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10.1007/978-3-642-33158-9_5 | Reasoning And Ontologies In Data Extraction | The web has become a pig sty—everyone dumps information at random places and in random shapes. Try to find the cheapest apartment in Oxford considering rent, travel, tax and heating costs; or a cheap, reasonable reviewed 11” laptop with an SSD drive. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
3740713 | Shapes and meaning. the matt-painted pottery of the north-lucanian district: culture, identity, symbols and gender. an interdisciplinary study of a local community in southern italy. | What were the communication systems of ancient societies without writing? Is it possible to use the decorations and symbols painted on the vases like a new Rosetta Stone? Is it possible to reconstruct the language of archaic communities that have disappeared? Objects convey ideas, memories and messages, and the ceramic decorations are certainly one of these vectors, of conservation but also dissemination of identity and cultural messages. Although it has all the potential to represent a privileged means of knowledge, most of its meanings still elude us.
The objective of project SandMan (Shapes and Meaning) is to understand the ways of communication between the archaic communities of southern Italy, free of conventional forms of writing, between the end of Iron Age and the Archaic Period (mid-7th/mid-5th cent. BC).
To achieve this goal, the project will use three different approaches: semiotic, archaeometric, and typological. The research aims to conduct a holistic, thus innovative, study of the symbols of ceramics in order to understand the meanings of this symbolic ""lexicon"", better understand how they were important for gender identification/distinction, how they were used as a way to communicate and how that knowledge was passed on to others. SandMan also proposes a systematic study of the matt-painted vases of southern Italy (to create a precise and reliable typology) and a chemical-physical analyzes, will investigate the fabric of vases with matt-painted decorations for to create a reference database of local workshops.
In general, the studies have always focused on Greek (or Greek-colonial) objects present in the indigenous contexts, relegating the discovery of indigenous ceramics to a secondary position. This research, instead, using a post-colonial approach, will shift the perspective onto the indigenous material culture, for the understanding of certain bidirectional dynamics of exchange and acculturation between Locals and the ""Others"".
| [
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Studies of Cultures and Arts"
]
|
10.1002/chem.201302481 | Structure and biosynthesis of xenoamicins from entomopathogenic xenorhabdus | During the search for novel natural products from entomopathogenic Xenorhabdus doucetiae DSM17909 and X. mauleonii DSM17908 novel peptides named xenoamicins were identified in addition to the already known antibiotics xenocoumacin and xenorhabdin. Xenoamicins are acylated tridecadepsipeptides consisting of mainly hydrophobic amino acids. The main derivative xenoamicin A (1) was isolated from X. mauleonii DSM17908, and its structure elucidated by detailed 1 D and 2 D NMR experiments. Detailed MS experiments, also in combination with labeling experiments, confirmed the determined structure and allowed structure elucidation of additional derivatives. Moreover, the xenoamicin biosynthesis gene cluster was identified and analyzed in X. doucetiae DSM17909, and its participation in xenoamicin biosynthesis was confirmed by mutagenesis. Advanced Marfey's analysis of 1 showed that the absolute configuration of the amino acids is in agreement with the predicted stereochemistry deduced from the nonribosomal peptide synthetase XabABCD. Biological testing revealed activity of 1 against Plasmodium falciparum and other neglected tropical diseases but no antibacterial activity. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
892540 | Use of ethanol containing gasoline in aviation | Majority of piston engine powered General Aviation aircraft are running on aviation gasoline (Avgas) grades that are more expensive than Ethanol containing gasoline grades used by automobiles. In addition, most of the piston aero engines are still burning lead containing Avgas (100LL). No certified solution is available to allow operation of aircraft engines with Ethanol containing, EN 228 Standard fuel grade.
Consequently, the project aims to result in certified modifications of the common piston aero engines and small aircraft that allow use of Ethanol containing gasoline. It will reduce fuel cost (30-40%) for small aircraft, while it will not require replacement of old engines. Yet, it will involve replacement of some parts and changes to operational procedures leading to an economical solution. The project will also allow eliminating lead containing Avgas and introducing renewable energy using Ethanol. This will reduce greenhouse gas emission, combating climate change and contributing to environmental protection.
Introduction of Ethanol containing gasoline for aviation triggers safety risks that should be mitigated to reach an acceptable level of safety to gain certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the USA. Certification may be achieved if it is demonstrated that the modifications comply with the airworthiness requirements and will not lead to unsafe condition.
Technical feasibility will be verified through the analysis of the safety risks as well as the determination of the applicable airworthiness requirements and means of compliances, by means of the certification programmes accepted by EASA. Commercial feasibility will be shown through market research and analysis.
The feasibility study will pave the way to the modifications and completion of compliance demonstrations as well as certification, to allow safe operation with Ethanol containing gasoline. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
W2790388748 | Activation of Triphenylphosphine Oxide Mediated by Trivalent Organouranium Species | Treating a family of uranium benzyl compounds, Tp*2U(CH2Ph) (1-Bn), Tp*2U(CH2-para-iPrPh) (1-iPr), Tp*2U(CH2-para-tBuPh) (1-tBu), or Tp*2U(CH2-meta-OMePh) (1-OMe), which are supported by two hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)borate (Tp*) ligands, with a single equivalent of triphenylphosphine oxide (OPPh3) causes a unique carbon–carbon coupling to occur. The products of this reaction, Tp*2U[OP(C6H5)2(C6H5CH2C6H5)] (2-Ph), Tp*2U[OP(C6H5)2(C6H5CH2-p-iPrC6H4)] (2-iPr), Tp*2U[OP(C6H5)2(C6H5CH2-p-tBuC6H4)] (2-tBu), and Tp*2U[OP(C6H5)2(C6H5CH2-m-OCH3C6H4)] (2-OMe), are characterized by coupling between the benzyl substituent and the para-carbon of one of the phenyl groups of OPPh3. To probe the scope of this unusual reactivity, 1-Bn was treated with different tris(aryl)phosphine oxides, including tris(p-tolyl)phosphine oxide, which yields Tp*2U[OP(p-tolyl)2(C6H4(CH3)CH2C6H5)] (3-tolyl). All compounds were characterized by multinuclear NMR, vibrational, and electronic absorption spectroscopies. When possible, X-ra... | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
184571 | Modelling the processes leading to organised crime and terrorist networks | PROTON aims at improving existing knowledge on the processes of recruitment to organised crime and terrorist networks (OCTN) through an innovative integration between social and computational sciences. Moving beyond the state of the art, this integration will support evidence-based policies at the international, national and local level.
To achieve its aim, PROTON will complete three specific objectives:
1. Investigate the social, psychological and economic factors leading to OCTN (WP1 and 2), including their connection with cybercrime and the cyberspace (WP3). The factors will be transformed into input (WP4) for PROTON’s final outputs, PROTON-S and PROTON Wizard (WP5), designed for helping policy makers to act more effectively against OCTN.
2. Develop PROTON-S, agent-based modelling (ABM) simulations of the effects of different societal and environmental changes on OCTN. PROTON-S will generate virtual societies in a computer laboratory, enabling to test the impact of different scenarios on the evolution of, and particularly individuals’ recruitment to, OCTN.
3. Develop PROTON Wizard, a user-friendly software tool embedding the results of the ABM simulations.
PROTON’s impact will improve the quality of prevention policies on OCTN, providing at the same time significant innovations in the social, technological and computational sciences. PROTON-S, based on simulations, will bear no ethical and societal risks, and will create a breakthrough in the understanding of OCTN, enabling better policies and stimulating further innovation. PROTON Wizard will provide the first support tool for policy makers at the international, national and local level, giving easy access to the most advanced scientific research. The participation of different policy makers and potential end-users throughout the whole project will make sure that the final results specifically meet their needs and expectations. | [
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems"
]
|
10.1038/nrg3316 | Studying genomic processes at the single-molecule level: Introducing the tools and applications | To understand genomic processes such as transcription, translation or splicing, we need to be able to study their spatial and temporal organization at the molecular level. Single-molecule approaches provide this opportunity, allowing researchers to monitor molecular conformations, interactions or diffusion quantitatively and in real time in purified systems and in the context of the living cell. This Review introduces the types of application of single-molecule approaches that can enhance our understanding of genome function. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
803302 | Indigeneities in the 21st century: From ‘vanishing people’ to global players in one generation | 10 years after the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007, indigenous stakeholders act as global players in arenas such as the UN Convention on Climate Change, the Dakota Access pipeline in the USA, and the Humboldt-Forum in Berlin. Yet, until the 1960s, anthropological inquiries considered the same people as ‘vanishing’ and doomed to disappear. The so-called Indigenous Renaissance presents a remarkable phenomenon of late (post)modernity. How can this surprising process be understood and explained? The objective of this project is to study how indigenous actors evolved from ‘vanishing people’ to global players. The project is located at the disciplinary intersections between anthropology, art, history, philosophy, and politics; and aims at making a future-oriented contribution to (re)emerging indigeneities and the (re)negotiation of their (post)colonial legacies in and with Europe. While the label ‘indigeneity’ circulates globally, it is also defined as a place-based marker of identity. This project breaks new ground by incorporating both dimensions – global circulation and local experience – in a common framework. It does so by studying entangled indigeneities as transregional and transcultural formations along the transpacific intersections between North and South America, Australia and the South Pacific. By untangling these intersections through museums as research sites and laboratories, the project’s sub-objectives are: 1. to historically identify the moments and processes through which indigenous people became re-ascribed through anthropological discourses and their involvement therein, 2. to ethnographically study the ways and forms in which indigenous people appropriate these external ascriptions for self-insertion into global affairs, 3. to experimentally research, in exhibitionary environments, the layers of indigenous continuity beneath the discursive transformation from ‘vanishing people’ to global players. | [
"Studies of Cultures and Arts",
"The Study of the Human Past",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
]
|
10.1088/0004-637X/762/1/52 | The Debris Disk Around Γ Doradus Resolved With Herschel | We present observations of the debris disk around {gamma} Doradus, an F1V star, from the Herschel Key Programme DEBRIS (Disc Emission via Bias-free Reconnaissance in the Infrared/Submillimetre). The disk is well resolved at 70, 100, and 160 {mu}m, resolved along its major axis at 250 {mu}m, detected but not resolved at 350 {mu}m, and confused with a background source at 500 {mu}m. It is one of our best resolved targets and we find it to have a radially broad dust distribution. The modeling of the resolved images cannot distinguish between two configurations: an arrangement of a warm inner ring at several AU (best fit 4 AU) and a cool outer belt extending from {approx}55 to 400 AU or an arrangement of two cool, narrow rings at {approx}70 AU and {approx}190 AU. This suggests that any configuration between these two is also possible. Both models have a total fractional luminosity of {approx}10{sup -5} and are consistent with the disk being aligned with the stellar equator. The inner edge of either possible configuration suggests that the most likely region to find planets in this system would be within {approx}55 AU of the star. A transient event is not needed to explain themore » warm dust's fractional luminosity. « less | [
"Universe Sciences"
]
|
W2085832228 | Design of a distributable stereo hearing test package | The localization and identification of sounds in background noise are such important auditory processing skills that a significant amount of incompetency may lead to various confusions and learning delays. Through a partnership with James Madison University and the University of Virginia, a unique opportunity exists to test patients before and after a corrected maximal conductive hearing loss in one ear. Patients with congenital aural atresia come to the University of Virginia for surgery that will give them normal hearing. Insurance pays for a pure tone threshold hearing test one month after surgery, but due to cost restrictions, longitudinal follow-up testing is often not performed. However, longitudinal data from follow-up studies is essential for understanding the effectiveness of the surgery. This paper focuses on the design, construction, and testing of a prototype shippable hearing test system for client use and patient testing. The system tests two binaural hearing abilities-the ability to isolate a spatially separated signal from noise and the ability to localize the source of a sound. This work has been performed as a partnership between the Department of Engineering and the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at James Madison University. The student team consists of two juniors and four seniors working on their two-year engineering capstone project in the Department of Engineering at James Madison University, as well as a senior studying Audiology & Speech Pathology working on her Honors thesis. This project has followed an engineering design process beginning with collecting customer needs and understanding required specifications and ending with prototype testing and refinement. Validation testing of the prototype testing system was performed with listeners with both normal hearing and with unilateral hearing loss. In initial testing, the RMS localization errors were measured from 19 control listeners with normal hearing and four with complete unilateral hearing loss. There was a significant difference between those listeners with one good ear versus those with two good ears (p=.01, Cohen's D > 1 or `large' effect size). These results provide promise as to the effectiveness of the designed testing package. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
982483 | Securing the european gas network | SecureGas focuses on the 140.000Km of the European Gas network covering the entire value chain from Production to Distribution to the users, providing methodologies, tools and guidelines to secure existing and incoming installations and make them resilient to cyber-physical threats. Three business cases, addressing relevant issues for the Gas sector and beyond (e.g. oil), have been identified so that to ensure the delivery of solutions and services in line with clear needs and requirements, focused on: risk-based security asset management of gas transmission and distribution networks; impacts (economic, environmental and social) and cascading effects of cyber-physical attacks on interdependent and interconnected European Gas grids; integrity and security, through the operationalization of resilience guidelines, of strategic installations across the EU Gas network.
