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10.1098/rspa.2015.0054
|
A study of snake-like locomotion through the analysis of a flexible robot model
|
We examine the problem of snake-like locomotion by studying a system consisting of a planar inextensible elastic rod with adjustable spontaneous curvature, which provides an internal actuation mechanism that mimics muscular action in a snake. Using a Cosserat model, we derive the equations of motion in two special cases: one in which the rod can only move along a prescribed curve, and one in which the rod is constrained to slide longitudinally without slipping laterally, but the path is not fixed
a priori
(free-path case). The second setting is inspired by undulatory locomotion of snakes on flat surfaces. The presence of constraints leads in both cases to non-standard boundary conditions that allow us to close and solve the equations of motion. The kinematics and dynamics of the system can be recovered from a one-dimensional equation, without any restrictive assumption on the followed trajectory or the actuation. We derive explicit formulae highlighting the role of spontaneous curvature in providing the driving force (and the steering, in the free-path case) needed for locomotion. We also provide analytical solutions for a special class of serpentine motions, which enable us to discuss the connection between observed trajectories, internal actuation and forces exchanged with the environment.
|
[
"Mathematics",
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
] |
10.1016/j.cell.2018.08.047
|
Post-Antibiotic Gut Mucosal Microbiome Reconstitution Is Impaired by Probiotics and Improved by Autologous FMT
|
Probiotics are widely prescribed for prevention of antibiotics-associated dysbiosis and related adverse effects. However, probiotic impact on post-antibiotic reconstitution of the gut mucosal host-microbiome niche remains elusive. We invasively examined the effects of multi-strain probiotics or autologous fecal microbiome transplantation (aFMT) on post-antibiotic reconstitution of the murine and human mucosal microbiome niche. Contrary to homeostasis, antibiotic perturbation enhanced probiotics colonization in the human mucosa but only mildly improved colonization in mice. Compared to spontaneous post-antibiotic recovery, probiotics induced a markedly delayed and persistently incomplete indigenous stool/mucosal microbiome reconstitution and host transcriptome recovery toward homeostatic configuration, while aFMT induced a rapid and near-complete recovery within days of administration. In vitro, Lactobacillus-secreted soluble factors contributed to probiotics-induced microbiome inhibition. Collectively, potential post-antibiotic probiotic benefits may be offset by a compromised gut mucosal recovery, highlighting a need of developing aFMT or personalized probiotic approaches achieving mucosal protection without compromising microbiome recolonization in the antibiotics-perturbed host. Probiotics perturb rather than aid in microbiota recovery back to baseline after antibiotic treatment in humans.
|
[
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy"
] |
10.1056/NEJMoa1405386
|
Inactivating mutations in NPC1L1 and protection from coronary heart disease
|
Background: Ezetimibe lowers plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by inhibiting the activity of the Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) protein. However, whether such inhibition reduces the risk of coronary heart disease is not known. Human mutations that inactivate a gene encoding a drug target can mimic the action of an inhibitory drug and thus can be used to infer potential effects of that drug. Methods: We sequenced the exons of NPC1L1 in 7364 patients with coronary heart disease and in 14,728 controls without such disease who were of European, African, or South Asian ancestry. We identified carriers of inactivating mutations (nonsense, splice-site, or frameshift mutations). In addition, we genotyped a specific inactivating mutation (p. Arg406X) in 22,590 patients with coronary heart disease and in 68,412 controls. We tested the association between the presence of an inactivating mutation and both plasma lipid levels and the risk of coronary heart disease. Results: With sequencing, we identified 15 distinct NPC1L1 inactivating mutations; approximately 1 in every 650 persons was a heterozygous carrier for 1 of these mutations. Heterozygous carriers of NPC1L1 inactivating mutations had a mean LDL cholesterol level that was 12 mg per deciliter (0. 31 mmol per liter) lower than that in noncarriers (P = 0. 04). Carrier status was associated with a relative reduction of 53% in the risk of coronary heart disease (odds ratio for carriers, 0. 47; 95% confidence interval, 0. 25 to 0. 87; P = 0. 008). In total, only 11 of 29,954 patients with coronary heart disease had an inactivating mutation (carrier frequency, 0. 04%) in contrast to 71 of 83,140 controls (carrier frequency, 0. 09%). Conclusions: Naturally occurring mutations that disrupt NPC1L1 function were found to be associated with reduced plasma LDL cholesterol levels and a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and others. )
|
[
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
] |
10.1007/978-3-319-46493-0_29
|
Fast Optical Flow Using Dense Inverse Search
|
Most recent works in optical flow extraction focus on the accuracy and neglect the time complexity. However, in real-life visual applications, such as tracking, activity detection and recognition, the time complexity is critical. We propose a solution with very low time complexity and competitive accuracy for the computation of dense optical flow. It consists of three parts: (1) inverse search for patch correspondences; (2) dense displacement field creation through patch aggregation along multiple scales; (3) variational refinement. At the core of our Dense Inverse Search-based method (DIS) is the efficient search of correspondences inspired by the inverse compositional image alignment proposed by Baker and Matthews (2001, 2004). DIS is competitive on standard optical flow benchmarks. DIS runs at 300 Hz up to 600 Hz on a single CPU core (1024 \(\times \) 436 resolution. 42 Hz/46 Hz when including preprocessing: disk access, image re-scaling, gradient computation. More details in Sect. 3. 1. ), reaching the temporal resolution of human’s biological vision system. It is order(s) of magnitude faster than state-of-the-art methods in the same range of accuracy, making DIS ideal for real-time applications.
|
[
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
] |
218222
|
Modeling the european power sector evolution: low-carbon generation technologies (renewables, ccs, nuclear), the electric infrastructure and their role in the eu leadership in climate policy
|
The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is a vital target for the coming decades. From a technology perspective, power
generation is the largest responsible for CO2 emissions, therefore great mitigation efforts will be required in this area. From
a policy perspective, it is common opinion that the European Union is and will remain leader in implementing clean policies.
Basing on these considerations, the power sector and the European Union will be the two key actors of this project. The
main tool adopted in this work will be WITCH, the integrated assessment model developed at Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei
(FEEM).
The description of the power generation sector in WITCH is quite detailed, but needs to be integrated, especially as far as
the electric infrastructure downstream the power generation system is concerned. In the first half of the project, developed at
the outgoing host, the modeling of the electric sector will thus be completed and refined. In particular, four main aspects
need to be assessed: i) system integration (i.e. the issues related to the non-negligible penetration of intermittent renewables
in the grid), ii) electricity storage, iii) electrical grid, and iv) electricity trade.
In the second half of the project, developed at the return host, the improved WITCH model will be employed in scenario
assessment calculations. Firstly, the prospects in Europe of renewables, CCS and nuclear will be analysed. In particular,
attention will be focused not so much on the pure technology aspects, but rather on policy issues such as the role of
incentives in renewable diffusion, the slow CCS deployment, or the effects of the nuclear reactors ageing, or of their phaseout.
Secondly, the focus will move on assessing the role of these technologies (and the consequent evolution of the electric
infrastructure) according to different mitigation scenarios, and in particular considering different levels of global participation
in EU-led climate mitigation.
|
[
"Earth System Science",
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
] |
10.1016/j.molcel.2018.02.024
|
ZUFSP Deubiquitylates K63-Linked Polyubiquitin Chains to Promote Genome Stability
|
Deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs) enhance the dynamics of the versatile ubiquitin (Ub) code by reversing and regulating cellular ubiquitylation processes at multiple levels. Here we discovered that the uncharacterized human protein ZUFSP (zinc finger with UFM1-specific peptidase domain protein/C6orf113/ZUP1), which has been annotated as a potentially inactive UFM1 protease, and its fission yeast homolog Mug105 define a previously unrecognized class of evolutionarily conserved cysteine protease DUBs. Human ZUFSP selectively interacts with and cleaves long K63-linked poly-Ub chains by means of tandem Ub-binding domains, whereas it displays poor activity toward mono- or di-Ub substrates. In cells, ZUFSP is recruited to and regulates K63-Ub conjugates at genotoxic stress sites, promoting chromosome stability upon replication stress in a manner dependent on its catalytic activity. Our findings establish ZUFSP as a new type of linkage-selective cysteine peptidase DUB with a role in genome maintenance pathways. Haahr et al. show that human ZUFSP is a deubiquitylating enzyme (DUB) that selectively interacts with and cleaves long K63-linked polyubiquitin chains. ZUFSP regulates K63-linked ubiquitylation at genotoxic stress sites and promotes chromosome stability in a manner dependent on its catalytic activity.
|
[
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
] |
10.1109/CPE.2019.8862380
|
Coordination Of Dual Functional Dynamic Voltage Restorer And Recloser In Power Distribution System
|
In this paper, the coordination of a dual-functional dynamic voltage restorer (DFDVR) with recloser in power distribution system is proposed. Compared to the conventional dynamic voltage restorer (DVR), the DFDVR can not only compensate the grid voltage distortion to protect the sensitive loads but also limit the fault current to a safety value. The dual-functionality of the DFDVR is achieved by controlling antiparallel-thyristors branch, which is connected between the terminal of power converter leg and the output filter. In order to realize engineering application in the realistic power distribution system, the detail design of the key components (LC filter, transformer) is studied; then the coordination sequence diagram of the DFDVR system and the operation of recloser, during instantaneous and permanent fault, is proposed, respectively. The simulation results carried out in PSCAD/EMTDC clearly validate the correctness and feasibility of the proposed coordination operation of the DFDVR and recloser.
|
[
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
] |
10.1016/j.cell.2019.07.007
|
A Heterochromatin-Specific RNA Export Pathway Facilitates piRNA Production
|
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) guide transposon silencing in animals. The 22–30 nt piRNAs are processed in the cytoplasm from long non-coding RNAs that often lack RNA processing hallmarks of export-competent transcripts. By studying how these transcripts achieve nuclear export, we uncover an RNA export pathway specific for piRNA precursors in the Drosophila germline. This pathway requires Nxf3-Nxt1, a variant of the hetero-dimeric mRNA export receptor Nxf1-Nxt1. Nxf3 interacts with UAP56, a nuclear RNA helicase essential for mRNA export, and CG13741/Bootlegger, which recruits Nxf3-Nxt1 and UAP56 to heterochromatic piRNA source loci. Upon RNA cargo binding, Nxf3 achieves nuclear export via the exportin Crm1 and accumulates together with Bootlegger in peri-nuclear nuage, suggesting that after export, Nxf3-Bootlegger delivers precursor transcripts to the piRNA processing sites. These findings indicate that the piRNA pathway bypasses nuclear RNA surveillance systems to export unprocessed transcripts to the cytoplasm, a strategy also exploited by retroviruses. Heterochromatic piRNA precursors escape classic mRNA quality-control and surveillance mechanisms through a dedicated nuclear export pathway.
|
[
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
] |
W2238642959
|
Genetic Resources of Energy Crops: Biological Systems to Combat Climate Change
|
Bioenergy crop plants that function as solar energy collectors and thermo-chemical energy storage systems are the basis for biological systems that are expected to contribute to renewable energy production, help stabilize the rising levels of green house gases (GHG), and mitigate the risk of global climate change (GCC). Wide genetic resource bases, especially of wild and semidomesticated perennial grasses and woody species of starch-, oil, and lingocellulose-producing plants, are available to select, breed, genetically-modify, and develop environmentally-friendly bioenergy crops. Plant species, with fast growth, tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and low requirements for biological, chemical or physical pretreatments, are being evaluated as potential bioenergy crops. Currently, bioenergy systems based on traditional sources and first generation bioenergy crops, are not sustainable and their exploitation may contribute to environmental degradation. New genetic resources and technological breakthroughs are being employed to develop dedicated bioenergy crops (DECs) with better GHG profiles and with a suite of eco-physiological traits to maximize radiation interception, water- (WUE) and nutrient-use efficiencies (NUE), improved lingocellulosic accessibility to enzymatic degradation, and to confer environmental sustainability. Large-scale bioenergy crop plantations pose both opportunities and challenges, and will inevitably compete with food crops for land, water, nutrient resources and other inputs; whereas, biodiversity consequences of increased biofuel production will most likely result in habitat loss, increased and enhanced dispersion of invasive species, and pollution. Recent genetic modifications and breeding efforts of bioenergy crops aim at improving biomass yield, quality, and conversion efficiency. Improvements in composition and structure of bio-chemicals in bioenergy crops will enable the production of more energy per ton of biomass and will improve its caloric value, GHG profile, and GCC mitigation potential.
|
[
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering",
"Earth System Science"
] |
10.1101/637975
|
Prefrontal Attentional Saccades Explore Space Rhythmically
|
Recent behavioral studies suggest that attention samples space rhythmically. Oscillations in brain activity have been described as a possible mechanism supporting attentional processes. However, the precise mechanism through which this rhythmic exploration of space is subserved by the prefrontal cortical regions at the source of attention control signals remains unknown. Here, we apply machine learning methods to ongoing monkey prefrontal multi-unit population activity, to decode in real-time the (x,y) location of the covert attentional spotlight, aka the mind9s eye. We demonstrate that this prefrontal attentional spotlight continuously explores space at an alpha 7-12 Hz rate. These oscillations determine both neuronal sensory processing, defining how much information is available in the prefrontal cortex about incoming sensory stimuli, and perception, determining whether these incoming sensory stimuli are prone to elicit an overt behavioral response or not. As a result, when sensory events are presented at a specific optimal phase with respect to these oscillations, sensory encoding is reliable and behavior is accurate. When sensory events are presented in anti-phase with respect to this optimal phase, both sensory encoding and behavioral performance are poor. We propose that this rhythmic prefrontal attentional spotlight activity can be viewed as a continuous exploration of space via alpha-clocked attentional saccades. We demonstrate that these attentional saccades are highly flexible, their pattern of space exploration depending both on within-trial and across-task contingencies. These results are discussed in the context of exploration and exploitation strategies and prefrontal top-down attentional control.
|
[
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
217506
|
Novel imaging of the heart for new structural and metabolic diagnosis
|
Each year cardiovascular disease (CVD) causes over 4 million deaths in Europe. Predictions suggest that 80% of premature heart disease and stroke is preventable, but ~20% of CVDs are misdiagnosed, and in elderly patients up to 60% of CVDs remain undiagnosed. We need to develop new technologies and strategies for early and accurate diagnosis of the biggest killer in western society.
Currently, diagnosis of CVD is based on assessment of macro-anatomy, whole heart function, and whole body metabolic markers. Early CVD processes begin in heart cells, before evolving to the ’macro’ pathology recognisable by traditional techniques. Clinicians desire a non-invasive technique that can provide high-resolution 3D micro-anatomy, and organ specific regional metabolic assessment. However the intricate micro-anatomy of the heart and its dynamic relationship with cardiac function is still fiercely debated.
To elucidate the true micro-anatomy of the heart, and understand its correlation with both pump- and metabolic function in health and disease, I will investigate the following questions:
1)What is the true micro-anatomy of the heart, and how is it remodelled in disease?
2)What is the role of 3D micro-anatomy in 4D pump function?
