Model for Determination of Cartographic and Hydrographic Priorities

The determination of priority zones for hydrographic surveys and charting is based on manual and empirical methods permitting only to consider a limited number of factors with the tools that are used. A model composed of about twenty variable layers and typical parameters to the maritime field, to hydrography and to cartography is proposed in order to provide a base to a computerized system on microcomputer spreadsheet. The problem, the present methodology, the model, the informatics environment, the application, the data are described and the analysis of a real life example of utilization is presented

Investigation of the sulphate-induced freezing inhibition effect from CloudSat and CALIPSO measurements

The hypothesis according to which higher sulphate concentrations favor ice clouds made of larger ice crystals is tested using data sets from the CloudSat and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellites. This is a potential consequence of the sulphate-induced freezing inhibition (SIFI) effect, namely, the hypothesis that sulphates contribute to inhibit the onset of ice crystal formation by deactivating ice-forming nuclei during Arctic winter. A simple index based on the backscattering at 532 nm and the color ratio from the CALIPSO lidar measurements is compared against in situ sulphate concentration time series and used as a proxy for this variable. An algorithm using the lidar data and the CloudSat radar microphysical retrievals is also developed for identifying cloud types, focusing on those supposedly favored by the SIFI effect. The analysis includes the effect of the lidar off-nadir angle on the sulphate index and the cloud classification, the validation of the index, as well as the production of circum-Arctic maps of the sulphate index and of the SIFI-favored clouds fraction. The increase of the lidar off-nadir angle is shown to cause an increase in the measured depolarization ratio and hence in the ability to detect ice crystals. The index correlates positively with both sulphates and sea salt concentrations, with a Pearson correlation coefficient (equation image) varying from 0.10 to 0.42 for the different comparisons performed. Ultimate findings are the results of two correlation tests of the SIFI effect, which allow for a new outlook on its possible role in the Arctic troposphere during winter

Étude de l'effet d'inhibition du gel induit par les sulfates dans les nuages arctiques à l'aide des mesures satellitaires de CloudSat et CALIPSO

Les sulfates issus de la pollution industrielle d'Eurasie et transportés à travers la basse troposphère arctique durant l'hiver sont soupçonnés d'altérer les propriétés des nuages au point d'affecter significativement le climat de cette région. Un de leurs effets potentiellement importants est l'inhibition du gel des gouttelettes en cristaux de glace (effet IGIS), qui favoriserait les nuages formés de cristaux à grande taille et déclencherait un mécanisme associé à une anomalie de refroidissement à la surface. Grâce à de récentes données satellitaires, issues des missions CloudSat et CALIPSO, les implications escomptées de l'effet IGIS peuvent être testées à l'échelle de l'Arctique. La superposition des observations quasi-simultanées du radar de CloudSat et du lidar de CALIPSO a permis de développer une nouvelle classification des nuages arctiques centrée sur le rayon effectif des cristaux de glace. Un proxy de la concentration en sulfates dans les parcelles d'air non-nuageuses a aussi été élaboré à partir des mesures du lidar, et validé à partir de mesures in situ. Différents tests de corrélation entre d'une part les propriétés des nuages glacés censés êtres les plus affectés par l'effet IGIS (nommés TIC-2B) et d'autre part le proxy de la concentration en sulfates ont été conduits afin d'approfondir notre compréhension de cet effet. Des limites méthodologiques, entre autres l'impossibilité d'estimer les concentrations en sulfates à l'intérieur des nuages, ont empêché l'atteinte de conclusions définitives. Cependant, les distributions géographiques des TIC-2B el du proxy sont cohérentes avec un effet IGIS ayant lieu durant le transport de la pollution eurasienne vers les mers de Chukchi et de Beaufort. Enfin, les propriétés macrophysiques des nuages stratiformes en phase mixte, potentiellement affectés eux aussi par l'effet IGIS, ont été caractérisées. \ud ______________________________________________________________________________ \ud MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : climat arctique, sulfates, nuages, effet indirect des aérosols, données satellitaires

Dissociation between morphine-induced spinal gliosis and analgesic tolerance by ultra-low-dose α2-adrenergic and cannabinoid CB1-receptor antagonists.

Long-term use of opioid analgesics is limited by tolerance development and undesirable adverse effects. Paradoxically, spinal administration of ultra-low-dose (ULD) G-protein-coupled receptor antagonists attenuates analgesic tolerance. Here, we determined whether systemic ULD α2-adrenergic receptor (AR) antagonists attenuate the development of morphine tolerance, whether these effects extend to the cannabinoid (CB1) receptor system, and if behavioral effects are reflected in changes in opioid-induced spinal gliosis. Male rats were treated daily with morphine (5 mg/kg) alone or in combination with ULD α2-AR (atipamezole or efaroxan; 17 ng/kg) or CB1 (rimonabant; 5 ng/kg) antagonists; control groups received ULD injections only. Thermal tail flick latencies were assessed across 7 days, before and 30 min after the injection. On day 8, spinal cords were isolated, and changes in spinal gliosis were assessed through fluorescent immunohistochemistry. Both ULD α2-AR antagonists attenuated morphine tolerance, whereas the ULD CB1 antagonist did not. In contrast, both ULD atipamezole and ULD rimonabant attenuated morphine-induced microglial reactivity and astrogliosis in deep and superficial spinal dorsal horn. So, although paradoxical effects of ULD antagonists are common to several G-protein-coupled receptor systems, these may not involve similar mechanisms. Spinal glia alone may not be the main mechanism through which tolerance is modulated