SecureGas tackles these issues by implementing, updating, and incrementally improving extended components, integrated and federated according to an High-Level Reference Architecture built upon the SecureGas Conceptual Model, a blue print on how to design, build, operate and maintain the EU gas network to make it secure and resilient against cyber-physical threats. The components are contextualized, customized, deployed, demonstrated and validated in each business case, according to the scenarios defined by the end-users. Related services provided by SecureGas will be offered to the end-users via a Platform as a Service (PaaS), that allows modularity, flexibility, cooperation and third-party interoperability, thus securing a long-lasting impact, supporting the project exploitation strategy. A multidisciplinary consortium (Gas operators, technology providers, research institutions, sector-related associations), supports the project implementation across Construction, Demonstration and Validation phases, as well as a Stakeholder Platform ensures inputs, advise, and a wider Diffusion of the project outcomes | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
10.7554/eLife.03180 | CD28 expression is required after T cell priming for helper T cell responses and protective immunity to infection | The co-stimulatory molecule CD28 is essential for activation of helper T cells. Despite this critical role, it is not known whether CD28 has functions in maintaining T cell responses following activation. To determine the role for CD28 after T cell priming, we generated a strain of mice where CD28 is removed from CD4+ T cells after priming. We show that continued CD28 expression is important for effector CD4+ T cells following infection; maintained CD28 is required for the expansion of T helper type 1 cells, and for the differentiation and maintenance of T follicular helper cells during viral infection. Persistent CD28 is also required for clearance of the bacterium Citrobacter rodentium from the gastrointestinal tract. Together, this study demonstrates that CD28 persistence is required for helper T cell polarization in response to infection, describing a novel function for CD28 that is distinct from its role in T cell priming. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
]
|
W188332722 | Stability analysis and response of nonlinear rotor-seal system | In this paper, we study the stability of the nonlinear rotor-seal system using Liapunov’s first method. The mathematical solutions using multiple scales up to and including second order approximations is investigated. We extract all resonance cases from analytical solution and investigated. It is quite clear that some of the simultaneous resonance cases are undesirable in the design of such system as they represent some of the worst behavior of the system. The effects of various parameters on the behavior of the system and stability of the system are investigated numerically by response curve. Poincare maps are used to determine stability and plot bifurcation diagrams. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1002/anie.201808453 | Surface-Driven Keto–Enol Tautomerization: Atomistic Insights into Enol Formation and Stabilization Mechanisms | Tautomerisation of simple carbonyl compounds to their enol counterparts on metal surfaces is envisaged to enable an easier route for hydrogenation of the C=O bond in heterogeneously catalyzed reactions. To understand the mechanisms of enol formation and stabilization over catalytically active metal surfaces, we performed a mechanistic study on keto–enol tautomerization of a monocarbonyl compound acetophenon over Pt(111) surface. By employing infrared reflection adsorption spectroscopy in combination with scanning tunneling microscopy, we found that enol can be formed by building a ketone–enol dimer, in which one molecule in the enol form is stabilized through hydrogen bonding to the carbonyl group of the second ketone molecule. Based on the investigations of the co-adsorption behavior of acetophenone and hydrogen, we conclude that keto–enol tautomerization occurs in the intramolecular process and does not involve hydrogen transfer through the surface hypothesized previously. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
W4281803616 | Factors Associated With Driving Status Among Brazilian Older Adults | This study analyzed the factors associated with driving status among older adults in Brazil. The sample consisted of 15,221 older adults (≥65 years) residing in Brazilian capitals in 2018. The following question established the participants’ driving status: “ Do you drive a car, motorcycle, and/or another vehicle?” Sociodemographic, health conditions, and health-related behaviors were derived through standard procedures. Poisson regression analysis was performed to estimate prevalence ratios and 95% confidence interval. The prevalence of drivers was 28.83%. We found that being physically active during leisure time and higher daily recreational screen time (>3 h/day) were associated with driving status. Self-perceived negative health and being physically active by commuting showed an inverse association with driving status. The high prevalence of older drivers and the characteristics associated with driving reinforces the importance of public policy strategies for these individuals. | [
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
217764 | Harmonization and integrative analysis of regional, national and international cohorts on primary sjögren’s syndrome (pss) towards improved stratification, treatment and health policy making | HarmonicSS vision is to create an International Network and Alliance of partners and cohorts, entrusted with the mission of addressing the unmet needs in primary Sjogren Syndrome; working together to create and maintain a platform with open standards and tools, designed to enable secure storage, governance, analytics, access control and controlled sharing of information at multiple levels along with methods to make results of analyses and outcomes comparable across centers and sustainable through Rheumatology associations. The overall idea of the HarmonicSS project is to bring together the largest well characterized regional, national and international longitudinal cohorts of patients with Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome (pSS) including those participating in clinical trials, and after taking into consideration the ethical, legal, privacy and IPR issues for sharing data from different countries, to semantically interlink and harmonize them into an integrative pSS cohort structure on the cloud. Upon this harmonized cohort, services for big data mining, governance and visual analytics will be integrated, to address the identified clinical and health policy pSS unmet needs. In addition, tools for specific diagnostic procedures (e.g. ultrasonography image segmentation), patient selection for clinical trials and training will be also provided. The users of the HarmonicSS platform are researchers (basic/translational), clinicians, health policy makers and pharma companies. pSS is relevant not only due to its clinical impact but also as one of the few “model” diseases to link autoimmunity, cancer development (lymphoproliferation) and the pathogenetic role of infection. Thus, the study of pSS can facilitate research in many areas of medicine; for this reason, the possibility for sustainability and expandability of the platform is enhanced. Moreover, pSS has a significant impact on the healthcare systems, similar to that of rheumatoid arthritis. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1038/srep34146 | Shape and displacement fluctuations in soft vesicles filled by active particles | We investigate numerically the dynamics of shape and displacement fluctuations of two-dimensional flexible vesicles filled with active particles. At low concentration most of the active particles accumulate at the boundary of the vesicle where positive particle number fluctuations are amplified by trapping, leading to the formation of pinched spots of high density, curvature and pressure. At high concentration the active particles cover the vesicle boundary almost uniformly, resulting in fairly homogeneous pressure and curvature, and nearly circular vesicle shape. The change between polarized and spherical shapes is driven by the number of active particles. The center-of-mass of the vesicle performs a persistent random walk with a long time diffusivity that is strongly enhanced for elongated active particles due to orientational correlations in their direction of propulsive motion. In our model shape-shifting induces directional sensing and the cell spontaneously migrate along the polarization direction | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
10.1172/jci.insight.98864 | Mesenchymal TNFR2 promotes the development of polyarthritis and comorbid heart valve stenosis | Mesenchymal TNF signaling is etiopathogenic for inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis (SpA). The role of Tnfr1 in arthritis has been documented; however, Tnfr2 functions are unknown. Here, we investigate the mesenchymal-specific role of Tnfr2 in the TnfΔARE mouse model of SpA in arthritis and heart valve stenosis comorbidity by cell-specific, Col6a1-cre-driven gene targeting. We find that TNF/Tnfr2 signaling in resident synovial fibroblasts (SFs) and valvular interstitial cells (VICs) is detrimental for both pathologies, pointing to common cellular mechanisms. In contrast, systemic Tnfr2 provides protective signaling, since its complete deletion leads to severe deterioration of both pathologies. SFs and VICs lacking Tnfr2 fail to acquire pathogenic activated phenotypes and display increased expression of antiinflammatory cytokines associated with decreased Akt signaling. Comparative RNA sequencing experiments showed that the majority of the deregulated pathways in TnfΔARE mesenchymal-origin SFs and VICs, including proliferation, inflammation, migration, and disease-specific genes, are regulated by Tnfr2; thus, in its absence, they are maintained in a quiescent nonpathogenic state. Our data indicate a pleiotropy of Tnfr2 functions, with mesenchymal Tnfr2 driving cell activation and arthritis/valve stenosis pathogenesis only in the presence of systemic Tnfr2, whereas nonmesenchymal Tnfr2 overcomes this function, providing protective signals and, thus, containing both pathologies. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
]
|
10.1038/ncomms11017 | VEGFR2 pY949 signalling regulates adherens junction integrity and metastatic spread | The specific role of VEGFA-induced permeability and vascular leakage in physiology and pathology has remained unclear. Here we show that VEGFA-induced vascular leakage depends on signalling initiated via the VEGFR2 phosphosite Y949, regulating dynamic c-Src and VE-cadherin phosphorylation. Abolished Y949 signalling in the mouse mutant Vegfr2 Y949F/Y949F leads to VEGFA-resistant endothelial adherens junctions and a block in molecular extravasation. Vessels in Vegfr2 Y949F/Y949F mice remain sensitive to inflammatory cytokines, and vascular morphology, blood pressure and flow parameters are normal. Tumour-bearing Vegfr2 Y949F/Y949F mice display reduced vascular leakage and oedema, improved response to chemotherapy and, importantly, reduced metastatic spread. The inflammatory infiltration in the tumour micro-environment is unaffected. Blocking VEGFA-induced disassembly of endothelial junctions, thereby suppressing tumour oedema and metastatic spread, may be preferable to full vascular suppression in the treatment of certain cancer forms. | [
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1063/1.3236819 | Cavity Ring Down Ellipsometry | We demonstrate the enhancement of ellipsometric measurements by multiple reflections of a polarized light pulse on a highly reflective target surface, using an optical cavity. The principle is demonstrated by measuring the adsorbed amount of a molecular vapor (fenchone) onto the ring-cavity mirrors. A phase shift sensitivity of about 10−2° in a single laser pulse is achieved in 1 μs. Further improvements are discussed that should allow sensitivities of at least 10−4°, surpassing current commercial ellipsometers, but also surpassing their time resolution by several orders of magnitude, allowing the uses of sensitive ellipsometry to be expanded to include the study of fast surface phenomena with submicrosecond resolution. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1017/S003329171900062X | Lower 18F Fallypride Binding To Dopamine D2 3 Receptors In Frontal Brain Areas In Adults With 22Q11 2 Deletion Syndrome A Positron Emission Tomography Study | Background
The 22q11. 2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is caused by a deletion on chromosome 22 locus q11. 2. This copy number variant results in haplo-insufficiency of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene, and is associated with a significant increase in the risk for developing cognitive impairments and psychosis. The COMT gene encodes an enzyme that primarily modulates clearance of dopamine (DA) from the synaptic cleft, especially in the prefrontal cortical areas. Consequently, extracellular DA levels may be increased in prefrontal brain areas in 22q11DS, which may underlie the well-documented susceptibility for cognitive impairments and psychosis in affected individuals. This study aims to examine DA D2/3 receptor binding in frontal brain regions in adults with 22q11DS, as a proxy of frontal DA levels. Methods
The study was performed in 14 non-psychotic, relatively high functioning adults with 22q11DS and 16 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HCs), who underwent DA D2/3 receptor [18F]fallypride PET imaging. Frontal binding potential (BPND) was used as the main outcome measure. Results
BPND was significantly lower in adults with 22q11DS compared with HCs in the prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate gyrus. After Bonferroni correction significance remained for the anterior cingulate gyrus. There were no between-group differences in BPND in the orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex. Conclusions
This study is the first to demonstrate lower frontal D2/3 receptor binding in adults with 22q11DS. It suggests that a 22q11. 2 deletion affects frontal dopaminergic neurotransmission. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
897782 | Surveillance mechanisms regulating nuclear envelope architecture and homeostasis | The nuclear envelope (NE) is a major hub of eukaryotic cellular organization, influencing a myriad of processes, from gene regulation and repair to cell motility and fate. This central role of the NE depends on its elaborate structure, particularly on the organization of its inner nuclear membrane (INM). This peculiar membrane is continuous with the rest of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) but faces the nucleoplasm and contains a distinctive set of proteins, which confer a unique identity to the INM. Importantly, mutations in several INM proteins result in a wide range of diseases, such as muscular dystrophies and premature aging syndromes, highlighting the key roles of the INM proteome in cell homeostasis. However, the mechanisms establishing and maintaining the INM proteome identity and integrity have remained mysterious.
My lab recently identified a quality control system that, by targeting aberrant proteins for degradation, regulates INM identity and homeostasis. This proposal describes a framework to expand our findings and to provide a comprehensive and integrated understanding of the INM proteome. By combining my expertise in membrane protein analysis with newly developed proximity biotinylation and proteomics approaches, we will for the first time probe the complex INM environment of living mammalian cells. A systematic examination of the INM proteome, its turnover rates and changes in response to different physiological conditions will reveal functions of INM proteins and their regulatory pathways. Moreover, it will characterize INM surveillance mechanisms and evaluate their contributions to NE proteostasis.
