Divine attribution? The interaction of religious and secular beliefs on climate change attitudes

After five decades of research, there is still little consensus about the relation of religious variables to environmental attitudes. Even putting aside variations in sampling and measurement, we still have doubts about where modest consensus exists—the role of religious beliefs. Religious beliefs, such as mastery over nature, are more unstable than previously considered. Moreover, more importantly, these studies have generally failed to consider the role of secular beliefs about environmental problems and the interaction they may have with religion. Using data from a 2012 Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) survey, we find religious variables have effects conditional on secular beliefs. Moreover, we draw upon an embedded experiment that shows instability in religious dominionism—the dominant religious effect in previous work. The results suggest previous reports of religious effects are not wrong, but overstated, and eliding secular beliefs is a serious sin of omission

Normalized Affymetrix expression data are biased by G-quadruplex formation

Probes with runs of four or more guanines (G-stacks) in their sequences can exhibit a level of hybridization that is unrelated to the expression levels of the mRNA that they are intended to measure. This is most likely caused by the formation of G-quadruplexes, where inter-probe guanines form Hoogsteen hydrogen bonds, which probes with G-stacks are capable of forming. We demonstrate that for a specific microarray data set using the Human HG-U133A Affymetrix GeneChip and RMA normalization there is significant bias in the expression levels, the fold change and the correlations between expression levels. These effects grow more pronounced as the number of G-stack probes in a probe set increases. Approximately 14 of the probe sets are directly affected. The analysis was repeated for a number of other normalization pipelines and two, FARMS and PLIER, minimized the bias to some extent. We estimate that ∼15 of the data sets deposited in the GEO database are susceptible to the effect. The inclusion of G-stack probes in the affected data sets can bias key parameters used in the selection and clustering of genes. The elimination of these probes from any analysis in such affected data sets outweighs the increase of noise in the signal. © 2011 The Author(s)

Modern optical astronomy: technology and impact of interferometry

The present `state of the art' and the path to future progress in high spatial resolution imaging interferometry is reviewed. The review begins with a treatment of the fundamentals of stellar optical interferometry, the origin, properties, optical effects of turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere, the passive methods that are applied on a single telescope to overcome atmospheric image degradation such as speckle interferometry, and various other techniques. These topics include differential speckle interferometry, speckle spectroscopy and polarimetry, phase diversity, wavefront shearing interferometry, phase-closure methods, dark speckle imaging, as well as the limitations imposed by the detectors on the performance of speckle imaging. A brief account is given of the technological innovation of adaptive-optics (AO) to compensate such atmospheric effects on the image in real time. A major advancement involves the transition from single-aperture to the dilute-aperture interferometry using multiple telescopes. Therefore, the review deals with recent developments involving ground-based, and space-based optical arrays. Emphasis is placed on the problems specific to delay-lines, beam recombination, polarization, dispersion, fringe-tracking, bootstrapping, coherencing and cophasing, and recovery of the visibility functions. The role of AO in enhancing visibilities is also discussed. The applications of interferometry, such as imaging, astrometry, and nulling are described. The mathematical intricacies of the various `post-detection' image-processing techniques are examined critically. The review concludes with a discussion of the astrophysical importance and the perspectives of interferometry.Comment: 65 pages LaTeX file including 23 figures. Reviews of Modern Physics, 2002, to appear in April issu

LSST Science Book, Version 2.0

A survey that can cover the sky in optical bands over wide fields to faint magnitudes with a fast cadence will enable many of the exciting science opportunities of the next decade. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will have an effective aperture of 6.7 meters and an imaging camera with field of view of 9.6 deg^2, and will be devoted to a ten-year imaging survey over 20,000 deg^2 south of +15 deg. Each pointing will be imaged 2000 times with fifteen second exposures in six broad bands from 0.35 to 1.1 microns, to a total point-source depth of r~27.5. The LSST Science Book describes the basic parameters of the LSST hardware, software, and observing plans. The book discusses educational and outreach opportunities, then goes on to describe a broad range of science that LSST will revolutionize: mapping the inner and outer Solar System, stellar populations in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, the structure of the Milky Way disk and halo and other objects in the Local Volume, transient and variable objects both at low and high redshift, and the properties of normal and active galaxies at low and high redshift. It then turns to far-field cosmological topics, exploring properties of supernovae to z~1, strong and weak lensing, the large-scale distribution of galaxies and baryon oscillations, and how these different probes may be combined to constrain cosmological models and the physics of dark energy.Comment: 596 pages. Also available at full resolution at http://www.lsst.org/lsst/sciboo

