2,381 research outputs found
Reform in California\u27s Immigration Enforcement and Immigration Court
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Immigration Statistic, California accounts for approximately 2,600,000 illegal immigrants in 2009. This number represents about 25 percent of the entire estimated illegal immigrant population in the United States, which is roughly 10.8 million. Between 2003 and 2008, the U.S. government removed 1,446,338 noncitizens from the United States. This rise in deportation is a result o the changes that have been enacted by the federal government over the years that transformed the nature of immigration enforcement. This thesis explores the California Immigration Enforcement system from the programs established to apprehend illegal aliens in the United States, the rights illegal aliens are granted, the detention facilities where they reside and the immigration courts that ultimately decide their fate. The question that is being asked is whether the current system established works or if reform is needed
On the formation of Super-AGB stars in intemediate mass close binary systems
The evolution of a star of initial mass 9 M_s, and Z = 0.02 in a Close Binary
System is followed in the presence of different mass companions in order to
study their influence on the final evolutionary stages and, in particular, on
the structure and composition of the remnant components. We study two extreme
cases. In the first one the mass of the secondary is 8 M_s, whereas in the
second one the mass was assumed to be 1 M_s. For the first of those cases we
have also explored the possible outcomes of both conservative and
non-conservative mass-loss episodes. During the first mass transfer episode,
several differences arise between the models. The system with the more extreme
mass ratio is not able to survive the 1st. Roche lobe overflow, and spiral-in
of the secondary onto the envelope of the primary is most likely. The system
formed by two stars of comparable mass undergoes two mass transfer episodes in
which the primary is the donor. We have performed two sets of calculations
corresponding to this case in order to account for conservative and
non-conservative mass transfer during the first mass loss episode. One of our
main results is that for the non-conservative case the secondary becomes a
Super-AGB. Such a star undergoes a final dredge-up episode, similar to that of
a single star of comparable mass. The primary components do not undergo a
Super-AGB phase, but instead a carbon-oxygen white dwarf is formed in both
cases, before reversal mass transfer occurs. However, given the extreme mass
ratios at this stage between the components of the binary system, the
possibility of merger episodes remains likely. We also discuss the presumable
final outcomes of the system and possible observational counterparts.Comment: 10 pages, 12figures, accepted for publication in A&
Executive dysfunction and memory impairment in schizoaffective disorder: a comparison with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and healthy controls.
BACKGROUND: Deficits in memory and executive performance are well-established features of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. By contrast, data on cognitive impairment in schizoaffective disorder are scarce and the findings are conflicting. METHOD: We used the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS-III) and the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS) to test memory and executive function in 45 schizophrenic patients, 26 schizomanic patients and 51 manic bipolar patients in comparison to 65 healthy controls. The patients were tested when acutely ill. RESULTS: All three patient groups performed significantly more poorly than the controls on global measures of memory and executive functioning, but there were no differences among the patient groups. There were few differences in memory and executive function subtest scores within the patient groups. There were no differences in any test scores between manic patients with and without psychotic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Schizophrenic, schizomanic and manic patients show a broadly similar degree of executive and memory deficits in the acute phase of illness. Our results do not support a categorical differentiation across different psychotic categories with regard to neuropsychological deficits
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Origin and evolution of the octoploid strawberry genome.
