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200639 | High-accuracy models in theoretical chemistry | Even today, quantum chemical calculations with experimental accuracy are only feasible for small molecules. This statement is especially true if the considered molecule is far from the equilibrium structure, where the overwhelming majority of quantum chemical models break down. The main purpose of this proposal is to develop new quantum chemical methods that are applicable to at least medium-sized molecules and simultaneously provide results sufficiently close to the experimental data and are capable of describing entire potential energy surfaces. The accuracy goal will be achieved through the reduction of the computational cost of high-precision quantum chemical calculations, which are currently practical for molecules of up to 15 atoms. The cost reduction will be accomplished principally by decreasing the number of numerical parameters to be optimized without sacrificing accuracy. To this end, the negligible parameters will be identified and dropped by adopting the corresponding techniques of computer science. The correct behavior of the models for distorted structures will be ensured by developing new approaches that use a linear combination of functions rather than a single function as a starting point for the description of electronic states. Since the programming work associated with the implementation of the proposed schemes is very complex, the project will rely on the automated programming tools previously developed by the proposer. In addition to the outlined challenging tasks, the proposal aims to implement several more straightforward objectives. In particular, the high-accuracy calculations will be extended to molecular properties that are presently not available. Furthermore, the developed methods will be applied to real-life problems, especially in the field of spectroscopy and atmospheric chemistry. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1007/JHEP02(2015)005 | On Shape Dependence Of Holographic Mutual Information In Ads4 | We study the holographic mutual information in AdS4 of disjoint spatial domains in the boundary which are delimited by smooth closed curves. A numerical method which approximates a local minimum of the area functional through triangulated surfaces is employed. After some checks of the method against existing analytic results for the holographic entanglement entropy, we compute the holographic mutual information of equal domains delimited by ellipses, superellipses or the boundaries of two dimensional spherocylinders, finding also the corresponding transition curves along which the holographic mutual information vanishes. | [
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2016.06.001 | Could more civil society involvement increase public support for climate policy-making? Evidence from a survey experiment in China | Governments need the support of their citizens in order to be able to adopt and implement ambitious environmental protection policies. Recent research on liberal democratic systems has found evidence that increased civil society organization involvement can help increase the popular legitimacy of (that is, public support for) such policy-making. We are interested in whether this finding is also relevant to other types of political systems. To find out we implemented a survey experiment in China (N = 932). The empirical focus is on climate policy, a paradigmatic global governance effort, in which China, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, plays a key role. The results show that people welcome the involvement of civil society actors - with the exception of business civil society organizations - in climate policy-making, though most participants in our survey experiment did not favor civil society organizations over government agencies. They also show, however, that moving from non-inclusion to inclusion of civil society organizations improves people's assessment of transparency and representational quality of climate governance (two key facets of input or procedural legitimacy) by 14 and 24% respectively. Our findings suggest that - even though few civil society organizations are currently independent from government in China - increased civil society organizations involvement in climate policy-making could contribute to enhancing public support for climate policy. In view of great challenges China faces in implementing its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) within the Paris Agreement framework, its climate policy could thus benefit from greater involvement of civil society organizations. | [
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
]
|
10.1109/ICP.2013.6687056 | Self Mixing Effect In Thz Quantum Cascade Lasers Applications In Sensing And Imaging | The paper introduces self-mixing interferometry in semiconductor lasers in general, and then discusses recent advancements in the coherent THz imaging and sensing systems based on the self-mixing effect in terahertz quantum cascade lasers. Two different imaging modalities are used to illustrate the coherent nature of this sensing technique and its applications to three-dimensional surface profiling and material identification. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1038/s41467-020-18544-z | Plasmonic antenna coupling to hyperbolic phonon-polaritons for sensitive and fast mid-infrared photodetection with graphene | Abstract
Integrating and manipulating the nano-optoelectronic properties of Van der Waals heterostructures can enable unprecedented platforms for photodetection and sensing. The main challenge of infrared photodetectors is to funnel the light into a small nanoscale active area and efficiently convert it into an electrical signal. Here, we overcome all of those challenges in one device, by efficient coupling of a plasmonic antenna to hyperbolic phonon-polaritons in hexagonal-BN to highly concentrate mid-infrared light into a graphene pn-junction. We balance the interplay of the absorption, electrical and thermal conductivity of graphene via the device geometry. This approach yields remarkable device performance featuring room temperature high sensitivity (NEP of 82 pW$$/\sqrt{{\bf{Hz}}}$$
/
Hz
) and fast rise time of 17 nanoseconds (setup-limited), among others, hence achieving a combination currently not present in the state-of-the-art graphene and commercial mid-infrared detectors. We also develop a multiphysics model that shows very good quantitative agreement with our experimental results and reveals the different contributions to our photoresponse, thus paving the way for further improvement of these types of photodetectors even beyond mid-infrared range. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.01.133 | Effects of rotational shearing on rheological behavior of fresh mortar with short glass fiber | Shear stresses are always applied to fresh concrete during mixing and transporting processes, which have significant influences on the dispersion and agglomeration of cement particles. In this study, the effects of rotational shear mixing on rheological properties of fresh short glass fiber reinforced mortars with different mineral admixtures (containing fly ash and silica fume) were experimentally investigated. The shear rates of 50 s −1 , 100 s −1 and 150 s −1 were selected as the rotational shearing rates. The Herschel-Bulkley model was used to characterize the rheological behavior of fresh glass fiber reinforced mortar. Results showed that the shear-thickening intensity increased with the increase of glass fiber volume fraction for the cement-fly ash binary mortar, while the addition of glass fiber resulted in the rheological behavior of cement-silica fume binary mortar changed from shear-thickening to shear-thinning response. After subjecting to rotational shear mixing, the measured shear stress was significantly increased and the fresh mortars with glass fibers easily showed shear-thickening behavior. | [
"Materials Engineering",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
W2788693713 | The Anger Games: Who Voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 Election, and Why? | Recently released data from the 2016 American National Election Study allow us to offer a multifaceted profile of white voters who voted for Donald J. Trump in the 2016 presidential election. We find that Trump’s supporters voted for him mainly because they share his prejudices, not because they’re financially stressed. It’s true, as exit polls showed, that voters without four-year college degrees were likelier than average to support Trump. But millions of these voters—who are often stereotyped as “the white working class”—opposed Trump because they oppose his prejudices. These prejudices, meanwhile, have a definite structure, which we argue should be called authoritarian: negatively, they target minorities and women; and positively, they favor domineering and intolerant leaders who are uninhibited about their biases. Multivariate logistic regression shows that, once we take these biases into account, demographic factors (age, education, etc.) lose their explanatory power. The electorate, in short, is deeply divided. Nearly 75% of Trump supporters count themselves among his enthusiastic supporters, and even “mild” Trump voters are much closer in their attitudes to Trump’s enthusiasts than they are to non-Trump voters. Polarization is profound, and may be growing. | [
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
]
|
10.3934/dcds.2017031 | Transition fronts and stretching phenomena for a general class of reaction-dispersion equations | We consider a general form of reaction-dispersion equations with non-local or nonlinear dispersal operators and local reaction terms. Under some general conditions, we prove the non-existence of transition fronts, as well as some stretching properties at large time for the solutions of the Cauchy problem. These conditions are satisfied in particular when the reaction is monostable and when the dispersal operator is either the fractional Laplacian, a convolution operator with a fat-tailed kernel or a nonlinear fast diffusion operator. | [
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.04.009 | Neurocomputational approaches to social behavior | Social decision-making is increasingly studied with neurocomputational modeling. Here we discuss how this approach allows researchers to better understand and predict behavior in social settings. Using examples from the study of resource distributions and social learning, we illustrate how this methodology provides a flexible way to quantify social values and beliefs, identify specific motives and cognitive processes underlying social choice and learning, and arbitrate between competing theories of social behavior. We also critically discuss open questions and potential problems associated with this methodology. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
]
|
10.1016/j.cell.2018.01.023 | Sort Your Self Out! | Discrimination between viral and self-derived nucleic acid species is crucial in maintaining effective antiviral immunity whilst avoiding autoinflammation. Ahmad et al. and Chung et al. delineate the consequences of MDA5 gain of function and loss of ADAR1 activity, highlighting the blurring of the concept of self and non-self when considering endogenous retroelements. Discrimination between viral and self-derived nucleic acid species is crucial in maintaining effective antiviral immunity whilst avoiding autoinflammation. Ahmad et al. and Chung et al. delineate the consequences of MDA5 gain of function and loss of ADAR1 activity, highlighting the blurring of the concept of self and non-self when considering endogenous retroelements. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
W1985519551 | Two Kinds of Monoclinic-I Martensite and some Insight into the Microstructures they Form | By analysing the facet structure of the convex polytope generated by the twelve transformation strains of cubic to monoclinic-I martensite, we show that there are two different kinds of monoclinic-I martensite. These two kinds differ in the sign of a material parameter. While the symmetry properties of both kinds are the same, the geometrical structure of the set of recoverable strains is different. A key idea is to consider the convex polytope formed by the transformation strains and to study its facets. Another insight is to use invariant theory to exploit the fact that compatible cones are algebraic surfaces. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Mathematics"
]
|
W2145981472 | Conservative corrections to the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) of a Kerr black hole: A new gauge-invariant post-Newtonian ISCO condition, and the ISCO shift due to test-particle spin and the gravitational self-force | The innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) delimits the transition from circular orbits to those that plunge into a black hole. In the test-mass limit, well-defined ISCO conditions exist for the Kerr and Schwarzschild spacetimes. In the finite-mass case, there are a large variety of ways to define an ISCO in a post-Newtonian (PN) context. Here I generalize the gauge-invariant ISCO condition of Blanchet and Iyer [Classical Quantum Gravity 20, 755 (2003)] to the case of spinning (nonprecessing) binaries. The Blanchet-Iyer ISCO condition has two desirable and unexpected properties: (1) it exactly reproduces the Schwarzschild ISCO in the test-mass limit, and (2) it accurately approximates the recently calculated shift in the Schwarzschild ISCO frequency due to the conservative-piece of the gravitational self-force [L. Barack and N. Sago, Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 191101 (2009)]. The generalization of this ISCO condition to spinning binaries has the property that it also exactly reproduces the Kerr ISCO in the test-mass limit (up to the order at which PN spin corrections are currently known). The shift in the ISCO due to the spin of the test-particle is also calculated. Remarkably, the gauge-invariant PN ISCO condition exactly reproduces the ISCO shift predicted by the Papapetrou equations for a fully relativistic spinning particle. It is surprising that an analysis of the stability of the standard PN equations of motion is able (without any form of ``resummation'') to accurately describe strong-field effects of the Kerr spacetime. The ISCO frequency shift due to the conservative self-force in Kerr is also calculated from this new ISCO condition, as well as from the effective-one-body Hamiltonian of Barausse and Buonanno [Phys. Rev. D 81, 084024 (2010)]. These results serve as a useful point of comparison for future gravitational self-force calculations in the Kerr spacetime. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
]
|
10.1109/ISAF.2015.7172674 | Electrical Capacitance With Meshed Electrodes For Piezo And Pyro Electric Energy Harvesting Applications | When utilizing a meshed electrode design for piezo-and pyro-electric harvesting, there are changes in the electrical capacitance with mesh density and surface electrode coverage. For square meshed electrodes, geometrical limits are identified and the applicability of the parallel plate assumption is verified. The reduction of electrode coverage and element capacitance is examined with respect to the aspect ratio feature size relative to the dielectric thickness. Finite element analysis reveals the presence of electric fields that are four times stronger with the meshed electrode design compared to fully covered electrodes. The electrical energy stored in the harvester with meshed electrodes, and its availability for discharge, is only 4 % smaller than with a fully covered design. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1109/ECCE.2014.6953536 | Resonant Inductor Voltage Feedback Active Damping Based Control For Grid Connected Inverters With Llcl Filters | LLCL-filter is recently emerging into grid- connected inverters due to its high attenuation of high- frequency harmonics with a smaller size. Active damping methods have been proposed to reduce the resonance peak caused by the LLCL-filter to stabilize the whole system without extra losses. The active damping method with an extra feedback provides a high rejection of the resonance so that the dynamic is improved. In this paper, taking a Proportional- Resonant (PR) together with a harmonic compensator (HC), resonant-inductor-voltage-feedback active damping is applied on an LLCL-filter based three-phase grid-connected voltage source inverter (VSI). The design method is described through the analysis in the s-domain and the z-domain. Then the robustness and harmonic rejection of the grid voltage with the active damping method is analyzed considering the processing delay. Finally, the performance of the proposed method is investigated in simulation and by experimental results. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1146/annurev-nucl-101917-020959 | Automated Computation of One-Loop Amplitudes | The automation of one-loop amplitudes plays a key role in addressing several computational challenges for hadron collider phenomenology: They are needed for simulations including next-to-leading-order corrections, which can be large at hadron colliders. They also allow the exact computation of loop-induced processes. A high degree of automation has now been achieved in public codes that do not require expert knowledge and can be widely used in the high-energy physics community. In this article, we review many of the methods and tools used for the different steps of automated one-loop amplitude calculations: renormalization of the Lagrangian, derivation and evaluation of the amplitude, its decomposition onto a basis of scalar integrals and their subsequent evaluation, as well as computation of the rational terms. | [
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
184471 | How retrotransposons remodel the genome during early development and reprogramming | Retrotransposons (RTNs) are ancient viruses that have stably integrated themselves into mammalian genomes and they now occupy around half of the human or mouse genome. These mobile genetic elements that have coevolved with us drive evolution by creating new genes and plasticity of genomes. Exciting data including ours has shown that even RTNs that are no longer active retain enhancer, promoter or repressor sequences that regulate developmental genes, through largely uncharacterized transcription factors. We have employed CRISPR/Cas9 gene disruption to determine that Zfp37 and Zfp819 bind to and regulate RTNs in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Identification of these zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) now allows us to ask new questions about how RTNs have been co-opted to orchestrate gene circuits in vitro and in vivo. Both these factors have already been implicated to play a role in reprogramming or genome integrity.
