1,046 research outputs found
Wave generation and particle transport in the plasma sheet and boundary layer
The one and two ion beam instability was considered as a possible explanation for the observations of broadband electrostatic noise in the plasma sheet region of the geomagnetic tail. When only hot streaming plasma sheet boundary layer ions were present, no broadband waves were excited. Cold, streaming ionospheric ions can generate electrostatic broadband waves propagating in the slow beam-acoustic mode, but the growth rates of the waves were significantly enhanced when warm boundary layer ions were presented. (Both the slow and fast beam-acoustic modes can be excited, depending on the relative ion drift.) This mode predicted that the wave intensity of the broadband noise should peak in the plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL). Observations of less intense electrostatic waves in the lobes and plasma sheet were likely a result of the absence of warm ion beams or large ion temperatures, respectively, which resulted in smaller growth rates. The model dependence of the ion beam instability has also been studied. For cold and warm ions streaming in the same direction, researchers found wave growth peaked for wave normal angles theta = 0 deg. and wave frequencies approx. 0.1 x the electron plasma frequency. However, for anti-parallel streaming cold and warm ions, wave growth peaks near theta = 90 deg. and wave frequencies were an order of magnitude smaller
A proposed neutral line signature
An identifying signature is proposed for the existence and location of the neutral line in the magnetotail. The signature, abrupt density, and temperature changes in the Earthtail direction, was first discovered in test particle simulations. Such temperature variations have been observed in ISEE data (Huang et. al. 1992), but their connection to the possible existence of a neutral line in the tail has not yet been established. The proposed signature develops earlier than the ion velocity space ridge of Martin and Speiser (1988), but can only be seen by spacecraft in the vicinity of the neutral line, while the latter can locate a neutral line remotely
Strengthening Domestic Violence Services for Deaf Survivors An Evaluation of Barrier Free Livings Deaf Services Program
More than 11 million people in the United States are Deaf, deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, or Deaf-Blind. Research indicates deaf people report experiencing victimization at higher rates, but a lack of accessible resources and trauma-informed services for American Sign Language (ASL) speakers makes it difficult for deaf people to report crimes and access support. In response to these issues, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in 2017 began funding Barrier Free Living (BFL), a provider of services for survivors of domestic violence and their families, to increase access to direct services for deaf survivors and increase local stakeholders' awareness of deaf survivors' needs through its Deaf Services (DS) program.In 2019, Urban, in collaboration with Gallaudet University and NORC at the University of Chicago, began a multimethod process evaluation of BFL's DS program to document its implementation and assess to what extent it achieved its intended goals.
Fractional Chemotaxis Diffusion Equations
We introduce mesoscopic and macroscopic model equations of chemotaxis with
anomalous subdiffusion for modelling chemically directed transport of
biological organisms in changing chemical environments with diffusion hindered
by traps or macro-molecular crowding. The mesoscopic models are formulated
using Continuous Time Random Walk master equations and the macroscopic models
are formulated with fractional order differential equations. Different models
are proposed depending on the timing of the chemotactic forcing.