Cultivated strawberry emerged from the hybridization of two wild octoploid species, both descendants from the merger of four diploid progenitor species into a single nucleus more than 1 million years ago. Here we report a near-complete chromosome-scale assembly for cultivated octoploid strawberry (FragariaâĂâananassa) and uncovered the origin and evolutionary processes that shaped this complex allopolyploid. We identified the extant relatives of each diploid progenitor species and provide support for the North American origin of octoploid strawberry. We examined the dynamics among the four subgenomes in octoploid strawberry and uncovered the presence of a single dominant subgenome with significantly greater gene content, gene expression abundance, and biased exchanges between homoeologous chromosomes, as compared with the other subgenomes. Pathway analysis showed that certain metabolomic and disease-resistance traits are largely controlled by the dominant subgenome. These findings and the reference genome should serve as a powerful platform for future evolutionary studies and enable molecular breeding in strawberry
Pregnant women with bronchial asthma benefit from progressive muscle relaxation: A randomized, prospective, controlled trial
Background: Asthma is a serious medical problem in pregnancy and is often associated with stress, anger and poor quality of life. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) on change in blood pressure, lung parameters, heart rate, anger and health-related quality of life in pregnant women with bronchial asthma. Methods: We treated a sample of 64 pregnant women with bronchial asthma from the local population in an 8-week randomized, prospective, controlled trial. Thirty-two were selected for PMR, and 32 received a placebo intervention. The systolic blood pressure, forced expiratory volume in the first second, peak expiratory flow and heart rate were tested, and the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory and Health Survey (SF-36) were employed. Results: According to the intend-to-treat principle, a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure and a significant increase in both forced expiratory volume in the first second and peak expiratory flow were observed after PMR. The heart rate showed a significant increase in the coefficient of variation, root mean square of successive differences and high frequency ranges, in addition to a significant reduction in low and middle frequency ranges. A significant reduction on three of five State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory scales, and a significant increase on seven of eight SF-36 scales were observed. Conclusions: PMR appears to be an effective method to improve blood pressure, lung parameters and heart rate, and to decrease anger levels, thus enhancing health-related quality of life in pregnant women with bronchial asthma. Copyright (c) 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel
Fossil Groups Origins: I. RX J105453.3+552102 a very massive and relaxed system at z~0.5
The most accepted scenario for the origin of fossil groups (FGs) is that they
are galaxy associations in which the merging rate was fast and efficient. These
systems have assembled half of their mass at early epoch of the Universe,
subsequently growing by minor mergers. They could contain a fossil record of
the galaxy structure formation. We have started a project in order to
characterize a large sample of FGs. In this paper we present the analysis of
the fossil system RX J105453.3+552102. Optical deep images were used for
studying the properties of the brightest group galaxy and for computing the
photometric luminosity function of the group. We have also performed a detail
dynamical analysis of the system based on redshift data for 116 galaxies. This
galaxy system is located at z=0.47, and shows a quite large line-of-sight
velocity dispersion \sigma_{v}~1000 km/s. Assuming the dynamical equilibrium,
we estimated a virial mass of M ~ 10^{15} h_{70} M_{\odot}. No evidence of
substructure was found within 1.4 Mpc radius. We found a statistically
significant departure from Gaussianity of the group members velocities in the
most external regions of the group. This could indicate the presence of
galaxies in radial orbits in the external region of the group. We also found
that the photometrical luminosity function is bimodal, showing a lack of M_{r}
~ -19.5 galaxies. The brightest group galaxy shows low Sersic parameter (n~2)
and a small peculiar velocity. Indeed, our accurate photometry shows that the
difference between the brightest and the second brightest galaxies is 1.9 mag
in the r-band, while the classical definition of FGs is based on a magnitude
gap of 2. We conclude that this fossil system does not follow the empirical
definition of FGs. Nevertheless, it is a massive, old and undisturbed galaxy
system with little infall of L^{*} galaxies since its initial collapse.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication at A&
The mediating effect of green innovation on the relationship between green supply chain management and environmental performance