3)Does micro-anatomical remodelling correlate with regional changes in metabolism?
Using novel state-of-the-art non-invasive 3D and 4D ex-vivo and in-vivo imaging methodologies, I will answer these questions. We will finally understand the micro-anatomy of the heart in 3D, and its relationship with cardiac contraction and metabolism in disease. I hypothesise detecting and correlating novel morphological and metabolic changes upstream of the macro-anatomical and non-specific metabolic changes identifiable by traditional techniques, will offer the foundation for a step-wise change in diagnosis of CVD.
Working with world-renowned researchers, I will develop interdisciplinary skills in functional cardiac imaging to support a productive career in academia.
|
[
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
] |
10.1073/pnas.1910859116
|
Plasticity in exocytosis revealed through the effects of repetitive stimuli affect the content of nanometer vesicles and the fraction of transmitter released
|
Electrochemical techniques with disk and nano-tip electrodes, together with calcium imaging, were used to examine the effect of short-interval repetitive stimuli on both exocytosis and vesicular content in a model cell line. We show that the number of events decreases markedly with repeated stimuli suggesting a depletion of exocytosis machinery. However, repetitive stimuli induce a more stable fusion pore, leading to an increased amount of neurotransmitter release. In contrast, the total neurotransmitter content inside the vesicles decreases after repetitive stimuli, resulting in a higher average release fraction from each event. We suggest a possible mechanism regarding a link between activity-induced plasticity and fraction of release.
|
[
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
] |
FR 8800594 W
|
PROCESS FOR CONTINUOUS DYEING OF A TEXTILE FILAMENT, AND INSTALLATION FOR IMPLEMENTING THE PROCESS
|
The aim of the invention is to perfect a process for continuous dyeing of a textile filament by impregnation under pressure, followed by pneumatic drying. The dye solution is applied to the filament (1) in an impregnation enclosure (4). The filament then passes into a pneumatic drying enclosure (5) in which the liquid is recovered for regeneration and reuse as a dye. A regeneration enclosure (14) is connected to an automatic colour analyser (34) and to a calculating unit (34') which controls the dye dosers (86).
|
[
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
] |
851966
|
Endosomal control of local protein synthesis in axons
|
Neurons are morphologically complex cells that rely on highly compartmentalized signaling to coordinate cellular functions. The endocytic pathway is a crucial trafficking route by which neurons integrate, spatially process and transfer information. Endosomal trafficking in axons and dendrites ensures that required molecules and signaling complexes are present where and when they are functionally needed thus fulfilling essential roles in neuronal physiology. Our recent work has revealed the presence of mRNAs and ribosomes on endosomes in axons, raising the exciting possibility that these motile organelles also directly modulate the local proteome by controlling de novo protein synthesis. However, the mechanisms by which endosomes regulate mRNA translation in neurons is unknown. Moreover, the roles of endosome-mediated control of protein synthesis in neuronal development and function have not been investigated. Here, we propose to bridge this knowledge gap by elucidating links between the endocytic pathway and local protein synthesis in neurons, focusing on their functional relationship in axons. By combining genome-wide analysis, genetic tools, state-of-the-art imaging techniques and the use of Xenopus and mouse vertebrate models, we plan to address the following fundamental questions: (i) What are the mRNAs associated with endosomes and does endosomal trafficking regulate their axonal localization? (ii) Does the endocytic pathway mediate the selective translation of axonal mRNAs in response to extracellular factors? (iii) What are the endosome-associated RNA-binding proteins, and what is the effect of perturbing these associations on axonal development and maintenance in vivo? (iv) Does impaired endosomal regulation of axonal mRNA localization and translation cause axonopathies? Answering these questions will set strong foundations for this new area of research and can provide a new angle in our comprehension of neuropathies in need of novel therapeutic strategies.
|
[
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
] |
10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2017.02.013
|
How widespread is stable protein S-nitrosylation as an end-effector of protein regulation?
|
Over the last 25 years protein S-nitrosylation, also known more correctly as S-nitrosation, has been progressively implicated in virtually every nitric oxide-regulated process within the cardiovascular system. The current, widely-held paradigm is that S-nitrosylation plays an equivalent role as phosphorylation, providing a stable and controllable post-translational modification that directly regulates end-effector target proteins to elicit biological responses. However, this concept largely ignores the intrinsic instability of the nitrosothiol bond, which rapidly reacts with typically abundant thiol-containing molecules to generate more stable disulfide bonds. These protein disulfides, formed via a nitrosothiol intermediate redox state, are rationally anticipated to be the predominant end-effector modification that mediates functional alterations when cells encounter nitrosative stimuli. In this review we present evidence and explain our reasoning for arriving at this conclusion that may be controversial to some researchers in the field.
|
[
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
] |
10.1515/crelle-2018-0026
|
On the equidistribution of some Hodge loci
|
We prove the equidistribution of the Hodge locus for certain non-isotrivial, polarized variations of Hodge structure of weight 2 with {h^{2,0}=1} over complex, quasi-projective curves. Given some norm condition, we also give an asymptotic on the growth of the Hodge locus. In particular, this implies the equidistribution of elliptic fibrations in quasi-polarized, non-isotrivial families of K3 surfaces.
|
[
"Mathematics"
] |
W1560230211
|
Reforming metaphorical theology?:a critical assessment of the works of Sallie McFague in the light of her respondents
|
McFague’s contributions to theology span over 40 years. Does her
theological project, which aims to reform the Christian tradition, retain the
coherence and consistency needed to fulfil this aim today?
Surprisingly, McFague's body of work remains coherent, consistent and
viable after many years of debate in relation to her own aims and methods
and the responses of critics. However her theology can, in places, be
strengthened in meeting its aim by an integration of more recent research or
the work of her respondents.
Developments in her thought over time remain generally consistent with
her earlier work. Analysis of the basic categories of her thought shows a
unity of form and content and an underlying conceptual unity. The models
McFague advances are consistent as expressions of her stated method and
aims. They perform the tasks set for them, if not always by the means she
describes. Again the importance of the conceptual level proves greater than
McFague allows.
The coherence and consistency of the greater part of her work is weaker in
its interaction with the Christian tradition. Her position on this has changed
most over time. Work remains to be done on integrating her models with
traditional ones. Despite her own judgements, this integration is desirable
to maximise the reform of that tradition as she wishes and for her theology
most naturally to be seen as reforming rather than revolutionary.
But overall, McFague's work makes a valuable contribution to
contemporary theology. She expounds coherent, original metaphorical
models addressing contemporary concerns and a coherent theoretical
framework that has largely withstood the scrutiny of respondents and
developments in her field. Within this framework models may be created
and assessed in creative tension with Christian tradition. However this
relationship with the tradition remains to be deepened, strengthened and
clarified by future research.
|
[
"Texts and Concepts"
] |
184429
|
Passive tracking of people and things for physical behavior analysis
|
The main goal of passive tracking of people and things (PATH) is to define a new paradigm for physical behavior inference, where the dynamics of physical entities are tracked with minimal implementation cost, maximal privacy preservation, and intrinsically protected secrecy. PATH relies on the detection, tracking, and behavior analysis of targets without active devices, by integrating such capabilities in infrastructures for the Internet of things (IOT) that are already present in a monitored environment. This enables several applications including visitor counting and flow monitoring. The objectives of PATH are: (i) to develop a framework for system design and analysis, as well as to derive fundamental limits; (ii) to devise advanced techniques for detection and exploitation of networks of opportunity; (iii) to develop inference techniques based on wireless networks properties for intrinsically secure tracking; (iv) to recognize new patterns related to targets dynamics based on signal feature extraction; (v) to establish a proof-of-concept for an industrial-driven use case.
PATH will enhance the potential of the experienced researcher (ER) by relying on: (i) the solid experience of the successful Ph.D. completed by the young ER, which included a year as a visiting student in the USA; (ii) a challenging, interdisciplinary, and multi-sectorial work program; (iii) a genuine mobility program with an outgoing phase at a top tier university, supervised by a world-renowned expert in the field, and with an incoming phase at a high ranked and growing research group; (iv) a secondment program at a leading industry in the field, which confirms the industrial interest and that is tailored to the ER, with an evident commitment in terms of supervision and infrastructures; (v) a rich, five-fold training program, not limited to training through research; (vi) an implementation plan agreed with an advisory board for an efficient achievement of the ambitious objectives.
|
[
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
W2170394275
|
Extremely large-scale simulation of a Kardar-Parisi-Zhang model using graphics cards
|
The octahedron model introduced recently has been implemented onto graphics cards, which permits extremely large scale simulations via binary lattice gases and bit coded algorithms. We confirm scaling behaviour belonging to the 2d Kardar-Parisi-Zhang universality class and find a surface growth exponent: beta=0.2415(15) on 2^17 x 2^17 systems, ruling out beta=1/4 suggested by field theory. The maximum speed-up with respect to a single CPU is 240. The steady state has been analysed by finite size scaling and a growth exponent alpha=0.393(4) is found. Correction to scaling exponents are computed and the power-spectrum density of the steady state is determined. We calculate the universal scaling functions, cumulants and show that the limit distribution can be obtained by the sizes considered. We provide numerical fitting for the small and large tail behaviour of the steady state scaling function of the interface width.
|
[
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
10.1038/nature18295
|
Cryo-EM structure of a human cytoplasmic actomyosin complex at near-atomic resolution
|
The interaction of myosin with actin filaments is the central feature of muscle contraction1 and cargo movement along actin filaments of the cytoskeleton2. The energy for these movements is generated during a complex mechanochemical reaction cycle3, 4. Crystal structures of myosin in different states have provided important structural insights into the myosin motor cycle when myosin is detached from F-actin5-7. The difficulty of obtaining diffracting crystals, however, has prevented structure determination by crystallography of actomyosin complexes. Thus, although structural models exist of F-actin in complex with various myosins8-11, a highresolution structure of the F-actin-myosin complex is missing. Here, using electron cryomicroscopy, we present the structure of a human rigor actomyosin complex at an average resolution of 3. 9. The structure reveals details of the actomyosin interface, which is mainly stabilized by hydrophobic interactions. The negatively charged amino (N) terminus of actin interacts with a conserved basic motif in loop 2 of myosin, promoting cleft closure in myosin. Surprisingly, the overall structure of myosin is similar to rigor-like myosin structures in the absence of F-actin, indicating that F-actin binding induces only minimal conformational changes in myosin. A comparison with pre-powerstroke and intermediate (Pi-release)7 states of myosin allows us to discuss the general mechanism of myosin binding to F-actin. Our results serve as a strong foundation for the molecular understanding of cytoskeletal diseases, such as autosomal dominant hearing loss and diseases affecting skeletal and cardiac muscles, in particular nemaline myopathy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
|
[
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
] |
10.1039/c7ta05824a
|
Thermodynamics of paired charge-compensating doped ceria with superior redox performance for solar thermochemical splitting of H<inf>2</inf>O and CO<inf>2</inf>
|
Paired charge-compensating doped ceria (PCCD) using trivalent and pentavalent cations are evaluated as redox materials for the thermochemical splitting of H2O and CO2. The oxygen nonstoichiometries of PCCD materials with formulas of Ce0. 9A0. 05Nb0. 05O2 (A = Y, La, Sc) and CexLa(1-x)/2Nb(1-x)/2O2 (x = 0. 75, 0. 95) were measured in a thermogravimetric analyzer over a range of temperatures (T = 1173-1773 K) and oxygen partial pressures (pO2 = 10-15-10-1 atm). Undoped and single element doped ceria (Ce0. 9B0. 1O2 where B = Y, La, Nb, Hf) served as a reference. At any given set of T and pO2, the relative reduction extent follows Ce0. 9Hf0. 1O2 > Ce0. 9Sc0. 05Nb0. 05O2 > Ce0. 9Y0. 05Nb0. 05O2 > CexLa(1-x)/2Nb(1-x)/2O2 > CeO2 > solely trivalent or pentavalent doped ceria. The partial molar reduction enthalpies were determined using Van't Hoff analysis coupled to defect modeling and range from 360 to 410 kJ mol-1. A system efficiency model predicts that these PCCD materials have the potential of achieving high solar-to-fuel energy conversion efficiencies because of their balanced reduction and oxidation properties. Ce0. 9Y0. 05Nb0. 05O2 in particular can outperform undoped ceria and reach efficiency values of 31% and 28% for H2 and CO production, respectively.
|
[
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Materials Engineering"
] |
10.1101/2020.04.17.029876
|
Molecular Rationale For Hantavirus Neutralization By A Reservoir Host Derived Monoclonal Antibody
|
The intricate lattice of Gn and Gc glycoprotein spike complexes at the surface of hantaviruses facilitates host-cell entry and is the primary target of the neutralizing antibody-mediated immune response. Here, through study of a neutralizing monoclonal antibody (mAb 4G2) generated in a bank vole reservoir host following infection with Puumala virus (PUUV), we provide molecular-level insights into how antibody-mediated targeting of the hantaviral glycoprotein lattice effectively neutralizes the virus. Crystallographic analysis reveals that mAb 4G2 binds to a multi-domain site on Gc in the pre-fusion state, and that Fab binding is incompatible with the conformational changes of the Gc that are required for host cell entry. Cryo-electron microscopy of PUUV-like particles treated with Fab 4G2 demonstrates that the antibody binds to monomeric Gc at breaks in the Gn-Gc lattice, highlighting the immunological accessibility of Gc monomers on the mature hantavirus surface and the plastic nature of the higher-order lattice assembly. This work provides a structure-based blueprint for rationalizing antibody-mediated targeting of hantaviruses.
|
[
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
269051
|
Molecular Nanotechnology for Life Science Applications: QUantitative Interactomics for Diagnostics, PROteomics and QUantitative Oncology
|
The main goal of this proposal is to introduce innovative devices and protocols (based on nano- manipulation, the response of micro-(nano-)mechanical oscillators and nano-fluidics) to carry out, precise, high throughput, high sensitivity, and low cost interactomic measurements. We aim at measuring, in parallel, the concentration of up to several proteins or non-coding RNA molecules, in samples down to the single cell level, following the real time concentrations of several biomarkers in patient-derived samples down to femto-molar concentrations, and single-circulating-tumor-cell resolution. We plan to develop our program a) by applying the principles and practice of intrinsically differential measurements, e.g. by building a self-assembled nano-devices that provide robust outputs measurable with topographic AFM imaging, electrochemical measurements, or gel electrophoresis, and b) by using the vertical equivalent of cantilever oscillators (pillars) that we plan to use as quartz “microbalances” that are 10,000 time more sensitive than cantilevers w. r. t. measurable min. mass and 100 time more sensitive w. r. t. dilution. The proposal’s core strategy is to exploit the PI’s expertise in innovative instrumentation and his integrated physical chemistry know-how, leading a highly multi-disciplinary staff to closely interact with first class medical staff in hospital settings to solve, and validate the solution of, relevant medical problems by generating innovative and versatile sensing devices. For instance, the sensitivity of our sensors will allow protein or miRNA analysis from very small and homogeneous samples of tumor cells, as well as the ease identification circulating tumor cells (CTCs) for, in addition to improved cancer diagnostics, also the prediction of patient response to treatment. The convergence between chemistry and biology, through nanotechnology, physics and computational approaches, with medical diagnostics will enable our team to come up with more versatile and reliable diagnostic tools, while stimulating fundamental research in fields as diverse as stem cells differentiation and the study of cell physiopathology.
