Results of the 2003-2004 Illinois Youth Hunter Survey

Federal Aid Project Number W-112-R-13, Job Number 103.1, Wildlife Restoration Fund, July 1, 2003 - Sept. 30, 2004Report issued on: December 22, 200

Direct Microlensing-Reverberation Observations of the Intrinsic magnetic Structure of AGN in Different Spectral States: A Tale of Two Quasars

We show how direct microlensing-reverberation analysis performed on two well-known Quasars (Q2237 - The Einstein Cross and Q0957 - The Twin) can be used to observe the inner structure of two quasars which are in significantly different spectral states. These observations allow us to measure the detailed internal structure of quasar Q2237 in a radio quiet high-soft state, and compare it to quasar Q0957 in a radio loud low-hard state. We find that the observed differences in the spectral states of these two quasars can be understood as being due to the location of the inner radii of their accretion disks relative to the co-rotation radii of rotating intrinsically magnetic supermassive compact objects in the centers of these quasars.Comment: 26 page manuscript with 2 tables and 2 figures, submitted to Astronomical Journa

Accuracy of Cancer Information on the Internet: A Comparison of a Wiki with a Professionally Maintained Database

Background: A Wiki is a website which can be directly, openly edited; Wikipedia, a collaborative encyclopedia, is a well-known example. Due to Wiki’s lack of editorial control and formal structure, we hypothesized that the content would be less complete and less accurate than that presented on a formal, peer-reviewed web site. Our goal was to compare the coverage, accuracy, and readability of cancer information from a Wiki (Wikipedia) with a peer-reviewed web site, the patientoriented National Cancer Institute’s Physician Data Query (PDQ) comprehensive cancer database. American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 46th Annual Meeting June 4-8, Chicago, IL

Time-Dependent Statistical and Correlation Properties of Neural Signals during Handwriting

To elucidate the cortical control of handwriting, we examined time-dependent statistical and correlational properties of simultaneously recorded 64-channel electroencephalograms (EEGs) and electromyograms (EMGs) of intrinsic hand muscles. We introduced a statistical method, which offered advantages compared to conventional coherence methods. In contrast to coherence methods, which operate in the frequency domain, our method enabled us to study the functional association between different neural regions in the time domain. In our experiments, subjects performed about 400 stereotypical trials during which they wrote a single character. These trials provided time-dependent EMG and EEG data capturing different handwriting epochs. The set of trials was treated as a statistical ensemble, and time-dependent correlation functions between neural signals were computed by averaging over that ensemble. We found that trial-to-trial variability of both the EMGs and EEGs was well described by a log-normal distribution with time-dependent parameters, which was clearly distinguished from the normal (Gaussian) distribution. We found strong and long-lasting EMG/EMG correlations, whereas EEG/EEG correlations, which were also quite strong, were short-lived with a characteristic correlation durations on the order of 100 ms or less. Our computations of correlation functions were restricted to the spectral range (13–30 Hz) of EEG signals where we found the strongest effects related to handwriting. Although, all subjects involved in our experiments were right-hand writers, we observed a clear symmetry between left and right motor areas: inter-channel correlations were strong if both channels were located over the left or right hemispheres, and 2–3 times weaker if the EEG channels were located over different hemispheres. Although we observed synchronized changes in the mean energies of EEG and EMG signals, we found that EEG/EMG correlations were much weaker than EEG/EEG and EMG/EMG correlations. The absence of strong correlations between EMG and EEG signals indicates that (i) a large fraction of the EEG signal includes electrical activity unrelated to low-level motor variability; (ii) neural processing of cortically-derived signals by spinal circuitry may reduce the correlation between EEG and EMG signals

Value Conflict, Lack of Rewards, and Sense of Community as Psychosocial Risk Factors of Burnout in Communication Professionals (Press, Radio, and Television)

