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Listeners, what were you doing in 2004? Perhaps you were strolling down the street in low rise jeans, Uggs, and a Livestrong bracelet listening to Outkast's “Hey Ya!” Or maybe you were sitting in a movie theater ready to have your mind blown by Ashton Kutcher's tour de force performance in The Butterfly Effect. Well, the folks joining us on this week's episode of our podcast may have missed some of that stuff because they were too busy building a movement for healthcare justice! 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of Healthcare NOW, the national organization fighting for Medicare for All that brings you your favorite podcast! If you're a regular listener, you probably know that I was the Executive Director of Healthcare NOW for 11 years, and Gillian is the current Executive Director, but today we're taking it back to 2004 and talking with some of the OGs who started it all! This episode features some of our very favorite people -- the leaders in the healthcare justice movement who have made Healthcare NOW what it is today (the creator of your favorite podcast content!): Mark Dudzic is a longtime union organizer and activist. He served as national organizer of the Labor Party from 2003 to 2007 and was a cofounder of the Labor Campaign for Single Payer in 2009. He has been a member of the Healthcare Now board since its founding in 2004. Lindy Hern is the Chair of the Sociology Department at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and President of the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology. She has been on the Healthcare NOW board since 2009 and is the author of “Single Payer Healthcare Reform: Grassroots Mobilization and the Turn Against Establishment Politics in the Medicare for All Movement." Donna Smith is an advocate for single payer, improved and expanded Medicare for all. Her journalism career included work as a stringer for NEWSWEEK magazine, editing and reporting for the Black Hills Pioneer in South Dakota, as well as appearances on CNN and Bill Moyers Journal, and as one of the subjects in Michael Moore's 2007 film, SiCKO. She worked for National Nurses United and traveled more than 250,000 miles advocating for health justice. She now serves as the National Advisory Board chair for Progressive Democrats of America. Walter Tsou is a Board Advisor to Physicians for a National Health Program and on the Board of HCN. He has been a long time single payer healthcare activist. Walter is a former Health Commissioner of Philadelphia and Past President of the American Public Health Association. Cindy Young has been a healthcare activist for over 40 years. She has served on the Health Care Now board since 2012. In her retirement, she serves as a Vice President for the California Alliance for Retired Americans (CARA), whose principle goal is to establish a single payer system in California. If this episode doesn't give you your fill of Healthcare NOW history, you can always check out Lindy's book or this sweet tribute to our founder Marilyn Clement. And of course, if you want to keep up the good work of all these amazing folks, you can make a donation to support our work!
“We need journalism. And we need really good journalism like [High Country News] produces. And we want to keep producing it. And we need to be able to do that under stable, sustainable conditions.” — B. ‘Toastie' Oaster Learn more about unionizing efforts from three HCN staffers on today's newscast.
Une équipe de chercheurs a exploité les données de la sonde Cassini lors de son survol des panaches d'eau de Encelade et qui étaient archivées depuis 2017. Dans leurs analyses des composés chimiques, en plus des composés organiques qui avaient déjà été identifiés (H2O, CO2, CH4, NH3 et H2), ils identifient aujourd'hui d'autres molécules très intéressantes : HCN, C2H2, C3H6, C2H6. mais aussi un alcool (CH3OH). L'étude est publiée dans Nature Astronomy.https://www.ca-se-passe-la-haut.fr/2023/12/de-nombreuses-molecules-organiques.html Source Detection of HCN and diverse redox chemistry in the plume of EnceladusJonah Peter et al.Nature Astronomy (14 december 2023)https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-023-02160-0
I speak with Daniel Cardenas, CEO of NTEA, CarbonEx, Learning River and other companies- I ask “Why can't Ho-Chunk employees speak about HCN matters on their own time?- I got lost going to HCG/Madison
El Programa de Hablando con Naturalidad se despide, se termina, se cierra un ciclo. Agradecidas de estos 3 años de compartir, transmitir, y de aprendizaje. Aprendizaje entre nosotras, comprender que una colaboración sana es posible. Aprendizaje de los invitados, agradecidas de tanta sabiduría e historias compartidas. HcN ha sido un programa cargado de revelaciones canalizados por los registros Akashicos, todo un tesoro que te invitamos a que puedas recurrir a ellos en el canal de you tube Hablando con naturalidad o a través de clm activa radio.. Simplemente gracias, gracias, gracias... empieza un nuevo ciclo.
Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2023.07.27.550887v1?rss=1 Authors: Hong, H., Moore, L. A., Apostolides, P. F., Trussell, L. O. Abstract: In higher sensory brain regions, slow oscillations (0.5-5 Hz) associated with quiet wakefulness and attention modulate multisensory integration, predictive coding, and perception. Although often assumed to originate via thalamocortical mechanisms, the extent to which sub-cortical sensory pathways are independently capable of slow oscillatory activity is unclear. We find that in the first station for auditory processing, the cochlear nucleus, fusiform cells from juvenile mice (of either sex) generate robust 1-2 Hz oscillations in membrane potential and exhibit electrical resonance. Such oscillations were absent prior to the onset of hearing, intrinsically generated by hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) and persistent Na+ conductances (NaP) interacting with passive membrane properties, and reflected the intrinsic resonance properties of fusiform cells. Cx36-containing gap junctions facilitated oscillation strength and promoted pairwise synchrony of oscillations between neighboring neurons. The strength of oscillations were strikingly sensitive to external Ca2+, disappearing at concentrations greater than 1.7 mM, due in part to the shunting effect of small-conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK) channels. This effect explains their apparent absence in previous in vitro studies of cochlear nucleus which routinely employed high-Ca2+ extracellular solution. In contrast, oscillations were amplified in reduced Ca2+ solutions, due to relief of suppression by Ca2+ of Na+ channel gating. Our results thus reveal mechanisms for synchronous oscillatory activity in auditory brainstem, suggesting that slow oscillations, and by extension their perceptual effects, may originate at the earliest stages of sensory processing. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info Podcast created by Paper Player, LLC
We talk to the CEO of Waseyabek LLC and she explains what is possible. I'm looking for help with our Children's Trust Fund. The HCN is a “Family Business”
U ovoj epizodi se bavimo međuzvezdanom materijom i to posebnim objektima međuzvezdane materije koje zovemo *molekularni oblaci*, a pre svega pričamo o tzv. džinovskim molekularnim oblacima (onima u kojima se rađaju zvezde, tako je!). Gošća Radio Galaksije je dr Ivana Bešlić, naša astrofizičarka sa Observatoire de Paris. U epizodi smo pričali o mnoštvu pitanja koja se tiču toga kako istražujemo međuzvedanu materiju, kako se posmatrački astronomi bave međuzvezdanom materijom i molekularnim oblacima u našoj galaksiji, ali i u obližnjim galaksijama.Razgovarali smo o tome šta sve čini međuzvedanu materiju, kako je otkrivena, kako se posmatra, kakav je sastav i kakva je morfologija struktura sačinjenih od međuzvezdanog gasa i prašine, pogotovo kada su u pitanju molekularni oblaci... Pričali smo o raspodeli molekularnih oblaka u Mlečnom putu, o njihovom kretanju, dinamici, evoluciji, o tome kakvi se fizički procesi dešavaju u molekularnim oblacima, kako to znamo, kako posmatramo te procese, za šta sve koristimo spektroskopska posmatranja ugljen-monoksida (CO), cijanovodonične kiseline (HCN) i drugih molekula prisutnih u molekularnim oblacima, kako se prati i istražuje magnetno polje u molekularnim oblacima, itd. Govorili smo i o tome kako izgleda Ivanin rad, čime se bavi kada su u pitanju gusti delovi molekularnih oblaka u našoj i u obližnjim galaksijama, kako izgleda proces posmatranja i obrade podataka, a prenela nam i svoja iskustva sa odlaska na jedan od najpoznatijih i najvećih radio teleskopa u Evropi (IRAM, 30-metarski single-dish radio teleskop), koji se nalazi na planini Sijera Nevada u Španiji, na skoro 3500 metara nadmorske visine! Support the show
Collin Price discusses the state of the Beloit Casino project within the HCN and his Heena Development Corporation project in Baraboo. President-elect Jon Greendeer comes aboard and discusses his campaign and how he sees his future administration
This episode is the 2nd part of interview with Professor David Purser, this year recipient of IAFSS'14 Emmons Plenary Lecture. If you have not seen it, I would highly encourage you to first listen to the Part 1, which sets the context of the discussion here.In Part 1 we have talked a lot about the toxic hazards and how the production of toxicants has evolved together with fire loads. We have also gone quite deep into the toxicity of CO. In part 2, we cover the combined effects of asphyxiant gases and some of the HCN toxicity. We also distinguish between asphyxiants and irritants, discussing in depth how each of those work on the human body, and what are the physiological and pathological consequences of exposure. We also go quite deep into how tests on animals were carried, in consequence - what we know about the effects of these toxicants on the human body (and what we just assume...). We finish the episode with quite an engineering take on building useful models and progressing the toxicology further.These two episodes. Seriously, maybe it is just me, but I feel this is some sort of pinnacle of how informative an informal chat in a podcast may be. I have just learnt more about toxicology than in 13 years of my professional career and in my formal education (maybe it was just bad, dunno...). Please apologize me if I am over-hyping this, but I am absolutely thankful to David for spending some of his time with me and teaching me all of this. I hope this will be useful for generations of fire engineers!If somehow, you want more. There is more. I highly recommend reading David's chapters in the SFPE Handbook, as they are the most condensed pill of knowledge and references on toxicity that you can find anywhere. Here are the links:https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4939-2565-0_62https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4939-2565-0_63
Hernán Rossi, Jefe de Gabinete en el Ministerio de Desarrollo Económico (CABA) y secretario general de la HCN de la UCR habla de la actualidad política y los desafíos del radicalismo y de JxC. Es un desafío que tenemos la política y los partidos para dialogar con la ciudadanía. Mejorar el vínculo para que se sienta representada. La importancia de una alternativa superadora, el esfuerzo para elevar la vara de las propuestas. Min Desarrollo Económico los ejes para implementar políticas públicas que mejoren la calidad de vida Las pymes como generadoras de empleo de calidad La necesidad de reformas a nivel nacional. Las leyes laborales. Sin que pierdan derechos hay que encontrar la forma de que las PyMES no se fundan. La disputas electorales, las internas en JxC ¿Debate ideológico o de candidaturas? La omnipresencia de la grieta. Los debates de diálogo y cooperación oposición oficialismo. La posibilidad de que la ciudadanía le de otra oportunidad a JxC
Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2023.03.04.529157v1?rss=1 Authors: Wu, J., El-Hassar, L., Datta, D., Thomas, M., Zhang, Y., Jenkins, D. P., DeLuca, N. J., Chatterjee, M., Gribkoff, V. K., Arnsten, A. F. T., Kaczmarek, L. K. Abstract: The ability of monkeys and rats to carry out spatial working memory tasks has been shown to depend on the persistent firing of pyramidal cells in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), arising from recurrent excitatory connections on dendritic spines. These spines express hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels whose open state is increased by cAMP signaling, and which markedly alter PFC network connectivity and neuronal firing. In traditional neural circuits, activation of these non-selective cation channels leads to neuronal depolarization and increased firing rate. Paradoxically, cAMP activation of HCN channels in PFC pyramidal cells reduces working memory-related neuronal firing. This suggests that activation of HCN channels may hyperpolarize rather than depolarize these neurons. The current study tested the hypothesis that Na+ influx through HCN channels activates Na+-activated K+ (KNa or Slack) channels to hyperpolarize the membrane. We have found that HCN and Slack KNa channels co-immunoprecipitate in cortical extracts and that, by immunoelectron microscopy, they colocalize at postsynaptic spines of PFC pyramidal neurons. A specific blocker of HCN channels, ZD7288, reduces KNa current in pyramidal cells that express both HCN and Slack channels, indicating that blockade of HCN channels reduced K+ current indirectly by lowering Na+ influx. In contrast, ZD7288 has no effect on KNa currents in an HEK cell line stably expressing this Slack channels but no HCN channels, demonstrating that ZD7288 does not block Slack channels directly. Activation of HCN channels by cAMP in a cell line expressing a Ca2+ reporter results in elevation of cytoplasmic Ca2+, but the effect of cAMP is completely reversed if the HCN channels are co-expressed with Slack channels. Finally, we have used a novel pharmacological blocker of Slack channels to show that inhibition of either Slack or HCN channels in rat PFC improves working memory performance, and that the actions of Slack and HCN channel blockers occlude each other in the memory task. Our results suggest that the regulation of working memory by HCN channels in PFC pyramidal neurons is mediated by an HCN-Slack channel complex that links activation HCN channels to suppression of neuronal excitability. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info Podcast created by Paper Player, LLC
We report on the recent legislative action concerning spending limits within the HCN—I ask Jon Warner why the HCN doesn't have any enforcement mechanisms— District 4, let's start requesting those absentee ballots
President WhiteEagle discusses his first term as President of the HCN and his platforms for his second term. We discuss “The Separation of Business & Government” document that the Legislature produced
We delve into the Legislature's attempt to foist a Secretarial Election upon us. A new department, the Department of Economic Diversification is created to help the HCN
Reports have a knack for becoming public policy, and the latest report released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Long COVID could be the next case in point. The report, more a marketing document than a medical report, recommends to “encourage or mandate policies and protocols regarding masking and social distancing in public spaces.” (emphasis added). Today's guest is Rik Mehta, Pharm.D., J.D., biotech entrepreneur, and former consumer safety officer at the U.S Food and Drug Administration. Mehta, who knows first-hand how politics and public policy are intertwined as a former U.S. Senate candidate in New Jersey, discusses how seriously the public should take the report. He covers whether the CDC or schools will use the report as a basis to mandate masks, how the federal government can compel people to wear masks, why the Democrats backed off from masks in early 2022, the significance of the descriptions of “discrimination” mentioned in the report by people claiming to suffer from Long COVID, what the Biden administration can do if it really wanted to help patients and the public in general, and how effective a Republican led Congress will be in staving off more COVID policies. HHS Report: https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/healthplus-long-covid-report.pdf Related Reading: https://heartlanddailynews.com/2022/12/hhs-report-on-long-covid-encourages-return-to-mask-mandates/
Reports have a knack for becoming public policy, and the latest report released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Long COVID could be the next case in point. The report, more a marketing document than a medical report, recommends to “encourage or mandate policies and protocols regarding masking and social distancing in public spaces.” (emphasis added). Today's guest is Rik Mehta, Pharm.D., J.D., biotech entrepreneur, and former consumer safety officer at the U.S Food and Drug Administration. Mehta, who knows first-hand how politics and public policy are intertwined as a former U.S. Senate candidate in New Jersey, discusses how seriously the public should take the report. He covers whether the CDC or schools will use the report as a basis to mandate masks, how the federal government can compel people to wear masks, why the Democrats backed off from masks in early 2022, the significance of the descriptions of “discrimination” mentioned in the report by people claiming to suffer from Long COVID, what the Biden administration can do if it really wanted to help patients and the public in general, and how effective a Republican led Congress will be in staving off more COVID policies. HHS Report: https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/healthplus-long-covid-report.pdf Related Reading: https://heartlanddailynews.com/2022/12/hhs-report-on-long-covid-encourages-return-to-mask-mandates/
Nitrogen as a Tracer of Giant Planet Formation II : Comprehensive Study of Nitrogen Photochemistry and Implications for Observing NH3 and HCN in Transmission and Emission Spectra by Kazumasa Ohno et al. on Wednesday 30 November Atmospheric nitrogen may provide important constraints on giant planet formation. Following our semi-analytical work (Ohno & Fortney 2022), we further pursue the relation between observable NH3 and an atmosphere's bulk nitrogen abundance by applying the photochemical kinetics model VULCAN across planetary equilibrium temperature, mass, age, eddy diffusion coefficient, atmospheric composition, and stellar spectral type. We confirm that the quenched NH3 abundance coincides with the bulk nitrogen abundance only at sub-Jupiter mass (< 1MJ) planets and old ages (> 1 Gyr) for solar composition atmospheres, highlighting important caveats for inferring atmospheric nitrogen abundances. Our semi-analytical model reproduces the quenched NH3 abundance computed by VULCAN and thus helps to infer the bulk nitrogen abundance from a retrieved NH3 abundance. By computing transmission and emission spectra, we predict that the equilibrium temperature range of 400--1000 K is optimal for detecting NH3 because NH3 depletion by thermochemistry and photochemistry is significant at hotter planets whereas entire spectral features become weak at colder planets. For Jupiter-mass planets around Sun-like stars in this temperature range, NH3 leaves observable signatures of $sim$ 50 ppm at 1.5, 2.1, and 11 $rm {mu}m$ in transmission spectra and > 300--100 ppm at 6 $rm {mu}m$ and 11 $rm {mu}m$ in emission spectra. The photodissociation of NH3 leads HCN to replace NH3 at low pressures. However, the low HCN column densities lead to much weaker absorption features than for NH3. The NH3 features are readily accessible to JWST observations to constrain atmospheric nitrogen abundances, which may open a new avenue to understand the formation processes of giant exoplanets. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2211.16877v1
