Septic Tank Survey: 2018

Between May 2018 and September 2018, the Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS) at the University of Central Florida (UCF) surveyed residents of Brevard County, Florida to explore their behaviors and attitudes on a variety of septic tank related topics

The Parks in the City of Winter Park 2018: Executive Summary

Between June 2018 and July 2018, 325 Winter Park residents were surveyed about their opinions of the City of Winter Park’s parks, how they used the parks, their specific neighborhood parks, and any changes they would like to see regarding the parks. Surveys were conducted over the telephone by trained ISBS employees. ISBS received a list of Winter Park residents’ phone numbers from the utility company to allow for the survey to be conducted

Senior Resource Alliance Needs Assessment 2018: Final Report

The University of Central Florida’s Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS) conducted a needs assessment on behalf of the Senior Resource Alliance. The needs assessment consisted of a survey with 400 senior respondents in PSA 7 as well as secondary data analysis. Specifically the secondary data analysis focused on three components: 1. Demographic report on the population age 60+, 65+, and 85+, showing the most recent data at the local, state, and national level; 2. Statistical summaries of target populations and target areas in PSA 7; and 3. Population projections on the baby boomer cohort data. The University of Central Florida’s Institute for Social and Behavioral Sciences (ISBS) conducted a needs assessment on behalf of the Senior Resource Alliance. The needs assessment consisted of a survey with 400 senior respondents in PSA 7 as well as secondary data analysis. Specifically the secondary data analysis focused on three components: 1. Demographic report on the population age 60+, 65+, and 85+, showing the most recent data at the local, state, and national level; 2. Statistical summaries of target populations and target areas in PSA 7; and 3. Population projections on the baby boomer cohort data

Analytical Scanning Electron Microscopy for Surface Science

To correlate an electron image with surface properties requires thorough understanding of electron-solid interaction, secondary electron emission mechanism and operation functions of image detectors. We emphasize the importance and usefulness of combining electron spectroscopy with scanning electron microscope in interpreting electron image contrast. Linear relationships among secondary electron image (SEI) brightness, total emission current and the integration of electron energy distribution were measured. We propose that channeling effect, instead of primary electron diffraction, is the crystallographic cause of SEI contrast. Secondary electrons contribute most to SEI brightness because of their high constituent in total yield, not because of high efficiency of SEI detector in detecting slow electrons. We show that work function change alone cannot explain the SEI brightness change during gas exposure. Rather, the brightness change is associated with changes of the entire spectrum. The possibility of measuring spectral response of energy analyzers is discussed in conjunction with the comparison of spectra taken with different analyzers

“Stealth” tumors: Breast cancer cells shun NK-cells anti-tumor immunity

Breast cancers (BCs) comprise heterogeneous subtypes of various prognoses. An active anti-tumor immune profile usually correlated with a better survival. Two current major challenges of BC research are to understand the inter-relations between BC and anti-tumor immunity, and to identify candidates whose targeting would contribute to enhance anti-tumor efficiency

New Insights Into the Regulation of γδ T Cells by BTN3A and Other BTN/BTNL in Tumor Immunity

Recent findings in the immunology field have pointed out the emergent role of butyrophilins/butyrophilin-like molecules (BTN/BTNL in human, Btn/Btnl in mouse) in the modulation of γδ T cells. As long as the field develops exponentially, new relationships between certain γδ T cell subsets, on one hand, and their BTN/BTNL counterparts mainly present on epithelial and tumor cells, on the other, are described in the scientific literature. Btnl1/Btnl6 in mice and BTNL3/BTNL8 in humans regulate the homing and maturation of Vγ7+ and Vγ4+ T cells to the gut epithelium. Similarly, Skint-1 has shown to shape the dendritic epidermal T cells repertoire and their activation levels in mice. We and others have identified BTN3A proteins are the key mediators of phosphoantigen sensing by human Vγ9Vδ2 T cells. Here, we first synthesize the modulation of specific γδ T cell subsets by related BTN/BTNL molecules, in human and mice. Then, we focus on the role of BTN3A in the activation of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells, and we highlight the recent advances in the understanding of the expression, regulation, and function of BTN3A in tumor immunity. Hence, recent studies demonstrated that several signals induced by cancer cells or their microenvironment can regulate the expression of BTN3A. Moreover, antibodies targeting BTN3A have shown in vitro and in vivo efficacy in human tumors such as acute myeloid leukemia or pancreatic cancer. We thus finally discuss how these findings could help develop novel γδ T cell-based immunotherapeutical approaches

