OSPACS: Ultrasound image management system

Ultrasound scanning uses the medical imaging format, DICOM, for electronically storing the images and data associated with a particular scan. Large health care facilities typically use a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) for storing and retrieving such images. However, these systems are usually not suitable for managing large collections of anonymized ultrasound images gathered during a clinical screening trial

The atmospheric bridge communicated the δ13C decline during the last deglaciation to the global upper ocean

During the early part of the last glacial termination (17.2-15 ka) and coincident with a ∼ 35 ppm rise in atmospheric CO2, a sharp 0.3‰-0.4‰ decline in atmospheric δ13CO2 occurred, potentially constraining the key processes that account for the early deglacial CO2 rise. A comparable δ13C decline has also been documented in numerous marine proxy records from surface and thermocline-dwelling planktic foraminifera. The δ13C decline recorded in planktic foraminifera has previously been attributed to the release of respired carbon from the deep ocean that was subsequently transported within the upper ocean to sites where the signal was recorded (and then ultimately transferred to the atmosphere). Benthic δ13C records from the global upper ocean, including a new record presented here from the tropical Pacific, also document this distinct early deglacial δ13C decline. Here we present modeling evidence to show that rather than respired carbon from the deep ocean propagating directly to the upper ocean prior to reaching the atmosphere, the carbon would have first upwelled to the surface in the Southern Ocean where it would have entered the atmosphere. In this way the transmission of isotopically light carbon to the global upper ocean was analogous to the ongoing ocean invasion of fossil fuel CO2. The model results suggest that thermocline waters throughout the ocean and 500-2000m water depths were affected by this atmospheric bridge during the early deglaciation

Rhizosphere carbon supply accelerates soil organic matter decomposition in the presence of fresh organic substrates

Background and aims: Belowground C supply from plant roots may accelerate the decomposition of SOM through the rhizosphere priming effect, but the detailed interaction between substrate quality and rhizosphere C supply is poorly understood. We hypothesize that decomposition of organic matter is enhanced by the combined effect of assimilate C supply to the rhizosphere and substrate amendments. Methods: Birch trees (Betula pendula) planted in experimental mesocosms; half of these trees were shaded to reduce the supply of assimilate C to roots and ECM fungi. Either 13C-enriched glucose, straw, fungal necromass or C4 biochar were subsequently added to each mesocosm. CO2 efflux derived from substrates were separated from that derived from native SOM and roots based on the isotopic composition of total respired CO2. Results: The addition of all substrates increased fluxes in both un-shaded and shaded treatments, with greatest total CO2 efflux observed in soils amended with straw. Increases in un-labelled CO2 were observed to be greater in the presence of belowground C supply than in mesocosms with shaded trees. Conclusions: Turnover of SOM is closely linked to belowground C allocation. The biochemical quality and recalcitrance of litter entering the soil C pool is of critical importance to this priming, as is the interaction with rhizosphere-associated decomposition activity

Soil methane sink capacity response to a long-term wildfire chronosequence in Northern Sweden

Boreal forests occupy nearly one fifth of the terrestrial land surface and are recognised as globally important regulators of carbon (C) cycling and greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon sequestration processes in these forests include assimilation of CO2 into biomass and subsequently into soil organic matter, and soil microbial oxidation of methane (CH4). In this study we explored how ecosystem retrogression, which drives vegetation change, regulates the important process of soil CH4 oxidation in boreal forests. We measured soil CH4 oxidation processes on a group of 30 forested islands in northern Sweden differing greatly in fire history, and collectively representing a retrogressive chronosequence, spanning 5000 years. Across these islands the build-up of soil organic matter was observed to increase with time since fire disturbance, with a significant correlation between greater humus depth and increased net soil CH4 oxidation rates. We suggest that this increase in net CH4 oxidation rates, in the absence of disturbance, results as deeper humus stores accumulate and provide niches for methanotrophs to thrive. By using this gradient we have discovered important regulatory controls on the stability of soil CH4 oxidation processes that could not have not been explored through shorter-term experiments. Our findings indicate that in the absence of human interventions such as fire suppression, and with increased wildfire frequency, the globally important boreal CH4 sink could be diminished

