Infrared remote sensing of cometary parent volatiles from the ground, air, and space

A balanced view of the present generation of infrared instruments for cometary compositional studies is presented. Ground-based instruments are compared with airborne and spaceborne capabilities. An attempt to give examples of the unique science achievable with each is made, and particular emphasis is on the unique aspects of a dedicated Cometary Composition Telescope in earth orbit for investigating the chemical and structural heterogeneity of the cometary nucleus

Taxonomic similarity does not predict necessary sample size for ex situ conservation: A comparison among five genera

Effectively conserving biodiversity with limited resources requires scientifically informed and efficient strategies. Guidance is particularly needed on how many living plants are necessary to conserve a threshold level of genetic diversity in ex situ collections. We investigated this question for 11 taxa across five genera. In this first study analysing and optimizing ex situ genetic diversity across multiple genera, we found that the percentage of extant genetic diversity currently conserved varies among taxa from 40% to 95%. Most taxa are well below genetic conservation targets. Resampling datasets showed that ideal collection sizes vary widely even within a genus: one taxon typically required at least 50% more individuals than another (though Quercus was an exception). Still, across taxa, the minimum collection size to achieve genetic conservation goals is within one order of magnitude. Current collections are also suboptimal: they could remain the same size yet capture twice the genetic diversity with an improved sampling design. We term this deficiency the ‘genetic conservation gap’. Lastly, we show that minimum collection sizes are influenced by collection priorities regarding the genetic diversity target. In summary, current collections are insufficient (not reaching targets) and suboptimal (not efficiently designed), and we show how improvements can be made

Virtual Telescopes in Education

Virtual Telescopes in Education is providing the services required to operate a virtual observatory comprising distributed telescopes, including an interactive, constraint-based scheduling service, data and resource archive, proposal preparation and review environment, and a VTIE Journal. A major goal of VTIE is to elicit from learners questions about the nature of celestial objects and the physical processes that give rise to the spectacular imagery that catches their imaginations. Generation of constrained science questions will assist learners in the science process. To achieve interoperability with other NSDL resources, our approach follows the Open Archives Initiative and the W3C Semantic Web activity

Science Investigation System for Telescopes in Education Research

The Virtual Telescopes in Education (VTIE) project, is providing tools for teaching astronomy in K-12 classrooms using remotely controlled telescopes. VTIE's main goal to promote scientific literacy, including a conceptual understanding of the physical world and the scientific process itself. This paper describes an essential component of VTIE: the Scientific Investigation System for Telescopes in Education Research (SISTER). Students are aided in the preparation of their observing proposal by a novel Glossary Tool for dynamically inducing hyperlinks tailored to a student's reading level, a. Proposal Generation Interface to guide them through the process of formulating a scientific question, and a Paper Writing Tool to report the results of the analysis of the data. In this paper we present the architecture and methodology for SISTER.

Longer Weekly Sleep Duration Predicts Greater 3-Month BMI Reduction among Obese Adolescents Attending a Clinical Multidisciplinary Weight Management Program

Aims: To determine whether baseline levels of self-reported sleep and sleep problems among obese adolescents referred to an outpatient multidisciplinary family-based weight management program predict reduction in BMI 3 months later. Methods: A retrospective medical chart review was conducted for 83 obese adolescents. The following baseline variables were extracted: self-reported sleep duration (weekdays and weekends), and presence of snoring, daytime fatigue, suspected sleep apnea, and physician-diagnosed sleep apnea. Anthropometric data at baseline and 3 months were also collected. Results: On average, adolescents reported significantly less sleeping on weeknights (7.7 ± 1.3 h) compared to weekend nights (10.0 ± 1.8 h), t(82) = 10.5, p = 0.0001. Reduction in BMI after 3 months of treatment was predicted by more weekly sleep at baseline (R2 = 0.113, F(1, 80) = 10.2, p = 0.002). Adolescents who reduced their BMI by ≥1 kg/m2 reported greater weekly sleep at baseline compared to adolescents who experienced 2 reduction (60.7 ± 7.5 h vs. 56.4 ± 8.6 h; F(1, 80) = 5.7, p = 0.02). Conclusion: Findings from this study, though correlational, raise the possibility that increased duration of sleep may be associated with weight loss among obese adolescents enrolled in a weight management program. Evidence-based behavioral techniques to improve sleep hygiene and increase sleep duration should be explored in pediatric weight management settings

Susceptibility of community Gram-negative urinary tract isolates to mecillinam and other oral agents

OBJECTIVE: To determine the susceptibility of community outpatient Gram-negative urinary tract isolates to mecillinam and other commonly used oral agents

Susceptibility of Community Gram-Negative Urinary Tract Isolates to Mecillinam and Other Oral Agents

OBJECTIVE: To determine the susceptibility of community outpatient Gram-negative urinary tract isolates to mecillinam and other commonly used oral agents.DESIGN AND SETTING: The study was a laboratory-based study of consecutive Gram-negative urinary tract isolates. Only those isolates considered to be significant pathogens were included in the study. Susceptibility testing was performed using agar dilution methodology following guidelines published by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards.POPULATION STUDIED: Outpatients presenting to a family physician or clinic with signs or symptoms suggestive of a urinary tract infection were included in the study.MAIN RESULTS: Of 2000 consecutive community isolates (91.8% Escherichia coli, 3.9% Klebsiella species, 2.0% Proteus species, 2.3% others), in vitro susceptibilities were: mecillinam 98.8%, ampicillin 77.0%, ciprofloxacin 100%, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole 91.6% and nitrofurantoin 95.4%. Susceptibility to mecillinam was significantly better than all other agents except ciprofloxacin (Pud_less_than0.001, McNemar's test). Organisms with reduced susceptibility to mecillinam included Citrobacter species, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Providencia species.CONCLUSIONS: Community Gram-negative urinary tract isolates remain highly sensitive to mecillinam and ciprofloxacin, but a significant number have developed resistance to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Further studies are required to determine the clinical significance of these results.Peer Reviewe