459 research outputs found
Computer-Mediated Communication in the Basic Communication Course
Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) for instructional support is being explored at a number of colleges and universities. In this paper the authors describe their successful application of CMC to the basic communication course and the lessons they learned for successful implementation of instructional CMC
Glycolipids of the mouse peritoneal macrophage. Alterations in amount and surface exposure of specific glycolipid species occur in response to inflammation and tumoricidal activation
We have characterized the major glycolipid constituents of the mouse peritoneal macrophage, and have demonstrated that alterations in the amount and in the accessibility of specific glycolipid species to galactose oxidase/NaB3H4 labeling, an indicator of glycolipid surface exposure, occur in response to inflammation and as a consequence of activation to a tumoricidal state. The key findings are: (a) Asialo GM1, a major neutral glycolipid constituent of all macrophage populations examined, is accessible to galactose oxidase/NaB3H4 labeling on the surface of TG-elicited and BCG-activated macrophages but not on resident macrophages; (b) GM1 is the predominant ganglioside constituent of the mouse macrophage. Resident macrophages contain two distinct GM1 species, as determined by cholera toxin binding, while TG-elicited and BCG-activated macrophages contain an additional GM1 species. Differences in the relative amounts of these GM1 species, as well as in their accessibility to galactose oxidase/NaB3H4 labeling, exist among the macrophage populations. These observations suggest that both a chemical and spatial reorganization of surface glycolipids occurs in response to inflammation and tumoricidal activation
Impact of aging and age-related maculopathy on inactivation of the a-wave of the rod-mediated electroretinogram
AbstractThis study examined the impact of aging and age-related maculopathy (ARM) on the inactivation of phototransduction in rod photoreceptors by measuring the recovery of the a-wave using a paired flash electroretinogram technique. Measurements were made on 32 older adults in normal retinal health, 25 with early ARM, 7 with late ARM, and 20 young adults for comparison purposes. ARM presence and severity were defined by the Wisconsin Age-Related Maculopathy Grading System based on grading of fundus photographs. The inactivation of rod phototransduction exhibited an aging-related slowing. Those with early ARM did not exhibit inactivation slowing over and above what would be expected based on normal retinal aging. Persons in the late stages of ARM exhibited dramatic slowing in inactivation kinetics
An experimental study of the mixing of COâ and Nâ under conditions found at the surface of Venus
Based on the only reliable temperature profile available in the deepest âŒ10 km layer above Venusâ surface (obtained by the VeGa-2 landing probe), the mixing conditions of the main constituents of Venusâs atmosphere, COâ and Nâ, have been questioned. In this work, we report the results of a series of experiments that were done in the GEER facility at Glenn Research Center to investigate the homogeneity of COâ/Nâ gas mixtures at 100 bars and temperatures ranging from âŒ296 K to âŒ735 K. When the gas mixtures are initially well-mixed, separation of the two gases based on their molecular mass does not occur over the time scales observed; although, small systematic variations in composition remain to be fully interpreted. However, when Nâ is injected on top of COâ (layered fill), the very large density ratio makes it more difficult to mix the two chemical species. Timescales of mixing are of the order of 10ÂČ hours over the height of the test vessel (roughly 60 cm), and even longer when the gas mixture is at rest and only molecular diffusion is occurring. At room temperature, close to the critical point of the mixture, large pressure variations are obtained for the layered fill, as Nâ slowly mixes into COâ. This can be explained by large density variations induced by the mixing. For conditions relevant to the near-surface atmosphere of Venus, separation of COâ and Nâ based on their molecular mass and due to physical properties of the gas mixture is not demonstrated, but can not be firmly excluded either. This suggests that if the compositional vertical gradient deduced from the VeGa-2 temperature profile is to be trusted, it would most probably be due to some extrinsic processes (not related to gas properties, e.g. COâ volcanic inputs) and large mixing time constants
Restoration of rotational invariance of bound states on the light front
We study bound states in a model with scalar nucleons interacting via an
exchanged scalar meson using the Hamiltonian formalism on the light front. In
this approach manifest rotational invariance is broken when the Fock space is
truncated. By considering an effective Hamiltonian that takes into account two
meson exchanges, we find that this breaking of rotational invariance is
decreased from that which occurs when only one meson exchange is included. The
best improvement occurs when the states are weakly bound.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, uses feynMF; changed typos, clarified use of
angular momentu
Galactic-Scale Outflow and Supersonic Ram-Pressure Stripping in the Virgo Cluster Galaxy NGC 4388
The Hawaii Imaging Fabry-Perot Interferometer (HIFI) on the University of