|
[
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
] |
W4383114169
|
HYDROLOGY OF THE RIO DOCE HYDROGRAPHIC BASIN IN THE STATE OF ESPÍRITO SANTO, BRAZIL / HIDROLOGIA DA BACIA HIDROGRÁFICA DO RIO DOCE NO ESTADO DO ESPÍRITO SANTO, BRASIL
|
O presente estudo da hidrologia da bacia hidrográfica do Rio Doce no estado do Espírito Santo contou com o tratamento estatístico da série histórica (1968 a 2021) de dados da HIDROWEB v3.2.6 da Agência Nacional de Águas, além de dados de radar da SRTM. As vazões acompanham a variação dos dados de precipitação média mensal. A vazão média de longa duração (Qmld) apresentou significativa correlação entre as microbacias do Rio Doce. Já as vazões médias mensais de referência (Q90) e (Q7,10), adquiridas da curva de permanência, mostraram baixa correlação com a variação da precipitação durante um ano. Deste modo, conclui-se que a hidrologia da bacia é principalmente regida pelo controle morfoestrutural, que por sua vez exerce forte influência nos fatores geomorfológicos e fluviais, sobretudo em períodos de estiagem na bacia hidrográfica.
|
[
"Earth System Science"
] |
10.1038/s41588-019-0399-6
|
Ongoing chromosomal instability and karyotype evolution in human colorectal cancer organoids
|
Chromosome segregation errors cause aneuploidy and genomic heterogeneity, which are hallmarks of cancer in humans. A persistent high frequency of these errors (chromosomal instability (CIN)) is predicted to profoundly impact tumor evolution and therapy response. It is unknown, however, how prevalent CIN is in human tumors. Using three-dimensional live-cell imaging of patient-derived tumor organoids (tumor PDOs), we show that CIN is widespread in colorectal carcinomas regardless of background genetic alterations, including microsatellite instability. Cell-fate tracking showed that, although mitotic errors are frequently followed by cell death, some tumor PDOs are largely insensitive to mitotic errors. Single-cell karyotype sequencing confirmed heterogeneity of copy number alterations in tumor PDOs and showed that monoclonal lines evolved novel karyotypes over time in vitro. We conclude that ongoing CIN is common in colorectal cancer organoids, and propose that CIN levels and the tolerance for mitotic errors shape aneuploidy landscapes and karyotype heterogeneity.
|
[
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
] |
10.1038/ncomms12338
|
CRISPaint allows modular base-specific gene tagging using a ligase-4-dependent mechanism
|
The site-specific insertion of heterologous genetic material into genomes provides a powerful means to study gene function. Here we describe a modular system entitled CRISPaint (CRISPR-assisted insertion tagging) that allows precise and efficient integration of large heterologous DNA cassettes into eukaryotic genomes. CRISPaint makes use of the CRISPR-Cas9 system to introduce a double-strand break (DSB) at a user-defined genomic location. A universal donor DNA, optionally provided as minicircle DNA, is cleaved simultaneously to be integrated at the genomic DSB, while processing the donor plasmid at three possible positions allows flexible reading-frame selection. Applying this system allows to create C-terminal tag fusions of endogenously encoded proteins in human cells with high efficiencies. Knocking out known DSB repair components reveals that site-specific insertion is completely dependent on canonical NHEJ (DNA-PKcs, XLF and ligase-4). A large repertoire of modular donor vectors renders CRISPaint compatible with a wide array of applications.
|
[
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
] |
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.11.022
|
Faith and oscillations recovered: On analyzing EEG/MEG signals during tACS
|
Despite recent success in analyzing brain oscillations recorded during transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), the field still requires further research to establish standards in artifact removal methods. This includes taking a step back from the removal of the tACS artifact and thoroughly characterizing the to-be-removed artifact. A recent study by Noury et al. (2016) contributed importantly to this endeavour by showing the existence of nonlinear artefacts in the tACS signal as seen by MEG and EEG. Unfortunately however this paper conveys the message that current artifact removal attempts have failed altogether and that—based on these available tools—brain oscillations recorded during tACS cannot be analyzed using MEG and EEG. Here we want to balance this overly pessimistic conclusion: In-depth reanalyses of our own data and phantom-head measurements indicate that nonlinearities can occur, but only when technical limits of the stimulator are reached. As such they are part of the “real” stimulation and not a specific MEG analysis problem. Future tACS studies should consider these technical limits to avoid any nonlinear modulations of the tACS artifact. We conclude that even with current approaches, brain oscillations recorded during tACS can be meaningfully studied in many practical cases.
|
[
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
] |
10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01124
|
What the eyes say about planning of focused referents during sentence formulation: A cross-linguistic investigation
|
This study investigated how sentence formulation is influenced by a preceding discourse context. In two eye-tracking experiments, participants described pictures of two-character transitive events in Dutch (Experiment 1) and Chinese (Experiment 2). Focus was manipulated by presenting questions before each picture. In the Neutral condition, participants first heard 'What is happening here?' In the Object or Subject Focus conditions, the questions asked about the Object or Subject character (What is the policeman stopping? Who is stopping the truck?). The target response was the same in all conditions (The policeman is stopping the truck). In both experiments, sentence formulation in the Neutral condition showed the expected pattern of speakers fixating the subject character (policeman) before the object character (truck). In contrast, in the focus conditions speakers rapidly directed their gaze preferentially only to the character they needed to encode to answer the question (the new, or focused, character). The timing of gaze shifts to the new character varied by language group (Dutch vs. Chinese): shifts to the new character occurred earlier when information in the question can be repeated in the response with the same syntactic structure (in Chinese but not in Dutch). The results show that discourse affects the timecourse of linguistic formulation in simple sentences and that these effects can be modulated by language-specific linguistic structures such as parallels in the syntax of questions and declarative sentences.
|
[
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
] |
819424
|
Flow and Deformation of Cancer tumours near Yielding
|
The aim of this proposal is to understand when, how and why metastatic tumour cells detach from a tumour.
Often, primary tumours do not kill patients, but secondary tumours do. These so-called metastatic tumour cells disassociate from a primary tumour and, ultimately, prove fatal. Currently, we do not understand the fundamentals of the biophysical pathways and mechanisms of the metastasis of cancer, hampering medical intervention. I propose a multidisciplinary approach, combining engineering, chemistry, biophysics and cell biology to identify the mechanical pathways for the creation of metastatic cancer cells.
Biological cells in tissue are very densely packed, which locks them in place relative to their neighbours, a state referred to as jammed. The collective system of cells can become fluidised locally and flow when pushed or deformed. Even greater forces can make the entire tissue fluid-like, referred to as yielding. The crucial open questions are: how does tissue yield, and what universal physics underlies yielding?
I will develop a novel fundamental and predictive description of yielding in jammed living tissue to show:
1. How and when jammed living cells are driven to fluid-like state.
2. How confinement tunes the migration mode of cancer cells.
3. How yielding is related to the structural evolution of detached cells.
4. How critical scaling controls deformation and flow of living cells near yielding.
I will demonstrate that the distance to yielding governs the mechanical response in collective cell motion inside a tumour, and that exploiting critical scaling allows predicting the dynamics of cell detachment near yielding. The outcomes will significantly aid the treatment of cancer in the near future by bridging the gap between chemical and mechanical pathways of cancer metastasis. I have the required multidisciplinary track record. Moreover, preliminary experiments show highly promising results.
|
[
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
] |
10.5194/bg-9-5407-2012
|
The carbon balance of South America: a review of the status, decadal trends and main determinants
|
Abstract. We summarise the contemporary carbon budget of South America and relate it to its dominant controls: population and economic growth, changes in land use practices and a changing atmospheric environment and climate. Component flux estimate methods we consider sufficiently reliable for this purpose encompass fossil fuel emission inventories, biometric analysis of old-growth rainforests, estimation of carbon release associated with deforestation based on remote sensing and inventories, and agricultural export data. Alternative methods for the estimation of the continental-scale net land to atmosphere CO2 flux, such as atmospheric transport inverse modelling and terrestrial biosphere model predictions, are, we find, hampered by the data paucity, and improved parameterisation and validation exercises are required before reliable estimates can be obtained. From our analysis of available data, we suggest that South America was a net source to the atmosphere during the 1980s (~ 0. 3–0. 4 Pg C a−1) and close to neutral (~ 0. 1 Pg C a−1) in the 1990s. During the latter period, carbon uptake in old-growth forests nearly compensated for the carbon release associated with fossil fuel burning and deforestation. Annual mean precipitation over tropical South America as inferred from Amazon River discharge shows a long-term upward trend. Although, over the last decade dry seasons have tended to be drier, with the years 2005 and 2010 in particular experiencing strong droughts. On the other hand, precipitation during the wet seasons also shows an increasing trend. Air temperatures have also increased slightly. Also with increases in atmospheric CO2 concentrations, it is currently unclear what effect these climate changes are having on the forest carbon balance of the region. Current indications are that the forests of the Amazon Basin have acted as a substantial long-term carbon sink, but with the most recent measurements suggesting that this sink may be weakening. Economic development of the tropical regions of the continent is advancing steadily, with exports of agricultural products being an important driver and witnessing a strong upturn over the last decade.
|
[
"Earth System Science",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
] |
10.1016/j.laa.2019.09.008
|
Dimensionally sharp inequalities for the linear entropy
|
We derive an inequality for the linear entropy, that gives sharp bounds for all finite dimensional systems. The derivation is based on generalised Bloch decompositions and provides a strict improvement for the possible distribution of purities for all finite dimensional quantum states. It thus extends the widely used concept of entropy inequalities from the asymptotic to the finite regime, and should also find applications in entanglement detection and efficient experimental characterisations of quantum states.
|
[
"Mathematics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
] |
10.1364/OE.23.024923
|
Distributed Phase Birefringence Measurements Based On Polarization Correlation In Phase Sensitive Optical Time Domain Reflectometers
|
In this paper a technique to measure the distributed birefringence profile along optical fibers is proposed and experimentally validated. The method is based on the spectral correlation between two sets of orthogonally-polarized measurements acquired using a phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometer (ϕOTDR). The correlation between the two measured spectra gives a resonance (correlation) peak at a frequency detuning that is proportional to the local refractive index difference between the two orthogonal polarization axes of the fiber. In this way the method enables local phase birefringence measurements at any position along optical fibers, so that any longitudinal fluctuation can be precisely evaluated with metric spatial resolution. The method has been experimentally validated by measuring fibers with low and high birefringence, such as standard single-mode fibers as well as conventional polarization-maintaining fibers. The technique has potential applications in the characterization of optical fibers for telecommunications as well as in distributed optical fiber sensing.
|
[
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
] |
10.1037/xhp0000646
|
Seeing social events: The visual specialization for dyadic human-human interactions
|
Detection and recognition of social interactions unfolding in the surroundings is as vital as detection and recognition of faces, bodies, and animate entities in general. We have demonstrated that the visual system is particularly sensitive to a configuration with two bodies facing each other as if interacting. In four experiments using backward masking on healthy adults, we investigated the properties of this dyadic visual representation. We measured the inversion effect (IE), the cost on recognition, of seeing bodies upside-down as opposed to upright, as an index of visual sensitivity: the greater the visual sensitivity, the greater the IE. The IE was increased for facing (vs. nonfacing) dyads, whether the head/face direction was visible or not, which implies that visual sensitivity concerns two bodies, not just two faces/heads. Moreover, the difference in IE for facing versus nonfacing dyads disappeared when one body was replaced by another object. This implies selective sensitivity to a body facing another body, as opposed to a body facing anything. Finally, the IE was reduced when reciprocity was eliminated (one body faced another, but the latter faced away). Thus, the visual system is sensitive selectively to dyadic configurations that approximate a prototypical social exchange with two bodies spatially close and mutually accessible to one another. These findings reveal visual configural representations encompassing multiple objects, which could provide fast and automatic parsing of complex relationships beyond individual faces or bodies.
|
[
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
] |
10.3982/ECTA14429
|
A Note On Comparative Ambiguity Aversion And Justifiability
|
We consider a decision maker who ranks actions according to the smooth ambiguity criterion of Klibanoff, Marinacci, and Mukerji (2005). An action is justifiable if it is a best reply to some belief over probabilistic models. We show that higher ambiguity aversion expands the set of justifiable actions. A similar result holds for risk aversion. Our results follow from a generalization of the duality lemma of Wald (1949) and Pearce (1984). [web URL: http://onlinelibrary. wiley. com/doi/10. 3982/ECTA14429/abstract]
|
[
"Mathematics",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
] |
232835
|
Can immune system rejuvenation restore age-related memory loss?
|
With increased life expectancy, there has been a critical growth in the portion of the population that suffers from age-related cognitive decline and dementia. Attempts are therefore being made to find ways to slow brain-aging processes; successful therapies would have a significant impact on the quality of life of individuals, and decrease healthcare expenditures. Aging of the immune system has never been suggested as a factor in memory loss. My group formulated the concept of protective autoimmunity , suggesting a linkage between immunity and self-maintenance in the context of the brain in health and disease. Recently, we showed that T lymphocytes recognizing brain-self antigens have a pivotal role in maintaining hippocampal plasticity, as manifested by reduced neurogenesis and impaired cognitive abilities in T-cell deficient mice. Taken together, our novel observations that T cell immunity contributes to hippocampal plasticity, and the fact that T cell immunity decreases with progressive aging create the basis for the present proposal. We will focus on the following questions: (a) Which aspects of cognition are supported by the immune system- learning, memory or both; (b) whether aging of the immune system is sufficient to induce aging of the brain; (c) whether activation of the immune system is sufficient to reverse age-related cognitive decline; (d) the mechanism underlying the effect of peripheral immunity on brain cognition; and (e) potential therapeutic implications of our findings. Our preliminary results demonstrate that the immune system contributes to spatial memory, and that imposing an immune deficiency is sufficient to cause a reversible memory deficit. These findings give strong reason for optimism that memory loss in the elderly is preventable and perhaps reversible by immune-based therapies; we hope that, in the not too distant future, our studies will enable development of a vaccine to prevent CNS aging and cognitive loss in elderly.
