47 CFR 22.901 - Cellular service requirements and limitations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cellular service requirements and limitations... SERVICES PUBLIC MOBILE SERVICES Cellular Radiotelephone Service § 22.901 Cellular service requirements and limitations. The licensee of each cellular system is responsible for ensuring that its cellular system...

Financial Management: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Financial Information Imported Into the Defense Departmental Reporting System - Audited Financial Statements

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Granetto, Paul J; Peek, Marvin L; Armstrong, Jack L; Wenzel, Paul C; Furey, Kathleen A; Zimmerman, Craig W

2004-01-01

... are: the Corps of Engineers Financial Management System, the Corps of Engineers Enterprise Management Information System, and the Defense Departmental Reporting System - Audited Financial Statements...

Coevolutionary arms race versus host defense chase in a tropical herbivore-plant system.

Science.gov (United States)

Endara, María-José; Coley, Phyllis D; Ghabash, Gabrielle; Nicholls, James A; Dexter, Kyle G; Donoso, David A; Stone, Graham N; Pennington, R Toby; Kursar, Thomas A

2017-09-05

Coevolutionary models suggest that herbivores drive diversification and community composition in plants. For herbivores, many questions remain regarding how plant defenses shape host choice and community structure. We addressed these questions using the tree genus Inga and its lepidopteran herbivores in the Amazon. We constructed phylogenies for both plants and insects and quantified host associations and plant defenses. We found that similarity in herbivore assemblages between Inga species was correlated with similarity in defenses. There was no correlation with phylogeny, a result consistent with our observations that the expression of defenses in Inga is independent of phylogeny. Furthermore, host defensive traits explained 40% of herbivore community similarity. Analyses at finer taxonomic scales showed that different lepidopteran clades select hosts based on different defenses, suggesting taxon-specific histories of herbivore-host plant interactions. Finally, we compared the phylogeny and defenses of Inga to phylogenies for the major lepidopteran clades. We found that closely related herbivores fed on Inga with similar defenses rather than on closely related plants. Together, these results suggest that plant defenses might be more evolutionarily labile than the herbivore traits related to host association. Hence, there is an apparent asymmetry in the evolutionary interactions between Inga and its herbivores. Although plants may evolve under selection by herbivores, we hypothesize that herbivores may not show coevolutionary adaptations, but instead "chase" hosts based on the herbivore's own traits at the time that they encounter a new host, a pattern more consistent with resource tracking than with the arms race model of coevolution.

The Effect of Hydroxylated Fullerene Nanoparticles on Antioxidant Defense System in Brain Ischemia Rat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Background and Objectives: According to the previous findings, brain ischemia attenuates the brain antioxidant defense system. This study aimed to investigate the effect of hydroxylated fullerene nanoparticle on antioxidant defense system in ischemic brain rat. Methods: In this Experimental study, rats were divided into three groups (n=6 in each group: sham, ischemic control, and ischemic treatment group. Brain ischemia was induced by middle cerebral artery (MCA occlusion for 90 minutes followed by a 24-hour reperfusion. Ischemic treatment animals received fullerene nanoparticles intraperitoneally at a dose of 10mg/kg immediately after the end of MCA occlusion. After 24-h reperfusion period, brain catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD, and glutathione activities were assessed by biochemical methods. The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc test. Results: The mean glutathione level and catalase and SOD activities in sham animals were 1±0.18%, 1±0.20%, and 1±0.04%, respectively. Induction of brain ischemia decreased the value of glutathione level and catalase and SOD activities in control ischemic rats and their values were obtained to be 0.55±0.09%, 0.44±0.05%, and 0.86±0.02%, respectively. Fullerene significantly increased the activities of catalase (0.93±0.29% and SOD (1.33±0.22% in ischemic treatment group compared to ischemic control rats, but did not change the glutathione level (0.52±0.25%. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that treatment with fullerene nanoparticles improves the brain antioxidant defense system, which is weakened during brain ischemia, through increasing catalase and SOD activities.

DNA Mismatch Repair System: Repercussions in Cellular Homeostasis and Relationship with Aging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Cristóbal Conde-Pérezprina

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The mechanisms that concern DNA repair have been studied in the last years due to their consequences in cellular homeostasis. The diverse and damaging stimuli that affect DNA integrity, such as changes in the genetic sequence and modifications in gene expression, can disrupt the steady state of the cell and have serious repercussions to pathways that regulate apoptosis, senescence, and cancer. These altered pathways not only modify cellular and organism longevity, but quality of life (“health-span”. The DNA mismatch repair system (MMR is highly conserved between species; its role is paramount in the preservation of DNA integrity, placing it as a necessary focal point in the study of pathways that prolong lifespan, aging, and disease. Here, we review different insights concerning the malfunction or absence of the DNA-MMR and its impact on cellular homeostasis. In particular, we will focus on DNA-MMR mechanisms regulated by known repair proteins MSH2, MSH6, PMS2, and MHL1, among others.

Department of Defense Agency Financial Report for FY 2011

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-01

able to distribute resources across hospitals and clinics within a market to meet the needs of the entire population of eligible beneficiaries. In...WRAMC), Washington, DC. This entailed construction of a new community hospital and a dental clinic at Fort Belvoir and an expansion of the National...Department of Defense DSB Defense Science Board DSS Defense Security Service DTM Directive-type Memorandum DTS Defense Travel System EBF Education

Molecular and functional roles of 6C CC chemokine 19 in defense system of striped murrel Channa striatus.

Science.gov (United States)

Arockiaraj, Jesu; Bhatt, Prasanth; Harikrishnan, Ramasamy; Arasu, Mariadhas Valan; Al-Dhabi, Naif Abdullah

2015-08-01

In this study, we have reported the molecular information of chemokine-19 (Chem19) from striped murrel Channa striatus (Cs). CsCC-Chem19 cDNA sequence was 555 base pair (bp) in length which is 68bp 5' untranslated region (UTR), 339bp translated region and 149bp 3' UTR. The translated region is encoded for a polypeptide of 112 amino acids. CsCC-Chem19 peptide contains a signal sequence between 1 and 26 and an interleukin (IL) 8 like domain between 24 and 89. The multiple sequence alignment showed a 'DCCL' motif, an indispensable motif present in all CC chemokines which was conserved throughout the evolution. Phylogenetic tree showed that CsCC-Chem19 formed a cluster with chemokine 19 from fishes. Secondary structure of CsCC-Chem19 revealed that the peptide contains maximum amount of coils (61.6%) compared to α-helices (25.9%%) and β-sheet (12.5%). Further, 3D analysis indicated that the cysteine residues at 33, 34, 59 and 75 making the disulfide bridges as 33 = 59 and 34 = 75. Significantly (P coding region of CsCC-Chem19, recombinant CsCC-Chem19 protein was produced. The recombinant CsCC-Chem19 protein induced the cellular proliferation and respiratory burst activity of C. striatus peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) in a concentration dependent manner. Moreover, the chemotactic activity showed that the recombinant CsCC-Chem19 significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced the movement of PBL of C. striatus. Conclusively, CsCC-Chem19 is a 6C CC chemokine having an ability to perform both inflammatory and homeostatic functions. However, further research is necessary to understand the potential of 6C CC chemokine 19 of C. striatus, particularly their regulatory ability on different cellular components in the defense system. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Curcumin enhances recovery of pancreatic islets from cellular stress induced inflammation and apoptosis in diabetic rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rashid, Kahkashan; Sil, Parames C.

2015-01-01

The phytochemical, curcumin, has been reported to play many beneficial roles. However, under diabetic conditions, the detail mechanism of its beneficial action in the glucose homeostasis regulatory organ, pancreas, is poorly understood. The present study has been designed and carried out to explore the role of curcumin in the pancreatic tissue of STZ induced and cellular stress mediated diabetes in eight weeks old male Wistar rats. Diabetes was induced with a single intraperitoneal dose of STZ (65 mg/kg body weight). Post to diabetes induction, animals were treated with curcumin at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight for eight weeks. Underlying molecular and cellular mechanism was determined using various biochemical assays, DNA fragmentation, FACS, histology, immunoblotting and ELISA. Treatment with curcumin reduced blood glucose level, increased plasma insulin and mitigated oxidative stress related markers. In vivo and in vitro experimental results revealed increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL1-β and IFN-γ), reduced level of cellular defense proteins (Nrf-2 and HO-1) and glucose transporter (GLUT-2) along with enhanced levels of signaling molecules of ER stress dependent and independent apoptosis (cleaved Caspase-12/9/8/3) in STZ administered group. Treatment with curcumin ameliorated all the adverse changes and helps the organ back to its normal physiology. Results suggest that curcumin protects pancreatic beta-cells by attenuating inflammatory responses, and inhibiting ER/mitochondrial dependent and independent pathways of apoptosis and crosstalk between them. This uniqueness and absence of any detectable adverse effect proposes the possibility of using this molecule as an effective protector in the cellular stress mediated diabetes mellitus. - Highlights: • STZ induced cellular stress plays a vital role in pancreatic dysfunction. • Cellular stress causes inflammation, pancreatic islet cell death and diabetes. • Deregulation of Nrf-2

Curcumin enhances recovery of pancreatic islets from cellular stress induced inflammation and apoptosis in diabetic rats

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rashid, Kahkashan; Sil, Parames C., E-mail: parames@jcbose.ac.in

2015-02-01

The phytochemical, curcumin, has been reported to play many beneficial roles. However, under diabetic conditions, the detail mechanism of its beneficial action in the glucose homeostasis regulatory organ, pancreas, is poorly understood. The present study has been designed and carried out to explore the role of curcumin in the pancreatic tissue of STZ induced and cellular stress mediated diabetes in eight weeks old male Wistar rats. Diabetes was induced with a single intraperitoneal dose of STZ (65 mg/kg body weight). Post to diabetes induction, animals were treated with curcumin at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight for eight weeks. Underlying molecular and cellular mechanism was determined using various biochemical assays, DNA fragmentation, FACS, histology, immunoblotting and ELISA. Treatment with curcumin reduced blood glucose level, increased plasma insulin and mitigated oxidative stress related markers. In vivo and in vitro experimental results revealed increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL1-β and IFN-γ), reduced level of cellular defense proteins (Nrf-2 and HO-1) and glucose transporter (GLUT-2) along with enhanced levels of signaling molecules of ER stress dependent and independent apoptosis (cleaved Caspase-12/9/8/3) in STZ administered group. Treatment with curcumin ameliorated all the adverse changes and helps the organ back to its normal physiology. Results suggest that curcumin protects pancreatic beta-cells by attenuating inflammatory responses, and inhibiting ER/mitochondrial dependent and independent pathways of apoptosis and crosstalk between them. This uniqueness and absence of any detectable adverse effect proposes the possibility of using this molecule as an effective protector in the cellular stress mediated diabetes mellitus. - Highlights: • STZ induced cellular stress plays a vital role in pancreatic dysfunction. • Cellular stress causes inflammation, pancreatic islet cell death and diabetes. • Deregulation of Nrf-2

Putative sugar transporters of the mustard leaf beetle Phaedon cochleariae: their phylogeny and role for nutrient supply in larval defensive glands.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magdalena Stock

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Phytophagous insects have emerged successfully on the planet also because of the development of diverse and often astonishing defensive strategies against their enemies. The larvae of the mustard leaf beetle Phaedon cochleariae, for example, secrete deterrents from specialized defensive glands on their back. The secretion process involves ATP-binding cassette transporters. Therefore, sugar as one of the major energy sources to fuel the ATP synthesis for the cellular metabolism and transport processes, has to be present in the defensive glands. However, the role of sugar transporters for the production of defensive secretions was not addressed until now. RESULTS: To identify sugar transporters in P. cochleariae, a transcript catalogue was created by Illumina sequencing of cDNA libraries. A total of 68,667 transcripts were identified and 68 proteins were annotated as either members of the solute carrier 2 (SLC2 family or trehalose transporters. Phylogenetic analyses revealed an extension of the mammalian GLUT6/8 class in insects as well as one group of transporters exhibiting distinctive conserved motifs only present in the insect order Coleoptera. RNA-seq data of samples derived from the defensive glands revealed six transcripts encoding sugar transporters with more than 3,000 counts. Two of them are exclusively expressed in the glandular tissue. Reduction in secretions production was accomplished by silencing two of four selected transporters. RNA-seq experiments of transporter-silenced larvae showed the down-regulation of the silenced transporter but concurrently the up-regulation of other SLC2 transporters suggesting an adaptive system to maintain sugar homeostasis in the defensive glands. CONCLUSION: We provide the first comprehensive phylogenetic study of the SLC2 family in a phytophagous beetle species. RNAi and RNA-seq experiments underline the importance of SLC2 transporters in defensive glands to achieve a chemical defense

Department of Defense high power laser program guidance

Science.gov (United States)

Muller, Clifford H.

1994-06-01

The DoD investment of nominally $200 million per year is focused on four high power laser (HPL) concepts: Space-Based Laser (SBL), a Ballistic Missile Defense Organization effort that addresses boost-phase intercept for Theater Missile Defense and National Missile Defense; Airborne Laser (ABL), an Air Force effort that addresses boost-phase intercept for Theater Missile Defense; Ground-Based Laser (GBL), an Air Force effort addressing space control; and Anti-Ship Missile Defense (ASMD), a Navy effort addressing ship-based defense. Each organization is also supporting technology development with the goal of achieving less expensive, brighter, and lighter high power laser systems. These activities represent the building blocks of the DoD program to exploit the compelling characteristics of the high power laser. Even though DoD's HPL program are focused and moderately strong, additional emphasis in a few technical areas could help reduce risk in these programs. In addition, a number of options are available for continuing to use the High-Energy Laser System Test Facility (HELSTF) at White Sands Missile Range. This report provides a brief overview and guidance for the five efforts which comprise the DoD HPL program (SBL, ABL, GBL, ASMD, HELSTF).

Inducible defenses stay up late: temporal patterns of immune gene expression in Tenebrio molitor.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, Paul R; Makarova, Olga; Rolff, Jens

2013-12-06

The course of microbial infection in insects is shaped by a two-stage process of immune defense. Constitutive defenses, such as engulfment and melanization, act immediately and are followed by inducible defenses, archetypically the production of antimicrobial peptides, which eliminate or suppress the remaining microbes. By applying RNAseq across a 7-day time course, we sought to characterize the long-lasting immune response to bacterial challenge in the mealworm beetle Tenebrio molitor, a model for the biochemistry of insect immunity and persistent bacterial infection. By annotating a hybrid de novo assembly of RNAseq data, we were able to identify putative orthologs for the majority of components of the conserved insect immune system. Compared with Tribolium castaneum, the most closely related species with a reference genome sequence and a manually curated immune system annotation, the T. molitor immune gene count was lower, with lineage-specific expansions of genes encoding serine proteases and their countervailing inhibitors accounting for the majority of the deficit. Quantitative mapping of RNAseq reads to the reference assembly showed that expression of genes with predicted functions in cellular immunity, wound healing, melanization, and the production of reactive oxygen species was transiently induced immediately after immune challenge. In contrast, expression of genes encoding antimicrobial peptides or components of the Toll signaling pathway and iron sequestration response remained elevated for at least 7 days. Numerous genes involved in metabolism and nutrient storage were repressed, indicating a possible cost of immune induction. Strikingly, the expression of almost all antibacterial peptides followed the same pattern of long-lasting induction, regardless of their spectra of activity, signaling possible interactive roles in vivo. Copyright © 2014 Johnston et al.

Chronic pyelonephritis: Modulation of host defenses by cyclosporin A

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Findon, G.; Miller, T.E.

1989-01-01

Chronic experimental pyelonephritis is characterized by a stable level of infection, which persists for many months. Administration of cyclosporin A (CsA) reactivated previously healed renal lesions and caused a marked increase in bacterial numbers in the kidney. Studies were then carried out to compare the effects of CsA, and the nonselective cytodepletive agents irradiation and cyclophosphamide, on both host defenses and the bacteriologic status of chronically infected kidneys. Two different responses were observed. In animals treated with CsA, bacterial numbers increased markedly, although circulating neutrophil numbers were relatively unaffected. This observation was in contrast to the severe ablation of leukocyte numbers and competence needed to achieve an equivalent effect when irradiation and cyclophosphamide were used. One possible explanation for the adverse effect of CsA on the host-parasite balance in chronic pyelonephritis is that CsA affects mediators that control the inflammatory response or induces a qualitative change in a critical cellular defense compartment

48 CFR 225.7016 - Restriction on Ballistic Missile Defense research, development, test, and evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... Missile Defense research, development, test, and evaluation. 225.7016 Section 225.7016 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS... Acquisition 225.7016 Restriction on Ballistic Missile Defense research, development, test, and evaluation. [68...

IEEE Computer Society/Software Engineering Institute Watts S. Humphrey Software Process Achievement Award 2016: Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems Design for Six Sigma Team

Science.gov (United States)

2017-04-01

worldwide • $23 billion in sales for 2015 Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) is one of five businesses within Raytheon Company and is headquartered...Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems DFSS team has developed and implemented numerous leading-edge improvement and optimization methodologies resulting in...our software systems . In this section, we explain the first methodology, the application of statistical test optimization (STO) using Design of

Simulating Complex Systems by Cellular Automata

CERN Document Server

Kroc, Jiri; Hoekstra, Alfons G

2010-01-01

Deeply rooted in fundamental research in Mathematics and Computer Science, Cellular Automata (CA) are recognized as an intuitive modeling paradigm for Complex Systems. Already very basic CA, with extremely simple micro dynamics such as the Game of Life, show an almost endless display of complex emergent behavior. Conversely, CA can also be designed to produce a desired emergent behavior, using either theoretical methodologies or evolutionary techniques. Meanwhile, beyond the original realm of applications - Physics, Computer Science, and Mathematics – CA have also become work horses in very different disciplines such as epidemiology, immunology, sociology, and finance. In this context of fast and impressive progress, spurred further by the enormous attraction these topics have on students, this book emerges as a welcome overview of the field for its practitioners, as well as a good starting point for detailed study on the graduate and post-graduate level. The book contains three parts, two major parts on th...

76 FR 13297 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Technical Amendments

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-11

... 215 Government procurement. Ynette R. Shelkin, Editor, Defense Acquisition Regulations System... Director, Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy. DATES: Effective Date: March 11, 2011. Applicability... adding a section at 215.300 with a reference to Director, Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy...

Space-based ballistic-missile defense

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bethe, H.A.; Garwin, R.L.; Gottfried, K.; Kendall, H.W.

1984-01-01

This article, based on a forthcoming book by the Union for Concerned Scientists, focuses on the technical aspects of the issue of space-based ballistic-missile defense. After analysis, the authors conclude that the questionable performance of the proposed defense, the ease with which it could be overwhelmed or circumvented, and its potential as an antisatellite system would cause grievous damage to the security of the US if the Strategic Defense Initiative were to be pursued. The path toward greater security lies in quite another direction, they feel. Although research on ballistic-missile defense should continue at the traditional level of expenditure and within the constraints of the ABM Treaty, every effort should be made to negotiate a bilateral ban on the testing and use of space weapons. The authors think it is essential that such an agreement cover all altitudes, because a ban on high-altitude antisatellite weapons alone would not viable if directed energy weapons were developed for ballistic-missile defense. Further, the Star Wars program, unlikely ever to protect the entire nation against a nuclear attack, would nonetheless trigger a major expansion of the arms race

Cellular modeling of fault-tolerant multicomputers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morgan, G

1987-01-01

Work described was concerned with a novel method for investigation of fault tolerance in large regular networks of computers. Motivation was to provide a technique useful in rapid evaluation of highly reliable systems that exploit the low cost and ease of volume production of simple microcomputer components. First, a system model and simulator based upon cellular automata are developed. This model is characterized by its simplicity and ease of modification when adapting to new types of network. Second, in order to test and verify the predictive capabilities of the cellular system, a more-detailed simulation is performed based upon an existing computational model, that of the Transputer. An example application is used to exercise various systems designed using the cellular model. Using this simulator, experimental results are obtained both for existing well-understood configurations and for more novel types also developed here. In all cases it was found that the cellular model and simulator successfully predicted the ranking in reliability improvement of the systems studied.

Multiuser Scheduling on the Downlink of an LTE Cellular System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raymond Kwan

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The challenge of scheduling user transmissions on the downlink of a long-term evolution (LTE cellular communication system is addressed. In particular, a novel optimalmultiuser scheduler is proposed. Numerical results show that the system performance improves with increasing correlation among OFDMA subcarriers. It is found that only a limited amount of feedback information is needed to achieve relatively good performance. A suboptimal reduced-complexity scheduler is also proposed and shown to provide good performance. The suboptimal scheme is especially attractive when the number of users is large, in which case the complexity of the optimal scheme is high.

Cellular Biotechnology Operations Support System Fluid Dynamics Investigation

Science.gov (United States)

2003-01-01

Aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the Tissue Culture Medium (TCM) is the bioreactor vessel in which cell cultures are grown. With its two syringe ports, it is much like a bag used to administer intravenous fluid, except it allows gas exchange needed for life. The TCM contains cell culture medium, and when frozen cells are flown to the ISS, they are thawed and introduced to the TCM through the syringe ports. In the Cellular Biotechnology Operations Support System-Fluid Dynamics Investigation (CBOSS-FDI) experiment, several mixing procedures are being assessed to determine which method achieves the most uniform mixing of growing cells and culture medium.

The science, technology, and politics of ballistic missile defense

Science.gov (United States)

Coyle, Philip E.

2014-05-01

America's missile defense systems are deployed at home and abroad. This includes the Groundbased Missile Defense (GMD) system in Alaska and California, the Phased Adaptive Approach in Europe (EPAA), and regional systems in the Middle East and Asia. Unfortunately these systems lack workable architectures, and many of the required elements either don't work or are missing. Major review and reconsideration is needed of all elements of these systems. GMD performance in tests has gotten worse with time, when it ought to be getting better. A lack of political support is not to blame as the DoD spends about 10 billion per year, and proposes to add about 5 billion over the next five years. Russia objects to the EPAA as a threat to its ICBM forces, and to the extensive deployment of U.S. military forces in countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania, once part of the Soviet Union. Going forward the U.S. should keep working with Russia whose cooperation will be key to diplomatic gains in the Middle East and elsewhere. Meanwhile, America's missile defenses face an enduring set of issues, especially target discrimination in the face of attacks designed to overwhelm the defenses, stage separation debris, chaff, decoys, and stealth. Dealing with target discrimination while also replacing, upgrading, or adding to the many elements of U.S. missiles defenses presents daunting budget priorities. A new look at the threat is warranted, and whether the U.S. needs to consider every nation that possesses even short-range missiles a threat to America. The proliferation of missiles of all sizes around the world is a growing problem, but expecting U.S. missile defenses to deal with all those missiles everywhere is unrealistic, and U.S. missile defenses, effective or not, are justifying more and more offensive missiles.