We hypothesize that RTNs have been co-opted to remodel the genome by acting as structural platforms that recruit transcription factors like Zfp37 and Zfp819. We will test this hypothesis assessing the role of RTNs and these two ZFPs in three dynamic contexts where the genome is remodelled. These are in ESC differentiation to neurons, in reprogramming and in early mouse development, three scenarios where RTNs have been documented to become expressed and serve an unknown function.
This work will exploit mouse development to unravel the mechanism of how RTNs remodel the genome. It will help us to understand how ZFPs can be engaged to reprogram cells and in stem-cell therapies, and will explain more broadly how RTNs, which dominate our genomes, control cell fate. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
W2304979515 | Influencia lunar en la brotación de tubérculos de melloco (Ullucus tuberosus) variedad caramelo. | The present investigation was designed to determine the influence of lunar sprouting tubers melloco (Ullucus tuberosus) candy variety. The tape of the tubers was held in New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon, and Last Quarter.
The investigative work was carried out in the canton Alausi, parish Tixan of the county of Chimborazo, in property Mr. Ramon Tarquino Logrono B.
The field works were carried out under conditions of ambient temperature 110C, 60% of relative humidity, heliophany 1.653 hours of average yearly and 2.976 m.s.n.m. The design experimental employee was a D.C.A. (Design Complete at Random) with 4 treatments and 5 repetitions, the taking of data was made during 70 days, to which were carried out the statistical analysis by means of Statistical Analysis System (SAS). The procedure ANOVA was used for the variance analysis and test of Tukey (0,05). He was also carried out an economic analysis of production/plant cost to each treatment in study.
From the results it is established that the best treatment is the T2 (Tape in First Quarter), because it reaches 85% of sprouting tubers. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
10.1098/rspb.2014.2509 | The impact of demographic changes on the epidemiology of herpes zoster: Spain as a case study | Varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes varicella upon first exposure and may reactivate later in life into herpes zoster (HZ), with a risk that is thought to be reduced by re-exposures to VZV. Given the decades-long time scales of reactivation and its dependence on the accumulation of re-exposure episodes, adopting a long-term perspective may be useful to correctly interpret current epidemiological trends of VZV. In this study, we investigate the possible impact of demographic changes on varicella and HZ in Spain, using an age-structured mathematical model informed with historical demographic data and calibrated against age-specific profiles of varicella seroprevalence and HZ incidence data. The model qualitatively reproduces the remarkable growth of HZ incidence observed in Spain between 1997 and 2004, before the introduction of varicella vaccination programmes. We demonstrate that this growth may be partially ascribed to the reduction of varicella circulation that followed the overall decline of the birth rate in the twentieth century. Model predictions further suggest that, even under the most optimistic projections, HZ incidence will continue its rise until at least 2040. Considering the effect of demographic changes can help interpreting variations in epidemiological trends of HZ, contributing to a more accurate evaluation of vaccination programmes against VZV. | [
"Mathematics",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space"
]
|
682982 | Mobility trajectories of young lives: Life chances of transnational youths in Global South and North | The objective of MO-TRAYL is to develop a better understanding of the relationship between migration and young people’s life-chances by studying youth’s mobility trajectories. How the life chances of youths, defined as their educational performance, psychological well-being and transitions into adulthood, are impacted by migration are of relevance for European cities that are faced with a growing youth population with migrant background. At the same time, cities in the Global South, where many migrants in Europe originate from, are faced with large portions of the population of minors who are living without at least one of their parents due to their parent’s migration. There is growing concern in both academia and policy about how these ‘stay-behind’ children are faring. Yet little is known about how migration impacts young people in the Global North and South in the medium-term, in part because our conception of young people’s mobility patterns has to date been overly simplified (either they move once, or they do not). This results in a lack of data that specifically looks at the different mobility patterns of young people and hardly any that has a longitudinal dimension. MO-TRAYL will break new ground by studying simultaneously youths in the Global South who have remained ‘at home’ and those who have migrated to Europe by making use of unique new longitudinal data collected in the Global South as well as collecting new data in the Global North that specifically traces the mobility trajectories, the resulting different family compositions along the way, and how both affect life chances. Through a transnational perspective in which family members and events spanning home and host countries are brought to bear on life chances, MO-TRAYL aims to re-conceptualize youth mobility and families and add a longitudinal dimension to the study of migration and life chance outcomes. The project focuses on Ghanaian children in Ghana, The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. | [
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
]
|
10.1103/PhysRevB.86.174111 | First-principles based thermodynamic model of phase equilibria in bcc Fe-Cr alloys | A first-principles based thermodynamic model for magnetic alloys is applied to the calculation of the Fe-Cr phase diagram restricted by the bcc structure. The model includes magnetic, electronic, phonon, and local atomic relaxations contributions to the free-energy derived from ab initio calculations. Atomic short-range-order effects are found to be relatively small and they have been neglected in the calculations, assuming that alloys are in the completely random state. In contrast, we have taken into consideration magnetic short-range-order effects, which are found to be very important in particular above the Curie temperature. The calculated phase diagram is in reasonable agreement with the latest CALPHAD assessment. Our calculations reproduce a feature known as a Nishizawa horn for the Fe-rich high-temperature part of the phase diagram. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
W2011968427 | A comparison of prevalence estimates for selected health indicators and chronic diseases or conditions from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the National Health Interview Survey, and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007–2008 | To compare the prevalence estimates of selected health indicators and chronic diseases or conditions among three national health surveys in the United States.Data from adults aged 18 years or older who participated in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) in 2007 and 2008 (n=807,524), the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) in 2007 and 2008 (n=44,262), and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) during 2007 and 2008 (n=5871) were analyzed.The prevalence estimates of current smoking, obesity, hypertension, and no health insurance were similar across the three surveys, with absolute differences ranging from 0.7% to 3.9% (relative differences: 2.3% to 20.2%). The prevalence estimate of poor or fair health from BRFSS was similar to that from NHANES, but higher than that from NHIS. The prevalence estimates of diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke were similar across the three surveys, with absolute differences ranging from 0.0% to 0.8% (relative differences: 0.2% to 17.1%).While the BRFSS continues to provide invaluable health information at state and local level, it is reassuring to observe consistency in the prevalence estimates of key health indicators of similar caliber between BRFSS and other national surveys. | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
W976945993 | Early-type galaxies as probes of galaxy formation and cosmology | The goal of this thesis is to analyze the possibility of using early-type galaxies to place evolutionary and cosmological constraints, by both disentangling what is the main driver of ETGs evolution between mass and environment, and developing a technique to constrain H(z) and the cosmological parameters studying the ETGs age-redshift relation.
The (U-V) rest-frame color distribution is studied as a function of mass and environment for two sample of ETGs up to z=1, extracted from the zCOSMOS survey with a new selection criterion. The color distributions and the slopes of the color-mass and color-environment relations are studied, finding a strong dependence on mass and a minor dependence on environment. The spectral analysis performed on the D4000 and Hδ features gives results validating the previous analysis. The main driver of galaxy evolution is found to be the galaxy mass, the environment playing a subdominant but non negligible role. The age distribution of ETGs is also analyzed as a function of mass, providing strong evidences supporting a downsizing scenario.
The possibility of setting cosmological constraints studying the age-redshift relation is studied, discussing the relative degeneracies and model dependencies. A new approach is developed, aiming to minimize the impact of systematics on the “cosmic chronometer” method. Analyzing theoretical models, it is demonstrated that the D4000 is a feature correlated almost linearly with age at fixed metallicity, depending only minorly on the models assumed or on the SFH chosen. The analysis of a SDSS sample of ETGs shows that it is possible to use the differential D4000 evolution of the galaxies to set constraints to cosmological parameters in an almost model-independent way.
Values of the Hubble constant and of the dark energy EoS parameter are found, which are not only fully compatible, but also with a comparable error budget with the latest results. | [
"Universe Sciences"
]
|
10.1088/1478-3975/aa8001 | Predicting the dynamics of bacterial growth inhibition by ribosome-targeting antibiotics | Understanding how antibiotics inhibit bacteria can help to reduce antibiotic use and hence avoid antimicrobial resistance - yet few theoretical models exist for bacterial growth inhibition by a clinically relevant antibiotic treatment regimen. In particular, in the clinic, antibiotic treatment is time-dependent. Here, we use a theoretical model, previously applied to steady-state bacterial growth, to predict the dynamical response of a bacterial cell to a time-dependent dose of ribosome-targeting antibiotic. Our results depend strongly on whether the antibiotic shows reversible transport and/or low-affinity ribosome binding ('low-affinity antibiotic') or, in contrast, irreversible transport and/or high affinity ribosome binding ('high-affinity antibiotic'). For low-affinity antibiotics, our model predicts that growth inhibition depends on the duration of the antibiotic pulse, and can show a transient period of very fast growth following removal of the antibiotic. For high-affinity antibiotics, growth inhibition depends on peak dosage rather than dose duration, and the model predicts a pronounced post-antibiotic effect, due to hysteresis, in which growth can be suppressed for long times after the antibiotic dose has ended. These predictions are experimentally testable and may be of clinical significance. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Mathematics"
]
|
W2003332810 | Phages Harboring Specific Peptides That Recognize the N Protein of the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Distinguish the Virus from Other Viruses | ABSTRACT The aim of the current study was to develop a novel diagnostic test for detecting porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) using phage display technology. The N gene of PRRSV isolate HH08 was cloned following reverse transcription-PCR. Sequence comparison indicated that the N gene shared 96.4% homology to that of North American PRRSV (isolate VR2332) and 35.5% with that of European PRRSV (isolate LV), indicating that the PRRSV isolate was related to the North American PRRSV genotype. The bacterially expressed N protein was used as a target in a biopanning process using a phage display random peptide library. Seven phages expressing different peptides had a specific binding activity with the N protein. The putative binding motifs were identified by DNA sequencing. More importantly, the selected phages harboring specific peptides that recognize the N protein of PRRSV were able to efficiently distinguish PRRSV from other viruses in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering"
]
|
10.1177/1368431014553756 | Industrial Citizenship Cosmopolitanism And European Integration | There has been an explosion of interest in the idea of European Union citizenship in recent years, as a defining example of postnational cosmopolitan citizenship potentially replacing or layered on. . . | [
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
]
|
10.1109/APEC.2015.7104736 | Dq Reference Frame Modeling And Control Of Single Phase Active Power Decoupling Circuits | Power decoupling circuits can compensate the inherent double line frequency ripple power in single-phase systems and greatly facilitate their dc-link capacitor design. Example applications of power decoupling circuit include photovoltaic, light-emitting diode, fuel cell, and motor drive systems. This paper presents the dq synchronous reference frame modeling of single-phase power decoupling circuits and a complete model describing the dynamics of dc-link ripple voltage is presented. The proposed model is universal and valid for both inductive and capacitive decoupling circuits, and the input of decoupling circuits can be either dependent or independent of its front-end converters. Based on this model, a dq synchronous reference frame controller is designed which allows the decoupling circuit to operate in two different modes because of the circuit symmetry. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed modeling and control method. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
10.1021/jacs.0c01935 | Growing and Shaping Metal-Organic Framework Single Crystals at the Millimeter Scale | Controlling and understanding the mechanisms that harness crystallization processes is of utmost importance in contemporary materials science and, in particular, in the realm of reticular solids where it still remains a great challenge. In this work, we show that environments mimicking microgravity conditions can harness the size and shape of functional biogenic crystals such as peptide-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). In particular, we demonstrate formation of the largest single crystals with controlled nonequilibrium shapes of peptide-based MOFs reported to date (e. g. , those featuring curved crystal habits), as opposed to the typical polyhedral microcrystals obtained under bulk crystallization conditions. Such unique nonequilibrium morphologies arise from the interplay between the diffusion-controlled supply of precursors in simulated microgravity environments and the physical constraints imposed during crystal growth. In fact, our method mimics two main strategies of morphogenesis in biomineralization, i. e. , spatial and morphological control, both being largely unexplored in the field of self-assembled functional materials. The presented results may open new opportunities to study and understand fundamental questions of relevance to materials science, such as how the size and shape of artificial crystals can influence their properties and functions while providing a strategy to tailor the size and shape of peptide-based MOF single crystals to specific applications. | [
