Crater population and resurfacing of the Martian north polar layered deposits

Present-day accumulation in the north polar layered deposits (NPLD) is thought to occur via deposition on the north polar residual cap. Understanding current mass balance in relation to current climate would provide insight into the climatic record of the NPLD. To constrain processes and rates of NPLD resurfacing, a search for craters was conducted using images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera. One hundred thirty craters have been identified on the NPLD, 95 of which are located within a region defined to represent recent accumulation. High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment images of craters in this region reveal a morphological sequence of crater degradation that provides a qualitative understanding of processes involved in crater removal. A classification system for these craters was developed based on the amount of apparent degradation and infilling and where possible depth/diameter ratios were determined. The temporal and spatial distribution of crater degradation is interpreted to be close to uniform. Through comparison of the size-frequency distribution of these craters with the expected production function, the craters are interpreted to be an equilibrium population with a crater of diameter D meters having a lifetime of ~30.75D^(1.14) years. Accumulation rates within these craters are estimated at 7.2D^(−0.14) mm/yr, which corresponds to values of ~3–4 mm/yr and are much higher than rates thought to apply to the surrounding flat terrain. The current crater population is estimated to have accumulated in the last ~20 kyr or less

Intracellular Electric Field and pH Optimize Protein Localization and Movement

Mammalian cell function requires timely and accurate transmission of information from the cell membrane (CM) to the nucleus (N). These pathways have been intensively investigated and many critical components and interactions have been identified. However, the physical forces that control movement of these proteins have received scant attention. Thus, transduction pathways are typically presented schematically with little regard to spatial constraints that might affect the underlying dynamics necessary for protein-protein interactions and molecular movement from the CM to the N. We propose messenger protein localization and movements are highly regulated and governed by Coulomb interactions between: 1. A recently discovered, radially directed E-field from the NM into the CM and 2. Net protein charge determined by its isoelectric point, phosphorylation state, and the cytosolic pH. These interactions, which are widely applied in elecrophoresis, provide a previously unknown mechanism for localization of messenger proteins within the cytoplasm as well as rapid shuttling between the CM and N. Here we show these dynamics optimize the speed, accuracy and efficiency of transduction pathways even allowing measurement of the location and timing of ligand binding at the CM –previously unknown components of intracellular information flow that are, nevertheless, likely necessary for detecting spatial gradients and temporal fluctuations in ligand concentrations within the environment. The model has been applied to the RAF-MEK-ERK pathway and scaffolding protein KSR1 using computer simulations and in-vitro experiments. The computer simulations predicted distinct distributions of phosphorylated and unphosphorylated components of this transduction pathway which were experimentally confirmed in normal breast epithelial cells (HMEC)

Northwest Greenland Active Source Seismic Experiment

Line Starting Position (lat/long): 78.05494 -68.43001 Line Ending Position (lat/long): 78.06791 -68.36563In summer of 2018, the Seismometer to Investigate Ice and Ocean Structure (SIIOS) team conducted a geophysical field investigation on the Greenland ice sheet in northwestern Greenland at a location where a previous airborne radar survey by Palmer et al. (2013) had detected the signatures of a subglacial lake. The field site is located approximately 50 km north of the town of Qaanaaq. This site was chosen for the SIIOS project as it provides an opportunity for studying how a lander station could be used to detect subsurface water at an icy-ocean world. The purpose of the investigation was to confirm the presence of the subglacial lake and to measure its physical properties such as seismic impedance, as well as to estimate its depth and volume. One component of the investigation consisted of an active source seismic survey that was used to create a reflection image of the lake, as well as to measure the ice-bottom reflection coefficient. The survey was conducted along a roughly northeast oriented traverse, which started above the subglacial lake and crossed the lake’s eastern boundary.Funding for this work was provided by the NASA Planetary Science and Technology Through Analog Research (PSTAR) Grant # 80NSSC17K0229

Seismometer to Investigate Ice and Ocean Structure (SIIOS)

No abstract availabl

Sustainable care for children with cancer: a Lancet Oncology Commission.

