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Sample records for mpg

  1. Nanoparticle (MPG)-mediated delivery of small RNAs into human ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Aghomotsegin

    Divita and co-workers reported that MPG delivers active macromolecules permitting the control of the release of the cargo in the appropriate target subcellular compart- ment. Therefore, by tampering with the NLS sequence of. MPG, delivery between the nucleus and the cytoplasm can be discriminated and MPG containing ...

  2. What futurecar MPG levels and technology will be necessary?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patterson, P.; Steiner, E.; Singh, M.

    2002-01-01

    The potential peaking of world conventional oil production and the possible imperative to reduce carbon emissions will put great pressure on vehicle manufacturers to produce more efficient vehicles, on vehicle buyers to seek them out in the marketplace, and on energy suppliers to develop new fuels and delivery systems. Four cases for stabilizing or reducing light vehicle fuel use, oil use, and/or carbon emissions over the next 50 years are presented. Case 1-Improve mpg so that the fuel use in 2020 is stabilized for the next 30 years. Case 2-Improve mpg so that by 2030 the fuel use is reduced to the 2000 level and is reduced further in subsequent years. Case 3-Case 1 plus 50% ethanol use and 50% low-carbon fuel cell vehicles by 2050. Case 4-Case 2 plus 50% ethanol use and 50% low-carbon fuel cell vehicles by 2050. The mpg targets for new cars and light trucks require that significant advances be made in developing cost-effective and very efficient vehicle technologies. With the use of alternative fuels that are low in carbon, oil use and carbon emissions can be reduced even further

  3. Effect of 2-mercaptopropionylglycine (MPG) on the radiation-induced chromosome aberrations in the bone marrow of mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uma, D.P.; Gupta, R.

    1984-01-01

    The radioprotective effect of MPG, a SH compound used clinically as detoxicating agent, was investigated in vivo on adult whole-body exposed mice to 3 Gy of 60 Co radiation 15 to 20 min after a single i.p. injection of MPG. Animals pretreated with colchicine were autopsied at various intervals from 2 to 28 days and bone marrow metaphases were scored. Significantly less number of cells were found to carry aberrations in the MPG-treated animals at 24 hr as compared to the non-drug treated irradiated ones. However, at all the other earlier and later intervals, both groups of animals showed approximately the same frequency of aberrant cells. It appears that MPG protection to the chromosome is at the reparation stage rather than at the initial stage of breakage. (author)

  4. Radioprotective effect of 2-mercaptopropionylglycine (2-MPG) on the hematology of Swiss albino mice after radiocalcium internal administration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, A.; Bhagat, R.M.

    1981-01-01

    The drug 2-MPG, when administered before 45 Ca treatment, shows its radioprotective effect on total red blood cells, total white blood cells, hemoglobin balues and hematocrit percentage. However, the radioprotective effects of 2 MPG are limited to early intervals only. (author)

  5. Modification of hemoglobin level and hematocrit value in the peripheral blood of mice after 45Ca internal irradiation by MPG (2-mercaptopropionylglycine)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhagat, R.M.; Kumar, A.

    1986-01-01

    Radioprotective effect of MPG has been studied on the hemoglobin level and hematocrit value of peripheral blood of Swiss albino mice against radiation-induced changes after injecting radiocalcium ( 45 Ca) at the dose level of 37 kBq/g body weight. MPG was injected 15-30 minutes before 45 Ca injection at dose of 20 mg/kg body weight intraperitoneally and also MPG was injected at various repeated doses. It has been observed that MPG in repeated doses is effective in reducing the radiation-induced changes in the hemoglobin and hematocrit value of peripheral blood of Swiss albino mice following 45 Ca internal irradiation. (author)

  6. Evaluation of NTHL1, NEIL1, NEIL2, MPG, TDG, UNG and SMUG1 genes in familial colorectal cancer predisposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Broderick, Peter; Bagratuni, Tina; Vijayakrishnan, Jairam; Lubbe, Steven; Chandler, Ian; Houlston, Richard S

    2006-01-01

    The observation that germline mutations in the oxidative DNA damage repair gene MUTYH cause colorectal cancer (CRC) provides strong evidence that dysregulation of the base excision repair (BER) pathway influences disease susceptibility. It is conceivable that germline sequence variation in other BER pathway genes such as NTHL1, NEIL1, NEIL2, MPG, TDG, UNG and SMUG1 also contribute to CRC susceptibility. To evaluate whether sequence variants of NTHL1, NEIL1, NEIL2, MPG, TDG, UNG and SMUG1 genes might act as CRC susceptibility alleles, we screened the coding sequence and intron-exon boundaries of these genes in 94 familial CRC cases in which involvement of known genes had been excluded. Three novel missense variants were identified NEIL2 C367A, TDG3 A196G and UNG2 C262T in patients, which were not observed in 188 healthy control DNAs. We detected novel germline alterations in NEIL2, TDG and UNG patients with CRC. The results suggest a limited role for NTHL1, NEIL1, NEIL2, MPG, TDG, UNG and SMUG1 in development of CRC

  7. Evaluation of NTHL1, NEIL1, NEIL2, MPG, TDG, UNG and SMUG1 genes in familial colorectal cancer predisposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Broderick, Peter; Bagratuni, Tina; Vijayakrishnan, Jairam; Lubbe, Steven; Chandler, Ian; Houlston, Richard S [Section of Cancer Genetics, Brookes Lawley Building, Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5NG (United Kingdom)

    2006-10-09

    The observation that germline mutations in the oxidative DNA damage repair gene MUTYH cause colorectal cancer (CRC) provides strong evidence that dysregulation of the base excision repair (BER) pathway influences disease susceptibility. It is conceivable that germline sequence variation in other BER pathway genes such as NTHL1, NEIL1, NEIL2, MPG, TDG, UNG and SMUG1 also contribute to CRC susceptibility. To evaluate whether sequence variants of NTHL1, NEIL1, NEIL2, MPG, TDG, UNG and SMUG1 genes might act as CRC susceptibility alleles, we screened the coding sequence and intron-exon boundaries of these genes in 94 familial CRC cases in which involvement of known genes had been excluded. Three novel missense variants were identified NEIL2 C367A, TDG3 A196G and UNG2 C262T in patients, which were not observed in 188 healthy control DNAs. We detected novel germline alterations in NEIL2, TDG and UNG patients with CRC. The results suggest a limited role for NTHL1, NEIL1, NEIL2, MPG, TDG, UNG and SMUG1 in development of CRC.

  8. Modification of postnatal hemoglobin level and hematocrit value in the peripheral blood of mice after gamma radiation in utero by MPG (2-mercaptopropionylglycine)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goyal, P.K.; Kumar, S.; Dev, P.K.

    1980-01-01

    Pregnant Swiss albino mice were irradiated with oamma radiation at post-conception days 14.5, 16.25 and 18.25. Hemoglobin level and hematocrit value in the peripheral blood of the male offsprings were found to be below normal during the early postnatal development. The value became normal from 4 week onwards. However these values were found to be significantly elevated in the early postnatal development of the male offsprings of the mice which were administered MPG before irradiation. The possible radioprotective mechanism of MPG is discussed. (M.G.B.)

  9. Chemoprotection of ovarian follicles of mice against gamma irradiation by MPG (2-mercaptopropionylglycine)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, A.; Uma Devi, P.

    1982-01-01

    Adult virgin female Swiss albino mice were irradiated with 2.5, 5 and 10 Gy of gamma radiation in the presence and absence of the drug MPG and changes in the ovarian follicular population were scored at various post irradiation intervals of 3 hours to 14 days. The results indicate that the drug has partially prevented the rapid reduction in the follicular number. Primordial follicles are protected to a greater extent than the growing and large follicles. The difference between the number of follicles of drug treated and non-drug treated animals is greater at low dose group. (author)

  10. Mining Survey System (MSS) - innovative solution in Polish mines. (Polish Title: Mobilna Platforma Gurnicza (MPG) - nowatorskim rozwilazaniem w polskich kopalniach)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adamek, A.

    2015-12-01

    Mobile laser scanning technology is developing rapidly also in mining. For several years research and tests are conducted on the use of that type of measurement in the inventory of the mine shafts. The company SKALA 3D in the project 1.4 POIG by PARP undertook to create Mobile automatic steering system of spatial geometry measurements mine shafts using laser scanning technology. Its main advantage is a faithful reflection of the object being measured in just a few hours. It is based on the data flowing from laser scanners and precision inertial unit. The main problem of the research was to determine the trajectory of the passing Mobile Platforms Mining (MPG) in the shaft as accurately as possible. Unable to receive signals from satellites in the pipe shaft prevented the use of solutions known for measuring terrestrial mobile systems. The company SKALA 3D has developed a methodology for determine the trajectory of the system, based on geometrical data coming from laser scanners and readings of accelerometers and gyroscopes of inertial unit. To improve the quality and accuracy of measurements MPG is also equipped with a set of anti-vibration parts prevent the transmission of vibrations ascending while cage is moving in the shaft on the measuring system. The whole forms a calibrated system, which in a short time is able to provide spatial measurement data from the measuring shaft. The accuracy of 2-3 mm in a single measurement horizon and a few centimeters determine the position of a point on the thousandth meter below ground make the system very accurate. During the project there have been numerous research problems, including the need to define the physical references, drift of IMU whether harsh weather conditions in the shaft. However, the company SKALA 3D solved these problems and making MPG unique in the world.

  11. R/V Endeavor cruise EN-024. Seabed Disposal Program: North Atlantic study area MPG-III 35030'N 61000'W, June 30--July 11, 1978. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heath, G.R.; Laine, E.P.

    1978-09-01

    During 7 days in the vicinity of 35 0 30'N, 61 0 00'W (Seabed Disposal Program mid-late, mid-gyre study area MPG-III) we carried out 1830 km of subbottom acoustic profiling and 2 camera lowerings, and took 7 standard piston cores, 3 large diameter piston cores, 9 large diameter gravity cores and 2 dredge hauls of surface sediment. Pore fluids were extracted from 3 gravity cores and 1 piston core and on-board physical property measurements were made on 2 large diameter piston cores and 1 large diameter gravity core. These data and samples will be used to assess the lateral homogeneity and recent geologic history of the area, as well as to compare the sorption and physical barrier properties of the sediments with deposits from the MPG I and II areas in the Pacific

  12. Development of novel recombinant biomimetic chimeric MPG-based peptide as nanocarriers for gene delivery: Imitation of a real cargo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Majidi, Asia; Nikkhah, Maryam; Sadeghian, Faranak; Hosseinkhani, Saman

    2016-10-01

    In last decades great efforts have been devoted to the study of development of recombinant peptide based vectors that consist of biological motifs with potential applications in gene therapy. Recombinant Biomimetic Chimeric Vectors (rBCVs) are biopolymeric nanocarriers that are designed to mimic viral features to overcome the cellular obstacles in gene transferring pathway into cell nucleus. In this research, we designed and genetically engineered three novel rBCVs with similar sequences that differed in motifs arrangement and motif abundance: MPG-2H1, 2TMPG-2H1 and 2RMPG-2H1. The MPG as a famous amphipathic cell penetrating peptide is the main segment of these constructs which was studied for the first time in association with truncated histone H1 DNA condensing motif. Through the performance of several physicochemical and biological assays, the rBCVs were remarkably examined regarding transfection efficiency. The main objective of this study is focused on the importance of motif design in transfection efficiency of rBCVs on one hand, and the assessment of correlation between structural features and functionality of motifs on the other hand. The results revealed that all three kinds of rBCVs/pDNA nanoparticles with average sizes of 200nm could overwhelm the cellular obstacles associated with gene transfer, and lead to efficient gene delivery. Furthermore, no significant toxicity was perceived and efficient endosome disruptive activity was obtained. It is noteworthy to say among three mentioned constructs 2RMPG-2H1 showed the highest transfection efficiency. Overall the peptide based vectors hold great promise as a nontoxic and effective gene carrier in vitro and in vivo, besides the rational design possibility as the most vital advantages over the other non-viral gene delivery vectors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Radiation response of plasma protein and albumin of peripheral blood and its modification by MPG (2-mercaptopropionylglycine) in mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nandchahal, K.K.; Routh, J.; Mathur, S.; Bhartiya, H.C.

