Some examples of the degradation of properties of materials in space

The space environment effects on the silver teflon covering (solar panels) of two SOLRAD SATELLITES AND NTS-Z are examined to analyze the design requirements for the Shuttle Launch Dispenser (SLD)

Votre Polka

This is a collection of poems from my time in the MFA program. Divided into two sections, the first deals mainly with narrative poems and are newer, the second deals mainly with lyric poems and are more personal

The Color of Lactotroph Secretory Granules Stained with FM1-43 Depends on Dye Concentration

AbstractWhen pituitary lactotroph granules undergo exocytosis in the presence of FM1-43, their cores absorb dye and fluoresce brightly. We report that different granules fluoresce with different colors, despite being stained with a single fluorescent dye; emission spectra from individual granules show up to a 25nm difference between the greenest and reddest granules. We found a correlation between granule color and average fluorescence intensity, suggesting that granule color depends upon dye concentration. We confirmed this in two ways: by increasing FM dye concentration in granules, which red shifted granule color, and by partially photobleaching the FM dye in granules, which green shifted granule color. Increasing stimulation intensity (by increasing KCl concentration) increased the proportion of red granules, indicating that granules exocytosing during intense stimulation bound more dye. This, perhaps, reflects differences in granule core maturation and condensation in which mature granules with condensed cores bind more FM dye but require more intense stimulation to be released. Concentration-dependent color shifts of FM dyes may be useful for monitoring aggregation processes occurring on a size scale smaller than the optical limit

Scarecrows and Scapegoats: The Futility and Power of Cleaning a Landscape

This paper investigates why the culling of corvids in Northern Cyprus continues despite it being recognised by those that do it as ineffective. Participant observation, semi-structured interviews and archival research were conducted with a range of people involved in the management and practice of culling. The analysis shows that the introduction of the ruined landscape narrative to Cyprus during the era of British colonialism established a division between civilized and uncivilized, clean, and dirty behaviours amongst nonhuman animals. This relationship has been carried through into contemporary wildlife management by organisations involved in hunting who seek to maintain a clean hunting landscape through culling. However, it is argued here that this culling is futile and there is a disconnect between the effectiveness of the management of the landscape and what hunters are witnessing during hunting. Nonetheless, it continues because the cleaning of corvids as administratively recorded waste demonstrates the organisations’ and their administrative medium’s power and control over the landscape

Multi-layer atom chips for versatile atom micro manipulation

We employ a combination of optical UV- and electron-beam-lithography to create an atom chip combining sub-micron wire structures with larger conventional wires on a single substrate. The new multi-layer fabrication enables crossed wire configurations, greatly enhancing the flexibility in designing potentials for ultra cold quantum gases and Bose-Einstein condensates. Large current densities of >6 x 10^7 A/cm^2 and high voltages of up to 65 V across 0.3 micron gaps are supported by even the smallest wire structures. We experimentally demonstrate the flexibility of the next generation atom chip by producing Bose-Einstein condensates in magnetic traps created by a combination of wires involving all different fabrication methods and structure sizes.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Insecure attachment as a transdiagnostic risk factor for major psychiatric conditions: A meta-analysis in bipolar disorder, depression and schizophrenia spectrum disorder

Insecure attachment has been suggested as a major risk factor for mental health problems as well as a key element for the development and trajectory of psychiatric disorders. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess whether insecure attachment constitutes a global transdiagnostic risk factor in bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. We conducted a PRISMA-based systematic quantitative review to explore the prevalence of insecure attachment among patients of three representative psychiatric disorders - major depression, schizophrenia spectrum disorders and bipolar disorder - in comparison with healthy controls (HC) from a transdiagnostic point of view. Effect sizes on differences of anxious, avoidant and insecure prevalence were calculated based on 40 samples including a total of n = 2927 individuals. Overall, results indicated a large effect on prevalence of insecure attachment across all disorders compared to HC (k = 30, g = 0.88, I2 = 71.0%, p < 0.001). In a transdiagnostic comparison, the only difference was found in avoidant attachment, which was significantly lower (p = 0.04) compared to HC in the schizophrenia spectrum disorder subgroup (k = 10, g = 0.31, I2 = 76.60%, p < 0.0001) than the depression subgroup subgroup (k = 12, g = 0.83, I2 = 46.65%, p < 0.0001). The lack of further transdiagnostic differences between three distinct psychiatric disorders corroborates insecure attachment as a general vulnerability factor to psychopathology. Our findings warrant further investigations, which should explore the pathways from attachment insecurity towards psychopathology. Insecure attachment likely has implications on assessment, prediction and treatment of psychiatric patients

