Active and passive multispectral scanner for earth resources applications: An advanced applications flight experiment

The development of an experimental airborne multispectral scanner to provide both active (laser illuminated) and passive (solar illuminated) data from a commonly registered surface scene is discussed. The system was constructed according to specifications derived in an initial programs design study. The system was installed in an aircraft and test flown to produce illustrative active and passive multi-spectral imagery. However, data was not collected nor analyzed for any specific application

What are the patterns of personal learning environments (PLE) for undergraduate students undertaking degrees in nursing.

This is the Core Paper Abstract submitted for the NET conference September 201

Understanding the ecology of the Personally Significant Learning Environment (PSLE): one year on

Background: Personal learning environments (PLE) have been shown to be critical in how students negotiate, manage and experience their learning. Understandings of PLEs are largely restricted by narrow definitions that focus on technology alone. The idea of a PLE is often conflated with virtual learning environments (VLEs). In this presentation, we draw on empirical findings from an international study that spanned four countries. Our findings will be of interest to students, educators, researchers and institutions and will facilitate a more in depth understanding of how to support students to create appropriate PLEs for effectively managing their own learning. Aims: The study aim was to provide in-depth insights into how undergraduate students of nursing manage and experience learning through a range of formal and informal components that comprise the PLE. It is a longitudinal mixed-method study that incorporates two key phases. The first phase will be the focus of this presentation. Research design: The first phase comprised a series of focus groups held at each of four institutions in Australia, England, Scotland, Hong Kong and Canada. Ethical approval was obtained at each individual study site. Recruitment at each site was through student emails, flyers and invitations on eLearning sites. Inclusion criteria were that students needed to be enrolled in an undergraduate degree leading to a nurse registration. An important ethical consideration was that students understood that participation or non-participation would not impact relationships with their academic institutions or study outcomes. Nominal group techniques were used in the focus groups together with providing visual representations of their PLE in the form of a sketch or conceptual map. The themed sticky notes and visual representations were photographed and stored for subsequent analysis. Data were analyzed independently by researchers at each site. This initial analysis was at the broadest level of abstraction in order to identify main emerging categories. Via a series of meetings through voice over IP (VoIP) technologies, investigators were able to employ a process of triangulation to provide and reach a consensus regarding commonalities that appeared from focus groups. Key Findings: Eight groups comprising a total of 46 students took part in focus groups across the four sites. The findings from the focus groups generated a range of different types of data that were organized into three major themes; technologies, learning modalities and influencing factors. Technologies included physical items such as; devices; computers; books; journals; newspapers; and furniture; and virtual technology such as; software; applications; and internet resources. PLEs are influenced by individual learning preferences and the learning contexts that students find themselves in. Participants described how the ways they were expected to learn at university, did not always suit their personal learning preferences. Understanding their own learning style was important to enable an effective PLE and customising learning to suit personal preferences was seen as important. An individual’s PLE is impacted by external, interpersonal and intrapersonal factors. A PLE is influenced by these factors both individually, and by the interplay between the factors. External factors included the physical, built aspects of the environment and the learner’s ambient environment. Intrapersonal factors included attitudes, beliefs, preferences and emotions. Interpersonal factors such as how, when and where participants engaged with others also played a significant role in their PLE. Findings suggest a broader understanding of the term personal learning environment than currently exists. Their PLE was relational and comprised a space with personal meaning and significance to the learner - in support of their educational goals. Current definitions of PLE do not capture the broader understanding identified by this study, we therefore propose a new term: personally significant learning environment

3-D density model of the crust of southern and central Finland obtained from joint interpretation of the SVEKALAPKO crustal P-wave velocity models and gravity data

Peer reviewe

Biostratigraphy of Middle and Late Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian-Virgilian) ammonoids