In sum, this proposal will provide a panoramic yet detailed view of the mechanisms underlying INM functions, identity and homeostasis, both in interphase and during NE reformation in mitosis. Given the clinical relevance of many INM proteins, our studies may illuminate current understanding of diseases such as laminopathies and cancer. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
10.1021/jm300862u | Noncyclam tetraamines inhibit CXC chemokine receptor type 4 and target glioma-initiating cells | The three stereoisomers of the noncyclam compound 1 (1(R,R), 1(S,S), and the meso form 1(S,R)) and their corresponding tetrahydrochlorides 11 were prepared from (S)- and (R)-2-methylpiperidine. We have evaluated their inhibitory activity on the CXC chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4), toxicity properties, and assessment of their effect on glioma initiating cells (GICs) in comparison with the prototype compound AMD3100. The IC50 values determined on human recombinant (CHO) cells showed very similar inhibitory activities albeit a lower KB for AMD3100, with the 1(R,R) isomer being second in potency. All the compounds showed low cardiac toxicity but, contrary to AMD3100, gave maximum nonlethal doses of around 2. 0 mg/kg. The CXCR4 inhibitors had an effect on the state of differentiation of GICs, decreasing the percentage of CD44+ cells in glioblastoma multiform neurospheres in vitro. Moreover, these CXCR4 inhibitors blocked the capacity of cells to initiate orthotopic tumors in immunocompromised mice. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.15252/embj.2018101289 | SALM1 controls synapse development by promoting F-actin/PIP2-dependent Neurexin clustering | Synapse development requires spatiotemporally regulated recruitment of synaptic proteins. In this study, we describe a novel presynaptic mechanism of cis-regulated oligomerization of adhesion molecules that controls synaptogenesis. We identified synaptic adhesion-like molecule 1 (SALM1) as a constituent of the proposed presynaptic Munc18/CASK/Mint1/Lin7b organizer complex. SALM1 preferentially localized to presynaptic compartments of excitatory hippocampal neurons. SALM1 depletion in excitatory hippocampal primary neurons impaired Neurexin1β- and Neuroligin1-mediated excitatory synaptogenesis and reduced synaptic vesicle clustering, synaptic transmission, and synaptic vesicle release. SALM1 promoted Neurexin1β clustering in an F-actin- and PIP2-dependent manner. Two basic residues in SALM1's juxtamembrane polybasic domain are essential for this clustering. Together, these data show that SALM1 is a presynaptic organizer of synapse development by promoting F-actin/PIP2-dependent clustering of Neurexin. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1145/3183713.3196916 | Discovering Graph Functional Dependencies | This paper studies discovery of GFDs, a class of functional dependencies defined on graphs. We investigate the fixed-parameter tractability of three fundamental problems related to GFD discovery. We show that the implication and satisfiability problems are fixed-parameter tractable, but the validation problem is co-W[1]-hard. We introduce notions of reduced GFDs and their topological support, and formalize the discovery problem for GFDs. We develop algorithms for discovering GFDs and computing their covers. Moreover, we show that GFD discovery is feasible over large-scale graphs, by providing parallel scalable algorithms for discovering GFDs that guarantee to reduce running time when more processors are used. Using real-life and synthetic data, we experimentally verify the effectiveness and scalability of the algorithms. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
W3213899162 | Noncontrast Computed Tomography vs Computed Tomography Perfusion or Magnetic Resonance Imaging Selection in Late Presentation of Stroke With Large-Vessel Occlusion | Advanced imaging for patient selection in mechanical thrombectomy is not widely available.To compare the clinical outcomes of patients selected for mechanical thrombectomy by noncontrast computed tomography (CT) vs those selected by computed tomography perfusion (CTP) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the extended time window.This multinational cohort study included consecutive patients with proximal anterior circulation occlusion stroke presenting within 6 to 24 hours of time last seen well from January 2014 to December 2020. This study was conducted at 15 sites across 5 countries in Europe and North America. The duration of follow-up was 90 days from stroke onset.Computed tomography with Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score, CTP, or MRI.The primary end point was the distribution of modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores at 90 days (ordinal shift). Secondary outcomes included the rates of 90-day functional independence (mRS scores of 0-2), symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, and 90-day mortality.Of 2304 patients screened for eligibility, 1604 patients were included, with a median (IQR) age of 70 (59-80) years; 848 (52.9%) were women. A total of 534 patients were selected to undergo mechanical thrombectomy by CT, 752 by CTP, and 318 by MRI. After adjustment of confounders, there was no difference in 90-day ordinal mRS shift between patients selected by CT vs CTP (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.95 [95% CI, 0.77-1.17]; P = .64) or CT vs MRI (aOR, 0.95 [95% CI, 0.8-1.13]; P = .55). The rates of 90-day functional independence (mRS scores 0-2 vs 3-6) were similar between patients selected by CT vs CTP (aOR, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.7-1.16]; P = .42) but lower in patients selected by MRI than CT (aOR, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.64-0.98]; P = .03). Successful reperfusion was more common in the CT and CTP groups compared with the MRI group (474 [88.9%] and 670 [89.5%] vs 250 [78.9%]; P < .001). No significant differences in symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (CT, 42 [8.1%]; CTP, 43 [5.8%]; MRI, 15 [4.7%]; P = .11) or 90-day mortality (CT, 125 [23.4%]; CTP, 159 [21.1%]; MRI, 62 [19.5%]; P = .38) were observed.In patients undergoing proximal anterior circulation mechanical thrombectomy in the extended time window, there were no significant differences in the clinical outcomes of patients selected with noncontrast CT compared with those selected with CTP or MRI. These findings have the potential to widen the indication for treating patients in the extended window using a simpler and more widespread noncontrast CT-only paradigm. | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System"
]
|
EP 2011069574 W | ESTABLISHING A COMMUNICATION SESSION | A secure communication session is established between a first endpoint (50) and a second endpoint (42). The first endpoint (50) can contact the second endpoint (42) via a first communication network (20) and via a second communication network (30). The first communication network (20) is more trusted than the second communication network (30). The first endpoint (50) determines that a secure communication session is required. A security association is established between the endpoints for the communication session on a connection (11) via the first communication network (20). Service is received on a connection (12) via the second communication network (30) using the previously established security association. The step of establishing a security association can comprise authenticating the second endpoint and negotiating a shared secret and the step of receiving service on a connection (12) via the second communication network (30) can occur without any further negotiation of key material or authentication between the endpoints via the second communication network (30). | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1051/0004-6361/202037513 | Atmospheric Stability And Collapse On Tidally Locked Rocky Planets | Over large timescales, a terrestrial planet may be driven towards spin-orbit synchronous rotation by tidal forces. In this particular configuration, the planet exhibits permanent dayside and nightside, which may induce strong day-night temperature gradients. The nightside temperature depends on the efficiency of the day-night heat redistribution and determines the stability of the atmosphere against collapse. To better constrain the atmospheric stability, climate, and surface conditions of rocky planets located in the habitable zone of their host star, it is thus crucial to understand the complex mechanism of heat redistribution. Building on early works and assuming dry thermodynamics, we developed a hierarchy of analytic models taking into account the coupling between radiative transfer, dayside convection, and large-scale atmospheric circulation in the case of slowly rotating planets. There are two types of these models: a zero-dimensional two-layer approach and a two-column radiative-convective-subsiding-upwelling (RCSU) model. They yield analytical solutions and scaling laws characterising the dependence of the collapse pressure on physical features, which are compared to the results obtained by early works using 3D global climate models (GCMs). The analytical theory captures (i) the dependence of temperatures on atmospheric opacities and scattering in the shortwave and in the longwave, (ii) the behaviour of the collapse pressure observed in GCM simulations at low stellar fluxes that are due to the non-linear dependence of the atmospheric opacity on the longwave optical depth at the planet's surface, (iii) the increase of stability generated by dayside sensible heating, and (iv) the decrease of stability induced by the increase of the planet size. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
W402642105 | Dynamic analysis of auger driller during luffing motion by bond graph | To investigate the inherent complex dynamic characteristics of luffing mechanism of auger driller, the rigid body motion of structures and the dynamic behavior of the drive system should be studied in an integrated model. The working principle and structural characteristics of the luffing mechanism is firstly analyzed, then the bond graph model of revolute joint, cylinder and boom are proposed based multi-body theory, and the bond graph model of hydraulic system is also constructed. Through the analysis of the dynamic characteristics and interaction rules of each sub model, the transmission path of power flow is described. Coupling the boom structure and hydraulic actuator, the complete bond graph model of luffing mechafnism have been developed in a unified way. The total governing equations of the system have been derived from the model. Numerical results of chamber pressure of luffing cylinder implies to the good accuracy of the bond graph study, while comparing with experimental results. Meanwhile, the effects of the installation position parameters of the joints on system response have been studied through simulation, which provides a theoretical basis for improving the dynamic performance of the luffing mechanism. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
2720105 | Linking livestock genetic diversity with three thousand years of agricultural crises and resilience | Over the last 50 years, chicken production has increased fivefold, chicken growth rate has tripled, and milk production per cow has doubled. Yet, many of the biotechnological tools responsible for this accelerated trend are now under threat of becoming obsolete. While the causes are numerous, one significant driver is a dramatic reduction of genetic diversity in livestock populations.
Cycles of agricultural productivity growth and decline have occurred throughout European history, spurred by major historical forces such as the spread of empires and continent-wide epidemics. For example, productivity crashed between the 4th-13th centuries, only to rebound during the Agricultural Revolution of the 13-18th centuries. Fluctuating levels of genetic diversity were likely both cause and remedy to these cycles. Genetic diversity acts as a fuel for selection: the lower it is, the more difficult it is to improve traits, and the more likely that epidemics will develop and spread. Given this importance, maintaining diversity amongst livestock is recognised as one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Despite this, we lack any understanding of how much genetic variability was present, and subsequently lost, before, during, and after either the Green or Agricultural Revolutions, nor do we understand how efficiently it was utilised.
PALAEOFARM will assess the long-term sustainability of modern breeding practices by unravelling how genetic variability was leveraged across major agricultural transitions in European history. Using an innovative combination of ancient DNA, archaeozoology, and experimental immunology, I will explore how livestock populations withstood epidemics and selective breeding in a world without antibiotics or quantitative genetic techniques. This will provide a novel perspective on how a multi-billion euro industry, responsible for feeding billions of people, can be sustained in the face of major biotechnological obsolescence. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1088/0004-637X/800/1/52 | The Temperature Distribution Of Horizontal Branch Stars Methods And First Results | As part of a large project aimed at characterizing the ultraviolet (UV) properties of globular clusters, we present here a theoretical and observational analysis aimed at setting the framework for the determination of horizontal branch (HB) temperature distributions. Indeed this is crucial information needed to understand the physical parameters shaping the HB morphology in globular clusters and to interpret the UV emission from unresolved stellar systems. We found that the use of zero age HB color-T eff relations is a robust way to derive effective temperatures of individual HB stars. We investigated the most suitable colors for temperature estimates and the effect on the color-T eff relations of variations of the initial chemical composition and the evolution off the zero age HB. As a test case, we applied our color-T eff calibrations to the Galactic globular cluster M15. The photometry of M15 has been obtained with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 on board the Hubble Space Telescope. The HB of M15 turned out to have a multimodal distribution, with a main component peaking at K and confined below K. The second component peaks at K and extends up to K. The vast majority ( ~ 95%) of the HB stars in M15 is below 20,000 K, in agreement with the lack of a well populated extreme HB observed in other metal-poor globular clusters. We also verified that the temperatures derived with our analysis are consistent with spectroscopic estimates available in the literature. | [
"Universe Sciences"
]
|
10.1109/ICIP.2010.5649850 | Level Lines Shortening Yields An Image Curvature Microscope | This paper presents an image processing algorithm simulating a sub-pixel evolution of an image by mean curvature motion or by affine curvature motion. The sub-pixel algorithm computes the image curvature directly on the smoothed level lines, and yields a microscopic visualization of the curvature map revealing many image details, and getting rid of aliasing effects. This “curvature microscope” showing curvatures in false colors runs on line on any image proposed by users at http://www. ipol. im/pub/algo/cmmm_image_curvature_microscope/. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Mathematics"
]
|
W1572973118 | No effect of co-administered antiepileptic drugs on in-vivo protein binding parameters of valproic acid in patients with epilepsy | Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to establish the population protein binding parameters of valproic acid (VPA) in patients with epilepsy receiving VPA monotherapy and those receiving VPA combined with other antiepileptic drugs. Methods One hundred and thirty nine data sets from 63 Japanese patients with epilepsy were analysed. These patients were separated into two groups: VPA monotherapy and VPA combined with other binding-sensitive antiepileptic drugs, including phenytoin, clonazepam, clobazam, carbamazepine and phenobarbital (VPA polytherapy). The population protein-binding parameters of VPA were obtained by non-linear least-squares method in each group. Key findings The mean (95% confidence interval) dissociation constants were 38.9 µm (33.2–44.6 µm) and 36.9 µm (26.7–47.1 µm), and the numbers of binding sites were 1.36 (1.27–1.44) and 1.33 (1.19–1.47) in the monotherapy and polytherapy groups, respectively. No significant differences in the binding parameters of VPA to serum albumin were observed between the two groups. Conclusions The steady-state serum albumin binding of VPA in Japanese patients with epilepsy is not affected by co-administration of other antiepileptic drugs. These findings suggest that serum VPA concentration is stable at the steady state with regard to interaction by protein binding, even when other antiepileptic drugs with moderate-to-high binding properties are co-administered. | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1088/0031-9155/60/10/4123 | Quantitative Volumetric Breast Density Estimation Using Phase Contrast Mammography | Phase contrast mammography using a grating interferometer is an emerging technology for breast imaging. It provides complementary information to the conventional absorption-based methods. Additional diagnostic values could be further obtained by retrieving quantitative information from the three physical signals (absorption, differential phase and small-angle scattering) yielded simultaneously. We report a non-parametric quantitative volumetric breast density estimation method by exploiting the ratio (dubbed the R value) of the absorption signal to the small-angle scattering signal. The R value is used to determine breast composition and the volumetric breast density (VBD) of the whole breast is obtained analytically by deducing the relationship between the R value and the pixel-wise breast density. The proposed method is tested by a phantom study and a group of 27 mastectomy samples. In the clinical evaluation, the estimated VBD values from both cranio–caudal (CC) and anterior–posterior (AP) views are compared with the ACR scores given by radiologists to the pre-surgical mammograms. The results show that the estimated VBD results using the proposed method are consistent with the pre-surgical ACR scores, indicating the effectiveness of this method in breast density estimation. A positive correlation is found between the estimated VBD and the diagnostic ACR score for both the CC view () and AP view (). A linear regression between the results of the CC view and AP view showed a correlation coefficient γ = 0. 77, which indicates the robustness of the proposed method and the quantitative character of the additional information obtained with our approach. | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1007/s00205-017-1087-2 | On the Hardy Space Theory of Compensated Compactness Quantities | We make progress on a problem of Coifman et al. (J Math Pures Appl (9) 72(3): 247–286, 1993) by showing that the Jacobian operator J does not map W1,n(Rn, Rn) onto the Hardy space H1(Rn) for any n≥ 2. The related question about the surjectivity of J: W˙ 1,n(Rn, Rn) → H1(Rn) is still open. The second main result and its variants reduce the proof of H1 regularity of a large class of compensated compactness quantities to an integration by parts or easy arithmetic, and applications are presented. Furthermore, we exhibit a class of nonlinear partial differential operators in which weak sequential continuity is a strictly stronger condition than H1 regularity, shedding light on another question of Coifman, Lions, Meyer and Semmes. | [
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1016/j.shpsa.2019.10.001 | Ernst Cassirer's transcendental account of mathematical reasoning | Cassirer's philosophical agenda revolved around what appears to be a paradoxical goal, that is, to reconcile the Kantian explanation of the possibility of knowledge with the conceptual changes of nineteenth and early twentieth-century science. This paper offers a new discussion of one way in which this paradox manifests itself in Cassirer's philosophy of mathematics. Cassirer articulated a unitary perspective on mathematics as an investigation of structures independently of the nature of individual objects making up those structures. However, this posed the problem of how to account for the applicability of abstract mathematical concepts to empirical reality. My suggestion is that Cassirer was able to address this problem by giving a transcendental account of mathematical reasoning, according to which the very formation of mathematical concepts provides an explanation of the extensibility of mathematical knowledge. In order to spell out what this argument entails, the first part of the paper considers how Cassirer positioned himself within the Marburg neo-Kantian debate over intellectual and sensible conditions of knowledge in 1902–1910. The second part compares what Cassirer says about mathematics in 1910 with some relevant examples of how structural procedures developed in nineteenth-century mathematics. | [
"Texts and Concepts"
]
|
637760 | Optimising memory: understanding the role of sleep in selective memory strengthening | An adaptive feature of the brain is to select which information to retain in long-term memory, and which information should be forgotten. To be retained long-term, memories need to undergo a period of consolidation. Sleep has been shown to play an important role in these consolidation processes. This proposal will advance our understanding of long-term memory, by demonstrating how the three core processes of memory formation: encoding, consolidation, and retrieval, interact to selectively promote certain memories. This aim shall be achieved through a series of experiments utilising advanced electroencephalography techniques and state-of-the-art ‘targeted memory reactivation’. Experiment one will investigate when memories are initially formed (encoding), how does the brain select a subset to undergo subsequent consolidation. Experiment two will then determine how sleep facilitates the consolidation of those selected memories, selectively strengthening them to enhance post-sleep memory retrieval. Finally, Experiment three will attempt to manipulate selection processes, to ask whether external methods can alter the fate of specific memories after initial selection to be remembered or forgotten. The proposed project is a perfect fit to the work program of the fellowship. I will develop critical new skills, which will enhance my potential as an independent scientist. This fellowship will place me at a world leading European institute, and as such will facilitate my return to the European research community. This will in turn enable my long-term career goal of leading my own research group at a European research institute. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1021/acsami.7b01619 | Electrodeposition of Highly Porous Pt Nanoparticles Studied by Quantitative 3D Electron Tomography: Influence of Growth Mechanisms and Potential Cycling on the Active Surface Area | Nanoporous Pt nanoparticles (NPs) are promising fuel cell catalysts due to their large surface area and increased electrocatalytic activity toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, we report on the influence of the growth mechanisms on the surface properties of electrodeposited Pt dendritic NPs with large surface areas. The electrochemically active surface was studied by hydrogen underpotential deposition (H UPD) and compared for the first time to high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) quantitative 3D electron tomography of individual nanoparticles. Large nucleation overpotential leads to a large surface coverage of roughened spheroids, which provide a large roughness factor (Rf) but low mass-specific electrochemically active surface area (EASA). Lowering the nucleation overpotential leads to highly porous Pt NPs with pores stretching to the center of the structure. At the expense of smaller Rf, the obtained EASA values of these structures are in the range of those of large surface area supported fuel cell catalysts. The active surface area of the Pt dendritic NPs was measured by electron tomography, and it was found that the potential cycling in the H adsorption/desorption and Pt oxidation/reduction region, which is generally performed to determine the EASA, leads to a significant reduction of that surface area due to a partial collapse of their dendritic and porous morphology. Interestingly, the extrapolation of the microscopic tomography results in macroscopic electrochemical parameters indicates that the surface properties measured by H UPD are comparable to the values measured on individual NPs by electron tomography after the degradation caused by the H UPD measurement. These results highlight that the combination of electrochemical and quantitative 3D surface analysis techniques is essential to provide insights into the surface properties, the electrochemical stability, and, hence, the applicability of these materials. Moreover, it indicates that care must be taken with widely used electrochemical methods of surface area determination, especially in the case of large surface area and possibly unstable nanostructures, since the measured surface can be strongly affected by the measurement itself. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