The science, technology, and politics of ballistic missile defense

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coyle, Philip E.

2014-01-01

America's missile defense systems are deployed at home and abroad. This includes the Groundbased Missile Defense (GMD) system in Alaska and California, the Phased Adaptive Approach in Europe (EPAA), and regional systems in the Middle East and Asia. Unfortunately these systems lack workable architectures, and many of the required elements either don't work or are missing. Major review and reconsideration is needed of all elements of these systems. GMD performance in tests has gotten worse with time, when it ought to be getting better. A lack of political support is not to blame as the DoD spends about $10 billion per year, and proposes to add about $5 billion over the next five years. Russia objects to the EPAA as a threat to its ICBM forces, and to the extensive deployment of U.S. military forces in countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania, once part of the Soviet Union. Going forward the U.S. should keep working with Russia whose cooperation will be key to diplomatic gains in the Middle East and elsewhere. Meanwhile, America's missile defenses face an enduring set of issues, especially target discrimination in the face of attacks designed to overwhelm the defenses, stage separation debris, chaff, decoys, and stealth. Dealing with target discrimination while also replacing, upgrading, or adding to the many elements of U.S. missiles defenses presents daunting budget priorities. A new look at the threat is warranted, and whether the U.S. needs to consider every nation that possesses even short-range missiles a threat to America. The proliferation of missiles of all sizes around the world is a growing problem, but expecting U.S. missile defenses to deal with all those missiles everywhere is unrealistic, and U.S. missile defenses, effective or not, are justifying more and more offensive missiles

The science, technology, and politics of ballistic missile defense

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coyle, Philip E. [Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, Washington, DC (United States)

2014-05-09

America's missile defense systems are deployed at home and abroad. This includes the Groundbased Missile Defense (GMD) system in Alaska and California, the Phased Adaptive Approach in Europe (EPAA), and regional systems in the Middle East and Asia. Unfortunately these systems lack workable architectures, and many of the required elements either don't work or are missing. Major review and reconsideration is needed of all elements of these systems. GMD performance in tests has gotten worse with time, when it ought to be getting better. A lack of political support is not to blame as the DoD spends about $10 billion per year, and proposes to add about $5 billion over the next five years. Russia objects to the EPAA as a threat to its ICBM forces, and to the extensive deployment of U.S. military forces in countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania, once part of the Soviet Union. Going forward the U.S. should keep working with Russia whose cooperation will be key to diplomatic gains in the Middle East and elsewhere. Meanwhile, America's missile defenses face an enduring set of issues, especially target discrimination in the face of attacks designed to overwhelm the defenses, stage separation debris, chaff, decoys, and stealth. Dealing with target discrimination while also replacing, upgrading, or adding to the many elements of U.S. missiles defenses presents daunting budget priorities. A new look at the threat is warranted, and whether the U.S. needs to consider every nation that possesses even short-range missiles a threat to America. The proliferation of missiles of all sizes around the world is a growing problem, but expecting U.S. missile defenses to deal with all those missiles everywhere is unrealistic, and U.S. missile defenses, effective or not, are justifying more and more offensive missiles.

Defense Strategies for Asymmetric Networked Systems with Discrete Components

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nageswara S. V. Rao

2018-05-01

Full Text Available We consider infrastructures consisting of a network of systems, each composed of discrete components. The network provides the vital connectivity between the systems and hence plays a critical, asymmetric role in the infrastructure operations. The individual components of the systems can be attacked by cyber and physical means and can be appropriately reinforced to withstand these attacks. We formulate the problem of ensuring the infrastructure performance as a game between an attacker and a provider, who choose the numbers of the components of the systems and network to attack and reinforce, respectively. The costs and benefits of attacks and reinforcements are characterized using the sum-form, product-form and composite utility functions, each composed of a survival probability term and a component cost term. We present a two-level characterization of the correlations within the infrastructure: (i the aggregate failure correlation function specifies the infrastructure failure probability given the failure of an individual system or network, and (ii the survival probabilities of the systems and network satisfy first-order differential conditions that capture the component-level correlations using multiplier functions. We derive Nash equilibrium conditions that provide expressions for individual system survival probabilities and also the expected infrastructure capacity specified by the total number of operational components. We apply these results to derive and analyze defense strategies for distributed cloud computing infrastructures using cyber-physical models.

Defense Strategies for Asymmetric Networked Systems with Discrete Components.

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Nageswara S V; Ma, Chris Y T; Hausken, Kjell; He, Fei; Yau, David K Y; Zhuang, Jun

2018-05-03

We consider infrastructures consisting of a network of systems, each composed of discrete components. The network provides the vital connectivity between the systems and hence plays a critical, asymmetric role in the infrastructure operations. The individual components of the systems can be attacked by cyber and physical means and can be appropriately reinforced to withstand these attacks. We formulate the problem of ensuring the infrastructure performance as a game between an attacker and a provider, who choose the numbers of the components of the systems and network to attack and reinforce, respectively. The costs and benefits of attacks and reinforcements are characterized using the sum-form, product-form and composite utility functions, each composed of a survival probability term and a component cost term. We present a two-level characterization of the correlations within the infrastructure: (i) the aggregate failure correlation function specifies the infrastructure failure probability given the failure of an individual system or network, and (ii) the survival probabilities of the systems and network satisfy first-order differential conditions that capture the component-level correlations using multiplier functions. We derive Nash equilibrium conditions that provide expressions for individual system survival probabilities and also the expected infrastructure capacity specified by the total number of operational components. We apply these results to derive and analyze defense strategies for distributed cloud computing infrastructures using cyber-physical models.

Synchronization, TIGoRS, and Information Flow in Complex Systems: Dispositional Cellular Automata.

Science.gov (United States)

Sulis, William H

2016-04-01

Synchronization has a long history in physics where it refers to the phase matching of two identical oscillators. This notion has been extensively studied in physics as well as in biology, where it has been applied to such widely varying phenomena as the flashing of fireflies and firing of neurons in the brain. Human behavior, however, may be recurrent but it is not oscillatory even though many physiological systems do exhibit oscillatory tendencies. Moreover, much of human behaviour is collaborative and cooperative, where the individual behaviours may be distinct yet contemporaneous (if not simultaneous) and taken collectively express some functionality. In the context of behaviour, the important aspect is the repeated co-occurrence in time of behaviours that facilitate the propagation of information or of functionality, regardless of whether or not these behaviours are similar or identical. An example of this weaker notion of synchronization is transient induced global response synchronization (TIGoRS). Previous work has shown that TIGoRS is a ubiquitous phenomenon among complex systems, enabling them to stably parse environmental transients into salient units to which they stably respond. This leads to the notion of Sulis machines, which emergently generate a primitive linguistic structure through their dynamics. This article reviews the notion of TIGoRS and its expression in several complex systems models including tempered neural networks, driven cellular automata and cocktail party automata. The emergent linguistics of Sulis machines are discussed. A new class of complex systems model, the dispositional cellular automaton is introduced. A new metric for TIGoRS, the excess synchronization, is introduced and applied to the study of TIGoRS in dispositional cellular automata. It is shown that these automata exhibit a nonlinear synchronization response to certain perturbing transients.

CRISPR-Cas Defense System and Potential Prophages in Cyanobacteria Associated with the Coral Black Band Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Buerger, Patrick; Wood-Charlson, Elisha M; Weynberg, Karen D; Willis, Bette L; van Oppen, Madeleine J H

2016-01-01

Understanding how pathogens maintain their virulence is critical to developing tools to mitigate disease in animal populations. We sequenced and assembled the first draft genome of Roseofilum reptotaenium AO1, the dominant cyanobacterium underlying pathogenicity of the virulent coral black band disease (BBD), and analyzed parts of the BBD-associated Geitlerinema sp. BBD_1991 genome in silico . Both cyanobacteria are equipped with an adaptive, heritable clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas defense system type I-D and have potential virulence genes located within several prophage regions. The defense system helps to prevent infection by viruses and mobile genetic elements via identification of short fingerprints of the intruding DNA, which are stored as templates in the bacterial genome, in so-called "CRISPRs." Analysis of CRISPR target sequences (protospacers) revealed an unusually high number of self-targeting spacers in R. reptotaenium AO1 and extraordinary long CRIPSR arrays of up to 260 spacers in Geitlerinema sp. BBD_1991. The self-targeting spacers are unlikely to be a form of autoimmunity; instead these target an incomplete lysogenic bacteriophage. Lysogenic virus induction experiments with mitomycin C and UV light did not reveal an actively replicating virus population in R. reptotaenium AO1 cultures, suggesting that phage functionality is compromised or excision could be blocked by the CRISPR-Cas system. Potential prophages were identified in three regions of R. reptotaenium AO1 and five regions of Geitlerinema sp. BBD_1991, containing putative BBD relevant virulence genes, such as an NAD-dependent epimerase/dehydratase (a homolog in terms of functionality to the third and fourth most expressed gene in BBD), lysozyme/metalloendopeptidases and other lipopolysaccharide modification genes. To date, viruses have not been considered to be a component of the BBD consortium or a contributor to the virulence of R. reptotaenium AO1

75 FR 71560 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Cost and Software Data Reporting System (DFARS...

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2010-11-24

... also asked what allowance is provided for contractors with accounting software that does not... RIN 0750-AG46 Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Cost and Software Data Reporting... Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to address DoD Cost and Software Data Reporting system requirements for Major...

Complex Dynamical Behaviors in a Predator-Prey System with Generalized Group Defense and Impulsive Control Strategy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shunyi Li

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A predator-prey system with generalized group defense and impulsive control strategy is investigated. By using Floquet theorem and small amplitude perturbation skills, a local asymptotically stable prey-eradication periodic solution is obtained when the impulsive period is less than some critical value. Otherwise, the system is permanent if the impulsive period is larger than the critical value. By using bifurcation theory, we show the existence and stability of positive periodic solution when the pest eradication lost its stability. Numerical examples show that the system considered has more complicated dynamics, including (1 high-order quasiperiodic and periodic oscillation, (2 period-doubling and halving bifurcation, (3 nonunique dynamics (meaning that several attractors coexist, and (4 chaos and attractor crisis. Further, the importance of the impulsive period, the released amount of mature predators and the degree of group defense effect are discussed. Finally, the biological implications of the results and the impulsive control strategy are discussed.

Contribution to the improvement of management in defense logistics

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Srđan D. Ljubojević

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction Changes in social environment require adequate answers of all organizational systems, including defense systems and their logistic systems. Improvement of management in defense logistics involves good knowledge of management theory and practice, knowledge of the impact of ownership and market on management, knowledge of public and other macroeconomic sectors functioning, broader opening towards environment and the exchange of knowledge, information and lessons learned with international environment. The paper presents theoretical and practical knowledge that is prerequisite for improving the management of defense and the management of defense logistic systems.   Definition and the essence of management   Regarding its complexity and a lack of a comprehensive definition, the concept of management is nowadays considered in three ways: as a skill, as social categories - structure of management, as well as a theory - a scientific discipline. When we aanalyze the phenomenon of management, with respect to the historical aspect of its development, there is a necessity to distinguish between management as a scientific discipline and management practice.   Relation between organizational science and management In theory and practice, management is associated with the achievements of many other scientific fields. One of the areas closest to management is organizational science. Today, in the management theory and organization theory, the prevailing attitudes state that these two areas are non-separable and that they are focused on the explaination of the same phenomenon, with the same desire to improve effectivity and development of different purpose systems. There is no clear boundary between organizational science and management, both from theoretical and practical aspects.   Achievements and shortcomings of organizational schools   As a result of solving problems in real systems, a number of opinions and different organizational

75 FR 33271 - Information Collection Requirement; Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Foreign...

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2010-06-11

... Certain Contracts with Foreign Entities for the Conduct of Ballistic Missile Defense Research, Development..., development, test, or evaluation in connection with the Ballistic Missile Defense Program. The provision... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Defense Acquisition Regulations System [OMB Control Number 0704-0229...

Pipecolic Acid Orchestrates Plant Systemic Acquired Resistance and Defense Priming via Salicylic Acid-Dependent and -Independent Pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernsdorff, Friederike; Döring, Anne-Christin; Gruner, Katrin; Schuck, Stefan; Bräutigam, Andrea; Zeier, Jürgen

2016-01-01

We investigated the relationships of the two immune-regulatory plant metabolites, salicylic acid (SA) and pipecolic acid (Pip), in the establishment of plant systemic acquired resistance (SAR), SAR-associated defense priming, and basal immunity. Using SA-deficient sid2, Pip-deficient ald1, and sid2 ald1 plants deficient in both SA and Pip, we show that SA and Pip act both independently from each other and synergistically in Arabidopsis thaliana basal immunity to Pseudomonas syringae. Transcriptome analyses reveal that SAR establishment in Arabidopsis is characterized by a strong transcriptional response systemically induced in the foliage that prepares plants for future pathogen attack by preactivating multiple stages of defense signaling and that SA accumulation upon SAR activation leads to the downregulation of photosynthesis and attenuated jasmonate responses systemically within the plant. Whereas systemic Pip elevations are indispensable for SAR and necessary for virtually the whole transcriptional SAR response, a moderate but significant SA-independent component of SAR activation and SAR gene expression is revealed. During SAR, Pip orchestrates SA-dependent and SA-independent priming of pathogen responses in a FLAVIN-DEPENDENT-MONOOXYGENASE1 (FMO1)-dependent manner. We conclude that a Pip/FMO1 signaling module acts as an indispensable switch for the activation of SAR and associated defense priming events and that SA amplifies Pip-triggered responses to different degrees in the distal tissue of SAR-activated plants. © 2016 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.

Performance Analysis of Dual-Polarized Massive MIMO System with Human-Care IoT Devices for Cellular Networks

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Jun-Ki Hong

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The performance analysis of the dual-polarized massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO system with Internet of things (IoT devices is studied when outdoor human-care IoT devices are connected to a cellular network via a dual-polarized massive MIMO system. The research background of the performance analysis of dual-polarized massive MIMO system with IoT devices is that recently the data usage of outdoor human-care IoT devices has increased. Therefore, the outdoor human-care IoT devices are necessary to connect with 5G cellular networks which can expect 1000 times higher performance compared with 4G cellular networks. Moreover, in order to guarantee the safety of the patient for emergency cases, a human-care Iot device must be connected to cellular networks which offer more stable communication for outdoors compared to short-range communication technologies such as Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and Bluetooth. To analyze the performance of the dual-polarized massive MIMO system for human-care IoT devices, a dual-polarized MIMO spatial channel model (SCM is proposed which considers depolarization effect between the dual-polarized transmit-antennas and the receive-antennas. The simulation results show that the performance of the dual-polarized massive MIMO system is improved about 16% to 92% for 20 to 150 IoT devices compared to conventional single-polarized massive MIMO system for identical size of the transmit array.

Iterative Cellular Screening System for Nanoparticle Safety Testing

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Franziska Sambale

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Nanoparticles have the potential to exhibit risks to human beings and to the environment; due to the wide applications of nanoproducts, extensive risk management must not be neglected. Therefore, we have constructed a cell-based, iterative screening system to examine a variety of nanoproducts concerning their toxicity during development. The sensitivity and application of various cell-based methods were discussed and proven by applying the screening to two different nanoparticles: zinc oxide and titanium dioxide nanoparticles. They were used as benchmarks to set up our methods and to examine their effects on mammalian cell lines. Different biological processes such as cell viability, gene expression of interleukin-8 and heat shock protein 70, as well as morphology changes were investigated. Within our screening system, both nanoparticle suspensions and coatings can be tested. Electric cell impedance measurements revealed to be a good method for online monitoring of cellular behavior. The implementation of three-dimensional cell culture is essential to better mimic in vivo conditions. In conclusion, our screening system is highly efficient, cost minimizing, and reduces the need for animal studies.

Soviet civil defense plans make nuclear war winnable

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goure, L.

1985-01-01

In this paper, the author expresses his opinion that the U.S. is naive and suicidal in its lack of civil defense preparation for nuclear war. The Soviets' extensive civil defense planning is evidence that they plan to use their nuclear weapons and survive a counterattack by the U.S. The author compares the two systems and explains why the Soviets' system is superior

Hitting the Sweet Spot: Glycans as Targets of Fungal Defense Effector Proteins

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Markus Künzler

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Organisms which rely solely on innate defense systems must combat a large number of antagonists with a comparatively low number of defense effector molecules. As one solution of this problem, these organisms have evolved effector molecules targeting epitopes that are conserved between different antagonists of a specific taxon or, if possible, even of different taxa. In order to restrict the activity of the defense effector molecules to physiologically relevant taxa, these target epitopes should, on the other hand, be taxon-specific and easily accessible. Glycans fulfill all these requirements and are therefore a preferred target of defense effector molecules, in particular defense proteins. Here, we review this defense strategy using the example of the defense system of multicellular (filamentous fungi against microbial competitors and animal predators.

Contribution to the improvement of management in defense logistics

OpenAIRE

LJUBOJEVIC SRDJAN D.; ANDREJIC MARKO D.; DRAGOVIC NEBOJSA K.

2013-01-01

Introduction Changes in social environment require adequate answers of all organizational systems, including defense systems and their logistic systems. Improvement of management in defense logistics involves good knowledge of management theory and practice, knowledge of the impact of ownership and market on management, knowledge of public and other macroeconomic sectors functioning, broader opening towards environment and the exchange of knowledge, information and lessons learned with inter...

Modeling and Analysis of Hybrid Cellular/WLAN Systems with Integrated Service-Based Vertical Handoff Schemes

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Weiwei; Shen, Lianfeng

We propose two vertical handoff schemes for cellular network and wireless local area network (WLAN) integration: integrated service-based handoff (ISH) and integrated service-based handoff with queue capabilities (ISHQ). Compared with existing handoff schemes in integrated cellular/WLAN networks, the proposed schemes consider a more comprehensive set of system characteristics such as different features of voice and data services, dynamic information about the admitted calls, user mobility and vertical handoffs in two directions. The code division multiple access (CDMA) cellular network and IEEE 802.11e WLAN are taken into account in the proposed schemes. We model the integrated networks by using multi-dimensional Markov chains and the major performance measures are derived for voice and data services. The important system parameters such as thresholds to prioritize handoff voice calls and queue sizes are optimized. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed ISHQ scheme can maximize the utilization of overall bandwidth resources with the best quality of service (QoS) provisioning for voice and data services.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa RhlR is required to neutralize the cellular immune response in a Drosophila melanogaster oral infection model

Science.gov (United States)

Limmer, Stefanie; Haller, Samantha; Drenkard, Eliana; Lee, Janice; Yu, Shen; Kocks, Christine; Ausubel, Frederick M.; Ferrandon, Dominique

2011-01-01

An in-depth mechanistic understanding of microbial infection necessitates a molecular dissection of host–pathogen relationships. Both Drosophila melanogaster and Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been intensively studied. Here, we analyze the infection of D. melanogaster by P. aeruginosa by using mutants in both host and pathogen. We show that orally ingested P. aeruginosa crosses the intestinal barrier and then proliferates in the hemolymph, thereby causing the infected flies to die of bacteremia. Host defenses against ingested P. aeruginosa included an immune deficiency (IMD) response in the intestinal epithelium, systemic Toll and IMD pathway responses, and a cellular immune response controlling bacteria in the hemocoel. Although the observed cellular and intestinal immune responses appeared to act throughout the course of the infection, there was a late onset of the systemic IMD and Toll responses. In this oral infection model, P. aeruginosa PA14 did not require its type III secretion system or other well-studied virulence factors such as the two-component response regulator GacA or the protease AprA for virulence. In contrast, the quorum-sensing transcription factor RhlR, but surprisingly not LasR, played a key role in counteracting the cellular immune response against PA14, possibly at an early stage when only a few bacteria are present in the hemocoel. These results illustrate the power of studying infection from the dual perspective of host and pathogen by revealing that RhlR plays a more complex role during pathogenesis than previously appreciated. PMID:21987808

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2013-11-22

... and Procedures AGENCY: Defense Acquisition Regulations System, Department of Defense (DoD). ACTION... proposed information collection; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information..., withhold, or withdraw purchasing system approval at the conclusion of a purchasing system review...

Dynamic defense workshop :

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crosby, Sean Michael; Doak, Justin E.; Haas, Jason Juedes.; Helinski, Ryan; Lamb, Christopher C.

2013-02-01

On September 5th and 6th, 2012, the Dynamic Defense Workshop: From Research to Practice brought together researchers from academia, industry, and Sandia with the goals of increasing collaboration between Sandia National Laboratories and external organizations, de ning and un- derstanding dynamic, or moving target, defense concepts and directions, and gaining a greater understanding of the state of the art for dynamic defense. Through the workshop, we broadened and re ned our de nition and understanding, identi ed new approaches to inherent challenges, and de ned principles of dynamic defense. Half of the workshop was devoted to presentations of current state-of-the-art work. Presentation topics included areas such as the failure of current defenses, threats, techniques, goals of dynamic defense, theory, foundations of dynamic defense, future directions and open research questions related to dynamic defense. The remainder of the workshop was discussion, which was broken down into sessions on de ning challenges, applications to host or mobile environments, applications to enterprise network environments, exploring research and operational taxonomies, and determining how to apply scienti c rigor to and investigating the eld of dynamic defense.

Anorexia and Attachment: Dysregulated Defense and Pathological Mourning

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elisa edelvecchio

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The role of Defensive exclusion (Deactivation and Segregated Systems in the development of early relationships and related to subsequent manifestations of symptoms of eating disorders was assessed using the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP. Fifty-one DSM-IV diagnosed women with anorexia participated in the study. Anorexic patients were primarily classified as dismissing or unresolved. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of defensive exclusion were carried out. Results showed potential benefits of using the AAP defense exclusion coding system, in addition to the main attachment classifications, in order to better understand the developmental issues involved in anorexia. Discussion concerned the processes, such as pathological mourning, that may underlie the associations between dismissing and unresolved attachment and anorexia. Implications for developmental research and clinical nosology are discussed.

Multi-objective group scheduling with learning effect in the cellular manufacturing system

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Mohammad Taghi Taghavi-fard

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Group scheduling problem in cellular manufacturing systems consists of two major steps. Sequence of parts in each part-family and the sequence of part-family to enter the cell to be processed. This paper presents a new method for group scheduling problems in flow shop systems where it minimizes makespan (Cmax and total tardiness. In this paper, a position-based learning model in cellular manufacturing system is utilized where processing time for each part-family depends on the entrance sequence of that part. The problem of group scheduling is modeled by minimizing two objectives of position-based learning effect as well as the assumption of setup time depending on the sequence of parts-family. Since the proposed problem is NP-hard, two meta heuristic algorithms are presented based on genetic algorithm, namely: Non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II and non-dominated rank genetic algorithm (NRGA. The algorithms are tested using randomly generated problems. The results include a set of Pareto solutions and three different evaluation criteria are used to compare the results. The results indicate that the proposed algorithms are quite efficient to solve the problem in a short computational time.

