568 results on '"Strutt, P. A."'
Search Results
2. Identifying reducible k-tuples of vectors with subspace-proximity sensitive hashing/filtering
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Holden, Gabriella, Shiu, Daniel, and Strutt, Lauren
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Mathematics - Number Theory ,Computer Science - Cryptography and Security - Abstract
We introduce and analyse a family of hash and predicate functions that are more likely to produce collisions for small reducible configurations of vectors. These may offer practical improvements to lattice sieving for short vectors. In particular, in one asymptotic regime the family exhibits significantly different convergent behaviour than existing hash functions and predicates., Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures
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- 2023
3. Enhancing English Language Proficiency and Well-Being in EAL International PhD Students: The Impact of Personalised Autonomous Learning
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Mira Kim, Jemma Clifton, and Anneli Strutt
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Research has shown that English language proficiency (ELP) plays a crucial role in the psychological well-being of international students (e.g. Li et al., "Journal of International Students, "4(4), 301-313, 2014). However, few studies have reported positive correlations between their improved English skills and well-being. The present study examines how a new pedagogy called personalised autonomous (PA) model can induce a virtuous cycle in international PhD students to enhance their English language proficiency and consequently, their well-being. We collected both quantitative and qualitative data from two groups of students: those who experienced the PA model in a course entitled Personalised English Language Enhancement (PELE) and those who did not. We conducted surveys at the beginning and end of the term to compare entry and exit data. Comparison of the entry and exit survey data for PELE students showed significant improvements across almost all dependent variables including self-efficacy, well-being and a sense of belonging to the university community. In contrast, the non-PELE students did not significantly improve in any variable. In focus groups, students indicated how their improved communicative confidence sparked a virtuous cycle leading to greater well-being and a stronger sense of community. Our data strongly suggests that ELP extends beyond mere linguistic ability; it embodies a dynamic interplay between one's language skills and their self-confidence. Diminished confidence may trigger a vicious cycle of fear of communication, unwillingness to engage, unproductive research, and estranged relationships with supervisors. Therefore, it is imperative for educators and policymakers to critically review and enhance their approaches to supporting the ELP of international PhD students.
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- 2024
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4. A Pilot Study of BRAIN BOOTCAMP, a Low-Intensity Intervention on Diet, Exercise, Cognitive Activity, and Social Interaction to Improve Older Adults’ Dementia Risk Scores
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Siette, Joyce, Dodds, L., Deckers, K., Köhler, S., Heger, I., Strutt, P., Johnco, C., Wuthrich, V., and Armitage, C. J.
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- 2024
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5. Enhancing English Language Proficiency and Well-being in EAL International PhD Students: The Impact of Personalised Autonomous Learning
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Kim, Mira, Clifton, Jemma, and Strutt, Anneli
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- 2024
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6. GBT021601 improves red blood cell health and the pathophysiology of sickle cell disease in a murine model
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Dufu, Kobina, Alt, Carsten, Strutt, Steven, Partridge, James, Tang, Tzechiang, Siu, Vincent, Liao‐Zou, Hilary, Rademacher, Peter, Williams, Alexander T, Muller, Cynthia R, Geng, Xin, Pochron, Mira Patel, Dang, Annie Nguyen, Cabrales, Pedro, Li, Zhe, Oksenberg, Donna, and Cathers, Brian E
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Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Cardiovascular Medicine and Haematology ,Sickle Cell Disease ,Pain Research ,Hematology ,Clinical Research ,Rare Diseases ,2.1 Biological and endogenous factors ,Aetiology ,5.1 Pharmaceuticals ,Development of treatments and therapeutic interventions ,Blood ,Good Health and Well Being ,Humans ,Animals ,Mice ,Hemolysis ,Disease Models ,Animal ,Oxygen ,Anemia ,Sickle Cell ,Erythrocytes ,Hemoglobins ,Hemoglobin ,Sickle ,haemolytic anaemia ,oxygen affinity ,red blood cell health ,sickle cell disease ,sickle cell murine model ,Cardiorespiratory Medicine and Haematology ,Immunology ,Cardiovascular medicine and haematology - Abstract
The pathophysiologic mechanism of sickle cell disease (SCD) involves polymerization of deoxygenated haemoglobin S (HbS), leading to red blood cell (RBC) sickling, decreased RBC deformability, microvascular obstruction, haemolysis, anaemia and downstream clinical complications. Pharmacological increase in the concentration of oxygenated HbS in RBCs has been shown to be a novel approach to inhibit HbS polymerization and reduce RBC sickling and haemolysis. We report that GBT021601, a small molecule that increases HbS-oxygen affinity, inhibits HbS polymerization and prevents RBC sickling in blood from patients with SCD. Moreover, in a murine model of SCD (SS mice), GBT021601 reduces RBC sickling, improves RBC deformability, prolongs RBC half-life and restores haemoglobin levels to the normal range, while improving oxygen delivery and increasing tolerance to severe hypoxia. Notably, oral dosing of GBT021601 in animals results in higher levels of Hb occupancy than voxelotor and suggests the feasibility of once-daily dosing in humans. In summary, GBT021601 improves RBC health and normalizes haemoglobin in SS mice, suggesting that it may be useful for the treatment of SCD. These data are being used as a foundation for clinical research and development of GBT021601.
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- 2023
7. Development of a new computer simulated environment to screen cognition: assessing the feasibility and acceptability of Leaf Café in younger and older adults
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Siette, Joyce, Guion, Jonathan, Ijaz, Kiran, Strutt, Paul, Porte, Meredith, Savage, Greg, and Richards, Deborah
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- 2024
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8. “Provided a window on the world and lessened my feeling of isolation”: older adults’ perceived COVID-19 impact and technology use in Australia during recurrent lockdowns
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Siette, Joyce, Ludlow, Kristiana, Dodds, Laura, Strutt, Paul, and Wuthrich, Viviana
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- 2024
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9. CREEP IN ORDERED BINARY AND TERNARY ORDERED B.C.C. ALLOYS
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Strutt, P. R., primary, Rowe, G. M., additional, Ingram, J. C., additional, and Choo, Y. H., additional
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- 2024
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10. Development of a new computer simulated environment to screen cognition: assessing the feasibility and acceptability of Leaf Café in younger and older adults
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Joyce Siette, Jonathan Guion, Kiran Ijaz, Paul Strutt, Meredith Porte, Greg Savage, and Deborah Richards
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Virtual reality ,Dementia ,Cognition ,Screening ,Performance ,Technology ,Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics ,R858-859.7 - Abstract
Abstract Background Existing traditional cognitive screening tools for dementia have various limitations, including overreliance on tests assessing verbal memory and, to a lesser extent, on some aspects of executive functioning. Comprehensive neuropsychological assessment is sensitive to impairment but time-intensive and expensive. Virtual reality may provide a dynamic and unique understanding of cognitive performance and increase the ecological validity of cognitive assessment. The use of virtual reality in screening for cognitive function in older persons is promising, but evidence for its use remains sparse. Objective Our primary aim was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a newly developed, virtual reality assessment module, ‘Leaf Café’, a computer-based program that assesses cognition in an engaging, efficient, and ecologically relevant way. The secondary aim was to assess the ability of the module to discriminate between performances of younger and older adults. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out in Sydney, Australia, targeting adults aged 18 years and above. Participants completed a traditional cognitive screening tool (Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status-Modified, TICS-M) and Leaf Café, a low-immersive virtual reality module designed to evaluate learning and memory, perceptual-motor function, and executive functioning. The total performance score for each participant, ranging from 0 to 180, was correlated with their cognitive performance assessed by TICS-M, using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Following module completion, participants were presented with an open and closed-question survey to capture their perceptions, attitudes, and feedback on the module, encompassing practicality, acceptability, and enjoyment. Both descriptive and content analyses were employed to interpret the obtained data. Results A sample of 131 participants (mean age 54.9 years, SD = 20.8, range 20–85) took part. The majority were female (71.8%) and born in an English-speaking country (75.8%). The mean amount of time spent in the module was 32.8 min (SD = 13.3) with a mean module score of 107.6 (SD = 38.7). Most participants completed the highest level (5; 80.5%). There was a significant correlation between Leaf Café total scores with TICS-M cognitive scores overall, and for both younger (aged 18–64 years) and older adult (aged 65 + years) groups. No significant difference was found on performance between age groups on TICS-M performance, however, younger adults had significantly better performance on the Leaf Café module than older adults (M = 124.1 vs 95.9; p
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- 2024
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11. 'Provided a window on the world and lessened my feeling of isolation': older adults’ perceived COVID-19 impact and technology use in Australia during recurrent lockdowns
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Joyce Siette, Kristiana Ludlow, Laura Dodds, Paul Strutt, and Viviana Wuthrich
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COVID-19 ,Social isolation ,Technology adoption ,Older adults ,Mental health ,Geriatrics ,RC952-954.6 - Abstract
Abstract Background An informed understanding of older adults’ perceptions of the impact (positive or negative) of recurrent COVID-19 long lockdowns is important for the development of targeted interventions and resources for future restrictions. This study aimed to understand self-reported impacts of COVID-19 recurrent restrictions on older adults and how technology has been used to mitigate these. Methods A cross-sectional national study of 257 community-dwelling older Australians based in Victoria (mean age = 67.6 years [SD = 7.2]; 20.6% male) completed an online or postal survey as part of a larger study examining the physical and mental health impacts of a second extended COVID-19 lockdown period. This secondary analysis reports on the findings from free-text responses to two open-ended questions included in that survey that asked participants to comment on the greatest impacts of the COVID-19 lockdowns (positive or negative) and the role of technology in supporting their wellbeing during this time. Responses were collected between July and September 2020. Data were analysed using content (COVID-19 impacts) and thematic (role of technology) analysis. Results Respondents gave more negative responses (75.5%) than mixed (15.2%) and positive responses (6.2%) in reporting on the biggest impact of COVID-19 lockdowns. Inductive content analysis revealed two first-order main categories (Positive impacts and Negative impacts). Axial coding of main categories showed five second-order categories (Environmental, Physical Health, Social, Mental Health, and Personal) for both negative and positive main categories (totalling 10 second-order categories). Overall, respondents highlighted social loss as the key negative experience (70%), with acute feelings of social isolation contributing to negative impacts on mental wellbeing. The most commonly reported positive impact reported (11%) was having more time for relationships, relaxation, and new hobbies. Technology was primarily used to sustain socialisation and provide access to essential resources, services, and goods, which respondents perceived to contribute to maintaining their wellbeing. Conclusions Findings suggest a critical need for interventions that address the social loss experienced by older adults during COVID-19 recurrent lockdowns, particularly to alleviate the associated negative impact on mental wellbeing. Recognising the positive aspect of increased time for relationships and leisure activities indicates potential areas for resilience-building strategies. The pivotal role of technology in mitigating adverse effects highlights its significance in building social connections and supporting overall wellbeing during challenging times. These implications can guide future efforts to enhance older adults’ resilience, mental health, and holistic wellbeing in future public health crises.
