Optical Polarization of 52 Radio-Loud QSOs and BL Lac Objects

Polarization measurements are presented for 52 radio-loud QSOs and BL Lac objects. For 9 highly polarized (p >3%) AGN, these are the first published polarization measurements. Of these 9, 7 are highly-polarized QSOs (HPQs), one is a BL Lac object and another is a likely BL Lac object. Polarization variability is confirmed for some of these new and previously known highly-polarized AGN. While 6 of the HPQs have flat radio spectra are almost certainly blazars, PKS 1452-217 is probably a new member of the rare class of radio-loud QSOs that show high polarization by scattering, and is therefore important for testing orientation Unified Schemes. In competition for the highest redshift HPQ are the well-observed QSO PKS 0438-43 at z = 2.85, with maximum p = 4.7%, and PKS 0046-315 at z = 2.72, for which we find p = 13%.Comment: 6 pages. Astronomical Journal, in pres

An Evaluation of Retinal Imaging Technology for 4-H Beef and Sheep Identification

The study reported here evaluated retinal imaging technology as a means of permanent identification of 4-H beef and sheep. The OptiReader» Device was used to capture digital images of 491 beef and 220 sheep during 4-H enrollment. A total of 317 beef and 159 sheep were re-imaged. The on-site visual verification rate was 96.2% for beef and 100% for sheep. A visual verification exercise showed that individuals could identify a pair of retinal images as a match 98.6 % of the time for beef. Retinal imaging is a viable method for enrolling beef and sheep

SEWAL: an open-source platform for next-generation sequence analysis and visualization

Next-generation DNA sequencing platforms provide exciting new possibilities for in vitro genetic analysis of functional nucleic acids. However, the size of the resulting data sets presents computational and analytical challenges. We present an open-source software package that employs a locality-sensitive hashing algorithm to enumerate all unique sequences in an entire Illumina sequencing run (∼108 sequences). The algorithm results in quasilinear time processing of entire Illumina lanes (∼107 sequences) on a desktop computer in minutes. To facilitate visual analysis of sequencing data, the software produces three-dimensional scatter plots similar in concept to Sewall Wright and John Maynard Smith’s adaptive or fitness landscape. The software also contains functions that are particularly useful for doped selections such as mutation frequency analysis, information content calculation, multivariate statistical functions (including principal component analysis), sequence distance metrics, sequence searches and sequence comparisons across multiple Illumina data sets. Source code, executable files and links to sample data sets are available at http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/sewal

Spatial Dynamics Of Vertical And Horizontal Intergovernmental Collaboration

Although researchers have made progress in understanding motivations behind local government collaboration, there is little research that explores the spatial dynamics of such interactions. Does the idea of collaboration travel horizontally, passed from neighbor to neighbor, or is vertical leadership from state, county, or regional actors more important in influencing local governments’ decisions to share resources and functions? What factors influence local governments’ choices to collaborate with their neighbors versus a regional entity, county, or state government? In this article, we investigate the importance of vertical and horizontal influences when local governments decide to collaborate around land use planning. Using data from a survey of Michigan local government officials, we take a spatial statistical approach to answering this question. We find widespread evidence of collaboration at multiple scales, and observe patterns of both horizontal and vertical influence. We also find that contextual factors help to explain these patterns of collaboration.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112248/1/juaf12139.pd

The Mechanochemistry of Endocytosis

An integrated theoretical model reveals how the chemical and the mechanical aspects of endocytosis are coordinated coherently in yeast cells, driving progression through the endocytic pathway and ensuring efficient vesicle scission in vivo

Pericoronary and periaortic adipose tissue density are associated with inflammatory disease activity in Takayasu arteritis and atherosclerosis.

AimsTo examine pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) and periaortic adipose tissue (PAAT) density on coronary computed tomography angiography for assessing arterial inflammation in Takayasu arteritis (TAK) and atherosclerosis.Methods and resultsPCAT and PAAT density was measured in coronary (n = 1016) and aortic (n = 108) segments from 108 subjects [TAK + coronary artery disease (CAD), n = 36; TAK, n = 18; atherosclerotic CAD, n = 32; matched controls, n = 22]. Median PCAT and PAAT densities varied between groups (mPCAT: P P = 0.0002). PCAT density was 7.01 ± standard error of the mean (SEM) 1.78 Hounsfield Unit (HU) higher in coronary segments from TAK + CAD patients than stable CAD patients (P = 0.0002), and 8.20 ± SEM 2.04 HU higher in TAK patients without CAD than controls (P = 0.0001). mPCAT density was correlated with Indian Takayasu Clinical Activity Score (r = 0.43, P = 0.001) and C-reactive protein (r = 0.41, P P = 0.002). mPCAT density above -74 HU had 100% sensitivity and 95% specificity for differentiating active TAK from controls [area under the curve = 0.99 (95% confidence interval 0.97-1)]. The association of PCAT density and coronary arterial inflammation measured by 68Ga-DOTATATE positron emission tomography (PET) equated to an increase of 2.44 ± SEM 0.77 HU in PCAT density for each unit increase in 68Ga-DOTATATE maximum tissue-to-blood ratio (P = 0.002). These findings remained in multivariable sensitivity analyses adjusted for potential confounders.ConclusionsPCAT and PAAT density are higher in TAK than atherosclerotic CAD or controls and are associated with clinical, biochemical, and PET markers of inflammation. Owing to excellent diagnostic accuracy, PCAT density could be useful as a clinical adjunct for assessing disease activity in TAK

The Outer Solar System Origins Survey : I. Design and First-Quarter Discoveries

We report the discovery, tracking, and detection circumstances for 85 trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) from the first 42 deg(2) of the Outer Solar System Origins Survey. This ongoing r-band solar system survey uses the 0.9 deg(2) field of view MegaPrime camera on the 3.6m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. Our orbital elements for these TNOs are precise to a fractional semimajor axis uncertaintyPeer reviewe

Economic segregation and urban growth

Many studies have investigated the socioeconomic consequences of residential economic segregation in U.S. urban areas. These studies mainly focus on the impact of economic segregation on the poor or minorities and almost universally find that economic segregation hurts these groups in many ways. However, few studies investigate how economic segregation relates to the economic growth of an urban area as a whole. While there are papers that study this issue theoretically, empirical evidence is lacking. The motivation of this paper is to fill this gap. Using U.S. census data, this study documents a significant negative relationship between the initial levels of economic segregation in 1980 and the subsequent economic growth, indexed by metropolitan population growth, in 1980-2000 in U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). Holding other things constant, MSAs having higher initial levels of economic segregation experienced substantially slower subsequent population growth

The Impact of Advocacy Organizations on Low-Income Housing Policy in U.S. Cities

Financial support for affordable housing competes with many other municipal priorities. This work seeks to explain the variation in support for affordable housing among U.S. cities with populations of 100,000 or more. Using multivariate statistical analysis, this research investigates political explanations for the level of city expenditures on housing and community with a particular interest in the influence of housing advocacy organizations (AOs). Data for the model were gathered from secondary sources, including the U.S. Census and the National Center for Charitable Statistics. Among other results, the analysis indicates that, on average, the political maturity of AOs has a statistically significant, positive effect on local housing and community development expenditures