Technical Soddi Defenses: The Trojan Horse Defense Revisited

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Chad Steel

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In 2004, the Trojan horse defense was at a crossroads, with two child pornography cases where it was successfully employed in the United Kingdom, resulting in acquittals.  The original Trojan horse defense has now become part of the more general “technical SODDI” defense, which includes the possibility of unknown actors using unsecured Wi-Fi connections or having physical access to a computer to perform criminal acts.  In the past ten years, it has failed to be effective in the United States for criminal cases, with no published acquittals in cases where it was the primary defense.  In the criminal cases where it has been used as leverage in plea negotiations, there has been either poor forensics performed by the prosecution or political pressure to resolve a matter.  On the civil side, however, the defense has been wildly successful, effectively shutting down large John Doe copyright infringement litigation against non-commercial violators.  

Downlink Performance of a Multi-Carrier MIMO System in a Bursty Traffic Cellular Network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nguyen, Hung Tuan; Kovacs, Istvan; Wang, Yuanye

2011-01-01

In this paper we analyse the downlink performance of a rank adaptive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) system in a busty traffic cellular network. A LTE-Advanced system with multiple component carriers was selected as a study case. To highlight the advantage of using MIMO techniques, we used ...

Salicylic acid-mediated and RNA-silencing defense mechanisms cooperate in the restriction of systemic spread of plum pox virus in tobacco.

Science.gov (United States)

Alamillo, Josefa M; Saénz, Pilar; García, Juan Antonio

2006-10-01

Plum pox virus (PPV) is able to replicate in inoculated leaves of Nicotiana tabacum, but is defective in systemic movement in this host. However, PPV produces a systemic infection in transgenic tobacco expressing the silencing suppressor P1/HC-Pro from tobacco etch virus (TEV). In this work we show that PPV is able to move to upper non-inoculated leaves of tobacco plants expressing bacterial salicylate hydroxylase (NahG) that degrades salicylic acid (SA). Replication and accumulation of PPV is higher in the locally infected leaves of plants deficient in SA or expressing TEV P1/HC-Pro silencing suppressor. Accumulation of viral derived small RNAs was reduced in the NahG transgenic plants, suggesting that SA might act as an enhancer of the RNA-silencing antiviral defense in tobacco. Besides, expression of SA-mediated defense transcripts, such as those of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins PR-1 and PR-2 or alternative oxidase-1, as well as that of the putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase NtRDR1, is induced in response to PPV infection, and the expression patterns of these defense transcripts are altered in the TEV P1/HC-Pro transgenic plants. Long-distance movement of PPV is highly enhanced in NahG x P1/HC-Pro double-transgenic plants and systemic symptoms in these plants reveal that the expression of an RNA-silencing suppressor and the lack of SA produce additive but distinct effects. Our results suggest that SA might act as an enhancer of the RNA-silencing antiviral defense in tobacco, and that silencing suppressors, such as P1/HC-Pro, also alter the SA-mediated defense. Both an RNA-silencing and an SA-mediated defense mechanism could act together to limit PPV infection.

Cooperative joint precoding in a downlink cellular system with shared relay: Design and performance evaluation

KAUST Repository

Kwon, JaeWoo; Park, Kihong; Ko, Youngchai; Yang, Hongchuan

2012-01-01

In this paper, we investigate a relay enhanced cellular system, where a relay station is located in the overlap area served by two base stations. We propose cooperative joint precoding schemes for the downlink transmission of such relay enhanced cellular system to maximize the system capacity while minimizing the interference at both the relay station and the mobile stations. We formulate the optimization problems to maximize the system capacity and design the multiuser precoding vectors at each base station and the relay station. We quantify the ergodic rate performance of the proposed multiuser precoding schemes through statistical analysis. The extensively derived ergodic expressions will facilitate the accurate performance evaluation of the proposed transmission schemes. Numerical results show that the proposed schemes can effectively cancel the interference and improve the sum rate and the outage performance for cell edge users. © 2002-2012 IEEE.

Cooperative joint precoding in a downlink cellular system with shared relay: Design and performance evaluation

KAUST Repository

Kwon, JaeWoo

2012-10-01

In this paper, we investigate a relay enhanced cellular system, where a relay station is located in the overlap area served by two base stations. We propose cooperative joint precoding schemes for the downlink transmission of such relay enhanced cellular system to maximize the system capacity while minimizing the interference at both the relay station and the mobile stations. We formulate the optimization problems to maximize the system capacity and design the multiuser precoding vectors at each base station and the relay station. We quantify the ergodic rate performance of the proposed multiuser precoding schemes through statistical analysis. The extensively derived ergodic expressions will facilitate the accurate performance evaluation of the proposed transmission schemes. Numerical results show that the proposed schemes can effectively cancel the interference and improve the sum rate and the outage performance for cell edge users. © 2002-2012 IEEE.

Vaccination of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) with a recombinant chlamydial major outer membrane protein adjuvanted with poly I:C, a host defense peptide and polyphosphazine, elicits strong and long lasting cellular and humoral immune responses.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Shahneaz Ali; Waugh, Courtney; Rawlinson, Galit; Brumm, Jacqui; Nilsson, Karen; Gerdts, Volker; Potter, Andrew; Polkinghorne, Adam; Beagley, Kenneth; Timms, Peter

2014-10-07

Chlamydial infections are wide spread in koalas across their range and a solution to this debilitating disease has been sought for over a decade. Antibiotics are the currently accepted therapeutic measure, but are not an effective treatment due to the asymptomatic nature of some infections and a low efficacy rate. Thus, a vaccine would be an ideal way to address this infectious disease threat in the wild. Previous vaccine trials have used a three-dose regimen; however this is very difficult to apply in the field as it would require multiple capture events, which are stressful and invasive processes for the koala. In addition, it requires skilled koala handlers and a significant monetary investment. To overcome these challenges, in this study we utilized a polyphosphazine based poly I:C and a host defense peptide adjuvant combined with recombinant chlamydial major outer membrane protein (rMOMP) antigen to induce long lasting (54 weeks) cellular and humoral immunity in female koalas with a novel single immunizing dose. Immunized koalas produced a strong IgG response in plasma, as well as at mucosal sites. Moreover, they showed high levels of C. pecorum specific neutralizing antibodies in the plasma as well as vaginal and conjunctival secretions. Lastly, Chlamydia-specific lymphocyte proliferation responses were produced against both whole chlamydial elementary bodies and rMOMP protein, over the 12-month period. The results of this study suggest that a single dose rMOMP vaccine incorporating a poly I:C, host defense peptide and polyphosphazine adjuvant is able to stimulate both arms of the immune system in koalas, thereby providing an alternative to antibiotic treatment and/or a three-dose vaccine regime. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transcription Factor Functional Protein-Protein Interactions in Plant Defense Responses

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Murilo S. Alves

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Responses to biotic stress in plants lead to dramatic reprogramming of gene expression, favoring stress responses at the expense of normal cellular functions. Transcription factors are master regulators of gene expression at the transcriptional level, and controlling the activity of these factors alters the transcriptome of the plant, leading to metabolic and phenotypic changes in response to stress. The functional analysis of interactions between transcription factors and other proteins is very important for elucidating the role of these transcriptional regulators in different signaling cascades. In this review, we present an overview of protein-protein interactions for the six major families of transcription factors involved in plant defense: basic leucine zipper containing domain proteins (bZIP, amino-acid sequence WRKYGQK (WRKY, myelocytomatosis related proteins (MYC, myeloblastosis related proteins (MYB, APETALA2/ ETHYLENE-RESPONSIVE ELEMENT BINDING FACTORS (AP2/EREBP and no apical meristem (NAM, Arabidopsis transcription activation factor (ATAF, and cup-shaped cotyledon (CUC (NAC. We describe the interaction partners of these transcription factors as molecular responses during pathogen attack and the key components of signal transduction pathways that take place during plant defense responses. These interactions determine the activation or repression of response pathways and are crucial to understanding the regulatory networks that modulate plant defense responses.

Impact of Antenna Placement on Frequency Domain Adaptive Antenna Array in Hybrid FRF Cellular System

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Sri Maldia Hari Asti

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Frequency domain adaptive antenna array (FDAAA is an effective method to suppress interference caused by frequency selective fading and multiple-access interference (MAI in single-carrier (SC transmission. However, the performance of FDAAA receiver will be affected by the antenna placement parameters such as antenna separation and spread of angle of arrival (AOA. On the other hand, hybrid frequency reuse can be adopted in cellular system to improve the cellular capacity. However, optimal frequency reuse factor (FRF depends on the channel propagation and transceiver scheme as well. In this paper, we analyze the impact of antenna separation and AOA spread on FDAAA receiver and optimize the cellular capacity by using hybrid FRF.

The biocontrol endophytic bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7 induces systemic defense responses in aerial tissues upon colonization of olive roots

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Carmen eGómez-Lama Cabanás

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7, a native olive root endophyte and effective biocontrol agent (BCA against Verticillium wilt of olive, is able to trigger a broad range of defense responses in root tissues of this woody plant. In order to elucidate whether strain PICF7 also induces systemic defense responses in above-ground organs, aerial tissues of olive plants grown under non-gnotobiotic conditions were collected at different time points after root bacterization with this endophytic BCA. A suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH cDNA library, enriched in up-regulated genes, was generated. This strategy enabled the identification of 376 ESTs (99 contigs and 277 singlets, many of them related to response to different stresses. Five ESTs, involved in defense responses, were selected to carry out time-course quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR experiments aiming to: (i validate the induction of these genes, and (ii shed light on their expression pattern along time (from 1 to 15 days. Induction of olive genes potentially coding for lypoxigenase 2, catalase, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase and phenylananine ammonia-lyase was thus confirmed at some time points. Computational analysis also revealed that different transcription factors were up-regulated in olive aerial tissues (i.e. jerf, bHLH, WRKYs, as previously reported for roots. Results confirmed that root colonization by this endophytic bacterium does not only trigger defense responses in this organ but also mount a wide array of systemic defense responses in distant tissues (stems, leaves. This sheds light on how olive plants respond to the ‘non-hostile’ colonization by a bacterial endophyte and how induced defense response can contribute to the biocontrol activity of strain PICF7.

Rethinking Defensive Information Warfare

Science.gov (United States)

2004-06-01

Countless studies, however, have demonstrated the weakness in this system.15 The tension between easily remembered passwords and suffi...vulnerabilities Undiscovered flaws The patch model for Internet security has failed spectacularly. Caida , 2004 Signature-Based Defense Anti virus, intrusion

[Study of defense styles, defenses and coping strategies in alcohol-dependent population].

Science.gov (United States)

Ribadier, A; Varescon, I

2017-05-01

Defense mechanisms have been seen to greatly change over time and across different definitions made by different theoretical currents. Recently with the definition provided by the DSM IV, defense mechanisms have integrated the concept of coping as a defensive factor. These mechanisms are no longer considered just through a psychodynamic approach but also through a cognitive and behavioral one. In recent years, new theories have therefore integrated these two components of the defensive operation. According to Chabrol and Callahan (2013), defense mechanisms precede coping strategies. In individuals with psychopathological disorders, these authors indicate a relative stability of these mechanisms. Also, we asked about the presence of unique characteristics among people with alcohol dependence. Indeed, studies conducted with people with alcohol dependence highlight the presence of a neurotic defense style and some highly immature defenses (projection, acting out, splitting and somatization). In terms of coping strategies, persons with alcohol dependence preferentially use avoidant strategies and strategies focused on emotion. However, although several studies have been conducted to assess coping strategies and defense styles within a population of individuals with an alcohol problem, at the present time none of them has taken into account all these aspects of defense mechanisms. The aim of this study is therefore to study the defenses and defense styles and coping strategies in an alcohol-dependent population. This multicenter study (3 CHU, 1 center of supportive care and prevention in addiction and 1 clinic) received a favorable opinion of an Institutional Review Board (IRB Registration #: 00001072). Eighty alcohol-dependent individuals responded to a questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics and elements related to the course of consumption. Coping strategies were assessed by means of a questionnaire validated in French: the Brief Cope. The Defense

Analysis of putative apoplastic effectors from the nematode, Globodera rostochiensis, and identification of an expansin-like protein that can induce and suppress host defenses.

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Shawkat; Magne, Maxime; Chen, Shiyan; Côté, Olivier; Stare, Barbara Gerič; Obradovic, Natasa; Jamshaid, Lubna; Wang, Xiaohong; Bélair, Guy; Moffett, Peter

2015-01-01

The potato cyst nematode, Globodera rostochiensis, is an important pest of potato. Like other pathogens, plant parasitic nematodes are presumed to employ effector proteins, secreted into the apoplast as well as the host cytoplasm, to alter plant cellular functions and successfully infect their hosts. We have generated a library of ORFs encoding putative G. rostochiensis putative apoplastic effectors in vectors for expression in planta. These clones were assessed for morphological and developmental effects on plants as well as their ability to induce or suppress plant defenses. Several CLAVATA3/ESR-like proteins induced developmental phenotypes, whereas predicted cell wall-modifying proteins induced necrosis and chlorosis, consistent with roles in cell fate alteration and tissue invasion, respectively. When directed to the apoplast with a signal peptide, two effectors, an ubiquitin extension protein (GrUBCEP12) and an expansin-like protein (GrEXPB2), suppressed defense responses including NB-LRR signaling induced in the cytoplasm. GrEXPB2 also elicited defense response in species- and sequence-specific manner. Our results are consistent with the scenario whereby potato cyst nematodes secrete effectors that modulate host cell fate and metabolism as well as modifying host cell walls. Furthermore, we show a novel role for an apoplastic expansin-like protein in suppressing intra-cellular defense responses.

Analysis of putative apoplastic effectors from the nematode, Globodera rostochiensis, and identification of an expansin-like protein that can induce and suppress host defenses.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shawkat Ali

Full Text Available The potato cyst nematode, Globodera rostochiensis, is an important pest of potato. Like other pathogens, plant parasitic nematodes are presumed to employ effector proteins, secreted into the apoplast as well as the host cytoplasm, to alter plant cellular functions and successfully infect their hosts. We have generated a library of ORFs encoding putative G. rostochiensis putative apoplastic effectors in vectors for expression in planta. These clones were assessed for morphological and developmental effects on plants as well as their ability to induce or suppress plant defenses. Several CLAVATA3/ESR-like proteins induced developmental phenotypes, whereas predicted cell wall-modifying proteins induced necrosis and chlorosis, consistent with roles in cell fate alteration and tissue invasion, respectively. When directed to the apoplast with a signal peptide, two effectors, an ubiquitin extension protein (GrUBCEP12 and an expansin-like protein (GrEXPB2, suppressed defense responses including NB-LRR signaling induced in the cytoplasm. GrEXPB2 also elicited defense response in species- and sequence-specific manner. Our results are consistent with the scenario whereby potato cyst nematodes secrete effectors that modulate host cell fate and metabolism as well as modifying host cell walls. Furthermore, we show a novel role for an apoplastic expansin-like protein in suppressing intra-cellular defense responses.

Acquisition: Acquisition of Targets at the Missile Defense Agency

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Ugone, Mary L; Meling, John E; James, Harold C; Haynes, Christine L; Heller, Brad M; Pomietto, Kenneth M; Bobbio, Jaime; Chang, Bill; Pugh, Jacqueline

2005-01-01

Who Should Read This Report and Why? Missile Defense Agency program managers who are responsible for the acquisition and management of targets used to test the Ballistic Missile Defense System should be interested in this report...

Ballistic missile defense effectiveness

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, George N.

2017-11-01

The potential effectiveness of ballistic missile defenses today remains a subject of debate. After a brief discussion of terminal and boost phase defenses, this chapter will focus on long-range midcourse defenses. The problems posed by potential countermeasures to such midcourse defenses are discussed as are the sensor capabilities a defense might have available to attempt to discriminate the actual missile warhead in a countermeasures environment. The role of flight testing in assessing ballistic missile defense effectiveness is discussed. Arguments made about effectiveness by missile defense supporters and critics are summarized.

FY 1997 Financial Reporting by The Defense Automated Printing Service

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1998-01-01

.... The accuracy of information in the financial systems and reported on financial statements is the joint responsibility of the Defense Automated Printing Service and the Defense Logistics Agency...

76 FR 72391 - Defense Logistics Agency Revised Regulation 1000.22, Environmental Considerations in Defense...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-23

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary [Docket ID DOD-2011-OS-0055] Defense Logistics Agency Revised Regulation 1000.22, Environmental Considerations in Defense Logistics Agency Actions AGENCY: Defense Logistics Agency, Department of Defense. ACTION: Revised Defense Logistics Agency...

On Elementary and Algebraic Cellular Automata

Science.gov (United States)

Gulak, Yuriy

In this paper we study elementary cellular automata from an algebraic viewpoint. The goal is to relate the emergent complex behavior observed in such systems with the properties of corresponding algebraic structures. We introduce algebraic cellular automata as a natural generalization of elementary ones and discuss their applications as generic models of complex systems.

Method for performing diversity and defense-in-depth analyses of reactor protection systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Preckshot, G.G.

1994-12-01

The purpose of this NUREG is to describe a method for analyzing computer-based nuclear reactor protection systems that discovers design vulnerabilities to common-mode failure. The potential for common-mode failure has become an important issue as the software content of protection systems has increased. This potential was not present in earlier analog protection systems because it could usually be assumed that common-mode failure, if it did occur, was due to slow processes such as corrosion or premature wear-out. This assumption is no longer true for systems containing software. It is the purpose of the analysis method described here to determine points of a design for which credible common-mode failures are uncompensated either by diversity or defense-in-depth

Advanced thermal management technologies for defense electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Bloschock, Kristen P.; Bar-Cohen, Avram

2012-05-01

Thermal management technology plays a key role in the continuing miniaturization, performance improvements, and higher reliability of electronic systems. For the past decade, and particularly, the past 4 years, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has aggressively pursued the application of micro- and nano-technology to reduce or remove thermal constraints on the performance of defense electronic systems. The DARPA Thermal Management Technologies (TMT) portfolio is comprised of five technical thrust areas: Thermal Ground Plane (TGP), Microtechnologies for Air-Cooled Exchangers (MACE), NanoThermal Interfaces (NTI), Active Cooling Modules (ACM), and Near Junction Thermal Transport (NJTT). An overview of the TMT program will be presented with emphasis on the goals and status of these efforts relative to the current State-of-the-Art. The presentation will close with future challenges and opportunities in the thermal management of defense electronics.

47 CFR 32.5003 - Cellular mobile revenue.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cellular mobile revenue. 32.5003 Section 32... SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTS FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES Instructions For Revenue Accounts § 32.5003 Cellular mobile revenue. This account shall include message revenue derived from cellular mobile...

Bridging the gap: linking molecular simulations and systemic descriptions of cellular compartments.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tihamér Geyer

Full Text Available Metabolic processes in biological cells are commonly either characterized at the level of individual enzymes and metabolites or at the network level. Often these two paradigms are considered as mutually exclusive because concepts from neither side are suited to describe the complete range of scales. Additionally, when modeling metabolic or regulatory cellular systems, often a large fraction of the required kinetic parameters are unknown. This even applies to such simple and extensively studied systems like the photosynthetic apparatus of purple bacteria. Using the chromatophore vesicles of Rhodobacter sphaeroides as a model system, we show that a consistent kinetic model emerges when fitting the dynamics of a molecular stochastic simulation to a set of time dependent experiments even though about two thirds of the kinetic parameters in this system are not known from experiment. Those kinetic parameters that were previously known all came out in the expected range. The simulation model was built from independent protein units composed of elementary reactions processing single metabolites. This pools-and-proteins approach naturally compiles the wealth of available molecular biological data into a systemic model and can easily be extended to describe other systems by adding new protein or nucleic acid types. The automated parameter optimization, performed with an evolutionary algorithm, reveals the sensitivity of the model to the value of each parameter and the relative importances of the experiments used. Such an analysis identifies the crucial system parameters and guides the setup of new experiments that would add most knowledge for a systemic understanding of cellular compartments. The successful combination of the molecular model and the systemic parametrization presented here on the example of the simple machinery for bacterial photosynthesis shows that it is actually possible to combine molecular and systemic modeling. This framework can now

A Geometrical-Based Model for Cochannel Interference Analysis and Capacity Estimation of CDMA Cellular Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Konstantinos B. Baltzis

2008-10-01

Full Text Available A common assumption in cellular communications is the circular-cell approximation. In this paper, an alternative analysis based on the hexagonal shape of the cells is presented. A geometrical-based stochastic model is proposed to describe the angle of arrival of the interfering signals in the reverse link of a cellular system. Explicit closed form expressions are derived, and simulations performed exhibit the characteristics and validate the accuracy of the proposed model. Applications in the capacity estimation of WCDMA cellular networks are presented. Dependence of system capacity of the sectorization of the cells and the base station antenna radiation pattern is explored. Comparisons with data in literature validate the accuracy of the proposed model. The degree of error of the hexagonal and the circular-cell approaches has been investigated indicating the validity of the proposed model. Results have also shown that, in many cases, the two approaches give similar results when the radius of the circle equals to the hexagon inradius. A brief discussion on how the proposed technique may be applied to broadband access networks is finally made.

Influence of IR sensor technology on the military and civil defense

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Latika

2006-02-01

Advances in basic infrared science and developments in pertinent technology applications have led to mature designs being incorporated in civil as well as military area defense systems. Military systems include both tactical and strategic, and civil area defense includes homeland security. Technical challenges arise in applying infrared sensor technology to detect and track targets for space and missile defense. Infrared sensors are valuable due to their passive capability, lower mass and power consumption, and their usefulness in all phases of missile defense engagements. Nanotechnology holds significant promise in the near future by offering unique material and physical properties to infrared components. This technology is rapidly developing. This presentation will review the current IR sensor technology, its applications, and future developments that will have an influence in military and civil defense applications.

Epigenetics and Cellular Metabolism

OpenAIRE

Wenyi Xu; Fengzhong Wang; Zhongsheng Yu; Fengjiao Xin

2016-01-01

Living eukaryotic systems evolve delicate cellular mechanisms for responding to various environmental signals. Among them, epigenetic machinery (DNA methylation, histone modifications, microRNAs, etc.) is the hub in transducing external stimuli into transcriptional response. Emerging evidence reveals the concept that epigenetic signatures are essential for the proper maintenance of cellular metabolism. On the other hand, the metabolite, a main environmental input, can also influence the proce...

48 CFR 752.228-3 - Worker's compensation insurance (Defense Base Act).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... insurance (Defense Base Act). 752.228-3 Section 752.228-3 Federal Acquisition Regulations System AGENCY FOR... Clauses 752.228-3 Worker's compensation insurance (Defense Base Act). As prescribed in 728.309, the... contracting officer. (a) The Contractor agrees to procure Defense Base Act (DBA) insurance pursuant to the...