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- 2024
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12. Deep Brain Stimulation for Depression Informed by Intracranial Recordings.
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Xiao, Jiayang, Noecker, Angela, Strutt, Adriana, Cohn, Jeffrey, McIntyre, Cameron, Mathew, Sanjay, Borton, David, Goodman, Wayne, Pouratian, Nader, Sheth, Sameer, Bijanki, Kelly, Metzger, Brian, Allawala, Anusha, Pirtle, Victoria, Adkinson, Joshua, Myers, John, Mathura, Raissa, Oswalt, Denise, and Tsolaki, Evangelia
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Deep brain stimulation ,Depression ,Epilepsy ,Network ,Neuromodulation ,Stereo-EEG ,Deep Brain Stimulation ,Depression ,Depressive Disorder ,Treatment-Resistant ,Double-Blind Method ,Humans ,Parkinson Disease ,Quality of Life - Abstract
The success of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for treating Parkinsons disease has led to its application to several other disorders, including treatment-resistant depression. Results with DBS for treatment-resistant depression have been heterogeneous, with inconsistencies largely driven by incomplete understanding of the brain networks regulating mood, especially on an individual basis. We report results from the first subject treated with DBS for treatment-resistant depression using an approach that incorporates intracranial recordings to personalize understanding of network behavior and its response to stimulation. These recordings enabled calculation of individually optimized DBS stimulation parameters using a novel inverse solution approach. In the ensuing double-blind, randomized phase incorporating these bespoke parameter sets, DBS led to remission of symptoms and dramatic improvement in quality of life. Results from this initial case demonstrate the feasibility of this personalized platform, which may be used to improve surgical neuromodulation for a vast array of neurologic and psychiatric disorders.
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- 2022
13. Analysis of a Tau Neutrino Origin for the Near-Horizon Air Shower Events Observed by the Fourth Flight of the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA)
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Prechelt, R., Wissel, S. A., Romero-Wolf, A., Burch, C., Gorham, P. W., Allison, P., Alvarez-Muñiz, J., Banerjee, O., Batten, L., Beatty, J. J., Belov, K., Besson, D. Z., Binns, W. R., Bugaev, V., Cao, P., Carvalho Jr., W., Chen, C. H., Chen, P., Chen, Y., Clem, J. M., Connolly, A., Cremonesi, L., Dailey, B., Deaconu, C., Dowkontt, P. F., Fox, B. D., Gordon, J. W. H., Hast, C., Hill, B., Hsu, S. Y., Huang, J. J., Hughes, K., Hupe, R., Israel, M. H., Liewer, K. M., Liu, T. C., Ludwig, A. B., Macchiarulo, L., Matsuno, S., McBride, K., Miki, C., Mulrey, K., Nam, J., Naudet, C., Nichol, R. J., Novikov, A., Oberla, E., Prohira, S., Rauch, B. F., Ripa, J., Roberts, J. M., Rotter, B., Russell, J. W., Saltzberg, D., Seckel, D., Schoorlemmer, H., Shiao, J., Stafford, S., Stockham, J., Stockham, M., Strutt, B., Sutherland, M. S., Varner, G. S., Vieregg, A. G., Wang, N., Wang, S. H., Zas, E., and Zeolla, A.
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Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena ,High Energy Physics - Experiment - Abstract
We study in detail the sensitivity of the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) to possible $\nu_\tau$ point source fluxes detected via $\tau$-lepton-induced air showers. This investigation is framed around the observation of four upward-going extensive air shower events very close to the horizon seen in ANITA-IV. We find that these four upgoing events are not observationally inconsistent with $\tau$-induced EASs from Earth-skimming $\nu_\tau$, both in their spectral properties as well as in their observed locations on the sky. These four events, as well as the overall diffuse and point source exposure to Earth-skimming $\nu_\tau$, are also compared against published ultrahigh-energy neutrino limits from the Pierre Auger Observatory. While none of these four events occurred at sky locations simultaneously visible by Auger, the implied fluence necessary for ANITA to observe these events is in strong tension with limits set by Auger across a wide range of energies and is additionally in tension with ANITA's Askaryan in-ice neutrino channel above $10^{19}$ eV. We conclude by discussing some of the technical challenges with simulating and analyzing these near horizon events and the potential for future observatories to observe similar events., Comment: 19 pages, 22 figures, will be published in Physical Review D (PRD)
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- 2021
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14. The SLAC T-510 experiment for radio emission from particle showers: detailed simulation study and interpretation
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Bechtol, K., Belov, K., Borch, K., Chen, P., Clem, J., Gorham, P., Hast, C., Huege, T., Hyneman, R., Jobe, K., Kuwatani, K., Lam, J., Liu, T. C., Mulrey, K., Nam, J., Naudet, C., Nichol, R. J., Paciaroni, C., Rauch, B. F., Romero-Wolf, A., Rotter, B., Saltzberg, D., Schoorlemmer, H., Seckel, D., Strutt, B., Vieregg, A., Williams, C., Wissel, S., and Zilles, A.
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Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics ,Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena - Abstract
Over the last several decades, radio detection of air showers has been widely used to detect ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. We developed an experiment under controlled laboratory conditions at SLAC with which we measured the radio-frequency radiation from a charged particle shower produced by bunches of electrons as primaries with known energy. The shower took place in a target made of High Density Polyethylene located in a strong magnetic field. The experiment was designed so that Askaryan and magnetically-induced components of the radio emission could be measured independently. At the same time, we performed a detailed simulation of this experiment to predict the radio signal using two microscopic formalisms, endpoint and ZHS. In this paper, we present the simulation scheme and make a comparison with data characteristics such as linearity with magnetic field and amplitude. The simulations agree with the measurements within uncertainties and present a good description of the data. In particular, reflections within the target that accounted for the largest systematic uncertainties are addressed. The prediction of the amplitude of Askaryan emission agrees with measurements to within 5% for the endpoint formalism and 11% for the ZHS formalism. The amplitudes of magnetically-induced emission agree to within 5% for the endpoint formalism and less than 1% for the ZHS formalism. The agreement of the absolute scale of emission gives confidence in state-of-the-art air shower simulations which are based on the applied formalisms.
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- 2021
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15. A search for ultrahigh-energy neutrinos associated with astrophysical sources using the third flight of ANITA
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Deaconu, C., Batten, L., Allison, P., Banerjee, O., Beatty, J. J., Belov, K., Besson, D. Z., Binns, W. R., Bugaev, V., Cao, P., Chen, C. H., Chen, P., Chen, Y., Clem, J. M., Connolly, A., Cremonesi, L., Dailey, B., Dowkontt, P. F., Fox, B. D., Gordon, J. W. H., Gorham, P. W., Hast, C., Hill, B., Hsu, S. Y., Huang, J. J., Hughes, K., Hupe, R., Israel, M. H., Liewer, K. M., Liu, T. C., Ludwig, A. B., Macchiarulo, L., Matsuno, S., McBride, K., Miki, C., Mulrey, K., Nam, J., Naudet, C., Nichol, R. J., Novikov, A., Oberla, E., Prohira, S., Prechelt, R., Rauch, B. F., Ripa, J., Roberts, J. M., Romero-Wolf, A., Rotter, B., Russell, J. W., Saltzberg, D., Seckel, D., Schoorlemmer, H., Shiao, J., Stafford, S., Stockham, J., Stockham, M., Strutt, B., Sutherland, M. S., Varner, G. S., Vieregg, A. G., Wang, N., Wang, S. H., and Wissel, S. A.
