Disaster education in the UK

The seminar series brought together emergency management specialists and educationalists to explore how disaster management knowledge, innovation and education can contribute to building a culture of safety and resilience in the UK. The series was primarily focussed on ways of understanding UK disaster reduction contexts, though informed by contributions from other parts of the world. The strengthening of debate on practical and policy developments for disaster education helped exchange experiences and ideas about dealing with changing hazards and vulnerabilities. This contributed to wider and strengthened interest in disaster risk reduction engagement through associated educational needs. The series analysed conceptual, practical and policy issues surrounding UK disaster education. Institutional partners were The universities of Northumbria (lead), Glamorgan, UCL and Kyoto served as partners with significant inputs from practice institutions, including in hosting of seminars. This facilitated a rich mix of learning cultures from within and without the academy for open debate and awareness building regards learning and education in disaster reduction. There are consequent developments for further activities beyond the life of this grant, such as ongoing additional conference sessions on disaster education, an EU project, and a DFID funded disaster education and community resilience programme in Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. These also feed back into the UK context. The series exposed a deeply held interest in disaster education from within the UK emergency management sector. Key conclusions were the need to develop in depth grounded learning processes, integrated institutional development and mixed qualitative and quantitative tools for the job

Analysis of expressed sequence tags and identification of genes encoding cell-wall-degrading enzymes from the fungivorous nematode Aphelenchus avenae

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The fungivorus nematode, <it>Aphelenchus avenae </it>is widespread in soil and is found in association with decaying plant material. This nematode is also found in association with plants but its ability to cause plant disease remains largely undetermined. The taxonomic position and intermediate lifestyle of <it>A. avenae </it>make it an important model for studying the evolution of plant parasitism within the Nematoda. In addition, the exceptional capacity of this nematode to survive desiccation makes it an important system for study of anhydrobiosis. Expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis may therefore be useful in providing an initial insight into the poorly understood genetic background of <it>A. avenae</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We present the generation, analysis and annotation of over 5,000 ESTs from a mixed-stage <it>A. avenae </it>cDNA library. Clustering of 5,076 high-quality ESTs resulted in a set of 2,700 non-redundant sequences comprising 695 contigs and 2,005 singletons. Comparative analyses indicated that 1,567 (58.0%) of the cluster sequences had homologues in <it>Caenorhabditis elegans</it>, 1,750 (64.8%) in other nematodes, 1,321(48.9%) in organisms other than nematodes, and 862 (31.9%) had no significant match to any sequence in current protein or nucleotide databases. In addition, 1,100 (40.7%) of the sequences were functionally classified using Gene Ontology (GO) hierarchy. Similarity searches of the cluster sequences identified a set of genes with significant homology to genes encoding enzymes that degrade plant or fungal cell walls. The full length sequences of two genes encoding glycosyl hydrolase family 5 (GHF5) cellulases and two pectate lyase genes encoding polysaccharide lyase family 3 (PL3) proteins were identified and characterized.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We have described at least 2,214 putative genes from <it>A. avenae </it>and identified a set of genes encoding a range of cell-wall-degrading enzymes. This EST dataset represents a starting point for studies in a number of different fundamental and applied areas. The presence of genes encoding a battery of cell-wall-degrading enzymes in <it>A. avenae </it>and their similarities with genes from other plant parasitic nematodes suggest that this nematode can act not only as a fungal feeder but also a plant parasite. Further studies on genes encoding cell-wall-degrading enzymes in <it>A. avenae </it>will accelerate our understanding of the complex evolutionary histories of plant parasitism and the use of genes obtained by horizontal gene transfer from prokaryotes.</p

Detecting Nutau Oscillations as PeV Energies

It is suggested that a large deep underocean neutrino detector, given the presence of significant numbers of neutrinos in the PeV range as predicted by various models of Active Galactic Nuclei, can make unique measurements of the properties of neutrinos. It will be possible to observe the existence of the nu_tau, measure its mixing with other flavors, in fact test the mixing pattern for all three flavors based upon the mixing parameters suggested by the atmospheric and solar neutrino data, and measure the nu_tau cross section. The key signature is the charged current nu_tau interaction, which produces a double cascade, one at either end of a minimum ionizing track. At a few PeV these cascades would be separated by roughly 100 m, and thus be easily resolvable in DUMAND and similar detectors. Future applications are precise neutrino astronomy and earth tomography.Comment: 10 Pages, 2 figs included, 15 May 1994, Preprint DUMAND-3-9

