What Good is Raman Water Vapor Lidar?

Raman lidar has been used to quantify water vapor in the atmosphere for various scientific studies including mesoscale meteorology and satellite validation. Now the international networks of NDACC and GRUAN have interest in using Raman water vapor lidar for detecting trends in atmospheric water vapor concentrations. What are the data needs for addressing these very different measurement challenges. We will review briefly the scientific needs for water vapor accuracy for each of these three applications and attempt to translate that into performance specifications for Raman lidar in an effort to address the question in the title of "What good is Raman water vapor Iidar.

Two Lecture Recitals of Percussion Music: Notation for Stroke-Type Analyses and Tabla and Indian Musical Concepts in Modern Drum Set Performance

Two lecture recitals were presented in lieu of a written dissertation. This document combines two formal paper presentations, each of which corresponds to a single lecture recital. Sunday, May 2, 2010, 4:00 p.m., Mannoni Performing Arts Center. Program: Two Mexican Dances for Marimba by Gordon Stout; Marimba Spiritual by Minoru Miki. “Notation for Stroke-Type Analyses” presents a method for notating stroke types in four-mallet keyboard percussion mechanics. A discussion of various applications of stroke type notation follows, including the pedagogical value of engaging in stroke-type analyses as a supplement to traditional harmonic and formal analyses, the effect of stroke-type analyses on performance preparation, and the effect of stroke-type analyses on the performance itself. Thursday, February 24, 2011, 6:00 p.m., Mannoni Performing Arts Center. Program: Three Classical Compositions for Tabla transmitted by Pandit Arup Chattopadhyay, trans. David Whitman; Palta by Bob Becker. “Tabla and Indian Musical Concepts in Modern Drum Set Performance” deals with the adaptation of tabla compositions for Western drum set. Fixed classical compositions for solo tabla from the Farrukhabad gharana of the central Uttar Pradesh region of India are transcribed for drum iii set. The application of North Indian musical concepts such as tihai, tal, and jhati are also discussed and applied to a performance of Palta – a composition for either solo tabla or solo drum set and percussion ensemble by Bob Becker. The author’s studies with Calcutta-based master tabla artist Pandit Arup Chattopadhyay form the basis of much of the material presented in the second chapter

Baby Boomers vs Their Parents: Economic Well-being and Health Status

In this chapter, we use the Social Security Administration’s simulation model known as MINT (Modeling Income in the Near Term) to examine the projected health and economic status of Baby Boomers and their parents during retirement. Our projections indicate that boomers will enjoy higher levels of economic well-being and health than their parents, yet the distribution of income and wealth is more unequal among Boomers. For example, the ratio of income to poverty-level income grows three times faster at the 90th percentile than at the 10th percentile. Health problems are concentrated among persons of lower economic status in both generations, but the degree of concentration does not increase across generations

3D Visualization of Cardiac Anatomy: New Approaches for Patient Education

3D Visualization is a growing field in medicine. It is used for diagnosis, intervention design, and patient education. Medical students and physicians have little difficulty picturing a heart in their mind. Most physicians and medical students can envision an anatomically correct heart, and also congenital heart defects. Patients and their families, however, do not always have this extraordinary ability. Objective: It is this potential disadvantage that provides motivation to develop innovative 3D tools that can be used to educate patients in clinical and hospital settings. Design: The primary focus of this study is to recover 3D structures and images from CT Data. The data were acquired from a number of sources, including Cardiology Radiologists at St. Vincent Hospital Cardiovascular Imaging Department and the National Institutes of Health Cancer Imaging Archive. Setting: The study was performed in the Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine 3D Visualization Laboratory. Methods: The CT data sets were analyzed with the 3D analytical software FEI Amira, and relevant anatomical structures, landmarks, and anomalies were identified and discriminated. Results: The researchers present two 3D projects: one of an anatomically correct heart, and the other of a heart after corrective surgery for the Tetralogy of Fallot congenital anomalies. Conclusions: We find that by developing our skills in 3D Visualization, we can create more accurate, interactive, and detailed images of cardiac anatomy. Our 3D Visualizations show great potential in advancing patient education and better enable us to care for our patients, both in clinical and hospital settings

Farmer Workshop

Sunday afternoon October 13, 2013 from 1:00 to 4pm, at the New England Small Farm Institute in Belchertown MA (275 Jackson Street) Join fellow farmers and gardeners in an interactive, educational, and highly stimulating presentation/workshop about what biochar is (and is not) along with details about how and why biochar can help you achieve your growing goals. Learn about the many benefits of soil conditioning with biochar, application techniques and amounts, carbon stability, and other practical advice. Rachel Hestrin from Cornell University will deliver a hands on technical presentation and field expert David Yarrow will review his extensive SARE grant trials

The Cytokine mRNA Increase Induced by Withdrawal from Chronic Ethanol in the Sterile Environment of Brain is Mediated by CRF and HMGB1 Release