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Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena ,Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics ,High Energy Physics - Experiment - Abstract
The ANtarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) long-duration balloon experiment is sensitive to interactions of ultra high-energy (E > 10^{18} eV) neutrinos in the Antarctic ice sheet. The third flight of ANITA, lasting 22 days, began in December 2014. We develop a methodology to search for energetic neutrinos spatially and temporally coincident with potential source classes in ANITA data. This methodology is applied to several source classes: the TXS 0506+056 blazar and NGC 1068, the first potential TeV neutrino sources identified by IceCube, flaring high-energy blazars reported by the Fermi All-Sky Variability Analysis, gamma-ray bursts, and supernovae. Among searches within the five source classes, one candidate was identified as associated with SN 2015D, although not at a statistically significant level. We proceed to place upper limits on the source classes. We further comment on potential applications of this methodology to more sensitive future instruments., Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures, version accepted to JCAP
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- 2020
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16. Management of fluvio-coastal dynamics in the Tiber delta during the Roman period: using an integrated waterways system to cope with environmental challenges at Ostia and Portus
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Salomon, Ferréol, Strutt, Kristian, Mladenović, Dragana, Goiran, Jean-Philippe, and Keay, Simon
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- 2023
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17. Unusual Near-horizon Cosmic-ray-like Events Observed by ANITA-IV
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ANITA Collaboration, Gorham, P. W., Ludwig, A., Deaconu, C., Cao, P., Allison, P., Banerjee, O., Batten, L., Bhattacharya, D., Beatty, J. J., Belov, K., Binns, W. R., Bugaev, V., Chen, C. H., Chen, P., Chen, Y., Clem, J. M., Cremonesi, L., Dailey, B., Dowkontt, P. F., Fox, B. D., Gordon, J. W. H., Hast, C., Hill, B., Hsu, S. Y., Huang, J. J., Hughes, K., Hupe, R., Israel, M. H., Liu, T. C., Macchiarulo, L., Matsuno, S., McBride, K., Miki, C., Nam, J., Naudet, C. J., Nichol, R. J., Novikov, A., Oberla, E., Olmedo, M., Prechelt, R., Prohira, S., Rauch, B. F., Roberts, J. M., Romero-Wolf, A., Rotter, B., Russell, J. W., Saltzberg, D., Seckel, D., Schoorlemmer, H., Shiao, J., Stafford, S., Stockham, J., Stockham, M., Strutt, B., Sutherland, M. S., Varner, G. S., Vieregg, A. G., Wang, S. H., and Wissel, S. A.
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Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena - Abstract
ANITA's fourth long-duration balloon flight in late 2016 detected 29 cosmic-ray (CR)-like events on a background of $0.37^{+0.27}_{-0.17}$ anthropogenic events. CRs are mainly seen in reflection off the Antarctic ice sheets, creating a characteristic phase-inverted waveform polarity. However, four of the below-horizon CR-like events show anomalous non-inverted polarity, a $p = 5.3 \times 10^{-4}$ chance if due to background. All anomalous events are from locations near the horizon; ANITA-IV observed no steeply-upcoming anomalous events similar to the two such events seen in prior flights., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Physical Review Letters. Supplemental material (reference 17) available from corresponding author
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- 2020
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18. Prospects for High-Elevation Radio Detection of >100 PeV Tau Neutrinos
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Wissel, Stephanie, Romero-Wolf, Andrés, Schoorlemmer, Harm, Carvalho Jr., Washington R., Alvarez-Muñiz, Jaime, Zas, Enrique, Cummings, Austin, Deaconu, Cosmin, Hughes, Kaeli, Ludwig, Andrew, Morancy, Joalda, Oberla, Eric, Paciaroni, Caroline, Prohira, Steven, Southall, Dan, Stapel-Kalat, Max, Strutt, Ben, Vasquez, Mercedes, and Vieregg, Abigail
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Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics ,Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena - Abstract
Tau neutrinos are expected to comprise roughly one third of both the astrophysical and cosmogenic neutrino flux, but currently the flavor ratio is poorly constrained and the expected flux at energies above $10^{17}$ eV is low. We present a detector concept aimed at measuring the diffuse flux of tau neutrinos in this energy range via a high-elevation mountaintop detector using the radio technique. The detector searches for radio signals from upgoing air showers generated by Earth-skimming tau neutrinos. Signals from several antennas in a compact array are coherently summed at the trigger level, permitting not only directional masking of anthropogenic backgrounds, but also a low trigger threshold. This design takes advantage of both the large viewing area available at high-elevation sites and the nearly full duty cycle available to radio instruments. We present trade studies that consider the station elevation, frequency band, number of antennas in the array, and the trigger threshold to develop a highly efficient station design. Such a mountaintop detector can achieve a factor of ten improvement in acceptance over existing instruments with 100 independent stations. With 1000 stations and three years of observation, it can achieve a sensitivity to an integrated $\mathcal{E}^{-2}$ flux of $<10^{-9}$ GeV cm$^{-2}$ sr$^{-1}$ s$^{-1}$, in the range of the expected flux of all-flavor cosmogenic neutrinos assuming a pure iron cosmic-ray composition., Comment: 26 pages, 11 figures
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- 2020
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19. Machine learning-based detection of adventitious microbes in T-cell therapy cultures using long-read sequencing
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James P. B. Strutt, Meenubharathi Natarajan, Elizabeth Lee, Denise Bei Lin Teo, Wei-Xiang Sin, Ka-Wai Cheung, Marvin Chew, Khaing Thazin, Paul W. Barone, Jacqueline M. Wolfrum, Rohan B. H. Williams, Scott A. Rice, and Stacy L. Springs
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T-cells ,adventitious agents ,machine learning ,sterility ,Microbiology ,QR1-502 - Abstract
ABSTRACT Assuring that cell therapy products are safe before releasing them for use in patients is critical. Currently, compendial sterility testing for bacteria and fungi can take 7–14 days. The goal of this work was to develop a rapid untargeted approach for the sensitive detection of microbial contaminants at low abundance from low volume samples during the manufacturing process of cell therapies. We developed a long-read sequencing methodology using Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION platform with 16S and 18S amplicon sequencing to detect USP organisms and other microbial species. Reads are classified metagenomically to predict the microbial species. We used an extreme gradient boosting machine learning algorithm (XGBoost) to first assess if a sample is contaminated, and second, determine whether the predicted contaminant is correctly classified or misclassified. The model was used to make a final decision on the sterility status of the input sample. An optimized experimental and bioinformatics pipeline starting from spiked species through to sequenced reads allowed for the detection of microbial samples at 10 colony-forming units (CFU)/mL using metagenomic classification. Machine learning can be coupled with long-read sequencing to detect and identify sample sterility status and microbial species present in T-cell cultures, including the USP organisms to 10 CFU/mL. IMPORTANCE This research presents a novel method for rapidly and accurately detecting microbial contaminants in cell therapy products, which is essential for ensuring patient safety. Traditional testing methods are time-consuming, taking 7–14 days, while our approach can significantly reduce this time. By combining advanced long-read nanopore sequencing techniques and machine learning, we can effectively identify the presence and types of microbial contaminants at low abundance levels. This breakthrough has the potential to improve the safety and efficiency of cell therapy manufacturing, leading to better patient outcomes and a more streamlined production process.
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- 2023
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20. Evaluating traditional, dynamic and network business models: an efficiency-based study of Chinese insurance companies
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Nourani, Mohammad, Kweh, Qian Long, Ting, Irene Wei Kiong, Lu, Wen-Min, and Strutt, Anna
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- 2022
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21. The Simulation of the Sensitivity of the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) to Askaryan Radiation from Cosmogenic Neutrinos Interacting in the Antarctic Ice
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Cremonesi, L., Connolly, A., Allison, P., Banerjee, O., Batten, L., Beatty, J. J., Bechtol, K., Belov, K., Besson, D. Z., Binns, W. R., Bugaev, V., Cao, P., Chen, C. C., Chen, C. H., Chen, P., Clem, J. M., Dailey, B., Deaconu, C., Dowkontt, P. F., Fox, B. D., Gordon, J. W. H., Gorham, P. W., Hill, B., Huang, J. J., Hughes, K., Hupe, R., Israel, M. H., Liewer, K. M., Lin, S. Y., Liu, T. C., Ludwig, A. B., Macchiarulo, L., Matsuno, S., McBride, K., Miki, C., Mulrey, K., Nam, J., Nichol, R. J., Novikov, A., Oberla, E., Prohira, S., Rauch, B. F., Robert, J. M., Romero-Wolf, A., Rotter, B., Russell, J. W., Saltzberg, D., Seckel, D., Schoorlemmer, H., Shiao, J., Stafford, S., Stockham, J., Stockham, M., Strutt, B., Stuhr, J., Sutherland, M., Varner, G. S., Vieregg, A. G., Wang, S. H., and Wissel, S. A.
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Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics - Abstract
A Monte Carlo simulation program for the radio detection of Ultra High Energy (UHE) neutrino interactions in the Antarctic ice as viewed by the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) is described in this article. The program, icemc, provides an input spectrum of UHE neutrinos, the parametrization of the Askaryan radiation generated by their interaction in the ice, and the propagation of the radiation through ice and air to a simulated model of the third and fourth ANITA flights. This paper provides an overview of the icemc simulation, descriptions of the physics models used and of the ANITA electronics processing chain, data/simulation comparisons to validate the predicted performance, and a summary of the impact of published results.
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- 2019
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22. Constraints on the ultra-high energy cosmic neutrino flux from the fourth flight of ANITA
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Gorham, P. W., Allison, P., Banerjee, O., Batten, L., Beatty, J. J., Belov, K., Besson, D. Z., Binns, W. R., Bugaev, V., Cao, P., Chen, C. C., Chen, C. H., Chen, P., Clem, J. M., Connolly, A., Cremonesi, L., Dailey, B., Deaconu, C., Dowkontt, P. F., Fox, B. D., Gordon, J. W. H., Hast, C., Hill, B., Hsu, S. Y., Huang, J. J., Hughes, K., Hupe, R., Israel, M. H., Liewer, K. M., Liu, T. C., Ludwig, A. B., Macchiarulo, L., Matsuno, S., Miki, C., Mulrey, K., Nam, J., Naudet, C., Nichol, R. J., Novikov, A., Oberla, E., Prohira, S., Rauch, B. F., Roberts, J. M., Romero-Wolf, A., Rotter, B., Russell, J. W., Saltzberg, D., Seckel, D., Schoorlemmer, H., Shiao, J., Stafford, S., Stockham, J., Stockham, M., Strutt, B., Sutherland, M. S., Varner, G. S., Vieregg, A. G., Wang, N., Wang, S. H., and Wissel, S. A.