The mid-infrared molecular inventory towards Orion IRc2 by Sarah Nickerson et al. on Wednesday 30 November We present the first high spectral resolution mid-infrared survey in the Orion BN/KL region, covering 7.2 to 28.3 micron. With SOFIA/EXES we target the enigmatic source Orion IRc2. While this is in the most prolifically studied massive star-forming region, longer wavelengths and molecular emission lines dominated previous spectral surveys. The mid-infrared observations in this work access different components and molecular species in unprecedented detail. We unambiguously identify two new kinematic components, both chemically rich with multiple molecular absorption lines. The "blue clump" has vLSR = -7.1 pm 0.7 km/s and the "red clump" 1.4 pm 0.5 km/s. While the blue and red clumps have similar temperatures and line widths, molecular species in the blue clump have higher column densities. They are both likely linked to pure rotational H2 emission also covered by this survey. This work provides evidence for the scenario that the blue and red clumps are distinct components unrelated to the classic components in the Orion BN/KL region. Comparison to spectroscopic surveys towards other infrared targets in the region show that the blue clump is clearly extended. We analyze, compare, and present in depth findings on the physical conditions of C2H2, 13CCH2, CH4, CS, H2O, HCN, H13CN, HNC, NH3, and SO2 absorption lines and an H2 emission line associated with the blue and red clumps. We also provide limited analysis of H2O and SiO molecular emission lines towards Orion IRc2 and the atomic forbidden transitions [FeII], [SI], [SIII], and [NeII]. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2211.15707v1
Nitrogen as a Tracer of Giant Planet Formation II : Comprehensive Study of Nitrogen Photochemistry and Implications for Observing NH3 and HCN in Transmission and Emission Spectra by Kazumasa Ohno et al. on Wednesday 30 November Atmospheric nitrogen may provide important constraints on giant planet formation. Following our semi-analytical work (Ohno & Fortney 2022), we further pursue the relation between observable NH3 and an atmosphere's bulk nitrogen abundance by applying the photochemical kinetics model VULCAN across planetary equilibrium temperature, mass, age, eddy diffusion coefficient, atmospheric composition, and stellar spectral type. We confirm that the quenched NH3 abundance coincides with the bulk nitrogen abundance only at sub-Jupiter mass (< 1MJ) planets and old ages (> 1 Gyr) for solar composition atmospheres, highlighting important caveats for inferring atmospheric nitrogen abundances. Our semi-analytical model reproduces the quenched NH3 abundance computed by VULCAN and thus helps to infer the bulk nitrogen abundance from a retrieved NH3 abundance. By computing transmission and emission spectra, we predict that the equilibrium temperature range of 400--1000 K is optimal for detecting NH3 because NH3 depletion by thermochemistry and photochemistry is significant at hotter planets whereas entire spectral features become weak at colder planets. For Jupiter-mass planets around Sun-like stars in this temperature range, NH3 leaves observable signatures of $sim$ 50 ppm at 1.5, 2.1, and 11 $rm {mu}m$ in transmission spectra and > 300--100 ppm at 6 $rm {mu}m$ and 11 $rm {mu}m$ in emission spectra. The photodissociation of NH3 leads HCN to replace NH3 at low pressures. However, the low HCN column densities lead to much weaker absorption features than for NH3. The NH3 features are readily accessible to JWST observations to constrain atmospheric nitrogen abundances, which may open a new avenue to understand the formation processes of giant exoplanets. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2211.16877v1
The mid-infrared molecular inventory towards Orion IRc2 by Sarah Nickerson et al. on Tuesday 29 November We present the first high spectral resolution mid-infrared survey in the Orion BN/KL region, covering 7.2 to 28.3 micron. With SOFIA/EXES we target the enigmatic source Orion IRc2. While this is in the most prolifically studied massive star-forming region, longer wavelengths and molecular emission lines dominated previous spectral surveys. The mid-infrared observations in this work access different components and molecular species in unprecedented detail. We unambiguously identify two new kinematic components, both chemically rich with multiple molecular absorption lines. The "blue clump" has vLSR = -7.1 pm 0.7 km/s and the "red clump" 1.4 pm 0.5 km/s. While the blue and red clumps have similar temperatures and line widths, molecular species in the blue clump have higher column densities. They are both likely linked to pure rotational H2 emission also covered by this survey. This work provides evidence for the scenario that the blue and red clumps are distinct components unrelated to the classic components in the Orion BN/KL region. Comparison to spectroscopic surveys towards other infrared targets in the region show that the blue clump is clearly extended. We analyze, compare, and present in depth findings on the physical conditions of C2H2, 13CCH2, CH4, CS, H2O, HCN, H13CN, HNC, NH3, and SO2 absorption lines and an H2 emission line associated with the blue and red clumps. We also provide limited analysis of H2O and SiO molecular emission lines towards Orion IRc2 and the atomic forbidden transitions [FeII], [SI], [SIII], and [NeII]. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2211.15707v1
A Detailed Look at the Most Obscured Galactic Nuclei in the Mid-Infrared by F. R. Donnan et al. on Monday 21 November Context. Compact Obscured Nuclei (CONs) are an extreme phase of galaxy evolution where rapid supermassive black hole growth and$/$or compact star-forming activity is completely obscured by gas and dust. Aims. We investigate the properties of CONs in the mid-infrared and explore techniques aimed at identifying these objects such as through the equivalent width (EW) ratios of their Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) features. Methods. We model Spitzer spectra by decomposing the continua into nuclear and star-forming components from which we then measure the nuclear optical depth, $tau_N$, of the $9.8 mu$m silicate absorption feature. We also use Spitzer spectral maps to investigate how PAH EW ratios vary with aperture size for objects hosting CONs. Results. We find that the nuclear optical depth, $tau_N$, strongly correlates with the HCN-vib emission line in the millimetre for CONs with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.91. We find the PAH EW ratios technique to be effective at selecting CONs and robust against highly inclined galaxies where strong dust lanes may mimic a CON like spectrum by producing a high $tau_N$. Our analysis of the Spitzer spectral maps showed that the efficacy of the PAH EW ratios to isolate CONs is reduced when there is a strong star-forming component from the host galaxy. In addition, we find that the use of the inferred nuclear optical depth is a reliable method to identify CONs in $36^{+8}_{-7}%$ of ULIRGs and $17^{+3}_{-3}%$ of LIRGs, consistent with previous work. Conclusions. We confirm mid-IR spectra to be a powerful diagnostic of CONs where the increased sensitivity of JWST will allow identification of CONs at cosmic noon revealing this extreme but hidden phase of galaxy evolution. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2211.09628v1
We look at the Nov 8th election and how our HCN election work-the children's trust fund debacle-Elder roof funding
Are we creating a time table for separating business from government?-Create a post analysis for all HCN projects-Attorney Ethics within the HCN-Madison City council
Discovery of hydrogen cyanide HCN in the atmosphere of Saturn by Arijit Manna et al. on Wednesday 12 October In the interstellar medium and planetary atmosphere, the hydrogen cyanide (HCN) molecule plays an important role in the synthesis of many major prebiotic molecules (e.g., CH$_{2}$NH, CH$_{3}$NH$_{2}$, NH$_{2}$CH$_{2}$CN, etc.) via the gas-phase and grain surface chemical reactions. For several years, many observations have failed to detect the emission lines of HCN from the atmosphere of Saturn using ground and space-based radio telescopes. We presented the first successful detection of the rotational emission line of HCN from the atmosphere of Saturn using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) band 7. The emission line of HCN was detected from the eastern limb and western limb of Saturn at a frequency of 354.505 GHz with $geq3sigma$ statistical significance. The estimated column density of HCN in the western limb was $N$(HCN) = (7.02$pm$0.3)$times$10$^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$ with excitation temperature ($T_{ex}$) = 195.72$pm$12.3 K. The column density of HCN in the eastern limb was $N$(HCN) = (3.50$pm$0.9)$times$10$^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$ with excitation temperature ($T_{ex}$) = 198.23$pm$16.8 K. We also discussed the possible formation mechanism of HCN in the atmosphere of Saturn. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2104.10474v3
Discovery of hydrogen cyanide HCN in the atmosphere of Saturn by Arijit Manna et al. on Wednesday 12 October In the interstellar medium and planetary atmosphere, the hydrogen cyanide (HCN) molecule plays an important role in the synthesis of many major prebiotic molecules (e.g., CH$_{2}$NH, CH$_{3}$NH$_{2}$, NH$_{2}$CH$_{2}$CN, etc.) via the gas-phase and grain surface chemical reactions. For several years, many observations have failed to detect the emission lines of HCN from the atmosphere of Saturn using ground and space-based radio telescopes. We presented the first successful detection of the rotational emission line of HCN from the atmosphere of Saturn using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) band 7. The emission line of HCN was detected from the eastern limb and western limb of Saturn at a frequency of 354.505 GHz with $geq3sigma$ statistical significance. The estimated column density of HCN in the western limb was $N$(HCN) = (7.02$pm$0.3)$times$10$^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$ with excitation temperature ($T_{ex}$) = 195.72$pm$12.3 K. The column density of HCN in the eastern limb was $N$(HCN) = (3.50$pm$0.9)$times$10$^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$ with excitation temperature ($T_{ex}$) = 198.23$pm$16.8 K. We also discussed the possible formation mechanism of HCN in the atmosphere of Saturn. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2104.10474v3
Discovery of hydrogen cyanide HCN in the atmosphere of Saturn by Arijit Manna et al. on Wednesday 12 October In the interstellar medium and planetary atmosphere, the hydrogen cyanide (HCN) molecule plays an important role in the synthesis of many major prebiotic molecules (e.g., CH$_{2}$NH, CH$_{3}$NH$_{2}$, NH$_{2}$CH$_{2}$CN, etc.) via the gas-phase and grain surface chemical reactions. For several years, many observations have failed to detect the emission lines of HCN from the atmosphere of Saturn using ground and space-based radio telescopes. We presented the first successful detection of the rotational emission line of HCN from the atmosphere of Saturn using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) band 7. The emission line of HCN was detected from the eastern limb and western limb of Saturn at a frequency of 354.505 GHz with $geq3sigma$ statistical significance. The estimated column density of HCN in the western limb was $N$(HCN) = (7.02$pm$0.3)$times$10$^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$ with excitation temperature ($T_{ex}$) = 195.72$pm$12.3 K. The column density of HCN in the eastern limb was $N$(HCN) = (3.50$pm$0.9)$times$10$^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$ with excitation temperature ($T_{ex}$) = 198.23$pm$16.8 K. We also discussed the possible formation mechanism of HCN in the atmosphere of Saturn. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2104.10474v3
Discovery of hydrogen cyanide HCN in the atmosphere of Saturn by Arijit Manna et al. on Wednesday 12 October In the interstellar medium and planetary atmosphere, the hydrogen cyanide (HCN) molecule plays an important role in the synthesis of many major prebiotic molecules (e.g., CH$_{2}$NH, CH$_{3}$NH$_{2}$, NH$_{2}$CH$_{2}$CN, etc.) via the gas-phase and grain surface chemical reactions. For several years, many observations have failed to detect the emission lines of HCN from the atmosphere of Saturn using ground and space-based radio telescopes. We presented the first successful detection of the rotational emission line of HCN from the atmosphere of Saturn using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) band 7. The emission line of HCN was detected from the eastern limb and western limb of Saturn at a frequency of 354.505 GHz with $geq3sigma$ statistical significance. The estimated column density of HCN in the western limb was $N$(HCN) = (7.02$pm$0.3)$times$10$^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$ with excitation temperature ($T_{ex}$) = 195.72$pm$12.3 K. The column density of HCN in the eastern limb was $N$(HCN) = (3.50$pm$0.9)$times$10$^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$ with excitation temperature ($T_{ex}$) = 198.23$pm$16.8 K. We also discussed the possible formation mechanism of HCN in the atmosphere of Saturn. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2104.10474v3
The Opaque Heart of the Galaxy IC~860: Analogous Protostellar, Kinematics, Morphology, and Chemistry by M. D. Gorski et al. on Monday 10 October Compact Obscured Nuclei (CONs) account for a significant fraction of the population of luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs and ULIRGs). These galaxy nuclei are compact, with radii of 10-100~pc, with large optical depths at submm and far-infrared wavelengths, and characterized by vibrationally excited HCN emission. It is not known what powers the large luminosities of the CON host galaxies because of the extreme optical depths towards their nuclei. CONs represent an extreme phase of nuclear growth, hiding either a rapidly accreting supermassive black hole or an abnormal mode of star formation. Here we apply principal component analysis (PCA) tomography to high-resolution (0.06$^{primeprime}$) ALMA observations at frequencies 245 to 265~GHz of the nearby CON (59~Mpc) IC~860. PCA is a technique to unveil correlation in the data parameter space, and we apply it to explore the morphological and chemical properties of species in our dataset. The leading principal components reveal morphological features in molecular emission that suggest a rotating, infalling disk or envelope, and an outflow analogous to those seen in Galactic protostars. One particular molecule of astrochemical interest is methanimine (CH$_2$NH), a precursor to glycine, three transitions of which have been detected towards IC 860. We estimate the average CH$_2$NH column density towards the nucleus of IC~860 to be $sim10^{17}$cm$^{-2}$, with an abundance exceeding $10^{-8}$ relative to molecular hydrogen, using the rotation diagram method and non-LTE radiative transfer models. This CH$_2$NH abundance is consistent with those found in hot cores of molecular clouds in the Milky Way. Our analysis suggests that CONs are an important stage of chemical evolution in galaxies, that are chemically and morphologically similar to Milky Way hot cores. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2210.04499v1
This week's guest is Nick Mott. Nick is an award winning journalist and podcast producer based in Livingston, and the editor of this podcast. Over the last several months he's published a series of articles with High Country News documenting the catastrophic Yellowstone floods that occurred in June 2022. In this episode Justin and Nick talk about the varying devastation of the floods, the politics of floodplains and the pressure the floods brought to bear on an already stressed housing system. Nick talks being evacuated and how he came to report on an event with such personal ties. Justin and Nick also explore the ecological benefits of flooding, and balancing the needs of safety and resilience. Transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gQStyaZ3HKrLrR4IZ5-OHAnT8UKASr4d72uLSwXn480/edit Read Nick's HCN series here: https://www.hcn.org/author_search?getAuthor=Nick%20Mott%20&sort_on=PublicationDate&sort_order=descending
A curse on you and your family! JK JK That'd be pretty terrible wouldn't it? This month, the Cadaver Dogs explore two films dealing with ancient curses in which main characters trade their humanity - or lose it - and become a beast of vengeance! Starting way back to the classic Universal horror movie that started Hollywood's love for werewolves with THE WOLF MAN (1941, dr. George Waggner). David, Devin, and Rob look at how WWII influenced the tragic figure of Larry Talbot and dig into the history of the Romani people. We also gawk at the stars that pack this film: Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, AND Claude Raines?? Then, fast forward to the f*ed up 80s with creature feature (or slasher?) PUMPKINHEAD (1988, dir. Stan Winston). No Reagan talk this time, but we do touch on the Rust Belt. Do we find curses more tragic or vilifying? How are they a source of “othering” in horror? And why are werewolves so damn awesome!? 03:49 - Carrie 30:30: - The Exorcism of Emily Rose 57:05 - Comparisons 1:05:55 - Bone Reviews . Up Next: GET OUT (2017) / THE SKELETON KEY (2005) . Follow us at: instagram.com/cadaverdogspod twitter.com/cadaverdogspod facebook.com/cadaverdogspod . “Fascination and Hatred: The Roma in European Culture '” by The National WWII Museum https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/roma-european-culture “Under A Swastika Moon: 80 Years Of THE WOLF MAN” by Rich Johnson https://www.fangoria.com/original/under-a-swastika-moon-80-years-of-the-wolf-man/ . Send us your film suggestions at: cadaverdogspodcast@gmail.com . Cover art by Omri Kadim. Theme by Adaam James Levin Areddy. Music featured in this episode: “Lurking in the Shadows” by Liam Seagrave and HCN.
