Stratospheric General Circulation with Chemistry Model (SGCCM)

In the past two years constituent transport and chemistry experiments have been performed using both simple single constituent models and more complex reservoir species models. Winds for these experiments have been taken from the data assimilation effort, Stratospheric Data Analysis System (STRATAN)

Effects of smartphone diaries and personal dosimeters on behavior in a randomized study of methods to document sunlight exposure

AbstractDosimeters and diaries have previously been used to evaluate sun-related behavior and UV exposure in local samples. However, wearing a dosimeter or filling in a diary may cause a behavioral change. The aim of this study was to examine possible confounding factors for a questionnaire validation study. We examined the effects of wearing dosimeters and filling out diaries, measurement period and recall effect on the sun-related behavior in Denmark in 2012.Our sample included 240 participants eligible by smartphone status and who took a vacation during weeks 26–32 in 2012, randomized by gender, age, education and skin type to six groups: 1) Control+diary, 2) Control, 3) 1-week dosimetry measurement, 4) 1-week dosimetry measurement+diary, 5) 3-week dosimetry measurement and 6) 1-week dosimetry measurement with 4week delayed questionnaire.Correlation coefficients between reported outdoor time and registered outdoor time for groups 3–6 were 0.39, 0.45, 0.43 and 0.09, respectively. Group 6 was the only group not significantly correlated. Questionnaire reported outdoor exposure time was shorter in the dosimeter measurement groups (3–6) than in their respective controls.We showed that using a dosimeter or keeping a diary seems to increase attention towards the behavior examined and therefore may influence this behavior. Receiving the questionnaire with 4week delay had a significant negative influence on correlation and recall of sunburn. When planning future UV behavior questionnaire validations, we suggest to use a 1-week interval for dosimetry measurements, no diary, and to minimize the time from end of measurement to filling out questionnaires

Synthesis and structural characterization of piperazino-modified DNA that favours hybridization towards DNA over RNA

We report the synthesis of two C4′-modified DNA analogues and characterize their structural impact on dsDNA duplexes. The 4′-C-piperazinomethyl modification stabilizes dsDNA by up to 5°C per incorporation. Extension of the modification with a butanoyl-linked pyrene increases the dsDNA stabilization to a maximum of 9°C per incorporation. Using fluorescence, ultraviolet and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we show that the stabilization is achieved by pyrene intercalation in the dsDNA duplex. The pyrene moiety is not restricted to one intercalation site but rather switches between multiple sites in intermediate exchange on the NMR timescale, resulting in broad lines in NMR spectra. We identified two intercalation sites with NOE data showing that the pyrene prefers to intercalate one base pair away from the modified nucleotide with its linker curled up in the minor groove. Both modifications are tolerated in DNA:RNA hybrids but leave their melting temperatures virtually unaffected. Fluorescence data indicate that the pyrene moiety is residing outside the helix. The available data suggest that the DNA discrimination is due to (i) the positive charge of the piperazino ring having a greater impact in the narrow and deep minor groove of a B-type dsDNA duplex than in the wide and shallow minor groove of an A-type DNA:RNA hybrid and (ii) the B-type dsDNA duplex allowing the pyrene to intercalate and bury its apolar surface

Maps and Globes: An Instructional Unit for Elementary Grades

This unit of 20 classroom learning episodes is structured to improve students\u27 ability to read and interpret maps and globes. Performance objectives; outlined in part 1; include developing map and globe skills to locate; acquire; organize; interpret; evaluate; and express knowledge and information. Each of the learning episodes in part 2 contains instructional objectives; learning activities; and materials needed to carry out the activity. The learning episodes require 1 to 3 days of instructional time. Activities are developed and materials are provided to teach: (1) the four cardinal directions; (2) the four intermediate directions; (3) use of map symbols and legends; (4) designing maps; and (5) using map grids. Students are also taught to use state; United States; and world maps. An outlined U.S. map is provided for students to label the states; and the continents and oceans are labelled on an outline world map. A comprehensive posttest is provided. (SM

Efficiency and usability study of innovative computer-aided transcription strategies for video lecture repositories

