Identifying the Implications of most Warming Foods: A Pilot Analysis

The new found popular interest in sustainable development is highly skewed towards areas that are politically visible, such as transport and in particular the evils of air travel. This situation is mirrored in the academic community with an explosion of articles on sustainable transport (an EBSCO web search yielded 552 academic references to Sustainable Transport while for example Sustainable Livestock only found less than 10% of that number1). Nonetheless, only 14% of GHG’s actually result from transport, with as little as 2% coming from aviation, against 32% resulting from agriculture and land use – a major part of which can be directly attributed to the food chain (Stern, 2006). Moreover within the food system, certain areas such as livestock production are particularly problematic with meat and dairy products contributing more than 50% of the total GHG’s emitted (Kramer et al, 1999). Another recent study in the UK shows that GHG emissions attributable to meat and dairy consumption are about 4 times more than the GHG emissions generated from fruit and vegetable consumption (Garnett, 2007).Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Industrial Organization,

Beach Wheelchair Attachment

This document includes the problem that is under scrutiny, the background research towards finding a solution, the objectives, scope of the project, the planned overall design process, the preliminary design we have produced and analyzed, the critical design we have manufactured, the testing and results, and the final assessment of the produced design. The problem is lack of easy access and movement for wheelchair users on the beach. Other solutions and designs have been logged under background research. With this information, the scope of work was designed to meet all the needs specified and describe how the specifications will be measured. The overall process was undertaken to produce multiple designs which were then refined into a preliminary design to move forward with. A timeline for the project and analysis of the preliminary design have been specified. The critical design and manufacturing plan for the design are mentioned as well. The critical design is a wheel and lever ratchet mechanism that can be easily attached to any manual quick-release axle wheelchair. The design is a three-part assembly: the ratcheting hub and wheels are the first assembly, the second is the lever which attaches to the first assembly, and the third assembly is the separate front wheel ski mechanism to prevent sinking into the sand

A Spatial Characterization of the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy Tidal Tails

We measure the spatial density of F turnoff stars in the Sagittarius dwarf tidal stream, from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data, using statistical photometric parallax. We find a set of continuous, consistent parameters that describe the leading Sgr stream's position, direction, and width for 15 stripes in the North Galactic Cap, and 3 stripes in the South Galactic Cap. We produce a catalog of stars that has the density characteristics of the dominant leading Sgr tidal stream that can be compared with simulations. We find that the width of the leading (North) tidal tail is consistent with recent triaxial and axisymmetric halo model simulations. The density along the stream is roughly consistent common disruption models in the North, but possibly not in the South. We explore the possibility that one or more of the dominant Sgr streams has been mis-identified, and that one or more of the `bifurcated' pieces is the real Sgr tidal tail, but we do not reach definite conclusions. If two dwarf progenitors are assumed, fits to the planes of the dominant and `bifurcated' tidal tails favor an association of the Sgr dwarf spheroidal galaxy with the dominant Southern stream and the `bifurcated' stream in the North. In the North Galactic Cap, the best fit Hernquist density profile for the smooth component of the stellar halo is oblate, with a flattening parameter q = 0.53, and a scale length of r_0 = 6.73. The Southern data for both the tidal debris and the smooth component of the stellar halo do not match the model fits to the North, although the stellar halo is still overwhelmingly oblate. Finally, we verify that we can reproduce the parameter fits on the asynchronous Milkyway@home volunteer computing platform.Comment: 35 pages, 8 figures, 9 tables. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

