This is the first of three plenary talks with the same title given at the 28th ICRC in Tsukuba, Japan in August, 2003. A brief description of the techniques for detecting gamma rays at TeV energies ...is followed by a summary of the observational status of the field. The expectations of the field from a cosmic ray perspective are compared with these early results. The majority of sources detected with some certainty are extragalactic; the observational status of these sources is summarized. The most complete set of observations are those dealing with the detection of blazars for which a catalog is presented. This discipline is now established as a new branch of observational astronomy.
The contribution of glucose absorbed from the small intestine to whole-body glucose metabolism was examined in ewes during late pregnancy and early lactation, using diets based on ground barley or ...ground maize. Glucose and L-lactate turnover in the whole body and the mesenteric-drained viscera were investigated in these ewes using isotope dilution techniques. The net absorption of glucose by the mesenteric-drained viscera and whole-body glucose turnover were unaffected by diet or reproductive status. Arterial and mesenteric venous blood glucose concentrations, arterial and mesenteric venous L-lactate concentrations and whole-body lactate turnover were all significantly higher in lactation than in pregnancy. The whole-body rates of lactate conversion to glucose and to other products were significantly higher in lactation than in pregnancy. Using a two-pool model of whole-body glucose and lactate metabolism, a relatively high percentage of glucose was converted to lactate (64-84%), accounting for 60-80% of whole-body lactate turnover. A model of glucose and lactate metabolism by the mesenteric-drained viscera was constructed. Both the calculated endogenous glucose production and the visceral conversion of glucose to lactate were greater in lactation than in pregnancy when barley was fed. Calculated total glucose absorption was relatively constant, contributing between 26 and 59% of whole-body glucose turnover. Diet had little effect on glucose and lactate metabolism in either the mesenteric-drained viscera or the whole-body of breeding ewes.
The development of the atmospheric Cherenkov imaging technique has led to
significant advances in gamma-ray detection sensitivity in the energy range
from 200 GeV to 50 TeV. The Whipple Observatory ...10m reflector has detected the
first galactic and extragalactic sources in the Northern Hemisphere; the Crab
Nebula has been established as the standard candle for ground-based gamma-ray
astronomy. The highly variable Active Galactic Nuclei, Markarian 421 and
Markarian 501, have proved to be particularly interesting. A new generation of
telescopes with improved sensitivity has the promise of interesting
measurements of fundamental phenomena in physics and astrophysics. VERITAS (the
Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) is one such next
generation system; it is an array of seven large atmospheric Cherenkov
telescopes planned for a site in southern Arizona.
Previous surveillance in Barbados documented the absence of infection with
Leptospira serogroup Canicola in dogs. The aim of this study was to survey the current state of canine leptospirosis in ...Barbados, 10 years after the last survey. Sera from 78 unwanted dogs scheduled for euthanasia and 61 dogs suspected of having acute leptospirosis were tested by microscopic agglutination (MAT) and by an ELISA method adapted for canine IgM and IgG antibodies. The seroprevalence in unwanted dogs was 62% (
48
78
), at an MAT titre of ≥ 100. The majority of animals had low titres, suggestive of previous infection. Serogroup Autumnalis was the most common reactor (45%), followed by serogroups Icterohaemorrhagiae and Australis (each 16%) and Pomona (13%). Serogroup Ballum was uncommon in this group. The seroprevalence determined by MAT in acutely-ill dogs was 75% (
46
61
). The most common predominant serogroup was Icterohaemorrhagiae (36%) followed by serogroup Australis (13%), while serogroups Autumnalis and Ballum were also of little significance. Paired specimens were available from eight acutely-ill dogs. One animal was seronegative while five dogs showed evidence of seroconversion. An IgM-ELISA titre of ≥ 320 was used to confirm current infection in eight of these nine animals. Previous studies in Barbados showed a higher prevalence of serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae than of Autumnalis, but the relative frequency of these two serogroups may be changing. The high seroprevalence in dogs is of public health concern because the close contact between dogs and man may provide the link between a reservoir in the environment and susceptible humans.