Complementary and alternative medicine use among US Navy and Marine Corps personnel

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recently, numerous studies have revealed an increase in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in US civilian populations. In contrast, few studies have examined CAM use within military populations, which have ready access to conventional medicine. Currently, the prevalence and impact of CAM use in US military populations remains unknown.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To investigate CAM use in US Navy and Marine Corps personnel, the authors surveyed a stratified random sample of 5,000 active duty and Reserve/National Guard members between December 2000 and July 2002. Chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression were used to assess univariate associations and adjusted odds of CAM use in this population.</p> <p>Results and discussion</p> <p>Of 3,683 service members contacted, 1,446 (39.3%) returned a questionnaire and 1,305 gave complete demographic and survey data suitable for study. Among respondents, more than 37% reported using at least one CAM therapy during the past year. Herbal therapies were among the most commonly reported (15.9%). Most respondents (69.8%) reported their health as being very good or excellent. Modeling revealed that CAM use was most common among personnel who were women, white, and officers. Higher levels of recent physical pain and lower levels of satisfaction with conventional medical care were significantly associated with increased odds of reporting CAM use.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data suggest that CAM use is prevalent in the US military and consistent with patterns in other US civilian populations. Because there is much to be learned about CAM use along with allopathic therapy, US military medical professionals should record CAM therapies when collecting medical history data.</p

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) polyubiquitin gene (PvUbi1 and PvUbi2) promoters for use in plant transformation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The ubiquitin protein is present in all eukaryotic cells and promoters from ubiquitin genes are good candidates to regulate the constitutive expression of transgenes in plants. Therefore, two switchgrass (<it>Panicum virgatum </it>L.) ubiquitin genes (<it>PvUbi1 </it>and <it>PvUbi2</it>) were cloned and characterized. Reporter constructs were produced containing the isolated 5' upstream regulatory regions of the coding sequences (i.e. <it>PvUbi1 </it>and <it>PvUbi2 </it>promoters) fused to the <it>uidA </it>coding region (<it>GUS</it>) and tested for transient and stable expression in a variety of plant species and tissues.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>PvUbi1 </it>consists of 607 bp containing <it>cis</it>-acting regulatory elements, a 5' untranslated region (UTR) containing a 93 bp non-coding exon and a 1291 bp intron, and a 918 bp open reading frame (ORF) that encodes four tandem, head -to-tail ubiquitin monomer repeats followed by a 191 bp 3' UTR. <it>PvUbi2 </it>consists of 692 bp containing <it>cis</it>-acting regulatory elements, a 5' UTR containing a 97 bp non-coding exon and a 1072 bp intron, a 1146 bp ORF that encodes five tandem ubiquitin monomer repeats and a 183 bp 3' UTR. <it>PvUbi1 </it>and <it>PvUbi2 </it>were expressed in all examined switchgrass tissues as measured by qRT-PCR. Using biolistic bombardment, <it>PvUbi1 </it>and <it>PvUbi2 </it>promoters showed strong expression in switchgrass and rice callus, equaling or surpassing the expression levels of the CaMV <it>35S, 2x35S, ZmUbi1</it>, and <it>OsAct1 </it>promoters. GUS staining following stable transformation in rice demonstrated that the <it>PvUbi1 </it>and <it>PvUbi2 </it>promoters drove expression in all examined tissues. When stably transformed into tobacco (<it>Nicotiana tabacum</it>), the <it>PvUbi2+3 </it>and <it>PvUbi2+9 </it>promoter fusion variants showed expression in vascular and reproductive tissues.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The <it>PvUbi1 </it>and <it>PvUbi2 </it>promoters drive expression in switchgrass, rice and tobacco and are strong constitutive promoter candidates that will be useful in genetic transformation of monocots and dicots.</p