W1985254792 | Valorization of winery and oil mill wastes by microbial technologies | Agro-food industrial wastes represent a serious environmental problem in producing countries. In addition to the traditional irrigation with wastewaters, application of solids to the land, and the extraction of valuable compounds for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries, a microbiological approach is also available. In this review, the most promising microbiological processes for the valorization of wine and oil by-products are presented. Recently, there has been an upsurge in the exploitation of the waste materials generated by the wine and olive oil industries. Treatments by physical and chemical methods are generally expensive, and they do not often provide complete solutions. Microbiological processes for the treatment of olive and grape residues have seen worldwide applications, and they are considered to be environmentally friendly, reliable and, in most cases, cost effective. Production of added-value products such as edible mushrooms, biofuels, organic acids, polymers and enzymes appear to be the new frontier in by-products valorization. Our study has been focused in these two major food industries in the Mediterranean area, engaged in wine and olive oil production. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering"
]
|
interreg_2551 | No walls | Slovenia’s entry into the European Union requires exchanges and cultural-social integration, in order to overcome any physical or mental border, thus fostering the growth of Gorizia and Nova Gorica, providing them with the opportunity to tackle even their most contradictory and uncomfortable aspects. Against this background, the project fosters young people’s aggregation and socialization, with special regard to youth at risk of emargination, by ensuring suitable environments and initiatives to carry out cultural, sport and musical activities whilst setting up a network and preventing young people’s unease. In particular environmental renovation activities are going to be carried out in a historical area - the Basaglia park (former psychiatric hospital in Gorizia); the construction of a music rehearsal studio, a musical video recording studio and a gym is envisaged by the project. These areas - located on the border between Italy and Slovenia - will lay the basis for the development of young people’s activities, thus turning a place of suffering and treatment in a meeting and aggregation centre. | [
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space"
]
|
W2032083340 | Computational Modeling of Rolling Wave-Energy Converters in a Viscous Fluid1 | The performance of an asymmetrical rolling cam as an ocean-wave energy extractor was studied experimentally and theoretically in the 70s. Previous inviscid-fluid theory indicated that energy-absorbing efficiency could approach 100% in the absence of real-fluid effects. The way viscosity alters the performance is examined in this paper for two distinctive rolling-cam shapes: a smooth “Eyeball Cam (EC)” with a simple mathematical form and a “Keeled Cam (KC)” with a single sharp-edged keel. Frequency-domain solutions in an inviscid fluid were first sought for as baseline performance metrics. As expected, without viscosity, both shapes, despite their differences, perform exceedingly well in terms of extraction efficiency. The hydrodynamic properties of the two shapes were then examined in a real fluid, using the solution methodology called the free-surface random-vortex method (FSRVM). The added inertia and radiation damping were changed, especially for the KC. With the power-take-off (PTO) damping present, nonlinear time-domain solutions were developed to predict the rolling motion, the effects of PTO damping, and the effects of the cam shapes. For the EC, the coupled motion of sway, heave and roll in waves was investigated to understand how energy extraction was affected. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
W1777128536 | Probabilistic Compositional Reasoning for Guaranteeing Fault Tolerance Properties | AbstractWe present a framework to formally describe system behavior and symbolically reason about possible failures. We regard systems which are composed of different units: sensors, computational parts and actuators. Considering worst-case failure behavior of system components, our framework is used to derive reliability guarantees for composed systems. The behavior of system components is modeled using monad like constructs that serve as an abstract representation for system behavior. We introduce rules to reason about these representations and derive results like, e.g., guaranteed upper bounds for system failure. Our approach is characterized by the fact that we do not just map a certain component to a failure probability, but regard distributions of error behavior. These serve as basis for deriving failure probabilities.KeywordsFailure ProbabilitySystem DescriptionFault ToleranceWork PieceConveyor BeltThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1111/mmi.14456 | Advances in bacterial transcriptome understanding: From overlapping transcription to the excludon concept | In the last decade, the implementation of high-throughput methods for RNA profiling has uncovered that a large part of the bacterial genome is transcribed well beyond the boundaries of known genes. Therefore, the transcriptional space of a gene very often invades the space of a neighbouring gene, creating large regions of overlapping transcription. The biological significance of these findings was initially regarded with scepticism. However, mounting evidence suggests that overlapping transcription between neighbouring genes conforms to regulatory purposes and provides new strategies for coordinating bacterial gene expression. In this MicroReview, considering the discoveries made in a pioneering transcriptome analysis performed on Listeria monocytogenes as a starting point, we discuss the progress in understanding the biological meaning of overlapping transcription that has given rise to the excludon concept. We also discuss new conditional transcriptional termination events that create antisense RNAs depending on the metabolite concentrations and new genomic arrangements, known as noncontiguous operons, which contain an interspersed gene that is transcribed in the opposite direction to the rest of the operon. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1039/C8AN00320C | Predictive Modelling Of The Water Contact Angle Of Surfaces Using Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared Atr Ftir Chemical Imaging And Partial Least Squares Regression Plsr | The static water contact angle (CA) quantifies the degree of wetting that occurs when a surface encounters a liquid, e. g. water. This property is a result of factors such as surface chemistry and local roughness and is an important analytical parameter linked to the suitability of a surface for a given bioanalytical process. Monitoring the spatial variation in wettability over surfaces is increasingly critical to analysts and manufacturers for improved quality control. However, CA acquisition is often time-consuming because it involves measurements over multiple spatial locations, independent sampling and the need for a single instrument operator. Furthermore, surfaces exposed to local environments specific to an intended application may affect the surface chemistry thereby modifying the surface properties. In this study, Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) chemical imaging data acquired from wet and dry polymer surfaces were used to develop multivariate predictive models for CA prediction. Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) models were built using IR spectra from surfaces presenting differences in the experimentally measured CA in the range 16°-141°. The best performing PLSR models were locally developed and combined to make a global model utilising wet IR spectra which performed well (R2p = 0. 98, RMSECV ∼ 5°) when tested on an independent experimental set. This model was subsequently applied to IR spectra acquired from a surface exhibiting spatial differences in surface chemistry and the CA with a reasonable confidence and precision (prediction error within 10°), demonstrating the potential of this method for prediction of the spatially varying CA as a non-destructive in-line process monitoring technique. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
176294 | Artificial-Intelligence driven discovery and synthesis of polyoxometalate clusters | We outline a 5 year programme that introduces a new platform for the preparation, understanding, and exploitation of precisely defined nano-molecules / materials based upon the assembly of molecular metal oxide precursors (polyoxometalates) under non-equilibrium conditions with well-defined physical properties using automated intelligent feedback. We will elucidate the mechanism of assembly of these gigantic molecules and devise a set of rules similar to the magic numbers found in gold nanoclusters, using these to break the 10 nm size barrier for a single molecule. Targeted properties include photochemical and electrochemical sensors, bistable molecules, doped traditional oxides with polyoxometalates, and new catalysts including water oxidation via a Universal Building Block (UBB) approach that links properties of the building blocks with emergent properties of the resulting clusters and materials for the first time. The new approach includes the conversion of batch to flow synthesis not only for automation, but to understand fundamental mechanistic aspects, and to use artificial intelligence algorithms to help move through the myriad of possible combinations (without needing to synthesise every possible molecule). The SMART-POM approach is therefore not merely automation of one-pot chemistry, but an entirely new paradigm building on our recent developments and will allow us to move through a vast combinatorial space effectively only locating areas of novelty via feedback control. This feedback will be used to discover, design, and develop complex, adaptive and functional metal oxide-based materials based upon sensory feedback from the physical properties measurements. Thus SMART-POM will open up a whole new synthetic space, give mechanistic understanding, and allow the discovery of molecules with potential real-world applications. Finally, we will aim to extend the SMART-POM paradigm to other areas of chemistry which will benefit from the search for novelty. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
W1985941411 | Effect of triadimefon: a triazole fungicide on oxidative stress defense system and eugenol content in Ocimum tenuiflorum L. | The effect of triadimefon (TDM) a triazole compound on antioxidant potential and eugenol content was studied in Ocimum tenuiflorum L. The plant was subjected to 15 mg/l TDM by soil-drenching on 50th, 70th and 90th days after planting (DAP). Analyses were carried out on 60th, 80th and 100th DAP. Both enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant potential estimation was carried out. The non-enzymatic antioxidant viz ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol and reduced glutathione were found to increase under triadimefon treatment. The antioxidant enzyme like superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase and catalase activities showed significant increase in TDM treatment. Triazole-treated plants yielded more eugenol (a major component of Ocimum-essential oil) in comparison to control. The study evidenced that TDM residues could be detected in the upper soil layer only and does not accumulate in the soil. These preliminary results suggest that TDM may be useful to increase the antioxidant content in medicinal plants and also to act as an elicitor to enhance the production of secondary metabolites of medicinal plants. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering"
]
|
10.1016/j.tim.2017.02.003 | Collective Infectious Units in Viruses | Increasing evidence indicates that viruses do not simply propagate as independent virions among cells, organs, and hosts. Instead, viral spread is often mediated by structures that simultaneously transport groups of viral genomes, such as polyploid virions, aggregates of virions, virion-containing proteinaceous structures, secreted lipid vesicles, and virus-induced cell–cell contacts. These structures increase the multiplicity of infection, independently of viral population density and transmission bottlenecks. Collective infectious units may contribute to the maintenance of viral genetic diversity, and could have implications for the evolution of social-like virus–virus interactions. These may include various forms of cooperation such as immunity evasion, genetic complementation, division of labor, and relaxation of fitness trade-offs, but also noncooperative interactions such as negative dominance and interference, potentially leading to conflict. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy"
]
|
10.1038/s41467-019-12474-1 | Systematic identification of metabolites controlling gene expression in E. coli | Metabolism controls gene expression through allosteric interactions between metabolites and transcription factors. These interactions are usually measured with in vitro assays, but there are no methods to identify them at a genome-scale in vivo. Here we show that dynamic transcriptome and metabolome data identify metabolites that control transcription factors inE. coli. By switching anE. coliculture between starvation and growth, we induce strong metabolite concentration changes and gene expression changes. Using Network Component Analysis we calculate the activities of 209 transcriptional regulators and correlate them with metabolites. This approach captures, for instance, the in vivo kinetics of CRP regulation by cyclic-AMP. By testing correlations between all pairs of transcription factors and metabolites, we predict putative effectors of 71 transcription factors, and validate five interactions in vitro. These results show that combining transcriptomics and metabolomics generates hypotheses about metabolism-transcription interactions that drive transitions between physiological states. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2811-13.2013 | Intracortical Myelin Links With Performance Variability Across The Human Lifespan Results From T1 And T2 Weighted Mri Myelin Mapping And Diffusion Tensor Imaging | Cerebral myelin maturation and aging-related degradation constitute fundamental features of human brain integrity and functioning. Although mostly studied in the white matter, the cerebral cortex contains significant amounts of myelinated axons. However, how intracortical myelin content evolves during development, decays in aging, and links with cognition remain poorly understood. Several studies have shown the potential of mapping myelin in the cortex by use of T1-weighted (T1w) and T2-weighted (T2w) magnetic resonance imaging signal intensity, which show inverse sensitivity to myelin. Here, we characterized cortical myelin in 339 participants 8–83 years of age using a recently introduced T1w/T2w ratio myelin mapping technique and mean diffusivity (MD) from diffusion tensor imaging. To test for cognitive correlates, we used intraindividual variability (IIV) in performance during a speeded task, a measure recently associated with white matter integrity. The results showed that intracortical myelin maturation was ongoing until the late 30s, followed by 20 relative stable years before declining from the late 50s. For MD, U-shaped paths showing similar patterns were observed, but with fewer maturational effects in some regions. IIV was correlated with both T1w/T2w ratio and MD, mainly indicating that the higher degree of intracortical myelin is associated with greater performance stability. The relations were more prominent with advancing age, suggesting that aging-related cortical demyelination contributes to increased IIV. The T1w/T2w ratio myelin-mapping technique thus seems sensitive to intracortical myelin content in normal development and aging, relates to cognitive functioning, and might constitute an important future tool in mapping normal and clinical brain changes. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2020.105854 | Melting route effects on the rotatory bending fatigue and rolling contact fatigue properties of high carbon bearing steel SAE52100 | The rotatory bending fatigue (RBF) behavior, the rolling contact fatigue (RCF) behavior and inclusion characteristics are examined on SAE52100 steels fabricated by three different melting routes. It is found that both RCF-life and RBF-strength are strongly determined by the inclusion size and no RCF could be found when the maximum inclusion size is smaller than 16 μm, which is strongly dependent on the melting routes. This conclusion is not only very important to control of the characteristics of non-metallic inclusions but to the adjustment and improvement of processing techniques of SAE52100 bearing steels in the steel industry. | [
"Materials Engineering",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
10.1007/s12021-014-9259-9 | Impact of Early and Late Visual Deprivation on the Structure of the Corpus Callosum: A Study Combining Thickness Profile with Surface Tensor-Based Morphometry | Blindness represents a unique model to study how visual experience may shape the development of brain organization. Exploring how the structure of the corpus callosum (CC) reorganizes ensuing visual deprivation is of particular interest due to its important functional implication in vision (e. g. , via the splenium of the CC). Moreover, comparing early versus late visually deprived individuals has the potential to unravel the existence of a sensitive period for reshaping the CC structure. Here, we develop a novel framework to capture a complete set of shape differences in the CC between congenitally blind (CB), late blind (LB) and sighted control (SC) groups. The CCs were manually segmented from T1-weighted brain MRI and modeled by 3D tetrahedral meshes. We statistically compared the combination of local area and thickness at each point between subject groups. Differences in area are found using surface tensor-based morphometry; thickness is estimated by tracing the streamlines in the volumetric harmonic field. Group differences were assessed on this combined measure using Hotelling’s T<sup>2</sup> test. Interestingly, we observed that the total callosal volume did not differ between the groups. However, our fine-grained analysis reveals significant differences mostly localized around the splenium areas between both blind groups and the sighted group (general effects of blindness) and, importantly, specific dissimilarities between the LB and CB groups, illustrating the existence of a sensitive period for reorganization. The new multivariate statistics also gave better effect sizes for detecting morphometric differences, relative to other statistics. They may boost statistical power for CC morphometric analyses. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1088/1748-9326/aa5b0d | Energy access and living standards: Some observations on recent trends | A subset of Sustainable Development Goals pertains to improving people's living standards at home. These include the provision of access to electricity, clean cooking energy, improved water and sanitation. We examine historical progress in energy access in relation to other living standards. We assess regional patterns in the pace of progress and relative priority accorded to these different services. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa would have to undergo unprecedented rates of improvement in energy access in order to achieve the goal of universal electrification by 2030. World over, access to clean cooking fuels and sanitation facilities consistently lag improved water and electricity access by a large margin. These two deprivations are more concentrated among poor countries, and poor people in middle income countries. They are also correlated to health risks faced disproportionately by women. However, some Asian countries have been able to achieve faster progress in electrification at lower income levels compared to industrialized countries' earlier efforts. These examples offer hope that future efforts need not be constrained by historical rates of progress. | [
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space",
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
10.1103/PhysRevE.95.052125 | Large-scale structure of randomly jammed spheres | We numerically analyze the density field of three-dimensional randomly jammed packings of monodisperse soft frictionless spherical particles, paying special attention to fluctuations occurring at large length scales. We study in detail the two-point static structure factor at low wave vectors in Fourier space. We also analyze the nature of the density field in real space by studying the large-distance behavior of the two-point pair correlation function, of density fluctuations in subsystems of increasing sizes, and of the direct correlation function. We show that such real space analysis can be greatly improved by introducing a coarse-grained density field to disentangle genuine large-scale correlations from purely local effects. Our results confirm that both Fourier and real space signatures of vanishing density fluctuations at large scale are absent, indicating that randomly jammed packings are not hyperuniform. In addition, we establish that the pair correlation function displays a surprisingly complex structure at large distances, which is however not compatible with the long-range negative correlation of hyperuniform systems but fully compatible with an analytic form for the structure factor. This implies that the direct correlation function is short ranged, as we also demonstrate directly. Our results reveal that density fluctuations in jammed packings do not follow the behavior expected for random hyperuniform materials, but display instead a more complex behavior. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
W4285231750 | 7. Von Bologna nach Neapel. Zwei internationale philosophische Kongresse vor und nach dem Krieg | Eine Reihe von Thomas von | [
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Texts and Concepts"
]
|
987354 | Development of an innovative sustainable strategy for selective biorecover of critical raw materials from primary and secondary sources | The objective of BIORECOVER is the R&D of a new sustainable & safe process, essentially based on biotechnology, for selective extraction of a range of Critical Raw Materials, from relevant unexploited secondary & primary sources:
-Rare Earths from Bauxite Residue from Greece (MYTILINEOS)
-Magnesium from Mg wastes of low grade minerals and calcination by-products- from Spain (MAGNA)
-Platinum Group Metals from flotation tailings from South Africa (UWITS) & PGM slags, dusts and press cake from United Kingdom (JM)
To this end, BIORECOVER will be based on the integration of 3 main stages to reach the expected recovery rates (90%), selectivity (95%) & purity (99%) (TRL from 2-3 to 5):
(1) Remove the major impurities presents in raw materials sources to achieve the greater availability of the target metals for their recovery.
