The effect of the spacing of background elements upon optomotor memory responses in the crab: the influence of adding or deleting features during darkness

1. Study was made of the effect of separation between stripes in the visual field upon responses which indicate memory of those stripes. 2. The amount of separation between white stripes had very little effect, whereas response strength and the amount of separation between black stripes were directly proportional. 3. The presence of extra, non-displaced black stripes prior to or following displacement reduced the size of the memory responses. 4. The effects of the amount of separation in the two cases were comparable. In both situations the separation affected only the responses to displacement of the stripe borders nearest to the extra stripe. 5. The effect of extra stripes present prior to displacement was in turn affected by the duration of the dark period, whilst the effect of those present during the post-displacement period was not. This accounts for the larger effect of extra stripes present during the psot-displacement period. 6. By expanding stripe width during darkness it was possible to distinguish between the effects of distance between stripes and the amount of white space separating them. Reducing white space while distance remains constant causes reductions in response strength, whereas reducing the distance between a memory zone and the white space between it and the neighboring stripe increased the size of the memory response

Technological systems and momentum change: American electric utilities, restructuring, and distributed generation

No description supplie

Parallel pseudospectral domain decomposition techniques

The influence of interface boundary conditions on the ability to parallelize pseudospectral multidomain algorithms is investigated. Using the properties of spectral expansions, a novel parallel two domain procedure is generalized to an arbitrary number of domains each of which can be solved on a separate processor. This interface boundary condition considerably simplifies influence matrix techniques

Assessing U.S. energy policy

No description supplie

Strategies for effective HE-employer engagement

Research reportThis is the third in a series of reports summarising the outcomes of research to support the South West Higher Level Skills Pathfinder Project. The first of these mapped out the higher skills and employer engagement (EE) landscape as portrayed through policy and research literature. The second summarised a series of in-depth case studies of EE initiatives in higher education (HE) to shed light on key facilitators and barriers as perceived by those people directly involved in developing and delivering projects. This final report complements these two previous publications through a series of case studies of 10 English HE institutions (HEIs) on their institutional strategies to EE. Together these reports give an overview of the field of HE-EE and how universities and other HE providers are working with employers to address higher skills needs.The South West Higher Level Skills Pathfi nder (HLSP) project is funded by HEFCE and managed by Universities South West (formerly HERDA South West

Weekly nab-Paclitaxel in Combination With Carboplatin as First-Line Therapy in Patients With Advanced Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Analysis of Safety and Efficacy in Patients With Diabetes

AbstractPurposeTo examine outcomes in a phase 3 trial of nab-paclitaxel plus carboplatin (nab-P/C) versus solvent-based paclitaxel plus carboplatin (sb-P/C) in a subset of patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and diabetes.Patients and MethodsPatients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC received nab-P 100 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15 or sb-P 200 mg/m2 on day 1, both with C at an area under the curve of 6 mg·min/mL on day 1 every 3 weeks. Overall response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS) were determined by blinded, independent, centralized review. P values were based on chi-square test for ORR and log-rank test for overall survival (OS) and PFS.ResultsOf the 1052 randomized patients in the phase 3 trial, 61 had diabetes according to prespecified terms (nab-P/C, 31; sb-P/C, 30). ORR for nab-P/C versus sb-P/C in this subset was 52% versus 27% (relative risk ratio, 1.935; P = .046), median PFS was 10.9 versus 4.9 months (hazard ratio, 0.420; P = .016), and median OS was 17.5 versus 11.1 months (hazard ratio, 0.550; P = .057). Treatment differences in PFS remained significant (P ≤ .036) after adjusting for histology, region, stage, race, and age and also remained significant in OS for histology (P = .039). Patients with diabetes experienced lower rates of grade 3 or higher neutropenia and peripheral neuropathy and higher rates of thrombocytopenia and anemia with nab-P/C versus sb-P/C.Conclusionnab-P/C demonstrated improved efficacy and manageable tolerability in patients with advanced NSCLC and diabetes

