Geologic Review of Propsed Amarillo Area Site for the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC)

In June 1987, the Texas National Research Laboratory Commission commissioned the Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin to conduct a review and brief report on the geology of the proposed site for the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) in the Amarillo area. They also requested a surface geologic map of the site. An informal task force was assembled for this purpose, including Jay A. Raney (Coordinator), Thomas C. Gustavson, and S. Christopher Caran from the Bureau of Economic Geology. This report is accompanied by the geologic map (Plate 1) of the proposed Amarillo area site in the Texas Panhandle.Bureau of Economic Geolog

Remote Sensing Analysis of Land Cover and Land Use, Central Belize

In 1992, the Land Information Centre (LIC) of the Belize Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MNRE) acquired Geographic Information System (GIS) capability (Fairweather, 1997). One of the initial projects undertaken by the LIC was to integrate digitized land use maps of Belize into the GIS. These maps had been previously completed by the MNRE as part of a project initiated in 1987 by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The results of this mapping project were presented in a preliminary report containing eight land use maps (Fairweather and Gray, 1994). The information from these maps has been extensively utilized by both government and private organizations for planning and development decisions (Fairweather, 1997). Recognizing the value of the 1989/1992 land use datasets and the importance of maintaining current land use maps, the MNRE sought to update them. The LIC acquired 1996 imagery through a grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), providing the necessary means for updating the land use maps.Bureau of Economic Geolog

Couple-based interventions in the treatment of adult anorexia nervosa: A brief case example of UCAN.

Adult anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious and often fatal illness that significantly erodes quality of life for both the patient and loved ones. Treatment of adults with AN has focused largely on individual therapy, with recent findings suggesting that improvement is limited and dropout rates are high. In an effort to improve treatment response, we developed a couple-based intervention, Uniting Couples in the treatment of Anorexia Nervosa (UCAN) as an adjunct treatment to standard multidisciplinary care. UCAN leverages the support of a partner and the relationship in treatment by decreasing avoidance around AN, teaching the couple how to effectively address the eating disorder, and helping to foster a more satisfying relationship. This paper presents a case study of a couple who completed UCAN, “Laura and Steve”, including their experiences in treatment and outcome measures at pretest, posttest, and three-month follow-up. Laura showed clinically significant change on the Restraint subscale of the EDE at follow-up, and both partners showed clinically significant improvements in relationship satisfaction, as well as on self-reported and observed communication. Both partners reported very high satisfaction with the treatment. A discussion of therapists' experiences in delivering UCAN is provided, including common challenges for therapists with primarily a couple therapy or an individual CBT for eating disorders background, as well as important factors for therapists to consider in order to optimally leverage the benefits of including partners in treatment for AN

Summary Report for the 2005-2006 STATEMAP Project: Geologic Mapping to Support Improved Database Development and Understanding of Urban Corridors, Critical Acquifers. And Special Areas of Environmental Concern in Texas

Eleven geologic maps, 1:24,000 scale, have been constructed for Galveston and Mustang Barrier Islands and for part of the Brazos River Valley and its aquifers. The maps are intended to be used by professionals and laypersons as a source of general geologic information that relates to land and resource use and management. The geologic maps of the barrier islands include (a) Northern Mustang Island (Port Aransas quadrangle), (b) Southern Mustang Island (Crane Islands NW quadrangle), (c) Northeastern Galveston Island (Galveston quadrangle), (d) Central Galveston Island (Lake Como quadrangle), and (e) Southeastern Galveston Island (Sea Isle and San Luis Pass quadrangles). These maps display island wetland and upland geologic environments. Geologic maps of the Brazos River Valley study area include six quadrangles: Baileyville, Hammond, Maysfield, Calvert, Gause, and Hearne South. These maps and cross sections show the geologic framework of the Brazos alluvial aquifer in an area where it intersects three other Texas aquifers: the Carrizo-Wilcox, Queen City, and Sparta.Bureau of Economic Geolog

Rotational 3D printing of damage-tolerant composites with programmable mechanics

Natural composites exhibit exceptional mechanical performance that often arises from complex fiber arrangements within continuous matrices. Inspired by these natural systems, we developed a rotational 3D printing method that enables spatially controlled orientation of short fibers in polymer matrices solely by varying the nozzle rotation speed relative to the printing speed. Using this method, we fabricated carbon fiber–epoxy composites composed of volume elements (voxels) with programmably defined fiber arrangements, including adjacent regions with orthogonally and helically oriented fibers that lead to nonuniform strain and failure as well as those with purely helical fiber orientations akin to natural composites that exhibit enhanced damage tolerance. Our approach broadens the design, microstructural complexity, and performance space for fiber-reinforced composites through site-specific optimization of their fiber orientation, strain, failure, and damage tolerance