    1990-01-01

    Changes in the total protein and albumin level in the blood of six week and three week old Swiss albino mice exposed to a sublethal dose of 2.2 Gy of gamma rays after an intraperitoneal injection of 20 mg/kg body weight of the radioprotector drug MPG (2-Mercaptopropionylglycine) were studied. The results were compared with those obtained from animals irradiated with the same dose of gamma rays in the absence of the drug. Animals were sacrificed at one, three, five, seven and 14 days after irradiation. The drug has been found to modify the levels of plasma protein and albumin in the blood of the irradiated animals. The depletion observed was less marked in the drug treated animals than their respective controls. The observations have been discussed in light of relevant literature. (orig.) [de

  14. Development of an in-situ heat transfer experiment (ISHTE) for illite clays of MPG-1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olson, L.O.; Ewart, T.E.

    1981-01-01

    During 1979 the Applied Physics Laboratory of the University of Washington has been working on the design and development of components for an In-Situ Heat Transfer Experiment (ISHTE). The goal of the experiment is to test the validity of using laboratory experiments and analytical studies to predict the thermal response of red clay sediments in the deep ocean. All areas of the conceptual ISHTE developed during 1978 have been investigated this year at some level, with the greatest emphasis on the key components. Because the platform tracking and acoustic communication system is the most crucial component of the experiment, the major effort has been spent on developing this equipment. Hardware and software for the system are nearly operational. Some preliminary testing to evaluate transducers has been performed in Puget Sound and at shallow ocean depths. The transducers purchased initially were not adequate, but units from another company have been purchased and tested with good results. Deep ocean transponder tests will be run in the spring of 1980, and tests of the full tracking system will be conducted in July of 1980 at MPG-1. Several other hardware systems developed this year were an electric heater to simulate the isotope heatsource for system testing, the heater implantment arm, the heater's thermal sensor system, the thermal sensors for the sediment, and a 1/5 scale model of the planned ISHTE platform for visulization of component interaction. The hydrostatic corers are being designed but no construction will be started on prototypes until late 1980. No severe problems have been found thus far with the conceptualized system for the ISHTE platform, and work is progressing on building and testing all of these component systems before the seafloor platform is designed in detail. Present plans are to start designing the platform in FY 81

  15. Monitoring of the spatial and temporal dynamics of BER/SSBR pathway proteins, including MYH, UNG2, MPG, NTH1 and NEIL1-3, during DNA replication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bj Rås, Karine Ø; Sousa, Mirta M L; Sharma, Animesh; Fonseca, Davi M; S Gaard, Caroline K; Bj Rås, Magnar; Otterlei, Marit

    2017-08-21

    Base lesions in DNA can stall the replication machinery or induce mutations if bypassed. Consequently, lesions must be repaired before replication or in a post-replicative process to maintain genomic stability. Base excision repair (BER) is the main pathway for repair of base lesions and is known to be associated with DNA replication, but how BER is organized during replication is unclear. Here we coupled the iPOND (isolation of proteins on nascent DNA) technique with targeted mass-spectrometry analysis, which enabled us to detect all proteins required for BER on nascent DNA and to monitor their spatiotemporal orchestration at replication forks. We demonstrate that XRCC1 and other BER/single-strand break repair (SSBR) proteins are enriched in replisomes in unstressed cells, supporting a cellular capacity of post-replicative BER/SSBR. Importantly, we identify for the first time the DNA glycosylases MYH, UNG2, MPG, NTH1, NEIL1, 2 and 3 on nascent DNA. Our findings suggest that a broad spectrum of DNA base lesions are recognized and repaired by BER in a post-replicative process. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  16. N-methylpurine DNA glycosylase inhibits p53-mediated cell cycle arrest and coordinates with p53 to determine sensitivity to alkylating agents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Shanshan; Xing, Guichun; Yuan, Lin; Wang, Jian; Wang, Shan; Yin, Yuxin; Tian, Chunyan; He, Fuchu; Zhang, Lingqiang

    2012-08-01

    Alkylating agents induce genome-wide base damage, which is repaired mainly by N-methylpurine DNA glycosylase (MPG). An elevated expression of MPG in certain types of tumor cells confers higher sensitivity to alkylation agents because MPG-induced apurinic/apyrimidic (AP) sites trigger more strand breaks. However, the determinant of drug sensitivity or insensitivity still remains unclear. Here, we report that the p53 status coordinates with MPG to play a pivotal role in such process. MPG expression is positive in breast, lung and colon cancers (38.7%, 43.4% and 25.3%, respectively) but negative in all adjacent normal tissues. MPG directly binds to the tumor suppressor p53 and represses p53 activity in unstressed cells. The overexpression of MPG reduced, whereas depletion of MPG increased, the expression levels of pro-arrest gene downstream of p53 including p21, 14-3-3σ and Gadd45 but not proapoptotic ones. The N-terminal region of MPG was specifically required for the interaction with the DNA binding domain of p53. Upon DNA alkylation stress, in p53 wild-type tumor cells, p53 dissociated from MPG and induced cell growth arrest. Then, AP sites were repaired efficiently, which led to insensitivity to alkylating agents. By contrast, in p53-mutated cells, the AP sites were repaired with low efficacy. To our knowledge, this is the first direct evidence to show that a DNA repair enzyme functions as a selective regulator of p53, and these findings provide new insights into the functional linkage between MPG and p53 in cancer therapy.

  17. 49 CFR 599.300 - Requirements for qualifying transactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... fuel economy of the new vehicle is at least 4 mpg, but less than 10 mpg higher than the combined fuel economy of the eligible trade-in vehicle. (2) The new vehicle is a category 1 truck with a combined fuel... the new vehicle is at least 2 mpg, but less than 5 mpg higher than the combined fuel economy of the...

  18. Distribution and Determinants of Myocardial Perfusion Grade Following Late Mechanical Recanalization of Occluded Infarct-Related Arteries Postmyocardial Infarction: A Report From the Occluded Artery Trial

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jorapur, Vinod; Steigen, Terje K.; Buller, Christopher E.; Dẑavík, Vladimír; Webb, John G.; Strauss, Bradley H.; Yeoh, Eunice E.S.; Kurray, Peter; Sokalski, Leszek; Machado, Mauricio C.; Kronsberg, Shari S.; Lamas, Gervasio A.; Hochman, Judith S.; John Mancini, G.B.

    2010-01-01

    Objective To evaluate the distribution and determinants of myocardial perfusion grade (MPG) following late recanalization of persistently occluded infarct-related arteries (IRA). Background MPG reflects microvascular integrity. It is an independent prognostic factor following myocardial infarction, but has been studied mainly in the setting of early reperfusion. The occluded artery trial (OAT) enrolled stable patients with persistently occluded IRAs beyond 24 hr and up to 28 days post-MI. Methods Myocardial blush was assessed using TIMI MPG grading in 261 patients with TIMI 3 epicardial flow following IRA PCI. Patients demonstrating impaired (0–1) versus preserved (2–3) MPG were compared with regard to baseline clinical and pre-PCI angiographic characteristics. Results Impaired MPG was observed in 60 of 261 patients (23%). By univariate analysis, impaired MPG was associated with failed fibrinolytic therapy, higher heart rate, lower systolic blood pressure, lower ejection fraction, LAD occlusion, absence of collaterals (P < 0.01) and ST elevation MI, lower diastolic blood pressure, and higher systolic sphericity index (P < 0.05). By multivariable analysis, higher heart rate, LAD occlusion, absence of collaterals and higher systolic sphericity index (P < 0.01), and lower systolic blood pressure (P < 0.05) were independently associated with impaired MPG. Conclusion Preserved microvascular integrity was present in a high proportion of patients following late recanalization of occluded IRAs post-MI. Presence of collaterals was independently associated with preserved MPG and likely accounted for the high frequency of preserved myocardial perfusion in this clinical setting. Impaired MPG was associated with baseline clinical and angiographic features consistent with larger infarct size. PMID:18798327

  19. ATM regulates 3-methylpurine-DNA glycosylase and promotes therapeutic resistance to alkylating agents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agnihotri, Sameer; Burrell, Kelly; Buczkowicz, Pawel; Remke, Marc; Golbourn, Brian; Chornenkyy, Yevgen; Gajadhar, Aaron; Fernandez, Nestor A; Clarke, Ian D; Barszczyk, Mark S; Pajovic, Sanja; Ternamian, Christian; Head, Renee; Sabha, Nesrin; Sobol, Robert W; Taylor, Michael D; Rutka, James T; Jones, Chris; Dirks, Peter B; Zadeh, Gelareh; Hawkins, Cynthia

    2014-10-01

    Alkylating agents are a first-line therapy for the treatment of several aggressive cancers, including pediatric glioblastoma, a lethal tumor in children. Unfortunately, many tumors are resistant to this therapy. We sought to identify ways of sensitizing tumor cells to alkylating agents while leaving normal cells unharmed, increasing therapeutic response while minimizing toxicity. Using an siRNA screen targeting over 240 DNA damage response genes, we identified novel sensitizers to alkylating agents. In particular, the base excision repair (BER) pathway, including 3-methylpurine-DNA glycosylase (MPG), as well as ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM), were identified in our screen. Interestingly, we identified MPG as a direct novel substrate of ATM. ATM-mediated phosphorylation of MPG was required for enhanced MPG function. Importantly, combined inhibition or loss of MPG and ATM resulted in increased alkylating agent-induced cytotoxicity in vitro and prolonged survival in vivo. The discovery of the ATM-MPG axis will lead to improved treatment of alkylating agent-resistant tumors. Inhibition of ATM and MPG-mediated BER cooperate to sensitize tumor cells to alkylating agents, impairing tumor growth in vitro and in vivo with no toxicity to normal cells, providing an ideal therapeutic window. ©2014 American Association for Cancer Research.

  20. Effect of mesoporous g-C3N4 substrate on catalytic oxidation of CO over Co3O4

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Heng; Lv, Kangle; Zhu, Junjiang; Li, Qin; Tang, Dingguo; Ho, Wingkei; Li, Mei; Carabineiro, Sónia A. C.

    2017-04-01

    Mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (mpg-CN) was synthesized using Triton X-100, a surfactant containing a hydrophilic polyethylene oxide group and a tert-octyl-phenyl hydrophobic moiety, as a soft template. The obtained mpg-CN was used as a support for Co3O4, and this supported catalyst was used for CO oxidation. The effects of the amount of Triton X-100, weight ratio of Co3O4 to mpg-CN and calcination temperature on the catalytic performances for CO oxidation of Co3O4/mpg-CN composites were systematically studied. It was found that the presence of Triton X-100 not only retarded the polymerization of dicyandiamide, but also affected the microstructure of Co3O4. Bubbles formed because of the hydrophobic group of the surfactant Triton X-100 can be act as a soft template for the synthesis of mesoporous g-C3N4. The enhanced catalytic activity of Co3O4/mpg-CN was attributed to a synergistic effect, enlarged BET surface areas, increased Co3+ and lattice oxygen contents, and the porous structure of mpg-CN support. The high stability of 12.5% Co3O4/mpg-CN(1.0) makes it a promising catalyst for practical applications.

