Effect of ambient humidity on dichotomous sampler coarse/fine ratios

Atmospheric aerosols were measured in August 1983 on Allegheny Mountain and Laurel Hill in southwestern Pennsylvania. Ambient humidity was observed to influence the coarse to fine particle ratios as determined by dichotomous samplers. This influence is evident in the particle mass and in its component chemical species. The sampling run with the most pronounced mass shift resulted in an apparent loss of 50 % of the fine mass and 66 % of the fine particle sulfur to the coarse fraction. The magnitude of the mass shift appears to be related to the length of time that the aerosol was in a saturated environment and also to the original dry particle size. These observations have serious implications for receptor modeling with dichotomous sampler data whenever only the fine particles are considered.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/27611/1/0000655.pd

The sources of aerosol elemental carbon at Allegheny Mountain

Aerosol elemental carbon measurements were taken at two rural sites in southwestern Pennsylvania during August 1983. Carbon, though a small part of the aerosol mass at both sites, was a leading constituent of the aerosol on an atom basis. Time-weighted average concentrations at Allegheny Mountain and Laurel Hill were 1.2 and 1.4 [mu]g m-3, respectively. Absolute Principal Component Analysis followed by multiple regression and Chemical Mass Balance techniques were utilized to apportion the measured elemental carbon to its sources. Motor vehicles were estimated to be the largest source of elemental carbon at the two sites, contributing 41-68% and 34-56% at Allegheny Mountain and Laurel Hill, respectively.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/28963/1/0000800.pd

Distributive justice with and without culture

Academic treatments of distributive justice normally adopt a static approach centred on resource allocation among a set of individual agents. The resulting models, expressed in mathematical language, make no allowance for culture, as they never engage with the society’s way of life or the moulding of individuals within society. This paper compares the static approach to distributive justice with a cultural one, arguing that a case for redistribution should rest upon its cultural effects in assisting well-being and social cohesion. Unless we recognise culture, we can have little understanding of why inequalities matter, where they come from, and how they might be reduced. Redistribution may be motivated by universal value judgements taken from external sources, but it also entails internal cultural changes that refashion social relations through cumulative causation. In practical terms, it has to penetrate beyond reallocating resource endowments to bring revised attitudes in a society less tolerant of unequal outcomes. Egalitarian reforms will flourish only if they generate and reflect an egalitarian culture

In-Depth Analysis of the Antibody Response of Individuals Exposed to Primary Dengue Virus Infection

Humans who experience a primary dengue virus (DENV) infection develop antibodies that preferentially neutralize the homologous serotype responsible for infection. Affected individuals also generate cross-reactive antibodies against heterologous DENV serotypes, which are non-neutralizing. Dengue cross-reactive, non-neutralizing antibodies can enhance infection of Fc receptor bearing cells and, potentially, exacerbate disease. The actual binding sites of human antibody on the DENV particle are not well defined. We characterized the specificity and neutralization potency of polyclonal serum antibodies and memory B-cell derived monoclonal antibodies (hMAbs) from 2 individuals exposed to primary DENV infections. Most DENV-specific hMAbs were serotype cross-reactive and weakly neutralizing. Moreover, many hMAbs bound to the viral pre-membrane protein and other sites on the virus that were not preserved when the viral envelope protein was produced as a soluble, recombinant antigen (rE protein). Nonetheless, by modifying the screening procedure to detect rare antibodies that bound to rE, we were able to isolate and map human antibodies that strongly neutralized the homologous serotype of DENV. Our MAbs results indicate that, in these two individuals exposed to primary DENV infections, a small fraction of the total antibody response was responsible for virus neutralization

Whole-Exome Sequencing Identifies Homozygous AFG3L2 Mutations in a Spastic Ataxia-Neuropathy Syndrome Linked to Mitochondrial m-AAA Proteases