The ENCODE Project at UC Santa Cruz

The goal of the Encyclopedia Of DNA Elements (ENCODE) Project is to identify all functional elements in the human genome. The pilot phase is for comparison of existing methods and for the development of new methods to rigorously analyze a defined 1% of the human genome sequence. Experimental datasets are focused on the origin of replication, DNase I hypersensitivity, chromatin immunoprecipitation, promoter function, gene structure, pseudogenes, non-protein-coding RNAs, transcribed RNAs, multiple sequence alignment and evolutionarily constrained elements. The ENCODE project at UCSC website () is the primary portal for the sequence-based data produced as part of the ENCODE project. In the pilot phase of the project, over 30 labs provided experimental results for a total of 56 browser tracks supported by 385 database tables. The site provides researchers with a number of tools that allow them to visualize and analyze the data as well as download data for local analyses. This paper describes the portal to the data, highlights the data that has been made available, and presents the tools that have been developed within the ENCODE project. Access to the data and types of interactive analysis that are possible are illustrated through supplemental examples

The UCSC Genome Browser Database: update 2006

The University of California Santa Cruz Genome Browser Database (GBD) contains sequence and annotation data for the genomes of about a dozen vertebrate species and several major model organisms. Genome annotations typically include assembly data, sequence composition, genes and gene predictions, mRNA and expressed sequence tag evidence, comparative genomics, regulation, expression and variation data. The database is optimized to support fast interactive performance with web tools that provide powerful visualization and querying capabilities for mining the data. The Genome Browser displays a wide variety of annotations at all scales from single nucleotide level up to a full chromosome. The Table Browser provides direct access to the database tables and sequence data, enabling complex queries on genome-wide datasets. The Proteome Browser graphically displays protein properties. The Gene Sorter allows filtering and comparison of genes by several metrics including expression data and several gene properties. BLAT and In Silico PCR search for sequences in entire genomes in seconds. These tools are highly integrated and provide many hyperlinks to other databases and websites. The GBD, browsing tools, downloadable data files and links to documentation and other information can be found at

Convergent evolution of the genomes of marine mammals

Marine mammals from different mammalian orders share several phenotypic traits adapted to the aquatic environment and are therefore a classic example of convergent evolution. To investigate convergent evolution at the genomic level, we sequenced and de novo assembled the genomes of three species of marine mammals (the killer whale, walrus and manatee) from three mammalian orders that share independently evolved phenotypic adaptations to a marine existence. Our comparative genomic analyses found that convergent amino acid substitutions were widespread throughout the genome, and that a subset were in genes evolving under positive selection and putatively associated with a marine phenotype. However, we found higher levels of convergent amino acid substitutions in a control set of terrestrial sister taxa to the marine mammals. Our results suggest that while convergent molecular evolution is relatively common, adaptive molecular convergence linked to phenotypic convergence is comparatively rare

Indications for implant removal after fracture healing: a review of the literature

Introduction: The aim of this review was to collect and summarize published data on the indications for implant removal after fracture healing, since these are not well defined and guidelines hardly exist. Methods: A literature search was performed. Results: Though there are several presumed benefits of implant removal, such as functional improvement and pain relief, the surgical procedure can be very challenging and may lead to complications or even worsening of the complaints. Research has focused on the safety of metal implants (e.g., risk of corrosion, allergy, and carcinogenesis). For these reasons, implants have been removed routinely for decades. Along with the introduction of titanium alloy implants, the need for implant removal became a subject of debate in view of potential (dis)advantages since, in general, implants made of titanium alloys are more difficult to remove. Currently, the main indications for removal from both the upper and lower extremity are mostly 'relative' and patient-driven, such as pain, prominent material, or simply the request for removal. True medical indications like infection or intra-articular material are minor reasons. Conclusion: This review illustrates the great variety of view points in the literature, with large differences in opinions and practices about the indications for implant removal after fracture healing. Since some studies have described asymptomatic patients developing complaints after removal, the general advice nowadays is to remove implants after fracture healing only in symptomatic patients and after a proper informed consent. Well-designed prospective studies on this subject are urgently needed in order to form guidelines based on scientific evidence

Prognostic impact of peritumoral lymphocyte infiltration in soft tissue sarcomas

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The purpose of this study was to clarify the prognostic significance of peritumoral lymphocyte infiltration in the capsule of soft tissue sarcomas (STS). Multiple observations in preclinical and clinical studies have shown that the immune system has a role in controlling tumor growth and progression. Prognostic markers in potentially curable STS should guide therapy after surgical resection. The immune status at the time of resection may be important, but the prognostic significance of peritumoral lymphocytes is unknown.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Tissue microarrays from 80 patients with STS were constructed from duplicate cores of tissue from the tumor and the peritumoral capsule. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and CD20+ lymphocytes in the tumor and the peritumoral capsule.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In univariate analyses, increasing numbers of CD20+ (<it>P </it>= 0.032) peritumoral lymphocytes were associated with a reduced disease free survival (DSS). In multivariate analyses, a high number of CD20+ peritumoral lymphocytes (<it>P </it>= 0.030) in the capsule was an independent negative prognostic factor for DSS. There were no such associations of lymphocyte infiltration in the tumor.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A high density of CD20+ peritumoral lymphocytes is an independent negative prognostic indicator for patients with STS. Further research is needed to determine whether CD20 cells in the peritumoral capsule of STS may promote tumor invasion in the surrounding tissue and increase the metastatic potential.</p