Real-time national GPS networks: Opportunities for atmospheric sensing

Real-time national Global Positioning System (GPS) networks are being established in a number of countries for atmospheric sensing. UCAR, in collaboration with participating universities, is developing one of these networks in the United States. The network, named "SuomiNet" to honor meteorological satellite pioneer Verner Suomi, is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation. SuomiNet will exploit the recently-shown ability of ground-based GPS receivers to make thousands of accurate upper and lower atmospheric measurements per day. Phase delays induced in GPS signals by the ionosphere and neutral atmosphere can be measured with high precision simultaneously along up to a dozen GPS ray paths in the field of view. These delays can be converted into total electron content (TEC), and integrated water vapor (if surface pressure data or estimates are available), along each GPS ray path. The resulting continuous, accurate, all-weather, real-time upper and lower atmospheric data create a variety of opportunities for atmospheric research. In this letter we describe SuomiNet, its applications, and the opportunity to coordinate national real-time GPS networks to create, a global network with larger scientific and operational potential. Copy right© The Society of Geomagnetism and Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences (SGEPSS); The Seismological Society of Japan; The Volcanological Society of Japan; The Geodetic Society of Japan; The Japanese Society for Planetary Sciences

NODDI and Tensor-Based Microstructural Indices as Predictors of Functional Connectivity

In Diffusion Weighted MR Imaging (DWI), the signal is affected by the biophysical properties of neuronal cells and their relative placement, as well as extra-cellular tissue compartments. Typically, microstructural indices, such as fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD), are based on a tensor model that cannot disentangle the influence of these parameters. Recently, Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) has exploited multi-shell acquisition protocols to model the diffusion signal as the contribution of three tissue compartments. NODDI microstructural indices, such as intra-cellular volume fraction (ICVF) and orientation dispersion index (ODI) are directly related to neuronal density and orientation dispersion, respectively. One way of examining the neurophysiological role of these microstructural indices across neuronal fibres is to look into how they relate to brain function. Here we exploit a statistical framework based on sparse Canonical Correlation Analysis (sCCA) and randomised Lasso to identify structural connections that are highly correlated with resting-state functional connectivity measured with simultaneous EEG-fMRI. Our results reveal distinct structural fingerprints for each microstructural index that also reflect their inter-relationships

Human preferences for sexually dimorphic faces may be evolutionarily novel

This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.A large literature proposes that preferences for exaggerated sex typicality in human faces (masculinity/femininity) reflect a long evolutionary history of sexual and social selection. This proposal implies that dimorphism was important to judgments of attractiveness and personality in ancestral environments. It is difficult to evaluate, however, because most available data come from largescale, industrialized, urban populations. Here, we report the results for 12 populations with very diverse levels of economic development. Surprisingly, preferences for exaggerated sex-specific traits are only found in the novel, highly developed environments. Similarly, perceptions that masculine males look aggressive increase strongly with development, specifically, urbanization. These data challenge the hypothesis that facial dimorphism was an important ancestral signal of heritable mate value. One possibility is that highly developed environments provide novel opportunities to discern relationships between facial traits and behavior by exposing individuals to large numbers of unfamiliar faces, revealing patterns too subtle to detect with smaller samples

Correction to: Real-time national GPS networks: opportunities for atmospheric sensing (Earth, Planets and Space, (2000), 52, 11, (901-905), 10.1186/BF03352303)

Portions of this letter come from the content published in the paper by Ware et al. [1]

Hermatypic Coral Growth Banding as Environmental Recorder

Study of incremental banding in coral skeletons was initiated by Ma and later extended by Wells and others. More recently, discrete annual banding in the skeletons of certain hermatypic corals has been described. Here we present an analysis of annual band width measurements from Bermuda corals which relates, through regression techniques, coral band time series to air temperature and air pressure variations. Our results indicate that coral bands record important aspects of their environment and therefore become useful where reconstruction of palaeoclimatic variables is of interest. Specifically the coral time series may be used as a palaeotemperature indicator or, when coupled with relatively well established palaeotemperatures, for palaeobarometric pressure determinations. Derived series of otherwise unobtainable palaeovariables are important not only for work on coral physiology, but also for construction and testing of climatic models; in this later instance information on palaeopressure is particularly desirable

Claudins in intestines

Intestines are organs that not only digest food and absorb nutrients, but also provide a defense barrier against pathogens and noxious agents ingested. Tight junctions (TJs) are the most apical component of the junctional complex, providing one form of cell-cell adhesion in enterocytes and playing a critical role in regulating paracellular barrier permeability. Alteration of TJs leads to a number of pathophysiological diseases causing malabsorption of nutrition and intestinal structure disruption, which may even contribute to systemic organ failure. Claudins are the major structural and functional components of TJs with at least 24 members in mammals. Claudins have distinct charge-selectivity, either by tightening the paracellular pathway or functioning as paracellular channels, regulating ions and small molecules passing through the paracellular pathway. In this review, we have discussed the functions of claudin family members, their distribution and localization in the intestinal tract of mammals, their alterations in intestine-related diseases and chemicals/agents that regulate the expression and localization of claudins as well as the intestinal permeability, which provide a therapeutic view for treating intestinal diseases

Antonio Gramsci’s impact on critical pedagogy

This paper provides an account of Antonio Gramsci’s impact on the area of critical pedagogy. It indicates the Gramscian influence on the thinking of major exponents of the field. It foregrounds Gramsci's ideas and then indicates how they have been taken up by a selection of critical pedagogy exponents who were chosen on the strength of their identification and engagement with Gramsci's ideas, some of them even having written entire essays on Gramsci. The essay concludes with a discussion concerning an aspect of Gramsci's concerns, the question of powerful knowledge, which, in the present author's view, provides a formidable challenge to critical pedagogues.peer-reviewe