Ancient gene linkages support ctenophores as sister to other animals

A central question in evolutionary biology is whether sponges or ctenophores (comb jellies) are the sister group to all other animals. These alternative phylogenetic hypotheses imply different scenarios for the evolution of complex neural systems and other animal-specific traits1,2,3,4,5,6. Conventional phylogenetic approaches based on morphological characters and increasingly extensive gene sequence collections have not been able to definitively answer this question7,8,9,10,11. Here we develop chromosome-scale gene linkage, also known as synteny, as a phylogenetic character for resolving this question12. We report new chromosome-scale genomes for a ctenophore and two marine sponges, and for three unicellular relatives of animals (a choanoflagellate, a filasterean amoeba and an ichthyosporean) that serve as outgroups for phylogenetic analysis. We find ancient syntenies that are conserved between animals and their close unicellular relatives. Ctenophores and unicellular eukaryotes share ancestral metazoan patterns, whereas sponges, bilaterians, and cnidarians share derived chromosomal rearrangements. Conserved syntenic characters unite sponges with bilaterians, cnidarians, and placozoans in a monophyletic clade to the exclusion of ctenophores, placing ctenophores as the sister group to all other animals. The patterns of synteny shared by sponges, bilaterians, and cnidarians are the result of rare and irreversible chromosome fusion-and-mixing events that provide robust and unambiguous phylogenetic support for the ctenophore-sister hypothesis. These findings provide a new framework for resolving deep, recalcitrant phylogenetic problems and have implications for our understanding of animal evolution.journal articl

Relationships Between Long-Range Lightning Networks and TRMM/LIS Observations

Recent advances in long-range lightning detection technologies have improved our understanding of thunderstorm evolution in the data sparse oceanic regions. Although the expansion and improvement of long-range lightning datasets have increased their applicability, these applications (e.g., data assimilation, atmospheric chemistry, and aviation weather hazards) require knowledge of the network detection capabilities. The present study intercompares long-range lightning data with observations from the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) aboard the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) satellite. The study examines network detection efficiency and location accuracy relative to LIS observations, describes spatial variability in these performance metrics, and documents the characteristics of LIS flashes that are detected by the long-range networks. Improved knowledge of relationships between these datasets will allow researchers, algorithm developers, and operational users to better prepare for the spatial and temporal coverage of the upcoming GOES-R Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM)

UTILIZING UAV PAYLOAD DESIGN BY UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS FOR EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT

ABSTRACT An undergraduate team consisting of mechanical and electrical engineering students at the University of North Dakota developed an electro-optical and un-cooled thermal infrared digital imaging remote sensing payload for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The first iteration of the payload design began in the fall of 2005 and the inaugural flight tests took place at Camp Ripley, Minnesota, a National Guard facility, in the fall of 2006 with a corporate partner. The second iteration design with increased performance in object tracking and data processing is expected to fly in the summer of 2007. Payload development for integration into a UAV is a process that is not currently well defined by industrial practices or regulated by government. These processes are a significant part of the research being conducted in order to define the "best practices." The emerging field of UAVs generates tremendous interest and serves to attract quality students into the research. As with many emerging technologies there are many new exciting developments, however, the fundamentals taught in core courses are still critical to the process and serve as the basis of the system. In this manner, the program stimulates innovative design while maintaining a solid connection to undergraduate courses and illustrates the importance of advanced courses. The payload development was guided by off-the-shelf components and software using a systems engineering methodology throughout the project. Many of the design and payload flight constraints were based on external factors, such as difficulties with access to airspace, weatherrelated delays, and ITAR restrictions on hardware. Overall, the research project continues to be a tremendous experiential learning activity for mechanical and electrical engineering students, as well as for the faculty members. The process has been extremely successful in enhancing the expertise in systems engineering and design in the students and developing the UAV payload design knowledge base and necessary infrastructure at the university

Computational Assessment of the GT-MHR Graphite Core Support Structural Integrity in Air-Ingress Accident Condition

The objective of this project was to perform stress analysis for graphite support structures of the General Atomics’ 600 MWth GT-MHR prismatic core design using ABAQUS ® (ver. 6.75) to assess their structural integrity in air-ingress accident conditions where the structure weakens over time due to oxidation damages. The graphite support structures of prismatic type GT-MHR was analyzed based on the change of temperature, burn-off and corrosion depth during the accident period predicted by GAMMA, a multi-dimensional gas multi-component mixture analysis code developed in the Republic of Korea (ROK)/United States (US) International –Nuclear Engineering Research Initiative (I-NERI) project. Both the loading and thermal stresses were analyzed, but the thermal stress was not significant, leaving the loading stress to be the major factor. The mechanical strengths are exceeded between 11 to 11.5 days after loss-of-coolant-accident (LOCA), corresponding to 5.5 to 6 days after the start of natural convection

Ursinus College Alumni Journal, March 1967

The paradox of urbia • The joyful acceptance of technopolis • Toward a new kind of freedom • Bill Daniels leads a creative life of action in urbia • Who is educated to plan the urban environment? • From the President • Concerning Freeland Seminary: An alumna writes a history of Collegeville • Discovery in Europe, student style • Personal calls will climax \u2767 Centennial Fund • Candidates for office • Springtime is alumni time • Student magazine focuses on political affairs • A theory of non-interference • From the Perkiomen to the Potomac • In the land of the four 70s • Sporting scene: Wrestling; Indoor track; Cross country; Basketball; Women\u27s hockey; Other women\u27s sports; Scheduling correction • Campus clippings: Financial support; Student lounge a success; Selma sheriff speaks; The amazing Evening School; Questionnaires returned; Book on urbia still available; Honor graduate; Sign to show the way • Class notebook • Physicians Alumni Club of Ursinus College organizes • Weddings • Births • In memoriamhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/alumnijournal/1088/thumbnail.jp

Global connectivity of the fronto-parietal cognitive control network is related to depression symptoms in the general population

We all vary in our mental health, even among people not meeting diagnostic criteria for mental illness. Understanding this individual variability may reveal factors driving the risk for mental illness, as well as factors driving subclinical problems that still adversely affect quality of life. To better understand the large-scale brain network mechanisms underlying this variability, we examined the relationship between mental health symptoms and resting-state functional connectivity patterns in cognitive control systems. One such system is the fronto-parietal cognitive control network (FPN). Changes in FPN connectivity may impact mental health by disrupting the ability to regulate symptoms in a goal-directed manner. Here we test the hypothesis that FPN dysconnectivity relates to mental health symptoms even among individuals who do not meet formal diagnostic criteria but may exhibit meaningful symptom variation. We found that depression symptoms severity negatively correlated with between-network global connectivity (BGC) of the FPN. This suggests that decreased connectivity between the FPN and the rest of the brain is related to increased depression symptoms in the general population. These findings complement previous clinical studies to support the hypothesis that global FPN connectivity contributes to the regulation of mental health symptoms across both health and disease. Understanding how large-scale network interactions in the brain contribute to (or serve a protective role against) mental health symptoms is an important step toward developing more effective mental health treatments. Here we test the hypothesis that cognitive control networks play an important role in mental health by being highly connected to other brain networks and able to serve as a feedback mechanism capable of regulating symptoms in a goal-directed manner. We found that the more well connected the fronto-parietal cognitive control network was to other networks in the brain the less depression symptoms were reported by participants. These results contribute to our understanding of how brain network interactions are related to mental health symptoms, even in individuals who have not been diagnosed with a disorder