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Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena ,Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics - Abstract
The ANtarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) NASA long-duration balloon payload completed its fourth flight in December 2016, after 28 days of flight time. ANITA is sensitive to impulsive broadband radio emission from interactions of ultra-high-energy neutrinos in polar ice (Askaryan emission). We present the results of two separate blind analyses searching for signals from Askaryan emission in the data from the fourth flight of ANITA. The more sensitive analysis, with a better expected limit, has a background estimate of $0.64^{+0.69}_{-0.45}$ and an analysis efficiency of $82\pm2\%$. The second analysis has a background estimate of $0.34^{+0.66}_{-0.16}$ and an analysis efficiency of $71\pm6\%$. Each analysis found one event in the signal region, consistent with the background estimate for each analysis. The resulting limit further tightens the constraints on the diffuse flux of ultra-high-energy neutrinos at energies above $10^{19.5}$ eV., Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures
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- 2019
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23. A comprehensive analysis of anomalous ANITA events disfavors a diffuse tau-neutrino flux origin
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Romero-Wolf, A., Wissel, S. A., Schoorlemmer, H., Carvalho Jr, W. R., Alvarez-Muñiz, J., Zas, E., Allison, P., Banerjee, O., Batten, L., Beatty, J. J., Bechtol, K., Belov, K., Besson, D. Z., Binns, W. R., Bugaev, V., Cao, P., Chen, C. C., Chen, C. H., Chen, P., Clem, J. M., Connolly, A., Cremonesi, L., Dailey, B., Deaconu, C., Dowkontt, P. F., Fox, B. D., Gordon, J. W. H., Gorham, P. W., Hast, C., Hill, B., Hsu, S. Y., Huang, J. J., Hughes, K., Hupe, R., Israel, M. H., Liewer, K. M., Liu, T. C., Ludwig, A. B., Macchiarulo, L., Matsuno, S., Miki, C., Mulrey, K., Nam, J., Naudet, C., Nichol, R. J., Novikov, A., Oberla, E., Prohira, S., Rauch, B. F., Roberts, J. M., Rotter, B., Russell, J. W., Saltzberg, D., Seckel, D., Shiao, J., Stafford, S., Stockham, J., Stockham, M., Strutt, B., Sutherland, M. S., Varner, G. S., Vieregg, A. G., and Wang, S. H.
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Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena - Abstract
Recently, the ANITA collaboration reported on two upward-going extensive air shower events consistent with a primary particle that emerges from the surface of the ice. These events may be of $\nu_\tau$ origin, in which the neutrino interacts within the Earth to produce a $\tau$ lepton that emerges from the Earth, decays in the atmosphere, and initiates an extensive air shower. In this paper we estimate an upper bound on the ANITA acceptance to a diffuse $\nu_\tau$ flux detected via $\tau$-lepton-induced air showers within the bounds of Standard Model (SM) uncertainties. By comparing this estimate with the acceptance of Pierre Auger Observatory and IceCube and assuming SM interactions, we conclude that a $\nu_\tau$ origin of these events would imply a neutrino flux at least two orders of magnitude above current bounds., Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures
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- 2018
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24. Incorporating Entrepreneurship Skills into Chemistry and Related Curriculums
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Ghatora, Baljit and Strutt, Robert
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With the ever increasing pace of change in the Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, universities need to be more aware of the skill set that employers are seeking in graduates. These skills often include risk taking, creative thinking and entrepreneurship; skills that are not naturally associated with chemistry-related curriculums. This research focusses on the authors' experiences of applying for strategic grants which underpin the dissemination of such skills, and explores how these were used as the basis for creating specific learning content for final year students. Students' experiences after completing assignments were gathered through an online survey and subsequent analysis identified areas for improvement in chemistry curriculums.
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- 2017
25. Upward-Pointing Cosmic-Ray-like Events Observed with ANITA
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Romero-Wolf, Andres, Gorham, P. W., Nam, J., Hoover, S., Allison, P., Banerjee, O., Batten, L., Beatty, J. J., Belov, K., Besson, D. Z., Binns, W. R., Bugaev, V., Cao, P., Chen, C., Chen, P., Clem, J. M., Connolly, A., Dailey, B., Deaconu, C., Cremonesi, L., Dowkontt, P. F., DuVernois, M. A., Field, R. C., Fox, B. D., Goldstein, D., Gordon, J., Hast, C., Hebert, C. L., Hill, B., Hughes, K., Hupe, R., Israel, M. H., Javaid, A., Kowalski, J., Lam, J., Ludwig, A., Learned, J. G., Liewer, K. M., Liu, T. C., Link, J. T., Lusczek, E., Matsuno, S., Mercurio, B. C., Miki, C., Miocinovic, P., Mottram, M., Mulrey, K., Naudet, C. J., Ng, J., Nichol, R. J., Novikov, A., Palladino, K., Prohira, S., Rauch, B. F., Reil, K., Roberts, J., Rosen, M., Rotter, B., Russell, J., Ruckman, L., Saltzberg, D., Seckel, D., Stafford, S., Stockham, J., Stockham, M., Strutt, B., Tatem, K., Varner, G. S., Vieregg, A. G., Walz, D., Wissel, S. A., Wu, F., Alvarez-Muñiz, J., Carvalho Jr., W., Schoorlemmer, H., and Zas, E.
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Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena - Abstract
These proceedings address a recent publication by the ANITA collaboration of four upward- pointing cosmic-ray-like events observed in the first flight of ANITA. Three of these events were consistent with stratospheric cosmic-ray air showers where the axis of propagation does not inter- sect the surface of the Earth. The fourth event was consistent with a primary particle that emerges from the surface of the ice suggesting a possible {\tau}-lepton decay as the origin of this event. These proceedings follow-up on the modeling and testing of the hypothesis that this event was of {\tau} neutrino origin., Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, presented at the International Cosmic Ray Conference 2017, Busan, South Korea
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- 2018
26. Observation of an Unusual Upward-going Cosmic-ray-like Event in the Third Flight of ANITA
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Gorham, P. W., Rotter, B., Allison, P., Banerjee, O., Batten, L., Beatty, J. J., Bechtol, K., Belov, K., Besson, D. Z., Binns, W. R., Bugaev, V., Cao, P., Chen, C. C., Chen, C. H., Chen, P., Clem, J. M., Connolly, A., Cremonesi, L., Dailey, B., Deaconu, C., Dowkontt, P. F., Fox, B. D., Gordon, J. W. H., Hast, C., Hill, B., Hughes, K., Huang, J. J., Hupe, R., Israel, M. H., Javaid, A., Lam, J., Liewer, K. M., Lin, S. Y., Liu, T. C., Ludwig, A., Macchiarulo, L., Matsuno, S., Miki, C., Mulrey, K., Nam, J., Naudet, C. J., Nichol, R. J., Novikov, A., Oberla, E., Olmedo, M., Prechelt, R., Prohira, S., Rauch, B. F., Roberts, J. M., Romero-Wolf, A., Russell, J. W., Saltzberg, D., Seckel, D., Schoorlemmer, H., Shiao, J., Stafford, S., Stockham, J., Stockham, M., Strutt, B., Varner, G. S., Vieregg, A. G., Wang, S. H., and Wissel, S. A.
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Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena - Abstract
We report on an upward traveling, radio-detected cosmic-ray-like impulsive event with characteristics closely matching an extensive air shower. This event, observed in the third flight of the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA), a NASA-sponsored long-duration balloon payload, is consistent with a similar event reported in a previous flight. These events may be produced by the atmospheric decay of an upward-propagating $\tau$-lepton produced by a $\nu_{\tau}$ interaction, although their relatively steep arrival angles create tension with the standard model (SM) neutrino cross section. Each of the two events have $a~posteriori$ background estimates of $\lesssim 10^{-2}$ events. If these are generated by $\tau$-lepton decay, then either the charged-current $\nu_{\tau}$ cross section is suppressed at EeV energies, or the events arise at moments when the peak flux of a transient neutrino source was much larger than the typical expected cosmogenic background neutrinos., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Supplemental material available from corresponding author by request
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- 2018
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27. Constraints on the diffuse high-energy neutrino flux from the third flight of ANITA
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Gorham, P. W., Allison, P., Banerjee, O., Batten, L., Beatty, J. J., Bechtol, K., Belov, K., Besson, D. Z., Binns, W. R., Bugaev, V., Cao, P., Chen, C. C., Chen, C. H., Chen, P., Clem, J. M., Connolly, A., Cremonesi, L., Dailey, B., Deaconu, C., Dowkontt, P. F., Fox, B. D., Gordon, J. W. H., Hast, C., Hill, B., Hsu, S. Y., Huang, J. J., Hughes, K., Hupe, R., Israel, M. H., Liewer, K. M., Liu, T. C., Ludwig, A. B., Macchiarulo, L., Matsuno, S., Miki, C., Mulrey, K., Nam, J., Naudet, C., Nichol, R. J., Novikov, A., Oberla, E., Prohira, S., Rauch, B. F., Roberts, J. M., Romero-Wolf, A., Rotter, B., Russell, J. W., Saltzberg, D., Seckel, D., Schoorlemmer, H., Shiao, J., Stafford, S., Stockham, J., Stockham, M., Strutt, B., Sutherland, M. S., Varner, G. S., Vieregg, A. G., Wang, S. H., and Wissel, S. A.