Mixing and diffusion in protoplanetary disc chemistry by P. Woitke et al. on Monday 26 September We develop a simple iterative scheme to include vertical turbulent mixing and diffusion in ProDiMo thermo-chemical models for protoplanetary discs. The models are carefully checked for convergence toward the time-independent solution of the reaction-diffusion equations, as e.g. used in exoplanet atmosphere models. A series of five T Tauri disc models is presented where we vary the mixing parameter {alpha} mix from 0 to 0.01 and take into account (a) the radiative transfer feedback of the opacities of icy grains that are mixed upward and (b) the feedback of the changing molecular abundances on the gas temperature structure caused by exothermic reactions and increased line heating/cooling. We see considerable changes of the molecular and ice concentrations in the disc. The most abundant species (H2, CH4, CO, the neutral atoms in higher layers, and the ices in the midplane) are transported both up and down, and at the locations where these abundant chemicals finally decompose, for example by photo processes, the release of reaction products has important consequences for all other molecules. This generally creates a more active chemistry, with a richer mixture of ionised, atomic, molecular and ice species and new chemical pathways that are not relevant in the unmixed case. We discuss the impact on three spectral observations caused by mixing and find that (i) icy grains can reach the observable disc surface where they cause ice absorption and emission features at IR to far-IR wavelengths, (ii) mixing increases the concentrations of certain neutral molecules observable by mid-IR spectroscopy, in particular OH, HCN and C2H2, and (iii) mixing can change the optical appearance of CO in ALMA line images and channel maps, where strong mixing would cause the CO molecules to populate the distant midplane. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.12233v1
Understanding if molecular ratios can be used as diagnostics of AGN and starburst activity: The case of NGC 1068 by J. Butterworth et al. on Thursday 22 September Molecular line ratios, such as HCN(1-0)/HCO$^+$(1-0) and HCN(4-3)/CS(7-6), are routinely used to identify active galactic nuclei (AGN) activity in galaxies. Such ratios are, however, hard to interpret as they are highly dependent on the physics and energetics of the gas, and hence can seldom be used as a unique, unambiguous diagnostic. We used the composite galaxy NGC 1068 as a `laboratory' to investigate whether molecular line ratios between HCN, HCO$^+$, and CS are useful tracers of AGN-dominated gas and determine the origin of the differences in such ratios across different types of gas. Such a determination will enable a more rigorous use of such ratios. First, we empirically examined the aforementioned ratios at different angular resolutions to quantify correlations. We then used local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) and non-LTE analyses coupled with Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling in order to determine the origin of the underlying differences in ratios. We propose that at high spatial resolution (< 50 pc) the HCN(4-3)/CS(2-1) is a reliable tracer of AGN activity. We also find that the variations in ratios are not a consequence of different densities or temperature but of different fractional abundances, yielding to the important result that it is essential to consider the chemical processes at play when drawing conclusions from radiative transfer calculations. From analyses at varying spatial scales, we find that previously proposed molecular line ratios, as well as a new one, have varying levels of consistency. We also determine from an investigation of radiative transfer modelling of our data that it is essential to consider the chemistry of the species when reaching conclusions from radiative transfer calculations. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.05928v2
CHEMOUT: CHEMical complexity in star-forming regions of the OUTer Galaxy III Nitrogen isotopic ratios in the outer Galaxy by L. Colzi et al. on Thursday 22 September Nitrogen isotopic ratios are a key tool for tracing Galactic stellar nucleosynthesis. We present the first study of the $^{14}$N/$^{15}$N abundance ratio in the outer regions of the Milky Way (namely, for galactocentric distances, $R_{rm GC}$, from 12 kpc up to 19 kpc), with the aim to study the stellar nucleosynthesis effects in the global Galactic trend. We analysed IRAM 30m observations towards a sample of 35 sources in the context of the CHEMical complexity in star-forming regions of the OUTer Galaxy (CHEMOUT) project. We derived the $^{14}$N/$^{15}$N ratios from HCN and HNC for 14 and 3 sources, respectively, using the $J$ = 1-0 rotational transition of HN$^{13}$C, H$^{15}$NC, H$^{13}$CN, and HC$^{15}$N. The results found in the outer Galaxy have been combined with previous measurements obtained in the inner Galaxy. We find an overall linear decreasing H$^{13}$CN/HC$^{15}$N ratio with increasing $R_{rm GC}$. This translates to a parabolic $^{14}$N/$^{15}$N ratio with a peak at 11 kpc. Updated Galactic chemical evolution models have been taken into account and compared with the observations. The parabolic trend of the $^{14}$N/$^{15}$N ratio with $R_{rm GC}$ can be naturally explained (i) by a model that assumes novae as the main $^{15}$N producers on long timescales ($ge$1 Gyr) and (ii) by updated stellar yields for low- and intermediate-mass stars. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.10620v1
Understanding if molecular ratios can be used as diagnostics of AGN and starburst activity: The case of NGC 1068 by J. Butterworth et al. on Thursday 22 September Molecular line ratios, such as HCN(1-0)/HCO$^+$(1-0) and HCN(4-3)/CS(7-6), are routinely used to identify active galactic nuclei (AGN) activity in galaxies. Such ratios are, however, hard to interpret as they are highly dependent on the physics and energetics of the gas, and hence can seldom be used as a unique, unambiguous diagnostic. We used the composite galaxy NGC 1068 as a `laboratory' to investigate whether molecular line ratios between HCN, HCO$^+$, and CS are useful tracers of AGN-dominated gas and determine the origin of the differences in such ratios across different types of gas. Such a determination will enable a more rigorous use of such ratios. First, we empirically examined the aforementioned ratios at different angular resolutions to quantify correlations. We then used local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) and non-LTE analyses coupled with Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling in order to determine the origin of the underlying differences in ratios. We propose that at high spatial resolution (< 50 pc) the HCN(4-3)/CS(2-1) is a reliable tracer of AGN activity. We also find that the variations in ratios are not a consequence of different densities or temperature but of different fractional abundances, yielding to the important result that it is essential to consider the chemical processes at play when drawing conclusions from radiative transfer calculations. From analyses at varying spatial scales, we find that previously proposed molecular line ratios, as well as a new one, have varying levels of consistency. We also determine from an investigation of radiative transfer modelling of our data that it is essential to consider the chemistry of the species when reaching conclusions from radiative transfer calculations. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.05928v2
An experimental and theoretical investigation of HCN production in the Hadean Earth atmosphere by Ben K. D. Pearce et al. on Tuesday 20 September A critical early stage for the origin of life on Earth may have involved the production of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in a reducing, predominantly H$_2$ atmosphere. HCN is crucial for the origin of life as it is a possible precursor to several biomolecules that make up RNA and proteins including nucleobases, nucleotides, amino acids, and ribose. In this work, we perform an in depth experimental and theoretical investigation of HCN production in reducing atmospheric conditions (89-95% H$_2$) possibly representing the earliest stages of the Hadean eon, ~4.5-4.3 billion years ago. We make use of cold plasma discharges - a laboratory analog to shortwave UV radiation - to simulate HCN production in the upper layers of the atmosphere for CH$_4$ abundances ranging from 0.1-6.5%. We then combine experimental mass spectrum measurements with our theoretical plasma models to estimate the HCN concentrations produced in our experiments. We find that upper atmospheric HCN production scales linearly with CH$_4$ abundance with the relation [HCN] = 0.13 $pm$ 0.01[CH$_4$]. Concentrations of HCN near the surface of the Hadean Earth are expected to be about 2-3 orders of magnitude lower. The addition of 1% water to our experiments results in a ~50% reduction in HCN production. We find that four reactions are primarily responsible for HCN production in our experiments: (i) $^4$N + CH$_3$ -> H$_2$CN + H -> HCN + H$_2$, (ii) $^4$N + CH -> CN + H followed by CN + CH$_4$ -> HCN + CH$_3$, (iii) C$_2$H$_4$ + $^4$N -> HCN + CH$_3$, and (iv) $^4$N + $^3$CH$_2$ -> HCN + H. The most prebiotically favorable Hadean atmosphere would have been very rich in CH$_4$ (> 5%), and as a result of greenhouse effects the surface would be likely very hot. In such a prebiotic scenario, it may have been important to incorporate HCN into organic hazes that could later release biomolecules and precursors into the first ponds. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.09257v1
An experimental and theoretical investigation of HCN production in the Hadean Earth atmosphere by Ben K. D. Pearce et al. on Tuesday 20 September A critical early stage for the origin of life on Earth may have involved the production of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in a reducing, predominantly H$_2$ atmosphere. HCN is crucial for the origin of life as it is a possible precursor to several biomolecules that make up RNA and proteins including nucleobases, nucleotides, amino acids, and ribose. In this work, we perform an in depth experimental and theoretical investigation of HCN production in reducing atmospheric conditions (89-95% H$_2$) possibly representing the earliest stages of the Hadean eon, ~4.5-4.3 billion years ago. We make use of cold plasma discharges - a laboratory analog to shortwave UV radiation - to simulate HCN production in the upper layers of the atmosphere for CH$_4$ abundances ranging from 0.1-6.5%. We then combine experimental mass spectrum measurements with our theoretical plasma models to estimate the HCN concentrations produced in our experiments. We find that upper atmospheric HCN production scales linearly with CH$_4$ abundance with the relation [HCN] = 0.13 $pm$ 0.01[CH$_4$]. Concentrations of HCN near the surface of the Hadean Earth are expected to be about 2-3 orders of magnitude lower. The addition of 1% water to our experiments results in a ~50% reduction in HCN production. We find that four reactions are primarily responsible for HCN production in our experiments: (i) $^4$N + CH$_3$ -> H$_2$CN + H -> HCN + H$_2$, (ii) $^4$N + CH -> CN + H followed by CN + CH$_4$ -> HCN + CH$_3$, (iii) C$_2$H$_4$ + $^4$N -> HCN + CH$_3$, and (iv) $^4$N + $^3$CH$_2$ -> HCN + H. The most prebiotically favorable Hadean atmosphere would have been very rich in CH$_4$ (> 5%), and as a result of greenhouse effects the surface would be likely very hot. In such a prebiotic scenario, it may have been important to incorporate HCN into organic hazes that could later release biomolecules and precursors into the first ponds. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.09257v1
Tracing Interstellar Heating: An ALCHEMI Measurement of the HCN Isomers in NGC 253 by Erica Behrens et al. on Wednesday 14 September We analyze HCN and HNC emission in the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253 to investigate its effectiveness in tracing heating processes associated with star formation. This study uses multiple HCN and HNC rotational transitions observed using ALMA via the ALCHEMI Large Program. To understand the conditions and associated heating mechanisms within NGC 253's dense gas, we employ Bayesian nested sampling techniques applied to chemical and radiative transfer models which are constrained using our HCN and HNC measurements. We find that the volume density $n_{text{H}_{2}}$ and cosmic ray ionization rate (CRIR) $zeta$ are enhanced by about an order of magnitude in the galaxy's central regions as compared to those further from the nucleus. In NGC 253's central GMCs, where observed HCN/HNC abundance ratios are lowest, $n sim 10^{5.5}$ cm$^{-3}$ and $zeta sim 10^{-12}$ s$^{-1}$ (greater than $10^4$ times the average Galactic rate). We find a positive correlation in the association of both density and CRIR with the number of star formation-related heating sources (supernova remnants, HII regions, and super hot cores) located in each GMC, as well as a correlation between CRIRs and supernova rates. Additionally, we see an anticorrelation between the HCN/HNC ratio and CRIR, indicating that this ratio will be lower in regions where $zeta$ is higher. Though previous studies suggested HCN and HNC may reveal strong mechanical heating processes in NGC 253's CMZ, we find cosmic ray heating dominates the heating budget, and mechanical heating does not play a significant role in the HCN and HNC chemistry. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.06244v1
Can Molecular Ratios be used as Diagnostics of AGN and Starburst activity? The Case of NGC 1068 by J. Butterworth et al. on Tuesday 13 September Molecular line ratios, such as HCN(1-0)/HCO$^+$(1-0) and HCN(4-3)/CS(7-6) are routinely used to identify AGN activity in galaxies. Such ratios are however hard to interpret as they are highly dependent on the physics and energetics of the gas and hence can seldom be used a as a unique unambiguous diagnostic. We use the composite galaxy NGC 1068 as a "laboratory", to investigate whether molecular line ratios between HCN, HCO$^+$ and CS are useful tracers of AGN-dominated gas and determine the origin of the differences in such ratios across different types of gas. Such determination will allow a more rigorous use of such ratios. We first empirically examine the aforementioned ratios at different angular resolutions to quantify correlations. We then use LTE and non-LTE analyses coupled with Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling in order to determine the origin of the underlying differences in ratios. We propose that at high spatial resolution (< 50 pc) the HCN(4-3)/CS(2-1) is a reliable tracer of AGN activity. Finally we find that the variations in ratios are not a consequence of different densities or temperature but of different fractional abundances yielding to the important result that it is essential to consider the what chemical processes are at play when drawing conclusions from radiative transfer calculations. Upon analysis at varying spatial scales previous proposed as well as a new molecular line ratio have been shown to have varying levels of consistency. We have also determined from investigation of radiative transfer modelling of our data that it is essential to consider the chemistry of the species when reaching conclusions from radiative transfer calculations. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.05928v1
A Q-band line survey towards Orion KL using the Tianma radio telescope by Xunchuan Liu et al. on Wednesday 07 September We have conducted a line survey towards Orion KL using the Q-band receiver of Tianma 65 m radio telescope (TMRT), covering 34.8--50 GHz with a velocity resolution between 0.79 km s$^{-1}$ and 0.55 km s$^{-1}$ respectively. The observations reach a sensitivity on the level of 1-8 mK, proving that the TMRT is sensitive for conducting deep line surveys. In total, 597 Gaussian features are extracted. Among them, 177 radio recombination lines (RRLs) are identified, including 126, 40 and 11 RRLs of hydrogen, helium and carbon, with a maximum $Delta n$ of 16, 7, and 3, respectively. The carbon RRLs are confirmed to originate from photodissociation regions with a $V_{rm LSR}sim$9 km s$^{-1}$. In addition, 371 molecular transitions of 53 molecular species are identified. Twenty-one molecular species of this survey were not firmly detected in the Q band by Rizzo et al. (2017), including species such as H$_2$CS, HCOOH, C$_2$H$_5$OH, H$_2^{13}$CO, H$_2$CCO, CH$_3$CHO, CH$_2$OCH$_2$, HCN $v_2=1$, and CH$_3$OCHO $v_t=1$. In particular, the vibrationally excited states of ethyl cyanide (C$_2$H$_5$CN $v$13/$v$21) are for the first time firmly detected in the Q band. NH$_3$ (15,15) and (16,16) are identified, and they are so far the highest transitions of the NH$_3$ inversion lines detected towards Orion KL. All the identified lines can be reproduced by a radiative transfer model. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.03067v1
Impact of stellar flares on the chemical composition and transmission spectra of gaseous exoplanets orbiting M dwarfs by Thomas Konings et al. on Tuesday 06 September Stellar flares of active M dwarfs can affect the atmospheric composition of close-orbiting gas giants, and can result in time-dependent transmission spectra. We aim to examine the impact of a variety of flares, differing in energy, duration, and occurrence frequency, on the composition and spectra of close-orbiting, tidally locked gaseous planets with climates dominated by equatorial superrotation. We used a series of pseudo-2D photo- and thermochemical kinetics models, which take advection by the equatorial jet stream into account, to simulate the neutral molecular composition of a gaseous planet (effective temperature 800 K) that orbits a flaring M dwarf. We then computed transmission spectra for the evening and morning limb. We find that the upper regions of the dayside and evening limb are heavily depleted in CH4 and NH3 up to several days after a flare with a total radiative energy of $ 2 times 10^{33} $ erg. Molar fractions of C2H2 and HCN are enhanced up to a factor three on the nightside and morning limb after day-to-nightside advection of photodissociated species. CH4 depletion reduces transit depths by 100-300 parts per million (ppm) on the evening limb and C2H2 production increases the 14 micron feature up to 350 ppm on the morning limb. We find that repeated flaring drives the atmosphere to a composition that differs from its pre-flare distribution and that this translates to a permanent modification of the transmission spectrum. We show that single high-energy flares can affect the atmospheres of close-orbiting gas giants up to several days after the flare event, during which their transmission spectra are altered by several hundred ppm. Repeated flaring has important implications for future retrieval analyses of exoplanets around active stars, as the atmospheric composition and resulting spectral signatures substantially differ from models that do not include flaring. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.02483v1
Impact of stellar flares on the chemical composition and transmission spectra of gaseous exoplanets orbiting M dwarfs by Thomas Konings et al. on Tuesday 06 September Stellar flares of active M dwarfs can affect the atmospheric composition of close-orbiting gas giants, and can result in time-dependent transmission spectra. We aim to examine the impact of a variety of flares, differing in energy, duration, and occurrence frequency, on the composition and spectra of close-orbiting, tidally locked gaseous planets with climates dominated by equatorial superrotation. We used a series of pseudo-2D photo- and thermochemical kinetics models, which take advection by the equatorial jet stream into account, to simulate the neutral molecular composition of a gaseous planet (effective temperature 800 K) that orbits a flaring M dwarf. We then computed transmission spectra for the evening and morning limb. We find that the upper regions of the dayside and evening limb are heavily depleted in CH4 and NH3 up to several days after a flare with a total radiative energy of $ 2 times 10^{33} $ erg. Molar fractions of C2H2 and HCN are enhanced up to a factor three on the nightside and morning limb after day-to-nightside advection of photodissociated species. CH4 depletion reduces transit depths by 100-300 parts per million (ppm) on the evening limb and C2H2 production increases the 14 micron feature up to 350 ppm on the morning limb. We find that repeated flaring drives the atmosphere to a composition that differs from its pre-flare distribution and that this translates to a permanent modification of the transmission spectrum. We show that single high-energy flares can affect the atmospheres of close-orbiting gas giants up to several days after the flare event, during which their transmission spectra are altered by several hundred ppm. Repeated flaring has important implications for future retrieval analyses of exoplanets around active stars, as the atmospheric composition and resulting spectral signatures substantially differ from models that do not include flaring. arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.02483v1
A panel discussion with Wisconsin Watch moderated by Karen Michel of ICT on how the HCN can better utilize the media to strengthen ourselves from a PR standpoint
Governments need to take action to deliver urgent responses to the climate crisis which benefits health!The first episode explores the linkages between climate and health, sharing insights on the benefits of a health-centred response to the climate crises with a spotlight on the Philippine's and the Middle East. We also hear more about the Health and Climate Network (HCN) and its' priority recommendations on food systems and diet. The episode is hosted by Claudia Batz, Policy and Projects Coordinator at the World Obesity Federation, and Dara Karakolis, Co-coordinator of the Act4Food Act4Change Campaign. Claudia and Dara met through their affiliation with Young Leaders for Health in 2019.They speak to Dr. Renzo Guinto, the emerging leader in planetary health, sustainable development, and the decolonisation of global health. Renzo is the Chief Planetary Health Scientist and Co-Founder of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Concurrently, he is Associate Professor of the Practice of Global Public Health and Inaugural Director of the Planetary and Global Health Program of the St. Luke's Medical Centre College of Medicine in the Philippines.They also hear inspiring insights about the work of the Health Climate Network from Lujain Alqodmani. Lujain is a physician by training and the Director of Global Action & Senior Adviser to the Executive Chair at EAT. She also represents EAT on the HCN.Useful linksLearn more about the Health and Climate Network and key recommendations emerging from its briefing on diet and food systems.Read the EAT Globe Scan Grains of Truth Report published in September 2021.Join the Act4Food Act4Change youth-led movement in support of GoodFood4All.GuestsDr. Renzo Guinto - @Renzo GuintoDr. Lujain Alqodmani - @LujainAlqodmaniThanks to the Podcast Company and Jonathan Hart for production and editing. The podcast was produced with support from the Wellcome Trust.