Journalists are at particular risk of work-related stress and burnout. The objective of this study is to describe and analyze the principal factors involved in the appearance of burnout in communication professionals, as well as the possible interactions between them and with self-reported health, and to observe whether the variables involved are the same in different types of environments. To achieve this objective, 292 participants answered the following measurement instruments: Demographic and labor datasheet; Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI General survey); Areas of Worklife Scale (AWS); and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ -12). The results were the following: Emotional Exhaustion (EE) shows direct correlation and statistical significance with the other two burnout dimensions, Depersonalization (DP) and Personal Accomplishment (PA), also with health perception variables and inverse and statistical significance with the workload, control, rewards, community, fairness, and values. A multiple linear regression model shows workload and values as inverse EE predictors, which confirms a burnout process in which EE contributes as the main dimension in DP and is shown to be a precursor of PA, itself. When comparing different types of media, journalists who work in institutional press offices presented significantly lower scores in PA and higher in control, rewards, community, justice, and values. Therefore, further research should be carried out in order to analyze the protective role of these variables regarding PA and burnout

Gad65 is recognized by t-cells, but not by antibodies from nod-mice

Since the 64kDa-protein glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) is one of the major autoantigens in T-cell mediated Type 1 diabetes, its relevance as a T-cell antigen needs to be clarified. After isolation of splenic T-cells from non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice, a useful model for human Type 1 diabetes, we found that these T-cells proliferate spontaneously when incubated with human GAD65, but only marginally after incubation with GAD67, both recombinated in the baculovirus system. No effect was observed with non-diabetic NOD mice or with T-cells from H-2 identical NON-NOD-H-2g7 control mice. It has been published previously that NOD mice develop autoantibodies against a 64kDa protein detected with mouse beta cells. In immunoprecipitation experiments with sera from the same NOD mice and 33S-methionine-labelled GAD, no autoantibody binding could be detected. We conclude firstly that GAD65 is an important T-cell antigen which is relevant early in the development of Type 1 diabetes and secondly that there is an antigenic epitope in the human GAD65 molecule recognized by NOD T-cells, but not by NOD autoantibodies precipitating conformational epitopes. Our results therefore provide further evidence that GAD65 is a T-cell antigen in NOD mice, being possibly also involved in very early processes leading to the development of human Type 1 diabetes

Investigating the physical properties of transiting hot Jupiters with the 1.5-m Kuiper Telescope

We present new photometric data of 11 hot Jupiter transiting exoplanets (CoRoT-12b, HAT-P-5b, HAT-P-12b, HAT-P-33b, HAT-P-37b, WASP-2b, WASP-24b, WASP-60b, WASP-80b, WASP-103b, XO-3b) in order to update their planetary parameters and to constrain information about their atmospheres. These observations of CoRoT-12b, HAT-P-37b and WASP-60b are the first follow-up data since their discovery. Additionally, the first near-UV transits of WASP-80b and WASP-103b are presented. We compare the results of our analysis with previous work to search for transit timing variations (TTVs) and a wavelength dependence in the transit depth. TTVs may be evidence of a third body in the system and variations in planetary radius with wavelength can help constrain the properties of the exoplanet's atmosphere. For WASP-103b and XO-3b, we find a possible variation in the transit depths that may be evidence of scattering in their atmospheres. The B-band transit depth of HAT-P-37b is found to be smaller than its near-IR transit depth and such a variation may indicate TiO/VO absorption. These variations are detected from 2-4.6$\sigma$, so follow-up observations are needed to confirm these results. Additionally, a flat spectrum across optical wavelengths is found for 5 of the planets (HAT-P-5b, HAT-P-12b, WASP-2b, WASP-24b, WASP-80b), suggestive that clouds may be present in their atmospheres. We calculate a refined orbital period and ephemeris for all the targets, which will help with future observations. No TTVs are seen in our analysis with the exception of WASP-80b and follow-up observations are needed to confirm this possible detection.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, 9 Tables. Light Curves available online. Accepted to MNRAS (2017 August 25