A typology of masspersonal information seeking repertoires (MISR): Global implications for political participation and subjective well-being

Masspersonal information seeking repertoires are a person-centered method of gaining insight into the relationship between Internet use, subjective well-being, and political participation. Through latent profile analysis, three person types were identified in two waves of stratified samples in 18 countries (N = 8352). In accord with the “augmentation hypothesis,” high levels of interpersonal contact and traditional mass media usage covaried with high Internet use for the highly engaged type, that had highest political participation and life satisfaction, political knowledge, low depressive symptoms and also high anxiety. The other two types fit the “displacement hypothesis,” where Internet-based media displaces traditional media and face-to-face communication. Compared with the digitally immersed, the traditional repertoire was more knowledgeable and politically engaged, and had better well-being. Latent transition analysis showed these repertoires were stable over 6 months. Identifying different types of people with different information seeking styles clarifies mixed results on effects of online mass media use

Performance of the First ANTARES Detector Line

In this paper we report on the data recorded with the first Antares detector line. The line was deployed on the 14th of February 2006 and was connected to the readout two weeks later. Environmental data for one and a half years of running are shown. Measurements of atmospheric muons from data taken from selected runs during the first six months of operation are presented. Performance figures in terms of time residuals and angular resolution are given. Finally the angular distribution of atmospheric muons is presented and from this the depth profile of the muon intensity is derived.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

A Chandra Study of the Rosette Star-Forming Complex. I. The Stellar Population and Structure of the Young Open Cluster NGC 2244

We present the first high spatial resolution Chandra X-ray study of NGC 2244, the 2 Myr old stellar cluster immersed in the Rosette Nebula. Over 900 X-ray sources are detected; 77% have optical or FLAMINGOS near-infrared (NIR) stellar counterparts and are mostly previously uncatalogued young stellar cluster members. All known OB stars with spectral type earlier than B1 are detected and the X-ray selected stellar population is estimated to be nearly complete between 0.5 and 3 Msun. The X-ray luminosity function (XLF) ranges from 29.4<logLx<32 ergs/s in the hard (2-8keV) band. By comparing the NGC 2244 and Orion Nebula Cluster XLFs, we estimate a total population of 2000 stars in NGC 2244. A number of further results emerge from our analysis: The XLF and the associated K-band luminosity function indicate a normal Salpeter initial mass function (IMF) for NGC 2244. This is inconsistent with the top-heavy IMF reported from earlier optical studies that lacked a good census of <4Msun stars. The spatial distribution of X-ray stars is strongly concentrated around the central O5 star, HD 46150. The other early O star, HD 46223, has few companions. The cluster's stellar radial density profile shows two distinctive structures. This double structure, combined with the absence of mass segregation, indicates that this cluster is not in dynamical equilibrium. The spatial distribution of X-ray selected K-excess disk stars and embedded stars is asymmetric with an apparent deficit towards the north. The fraction of X-ray-selected cluster members with K-band excesses caused by inner protoplanetary disks is 6%, slightly lower than the 10% disk fraction estimated from the FLAMINGOS study based on the NIR-selected sample. This is due to the high efficiency of X-ray surveys in locating disk-free T Tauri stars.[Abridged]Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ (March 1, 2008 v675 issue). 61 pages, 20 figures, 7 tables. Updated a statement on NGC 2244-334 and added a referenc

Background Light in Potential Sites for the ANTARES Undersea Neutrino Telescope

The ANTARES collaboration has performed a series of {\em in situ} measurements to study the background light for a planned undersea neutrino telescope. Such background can be caused by $^{40}$K decays or by biological activity. We report on measurements at two sites in the Mediterranean Sea at depths of 2400~m and 2700~m, respectively. Three photomultiplier tubes were used to measure single counting rates and coincidence rates for pairs of tubes at various distances. The background rate is seen to consist of three components: a constant rate due to $^{40}$K decays, a continuum rate that varies on a time scale of several hours simultaneously over distances up to at least 40~m, and random bursts a few seconds long that are only correlated in time over distances of the order of a meter. A trigger requiring coincidences between nearby photomultiplier tubes should reduce the trigger rate for a neutrino telescope to a manageable level with only a small loss in efficiency.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Astroparticle Physic

BAFF Mediates Splenic B Cell Response and Antibody Production in Experimental Chagas Disease

Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is endemic in Central and South America. It affects 20 million people and about 100 million people are at risk of infection in endemic areas. Some cases have been identified in non-endemic countries as a consequence of blood transfusion and organ transplantation. Chagas disease presents three stages of infection. The acute phase appears one to two weeks after infection and includes fever, swelling around the bite site, enlarged lymph glands and spleen, and fatigue. This stage is characterized by circulating parasites and many immunological disturbances including a massive B cell response. In general, the acute episode self-resolves in about 2 months and is followed by a clinically silent indeterminate phase characterized by absence of circulating parasites. In about one-third of the cases, the indeterminate phase evolves into a chronic phase with clinically defined cardiac or digestive disturbances. Current knowledge suggests that the persistence of parasites coupled with an unbalanced immune response sustain inflammatory response in the chronic stage. We believe that an effective treatment for chronic Chagas disease should combine antiparasitic drugs with immunomodulators aimed at reducing inflammation and autoreactive response. Our findings enlighten a new role of BAFF-BAFF-R signaling in parasite infection that partially controls polyclonal B cell response but not parasitespecific class-switched primary effectors B cells