(2) Mobilise these metals through specific and improved microorganisms to get a leachate enriched with the target CRMs.
(3) Development of a specific technology for recovering metals with high selectivity & purity that meet the quality requirements for its reuse.
Downstream processes will be also studied of the recovered metals for their reuse (brakes pads, oxygen sensors, powder Mg & catalysts). The different stages of the process provide it modular capacity increasing its adaptation flexibility and thus, further market penetration.
LCA & LCC and a Decision Making Framework will support these aims. The awareness, trust & acceptance of the society about the importance of raw materials will be addressed by an awareness campaign and public perception studies. The project results will contribute to EU bio-mining knowledge (RMIS) and a communication with other key project will be also set up.
To achieve this ambitious project, a multidisciplinary consortium covering the whole value chain (from suppliers to end users) will be involved, being represented 7 member states across EU (ES, DK, FR, LE, PT, SE & UK) and effective international cooperation with ZA | [
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering",
"Materials Engineering",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
EP 2011004714 W | COUNTERFLOW APPARATUS FOR RECUPERATION IN PARTICLE FILTER SYSTEMS | The invention relates to a counterflow apparatus for recuperation in diesel particle filters, comprising a housing (10) with an inner casing (14), a front end surface (26) and a rear end surface (25), a front inlet (11) for cold exhaust gas (16) and a rear inlet (12) for warm exhaust gas (17). Also provided are at least two counterflow chambers (21, 23) which are arranged adjacent to one another and in which the exhaust gases (16, 17) are conducted past one another, wherein the counterflow chambers (21, 23) are separated from one another by partitions (13) and each counterflow chamber (21, 23) has at least one passage opening (18, 20) for guiding the exhaust gases (16, 17) from one portion into a further portion. Furthermore, an intermediate wall (15) is provided for separating the front exhaust-gas chamber (27) from the rear exhaust-gas chamber (22) in a gas-tight manner, and at least one outlet opening (24) for the cold exhaust gas and at least one outlet opening (19) for the warm exhaust gas (17) are provided on the housing (10). | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1038/ncomms2628 | CSN-and CAND1-dependent remodelling of the budding yeast SCF complex | Cullin-RING ligases (CRLs) are ubiquitin E3 enzymes with variable substrate-adaptor and-receptor subunits. All CRLs are activated by modification of the cullin subunit with the ubiquitin-like protein Nedd8 (neddylation). The protein CAND1 (Cullin-associated-Nedd8-dissociated-1) also promotes CRL activity, even though it only interacts with inactive ligase complexes. The molecular mechanism underlying this behaviour remains largely unclear. Here, we find that yeast SCF (Skp1-Cdc53-F-box) Cullin-RING complexes are remodelled in a CAND1-dependent manner, when cells are switched from growth in fermentable to non-fermentable carbon sources. Mechanistically, CAND1 promotes substrate adaptor release following SCF deneddylation by the COP9 signalosome (CSN). CSN-or CAND1-mutant cells fail to release substrate adaptors. This delays the formation of new complexes during SCF reactivation and results in substrate degradation defects. Our results shed light on how CAND1 regulates CRL activity and demonstrate that the cullin neddylation-deneddylation cycle is not only required to activate CRLs, but also to regulate substrate specificity through dynamic substrate adaptor exchange. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
]
|
10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.013.541 | Big Data in Environment and Human Health | Big data refers to large, complex, potentially linkable data from diverse sources, ranging from the genome and social media, to individual health information and the contributions of citizen science monitoring, to large-scale long-term oceanographic and climate modeling and its processing in innovative and integrated “data mashups. ” Over the past few decades, thanks to the rapid expansion of computer technology, there has been a growing appreciation for the potential of big data in environment and human health research. The promise of big data mashups in environment and human health includes the ability to truly explore and understand the “wicked environment and health problems” of the 21st century, from tracking the global spread of the Zika and Ebola virus epidemics to modeling future climate change impacts and adaptation at the city or national level. Other opportunities include the possibility of identifying environment and health hot spots (i. e. , locations where people and/or places are at particular risk), where innovative interventions can be designed and evaluated to prevent or adapt to climate and other environmental change over the long term with potential (co-) benefits for health; and of locating and filling gaps in existing knowledge of relevant linkages between environmental change and human health. There is the potential for the increasing control of personal data (both access to and generation of these data), benefits to health and the environment (e. g. , from smart homes and cities), and opportunities to contribute via citizen science research and share information locally and globally. At the same time, there are challenges inherent with big data and data mashups, particularly in the environment and human health arena. Environment and health represent very diverse scientific areas with different research cultures, ethos, languages, and expertise. Equally diverse are the types of data involved (including time and spatial scales, and different types of modeled data), often with no standardization of the data to allow easy linkage beyond time and space variables, as data types are mostly shaped by the needs of the communities where they originated and have been used. Furthermore, these “secondary data” (i. e. , data re-used in research) are often not even originated for this purpose, a particularly relevant distinction in the context of routine health data re-use. And the ways in which the research communities in health and environmental sciences approach data analysis and synthesis, as well as statistical and mathematical modeling, are widely different. There is a lack of trained personnel who can span these interdisciplinary divides or who have the necessary expertise in the techniques that make adequate bridging possible, such as software development, big data management and storage, and data analyses. Moreover, health data have unique challenges due to the need to maintain confidentiality and data privacy for the individuals or groups being studied, to evaluate the implications of shared information for the communities affected by research and big data, and to resolve the long-standing issues of intellectual property and data ownership occurring throughout the environment and health fields. As with other areas of big data, the new “digital data divide” is growing, where some researchers and research groups, or corporations and governments, have the access to data and computing resources while others do not, even as citizen participation in research initiatives is increasing. Finally with the exception of some business-related activities, funding, especially with the aim of encouraging the sustainability and accessibility of big data resources (from personnel to hardware), is currently inadequate; there is widespread disagreement over what business models can support long-term maintenance of data infrastructures, and those that exist now are often unable to deal with the complexity and resource-intensive nature of maintaining and updating these tools. Nevertheless, researchers, policy makers, funders, governments, the media, and members of the general public are increasingly recognizing the innovation and creativity potential of big data in environment and health and many other areas. This can be seen in how the relatively new and powerful movement of Open Data is being crystalized into science policy and funding guidelines. Some of the challenges and opportunities, as well as some salient examples, of the potential of big data and big data mashup applications to environment and human health research are discussed. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1016/j.cej.2018.05.108 | Intensifying heat transfer in Fischer-Tropsch tubular reactors through the adoption of conductive packed foams | The low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is a strongly exothermic process wherein the temperature control is a crucial issue. In this work, we demonstrate experimentally for the first time the adoption of a Fischer-Tropsch tubular reactor (2. 78 cm I. D. ) loaded with a highly conductive open-cell aluminum foam packed with catalyst microspheres to enhance heat exchange. Accordingly, the performances of a highly active Co/Pt/Al2O3 catalyst packed into the metallic structure are assessed at industrially relevant operating conditions and compared with those obtained in a conventional randomly packed fixed-bed reactor. The structured catalyst reaches outstanding performances (duties in excess of 1300 kW/m3 with CO conversions >65%) with a remarkable temperature control. Almost flat axial temperature profiles are measured along the catalytic bed even under the most severe process conditions, showing the excellent ability of the “highly conductive packed-foam reactor” concept to manage the strong exothermicity of the reaction. In contrast, when the same experiment is carried out over the same Co/Pt/Al2O3 catalyst just randomly packed in the reactor, an abrupt increase of the catalyst temperature occurs already at low temperature, eventually leading to thermal runaway. The results herein collected prove the potential of conductive metal foams as enhanced reactor internals for the intensification of strongly exothermic processes in nonadiabatic tubular reactors. Furthermore, the “packed-foam” configuration also demonstrates the possibility to overcome the inherently limited catalyst inventory of the washcoated conductive structured reactors proposed so far, thus boosting the productivity per reactor volume. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
RU 2012103758 A | DRILL COLUMN | FIELD: mining.SUBSTANCE: drill column contains two elements connected to each other detachably and rigidly with respect to rotation. Each element of drill column contains inner and outer pipe. Between them there formed is annular receiving cavity. Each element of drill column has a wire for power or data transmission. The wire passes along longitudinal axis of drill column. Each wire for power or data transmission is connected to induction coil. For power or data transmission along drill column induction coils are designed with possibility of inductive coupling with each other. The first element of drill column is provided with inner induction coil on outer circumference of its inner pipe. The second element of drill column is provided with outer induction coil on inner circumference of its outer pipe. Induction coils are made segmented consisting of several annular segments and at least partially are overlapped in radial direction. At least two segments are detachably connected to each other.EFFECT: providing compact and easy performed connection for power or data transmission wires during upgrade, simplifying operations performed with induction coils. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1117/12.2233289 | Three Years Of Harvest With The Vector Vortex Coronagraph In The Thermal Infrared | For several years, we have been developing vortex phase masks based on sub-wavelength gratings, known as Annular Groove Phase Masks. Etched onto diamond substrates, these AGPMs are currently designed to be used in the thermal infrared (ranging from 3 to 13 μm). Our AGPMs were first installed on VLT/NACO and VLT/VISIR in 2012, followed by LBT/LMIRCam in 2013 and Keck/NIRC2 in 2015. In this paper, we review the development, commissioning, on-sky performance, and early scientific results of these new coronagraphic modes and report on the lessons learned. We conclude with perspectives for future developments and applications. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1073/pnas.1418730112 | Cortical activity is more stable when sensory stimuli are consciously perceived | According to recent evidence, stimulus-tuned neurons in the cerebral cortex exhibit reduced variability in firing rate across trials, after the onset of a stimulus. However, in order for a reduction in variability to be directly relevant to perception and behavior, it must be realized within trial—the pattern of activity must be relatively stable. Stability is characteristic of decision states in recurrent attractor networks, and its possible relevance to conscious perception has been suggested by theorists. However, it is difficult to measure on the within-trial time scales and broadly distributed spatial scales relevant to perception. We recorded simultaneous magneto- and electroencephalography (MEG and EEG) data while subjects observed threshold-level visual stimuli. Pattern-similarity analyses applied to the data from MEG gradiometers uncovered a pronounced decrease in variability across trials after stimulus onset, consistent with previous single-unit data. This was followed by a significant divergence in variability depending upon subjective report (seen/unseen), with seen trials exhibiting less variability. Applying the same analysis across time, within trial, we found that the latter effect coincided in time with a difference in the stability of the pattern of activity. Stability alone could be used to classify data from individual trials as “seen” or “unseen. ” The same metric applied to EEG data from patients with disorders of consciousness exposed to auditory stimuli diverged parametrically according to clinically diagnosed level of consciousness. Differences in signal strength could not account for these results. Conscious perception may involve the transient stabilization of distributed cortical networks, corresponding to a global brain-scale decision. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1051/0004-6361/201833012 | The Effect Of The Ionosphere On Ultra Low Frequency Radio Interferometric Observations | The ionosphere is the main driver of a series of systematic effects that limit our ability to explore the low frequency (<1 GHz) sky with radio interferometers. Its effects become increasingly important towards lower frequencies and are particularly hard to calibrate in the low signal-to-noise ratio regime in which low-frequency telescopes operate. In this paper we characterize and quantify the effect of ionospheric-induced systematic errors on astronomical interferometric radio observations at ultra-low frequencies (<100 MHz). We also provide guidelines for observations and data reduction at these frequencies with the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) and future instruments such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). We derive the expected systematic error induced by the ionosphere. We compare our predictions with data from the Low Band Antenna (LBA) system of LOFAR. We show that we can isolate the ionospheric effect in LOFAR LBA data and that our results are compatible with satellite measurements, providing an independent way to measure the ionospheric total electron content (TEC). We show how the ionosphere also corrupts the correlated amplitudes through scintillations. We report values of the ionospheric structure function in line with the literature. The systematic errors on the phases of LOFAR LBA data can be accurately modelled as a sum of four effects (clock, ionosphere 1st, 2nd, and 3rd order). This greatly reduces the number of required calibration parameters, and therefore enables new efficient calibration strategies. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.3109/09687688.2015.1073382 | Regulation Of The Ca 2 Atpase By Cholesterol A Specific Or Non Specific Effect | Like other integral membrane proteins, the activity of the Sarco/Endoplasmic Reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA) is regulated by the membrane environment. Cholesterol is present in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane at low levels, and it has the potential to affect SERCA activity both through direct, specific interaction with the protein or through indirect interaction through changes of the overall membrane properties. There are experimental data arguing for both modes of action for a cholesterol-mediated regulation of SERCA. In the current study, coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations are used to address how a mixed lipid-cholesterol membrane interacts with SERCA. Candidates for direct regulatory sites with specific cholesterol binding modes are extracted from the simulations. The binding pocket for thapsigargin, a nanomolar inhibitor of SERCA, has been suggested as a cholesterol binding site. However, the thapsigargin binding pocket displayed very little cholesterol occupation in the simulations. Neither did atomistic simulations of cholesterol in the thapsigargin binding pocket support any specific interaction. The current study points to a non-specific effect of cholesterol on SERCA activity, and offers an alternative interpretation of the experimental results used to argue for a specific effect. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
