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10.1007/978-3-319-66709-6_23 | Variational Networks Connecting Variational Methods And Deep Learning | In this paper, we introduce variational networks (VNs) for image reconstruction. VNs are fully learned models based on the framework of incremental proximal gradient methods. They provide a natural transition between classical variational methods and state-of-the-art residual neural networks. Due to their incremental nature, VNs are very efficient, but only approximately minimize the underlying variational model. Surprisingly, in our numerical experiments on image reconstruction problems it turns out that giving up exact minimization leads to a consistent performance increase, in particular in the case of convex models. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1007/s10915-017-0460-5 | Cauchy Noise Removal by Nonconvex ADMM with Convergence Guarantees | Image restoration is one of the essential tasks in image processing. In order to restore images from blurs and noise while also preserving their edges, one often applies total variation (TV) minimization. Cauchy noise, which frequently appears in engineering applications, is a kind of impulsive and non-Gaussian noise. Removing Cauchy noise can be achieved by solving a nonconvex TV minimization problem, which is difficult due to its nonconvexity and nonsmoothness. In this paper, we adapt recent results in the literature and develop a specific alternating direction method of multiplier to solve this problem. Theoretically, we establish the convergence of our method to a stationary point. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is competitive with other methods in visual and quantitative measures. In particular, our method achieves higher PSNRs for 0. 5 dB on average. | [
"Mathematics",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1080/13501763.2018.1488886 | Worker Mobility Under Attack Explaining Labour Market Chauvinism In The Eu | The aim of this paper is to investigate citizen views on the free movement of workers within the European Union (EU). We are interested in how situational and relational factors affect labour marke. . . | [
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2782-13.2014 | Motor Commands Induce Time Compression For Tactile Stimuli | Saccades cause compression of visual space around the saccadic target, and also a compression of time, both phenomena thought to be related to the problem of maintaining saccadic stability (Morrone et al. , 2005; Burr and Morrone, 2011). Interestingly, similar phenomena occur at the time of hand movements, when tactile stimuli are systematically mislocalized in the direction of the movement (Dassonville, 1995; Watanabe et al. , 2009). In this study, we measured whether hand movements also cause an alteration of the perceived timing of tactile signals. Human participants compared the temporal separation between two pairs of tactile taps while moving their right hand in response to an auditory cue. The first pair of tactile taps was presented at variable times with respect to movement with a fixed onset asynchrony of 150 ms. Two seconds after test presentation, when the hand was stationary, the second pair of taps was delivered with a variable temporal separation. Tactile stimuli could be delivered to either the right moving or left stationary hand. When the tactile stimuli were presented to the motor effector just before and during movement, their perceived temporal separation was reduced. The time compression was effector-specific, as perceived time was veridical for the left stationary hand. The results indicate that time intervals are compressed around the time of hand movements. As for vision, the mislocalizations of time and space for touch stimuli may be consequences of a mechanism attempting to achieve perceptual stability during tactile exploration of objects, suggesting common strategies within different sensorimotor systems. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
219245 | The mediation of climate change induced migration. implications for meaningful media discourse and empowerment of key intermediaries to raise public awareness | The IKETIS project will seek to raise awareness in the UK of the need for action to address climate change induced migration and will focus on the mediation of the climate refugees’ issue. The first aim of the action is to understand the representational practices that shape media and NGOs discourse about climate refugees. The second aim is to build capacity of journalists, NGOs and policy-makers, key intermediaries in the mediation of climate change induced migration, to enhance social support for policy actions. Together, both aims contribute to the transformation of how climate change induced migration is perceived and provide new patterns of critical thinking and civic engagement. The research consists of four phases: i) identify the policy, institutional and definitional factors that may impede meaningful media discourse on the issue ii) perform critical discourse analysis (image and text) and frame analysis of the representations of climate change induced migration of UK online news media iii) using these findings, then move on to examine how UK humanitarian and environmental NGOs utilise and challenge frames identified by online news media coverage of climate displacement and iv) based on the understanding of the representational practices that formulate climate refugees mediated discourse, promote climate justice approach to frame climate change and build capacity of journalists, NGOs and policy-makers to best use climate justice approach through e-learning strategies. This training-through research scheme will provide the applicant with the necessary skills to develop competences in media theory, visual communication, critical discourse and frame analysis and digital media research and plan an academic career track for a better integration into the academic community, while the applicant will be of specific benefit to the research-informed teaching that forms the basis of the host institution’s approach to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching practice. | [
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space"
]
|
10.1002/2016WR020236 | Effect of Unsaturated Flow Modes on Partitioning Dynamics of Gravity-Driven Flow at a Simple Fracture Intersection: Laboratory Study and Three-Dimensional Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Simulations | In this work, we study gravity-driven flow of water in the presence of air on a synthetic surface intersected by a horizontal fracture and investigate the importance of droplet and rivulet flow modes on the partitioning behavior at the fracture intersection. We present laboratory experiments, three-dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations using a heavily parallelized code, and a theoretical analysis. The flow-rate-dependent mode switching from droplets to rivulets is observed in experiments and reproduced by the SPH model, and the transition ranges agree in SPH simulations and laboratory experiments. We show that flow modes heavily influence the “bypass” behavior of water flowing along a fracture junction. Flows favoring the formation of droplets exhibit a much stronger bypass capacity compared to rivulet flows, where nearly the whole fluid mass is initially stored within the horizontal fracture. The effect of fluid buffering within the horizontal fracture is presented in terms of dimensionless fracture inflow so that characteristic scaling regimes can be recovered. For both cases (rivulets and droplets), the flow within the horizontal fracture transitions into a Washburn regime until a critical threshold is reached and the bypass efficiency increases. For rivulet flows, the initial filling of the horizontal fracture is described by classical plug flow. Meanwhile, for droplet flows, a size-dependent partitioning behavior is observed, and the filling of the fracture takes longer. For the case of rivulet flow, we provide an analytical solution that demonstrates the existence of classical Washburn flow within the horizontal fracture. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
W4205887866 | Long-term exposure to low ambient air pollution concentrations and mortality among 28 million people: results from seven large European cohorts within the ELAPSE project | Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution has been associated with premature mortality, but associations at concentrations lower than current annual limit values are uncertain. We analysed associations between low-level air pollution and mortality within the multicentre study Effects of Low-Level Air Pollution: A Study in Europe (ELAPSE).In this multicentre longitudinal study, we analysed seven population-based cohorts of adults (age ≥30 years) within ELAPSE, from Belgium, Denmark, England, the Netherlands, Norway, Rome (Italy), and Switzerland (enrolled in 2000-11; follow-up until 2011-17). Mortality registries were used to extract the underlying cause of death for deceased individuals. Annual average concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2·5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), black carbon, and tropospheric warm-season ozone (O3) from Europe-wide land use regression models at 100 m spatial resolution were assigned to baseline residential addresses. We applied cohort-specific Cox proportional hazard models with adjustment for area-level and individual-level covariates to evaluate associations with non-accidental mortality, as the main outcome, and with cardiovascular, non-malignant respiratory, and lung cancer mortality. Subset analyses of participants living at low pollutant concentrations (as per predefined values) and natural splines were used to investigate the concentration-response function. Cohort-specific effect estimates were pooled in a random-effects meta-analysis.We analysed 28 153 138 participants contributing 257 859 621 person-years of observation, during which 3 593 741 deaths from non-accidental causes occurred. We found significant positive associations between non-accidental mortality and PM2·5, NO2, and black carbon, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1·053 (95% CI 1·021-1·085) per 5 μg/m3 increment in PM2·5, 1·044 (1·019-1·069) per 10 μg/m3 NO2, and 1·039 (1·018-1·059) per 0·5 × 10-5/m black carbon. Associations with PM2·5, NO2, and black carbon were slightly weaker for cardiovascular mortality, similar for non-malignant respiratory mortality, and stronger for lung cancer mortality. Warm-season O3 was negatively associated with both non-accidental and cause-specific mortality. Associations were stronger at low concentrations: HRs for non-accidental mortality at concentrations lower than the WHO 2005 air quality guideline values for PM2·5 (10 μg/m3) and NO2 (40 μg/m3) were 1·078 (1·046-1·111) per 5 μg/m3 PM2·5 and 1·049 (1·024-1·075) per 10 μg/m3 NO2. Similarly, the association between black carbon and non-accidental mortality was highest at low concentrations, with a HR of 1·061 (1·032-1·092) for exposure lower than 1·5× 10-5/m, and 1·081 (0·966-1·210) for exposure lower than 1·0× 10-5/m.Long-term exposure to concentrations of PM2·5 and NO2 lower than current annual limit values was associated with non-accidental, cardiovascular, non-malignant respiratory, and lung cancer mortality in seven large European cohorts. Continuing research on the effects of low concentrations of air pollutants is expected to further inform the process of setting air quality standards in Europe and other global regions.Health Effects Institute. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
639459 | Origins of the Molecular Cloud Structure | Understanding the physical processes that control the life-cycle of the interstellar medium (ISM) is one of the key themes in the astrophysics of galaxies today. This importance originates from the role of the ISM as the birthplace of new stars, and therefore, as an indivisible component of galaxy evolution. Exactly how the conversion of the ISM to stars takes place is intricately linked to how the internal structure of the cold, molecular clouds in the ISM forms and evolves. Despite this pivotal role, our picture of the molecular cloud structure has a fundamental lacking: it is based largely on observations of low-mass molecular clouds. Yet, it is the massive, giant molecular clouds (GMCs) in which most stars form and which impact the ISM of galaxies most. I present a program that will fill this gap and make profound progress in the field. We have developed a new observational technique that provides an unparalleled view of the structure of young GMCs. I also have developed a powerful tool to study the most important structural characteristics of molecular clouds, e.g., the probability distribution of volume densities, which have not been accessible before. With this program, the full potential of these tools will be put into use. We will produce a unique, high-fidelity column density data set for a statistically interesting volume in the Galaxy, including thousands of molecular clouds. The data set will be unmatched in its quality and extent, providing an unprecedented basis for statistical studies. We will then connect this outstanding observational view with state-of-the-art numerical simulations. This approach allows us to address the key question in the field: Which processes drive the structure formation in massive molecular clouds, and how do they do it? Most crucially, we will create a new, observationally constrained framework for the evolution of the molecular cloud structure over the entire mass range of molecular clouds and star formation in the ISM. | [
"Universe Sciences"
]
|
interreg_1080 | Elderly home CAre Residential Engagement (Social commitment and support for seniors at home and in care Living) | The goal of the ECARE project is to reduce the social isolation and the psychological, physical and relational difficulties of older people living in their own home or in a home provided by the public administration. The intervention model foreseen by ECARE is based on community involvement (neighbors, friends, relatives) and the creation of new relationships and common interests. Participating seniors will be accompanied on a path to improving their lifestyle from a risk assessment practitioner's assessment to areas of relevance to their social relationships and their health, particularly nutrition, Physical activity, cognitive stimulation, and sensory stimulation. The basis of the experimentation is the use of a digital application system to support different terminals, including a smartwatch that allows a smart link between the elder and the people of his community. Along with this link, the platform allows you to monitor the lifestyle improvement in its various components and, above all, the ability to pursue it continuously, identifying a path of continuous improvement. Validation of results will be based on specific quality of life indicators, on
cost-benefit analysis and on the effect of reducing spending on social and health services delivery. | [
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1126/sciadv.1500501 | Biomolecules: Enzymatically active biomimetic micropropellers for the penetration of mucin gels | In the body, mucus provides an important defensemechanism by limiting the penetration of pathogens. It is therefore also amajor obstacle for the efficient delivery of particle-based drug carriers. The acidic stomach lining in particular is difficult to overcome because mucin glycoproteins form viscoelastic gels under acidic conditions. The bacterium Helicobacter pylori has developed a strategy to overcome themucus barrier by producing the enzymeurease,which locally raises the pH and consequently liquefies the mucus. This allows the bacteria to swim through mucus and to reach the epithelial surface. We present an artificial system of reactive magnetic micropropellers that mimic this strategy tomove through gastricmucin gels bymaking use of surface-immobilized urease. The results demonstrate the validity of this biomimetic approach to penetrate biological gels, and showthat externally propelled microstructures can actively and reversibly manipulate the physical state of their surroundings, suggesting that such particles could potentially penetrate native mucus. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1051/0004-6361/201014368 | Potential Biosignatures In Super Earth Atmospheres I Spectral Appearance Of Super Earths Around M Dwarfs | Atmospheric temperature and mixing ratio profiles of terres trial planets vary with the spectral energy flux distribution for di fferent types of M-dwarf stars and the planetary gravity. We investigate the resulting effects on the spectral appearance of molecular absorption bands, which are relevant as indicators for potential planetary habitability during primary and secondary eclipse for transiting terrestrial planets with Earth-like biomass emissi ons. Atmospheric profiles are computed using a plane-parallel, 1D climate model coupled with a chemistry model. We then calculate simulated spectra using a line-by-line radiative transfer model. We find that emission spectra during secondary eclipse show i ncreasing absorption of methane, water, and ozone for planets orbiting quiet M0-M3 dwarfs and the active M-type star AD Leo compared with solar-type central stars. However, for planets orbiting very cool and quiet M dwarfs (M4 to M7), increasing temperatures in the mid-atmosphere lead to reduced absorption signals, which impedes the detection of molecules in these scenarios. Transmission spectra during primary eclipse show strong absorption features of CH4, N2O and H2O for planets orbiting quiet M0-M7 stars and AD Leo. The N2O absorption of an Earth-sized planet orbiting a quiet M7 star can even be as strong as the CO2 signal. However, ozone absorption decreases for planets orbiting these cool central stars owing to chemical effects in the atmosphere. To investigate the effect on the spectroscopic detection of absorption bands with potential future satellite missions, we compute signal-to-noise-ratios (SNR) for a James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)-like aperture telescope. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Universe Sciences"
]
|
10.3758/s13414-018-1562-3 | Statistical regularities modulate attentional capture independent of search strategy | An earlier study using the additional singleton task showed that statistical regularities regarding the distractor location can cause an attentional bias that affects the amount of attentional capture by distractors and the efficiency of selection of targets. The distractor singleton was systematically present more often in one location than in all other locations. The present study investigated whether this bias also occurs when observers adopt a feature search mode, i. e. , when they search for a specific feature (circle) between elements with different shapes, while ignoring a colored distractor singleton. It is assumed that in feature search, observers can ignore distractors in a top-down way and as such one expects that statistical regularities about the distractor location should not play a role. Contrary to this prediction, we found that even in feature search, both attentional capture by the distractors and the efficiency of selecting the target were impacted by these statistical regularities. Moreover, statistical regularities regarding the feature value of the distractor (its color) had no effect on the amount of capture or the efficiency of selection. We claim that statistical regularities cause passive lingering biases of attention such that on the priority map, the location containing a high probability distractor competes less for attention than locations that are less likely to contain distractors. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
]
|
10.1039/c9nr04396a | Fast, quantitative and high resolution mapping of viscoelastic properties with bimodal AFM | Quantitative mapping of viscoelastic properties of soft matter with a nanoscale spatial resolution is demonstrated by bimodal AFM. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