New stratigraphic ranges for genera of Desmoinesian-Virgilian ammonoids are presented, based on analysis of 40,000 specimens collected from over 70 ammonoid-bearing horizons that represent at least 40 successive stratigraphic levels in the North American midcontinent. These range revisions indicate that current generic-level ammonoid zonations are inadequate, especially for correlation of Pennsylvanian series and stage boundaries. Six high-confidence, largely generic-level first-occurrence zones are proposed for the Desmoinesian through Virgilian stages: Wellerites Zone, Eothalassoceras Zone, Pennoceras Zone, Preshumardites Zone, Pseudaktubites Zone, and Shumardites Zone. Fifteen zones of lesser confidence for correlation are also suggested. The Shumarditidae Plummer & Scott, 1937, is emended to include Preshumardites Plummer & Scott, 1937, Pseudaktubites gen. nov. (type species, Preshumardites stainbrooki Plummer & Scott, 1937), and Shumardites Smith, 1903. Early Permian (Sakmarian) species previously assigned to Preshumardites are reassigned to Andrianovia gen. nov. (type species ?Preshumardites sakmarae Ruzhencev, 1938). Aktubites Ruzhencev, 1955, Eoshumardites Popov, 1960, and Parashumardites Ruzhencev, 1939, previously included in the Shumarditidae, are assigned to the new family Parashumarditidae. Eovidrioceras inexpectans gen. nov., sp. nov. is included and is interpreted as the ancestor of the cyclobacean family Vidrioceratidae Plummer & Scott, 1937. The base of the revised Wellerites Zone, defined by the first occurrence of the nominate genus, approximates but does not coincide with the Atokan-Desmoinesian boundary. Recorrelation of the stratigraphic level of the Collinsville, Oklahoma, ammonoid locality from the "Seminole Formation" (basal Missourian) to the Holdenville Formation (upper Desmoinesian), based on lithostratigraphic evidence, effectively places the first occurrence of Eothalassoceras in the upper Desmoinesian. Because Wellerites apparently became extinct before the end of the Desmoinesian, the revised Eothalassoceras Zone is used to represent the upper Desmoinesian. The Middle-Upper Pennsylvanian boundary (Desmoinesian-Missourian boundary) can be recognized by the appearance of Pennoceras, which defines the base of the new Pennoceras Zone. The Pennoceras Zone is an excellent indicator of lower Missourian strata in the northern midcontinent, north-central Texas, the Marathon Uplift, and the Appalachian Basin. The new Preshumardites Zone occupies most of the upper part of the Missourian Stage. The appearance of the ancestral shumarditid Pseudaktubites, which defines the base of the new Pseudaktubites Zone, occurs one cycle below the Missourian-Virgilian boundary, which is currently recognized at the top of the South Bend Limestone Member in eastern Kansas. No recognizable biostratigraphic event coincides with the South Bend Member, thereby resulting in an uncorrelatable chronostratigraphic boundary. The largest changeover in ammonoid faunas takes place at the base of strata containing the upper part of the Pseudaktubites Zone (Pseudaktubites stainbrooki Subzone). The base of the Pseudaktubites stainbrooki Subzone is stratigraphically near the original Missourian-Virgilian boundary. It is recommended that the stratigraphic level containing the base of the Pseudaktubites stainbrooki Subzone be adopted as the official base of the Virgilian Stage. Recognition of the upper subzone of the Pseudaktubites Zone (Pseudaktubites stainbrooki Subzone) within the Colony Creek Shale Member in north-central Texas places the base of the Virgilian within the upper part of the Canyon Group and substantially below the current position at the Canyon-Cisco group boundary. Shumardites, a taxon previously used to mark the base of the Virgilian Stage, appears in early middle Virgilian strata; consequently, the revised Shumardites Zone represents the middle-upper Virgilian interval

Biostratigraphy of Middle and Late Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian-Virgilian) ammonoids