48 CFR 52.228-3 - Workers' Compensation Insurance (Defense Base Act).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... Insurance (Defense Base Act). 52.228-3 Section 52.228-3 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL... Provisions and Clauses 52.228-3 Workers' Compensation Insurance (Defense Base Act). As prescribed in 28.309(a), insert the following clause: Workers' Compensation Insurance (Defense Base Act) (APR 1984) The Contractor...

Defense Human Resources Activity > PERSEREC

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Skip to main content (Press Enter). Toggle navigation Defense Human Resources Activity Search Search Defense Human Resources Activity: Search Search Defense Human Resources Activity: Search Defense Human Resources Activity U.S. Department of Defense Defense Human Resources Activity Overview

Statistical mechanics of cellular automata

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolfram, S.

1983-01-01

Cellular automata are used as simple mathematical models to investigate self-organization in statistical mechanics. A detailed analysis is given of ''elementary'' cellular automata consisting of a sequence of sites with values 0 or 1 on a line, with each site evolving deterministically in discrete time steps according to p definite rules involving the values of its nearest neighbors. With simple initial configurations, the cellular automata either tend to homogeneous states, or generate self-similar patterns with fractal dimensions approx. =1.59 or approx. =1.69. With ''random'' initial configurations, the irreversible character of the cellular automaton evolution leads to several self-organization phenomena. Statistical properties of the structures generated are found to lie in two universality classes, independent of the details of the initial state or the cellular automaton rules. More complicated cellular automata are briefly considered, and connections with dynamical systems theory and the formal theory of computation are discussed

Results from a national survey of Crown prosecutors and defense counsel on impaired driving in Canada: a "System Improvements" perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Robertson, Robyn; Vanlaar, Ward; Simpson, Herb; Boase, Paul

2009-01-01

This article summarizes the main findings from a study designed to examine the legal process in Canada as it applies to alcohol-impaired driving from the point of view of Crown prosecutors and defense counsel, and to identify evidentiary or procedural factors that may impact the legal process, the rights of the accused, and interactions of all parts in the legal process. The data in this study were collected by means of a survey that was mailed out to the population of Crown prosecutors and defense counsel in Canada. In total, 765 prosecutors and 270 defense lawyers or an estimated 33% of all Canadian prosecutors and 15% of defense lawyers completed and returned the questionnaire. The "systems improvement" paradigm was used to interpret the findings and draw conclusions. Such an approach acknowledges the importance of the context in which countermeasures are implemented and delivered and the structures or entities used to deliver countermeasures to a designated target group. Results on type of charges and breath alcohol concentration, caseload, case outcomes, case preparation time, conviction rate at trial and overall conviction rate, reasons for acquittals and time to resolve cases are described. The findings from this national survey suggest that there are important challenges within the criminal justice system that impede the effective and efficient processing of impaired driving cases. Some of these challenges occur as a function of practices and policies, while others occur as a function of legislation. This study illustrates that a "system improvements" approach that acknowledges the importance of all elements of the criminal justice system and the interaction between those elements, can be beneficial in overcoming the alcohol-impaired driving problem.

pH-Responsive Micelle-Based Cytoplasmic Delivery System for Induction of Cellular Immunity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eiji Yuba

2017-11-01

Full Text Available (1 Background: Cytoplasmic delivery of antigens is crucial for the induction of cellular immunity, which is an important immune response for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. To date, fusogenic protein-incorporated liposomes and pH-responsive polymer-modified liposomes have been used to achieve cytoplasmic delivery of antigen via membrane rupture or fusion with endosomes. However, a more versatile cytoplasmic delivery system is desired for practical use. For this study, we developed pH-responsive micelles composed of dilauroyl phosphatidylcholine (DLPC and deoxycholic acid and investigated their cytoplasmic delivery performance and immunity-inducing capability. (2 Methods: Interaction of micelles with fluorescence dye-loaded liposomes, intracellular distribution of micelles, and antigenic proteins were observed. Finally, antigen-specific cellular immune response was evaluated in vivo using ELIspot assay. (3 Results: Micelles induced leakage of contents from liposomes via lipid mixing at low pH. Micelles were taken up by dendritic cells mainly via macropinocytosis and delivered ovalbumin (OVA into the cytosol. After intradermal injection of micelles and OVA, OVA-specific cellular immunity was induced in the spleen. (4 Conclusions: pH-responsive micelles composed of DLPC and deoxycholic acid are promising as enhancers of cytosol delivery of antigens and the induction capability of cellular immunity for the treatment of cancer immunotherapy and infectious diseases.

Why even good defenses may be bad

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glaser, C.L.

1984-01-01

The current debate over whether an effective ballistic missile defense (BMD) is technically feasible and whether it could be developed and deployed has left most of the advocacy up to those supporting a BMD program. The author emphasizes the issues beyond technical feasibility in his conclusion that assured destruction may still be preferable to perfect defense in terms of reducing the probability of nuclear war. After examining a number of possible scenarios involving the US and Soviet Union, the positions of allies, and the possibility of clandestine bombs, he sees no reason to expect that a defense system would be less vulnerable or have fewer uncertainties. 29 references

Multidimensional traveling waves in the Allen–Cahn cellular automaton

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murata, Mikio

2015-01-01

Ultradiscretization is a limiting procedure transforming a given difference equation into a cellular automaton. The cellular automaton constructed by this procedure preserves the essential properties of the original equation, such as the structure of exact solutions for integrable equations. In this article, a cellular automaton analog of the multidimensional Allen–Cahn equation which is not an integrable system is constructed by the ultradiscretization. Moreover, the traveling wave solutions for the resulting cellular automaton are given. The shape, behavior and stability of the solutions in ultradiscrete systems are similar to those in continuous systems. (paper)

76 FR 28757 - Defense Logistics Agency Revised Regulation 1000.22, Environmental Considerations in Defense...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-18

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary [DOCKET ID DOD-2011-OS-0055] Defense Logistics Agency Revised Regulation 1000.22, Environmental Considerations in Defense Logistics Agency Actions AGENCY: Defense Logistics Agency, Department of Defense. ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA) of Revised...

76 FR 53119 - Defense Logistics Agency Revised Regulation 1000.22, Environmental Considerations in Defense...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-25

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary [Docket ID: DOD-2011-OS-0055] Defense Logistics Agency Revised Regulation 1000.22, Environmental Considerations in Defense Logistics Agency Actions AGENCY: Defense Logistics Agency, Department of Defense. ACTION: Comment Addressed on Notice of...

Optimal channel utilization and service protection in cellular communication systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Iversen, Villy Bæk

1997-01-01

In mobile communications an efficient utilization of the channels is of great importance.In this paper we consider the basic principles for obtaining the maximum utilization, and we study strategies for obtaining these limits.In general a high degree of sharing is efficient, but requires service...... protection mechanisms for protecting services and subscriber groups.We study cellular systems with overlaid cells, and the effect of overlapping cells, and we show that by dynamic channel allocation we obtain a high utilization.The models are generalizations of the Erlang-B formula, and can be evaluated...

Peptidoglycan from Fermentation By-Product Triggers Defense Responses in Grapevine

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yang; Takeda, Taito; Aoki, Yoshinao; Fujita, Keiko; Suzuki, Shunji; Igarashi, Daisuke

2014-01-01

Plants are constantly under attack from a variety of microorganisms, and rely on a series of complex detection and response systems to protect themselves from infection. Here, we found that a by-product of glutamate fermentation triggered defense responses in grapevine, increasing the expression of defense response genes in cultured cells, foliar chitinase activity, and resistance to infection by downy mildew in leaf explants. To identify the molecule that triggered this innate immunity, we fractionated and purified candidates extracted from Corynebacterium glutamicum, a bacterium used in the production of amino acids by fermentation. Using hydrolysis by lysozyme, a silkworm larva plasma detection system, and gel filtration analysis, we identified peptidoglycan as inducing the defense responses. Peptidoglycans of Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus also generated similar defensive responses. PMID:25427192

75 FR 76423 - Defense Intelligence Agency National Defense Intelligence College Board of Visitors Closed Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-08

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Defense Intelligence Agency National Defense Intelligence College Board of Visitors Closed Meeting AGENCY: National Defense Intelligence College, Defense Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense. ACTION: Notice of Closed Meeting. SUMMARY: Pursuant to the...

76 FR 28960 - Defense Intelligence Agency National Defense Intelligence College Board of Visitors Closed Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-19

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Defense Intelligence Agency National Defense Intelligence College Board of Visitors Closed Meeting AGENCY: National Defense Intelligence College, Defense Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense. ACTION: Notice of Closed Meeting. SUMMARY: Pursuant to the...

Indicators of the development of defense logistics as a science

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marko D. Andrejić

2012-10-01

Full Text Available In practice, there are several approaches in discussing the achieved level of development of a scientific discipline. One group of them concentrates on external indicators of the development of a scientific discipline, i.e. its research network, while the other group analyzes the science structure, i.e. its elements. The achieved level of the development of the defense system and its (external and internal environment, general knowledge on the development and the systematic treatment of science as well as the present situation in the society require an insight into the internal and external indicators of the development of defense logistics as a scientific discipline (Defense Science. General knowledge on the creation, development and interdependence of sciences as well as internal and external indicators of the achieved development level of Defense Logistics show that it should be developed in the network environment as a multidisciplinary science, in close cooperation with other special disciplines of logistics, within defense science. It could thus contribute to the improvement of the defense as an important public function as well as to closer contacts of the scientific disciplines dealing with technical systems and technologies with the so-called. orthodox military disciplines.

Efficient Analysis of Systems Biology Markup Language Models of Cellular Populations Using Arrays.

Science.gov (United States)

Watanabe, Leandro; Myers, Chris J

2016-08-19

The Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) has been widely used for modeling biological systems. Although SBML has been successful in representing a wide variety of biochemical models, the core standard lacks the structure for representing large complex regular systems in a standard way, such as whole-cell and cellular population models. These models require a large number of variables to represent certain aspects of these types of models, such as the chromosome in the whole-cell model and the many identical cell models in a cellular population. While SBML core is not designed to handle these types of models efficiently, the proposed SBML arrays package can represent such regular structures more easily. However, in order to take full advantage of the package, analysis needs to be aware of the arrays structure. When expanding the array constructs within a model, some of the advantages of using arrays are lost. This paper describes a more efficient way to simulate arrayed models. To illustrate the proposed method, this paper uses a population of repressilator and genetic toggle switch circuits as examples. Results show that there are memory benefits using this approach with a modest cost in runtime.

Environmentally persistent free radicals amplify ultrafine particle mediated cellular oxidative stress and cytotoxicity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Balakrishna Shrilatha

2009-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Combustion generated particulate matter is deposited in the respiratory tract and pose a hazard to the lungs through their potential to cause oxidative stress and inflammation. We have previously shown that combustion of fuels and chlorinated hydrocarbons produce semiquinone-type radicals that are stabilized on particle surfaces (i.e. environmentally persistent free radicals; EPFRs. Because the composition and properties of actual combustion-generated particles are complex, heterogeneous in origin, and vary from day-to-day, we have chosen to use surrogate particle systems. In particular, we have chosen to use the radical of 2-monochlorophenol (MCP230 as the EPFR because we have previously shown that it forms a EPFR on Cu(IIO surfaces and catalyzes formation of PCDD/F. To understand the physicochemical properties responsible for the adverse pulmonary effects of combustion by-products, we have exposed human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B to MCP230 or the CuO/silica substrate. Our general hypothesis was that the EPFR-containing particle would have greater toxicity than the substrate species. Results Exposure of BEAS-2B cells to our combustion generated particle systems significantly increased reactive oxygen species (ROS generation and decreased cellular antioxidants resulting in cell death. Resveratrol treatment reversed the decline in cellular glutathione (GSH, glutathione peroxidase (GPx, and superoxide dismutase (SOD levels for both types of combustion-generated particle systems. Conclusion The enhanced cytotoxicity upon exposure to MCP230 correlated with its ability to generate more cellular oxidative stress and concurrently reduce the antioxidant defenses of the epithelial cells (i.e. reduced GSH, SOD activity, and GPx. The EPFRs in MCP230 also seem to be of greater biological concern due to their ability to induce lipid peroxidation. These results are consistent with the oxidizing nature of the CuO/silica ultrafine

32 CFR Appendix A to Part 77 - DD Form 2580, Operation Transition Department of Defense

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false DD Form 2580, Operation Transition Department of Defense A Appendix A to Part 77 National Defense Department of Defense OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE... to Part 77—DD Form 2580, Operation Transition Department of Defense Outplacement and Referral System...

PTSD as a criminal defense: a review of case law.

Science.gov (United States)

Berger, Omri; McNiel, Dale E; Binder, Renée L

2012-01-01

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been offered as a basis for criminal defenses, including insanity, unconsciousness, self-defense, diminished capacity, and sentencing mitigation. Examination of case law (e.g., appellate decisions) involving PTSD reveals that when offered as a criminal defense, PTSD has received mixed treatment in the judicial system. Courts have often recognized testimony about PTSD as scientifically reliable. In addition, PTSD has been recognized by appellate courts in U.S. jurisdictions as a valid basis for insanity, unconsciousness, and self-defense. However, the courts have not always found the presentation of PTSD testimony to be relevant, admissible, or compelling in such cases, particularly when expert testimony failed to show how PTSD met the standard for the given defense. In cases that did not meet the standard for one of the complete defenses, PTSD has been presented as a partial defense or mitigating circumstance, again with mixed success.

Lasers and particle beam for fusion and strategic defense

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1986-01-01

This special issue of the Journal of Fusion Energy consists of the edited transscripts of a symposium on the applications of laser and particle beams to fusion and strategic defense. Its eleven papers discuss these topics: the Strategic Defense Initiative; accelerators for heavy ion fusion; rf accelerators for fusion and strategic defense; Pulsed power, ICF, and the Strategic Defense Initiative; chemical lasers; the feasibility of KrF lasers for fusion; the damage resistance of coated optic; liquid crystal devices for laser systems; fusion neutral-particle beam research and its contribution to the Star Wars program; and induction linacs and free electron laser amplifiers for ICF devices and directed-energy weapons

Transforming Defense

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Lamb, Christopher J; Bunn, M. E; Lutes, Charles; Cavoli, Christopher

2005-01-01

.... Despite the resources and attention consumed by the war on terror, and recent decisions by the White House to curtail the growth of defense spending, the senior leadership of the Department of Defense (DoD...

Autophagy as a defense strategy against stress: focus on Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin embryos exposed to cadmium.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiarelli, Roberto; Martino, Chiara; Agnello, Maria; Bosco, Liana; Roccheri, Maria Carmela

2016-01-01

Autophagy is used by organisms as a defense strategy to face environmental stress. This mechanism has been described as one of the most important intracellular pathways responsible for the degradation and recycling of proteins and organelles. It can act as a cell survival mechanism if the cellular damage is not too extensive or as a cell death mechanism if the damage/stress is irreversible; in the latter case, it can operate as an independent pathway or together with the apoptotic one. In this review, we discuss the autophagic process activated in several aquatic organisms exposed to different types of environmental stressors, focusing on the sea urchin embryo, a suitable system recently included into the guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays to monitor autophagy. After cadmium (Cd) exposure, a heavy metal recognized as an environmental toxicant, the sea urchin embryo is able to adopt different defense mechanisms, in a hierarchical way. Among these, autophagy is one of the main responses activated to preserve the developmental program. Finally, we discuss the interplay between autophagy and apoptosis in the sea urchin embryo, a temporal and functional choice that depends on the intensity of stress conditions.

External insulation with cellular plastic materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Lars Schiøtt; Nielsen, Anker

2014-01-01

External thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) can be used as extra insulation of existing buildings. The system can be made of cellular plastic materials or mineral wool. There is a European Technical guideline, ETAG 004, that describe the tests that shall be conducted on such systems....... This paper gives a comparison of systems with mineral wool and cellular plastic, based on experience from practice and literature. It is important to look at the details in the system and at long time stability of the properties such as thermal insulation, moisture and fire. Investigation of fire properties...

Home - Defense Technology Security Administration

Science.gov (United States)

by @dtsamil Defense Technology Security Administration Mission, Culture, and History Executive Official seal of Defense Technology Security Administration Official seal of Defense Technology Security Administration OFFICE of the SECRETARY of DEFENSE Defense Technology Security Administration

COMPETITIVENESS OF DEFENSE INDUSTRY IN TURKEY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hakki BILGEN

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Turkey has created some opportunities for the organisations in the defense industry to generate a suitable business and to ensure its sustainability. The domestic coverage ratio of defense system need in 2010 is aimed as 50%. To achieve this target depends on the defense industry competitiveness. In this study, the development plans, strategies and foreign trade are examined. Its contribution which has an important place in the research and development investment, is not at the level expected in Turkey’s economy. Turkey occupies 47th position in World Competitiveness Scoreboard, and 61st position in Global Competitiveness Index in 2009. The index factors are investigated to understand the competitiveness according to the Porter’s diamond model, applied in Turkey for the first time. As a result, the competitiveness analysis of Turkish defense industry is carried out and its global place and competitive advantage are exposed. Therefore, a framework is made to introduce a guide for decision-making by using a widely-accepted model, and to contribute to the plans and strategies

Optimizing Active Cyber Defense

OpenAIRE

Lu, Wenlian; Xu, Shouhuai; Yi, Xinlei

2016-01-01

Active cyber defense is one important defensive method for combating cyber attacks. Unlike traditional defensive methods such as firewall-based filtering and anti-malware tools, active cyber defense is based on spreading "white" or "benign" worms to combat against the attackers' malwares (i.e., malicious worms) that also spread over the network. In this paper, we initiate the study of {\\em optimal} active cyber defense in the setting of strategic attackers and/or strategic defenders. Specific...

Re-engineering software systems in the Department of Defense using integrated computer aided software engineering tools

OpenAIRE

Jennings, Charles A.

1992-01-01

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited The Department of Defense (DoD) is plagues with severe cost overruns and delays in developing software systems. Existing software within Dod, some developed 15-to 20 years ago, require continual maintenance and modification. Major difficulties arise with maintaining older systems due to cryptic source code and a lack of adequate documentation. To remedy this situation, the DoD, is pursuing the integrated computer aided software engi...

Fröhlich systems in cellular physiology

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Šrobár, Fedor

2012-01-01

Roč. 113, č. 2 (2012), s. 95-104 ISSN 1214-6994 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP102/11/0649 Institutional support: RVO:67985882 Keywords : Biophysics * Cellular Physiology Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering

Physics of a ballistic missile defense - The chemical laser boost-phase defense

Science.gov (United States)

Grabbe, Crockett L.

1988-01-01

The basic physics involved in proposals to use a chemical laser based on satellites for a boost-phase defense are investigated. After a brief consideration of simple physical conditions for the defense, a calculation of an equation for the number of satellites needed for the defense is made along with some typical values of this for possible future conditions for the defense. Basic energy and power requirements for the defense are determined. A sumary is made of probable minimum conditions that must be achieved for laser power, targeting accuracy, number of satellites, and total sources for power needed.

Perspective on methods to calculate a fee for disposal of defense high-level waste in combined (civilian/defense) repositories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-12-01

The Department of Energy intends to send the high-level waste from defense operations to combined civilian/defense repositories for disposal. The federal government must pay a fee to cover its fair share of the cost for the disposal system. This report provides an overview perspective on the defense high-level waste (DHLW) quantities and characteristics and on potential alternatives for calculation and payment of the disposal fee. Information on the DHLW expected from government sites includes the number of waste canisters, radioactivity, thermal decay power, mass of defense reactor fuel, and total electrical energy-equivalents. Ranges in quantities are shown where different operating scenarios are being considered. Several different fee determination methods are described and fees for different quantities of waste are estimated. Information is also included on possible payment alternatives, production and shipping schedules, and credits which could be applied to the fee

75 FR 26739 - Information Collection Requirement; Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Part 244...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-12

... Control Number 0704-0253) AGENCY: Defense Acquisition Regulations System, Department of Defense. ACTION... proposed information collection; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information..., withhold, or withdraw purchasing system approval at the conclusion of a purchasing system review...

Strategy alternatives for homeland air and cruise missile defense.

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Eric M; Payne, Michael D; Vanderwoude, Glenn W

2010-10-01

Air and cruise missile defense of the U.S. homeland is characterized by a requirement to protect a large number of critical assets nonuniformly dispersed over a vast area with relatively few defensive systems. In this article, we explore strategy alternatives to make the best use of existing defense resources and suggest this approach as a means of reducing risk while mitigating the cost of developing and acquiring new systems. We frame the issue as an attacker-defender problem with simultaneous moves. First, we outline and examine the relatively simple problem of defending comparatively few locations with two surveillance systems. Second, we present our analysis and findings for a more realistic scenario that includes a representative list of U.S. critical assets. Third, we investigate sensitivity to defensive strategic choices in the more realistic scenario. As part of this investigation, we describe two complementary computational methods that, under certain circumstances, allow one to reduce large computational problems to a more manageable size. Finally, we demonstrate that strategic choices can be an important supplement to material solutions and can, in some cases, be a more cost-effective alternative. © 2010 Society for Risk Analysis.

Investment in defense and cost of predator-induced defense along a resource gradient

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Steiner, Uli

2007-01-01

An organism's investment in different traits to reduce predation is determined by the fitness benefit of the defense relative to the fitness costs associated with the allocation of time and resources to the defense. Inherent tradeoffs in time and resource allocation should result in differential...... investment in defense along a resource gradient, but competing models predict different patterns of investment. There are currently insufficient empirical data on changes in investment in defensive traits or their costs along resource gradients to differentiate between the competing allocation models....... In this study, I exposed tadpoles to caged predators along a resource gradient in order to estimate investment in defense and costs of defense by assessing predator-induced plasticity. Induced defenses included increased tail depth, reduced feeding, and reduced swimming activity; costs associated...

Unfolding Green Defense

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Kristian Knus

2015-01-01

In recent years, many states have developed and implemented green solutions for defense. Building on these initiatives NATO formulated the NATO Green Defence Framework in 2014. The framework provides a broad basis for cooperation within the Alliance on green solutions for defense. This report aims...... to inform and support the further development of green solutions by unfolding how green technologies and green strategies have been developed and used to handle current security challenges. The report, initially, focuses on the security challenges that are being linked to green defense, namely fuel...... consumption in military operations, defense expenditure, energy security, and global climate change. The report then proceeds to introduce the NATO Green Defence Framework before exploring specific current uses of green technologies and green strategies for defense. The report concludes that a number...

Defense Contract Audit Agency Compensation Audits

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1999-01-01

.... The Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) assists the administrative contracting officer in accomplishing that responsibility by determining whether the contractor's compensation system is sound, reliable, consistently applied, and results...