The interactions of AI systems in human-autonomy teams are designed to support user understanding, confidence, and trust. This research puts these useful interactions in a broader context of how a ...healthcare team could work to best meet the goals of the human user. The use of technology including AI and automation solutions to deliver various virtual healthcare services has substantially increased over the past two years following the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper presents a case study on following a service design thinking methodology to investigate the potential impact of AI solutions on the patient-user experience targeted at university student patients using telehealth services. The service design thinking approach is focused on the whole user experience and quality of service. It incorporates temporal processes and considerations of the user's needs throughout their healthcare journey. User needs and requirements were elicited using interviews with a subject matter expert from the healthcare domain and with graduate student users. The collected data were analyzed and used to create two personas and storyboard scenarios. Then, three patient journey maps were created. The first "As Is" journey map demonstrates the patients' pain points. Then, two alternative journey maps were developed to illustrate solutions using AI assistance, providing a holistic view of the patient experience during the telehealth journey. Low-fidelity prototypes and wireframes were produced in the prototyping phase. The added value of the journey map is that it shows where in the patient journey the AI assistant should best be integrated to reduce the risk and increase patient benefits. Moreover, the project identifies five main stages of the telehealth journey and offers key design improvements at each stage. For example, the process improvements point out how using an AI assistant can reduce time and effort by guiding the patient through the decision-making process to navigate the care options. Similarly, the AI assists the healthcare provider by gathering and integrating the patients' required health information to accelerate the care process.
Bovine hereditary dilated cardiomyopathy (bCMP) is endemic in Switzerland and hearts from diseased animals display important clinical and biochemical similarities to human DCM. Recent research has ...identified at least one protein (myoglobin) to be significantly reduced in bovine DCM. Using a proteomic approach, we have separated over 1125 protein species from bovine ventricular tissue. Gel analysis and protein characterisation have identified a number of proteins whose abundance is significantly altered in bovine DCM. Twenty‐four proteins are of decreased abundance in diseased tissue, whilst 11 proteins are of increased abundance in the diseased state. A combination of amino acid compositional analysis, peptide mass profiling, N‐terminal microsequencing and MultiIdent (http://www.expasy.ch/sprot/multiident.html) has been employed in order to elucidate the identities of the differentially expressed proteins. Using these techniques we have currently determined the identity of 12 of the 35 altered proteins. We have also detected three proteins that are differentially expressed in genotypically diseased but phenotypically normal animals, identifying a possible mechanism for the onset of the disease. The possibility that inappropriate ubiquination of proteins plays an important role in the disease is discussed. A database of bovine proteins is currently being established. The identity of the proteins affected, together with a comparison of the human and bovine expression patterns, is displayed.
From 2000-2003 a range of Farm Scale Evaluation (FSE) trials were established in the UK to assess the effect of the release and management of herbicide tolerant (HT) crops on the abundance and ...diversity of farmland wildlife compared with their conventionally managed non-GM-equivalents. The objective of this research project was to investigate gene flow within the winter (WOSR) and spring oilseed rape (SOSR) FSE trials and to develop a statistical model for the prediction of cross-pollination frequency that can be used to evaluate current separation distance guidelines. Seed samples were collected from the non-GM half of the trial sites and were tested for evidence of cross-pollination from the GM HT halves using a quantitative PCR assay specific to the HT (bar) gene. Rates of cross-pollination were found to decrease rapidly with increasing distance from the GM source. The quantitative data were subjected to statistical analysis and a two-step model was found to provide the best fit for the data. Significant differences were found between the results for WOSR, SOSR and varietal association (VA) crops. The model predicted that the %GM content (including upper 95% confidence limits) of a sample taken at a distance of 50 m away from the GM source would be 0.04% (0.84%) for WOSR, 0.02% (0.39%) for SOSR, 0.77% (21.72%) for WOSR VA and 0.37% (5.18%) for SOSR VA. The data and models presented here are discussed in the context of necessary separation distances to meet various possible thresholds for adventitious presence of GM in OSR.
PDF
![The T[CLC]e[/CLC]V Gamma-Ra...](http://api.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/image/issn/XR4PS5YY4K/0004-637X_1538-4357/small "The T[CLC]e[/CLC]V Gamma-Ray Spectrum of Markarian 421 during an Intense Flare")