W1599483351 | Drug-protein interactions: binding of serotonin and arachidonyl serotonin to β-lactoglobulin | Background and Aims: β-Lactoglobulin (β-LG) is the major whey protein of cow’s milk and the milk of other mammals. The biological function of β-LG is not clear, but its potential role in carrying fatty acids and drugs has been suggested. β-LG has been found in complexes with lipids and has a high affinity for a wide variety of compounds. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT), an important drug found in animals and plants, has various functions, including the regulation of mood, appetite, sleep, muscle contraction, and learning. In this study, the interaction of serotonin and arachidonyl serotonin (AA -5HT), with β-LG was investigated using circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence intensity measurements. Methods: The fluorescence of 5-HT or AA-5HT was measured at 10 or 40 µM in the presence of various concentrations of β-LG. These spectra were recorded from 310 to 450 nm with an excitation wavelength of 300 nm. Far-UV (190–260 nm) and near-UV (250–320 nm) CD spectra were obtained at a constant protein concentration of 10 µM and 20 µM, respectively, titrated with 5 -HT or AA-5HT reaching different concentrations. Results: It has been found in this study that these two drugs interact with β-LG forming equimolar complexes. The binding constant for the serotonin/β-LG interaction is between 105 and 106M-1, whereas for the AA5HT/β-LG complex it is between 104 and 105M-1 as determined by measurements of either protein or drug fluorescence. The observed binding affinities were higher in hydroethanolic media (25%EtOH). According to far- and near-UVCD results, these drugs have no apparent influence on β-LG secondary structure, however they partially destabilize its tertiary structure. Conclusions: The binding of serotonin and its derivative by β-LG may be one of the peripheral mechanisms of the regulation of the content of serotonin and its derivatives in the bowel of milk -fed animals. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1038/s41467-017-00549-w | Nanopore extended field-effect transistor for selective single-molecule biosensing | There has been a significant drive to deliver nanotechnological solutions to biosensing, yet there remains an unmet need in the development of biosensors that are affordable, integrated, fast, capable of multiplexed detection, and offer high selectivity for trace analyte detection in biological fluids. Herein, some of these challenges are addressed by designing a new class of nanoscale sensors dubbed nanopore extended field-effect transistor (nexFET) that combine the advantages of nanopore single-molecule sensing, field-effect transistors, and recognition chemistry. We report on a polypyrrole functionalized nexFET, with controllable gate voltage that can be used to switch on/off, and slow down single-molecule DNA transport through a nanopore. This strategy enables higher molecular throughput, enhanced signal-to-noise, and even heightened selectivity via functionalization with an embedded receptor. This is shown for selective sensing of an anti-insulin antibody in the presence of its IgG isotype. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139096 | Global priorities of environmental issues to combat food insecurity and biodiversity loss | Various environmental challenges are rapidly threatening ecosystems and societies globally. Major interventions and a strategic approach are required to minimize harm and to avoid reaching catastrophic tipping points. Setting evidence-based priorities aids maximizing the impact of the limited resources available for environmental interventions. Focusing on protecting both food security and biodiversity, international experts prioritized major environmental challenges for intervention based on three comprehensive criteria – importance, neglect, and tractability. The top priorities differ between food security and biodiversity. For food security, the top priorities are pollinator loss, soil compaction, and nutrient depletion, and for biodiversity conservation, ocean acidification and land and sea use (especially habitat degradation) are the main concerns. While climate change might be the most pressing environmental challenge and mitigation is clearly off-track, other issues rank higher because of climate change's high attention in research. Research and policy agendas do not yet consistently cover these priorities. Thus, a shift in attention towards the high-priority environmental challenges, identified here, is needed to increase the effectiveness of global environmental protection. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space"
]
|
10.1186/1471-2407-12-552 | Screening Of Finnish Rad51C Founder Mutations In Prostate And Colorectal Cancer Patients | Background
Rare, heterozygous germline mutations in the RAD51C gene have been found in breast and ovarian cancer families. In the Finnish population, we have identified two founder mutations in RAD51C that increase the risk of ovarian cancer but not breast cancer in the absence of ovarian cancer. Risk for other cancers has not been studied. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.163202 | Hyperfine-Structure-Induced Depolarization of Impulsively Aligned I2 Molecules | A moderately intense 450 fs laser pulse is used to create rotational wave packets in gas phase I2 molecules. The ensuing time-dependent alignment, measured by Coulomb explosion imaging with a delayed probe pulse, exhibits the characteristic revival structures expected for rotational wave packets but also a complex nonperiodic substructure and decreasing mean alignment not observed before. A quantum mechanical model attributes the phenomena to coupling between the rotational angular momenta and the nuclear spins through the electric quadrupole interaction. The calculated alignment trace agrees very well with the experimental results. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
]
|
3730243 | Metatranscriptomics to discover root microbiome functions activated during recognition of stressed and non-stressed plants (metafun) | Plants benefit from their microbiome for specific functions such as nutrient uptake, defense and growth. When exposed to environmental stress conditions, plants are able to recruit specific helper microbiota to aid in the recovery from the stress. Understanding mechanisms underlying the interaction between plants and the myriad of microorganisms living in association with them is fundamental to fully harness the genomic potential of these microbes to improve crop agricultural performance. With a metatranscriptomics approach, MetaFun aims at investigating:
1) the microbiome functions involved in chemical communication with the host plant;
2) microbiome functions that become activated in response to recognition of a plant in need and act in co-operation within a community to help the plant to adapt to environmental stress.
The innovative approach of MetaFun is based on the identification of microbial activities that become activated in response to specific biotic/abiotic stresses using a metagenomics and metatranscriptomics approach. Moreover, by combining a powerful experimental design, high resolution RNA-sequencing and advanced computational tools, MetaFun aims to decipher microbe-microbe interactions within the plant-associated microbiomes. The implementation of the MetaFun research project, combined with its training program carried out in an excellent scientific environment, represent a unique opportunity to restart the career of the experienced researcher and become an independent scientist. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering"
]
|
10.1016/j.ccr.2015.06.008 | Multi-scale crystal engineering of metal organic frameworks | During the last decade the number of publications related to the synthesis of new metal-organic frameworks or coordination polymers has grown almost exponentially. Many of them are devoted to the study of the correlation between the molecular components (linkers and metal nodes or clusters) and the final properties of the resulting structure. Withal, the field of metal-organic frameworks has also witnessed important advances in the development of synthetic tools to control the particle size and shape and to obtain secondary porosity by applying knowledge from three disciplines: crystallography, coordination chemistry and chemical engineering. These tools allow for crystal engineering beyond the molecular scale extending over the meso and macro scales, so that certain degree of multi-scale design is already possible. In this manner, MOFs' performance have been improved in certain applications by choosing the optimal particle morphology and dimensions that enhance the materials' properties and/or facilitate their implementation on functional devices. This review highlights the latest advances on MOF crystal engineering, with special emphasis on the meso and macro scales. After discussing some general considerations on the fundamentals of MOF crystallization, we examine different synthetic approaches developed in order to tune the MOF particle size, shape and textural properties and the impact this multi-scale MOF crystal engineering has shown so far in different applications. Finally, our view on possible future research directions is outlined. | [
"Materials Engineering",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1111/1475-6765.12122 | The Electoral Consequences Of The Financial And Economic Crisis In Europe | The electoral consequences of the Great Recession are analysed in this article by combining insights from economic voting theories and the literature on party system change. Taking cues from these two theoretical perspectives, the impact of the Great Recession on the stability and change of Western, Central and Eastern European party systems is assessed. The article starts from the premise that, in order to fully assess the impact of the contemporary crisis, classic economic voting hypotheses focused on incumbent parties need to be combined with accounts of long-term party system change provided by realignment and dealignment theories. The empirical analysis draws on an original dataset of election results and economic and political indicators in 30 European democracies. The results indicate that during the Great Recession economic strain was associated with sizable losses for incumbent parties and an increasing destabilisation of Western European party systems, while its impact was significantly weaker in Central and Eastern European countries, where political rather than economic failures appeared to be more relevant. In line with the realignment perspective, the results also reveal that in Western Europe populist radical right, radical left and non-mainstream parties benefited the most from the economic hardship, while support for mainstream parties decreased further. | [
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
10.1016/J.GR.2013.06.012 | Gondwana From Top To Base In Space And Time | Abstract Gondwana is reviewed from the unification of its several cratons in the Late Neoproterozoic, through its combination with Laurussia in the Carboniferous to form Pangea and up to its progressive fragmentation in the Mesozoic. For much of that time it was the largest continental unit on Earth, covering almost 100 million km 2 , and its remnants constitute 64% of all land areas today. New palaeogeographical reconstructions are presented, ranging from the Early Cambrian (540 Ma) through to just before the final Pangea breakup at 200 Ma, which show the distributions of land, shallow and deep shelves, oceans, reefs and other features at nine selected Palaeozoic intervals. The South Pole was within Gondwana and the Gondwanan sector of Pangea for nearly all of the Palaeozoic, and thus the deposition of significant glaciogenic rocks in the brief Late Ordovician (Hirnantian) and the much longer Permo-Carboniferous ice ages help in determining where their ice caps lay, and plotting the evaporites in the superterrane area indicates the positions of the subtropics through time. Reefs are also plotted and selected faunal provinces shown, particularly at times such as the Early Devonian (Emsian), when high climatic gradients are reflected in the provincialisation of shallow-marine benthic faunas, such as brachiopods. In Late Palaeozoic and Early Mesozoic times, Gondwana (with Africa at its core) lay over the African large low shear-wave velocity province (LLSVP), one of two major thermochemical piles covering ca. 10% of the core–mantle boundary. The edges of the LLSVPs (Africa and its Pacific antipode) are the plume generation zones (PGZs) and the source regions of kimberlite intrusions and large igneous provinces (LIPs). Our palaeomagnetic reconstructions constrain the configuration of Gondwana and adjacent continents relative to the spin axis, but in order to relate deep mantle processes to surface processes in a palaeomagnetic reference frame, we have also rotated the PGZs to account for true polar wander. In this way, we visualize how the surface distribution of LIPs and kimberlites relate to Gondwana's passage over the PGZs. There are only two LIPs in the Palaeozoic (510 and 289 Ma) that directly affected Gondwanan continental crust, and kimberlites are rare (83 in total). This is because Gondwana was mostly located between the two LLSVPs. The majority of Palaeozoic kimberlites are Cambrian in age and most were derived from the African PGZ. Sixty-six Early Mesozoic kimberlites are also linked to the African LLSVP. All known LIPs (Kalkarindji, Panjal Traps, Central Atlantic Magmatic Province and Karoo) from 510 to 183 Ma (the lifetime of Gondwana) were derived from plumes associated with the African LLSVP, and three of them probably assisted the breakup of Gondwana and Pangea. | [
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.1021/acssynbio.6b00397 | Deconvolution of Gene Expression Noise into Spatial Dynamics of Transcription Factor-Promoter Interplay | Gene expression noise is not only the mere consequence of stochasticity, but also a signal that reflects the upstream physical dynamics of the cognate molecular machinery. Soil bacteria facing recalcitrant pollutants exploit noise of catabolic promoters to deploy beneficial phenotypes such as metabolic bet-hedging and/or division of biochemical labor. Although the role of upstream promoter-regulator interplay in the origin of this noise is little understood, its specifications are probably ciphered in flow cytometry data patterns. We studied Pm promoter activity of the environmental bacterium Pseudomonas putida and its cognate regulator XylS by following expression of Pm-gfp fusions in single cells. Using mathematical modeling and computational simulations, we determined the kinetic properties of the system and used them as a baseline code to interpret promoter activity in terms of upstream regulator dynamics. Transcriptional noise was predicted to depend on the intracellular physical distance between regulator source (where XylS is produced) and the target promoter. Experiments with engineered bacteria in which this distance is minimized or enlarged confirmed the predicted effects of source/target proximity on noise patterns. This approach allowed deconvolution of cytometry data into mechanistic information on gene expression flow. It also provided a basis for selecting programmable noise levels in synthetic regulatory circuits. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01551 | Recurrent convolutional neural networks: A better model of biological object recognition | Feedforward neural networks provide the dominant model of how the brain performs visual object recognition. However, these networks lack the lateral and feedback connections, and the resulting recurrent neuronal dynamics, of the ventral visual pathway in the human and non-human primate brain. Here we investigate recurrent convolutional neural networks with bottom-up (B), lateral (L), and top-down (T) connections. Combining these types of connections yields four architectures (B, BT, BL, and BLT), which we systematically test and compare. We hypothesized that recurrent dynamics might improve recognition performance in the challenging scenario of partial occlusion. We introduce two novel occluded object recognition tasks to test the efficacy of the models, digit clutter (where multiple target digits occlude one another) and digit debris (where target digits are occluded by digit fragments). We find that recurrent neural networks outperform feedforward control models (approximately matched in parametric complexity) at recognizing objects, both in the absence of occlusion and in all occlusion conditions. Recurrent networks were also found to be more robust to the inclusion of additive Gaussian noise. Recurrent neural networks are better in two respects: (1) they are more neurobiologically realistic than their feedforward counterparts; (2) they are better in terms of their ability to recognize objects, especially under challenging conditions. This work shows that computer vision can benefit from using recurrent convolutional architectures and suggests that the ubiquitous recurrent connections in biological brains are essential for task performance. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
681447 | Advanced Reduced Order Methods with Applications in Computational Fluid Dynamics | The aim of AROMA-CFD is to create a team of scientists at SISSA for the development of Advanced Reduced Order Modelling techniques with a focus in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), in order to face and overcome many current limitations of the state of the art and improve the capabilities of reduced order methodologies for more demanding applications in industrial, medical and applied sciences contexts. AROMA-CFD deals with strong methodological developments in numerical analysis, with a special emphasis on mathematical modelling and extensive exploitation of computational science and engineering. Several tasks have been identified to tackle important problems and open questions in reduced order modelling: study of bifurcations and instabilities in flows, increasing Reynolds number and guaranteeing stability, moving towards turbulent flows, considering complex geometrical parametrizations of shapes as computational domains into extended networks. A reduced computational and geometrical framework will be developed for nonlinear inverse problems, focusing on optimal flow control, shape optimization and uncertainty quantification. Further, all the advanced developments in reduced order modelling for CFD will be delivered for applications in multiphysics, such as fluid-structure interaction problems and general coupled phenomena involving inviscid, viscous and thermal flows, solids and porous media. The advanced developed framework within AROMA-CFD will provide attractive capabilities for several industrial and medical applications (e.g. aeronautical, mechanical, naval, off-shore, wind, sport, biomedical engineering, and cardiovascular surgery as well), combining high performance computing (in dedicated supercomputing centers) and advanced reduced order modelling (in common devices) to guarantee real time computing and visualization. A new open source software library for AROMA-CFD will be created: ITHACA, In real Time Highly Advanced Computational Applications. | [
"Mathematics",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
Q4420420 | Supporting the maintenance of the company’s economic activity in a situation of significant decline in turnover due to COVID-19 | The project concerns support for the working capital of the company indicated in point II.1 in the event of a significant decrease in turnover (revenue from sales) due to the disruption of the economy due to COVID-19. The aid will be used to maintain the activities of a company that is in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in a situation of sudden shortage or lack of liquidity. | [
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
interreg_1729 | Cross-border port facilities for the management of naval and temporary waste | This project deals with the common challenge of sustainable growth through the promotion of joint waste collection and treatment in ports. The project intends to develop a circular economy model promoting the treatment of higher amounts of watercraft and port produced waste and wastewater, valorised from an economic point of view and put back on the market as goods capable of producing economies. Next, a survey will determine the type and extent of waste and wastewater produced by watercraft and businesses based in the partner ports and map the treatment plants currently in operation. The plants will be the subject of a specific analysis to determine the conditions for greater treatment efficiency, for example, by implementing new technologies or converting the plants to different treatment methods. The project implements joint action plans for the prevention, reduction and disposal of waste and wastewater in ports. It does so through a system whereby waste and wastewater can be treated at the place of production or at sea on specialised watercraft or transferred from one port to another in the same maritime area of the Upper Tyrrhenian Sea. When necessary, the borders of a Port System will be crossed. The system will require the optimisation of the land and sea transport network between the plants. This project implements pilot actions to treat waste and wastewater, define waste management logistics, come up with innovative solutions and uses for port waste, train port operators and monitor waste quality and quantity. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
1261472 | Sequence specific elimination of shiga-toxin e. coli | SPELITEC is the first treatment for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections, which affects primary young children and can be fatal in 1-5% of the cases. Currently there is no validated safe treatment: hospitalized patients receive only symptomatic treatments consisting of rehydration coupled with transfusions and dialysis for haemolytic uremic complications. The SPELITEC program is designed to finalise preclinical and initiate clinical studies for elimination of STEC bacteria (Shiga-toxin producing E. coli) in paediatric populations with a dedicated product: EB003. EB003 selectively eliminates STEC bacteria early in the disease progression; it is not expected to exert any toxicity in humans or animals; it is a multivalent mix of different capsid variants allows to target the whole spectrum of clinically relevant strains and pre-empts the acquisition of resistance through mutation of bacterial receptors; it is administered orally by a liquid/gel which is patient-friendly and adapted to young children and it represents a cost-effective alternative to antibodies against Shiga toxins. Our technology is the only one allowing the specific elimination of STECs without toxin release and without disrupting microbiota and inducing antibiotic resistance. Eligo will complete early drug development, which should ensure market authorization given the orphan and unmet medical need nature of the indication, and plans to out-license the compound to an established pharma company that will launch the product on the market.
