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10.1051/0004-6361/201117353 | Califa The Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area Survey I Survey Presentation | We present here the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area (CALIFA) survey, which has been designed to provide a first step in this direction. We summarize the survey goals and design, including sample selection and observational strategy. We also showcase the data taken during the first observing runs (June/July 2010) and outline the reduction pipeline, quality control schemes and general characteristics of the reduced data. This survey is obtaining spatially resolved spectroscopic information of a diameter selected sample of $\sim600$ galaxies in the Local Universe (0. 005< z <0. 03). CALIFA has been designed to allow the building of two-dimensional maps of the following quantities: (a) stellar populations: ages and metallicities; (b) ionized gas: distribution, excitation mechanism and chemical abundances; and (c) kinematic properties: both from stellar and ionized gas components. CALIFA uses the PPAK Integral Field Unit (IFU), with a hexagonal field-of-view of $\sim1. 3\sq\arcmin'$, with a 100% covering factor by adopting a three-pointing dithering scheme. The optical wavelength range is covered from 3700 to 7000 A, using two overlapping setups (V500 and V1200), with different resolutions: R\sim850 and R\sim1650, respectively. CALIFA is a legacy survey, intended for the community. The reduced data will be released, once the quality has been guaranteed. The analyzed data fulfill the expectations of the original observing proposal, on the basis of a set of quality checks and exploratory analysis. We conclude from this first look at the data that CALIFA will be an important resource for archaeological studies of galaxies in the Local Universe. | [
"Universe Sciences"
]
|
10.1038/s41477-018-0194-x | Polymorphic residues in rice NLRs expand binding and response to effectors of the blast pathogen | Accelerated adaptive evolution is a hallmark of plant–pathogen interactions. Plant intracellular immune receptors (NLRs) often occur as allelic series with differential pathogen specificities. The determinants of this specificity remain largely unknown. Here, we unravelled the biophysical and structural basis of expanded specificity in the allelic rice NLR Pik, which responds to the effector AVR-Pik from the rice blast pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae. Rice plants expressing the Pikm allele resist infection by blast strains expressing any of three AVR-Pik effector variants, whereas those expressing Pikp only respond to one. Unlike Pikp, the integrated heavy metal-associated (HMA) domain of Pikm binds with high affinity to each of the three recognized effector variants, and variation at binding interfaces between effectors and Pikp-HMA or Pikm-HMA domains encodes specificity. By understanding how co-evolution has shaped the response profile of an allelic NLR, we highlight how natural selection drove the emergence of new receptor specificities. This work has implications for the engineering of NLRs with improved utility in agriculture. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
10.1109/ICUWB.2013.6663820 | An Experimental Study Of Uwb Device Free Person Detection And Ranging | Passive person detection and localization is an emerging area in UWB localization systems, whereby people are not required to carry any UWB ranging device. Based on experimental data, we propose a novel method to detect static persons in the absence of template waveforms, and to compute distances to these persons. Our method makes very little assumptions on the environment and can achieve ranging performances on the order of 50 cm, using off-the-shelf UWB devices. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
W2340658750 | Lava-water-sediment interaction : processes, products and petroleum systems | Lava-water-sediment interaction encompasses the processes and products created as lava is emplaced over, or into sediment (and/or water). The lithologies preserved at the lava-sediment interface include pillow lavas, hyaloclastite and peperite, which are well documented within the literature. However, little work captures the full scope of the interaction between sub-aerially emplaced, invasive lava and (clastic) sediment (+/-water). Furthermore, the scales and geometries of interaction at the lava-water-sediment interface are yet to be fully understood. This research uses four field localities from a variety of environmental and tectonic settings to assess the remarkably variable, complex and intricate fragmental textures and geometries preserved at the lava-sediment interface, many of which are documented for the first time. The processes and lava/sediment properties that influence interaction are then interpreted.
This research identifies a continuum of lava-water-sediment interaction, from minimal and passive interactions, to dynamic and complex interactions, predominantly between basalt lavas and siliciclastic and volcaniclastic sediments. The contiuum recognises that the variability of sedimentary properties (e.g. saturation, grain size, cohesion, compaction), rather than lava properties (e.g. effusion rates/flux, composition, temperature, viscosity, shear strength etc.), is the dominant influence on interaction products. The variability of sedimentary properties can occur on the micro- to macro- scale, producing a range of scale-invariant lava-sediment products. When sediment is partially consolidated and compacted, with relatively little to no water content, loading and passive interaction, including the formation of passive peperite, occurs. Sediment that is very fine grained, compacted, semi-saturated and only slightly consolidated, is typically more cohesive and produces coherent sedimentary inclusions. Sediment inclusions within lava and peperite domains are abundant, and interpreted as the product of lava invading and entraining fragments of more cohesive, consolidated sediment. When sediment is saturated (with pore water), unconsolidated, and uncompacted, dynamic peperite forms and sediment fluidisation occurs. Sediment fluidisation is also the main product at the interface between pillow lavas and sediment. Measurement analysis of pillow-sediment contacts establishes that pillow invasion is scale invariant.
An understanding of the lateral variability of the processes and products of lava-water-sediment interaction is developed, along with the concept of individual sedimentary ‘barrier’ layers that may impede lava-invasion, and influence the geometries of the system. The geometries of lava-water-sediment domains, particularly where dynamic interaction occurs, may be further influenced by palaeoenvironment (e.g. fluvial drainage systems may focus aggressive interaction and peperite formation in channels). The products and processes of lava-water-sediment interaction, and the geometries of the lava-sedimentary systems, are presented in a series of models, all of which highlight the variable sediment properties at the time of lava invasion.
The results of this research are directly applicable to the petroleum industry in aiding exploration within volcanic-rifted margins. Application of these findings is of particular importance during the development of regional and basin-scale depositional environment models. The field data is applied to wireline and borehole image log interpretations, which provides greater understanding of how potential reservoir units may be disrupted by lavas, both physically and by “compartmentalization” of the reservoir. Together, these results demonstrate how lavas have the potential to considerably fragment on interaction with sediment and/or water, informing our understanding of the interplay of volcanic and sedimentary systems. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
10.1063/1.4801438 | Predicting Crystals Of Janus Colloids | We present a numerical study on the phase diagram for a simple model of Janus colloids, including ordered and disordered structures. Using a range of techniques, we generate a set of crystal structures and investigate their relative stability field in the pressure-temperature and temperature-density planes by means of free-energy calculations and thermodynamic integration schemes. We find that despite the Janus colloids’ simple architecture, they form stable crystal structures with complicated bond-topologies on an underlying face-centered-cubic or hexagonal-close-packed lattice. In addition, we find a phase consisting of wrinkled bilayer sheets, competing with both the fluid and the crystal phases. We detect a metastable gas-liquid coexistence which displays a micellization-driven re-entrant behavior. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1016/j.nbd.2019.104681 | Synaptic zinc contributes to motor and cognitive deficits in 6-hydroxydopamine mouse models of Parkinson's disease | Hyperactivity of glutamatergic corticostrial pathways is recognized as a key pathophysiological mechanism contributing to development of PD symptoms and dopaminergic neurotoxicity. Subset of corticostriatal projection neurons uses Zn2+ as a co-transmitter alongside glutamate, but the role of synaptically released Zn2+ in PD remains unexplored. We used genetically modified mice and pharmacological tools in combination with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion models of PD to investigate the contribution of synaptic zinc to disease associated behavioral deficits and neurodegeneration. Vesicular zinc transporter-3 (ZnT3) knockout mice lacking releasable Zn2+ were more resistant to locomotor deficit and memory impairment of nigrostriatal dopamine (DA) denervation compared to wildtype littermates. The loss of striatal dopaminergic fibers was comparable between genotypes, indicating that synaptically released Zn2+ contributes to behavioral deficits but not neurotoxic effects of 6-OHDA. To gain further insight into the mechanisms of Zn2+ actions, we used the extracellular Zn2+ chelator CaEDTA and knock-in mice lacking the high affinity Zn2+ inhibition of GluN2A-containing NMDA receptors (GluN2A-NMDARs). Acute chelation of extracellular Zn2+ in the striatum restored locomotor deficit of 6-OHDA lesion, confirming that synaptic Zn2+ suppresses locomotor behavior. Disruption of the Zn2+-GluN2A interaction had, on the other hand, no impact on locomotor deficit or neurotoxic effect of 6-OHDA. Collectively, these findings provide clear evidence for the implication of striatal synaptic Zn2+ in the pathophysiology of PD. They unveil that synaptic Zn2+ plays predominantly a detrimental role by promoting motor and cognitive deficits caused by nigrostriatal DA denervation, pointing towards new therapeutic interventions. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1111/1462-2920.13842 | Identification And Characterisation Of Isoprene Degrading Bacteria In An Estuarine Environment | Approximately one-third of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted to the atmosphere consists of isoprene, originating from the terrestrial and marine biosphere, with a profound effect on atmospheric chemistry. However, isoprene provides an abundant and largely unexplored source of carbon and energy for microbes. The potential for isoprene degradation in marine and estuarine samples from the Colne Estuary, UK, was investigated using DNA-Stable Isotope Probing (DNA-SIP). Analysis at two timepoints showed the development of communities dominated by Actinobacteria including members of the genera Mycobacterium, Rhodococcus, Microbacterium and Gordonia. Representative isolates, capable of growth on isoprene as sole carbon and energy source, were obtained from marine and estuarine locations, and isoprene-degrading strains of Gordonia and Mycobacterium were characterised physiologically and their genomes were sequenced. Genes predicted to be required for isoprene metabolism, including four-component isoprene monooxygenases (IsoMO), were identified and compared with previously characterised examples. Transcriptional and activity assays of strains growing on isoprene or alternative carbon sources showed that growth on isoprene is an inducible trait requiring a specific IsoMO. This study is the first to identify active isoprene degraders in estuarine and marine environments using DNA-SIP and to characterise marine isoprene-degrading bacteria at the physiological and molecular level. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1093/bioinformatics/btx076 | Sfinx: An R package for the elimination of false positives from affinity purification-mass spectrometry datasets | We describe sfinx, an R package providing access to the straightforward filtering index (SFINX) for the separation of true positive from false positive protein interactions in affinity purification - mass spectrometry datasets. This package maintains the reliability and user-friendliness of the SFINX web site interface but is faster, unlimited in input size, and can be run locally within R. Availability and Implementation: The sfinx R package is available for download at the comprehensive R archive network (CRAN) https://cran. r-project. org/web/packages/sfinx/ under the Apache License 2. 0. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1090/tran/7309 | A sharp 𝑘-plane Strichartz inequality for the Schrödinger equation | We prove that
‖
X
(
|
u
|
2
)
‖
L
t
,
ℓ
3
≤
C
‖
f
‖
L
2
(
R
2
)
2
,
\begin{equation*} \|X(|u|^2)\|_{L^3_{t,\ell }}\leq C\|f\|_{L^2(\mathbb {R}^2)}^2, \end{equation*}
where
u
(
x
,
t
)
u(x,t)
is the solution to the linear time-dependent Schrödinger equation on
R
2
\mathbb {R}^2
with initial datum
f
f
and
X
X
is the (spatial) X-ray transform on
R
2
\mathbb {R}^2
. In particular, we identify the best constant
C
C
and show that a datum
f
f
is an extremiser if and only if it is a gaussian. We also establish bounds of this type in higher dimensions
d
d
, where the X-ray transform is replaced by the
k
k
-plane transform for any
1
≤
k
≤
d
−
1
1\leq k\leq d-1
. In the process we obtain sharp
L
2
(
μ
)
L^2(\mu )
bounds on Fourier extension operators associated with certain high-dimensional spheres involving measures
μ
\mu
supported on natural “co-
k
k
-planarity” sets. | [
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1007/s00208-012-0797-x | One-cohomology and the uniqueness of the group measure space decomposition of a II<inf>1</inf> factor | We provide a unified and self-contained treatment of several of the recent uniqueness theorems for the group measure space decomposition of a II1 factor. We single out a large class of groups Γ, characterized by a one-cohomology property, and prove that for every free ergodic probability measure preserving action of Γ the associated II1 factor has a unique group measure space Cartan subalgebra up to unitary conjugacy. Our methods follow closely a recent article of Chifan-Peterson, but we replace the usage of Peterson's unbounded derivations by Thomas Sinclair's dilation into a malleable deformation by a one-parameter group of automorphisms. | [
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.3389/fenvs.2014.00033 | Ensembles and uncertainty in climate change impacts | The increasing use of multi-member climate model ensembles for making future climate impact assessments presents both opportunities for understanding uncertainties, and challenges for interpreting the results. We outline current approaches to assessing uncertainties in climate impacts, statistical methods for assessing uncertainties, issues regarding model integration and complexity, and ways in which uncertainty frameworks can be used to inform adaptation decisions, with case studies focused on agriculture. Finally, we highlight future research needs and provide recommendations for making further progress. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Mathematics"
]
|
225270 | Diabetes immunoengineering: redesigning encapsulated cell transplant therapies | Diabetes Immunoengineering: Redesigning Encapsulated Cell Transplant Therapies
Diabetes remains a global healthcare challenge, affecting 370 million people worldwide. Islet transplantation offers
the potential to restore insulin function in diabetes-1 patients, and is proving successful in human clinical trials.
However a major limitation is the requirement for patients to take global immunosuppressive drugs, often daily, for the remainder of their lives. These drugs can impact the quality of life for the patient, and may lead to an impaired immune system at risk of opportunistic pathogens. The scientific aim of this project is to develop innovative multifunctional materials for diabetes-1 cell therapies; those that can better support islet function and also direct the host immune system, removing the need for global immune suppression and enhancing transplant lifetimes.
This project connects a talented young researcher with a background in chemistry, biomaterials science and
immunoengineering, to a host institution with expertise in drug delivery and tissue engineering (Nottingham), and an
internationally renowned outgoing institution (Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School) with expertise in transplant encapsulation and diabetes therapies.
