Temporal Variations of Titan's Middle-Atmospheric Temperatures From 2004-2009 Observed by Cassini/CIRS

We use five and one-half years of limb- and nadir-viewing temperature mapping observations by the Composite Infrared Radiometer-Spectrometer (CIRS) on the Cassini Saturn orbiter, taken between July 2004 and December 2009 (Ls from 293deg to 4deg; northern mid-winter to just after northern spring equinox), to monitor temperature changes in the upper stratosphere and lower mesosphere of Titan. The largest changes are in the northern (winter) polar stratopause, which has declined in temperature by over 20 K between 2005 and 2009. Throughout the rest of the mid to upper stratosphere and lower mesosphere, temperature changes are less than 5 K. In the southern hemisphere, temperatures in the middle stratosphere near 1 mbar increased by 1 to 2K from 2004 through early 2007, then declined by 2 to 4K throughout 2008 and 2009, with the changes, being larger at more, polar latitudes. Middle stratospheric temperatures at mid-northern latitudes show a small 1 to 2K increase, from 2005 through 2009. At north polar latitudes within the polar vortex, temperatures in the middle stratosphe=re show a approx. 4 K increase during 2007, followed by a comparable decrease in temperatures in 2008 and into early 2009. The observed temperature. changes in the north polar region are consistent with a weakening of the subsidence within the descending branch of the middle atmosphere meridional circulation

Spectral density asymptotics for Gaussian and Laguerre β\beta-ensembles in the exponentially small region

The first two terms in the large $N$ asymptotic expansion of the $\beta$ moment of the characteristic polynomial for the Gaussian and Laguerre $\beta$-ensembles are calculated. This is used to compute the asymptotic expansion of the spectral density in these ensembles, in the exponentially small region outside the leading support, up to terms $o(1)$ . The leading form of the right tail of the distribution of the largest eigenvalue is given by the density in this regime. It is demonstrated that there is a scaling from this, to the right tail asymptotics for the distribution of the largest eigenvalue at the soft edge.Comment: 19 page

Damned if they do, damned if they don't: negotiating the tricky context of anti-social behaviour and keeping safe in disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods

Young people's relationship with anti-social behaviour (ASB) is complicated. While their behaviours are often stereotyped as anti-social (e.g. ‘hanging about’), they also experience ASB in their neighbourhood. In this study, we explore young people's own perspectives on ASB, comparing results from ‘go-along’ interviews and focus groups conducted in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Glasgow, Scotland. This article discusses how young people's everyday experience of ASB was contextualised by social factors such as cultural stereotyping of marginalised groups, poor social connectivity and spatial marginalisation within their neighbourhood. Furthermore, we found that these social factors were mutually reinforcing and interacted in a way that appeared to leave young people in a ‘no-win’ situation regarding their association with ASB. Participation in ASB and attempts to avoid such involvement were seen to involve negative consequences: participation could entail violence and spatial restrictions linked to territoriality, but avoidance could lead to being ostracised from their peer group. Regardless of involvement, young people felt that adults stereotyped them as anti-social. Our findings therefore provide support for policies and interventions aimed at reducing ASB (perpetrated by residents of all ages); in part by better ensuring that young people have a clear incentive for avoiding such behaviours

The global energy balance of Titan

The global energy budget of planets and their moons is a critical factor to influence the climate change on these objects. Here we report the first measurement of the global emitted power of Titan. Long-term (2004–2010) observations conducted by the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) onboard Cassini reveal that the total emitted power by Titan is (2.84 ± 0.01) × 10^(14) watts. Together with previous measurements of the global absorbed solar power of Titan, the CIRS measurements indicate that the global energy budget of Titan is in equilibrium within measurement error. The uncertainty in the absorbed solar energy places an upper limit on the energy imbalance of 6.0%