Herschel/HIFI Spectral Mapping of C+^+, CH+^+, and CH in Orion BN/KL: The Prevailing Role of Ultraviolet Irradiation in CH+^+ Formation

The CH$^+$ ion is a key species in the initial steps of interstellar carbon chemistry. Its formation in diverse environments where it is observed is not well understood, however, because the main production pathway is so endothermic (4280 K) that it is unlikely to proceed at the typical temperatures of molecular clouds. We investigation CH$^+$ formation with the first velocity-resolved spectral mapping of the CH$^+$ $J=1-0, 2-1$ rotational transitions, three sets of CH $\Lambda$-doubled triplet lines, $^{12}$C$^+$ and $^{13}$C$^+$, and CH$_3$OH 835~GHz E-symmetry Q branch transitions, obtained with Herschel/HIFI over $\approx$12 arcmin$^2$ centered on the Orion BN/KL source. We present the spatial morphologies and kinematics, cloud boundary conditions, excitation temperatures, column densities, and $^{12}$C$^+$ optical depths. Emission from C$^+$, CH$^+$, and CH is indicated to arise in the diluted gas, outside of the explosive, dense BN/KL outflow. Our models show that UV-irradiation provides favorable conditions for steady-state production of CH$^+$ in this environment. Surprisingly, no spatial or kinematic correspondences of these species are found with H$_2$ S(1) emission tracing shocked gas in the outflow. We propose that C$^+$ is being consumed by rapid production of CO to explain the lack of C$^+$ and CH$^+$ in the outflow, and that fluorescence provides the reservoir of H$_2$ excited to higher ro-vibrational and rotational levels. Hence, in star-forming environments containing sources of shocks and strong UV radiation, a description of CH$^+$ formation and excitation conditions is incomplete without including the important --- possibly dominant --- role of UV irradiation.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Sustained Thromboresistant Bioactivity with Reduced Intimal Hyperplasia of Heparin-Bonded PTFE Propaten Graft in a Chronic Canine Femoral Artery Bypass Model

Background: Bypass graft thrombosis remains a significant mode of failure in prosthetic graft revascularization. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the long-term thromboresistant effect of heparin-bonded expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) graft using Carmeda BioActive Surface technology in a canine model. Methods: Bilateral femorofemoral artery bypass grafts with ePTFE grafts were performed in 25 adult grayhound dogs. In each animal, a heparin-bonded ePTFE graft (Propaten, WL Gore) was placed on one side, whereas a control nonheparin graft was placed on the contralateral side. The graft patency was assessed at 1, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months (n = 5 per group) following the bypass. Heparin bioactivity of the graft material was analyzed. The effect of intimal hyperplasia was also assessed. Results: All bypass grafts were patent at 1 month. Significantly greater patency rates were noted in the Propaten group compared to the control group at 12, 18, and 24 months, which were 84%, 80%, and 80% vs. 55%, 35%, and 20%, respectively (P 0.05). Conclusions: Heparin-bonded ePTFE graft provides a thromboresistant surface and reduced anastomotic intimal hyperplasia at 2 years. The stable heparin bioactivity of the Propaten graft confers an advantage in long-term graft patency

Astroparticle Aspects of Supersymmetry

After recalling the motivations for expecting supersymmetry to appear at energies below 1 TeV, the reasons why the lightest supersymmetric particle is an ideal candidate for cold dark matter are reviewed from a historical perspective. Recent calculations of the relic density including coannihilations and rapid annihilations through direct-channel Higgs boson poles are presented. The experimental constraints from LEP and elsewhere on supersymmetric dark matter are reviewed, and the prospects for its indirect or direct detection are mentioned. The potential implications of a Higgs boson weighing about 115 GeV and the recent measurement of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon are summarized.Comment: 12 pages, 10 eps figures, invited plenary talk at conference on 30 Years Of Supersymmetry, Oct. 2000, Minneapolis, Minnesot

