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Announcement of...

78 FR 72095 - Announcement of Funding Awards for Fiscal Year 2013 Research Partnerships Program

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-02

... demonstrations; (2) using housing as a platform for improving quality of life; (3) the American Housing Survey..., ``Bringing Life Course Home: Improving Health Through Housing Stability and Support.'' Dr. Emily Feinberg... DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT [Docket No. FR-5629-FA-01] Announcement of Funding...

78 FR 48689 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of Office of Management and Budget...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-09

... ``Prescription Drug User Fee Cover Sheet; Form FDA 3397'' has been approved by the Office of Management and... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2012-N-0471] Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of Office of Management and Budget Approval...

76 FR 34246 - Automated Commercial Environment (ACE); Announcement of National Customs Automation Program Test...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-13

... Environment (ACE); Announcement of National Customs Automation Program Test of Automated Procedures for In... Customs Automation Program (NCAP) test relating to highway movements of commercial goods that are transported in-bond through the United States from one point in Canada to another point in Canada. The NCAP...

76 FR 54481 - Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee; Announcement of Public Meeting and Webcast

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-01

...] RIN 1018-AX45 Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee; Announcement of Public Meeting and Webcast..., the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), will host a Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee... agenda will include a presentation and discussion of the Service's revised Draft Land-Based Wind Energy...

Climate Change Effects on Agriculture: Economic Responses to Biophysical Shocks

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Gerald C.; Valin, Hugo; Sands, Ronald D.; Havlik, Petr; Ahammad, Helal; Deryng, Delphine; Elliott, Joshua; Fujimori, Shinichiro; Hasegawa, Tomoko; Heyhoe, Edwina

2014-01-01

Agricultural production is sensitive to weather and thus directly affected by climate change. Plausible estimates of these climate change impacts require combined use of climate, crop, and economic models. Results from previous studies vary substantially due to differences in models, scenarios, and data. This paper is part of a collective effort to systematically integrate these three types of models. We focus on the economic component of the assessment, investigating how nine global economic models of agriculture represent endogenous responses to seven standardized climate change scenarios produced by two climate and five crop models. These responses include adjustments in yields, area, consumption, and international trade. We apply biophysical shocks derived from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's representative concentration pathway with end-of-century radiative forcing of 8.5 W/m(sup 2). The mean biophysical yield effect with no incremental CO2 fertilization is a 17% reduction globally by 2050 relative to a scenario with unchanging climate. Endogenous economic responses reduce yield loss to 11%, increase area of major crops by 11%, and reduce consumption by 3%. Agricultural production, cropland area, trade, and prices show the greatest degree of variability in response to climate change, and consumption the lowest. The sources of these differences include model structure and specification; in particular, model assumptions about ease of land use conversion, intensification, and trade. This study identifies where models disagree on the relative responses to climate shocks and highlights research activities needed to improve the representation of agricultural adaptation responses to climate change.

Market Reactions to Publicly Announced Privacy and Security Breaches Suffered by Companies Listed on the United States Stock Exchanges: A Comparative Empirical Investigation

Science.gov (United States)

Coronado, Adolfo S.

2012-01-01

Using a sample of security and privacy breaches the present research examines the comparative announcement impact between the two types of events. The first part of the dissertation analyzes the impact of publicly announced security and privacy breaches on abnormal stock returns, the change in firm risk, and abnormal trading volume are measured.…

Nearby supernova factory announces 34 supernovae in one year'; best Rookie year ever for supernova search

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

The Nearby Supernova Factory (SNfactory), an international collaboration based at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, announced that it had discovered 34 supernovae during the first year of the prototype system's operation (2 pages).

78 FR 24762 - National Toxicology Program Board of Scientific Counselors; Announcement of Meeting; Request for...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-26

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health National Toxicology Program... announces the next meeting of the National Toxicology Program (NTP) Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC... authorities knowledgeable in fields such as toxicology, pharmacology, pathology, biochemistry, epidemiology...

76 FR 57989 - Video Programming and Accessibility Advisory Committee; Announcement of Date of Next Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-19

... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION [DA 11-1527] Video Programming and Accessibility Advisory.... SUMMARY: This document announces the next meeting of the Video Programming Accessibility Advisory... programming, and the interoperability and user interface of the equipment used to deliver video programming...

