Hydroacoustic evaluation of spawning red hind (Epinephelus guttatus) aggregations along the coast of Puerto Rico in 2002 and 2003

Red hind (Epinephelus guttatus) have been overfished in the Caribbean and were included with seven other regional grouper species deemed vulnerable to risk of extinction. The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources desired to map spawning red hind aggregations within commonwealth waters as part of their resource management program for the species. Mobile hydroacoustic surveys were conducted over 3-day periods in 2002 and 2003, indexed to the full moon phase in February or March when red hind were known to aggregate. Four vessels concurrently sampled the southwest, south, and southeast coasts of Puerto Rico in 2002. In 2003, three vessels conducted complementary surveys of the northwest, north, and northeast coasts of the island, completing a circuit of the coastal shelf-spawning habitat. These surveys indicated that red hind spawning aggregations were prevalent along the south and west coasts, and sparse along the north coast during the survey periods. Highest spawning red hind concentrations were observed in three areas offshore of the west coast of Puerto Rico, around Mona and Desecheo islands (20,443 and 10,559 fish/km2, respectively) and in the Bajo de Cico seasonal closed area (4,544 fish/km2). Following both 2002 and 2003 surveys, a series of controlled acoustic measurements of known local fish species in net pens were conducted to assess the mean target strength (acoustic backscatter) of each group. Ten species of fish were measured, including red hind (E. guttatus), coney (E. fulvus), white grunt (Haemulon plumieri), pluma (Calamus pennatula), blue tang (Acanthurus coeruleus), squirrel fish (Holocentrus spp.), black durgeon (Melichtyhs niger), ocean file fish (Canthidermis sufflamen), ocean surgeon fish (Acanthurus bahianus), and butter grouper (Mycteroperca spp.). In general, the mean target strength results from the caged fish experiments were in agreement with published target strength length relationships, with the exception of white grunt and pluma

Identifying Main Lithospheric Structures in the Eastern Alpine Domain by Joint Inversion of Receiver Function and Surface Wave Measurements for Seismic Anisotropy

Rayleigh-wave phase velocity measurements from both earthquakes and ambient noise were combined to image the 3-D shear-wave velocity structure beneath the eastern Alps and in the transitions towards the Pannonian Basin and the Dinarides. This allows us to resolve crust and upper mantle structures down to 300 km including the Moho topography. Continuous waveforms were collected from 1254 stations within a 9° radius for the time period from 2006 to 2018. More than 164,464 inter-station Rayleigh wave phase-velocity curves were automatically extracted after applying a strict quality control. Using the combined dataset, a period and distance dependence correction was applied to account for the bias observed between phase velocities from both datasets that amounts to ~1 % and increases towards longer periods. 2-D anisotropic phase velocity maps were then constructed spanning periods from 5 s to 250 s. 33,981 local dispersion curves were extracted and inverted for a 3-D shear-wave velocity model (PanREA2023) encompassing crust and mantle using a non-linear stochastic particle swarm optimization. At shallower crustal depths, the horst and graben structure of the Pannonian Basin is imaged, characterized by two NE-SW trending horsts and three graben systems. A pronounced crustal low-velocity anomaly extending to the Moho is found beneath the surrounding Carpathian orogen. A shallow south-dipping Eurasian slab was imaged beneath the eastern Alps down to only 150 km depth. Adriatic lithosphere is near-vertically dipping beneath the northern Apennines and northern Dinarides. The Adriatic slab is short reaching depths of around 150 km. Seismic discontinuities down to the mantle transition zone are analysed using S-to-P converted phases from teleseismic earthquakes. We stack broadband teleseismic S waveform data to retrieve S-to-P converted signals from below the seismic stations. In order to avoid processing artefacts, no deconvolution or filtering is applied. The Moho signals are always seen very clearly. In addition, a negative velocity gradient below the Moho depth is evident in many regions. A Moho depression is visible along larger parts of the Alpine chain reaching its largest depth of 60 km beneath the Tauern Window. The Moho depression ends abruptly near about 13°E below the eastern Tauern Window. East of 13°E the Moho shallows all the way to the Pannonian Basin. A prominent along-strike change was also detected in the upper mantle structure at about 14°E. There, the lateral disappearance of a zone of negative S-wave velocity gradient in the uppermost mantle is interpreted to indicate that the S-dipping European slab laterally terminates east of the Tauern Window. Joint inversion of surface wave dispersion curves and Moho travel times inferred from S-to-P converted phases allows to determine shear-wave velocity models consistent with both measurements. The uncertainty of the Moho depth estimates decreases from about 5 to 10 km considerably to 2 to 5 km depending on the depth of the Moho. The joint inversion further enables the determination of the sharpness of the negative discontinuity associated with the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. It appears to be rather sharp in the northern Alpine foreland and the Pannonian Basin

