194 research outputs found
The Nomological Argument for the Existence of God
According to the Nomological Argument, observed regularities in nature are best explained by an appeal to a supernatural being. A successful explanation must avoid two perils. Some explanations provide too little structure, predicting a universe without regularities. Others provide too much structure, thereby precluding an explanation of certain types of lawlike regularities featured in modern scientific theories. We argue that an explanation based in the creative, intentional action of a supernatural being avoids these two perils whereas leading competitors do not. Although our argument falls short of a full defense, it does suggest that the Nomological Argument is worthy of philosophical attention
Hyperspectral remote sensing of cyanobacterial pigments as indicators for cell populations and toxins in eutrophic lakes
The growth of mass populations of toxin-producing cyanobacteria is a serious concern for the ecological
status of inland waterbodies and for human and animal health. In this study we examined the performance
of four semi-analytical algorithms for the retrieval of chlorophyll a (Chl a) and phycocyanin (C-PC) from data
acquired by the Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager-2 (CASI-2) and the Airborne Imaging Spectrometer
for Applications (AISA) Eagle sensor. The retrieval accuracies of the semi-analytical models were
compared to those returned by optimally calibrated empirical band-ratio algorithms. The best-performing
algorithm for the retrieval of Chl a was an empirical band-ratio model based on a quadratic function of the
ratio of re!ectance at 710 and 670 nm (R2=0.832; RMSE=29.8%). However, this model only provided a
marginally better retrieval than the best semi-analytical algorithm. The best-performing model for the
retrieval of C-PC was a semi-analytical nested band-ratio model (R2=0.984; RMSE=3.98 mg m−3). The
concentrations of C-PC retrieved using the semi-analytical model were correlated with cyanobacterial cell
numbers (R2=0.380) and the particulate and total (particulate plus dissolved) pools of microcystins
(R2=0.858 and 0.896 respectively). Importantly, both the empirical and semi-analytical algorithms were
able to retrieve the concentration of C-PC at cyanobacterial cell concentrations below current warning
thresholds for cyanobacteria in waterbodies. This demonstrates the potential of remote sensing to contribute
to early-warning detection and monitoring of cyanobacterial blooms for human health protection at regional
and global scales
TEF, Vol. 2 No. 1
The second annual literary anthology of students writing from Stephen F Austin State College.https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/tef/1001/thumbnail.jp
Brain aerobic glycolysis and resilience in Alzheimer disease
The distribution of brain aerobic glycolysis (AG) in normal young adults correlates spatially with amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposition in individuals with symptomatic and preclinical Alzheimer disease (AD). Brain AG decreases with age, but the functional significance of this decrease with regard to the development of AD symptomatology is poorly understood. Using PET measurements of regional blood flow, oxygen consumption, and glucose utilization-from which we derive AG-we find that cognitive impairment is strongly associated with loss of the typical youthful pattern of AG. In contrast, amyloid positivity without cognitive impairment was associated with preservation of youthful brain AG, which was even higher than that seen in cognitively unimpaired, amyloid negative adults. Similar findings were not seen for blood flow nor oxygen consumption. Finally, in cognitively unimpaired adults, white matter hyperintensity burden was found to be specifically associated with decreased youthful brain AG. Our results suggest that AG may have a role in the resilience and/or response to early stages of amyloid pathology and that age-related white matter disease may impair this process
Particle Dark Matter Constraints from the Draco Dwarf Galaxy
It is widely thought that neutralinos, the lightest supersymmetric particles,
could comprise most of the dark matter. If so, then dark halos will emit radio
and gamma ray signals initiated by neutralino annihilation. A particularly
promising place to look for these indicators is at the center of the local
group dwarf spheroidal galaxy Draco, and recent measurements of the motion of
its stars have revealed it to be an even better target for dark matter
detection than previously thought. We compute limits on WIMP properties for
various models of Draco's dark matter halo. We find that if the halo is nearly
isothermal, as the new measurements indicate, then current gamma ray flux
limits prohibit much of the neutralino parameter space. If Draco has a moderate
magnetic field, then current radio limits can rule out more of it. These
results are appreciably stronger than other current constraints, and so
acquiring more detailed data on Draco's density profile becomes one of the most
promising avenues for identifying dark matter.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure
The clustering of ultra-high energy cosmic rays and their sources
The sky distribution of cosmic rays with energies above the 'GZK cutoff'
holds important clues to their origin. The AGASA data, although consistent with
isotropy, shows evidence for small-angle clustering, and it has been argued
that such clusters are aligned with BL Lacertae objects, implicating these as
sources. It has also been suggested that clusters can arise if the cosmic rays
come from the decays of very massive relic particles in the Galactic halo, due
to the expected clumping of cold dark matter. We examine these claims and show
that both are in fact not justified.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, version in press at Phys. Rev.
Stellar Spectroscopy in the Near-infrared with a Laser Frequency Comb
The discovery and characterization of exoplanets around nearby stars is
driven by profound scientific questions about the uniqueness of Earth and our
Solar System, and the conditions under which life could exist elsewhere in our
Galaxy. Doppler spectroscopy, or the radial velocity (RV) technique, has been
used extensively to identify hundreds of exoplanets, but with notable
challenges in detecting terrestrial mass planets orbiting within habitable
zones. We describe infrared RV spectroscopy at the 10 m Hobby-Eberly telescope
that leverages a 30 GHz electro-optic laser frequency comb with nanophotonic
supercontinuum to calibrate the Habitable Zone Planet Finder spectrograph.
Demonstrated instrument precision <10 cm/s and stellar RVs approaching 1 m/s
open the path to discovery and confirmation of habitable zone planets around
M-dwarfs, the most ubiquitous type of stars in our Galaxy
The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe
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
DNA Damage and Reactive Nitrogen Species are Barriers to Vibrio cholerae Colonization of the Infant Mouse Intestine
Ingested Vibrio cholerae pass through the stomach and colonize the small intestines of its host. Here, we show that V. cholerae requires at least two types of DNA repair systems to efficiently compete for colonization of the infant mouse intestine. These results show that V. cholerae experiences increased DNA damage in the murine gastrointestinal tract. Agreeing with this, we show that passage through the murine gut increases the mutation frequency of V. cholerae compared to liquid culture passage. Our genetic analysis identifies known and novel defense enzymes required for detoxifying reactive nitrogen species (but not reactive oxygen species) that are also required for V. cholerae to efficiently colonize the infant mouse intestine, pointing to reactive nitrogen species as the potential cause of DNA damage. We demonstrate that potential reactive nitrogen species deleterious for V. cholerae are not generated by host inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) activity and instead may be derived from acidified nitrite in the stomach. Agreeing with this hypothesis, we show that strains deficient in DNA repair or reactive nitrogen species defense that are defective in intestinal colonization have decreased growth or increased mutation frequency in acidified nitrite containing media. Moreover, we demonstrate that neutralizing stomach acid rescues the colonization defect of the DNA repair and reactive nitrogen species defense defective mutants suggesting a common defense pathway for these mutants
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