77 FR 6113 - Video Programming and Accessibility Advisory Committee; Announcement of Date of Next Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-07

... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION [DA 12-15] Video Programming and Accessibility Advisory.... SUMMARY: This document announces the next meeting of the Video Programming Accessibility Advisory... Commission regarding the provision of video description, access to emergency programming, and access to user...

77 FR 5044 - Announcement of Funding Awards for the Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) Program...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-01

... Awards for the Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) Program for Fiscal Year 2010 AGENCY...) for the Brownfield Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) program. This announcement contains the... CONTACT: David Kaminsky, Office of Economic Development Grants Management Division, Office of Community...

77 FR 5043 - Announcement of Funding Awards for the Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) Program...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-01

... Awards for the Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) Program for Fiscal Year 2009 AGENCY...) for the Brownfield Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) program. This announcement contains the... CONTACT: David Kaminsky, Office of Economic Development Grants Management Division, Office of Community...

Drought propagation and its relation with catchment biophysical characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarez-Garreton, C. D.; Lara, A.; Garreaud, R. D.

2016-12-01

Droughts propagate in the hydrological cycle from meteorological to soil moisture to hydrological droughts. To understand the drivers of this process is of paramount importance since the economic and societal impacts in water resources are directly related with hydrological droughts (and not with meteorological droughts, which have been most studied). This research analyses drought characteristics over a large region and identify its main exogenous (climate forcing) and endogenous (biophysical characteristics such as land cover type and topography) explanatory factors. The study region is Chile, which covers seven major climatic subtypes according to Köppen system, it has unique geographic characteristics, very sharp topography and a wide range of landscapes and vegetation conditions. Meteorological and hydrological droughts (deficit in precipitation and streamflow, respectively) are characterized by their durations and standardized deficit volumes using a variable threshold method, over 300 representative catchments (located between 27°S and 50°S). To quantify the propagation from meteorological to hydrological drought, we propose a novel drought attenuation index (DAI), calculated as the ratio between the meteorological drought severity slope and the hydrological drought severity slope. DAI varies from zero (catchment that attenuates completely a meteorological drought) to one (the meteorological drought is fully propagated through the hydrological cycle). This novel index provides key (and comparable) information about drought propagation over a wide range of different catchments, which has been highlighted as a major research gap. Similar drought indicators across the wide range of catchments are then linked with catchment biophysical characteristics. A thorough compilation of land cover information (including the percentage of native forests, grass land, urban and industrial areas, glaciers, water bodies and no vegetated areas), catchment physical

Surface enhanced raman spectroscopy analytical, biophysical and life science applications

CERN Document Server

Schlücker, Sebastian

2013-01-01

Covering everything from the basic theoretical and practical knowledge to new exciting developments in the field with a focus on analytical and life science applications, this monograph shows how to apply surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for solving real world problems. From the contents: * Theory and practice of SERS * Analytical applications * SERS combined with other analytical techniques * Biophysical applications * Life science applications including various microscopies Aimed at analytical, surface and medicinal chemists, spectroscopists, biophysicists and materials scientists. Includes a Foreword by the renowned Raman spectroscopist Professor Wolfgang Kiefer, the former Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Raman Spectroscopy.

Hydrophobic ampersand hydrophilic: Theoretical models of solvation for molecular biophysics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pratt, L.R.; Tawa, G.J.; Hummer, G.; Garcia, A.E.; Corcelli, S.A.

1996-01-01

Molecular statistical thermodynamic models of hydration for chemistry and biophysics have advanced abruptly in recent years. With liquid water as solvent, salvation phenomena are classified as either hydrophobic or hydrophilic effects. Recent progress in treatment of hydrophilic effects have been motivated by continuum dielectric models interpreted as a modelistic implementation of second order perturbation theory. New results testing that perturbation theory of hydrophilic effects are presented and discussed. Recent progress in treatment of hydrophobic effects has been achieved by applying information theory to discover models of packing effects in dense liquids. The simplest models to which those ideas lead are presented and discussed

75 FR 5599 - Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Announcement of Applications From Hospitals Requesting Waiver for...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-03

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS-1341-NC] Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Announcement of Applications From Hospitals Requesting Waiver for Organ Procurement Service Area AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. ACTION: Notice with...