  1. Impact of demographics and disease progression on the relationship between glucose and HbA1c.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Claussen, Anetta; Møller, Jonas B; Kristensen, Niels R; Klim, Søren; Kjellsson, Maria C; Ingwersen, Steen H; Karlsson, Mats O

    2017-06-15

    Several studies have shown that the relationship between mean plasma glucose (MPG) and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) may vary across populations. Especially race has previously been referred to shift the regression line that links MPG to HbA1c at steady-state (Herman & Cohen, 2012). To assess the influence of demographic and disease progression-related covariates on the intercept of the estimated linear MPG-HbA1c relationship in a longitudinal model. Longitudinal patient-level data from 16 late-phase trials in type 2 diabetes with a total of 8927 subjects was used to study covariates for the relationship between MPG and HbA1c. The analysed covariates included age group, BMI, gender, race, diabetes duration, and pre-trial treatment. Differences between trials were taken into account by estimating a trial-to-trial variability component. Participants included 47% females and 20% above 65years. 77% were Caucasian, 9% were Asian, 5% were Black and the remaining 9% were analysed together as other races. Estimates of the change in the intercept of the MPG-HbA1c relationship due to the mentioned covariates were determined using a longitudinal model. The analysis showed that pre-trial treatment with insulin had the most pronounced impact associated with a 0.34% higher HbA1c at a given MPG. However, race, diabetes duration and age group also had an impact on the MPG-HbA1c relationship. Our analysis shows that the relationship between MPG and HbA1c is relatively insensitive to covariates, but shows small variations across populations, which may be relevant to take into account when predicting HbA1c response based on MPG measurements in clinical trials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Enhancement of radiomodulatory effect through liposome encapsulated radio-modifier on cancer bearing mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alam, A.; Chakraborty, S.; Rapthap, C.; Sharan, R.N.

    1999-01-01

    Efficacy of a radioprotective drug, 2-mercaptopropionylglycine (MPG), in its free form and after its encapsulation into liposomes have been studied in normal and cancer bearing mice. Cancer was induced in micy by oral administration of aqueous extract of betel nut (AEBN) for 3 months. Radioprotection afforded by free MPG and liposome encapsulated MPG (LEM) in normal and cancerous tissue were evaluated by monitoring levels of glutathione (GSH) and γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) enzyme and state of structural organization of chromatin. The results of our studies reveal that in cancerous tissues LEM afforded better radioprotection than the free form of MPG. (orig.)

  3. Enhancement of radiomodulatory effect through liposome encapsulated radio-modifier on cancer bearing mice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alam, A.; Chakraborty, S.; Rapthap, C. [North-Eastern Hill Univ., Shillong (India). Immunology Lab.; Srivastava, P.N. [Jawaharlal Nehru Univ., New Delhi (India); Sharan, R.N. [North-Eastern Hill Univ., Shillong (India). Dept. of Biochemistry

    1999-07-01

    Efficacy of a radioprotective drug, 2-mercaptopropionylglycine (MPG), in its free form and after its encapsulation into liposomes have been studied in normal and cancer bearing mice. Cancer was induced in micy by oral administration of aqueous extract of betel nut (AEBN) for 3 months. Radioprotection afforded by free MPG and liposome encapsulated MPG (LEM) in normal and cancerous tissue were evaluated by monitoring levels of glutathione (GSH) and {gamma}-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) enzyme and state of structural organization of chromatin. The results of our studies reveal that in cancerous tissues LEM afforded better radioprotection than the free form of MPG. (orig.)

  4. Mechanisms Underlying the Formation of Complexes between Maize Starch and Lipids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chao, Chen; Yu, Jinglin; Wang, Shuo; Copeland, Les; Wang, Shujun

    2018-01-10

    This study aimed to reveal the mechanism of formation of complexes between native maize starch (NMS) and different types of lipids, namely palmitic acid (PA), monopalmitate glycerol (MPG), dipalmitate glycerol (DPG), and tripalmitate glycerol (TPG). The complexing index followed the order of MPG (96.3%) > PA (41.8%) > TPG (8.3%) > DPG (1.1%), indicating that MPG formed more complexes with NMS than PA, and that few complexes were formed between NMS and DPG and TPG. The NMS-PA complex presented higher thermal transition temperatures and lower enthalpy change than the NMS-MPG complex, indicating that although MPG formed more starch complexes, they had less stable crystalline structures than the complex between NMS and PA. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy showed that both MPG and PA formed V-type crystalline structures with NMS, and confirmed that no complexes were formed between NMS and DPG and TPG. We conclude that the monoglyceride formed more starch-lipid complex with maize starch than PA, but that the monoglyceride complex had a less stable structure than that formed with PA. The di- and triglycerides did not form complexes with maize starch.

  5. Metal inhibition of human alkylpurine-DNA-N-glycosylase activityin base excision repair

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Ping; Guliaev, Anton B.; Hang, Bo

    2006-02-28

    Cadmium (Cd{sup 2+}), nickel (Ni{sup 2+}) and cobalt (Co{sup 2+}) are human and/or animal carcinogens. Zinc (Zn{sup 2+}) is not categorized as a carcinogen, and rather an essential element to humans. Metals were recently shown to inhibit DNA repair proteins that use metals for their function and/or structure. Here we report that the divalent ions Cd{sup 2+}, Ni{sup 2+}, and Zn{sup 2+} can inhibit the activity of a recombinant human N-methylpurine-DNA glycosylase (MPG) toward a deoxyoligonucleotide with ethenoadenine (var epsilonA). MPG removes a variety of toxic/mutagenic alkylated bases and does not require metal for its catalytic activity or structural integrity. At concentrations starting from 50 to 1000 {micro}M, both Cd{sup 2+} and Zn{sup 2+} showed metal-dependent inhibition of the MPG catalytic activity. Ni{sup 2+} also inhibited MPG, but to a lesser extent. Such an effect can be reversed with EDTA addition. In contrast, Co{sup 2+} and Mg{sup 2+} did not inhibit the MPG activity in the same dose range. Experiments using HeLa cell-free extracts demonstrated similar patterns of inactivation of the var epsilonA excision activity by the same metals. Binding of MPG to the substrate was not significantly affected by Cd{sup 2+}, Zn{sup 2+}, and Ni{sup 2+} at concentrations that show strong inhibition of the catalytic function, suggesting that the reduced catalytic activity is not due to altered MPG binding affinity to the substrate. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with Zn{sup 2+} showed that the MPG active site has a potential binding site for Zn{sup 2+}, formed by several catalytically important and conserved residues. Metal binding to such a site is expected to interfere with the catalytic mechanism of this protein. These data suggest that inhibition of MPG activity may contribute to metal genotoxicity and depressed repair of alkylation damage by metals in vivo.

  6. Automotive Stirling engine development program. [fuel economy assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitzner, E. W.

    1978-01-01

    The Ford/DOE automotive Stirling engine development program is directed towards establishing the technological and developmental base that would enable a decision on whether an engineering program should be directed at Stirling engine production. The fuel economy assessment aims to achieve, with a high degree of confidence, the ERDA proposal estimate of 20.6 MPG (gasoline) for a 4500 lb 1WC Stirling engine passenger car. The current M-H fuel economy projection for the 170 HP Stirling engine is 15.7 MPG. The confidence level for this projection is 32%. A confidence level of 29% is projected for a 22.1 MPG estimate. If all of the planned analyses and test work is accomplished at the end of the one year effort, and the projected improvements are substantiated, the confidence levels would rise to 59% for the 20.6 MPG projection and 54% for the 22.1 MPG projection. Progress achieved thus far during the fuel economy assessment is discussed.

  7. Herbal formula menoprogen alters insulin-like growth factor-1 and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 levels in the serum and ovaries of an aged female rat model of menopause.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Min; Zheng, Sheng Z; Lu, Ye; Liu, Daniel; Ma, Hong; Mahady, Gail B

    2015-10-01

    Menoprogen (MPG), a traditional Chinese medicine formula for menopause, improves menopausal symptoms; however, its mechanism remains unknown. Previous studies have shown that MPG is not directly estrogenic; thus, the goal of this study was to investigate the effects of MPG on insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) levels in an aged female rat model of menopause. In a six-arm study, 14-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 8 per arm) were randomly divided into the following groups: untreated aged, 17β-estradiol-treated aged (estradiol [E2]), and three arms with increasing doses of MPG (162, 324, or 648 mg/kg/d). The sixth arm contained 4-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats as a normal comparison group. Four weeks after MPG or E2 administration, animals were killed after blood draws, and ovarian tissues were excised. Levels of E2 and progesterone (P4) were determined by radioimmunoassay. Serum and ovarian tissue levels of IGF-1, IGFBP-1, and IGF-1 receptor were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Compared with the normal group, aged rats had significantly reduced serum levels of E2, P4, and IGF-1, and increased serum and ovarian tissue levels of IGFBP-1. MPG restored serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-1 levels and down-regulated ovarian levels of IGFBP-1, which were closely related to increases in E2 and P4 levels in aged rats. No significant differences in either IGF-1 or IGFBP-1 were observed between the three doses of MPG. MPG exerts a direct in vivo effect on aged female rats by positively regulating serum and ovarian IGF-1 and IGFBP-1 levels.

  8. Layered Nanojunctions for Hydrogen-revolution Catalysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hou, Y.; Laursen, Anders B.; Zhang, J.

    2013-01-01

    The H2 production performance of mpg-CN under visible light is significantly improved by growing thin layers of MoS2 on mpg-CN. The 0.5 wt% MoS2/mpg-CN performs better than 0.5 wt% Pt/mpg-CN under identical reaction conditions. The geometric similarity in the layered structures of MoS2 and g...... dichalcogenides such as WS2 are also efficient promoters for hydrogen production over gCN. Herein we have presented not only an example of a catalyst made of abundant C, N, Mo and S elements for efficient H2 photosynthesis, but also a conceptual advance to rationally design and fabricate a thin, effective...

  9. Communication and advertising top agency now in Baltics / Ingrid Nielsen

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Nielsen, Ingrid

    2004-01-01

    Baltimaade turule tulnud Euroopa juhtiva reklaami- ja kommunikatsiooniagentuuri Media Planning Group juht Kaspars Ulsts ettevõtte tegevusest ja eesmärkidest. Lisa: MPG's biggest clients; Background of MPG

  10. Geotechnical aspects of subseabed disposal of high level radioactive wastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva, A.J.; Calnan, D.I.

    1981-01-01

    Additional data on geotechnical properties of MPG-1 sediments are presented. New data on Distal Abyssal Plain sediments east of the North Bermuda Rise (MPG-3N) indicates that this region has characteristics which compare favorably with MPG-1. The new permeability results are consistent with previous reported results for MPG-1 with a coefficient of permeability of approximately 10 -7 cm/sec. Preliminary results from MPG-3N indicate permeabilities comparable with those of MPG-1. Results are presented for thirty-seven triaxial compression tests on both undisturbed and remolded illite and smectite clays from the North Central Pacific (MPG-1). A preliminary set of repeated loading triaxial compression tests were performed on illite and smectite remolded clays from MPD-1. A device for anisotropic consolidation and triaxial compression has been developed which will allow the study of stress-strain behavior after anisotropic consolidation with zero lateral deformation. The long-term stress-strain behavior of deep sea sediments is the focus of a two-part testing program: Phase 1; room temperature studies, will be completed in Spring, 1980 and Phase 2; temperature effect studies, is now in the equipment development stage and should be underway by June, 1980. The testing portion of the laboratory Hole Closure study has been completed and most of the results are reported. A final technical report will be completed in June, 1980. The involvement of URI/MGL in this project covers five areas: site characterization, geotechnical analysis for platform foundation configuration, laboratory analysis of sediment-structure interaction development of in-situ vane shear apparatus and post-test analysis of recovered data relating to geotechnical behavior

  11. Recruitment of Intracavernously Injected Adipose-Derived Stem Cells to the Major Pelvic Ganglion Improves Erectile Function in a Rat Model of Cavernous Nerve Injury

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fandel, Thomas M.; Albersen, Maarten; Lin, Guiting; Qiu, Xuefeng; Ning, Hongxiu; Banie, Lia; Lue, Tom F.; Lin, Ching-Shwun