|
[
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
] |
W1485934843
|
Multitraits evaluation of Pakistani ecotypes of berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) under full-irrigation and water restriction conditions
|
Summary Berseem clover ( Trifolium alexandrinum L.) is an important forage crop in Pakistan and many ecotypes are grown across the country. Its yield is however frequently affected by insufficient irrigation due to unavailability of water. In the present study, twenty Pakistani ecotypes of berseem clover have been evaluated in lysimeters under full irrigation and water restriction conditions. In the full irrigation treatment soil humidity was maintained at field capacity, while in the water restriction treatment water was only supplied after severe wilting and to maintain humidity in the deep profile of the soil. Assessed traits included forage yield, calculated as the sum of the biomass harvested at 70 and 110 DA days after emergence, and morpho-physiological traits. Significant effects of water restriction were noted on yield, leaf gas exchange parameters, canopy temperature and osmotic adjustment. Most morpho-physiological traits had higher broad sense heritability than forage yield, both under full irrigation and water restriction conditions. Water restriction increased genetic and phenotypic variability and heritability of most traits under study. Under these conditions forage yield was positively associated to leaf temperature and recovery rate index and, under full irrigation, to net photosynthetic rate, canopy depression temperature and leaf area. The possible use of these traits as indirect selection criteria in berseem clover breeding programs is discussed. Some ecotypes with favorable traits such as high forage yield potential, good adaptation to water restriction and aptitude to multiple harvesting have also been identified.
|
[
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
] |
10.1007/978-3-319-33461-5_19
|
Constant Factor Approximation For Atsp With Two Edge Weights
|
We give a constant factor approximation algorithm for the Asymmetric Traveling Salesman Problem on shortest path metrics of directed graphs with two different edge weights. For the case of unit edge weights, the first constant factor approximation was given recently by Svensson. This was accomplished by introducing an easier problem called Local-Connectivity ATSP and showing that a good solution to this problem can be used to obtain a constant factor approximation for ATSP. In this paper, we solve Local-Connectivity ATSP for two different edge weights. The solution is based on a flow decomposition theorem for solutions of the Held-Karp relaxation, which may be of independent interest.
|
[
"Mathematics",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
219092
|
Chromosome number variations in vivo: probing mechanisms of genesis and elimination
|
How variations in whole chromosome number impact organism homeostasis remains an open question. Variations to the normal euploid genome content are frequently found in healthy animals and are thought to contribute with phenotypic variability in adverse situations. Yet they are also at the basis of several human diseases, including neuro-developmental disorders and cancer. Our preliminary data shows that physiological aneuploidy can be identified in certain cells during development. Moreover, we have observed that when induced through mutations, non-euploid cells are effectively eliminated from the cycling population. A quantitative view of the frequency of non-euploid karyotypes and the mechanisms underlying their genesis is lacking in the literature. Further, the tissue specific responses at play to eliminate non-euploid cells, when induced through mutations are not understood. The objectives of this proposal are to quantitatively assess the occurrence of physiological chromosome number variations gaining insight into mechanisms involved in generating it. Additionally, we will identify the tissue-specific pathways involved in maintaining organism homeostasis through the elimination of non-euploid cells. We will use a novel genetic approach to monitor individual chromosome loss at the level of the entire organism, combine it with quantitative methods and state-of-the art-microscopy, and focus on two model organisms - Drosophila and mouse - during development and adulthood. We predict that the findings resulting from this proposal will significantly impact the fields of cell, developmental and animal physiology, generating novel concepts that will bridge the existing gaps in the field, and expand our understanding of the links between karyotype variations, animal development and disease establishment.
|
[
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
] |
10.1109/CDC.2014.7040177
|
Linear Convergence Rate For Distributed Optimization With The Alternating Direction Method Of Multipliers
|
Consider the problem of distributed optimization where a network of N agents cooperate to solve a minimization problem of the form inf x equation where function f n is convex and known only by agent n. The Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) has shown to be particularly efficient to solve this kind of problem. In this paper, we assume that there exists a unique minimum x * and that the functions f n are twice differentiable at x * and verify equation where the inequality is taken in the positive definite ordering. Under these assumptions, we prove the linear convergence of the distributed ADMM to the consensus over x * and derive a tight convergence rate. Finally, we give examples where one can derive the ADMM hyper-parameter ρ corresponding to the optimal rate.
|
[
"Mathematics",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
interreg_589
|
Creating a cross-border club for the promotion of products of artisanal fisheries
|
The project aims at promoting the socio-economic development and regional integration of the territories through the development, qualification and integration of the supply chain of small-scale fisheries with the tourism sector in Sicily and in Tunisia, through the creation of a club of certified fishery products - The Blue Club.
Artisanal fishermen would have the means to provide restaurants with a product which is identified, traceable and quality-controlled. In return, the catering facilities are supported in a sustainability course of the services offered by directing their offer on the development of the specificities of their territories and on the quality of services offered.
|
[
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space"
] |
GB 3103726 A
|
Cloth measuring machines
|
272,392. Vanderveld, A. Dec. 7, 1926. Measuring.-A cloth measuring machine is provided with means, e.g. a metal plate 90, for covering the readings should the measuring operation be started with the cloth beyond its proper starting point and also with a bar 93 which prevents any attempt to introduce cloth between the measuring and pressor roller 9, 51 when the same are in contact. The invention is shown applied to a measuring and cost-computing machine as described in Specifications 194,891 and 241,265. When the lever 60 is depressed to lower the presser roller 51 through the cam and lever 66, 67, it raises the bar 93 by means of the pin and cam 92, 98<a> and lowers a frame 70 pivoted on a shaft 68 by means of the arm 91 and cam 69. An extension 72 of the frame is provided with a lip 73 and a pin 75 on which is pivoted an integral cam 77 and block 76 which dips into a recess in the table 43. One face of the block is the proper starting point for the cloth to be measured but if the cloth projects beyond this point the block 76 is swung about its pivot 75 and, either by means of the cam 77 or a spring wire 78, moves a two-legged lever 81 which through a pin 88 and shaft 86 moves the plate 90 over the readings. A lip 84 on the lever 81 has now passed beyond the lip 73 and if the cloth is not readjusted to allow the block 76 to return tn a vertical position, the lips 73, 84 would engage when the lever 60 was released to raise the presser roller 51 and the plate 90 would remain over the readings. On the release of the lever 60 the bar 93 falls, and its pivoted end 95 passes into a slot in the table 43, as shown in Fig. 3, if no cloth is present, it is knocked into a horizontal position clear of the cloth and held there by a spring 99 and projection 97 on the bar 93. When the bar 93 is next lifted, its end 95 contacts with a stop 101. and is again moved into a position in line with the bar 93 as shown in Fig. 3.
|
[
"Products and Processes Engineering"
] |
10.2136/vzj2017.04.0083
|
Rhizosphere-scale quantification of hydraulic and mechanical properties of soil impacted by root and seed exudates
|
Using rhizosphere-scale physical measurements, we tested the hypothesis that plant exudates gel together soil particles and, on drying, enhance soil water repellency. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Optic) and maize (Zea mays L. cv. Freya) root exudates were compared with chia (Salvia hispanica L. ) seed exudate, a commonly used root exudate analog. Sandy loam and clay loam soils were treated with root exudates at 0. 46 and 4. 6 mg exudate g−1 dry soil and chia seed exudate at 0. 046, 0. 46, 0. 92, 2. 3 and 4. 6 mg exudate g−1 dry soil. Soil hardness and modulus of elasticity were measured at −10 kPa matric potential using sa 3-mm-diameter spherical indenter. The water sorptivity and repellency index of air-dry soil were measured using a miniaturized infiltrometer device with a 1-mm tip radius. Soil hardness increased by 28% for barley root exudate, 62% for maize root exudate, and 86% for chia seed exudate at 4. 6 mg g−1 concentration in the sandy loam soil. For the clay loam soil, root exudates did not affect soil hardness, whereas chia seed exudate increased soil hardness by 48% at 4. 6 mg g−1 concentration. Soil water repellency increased by 48% for chia seed exudate and 23% for maize root exudate but not for barley root exudate at 4. 6 mg g−1 concentration in the sandy loam soil. For the clay loam soil, chia seed exudate increased water repellency by 45%, whereas root exudates did not affect water repellency at 4. 6 mg g−1 concentration. Water sorptivity and repellency were both correlated with hardness, presumably due to the combined influence of exudates on the hydrological and mechanical properties of the soils.
|
[
"Earth System Science",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
] |
10.1109/TCOMM.2015.2458857
|
Iterative Quantum Assisted Multi User Detection For Multi Carrier Interleave Division Multiple Access Systems
|
With the proliferation of smart-phones and tablet PCs, the data rates of wireless communications have been soaring. Hence, the need for power-efficient communications relying on low-complexity multiple-stream detectors has become more pressing than ever. As a remedy, in this paper we design low-complexity soft-input soft-output quantum-assisted multi-user detectors (QMUD), which may be conveniently incorporated into state-of-the-art iterative receivers. Our design relies on extrinsic information transfer charts. Our QMUDs are then employed in multi-carrier interleave-division multiple-access (MC-IDMA) systems, which are investigated in the context of different channel code rate and spreading factor pairs, whilst fixing the total bandwidth requirement. One of our QMUDs is found to operate within 0. 5 dB of the classical maximum a posteriori probability MUD after three iterations between the MUD and the decoders, while requiring only half its complexity, at a BER of $10^{-5}$ in the uplink of a rank-deficient MC-IDMA system relying on realistic imperfect channel estimation at the receiver, while supporting 14 users transmitting QPSK symbols.
|
[
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
10.1038/s41467-019-11703-x
|
Vapor-deposited zeolitic imidazolate frameworks as gap-filling ultra-low-k dielectrics
|
The performance of modern chips is strongly related to the multi-layer interconnect structure that interfaces the semiconductor layer with the outside world. The resulting demand to continuously reduce the k-value of the dielectric in these interconnects creates multiple integration challenges and encourages the search for novel materials. Here we report a strategy for the integration of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as gap-filling low-k dielectrics in advanced on-chip interconnects. The method relies on the selective conversion of purpose-grown or native metal-oxide films on the metal interconnect lines into MOFs by exposure to organic linker vapor. The proposed strategy is validated for thin films of the zeolitic imidazolate frameworks ZIF-8 and ZIF-67, formed in 2-methylimidazole vapor from ALD ZnO and native CoOx, respectively. Both materials show a Young’s modulus and dielectric constant comparable to state-of-the-art porous organosilica dielectrics. Moreover, the fast nucleation and volume expansion accompanying the oxide-to-MOF conversion enable uniform growth and gap-filling of narrow trenches, as demonstrated for 45 nm half-pitch fork-fork capacitors.
|
[
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
] |
10.1017/jfm.2013.533
|
Phase trapping and slipping in a forced hydrodynamically self-excited jet
|
In a recent study on a coupled laser system, Thévenin et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. , vol. 107, 2011, 104101) reported the first experimental evidence of phase trapping, a partially synchronous state characterized by frequency locking without phase locking. To determine whether this state can arise in a hydrodynamic system, we reanalyse the data from our recent experiment on a periodically forced self-excited low-density jet (J. Fluid Mech. , vol. 726, 2013, pp. 624–655). We find that this jet exhibits the full range of phase dynamics predicted by model oscillators with weak nonlinearity. These dynamics include (i) phase trapping between phase drifting and phase locking when the jet is forced far from its natural frequency and (ii) phase slipping during phase drifting when it is forced close to its natural frequency. This raises the possibility that similar phase dynamics can be found in other similarly self-excited flows. It also strengthens the validity of using low-dimensional nonlinear dynamical systems based on a universal amplitude equation to model such flows, many of which are of industrial importance.
|
[
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Mathematics"
] |
10.1117/12.2272993
|
Optimal Secure Quantum Teleportation Of Coherent States Of Light
|
We investigate quantum teleportation of ensembles of coherent states of light with a Gaussian distributed displacement in phase space. Recently, the following general question has been addressed in [P. Liuzzo-Scorpo et al. , arXiv:1705. 03017]: Given a limited amount of entanglement and mean energy available as resources, what is the maximal fidelity that can be achieved on average in the teleportation of such an alphabet of states? Here, we consider a variation of this question, where Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering is used as a resource rather than plain entanglement. We provide a solution by means of an optimisation within the space of Gaussian quantum channels, which allows for an intuitive visualisation of the problem. We first show that not all channels are accessible with a finite degree of steering, and then prove that practical schemes relying on asymmetric two-mode Gaussian states enable one to reach the maximal fidelity at the border with the inaccessible region. Our results provide a rigorous quantitative assessment of steering as a resource for secure quantum teleportation beyond the so-called no-cloning threshold. The schemes we propose can be readily implemented experimentally by a conventional Braunstein-Kimble continuous variable teleportation protocol involving homodyne detections and corrective displacements with an optimally tuned gain. These protocols can be integrated as elementary building blocks in quantum networks, for reliable storage and transmission of quantum optical states.
|
[
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
W1141582719
|
Young, James and Itihari Toure, Eds.: Asa: Honoring His Life and Work
|
Young, James and Itihari Toure, eds. Asa: Honoring His Life and Work. Chicago, IL: African American Images, 2013. ISBN: 978-1934-155-844, pbk, bib, pp.154. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A collection of essays by Itihari Toure (Clark Atlanta University; The Jenga Collective), Chike Akua (Georgia State University), Mark A. Lomax (First African Presbyterian Church, Lithonia, Georgia), Charlyn Harper Browne (Center for the Study of Social Policy, Washington, D.C.), Ernest D. Washington (University of Massachusetts, Amherst), James C. Young (Clark Atlanta University), and Sarita K. Davis (Georgia State University, Atlanta) in honor of the life and work of teacher, historian and psychologist Asa G. Hilliard (Nana Baffour Amankwatia, II), Ed.D. Hilliard (1933-2007) served as an endowed professor of Urban Education at Georgia State University in Atlanta for twenty-seven years, led numerous study tours to Egypt and Ghana for over thirty years, authored several books and hundreds of articles, and was a founding member of the National Black Child Development Institute and (first vice-president) the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations. The book is organized around issues facing the survival of the African (p.iv) throughout the world, and thus, it is designed to engage critical thinking and inquiry formulated on a paradigm of reawakening the African mind through re-socialization, infusion, mastery and the dissemination of a transformative African-centered education (pp.3-4). In chapter one, Toure frames the discourse to suggest that educational excellence was the mission of Hilliard's work, hence an Asafication of excellence that would 'locate African people' in the context of cultural excellence wherein the production of excellence would be the norm and building for eternity an expected goal (pp.1-2). Next, in chapter two, Toure discusses restoring excellence in African education, renewing a process of social transformation, specific models of communal healing excellence, and spiritually driven and conceptualized collective experiences personified in the Jegna Collective community developed transformation process. Chike Akua via a series of letters from his former students outlines that education has been a cultural thread in the African American community that reflects the ancient African philosophy of education and he ends with a definition of African-centered education in chapter three. Mark A. Lomax discusses Christian spirituality in the context of leadership in the church in North America in a rambling way to suggest that self-hate and self-deprecation is retarding the African American community; Charlyn Harper Browne in a genetic manner details the importance of preparing early childhood educators and states that perhaps the most important lesson she learned from Hilliard was to never stop questioning, reading, reflecting [and] searching for meaning, and learning in chapter five (p. …
|
[
"Texts and Concepts",
"The Study of the Human Past",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
] |
W2096383424
|
Analyzing different aspects of social network usages on students behaviors and academic performance
|
The role of social networks has become increasingly relevant in recent years. This research focuses on analyzing the affect of social networks (SN) websites usage on students' behaviors and academic performances. This investigation included students gender based usage patterns of social networks websites with respect to our proposed websites scheme. We classified all students with similarity of social networks usage patterns for predicting their future behaviors, in addition we analyzed affect of SN usage on each groups of users academic performance based on their undertaken programs, semester and usage pattern including total time spent in SN websites during a day and the types of SN websites that visited by them, or identifying any changes in usage patterns of users during different days including final examination days or holidays if existed.
|
[
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
10.1038/s41893-019-0223-4
|
An analytical framework for spatially targeted management of natural capital
|
A major sustainability challenge is determining where to target management to enhance natural capital and the ecosystem services it provides. Achieving this understanding is difficult, given that the effects of most actions vary according to wider environmental conditions; and this context dependency is typically poorly understood. Here, we describe an analytical framework that helps meet this challenge by identifying both why and where management actions are most effective for enhancing natural capital across large geographic areas. We illustrate the framework’s generality by applying it to two examples for Britain: pond water quality and invasion of forests by rhododendron.
|
[
"Earth System Science",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
] |
1261140
|
Women’S labour activism in eastern europe and transnationally, from the age of empires to the late 20th century
|
ZARAH explores the history of women’s labour activism and organizing to improve labour conditions and life circumstances of lower and working class women and their communities—moving these women from the margins of labour, gender, and European history to the centre of historical study.