We estimate that there will be 13·7 million new cases of childhood cancer globally between 2020 and 2050. At current levels of health system performance (including access and referral), 6·1 million (44·9%) of these children will be undiagnosed. Between 2020 and 2050, 11·1 million children will die from cancer if no additional investments are made to improve access to health-care services or childhood cancer treatment. Of this total, 9·3 million children (84·1%) will be in low-income and lower-middle-income countries. This burden could be vastly reduced with new funding to scale up cost-effective interventions. Simultaneous comprehensive scale-up of interventions could avert 6·2 million deaths in children with cancer in this period, more than half (56·1%) of the total number of deaths otherwise projected. Taking excess mortality risk into consideration, this reduction in the number of deaths is projected to produce a gain of 318 million life-years. In addition, the global lifetime productivity gains of US$2580 billion in 2020-50 would be four times greater than the cumulative treatment costs of$594 billion, producing a net benefit of $1986 billion on the global investment: a net return of$3 for every $1 invested. In sum, the burden of childhood cancer, which has been grossly underestimated in the past, can be effectively diminished to realise massive health and economic benefits and to avert millions of needless deaths

SIIOS in Alaska: Testing an "In-Vault" Option for a Europa Lander Seismometer Experiment

The icy moons of Europa and Enceladus are thought to have global subsurface oceans in contact with mineral-rich silicate interiors, likely providing the three ingredients needed for life as we know it: liquid water, essential chemicals, and a source of energy. The possibility of life forming in their subsurface oceans relies in part on transfer of oxidants from the irradiated ice surface to the sheltered ocean below. Constraining the mechanisms and location of material exchange between the ice surface, the ice shell, and the subsurface ocean, however, is not possible without knowledge of ice thickness and liquid water depths. In a future lander-based experiment seismic measurements will be a key geophysical tool for obtaining this critical knowledge. The Seismometer to Investigate Ice and Ocean Structure (SIIOS) field-tests flight-ready technologies and develops the analytical methods necessary to make a seismic study of Europa and Enceladus a reality. We have been performing small-array seismology with a flight-candidate sensor in analog environments that exploit passive sources. Determining the depth to a subsurface ocean and any intermediate bodies of water is a priority for Ocean Worlds missions as it allows assessment of the habitability of these worlds and provides vital information for evaluating the spacecraft technologies required to access their oceans

Training future generations to deliver evidence-based conservation and ecosystem management

1. To be effective, the next generation of conservation practitioners and managers need to be critical thinkers with a deep understanding of how to make evidence-based decisions and of the value of evidence synthesis. 2. If, as educators, we do not make these priorities a core part of what we teach, we are failing to prepare our students to make an effective contribution to conservation practice. 3. To help overcome this problem we have created open access online teaching materials in multiple languages that are stored in Applied Ecology Resources. So far, 117 educators from 23 countries have acknowledged the importance of this and are already teaching or about to teach skills in appraising or using evidence in conservation decision-making. This includes 145 undergraduate, postgraduate or professional development courses. 4. We call for wider teaching of the tools and skills that facilitate evidence-based conservation and also suggest that providing online teaching materials in multiple languages could be beneficial for improving global understanding of other subject areas.Peer reviewe

A spill over effect of entrepreneurial orientation on technological innovativeness:an outlook of universities and research based spin offs

partially_open5siBy shifting towards Romer’s (Am Econ Rev 94:1002–1037, 1986) economy and so the spread of knowledge economy, universities started to adopt a collaborative approach with their entrepreneurial ecosystem. They turn out to be risk taker, autonomous, proactive, competitive, and innovative. In a nutshell, they are entrepreneurial oriented with the aim to generate new innovative ventures, known as research-based spin offs. Doubly, this has induced an improvement of technology transfer and the degree of entrepreneurship in the current knowledge economy. However there still is a paucity of studies on the spill over effect of entrepreneurial orientated universities and research-based spin off on technology transfer need to be more explored. Therefore, the article investigates the link between entrepreneurial orientation and such spill overs by offering an outlook of two universities and two research-based spin offs in the United Kingdom. The scope is to provide a deep view of technological innovativeness in a research context, entrepreneurial oriented. Our research suggests that entrepreneurial attitude has become an imperative to succeed in the context where British institutions currently operate. Entrepreneurship brings the necessary technological innovation to the university and its students, which results in better positioning of the university at national and international levels, with the subsequent impact on their ability to attract not only new students and academics but also funding to conduct their research.openScuotto, Veronica; Del Giudice, Manlio; Garcia-Perez, Alexeis; Orlando, Beatrice; Ciampi, FrancescoScuotto, Veronica; Del Giudice, Manlio; Garcia-Perez, Alexeis; Orlando, Beatrice; Ciampi, Francesc