199 research outputs found
Predictive modeling of cultural resources in the Theban necropolis, Luxor, Egypt
The Egyptian Government created the Egyptian Antiquities Information System (EAIS) and a Comprehensive Development Plan to help protect cultural resources in the Theban Necropolis, Luxor, Egypt. By creating a cognitive predictive model and assessing its utility in locating tombs, researchers could be aided in the understanding of why these locations were preferred by the ancient Egyptians. The cognitive evaluations used include tomb location relative to geology, slope, elevation, fractures, and religious/burial practices. A set of sensitivity surfaces was created using Geographical Information System (GIS) / statistical analysis of measured and derived environmental and cultural attributes. Analysis of fifteen sensitivity surfaces produced two viable models which could be combined with the EAIS database to help show which areas should be avoided or studied further. The most important information generated from this research is the fact that there is a lack of focus in the archaeological world concerning why tomb locations were chosen
Interprofessional Integrative Medicine Training for Preventive Medicine Residents
Integrative medicine training was incorporated into the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Preventive Medicine residency at the Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Newark Campus as a collaboration between the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the School of Health Related Professions. Beginning in 2012, an interdisciplinary faculty team organized an Integrative Medicine program in a Preventive Medicine residency that leveraged existing resources across Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences. The overarching aim of the programs was to introduce residents and faculty to the scope and practice of integrative medicine in the surrounding Newark community and explore evidence-based research on integrative medicine. The faculty team tapped into an interprofessional network of healthcare providers to organize rotations for the preventive medicine residents that reflected the unique nature of integrative medicine in the greater Newark area. Residents provided direct care as part of interdisciplinary teams at clinical affiliates and shadowed health professionals from diverse disciplines as they filled different roles in providing patient care. The residents also participated in research projects. A combination of formal and informal programs on integrative medicine topics was offered to residents and faculty. The Integrative Medicine program, which ran from 2013 through 2014, was successful in exposing residents and faculty to the unique nature of integrative medicine across professions in the community served by Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
The combined effects of reactant kinetics and enzyme stability explain the temperature dependence of metabolic rates
A mechanistic understanding of the response of metabolic rate to temperature is essential for understanding thermal ecology and metabolic adaptation. Although the Arrhenius equation has been used to describe the effects of temperature on reaction rates and metabolic traits, it does not adequately describe two aspects of the thermal performance curve (TPC) for metabolic rate—that metabolic rate is a unimodal function of temperature often with maximal values in the biologically relevant temperature range and that activation energies are temperature dependent. We show that the temperature dependence of metabolic rate in ectotherms is well described by an enzyme-assisted Arrhenius (EAAR) model that accounts for the temperature-dependent contribution of enzymes to decreasing the activation energy required for reactions to occur. The model is mechanistically derived using the thermodynamic rules that govern protein stability. We contrast our model with other unimodal functions that also can be used to describe the temperature dependence of metabolic rate to show how the EAAR model provides an important advance over previous work. We fit the EAAR model to metabolic rate data for a variety of taxa to demonstrate the model’s utility in describing metabolic rate TPCs while revealing significant differences in thermodynamic properties across species and acclimation temperatures. Our model advances our ability to understand the metabolic and ecological consequences of increases in the mean and variance of temperature associated with global climate change. In addition, the model suggests avenues by which organisms can acclimate and adapt to changing thermal environments. Furthermore, the parameters in the EAAR model generate links between organismal level performance and underlying molecular processes that can be tested for in future work
Sculpting the disk around T Cha: an interferometric view
(Abridged) Circumstellar disks are believed to be the birthplace of planets
and are expected to dissipate on a timescale of a few Myr. The processes
responsible for the removal of the dust and gas will strongly modify the radial
distribution of the dust and consequently the SED. In particular, a young
planet will open a gap, resulting in an inner disk dominating the near-IR
emission and an outer disk emitting mostly in the far-IR. We analyze a full set
of data (including VLTI/Pionier, VLTI/Midi, and VLT/NaCo/Sam) to constrain the
structure of the transition disk around TCha. We used the Mcfost radiative
transfer code to simultaneously model the SED and the interferometric
observations. We find that the dust responsible for the emission in excess in
the near-IR must have a narrow temperature distribution with a maximum close to
the silicate sublimation temperature. This translates into a narrow inner dusty
disk (0.07-0.11 AU). We find that the outer disk starts at about 12 AU and is
partially resolved by the Pionier, Sam, and Midi instruments. We show that the
Sam closure phases, interpreted as the signature of a candidate companion, may
actually trace the asymmetry generated by forward scattering by dust grains in
the upper layers of the outer disk. These observations help constrain the
inclination and position angle of the outer disk. The presence of matter inside
the gap is difficult to assess with present-day observations. Our model
suggests the outer disk contaminates the interferometric signature of any
potential companion that could be responsible for the gap opening, and such a
companion still has to be unambiguously detected. We stress the difficulty to
observe point sources in bright massive disks, and the consequent need to
account for disk asymmetries (e.g. anisotropic scattering) in model-dependent
search for companions.Comment: Removed the word "first" in the abstract of the paper: "obtained with
