Measurements of thermal properties of icy Mars regolith analogs

In a series of laboratory experiments, we measure thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity, and heat capacity of icy regolith created by vapor deposition of water below its triple point and in a low pressure atmosphere. We find that an ice-regolith mixture prepared in this manner, which may be common on Mars, and potentially also present on the Moon, Mercury, comets and other bodies, has a thermal conductivity that increases approximately linearly with ice content. This trend differs substantially from thermal property models based of preferential formation of ice at grain contacts previously applied to both terrestrial and non-terrestrial subsurface ice. We describe the observed microphysical structure of ice responsible for these thermal properties, which displaces interstitial gases, traps bubbles, exhibits anisotropic growth, and bridges non-neighboring grains. We also consider the applicability of these measurements to subsurface ice on Mars and other solar system bodies

Effect of the New York City Overdose Prevention Program on Unintentional Heroin-related Overdose Death, 2000-2012

Background: Drug overdose mortality is the leading cause of injury death in both the United States (US) and New York City (NYC). Heroin-related overdoses make up the majority of overdoses in NYC. Since 2006, when a law was passed that allowed for layperson administration of naloxone, an opioid antagonist, heroin-related overdose deaths have decreased in NYC. No studies to date have investigated a possible association between the implementation of this intervention and heroin-related overdose mortality. Objectives: To investigate the possible association between overdose prevention programs (OPPs) and heroin-related overdose mortality in NYC, using interrupted time series and geospatial analytic techniques. Methods: Using surveillance of NYC accidental drug poisoning deaths (2000-2012), a demographic profile of heroin-related overdose deaths was described prior to implementation of OPP (January 2000 - June 2006) and after implementation (July 2006 - December 2012). Interrupted time series (ITS) analyses tested for a difference in level and trend of heroin-related mortality, comparing the post-OPP period with the pre-OPP period, for NYC as a whole. Geospatial patterns of heroin-related overdose mortality were described before and after implementation of OPP. After mapping OPP sites, NYC neighborhoods were stratified by naloxone penetration level, and using multivariable regression, we tested the hypothesis that neighborhoods with greater naloxone penetration experienced steeper declines in heroin-related overdose mortality, after controlling for neighborhood characteristics. We calculated street walking distance from the OPP to the location of each overdose fatality in one neighborhood, the Lower East Side of Manhattan, to test the hypothesis that risk increases with increasing distance. We mapped overdose rate by census tract and conducted Poisson regression. Results: 2,142 heroin-related overdose deaths occurred in the 6.5 years prior to implementation of NYC\u27s OPP, and 1,764 occurred in the 6.5 years after implementation, representing a 22.4% reduction in the age-adjusted mortality rate. We found, using ITS, that the level of heroin-related overdose mortality decreased by 16% (not statistically significantly different from no decrease) following implementation. When analyses were limited to only those parts of NYC with OPP, we found that neighborhoods with greatest OPP penetration saw greater decreases in overdose mortality rates, compared to neighborhoods without OPPs (-3.1 compared with -0.8). In the Lower East Side, we found that census tracts located furthest from the OPP had statistically significantly higher overdose mortality rates compared with census tracts closer to the OPP. The census tract where the OPP was located experienced the greatest decrease in heroin-related overdose death from pre-OPP to post (from 7.8 to 1.31 per 100,000 population). An individual is 1.22 times more likely to die from a heroin overdose for every 1,000 feet away from the OPP (p=0.0002). Conclusions: While time series analysis of NYC as a whole did not find a statistically significant change in the level of heroin-related overdose mortality after implementation of OPP, when OPP locations were geocoded, only one-third of NYC neighborhoods had any OPP in the six years following implementation. In analyses limited to those neighborhoods of NYC with OPPs, we found statistically significant associations between OPP and heroin-related overdose mortality risk. This suggests that OPP may be contributing to decreased heroin-related overdose mortality in NYC

CART Cell Toxicities: New Insight into Mechanisms and Management

T cells genetically engineered with chimeric antigen receptors (CART) have become a potent class of cancer immunotherapeutics. Numerous clinical trials of CART cells have revealed remarkable remission rates in patients with relapsed or refractory hematologic malignancies. Despite recent clinical success, CART cell therapy has also led to significant morbidity and occasional mortality from associated toxicities. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and Immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) present barriers to the extensive use of CART cell therapy in the clinic. CRS can lead to fever, hypoxia, hypotension, coagulopathies, and multiorgan failure, and ICANS can result in cognitive dysfunction, seizures, and cerebral edema. The mechanisms of CRS and ICANS are becoming clearer, but many aspects remain unknown. Disease type and burden, peak serum CART cell levels, CART cell dose, CAR structure, elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines, and activated myeloid and endothelial cells all contribute to CART cell toxicity. Current guidelines for the management of toxicities associated with CART cell therapy vary between clinics, but are typically comprised of supportive care and treatment with corticosteroids or tocilizumab, depending on the severity of the symptoms. Acquiring a deeper understanding of CART cell toxicities and developing new management and prevention strategies are ongoing. In this review, we present findings in the mechanisms and management of CART cell toxicities

The Grizzly, November 11, 2010

UC Students Reach Out to Collegeville • Wireless Internet on Campus Causes Problems for Students • Career Services Offers Five Tips for Successful Networking • Animal Rights Group Comes to UC • Community Involvement • Students Celebrate National Novel Writing Month • Senior Spotlight: Katie Gigs Gigl • Leadership at UC • Internship Profile: Elisa DiPrinzio • Opinions: Fringe Candidate Goes Viral; Play Review: Breakaway\u27s Never Swim Alone Proves Big Hit • Field Hockey Wins Seventh Straight Title • Ursinus Football Comes Up Short Against Muhlenberghttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1824/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, May 6, 2010