The management team of Eligo has solid business and technical management experience in multinational companies and a very strong drug development background. During the Phase 2 project we will validate this new individualised therapeutic approach and mechanism of action by conducting the validation of the pharmacological model, the production of a clinical batch and the safety tests in healthy animals. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
2723184 | Pilot line production of transceiver modules for the next generation of smart rf power applications | SMARTEC proposes to raise a unique Power-RF nanoelectronics innovation from TRL6 to TRL8, that will radically transform future transceiver RF-power modules (TRX) and to produce them through a dedicated pilot line. These novel TRX of enhanced performance, smaller size and lower manufacturing cost will be core components of new products, addressing several segments of the RF-power market. SMARTEC paves the way to its stakeholders to access new markets and/or help them sustain their positioning in their industry rivalry, as well as increase their market shares. Moreover, SMARTEC will create new value propositions to several other markets (airliners, airports, air & sea vessel manufacturers, tour operators, etc.), as well as to several customer & social groups (passengers, tourists, ecologists & government bodies). The proposed pilot line will fill a gap in the European landscape of power RF manufactures and help European firms using power RF front ends compete global players. Industry faces 2 challenges: (A) In general, upcoming power RF front end markets (e.g. commercial radars, backhaul, SATCOM) demand more and more higher power levels, higher frequencies, the ability to sustain power-ups, and all at smaller size and lower cost. (B) Two specific “RF-Power Systems-based industry”, those of Avionics and Maritime, are about to face an obligatory adaption to new or updated strict EU regulations (RECAT EU3 & COLREGS), regarding, Airport and maritime Safety. The proposed coplanar monolithic GaN MMICs and RF MEMS (only available by TRT and FORTH) product is addressing simultaneously all aforementioned industry problems, while all other competing technologies (commercially available or not) offer partial solutions. Furthermore, the simplified SMARTEC fabrication process alleviates back-end production steps thus lowering cost by 25% which for mass applications (e.g. 5G) can prove the key winning factor. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1089/ten.tec.2018.0151 | Fibronectin and collagen IV microcontact printing improves insulin secretion by INS1E cells | Extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules play significant roles in regulating β-cell function and viability within pancreatic islets by providing mechanical and biological support, stimulating cell survival, proliferation, and their endocrine function. During clinical islet transplantation, the β-cell's ECM environment is degraded by enzymatic digestion. Literature suggests that interactions between islet cells and ECM molecules, such as fibronectin (FN), collagen type IV (Col4), and laminin (LN), are essential for maintaining, or stimulation of islet function and survival, and can effect differentiation and proliferation of the endocrine cells. It is also thought that three-dimensional (3D) culture of β-cells can improve glucose responsiveness by providing a specific niche, in which cells can interact with each other in a more natural manner. Conventional suspension cultures with β-cells results generally in a heterogeneous population with small and large aggregates, in which cells experience different nutrient diffusion limitations, negatively affecting their physiology and function. In this study, we have explored the effect of FN, Col4, and LN111 on INS1E insulinoma cells by using microcontact printing (μCP) to investigate whether a controlled environment and aggregate dimensions would improve their endocrine function. Using this method, we produced a pattern of well-defined circular spots of FN, Col4, and LN111 on polydimethylsiloxane with high spatial resolution. Cell seeding of the INS1E cells on these ECM protein spots resulted in the formation of 3D β-cell aggregates. We show that these INS1E aggregates have very reproducible dimensions, and that the cell culture method can be easily adjusted, leading to a highly accurate way of forming 3D β-cell aggregates on an ECM-functionalized substrate. In addition, we show that ECM molecules can act as anchoring points for β-cells on an otherwise non-cell-adherent material, and this can improve both the endocrine function and viability. We found a significant increase in the secretion of insulin by INS1E cells cultured on μCP FN and Col4 substrates, in comparison to cells that were growing in monolayers on substrates without ECM molecules. Moreover, INS1E cells growing on circular ECM spots in a 3D manner showed improved endocrine function in comparison to their two-dimensional counterparts. This research deals with finding a proper bioengineering strategy for the creation of improved β-cell replacement therapy in type 1 diabetes. It specifically deals with the microenvironment of β-cells and its relationship to their endocrine function. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
10.1002/mrd.23261 | New advances and future directions in plant polyspermy | Plants have evolved a battery of mechanisms that potentially act as polyspermy barriers. Supernumerary sperm fusion to one egg cell has consequently long remained a hypothetical concept. The recent discovery that polyspermy in flowering plants is not lethal but generates viable triploid plants is a game changer affecting the field of developmental biology, evolution, and plant breeding. The establishment of protocols to artificially induce polyspermy together with the development of a high-throughput assay to identify and trace polyspermic events in planta now provide powerful tools to unravel mechanisms of polyspermy regulation. These achievements are likely to open new avenues for animal polyspermy research as well, where forward genetic approaches are hampered by the fatal outcome of supernumerary sperm fusion. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering"
]
|
Q4253190 | AIDE DE LIQUIDITÉ AUX MICROENTREPRISES TOUCHÉES PAR L’URGENCE LIÉE À LA COVID-19 | SOUTIEN À LA LIQUIDITÉ DES MICRO ET PETITES ENTREPRISES DANS LES SECTEURS DU COMMERCE DE DÉTAIL, DE LA FOURNITURE ET DES SERVICES PERSONNELS DONT L’ACTIVITÉ A ÉTÉ SUSPENDUE À LA SUITE DE L’ARRÊTÉ MINISTÉRIEL DU 11 MARS 2020 | [
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
10.1051/0004-6361/201423737 | Flux canceling in three-dimensional radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulations | We aim to study the processes involved in the disappearance of magnetic flux between regions of opposite polarity on the solar surface using realistic three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. "Retraction" below the surface driven by magnetic forces is found to be a very effective mechanism of flux canceling of opposite polarities. The speed at which flux disappears increases strongly with initial mean flux density. In agreement with existing inferences from observations we suggest that this is a key process of flux disappearance within active complexes. Intrinsic kG strength concentrations connect the surface to deeper layers by magnetic forces, and therefore the influence of deeper layers on the flux canceling process is studied. We do this by comparing simulations extending to different depths. For average flux densities of 50 G, and on length scales on the order of 3 Mm in the horizontal and 10 Mm in depth, deeper layers appear to have only a mild influence on the effective rate of diffusion. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
]
|
10.1353/ajm.2015.0038 | Directional maximal operators and lacunarity in higher dimensions | We introduce a notion of lacunarity in higher dimensions for which we can bound the associated directional maximal operators in LP(ℝn), with p> 1. In particular, we are able to treat the classes previously considered by Nagel-Stein-Wainger, Sjögren-Sjölin and Carbery. Closely related to this, we find a characterization of the sets of directions which give rise to bounded maximal operators. The bounds enable Lebesgue-type differentiation of integrals in Lploc (ℝn), replacing balls by tubes which point in these directions. | [
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1021/la504946g | Enhanced Ag<sup>+</sup> ion release from aqueous nanosilver suspensions by absorption of ambient CO<inf>2</inf> | Nanosilver with closely controlled average particle diameter (7-30 nm) immobilized on nanosilica is prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption, and transmission electron microscopy. The presence of Ag2O on the as-prepared nanosilver surface is confirmed by UV-vis spectroscopy and quantified by thermogravimetric analysis and mass spectrometry. The release of Ag+ ions in deionized water is monitored electrochemically and traced quantitatively to the dissolution of a preexisting Ag2O monolayer on the nanosilver surface. During this dissolution, the pH of the host solution rapidly increases, suppressing dissolution of the remaining metallic Ag. When, however, a nanosilver suspension is exposed to a CO2-containing atmosphere, like ambient air during its storage or usage, then CO2 is absorbed by the host solution decreasing its pH and contributing to metallic Ag dissolution and further leaching of Ag+ ions. So the release of Ag+ ions from the above closely sized nanosilver solutions in the absence and presence of CO2 as well as under synthetic air containing 200-1800 ppm of CO2 is investigated along with the solution pH and related to the antibacterial activity of nanosilver. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
10.1088/0004-637X/766/1/41 | Identifying The Location In The Host Galaxy Of The Short Grb 111117A With The Chandra Subarcsecond Position | We present our successful Chandra program designed to identify, with subarcsecond accuracy, the X-ray afterglow of the short GRB 111117A, which was discovered by Swift and Fermi. Thanks to our rapid target of opportunity request, Chandra clearly detected the X-ray afterglow, though no optical afterglow was found in deep optical observations. The host galaxy was clearly detected in the optical and near-infrared band, with the best photometric redshift of z = 1. 31(-0. 23)(+0. 46) (90% confidence), making it one of the highest known short gamma-ray burst ( GRB) redshifts. Furthermore, we see an offset of 1. 0 +/- 0. 2 arcsec, which corresponds to 8. 4 +/- 1. 7 kpc, between the host and the afterglow position. We discuss the importance of using Chandra for obtaining subarcsecond X-ray localizations of short GRB afterglows to study GRB environments. | [
"Universe Sciences"
]
|
W2153719459 | Synchronization of fishes’ temporal feeding patterns with weather in mid-Missouri | Daily food consumption was estimated over 30 successive days in summer for bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) in a 13 ha impoundment, and simultaneously for green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) in a second-order mid-Missouri stream from the same watershed. Using temperature data from the Sanborn Field Station for the same period, a relationship between daily food consumption rate of the two fish species and synoptic-scale weather patterns or cycles was established using cross spectral analysis which is not found in the previous literature. Previous analyses of the two species in their respective aquatic environments showed that their daily consumption rates over 30-day periods were rhythmic and peaked on a time scale of 2 and 14 days. A spectral analysis of the temperature data from that period showed that there were statistically significant temperature variations on the time scale of 2, 6, and 15 days. The latter two periods are related to well-known synoptic meteorological rhythms (the passage of cyclones and... | [
"Earth System Science",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
W1926462251 | Promotional tools at selected universities in the Tshwane Metropolitan Region | Due to the competitive environment, the changes in the higher education landscape and limited financial resources, higher education institutions are forced to evaluate and review their marketing strategies in order to recruit suitably qualified students. This study will examine the impact of the current promotional tools at public higher education institutions in the Tshwane metropolitan region. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the promotional tools used by public higher education institutions in the Tshwane Metropolitan Region from a student perspective. Furthermore, the study strived to establish whether the demographics of the students played a role regarding the value they attach to choice factors when selecting a higher education institution. Prospective students will benefit from the study because promotional tools were identified to make informed decisions about their institution of choice. The study also identified the effect of the existing promotional tools used as sources of information by students and identified the most appropriate promotional tools to enable proper allocation of the promotional budget. An empirical study was conducted using a questionnaire adapted from Wiese (2008) study. Likert scale was used to structure questions. Non-probability sampling was used to select first year students from two public institutions in the Tshwane Metropolitan Region. Data was captured into a software package and analysed using SPSS Version 18. Descriptive statistics summarised the results of the research questions, namely; socio demographical profile of respondents, factors influencing students’ decision making process, the information sources used by students and the effectiveness of promotional tools. The results of this study showed that students preferred higher education institutions to use personal communication tools for student recruitment. Interestingly, students rated social media as one of the most important communication methods. Furthermore, emphasis on the core product and specific aspects of the tangible product and augmented product was found. It was also noted that students from diverse backgrounds and provinces used different sources of information during their search for enrolment at a higher education institution. The study limitations were that the survey was only restricted at two higher education institutions in the Tshwane metropolitan region. It was noted that marketing practitioners at higher education institutions may renew their existing promotional tools (open days and career exhibitions) to gain competitive advantage. | [
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
]
|
10.3791/56334 | Fabrication And Validation Of An Organ On Chip System With Integrated Electrodes To Directly Quantify Transendothelial Electrical Resistance | Organs-on-chips, in vitro models involving the culture of (human) tissues inside microfluidic devices, are rapidly emerging and promise to provide useful research tools for studying human health and disease. To characterize the barrier function of cell layers cultured inside organ-on-chip devices, often transendothelial or transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) is measured. To this end, electrodes are usually integrated into the chip by micromachining methods to provide more stable measurements than is achieved with manual insertion of electrodes into the inlets of the chip. However, these electrodes frequently hamper visual inspection of the studied cell layer or require expensive cleanroom processes for fabrication. To overcome these limitations, the device described here contains four easily integrated electrodes that are placed and fixed outside of the culture area, making visual inspection possible. Using these four electrodes the resistance of six measurement paths can be quantified, from which the TEER can be directly isolated, independent of the resistance of culture medium-filled microchannels. The blood-brain barrier was replicated in this device and its TEER was monitored to show the device applicability. This chip, the integrated electrodes and the TEER determination method are generally applicable in organs-on-chips, both to mimic other organs or to be incorporated into existing organ-on-chip systems. | [
"Materials Engineering",
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
716734 | Interaction Dynamics of Bacterial Biofilms with Bacteriophages | Biofilms are antibiotic-resistant, sessile bacterial communities that occupy most moist surfaces on Earth and represent a major mode of bacterial life. Another common feature of bacterial life is exposure to viral parasites (termed phages), which are a dominant force in bacterial population control throughout nature. Surprisingly, almost nothing is known about the interactions between biofilm-dwelling bacteria and phages. This proposal is designed to fill this gap using a combination of novel methodology, experimental systems, and mathematical modeling. We have recently developed a new microscopic imaging technique that allows us to image and track all individual cells and their gene expression inside biofilms. First, we will use this technique for tracking the population dynamics of bacteria and phages within biofilms at single cell resolution. By genetically manipulating bacterial hosts and their phages, and by varying environmental conditions, we will investigate the fundamental biological and physical determinants of phage spread within biofilm communities. Second, we will study how biofilms respond to phage attack on both intra-generational and evolutionary time scales, focusing in particular on proximate response mechanisms and the population dynamics of phage-resistant and phage-susceptible cells as a function of biofilm spatial structure. Lastly, we will combine our novel insights to engineer phages that manipulate the composition of biofilm communities, either by subtraction of particular bacterial species or by addition of novel phenotypes to existing biofilm community members. Altogether, the proposed research promises to uncover the major mechanistic and evolutionary elements of biofilm-phage interactions. This combined work will greatly enrich our knowledge of microbial ecology and motivate novel strategies for bacterial biofilm control, an increasingly urgent priority in light of widespread antibiotic resistance. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering"
