Stage-specific vertical distribution of Alaska plaice (Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus) eggs in the eastern Bering Sea

The stage-specific distribution of Alaska plaice (Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus) eggs in the southeastern Bering Sea was examined with collections made in mid-May in 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006. Eggs in the early stages of development were found primarily offshore of the 40-m isobath. Eggs in the middle and late stages of development were found inshore and offshore of the 40-m isobath. There was some evidence that early-stage eggs occur deeper in the water column than late-stage eggs, although year-to-year variability in that trend was observed. Most eggs were in the later stages of development; therefore the majority of spawning is estimated to have occurred a few weeks before collection—probably April—and may be highly synchronized among local spawning areas. Results indicate that sampling with continuous underway fish egg collectors(CUFES) should be supplemented with sampling of the entire water column to ensure adequate samples of all egg stages of Alaska plaice. Data presented offer new information on the stage-dependent horizontal and vertical distribution of Alaska plaice eggs in the Bering Sea and provide further evidence that the early life history stages of this species are vulnerable to near-surface variations in hydrographical conditions and climate forcing

Atlas of abundance and distribution patterns of ichthyoplankton from the Northeast Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea ecosystems: based on research conducted by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (1972–1996)

This regional atlas summarizes and illustrates the distribution and abundance patterns of fish eggs and larvae of 102 taxa within 34 families found in the Northeast Pacific Ocean including the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, and U.S. west coast ecosystems. Data were collected over a 20+ year period (1972–1996) by the Recruitment Processes Program of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC). Ichthyoplankton catch records used in this atlas were generated from 11,379 tows taken during 100 cruises. For each taxon, general life history data are briefly summarized from the literature. Published information on distribution patterns of eggs and larvae are reviewed for the study area. Data from AFSC ichthyoplankton collections were combined to produce an average spatial distribution for each taxon. These data were also used to estimate mean abundance and percent occurrence by year and month, and relative abundance by larval length and season. Abundance from each tow was measured as catch per 10 m2 surface area. A larval distribution and abundance map was produced with a geographic information system using ArcInfo software. For taxa with identifiable pelagic eggs, distribution maps showing presence or absence of eggs are presented. Presence or absence of adults in the study area is mapped based on recent literature and data from AFSC groundfish surveys. Distributional records for adults and early life history stages revealed several new range extensions. (PDF file contains 288 pages.

Comparison of near-interface traps in Al2_2O3_3/4H-SiC and Al2_2O3_3/SiO2_2/4H-SiC structures

Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) has been grown by atomic layer deposition on n-type 4H-SiC with and without a thin silicon dioxide (SiO2) intermediate layer. By means of Capacitance Voltage and Thermal Dielectric Relaxation Current measurements, the interface properties have been investigated. Whereas for the samples with an interfacial SiO2 layer the highest near-interface trap density is found at 0.3 eV below the conduction band edge, Ec, the samples with only the Al2O3 dielectric exhibit a nearly trap free region close to Ec. For the Al2O3/SiC interface, the highest trap density appears between 0.4 to 0.6 eV below Ec. The results indicate the possibility for SiC-based MOSFETs with Al2O3 as the gate dielectric layer in future high performance devices.Comment: 3 figures. Applied Physics Letters, accepted for publicatio

Patients' experiences of brief cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders: A qualitative investigation

Objective Although it is important to analyze the effectiveness of new therapies, it is also necessary to consider how patients experience them. This is particularly important if we are to maximize treatment acceptability and reduce attrition. This study examined patient experiences of a new 10‐session cognitive‐behavioral therapy (CBT‐T), using a qualitative approach. Method The sample was 17 patients with a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa who had received CBT‐T (including treatment completers and non‐completers) within the previous 2 years. Sample size was determined by saturation of the emergent themes. Responses were analyzed using a six‐step thematic analysis process. Results Rated acceptability and effectiveness of CBT‐T were high. Five themes emerged, with subthemes. The key elements of patient experience of the therapy were: the therapeutic relationship; the nature of the therapy; its challenging but beneficial aspects; ending therapy; and the overall experience of CBT‐T (including comparison with other therapies). Discussion The findings build on the effectiveness research for CBT‐T, suggesting that it is an acceptable therapy that addresses many of the same themes that matter to patients as other therapies. The findings show that patients were positive about CBT‐T relative to other therapies, and offer suggestions as to how CBT‐T might be delivered to emphasize the importance of the time‐limited nature of the therapy

Supersonic Flight Dynamics Test 1 - Post-Flight Assessment of Simulation Performance

NASA's Low Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) project conducted its first Supersonic Flight Dynamics Test (SFDT-1) on June 28, 2014. Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories II (POST2) was one of the flight dynamics codes used to simulate and predict the flight performance and Monte Carlo analysis was used to characterize the potential flight conditions experienced by the test vehicle. This paper compares the simulation predictions with the reconstructed trajectory of SFDT-1. Additionally, off-nominal conditions seen during flight are modeled in post-flight simulations to find the primary contributors that reconcile the simulation with flight data. The results of these analyses are beneficial for the pre-flight simulation and targeting of the follow-on SFDT flights currently scheduled for summer 2015

Apolipoprotein L1 gene variants associate with prevalent kidney but not prevalent cardiovascular disease in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial.