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Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena ,Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics ,High Energy Physics - Experiment - Abstract
The Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA), a NASA long-duration balloon payload, searches for radio emission from interactions of ultra-high-energy neutrinos in polar ice. The third flight of ANITA (ANITA-III) was launched in December 2014 and completed a 22-day flight. We present the results of three analyses searching for Askaryan radio emission of neutrino origin. In the most sensitive of the analyses, we find one event in the signal region on an expected a priori background of $0.7^{+0.5}_{-0.3}$. Though consistent with the background estimate, the candidate event remains compatible with a neutrino hypothesis even after additional post-unblinding scrutiny., Comment: 15 pages, 15 figures, Accepted to PRD
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- 2018
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28. Antarctic Surface Reflectivity Calculations and Measurements from the ANITA-4 and HiCal-2 Experiments
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Prohira, S., Novikov, A., Dasgupta, P., Jain, P., Nande, S., Allison, P., Banerjee, O., Batten, L., Beatty, J. J., Belov, K., Besson, D. Z., Binns, W. R., Bugaev, V., Cao, P., Chen, C., Chen, P., Clem, J. M., Connolly, A., Cremonesi, L., Dailey, B., Deaconu, C., Dowkontt, P. F., Fox, B. D., Gordon, J., Gorham, P. W., Hast, C., Hill, B., Hupe, R., Israel, M. H., Lam, J., Liu, T. C., Ludwig, A., Matsuno, S., Miki, C., Mottram, M., Mulrey, K., Nam, J., Nichol, R. J., Oberla, E., Ratzlaff, K., Rauch, B. F., Romero-Wolf, A., Rotter, B., Russell, J., Saltzberg, D., Seckel, D., Schoorlemmer, H., Stafford, S., Stockham, J., Stockham, M., Strutt, B., Tatem, K., Varner, G. S., Vieregg, A. G., Wissel, S. A., Wu, F., and Young, R.
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Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics - Abstract
The balloon-borne HiCal radio-frequency (RF) transmitter, in concert with the ANITA radio-frequency receiver array, is designed to measure the Antarctic surface reflectivity in the RF wavelength regime. The amplitude of surface-reflected transmissions from HiCal, registered as triggered events by ANITA, can be compared with the direct transmissions preceding them by O(10) microseconds, to infer the surface power reflection coefficient $\cal{R}$. The first HiCal mission (HiCal-1, Jan. 2015) yielded a sample of 100 such pairs, resulting in estimates of $\cal{R}$ at highly-glancing angles (i.e., zenith angles approaching $90^\circ$), with measured reflectivity for those events which exceeded extant calculations. The HiCal-2 experiment, flying from Dec., 2016-Jan., 2017, provided an improvement by nearly two orders of magnitude in our event statistics, allowing a considerably more precise mapping of the reflectivity over a wider range of incidence angles. We find general agreement between the HiCal-2 reflectivity results and those obtained with the earlier HiCal-1 mission, as well as estimates from Solar reflections in the radio-frequency regime. In parallel, our calculations of expected reflectivity have matured; herein, we use a plane-wave expansion to estimate the reflectivity R from both a flat, smooth surface (and, in so doing, recover the Fresnel reflectivity equations) and also a curved surface. Multiplying our flat-smooth reflectivity by improved Earth curvature and surface roughness corrections now provides significantly better agreement between theory and the HiCal 2a/2b measurements., Comment: submitted to Astropart. Phys
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- 2018
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29. HiCal 2: An instrument designed for calibration of the ANITA experiment and for Antarctic surface reflectivity measurements
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Prohira, S., Novikov, A., Besson, D. Z., Ratzlaff, K., Stockham, J., Stockham, M., Clem, J. M., Young, R., Gorham, P. W., Allison, P., Banerjee, O., Batten, L., Beatty, J. J., Belov, K., Binns, W. R., Bugaev, V., Cao, P., Chen, C., Chen, P., Connolly, A., Cremonesi, L., Dailey, B., Deaconu, C., Dowkontt, P. F., Fox, B. D., Gordon, J., Hast, C., Hill, B., Hupe, R., Israel, M. H., Kowalski, J., Lam, J., Learned, J. G., Liewer, K. M., Liu, T. C., Ludwig, A., Matsuno, S., Miki, C., Mottram, M., Mulrey, K., Nam, J., Nichol, R. J., Oberla, E., Rauch, B. F., Roberts, J., Romero-Wolf, A., Rotter, B., Russell, J., Saltzberg, D., Schoorlemmer, H., Seckel, D., Stafford, S., Strutt, B., Tatem, K., Varner, G. S., Vieregg, A. G., Wissel, S. A., and Wu, F.
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Physics - Instrumentation and Detectors - Abstract
The NASA supported High-Altitude Calibration (HiCal)-2 instrument flew as a companion balloon to the ANITA-4 experiment in December 2016. Based on a HV discharge pulser producing radio-frequency (RF) calibration pulses, HiCal-2 comprised two payloads, which flew for a combined 18 days, covering 1.5 revolutions of the Antarctic continent. ANITA-4 captured over 10,000 pulses from HiCal, both direct and reflected from the surface, at distances varying from 100-800 km, providing a large dataset for surface reflectivity measurements. Herein we present details on the design, construction and performance of HiCal-2., Comment: Published in NIM-A, final version
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- 2017
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30. Does the Duration and Frequency of Dummy (Pacifier) Use Affect the Development of Speech?
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Strutt, Charlie, Khattab, Ghada, and Willoughby, Joe
- Abstract
Background: The current literature suggests a link between dummy (or pacifier) use and a number of both positive and detrimental consequences. Positive consequences include soothing effect and protection from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), while negative ones include increased risk of otitis media and dental malformation. However, there is little research surrounding the impact of dummy use on the development of speech sounds. Aims: To investigate whether duration (in number of months) and frequency per day of dummy use have an individual or combined effect on the development of a child's speech, and if so, in what way. Methods & Procedures: A total of 100 British-English children aged 24-61 months and growing up in the UK were recruited through nurseries, playgroups and by word of mouth. Their parents were asked to complete a questionnaire about the duration and frequency of dummy use and factors known to influence the development of speech. Following this, the children's speech was assessed using the phonology section of the Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology (DEAP). Analysis of the DEAP was conducted to determine the percentage of consonants correct, number of age-appropriate, delayed and atypical errors. Dummy use and speech outcome measures were then analysed qualitatively and quantitatively using mean and median group comparisons alongside multivariate generalized least squares and generalized negative binomial modelling approaches to test for significant associations. Outcomes & Results: The results showed that the majority of speech outcomes are not significantly associated with dummy use, however measured, in bivariate or multivariate analyses. However, there is a significant association between increased atypical errors and greater frequency of daytime dummy use. This association is strengthened by restricted sampling within the younger members of the sample, with this association not observable within children older than 38 months, the median sample age. Conclusions & Implications: The evidence base for any effects of dummy use on speech is very small. Dummy use may increase the number of atypical speech errors a young child makes. However, only the frequency of daytime use seems relevant, not the duration or night-time use, and these errors may resolve over time.
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- 2021
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31. Dynamic tunable notch filters for the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA)
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Allison, P., Banerjee, O., Beatty, J. J., Connolly, A., Deaconu, C., Gordon, J., Gorham, P. W., Kovacevich, M., Miki, C., Oberla, E., Roberts, J., Rotter, B., Stafford, S., Tatem, K., Batten, L., Belov, K., Besson, D. Z., Binns, W. R., Bugaev, V., Cao, P., Chen, C., Chen, P., Chen, Y., Clem, J. M., Cremonesi, L., Dailey, B., Dowkontt, P. F., Hsu, S., Huang, J., Hupe, R., Israel, M. H., Kowalski, J., Lam, J., Learned, J. G., Liewer, K. M., Liu, T. C., Ludwig, A., Matsuno, S., Mulrey, K., Nam, J., Nichol, R. J., Novikov, A., Prohira, S., Rauch, B. F., Ripa, J., Romero-Wolf, A., Russell, J., Saltzberg, D., Seckel, D., Shiao, J., Stockham, J., Stockham, M., Strutt, B., Varner, G. S., Vieregg, A. G., Wang, S., Wissel, S. A., Wu, F., and Young, R.
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Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics - Abstract
The Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) is a NASA long-duration balloon experiment with the primary goal of detecting ultra-high-energy ($>10^{18}\,\mbox{eV}$) neutrinos via the Askaryan Effect. The fourth ANITA mission, ANITA-IV, recently flew from Dec 2 to Dec 29, 2016. For the first time, the Tunable Universal Filter Frontend (TUFF) boards were deployed for mitigation of narrow-band, anthropogenic noise with tunable, switchable notch filters. The TUFF boards also performed second-stage amplification by approximately 45 dB to boost the $\sim\,\mu\mbox{V-level}$ radio frequency (RF) signals to $\sim$ mV-level for digitization, and supplied power via bias tees to the first-stage, antenna-mounted amplifiers. The other major change in signal processing in ANITA-IV is the resurrection of the $90^{\circ}$ hybrids deployed previously in ANITA-I, in the trigger system, although in this paper we focus on the TUFF boards. During the ANITA-IV mission, the TUFF boards were successfully operated throughout the flight. They contributed to a factor of 2.8 higher total instrument livetime on average in ANITA-IV compared to ANITA-III due to reduction of narrow-band, anthropogenic noise before a trigger decision is made., Comment: 27 pages, 19 figures
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- 2017
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32. Antarctic Surface Reflectivity Measurements from the ANITA-3 and HiCal-1 Experiments
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Gorham, P. W., Allison, P., Banerjee, O., Beatty, J. J., Belov, K., Besson, D. Z., Binns, W. R., Bugaev, V., Cao, P., Chen, C., Chen, P., Clem, J. M., Connolly, A., Dailey, B., Dasgupta, P., Deaconu, C., Cremonesi, L., Dowkontt, P. F., Fox, B. D., Gordon, J., Hill, B., Hupe, R., Israel, M. H., Jain, P., Kowalski, J., Lam, J., Learned, J. G., Liewer, K. M., Liu, T. C., Matsuno, S., Miki, C., Mottram, M., Mulrey, K., Nam, J., Nichol, R. J., Novikov, A., Oberla, E., Prohira, S., Rauch, B. F., Romero-Wolf, A., Rotter, B., Ratzlaff, K., Russell, J., Saltzberg, D., Seckel, D., Schoorlemmer, H., Stafford, S., Stockham, J., Stockham, M., Strutt, B., Tatem, K., Varner, G. S., Vieregg, A. G., Wissel, S. A., Wu, F., and Young, R.
