Analysis of organic compounds in returned comet nucleus samples

Techniques for analysis of organic compounds in returned comet nucleus samples are described. Interstellar, chondritic and transitional organic components are discussed. Appropriate sampling procedures will be essential to the success of these analyses. It will be necessary to return samples that represent all the various regimes found in the nucleus, e.g., a complete core, volatile components (deep interior), and crustal components (surface minerals, rocks, processed organics such as macromolecular carbon and polymers). Furthermore, sampling, storage, return, and distribution of samples must be done under conditions that preclude contamination of the samples by terrestrial matter

Simple Muscle Architecture Analysis (SMA): an ImageJ macro tool to automate measurements in B-mode ultrasound scans

In vivo measurements of muscle architecture (i.e. the spatial arrangement of muscle fascicles) are routinely included in research and clinical settings to monitor muscle structure, function and plasticity. However, in most cases such measurements are performed manually, and more reliable and time-efficient automated methods are either lacking completely, or are inaccessible to those without expertise in image analysis. In this work, we propose an ImageJ script to automate the entire analysis process of muscle architecture in ultrasound images: Simple Muscle Architecture Analysis (SMA). Images are filtered in the spatial and frequency domains with built-in commands and external plugins to highlight aponeuroses and fascicles. Fascicle dominant orientation is then computed in regions of interest using the OrientationJ plugin. Bland-Altman plots of analyses performed manually or with SMA indicates that the automated analysis does not induce any systematic bias and that both methods agree equally through the range of measurements. Our test results illustrate the suitability of SMA to analyse images from superficial muscles acquired with a broad range of ultrasound settings.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, 1 appendi

Data processing system for the intensity monitoring spectrometer flown on the Orbiting Geophysical Observatory-F (OGO-F) satellite

The system is discussed which was developed to process digitized telemetry data from the intensity monitoring spectrometer flown on the Orbiting Geophysical Observatory (OGO-F) Satellite. Functional descriptions and operating instructions are included for each program in the system

Sleep quality influences subsequent motor skill acquisition

While the influence of sleep on motor memory consolidation has been extensively investigated, its relation to initial skill acquisition is less well understood. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of sleep quality and quantity on subsequent motor skill acquisition in young adults without sleep disorders. Fifty-five healthy adults (mean age = 23.8 years; 34 women) wore actigraph wristbands for 4 nights, which provided data on sleep patterns before the experiment, and then returned to the laboratory to engage in a motor sequence learning task (explicit 5-item finger sequence tapping task). Indicators of sleep quality and quantity were then regressed on a measure of motor skill acquisition (Gains Within Training, GWT). Wake After Sleep Onset (WASO; i.e., the total amount of time the participants spent awake after falling asleep) was significantly and negatively related to GWT. This effect was not because of general arousal level, which was measured immediately before the motor task. Conversely, there was no relationship between GWT and sleep duration or self-reported sleep quality. These results indicate that sleep quality, as assessed by WASO and objectively measured with actigraphy before the motor task, significantly impacts motor skill acquisition in young healthy adults without sleep disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).Accepted manuscrip

The impact of motor symptoms on self-reported anxiety in Parkinson's disease

OBJECTIVE: Anxiety is commonly endorsed in Parkinson's disease (PD) and significantly affects quality of life. The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) is often used but contains items that overlap with common PD motor symptoms (e.g., “hands trembling”). Because of these overlapping items, we hypothesized that PD motor symptoms would significantly affect BAI scores. METHODS: One hundred non-demented individuals with PD and 74 healthy control participants completed the BAI. PD motor symptoms were assessed by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Factor analysis of the BAI assessed for a PD motor factor, and further analyses assessed how this factor affected BAI scores. RESULTS: BAI scores were significantly higher for PD than NC. A five-item PD motor factor correlated with UPDRS observer-rated motor severity and mediated the PD-control difference on BAI total scores. An interaction occurred, whereby removal of the PD motor factor resulted in a significant reduction in BAI scores for PD relative to NC. The correlation between the BAI and UPDRS significantly declined when controlling for the PD motor factor. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that commonly endorsed BAI items may reflect motor symptoms such as tremor instead of, or in addition to, genuine mood symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of considering motor symptoms in the assessment of anxiety in PD and point to the need for selecting anxiety measures that are less subject to contamination by the motor effects of movement disorders.Published versio