]
|
10.1179/0079423614Z.00000000052 | Bones Buttons And Buckles Negotiating Class And Bodily Practices In Early Modern Oulu | Some of the most prominent characteristics of the early modern period are increasing control over human bodies and the increasing class differences in bodily practices. The rigid class society prevailing in early modern Sweden was reflected in the way people in different classes were expected to behave, dress and eat, amongst other things. This paper discusses how bodily practices — with foodways and dress as case studies — were involved in negotiating class identities in a small town on the northern edge of Europe. It will examine how disciplinary codes of bodily behaviour were played out on the geographical margins of European society. | [
"The Study of the Human Past",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
]
|
759120 | Structural differences in mRNA translation machineries between eukaryotic pathogens and their mammalian hosts | mRNA translation consists on translating the genetic code to proteins by the ribosome that is universally conserved in all cells. However, its structure presents significant differences between bacteria and eukaryotes. Partly because of these differences, the bacterial ribosome can be targeted specifically by a number of antibiotics without affecting the eukaryotic host cells. However, the conservation of the ribosome among eukaryotes complicates the search for specific drugs against eukaryotic pathogens such as certain protozoa like plasmodium and kinetoplastids.
Our work along with other studies demonstrates the existence of significant structural differences between ribosomes of protozoa and mammals. Using Cryogenic electron microscopy, we endeavor to investigate such structural differences that are anticipated to affect some of the vital steps of mRNA translation, especially the initiation process, because of their position on the ribosome. 1. Thus we will focus on the structural differences in translation initiation between kinetoplastids and their mammalian hosts (i) by characterizing initiation complexes from several plasmodium and kinetoplastids species and compare them to their mammalian counterparts. (ii) We will also follow up on our previous works in solving the structures of various conventional, but also unconventional mammalian initiation complexes, in interaction with special mRNAs. 2. We will focus on the structure of protozoa-specific features characterized from elongating ribosomal complexes and (i) attempt to fish for regulators that they interact with from cell extracts. In addition, (ii) we will investigate the ribosomal structures from plasmodium at different stages of the parasite life cycle, as they vary according to the latter.
Our results will significantly advance our understanding of protein synthesis regulation in protozoa and will represent a promising step in the search for more efficient treatments against these eukaryotic pathogens. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
W2164840813 | Direct Isosurface Visualization of Hex-Based High-Order Geometry and Attribute Representations | In this paper, we present a novel isosurface visualization technique that guarantees the accurate visualization of isosurfaces with complex attribute data defined on (un)structured (curvi)linear hexahedral grids. Isosurfaces of high-order hexahedral-based finite element solutions on both uniform grids (including MRI and CT scans) and more complex geometry representing a domain of interest that can be rendered using our algorithm. Additionally, our technique can be used to directly visualize solutions and attributes in isogeometric analysis, an area based on trivariate high-order NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational B-splines) geometry and attribute representations for the analysis. Furthermore, our technique can be used to visualize isosurfaces of algebraic functions. Our approach combines subdivision and numerical root finding to form a robust and efficient isosurface visualization algorithm that does not miss surface features, while finding all intersections between a view frustum and desired isosurfaces. This allows the use of view-independent transparency in the rendering process. We demonstrate our technique through a straightforward CPU implementation on both complex-structured and complex-unstructured geometries with high-order simulation solutions, isosurfaces of medical data sets, and isosurfaces of algebraic functions. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1002/anie.201307471 | Scalable synthesis of oxazolones from propargylic alcohols through multistep palladium(II) catalysis: β-selective oxidative heck coupling of cyclic sulfonyl enamides and aryl boroxines | A whale of a scale: The title oxidative Heck coupling proceeded with unusual β selectivity to generate a variety of branched substituted oxazolones (see scheme; Ts=p-toluenesulfonyl). The three-step synthesis from readily available starting materials with a simple palladium catalyst and inexpensive reagents could be carried out in a single reaction vessel or scaled up for the preparation of large amounts of these amino acid precursors. | [
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1016/j.jcct.2018.02.005 | High-pitch versus sequential mode for coronary calcium in individuals with a high heart rate: Potential for dose reduction | Background: To determine the impact of high-pitch spiral acquisition on radiation dose and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk stratification by coronary artery calcium (CAC) assessment with computed tomography in individuals with a high heart rate. Methods: Of the ROBINSCA trial, 1990 participants with regular rhythm and heart rates >65 beats per minute (bpm) were included. As reference, 390 participants with regular heart rates ≤65 bpm were used. All participants underwent prospectively electrocardiographically(ECG)-triggered imaging of the coronary arteries using dual source CT at 120 kVp, 80 ref mAs using both high-pitch spiral mode and sequential mode. Radiation dose, Agatston score, number of positive scores, as well as median absolute difference of the Agatston score were determined and participants were stratified into CVD risk categories. Results: A similar percentage of participants with low heart rates and high heart rates had a positive CAC score in data sets acquired in high-pitch spiral (low heart rate: 57. 7%, high heart rate: 55. 8%) and sequential mode (58. 0%, 54. 7%, p = n. s. ). The median absolute difference in Agatston scores between acquisition modes was 14. 2% and 9. 2%, for the high and low heart rate groups, respectively. Excellent agreement for risk categorization between the two data acquisition modes was found for the high (κ = 0. 927) and low (κ = 0. 946) heart rate groups. Radiation dose was 48% lower for high-pitch spiral versus sequential acquisitions. Conclusion: Radiation dose for the quantification of coronary calcium can be reduced by 48% when using the high-pitch spiral acquisition mode compared to the sequential mode in participants with a regular high heart rate. CVD risk stratification agreement between the two modes of data acquisition is excellent. | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
10.1371/journal.pone.0127722 | In silico mechano-chemical model of bone healing for the regeneration of critical defects: The effect of BMP-2 | The healing of bone defects is a challenge for both tissue engineering and modern orthopaedics. This problem has been addressed through the study of scaffold constructs combined with mechanoregulatory theories, disregarding the influence of chemical factors and their respective delivery devices. Of the chemical factors involved in the bone healing process, bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) has been identified as one of the most powerful osteoinductive proteins. The aim of this work is to develop and validate a mechanochemical regulatory model to study the effect of BMP-2 on the healing of large bone defects in silico. We first collected a range of quantitative experimental data from the literature concerning the effects of BMP-2 on cellular activity, specifically proliferation, migration, differentiation, maturation and extracellular matrix production. These data were then used to define a model governed by mechano-chemical stimuli to simulate the healing of large bone defects under the following conditions: natural healing, an empty hydrogel implanted in the defect and a hydrogel soaked with BMP-2 implanted in the defect. For the latter condition, successful defect healing was predicted, in agreement with previous in vivo experiments. Further in vivo comparisons showed the potential of the model, which accurately predicted bone tissue formation during healing, bone tissue distribution across the defect and the quantity of bone inside the defect. The proposed mechano-chemical model also estimated the effect of BMP-2 on cells and the evolution of healing in large bone defects. This novel in silico tool provides valuable insight for bone tissue regeneration strategies. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1057/978-1-137-54550-3_3 | Reading Together Hindi Urdu And English Village Novels | Every region of India is and has been multilingual, with speakers of different languages and speakers of multiple languages. But literary ‘multilingual locals’ are often more fragmented than we think. While multilingualism suggests interest, and proficiency, in more than one literary language and tradition, very real barriers exist in terms of written vs. oral access, mutual interaction, and social and cultural hierarchies and exclusions. What does it mean to take multilingualism seriously when studying literature? One way, this essay suggests, is to consider works on a similar topic or milieu written in the different languages and compare both their literary sensibilities and their social imaginings. Rural Awadh offers an excellent example, as the site of many intersecting processes and discourses—of shared Hindu-Muslim sociality and culture and Muslim separatism, of nostalgia for a sophisticated culture and critique of zamindari exploitation and socio-economic backwardness, as the home of Urdu and of rustic Awadhi. This essay analyses three novels written at different times about rural Awadh—one set before 1947 and the others in the wake of the Zamindari Abolition Act of 1950 and the migration of so many Muslim zamindars from Awadh, either to Pakistan or to Indian cities. The first is Qazi Abdul Sattar’s Urdu novel Shab gazida (1962), the other two are Shivaprasad Singh’s Alag alag vaitarani (1970) and the Awadh subplot in Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy (1993). Without making them representatives of their respective languages, by comparing these three novels I am interested in exploring how they frame and what they select of Awadh culture, how much ground and sensibility they share, and how they fit within broader traditions of ‘village writing’ in Hindi, Urdu, and Indian English. | [
"Texts and Concepts",
"Studies of Cultures and Arts"
]
|
interreg_1572 | GREEN ENTERPRISE: A Framework for Planning and Implementing Local Level Strategies Serving Sustainable Socio Economic Development | Τhe project Green Enterprise focuses on rational spatial management; taking the Enterprise as a major Actor for sustainable development of the Community, while recognizing the effective management of Environmental Resources as a critical factor for sustainability, the project aims to develop and test a coherent – integrated framework for rational planning and implementation of strategies for promoting and supporting the development of “Environmentally Conscious” and “Socially Responsible” business units. Sustainable, balanced and harmonized spatial development is at the core of the “Green Enterprise” project, which seeks to contribute substantially to planning and implementing such kind of strategies, policies and measures in the ARCHIMED area. Taking Environmental Management as a cornerstone for rational and sustainable Spatial Planning, leading – either directly or indirectly - to significant outcomes at various categories of socio-economic evolution, and considering the need for coordinated exploitation of all resources and means, the project introduces “Green Enterprise” as a critical factor for successfully intervening in the said planning and implementation process and for achieving viable results and impacts. In this frame, enterprises are considered to play key roles in the overall “developmental structure” of a territory, being potentially able to act as a lever of important local forces, while also they are at a great extent responsible for critical aspects of the environmental evolution process. The partnership will move towards elaborating and testing of a rational, flexible and applicable “Green Enterprise Framework”, setting the ground for capacity - building in the field of design and establishment of suitable actions aiming to widen, strengthen and integrate environmental management processes. The axes around which the project action will be deployed (and the relevant goals) are: • Construction of a coherent conceptual Framework that will provide a synthetic, systemic and systematic approach in designing, implementing and managing regional and trans-regional level interventions serving environmental resources’ conservation and management. • Focus on the Enterprise “Social Behaviour”, which is considered to rank among the main routes for effectively implementing strategies, policies and measures in favour of environment and, in general, of sustainable development at local/regional level. • Integration into the framework of the Local Agenda 21 goals and provisions (achieving Sustainable Development through linking Social and Economic Development, Conserving and Managing Resources, Strengthening Participation etc.). • Animation and active involvement of significant local Actors. • Production and testing of effective and applicable tools supporting Enterprises to move towards the “Green Enterprise” status. • Development of transterritorial / transnational cooperation in the frame of a viable Network providing extensive know–how and expertise. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
US 9312640 W | HEIGHT AND AZIMUTH ADJUSTABLE CONTAINERS | An airport inset light adjustable alignment container set provides a light fixture and support for airport runway, taxiway, or other aircraft ground traffic areas and variable length extension means for rotatably adjusting height by plus or minus 0.4 millimeter or more and azimuth alignment by about plus or minus one degree or more. For previously installed, old airport inset lights, a variable length extension assembly of the present invention can be connected to a fixed connecting flange for rotatably adjusting the height and azimuth alignment of a conventional, prior art airport inset light, e.g., one which has been previously installed without the benefit of the present invention. An overlay protection plate protects against paving material entering the light fixture support during airport paving operations and locates the light fixture support after the airport paving operations have covered it. The overlay protection plate is firmly held bolt-free on the light fixture support, and the pavement cover is removed in substantially one piece. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
W1825184931 | Provisioning of requests for virtual machine sets with placement constraints in IaaS clouds | We study the problem of optimising the provisioning of collections of virtual machines (VMs) having different placement constraints (e.g., security and anti-collocation) and characteristics (e.g., memory and disk capacity), given a set of physical machines (PMs) with known specifications, in order to achieve the objective of maximising an IaaS cloud provider's revenue. We propose two approaches. The first is based on the formulation of the problem as an integer linear programming (ILP) problem, the solution to which provides an optimal VM placement. The second approach is a heuristic based on classifying the requests into different categories and satisfying the constraints in a particular order using a first lit decreasing (FFD) algorithm for multi-dimensional vector bin packing problem. Given a model of VM placement constraints, offered resources and requests with multiple VM types, both approaches devise a placement plan in a way that maximizes revenue, having due regard both to customer requirements and PM capacities. We evaluate the relative performance of the solutions by means of numerical experiments. The results suggest the optimal solution is not practical for medium to large problems, but it is encouraging that the placement plans of the heuristic are close to those of the optimal solution for smaller problem sizes. We use the heuristic to generate results for large scale placement problems; experiments suggest that it is practical in terms of its runtime efficiency and can provide an effective means of online VM-to-PM mapping. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
787203 | Re-inventing Ecosystem And Land-surface Models | Terrestrial ecosystems respond to changes in climate and the atmospheric environment, which they in turn help to regulate. As global change has become an international concern, high expectations have been laid on Earth system models with embedded ecosystem and biophysical land-surface components to deliver reliable, quantitative predictions of large-scale changes in ecosystems and their feedbacks to the climate system. But the lack of established quantitative theory for many fundamental processes – such as the long-term effects of temperature on primary production and carbon allocation, the sustainability and nutrient requirements of CO2 ‘fertilization’, and the regulation of green vegetation cover and its water use – has made such expectations impossible to fulfil. As a result, numerical models of land ecosystem processes continue stubbornly to disagree both with one another, and with benchmark data sets.
