74 research outputs found
Trials & Tribulations Encountered During the Development & Teaching of a Dual-Delivery Format Research Methods Course
This paper focuses on developmental and pedagogical/sociological issues related to a doctoral level research methodology course. This course is delivered in two formats, resident (face-to-face) and distance (web-based on Blackboard). Pedagogical, sociological, course development, course delivery, issues and challenges for both formats are discussed. An annotated bibliography is also included
Genetic engineering of vaccine manufacturing cell lines enhances poliovirus and enterovirus 71 production
Vaccine manufacturing costs and production limitations represent two fundamental challenges facing researchers, public health officials and vaccine manufacturers committed to global health solutions. To address these issues, we have investigated whether the cell lines employed by vaccine manufacturers can be engineered to enhance vaccine virus production. As a first step in a proof-of-principle study, a genome-wide RNA Interference (RNAi) screen was conducted to identify host gene modulation events that increased Sabin 2 poliovirus (PV) replication. Primary screen hits were validated in a Vero vaccine manufacturing cell line using both attenuated and wild type poliovirus strains. This approach identified multiple single and dual gene knockdown events that increased PV titers \u3e20-fold and \u3e50-fold, respectively. Top candidate genes did not affect virus antigenicity, cell viability, or cell doubling times. Moreover, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout (KO) of the top three targets created stable cell substrates with improved viral vaccine strain production.
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New verified nonindigenous amphibians and reptiles in Florida, 1976 through 2015, with a summary of over 152 years of introductions
More nonindigenous species occur in Florida, USA, than any other region worldwide and may threaten many of Florida’s natural resources. The frequency of new reports mandates the need for regular updates. Herein, we use photographic and specimen vouchers in addition to literature records to provide updated information on verified nonindigenous amphibians and reptiles in Florida. Between our most recent summary in 2012 and the end of 2015, 38 additional species are known to have been intercepted (n = 2) or introduced (n = 36). We also update the invasion stage of seven species previously reported from Florida and report that five additional taxa are now established. In total, 191 independent known introductions of 180 herpetofaunal taxa led to the establishment of 63 taxa. This suggests that one in three introduced herpetofaunal species becomes established in Florida. The pet trade represents the most common introduction pathway among these species animal importer in Hollywood, Broward County, is the probable source for introduction of a quarter of all herpetofauna introduced to Florida
New Verified Nonindigenous Amphibians and Reptiles in Florida through 2015, with a Summary of More Than 152 Years of Introductions.
More nonindigenous species occur in Florida, USA, than any other region worldwide and may threaten many of Florida’s natural resources. The frequency of new reports mandates the need for regular updates. Herein, we use photographic and specimen vouchers in addition to literature records to provide updated information on verified nonindigenous amphibians and reptiles in Florida. Between our most recent summary in 2012 and the end of 2015, 38 additional species are known to have been intercepted (n = 2) or introduced (n = 36). We also update the invasion stage of seven species previously reported from Florida and report that five additional taxa are now established. In total, 191 independent known introductions of 180 herpetofaunal taxa led to the establishment of 63 taxa. This suggests that one in three introduced herpetofaunal species becomes established in Florida. The pet trade represents the most common introduction pathway among these species and a single animal importer in Hollywood, Broward County, is the probable source for introduction of a quarter of all herpetofauna introduced to Florida
The Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR): Decadal Mission Concept Design Update
In preparation for the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey, NASA has commissioned the study of four large mission concepts, including the Large Ultraviolet / Optical / Infrared (LUVOIR) Surveyor. The LUVOIR Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) has identified a broad range of science objectives including the direct imaging and spectral characterization of habitable exoplanets around sun-like stars, the study of galaxy formation and evolution, the epoch of reionization, star and planet formation, and the remote sensing of Solar System bodies. NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is providing the design and engineering support to develop executable and feasible mission concepts that are capable of the identified science objectives. We present an update on the first of two architectures being studied: a 15-meter-diameter segmented-aperture telescope with a suite of serviceable instruments operating over a range of wavelengths between 100 nm to 2.5 microns. Four instruments are being developed for this architecture: an optical / near-infrared coronagraph capable of 10(exp -10) contrast at inner working angles as small as 2 lambda/D; the LUVOIR UV Multi-object Spectrograph (LUMOS), which will provide low- and medium-resolution UV (100 400 nm) multi-object imaging spectroscopy in addition to far-UV imaging; the High Definition Imager (HDI), a high-resolution wide-field-of-view NUV-Optical-IR imager; and a UV spectro-polarimeter being contributed by Centre National dEtudes Spatiales (CNES). A fifth instrument, a multi-resolution optical-NIR spectrograph, is planned as part of a second architecture to be studied in late 2017
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The first Forecasters Handbook for West Africa
Bridging the gap between rapidly moving scientific research and specific forecasting tools, Meteorology of Tropical West Africa: The Forecasters' Handbook’, gives unprecedented access to the latest science and combines this with pragmatic approaches to forecasting. It is set to change the way forecasters, researchers and students learn about tropical meteorology and will serve to drive demand for new forecasting tools. The Handbook builds upon the legacy of the AMMA project, making the latest science applicable to forecasting in the region. By bringing together, at the outset, researchers and forecasters from across the region, and linking to applications, user communities and decision-makers, the Forecasters’ Handbook provides a template for finding much needed solutions to critical issues such as building resilience to climate change in West Africa
N plus 3 Advanced Concept Studies for Supersonic Commercial Transport Aircraft Entering Service in the 2030-2035 Period
Boeing, with Pratt & Whitney, General Electric, Rolls-Royce, M4 Engineering, Wyle Laboratories and Georgia Institute of Technology, conducted a study of supersonic commercial aircraft concepts and enabling technologies for the year 2030-2035 timeframe. The work defined the market and environmental/regulatory conditions that could evolve by the 2030/35 time period, from which vehicle performance goals were derived. Relevant vehicle concepts and technologies are identified that are anticipated to meet these performance and environmental goals. A series of multidisciplinary analyses trade studies considering vehicle sizing, mission performance and environmental conformity determined the appropriate concepts. Combinations of enabling technologies and the required technology performance levels needed to meet the desired goals were identified. Several high priority technologies are described in detail, including roadmaps with risk assessments that outline objectives, key technology challenges, detailed tasks and schedules and demonstrations that need to be performed. A representative configuration is provided for reference purposes, along with associated performance estimates based on these key technologies
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Does convective aggregation need to be represented in cumulus parameterizations?