Combining the localised drug delivery expertise of the host institution, the diabetes-1 cell therapy transplant knowledge of
the outgoing institution, and the researcher’s own expertise in immunoengineering presents a unique opportunity and new
approach to addressing this healthcare challenge, and facilitates development of the researcher's career through a specified
training-in-research program. Bridging the gap between the transplant immunology, biomaterials and drug delivery fields in
this way meets the “Open Innovation, Open Science, Open to the World” EU vision towards Open Science and follows the
road map for integrative research proposed by the UK Medical Research Councils for regenerative medicine research. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Materials Engineering",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1145/3282894.3282898 | Vrhapticdrones Providing Haptics In Virtual Reality Through Quadcopters | We present VRHapticDrones, a system utilizing quadcopters as levitating haptic feedback proxy. A touchable surface is attached to the side of the quadcopters to provide unintrusive, flexible, and programmable haptic feedback in virtual reality. Since the users' sense of presence in virtual reality is a crucial factor for the overall user experience, our system simulates haptic feedback of virtual objects. Quadcopters are dynamically positioned to provide haptic feedback relative to the physical interaction space of the user. In a first user study, we demonstrate that haptic feedback provided by VRHapticDrones significantly increases users' sense of presence compared to vibrotactile controllers and interactions without additional haptic feedback. In a second user study, we explored the quality of induced feedback regarding the expected feeling of different objects. Results show that VRHapticDrones is best suited to simulate objects that are expected to feel either light-weight or have yielding surfaces. With VRHapticDrones we contribute a solution to provide unintrusive and flexible feedback as well as insights for future VR haptic feedback systems. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1080/09637494.2017.1398440 | The European Court Of Human Rights At The Grassroots Level Who Knows What About Religion At The Ecthr And To What Effects | In the last 25 years, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has been increasingly addressing some of the most divisive religion-related issues facing European societies. In the process, it has been setting from above certain parameters for religious pluralism in Europe. The present contribution draws on research designed to bring the Court’s influence on religious pluralism into sharp focus, but from the ground up. We know more or less the direct effect of the Court in terms of implementation of its decisions. But we lack understanding of its indirect effects in terms of whether and how its case law mobilises grassroots actors (rights consciousness raising, agenda setting, bargaining ‘in the shadow’ of the Court). Such understanding presupposes insight into levels of awareness of the ECtHR and its religion-related case law: who knows what about religion at the ECtHR and to what effects? This contribution presents results of a study engaging social actors in four countries. | [
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems"
]
|
10.1002/qj.2821 | Sensitivity of resolved and parametrized surface drag to changes in resolution and parametrization | The relative contributions of resolved and parametrized surface drag towards balancing the atmospheric angular momentum flux convergence (AMFC) and their sensitivity to horizontal resolution and parametrization are investigated in an atmospheric model. This sensitivity can be difficult to elucidate in free-running climate models, in which the AMFC varies with changing climatologies and, as a result, the relative contributions of surface terms balancing the AMFC also vary. While the sensitivity question has previously been addressed using short-range forecasts, we demonstrate that a nudging framework is an effective method for constraining the AMFC. The Met Office Unified Model is integrated at three horizontal resolutions ranging from 130 (N96) to 25 km (N512), while relaxing the model's wind and temperature fields towards the ERA-Interim reanalysis within the altitude regions of maximum AMFC. This method is validated against short-range forecasts and good agreement is found. These experiments are then used to assess the fidelity of the exchange between parametrized and resolved orographic torques with changes in horizontal resolution. Although the parametrized orographic torque reduces substantially with increasing horizontal resolution, there is little change in resolved orographic torque over 20–50°N. The tendencies produced by the nudging routine indicate that the additional drag at lower horizontal resolution is excessive. When parametrized orographic blocking is removed at the coarsest of these resolutions, there is a lack of compensation, and even compensation of the opposite sense, by the boundary layer and resolved torques, which is particularly pronounced over 20–50°N. This study demonstrates that there is strong sensitivity in the behaviour of the resolved and parametrized surface drag over this region. | [
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.1017/S1473550414000226 | Spin Evolution Of Earth Sized Exoplanets Including Atmospheric Tides And Core Mantle Friction | Planets with masses between 0. 1 and 10 M⊕ are believed to host dense atmospheres. These atmospheres can play an important role on the planet's spin evolution, since thermal atmospheric tides, driven by the host star, may counterbalance gravitational tides. In this work, we study the long-term spin evolution of Earth-sized exoplanets. We generalize previous works by including the effect of eccentric orbits and obliquity. We show that under the effect of tides and core–mantle friction, the obliquity of the planets evolves either to 0° or 180°. The rotation of these planets is also expected to evolve into a very restricted number of equilibrium configurations. In general, none of these equilibria is synchronous with the orbital mean motion. The role of thermal atmospheric tides becomes more important for Earth-sized planets in the habitable zones of their systems; so they cannot be neglected when we search for their potential habitability. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.07.002 | Evolution and dispersal of the genus Homo: A landscape approach | The notion of the physical landscape as an arena of ecological interaction and human evolution is a powerful one, but its implementation at larger geographical and temporal scales is hampered by the challenges of reconstructing physical landscape settings in the geologically active regions where the earliest evidence is concentrated. We argue that the inherently dynamic nature of these unstable landscapes has made them important agents of biological change, creating complex topographies capable of selecting for, stimulating, obstructing or accelerating the latent and emerging properties of the human evolutionary trajectory. We use this approach, drawing on the concepts and methods of active tectonics, to develop a new perspective on the origins and dispersal of the Homo genus. We show how complex topography provides an easy evolutionary pathway to full terrestrialisation in the African context, and would have further equipped members of the genus Homo with a suite of adaptive characteristics that facilitated wide-ranging dispersal across ecological and climatic boundaries into Europe and Asia by following pathways of complex topography. We compare this hypothesis with alternative explanations for hominin dispersal, and evaluate it by mapping the distribution of topographic features at varying scales, and comparing the distribution of early Homo sites with the resulting maps and with other environmental variables. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.1109/ICPR.2016.7900130 | A 2D Shape Structure For Decomposition And Part Similarity | This paper presents a multilevel analysis of 2D shapes and uses it to find similarities between the different parts of a shape. Such an analysis is important for many applications such as shape comparison, editing, and compression. Our robust and stable method decomposes a shape into parts, determines a parts hierarchy, and measures similarity between parts based on a salience measure on the medial axis, the Weighted Extended Distance Function, providing a multi-resolution partition of the shape that is stable across scale and articulation. Comparison with an extensive user study on the MPEG-7 database demonstrates that our geometric results are consistent with user perception. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1172/JCI84518 | Ccr7 And Irf4 Dependent Dendritic Cells Regulate Lymphatic Collecting Vessel Permeability | Lymphatic collecting vessels direct lymph into and from lymph nodes (LNs) and can become hyperpermeable as the result of a previous infection. Enhanced permeability has been implicated in compromised immunity due to reduced flow of lymph and immune cells to LNs, which are the primary site of antigen presentation to T cells. Presently, very little is known about the molecular signals that affect lymphatic collecting vessel permeability. Here, we have shown that lymphatic collecting vessel permeability is controlled by CCR7 and that the chronic hyperpermeability of collecting vessels observed in Ccr7-/- mice is followed by vessel fibrosis. Reexpression of CCR7 in DCs, however, was sufficient to reverse the development of such fibrosis. IFN regulatory factor 4-positive (IRF4+) DCs constitutively interacted with collecting lymphatics, and selective ablation of this DC subset in Cd11c-Cre Irf4fl/fl mice also rendered lymphatic collecting vessels hyperpermeable and fibrotic. Together, our data reveal that CCR7 plays multifaceted roles in regulating collecting vessel permeability and fibrosis, with one of the key players being IRF4-dependent DCs. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy"
]
|
669898 | R-loops as a major modulator of transcription-associated recombination and chromatin dynamics | Understanding the causes of genome instability, a condition linked to cancer and cancer-prone genetic diseases, is a major question in Molecular Biology and Biomedicine. Probably the most important natural cause of genome instability is transcription, which is known to induce both mutation and recombination from bacteria to human cells. Different studies suggest that transcription-associated recombination (TAR) is in large part due to collisions between transcription and replication, but increasing evidence indicate that R-loops, formed by a DNA-RNA hybrid and a displaced single-stranded DNA, may be a major determinant of genome instability. This is of particular relevance, provided our recent observation that tumor suppressor BRCA2 gene is involved in R-loop prevention/resolution and that, therefore, R-loops may represent a major potential source of tumorigenesis. The goal of this project is to understand the mechanisms of R-loop dynamics by identifying the functions and elements acting in cis and trans, that is, the DNA sequences and genes controlling R-loop formation and removal. The project will be based on a multidisciplinary approach using Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human cell lines. We plan: a) to identify the proteins and mechanism that actively works in the formation and prevention of intermediates responsible for R-loop-mediated TAR; b) to define the histone residues linked to R-loop formation and its role in chromatin dynamics, and c) to establish how the different trans and cis elements control genome-wide R-loop–mediated genome instability whether or not in association with replication fork impairment, double-strand break accumulation, chromatin structure and mRNP biogenesis and export. The functional relevance of selected conserved genes will be validated in Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism. The long-term objective of the proposal is to decipher the mechanisms by which R-loops modulate chromatin dynamics and genome instability. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
interreg_3822 | Immersive Underwater Museum Experience for a wider inclusion | The project aims at applying on sample areas (maritime landscapes of Torre Santa Sabina, Grado, Resnik/Siculi, Caorle) a methodological and technological protocol based on research/ knowledge and development/communication of an underwater archeological site that is complex and multi-stratified, characterized by strong diversity. The project’s objective is therefore to transform the site into an underwater archaeological park (or eco-museum) through innovative and/or experimental methodologies and techniques in order to try to reduce the loss of important cultural heritages as well as to guarantee an economic spin-off deriving directly from the creation of a sector linked to the tourist-cultural promotion of the context of reference. | [
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space"
]
|
10.1007/s10853-012-6429-8 | Microstructure and microtexture evolution in pure metals after ultra-high straining | Ultrafine-grained, and even nanostructured materials can be manufactured by ultra-high straining by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP), high-pressure torsion (HPT), by machining, and through combinations, such as machining of ECAP specimens, HPT plus ECAP, and HPT of machining chips. This report describes the results of investigations of the microstructure and microtexture of pure aluminium and copper subjected to different deformation processes to high imposed strains. The microstructures, dislocation densities, and microhardness developed during combinations of different strain paths were investigated and all characteristics were analyzed by X-ray, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, and by orientation imaging microscopy. The influence of different processing routes is examined in terms of the accumulated strain and microstructure refinement. A saturation in grain refinement is also considered with reference to the occurrence of recovery during ultra-high strain deformation. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1038/s41467-018-02864-2 | Steric exclusion and protein conformation determine the localization of plasma membrane transporters | The plasma membrane (PM) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains membrane compartments, MCC/eisosomes and MCPs, named after the protein residents Can1 and Pma1, respectively. Using high-resolution fluorescence microscopy techniques we show that Can1 and the homologous transporter Lyp1 are able to diffuse into the MCC/eisosomes, where a limited number of proteins are conditionally trapped at the (outer) edge of the compartment. Upon addition of substrate, the immobilized proteins diffuse away from the MCC/eisosomes, presumably after taking a different conformation in the substrate-bound state. Our data indicate that the mobile fraction of all integral plasma membrane proteins tested shows extremely slow Brownian diffusion through most of the PM. We also show that proteins with large cytoplasmic domains, such as Pma1 and synthetic chimera of Can1 and Lyp1, are excluded from the MCC/eisosomes. We hypothesize that the distinct localization patterns found for these integral membrane proteins in S. cerevisiae arises from a combination of slow lateral diffusion, steric exclusion, and conditional trapping in membrane compartments. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
W2183461928 | DEBT STRUCTURE FOR MALAYSIAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES: EVIDENCE FROM PANEL DATA ANALYSIS | The main objective of this paper is to examine whether firm’s size, growth opportunity, and firm’s reputation affect the debt level (leverage) of the construction companies in Malaysia. The study uses the data from ten selected Malaysia’s construction companies for the period from 2001 until 2008. Using the panel data technique, the estimation results show that size of construction companies has a strong significant positive relationship to the firm’s leverage. The finding is consistent with the previous findings that firm’s size adds huge information in explaining the level of debt. The results also suggest that company’s leverage is positively affected by firm’s reputation. On the other hand, growth opportunity has inverse relationship with leverage, indicating that high leverage would retard the growth of firms. | [
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
10.1109/ISWCS.2014.6933465 | Communication Analysis For Centralized Intersection Crossing Coordination | Coordination of autonomous cooperative vehicles is an important challenge for future intelligent transportation systems. In particular, coordination to cross intersections captures the inherent and connected challenges among control and communication. While intersection coordination and vehicular wireless communication have both received extensive treatment in their respective communities, few works consider their interaction. We provide a communication system analysis for the specific problem of centralized intersection crossing coordination, leading to design guidelines for both uplink (whereby vehicles send intentions to the central controller) and downlink (where the controller prescribes vehicles of safe control actions). | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
650298 | Modelling and simulation of impact waves in brain matter | During the past decade, the brain has been the subject of numerous studies aimed at understanding its function and its behaviour. An important challenge lies in the prediction and the treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which is a major source of death and disability worldwide. In the mechanics community, important efforts have been dedicated to the mathematical description of the response of brain matter to forces, and to the simulation of traumatic events. Nevertheless, further progress is of utmost importance for applications in biomedical engineering and medicine. In facts, despite clear evidence that dynamic solicitations such as impacts play a crucial role in head traumas, several time-dependent effects are often neglected in the modelling (inertia, fluid content, viscous effects, swelling).
The main goal of the TBI-WAVES project is to improve the mechanical and computational modelling of head traumas. A first aim is to improve the mechanical modelling of brain matter by accounting for the above commonly neglected effects. A second aim is to develop dedicated head impact simulation tools. The problem will be approached from theoretical and numerical perspectives, based both on the applicant’s and the host laboratory’s expertise. The training programme is exhaustive and will allow the applicant to grow as an independent researcher. The proposed research will foster further developments in this direction, a step which is fundamental in healthcare and for the benefit of society.