It's about private debt

Els principals responsables econòmics i polítics europeus i espanyols ens repeteixen incansablement, com si d'un mantra es tractés, que l'actual crisi financera prové d'una mala gestió pública. Així, segons s'afirma des dels centres de poder econòmics i polítics europeus la crisi té el seu origen en el fet que les administracions públiques s'han endeutat por damunt d'allò imaginable. Com a conseqüència lògica, per sortir de la crisi totes les polítiques que s'han de dur a terme han d'anar en la línia de tallar la sagnia de la despesa pública. En aquest article ens preguntem què hi ha de cert en aquestes afirmacions i si realment el problema del sobre endeutament en el cas espanyol prové d'una mala gestió pública.Els principals responsables econòmics i polítics europeus i espanyols ens repeteixen incansablement, com si d'un mantra es tractés, que l'actual crisi financera prové d'una mala gestió pública. Així, segons s'afirma des dels centres de poder econòmics i polítics europeus la crisi té el seu origen en el fet que les administracions públiques s'han endeutat por damunt d'allò imaginable. Com a conseqüència lògica, per sortir de la crisi totes les polítiques que s'han de dur a terme han d'anar en la línia de tallar la sagnia de la despesa pública. En aquest article ens preguntem què hi ha de cert en aquestes afirmacions i si realment el problema del sobre endeutament en el cas espanyol prové d'una mala gestió pública.The main economic European and Spanish policy makers tirelessly repeat to us like if it was a mantra, that the current financial crisis stems from poor governance. Thus, as stated from the European political and economic centers of power, crisis originates from the fact that public administrations have borrowed above what imaginable. As a logical consequence, to overcome the crisis all policies to be carried out must be in line to cut the bleeding public spending. In this article we ask what truth is found in these claims and whether or not the problem of overindebtedness in the Spanish case stems from poor governance.Peer Reviewe

New Discoveries in Planetary Systems and Star Formation through Advances in Laboratory Astrophysics

As the panel on Planetary Systems and Star Formation (PSF) is fully aware, the next decade will see major advances in our understanding of these areas of research. To quote from their charge, these advances will occur in studies of solar system bodies (other than the Sun) and extrasolar planets, debris disks, exobiology, the formation of individual stars, protostellar and protoplanetary disks, molecular clouds and the cold ISM, dust, and astrochemistry. Central to the progress in these areas are the corresponding advances in laboratory astro- physics which are required for fully realizing the PSF scientific opportunities in the decade 2010-2020. Laboratory astrophysics comprises both theoretical and experimental studies of the underlying physics and chemistry which produce the observed spectra and describe the astrophysical processes. We discuss four areas of laboratory astrophysics relevant to the PSF panel: atomic, molecular, solid matter, and plasma physics. Section 2 describes some of the new opportunities and compelling themes which will be enabled by advances in laboratory astrophysics. Section 3 provides the scientific context for these opportunities. Section 4 discusses some experimental and theoretical advances in laboratory astrophysics required to realize the PSF scientific opportunities of the next decade. As requested in the Call for White Papers, we present in Section 5 four central questions and one area with unusual discovery potential. We give a short postlude in Section 6.Comment: White paper submitted by the AAS Working Group on Laboratory Astrophysics (WGLA) to the PSF SFP of the Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey (Astro2010