Inc 23/24 CRR - CO2 SDTO

This slide presentation reports on the carbon dioxide monitor (CDM) for the international space station. It includes information on crew activities, hardware, and rationale

Factor structure of the life orientation test and life orientation test- revised: The influence of item framing

Historically psychological scales have used a mix of positively keyed and negatively keyed items (balanced scales) to control for the effects of response sets. While it has been established that the use of balanced scales does effectively control for response sets such as acquiescence, issues relating to the psychometric properties of these scales emerge. The following review investigated issues surrounding the reliability, validity and factor structure of balanced scales by considering whether these issues were caused by positively and negatively keyed items measuring different aspects of a construct or whether they emerged simply due to measurement error. Both these positions are supported by research with various balanced scales, though it is necessary for future research to consider the effect that negative item framing, rather than negative item keying, has on the psychometric properties of balanced scales. The Life Orientation Test (LOT) and Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) were investigated to see how item framing influenced both scales factor structure. Two modified versions of both scales were created, one with consistent positive framing and the other with consistent negative framing. In both scales the original meaning (keying) of items was maintained so that each version had a balance of positively and negatively keyed items. Confirmatory factor analysis results indicated that a two-factor model was a significantly better fit to the data from the positively and negatively framed LOT and positively framed LOT-R. It was suggested that participants do not respond to item framing but instead item-keying direction when completing both scales. Furthermore participants responded differently to negatively framed items, perhaps due to the increased semantic complexity

Bone marrow senescence and the microenvironment of hematological malignancies

Senescence is the irreversible arrest of cell proliferation that has now been shown to play an important role in both health and disease. With increasing age senescent cells accumulate throughout the body, including the bone marrow and this has been associated with a number of age-related pathologies including malignancies. It has been shown that the senescence associated secretory phenotype (SASP) creates a pro-tumoural environment that supports proliferation and survival of malignant cells. Understanding the role of senescent cells in tumor development better may help us to identify new treatment targets to impair tumor survival and reduce treatment resistance. In this review, we will specifically discuss the role of senescence in the aging bone marrow (BM) microenvironment. Many BM disorders are age-related diseases and highly dependent on the BM microenvironment. Despite advances in drug development the prognosis particularly for older patients remains poor and new treatment approaches are needed to improve outcomes for patients. In this review, we will focus on the relationship of senescence and hematological malignancies, how senescence promotes cancer development and how malignant cells induce senescence

Predicting Empathy From Resting State Brain Connectivity: A Multivariate Approach.

Recent task fMRI studies suggest that individual differences in trait empathy and empathic concern are mediated by patterns of connectivity between self-other resonance and top-down control networks that are stable across task demands. An untested implication of this hypothesis is that these stable patterns of connectivity should be visible even in the absence of empathy tasks. Using machine learning, we demonstrate that patterns of resting state fMRI connectivity (i.e. the degree of synchronous BOLD activity across multiple cortical areas in the absence of explicit task demands) of resonance and control networks predict trait empathic concern (n = 58). Empathic concern was also predicted by connectivity patterns within the somatomotor network. These findings further support the role of resonance-control network interactions and of somatomotor function in our vicariously driven concern for others. Furthermore, a practical implication of these results is that it is possible to assess empathic predispositions in individuals without needing to perform conventional empathy assessments

Detection and analysis of mass wasting events in chalk sea cliffs using UAV photogrammetry

Coastal cliff recession represents a significant risk to both people and infrastructure, it is therefore important that we are able to efficiently monitor these environments to inform future management decisions. Through the use of UAV digital photogrammetry, we obtain point clouds to develop monthly models of the sea cliffs at Telscombe, East Sussex, UK between August 2016 and July 2017. The models captured were accurate to 0.05 m and had an average point density of 351 pts./m2. Using the methodology presented we were able to automatically detect rockfalls by undertaking a 2.5D surface change detection which populated monthly inventories through volumetric estimations. A total of 10,085 failures were observed with an estimated volumetric flux of 3889.4 m3 over the 12 month period of data collection. Due to the high frequency of data capture, successive block failures in the Newhaven Chalk formation were observed. The largest failure within the 12 month period was estimated at 2546.8 m3 and followed significant toe erosion due to wave action. The steepening of the cliff face was modelled through limit equilibrium analysis to determine the reduction in factor of safety for the months preceding failure. We then present a magnitude-frequency analysis using negative power laws from the monthly rockfall inventories for the entire study area. The negative power law models produced a strong correlation across all months with r2 values ranging from 0.97 to 0.99. The normalised power law scaling parameters ranged from 1.421 to 1.955 for β and from 33.79 to 904.14 for s. The observed rollover in power laws presented in previous research matches the resolution of the data presented in this study. Our results show that this method of data capture is comparable to existing methods whilst offering significant benefits in field surveying time and cost

