Environmental risk assessment of genetically modified crops: The use of molecular markers to trace insect and wind dispersal of Brassica napus pollen.

End of Project ReportThis project aimed to develop a better understanding of the potential risks of gene flow and to generate isolation distances required for genetically modified (GM) OSR. The study examined biotic (insect) and abiotic (wind) pollen dispersal over two seasons. A considerable portion of work was devoted to the development of molecular markers, to differentiate Brassica napus varieties from each other to distinguish them from their wild relatives. The project broadly aimed to study gene flow, via pollen movement, from OSR but specifically aimed to: ! Characterise B. napus cv. Marinka using molecular markers. ! Elucidate the distance travelled by OSR pollen by biotic dispersal. ! Elucidate the distance travelled by OSR pollen by abiotic dispersal. ! Elucidate pollination/seed set at various distances from a source crop using male sterile bait plants. ! Develop risk assessment/containment strategies

Dispersive properties of quasi-phase-matched optical parametric amplifiers

The dispersive properties of non-degenerate optical parametric amplification in quasi-phase-matched (QPM) nonlinear quadratic crystals with an arbitrary grating profile are theoretically investigated in the no-pump-depletion limit. The spectral group delay curve of the amplifier is shown to be univocally determined by its spectral power gain curve through a Hilbert transform. Such a constraint has important implications on the propagation of spectrally-narrow optical pulses through the amplifier. In particular, it is shown that anomalous transit times, corresponding to superluminal or even negative group velocities, are possible near local minima of the spectral gain curve. A possible experimental observation of such effects using a QPM Lithium-Niobate crystal is suggested.Comment: submitted for publicatio

The Nursing Worklife Model: Extending and Refining a New Theory

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75205/1/j.1365-2834.2007.00670.x.pd

Self-organized model of cascade spreading

We study simultaneous price drops of real stocks and show that for high drop thresholds they follow a power-law distribution. To reproduce these collective downturns, we propose a minimal self-organized model of cascade spreading based on a probabilistic response of the system elements to stress conditions. This model is solvable using the theory of branching processes and the mean-field approximation. For a wide range of parameters, the system is in a critical state and displays a power-law cascade-size distribution similar to the empirically observed one. We further generalize the model to reproduce volatility clustering and other observed properties of real stocks.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

Content Validity of Anatomic Site-Specific Patient-Reported Outcomes Version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) Item Sets for Assessment of Acute Symptomatic Toxicities in Radiation Oncology

Purpose: To improve assessment of symptomatic toxicity in cancer clinical trials and complement clinician-based toxicity reporting, the US National Cancer Institute developed a measurement system called the Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE). The objective of this study was to examine the content validity of PRO-CTCAE in patients undergoing radiation therapy and to establish anatomic site-specific item sets for implementation in cancer research. Methods and Materials: Patients receiving radiation to the brain, head and neck, breast, thorax, abdomen, or pelvis were recruited during the final week of radiation. Participants described side effects qualitatively and completed anatomic site-specific checklists indicating the presence or absence of symptomatic toxicities drawn from the PRO-CTCAE library. Items endorsed by ≥20% of participants were selected for inclusion. Symptomatic toxicities described qualitatively were content analyzed and summarized. Symptomatic toxicities not reflected in the PRO-CTCAE item library were tabulated. Results: We conducted 389 interviews of patients receiving radiation to the brain (n = 46), head and neck (n = 69), breast (n = 134), thorax (n = 30), abdomen (n = 27), female pelvis (n = 36), or male pelvis (n = 47). Median age was 62 years; 62% were female. The 53 solicited PRO-CTCAE symptoms reflected all reported radiation-induced toxicities with the exception of phlegm/mucus production and mouth/throat pain with swallowing in patients receiving head and neck radiation, eye dryness/irritation in patients undergoing brain radiation, and obstructive urinary symptoms in men receiving pelvic radiation. The PRO-CTCAE items “skin burns” and “pain” require greater specificity to adequately reflect toxicities experienced during radiation. Conclusions: PRO-CTCAE demonstrates strong content validity as a measure of symptomatic toxicities in patients receiving radiation. These results provide empirical support for the definition of site-specific PRO-CTCAE item sets to assess the symptomatic toxicities of radiation therapy. The site-specific PRO-CTCAE item sets developed herein are currently being deployed in our department via an electronic platform to capture treatment-related toxicity

Can forest management based on natural disturbances maintain ecological resilience?