Adam Wainwright is starting a country music career?! Travis Denning's HCN interview + checking in with HCN opener, the Bobby Ford Band
Anne Thundercloud talks about Thundercloud Communications LLC- I ramble on about our lack of communication- and I challenge our Legislators to begin writing their passions and plans for the HCN
Dan Brown-EM of HCG/Madison explains how the AB Interchange is a great thing for the HCN
Jim Terry talks about his new book “Come Home Indio”. I examine the Legislature's continuing role in HCN business affairs
El Dean Funes y el día del historiador ||| Nueva autopsia oficial confirma el homicidio de Franco Isorni ||| Regalan cerveza a menores de 40 que se vacunen ||| Investigan papel de las radios comunitarias en la pandemia ||| El rector de la UNSE expuso en la comisión de Salud del HCN en debate sobre la jerarquización de la enfermería ||| Y noticias bizarras de postre ||| Te lo cuentan Ernesto Picco y Nico Adet en Buenas Notas.
Tina Brown explains what the HCN DNR does. Jon Warner schools me on the LOA and Constitution and I make a plea for smokeless HCN casinos
We explore Anthony Bertino's short stint with the HCN. We discuss how you eat an elephant and we explore what and who is the “media”
Eight are dead as hate crimes surge in the U.S., European and African nations are facing off in international courts, and the Grammys aired amid controversy. It's six o'clock on the morning of Monday the 22nd of March; this is your News of Change Bulletin. Other stories this week include... 00:16 - FOREIGN AID: Government Sends 8k Vaccine Doses to PNG, Million to Come 01:00 - FEDERAL POLITICS: Christian Porter Launches Defamation Action Against ABC 01:48 - SOUTH AUSTRALIA: Parliament Drafts Code of Conduct Amid Harassment Claims 02:32 - NEW SOUTH WALES: Commissioner No Longer Enthusiastic About Consent App 03:19 - QUEENSLAND: Covid App Hits 1 Million Check-Ins Across 7,600 Businesses 04:04 - VICTORIA: “A Long Time Coming:” Spent Convictions Scheme Introduced 04:46 - NORTHERN TERRITORY: Outgoing Justice Flags Reform Amid Youth Bail Debate 05:28 - UNITED STATES: Eight Dead in Massage Parlour Shootings, Motive Unclear 06:15 - UNITED KINGDOM: EU Launches Legal Action Against U.K. Over Brexit Deal 06:57 - HAGUE: ICJ Concludes Hearings in Somalia vs. Kenya Sea Border Dispute 07:39 - LEBANON: Demonstrations Continue as Country “Nears Total Collapse” 08:25 - TANZANIA: ‘Mama Samia' Becomes Country's First Female Head of State 09:08 - ENTERTAINMENT: Grammys Will “Listen Harder” Amid Racism Boycotts 09:55 - ONLINE: Yellow Squares Miss the Mark Amid Campaign to #StopAsianHate If you have been affected by the stories in this bulletin, you can call Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 or Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency situation, aways call triple-zero. News of Change is your weekly bulletin covering the people creating change and events changing society around Australia and the world. Join Loughlin Patrick for new bulletins every Monday morning at 6 a.m. (GMT+10) on your preferred podcasting platform, or go to humanitarianchangemakers.net/news to find the bulletins in written form. Changemaker Q&A is the show where PhD student and seasoned changemaker Tiyana J answers questions from young Aussies about social change — equipping and empowering you to change the world. For season 2, Loughlin Patrick joins the show to bring you interviews with people and organisations creating change in their communities. The Humanitarian Changemakers Network is an education and solutions-media community here to help you create social impact. HCN's pioneering journalism brings solutions alive through personal storytelling and analysis of the issues young people are campaigning to change. Email team@humanitarianchangemakers.net to send the team a tip off, or just say hi!
We're coming in HOT with a new and improved Changemaker Q&A! For season 2 of the show, we've got a new co-host, some new formats, and new interviews lined up, so that we can deliver young Aussies a true solutions-media podcast. For our first episode of season 2, you'll learn more about Tiyana and Loughlin, and the history of HCN. Listen to Minds In Tune https://mindsintune.org/ Get a FREE Skillshare Premium Trial: https://humanitarianchangemakers.net/skillshare/ If you have a question about making change happen, leave us a message at https://humanitarianchangemakers.net/podcast No question is too big or small: we can help you with anything from breaking into the social change sector, questions about specific topics or issues you don't quite understand, or advice for how you can take action to make a difference in the world. CONNECT WITH US Website: http://humanitarianchangemakers.net/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humanitarianchangemakers/
China has reported Australia to the United Nations, a U.K. vigil has turned violent, and Western Australians have had their say in a historic election. This is your News of Change bulletin for the week of Monday, the 15th of March. Other stories this week include... 00:16 - CANBERRA: Women's March 4 Justice Descends on Parliament House 01:02 - WESTERN AUSTRALIA: Labor Wins Landslide Election Majority 01:50 - QUEENSLAND: Medical Association Blasts Government's “Double Failure” 02:29 - VICTORIA: More Women Leave Corruption Agency Amid Harassment Concerns 03:17 - NEW SOUTH WALES: Premier Supports Gender Neutral Uniform Petition 04:02 - TASMANIA: Child Gender Reassignment Surgery Consent Debate Reignited 04:48 - UNITED NATIONS: China Reports Australia to U.N. Over Offshore Detention 05:31 - UNITED STATES: President Biden Denounces Surge in Anti-Asian Hate Crimes 06:23 - UNITED KINGDOM: Everard Vigil Turns Violent, Police Brutality Investigated 07:07 - INDIA: Female Farmers Join Protests for International Women's Day 07:47 - MYANMAR: Quad Alliance Vows to Restore Myanmar Democracy Amid Coup 08:30 - HAGUE: I.C.C. Announces Probe Into 2014 War Crimes in Palestine 09:22 - ENTERTAINMENT: ‘Music' Receives Four Razzie Noms. for Autism Portrayal 10:06 - ONLINE: Afghani Schoolgirls Protest Singing Ban With #IAmMySong Hashtag News of Change is your weekly bulletin covering the people creating change and events changing society around Australia and the world. Join Loughlin Patrick for new bulletins every Monday morning at 6 a.m. (GMT+10) on your preferred podcasting platform, or go to humanitarianchangemakers.net/news to find the bulletins in written form. Changemaker Q&A is the show where PhD student and seasoned changemaker Tiyana J answers questions from young Aussies about social change — equipping and empowering you to change the world. For season 2, Loughlin Patrick joins the show to bring you interviews with people and organisations creating change in their communities. The Humanitarian Changemakers Network is an education and solutions-media community here to help you create social impact. HCN's pioneering journalism brings solutions alive through personal storytelling and analysis of the issues young people are campaigning to change. Email team@humanitarianchangemakers.net to send the team a tip off, or just say hi!
February 11 is Int. Day of Women & Girls in Science, and I thought to celebrate the incredible achievements of women and girls in science and their role in promoting positive social change, I would interview our very own solutions media writer Jada. Jada's blog: https://www.jadaandersenwrites.com/ Jada's HCN articles: http://humanitarianchangemakers.net/solutions-media/jada/ Get a FREE Skillshare Premium Trial: https://humanitarianchangemakers.net/skillshare/ If you have a question about making change happen, leave us a message at https://anchor.fm/humanitarianchangemakers or head to https://humanitarianchangemakers.net/podcast No question is too big or small: we can help you with anything from breaking into the social change sector, questions about specific topics or issues you don't quite understand, or advice for how you can take action to make a difference in the world. CONNECT WITH US Website: http://humanitarianchangemakers.net/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humanitarianchangemakers/
Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.11.08.369488v1?rss=1 Authors: Goniotaki, D., Tamagnini, F., Biasetti, L., Rumpf, S. L., Fennell, K., Pollack, S., Ukwesa, S., Sun, H., Serpell, L., Noble, W., Staras, K., Hanger, D. Abstract: Neurodegenerative tauopathies are characterized by deposition in the brain of highly phosphorylated and truncated forms of tau, but how these impact on cellular processes remains unknown. Here, we show that hyperpolarization-induced membrane voltage 'sag', which is dependent on hyperpolarization-activated inward-rectifying (Ih) current and hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) cation channels, is increased in the Tau35 mouse model of human tauopathy. Expression of Tau35, corresponding to a fragment comprising the carboxy-terminal half of tau first identified in human tauopathy brain, reduces dendritic branching in mouse brain and in cultured hippocampal neurons, and decreases synaptic density. Neuronal expression of Tau35 results in increased tau phosphorylation and significant disruption to synaptic ultrastructure, including marked and progressive reductions in synaptic vesicle counts and vesicle cluster density. Ultrastructural analysis reveals that the positioning of synaptic vesicles is perturbed by Tau35, causing vesicles to accumulate at sites adjacent to the active zone and at the lateral edges of the cluster. Structural changes induced by Tau35 is correlated with functional abnormalities in network activity, including increased width, reduced frequency and slower rate of rise of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents. Collectively, these changes are consistent with a model in which disease-associated tau species disrupt network connectivity and signaling, which may underpin the catastrophic synaptic dysfunction observed during the development and progression of human tauopathy. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info
In this episode, motivational speaker Steve Joylove (Tim Bridge) and HCN's Lead Meteorologist Dirk Branley (Maggie Phelan), speak with Dean Ardenfell (Nathan Hartswick), an audio documentarian who seeks to interview employees of global corporation Hogswood-Cooper Media. The Corporation is an improvised satirical comedy podcast produced by Unicow Media and recorded at the studios of Vermont Comedy Club. Visit www.TheCorporationPod.com, fan the show on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to new episodes every other Tuesday. For more info on shows and classes at Vermont Comedy Club, visit www.vtcomedy.com. Links to The Corporation on: > Apple Podcasts > Spotify > Stitcher > Google Play
Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.09.21.305797v1?rss=1 Authors: Kondapuram, M., Frieg, B., Yueksel, S., Schwabe, T., Sattler, C., Lelle, M., Schweinitz, A., Schmauder, R., Benndorf, K., Gohlke, H., Kusch, J. Abstract: Hyperpolarization-activated and cyclic nucleotide (HCN) modulated channels are tetrameric cation channels. In each of the four subunits, the intracellular cyclic nucleotide-binding domain (CNBD) is coupled to the transmembrane domain via a helical structure, the C-linker. High-resolution channel structures suggest that the C-linker enables functionally relevant interactions with the opposite subunit, which might be critical for coupling the conformational changes in the CNBD to the channel pore. We combined mutagenesis, patch-clamp technique, confocal patch-clamp fluorometry, and molecular dynamics simulations to show that residue K464 of the C-linker is essential for stabilizing the closed state of the mHCN2 channel by forming interactions with the opposite subunit. MD simulations revealed that both cAMP and K464E induce a rotation of the intracellular domain relative to the channel pore, weakening the autoinhibitory effect of the unoccupied CL-CNBD region. The adopted poses are in excellent agreement with structural results. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info
Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.08.17.254631v1?rss=1 Authors: Heath-Heckman, E., Yoo, S., Winchell, C., Pellegrino, M., Angstadt, J., Lammardo, V., Bautista, D. M., de Miguel, F. F., Weisblat, D. A. Abstract: While leeches in the genus Hirudo have long been models for neurobiology, the molecular underpinnings of nervous system structure and function in this group remain largely unknown. To begin to bridge this gap, we performed RNASeq on pools of identified neurons of the central nervous system (CNS): sensory T (touch), P (pressure) and N (nociception) neurons; neurosecretory Retzius cells; and ganglia from which these four cell types had been removed. Bioinformatic analyses identified 2,812 putative genes whose expression differed significantly among the samples. These genes clustered into 7 groups which could be associated with one or more of the identified cell types. We verified predicted expression patterns through in situ hybridization on whole CNS ganglia, and found that orthologous genes were for the most part similarly expressed in a divergent leech genus, suggesting evolutionarily conserved roles for these genes. Transcriptional profiling allowed us to identify candidate phenotype-defining genes from expanded gene families. Thus, we identified one of eight hyperpolarization-activated cyclic-nucleotide gated (HCN) channels as a candidate for mediating the prominent sag current in P neurons, and found that one of five inositol triphosphate receptors (IP3Rs), representing a sub-family of IP3Rs absent from vertebrate genomes, is expressed with high specificity in T cells. We also identified one of two piezo genes, two of ~65 deg/enac genes, and one of at least 16 transient receptor potential (trp) genes as prime candidates for involvement in sensory transduction in the three distinct classes of leech mechanosensory neurons. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info
Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.07.15.202614v1?rss=1 Authors: Simmons, S. C., Shepard, R. D., Gouty, S., Langlois, L. D., Cox, B., Nugent, F. S. Abstract: The lateral habenula (LHb) is an epithalamic brain region associated with value-based decision making and stress evasion through its modulation of dopamine (DA)-mediated reward circuitry. Specifically, increased activity of the LHb is associated with drug addiction, schizophrenia and stress-related disorders such as depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder. Dynorphin (Dyn)/Kappa opioid receptor (KOR) signaling is a mediator of stress response in reward circuitry. Previously, we have shown that maternal deprivation (MD), a severe early life stress, increases LHb intrinsic excitability while blunting the response of LHb neurons to extra hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) signaling, another stress mediator. CRF pathways also interact with Dyn/KOR signaling. Surprisingly, there has been little study of direct KOR regulation of the LHb despite its distinct role in stress, reward and aversion processing. To test the functional role of Dyn-KOR signaling in the LHb, we utilized ex-vivo electrophysiology combined with pharmacological tools in rat LHb slices. We show that activation of KORs by a KOR agonist (U50,488) exerts differential effects on the excitability of two distinct sub-populations of LHb neurons that differ in their expression of hyperpolarization-activated cation currents (HCN, Ih). Specifically, KOR stimulation increases neuronal excitability in LHb neurons with large Ih currents (Ih+) while decreases neuronal excitability in small/negative Ih (Ih-) neurons. Additionally, we found that an intact fast-synaptic transmission is required for the effects of U50,488 on the excitability of both Ih- and Ih+ LHb neuronal subpopulations. Consistently, KOR activation also altered both glutamatergic and GABAergic synaptic transmission. While stimulation of presynaptic KORs uniformly suppressed glutamate release onto LHb neurons, we found that U50, 488 either increased or decreased GABA release. We also found that MD significantly increased immunolabeled Dyn (the endogenous KOR agonist) labeling in neuronal fibers in LHb while significantly decreased mRNA levels of KORs in LHb tissues compared to those from non-maternally deprived (non-MD) control rats. While total p38 MAPK (a downstream signaling pathway driven by KOR activation) expression was elevated in the LHb of MD rats compared to non-MD controls, we found that application of KOR-specific agonist, U50,488, onto LHb slices was still able to alter phosphorylated p38 MAPK (ph-p38) expression in MD rats similar to non-MD controls. Moreover, we found that the U50,488-mediated increase in LHb neuronal firing observed in non-MD rats was absent following MD. Altogether, this is the first demonstration of the existence of the functional Dyn/KOR signaling in the LHb that can be modulated in response to severe early life stressors such as MD. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info
Hypoxia, cyanide poisoning, toxic cyanide particles in smog, 4G, 5G, EMF, WIFI. How do these affect cellular oxygen and the lungs. Can magnesium help?For Transdermal Magnesium in Glass bottles "Zechstein Inside®" or for our free health tips, books or podcasts come check us out at : theheartoftradition.comFor 10% off try the promo code : HEART10
Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.05.09.086454v1?rss=1 Authors: Lancon, K., Navratilova, E., Porreca, F., Seguela, P. Abstract: Pyramidal neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a prefrontal region involved in processing the affective components of pain, display hyperexcitability in chronic neuropathic conditions and their silencing abolishes hyperalgesia in rodents. We show here that dopamine, through D1-like receptor signaling, inhibits layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons of mouse ACC. Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels control the firing activity of these pyramidal neurons. Through Gs-coupled D1-like receptors, dopamine induces the opening of HCN channels at physiological membrane potentials, driving a significant decrease in input resistance and excitability. Systemic L-DOPA rescues HCN channel activity, pyramidal excitability in ACC as well as sensory phenotype in neuropathic mice while microinjection of a selective D1-like agonist in ACC induces relief of ongoing pain in neuropathic animals. We conclude that decreased dopaminergic inhibition in ACC plays a critical role in an abnormal top-down modulation leading to neuropathic pain. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info