Background—Many neurobiological factors may initiate and sustain alcoholism. Recently, dysregulation of the neuroimmune-system by chronic-ethanol (CE) has implicated toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4)-activation. Even though TLR4s are linked to CE-initiation of brain cytokine mRNAs, the means by which CE influences neuroimmune signaling in the sterile environment of brain remains uncertain. Therefore, the hypothesis is tested that release of an endogenous TLR4 agonist, high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and/or CRF during CE-withdrawal are responsible for CE-protocols increasing cytokine-mRNAs. Methods—Acute-ethanol 2.75g/kg) and acute-LPS (lipopolysaccharide)(250μg/kg) dosing on cytokine-mRNAs are first compared. Then, the effects of chronic-LPS exposure (250 μg/kg for 10-days) on cytokine-mRNAs are compared to changes induced by CE-protocols [15-days of continuous 7% ethanol-diet (CE-protocol) or three-intermittent 5-day cycles of 7%-ethanol-diet (CIE-protocol)]. Additionally, TLR4-, HMGB1- and down-stream effector mRNAs are assessed after CE, CIE, and chronic-LPS. To test whether HMGB1 and/or CRF support the CE-withdrawal increase in cytokine-mRNAs, the HMGB1-antagonists, glycyrrhizin and ethyl-pyruvate, and a CRF1-receptor-antagonist (CRF1RA) are administered during 24-hours of CE-withdrawal. Results—While cytokine-mRNAs were not increased following acute-ethanol, acute-LPS increased all cytokine-mRNAs 4-hours after injection. CE produced no change in cytokine mRNAs prior to CE-removal; however, the CE- and CIE-protocols increased cytokine-mRNAs by 24-hours after withdrawal. In contrast, chronic-LPS produced no cytokine-mRNA changes 24-hours after LPS-dosing. TLR4-mRNA was elevated 24-hours following both CE-protocols and chronic-LPS exposure. While chronic-LPS had no effect on HMGB1-mRNA, withdrawal from CE-protocols significantly elevated HMGB1-mRNA. Systemic administration of HMGB1-antagonists or a CRF1RA significantly reduced the cytokine-mRNA increase following CE-withdrawal. The CRF1RA and the HMGB1-antagonist, ethyl-pyruvate, also reduced the HMGB1-mRNA increase that followed CE-withdrawal. Conclusion—By blocking HMGB1 or CRF action during CE-withdrawal, evidence is provided that HMGB1- and CRF-release are critical for the CE-withdrawal-induction of selected brain cytokine-mRNAs. Consequently, these results clarify a means by which withdrawal from CE exposure activates neuroimmune-function in the sterile-environment of brain

Livestock Manure Windrow Composting Runoff And Infiltration Characteristics from Laboratory Rainfall Simulations

Windrow-composted livestock manure has been shown to be less hazardous to the environment compared to manure directly applied to cropland and other agricultural areas. Although offsite contaminant losses through runoff and leaching can occur during the composting process, these losses are suspected to increase under different compost moisture conditions and as composted materials mature. This research quantified the effects of windrow-composted livestock manure and straw bedding components on runoff and infiltration characteristics from laboratory rainfall simulations. Compost samples collected on three dates at approximately the beginning (day 0), middle (day 30), and end (day 60) of a June-July 2004 field research windrow composting period were used for this rainfall simulation study. Replicated compost windrow-shaped cross-section samples were constructed in a specially-designed Plexiglas container apparatus for viewing and recording infiltrated leachate wetting front position boundary movement from simulated rainfall events. Runoff and leachate samples were collected and analyzed for drainage volumes and concentrations and total mass losses of sediment, nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N), and ortho-phosphorus (PO4-P) during and following rainfall simulation trials. Leachate wetting front position boundary movement was significantly lower for day 60 compost samples compared among day 0 and day 30 compost sample material. Drainage volume analysis results indicated significantly higher average runoff versus leachate volumes within all compost sampling dates, and runoff volumes were significantly higher among day 30 and day 60 compost samples compared to runoff volumes from day 0 compost samples. Average sediment, NO3-N, and PO4-P concentrations were significantly higher in leachate versus runoff within all compost sampling dates. Conversely, the total mass losses of these contaminants were significantly higher in runoff compared to leachate within all compost sampling dates. Results of this study suggest that biological and mechanical functions of the composting process reduced compost sample aggregates and increased compost bulk density. We hypothesize that these changes in compost material structure and porosity volume decreased infiltration and increased runoff sediment, NO3-N, and PO4-P losses during the second and final compost sampling stages of a field windrow composting period

Settlement of larvae from four families of corals in response to a crustose coralline alga and its biochemical morphogens

Healthy benthic substrates that induce coral larvae to settle are necessary for coral recovery. Yet, the biochemical cues required to induce coral settlement have not been identified for many taxa. Here we tested the ability of the crustose coralline alga (CCA) Porolithon onkodes to induce attachment and metamorphosis, collectively termed settlement, of larvae from 15 ecologically important coral species from the families Acroporidae, Merulinidae, Poritidae, and Diploastreidae. Live CCA fragments, ethanol extracts, and hot aqueous extracts of P. onkodes induced settlement (>10%) for 11, 7, and 6 coral species, respectively. Live CCA fragments were the most effective inducer, achieving over 50% settlement for nine species. The strongest settlement responses were observed in Acropora spp.; the only non-acroporid species that settled over 50% were Diploastrea heliopora, Goniastrea retiformis, and Dipsastraea pallida. Larval settlement was reduced in treatments with chemical extracts compared with live CCA, although high settlement (>50%) was reported for six acroporid species in response to ethanol extracts of CCA. All experimental treatments failed (< 10%) to induce settlement in Montipora aequituberculata, Mycedium elephantotus, and Porites cylindrica. Individual species responded heterogeneously to all treatments, suggesting that none of the cues represent a universal settlement inducer. These results challenge the commonly-held notion that CCA ubiquitously induces coral settlement, and emphasize the critical need to assess additional cues to identify natural settlement inducers for a broad range of coral taxa