    2011-01-01

    Background Intracavernous (IC) injection of stem cells has been shown to ameliorate cavernous-nerve (CN) injury-induced erectile dysfunction (ED). However, the mechanisms of action of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC) remain unclear. Objectives To investigate the mechanism of action and fate of IC injected ADSC in a rat model of CN crush injury. Design, setting, and participants Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 110) were randomly divided into five groups. Thirty-five rats underwent sham surgery and IC injection of ADSC (n = 25) or vehicle (n = 10). Another 75 rats underwent bilateral CN crush injury and were treated with vehicle or ADSC injected either IC or in the dorsal penile perineural space. At 1, 3, 7 (n = 5), and 28 d (n = 10) postsurgery, penile tissues and major pelvic ganglia (MPG) were harvested for histology. ADSC were labeled with 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine (EdU) before treatment. Rats in the 28-d groups were examined for erectile function prior to tissue harvest. Measurements IC pressure recording on CN electrostimulation, immunohistochemistry of the penis and the MPG, and number of EdU-positive (EdU+) cells in the injection site and the MPG. Results and limitations IC, but not perineural, injection of ADSC resulted in significantly improved erectile function. Significantly more EdU+ ADSC appeared in the MPG of animals with CN injury and IC injection of ADSC compared with those injected perineurally and those in the sham group. One day after crush injury, stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) was upregulated in the MPG, providing an incentive for ADSC recruitment toward the MPG. Neuroregeneration was observed in the group that underwent IC injection of ADSC, and IC ADSC treatment had beneficial effects on the smooth muscle/collagen ratio in the corpus cavernosum. Conclusions CN injury upregulates SDF-1 expression in the MPG and thereby attracts intracavernously injected ADSC. At the MPG, ADSC exert neuroregenerative effects on the cell bodies of injured nerves

  12. Effects of miles per gallon feedback on fuel efficiency in gas-powered cars.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-10-01

    This study tested the impact of continuous miles per gallon (MPG) feedback on driving : behavior and fuel efficiency in gas-powered cars. We compared an experimental condition, : where drivers received real-time MPG feedback and a tip sheet, to a con...

  13. The effect of ethylene on transgenic melon ripening and fruit quality ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In cell wall expression analysis, MPG1 increased when fruits of transgenic melons were exposed to ethylene; showing they are ethylene- dependent. MPG2 decreased ... Ethylene productions in transgenic fruits were reestablished when ethylene was applied, exhibiting the same behavior as transgenic fruits. Antioxidant ...

  14. Response of developing mouse liver irradiated in utero and its modification by 2-mercaptopropionylglycine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pareek, B.P.; Mehta, G.; Bhartiya, H.C.; Dev, P.K.

    1983-01-01

    Pregnant Swiss albino mice were exposed at gestation days 14.25, 16.25 and 18.25 to 1.5 Gy gamma radiation from 60 Co in the presence or absence of 2-mercaptopropionylglycine (MPG). Liver was taken from the litters born to these mothers at different post-partum intervals. The maximum sensitivity was found in 4-week-old animals irradiated at gestation day 14.25. In the MPG treated groups, the number of total cells was higher than in the controls but less than in normals. The increase in pyknotic nuclei and necrotic and binucleate cells was significantly lowered by MPG. (Auth.)

  15. Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta for the treatment of anemia associated with chronic renal failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmid, Holger

    2016-01-01

    Since more than two decades erythropoiesis-stimulating agents are the main pillar for treatment of anemia associated with chronic kidney disease. Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta (MPG-EPO), also called continuous erythropoietin receptor activator, is the longest acting erythropoiesis-stimulating agent currently available. MPG-EPO is characterized by an elimination half-life of approximately 137 h and offers extended dosing intervals up to 4 weeks. Numerous phase I/II studies and a comprehensive clinical phase III program demonstrated the feasibility of MPG-EPO therapy for anemia correction and maintenance of stable hemoglobin levels in adult chronic kidney disease patients. Due to patent disputes MPG-EPO was only available outside the US market so far. In view of a prevailing US market introduction, this review focuses on efficacy and safety data from pivotal trials, summarizes recent clinical research and finally tries to substantiate potential benefits associated with the use of this anti-anemic drug.

  16. Theoretical analysis and simulation of the influence of self-bunching effects and longitudinal space charge effects on the propagation of keV electron bunch produced by a novel S-band Micro-Pulse electron Gun

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Jifei; Lu, Xiangyang; Zhou, Kui; Yang, Ziqin; Yang, Deyu; Luo, Xing; Tan, Weiwei; Yang, Yujia

    2016-06-01

    As an important electron source, Micro-Pulse electron Gun (MPG) which is qualified for producing high average current, short pulse, low emittance electron bunches steadily holds promise to use as an electron source of Coherent Smith-Purcell Radiation (CSPR), Free Electron Laser (FEL). The stable output of S-band MPG has been achieved in many labs. To establish reliable foundation for the future application of it, the propagation of picosecond electron bunch produced by MPG should be studied in detail. In this article, the MPG which was working on the rising stage of total effective Secondary Electron Yield (SEY) curve was introduced. The self-bunching mechanism was discussed in depth both in the multipacting amplifying state and the steady working state. The bunch length broadening induced by the longitudinal space-charge (SC) effects was investigated by different theoretical models in different regions. The 2D PIC codes MAGIC and beam dynamic codes TraceWin simulations were also performed in the propagation. The result shows an excellent agreement between the simulation and the theoretical analysis for bunch length evolution.

  17. Theoretical analysis and simulation of the influence of self-bunching effects and longitudinal space charge effects on the propagation of keV electron bunch produced by a novel S-band Micro-Pulse electron Gun

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhao, Jifei; Lu, Xiangyang, E-mail: xylu@pku.edu.cn; Yang, Ziqin; Yang, Deyu; Tan, Weiwei; Yang, Yujia [Institute of Heavy Ion Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 (China); Zhou, Kui; Luo, Xing [Institute of Applied Electronics, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China)

    2016-06-15

    As an important electron source, Micro-Pulse electron Gun (MPG) which is qualified for producing high average current, short pulse, low emittance electron bunches steadily holds promise to use as an electron source of Coherent Smith-Purcell Radiation (CSPR), Free Electron Laser (FEL). The stable output of S-band MPG has been achieved in many labs. To establish reliable foundation for the future application of it, the propagation of picosecond electron bunch produced by MPG should be studied in detail. In this article, the MPG which was working on the rising stage of total effective Secondary Electron Yield (SEY) curve was introduced. The self-bunching mechanism was discussed in depth both in the multipacting amplifying state and the steady working state. The bunch length broadening induced by the longitudinal space-charge (SC) effects was investigated by different theoretical models in different regions. The 2D PIC codes MAGIC and beam dynamic codes TraceWin simulations were also performed in the propagation. The result shows an excellent agreement between the simulation and the theoretical analysis for bunch length evolution.

  18. Theoretical analysis and simulation of the influence of self-bunching effects and longitudinal space charge effects on the propagation of keV electron bunch produced by a novel S-band Micro-Pulse electron Gun

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jifei Zhao

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available As an important electron source, Micro-Pulse electron Gun (MPG which is qualified for producing high average current, short pulse, low emittance electron bunches steadily holds promise to use as an electron source of Coherent Smith-Purcell Radiation (CSPR, Free Electron Laser (FEL. The stable output of S-band MPG has been achieved in many labs. To establish reliable foundation for the future application of it, the propagation of picosecond electron bunch produced by MPG should be studied in detail. In this article, the MPG which was working on the rising stage of total effective Secondary Electron Yield (SEY curve was introduced. The self-bunching mechanism was discussed in depth both in the multipacting amplifying state and the steady working state. The bunch length broadening induced by the longitudinal space-charge (SC effects was investigated by different theoretical models in different regions. The 2D PIC codes MAGIC and beam dynamic codes TraceWin simulations were also performed in the propagation. The result shows an excellent agreement between the simulation and the theoretical analysis for bunch length evolution.

  19. Purification of antibody against Ara h 2 by a homemade immunoaffinity chromatography column.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Zhihua; Li, Kun; Zhan, Shaode; Tong, Ping; Li, Xin; Yang, Anshu; Chen, Hongbing

    2017-09-14

    Antibodies are used extensively in numerous applications both in vivo and in vitro. To purify anti-Ara h 2 polyclonal antibody, a homemade immunoaffinity chromatography (IAC) column method was established. The properties of homemade column were compared with those of the mAb affinity protein G (MPG) agarose high flow, a commercially available column successfully used in capturing polyclonal antibodies. During antibody purification from rabbits' antiserum against Ara h 2, the column capacity, recovery, and purification factor were characterized for IAC and MPG. The homemade IAC could separate the corresponding antibody with higher specificity and lower cost but with lower recovery and column capacity than those of MPG. Thus, the homemade IAC is a specific, inexpensive, and suitable method that can be used for various laboratory purifications.

  20. Downscaling remotely sensed imagery using area-to-point cokriging and multiple-point geostatistical simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Yunwei; Atkinson, Peter M.; Zhang, Jingxiong

    2015-03-01

    A cross-scale data integration method was developed and tested based on the theory of geostatistics and multiple-point geostatistics (MPG). The goal was to downscale remotely sensed images while retaining spatial structure by integrating images at different spatial resolutions. During the process of downscaling, a rich spatial correlation model in the form of a training image was incorporated to facilitate reproduction of similar local patterns in the simulated images. Area-to-point cokriging (ATPCK) was used as locally varying mean (LVM) (i.e., soft data) to deal with the change of support problem (COSP) for cross-scale integration, which MPG cannot achieve alone. Several pairs of spectral bands of remotely sensed images were tested for integration within different cross-scale case studies. The experiment shows that MPG can restore the spatial structure of the image at a fine spatial resolution given the training image and conditioning data. The super-resolution image can be predicted using the proposed method, which cannot be realised using most data integration methods. The results show that ATPCK-MPG approach can achieve greater accuracy than methods which do not account for the change of support issue.

  1. An Ethical Basis for Autonomous System Deployment

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-09-24

    Discussion on Robo -Ethics, Amsterdam, NL, March 2008.GSU Neurophilosophy 20. Brown Bag Lunch Series, "Governing Lethal Behavior: Embedding Ethics in an...5. Implementation of responsibility advisor : An ethical permission responsibility advisor was prototyped and demonstrated in a manner fully...PTF_Interface_Final_Largev3.mpg • Demonstration of the Ethical Responsibility Advisor : http://www.cc.gatech.edu/ai/robot-lab/ethics/res-advisor.mpg

  2. Attenuation of ischemia-reperfusion-induced alterations in intracellular Ca2+ in cardiomyocytes from hearts treated with N-acetylcysteine and N-mercaptopropionylglycine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saini-Chohan, Harjot K; Dhalla, Naranjan S

    2009-12-01

    This study was undertaken to test whether Ca(2+)-handling abnormalities in cardiomyocytes after ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) are prevented by antioxidants such as N-acetyl L-cysteine (NAC), which is known to reduce oxidative stress by increasing the glutathione redox status, and N-(2-mercaptopropionyl)-glycine (MPG), which scavenges both peroxynitrite and hydroxyl radicals. For this purpose, isolated rat hearts were subjected to 30 min of global ischemia followed by 30 min of reperfusion, and cardiomyocytes were prepared to monitor changes in the intracellular concentration of free Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)). Marked depression in the left ventricular developed pressure and elevation in the left ventricular end-diastolic pressure in I/R hearts were attenuated by treatment with NAC or MPG. Cardiomyocytes obtained from I/R hearts showed an increase in the basal level of [Ca(2+)](i) as well as augmentation of the low Na(+)-induced increase in [Ca(2+)](i), with no change in the KCl-induced increase in [Ca(2+)](i). These I/R-induced alterations in Ca(2+) handling by cardiomyocytes were attenuated by treatment of hearts with NAC or MPG. Furthermore, reduction in the isoproterenol-, ATP-, ouabain-, and caffeine-induced increases in [Ca(2+)](i) in cardiomyocytes from I/R hearts were limited by treatment with NAC or MPG. The increases in the basal [Ca(2+)](i), unlike the KCl-induced increase in [Ca(2+)](i), were fully or partially prevented by both NAC and MPG upon exposing cardiomyocytes to hypoxia-reoxygenation, H(2)O(2), or a mixture of xanthine and xanthine oxidase. These results suggest that improvement in cardiac function of I/R hearts treated with NAC or MPG was associated with attenuation of changes in Ca(2+) handling by cardiomyocytes, and the results support the view that oxidative stress due to oxyradical generation and peroxynitrite formation plays an important role in the development of intracellular Ca(2+) overload in cardiomyocytes as a consequence of I/R injury.