Defense Acquisition Reform, 19602009: An Elusive Goal

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-31

the seven largest economies of the world (United States, China, Japan, Germany, France, United Kingdom, and Italy ).11 Major weapon systems...the Federal Acquisition Regulation.96 95 Ibid., pp. 20, 21. 96 Joseph Ferrara , “DoD’s 5000 Documents: Evolution and Change in Defense Acquisition...Wayne Smith. How Much Is Enough: Shaping the Defense Program, 1961–1969. New York: Harper & Row, 1971. Ferrara , Joseph. “DoD’s 5000 Documents

Defense Agencies Initiative Increment 2 (DAI Inc 2)

Science.gov (United States)

2016-03-01

module. In an ADM dated September 23, 2013, the MDA established Increment 2 as a MAIS program to include budget formulation; grants financial...2016 Major Automated Information System Annual Report Defense Agencies Initiative Increment 2 (DAI Inc 2) Defense Acquisition Management...President’s Budget RDT&E - Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation SAE - Service Acquisition Executive TBD - To Be Determined TY - Then

Induction of defensive enzymes (isozymes) during defense against ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

2012-09-06

Sep 6, 2012 ... defense against two different fungal pathogens in pear calli ... study the biochemical changes in relation to plant defense ... relatively easy to manipulate by empirical means, allowing for a ... earlier phase, and the degree of rot was significantly ..... resistance of fruit, and they play an important role in the.

Passive Noise Filtering by Cellular Compartmentalization.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoeger, Thomas; Battich, Nico; Pelkmans, Lucas

2016-03-10

Chemical reactions contain an inherent element of randomness, which presents itself as noise that interferes with cellular processes and communication. Here we discuss the ability of the spatial partitioning of molecular systems to filter and, thus, remove noise, while preserving regulated and predictable differences between single living cells. In contrast to active noise filtering by network motifs, cellular compartmentalization is highly effective and easily scales to numerous systems without requiring a substantial usage of cellular energy. We will use passive noise filtering by the eukaryotic cell nucleus as an example of how this increases predictability of transcriptional output, with possible implications for the evolution of complex multicellularity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Host-pathogen interactions between the human innate immune system and Candida albicans—understanding and modeling defense and evasion strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Dühring, Sybille; Germerodt, Sebastian; Skerka, Christine; Zipfel, Peter F.; Dandekar, Thomas; Schuster, Stefan

2015-01-01

The diploid, polymorphic yeast Candida albicans is one of the most important human pathogenic fungi. C. albicans can grow, proliferate and coexist as a commensal on or within the human host for a long time. However, alterations in the host environment can render C. albicans virulent. In this review, we describe the immunological cross-talk between C. albicans and the human innate immune system. We give an overview in form of pairs of human defense strategies including immunological mechanisms as well as general stressors such as nutrient limitation, pH, fever etc. and the corresponding fungal response and evasion mechanisms. Furthermore, Computational Systems Biology approaches to model and investigate these complex interactions are highlighted with a special focus on game-theoretical methods and agent-based models. An outlook on interesting questions to be tackled by Systems Biology regarding entangled defense and evasion mechanisms is given. PMID:26175718

Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Film

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The United States Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS) is a polar orbiting meteorological sensor with two...

Defense.gov Special Report: Defense Officials Release Operational Energy

Science.gov (United States)

, DOD Operational Energy Strategy DOD's Operational Energy Strategy will guide the Defense Department to operations are among the goals of the Defense Department's operational energy strategy, a senior Pentagon operational energy footprint, experts in solar power, microgrids and "smart" generators recently

Immune defense and host life history.

Science.gov (United States)

Zuk, Marlene; Stoehr, Andrew M

2002-10-01

Recent interest has focused on immune response in an evolutionary context, with particular attention to disease resistance as a life-history trait, subject to trade-offs against other traits such as reproductive effort. Immune defense has several characteristics that complicate this approach, however; for example, because of the risk of autoimmunity, optimal immune defense is not necessarily maximum immune defense. Two important types of cost associated with immunity in the context of life history are resource costs, those related to the allocation of essential but limited resources, such as energy or nutrients, and option costs, those paid not in the currency of resources but in functional or structural components of the organism. Resource and option costs are likely to apply to different aspects of resistance. Recent investigations into possible trade-offs between reproductive effort, particularly sexual displays, and immunity have suggested interesting functional links between the two. Although all organisms balance the costs of immune defense against the requirements of reproduction, this balance works out differently for males than it does for females, creating sex differences in immune response that in turn are related to ecological factors such as the mating system. We conclude that immune response is indeed costly and that future work would do well to include invertebrates, which have sometimes been neglected in studies of the ecology of immune defense.

75 FR 52732 - Renewal of Department of Defense Federal Advisory Committee; Missile Defense Advisory Committee

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-27

... Committee; Missile Defense Advisory Committee AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD). ACTION: Renewal of..., the Department of Defense gives notice that it is renewing the charter for the Missile Defense... Director, Missile Defense Agency, independent advice and recommendations on all matters relating to missile...

Defensive Swarm: An Agent Based Modeling Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

2017-12-01

32  1.  System Dynamics .........................................................................33  2.  Variables...CONSIDERATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..........................83  1.  Prolonged Time of Operations ....................................................83...LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.  Unmanned Aircraft System ..........................................................................8  Figure 2.  Defensive

Ethanol cellular defense induce unfolded protein response in yeast

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisabet eNavarro-Tapia

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Ethanol is a valuable industrial product and a common metabolite used by many cell types. However, this molecule produces high levels of cytotoxicity affecting cellular performance at several levels. In the presence of ethanol, cells must adjust some of their components, such as the membrane lipids to maintain homeostasis. In the case of microorganism as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ethanol is one of the principal products of their metabolism and is the main stress factor during fermentation. Although many efforts have been made, mechanisms of ethanol tolerance are not fully understood and very little evidence is available to date for specific signaling by ethanol in the cell. This work studied two Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, CECT10094 and Temohaya-MI26, isolated from flor wine and agave fermentation (a traditional fermentation from Mexico respectively, which differ in ethanol tolerance, in order to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the ethanol stress response and the reasons for different ethanol tolerance. The transcriptome was analyzed after ethanol stress and, among others, an increased activation of genes related with the unfolded protein response (UPR and its transcription factor, Hac1p, was observed in the tolerant strain CECT10094. We observed that this strain also resist more UPR agents than Temohaya-MI26 and the UPR-ethanol stress correlation was corroborated observing growth of 15 more strains and discarding UPR correlation with other stresses as thermal or oxidative stress. Furthermore, higher activation of UPR pathway in the tolerant strain CECT10094 was observed using a UPR mCherry reporter. Finally, we observed UPR activation in response to ethanol stress in other S. cerevisiae ethanol tolerant strains as the wine strains T73 and EC1118. This work demonstrates that the UPR pathway is activated under ethanol stress occurring in a standard fermentation and links this response to an enhanced ethanol tolerance. Thus

Hybrid Off-Grid SPV/WTG Power System for Remote Cellular Base Stations Towards Green and Sustainable Cellular Networks in South Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed H. Alsharif

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to address the sustainability of power resources and environmental conditions for telecommunication base stations (BSs at off-grid sites. Accordingly, this study examined the feasibility of using a hybrid solar photovoltaic (SPV/wind turbine generator (WTG system to feed the remote Long Term Evolution-macro base stations at off-grid sites of South Korea the energy necessary to minimise both the operational expenditure and greenhouse gas emissions. Three key aspects have been discussed: (i optimal system architecture; (ii energy yield analysis; and (iii economic analysis. In addition, this study compares the feasibility of using a hybrid SPV/WTG system vs. a diesel generator. The simulation results show that by applying the proposed SPV/WTG system scheme to the cellular system, the total operational expenditure can be up to 48.52% more efficient and sustainability can be ensured with better planning by providing cleaner energy.

Strategic Defense Initiative Organization: Corporate Plan

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1992-01-01

... requires a flexible yet focused approach to attain its mission; namely, to research, develop, acquire, and deploy systems and technologies which provide ballistic missile defense to include Global Protection Against Limited Strikes (OPALS...

Ballistic Missile Defense: An Administration Perspective

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Bell, Robert

1995-01-01

...: "What is our strategy?" What the Clinton Administration is doing with regard to strategic offensive systems provides an instructive context for what we re now trying to do on the strategic defensive side...

Strategic Defense Initiative Organization adaptive structures program overview

Science.gov (United States)

Obal, Michael; Sater, Janet M.

In the currently envisioned architecture none of the Strategic Defense System (SDS) elements to be deployed will receive scheduled maintenance. Assessments of performance capability due to changes caused by the uncertain effects of environments will be difficult, at best. In addition, the system will have limited ability to adjust in order to maintain its required performance levels. The Materials and Structures Office of the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO) has begun to address solutions to these potential difficulties via an adaptive structures technology program that combines health and environment monitoring with static and dynamic structural control. Conceivable system benefits include improved target tracking and hit-to-kill performance, on-orbit system health monitoring and reporting, and threat attack warning and assessment.

Cellular Manufacturing System with Dynamic Lot Size Material Handling

Science.gov (United States)

Khannan, M. S. A.; Maruf, A.; Wangsaputra, R.; Sutrisno, S.; Wibawa, T.

2016-02-01

Material Handling take as important role in Cellular Manufacturing System (CMS) design. In several study at CMS design material handling was assumed per pieces or with constant lot size. In real industrial practice, lot size may change during rolling period to cope with demand changes. This study develops CMS Model with Dynamic Lot Size Material Handling. Integer Linear Programming is used to solve the problem. Objective function of this model is minimizing total expected cost consisting machinery depreciation cost, operating costs, inter-cell material handling cost, intra-cell material handling cost, machine relocation costs, setup costs, and production planning cost. This model determines optimum cell formation and optimum lot size. Numerical examples are elaborated in the paper to ilustrate the characterictic of the model.

The similia principle: results obtained in a cellular model system.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiegant, Fred; Van Wijk, Roeland

2010-01-01

This paper describes the results of a research program focused on the beneficial effect of low dose stress conditions that were applied according to the similia principle to cells previously disturbed by more severe stress conditions. In first instance, we discuss criteria for research on the similia principle at the cellular level. Then, the homologous ('isopathic') approach is reviewed, in which the initial (high dose) stress used to disturb cellular physiology and the subsequent (low dose) stress are identical. Beneficial effects of low dose stress are described in terms of increased cellular survival capacity and at the molecular level as an increase in the synthesis of heat shock proteins (hsps). Both phenomena reflect a stimulation of the endogenous cellular self-recovery capacity. Low dose stress conditions applied in a homologous approach stimulate the synthesis of hsps and enhance survival in comparison with stressed cells that were incubated in the absence of low dose stress conditions. Thirdly, the specificity of the low dose stress condition is described where the initial (high dose) stress is different in nature from the subsequently applied (low dose) stress; the heterologous or 'heteropathic' approach. The results support the similia principle at the cellular level and add to understanding of how low dose stress conditions influence the regulatory processes underlying self-recovery. In addition, the phenomenon of 'symptom aggravation' which is also observed at the cellular level, is discussed in the context of self-recovery. Finally, the difference in efficiency between the homologous and the heterologous approach is discussed; a perspective is indicated for further research; and the relationship between studies on the similia principle and the recently introduced concept of 'postconditioning hormesis' is emphasized. Copyright 2009 The Faculty of Homeopathy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Defense AT&L (Volume 37, Number 1, January-February 2008)

Science.gov (United States)

2008-02-01

Senate, he serves as the senior advisor to the secretary of defense on testing Department of Defense weapon systems, and prescribing policies and...including several commands. As general, his final assign- ment was the senior air defense advisor to the chief of staff of the Army. His awards...by going to <www. usajobs.gov>. For more details, see the USA Staffing Ap- plication Manager’s online help at <http://eshelp.opm. gov/ robo /projects

Radiation, nitric oxide and cellular death

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dubner, D.; Perez, M.R. Del; Michelin, S.C.; Gisone, P.A.

1997-01-01

The mechanisms of radiation induced cellular death constitute an objective of research ever since the first biological effects of radiation were first observed. The explosion of information produced in the last 20 years calls for a careful analysis due to the apparent contradictory data related to the cellular system studied and the range of doses used. This review focuses on the role of the active oxygen species, in particular the nitric oxides, in its relevance as potential mediator of radiation induced cellular death

Review of the all Source Analysis System as a Part of the Audit of the Effectiveness of the Defense Acquisition Board Review Process-FY 1993.

Science.gov (United States)

1993-04-20

OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL REVIEW OF THE ALL SOURCE ANALYSIS SYSTEM AS A PART OF THE AUDIT OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE DEFENSE...System as a Part of the Audit of the Effectiveness of the Defense Acquisition Board Review Process--FY 1993 (Report No. 93-087) We are providing...appreciate the courtesies extended to the audit staff. If you have questions on this report, please contact Program Director Russell A. Rau at (703) 693

A MULTI CRITERIA APPROACH TO DESIGNING THE CELLULAR MANUFACTURING SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rika Ampuh Hadiguna

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Cellular manufacturing system design problems such as design framework, manufacturing cells layout and layout evaluation. The research objective is developing the framework to designing manufacturing cells with considering the organization and management aspects in shopfloor. In this research have compared the existing layout with proposed layout which applied the multi criteria approach. The proposed method is combining Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP, Clustering and heuristic approach. The result has show that grouping with Single Linkage Clustering (SLC to be selected as manufacturing cells. The comparison of clustering weight is 0,567, 0,245 and 0,188 for SLC, Complete Linkage Clustering (CLC and Average Linkage Clustering (ALC, respectively. This result shows that generating layout by using grouping result from SLC. The evaluation result shows that types of manufacturing cells better than process layout which used the existing system.

Hijacking of host cellular functions by an intracellular parasite, the microsporidian Anncaliia algerae.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johan Panek

Full Text Available Intracellular pathogens including bacteria, viruses and protozoa hijack host cell functions to access nutrients and to bypass cellular defenses and immune responses. These strategies have been acquired through selective pressure and allowed pathogens to reach an appropriate cellular niche for their survival and growth. To get new insights on how parasites hijack host cellular functions, we developed a SILAC (Stable Isotope Labeling by Amino Acids in Cell culture quantitative proteomics workflow. Our study focused on deciphering the cross-talk in a host-parasite association, involving human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF and the microsporidia Anncaliia algerae, a fungus related parasite with an obligate intracellular lifestyle and a strong host dependency. The host-parasite cross-talk was analyzed at five post-infection times 1, 6, 12 and 24 hours post-infection (hpi and 8 days post-infection (dpi. A significant up-regulation of four interferon-induced proteins with tetratricopeptide repeats IFIT1, IFIT2, IFIT3 and MX1 was observed at 8 dpi suggesting a type 1 interferon (IFN host response. Quantitative alteration of host proteins involved in biological functions such as signaling (STAT1, Ras and reduction of the translation activity (EIF3 confirmed a host type 1 IFN response. Interestingly, the SILAC approach also allowed the detection of 148 A. algerae proteins during the kinetics of infection. Among these proteins many are involved in parasite proliferation, and an over-representation of putative secreted effectors proteins was observed. Finally our survey also suggests that A. algerae could use a transposable element as a lure strategy to escape the host innate immune system.

Defense Nuclear Material Stewardship Integrated Inventory Information Management System (IIIMS).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aas, Christopher A.; Lenhart, James E.; Bray, Olin H.; Witcher, Christina Jenkin

2004-11-01

Sandia National Laboratories was tasked with developing the Defense Nuclear Material Stewardship Integrated Inventory Information Management System (IIIMS) with the sponsorship of NA-125.3 and the concurrence of DOE/NNSA field and area offices. The purpose of IIIMS was to modernize nuclear materials management information systems at the enterprise level. Projects over the course of several years attempted to spearhead this modernization. The scope of IIIMS was broken into broad enterprise-oriented materials management and materials forecasting. The IIIMS prototype was developed to allow multiple participating user groups to explore nuclear material requirements and needs in detail. The purpose of material forecasting was to determine nuclear material availability over a 10 to 15 year period in light of the dynamic nature of nuclear materials management. Formal DOE Directives (requirements) were needed to direct IIIMS efforts but were never issued and the project has been halted. When restarted, duplicating or re-engineering the activities from 1999 to 2003 is unnecessary, and in fact future initiatives can build on previous work. IIIMS requirements should be structured to provide high confidence that discrepancies are detected, and classified information is not divulged. Enterprise-wide materials management systems maintained by the military can be used as overall models to base IIIMS implementation concepts upon.

Financial Reporting Procedures for Defense Distribution Depots - Defense Logistics Agency Business Area of the Defense Business Operations Fund

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Young, Shelton

1994-01-01

In our audit of the FY 1993 Financial Statements for the Distribution Depots--Defense Logistics Agency Business Mea of the Defense Business Operations Fund, we evaluated procedures and controls used...

Water sensors with cellular system eliminate tail water drainage in alfalfa irrigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajat Saha

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Alfalfa is the largest consumer of water among all crops in California. It is generally flood-irrigated, so any system that decreases runoff can improve irrigation efficiency and conserve water. To more accurately manage the water flow at the tail (bottom end of the field in surface-irrigated alfalfa crops, we developed a system that consists of wetting-front sensors, a cellular communication system and a water advance model. This system detects the wetting front, determines its advance rate and generates a cell-phone alert to the irrigator when the water supply needs to be cut off, so that tail water drainage is minimized. To test its feasibility, we conducted field tests during the 2008 and 2009 alfalfa growing seasons. The field experiments successfully validated the methodology, producing zero tail water drainage.

Male resource defense mating system in primates? An experimental test in wild capuchin monkeys.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbara Tiddi

Full Text Available Ecological models of mating systems provide a theoretical framework to predict the effect of the defendability of both breeding resources and mating partners on mating patterns. In resource-based mating systems, male control over breeding resources is tightly linked to female mating preference. To date, few field studies have experimentally investigated the relationship between male resource control and female mating preference in mammals due to difficulties in manipulating ecological factors (e.g., food contestability. We tested the within-group male resource defense hypothesis experimentally in a wild population of black capuchin monkeys (Sapajus nigritus in Iguazú National Park, Argentina. Sapajus spp. represent an ideal study model as, in contrast to most primates, they have been previously argued to be characterized by female mate choice and a resource-based mating system in which within-group resource monopolization by high-ranking males drives female mating preference for those males. Here, we examined whether females (N = 12 showed a weaker preference for alpha males during mating seasons in which food distribution was experimentally manipulated to be less defendable relative to those in which it was highly defendable. Results did not support the within-group male resource defense hypothesis, as female sexual preferences for alpha males did not vary based on food defendability. We discuss possible reasons for our results, including the possibility of other direct and indirect benefits females receive in exercising mate choice, the potential lack of tolerance over food directed towards females by alpha males, and phylogenetic constraints.

The Effects Radiation on Cellular Components of the Immune

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zubaidah-Alatas

2001-01-01

The immune system describes the body's ability to defend itself against various foreign intruders named as antigens by calling on an immune mechanism. Antigens penetration into body activate the body's immune system that may be humoral response, cellular response, or both. The immune response is primarily mediated by two cell types, lymphocyte and macrophage. This paper will discuss the cellular component of immune system and the radiation effects on various cells involved in system. Moreover, the effects of radiation on humoral and cellular responses and the relation among immunity, cancer and radiotherapy are also described. (author)

Defense styles of pedophilic offenders.

Science.gov (United States)

Drapeau, Martin; Beretta, Véronique; de Roten, Yves; Koerner, Annett; Despland, Jean-Nicolas

2008-04-01

This pilot study investigated the defense styles of pedophile sexual offenders. Interviews with 20 pedophiles and 20 controls were scored using the Defense Mechanisms Rating Scales. Results showed that pedophiles had a significantly lower overall defensive functioning score than the controls. Pedophiles used significantly fewer obsessional-level defenses but more major image-distorting and action-level defenses. Results also suggested differences in the prevalence of individual defenses where pedophiles used more dissociation, displacement, denial, autistic fantasy, splitting of object, projective identification, acting out, and passive aggressive behavior but less intellectualization and rationalization.

Systems Biology-Based Investigation of Cellular Antiviral Drug Targets Identified by Gene-Trap Insertional Mutagenesis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Feixiong Cheng

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Viruses require host cellular factors for successful replication. A comprehensive systems-level investigation of the virus-host interactome is critical for understanding the roles of host factors with the end goal of discovering new druggable antiviral targets. Gene-trap insertional mutagenesis is a high-throughput forward genetics approach to randomly disrupt (trap host genes and discover host genes that are essential for viral replication, but not for host cell survival. In this study, we used libraries of randomly mutagenized cells to discover cellular genes that are essential for the replication of 10 distinct cytotoxic mammalian viruses, 1 gram-negative bacterium, and 5 toxins. We herein reported 712 candidate cellular genes, characterizing distinct topological network and evolutionary signatures, and occupying central hubs in the human interactome. Cell cycle phase-specific network analysis showed that host cell cycle programs played critical roles during viral replication (e.g. MYC and TAF4 regulating G0/1 phase. Moreover, the viral perturbation of host cellular networks reflected disease etiology in that host genes (e.g. CTCF, RHOA, and CDKN1B identified were frequently essential and significantly associated with Mendelian and orphan diseases, or somatic mutations in cancer. Computational drug repositioning framework via incorporating drug-gene signatures from the Connectivity Map into the virus-host interactome identified 110 putative druggable antiviral targets and prioritized several existing drugs (e.g. ajmaline that may be potential for antiviral indication (e.g. anti-Ebola. In summary, this work provides a powerful methodology with a tight integration of gene-trap insertional mutagenesis testing and systems biology to identify new antiviral targets and drugs for the development of broadly acting and targeted clinical antiviral therapeutics.

Defense AR Journal. Volume 16, Number 2, July 2008

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2008-01-01

...?, Lessons from the Development of Army Systems, How to Make Incentive Fees Work, Can Defense Sensemakers Really be Rational in a Hyperturbulent World, System of Systems Development for the DoDs...

Recognizing Plant Defense Priming

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Martinez-Medina, Ainhoa; Flors, Victor; Heil, Martin; Mauch-Mani, Brigitte; Pieterse, Corné M J|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/113115113; Pozo, Maria J; Ton, Jurriaan; van Dam, Nicole M; Conrath, Uwe

2016-01-01

Defense priming conditions diverse plant species for the superinduction of defense, often resulting in enhanced pest and disease resistance and abiotic stress tolerance. Here, we propose a guideline that might assist the plant research community in a consistent assessment of defense priming in

Recognizing plant defense priming

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Martinez-Medina, A.; Flors, V.; Heil, M.; Mauch-Mani, B.; Pieterse, C.M.J.; Pozo, M.J.; Ton, J.; Van Dam, N.M.; Conrath, U.