We report an early onset spastic ataxia-neuropathy syndrome in two brothers of a consanguineous family characterized clinically by lower extremity spasticity, peripheral neuropathy, ptosis, oculomotor apraxia, dystonia, cerebellar atrophy, and progressive myoclonic epilepsy. Whole-exome sequencing identified a homozygous missense mutation (c.1847G>A; p.Y616C) in AFG3L2, encoding a subunit of an m-AAA protease. m-AAA proteases reside in the mitochondrial inner membrane and are responsible for removal of damaged or misfolded proteins and proteolytic activation of essential mitochondrial proteins. AFG3L2 forms either a homo-oligomeric isoenzyme or a hetero-oligomeric complex with paraplegin, a homologous protein mutated in hereditary spastic paraplegia type 7 (SPG7). Heterozygous loss-of-function mutations in AFG3L2 cause autosomal-dominant spinocerebellar ataxia type 28 (SCA28), a disorder whose phenotype is strikingly different from that of our patients. As defined in yeast complementation assays, the AFG3L2Y616C gene product is a hypomorphic variant that exhibited oligomerization defects in yeast as well as in patient fibroblasts. Specifically, the formation of AFG3L2Y616C complexes was impaired, both with itself and to a greater extent with paraplegin. This produced an early-onset clinical syndrome that combines the severe phenotypes of SPG7 and SCA28, in additional to other “mitochondrial” features such as oculomotor apraxia, extrapyramidal dysfunction, and myoclonic epilepsy. These findings expand the phenotype associated with AFG3L2 mutations and suggest that AFG3L2-related disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis of spastic ataxias

Institutionelle Arrangements und Formen der Handlungskoordination im Mehrebenensystem der USA

Das Verhältnis zwischen den Politikebenen im Mehrebenensystem der USA kann durch drei Typen charakterisiert werden: erstens die zentrale Regulierung, d.h. die hierarchische Koordination der Politikebenen. Zweitens die dezentrale Regulierung, die sowohl den regulativen Wettbewerb als auch die Entstehung horizontaler Verhandlungssysteme zwischen den Einzelstaaten umfasst. Beide Formen verlieren an Bedeutung, da sich stattdessen mehr und mehr ein dritter Typus, die Mehrebenenregulierung, durchsetzt. Dargestellt werden zwei Varianten dieser neuartigen institutionellen Arrangements, die den beiden anderen Typen der Regulierung überlegen sind: Zum einen wird der Wettbewerb zwischen den Politikebenen durch eine Kombination hierarchischer Elemente mit dem regulativen Wettbewerb zwischen den Einzelstaaten gefördert, z.B. durch die Festsetzung nationaler Mindeststandards. Zum anderen kann ein Wandel der intergouvernementalen Beziehungen beobachtet werden, der die Entstehung vertikaler Verhandlungssysteme zwischen dem Bund und den Einzelstaaten begünstigt. Die Entwicklung in den USA zeigt, dass bei der Kombination institutioneller Arrangements auf hierarchische Elemente kaum verzichtet werden kann. Außerdem kann man feststellen, dass dynamische Politikentwicklungen nicht nur aus dem regulativen Wettbewerb zwischen den Einzelstaaten, sondern auch aus dem Wettbewerb zwischen den Politikebenen resultieren können.The relationship between the policy levels in the U.S. multi-level system can be characterized by three types: first, central regulation, i.e. the hierarchical coordination of the policy levels. Second, decentral regulation comprising regulatory competition as well as the emergence of horizontal joint-decision systems between the states. Both forms lose importance as a third type, multi-level regulation, becomes prevalent. Two variants of these novel institutional arrangements that are superior to both other types of regulation, are described. On the one hand, competition between the policy levels is stimulated by a combination of hierarchical elements with the regulative competition between the states, e.g., by setting national minimum standards. On the other hand, a change of the intergovernmental relations between the federal government and the states can be observed, fostering the emergence of vertical joint-decision systems. The U.S. development shows that hierarchical elements are hardly dispensable when institutional arrangements are combined. Moreover, it can be seen that dynamic policy developments result not only from regulative competition between states but also from competition between policy levels