SPRING-LOADED SELF-ALIGNING LIGHTPIPE

Presented herein is a low-cost, assembly-order-versatile, self-aligned lightpipe that is designed for constrained environments

Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Lipoprotein Profile and Particle Size in Hispanic Women

The effect of increased Ω3 fatty acids on lipoprotein sub-fractions has not been well studied in Hispanic women, a group with a high prevalence of dyslipidemia and metabolic syndrome. The purpose of this randomized, placebo-controlled trial was to examine the effect of a 90-day (90D) combined EPA+DHA supplementation on lipoprotein profiles of Hispanic women. Twenty-seven non-diabetic women were randomly assigned to the Ω3 group (n=17, 1.9 g/day EPA+DHA) or the placebo group (n=10, 2 g/day oleic acid). At baseline (0D) and 90D a fasting blood sample was drawn for determination of lipoprotein profile and lipoprotein particle sub-fractions. For the Ω3 group, total cholesterol increased 6.5%, triglycerides were reduced 14.8%, LDL concentration increased 5.6%, and total LDL particle size concentration increased 8.2% (P \u3c 0.05). Large LDL particle size concentration increased 16% from 0D to 90D, this change was not significant (P = 0.051). At 90D, total cholesterol, LDLs, and LDL particle concentration were higher in the Ω3 group compared to placebo (P \u3c 0.05). Omega-3 supplementation resulted in reduced plasma TGs and an increase in large LDL particle size concentration, yet had no effect on HDL particle size or concentration. Further research is necessary to examine the effects of increased Ω3 fatty acid intake in Hispanic women on dyslipidemia and related co-morbidities

Galápagos upwelling driven by localized wind–front interactions

The Galápagos archipelago, rising from the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean some 900 km off the South American mainland, hosts an iconic and globally significant biological hotspot. The islands are renowned for their unique wealth of endemic species, which inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and today underpins one of the largest UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Marine Reserves on Earth. The regional ecosystem is sustained by strongly seasonal oceanic upwelling events—upward surges of cool, nutrient-rich deep waters that fuel the growth of the phytoplankton upon which the entire ecosystem thrives. Yet despite its critical life-supporting role, the upwelling’s controlling factors remain undetermined. Here, we use a realistic model of the regional ocean circulation to show that the intensity of upwelling is governed by local northward winds, which generate vigorous submesoscale circulations at upper-ocean fronts to the west of the islands. These submesoscale flows drive upwelling of interior waters into the surface mixed layer. Our findings thus demonstrate that Galápagos upwelling is controlled by highly localized atmosphere–ocean interactions, and call for a focus on these processes in assessing and mitigating the regional ecosystem’s vulnerability to 21st-century climate change

Size distribution of emitted dust in Morocco

Atmospheric mineral dust constitutes one of the most important aerosols in terms of mass in the global atmosphere. Dust impacts on the Earth’s climate are closely related to its physical and chemical properties, i.e. its particle size distribution (PSD), mineralogical composition, particle shape, and mixing state. Despite the knowledge acquired on dust properties over the last decades, understanding of dust particle size and composition at emission is still incomplete, partly due to the scarcity of coincident PSD measurements for emitted dust and the parent soil. In this context, the ERC project FRAGMENT (FRontiers in dust minerAloGical coMposition and its Effects upoN climaTe) conducts dust field campaigns in different regions of the world, obtaining a detailed characterization of the soil, airborne particles and meteorology. The first measurement campaign took place in September 2019 at “El Bour”, a dry lake located in the Draa River Basin at the edge of the Sahara desert in Morocco.Peer reviewe

Advanced Technology Large-Aperture Space Telescope (ATLAST): A Technology Roadmap for the Next Decade

The Advanced Technology Large-Aperture Space Telescope (ATLAST) is a set of mission concepts for the next generation of UVOIR space observatory with a primary aperture diameter in the 8-m to 16-m range that will allow us to perform some of the most challenging observations to answer some of our most compelling questions, including "Is there life elsewhere in the Galaxy?" We have identified two different telescope architectures, but with similar optical designs, that span the range in viable technologies. The architectures are a telescope with a monolithic primary mirror and two variations of a telescope with a large segmented primary mirror. This approach provides us with several pathways to realizing the mission, which will be narrowed to one as our technology development progresses. The concepts invoke heritage from HST and JWST design, but also take significant departures from these designs to minimize complexity, mass, or both. Our report provides details on the mission concepts, shows the extraordinary scientific progress they would enable, and describes the most important technology development items. These are the mirrors, the detectors, and the high-contrast imaging technologies, whether internal to the observatory, or using an external occulter. Experience with JWST has shown that determined competitors, motivated by the development contracts and flight opportunities of the new observatory, are capable of achieving huge advances in technical and operational performance while keeping construction costs on the same scale as prior great observatories.Comment: 22 pages, RFI submitted to Astro2010 Decadal Committe

Global prevalence and genotype distribution of hepatitis C virus infection in 2015 : A modelling study

Publisher Copyright: © 2017 Elsevier LtdBackground The 69th World Health Assembly approved the Global Health Sector Strategy to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection by 2030, which can become a reality with the recent launch of direct acting antiviral therapies. Reliable disease burden estimates are required for national strategies. This analysis estimates the global prevalence of viraemic HCV at the end of 2015, an update of—and expansion on—the 2014 analysis, which reported 80 million (95% CI 64–103) viraemic infections in 2013. Methods We developed country-level disease burden models following a systematic review of HCV prevalence (number of studies, n=6754) and genotype (n=11 342) studies published after 2013. A Delphi process was used to gain country expert consensus and validate inputs. Published estimates alone were used for countries where expert panel meetings could not be scheduled. Global prevalence was estimated using regional averages for countries without data. Findings Models were built for 100 countries, 59 of which were approved by country experts, with the remaining 41 estimated using published data alone. The remaining countries had insufficient data to create a model. The global prevalence of viraemic HCV is estimated to be 1·0% (95% uncertainty interval 0·8–1·1) in 2015, corresponding to 71·1 million (62·5–79·4) viraemic infections. Genotypes 1 and 3 were the most common cause of infections (44% and 25%, respectively). Interpretation The global estimate of viraemic infections is lower than previous estimates, largely due to more recent (lower) prevalence estimates in Africa. Additionally, increased mortality due to liver-related causes and an ageing population may have contributed to a reduction in infections. Funding John C Martin Foundation.publishersversionPeer reviewe