113 research outputs found
Book Review: Military Culture Shift: The Impact of War, Money, and Generational Perspective on Morale, Retention, and Leadership
No full textAuthor: Corie Weathers
Reviewed by Rodger M. Kissane, graduate student, College of International Security Affairs, National Defense University
Rodger M. Kissane provides a thoughtful review of this important book on “bridging and even transcending generational differences” in the US military. Kissane highlights author Corie Weathers’s “insightful . . . recognition that each generation imprints itself upon the institution in ways that reflect their life experiences.” He also outlines the book’s relevance to leaders in that Weathers addresses “ ‘messy dynamics’ leaders confront in synthesizing . . . various perspectives, ideals, and values.”https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters_bookshelf/1045/thumbnail.jp
The Church of England and religious education during the twentieth century
No full textThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from JSTOR via the DOI in this record
A Retroreflective Sheeting Selection Technique for Nighttime Drivers' Needs
No full textIn this thesis, the author developed a retroreflective sheeting selection technique for
traffic signs. Previous research was used to determine the luminance needed by drivers
(demand luminance). The author used roadways scenarios to determine the amount of
luminance the retroreflective sheeting on a sign would produce (supply luminance). A
spreadsheet was developed to determine the performance of different retroreflective
sheeting types by comparing the demand and supply luminance for specific roadway
scenarios.
Using the results of previous studies, three demand luminance levels were created:
replacement, adequate, and desirable. The replacement level represents the level of
luminance when a sign needs to be replaced and is 2.5 cd/m2. The adequate level is the
recommended amount of luminance when installing new traffic signs and is 10 cd/m2.
The desirable level is the approximate level when additional luminance has diminishing
returns and is 30 cd/m2.
Supply luminance on a specific traffic sign was determined by evaluating roadway
geometries, sign placement, retroreflective sheeting type and vehicle data. The author
reviewed roadway geometries in Texas to estimate typical number of lanes, shoulder
widths and horizontal curvature in the US. Sign placement from the MUTCD
determined the typical lateral placements, sign heights, and sign twists. Vehicle data
included vehicle dimensions and headlamp type.
Both the supply and demand luminance were determined for a specific viewing distance
for a given scenario. The viewing distance is the distance a driver needs to read or
recognize a sign to respond properly. In addition, the type of sign, alphanumeric or
symbol, determined how this distance was calculated. The author developed four sign
groups to calculate the distance required to read and respond to a traffic sign, including
1) Stop required, 2) Reduction in speed required, 3) Read the message provided, and 4)
Change of lane required.
For symbol signs, the minimum required visibility distance (MRVD) was determined for
the sign group and for text signs, the viewing distance at a legibility index (LI) of 30
ft/in was found. At these distances, the author calculated the supply luminance and then
compared it to the demand luminance levels to determine the performance level.
The author developed the Retroreflective Sheeting Selection Spreadsheet (RSSS) to
allow others to use the methodology presented in this thesis. RSSS allows users to input
the roadway data, vehicle data, and sign data. RSSS takes this information and looks up
the supply luminance for the scenario. RSSS then compares the supply luminance to the
demand luminance levels and outputs the retroreflective sheeting performance level for
the scenario
Global Environmental Priorities of Engineering Students in Krakow Poland
No full textReports and interprets the rankings of Rodger Bybee\u27s 12 global-environmental issues/threats by first and second year engineering students (n=175) at the Technical University of Krakow, Poland. Results indicate that personal experience with local environmental issues are the most important determinant for ranking global environmental threats. Discusses implications for increasing the impact of school learning through the use of the constructivist learning model. (Author/MM
Impact of professional vs. peer-led pedometer-based program
No full textPT: J; SU: Suppl. SSource type: Electronic(1
Use of Landsat TM and ETM+ to describe intra-season change in vegetation, with consideration for wildlife management
No full textMany studies have used seasonal differences in multi-temporal Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values to help explain movements of large mammal species such as barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus greenlandicus). These studies, however, have typically relied upon coarse-resolution NDVI information (i.e., 250-1000m). The Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) onboard the Landsat satellites capture 30-m multi-spectral data, but because of the limited satellite overpass schedule, these data are less frequently available and consequently more likely to be contaminated by clouds. I assessed the success of several models containing multiple terrain inputs and vegetation information (derived by maximum likelihood classification of TM data with overall accuracy 77%) to predict NDVI in clouded areas and to map uniform NDVI surfaces. Using these data, I employed change detection techniques to derive the phenological differences of vegetation between images from four months during the growing season of 2001 and related these to seasonal changes for 11 vegetation types in the Greater Besa-Prophet Area of the Muskwa-Kechika Management area in northern British Columbia.The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b128852
Optical measurements of aerosol size distributions in Great Smoky Mountains National Park: particle hygroscopicity and its impact on visibility
No full textNational Park Service.Aerosol size distributions were measured during the 1995 Southeastern Aerosol and Visibility Study (SEAVS) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park using a PMS ASASP-X optical aerosol spectrometer. Ambient aerosol was conditioned in a relative humidity (RH) controlled inlet before sampling. 130 dry (RH ~ 15%) and 112 humidified aerosol size distributions, plus 24 distributions at ambient RH, were recorded during daylight hours for aerosol in the size range 0.1 < Dp <2.5 µ. Particle light scattering from the ASASP-X was inverted to particle sizes using Mie theory and applying a refractive index of either 1.530-0i or 1.501-0i for dry conditions, depending on the ambient aerosol chemical composition. A dry aerosol volume concentration time line from this work, when compared with a similar time line of aerosol mass concentration from IMPROVE samplers, indicates the ASASP-X provided a reliable representation of temporal trends in the ambient aerosol loading. The median dry aerosol geometric mass mean diameter measured during SEAVS was 0.28 µm, with a range from 0.24 to 0.38 µm, and median geometric standard deviation of 1.64. Sequential dry and humidified aerosol size distributions were corrected for refractive index dependence on RH and used to derive ambient aerosol hygroscopicity as a function of RH. This work demonstrates that experimentally derived water absorption is equivalent to or less than predicted by theory, assuming ambient aerosol water uptake is dictated by ionic compounds that have a chemical composition consistent with the particle fine mass measured during SEAVS. In this work, special consideration is given to the uncertainty in derived aerosol water contents and the degree to which this uncertainty propagates to estimates of light scattering. An ultimate goal of this project is to augment visibility and radiative transfer models through a better understanding of how RH affects the ambient aerosol size distribution in the southeastern U.S.Funding agency: National Park Service # 1443-CA0001-92-0006 96.5
Probing the relationship between electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves and plasmaspheric plumes near geosynchronous orbit
No full textPlasmaspheric plumes created during disturbed geomagnetic conditions have been suggested as a major cause of increased occurrences of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves at these times. We have catalogued occurrences of strong Pc1 EMIC waves from 1996 through 2003 at three automated geophysical observatories operated by the British Antarctic Survey at auroral zone latitudes in Antarctica (L = 6.28, 7.68, and 8.07) and have compared them to the occurrence of plasmaspheric plumes in space, using simultaneous data from the Magnetospheric Plasma Analyzer on the Los Alamos National Laboratory 1990-095 spacecraft, in geosynchronous orbit at the same magnetic longitude. A superposed epoch analysis of these data was conducted for several categories of disturbed geomagnetic conditions, including magnetic storms, high-speed streams, and storm sudden commencements. We found only a weak correspondence between the occurrence of strong Pc1 waves observed on the ground and either plasmaspheric plumes or intervals of extended plasmasphere at geosynchronous orbit before, during, or after the onset of any of these categories. Strong Pc1 activity peaked near or slightly after local noon during all storm phases, consistent with equatorial observations by the Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Explorers/Charge Composition Explorer satellite at these L shells. The highest Pc1 occurrence probability was at or 1-2 days before storm onset and during the late recovery phase. Occurrence was lowest during the early recovery phase, consistent with the decrease in solar wind pressure often seen at this time. The peak at onset is consistent with earlier observations of waves in the outer magnetosphere stimulated by sudden impulses and magnetospheric compressions
Understanding the user - why, what and how?
No full textExplains the need, importance, purposes and scope of user studies, discusses procedure for conducting sound user studies together with associated problems of research like selection of problem, formulation of hypothesis, design of study, sampling strategy, data collection methods, scaling techniques, pilot study, processing and analysis of data, testing of hypothesis, interpretation, drawing inferences, communication and dissemination of results and finally concludes by highlighting methodological flaws and gaps in user studies
Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor drugs drive neutrophil granulocyte apoptosis by transcriptional inhibition of the key survival protein MCL-1
No full textThe normal physiological response to bacterial infection or wounding with threat
of infection, termed inflammation, has been shown to be dysregulated in certain
human diseases including (but not limited to): idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, acute
lung injury, arthritis and glomerulonephritis. The earliest arriving and most
abundant cell responding to an inflammatory stimulus is the neutrophil
granulocyte. It has been shown that under inflammatory conditions neutrophil
granulocytes have extended longevity, enhanced responsiveness and upregulated
activation parameters. In the setting of non-infective, or prolonged, ineffectuallycleared
infective disease where resolution of inflammation does not occur then
neutrophil granulocytes may cause tissue damage which is mediated by excessive,
misdirected exocytosis of toxic granule contents or by spillage of the same
products from necrotic or netotic cell carcasses that have lost membrane integrity.
A key process in the resolution of inflammation is the induction of apoptosis in
recruited neutrophils following a successful response to an inflammatory stimulus.
Cellular signalling from apoptotic cells and from professional phagocytes that have
ingested apoptotic cells has been shown to favour resolution of inflammation and
restoration of tissue homeostasis. Additionally, the removal of key inflammatory
cells in a highly regulated, non-phlogistic fashion robustly assists the resolution
process.
Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor drugs are being developed as anti-cancer
agents as it is hypothesized that they should interfere with the enhanced cellcycling
ability (increased proliferative capacity and extended longevity) which is
such a key feature of cancer cell biology. The CDKs that drive the cell cycle are
CDKs 1, 2, 4 and 6 and consequently agents were designed to have enhanced
specificity for these targets. CDK inhibitor drugs target the ATP-binding domain
of CDKs and as a result usually have activity against more than one CDK. The
CDK inhibitor drug, R-roscovitine which targets CDKs 2, 5, 7 and 9 was shown to promote neutrophil apoptosis and consequently resolution of inflammation. This
thesis aims to investigate the mechanism by which apoptosis is induced in
neutrophil granulocytes by CDK inhibitor drugs.
The first experimental chapter of this thesis explores in detail the time-course and
active concentration range of CDK inhibitor drugs in comparison to known
promoters and inhibitors of neutrophil apoptosis. It then dissects the apoptotic
machinery which is responsible for the effects of CDK inhibitor drugs before
investigating their capacity to promote apoptosis even in the presence of survival
mediators relevant to the context of inflammatory disease. Flow-cytometry, light
and confocal microscopy as well as western blotting for caspases, mitochondrial
dissipation assay, fluorometric caspase assay and the detection of DNA laddering
demonstrate that CDK inhibitor drugs promote classical neutrophil apoptosis by
the intrinsic pathway and show similar kinetics of apoptosis induction to drugs
that inhibit transcription.
The second experimental chapter investigates the key neutrophil survival protein
and bcl-2 homologue Mcl-1. By flow cytometry, western blotting and RT-PCR it is
demonstrated that Mcl-1 is down-regulated at the level of transcription and that
this occurs even in the presence of inflammatory mediators that would normally
promote neutrophil survival. Additionally, it is shown that pro-apoptotic bcl-2
homologues are affected to a lesser degree suggesting an imbalance of bcl-2
proteins is caused by effects at a transcriptional level mediated by CDK inhibitor
drugs.
The third experimental chapter identifies CDKs and their binding partner cyclins in
neutrophil granulocytes and investigates the impact of CDK inhibitor drugs on
CDK protein levels and cellular distribution by differential lysis and western
blotting as well as by confocal microscopy. The key transcriptional enzyme RNA
polymerase II is also identified and the effect of CDK inhibitor drugs on phosphorylation of this enzyme is documented. Western blotting and confocal
microscopy demonstrate the presence of key CDKs 2, 5, 7, 9 and cyclin binding
partners of CDKs 7 and 9. It is shown that the phosphorylation of RNA
polymerase II mediated by CDKs 7 and 9 is inhibited by CDK inhibitor drugs.
This suggests that a key mechanism by which neutrophil apoptosis is induced by
CDK inhibitor drugs is the inhibition of transcription of key proteins and suggests
that neutrophils require survival proteins for functional longevity.
The fourth experimental chapter addresses the production and use of HIV-tat
dominant negative CDK 7 and 9 proteins to knockdown CDKs 7 and 9 in
neutrophil granulocytes in vitro to provide a molecular biology surrogate for the
pharmacological data already presented. The cloning, production, purification and
use of HIV-tat dominant negative CDK proteins are described.
The final chapter describes the use of a more specific pharmacological inhibitor of
CDKs 7 and 9, DRB, in the mouse bleomycin lung injury model. Resolution of
inflammation by a compound specifically targeting CDKs 7 and 9 is described.
This thesis identifies CDKs 7 and 9 as key targets of CDK inhibitor drugs in
neutrophilic inflammation. It shows these drugs acting at the level of transcription
to drive neutrophil apoptosis by exploiting the unique dependency of neutrophils
on the short-lived survival protein Mcl-1. In so doing the presence of functional
and essential transcriptional machinery is identified in neutrophils and the
transcriptional profile of resting, stimulated and inhibited neutrophils is delineated.
These findings suggest novel approaches to the pharmacological promotion of
resolution of inflammation and indicate key new targets for rational drug design. In
future, it will be important to further characterize the effects of CDK inhibitor
drugs on other cell-types including epithelial cells, fibroblasts and mononuclear
cells. This information should prove important to the continued investigation of CDK inhibitor drugs in resolution of inflammation and also to the ongoing
experimental trial of these drugs in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- …