2016-01-01

Defense priming conditions diverse plant species for the superinduction of defense, often resulting in enhanced pest and disease resistance and abiotic stress tolerance. Here, we propose a guideline that might assist the plant research community in a consistent assessment of defense priming in

Additive Cellular Automata and Volume Growth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas B. Ward

2000-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract: A class of dynamical systems associated to rings of S-integers in rational function fields is described. General results about these systems give a rather complete description of the well-known dynamics in one-dimensional additive cellular automata with prime alphabet, including simple formulæ for the topological entropy and the number of periodic configurations. For these systems the periodic points are uniformly distributed along some subsequence with respect to the maximal measure, and in particular are dense. Periodic points may be constructed arbitrarily close to a given configuration, and rationality of the dynamical zeta function is characterized. Throughout the emphasis is to place this particular family of cellular automata into the wider context of S-integer dynamical systems, and to show how the arithmetic of rational function fields determines their behaviour. Using a covering space the dynamics of additive cellular automata are related to a form of hyperbolicity in completions of rational function fields. This expresses the topological entropy of the automata directly in terms of volume growth in the covering space.

A Comparative Assessment of Knowledge Management Leadership Approaches within the Department of Defense

Science.gov (United States)

2007-03-01

A COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIP APPROACHES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE... MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIP APPROACHES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE THESIS Presented to the Faculty Department of Systems and Engineering...KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIP APPROACHES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Tommy V. S. Marshall II, BS Captain, USAF Approved

1024-Pixel CMOS Multimodality Joint Cellular Sensor/Stimulator Array for Real-Time Holistic Cellular Characterization and Cell-Based Drug Screening.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jong Seok; Aziz, Moez Karim; Li, Sensen; Chi, Taiyun; Grijalva, Sandra Ivonne; Sung, Jung Hoon; Cho, Hee Cheol; Wang, Hua

2018-02-01

This paper presents a fully integrated CMOS multimodality joint sensor/stimulator array with 1024 pixels for real-time holistic cellular characterization and drug screening. The proposed system consists of four pixel groups and four parallel signal-conditioning blocks. Every pixel group contains 16 × 16 pixels, and each pixel includes one gold-plated electrode, four photodiodes, and in-pixel circuits, within a pixel footprint. Each pixel supports real-time extracellular potential recording, optical detection, charge-balanced biphasic current stimulation, and cellular impedance measurement for the same cellular sample. The proposed system is fabricated in a standard 130-nm CMOS process. Rat cardiomyocytes are successfully cultured on-chip. Measured high-resolution optical opacity images, extracellular potential recordings, biphasic current stimulations, and cellular impedance images demonstrate the unique advantages of the system for holistic cell characterization and drug screening. Furthermore, this paper demonstrates the use of optical detection on the on-chip cultured cardiomyocytes to real-time track their cyclic beating pattern and beating rate.

Plant defense against insect herbivores

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fürstenberg-Hägg, Joel; Zagrobelny, Mika; Bak, Søren

2013-01-01

, defense compounds. These bioactive specialized plant defense compounds may repel or intoxicate insects, while defense proteins often interfere with their digestion. Volatiles are released upon herbivory to repel herbivores, attract predators or for communication between leaves or plants, and to induce......Plants have been interacting with insects for several hundred million years, leading to complex defense approaches against various insect feeding strategies. Some defenses are constitutive while others are induced, although the insecticidal defense compound or protein classes are often similar...... defense responses. Plants also apply morphological features like waxes, trichomes and latices to make the feeding more difficult for the insects. Extrafloral nectar, food bodies and nesting or refuge sites are produced to accommodate and feed the predators of the herbivores. Meanwhile, herbivorous insects...

The National Research Council study: "Making sense of ballistic missile defense"

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkening, Dean A.

2014-05-01

This chapter explains and summarizes the main findings of a recent National Research Council study entitled Making Sense of Ballistic Missile Defense: An Assessment of Concepts and Systems for U.S. Boost-Phase Missile Defense in Comparison to Other Alternatives.

[Motivation and Emotional States: Structural Systemic, Neurochemical, Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms].

Science.gov (United States)

Bazyan, A S

2016-01-01

The structural, systemic, neurochemical, molecular and cellular mechanisms of organization and coding motivation and emotional states are describe. The GABA and glutamatergic synaptic systems of basal ganglia form a neural network and participate in the implementation of voluntary behavior. Neuropeptides, neurohormones and paracrine neuromodulators involved in the organization of motivation and emotional states, integrated with synaptic systems, controlled by neural networks and organizing goal-directed behavior. Structural centers for united and integrated of information in voluntary and goal-directed behavior are globus pallidus. Substantia nigra pars reticulata switches the information from corticobasal networks to thalamocortical networks, induces global dopaminergic (DA) signal and organize interaction of mesolimbic and nigostriatnoy DA systems controlled by prefrontal and motor cortex. Together with the motor cortex, substantia nigra displays information in the brainstem and spinal cord to implementation of behavior. Motivation states are formed in the interaction of neurohormonal and neuropeptide systems by monoaminergic systems of brain. Emotional states are formed by monoaminergic systems of the mid-brain, where the leading role belongs to the mesolimbic DA system. The emotional and motivation state of the encoded specific epigenetic molecular and chemical pattern of neuron.

Other Defense Organizations and Defense Finance and Accounting Service Controls Over High-Risk Transactions Were Not Effective

Science.gov (United States)

2016-03-28

Defense Organizations and Defense Finance and Accounting Service Controls Over High-Risk Transactions Were Not Effective M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 6...Defense Organizations and Defense Finance and Accounting Service Controls Over High-Risk Transactions Were Not Effective Visit us at www.dodig.mil... FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING SERVICE DIRECTOR, DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY SUBJECT: Other Defense Organizations and Defense Finance and Accounting Service

DEFENSE PROGRAMS RISK MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Constantin PREDA

2012-01-01

Full Text Available For the past years defense programs have faced delays in delivering defense capabilities and budget overruns. Stakeholders are looking for ways to improve program management and the decision making process given the very fluid and uncertain economic and political environment. Consequently, they have increasingly resorted to risk management as the main management tool for achieving defense programs objectives and for delivering the defense capabilities strongly needed for the soldiers on the ground on time and within limited defense budgets. Following a risk management based decision-making approach the stakeholders are expected not only to protect program objectives against a wide range of risks but, at the same time, to take advantage of the opportunities to increase the likelihood of program success. The prerequisite for making risk management the main tool for achieving defense programs objectives is the design and implementation of a strong risk management framework as a foundation providing an efficient and effective application of the best risk management practices. The aim of this paper is to examine the risk management framework for defense programs based on the ISO 31000:2009 standard, best risk management practices and the defense programs’ needs and particularities. For the purposes of this article, the term of defense programs refers to joint defense programs.

Joint-Service Integration: An Organizational Culture Study of the United States Department of Defense Voluntary Education System

Science.gov (United States)

Benson, Martin K.

2010-01-01

The purpose of the descriptive case study with a multiple case framework was to (a) describe the organizational cultures of education programs and leaders in the United States (U.S.) Department of Defense (DoD) voluntary education system on Oahu, Hawaii; (b) determine if an overlapping common organizational culture exists; and (c) assess the…

Molecular biophysics: detection and characterization of damage in molecular, cellular, and physiological systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danyluk, S.S.

1979-01-01

This section contains summaries of research on the detection and characterization of damage in molecular, cellular, and physiological systems. Projects under investigation in this section include: chemical synthesis of nucleic acid derivatives; structural and conformational properties of biological molecules in solution; crystallographic and chemical studies of immunoglobulin structure; instrument design and development for x-ray and neutron scattering studies of biological molecules; and chromobiology and circadian regulation

Cell Based GIS as Cellular Automata for Disaster Spreading Predictions and Required Data Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kohei Arai

2013-03-01

Full Text Available A method for prediction and simulation based on the Cell Based Geographic Information System(GIS as Cellular Automata (CA is proposed together with required data systems, in particular metasearch engine usage in an unified way. It is confirmed that the proposed cell based GIS as CA has flexible usage of the attribute information that is attached to the cell in concert with location information and does work for disaster spreading simulation and prediction.

Rethinking Defensive Information Warfare

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

French, Geoffrey S

2004-01-01

.... This paper examines defensive tactics and strategies from the German defense in depth that emerged from World War I to the American Active Defense that developed in the Cold War and proposes a new mindset for DIW that draws on these operational concepts from military history.

COMBINED EFFECTS OF CO2 AND O3 ON ANTIOXIDATIVE AND PHOTOPROTECTIVE DEFENSE SYSTEMS IN NEEDLES OF PONDEROSA PINE

Science.gov (United States)

To determine interactive effects of important environmental stresses on biochemical defense mechanisms of tree seedlings, we studied responses to elevated O3 and elevated atmospheric CO2 on antioxidative and photoprotective systems in needles of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Do...

PROBCON-HDW: A probability and consequence system of codes for long-term analysis of Hanford defense wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piepho, M.G.; Nguyen, T.H.

1988-12-01

The PROBCON-HDW (PROBability and CONsequence analysis for Hanford defense waste) computer code system calculates the long-term cumulative releases of radionuclides from the Hanford defense wastes (HDW) to the accessible environment and compares the releases to environmental release limits as defined in 40 CFR 191. PROBCON-HDW takes into account the variability of input parameter values used in models to calculate HDW release and transport in the vadose zone to the accessible environment (taken here as groundwater). A human intrusion scenario, which consists of drilling boreholes into the waste beneath the waste sites and bringing waste to the surface, is also included in PROBCON-HDW. PROBCON-HDW also includes the capability to combine the cumulative releases according to various long-term (10,000 year) scenarios into a composite risk curve or complementary cumulative distribution function (CCDF). The system structure of the PROBCON-HDW codes, the mathematical models in PROBCON-HDW, the input files, the input formats, the command files, and the graphical output results of several HDW release scenarios are described in the report. 3 refs., 7 figs., 9 tabs

75 FR 33752 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Organizational Conflicts of Interest in Major...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-15

... Conflicts of Interest in Major Defense Acquisition Programs AGENCY: Defense Acquisition Regulations System... extended an additional 30 days to provide additional time for interested parties to review the proposed... interested parties to review the proposed DFARS changes. Ynette R. Shelkin, Editor, Defense Acquisition...

Control of Database Applications at the Defense Finance and Accounting Service Indianapolis Center

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1997-01-01

The Defense Finance and Accounting Service Financial Systems Organization, under the control of the Deputy Director for Information Management, Defense Finance and Accounting Service, is responsible...

Microvillar cell surface as a natural defense system against xenobiotics: a new interpretation of multidrug resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Lange, K; Gartzke, J

2001-08-01

The phenomenon of multidrug resistance (MDR) is reinterpreted on the basis of the recently proposed concept of microvillar signaling. According to this notion, substrate and ion fluxes across the surface of differentiated cells occur via transporters and ion channels that reside in membrane domains at the tips of microvilli (MV). The flux rates are regulated by the actin-based cytoskeletal core structure of MV, acting as a diffusion barrier between the microvillar tip compartment and the cytoplasm. The expression of this diffusion barrier system is a novel aspect of cell differentiation and represents a functional component of the natural defense system of epithelial cells against environmental hazardous ions and lipophilic compounds. Because of the specific organization of epithelial Ca(2+) signaling and the secretion, lipophilic compounds associated with the plasma membrane are transferred from the basal to the apical cell surface by a lipid flow mechanism. Drug release from the apical pole occurs by either direct secretion from the cell surface or metabolization by the microvillar cytochrome P-450 system and efflux of the metabolites and conjugation products through the large multifunctional anion channels localized in apical MV. The natural microvillar defense system also provides a mechanistic basis of acquired MDR in tumor cells. The microvillar surface organization is lost in rapidly growing cells such as tumor or embryonic cells but is restored during exposure of tumor cells to cytotoxins by induction of a prolonged G(0)/G(1) resting phase.

Stealth proteins: in silico identification of a novel protein family rendering bacterial pathogens invisible to host immune defense.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Sperisen

2005-11-01

Full Text Available There are a variety of bacterial defense strategies to survive in a hostile environment. Generation of extracellular polysaccharides has proved to be a simple but effective strategy against the host's innate immune system. A comparative genomics approach led us to identify a new protein family termed Stealth, most likely involved in the synthesis of extracellular polysaccharides. This protein family is characterized by a series of domains conserved across phylogeny from bacteria to eukaryotes. In bacteria, Stealth (previously characterized as SacB, XcbA, or WefC is encoded by subsets of strains mainly colonizing multicellular organisms, with evidence for a protective effect against the host innate immune defense. More specifically, integrating all the available information about Stealth proteins in bacteria, we propose that Stealth is a D-hexose-1-phosphoryl transferase involved in the synthesis of polysaccharides. In the animal kingdom, Stealth is strongly conserved across evolution from social amoebas to simple and complex multicellular organisms, such as Dictyostelium discoideum, hydra, and human. Based on the occurrence of Stealth in most Eukaryotes and a subset of Prokaryotes together with its potential role in extracellular polysaccharide synthesis, we propose that metazoan Stealth functions to regulate the innate immune system. Moreover, there is good reason to speculate that the acquisition and spread of Stealth could be responsible for future epidemic outbreaks of infectious diseases caused by a large variety of eubacterial pathogens. Our in silico identification of a homologous protein in the human host will help to elucidate the causes of Stealth-dependent virulence. At a more basic level, the characterization of the molecular and cellular function of Stealth proteins may shed light on fundamental mechanisms of innate immune defense against microbial invasion.

Stealth Proteins: In Silico Identification of a Novel Protein Family Rendering Bacterial Pathogens Invisible to Host Immune Defense.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2005-11-01

Full Text Available There are a variety of bacterial defense strategies to survive in a hostile environment. Generation of extracellular polysaccharides has proved to be a simple but effective strategy against the host's innate immune system. A comparative genomics approach led us to identify a new protein family termed Stealth, most likely involved in the synthesis of extracellular polysaccharides. This protein family is characterized by a series of domains conserved across phylogeny from bacteria to eukaryotes. In bacteria, Stealth (previously characterized as SacB, XcbA, or WefC is encoded by subsets of strains mainly colonizing multicellular organisms, with evidence for a protective effect against the host innate immune defense. More specifically, integrating all the available information about Stealth proteins in bacteria, we propose that Stealth is a D-hexose-1-phosphoryl transferase involved in the synthesis of polysaccharides. In the animal kingdom, Stealth is strongly conserved across evolution from social amoebas to simple and complex multicellular organisms, such as Dictyostelium discoideum, hydra, and human. Based on the occurrence of Stealth in most Eukaryotes and a subset of Prokaryotes together with its potential role in extracellular polysaccharide synthesis, we propose that metazoan Stealth functions to regulate the innate immune system. Moreover, there is good reason to speculate that the acquisition and spread of Stealth could be responsible for future epidemic outbreaks of infectious diseases caused by a large variety of eubacterial pathogens. Our in silico identification of a homologous protein in the human host will help to elucidate the causes of Stealth-dependent virulence. At a more basic level, the characterization of the molecular and cellular function of Stealth proteins may shed light on fundamental mechanisms of innate immune defense against microbial invasion.

75 FR 65462 - Renewal of Department of Defense Federal Advisory Committee; Department of Defense Military...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-25

... Committee; Department of Defense Military Family Readiness Council AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD... renewing the charter for the Department of Defense Military Family Readiness Council (hereafter referred to... requirements for the support of military family readiness by the Department of Defense; and (c) evaluate and...

Defense waste transportation: cost and logistics studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrews, W.B.; Cole, B.M.; Engel, R.L.; Oylear, J.M.

1982-08-01

Transportation of nuclear wastes from defense programs is expected to significantly increase in the 1980s and 1990s as permanent waste disposal facilities come into operation. This report uses models of the defense waste transportation system to quantify potential transportation requirements for treated and untreated contact-handled transuranic (CH-TRU) wastes and high-level defense wastes (HLDW). Alternative waste management strategies in repository siting, waste retrieval and treatment, treatment facility siting, waste packaging and transportation system configurations were examined to determine their effect on transportation cost and hardware requirements. All cost estimates used 1980 costs. No adjustments were made for future changes in these costs relative to inflation. All costs are reported in 1980 dollars. If a single repository is used for defense wastes, transportation costs for CH-TRU waste currently in surface storage and similar wastes expected to be generated by the year 2000 were estimated to be 109 million dollars. Recovery and transport of the larger buried volumes of CH-TRU waste will increase CH-TRU waste transportation costs by a factor of 70. Emphasis of truck transportation and siting of multiple repositories would reduce CH-TRU transportation costs. Transportation of HLDW to repositories for 25 years beginning in 1997 is estimated to cost $229 M in 1980 costs and dollars. HLDW transportation costs could either increase or decrease with the selection of a final canister configuration. HLDW transportation costs are reduced when multiple repositories exist and emphasis is placed on truck transport

Guidance Optimization for Tactical Homing Missiles and Air Defense Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yunes Sh. ALQUDSI

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to develop a functional approach to optimize the engagement effectiveness of the tactical homing missiles and air defense systems by utilizing the differential geometric concepts. In this paper the engagement geometry of the interceptor and the target is developed and expressed in differential geometric terms in order to demonstrate the possibilities of the impact triangles and specify the earliest interception based on the direct intercept geometry. Optimizing the missile heading angle and suitable missile velocity against the target velocity is then examined to achieve minimum missile latax, minimum time-to-go (time-to-hit and minimum appropriate missile velocity that is guaranteed a quick and precise interception for the given target. The study terminates with different scenarios of engagement optimization with two-dimensional simulation to demonstrate the applicability of the DG approach and to show its properties.

Epigenetics and Cellular Metabolism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenyi Xu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Living eukaryotic systems evolve delicate cellular mechanisms for responding to various environmental signals. Among them, epigenetic machinery (DNA methylation, histone modifications, microRNAs, etc. is the hub in transducing external stimuli into transcriptional response. Emerging evidence reveals the concept that epigenetic signatures are essential for the proper maintenance of cellular metabolism. On the other hand, the metabolite, a main environmental input, can also influence the processing of epigenetic memory. Here, we summarize the recent research progress in the epigenetic regulation of cellular metabolism and discuss how the dysfunction of epigenetic machineries influences the development of metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity; then, we focus on discussing the notion that manipulating metabolites, the fuel of cell metabolism, can function as a strategy for interfering epigenetic machinery and its related disease progression as well.

Bifurcation and complex dynamics of a discrete-time predator-prey system involving group defense

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. M. Sohel Rana

2015-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we investigate the dynamics of a discrete-time predator-prey system involving group defense. The existence and local stability of positive fixed point of the discrete dynamical system is analyzed algebraically. It is shown that the system undergoes a flip bifurcation and a Neimark-Sacker bifurcation in the interior of R+2 by using bifurcation theory. Numerical simulation results not only show the consistence with the theoretical analysis but also display the new and interesting dynamical behaviors, including phase portraits, period-7, 20-orbits, attracting invariant circle, cascade of period-doubling bifurcation from period-20 leading to chaos, quasi-periodic orbits, and sudden disappearance of the chaotic dynamics and attracting chaotic set. The Lyapunov exponents are numerically computed to characterize the complexity of the dynamical behaviors.

Colors and Some Morphological Traits as Defensive Mechanisms in Anurans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luís Felipe Toledo

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Anurans may be brightly colored or completely cryptic. Generally, in the former situation, we are dealing with aposematism, and the latter is an example of camouflage. However, these are only simple views of what such colorations really mean and which defensive strategy is implied. For instance, a brightly colored frog may be part of a mimicry ring, which could be either Batesian, Müllerian, or Browerian. These are only examples of the diversity of color-usage systems as defensive strategies. Unfortunately, reports on the use of colors as defensive mechanisms are widespread in the available literature, and the possible functions are rarely mentioned. Therefore, we reviewed the literature and added new data to this subject. Then, we the use of colors (as defensive mechanism into categories. Mimicry was divided into the subcategories camouflage, homotypy, and nondeceitful homotypy, and these groups were also subcategorized. Dissuasive coloration was divided into behavioral display of colors, polymorphism, and polyphenism. Aposematism was treated apart, but aposematic colorations may be present in other defensive strategies. Finally, we propose functions and forms of evolution for some color systems in post-metamorphic anurans and hope that this review can be the basis for future research, even on other animal groups.

The Tumorigenic Roles of the Cellular REDOX Regulatory Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stéphanie Anaís Castaldo

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The cellular REDOX regulatory systems play a central role in maintaining REDOX homeostasis that is crucial for cell integrity, survival, and proliferation. To date, a substantial amount of data has demonstrated that cancer cells typically undergo increasing oxidative stress as the tumor develops, upregulating these important antioxidant systems in order to survive, proliferate, and metastasize under these extreme oxidative stress conditions. Since a large number of chemotherapeutic agents currently used in the clinic rely on the induction of ROS overload or change of ROS quality to kill the tumor, the cancer cell REDOX adaptation represents a significant obstacle to conventional chemotherapy. In this review we will first examine the different factors that contribute to the enhanced oxidative stress generally observed within the tumor microenvironment. We will then make a comprehensive assessment of the current literature regarding the main antioxidant proteins and systems that have been shown to be positively associated with tumor progression and chemoresistance. Finally we will make an analysis of commonly used chemotherapeutic drugs that induce ROS. The current knowledge of cancer cell REDOX adaptation raises the issue of developing novel and more effective therapies for these tumors that are usually resistant to conventional ROS inducing chemotherapy.

MicroRNA-Mediated Gene Silencing in Plant Defense and Viral Counter-Defense

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sheng-Rui Liu

2017-09-01

Full Text Available MicroRNAs (miRNAs are non-coding RNAs of approximately 20–24 nucleotides in length that serve as central regulators of eukaryotic gene expression by targeting mRNAs for cleavage or translational repression. In plants, miRNAs are associated with numerous regulatory pathways in growth and development processes, and defensive responses in plant–pathogen interactions. Recently, significant progress has been made in understanding miRNA-mediated gene silencing and how viruses counter this defense mechanism. Here, we summarize the current knowledge and recent advances in understanding the roles of miRNAs involved in the plant defense against viruses and viral counter-defense. We also document the application of miRNAs in plant antiviral defense. This review discusses the current understanding of the mechanisms of miRNA-mediated gene silencing and provides insights on the never-ending arms race between plants and viruses.

Recognizing Plant Defense Priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez-Medina, Ainhoa; Flors, Victor; Heil, Martin; Mauch-Mani, Brigitte; Pieterse, Corné M J; Pozo, Maria J; Ton, Jurriaan; van Dam, Nicole M; Conrath, Uwe

2016-10-01

Defense priming conditions diverse plant species for the superinduction of defense, often resulting in enhanced pest and disease resistance and abiotic stress tolerance. Here, we propose a guideline that might assist the plant research community in a consistent assessment of defense priming in plants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A novel adaptive joint power control algorithm with channel estimation in a CDMA cellular system

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2005-01-01

Joint power control has advantages of multi-user detection and power control; and it can combat the multi-access interference and the near-far problem. A novel adaptive joint power control algorithm with channel estimation in a CDMA cellular system was designed. Simulation results show that the algorithm can control the power not only quickly but also precisely with a time change. The method is useful for increasing system capacity.