Autophagy, Inflammation, and Metabolism (AIM) Center in its second year

The NIH-funded center for autophagy research named Autophagy, Inflammation, and Metabolism (AIM) Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, located at the University of New Mexico Health Science Center is now completing its second year as a working center with a mission to promote autophagy research locally, nationally, and internationally. The center has thus far supported a cadre of 6 junior faculty (mentored PIs; mPIs) at a near-R01 level of funding. Two mPIs have graduated by obtaining their independent R01 funding and 3 of the remaining 4 have won significant funding from NIH in the form of R21 and R56 awards. The first year and a half of setting up the center has been punctuated by completion of renovations and acquisition and upgrades for equipment supporting autophagy, inflammation and metabolism studies. The scientific cores usage, and the growth of new studies is promoted through pilot grants and several types of enablement initiatives. The intent to cultivate AIM as a scholarly hub for autophagy and related studies is manifested in its Vibrant Campus Initiative, and the Tuesday AIM Seminar series, as well as by hosting a major scientific event, the 2019 AIM symposium, with nearly one third of the faculty from the International Council of Affiliate Members being present and leading sessions, giving talks, and conducting workshop activities. These and other events are often videostreamed for a worldwide scientific audience, and information about events at AIM and elsewhere are disseminated on Twitter and can be followed on the AIM web site. AIM intends to invigorate research on overlapping areas between autophagy, inflammation and metabolism with a number of new initiatives to promote metabolomic research. With the turnover of mPIs as they obtain their independent funding, new junior faculty are recruited and appointed as mPIs. All these activities are in keeping with AIM's intention to enable the next generation of autophagy researchers and help anchor, disseminate, and convey the depth and excitement of the autophagy field

Insights into the Musa genome: Syntenic relationships to rice and between Musa species

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Musa </it>species (Zingiberaceae, Zingiberales) including bananas and plantains are collectively the fourth most important crop in developing countries. Knowledge concerning <it>Musa </it>genome structure and the origin of distinct cultivars has greatly increased over the last few years. Until now, however, no large-scale analyses of <it>Musa </it>genomic sequence have been conducted. This study compares genomic sequence in two <it>Musa </it>species with orthologous regions in the rice genome.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We produced 1.4 Mb of <it>Musa </it>sequence from 13 BAC clones, annotated and analyzed them along with 4 previously sequenced BACs. The 443 predicted genes revealed that Zingiberales genes share GC content and distribution characteristics with eudicot and Poaceae genomes. Comparison with rice revealed microsynteny regions that have persisted since the divergence of the Commelinid orders Poales and Zingiberales at least 117 Mya. The previously hypothesized large-scale duplication event in the common ancestor of major cereal lineages within the Poaceae was verified. The divergence time distributions for <it>Musa</it>-Zingiber (Zingiberaceae, Zingiberales) orthologs and paralogs provide strong evidence for a large-scale duplication event in the <it>Musa </it>lineage after its divergence from the Zingiberaceae approximately 61 Mya. Comparisons of genomic regions from <it>M. acuminata </it>and <it>M. balbisiana </it>revealed highly conserved genome structure, and indicated that these genomes diverged circa 4.6 Mya.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results point to the utility of comparative analyses between distantly-related monocot species such as rice and <it>Musa </it>for improving our understanding of monocot genome evolution. Sequencing the genome of <it>M. acuminata </it>would provide a strong foundation for comparative genomics in the monocots. In addition a genome sequence would aid genomic and genetic analyses of cultivated <it>Musa </it>polyploid genotypes in research aimed at localizing and cloning genes controlling important agronomic traits for breeding purposes.</p