The applicant is a Franco-German dual citizen, trained in France in applied mathematics, theoretical mechanics, and computational mechanics. He publishes articles in international scientific journals, with topics in applied mathematics and other disciplines. He is requesting funds for two years, to work within Prof. Michel Destrade’s team at NUI Galway. A six-month secondment at the University of Trento is planned. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Mathematics",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
W3016714088 | Characterization of Nonstationary Phase Noise Using the Wigner–Ville Distribution | Oscillators and atomic clocks, as well as lasers and masers, are affected by physical mechanisms causing amplitude fluctuations, phase noise, and frequency instabilities. The physical properties of the elements composing the oscillator as well as external environmental conditions play a role in the coherence of the oscillatory signal produced by the device. Such instabilities demonstrate frequency drifts, modulation, and spectrum broadening and are observed to be nonstationary processes in nature. Most of the tools which are being used to measure and characterize oscillator stability are based on signal processing techniques, assuming time invariance within a temporal window, during which the signal is assumed to be stationary. This letter proposes a new time-frequency approach for the characterization of frequency sources. Our technique is based on the Wigner–Ville time-frequency distribution, which extends the spectral measures to include the temporal nonstationary behavior of the processes affecting the coherence of the oscillator and the accuracy of the clock. We demonstrate the use of the technique in the characterization of nonstationary phase noise in oscillators. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1007/s13204-018-0790-0 | Controlled and tunable polymer particles’ production using a single microfluidic device | Microfluidics technology offers a new platform to control liquids under flow in small volumes. The advantage of using small-scale reactions for droplet generation along with the capacity to control the preparation parameters, making microfluidic chips an attractive technology for optimizing encapsulation formulations. However, one of the drawback in this methodology is the ability to obtain a wide range of droplet sizes, from sub-micron to microns using a single chip design. In fact, typically, droplet chips are used for micron-dimension particles, while nanoparticles’ synthesis requires complex chips design (i. e. , microreactors and staggered herringbone micromixer). Here, we introduce the development of a highly tunable and controlled encapsulation technique, using two polymer compositions, for generating particles ranging from microns to nano-size using the same simple single microfluidic chip design. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA 50:50) or PLGA/polyethylene glycol polymeric particles were prepared with focused-flow chip, yielding monodisperse particle batches. We show that by varying flow rate, solvent, surfactant and polymer composition, we were able to optimize particles’ size and decrease polydispersity index, using simple chip designs with no further related adjustments or costs. Utilizing this platform, which offers tight tuning of particle properties, could offer an important tool for formulation development and can potentially pave the way towards a better precision nanomedicine. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1063/1.4913736 | Orbital Molecules In Electronic Materials | Orbital molecules are made up of coupled orbital states on several metal ions within an orbitally ordered (and sometimes also charge-ordered) solid such as a transition metal oxide. Spin-singlet dimers are known in many materials, but recent discoveries of more exotic species such as 18-electron heptamers in AlV2O4 and magnetic 3-atom trimerons in magnetite (Fe3O4) have shown that orbital molecules constitute a general new class of quantum electronic states in solids. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
W1981618969 | Heterosexual HIV-1 Infectiousness and Antiretroviral Use | Recent studies have estimated the reduction in HIV-1 infectiousness with antiretroviral therapy (ART), but high-quality studies such as randomized controlled trials, accompanied by rigorous adherence counseling, are likely to overestimate the effectiveness of treatment-as-prevention in real-life settings.We attempted to summarize the effect of ART on HIV transmission by undertaking a systematic review and meta-analysis of HIV-1 infectiousness per heterosexual partnership (incidence rate and cumulative incidence over study follow-up) estimated from prospective studies of discordant couples. We used random-effects Poisson regression models to obtain summary estimates. When possible, the analyses were further stratified by direction of transmission (man-to-woman or woman-to-man) and economic setting (high- or low-income countries). Potential causes of heterogeneity of estimates were explored through subgroup analyses.Fifty publications were included. Nine allowed comparison between ART and non-ART users within studies (ART-stratified studies), in which summary incidence rates were 3.6/100 person-years (95% confidence interval = 2.0-6.5) and 0.2/100 person-years (0.07-0.7) for non-ART- and ART-using couples, respectively (P < 0.001), constituting a 91% (79-96%) reduction in per-partner HIV-1 incidence rate with ART use. The 41 studies that did not stratify by ART use provided estimates with high levels of heterogeneity (I statistic) and few reported levels of ART use, making interpretation difficult. Nevertheless, estimates tended to be lower with ART use. Infectiousness tended to be higher for low-income than high-income settings, but there was no clear pattern by direction of transmission (man-to-woman and woman-to-man).ART substantially reduces HIV-1 infectiousness within discordant couples, based on observational studies, and could play a major part in HIV-1 prevention efforts. However, the non-zero risk from partners receiving ART demonstrates that appropriate counseling and other risk-reduction strategies for discordant couples are still required. Additional estimates of ART effectiveness by adherence level from real-life settings will be important, especially for persons starting treatment early without symptoms. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
230267 | Analysing Learning in Regulatory Governance | This four-year interdisciplinary project addresses the question what has been learned through the use of better regulation ? Better regulation is a flagship policy on the Lisbon agenda for growth and jobs. Its aims are to provide new governance architectures for law-making, to increase the competitiveness of the regulatory environment, and to secure wide social legitimacy for multi-level systems of rules. Whilst most of the research has looked at how better regulation is changing, this project will produce findings on what has changed because of better regulation. Theoretically, the project will use (and significantly improve on) theories of policy learning. Empirically, it will cover Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, the UK and the EU including multi-level analysis and analysis by sector of regulation. Methodologically, the project will draw on comparative analysis of types of learning, experiments with regulatory policy-makers in six countries and the European Commission, large-n analysis of impact assessments, backward-mapping of legislation (to appraise the role played by better regulation in the formulation or laws in the UK and the EU), meta-analysis of case-studies and co-production of knowledge with better regulation officers. Dissemination will target both stakeholders (i.e., policy officers, civil society organizations, and business federations) and academic conferences in political science, law, and risk analysis, with a major research monograph to be completed in year 4 and a final interdisciplinary conference. | [
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
]
|
644266 | Chemical mutagenesis: a powerful tool for the creation of a library of nanobodies | Finding a non-aggressive treatment against Cancer is one of the most important challenges that medicine has nowadays. Immunotherapy has emerged as one of the best options to overcome the current problems of chemotherapy. By the use of monoclonal antibodies (mAb), immunotherapy is able to block regulatory checkpoints and, therefore, the immune response against tumoral cells could be modulated.
Trastuzumab, pembrolizumab and nivolumab are some of the mAb approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their use against several cancers. Trastuzumab recognizes the overexpressed protein HER2 in breast cancer, whereas the pembrolizumab and the nivolumab recognize the Programmed Cell Death-1 (PD-1) receptor and are used in several cancers such as refractory melanoma.
However, there are reported important issues concerning cancer resistance to these mAb, thus, modifying their characteristics became necessary. Unlike it happens with small molecules, there are several limitations to functionalize an antibody to improve its characteristics. In this context, chemical mutagenesis turns into a powerful tool because it allows the modification of an antibody directly with highly specific chemical reactions, and achieve changes onto its structure that would not be possible by using other techniques such as protein engineering and genetic encoding.
In this proposal I envision the use of nanobodies able to recognize HER-2 protein and PD-1 receptor in order to improve their affinity to their targets by chemical mutagenesis via alanyl radical. The success of this project would provide solutions to the cancer resistance to current immunotherapy. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
W2018649023 | P-Selectin Glycoprotein Ligand-1 Forms Dimeric Interactions with E-Selectin but Monomeric Interactions with L-Selectin on Cell Surfaces | Interactions of selectins with cell surface glycoconjugates mediate the first step of the adhesion and signaling cascade that recruits circulating leukocytes to sites of infection or injury. P-selectin dimerizes on the surface of endothelial cells and forms dimeric bonds with P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1), a homodimeric sialomucin on leukocytes. It is not known whether leukocyte L-selectin or endothelial cell E-selectin are monomeric or oligomeric. Here we used the micropipette technique to analyze two-dimensional binding of monomeric or dimeric L- and E-selectin with monomeric or dimeric PSGL-1. Adhesion frequency analysis demonstrated that E-selectin on human aortic endothelial cells supported dimeric interactions with dimeric PSGL-1 and monomeric interactions with monomeric PSGL-1. In contrast, L-selectin on human neutrophils supported monomeric interactions with dimeric or monomeric PSGL-1. Our work provides a new method to analyze oligomeric cross-junctional molecular binding at the interface of two interacting cells. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy"
]
|
interreg_2909 | Territorial Impact of EU Research & Development Policy | The project analyses the distribution of the two principal instruments of EU R&D policy: the Structural Funds and the RTD Framework Programmes.
The emerging picture of the EU's R&D geography is more complex than a simple core-periphery analysis would suggest. The spatial patterns of EU R&D policy expenditures are not evenly distributed. EU R&D policies are demonstrably impacting on the spatial geography of R&D across the EU in a number of ways. Chief amongst these are the effects of making connections between firms and research bodies across the EU and the strengthening of the capacity of individual regions to participate in research and innovation activities.
The effects of EU R&D policies are most strongly visible at the micro-scale. Within individual regions the Structural Funds are having important effects on supporting the development of research and innovation capacity.
On first sight the distribution of projects funded by the Framework Programmes appears to counteract territorial cohesion objectives, as economically stronger regions tend to have a larger number of firms and research organisations engaged in Framework Programme activities. However, closer analysis demonstrates that when economic strength is controlled for, and more particularly levels of R&D expenditure, many less favoured regions benefit disproportionately from the Framework Programmes.
The project shows that at the EU level the Framework Programmes are having a significant influence on stimulating the development of a European Innovation System through promoting linkages between researchers and companies located across the Union. These networks are actively stimulating knowledge exchange and innovation within their membership, with positive effects reported in home regions. EU R&D policy is making a strong contribution to building both individual skills and experience and to 'raising the game' of individual companies and organisations. The potential that these transnational networks offer in terms of wider spillover effects within home regions is substantial. However, current evidence suggests that the effects of this are in practice more limited. | [
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
10.1051/epjconf/201612602016 | Probing antimatter gravity - The AEGIS experiment at CERN | The weak equivalence principle states that the motion of a body in a gravitational field is independent of its structure or composition. This postulate of general relativity has been tested to very high precision with ordinary matter, but no relevant experimental verification with antimatter has ever been carried out. The AEGIS experiment will measure the gravitational acceleration of antihydrogen to ultimately 1% precision. For this purpose, a pulsed horizontal antihydrogen beam with a velocity of several 100 m s-1 will be produced. Its vertical deflection due to gravity will be detected by a setup consisting of material gratings coupled with a position-sensitive detector, operating as a moiré deflectometer or an atom interferometer. The AEGIS experiment is installed at CERN's Antiproton Decelerator, currently the only facility in the world which produces copious amounts of low-energy antiprotons. The construction of the setup has been going on since 2010 and is nearing completion. A proof-of-principle experiment with antiprotons has demonstrated that the deflection of antiparticles by a few μm due to an external force can be detected. Technological and scientific development pertaining to specific challenges of the experiment, such as antihydrogen formation by positronium charge exchange or the position-sensitive detection of antihydrogen annihilations, is ongoing. | [
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
208813 | Exploring mechanism in chemical biology by high-throughput approaches | In the biomedical sciences, where endless combinatorial diversity of genes, proteins and synthetic molecules is involved, miniaturisation has not simply allowed an increase in the speed at which experiment can be performed: it has given birth to new areas such as combinatorial chemistry and biology, proteomics, genomics, and more recently, systems and synthetic biology. In all these areas, the synthesis, assay and analysis of large molecular ensembles has become the essence of experimental progress. However, it is the systematic analysis of the enormous amounts of data generated that will ultimately lead to an understanding of fundamental chemical and biological problems. This proposal deals with approaches in which libraries of molecules are employed to give such mechanistic insight – into how enzyme catalysis is brought about in proteins and polymeric enzyme models and into the molecular recognition and cell biology of drug delivery reagents. In each case considerable technical challenges are involved in the way diversity is brought about and probed: ranging from either using the tools of synthetic chemistry to using gene repertoires in emulsion microdroplet reactors with femtolitre volumes, handled in microfluidic devices. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering"
]
|
759552 | Stereoretentive-Enantioconvergent Catalysis: A New Concept in Asymmetric Synthesis | This project will experimentally establish a new concept in asymmetric synthesis: stereoretentive-enantioconvergent catalysis. This will represent a completely new method for accessing enantiopure materials starting from racemic substrates and will therefore impact all areas of synthetic chemistry. The ability to synthesise chiral molecules in enantiopure form is vitally important, most recognisably for the pharmaceutical industry. This is because the molecules of life are chiral (e.g., D-sugars and L-amino acids) and enantiomers often interact very differently with living organisms. Classically, asymmetric synthesis utilising racemic substrates is limited to achieving a maximum yield of 50% (e.g., kinetic resolutions). Enantioconvergent catalysis avoids this limitation with both enantiomers of the starting material being converted into a single enantioenriched product, thanks to complex stereoablative or stereomutative de-racemisation processes. This project will establish a conceptually new stereoretentive-dimerisation approach that results in both enantiomers of the starting material being incorporated into the product with no de-racemisation required. This new concept will prove highly valuable for the synthesis of small enantiopure building blocks, which will be of high value in many areas of synthesis, and also for more complex late-stage transformations in complex molecule synthesis. Several approaches will be pursued to demonstrate proof-of-principle, and applications in the synthesis of complex natural and unnatural products will then be used to demonstrate the potential of stereoretentive-enantioconvergent catalysis in target-orientated synthesis. | [
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
10.1016/j.copbio.2017.08.012 | Control of plant phosphate homeostasis by inositol pyrophosphates and the SPX domain | Proteins containing a SPX domain are involved in phosphate (Pi) homeostasis, including Pi transport and adaptation to Pi deficiency. The SPX domain harbors a basic surface binding Pi at low affinity and inositol pyrophosphates (PP-InsPs) at high affinity. Genetic and biochemical studies revealed that PP-InsPs serve as ligands for the SPX domain. Residues in the PHO1 SPX domain involved in PP-InsPs binding are critical for its Pi export activity, and the interaction between SPX proteins and the PHR1 transcription factor, which results in PHR1 inactivation, is promoted by PP-InsPs. Changes in PP-InsPs levels in response to Pi deficiency may thus contribute to the adaptation of plants to stress via the modulation of the activity of SPX-containing proteins and their interactors. Modulating PP-InsP levels or the affinity/specificity of the SPX domain for PP-InsP could potentially be used to engineer crops to maintain high yield under reduced Pi fertilizer input. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering"
]
|
