Global Climate Change: Threats and Solutions

In these remarks, the speaker briefly highlights the progresses that the Clinton Administration has made in the areas of environmental and public health protection. She then discusses how the administration plans to continue improving environmental and public health protection. She states that for these improvements to occur, partnerships between industries, governments, and communities must continue. The next great test for these partnerships is global warming. If a global warming treaty is developed, it will not hurt the U.S. economy. Instead the U.S. will realize an economic growth from it since pollution-reducing technologies are needed and the U.S. has proven throughout its history to be a leader in developing new technologies

Longitudinal change in autonomic symptoms predicts activities of daily living and depression in Parkinson’s disease

Purpose: The primary objective of this study was to examine the relationship of longitudinal changes in autonomic symptom burden and longitudinal changes in activities of daily living (ADLs); a secondary analysis examined the impact of depressive symptoms in this relationship. Methods: Data were retrieved from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), a dataset documenting the natural history of newly diagnosed Parkinson’s disease (PD). The analysis focused on data from baseline, visit 6 (24 months after enrollment), and visit 12 (60 months after enrollment). The impact of longitudinal changes in autonomic symptom burden on longitudinal changes in ADLs function was examined. A secondary mediation analysis was performed to investigate whether longitudinal changes in depressive symptoms mediate the relationship between longitudinal changes in autonomic symptom burden and ADLs function. Results: Changes in autonomic symptom burden, cognitive function, depressive symptoms, and motor function all correlated with ADLs. Only changes in ADLs and depression were found to be associated with changes in autonomic symptom burden. We found that longitudinal change in autonomic symptoms was a significant predictor of change in ADLs at 24 and 60 months after enrollment, with the cardiovascular subscore being a major driver of this association. Mediation analysis revealed that the association between autonomic symptoms and ADLs is partially mediated by depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Longitudinal changes in autonomic symptoms impact ADLs function in patients with early signs of PD, both directly and indirectly through their impact on depressive symptoms. Future investigation into the influence of treatment of these symptoms on outcomes in PD is warranted

Linear response and collective oscillations in superconductors with d-wave pairing

Simple and physically transparent equations for the linear response of layered superconductors with d-wave symmetry of the order parameter are derived by means of the quasiclassic kinetic theory of superconductivity. Responses to solenoidal and potential electric fields have different frequency dependencies. The conductivity describing the response to the solenoidal field is limited by the momentum relaxation, like in a normal metal. The response to the potential electric field depends, in addition, on the branch imbalance relaxation rate. The damping of plasma oscillations of superconducting electrons is determined by dielectric relaxation and is small. Relaxation of branch imbalance determined by elastic scattering is large enough to make the Carlson-Goldman mode in d-wave superconductors overdamped.Comment: 11 pages, latex, no figures, submitted to Physical Review

Circulating leukocyte telomere length is highly heritable among families of Arab descent

Background Telomere length, an indicator of ageing and longevity, has been correlated with several biomarkers of cardiometabolic disease in both Arab children and adults. It is not known, however, whether or not telomere length is a highly conserved inheritable trait in this homogeneous cohort, where age-related diseases are highly prevalent. As such, the aim of this study was to address the inheritability of telomere length in Saudi families and the impact of cardiometabolic disease biomarkers on telomere length. Methods A total of 119 randomly selected Saudi families (123 adults and 131 children) were included in this cross-sectional study. Anthropometrics were obtained and fasting blood samples were taken for routine analyses of fasting glucose and lipid profile. Leukocyte telomere length was determined using quantitative real time PCR. Results Telomere length was highly heritable as assessed by a parent-offspring regression [h2 = 0.64 (p = 0.0006)]. Telomere length was modestly associated with BMI (R2 0.07; p-value 0.0087), total cholesterol (R2 0.08; p-value 0.0033), and LDL-cholesterol (R2 0.15; p-value 3 x 10-5) after adjustments for gender, age and age within generation. Conclusion The high heritability of telomere length in Arab families, and the associations of telomere length with various cardiometabolic parameters suggest heritable genetic fetal and/or epigenetic influences on the early predisposition of Arab children to age-related diseases and accelerated ageing

Vision 2020: A View of Our Energy Future

The Morning Address was given by The Honorable George Allen. “The Regulatory Framework: Where Are We Headed?” session by Eric Finkbeiner, Senior Adviser for Policy, Office of Governor Robert McDonnell; David Christian, Chief Executive Officer, Dominion Generation; and Professor Joel Eisen, University of Richmond School of Law. Professor Noah Sachs, University of Richmond School of Law, served as moderator. “The Future of Coal” session by John Lain, Partner at McGuireWoods LLP; Cale Jaffe, Senior Attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center; and W. Thomas Hudson, President of W. Thomas Hudson and Associates, Inc. and of the Virginia Coal Association. Stephen E. Taylor, Allen Chair Editor for the University of Richmond Law Review, served as moderator. “Nuclear Power: Is There a ‘Renaissance’?” session by Donald Irwin, Hunton & Williams; Christopher Paine, Director of Nuclear Program, Natural Resources Defense Council (invited); and Michael H. Montgomery, Vice President of Fuel Development, Lightbridge Corporation. Tricia Dunlap, Robert R. Merhige, Jr. Fellow at the University of Richmond School of Law, served as moderator. “Emerging Issues in Energy Policy” session by Mark Rosen, Deputy General Counsel, CNA Corporation; Jefferson Reynolds, Water Policy Director with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality; Kruskaia Sierra-Escalante, Senior Counsel for the International Finance Corporation; and Edward Lowe, General Manager for Renewable Energy Market Development, GE Energy. Andrea W. Wortzel, Counsel with Hunton & Williams and Vice Chair of the Environmental Law Section of the Virginia State Bar, served as moderator. The Closing Address was given by The Honorable Carol M. Browner, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change and Former Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (invited)