Long duration thermal hard X-ray sources observed in two eruptive flares

We present observations of two eruptive flares on 17 of December 2006 (C1.9) and 19 of May 2007 (B9.7) which had good coverage with both Hinode and RHESSI. In these flares we see a long lived, gradual thermal hard X-ray source of low emission measure and, relative to the loops observed with GOES and XRT, high temperature. The lack of a non-thermal hard X-ray component and impulsive behaviour is inconsistent with electron beam driven chromospheric evaporation

The Evolution of Dental Materials over the Past Century: Silver and Gold to Tooth Color and Beyond.

The field of dental materials has undergone more of a revolution than an evolution over the past 100 y. The development of new products, especially in the past half century, has occurred at a staggering pace, and their introduction to the market has been equally impressive. The movement has mostly come in the area of improved esthetics, marked by the gradual replacement of dental amalgam with dental composite and all-metal and porcelain-fused-to-metal indirect restorations with reinforced dental ceramics, all made possible by the rapid improvements in dental adhesive materials. This article covers the time course of dental materials development over the past century in which the Journal of Dental Research has been published. While there have been advances in nearly all materials used in the field, this article focuses on several areas, including dental amalgam, dental composites and light curing, dental adhesives and dental cements, ceramics, and new functional repair materials. A few short statements on future advances will be included at the end

Positional proteomics reveals differences in N-terminal proteoform stability

To understand the impact of alternative translation initiation on a proteome, we performed a proteome-wide study on protein turnover using positional proteomics and ribosome profiling to distinguish between N-terminal proteoforms of individual genes. By combining pulsed SILAC with N-terminal COFRADIC, we monitored the stability of 1,941 human N-terminal proteoforms, including 147N-terminal proteoform pairs that originate from alternative translation initiation, alternative splicing or incomplete processing of the initiator methionine. N-terminally truncated proteoforms were less abundant than canonical proteoforms and often displayed altered stabilities, likely attributed to individual protein characteristics, including intrinsic disorder, but independent of N-terminal amino acid identity or truncation length. We discovered that the removal of initiator methionine by methionine aminopeptidases reduced the stability of processed proteoforms, while susceptibility for N-terminal acetylation did not seem to influence protein turnover rates. Taken together, our findings reveal differences in protein stability between N-terminal proteoforms and point to a role for alternative translation initiation and co-translational initiator methionine removal, next to alternative splicing, in the overall regulation of proteome homeostasis

Responses in bacterial community structure to waste nutrients from aquaculture: an in situ microcosm experiment in a Chilean fjord

Indexación: Web of Science; Scopus.Chilean salmon farms release inorganic nutrients excreted by the fish into the surrounding water in Patagonian fjords. The objective of this experiment from the Comau Fjord (42.2 degrees S) in southern Chile was to study how increased input of ammonium (NH4) and phosphate (PO4) from salmon farms might affect the community structure of bacteria in surface waters where fish farms are located. We used microcosms (35 l) with NH4-N and PO4-P added to the natural seawater in a gradient of nutrient-loading rates, with the same N: P ratio as in salmon aquaculture effluents. Additionally, we measured bacterial community structure at different depths in the Comau Fjord to assess the natural variation to compare with our experiment. We used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to create 16S rDNA fingerprints of the bacterial communities and monitored biological and environmental variables (chlorophyll a, inorganic nutrients, pH, microbial abundance). The nutrient- loading rate had a significant impact on the bacterial community structure, and the community dissimilarity between low and high nutrient additions was up to 78%. Of the measured environmental variables, phytoplankton abundance and increased pH from photosynthesis had a significant effect. We observed no significant changes in bacterial diversity, which remained at the same level as in the unmanipulated community. Thus, the bacterial community of the fjord was not resistant, but resilient within the time frame and nutrient gradient of our experiment.http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/aei/v9/p21-32

Religion in education in South Africa: was social justice served?

The promulgation of South African policy regarding the place of religion in public education was delayed until 2003, after a lively debate. The National Policy on Religion in Education effectively banned confessional, sectarian religion from public schools, but allowed for the teaching of Religion Studies as an academic subject and for religious observances, on condition that these were offered in a fair and equitable manner. Given the nature of the debate around religion and education in South Africa,1 it can be asked whether the state has served social justice through this Policy. A discussion of human rights, social justice, morality and the role of the state leads to the conclusion that although the state never actually mentioned the philosophical or moral driving forces behind the Policy, it is most likely that it applied tenets of secularism, value-plurality, pragmatic political expediency and modus Vivendi. This was probably the best route for the state to follow considering how, in the past, education suffered from the over-emphasis of divisive factors. Revised policy could arguably take cognisance of how actors on the ground dealt with this conundrum.Keywords: human rights; morality; religion; religion/religious education; religion in education; social justice; South Africa; stat