10.1016/j.celrep.2018.01.033 | Specific Labeling of Stem Cell Activity in Human Colorectal Organoids Using an ASCL2-Responsive Minigene | Organoid technology provides the possibility of culturing patient-derived colon tissue and colorectal cancers (CRCs) while maintaining all functional and phenotypic characteristics. Labeling stem cells, especially in normal and benign tumor organoids of human colon, is challenging and therefore limits maximal exploitation of organoid libraries for human stem cell research. Here, we developed STAR (stem cell Ascl2 reporter), a minimal enhancer/promoter element that reports transcriptional activity of ASCL2, a master regulator of LGR5 + intestinal stem cells. Using lentiviral infection, STAR drives specific expression in stem cells of normal organoids and in multiple engineered and patient-derived CRC organoids of different genetic makeup. STAR reveals that differentiation hierarchies and the potential for cell fate plasticity are present at all stages of human CRC development. Organoid technology, in combination with the user-friendly nature of STAR, will facilitate basic research into human adult stem cell biology. Oost et al. present an ASCL2-responsive minigene (STAR) that enables stem cell labeling in patient-derived colorectal cancer organoids, as well as in normal and benign colorectal tumor samples. The user-friendly nature of STAR applications in combination with organoid technology will facilitate basic research into human adult stem cell biology. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1112/topo.12056 | L2-Betti numbers of totally disconnected groups and their approximation by Betti numbers of lattices | The main result is a general approximation theorem for normalised Betti numbers for Farber sequences of lattices in totally disconnected groups. Further, we contribute to the general theory of L2-Betti numbers of totally disconnected groups and provide exact computations of the L2-Betti numbers of the Neretin group and Chevalley groups over the field of Laurent series over a finite field and their lattices. | [
"Mathematics"
]
|
W2491834215 | Quantum Engineering of a Low-Entropy Gas of Heteronuclear Bosonic Molecules in an Optical Lattice | We demonstrate a generally applicable technique for mixing two-species quantum degenerate bosonic samples in the presence of an optical lattice, and we employ it to produce low-entropy samples of ultracold 87Rb133Cs Feshbach molecules with a lattice filling fraction exceeding 30%. Starting from two spatially separated Bose-Einstein condensates of Rb and Cs atoms, Rb-Cs atom pairs are efficiently produced by using the superfluid-to-Mott insulator quantum phase transition twice, first for the Cs sample, then for the Rb sample, after nulling the Rb-Cs interaction at a Feshbach resonance's zero crossing. We form molecules out of atom pairs and characterize the mixing process in terms of sample overlap and mixing speed. The dense and ultracold sample of more than 5000 RbCs molecules is an ideal starting point for experiments in the context of quantum many-body physics with long-range dipolar interactions. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
]
|
W2362901223 | Measuring rheological properties of polymer with torque-rheometer | A temperature corrected equation is developed to measure rheological parameters of the crystalline and amorphous polymer in torque rheometer,and rheological results were compared with capillary rheometer results.The results showed that the activity energy and flow index data measured with torque rheometer were in good accordance with those measured with capillary rheometer.When measuring the rheological parameters,the torque values measured should be corrected for the temperature rise due to viscous dissipation.Equivalent radius was a quantity depending only on geometrical dimensions of the mixer but independent of the nature of the fluid and the mixing conditions.Torque rheometer has a narrow range of shear rate. | [
"Materials Engineering",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
SE 8100309 W | A PROCESS AND A COMPOSITION TO IMPROVE THE COMBUSTION OF FUELS | A process and a composition for improving the combustion of fuels for the generation of energy with reduced corrosion and lowered deposition on heat-transferring and other surfaces, the combustion zone being supplied with a catalyst containing at least the elements Al, Mg, Mn and Zn in a quantity active for efficient combustion. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1109/TVT.2018.2789498 | Energy Spectral Efficiency Analysis And Optimization Of Heterogeneous Cellular Networks A Large Scale User Behavior Perspective | Heterogeneous cellular networks (HCNs) are capable of meeting the explosive mobile-traffic demands. However, the conventional base station (BS) deployment strategy is unsuitable for supporting the often unpredictable nonuniform mobile-traffic demands, as governed by the large-scale user behavior (LUB). This results in the inefficient exploitation of the system's resources. In this paper, we develop an analytical framework for characterizing the achievable energy-spectral-efficiency (ESE) of HCNs, which explicitly quantifies the relationship between the network's ESE and the randomly time-varying LUBs as well as other network deployment parameters. Specifically, we model the quantitative impact of the geographical mobile-traffic intensity, the load migration factor, the users’ required service rate and the per-tier BS densities on the achievable ESE of the network, while considering the area-spectral-efficiency requirements. Importantly, a closed-form ESE expression is derived, which enables us to explicitly analyze the properties of the network's ESE. Furthermore, the optimal LUB-aware BS deployment strategy is proposed for maximizing the ESE under specific outage constraints. Using numerical simulations, we verify the accuracy of the analytical ESE expression and quantify the impact of several relevant system parameters on the achievable ESE. Furthermore, we evaluate the achievable ESE performance of the network under diverse time-varying LUB scenarios. Our work, therefore, provides valuable insights for designing future ultradense HCNs. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1111/pce.12927 | HOP3, a member of the HOP family in Arabidopsis, interacts with BiP and plays a major role in the ER stress response | HSP70-HSP90 organizing protein (HOP) is a well-studied family of cytosolic cochaperones. However, the possible role of HOP during the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response and the identity of its interactors within the ER were not previously addressed in any eukaryote. We have demonstrated that Arabidopsis HOP3, whose function was not studied before, interacts in vivo with cytosolic HSP90 and HSP70, and, unexpectedly, with binding immunoglobulin protein (BiP), a HSP70 ER-resident protein. Although BiP lacks the domain described in other eukaryotes for HOP-HSP70 binding, it interacts with HOP3 through a non-canonical association to its nucleotide binding domain. Consistent with this interaction with BiP, HOP3 is partially localized at the ER. Moreover, HOP3 is induced both at transcript and protein levels by unfolded protein response (UPR) inducer agents by a mechanism dependent on inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1). Importantly, hop3 loss-of-function mutants show a reduction in pollen germination and a hypersensitive phenotype in the presence of ER stress inducer agents, a phenotype that is reverted by the addition of the chemical chaperone tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA). All these data demonstrate, for the first time in any eukaryote, a main role of HOP as an important regulator of the ER stress response, a process intimately linked in plants to important specific developmental programs and to environmental stress sensing and response. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
10.1016/j.jas.2019.105011 | Innovative Neanderthals: Results from an integrated analytical approach applied to backed stone tools | The production of prepared backed artifacts during the Paleolithic is recognized as an important step in the design of stone tools for manual activities and the development of human tool ergonomics. Backed artifacts are generally identified as proxies of so-called “modern” behavior, partly because they tend to be associated with systematic hafting, but mostly because they are widespread within Middle Stone Age (MSA) or Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) assemblages attributed to anatomically modern humans. However, in Europe these tools were first manufactured by Neanderthal groups associated with the Mousterian of Acheulean Tradition (MAT) techno-complex and Discoid and Levallois technologies, using a range of flake blanks. Investigating the reasons for this behavioral leap forward can help to unravel the development and diffusion of various aspects defining the behavioral complexity of Paleolithic humans. In this paper we present a detailed analysis of one of the oldest and richest collections of prepared backed items preserved in Europe. We study several dozens of what – in a broad sense – are considered backed artifacts, with both natural and predetermined knapped backs, recovered from unit A9 at Fumane Cave, which is dated to at least 47. 6 cal ky, and is characterized by discoid technology. Our methodology integrates results obtained from technological, techno-functional and use-wear analyses, further supported by experimental data. Two distinctive types of anthropogenic modifications have been identified, both aimed at creating a back or at modifying and accommodating an already existing back. By cross-checking our results with use-wear data, we show that some of these modifications were aimed at adjusting the shapes of the tools (knives and/or scrapers) for manual handling, although traces consistent with hafting have been recognized on a few specimens. Contextual information allows us to infer that these adjustments involved mainly tools used in precision activities, whose design and production implies varying levels of expertise and technical skills. Although still not systematic or standardized, the kinds of complex tool-making implied by backing can be considered as typical feature in the technological repertoires of late Neanderthals. | [
"The Study of the Human Past"
]
|
W2151663754 | A unified online directed acyclic graph flow manager for multicore schedulers | Numerous Directed-Acyclic Graph (DAG) schedulers have been developed to improve the energy efficiency of various multi-core systems. However, the DAG monitoring modules proposed by these schedulers make a priori assumptions about the workload and relationship between the task dependencies. Thus, schedulers are limited to work on a limited subset of DAG models. To address this problem, we propose a unified online DAG monitoring solution independent from the connected scheduler and able to handle all possible DAG models. Our novel low-complexity solution processes online the DAG of the application and provides relevant information about each task that can be used by any scheduler connected to it. Using H.264/AVC video decoding as an illustrative application and multiple configurations of complex synthetic DAGs, we demonstrate that our solution connected to an external simple energy-efficient scheduler is able to achieve significant improvements in energy-efficiency and deadline miss rates compared to existing approaches. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1038/nm.4022 | PD-1 immune checkpoint blockade reduces pathology and improves memory in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease | Systemic immune suppression may curtail the ability to mount the protective, cell-mediated immune responses that are needed for brain repair. By using mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD), we show that immune checkpoint blockade directed against the programmed death-1 (PD-1) pathway evokes an interferon (IFN)-γ-dependent systemic immune response, which is followed by the recruitment of monocyte-derived macrophages to the brain. When induced in mice with established pathology, this immunological response leads to clearance of cerebral amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and improved cognitive performance. Repeated treatment sessions were required to maintain a long-lasting beneficial effect on disease pathology. These findings suggest that immune checkpoints may be targeted therapeutically in AD. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy"
]
|
W2902843131 | Cooperative Defense Strategy for Active Aircraft Protection Considering Launch Time of Defense Missile | An aircraft can equip itself with a defense missile for active protection against an attack missile. Although a lot of strategies for cooperation between the aircraft and the defense missile have been studied, little attention has been paid to the early phase of the engagement. In this study, a cooperative defense strategy considering both launch and boost phase of the defense missile is proposed based on geometric approach. The strategy is derived to provide kinematic advantages to the defense team before it enters the end-game phase. Launch time of the defense missile is computed from the collision geometry. Numerical simulation demonstrates that the proposed defense strategy is useful for the defense team having no advantages on velocity and maneuverability over the adversary. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
10.1016/j.gca.2017.03.019 | Iron oxide reduction in methane-rich deep Baltic Sea sediments | Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and its emission from marine sediments to the atmosphere is largely controlled by anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM). Traditionally, sulfate is considered to be the most important electron acceptor for AOM in marine sediments. Recent evidence suggests, however, that AOM may also be coupled to the reduction of iron (Fe) oxides. In the Baltic Sea, the post-glacial transition from the Ancylus freshwater phase to the Littorina brackish/marine phase (A/L-transition) around 9–7 kyr BP (before present), resulted in the accumulation of organic-rich brackish/marine sediments overlying organic-poor limnic deposits rich in Fe oxides. Methane produced in the organic-rich layer diffuses into the lake sediments, thus allowing for the possible coupling between Fe oxide reduction and methane oxidation. Here, we combine detailed geochemical analyses of the sediment and pore water retrieved from three sites that were drilled during the IODP Baltic Sea Paleoenvironment Expedition 347 with multicomponent diagenetic modeling to study the possible role of Fe-mediated AOM as a mechanism for the apparent Fe oxide reduction in the methane-bearing lake deposits below the A/L transition. Our results reveal a complex interplay between production, oxidation and transport of methane showing that besides organoclastic Fe reduction, oxidation of downward migrating methane with Fe oxides may also explain the elevated concentrations of dissolved ferrous Fe in deep Baltic Sea sediments. Our findings imply that the transition of a lake toward a marine system could lead to reactivation of deeply buried, mostly crystalline Fe oxides in organic-poor lake deposits through reactions with downward diffusing methane from the overlying organic-rich marine sediments. Based on the geochemical profiles and numerical modeling, we propose that a potential coupling between Fe oxide reduction and methane oxidation likely affects deep Fe cycling and related biogeochemical processes, such as burial of phosphorus, in systems subject to changes in organic matter loading or bottom water salinity. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.1017/jfm.2014.217 | Conditions for extreme wave runup on a vertical barrier by nonlinear dispersion | AbstractThe runup of long strongly nonlinear waves impinging on a vertical wall can exceed six times the far-field amplitude of the incoming waves. This outcome stems from a precursory evolution process in which the wave height undergoes strong amplification due to the combined action of nonlinear steepening and dispersion, resulting in the formation of nonlinearly dispersive wave trains, i. e. undular bores. This part of the problem is first analysed separately, with emphasis on the wave amplitude growth rate during the development of undular bores within an evolving large-scale background. The growth of the largest wave in the group is seen to reflect the asymptotic time scaling provided by nonlinear modulation theory rather closely, even in the case of fully nonlinear evolution and moderately slow modulations. In order to address the effect of such a dynamics on the subsequent wall runup, numerical simulations of evolving long-wave groups are then carried out in a computational wave tank delimited by vertical walls. Conditions for optimal runup efficiency are sought with respect to the main physical parameters characterizing the incident waves, namely the wavelength, the length of the propagation path and the initial amplitude. Extreme runup is found to be strongly correlated to the ratio between the available propagation time and the shallow-water nonlinear time scale. The problem is studied in the twofold mathematical framework of the fully nonlinear free-surface Euler equations and the strongly nonlinear Serre–Green–Naghdi model. The performance of the reduced model in providing accurate long-time predictions can therefore be assessed. | [
"Mathematics",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
W2025882531 | Blind processing: Securing data against system administrators | Multi-owner systems such as power grid need information from all parties to operate efficiently. However, in general, information sharing is limited by market and other constraints. In addition, the emerging problem of demand side management in distribution systems as a part of “smarter grid” efforts, secure communication and execution between the utilities and the customers is required to ensure the privacy. In this paper, we propose blind processing, a novel communication and execution approach for entities that compete with each other but need to cooperate for the overall good of the system. Our goal is to allow information exchange between system components with protection mechanisms against everyone including system administrators. Shielding information will prevent gaining access to the sensitive data while providing a complete picture of the whole system in computations. Such a security mechanism can be provided by employing the functionality of Trusted Computing, a security technology that utilizes hardware and software modules to improve the trustworthiness of a system. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1002/celc.201801503 | Studying Direct Electron Transfer by Site-Directed Immobilization of Cellobiose Dehydrogenase | Covalent coupling between a surface-exposed cysteine residue and maleimide groups was used to immobilize variants of Myriococcum thermophilum cellobiose dehydrogenase (MtCDH) at multiwall carbon nanotube electrodes. By introducing individual cysteine residues at particular places on the surface of the flavodehydrogenase domain of the flavocytochrome, we are able to immobilize the different variants in different orientations. Our results show that direct electron transfer (DET) occurs exclusively through the haem b cofactor and that the redox potential of the haem is unaffected by the orientation of the enzyme. Electron transfer between the haem and the electrode is fast in all cases and, at high glucose concentrations, the catalytic currents are limited by the rate of inter-domain electron transfer (IET) between the FAD and the haem. Using ferrocene carboxylic acid as a mediator, we find that the total amount of immobilized enzyme is 4 to 5 times greater than the amount of enzyme that participates in DET. The role of IET in the overall DET catalysed oxidation was also demonstrated by the effects of changing Ca 2+ concentration and by proteolytic cleavage of the cytochrome domain on the DET and MET currents. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
290981 | Frontiers in Plasmonics: Transformation Optics, Quantum and Non-linear phenomena | The overall objective of this proposal is to work in depth along three ground-breaking lines of research that are at the cutting edge of the current research in Plasmonics. These three subjects have strong overlap and are:
1) Non-linear phenomena and Plasmonic lasing: the introduction of optical-gain media into plasmonic waveguides has proven to be a feasible way to overcome the inherent losses within the metal. In order to reveal the physics behind this phenomenon, we intend to develop a new ab-initio theoretical framework that should combine the resolution of classical Maxwell’s equations with a quantum-mechanical treatment of the molecules forming the optical-gain medium. Within this formalism we also aim to analyze in depth very recent proposals of plasmon-based nano-lasers, the design of active devices based on surface plasmons and the use of optical-gain media in metallic metamaterials.