  3. Teaching Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry in the 21st Century: Instructional Resources for Geoscience Faculty

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mogk, D. W.; Beane, R. J.; Whitney, D. L.; Nicolaysen, K. E.; Panero, W. R.; Peck, W. H.

    2011-12-01

    Mineralogy, petrology and geochemistry (MPG) are pillars of the geoscience curriculum because of their relevance in interpreting Earth history and processes, application to geo-hazards, resources, and environmental issues, and contributions to emerging fields such as geology and human health. To keep faculty current in scientific advances in these fields, and in modern instructional methods, the On the Cutting Edge program convened a workshop at the University of Minnesota in August, 2011. This workshop builds on the previous 15 year's work that has been focused on identifying, aggregating, and developing high-quality collections of teaching activities and related resources, and in building a community of scholars in support of excellence in instruction in MPG courses. The goals of the workshop were to: a) develop an integrated, comprehensive and reviewed curriculum for MPG courses, and to seek ways to make connections with the larger geoscience curriculum; b) to explore emerging topics in MPG such as geobiology and climate change; c) demonstrate effective methods in teaching MPG in the context of Earth system science; d) share effective teaching activities and strategies for the classroom, laboratory and field including advances in pedagogy, assessments and research on learning; e) keep faculty current on recent advances in mineralogy, petrology and geochemistry research and to apply these findings to our teaching; f) explore and utilize current societal and global issues that intersect mineralogy, petrology and geochemistry to heighten the relevancy of course content for students; and h) meet colleagues and foster future teaching and research collaborations. A significant outcome of this workshop is a peer reviewed of collection of 300+ existing teaching activities, and a gap analysis to identify teaching activities needed to make these collections comprehensive and coherent. In addition, a series of thematic collections were developed to assist high priority

  4. Mid-plate, mid-gyre seabed assessment program for nuclear waste disposal. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hollister, C.D.

    1976-01-01

    Status of the following tasks is reported: acoustic experiments for lateral and vertical consistency determinations; design, fabricate, and interface core launch and recovery system for C. S. LONG LINES; field test Giant Piston Core (GPC) on Bermuda Rise with LONG LINES, summer of 1976; GPC cruise to MPG-1 in October 1976; core sample analysis and data synthesis for vertical consistency; and acoustic mapping of MPG-1 for horizontal consistency

  5. A fluorescent sensor for selective detection of cyanide using mesoporous graphitic carbon(IV) nitride.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Eun Zoo; Lee, Sun Uk; Heo, Nam-Su; Stucky, Galen D; Jun, Young-Si; Hong, Won Hi

    2012-04-25

    A turn-on fluorescence sensor, Cu(2+)-c-mpg-C(3)N(4), was developed for detection of CN(-) in aqueous solution by simply mixing cubic mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (c-mpg-C(3)N(4)) and aqueous solution of Cu(NO(3))(2). The highly sensitive detection of CN(-) with a detection limit of 80 nM is not only possible in aqueous solution but also in human blood serum.

  6. sup(99m)Tc-2-mercaptopropionylglycine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saji, Hideo; Odori, Teruo; Morita, Rikushi; Yokoyama, Akira; Tanaka, Hisashi.

    1979-01-01

    Labeling of 2-mercaptopropionylglycine (2-MPG) with sup(99m)Tc, was studied and its chemical characteristics were examined. Further, biliary excretion behavior of this complex was comparatively estimated in mice, rats and rabbits. sup(99m)Tc-2-MPG was rapidly excreted in large quantities into the bile in mice and rats: within 1 hr after injection, 51% of the injected dose was recovered from the bile in rats. On the other hand, the ligand exchange reaction between this complex and penicillamine indicates that a low hydrolyzed sup(99m)Tc species is coordinated with 2-MPG. These results suggest that a low hydrolyzed sup(99m)Tc state is an effective feature in biliary excretion behavior of sup(99m)Tc compounds. Another interesting in vivo behavior of sup(99m)Tc-2-MPG is the difference observed in mice and rabbits: in mice, very high sup(99m)Tc activity is concentrated in the gallbladder and the clearance from tissues other than the gallbladder is rapid, whereas in rabbits, although a rapid and high excretion into the gallbladder is observed, a considerable high sup(99m)Tc activity is retained in the liver and the kidney. One reason for this different in vivo behavior is the low stability of this complex at high dilution: a big animal has the large dilution volume which lead to higher decomposition estimated by the higher liver and kidney retention or the lower bile excretion. In conclusion, studies carried on sup(99m)Tc-2-MPG showed a good biliary excretion behavior but an in vivo unstableness in big animals. (author)

  7. Cell penetrating peptide-modified poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles with enhanced cell internalization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steinbach, Jill M; Seo, Young-Eun; Saltzman, W Mark

    2016-01-01

    The surface modification of nanoparticles (NPs) can enhance the intracellular delivery of drugs, proteins, and genetic agents. Here we studied the effect of different surface ligands, including cell penetrating peptides (CPPs), on the cell binding and internalization of poly(lactic-co-glycolic) (PLGA) NPs. Relative to unmodified NPs, we observed that surface-modified NPs greatly enhanced cell internalization. Using one CPP, MPG (unabbreviated notation), that achieved the highest degree of internalization at both low and high surface modification densities, we evaluated the effect of two different NP surface chemistries on cell internalization. After 2h, avidin-MPG NPs enhanced cellular internalization by 5 to 26-fold relative to DSPE-MPG NP formulations. Yet, despite a 5-fold increase in MPG density on DSPE compared to Avidin NPs, both formulations resulted in similar internalization levels (48 and 64-fold, respectively) after 24h. Regardless of surface modification, all NPs were internalized through an energy-dependent, clathrin-mediated process, and became dispersed throughout the cell. Overall both Avidin- and DSPE-CPP modified NPs significantly increased internalization and offer promising delivery options for applications in which internalization presents challenges to efficacious delivery. Copyright © 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Simulation and analysis of secondary emission microwave electron gun

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He Wencan; Pei Yuanji; Jin Kai; Wu Congfeng

    2001-01-01

    The development of high-current, short-duration pulses of electrons has been a challenging problem for many year. Micro-pulse-gun (MPG) is a novel concept that employs the resonant amplification of an electron current by secondary electron emission in a RE cavity. Using the computation code URMEL-T, several kinds of RF cavities under the frequency of 2856 MHz were calculated and optimized, the magnetic and electric field distribution in them were got. Through particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation, the self-bunching process in a MPG was proved, the relationship between the cavity length and selected phase and the relationship between the peak electric field and selected phase were got. With cathode material of high secondary emission coefficient, the MPG can produce high current densities (1132-5303 A/cm 2 ) and short pulses (3.15-10 ps)

  9. Electromechanical coupling in electrostatic micro-power generators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahmoud, M A E; El-Saadany, E F; Mansour, R R; Abdel-Rahman, E M

    2010-01-01

    Electrostatic micro-power generators (MPGs) are modeled and analyzed with particular emphasis on electromechanical coupling and its impact on the system dynamics. We identify two qualitatively different regimes in the MPG response, dubbed slow and fast. A linearized electromechanically coupled model of an electrostatic MPG and two simplified linear models are used to study the response of the MPG. Linear models are found adequate to represent the dynamic response of fast MPGs but inadequate to represent the response of slow and mixed domain MPGs. A nonlinear model is developed and validated to describe the response of those MPGs under moderately large excitations. On the basis of this analysis, we describe a method and provide design rules for realizing wideband electrostatic MPGs, and develop closed-form formulae for the extracted power for MPGs under moderately large excitations

  10. SUPLEMENTASI BESI MINGGUAN MENINGKATKAN HEMOGLOBIN SAMA EFEKTIF DENGAN KOMBINASI MINGGUAN DAN HARIAN PADA REMAJA PUTRI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yeti Sutanti

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACTThe objective of this quasi experimental study was to analyze effectiveness of three iron supplementation on hemoglobin concentration of adolescent girls. Three intervention groups have received iron supplements (60 mg of iron elemental and 0.25 mg folic acid for 14 weeks in March-June 2015 in Tasikmalaya District. The groups received supplementation weekly (M, weekly and daily for ten days during menstruation period (M+Mens, and weekly and nutrition education (M+PG supplementation respectively. The result showed that the mean change of hemoglobin was not significantly different among the three groups (M+PG 0.63±1.16 g/dl, M+Mens 0.48±1.04 g/dl, and M 0.44±1.13 g/dl (p>0.05. Iron supplementation could reduce the prevalence of anaemia by 15.8% (M, 18.0% (M+Mens, and 4.9% (M+PG. Weekly iron supplementation was as effective as weekly and daily during menstruation period on hemoglobin change among adolescent girls. Iron supplementation in adolescent is better done intermittently (weekly with benefit addition the high compliance in supplement consumption.Keywords: adolescent, anaemia, hemoglobin, iron supplementationABSTRAKPenelitian kuasi eksperimental ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji perbedaan efektivitas tiga cara pemberian suplementasi besi terhadap perubahan kadar hemoglobin pada remaja putri. Tiga kelompok intervensi menerima suplemen besi (60 mg besi elemental dan 0,25 mg asam folat selama 14 minggu di Kabupaten Tasikmalaya pada bulan Maret-Juni 2015. Kelompok tersebut masing-masing menerima suplemen besi secara mingguan (M, mingguan dan setiap hari selama 10 hari menstruasi (M+Mens, serta mingguan disertai pendidikan gizi (M+PG. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa peningkatan kadar hemoglobin tidak berbeda nyata (p>0,05 pada semua kelompok perlakuan (M+PG 0,63±1,16 g/dl, M+Mens 0,48±1,04 g/dl, dan M 0,44±1,13 g/dl. Suplementasi besi dapat menurunkan prevalensi anemia masing-masing sebesar 15,8% (M, 18,0% (M+Mens dan 4,9% (M+PG

  11. Evaluation of the pathological response and prognosis following neoadjuvant chemotherapy in molecular subtypes of breast cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhao Y

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Yue Zhao,1 Xiaoqiu Dong,2 Rongguo Li,1 Xiao Ma,1 Jian Song,1 Yingjie Li,3 Dongwei Zhang1 1Department of General Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 2Department of Ultrasonography, Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 3Department of Pathology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, People’s Republic of China Background: The pathological complete response of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer correlates with the prognosis for survival. Tumors may have different prognoses according to their molecular subtypes. This study was performed to evaluate the relevance of the pathological response and prognosis following neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the molecular subtypes of breast cancer.Methods: A consecutive series of 88 patients with operable breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy was analyzed. Patients were classified into four molecular subtypes based on the immunohistochemistry profile of the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, HER2, and Ki-67. The histological response was assessed according to Miller-Payne grading (MPG and Residual Disease in Breast and Nodes (RDBN.Results: Ten patients (11.4% achieved a pathological complete response, assessed according to RDBN. The pathological complete response rate was 13.6% according to MPG. Patients with the triple-negative subtype were more likely to achieve a pathological complete response than those with luminal A breast cancer (P=0.03. MPG and RDBN are independent predictors of distant disease-free survival and local recurrence-free survival, but do not predict overall survival. Ki-67, size of invasive carcinoma, lymph nodes, molecular subtypes, MPG, and RDBN are important predictors of distant disease-free survival, local recurrence-free survival, and overall survival.Conclusion: MPG and RDBN were similarly related to the patient’s prognosis. MPG was more suitable for evaluation of distant disease