This impasse can be overcome, but not without re-thinking modelling practice. Theory must be re-instated as the required link between observations and models. Multidisciplinary data resources now available should be used far more extensively and creatively. Observational and experimental results should be integral to model development, not merely used for ‘end-of-pipe’ testing of complex, poorly constrained models. I propose to develop a comprehensive, next-generation vegetation model using eco-evolutionary optimality hypotheses to generate testable predictions, and multiple data sources to provide tests. Initial results have demonstrated the remarkable power of this ‘strong inference’ approach to explain patterns seen in nature. The project will transform the practice of global vegetation and land-surface modelling and in doing so, establish the foundations of a more robust, quantitative understanding of the role of terrestrial ecosystems in Earth System dynamics. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.1016/j.ifacol.2016.07.052 | Highway Traffic State Estimation with Mixed Connected and Conventional Vehicles | A macroscopic model-based approach for estimation of the traffic state, specifically of the (total) density and flow of vehicles, is developed for the case of “mixed” traffic, i. e. , traffic comprising both ordinary and connected vehicles. The development relies on the following realistic assumptions: (i) The density and flow of connected vehicles are known at the (local or central) traffic monitoring and control unit on the basis of their regularly reported positions; and (ii) the average speed of conventional vehicles is roughly equal to the average speed of connected vehicles. Thus, complete traffic state estimation (for arbitrarily selected segments in the network) may be achieved by merely estimating the percentage of connected vehicles with respect to the total number of vehicles. A model is derived, which describes the dynamics of the percentage of connected vehicles, utilizing only well-known conservation law equations that describe the dynamics of the density of connected vehicles and of the total density of all vehicles. Based on this model, which is a linear parameter-varying system, an estimation algorithm for the percentage of connected vehicles is developed employing a Kalman filter. The estimation methodology is validated through simulations, using a second-order macroscopic traffic flow model as ground truth for the traffic state, as well as using real microscopic traffic data collected within the Next Generation SIMulation (NGSIM) program. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1109/IWCE.2014.6865862 | Frequency Dependence Study Of A Bias Field Free Nano Scale Oscillator | Oscillators belong to the group of fundamental building blocks and are ubiquitous in modern electronics. Especially spin torque nano oscillators are very attractive as cost effective on-chip integrated microwave oscillators, due to their nano-scale size, frequency tunability, broad temperature operation range, and CMOS technology compatibility. Recently, we proposed a micromagnetic structure capable of operating as non-volatile flip flop as well as a spin torque nano oscillator. The structure consists of three anti-ferromagnetically coupled stacks (two for excitation A, B and one for readout Q) and a shared free magnetic layer. Micromagnetic simulations show a current regime, where the structure exhibits large, stable, and tunable in-plane oscillations in the GHz range without the need of an external magnetic field or an oscillating current. In this work the dependence of these oscillations on the shared free layer geometry at a fixed input current is studied. It is shown that the precessional frequency can be controlled by the dimensions of the shared free layer. Most efficient is to utilize the layer thickness to control the precessional frequency, but also changing the layer length can be exploited. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1109/WACV.2019.00159 | A Conditional Deep Generative Model Of People In Natural Images | We propose a deep generative model of humans in natural images which keeps 2D pose separated from other latent factors of variation, such as background scene and clothing. In contrast to methods that learn generative models of low-dimensional representations, e. g. , segmentation masks and 2D skeletons, our single-stage end-to-end conditional-VAEGAN learns directly on the image space. The flexibility of this approach allows the sampling of people with independent variations of pose and appearance. Moreover, it enables the reconstruction of images conditioned to a given posture, allowing, for instance, pose-transfer from one person to another. We validate our method on the Human3. 6M dataset and achieve state-of-the-art results on the ChictopiaPlus benchmark. Our model, named Conditional-DGPose, outperforms the closest related work in the literature. It generates more realistic and accurate images regarding both, body posture and image quality, learning the underlying factors of pose and appearance variation. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
W2059904326 | FPGA implementation of IEEE-754 floating point Karatsuba multiplier | The floating point arithmetic, specifically multiplication, is a widely used computational operation in many scientific and signal processing applications. In general, the IEEE-754 single-precision multiplier requires a 23 × 23 mantissa multiplication and the double-precision multiplier requires a large 52 × 52 mantissa multiplier to obtain the final result. This computation exists as a limit on both area and performance bounds of this operation. A lot of multiplication algorithms have been developed during the past decades. In this paper, the two of the popular algorithms, namely, Booth and Karatsuba (Normal and Recursive) multipliers have been implemented, and a performance comparison is also made. The algorithms have been implemented on an uniform reconfigurable FPGA platform providing a comparison of FPGA resources utilized and execution speeds. The recursive Karatsuba is the best performing algorithm among the algorithms. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1007/978-3-319-14857-1_2 | Late Motherhood In Low Fertility Countries Reproductive Intentions Trends And Consequences | Delayed parenthood is a central feature of the massive transformation of family and reproduction in rich countries. We analyse the shift of motherhood towards later reproductive ages during the last four decades and review its consequences for children and their mothers in low-fertility countries in Europe, North America, Oceania and East Asia. First we analyse the trends in birth rates at advanced reproductive ages (35+) and document the rapid rise in first and second birth rates at these ages. We show that a relatively high share of childless women and of women with one child aged 35-44 still plan to have a(nother) child in the future. Subsequently, we discuss the limited success rates of assisted reproduction at advanced reproductive ages. Next we outline the key drivers of delayed parenthood and its demographic consequences. Finally, we briefly review the consequences of delayed motherhood for pregnancy outcomes, maternal and child health and highlight selected positive consequences of later parenthood for mothers and children. We argue that economic and social rationales for late reproduction clash with the biological and health rationales for having children earlier in life. | [
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space",
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
884435 | Beatik- collaborative digital scores platform for classical music | Sheet music publishers have, for years, operated a business whose added value is principally printing and selling paper; 95% of classic music being out of copyright and free to be distributed by anyone.
BEATIK is a 100% paperless solution for the use and distribution of music scores. Beyond simply representing the written music on a screen, the BEATIK app features our unmatched score-following and auto-scroll technology, and includes a host of other innovative tools for interactions between musicians working together in large groups. BEATIK will provide an integrated platform and eco-system to help all musicians and the institutions they belong to, such as orchestras, conservatoires and music schools, from performance preparation to sharing annotations and score distribution. This will greatly reduce the quantity of paper used in distributing sheet music, its storage and transportation, the cost of which currently average up to €150k annually / music institution. Our solution will considerable savings for organisations with many musicians, providing a tool to supersede paper scores and the limited digital scores solutions currently on the market. We forecast sales of €7.75M in year 3, with annual profit of 5.02 (EBITDA). After €1.07 million total investment, we estimate a Return on Investment (ROI) of 7.24 three years after the completion of this Phase 2 project.
About REVINCLASSIC
RevInClassic was established in September 2015 with the purpose of bringing digital tools into the realm of how classical musicians prepare and perform, by revolutionising their interactions with written music and managing their scores. The result is BEATIK. The RevInClassic team is a mixture of musicians, engineers and entrepreneurs, and have a close interaction with the orchestra of Spain’s premier opera house, Teatro Real de Madrid. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
W2129959668 | Genesis of Streamwise-Localized Solutions from Globally Periodic Traveling Waves in Pipe Flow | The aim in the dynamical systems approach to transitional turbulence is to construct a scaffold in phase space for the dynamics using simple invariant sets (exact solutions) and their stable and unstable manifolds. In large (realistic) domains where turbulence can co-exist with laminar flow, this requires identifying exact localized solutions. In wall-bounded shear flows the first of these has recently been found in pipe flow, but questions remain as to how they are connected to the many known streamwise-periodic solutions. Here we demonstrate the origin of the first localized solution in a modulational symmetry-breaking Hopf bifurcation from a known global travelling wave that has 2-fold rotational symmetry about the pipe axis. Similar behaviour is found for a global wave of 3-fold rotational symmetry, this time leading to two localized relative periodic orbits. The clear implication is that all global solutions should be expected to lead to more realistic localised counterparts through such bifurcations, which provides a constructive route for their generation. | [
"Mathematics",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
W2997757130 | Innovations for smoke management in passenger trains | Spanish manufacturer Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles developed an innovative alternative for compartmentation, based on a smoke extraction system, to guarantee safe conditions during evacuation processes in a passenger unit. To demonstrate its performance in a train unit, a real-scale experimental programme, supported by the application of fire computer modelling, was applied in a new Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles’ rolling stock. The new smoke exhaust system aims to extract the smoke generated during a fire in the passenger area by exhaust fans of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, allowing the ingress of fresh exterior air in the lower part of the rear ends of the car. These key elements create an air flow that evacuates the smoke to prevent people from being exposed to it. Full-scale fire tests were developed in the train unit following the Australian standard AS 4391-1999. A fire of 140 kW was used, and the smoke was generated by a clean smoke machine. Measurement points included six thermocouple trees, 10 gas flow velocity probes and two GoPro HD video cameras (for the estimation of the visibility). The system performance was successful with the tenability criteria, since the value of visibility at the non-fire car was greater than 30 m and the temperature was lower than 30°C during all the tests at a height of 1.7 m above the floor. Experimental results were used to validate the computational model. The computational model results show a good accuracy compared with the tests. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1080/00455091.2018.1463798 | Children S Rights And The Non Identity Problem | Can appealing to children’s rights help to solve the non-identity problem in cases of procreation? A number of philosophers have answered affirmatively, arguing that even if children cannot be harm. . . | [
"Texts and Concepts",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
]
|
10.1093/nar/gkz447 | Sequence motifs recognized by the casposon integrase of Aciduliprofundum boonei | Abstract
Casposons are a group of bacterial and archaeal DNA transposons encoding a specific integrase, termed casposase, which is homologous to the Cas1 enzyme responsible for the integration of new spacers into CRISPR loci. Here, we characterized the sequence motifs recognized by the casposase from a thermophilic archaeon Aciduliprofundum boonei. We identified a stretch of residues, located in the leader region upstream of the actual integration site, whose deletion or mutagenesis impaired the concerted integration reaction. However, deletions of two-thirds of the target site were fully functional. Various single-stranded 6-FAM-labelled oligonucleotides derived from casposon terminal inverted repeats were as efficiently incorporated as duplexes into the target site. This result suggests that, as in the case of spacer insertion by the CRISPR Cas1–Cas2 integrase, casposon integration involves splaying of the casposon termini, with single-stranded ends being the actual substrates. The sequence critical for incorporation was limited to the five terminal residues derived from the 3′ end of the casposon. Furthermore, we characterize the casposase from Nitrosopumilus koreensis, a marine member of the phylum Thaumarchaeota, and show that it shares similar properties with the A. boonei enzyme, despite belonging to a different family. These findings further reinforce the mechanistic similarities and evolutionary connection between the casposons and the adaptation module of the CRISPR–Cas systems. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
W2508092574 | Low-level functional GPU programming for parallel algorithms | We present a Functional Compute Language (FCL) for low-level GPU programming. FCL is functional in style, which allows for easy composition of program fragments and thus easy prototyping and a high degree of code reuse. In contrast with projects such as Futhark, Accelerate, Harlan, Nessie and Delite, the intention is not to develop a language providing fully automatic optimizations, but instead to provide a platform that supports absolute control of the GPU computation and memory hierarchies. The developer is thus required to have an intimate knowledge of the target platform, as is also required when using CUDA/OpenCL directly. FCL is heavily inspired by Obsidian. However, instead of relying on a multi-staged meta-programming approach for kernel generation using Haskell as meta-language, FCL is completely self-contained, and we intend it to be suitable as an intermediate language for data-parallel languages, including data-parallel parts of high-level array languages, such as R, Matlab, and APL. We present a type-system and a dynamic semantics suitable for understanding the performance characteristics of both FCL and Obsidian-style programs. Our aim is that FCL will be useful as a platform for developing new parallel algorithms, as well as a target-language for various code-generators targeting GPU hardware. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.2514/6.2013-1908 | Fluid-structure interaction analysis of the Fish Bone Active Camber mechanism | A strongly coupled, partitioned fluid-structure interaction analysis is introduced which allows for calculation of the deformed equilibrium shape and actuation requirements of the Fish Bone Active Camber mechanism under quasi-static aerodynamic loading. The Fish Bone Active Camber mechanism has recently been introduced as a high authority morphing camber architecture with a broad range of applications; including fixed wing aircraft, helicopters, wind turbines, and tidal stream turbines. This design employs a biologically inspired compliant structure to create continuous changes in airfoil camber and aerodynamic properties. The structure consists of a thin chordwise bending beam spine with stringers branching off to connect it to a pre-tensioned Elastomeric Matrix Composite skin surface. An actuation system mounted in a rigid D-spar induces bending moments on the spine through an antagonistic pair of tendons in a manner similar to natural musculature systems. The low bending stiffness of the primary structure, high stiffness of the tendons, and the large changes in aerodynamic loading while morphing necessitate a fully coupled fluid-structure interaction analysis for determination of the static equilibrium at different operating conditions. An Euler-Bernoulli beam theory based analytical model of the structure is introduced. Aerodynamic pressure distributions on the skin surface are found using XFOIL software, which couples a panel method with a viscous boundary layer solver. Finally, the tendons are modeled as linear stiffness elements whose internal strains are found from Euler-Bernoulli theory and whose axial forces create bending moments on the spine at their discrete mounting points. Convergence of the FSI code is stabilized through incorporation of relaxation parameters to the tendon moments and deflected shape. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
W2084357092 | Interaction between toxigenic fungi and weevils in corn grain samples | Abstract This study investigated the ability of weevils to transmit Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium verticillioides fungal spores and the consequent production of mycotoxins. For this purpose, corn grain samples were stored in flasks connected to a hose to form a closed system (flasks A and B). Flasks A were inoculated with the following groups: group 1 (corn + weevil); group 2 (corn + A. flavus ); group 3 (corn + A. flavus + weevil); group 4 (corn + F. verticillioides ); group 5 (corn + F. verticillioides + weevil), and group 6 (corn + A. flavus + F. verticillioides + weevil). Flasks B contained sterile grains. The samples were incubated for 10, 20 and 30 days, posteriorly, weight, water activity, mycoflora, aflatoxins and fumonisins. The corn grain samples were also submitted to scanning electron microscopy. Our results showed that weevils could enhance corn grains contamination by these fungi, hence, could increase mycotoxins production. These findings demonstrate the importance of weevils as fungal vectors and the need for good manipulation and storage practices of grains. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering"