2) Transformation Optics for Plasmonics: we plan to apply the idea of Transformation Optics in connection with the concept of Metamaterials to devise new strategies for molding the propagation of surface plasmons in nanostructured metal surfaces. Additionally, we will use the Transformation Optics formalism to treat quasi-analytically non-local effects in plasmonic structures.
3) Quantum Plasmonics: several aspects of this new line of research will be tackled. Among others, fundamental studies of the coherence of surface plasmons that propagate along different metal waveguides after being generated by quantum emitters. A very promising line of research to explore will be plasmon-mediated interaction between qubits, taking advantage of the quasi-one-dimensional character of plasmonic waveguides. Strong-coupling phenomena between molecules and surface plasmons and the design of practical scenarios in which entanglement of surface plasmons could take place will be also addressed. We also plan to study how to generate surface plasmons with orbital angular momentum. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
W2050864658 | Northern hemisphere winter climate response to greenhouse gas, ozone, solar, and volcanic forcing | The Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) climate/middle atmosphere model has been used to study the impacts of increasing greenhouse gases, polar ozone depletion, volcanic eruptions, and solar cycle variability. We focus on the projection of the induced responses onto Northern Hemisphere winter surface climate. Changes in the model's surface climate take place largely through enhancement of existing variability patterns, with greenhouse gases, polar ozone depletion and volcanic eruptions primarily affecting the Arctic Oscillation (AO) pattern. Perturbations descend from the stratosphere to the surface in the model by altering the propagation of planetary waves coming up from the surface, in accord with observational evidence. Models lacking realistic stratospheric dynamics fail to capture these wave flux changes. The results support the conclusion that the stratosphere plays a crucial role in recent AO trends. We show that in our climate model, while ozone depletion has a significant effect, greenhouse gas forcing is the only one capable of causing the large, sustained increase in the AO observed over recent decades. This suggests that the AO trend, and a concurrent strengthening of the stratospheric vortex over the Arctic, are very likely anthropogenic in origin. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
219654 | Impact of environmental tobacco smoke on incidence and outcomes of dementia. | Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) remains prevalent globally. Its association with dementia is unclear. We propose to investigate impacts of ETS on dementia risk and outcomes, and examine levels and determinants of ETS exposure post dementia. In a case-control study in the UK we will recruit 150 elders aged>=75 years with newly diagnosed dementia, 150 with already diagnosed dementia and 150 without dementia from the Royal Wolverhampton hospital. Each participant will be interviewed for socio-demography and risk factors and have saliva samples taken for cotinine analysis. Using multivariate logistic regression models we will examine the association of ETS measured by cotinine with newly diagnosed dementia, and identify factors influencing ETS exposure in people with already diagnosed dementia. We will analyse data from a cohort of 6071 participants aged >=60 years in China, who had the details of ETS exposure recorded in a 5-province health survey in 2007-2009 and were re-interviewed in 2010-2012 to diagnose incident dementia. We will examine incident dementia in relation to baseline ETS exposure, and the impact of ETS exposure on mortality and multimobidity in participants with dementia using multiple adjusted Cox regression models. In the UK we will further run 2 focus groups and explore preventive measures of ETS exposure in older people with and without dementia. Our rich data, including a biomarker elevated upon exposure to ETS will offer internationally applicable insights into the impacts of ETS on dementia incidence and outcomes. Throughout the research project, use of varied study and research methodologies and rigourous training courses, our Fellow will develop his leadership skills and further his career in public health research. The project will strengthen a long-term collaboration between China and EU partners, and will provide Europe with new data to prevent dementia and to reduce ETS. | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
10.1007/978-3-642-22233-7_27 | Model Based Dynamic And Adaptive Visualization For Multi Domain Search Results | Search systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their capacity of building result sets that are not mere lists of documents but articulated combinations of concepts retrieved from different domains. This paper investigates the models for the result sets and the visualization spaces, and model-to-model transformations to dynamically suggest optimized visualizations for multi-domain search results. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
219560 | White light emitting lanthanide metal complexes for electroluminescent materials | There is an urgent need to develop a new generation of more efficient and durable illumination sources to surpass the
limitations of the conventional lighting systems. Solid State Lighting sources based on Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) or
Organic LEDs (OLEDs) devices are emerging as the next generation systems for general illumination. White LEDs on the
market outperform the traditional incandescent and fluorescent lamps, both in term of efficiency and lifetime. More work has
still to be done to develop their organic counterpart, OLEDs. These offer the distinctive possibility to fabricate large area flat
and also flexible devices by vacuum or solution processing, i.e. by potentially less expensive and less energy-consuming
production protocols. For this, the development of electroluminescent materials that show high brightness, easy synthesis,
good chemical and electrical stability, low cost, and simple processing is actively pursued. In this context, WHITELIGHT
targets the development of single-molecule white light emitting materials for the fabrication of OLEDs, containing Eu(III)
(red), Tb(III) (green) lanthanide ions and bis(2-pyridyl)amine based ligands (blue) emitters. This is a very ambitious and
multidisciplinary goal that requires a range of expertise spanning from theoretical chemistry to physical device fabrication
and testing. The research unit at the hosting institution has a strong background in the photophysics of materials for light/
energy conversion, complemented by an expertise in the design and synthesis of organic luminescent materials, as well as
the fabrication and testing of electroluminescent devices. On the other hand, the Experienced Researcher has a strong
background in the synthesis of luminescent lanthanide complexes. This unique combination of expertise is a major factor for
the successful implementation of the proposed research. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
10.1378/chest.14-1678 | T-helper 17 cell polarization in pulmonary arterial hypertension | BACKGROUND: Inflammation may contribute to the pathobiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Deciphering the PAH fingerprint on the inflammation orchestrated by dendritic cells (DCs) and T cells, key driver and effector cells, respectively, of the immune system, may allow the identification of immunopathologic approaches to PAH management. METHODS: Using flow cytometry, we performed immunophenotyping of monocyte-derived DCs (MoDCs) and circulating lymphocytes from patients with idiopathic PAH and control subjects. With the same technique, we performed cytokine profiling of both populations following stimulation, coculture, or both. We tested the immunomodulatory effects of a glucocorticoid (dexamethasone [Dex]) on this immunophenotype and cytokine profile. Using an epigenetic approach, we confirmed the immune polarization in blood DNA of patients with PAH. RESULTS: The profile of membrane costimulatory molecules of PAH MoDCs was similar to that of control subjects. However, PAH MoDCs retained higher levels of the T-cell activating molecules CD86 and CD40 after Dex pretreatment than did control MoDCs. This was associated with an increased expression of IL-12p40 and a reduced migration toward chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 21. Moreover, both with and without Dex, PAH MoDCs induced a higher activation and proliferation of CD4+ T cells, associated with a reduced expression of IL-4 (T helper 2 response) and a higher expression of IL-17 (T helper 17 response). Purified PAH CD4+ T cells expressed a higher level of IL-17 after activation than did those of control subjects. Lastly, there was significant hypomethylation of the IL-17 promoter in the PAH blood DNA as compared with the control blood. CONCLUSIONS: We have highlighted T helper 17 cell immune polarization in patients with PAH, as has been previously demonstrated in other chronic inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1051/0004-6361/201833933 | The Fornax Deep Survey With The Vst Iv A Size And Magnitude Limited Catalog Of Dwarf Galaxies In The Area Of The Fornax Cluster | Context. The Fornax Deep Survey (FDS), an imaging survey in the u', g', r', and i'-bands, has a supreme resolution and image depth compared to the previous spatially complete Fornax Cluster Catalog (FCC). Our new data allows us to study the galaxies down to r'-band magnitude m(r') approximate to 21 mag (M-r' approximate to -10. 5 mag), which opens a new parameter regime to investigate the evolution of dwarf galaxies in the cluster environment. After the Virgo cluster, Fornax is the second nearest galaxy cluster to us, and with its different mass and evolutionary state, it provides a valuable comparison that makes it possible to understand the various evolutionary effects on galaxies and galaxy clusters. These data provide an important legacy dataset to study the Fornax cluster. Aims. We aim to present the Fornax Deep Survey (FDS) dwarf galaxy catalog, focusing on explaining the data reduction and calibrations, assessing the quality of the data, and describing the methods used for defining the cluster memberships and first order morphological classifications for the catalog objects. We also describe the main scientific questions that will be addressed based on the catalog. This catalog will also be invaluable for future follow-up studies of the Fornax cluster dwarf galaxies. Methods. As a first step we used the SExtractor fine-tuned for dwarf galaxy detection, to find galaxies from the FDS data, covering a 26 deg(2) area of the main cluster up to its virial radius, and the area around the Fornax A substructure. We made 2D-decompositions of the identified galaxies using GALFIT, measure the aperture colors, and the basic morphological parameters like concentration and residual flux fraction. We used color-magnitude, luminosity-radius and luminosity-concentration relations to separate the cluster galaxies from the background galaxies. We then divided the cluster galaxies into early- and late-type galaxies according to their morphology and gave first order morphological classifications using a combination of visual and parametric classifications. Results. Our final catalog includes 14 095 galaxies. We classify 590 galaxies as being likely Fornax cluster galaxies, of which 564 are dwarfs (M-r' (') > -18. 5 mag) consisting our Fornax dwarf catalog. Of the cluster dwarfs we classify 470 as early-types, and 94 as late-type galaxies. Our final catalog reaches its 50% completeness limit at magnitude M-r' = -10. 5 mag and surface brightness (mu) over bar (e,r') = 26 mag arcsec(-2), which is approximately three magnitudes deeper than the FCC. Based on previous works and comparison with a spectroscopically confirmed subsample, we estimate that our final Fornax dwarf galaxy catalog has less than or similar to 10% contamination from the background objects. | [
"Universe Sciences"
]
|
10.3934/dcds.2019144 | On the probabilistic well-posedness of the nonlinear Schrodinger equations with non-algebraic nonlinearities | We consider the Cauchy problem for the nonlinear Schrodinger equations (NLS) with non-algebraic nonlinearities on the Euclidean space. In particular, we study the energy-critical NLS on R d , d = 5, 6, and energy-critical NLS without gauge invariance and prove that they are almost surely locally well-posed with respect to randomized initial data below the energy space. We also study the long time behavior of solutions to these equations: (i) we prove almost sure global well-posedness of the (standard) energy-critical NLS on R d , d = 5,6, in the defocusing case, and (ii) we present a probabilistic construction of finite time blowup solutions to the energy-critical NLS without gauge invariance below the energy space. | [
"Mathematics"
]
|
W1518481858 | Novel Method of Fabricating Individual Trays for Maxillectomy Patients by Computer-Aided Design and Rapid Prototyping | Making impressions for maxillectomy patients is an essential but difficult task. This study developed a novel method to fabricate individual trays by computer-aided design (CAD) and rapid prototyping (RP) to simplify the process and enhance patient safety.Five unilateral maxillectomy patients were recruited for this study. For each patient, a computed tomography (CT) scan was taken. Based on the 3D surface reconstruction of the target area, an individual tray was manufactured by CAD/RP. With a conventional custom tray as control, two final impressions were made using the different types of tray for each patient. The trays were sectioned, and in each section the thickness of the material was measured at six evenly distributed points. Descriptive statistics and paired t-test were used to examine the difference of the impression thickness. SAS 9.3 was applied in the statistical analysis. Afterwards, all casts were then optically 3D scanned and compared digitally to evaluate the feasibility of this method.Impressions of all five maxillectomy patients were successfully made with individual trays fabricated by CAD/RP and traditional trays. The descriptive statistics of impression thickness measurement showed slightly more uneven results in the traditional trays, but no statistical significance was shown. A 3D digital comparison showed acceptable discrepancies within 1 mm in the majority of cast areas. The largest difference of 3 mm was observed in the buccal wall of the defective areas. Moderate deviations of 1 to 2 mm were detected in the buccal and labial vestibular groove areas.This study confirmed the feasibility of a novel method of fabricating individual trays by CAD/RP. Impressions made by individual trays manufactured using CAD/RP had a uniform thickness, with an acceptable level of accuracy compared to those made through conventional processes. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1021/jacs.9b09885 | Uniform Biodegradable Fiber-Like Micelles and Block Comicelles via "living" Crystallization-Driven Self-Assembly of Poly(l -lactide) Block Copolymers: The Importance of Reducing Unimer Self-Nucleation via Hydrogen Bond Disruption | Fiber-like micelles based on biodegradable and biocompatible polymers exhibit considerable promise for applications in nanomedicine, but until recently no convenient methods were available to prepare samples with uniform and controllable dimensions and spatial control of functionality. "Living" crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) is a seeded growth method of growing importance for the preparation of uniform 1D and 2D core-shell nanoparticles from a range of crystallizable polymeric amphiphiles. However, in the case of poly(l-lactide) (PLLA), arguably the most widely utilized biodegradable polymer as the crystallizable core-forming block, the controlled formation of uniform fiber-like structures over a substantial range of lengths by "living" CDSA has been a major challenge. Herein, we demonstrate that via simple modulation of the solvent conditions via the addition of trifluoroethanol (TFE), DMSO, DMF and acetone, uniform fiber-like nanoparticles from PLLA diblock copolymers with controlled lengths up to 1 μm can be prepared. The probable mechanism involves improved unimer solvation by a reduction of hydrogen bonding interactions among PLLA chains. We provide evidence that this minimizes undesirable unimer aggregation which otherwise favors self-nucleation that competes with epitaxial crystallization from seed termini. This approach has also allowed the formation of well-defined segmented block comicelles with PLLA cores via the sequential seeded-growth of PLLA block copolymers with different corona-forming blocks. | [
