Tiros VII infrared radiation coverage of the 1963 Atlantic hurricane season with supporting television and conventional meteorological data

Infrared radiation data analyzed from Tiros VII SATELLITE coverage of North Atlantic hurricanes during 196

Fish -- More Than Just Another Commodity

This brief highlights the contribution of wild capture fisheries to nutritional security in fish dependent developing countries. It is intended to stimulate debate around two broad themes: (1) when should the focus of fisheries policies be on local food security and human well-being as opposed to revenue generation, and (2) how does the current research agenda, with its emphasis on environmental and economic issues, assist or impair decision making processes

Seasonal sea surface temperature variations in the Persian Gulf as recorded by Nimbus 2 HRIR

Seasonal sea surface temperature variations in Persian Gulf recorded by Nimbus 2 HRI

A nucleotide resolution map of Top2-linked DNA breaks in the yeast and human genome

DNA topoisomerases are required to resolve DNA topological stress. Despite this essential role, abortive topoisomerase activity generates aberrant protein-linked DNA breaks, jeopardising genome stability. Here, to understand the genomic distribution and mechanisms underpinning topoisomerase-induced DNA breaks, we map Top2 DNA cleavage with strand-specific nucleotide resolution across the S. cerevisiae and human genomes—and use the meiotic Spo11 protein to validate the broad applicability of this method to explore the role of diverse topoisomerase family members. Our data characterises Mre11-dependent repair in yeast and defines two strikingly different fractions of Top2 activity in humans: tightly localised CTCF-proximal, and broadly distributed transcription-proximal, the latter correlated with gene length and expression. Moreover, single nucleotide accuracy reveals the influence primary DNA sequence has upon Top2 cleavage—distinguishing sites likely to form canonical DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) from those predisposed to form strand-biased DNA single-strand breaks (SSBs) induced by etoposide (VP16) in vivo

Scale-Dependent Price Fluctuations for the Indian Stock Market

Classic studies of the probability density of price fluctuations $g$ for stocks and foreign exchanges of several highly developed economies have been interpreted using a {\it power-law} probability density function $P(g) \sim g^{-(\alpha+1)}$ with exponent values $\alpha > 2$, which are outside the L\'evy-stable regime $0 < \alpha < 2$. To test the universality of this relationship for less highly developed economies, we analyze daily returns for the period Nov. 1994--June 2002 for the 49 largest stocks of the National Stock Exchange which has the highest volume of trade in India. We find that $P(g)$ decays as an {\it exponential} function $P(g) \sim \exp(-\beta g)$ with a characteristic decay scales $\beta = 1.51 \pm 0.05$ for the negative tail and $\beta = 1.34 \pm 0.04$ for the positive tail, which is significantly different from that observed for developed economies. Thus we conclude that the Indian stock market may belong to a universality class that differs from those of developed countries analyzed previously.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure

Positive regulation of meiotic DNA double-strand break formation by activation of the DNA damage checkpoint kinase Mec1(ATR)

During meiosis, formation and repair of programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) create genetic exchange between homologous chromosomes-a process that is critical for reductional meiotic chromosome segregation and the production of genetically diverse sexually reproducing populations. Meiotic DSB formation is a complex process, requiring numerous proteins, of which Spo11 is the evolutionarily conserved catalytic subunit. Precisely how Spo11 and its accessory proteins function or are regulated is unclear. Here, we use Saccharomyces cerevisiae to reveal that meiotic DSB formation is modulated by the Mec1(ATR) branch of the DNA damage signalling cascade, promoting DSB formation when Spo11-mediated catalysis is compromised. Activation of the positive feedback pathway correlates with the formation of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) recombination intermediates and activation of the downstream kinase, Mek1. We show that the requirement for checkpoint activation can be rescued by prolonging meiotic prophase by deleting the NDT80 transcription factor, and that even transient prophase arrest caused by Ndt80 depletion is sufficient to restore meiotic spore viability in checkpoint mutants. Our observations are unexpected given recent reports that the complementary kinase pathway Tel1(ATM) acts to inhibit DSB formation. We propose that such antagonistic regulation of DSB formation by Mec1 and Tel1 creates a regulatory mechanism, where the absolute frequency of DSBs is maintained at a level optimal for genetic exchange and efficient chromosome segregation

Secondary prevention of stroke: Using the experiences of patients and carers to inform the development of an educational resource

Copyright @ The Author 2008. This article is available open access through the publisher’s website at the link below.Background. Patients who have had one stroke are at increased risk of another. Secondary prevention strategies that address medical risk factors and promote healthy lifestyles can reduce the risk. However, concordance with secondary prevention strategies is poor and there has been little research into patient and carer views. Objectives. To explore the experiences of patients and carers of receiving secondary prevention advice and use these to inform the development of an educational resource. Methods. A total of 38 participants (25 patients and 13 carers) took part in the study which used an action research approach. Focus groups and interviews were undertaken with patients and carers who had been discharged from hospital after stroke (between 3 and 24 months previously). Framework analysis was used to examine the data and elicit action points to develop an educational resource. Results. Participants’ main concern was their desire for early access to information. They commented on their priorities for what information or support they needed, the difficulty of absorbing complex information whilst still an in-patient and how health professionals’ use of language was often a barrier to understanding. They discussed the facilitators and barriers to making lifestyle changes. The educational resource was developed to include specific advice for medical and lifestyle risk factors and an individual action plan. Conclusion. An educational resource for secondary prevention of stroke was developed using a participatory methodology. Our findings suggest that this resource is best delivered in a one-to-one manner, but further work is needed to identify its potential utility.Peninsula Primary Care Research Networ