Inventorying Land Availability and Suitability for Community Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin

Problem: Planners, politicians, organizations, and citizens in many cities recognize community gardens as a vital part of urban food production. To fulfill community or organizational goals, it is helpful to systematically identify and assess urban vacant land that could be used as potential garden sites. Purpose: The technical purpose of this project was to demonstrate how stakeholder input could be combined with expert opinions and applied to available data to create an inventory of undeveloped land potentially available for community gardens. In the specific context of Madison, WI, it provided information relevant to the city\u27s planning and land use goals. Methods: We developed a community garden site suitability index based on criteria including size, location, and site conditions. The characteristics of existing community gardens in Madison, WI and the preferences of current gardeners were used to specify suitable value ranges. The multiple step process for identifying criteria and determining acceptable suitability values based on stakeholder input is an advance over similar efforts in other cities that relied primarily on expert judgments. After review and validation by local community garden managers, this framework was applied to publicly available data about undeveloped land, land tenure, land use, and biophysical conditions with a geographic information system. The result was a map and corresponding database of potential parcels or portions of parcels suitable for community gardens. Results and Conclusions: The GIS-based approach provided a way to combine stakeholder input with expert judgment to create a synoptic inventory of potentially available land for community gardens. This inventory revealed 640 parcels and 1065 acres of potential suitable vacant land parcels for community gardens; this represents about 1.3% of the city land base. Takeaway for practice: Given the City of Madison’s goal of 4% of its land base dedicated to food production, this publicly accessible database is helping move community gardening from a tolerated and temporary activity to a planned long term use of vacant land

Processing The Interspecies Quorum-Sensing Signal Autoinducer-2 (AI-2) Characterization Of Phospho-(S)-4,5-Dihydroxy-2,3-Pentanedione Isomerization By LsrG Protein

The molecule (S)-4,5-dihydroxy-2,3-pentanedione (DPD) is produced by many different species of bacteria and is the precursor of the signal molecule autoinducer-2 (AI-2). AI-2 mediates interspecies communication and facilitates regulation of bacterial behaviors such as biofilm formation and virulence. A variety of bacterial species have the ability to sequester and process the AI-2 present in their environment, thereby interfering with the cell-cell communication of other bacteria. This process involves the AI-2-regulated lsr operon, comprised of the Lsr transport system that facilitates uptake of the signal, a kinase that phosphorylates the signal to phospho-DPD (P-DPD), and enzymes (like LsrG) that are responsible for processing the phosphorylated signal. Because P-DPD is the intracellular inducer of the lsr operon, enzymes involved in P-DPD processing impact the levels of Lsr expression. Here we show that LsrG catalyzes isomerization of P-DPD into 3,4,4-trihydroxy-2-pentanone-5-phosphate. We present the crystal structure of LsrG, identify potential catalytic residues, and determine which of these residues affects P-DPD processing in vivo and in vitro. We also show that an lsrG deletion mutant accumulates at least 10 times more P-DPD than wild type cells. Consistent with this result, we find that the lsrG mutant has increased expression of the lsr operon and an altered profile of AI-2 accumulation and removal. Understanding of the biochemical mechanisms employed by bacteria to quench signaling of other species can be of great utility in the development of therapies to control bacterial behavior

The gamma-ray burst monitor for Lobster-ISS

Lobster-ISS is an X-ray all-sky monitor experiment selected by ESA two years ago for a Phase A study (now almost completed) for a future flight (2009) aboard the Columbus Exposed Payload Facility of the International Space Station. The main instrument, based on MCP optics with Lobster-eye geometry, has an energy passband from 0.1 to 3.5 keV, an unprecedented daily sensitivity of 2x10^{-12} erg cm^{-2}s$^{-1}, and it is capable to scan, during each orbit, the entire sky with an angular resolution of 4--6 arcmin. This X-ray telescope is flanked by a Gamma Ray Burst Monitor, with the minimum requirement of recognizing true GRBs from other transient events. In this paper we describe the GRBM. In addition to the minimum requirement, the instrument proposed is capable to roughly localize GRBs which occur in the Lobster FOV (162x22.5 degrees) and to significantly extend the scientific capabilities of the main instrument for the study of GRBs and X-ray transients. The combination of the two instruments will allow an unprecedented spectral coverage (from 0.1 up to 300/700 keV) for a sensitive study of the GRB prompt emission in the passband where GRBs and X-Ray Flashes emit most of their energy. The low-energy spectral band (0.1-10 keV) is of key importance for the study of the GRB environment and the search of transient absorption and emission features from GRBs, both goals being crucial for unveiling the GRB phenomenon. The entire energy band of Lobster-ISS is not covered by either the Swift satellite or other GRB missions foreseen in the next decade.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. Paper presented at the COSPAR 2004 General Assembly (Paris), accepted for publication in Advances in Space Research in June 2005 and available on-line at the Journal site (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02731177), section "Articles in press