]
|
220112 | Development of a model system to study the role of chromatin factors during transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (tei) in c. elegans | Non DNA-sequence based inheritance has been observed in many organisms from microbes to man and likely impacts public health. The mechanisms of non DNA-sequence based inheritance remain largely unknown. However, some examples of non DNA-sequence based inheritance in mammals, plants and invertebrates are linked to the control of selfish, transposable elements in the genome. Here we propose to discover the mechanistic basis of multi-generational non DNA-sequence based inheritance, also referred to as transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (TEI), using the laboratory animal model Caenorhabditis elegans. Specifically, our goal is to identify chromatin and non-coding RNA “epigenetic” marks that transfer information from generation to generation in C. elegans. C. elegans is a great model for this work as it has a generation time of only three days, has a powerful genetics toolkit and its chromatin and RNA pathways are largely conserved in humans. Towards this goal we have established a novel assay we named piRNA-related insertional chromatin immunoprecipitation (piChIP). Using this piChIP system, our specific aims are:
Aim-1: Identification of novel non-coding RNAs in the germline nuclear RNAi pathway
- Method: RNA-seq
Aim-2: Identification of novel proteins and histone PTMs in the germline nuclear RNAi pathway
- Method: SILAC proteomics and Mass Spectrometry | [
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
EP 2007055180 W | FLUID PUMP AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING A FLUID PUMP | The invention relates to a fluid pump (10), in particular a liquid pump for a cooling and/or heating circuit of a motor vehicle, having a pump housing (12,14,16,18) and having a rotationally fixed shaft (36), which is arranged in the pump housing (12,14,16,18), for an inner rotor (28) which has an impeller wheel (35). According to the invention, it is proposed that the shaft (28) is mounted at one side and, at its end (42) remote from the bearing point (38), supports a bearing cap (44) which engages at least partially around the shaft (28). The invention also relates to a method for producing a fluid pump (10) of said type, in which method the shaft (36) is fixed with its first end in a housing, in particular in a plastic housing, of the pump, the inner rotor (28) of the pump is pushed onto the shaft (36) and is secured axially by means of a bearing cap (44) which is placed onto the shaft (36) and is supported by the shaft. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
10.1002/adbi.201800270 | An Electrocorticography Device with an Integrated Microfluidic Ion Pump for Simultaneous Neural Recording and Electrophoretic Drug Delivery In Vivo | The challenge of treating neurological disorders has motivated the development of implantable devices that can deliver treatment when and where it is needed. This study presents a novel brain implant capable of electrophoretically delivering drugs and recording local neural activity on the surface of the brain. The drug delivery is made possible by the integration of a microfluidic ion pump (µFIP) into a conformable electrocorticography (ECoG) device with recording cites embedded next to the drug delivery outlets. The µFIP ECoG device can deliver a high capacity of several biologically important cationic species on demand. The therapeutic potential of the device is demonstrated by using it to deliver neurotransmitters in a rodent model while simultaneously recording local neural activity. These developments represent a significant step forward for cortical drug-delivery systems. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1111/1365-2656.12660 | Nitrogen Deposition Cancels Out Exotic Earthworm Effects On Plant Feeding Nematode Communities | Summary
The activity and spread of exotic earthworms often are spatially correlated with N deposition because both arise from human activities. Exotic earthworms, in turn, can also greatly affect soil abiotic and biotic properties, as well as related ecological processes. Previous studies showed, for example, that earthworms can counteract the detrimental effects of plant-feeding nematodes on plant growth. However, potential interactive effects of N deposition and exotic earthworms on ecosystems are poorly understood. We explored the changes in density of plant-feeding nematodes in response to the presence of exotic earthworms, and whether these changes are altered by elevated N deposition in a two-factorial field mesocosm experiment at the Heshan National Field Research Station of Forest Ecosystem, in southern China. Our results show that earthworm addition marginally significantly increased the density of exotic earthworms and significantly increased the mass of earthworm casts. The total density of plant-feeding nematodes was not significantly affected by exotic earthworms or N deposition. However, exotic earthworms tended to increase the density of plant-feeding nematode taxa that are less detrimental to plant growth (r-strategists), while they significantly reduced the density of more harmful plant-feeding nematodes (K-strategists). Importantly, these earthworm effects were restricted to the ambient N deposition treatment, and elevated N deposition cancelled out the earthworm effect. Although exotic earthworms and N deposition interactively altered foliar N : P ratio in the target tree species, this did not result in significant changes in shoot and root biomass in the short term. Overall, our study indicates that N deposition can cancel out exotic earthworm-induced reductions in the density of harmful plant-feeding nematodes. These results suggest that anthropogenic N deposition can alter biotic interactions between exotic and native soil organisms with potential implications for ecosystem functioning. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
278793 | Molecular engineering of virus-like carriers | In the last 5 years I have been working on the study of nanoscopic vesicles formed by the assembly in water of amphiphilic block copolymers. These polymer vesicles also known as polymersomes can be designed with size, topology and morphology similar to natural viruses. The synthetic nature of copolymers allows the design of interfaces with various classes of biochemically-active functional groups. This, in combination with precise control over the molecular architecture, determines the degree of order in self-organizing polymeric materials. Such bio-inspired ‘bottom-up’ supramolecular design principles can offer outstanding advantages in engineering structures at a molecular level, using the same long–studied principles of biological molecules. It is self-evident that the highly biocompatible nature of these new amphiphilic copolymer assemblies augurs well for biomedical applications. Indeed, related polymeric micelles and vesicles have already been reported and studied as delivery systems for drugs, gene, and image contrast agents. Herein I propose to engineer new generations of polymersomes whose size, topology, surface chemistry is exquisitely controlled by supramolecular interactions with the aim to control their bioactivity and explore new ways to target specific biological sites via multi-fictionalisation and steric controlled binding. This will be achieved by a balanced combination of novel physico-chemical techniques with tailor-made biological evaluation based on state-of-the-art cell culture methods as well as in vitro and in vivo high content screening. My long-term aim is to set-up new design principles for nanoparticles for biomedical applications together with a thorough biomedical fast screening that will enable safe and fast translation into the clinic as well as benchmarking nanotoxicological methodologies. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
W2026485018 | Thermodynamic analysis of a Schwarzschild black hole fed by cosmic microwave background radiation | The analysis of black holes fed by the omnipresent Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR) constitutes benchmark cases. The rate of energy and entropy variation of a Schwarzschild black hole fed by CMBR is analytically obtained. The entropy analysis revealed that there is a higher value of black hole’s critical mass than that obtained from an energy analysis, which is needed for its existence with high probability. At this minimum value of mass of the Schwarzschild black hole, the entropy generated due to its existence becomes positive. The black hole’s negentropy and the difference between its exit and inlet specific entropies are shown to more importantly correlate with its event horizon area than the black hole’s entropy. | [
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Universe Sciences"
]
|
10.1152/physiol.00005.2013 | In scarcity and abundance: Metabolic signals regulating cell growth | Although nutrient availability is a major driver of cell growth, and continuous adaptation to nutrient supply is critical for the development and survival of all organisms, the molecular mechanisms of nutrient sensing are only beginning to emerge. Here, we highlight recent advances in the field of nutrient sensing and discuss arising principles governing how metabolism might regulate growth-promoting pathways. In addition, we discuss signaling functions of metabolic enzymes not directly related to their metabolic activity. Union Physiol. Sci. /Am. Physiol. Soc. | [
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
787679 | Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of liquid-liquid phase separation | Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is a phenomenon inherent to the thermodynamics of liquids, is critical for the development of technologically useful fluids and underlies some of the biggest health changes in our society. LLPS is based on transitions between two different forms of liquid that have the same chemical composition, but distinct energy, entropy and density. Despite the importance of LLPS for technology and health, however, only a very low-resolution view primarily through light microscopy is currently available for LLPS states formed by peptides and proteins. Because of this bottleneck, the interactions, which stabilize liquid droplets, and regulate their biogenesis, as well as a rationale for the biochemical function of LLPS, have remained mysterious.
To tackle this massive unmet need, I propose to develop powerful methods of NMR spectroscopy that go far beyond the state-of-the-art and team them up with mechanobiology/force microscopy to break the resolution barrier of polypeptide LLPS and push the description of the internal organization of liquid droplets from micrometer to sub-nanometer. Although highly challenging, the novel methods when successful will (i) disentangle the structure and kinetics of intrinsically disordered proteins within LLPS reaction chambers in space and time, (ii) unravel the nature of chemical reactions in liquid droplets, and (iii) decipher LLPS regulation by posttranslational modifications, nucleic acids and critical changes in cellular environment at atomic resolution. The innovative nature of the proposal is designed to unravel the innermost forces in liquid droplets and to transform our knowledge about the chemistry of liquid phase-separated protein states. Findings from this proposal will provide critical guidance in the development of systems to encapsulate bioactive molecules and to develop better treatments for human diseases. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
10.1371/journal.pbio.2005651 | The mitochondrial transporter SLC25A25 links ciliary TRPP2 signaling and cellular metabolism | Cilia are organelles specialized in movement and signal transduction. The ciliary transient receptor potential ion channel polycystin-2 (TRPP2) controls elementary cilia-mediated physiological functions ranging from male fertility and kidney development to left–right patterning. However, the molecular components translating TRPP2 channel–mediated Ca 2+ signals into respective physiological functions are unknown. Here, we show that the Ca 2+ -regulated mitochondrial ATP-Mg/P i solute carrier 25 A 25 (SLC25A25) acts downstream of TRPP2 in an evolutionarily conserved metabolic signaling pathway. We identify SLC25A25 as an essential component in this cilia-dependent pathway using a genome-wide forward genetic screen in Drosophila melanogaster, followed by a targeted analysis of SLC25A25 function in zebrafish left–right patterning. Our data suggest that TRPP2 ion channels regulate mitochondrial SLC25A25 transporters via Ca 2+ establishing an evolutionarily conserved molecular link between ciliary signaling and mitochondrial metabolism. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
895217 | Smart autonomous multi modal sensors for vital signs monitoring | Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain the leading cause of mortality and a major cause of morbidity in Europe. Every year there are more than 6 million new cases of CVD in the EU and more than 11 million in Europe as a whole. With almost 49 million people living with the disease in the EU, the cost to the EU economies is €210 billion a year. There is a growing demand for a reliable cardiac monitoring system to catch the intermittent abnormalities and detect critical cardiac behaviours which, in extreme cases, can lead to sudden death. The objective of the Smart Autonomous Multi Modal Sensors for Vital Signs Monitoring (SmartVista) project is to develop and demonstrate a next generation, cost-effective, smart multimodal sensing platform to reduce incidences of sudden death caused by CVD. The key innovation in SmartVista is to integrate 1D/2D nanomaterials based sensors to monitor the heart, thermoelectric energy harvesters to extract energy from the body to power the system and printable battery systems to store this energy. Together these will result in a self-powered device that will autonomously monitor the electrocardiograph, respiratory flow, oxygen flow and temperature of the patient. This information will then be transmitted wirelessly for online health processing. This real-time self-powered monitoring of a patient’s health in this manner is not currently available so the technology that will be developed in SmartVista will position us at the forefront of digital health and wearable biosensor technology for wireless monitoring in hospitals and of remote patients, both of which are necessary in this era of an aging population. The SmartVista platform enables wireless, real-time, continuous patient monitoring and delivers a seamless feed of patient data and will contribute to the EU vision of an Internet of Things for healthcare. | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Materials Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1088/1475-7516/2019/07/021 | Non Gaussianity From Entanglement During Inflation | We compute the bi-spectrum of CMB temperature fluctuations for a state where the metric perturbation ? is entangled with a spectator scalar field ?. Novel terms in the cubic ? action coupled to the scalar can be the dominant contribution to the bi-spectrum for such states and we highlight the differences between this result and the no-entanglement bi-spectrum. New shapes can be important in the bi-spectra leading to distinctive observational signatures. | [
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Universe Sciences"
]
|
820235 | Understanding and leveraging ‘moments of change’ for pro-environmental behaviour shifts | Responding to climate change requires profound changes to individual behaviour. However, much of our behaviour is habitual, which is resistant to change. Habits are cued by stable contexts (i.e., same time, place and/or social group), so when these change, habits are disrupted, providing an opportunity to intervene to foster pro-environmental behaviour. ‘Moments of change’ are when individual life circumstances shift within a short time frame, and include biographical and exogenous changes (e.g., becoming a parent, travel disruption). The relationship between moments of change and environmental impact is complex, with heterogeneity between individuals, cultures and behaviours. The aim of this proposal is to examine how ambitious lifestyle change might be achieved through understanding and harnessing ‘moments of change’ in life circumstances. This project integrates insights from several fields (developmental and environmental psychology, sociology, science & technology studies) to bring a much-needed focus on the temporal and socio-technical dimensions of pro-environmental behaviour (change). There are two objectives for the research: (a) To explore and track moments of pro-environmental behaviour change across cultures and life-course; and (b) To examine the efficacy of behavioural interventions targeted to moments of change. Three work packages address these objectives through an ambitious programme of cross-cultural research using secondary and big data analyses, longitudinal qualitative interviews and panel surveys to explore moments of change, and experimental studies to test behaviour change interventions targeted at moments of change (e.g., starting university, retiring, relocating). This project promises a step-change in understanding the dynamics of pro-environmental change across the life course and cultures, and the development of robust habit-disrupting interventions to foster lifestyle change. | [
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
]
|
W1597719896 | Implications of the Social Web Environment for User Story Education | In recent years, user stories have emerged in academia, as well as industry, as a notable approach for expressing user requirements of interactive software systems that are developed using agile methodologies. There are social aspects inherent to software development, in general, and user stories, in particular. This paper presents directions and means for incorporating the Social Web environment in user story education. In doing so, it proposes a methodology, SW4USE, for such integration. SW4USE consists of a user story process model, USPM, and Social Web technologies/applications that can contribute to the execution of the steps of USPM. A collection of scenarios of use, for both teachers in their classroom lectures and students in their team‑based course projects, are presented, and potential learning outcomes are given. The ephemeral and essential challenges in the realization of SW4USE, particularly those related to quality, are highlighted. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
]
|
215658 | Affordable lightweight automobiles alliance | 6 of the European carmakers (DAIMLER, VW, TME, CRF, VOLVO, Opel), under the coordination of EUCAR, have joined forces to commonly address the high cost issue of innovations in vehicle lightweighting, having identified it as the major bottleneck towards their implementation in vehicle series and mass production.