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Materials Engineering",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1051/0004-6361/201526551 | Ram Pressure Stripping In The Virgo Cluster | Gas can be violently stripped from their galaxy disks in rich clusters, and be dispersed over 100kpc-scale tails or plumes. Young stars have been observed in these tails, suggesting they are formed in situ. This will contribute to the intracluster light, in addition to tidal stripping of old stars. We want to quantify the efficiency of intracluster star formation. We present CO(1--0) and CO(2--1) observations, made with the IRAM-30m telescope, towards the ram-pressure stripped tail northeast of NGC4388 in Virgo. HII regions found all along the tails, together with dust patches have been targeted. We detect molecular gas in 4 positions along the tail, with masses between 7x10$^5$ to 2x10$^6$ M$_\odot$. Given the large distance from the NGC 4388 galaxy, the molecular clouds must have formed in situ, from the HI gas plume. We compute the relation between surface densities of star formation and molecular gas in these regions, and find that the star formation has very low efficiency. The corresponding depletion time of the molecular gas can be up to 500 Gyr and more. Since this value exceeds a by far Hubble time, this gas will not be converted into stars, and will stay in a gaseous phase to join the intracluster medium. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1371/journal.pntd.0003456 | Description of a Nanobody-based Competitive Immunoassay to Detect Tsetse Fly Exposure | Tsetse flies are the main vectors of human and animal African trypanosomes. The Tsal proteins in tsetse fly saliva were previously identified as suitable biomarkers of bite exposure. A new competitive assay was conceived based on nanobody (Nb) technology to ameliorate the detection of anti-Tsal antibodies in mammalian hosts. A camelid-derived Nb library was generated against the Glossina morsitans morsitans sialome and exploited to select Tsal specific Nbs. One of the three identified Nb families (family III, TsalNb-05 and TsalNb-11) was found suitable for anti-Tsal antibody detection in a competitive ELISA format. The competitive ELISA was able to detect exposure to a broad range of tsetse species (G. morsitans morsitans, G. pallidipes, G. palpalis gambiensis and G. fuscipes) and did not cross-react with the other hematophagous insects (Stomoxys calcitrans and Tabanus yao). Using a collection of plasmas from tsetse-exposed pigs, the new test characteristics were compared with those of the previously described G. m. moristans and rTsal1 indirect ELISAs, revealing equally good specificities (> 95%) and positive predictive values (> 98%) but higher negative predictive values and hence increased sensitivity (> 95%) and accuracy (> 95%). We have developed a highly accurate Nb-based competitive immunoassay to detect specific anti-Tsal antibodies induced by various tsetse fly species in a range of hosts. We propose that this competitive assay provides a simple serological indicator of tsetse fly presence without the requirement of test adaptation to the vertebrate host species. In addition, the use of monoclonal Nbs for antibody detection is innovative and could be applied to other tsetse fly salivary biomarkers in order to achieve a multi-target immunoprofiling of hosts. In addition, this approach could be broadened to other pathogenic organisms for which accurate serological diagnosis remains a bottleneck. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
W2611054161 | Compact Resolved Ejecta in the Nearest Tidal Disruption Event | Tidal disruption events (TDEs) occur when a star or sub-stellar object passes close enough to a galaxy's supermassive black hole to be disrupted by tidal forces. NGC 4845 (d=17 Mpc) was host to a TDE, IGR J12580+0134, detected in November 2010. Its proximity offers us a unique close-up of the TDE and its aftermath. We discuss new Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) and Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) observations, which show that the radio flux from the active nucleus created by the TDE has decayed in a manner consistent with predictions from a jet-circumnuclear medium interaction model. This model explains the source's broadband spectral evolution, which shows a spectral peak that has moved from the submm (at the end of 2010) to GHz radio frequencies (in 2011-2013) to <1 GHz in 2015. The milliarcsecond-scale core is circularly polarized at 1.5 GHz but not at 5 GHz, consistent with the model. The VLBA images show a complex structure at 1.5 GHz that includes an east west extension ~40 milliarcsec (3 pc) long as well as a resolved component 52 milliarcsec (4.1 pc) northwest of the flat-spectrum core, which is all that can be seen at 5 GHz. If ejected in 2010, the NW component must have had v=0.96 c over five years. However, this is unlikely, as our model suggests strong deceleration to speeds < 0.5c within months and a much smaller, sub-parsec size. In this interpretation, the northwest component could have either a non-nuclear origin or be from an earlier event. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1103/PhysRevA.99.023425 | Truncated dynamics, ring molecules, and mechanical time crystals | We identify circumstances where the effective descriptions of microscopic physical systems leads to a self-consistent reduced dynamics for a truncated subset of the original variables. The effective Hamiltonian involves unusual Poisson brackets that bring in noncommutative geometry. In idealized models of ring molecules, we find time crystal behavior is widespread. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1109/LPT.2013.2266660 | Spatial Compounding Algorithm For Speckle Reduction Of Dynamic Focus Oct Images | Optical coherence tomography is capable of imaging the microstructures within tissues. To preserve the transverse resolution at all imaging depths, we implement a dynamic focusing scheme. To improve the quality of images further, a simple speckle reduction scheme is employed which uses the vibration introduced by the translation stage used for axial scanning. A spatial compounding technique is developed based on co-registration followed by an averaging algorithm. We conclude that the degree of speckle reduction achieved is worth the expense of more complicated processing required. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.084501 | Increasing quantum degeneracy by heating a superfluid | We consider a uniform superfluid confined in two compartments connected by a superleak and initially held at equal temperatures. If one of the two compartments is heated, a fraction of the superfluid will flow through the superleak. We show that, under certain thermodynamic conditions, the atoms flow from the hotter to the colder compartment, contrary to what happens in the fountain effect observed in superfluid helium. This flow causes quantum degeneracy to increase in the colder compartment. In superfluid helium, this novel thermomechanical effect takes place in the phonon regime of very low temperatures. In dilute quantum gases, it occurs at all temperatures below T c. The increase in quantum degeneracy reachable through the adiabatic displacement of the wall separating the two compartments is also discussed. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
10.1109/TIE.2017.2696481 | Highly Efficient And Reliable Sic Based Dc Dc Converter For Smart Transformer | The series-resonant converter (SRC) has been used in several application and it recently became popular for smart transformers (STs). In this application, the efficiency and reliability are of paramount importance. Although many papers have addressed the design challenges to improve the converter efficiency, discussions about the reliability are still missing in the literature. In this context, this paper presents a design procedure focusing on the efficiency and reliability improvement of the SRC for ST application. High efficiency is achieved through the use of silicon-carbide MOSFETs, reducing conduction and switching losses, and the detail design procedure based on accurate losses modeling. High reliability is achieved through a fault-tolerant topology and reliability-oriented design of the resonant circuit passive components. Experimental results obtained for the optimized 10 kW SRC has shown an efficiency of 98. 61%. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1016/j.cmet.2015.09.004 | Oxygen Sensing by Arterial Chemoreceptors Depends on Mitochondrial Complex i Signaling | O2 sensing is essential for mammalian homeostasis. Peripheral chemoreceptors such as the carotid body (CB) contain cells with O2-sensitive K+ channels, which are inhibited by hypoxia to trigger fast adaptive cardiorespiratory reflexes. How variations of O2 tension (PO2) are detected and the mechanisms whereby these changes are conveyed to membrane ion channels have remained elusive. We have studied acute O2 sensing in conditional knockout mice lacking mitochondrial complex I (MCI) genes. We inactivated Ndufs2, which encodes a protein that participates in ubiquinone binding. Ndufs2-null mice lose the hyperventilatory response to hypoxia, although they respond to hypercapnia. Ndufs2-deficient CB cells have normal functions and ATP content but are insensitive to changes in PO2. Our data suggest that chemoreceptor cells have a specialized succinate-dependent metabolism that induces an MCI state during hypoxia, characterized by the production of reactive oxygen species and accumulation of reduced pyridine nucleotides, which signal neighboring K+ channels. | [
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1007/978-3-662-44371-2_7 | The Exact Prf Security Of Nmac And Hmac | NMAC is a mode of operation which turns a fixed input-length keyed hash function f into a variable input-length function. A practical single-key variant of NMAC called HMAC is a very popular and widely deployed message authentication code (MAC). Security proofs and attacks for NMAC can typically be lifted to HMAC. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.7150/thno.8518 | Polyglycerolsulfate functionalized gold nanorods as optoacoustic signal nanoamplifiers for in vivo bioimaging of rheumatoid arthritis | We have synthesized a targeted imaging agent for rheumatoid arthritis based on polysulfated gold nanorods. The CTAB layer on gold nanorods was first replaced with PEG-thiol and then with dendritic polyglycerolsulfate at elevated temperature, which resulted in significantly reduced cytotoxicity compared to polyanionic gold nanorods functionalized by non-covalent approaches. In addition to classical characterization methods, we have established a facile UV-VIS based BaCl2 agglomeration assay to confirm a quantitative removal of unbound ligand. With the help of a competitive surface plasmon resonance-based L-selectin binding assay and a leukocyte adhesion- based flow cell assay, we have demonstrated the high inflammation targeting potential of the synthesized gold nanorods in vitro. In combination with the surface plasmon resonance band of AuNRs at 780 nm, these findings permitted the imaging of inflammation in an in vivo mouse model for rheumatoid arthritis with high contrast using multispectral optoacoustic tomography. The study offers a robust method for otherwise difficult to obtain covalently functionalized polyanionic gold nanorods, which are suitable for biological applications as well as a low-cost, actively targeted, and high contrast imaging agent for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. This paves the way for further research in other inflammation associated pathologies, in particular, when photothermal therapy can be applied. | [
"Materials Engineering",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1051/0004-6361/200911618 | Automated Supervised Classification Of Variable Stars In The Corot Programme Method And Application To The First Four Exoplanet Fields | Context: Aims: In this work, we describe the pipeline for the fast supervised classification of light curves observed by the CoRoT exoplanet CCDs. We present the classification results obtained for the first four measured fields, which represent a one-year in-orbit operation. Methods: The basis of the adopted supervised classification methodology has been described in detail in a previous paper, as is its application to the OGLE database. Here, we present the modifications of the algorithms and of the training set to optimize the performance when applied to the CoRoT data. Results: Classification results are presented for the observed fields IRa01, SRc01, LRc01, and LRa01 of the CoRoT mission. Statistics on the number of variables and the number of objects per class are given and typical light curves of high-probability candidates are shown. We also report on new stellar variability types discovered in the CoRoT data. The full classification results are publicly available. The CoRoT space mission, launched on 27 December 2006, has been developed and is operated by the CNES, with the contribution of Austria, Belgium, Brazil , ESA, Germany, and Spain. The full classification results will be only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc. u-strasbg. fr (130. 79. 128. 5) or via http://cdsweb. u-strasbg. fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/506/519 | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1038/s41380-018-0089-2 | Stress peptides sensitize fear circuitry to promote passive coping | Survival relies on optimizing behavioral responses through experience. Animals often react to acute stress by switching to passive behavioral responses when coping with environmental challenge. Despite recent advances in dissecting mammalian circuitry for Pavlovian fear, the neuronal basis underlying this form of non-Pavlovian anxiety-related behavioral plasticity remains poorly understood. Here, we report that aversive experience recruits the posterior paraventricular thalamus (PVT) and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and sensitizes a Pavlovian fear circuit to promote passive responding. Site-specific lesions and optogenetic manipulations reveal that PVT-to-central amygdala (CE) projections activate anxiogenic neuronal populations in the CE that release local CRH in response to acute stress. CRH potentiates basolateral (BLA)-CE connectivity and antagonizes inhibitory gating of CE output, a mechanism linked to Pavlovian fear, to facilitate the switch from active to passive behavior. Thus, PVT-amygdala fear circuitry uses inhibitory gating in the CE as a shared dynamic motif, but relies on different cellular mechanisms (postsynaptic long-term potentiation vs. presynaptic facilitation), to multiplex active/passive response bias in Pavlovian and non-Pavlovian behavioral plasticity. These results establish a framework promoting stress-induced passive responding, which might contribute to passive emotional coping seen in human fear- and anxiety-related disorders. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
10.1002/pip.2380 | High-speed atmospheric atomic layer deposition of ultra thin amorphous TiO<inf>2</inf> blocking layers at 100 °c for inverted bulk heterojunction solar cells | Ultrafast, spatial atmospheric atomic layer deposition, which does not involve vacuum steps and is compatible with roll-to-roll processing, is used to grow high quality TiO2 blocking layers for organic solar cells. Dense, uniform thin TiO2 films are grown at temperatures as low as 100 °C in only 37 s (~20 nm/min growth rate). Incorporation of these films in P3HT-PCBM-based solar cells shows performances comparable with cells made using TiO2 films deposited with much longer processing times and/or higher temperatures. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1002/jcp.25678 | Exploring the Role of PGC-1α in Defining Nuclear Organisation in Skeletal Muscle Fibres | Muscle fibres are multinucleated cells, with each nucleus controlling the protein synthesis in a finite volume of cytoplasm termed the myonuclear domain (MND). What determines MND size remains unclear. In the present study, we aimed to test the hypothesis that the level of expression of the transcriptional coactivator PGC-1α and subsequent activation of the mitochondrial biogenesis are major contributors. Hence, we used two transgenic mouse models with varying expression of PGC-1α in skeletal muscles. We isolated myofibres from the fast twitch extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and slow twitch diaphragm muscles. We then membrane-permeabilised them and analysed the 3D spatial arrangements of myonuclei. In EDL muscles, when PGC-1α is over-expressed, MND volume decreases; whereas, when PGC-1α is lacking, no change occurs. In the diaphragm, no clear difference was noted. This indicates that PGC-1α and the related mitochondrial biogenesis programme are determinants of MND size. PGC-1α may facilitate the addition of new myonuclei in order to reach MND volumes that can support an increased mitochondrial density. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 1270–1274, 2017. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