978436 | Toward the microscopic simulations of cell-like environments. | In living cells, proteins operate in an extremely crowded environment, which has a substantial impact on their structural and dynamical properties. Taking into account the effects of macromolecular crowding is thus imperative for a full understanding of protein function in vivo. However, despite a growing interest in the characterization of in-cell crowding, its net effect remains only partially understood as experimental studies addressing such phenomena in the cytoplasm are very challenging. In this project, we aim to examine the effect of macromolecular crowding on protein mobility and stability at the microscopic resolution. To this end, we will deploy a novel multi-scale simulation approach developed in the host laboratory. This multi-scale framework combines a detailed description of proteins with an efficient lattice-based model of solvent hydrodynamics. In the course of the project, we will consider systems of progressive complexity, ranging from crowded binary protein suspensions through a model of a bacterial cytoplasm and a lipid vesicle forming a biological nanoreactor. Our computational studies will be performed in close contact with two top-level experimental groups active in the field. We will pay particular attention to the behavior of superoxide dismutase 1, a protein involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Our multi-scale molecular simulations will shed light on how protein dynamics and stability are locally affected by the heterogeneity of the cellular environment. Moreover, we will investigate how crowding is modulated by the presence of membrane surfaces. The simulations will allow us to clarify the origins of crowding effects at an atomistic level, which will provide a vital support for the microscopic interpretation of experimental data. Thus, our project will offer unprecedented insights into the structure and dynamics of the crowded environment inside living cells. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1007/978-3-319-16354-3_88 | The Icrawl Wizard Supporting Interactive Focused Crawl Specification | Collections of Web documents about specific topics are needed for many areas of current research. Focused crawling enables the creation of such collections on demand. Current focused crawlers require the user to manually specify starting points for the crawl (seed URLs). These are also used to describe the expected topic of the collection. The choice of seed URLs influences the quality of the resulting collection and requires a lot of expertise. In this demonstration we present the iCrawl Wizard, a tool that assists users in defining focused crawls efficiently and semi-automatically. Our tool uses major search engines and Social Media APIs as well as information extraction techniques to find seed URLs and a semantic description of the crawl intent. Using the iCrawl Wizard even non-expert users can create semantic specifications for focused crawlers interactively and efficiently. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.3233/JAD-180195 | Hippocampal Subfield Volumetry Differential Pattern Of Atrophy In Different Forms Of Genetic Frontotemporal Dementia | BACKGROUND: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorder, with a strong genetic component. Previous research has shown that medial temporal lobe atrophy is a common feature of FTD. However, no study has so far investigated the differential vulnerability of the hippocampal subfields in FTD. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate hippocampal subfield volumes in genetic FTD. METHODS: We in6/2/2018vestigated hippocampal subfield volumes in a cohort of 75 patients with genetic FTD (age: mean (standard deviation) 59. 3 (7. 7) years; disease duration: 5. 1(3. 4) years; 29 with MAPT, 28 with C9orf72, and 18 with GRN mutations) compared with 97 age-matched controls (age: 62. 1 (11. 1) years). We performed a segmentation of their volumetric T1-weighted MRI scans to extract hippocampal subfields volumes. Left and right volumes were summed and corrected for total intracranial volumes. RESULTS: All three groups had smaller hippocampi than controls. The MAPT group had the most atrophic hippocampi, with the subfields showing the largest difference from controls being CA1-4 (24–27%, p < 0. 0005). For C9orf72, the CA4, CA1, and dentate gyrus regions (8–11%, p < 0. 0005), and for GRN the presubiculum and subiculum (10–14%, p < 0. 0005) showed the largest differences from controls. CONCLUSIONS: The hippocampus was affected in all mutation types but a different pattern of subfield involvement was found in the three genetic groups, consistent with differential cortical-subcortical network vulnerability. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1039/c2sm25889g | Genetic, biological and structural hierarchies during sponge spicule formation: From soft sol-gels to solid 3D silica composite structures | Structural biomaterials are hierarchically organized and biofabricated. Although the structural complexity of most bioskeletons can be traced back from the millimeter-scale to the micrometer- or submicrometer-scale, the biological and/or genetic basis controlling the synthesis of these skeletons and their building blocks remained unknown. There is one distinguished example, the spicules of the siliceous sponges, for which the principle molecules and molecular-biological processes involved in their formation have been elucidated in the last few years. In this review, recent data on the different levels of molecular, biological and structural hierarchies controlling the synthesis of the picturesquely and intricately architectured spicules are summarized. The silicateins and their interacting/maturated proteins comprise the basic enzymatic/proteinous machinery that facilitates the polycondensation of silicate to biosilica. Two isoforms of silicatein, silicatein-α and silicatein-β, the enzyme that catalyzes the polymerization of orthosilicate to polymeric biosilica, have been identified. The remarkable feature of these enzymes is that, besides their enzymatic function, they act as structure-giving proteins that provide the platform for the organization of the silica spicules. Silicatein-α together with silicatein-β forms pentameric units that continue to grow in a linear pattern. The silicatein-interacting protein, silintaphin-1, stabilizes the initially formed silicatein fractals, while silintaphin-2 provides Ca2+ ions required for the appositional growth of the spicules. The biosilica formed during the enzymatically driven sol-gel process that is catalyzed by this multi-protein system is a soft, gel-like inorganic polymer. This soft biosilica undergoes a biologically controlled process of syneresis, resulting in a shrinkage of the silica network. During this reaction the biosilica is transformed into an elastic solid and gains the characteristic spicule morphology. A sizeable amount of protein, mostly silicatein, remains embedded in the biosilica material, thus forming a hybrid bioinorganic ("biosilica") material. The process of syneresis involves the removal of water by cell-membrane-associated aquaporin channels and is guided by collagen bundles. Four cell types, sclerocytes, archaeocytes, chromocytes and lophocytes, participate in this structure-guiding process. In conclusion, this article attempts to overcome the frontiers in the understanding of the different levels of hierarchies, genetic, biological and structural, and to contribute towards the fabrication of new bioinspired functional materials. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Materials Engineering",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1080/2162402X.2014.1001224 | B7 H6 Mediated Downregulation Of Nkp30 In Nk Cells Contributes To Ovarian Carcinoma Immune Escape | In this study the phenotype and function of tumor-associated NK cells from peritoneal fluids of a selected cohort of patients with seropapillary ovarian carcinoma were analyzed. In > 50% of these patients, the expression of the activating receptor NKp30 in tumor-associated NK cells was substantially reduced as compared to autologous peripheral blood (PB) NK cells. The impaired expression of this receptor was associated with the presence of one of its cellular ligands (B7-H6), which was detectable as a surface/cytosolic molecule in tumor cells and as a soluble molecule in the peritoneal fluid. NK cells from patients expressing this NKp30low phenotype displayed an impaired interferon-gamma (IFNγ) production and cytolytic function when tested against target cells expressing surface B7-H6. Our data also suggest that in these patients, the defective expression and function of NKp30 may be induced by the chronic engagement of this receptor by soluble B7-H6 or by tumor cells expressing this ligand. The impairmen. . . | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1007/s40598-020-00134-y | Core Entropy of Quadratic Polynomials | We give a combinatorial definition of “core entropy” for quadratic polynomials as the growth exponent of the number of certain precritical points in the Julia set (those that separate the α fixed point from its negative). This notion extends known definitions that work in cases when the polynomial is postcritically finite or when the topology of the Julia set has good properties, and it applies to all quadratic polynomials in the Mandelbrot set. We prove that core entropy is continuous as a function of the complex parameter. In fact, we model the Julia set as an invariant quadratic lamination in the sense of Thurston: this depends on the external angle of a parameter in the boundary of the Mandelbrot set, and one can define core entropy directly from the angle in combinatorial terms. As such, core entropy is continuous as a function of the external angle. Moreover, we prove a conjecture of Giulio Tiozzo about local and global maxima of core entropy as a function of external angles: local maxima are exactly dyadic angles, and the unique global maximum within any wake occurs at the dyadic angle of lowest denominator. We also describe where local minima occur. An appendix by Wolf Jung relates different concepts of core entropy and biaccessibility dimension and thus shows that biaccessibility dimension is continuous as well. | [
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1109/CDC.2013.6760690 | Efficient Nmpc For Nonlinear Models With Linear Subsystems | Real-time optimal control algorithms for fast, mechatronic systems need to be run on embedded hardware and they need to respect tight timing constraints. When using nonlinear models, the simulation and generation of sensitivities forms a computationally demanding part of any algorithm. Automatic code generation of Implicit Runge-Kutta (IRK) methods has been shown to reduce its CPU time significantly. However, a typical model also shows a lot of structure that can be exploited in a rather elegant and efficient way. The focus of this paper is on nonlinear models with linear subsystems. With the proposed model formulation, the new auto generated integrators can be considered a powerful generalization of other solvers, e. g. those that support quadrature variables. A speedup of up to 5 - 10 is shown in the integration time for two examples from the literature. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1177/0042098013505890 | Acculturation Preferences Of The Turkish Second Generation In 11 European Cities | This article examines acculturation preferences of the Turkish second generation in 11 European cities and compares these with expectations of national society comparison group members. Multiple classification analysis (MCA) was used to examine the effects of city of residence, exposure to national society value system, cultural distance, social exclusion and neighbourhood quality on acculturation preferences. MCA was also applied to profile respondents according to background characteristics and dominant acculturation preference style, which is useful for both theory development and design of integration policies for specific target groups. Results show that the majority of the second generation maintain integration preferences, although sub-groups with particular background characteristics such as low educational attainment, experiencing discrimination and living in a low-quality neighbourhood, maintain separation or marginalisation preferences. Contextual factors, notably city of residence, the proxy for national integration policy orientation, seemed more important in explaining acculturation preferences than individual-level factors. Keywords: acculturation, children of immigrants, determinants, population studies/demography, social group, Turkish second generation, Western Europe | [
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space"
]
|
10.1002/mrm.27097 | Improving chemical shift encoding-based water–fat separation based on a detailed consideration of magnetic field contributions | Purpose: To improve the robustness of existing chemical shift encoding-based water–fat separation methods by incorporating a priori information of the magnetic field distortions in complex-based water–fat separation. Methods: Four major field contributions are considered: inhomogeneities of the scanner magnet, the shim field, an object-based field map estimate, and a residual field. The former two are completely determined by spherical harmonic expansion coefficients directly available from the magnetic resonance (MR) scanner. The object-based field map is forward simulated from air–tissue interfaces inside the field of view (FOV). The missing residual field originates from the object outside the FOV and is investigated by magnetic field simulations on a numerical whole body phantom. In vivo the spatially linear first-order component of the residual field is estimated by measuring echo misalignments after demodulation of other field contributions resulting in a linear residual field. Gradient echo datasets of the cervical and the ankle region without and with shimming were acquired, where all four contributions were incorporated in the water–fat separation with two algorithms from the ISMRM water–fat toolbox and compared to water–fat separation with less incorporated field contributions. Results: Incorporating all four field contributions as demodulation steps resulted in reduced temporal and spatial phase wraps leading to almost swap-free water–fat separation results in all datasets. Conclusion: Demodulating estimates of major field contributions reduces the phase evolution to be driven by only small differences in local tissue susceptibility, which supports the field smoothness assumption of existing water–fat separation techniques. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
W1999602122 | Quality Control of Widely Used Therapeutic Recombinant Proteins by a Novel Real-Time PCR Approach. | Existence of bacterial host-cell DNA contamination in biopharmaceutical products is a potential risk factor for patients receiving these drugs. Hence, the quantity of contamination must be controlled under the regulatory standards. Although different methods such as hybridization assays have been employed to determine DNA impurities, these methods are labor intensive and rather expensive. In this study, a rapid real-time PCR test was served as a method of choice to quantify the E. coli host- cell DNA contamination in widely used recombinant streptokinase (rSK) , and alpha interferon (IFN-α) preparations.A specific primer pair was designed to amplify a sequence inside the E. coli 16S rRNA gene. Serial dilutions of DNA extracted from E. coli host cells, along with DNA extracted from Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients of rSK, and IFN-α samples were subjected to an optimized real-time PCR assay based on SYBR Green chemistry.The test enabled us to detect a small quantity of genomic DNA contamination as low as 0.0002 pg in recombinant protein-based drugs. For the first time, this study showed that DNA contamination in rSK and IFN-α preparation manufactured in Pasteur Institute of Iran is much lower than the safety limit suggested by the US FDA.Real-time PCR is a reliable test for rapid detection of host-cell DNA contamination, which is a major impurity of therapeutic recombinant proteins to keep manufacturers' minds on refining drugs, and provides consumers with safer biopharmaceuticals. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
W2328259259 | Household Flood Evacuation Route Choice Models at Sub-district Level | Flood evacuation route choice modeling studies gained its momentum in recent years. However, understanding how various explanatory variables determine flood route choice behavior of evacuees has not been fully investigated. The goal of this study is to understand flood evacuation route choice behavior of households at Bahay Toro and Sto. Domingo sub-districts in Quezon City, Philippines. Binary logit and probit models were estimated with variables selected through backward elimination stepwise method. Results include the presence of elderly person, departure timing, and mode used in evacuating as explanatory variables of households' route choice at Bahay Toro Sub-district. On the other hand, the number of family members, level of education and type of work of the household head, house ownership and the mode are variables that determine route choice of households at Sto. Domingo. Modeling evacuation route choice behavior representing the entire city can be further explored in future research. | [
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
10.1161/JAHA.116.005231 | Risk For Incident Heart Failure A Subject Level Meta Analysis From The Heart Omics In Ageing Homage Study | Background To address the need for personalized prevention, we conducted a subject‐level meta‐analysis within the framework of the Heart “OMics” in AGEing (HOMAGE) study to develop a risk prediction model for heart failure (HF) based on routinely available clinical measurements. Methods and Results Three studies with elderly persons (Health Aging and Body Composition [Health ABC], Valutazione della PREvalenza di DIsfunzione Cardiaca asinTOmatica e di scompenso cardiaco [PREDICTOR], and Prospective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk [PROSPER]) were included to develop the HF risk function, while a fourth study (Anglo‐Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial [ASCOT]) was used as a validation cohort. Time‐to‐event analysis was conducted using the Cox proportional hazard model. Incident HF was defined as HF hospitalization. The Cox regression model was evaluated for its discriminatory performance (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) and calibration (Gronnesby‐Borgan χ 2 statistic). During a follow‐up of 3. 5 years, 470 of 10 236 elderly persons (mean age, 74. 5 years; 51. 3% women) developed HF. Higher age, BMI, systolic blood pressure, heart rate, serum creatinine, smoking, diabetes mellitus, history of coronary artery disease, and use of antihypertensive medication were associated with increased HF risk. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the model was 0. 71, with a good calibration (χ 2 7. 9, P =0. 54). A web‐based calculator was developed to allow easy calculations of the HF risk. Conclusions Simple measurements allow reliable estimation of the short‐term HF risk in populations and patients. The risk model may aid in risk stratification and future HF prevention strategies. | [
