Modeling of subglacial hydrological development following rapid supraglacial lake drainage

The rapid drainage of supraglacial lakes injects substantial volumes of water to the bed of the Greenland ice sheet over short timescales. The effect of these water pulses on the development of basal hydrological systems is largely unknown. To address this, we develop a lake drainage model incorporating both (1) a subglacial radial flux element driven by elastic hydraulic jacking and (2) downstream drainage through a linked channelized and distributed system. Here we present the model and examine whether substantial, efficient subglacial channels can form during or following lake drainage events and their effect on the water pressure in the surrounding distributed system. We force the model with field data from a lake drainage site, 70 km from the terminus of Russell Glacier in West Greenland. The model outputs suggest that efficient subglacial channels do not readily form in the vicinity of the lake during rapid drainage and instead water is evacuated primarily by a transient turbulent sheet and the distributed system. Following lake drainage, channels grow but are not large enough to reduce the water pressure in the surrounding distributed system, unless preexisting channels are present throughout the domain. Our results have implications for the analysis of subglacial hydrological systems in regions where rapid lake drainage provides the primary mechanism for surface-to-bed connections

Dilatonic global strings

We examine the field equations of a self-gravitating global string in low energy superstring gravity, allowing for an arbitrary coupling of the global string to the dilaton. Massive and massless dilatons are considered. For the massive dilaton the spacetime is similar to the recently discovered non-singular time-dependent Einstein self-gravitating global string, but the massless dilaton generically gives a singular spacetime, even allowing for time-dependence. We also demonstrate a time-dependent non-singular string/anti-string configuration, in which the string pair causes a compactification of two of the spatial dimensions, albeit on a very large scale.Comment: 18 pages RevTeX, 3 figures, references amende

Cosmic strings in dilaton gravity

We examine the metric of an isolated self-gravitating abelian-Higgs vortex in dilatonic gravity for arbitrary coupling of the vortex fields to the dilaton. We look for solutions in both massless and massive dilaton gravity. We compare our results to existing metrics for strings in Einstein and Jordan-Brans-Dicke theory. We explore the generalization of Bogomolnyi arguments for our vortices and comment on the effects on test particles.Comment: 24 pages plain TEX, 4 figures -- references amended, some additional comments added, version to appear in journa

“It's such a vicious cycle”: Narrative accounts of the sportsperson with epilepsy

Objectives: There is an abundance of quantitative and medical research promoting the benefits of exercise for people with epilepsy. However, the psychosocial barriers and benefits of exercising for the sportsperson/people with epilepsy (SWE) are absent. This research aims to present the narratives of SWE over time and as a result, develop further understanding of the psychosocial impact of exercising with epilepsy. Method: A holistic-content and structural narrative analysis were used to explore the exercise experiences of three SWE over the course of one year. A creative non-fictional technique was used to present first person narratives, therefore providing the SWE's voice for the reader. Results: Narratives of ‘vicious cycle’ and ‘roller coaster’ presented complex and multi-thematic storied forms, with time and the hidden nature of epilepsy having a strong impact on narrative formation. Vicious cycle presented the cycle of desiring to exercise, but prevented from exercising because of uncontrolled seizures. This resulted in frustration and feelings of a lack of control, which subsequently increased the desire to exercise and created a cycle with no clear end. Roller coaster presented the constant psychosocial and physical undulations that epilepsy can create for a SWE over time. Conclusion: These narratives reveal that exercising with epilepsy has a constant and on-going positive and negative impact on the life of SWE. However, these narratives also show that it may be through the process of acceptance of their body's limitations that a healthier mental and physical state may result for the SWE

Trapping a translocating protein within the anthrax toxin channel: implications for the secondary structure of permeating proteins

