Geoacoustic Inversion of Ship Radiated Noise in Shallow Water Using Data From a Single Hydrophone

The Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation conducted a geoacoustic inverse experiment in the Mediterranean Sea in the summer of 2012. Among the objectives was to employ an autono- mous underwater vehicle to collect acoustic data to invert for properties of the seafloor. Inversion results for the compression wave speed in the bottom and the source spectrum of the R/V Alliance during a close approach to the bottom moored vehicle are presented. The estimated wave speed was 1529 m/s (r ¼ 10). The source spectrum of the Alliance was estimated across more than six octaves of frequency

Head Wave Correlations in Ambient Noise

Ambient ocean noise is processed with a vertical line array to reveal coherent time-separated arrivals suggesting the presence of head wave multipath propagation. Head waves, which are critically propagating water waves created by seabed waves traveling parallel to the water-sediment interface, can propagate faster than water-only waves. Such eigenrays are much weaker than water-only eigenrays, and are often completely overshadowed by them. Surface-generated noise is different whereby it amplifies the coherence between head waves and critically propagating water-only waves, which is measured by cross-correlating critically steered beams. This phenomenon is demonstrated both experimentally and with a full wave simulation

Broadband matched-field processing: coherent and incoherent approaches

Matched-field based methods always involve the comparison of the output of a physical model and the actual data. The method of comparison and the nature of the data varies according to the problem at hand, but the result becomes always largely conditioned by the accurateness of the physical model and the amount of data available. The usage of broadband methods has become a widely used approach to increase the amount of data and to stabilize the estimation process. Due to the difficulties to accurately predict the phase of the acoustic field the problem whether the information should be coherently or incoherently combined across frequency has been an open debate in the last years. This paper provides a data consistent model for the observed signal, formed by a deterministic channel structure multiplied by a perturbation random factor plus noise. The cross-frequency channel structure and the decorrelation of the perturbation random factor are shown to be the main causes of processor performance degradation. Different Bartlett processors, such as the incoherent processor [Baggeroer et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 80, 571-587 (1988)], the coherent normalized processor [Z.-H. Michalopoulou, IEEE J. Ocean Eng. 21, 384-392 (1996)] and the matched-phase processor [Orris et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 107, 2563-2375 (2000)], are reviewed and compared to the proposed cross-frequency incoherent processor. It is analytically shown that the proposed processor has the same performance as the matched-phase processor at the maximum of the ambiguity surface, without the need for estimating the phase terms and thus having an extremely low computational cost. (C) 2003 Acoustical Society of America

Thermosensitivity of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gpp1gpp2 double deletion strain can be reduced by overexpression of genes involved in cell wall maintenance

A Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain in which the GPP1 and GPP2 genes, both encoding glycerol-3-phosphate phosphatase isoforms, are deleted, displays both osmo- and thermosensitive (ts) phenotypes. We isolated genes involved in cell wall maintenance as multicopy suppressors of the gpp1gpp2 ts phenotype. We found that the gpp1gpp2 strain is hypersensitive to cell wall stress such as treatment with β-1,3-glucanase containing cocktail Zymolyase and chitin-binding dye Calcofluor-white (CFW). Sensitivity to Zymolyase was rescued by overexpression of SSD1, while CFW sensitivity was rescued by SSD1, FLO8 and WSC3-genes isolated as multicopy suppressors of the gpp1gpp2 ts phenotype. Some of the isolated suppressor genes (SSD1, FLO8) also rescued the lytic phenotype of slt2 deletion strain. Additionally, the sensitivity to CFW was reduced when the cells were supplied with glycerol. Both growth on glycerol-based medium and overexpression of SSD1, FLO8 or WSC3 had additive suppressing effect on CFW sensitivity of the gpp1gpp2 mutant strain. We also confirmed that the internal glycerol level changed in cells exposed to cell wall perturbation. © 2007 Springer-Verlag

High-resolution observations in the western Mediterranean Sea: the REP14-MED experiment

The observational part of the REP14-MED experiment was conducted in June 2014 in the Sardo-Balearic Basin west of Sardinia (western Mediterranean Sea). Two research vessels collected high-resolution oceanographic data by means of hydrographic casts, towed systems, and underway measurements. In addition, a vast amount of data was provided by a fleet of 11 ocean gliders, time series were available from moored instruments, and information on Lagrangian flow patterns was obtained from surface drifters and one profiling float. The spatial resolution of the observations encompasses a spectrum over 4 orders of magnitude from (10¹ m) to (10⁵ m), and the time series from the moored instruments cover a spectral range of 5 orders from (10¹ s) to (10⁶ s). The objective of this article is to provide an overview of the huge data set which has been utilised by various studies, focusing on (i) water masses and circulation, (ii) operational forecasting, (iii) data assimilation, (iv) variability of the ocean, and (v) new payloads for gliders