Receptor Tyrosine Kinases Fall into Distinct Classes Based on Their Inferred Signaling Networks

Although many anticancer drugs that target receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) provide clinical benefit, their long-term use is limited by resistance that is often attributed to increased abundance or activation of another RTK that compensates for the inhibited receptor. To uncover common and unique features in the signaling networks of RTKs, we measured time-dependent signaling in six isogenic cell lines, each expressing a different RTK as downstream proteins were systematically perturbed by RNA interference. Network models inferred from the data revealed a conserved set of signaling pathways and RTK-specific features that grouped the RTKs into three distinct classes: (i) an EGFR/FGFR1/c-Met class constituting epidermal growth factor receptor, fibroblast growth factor receptor 1, and the hepatocyte growth factor receptor c-Met; (ii) an IGF-1R/NTRK2 class constituting insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor and neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase 2; and (iii) a PDGFRβ class constituting platelet-derived growth factor receptor β. Analysis of cancer cell line data showed that many RTKs of the same class were coexpressed and that increased abundance of an RTK or its cognate ligand frequently correlated with resistance to a drug targeting another RTK of the same class. In contrast, abundance of an RTK or ligand of one class generally did not affect sensitivity to a drug targeting an RTK of a different class. Thus, classifying RTKs by their inferred networks and then therapeutically targeting multiple receptors within a class may delay or prevent the onset of resistance.W. M. Keck FoundationNational Institutes of Health (U.S.) (R21 CA126720)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (P50 GM068762)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (RC1 HG005354)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (U54-CA112967)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (R01-CA096504)Alfred and Isabel Bader (Fellowship)Jacques-Emile Dubois (fellowship

The Disability Creation Process Model: A Comprehensive Explanation of Disabling Situations as a Guide to Developing Policy and Service Programs

Understanding disability remains a challenge. Although the international community has largely embraced the idea that disability is the product of social and environmental practices, society still lacks good conceptual frameworks. In an era when the rights of persons with disabilities have been enshrined in international and national laws, such frameworks have become a necessity. Within the province of Quebec, Canada, the Disability Creation Process (DCP) model has served such a role. Furthermore, recent efforts to enrich the model enhance the applicability of this powerful tool to a broader range of contexts. As a result, the DCP model could be used more widely than it is today. In this paper we provide the foundations of the approach encapsulated by the model and explain how its usage guides policy development and service delivery within the province of Quebec. We also highlight its forward-looking capacities

Smoking Cessation in Indigenous Populations of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States: Elements of Effective Interventions

Indigenous people throughout the world suffer a higher burden of disease than their non-indigenous counterparts contributing to disproportionate rates of disability. A significant proportion of this disability can be attributed to the adverse effects of smoking. In this paper, we aimed to identify and discuss the key elements of individual-level smoking cessation interventions in indigenous people worldwide. An integrative review of published peer-reviewed literature was conducted. Literature on smoking cessation interventions in indigenous people was identified via search of electronic databases. Documents were selected for review if they were published in a peer-reviewed journal, written in English, published from 1990–2010, and documented an individual-level intervention to assist indigenous people to quit smoking. Studies that met inclusion criteria were limited to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the USA, despite seeking representation from other indigenous populations. Few interventions tailored for indigenous populations were identified and the level of detail included in evaluation reports was variable. Features associated with successful interventions were integrated, flexible, community-based approaches that addressed known barriers and facilitators to quitting smoking. More tailored and targeted approaches to smoking cessation interventions for indigenous populations are required. The complexity of achieving smoking cessation is underscored as is the need to collaboratively develop interventions that are acceptable and appropriate to local populations

Fermi Large Area Telescope Constraints on the Gamma-ray Opacity of the Universe

The Extragalactic Background Light (EBL) includes photons with wavelengths from ultraviolet to infrared, which are effective at attenuating gamma rays with energy above ~10 GeV during propagation from sources at cosmological distances. This results in a redshift- and energy-dependent attenuation of the gamma-ray flux of extragalactic sources such as blazars and Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). The Large Area Telescope onboard Fermi detects a sample of gamma-ray blazars with redshift up to z~3, and GRBs with redshift up to z~4.3. Using photons above 10 GeV collected by Fermi over more than one year of observations for these sources, we investigate the effect of gamma-ray flux attenuation by the EBL. We place upper limits on the gamma-ray opacity of the Universe at various energies and redshifts, and compare this with predictions from well-known EBL models. We find that an EBL intensity in the optical-ultraviolet wavelengths as great as predicted by the "baseline" model of Stecker et al. (2006) can be ruled out with high confidence.Comment: 42 pages, 12 figures, accepted version (24 Aug.2010) for publication in ApJ; Contact authors: A. Bouvier, A. Chen, S. Raino, S. Razzaque, A. Reimer, L.C. Reye