10.1083/jcb.201604003 | Membrane curvature in cell biology: An integration of molecular mechanisms | Curving biological membranes establishes the complex architecture of the cell and mediates membrane traffic to control flux through subcellular compartments. Common molecular mechanisms for bending membranes are evident in different cell biological contexts across eukaryotic phyla. These mechanisms can be intrinsic to the membrane bilayer (either the lipid or protein components) or can be brought about by extrinsic factors, including the cytoskeleton. Here, we review examples of membrane curvature generation in animals, fungi, and plants. We showcase the molecular mechanisms involved and how they collaborate and go on to highlight contexts of curvature that are exciting areas of future research. Lessons from how membranes are bent in yeast and mammals give hints as to the molecular mechanisms we expect to see used by plants and protists. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
988780 | Wild rice culture and indigenous food sovereignty in north america | The 370 million indigenous people in the world make up 5% of the total population, yet they constitute one third of the 900 million extremely poor rural people. Indigenous women are affected disproportionately by these hardships as they struggle to provide healthy food for their families. Indigenous peoples’ traditional food is a critical, yet deeply compromised, dimension of their culture, health and well-being. In Europe and around the world, food sovereignty is being embraced by scientists, social movements and some governments as a framework that can be used to realise more sustainable and just food systems. Food sovereignty, in the indigenous North American context, involves a re-connection to traditional land-based food and political systems. While an emergent body of research has begun to chart out indigenous food sovereignty, this is an embryonic field. This fellowship will focus on the hitherto under-examined gendered dynamics of access to natural resources in indigenous food sovereignty. Dr. Jessica Milgroom will analyse how the indigenous-led revitalisation of wild rice, a culturally important food for the Ojibwe people of the Upper Great Lakes area of the United States, has become an important strategy to assert control of natural resources and work towards food sovereignty. Using a feminist political ecology perspective, the project will explore the historical and current patterns of control of access to wild rice by Ojibwe people. The project will be hosted by the largest centre in the world focusing on food sovereignty and will be co-produced with indigenous communities using an innovative, transdisciplinary research approach that combines western and indigenous research methods. Dr. Milgroom will expand her experience in transdisciplinarity, her expertise in food sovereignty and feminist political ecology, and by leading a major research project will be well positioned to restart her career as a high-level researcher in Europe after a career break. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space",
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Studies of Cultures and Arts"
]
|
10.1016/j.immuni.2015.11.006 | Toll-like Receptor 4 Engagement on Dendritic Cells Restrains Phago-Lysosome Fusion and Promotes Cross-Presentation of Antigens | The initiation of cytotoxic immune responses by dendritic cells (DCs) requires the presentation of antigenic peptides derived from phagocytosed microbes and infected or dead cells to CD8+ T cells, a process called cross-presentation. Antigen cross-presentation by non-activated DCs, however, is not sufficient for the effective induction of immune responses. Additionally, DCs need to be activated through innate receptors, like Toll-like receptors (TLRs). During DC maturation, cross-presentation efficiency is first upregulated and then turned off. Here we show that during this transient phase of enhanced cross-presentation, phago-lysosome fusion was blocked by the topological re-organization of lysosomes into perinuclear clusters. LPS-induced lysosomal clustering, inhibition of phago-lysosome fusion and enhanced cross-presentation, all required expression of the GTPase Rab34. We conclude that TLR4 engagement induces a Rab34-dependent re-organization of lysosomal distribution that delays antigen degradation to transiently enhance cross-presentation, thereby optimizing the priming of CD8+ T cell responses against pathogens. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
W607410147 | Brazil in world trade : contingent protection measures | Acknowledgements. About the Authors. List of Abbreviations. Introduction. CHAPTER 1 Brazil in the Context of Economic Globalization. CHAPTER 2 Antidumping. CHAPTER 3 Subsidy and Countervailing Measures. CHAPTER 4 Safeguards. CHAPTER 5 Contingent Protection Measures in Brazil's Regional Trade Agreements. CHAPTER 6 Brazilian Trade Disputes Related to Contingent Protection Measures. Conclusion. Appendix 1 Decree No. 1602 of 23 August 1995. Appendix 2 CAMEX Resolution No. 13 of 29 February 2012 Establishes the Technical Group for Public Interest Assessment - GTIP. Appendix 3 SECEX Directive No. 21 of 18 OCTOBER 2010 - Anti-circumvention regulation. Appendix 4 SECEX Directive No. 46 of 23 December 2011 - New guidelines for the submission of trade remedies requests. References. Table of Cases and Regulations. | [
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations",
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems"
]
|
10.1007/978-1-4939-8944-7_11 | Preparation Of Barley Pollen Mother Cells For Confocal And Super Resolution Microscopy | Recombination (crossover) drives the release of genetic diversity in plant breeding programs. However, in barley, recombination is skewed toward the telomeric ends of its seven chromosomes, restricting the re-assortment of about 30% of the genes located in the centromeric regions of its large 5. 1 Gb genome. A better understanding of meiosis and recombination could provide ways of modulating crossover distribution and frequency in barley as well as in other grasses, including wheat. While most research on recombination has been carried out in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, recent studies in barley (Hordeum Vulgare) have provided new insights into the control of crossing over in large genome species. A major achievement in these studies has been the use of cytological procedures to follow meiotic events. This protocol provides detailed practical steps required to perform immunostaining of barley meiocytes (pollen mother cells) for confocal or structured illumination microscopy. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
]
|
10.1364/OL.36.003996 | Ultrafast Raman Laser Mode Locked By Nanotubes | We demonstrate passive mode-locking of a Raman fiber laser using a nanotube-based saturable absorber coupled to a net normal dispersion cavity. This generates highly chirped 500 ps pulses. These are then compressed down to 2 ps, with 1. 4 kW peak power, making it a simple wavelength-versatile source for various applications. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
281891 | The Ecology of Antibiotic Resistance | Main goal. We aim to understand the puzzling coexistence of antibiotic-resistant and antibiotic-sensitive species in natural soil environments, using novel quantitative experimental techniques and mathematical analysis. The ecological insights gained will be translated into novel treatment strategies for combating antibiotic resistance.
Background. Microbial soil ecosystems comprise communities of species interacting through copious secretion of antibiotics and other chemicals. Defence mechanisms, i.e. resistance to antibiotics, are ubiquitous in these wild communities. However, in sharp contrast to clinical settings, resistance does not take over the population. Our hypothesis is that the ecological setting provides natural mechanisms that keep antibiotic resistance in check. We are motivated by our recent finding that specific antibiotic combinations can generate selection against resistance and that soil microbial strains produce compounds that directly target antibiotic resistant mechanisms.
Approaches. We will: (1) Isolate natural bacterial species from individual grains of soil, characterize their ability to produce and resist antibiotics and identify the spatial scale for correlations between resistance and production. (2) Systematically measure interactions between species and identify interaction patterns enriched in co-existing communities derived from the same grain of soil. (3) Introducing fluorescently-labelled resistant and sensitive strains into natural soil, we will measure the fitness cost and benefit of antibiotic resistance in situ and identify natural compounds that select against resistance. (4) Test whether such “selection-inverting” compounds can slow evolution of resistance to antibiotics in continuous culture experiments.
Conclusions. These findings will provide insights into the ecological processes that keep antibiotic resistance in check, and will suggest novel antimicrobial treatment strategies. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.3389/fcimb.2014.00170 | Exploring the chicken embryo as a possible model for studying Listeria monocytogenes pathogenicity | Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterial pathogen capable of causing severe infections in humans, often with fatal outcomes. Many different animal models exist to study L. monocytogenes pathogenicity, and we have investigated the chicken embryo as an infection model: What are the benefits and possible drawbacks? We have compared a defined wild-type strain with its isogenic strains lacking well-characterized virulence factors. Our results show that wild-type L. monocytogenes, already at a relatively low infection dose (~5 × 102 cfu), caused death of the chicken embryo within 36 hours, in contrast to strains lacking the main transcriptional activator of virulence, PrfA, or the cytolysin LLO. Surprisingly, strains lacking the major adhesins InlA and InlB caused similar mortality as the wild-type strain. In conclusion, our results suggest that the chicken embryo is a practical model to study L. monocytogenes infections, especially when analyzing alternative virulence pathways independent of the InlA and InlB adhesins. However, the route of infection might be different from a human infection. The chicken embryo model and other Listeria infection models are discussed. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1007/s11098-015-0554-6 | The explanatory virtue of abstracting away from idiosyncratic and messy detail | Some explanations are relatively abstract: they abstract away from the idiosyncratic or messy details of the case in hand. The received wisdom in philosophy is that this is a virtue for any explanation to possess. I argue that the apparent consensus on this point is illusory. When philosophers make this claim, they differ on which of four alternative varieties of abstractness they have in mind. What’s more, for each variety of abstractness there are several alternative reasons to think that the variety of abstractness in question is a virtue. I identify the most promising reasons, and dismiss some others. The paper concludes by relating this discussion to the idea that explanations in biology, psychology and social science cannot be replaced by relatively micro explanations without loss of understanding. | [
"Texts and Concepts"
]
|
10.1051/0004-6361/201220271 | Planck Intermediate Results Ix Detection Of The Galactic Haze With Planck | Using precise full-sky observations from Planck, and applying several methods of component separation, we identify and characterise the emission from the Galactic “haze” at microwave wavelengths. The haze is a distinct component of diffuse Galactic emission, roughly centered on the Galactic centre, and extends to | b | ~ 35−50° in Galactic latitude and | l | ~ 15−20° in longitude. By combining the Planck data with observations from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, we were able to determine the spectrum of this emission to high accuracy, unhindered by the strong systematic biases present in previous analyses. The derived spectrum is consistent with power-law emission with a spectral index of −2. 56 ± 0. 05, thus excluding free-free emission as the source and instead favouring hard-spectrum synchrotron radiation from an electron population with a spectrum (number density per energy) dN/dE ∝ E-2. 1. At Galactic latitudes | b | < 30°, the microwave haze morphology is consistent with that of the Fermi gamma-ray “haze” or “bubbles”, while at b ~ −50° we have identified an edge in the microwave haze that is spatially coincident with the edge in the gamma-ray bubbles. Taken together, this indicates that we have a multi-wavelength view of a distinct component of our Galaxy. Given both the very hard spectrum and the extended nature of the emission, it is highly unlikely that the haze electrons result from supernova shocks in the Galactic disk. Instead, a new astrophysical mechanism for cosmic-ray acceleration in the inner Galaxy is implied. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
]
|
Q4938875 | (19474.04112021.194000217) VIDRIO 2021 | ¿EL PROYECTO GLASS 2021 TIENE COMO OBJETIVO AUMENTAR LA PRESENCIA EN LOS MERCADOS INTERNACIONALES DE LA EMPRESA MEDIANTE LA INVERSIÓN DE RECURSOS CONSIDERABLES PARA MEJORAR SU VISIBILIDAD? Y QUÉDATE EN EL MERCADO RUSO Y CHINO. RUSIA Y CHINA SON, DE HECHO, MERCADOS DONDE LA MARCA FABRICADA EN ITALIA GOZA DE GRAN PRESTIGIO Y, POR LO TANTO, SON MERCADOS IDEALES PARA LAS EXPORTACIONES DE IMPRESA. ¿LA PROPENSIÓN DE LOS CONSUMIDORES RUSOS Y CHINOS A ORIENTAR SUS PREFERENCIAS NO SOLO POR LAS ESPECIFICACIONES TÉCNICAS DE LOS PRODUCTOS, SINO TAMBIÉN PRESTANDO ATENCIÓN A CARACTERÍSTICAS COMO LA GRATA Y LA CALIDAD? ¿EL PRODUCTO FAVORECE LOS POTENCIALES? ¿EL PROYECTO PLANEA ATACAR LOS NUEVOS MERCADOS CON UNA SERIE DE INTERVENCIONES PARA PROMOCIONAR SUS PRODUCTOS A TRAVÉS DE LA PARTICIPACIÓN EN FERIAS INTERNACIONALES LA CREACIÓN DE LA PÁGINA WEB EN INGLÉS, RUSO Y CHINO Y ACTIVIDADES? PROMOCIÓN DE LA EMPRESA A TRAVÉS DE WEB-SOCIAL TOOLS.SPECIFIC SE PRESTAN:- SERVICIO C.1? P | [
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
173206 | Mos-Based quantum information technology | Quantum computing is now widely regarded by many in academia, governments and industry to represent a major new frontier in information technology with the potential for a disruptive impact. Many different materials and approaches have been explored, with a narrowing of focus in recent years on scalable implementations based on solid state platforms. In particular, there is now strong evidence that silicon, the primary platform technology for today’s processor technology, inherently possesses many key properties that make it advantageous for quantum computing. Two types of qubit based on spins in silicon nano-devices made in academic research labs have already been reported with demonstrated high-fidelity operation. Our project builds on this success and aims to take this technology to the next readiness level by showing that silicon-based qubits can be realised within a full CMOS platform, using the 300mm-scale fabrication facilities in our consortium. In doing so we will demonstrate the true potential of silicon based qubits in terms of scalability and manufacturability.