Symptoms associated with victimization in patients with schizophrenia and related disorders

Background: Patients with psychoses have an increased risk of becoming victims of violence. Previous studies have suggested that higher symptom levels are associated with a raised risk of becoming a victim of physical violence. There has been, however, no evidence on the type of symptoms that are linked with an increased risk of recent victimization. Methods: Data was taken from two studies on involuntarily admitted patients, one national study in England and an international one in six other European countries. In the week following admission, trained interviewers asked patients whether they had been victims of physical violence in the year prior to admission, and assessed symptoms on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Only patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or related disorders (ICD-10 F20–29) were included in the analysis which was conducted separately for the two samples. Symptom levels assessed on the BPRS subscales were tested as predictors of victimization. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to estimate adjusted odds ratios. Results: Data from 383 patients in the English sample and 543 patients in the European sample was analysed. Rates of victimization were 37.8% and 28.0% respectively. In multivariable models, the BPRS manic subscale was significantly associated with victimization in both samples. Conclusions: Higher levels of manic symptoms indicate a raised risk of being a victim of violence in involuntary patients with schizophrenia and related disorders. This might be explained by higher activity levels, impaired judgement or poorer self-control in patients with manic symptoms. Such symptoms should be specifically considered in risk assessments

Spitzer Observations of G Dwarfs in the Pleiades: Circumstellar Debris Disks at 100 Myr Age

Fluxes and upper limits in the wavelength range from 3.6 to 70 microns from the Spitzer Space Telescope are provided for twenty solar-mass Pleiades members. One of these stars shows a probable mid-IR excess and two others have possible excesses, presumably due to circumstellar debris disks. For the star with the largest, most secure excess flux at MIPS wavelengths, HII1101, we derive Log(L[dust]/L[Sun]) ~ -3.8 and an estimated debris disk mass of 4.2 x 10^-5 M(Earth) for an assumed uniform dust grain size of 10 microns If the stars with detected excesses are interpreted as stars with relatively recent, large collision events producing a transient excess of small dust particles, the frequency of such disk transients is about ~ 10 % for our ~ 100 Myr, Pleiades G dwarf sample. For the stars without detected 24-70 micron excesses, the upper limits to their fluxes correspond to approximate 3 sigma upper limits to their disk masses of 6 x 10^-6 M(Earth) using the MIPS 24 micron upper limit, or 2 x 10^-4 M(Earth) using the MIPS 70 micron limit. These upper limit disk masses (for "warm" and "cold" dust, respectively) are roughly consistent, but somewhat lower than, predictions of a heuristic model for the evolution of an "average" solar-mass star's debris disk based on extrapolation backwards in time from current properties of the Sun's Kuiper belt.Comment: 32 postscript pages including 8 figues and 3 tables. To appear in the Astronomical Journa

Genotype and Phenotype of Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis: THAOS (Transthyretin Amyloid Outcome Survey)

Background Transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) is a heterogeneous disorder with multiorgan involvement and a genetic or nongenetic basis. Objectives The goal of this study was to describe ATTR in the United States by using data from the THAOS (Transthyretin Amyloidosis Outcomes Survey) registry. Methods Demographic, clinical, and genetic features of patients enrolled in the THAOS registry in the United States (n = 390) were compared with data from patients from other regions of the world (ROW) (n = 2,140). The focus was on the phenotypic expression and survival in the majority of U.S. subjects with valine-to-isoleucine substitution at position 122 (Val122Ile) (n = 91) and wild-type ATTR (n = 189). Results U.S. subjects are older (70 vs. 46 years), more often male (85.4% vs. 50.6%), and more often of African descent (25.4% vs. 0.5%) than the ROW. A significantly higher percentage of U.S. patients with ATTR amyloid seen at cardiology sites had wild-type disease than the ROW (50.5% vs. 26.2%). In the United States, 34 different mutations (n = 201) have been reported, with the most common being Val122Ile (n = 91; 45.3%) and Thr60Ala (n = 41; 20.4%). Overall, 91 (85%) of 107 patients with Val122Ile were from the United States, where Val122Ile subjects were younger and more often female and black than patients with wild-type disease, and had similar cardiac phenotype but a greater burden of neurologic symptoms (pain, numbness, tingling, and walking disability) and worse quality of life. Advancing age and lower mean arterial pressure, but not the presence of a transthyretin mutation, were independently associated with higher mortality from a multivariate analysis of survival. Conclusions In the THAOS registry, ATTR in the United States is overwhelmingly a disorder of older adult male subjects with a cardiac-predominant phenotype. Val122Ile is the most common transthyretin mutation, and neurologic phenotypic expression differs between wild-type disease and Val122Ile, but survival from enrollment in THAOS does not. (Transthyretin-Associated Amyloidoses Outcome Survey [THAOS]; NCT00628745

