Development of a Novel Algorithm to Calculate the Optic Properties of Temporal Aerosols Through Remote Sensing Data Measurements: Prospective Study

Satellite’ sensors as well as ground-based sun photometers instruments surface are utilized gather data about the quantitative composition of components in the Earth’s atmosphere. The relationships among these components produce effects in different phenomena, like regional climate change. Aerosols, consisting of particles from 0.01 to 10 m, are atmosphere components, whose effects are still poorly understood. Through Remote Sensing, it is possible to classify them and gain information about their role in different atmospheric processes: low visibility, solar energy balance, cloud formation and increases or decreases of the quantity of precipitation. This paper describes how the study and analysis of satellite-based and ground-based measurements can be used to develop and validate a novel procedure to calculate the optical properties of temporal aerosols found in and around Guadalajara, based on previous algorithms:, to determine the aerosol size distribution function, scattering phase function, single scattering albedo, complex refractive index and asymmetry parameter. The quantifiable knowledge about the temporal and regional aerosols’ optical properties will contribute to future investigations related to their quantitative effects on atmospheric processes in this region. These effects include: alteration of weather and climate, change of the tropospheric temperature, contribution to environmental ills, the formation and properties of the clouds, effects on the ecosystems, local solar energy balance, and the impacts on human health.ITESO, A.C.ITESMNASA Goddard Space Flight Cente

Secundarismo encefálico de tumores germinales no seminomatosos

Los pacientes con tumores germinales no seminomatosos presentan metástasis encefálicas en 8% a 15% de los casos, generalmente en el contexto de una recaída sistémica. Si bien el primer gesto terapéutico ante un secundarismo único suele ser la cirugía, su particular quimiosensibilidad hace planteable la indicación de quimioterapia inicial seguida de radioterapia con o sin cirugía posterior. Al igual que en otros tumores sólidos los pacientes portadores de lesiones múltiples reciben tratamiento sistémico con o sin el agregado de radioterapia. Presentamos cinco pacientes de entre 20 y 43 años portadores de tumores germinales no seminomatosos con secundarismo encefálico que se presenta al momento del diagnóstico en dos casos y en el contexto de una progresión lesional en otros dos. En el caso restante se destaca su diagnóstico cuando se había objetivado una respuesta parcial mayor extraencefálica. El coriocarcinoma y el tumor del saco vitelino son las variedades histológicas más frecuentes en esta serie. Cuatro de los cinco pacientes pertenecían al grupo de alto riesgo y todos presentaban extenso compromiso pulmonar. En aquellos pacientes portadores de secundarismo único la cirugía constituyó el primer gesto terapéutico. Se destaca el beneficio de la combinación de los tratamientos sistémicos y radiante holocraneal en quienes presentaban múltiples lesiones encefálicas. El escaso número de pacientes impide obtener conclusiones con relación a la sobrevida, pero podemos destacar el mal pronóstico que implica el desarrollo de secundarismo encefálico en el contexto de refractariedad al tratamiento sistémico aun cuando sea único, y, por otra parte, la posibilidad de obtener remisiones completas duraderas en un grupo de pacientes seleccionados

Effect of lateral perturbations on psychophysical acceleration detection thresholds

BACKGROUND: In understanding how the human body perceives and responds to small slip-like motions, information on how one senses the slip is essential. The effect of aging and plantar sensory loss on detection of a slip can also be studied. Using psychophysical procedures, acceleration detection thresholds of small lateral whole-body perturbations were measured for healthy young adults (HYA), healthy older adults (HOA) and older adults with diabetic neuropathy (DOA). It was hypothesized that young adults would require smaller accelerations than HOA's and DOA's to detect perturbations at a given displacement. METHODS: Acceleration detection thresholds to whole-body lateral perturbations of 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 mm were measured for HYAs, HOAs, and DOAs using psychophysical procedures including a two-alternative forced choice protocol. Based on the subject's detection of the previous trial, the acceleration magnitude of the subsequent trial was increased or decreased according to the parameter estimation by sequential testing methodology. This stair-stepping procedure allowed acceleration thresholds to be measured for each displacement. RESULTS: Results indicate that for lateral displacements of 1 and 2 mm, HOAs and DOAs have significantly higher acceleration detection thresholds than young adults. At displacements of 8 and 16 mm, no differences in threshold were found among groups or between the two perturbation distances. The relationship between the acceleration threshold and perturbation displacement is of particular interest. Peak acceleration thresholds of approximately 10 mm/s(2 )were found at displacements of 2, 4, 8, and 16 mm for HYAs; at displacements of 4, 8, and 16 mm for HOAs; and at displacements of 8 and 16 mm for DOAs. Thus, 2, 4, and 8 mm appear to be critical breakpoints for HYAs, HOAs, and DOAs respectively, where the psychometric curve deviated from a negative power law relationship. These critical breakpoints likely indicate a change in the physiology of the system as it responds to the stimuli. CONCLUSION: As a function of age, the displacement at which the group deviates from a negative power law relationship increases from 2 mm to 4 mm. Additionally, the displacement at which subjects with peripheral sensory deficits deviate from the negative power law relations increases to 8 mm. These increases as a function of age and peripheral sensory loss may help explain the mechanism of falls in the elderly and diabetic populations