77 FR 21538 - Announcing DRAFT Revisions to Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 186-3, Digital...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-10

...-01] Announcing DRAFT Revisions to Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 186-3, Digital... Technology (NIST) requests comments on revisions to Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 186-3... 25, 2012. ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent to: Chief, Computer Security Division, Information...

75 FR 19979 - National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Announcement of Workshop on the...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-16

... Complementary and Alternative Medicine Announcement of Workshop on the Deconstruction of Back Pain ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) invites the... Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) was established in 1999 with the mission of exploring complementary and...

77 FR 4326 - Announcement of Requirements and Registration for “Health Innovations in Commuting Challenge”

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-27

... known about the health of workers during commutes beyond population studies on general health impact... innovative development. 3. Understanding of effects of automobile commutes on health outcomes. Additional... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Announcement of Requirements and Registration for ``Health...

48 CFR 1335.016-70 - DOC procedures for the use of broad agency announcements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false DOC procedures for the use of broad agency announcements. 1335.016-70 Section 1335.016-70 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE SPECIAL CATEGORIES OF CONTRACTING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTING 1335.016-70 DOC...

Multimedia Competencies for an Educational Technologist: A Survey of Professionals and Job Announcement Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Ritzhaupt, Albert; Martin, Florence; Daniels, Katharine

2010-01-01

This paper examines the multimedia competencies of an educational technologist via a job announcements analysis and survey of professionals within the field. A conceptual framework is provided involving the new definition of the field of educational technology and associated knowledge, skill, and ability statements. Two hundred five unique job…

The case for biophysics super-groups in physics departments.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoogenboom, Bart W; Leake, Mark

2018-06-04

Increasing numbers of physicists engage in research activities that address biological questions from physics perspectives or strive to develop physics insights from active biological processes. The on-going development and success of such activities morph our ways of thinking about what it is to 'do biophysics' and add to our understanding of the physics of life. Many scientists in this research and teaching landscape are homed in physics departments. A challenge for a hosting department is how to group, name and structure such biophysicists to best add value to their emerging research and teaching but also to the portfolio of the whole department. Here we discuss these issues and speculate on strategies. Creative Commons Attribution license.

Biophysical properties and functional significance of stem water storage tissues in Neotropical savanna trees.

Science.gov (United States)

F.G. Scholz; S.J. Bucci; G. Goldstein; F.C. Meinzer; A.C. Franco; F. Miralles-Wilhelm

2007-01-01

Biophysical characteristics of sapwood and outer parenchyma water storage compartments were studied in stems of eight dominant Brazilian Cerrado tree species to assess the impact of differences in tissue capacitance on whole-plant water relations. Both the sapwood and outer parenchyma tissues played an important role in regulation of internal water deficits of Cerrado...

Coupling the biophysical and social dimensions of wildfire risk to improve wildfire mitigation planning

Science.gov (United States)

Alan A. Ager; Jeffrey D. Kline; A. Paige Fisher

2015-01-01

We describe recent advances in biophysical and social aspects of risk and their potential combined contribution to improve mitigation planning on fire-prone landscapes. The methods and tools provide an improved method for defining the spatial extent of wildfire risk to communities compared to current planning processes. They also propose an expanded role for social...

News & Announcements

Science.gov (United States)