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Materials Engineering",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.24033/asens.2389 | Skeletons and moduli of Stokes torsors | - We prove an analog for Stokes torsors of Deligne's skeleton conjecture and deduce from it the representability of the functor of relative Stokes torsors by an affine scheme of finite type over C. This provides, in characteristic 0, a local analog of the existence of a coarse moduli for skeletons with bounded ramification, due to Deligne. As an application, we use the geometry of this moduli to derive quite strong finiteness results for integrable systems of differential equations in several variables which did not have any analog in one variable. | [
"Mathematics"
]
|
W2063736823 | The Art of Developing Autonomic Systems - The ASSL Approach | Autonomic Computing is a rapidly growing IT field that promises a new approach to developing largescale complex computing systems. The AC paradigm aims at handling complexity through self-management by transforming computing systems into autonomic systems. There are many kinds of knowledge that need to be considered for the development of autonomic systems. These are domain knowledge, control knowledge, explanatory knowledge, and system knowledge. Autonomic System Specification Language, or ASSL, is an AC-dedicated framework providing a powerful formal notation and computational tools that help developers with problem formation, system design, system analysis and evaluation, and system implementation. The ASSL framework provides a powerful formal notation and suitable mature tool support that allow ASSL specifications to be edited and validated and Java code to be generated from any valid formal specification. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1038/s41467-017-00911-y | HDAC6 inhibition reverses axonal transport defects in motor neurons derived from FUS-ALS patients | Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorder due to selective loss of motor neurons (MNs). Mutations in the fused in sarcoma (FUS) gene can cause both juvenile and late onset ALS. We generated and characterized induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from ALS patients with different FUS mutations, as well as from healthy controls. Patient-derived MNs show typical cytoplasmic FUS pathology, hypoexcitability, as well as progressive axonal transport defects. Axonal transport defects are rescued by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genetic correction of the FUS mutation in patient-derived iPSCs. Moreover, these defects are reproduced by expressing mutant FUS in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), whereas knockdown of endogenous FUS has no effect, confirming that these pathological changes are mutant FUS dependent. Pharmacological inhibition as well as genetic silencing of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) increase α-tubulin acetylation, endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-mitochondrial overlay, and restore the axonal transport defects in patient-derived MNs. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1098/rsbl.2012.0239 | Evolution of clonal populations approaching a fitness peak | Populations facing novel environments are expected to evolve through the accumulation of adaptive substitutions. The dynamics of adaptation depend on the fitness landscape and possibly on the genetic background on which new mutations arise. Here, we model the dynamics of adaptive evolution at the phenotypic and genotypic levels, focusing on a Fisherian landscape characterized by a single peak. We find that Fisher's geometrical model of adaptation, extended to allow for small random environmental variations, is able to explain several features made recently in experimentally evolved populations. Consistent with data on populations evolving under controlled conditions, the model predicts that mean population fitness increases rapidly when populations face novel environments and then achieves a dynamic plateau, the rate of molecular evolution is remarkably constant over long periods of evolution, mutators are expected to invade and patterns of epistasis vary along the adaptive walk. Negative epistasis is expected in the initial steps of adaptation but not at later steps, a prediction that remains to be tested. Furthermore, populations are expected to exhibit high levels of phenotypic diversity at all times during their evolution. This implies that populations are possibly able to adapt rapidly to novel abiotic environments. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1017/jfm.2015.269 | Tracer trajectories and displacement due to a micro-swimmer near a surface | We study tracer particle transport due to flows created by a self-propelled micro-swimmer, such as a swimming bacterium, alga or a microscopic artificial swimmer. Recent theoretical work has shown that as a swimmer moves in the fluid bulk along an infinite straight path, tracer particles far from its path perform closed loops, whereas those close to the swimmer are entrained by its motion. However, in biologically and technologically important cases tracer transport is significantly altered for swimmers that move in a run-and-tumble fashion with a finite persistence length, and/or in the presence of a free surface or a solid boundary. Here we present a systematic analytical and numerical study exploring the resultant regimes and their crossovers. Our focus is on describing qualitative features of the tracer particle transport and developing quantitative tools for its analysis. Our work is a step towards understanding the ecological effects of flows created by swimming organisms, such as enhanced fluid mixing and biofilm formation. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
W2034675877 | The simplified modified nucleolus of a cooperative TU-game | In the present paper, we introduce a new solution concept for TU-games, the simplified modified nucleolus or the SM-nucleolus. It is based on the idea of the modified nucleolus (the modiclus) and takes into account both the constructive power and the blocking power of a coalition. The SM-nucleolus inherits this convenient property from the modified nucleolus, but it avoids its high computational complexity. We prove that the SM-nucleolus of an arbitrary n-person TU-game coincides with the prenucleolus of a certain n-person constant-sum game, which is constructed as the average of the game and its dual. Some properties of the new solution are discussed. We show that the SM-nucleolus coincides with the Shapley value for three-person games. However, this does not hold for general n-person cooperative TU-games. To confirm this fact, a counter example is presented in the paper. On top of this, we give several examples that illustrate similarities and differences between the SM-nucleolus and well-known solution concepts for TU-games. Finally, the SM-nucleolus is applied to the weighted voting games. | [
"Mathematics",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
IB 0101462 W | SYSTEM AND METHOD OF BOOTSTRAPPING A TEMPORARY PUBLIC -KEY INFRASTRUCTURE FROM A CELLULAR TELECOMMUNICATION AUTHENTICATION AND BILLING INFRASTRUCTURE | A system, method and computer program for ordering, paying for and delivering goods and services through the use of certificates. These certificates insure that the buyer is only billed once for the good or service purchased and only for the correct amount. This system, method and computer program employs the authentication center used to enable access to a telecommunication infrastructure to bootstrap a public-key infrastructure. This system, method and computer program will validate the identity of the mobile station being used utilizing log term keys stored in the mobile station and an authentication center. The system, method and computer program will then utilize these keys and variables to generate digital certificates and signatures which enable the purchase of goods and services using a mobile station. The gateway will then verify the authenticity of any charges made based on the digital certificates and signatures received. Thus, a user of this system, method and computer program can purchase goods and services without fear of fraud or errors. This mobile station may be a cellular phone and when used with this system, method and computer program the cellular phone may be used similarly to a credit card but with the advantage of little possibility of fraud or error. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1134/S0021364017230102 | Magnetoabsorption Of Dirac Fermions In Inas Gasb Inas Three Layer Gapless Quantum Wells | Cyclotron resonance spectra in high magnetic fields up to 34 T in InAs/GaSb/InAs “three-layer” quantum wells with gapless Dirac fermions have been studied. In quantizing magnetic fields, an absorption line associated with transitions from the lower Landau levels of electrons in a subband with a “conical” dispersion relation has been detected. Experimental energies of the transitions have been compared to theoretical calculations with the eight-band Kane Hamiltonian. The results confirm the gapless band structure of the studied samples. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1093/mnras/stw2911 | The Herschel-ATLAS: A sample of 500 μm-selected lensed galaxies over 600 deg<sup>2</sup> | We present a sample of 80 candidate strongly lensed galaxies with flux density above 100 mJy at 500 μm extracted from the Herschel Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey, over an area of 600 deg2. Available imaging and spectroscopic data allow us to confirm the strong lensing in 20 cases and to reject it in one case. For other eight objects, the lensing scenario is strongly supported by the presence of two sources along the same line of sight with distinct photometric redshifts. The remaining objects await more follow-up observations to confirm their nature. The lenses and the background sources have median redshifts zL = 0. 6 and zS = 2. 5, respectively, and are observed out to zL =1. 2 and zS =4. 2. We measure the number counts of candidate lensed galaxies at 500 μm and compare them with theoretical predictions, finding a good agreement for a maximummagnification of the background sources in the range 10-20. These values are consistent with the magnification factors derived from the lens modelling of individual systems. The catalogue presented here provides sub-mm bright targets for follow-up observations aimed at exploiting gravitational lensing, to study with unprecedented details the morphological and dynamical properties of dusty star-forming regions in z ≳ 1. 5 galaxies. | [
"Universe Sciences"
]
|
W2108863762 | Ultrasound instrumentation and physics—a review with test questions | Ultrasound refers to any sound whose frequency is above the audible range (i.e., >20 kHz). Ultrasound transducers use piezoelectric crystals to convert electric signals into mechanical vibrations and pressure waves, and can detect any returning pressure waves converting them back into electric signals; serving a dual role of both pulse transmission and echo detection. Oscillations per second of the piezoelectric element in the transducer establish the frequency of the ultrasound wave. Frequency is expressed in cycles per second, or hertz (Hz). Diagnostic ultrasound transducers use transducer-emitting frequencies in the 1 MHz to 30 MHz (1 million to 30 million Hz) frequency range. Transducer frequencies used in clinical applications are: | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
interreg_365 | Anthropic park of the Aquileia countryside, Karst and Slovenian coastal area | This project concerns the study of an innovative cultural-tourist development plan which, by means of a suitable GIS (Geographic Information System), can foster the integration of available resources on the territory according to thematic itineraries. In particular, a network will be set up among the various territories, by means of multimedia and virtual technologies, so as to diversify and better qualify the tourist offer. The peculiarities of the interested area - which comprises seventeen municipalities of the Eastern Low Friuli plain - are enhanced through workshops intended to qualify human resources in a framework of cross-border cooperation and system harmonization with the municipalities on the coast and in the Slovenian Karst. The creation of the Anthropic Park of the Aquileia countryside in the Karst and Slovenian coast areas will make it possible to enhance the specificity and existing connections of the common heritage. A feasibility study of the project will be carried out (planning, coordination, surveys, data processing and dissemination of results) and a GIS will be set up to promote and develop tourist activities, in order to connect mapmaking - even historical mapmaking - of the territory with a large data bank containing all its tourist-cultural peculiarities. Lastly, multimedia stations will be set up in order to provide tourist and cultural information, and websites will be created for the interested municipalities concerned, also posting online the thematic itineraries available on the territory. The web portal “Terre di Aquileia” offers the opportunity, thanks to its flexible, dynamic and multilingual nature, to enhance the local tourist-cultural heritage, also through the exact positioning of said itineraries on the maps of the area, that will be available online using GIS tools. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space"
]
|
10.1371/journal.pone.0195448 | Personality traits in companion dogs—Results from the VIDOPET | Individual behavioural differences in pet dogs are of great interest from a basic and applied research perspective. Most existing dog personality tests have specific (practical) goals in mind and so focused only on a limited aspect of dogs’ personality, such as identifying problematic (aggressive or fearful) behaviours, assessing suitability as working dogs, or improving the results of adoption. Here we aimed to create a comprehensive test of personality in pet dogs that goes beyond traditional practical evaluations by exposing pet dogs to a range of situations they might encounter in everyday life. The Vienna Dog Personality Test (VIDOPET) consists of 15 subtests and was performed on 217 pet dogs. A two-step data reduction procedure (principal component analysis on each subtest followed by an exploratory factor analysis on the subtest components) yielded five factors: Sociability-obedience, Activity-independence, Novelty seeking, Problem orientation, and Frustration tolerance. A comprehensive evaluation of reliability and validity measures demonstrated excellent inter- and intra-observer reliability and adequate internal consistency of all factors. Moreover the test showed good temporal consistency when re-testing a subsample of dogs after an average of 3. 8 years—a considerably longer test-retest interval than assessed for any other dog personality test, to our knowledge. The construct validity of the test was investigated by analysing the correlations between the results of video coding and video rating methods and the owners’ assessment via a dog personality questionnaire. The results demonstrated good convergent as well as discriminant validity. To conclude, the VIDOPET is not only a highly reliable and valid tool for measuring dog personality, but also the first test to show consistent behavioural traits related to problem solving ability and frustration tolerance in pet dogs. | [
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
10.1007/JHEP06(2017)141 | A Unitarity Compatible Approach To One Loop Amplitudes With Massive Fermions | We explain how one-loop amplitudes with massive fermions can be computed using only on-shell information. We first use the spinor-helicity formalism in six dimensions to perform generalised unitarity cuts in $d$ dimensions. We then show that divergent wavefunction cuts can be avoided, and the remaining ambiguities in the renormalised amplitudes can be fixed, by matching to universal infrared poles in $4-2\epsilon$ dimensions and ultraviolet poles in $6-2\epsilon$ dimensions. In the latter case we construct an effective Lagrangian in six dimensions and reduce the additional constraint to an on-shell tree-level computation. | [
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Mathematics"
]
|
W2127574309 | A spatially explicit model to identify suitable sites to establish dedicated woody energy crops | Abstract Biomass has gained considerable attention in the southern United States (US) mainly because of its potential to partially replace fossil fuels and develop a sustainable bioenergy industry. Dedicated energy crops could offer a reliable and sustainable biomass supply, but there is limited research identifying suitable sites and evaluating their economic feasibility. This study developed a model to identify potential sites to establish dedicated energy crops based on the economic feasibility of short rotation woody crops. Site suitability was based on site-specific woody biomass yield, production costs, and delivered biomass prices. Transportation costs including off-road and on-road transportation costs were based on travel time from each potential plantation site to the nearest conversion facility. Break-even biomass amounts were obtained by considering production costs and biomass price, and potential biomass yield was estimated based on site index. Break-even biomass amounts were then compared with potential biomass yields to determine suitable sites to establish dedicated energy crops. To illustrate the applicability of the model, it was applied to a four-county test area in northern Kentucky with a diverse land cover and ownership, relatively extensive transportation network, and presence of existing conversion facilities, conditions which are common in the Ohio River Valley region and much of the southern US. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