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Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics ,Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena - Abstract
The primary science goal of the NASA-sponsored ANITA project is measurement of ultra-high energy neutrinos and cosmic rays, observed via radio-frequency signals resulting from a neutrino- or cosmic ray- interaction with terrestrial matter (atmospheric or ice molecules, e.g.). Accurate inference of the energies of these cosmic rays requires understanding the transmission/reflection of radio wave signals across the ice-air boundary. Satellite-based measurements of Antarctic surface reflectivity, using a co-located transmitter and receiver, have been performed more-or-less continuously for the last few decades. Satellite-based reflectivity surveys, at frequencies ranging from 2--45 GHz and at near-normal incidence, yield generally consistent reflectivity maps across Antarctica. Using the Sun as an RF source, and the ANITA-3 balloon borne radio-frequency antenna array as the RF receiver, we have also measured the surface reflectivity over the interval 200-1000 MHz, at elevation angles of 12-30 degrees, finding agreement with the Fresnel equations within systematic errors. To probe low incidence angles, inaccessible to the Antarctic Solar technique and not probed by previous satellite surveys, a novel experimental approach ("HiCal-1") was devised. Unlike previous measurements, HiCal-ANITA constitute a bi-static transmitter-receiver pair separated by hundreds of kilometers. Data taken with HiCal, between 200--600 MHz shows a significant departure from the Fresnel equations, constant with frequency over that band, with the deficit increasing with obliquity of incidence, which we attribute to the combined effects of possible surface roughness, surface grain effects, radar clutter and/or shadowing of the reflection zone due to Earth curvature effects., Comment: updated to match publication version
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- 2017
33. RNA-dependent RNA targeting by CRISPR-Cas9.
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Strutt, Steven C, Torrez, Rachel M, Kaya, Emine, Negrete, Oscar A, and Doudna, Jennifer A
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RNA ,RNA ,Guide ,Gene Targeting ,Recombination ,Genetic ,Hydrolysis ,Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats ,Gene Editing ,CRISPR-Associated Protein 9 ,CRISPR/Cas9 ,E. coli ,biochemistry ,programmable ,Guide ,Recombination ,Genetic ,Emerging Infectious Diseases ,Genetics ,Biotechnology ,Infectious Diseases ,Infection ,Biochemistry and Cell Biology - Abstract
Double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) binding and cleavage by Cas9 is a hallmark of type II CRISPR-Cas bacterial adaptive immunity. All known Cas9 enzymes are thought to recognize DNA exclusively as a natural substrate, providing protection against DNA phage and plasmids. Here, we show that Cas9 enzymes from both subtypes II-A and II-C can recognize and cleave single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) by an RNA-guided mechanism that is independent of a protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM) sequence in the target RNA. RNA-guided RNA cleavage is programmable and site-specific, and we find that this activity can be exploited to reduce infection by single-stranded RNA phage in vivo. We also demonstrate that Cas9 can direct PAM-independent repression of gene expression in bacteria. These results indicate that a subset of Cas9 enzymes have the ability to act on both DNA and RNA target sequences, and suggest the potential for use in programmable RNA targeting applications.
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- 2018
34. Quantifying burden of intravitreal injections: questionnaire assessment of life impact of treatment by intravitreal injections (QUALITII)
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Rui Wang, David A Eichenbaum, Namrata Saroj, Carl Regillo, Charles Clifton Wykoff, Cynthia K McClard, Victoria Windham, Sagit Fried, Erik B Lehman, Mirataollah Salabati, Raziyeh Mahmoudzadeh, Stephen Laswell, Michael Ammar, Jordyn Vannavong, Aamir A Aziz, Amy Ewald, Allison V Calvanese, Adriana Strutt, and Arshad Mohammad Khanani
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Ophthalmology ,RE1-994 - Abstract
Aim To quantify the areas of burden experienced by patients requiring repeated intravitreal injections (IVI) in the management of exudative retinal diseases.Methods The validated Questionnaire to Assess Life Impact of Treatment by Intravitreal Injections survey was administered to patients at four retina clinical practices across four US states. The primary outcome measure was Treatment Burden Score (TBS), a single score assessing overall burden.Results Of 1416 (n=657 age-related macular degeneration; n=360 diabetic macular oedema/diabetic retinopathy; n=221 retinal vein occlusion; n=178 other/uncertain) patients, 55% were women with an average age of 70 years. Patients most frequently reported receiving IVI every 4–5 weeks (40%). The mean TBS was 16.1±9.2 (range 1–48; scale of 1–54), and the TBS was higher in patients with diabetic macular oedema and/or diabetic retinopathy (DMO/DR) (17.1) compared with those with age-related macular degeneration (15.5) or retinal venous occlusive (15.3) (p=0.028). Though the mean level of discomfort was quite low (1.86) (scale 0–6), 50% of patients reported experiencing side effects more than half of the visits. Patients having received fewer than 5 IVI reported higher mean anxiety levels before (p=0.026), during (p=0.050) and after (p=0.016) treatment compared with patients having received more than 50 IVI. After the procedure, 42% of patients reported restrictions from usual activities due to discomfort. Patients reported a high mean satisfaction rating of 5.46 (scale 0–6) with the care of their diseases.Conclusions The mean TBS was moderate and highest among patients with DMO/DR. Patients with more total injections reported lower levels of discomfort and anxiety but higher disruption to daily life. Despite the challenges related to IVI, the overall satisfaction with treatment remained high.
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- 2022
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35. Ontology of the apelinergic system in mouse pancreas during pregnancy and relationship with β-cell mass
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Brenda Strutt, Sandra Szlapinski, Thineesha Gnaneswaran, Sarah Donegan, Jessica Hill, Jamie Bennett, and David J. Hill
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Abstract The apelin receptor (Aplnr) and its ligands, Apelin and Apela, contribute to metabolic control. The insulin resistance associated with pregnancy is accommodated by an expansion of pancreatic β-cell mass (BCM) and increased insulin secretion, involving the proliferation of insulin-expressing, glucose transporter 2-low (Ins+Glut2LO) progenitor cells. We examined changes in the apelinergic system during normal mouse pregnancy and in pregnancies complicated by glucose intolerance with reduced BCM. Expression of Aplnr, Apelin and Apela was quantified in Ins+Glut2LO cells isolated from mouse pancreata and found to be significantly higher than in mature β-cells by DNA microarray and qPCR. Apelin was localized to most β-cells by immunohistochemistry although Aplnr was predominantly associated with Ins+Glut2LO cells. Aplnr-staining cells increased three- to four-fold during pregnancy being maximal at gestational days (GD) 9–12 but were significantly reduced in glucose intolerant mice. Apelin-13 increased β-cell proliferation in isolated mouse islets and INS1E cells, but not glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Glucose intolerant pregnant mice had significantly elevated serum Apelin levels at GD 9 associated with an increased presence of placental IL-6. Placental expression of the apelinergic axis remained unaltered, however. Results show that the apelinergic system is highly expressed in pancreatic β-cell progenitors and may contribute to β-cell proliferation in pregnancy.
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- 2021
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36. Characteristics of Four Upward-pointing Cosmic-ray-like Events Observed with ANITA
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Gorham, P. W., Nam, J., Romero-Wolf, A., Hoover, S., Allison, P., Banerjee, O., Beatty, J. J., Belov, K., Besson, D. Z., Binns, W. R., Bugaev, V., Cao, P., Chen, C., Chen, P., Clem, J. M., Connolly, A., Dailey, B., Deaconu, C., Cremonesi, L., Dowkonnt, P. F., Duvernois, M. A., Field, R. C., Fox, B. D., Goldstein, D., Gordon, J., Hast, C., Hebert, C. L., Hill, B., Hughes, K., Hupe, R., Israel, M. H., Javaid, A., Kowalski, J., Lam, J., Learned, J. G., Liewer, K. M., Liu, T. C., Link, J. T., Lusczek, E., Matsuno, S., Mercurio, B. C., Miki, C., Miocinovic, P., Mottram, M., Mulrey, K., Naudet, C. J., Ng, J., Nichol, R. J., Palladino, K., Rauch, B. F., Reil, K., Roberts, J., Rosen, M., Rotter, B., Russell, J., Ruckman, L., Saltzberg, D., Seckel, D., Schoorlemmer, H., Stafford, S., Stockham, J., Stockham, M., Strutt, B., Tatem, K., Varner, G. S., Vieregg, A. G., Walz, D., Wissel, S. A., and Wu, F.