1999-08-01

; materials that augment laboratory experiments are a good example. ·Supplementary videos, such as the videos, still images, and excerpts from interviews with nuclear chemists that give fuller meaning to the Viewpoints article "Chemistry of the Heaviest Elements- One Atom at a Time" referred to below. ·Internet feature columns are more effective in a dynamic medium. Two that are in place are Mathcad in the Chemistry Curriculum (edited by Theresa Zielinski) and Conceptual Questions and Challenge Problems (edited by William Robinson and Susan Nurrenbern). ·Buyers Guides have their content updated often and link to other useful sites. There is one for books and software and another for supplies and equipment. Elements Added to Periodic Table Two new transuranic elements have been added to the list in the Viewpoints article "Chemistry of the Heaviest ElementsOne Atom at a Time" by Darleane C. Hoffman and Diana M. Lee (JCE, 1999, 76, 331). The new elements have atomic numbers 118 and 116. The path to the discovery of these elements was predicted by Robert Smolanczuk, a young Polish theorist whose calculations led him to conclude that a lead-krypton collision technique could produce element 118, which then decays to element 116. Others questioned his results, but Hoffman invited him to join the team at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a decision was made to try out his ideas. The result was almost complete verification of Smolanczuk's calculations. The experimental team was headed by Kenneth E. Gregorich; Darleane Hoffman is one of 15 codiscoverers of element 118. Awards Willard Gibbs Medal Lawrence F. Dahl of the University of Wisconsin-Madison is the recipient of 1999 Willard Gibbs Medal, the highest award of the Chicago Section of the American Chemical Society. It is awarded annually to a world-renowned scientist selected by a jury of panelists composed of eminent chemists elected by the Board of Directors of the Chicago Section. The award was presented at the

Biochemical and Biophysical Cues in Matrix Design for Chronic and Diabetic Wound Treatment

OpenAIRE

Xiao, Yun; Ahadian, Samad; Radisic, Milica

2017-01-01

Progress in biomaterial science and engineering and increasing knowledge in cell biology have enabled us to develop functional biomaterials providing appropriate biochemical and biophysical cues for tissue regeneration applications. Tissue regeneration is particularly important to treat chronic wounds of people with diabetes. Understanding and controlling the cellular microenvironment of the wound tissue are important to improve the wound healing process. In this study, we review different bi...

Polish Academy of Sciences. Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Research Report 1998-1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

The report presented research activities of the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, in 1998-1999. Research interests focus on: replication, mutagenesis and repair of DNA, regulation of gene expression, biosynthesis and post-translational modifications of proteins, gene sequencing and functional gene analysis, structure and function of enzymes, conformation of proteins and peptides, modeling of structures and prediction of function of proteins

Polish Academy of Sciences. Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Research Report 1998-1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-07-01

The report presented research activities of the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, in 1998-1999. Research interests focus on: replication, mutagenesis and repair of DNA, regulation of gene expression, biosynthesis and post-translational modifications of proteins, gene sequencing and functional gene analysis, structure and function of enzymes, conformation of proteins and peptides, modeling of structures and prediction of function of proteins.

Biophysical properties of membrane lipids of anammox bacteria : I. Ladderane phospholipids form highly organized fluid membranes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boumann, Henry A.; Longo, Marjorie L.; Stroeve, Pieter; Poolman, Bert; Hopmans, Ellen C.; Stuart, Marc C. A.; Damste, Jaap S. Sinninghe; Schouten, Stefan

Anammox bacteria that are capable of anaerobically oxidizing ammonium (anammox) with nitrite to nitrogen gas produce unique membrane phospholipids that comprise hydrocarbon chains with three or five linearly condensed cyclobutane rings. To gain insight into the biophysical properties of these

Seventeenth-century 'treasure' found in Royal Society archives: the Ludus helmontii and the stone disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Alfonso-Goldfarb, Ana Maria; Ferraz, Márcia Helena Mendes; Rattansi, Piyo M

2014-09-20

Our archival researches at the Royal Society reveal that a small envelope attached to a 1675 letter from an Antwerp apothecary, A. Boutens, contained a sample of the 'Ludus' prepared as a remedy for the 'stone disease' then sweeping through Europe, which was first announced in J. B. van Helmont's De lithiasi (1644). After examining the fascination with the medical use of the Ludus (which required the 'alkahest' for its preparation) and the tenacious efforts to procure it, we trace the fortunae of two other ludi in England, brought to and offered by Francis Mercurius van Helmont during his English sojourn. Both eventually found their way to the geologist John Woodward, one of them through Sir Isaac Newton. Finally we show how the allure of the Ludus helmontii vanished, with transformations in mineral analysis and reclassifications from Woodward to John Hill.