New stratigraphic ranges for genera of Desmoinesian-Virgilian ammonoids are presented, based on analysis of 40,000 specimens collected from over 70 ammonoid-bearing horizons that represent at least 40 successive stratigraphic levels in the North American midcontinent. These range revisions indicate that current generic-level ammonoid zonations are inadequate, especially for correlation of Pennsylvanian series and stage boundaries. Six high-confidence, largely generic-level first-occurrence zones are proposed for the Desmoinesian through Virgilian stages: Wellerites Zone, Eothalassoceras Zone, Pennoceras Zone, Preshumardites Zone, Pseudaktubites Zone, and Shumardites Zone. Fifteen zones of lesser confidence for correlation are also suggested. The Shumarditidae Plummer & Scott, 1937, is emended to include Preshumardites Plummer & Scott, 1937, Pseudaktubites gen. nov. (type species, Preshumardites stainbrooki Plummer & Scott, 1937), and Shumardites Smith, 1903. Early Permian (Sakmarian) species previously assigned to Preshumardites are reassigned to Andrianovia gen. nov. (type species ?Preshumardites sakmarae Ruzhencev, 1938). Aktubites Ruzhencev, 1955, Eoshumardites Popov, 1960, and Parashumardites Ruzhencev, 1939, previously included in the Shumarditidae, are assigned to the new family Parashumarditidae. Eovidrioceras inexpectans gen. nov., sp. nov. is included and is interpreted as the ancestor of the cyclobacean family Vidrioceratidae Plummer & Scott, 1937. The base of the revised Wellerites Zone, defined by the first occurrence of the nominate genus, approximates but does not coincide with the Atokan-Desmoinesian boundary. Recorrelation of the stratigraphic level of the Collinsville, Oklahoma, ammonoid locality from the "Seminole Formation" (basal Missourian) to the Holdenville Formation (upper Desmoinesian), based on lithostratigraphic evidence, effectively places the first occurrence of Eothalassoceras in the upper Desmoinesian. Because Wellerites apparently became extinct before the end of the Desmoinesian, the revised Eothalassoceras Zone is used to represent the upper Desmoinesian. The Middle-Upper Pennsylvanian boundary (Desmoinesian-Missourian boundary) can be recognized by the appearance of Pennoceras, which defines the base of the new Pennoceras Zone. The Pennoceras Zone is an excellent indicator of lower Missourian strata in the northern midcontinent, north-central Texas, the Marathon Uplift, and the Appalachian Basin. The new Preshumardites Zone occupies most of the upper part of the Missourian Stage. The appearance of the ancestral shumarditid Pseudaktubites, which defines the base of the new Pseudaktubites Zone, occurs one cycle below the Missourian-Virgilian boundary, which is currently recognized at the top of the South Bend Limestone Member in eastern Kansas. No recognizable biostratigraphic event coincides with the South Bend Member, thereby resulting in an uncorrelatable chronostratigraphic boundary. The largest changeover in ammonoid faunas takes place at the base of strata containing the upper part of the Pseudaktubites Zone (Pseudaktubites stainbrooki Subzone). The base of the Pseudaktubites stainbrooki Subzone is stratigraphically near the original Missourian-Virgilian boundary. It is recommended that the stratigraphic level containing the base of the Pseudaktubites stainbrooki Subzone be adopted as the official base of the Virgilian Stage. Recognition of the upper subzone of the Pseudaktubites Zone (Pseudaktubites stainbrooki Subzone) within the Colony Creek Shale Member in north-central Texas places the base of the Virgilian within the upper part of the Canyon Group and substantially below the current position at the Canyon-Cisco group boundary. Shumardites, a taxon previously used to mark the base of the Virgilian Stage, appears in early middle Virgilian strata; consequently, the revised Shumardites Zone represents the middle-upper Virgilian interval

