Preliminary calibration and test results from the National Transonic Facility

The National Transonic Facility (NTF) was operated to design condition of 120 million Reynolds number at a Mach number of 1.0. All systems were checked out except plenum isolation valves; modifications are being made to heaters on the actuators. Initial steady-state calibration indicates excellent steady flow characteristics. The first test of the Pathfinder 1 model indicated significant Reynolds number effects. Some effect of temperature on instrumentation were obtained. The cause of these effects is being evaluated

CycleTrak: A novel system for the semi-automated analysis of cell cycle dynamics

AbstractCell proliferation is crucial to tissue growth and form during embryogenesis, yet dynamic tracking of cell cycle progression and cell position presents a challenging roadblock. We have developed a fluorescent cell cycle indicator and single cell analysis method, called CycleTrak, which allows for better spatiotemporal resolution and quantification of cell cycle phase and cell position than current methods. Our method was developed on the basis of the existing Fucci method. CycleTrak uses a single lentiviral vector that integrates mKO2-hCdt1 (30/120), and a nuclear-localized eGFP reporter. The single vector and nuclear localized fluorescence signals simplify delivery into cells and allow for rapid, automated cell tracking and cell cycle phase readout in single and subpopulations of cells. We validated CycleTrak performance in metastatic melanoma cells and identified novel cell cycle dynamics in vitro and in vivo after transplantation and 3D confocal time-lapse imaging in a living chick embryo

Characterization of Postoperative Changes in Nasal Airflow Using a Cadaveric Computational Fluid Dynamics Model: Supporting the Internal Nasal Valve

Collapse or compromise of the internal nasal valve (INV) results in symptomatic nasal obstruction; thus, various surgical maneuvers are designed to support the INV

Garden and landscape-scale correlates of moths of differing conservation status: significant effects of urbanization and habitat diversity

Moths are abundant and ubiquitous in vegetated terrestrial environments and are pollinators, important herbivores of wild plants, and food for birds, bats and rodents. In recent years, many once abundant and widespread species have shown sharp declines that have been cited by some as indicative of a widespread insect biodiversity crisis. Likely causes of these declines include agricultural intensification, light pollution, climate change, and urbanization; however, the real underlying cause(s) is still open to conjecture. We used data collected from the citizen science Garden Moth Scheme (GMS) to explore the spatial association between the abundance of 195 widespread British species of moth, and garden habitat and landscape features, to see if spatial habitat and landscape associations varied for species of differing conservation status. We found that associations with habitat and landscape composition were species-specific, but that there were consistent trends in species richness and total moth abundance. Gardens with more diverse and extensive microhabitats were associated with higher species richness and moth abundance; gardens near to the coast were associated with higher richness and moth abundance; and gardens in more urbanized locations were associated with lower species richness and moth abundance. The same trends were also found for species classified as increasing, declining and vulnerable under IUCN (World Conservation Union) criteria

Urban indicators for UK butterflies

Most people live in urban environments and there is a need to produce abundance indices to assist policy and management of urban greenspaces and gardens. While regional indices are produced, with the exception of birds, studies of the differences between urban and rural areas are rare. We explore these differences for UK butterflies, with the intention to describe changes that are relevant to people living in urban areas, in order to better connect people with nature in support of conservation, provide a measure relevant to human well-being, and assess the biodiversity status of the urban environment. Transects walked under the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme are classified as urban or rural, using a classification for urban morphological zones. We use models from the Generalised Abundance Index family to produce urban and rural indices of relative abundance for UK butterfly species. Composite indices are constructed for various subsets of species. For univoltine and bivoltine species, where we are able to fit phenomenological models, we estimate measures of phenology and identify urban/rural differences. Trends in relative abundance over the period 1995–2014 are more negative in urban areas compared to rural areas for 25 out of 28 species. For the composite indices, all trends are negative, and they are significantly more negative for urban areas than for rural areas. Analysis of phenological parameters shows butterflies tend to emerge earlier in urban than in rural areas. In addition, some fly longer in urban than in rural areas, whereas in other cases the opposite is the case, and hypotheses are proposed to account for these features. Investigating new urban/rural indicators has revealed national declines that are stronger for urban areas. For continued monitoring, there is a need for an urban butterfly indicator, and for this to be evaluated and reported annually. We explain how this may be interpreted, and the relevance for other monitoring schemes. The results of this paper, including the phenological findings, shed new light on the potentially deleterious effects of urbanisation and climate change, which require suitable monitoring and reporting to support policy and management, for example of urban greenspaces and gardens

Signal Transmission in the Auditory System

Contains table of contents for Section 3 and reports on four research projects.National Institutes of Health Grant R01 DC00194National Institutes of Health Grant P01 DC00119National Science Foundation Grant IBN 96-04642W.M. Keck Foundation Career Development ProfessorshipNational Institutes of Health Grant R01 DC00238Thomas and Gerd Perkins Award ProfessorshipAlfred P Sloan Foundation Instrumentation GrantJohn F. and Virginia B. Taplin Award in Health Sciences and TechnologyNational Institutes of Health/National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication DisordersNational Institutes of Health/National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Grant PO1 DC0011

Signal Transmission in the Auditory System

Contains table of contents for Section 3, an introduction and reports on seven research projects.National Institutes of Health Grant P01-DC-00119National Institutes of Health Grant R01-DC-00194National Institutes of Health Grant R01 DC00238National Institutes of Health Grant R01-DC02258National Institutes of Health Grant T32-DC00038National Institutes of Health Grant P01-DC00361National Institutes of Health Grant 2RO1 DC00235National Institutes of Health Contract N01-DC2240

User participation in urban green commons : exploring the links between access, voluntarism, biodiversity and well being

Polycentric governance and stakeholder participation in natural resource management have potential benefits for both human and environmental well-being. Researchers and decision-makers have attempted to conceptualise the ecological, social and political potential of such semi-formal approaches to urban green space management. However, few studies have quantified the actual benefits in terms of biodiversity and associated ecosystem service provision, or the factors that mediate levels of participation. The links between biodiversity potential, site access and user participation were explored in a case study comprising ten established examples of organised social-ecological initiatives in the inner-city area of Greater Manchester. At the micro-scale, the case study quantified the levels of community involvement (measured in volunteer hours month¯¹) in local green commons and the biodiversity potential (assessed using floristic and structural diversity as a surrogate) of the ten sites. Descriptive analysis identified that site spatial and design characteristics affected all three measures and subsequent correlational analyses revealed a high degree of synergy between site use and biodiversity. The study thereby provides quantitative evidence of the synergistic relationship between green space use and urban biodiversity and, importantly, the positive feedbacks which should result between volunteer input and the local generation of ecosystem services. The study provides support for the promotion of a highly decentralised, stakeholder-led stewardship of green space as a valid consideration in the management of urban ecosystem services

Struggling for space and finding my place: An interactionist perspective on everyday use of biomedical information

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110642/1/asi23178.pd