The Effect of Music Tempo on Muscular Endurance During the Bench Press

Click the PDF icon to download the abstract

Issues Related to the Provision of Emergency Shelter in Drought Conditions

Building Materials/Selection Criteria Climatic. (300.1)The digital Cuny Archive was made available in part through funding assistance from USAID.In the immediate past, as well as in the present, there have been major drought relief operations in Africa. Although the area most affected has been those countries in the Sahel region, others such as Kenya, Tanzania,Ethiopia and Somalia have also experienced drought of such magnitude that massive relief programs were initiated. A major facet of these operations has been the provision of food and water to the victims of the drought. Later, aid is often used to assist drought victims in replenishing animal herds, acquiring seed for crops, improving water sources, etc. Several agencies have also proposed emergency shelter and housing programs for the victims. This paper explores the issues related to the provision of emergency shelter under drought conditions and the impact of such programs in a long-term context

Pacific Hake, Merluccius productus, Autecology: A Timely Review

Pacific hake, Merluccius productus, the most abundant groundfish in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME), is a species of both commercial significance, supporting a large international fishery, and ecological importance, connecting other species as both predator and prey. Coastal Pacific hake migrations are characterized by movements between northern summer feeding areas and southern winter spawning areas, with variations in annual abundance, distribution, and the extent of these movements associated with varying climate-ocean conditions. In general, warm (cool) years with enhanced (reduced) stratification and poleward (equatorward) transport are often related to good (poor) recruitment, increased (decreased) northward distribution, and reduced (enhanced) growth. However, the classic periodic pattern of annual migration and distribution may no longer be fully representative. Based on recent advances in the understanding of climate-ocean variability off the U.S. west coast, we hypothesize that the annual movements of Pacific hake are more responsive to climate-ocean variability than previously thought, and further, that changes observed in Pacific hake distributions may reflect long-term changes in climate-ocean conditions in the CCLME. Therefore, an updated model of these relations is key to effective monitoring and management of this stock, as well as to devising scenarios of future change in the CCLME as a result of climate variations. The current state of knowledge of the relationship between the Pacific hake and its environment is reviewed, highlighting emerging ideas compared to those of the past, and priorities for future research are suggested

Distribution and Abundance of Phytoplankton, Zooplankton, Ichthyoplankton, and Micronekton in the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico

Expeditions in the 1960s and 1970s are the basis for the general paradigm that standing stocks and productivity of phytoplankton are both low ( \u3c0.1 mg chl·m-3; \u3c150 mg C.m-2·d-1) seaward of the shelf-slope break in the Gulf of Mexico. The present review supports this description of the mean (stable) state but also shows hot spots in primary production (\u3e2 g C·m-2·d-1) occur when/where nutrient availability is locally enhanced seaward of the shelf-slope break. Recent collections with Bongo and MOCNESS nets, midwater trawls, and bioacoustic surveys of the Loop Current and associated cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies in the Gulf of Mexico show that these deepwater hot spots have higher stocks of zooplankton and micronekton as well. The local aggregations ranged in size from coarse- to meso- spatial scales (10s to 100s of kilometers) though locations of such oases were spatially variable along the continental margin

Tropospheric corrections to GPS measurements using locally measured meteorological parameters compared with general tropospheric corrections

At the Technical University Graz (TUG), Austria, the Global Positioning System (GPS) has been used for time transfer purposes since the early 80's and from that time on local meteorological parameters have been recorded together with each measurement (satellite track). The paper compares the tropospheric corrections (delays) obtained from models usually employed in GPS receivers and those using locally measured meteorological parameters

Local tetragonal distortion in La_{0.7}Sr_{0.3}MnO_3 strained thin films probed by x-ray absorption spectroscopy

We report on an angular resolved X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy study of $La_{0.7}Sr_{0.3}MnO_{3}$ thin films epitaxially grown by pulsed laser deposition on slightly mismatched substrates which induce tensile or compressive strains. XANES spectra give evidence of tetragonal distortion within the $MnO_{6}$ octahedra, with opposite directions for tensile and compressive strains. Quantitative analysis has been done and a model of tetragonal distortion reflecting the strain has been established. EXAFS data collected in plane for tensile substrate confirm the change in the $Mn-O$ average bond distance and the increase of $Mn-Mn$ length matching with the enlargement of the cell parameter. From these results we conclude that there is no significant change in the $Mn-O-Mn$ angle. Our observations conflict with the scenarios which this angle is the main driving parameter in the sensitivity of manganite films properties to external strains and suggest that the distortion within the octahedra plays a key role in the modification of the transport and magnetic properties.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

Program Assessment: A Structured, Systematic, Sustainable Example for Civil Engineers

As the outcomes-based accreditation process continues to evolve since its implementation six years ago, the standards for program assessment and continuous improvement are progressively being raised and many schools struggle with what is required. This paper offers an example of a structured, systematic, sustainable assessment program implemented by the civil engineering program at the United States Military Academy. The process is compatible with the university assessment process and has eight years of documented results. The assessment includes fast loop and slow loop cycles that accomplish very different things. Other features include standardized course assessments, embedded indicators, performance measures for all outcomes and objectives, advisory boards, feedback from all constituencies, faculty involvement, and closing of the feedback loop

Pharmacology of cognitive enhancers for exposure-based therapy of fear, anxiety and trauma-related disorders

AbstractPathological fear and anxiety are highly debilitating and, despite considerable advances in psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy they remain insufficiently treated in many patients with PTSD, phobias, panic and other anxiety disorders. Increasing preclinical and clinical evidence indicates that pharmacological treatments including cognitive enhancers, when given as adjuncts to psychotherapeutic approaches [cognitive behavioral therapy including extinction-based exposure therapy] enhance treatment efficacy, while using anxiolytics such as benzodiazepines as adjuncts can undermine long-term treatment success. The purpose of this review is to outline the literature showing how pharmacological interventions targeting neurotransmitter systems including serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, histamine, glutamate, GABA, cannabinoids, neuropeptides (oxytocin, neuropeptides Y and S, opioids) and other targets (neurotrophins BDNF and FGF2, glucocorticoids, L-type-calcium channels, epigenetic modifications) as well as their downstream signaling pathways, can augment fear extinction and strengthen extinction memory persistently in preclinical models. Particularly promising approaches are discussed in regard to their effects on specific aspects of fear extinction namely, acquisition, consolidation and retrieval, including long-term protection from return of fear (relapse) phenomena like spontaneous recovery, reinstatement and renewal of fear. We also highlight the promising translational value of the preclinial research and the clinical potential of targeting certain neurochemical systems with, for example d-cycloserine, yohimbine, cortisol, and L-DOPA. The current body of research reveals important new insights into the neurobiology and neurochemistry of fear extinction and holds significant promise for pharmacologically-augmented psychotherapy as an improved approach to treat trauma and anxiety-related disorders in a more efficient and persistent way promoting enhanced symptom remission and recovery