Effects of urbanization on the aquatic fauna of the Line Creek watershed, Atlanta—a satellite perspective

Impervious surface area (ISA) was derived for a period from 1979 to 1997 from Landsat MSS and TM data for the Line Creek watershed that lies to the south of the city of Atlanta, GA. The change in ISA is presented as an ecological indicator to examine the cumulative water resource impacts on mussel population in three sub-watersheds of Line Creek—namely, Line, Flat, and Whitewater creeks. The satellite analysis shows that ISA expansion occurred substantially from 1987 to 1997 and is predominantly in industrial, commercial, and shopping center (ICS) complexes but also in smaller lot-size residential development. Evidence of mussel habitat degradation is indicated and loss of species (in the region of 50 to 70%) is present in areas where ISA expansion is observed—specifically in ICS complex development in and around Peachtree City that drains directly into the Line and Flat creeks. This is in marked contrast to Whitewater Creek where overall development of ISA is less and no major loss of mussel species is observed.     

U.K. Prospective Diabetes Study. XV: Relationship of renin-angiotensin system gene polymorphisms with microalbuminuria in NIDDM

We performed a case-control study to determine whether molecular variants of genes of the renin-angiotensin system were associated with the presence of albuminuria in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). A total of 180 diabetic patients with persistent microalbuminuria [median urinary albumin (interquartile range) of 74 (54 to 126 mg/liter)] were matched with two control groups of diabetic patients without microalbuminuria [median urinary albumin 7 (5 to 10) mg/liter] for variables known to be associated with raised urinary albumin concentration including hemoglobin A1c and triglyceride. One control group was also matched for blood pressure and the other group was not, to allow assessment of interactions with hypertension. Association with the I/D polymorphism of the ACE gene and M235T variant of the angiotensinogen gene (AGT) with microalbuminuria and retinopathy was examined. There were no significant differences in genotype frequency between cases and controls for ACE or AGT irrespective of blood pressure matching. However, among subjects with microalbuminuria, those with the ACE DD genotype had a significantly greater urinary albumin excretion than individuals with a non-DD genotype [median 88 (68 to 170) mg/liter vs. 67 (53 to 113) mg/liter, P < 0.001]. More subjects with the DD than non-DD genotype had persistent albuminuria > 100 mg/liter, twice the upper normal range (60% vs. 38%, P = 0.006). When increased albumin excretion occurs, the presence of the ACE DD genotype appears to be associated with higher urinary albumin levels. No association with retinopathy was observed.     

Automatic detection of microaneurysms in colour fundus images for diabetic retinopathy screening

Regular eye screening is essential for the early detection and treatment of the diabetic retinopathy. This paper presents a novel automatic screening system for diabetic retinopathy that focuses on the detection of the earliest visible signs of retinopathy, which are microaneurysms. Microaneurysms are small dots on the retina, formed by ballooning out of a weak part of the capillary wall. The detection of the microaneurysms at an early stage is vital, and it is the first step in preventing the diabetic retinopathy. The paper first explores the existing systems and applications related to diabetic retinopathy screening, with a focus on the microaneurysm detection methods. The proposed decision support system consists of an automatic acquisition, screening and classification of diabetic retinopathy colour fundus images, which could assist in the detection and management of the diabetic retinopathy. Several feature extraction methods and the circular Hough transform have been employed in the proposed microaneurysm detection system, alongside the fuzzy histogram equalisation method. The latter method has been applied in the preprocessing stage of the diabetic retinopathy eye fundus images and provided improved results for detecting the microaneurysms.     

The experience of enchantment in human–computer interaction

Improving user experience is becoming something of a rallying call in human–computer interaction but experience is not a unitary thing. There are varieties of experiences, good and bad, and we need to characterise these varieties if we are to improve user experience. In this paper we argue that enchantment is a useful concept to facilitate closer relationships between people and technology. But enchantment is a complex concept in need of some clarification. So we explore how enchantment has been used in the discussions of technology and examine experiences of film and cell phones to see how enchantment with technology is possible. Based on these cases, we identify the sensibilities that help designers design for enchantment, including the specific sensuousness of a thing, senses of play, paradox and openness, and the potential for transformation. We use these to analyse digital jewellery in order to suggest how it can be made more enchanting. We conclude by relating enchantment to varieties of experience.An earlier version of this paper was presented at Chi’2004 Fringe.     

