Understanding eScience: Reflections on a Houston Symposium

EScience is a research methodology combining data collection, storage and networking on a massive scale. By its very nature, eScience presents new and diverse opportunities in librarianship. While various academic institutions such as Cornell, Georgia Tech, and the University of Massachusetts are already engaged in well-established projects at their libraries, eScience is still relatively new to many others. To explain eScience and its implications for medical librarians within the Texas Medical Center, The Texas Medical Center (TMC) Library hosted an event on February 13, 2012, called Understanding eScience: A Symposium for Medical Librarians. Funded in part by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine--South Central Region (NN/LM-SCR), this symposium’s core was a panel of scientists and librarians serving various roles in eScience research. These experts described their work to identify concrete opportunities and challenges for libraries hoping to take on similar roles. Designed with an emphasis on medical librarians, the symposium provided an educational and collaborative opportunity for librarians of all specialties. Within this article, the authors share their experiences in planning and hosting an eScience event and the catalyst it provided for The TMC Library’s on-going involvement in eScience research and collaborations

Collection Development Based on Patron Requests: Collaboration between Interlibrary Loan and Acquisitions

Libraries are exploring new models of collaboration between interlibrary loan, collection development, and acquisitions. This paper presents two models in which libraries set aside acquisitions or other funds to purchase books requested by patrons through interlibrary loan processes. Workflows, scope criteria, and departmental relationships are described. The article reports on several aspects of the effectiveness of these models, such as turnaround time (comparable to traditional ILL loans), average cost per book ($37.00), and patron satisfaction (very high). The authors also address the subsequent circulation of titles and report on the bibliographers’ analysis of the relevance of the titles to the collection of one of the libraries

Potential for definitive discovery of a 70 GeV dark matter WIMP with only second-order gauge couplings

As astronomical observations and their interpretation improve, the case for cold dark matter (CDM) becomes increasingly persuasive. A particularly appealing version of CDM is a weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) with a mass near the electroweak scale, which can naturally have the observed relic abundance after annihilation in the early universe. But in order for a WIMP to be consistent with the currently stringent experimental constraints it must have relatively small cross-sections for indirect, direct, and collider detection. Using our calculations and estimates of these cross-sections, we discuss the potential for discovery of a recently proposed dark matter WIMP which has a mass of about 70 GeV/c$^2$ and only second-order couplings to W and Z bosons. There is evidence that indirect detection may already have been achieved, since analyses of the gamma rays detected by Fermi-LAT and the antiprotons observed by AMS-02 are consistent with 70 GeV dark matter having our calculated $\langle \sigma_{ann} v \rangle \approx 1.2 \times 10^{-26}$ cm$^3$/s. The estimated sensitivities for LZ and XENONnT indicate that these experiments may achieve direct detection within the next few years, since we estimate the relevant cross-section to be slightly above $10^{-48}$ cm$^2$. Other experiments such as PandaX, SuperCDMS, and especially DARWIN should be able to confirm on a longer time scale. The high-luminosity LHC might achieve collider detection within about 15 years, since we estimate a collider cross-section slightly below 1 femtobarn. Definitive confirmation should come from still more powerful planned collider experiments (such as a future circular collider) within 15-35 years.Comment: 6 page

Using data analytics for collaboration patterns in distributed software team simulations: the role of dashboards in visualizing global software development patterns

This paper discusses how previous work on global software development learning teams is extended with the introduction of data analytics. The work is based on several years of studying student teams working in distributed software team simulations. The scope of this paper is twofold. First it demonstrates how data analytics can be used for the analysis of collaboration between members of distributed software teams. Second it describes the development of a dashboard to be used for the visualization of various types of information in relation to Global Software Development (GSD). Due to the nature of this work, and the need for continuous pilot studies, simulations of distributed software teams have been created with the participation of learners from a number of institutions. This paper discusses two pilot studies with the participation of six institutions from two different countries

Distinct responses of soil respiration to experimental litter manipulation in temperate woodland and tropical forest

Global change is affecting primary productivity in forests worldwide, and this, in turn, will alter long‐term carbon (C) sequestration in wooded ecosystems. On one hand, increased primary productivity, for example, in response to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), can result in greater inputs of organic matter to the soil, which could increase C sequestration belowground. On other hand, many of the interactions between plants and microorganisms that determine soil C dynamics are poorly characterized, and additional inputs of plant material, such as leaf litter, can result in the mineralization of soil organic matter, and the release of soil C as CO2 during so‐called “priming effects”. Until now, very few studies made direct comparison of changes in soil C dynamics in response to altered plant inputs in different wooded ecosystems. We addressed this with a cross‐continental study with litter removal and addition treatments in a temperate woodland (Wytham Woods) and lowland tropical forest (Gigante forest) to compare the consequences of increased litterfall on soil respiration in two distinct wooded ecosystems. Mean soil respiration was almost twice as high at Gigante (5.0 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1) than at Wytham (2.7 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1) but surprisingly, litter manipulation treatments had a greater and more immediate effect on soil respiration at Wytham. We measured a 30% increase in soil respiration in response to litter addition treatments at Wytham, compared to a 10% increase at Gigante. Importantly, despite higher soil respiration rates at Gigante, priming effects were stronger and more consistent at Wytham. Our results suggest that in situ priming effects in wooded ecosystems track seasonality in litterfall and soil respiration but the amount of soil C released by priming is not proportional to rates of soil respiration. Instead, priming effects may be promoted by larger inputs of organic matter combined with slower turnover rates

