A Frequency Analysis of the QuikSCAT Calibration Ground Station

To insure the accuracy of the Seawinds scatterometer measurements, BYU is analyzing the signal of the Seawinds on QuikSCAT instrument as received by a Ground Station. Both the power and the frequency of the received signal are analyzed and compared to the power and frequency of the expected, or ideal, signal. The frequency analysis of the ground station data has helped to confirm key satellite operation parameters, including the local oscillator offset between the satellite radar and the ground station. Timing offsets between the satellite and the ground station have also be determined. The analysis in its present state, however, needs further improvement to determine the timing offset to the desired precision

Field Level Conflict Management in Outdoor Recreation

16 pages. Contains references

Field Level Conflict Management in Outdoor Recreation

16 pages. Contains references

Role Development and Management in College Athletics

Although holding multiple life roles is healthy, managers often expect individuals in high performance settings to sacrifice life roles in pursuit of a singular role. Such is the case with elite athletes, including but not limited to college athletes. The purpose of this study was to examine how a team of college athletes came to understand their roles, the outcomes of those role experiences, and how they managed those roles over time. I utilized an ethnographic and longitudinal design focused on a singular Division I women’s volleyball team, including all current athletes, coaches, support staff, parents of current athletes, and faculty. Using discourse analysis, four messages emerged as central to the athlete’s role development: we are one, self-governing system, academics are the priority, and there’s more to college life than volleyball. Based upon these messages, the athletes developed a highly salient athlete role which impacted their college experience and well-being. The athletes also described the benefits of additional roles and need for alone time. Given these outcomes, the athletes adopted one of three role management profiles: volleyball is who I am, ideal student-athlete, and volleyball is one of many roles. Scholars and practitioners need to work to change “we are one” messages to also allow for messages of “individuality,” and messages of “sacrifice” to allow for messages of “role expansion.” Athletes can still place importance on their athlete role without making sacrifices to their student role or additional roles. From a theoretical perspective, this study addresses a gap in the literature by providing insight into how college athletes become engulfed, the outcomes of that engulfment, and the actions athletes may or may not enact to avoid becoming engulfed and/or manage that role engulfment. This study expands role theory by pointing to the need for flexibility and adaptability in the socialization process in order to build identification and conformity without suffocating members of the organization. Future studies should explore role development in other elite performance contexts and continue to utilize discourse tracing and other communication perspectives to further our understanding of socialization and role identity

Relationships Among Team Cohesion and Performance, Anxiety, Retention, and Satisfaction

In addition to the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ), Social Networking Analysis (SNA) has recently emerged as a promising research approach to measuring team cohesion. However, little to no research has simultaneously used both measures to compare and contrast their unique benefits. Thus, the present study sought to examine the relationship between SNA (friendship and efficacy) and the GEQ, as well as their relationships with team performance, anxiety, retention, and satisfaction. Players and coaches from four NCAA Division-I Women’s Volleyball teams (N = 49) completed an online survey at preseason, midseason, and postseason. Findings indicated that the GEQ and SNA are likely measuring different constructs. While the GEQ was a better global measure of team cohesion, SNA was able to offer unique contributions in exploring how specific dyadic relationships among team members evolve over the course of the season and contribute to performance, anxiety, retention, and satisfaction. Visual inspections of the SNA networks revealed that the team with fewer friendship connections was more successful in terms of team performance. In addition, SNA efficacy was associated with lower levels of competitive somatic anxiety. The GEQ subscales that focused on individual attractions to the group (ATG-T and ATG-S) and SNA friendship and efficacy were moderately related to later intentions of returning to the team the following season. Finally, lower levels of cohesion, as measured by both the GEQ and SNA, were associated with lower levels of satisfaction later in the season. The results of this study help to highlight the positive outcomes variables associated with team cohesion, while also further positioning SNA and the GEQ as important, yet unique, tools for athletic administrators and coaches to use to better understand the functioning, or lack thereof, of their teams. Acknowledgements of practical applications and recommendations for future research are provided.  M.S

Differential effects of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids on autophagy in pancreatic β-cells

