pKD: re-designing protein pK(a) values

The pK(a) values in proteins govern the pH-dependence of protein stability and enzymatic activity. A large number of mutagenesis experiments have been carried out in the last three decades to re-engineer the pH-activity and pH-stability profile of enzymes and proteins. We have developed the pKD webserver (), which predicts sets of point mutations that will change the pK(a) values of a set of target residues in a given direction, thus allowing for targeted re-design of the pH-dependent characteristics of proteins. The server provides the user with an interactive experience for re-designing pK(a) values by pre-calculating ΔpK(a) values from all feasible point mutations. Design solutions are found in less than 10 min for a typical design job for a medium-sized protein. Mutant ΔpK(a) values calculated by the pKD web server are in close agreement with those produced by comparing results from full-fledged pK(a) calculation methods

Development and application of a spatially-explicit nitrogen mass-balance model for the Wood River Valley Watershed, Idaho

Thesis (M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2003.Includes bibliographical references (p. 155-162).by Julianna B. Connolly and Devin L. Shaffer.M.Eng

Closed-loop Frequency Tracking and Rejection

This paper develops an adaptive controller for active vibration control. The method is based on the LQG approach via disturbance modelling given in De Nicolao [1]. This approach to the narrow band disturbance rejection problem is then applied to the problem of eliminating the effects of roll eccentricity in steelstrip rolling mills

A Pilot Survey of HI in Field Galaxies at Redshift z~0.2

We present the first results of a targeted survey carried out with the 305 m Arecibo telescope to detect HI-line emission from galaxies at redshift z>0.16. The targets, selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey database, are non-interacting disk galaxies in relatively isolated fields. We present here the HI spectra and derived HI parameters for ten objects detected in this pilot program. All are massive disk galaxies in the redshift interval 0.17-0.25 (i.e. 2-3 Gyr look-back time), with HI masses M_HI=3-8 x 10^10 Msun and high gas mass fractions (HI - to - stellar mass ratios ~10-30%). Our results demonstrate the efficacy of exploiting Arecibo's large collecting area to measure the HI mass and rotational velocity of galaxies above redshift z=0.2. In particular, this sample includes the highest redshift detections of HI emission from individual galaxies made to date. Extension of this pilot program will allow us to study the HI properties of field galaxies at cosmological distances, thus complementing ongoing radio synthesis observations of cluster samples at z~0.2.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

A profile of patients receiving palliative care in Queensland for January - June 2019

The Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) is a national program that aims to improve the quality and outcomes of palliative care in Australia. This is achieved via a standardised clinical language that supports a national data collection. This report provides a high level profile of 4,625 patients who received palliative care in Queensland during January to June 2019 and had their pain, symptom, family / carer and psychological / spiritual issues assessed as part of routine clinical care

A profile of patients receiving palliative care in Western Australia for January - June 2019

The Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) is a national program that aims to improve the quality and outcomes of palliative care in Australia. This is achieved via a standardised clinical language that supports a national data collection. This report provides a high level profile of 4,181 patients who received palliative care in Western Australia during July to December 2018 and had their pain, symptom, family / carer and psychological / spiritual issues assessed as part of routine clinical care

Patient Outcomes in Palliative Care - NSW and ACT, January - June 2019

The Australian palliative care sector is a world leader in using routine clinical assessment information to guide patient centred care and measure patient and family outcomes. Providers of palliative care are commended for their commitment to excellence in delivering evidence-based, patient-centred care by using the routine Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) assessment framework and contributing patient data toward national outcome measurement and benchmarking. PCOC acknowledges the dedication and willingness of clinicians to improve the care of patients, their families and caregivers. The information collected is not just data - it represents the real-life outcomes of over 40,000 Australians who die an expected death every year. While the focus of this report is on the most recent information relating to January to June 2019, results over the last three years are also presented to highlight achievements and improvement in outcomes. The most recent information corresponds to 24,562 patients, having 31,826 episodes of care and 73,209 palliative care phases from 138 services who provide palliative care in hospital / hospice or in the person\u27s home

Exploring the association between mental wellbeing, health-related quality of life, family affluence and food choice in adolescents

YesYoung people choose energy-dense, nutrient-poor diets, yet understanding of potential determinants is limited. Associations between food choices, mental wellbeing, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and family affluence were explored to identify targets for intervention to promote dietary health and wellbeing in young people. Adolescents were recruited via post-primary schools in the UK and surveyed at two time-points when aged 13-14 years and 15-16 years. The questionnaire enquired about mental wellbeing using the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, HRQoL using the KIDSCREEN-10, socio-economic status using the Family Affluence Scale and food choice by Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). With missing and anomalous cases excluded, the sample comprised 1208 cases. Factor analysis on the FFQ indicated five food choice factors: ‘Junk Food’; ‘Meat’; ‘Healthy Protein’; ‘Fruit/Vegetables’; ‘Bread/Dairy’. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that frequent consumption of Junk Food was associated with being male and lower mental wellbeing. Frequent Meat intake was associated with being male and with lower HRQoL. Frequent choice of Bread/Dairy foods was more common among males and associated with higher wellbeing and greater affluence. Those who consumed Fruit/Vegetables frequently were more likely to be female, have higher HRQoL, higher mental wellbeing, and greater family affluence. These direct associations endured between time points. The dietary factors were not mutually exclusive. Those who frequently chose Junk Food were less likely to choose Fruit/Vegetables. Frequent choice of Meat was associated with more frequent choice of Junk Food and Healthy Protein. Intervention to improve dietary and psychological health in young people should target males, those in less affluent households, seek to reduce consumption of ‘junk’ food, and increase fruit and vegetable intake.This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. This ma-terial is based upon work conducted as part of the Wellbeing in Schools (WiSe) study which was financially supported by the Centre of Excel-lence for Public Health (Northern Ireland), and the Centre of Evidence and Social Innovation, at Queens University Belfast