Nanowired three-dimensional cardiac patches

Engineered cardiac patches for treating damaged heart tissues after a heart attack are normally produced by seeding heart cells within three-dimensional porous biomaterial scaffolds1, 2, 3. These biomaterials, which are usually made of either biological polymers such as alginate4 or synthetic polymers such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA)5, help cells organize into functioning tissues, but poor conductivity of these materials limits the ability of the patch to contract strongly as a unit6. Here, we show that incorporating gold nanowires within alginate scaffolds can bridge the electrically resistant pore walls of alginate and improve electrical communication between adjacent cardiac cells. Tissues grown on these composite matrices were thicker and better aligned than those grown on pristine alginate and when electrically stimulated, the cells in these tissues contracted synchronously. Furthermore, higher levels of the proteins involved in muscle contraction and electrical coupling are detected in the composite matrices. It is expected that the integration of conducting nanowires within three-dimensional scaffolds may improve the therapeutic value of current cardiac patches.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH, grant GM073626)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH, grant DE13023)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH, grant DE016516)American Heart Association (Postdoctoral Fellowship)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (no. F32GM096546)

The Demonstration of a Light Extinction Tomography System at the NASA Glenn Research Center's Icing Research Tunnel

A prototype light extinction tomography system has been developed for acquiring real-time in-situ icing cloud uniformity and density measurements in the NASA Glenn Research Center's Icing Research Tunnel (IRT). These measurements are currently obtained through periodic manual calibrations of the IRT. These calibrations are time consuming and assume that cloud uniformity and density does not greatly vary between the periodic calibrations. It is envisioned that the new light extinction tomography system will provide the means to make these measurements in-situ in real-time and minimize the need for these manual calibrations. This new system uses the principle of light extinction tomography to measure the spray density and distribution in the test section. The prototype system was installed and successfully demonstrated in the Icing Research Tunnel in early 2018. Data sets were acquired for several standard spray and simulated fault conditions to assess system capability and sensitivity. This paper will describe the prototype light extinction system, the theory behind it, and the results of the demonstration test that was conducted in the IRT

The Demonstration of a Light Extinction Tomography System at the NASA Glenn Research Center's Icing Research Tunnel

A prototype light extinction tomography system has been developed for acquiring real-time in-situ icing cloud uniformity and density measurements in the NASA Glenn Research Center's Icing Research Tunnel (IRT). These measurements are currently obtained through periodic manual calibrations of the IRT. These calibrations are time consuming and assume that cloud uniformity and density does not greatly vary between the periodic calibrations. It is envisioned that the new light extinction tomography system will provide the means to make these measurements in-situ in real-time and minimize the need for these manual calibrations. This new system uses the principle of light extinction tomography to measure the spray density and distribution in the test section. The prototype system was installed and successfully demonstrated in the Icing Research Tunnel in early 2018. Data sets were acquired for several standard spray and simulated fault conditions to assess system capability and sensitivity. This paper will describe the prototype light extinction system, the theory behind it, and the results of the demonstration test that was conducted in the IRT

Search for New Particles Decaying to b bbar in p pbar Collisions at sqrt{s}=1.8 TeV