Given the increasingly global stresses on forests, many ecologists argue that managers must maintain ecological resilience: the capacity of ecosystems to absorb disturbances without undergoing fundamental change. In this review we ask: Can the emerging paradigm of natural-disturbance-based management (NDBM) maintain ecological resilience in managed forests? Applying resilience theory requires careful articulation of the ecosystem state under consideration, the disturbances and stresses that affect the persistence of possible alternative states, and the spatial and temporal scales of management relevance. Implementing NDBM while maintaining resilience means recognizing that (i) biodiversity is important for long-term ecosystem persistence, (ii) natural disturbances play a critical role as a generator of structural and compositional heterogeneity at multiple scales, and (iii) traditional management tends to produce forests more homogeneous than those disturbed naturally and increases the likelihood of unexpected catastrophic change by constraining variation of key environmental processes. NDBM may maintain resilience if silvicultural strategies retain the structures and processes that perpetuate desired states while reducing those that enhance resilience of undesirable states. Such strategies require an understanding of harvesting impacts on slow ecosystem processes, such as seed-bank or nutrient dynamics, which in the long term can lead to ecological surprises by altering the forest's capacity to reorganize after disturbance

Potential use of isomaltulose to produce healthier marshmallows

Isomaltulose is a non-cariogenic sugar with a lower glycemic index but with the same caloric value and visual appearance as sucrose. Therefore, isomaltulose could potentially be used to produce healthier candies. In this regard, the aim of this research was to evaluate isomaltulose as a traditional sugar replacer in soft marshmallow type candies, in order to provide added value to these widely consumed products, making it possible to capture a new market niche. 18 formulations were studied combining different sugars (sucrose, glucose syrup, fructose and isomaltulose) and different percentages of gelatine (4, 5 and 6). Analyses of composition (degrees Brix and moisture content), pH and water activity (a(w)), instrumental colour and texture as well as a sensorial analysis were performed. Marshmallows with isomaltulose combined with fructose exhibited the lowest values of pH (4.99-5.14). Moreover, formulations with similar amount of isomaltulose and fructose presented lower instrumental hardness, higher cohesiveness and springiness, and the best sensory acceptance. A PLS multivariate analysis showed a good correlation between instrumental and sensory mechanical parameters. Therefore, instrumental measures of texture could be suitable for discerning an overall preference for marshmallows without using trained panellists. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.The authors thank the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia for funding the project PAID 2011-ref: 2012 and the PhD scholarship.Periche Santamaría, A.; Heredia Gutiérrez, AB.; Escriche Roberto, MI.; Andrés Grau, AM.; Castelló Gómez, ML. (2015). Potential use of isomaltulose to produce healthier marshmallows. Food Science and Technology. 62(1):605-612. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2014.12.024S60561262

The SAMPLE Experiment and Weak Nucleon Structure

One of the key elements to understanding the structure of the nucleon is the role of its quark-antiquark sea in its ground state properties such as charge, mass, magnetism and spin. In the last decade, parity-violating electron scattering has emerged as an important tool in this area, because of its ability to isolate the contribution of strange quark-antiquark pairs to the nucleon's charge and magnetism. The SAMPLE experiment at the MIT-Bates Laboratory, which has been focused on s-sbar contributions to the proton's magnetic moment, was the first of such experiments and its program has recently been completed. In this paper we give an overview of some of the experimental aspects of parity-violating electron scattering, briefly review the theoretical predictions for strange quark form factors, summarize the SAMPLE measurements, and place them in context with the program of experiments being carried out at other electron scattering facilities such as Jefferson Laboratory and the Mainz Microtron.Comment: 61 pages, review articl