Coral Disease and Health Workshop: Coral Histopathology II

The health and continued existence of coral reef ecosystems are threatened by an increasing array of environmental and anthropogenic impacts. Coral disease is one of the prominent causes of increased mortality among reefs globally, particularly in the Caribbean. Although over 40 different coral diseases and syndromes have been reported worldwide, only a few etiological agents have been confirmed; most pathogens remain unknown and the dynamics of disease transmission, pathogenicity and mortality are not understood. Causal relationships have been documented for only a few of the coral diseases, while new syndromes continue to emerge. Extensive field observations by coral biologists have provided substantial documentation of a plethora of new pathologies, but our understanding, however, has been limited to descriptions of gross lesions with names reflecting these observations (e.g., black band, white band, dark spot). To determine etiology, we must equip coral diseases scientists with basic biomedical knowledge and specialized training in areas such as histology, cell biology and pathology. Only through combining descriptive science with mechanistic science and employing the synthesis epizootiology provides will we be able to gain insight into causation and become equipped to handle the pending crisis. One of the critical challenges faced by coral disease researchers is to establish a framework to systematically study coral pathologies drawing from the field of diagnostic medicine and pathology and using generally accepted nomenclature. This process began in April 2004, with a workshop titled Coral Disease and Health Workshop: Developing Diagnostic Criteria co-convened by the Coral Disease and Health Consortium (CDHC), a working group organized under the auspices of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, and the International Registry for Coral Pathology (IRCP). The workshop was hosted by the U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) in Madison, Wisconsin and was focused on gross morphology and disease signs observed in the field. A resounding recommendation from the histopathologists participating in the workshop was the urgent need to develop diagnostic criteria that are suitable to move from gross observations to morphological diagnoses based on evaluation of microscopic anatomy. (PDF contains 92 pages

Differential expression of microRNA-206 and its target genes in pre-eclampsia

Objectives: Pre-eclampsia is a multi-system disease that significantly contributes to maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. In this study, we used a non-biased microarray approach to identify novel circulating miRNAs in maternal plasma that may be associated with pre-eclampsia. Methods: Plasma samples were obtained at 16 and 28 weeks of gestation from 18 women who later developed pre-eclampsia (cases) and 18 matched women with normotensive pregnancies (controls). We studied miRNA expression profiles in plasma and subsequently confirmed miRNA and target gene expression in placenta samples. Placental samples were obtained from an independent cohort of 19 women with pre-eclampsia matched with 19 women with normotensive pregnancies. Results: From the microarray, we identified 1 miRNA that was significantly differentially expressed between cases and controls at 16 weeks of gestation and 6 miRNAs that were significantly differentially expressed at 28 weeks. Following qPCR validation only one, miR-206, was found to be significantly increased in 28 week samples in women who later developed pre-eclampsia (1.4 fold change ± 0.2). The trend for increase in miR-206 expression was mirrored within placental tissue from women with pre-eclampsia. In parallel, IGF-1, a target gene of miR-206, was also found to be down-regulated (0.41 ± 0.04) in placental tissue from women with pre-eclampsia. miR-206 expression was also detectable in myometrium tissue and trophoblast cell lines. Conclusions: Our pilot study has identified miRNA-206 as a novel factor up-regulated in pre-eclampsia within the maternal circulation and in placental tissue

Band Crossing and Novel Low-Energy Behaviour in a Mean Field Theory of a Three-Band Model on a Cu--O lattice

We study correlation effects in a three-band extended Hubbard model of Cu -- O planes within the 1/N mean field approach, in the infinite U limit. We investigate the emerging phase diagram and discuss the low energy scales associated with each region. With increasing direct overlap between oxygen orbitals, $t_{pp} >0$, the solution displays a band crossing which, for an extended range of parameters, lies close to the Fermi level. In turn this leads to the nearly nested character of the Fermi surface and the resulting linear temperature dependence of the quasi-particle relaxation rate for sufficiently large T. We also discuss the effect of band crossing on the optical conductivity and comment on the possible experimental relevance of our findings.Comment: 12 pages, Latex-Revtex, 6 PostScript figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Another weak first order deconfinement transition: three-dimensional SU(5) gauge theory

We examine the finite-temperature deconfinement phase transition of (2+1)-dimensional SU(5) Yang-Mills theory via non-perturbative lattice simulations. Unsurprisingly, we find that the transition is of first order, however it appears to be weak. This fits naturally into the general picture of "large" gauge groups having a first order deconfinement transition, even when the center symmetry associated with the transition might suggest otherwise.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure