209 research outputs found

    Evidence from Detrital Zircon Ages for Middle Pennsylvanian Uplift and Drainage in the Source Area of the Chariton Conglomerate and Marmaton Group Sandstones, Southern Iowa and Northern Missouri

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    The Chariton Conglomerate is a quartz/limestone conglomerate of Middle Pennsylvanian age sparsely exposed in southern Iowa and northern Missouri. In Iowa it is characterized by quartz granules and rounded crinoid columnals. The objective of this study was to use detrital zircon ages to determine the provenance of the Chariton Conglomerate and possibly associated Marmaton Group sandstone beds. Detrital zircon ages were obtained for five conglomerate and two sandstone beds of the Chariton Conglomerate in Iowa, three conglomerate beds of the Chariton Conglomerate in Missouri, and two sandstone beds of the Marmaton Group in Iowa. According to the Kolmogorov-Smirnoff Test, the 12 detrital zircon age spectra were statistically indistinguishable, consistent with a common provenance for all beds. The combined age spectrum (879 zircons) showed both a young cluster (1.1 % of zircons) in the range 320-364 Ma (Late Devonian Period - Late Mississippian Subperiod) and a much older cluster (0.3% of zircons) in the range 3198-3269 Ma (Paleoarchean - Mesoarchean Eras). The Devonian Period - Mississippian Subperiod (318--416 Ma) and the Paleoarchean-Mesoarchean Eras (2800-3600 Ma) accounted for 2.8% and 3.6% of zircon ages, respectively. A model consistent with the above ages and the paleocurrent directions in the Chariton Conglomerate is an Early - Middle Pennsylvanian river originating in the Devonian - Mississippian crystalline rocks of New England and entering Minnesota - Wisconsin from the northeast to collect sediments from crystalline rocks of Paleoarchean - Mesoarchean age. However, a Middle Pennsylvanian uplift in the Minnesota - Wisconsin region is also required to produce the headwaters necessary for the production of quartz granules, which is consistent with the model of hotspot epeirogen

    Assessing the validity and reliability and determining cut-points of the Actiwatch 2 in measuring physical activity

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    Objective: The Actiwatch 2 (AW2) is a wrist-worn accelerometer typically used to measure sleep. Although it can measure physical activity, there is limited evidence supporting its validity. We assessed the validity and reliability of the AW2 to measure sedentary behavior and physical activity (light, moderate, vigorous intensities), and reported their respective count cut-points. Approach: Twenty-eight males and 22 females completed a task battery comprising three sedentary tasks and six randomized physical activity tasks at varying intensities, whilst wearing the AW2, a reference accelerometry device (Actigraph GT3X) and a cardiopulmonary gas analyzer on two separate occasions. Validity was assessed using correlations (AW2 counts versus GT3X counts and metabolic equivalent (MET) values), reliability using Bland–Altman analyses, and cut-points were determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) analyses. Main results: AW2 counts were positively correlated with GT3X counts (rho = 0.902, p < 0.001) and METs (rho = 0.900, p < 0.001). AW2-derived counts were comparable across independent assessment periods. Sedentary (AUC = 0.99, cut-point: 256 cpm) and vigorous activity (AUC = 0.95, cut-point: 720 cpm) were strongly characterized, and moderate activity (AUC = 0.66, cut-point: 418 cpm) was weakly characterized. Significance: The use of the AW2 in physical activity monitoring looks promising for sedentary behavior, moderate and vigorous activity, however, further validation is needed

    Back-reacted saponite in Jurassic mudstones and limestones intruded by a Tertiary sill, Isle of Skye

