Relationships between Oceanographic Satellite Data and Alexandrium Distributions in the Gulf of Maine

An examination is made of the qualitative and quantitative relationships between satellite derived sea-surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll patterns and the distribution of Alexandrium, the toxic dinoflagellate species responsible for HABs in the GOM. Daily images coincident with five ECOHAB survey cruises in 1998 and 2000 are composited over each cruise period to create mean patterns for each sample period. Contours of surface Alexandrium cell concentrations are superimposed on the images as well as images showing the strength and location of SST frontal zones to examine qualitative relationships. Results indicate that high concentrations of Alexandrium are located primarily in the eastern Maine coastal current (EMCC) and that frontal zones in this region generally act as boundaries to their surface distributions. Linear regressions are used to explore quantitative relationships between location-specific satellite data extracted from the composites and in situ parameters important to the ecology of Alexandrium . The most consistent results of these analyses were a linear relationship between satellite SST and Alexandrium that was used in a simple model to extrapolatelinterpolate the distribution of Alexandrium based on satellite data. The regression results also suggest a seasonally shifting optimal temperature range for maximum Alexandrium concentrations. No qualitative or quahtitative relationships between the SeaWiFS chlorophyll data and Alexandrium distributions in the GOM were found. Relationships between satellite-measured SST patterns and toxicity in the western GOM were examined during a paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) closure in western GOM in May 2000 to test the hypothesis that toxicity events in the western GOM require a transport mechanism for Alexandrium cells in the EMCC to get into the western GOM and inshore. Thermal patterns evident in the satellite SST data at the time of the May 2000 closure were consistent with enhanced connectivity and advection from the EMCC to western GOM. Ten years (1990-1999) of retrospective toxicity data from five sites along the coast of Maine and coincident AVHRR SST data are used to test the temporal stability of the observed May 2000 relationship between toxicity events in the western GOM and satellite-measured SST patterns. Results show that the occurrence of strong thermal gradients between eastern and western GOM, indicative of reduced alongshore connectivity, plays a key role in the occurrence and timing of toxicity event in the western GOM. The results of this work indicate the utility of satellite derived SST data in defining hydrographic patterns associated with elevated Alexandrium cell concentrations and in the detection and monitoring of oceanographic features that are conducive of toxicity events along the coast of western Maine. Future work making use of the optical and biological information in SeaWiFS data, wind data and other SST products will likely improve the utility of satellite data in understanding the ecology of Alexandrium in the GOM demonstrated here

Locally Adaptive Nonparametric Binary Regression

A nonparametric and locally adaptive Bayesian estimator is proposed for estimating a binary regression. Flexibility is obtained by modeling the binary regression as a mixture of probit regressions with the argument of each probit regression having a thin plate spline prior with its own smoothing parameter and with the mixture weights depending on the covariates. The estimator is compared to a single spline estimator and to a recently proposed locally adaptive estimator. The methodology is illustrated by applying it to both simulated and real examples.Comment: 31 pages, 10 figure

Out of nowhere: thought insertion, ownership and context-integration

We argue that thought insertion primarily involves a disruption of the sense of ownership for thoughts and that the lack of a sense of agency is but a consequence of this disruption. We defend the hypothesis that this disruption of the sense of ownership stems from a failure in the online integration of the contextual information related to a thought, in particular contextual information concerning the different causal factors that may be implicated in their production. Loss of unity of consciousness, manifested by incoherent subjective experiences is a general phenomenal characteristic of schizophrenia. This loss of coherence has been hypothesized to reflect a generalized deficit of contextual information integration not conveyed by, but related to, a target event. This deficit is manifested across many cognitive domains. We argue that it is also manifested in the process of thinking itself, resulting in causally decontextualized thoughts that are experienced as inserted thoughts

Analytical results for the quantum non-Markovianity of spin ensembles undergoing pure dephasing dynamics

We study analytically the non-Markovianity of a spin ensemble, with arbitrary number of spins and spin quantum number, undergoing a pure dephasing dynamics. The system is considered as a part of a larger spin ensemble of any geometry with pairwise interactions. We derive exact formulas for the reduced dynamics of the system and for its non-Markovianity as assessed by the witness of Lorenzo et al. [Phys. Rev. A 88, 020102(R) (2013)]. The non-Markovianity is further investigated in the thermodynamic limit when the environment's size goes to infinity. In this limit and for finite-size systems, we find that the Markovian character of the system's dynamics crucially depends on the range of the interactions. We also show that when the system and its environment are initially in a product state, the appearance of non-Markovianity is independent of the entanglement generation between the system and its environment

An in vivo evaluation of Brilliant Blue G in animals and humans

Background/Aims: To evaluate the retinal toxicity of Brilliant Blue G (BBG) following intravitreal injection in rat eyes and examine the biocompatibility and the staining properties in humans.Methods: BBG was injected into the 11 rat eyes to evaluate toxic effects with balanced salt solution (BSS) serving as control. Retinal toxicity was assessed by retinal ganglion cell (RGC) counts and by light microscopy 7 days later. In addition, BBG was applied during vitrectomy for macular hole (MH) (n = 15) or epiretinal membranes (ERM) (n = 3) in a prospective, non-comparative consecutive series of patients. Before and after surgery, all patients underwent a complete clinical examination including measurement of best corrected visual acuity (VA) and intraocular pressure, perimetry, fundus photography and optical coherence tomography. Patients were seen 1 day before surgery and then in approximately four weeks intervals.Results: No significant reduction in RGC numbers and no morphological alterations were noted. A sufficient staining of the internal limiting membrane (ILM) was seen in patients with MH, while the staining pattern in ERM cases was patchy, indicating that parts of the ILM were peeled off along with the ERM in a variable extent. All MHs could be closed successfully. VA improved in 10 eyes (56%; 8/15 MH patients, 2/3 ERM patients), was unchanged in four eyes (22%; all MH patients) and was reduced in four eyes (22%; 3/15 MH, 1/3 ERM). No toxic effects attributable to the dye were noted during patient follow-up. The ultrastructure of tissue harvested during surgery was unremarkable.Conclusion: Brilliant Blue provides a sufficient and selective staining of the ILM. No retinal toxicity or adverse effects related to the dye were observed in animal and human studies. The long-term safety of this novel dye will have to be evaluated in larger patient series and a longer follow-up

Radon, From the Ground into Our Schools: Parent/Guardian Awareness of Radon Levels in Vermont Schools

Introduction. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Ex- posure to radon in schools may be harmful to schoolchildren, faculty, and staff, but there is currently no legislation mandating testing or mitigation of radon levels in Vermont schools. Objectives. The goal of our study was to assess Vermont parents’ awareness of radon’s harmful effects, as well as awareness of and support for testing and mitigation of radon levels in their children’s schools. Methods. We distributed paper and online surveys to Vermont parents of children grades K-12. 126 surveys were received and quantitatively analyzed. We held a focus group of two Vermont parents to gather qualitative data. Results. Most surveyed parents demonstrated general knowledge of radon, but only 51% believed that radon affects the lungs. 8% were confident that their children’s schools had informed them about radon levels. 91.2% believe their children’s schools should take action to address elevated radon levels and 87% would support mandated mitigation. There is some concern and lack of knowledge about the financial implications of radon mitigation. Conclusions. Most Vermont parents of children grades K-12 are unaware that radon is a lung carcinogen and do not know their children’s school’s radon levels or mitigation status. However, most are in favor of legislation that would require testing and dis- closure of schools’ high radon levels. Educating parents about school radon levels and their association with lung cancer could be a foundation for community support of legislation that mandates testing and mitigation of radon in Vermont schools.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1252/thumbnail.jp