ZARAH’s research rationale is rooted in the interest in the interaction of gender, class, and other dimensions of difference (e.g. ethnicity and religion) as forces that shaped women’s activism. It addresses the gender bias in labour history, the class bias in gender history, and the regional bias in European history. ZARAH conceives of women’s labour activism as emerging from the confluence of local, nation-wide, border-crossing and international initiatives, interactions and networking. It studies this activism in the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires, the post-imperial nation states, and during the Cold War and the years thereafter. Employing a long-term and trans-regional perspective, ZARAH highlights how a history of numerous social upheavals, and changing borders and political systems shaped the agency of the women studied, and examines their contribution to the struggle for socio-economic inclusion and the making of gender-, labour-, and social policies.
ZARAH comprises, in addition to the PI, an international group of nine post-doctoral and doctoral researchers at CEU, distinguished by their excellent command of the history and languages of the region. Research rationale, research questions, and methodological framework were developed through an intensive exploratory research phase (2016–2017). ZARAH is a pioneering project that consists of a web of component and collaborative studies, which include all relevant groups of activists and activisms, span the whole region, and cover the period between the 1880s and the 1990s. It will generate key research resources that are available to all students and scholars, and will set the stage for research for a long time to come.
|
[
"The Study of the Human Past",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
] |
W2107455791
|
Price Stability and Central Bank Independence: Discipline, Credibility, and Democratic Institutions
|
Abstract Despite mixed empirical evidence, in the past two decades central bank independence (CBI) has been on the rise under the assumption that it ensures price stability. Using an encompassing theoretical approach and new yearly data for de jure CBI (seventy-eight countries, 1973–2008), we reexamine this relationship, distinguishing the role of printing less money (discipline) from the public's beliefs about the central bank's likely actions (credibility). Democracies differ from dictatorships in the likelihood of political interference and changes to the law because of the presence of political opposition and the freedom to expose government actions. CBI in democracies should be directly reflected in lower money supply growth. Besides being more disciplinarian, it also ensures a more robust money demand by reducing inflation expectations and, therefore, inflation. Empirical results are robust and support a discipline effect conditioned by political institutions, as well as a credibility effect.
|
[
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
] |
W1878277754
|
Where in the world is it cheapest to cut carbon emissions?*
|
Countries with low marginal costs of abating carbon emissions may have high total costs, and vice versa, for a given climate mitigation policy. This may help to explain different countries’ policy stances on climate mitigation. We hypothesize that, under a common percentage cut in emissions intensity relative to business as usual (BAU), countries with higher BAU emission intensities have lower marginal abatement costs, but total costs relative to output will be similar across countries, and under a common carbon price, relative total costs are higher in emission-intensive countries. Using the results of the 22nd Energy Modeling Forum (EMF-22), we estimate marginal abatement cost curves for the US, EU, China and India, which we use to estimate marginal and total costs of abatement under a number of policy options currently under international debate. This analysis provides support for our hypotheses, although its reliability is limited by the shortcomings of the EMF-22 models and the degree to which our econometric model can adequately account for the substantial differences among them.
|
[
"Earth System Science",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
] |
10.1002/anie.201814452
|
Catalyst-Free Deaminative Functionalizations of Primary Amines by Photoinduced Single-Electron Transfer
|
The use of pyridinium-activated primary amines as photoactive functional groups for deaminative generation of alkyl radicals under catalyst-free conditions is described. By taking advantage of the visible light absorptivity of electron donor–acceptor complexes between Katritzky pyridinium salts and either Hantzsch ester or Et 3 N, photoinduced single-electron transfer could be initiated in the absence of a photocatalyst. This general reactivity platform has been applied to deaminative alkylation (Giese), allylation, vinylation, alkynylation, thioetherification, and hydrodeamination reactions. The mild conditions are amenable to a diverse range of primary and secondary alkyl pyridiniums and demonstrate broad functional group tolerance.
|
[
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
] |
10.1038/nature23009
|
Nutrient sensing modulates malaria parasite virulence
|
The lifestyle of intracellular pathogens, such as malaria parasites, is intimately connected to that of their host, primarily for nutrient supply. Nutrients act not only as primary sources of energy but also as regulators of gene expression, metabolism and growth, through various signalling networks that enable cells to sense and adapt to varying environmental conditions. Canonical nutrient-sensing pathways are presumed to be absent from the causative agent of malaria, Plasmodium, thus raising the question of whether these parasites can sense and cope with fluctuations in host nutrient levels. Here we show that Plasmodium blood-stage parasites actively respond to host dietary calorie alterations through rearrangement of their transcriptome accompanied by substantial adjustment of their multiplication rate. A kinome analysis combined with chemical and genetic approaches identified KIN as a critical regulator that mediates sensing of nutrients and controls a transcriptional response to the host nutritional status. KIN shares homology with SNF1/AMPKα, and yeast complementation studies suggest that it is part of a functionally conserved cellular energy-sensing pathway. Overall, these findings reveal a key parasite nutrient-sensing mechanism that is critical for modulating parasite replication and virulence.
|
[
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
GB 9218121 A
|
Mounting frame and coupling arrangement
|
A mounting frame, for example a UPVC door or window panel, has its hollow frame members secured together at the corners by a coupling member 205. The coupling member has legs, which carry resilient fingers which are pushed into the cavities of the respective frame members and the fingers sprag against the inside walls, so that the legs are firmly retained within the frame members. Use of the coupling member means that the mounting frame can be constructed on-site with ease and accuracy. <IMAGE>
|
[
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
] |
10.1103/PhysRevB.90.041402
|
Effect of point defects on the optical and transport properties of MoS2 and WS2
|
Imperfections in the crystal structure, such as point defects, can strongly modify the optical and transport properties of materials. Here, we study the effect of point defects on the optical and dc conductivities of single layers of semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides with the form MS2, where M=Mo or W. The electronic structure is considered within a six band tight-binding model, which accounts for the relevant combination of d orbitals of the metal M and p orbitals of the chalcogen S. We use the Kubo formula for the calculation of the conductivity in samples with different distributions of disorder. We find that M and/or S defects create midgap states that localize charge carriers around the defects and which modify the optical and transport properties of the material, in agreement with recent experiments. Furthermore, our results indicate a much higher mobility for p-doped WS2 in comparison to MoS2.
|
[
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
] |
10.1007/978-3-030-56880-1_26
|
Reverse Firewalls For Actively Secure Mpcs
|
Reverse firewalls were introduced at Eurocrypt 2015 by Miro-nov and Stephens-Davidowitz, as a method for protecting cryptographic protocols against attacks on the devices of the honest parties. In a nutshell: a reverse firewall is placed outside of a device and its goal is to “sanitize” the messages sent by it, in such a way that a malicious device cannot leak its secrets to the outside world. It is typically assumed that the cryptographic devices are attacked in a “functionality-preserving way” (i. e. informally speaking, the functionality of the protocol remains unchanged under this attacks). In their paper, Mironov and Stephens-Davidowitz construct a protocol for passively-secure two-party computations with firewalls, leaving extension of this result to stronger models as an open question.
|
[
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
10.1177/0019464617745926
|
Back From Shingly Revisiting The Premodern History Of Jews In Kerala
|
Jewish history in Kerala is based on sources mainly from the colonial period onward and mostly in European languages, failing to account for the premodern history of Jews in Kerala. These early mod. . .
|
[
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Studies of Cultures and Arts"
] |
10.1145/2322156.2322158
|
Janus2 An Fpga Based Supercomputer For Spin Glass Simulations
|
We describe the past and future of the Janus project. The collaboration started in 2006 and deployed in early 2008 the Janus supercomputer, a facility that allowed to speed-up Monte Carlo Simulations of a class of model glassy systems and provided unprecedented results for some paradigms in Statistical Mechanics. The Janus Supercomputer was based on state-of-the-art FPGA technology, and provided almost two order of magnitude improvement in terms of cost/performance and power/performance ratios. More than four years later, commercial facilities are closing-up in terms of performance, but FPGA technology has largely improved. A new generation supercomputer, Janus2, will be able to improve by more than one orders of magnitude with respect to the previous one, and will accordingly be again the best choice in Monte Carlo simulations of Spin Glasses for several years to come with respect to commercial solutions.
|
[
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
10.1088/1748-9326/10/4/044012
|
Introduction Of A Simple Model Based Land Surface Dataset For Europe
|
Land surface hydrology can play a crucial role during extreme events such as droughts, floods and even heat waves. We introduce in this study a new hydrological dataset for Europe that consists of soil moisture, runoff and evapotranspiration (ET). It is derived with a simple water balance model (SWBM) forced with precipitation, temperature and net radiation. The SWBM dataset extends over the period 1984–2013 with a daily time step and 0. 5° × 0. 5° resolution. We employ a novel calibration approach, in which we consider 300 random parameter sets chosen from an observation-based range. Using several independent validation datasets representing soil moisture (or terrestrial water content), ET and streamflow, we identify the best performing parameter set and hence the new dataset. To illustrate its usefulness, the SWBM dataset is compared against several state-of-the-art datasets (ERA-Interim/Land, MERRA-Land, GLDAS-2-Noah, simulations of the Community Land Model Version 4), using all validation datasets as reference. For soil moisture dynamics it outperforms the benchmarks. Therefore the SWBM soil moisture dataset constitutes a reasonable alternative to sparse measurements, little validated model results, or proxy data such as precipitation indices. Also in terms of runoff the SWBM dataset performs well, whereas the evaluation of the SWBM ET dataset is overall satisfactory, but the dynamics are less well captured for this variable. This highlights the limitations of the dataset, as it is based on a simple model that uses uniform parameter values. Hence some processes impacting ET dynamics may not be captured, and quality issues may occur in regions with complex terrain. Even though the SWBM is well calibrated, it cannot replace more sophisticated models; but as their calibration is a complex task the present dataset may serve as a benchmark in future. In addition we investigate the sources of skill of the SWBM dataset and find that the parameter set has a similar impact on the simple model results as the choice of the forcing dataset. The newly derived SWBM dataset is of relevance for a range of applications given the deficit of available land datasets. It is available for download on www. iac. ethz. ch/url/SWBM-Dataset.
|
[
"Earth System Science",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
] |
10.1007/s10514-017-9683-4
|
Gaussian process for 6-DoF rigid motions
|
Data-driven modeling approaches receive significant attention in robotics as they are capable of representing system behavior to which first-order principles cannot be employed. Modeling of human motions, based on observations is one of the many application areas. So far, however, the available probabilistic approaches cannot handle dynamics evolving in the space of rigid motions, as rotations are not appropriately considered. In this article, we present a mathematical framework for Gaussian process modeling, where the valid input domain is generalized to full rigid motions, namely the special Euclidean group SE(3). The kernel functions inside the Gaussian process are modified to exploit properties of the input data representation by dual quaternions. We further prove that the presented covariance functions maintain the Gaussian process properties. The correctness and accuracy of our approach is validated on simulated and real human motion data. We analyze the estimation performance of the novel Gaussian process framework in comparison to state of the art techniques, and show significantly improved model behavior of rigid motions.
|
[
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Mathematics"
] |
W1699935857
|
Risk Management of Cyclically Recurring Project Activities of Product Realisation
|
An extended risk-analysis procedure for new product/service realisation projects is presented in this paper. The usual risk analysis of project activities is based on evaluation of the probability that risk events occur and on evaluation of their consequences. Product/process realisation projects are cyclically recurring, so the third parameter has been added in the proposed procedure: an estimate of the incidence of risk events. On the basis of the calculated activity risk level in a three-dimensional risk analysis, a project team prepares preventive and corrective measures that should be taken according to the status indicators. An important advantage of the proposed solution is that the project manager and team members also take into account the recurring risk events in risk management. By successive elimination of sources of recurring risk events, the three-dimensional risk analysis of project activities can be transformed to the well-known two-dimensional risk analysis. A template was created in the MS project environment. The project team used the template for testing the proposed methodology in a case study of realisation of a die-cast tool for manufacturing a car component.
|
[
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
10.1016/j.celrep.2018.09.009
|
Maintenance of Proteostasis by P Body-Mediated Regulation of eIF4E Availability during Aging in Caenorhabditis elegans
|
Aging is accompanied by a pervasive collapse of proteostasis, while reducing general protein synthesis promotes longevity across taxa. Here, we show that the eIF4E isoform IFE-2 is increasingly sequestered in mRNA processing (P) bodies during aging and upon stress in Caenorhabditis elegans. Loss of the enhancer of mRNA decapping EDC-3 causes further entrapment of IFE-2 in P bodies and lowers protein synthesis rates in somatic tissues. Animals lacking EDC-3 are long lived and stress resistant, congruent with IFE-2-deficient mutants. Notably, neuron-specific expression of EDC-3 is sufficient to reverse lifespan extension, while sequestration of IFE-2 in neuronal P bodies counteracts age-related neuronal decline. The effects of mRNA decapping deficiency on stress resistance and longevity are orchestrated by a multimodal stress response involving the transcription factor SKN-1, which mediates lifespan extension upon reduced protein synthesis. Our findings elucidate a mechanism of proteostasis control during aging through P body-mediated regulation of protein synthesis in the soma. Rieckher et al. uncover a mechanism modulating protein synthesis during aging in the Caenorhabditis elegans soma, through association of the mRNA translation initiation factor eIF4E with mRNA processing (P) bodies (PBs). Effects on longevity are mediated by attenuation of global protein synthesis in somatic tissues via the sequestration of eIF4E in PBs.