Frank & Lorraine Pyefinch of Best Practice Software are two iconic and down to earth players in the Australian Practice Management System game. Dr Frank Pyefinch is not only founder of Best Practice, but also originally the founder of Medical Director - the number 1 and 2 practice management systems for Australian GPs today, and have been for many years. As CEO of Best Practice, Frank brings with him a long and proud history working as a busy GP, and Lorraine as a registered nurse - so together they understand first hand the challenges and needs of the medical community when it comes to software and technology. Overview [02:07] Genie was first created because Frank doesn't like Mac [02:45] The first PMS in Australia (Medical Director) was created by Frank because the poisons act changed in Australia allowing typed scripts, which included computer generated ones. [06:38] The break-even point for MD back in the early 90s was 200 sites. This seemed an ambitious goal at the time. Today Best Practice Software has over 4500 sites. [06:49] The name “Medical Director” came from Lorraine looking through Job Classifieds in Aus Doc magazine, and liking the attributes of a ‘Medical Director'. [07:58] The original Medical Director logo was created by Lorraine with the kids etch-a-sketch in the back of the family car [08:30] The first copy of Medical Director was sold on it's launch at the AMA's annual computer day conference in 1992. [09:00] In 1994/95 advertisements started to be inserted into the Medical Director software, which subsidised the program heavily. [09:30] In 1999 Medical Director was sold to Health Communication Network (HCN). Frank and Lorraine went to HCN with the business. [10:30] Frank and Lorraine left HCN in 2003 as they were dissatisfied with the increasingly intrusive advertising being placed in MD to raise revenue. They sat out their exclusion period in their contract, and during that time Frank went back to being a GP in Bundaberg while writing Best Practice. [12:00] There were no standards for medical software at that time. If there were, it's likely the product would never have been built. [14:00] Frank and Lorraine have seen Medical Software evolve from a text mode dos interface, to a graphical user interface, to the introduction of tables and touch screens. Now seeing a bigger emphasis on communication, and also now a shift to the cloud, which is driving the development of their Titanium product to be released next year. [15:07] Frank still does some programming in Best Practice even today, because he enjoys it. [17:34] Some of the government brain waves aren't clearly thought out, such as the PHN's collecting data for the QI Pip. [18:55] The biggest cause of support issues for Best Practice are Medicare claims not reconciling due to the archaic nature of the Medicare adapter. BP is hoping Medicare shift to web services before BP release Titanium so they don't need to integrate with legacy technology in the cloud. [21:15] During the roll out of the then PCHR, now My Health Record, during the Royal Review, Frank and Lorraine provided the suggestion that Doctors should be remunerated for uploading summaries to My Health Record as it was additional admin work they were not being paid for. [26:51] The BP Partner Program has been launched in order to give partners more controlled access to the BP database so they don't need to hack their way in, and only get access to what they need - protecting the partner, the patient, the practice and BP. [31:10] Pathology requests in PMS systems is standardised as SNP and QML, two competitors came together in the early 90's came to the PMS providers and standardised the format of the forms, which set a format for future pathology vendors. This didn't happen with radiology which is all over the place [33:30] The ADHA is making strides towards their goal of interoperability, for example with secure messaging, although is Secure Messaging the best way to go about it, perhaps web services for a central repository would be a more modern way to go about it. [35:30] Titanium has not been released yet due to the sheer amount of work to build 30 years of product development from scratch into the cloud. The business was also distracted by recent acquisitions which expanded their reach into Allied and NZ markets. Ultimately all products will be rolled into Titanium their cloud product. [40:15] BP are soon releasing their patient app, they see it as a future direction for practices wanting to engage more with patients [44:50] A big consideration for BP in rolling out the patient app was the potential risk of needing to support millions of patients using the app - shifting from a B2B approach to B2C. Links Talking HealthTech Podcast Talking HealthTech Community Best Practice Software Best Health Patient App Best Practice Partner Program Best Practice Titanium Medical Director Genie QI Pip PHNs Medicare My Health Record Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology QML Pathology ADHA – Australian Digital Health Agency Transcript [00:00:00] Pete: [00:00:00] Welcome to Talking HealthTech. My name is Peter Birch, and this is a podcast of conversations with doctors, developers, and decision makers that are playing in the Australian HealthTech scene today. [00:00:12] With me today are two very iconic and extremely down to earth players in the Australian Practice Management System game. I'm talking about none other than Frank and Lorraine Pyefinch of Best Practice Software. [00:00:23] Dr. Frank Pyefinch is not only founder of Best Practice. But he's also originally the founder of Medical Director, the number one and two Practice Management Systems for Australian GP's today, and they both have been for many years. Dr. Frank Pyefinch is CEO of Best Practice and he brings with him a long and proud history of working as a busy GP and Lorraine as a registered nurse, so together they understand firsthand the challenges and needs of the medical community when it comes to software and technology. Best Practice has dominated the market for a long time as the first choice for GPs around Australia when it comes to selecting a PMS, and I look forward to [00:01:00] finding out why in my conversation with both of you, Frank and Lorraine how you doing? [00:01:03] Frank: Hi. Well, good. [00:01:06]Pete: This is a first for me. I'm actually recording from your office. So had taken it out on the road, which is great. But I, I originally thought I was going to go to Bundaberg, but you've got a few offices I see. [00:01:16] Frank: We moved from Bundaberg about five years ago , and came to Brisbane because our two children had to come down for university and getting them to go back to Bundaberg was quite difficult. So every birthday and Christmas, it was down to Brisbane. After a couple of years, we decided we might as well just move here. [00:01:35] Lorraine: The main office is still in Bundaberg, so we've got about 65 staff working there. We've got four offices all up, so we've got one here in Brisbane with just over 40 staff and another 9 down in Sydney, and then, over in New Zealand, we've got more than 40 in Hamilton, in the North Island. [00:01:55] Pete: So I always used to say that Bundaberg was the HealthTech capital of Australia, or the Silicon Valley of [00:02:00] Australian HealthTech. [00:02:00] Frank: It was certainly in the 90s, , when Paul was still living there and wrote Genie [00:02:07] Lorraine: We have a funny story about Paul because you see, I clearly remember the night Paul came round to our house. After Frank had first started to show off the original Medical Director, and I remember them sitting in the study and I could hear Paul going "Oh wow, that's really good, Frank". And then he asked Frank the fatal question "does it run on a Mac?" And Frank said, " no, I hate Macs". And so Paul went, "Ya ha!, I'm going to write Medical Director for a Mac!", [00:02:34] Pete: [00:02:34] As I sit here, I look sponsored by Mac sitting in front of you. Hey, look, so, there's a lot that we can cover off. Obvious question. You guys have a lot of history in this space. So where do you start? How did this all start? [00:02:44] Frank: [00:02:44] It really started in the late 8 0's , when Lorraine was doing a bachelor of health science at central Queensland uni, and so we had to buy a computer for her to do her course, and I got interested in it. And [00:03:00] started using it for a little database projects at home, like watching the rainfall every day and coding what bottles of wine we had in cupboard and things. [00:03:11] And around about the same time, in about 1989 the Queensland Government changed the poisons act to allow prescriptions to be typewritten , as opposed to handwritten. And of course, type written also included computer generated. And so I thought this was really neat because I had something like 25 patients in a local nursing home. [00:03:33] And almost every week I'd get a list of prescription requests for them, and I could sometimes sit for an hour after I'd finished at six o'clock at night writing out prescriptions for the nursing home, and I thought if I could put all these patient's names into a computer, into a database. And then put the drugs in against the names. [00:03:55] I'd be able to just go through and tag which ones I wanted to print and print them out. [00:04:00] And so I did that and started using it at work. [00:04:04] Pete: [00:04:04] When was that? There was back in the 80s? [00:04:06] Frank: [00:04:06] it was about 89 / 90 when I really started.. And then I started using it day to day with my regular patients as well, because once I've written that in, it could write scripts, it didn't have to be restricted to the nursing home patients. So I bought a computer and put it on my desk with a dot matrix printer. And in those days we had to supply our own prescription paper, which I had to get printed and so I started using it for all my patients. Then one of my partners started using it too, and we actually networked it by putting a cable up through the ceiling and down the other side and into his room. [00:04:43] And so we had a little network of two computers and progressively it just grew from there. And I started putting other things in. I got a list of PBS medications from the pharmacy next door. The pharmacist had written his own computer program for [00:05:00] point of sale, and so he gave me a big list of all the medications with their PBS listings. [00:05:05] I was able to use that to create pick-lists of drugs and so on. And once I had that, it was possible to use that data in other ways, so I put things like listing allergies, and then I could cross check between the scripts and the allergies and it just grew. And yeah. Progressively, we added more and more things, and over the early 90's, through 90 to about 92 it became what was ultimately Medical Director the first release. And how Medical Director really came about, was that a GP in Narrangbar, which is just North of Brisbane, heard about the fact that I was writing computer generated scripts and he was really keen to do the same. So he contacted me and said. Can I have a look at your program? [00:05:50] So packaged it up onto a three and a half inch floppy disc and posted it down to him and he put it on and played around with it and said, you got back in touch and said, this is amazing. [00:06:00] This is just what I've been looking for. There's nothing else like it anywhere in Australia. And he said, you should be selling it. [00:06:06] And I thought, hmm, I'm a GP. I'm not a sales person or a computer expert. It was just a hobby really for my own use. But we had a chat about it and decided.. [00:06:21] Lorraine: [00:06:21] I went to TAFE and did a short course on how to write a business plan because I thought we'd better have a business plan. They were very popular back in the 90s so I wrote that business plan. I remember coming home to Frank one night from TAFE and saying very proudly: "so I've worked out our break even point, we have to have 200 sites to break even. Okay. And Frank said, Oh, that's a bit ambitious, isn't it? [00:06:43] [00:06:43] Pete: [00:06:43] How many sites do you have now? [00:06:45] Frank: [00:06:45] Four and a half thousand [00:06:49] Lorraine: [00:06:49] Medical Director was interesting because even the name. We came up with the name, I like to say I named the babies in the family, but we came up with the [00:07:00] name because at the time there were a lot of really gimmicky names, you know, [00:07:04] Frank: [00:07:04] Medi-mouse. [00:07:06] Lorraine: [00:07:06] I was actually flicking through Aus Doc magazine and got to the classifieds back. And they had all these ads looking for a Medical Director, and I was reading the attributes of what a Medical Director was, and I thought, yeah, that's actually something, responsible, in charge, reliable, all those sorts of things. [00:07:32] So I thought, well, that's the kind of this kind of image we thought, something that helps the practice and to make it more efficient, just even handwriting, because there were a lot of concerns about the medication errors and just being able to have a type written prescription, just removed any ambiguity over what of handwritten script might've might have seemed to whoever was dispensing. So that's sort of where it started. The logo, the MD logo, [00:08:00] I was sitting in the back of the car with the kids etch-a-sketch when we were coming back from holidays. Came up with the MD, the original, they don't use that one anymore. [00:08:10] Pete: [00:08:10] They've still got the name though. [00:08:12] Frank: [00:08:12] So we started selling it in 1992. And in fact, we had a table at the AMA's annual computer day that they used to have back in those days. And, we were in a corner with a table and we had a printer and we were actually printing scripts on fake sample script paper, and we sold the first one on the day. [00:08:34] At the at the trade display, and that was September 92 and basically it just took off from there and I think 94 we had passed out 200 site limit to, to break even, and I had to take increasingly longer periods of time away from the practice. And so I ended up in about 94 or 95, we teamed up [00:09:00] with some advertising people down in Sydney, and that's when we started putting the ads into Medical Director, which subsidized the program quite heavily. [00:09:10] It was never free. People keep telling me that. We used to give it away free, but we never actually did, but it was heavily subsidized by the advertising. And over the period through 95 to 99 we build up to about 1500 sites. I think it was at that time, we sold the business to health communication network and we worked there for four years, but during that time I didn't do any general practice, and by the end of that time I thought we were starting to lose touch with the coal face, and at the same time we thought the product was being pushed in directions that we didn't want to see it going. In that it was being used as a cash cow with increasing amounts of advertising and more intrusive advertising [00:09:54] Lorraine: [00:09:54] When it was our business, Frank used to have pretty tight editorial control over [00:10:00] where and how many ads appeared, and so it was more of an exclusive spot at the pharmaceuticals paid for and we disagreed with, I think, the way that, that seemed to be a lucrative revenue. stream for for the business and we didn't agree with what [00:10:17] Pete: [00:10:17] Yeah I mean, you obviously can't do that at all now. [00:10:20] Frank: [00:10:20] No, no. It went from being the customers, being the doctors, to the customers, being the drug companys, which was not what we wanted to see. So in 2003 we both left and then had a year to sit out in the exclusion period from my contract. And during that time, I went back to general practice 12 hours a week in Bundaberg. And we decided during that period that there was still room for someone to come in and produce a product targeting doctors that had no advertising in it. And so that was why we started working on BP. [00:10:56] Lorraine: [00:10:56] And by then, our old product Medical Director was the market [00:11:00] dominate... [00:11:00] Frank: [00:11:00] It had 85% market share at that time. [00:11:03] Lorraine: [00:11:03] So it was, it had gone in that space of less than 10 years from probably less than 5% of doctors using computers in their surgery to being the norm for the vast majority. So, I mean, ultimately patient safety, by the fact that, prescriptions will legible had improved remarkably in that time. [00:11:24] Frank: [00:11:24] And I mean, we've added so much allergy checking, interaction, checking disease interaction checking. So there was a lot of patients safety sort of features built into the product. And it actually reached a point where at one point the medical defense people were saying that if you weren't using a computer for prescribing, then you probably weren't practicing to the standard that is expected at the time. So if you had a misadventure due to with the handwritten script, you would probably lose the case. [00:12:00] [00:12:00] Lorraine: [00:12:00] I suppose we look back on it now, there were no standards for software in Australia at that time. They really aren't now, Frank created the standard, I suppose, he set the bar. If there had been standards in place, it might have actually been more difficult to do what we do. Because the way you look at some of the government mandated work and think, well, we probably wouldn't have designed it like that. [00:12:27] Frank: [00:12:27] Well, it was very much designed by a clinician, and that's why it, I think took off because the workflows were very intuitive and very natural to the clinicians. Once they started using it, it really improved their efficiency, improve the note-taking, improved patient safety. There was all positives. [00:12:48] Pete: [00:12:48] It sounds very much designed to solve a problem rather than designed to show off some fancy tech. [00:12:54] Frank: [00:12:54] Yeah. It was very much from a user and that's when I wasn't working in general [00:13:00] practice during the HCN period. I started to feel that it was losing some of its relevance because it wasn't keeping pace with what clinicians were using. [00:13:11] And so while we lived in Bundaberg, I always working 10 hours a week. I did that for 10 years until we left in 2014. [00:13:24] Pete: [00:13:24] So, you know, you, you've built it up to, to what it is today, and your, , there's a lot of people walking around in this, in this office, and you've got other offices as well. [00:13:31] No doubt. You've. paved the way and kind of set the pace for a lot of people, but you've also had to keep up with we the industry and everything that's happening around it and use a needs and just general advancements in technology. It's a very big question for people with such a vast experience, but what would you say some of the biggest things that have changed in that in that time period, from when you first created the thing to now? [00:13:54] Frank: [00:13:54] When I first created it, we were using a text mode dos [00:14:00] interface where everything basically was done by typing. There was no mouse. There wa s, none of the sort of touch screens or any of the voice activated stuff that you see today [00:14:13] Pete: [00:14:13] You didn't say, Hey Siri... [00:14:15] Frank: [00:14:15] Couldn't do that. Back in 1990. So we've seen it move from that to windows to becoming a graphical user interface. We've seen the introduction of tablets and touch screens and all the rest of it. We've seen much bigger emphasis on communication, which is something that's still evolving with secure messaging and that sort of stuff. Now we're seeing the move to the cloud, which is why we have so many people in the offices that we have. Redeveloping. obviously, for the cloud, it has a whole raft of issues that you didn't have when you had an office based solution. And the security is obviously a major issue. [00:15:00] We've got quite highly paid people working on the design and the architecture to make sure that we get it right. In the old days, I did a lot of the programming. I still do some, but only on the legacy product because I don't understand the new technologies well enough to know that we'd be doing the best job possible. [00:15:18] Pete: [00:15:18] I didnt think you'd do any programming at all nowadays? [00:15:21] Frank: [00:15:21] I enjoy it, I love it. That's why I started doing it in the first place was because I really enjoyed it. So yeah, so I still do a bit of work on it. I do have a few special projects. I do a bit of decision support work along with some of the pathology labs. I like to keep working on the actual program, but I'm not doing any work on the cloud version, it's all young guys who have much sharper brains than I do [00:15:51] Pete: [00:15:51] We will get into cloud in a bit too, because I want to cover off a little bit on that , but just back to the needs of the customers being the doctors, the clinician, general [00:16:00] practice, like today, what do you think of the big things that GPs need a hand wave or, are some of the biggest challenges that they face? Or just generally the environment