The Vehicle, Fall 1980

Vol. 22, No. 1 Table of Contents UntitledSusan Mehlpage 4 MitchJohn Stockmanpage 5 HallwayAndy Leszczynskipage 6 At The MoviesElise Hempelpage 8 HaikuAngie Patrickpage 8 On MagnoliasThersa Kennypage 9 NeighborJohn Stockmanpage 10 WetCathy Georgepage 10 HaikuThersa Kennypage 10 The Speed QueenCarolyn Perrypage 11 A ThoughtThersa Kennypage 14 The Stone Belongs to the LakeRobert Schumacherpage 15 Driving South of WinnipegJerry McAnultypage 16 Travels with the ExecutionerPeter Lindemanpage 17 NightwingLaura Muellerpage 18 Thoughts of an Uninterested StudentDru Seftonpage 19 Rainbird\u27s ManMary McDanielpage 20 EffortlessKevin Stottpage 25 Where the Waves SoundTheresa Whitesidepage 26 \u2745Ray Wallacepage 28 Epigram #1P. James Kruegerpage 28 UntitledSusan Mehlpage 29 RerunsAngie Patrickpage 30 SunsetGloria Rhoadspage 34 Return of the NativeRay Wallacepage 35 The GuitarJoanne Dunnepage 35 In Grandmother\u27s BedroomElise Hempelpage 36 Cindy Poem No. 3John Stockmanpage 36 Dust in the DarkLaura Muellerpage 37 Suspension BridgeLaura Henrypage 39 WavesLeslie Garnerpage 39 Oyama: a Setting and a GirlJerry McAnultypage 40 the middle of the nightKevin Stottpage 41 Old State RoadLaura Henrypage 43 Dairy QueenJohn Stockmanpage 43 Art CoverDennis Wunsch Pen and ink drawingRose Huberpage 3 PhotographIrene Brownpage 7 PhotographIrene Brownpage 27 PhotographIrene Brownpage 42 Pen and ink drawingRose Huberpage 44https://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1036/thumbnail.jp

Direct isotopic evidence of biogenic methane production and efflux from beneath a temperate glacier

The base of glaciers and ice sheets provide environments suitable for the production of methane. High pressure conditions beneath the impermeable ‘cap’ of overlying ice promote entrapment of methane reserves that can be released to the atmosphere during ice thinning and meltwater evacuation. However, contemporary glaciers and ice sheets are rarely accounted for as methane contributors through field measurements. Here, we present direct field-based evidence of methane production and release from beneath the Icelandic glacier Sólheimajökull, where geothermal activity creates sub-oxic conditions suited to methane production and preservation along the meltwater flow path. Methane production at the glacier bed (48 tonnes per day, or 39 mM CH4 m-2 day-1), and evasion to the atmosphere from the proglacial stream (41 tonnes per day, or 32 M CH4 m-2 day-1) indicates considerable production and release to the atmosphere during the summer melt season. Isotopic signatures (-60.2 ‰ to -7.6 ‰ for δ13CCH4 and -324.3 ‰ to +161.1 ‰ for DCH4), support a biogenic signature within waters emerging from the subglacial environment. Temperate glacial methane production and release may thus be a significant and hitherto unresolved contributor of a potent greenhouse gas to the atmosphere

Fighting stochastic variability in a D-type flip-flop with transistor-level reconfiguration

In this study, the authors present a design optimisation case study of D-type flip-flop timing characteristics that are degraded as a result of intrinsic stochastic variability in a 25 nm technology process. What makes this work unique is that the design is mapped onto a multi-reconfigurable architecture, which is, like a field programmable gate array (FPGA), configurable at the gate level but can then be optimised using transistor level configuration options that are additionally built into the architecture. While a hardware VLSI prototype of this architecture is currently being fabricated, the results presented here are obtained from a virtual prototype implemented in SPICE using statistically enhanced 25 nm high performance metal gate MOSFET compact models from gold standard simulations for pre-fabrication verification. A D-type flip-flop is chosen as a benchmark in this study, and it is shown that timing characteristics that are degraded because of stochastic variability can be recovered and improved. This study highlights significant potential of the programmable analogue and digital array architecture to represent a next-generation FPGA architecture that can recover yield using post-fabrication transistor-level optimisation in addition to adjusting the operating point of mapped designs

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Clinical Relevance of Dissolution Testing in Quality by Design

Quality by design (QbD) has recently been introduced in pharmaceutical product development in a regulatory context and the process of implementing such concepts in the drug approval process is presently on-going. This has the potential to allow for a more flexible regulatory approach based on understanding and optimisation of how design of a product and its manufacturing process may affect product quality. Thus, adding restrictions to manufacturing beyond what can be motivated by clinical quality brings no benefits but only additional costs. This leads to a challenge for biopharmaceutical scientists to link clinical product performance to critical manufacturing attributes. In vitro dissolution testing is clearly a key tool for this purpose and the present bioequivalence guidelines and biopharmaceutical classification system (BCS) provides a platform for regulatory applications of in vitro dissolution as a marker for consistency in clinical outcomes. However, the application of these concepts might need to be further developed in the context of QbD to take advantage of the higher level of understanding that is implied and displayed in regulatory documentation utilising QbD concepts. Aspects that should be considered include identification of rate limiting steps in the absorption process that can be linked to pharmacokinetic variables and used for prediction of bioavailability variables, in vivo relevance of in vitro dissolution test conditions and performance/interpretation of specific bioavailability studies on critical formulation/process variables. This article will give some examples and suggestions how clinical relevance of dissolution testing can be achieved in the context of QbD derived from a specific case study for a BCS II compound