Our focus is on distilling the silicon device design down to the simplest core element necessary to demonstrate qubit behaviour, in order to lay the foundation for a scalable technology. We will design, model and fabricate these qubit devices, and then benchmark them using key operating parameters. Our attention is not limited at the lowest level technology layer where the qubits reside, and includes higher control layers necessary to operate such devices, including demonstrating strategies for achieving local control and readout in large-scale arrays without cross-talk and developing cryo-CMOS electronics to support the qubit operation. Both of these may be spun-out and yield their own technological impacts. Thus, our holistic approach offers a wider opportunity to harness the tremendous proven capabilities of integrated CMOS technology to become a key driver of quantum technology development. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1093/rfs/hhx003 | Do professional norms in the banking industry favor risk-taking? | In recent years, the banking industry has witnessed several cases of excessive risk-taking that frequently have been attributed to problematic professional norms. We conduct experiments with employees from several banks in which we manipulate the saliency of their professional identity and subsequently measure their risk aversion in a real stakes investment task. If bank employees are exposed to professional norms that favor risk-taking, they should become more willing to take risks when their professional identity is salient. We find, however, that subjects take significantly less risk, challenging the view that the professional norms generally increase bank employees’ willingness to take risks. | [
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
]
|
10.1007/s10208-016-9314-z | Iterative Methods Based on Soft Thresholding of Hierarchical Tensors | We construct a soft thresholding operation for rank reduction in hierarchical tensors and subsequently consider its use in iterative thresholding methods, in particular for the solution of discretized high-dimensional elliptic problems. The proposed method for the latter case adjusts the thresholding parameters, by an a posteriori criterion requiring only bounds on the spectrum of the operator, such that the arising tensor ranks of the resulting iterates remain quasi-optimal with respect to the algebraic or exponential-type decay of the hierarchical singular values of the true solution. In addition, we give a modified algorithm using inexactly evaluated residuals that retains these features. The effectiveness of the scheme is demonstrated in numerical experiments. | [
"Mathematics",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
CA 2253275 A | TUBING CONNECTOR | A tubing connector non-releasably connected to a tube of tubing string for u se downhole in oil and gas well operations, the connector comprising connector body (1) wit h an end portion fitted concentrically within or over a corresponding end of the tube (2), the end portion having a plurality of depressions (12) coinciding with corresponding depressions (10) on the corresponding end of the tube (2) whereby the connector body (1) and tube (2) are connected together, the depressions (10) and the tube (2) having been formed by localised plastic deformation of the walls of the tube (2). | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
219370 | Quick and cost-effective integrated web platform for forest inventories | WoodStock represents the future of how forest inventories will be realized allowing a rapid, efficient and eco-sustainable management of forest resources. So far, forest inventories have always relied on field work to achieve a precision sufficient to be used as a management tool. WoodStock will allow, through the use of a powerful and innovative algorithm and an online and automatic platform, making inventories just using electronic geographic data made available for the administrations of EU Member States. The months for the realization of forest inventories will become minutes, and the cost will be knocked down. Woodstock main customers will be a) all the woodworking industries requiring a quick and precise inventory for forest exploitation; b) private landowners requiring a cheap inventory to comply with local regulation and c) forest consultants that will use our inventory to define forest management strategies.
A β-version of WoodStock platform has been already realized and validated in Spain through several data collection campaigns and data analysis which demonstrate the algorithm in relevant environment (TRL 7). The project will optimize the algorithm for different EU biotopes and the automatic data download from administrations' servers of targeted countries.
Phase 1 will provide an assessment of the viability of our established technical objectives and will define the actions for its optimisation. Furthermore it will contain a market analysis and the best entry strategy to disseminate and exploit the results.
WoodStock will not just boost AGRESTA business, making us a technical and commercial reference among forest consultants, but as well it will contribute to the growth of the whole EU forestry sector, improving its eco-sustainable management, mobilizing the market and creating new job positions. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
W2303640290 | ASSOCIATION BETWEEN POSITIVE CANINE HEARTWORM (<i>DIROFILARIA IMMITIS</i>) ANTIGEN RESULTS AND PRESENCE OF<i>ACANTHOCHEILONEMA ODENDHALI</i>MICROFILARIA IN CALIFORNIA SEA LIONS (<i>ZALOPHUS CALIFORNIANUS</i>) | This study establishes a relationship between positive canine heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) test results frequently observed in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) and infection with the filarid nematode Acanthocheilonema odendhali. Four commercially available canine heartworm antigen tests were evaluated for cross-reaction with A. odendhali in California sea lions. Sera were tested from fifteen California sea lions with A. odendhali-associated microfilaremia, confirmed by blood smear, and with no evidence of D. immitis infection at necropsy. Ninety-five percent of tests were falsely positive for D. immitis. This study also determined that the prevalence of A. odendhali infection in stranded California sea lions from central California is approximately 23% by comparing the number of findings of mircofilaremia to the total number of California sea lions sampled at The Marine Mammal Center between 2005 and 2011, inclusive. Acanthocheilonema odenhali microfilaremia in California sea lions is likely to cross-react with canine heartworm antigen tests, and clinicians should interpret results with caution. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
IB 2017054731 W | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR THE CONTROL OF A PLANT FOR THE CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF A POLYMER | A method for the control of a plant (10) for the production in continuous of a polymer, wherein the plant (10) comprises at least one reactor (11) fed with at least a first monomer and a second monomer, a first stripper (12), a second stripper (17), a third stripper (18), at least one recycling vat (13) of the fine products, measurement equipment (14) and a control system comprising distributed control devices (15) controllable by at least one electronic processing and control unit (16) based on a plurality of control variables, the control method comprising the following steps: collecting data comprising recipe parameters, laboratory analysis results and predefined coefficients stored in a database (40); collecting the data measured by the measurement equipment (14); determining, by means of a first calculation module (20) a production potentiality value of the at least one reactor (11); determining, by means of a second calculation module (21) the polymer concentration in the at least one reactor (11), in the first stripper (12) and in the at least one recycling vat of the fine products (13); determining, by means of a third calculation module (22) the flow-rate of oil for feeding the second stripper (17); determining, by means of a fourth calculation module (23), the flow-rate of the chain terminator (TERM) for feeding the at least one reactor (11), controlling the plant (10) on the basis of the plurality of control variables. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1002/9781118725771 | The wiley blackwell companion to political geography | The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Political Geography aims to account for the intellectual and worldly developments that have taken place in and around political geography in the last 10 years. Bringing together established names in the field as well as new scholars, it highlights provocative theoretical and conceptual debates on political geography from a range of global perspectives. Discusses the latest developments and places increased emphasis on modes of thinking, contested key concepts, and on geopolitics, climate change and terrorism Explores the influence of the practice-based methods in geography and concepts including postcolonialism, feminist geographies, the notion of the Anthropocene, and new understandings of the role of non-human actors in networks of power Offers an accessible introduction to political geography for those in allied fields including political science, international relations, and sociology. | [
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space"
]
|
852791 | Extracellular vesicle production and engineering by turbulence for fistula therapy in thermoreversible hydrogels | Extracellular vesicles (EVs) from stem cells (SCs) may recapitulate the therapeutic effect of their mother cells in regenerative medicine while mitigating risks of uncontrolled replication, differentiation and vascular occlusion, offering “off-the-shelf”, storage and shelf-life gains. Yet, the clinical translation of SC EV therapy is hampered by production, engineering and administration challenges.
Building on my preliminary results, ExocyTher aims at developing SC EV therapy through:
(1) standardized scalable high-yield EV production: I propose the concept of turbulence vesiculation to induce EV release from adipose SCs (ASCs) by a controlled turbulence shear stress integrated to large-scale cell culture in bioreactors;
(2) optimised delivery: I propose EV administration in a synergic fistula-occlusive companion gel (injectable at <20°C and gelling at body temperature) in the attempt to fill the entire fistula tract and retain EVs at the site of interest;
ExocyTher will tackle the therapy of fistulas, a major health burden related to Crohn's disease or secondary to surgery, cancer therapy or trauma, affecting millions of people in Europe with a high morbidity rate. All-in-one turbulence-triggered vesiculation and priming are expected to provide ASC EVs in high yield and with improved immunomodulatory properties specially for a more efficient therapy of inflammatory Crohn’s disease fistulas. Capitalizing on the use of a gel medical device authorized in Europe as an off-label fistula occlusive EV vehicle and considering key regulatory issues, ExocyTher will set the basis for the first clinical trial on ASC EV fistula therapy.
ExocyTher concepts may be extended to other EV parent cell types or therapy indications, foreseeing a high scientific and technological impact.
Start date is requested due to the COVID-19 pandemic and this is necessary to minimise any disruption could be caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Materials Engineering",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering"
]
|
10.1073/pnas.1406056111 | Single-molecule FRET reveals a corkscrew RNA structure for the polymerase-bound influenza virus promoter | The influenza virus is a major human and animal pathogen responsible for seasonal epidemics and occasional pandemics. The genome of the influenza A virus comprises eight segments of singlestranded, negative-sense RNA with highly conserved 5Œ and 3Œ termini. These termini interact to form a double-stranded promoter structure that is recognized and bound by the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RNAP); however, no 3D structural information for the influenza polymerase-bound promoter exists. Functional studies have led to the proposal of several 2D models for the secondary structure of the bound promoter, including a corkscrew model in which the 5′ and 3′ termini form short hairpins. We have taken advantage of an insect-cell system to prepare large amounts of active recombinant influenza virus RNAP, and used this to develop a highly sensitive single-molecule FRET assay to measure distances between fluorescent dyes located on the promoter andmap its structure both with and without the polymerase bound. These advances enabled the direct analysis of the influenza promoter structure in complex with the viral RNAP, and provided 3D structural information that is in agreementwith the corkscrew model for the influenza virus promoter RNA. Our data provide insights into the mechanisms of promoter binding by the influenza RNAP and have implications for the understanding of the regulatory mechanisms involved in the transcription of viral genes and replication of the viral RNA genome. In addition, the simplicity of this system should translate readily to the study of any virus polymerase. promoter interaction. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy"
]
|
W1981230427 | Redox Regulation of Plant Development | We provide a conceptual framework for the interactions between the cellular redox signaling hub and the phytohormone signaling network that controls plant growth and development to maximize plant productivity under stress-free situations, while limiting growth and altering development on exposure to stress.Enhanced cellular oxidation plays a key role in the regulation of plant growth and stress responses. Oxidative signals or cycles of oxidation and reduction are crucial for the alleviation of dormancy and quiescence, activating the cell cycle and triggering genetic and epigenetic control that underpin growth and differentiation responses to changing environmental conditions.The redox signaling hub interfaces directly with the phytohormone network in the synergistic control of growth and its modulation in response to environmental stress, but a few components have been identified. Accumulating evidence points to a complex interplay of phytohormone and redox controls that operate at multiple levels. For simplicity, we focus here on redox-dependent processes that control root growth and development and bud burst.The multiple roles of reactive oxygen species in the control of plant growth and development have been identified, but increasing emphasis should now be placed on the functions of redox-regulated proteins, along with the central roles of reductants such as NAD(P)H, thioredoxins, glutathione, glutaredoxins, peroxiredoxins, ascorbate, and reduced ferredoxin in the regulation of the genetic and epigenetic factors that modulate the growth and vigor of crop plants, particularly within an agricultural context. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
W2028352812 | Vagina, abdominal skin, and aponeurosis: do they have similar biomechanical properties? | despite minimal fundamental works, there is an increasing use of meshes in urogynecology. The concept is mainly based on experiences with abdominal wall surgery. We aimed to compare the biomechanical properties of vaginal tissue, abdominal aponeurosis, and skin.samples from 11 fresh women cadavers without prolapse were collected. Uniaxial tension tests were performed and stress-strain curves were obtained.biomechanical properties of the vagina, aponeurosis, and skin differed significantly. The aponeurosis was much more rigid and less extendible than the vagina and skin. Vaginal tissue was less rigid but more extendible than skin. There was no difference between the vagina and skin at low strains (p = 0.341), but a highly significant difference at large strains (p = 0.005).skin and aponeurosis are not suited to predict vaginal tissue biomechanics. We should be cautious when transferring experiences from abdominal wall surgery to vaginal reconstructive surgery. | [
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
W2171176777 | The Influence of Ziegler-Natta and Metallocene Catalysts on Polyolefin Structure, Properties, and Processing Ability | 50 years ago, Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta were awarded the Nobel Prize for their discovery of the catalytic polymerization of ethylene and propylene using titanium compounds and aluminum-alkyls as co-catalysts. Polyolefins have grown to become one of the biggest of all produced polymers. New metallocene/methylaluminoxane (MAO) catalysts open the possibility to synthesize polymers with highly defined microstructure, tacticity, and steroregularity, as well as long-chain branched, or blocky copolymers with excellent properties. This improvement in polymerization is possible due to the single active sites available on the metallocene catalysts in contrast to their traditional counterparts. Moreover, these catalysts, half titanocenes/MAO, zirconocenes, and other single site catalysts can control various important parameters, such as co-monomer distribution, molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, molecular architecture, stereo-specificity, degree of linearity, and branching of the polymer. However, in most cases research in this area has reduced academia as olefin polymerization has seen significant advancements in the industries. Therefore, this paper aims to further motivate interest in polyolefin research in academia by highlighting promising and open areas for the future. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
W1819901578 | The urine patch diffusional area: An important N 2 O source? | Abstract Urine patches contribute greatly to greenhouse gas emissions within livestock grazed ecosystems. The effective area of a ruminant urine patch comprises the wetted area, the diffusional area and the pasture response area. This study specifically assesses the importance of considering the diffusional area for monitoring urine patch N2O emissions. Spatial and temporal changes in N2O emissions and potential drivers of emissions (soil pH, EC, redox potential, dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen, NO 3 − and NH 4 + ) were measured in sheep urine amended Eutric Cambisol mesocosms, maintained at 50% or 70% water-filled pore space (WFPS). At 70% WFPS, over 10 weeks, the emission factor (EF) was greater when considering the wetted area plus a 9 cm diffusional area (EF = 2.75 ± 0.72% of applied N) than when considering the wetted area alone (EF = 1.44 ± 0.30% of applied N); differences were not statistically significant at 50% WFPS. Redox potential, total extractable N and WFPS contributed significantly to the observed variation in daily N2O fluxes from the urine patch. We conclude that the urine patch diffusional area is an extremely important source of emissions from urine patches. This has implications when measuring EFs, as the lateral diffusion of solutes may be restricted by chamber walls resulting in an underestimate of N2O emissions, particularly at higher soil moisture contents. Site-specific assessments of the urine patch diffusional area should be made, and accounted for, prior to monitoring emissions and calculating emission factors from urine patches applied within chambers. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.1109/TAP.2012.2236635 | A Connected Array Of Slots Supporting Broadband Leaky Waves | In this paper, we investigate the properties of a finite array of slots that support broadband leaky waves. The slots are etched on a ground plane located in the close proximity of a dense dielectric half space and each slot is fed at a finite number of locations. A quasi-analytical spectral procedure is presented, which can be used to evaluate the near and far fields that emerge from each separate feed of the array. In fact, the structure can be used to realize hundreds of independent beams in the overlaying dense dielectric over a band in the order of 4:1. The spectral procedure can also be used to evaluate the mutual coupling between the elements. This latter limits the lower frequency at which the different beams are independent and directive. These arrays are mainly proposed to be used as feeders for dielectric lens antennas. The formulation presented here is very general and can be applied to any finite array of long slots, independently from their capability to support leaky waves. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