The AffordabLe LIghtweight Automobiles AlliaNCE (ALLIANCE) has the ambition to develop novel advanced materials (steel, aluminium, hybrid) and production technologies, aiming at an average 25% weight reduction over 100k units/year, at costs of <3 €/kg. Additionally, ALLIANCE will develop a mass-optimizer software tool and a multi-parameter design optimisation methodology and process, aiming at an accelerated pre-assessment of technologies over existing designs in a holistic framework.
ALLIANCE will work on 8 different demonstrators of real vehicle models, 6 of which will be physically tested, aiming at market application by OEMs within 6 years from project end (in 2025). A transferability and scalability methodology will also be developed for results replication across other vehicle components and models in other segments.
ALLIANCE aims at becoming a central hub for innovation in lightweight design in Europe. To do so, it will establish an open inclusive framework towards external centres and clusters in this field, involving them in ALLIANCE development through an open lightweight design contest and dedicated workshops. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1016/j.molcel.2019.04.033 | Transcription Restart Establishes Chromatin Accessibility after DNA Replication | Accessibility is a hallmark of active chromatin. Stewart-Morgan et al. develop repli-ATAC-seq to profile accessibility after DNA replication and find that nascent chromatin is inaccessible to transcription machinery. Return of accessibility is heterogeneous across genomic features, independent of steady-state expression levels, and driven by resumption of transcription post-replication. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1126/science.aad0779 | Chemotherapy-induced antitumor immunity requires formyl peptide receptor 1 | Antitumor immunity driven by intratumoral dendritic cells contributes to the efficacy of anthracycline-based chemotherapy in cancer. We identified a loss-of-function allele of the gene coding for formyl peptide receptor 1 (FPR1) that was associated with poor metastasis-free and overall survival in breast and colorectal cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. The therapeutic effects of anthracyclines were abrogated in tumor-bearing Fpr1-/- mice due to impaired antitumor immunity. Fpr1-deficient dendritic cells failed to approach dying cancer cells and, as a result, could not elicit antitumor T cell immunity. Experiments performed in a microfluidic device confirmed that FPR1 and its ligand, annexin-1, promoted stable interactions between dying cancer cells and human or murine leukocytes. Altogether, these results highlight the importance of FPR1 in chemotherapy-induced anticancer immune responses. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4738-14.2015 | Nonlinear Transfer Of Signal And Noise Correlations In Cortical Networks | Signal and noise correlations, a prominent feature of cortical activity, reflect the structure and function of networks during sensory processing. However, in addition to reflecting network properties, correlations are also shaped by intrinsic neuronal mechanisms. Here we show that spike threshold transforms correlations by creating nonlinear interactions between signal and noise inputs; even when input noise correlation is constant, spiking noise correlation varies with both the strength and correlation of signal inputs. We characterize these effects systematically in vitro in mice and demonstrate their impact on sensory processing in vivo in gerbils. We also find that the effects of nonlinear correlation transfer on cortical responses are stronger in the synchronized state than in the desynchronized state, and show that they can be reproduced and understood in a model with a simple threshold nonlinearity. Since these effects arise from an intrinsic neuronal property, they are likely to be present across sensory systems and, thus, our results are a critical step toward a general understanding of how correlated spiking relates to the structure and function of cortical networks. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System"
]
|
10.5194/cp-14-2053-2018 | What climate signal is contained in decadal- to centennial-scale isotope variations from Antarctic ice cores? | . Ice-core-based records of isotopic composition are a proxy for past temperatures and can thus provide information on polar climate variability over a large range of timescales. However, individual isotope records are affected by a multitude of processes that may mask the true temperature variability. The relative magnitude of climate and non-climate contributions is expected to vary as a function of timescale, and thus it is crucial to determine those temporal scales on which the actual signal dominates the noise. At present, there are no reliable estimates of this timescale dependence of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Here, we present a simple method that applies spectral analyses to stable-isotope data from multiple cores to estimate the SNR, and the signal and noise variability, as a function of timescale. The method builds on separating the contributions from a common signal and from local variations and includes a correction for the effects of diffusion and time uncertainty. We apply our approach to firn-core arrays from Dronning Maud Land (DML) in East Antarctica and from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). For DML and decadal to multi-centennial timescales, we find an increase in the SNR by nearly 1 order of magnitude (∼0. 2 at decadal and ∼1. 0 at multi-centennial scales). The estimated spectrum of climate variability also shows increasing variability towards longer timescales, contrary to what is traditionally inferred from single records in this region. In contrast, the inferred variability spectrum for WAIS stays close to constant over decadal to centennial timescales, and the results even suggest a decrease in SNR over this range of timescales. We speculate that these differences between DML and WAIS are related to differences in the spatial and temporal scales of the isotope signal, highlighting the potentially more homogeneous atmospheric conditions on the Antarctic Plateau in contrast to the marine-influenced conditions on WAIS. In general, our approach provides a methodological basis for separating local proxy variability from coherent climate variations, which is applicable to a large set of palaeoclimate records. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Mathematics"
]
|
W2140515975 | Interoperablity of bank statements: A case study | There are different types of bank statements offered by various banks. So far there are no standards, and each bank builds its own type of statements. Most of these statements given to the citizens are in pdf format, and lately several banks offer statements in excel formats. Very rarely one can find XML types of statements, which can be further processed. To use data from statements in other applications, one has to build their own interpreter of bank statements. To solve the existing problem with interoperability, as a main motivation for this paper, we introduce an adapter, which can read various types of statements and return an XML file as output. Our realization of the adapter works with statements offered by most of the banks in our country as a proof of concept. The adapter was efficiently used in a special program for analysis of consumer costs, where one can access accounts in several banks and calculate taxes, income statements and analyze the costs. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1212/WNL.0000000000004264 | In Vivo Retention Of 18 F Av 1451 In Corticobasal Syndrome | OBJECTIVE: To study the usefulness of (18)F-AV-1451 PET in patients with corticobasal syndrome (CBS). METHODS: We recruited 8 patients with CBS, 17 controls, 31 patients with Alzheimer disease (AD), and 11 patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) from the Swedish BioFINDER study. All patients underwent clinical assessment, (18)F-AV-1451 PET, MRI, and quantification of β-amyloid pathology. A subset of participants also underwent (18)F-FDG-PET. RESULTS: In the 8 patients with CBS, 6 had imaging findings compatible with the corticobasal degeneration pathology and 2 with typical AD pathology. In the 6 patients with CBS without typical AD pathology, there were substantial retentions of (18)F-AV-1451 in the motor cortex, corticospinal tract, and basal ganglia contralateral to the most affected body side. These patients could be clearly distinguished from patients with AD dementia or PSP using (18)F-AV-1451. However, cortical atrophy was more widespread than the cortical retention of (18)F-AV1451 in these CBS cases, and cortical AV-1451 uptake did not correlate with cortical thickness or glucose hypometabolism. These results are in sharp contrast to AD dementia, where (18)F-AV-1451 retention was more widespread than cortical atrophy, and correlated well with cortical thickness and hypometabolism. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with CBS without typical AD pathology exhibited AV-1451 retention in the motor cortex, corticospinal tract, and basal ganglia contralateral to the affected body side, clearly different from controls and patients with AD dementia or PSP. However, cortical atrophy measured with MRI and decreased (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake were more widespread than (18)F-AV-1451 uptake and probably represent earlier, yet less specific, markers of CBS. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class III evidence that (18)F-AV-1451 PET distinguishes between CBS and AD or PSP. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1016/j.jaad.2017.05.050 | Cancer risks and survival in patients with multiple primary melanomas: Association with family history of melanoma and germline CDKN2A mutation status | Background Worse outcomes have been noted in patients with multiple primary melanomas (MPMs) than in patients with single primary melanomas. Objective We investigated how family history of melanoma and germline CDKN2A mutation status of MPM patients affects risks of developing subsequent melanomas and other cancers and survival outcomes. Methods Comprehensive data on cancer diagnoses and deaths of MPM patients, their first-degree relatives, and matched controls were obtained through Swedish national health care and population registries. Results Familial MPM cases with germline CDKN2A mutations were youngest at the diagnosis of their second melanoma (median age 42 years) and had among the MPM cohorts the highest relative risks (RR) compared to controls of developing >2 melanomas (RR 238. 4, 95% CI 74. 8-759. 9). CDKN2A mutated MPM cases and their first-degree relatives were the only cohorts with increased risks of nonskin cancers compared to controls (RR 3. 6, 95% CI 1. 9-147. 1 and RR 3. 2, 95% CI 1. 9-5. 6, respectively). In addition, CDKN2A mutated MPM cases had worse survival compared with both cases with familial (HR 3. 0, 95% CI 1. 3-8. 1) and sporadic wild-type MPM (HR 2. 63, 95% CI 1. 3-5. 4). Limitations Our study examined outcomes in subgroups of MPM patients, which affected the sample size of the study groups. Conclusion This study demonstrates that CDKN2A mutation status and family history of melanoma significantly affects outcomes of MPM patients. | [
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1016/j.bandc.2016.07.003 | An individual differences analysis of the neurocognitive architecture of the semantic system at rest | Efficient semantic cognition depends on accessing and selecting conceptual knowledge relevant to the current task or context. This study explored the neurocognitive architecture that supports this function by examining how individual variation in functional brain organisation predicts comprehension and semantic generation. Participants underwent resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and, on separate days, performed written synonym judgement, and letter and category fluency tasks. We found that better synonym judgement for high frequency items was linked to greater functional coupling between posterior fusiform and anterior superior temporal cortex (aSTG), which might index orthographic-to-semantic access. However, stronger coupling between aSTG and ventromedial prefrontal cortex was associated with poor performance on the same trials, potentially reflecting greater difficulty in focussing retrieval on relevant features for high frequency items that appear in a greater range of contexts. Fluency performance was instead linked to variations in the functional coupling of the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG); anterior IFG was more coupled to regions of primary visual cortex for individuals who were good at category fluency, while poor letter fluency was predicted by stronger coupling between posterior IFG and retrosplenial cortex. These results show that individual differences in functional connectivity at rest predict semantic performance and are consistent with a component process account of semantic cognition in which representational information is shaped by control processes to fit the current requirements, in both comprehension and fluency tasks. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
]
|
10.1109/ARSO.2014.7020984 | Using Penalized Spline Regression To Calculate Mean Trajectories Including Confidence Intervals Of Human Motion Data | Research in motion planning for mobile robots increasingly focuses on modeling human-like motions and behaviors. Applied to robots, these models help generating motions that are intuitively comprehensible for a human interaction partner. However, identifying the underlying parameters of such human motion models is challenging. These parameters are commonly estimated by analyzing measured single trajectories or means of trajectory sets. Indeed, raw trajectories as well as the means are often not representative for the data, as measurements are noisy and the amount of generated data is limited. For a reasonable analysis it is necessary to smooth the data and estimate an according confidence interval for the mean. In this paper we apply penalized splines to smooth single trajectories and to estimate means of trajectory sets, which ensures little distortion of the original data. Based on that, a method is presented that yields a confidence interval for the mean of human motion data. In order to cope with unknown distributions and small datasets our method employs bootstrapping. The analysis based on confidence intervals takes the variance of the data into account and allows for reasonable conclusions about underlying human motion parameters. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Mathematics"
]
|
W4310889524 | ODORIZADOR AUTOMOTIVO COMPOSTO DE SÍLICA GEL SINTETIZADA A PARTIR DE CINZAS DE CASCA DE ARROZ | Todos os anos, milhares de toneladas de casca de arroz são produzidas no Brasil.A casca de arroz tem como destino de descarte final as lavouras, fundos de rios, açudes e lagos, sendo prejudicial para a fauna e flora.Devido a isso, faz-se necessário o seu reaproveitamento, sendo o principal item a queima da mesma para geração de energia.Após a incineração da casca de arroz ainda restará uma grande quantidade de resíduos na forma de cinzas, cerca de 180 kg por tonelada de casca de arroz.Esse resíduo é rico em sílica, podendo ser utilizado em diversas aplicações, como correção de pH de solos, cargas em cimentos Portland, cargas em compósitos poliméricos, obtenção de sílica pura e sílica gel.Este estudo teve como objetivo produzir um odorizador automotivo composto de sílica gel sintetizada a partir de cinzas de casaca de arroz.A metodologia utilizada foi a exploratória descritiva com a análise bibliográfica de artigos científicos focados no assunto, e paralelo foi realizada a análise dos resultados através da caracterização por Difração por Raios-X (DRX) e espectroscopia no infravermelho com transformada de Fourier (FTIR).Os resultados mostraram que a sílica gel extraída adsorveu de maneira satisfatória a essência usada, permitindo o uso como odorizador para automóveis. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1007/s00253-014-5783-7 | Impact of protein uptake and degradation on recombinant protein secretion in yeast | Protein titers, a key bioprocessing metric, depend both on the synthesis of protein and the degradation of protein. Secreted recombinant protein production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an attractive platform as minimal media can be used for cultivation, thus reducing fermentation costs and simplifying downstream purification, compared to other systems that require complex media. As such, engineering S. cerevisiae to improve titers has been then the subject of significant attention, but the majority of previous efforts have been focused on improving protein synthesis. Here, we characterize the protein uptake and degradation pathways of S. cerevisiae to better understand its impact on protein secretion titers. We do find that S. cerevisiae can consume significant (in the range of 1 g/L/day) quantities of whole proteins. Characterizing the physiological state and combining metabolomics and transcriptomics, we identify metabolic and regulatory markers that are consistent with uptake of whole proteins by endocytosis, followed by intracellular degradation and catabolism of substituent amino acids. Uptake and degradation of recombinant protein products may be common in S. cerevisiae protein secretion systems, and the current data should help formulate strategies to mitigate product loss. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1109/SASO.2010.37 | Towards A Stem Architecture Description Language For Self Adaptive Systems | In the software domain, self-adaptive systems are able to modify their behavior at run-time to respond to internal and external changes. In life science, biological cells are power entities able to adapt to the (unpredictable) situations they incur in, in a complete decentralized fashion. We are working on a new architectural paradigm for self-adaptive software systems inspired by the adaptation mechanism coming from the cell life-cycle. In order to address the complexity and the variety of self adaptive systems we found that the cell lifecycle is interesting for three main features: i) their ability to specialize behaviors starting from the most general one, i. e. the stem cell, ii) the cell ability to make regular use of the programmed death mechanism (apoptosis) to get rid of obsolete behaviors. iii) a sort of architectural principle that allows the living organisms to be very efficient systems by maintaining the right trade off between general/universal cells (stem cells)and specialized/labouring ones. In this poster paper we present our STEM paradigm by proposing new roles and architectural structure that will be part of the STEM architecture description language. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
716966 | A Flexible Platform for the Application of SAM-dependent enzymes | AppSAM will unlock the synthetic capability of S-adenosyl¬methionine (SAM)-dependent methyltransferases and radical SAM enzymes for application in environmentally friendly and fully sustainable reactions. The biotechnological application of these enzymes will provide access to chemo-, regio- and stereoselective methylations and alkylations, as well as to a wide range of complex rearrangement reactions that are currently not possible through traditional approaches. Methylation reactions are of particular interest due to their importance in epigenetics, cancer metabolism and the development of novel pharmaceuticals. As chemical methylation methods often involve toxic compounds and rarely exhibit the desired selectivity and specificity, there is an urgent need for new, environmentally friendly methodologies.