  12. Light-duty vehicle fuel economy improvements, 1979--1998: A consumer purchase model of corporate average fuel economy, fuel price, and income effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chien, David Michael

    2000-10-01

    The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975, which created fuel economy standards for automobiles and light trucks, was passed by Congress in response to the rapid rise in world oil prices as a result of the 1973 oil crisis. The standards were first implemented in 1978 for automobiles and 1979 for light trucks, and began with initial standards of 18 MPG for automobiles and 17.2 MPG for light trucks. The current fuel economy standards for 1998 have been held constant at 27.5 MPG for automobiles and 20.5 MPG for light trucks since 1990--1991. While actual new automobile fuel economy has almost doubled from 14 MPG in 1974 to 27.2 MPG in 1994, it is reasonable to ask if the CAFE standards are still needed. Each year Congress attempts to pass another increase in the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard and fails. Many have called for the abolition of CAFE standards citing the ineffectiveness of the standards in the past. In order to determine whether CAFE standards should be increased, held constant, or repealed, an evaluation of the effectiveness of the CAFE standards to date must be established. Because fuel prices were rising concurrently with the CAFE standards, many authors have attributed the rapid rise in new car fuel economy solely to fuel prices. The purpose of this dissertation is to re-examine the determinants of new car fuel economy via three effects: CAFE regulations, fuel price, and income effects. By measuring the marginal effects of the three fuel economy determinants upon consumers and manufacturers choices, for fuel economy, an estimate was made of the influence of each upon new fuel economy. The conclusions of this dissertation present some clear signals to policymakers: CAFE standards have been very effective in increasing fuel economy from 1979 to 1998. Furthermore, they have been the main cause of fuel economy improvement, with income being a much smaller component. Furthermore, this dissertation has suggested that fuel prices have

  13. Eighteen-Month Final Evaluation of UPS Second Generation Diesel Hybrid-Electric Delivery Vans

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lammert, M.; Walkowicz, K.

    2012-09-01

    A parallel hybrid-electric diesel delivery van propulsion system was evaluated at a UPS facility in Minneapolis using on-vehicle data logging, fueling, and maintenance records. Route and drive cycle analysis showed different duty cycles for hybrid vs. conventional delivery vans; routes were switched between the study groups to provide a valid comparison. The hybrids demonstrated greater advantage on the more urban routes; the initial conventional vans' routes had less dense delivery zones. The fuel economy of the hybrids on the original conventional group?s routes was 10.4 mpg vs. 9.2 mpg for the conventional group on those routes a year earlier. The hybrid group's fuel economy on the original hybrid route assignments was 9.4 mpg vs. 7.9 mpg for the conventional group on those routes a year later. There was no statistically significant difference in total maintenance cost per mile or for the vehicle total cost of operation per mile. Propulsion-related maintenance cost per mile was 77% higher for the hybrids, but only 52% more on a cost-per-delivery-day basis. Laboratory dynamometer testing demonstrated 13%-36% hybrid fuel economy improvement, depending on duty cycle, and up to a 45% improvement in ton-mi/gal. NOx emissions increased 21%-49% for the hybrids in laboratory testing.

  14. Assessment of statistical agreement of three techniques for the study of cut marks: 3D digital microscope, laser scanning confocal microscopy and micro-photogrammetry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maté-González, Miguel Ángel; Aramendi, Julia; Yravedra, José; Blasco, Ruth; Rosell, Jordi; González-Aguilera, Diego; Domínguez-Rodrigo, Manuel

    2017-09-01

    In the last few years, the study of cut marks on bone surfaces has become fundamental for the interpretation of prehistoric butchery practices. Due to the difficulties in the correct identification of cut marks, many criteria for their description and classification have been suggested. Different techniques, such as three-dimensional digital microscope (3D DM), laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) and micro-photogrammetry (M-PG) have been recently applied to the study of cut marks. Although the 3D DM and LSCM microscopic techniques are the most commonly used for the 3D identification of cut marks, M-PG has also proved to be very efficient and a low-cost method. M-PG is a noninvasive technique that allows the study of the cortical surface without any previous preparation of the samples, and that generates high-resolution models. Despite the current application of microscopic and micro-photogrammetric techniques to taphonomy, their reliability has never been tested. In this paper, we compare 3D DM, LSCM and M-PG in order to assess their resolution and results. In this study, we analyse 26 experimental cut marks generated with a metal knife. The quantitative and qualitative information registered is analysed by means of standard multivariate statistics and geometric morphometrics to assess the similarities and differences obtained with the different methodologies. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2017 Royal Microscopical Society.

  15. Nanoparticle (MPG)-mediated delivery of small RNAs into human ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The cellular membrane constitutes an effective barrier that protects the complex, yet highly ordered, intracellular compartment of the cell. Passage of molecules across this barrier is highly regulated and highly restricted. Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) are a class of small cationic peptides that are able to defy the rules of ...

  16. Space Launch System (SLS) Mission Planner's Guide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, David Alan

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this Space Launch System (SLS) Mission Planner's Guide (MPG) is to provide future payload developers/users with sufficient insight to support preliminary SLS mission planning. Consequently, this SLS MPG is not intended to be a payload requirements document; rather, it organizes and details SLS interfaces/accommodations in a manner similar to that of current Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) user guides to support early feasibility assessment. Like ELV Programs, once approved to fly on SLS, specific payload requirements will be defined in unique documentation.

  17. Sildenafil Attenuates Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Pelvic Ganglia Neurons after Bilateral Cavernosal Nerve Damage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leah A. Garcia

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Erectile dysfunction is a common complication for patients undergoing surgeries for prostate, bladder, and colorectal cancers, due to damage of the nerves associated with the major pelvic ganglia (MPG. Functional re-innervation of target organs depends on the capacity of the neurons to survive and switch towards a regenerative phenotype. PDE5 inhibitors (PDE5i have been successfully used in promoting the recovery of erectile function after cavernosal nerve damage (BCNR by up-regulating the expression of neurotrophic factors in MPG. However, little is known about the effects of PDE5i on markers of neuronal damage and oxidative stress after BCNR. This study aimed to investigate the changes in gene and protein expression profiles of inflammatory, anti-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress related-pathways in MPG neurons after BCNR and subsequent treatment with sildenafil. Our results showed that BCNR in Fisher-344 rats promoted up-regulation of cytokines (interleukin- 1 (IL-1 β, IL-6, IL-10, transforming growth factor β 1 (TGFβ1, and oxidative stress factors (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH oxidase, Myeloperoxidase (MPO, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS, TNF receptor superfamily member 5 (CD40 that were normalized by sildenafil treatment given in the drinking water. In summary, PDE5i can attenuate the production of damaging factors and can up-regulate the expression of beneficial factors in the MPG that may ameliorate neuropathic pain, promote neuroprotection, and favor nerve regeneration.

  18. Performance of electric and hybrid vehicles at the 1995 American Tour de Sol

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Quong, S.; LeBlanc, N.; Buitrago, C.; Duoba, M.; Larsen, R.

    1995-12-31

    Energy consumption and performance data were collected on more than 40 electric and hybrid vehicles during the 1995 American Tour de Sol. At this competition, one electric vehicle drove 229 miles on one charge using nickel metalhydride batteries. The results obtained from the data show that electric vehicle efficiencies reached 9.07 mi./kWh or 70 equivalent mpg of gasoline when compared to the total energy cycle efficiency of electricity and gasoline. A gasoline-fueled 1995 Geo Metro that drove the same route attained 36.4 mpg.

  19. [Legal aspects of reuse and re-sterilization of disposable products in the hospital].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bohle, T

    2000-06-01

    What consequences may follow if the hospital administration decides to introduce recycling and resterilisation of disposable medical products? While some consider the chief executive administrators and doctors to be seriously endangered by the legal implications of the German Medical Products Act (MPG), others consider recycling and resterilisation to be clearly admissible. A closer look at what constitutes an offence as described in sec. 43, para 1 No. 1 of the MPG reveals that mere presumptions do not suffice to incur the respective penalties; rather, a concrete, scientifically sound basis for assuming an endangerment of safety or health are required for penal measures to be justified. The manufacturer's designation "for once-only use" may not be considered "intended purpose" as stipulated in sec. 4, para 1 No. 1 of the MPG. If recycling or resterilisation be confined to self-made disposables, there is no necessity for CE marking. Information of the patient and individual documentation must be extended to cover the use of recycled or resterilised disposable products only if the use of the latter may constitute a significant additional danger to the patient.

  20. Partial prevention of tritium induced uterine involution in mice by 2-mercaptopropionylglycine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mathur, S.P.; Patni, N.; Popli, M.K.; Dev, P.K.

    1986-01-01

    Pregnant Swiss albino mice were given on day 11.25 post conception a priming intraperitoneal (i.p) injection of tritiated water at the activity levels 37, 74 or 185 kBq/ml body water, in the absence (control) or presence (experimental) of 2-mercapto-propionylglycine (MPG), 20 mg/kg body weight, given intraperitoneally 30 minutes before the tritium administration. The females were subsequently maintained on tritiated drinking water until term, at the above activity, in the control series. The animals of the experimental series received in addition a daily i.p. injection of MPG at the same time of the day, until term. A third series received a daily injection of the drug, but no tritium, at the same dose rate. None of the females from the control series had parturition, and a gradual decline in their weight was recorded, exhibiting resorption. Treatment with MPG led to an obvious increase in embryonic survival in all groups, and even in the 185 kBq group two-thirds of the females had parturition. (orig.)

  1. Unterstützung des Grünen Weges zu Open Access an der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft / Support of the Green Road to Open Access within the Max Planck Society

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lengenfelder, Anja

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available The Max Planck Society (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft; MPG with equal weight supports both the Golden and Green Road to Open Access in practice and politically in a sustainable way.In the context of the Green Road it runs with eDoc a central institutional repository for the MPG. The software of the same name is an in-house development. Based on the experiences and wishes of the users, currently, a new application (PubMan which is built upon the eSciDoc framework is introduced within the institutes. eSciDoc is a co-operation with the FIZ Karlsruhe and is funded until 2009 by the BMBF. All applications and services are Open Source and can therefore be re-used and be further developed. Apart from the development and maintenance of technical infrastructures, the Green Road within the MPG is furthered via direct and indirect personal support for scientists during the publication process. In this regard the close exchange between single Max Planck Institutes, the Max Planck Digital Library and other national and international partners plays an important role. With the Berlin Declaration in 2003 and currently in the Priority Initiative “Digital Information” of the Alliance of the German Research Organizations this commitment for Open Access is also politically represented.In this article are introduced and explained both eDoc and PubMan respectively as well as the Open Access Policy of the MPG with a special focus on the activities within the Green Road.