Challenges of mainstreaming green infrastructure in built environment professions

© 2019, © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Green infrastructure (GI) has been identified as a promising approach to help cities adapt to climate change through the provision of multiple ecosystem services. However, GI contributions to urban resilience will not be realized until it is more fully mainstreamed in the built environment and design professions. Here, we interrogate five key challenges for the effective implementation of GI: (1) design standards; (2) regulatory pathways; (3) socio-economic considerations; (4) financeability; and (5) innovation. Methods include a literature review, case studies, and interviews with resilience managers. We propose a people-centred and context-dependent approach to advance effective implementation of GI in urban planning. We highlight two underlying currents that run across all of the challenges–(1) the role of political will as a pre-condition for tackling all challenges holistically; and (2) the role of stakeholder engagement in achieving public support, harnessing funding, and maintaining and monitoring GI in the long term. Highlights: • The effective implementation of GI is context-specific and should adhere to the basic principles of appropriate technology. • Continuous community engagement is needed to ensure the inclusivity and multi-functionality of GI. • Challenges to successful GI are intersectional and therefore cannot be addressed singly in isolation

Kidney Development in the Absence of Gdnf and Spry1 Requires Fgf10

GDNF signaling through the Ret receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) is required for ureteric bud (UB) branching morphogenesis during kidney development in mice and humans. Furthermore, many other mutant genes that cause renal agenesis exert their effects via the GDNF/RET pathway. Therefore, RET signaling is believed to play a central role in renal organogenesis. Here, we re-examine the extent to which the functions of Gdnf and Ret are unique, by seeking conditions in which a kidney can develop in their absence. We find that in the absence of the negative regulator Spry1, Gdnf, and Ret are no longer required for extensive kidney development. Gdnf−/−;Spry1−/− or Ret−/−;Spry1−/− double mutants develop large kidneys with normal ureters, highly branched collecting ducts, extensive nephrogenesis, and normal histoarchitecture. However, despite extensive branching, the UB displays alterations in branch spacing, angle, and frequency. UB branching in the absence of Gdnf and Spry1 requires Fgf10 (which normally plays a minor role), as removal of even one copy of Fgf10 in Gdnf−/−;Spry1−/− mutants causes a complete failure of ureter and kidney development. In contrast to Gdnf or Ret mutations, renal agenesis caused by concomitant lack of the transcription factors ETV4 and ETV5 is not rescued by removing Spry1, consistent with their role downstream of both RET and FGFRs. This shows that, for many aspects of renal development, the balance between positive signaling by RTKs and negative regulation of this signaling by SPRY1 is more critical than the specific role of GDNF. Other signals, including FGF10, can perform many of the functions of GDNF, when SPRY1 is absent. But GDNF/RET signaling has an apparently unique function in determining normal branching pattern. In contrast to GDNF or FGF10, Etv4 and Etv5 represent a critical node in the RTK signaling network that cannot by bypassed by reducing the negative regulation of upstream signals

Specific Humoral Immunity versus Polyclonal B Cell Activation in Trypanosoma cruzi Infection of Susceptible and Resistant Mice

Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affects 10–12 million people in Latin America. Patent parasitemia develops during acute disease. During this phase, polyclonal B cell activation has been reported to generate high levels of serum antibody with low parasite specificity, and delayed protective humoral immunity, which is necessary to prevent the host from succumbing to infection. In this manuscript, data show that relatively resistant mice have improved parasite-specific humoral immunity and decreased polyclonal B cell activation compared to susceptible mice. Parasite-specific humoral immunity was associated with differential expansion of B cell subsets and T cells in the spleen, as well as with increased Th1 and decreased Th2 cytokine production. These data suggest that host susceptibility/genetic biases impact the development of humoral responses to infection. Th2 cytokines are generally associated with improved antibody responses. In the context of T. cruzi infection of susceptible mice, Th2 cytokines were associated with increased total antibody production concomitant with delayed pathogen-specific humoral immunity. This study highlights the need to consider the effect of host biases when investigating humoral immunity to any pathogen that has reported polyclonal B cell activation during infection

Impact of therapy on quality of life, neurocognitive function and their correlates in glioblastoma multiforme: a review

The maintenance of quality of life (QoL) in patients with high-grade glioma is an important endpoint during treatment, particularly in those with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) given its dismal prognosis despite limited advances in standard therapy. It has proven difficult to identify new therapies that extend survival in patients with recurrent GBM, so one of the primary aims of new therapies is to reduce morbidity, restore or preserve neurologic functions, and the capacity to perform daily activities. Apart from temozolomide, cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents do not appear to significantly impact response or survival, but produce toxicity that is likely to negatively impact QoL. New biological agents, such as bevacizumab, can induce a clinically meaningful proportion of durable responses among patients with recurrent GBM with an acceptable safety profile. Emerging evidence suggests that bevacizumab produces an improvement or preservation of neurocognitive function in GBM patients, suggestive of QoL improvement, in most poor-prognosis patients who would otherwise be expected to show a sudden and rapid deterioration in QoL