Alcohol's Effect on Triggered Displaced Aggression.

The authors examined alcohol's effect on triggered displaced aggression, the hostile reaction to a second provoking person after provocation from a first. Participants consumed an alcoholic or a nonalcoholic beverage. Subsequently, one individual provoked all of them with moderate intensity. Then, 2 groups were studied: those who received or who failed to receive a second provocation of minimal intensity. Consistent with prior research, participants who received a second, minimal provocation displayed more aggression than those who did not. After participants drank alcohol, the magnitude of this difference was significantly greater, indicating that alcohol increases triggered displaced aggression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Achieving precision and reproducibility for writing patterns of n-alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers with automated nanografting

Nanografting is a high-precision approach for scanning probe lithography, which provides unique advantages and capabilities for rapidly writing arrays of nanopatterns of thiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). Nanografting is accomplished by force- induced displacement of molecules of a matrix SAM, followed immediately by the self-assembly of n-alkanethiol ink molecules from solution. The feedback loop used to control the atomic force microscope tip position and displacement enables exquisite control of forces applied to the surface, ranging from pico to nanonewtons. To achieve high-resolution writing at the nanoscale, the writing speed, direction, and applied force need to be optimized. There are strategies for programing the tip translation, which will improve the uniformity, alignment, and geometries of nanopatterns written using open-loop feedback control. This article addresses the mechanics of automated nanografting and demonstrates results for various writing strategies when nanografting patterns of n-alkanethiol SAMs.     

N-(carboxymethyl)lysine content of foods commonly consumed in a Western style diet

The potential adverse effects on health of diet-derived advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) is of current interest, due to their proposed involvement in the disease progression of diabetic and uraemic conditions. However, accurate information about levels of AGEs in foods is lacking. The objective of this investigation was to determine the level of one particular AGE, N^ε-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML), a marker of AGE formation, in a wide range of foods commonly consumed in a Western style diet. Individual foods (n = 257) were mixed, lyophilised, ground, reduced, fat-extracted, hydrolysed, and underwent solid-phase extraction. Extracts were analysed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Cereal (2.6 mg/100 g food) and fruit and vegetable (0.13 mg/100 g food) categories had the highest and lowest mean level of CML, respectively, when expressed in mg/100 g food. These data can be used for estimating potential consumer intakes, and provide information that can be used to educated consumers on how to reduce their CML intake.     

Dietary fat and breast cancer mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: The influence of dietary fat upon breast cancer mortality remains largely understudied despite extensive investigation into its influence upon breast cancer risk. Objective: To conduct meta-analyses of studies to clarify the association between dietary fat and breast cancer mortality. Design: MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for relevant articles published up to March 2012. Risk of all-cause or breast-cancer-specific death was evaluated by combining multivariable adjusted estimates comparing highest versus lowest categories of intake; and per 20 g increase in intake of total and/or saturated fat (g/day) using random-effects meta-analyses. Results: Fifteen prospective cohort studies investigating total fat and/or saturated fat intake (g/day) and breast cancer mortality were included. There was no difference in risk of breast-cancer-specific death (n = 6; HR = 1.14; 95% CI: 0.86, 1.52; p = 0.34) or all-cause death (n = 4; HR = 1.73; 95% CI: 0.82, 3.66; p = 0.15) for women in the highest versus lowest category of total fat intake. Breast-cancer-specific death (n = 4; HR = 1.51; 95% CI: 1.09, 2.09; p < 0.01) was higher for women in the highest versus lowest category of saturated fat intake. Conclusions: These meta-analyses have shown that saturated fat intake negatively impacts upon breast cancer survival.     

On the Implementation and Performance of Water Rights Buyback Schemes

Governments are increasingly reliant on the reacquisition of water rights as a mechanism for recovering overexploited basins. Yet, serious concerns have recently been raised about the efficacy and operational dimensions of existing programs. Water buyback is typically implemented as the purchase of a fixed quantity of water rights from the agricultural sector at the price set by the Water Authority. This paper seeks to analyze whether the use of water buyback in its current form represents a sensible means of recovering overexploited basins. The results??which are particularly relevant to contexts characterised by poor enforcement regimes and widespread illegal water use??highlight the need for greater scrutiny of current programs and call for additional work to improve the design of reacquisition policies in the context of water resource management.