Prospects for Discovering Supersymmetry at the LHC

Supersymmetry is one of the best-motivated candidates for physics beyond the Standard Model that might be discovered at the LHC. There are many reasons to expect that it may appear at the TeV scale, in particular because it provides a natural cold dark matter candidate. The apparent discrepancy between the experimental measurement of g_mu - 2 and the Standard model value calculated using low-energy e+ e- data favours relatively light sparticles accessible to the LHC. A global likelihood analysis including this, other electroweak precision observables and B-decay observables suggests that the LHC might be able to discover supersymmetry with 1/fb or less of integrated luminosity. The LHC should be able to discover supersymmetry via the classic missing-energy signature, or in alternative phenomenological scenarios. The prospects for discovering supersymmetry at the LHC look very good.Comment: 8 pages, 11 figure

Lepton Electric Dipole Moments in Non-Degenerate Supersymmetric Seesaw Models

In the context of supersymmetric seesaw models of neutrino masses with non-degenerate heavy neutrinos, we show that Dirac Yukawa interactions N^c_i (Y_nu)_{ij} L_j H_2 induce large threshold corrections to the slepton soft masses via renormalization. While still yielding rates for lepton-flavour-violating processes below the experimental bounds, these contributions may increase the muon and electron electric dipole moments d_mu and d_e by several orders of magnitude. In the leading logarithmic approximation, this is due to three additional physical phases in Y_nu, one of which also contributes to leptogenesis. The naive relation d_mu/d_e\approx -m_mu/m_e is violated strongly in the case of successful phenomenological textures for Y_nu, and the values of d_mu and/or d_e may be within the range of interest for the future experiments.Comment: 16page. Some references are adde

A proteomic approach to obesity and type 2 diabetes

The incidence of obesity and type diabetes 2 has increased dramatically resulting in an increased interest in its biomedical relevance. However, the mechanisms that trigger the development of diabetes type 2 in obese patients remain largely unknown. Scientific, clinical and pharmaceutical communities are dedicating vast resources to unravel this issue by applying different omics tools. During the last decade, the advances in proteomic approaches and the Human Proteome Organization have opened and are opening a new door that may be helpful in the identification of patients at risk and to improve current therapies. Here, we briefly review some of the advances in our understanding of type 2 diabetes that have occurred through the application of proteomics. We also review, in detail, the current improvements in proteomic methodologies and new strategies that could be employed to further advance our understanding of this pathology. By applying these new proteomic advances, novel therapeutic and/or diagnostic protein targets will be discovered in the obesity/Type 2 diabetes areaThis work is funded by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (BFU2011–27492), Fondos de Investigación Sanitaria (PI1302195), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fisiopatología de Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III and Fundación de Endocrinología y Nutrición. Dr. Elena López Villar is supported by ISCIII Spanish Health System (SNS BOE 2012) and she is Delegate of HUPO (Human Proteome Organization) supporting clinical proteomic studies at Hospital Niño Jesús of Madrid, Spain, to improve diagnosis and therapies via researc

On the Higgs Mass in the CMSSM

We estimate the mass of the lightest neutral Higgs boson h in the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model with universal soft supersymmetry-breaking masses (CMSSM), subject to the available accelerator and astrophysical constraints. For m_t = 174.3 GeV, we find that 114 GeV < m_h < 127 GeV and a peak in the tan beta distribution simeq 55. We observe two distinct peaks in the distribution of m_h values, corresponding to two different regions of the CMSSM parameter space. Values of m_h < 119 GeV correspond to small values of the gaugino mass m_{1/2} and the soft trilinear supersymmetry-breaking parameter A_0, lying along coannihilation strips, and most of the allowed parameter sets are consistent with a supersymmetric interpretation of the possibly discrepancy in g_mu - 2. On the other hand, values of m_h > 119 GeV may correspond to much larger values of m_{1/2} and A_0, lying in rapid-annihilation funnels. The favoured ranges of m_h vary with m_t, the two peaks being more clearly separated for m_t = 178 GeV and merging for m_t = 172.7 GeV. If the g_mu - 2 constraint is imposed, the mode of the m_h distribution is quite stable, being sim 117 GeV for all the studied values of m_t.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figure