We have used 87 pb^-1 of data collected with the Collider Detector at Fermilab to search for new particles decaying to b bbar. We present model-independent upper limits on the cross section for narrow resonances which excludes the color-octet technirho in the mass interval 350 < M < 440 GeV/c^2. In addition, we exclude topgluons, predicted in models of topcolor-assisted technicolor, of width Gamma = 0.3 M in the mass range 280 < M < 670 GeV/c^2, of width Gamma = 0.5 M in the mass range 340 < M < 640 GeV/c^2, and of width Gamma = 0.7 M in the mass range 375 < M < 560 GeV/c^2.Comment: 17 pages in a LaTex generated postscript file, with one table and four figures. Resubmitted to Physical Review Letters. Minor clarifications were added to the text. The displayed normalization of the resonance models in Figure 2 was modified to correspond to our 95% CL upper limit on the cross section (instead of arbitrary normalization which was used previously). All results are identical to those in the previous submissio

Session A7: A Case Study Highlighting Telemetry Tools: Are Bypass Systems at Wanapum and Priest Rapids Dams Increasing Downstream Smolt Survival on the Columbia River?

Abstract: In the Pacific Northwest, downstream migration of juvenile salmon on the Columbia River has been impeded since 1933 by the construction of 14 hydropower facilities. Volitional passage of juvenile fish through turbines at these facilities has resulted in direct mortality and indirect mortality from the effects of dams on the surrounding environment. For over three decades, improving fish passage has been a high priority on the mid-Columbia River by the Public Utility District of Grant County. Two unique bypass systems have been designed, built, and installed over the past six years to improve fish passage at Wanapum Dam (2008) and the Priest Rapids Dam (2014). Since 2008, fish passage efficiency studies using acoustic and passive integrated transponder (PIT) systems have shown annual variability at both dams. At Wanapum Dam, up to 77% of the juvenile steelhead passed through the bypass system, which is equal to a 66% reduction in turbine passage; the average between 2008 and 2010 was 71%. At Priest Rapids Dam, results from 2014 have demonstrated that a total of 69% of juvenile steelhead passed through the top-spill bypass and spillway, which was a 19% increase in the average non-turbine passage from previous estimates (2008- 2010). This case study will be presented to highlight the telemetry tools that were used to evaluate the spring migrants that used downstream passage alternatives in the mid-Columbia River during these studies. The results, fish passage behavior, guidance efficiency, and survival at both dams and the associated reservoirs before and after the installation of both bypass systems, will be discussed

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a complex and chronic disorder of brain, behavior, and development whose behavioral and cognitive consequences pervade multiple areas of functioning in an estimated 3% to 5% of school-age children. Consummating a diagnosis of ADHD in children is a multifaceted, time consuming endeavor, which is complicated by multiple factors. Expert guidelines in psychiatry and psychology recommend that a qualified clinician conduct a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation utilizing multiple assessment instruments. These range from subjective measures such as ratings scales and clinical interviews to increasingly objective measures such as direct observation and sophisticated actigraphs. The process must also include careful review of psychoeducational test data and the child\u27s social developmental, medical, educational, psychiatric, familial, and treatment histories. There are no stand-alone instruments, diagnostic tests, or experimental paradigms that can reliably yield a diagnosis. Epidemiological and developmental studies indicate that ADHD-related behavior problems typically emerge by 3-3.5 years of age and worsen significantly when children enter a structured environment that requires them to pay attention to and complete academic tasks for age-appropriate time intervals. Socialization processes are also strained at this time. A psychoeducational assessment, comprehensive clinical evaluation, intensive historical review, and advanced knowledge concerning differences between and among common clinical child disorders with overlapping symptom presentations is needed to accurately distinguish ADHD from other clinical disorders. Renewed efforts to challenge and explore potential underlying core deficits associated with ADHD, such as working memory, will stimulate the creation of valid assessment instruments for diagnosing ADHD. © 2006 Copyright © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.