The Overdensity in Virgo, Sagittarius Debris, and the Asymmetric Spheroid

We investigate the relationship between several previously identified Galactic halo stellar structures in the direction of Virgo using imaging and spectroscopic observations of F turnoff stars and blue horizontal branch stars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE). We show that the Sagittarius dwarf leading tidal tail does not pass through the solar neighborhood; it misses the Sun by more than 15 kpc, passing through the Galactic plane outside the Solar Circle. It also is not spatially coincident with the large stellar overdensity S297+63-20.5 in the Virgo constellation. S297+63-20.5 has a distinct turnoff color and kinematics. Faint (g ~ 20.3) turnoff stars in S297+63-20.5 have line-of-sight, Galactic standard of rest velocities V(GSR)= 130 +/- 10 km/s, opposite in sign to infalling Sgr tail stars. The path of the Sgr leading tidal tail is also inconsistent with the positions of some of the nearer stars with which it has been associated, and whose velocities have favored models with prolate Milky Way potentials. We additionally show that the number densities of brighter (g ~ 19.8) F turnoff stars are not symmetric about the Galactic center, and that this discrepancy is not primarily due to the S297+63-20.5 moving group. Either the spheroid is asymmetric about the Galactic center, or there are additional substructures that conspire to be on the same side of the Galaxy as S297+63-20.5. The S297+63-20.5 overdensity in Virgo is likely associated with two other previously identified Virgo substructures: the Virgo Stellar Stream (VSS) and the Virgo Overdensity (VOD). However, the velocity difference between the VSS and S297+63-20.5 and the difference in distance estimates between the VOD and S297+63-20.5 must be reconciled.Comment: 10 figures, ApJ in pres

Tracing the Hercules stream around the Galaxy

It has been proposed that the Hercules stream, a group of co-moving stars in the Solar neighborhood offset from the bulk of the velocity distribution, is the result of resonant interactions between stars in the outer disk and the Galactic bar. So far it has only been seen in the immediate Solar neighborhood, but the resonance model makes a prediction over a large fraction of the Galactic disk. I predict the distribution of stellar velocities and the changing Hercules feature in this distribution as a function of location in the Galactic disk in a simple model for the Galaxy and the bar that produces the observed Hercules stream. The Hercules feature is expected to be strong enough to be unambiguously detected in the distribution of line-of-sight velocities in selected directions. I identify quantitatively the most promising lines of sight for detection in line-of-sight velocities using the Kullback-Leibler divergence between the predictions of the resonance model and an axisymmetric model; these directions are at 250 deg <~ l <~ 290 deg. The predictions presented here are only weakly affected by distance uncertainties, assumptions about the distribution function in the stellar disk, and the details of the Galactic potential including the effect of spiral structure. Gaia and future spectroscopic surveys of the Galactic disk such as APOGEE and HERMES will be able to robustly test the origin of the Hercules stream and constrain the properties of the Galactic bar

Chlorpromazine for schizophrenia: a Cochrane systematic review of 50 years of randomised controlled trials

BACKGROUND: Chlorpromazine (CPZ) remains one of the most common drugs used for people with schizophrenia worldwide, and a benchmark against which other treatments can be evaluated. Quantitative reviews are rare; this one evaluates the effects of chlorpromazine in the treatment of schizophrenia in comparison with placebo. METHODS: We sought all relevant randomised controlled trials (RCT) comparing chlorpromazine to placebo by electronic and reference searching, and by contacting trial authors and the pharmaceutical industry. Data were extracted from selected trials and, where possible, synthesised and random effects relative risk (RR), the number needed to treat (NNT) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) calculated. RESULTS: Fifty RCTs from 1955–2000 were included with 5276 people randomised to CPZ or placebo. They constitute 2008 person-years spent in trials. Meta-analysis of these trials showed that chlorpromazine promotes a global improvement (n = 1121, 13 RCTs, RR 0.76 CI 0.7 to 0.9, NNT 7 CI 5 to 10), although a considerable placebo response is also seen. People allocated to chlorpromazine tended not to leave trials early in both the short (n = 945, 16 RCTs, RR 0.74 CI 0.5 to 1.1) and medium term (n = 1861, 25 RCTs, RR 0.79 CI 0.6 to 1.1). There were, however, many adverse effects. Chlorpromazine is sedating (n = 1242, 18 RCTs, RR 2.3 CI 1.7 to 3.1, NNH 6 CI 5 to 8), increases a person's chances of experiencing acute movement disorders, Parkinsonism and causes low blood pressure with dizziness and dry mouth. CONCLUSION: It is understandable why the World Health Organization (WHO) have endorsed and included chlorpromazine in their list of essential drugs for use in schizophrenia. Low- and middle-income countries may have more complete evidence upon which to base their practice compared with richer nations using recent innovations

