The Impacts of Energy Efficiency and Consumption on GDP in the Euro Area

This paper analyzes the aggregate data of the Euro Area to determine how GDP per unit of energy is affected by the use of common energy sources. Time series data from 1980 to 2005 is used to show the change in how energy is used compared to the growth of GDP. It is revealed in this paper that the consumption of efficient forms of energy is highly correlated to GDP growth and the use of inefficient energy sources leads to less growth

Methods for Investigating and Advancing Active Transportation in New Hampshire

Access to and use of active transportation opportunities are central to the creation of sustainable communities in the state of New Hampshire (NH). To further active transportation participation in the state, Plymouth State University partnered with NH’s Department of Transportation and regional planning commissions to better understand barriers to bicycling throughout NH. Participatory GIS mapping (PPGIS) surveys in two case study regions of NH captured perceived barriers to bicycling, which validated Level of Traffic Stress (LTS) roads models. Additional community and regional accessibility assessments utilized a Level of Traffic Stress model to identify gaps in the state’s bicycling network and prioritize roadways for improvement. The results of the PPGIS survey revealed few distinctions between regional perceptions of barriers to bikeability, supporting the application of bicycle prescriptions statewide. The survey also suggested that LTS-measured variables are among the most prominent barriers to bicycling engagement in NH. Planners can thus justify funding and prioritizing pro-bicycle roadway improvements informed by LTS model results, and, by extension, the accessibility analysis. This research provides planners, government officials, citizens, and advocacy groups with recommendations regarding the most effective processes for developing and implementing active transportation improvements throughout their communities

Spiritual Abuse in Augusta, Georgia: Reconciling the Spiritually Abused to the Local Church

The purpose of this action-based research project was to address the absence of a therapeutic process wherein pastoral counselors at Life Management Group (LMG) can responsibly attempt to reconcile spiritually abused Christians to a local church in Augusta, Georgia. One hundred percent of clients citing spiritual abuse in LMG’s pastoral counseling department were abstaining from any religious activity within a community of faith at the outset of this project. Data was researched at the international, national, state, and local levels. The researcher concluded that published research related to the topic of spiritual abuse is theoretical in nature only and not application based. The project intervention utilized interviews, questionnaires, weekly counseling sessions, and observations to gather information from fourteen participating LMG clients and ten partnered local churches to survey the problem of spiritual abuse, discover, and apply spiritual safety best practices. This action-based research project sought to bridge the application gap in spiritual abuse research by monitoring real-time progress, milestones, and results of LMG clients attempting to reintegrate into a local church. The results of this research prove helpful to the pastoral counselors and church leaders in the city of Augusta as they consider implementing the concepts herein. The project revealed that the counselor-church partnership, combined with client-focused therapeutic modalities that address spiritual abuse, is successful in promoting client-church reconciliation. The results indicate that pastoral counselors can positively impact the success of spiritually abused Christians attempting to reintegrate into a local church

Alumni as givers: An analysis of donor-nondonor behavior at a Comprehensive I institution

There has been limited research published about the characteristics of alumni donors in higher education. The majority of the research that has been done focused on large universities, consequently, such research findings may not be generalizable to smaller institutions.;The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent selected demographic, academic, behavioral, and attitudinal variables would discriminate between donors and nondonors in a smaller college or university such as a Comprehensive I institution.;Data for the study were gathered through a questionnaire mailed to a simple random sample of 300 alumni of a Comprehensive I institution. A 72 percent response to the questionnaire was realized. The data gathered were analyzed using descriptive statistics and discriminant analysis techniques available through Statistical Analysis Systems (SAS) software.;It was concluded that it is probable that a Comprehensive I institution can predict group classification of alumni as donors versus nondonors at a success rate of approximately 75 percent and that: (1) the most powerful discriminating variables between alumni donors and nondonors within the population examined were planned visits, household income, designation of funds to the library, year of graduation, identification with the institution, and attendance of family members; (2) it is probable that descriptive and discriminant statistical analysis of selected variables can enhance fund raising strategies; (3) some variables affect all groups of donors similarly, but variables such as institutional size, type, age and location may affect alumni donors differently and to different degrees

Tuning Design Parameters of ICAM-1-Targeted 3DNA Nanocarriers to Optimize Pulmonary Targeting Depending on Drug Type

3DNA holds promise as a carrier for drugs that can be intercalated into its core or linked to surface arms. Coupling 3DNA to an antibody targeting intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) results in high lung-specific biodistributions in vivo. While the role of individual parameters on ICAM-1 targeting has been studied for other nanocarriers, it has never been examined for 3DNA or in a manner capable of revealing the hierarchic interplay among said parameters. In this study, we used 2-layer vs. 4-layer anti-ICAM 3DNA and radiotracing to examine biodistribution in mice. We found that, below saturating conditions and within the ranges tested, the density of targeting antibodies on 3DNA is the most relevant parameter driving lung targeting over liver clearance, compared to the number of antibodies per carrier, total antibody dose, 3DNA dose, 3DNA size, or the administered concentration, which influenced the dose in organs but not the lung specific-over-liver clearance ratio. Data predicts that lung-specific delivery of intercalating (core loaded) drugs can be tuned using this biodistribution pattern, while that of arm-linked (surface loaded) drugs requires a careful parametric balance because increasing anti-ICAM density reduces the number of 3DNA arms available for drug loading