W1974798421 | Rodenticidal potential of bromadiolone and cholecalciferol in synergism against Bandicota bengalensis | The toxicity of standard doses of the rodenticides cholecalciferol and bromadiolone and different combinations of their use at reduced concentrations were compared against lesser bandicoot rats, Bandicota bengalensis. Mature and healthy B. bengalensis were live trapped, acclimatized, weighed and divided into groups. Cereal based baits of standard doses of cholecalciferol (0.075%) and bromadiolone (0.005%) and four combinations at lower than standard concentrations were fed to different groups of rats for 3 days in no-choice feeding tests. Rats of the control group were fed on plain food. Whole blood of treated and untreated rats was collected before treatment and 48 h of treatment to determine changes in levels of calcium and phosphorous and clotting time. 100% mortality of rats was caused at all the treatments with in 3–6 days. Acceptance of treatment baits over plain food was found to vary from 62 to 92%. A significant increase in serum levels of calcium (P ≤ 0.05) and phosphorous (P ≤ 0.05) was recorded after 48 h of treatment in groups of rats fed on bait containing the standard dose of cholecalciferol as well as the four combination baits. In groups of rats fed on the standard dose of bromadiolone as well as the four combinations, a significant increase in blood clotting time after 48 h of treatment as revealed by the increase in prothrombin time (P ≤ 0.05) and international normalized ratio (P ≤ 0.05) was observed. The consumption of treatment bait on day 3 of treatment was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) less from that consumed on days 1 and 2 of treatment. Present studies suggest the bait combination having lowest concentrations of bromadiolone (0.001%) and cholecalciferol (0.005%) to be cost effective for population management of B. bengalensis. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering"
]
|
W2502502962 | List-learning and verbal memory profiles in childhood epilepsy syndromes | Findings of material-specific influences on memory performance in pediatric epilepsy are inconsistent and merit further investigation. This study compared 90 children (aged 6years to 16years) with childhood absence epilepsy (CAE), frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE), and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) to determine whether they displayed distinct list-learning and verbal memory profiles on the California Verbal Learning Test - Children's Version (CVLT-C). Group comparison identified greater risk of memory impairment in children with TLE and FLE syndromes but not for those with CAE. While children with TLE performed worst overall on Short Delay Free Recall, groups with TLE and FLE performed similarly on Long Delay Free Recall. Contrast indices were then employed to explore these differences. Children with TLE demonstrated a significantly greater retroactive interference (RI) effect compared with groups with FLE and CAE. Conversely, children with FLE demonstrated a significantly worse learning efficiency index (LEI), which compares verbal memory following repetition with initial recall of the same list, than both children with TLE and CAE. These findings indicated shallow encoding related to attentional control for children with FLE and retrieval deficits in children with TLE. Finally, our combined sample showed significantly higher rates of extreme contrast indices (i.e., 1.5 SD difference) compared with the CVLT-C standardization sample. These results underscore the high prevalence of memory dysfunction in pediatric epilepsy and offer support for distinct patterns of verbal memory performance based on childhood epilepsy syndrome. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
10.1038/nrcardio.2016.45 | Atrial fibrillation in women: Epidemiology, pathophysiology, presentation, and prognosis | Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia in women and men worldwide. During the past century, a range of risk factors has been associated with AF, severe complications from the arrhythmia have been identified, and its prevalence has been increasing steadily. Whereas evidence has accumulated regarding sex-specific differences in coronary heart disease and stroke, the differences between women and men with AF has received less attention. We review the current literature on sex-specific differences in the epidemiology of AF, including incidence, prevalence, risk factors, and genetics, and in the pathophysiology and the clinical presentation and prognosis of patients with this arrhythmia. We highlight current knowledge gaps and areas that warrant future research, which might advance understanding of variation in the risk factors and complications of AF, and ultimately aid more-tailored management of the arrhythmia. | [
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
Q3274431 | Jr e-commerce 2019-2022 – Mathitech d.o.o. | Durch die Kofinanzierung förderfähiger Kosten für die Einrichtung oder Modernisierung des elektronischen Geschäftsverkehrs besteht der Zweck der öffentlichen Ausschreibung darin, KMU zu unterstützen, die ihren Eintritt in globale Wertschöpfungsketten und neue Märkte erleichtern können, indem sie eine elektronische Geschäftsweise einschlagen, die internationale Wettbewerbsfähigkeit ihrer Geschäfte erhöhen, die Interaktion mit Geschäftspartnern im Ausland verbessern und beschleunigen, Informationen effizienter versenden und sammeln und die Beziehungen in der gesamten Lieferkette verbessern. | [
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
W2138181493 | The Emergence of Icts as Learning Technologies | ABSTRACT. Scholarship about the value of engaging teachers in learning and instruction with ICT, the introduction of technology into practice-based learning, the factors affecting the quality of interactive learning experience, and the quality of learning in interactive educational courseware has increased and consolidated, especially in recent years. This paper discusses the major trends in scholarship about the rapid growth of the use of ICT for educational purposes, the positive effects of using e-leaming course material, and the computer-based learning as a component of electronic media in the delivery of learning materials in an educational context.Keywords: ICT, computer-based learning, education, technological tools1. IntroductionI am specifically interested in how previous research investigated the potential of ICT for changing the role of teacher in class, the interface quality of interactive educational courseware, and the knowledge acquisition process. The theory that I shall seek to elaborate here puts considerable emphasis on the correlations between learning styles and technology preferences, the success of educational programs involving web-based technologies, the recent developments in e-leaming applications, and the increased integration of technological tools in educational programming. The mainstay of the paper is formed by an analysis of the utilization of ICT as a learning tool and as a learning goal, the implications of technological change for education, the nature of the technology-based activities in which young people engage, and the development of effective interactive educational courseware.2. Technology-based Systems that Enable Broad Access to Educational OpportunitiesLearning styles provide information about individual differences in learning preferences (learning styles and preferences influence the effectiveness with which individuals learn). Emerging web technologies may create engaging learning environments. Learners' individual characteristics influence their preferences for using technology (Hunter, 2012), whereas the use of appropriate technology positively influences the academic performance. Today's students are ready to experience new technologies in their study routines, being flexible in stretching their learning styles (David, 2012), and accommodating varying instructional strategies. (Saeed, Yang, and Sinnappan, 2009) The education community must be responsible purchasers and consumers of educational technology: the educational community can encourage developers to conduct usability testing and make findings easily accessible, and must put more pressure on developers to conduct and report the results of usability tests. Educators should take a stronger interest in learning about the usability of the technology they purchase. Technology is often perceived as a way to improve efficiency and productivity. Providing consumers with information about known problems and solutions can lessen technical support costs. Improving the usability of educational technology may solve some of the difficulties associated with integrating technology into schools. (Buzhardt and Heitzman-Powell, 2005)Advances in technology are creating societal changes (Radulescu, 2013) which require new approaches and practices (Magrini, 2013a), education being a key arena for radical change. Claims made about young people and their technology experiences are driving the debate about educational change. There are some common technology-based activities engaged in frequently by a majority of respondents. The activities engaged in may be influenced by both the life stage of the young person and the interests s/he wishes to pursue. There is significant variation in the ways in which young people use technology. (Bennett and Maton, 2010) E-leaming removes the need to travel to a traditional institution or be confined to a specific class schedule. The growth in e-leaming has created a market for commercialized educational content creators. … | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
]
|
10.1111/gbb.12181 | Prefrontal neuronal circuits of contextual fear conditioning | Over the past years, numerous studies have provided a clear understanding of the neuronal circuits and mechanisms involved in the formation, expression and extinction phases of conditioned cued fear memories. Yet, despite a strong clinical interest, a detailed understanding of these memory phases for contextual fear memories is still missing. Besides the well-known role of the hippocampus in encoding contextual fear behavior, growing evidence indicates that specific regions of the medial prefrontal cortex differentially regulate contextual fear acquisition and storage in both animals and humans that ultimately leads to expression of contextual fear memories. In this review, we provide a detailed description of the recent literature on the role of distinct prefrontal subregions in contextual fear behavior and provide a working model of the neuronal circuits involved in the acquisition, expression and generalization of contextual fear memories. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System"
]
|
890904 | Interregional coordination for a fast and deep uptake of personalised health | Personalised medicine (PM) represents a paradigm shift away from a ‘one size fits all’ approach to the treatment and care of patients with a particular condition, to one which uses emergent approaches in particular technological areas such as diagnostic tests, functional genomic technologies, molecular pathways (etc.) to better manage patients’ health and to target therapies.
Nowadays the challenge for national and regional authorities is to enable the shift from a REACTIVE healthcare system (based on episodic and acute care model) to a PREVENTIVE (stratifying at-risk individuals and ensure that preventive action is taken to intervene well before the onset of symptoms, let alone illness) and PREDICTIVE (leverage and integrate cutting-edge technologies to not only stratify risk, but even predict risk and intervene even further upstream) system – the so called Personalised Health (PH). In the face of this potential huge leap forward, the fact that personalised health lacks the cooperation and coordination needed to organise the still very fragmented field is a severe drawback to its development and to the placement of investments in an effective manner. For this reason, it is crucial to direct major efforts towards coordinating and aligning relevant stakeholders in personalised health action across Europe and beyond; create a participatory approach; build trust; enable a multi-stakeholder process; channel investments towards Personalised Health.
All this considered, Regions4PerMed will coordinate regional policies and innovation programmes in Personalised Medicine and Personalised Health to accelerate the deployment of PH for citizens and patients. The project will reinforce the cooperation between H 2020 and ESIF on PH aspects; Strengthen industrial specialisation areas in Europe and allow PH to flourish as an Emerging Industry; Enable interregional joint investment on PH, including a stable link with Vanguard Initiative and with the European Innovation Council. | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
W801281705 | COMPARISON OF INSTANTANEOUS FETAL HEART RATE EXTRACTED FROM ABDOMINAL AND DIRECT FETAL ELECTROCARDIOGRAMS | This work is an attempt to assess the reliability o f indirect abdominal electrocardiography as an alte rnative technique of fetal monitoring. As a reference signa l we used the simultaneously acquired direct fetal electrocardiogram. Each recording consisted of four signals acquired f rom maternal abdomen and the reference signal acquired directly from fetal head. The first stage of our study conce rned the signal loss episodes. In order to reduce t he influence of incorrectly detected R-waves, some certain validati on rules were applied. In the second stage, the cor responding intervals determined on basis of both acquisition m ethods were matched and the accuracy of fetal heart rate measurement was evaluated. Although the accuracy of abdominal electrocardiography turned out to be sli ghtly lower than reported for ultrasound method, it still has s ome unique features deciding of its prevalence in a certain circumstances. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
EP 2009009098 W | METHOD FOR CALIBRATING SURFACES OF STONE MATERIAL | A method and a plant are described for calibrating surfaces of stone materials, suitable for working at least one slab (1) composed of an entry side and an exit side and of two parallel side edges; the slab (1) is pushed along the side edges through a conveyor belt and is subjected to the cutting action imparted by multiple tools equipped with a peripheral speed compatible with optimum cutting parameters for the stone material; the tools move along a predefined path along the surface of the slab (1), and the motion imparted by the conveyor belt and the predefined tool path is combined in order to completely cover the surface of the slab (1); the contact between the slab (1) and the tools is ensured simultaneously at least in one point on each of the two side edges of the slab (1). | [
"Materials Engineering",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
W2475019044 | Study on the High Reliefs of the Medes Time in Kermanshah | This article deals with the study of high relief s in Kermanshah in the Median era. The purpose of this article is to perform a more accurate study of high relief s in Kermanshah in the Median era and analyze them artistically in order to have a detailed comparison with other time periods. The method of this research is library-documentary, which means the needed information are firstly collected and then analyzed. The result of this research shows this issue that although the Medes have benefited by the cultural heritage of neighbors like the Elamite s and Assyrian s, but they have been able to process all those effects over time and create a new unique style. | [
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Studies of Cultures and Arts"
]
|
10.1016/j.jep.2011.03.044 | Cross-cultural comparison of three medicinal floras and implications for bioprospecting strategies | Ethnopharmacological relevance: One of the major drawbacks of using ethnomedicinal data to direct testing of plants which may find pharmaceutical use is that certain plants without bioactivity might be traditionally used. An accepted way of highlighting bioactive plants is to compare usage in different cultures. This approach infers that presumed independent discovery by different cultures provides evidence for bioactivity. Although several studies have made cross-cultural comparisons, they focussed on closely related cultures, where common patterns might be the result of common cultural traditions. The aim of this study was to compare three independent ethnomedicinal floras for which similarities can be more robustly interpreted as independent discoveries, and therefore likely to be indication for efficacy. Materials and methods: Data from the literature were compiled about the ethnomedicinal floras for three groups of cultures (Nepal, New Zealand and the Cape of South Africa), selected to minimise historical cultural exchange. Ethnomedicinal applications were divided in 13 categories of use. Regression and binomial analyses were performed at the family level to highlight ethnomedicinal "hot" families. General and condition-specific analyses were carried out. Results from the three regions were compared. Results: Several "hot" families (Anacardiaceae, Asteraceae, Convolvulaceae, Clusiaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Geraniaceae, Lamiaceae, Malvaceae, Rubiaceae, Sapindaceae, Sapotaceae and Solanaceae) were recovered in common in the general analyses. Several families were also found in common under different categories of use. Conclusions: Although profound differences are found in the three ethnomedicinal floras, common patterns in ethnomedicinal usage are observed in widely disparate areas of the world with substantially different cultural traditions. As these similarities are likely to stem from independent discoveries, they strongly suggest that underlying bioactivity might be the reason for this convergent usage. The global distribution of prominent usage of families used in common obtained by this study and the wider literature is strong evidence that these families display exceptional potential for discovery of previously overlooked or new medicinal plants and should be placed in high priority in bioscreening studies and conservation schemes. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
284223 | Elite Leadership Positions In The Emerging Second Generation | Research in the field of Ethnic and Migration Studies has predominantly focused on immigrants (and their children) with poor educational credentials and the lowest labor market positions. A relative blind spot has been the surge and role of new elites within these populations. The central aim of the ELITES project is to examine the formation of new elites among the Turkish second generation in eight European cities (European cities with large Turkish communities) and a comparison group of elite members of native parentage of lower class background. The ELITES project analyzes differences in the pathways, resources and individual strategies that have contributed to attaining an elite position. The project looks at the impact of these new elites upon the Turkish communities, and to what extent they take up leadership positions in mainstream organisations. For this second part of the ELITES project we focus on the networks of the elite members. The Turkish second generation elite is compared with an elite of native parentage to see if findings for the second generation Turks are specific or are part of a more general pattern.