Apolipoprotein L1 gene (APOL1) G1 and G2 coding variants are strongly associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in African Americans (AAs). Here APOL1 association was tested with baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), urine albumin:creatinine ratio (UACR), and prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD) in 2571 AAs from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), a trial assessing effects of systolic blood pressure reduction on renal and CVD outcomes. Logistic regression models that adjusted for potentially important confounders tested for association between APOL1 risk variants and baseline clinical CVD (myocardial infarction, coronary, or carotid artery revascularization) and CKD (eGFR under 60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) and/or UACR over 30 mg/g). AA SPRINT participants were 45.3% female with a mean (median) age of 64.3 (63) years, mean arterial pressure 100.7 (100) mm Hg, eGFR 76.3 (77.1) ml/min per 1.73 m(2), and UACR 49.9 (9.2) mg/g, and 8.2% had clinical CVD. APOL1 (recessive inheritance) was positively associated with CKD (odds ratio 1.37, 95% confidence interval 1.08-1.73) and log UACR estimated slope (β) 0.33) and negatively associated with eGFR (β -3.58), all significant. APOL1 risk variants were not significantly associated with prevalent CVD (1.02, 0.82-1.27). Thus, SPRINT data show that APOL1 risk variants are associated with mild CKD but not with prevalent CVD in AAs with a UACR under 1000 mg/g

The impact of shared financial decision making on overconfidence for married adults

Previous research has shown that overconfidence is associated with a decrease in the quality of decision making and, therefore, decision outcomes. However, less is known about the conditions or circumstances that reduce financial overconfidence. Using data from two national studies, this study was designed to provide insights into the dynamics of intrahousehold financial decision making by examining the role of shared decision making in reducing overconfidence bias. Findings suggest that a psychological sense of shared ownership of money is associated with lower levels of overconfidence. With regard to financial planning practice, these results suggest that married individuals who believe in shared ownership of household money tend to have lower levels of overconfidence

Physics-Based Mixed-Mode Reverse Recovery Modeling And Optimization Of Si PiN And MPS Fast Recovery Diodes

The paper presents the results of the application of physics-based mixed-mode simulations to the analysis and optimization of the reverse recovery for Si-based fast recovery diodes (FREDs) using Platinum (Pt) lifetime killing. The trap model parameters are extracted from Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS) characterization. The model is validated against experimental characterization carried out on the current International Rectifier (IR) FRED PiN technology. Improved designs, using emitter control efficiency and merged PiN-Schottky structures, are analyzed. Comparison between simulated and measured results are presente

Brain structure can mediate or moderate the relationship of behavior to brain function and transcriptome. A preliminary study

Abnormalities in motor-control behavior, which have been with concussion and head acceleration events (HAE), can be quantified using virtual reality (VR) technologies. Motor-control behavior has been consistently mapped to the brain's somatomotor network (SM) using both structural (sMRI) and functional MRI (fMRI). However, no studies habe integrated HAE, motor-control behavior, sMRI and fMRI measures. Here, brain networks important for motor-control were hypothesized to show changes in tractography-based diffusion weighted imaging [difference in fractional anisotropy (dFA)] and resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) measures in collegiate American football players across the season, and that these measures would relate to VR-based motor-control. We firther tested if nine inflammation-related miRNAs were associated with behavior-structure-function variables. Using permutation-based mediation and moderation methods, we found that across-season dFA from the SM structural connectome (SM-dFA) mediated the relationship between across-season VR-based Sensory-motor Reactivity (dSR) and rs-fMRI SM fingerprint similarity (p = 0.007 and Teff = 47%). The interaction between dSR and SM-dFA also predicted (pF = 0.036, pbeta3 = 0.058) across-season levels of dmiRNA-30d through permutation-based moderation analysis. These results suggest (1) that motor-control is in a feedback relationship with brain structure and function, (2) behavior-structure-function can be connected to HAE, and (3) behavior-structure might predict molecular biology measures.Comment: 62 pages, 4 figures, 2 table

Young Stellar Object Candidates in IC 417

IC 417 is in the Galactic Plane, and likely part of the Aur OB2 association; it is ~2 kpc away. Stock 8 is one of the densest cluster constituents; off of it to the East, there is a 'Nebulous Stream' (NS) that is dramatic in the infrared (IR). We have assembled a list of literature-identified young stellar objects (YSOs), new candidate YSOs from the NS, and new candidate YSOs from IR excesses. We vetted this list via inspection of the images, spectral energy distributions (SEDs), and color-color/color-magnitude diagrams. We placed the 710 surviving YSOs and candidate YSOs in ranked bins, nearly two-thirds of which have more than 20 points defining their SEDs. The lowest-ranked bins include stars that are confused, or likely carbon stars. There are 503 in the higher-ranked bins; half are SED Class III, and $\sim$40\% are SED Class II. Our results agree with the literature in that we find that the NS and Stock 8 are at about the same distance as each other (and as the rest of the YSOs), and that the NS is the youngest region, with Stock 8 a little older. We do not find any evidence for an age spread within the NS, consistent with the idea that the star formation trigger came from the north. We do not find that the other literature-identified clusters here are as young as either the NS or Stock 8; at best they are older than Stock 8, and they may not all be legitimate clusters.Comment: Accepted by AAS Journal