Contraceptive methods and use by women aged 35 and over: A qualitative study of perspectives

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>More than 30% of the pregnancies in women aged 35 and over are unintended. This paper compares perceptions about contraceptive methods and use among women with and without an unintended pregnancy after turning age 35.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 17 women. They were all 35 to 49 years old, regularly menstruating, sexually active, not sterilized, not desiring a pregnancy in the near future, and at least 3 months postpartum. We purposely sampled for women who had had at least one unintended pregnancy after age 35 (n = 9) and women who did not (n = 8). We assessed partnership, views of pregnancy and motherhood, desired lifestyle, perceived advantages and disadvantages of using and obtaining currently available well-known reversible contraceptives in the U.S. ''We also assessed contraceptive methods used at any time during their reproductive years, including current method use and, if appropriate, circumstances surrounding an unintended pregnancy after age 35.'' Each interview was taped and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using Grounded Theory. Analysis focused on partnership, views of pregnancy, motherhood, desired lifestyle and perceived advantages and disadvantages of various reversible contraceptive methods.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The women without an unintended pregnancy after age 35 were more likely to (1) use contraceptive methods that helped treat a medical condition, (2) consider pregnancy as dangerous, or (3) express concerns about the responsibilities of motherhood. The women who experienced an unintended pregnancy after age 35 were more likely to (1) report unstable partnerships, (2) perceive themselves at lower risk of pregnancy, or (3) report past experiences with unwanted contraceptive side effects. There was a greater likelihood a woman would choose a contraceptive method if it was perceived as easy to use, accessible, affordable and had minimal side effects.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Women's perspective on contraceptive use after age 35 varies. Public health messages and health providers' care can help women in this age group by reviewing their fertility risks, as well as all contraceptive methods and their associated side effects. The impact of such interventions on unintended pregnancy rates in this age group should be tested in other areas of evidence-based medicine.</p

Translocation detection in lymphoma diagnosis by split-signal FISH: a standardised approach

Lymphomas originating from the lymphatic system comprise about 30 entities classified according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The histopathological diagnosis is generally considered difficult and prone to mistakes. Since non-random chromosomal translocations are specifically involved in different lymphoma entities, their detection will be increasingly important. Hence, a split-signal fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) procedure would be helpful in discriminating the most difficult classifications. The Euro-FISH programme, a concerted action of nine European laboratories, has validated a robust, standardised protocol to improve the diagnostic approach on lymphoma entities. Therefore, 16 fluorescent probes and 10 WHO entities, supplemented with reactive cases, were selected. The results of the Euro-FISH programme show that all probes were correctly cytogenetically located, that the standardised protocol is robust, resulting in reliable results in approximately 90% of cases, and that the procedure could be implemented in every laboratory, bringing the relatively easy interpretation of split-signal probes within the reach of many pathology laboratories

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure

Pan-cancer Alterations of the MYC Oncogene and Its Proximal Network across the Cancer Genome Atlas

Although theMYConcogene has been implicated incancer, a systematic assessment of alterations ofMYC, related transcription factors, and co-regulatoryproteins, forming the proximal MYC network (PMN),across human cancers is lacking. Using computa-tional approaches, we define genomic and proteo-mic features associated with MYC and the PMNacross the 33 cancers of The Cancer Genome Atlas.Pan-cancer, 28% of all samples had at least one ofthe MYC paralogs amplified. In contrast, the MYCantagonists MGA and MNT were the most frequentlymutated or deleted members, proposing a roleas tumor suppressors.MYCalterations were mutu-ally exclusive withPIK3CA,PTEN,APC,orBRAFalterations, suggesting that MYC is a distinct onco-genic driver. Expression analysis revealed MYC-associated pathways in tumor subtypes, such asimmune response and growth factor signaling; chro-matin, translation, and DNA replication/repair wereconserved pan-cancer. This analysis reveals insightsinto MYC biology and is a reference for biomarkersand therapeutics for cancers with alterations ofMYC or the PMN