A Bi-Exponential Repair Algorithm for Radiation-Induced Double-Strand Breaks: Application to Chromosome Aberrations

Chromosome aberrations (CAs) are one of the effects of radiation exposure and are used as a biomarker. A new simulation program, named RITCARD (Radiation induced tracks, chromosome aberrations, repair, and damage) was developed to simulate radiation-induced CA. RITCARD is used with the program RITRACKS (Relativistic Ion Tracks), which simulates the radiation tracks. The restitution kinetics algorithm presented here is a significant improvement over the one used in the first version. Simulations of radiation-induced CA were performed for several ion types and mixed irradiation fields. These simulations will be useful to help interpreting experiments of galactic cosmic rays (GCR) simulator

Compassion Predictors in Undergraduates: A Catholic College Example

Compassion is sorely needed in contemporary society, including within faith-based colleges. Past research has examined the prevention of compassion fatigue in healthcare professions, but relatively little research exists on the predictors of compassion, particularly among student populations. This study examines the factors associated with higher compassion levels in graduating college seniors, revealing demographic, experiential, and beliefrelated factors contributing to compassion. Results suggest that the general profile of a highly compassionate graduating college senior is a student who is female, politically liberal, religious, studying the natural or social sciences, actively involved in community service or volunteering, and who has undergone workshops on racial/cultural awareness and sensitivity

Compassion development in higher education

Many schools of psychology and religious studies intend to promote the cultivation of compassion. Compassion is currently an integral area of study in psychology, religious studies, and higher education, specifically in faith-based higher education. While secular universities in the United States strive to generate disciplinary-based knowledge through scholarship, their ability to promote students\u27 use of the information they are learning to create positive social change has typically lagged. Conscious of the magnitude of today\u27s global issues and dissatisfied with the current disparity between the world\u27s reality and university curricula, scholars have begun to re-imagine the role of higher education in forming the leaders who will face our most exigent problems. The present article reviews how compassion can be integrated into university curriculum, specifically in faith-based institutions. The article also discusses how compassion can be measured throughout the course of undergraduates\u27 careers

Extracting Value from NASA Quality Engineering and Assurance Data

No abstract availabl

Connecting the time domain community with the Virtual Astronomical Observatory

The time domain has been identified as one of the most important areas of astronomical research for the next decade. The Virtual Observatory is in the vanguard with dedicated tools and services that enable and facilitate the discovery, dissemination and analysis of time domain data. These range in scope from rapid notifications of time-critical astronomical transients to annotating long-term variables with the latest modeling results. In this paper, we will review the prior art in these areas and focus on the capabilities that the VAO is bringing to bear in support of time domain science. In particular, we will focus on the issues involved with the heterogeneous collections of (ancillary) data associated with astronomical transients, and the time series characterization and classification tools required by the next generation of sky surveys, such as LSST and SKA.Comment: Submitted to Proceedings of SPIE Observatory Operations: Strategies, Processes and Systems IV, Amsterdam, 2012 July 2-

AF-algebras and topology of mapping tori

A covariant functor from the category of mapping tori to a category of AF-algebras is constructed; the functor takes continuous maps between such manifolds to stable homomorphisms between the corresponding AF-algebras. We use this functor to develop an obstruction theory for the torus bundles of dimension 2, 3 and 4.Comment: to appear Czechoslovak Math.

Kinetic control over CdS nanocrystal nucleation using a library of thiocarbonates, thiocarbamates, and thioureas

We report a family of substituted thiocarbonates, thiocarbamates, and thioureas and their reaction with cadmium oleate at 180-240 degrees C to form zincblende CdS nanocrystals (d = 2.25.9 nm). To monitor the kinetics of CdS formation with UV-vis spectroscopy, the size dependence of the extinction coefficient for lambda(max)(1S(e)-1S(1/2h)) is determined. The precursor conversion reactivity spans 5 orders of magnitude depending on the precursor structure (2 degrees-thioureas > 3 degrees-thioureas >= 2 degrees-thiocarbamates > 2 degrees-thiocarbonates > 4 degrees-thioureas >= 3 degrees-thiocarbamates). The concentration of nanocrystals formed during nucleation increases when more reactive precursors are used, allowing the final size to be controlled by the precursor structure. H-1 NMR spectroscopy is used to monitor the reaction of di-p-tolyl thiocarbonate and cadmium oleate where di-p-tolyl carbonate and oleic anhydride coproducts can be identified. These coproducts further decompose into p-tolyl oleate and p-cresol. The spectral features of CdS nanocrystals produced from thiocarbonates are exceptionally narrow (95-161 meV fwhm) as compared to those made from thioureas (137-174 meV fwhm) under otherwise identical conditions, indicating that particular precursors nucleate narrower size distributions than others