|
[
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
] |
W2055696016
|
Evaluation of Oyster Mushroom (<i>Pleurotus Ostreatus</i>) as a Biological Growth Promoter on Performance, Humoral Immunity, and Blood Characteristics of Broiler Chicks
|
This study was conducted to determine the impacts of two levels of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) powder on productive and carcass traits, humoral immune responses, and blood characteristics of Ross 308 male broiler chicks reared to 42 d of age in comparison with a prebiotic supplement. Two hundred and forty, day-old male broiler chicks (Ross 308) were randomly assigned to one of four treatments with four replicates of 15 chicks based on a completely randomized design. The dietary treatments consisted of the basal diet as control, prebiotic group receiving 1 g/kg A-Max (Mannan-oligosaccharides), 10, and 20 g/kg oyster mushroom powder added to the basal diet. The obtained results showed that inclusion of 20 g/kg mushroom powder significantly improved body weight over the starter and grower (P<0.05) while feed efficiency was improved only over the starter (P<0.05) period compared to the control group. Considering the entire experimental period, (1-42 d) birds receiving prebiotic supplemented diets exhibited the highest body weight and lowest feed conversion ratio relative to the other treatments (P<0.05). Carcass yield and internal organs relative weights were not influenced by dietary treatments, but prebiotic supplementation significantly (P<0.05) decreased abdominal fat pad compared to the control group. Newcastle, influenza and sheep red blood cell antibody responses of chicks did not differ significantly at either level of inclusion of supplements. Chicks fed supplemented diets had the lowest serum triglyceride concentration at 42 day (P<0.05) compared to the control chicks, but other biochemical and hematological values tested including protein, albumin, globulin, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, and total cholesterol, red blood cell, white blood cell, hemoglobin and hematocrit were not markedly affected by treatments. In conclusion the obtained results indicated that oyster mushroom powder at an inclusion level of 20 g/kg of diet had favorable effects on performance criteria of chicks reared to 28 day of age while, prebiotic supplementation revealed its beneficial impact on chicks productive traits at slaughter age, besides reducing carcass abdominal fat and serum triglyceride concentration at 42 day.
|
[
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering"
] |
10.1111/1758-2229.12363
|
Metagenomic Evidence For The Presence Of Phototrophic Gemmatimonadetes Bacteria In Diverse Environments
|
Gemmatimonadetes represents a poorly understood bacterial phylum with only a handful of cultured species. Recently, one of its few representatives, Gemmatimonas phototrophica, was found to contain purple bacterial photosynthetic reaction centres. However, almost nothing is known about the environmental distribution of phototrophic Gemmatimonadetes bacteria. To fill this gap, we took advantage of fast-growing public metagenomic databases and performed an extensive survey of metagenomes deposited into the NCBI's WGS database, the JGI's IMG webserver and the MG-RAST webserver. By employing Mg protoporphyrin IX monomethyl ester oxidative cyclase (AcsF) as a marker gene, we identified 291 AcsF fragments (24-361 amino acids long) that are closely related to G. phototrophica from 161 metagenomes originating from various habitats, including air, river waters/sediment, estuarine waters, lake waters, biofilms, plant surfaces, intertidal sediment, soils, springs and wastewater treatment plants, but none from marine waters or sediment. Based on AcsF hit counts, phototrophic Gemmatimonadetes bacteria make up 0. 4-11. 9% of whole phototrophic microbial communities in these habitats. Unexpectedly, an almost complete 37. 9 kb long photosynthesis gene cluster with identical gene composition and arrangement to those in G. phototrophica was reconstructed from the Odense wastewater metagenome, only differing in a 7. 2 kb long non-photosynthesis-gene insert. These data suggest that phototrophic Gemmatimonadetes bacteria are much more widely distributed in the environment and exhibit a higher genetic diversity than previously thought.
|
[
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
787340
|
Dynamic mechanisms and functional roles of synaptic plasticity in memory
|
Activity-dependent plasticity of synaptic transmission together with refinement of neural circuits connectivity are amongst the core mechanisms underlying learning and memory. While there is already extensive knowledge on some of the mechanisms of synaptic plasticity, fundamental questions remain on the dynamics of the underlying molecular events and the functional roles of various forms of synaptic plasticity in information processing, learning and behavior.
We previously uncovered basic features of glutamate receptor movements and their role in excitatory synaptic transmission. Our new ground-breaking objectives are: 1) to uncover, in a physiological context, the dynamic mechanisms through which synapses modulate their strength in response to neuronal activity by integrating on different space and time scales the properties of receptor traffic pathways and associated stabilization mechanisms, 2) to use our knowledge and innovative tools to interfere with these trafficking mechanisms in order to decipher the specific roles of different forms of synaptic plasticity in given brain functions and behavioral tasks. For this aim, I lead a team of neurobiologists, physicists and chemists with a collaborative record of accomplishment. We will combine imaging, cellular neurobiology, physiology and behavior to probe the mechanisms and roles of different forms of synaptic plasticity.
New in tissue high-resolution imaging combined with innovative molecular reporters and electrophysiology will allow analysis of receptor traffic during short and long-term synaptic plasticity in physiological conditions. We will probe the interplay between activity-dependent changes in synaptic strength and circuit function with new photo-activable modifiers of receptor traffic with an unprecedented time and space resolution. Use of these tools in vivo will allow identifying the roles of synaptic plasticity in sensory information processing and the various phases of spatial memory formation.
|
[
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
] |
W2064487881
|
Numerical Investigation on Roll-Wave Properties: Wave–Wave Interactions, Generality, and Spectrum
|
AbstractModeling natural roll waves in unstable open channel flows where Froude number F>2 has not been well understood. In this investigation, some evolution properties of natural roll waves are numerically disclosed, with the intention to advance the development of modeling unstable open channel flows. To simulate natural roll waves, the diffusive Saint-Venant equations are solved using a high-resolution scheme based on the finite-volume formulation. The numerical solutions of detailed wave–wave interaction processes, including wave overtaking, absorption, and spawning, are displayed. Wave overtaking and absorption result in the coalescence of multiple waves; wave spawning results in the birth of new waves. The spatial evolution of roll waves always undergoes initial, transition, and final phases. The three phases constitute a generality for roll-wave evolutions. Finally, the spectral analysis along channel reveals that both the wave period and nonperiodicity increase from upstream to downstream channel...
|
[
"Mathematics",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
] |
W1500831085
|
Data Cube Computational Model with Hadoop MapReduce
|
XML has become a widely used and well structured data format for digital document handling and message transmission. To find useful knowledge in XML data, data warehouse and OLAP applications aimed at providing supports for decision making should be developed. Apache Hadoop is an open source cloud computing framework that provides a distributed file system for large scale data processing. In this paper, we discuss an XML data cube model which offers us the complete views to observe XML data, and present a basic algorithm to implement its building process on Hadoop. To improve the efficiency, an optimized algorithm more suitable for this kind of XML data is also proposed. The experimental results given in the paper prove the effectiveness of our optimization strategies.
|
[
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
] |
W2003007896
|
Oxidation of ethylbenzene using some recyclable cobalt nanocatalysts: The role of linker and electrochemical study
|
Co(II)–Schiff base complexes covalently linked on the organo-functionalized SiO 2 –Al 2 O 3 mixed-oxides. The catalytic activities of the heterogenized cobalt nanocatalysts in the oxidation of ethylbenzene were studied without the need of any solvent . In addition, the electrochemical data about oxidation of cobalt nanocatalysts at the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes was also studied. ► The cobalt complexes supported on functionalized SiO 2 –Al 2 O 3 used as nanocatalysts. ► Nanocatalysts were studied in the oxidation of ethylbenzene to acetophenone. ► Without the need of any solvent. ► The selectivity of acetophenone reached to 99% at TBHP/ethylbenzene molar ratio (1:1). ► Electrochemical behavior of the Co nanoparticles was studied. In this paper some Co(II)–Schiff base complexes were immobilized on SiO 2 –Al 2 O 3 mixed-oxide using two linkers with different flexibilities (3-aminopropyl and 2-aminoethyl-3-aminopropyl). The synthesized materials were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, UV–Vis, CHN elemental analysis, ICP-MS, EPR, SEM, TEM, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The catalytic activity of the heterogenized Co(II)–Schiff base complexes in the oxidation of ethylbenzene was studied without the need of any solvent, at 353 K, using tert -butyl hydroperoxide as oxygen source. The best catalyst has a higher catalytic activity (86%) and selectivity to acetophenone (99%) at TBHP/ethylbenzene molar ratio (1:1), and could be reused at least 4 times without significant loss in acetophenone yield, suggesting that no complex leaching took place under the reaction conditions. The electrochemical data about oxidation of the immobilized Co(II)–Schiff base complexes at the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes was also studied. The results indicate that the Co-complexes anchored on the modified SiO 2 –Al 2 O 3 mixed-oxide have an easily oxidizable environment, which led to higher catalytic activity and selectivity.
|
[
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Materials Engineering"
] |
10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01934.x
|
Density dependence in group dynamics of a highly social mongoose, Suricata suricatta
|
1. For social species, the link between individual behaviour and population dynamics is mediated by group-level demography. 2. Populations of obligate cooperative breeders are structured into social groups, which may be subject to inverse density dependence (Allee effects) that result from a dependence on conspecific helpers, but evidence for population-wide Allee effects is rare. 3. We use field data from a long-term study of cooperative meerkats (Suricata suricatta; Schreber, 1776) - a species for which local Allee effects are not reflected in population-level dynamics - to empirically model interannual group dynamics. 4. Using phenomenological population models, modified to incorporate environmental conditions and potential Allee effects, we first investigate overall patterns of group dynamics and find support only for conventional density dependence that increases after years of low rainfall. 5. To explain the observed patterns, we examine specific demographic rates and assess their contributions to overall group dynamics. Although per-capita meerkat mortality is subject to a component Allee effect, it contributes relatively little to observed variation in group dynamics, and other (conventionally density dependent) demographic rates - especially emigration - govern group dynamics. 6. Our findings highlight the need to consider demographic processes and density dependence in subpopulations before drawing conclusions about how behaviour affects population processes in socially complex systems.
|
[
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
] |
10.1109/IEDM.2017.8268503
|
Mos 2 Vo 2 Vdw Heterojunction Devices Tunable Rectifiers Photodiodes And Field Effect Transistors
|
In this work we report a new class of ultra-thin film devices based on n-n van der Waals (vdW) heteroj unctions of MoS 2 and VO 2 , which show remarkable tunable characteristics. The favorable band alignment combined with the sharp and clean vdW interface determines a tunable diode-like characteristic with a rectification ratio larger than 103. Moreover, the heterojunction can be turned into a Schottky rectifier with higher on-current by triggering the VO2 insulator to metal transition (IMT), by either applying a sufficiently large voltage or increasing the temperature above 68 °C. The proposed devices are photosensitive with linear photoresponse and temperature tunable photoresponsivity values larger than 1 in the 500/650 nm wavelength range. We finally report the first ever field-effect transistor based on gated MoS 2 /VO 2 heterojunctions, which is a true low power FET exploiting a phase change material where the electrostatic doping effect of the gate on the junction results in a subthreshold slope (SS) of 130 mV/dec at room temperature, I ON /I OFF > 103 and I oFF < 5 pA/μm at Vd = 1. 5V.
|
[
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
] |
10.1088/1742-6596/283/1/012013
|
Magneto Elastic Torsional Oscillations Of Magnetars
|
We extend a general-relativistic ideal magneto-hydrodynamical code to include the effects of elasticity. Using this numerical tool we analyse the magneto-elastic oscillations of highly magnetised neutron stars (magnetars). In simulations without magnetic field we are able to recover the purely crustal shear oscillations within an accuracy of about a few per cent. For dipole magnetic fields between 5 × 1013 and 1015 G the Alfven oscillations become modified substantially by the presence of the crust. Those quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) split into three families: Lower QPOs near the equator, Edge QPOs related to the last open field line and Upper QPOs at larger distance from the equator.
|
[
"Universe Sciences",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
] |
637734
|
Trace amine-associated receptor 1 (taar1) agonists in a chemogenetic/molecular imaging model of increased dopamine synthesis capacity (ki)
|
My research plan aims at generating an innovative chemogenetic/positron emission tomography (PET) imaging translational model of striatal dopamine (DA) over-reactivity, the most well-established pathophysiological mechanism underlying schizophrenia. I will use this platform to test the therapeutic efficacy of antipsychotic compounds with a totally new mechanism of action, i.e. targeting the trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1). Pre-clinical findings will have immediate translation to humans. I envisage a two-fold utility of this platform for the scientific community: 1) development of innovative therapeutic strategies for psychotic disorders; 2) ask fundamental questions about the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
A substantial share of patients treated with available antipsychotics do not respond and/or experience undesirable side effects. Available antipsychotics do not target the neurobiological mechanisms underlying schizophrenia symptoms, i.e., increased pre-synaptic DA synthesis capacity (Ki) in the striatum. They rather rely on blockade of DA receptors post-synaptically, possibly causing iatrogenic DA super-sensitivity. Therefore, there is a quest for improved therapeutic strategies, addressing DA over-reactivity. A novel target is represented by TAAR1, a G protein-coupled receptor that has been found to crosstalk with the DAergic system. Based on these premises, the objectives of this project are:
-Work package 1. To develop a chemogenetic translational mouse model of increased striatal Ki. We will use [18F]-FDOPA PET imaging to determine if selective manipulation of midbrain neuron firing increases Ki.
-Work package 2. To determine if TAAR1 agonists (TAAR1 toolbox) decrease striatal Ki in the model from WP1. We will ascertain whether TAAR1 is necessary for the effect on Ki, using TAAR1 knock-out (KO) mice.