Application of immunocytochemistry and BRAF mutational analysis to direct smears of metastatic melanoma

BACKGROUND: The cytodiagnosis of melanoma in fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) specimens can be challenging, often requiring the use of immunocytochemistry. As constitutively activating mutations in the BRAF oncogene are present in at least 40% of melanomas, the use of FNA material to interrogate the BRAF mutational status is likely to increase. Because cell blocks, traditionally used for these studies, can occasionally exhibit insufficient tumor cellularity, the authors investigated the utility of direct smears for immunocytochemistry and BRAF mutational analysis. METHODS: Immunocytochemistry for S‐100, HMB‐45, and Mart‐1 was prospectively performed on direct smears in 17 FNAs of metastatic melanoma. Next, BRAF sequencing was performed using DNA isolated from archived Diff‐Quik–stained direct smears for 15 cases. In parallel, sequencing was performed using DNA obtained from corresponding cell blocks. RESULTS: S‐100 positivity in the tumor cells was observed in all 17 cases. HMB‐45 and Mart‐1 positivity was noted in 81% and 88% of cases, respectively. All 3 markers were positive in 76% of cases. Next, of the 15 archived melanoma FNAs tested, BRAF mutations were observed in 8 (53%); 5 and 3 melanomas harbored the V600E and V600K mutation, respectively. Corresponding cell blocks were also tested for all 15 cases, yielding concordant BRAF results in 14 (93%); 1 cell block yielded a false‐negative result. CONCLUSIONS: Cytologic direct smears represent a robust and valuable source of cellular material for immunocytochemistry and molecular studies, especially in instances in which inadequate cell block cellularity is anticipated or encountered. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2012. © 2011 American Cancer Society. This study demonstrates that direct smears represent a robust and valuable source of cellular material for ancillary studies used in the cytologic diagnosis of melanoma. Direct smears can be effectively used for confirmatory immunocytochemical studies and molecular assays designed to interrogate the BRAF mutational status of melanoma, especially in scenarios in which inadequate cell block cellularity is anticipated or encountered.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90193/1/20180_ftp.pd

Deciphering reward-based decision-making in schizophrenia: a meta-analysis and behavioral modeling of the Iowa Gambling Task

Background: Patients with schizophrenia (SZP) have been reported to exhibit impairments in reward-based decision-making, but results are heterogeneous with multiple potential confounds such as age, intelligence level, clinical symptoms or medication, making it difficult to evaluate the robustness of these impairments. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of studies comparing the performance of SZP and healthy controls (HC) in the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) as well as comprehensive analyses based on subject-level data (n = 303 SZP, n = 188 HC) to investigate reward-based decision-making in SZP. To quantify differences in the influence of individual deck features (immediate gain, gain frequency, net loss) between SZP and HC, we additionally employed a least-squares model. Results: SZP showed statistically significant suboptimal decisions as indicated by disadvantageous deck choices (d from 0.51 to −0.62) and lower net scores (d from −0.35 to −1.03) in a meta-analysis of k = 29 samples (n = 1127 SZP, n = 1149 HC) and these results were confirmed in a complementary subject-level analysis. Moreover, decision-making in SZP was characterized by a relative overweighting of immediate gain and net losses and an underweighting of gain frequency. Moderator analyses revealed that in part, decision-making in the IGT was moderated by intelligence level, medication and general symptom scores. Conclusion: Our results indicate robust impairments in reward-based decision-making in SZP and suggest that decreased cognitive resources, such as working memory, may contribute to these alterations