Developing Global Competency and Ethical Leadership through Global Service Learning: Exploring Innovations in Process, Assessment, and Student Experience

The main objective of the “Developing Global Competency “workshop as described in the proposal is to educate participants on how to integrate the global service learning model effectively to teach students about ethics and leadership. This session describes the Pitt Business global service learning model, presenting innovations in the process, assessment, and student experience. The intention is to create awareness among participants on ways to use the global service learning teaching model to promote students’ development of ethical and transferable skills necessary for a global workforce

Transformation of alignment files improves performance of variant callers for long-read RNA sequencing data

Long-read RNA sequencing (lrRNA-seq) produces detailed information about full-length transcripts, including novel and sample-specific isoforms. Furthermore, there is an opportunity to call variants directly from lrRNA-seq data. However, most state-of-the-art variant callers have been developed for genomic DNA. Here, there are two objectives: first, we perform a mini-benchmark on GATK, DeepVariant, Clair3, and NanoCaller primarily on PacBio Iso-Seq, data, but also on Nanopore and Illumina RNA-seq data; second, we propose a pipeline to process spliced-alignment files, making them suitable for variant calling with DNA-based callers. With such manipulations, high calling performance can be achieved using DeepVariant on Iso-seq data

Low Birth Weight and Risk of Later-Life Physical Disability in Women

Background: There is strong evidence that low and high birth weight due to in-utero programming results in elevated risk for adult diseases, though less research has been performed examining the influence of birth weight and physical disability later in life. Methods: Baseline data from 76,055 postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative, a large multi-ethnic cohort, were used to examine the association between self-reported birth weight category (<6 lbs, 6-7 lbs 15 oz, 8-9 lbs 15 oz, and ≥10 lbs) and the self-reported physical functioning score on the RAND 36-item Health Survey. Linear regression models were adjusted for age, education, race/ethnicity, body mass index, and a comorbidity score. Results: Unadjusted models indicate that women born in the lowest and highest birth weight categories have significantly lower physical functioning scores as compared to women born in the normal weight category (β = -2.22, p < .0001 and β = -3.56, p < .0001, respectively). After adjustments, the relationship between the lowest birth weight category and physical functioning score remained significant (β = -1.52, p < .0001); however, the association with the highest birth weight category dissipated. Conclusions: Preconception and prenatal interventions aimed at reducing the incidence of low birth weight infants may subsequently reduce the burden of later-life physical disability

Constitutionalising the Security Union: Effectiveness, Rule of Law and Rights on Countering Terrorism and Crime. CEPS Paperback, 21 November 2017

This collective volume offers a multidisciplinary examination of the critical issues and challenges associated with the EU’s initiative to build a Security Union, particularly in relation to common policies adopted at the member state level aimed at countering terrorism and crime. It delves into the EU’s efforts to support cross-border investigations, the exchange of information and international cooperation, taking stock of the effects on freedom and privacy. The various authors offer key research findings, which contributed to the European Commission’s 2017 Comprehensive Assessment of EU Security Policy. They identify and explore the main constitutional dilemmas facing the Security Union concerning EU standards enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty and the commitments undertaken in the context of the EU Better Regulation agenda. Hence, this timely examination of EU security policies sheds light on their effectiveness, proportionality, fundamental rights and societal implications

Monoterpenos aromáticos timol y carvacrol: aproximaciones de su posible papel en procesos claves de la patología cardiovascular

Un evento imperativo en la generación de células espumosas en la aterosclerosis es la oxidación de la LDL; cuando estas partículas son oxidadas se convierten en epítopes para macrófagos los cuales se comienzan a transformar en células muy reactivas produciendo promotores de crecimiento e induciendo la replicación de células musculares lisas. Los procesos de glicación u oxidación aumentan la electronegatividad de las LDL aumentando así su efecto inflamatorio, por lo tanto la inhibición de estos procesos tanto a nivel de la parte protéica como del contenido lipídico pueden retardar los eventos aterogénicos mediados por esta partícula. Las velocidades de reducción de un radical libre por los monoterpenos aromáticos timol y carvacrol se compararon contra el BHT. La protección de esta partícula por los monoterpenos fue analizada por diferentes metodologías para proponer posibles mecanismos de su incidencia sobre blancos claves de esta patología