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    The LĂłn Ostatoin stream section, Trotternish Peninsula, Isle of Skye, exposes a sequence of Middle Jurassic mudstones and limestones which have been locally metasomatized by a transgressive sill of Tertiary age. Limestones in the sequence, including some previously reported as bentonite, have been altered to an unusual assemblage of grossular garnet and saponite clay. The mudstones also contain large proportions of saponite together with pyroxene and zeolites. Saponite also occurs within the basalt intrusion. Grossular and pyroxene represent artifacts of relatively high-temperature assemblages that formed during an early phase of alteration. As the intrusion and adjacent altered country rocks cooled, lower-temperature fluids flowed through a late set of contraction (micro)fractures. Back-reacted saponite, analcime and clinoptilolite were formed, possibly as alteration products of the unstable higher-temperature minerals. The lower-temperature mineral assemblage eventually sealed the late fracture system. This paper highlights an important concept for the study of analogue sites used to investigate thermal effects on engineered liners or barrier host rocks for the landfill and radioactive-waste industries. This is that the original thermally altered mineral assemblage may be overprinted by later, lower-temperature back-reactions. A detailed understanding of both processes is necessary in order to construct a sensible model for the thermal and mineralogical evolution of the site

    Deciphering coral disease dynamics: integrating host, microbiome, and the changing environment

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    Diseases of tropical reef organisms is an intensive area of study, but despite significant advances in methodology and the global knowledge base, identifying the proximate causes of disease outbreaks remains difficult. The dynamics of infectious wildlife diseases are known to be influenced by shifting interactions among the host, pathogen, and other members of the microbiome, and a collective body of work clearly demonstrates that this is also the case for the main foundation species on reefs, corals. Yet, among wildlife, outbreaks of coral diseases stand out as being driven largely by a changing environment. These outbreaks contributed not only to significant losses of coral species but also to whole ecosystem regime shifts. Here we suggest that to better decipher the disease dynamics of corals, we must integrate more holistic and modern paradigms that consider multiple and variable interactions among the three major players in epizootics: the host, its associated microbiome, and the environment. In this perspective, we discuss how expanding the pathogen component of the classic host-pathogen-environment disease triad to incorporate shifts in the microbiome leading to dysbiosis provides a better model for understanding coral disease dynamics. We outline and discuss issues arising when evaluating each component of this trio and make suggestions for bridging gaps between them. We further suggest that to best tackle these challenges, researchers must adjust standard paradigms, like the classic one pathogen-one disease model, that, to date, have been ineffectual at uncovering many of the emergent properties of coral reef disease dynamics. Lastly, we make recommendations for ways forward in the fields of marine disease ecology and the future of coral reef conservation and restoration given these observations

    CRT-100.12 Risk of Bleeding Among Cangrelor-Treated Patients Administered Upstream P2Y12 Inhibitor Therapy

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    Introduction: Little is known about the use of cangrelor in patients with MI who are treated with an oral P2Y12 inhibitor upstream prior to cardiac catheterization. Methods: CAMEO (Cangrelor in Acute MI: Effectiveness and Outcomes) is a 12-hospital observational registry studying platelet inhibition for MI patients undergoing cardiac cath. Upstream oral P2Y12 inhibition was defined as receipt of an oral P2Y12 inhibitor within 24 hours prior to hospitalization or in-hospital prior to cath. Among cangrelor-treated patients, we compared bleeding after cangrelor use through 7 days post-discharge between patients with and w/o upstream oral P2Y12 inhibitor exposure using logistic regression. We examined rates of bleeding among patients with a shorter (\u3c1 hour) vs. longer (1-3 hours or \u3e3 hours) duration between the last oral dose and cangrelor start. Results: Among 1,775 cangrelor-treated MI patients, 433 (24.4%) had upstream oral P2Y12 inhibitor treatment prior to cath. Of these, 165 patients (38%) started cangrelor within 1 hour, 109 (25%) between 1-3 hours, and 134 (31%) \u3e 3 hours after the in-hospital oral P2Y12 inhibitor dose. Cangrelor-treated patients who received upstream treatment were more likely to have a history of prior PCI, MI, PAD, and diabetes and to be clopidogrel-treated (all p\u3c0.01) compared w/o upstream treatment. There was no significant difference in risk of bleeding among cangrelor-treated patients with and w/o upstream oral P2Y12 inhibitor exposure (Table). While bleeding events were higher in patients with longer delays to cangrelor initiation, bleeding risk was not significant after adjustment (Table). Conclusions: Bleeding risk was not observed to be higher in cangrelor-treated patients after upstream oral P2Y12 inhibitor exposure compared with patients treated with cangrelor w/o upstream oral P2Y12 inhibitor exposure