Parabolic Deployable Antenna

A deployable antenna is described. The antenna comprises a mesh attached to foldable ribs, a hub and a sub-reflector. The antenna can be stowed in a tight space for launching in space, and later deployed by extending out of its container. The antenna is designed to work in the Ka band or other bands and can increase data rates and function as a radio antenna

Development of prefabricated retrofit module towards nearly zero energy buildings

The building sector is an energy intensive sector, with great potential to reduce energy needs and environmental pollution. Several measures are being taken to increase the energy efficiency and avoid energy consumption in this sector. A recent trend is the nearly zero energy buildings, which was already adopted by some of the latest regulations, such as the 2010 recast of the European Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). However, to reach these goals, especially considering the existing building stock, new retrofit solutions are required, which must be well adapted to the specific building stock needs, and ensure that the building retrofit can achieve the nearly zero energy buildings standards. This paper presents a new prefabricated retrofit module solution for the facades of existing buildings, and also the steps taken to optimise its performance, which includes a judicious choice of materials, 3D modelling, cost–benefit analysis, use of different simulation tools for performance optimisation and prototyping. It is also shown the implementation of the retrofit module within an integrated retrofit approach, whose final goal was to obtain a building with the minimum possible energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.This work was supported by ERDF funds through the Competitiveness Factors Operational Programme - COMPETE and National Funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology [project number FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-007189]. The author, Pedro Silva, was supported by FCT and DST, S.A. [grant number SFRH/BDE/15599/2006], which was co-financed by the Human Potential Operational Programme of the European Union POPH - NSRF - Type 4.1 - Advanced Training, shared by the European Social Fund and national funds MCTES

Ecto 5′-Nucleotidase and Nonspecific Alkaline Phosphatase: TWO AMP-HYDROLYZING ECTOENZYMES WITH DISTINCT ROLES IN HUMAN AIRWAYS

In human airways, extracellular adenosine regulates epithelial functions supporting mucociliary clearance, an important airway defense mechanism against bacterial infection. Thus, defining the mechanisms of adenosine generation is critical for elucidating the role of this nucleoside in airway homeostasis. In this study, we identified the source of adenosine on the mucosal surface of human airway epithelia. Polarized primary cultures of human nasal or bronchial epithelial cells were assayed for transepithelial transport, cytosolic and cell surface adenosine production. Ussing chamber experiments indicated that serosal 1 microM [(3)H]adenosine was not transported to the mucosal compartment. Messenger RNA for the cytosolic AMP-specific 5'-nucleotidase (CN-I) was not detected in human bronchial epithelial cells, suggesting that mucosal adenosine did not originate from intracellular pools. In contrast, extracellular 0.1 mm ATP was rapidly dephosphorylated into adenosine on the mucosal epithelial surface. We identified two ectonucleotidases that mediated the conversion of AMP to adenosine: ecto 5'-nucleotidase (ecto 5'-NT, CD73) and alkaline phosphatase (AP). Both mucosal and serosal epithelial surfaces displayed ecto 5'-NT activity (K(m) = 14 microM, V(max) = 0.5 nmol x min(-1) x cm(-2)), whereas AP activity was restricted to the mucosal surface (K(m,)(high) = 36 microM, V(max) = 1.2 nmol x min(-1) x cm(-2); K(m,)(low) = 717 microM, V(max) = 2.8 nmol x min(-1) x cm(-2)). In bronchial cultures and tissues, ecto 5'-NT accounted for >80% of total activity toward 0.01 mm AMP, compared with <15% for 5 mm AMP. The proximal airway AP isoform was identified as nonspecific AP (NS AP) by levamisole sensitivity and mRNA expression. The two ectoenzymes presented opposite airway distributions, ecto 5'-NT and NS AP mRNA dominating in higher and lower airways, respectively. Collectively, these experiments support a major role for extracellular nucleotide catalysis and for ecto 5'-NT and NS AP in the regulation of adenosine concentrations on airway surfaces