Long-chain saturated fatty acids are lipotoxic to pancreatic β-cells, whereas most unsaturates are better tolerated and some may even be cytoprotective. Fatty acids alter autophagy in β-cells and there is increasing evidence that such alterations can impact directly on the regulation of viability. Accordingly, we have compared the effects of palmitate (C16:0) and palmitoleate (C16:1) on autophagy in cultured β-cells and human islets. Treatment of BRIN-BD11 β-cells with palmitate led to enhanced autophagic activity, as judged by cleavage of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3-I (LC3-I) and this correlated with a marked loss of cell viability in the cells. In addition, transfection of these cells with an mCherry-YFP-LC3 reporter construct revealed the accumulation of autophagosomes in palmitate-treated cells, indicating an impairment of autophagosome-lysosome fusion. This was also seen upon addition of the vacuolar ATPase inhibitor, bafilomycin A1. Exposure of BRIN-BD11 cells to palmitoleate (C16:1) did not lead directly to changes in autophagic activity or flux, but it antagonised the actions of palmitate. In parallel, palmitoleate also improved the viability of palmitate-treated BRIN-BD11 cells. Equivalent responses were observed in INS-1E cells and in isolated human islets. Taken together, these data suggest that palmitate may cause an impairment of autophagosome-lysosome fusion. These effects were not reproduced by palmitoleate which, instead, antagonised the responses mediated by palmitate suggesting that attenuation of β-cell stress may contribute to the improvement in cell viability caused by the mono-unsaturated fatty acid.This article is freely available via Open Access. Click on the Publisher URL to access it via the publisher's site.The authors are grateful to Diabetes UK for financial support via project grants 14/0005093 and 15/0005156 (to N G M) and a PhD studentship (14/0005093) to Patricia Thomas. They also thank Dr Jon Lane (University of Bristol) for the kind gift of a dual-fluorescence LC3 reporter construct.accepted version (12 month embargo), submitted versio

The Unintended Consequences of a Ban on the Humane Slaughter (Processing) of Horses in the United States

Federal legislation has been proposed to amend the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be humanely slaughtered (processed) for human consumption, and for other purposes. The intent of the legislation is to enact a ban in the United States on processing horses for human consumption. The legislation does not provide fiscal support that would likely be needed to respond to an ever increasing number of unwanted, neglected, and abused horses. Often times horse neglect and abuse cases originate from a lack of economic resources needed to adequately maintain a horse’s health. While everyone fully supports and is committed to the humane treatment of all horses, there are unintended consequences of banning horse processing. The purpose of this paper is to identify and review the unintended consequences of a ban in the United States on the processing of horses for human consumption: 1. The potential for a large number of abandoned or unwanted horses is substantial. 2. Public animal rescue facilities are currently saturated with unwanted horses. No funding has been allocated to manage a large increase in horses that will likely become the responsibility of these facilities. 3. Cost of maintaining unwanted horses accumulates over time: A conservative estimate of the total cost of caring for unwanted horses, based upon 2005 statistics, is $220 million; Cumulative annual maintenance costs of otherwise processed horses, since the year 2000, would have exceeded more than$513 million in 2005. 4. The export value of horse meat for human consumption was approximately $26 million. A ban on processing would eliminate these annual revenues. 5. The option of rendering equine carcasses is decreasing. Private-land burial and disposal in landfills have a negative impact on the environment. 6. The Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Program may be negatively impacted by a ban on horse processing. BLM horses and an increasing number of unwanted horses will be competing for adoption homes. Horse processing facilities offer a humane end-of-life option for approximately 1% of the United States horse population. Tens of thousands of horses could be neglected or abandoned if a processing ban were imposed. The direct economic impact and future unintended–and currently unaccounted for–economic impact of banning horse processing for human consumption are substantial. Proponents have not addressed the inevitable costs of such a ban. Horse owners will realize a direct impact from lower horse sale prices. Local and state governments will be adversely impacted by increased costs of regulation and care of unwanted or neglected horses

Resistance in Rice to \u3ci\u3eTibraca limbativentris\u3c/i\u3e (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Influenced by Plant Silicon Content