Generalizations of the models to include linear reaction dynamics are also
derived. Finally a Monte Carlo method for simulating anomalous subdiffusion
with chemotaxis is introduced and simulation results are compared with
numerical solutions of the model equations. The model equations developed here
could be used to replace Keller-Segel type equations in biological systems with
transport hindered by traps, macro-molecular crowding or other obstacles.Comment: 25page
Anomalous thermodynamics at the micro-scale
Particle motion at the micro-scale is an incessant tug-of-war between thermal
fluctuations and applied forces on one side, and the strong resistance exerted
by fluid viscosity on the other. Friction is so strong that completely
neglecting inertia - the overdamped approximation - gives an excellent
effective description of the actual particle mechanics. In sharp contrast with
this result, here we show that the overdamped approximation dramatically fails
when thermodynamic quantities such as the entropy production in the environment
is considered, in presence of temperature gradients. In the limit of
vanishingly small, yet finite inertia, we find that the entropy production is
dominated by a contribution that is anomalous, i.e. has no counterpart in the
overdamped approximation. This phenomenon, that we call entropic anomaly, is
due to a symmetry-breaking that occurs when moving to the small, finite inertia
limit. Strong production of anomalous entropy is traced back to intense sweeps
down the temperature gradient.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, supplementary information uploaded as a separate
pdf file (see other formats link
Human cancers over express genes that are specific to a variety of normal human tissues
We have analyzed gene expression data from 3 different kinds of samples:
normal human tissues, human cancer cell lines and leukemic cells from lymphoid
and myeloid leukemia pediatric patients. We have searched for genes that are
over expressed in human cancer and also show specific patterns of
tissue-dependent expression in normal tissues. Using the expression data of the
normal tissues we identified 4346 genes with a high variability of expression,
and clustered these genes according to their relative expression level. Of 91
stable clusters obtained, 24 clusters included genes preferentially expressed
either only in hematopoietic tissues or in hematopoietic and 1-2 other tissues;
28 clusters included genes preferentially expressed in various
non-hematopoietic tissues such as neuronal, testis, liver, kidney, muscle,
lung, pancreas and placenta. Analysis of the expression levels of these 2
groups of genes in the human cancer cell lines and leukemias, identified genes
that were highly expressed in cancer cells but not in their normal
counterparts, and were thus over expressed in the cancers. The different cancer
cell lines and leukemias varied in the number and identity of these over
expressed genes. The results indicate that many genes that are over expressed
in human cancer cells are specific to a variety of normal tissues, including
normal tissues other than those from which the cancer originated. It is
suggested that this general property of cancer cells plays a major role in
determining the behavior of the cancers, including their metastatic potential.Comment: To appear in PNA
Nemo: a computational tool for analyzing nematode locomotion
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans responds to an impressive range of
chemical, mechanical and thermal stimuli and is extensively used to investigate
the molecular mechanisms that mediate chemosensation, mechanotransduction and
thermosensation. The main behavioral output of these responses is manifested as
alterations in animal locomotion. Monitoring and examination of such
alterations requires tools to capture and quantify features of nematode
movement. In this paper, we introduce Nemo (nematode movement), a
computationally efficient and robust two-dimensional object tracking algorithm
for automated detection and analysis of C. elegans locomotion. This algorithm
enables precise measurement and feature extraction of nematode movement
components. In addition, we develop a Graphical User Interface designed to
facilitate processing and interpretation of movement data. While, in this
study, we focus on the simple sinusoidal locomotion of C. elegans, our approach
can be readily adapted to handle complicated locomotory behaviour patterns by
including additional movement characteristics and parameters subject to
quantification. Our software tool offers the capacity to extract, analyze and
measure nematode locomotion features by processing simple video files. By
allowing precise and quantitative assessment of behavioral traits, this tool
will assist the genetic dissection and elucidation of the molecular mechanisms
underlying specific behavioral responses.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures. accepted by BMC Neuroscience 2007, 8:8
Nanog-Independent Reprogramming to iPSCs with Canonical Factors
Summary It has been suggested that the transcription factor Nanog is essential for the establishment of pluripotency during the derivation of embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). However, successful reprogramming to pluripotency with a growing list of divergent transcription factors, at ever-increasing efficiencies, suggests that there may be many distinct routes to a pluripotent state. Here, we have investigated whether Nanog is necessary for reprogramming murine fibroblasts under highly efficient conditions using the canonical-reprogramming factors Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and cMyc. In agreement with prior results, the efficiency of reprogramming Nanogā/ā fibroblasts was significantly lower than that of control fibroblasts. However, in contrast to previous findings, we were able to reproducibly generate iPSCs from Nanogā/ā fibroblasts that effectively contributed to the germline of chimeric mice. Thus, whereas Nanog may be an important mediator of reprogramming, it is not required for establishing pluripotency in the mouse, even under standard conditions
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