Educator Reaction To Secondary Students Having Leadership Roles

The research question addressed in this project was, how do a diverse group of educators react to the idea of assigning secondary students leadership roles in teaching their peers and communicating information in the classroom environment? This capstone used a qualitative research design. An anonymous electronic survey was sent out via Survey Monkey to eighty participants. A total of forty were included in the analyses. The survey gathered information from five groups of educators. These included secondary teachers, military officers, flight instructors, coaches, and corporate trainers. Data analyses calculated the mean, median, and mode for each survey question. The mean average indicated medium support for the theoretical idea of assigning secondary students leadership roles. A limitation of the research design was the lack of participants who work with elementary and middle school students. Further study could be accomplished with a revised survey intended to gain the perspectives of the students who might be involved in a leadership structured classroom

Daniel R. Cronin

Daniel R. Cronin [1925-2018] was a veteran of World War II, serving in the US Navy from 1943 to 1946. He attended Duquesne University following his service from 1946 to 1950.https://dsc.duq.edu/vohp/1003/thumbnail.jp

(Photo)Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction at the Defective Anatase TiO2 (101) Surface

Excessive carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by combustion of fossil fuels are linked to global warming and rapid climate change. One promising route to lowering the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is to reduce it to useful small molecules via photoelectrocatalytic hydrogenation, which would enable solar energy storage with a zero-carbon emission cycle and perform a more efficient separation of the photogenerated electron and hole pair than pure photocatalysis. Indeed, photoelectrocatalytic CO2 reduction has been an intense focus of research. Using the density functional theory (DFT), we studied the CO2 reduction reaction on the defective anatase TiO2 (101) surface, at both the solvent/catalyst and the electrolyte/catalyst interfaces. The analysis of the electronic structure of the surface shows a contrast between the solvent/catalyst and the electrolyte/catalyst interfaces, which results in the two corresponding catalytic cycles being distinct. Our study explains at the electronic and mechanistic levels why methanol is the main product in the presence of the electrolyte and why the overpotential is not only controlled by the reaction process but also by the diffusion process

Beyond Wikipedia and Google: Web-based literacies and student learning

The Educause Horizon Report (http://wp.nmc.org/horizon2009/) argues that while web-based tools are rapidly becoming standard in education and in the workplace and technologically mediated communication is the norm, fluency in information, visual, and technological literacy is not formally taught to most students. In the light of this we need new and expanded definitions and paradigms of academic digital literacy that are based on mastering underlying concepts of critical thinking and enhancing these paradigms within the digital environment. This chapter attempts to test the assumption that entrants to the humanities (in this case art history) are information or data literate. This is an assumption often made yet it largely goes unchallenged. This study reflects on the strengths and weaknesses of a series of information literacy workshops currently being delivered in History of Art, University College Cork (http://eimagespace.blogspot.com/). The use of dynamic web tools, like audio and video podcasts, has given dyslexic students attending the workshops alternative entry points to learning

Digital utopia or dystopia: can educators assume ICT literacy?

It is often assumed that undergraduates entering higher education are fully ICT (Information Communications Technology) literate. This survey paper draws upon case studies from History of Art and Adult Continuing Education, University College Cork, to question this assumption. It argues that students, both undergraduates and lifelong learners, greatly benefit from an ICT workshop programme supporting disciplinary teaching and learning. Support workshops assist in developing confident researchers and assist in developing transferable work-life skills. The paper will explore the following topics: the role played by emoderation in knowledge construction; cyber ethics, especially understanding intellectual property; barriers to full participation as expressed by ‘digital divide’ issues and building disciplinary Communities of Practice