The proposed project will meet these demands by the provision of modular in vitro and in vivo systems that can be tailored to specific applications. In the first phase of AppSAM, efficient in vitro SAM-regeneration systems will be developed for use with methyltransferases as well as radical SAM enzymes. To achieve this aim, enzymes from different biosynthetic pathways will be combined in multi-enzyme cascades; methods from enzyme and reaction engineering will be used for optimisation. The second phase of AppSAM will address the application on a preparative scale. This will include the isolation of pure product from the in vitro systems, reactions using immobilised enzymes and extracts from in vivo productions. In addition to E. coli, the methylotrophic bacterium Methylobacter extorquens AM1 will be used as a host for the in vivo systems. M. extorquens can use C1 building blocks such as methanol as the sole carbon source, thereby initiating the biotechnological methylation process from a green source material and making the process fully sustainable, as well as being compatible with an envisaged “methanol economy”. | [
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1364/OL.37.003027 | Phase Locked Pulses For Two Dimensional Spectroscopy By A Birefringent Delay Line | We introduce the translating wedge-based identical pulses encoding system, a novel device for the generation of collinear, interferometrically locked ultrashort pulse pairs. By means of birefringent wedges, we are able to control the pulse delay with attosecond precision and stability better that λ/360, without affecting the pulse duration and in a spectral range that spans from UV to mid-IR. This device is expected to dramatically simplify two-dimensional spectroscopy experiments. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
10.1093/nar/gky443 | peakC: a flexible, non-parametric peak calling package for 4C and Capture-C data | It is becoming increasingly clear that chromosome organization plays an important role in gene regulation. High-resolution methods such as 4C, Capture-C and promoter capture Hi-C (PCHiC) enable the study of chromatin loops such as those formed between promoters and enhancers or CTCF/cohesin binding sites. An important aspect of 4C/Capture-C/PCHiC analyses is the reliable identification of chromatin loops, preferably not based on visual inspection of a DNA contact profile, but on reproducible statistical analysis that robustly scores interaction peaks in the non-uniform contact background. Here, we present peakC, an R package for the analysis of 4C/Capture-C/PCHiC data. We generated 4C data for 13 viewpoints in two tissues in at least triplicate to test our methods. We developed a non-parametric peak caller based on rank-products. Sampling analysis shows that not read depth but template quality is the most important determinant of success in 4C experiments. By performing peak calling on single experiments we show that the peak calling results are similar to the replicate experiments, but that false positive rates are significantly reduced by performing replicates. Our software is user-friendly and enables robust peak calling for one-vs-all chromosome capture experiments. peakC is available at: https://github. com/deWitLab/peakC. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1021/nl303170m | Boron nitride on Cu(111): An electronically corrugated monolayer | Ultrathin films of boron nitride (BN) have recently attracted considerable interest given their successful incorporation in graphene nanodevices and their use as spacer layers to electronically decouple and order functional adsorbates. Here, we introduce a BN monolayer grown by chemical vapor deposition of borazine on a single crystal Cu support, representing a model system for an electronically patterned but topographically smooth substrate. Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy experiments evidence a weak bonding of the single BN sheet to Cu, preserving the insulating character of bulk hexagonal boron nitride, combined with a periodic lateral variation of the local work function and the surface potential. Complementary density functional theory calculations reveal a varying registry of the BN relative to the Cu lattice as origin of this electronic Moiré-like superstructure. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
10.1080/00268976.2012.697584 | Electronic Spectra Of C4H3Cl Isomers | Two experimental methods were applied to identify the structure and electronic transitions of C4H3Cl+ isomers. The first is a direct absorption technique where mass-selected ions are embedded in 6 K neon matrices using a mass-selected ion beam and absorption spectra of different C4H3Cl+ isomers were thus observed. The second is a gas phase method on ions which have been collisional cooled with cryogenic helium inside of a 22-pole ion trap. The c-type (1)2 A′ ← X 2 A″ electronic transition of a C4H3Cl+ isomer could then be measured by a one-colour, two-photon technique at 20 and 50 K in the gas phase. The two sets of data, complemented by calculated excitation energies, allowed the assignment of particular isomers. Rotational structure in the gas phase spectra was resolved for C4H3 35Cl+ and C4H3 37Cl+ isomers of cis-1-chlorobutenynylium. The analysis leads to the spectroscopic constants: T 00 = 19 184. 680(5), , , , , and (all in cm−1). | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
]
|
716849 | The Making of a Lopsided Union: Economic Integration in the European Economic Community, 1957-1992 | The project investigates European policymakers’ views about how to make the European Economic
Community (EEC) fit for a monetary union. It will thus assess the origins of the issues that are currently
bedevilling the EU.
From the EEC creation in 1957 to the decision to create the euro in 1992, several proposals were tabled
to improve the functioning of the EEC as a possible currency area. Five interconnected domains are crucial
to achieve economic integration in a currency union, and were continuously discussed before 1992:
macroeconomic policy coordination, fiscal transfers, capital market integration, banking regulation, and
deepening of the common/single market. The project will provide the first historical appraisal of these
proposals and debates, and identify the dynamics of political and economic trade-offs and compromises,
shifting priorities, and alternative approaches abandoned at the time but recycled later.
The project intertwines international, legal, political, and economic history approaches in order to
provide a thorough portrait of European policymakers’ paradigms, goals, and constraints in envisioning an
economic union in a changing global context. It relies on pioneering multilateral, multi-archival research
analysing material from all member states and EEC institutions.
The project also intends to encourage the study of the critical influence of non-EEC and non-state actors
and factors on the European decision-making level. To this end, the PI will lead a team of two PhD students
and two Postdocs to explore specific case studies involving commercial banks, big business, trade unions and
the evolution of economic thinking.
The project aims to link the usually insulated scholarships of European integration, postwar European
history, and national histories of economic policymaking. It will shed new light on the EU’s post-Maastricht
evolution and contextualise the Eurozone’s current challenges by providing a deeper understanding of its
foundations. | [
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
10.3390/molecules23081874 | A Fragment-Based Approach for the Development of G-Quadruplex Ligands: Role of the Amidoxime Moiety | G-quadruplex (G4) nucleic acid structures have been reported to be involved in several human pathologies, including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders and infectious diseases; however, G4 targeting compounds still need implementation in terms of drug-like properties and selectivity in order to reach the clinical use. So far, G4 ligands have been mainly identified through high-throughput screening methods or design of molecules with pre-set features. Here, we describe the development of new heterocyclic ligands through a fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) approach. The ligands were designed against the major G4 present in the long terminal repeat (LTR) promoter region of the human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1), the stabilization of which has been shown to suppress viral gene expression and replication. Our method is based on the generation of molecular fragment small libraries, screened against the target to further elaborate them into lead compounds. We screened 150 small molecules, composed by structurally and chemically different fragments, selected from commercially available and in-house compounds; synthetic elaboration yielded several G4 ligands and two final G4 binders, both embedding an amidoxime moiety; one of these two compounds showed preferential binding for the HIV-1 LTR G4. This work presents the discovery of a novel potential pharmacophore and highlights the possibility to apply a fragment-based approach to develop G4 ligands with unexpected chemical features. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
10.1002/chem.200802022 | Hydrogen-atom transfer in reactions of organic radicals with [Co <sup>II</sup>(por)] (por = porphyrinato) and in subsequent addition of [Co(H)(por)] to olefins | The mechanisms for hydrogen-atom transfer from the cyanoiso-propyl radical ·C(CH3)2CN to [Co11-(por)]· (yielding [CoIII(H)(por)] and CH2=C(CH3)(CN); por = porphyrinato) and the insertion of vinyl acetate (CH2=CHOAc) into the Co-H bond of [Co(H)(por)] (giving [CoIII{CH-(OAc)CH 3}(por)]) were investigated by DFT calculations. The results are compared with experimental data. These reactions are relevant to catalytic chain transfer (CCT) in radical polymerization of olefins mediated by [Co II-(por)]', the formation and homolysis of organo-cobalt complexes that mediate living radical polymerization of vinyl acetate, and cobalt-mediated hydrogenation of olefins. Hydrogen transfer from ·C(CH3) 2CN to [CoII(por)]· proceeds via a single transition state that has structural features resembling the products [Co(H)(por)] and CH2=C-(CH3)CN. The separated radicals approach to form a close-contact radical pair and then pass through the transition state for hydrogen-atom transfer to form [CoIII(H)(por)] and CH2=C-(CH3)CN. This process provides a very low overall barrier for the hydrogen-atom transfer reaction (δG †= + 3. 8 kcalmor-1). The reverse reaction corresponding to the addition of [Co(H)(por)l to CH2=C(CH 3)CN has a low barrier (δG† = + 8. 9 kcalmor-1) as well. Insertion of vinyl acetate into the Co-H bond of [CoIII(H)(por)] also proceeds over a low barrier (δG ‡= +11. 4 kcal mol-1) hydrogen-transfer step from [CoIII(H)(por)] to a carbon atom of the alkene to produce a close-contact radical pair. Dissociation of the radical pair, reorientation, and radicalradicai coupling to torm an organo-cobalt complex are the culminating steps in the net insertion of an olefin into the Co-H bond. The computed energies obtained for the hydrogen-atom transfer reactions from ·C-(CH3)2CN to [CoII(por)]· and from fCo(H)(por)] to olefins, as well as the organo-cobalt bond homolysis energies correspond well with the experimental observations. The mechanism of alkene insertion into the Co-H bond of [CoIII(H)(por)] is of general interest, because the species does not contain any cis-vacant sites to the hydride and the usual migratory insertion pathway is not available. The low barrier predicted here for the multistep insertion process suggests that (depending on the bond strengths) even for systems that do have a cis-vacant site, the radical-type insertion might compete with classical migratory insertion. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
10.1103/PhysRevE.91.013015 | Inertial waves and mean velocity profiles in a rotating pipe and a circular annulus with axial flow | In this paper we solve the inviscid inertial wave solutions in a circular pipe or annulus rotating constantly about its axis with moderate angular speed. The solutions are constructed by the so-called helical wave functions. We reveal that the mean velocity profiles must satisfy certain conditions to accommodate the inertial waves at the bulk region away from boundary. These conditions require the axial and azimuthal components of the mean velocity to take the shapes of the zeroth and first order Bessel functions of the first kind, respectively. The theory is then verified by data obtained from direct numerical simulations for both rotating pipe and circular annulus, and excellent agreement is found between theory and numerical results. Large scale vortex clusters are found in the bulk region where the mean velocity profiles match the theoretical predictions. The success of the theory in rotating pipe, circular annulus, and streamwise rotating channel suggests that such inertial waves are quite common in wall bounded flow with background rotation. | [
"Mathematics",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
W2716216252 | Introduction to Scientific Computing | Computational science (or scientific computing) is concerned with constructing mathematical models and quantitative analysis techniques and using computers to analyze and solve scientific problems. In practical use, it is typically the application of computer simulation and other forms of computation from numerical analysis and theoretical computer science to problems in various scientific disciplines. Pascal is an influential imperative and procedural programming language, designed in 1968–1969 and published in 1970 by Niklaus Wirth as a small and efficient language intended to encourage good programming practices using structured programming and data structuring. Another object-oriented deviation of it was known as Object Pascal was developed in 1985. Today, Pascal is mainly abandoned in the industry or scientific teams however it has had its influence on both syntax and data structure of Java programming language, the most expressive language for scientific computing up to the time being. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
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