- Subjects
Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena - Abstract
We report on four radio-detected cosmic-ray (CR) or CR-like events observed with the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA), a NASA-sponsored long-duration balloon payload. Two of the four were previously identified as stratospheric CR air showers during the ANITA-I flight. A third stratospheric CR was detected during the ANITA-II flight. Here we report on characteristics these three unusual CR events, which develop nearly horizontally, 20-30~km above the surface of the Earth. In addition, we report on a fourth steeply upward-pointing ANITA-I CR-like radio event which has characteristics consistent with a primary that emerged from the surface of the ice. This suggests a possible $\tau$-lepton decay as the origin of this event, but such an interpretation would require significant suppression of the Standard Model ${\tau}$-neutrino cross section., Comment: 5pp,4 figures, referees' comments addressed, this version accepted to Phys. Rev. Letters. Supplemental PDF material available; see source files
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- 2016
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37. A national survey on COVID-19 second-wave lockdowns on older adults’ mental wellbeing, health-seeking behaviours and social outcomes across Australia
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Joyce Siette, Karla Seaman, Laura Dodds, Kristiana Ludlow, Carly Johnco, Viviana Wuthrich, Joanne K. Earl, Piers Dawes, Paul Strutt, and Johanna I. Westbrook
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2019 novel coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) ,Lifestyle restrictions ,Lockdown ,Wellbeing ,Social networks ,Geriatrics ,RC952-954.6 - Abstract
Abstract Background The impact of severe second lockdown measures on older adults’ wellbeing is unknown. We aimed to (i) identify the impact of the second lockdown that resulted from the second wave of COVID-19 cases on older Australians’ quality of life; (ii) compare the impact of second wave lockdowns in Victoria, Australia’s second most populous State, to those in other States and Territories not in lockdown. Methods A national cross-sectional study of community-dwelling older adults completed online questionnaires for quality of life, social networks, healthcare access, and perceived impact of COVID-19 between July to September 2020. Tobit regression was used to measure the relationships of healthcare service access and social networks with quality of life of older adults in Victoria compared to those in the rest of Australia. Results A total of 2,990 respondents (mean [SD] age, 67.3 [7.0]; 66.8 % female) participated. At time of data collection, Victoria’s second COVID-19 lockdown had been in force for an average 51.7 days. Median quality of life scores were significantly higher in Victoria compared to the rest of Australia (t2,827=2.25 p = 0.025). Being female (95 % CI, -0.051–0.020), having lower educational attainment (95 % CI, -0.089–-0.018), receiving government benefits (95 % CI, -0.054–-0.024), having small social networks (95 % CI, 0.006–0.009) and self-reported physical chronic health conditions were all independent predictors of lower quality of life. Conclusions Longer-term studies are required to provide more robust evidence of the impact as restrictions lift and normal social conventions return.
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- 2021
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38. New CRISPR–Cas systems from uncultivated microbes
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Burstein, David, Harrington, Lucas B, Strutt, Steven C, Probst, Alexander J, Anantharaman, Karthik, Thomas, Brian C, Doudna, Jennifer A, and Banfield, Jillian F
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Microbiology ,Biological Sciences ,Amino Acid Sequence ,Archaea ,Bacteria ,Base Sequence ,Biotechnology ,CRISPR-Associated Proteins ,CRISPR-Cas Systems ,DNA ,Escherichia coli ,Gene Expression Profiling ,Genome ,Metagenomics ,RNA ,Bacterial ,Reproducibility of Results ,General Science & Technology - Abstract
CRISPR-Cas systems provide microbes with adaptive immunity by employing short DNA sequences, termed spacers, that guide Cas proteins to cleave foreign DNA. Class 2 CRISPR-Cas systems are streamlined versions, in which a single RNA-bound Cas protein recognizes and cleaves target sequences. The programmable nature of these minimal systems has enabled researchers to repurpose them into a versatile technology that is broadly revolutionizing biological and clinical research. However, current CRISPR-Cas technologies are based solely on systems from isolated bacteria, leaving the vast majority of enzymes from organisms that have not been cultured untapped. Metagenomics, the sequencing of DNA extracted directly from natural microbial communities, provides access to the genetic material of a huge array of uncultivated organisms. Here, using genome-resolved metagenomics, we identify a number of CRISPR-Cas systems, including the first reported Cas9 in the archaeal domain of life, to our knowledge. This divergent Cas9 protein was found in little-studied nanoarchaea as part of an active CRISPR-Cas system. In bacteria, we discovered two previously unknown systems, CRISPR-CasX and CRISPR-CasY, which are among the most compact systems yet discovered. Notably, all required functional components were identified by metagenomics, enabling validation of robust in vivo RNA-guided DNA interference activity in Escherichia coli. Interrogation of environmental microbial communities combined with in vivo experiments allows us to access an unprecedented diversity of genomes, the content of which will expand the repertoire of microbe-based biotechnologies.
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- 2017
39. Accelerator measurements of magnetically-induced radio emission from particle cascades with applications to cosmic-ray air showers
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Belov, K., Mulrey, K., Romero-Wolf, A., Wissel, S. A., Zilles, A., Bechtol, K., Borch, K., Chen, P., Clem, J., Gorham, P. W., Hast, C., Huege, T., Hyneman, R., Jobe, K., Kuwatani, K., Lam, J., Liu, T., Nam, J., Naudet, C., Nichol, R., Rauch, B. F., Rotter, B., Saltzberg, D., Schoorlemmer, H., Seckel, D., Strutt, B., Vieregg, A. G., and Williams, C.
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Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics ,Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena ,High Energy Physics - Experiment - Abstract
For fifty years, cosmic-ray air showers have been detected by their radio emission. We present the first laboratory measurements that validate electrodynamics simulations used in air shower modeling. An experiment at SLAC provides a beam test of radio-frequency (RF) radiation from charged particle cascades in the presence of a magnetic field, a model system of a cosmic-ray air shower. This experiment provides a suite of controlled laboratory measurements to compare to particle-level simulations of RF emission, which are relied upon in ultra-high-energy cosmic-ray air shower detection. We compare simulations to data for intensity, linearity with magnetic field, angular distribution, polarization, and spectral content. In particular, we confirm modern predictions that the magnetically induced emission in a dielectric forms a cone that peaks at the Cherenkov angle and show that the simulations reproduce the data within systematic uncertainties., Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures
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- 2015
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40. Limitations with the Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS) with Special Attention to Plant-Based Diets: a Review
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Craddock, Joel C., Genoni, Angela, Strutt, Emma F., and Goldman, David M.
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- 2021
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41. Pleiotrophin Expression and Actions in Pancreatic β-Cells
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Julio Sevillano, Aileen Liang, Brenda Strutt, Thomas G. Hill, Sandra Szlapinski, Maria Pilar Ramos-Álvarez, and David J. Hill
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pleiotrophin ,β-cell ,islet of Langerhans ,pancreas ,RPTP β/ζ ,DNA synthesis ,Diseases of the endocrine glands. Clinical endocrinology ,RC648-665 - Abstract
Pleiotrophin (PTN) is a heparin-binding cytokine that is widely expressed during early development and increases in maternal circulation during pregnancy.Aged PTN-deficient mice exhibit insulin resistance, suggesting a role in metabolic control. The objectives of this study were to determine if PTN is expressed in mouse pancreatic β-cells in young vs. adult animals, and its effects on DNA synthesis, β-cell gene expression and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). The Ptn gene was expressed in isolated fractions of young mouse β-cells, especially within immature β-cells with low glucose transporter 2 expression. Expression was retained in the adult pancreas but did not significantly change during pregnancy. PTN and its receptor, phosphotyrosine phosphatase-β/ζ, were also expressed in the proliferative INS1E β-cell line. Fluorescence immunohistochemistry showed that PTN peptide was present in islets of Langerhans in adult mice, associated predominantly with β-cells. The percentage of β-cells staining for PTN did not alter during mouse pregnancy, but intense staining was seen during β-cell regeneration in young mice following depletion of β-cells with streptozotocin. Incubation of INS1E cells with PTN resulted in an increased DNA synthesis as measured by Ki67 localization and increased expression of Pdx1 and insulin. However, both DNA synthesis and GSIS were not altered by PTN in isolated adult mouse islets. The findings show that Ptn is expressed in mouse β-cells in young and adult life and could potentially contribute to adaptive increases in β-cell mass during early life or pregnancy.
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- 2022
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42. Protocol for a pre-post, mixed-methods feasibility study of the Brain Bootcamp behaviour change intervention to promote healthy brain ageing in older adults.
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Joyce Siette, Laura Dodds, Piers Dawes, Deborah Richards, Greg Savage, Paul Strutt, Kiran Ijaz, Carly Johnco, Viviana Wuthrich, Irene Heger, Kay Deckers, Sebastian Köhler, and Christopher J Armitage
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
IntroductionBehaviour change interventions represent key means for supporting healthy ageing and reducing dementia risk yet brief, scalable behaviour change interventions targeting dementia risk reduction in older adults is currently lacking. Here we describe the aims and design of the three-month Brain Bootcamp initiative that seeks to target multiple dementia risk and protective factors (healthy eating, physical, social and cognitive inactivity), through the use of multiple behaviour change techniques, including goal-setting for behaviour, information about health consequences and physical prompts to change behaviours that reduce dementia risk among older adults. Our secondary aim is to understand participants' views of dementia prevention and explore the acceptability and integration of this campaign into daily life.MethodsBrain Bootcamp is a pre-post feasibility trial conducted in Sydney, Australia beginning in January 2021 until late August. Participants aged ≥65 years living independently in the community (n = 252), recruited through social media and flyers, will provide information about their demographics, medical history, alcohol consumption, smoking habits, mental health, physical activity, cognitive activity, and diet to generate a dementia risk profile at baseline and assess change therein at three-month follow-up. During the intervention, participants will receive a resource pack containing their individual risk profile, educational booklet on dementia risk factors and four physical items designed to prompt physical, social and mental activity, and better nutrition. Outcome measures include change in dementia risk scores, dementia awareness and motivation. A qualitative process evaluation will interview a sample of participants on the acceptability and feasibility of the intervention.DiscussionThis will be the first short-term multi-domain intervention targeting dementia risk reduction in older adults. Findings will generate a new evidence base on how to best support efforts targeting lifestyle changes and to identify ways to optimise acceptability and effectiveness towards brain health for older adults.Trial registration numberACTRN 381046 (registered 17/02/2021); Pre-results.