Transient radio emisison from SAX J1808.4-3658

We report on the detection of radio emission from the accretion-powered X-ray millisecond pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658, using the Australia Telescope Compact Array. We detected a ~0.8 mJy source at the position of SAX J1808.4-3658 on 1998 April 27, approximately one day after the onset of a rapid decline in the X-ray flux; no such source was seen on the previous day. We consider this emission to be related to the radio emission from other X-ray binaries, and is most likely associated with an ejection of material from the system. No radio emission was detected at later epochs, indicating that if SAX J1808.4-3658 is a radio pulsar during X-ray quiescence then its monochromatic luminosity must be less than L(1.4 GHz) ~6 mJy/kpc^2.Comment: 6 pages, uses emulateapj.sty, one embedded PS figure. Accepted to ApJ Letter

Ly6c+ “inflammatory monocytes” are microglial precursors recruited in a pathogenic manner in West Nile virus encephalitis

In a lethal West Nile virus (WNV) model, central nervous system infection triggered a threefold increase in CD45int/CD11b+/CD11c− microglia at days 6–7 postinfection (p.i.). Few microglia were proliferating, suggesting that the increased numbers were derived from a migratory precursor cell. Depletion of “circulating” (Gr1−(Ly6Clo)CX3CR1+) and “inflammatory” (Gr1hi/Ly6Chi/CCR2+) classical monocytes during infection abrogated the increase in microglia. C57BL/6 chimeras reconstituted with cFMS–enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) bone marrow (BM) showed large numbers of peripherally derived (GFP+) microglia expressing GR1+(Ly6C+) at day 7 p.i., suggesting that the inflammatory monocyte is a microglial precursor. This was confirmed by adoptive transfer of labeled BM (Ly6Chi/CD115+) or circulating inflammatory monocytes that trafficked to the WNV-infected brain and expressed a microglial phenotype. CCL2 is a chemokine that is highly expressed during WNV infection and important in inflammatory monocyte trafficking. Neutralization of CCL2 not only reduced the number of GFP+ microglia in the brain during WNV infection but prolonged the life of infected animals. Therefore, CCL2-dependent inflammatory monocyte migration is critical for increases in microglia during WNV infection and may also play a pathogenic role during WNV encephalitis

Depletion of Myo/Nog Cells in the Lens Mitigates Posterior Capsule Opacification in Rabbits.

Purpose: Posterior capsule opacification (PCO) is a vision-impairing disease that occurs in some adults and most children after cataract surgery. Contractile myofibroblasts contribute to PCO by producing wrinkles in the lens capsule that scatter light. Myofibroblasts in the lens originate from Myo/Nog cells named for their expression of the MyoD transcription factor and bone morphogenetic protein inhibitor noggin. In this study we tested the effects of depleting Myo/Nog cells on development of PCO. Methods: Myo/Nog cells were eliminated by injecting the G8 antibody conjugated to 3DNA nanocarriers for the cytotoxin doxorubicin (G8:3DNA:Dox) during cataract surgery in rabbits. The severity of PCO was scored by slit lamp analysis, gross and histologic observation, and immunofluorescence localization of α-smooth muscle actin. Results: G8:3DNA:Dox specifically induced cell death in Myo/Nog cells in the lens. None of the lenses administered G8:3DNA containing 9 to 36 μM doxorubicin developed greater than trace levels of central PCO and few myofibroblasts were present on the capsule. Less than 9% of these lenses exhibited greater than mild levels of peripheral PCO. Doxorubucin itself reduced PCO; however, myofibroblasts and wrinkles were abundant in the lens, and off-target effects were observed in the ciliary processes and cornea. Conclusions: Myo/Nog cells are the primary source of myofibroblasts in the lens after cataract surgery. Targeted depletion of Myo/Nog cells has potential for preventing PCO and preserving vision

Brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor 1 is expressed in the Myo/Nog cell lineage.

The Myo/Nog cell lineage was discovered in the chick embryo and is also present in adult mammalian tissues. The cells are named for their expression of mRNA for the skeletal muscle specific transcription factor MyoD and bone morphogenetic protein inhibitor Noggin. A third marker for Myo/Nog cells is the cell surface molecule recognized by the G8 monoclonal antibody (mAb). G8 has been used to detect, track, isolate and kill Myo/Nog cells. In this study, we screened a membrane proteome array for the target of the G8 mAb. The array consisted of \u3e5,000 molecules, each synthesized in their native confirmation with appropriate post-translational modifications in a single clone of HEK-293T cells. G8 mAb binding to the clone expressing brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor 1 (BAI1) was detected by flow cytometry, re-verified by sequencing and validated by transfection with the plasmid construct for BAI1. Further validation of the G8 target was provided by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The G8 epitope was identified by screening a high-throughput, site directed mutagenesis library designed to cover 95-100% of the 954 amino acids of the extracellular domain of the BAI1 protein. The G8 mAb binds within the third thrombospondin repeat of the extracellular domain of human BAI1. Immunofluorescence localization experiments revealed that G8 and a commercially available BAI1 mAb co-localize to the subpopulation of Myo/Nog cells in the skin, eyes and brain. Expression of the multi-functional BAI1 protein in Myo/Nog cells introduces new possibilities for the roles of Myo/Nog cells in normal and diseased tissues