in which we're in, which is creating challenges for them. [00:16:14] Lorraine: [00:16:14] think there's certainly been a shift towards more corporatized medicines. So there's a lot of doctors that are working as employees of contractors to do the surgery. We certainly started in an environment when most practitioners owned their own surgery or were in a group practice. So there's changes along there. A lot of them aren't decision makers anymore. [00:16:35] So, you know, there's a different set of needs for non-practitioner owners. Certainly there's been, there's financial issues in medicine these days. For a long time, there was no increase in Medicare rebates, which meant that , for a good number of years, the income that doctors could generate was limited. those challenges, I think, are always there. This aging, [00:17:00] of doctors [00:17:01] Frank: [00:17:01] Increasing chronic disease [00:17:03]Lorraine: [00:17:03] Managing chronic diseases and other thing s, there's more emphasis on, it'd be interesting to see how PHNs go with that. There's still a lot of question marks around data security [00:17:15] Pete: [00:17:15] That's all linked to the QIP isn't it? [00:17:18] QI Pip Yeah [00:17:20] Lorraine: [00:17:20] QI Pip Yeah. I mean, a lot of it hasn't been clearly articulated, so, you know, it's a bit of a work in progress. [00:17:28] Frank: [00:17:28] I mean, government often come up with brain waves that aren't clearly thought out, and we've seen it with the QI PIP where they using the PHNs to collect the data. [00:17:45] So there's a lot of, not distrust of the PHNs, but not all GPs are willing to give the PHNs data, whereas they'd be more inclined to upload it to a central repository that was directly managed [00:18:00] say by the department of health or, or someone like [00:18:02] Pete: [00:18:02] that [00:18:03] I mean the funding model in Medicare and everything around that space. [00:18:07] Is there any thoughts you've got around, any progressions that have been made, particularly around technology? There's a lot of people that have thoughts on how Medicare is supporting the changing needs of patients or clinicians or the way that healthcare is delivered. Is that impacting you in any way? [00:18:21] Frank: [00:18:21] Medicare itself is really just an insurance organization. So the claiming we have automated within Best Practice as best we can, it is all done through a little, what they call an add that to. Which is quite old and it's not even, I don't think it's been upgraded for four or five years now. So they're not terribly forward moving. They have been talking for some time, the adapter has a lot of issues and we've had to do some pretty tricky programming to get the Medicare claims to reconcile at times. And it's one of our biggest [00:19:00] support issues and that we have from practices is. W wanting to know how they can get the Medicare to add up between what they've claimed that they've actually received. They have been talking for years about replacing the adapter with web services, which is a much more modern way of transmitting data to and from Medicare, but it hasn't happened yet. We're hoping that it will happen in time for our cloud program because we don't really want to implement the adapt to in our modern program because talking to those sort of legacy products is actually quite difficult sometimes and trouble prone, which is then going to cause us more support issues. So we'd rather they'd move forward, but they've been very slow. Medicare and not pushing anything really. They're very reactive. [00:19:59] Pete: [00:19:59] What about, [00:20:00] dare I say My Health Record? I think I've, got to a point in this podcast where I haven't asked one question about My Health Record. But I'm gonna ask you guys about My Health Record and, whether it's your take on it or what's needed to increase uptake of it or how that's kind of working , what kind of thoughts have you got around that space? [00:20:18] Frank: [00:20:18] I personally, as a clinician, was quite keen on the concept of My Health Record was, the original cases involve issues where people were away from home on holiday or whatever and got sick and they full record would be available to a clinician at that location. People were admitted to a hospital and unable to give a history if they were unconscious after a car accident, that sort of thing. The hospitals would be able to look it up, so there's lots of good that clinician could see in it, but the implementation has probably let it down. When they did the, was it the Royce review? [00:20:58] Lorraine: [00:20:58] Royal. [00:21:00] Richard Royal. [00:21:01] Frank: [00:21:01] Royal Review about four years ago now, after it had been released for about a year and the uptake was very slow. He, was commissioned to basically write a report saying why was this the case and what could be done to turn it around? And that's when they renamed it from PCHR to my My Health Record. Like that was gonna make a big difference. That as part of his report, he interviewed a lot of people who were involved with it, including us. And. We gave him some suggestions for increasing uptake. And our biggest suggestion was that the GPs get paid an extra item number for curating the online health record, because it does take a couple of minutes at the end of a consultation to check that the health summary, shared health summaries up to date and accurate, and then to upload it. [00:21:55] And if you see 40 patients a day and you put an extra two minutes onto every [00:22:00] consultation, that's 80 minutes a day of unpaid work. And at the time, the health minister. Well, I think it was Nicola Roxon said that while it might push the level B consultation to a level C, and that was fine if that happened, but in most consultations it doesn't. If you've got a 10 minute consultation and you add two minutes, you don't go from a B to a C, you stay a B. So essentially GPS were being asked to do work that they weren't going to be paid for. And in the current climate and the climate at that time, no one had time to do extra work. And the GP is the person who actually has least to benefit from the My Health Record because they have all the data in the desktop system already. [00:22:40] So curating it and uploading it is of no real value to them personally. So it's good for hospitals, it's good for paramedics, it's good for occasional visiting GPs, if you're visiting somewhere else, but for your own regular GP, that data is already on his system. So being on the, My Health Record is of no [00:23:00] great value. [00:23:01] So I think, they're not going to get uptake until they can sort that out. Basically. But I mean, it was also flawed in the sense that it was a very document based architecture that they used. So everything that gets uploaded is a like a PDF basically, and that gives it no flexibility. You can't do anything really clever with the data. All you can do is just look at the documents. You can't graph the data pathology results go up and they can't, you can't use that atomize data that you can do with ones that come into your local system. So it's not as flexible or as useful as it probably could have been. And they recognize that and they're in the process of redesigning it, but we'll wait and see what they come up with. [00:23:49] Lorraine: [00:23:49] I mean, it's always an ongoing challenge with government dealing with new programs and things like that. Often the people that are making these announcements, you know, there's been no design behind it. It makes [00:24:00] it really difficult from a developer's point of view to actually understand what they're trying to achieve and how they're going to get there. And often, there's very little input into, into those specs. So from an industry point of view, I know MSAA spends a lot of time trying to, trying to encourage more discussion with, um, with developers. [00:24:20] But I mean, we all We also see from a patient's point of view with regard to My Health Record, we think that, for example, our app that we're releasing in the next couple of months, Best Health, you know, that gives the patient a copy of the health summary, all of the key things that they would need to know. [00:24:35] So if they are on holiday and need to see a doctor, they've got it there anyway. So it's probably more convenient. In that format. [00:24:42] Frank: [00:24:42] Doesn't help if you're unconscious after a car accident to get into your phone. Yeah. Phone is probably lost in the crash. And, um, even if it wasn't, no one knows you pin [00:24:57] Pete: [00:24:57] Well, [00:25:00] that's interesting. what about partners? There's all these other vendors that focus on a very niche kind of area and you guys are the central hub for information. Everyone wants to play with you, I guess, because that's how they engage with their target market and also, hopefully leverage some of the information there to ultimately improve patient outcomes. You've had a bit of a ramp up or at least I've seen work on your partner network and focus on that recently, so it seems like it's a big interest for you right now? [00:25:28] Frank: [00:25:28] It's complicated. We've got something like 300 or 400 people who want to interface to was one way or another, or have or want to, and that was becoming unmanageable for a start. But then also some of the people who already were interfacing, were doing things in a slightly less than perfect way, I'll say. And so as part of the partner network, we've given them more controlled access. [00:26:00] So that they don't need to be, in a sense, hacking the database for their own purposes. We'll give them controlled access to what they need and keep them away from what they don't need. Because if you've got an online appointment booking system, you don't really need to be reading any clinical data at all. And then so the partner program tightened up and standardized things so that it was all much more secure because obviously patient privacy and the privacy act has changed and there's mandatory data breach notification and stuff all became real in the last five years or so. And so we had to make the program keep up with that. [00:26:41] And as part of that, the tightening up of the security layer has that we've under done in the last couple of releases was necessary. [00:26:50] Lorraine: [00:26:50] Yeah. I mean, we've always been open to Engaging with, people who have niche products that we don't do. I mean, we stick to our knitting, [00:27:00] we don't think we can be all things to all practices. [00:27:02] I mean, that's the interesting thing about general practice. They're so diverse and the needs are all very different. the way they run their businesses is all very different. So you can't be all things to all people all the time. Is the old saying, so we don't object to that at all, but, we have to be very confident that we know exactly what those third parties are doing and why, how... Because we are allowing them to access that info. Well, not us, but the practice does, and we've got to do whatever we can as vendor to make sure that our customers don't get themselves into any tricky situations. So the more you can protect the customer from making a mistake, the better. [00:27:43] Frank: [00:27:43] Yeah. I mean, it's a hard balance. In some ways. We have always looked at the, the data belong to the practice. So we've always given them the ability to access it and allow third parties to access it. But some of the third parties have sort of taken [00:28:00] advantage of that to do things that would never really intended. [00:28:04] And the practice has not always known what was being done with the data. So as part of our practice partner program, we now have a contract where they have to agree not to use any data for purposes other than [00:28:18] Lorraine: [00:28:18] other than what has [00:28:19] Frank: [00:28:19] been signed up for. [00:28:21] I mean, that's a small protection that it's just a signing a document, but at least we've got something in place. Whereas before we had nothing. And so. t's a difficult balance between giving people access to data and not giving them too much access [00:28:39] Pete: [00:28:39] Need to find that right balance. so I surprisingly get asked, a fair bit, from, vendors that might have been developing something on how they can integrate with more practice management systems or can integrate better with the Is there, I can put some contact details of the, the partnership program, for best practice in the show notes, if that's would be good to you way. [00:28:57] Yeah. Easy. [00:28:58] Lorraine: [00:28:58] I'm surprised they [00:29:00] haven't already spoken to it. [00:29:01] Pete: [00:29:01] So I think sometimes it's, you know, you get lost in the way and how to do things [00:29:06] Lorraine: [00:29:06] It's funny. You know, you hear all these. Buzzwords, connectivity and, secure messaging and all that sort of stuff. [00:29:12]I mean, we look back and over the last, you know, 25 plus years, we've been involved in every single, trial for discharge summaries from hospitals, for example. And a lot of those trials were great. They were so successful, but they never proceeded. the ecosystem for health is quite complex. [00:29:28] And unless. If you're talking about connectivity and unless you get, a lot of them are big overseas vendors, that have hospital systems and and system administrators within the health department themselves. Unless there's a will there to proceed with that kind of thing. It makes it very difficult. [00:29:44] And yet there's so much money spent in the public health system, tertiary care, when in actual fact most of the interaction on a day to day basis is in general practice [00:29:55] Frank: [00:29:55] State based public hospitals seem to forget that general practice [00:30:00] exists basically. [00:30:02] Yeah ok, [00:30:02] Pete: [00:30:02] Well [00:30:03] Lorraine: [00:30:03] it's not the remit, but [00:30:05] Frank: [00:30:05] it's not, I mean, it's this sort of crazy idea we have of having a federal health system that runs primary care and then a state based system that runs tertiary care. [00:30:15] And it's different in every state. They use different software, different systems. sometimes in the past, even between the hospitals in one state, they've used different systems and although that is gradually becoming less of an issue. Yeah. [00:30:30] Lorraine: [00:30:30] I mean, we like to, we like it when there's a national approach and they do it once and everyone uses the same format. [00:30:37] Frank: [00:30:37] Unfortunately, we're facing the safe script thing for the real time prescription monitoring where every state seems to be going to go at sign way and use a different method for tracking real time prescriptions. Let's [00:30:51] Pete: [00:30:51] That makes things easy for you... [00:30:52] Frank: [00:30:52] It doesn't make things easy at all! And it's just typical of the way governments seem to run in this [00:31:00] country. [00:31:01] Lorraine: [00:31:01] It's really inefficient from that point of view. I look back in the mid nineties two of the largest pathology companies in Queensland, so we had Sullivan Nicolaides and QML, which is Queensland Medical Laboratory. They were really strong competitors, and there was a big divide between them, but they both got together and stumped up some cash and contacted the PMS software vendors, around at the time, including us at Medical Director and, said, we're going to do pathology results. And also we're going to standardize the way that requests are made. And so they came up, to their credit ,with the same format of the form. And then whenever any other lab from any other of the state would contact us, we'd say, this is the format for the form, you've got to use that. And so suddenly pathology, we're all using the same format, and it was so simple. Whereas radiology is all over the shop cause they all still have their own, [00:31:56] Frank: [00:31:56] particularly in early nineties, most [00:32:00] radiology practices were just sub double digit numbers of radiologists and they didn't have the big conglomerates. [00:32:08] Whereas the path labs have always been quite large and therefore, and there's not so many of them yet, and so it's easier to get them to come to some agreement. [00:32:18] Lorraine: [00:32:18] So I suppose after all this experience in the industry, our advice is do at once. Do it well. [00:32:25] Right. [00:32:26] Frank: [00:32:26] Sadly it's not happening though. Real time prescription monitoring is looking like being a bit of a nightmare. [00:32:32] Lorraine: [00:32:32] And, and also PHNs, you know, they're all wanting data, but they're all ultimately collecting the same sort of data for the federal government. It'd be terrible if all they all decided they wanted it. It in a different format. It's kind of make it. The life of all software vendors, really difficult, you know, where it's the same information really. [00:32:52] Frank: [00:32:52] We've seen a bit of that in New Zealand with the PHO's collecting data, right? Even [00:32:58] Lorraine: [00:32:58] though they're all collecting [00:32:59] Frank: [00:32:59] the same [00:33:00] stuff, but they all have different formats and different ways of transmitting it. [00:33:05] Lorraine: [00:33:05] And the overhead, from our point of view is quite costly. So you don't want to do that. [00:33:10] There's no need to do that. [00:33:11]Pete: [00:33:11] You're talking earlier about Government institutions and associations looking at the ADHA, the Australian Digital Health Agency, and putting it around the other way. what are the things that practice management systems can be doing to be helping the ADHA in their big quest for the big buzzword interoperability. [00:33:28] Frank: [00:33:28] They have made some, some strides towards that, especially in the last couple of years. And I know Tim Kelsey made secure messaging one of his priorities and we have been involved in the trials that they did one or two years ago which have resulted now in a further round of funding. [00:33:47] For all of the vendors to implement the new work. And so there is progress being made. I guess my thought though is secure messaging really the best [00:34:00] way to be doing it. And should we be looking to something like the. Prescription exchanges where they use web services to put documents into a central repository, which then can be accessed by different people. [00:34:13] So say a referral to a specialist rather than going point to point with secure messaging could be sent centrally and then downloaded by the specialist or by one of a group of specialists that the patient decides is the one that they want to go to. Yeah. I mean, secure messaging is coming. But whether it's what we really want, I'm not entirely certain. [00:34:37] Lorraine: [00:34:37] The directory is always been the sticking point because they were, there was no national directory to make sure you [00:34:44] Frank: [00:34:44] Every secure messaging company has it's owndirectory, and they didn't communicate. It makes [00:34:49] Pete: [00:34:49] it hard to, to connect with the whole point. So [00:34:53] Lorraine: [00:34:53] that's work being You know, I'd done now district that a federated one. [00:34:58] That's good. That's [00:34:58] Pete: [00:34:58] Good. Look, lastly, [00:35:00] to wrap things up, I'm looking at what you guys are working on because there's a lot of people out there working at the best practice office here on your new thing coming up and, I'm glad, that you mentioned cloud before because Titanium has been on your website for a long time. [00:35:14] Frank: [00:35:14] It's [00:35:14] Pete: [00:35:14] been, there's been a lot [00:35:15] Frank: [00:35:15] of construction for a long time. [00:35:18] Pete: [00:35:18] So it's an interesting looking at cloud in practice management land. It's, is that a deliberate strategy from you guys of kind of seeing how things play out or understanding what the market