Application of the ERTS system to the study of Wyoming resources with emphasis on the use of basic data products

Many potential users of ERTS data products and other aircraft and satellite imagery are limited to visual methods of analyses of these products. Illustrations are presented from Wyoming studies that have employed these standard data products for a variety of geologic and related studies. Possible economic applications of these studies are summarized. Studies include regional geologic mapping for updating and correcting existing maps and to supplement incomplete regional mapping; illustrations of the value of seasonal images in geologic mapping; specialized mapping of such features as sand dunes, playa lakes, lineaments, glacial features, regional facies changes, and their possible economic value; and multilevel sensing as an aid in mineral exploration. Examples of cooperative studies involving botanists, plant scientists, and geologists for the preparation of maps of surface resources that can be used by planners and for environmental impact studies are given

Physiological Characterization of Stolon Regression in a Colonial Hydroid

As with many colonial animals, hydractiniid hydroids display a range of morphological variation. Sheet-like forms exhibit feeding polyps close together with short connecting stolons, whereas runner-like forms have more distant polyps and longer connecting stolons. These morphological patterns are thought to derive from rates of stolon growth and polyp formation. Here, stolon regression is identified and characterized as a potential process underlying this variation. Typically, regression can be observed in a few stolons of a normally growing colony. For detailed studies, many stolons of a colony can be induced to regress by pharmacological manipulations of reactive oxygen species (e.g. hydrogen peroxide) or reactive nitrogen species (e.g. nitric oxide). The regression process begins with a cessation of gastrovascular flow to the distal part of the stolon. High levels of endogenous H2O2 and NO then accumulate in the regressing stolon. Remarkably, exogenous treatments with either H2O2 or an NO donor equivalently trigger endogenous formation of both H2O2 and NO. Cell death during regression is suggested by both morphological features, detected by transmission electron microscopy, and DNA fragmentation, detected by TUNEL. Stolon regression may occur when colonies detect environmental signals that favor continued growth in the same location rather than outward growth

Redox Signaling in Colonial Hydroids: Many Pathways for Peroxide

Studies of mitochondrial redox signaling predict that the colonial hydroids Eirene viridula and Podocoryna carnea should respond to manipulations of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Both species encrust surfaces with feeding polyps connected by networks of stolons; P. carnea is more ‘sheet-like’ with closely spaced polyps and short stolons, while E. viridula is more ‘runner-like’ with widely spaced polyps and long stolons. Treatment with the chemical antioxidant vitamin C diminishes ROS in mitochondrion-rich epitheliomuscular cells (EMCs) and produces phenotypic effects (sheet-like growth) similar to uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation. In peripheral stolon tips, treatment with vitamin C triggers a dramatic increase of ROS that is followed by tissue death and stolon regression. The enzymatic anti-oxidant catalase is probably not taken up by the colony but, rather, converts hydrogen peroxide in the medium to water and oxygen. Exogenous catalase does not affect ROS in mitochondrion-rich EMCs, but does increase the amounts of ROS emitted from peripheral stolons, resulting in rapid, runner-like growth. Treatment with exogenous hydrogen peroxide increases ROS levels in stolon tips and results in somewhat faster colony growth. Finally, untreated colonies of E. viridula exhibit higher levels of ROS in stolon tips than untreated colonies of P. carnea. ROS may participate in a number of putative signaling pathways: (1) high levels of ROS may trigger cell and tissue death in peripheral stolon tips; (2) more moderate levels of ROS in stolon tips may trigger outward growth, inhibit branching and, possibly, mediate the redox signaling of mitochondrion-rich EMCs; and (3) ROS may have an extra-colony function, perhaps in suppressing the growth of bacteria

An improved constraint satisfaction adaptive neural network for job-shop scheduling

Copyright @ Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2009This paper presents an improved constraint satisfaction adaptive neural network for job-shop scheduling problems. The neural network is constructed based on the constraint conditions of a job-shop scheduling problem. Its structure and neuron connections can change adaptively according to the real-time constraint satisfaction situations that arise during the solving process. Several heuristics are also integrated within the neural network to enhance its convergence, accelerate its convergence, and improve the quality of the solutions produced. An experimental study based on a set of benchmark job-shop scheduling problems shows that the improved constraint satisfaction adaptive neural network outperforms the original constraint satisfaction adaptive neural network in terms of computational time and the quality of schedules it produces. The neural network approach is also experimentally validated to outperform three classical heuristic algorithms that are widely used as the basis of many state-of-the-art scheduling systems. Hence, it may also be used to construct advanced job-shop scheduling systems.This work was supported in part by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of UK under Grant EP/E060722/01 and in part by the National Nature Science Fundation of China under Grant 60821063 and National Basic Research Program of China under Grant 2009CB320601