    A Prioritized Patient-Centered Research Agenda to Reduce Disparities in Telehealth Uptake: Results from a National Consensus Conference

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    Introduction: We hosted a national consensus conference with a diverse group of stakeholders to develop a patient-centered research agenda focused on reducing disparities in telehealth use. Methods: Attendees were purposively invited to participate in a 2-day virtual conference. The group developed a prioritized research agenda focused on reducing disparities in telehealth uptake, with discussion informed by findings from a scoping review. All work was conducted in partnership with a Steering Committee of national experts in telehealth and patient-centered care (n = 5) and a community-based Telehealth Advisory Board with experience with telehealth use and barriers (n = 8). Results: Sixty individuals participated in the conference and discussion resulted in a final list of 20 questions. Fifty-two attendees voted on the final prioritization of these questions. Results were aggregated for all voters (n = 52) and patient-only voters (n = 8). The top question identified by both groups focused on patient and family perspectives on important barriers to telehealth use. The entire group voting identified telehealth’s impact on patient outcomes as the next most important questions, while the patient-only group identified trust-related considerations and cultural factors impacting telehealth use as next priorities. Conclusions: This project involved extensive patient and stakeholder engagement. While voting varied between patients only and the entire group of conference attendees, top identified priorities included patient and family perspectives on important barriers to telehealth, trust and cultural barriers and facilitators to telehealth, and assessment of telehealth’s impact on patient outcomes. This research agenda can inform design of future research focused on addressing disparities in telehealth use

    Data Assimilation Enhancements to Air Force Weathers Land Information System

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    The United States Air Force (USAF) has a proud and storied tradition of enabling significant advancements in the area of characterizing and modeling land state information. 557th Weather Wing (557 WW; DoDs Executive Agent for Land Information) provides routine geospatial intelligence information to warfighters, planners, and decision makers at all echelons and services of the U.S. military, government and intelligence community. 557 WW and its predecessors have been home to the DoDs only operational regional and global land data analysis systems since January 1958. As a trusted partner since 2005, Air Force Weather (AFW) has relied on the Hydrological Sciences Laboratory at NASA/GSFC to lead the interagency scientific collaboration known as the Land Information System (LIS). LIS is an advanced software framework for high performance land surface modeling and data assimilation of geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) information

    How a Diverse Research Ecosystem Has Generated New Rehabilitation Technologies: Review of NIDILRR’s Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers

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    Over 50 million United States citizens (1 in 6 people in the US) have a developmental, acquired, or degenerative disability. The average US citizen can expect to live 20% of his or her life with a disability. Rehabilitation technologies play a major role in improving the quality of life for people with a disability, yet widespread and highly challenging needs remain. Within the US, a major effort aimed at the creation and evaluation of rehabilitation technology has been the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs) sponsored by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. As envisioned at their conception by a panel of the National Academy of Science in 1970, these centers were intended to take a “total approach to rehabilitation”, combining medicine, engineering, and related science, to improve the quality of life of individuals with a disability. Here, we review the scope, achievements, and ongoing projects of an unbiased sample of 19 currently active or recently terminated RERCs. Specifically, for each center, we briefly explain the needs it targets, summarize key historical advances, identify emerging innovations, and consider future directions. Our assessment from this review is that the RERC program indeed involves a multidisciplinary approach, with 36 professional fields involved, although 70% of research and development staff are in engineering fields, 23% in clinical fields, and only 7% in basic science fields; significantly, 11% of the professional staff have a disability related to their research. We observe that the RERC program has substantially diversified the scope of its work since the 1970’s, addressing more types of disabilities using more technologies, and, in particular, often now focusing on information technologies. RERC work also now often views users as integrated into an interdependent society through technologies that both people with and without disabilities co-use (such as the internet, wireless communication, and architecture). In addition, RERC research has evolved to view users as able at improving outcomes through learning, exercise, and plasticity (rather than being static), which can be optimally timed. We provide examples of rehabilitation technology innovation produced by the RERCs that illustrate this increasingly diversifying scope and evolving perspective. We conclude by discussing growth opportunities and possible future directions of the RERC program

    The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

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    The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure
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