Tibraca limbativentris Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is a major pest causing economic losses to rice cultivation in Brazil. The objectives of this work were to assess different sources of silicon in the induction of plant resistance, to examine the interaction of rice varieties with silicon-based resistance, and to determine the effects of varieties and silicon on stink bug biology. The interaction of rice cultivars BRS Esmeralda, IRGA 429 (widely cultivated in Brazil), and Canela de Ferro (a resistant cultivar), and 2 sources of silicon (K silicate, and Ca + Mg silicate) were studied. Plant parameters measured were percentage of damaged stems, chlorophyll content at 50 and 65 d after emergence, and silicon content. Insect biological parameters measured were the number of live insects, total dry mass, individual insect dry mass, total body surface area, and individual insect body surface area. The interaction between BRS Esmeralda with K silicate and Ca + Mg silicate provided greater plant silicon content and resulted in a lower level of stink bug–damaged stems. These results show that it is possible to increase resistance in rice plants susceptible to T. limbativentris by increasing silicon content. Tibraca limbativentris Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) es una plaga importante que causa pérdidas económicas al cultivo de arroz en Brasil. El objetivo de este trabajo fue estudiar la interacción de variedades de arroz con diferentes niveles de resistencia y fuentes de silicio en la inducción de la resistencia de las plantas y el efecto sobre la biología de los chinches. Se estudió la interacción de los cultivares de arroz BRS Esmeralda, IRGA 429 (ampliamente cultivado en Brasil), y Canela de Ferro (Resistente), y 2 fuentes de silicio (silicato de K y silicato de Ca + Mg). Los parámetros de la planta medidos fueron: el porcentaje de tallos dañados, el contenido de clorofila a los 50 y 65 días después de la emergencia y el contenido de Si. Los parámetros biológicos de insectos medidos fueron: el número de insectos vivos, la masa seca total, la masa seca de insecto individual, la superficie corporal total y la superficie corporal de insectos individual. La interacción entre BRS Esmeralda con silicato K y silicato de Ca + Mg proporcionó más contenido de silicio vegetal y resultó en un menor porcentaje de tallos dañados por el chinche hedionda. Las variedades de arroz con diferentes niveles de resistencia y el aumento del contenido de silicio en la planta es una opción prometedora en el control de T. limbativentris. Estos resultados muestran que es posible aumentar la resistencia en las plantas de arroz susceptibles a T. limbativentris al aumentar el contenido de silicio

Physiotherapy breathing retraining for asthma: a randomised controlled trial

Background Despite effective pharmacotherapy, asthma continues to impair quality of life for most patients. Non-pharmacological approaches, including breathing retraining, are therefore of great interest to patients. However, clinicians rarely advocate breathing retraining and access to this intervention is restricted for most patients due to the limited availability of suitable physiotherapists and poor integration of breathing retraining into standard care. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of a digital self-guided breathing retraining intervention. Methods In this randomised controlled trial, we recruited patients from 34 general practices in the UK. Eligibility criteria for patients with asthma were broad, comprising a physician diagnosis of asthma, age of 16–70 years, receipt of at least one anti-asthma medication in the previous year, and impaired asthma-related quality of life (Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire [AQLQ] score of <5·5). We developed a self-guided intervention, which was delivered as a DVD plus a printed booklet (DVDB). Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the DVDB intervention, three face-to-face breathing retraining sessions, or standard care, in a 2:1:2 ratio, for 12 months. Randomisation was achieved using the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit telephone randomisation service by use of random number generators. The primary outcome was the AQLQ score in the intention-to-treat population at 12 months. The trial was powered to show equivalence between the two active intervention groups, and superiority of both intervention groups over usual care. Secondary outcomes included patient-reported and physiological measures of asthma control, patient acceptability, and health-care costs. This trial was registered with International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number registry, number ISRCTN88318003. Findings Between Nov 5, 2012 and Jan 28, 2014, invitations to participate in the study were sent to 15 203 patients with general practitioner-diagnosed asthma, of whom 655 were recruited into the study. AQLQ scores at 12 months were significantly higher in the DVDB group (mean 5·40, SD 1·14) than in the usual care group (5·12, SD 1·17; adjusted mean difference 0·28, 95% CI 0·11 to 0·44), and in the face-to-face group (5·33, SD 1·06) than in the usual care group (adjusted mean difference 0·24, 95% CI 0·04 to 0·44); AQLQ scores were similar between the DVDB group and the face-to-face group (0·04, 95% CI −0·16 to 0·24). There were no significant differences between the randomisation groups in FEV1 or fraction of exhaled nitric oxide. 744 adverse events occurred in 272 patients: 101 (39%) of 261 patients in the DVDB group, 55 (42%) of 132 patients in the face-to-face group, and 132 (50%) of 262 in the usual care group, with patients reporting one or more event. 11 (4%) patients in the DVDB group, four (3%) patients in the face-to-face group, and 20 (8%) patients in the usual care group had a serious adverse event. Interpretation Breathing retraining programmes improve quality of life in patients with incompletely controlled asthma despite having little effect on lung function or airway inflammation. Such programmes can be delivered conveniently and cost-effectively as a self-guided digital audiovisual programme, so might also reduce health-care costs