Disk M Dwarf Luminosity Function From HST Star Counts

We study a sample of 257 Galactic disk M dwarfs (8<M_V<18.5) found in images obtained using HST. These include 192 stars in 22 fields imaged with the repaired WFC2 with mean limiting mag I=23.7 and 65 stars in 162 fields imaged with the pre-repair Planetary Camera with mean limiting mag V=21.3. We find that the disk luminosity function (LF) drops sharply for M_V>12 (M<0.25 \ms), decreasing by a factor \gsim 3 by M_V~14 (M~0.14\ms). This decrease in the LF is in good agreement with the ground-based photometric study of nearby stars by Stobie et al. (1989), and in mild conflict with the most recent LF measurements based on local parallax stars by Reid et al. (1995). The local LF of the faint Galactic disk stars can be transformed into a local mass function using an empirical mass-M_V relation. The mass function can be represented analytically over the mass range 0.1\ms<M<1.6\ms by \log(\phi)=-1.35-1.34\log(M/\ms)-1.85 [\log(M/\ms)]^2 where \phi is the number density per logarithmic unit of mass. The total column density of M stars is only \Sigma_M=11.8\pm 1.8\ms\pc^{-2}, implying a total `observed' disk column density of \Sigma_\obs~=39\ms\pc^{-2}, lower than previously believed, and also lower than all estimates with which we are familiar of the dynamically inferred mass of the disk. The measured scale length for the M-star disk is 3.0\pm 0.4 kpc. The optical depth to microlensing toward the LMC by the observed stars in the Milky Way disk is \tau~1x10^{-8}, compared to the observed optical depth found in ongoing experiments \tau_\obs~ 10^{-7}. The M-stars show evidence for a population with characteristics intermediate between thin disk and spheroid populations. Approximating what may be a continuum of populations by two separate component, we find characteristic exponential scale heights of ~210 pc and ~740 pc.Comment: 30 pages, uuencoded postscript, includes 3 figures, 2 table

The Association of Exercise Training Modalities with Circulating Branched Chain Amino Acid and Ketone Body levels in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Background: Elevated levels of circulating branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) and ketone bodies are recognized as biomarkers for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other pathological conditions in type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Aerobic exercise interventions have been shown to decrease the levels of these markers, suggesting improved metabolic status and reduced risk of CVD. However, the efficacy of resistance training and concurrent programs in reducing BCAA and ketone body levels has not been well researched. Methods: The current study was performed as a secondary analysis of the HART-D trial, a 9-month randomized, controlled exercise-training trial of 262 participants with T2DM. Participants were randomized to one of four groups: non-exercise control, aerobic training (AT), resistance training (RT), or a combined aerobic and resistance training (ATRT). The effects of the 9-month intervention on BCAAs (leucine, valine, and isoleucine) and ketone bodies (β-hydroxy-butyrate, BHB; acetoacetate, AcAc; and acetone) were quantified by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) at LabCorp (Morrisville, NC). Generalized linear models were used to examine effects of exercise training between groups with adjustments for age, sex, race, change in fat mass, glucose, and medication status and baseline trait value. Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine associations of the changes in BCAA and ketone levels with changes in concomitant cardiometabolic biomarkers. Results:The ATRT group increased total BCAA and leucine levels compared to the AT group, and increased isoleucine compared to all other groups (all p\u3c0.05). RT decreased BHB levels (p\u3c0.05) compared to the AT group only. Across all exercise groups combined, changes in total ketone bodies (r=0.2), BHB (r=0.21), and Acetone (r=0.17) were weakly correlated with changes in HbA1c levels. Changes in total BCAAs (r=0.30) and valine (r=0.36) were moderately correlated with changes in fasting glucose levels, while isoleucine was weakly correlated with glucose (r=0.2) (all p\u3c0.05). Conclusions: Our results show that the ATRT group increased isoleucine levels compared to the control group in diabetics, the mechanism of which is unclear. Exercise induced changes in BCAA and ketone body levels are weakly to moderately related to some concomitant cardiometabolic biomarkers such as fasting glucose and HbA1c levels. Further research is needed to examine the association of exercise training on circulating BCAA and ketone body levels in diabetics

How I Spent My Summer Defending-or-Defeating Anscombe: Anscombian Action Theory and the Possibility of Logically Complex Actions

This paper attempts to bridge the divide between action theorists who work in a conceptual terrain shaped primarily by Donald Davidson and Michael Bratman and action theorists who work in a conceptual terrain shaped primarily by G.E.M. Anscombe. In it, I consider a feature of action that has only been discussed by the Anscombe camp: the means-end structure of actions in their unfolding over time. Then, I draw out an implication of this feature: that actions can involve structure which is logically complex (that is, can involve means taken to a logically complex end). Next, I argue that numerous arguments made by philosophers in the Davidson-Bratman camp involve the tacit assumption that this is false, considering four such arguments--by Bratman, Kieran Setiya, Hugh McCann, and Richard Holton--in some detail. Given that structure is a neutral desideratum that any theory of action should account for, I argue that this assumption renders these arguments faulty and is evidence that these philosophers\u27 inattention to structure has radically circumscribed the conceptual space in which they operate. I conclude with some lessons about the importance of future exchanges between these two camps of action theorists