  2. Prognostic Value of Exercise-Stress Echocardiography in Asymptomatic Patients With Aortic Valve Stenosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goublaire, Coppelia; Melissopoulou, Maria; Lobo, David; Kubota, Naozumi; Verdonk, Constance; Cimadevilla, Claire; Codogno, Isabelle; Brochet, Eric; Vahanian, Alec; Messika-Zeitoun, David

    2017-07-19

    This study sought to evaluate the prognostic value of mean pressure gradient (MPG) increase and peak systolic pulmonary artery pressure (SPAP) measured during exercise stress echocardiography in asymptomatic patients with aortic stenosis (AS). Exercise testing is recommended in asymptomatic AS patients, but the additional value of exercise-stress echocardiography, especially the prognostic value of MPG increase and peak SPAP, is still debated. We enrolled all consecutive patients with pure, isolated, asymptomatic AS and preserved ejection fraction ≥50% and normal SPAP (20 mm Hg and/or SPAP at peak exercise >60 mm Hg). These 112 patients were managed conservatively. During a mean follow-up of 14 ± 8 months, an AS-related event occurred in 30 patients, and 25 patients underwent surgery. Neither MPG increase >20 mm Hg nor peak SPAP >60 mm Hg was predictive of occurrence of AS-related events or aortic valve replacement (all p > 0.20). In contrast, baseline AS severity was an important prognostic factor (all p < 0.01). In this observational study including 148 patients with asymptomatic AS, we confirmed and extended the importance of exercise testing for unveiling functional limitation. More importantly, neither the increase in MPG nor in SPAP at peak exercise was predictive of outcome. Our results do not support the use of these parameters in risk-stratification and clinical management of asymptomatic AS patients. Copyright © 2017 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Beneficial Effects of N-acetylcysteine and N-mercaptopropionylglycine on Ischemia Reperfusion Injury in the Heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartekova, Monika; Barancik, Miroslav; Ferenczyova, Kristina; Dhalla, Naranjan S

    2018-01-30

    Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury of the heart as a consequence of myocardial infarction or cardiac surgery represents a serious clinical problem. One of the most prominent mechanisms of I/R injury is the development of oxidative stress in the heart. In this regard, I/R has been shown to enhance the production of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species in the heart which lead to the imbalance between the pro-oxidants and antioxidant capacities of the endogenous radical-scavenging systems. Increasing the antioxidant capacity of the heart by the administration of exogenous antioxidants is considered beneficial for the heart exposed to I/R. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and Nmercaptopropionylglycine (MPG) are two sulphur containing amino acid substances, which belong to the broad category of exogenous antioxidants that have been tested for their protective potential in cardiac I/R injury. Pretreatment of hearts with both NAC and MPG has demonstrated that these agents attenuate the I/R-induced alterations in sarcolemma, sarcoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria and myofibrils in addition to improving cardiac function. While experimental studies have revealed promising data suggesting beneficial effects of NAC and MPG in cardiac I/R injury, the results of clinical trials are not conclusive because both positive and no effects of these substances have been reported on the post-ischemic recovery of heart following cardiac surgery or myocardial infarction. It is concluded that both NAC and MPG exert beneficial effects in preventing the I/Rinduced injury; however, further studies are needed to establish their effectiveness in reversing the I/R-induced abnormalities in the heart. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  4. High-temperature effects on the electrical properties and macrostructure of carbon composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhmurikov, E.I.; Gubin, K.V.; Romanenko, A.I.; Anikeeva, O.B.; Burgina, E.B.; Tsybulya, S.V.; Titov, A.T.; Tecchito, L.

    2006-01-01

    Conductivity of samples of carbon composites MPG-6 and MPG-7 as starting ones, so and after irradiation by powerful electron beam with the energy of 1.4 MeV and heating by alternative current to temperatures beyond 2500 Deg C is measured. Heating and irradiation as shown to rise of decreasing the conductivity of the samples and increasing the defectiveness at a level of microstructure. Sensible changing of the microstructure in the samples during heating up to temperature of decomposition does not indicate by X-ray analysis. It is excepted that the strength of carbon composites is limited by intercrystalline or intergranular boundaries [ru

  5. Semiconservative and unscheduled DNA-synthesis of rat thymocytes under the influence of some radioprotecting and radiosensitizing agents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tempel, K.; Wulffius-Kock, M.; Winkle, J.; Schmerold, I.

    1982-02-01

    The effects of aminoethylisothiuroniumbromide (AET), cysteamine (CY-A), cysteine (CY-E), glutathione (GLU), mercaptoethanol (MA), mercaptopropionylglycine (MPG), N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), metronidazole (MNA), nitroacetophenone (NAP), nitrofurazone (NFA), arabinofuranosylcytosine (araC), fluorouracil (FU), adriamycin (AM), ethidiumbromide (E), bleomycin (BM), and diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC) on the semiconservative and unscheduled incorporation of /sup 3/H-thymidine into the DNA were tested on rat thymocytes in vitro. DNA damage has been measured using the hydroxylapatite system. Unscheduled DNA synthesis was induced by UV-light and/or X-irradiation. The semiconservative DNA synthesis was inhibited by the above substances-with exception of MA and MPG. Aminothioles, NAP, NFA, and BM enhanced, araC, FU, AM, E, and DDC diminished unscheduled DNA synthesis. After alkaline unwinding, the duplex form of DNA decreased under the influence of CY-A, CY-E, GLU, MPG, NEM, NAP, NFA, araC, FU, AM, E, and BM. It is suggested that stimulation of unscheduled DNA synthesis combined with a transient decrease of semiconservative DNA synthesis will amplify the DNA repair capacity of thymocytes, whereas radiation damage may be intensified by araC, FU, AM,E, and DDC - at least partly, through inhibition of unscheduled DNA synthesis. With respect to the action of NAP, NFA, and BM, DNA repair may be concerned in a more indirect manner.

  6. Semiconservative and unscheduled DNA-synthesis of rat thymocytes under the influence of some radioprotecting and radiosensitizing agents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tempel, K.; Wulffius-Kock, M.; Winkle, J.; Schmerold, I.

    1982-01-01

    The effects of aminoethylisothiuroniumbromide (AET), cysteamine (CY-A), cysteine (CY-E), glutathione (GLU), mercaptoethanol (MA), mercaptopropionylglycine (MPG), N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), metronidazole (MNA), nitroacetophenone (NAP), nitrofurazone (NFA), arabinofuranosylcytosine (araC), fluorouracil (FU), adriamycin (AM), ethidiumbromide (E), bleomycin (BM), and diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC) on the semiconservative and unscheduled incorporation of 3 H-thymidine into the DNA were tested on rat thymocytes in vitro. DNA damage has been measured using the hydroxylapatite system. Unscheduled DNA synthesis was induced by UV-light and/or X-irradiation. The semiconservative DNA synthesis was inhibited by the above subtrances-with exception of MA and MPG. Aminothioles, NAP, NFA, and BM enhanced, araC, FU, AM, E, and DDC diminished unscheduled DNA synthesis. After alkaline unwinding, the duplex form of DNA decreased under the influence of CY-A, CY-E, GLU, MPG, NEM, NAP, NFA, araC, FU, AM, E, and BM. It is suggested that stimulation of unscheduled DNA synthesis combined with a transient decrease of semiconservative DNA synthesis will amplify the DNA repair capacity of thymocytes, whereas radiation damage may be intensified by araC, FU, AM,E, and DDC - at least partly, through inhibition of unscheduled DNA synthesis. With respect to the action of NAP, NFA, and BM, DNA repair may be concerned in a more indirect manner. (orig.) [de

  7. Validation Testing of a Peridynamic Impact Damage Model Using NASA's Micro-Particle Gun

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baber, Forrest E.; Zelinski, Brian J.; Guven, Ibrahim; Gray, Perry

    2017-01-01

    Through a collaborative effort between the Virginia Commonwealth University and Raytheon, a peridynamic model for sand impact damage has been developed1-3. Model development has focused on simulating impacts of sand particles on ZnS traveling at velocities consistent with aircraft take-off and landing speeds. The model reproduces common features of impact damage including pit and radial cracks, and, under some conditions, lateral cracks. This study focuses on a preliminary validation exercise in which simulation results from the peridynamic model are compared to a limited experimental data set generated by NASA's recently developed micro-particle gun (MPG). The MPG facility measures the dimensions and incoming and rebound velocities of the impact particles. It also links each particle to a specific impact site and its associated damage. In this validation exercise parameters of the peridynamic model are adjusted to fit the experimentally observed pit diameter, average length of radial cracks and rebound velocities for 4 impacts of 300 µm glass beads on ZnS. Results indicate that a reasonable fit of these impact characteristics can be obtained by suitable adjustment of the peridynamic input parameters, demonstrating that the MPG can be used effectively as a validation tool for impact modeling and that the peridynamic sand impact model described herein possesses not only a qualitative but also a quantitative ability to simulate sand impact events.

  8. A non-covalent peptide-based strategy for ex vivo and in vivo oligonucleotide delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crombez, Laurence; Morris, May C; Heitz, Frederic; Divita, Gilles

    2011-01-01

    The dramatic acceleration in identification of new nucleic acid-based therapeutic molecules such as short interfering RNA (siRNA) and peptide-nucleic acid (PNA) analogues has provided new perspectives for therapeutic targeting of specific genes responsible for pathological disorders. However, the poor cellular uptake of nucleic acids together with the low permeability of the cell membrane to negatively charged molecules remain major obstacles to their clinical development. Several non-viral strategies have been proposed to improve the delivery of synthetic short oligonucleotides both in cultured cells and in vivo. Cell-penetrating peptides constitute very promising tools for non-invasive cellular import of oligonucleotides and analogs. We recently described a non-covalent strategy based on short amphiphatic peptides (MPG8/PEP3) that have been successfully applied ex vivo and in vivo for the delivery of therapeutic siRNA and PNA molecules. PEP3 and MPG8 form stable nanoparticles with PNA analogues and siRNA, respectively, and promote their efficient cellular uptake, independently of the endosomal pathway, into a wide variety of cell lines, including primary and suspension lines, without any associated cytotoxicity. This chapter describes easy-to-handle protocols for the use of MPG-8 or PEP-3-nanoparticle technologies for PNA and siRNA delivery into adherent and suspension cell lines as well as in vivo into cancer mouse models.

  9. Development of a bead-based multiplex genotyping method for diagnostic characterization of HPV infection.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mee Young Chung

    Full Text Available The accurate genotyping of human papillomavirus (HPV is clinically important because the oncogenic potential of HPV is dependent on specific genotypes. Here, we described the development of a bead-based multiplex HPV genotyping (MPG method which is able to detect 20 types of HPV (15 high-risk HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 53, 56, 58, 59, 66, 68 and 5 low-risk HPV types 6, 11, 40, 55, 70 and evaluated its accuracy with sequencing. A total of 890 clinical samples were studied. Among these samples, 484 were HPV positive and 406 were HPV negative by consensus primer (PGMY09/11 directed PCR. The genotyping of 484 HPV positive samples was carried out by the bead-based MPG method. The accuracy was 93.5% (95% CI, 91.0-96.0, 80.1% (95% CI, 72.3-87.9 for single and multiple infections, respectively, while a complete type mismatch was observed only in one sample. The MPG method indiscriminately detected dysplasia of several cytological grades including 71.8% (95% CI, 61.5-82.3 of ASCUS (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance and more specific for high grade lesions. For women with HSIL (high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion and SCC diagnosis, 32 women showed a PPV (positive predictive value of 77.3% (95% CI, 64.8-89.8. Among women >40 years of age, 22 women with histological cervical cancer lesions showed a PPV of 88% (95% CI, 75.3-100. Of the highest risk HPV types including HPV-16, 18 and 31 positive women of the same age groups, 34 women with histological cervical cancer lesions showed a PPV of 77.3% (95% CI, 65.0-89.6. Taken together, the bead-based MPG method could successfully detect high-grade lesions and high-risk HPV types with a high degree of accuracy in clinical samples.