[EN] Video lectures are widely used in education to support and complement face-to-face lectures. However, the utility of these audiovisual assets could be further improved by adding subtitles that can be exploited to incorporate added-value functionalities such as searchability, accessibility, translatability, note-taking, and discovery of content-related videos, among others. Today, automatic subtitles are prone to error, and need to be reviewed and post-edited in order to ensure that what students see on-screen are of an acceptable quality. This work investigates different user interface design strategies for this post-editing task to discover the best way to incorporate automatic transcription technologies into large educational video repositories. Our three-phase study involved lecturers from the Universitat Polite`cnica de Vale`ncia (UPV) with videos available on the poliMedia video lecture repository, which is currently over 10,000 video objects. Simply by conventional post-editing automatic transcriptions users almost reduced to half the time that would require to generate the transcription from scratch. As expected, this study revealed that the time spent by lecturers reviewing automatic transcriptions correlated directly with the accuracy of said transcriptions. However, it is also shown that the average time required to perform each individual editing operation could be precisely derived and could be applied in the definition of a user model. In addition, the second phase of this study presents a transcription review strategy based on confidence measures (CM) and compares it to the conventional post-editing strategy. Finally, a third strategy resulting from the combination of that based on CM with massive adaptation techniques for automatic speech recognition (ASR), achieved to improve the transcription review efficiency in comparison with the two aforementioned strategies. 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under Grant agreement no. 287755 (transLectures) and ICT Policy Support Programme (ICT PSP/2007-2013) as part of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) under Grant agreement no. 621030 (EMMA), and the Spanish MINECO Active2Trans (TIN2012-31723) research project.Valor Miró, JD.; Silvestre Cerdà, JA.; Civera Saiz, J.; Turró Ribalta, C.; Juan Císcar, A. (2015). Efficiency and usability study of innovative computer-aided transcription strategies for video lecture repositories. Speech Communication. 74:65-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.specom.2015.09.006S65757

Propuesta de diseño de una vivienda rural sostenible bio inspirada para el municipio de Paipa, Boyacá-Colombia

Architectural development in Colombia has been concentrated in large cities and has been characterized by the implementation of methodologies adapted to consumption and that generate a disruption of the environment and depletion of resources. Sustainable architecture seeks to mitigate the environmental damage of housing through elements such as bioclimatic and the use of methodologies for the proper management of resources. Thus, biomimicry, an area that studies structures, systems and processes present in nature for the resolution of human problems, is a source of inspiration for conscious and transformative architecture. The main objective was a proposal for the design of a rural housing bio-inspired in the paipan Frailejón (Espeletia paipana), which would mitigate the environmental impact of its construction and operation. The designed housing has a modular distribution and a water condensation system inspired in the rosette and pubescent conformation of the Frailejón, respectively. Likewise, it has methodologies of transformation and use of resources to diminish the deterioration of the environment and the energetic demand. In conclusion, it establishes the possibility of supporting responsible rural development based on biomimetic design and the territory as a source of inspiration.El desarrollo arquitectónico en Colombia se ha concentrado en las grandes urbes y ha estado caracterizado por la implementación de metodologías adaptadas al consumo y que generan una disrupción del entorno y al consumo desmedido de recursos. La arquitectura sostenible busca mitigar el detrimento ambiental de las viviendas a través de elementos como la bioclimática y el uso de metodologías para el correcto manejo de los recursos. Es así como la biomímesis, área que estudia estructuras, sistemas y procesos presentes en la naturaleza para la resolución de problemas humanos, supone una fuente de inspiración para la arquitectura consciente. Como objetivo principal se planteó una propuesta de diseño de una vivienda rural bio inspirada en el Frailejón paipano (Espeletia paipana), que mitigara el impacto ambiental de la construcción y funcionamiento de esta. La vivienda diseñada posee una distribución modular y un sistema de condensación del agua inspirados en la conformación en roseta y la pubescencia del Frailejón, respectivamente. Así mismo, cuenta con metodologías de transformación y aprovechamiento de recursos para disminuir el deterioro del entorno y la demanda energética. En conclusión, se establece la posibilidad de apoyar el desarrollo rural responsable tomando como base el diseño biomimético y el territorio como fuente de inspiración