-Work package 3. To determine whether TAAR1 toolbox modulate Ki in patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, applying [18F]-FDOPA PET imaging.
|
[
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
] |
10.1016/j.cplett.2012.11.075
|
Interplay between solvent models and predicted optical spectra: A TD-DFT study of 7-OH-coumarin
|
Using time-dependent density functional theory, we investigate the solvatochromic effects on the optical spectra of a typical hydroxy coumarin, considering its enol, keto, anionic and cationic forms. The absorption and fluorescence transitions energies have been computed within both the linear-response (LR) and the more refined state specific (SS) approaches, with explicit solvent molecules. These energies have also been used to compute 0-0 transitions and vibrationally resolved spectra. We show that the SS approach is mandatory to describe the solvent response due to the large increase of dipole moment upon the excitation while hydrogen bonds tune both absorption and emission energies.
|
[
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
] |
10.1088/0264-9381/29/20/205002
|
On A Five Dimensional Version Of The Goldberg Sachs Theorem
|
Previous work has found a higher dimensional generalization of the ?geodesic part? of the Goldberg?Sachs theorem. We investigate the generalization of the ?shear-free part? of the theorem. A spacetime is defined to be algebraically special if it admits a multiple Weyl aligned null direction (WAND). The algebraically special property restricts the form of the ?optical matrix? that defines the expansion, rotation and shear of the multiple WAND. After working out some general constraints that hold in arbitrary dimensions, we determine necessary algebraic conditions on the optical matrix of a multiple WAND in a five-dimensional Einstein spacetime. We prove that one can choose an orthonormal basis to bring the 3 ? 3 optical matrix to one of three canonical forms, each involving two parameters, and we discuss the existence of an ?optical structure? within these classes. Examples of solutions corresponding to each form are given. We give an example which demonstrates that our necessary algebraic conditions are not sufficient for a null vector field to be a multiple WAND, in contrast with the 4D result.
|
[
"Mathematics",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
] |
10.1038/srep18750
|
Allosteric effects of chromophore interaction with dimeric near-infrared fluorescent proteins engineered from bacterial phytochromes
|
Fluorescent proteins (FPs) engineered from bacterial phytochromes attract attention as probes for in vivo imaging due to their near-infrared (NIR) spectra and use of available in mammalian cells biliverdin (BV) as chromophore. We studied spectral properties of the iRFP670, iRFP682 and iRFP713 proteins and their mutants having Cys residues able to bind BV either in both PAS (Cys15) and GAF (Cys256) domains, in one of these domains, or without these Cys residues. We show that the absorption and fluorescence spectra and the chromophore binding depend on the location of the Cys residues. Compared with NIR FPs in which BV covalently binds to Cys15 or those that incorporate BV noncovalently, the proteins with BV covalently bound to Cys256 have blue-shifted spectra and higher quantum yield. In dimeric NIR FPs without Cys15, the covalent binding of BV to Crossed D sign ys256 in one monomer allosterically inhibits the covalent binding of BV to the other monomer, whereas the presence of Cys15 allosterically promotes BV binding to Cys256 in both monomers. The NIR FPs with both Cys residues have the narrowest blue-shifted spectra and the highest quantum yield. Our analysis resulted in the iRFP713/Val256Cys protein with the highest brightness in mammalian cells among available NIR FPs.
|
[
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
10.1126/sciadv.aaw1412
|
The sequence of events during folding of a DNA origami
|
We provide a comprehensive reference dataset of the kinetics of a multilayer DNA origami folding. To this end, we measured the folding kinetics of every staple strand and its two terminal segments during constant-temperature assembly of a multilayer DNA origami object. Our data illuminate the processes occurring during folding of the DNA origami in fine detail, starting with the first nucleating double-helical domains and ending with the fully folded DNA origami object. We found a complex sequence of folding events that cannot be explained with simplistic local design analysis. Our real-time data, although derived from one specific DNA origami object, through its sheer massive detail, could provide the crucial input needed to construct and test a quantitatively predictive, general model of DNA origami assembly.
|
[
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
] |
10.1016/j.mod.2016.11.003
|
Mechanical forces during muscle development
|
Muscles are the major force producing tissue in the human body. While certain muscle types specialize in producing maximum forces, others are very enduring. An extreme example is the heart, which continuously beats for the entire life. Despite being specialized, all body muscles share similar contractile mini-machines called sarcomeres that are organized into regular higher order structures called myofibrils. The major sarcomeric components and their organizational principles are conserved throughout most of the animal kingdom. In this review, we discuss recent progress in the understanding of myofibril and sarcomere development largely obtained from in vivo models. We focus on the role of mechanical forces during muscle and myofibril development and propose a tension driven self-organization mechanism for myofibril formation. We discuss recent technological advances that allow quantification of forces across tissues or molecules in vitro and in vivo. Although their application towards muscle development is still in its infancy, these technologies are likely to provide fundamental new insights into the mechanobiology of muscle and myofibril development in the near future.
|
[
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
] |
W2154693868
|
Prenatal development in rural South Africa: Relationship between birth weight and access to fathers and grandparents
|
Birth weight is an indicator of prenatal development associated with health in infancy and childhood, and may be affected by the family environment experienced by the mother during pregnancy. Using data from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, we explore the importance of the mother's access to the father and grandparents of the child during pregnancy. Controlling for household socio-economic indicators and maternal characteristics, the survival and residence of the biological father with the mother are positively associated with birth weight. The type of relationship seems to matter: married women have the heaviest newborns, but co-residence with a non-marital partner is also associated with higher birth weight. Access to the maternal grandmother may also be important: women whose mothers are alive have heavier newborns, but no additional benefit is observed from residing together. Co-residence with any grandparent is not associated with birth weight after controlling for the mother's partnership.
|
[
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
] |
W2344661652
|
Contextualized Planning Using Social Practices
|
Intelligent agents increasingly need to be aware of the social aspects of their context in order to take the appropriate action. However, existing techniques and platforms only provide partial solutions for this problem which do not take into account the full consequences of the social context. In this paper we propose to use ideas from social practice theory to support reasoning about action and planning in a social context.
We argue that putting social practices at the heart of the deliberation rather than use them as yet another aspect to be taken care of in the practical planning allows for more efficient planning. We provide a sketch of how this architecture provides some structure in the complexity of the deliberation process and balances between pro-active and reactive behaviour. The approach is demonstrated in a scenario taken from emergency management.
|
[
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
] |
835108
|
Synthetic biology of non-ribosomal peptide synthetases to generate new peptides
|
Natural products (NPs) generated by microbial non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) represent several very important and valuable clinical antibiotics, immune-suppressive and anti-cancer drugs. NPs have gone on to inspire several synthetic peptides that are used clinically, but contain amino acids (AAs) or other building blocks that are not found in nature. However, with >500 identified AAs and additional peptide modifications like glycosylation or cyclization, the chemical diversity in NRPS-derived peptides is far larger than proteins and has not yet been fully explored. The modular nature of NRPS suggests the possibility to manipulate them, subsequently leading to the production of non-natural NPs. With an eXchange Unit (XU) concept, developed in Photorhabdus, Xenorhabdus and Bacillus, we have recently identified efficient ways for NRPS manipulation enabling the de novo assembly of novel NRPS for the production of new-to-nature NPs in excellent production yields of >250 mg/L. Within SYNPEP we will expand this approach to other bacterial genera producing peptide NPs. We will identify unusual NRPS systems, analyse them bioinformatically, validate the function of novel NRPS units experimentally and combine high-throughput molecular biology, microfluidics for bioactivity screening, rapid NP identification and structure elucidation to produce potentially any peptide or a peptide library of 2-15 amino acids in <4 weeks, in a semi-automated manner. In contrast to chemical peptide synthesis this production pipeline is more economical, sustainable and scalable. The NPs are produced by bacterial cells in aqueous media using cheap energy sources and the bacterial cultures can be easily scaled up when larger NP amounts are needed. We will also develop NRPS units that accept synthetic building blocks currently not found in natural NRPS. These ‘synthetic’ NRPS units will enable the simplified chemical derivatization of the produced NPs for further compound diversification.
|
[
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering"
] |
10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-16-0136
|
Evidence Implicating Immunological Host Effects In The Efficacy Of Metronomic Low Dose Chemotherapy
|
Conventional chemotherapy drugs administered at a maximum tolerated dose (MTD) remains the backbone for treating most cancers. Low-dose metronomic (LDM) chemotherapy, which utilizes lower, less toxic, doses given on a close regular basis over prolonged periods, is an alternative and better tolerated potential strategy to improve chemotherapy. LDM chemotherapy has been evaluated preclinically and clinically and has shown therapeutic benefit, in both early and advanced stage metastatic disease, especially when used as a maintenance therapy. However, knowledge about the antitumor mechanisms by which LDM chemotherapy acts remain limited. Here we characterized the effects of LDM and MTD capecitabine therapy on tumor and host cells using high-throughput systems approaches involving mass spectrometry flow cytometry and automated cell imaging followed by in vivo analyses of such therapies. An increase in myeloid and T regulatory cells and a decrease in NK and T cytotoxic cells were found in MTD-capecitabine-treated tumors compared with LDM-capecitbine-treated tumors. Plasma from MTD capecitabine-treated mice induced a more tumorigenic and metastatic profile in both breast and colon carcinoma cells than plasma from mice treated with LDM capecitabine. These results correlated, in part, with in vivo studies using models of human or mouse advanced metastatic disease, where the therapeutic advantage of MTD capecitabine was limited despite a substantial initial antitumor activity found in the primary tumor setting. Overall these results implicate a possible contribution of immunologic host effects in accounting for the therapeutic limitations of MTD compared with LDM capecitabine. Cancer Res; 76(20); 5983-93.
|
[
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
] |
217948
|
Levitation with localised tactile and audio feedback for mid-air interactions
|
This project will be the first to create, prototype and evaluate a radically new human-computer interaction paradigm that
empowers the unadorned user to reach into levitating matter, see it, feel it, manipulate it and hear it. Our users can interact
with the system in a walk-up-and-use manner without any user instrumentation.
As we are moving away from keyboards and mice to touch and touchless interactions, ironically, the main limit is the lack of
any physicality and co-located feedback. In this project, we propose a highly novel vision of bringing the physical interface to
the user in mid-air. In our vision, the computer can control the existence, form, and appearance of complex levitating objects
composed of ""levitating atoms"". Users can reach into the levitating matter, feel it, manipulate it, and hear how they deform it
with all feedback originating from the levitating object's position in mid-air, as it would with objects in real life. This will
completely change how people use technology as it will be the first time that they can interact with technology in the same
way they would with real objects in their natural environment.
We will draw on our understanding of acoustics to implement all of the components in a radically new approach. In particular,
we will draw on ultrasound beam-forming and manipulation techniques to create acoustic forces that can levitate particles
and to provide directional audio cues. By using a phased array of ultrasound transducers, the team will create levitating
objects that can be individually controlled and at the same time create tactile feedback when the user manipulates these
levitating objects. We will then demonstrate that the levitating atoms can each become sound sources through the use of
parametric audio with our ultrasound array serving as the carrier of the audible sound. We will visually project onto the objects to create a rich multimodal display floating in space.
|
[
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
] |
10.1002/fld.3710
|
Numerical approximation of parabolic problems by residual distribution schemes
|
We are interested in the numerical approximation of steady scalar convection-diffusion problems by means of high order schemes called Residual Distribution schemes. In the inviscid case, one can develop nonlinear Residual Distribution schemes that are nonoscillatory, even in the case of very strong discontinuities, while having the most possible compact stencil, on hybrid unstructured meshes. This paper proposes and compare extensions of these schemes for the convection-diffusion problem. This methodology, in particular in terms of accuracy, is evaluated on problem with exact solutions. Its nonoscillatory behavior is tested against the Smith and Hutton problem.
|
[
"Mathematics",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
10.1007/s10494-017-9845-7
|
Revisiting History Effects in Adverse-Pressure-Gradient Turbulent Boundary Layers
|
The goal of this study is to present a first step towards establishing criteria aimed at assessing whether a particular adverse-pressure-gradient (APG) turbulent boundary layer (TBL) can be considered well-behaved, i. e. , whether it is independent of the inflow conditions and is exempt of numerical or experimental artifacts. To this end, we analyzed several high-quality datasets, including in-house numerical databases of APG TBLs developing over flat-plates and the suction side of a wing section, and five studies available in the literature. Due to the impact of the flow history on the particular state of the boundary layer, we developed three criteria of convergence to well-behaved conditions, to be used depending on the particular case under study. (i) In the first criterion, we develop empirical correlations defining the Reθ-evolution of the skin-friction coefficient and the shape factor in APG TBLs with constant values of the Clauser pressure-gradient parameter β = 1 and 2 (note that β = δ∗/τwdPe/dx, where δ∗ is the displacement thickness, τw the wall-shear stress and dPe/dx the streamwise pressure gradient). (ii) In the second one, we propose a predictive method to obtain the skin-friction curve corresponding to an APG TBL subjected to any streamwise evolution of β, based only on data from zero-pressure-gradient TBLs. (iii) The third method relies on the diagnostic-plot concept modified with the shape factor, which scales APG TBLs subjected to a wide range of pressure-gradient conditions. These three criteria allow to ensure the correct flow development of a particular TBL, and thus to separate history and pressure-gradient effects in the analysis.
|
[
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
] |
833647
|
Computable Law
|
The project addresses the regulation of computations (processes and systems) through an innovative legal & technological framework: it provides epistemic, technical and normative guidance for the de-velopment of computable laws and law compliant computations.
The context is the ongoing transformation of the social world into a hybrid infosphere, populated by a huge and growing number of increasingly pervasive, autonomous and intelligent computational enti-ties. The scale, speed, ubiquity and autonomy of computations make it impossible for humans to di-rectly monitor them and anticipate all possible illegal computational behaviours. The law can hold the hybrid infosphere under its rule – providing protection, security and trust – only if it be-comes computation-oriented: legal and ethical requirements must be integrated with, mapped onto, and partially translated into, computable representations of legal knowledge and reasoning.
Current legal culture still has not adequately addressed risks and potentials of computable law. My project will fill this gap, providing concepts, principles, methods and techniques and normative guide-lines to support law-abiding computations. It has the normative purpose to uphold the principle of rule of law, translating legal norms and legal values into requirements for computable laws and legally-responsive computational agents. My project will provide major methodological and substantive breakthroughs. On the one hand, it pro-poses a socio-technical methodology for regulatory design and evaluation, integrating three discipli-nary clusters: a social-legal one, a philosophical-logical one and a computing-AI one. On the other hand, it develops a framework including: (a) norms, legal values and principles for developers, de-ployers and users; (b) languages and methods to specify requirements of computations and norms directed to them; (c) cognitive architectures for legally-responsive computational agents.
|
[
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
10.1086/682989
|
The Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics System Enabling High Contrast Imaging On Solar System Scales
|
The Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics (SCExAO) instrument is a multipurpose high-contrast imaging platform designed for the discovery and detailed characterization of exoplanetary systems and serves as a testbed for high-contrast imaging technologies for ELTs. It is a multiband instrument which makes use of light from 600 to 2500 nm, allowing for coronagraphic direct exoplanet imaging of the inner 3λ/D from the stellar host. Wavefront sensing and control are key to the operation of SCExAO. A partial correction of low-order modes is provided by Subaru's facility adaptive optics system with the final correction, including high-order modes, implemented downstream by a combination of a visible pyramid wavefront sensor and a 2000-element deformable mirror. The well-corrected NIR (y-K bands) wavefronts can then be injected into any of the available coronagraphs, including but not limited to the phase-induced amplitude apodization and the vector vortex coronagraphs, both of which offer an inner working angle as low as 1λ/D. Noncommon path, low-order aberrations are sensed with a coronagraphic low-order wavefront sensor in the infrared (IR). Low noise, high frame rate NIR detectors allow for active speckle nulling and coherent differential imaging, while the HAWAII 2RG detector in the HiCIAO imager and/or the CHARIS integral field spectrograph (from mid-2016) can take deeper exposures and/or perform angular, spectral, and polarimetric differential imaging. Science in the visible is provided by two interferometric modules: VAMPIRES and FIRST, which enable subdiffraction limited imaging in the visible region with polarimetric and spectroscopic capabilities respectively. We describe the instrument in detail and present preliminary results both on-sky and in the laboratory.
|
[
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Universe Sciences"
] |
10.1093/pa/gst017
|
Television in the legislature: The impact of cameras in the house of commons
|
The introduction of television cameras in legislatures met, in many countries, with serious debate about the potential benefits and costs of broadcasting legislative debate. There were concerns about tendency for cameras to produce less focused, more attention-seeking behaviour amongst party members, and especially leaders. This work draws together the literatures on televising debates, and on personalisation, to explore the impact of introduction of cameras in the Canadian House of Commons. Analyses are based on content analytic database of over 11,000 questions asked from 1957 to 2004; they suggest no discernible impact of cameras on House debates. These results are discussed as they pertain to both the current literature on personalisation, and the design of legislative institutions and communication policies.