For the ELITES project we use both quantitative and qualitative research methods. We will interview in-dept 240 elites members in eight European cities. The two PhD students will investigate in their subprojects the importance of respectively ethnicity and gender in the elite formation of the two groups. In the second part of the project (sub project 3) we gather information about the closest and most crucial (for their elite position) network members of the respondents. From these network members we will also gather information about their network contacts. The resulting elites network information will be analyzed quantitatively and compared across the eight research sites. In subproject 4 we make a synthesis of the information about elite formation gathered in the two qualitative subprojects and information of the network project. | [
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Studies of Cultures and Arts"
]
|
W1547637155 | Home delivery and its outcomes in India | In 1986, World Health Organization (WHO) suggested the home as a suitable place for delivery process of pregnant women. Home delivery (HD) has been considered less or not at all in developing countries. Based on official reports the rate of HD in Iran 2000 was 5.2% for urban areas. This study reports the reasons and outcomes of HD in 750 pregnant women of Koohdasht-Iran. All the women who resided in Koohdasht and had experienced HD during the study period were enrolled. The data were gathered through a questionnaire that filled in by the researcher while interviewing these women or their relatives. Seven hundred and fifty cases of HD were detected during the study period. The mean age of women was 28 ± 0.7 years. Financial problems, personal willingness, and pervious history of HD were the most common reasons for HD. The majority of unpleasant outcomes of HD were precocious bleeding after HD, looseness of womb, and precocious rapture of sack which occurred in cases who were conducted by a local uneducated midwife and among the mothers who had their first delivery. Screening and selection of the pregnant women at low risk for HD can reduce the unpleasant outcomes. It is suggested to arrange some training program about HD for uneducated lay midwives and to the family planning units to emphasize the training mothers about the delivery process. Relevance to clinical practice: HD can be noted as an alternative choice for pregnant women. Key words: Home delivery, home birth, out of hospital birth, India, Koohdasht. | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space"
]
|
10.1172/JCI66339 | Atrogin 1 Deficiency Promotes Cardiomyopathy And Premature Death Via Impaired Autophagy | Cardiomyocyte proteostasis is mediated by the ubiquitin/proteasome system (UPS) and autophagy/lysosome system and is fundamental for cardiac adaptation to both physiologic (e. g. , exercise) and pathologic (e. g. , pressure overload) stresses. Both the UPS and autophagy/lysosome system exhibit reduced efficiency as a consequence of aging, and dysfunction in these systems is associated with cardiomyopathies. The muscle-specific ubiquitin ligase atrogin-1 targets signaling proteins involved in cardiac hypertrophy for degradation. Here, using atrogin-1 KO mice in combination with in vivo pulsed stable isotope labeling of amino acids in cell culture proteomics and biochemical and cellular analyses, we identified charged multivesicular body protein 2B (CHMP2B), which is part of an endosomal sorting complex (ESCRT) required for autophagy, as a target of atrogin-1-mediated degradation. Mice lacking atrogin-1 failed to degrade CHMP2B, resulting in autophagy impairment, intracellular protein aggregate accumulation, unfolded protein response activation, and subsequent cardiomyocyte apoptosis, all of which increased progressively with age. Cellular proteostasis alterations resulted in cardiomyopathy characterized by myocardial remodeling with interstitial fibrosis, with reduced diastolic function and arrhythmias. CHMP2B downregulation in atrogin-1 KO mice restored autophagy and decreased proteotoxicity, thereby preventing cell death. These data indicate that atrogin-1 promotes cardiomyocyte health through mediating the interplay between UPS and autophagy/lysosome system and its alteration promotes development of cardiomyopathies. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
714837 | Second-Order Nano-Oxides for Enhanced Nonlinear Photonics | Nonlinear optics is present in our daily life with applications, e.g. light sources for microsurgery or green laser pointer. All of them use bulk materials such as glass fibers or crystals. Generating nonlinear effects from materials at the nanoscale would expand the applications to biology as imaging markers or optoelectronic integrated devices. However, nonlinear signals scale with the volume of a material. Therefore finding materials with high nonlinearities to avoid using high power and large interaction length is challenging. Many studies focus on third order nonlinearities (described by a χ(3) tensor) present in every material (silicon, graphene…) or on metals for enhancing nonlinearities with plasmonics. My approach is to explore second-order χ(2) nanomaterials, since they show higher nonlinearities than χ(3) ones, additional properties such as birefringence, wide band gap for transparency, high refractive index (n>2), and no ohmic losses. Typical χ(2) materials are oxides (BaTiO3, LiNbO3…) with a non-centrosymmetric crystal used for wavelength conversion like in second-harmonic generation (SHG).
The key idea is to demonstrate original strategies to enhance SHG of χ(2) nano-oxides with the material itself and without involving any hybrid effects from other materials such as plasmonic resonances of metals. First, I propose to use multiple Mie resonances from BaTiO3 nanoparticles to boost SHG in the UV to NIR range. Up to now, Mie effects at the nanoscale have been measured in materials with no χ(2) nonlinearities (silicon spheres). Second, since χ(2) oxides are difficult to etch, I will overcome this fabrication issue by demonstrating solution processed imprint lithography to form high-quality photonic crystal cavities from nanoparticles. Third, I will use facet processing of single LiNbO3 nanowire to obtain directionality effects for spectroscopy on-a-chip. This work fosters applications and commercial devices offering a sustainable future to this field. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
216514 | European research infrastructures in the international landscape | RISCAPE will provide systematic, focused, high quality, comprehensive, consistent and peer-reviewed international landscape analysis report on the position and complementarities of the major European research infrastructures in the international research infrastructure landscape.
To achieve this, RISCAPE will establish a close links with a stakeholder panel representing the main user groups of the report, including representatives from ESFRI, the OECD and Member state funding agencies to ensure usability and the focus of the Report. It will also benefit from close co-operation with other projects and initiatives in the European research infrastructures development to ensure consistency with the existing landscape work. Particularly, RISCAPE builds on the European Research Infrastructures (RIs) in the ESFRI landscape report (2016) and on the landscape analysis done or currently underway in the H2020 cluster projects. RISCAPE leverages the experts on the European RIs with extensive knowledge on the disciplines involved and RI development in Europe and the project benefits from the contacts and tools developed in the cluster- and international RI collaboration projects to maximize the discipline-specific usability of the results.
A key factor in the RISCAPE analysis is that the complementarities will be analyzed in a way which is natural and suitable for the discipline and RI in question. The resulting Report and the used methods will be independently peer reviewed to maximize the usability and objectivity of the information provided for the EU strategic RI development and policy.
The project answers directly to the European Commission strategy on EU international cooperation in research and innovation, particularly on the need to obtain objective information in order to help implement the (EC) strategic approach. | [
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
W2089146810 | Substance-related environmental monitoring strategies regarding soil, groundwater and surface water — an overview | Substance-related monitoring is an essential tool within environmental risk assessment processes. The soundness of policy decisions including risk management measures is often directly related to the reliability of the environmental monitoring programs. In addition, monitoring programs are required for identifying new and less-investigated pollutants of concern in different environmental media. Scientifically sound and feasible monitoring concepts strongly depend on the aim of the study. The proper definition of questions to be answered is thus of pivotal importance. Decisions on sample handling, storage and the analysis of the samples are important steps for the elaboration of problem-oriented monitoring strategies. The same applies to the selection of the sampling sites as being representative for scenarios to be investigated. These steps may become critical to handle for larger international monitoring programs and thus trigger the quality of their results. This study based on the work of an IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) task group addresses different kinds and approaches of substance-related monitoring of different compartments of soil, groundwater and surface water, and discusses their advantages and limitations. Further important aspects are the monitoring across policies and the monitoring data management using information systems. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
W4306702075 | A variação espacial da ilha de calor e sua associação com as características paisagísticas em Sinop-MT | Com base nas alterações nos elementos do clima local decorrentes das atividades humanas e das constantes modificações na paisagem natural, o presente artigo objetiva analisar a ilha de calor em Sinop (MT) e a sua espacialização no intraurbano em relação ao entorno rural, bem como a sua relação com as características paisagísticas e as condições atmosféricas atuantes. Para tanto, partiu-se da classificação da paisagem com base em aspectos como a densidade construtiva, os materiais e a altura das construções, a cobertura e uso da terra e da aferição da temperatura do ar em pontos equidistantes em 200 m, por meio de transectos móveis e de um ponto rural padrão. Os transectos foram realizados em três episódios de estiagem de setembro de 2020, no período noturno. Os resultados evidenciam características semelhantes da ilha de calor em relação a outros trabalhos realizados para a área de estudo, como o maior aquecimento da área central/comercial da cidade. Também se verificou o papel da vegetação como redutora da temperatura no intraurbano e a complexa relação da espacialização da temperatura do ar e intensidade da ilha de calor com as diversificadas propriedades paisagísticas. Por fim, destacou-se a importância de se qualificar o rural utilizado como padrão, pois certos usos e coberturas tipicamente rurais, como as áreas cultiváveis, podem apresentar características térmicas semelhantes às verificadas no intraurbano. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space"
]
|
10.1038/nsmb.2663 | Crystal structure of a substrate-free aspartate transporter | Archaeal glutamate transporter homologs catalyze the coupled uptake of aspartate and three sodium ions. After the delivery of the substrate and sodium ions to the cytoplasm, the empty binding site must reorient to the outward-facing conformation to reset the transporter. Here, we report a crystal structure of the substrate-free transporter Glt Tk from Thermococcus kodakarensis, which provides insight into the mechanism of this essential step in the translocation cycle. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.3792/pjaa.93.1 | Quasi-symmetries and rigidity for determinantal point processes associated with de Branges spaces | In this note, we show that determinantal point processes on the real line corresponding to de Branges spaces of entire functions are rigid in the sense of Ghosh-Peres and, under certain additional assumptions, quasi-invariant under the group of diffeomorphisms of the line with compact support. | [
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1038/s41558-019-0675-6 | Natural halogens buffer tropospheric ozone in a changing climate | Reactive atmospheric halogens destroy tropospheric ozone (O3), an air pollutant and greenhouse gas. The primary source of natural halogens is emissions from marine phytoplankton and algae, as well as abiotic sources from ocean and tropospheric chemistry, but how their fluxes will change under climate warming, and the resulting impacts on O3, are not well known. Here, we use an Earth system model to estimate that natural halogens deplete approximately 13% of tropospheric O3 in the present-day climate. Despite increased levels of natural halogens through the twenty-first century, this fraction remains stable due to compensation from hemispheric, regional and vertical heterogeneity in tropospheric O3 loss. Notably, this halogen-driven O3 buffering is projected to be greatest over polluted and populated regions, due mainly to iodine chemistry, with important implications for air quality. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
interreg_1386 | Rivers Spaces of Balance for the Mediterranean | The territories constituting the Free-Med partnership have a common characteristic, that to be organized around whole or part of a river or a river within a basin. The situations of the territories are varied, but the common problems are consisted the strong interaction between the maintenance or the restoration of environmental quality related to natural water and the activities human. Indeed, the cohabitation necessary of dimensions environmental, economic and social must result developing the dialog, information, sensitizing, working out tools of governorship and in acting on precise aspects with effectiveness to improve territorial competitiveness. These principles, founders of the transnational partnership made up within the framework of Free-Med, will be applied as elements of the strategy of the project. The project will be structured in 3 technical components: - Experience sharing, location of the good practices and knowledge of the problems as regards management of river territories; - Workshops of analyzes to look further into the common or complementary transnational problems which could be proposed with the experimentation. The workshops will be organized on various topics: Governorship, Economy of water, Education to the environment, Promotion/Valorization of the inheritance, Eco-Tourism, Innovations. - Experimental actions: led within the framework of a total pilot scheme structured starting from the topics which preceding. Workshops of evaluation. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
EP 2017058743 W | PRODUCTION OF MONOMERS FROM LIGNIN DURING DEPOLYMERISATION OF LIGNOCELLULOSE-CONTAINING COMPOSITION | The present invention relates to a method for preparing monomers via depolymerisation from lignocellulose-containing biomass. | [
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2014.07.010 | The cardiac muscle duplex as a method to study myocardial heterogeneity | This paper reviews the development and application of paired muscle preparations, called duplex, for the investigation of mechanisms and consequences of intra-myocardial electro-mechanical heterogeneity. We illustrate the utility of the underlying combined experimental and computational approach for conceptual development and integration of basic science insight with clinically relevant settings, using previously published and new data. Directions for further study are identified. | [
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1002/elsc.201600150 | A microfluidic device for the delivery of enzymes into cells by liposome fusion | Liposomes are versatile carriers of drugs or biomolecules and are ideally suited to transport molecules into cells. However, mechanistic studies to understand and improve the fusion of liposomes with cell membranes and endosomes are difficult. Here, we report a method that allows for stable coimmobilization of liposomes and living cells, thereby bringing the membranes into close contact, which is essential for membrane fusion. The small unilamellar liposomes are tethered to the surface by a linker so that no modification of the liposome membrane for cell binding is required. The cells are positioned above the liposomes by posts that are integrated into the microfluidic device, and a pH drop induces the fusion of the cell-liposome membranes. Both membrane fusion and release of molecules into the cytosol are visualized by fluorescence dequenching assays. Furthermore, we proved the efficient delivery of the enzyme β-galactosidase into the cells when a fusogenic liposome composition was used. The device could be used for fusion studies but is also a versatile means for cell transfection. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
306537 | Quantum Communication and Cryptography | Quantum Information Processing has the potential to revolutionize the future of information technologies. My long-term vision is a network of quantum and classical devices, where individual agents have the ability to communicate efficiently in a variety of ways with trusted and untrusted parties and securely delegate computational tasks to a number of untrusted large-scale quantum computing servers. In such an interconnected world, the notion of security against malicious adversaries is an imperative. In addition, the interaction between agents must remain efficient and it is important to provide the agents with incentives for honest behaviour. The realization of such a complex network of classical and quantum communication must rely on a solid theoretical foundation that nevertheless is able to foresee and handle the intricacies of real-life implementations.
