Historic Wetlands Assessment Using Computerized Microdensitometric Analysis of Aerial Photographs

A technique has been designed and tested that permits the quantitative assessment of historic marsh conditions from black and white aerial photography. Utilizing a computerized scanning and writing Rotating Drum Microdensitometer (RDM) system, baseline marsh data has been derived by combining present day field data with computer analysis of present day and historical aerial photography. Quantitative information on the marsh grasses studied (Spartina alternifora - tall and short growth forms, Salt Hay - a mixture of Spartina patens and Distichlis spicata), their distributional patterns, and surface water locations were established. The RDM technique relates subtle optical density differences in a film emulsion to actual field conditions. Algorithms are then used to classify and map the marsh variables being studied. In this investigation, photographs were scanned using picture elements (pixels) as small as 25 µm per side. For 1:12,000 scale photographs, this translates to a ground equivalent area of 0.96 square feet. The RDM system measures the optical density of each pixel and assigns it one of 256 different density levels. This is approximately an order of magnitude greater than the human eye\u27s ability to differentiate subtle shades of gray. Once computer analysis is completed, the RDM system then prints the classification categories on to an emulsion, producing a film image that maps the marsh variables. Classification maps were produced by the RDM system for two geographically separate saline marshes. Each marsh was in excess of 100 acres. Using a Zoom Transfer Scope, the RDM classification maps were transferred and compared to historic wetland maps produced from manual interpretation of color infrared photographs and then extensively field surveyed. The wetland maps were produced by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Except for a few small areas where S. alterniflora was misclassified, vegetative cover classes were correctly classified. The vegetational boundaries and land/water interfaces were located with great accuracy

In-situ characterization of qubit drive-phase distortions

Reducing errors in quantum gates is critical to the development of quantum computers. To do so, any distortions in the control signals should be identified, however, conventional tools are not always applicable when part of the system is under high vacuum, cryogenic, or microscopic. Here, we demonstrate a method to detect and compensate for amplitude-dependent phase changes, using the qubit itself as a probe. The technique is implemented using a microwave-driven trapped ion qubit, where correcting phase distortions leads to a three-fold improvement in single-qubit gate error, to attain state-of-the-art performance benchmarked at $1.6(4)\times 10^{-6}$ error per Clifford gate

Eggshell membrane: A possible new natural therapeutic for joint and connective tissue disorders. Results from two open-label human clinical studies

Kevin J Ruff1, Dale P DeVore2, Michael D Leu3, Mark A Robinson41ESM Technologies, LLC, Carthage, MO, USA; 2Membrell, LLC, Carthage, MO, USA; 3Private Practice, Jenks, OK, USA; 4Robinson Family Health Center, Carthage, MO, USABackground: Natural Eggshell Membrane (NEM®) is a novel dietary supplement that contains naturally occurring glycosaminoglycans and proteins essential for maintaining healthy joint and connective tissues. Two single center, open-label human clinical studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of NEM® as a treatment for pain and inflexibility associated with joint and connective tissue disorders. Methods: Eleven (single-arm trial) and 28 (double-arm trial) patients received oral NEM® 500 mg once daily for four weeks. The primary outcome measure was to evaluate the change in general pain associated with the treatment joints/areas (both studies). In the single-arm trial, range of motion (ROM) and related ROM-associated pain was also evaluated. The primary treatment response endpoints were at seven and 30 days. Both clinical assessments were performed on the intent-to-treat (ITT) population within each study.Results: Single-arm trial: Supplementation with NEM® produced a significant treatment response at seven days for flexibility (27.8% increase; P = 0.038) and at 30 days for general pain (72.5% reduction; P = 0.007), flexibility (43.7% increase; P = 0.006), and ROM-associated pain (75.9% reduction; P = 0.021). Double-arm trial: Supplementation with NEM® produced a significant treatment response for pain at seven days for both treatment arms (X: 18.4% reduction; P = 0.021. Y: 31.3% reduction; P = 0.014). There was no clinically meaningful difference between treatment arms at seven days, so the Y arm crossed over to the X formulation for the remainder of the study. The significant treatment response continued through 30 days for pain (30.2% reduction; P = 0.0001). There were no adverse events reported during either study and the treatment was reported to be well tolerated by study participants. Conclusions: Natural Eggshell Membrane (NEM®) is a possible new effective and safe therapeutic option for the treatment of pain and inflexibility associated with joint and connective tissue (JCT) disorders. Supplementation with NEM®, 500 mg taken once daily, significantly reduced pain, both rapidly (seven days) and continuously (30 days). It also showed clinically meaningful results from a brief responder analysis, demonstrating that significant proportions of treated patients may be helped considerably from NEM® supplementation. The Clinical Trial Registration numbers for these trials are: NCT00750230 and NCT00750854.Keywords: arthritis, pain, stiffness, eggshell membrane, joint, connective tissue, complimentary, alternativ