The meaning and uses of language test scores: An argument-based approach to validation

In this article, I discuss how the quality of language tests can be determined by means of a validation process. In the past, the quality of language tests was often determined by examining their reliability, content validity and reflection of real-world tasks. There have also been attempts to define the language ability construct, but this has proved to be a divisive issue. Attempts at validation were often unsystematic and adhoc, reflecting a “toolkit” approach. Recent work in validation suggests an argumentbased approach, which focuses on both the interpretation and uses of test scores. One of the main proponents of this approach is Michael T. Kane. I outline and assess his approach to validation and discuss and evaluate the most common inferences in language testing, such as sampling, scoring, generalization, extrapolation, explanation and utilization/decision-making. This approach allows for a systematic approach to the evaluation of tests, but requires further refinement in language testing and assessment.Keywords: validity, validation, argument-based approach, test interpretation, test usefulness, test inference

Education from a post-post-foundationalist perspective and for post-post-foundationalist conditions

Viewed from a Western historical-philosophical perspective, there seem to be at least three broad philosophical orientations on the basis of which Christian educators could approach their pedagogical task. The first is to approach it from a modernist (foundationalist, rationalist) perspective in terms of which the principles and guidelines gleaned from the Bible are cast into a coherent and all-embracing theory that is deterministically applied to ensure certain pedagogical outcomes. The second is just the opposite, namely to operate post-foundationalistically on the basis of a loose collection of Biblical principles and values, and hence to expect the child or young person to muddle through in the postmodern maze in which they are growing up nowadays. The third, referred to in this article as a post-post-foundationalist orientation, an orientation that arguably also can respond appropriately to post-modern conditions, allows the educator to effectively steer through between these two extremes.OpsommingOpvoeding vanuit ‘n post-post-foundationalistiese perspektief, en vir post-post-foundationalistiese toestande. Daar is, gesien vanuit Westerse histories-filosofiese perspektief, ten minste drie breë filosofiese oriëntasies op grondslag waarvan die Christenopvoeder sy or haar pedagogiese taak kan uitvoer. Die eerste is om vanuit ’n modernistiese (foundationalistiese, rasionalistiese) perspektief die beginsels en riglyne wat uit die Skrif verkry word te giet in ’n samehangende en alomvattende teorie wat deterministies toegepas kan word ten einde sekere uitkomste met die opvoedingshandeling te verseker. Die tweede is presies die teenoorgestelde hiervan, naamlik om post-foundationalisties op te voed aan die hand van ’n losse versameling Bybelse beginsels en waardes, en in werklikheid te verwag dat die kind of die jongmens maar deur die hedendaagse postmoderne doolhof moet voortstrompel. Die derde oriëntasie, waarna in hierdie artikel verwys word as post-post-foundationalisties en wat dalk ook gepas is vir die huidige postmoderne omstandighede, laat die opvoeder toe om effektief tussen hierdie twee uiterstes deur te stuur.https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.80.1.221

Temporal video transcoding from H.264/AVC-to-SVC for digital TV broadcasting

Mobile digital TV environments demand flexible video compression like scalable video coding (SVC) because of varying bandwidths and devices. Since existing infrastructures highly rely on H.264/AVC video compression, network providers could adapt the current H.264/AVC encoded video to SVC. This adaptation needs to be done efficiently to reduce processing power and operational cost. This paper proposes two techniques to convert an H.264/AVC bitstream in Baseline (P-pictures based) and Main Profile (B-pictures based) without scalability to a scalable bitstream with temporal scalability as part of a framework for low-complexity video adaptation for digital TV broadcasting. Our approaches are based on accelerating the interprediction, focusing on reducing the coding complexity of mode decision and motion estimation tasks of the encoder stage by using information available after the H. 264/AVC decoding stage. The results show that when our techniques are applied, the complexity is reduced by 98 % while maintaining coding efficiency

Unveiling algorithmic power: exploring the impact of automated systems on disabled people’s engagement with social services

This article examines the impact of algorithmic systems on disabled people’s interactions with social services, focusing on a case study of algorithmic decision-making in Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Through interviews and document analysis, we explore future visions and concerns related to increased automation in NDIS planning and eligibility determinations. We show that while individuals may not fully comprehend the inner workings of algorithmic systems, they develop their own understandings and judgments, shedding light on how power operates through the datafication of disability. The article highlights the significance of addressing epistemic justice concerns, urging a reevaluation of dominant modes of understanding and assessing disability through algorithmic categorisation, while advocating for more nuanced approaches that acknowledge disability’s embeddedness in social relations. The findings have implications for the future use of algorithmic decision-making in the NDIS and disability welfare provision more broadly