Cut-up workbooks versus bound workbooks in the development of reading skills

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

The development of a cislunar space infrastructure

The primary objective of this Advanced Mission Design Program is to define the general characteristics and phased evolution of a near-Earth space infrastructure. The envisioned foundation includes a permanently manned, self-sustaining base on the lunar surface, a space station at the Libration Point between earth and the moon (L1), and a transportation system that anchors these elements to the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) station. The implementation of this conceptual design was carried out with the idea that the infrastructure is an important step in a larger plan to expand man's capabilities in space science and technology. Such expansion depends on low cost, reliable, and frequent access to space for those who wish to use the multiple benefits of this environment. The presence of a cislunar space infrastructure would greatly facilitate the staging of future planetary missions, as well as the full exploration of the lunar potential for science and industry. The rationale for, and a proposed detailed scenario in support of, the cislunar space infrastructure are discussed

Coexistence of supravalvular aortic stenosis and osteogenesis imperfecta.

A 54 year old woman was admitted for cardiac catheterisation. She had-been attending the outpatient clinic since 1975, with regular review. She had diagnoses of type I osteogenesis imperfecta, and of supravalvular aortic stenosis. Osteogenesis imperfecta was diagnosed in early life on clinical grounds including the presence of blue sclerae and the occurrence of several bone fractures secondary to minimal trauma. A number of family members have been diagnosed with the same condition (figure 1-family pedigree). The supravalvular aortic stenosis was not diagnosed until later. She was initially referred to the cardiology clinic for further evaluation following the discovery of a systolic murmu

In Vitro Reconstituted Biotransformation of 4-Fluorothreonine from Fluoride Ion: Application of the Fluorinase

SummaryIn this paper, we report that fluoride ion is converted to the amino acid/antibiotic 4-fluorothreonine 2 in a biotransformation involving five (steps a–e) overexpressed enzymes. The biotransformation validates the biosynthetic pathway to 4-fluorothreonine in the bacterium Streptomyces cattleya (Schaffrath et al., 2002). To achieve an in vitro biotransformation, the fluorinase and the purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) enzymes (steps a and b), which are coded for by the flA and flB genes of the fluorometabolite gene cluster in S. cattleya, were overexpressed. Also, an isomerase gene product that can convert 5-FDRP 6 to 5-FDRibulP 7 (step c) was identified in S. cattleya, and the enzyme was overexpressed for the biotransformation. A fuculose aldolase gene from S. coelicolor was overexpressed in E. coli and was used as a surrogate aldolase (step d) in these experiments. To complete the complement of enzymes, an ORF coding the PLP-dependent transaldolase, the final enzyme of the fluorometabolite pathway, was identified in genomic DNA by a reverse genetics approach, and the S. cattleya gene/enzyme was then overexpressed in S. lividans. This latter enzyme is an unusual PLP-dependent catalyst with some homology to both bacterial serine hydroxymethyl transferases (SHMT) and C5 sugar isomerases/epimerases. The biotransformation demonstrates the power of the fluorinase to initiate C-F bond formation for organo-fluorine synthesis

Smarter irrigation scheduling in the sugarcane farming system using the Internet of Things

Better irrigation practices can lead to improved yields through less water stress and reduced water usage to deliver economic benefits for farmers. More and more sugarcane growers are transitioning to automated irrigation in the Burdekin and other regions. Automated irrigation systems can save farmers a significant amount of time by remotely turning on and off pumps and valves. However, the system could be improved if it could be integrated with tools that factor in the weather, crop growing conditions, water deficit, and crop stress, to improve irrigation use efficiency. IrrigWeb is a decision-support tool that is turned to as a solution to this problem. IrrigWeb uses CANEGRO to help farmers decide when to irrigate and how much to apply. Farmers can then use this information to plan their irrigation management. However, managing irrigation is a considerable time investment for Burdekin farmers. A tool is needed to integrate the auto-irrigation system (e.g., WiSA) and IrrigWeb to provide a smarter irrigation solution. An uplink program (WiSA to IrrigWeb) has been successfully developed and implemented as part of a pilot study. It saves farmers a significant amount of time by uploading irrigation and rainfall data automatically instead of the farmer having to input them manually. This paper focuses on developing a smarter irrigation-scheduling tool that connects IrrigWeb to WiSA. A downlink program was developed to download, calculate and apply irrigation schedules automatically. In this process, sugarcane irrigators will spend less time manually setting up irrigation schedules as it will happen automatically. The simulation results demonstrated that the downlink program could improve the scheduling by incorporating practical limitations, such as pumping capacity or pumping time constraints, that are found on the farm