Results of matching valve and root repair to aortic valve and root pathology

ObjectiveFor patients with aortic root pathology and aortic valve regurgitation, aortic valve replacement is problematic because no durable bioprosthesis exists, and mechanical valves require lifetime anticoagulation. This study sought to assess outcomes of combined aortic valve and root repair, including comparison with matched bioprosthesis aortic valve replacement.MethodsFrom November 1990 to January 2005, 366 patients underwent modified David reimplantation (n = 72), root remodeling (n = 72), or valve repair with sinotubular junction tailoring (n = 222). Active follow-up was 99% complete, with a mean of 5.6 ± 4.0 years (maximum 17 years); follow-up for vital status averaged 8.5 ± 3.6 years (maximum 19 years). Propensity-adjusted models were developed for fair comparison of outcomes.ResultsThirty-day and 5-, 10-, and 15-year survivals were 98%, 86%, 74%, and 58%, respectively, similar to that of the US matched population and better than that after bioprosthesis aortic valve replacement. Propensity-score–adjusted survival was similar across procedures (P > .3). Freedom from reoperation at 30 days and 5 and 10 years was 99%, 92%, and 89%, respectively, and was similar across procedures (P > .3) after propensity-score adjustment. Patients with tricuspid aortic valves were more likely to be free of reoperation than those with bicuspid valves at 10 years (93% vs 77%, P = .002), equivalent to bioprosthesis aortic valve replacement and superior after 12 years. Bioprostheses increasingly deteriorated after 7 years, and hazard functions for reoperation crossed at 7 years.ConclusionsValve preservation (rather than replacement) and matching root procedures have excellent early and long-term results, with increasing survival benefit at 7 years and fewer reoperations by 12 years. We recommend this procedure for experienced surgical teams

Accounting for nutrition-related health impacts in food life cycle assessment: insights from an expert workshop

\ua9 The Author(s) 2024.Sub-optimal dietary patterns make major contributions to the Global Burden of Disease and are among the most pressing issues affecting human health. Consequently, they are key to consider when assessing the human health and other environmental impacts of foods and diets within life cycle assessments. The UN Environment Life Cycle Initiative convened a task force on nutrition-related human health impacts as part of the Global Life Cycle Impact Assessment Method (GLAM) project. The health impacts of dietary patterns can be expressed in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), in line with reporting human health impacts of other impact categories within the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) framework. The task force held a workshop with nutrition experts to receive guidance in its process to develop a consensus-based impact assessment framework for addressing nutrition-related health impacts in LCIA. The workshop aimed to (1) evaluate the general assessment framework, (2) discuss scientific questions for quantifying human health impacts from nutrition for food items and diets, and (3) provide initial guidance for further development. The proposed framework based on the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) risk ratios was regarded as a good starting point to assess the relative health risks of the general population, provided that the dietary context is considered and several limitations, such as incomplete disease coverage, are acknowledged. The experts advised against a potentially misleading use of adult-derived dietary risk factors for children. To improve global coverage of the GLAM framework, it is important to consider a wider range of dietary patterns. The experts also recommended using a metric complementary to DALYs, such as nutrient adequacy, also considering, e.g., vitamin A and iron, to complement the assessment

HIF-1 and SKN-1 Coordinate the Transcriptional Response to Hydrogen Sulfide in Caenorhabditis elegans

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has dramatic physiological effects on animals that are associated with improved survival. C. elegans grown in H2S are long-lived and thermotolerant. To identify mechanisms by which adaptation to H2S effects physiological functions, we have measured transcriptional responses to H2S exposure. Using microarray analysis we observe rapid changes in the abundance of specific mRNAs. The number and magnitude of transcriptional changes increased with the duration of H2S exposure. Functional annotation suggests that genes associated with protein homeostasis are upregulated upon prolonged exposure to H2S. Previous work has shown that the hypoxia-inducible transcription factor, HIF-1, is required for survival in H2S. In fact, we show that hif-1 is required for most, if not all, early transcriptional changes in H2S. Moreover, our data demonstrate that SKN-1, the C. elegans homologue of NRF2, also contributes to H2S-dependent changes in transcription. We show that these results are functionally important, as skn-1 is essential to survive exposure to H2S. Our results suggest a model in which HIF-1 and SKN-1 coordinate a broad transcriptional response to H2S that culminates in a global reorganization of protein homeostasis networks

How a Diverse Research Ecosystem Has Generated New Rehabilitation Technologies: Review of NIDILRR’s Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers

Over 50 million United States citizens (1 in 6 people in the US) have a developmental, acquired, or degenerative disability. The average US citizen can expect to live 20% of his or her life with a disability. Rehabilitation technologies play a major role in improving the quality of life for people with a disability, yet widespread and highly challenging needs remain. Within the US, a major effort aimed at the creation and evaluation of rehabilitation technology has been the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs) sponsored by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. As envisioned at their conception by a panel of the National Academy of Science in 1970, these centers were intended to take a “total approach to rehabilitation”, combining medicine, engineering, and related science, to improve the quality of life of individuals with a disability. Here, we review the scope, achievements, and ongoing projects of an unbiased sample of 19 currently active or recently terminated RERCs. Specifically, for each center, we briefly explain the needs it targets, summarize key historical advances, identify emerging innovations, and consider future directions. Our assessment from this review is that the RERC program indeed involves a multidisciplinary approach, with 36 professional fields involved, although 70% of research and development staff are in engineering fields, 23% in clinical fields, and only 7% in basic science fields; significantly, 11% of the professional staff have a disability related to their research. We observe that the RERC program has substantially diversified the scope of its work since the 1970’s, addressing more types of disabilities using more technologies, and, in particular, often now focusing on information technologies. RERC work also now often views users as integrated into an interdependent society through technologies that both people with and without disabilities co-use (such as the internet, wireless communication, and architecture). In addition, RERC research has evolved to view users as able at improving outcomes through learning, exercise, and plasticity (rather than being static), which can be optimally timed. We provide examples of rehabilitation technology innovation produced by the RERCs that illustrate this increasingly diversifying scope and evolving perspective. We conclude by discussing growth opportunities and possible future directions of the RERC program