Hawaii 2.2m telescope was used to map the Halpha and [O III] 5007 A
emission-line profiles across the entire disk of the edge-on Sb galaxy NGC
4388. We confirm a rich complex of highly ionized gas that extends ~4 kpc above
the disk of this galaxy. Low-ionization gas associated with star formation is
also present in the disk. Evidence for bar streaming is detected in the disk
component and is discussed in a companion paper (Veilleux, Bland-Hawthorn, &
Cecil 1999; hereafter VBC). Non-rotational blueshifted velocities of 50 - 250
km/s are measured in the extraplanar gas north-east of the nucleus. The
brighter features in this complex tend to have more blueshifted velocities. A
redshifted cloud is also detected 2 kpc south-west of the nucleus. The velocity
field of the extraplanar gas of NGC 4388 appears to be unaffected by the
inferred supersonic (Mach number M ~ 3) motion of this galaxy through the ICM
of the Virgo cluster. We argue that this is because the galaxy and the high-|z|
gas lie behind a Mach cone with opening angle ~ 80 degrees. The shocked ICM
that flows near the galaxy has a velocity of ~ 500 km/s and exerts insufficient
ram pressure on the extraplanar gas to perturb its kinematics. We consider
several explanations of the velocity field of the extraplanar gas. Velocities,
especially blueshifted velocities on the N side of the galaxy, are best
explained as a bipolar outflow which is tilted by > 12 degrees from the normal
to the disk. The observed offset between the extraplanar gas and the radio
structure may be due to buoyancy or refractive bending by density gradients in
the halo gas. Velocity substructure in the outflowing gas also suggests an
interaction with ambient halo gas.Comment: 29 pages including 5 figures, Latex, requires aaspp4.sty, to appear
in ApJ, 520 (July 20, 1999 issue
An Unbiased Survey of 500 Nearby Stars for Debris Disks: A JCMT Legacy Program
We present the scientific motivation and observing plan for an upcoming
detection survey for debris disks using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. The
SCUBA-2 Unbiased Nearby Stars (SUNS) Survey will observe 500 nearby main
sequence and sub-giant stars (100 of each of the A, F, G, K and M spectral
classes) to the 850 micron extragalactic confusion limit to search for evidence
of submillimeter excess, an indication of circumstellar material. The survey
distance boundaries are 8.6, 16.5, 22, 25 and 45 pc for M, K, G, F and A stars,
respectively, and all targets lie between the declinations of -40 deg to 80
deg. In this survey, no star will be rejected based on its inherent properties:
binarity, presence of planetary companions, spectral type or age. This will be
the first unbiased survey for debris disks since IRAS. We expect to detect ~125
debris disks, including ~50 cold disks not detectable in current shorter
wavelength surveys. A substantial amount of complementary data will be required
to constrain the temperatures and masses of discovered disks. High resolution
studies will likely be required to resolve many of the disks. Therefore, these
systems will be the focus of future observational studies using a variety of
observatories to characterize their physical properties. For non-detected
systems, this survey will set constraints (upper limits) on the amount of
circumstellar dust, of typically 200 times the Kuiper Belt mass, but as low as
10 times the Kuiper Belt mass for the nearest stars in the sample
(approximately 2 pc).Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures (3 color), accepted by the Publications of the
Astronomical Society of the Pacifi
'To live and die [for] Dixie': Irish civilians and the Confederate States of America
Around 20,000 Irishmen served in the Confederate army in the Civil War. As a result, they left behind, in various Southern towns and cities, large numbers of friends, family, and community leaders. As with native-born Confederates, Irish civilian support was crucial to Irish participation in the Confederate military effort. Also, Irish civilians served in various supporting roles: in factories and hospitals, on railroads and diplomatic missions, and as boosters for the cause. They also, however, suffered in bombardments, sieges, and the blockade. Usually poorer than their native neighbours, they could not afford to become 'refugees' and move away from the centres of conflict. This essay, based on research from manuscript collections, contemporary newspapers, British Consular records, and Federal military records, will examine the role of Irish civilians in the Confederacy, and assess the role this activity had on their integration into Southern communities. It will also look at Irish civilians in the defeat of the Confederacy, particularly when they came under Union occupation. Initial research shows that Irish civilians were not as upset as other whites in the South about Union victory. They welcomed a return to normalcy, and often 'collaborated' with Union authorities. Also, Irish desertion rates in the Confederate army were particularly high, and I will attempt to gauge whether Irish civilians played a role in this. All of the research in this paper will thus be put in the context of the Drew Gilpin Faust/Gary Gallagher debate on the influence of the Confederate homefront on military performance. By studying the Irish civilian experience one can assess how strong the Confederate national experiment was. Was it a nation without a nationalism
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