Students in Free Enterprise Wins Regional Competition • Ursinus Celebrates Student Artwork with Annual Exhibit • Students Volunteer with UCARE\u27s Community Week • Gala to Benefit Education in Haiti • Ursinus Bike Share Goes National • Seniors Reflect on UC Memories • Senior Spotlight: UC Softball\u27s Lauren Davis-Macedonia; Track and Field\u27s Travis Youngshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1814/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, April 21, 2011

Trappe Tavern Features Student Radio Show • Relay for Life Raises Money for the American Cancer Society • Ursinus is Talking About Student Photography • Ursinus Students Highlighted in New York Times Article • Dennis Winters Visits Ursinus Campus • Photos from Second Annual Tri Sigma Drag Show • Ursinus College Dance Club Rocks the Stage • CAB Organizes Student Trip to Philadelphia for the Day • CAB Gives Options for Students to Escape the Books • Internship Spotlight: Laura Faith • Senior Reflection: My Time as a Kosher Thespian • Opinion: Difficult Decisions Must be Made for the Ivory Coast; Is the Grizzly Looking a Bit Grizzled?: An Editor\u27s Perspective • UC Men\u27s Lacrosse Prepares for Playoff Run • Senior Spotlight: Chris Capone and Brian Lutzowhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1835/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, September 9, 2010

Phi Kappa Sigma Wins Ultimate Honor • Berman Museum Celebrates Opening of Pfeiffer Wing • Board of Trustees Continues Search for New President • Campus Activities Board Gets the Party Started with a Little Foam • Insider\u27s View to Avoiding the Dreaded Freshman 15 • Living Your Truth with Jenny Boylan • Opinions: Opting Out of Greek Life at Ursinus; Going Greek Without any Regrets; New Wismer Brings Mixed Feelings • UC Women\u27s Soccer Off to Strong Start within Conference • Football Takes Season One Game at a Timehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1816/thumbnail.jp

Evidence for Surface Water Ice in the Lunar Polar Regions Using Reflectance Measurements from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter and Temperature Measurements from the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment

We find that the reflectance of the lunar surface within 5 deg of latitude of theSouth Pole increases rapidly with decreasing temperature, near approximately 110K, behavior consistent with the presence of surface water ice. The North polar region does not show this behavior, nor do South polar surfaces at latitudes more than 5 deg from the pole. This South pole reflectance anomaly persists when analysis is limited to surfaces with slopes less than 10 deg to eliminate false detection due to the brightening effect of mass wasting, and also when the very bright south polar crater Shackleton is excluded from the analysis. We also find that south polar regions of permanent shadow that have been reported to be generally brighter at 1064 nm do not show anomalous reflectance when their annual maximum surface temperatures are too high to preserve water ice. This distinction is not observed at the North Pole. The reflectance excursion on surfaces with maximum temperatures below 110K is superimposed on a general trend of increasing reflectance with decreasing maximum temperature that is present throughout the polar regions in the north and south; we attribute this trend to a temperature or illumination-dependent space weathering effect (e.g. Hemingway et al. 2015). We also find a sudden increase in reflectance with decreasing temperature superimposed on the general trend at 200K and possibly at 300K. This may indicate the presence of other volatiles such as sulfur or organics. We identified and mapped surfaces with reflectances so high as to be unlikely to be part of an ice-free population. In this south we find a similar distribution found by Hayne et al. 2015 based on UV properties. In the north a cluster of pixels near that pole may represent a limited frost exposure

Predicting physical activity by the personality styles of the five-factor model

Objective: Low neuroticism, high extraversion, and high conscientiousness are related to physical activity (PA). We tested whether the small size and heterogeneity of these relationships result because personality traits influence one another as well as because some narrow facets rather than the broad domains contain more specific variance relevant to PA. Method: Participants were men and women enrolled in the University of North Carolina Alumni Heart Study who completed the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and reported their past month’s average activity on an 8-point scale. In Study 1, we examined prospective correlations between the five NEO-PI-R domains and PA. In Studies 2 and 3, we used multinomial logistic regression to examine associations between PA and trait pair combinations (personality styles) controlling for age, sex, educational achievement, relationship status, and depression. Results: Study 1 revealed that lower neuroticism (N) and agreeableness (A) and higher conscientiousness (C) predicted more PA. Taken together, Studies 2 and 3 found that the combination of high Extraversion (E) and high openness (O) was related to higher PA and that combinations of low E and high A and low E and low C were related to lower PA. Study 3, which examined the activity facet of E (E4), found that E4 is an important driver of E—PA associations. Conclusions: Personality traits do not operate in isolation. They may influence how other traits are expressed and such nonadditive effects can impact PA. Assessment of personality styles could help to identify individuals at risk for PA avoidance and may be useful for developing personalized interventions

The Grizzly, March 4, 2010

Ursinus Theater presents The Crucible • Political Cartoonist, Author Discusses New Book • CoSA Application, Logo Submission Deadlines Extended • Interest in Bioethics in Medicine Rises at UC • American Heart Month • Ursinus Looks Into The Buried Life • Neshoba Highlights Civil Rights Corruption in Honor of Black History Month • Chat Roulette Gambles with the Issues of Social Networking • Ursinus Lacrosse Looks to Outwork Opposition • Indoor Track & Field Championshiphttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1808/thumbnail.jp