Food production standards and the Chinese local state: exploring new patterns of environmental governance in the bamboo shoot industry in Lin'an

Although current studies into Chinese food supply and quality provide explanations for the causality of food problems there is limited inquiry into the role of county government. This is a serious omission. Firstly, because county government performs a key role in providing support for farmers through agricultural extension services and farmers’ co-operatives; and secondly because county level administrative divisions are central to developing novel instruments to manage supply chain relationships, such as food production standards. We investigate who are the key players involved in standard making and delivery at the county level. We also analyse how and why county government engages in standard setting activities. We use Lin’an’s bamboo shoot production industry as a case study to understand how the local state implements hazard-free, green and forest food production standards. The paper concludes that traditional conceptualisations of the local state do not sufficiently address how nature, knowledge of standards and state authority co-produce institutional capacity to control food supply and quality in China. In practice, the local state engages with non-state actors to achieve superficial environmental efforts, such as developing food production standards to throw a ‘green cloak’ over a productivist model

Networks, power and knowledge in the planning system: a case study of energy from waste

Understanding the nature of power relations has been integral to debates in planning theory and planning practice since the 1960s. Current theoretical approaches to planning and power have evolved to a state of pluralism which impacts upon how planning is conceived of and practiced. We seek to examine power relations and knowledge via a multidisciplinary case study of an energy-from-waste (EfW) development based in South Wales. Centred on a highly contested technology, incineration, this case study incorporates in-depth, longitudinal interview data with social network analysis to build up a picture of competing framings of environmental health risk. In local environmental debates, planners are expected to be able to help resolve competition between conflicting interests and yet, in reality, such conflicts often appear intractable and have long been dubbed wicked problems. This is especially the case for waste management. In our in-depth case study, significant pre-existing power relations existed between the local planning authority (LPA), which was also the lead co-developer in the EfW project, and the local community. In terms of methods, we have been keen to unearth data that allows us to explore the nature of institutional and networked power as it plays out within a community over time. It is our contention that too often the dynamics of power have been underplayed because it is studied as a snapshot rather than over time. Here we have utilised a variety of methods – from key person interviews to social network analysis – to examine the application for development, the operation of the EfW and the closure of the plant – over a ten year time frame. By drawing upon a rich database we can better understand the ways in which, in the case of particularly contentious developments, power relations greatly hampered efforts at public participation. Our nuanced methodological approach reveals empirical evidence for tensions in theoretical approaches to power relations in the planning arena and we can identify how debates can move forward based on a more geographically informed perspective

Effect of Bak and Bax on Oxidative Stress in A549 Cells

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Thus, understanding the mechanisms that drive cancer progression is urgent and vital. Two common characteristics of many cancers are the abnormal expression of the BCL-2 pathway (involved in regulating apoptosis) and elevated levels of oxidative stress. Despite new insights into the role of BCL-2 proteins within and beyond the intrinsic apoptosis pathway, much remains to be elucidated about the function of specific BCL-2 proteins, such as Bak and Bax. Bak and Bax are two proteins within the BCL-2 family of proteins that play a role in mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP), leading to the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria. The cytochrome c then activates a cascade of caspases 3 and 9 that lead to the activation of proteases. These proteases break down cellular structures leading to cell death. One thing that is unknown about Bak and Bax is their contribution to oxidative stress within cancer cells treated with chemotherapy. One such agent is the anti-cancer drug Trichostatin A (TSA). TSA is a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi). TSA arrests cancer cells in the G2/M phase in a mitochondrial derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) dependent matter leading to apoptosis. Testing the effect of Bak and Bax on oxidative stress in the presence of TSA can shed new light on the functions of Bak and Bax. This can lead to a new understanding of how Bak and Bax interact with different parts of the cell and could lead to a new mechanistic model for Bak and Bax, which can be tested in future projects, including therapeutic design.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2022/1009/thumbnail.jp

Underwater Endoscopic Mucosal Resection of Large Duodenal Adenomas (Video)

AbstractBackground and aimsEndoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) is a well-established method for the removal of neoplastic polyps throughout the GI tract. EMR typically involves insufflation of the lumen using air or CO2, followed by submucosal lifting of a polyp to minimize the risk of deep tissue injury and perforation, followed by hot-snare polypectomy. Underwater endoscopic mucosal resection (UEMR) is a new technique that uses water to enable lesion visualization in a lumen that is not distended by air or CO2, followed by piecemeal hot-snare resection of large mucosally-based neoplasms. UEMR does not require submucosal injection to create a fluid cushion. Very few published examples of UMER in the duodenum exist. This video case series describes the use of UEMR for the resection of several large duodenal adenomas.ProcedureUnderwater endoscopic mucosal resection was utilized for the removal of several large duodenal adenomas.ResultsThree duodenal lesions ranging from 1.8cm to 5cm were successfully resected by UEMR. The mean time for resection was 18min. There were no adverse events.ConclusionsUEMR is an efficacious technique for the resection of large mucosally-based neoplasms of the duodenum