RARE-Bestpractices: a platform for sharing best practices for the management of rare diseases

From 7th European Conference on Rare Diseases and Orphan Products (ECRD 2014).Rare diseases; clinical practice guidelines; recommendations. RARE-Bestpractices (http://www.rarebestpractices.eu) is a 4-year project (2013-2016) funded by the EC FP7. The project aims at improving clinical management of patients with rare diseases (RD) and at narrowing the existing gap in quality of healthcare among countries. Methods: RARE-Bestpractices (http://www.rarebestpractices.eu) involves 9 EU countries, including 15 partners from academic institutions, governmental bodies, patient organizations and networks, which will exploit the added value of integrating different contributions and viewpoints. The platform is developed involving both experts in RD research as well as experts in clinical practice guidelines (CPG) and systematic reviews. Results: Project expected outputs include: 1) identification of challenges to be considered in deriving high quality standards for CPG on RD; 2) transparent procedures and criteria for the evaluation of CPG and their collection in a publicly searchable database; 3) identification of notation criteria to improve user understandability and implementation of CPG; 4) production of mechanisms to assess RD clinical research needs; 5) development of training activities targeted to key stakeholders to disseminate process and tools for developing and evaluating CPG; 6) the publication of a new scientific journal (http://rarejournal.org). Discussion: RARE-Bestpractices addresses the demands from both patients and health care providers for updated and high quality CPG on RD. The project will meet the requirements laid down by to the Directive 2011/24/EU, which endorses EU MS to develop European Reference Networks (ERNs) for RD; in fact, one main criterion for ERNs should be the competence to produce CPG and actively disseminate them among Centers of Expertise.N

EMQN best practice guidelines for the laboratory diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) comprises a group of inherited disorders characterized by bone fragility and increased susceptibility to fractures. Historically, the laboratory confirmation of the diagnosis OI rested on cultured dermal fibroblasts to identify decreased or abnormal production of abnormal type I (pro)collagen molecules, measured by gel electrophoresis. With the discovery of COL1A1 and COL1A2 gene variants as a cause of OI, sequence analysis of these genes was added to the diagnostic process. Nowadays, OI is known to be genetically heterogeneous. About 90% of individuals with OI are heterozygous for causative variants in the COL1A1 and COL1A2 genes. The majority of remaining affected individuals have recessively inherited forms of OI with the causative variants in the more recently discovered genes CRTAP, FKBP10, LEPRE1,PLOD2, PPIB, SERPINF1, SERPINH1 and SP7, or in other yet undiscovered genes. These advances in the molecular genetic diagnosis of OI prompted us to develop new guidelines for molecular testing and reporting of results in which we take into account that testing is also used to ‘exclude' OI when there is suspicion of non-accidental injury. Diagnostic flow, methods and reporting scenarios were discussed during an international workshop with 17 clinicians and scientists from 11 countries and converged in these best practice guidelines for the laboratory diagnosis of OI

Distinct expression patterns of two Arabidopsis phytocystatin genes, AtCYS1 and AtCYS2, during development and abiotic stresses

The phytocystatins of plants are members of the cystatin superfamily of proteins, which are potent inhibitors of cysteine proteases. The Arabidopsis genome encodes seven phytocystatin isoforms (AtCYSs) in two distantly related AtCYS gene clusters. We selected AtCYS1 and AtCYS2 as representatives for each cluster and then generated transgenic plants expressing the GUS reporter gene under the control of each gene promoter. These plants were used to examine AtCYS expression at various stages of plant development and in response to abiotic stresses. Histochemical analysis of AtCYS1 promoter- and AtCYS2 promoter-GUS transgenic plants revealed that these genes have similar but distinct spatial and temporal expression patterns during normal development. In particular, AtCYS1 was preferentially expressed in the vascular tissue of all organs, whereas AtCYS2 was expressed in trichomes and guard cells in young leaves, caps of roots, and in connecting regions of the immature anthers and filaments and the style and stigma in flowers. In addition, each AtCYS gene has a unique expression profile during abiotic stresses. High temperature and wounding stress enhanced the expression of both AtCYS1 and AtCYS2, but the temporal and spatial patterns of induction differed. From these data, we propose that these two AtCYS genes play important, but distinct, roles in plant development and stress responses