10.1016/j.bbamem.2014.01.030 | Can pyrene probes be used to measure lateral pressure profiles of lipid membranes? Perspective through atomistic simulations | The lateral pressure profile of lipid bilayers has gained a lot of attention, since changes in the pressure profile have been suggested to shift the membrane protein conformational equilibrium. This relation has been mostly studied with theoretical methods, especially with molecular dynamics simulations, since established methods to measure the lateral pressure profile experimentally have not been available. The only experiments that have attempted to gauge the lateral pressure profile have been done by using di-pyrenyl-phosphatidylcholine (di-pyr-PC) probes. In these experiments, the excimer/monomer fluorescence ratio has been assumed to represent the lateral pressure in the location of the pyrene moieties. Here, we consider the validity of this assumption through atomistic molecular dynamics simulations in a DOPC (dioleoylphosphatidylcholine) membrane, which hosts di-pyr-PC probes with different acyl chain lengths. Based on the simulations, we calculate the pyrene dimerization rate and the lateral pressure at the location of the pyrenes. The dimerization rates are compared with the results of di-pyr-PC probes simulated in vacuum. The comparison indicates that the lateral pressure is not the dominant determinant of the excimer/monomer fluorescence ratio. Thus, the results do not support the usage of di-pyr-PC molecules to measure the shape of the lateral pressure profile. We yet discuss how the probes could potentially be exploited to gain qualitative insight of the changes in pressure profile when lipid composition is altered. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
10.1111/conl.12091 | Ecosystem Services as a Contested Concept: A Synthesis of Critique and Counter-Arguments | We describe and reflect on seven recurring critiques of the concept of ecosystem services and respective counter-arguments. First, the concept is criticized for being anthropocentric, whereas others argue that it goes beyond instrumental values. Second, some argue that the concept promotes an exploitative human-nature relationship, whereas others state that it reconnects society to ecosystems, emphasizing humanity's dependence on nature. Third, concerns exist that the concept may conflict with biodiversity conservation objectives, whereas others emphasize complementarity. Fourth, the concept is questioned because of its supposed focus on economic valuation, whereas others argue that ecosystem services science includes many values. Fifth, the concept is criticized for promoting commodification of nature, whereas others point out that most ecosystem services are not connected to market-based instruments. Sixth, vagueness of definitions and classifications are stated to be a weakness, whereas others argue that vagueness enhances transdisciplinary collaboration. Seventh, some criticize the normative nature of the concept, implying that all outcomes of ecosystem processes are desirable. The normative nature is indeed typical for the concept, but should not be problematic when acknowledged. By disentangling and contrasting different arguments we hope to contribute to a more structured debate between opponents and proponents of the ecosystem services concept. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
W1992340436 | Mispronunciation detection and diagnosis in l2 english speech using multi-distribution Deep Neural Networks | This paper investigates the use of multi-distribution Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) for mispronunciation detection and diagnosis (MDD (2) the acoustic model (AM) and the phonological rules are trained independently and hence contextual information is lost; and (3) phones missing from the ERNs cannot be recognized even if we have a well-trained AM. Hence we propose an Acoustic Phonological Model (APM) using a multi-distribution DNN, whose input features include acoustic features and corresponding canonical pronunciations. The APM can implicitly learn the phonological rules from the canonical productions and annotated mispronunciations in the training data. Furthermore, the APM can also capture the relationships between the phonological rules and related acoustic features. As we do not restrict any pathways as in the ERNs, all phones can be recognized if we have a perfect APM. Experiments show that our method achieves an accuracy of 83.3% and a correctness of 88.5%. It significantly outperforms the approach of forced-alignment with ERNs whose correctness is 75.9%. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
]
|
218409 | Biocrete – bio-inspired bacteria-based stress-responsive concrete. | The proposed project aims to develop biocrete a bio-inspired stress-responsive concrete. Biocrete will be realized through the cross-pollination of the fields of: bacteria-based self-healing concrete; and bio-inspired organic-inorganic materials synthesis. This cross-pollination will see bacteria incorporated in hydrogel systems for the formation of novel bio-inspired bacteria-activated organic-inorganic composite materials, or bio-composite materials for short. In order to develop these bio-composite materials technologies the applicant will receive advanced training in organic-inorganic materials synthesis, with a focus on calcium carbonate precipitation in polymer hydrogels. He will also master state-of-the-art organic-inorganic materials analysis techniques including serial sectioning by cryo-focused ion beam milling (cryo-FIB), and ultimately by cryo-scanning transmission electron microscopy (cryo-STEM). Such techniques will provide insights on the formation of the bio-composite materials, which will be key in ultimately controlling their morphology and mechanical properties. Biocrete will be born through the incorporation of these bio-composite materials technologies into concrete materials. Biocrete will be tested for its crack sealing and mechanical performance. It is envisaged biocrete have a superior crack healing action over conventional concrete materials, resulting in better functional performance and more durable concrete construction.
In preparation for independent research after the project the applicant will also be able to build transferable skills including leadership, mentoring, teaching and grant writing and valorization. The knowledge and skill development gained during the project coupled with the development of a new and exciting research field would be a firm step on the way to the applicant heading his own research group working on the development of ‘Bio-inspired building and construction materials’ at a top European university. | [
"Materials Engineering",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
10.1088/1742-6596/1522/1/012002 | Effect Of Bubble Size On Lagrangian Pressure Statistics In Homogeneous Isotropic Turbulence | The study of bubble's behavior in turbulent flows is fundamental to the understanding of many engineering applications that are concerned with bubbly/two-phase flow. In turbomachinery, for example, tiny gas nuclei present in the liquid may grow to macroscopic size if the instantaneous pressure dips below the vapor pressure for a time long enough to incite cavitation events. In this paper, the Lagrangian pressure statistics of finite sized bubbles in homogeneous isotropic turbulence is investigated using highly-resolved direct numerical simulations of the Navier-Stokes equations at Reλ = 150. A modified Maxey-Riley equation is used for Lagrangian tracking of bubbles in the turbulence field. The Lagrangian pressure statistics (probability density function, frequency of low-pressure events and their duration) are analyzed as functions of the bubble size. The overall picture that emerges is consistent with finite-sized bubbles being driven towards vortex cores, resulting in an average pressure further below the mean value and longer and more frequent low-pressure events as the considered size is increased. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
10.1016/j.molcel.2016.06.022 | A Network of Conserved Synthetic Lethal Interactions for Exploration of Precision Cancer Therapy | An emerging therapeutic strategy for cancer is to induce selective lethality in a tumor by exploiting interactions between its driving mutations and specific drug targets. Here we use a multi-species approach to develop a resource of synthetic lethal interactions relevant to cancer therapy. First, we screen in yeast ∼169,000 potential interactions among orthologs of human tumor suppressor genes (TSG) and genes encoding drug targets across multiple genotoxic environments. Guided by the strongest signal, we evaluate thousands of TSG-drug combinations in HeLa cells, resulting in networks of conserved synthetic lethal interactions. Analysis of these networks reveals that interaction stability across environments and shared gene function increase the likelihood of observing an interaction in human cancer cells. Using these rules, we prioritize ∼105 human TSG-drug combinations for future follow-up. We validate interactions based on cell and/or patient survival, including topoisomerases with RAD17 and checkpoint kinases with BLM. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1063/1.4953093 | Magnetoelectroluminescence In Organic Light Emitting Diodes | The magnetoelectroluminescence of conjugated organic polymer films is widely accepted to arise from a polaron pair mechanism, but their magnetoconductance is less well understood. Here we derive a new relationship between the experimentally measurable magnetoelectroluminescence and magnetoconductance and the theoretically calculable singlet yield of the polaron pair recombination reaction. This relationship is expected to be valid regardless of the mechanism of the magnetoconductance, provided the mobilities of the free polarons are independent of the applied magnetic field (i. e. , provided one discounts the possibility of spin-dependent transport). We also discuss the semiclassical calculation of the singlet yield of the polaron pair recombination reaction for materials such as poly(2,5-dioctyloxy-paraphenylene vinylene) (DOO-PPV), the hyperfine fields in the polarons of which can be extracted from light-induced electron spin resonance measurements. The resulting theory is shown to give good agreement with experimental data for both normal (H-) and deuterated (D-) DOO-PPV over a wide range of magnetic field strengths once singlet-triplet dephasing is taken into account. Without this effect, which has not been included in any previous simulation of magnetoelectroluminescence, it is not possible to reproduce the experimental data for both isotopologues in a consistent fashion. Our results also indicate that the magnetoconductance of DOO-PPV cannot be solely due to the effect of the magnetic field on the dissociation of polaron pairs. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
222564 | Point-Of-Care molecular diagnostics of psoriasis and eczema – pelabdisk | Innovative and effective biological therapies exist to treat non-communicable inflammatory skin diseases (ncISD). However, diagnostic guidance when and how to use them is imprecise; no substantial innovation was made for decades. Due to this lack of innovation, high socio-economic costs are caused by ineffective unguided treatment – a waste of resources. Existing ERC research aims at establishing individualised medicine in ncISD (IMCIS, grant agreement 676858). First success is a biomarker to distinguish psoriasis from eczema. Due to disease heterogeneity, these two ncISD cannot be distinguished in 10% of all cases with current gold standard diagnostics. Treating patients with the wrong therapy as a consequence of mis-diagnosis is inefficient and might even be harmful. This PoC proposal follows the path of IMCIS and closes the gap between ERC research and a prototype device of a point-of-care microfluidic testing device to distinguish psoriasis and eczema based on their molecular signature (peLabDisk). The proposal is feasible, as there is a high level of expertise created by joint forces of researchers of the Technical University of Munich and Hahn-Schickard providing extensive competence in the development, construction and manufacturing of microfluidic cartridges for medical applications. The project plan consists of well-defined work packages and milestones. Furthermore, success of the individual work packages is supervised by experienced experts (TUM Entrepeneurship). This PoC proposal is not the end – there is a clear roadmap and a detailed strategy for the post-PoC phase including potential end-user network and supported foundation of a spin-off company. peLabDisk represents the first approach of molecular diagnostics in the field that is easy-to-handle, robust and valid, as well as economic. It is superior to current gold standard diagnostics. Furthermore, peLabDisk is a use-case for point-of-care molecular diagnostics in complex inflammatory diseases. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1007/JHEP03(2017)039 | Two Point Functions In A Holographic Kondo Model | We develop the formalism of holographic renormalization to compute two-point functions in a holographic Kondo model. The model describes a $(0+1)$-dimensional impurity spin of a gauged $SU(N)$ interacting with a $(1+1)$-dimensional, large-$N$, strongly-coupled Conformal Field Theory (CFT). We describe the impurity using Abrikosov pseudo-fermions, and define an $SU(N)$-invariant scalar operator $\mathcal{O}$ built from a pseudo-fermion and a CFT fermion. At large $N$ the Kondo interaction is of the form $\mathcal{O}^{\dagger} \mathcal{O}$, which is marginally relevant, and generates a Renormalization Group (RG) flow at the impurity. A second-order mean-field phase transition occurs in which $\mathcal{O}$ condenses below a critical temperature, leading to the Kondo effect, including screening of the impurity. Via holography, the phase transition is dual to holographic superconductivity in $(1+1)$-dimensional Anti-de Sitter space. At all temperatures, spectral functions of $\mathcal{O}$ exhibit a Fano resonance, characteristic of a continuum of states interacting with an isolated resonance. In contrast to Fano resonances observed for example in quantum dots, our continuum and resonance arise from a $(0+1)$-dimensional UV fixed point and RG flow, respectively. In the low-temperature phase, the resonance comes from a pole in the Green's function of the form $-i \langle {\cal O} \rangle^2$, which is characteristic of a Kondo resonance. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
]
|
10.1088/1748-0221/10/11/P11005 | Calibrating The Absolute Amplitude Scale For Air Showers Measured At Lofar | Air showers induced by cosmic rays create nanosecond pulses detectable at radio frequencies. These pulses have been measured successfully in the past few years at the LOw-Frequency ARray (LOFAR) and are used to study the properties of cosmic rays. For a complete understanding of this phenomenon and the underlying physical processes, an absolute calibration of the detecting antenna system is needed. We present three approaches that were used to check and improve the antenna model of LOFAR and to provide an absolute calibration of the whole system for air shower measurements. Two methods are based on calibrated reference sources and one on a calibration approach using the diffuse radio emission of the Galaxy, optimized for short data-sets. An accuracy of 19% in amplitude is reached. The absolute calibration is also compared to predictions from air shower simulations. These results are used to set an absolute energy scale for air shower measurements and can be used as a basis for an absolute scale for the measurement of astronomical transients with LOFAR. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
]
|