Tropical deep convection exhibits a variety of levels of aggregation over a wide range of scales. Based on a multisatellite analysis, the present study shows at mesoscale that different levels of aggregation are statistically associated with differing large-scale atmospheric states, despite similar convective intensity and large-scale forcings. The more aggregated the convection, the dryer and less cloudy the atmosphere, the stronger the outgoing longwave radiation, and the lower the planetary albedo. This suggests that mesoscale convective aggregation has the potential to affect couplings between moisture and convection and between convection, radiation, and large-scale ascent. In so doing, aggregation may play a role in phenomena such as “hot spots” or the Madden-Julian Oscillation. These findings support the need for the representation of mesoscale organization in cumulus parameterizations; most parameterizations used in current climate models lack any such representation. The ability of a cloud system-resolving model to reproduce observed relationships suggests that such models may be useful to guide attempts at parameterizations of convective aggregation
The JWST Discovery of the Triply-imaged Type Ia "Supernova H0pe" and Observations of the Galaxy Cluster PLCK G165.7+67.0
A Type Ia supernova (SN) at was discovered in James Webb Space
Telescope Near Infrared Camera imaging of the galaxy cluster PLCK G165.7+67.0
(G165; ). The SN is situated 1.5-2kpc from its host galaxy Arc 2 and
appears in three different locations as a result of gravitational lensing by
G165. These data can yield a value for Hubble's constant using time delays from
this multiply-imaged SN Ia that we call "SN H0pe." Over the entire field we
identified 21 image multiplicities, confirmed five of them using Near-Infrared
Spectrograph (NIRspec), and constructed a new lens model that gives a total
mass within 600kpc of ( M. The
photometry uncovered a galaxy overdensity at Arc 2's redshift. NIRSpec
confirmed six member galaxies, four of which surround Arc 2 with relative
velocity 900 km s and projected physical extent 33
kpc. Arc 2 dominates the stellar mass (
M), which is a factor of ten higher than other members of this
compact galaxy group. These other group members have specific star formation
rates (sSFR) of 2-260Gyr derived from the H-line flux corrected
for stellar absorption, dust extinction, and slit losses. Another group
centered on the dusty star forming galaxy Arc 1 is at . The total SFR
for the Arc 1 group ( M yr) translates to a supernova
rate of 1 SNe yr, suggesting that regular monitoring of this
cluster may yield additional SNe.Comment: 27 pages, submitted to Ap
Paper 1: The JWST PEARLS View of the El Gordo Galaxy Cluster and of the Structure It Magnifies
The massive galaxy cluster El Gordo (z=0.87) imprints multitudes of
gravitationally lensed arcs onto James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) images. Eight bands of NIRCam imaging were
obtained in the ``Prime Extragalactic Areas for Reionization and Lensing
Science'' (``PEARLS'') program. PSF-matched photometry across Hubble Space
Telescope (HST) and NIRCam filters supplies new photometric redshifts. A new
light-traces-mass lens model based on 56 image multiplicities identifies the
two mass peaks and yields a mass estimate within 500 kpc of ~(7.0 +/- 0.30) x
10^14 Msun. A search for substructure in the 140 cluster members with
spectroscopic redshifts confirms the two main mass components. The southeastern
mass peak that contains the BCG is more tightly bound than the northwestern
one. The virial mass within 1.7 Mpc is (5.1 +/- 0.60) x 10^14 Msun, lower than
the lensing mass. A significant transverse velocity component could mean the
virial mass is underestimated. We contribute one new member to the previously
known z=4.32 galaxy group. Intrinsic (delensed) positions of the five secure
group members span a physical extent of ~60 kpc. Thirteen additional candidates
selected by spectroscopic/photometric constraints are small and faint with a
mean intrinsic luminosity ~2.2 mag fainter than L*. NIRCam imaging admits a
fairly wide range of brightnesses and morphologies for the group members,
suggesting a more diverse galaxy population in this galaxy overdensity.Comment: 24 pages, accepted by Ap
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