Anthrax toxin consists of three proteins: lethal factor (LF), edema factor (EF), and protective antigen (PA). This last forms a heptameric channel, (PA63)7, in the host cell’s endosomal membrane, allowing the former two (which are enzymes) to be translocated into the cytosol. (PA63)7 incorporated into planar bilayer membranes forms a channel that translocates LF and EF, with the N terminus leading the way. The channel is mushroom-shaped with a cap containing the binding sites for EF and LF, and an ∼100 Å–long, 15 Å–wide stem. For proteins to pass through the stem they clearly must unfold, but is secondary structure preserved? To answer this question, we developed a method of trapping the polypeptide chain of a translocating protein within the channel and determined the minimum number of residues that could traverse it. We attached a biotin to the N terminus of LFN (the 263-residue N-terminal portion of LF) and a molecular stopper elsewhere. If the distance from the N terminus to the stopper was long enough to traverse the channel, streptavidin added to the trans side bound the N-terminal biotin, trapping the protein within the channel; if this distance was not long enough, streptavidin did not bind the N-terminal biotin and the protein was not trapped. The trapping rate was dependent on the driving force (voltage), the length of time it was applied, and the number of residues between the N terminus and the stopper. By varying the position of the stopper, we determined the minimum number of residues required to span the channel. We conclude that LFN adopts an extended-chain configuration as it translocates; i.e., the channel unfolds the secondary structure of the protein. We also show that the channel not only can translocate LFN in the normal direction but also can, at least partially, translocate LFN in the opposite direction

Cell Cycle Related Differentiation of Bone Marrow Cells into Lung Cells

Green-fluorescent protein (GFP) labeled marrow cells transplanted into lethally irradiated mice can be detected in the lungs of transplanted mice and have been shown to express lung specific proteins while lacking the expression of hematopoietic markers. We have studied marrow cells induced to transit cell cycle by exposure to IL-3, IL-6, IL-11 and steel factor at different times of culture corresponding to different phases of cell cycle. We have found that marrow cells at the G1/S interface have a 3-fold increase in cells which assume a lung phenotype and that this increase is no longer seen in late S/G2. These cells have been characterized as GFP{sup +} CD45{sup -} and GFP{sup +} cytokeratin{sup +}. Thus marrow cells with the capacity to convert into cells with a lung phenotype after transplantation show a reversible increase with cytokine induced cell cycle transit. Previous studies have shown the phenotype of bone marrow stem cells fluctuates reversibly as these cells traverse cell cycle, leading to a continuum model of stem cell regulation. The present studies indicate that marrow stem cell production of nonhematopoietic cells also fluctuates on a continuum

Passing the Panda Standard: A TAD Off the Mark?

Tilapia, a tropical freshwater fish native to Africa, is an increasingly important global food commodity. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), a major environmental nongovernmental organization, has established stakeholder dialogues to formulate farm certification standards that promote ‘‘responsible’’ culture practices. As a preface to its ‘‘tilapia aquaculture dialogue,’’ the WWF for Nature commissioned a review of potential certification issues, later published as a peer-reviewed article. This article contends that both the review and the draft certification standards subsequently developed fail to adequately integrate critical factors governing the relative sustainability of tilapia production and thereby miss more significant issues related to resource-use efficiency and the appropriation of ecosystem space and services. This raises a distinct possibility that subsequent certification will promote intensive systems of tilapia production that are far less ecologically benign than existing widely practiced semiintensive alternatives. Given the likely future significance of this emergent standard, it is contended that a more holistic approach to certification is essential

Windbreaks in North American Agricultural Systems

Windbreaks are a major component of successful agricultural systems throughout the world. The focus of this chapter is on temperate-zone, commercial, agricultural systems in North America, where windbreaks contribute to both producer profitability and environmental quality by increasing crop production while simultaneously reducing the level of off-farm inputs. They help control erosion and blowing snow, improve animal health and survival under winter conditions, reduce energy consumption of the farmstead unit, and enhance habitat diversity, providing refuges for predatory birds and insects. On a larger landscape scale windbreaks provide habitat for various types of wildlife and have the potential to contribute significant benefits to the carbon balance equation, easing the economic burdens associated with climate change. For a windbreak to function properly, it must be designed with the needs of the landowner in mind. The ability of a windbreak to meet a specific need is determined by its structure: both external structure, width, height, shape, and orientation as well as the internal structure; the amount and arrangement of the branches, leaves, and stems of the trees or shrubs in the windbreak. In response to windbreak structure, wind flow in the vicinity of a windbreak is altered and the microclimate in sheltered areas is changed; temperatures tend to be slightly higher and evaporation is reduced. These types of changes in microclimate can be utilized to enhance agricultural sustainability and profitability. While specific mechanisms of the shelter response remain unclear and are topics for further research, the two biggest challenges we face are: developing a better understanding of why producers are reluctant to adopt windbreak technology and defining the role of woody plants in the agricultural landscape