10.1109/TVT.2017.2706308 | Mobile Edge Computing Via A Uav Mounted Cloudlet Optimization Of Bit Allocation And Path Planning | Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been recently considered as means to provide enhanced coverage or relaying services to mobile users (MUs) in wireless systems with limited or no infrastructure. In this paper, a UAV-based mobile cloud computing system is studied in which a moving UAV is endowed with computing capabilities to offer computation offloading opportunities to MUs with limited local processing capabilities. The system aims at minimizing the total mobile energy consumption while satisfying quality of service requirements of the offloaded mobile application. Offloading is enabled by uplink and downlink communications between the mobile devices and the UAV, which take place by means of frequency division duplex via orthogonal or nonorthogonal multiple access schemes. The problem of jointly optimizing the bit allocation for uplink and downlink communications as well as for computing at the UAV, along with the cloudlet's trajectory under latency and UAV's energy budget constraints is formulated and addressed by leveraging successive convex approximation strategies. Numerical results demonstrate the significant energy savings that can be accrued by means of the proposed joint optimization of bit allocation and cloudlet's trajectory as compared to local mobile execution as well as to partial optimization approaches that design only the bit allocation or the cloudlet's trajectory. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1088/1367-2630/17/12/123021 | Enhanced Two Photon Emission From A Dressed Biexciton | Russian Quantum Center, Novaya 100, 143025 Skolkovo, Moscow Region, Russia(Dated: June 17, 2015)Radiative two-photon cascades from biexcitons in semiconductor quantum dots under resonanttwo-photon excitation are promising candidates for the generation of photon pairs. In this work, wepropose a scheme to obtain two-photon emission that allows to operate under very intense driving elds. This approach relies on the Purcell enhancement of two-photon virtual transitions betweenstates of the biexciton dressed by the laser. The richness provided by the biexcitonic level structureallows to reach a variety of regimes, from antibunched and bunched photon pairs with polarizationorthogonal to the driving eld, to polarization entangled two-photon emission. This evidences thatthe general paradigm of two-photon emission from a ladder of dressed states can nd interesting,particular implementations in a variety of systems. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1105/tpc.16.00554 | DNA methylation influences the expression of DICER-LIKE4 isoforms, which encode proteins of alternative localization and function | Plant RNA silencing operates via RNA-directed DNA-methylation (RdDM) to repress transcription or by targeting mRNAs via posttranscriptional gene silencing (PTGS). These pathways rely on distinct Dicer-like (DCL) proteins that process doublestranded RNA (dsRNA) into small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Here, we explored the expression and subcellular localization of Arabidopsis thaliana DCL4. DCL4 expression predominates as a transcription start site isoform encoding a cytoplasmic protein, which also represents the ancestral form in plants. A longer DCL4 transcript isoform encoding a nuclear localization signal, DCL4NLS, is present in Arabidopsis, but DNA methylation normally suppresses its expression. Hypomethylation caused by mutation, developmental reprogramming, and biotic stress correlates with enhanced DCL4NLS expression, while hypermethylation of a DCL4 transgene causes a reduction in DCL4NLS expression. DCL4NLS functions in a noncanonical siRNA pathway, producing a unique set of 21-nucleotide-long "disiRNAs," for DCL4NLS isoform-dependent siRNAs, through the nuclear RdDM dsRNA synthesis pathway. disiRNAs originate mostly from transposable elements (TEs) and TEoverlapping/ proximal genes, load into the PTGS effector ARGONAUTE1 (AGO1), and display a subtle effect on transcript accumulation together with overlapping 24-nucleotide siRNAs. We propose that, via PTGS, disiRNAs could help to tighten the expression of epigenetically activated TEs and genes using the methylation-state-responsive DCL4NLS. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
642814 | Empathy and international security | This MSCA research project ‘Empathy and International Security' (EIS) uses an interdisciplinary approach combining international relations theory, history, and political psychology to ask: How can a more nuanced understanding of empathy inform more human-centric approaches to security? Despite growing awareness of the importance of empathy in international relations, no research has yet examined the tensions inherent in the concept, or how it can be used to both alleviate and transform, or perpetuate or entrench, insecurity. EIS addresses this gap. To answer this question, I examine the multifaceted nature of empathy through four distinct case studies. I use two interconnected episodes from the Cold War (Modernization and Vietnam war) to reveal that empathy is not a novel concept, but one whose meaning and application has changed over time. I will then turn to the case of recent refugee flows into Europe and the response to the global pandemic to analyze empathy's significance to contemporary security challenges and political leadership. Using a qualitative research methodology that draws on archival materials, discourse analysis and elite interviews, I compare and contrast these cases to demonstrate how empathy connects with ideas of power, interests, politics, security and gender as part of an original conceptual framework and typology. EIS combines the expertise at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) and the Centre for War Studies (CWS) on human-centric approaches to international security, with my experience as a qualitative scholar on empathy in IR, and my fifteen years experience in international security policy and politics. It will combine academic research and theory development, with an applied and policy-relevant approach to make an innovative contribution to growing debates about the importance of empathy in creating more sustainable solutions to contemporary security challenges, in line with the priorities of Horizon 2020. | [
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
]
|
W2767686629 | Girija V. Nachnani and A.M. Swaminathan. Information technology exports and regional development in the leading states: A shift-share analysis of India | India has adopted a balanced growth strategy driven by its large internal market, which entails making a major commitment to the endogenous development model. Previously, the country’s development plans were built around the supply-side and import substitution approach. In the early 1980s, the economy of India experienced structural changes, as the gross domestic product growth rate steadily increased, and then in the early 1990s, the country leapfrogged into a development policy centred on information technology, which led to the development of a globally competitive information technology (IT) sector. IT has helped states in India to develop through intersectoral linkages with several services and the multiplier effect. This makes it interesting to review the impact of growth of IT on development in states where IT development is prominent. As states have not been equal beneficiaries, a shift-share analysis was carried out to arrive at these imbalances for the period 2004/05-2008/09 and 2009/10-2013/14. The results of a shift in the share show that regional variations in software exports can largely be attributed to a regional component. In addition, the results of ordinary least squares estimation point out that existing infrastructure is overstressed, namely that there is excessive pressure on teledensity, a shortage of power and a large population, which is making it difficult for regions to sustain a high level of specialization. | [
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space"
]
|
US 68405210 A | LIGHT EMITTING MODULE, FABRICATION METHOD THEREFOR, AND LAMP UNIT | In a light emitting module board, an electrode receiving the supply of current for light emission is provided in the light emitting surface of a semiconductor light emitting device. A light wavelength conversion member is a plate-like member mounted on the light emitting surface, and emits light after converting the wavelength of the light emitted by the semiconductor light emitting device. A relay electrode is provided in the surface of the light wavelength conversion member. The relay electrode extends from a position in contact with the electrode to an exposed position in the external space in a state where the light wavelength conversion member is mounted on the light emitting surface. The relay electrode is provided so that the upper part of the relay electrode, which is the exposed position, extends to a position located opposite to the lower part of the relay electrode which is the contacted position. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b00401 | Sustainable Production of Drug-Loaded Particles by Membrane Emulsification | As the field of drug delivery is expanding into consumer products, it is essential to advance in the development of efficient synthesis technologies while preserving, at the same time, human health and the environment for future generations. Here, the sustainable development of polymeric particles for drug delivery is described. Poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether-block-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) based particles containing dexamethasone were produced by membrane emulsification-solvent diffusion methods. The ability of the synthesis process to control particle-size distribution and morphology and its green impactful (energy consumption, simple (sEF) and complete (cEF) E factor) were evaluated. Particles with sufficiently narrow distribution in their droplet size and mean diameter similar to the membrane pore diameter were produced by increasing the dispersed phase flux to 12. 84 L h-1 m-2, minimizing the maximum shear stress to 1. 12 Pa and the energy consumption to 3. 96 × 105 J m-3. The impact of the solvent used on size distribution, particles morphology and green performance scores was also studied. More uniform particles, with dense and slightly rough surface, high encapsulation efficiency and drug loading were obtained by replacing dichloromethane with ethyl acetate. The E factor was also decreased by 80%. Results demonstrated that membrane emulsification is an environmentally improved method for the production of drug delivery systems with enormous impact in terms of formulation quality, energy consumption reduction and waste minimization. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
W1561456350 | THE ROLE OF THE VISIBLE HAND OF PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS IN CREATING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE | A key challenge at the beginning of the 21st century is to de-carbonize and de-materialize the global economy in time to avoid irreversible changes to the global and local environment while generating enough social and economic development opportunities to reduce poverty and inequity. Four main ‘development paradigms’ dominate the contemporary public discourse on how to best meet this challenge and achieve the social, economic and environment pillars of sustainable development: (i) a growth-focused development paradigm; (ii) a pro-poor growth development paradigm; (iii) a green-growth development paradigm; and (iv) a resilient growth development paradigm. Although these four development paradigms are usually perceived as mutually exclusive, the paper argues that they should be regarded as complementary, with each providing a necessary but in itself insufficient response to the challenge of sustainability. The new sustainable development paradigm will require a substantial transformation of the present economic development model analogous to what transition economies underwent during the industrial revolution. The paper discusses the political, managerial and social implementation challenges for this societal shift and finds that its success will depend on whether public administrations are adequately prepared to translate government policies into action at the different levels, negotiate conflicts and build trust among stakeholders. The paper concludes by summarizing some of the solutions advocated in the individual contributions to this Special Edition of PAD to strengthen the capacity of public administrations in creating a sustainable future. | [
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
W2028154285 | Adaptive control of arm-equipped quadrotors. Theory and simulations | The paper presents an adaptive control for an aerial vehicle equipped with a manipulator, the latter is assumed to be already driven by a joint-based controller. The proposed control generates the vehicle thrusts by properly taking into account the physical interaction with the arm. Being adaptive, it estimates and then compensates the dynamics of the whole sys- tem. Moreover, the proposed approach is based on the Newton- Euler formulation, i.e., it is recursive. A stability analysis is provided to analytically support the developed controller. A reduced version is proposed to greatly simplify the controller by taking into account only the gravitational terms. Numerical simulations confirm the controller performance as compared with the effort and error of a benchmark controller. I. INTRODUCTION | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
10.1016/j.cels.2018.12.005 | Allosteric Feedback Inhibition Enables Robust Amino Acid Biosynthesis in E. coli by Enforcing Enzyme Overabundance | Microbes must ensure robust amino acid metabolism in the face of external and internal perturbations. This robustness is thought to emerge from regulatory interactions in metabolic and genetic networks. Here, we explored the consequences of removing allosteric feedback inhibition in seven amino acid biosynthesis pathways in Escherichia coli (arginine, histidine, tryptophan, leucine, isoleucine, threonine, and proline). Proteome data revealed that enzyme levels decreased in five of the seven dysregulated pathways. Despite that, flux through the dysregulated pathways was not limited, indicating that enzyme levels are higher than absolutely needed in wild-type cells. We showed that such enzyme overabundance renders the arginine, histidine, and tryptophan pathways robust against perturbations of gene expression, using a metabolic model and CRISPR interference experiments. The results suggested a sensitive interaction between allosteric feedback inhibition and enzyme-level regulation that ensures robust yet efficient biosynthesis of histidine, arginine, and tryptophan in E. coli. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1016/j.celrep.2016.12.053 | Antagonistic Functions of MBP and CNP Establish Cytosolic Channels in CNS Myelin | The myelin sheath is a multilamellar plasma membrane extension of highly specialized glial cells laid down in regularly spaced segments along axons. Recent studies indicate that myelin is metabolically active and capable of communicating with the underlying axon. To be functionally connected to the neuron, oligodendrocytes maintain non-compacted myelin as cytoplasmic nanochannels. Here, we used high-pressure freezing for electron microscopy to study these cytoplasmic regions within myelin close to their native state. We identified 2,′3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase (CNP), an oligodendrocyte-specific protein previously implicated in the maintenance of axonal integrity, as an essential factor in generating and maintaining cytoplasm within the myelin compartment. We provide evidence that CNP directly associates with and organizes the actin cytoskeleton, thereby providing an intracellular strut that counteracts membrane compaction by myelin basic protein (MBP). Our study provides a molecular and structural framework for understanding how myelin maintains its cytoplasm to function as an active axon-glial unit. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
]
|
10.1109/ICEMS.2017.8056356 | Experimental And Theoretical Study Of Interlaminar Eddy Current Loss In Laminated Cores | Insulation failure between the electrical sheets of electrical machines or transformers might occur due to the burrs formed during the cutting process. Together with welding seams or screws used to hold the stack together, the burrs provide a conducting path for eddy currents. In this paper, equivalent conductivities of the EI core with and without interlaminar contacts are determined using 3D finite element computations and measurements. The core loss of the EI core is measured, and the eddy current loss is segregated from the measurements. Based on the acquired eddy current loss, the equivalent conductivities are determined using an iterative approach. In the case of interlaminar fault at one limb, eddy current loss coefficient increased by 2% and in the case of interlaminar fault at two limbs, eddy current loss coefficient increased by 2. 7% compared to the healthy case. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1007/978-3-319-10696-0_5 | A Statistical Approach For Computing Reachability Of Non Linear And Stochastic Dynamical Systems | We present a novel approach to compute reachable sets of dynamical systems with uncertain initial conditions or parameters, leveraging state-of-the-art statistical techniques. From a small set of samples of the true reachable function of the system, expressed as a function of initial conditions or parameters, we emulate such function using a Bayesian method based on Gaussian Processes. Uncertainty in the reconstruction is reflected in confidence bounds which, when combined with template polyhedra ad optimised, allow us to bound the reachable set with a given statistical confidence. We show how this method works straightforwardly also to do reachability computations for uncertain stochastic models. | [
"Mathematics",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
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