the first 4-telescope combiner (VLTI/Pionier)
X-ray emission from young brown dwarfs in the Orion Nebula Cluster
We use the sensitive X-ray data from the Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project
(COUP) to study the X-ray properties of 34 spectroscopically-identified brown
dwarfs with near-infrared spectral types between M6 and M9 in the core of the
Orion Nebula Cluster. Nine of the 34 objects are clearly detected as X-ray
sources. The apparently low detection rate is in many cases related to the
substantial extinction of these brown dwarfs; considering only the BDs with
mag, nearly half of the objects (7 out of 16) are detected in
X-rays. Our 10-day long X-ray lightcurves of these objects exhibit strong
variability, including numerous flares. While one of the objects was only
detected during a short flare, a statistical analysis of the lightcurves
provides evidence for continuous (`quiescent') emission in addition to flares
for all other objects. Of these, the M9 brown dwarf COUP 1255 = HC 212
is one of the coolest known objects with a clear detection of quiescent X-ray
emission. The X-ray properties (spectra, fractional X-ray luminosities, flare
rates) of these young brown dwarfs are similar to those of the low-mass stars
in the ONC, and thus there is no evidence for changes in the magnetic activity
around the stellar/substellar boundary, which lies at M6 for ONC
sources. Since the X-ray properties of the young brown dwarfs are also similar
to those of M6--M9 field stars, the key to the magnetic activity in very cool
objects seems to be the effective temperature, which determines the degree of
ionization in the atmosphere.Comment: accepted for ApJS, COUP special issu
An Analysis of the Environments of FU Orionis Objects with Herschel
We present Herschel-HIFI, SPIRE, and PACS 50-670 {\mu}m imaging and
spectroscopy of six FU Orionis-type objects and candidates (FU Orionis, V1735
Cyg, V1515 Cyg, V1057 Cyg, V1331 Cyg, and HBC 722), ranging in outburst date
from 1936-2010, from the "FOOSH" (FU Orionis Objects Surveyed with Herschel)
program, as well as ancillary results from Spitzer-IRS and the Caltech
Submillimeter Observatory. In their system properties (Lbol, Tbol, line
emission), we find that FUors are in a variety of evolutionary states.
Additionally, some FUors have features of both Class I and II sources: warm
continuum consistent with Class II sources, but rotational line emission
typical of Class I, far higher than Class II sources of similar
mass/luminosity. Combining several classification techniques, we find an
evolutionary sequence consistent with previous mid-IR indicators. We detect [O
I] in every source at luminosities consistent with Class 0/I protostars, much
greater than in Class II disks. We detect transitions of 13CO (J_up of 5 to 8)
around two sources (V1735 Cyg and HBC 722) but attribute them to nearby
protostars. Of the remaining sources, three (FU Ori, V1515 Cyg, and V1331 Cyg)
exhibit only low-lying CO, but one (V1057 Cyg) shows CO up to J = 23 - 22 and
evidence for H2O and OH emission, at strengths typical of protostars rather
than T Tauri stars. Rotational temperatures for "cool" CO components range from
20-81 K, for ~ 10^50 total CO molecules. We detect [C I] and [N II] primarily
as diffuse emission.Comment: 31 pages, 15 figures; accepted to Ap
Formative Research on Perceptions of Biobanking: What Community Members Think
Preparing healthy community members with timely communications prior to engaging them in a request to donate biospecimens promises to improve the experience of biobanking participation. To this end, a qualitative study was conducted to assess community member knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and informational needs about cancer-related biospecimen collection in a large metropolitan area in southwest Florida. The study utilized purposive sampling techniques to recruit a total of 95 participants to participate in 12 focus groups, segmented by race/ethnicity and language preference (mixed race, African American only, and Spanish speaking) and age (18–29, 30–54, and 55 and older). Focus group interviews were analyzed using content analysis to identify emergent themes. Overall, participants in the 30 years and older groups were favorable toward participating in biobanking if their concerns were addressed, such as confidentiality and consent issues, in contrast to participants aged 18–29 who were more skeptical. For all participants, the desire to participate in research that seeks new cancer treatments outweighed mistrust. Moreover, many cited the potential scientific benefit for future generations as a primary motivator. Finally, in some groups a therapeutic misconception was expressed, where participants expressed a willingness to forego confidentiality of their health status in exchange for therapeutic benefit. This study contributes to the literature on community perceptions of the benefits and barriers of biobanking and adds to the development of meaningful education communication priming tools to advance understandings about biobanking
The Use of Urine Proteomic and Metabonomic Patterns for the Diagnosis of Interstitial Cystitis and Bacterial Cystitis
The advent of systems biology approaches that have stemmed from the sequencing of the human genome has led to the search for new methods to diagnose diseases. While much effort has been focused on the identification of disease-specific biomarkers, recent efforts are underway toward the use of proteomic and metabonomic patterns to indicate disease. We have developed and contrasted the use of both proteomic and metabonomic patterns in urine for the detection of interstitial cystitis (IC). The methodology relies on advanced bioinformatics to scrutinize information contained within mass spectrometry (MS) and high-resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectral patterns to distinguish IC-affected from non-affected individuals as well as those suffering from bacterial cystitis (BC). We have applied a novel pattern recognition tool that employs an unsupervised system (self-organizing-type cluster mapping) as a fitness test for a supervised system (a genetic algorithm). With this approach, a training set comprised of mass spectra and 1H-NMR spectra from urine derived from either unaffected individuals or patients with IC is employed so that the most fit combination of relative, normalized intensity features defined at precise m/z or chemical shift values plotted in n-space can reliably distinguish the cohorts used in training. Using this bioinformatic approach, we were able to discriminate spectral patterns associated with IC-affected, BC-affected, and unaffected patients with a success rate of approximately 84%
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