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- 2022
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43. A bacterial Argonaute with noncanonical guide RNA specificity
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Kaya, Emine, Doxzen, Kevin W, Knoll, Kilian R, Wilson, Ross C, Strutt, Steven C, Kranzusch, Philip J, and Doudna, Jennifer A
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Biochemistry and Cell Biology ,Bioinformatics and Computational Biology ,Biological Sciences ,Genetics ,1.1 Normal biological development and functioning ,Generic health relevance ,Infection ,Argonaute Proteins ,Bacterial Proteins ,Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats ,Genes ,Bacterial ,Models ,Molecular ,RNA ,Guide ,CRISPR-Cas Systems ,Argonaute ,small noncoding RNA ,RNA interference - Abstract
Eukaryotic Argonaute proteins induce gene silencing by small RNA-guided recognition and cleavage of mRNA targets. Although structural similarities between human and prokaryotic Argonautes are consistent with shared mechanistic properties, sequence and structure-based alignments suggested that Argonautes encoded within CRISPR-cas [clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated] bacterial immunity operons have divergent activities. We show here that the CRISPR-associated Marinitoga piezophila Argonaute (MpAgo) protein cleaves single-stranded target sequences using 5'-hydroxylated guide RNAs rather than the 5'-phosphorylated guides used by all known Argonautes. The 2.0-Å resolution crystal structure of an MpAgo-RNA complex reveals a guide strand binding site comprising residues that block 5' phosphate interactions. Using structure-based sequence alignment, we were able to identify other putative MpAgo-like proteins, all of which are encoded within CRISPR-cas loci. Taken together, our data suggest the evolution of an Argonaute subclass with noncanonical specificity for a 5'-hydroxylated guide.
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- 2016
44. How do the Fat–Dachsous and core planar polarity pathways act together and independently to coordinate polarized cell behaviours?
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Helen Strutt and David Strutt
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planar polarity ,planar cell polarity ,pcp ,frizzled ,fat ,dachsous ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 - Abstract
Planar polarity describes the coordinated polarization of cells within the plane of a tissue. This is controlled by two main pathways in Drosophila: the Frizzled-dependent core planar polarity pathway and the Fat–Dachsous pathway. Components of both of these pathways become asymmetrically localized within cells in response to long-range upstream cues, and form intercellular complexes that link polarity between neighbouring cells. This review examines if and when the two pathways are coupled, focusing on the Drosophila wing, eye and abdomen. There is strong evidence that the pathways are molecularly coupled in tissues that express a specific isoform of the core protein Prickle, namely Spiny-legs. However, in other contexts, the linkages between the pathways are indirect. We discuss how the two pathways act together and independently to mediate a diverse range of effects on polarization of cell structures and behaviours.
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- 2021
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45. Ontology of the apelinergic system in mouse pancreas during pregnancy and relationship with β-cell mass
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Strutt, Brenda, Szlapinski, Sandra, Gnaneswaran, Thineesha, Donegan, Sarah, Hill, Jessica, Bennett, Jamie, and Hill, David J.
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- 2021
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46. A national survey on COVID-19 second-wave lockdowns on older adults’ mental wellbeing, health-seeking behaviours and social outcomes across Australia
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Siette, Joyce, Seaman, Karla, Dodds, Laura, Ludlow, Kristiana, Johnco, Carly, Wuthrich, Viviana, Earl, Joanne K., Dawes, Piers, Strutt, Paul, and Westbrook, Johanna I.
- Published
- 2021
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47. New Telematic Technologies for Remote Creation, Rehearsal and Performance of Choreographic Work
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Andreas Schlegel, Clemence Debaig, Daniel Strutt, Neal Coghlan, and Youhong ‘Friendred’ Peng
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motion-capture ,telematic ,performance ,dance ,choreography ,virtual ,The performing arts. Show business ,PN1560-1590 ,Music ,M1-5000 - Abstract
A Goldsmiths based AHRC funded project within the ‘Tackling the Impact of COVID-19’ UKRI call. In collaboration with LASALLE College of the Arts Singapore, Akram Khan Dance Company, and Target3D. In this experimental test session recorded in July 2020, two dancers, one in London, and one in Singapore, are dancing together, but virtually, each wearing an inertial sensor motion capture system. Live and pre-captured dance data was streamed from a dancer in a similar studio space in LASALLE college in Singapore, some 6700 miles away, with barely noticeable delay or latency. Although with occasional technical glitches, including magnetic interference with the suit, this raw footage operates as proof of concept, and a suggestion of what is to come in the next iteration of our research. We position this research practice within a historical and theoretical problematic of networked or ‘distributed performance’ and of telepresence, telematics, and virtuality in dance practice. It is not about recreating the live experience – of ‘being there’ – but rather finding forms of meaningful connection, engaged interest and attention in a digital medium which is decisively and qualitatively different.
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- 2021
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48. Factors Associated With Psychological Disturbances During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Multicountry Online Study
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Martyna Plomecka, Susanna Gobbi, Rachael Neckels, Piotr Radzinski, Beata Skorko, Samuel Lazzeri, Kristina Almazidou, Alisa Dedic, Asja Bakalovic, Lejla Hrustic, Zainab Ashraf, Sarvin Es Haghi, Luis Rodriguez-Pino, Verena Waller, Hafsa Jabeen, A Beyza Alp, Mehdi Behnam, Dana Shibli, Zofia Baranczuk-Turska, Zeeshan Haq, Salah Qureshi, Adriana M Strutt, and Ali Jawaid
- Subjects
Psychology ,BF1-990 - Abstract
BackgroundAccumulating evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the mental health of individuals. However, the susceptibility of individuals to be impacted by the pandemic is variable, suggesting potential influences of specific factors related to participants’ demographics, attitudes, and practices. ObjectiveWe aimed to identify the factors associated with psychological symptoms related to the effects of the first wave of the pandemic in a multicountry cohort of internet users. MethodsThis study anonymously screened 13,332 internet users worldwide for acute psychological symptoms related to the COVID-19 pandemic from March 29 to April 14, 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic amidst strict lockdown conditions. A total of 12,817 responses were considered valid. Moreover, 1077 participants from Europe were screened a second time from May 15 to May 30, 2020, to ascertain the presence of psychological effects after the ease down of restrictions. ResultsFemale gender, pre-existing psychiatric conditions, and prior exposure to trauma were identified as notable factors associated with increased psychological symptoms during the first wave of COVID-19 (P
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- 2021
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49. Questionnaire to Assess Life Impact of Treatment by Intravitreal Injections (QUALITII): Development of a patient-reported measure to assess treatment burden of repeat intravitreal injections
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Namrata Saroj, Carl Regillo, Cynthia K McClard, Victoria Windham, Samuel Gomez, Sagit Fried, and Adriana M Strutt
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Ophthalmology ,RE1-994 - Abstract
Objective To understand patient burden of treatment of repeated intravitreal injections (IVI) in the management of exudative retinal diseases.Methods and analysis Participants were sampled from a large urban retina specialty practice in Houston, Texas, USA, based on history of ongoing receipt of IVI. The 50-item Questionnaire to Assess Life Impact of Treatment by Intravitreal Injections questionnaire was developed to evaluate the patient experience including discomfort, anxiety, inconvenience and satisfaction. Categorial principal components analysis (CATPCA) was performed to assess construct validity and internal consistency. A subset of these items was used to establish a measure of total treatment burden, referred to as the IVI Treatment Burden Score (TBS).Results 142 patients participated in this study. CATPCA analysis revealed five dimensions of patient burden: disruption of normal routine or capacity, anxiety, frequency of visits, chronicity of disease and perceived treatment value or satisfaction. Together, these dimensions accounted for 67% of variance explained. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.97. The most frequently cited cause of discomfort was the feeling after anaesthetic wore off. The most common source of anxiety was fear of injection and associated discomfort or pain. Regarding inconvenience, patients reported temporary postinjection debilitation, requiring an average of 8 hours for recovery per treatment. The most frequently identified sources of satisfaction were confidence in the provider or treatment and interactions with staff.Conclusions Understanding and quantifying the patient burden associated with repeated IVI for exudative retinal diseases can reveal opportunities to improve delivery methods. The TBS could serve to inform strategies to maximise treatment adherence and optimise patient experiences.
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- 2021
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50. DAnkrd49 and Bdbt act via Casein kinase Iε to regulate planar polarity in Drosophila.
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Helen Strutt and David Strutt
- Subjects
Genetics ,QH426-470 - Abstract
The core planar polarity proteins are essential mediators of tissue morphogenesis, controlling both the polarised production of cellular structures and polarised tissue movements. During development the core proteins promote planar polarisation by becoming asymmetrically localised to opposite cell edges within epithelial tissues, forming intercellular protein complexes that coordinate polarity between adjacent cells. Here we describe a novel protein complex that regulates the asymmetric localisation of the core proteins in the Drosophila pupal wing. DAnkrd49 (an ankyrin repeat protein) and Bride of Doubletime (Bdbt, a non-canonical FK506 binding protein family member) physically interact, and regulate each other's levels in vivo. Loss of either protein results in a reduction in core protein asymmetry and disruption of the placement of trichomes at the distal edge of pupal wing cells. Post-translational modifications are thought to be important for the regulation of core protein behaviour and their sorting to opposite cell edges. Consistent with this, we find that loss of DAnkrd49 or Bdbt leads to reduced phosphorylation of the core protein Dishevelled and to decreased Dishevelled levels both at cell junctions and in the cytoplasm. Bdbt has previously been shown to regulate activity of the kinase Discs Overgrown (Dco, also known as Doubletime or Casein Kinase Iε), and Dco itself has been implicated in regulating planar polarity by phosphorylating Dsh as well as the core protein Strabismus. We demonstrate that DAnkrd49 and Bdbt act as dominant suppressors of Dco activity. These findings support a model whereby Bdbt and DAnkrd49 act together to modulate the activity of Dco during planar polarity establishment.
- Published
- 2020
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