Loneliness in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic: Cross-sectional results from the COVID-19 Psychological Wellbeing Study

ObjectivesLoneliness is a significant public health issue. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in lockdown measures limiting social contact. The UK public are worried about the impact of these measures on mental health outcomes. Understanding the prevalence and predictors of loneliness at this time is a priority issue for research.MethodThe study employed a cross-sectional online survey design. Baseline data collected between March 23rd and April 24th 2020 from UK adults in the COVID-19 Psychological Wellbeing Study were analysed (N = 1964, 18–87 years, M = 37.11, SD = 12.86, 70% female). Logistic regression analysis examined the influence of sociodemographic, social, health and COVID-19 specific factors on loneliness.ResultsThe prevalence of loneliness was 27% (530/1964). Risk factors for loneliness were younger age group (OR: 4.67–5.31), being separated or divorced (OR: 2.29), scores meeting clinical criteria for depression (OR: 1.74), greater emotion regulation difficulties (OR: 1.04), and poor quality sleep due to the COVID-19 crisis (OR: 1.30). Higher levels of social support (OR: 0.92), being married/co-habiting (OR: 0.35) and living with a greater number of adults (OR: 0.87) were protective factors.ConclusionsRates of loneliness during the initial phase of lockdown were high. Risk factors were not specific to the COVID-19 crisis. Findings suggest that supportive interventions to reduce loneliness should prioritise younger people and those with mental health symptoms. Improving emotion regulation and sleep quality, and increasing social support may be optimal initial targets to reduce the impact of COVID-19 regulations on mental health outcomes

Metabolic Signatures of the Exposome-Quantifying the Impact of Exposure to Environmental Chemicals on Human Health

Human health and well-being are intricately linked to environmental quality. Environmental exposures can have lifelong consequences. In particular, exposures during the vulnerable fetal or early development period can affect structure, physiology and metabolism, causing potential adverse, often permanent, health effects at any point in life. External exposures, such as the "chemical exposome" (exposures to environmental chemicals), affect the host's metabolism and immune system, which, in turn, mediate the risk of various diseases. Linking such exposures to adverse outcomes, via intermediate phenotypes such as the metabolome, is one of the central themes of exposome research. Much progress has been made in this line of research, including addressing some key challenges such as analytical coverage of the exposome and metabolome, as well as the integration of heterogeneous, multi-omics data. There is strong evidence that chemical exposures have a marked impact on the metabolome, associating with specific disease risks. Herein, we review recent progress in the field of exposome research as related to human health as well as selected metabolic and autoimmune diseases, with specific emphasis on the impacts of chemical exposures on the host metabolome

Non-destructive dating of fiber-based gelatin silver prints using near-infrared spectroscopy and multivariate analysis

An innovative approach to date fiber-based gelatin silver prints using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) and multivariate analysis is presented. NIR spectra were acquired for 152 film stills printed in the USA between 1914 and 1986, and partial least square (PLS) analysis was used to correlate the spectra with the year the photographs were printed. Principal component analysis and spectral interpretation helped clarify the underlying correlation between the print date and the composition and ageing of the photographic papers. The method was successfully validated with an independent set of 66 film stills printed in the USA, and a prediction error (root mean square error of prediction) of 6 years was achieved. The method was also tested on films stills printed in Germany and Russia, as well as amateur prints and photographs in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. The prediction error was significantly larger, with the exception of the amateur prints, due to differences in the composition and/or properties of the papers depending on their geographical origin and purpose as confirmed by discriminant analysis