The targeted breakthrough of this proposal is to set the benchmark, both theoretically as well as experimentally, of some necessary communication components for such a hybrid network. The concrete objectives of our project are to: design novel cryptographic primitives as a powerful quantum mechanical toolkit for the quantum network infrastructure; study quantum communication and games in order to minimize the communication overhead and guarantee the honest behaviour of rational agents; enhance the understanding of the fundamentals of quantum mechanics and of classical complexity theory through the lens of quantum information and cryptography; study the security of cryptographic primitives in realistic conditions and use state-of-the-art photonic systems to implement complex cryptographic primitives.
An ERC Starting Grant will enable me to reach the above objectives through the creation and coordination of an independent quantum cryptography group that will raise the level of competence and competitiveness of the EU and will provide methods and applications essential for the future of information technology. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
W1512582248 | Pre- and posttest evaluation of a breast cancer risk assessment program for nurse practitioners | Numerous studies have shown that healthcare providers, including nurse practitioners (NPs) fail to provide breast cancer risk assessment (BrCRA) in primary care settings. A potential barrier to the use of BrCRA is insufficient knowledge or training of risk assessment. The purpose of this study was to analyze the outcome of a BrCRA program developed to enhance NPs' knowledge of risk assessment and use of empiric risk assessment models.Thirty-five NPs participated in a before-after (pretest-posttest design) study evaluating the effectiveness of a BrCRA education program conducted at a national NP conference. Demographics, pre/post knowledge, and course satisfaction measures were all examined as a part of this pilot study.Continuing education through the implementation of a BrCRA program significantly increased NPs knowledge in assessing breast cancer risk and the use of empiric risk assessment models.Many healthcare providers, including NPs, are inadequately prepared to assess a woman's risk for breast cancer. Understanding breast cancer risk assessment is essential if NPs are to provide appropriate counseling, management, and referral strategies needed to reduce a woman's risk for developing the disease. Continuing education provides one means to enhance NP's knowledge of BrCRA. | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1051/0004-6361/202038449 | Atomic And Molecular Gas Properties During Cloud Formation | Context. Molecular clouds, which harbor the birthplaces of stars, form out of the atomic phase of the interstellar medium (ISM). To understand this transition process, it is crucial to investigate the spatial and kinematic relationships between atomic and molecular gas. Aims. We aim to characterize the atomic and molecular phases of the ISM and set their physical properties into the context of cloud formation processes. Methods. We studied the cold neutral medium (CNM) by means of H I self-absorption (HISA) toward the giant molecular filament GMF20. 0-17. 9 (distance = 3. 5 kpc, length ~170 pc) and compared our results with molecular gas traced by 13CO emission. We fitted baselines of HISA features to H I emission spectra using first and second order polynomial functions. Results. The CNM identified by this method spatially correlates with the morphology of the molecular gas toward the western region. However, no spatial correlation between HISA and 13CO is evident toward the eastern part of the filament. The distribution of HISA peak velocities and line widths agrees well with 13CO within the whole filament. The column densities of the CNM probed by HISA are on the order of 1020 cm−2 while those of molecular hydrogen traced by 13CO are an order of magnitude higher. The column density probability density functions (N-PDFs) of HISA (CNM) and H I emission (tracing both the CNM and the warm neutral medium, WNM) have a log-normal shape for all parts of the filament, indicative of turbulent motions as the main driver for these structures. The H2 N-PDFs show a broad log-normal distribution with a power-law tail suggesting the onset of gravitational contraction. The saturation of H I column density is observed at ~25 M⊙ pc−2. Conclusions. We conjecture that different evolutionary stages are evident within the filament. In the eastern region, we witness the onset of molecular cloud formation out of the atomic gas reservoir while the western part is more evolved, as it reveals pronounced H2 column density peaks and signs of active star formation. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
]
|
10.1101/832220 | A Macro Ecological Approach To Predators Functional Response | Predation often deviates from the law of mass action: many micro- and meso-scale experiments have shown that consumption saturates with resource abundance, and decreases due to interference between consumers. But does this observation hold at macro-ecological scales, spanning many species and orders of magnitude in biomass? If so, what are its consequences for large-scale ecological patterns and dynamics? We perform a meta-analysis of predator-prey pairs of mammals, birds and reptiles, and show that predation losses appear to increase, not as the product of predator and prey densities following the Lotka-Volterra (mass action) model, but rather as the square root of that product. This suggests a phenomenological power-law expression of the effective cross-ecosystem functional response. We consider the possibility that the same power-law holds dynamically within an ecosystem, and explore its consequences in a simple food chain model. The empirical exponents fall close to the boundary between regimes of donor and consumer limitation. Exponents on this boundary are singular in multiple ways. First, they maximize predator abundance and some stability metrics. Second, they create proportionality relations between biomass and productivity, both within and between trophic levels. These intuitive relations do not hold in general in mass action models, but are widely observed empirically. These results provide evidence of mechanisms limiting predation across multiple ecological scales. Some of this evidence was previously associated with donor control, but we show that it supports a wider range of possibilities, including forms of consumer control. Limiting consumption counter-intuitively allows larger populations. It is worthwhile to reconsider whether the observed functional response arises from microscopic mechanisms and constraints, or could hint at selective pressure at the population level. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
W2519621309 | Mechanism and Origin of the Unexpected Chemoselectivity in Fluorocyclization of o-Styryl Benzamides with a Hypervalent Fluoroiodane Reagent | The mechanism and origin of the unexpected chemoselectivity in fluorocyclization of o-styryl benzamide with a cyclic hypervalent fluoroiodane reagent were explored with DFT calculations. The calculations suggested an alternative mechanism that is broadly similar to, but also critically different from, the previously proposed mechanism for the formation of an unexpected structurally novel seven-membered 4-fluoro-1,3-benzoxazepine. The amide group of o-styryl benzamide was revealed to be crucial for activating the fluoroiodane reagent and facilitating C-F bond formation. In contrast to the popular electrophilic N-F reagent Selectfluor, the F atom in the fluoroiodane reagent is nucleophilic, and the I(III) atom is the most electrophilic site, thus inducing a completely different reactivity pattern. The insights reported here will be valuable for the further development of new reactions based on the hypervalent fluoroiodane reagent. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
W2917022701 | Sustainable and De-Stressed International Supply-Chains Through the SYNCHRO-NET Approach | Synchro-modal supply chain eco-NET (SYNCHRO-NET) is a Horizon 2020 European research project aimed at overcoming the stress due to the increasing transportation distances, the higher complexity, and the vulnerability of international supply chains. In order to foster sustainability, quality, and reliability of such supply chains, SYNCHRO-NET mainly exploits the impact and the possible benefits coming from slow/smart-steaming and synchro-modality transportation strategies, and the related business models. The aim of this paper is to summarize and disseminate the main developments and scientific contributions coming from the project. In particular, the working core of the SYNCHRO-NET solution is an integrated and cloud-based eco-system of optimization and simulation software modules that supports stakeholders’ decisions in freight transportation and logistics management at strategic, operational, and real-time levels. The platform has achieved a high grade of automation in several processes to overcome all the issues related to human-based operations. The efficiency and effectiveness of the overall platform have been tested on three case studies considering pan-European and regional trade lanes, as well as commercial activities between the Far East and European ports. The project results and outputs also allow us to analyze barriers and opportunities of the approach, industrial and academic developments, and relations with emerging technologies. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
638425 | Enhanced Qualitative and Multi-Method Research in Political Science | Over the last 20 years, qualitative methods in political science have developed rapidly on three dimen-sions. First, set theory was formulated as an alternative to what is called the quantitative worldview. Second, process tracing for the analysis of mechanisms evolved as a complement to the estimation of marginal effects. Process tracing has also been tied to Bayesianism as opposed to frequentism. Third, process tracing became an element of multi-method research (MMR), integrating it with frequentist statistics or Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA).
An important element of the development of qualitative methods is its contrast with quantitative methods. At the same time, quantitative researchers critically commented on that development. The constant exchange has contributed to the progress of qualitative methods, but the debate has reached an impasse in some respects, or has pursued one line of development while neglecting others.
Building on state-of-the-art qualitative methods, ENHANCEDQMMR seeks to overcome this impasse and to explore new ground.It makes four significant contributions to the progress of standalone qualitative methods and as part of MMR. First, it examines experimentally how researchers decide between a set-relational and correlational view on causation and whether they can realize designs in accord with their initial decision. Second, it develops tools for sensitivity analyses, diagnostics, and the modeling of diverse data structures via QCA for strengthening QCA-based inference. Third, it com-pares the performance of QCA and regression analyses under simulated data-generating processes with the goal of generating comparative diagnostics, possibly allowing one to adjudicate between both methods in observational research. Fourth, it formulates standards for Bayesian MMR by combining Bayesian process tracing with Bayesian statistics and Bayesian QCA, respectively. The insights of the project will be implemented in freely available software. | [
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1534/g3.117.040071 | Modulating Crossover Frequency and Interference for Obligate Crossovers in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Meiosis | Abstract
Meiotic crossover frequencies show wide variation among organisms. But most organisms maintain at least one crossover per homolog pair (obligate crossover). In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, previous studies have shown crossover frequencies are reduced in the mismatch repair related mutant mlh3Δ and enhanced in a meiotic checkpoint mutant pch2Δ by up to twofold at specific chromosomal loci, but both mutants maintain high spore viability. We analyzed meiotic recombination events genome-wide in mlh3Δ, pch2Δ, and mlh3Δ pch2Δ mutants to test the effect of variation in crossover frequency on obligate crossovers. mlh3Δ showed ∼30% genome-wide reduction in crossovers (64 crossovers per meiosis) and loss of the obligate crossover, but nonexchange chromosomes were efficiently segregated. pch2Δ showed ∼50% genome-wide increase in crossover frequency (137 crossovers per meiosis), elevated noncrossovers as well as loss of chromosome size dependent double-strand break formation. Meiotic defects associated with pch2∆ did not cause significant increase in nonexchange chromosome frequency. Crossovers were restored to wild-type frequency in the double mutant mlh3Δ pch2Δ (100 crossovers per meiosis), but obligate crossovers were compromised. Genetic interference was reduced in mlh3Δ, pch2Δ, and mlh3Δ pch2Δ. Triple mutant analysis of mlh3Δ pch2Δ with other resolvase mutants showed that most of the crossovers in mlh3Δ pch2Δ are made through the Mus81-Mms4 pathway. These results are consistent with a requirement for increased crossover frequencies in the absence of genetic interference for obligate crossovers. In conclusion, these data suggest crossover frequencies and the strength of genetic interference in an organism are mutually optimized to ensure obligate crossovers. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
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