needs, or is it just about building like the right thing for [00:35:33] Frank: [00:35:33] the market [00:35:34] I think there are a couple of things. One is that when we started the titanium project, we weren't really designing it for the cloud. We were designing it as a web application, but not specifically as a cloud application. And so about two years into the project, we kind of changed direction of it. [00:35:53] And as I said, the security and the, sort of concerns in the cloud are quite different to what we [00:36:00] were originally doing. So it changed direction halfway through, but the other issue that's holding it back a bit is the sheeramount of work that needs to be done to be able to fully replace Best Practice. It's a really rich, functional piece of software, which has taken ultimately nearly 30 years to get to where it is if you count the Medical Director time as being a sort of [00:36:25] Lorraine: [00:36:25] precursor first run. [00:36:30] Frank: [00:36:30] So just getting that functionality takes time. Unfortunately practices in different ways use every bit of functionality that we've given them because we put it in there for a purpose. And we've seen that the practice needs this or that, and so we've put it in and we can't take it away from them. [00:36:50] So getting to that level of richness where we can actually move people from BP premiere to Titanium is just taking a long time. We [00:37:00] also, in a way, got distracted a bit when we took over the Houston business and took over vip.net and Ultimately bought BP allied, which used to be called My Practice because there was a lot of catch up work that needed to be done on those products to get them to our level of quality. [00:37:20] And. We've done that, we've achieved that, but that did divert resources for a couple of years into work that we hadn't originally anticipated doing. And I mean, sure, we gained some resources when we took over Houston, but, it was a bit of a diversion for a time. Ultimately, those products are all going to be replaced by Titanium, so we have to include New Zealand, we have to include Allied all into the Titanium, work load, which again, adds time. So it's, it's just slow. [00:37:53] Pete: [00:37:53] So that, that'll, that'll cover tran Tas... [00:37:57] Frank: [00:37:57] yeah. [00:37:57] Pete: [00:37:57] Yeah. [00:37:59] Across the [00:38:00] dutch. [00:38:00] Lorraine: [00:38:00] Yeah, [00:38:01] Frank: [00:38:01] that's right. I mean, yeah, we pretty, [00:38:03] Pete: [00:38:03] that's a valeant effort in itself. Just covering to [00:38:06] Frank: [00:38:06] aim is ultimately to only have one product, but through configuration and preferences and whatnot, we can, make it appeal to GPs,Allied Health and Specialists. [00:38:18] And we do see that some of the allied health may need a lot less functionality than the GP practices use. So it may be that we actually release a sort of Ttitanium for allied health before we release titanium for GPs. [00:38:35] Get [00:38:36] Pete: [00:38:36] That's [00:38:37] Frank: [00:38:37] a [00:38:41] Pete: [00:38:41] valeant effort in itself just to be able to do, to cover all of those needs. [00:38:47] It's, it can stretch, you know, many kilometers wide and you only get it a couple of centimeters date in covering all the needs of not just GPS, which like you say, 30 years of, of, of expertise. That's, that's. That's why [00:39:00] you are where you are. Um, but to build it again from scratch and then include specialists in [00:39:05] Frank: [00:39:05] an allied The other issue is that during the time that we're working on it, we still have to maintain the existing products because they, people are using them. [00:39:18] Things are changing at have asking for work to be done on the secure messaging and so on. And we can't stop doing that. And so BP premiere is getting richer and titanium is, the workload is getting bigger with every passing day. So. That is also a bit of an issue. Amazing. [00:39:38] Pete: [00:39:38] Well, look, I, I'm not going to keep you too much longer from all of that work that does need to be done. before we bail, are there any parting thoughts or any kind of final on or things that we didn't cover off? [00:39:47] Frank: [00:39:47] Um, we didn't talk much about the app. I don't know if [00:39:51] Pete: [00:39:51] you tell me more about the, Cause you've got a patient app that's is being worked on. [00:39:56] Frank: [00:39:56] It's actually been out [00:39:57] Lorraine: [00:39:57] trials for you [00:39:59] Frank: [00:39:59] for months [00:40:00] in a small number of sites for user testing. And it's proven to be quite popular in those sites. So we're actually looking at a full launch in October, the first release of the app includes It's all about communication between the practice and the patient. [00:40:22] We see that as being a bit of a future direction and the practices and patients will, um, be more easily able to communicate. So the way we've designed it. For example, um, when a GP checks a result, they can directly from the checking results screen from the inbox, they can send a message to the app, which goes securely, and the patient will get a notification on their phone, but they will have to have the pin numbers and whatnot not to get in and read the message. [00:40:55] So it's much more secure than SMS. And so we'd be using it for [00:41:00] appointment reminders, we can use it for actual reminders for things like that. cervical screening and what not. We can use it to inform people of their results. We can use it to send documents and in particular health fact sheets, patient education material, appointment reminders. [00:41:21] Ultimately though, we're aiming to do things like, prescription ordering. So repeat prescriptions. Requests for specialist referrals. If the people don't really need to be seen, if it's a routine annual ophthalmology review or something, and it'll be optional for practices as to how far they take those things, but it gives them the, the option. [00:41:49] So it's another option in communicating. I mean, people don't want to send letters anymore because it's way more expensive than sending an SMS and the patient app, the [00:42:00] communications costs from it will be much less than even SMS. So it's giving practices a better way of of doing things and a more secure way [00:42:11] Pete: [00:42:11] Are practices asking for an app because there's a few apps out there that do, I guess a similar thing on the, surface of what you've described. [00:42:21] If [00:42:21] Frank: [00:42:21] They do, we think this kind of rolls it all into one easy app. I mean, ultimately it will. Well, it will allow you to make your online appointment through the practices online appointment system. It'll be a kind of, you get a message from the GP to say, I want to talk to you about your results. You can immediately on the same app. [00:42:46] Make your appointment. And then you get the reminder come into your app a day later. Whenever the picks appointments do, you can check in at the front desk. Again, if the practice don't want everyone to be physically seen by the receptionist. And [00:43:00] some practices insist on that. There are others that use checkin kiosks. [00:43:04] So this will essentially replace a checking kiosk, cause you can use it, the app to check if you have [00:43:11] Lorraine: [00:43:11] it doesn't restrict patients from. Seeing more than one practice. And the reality is, is that, you know, a lot of people don't always have, you know, they might have a family GP, but they might also use a, you know, bulk-billing clinic when they go and get a sick certificate or something like that. [00:43:27] So [00:43:27] Frank: [00:43:27] some people have one in town, me at work, of course, and then one out the [00:43:32] Lorraine: [00:43:32] home. So, so if they're using, if those surgeries are using best practice in theoretically, um, the, the patient will be able to register it both, but nominate one as their main one, but then they'll consolidate anything that's been, you know, if, if they've been diagnosed with something at one, it'll actually update their app. [00:43:52] Frank: [00:43:52] Ultimately, when Titanium finally makes it out into the real world, you could have your physio and your [00:44:00] podiatrist everyone on the way. Can all be in the one app, so you don't need an app for the physio and an app for the ophthalmologist and two apps for the General Practices, which was originally when we were discussing the, the app that was an option was for us to sort of white label it so that the practice could put a sign in logo on the front and every practice could have an app that interfaced. [00:44:23] But when we thought about it and how people might use it, it made more sense to have just one app with our branding on it. And allow that to have multiple surgeries to connect. [00:44:35] Pete: [00:44:35] And that'll be a bit of a shift for you too, because if it's going to be something that's, that's patient facing with your branding on it, that's new for you guys to [00:44:44] Frank: [00:44:44] It's new for us [00:44:46] I mean, we've discussed at length the issues of supporting patients because in the past we've only ever provided support to. And practices and users. So the implications of having [00:45:00] potentially 12 million people, um, using the app, that won't happen, but even 1 million, it's. If they have a minor problem, it's a lot of support. [00:45:11] So that's why we did a sort of restricted release before doing the full release and to try and make certain that there's no issues that are going to come back and become an unmanageable problem. And at the moment it's looking good. So we're happy to release it in October [00:45:31] Pete: [00:45:31] So much happening. A lot of new innovations a lot of, history there too, so much to, to digest. I'll put some links and some information in the show notes of the podcast. Frank and Lorraine, thank you so much for your [00:45:44] Frank: [00:45:44] Thank you [00:45:44] Pete: [00:45:44] [00:45:46] Thanks for listening to talking HealthTech. My name Peter Birch. Go do some stuff on our socials, visit the website, share it with some people and give us a nice review and a five star rating because it all helps to spread the word and get people talking. Until next time I'm outta here.
According to audio obtained by High Country News, acting BLM Director William Perry Pendley faced questioning from staff over the decision to move career positions to Grand Junction, CO. Today's news features an interview with HCN reporter Nick Bowlin, speaking with our partners at KDNK about this upheaval at the BLM, consolidation of policymaking power, and the future of public lands management.
Health Choice Network President and CEO Alex Romillo joins Greenway Health President Kimberly O'Loughlin to discuss Greenway's partnership with HCN — part of our commitment to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), plus what we have in store to fuel the success of health centers in the years ahead.
Healing Communities Network (HCN) was founded in 1979 by Father Stephen Chinlund under the combined direction of the New York State Commission of Correction and the New York State Department of Correction, now the Department of Correction and Community Supervision. The program was in 30 New York State Prisons and four New York City communities. The mission of Healing Communities Network (HCN) is to help reduce recidivism by working with people inside prison and after prison to direct their own rehabilitation in support groups that build self esteem and a sense of community. HCN was one of the earliest programs to address the trauma of incarceration and understand the importance of empowerment and difficulties faced upon returning to the community. HCN adopted its new name in 2011 to better reflect its mission. Currently, HCN is in six prisons and four New York City communities. It is a unique program because it is a bridge from inside prison to the community and involves families. http://www.healingcommunitiesnetwork.org/
For 25 years, Health Choice Network has been improving the health status of communities throughout the country by offering high-quality, affordable, community-based health care. HCN President and CEO Alex Romillo discusses the mission of HCN, its partnership with Greenway Health in enhancing patient care, and what's in store for HCN in 2019. With HCN celebrating 25 years this year, Alex discusses what the future holds as they continue to adapt to changing needs of their patient population in the communities they serve. For more information on HCN, visit their website at www.hcnetwork.org.
On today’s episode, the MTD team records live from Mazak’s 'Mazak Live' event at their European headquarters in Worcester, after a long day of inspecting innovating machinery from Mazak and discussing personal highlights of the event and new equipment on display. The talk of the show was Mazak’s new HCN five-axis machine, which was not only mechanically advanced in the sense of having one the fastest jerk rates on the market with a power of 30,000rpm alongside 80kw, but also accompanied with a captivating visual design which Mazak said was customer inspired. The trio also discussed the biggest changes and advancements at the Yamakazi show since last year, other powerful machinery present and Mazak’s unique marketing schemes which lead the to customer loyalty and involvement with the brand.
Brian Calvert is the Editor-in-Chief of the High Country News, a non-profit media organization that covers the defining stories of the American West. Since 1970, High Country News has been fully committed to in-depth journalism that explores complex relationships between the West's communities, business interests, and the natural world. In our current media climate that seems to celebrate surface-level, hastily written news stories, High Country News remains committed to long-form, well-researched, and nuanced explorations of complicated issues. • Brian is a fourth-generation Wyoming native who grew up in Pinedale at the base of the spectacular Wind River Range. A blue-collar upbringing, a stint in the Army, time working in the oil fields, and years spent overseas as a foreign correspondent have given Brian a unique and valuable perspective into the relationship between people and place. This depth of experience allows Brian to approach Western issues with a curious, patient, and balanced style that is becoming more and more rare in today’s media. • I was on Colorado’s Western Slope for work and stopped by the High Country News office in Paonia to chat with Brian. We had a fascinating conversation about the history of High Country News and how its commitment to in-depth journalism is more important now than ever. We discussed Brian’s upbringing in Wyoming, and why he chose to pursue journalism as a career. We talked about his time spent as a foreign correspondent in places like Cambodia, China, and Afghanistan, as well as the lessons he learned from living in such intense and sometimes dangerous environments. And as you’ve come to expect, we discussed his favorite books, authors, and places in the American West. • There’s a lot to learn in this episode, so please check out the episode notes for links to everything we discuss. Also, please visit the High Country News website or consider ordering a print subscription. Brian and his team are doing important work that deserves support from thoughtful, curious folks like the listeners of this podcast. Enjoy! ••• http://mountainandprairie.com/brian-calvert/ ••• Topics Discussed: 2:35 - How Brian describes his work 3:15 - History of the High Country News 5:30 - Moving HCN to Paonia 7:00 - HCN’s non-profit model 12:15 - Current shifts in modern journalism 15:30 - Challenges of producing in-depth news in the age of Twitter 21:40 - Thoughts on the rawness and plain-spokenness of the West 24:00 - Brian’s early years in Pinedale 26:25 - Joining the Army and National Guard 27:00 - Desire to write and see the world 28:20 - Adventurous childhood 30:45 - From college to foreign correspondent 33:33 - Working in Cambodia 35:20 - Where Brian was on 9/11 36:30 - Moving back to WY and working in the oil fields 40:55 - Scary events overseas 45:00 - Adjusting to US after life in war zones 47:00 - Learning to surf and surfing as a healing process 49:45 - Being selected for the Ted Scripps Fellowship 51:00 - Opportunity at HCN 53:20 - In-depth journalism in the era of “fake news” 55:25 - Importance of high values in unbiased journalism 1:00:00 - Importance of considering all sides of arguments 1:02:15 - Role of HCN in journalism for a diverse readership 1:05:30 - Favorite books about the West 1:07:50 - The American West as an idea 1:11:30 - Interesting and weird hobbies 1:12:25 - Poetry 1:14:20 - Favorite location in the West 1:15:35 - Best advice ever receive 1:16:00 - Request of the listeners 1:17:00 - Connect with Brian
In this episode of West Obsessed, High Country News Editor-in-chief Brian Calvert and Publisher Paul Larmer bring HCN correspondent Ben Goldfarb into the studio to talk about his recent feature story an illegal timber poaching gang in Washington. How did an anonymous tip, DNA evidence and a century-old conservation law help the Forest Service take down a gang of maple poachers? Listen to find out.
show#685 04.02.17 Some good ol' Rockin' Blues... Dexter Shaw & The Wolftones - Rocker from Dexin' 2017 Rhythm Bomb Records (3:14) Johnny & Bo - Dustaphonics from Johnny & Bo 2017 Catty Town Records (2:23) Vince and the Sun Boppers - Red Headed Mama from Spinnin´ Around 2017 Rhythm Bomb Records (1:41) Maureen & The Mercury 5 - The Keepin' Kind from Gimme Mo 2017 Catty Town Records (3:01) Bugs Henderson - Honey Mama from Years In The Jungle 1993 Trigger/Taxim (4:44) Jawbone - What's Goin' On from Dang Blues 2004 Loose Music (2:52) Chris James & Patrick Rynn - Hard to Keep a Dollar from Trouble Don't Last 2015 VizzTone (5:10) Delbert McClinton & Dick 50 - She's Not There Anymore from Acquired Taste 2009 New West (3:03) Mannish Boys - Those Worries from Shake for Me 2010 Delta Groove (7:01) Chris Bergson - Standing In The Doorway from Imitate The Sun 2011 2 Shirts Records (8:33) BLu ACiD - Money from HCN 2016 Black & Tan (4:43) The Kokomo Kings - You Need A Little Dirt (To Make The Grass Green) from Too Good To Stay Away From 2017 Rhythm Bomb Records (3:08) Mo Al Jaz and Friends - Off The Wall (alternate) from The Blues Of Little Walter 2017 Rhythm Bomb Records (2:50) Magic Dick & Shun Ng - Fire from About Time 2016 Self- Release (3:04) Rory Gallagher - For The Last Time from Rory Gallagher 1971 Polydor (6:35) Jesus On A Tortilla - You Upset My Mind from Gone To Main Street 2014 self-release (3:25) Imperial Crowns - Wasn't Love At First Sight from The Calling 2016 DixieFrog (4:36) Peter Karp - Dirty Weather from Shadows And Cracks 2007 Blind Pig (4:28) French Blues Explosion - Shoot You Mother Fucker from French Blues Explosion 2012 self-release (4:11) Albert Cummings - Lonely Bed from True to Yourself 2004 Blind Pig (7:36) Bill Rhoades & the Party Kings - Early in the Morning from Voodoo Lovin' 2005 White Owl (6:35) R.J. Mischo - Hippie's Playground from He Came To Play 2006 Crosscut (3:56) Daniel Castro - Blues For Mario from Daniel Castro Live At The Saloon - HDCD (13:24) Bill Perry - How Blue Can You Get from Live in NYC 1999 Virgin (7:38) Bonerama - Mr. Go from Bring It Home 2007 (6:36) Donnie Has The Blues - Super Deluxe Video check it out.... https://www.facebook.com/superdeluxevideo/videos/437537873257435/
Options Oddities 141: HCN, PSA, VNQ Unusual Activity for March 16, 2015: Calls trade in Health Care REIT, Inc. (HCN) Calls traders move on Public Storage (PSA) Puts trade in Vanguard REIT Index Fund (VNQ)
One amazing bank you have never heard of. Motley Fool analysts Matt Koppenheffer and David Hanson as they discuss the latest jobs report, ponder the possibility of Dow 20,000, and take a listener’s question about diversification.
Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences - Digitale Hochschulschriften der LMU
Aside from recognizing and distinguishing sound patterns, the ability to localize sounds in the horizontal plane is an essential component of the mammalian auditory system. It facilitates approaching potential mating partners and allows avoiding predators. The superior olivary complex (SOC) within the auditory brainstem is the first site of binaural interaction and its major projections and inputs are well investigated. The adult input pattern, however, is not set from the beginning but changes over the period of development. Mammals including humans experience different stages and conditions of hearing during auditory development. The human brain for instance has to perform a transition after birth from the perception of sound waves transmitted in amniotic fluid to the perception of airborne sounds. Furthermore, small mammals like rodents, which are common model organisms for auditory research, perceive airborne sounds for the first time some days after birth, when their ear canals open. The basic neuronal projections and the intrinsic properties of neurons, such as the expression of specific ion channels, are already established and adjusted in the SOC during the perinatal period of partial deafness. An additional refinement of inputs and further adaptations of intrinsic characteristics occur with the onset of hearing in response to the new acoustic environment. It is likely that with ongoing maturation well-established inputs within the sound localization network need these adaptations to balance anatomical changes such as an increasing head size. In addition, short-term adjustments of synaptic inputs in the adult auditory system are equally necessary for a faithful representation of auditory space. A recent study suggests that these short-term adaptations are partially represented at the auditory brainstem level. The question of how intrinsic properties change during auditory development, to what extent auditory experience is involved in these changes and the functional implications of these changes on the sound localization circuitry is only partially answered. I used the hyperpolarization-activated and cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channels (HCN channels), which are a key determinant of the intrinsic properties of auditory brainstem neurons, as a target to study the influence of auditory experience on the intrinsic properties of neurons in the auditory brainstem. Another important question still under discussion is how neurons in the auditory brainstem might fine-tune their firing behavior to cope optimally with an altered acoustic environment. Recent data suggest that auditory processing is also affected by modulatory mechanisms at the brainstem level, which for instance change the input strength and thus alter the spike output of these neurons. One possible candidate is the metabotropic GABAB receptor (GABABR) which has been shown to be abundant in the adult auditory brainstem, although GABAergic projections are scarce in the mature auditory brainstem. These questions were investigated by performing whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of SOC neurons from Mongolian gerbils at different developmental stages in the acute brain slice preparation. Specific currents and receptors were isolated using pharmacological means. Immmunohistochemical results additionally supported physiological findings. In the first study, I investigated the developmental regulation of HCN channels in the SOC and their underlying depolarizing current Ih, which has been shown to regulate the excitability of neurons and to enhance the temporally precise analysis of binaural acoustic cues. I characterized the developmental changes of Ih in neurons of the lateral superior olive (LSO) and the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB), which in the adult animals show different HCN subunit composition. I showed that right after hearing onset there was a strong increase of Ih in the LSO and just a minor increase in the MNTB. In addition, the open probability of HCN channels was shifted towards more positive voltages in both nuclei and the activation time constants accelerated during the first days of auditory experience. These results implicate that Ih is actively regulated by sensory input activity. I tested this hypothesis by inducing auditory deprivation which was achieved by surgically removing the cochlea in gerbils before hearing onset. The effect was opposite in neurons of the MNTB and the LSO. Whereas in LSO neurons auditory deprivation resulted in increased Ih amplitude, MNTB neurons displayed a moderate decrease in Ih. These results suggest that auditory experience differentially changes the amount of HCN channels dependent on the subunit composition or possibly alters intracellular cAMP levels, thereby shifting the voltage dependence of Ih. This regulatory mechanism might thus maintain adequate excitability levels within the SOC. A second study was carried out to investigate the role of GABABRs in the medial superior olive (MSO). Upon activation, these metabotropic receptors are known to decrease the release probability of neurotransmitters at the presynapse thereby altering excitatory and inhibitory currents at the postsynaptic site. Neurons in the MSO analyze interaural time differences (ITDs) by comparing the relative timing of the excitatory inputs from the two ears using a coincidence mechanism. In addition, these neurons receive a precisely timed inhibitory input from each ear which shifts ITDs in the physiological relevant range. Since the major inhibitory input changes its transmitter type from mixed GABA/glycinergic to only glycinergic after hearing onset it was now interesting to examine the mediated effects of GABABRs, which have been shown to be abundant in the prehearing and adult MSO of gerbils. Furthermore, revealing the precise expression pattern of GABABRs and their influence on excitatory and inhibitory currents in the MSO during auditory development should provide further evidence of their functional relevance. Performing pharmacological experiments I could now demonstrate that the activation of GABABRs before hearing onset decreases the current of excitatory inputs stronger than that of inhibitory inputs whereas a switch is performed after hearing onset and inhibitory currents are stronger decreasedcompared to excitatory currents. In a similar way, also the expression pattern of GABABRs changes before and after hearing onset as revealed by immunohistochemistry. Since the main inhibitory inputs to the adult MSO are purely glycinergic, it was commonly assumed that GABABRs occupy only a minor role in the mature auditory brainstem. Contradictory to this, it was possible to activate presynaptic GABABRs by synaptic stimulation even in adult animals and to observe a profound decrease of inhibitory current in MSO neurons. These results suggest GABAergic projections of yet unknown origin targeting the MSO. It is therefore quite likely that GABABRs modulate and possibly improve the localization of low frequency sounds even in adult mammals. Summarized, the outcome of this thesis contributes to a better understanding of the developmental adaptation in the auditory system and demonstrates that the orderly specification of intrinsic properties within the SOC is dependent on auditory experience. Moreover, I show that even in mature animals the synaptic strength of MSO inputs can be modulated by synaptic GABA release. This should emphasize the importance of modulatory mechanisms and could be the basis for future studies concerning the field of sound localization.
Can you steer a hurricane? In this week's weather-focused Naked Scientists, we find out how aeroplanes are creating clouds, get the low-down on how insurance companies size up storm risks and hear how a hurricane works and whether it's possible to control its course. Also, news of how the Asian monsoon sends pollutants skyward, the world's smallest desalination system, why swine flu spared the older generation and where your coronary arteries came from. Plus, in a weather-related Kitchen Science, we explore the workings of a rainbow. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Can you steer a hurricane? In this week's weather-focused Naked Scientists, we find out how aeroplanes are creating clouds, get the low-down on how insurance companies size up storm risks and hear how a hurricane works and whether it's possible to control its course. Also, news of how the Asian monsoon sends pollutants skyward, the world's smallest desalination system, why swine flu spared the older generation and where your coronary arteries came from. Plus, in a weather-related Kitchen Science, we explore the workings of a rainbow. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Fakultät für Chemie und Pharmazie - Digitale Hochschulschriften der LMU - Teil 02/06
The hyperpolarization-activated, cyclic-nucleotide-gated cation channel (HCN) familiy comprises four members. The channels play a role in the formation of rhythmic activity of heart and brain. In contrast to the other three members of the HCN channel family, there are only a few studies of tissue distribution and electrophysiological properties of HCN3 so far. Expression has been reported at low levels, but throughout the brain, in some other tissues such as retina, olfactory epithelium and recently in the heart. In order to study the physiological relevance of HCN3 expression, we generated HCN3-deficient mouse lines by gene targeting and homologous recombination: a complete Knockout, a complete Knockout expressing the reporter gene lacZ instead of HCN3 and a conditional Knockout using the Cre-loxP system to study spatial and temporal functions of this pacemaker channel. The functional characterization included behavioural studies and heart physiology.
Fakultät für Chemie und Pharmazie - Digitale Hochschulschriften der LMU - Teil 01/06
2,4,6-tribromophenyl azide was synthesised as previously described and fully characterised using Infrared and Raman spectroscopy, elemental analysis, NMR spectroscopy (1H, 13C, 14N) and X-ray structural analysis. 2,4,6-tribromophenyl azide was recrystallised from ethanol to give pink needles which are monoclinic, with space group P21/n. The crystal packing diagram of 2,4,6-tribromophenyl azide shows that every terminal N(3) atom of the azide group has two intermolecular contacts with two bromine atoms of symetrically related molecules within the unit cell. The intermolecular distances are N(3) to Br(2)* (x – 0.5, -y-0.5, z-0.5) 3.605 Å and N(3) to Br(1)* (x + 1, y, z) 3.881 Å. These distances are both below the sum of the van der Waals radii of both atoms. The crystal packing diagram of 2,4,6-tribromophenyl azide is shown in the figure below. 2,6-diiodo-4-nitrophenyl azide was synthesised as previously described and fully characterised using Infrared and Raman spectroscopy, elemental analysis, NMR. spectroscopy (1H, 13C, 14N) and X-ray structural analysis. 2,6-diiodo-4-nitrophenyl azide was recrystallised from ethanol to give green needles which are monoclinic, with space group P21/c. There are two independent molecules in the asymmetric unit, one molecule has an ordered azide group and the other molecule has a disordered azide group. There is a most unusual intermolecular contact of 3.041 Å between O(11) and I(22) and between O(21) and I(12). This distance is well below the sum of the van der Waals radii of both atoms. The crystal packing is a chain with alternate ordered ands disordered molecules linked by this oxygen –iodine intermolecular contact (see figure below) The ab initio calculations of the vibrational frequencies for all of the halogen phenyl azides derivates were carried out at the self consistent HF level of theory using a 6-31G(d) basis set. Generally the agreement between calculated and experimentally observed (IR, Raman) frequencies is very good at HF/6-31G(d) level of theory for all derivatives prepared so that no scaling of the computed frequencies was necessary. The fact that the asymmetric azide vibration is calculated too high for 2,4,6-tribromophenyl azide, 2,4,6-trichlorophenyl azide 199 and 2,6-diiodo-4-nitrophenyl azide may or may not be explained by strong intermolecular interactions via the N3 group in these compounds as revealed by X-ray diffraction which due to the increased formal) charges on Nβ and Nγ weaken the terminal nitrogen-nitrogen triple bond. The thermal decomposition of three nitrophenyl azides, 1,3,5-(NO2)3-2,4,6-(N3)3-C6 (TNTA), 1,3-(NO2)2-2,4,6-(N3)3-C6H (DNTA) and 1,3,5-(NO2)3-2-(N3)-C6H2 (TNMA) was studied experimentally using gas-phase IR spectroscopy 1,3,5-(NO2)3-2,4,6-(N3)3-C6 → 6 CO + 6 N2 (1) 1,3-(NO2)2-2,4,6-(N3)3-C6H → HCN + 4 CO + 5 N2 + C (2) 1,3,5-(NO2)3-2-(N3)-C6H2 → 2 HCN + 2 CO2 + NO2 + 3/2 N2 + 2 C (3) The combustion of 1,3.5-(NO2)3-2,4,6-(N3)3-C6 (TNTA) in an O2 atmosphere (two fold excess) yielded CO2, N2, very small amounts of NO2 and traces of N2O (eq. 4). 1,3,5-(NO2)3-2,4,6-(N3)3-C6 + 3 O2 → 6 CO2 + 6 N2 (4) In a further experiment exploring the potential of TATA as a solid fuel we mixed the material with the stoichiometric amount (cf. eq. (5)) of NH4NO3 1,3,5-(NO2)3-2,4,6-(N3)3-C6 + 6 NH4NO3 → 6 CO2 + 12 N2 12 H2O (5) The calculated enthalpy value of –908.9 kcal mol-1 makes the 1:6 molar mixture of 1,3-5- (NO2)3-2,4,6-(N3)3-C6 and NH4NO3 a very promising high energy density material (HEDM) the potential of which we are going to explore in more detail in future studies. In the drophammer testing of TNMA, DNTA and TNTA the order of the acoustic level is TNMA < DNTA < TNTA, but the values for DNTA and TNTA are very similar. Even the weakest of the investigated organic explosives (TNMA) is more powerful than AgN3 or Pb(N3)2, if the acoustic level is interpret as somewhat proportional to the detonation power. The calculated factor (F) and detonation velocities ( D) for TNMA, DNTA and TNTA were calculated using the Rothstein equation that calculates the detonation velocities of a variety of explosives on the basis of their molecular formulae. The calculated detonation velocities (D) are in agreement with the drophammer tests for these compounds i.e the values for detonation velocities (D) show TNMA < DNTA < TNTA, but the values for DNTA (9.185 mm µs-1) and TNTA (9.441 mm µs-1) are very similar. TNMA, DNTA and TNTA have higher calculated F factors and detonation velocities than several commercial explosives. In order to measure the 14N NMR spectrum of a pentazole, the pentazole was prepared in the NMR tube already in the probe. This was done by dissolving the diazonium salt in dichloromethane and placing this solution in the NMR tube and freezing it solid with liquid nitrogen and then the azide solution was added on top and also frozen solid, the NMR tube was then placed in the probe at –50°C. The two layers were allowed mix in the NMR tube as it obtained equilibrium at –50°C. The 14N NMR spectrum was recorded from the moment the tube was placed in the probe. In most of the spectra recorded using this method it was possible to see very small signals in the predicted region for the nitrogen atoms of the pentazole for about 30 minutes but again the strongest signals belong to the corresponding azide. The signals in the predicted pentazole region were not much more than the noise signal so we were not able to assign these with any confidence. However in the experiment using the above method for 2,4-dichlorophenylpentazole we were able to see three clearly distinctive signals in the expect range for the nitrogen atoms in a pentazole . This experiment was carried out several times and each time we observed the same spectra. As well as the three signals of the pentazole the are two signal of the 2,4-diclorophenyl azide present. The spectrum of this experiment can be seen in figure below. When the sample was allowed to warm up to room temperature the three signals for the pentazole disappear but the two signals of the azide remain. We can tentatively assign the signals in the spectrum of 2,4-dichlorophenylpentazole and 2,4 diclorophenyl azide as N1 ( δ = -176.0 ) ppm, N2 N5 ( δ = -72.0 ) ppm, N3 N4 ( δ = -24.0 ) ppm for the pentazole and Nβ ( δ = -135.0 ) ppm and Nγ ( δ = -141.0 ) ppm for the azide. Although the values we obtained for the 14N spectrum of the 2,4-dichloropenyl pentazole are shifted from the values previously reported, we are certain that the signals have been assigned correctly due to the fact that no other nitrogen containing substance could be present at –50°C and that the signals disappear as the temperature is raised which is in accordance with the pentazole decomposing to the azide. This is the first reported 14N NMR spectrum of a pentazole.
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