Observational Constraints on the Normal Branch of a Warped DGP Cosmology

We investigate observational constraints on the normal branch of the warped DGP braneworld cosmology by using observational data from Type Ia Supernovae (SNIa), Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO), Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and Baryon Gas Mass Fraction of cluster of galaxies. The best fit values of model free parameters are: $\Omega_m=0.240^{+0.050}_{-0.130}$ and $\Omega_{r_c}=0.000^{+0.014}$ at $1\sigma$ confidence interval by using Gold sample SNIa+CMB shift parameter+BAO+Gas mass fraction of baryons in cluster of galaxies. The results for essence sample SNIa combined with CMB shift parameter, BAO and Baryon Gas mass fraction correspont to: $\Omega_m= 0.220^{+0.020}_{-0.170}$ and $\Omega_{r_c}=0.000^{+0.025}$ at 68.3% confidence interval. We determine the age of the universe by using these best fit values. We also study the effective cosmological dynamics on the brane via an effective equation of state parameter and the deceleration parameter to conclude that an effective phantom-like behavior arises in this scenario.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, to appear in New Astronom

One Dimensional Dynamical Models of the Carina Nebula Bubble

We have tested the two main theoretical models of bubbles around massive star clusters, Castor et al. and Chevalier & Clegg, against observations of the well studied Carina Nebula. The Castor et al. theory over-predicts the X-ray luminosity in the Carina bubble by a factor of 60 and expands too rapidly, by a factor of 4; if the correct radius and age are used, the predicted X-ray luminosity is even larger. In contrast, the Chevalier & Clegg model under-predicts the X-ray luminosity by a factor of 10. We modify the Castor et al. theory to take into account lower stellar wind mass loss rates, radiation pressure, gravity, and escape of or energy loss from the hot shocked gas. We argue that energy is advected rather than radiated from the bubble. We undertake a parameter study for reduced stellar mass loss rates and for various leakage rates and are able to find viable models. The X-ray surface brightness in Carina is highest close to the bubble wall, which is consistent with conductive evaporation from cold clouds. The picture that emerges is one in which the hot gas pressure is far below that found by dividing the time-integrated wind luminosity by the bubble volume; rather, the pressure in the hot gas is set by pressure equilibrium with the photoionized gas at T=10^4 K. It follows that the shocked stellar winds are not dynamically important in forming the bubbles.Comment: Accepted to APJ. 47 pages, 13 figure

The influence of repeated injections on pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of different types of sterically stabilized immunoliposomes

AbstractSterically stabilized immunoliposomes (IL) with diameters of about 135 nm carrying mouse IgG, either coupled directly to the liposome surface, or linked to the terminal ends of grafted poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains by a recently described conjugation procedure (Cyanur-PEG-PE), were intravenously injected into rats and the elimination kinetics and biodistribution were determined and compared with control liposomes. The amounts of conjugated antibodies were about 30 μg/μmol total lipid for all IL. In naive rats, plain pegylated liposomes displayed the longest blood circulation time, whereas the terminal-coupled IL exhibited the fastest elimination. Liposomes containing the underivatized anchor molecules circulate nearly as long as plain pegylated liposomes, indicating that the fast elimination of the IL can be attributed to the presence of antibodies.A second injection of identical liposomes 14 days after the first injection had a considerable influence on the pharmacokinetic parameters of the liposomes. The circulation time of plain pegylated liposomes drastically dropped by half and their uptake by the liver increased concomitantly, indicating that the PEG, upon repeated injection, ceases to function as an efficient barrier reducing opsonization and/or immune reactions. The circulation time of conventional IL was moderately reduced upon a second injection, whereas that of the terminally coupled IL was nearly unaffected. These differences among the IL demonstrate that the pharmacokinetic behavior of IL is strongly dependent on the antibody conjugation site on the liposome. The observed effects of repeated injections were similar for liposomes of 90-nm diameter. The phenomena described may have important implications for the repeated application of IL as drug carriers

A closer look at chaotic advection in the stratosphere: part II: statistical diagnostics

Statistical diagnostics of mixing and transport are computed for a numerical model of forced shallow-water flow on the sphere and a middle-atmosphere general circulation model. In particular, particle dispersion statistics, transport fluxes, Liapunov exponents (probability density functions and ensemble averages), and tracer concentration statistics are considered. It is shown that the behavior of the diagnostics is in accord with that of kinematic chaotic advection models so long as stochasticity is sufficiently weak. Comparisons with random-strain theory are made