Implementing Set Based Design into Department of Defense Acquisition

Science.gov (United States)

2016-12-01

The team employed a tailored waterfall process model in order to explore SBD applications in the support of defense acquisition and PORs. Figure 1...Engineering Model . Additionally, the team reviewed DOD case studies that implemented SBD. The SBD principles, along with the common themes from the...acquisition. 14. SUBJECT TERMS set based design, set based thinking, model based systems engineering, concurrent engineering, defense acquisition

Radioactive material defense construction using wind fan system against nuclear fallout in the aspect of nano-scopic dispersion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woo, Tae Ho

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► A realistic radiation protection system using aerodynamics is suggested. ► Manual formation procedure is constructed by this modeling. ► Chemical and natural accidents by wind fan are applicable. ► Nuclear disaster is avoided by national defense system. ► A sample case is realistically modeled. -- Abstract: Radioactive fallout defense system (RFDS) is suggested against possible nuclear accidents. A procedure consisting of several stages is considered. In particular, the dispersion of radioactive material is investigated for the case of wind fan operation where the radioactive molecules are considered as nano-scopic material. The modeling is done for one country dealing with a possible nuclear accident in another country. This study is thus applicable to regions where westerlies are prevailing. An aerodynamic fan analysis is performed. The incoming free wind stream is characterized by random sampling in Monte-Carlo simulation. The velocity of the fan is a critical aspect of the model. This model is applicable for volcanic ashes, nuclear bomb fallout, chemical material dispersion, and any other material combined with airflow. In addition, this fan could be studied, with nano-scale considerations, by a multi-scale technique.

Detection and Cellular Localization of Phospho-STAT2 in the Central Nervous System by Immunohistochemical Staining

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khorooshi, Reza; Owens, Trevor

2013-01-01

Phosphorylation of signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) indicates their involvement in active signaling. Here we describe immunohistochemical staining procedures for detection and identification of the cellular localization of phospho-STAT2 in the central nervous system (CNS...

Antipredator defenses predict diversification rates

Science.gov (United States)

Arbuckle, Kevin; Speed, Michael P.

2015-01-01

The “escape-and-radiate” hypothesis predicts that antipredator defenses facilitate adaptive radiations by enabling escape from constraints of predation, diversified habitat use, and subsequently speciation. Animals have evolved diverse strategies to reduce the direct costs of predation, including cryptic coloration and behavior, chemical defenses, mimicry, and advertisement of unprofitability (conspicuous warning coloration). Whereas the survival consequences of these alternative defenses for individuals are well-studied, little attention has been given to the macroevolutionary consequences of alternative forms of defense. Here we show, using amphibians as the first, to our knowledge, large-scale empirical test in animals, that there are important macroevolutionary consequences of alternative defenses. However, the escape-and-radiate hypothesis does not adequately describe them, due to its exclusive focus on speciation. We examined how rates of speciation and extinction vary across defensive traits throughout amphibians. Lineages that use chemical defenses show higher rates of speciation as predicted by escape-and-radiate but also show higher rates of extinction compared with those without chemical defense. The effect of chemical defense is a net reduction in diversification compared with lineages without chemical defense. In contrast, acquisition of conspicuous coloration (often used as warning signals or in mimicry) is associated with heightened speciation rates but unchanged extinction rates. We conclude that predictions based on the escape-and-radiate hypothesis must incorporate the effect of traits on both speciation and extinction, which is rarely considered in such studies. Our results also suggest that knowledge of defensive traits could have a bearing on the predictability of extinction, perhaps especially important in globally threatened taxa such as amphibians. PMID:26483488

Using systems and structure biology tools to dissect cellular phenotypes.

Science.gov (United States)

Floratos, Aris; Honig, Barry; Pe'er, Dana; Califano, Andrea

2012-01-01

The Center for the Multiscale Analysis of Genetic Networks (MAGNet, http://magnet.c2b2.columbia.edu) was established in 2005, with the mission of providing the biomedical research community with Structural and Systems Biology algorithms and software tools for the dissection of molecular interactions and for the interaction-based elucidation of cellular phenotypes. Over the last 7 years, MAGNet investigators have developed many novel analysis methodologies, which have led to important biological discoveries, including understanding the role of the DNA shape in protein-DNA binding specificity and the discovery of genes causally related to the presentation of malignant phenotypes, including lymphoma, glioma, and melanoma. Software tools implementing these methodologies have been broadly adopted by the research community and are made freely available through geWorkbench, the Center's integrated analysis platform. Additionally, MAGNet has been instrumental in organizing and developing key conferences and meetings focused on the emerging field of systems biology and regulatory genomics, with special focus on cancer-related research.

Planetary Defense

Science.gov (United States)

2016-05-01

4 Abstract Planetary defense against asteroids should be a major concern for every government in the world . Millions of asteroids and...helps make Planetary Defense viable because defending the Earth against asteroids benefits from all the above technologies. So if our planet security...information about their physical characteristics so we can employ the right strategies. It is a crucial difference if asteroids are made up of metal

Defense of a space elevator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laubscher, B. E. (Bryan E.)

2004-01-01

The Space Elevator (SE) represents a major paradigm shift in space access. If the SE's promise of low-cost access is to be realized, everything becomes economically more feasible to accomplish in space. In this paper we describe a defensive system of the SE. The primary scenario adopted for this analysis is the SE based on a floating platform in the ocean along the equator. A second possible scenario is the SE stationed on land (island or continent) on or near the equator. The SE will capture the imaginations of people around the world. It will become a symbol of power, capability, wealth and prestige for the country that builds it. As such, it will become a prime terrorist target. Moreover, the tremendous economic leverage afforded by the SE might motivate rogue nations to plot its destruction. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the requirements for defense of the SE. For the purposes of this paper it is assumed that the SE is to be deployed by the United States or one of its companies, and the resources of the US are available for its defense.

A Systems Biology Approach to the Coordination of Defensive and Offensive Molecular Mechanisms in the Innate and Adaptive Host-Pathogen Interaction Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Chia-Chou; Chen, Bor-Sen

2016-01-01

Infected zebrafish coordinates defensive and offensive molecular mechanisms in response to Candida albicans infections, and invasive C. albicans coordinates corresponding molecular mechanisms to interact with the host. However, knowledge of the ensuing infection-activated signaling networks in both host and pathogen and their interspecific crosstalk during the innate and adaptive phases of the infection processes remains incomplete. In the present study, dynamic network modeling, protein interaction databases, and dual transcriptome data from zebrafish and C. albicans during infection were used to infer infection-activated host-pathogen dynamic interaction networks. The consideration of host-pathogen dynamic interaction systems as innate and adaptive loops and subsequent comparisons of inferred innate and adaptive networks indicated previously unrecognized crosstalk between known pathways and suggested roles of immunological memory in the coordination of host defensive and offensive molecular mechanisms to achieve specific and powerful defense against pathogens. Moreover, pathogens enhance intraspecific crosstalk and abrogate host apoptosis to accommodate enhanced host defense mechanisms during the adaptive phase. Accordingly, links between physiological phenomena and changes in the coordination of defensive and offensive molecular mechanisms highlight the importance of host-pathogen molecular interaction networks, and consequent inferences of the host-pathogen relationship could be translated into biomedical applications.

Arabidopsis flower specific defense gene expression patterns affect resistance to pathogens

KAUST Repository

Ederli, Luisa

2015-02-20

We investigated whether the Arabidopsis flower evolved protective measures to increase reproductive success. Firstly, analyses of available transcriptome data show that the most highly expressed transcripts in the closed sepal (stage 12) are enriched in genes with roles in responses to chemical stimuli and cellular metabolic processes. At stage 15, there is enrichment in transcripts with a role in responses to biotic stimuli. Comparative analyses between the sepal and petal in the open flower mark an over-representation of transcripts with a role in responses to stress and catalytic activity. Secondly, the content of the biotic defense-associated phytohormone salicylic acid (SA) in sepals and petals is significantly higher than in leaves. To understand whether the high levels of stress responsive transcripts and the higher SA content affect defense, wild-type plants (Col-0) and transgenic plants defective in SA accumulation (nahG) were challenged with the biotrophic fungus Golovinomyces cichoracearum, the causal agent of powdery mildew, and the necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea. NahG leaves were more sensitive than those of Col-0, suggesting that in leaves SA has a role in the defense against biotrophs. In contrast, sepals and petals of both genotypes were resistant to G. cichoracearum, indicating that in the flower, resistance to the biotrophic pathogen is not critically dependent on SA, but likely dependent on the up-regulation of stress-responsive genes. Since sepals and petals of both genotypes are equally susceptible to B. cinerea, we conclude that neither stress-response genes nor increased SA accumulation offers protection against the necrotrophic pathogen. These results are interpreted in the light of the distinctive role of the flower and we propose that in the early stages, the sepal may act as a chemical defense barrier of the developing reproductive structures against biotrophic pathogens.

Ensuring a Strong U.S. Defense for the Future: The National Defense Panel Review of the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review

Science.gov (United States)

2014-07-31

territorial disputes with China. We note recent moves to station U.S. forces in Darwin , the plan to station a number of Littoral Combat Ships in Singapore...Under Secretary of Defense, Comptroller (C) Charles “Chuck” Hagel Secretary of Defense Mara Karlin Principal Director for Strategy, Policy (P...Support Staff to the Panel Charles Arnold George Sinks U.S. Government Liaison Officers Lori Abele Chief of Staff, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense

Technologies for distributed defense

Science.gov (United States)

Seiders, Barbara; Rybka, Anthony

2002-07-01

For Americans, the nature of warfare changed on September 11, 2001. Our national security henceforth will require distributed defense. One extreme of distributed defense is represented by fully deployed military troops responding to a threat from a hostile nation state. At the other extreme is a country of 'citizen soldiers', with families and communities securing their common defense through heightened awareness, engagement as good neighbors, and local support of and cooperation with local law enforcement, emergency and health care providers. Technologies - for information exploitation, biological agent detection, health care surveillance, and security - will be critical to ensuring success in distributed defense.

Ballistic Missile Defense and ABM Treaty Limitations

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Robinson, Brian

1998-01-01

The U.S. must critically evaluate our current ballistic missile defense (BMD) strategy. In today's geostrategic context, is it sound strategy to continue to impose 1972 ABM Treaty restrictions on BMD systems development...

Teaching Clinical (and Nonclinical) Psychology through Applications to the Legal System: Violence Risk Assessment and the Insanity Defense

Science.gov (United States)

Costanzo, Marina L.; Costanzo, Mark A.

2013-01-01

The prediction of dangerousness and the insanity defense are two areas where psychologists provide research-based expertise to the courts. Teachers of psychology can use these topics to capture the attention of students and to show how psychological research and theory can inform and influence the legal system. Specifically, teachers can use the…

Abnormalities in the cellular phase of blood fibrinolytic activity in systemic lupus erythematosus and in venous thromboembolism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moroz, L.A.; MacLean, L.D.; Langleben, D.

1986-01-01

Fibrinolytic activities of whole blood and plasma were determined by 125 I-fibrin radiometric assay in 16 normal subjects, and in 11 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 14 with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), 23 with venous thromboembolic disease, and 20 patients awaiting elective surgery. Mean whole blood and plasma activities for patients with PSS, and for those awaiting elective surgery, were similar to normal values, as was the mean plasma activity in patients with SLE. However, mean whole blood activity in SLE was significantly decreased compared with normals (p less than 0.05), with mean plasma activity accounting for 44% of mean whole blood activity (compared with 17% in normal subjects), representing a 67% decrease in mean calculated cellular phase activity in SLE, when compared with normals. Since the numbers of cells (neutrophils, monocytes) possibly involved in cellular activity were not decreased, the findings suggest a functional defect in fibrinolytic activity of one or more blood cell types in SLE. An additional finding was the participation of the cellular phase as well as the well-known plasma phase of blood in the fibrinolytic response to thromboembolism

77 FR 23468 - Renewal of Department of Defense Federal Advisory Committees

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-19

... compensation for travel and per diem. The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Education, or their... it is renewing the charter for the Advisory Council on Dependents' Education (hereafter referred to... Department of Defense (DoD) dependents' education system. The Council is a non-discretionary federal advisory...

An Analysis of the Competitive Strategy in the Industry Providing a Defense System of Systems

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Melone, James

2000-01-01

.... Both the 1996 Defense Science Board Report on Vertical Integration and DoD's 1999 report on Price Based Acquisition recommend that DoD take steps to further understanding of competitive conditions...

Veiled Normalization: The Implications of Japanese Missile Defense

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Clarke, Timothy L

2008-01-01

Japan's development of a missile defense system has been accompanied by the acquisition of potentially offensive military assets, an increased command and control capability, significant restructuring...

Coordinated Actions of Glyoxalase and Antioxidant Defense Systems in Conferring Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirza Hasanuzzaman

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Being sessile organisms, plants are frequently exposed to various environmental stresses that cause several physiological disorders and even death. Oxidative stress is one of the common consequences of abiotic stress in plants, which is caused by excess generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS. Sometimes ROS production exceeds the capacity of antioxidant defense systems, which leads to oxidative stress. In line with ROS, plants also produce a high amount of methylglyoxal (MG, which is an α-oxoaldehyde compound, highly reactive, cytotoxic, and produced via different enzymatic and non-enzymatic reactions. This MG can impair cells or cell components and can even destroy DNA or cause mutation. Under stress conditions, MG concentration in plants can be increased 2- to 6-fold compared with normal conditions depending on the plant species. However, plants have a system developed to detoxify this MG consisting of two major enzymes: glyoxalase I (Gly I and glyoxalase II (Gly II, and hence known as the glyoxalase system. Recently, a novel glyoxalase enzyme, named glyoxalase III (Gly III, has been detected in plants, providing a shorter pathway for MG detoxification, which is also a signpost in the research of abiotic stress tolerance. Glutathione (GSH acts as a co-factor for this system. Therefore, this system not only detoxifies MG but also plays a role in maintaining GSH homeostasis and subsequent ROS detoxification. Upregulation of both Gly I and Gly II as well as their overexpression in plant species showed enhanced tolerance to various abiotic stresses including salinity, drought, metal toxicity, and extreme temperature. In the past few decades, a considerable amount of reports have indicated that both antioxidant defense and glyoxalase systems have strong interactions in conferring abiotic stress tolerance in plants through the detoxification of ROS and MG. In this review, we will focus on the mechanisms of these interactions and the coordinated

Coordinated Actions of Glyoxalase and Antioxidant Defense Systems in Conferring Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants

Science.gov (United States)

Hasanuzzaman, Mirza; Nahar, Kamrun; Hossain, Md. Shahadat; Mahmud, Jubayer Al; Rahman, Anisur; Inafuku, Masashi; Oku, Hirosuke; Fujita, Masayuki

2017-01-01

Being sessile organisms, plants are frequently exposed to various environmental stresses that cause several physiological disorders and even death. Oxidative stress is one of the common consequences of abiotic stress in plants, which is caused by excess generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Sometimes ROS production exceeds the capacity of antioxidant defense systems, which leads to oxidative stress. In line with ROS, plants also produce a high amount of methylglyoxal (MG), which is an α-oxoaldehyde compound, highly reactive, cytotoxic, and produced via different enzymatic and non-enzymatic reactions. This MG can impair cells or cell components and can even destroy DNA or cause mutation. Under stress conditions, MG concentration in plants can be increased 2- to 6-fold compared with normal conditions depending on the plant species. However, plants have a system developed to detoxify this MG consisting of two major enzymes: glyoxalase I (Gly I) and glyoxalase II (Gly II), and hence known as the glyoxalase system. Recently, a novel glyoxalase enzyme, named glyoxalase III (Gly III), has been detected in plants, providing a shorter pathway for MG detoxification, which is also a signpost in the research of abiotic stress tolerance. Glutathione (GSH) acts as a co-factor for this system. Therefore, this system not only detoxifies MG but also plays a role in maintaining GSH homeostasis and subsequent ROS detoxification. Upregulation of both Gly I and Gly II as well as their overexpression in plant species showed enhanced tolerance to various abiotic stresses including salinity, drought, metal toxicity, and extreme temperature. In the past few decades, a considerable amount of reports have indicated that both antioxidant defense and glyoxalase systems have strong interactions in conferring abiotic stress tolerance in plants through the detoxification of ROS and MG. In this review, we will focus on the mechanisms of these interactions and the coordinated action of

The Department of Defense’s Second Chasm in RFID-UID Technology Adoption

Science.gov (United States)

2007-12-01

Lenders Program DFAR Defense Financial Accounting Regulation DoD Department of Defense DoDSIG Department of Defense Suppliers Information Guide EFT ...through electronic funds transfer ( EFT ). Additionally, CCR shares the data with federal government procurement and electronic business systems. (CCR...government contracting procedures. Additionally, the small business contractors can also tap into SBA resources to find out the latest news on

Reduced labor and condensed schedules with cellular concrete solutions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lavis, D. [CEMATRIX Inc., Calgary, AB (Canada)

2008-07-01

This paper discussed the use of cellular concrete materials in oil sands tank base foundation systems, shallow buried utility insulation systems, roadways, slabs, and buried modules. The concrete is formed from Portland cement, water, specialized pre-formed foaming agents, and air mixed in controlled proportions. Fly ash and polypropylene or glass fibers can also be used as additions. Cellular concrete can often be used to speed up construction and minimize labour requirements. Cellular concrete can be cast-in-place, and has soil-stabilizing and self-compacting features. The concrete can be produced and placed on-site at rates exceeding 120 cubic meters per hour. Cellular concrete can be pumped into place over long distances through flexible hoses. A case study comparing the cellular concrete to traditional plastic foam insulation was used to demonstrate the equivalency and adequacy of insulation, structural properties and installation costs. The study showed that although the cellular concrete had a high installation cost, greater compressive strength was gained. The concrete was self-levelling and did not require compaction or vibration. The use of the cellular concrete resulted in an accelerated construction schedule. 6 refs., 2 tabs., 6 figs.

Agent-Based Modeling of Mitochondria Links Sub-Cellular Dynamics to Cellular Homeostasis and Heterogeneity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovanni Dalmasso

Full Text Available Mitochondria are semi-autonomous organelles that supply energy for cellular biochemistry through oxidative phosphorylation. Within a cell, hundreds of mobile mitochondria undergo fusion and fission events to form a dynamic network. These morphological and mobility dynamics are essential for maintaining mitochondrial functional homeostasis, and alterations both impact and reflect cellular stress states. Mitochondrial homeostasis is further dependent on production (biogenesis and the removal of damaged mitochondria by selective autophagy (mitophagy. While mitochondrial function, dynamics, biogenesis and mitophagy are highly-integrated processes, it is not fully understood how systemic control in the cell is established to maintain homeostasis, or respond to bioenergetic demands. Here we used agent-based modeling (ABM to integrate molecular and imaging knowledge sets, and simulate population dynamics of mitochondria and their response to environmental energy demand. Using high-dimensional parameter searches we integrated experimentally-measured rates of mitochondrial biogenesis and mitophagy, and using sensitivity analysis we identified parameter influences on population homeostasis. By studying the dynamics of cellular subpopulations with distinct mitochondrial masses, our approach uncovered system properties of mitochondrial populations: (1 mitochondrial fusion and fission activities rapidly establish mitochondrial sub-population homeostasis, and total cellular levels of mitochondria alter fusion and fission activities and subpopulation distributions; (2 restricting the directionality of mitochondrial mobility does not alter morphology subpopulation distributions, but increases network transmission dynamics; and (3 maintaining mitochondrial mass homeostasis and responding to bioenergetic stress requires the integration of mitochondrial dynamics with the cellular bioenergetic state. Finally, (4 our model suggests sources of, and stress conditions

The US-Russia missile defense dialogue as a factor of the Russian defense policy

OpenAIRE

Dmitry Suslov

2013-01-01

To a big extent the Russian defense policy and, as a consequence, development of the Russian defense industrial complex, is determined by the prospects of the US missile defense policy and fate of the US-Russia negotiations in this area. As a cooperative solution seems improbable in the observable future, Russia plans to develop certain response measures of military nature, including creation of a new heavy ICBM, and to create its own missile defense by 2015. However, this policy does not see...

Changes in the cellular energy state affect the activity of the bacterial phosphotransferase system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rohwer, J.M.; Jensen, Peter Ruhdal; Shinohara, Y.

1996-01-01

The effect of different cellular free-energy states on the uptake of methyl alfa-D-glucopyranoside, an analoque of glucose, by Escherichia coli phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase system was investigated. The intracellular ATP/ADP ratio was varied by changing the expression...... of the atp operon, which codes for the H+-ATPase, or by adding an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation or an inhibitor of respiration. Corresponding initial phosphotransferase uptake rates were determined using an improved uptake assay that works with growing cells in steady state. The results show...... that the initial uptake rate was decreased under conditions of lowered intracellular ATP/ADP ratios, irrespective of which method was used to change the cellular energy state.. When either the expression of the atp operon was changed or 2,4-dinitrophenol was added to wild-type cells, the relationship between...

Exogenous Antioxidants—Double-Edged Swords in Cellular Redox State: Health Beneficial Effects at Physiologic Doses versus Deleterious Effects at High Doses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaouad Bouayed

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The balance between oxidation and antioxidation is believed to be critical in maintaining healthy biological systems. Under physiological conditions, the human antioxidative defense system including e.g., superoxide dismutase (SOD, catalase (CAT, glutathione peroxidase (GPx, glutathione (GSH and others, allows the elimination of excess reactive oxygen species (ROS including, among others superoxide anions (O2.-, hydroxyl radicals (OH., alkoxyl radicals (RO. and peroxyradicals (ROO.. However, our endogenous antioxidant defense systems are incomplete without exogenous originating reducing compounds such as vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids and polyphenols, playing an essential role in many antioxidant mechanisms in living organisms. Therefore, there is continuous demand for exogenous antioxidants in order to prevent oxidative stress, representing a disequilibrium redox state in favor of oxidation. However, high doses of isolated compounds may be toxic, owing to prooxidative effects at high concentrations or their potential to react with beneficial concentrations of ROS normally present at physiological conditions that are required for optimal cellular functioning. This review aims to examine the double-edged effects of dietary originating antioxidants with a focus on the most abundant compounds, especially polyphenols, vitamin C, vitamin E and carotenoids. Different approaches to enrich our body with exogenous antioxidants such as via synthetic antioxidants, diets rich in fruits and vegetables and taking supplements will be reviewed and experimental and epidemiological evidences discussed, highlighting that antioxidants at physiological doses are generally safe, exhibiting interesting health beneficial effects.

Defense Agency Travel Payments at Defense Finance and Accounting Service Indianapolis Center

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1997-01-01

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of Defense Finance and Accounting Service Indianapolis Center management controls over payments to Defense agency personnel for temporary duty and local travel...