Assessing the profile of support for potential tobacco control policies targeting availability in Great Britain: a cross-sectional population survey

Abstract Aim To examine the level of support for tobacco availability policies across Great Britain (GB) and associations between support for policy and sociodemographic, smoking and quitting characteristics. Methods A cross-sectional representative survey (the Smoking Toolkit Study) of adults in GB (n=2197) during September 2021. Logistic regressions estimated the associations between support for each policy and sociodemographic and smoking characteristics. Findings There was majority support for requiring retailers to have a license which can be removed if they sell to those under-age (89.6%) and for restrictions on the sale of cigarettes and tobacco near schools (69.9%). More supported than opposed raising the legal age of sale of cigarettes and tobacco to 21 (49.2% supported; 30.7% opposed; 20.1% unsure) and reducing the number of retailers selling tobacco in neighbourhoods with a high density of tobacco retailers (46.5% supported; 23.3% opposed; 30.2% unsure). More opposed than supported a ban on the sale of cigarettes and tobacco to everyone born after a certain year from 2030 onward (a ‘tobacco-free generation’) (41.3% opposed; 34.5% supported; 24.2% unsure). Age was positively associated with support for raising the age of sale and inversely associated with requiring tobacco retailer licenses. Women were more likely to support raising the age of sale and reducing the number of retailers. Conclusions Requiring tobacco retailer licensing and restrictions on sales near schools received majority support. Other tobacco availability policies received substantial support despite considerable opposition

A Quantitative Study of Women in Sri Lanka\u27s Export Processing Zones: Capital accumulation and Social Investment

This paper is based on research that was funded by AusAID’s Australian Development Research Award and conducted by investigators from Edith Cowan University (ECU) – Australia and The Centre for Research on Women (CENWOR) – Sri Lanka. The research sampled 2304 women who worked in factories in Sri Lanka’s Export Processing Zones (2008-2011). The research was predicated on questioning the assumptions and arguments that the majority of women in developing nations have been dis-empowered due to global and national patriarchy. In this paper we present data and allow it to ‘do the talking’. The paper provides a valuable and thorough insight into the realms of factory work in developing nations. We note here that the large sample size allows us to make generalisations and to claim it to be a representation of women who work in EPZs in Sri Lanka. It is our hope that researchers will use this data to supplement theirs and hence create more rigorous debate on the issues of gender and empowerment in developing nations. The authors of this paper are presenting a paper that focuses on new issues and ‘other’ ways to deepen our understanding of women, work, capital accumulation and social status of women who work in EPZs in developing nations

Investigating the Interactions Between Bone Marrow Macrophages and Acute Myeloid Leukaemia

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a heterogeneous and lethal malignancy that currently has no cure. Even in patients that can undergo intensive chemotherapies often relapse due to minimal residual disease sequestered within the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment. The BM microenvironment is a highly complex organ to allow support of haematopoiesis via regulation of the haematopoietic stem cells (HSC). HSC reside in specific niches and are regulated by many cell types, such as BM macrophages. In AML, BM macrophages interact with leukaemic cells to promote AML progression, via regulation of phagocytosis. Phagocytosis in macrophages can occur through LC3, termed LC3 associated phagocytosis (LAP). Impairment of LAP has been shown to supress solid tumour growth, however, the role of LAP in AML has not been defined. In this thesis, I investigated the role of LAP in BM macrophages within the BM microenvironment of AML. This research shows that depletion of BM macrophages increased AML growth and that LAP is the predominate method that is used to phagocytose dying cells in the AML microenvironment. Inhibition of LAP led to accumulation of apoptotic debris in the BM, resulting in accelerated leukaemic growth. Mechanistically, LAP of AML apoptotic bodies (ABs), by BM macrophages, resulted in STING activation. Mitochondria from AML ABs were processed by BM macrophages via LAP. Moreover, mitochondrial DNA from AML ABs was responsible for the induction of STING activation in BM macrophages. STING activation suppressed AML growth via increased phagocytosis potential in BM macrophages. Furthermore, the phosphatidylserine recognition receptor TIM4 is required for the control of AML growth and the expression of TIM4 in LAP deficient BM macrophages is reduced. Together, these findings show how BM macrophages interact with apoptotic AML cells to supress AML growth in a LAP dependent mechanism