Circulation, transport and bottom boundary layers of the deep currents in the Brazil Basin

Zonal and meridional hydrographic sections obtained for the South Atlantic Ventilation Experiment are used to study the circulation patterns and estimate the transports of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) and Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) in the Brazil Basin. The NADW Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) appears to be a relatively large (≈ 800 km wide by 2 km thick), double core current, separated by counterflowing recirculation. It appears to split, branching seaward at the Cape Saõ Roque near 5S and again at the Columbia-Trinidad Seamount Chain at 21S. As a result of this latter bifurcation, the NADW DWBC flow in the southern basin decreases significantly. In the southern part of the basin, the AABW DWBC is a relatively broad (≈ 1000 km), thin (≈ 700 m) flow which hugs the bottom of the continental rise. The densest waters that compose the core of the AABW DWBC eventually separate from the DWBC in the northern part of basin as they are topographically diverted to the east. The southward return flow at the eastern edge of the AABW DWBC and a northward flow in the eastern part of the basin suggest a meandering meridional recirculation of AABW in the interior of the basin. In the north central part of the deep basin there is a cyclonic abyssal gyre with a large component of Weddell Sea Deep Water (WSDW). The along-isobath movement of the DWBCs over the sloping bottom drives cross-slope advection of the bottom boundary layer. The up-slope advection of denser water within the NADW DWBC is believed to set up a slippery bottom layer, while the bottom layer associated with the down-slope advection of lighter water within the AABW DWBC is estimated to be only partially slippery. Geostrophic transports of heat, salt and mass are used to estimate mixing in the AABW flow in the Brazil Basin. The rates at which heat and salt mix are characteristic of diapycnal turbulent mixing. The mixing processes appear to be more active along the western boundary

Tell Me Not

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/6690/thumbnail.jp

Second virial coefficients as a measure of protein-osmolyte interactions

The cytoplasm contains high concentrations of cosolutes. These cosolutes include macromolecules and small organic molecules called osmolytes. However, most biophysical studies of proteins are conducted in dilute solutions. Two broad classes of models have been used to describe the interaction between osmolytes and proteins. One class focuses on excluded volume effects, while the other focuses on binding between the protein and the osmolyte. To better understand protein–smolyte interactions, we have conducted sedimentation equilibrium analytical ultracentrifugation experiments using ferricytochrome c as a model protein. From these experiments, we determined the second virial coefficients for a series of osmolytes. We have interpreted the second virial coefficient as a measure of both excluded volume and protein–osmolyte binding. We conclude that simple models are not sufficient to understand the interactions between osmolytes and proteins

Using Unsolvable Anagrams to Induce Escape: Will it Increase Gambling Behavior?

Previous research has found an association between gambling as a means of escape and pathological gambling. Likewise, previous laboratory research has found an association between gambling as a means of escape and participants’ gambling behavior. The present experiment had 41 participants play video poker in two sessions. Prior to one session, participants were asked to solve a series of solvable word puzzles. Prior to the other, they were asked to solve a series of unsolvable word puzzles. Consistent with previous research, results demonstrated that participants’ video-poker play was associated with their overall tendency to endorse gambling as a function of escape. However, their behavior did not vary as a function of whether the word puzzles were or were not solvable. These results may suggest that the different word puzzles used in the present procedure were similarly aversive. However, they may also suggest that gambling as an escape represents a general behavior pattern that is not necessarily sensitive to brief environmental manipulations

Across the Far Blue Hills, Marie

Across the far blue hills, Marie,The mellow moon looks wistfully,And folds us lingering sadly here.The last, last time for many a year,The last, last time for many a year,Farewell, farewell, I pass from thee,Across the sad hills, love, Marie,Farewell, Farewell, I pass from the,Across the sad hills, love, Marie,Marie, Marie Across the far blue hills, Marie,The same sweet moon shall shine on thee,When drawing near to this dear place,With tears upon thy pale sweet face,With tears upon thy pale sweet face, Thou\u27lt yearn and stretch sad hands for me, Across the sad hills, love, Marie,Thou\u27lt yearn and stretch sad hands for me,Across the sad hills, love Marie,Marie, Marie Across the happy hills, Marie,With joyous step I come to thee,The years of parting all are o\u27erWe twain shall part on earth no more,We twain shall part on earth no more,Come forth, come forth, welcome me,Across the happy hills, Marie,Come forth, come forth, welcome me,Across the happy hills, Marie,Marie, Mari

A semi-quantitative GeLC-MS analysis of temporal proteome expression in the emerging nosocomial pathogen Ochrobactrum anthropi

A semi-quantitative gel-based analysis identifies distinct proteomic profiles associated with specific growth points for the nosocomial pathogen Ochrobactrum anthropi

The relationship between structural game characteristics and gambling behavior: a population-level study

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the structural characteristics and gambling behavior among video lottery terminal (VLT) gamblers. The study was ecological valid, because the data consisted of actual gambling behavior registered in the participants natural gambling environment without intrusion by researchers. Online behavioral tracking data from Multix, an eight game video lottery terminal, were supplied by Norsk-Tipping (the state owned gambling company in Norway). The sample comprised the entire population of Multix gamblers (N = 31,109) who had gambled in January 2010. The individual number of bets made across games was defined as the dependent variable, reward characteristics of a game (i.e., payback percentage, hit frequency, size of winnings and size of jackpot) and bet characteristics of a game (i.e., range of betting options and availability of advanced betting options) served as the independent variables. Control variables were age and gender. Two separate cross-classified multilevel random intercepts models were used to analyze the relationship between bets made, reward characteristics and bet characteristics, where the number of bets was nested within both individuals and within games. The results show that the number of bets is positively associated with payback percentage, hit frequency, being female and age, and negatively associated with size of wins and range of available betting options. In summary, the results show that the reward characteristics and betting options explained 27 % and 15 % of the variance in the number of bets made, respectively. It is concluded that structural game characteristics affect gambling behavior. Implications of responsible gambling are discussed