|
[
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
] |
10.1145/2939370
|
Dream An Approach To Estimate Per Task Dram Energy In Multicore Systems
|
Accurate per-task energy estimation in multicore systems would allow performing per-task energy-aware task scheduling and energy-aware billing in data centers, among other applications. Per-task energy estimation is challenged by the interaction between tasks in shared resources, which impacts tasks’ energy consumption in uncontrolled ways. Some accurate mechanisms have been devised recently to estimate per-task energy consumed on-chip in multicores, but there is a lack of such mechanisms for DRAM memories. This article makes the case for accurate per-task DRAM energy metering in multicores, which opens new paths to energy/performance optimizations. In particular, the contributions of this article are (i) an ideal per-task energy metering model for DRAM memories; (ii) DReAM, an accurate yet low cost implementation of the ideal model (less than 5% accuracy error when 16 tasks share memory); and (iii) a comparison with standard methods (even distribution and access-count based) proving that DReAM is much more accurate than these other methods.
|
[
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
] |
10.1016/j.devcel.2012.10.009
|
Curvature, Lipid Packing, and Electrostatics of Membrane Organelles: Defining Cellular Territories in Determining Specificity
|
Whereas some rare lipids contribute to the identity of cell organelles, we focus on the abundant lipids that form the matrix of organelle membranes. Observations using bioprobes and peripheral proteins, notably sensors of membrane curvature, support the prediction that the cell contains two broad membrane territories: the territory of loose lipid packing, where cytosolic proteins take advantage of membrane defects, and the territory of electrostatics, where proteins are attracted by negatively charged lipids. The contrasting features of these territories provide specificity for reactions occurring along the secretory pathway, on the plasma membrane, and also on lipid droplets and autophagosomes.
|
[
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
10.1038/srep07435
|
Temporal dynamics of the ABC transporter response to insecticide treatment: Insights from the malaria vector Anopheles stephensi
|
In insects, ABC transporters have been shown to contribute to defence/resistance to insecticides by reducing toxic concentrations in cells/tissues. Despite the extensive studies about this detoxifying mechanism, the temporal patterns of ABC transporter activation have been poorly investigated. Using the malaria vector Anopheles stephensi as a study system, we investigated the expression profile of ABC genes belonging to different subfamilies in permethrin-treated larvae at different time points (30 min to 48 h). Our results showed that the expression of ABCB and ABCG subfamily genes was upregulated at 1 h after treatment, with the highest expression observed at 6 h. Therefore, future investigations on the temporal dynamics of ABCgene expression will allow a better implementation of insecticide treatment regimens, including the use of specific inhibitors of ABC efflux pumps.
|
[
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
] |
10.1016/j.molmet.2017.08.007
|
An unbiased silencing screen in muscle cells identifies miR-320a, miR-150, miR-196b, and miR-34c as regulators of skeletal muscle mitochondrial metabolism
|
Objective Strategies improving skeletal muscle mitochondrial capacity are commonly paralleled by improvements in (metabolic) health. We and others previously identified microRNAs regulating mitochondrial oxidative capacity, but data in skeletal muscle are limited. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify novel microRNAs regulating skeletal muscle mitochondrial metabolism. Methods and results We conducted an unbiased, hypothesis-free microRNA silencing screen in C2C12 myoblasts, using >700 specific microRNA inhibitors, and investigated a broad panel of mitochondrial markers. After subsequent validation in differentiated C2C12 myotubes, and exclusion of microRNAs without a human homologue or with an adverse effect on mitochondrial metabolism, 19 candidate microRNAs remained. Human clinical relevance of these microRNAs was investigated by measuring their expression in human skeletal muscle of subject groups displaying large variation in skeletal muscle mitochondrial capacity. Conclusion The results show that that microRNA-320a, microRNA-196b-3p, microRNA-150-5p, and microRNA-34c-3p are tightly related to in vivo skeletal muscle mitochondrial function in humans and identify these microRNAs as targets for improving mitochondrial metabolism.
|
[
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
10.1021/jacs.8b04928
|
Self-Catalytic Reaction of SO<inf>3</inf> and NH<inf>3</inf> to Produce Sulfamic Acid and Its Implication to Atmospheric Particle Formation
|
Sulfur trioxide (SO3) is one of the most active chemical species in the atmosphere, and its atmospheric fate has profound implications to air quality and human health. The dominant gas-phase loss pathway for SO3 is generally believed to be the reaction with water molecules, resulting in sulfuric acid. The latter is viewed as a critical component in the new particle formation (NPF). Herein, a new and competitive loss pathway for SO3 in the presence of abundant gas-phase ammonia (NH3) species is identified. Specifically, the reaction between SO3 and NH3, which produces sulfamic acid, can be self-catalyzed by the reactant (NH3). In dry and heavily polluted areas with relatively high concentrations of NH3, the effective rate constant for the bimolecular SO3-NH3 reaction can be sufficiently fast through this new loss pathway for SO3 to become competitive with the conventional loss pathway for SO3 with water. Furthermore, this study shows that the final product of the reaction, namely, sulfamic acid, can enhance the fastest possible rate of NPF from sulfuric acid and dimethylamine (DMA) by about a factor of 2. An alternative source of stabilizer for acid-base clustering in the atmosphere is suggested, and this new mechanism for NPF has potential to improve atmospheric modeling in highly polluted regions.
|
[
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Earth System Science"
] |
W2137431032
|
Europe at a Crossroads: Failed Ideas, Fictional Facts, and Fatal Consequences
|
The crisis of the European Monetary Union has revealed the weakness and the fragility of the European integration process. The paper examines the institutional changes which are at the root of the instability. What are the driving forces behind the introduction of the euro? What role do theoretical considerations play in this process? What influence on European integration has been exerted by neoliberal beliefs and convictions? Relying on an approach that combines basic insights of Gunnar Myrdal with Karl Polanyi's idea of a “double movement,” it concentrates on the institutional transformation that is at the basis of the European integration process. The relationship between (misleading) ideas and facts is at the center of the study. It examines the influence of ideas and theoretical models on European integration, the Single Market Program, the Maastricht process, the increasing imbalances since the introduction of the euro, and the strategies applied during the recent crisis.
|
[
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
] |
803277
|
Levitated Nanoparticles for Technology and Quantum Nanophysics: New frontiers in physics at the nanoscale.
|
Technology is continuously miniaturizing. As it reaches the nanoscale we face unique challenges, such as managing thermal. From the other direction, advances in the quantum physics of a few atoms, ions, and solid-state qubits mean that we increasingly wish to scale up quantum systems, or interface them with nanoscale devices.
Opto- and electro-mechanical (NEMS and MEMS) devices have been controlled at the quantum level in recent years, an amazing advance allowing even entanglement between light and mechanical motion. However, all such systems are plagued by unavoidable environmental contact, and energy dissipation through strain, limiting the potential of mechanical devices to participate in both classical and quantum technologies.
By levitating the mechanical element, these problems are overcome. LEVITEQ will, for the first time, cool the motion and rotation of tailor-made silicon particles, enabling full quantum level control. This ultra-low dissipation system offers exquisite force sensitivity, by driving the rotation of a levitated nanorod. LEVITEQ will pioneer the control of nanoparticles by electronic circuits, allowing simple technological integration in a room temperature environment. This all-electrical system will challenge existing quartz crystal oscillator technology.
LEVITEQ will explore new regimes of physics, by working in extreme vacuum, elucidating thermodynamics on the nanoscale. This research will pave the way for a levitated quantum object acting as a node in a quantum network, for coherent signal storage and conversion.
|
[
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
] |
W2375568108
|
Construction for processing map based on DMM and identification for the stable hot-working parameters of Ti-6Al-2Zr-1Mo-1V alloy
|
Several series of billet samples were compressed on heat physical simulation machine under deformation temperatures 1073-1323K and strain rates 0.01-10s-1,then the true stress-strain data collected resulted the performance of calculations for strain rate sensitivity(m-value),power dissipation efficiency(η-value) and instability parameter(ξ(e·-value).A series of 3D surfaces reveal the dramatic response of m-value to the transferring and coexisting of several deformation mechanisms induced by the enhanced effect of stress,temperature,strain rate and strain,from which the stable and unstable deformation parameter regions were indentified preliminarily.In further,the maps of power dissipation efficiency were plotted,from which the unstable(η≤0) deformation parameter regions were indentified furtherly.Finally,based on the map of instability criterion,stable region(ξ0),unstable region(ξ≤0) were clarified clearly.According to the comprehensive identification,the stable deformation parameter regions with higher m-value level,higher η-value level,higher ξ-value level are recommended,while the unstable deformation parameter regions with negative m-value level,negative η-value level,negative ξ-value level should be avoided.
|
[
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering"
] |
W3104371034
|
Atoms and molecules in intense laser fields: gauge invariance of theory and models
|
Gauge invariance was discovered in the development of classical electromagnetism and was required when the latter was formulated in terms of the scalar and vector potentials. It is now considered to be a fundamental principle of nature, stating that different forms of these potentials yield the same physical description: they describe the same electromagnetic field as long as they are related to each other by gauge transformations. Gauge invariance can also be included into the quantum description of matter interacting with an electromagnetic field by assuming that the wave function transforms under a given local unitary transformation. The result of this procedure is a quantum theory describing the coupling of electrons, nuclei and photons. Therefore, it is a very important concept: it is used in almost every fields of physics and it has been generalized to describe electroweak and strong interactions in the standard model of particles. A review of quantum mechanical gauge invariance and general unitary transformations is presented for atoms and molecules in interaction with intense short laser pulses, spanning the perturbative to highly nonlinear nonperturbative interaction regimes. Various unitary transformations for single spinless particle Time Dependent Schr\"odinger Equations, TDSE, are shown to correspond to different time-dependent Hamiltonians and wave functions. Accuracy of approximation methods involved in solutions of TDSE's such as perturbation theory and popular numerical methods depend on gauge or representation choices which can be more convenient due to faster convergence criteria. We focus on three main representations: length and velocity gauges, in addition to the acceleration form which is not a gauge, to describe perturbative and nonperturbative radiative interactions. Numerical schemes for solving TDSE's in different representations are also discussed.
|
[
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
] |
758053
|
A Fiber Optic Transceiver for Superconducting Qubits
|
Many researchers in basic science and large IT companies are convinced that superconducting quantum processors will soon help solve complex problems faster, improve optimization and simulation, and boost the progress in artificial intelligence. A worldwide quantum web is the next logical step. It would not only improve communication security, it represents the key to unlock the full potential of the new quantum-computing paradigm.
Unfortunately, research in optical quantum networks and superconducting devices has progressed largely independently so far. While superconducting qubits are ideally suited for on-chip integration and fast processing, they are problematic for quantum communication. In fact, no solution exists to connect remote qubits via a room temperature link. The small energy scales in the electrical circuit make the fragile information carriers (single microwave photons) susceptible to interference, thermal noise and losses, which has hindered any significant progress in this direction.
Only just now we have gained sufficient insight into low loss materials, the required fabrication technology, and the precision measurement techniques necessary to bridge the two worlds, by controlling individual photons and phonons quantum coherently. We propose to integrate silicon photonics for low-loss fiber optic communication with superconducting circuits for quantum processing on a single microchip. As intermediary transducer we will focus on two approaches: (1) quantum ground state cooled nanoscale mechanical and (2) low-loss electro-optic nonlinear circuit elements. The novelty of our approach is the tight on-chip integration facilitated by the PIs interdisciplinary background in both, superconducting circuits and silicon nanophotonics. Integration will be the key for realizing a low-loss and high-bandwidth transceiver, for preparing remote entanglement of superconducting qubits, and for extending the range of current fiber optic quantum networks.
|
[
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
] |
866400
|
Ordering, Constructing, Empowering: Fragments of the Roman Republican Antiquarians
|
This project will radically transform our understanding of Roman Republican culture by establishing a new framework for the elaboration of knowledge and the religious and institutional structures of the Roman Republic. We will do so through the first systematic and comprehensive account of a group of Republican writers, who laid out a new way of ordering knowledge, and in the process, described the world for their contemporaries as well as for us. This knowledge revolution re-shaped the Roman intellectual horizon and was understood until the 19th century as a distinctive ‘antiquarian’ moment.
Scattered through inaccessible collections of legal, historical, grammatical material, the knowledge revolution of the period is masked, as is the magnitude of the Roman innovation. The project’s objectives are:
to broaden scholarly debates on the construction of knowledge and the political and religious culture of the Republic by collecting and making widely accessible a body of critically significant texts that have never been seen in their entirety; to transform our understanding of the intellectual life of the Roman Republic and fully explore its connections with the political and religious world of the time. By drawing on a systematic analysis of what might be considered ‘antiquarian’, we will chart the dynamics of the intellectual, political, institutional, and religious spheres at the very moment of their creative mutual interdependence.
Bringing historical, linguistic, legal, religious, and philosophical expertise to bear on a close philological investigation of the source texts, we will produce the first ever edition of all the surviving ‘antiquarian’ fragments of the Republic. Supplied with analytical insights in the commentary, introduction, and related monographs, FRRAnt’s ambition is to launch the study of these texts as a major new departure for the study of ancient world and of classical tradition from the Renaissance onwards.
|
[
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Texts and Concepts"
] |
173294
|
From aquileia to singidunum (belgrade), reconstructing the paths of roman travelers
|
The RecRoad project aims to reconstruct the Roman road going from Aquileia, in the north-east of Italy, to Singidunum, on the Danube river. This was one of the main road axes of the Empire and it connected the Venetian area with the Pannonia Superior and the Danubian limes: the road was longer than 450 miles, passing through the Alps, it ran along the river Sava, crossing its course several times. The road's general layout can be followed in the itinerary sources but an attempt to accurately reconstruct the course of the road on the ground has never been tried before and may greatly improve our knowledge of the evolution of the territories that it crossed over the time. After an in-depth study of the original itinerary of the road, the project aims also at the analysis of the consequences of its construction on the landscape from different point of view (culture, settlement dynamics, religion, trade, …), so that better comprehension of the territorial and cultural connections, will be possible. To reach these goals, the project will consider and use all the sources and the new technologies avalaible to archaeologists, in a multi-disciplinary approach. All the collected and generated information will be geo-referenced and published in an online Atlas.
The main output of the project will be an interactive atlas available online, where it will be possible to visualize the reconstructed route in its geographical context, the reliability degree of the individual segments and the sources that were identified with reference to the single stretch of the road to which they pertain. In addition, new strategies and initiatives for the protection and knowledge dissemination will be developed. For the first time, all the sources today avalaible to archaeologists will be used to identify the original track of a Roman road and to study the importance of the consequences that its presence had on the territory and on the way ancient people conceived the landscape where they lived.
|
[
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
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