Substructure Boosts to Dark Matter Annihilation from Sommerfeld Enhancement

The recently introduced Sommerfeld enhancement of the dark matter annihilation cross section has important implications for the detection of dark matter annihilation in subhalos in the Galactic halo. In addition to the boost to the dark matter annihilation cross section from the high densities of these subhalos with respect to the main halo, an additional boost caused by the Sommerfeld enhancement results from the fact that they are kinematically colder than the Galactic halo. If we further believe the generic prediction of CDM that in each subhalo there is an abundance of substructure which is approximately self-similar to that of the Galactic halo, then I show that additional boosts coming from the density enhancements of these small substructures and their small velocity dispersions enhance the dark matter annihilation cross section even further. I find that very large boost factors ($10^5$ to $10^9$) are obtained in a large class of models. The implications of these boost factors for the detection of dark matter annihilation from dwarf Spheroidal galaxies in the Galactic halo are such that, generically, they outshine the background gamma-ray flux and are detectable by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.Comment: PRD in pres

An orphan cbb3-type cytochrome oxidase subunit supports Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm growth and virulence

Hypoxia is a common challenge faced by bacteria during associations with hosts due in part to the formation of densely packed communities (biofilms). cbb3-type cytochrome c oxidases, which catalyze the terminal step in respiration and have a high affinity for oxygen, have been linked to bacterial pathogenesis. The pseudomonads are unusual in that they often contain multiple full and partial (i.e. ‘orphan’) operons for cbb3-type oxidases and oxidase subunits. Here, we describe a unique role for the orphan catalytic subunit CcoN4 in colony biofilm development and respiration in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14. We also show that CcoN4 contributes to the reduction of phenazines, antibiotics that support redox balancing for cells in biofilms, and to virulence in a Caenorhabditis elegans model of infection. These results highlight the relevance of the colony biofilm model to pathogenicity and underscore the potential of cbb3-type oxidases as therapeutic targets

A small molecule ApoE4-targeted therapeutic candidate that normalizes sirtuin 1 levels and improves cognition in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model.

We describe here the results from the testing of a small molecule first-in-class apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4)-targeted sirtuin1 (SirT1) enhancer, A03, that increases the levels of the neuroprotective enzyme SirT1 while not affecting levels of neurotoxic sirtuin 2 (SirT2) in vitro in ApoE4-transfected cells. A03 was identified by high-throughput screening (HTS) and found to be orally bioavailable and brain penetrant. In vivo, A03 treatment increased SirT1 levels in the hippocampus of 5XFAD-ApoE4 (E4FAD) Alzheimer's disease (AD) model mice and elicited cognitive improvement while inducing no observed toxicity. We were able to resolve the enantiomers of A03 and show using in vitro models that the L-enantiomer was more potent than the corresponding D-enantiomer in increasing SirT1 levels. ApoE4 expression has been shown to decrease the level of the NAD-dependent deacetylase and major longevity determinant SirT1 in brain tissue and serum of AD patients as compared to normal controls. A deficiency in SirT1 level has been recently implicated in increased tau acetylation, a dominant post-translational modification and key pathological event in AD and tauopathies. Therefore, as a novel approach to therapeutic development for AD, we targeted identification of compounds that enhance and normalize brain SirT1 levels

2nd Eudaimonia in digital games workshop

The concept of eudaimonia in the study of video games has been of increasing interest in recent years, especially as juxtaposed to the idea of hedonia which is often assumed as lying at the heart of most video game play experiences. However, there is a lack of consensus on what eudaimonia exactly is, how it manifests in the player experience, and what effect it could have on the emotional experience of game play. Discussion of this topic is often focused within the areas of psychology, HCI and media and communication studies. This workshop brings researchers from across a broader range of fields, such as those represented at FDG, to discuss this emerging and important concept and create a cross-field research agenda that can further investigate this concept within the field of digital games. This proposal builds upon a similar workshop successfully run for the first time at FDG 2023