Finding Needles in Haystacks: The Use of Quantitative Proteomics for the Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common and treatable disease if diagnosed early. Current population screening programs are suboptimal, and consequently, there is a need for the development of new methodologies for early diagnosis of CRC. In the past 10 years, unprecedented technological advancements in the field of mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics have progressively increased the sophistication and utility of these investigations, leading to the draft mapping of the human proteome. These exciting studies have shaped our mechanistic understanding of the human genome and begun to provide us with a suite of novel biomarkers to predict the onset, progression and severity of many debilitating diseases. Thus, sophisticated MS workflows coupled with revolutionary protein quantification techniques hold promise for the field of MS-based plasma proteomics, particularly valuable in the context of early stage identification of curable CRC. However, within the last 40 years, no new plasma protein biomarkers of CRC have been translated into clinical practice. Here. we discuss the application of proteomic technologies within the field of CRC, highlighting contemporary MS-based plasma proteomic strategies that could be exploited to deliver on the promise of a panel of sensitive and specific plasma-based biomarkers with which to non-invasively detect early stage CRC

Effects of a mindfulness-based weight loss intervention in adults with obesity: A randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether adding mindfulness-based eating and stress management practices to a diet-exercise program improves weight loss and metabolic syndrome components. METHODS: In this study 194 adults with obesity were randomized to a 5.5-month program with or without mindfulness training and identical diet-exercise guidelines. Intention-to-treat analyses with multiple imputation were used for missing data. The primary outcome was 18-month weight change. RESULTS: Estimated effects comparing the mindfulness to control arm favored the mindfulness arm in (a) weight loss at 12 months, -1.9 kg (95% CI: -4.5, 0.8; P = 0.17), and 18 months, -1.7 kg (95% CI: -4.7, 1.2; P = 0.24), though not statistically significant; (b) changes in fasting glucose at 12 months, -3.1 mg/dl (95% CI: -6.3, 0.1; P = 0.06), and 18 months, -4.1 mg/dl (95% CI: -7.3, -0.9; P = 0.01); and (c) changes in triglyceride/HDL ratio at 12 months, -0.57 (95% CI: -0.95, -0.18; P = 0.004), and 18 months, -0.36 (95% CI: -0.74, 0.03; P = 0.07). Estimates for other metabolic risk factors were not statistically significant, including waist circumference, blood pressure, and C-reactive protein. CONCLUSIONS: Mindfulness enhancements to a diet-exercise program did not show substantial weight loss benefit but may promote long-term improvement in some aspects of metabolic health in obesity that requires further study

Contrasting Responses to Stress Displayed by Tobacco Overexpressing an Algal Plastid Terminal Oxidase in the Chloroplast

The plastid terminal oxidase (PTOX) – an interfacial diiron carboxylate protein found in the thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts – oxidizes plastoquinol and reduces molecular oxygen to water. It is believed to play a physiologically important role in the response of some plant species to light and salt (NaCl) stress by diverting excess electrons to oxygen thereby protecting photosystem II (PSII) from photodamage. PTOX is therefore a candidate for engineering stress tolerance in crop plants. Previously, we used chloroplast transformation technology to over express PTOX1 from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in tobacco (generating line Nt-PTOX-OE). Contrary to expectation, growth of Nt-PTOX-OE plants was more sensitive to light stress. Here we have examined in detail the effects of PTOX1 on photosynthesis in Nt-PTOX-OE tobacco plants grown at two different light intensities. Under ‘low light’ (50 μmol photons m–2 s–1) conditions, Nt-PTOX-OE and WT plants showed similar photosynthetic activities. In contrast, under ‘high light’ (125 μmol photons m–2 s–1) conditions, Nt-PTOX-OE showed less PSII activity than WT while photosystem I (PSI) activity was unaffected. Nt-PTOX-OE grown under high light also failed to increase the chlorophyll a/b ratio and the maximum rate of CO2 assimilation compared to low-light grown plants, suggesting a defect in acclimation. In contrast, Nt-PTOX-OE plants showed much better germination, root length, and shoot biomass accumulation than WT when exposed to high levels of NaCl and showed better recovery and less chlorophyll bleaching after NaCl stress when grown hydroponically. Overall, our results strengthen the link between PTOX and the resistance of plants to salt stress