The emerging environmental awareness of the public, as well as the implementation of governmental regulations, force organisations to employ corporate environmental practices such as green supply chain management (GSCM) and green innovation. Accordingly, both practices are crucial to achieve professional improvement in the environmental performance of these organisations. However, research on the relationship of GSCM, green innovation, and environmental performance is relatively rare. Therefore, this study is aimed to provide empirical evidence showing that GSCM and green innovation practices significantly improve environmental performance in order to encourage organisations to implement these practices. In addition, this study investigates the relationship between GSCM and green innovation practices and the influence of these practices on the environmental performance in 123 manufacturing organisations with ISO 14001 certification. The results of PLS-SEM revealed that there is a significant and positive relationship between GSCM and green innovation, and the environmental performance. Moreover, green innovation had a positive effect on the environmental performance. Furthermore, green innovation had a mediating relationship between GSCM and environmental performance. Therefore, the present paper confirmed the significant influence of GSCM on boosting the green innovation of organisations and on the manufacturing establishments, which eventually improve the environment. In brief, the outcomes of this study provide enhanced understanding about the significant role of green innovation in the manufacturers for improving their GSCM and organisational environmental performance
Machine learning using digitized herbarium specimens to advance phenological research
Machine learning (ML) has great potential to drive scientific discovery by harvesting data from images of herbarium specimensâpreserved plant material curated in natural history collectionsâbut ML techniques have only recently been applied to this rich resource. ML has particularly strong prospects for the study of plant phenological events such as growth and reproduction. As a major indicator of climate change, driver of ecological processes, and critical determinant of plant fitness, plant phenology is an important frontier for the application of ML techniques for science and society. In the present article, we describe a generalized, modular ML workflow for extracting phenological data from images of herbarium specimens, and we discuss the advantages, limitations, and potential future improvements of this workflow. Strategic research and investment in specimen-based ML methods, along with the aggregation of herbarium specimen data, may give rise to a better understanding of life on Earth
ST3 beta-galactoside alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase 1 (ST3Gal1) synthesis of Siglec ligands mediates anti-tumour immunity in prostate cancer
\ua9 The Author(s) 2024.Immune checkpoint blockade has yet to produce robust anti-cancer responses for prostate cancer. Sialyltransferases have been shown across several solid tumours, including breast, melanoma, colorectal and prostate to promote immune suppression by synthesising sialoglycans, which act as ligands for Siglec receptors. We report that ST3 beta-galactoside alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase 1 (ST3Gal1) levels negatively correlate with androgen signalling in prostate tumours. We demonstrate that ST3Gal1 plays an important role in modulating tumour immune evasion through the synthesises of sialoglycans with the capacity to engage the Siglec-7 and Siglec-9 immunoreceptors preventing immune clearance of cancer cells. Here, we provide evidence of the expression of Siglec-7/9 ligands and their respective immunoreceptors in prostate tumours. These interactions can be modulated by enzalutamide and may maintain immune suppression in enzalutamide treated tumours. We conclude that the activity of ST3Gal1 is critical to prostate cancer anti-tumour immunity and provide rationale for the use of glyco-immune checkpoint targeting therapies in advanced prostate cancer
Swift follow-up observations of candidate gravitational-wave transient events
We present the first multi-wavelength follow-up observations of two candidate
gravitational-wave (GW) transient events recorded by LIGO and Virgo in their
2009-2010 science run. The events were selected with low latency by the network
of GW detectors and their candidate sky locations were observed by the Swift
observatory. Image transient detection was used to analyze the collected
electromagnetic data, which were found to be consistent with background.
Off-line analysis of the GW data alone has also established that the selected
GW events show no evidence of an astrophysical origin; one of them is
consistent with background and the other one was a test, part of a "blind
injection challenge". With this work we demonstrate the feasibility of rapid
follow-ups of GW transients and establish the sensitivity improvement joint
electromagnetic and GW observations could bring. This is a first step toward an
electromagnetic follow-up program in the regime of routine detections with the
advanced GW instruments expected within this decade. In that regime
multi-wavelength observations will play a significant role in completing the
astrophysical identification of GW sources. We present the methods and results
from this first combined analysis and discuss its implications in terms of
sensitivity for the present and future instruments.Comment: Submitted for publication 2012 May 25, accepted 2012 October 25,
published 2012 November 21, in ApJS, 203, 28 (
http://stacks.iop.org/0067-0049/203/28 ); 14 pages, 3 figures, 6 tables;
LIGO-P1100038; Science summary at
http://www.ligo.org/science/Publication-S6LVSwift/index.php ; Public access
area to figures, tables at
https://dcc.ligo.org/cgi-bin/DocDB/ShowDocument?docid=p110003
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