Arctic polar stratospheric cloud measurements by means of a four wavelength depolarization lidar

A four wavelength depolarization backscattering lidar has been operated during the European Arctic Stratospheric Ozone Experiment (EASOE) in Sodankyl, in the Finnish Arctic. The lidar performed measurements during the months of December 1991, January, February and March 1992. The Finnish Meteorological Institute during the same period launched regularly three Radiosondes per day, and three Ozone sondes per week. Both Mt. Pinatubo aerosols and Polar Stratospheric Clouds were measured. The use of four wavelengths, respectively at 355 nm, 532 nm , 750 nm, and 850 nm permits an inversion of the lidar data to determine aerosol particle size. The depolarization technique permits the identification of Polar Stratospheric Clouds. Frequent correlation between Ozone minima and peaks in the Mt. Pinatubo aerosol maxima were detected. Measurements were carried out both within and outside the Polar Vortex

Recasting the cancer stem cell hypothesis: Unification using a continuum model of microenvironmental forces

Purpose of review Here, we identify shortcomings of standard compartment-based mathematical models of cancer stem-cells, and propose a continuous formalism which includes the tumor microenvironment. Recent findings Stem-cell models of tumor growth have provided explanations for various phenomena in oncology including, metastasis, drug- and radio-resistance, and functional heterogeneity in the face of genetic homogeneity. While some of the newer models allow for plasticity, or de-differentiation, there is no consensus on the mechanisms driving this. Recent experimental evidence suggests that tumor microenvironment factors like hypoxia, acidosis, and nutrient deprivation have causative roles. Summary To settle the dissonance between the mounting experimental evidence surrounding the effects of the microenvironment on tumor stemness, we propose a continuous mathematical model where we model microenvironmental perturbations like forces, which then shape the distribution of stemness within the tumor. We propose methods by which to systematically measure and characterize these forces, and show results of a simple experiment which support our claims

Теорія та практика менеджменту безпеки

У збірнику подано тези доповідей та виступів учасників Міжнародної науково-практичної конференції, присвяченої питанням теорії менеджменту безпеки, безпеки особистості, прикладним аспектам забезпечення соціальної, екологічної, економічної безпеки підприємств, питанням механізму забезпечення соціоекологоекономічної безпеки регіону, проблемам забезпечення національної безпеки

Correlated topographic analysis: estimating an ordering of correlated components

Abstract This paper describes a novel method, which we call correlated topographic analysis (CTA), to estimate non-Gaussian components and their ordering (topography). The method is inspired by a central motivation of recent variants of independent component analysis (ICA), namely, to make use of the residual statistical dependency which ICA cannot remove. We assume that components nearby on the topographic arrangement have both linear and energy correlations, while far-away components are statistically independent. We use these dependencies to fix the ordering of the components. We start by proposing the generative model for the components. Then, we derive an approximation of the likelihood based on the model. Furthermore, since gradient methods tend to get stuck in local optima, we propose a three-step optimization method which dramatically improves topographic estimation. Using simulated data, we show that CTA estimates an ordering of the components and generalizes a previous method in terms of topography estimation. Finally, to demonstrate that CTA is widely applicable, we learn topographic representations for three kinds of real data: natural images, outputs of simulated complex cells and text data

Social change and the family: Comparative perspectives from the west, China, and South Asia

This paper examines the influence of social and economic change on family structure and relationships: How do such economic and social transformations as industrialization, urbanization, demographic change, the expansion of education, and the long-term growth of income influence the family? We take a comparative and historical approach, reviewing the experiences of three major sociocultural regions: the West, China, and South Asia. Many of the changes that have occurred in family life have been remarkably similar in the three settings—the separation of the workplace from the home, increased training of children in nonfamilial institutions, the development of living arrangements outside the family household, increased access of children to financial and other productive resources, and increased participation by children in the selection of a mate. While the similarities of family change in diverse cultural settings are striking, specific aspects of change have varied across settings because of significant pre-existing differences in family structure, residential patterns of marriage, autonomy of children, and the role of marriage within kinship systems.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45661/1/11206_2005_Article_BF01124383.pd

Synthesis of Mesostructured Or Mesoporous Aluminas in the Presence of Surfactants. Comprehension of the Mechanisms of Formation

The aim of the present study was double: the synthesis of mesoporous aluminas in aqueous medium and the comprehension of their mechanisms of formation. Mesoporous aluminas were obtained from an acidic solution of the aluminum Keggin polycation and a mixed micelle of sodium palmitate and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. The pore diameters could be increased by increasing the final pH. Aluminas were also obtained from a basic solution of sodium aluminate. Very important pore volumes and specific surface areas were obtained when washing with ethanol or acetone instead of water. A fundamental study to understand the mechanism of formation of a mesostructured alumina, whose symmetry was hexagonal, was also carried out in order to improve the procedures. The study of the interactions between the surfactant and the alumina framework allowed us to explain why the structure collapses upon calcination. A mechanism of formation, based on fluorescence observations, is also presented. It was established that the aluminum species interact with the micelles and polymerize within the palisade layer. However, the micelles are quasi spherical throughout the experiment and do not organize into a hexagonal array before a precipitate is observed