Coordinated Transmissions to Direct and Relayed Users in Wireless Cellular Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thai, Chan; Popovski, Petar; Kaneko, Megumi

2011-01-01

The ideas of wireless network coding at the physical layer promise high throughput gains in wireless systems with relays and multi–way traffic flows. This gain can be ascribed to two principles: (1) joint transmission of multiple communication flows and (2) usage of a priori information to cancel...... the interference. In this paper we use these principles to devise new transmission schemes in wireless cellular systems that feature both users served directly by the base stations (direct users) and users served through relays (relayed users). We present four different schemes for coordinated transmission...... of uplink and downlink traffic in which one direct and one relayed user are served. These schemes are then used as building blocks in multi–user scenarios, where we present several schemes for scheduling pairs of users for coordinated transmissions. The optimal scheme involves exhaustive search of the best...

Design and evaluation of cellular power converter architectures

Science.gov (United States)

Perreault, David John

Power electronic technology plays an important role in many energy conversion and storage applications, including machine drives, power supplies, frequency changers and UPS systems. Increases in performance and reductions in cost have been achieved through the development of higher performance power semiconductor devices and integrated control devices with increased functionality. Manufacturing techniques, however, have changed little. High power is typically achieved by paralleling multiple die in a sing!e package, producing the physical equivalent of a single large device. Consequently, both the device package and the converter in which the device is used continue to require large, complex mechanical structures, and relatively sophisticated heat transfer systems. An alternative to this approach is the use of a cellular power converter architecture, which is based upon the parallel connection of a large number of quasi-autonomous converters, called cells, each of which is designed for a fraction of the system rating. The cell rating is chosen such that single-die devices in inexpensive packages can be used, and the cell fabricated with an automated assembly process. The use of quasi-autonomous cells means that system performance is not compromised by the failure of a cell. This thesis explores the design of cellular converter architectures with the objective of achieving improvements in performance, reliability, and cost over conventional converter designs. New approaches are developed and experimentally verified for highly distributed control of cellular converters, including methods for ripple cancellation and current-sharing control. The performance of these techniques are quantified, and their dynamics are analyzed. Cell topologies suitable to the cellular architecture are investigated, and their use for systems in the 5-500 kVA range is explored. The design, construction, and experimental evaluation of a 6 kW cellular switched-mode rectifier is also addressed

75 FR 52650 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Acquisition of Commercial Items (2008-D011)

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-27

...: Defense Acquisition Regulations System, Department of Defense (DoD). ACTION: Interim rule; delay in... rule that amended the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to implement sections... comments on the interim rule were located, which had not been addressed in finalization of the interim rule...

78 FR 20624 - Information Collection Requirement; Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-05

... Identification Advance Shipment Notices AGENCY: Defense Acquisition Regulations System, Department of Defense (Do...) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of... at 252.211; Radio Frequency Identification Advance Shipment Notices, OMB Control Number 0704-0434...

Multitasking antimicrobial peptides, plant development, and host defense against biotic/abiotic stress

Science.gov (United States)

Crop losses due to pathogens are a major threat to global food security. Plants employ a multilayer defense system against pathogens including use of physical barriers (cell wall), induction of hypersensitive defense response (HR), resistance (R) proteins, and synthesis of antimicrobial peptides (AM...

SELF-DEFENSE IN KARABAKH CONFLICT?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saeed Bagheri

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Use of force is one of the principles of international law which has been banned by the UN Charter and modern constitutions. However, since the enforcement of the UN Charter, self-defense has become the preferred excuse for states to justify their use of force. But applying self-defense requires some conditions. Immediacy is one of the important conditions of self-defense. Immediacy defined as the time span between armed attacks and reaction to it, is the main discourse. This condition requires self defense immediately after the armed conflict or during a rational time span since its occurance.In this respect, the emerging Karabakh Conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the 1990s is important. After Armenia’s armed attacks, Azerbaijan has acted within the scope of legitimate self-defense. But in accordance with UN Security Council cease-fire resolution Azerbaijan has suspended its self-defense actions. However, today, still twenty percent of Azerbaijani territory is still under Armenian occupation. Accordingly, after a long time the validity of Azerbaijan’s right to legitimate self-defense is still subject to arguments.In this article, by comparing two different approaches (strict and board interpretation approaches on the temporal link between the measures of self-defense and the armed attacks (immediacy, the temporal link between the self-defense countermeasures of Azerbaijan and armed attacks by Armenia in Karabakh Conflict will be examined.

Design of biomimetic cellular scaffolds for co-culture system and their application

Science.gov (United States)

Kook, Yun-Min; Jeong, Yoon; Lee, Kangwon; Koh, Won-Gun

2017-01-01

The extracellular matrix of most natural tissues comprises various types of cells, including fibroblasts, stem cells, and endothelial cells, which communicate with each other directly or indirectly to regulate matrix production and cell functionality. To engineer multicellular interactions in vitro, co-culture systems have achieved tremendous success achieving a more realistic microenvironment of in vivo metabolism than monoculture system in the past several decades. Recently, the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have primarily focused on three-dimensional co-culture systems using cellular scaffolds, because of their physical and biological relevance to the extracellular matrix of actual tissues. This review discusses several materials and methods to create co-culture systems, including hydrogels, electrospun fibers, microfluidic devices, and patterning for biomimetic co-culture system and their applications for specific tissue regeneration. Consequently, we believe that culture systems with appropriate physical and biochemical properties should be developed, and direct or indirect cell–cell interactions in the remodeled tissue must be considered to obtain an optimal tissue-specific microenvironment. PMID:29081966

Cellular-automata method for phase unwrapping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghiglia, D.C.; Mastin, G.A.; Romero, L.A.

1987-01-01

Research into two-dimensional phase unwrapping has uncovered interesting and troublesome inconsistencies that cause path-dependent results. Cellular automata, which are simple, discrete mathematical systems, offered promise of computation in nondirectional, parallel manner. A cellular automaton was discovered that can unwrap consistent phase data in n dimensions in a path-independent manner and can automatically accommodate noise-induced (pointlike) inconsistencies and arbitrary boundary conditions (region partitioning). For data with regional (nonpointlike) inconsistencies, no phase-unwrapping algorithm will converge, including the cellular-automata approach. However, the automata method permits more simple visualization of the regional inconsistencies. Examples of its behavior on one- and two-dimensional data are presented

Evolution of the cellular communication system: An analysis in the Computational Paradigm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tahir Shah, K.

1995-03-01

We discuss the problem of the evolution of the cellular communication system from the RNA world to progenote to the modern cell. Our method analyses syntactical structure of molecular fossils in the non-coding regions of DNA within the information-processing gene model developed earlier. We concluded that sequence-specific binding is an ancient communication process with its origin in the RNA world. Moreover, we illustrate our viewpoint using four evolution snapshots from the first RNA segments, some 4.1. billion years ago, to the first cell, 3.8 billion years ago. (author). 31 refs

Probing Cellular Dynamics with Mesoscopic Simulations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shillcock, Julian C.

2010-01-01

Cellular processes span a huge range of length and time scales from the molecular to the near-macroscopic. Understanding how effects on one scale influence, and are themselves influenced by, those on lower and higher scales is a critical issue for the construction of models in Systems Biology....... Advances in computing hardware and software now allow explicit simulation of some aspects of cellular dynamics close to the molecular scale. Vesicle fusion is one example of such a process. Experiments, however, typically probe cellular behavior from the molecular scale up to microns. Standard particle...... soon be coupled to Mass Action models allowing the parameters in such models to be continuously tuned according to the finer resolution simulation. This will help realize the goal of a computational cellular simulation that is able to capture the dynamics of membrane-associated processes...

Probabilistic cellular automata.

Science.gov (United States)

Agapie, Alexandru; Andreica, Anca; Giuclea, Marius

2014-09-01

Cellular automata are binary lattices used for modeling complex dynamical systems. The automaton evolves iteratively from one configuration to another, using some local transition rule based on the number of ones in the neighborhood of each cell. With respect to the number of cells allowed to change per iteration, we speak of either synchronous or asynchronous automata. If randomness is involved to some degree in the transition rule, we speak of probabilistic automata, otherwise they are called deterministic. With either type of cellular automaton we are dealing with, the main theoretical challenge stays the same: starting from an arbitrary initial configuration, predict (with highest accuracy) the end configuration. If the automaton is deterministic, the outcome simplifies to one of two configurations, all zeros or all ones. If the automaton is probabilistic, the whole process is modeled by a finite homogeneous Markov chain, and the outcome is the corresponding stationary distribution. Based on our previous results for the asynchronous case-connecting the probability of a configuration in the stationary distribution to its number of zero-one borders-the article offers both numerical and theoretical insight into the long-term behavior of synchronous cellular automata.

Thiamine primed defense provides reliable alternative to systemic fungicide carbendazim against sheath blight disease in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Bahuguna, Rajeev Nayan; Joshi, Rohit; Shukla, Alok; Pandey, Mayank; Kumar, J

2012-08-01

A novel pathogen defense strategy by thiamine priming was evaluated for its efficacy against sheath blight pathogen, Rhizoctonia solani AG-1A, of rice and compared with that of systemic fungicide, carbendazim (BCM). Seeds of semidwarf, high yielding, basmati rice variety Vasumati were treated with thiamine (50 mM) and BCM (4 mM). The pot cultured plants were challenge inoculated with R. solani after 40 days of sowing and effect of thiamine and BCM on rice growth and yield traits was examined. Higher hydrogen peroxide content, total phenolics accumulation, phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity under thiamine treatment displayed elevated level of systemic resistance, which was further augmented under challenging pathogen infection. High transcript level of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) validated mode of thiamine primed defense. Though minimum disease severity was observed under BCM treatment, thiamine produced comparable results, with 18.12 per cent lower efficacy. Along with fortifying defense components and minor influence on photosynthetic pigments and nitrate reductase (NR) activity, thiamine treatment significantly reduced pathogen-induced loss in photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll fluorescence, NR activity and NR transcript level. Physiological traits affected under pathogen infection were found signatory for characterizing plant's response under disease and were detectable at early stage of infection. These findings provide a novel paradigm for developing alternative, environmentally safe strategies to control plant diseases. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Defense-in-depth and diversity assessment of the RESAR-414 Integrated Protection System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

This report discusses the defense-in-depth and diversity principles as they apply to safety related instrumentation and presents guidelines which can be used to assess the degree to which the designs of complex, interconnected safety systems conform to these principles. These guidelines are based on the use of the block concept, an approach in which the components and modules of the system are aggregated into a small number of functional units, or blocks, to simplify the analysis. It is believed that the use of the block concept and the guidelines will result in a conservative assessment of the capability of such systems to function when subjected to postulated to common-mode failures. A preliminary assessment of the RESAR-414 Integrated Protection System by means of the guidelines is also presented. The results of this assessment support the conclusion that, for purposes of a preliminary design approval, the RESAR-414 Integrated Protection System is acceptable. However, the assessment, has also resulted in requirements for additional analyses and tests, the results of which must demonstrate conformance to the guidelines prior to the issuance of a Final Design Approval

Defense Treaty Inspection Readiness Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cronin, J.J.; Kohen, M.D.; Rivers, J.D.

1996-01-01

The Defense Treaty Inspection Readiness Program (DTIRP) was established by the Department of Defense in 1990 to assist defense facilities in preparing for treaty verification activities. Led by the On-Site Inspection Agency (OSIA), an element of the Department of Defense, DTIRP''s membership includes representatives from other Department of Defense agencies, the Department of Energy (DOE), the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Commerce, and others. The Office of Safeguards and Security has a significant interest in this program, due to the number of national defense facilities within its purview that are candidates for future inspections. As a result, the Office of Safeguards and Security has taken a very active role in DTIRP. This paper discusses the Office of Safeguards and Security''s increasing involvement in various elements of the DTIRP, ranging from facility assessments to training development and implementation

Molecular and cellular pathways associated with chromosome 1p deletions during colon carcinogenesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Payne CM

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Claire M Payne, Cheray Crowley-Skillicorn, Carol Bernstein, Hana Holubec, Harris BernsteinDepartment of Cell Biology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, University of Arizona Tucson, AZ, USAAbstract: Chromosomal instability is a major pathway of sporadic colon carcinogenesis. Chromosome arm 1p appears to be one of the “hot spots” in the non-neoplastic mucosa that, when deleted, is associated with the initiation of carcinogenesis. Chromosome arm 1p contains genes associated with DNA repair, spindle checkpoint function, apoptosis, multiple microRNAs, the Wnt signaling pathway, tumor suppression, antioxidant activities, and defense against environmental toxins. Loss of 1p is dangerous since it would likely contribute to genomic instability leading to tumorigenesis. The 1p deletion-associated colon carcinogenesis pathways are reviewed at the molecular and cellular levels. Sporadic colon cancer is strongly linked to a high-fat/low-vegetable/low-micronutrient, Western-style diet. We also consider how selected dietary-related compounds (eg, excess hydrophobic bile acids, and low levels of folic acid, niacin, plant-derived antioxidants, and other modulatory compounds might affect processes leading to chromosomal deletions, and to the molecular and cellular pathways specifically altered by chromosome 1p loss.Keywords: chromosome 1p, colon carcinogenesis, molecular pathways, cellular pathways

Activity of the Antioxidant Defense System in a Typical Bioinsecticide-and Synthetic Insecticide-treated Cowpea Storage Beetle F. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayodele O. Kolawole

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidant defense systems play a major role in detoxification of pro-oxidant endobiotics and xenobiotics. The possible involvement of beetle non-enzymatic [α-tocopherol, glutathione (GSH, and ascorbic acid] and enzymatic [catalase (CAT, superoxide dismutase (SOD, peroxidase (POX, and polyphenol oxidase (PPO] antioxidant defense system on the insecticidal activity of synthetic insecticides (cypermethrin, 2,2-dicholorovinyl dimethyl phosphate, and λ-cyhalothrin and ethanolic plant extracts of Tithonia diversifolia, Cyperus rotundus, Hyptis suaveolens leaves , and Jatropha Curcas seeds was investigated. 2,2-Dicholorovinyl dimethyl phosphate (DDVP; 200 ppm, LC 50 = 13.24 ppm and T. diversifolia (20,000 ppm resulted in 100% beetle mortality at 96-hour post-treatment. The post-treatments significantly increased the beetle α-tocopherol and GSH contents. Activities of CAT, SOD, POX, and PPO were modulated by the synthetic insecticides and bioinsecticides to diminish the adverse effect of the chemical stresses. Quantitative and qualitative allelochemical compositions of bioinsecticides and chemical structure of synthetic insecticides possibly account and for modulation of their respective enzyme activities. Altogether, oxidative stress was enormous enough to cause maladaptation in insects. This study established that oxidative imbalance created could be the molecular basis of the efficacy of both insecticides and bio-insecticides. Two, there was development of functional but inadequate antioxidant defense mechanism in the beetle.

Defense Business Transformation

Science.gov (United States)

2009-12-01

Defense Business Transformation by Jacques S. Gansler and William Lucyshyn The Center for Technology and National...REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2009 to 00-00-2009 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Defense Business Transformation 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER...vii Part One: DoD Business Transformation

Level Set Structure of an Integrable Cellular Automaton

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taichiro Takagi

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Based on a group theoretical setting a sort of discrete dynamical system is constructed and applied to a combinatorial dynamical system defined on the set of certain Bethe ansatz related objects known as the rigged configurations. This system is then used to study a one-dimensional periodic cellular automaton related to discrete Toda lattice. It is shown for the first time that the level set of this cellular automaton is decomposed into connected components and every such component is a torus.

Survey of Small Business Barriers to Department of Defense Contracts

Science.gov (United States)

2017-01-01

the Better Buying Power initiatives is to increase small business participation in Department of Defense contracting. The department has had mixed...create and maintain world-class weapon systems. Department leadership has pushed for increased small business roles and opportunities through the Better...meet. One way to increase small business participation in defense contracts is to focus reform efforts in areas that small businesses perceive as

A tandem regression-outlier analysis of a ligand cellular system for key structural modifications around ligand binding.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Ying-Ting

2013-04-30

A tandem technique of hard equipment is often used for the chemical analysis of a single cell to first isolate and then detect the wanted identities. The first part is the separation of wanted chemicals from the bulk of a cell; the second part is the actual detection of the important identities. To identify the key structural modifications around ligand binding, the present study aims to develop a counterpart of tandem technique for cheminformatics. A statistical regression and its outliers act as a computational technique for separation. A PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma) agonist cellular system was subjected to such an investigation. Results show that this tandem regression-outlier analysis, or the prioritization of the context equations tagged with features of the outliers, is an effective regression technique of cheminformatics to detect key structural modifications, as well as their tendency of impact to ligand binding. The key structural modifications around ligand binding are effectively extracted or characterized out of cellular reactions. This is because molecular binding is the paramount factor in such ligand cellular system and key structural modifications around ligand binding are expected to create outliers. Therefore, such outliers can be captured by this tandem regression-outlier analysis.

A federation of simulations based on cellular automata in cyber-physical systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hoang Van Tran

2016-02-01

Full Text Available In cyber-physical system (CPS, cooperation between a variety of computational and physical elements usually poses difficulties to current modelling and simulation tools. Although much research has proposed to address those challenges, most solutions do not completely cover uncertain interactions in CPS. In this paper, we present a new approach to federate simulations for CPS. A federation is a combination of, and coordination between simulations upon a standard of communication. In addition, a mixed simulation is defined as several parallel simulations federated in a common time progress. Such simulations run on the models of physical systems, which are built based on cellular automata theory. The experimental results are performed on a federation of three simulations of forest fire spread, river pollution diffusion and wireless sensor network. The obtained results can be utilized to observe and predict the behaviours of physical systems in their interactions.

Global properties of cellular automata

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jen, E.

1986-01-01

Cellular automata are discrete mathematical systems that generate diverse, often complicated, behavior using simple deterministic rules. Analysis of the local structure of these rules makes possible a description of the global properties of the associated automata. A class of cellular automata that generate infinitely many aperoidic temporal sequences is defined,a s is the set of rules for which inverses exist. Necessary and sufficient conditions are derived characterizing the classes of ''nearest-neighbor'' rules for which arbitrary finite initial conditions (i) evolve to a homogeneous state; (ii) generate at least one constant temporal sequence

Self-Defense in Karabakh Conflict?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saeed Bagheri

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Use of force is one of the principles of international law that has been banned by the UN Charter and modern constitutions. However, since the enforcement of the UN Charter, self-defense has become the preferred excuse for states to justify their use of force. Applying self-defense, however, requires some conditions. Immediacy is one of the important conditions of self-defense. This is defined as the timeframe between armed attacks and reaction to it. This situation requires self-defense immediately after the armed conflict or during a reasonable timeframe since its occurance.In this respect, emerging Karabakh Conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the 1990s is important. In this article, by comparing two different approaches (strict and board interpretation of the temporal link between the measures of self-defense and the armed attacks (immediacy, the temporal link between the self-defense countermeasures of Azerbaijan and attacks by Armenia in Karabakh Conflict will be examined.

Forming the Research Component of the U.S. Defense Budget Policy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandr V. Balyshev

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The authors examine the structure and principles of the defense spending for research and development in the U.S., as well as the main agencies and contractors involved. The article offers specific cases to illustrate the role of key players of the U.S. budgetary process, the U.S. President, Congress, Department of Defense, and their relations with the scientific community. Spending in this area is organized as a three-level structure, which includes development of new weapons systems, creation of military platforms and systemic integration of the armed forces. One of the most noteworthy participants on the weapons development level is the Defense advanced research projects agency (DARPA, which provides support for R&D projects able to facilitate technological breakthroughs and provide results applicable by the armed forces. The emphasis of the article is on the participation of the private sector on all levels of the defense spending and especially in the systemic integration. At this level even formulating the request becomes a highly challenging task, which demands involvement of the most highly qualified specialists and organizations. The authors analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the wide participation of commercial enterprises and provide cases illustrating possible conflicts between government and private actors and ways of their resolution.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Defense & Arms Control Studies Program

Science.gov (United States)

1996-01-01

security of the nation. The unicorn is the obvious symbol for this box. Even with a two percent of GDP or less defense budget, we will maintain our nuclear...systems is not going away. There are some unicorns in the defense herd and this would be a time to claim to be one. ACTIVITIES AND PERSONNEL Looking...macroeconomics and public finance is advisable. The subjects in the Forces and Force Analysis section will provide sufficient review of the technical

Organizing Defense Logistics: What Strategic Structures Should Exist for the Defense Supply Chain

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Maddox, Edward D

2005-01-01

.... The primary research question of this study was: What strategic organizational structures should exist within the Department of Defense to facilitate further integration of the defense supply chain...

Optimal defense resource allocation in scale-free networks

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xuejun; Xu, Guoqiang; Xia, Yongxiang

2018-02-01

The robustness research of networked systems has drawn widespread attention in the past decade, and one of the central topics is to protect the network from external attacks through allocating appropriate defense resource to different nodes. In this paper, we apply a specific particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to optimize the defense resource allocation in scale-free networks. Results reveal that PSO based resource allocation shows a higher robustness than other resource allocation strategies such as uniform, degree-proportional, and betweenness-proportional allocation strategies. Furthermore, we find that assigning less resource to middle-degree nodes under small-scale attack while more resource to low-degree nodes under large-scale attack is conductive to improving the network robustness. Our work provides an insight into the optimal defense resource allocation pattern in scale-free networks and is helpful for designing a more robust network.

Metallothionein-mediated antioxidant defense system and its response to exercise training are impaired in human type 2 diabetes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scheede-Bergdahl, Celena; Penkowa, Milena; Hidalgo, Juan

2005-01-01

lower levels of MT-I+II were also detected in the plasma of type 2 diabetic subjects compared with control subjects. These results suggest that, in control subjects, the MT-I+II defense system is active and inducible within skeletal muscle tissue and plasma. In type 2 diabetes, reduced levels of MT......Oxidative stress is implicated in diabetes complications, during which endogenous antioxidant defenses have important pathophysiological consequences. To date, the significance of endogenous antioxidants such as metallothioneins I and II (MT-I+II) in type 2 diabetes remains unclear. To examine....... Immunohistochemical analysis revealed reduced MT-I+II levels in the skeletal muscle of type 2 diabetic subjects compared with control subjects. Control subjects produced a robust increase of MT-I+II in response to training; however, in type 2 diabetes, MT-I+II levels remained essentially unchanged. Significantly...

A Study of Corporate Entrepreneurship in a Department of Defense Organization

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-01

A STUDY OF CORPORATE ENTREPRENUERSHIP IN A DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ORGANIZATION THESIS Wade W. Brower, Civilian AFIT/GEM/ENV...CORPORATE ENTREPRENUERSHIP IN A DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ORGANIZATION THESIS Presented to the Faculty Department of Systems and Engineering...2011 APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED AFIT/GEM/ENV/11-M01 A STUDY OF CORPORATE ENTREPRENUERSHIP IN A DEPARTMENT OF

Recent advances in computational intelligence in defense and security

CERN Document Server

Falcon, Rafael; Zincir-Heywood, Nur; Abbass, Hussein