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1063/1.4719144 | Droplet Size Distribution In Homogeneous Isotropic Turbulence | We study the physics of droplet breakup in a statistically stationary homogeneous and isotropic turbulent flow by means of high resolution numerical investigations based on the multicomponent lattice Boltzmann method. We verified the validity of the criterion proposed by Hinze [AIChE J. 1, 289 (1955)] for droplet breakup and we measured the full probability distribution function of droplets radii at different Reynolds numbers and for different volume fractions. By means of a Lagrangian tracking we could follow individual droplets along their trajectories, define a local Weber number based on the velocity gradients, and study its cross-correlation with droplet deformation. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1134/S1063779620030107 | Model Independent Femtoscopic Levy Imaging For Elastic Proton Proton Scattering | A model independent Levy expansion method is introduced to describe nearly Levy shaped squared moduli of Fourier transforms. We apply this method to precisely characterize the most recent elastic scattering data of proton-proton collisions at $$\sqrt s = 13$$ TeV. The results reveal a substructure of protons, which is found to be significantly larger and darker in high energy proton-proton collisions at the TeV scale, as compared to a rather faint and apparently overlooked substructure, that we also identify in elastic proton-proton scattering at the ISR energy range of $$\sqrt s = 23{\kern 1pt} - {\kern 1pt} 62$$ GeV. | [
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
]
|
W2035235379 | Urbanization increased metal levels in lake surface sediment and catchment topsoil of waterscape parks | Lake surface sediment is mainly derived from topsoil in its catchment. We hypothesized that distribution of anthropogenic metals would be homogenous in lake surface sediment and the lake's catchment topsoil. Anthropogenic metal distributions (cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn)) in fourteen waterscape parks were investigated in surface sediments and catchment topsoils and possible source homogeneity was tested using stable Pb isotopic ratio analysis. The parks were located along an urbanization gradient consisting of suburban (SU), developing urban (DIU), developed urban (DDU), and central urban core (CUC) areas in Shanghai, China. Results indicated that surface lake sediments and catchment topsoils in the CUC parks were highly contaminated by the investigated anthropogenic metals. Total metal contents in surface sediment and topsoil gradually increased along the urbanization gradient from the SU to CUC areas. Generally, the surface sediments had greater total metal contents than their catchment topsoils. These results suggest that urbanization drives the anthropogenic metal enrichment in both surface sediment and its catchment topsoil in the waterscape parks. Soil fine particles (<63 μm) and surface sediments had similar enrichment ratios of metals, suggesting that surface runoff might act as a carrier for metals transporting from catchment to lake. Stable Pb isotope ratio analysis revealed that the major anthropogenic Pb source in surface sediment was coal combustion as in the catchment topsoil. Urbanization also correlated with chemical fractionation of metals in both surface sediment and catchment topsoil. From the SU to the CUC parks, amounts of labile metal fractions increased while the residual fraction of those metals remained rather constant. In short, urbanization in Shanghai drives anthropogenic metal distribution in environmental matrices and the sources were homogenous. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.1016/j.ijms.2014.08.038 | Time-dependent frequency of ion motion in Fourier transform mass spectrometry | Recent experimental and theoretical findings suggest that the concept of time-dependent instantaneous frequency (IF) is required to comprehensively describe ion motion and mass spectra generation in Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS). Here, we derive a set of differential equations describing ion motion in ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) and Orbitrap FTMS mass analyzers from the IF standpoint. A moving ion is represented by two 2D oscillators: first with oscillations coupled in the radius-azimuth, (r, φ), and second in the radius-z axis, (r, z), coordinate planes. The presented description is thus fundamentally different from a standard representation of ion motion in FT-ICR MS in a form of a superposition of cyclotron and magnetron radii. Analysis of ion motion with the developed theory validates the hypothesis that time-dependent IF is the most probable characteristic condition of ion motion in FTMS mass analyzers. Application of IF theory improves understanding of FTMS fundamentals and should advance FTMS implementation and practice. For instance, the obtained relations between an ion's IF values and mass-to-charge ratios may be used to refine calibration and frequency shift equations. Other envisioned benefits are improved descriptions of ion RF excitation and transient generation processes, as well as of an influence of a space-charge and of an image charge fields. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
803676 | Understanding the onset and impact of Aquatic Resource Consumption in Human Evolution using novel Isotopic tracerS | The onset of the systematic consumption of marine resources is thought to mark a turning point for the hominin lineage. To date, this onset cannot be traced, since classic isotope markers are not preserved beyond 50 - 100 ky. Aquatic food products are essential in human nutrition as the main source of polyunsaturated fatty acids in hunter-gatherer diets. The exploitation of marine resources is also thought to have reduced human mobility and enhanced social and technological complexification. Systematic aquatic food consumption could well have been a distinctive feature of Homo sapiens species among his fellow hominins, and has been linked to the astonishing leap in human intelligence and conscience. Yet, this hypothesis is challenged by the existence of mollusk and marine mammal bone remains at Neanderthal archeological sites. Recent work demonstrated the sensitivity of Zn isotope composition in bioapatite, the mineral part of bones and teeth, to dietary Zn. By combining classic (C and C/N isotope analyses) and innovative techniques (compound specific C/N and bulk Zn isotope analyses), I will develop a suite of sensitive tracers for shellfish, fish and marine mammal consumption. Shellfish consumption will be investigated by comparing various South American and European prehistoric populations from the Atlantic coast associated to shell-midden and fish-mounds. Marine mammal consumption will be traced using an Inuit population of Arctic Canada and the Wairau Bar population of New Zealand. C/N/Zn isotope compositions of various aquatic products will also be assessed, as well as isotope fractionation during intestinal absorption. I will then use the fully calibrated isotope tools to detect and characterize the onset of marine food exploitation in human history, which will answer the question of its specificity to our species. Neanderthal, early modern humans and possibly other hominin remains from coastal and inland sites will be compared in that purpose. | [
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
644043 | Computational microscope on molecular binding: from atom to cell membrane scale | Molecular binding is a major research topic that has undoubtedly benefited of recent technological innovation, especially in the area of the so-called computational sciences. However, the predictive power of computations remains low mainly due to the poor correlation of the in-silico models with the real world. A clear example is drug discovery where the drug in vivo efficacy is seen correlated to the ligand residence time, which is hardly predictable by current computational methods. The present proposal tackles the challenge aiming at reshaping the border of the state-of-the-art simulations in molecular binding. I outline a research program that realises a vision where drug design is entrusted to ligand binding affinity and kinetics prediction, and molecular binding interactions are simulated in a realistic plasma membrane model. To achieve the ambitious goals of the research, my team will develop and apply cutting-edge computational techniques based on free-energy calculations, machine learning and multiscale molecular dynamics simulations. Evidence of the innovative nature of the developed approaches will be given by elucidating fundamental aspects of the functional mechanism of the G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), a pharmacologically prominent membrane protein family targeted by ~ 40% of marketed drugs. We will achieve a thorough characterization of the binding thermodynamics and kinetics of signal molecules (antagonists and agonists) that will be used by an original machine learning model to identify novel receptor antagonists with prescribed binding affinity and residence time. We will then investigate the receptor conformational transition from the inactive to the active state and develop an ad hoc multiscale approach to characterize the formation of GPCRs dimers, oligomers and clusters in cell membrane and their interaction with the G-protein that activates the signal transduction. Experiments will be performed to validate all the in-silico results. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
W2000944407 | High temporal and spatial-resolution detection of D-layer fluctuations by using time-domain lightning waveforms | [1] This paper presents a new method for probing ionospheric D-layer fluctuations with time-domain very-low and low-frequency (VLF/LF) lightning waveforms detected several hundred kilometers away from lightning storms. The technique compares the amplitude and the time delay between the direct ground wave and the first-hop ionospheric reflection of the lightning signal to measure the apparent D-layer reflectivity and height. This time-domain technique allows a higher time and spatial resolution measurement of the D-layer fluctuations compared to previously reported frequency-domain techniques. For a region near a nighttime thunderstorm, results demonstrate that the apparent reflectivity and height exhibit significant variation on spatial scales of tens of kilometers and over time periods of hours. The range of the reflectivity variation was observed as large as 100% away from the averaged reflectivity for some localized regions, and the height varies by as much as 5% (4 km). The time scales and propagation velocities of the fluctuations appear to be consistent with signatures of atmospheric gravity waves at D-layer altitudes, and the direction of the fluctuation propagation suggests that the gravity waves are originated from the storm. Superimposed on the fluctuations, a general decreasing trend (by ∼4–8 km) in reflection height over the nighttime is observed. In some localized ionosphere regions, apparent splitting of the D-layer by 2–4 km is observed to last a short time period of about 10 min. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
EP 2019061505 W | METHOD FOR PRODUCING DOUBLE-SIDED ADHESIVE STRIPS WITH ADHESIVE SECTIONS WHICH ARE ARRANGED IN AN OFFSET MANNER IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION | The invention relates to a method for producing double-sided adhesive strips with adhesive sections (32, 33, 34) which are arranged in an offset manner in the longitudinal direction, wherein a first single-sided adhesive strip (3) with a first adhesive layer (3a) and a second single-sided adhesive strip (4) with a second adhesive layer (4a) are laminated together such that the adhesive layers (3a, 4a) are offset relative to each other in the longitudinal direction in such a manner that a first laminated adhesive strip section (32) of the laminated adhesive strip is produced so as to be adhesive on one side and not adhesive on the opposite side, and a second laminated adhesive strip section (33) is produced so as to not be adhesive on one side and be adhesive on the opposite side. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1063/1.5020038 | On Demand Generation Of Background Free Single Photons From A Solid State Source | True on--demand high--repetition--rate single--photon sources are highly sought after for quantum information processing applications. However, any coherently driven two-level quantum system suffers from a finite re-excitation probability under pulsed excitation, causing undesirable multi--photon emission. Here, we present a solid--state source of on--demand single photons yielding a raw second--order coherence of $g^{(2)}(0)=(7. 5\pm1. 6)\times10^{-5}$ without any background subtraction nor data processing. To this date, this is the lowest value of $g^{(2)}(0)$ reported for any single--photon source even compared to the previously best background subtracted values. We achieve this result on GaAs/AlGaAs quantum dots embedded in a low--Q planar cavity by employing (i) a two--photon excitation process and (ii) a filtering and detection setup featuring two superconducting single--photon detectors with ultralow dark-count rates of $(0. 0056\pm0. 0007) s^{-1}$ and $(0. 017\pm0. 001) s^{-1}$, respectively. Re--excitation processes are dramatically suppressed by (i), while (ii) removes false coincidences resulting in a negligibly low noise floor. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
896955 | High throughput laser structuring with multiscale periodic feature sizes for advanced surface functionalities | Current industrial markets demand highly value added products offering new features at a low-cost. Bio-inspired surface structures, containing features in the nanometer/micrometer scales, offer significant commercial potential for the creation of functionalized surfaces. In this aim technologies to modify surfaces instead of creating composites or spreading coatings on surfaces can offer new industrial opportunities. In particular, laser surface texturing, has shown to be capable to obtain advanced functionalities, especially when sources operating at pulse durations of nanosecond (short) and picosecond and femtosecond (ultra short) are used. LAMPAS will significantly increase the potential of laser structuring for the design of newly functionalized surfaces by enhancing the efficiency, flexibility and productivity (over 1 m²/min) of the process based on the development of a high power ultra-short laser system as well as strategies and concepts for beam delivery. This will be performed by combining the outstanding characteristics of two laser technologies, being Direct Laser Interference Patterning and Polygon Scanner processing. The expected results to be obtained in this project will provide the European industry with a cost effective and robust technology, capable of producing a broad range of functional surfaces on large areas at outstanding throughputs, bringing Europe a chance to lead in this key area of surface treatment. LAMPAS consortium covers the full value chain for laser surface texturing and has access to demanding markets. In addition, an in-line surface characterisation to enable rapid feedback about the target topography as well as to control surface temperature during the laser process will be included. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1109/TPEL.2018.2800402 | Interleaved Operation Of Two Neutral Point Clamped Inverters With Reduced Circulating Current | Parallel inverters are commonly adopted in high-power applications, for instance wind energy systems, smart transformers, and power conditioners. Meanwhile, interleaved pulse width modulation is usually considered as an optimal approach to reduce the current ripple and harmonics of the parallel inverters. However, in the case of a common dc link, the problem of circulating current emerges and leads to performance degradation. This paper aims at investigating the influence of different modulation techniques on the circulating current of two neutral-point-clamped (NPC) inverters under interleaved operation. Two modulation techniques, phase disposition (PD) and alternative phase opposite disposition (APOD), have been studied and compared in terms of current ripple, spectrum quality, and circulating current. Though the PD modulation was regarded as the optimum solution in most of the single-NPC cases, it offers worse performance in the two parallel NPC applications due to higher circulating current. Simulation and experimental validations are provided and show that the APOD leads to much lower circulating current and similar current ripple as well as spectrum quality compared to the PD. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
10.1088/0953-8984/25/33/335302 | Electronic Properties Of Supracrystals Of Au Nanocrystals Influence Of Thickness And Nanocrystallinity | Well-defined superlattices of colloidal nanocrystals, called supracrystals, are expected to have interesting physical properties. While the electronic properties of thin supracrystals have been extensively studied in the planar configuration, little is known about electron transport through micrometer-thick supracrystals. Here, we investigate the electronic properties of supracrystals made of Au nanocrystals with diameters of 5, 6, 7 and 8 nm using scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy at low temperatures. The current-voltage characteristics show power-law dependences with exponents varying strongly with supracrystal thicknesses from 30 nm to a few microns. The crystallinity of these nanocrystals, called nanocrystallinity, is exclusively single domain for 5 nm nanocrystals and a mixture of single and polycrystalline phase for 6, 7 and 8 nm nanocrystals. We observed that supracrystals made of 5 nm nanocrystals have a different behavior than supracrystals made of 6, 7 and 8 nm nanocrystals and this might be related to the nanocrystallinity. These results help us to better understand the electron transport mechanism in such miniscule structures built from a bottom-up approach. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
217545 | Constructing line bundles on algebraic varieties -- around conjectures of tate and grothendieck | The goal of this project is to investigate two conjectures in arithmetic geometry pertaining to the geometry of projective varieties over finite and number fields. These two conjectures, formulated by Tate and Grothendieck in the 1960s, predict which cohomology classes are chern classes of line bundles. They both form an arithmetic counterpart of a theorem of Lefschetz, proved in the 1940s, which itself is the only known case of the Hodge conjecture. These two long-standing conjectures are one of the aspects of a more general web of questions regarding the topology of algebraic varieties which have been emphasized by Grothendieck and have since had a central role in modern arithmetic geometry. Special cases of these conjectures, appearing for instance in the work of Tate, Deligne, Faltings, Schneider-Lang, Masser-Wüstholz, have all had important consequences.