Specialist nursing support for unpaid carers of people with dementia: a mixed-methods feasibility study

Background: Unpaid carers are the mainstay of support for people with dementia. Admiral Nursing (AN) is the only specialist nursing service that specifically focuses on supporting such carers, but evidence of its effectiveness, costs and relationships with other health and social care services is limited. This project aimed to address this gap and explore the feasibility of a full-scale formal evaluation. Objectives: To explore the relationships between characteristics of carers and people with dementia, service type and input and outcomes; to develop and test data collection methods for subsequent economic evaluation; to explore the effect of AN on outcomes and costs, compared with usual care; to explore the perceived system-wide impact of specialist support for carers of people with dementia, compared with usual care; and to implement new data collection methods in AN, which could also be used by other services, to facilitate evaluation. Design: A mixed-methods study, using secondary analysis of an administrative data set, and primary (cross-sectional) quantitative and qualitative data collection. Setting: Qualitative research with carers in four areas of England; a survey of carers in 32 local authority areas (16 with and 16 without AN); and qualitative interviews with professionals in four areas. Participants: Thirty-five carers of people with dementia and 20 professionals were interviewed qualitatively; 346 carers completed in-scope questionnaires (46% through AN services and 54% from matched non-AN areas). Interventions: Specialist nursing support for carers of people with dementia (with AN as an exemplar) compared with usual care. Main outcome measures: The Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit for Carers; the EuroQol-5 Dimensions, five-level version; and the Caregiver Self-Efficacy for Managing Dementia Scale. Data sources: Dementia UK’s AN administrative data set. Results: Admiral Nurses are successfully targeting the most complex cases. They work predominantly with older carers who have the main responsibility for the person with dementia, who are heavily involved in caring activity and who may be at risk. Three outcome areas that are important to carers of people with dementia and are potentially affected by receiving support are (1) carer self-efficacy, (2) carer quality of life (3) and carer mental and physical health. The carers in the survey receiving support from AN were older, were more heavily involved in caring and had poorer outcomes than carers not in receipt of such support. When these differences were controlled for, carers supported by AN had better outcomes, although the differences did not reach statistical significance. Health and social care costs were similar in both groups. The perceived system-wide impact of services, such as AN, is not well understood by professional stakeholders. Limitations: Challenges were experienced in identifying similar carers in areas with or without an AN service and in the cross-sectional nature of the work. Conclusions: Specialist nursing support to carers of people with dementia may enable them to continue providing care to the end or very close to the end of the dementia journey. The outcomes for such carers may be no different from, or even slightly better than, those of similar carers without this support, although the costs to health and social care services are the same in each case. Future work: Future research could investigate the impact of specialist support for carers on admission to long-term care. There is also a need for more work to encourage routine use of the selected outcome measures in dementia service delivery. Funding: The National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme

Identification of Arhgef12 and Prkci as genetic modifiers of retinal dysplasia in the Crb1rd8 mouse model.

Mutations in the apicobasal polarity gene CRB1 lead to diverse retinal diseases, such as Leber congenital amaurosis, cone-rod dystrophy, retinitis pigmentosa (with and without Coats-like vasculopathy), foveal retinoschisis, macular dystrophy, and pigmented paravenous chorioretinal atrophy. Limited correlation between disease phenotypes and CRB1 alleles, and evidence that patients sharing the same alleles often present with different disease features, suggest that genetic modifiers contribute to clinical variation. Similarly, the retinal phenotype of mice bearing the Crb1 retinal degeneration 8 (rd8) allele varies with genetic background. Here, we initiated a sensitized chemical mutagenesis screen in B6.Cg-Crb1rd8/Pjn, a strain with a mild clinical presentation, to identify genetic modifiers that cause a more severe disease phenotype. Two models from this screen, Tvrm266 and Tvrm323, exhibited increased retinal dysplasia. Genetic mapping with high-throughput exome and candidate-gene sequencing identified causative mutations in Arhgef12 and Prkci, respectively. Epistasis analysis of both strains indicated that the increased dysplastic phenotype required homozygosity of the Crb1rd8 allele. Retinal dysplastic lesions in Tvrm266 mice were smaller and caused less photoreceptor degeneration than those in Tvrm323 mice, which developed an early, large diffuse lesion phenotype. At one month of age, Müller glia and microglia mislocalization at dysplastic lesions in both modifier strains was similar to that in B6.Cg-Crb1rd8/Pjn mice but photoreceptor cell mislocalization was more extensive. External limiting membrane disruption was comparable in Tvrm266 and B6.Cg-Crb1rd8/Pjn mice but milder in Tvrm323 mice. Immunohistological analysis of mice at postnatal day 0 indicated a normal distribution of mitotic cells in Tvrm266 and Tvrm323 mice, suggesting normal early development. Aberrant electroretinography responses were observed in both models but functional decline was significant only in Tvrm323 mice. These results identify Arhgef12 and Prkci as modifier genes that differentially shape Crb1-associated retinal disease, which may be relevant to understanding clinical variability and underlying disease mechanisms in humans