Breaking a species barrier by enabling hybrid recombination

Hybrid sterility maintains reproductive isolation between species by preventing them from exchanging genetic material1. Anti-recombination can contribute to hybrid sterility when different species' chromosome sequences are too diverged to cross over efficiently during hybrid meiosis, resulting in chromosome mis-segregation and aneuploidy. The genome sequences of the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces paradoxus have diverged by about 12% and their hybrids are sexually sterile: nearly all of their gametes are aneuploid and inviable. Previous methods to increase hybrid yeast fertility have targeted the anti-recombination machinery by enhancing meiotic crossing over. However, these methods also have counteracting detrimental effects on gamete viability due to increased mutagenesis2 and ectopic recombination3. Therefore, the role of anti-recombination has not been fully revealed, and it is often dismissed as a minor player in speciation1. By repressing two genes, SGS1 and MSH2, specifically during meiosis whilst maintaining their mitotic expression, we were able to increase hybrid fertility 70-fold, to the level of non-hybrid crosses, confirming that anti-recombination is the principal cause of hybrid sterility. Breaking this species barrier allows us to generate, for the first time, viable euploid gametes containing recombinant hybrid genomes from these two highly diverged parent species

A constrained Potts antiferromagnet model with an interface representation

We define a four-state Potts model ensemble on the square lattice, with the constraints that neighboring spins must have different values, and that no plaquette may contain all four states. The spin configurations may be mapped into those of a 2-dimensional interface in a 2+5 dimensional space. If this interface is in a Gaussian rough phase (as is the case for most other models with such a mapping), then the spin correlations are critical and their exponents can be related to the stiffness governing the interface fluctuations. Results of our Monte Carlo simulations show height fluctuations with an anomalous dependence on wavevector, intermediate between the behaviors expected in a rough phase and in a smooth phase; we argue that the smooth phase (which would imply long-range spin order) is the best interpretation.Comment: 61 pages, LaTeX. Submitted to J. Phys.

Low field hysteresis in disordered ferromagnets

We analyze low field hysteresis close to the demagnetized state in disordered ferromagnets using the zero temperature random-field Ising model. We solve the demagnetization process exactly in one dimension and derive the Rayleigh law of hysteresis. The initial susceptibility a and the hysteretic coefficient b display a peak as a function of the disorder width. This behavior is confirmed by numerical simulations d=2,3 showing that in limit of weak disorder demagnetization is not possible and the Rayleigh law is not defined. These results are in agreement with experimental observations on nanocrystalline magnetic materials.Comment: Extended version, 18 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Influence of Magnetism on Phonons in CaFe2As2 Via Inelastic X-ray Scattering

In the iron pnictides, the strong sensitivity of the iron magnetic moment to the arsenic position suggests a significant relationship between phonons and magnetism. We measured the phonon dispersion of several branches in the high temperature tetragonal phase of CaFe2As2 using inelastic x-ray scattering on single-crystal samples. These measurements were compared to ab initio calculations of the phonons. Spin polarized calculations imposing the antiferromagnetic order present in the low temperature orthorhombic phase dramatically improve agreement between theory and experiment. This is discussed in terms of the strong antiferromagnetic correlations that are known to persist in the tetragonal phase.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; added additional information and references about spin fluctuation

A study protocol to investigate the relationship between dietary fibre intake and fermentation, colon cell turnover, global protein acetylation and early carcinogenesis: the FACT study

Background: A number of studies, notably EPIC, have shown a descrease in colorectal cancer risk associated with increased fibre consumption. Whilst the underlying mechanisms are likely to be multifactorial, production of the short-chain fatty-acid butyrate fro butyratye is frequently cited as a major potential contributor to the effect. Butyrate inhibits histone deacetylases, which work on a wide range of proteins over and above histones. We therefore hypothesized that alterations in the acetylated proteome may be associated with a cancer risk phenotype in the colorectal mucosa, and that such alterations are candidate biomarkers for effectiveness of fibre interventions in cancer prevention. Methods an design: There are two principal arms to this study: (i) a cross-sectional study (FACT OBS) of 90 subjects recruited from gastroenterology clinics and; (ii) an intervention trial in 40 subjects with an 8 week high fibre intervention. In both studies the principal goal is to investigate a link between fibre intake, SCFA production and global protein acetylation. The primary measure is level of faecal butyrate, which it is hoped will be elevated by moving subjects to a high fibre diet. Fibre intakes will be estimated in the cross-sectional group using the EPIC Food Frequency Questionnaire. Subsidiary measures of the effect of butyrate on colon mucosal function and precancerous phenotype will include measures of apoptosis, apoptotic regulators cell cycle and cell division. Discussion: This study will provide a new level of mechanistic data on alterations in the functional proteome in response to the colon microenvironment which may underwrite the observed cancer preventive effect of fibre. The study may yield novel candidate biomarkers of fibre fermentation and colon mucosal function