My goal is to investigate different lines of attack towards these conjectures, building on recent work on myself and Jean-Benoît Bost on related problems. The two main directions of the proposal are as follows. Over finite fields, the Tate conjecture is related to finiteness results for certain cohomological objects. I want to understand how to relate these to hidden boundedness properties of algebraic varieties that have appeared in my recent geometric proof of the Tate conjecture for K3 surfaces. The existence and relevance of a theory of Donaldson invariants for moduli spaces of twisted sheaves over finite fields seems to be a promising and novel direction. Over number fields, I want to combine the geometric insight above with algebraization techniques developed by Bost. In a joint project, we want to investigate how these can be used to first understand geometrically major results in transcendence theory and then attack the Grothendieck period conjecture for divisors via a number-theoretic and complex-analytic understanding of universal vector extensions of abelian schemes over curves. | [
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1016/j.pepi.2012.05.005 | Experimental study of libration-driven zonal flows in non-axisymmetric containers | Orbital dynamics that lead to longitudinal libration of celestial bodies also result in an elliptically deformed equatorial core-mantle boundary. The non-axisymmetry of the boundary leads to a topographic coupling between the assumed rigid mantle and the underlying low viscosity fluid. The present experimental study investigates the effect of non axisymmetric boundaries on the zonal flow driven by longitudinal libration. For large enough equatorial ellipticity, we report intermittent space-filling turbulence in particular bands of resonant frequency correlated with larger amplitude zonal flow. The mechanism underlying the intermittent turbulence has yet to be unambiguously determined. Nevertheless, recent numerical simulations in triaxial and biaxial ellipsoids suggest that it may be associated with the growth and collapse of an elliptical instability (. Cébron et al. , 2012). Outside of the band of resonance, we find that the background flow is laminar and the zonal flow becomes independent of the geometry at first order, in agreement with a non linear mechanism in the Ekman boundary layer (e. g. , . Calkins et al. , 2010; Sauret and Le Dizès, submitted for publication). | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
10.1002/smll.201700860 | Friction and Wetting Transitions of Magnetic Droplets on Micropillared Superhydrophobic Surfaces | Reliable characterization of wetting properties is essential for the development and optimization of superhydrophobic surfaces. Here, the dynamics of superhydrophobicity is studied including droplet friction and wetting transitions by using droplet oscillations on micropillared surfaces. Analyzing droplet oscillations by high-speed camera makes it possible to obtain energy dissipation parameters such as contact angle hysteresis force and viscous damping coefficients, which indicate pinning and viscous losses, respectively. It is shown that the dissipative forces increase with increasing solid fraction and magnetic force. For 10 µm diameter pillars, the solid fraction range within which droplet oscillations are possible is between 0. 97% and 2. 18%. Beyond the upper limit, the oscillations become heavily damped due to high friction force. Below the lower limit, the droplet is no longer supported by the pillar tops and undergoes a Cassie–Wenzel transition. This transition is found to occur at lower pressure for a moving droplet than for a static droplet. The findings can help to optimize micropillared surfaces for low-friction droplet transport. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1177/2041731417705615 | Bone And Cartilage Differentiation Of A Single Stem Cell Population Driven By Material Interface | Adult stem cells, such as mesenchymal stem cells, are a multipotent cell source able to differentiate towards multiple cell types. While used widely in tissue engineering and biomaterials research, they present inherent donor variability and functionalities. In addition, their potential to form multiple tissues is rarely exploited. Here, we combine an osteogenic nanotopography and a chondrogenic hyaluronan hydrogel with the hypothesis that we can make a complex tissue from a single multipotent cell source with the exemplar of creating a three-dimensional bone-cartilage boundary environment. Marrow stromal cells were seeded onto the topographical surface and the temperature gelling hydrogel laid on top. Cells that remained on the nanotopography spread and formed osteoblast-like cells, while those that were seeded into or migrated into the gel remained rounded and expressed chondrogenic markers. This novel, simple interfacial environment provides a platform for anisotropic differentiation of cells from a single source, which could ultimately be exploited to sort osteogenic and chondrogenic progenitor cells from a marrow stromal cell population and to develop a tissue engineered interface. | [
"Materials Engineering",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
]
|
10.1073/pnas.1721395115 | Comparative genomics of the nonlegume Parasponia reveals insights into evolution of nitrogen-fixing rhizobium symbioses | Nodules harboring nitrogen-fixing rhizobia are a well-known trait of legumes, but nodules also occur in other plant lineages, with rhizobia or the actinomycete Frankia as microsymbiont. It is generally assumed that nodulation evolved independently multiple times. However, molecular-genetic support for this hypothesis is lacking, as the genetic changes underlying nodule evolution remain elusive. We conducted genetic and comparative genomics studies by using Parasponia species (Cannabaceae), the only nonlegumes that can establish nitrogen-fixing nodules with rhizobium. Intergeneric crosses between Parasponia andersonii and its nonnodulating relative Trema tomentosa demonstrated that nodule organogenesis, but not intracellular infection, is a dominant genetic trait. Comparative transcriptomics of P. andersonii and the legume Medicago truncatula revealed utilization of at least 290 orthologous symbiosis genes in nodules. Among these are key genes that, in legumes, are essential for nodulation, including NODULE INCEPTION (NIN) and RHIZOBIUM-DIRECTED POLAR GROWTH (RPG). Comparative analysis of genomes from three Parasponia species and related nonnodulating plant species show evidence of parallel loss in nonnodulating species of putative orthologs of NIN, RPG, and NOD FACTOR PERCEPTION. Parallel loss of these symbiosis genes indicates that these nonnodulating lineages lost the potential to nodulate. Taken together, our results challenge the view that nodulation evolved in parallel and raises the possibility that nodulation originated ∼100 Mya in a common ancestor of all nodulating plant species, but was subsequently lost in many descendant lineages. This will have profound implications for translational approaches aimed at engineering nitrogen-fixing nodules in crop plants. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1021/ac502766n | Advantages of extended bottom-up proteomics using Sap9 for analysis of monoclonal antibodies | Despite the recent advances in structural analysis of monoclonal antibodies with bottom-up, middle-down, and top-down mass spectrometry (MS), further improvements in analysis accuracy, depth, and speed are needed. The remaining challenges include quantitatively accurate assignment of post-translational modifications, reduction of artifacts introduced during sample preparation, increased sequence coverage per liquid chromatography (LC) MS experiment, and ability to extend the detailed characterization to simple antibody cocktails and more complex antibody mixtures. Here, we evaluate the recently introduced extended bottom-up proteomics (eBUP) approach based on proteolysis with secreted aspartic protease 9, Sap9, for analysis of monoclonal antibodies. Key findings of the Sap9-based proteomics analysis of a single antibody include: (i) extensive antibody sequence coverage with up to 100% for the light chain and up to 99-100% for the heavy chain in a single LC-MS run; (ii) connectivity of complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) via Sap9-produced large proteolytic peptides (3. 4 kDa on average) containing up to two CDRs per peptide; (iii) reduced artifact introduction (e. g. , deamidation) during proteolysis with Sap9 compared to conventional bottom-up proteomics workflows. The analysis of a mixture of six antibodies via Sap9-based eBUP produced comparable results. Due to the reasons specified above, Sap9-produced proteolytic peptides improve the identification confidence of antibodies from the mixtures compared to conventional bottom-up proteomics dealing with shorter proteolytic peptides. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1007/s10584-015-1381-7 | Links between media communication and local perceptions of climate change in an indigenous society | Indigenous societies hold a great deal of ethnoclimatological knowledge that could potentially be of key importance for both climate change science and local adaptation; yet, we lack studies examining how such knowledge might be shaped by media communication. This study systematically investigates the interplay between local observations of climate change and the reception of media information amongst the Tsimane’, an indigenous society of Bolivian Amazonia where the scientific discourse of anthropogenic climate change has barely reached. Specifically, we conducted a Randomized Evaluation with a sample of 424 household heads in 12 villages to test to what degree local accounts of climate change are influenced by externally influenced awareness. We randomly assigned villages to a treatment and control group, conducted workshops on climate change with villages in the treatment group, and evaluated the effects of information dissemination on individual climate change perceptions. Results of this work suggest that providing climate change information through participatory workshops does not noticeably influence individual perceptions of climate change. Such findings stress the challenges involved in translating between local and scientific framings of climate change, and gives cause for concern about how to integrate indigenous peoples and local knowledge with global climate change policy debates. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Earth System Science",
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Studies of Cultures and Arts"
]
|
FR 2021051089 W | NONWOVEN WEB OF FIBRES, MEMBRANE AND MASK DERIVED THEREFROM, AND METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING AND CLEANING | The invention relates to a porous and electrostatically charged nonwoven web, suitable for filtering nanoscale and/or submicrometer scale aerosols, comprising a multiplicity of fibres having composition C1, said composition C1 being based on at least one polymer P1, essentially consisting of repeating units derived from vinylidene fluoride (VDF) and vinylidene trifluoride (TrFE), the molar proportion of the units derived from TrFE being 18% to 28% relative to the total number of moles of the units derived from VDF and TrFE. The invention also relates to a method for producing the web, to a membrane comprising the web and to a method for washing/sterilizing the web or membrane. | [
"Materials Engineering",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
W4283785732 | Monossialitização como principal processo de intemperismo químico no planalto alcalino de Poços de Caldas (MG) | As características das águas fluviais são fortemente influenciadas pelos processos de intemperismo químico das rochas em uma bacia hidrográfica. Assim, este trabalho investigou a influência do processo de intemperismo químico na composição das águas superficiais no planalto alcalino de Poços de Caldas, estudando-se a bacia do Córrego Ariranha. Os parâmetros físicos e químicos foram avaliados mensalmente, totalizando doze amostragens ao longo de 2016. Os resultados indicaram que as águas do Córrego Ariranha são constituídas majoritariamente pelos íons dissolvidos HCO3 - e Na+. A descarga dissolvida total foi de 247,6 t/a em 2016, com a maior parte sendo transportada no período úmido (75,6%). O fluxo anual específico de 25,3 t/km2 /a é inferior ao quantificado em outras bacias hidrográficas formadas por rochas alcalinas no Brasil e no mundo, independentemente das condições climáticas de cada região. As águas do Córrego Ariranha sãocontroladas pela mistura das águas pluviais e os processos de monossialitização dos minerais silicatos que compõe as rochasalcalinas do planalto de Poços de Caldas. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
W3081346262 | Coupled Thermo–Hydro–Mechanical Modeling of Hydro-Shearing Stimulation in an Enhanced Geothermal System in the Raft River Geothermal Field, USA | The Raft River Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) demonstration project aims to improve the geothermal production by enhancing the reservoir permeability via shear stimulation in well RRG-9. In this paper, we performed a series of 3D thermo–hydro–mechanical (THM) simulations to investigate the influence of hydraulic and thermal effects on the development of this EGS. The model includes synthetic fracture populations based on borehole televiewer images and in-situ stress measurements from well RRG-9. Fracture permeability evolution is determined using an empirical permeability law developed from laboratory experiments. The model was calibrated by comparing the hydraulic response to field observations, including wellhead pressure, injection rate, and well injectivity. Particularly, we analyzed the enhancement of reservoir permeability and the spatial extent of the stimulation zone for the given injection schedule. Our results indicate that the permeability enhancement of fractured geothermal reservoir is caused by the combined effects of injection-induced cooling and fluid pressure increase. The decrease of temperature plays a dominant role in reactivation of natural fractures under the hydro-shearing mechanism, while the higher injection pressure promotes shear failure and enlarges the stimulation zone. For the specified extensional stress state, the model favors greatest permeability enhancement along the maximum horizontal principal stress, a moderate vertical enhancement, and a smaller gain along the minimum horizontal principal stress. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1073/pnas.1803866115 | 1.1-billion-year-old porphyrins establish a marine ecosystem dominated by bacterial primary producers | The average cell size of marine phytoplankton is critical for the flow of energy and nutrients from the base of the food web to higher trophic levels. Thus, the evolutionary succession of primary producers through Earth’s history is important for our understanding of the radiation of modern protists ∼800 million years ago and the emergence of eumetazoan animals ∼200 million years later. Currently, it is difficult to establish connections between primary production and the proliferation of large and complex organisms because the mid-Proterozoic (∼1,800–800 million years ago) rock record is nearly devoid of recognizable phytoplankton fossils. We report the discovery of intact porphyrins, the molecular fossils of chlorophylls, from 1,100-million-year-old marine black shales of the Taoudeni Basin (Mauritania), 600 million years older than previous findings. The porphyrin nitrogen isotopes (δ15Npor = 5. 6–10. 2) are heavier than in younger sedimentary sequences, and the isotopic offset between sedimentary bulk nitrogen and porphyrins (epor = −5. 1 to −0. 5) points to cyanobacteria as dominant primary producers. Based on fossil carotenoids, anoxygenic green (Chlorobiacea) and purple sulfur bacteria (Chromatiaceae) also contributed to photosynthate. The low epor values, in combination with a lack of diagnostic eukaryotic steranes in the time interval of 1,600–1,000 million years ago, demonstrate that algae played an insignificant role in mid-Proterozoic oceans. The paucity of algae and the small cell size of bacterial phytoplankton may have curtailed the flow of energy to higher trophic levels, potentially contributing to a diminished evolutionary pace toward complex eukaryotic ecosystems and large and active organisms. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.5194/cp-9-2253-2013 | Why could ice ages be unpredictable? | It is commonly accepted that the variations of Earth's orbit and obliquity control the timing of Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles. Evidence comes from power spectrum analysis of palaeoclimate records and from inspection of the timing of glacial and deglacial transitions. However, we do not know how tight this control is. Is it, for example, conceivable that random climatic fluctuations could cause a delay in deglaciation, bad enough to skip a full precession or obliquity cycle and subsequently modify the sequence of ice ages? <br><br> To address this question, seven previously published conceptual models of ice ages are analysed by reference to the notion of generalised synchronisation. Insight is being gained by comparing the effects of the astronomical forcing with idealised forcings composed of only one or two periodic components. In general, the richness of the astronomical forcing allows for synchronisation over a wider range of parameters, compared to periodic forcing. Hence, glacial cycles may conceivably have remained paced by the astronomical forcing throughout the Pleistocene. <br><br> However, all the models examined here show regimes of strong structural dependence on parameters. This means that small variations in parameters or random fluctuations may cause significant shifts in the succession of ice ages. Whether the actual system actually resides in such a regime depends on the amplitude of the effects associated with the astronomical forcing, which significantly differ across the different models studied here. The possibility of synchronisation on eccentricity is also discussed and it is shown that a high Rayleigh number on eccentricity, as recently found in observations, is no guarantee of reliable synchronisation. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Universe Sciences"
]
|
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