  10. In-use fuel economy of hybrid-electric school buses in Iowa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hallmark, Shauna; Sperry, Bob; Mudgal, Abhisek

    2011-05-01

    Although it is much safer and more fuel-efficient to transport children to school in buses than in private vehicles, school buses in the United States still consume 822 million gal of diesel fuel annually, and school transportation costs can account for a significant portion of resource-constrained school district budgets. Additionally, children in diesel-powered school buses may be exposed to higher levels of particulates and other pollutants than children in cars. One solution to emission and fuel concerns is use of hybrid-electric school buses, which have the potential to reduce emissions and overall lifecycle costs compared with conventional diesel buses. Hybrid-electric technologies are available in the passenger vehicle market as well as the transit bus market and have a track record indicating fuel economy and emissions benefits. This paper summarizes the results of an in-use fuel economy evaluation for two plug-in hybrid school buses deployed in two different school districts in Iowa. Each school district selected a control bus with a route similar to that of the hybrid bus. Odometer readings, fuel consumption, and maintenance needs were recorded for each bus. The buses were deployed in 2008 and data were collected through May 2010. Fuel consumption was calculated for each school district. In Nevada, IA, the overall average fuel economy was 8.23 mpg for the hybrid and 6.35 mpg for the control bus. In Sigourney, IA, the overall average fuel economy was 8.94 mpg for the hybrid and 6.42 mpg for the control bus. The fuel consumption data were compared for the hybrid and control buses using a Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results indicate that fuel economy for the Nevada hybrid bus was 29.6% better than for the Nevada control bus, and fuel economy for the Sigourney hybrid bus was 39.2% higher than for the Sigourney control bus. Both differences were statistically significant.

  11. Early lactation production, health, and welfare characteristics of cows selected for extended lactation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lehmann, J O; Mogensen, L; Kristensen, T

    2017-02-01

    Some cows are able to achieve relatively high milk yields during extended lactations beyond 305 d in milk, and farmers may be able to use this potential by selecting the most suitable cows for an extended lactation. However, the decision to postpone insemination has to rely on information available in early lactation. The main objectives of this study were, therefore, to assess the association between the information available in early lactation and the relative milk production of cows on extended lactation, and to investigate if this information can be used to differentiate time of first insemination between cows. Data came from 4 Danish private herds practicing extended lactation in which some cows are selected to have a delayed time of planned first insemination. Average herd size varied from 93 to 157 cows, and milk yield varied from 7,842 to 12,315 kg of energy-corrected milk (ECM) per cow per year across herds. The analysis was based on 422 completed extended lactations (427 ± 87 d), and each lactation was assigned to 1 of 3 (low, medium, and high) milk performance groups (MPG) within parity group within herd based on a standardized lactation yield. For cows in the high MPG, peak ECM yield, and ECM yield at dry off were significantly greater, the relative reduction in milk yield between 60 and 305 d in milk was significantly smaller, and a smaller proportion had a body condition score (scale: 1-5) at dry off of 3.5 or greater compared with cows in low MPG. Previous lactation days in milk at peak ECM yield and ECM yield at dry off were higher, the relative reduction in milk yield between 60 and 305 d in milk was smaller, and the number of inseminations per conception was higher for multiparous cows in high MPG compared with low. Current lactation ECM yield at second and third milk recording were greater for cows in high MPG compared with low. A principal component analysis indicated that variables related to fertility, diseases, and milk yield explained most

  12. Velocity ratio predicts outcomes in patients with low gradient severe aortic stenosis and preserved EF

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jander, Nikolaus; Hochholzer, Willibald; Kaufmann, Beat A

    2014-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the usefulness of velocity ratio (VR) in patients with low gradient severe aortic stenosis (LGSAS) and preserved EF. BACKGROUND: LGSAS despite preserved EF represents a clinically challenging entity. Reliance on mean pressure gradient (MPG) may underestimate stenosis severity...... for severe stenosis. We hypothesised that VR may have conceptual advantages over MPG and AVA, predict clinical outcomes and thereby be useful in the management of patients with LGSAS. METHODS: Patients from the prospective Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis (SEAS) study with an AVA...≤40 mm Hg and EF≥55% and asymptomatic at baseline were stratified according to VR with a cut-off value of 0.25. Outcomes were evaluated according to aortic valve-related events and cardiovascular death. RESULTS: Of 435 patients with LGSAS, 197 (45%) had VRVR≥0...

  13. Purex canyon exhaust fan bearing temperature monitoring system doric 245 datalogger programming

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blackaby, W.B.

    1994-01-01

    A micro-processor based datalogger is used to monitor, display, and log seventeen RTD temperature channels. Five bearings are monitored for each of the three electric motor-fan assemblies and two bearings are monitored on the steam turbine unit. Several alarms per data channel (a High alarm at 236 degrees and a High High alarm at 246 degrees F) will alert the operation's staff to increasing abnormal bearing temperatures. This procedure is cross-referenced to the manufacturers manual. All programming steps will have the following footnote: Mpg x-xx. The Mpg refers to the Manual page, with x as the section number and xx as the page number in that section. When more information is needed, such as pictures or details, then the manual section and page number is provided

  14. Green Vehicle Guide

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... label Buy green. Save green. Learn about MPG math Discover fuel-saving tips Promote green ... U.S. consumers who have already purchased new vehicles under the fuel economy & greenhouse gas standard! More about the standards » Check ...

  15. High-capacity nanocarbon anodes for lithium-ion batteries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Haitao; Sun, Xianzhong; Zhang, Xiong; Lin, He; Wang, Kai; Ma, Yanwei

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • The nanocarbon anodes in lithium-ion batteries deliver a high capacity of ∼1100 mA h g −1 . • The nanocarbon anodes exhibit excellent cyclic stability. • A novel structure of carbon materials, hollow carbon nanoboxes, has potential application in lithium-ion batteries. - Abstract: High energy and power density of secondary cells like lithium-ion batteries become much more important in today’s society. However, lithium-ion battery anodes based on graphite material have theoretical capacity of 372 mA h g −1 and low charging-discharging rate. Here, we report that nanocarbons including mesoporous graphene (MPG), carbon tubular nanostructures (CTN), and hollow carbon nanoboxes (HCB) are good candidate for lithium-ion battery anodes. The nanocarbon anodes have high capacity of ∼1100, ∼600, and ∼500 mA h g −1 at 0.1 A g −1 for MPG, CTN, and HCB, respectively. The capacity of 181, 141, and 139 mA h g −1 at 4 A g −1 for MPG, CTN, and HCB anodes is retained. Besides, nanocarbon anodes show high cycling stability during 1000 cycles, indicating formation of a passivating layer—solid electrolyte interphase, which support long-term cycling. Nanocarbons, constructed with graphene layers which fulfill lithiation/delithiation process, high ratio of graphite edge structure, and high surface area which facilitates capacitive behavior, deliver high capacity and improved rate-capability

  16. Retirement of Massimo Tarenghi

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madsen, C.

    2013-09-01

    Massimo Tarenghi, chronologically MPG/ESO project scientist, NTT project manager, VLT programme manager and first Director, ALMA Director and ESO Representative in Chile, has retired after 35 years at ESO. A brief summary of his achievements is presented.

  17. Using Strategy Improvement to Stay Alive

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luboš Brim

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available We design a novel algorithm for solving Mean-Payoff Games (MPGs. Besides solving an MPG in the usual sense, our algorithm computes more information about the game, information that is important with respect to applications. The weights of the edges of an MPG can be thought of as a gained/consumed energy -- depending on the sign. For each vertex, our algorithm computes the minimum amount of initial energy that is sufficient for player Max to ensure that in a play starting from the vertex, the energy level never goes below zero. Our algorithm is not the first algorithm that computes the minimum sufficient initial energies, but according to our experimental study it is the fastest algorithm that computes them. The reason is that it utilizes the strategy improvement technique which is very efficient in practice.

  18. Summary of fuel economy performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-12-09

    This report contains estimated fleet production numbers and CAFE figures obtained from pre-model year (source I) and mid-model year (source 2) documents assembled prior to or during the model year. The actual mpg values reported to EPA at the end of ...

  19. Optimal Control to Increase Energy Production of Wind Farm Considering Wake Effect and Lifetime Estimation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tian, Jie; Zhou, Dao; Su, Chi

    2017-01-01

    as an example. Due to the small range of the effective wake area, it is found that the energy production is almost the same. Finally, the pitch angle curve and active power curve are optimized according to the Maximum Energy Production (MEP) of a wind farm. Upon considering and contrasting the MPPT method...... to maximize the energy production of wind farms by considering the wake effect and the lifetime of wind turbine. It starts with the analysis of the pitch angle curve and active power curve seen from the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) of individual wind turbines. Taking the wake effect into account......, the pitch angle curve and active power curve are optimized with the aim of Maximum Power Generation (MPG) of the wind farm. Afterwards, considering the lifetime of wind turbines, a comparison is offered between the MPPT method and the MPG method for energy production using a simplified two-turbine wind farm...

  20. Appendix V: property acquisition and model development for biological uptake and movement of radionuclides in the oceans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, K.

    1981-01-01

    This research is concerned with measuring the activity rates of populations and communities of organisms and sampling the abyssopelagic fauna which occupy the deep-sea benthic boundary layer. This research can be divided into two broad components: (1) the sediment community; and (2) the benthopelagic and/or abyssopelagic fauna. Sediment community metabolism in the MPG-I area ranges from 0.07 to 0.15 ml O 2 m -2 hr -1 . These rates are comparable to similar measurements made at oligotrophic western North Atlantic stations. Nutrient flux measurements across the sediment-water interface reveal considerable variation with a general trend showing release of NH 4 , NO 3 , and NO 2 from the sediments. These flux rates are lower than those measured in the western North Atlantic. Abyssopelagic faunal sampling with a free vehicle gill net and baited trap system in the MPG-I area imply active vertical transport of food energy between the bottom and midwater depths up to 1220m altitude

  1. TADtool: visual parameter identification for TAD-calling algorithms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kruse, Kai; Hug, Clemens B; Hernández-Rodríguez, Benjamín; Vaquerizas, Juan M

    2016-10-15

    Eukaryotic genomes are hierarchically organized into topologically associating domains (TADs). The computational identification of these domains and their associated properties critically depends on the choice of suitable parameters of TAD-calling algorithms. To reduce the element of trial-and-error in parameter selection, we have developed TADtool: an interactive plot to find robust TAD-calling parameters with immediate visual feedback. TADtool allows the direct export of TADs called with a chosen set of parameters for two of the most common TAD calling algorithms: directionality and insulation index. It can be used as an intuitive, standalone application or as a Python package for maximum flexibility. TADtool is available as a Python package from GitHub (https://github.com/vaquerizaslab/tadtool) or can be installed directly via PyPI, the Python package index (tadtool). kai.kruse@mpi-muenster.mpg.de, jmv@mpi-muenster.mpg.deSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

  2. Secondary structure of cell-penetrating peptides during interaction with fungal cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Zifan; Ikonomova, Svetlana P; Karlsson, Amy J

    2018-03-01

    Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are peptides that cross cell membranes, either alone or while carrying molecular cargo. Although their interactions with mammalian cells have been widely studied, much less is known about their interactions with fungal cells, particularly at the biophysical level. We analyzed the interactions of seven CPPs (penetratin, Pep-1, MPG, pVEC, TP-10, MAP, and cecropin B) with the fungal pathogen Candida albicans using experiments and molecular simulations. Circular dichroism (CD) of the peptides revealed a structural transition from a random coil or weak helix to an α-helix occurs for all peptides when the solvent is changed from aqueous to hydrophobic. However, CD performed in the presence of C. albicans cells showed that proximity to the cell membrane is not necessarily sufficient to induce this structural transition, as penetratin, Pep-1, and MPG did not display a structural shift in the presence of cells. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to further probe the molecular-level interaction with the cell membrane, and these simulations suggested that pVEC, TP-10, MAP, and cecropin B strongly penetrate into the hydrophobic domain of the membrane lipid bilayer, inducing a transition to an α-helical conformation. In contrast, penetratin, Pep-1 and MPG remained in the hydrophilic region without a shift in conformation. The experimental data and MC simulations combine to explain how peptide structure affects their interaction with cells and their mechanism of translocation into cells (direct translocation vs. endocytosis). Our work also highlights the utility of combining biophysical experiments, biological experiments, and molecular modeling to understand biological phenomena. © 2017 The Protein Society.

  3. Master of Public Governance (MPG) Students Doing Leadership Experiments in Their Own Praxis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Meier, Frank; Kjærgaard, Annemette; Tangkjær, Christian

    The paper is a self-critical conceptual analysis of the framing of our pedagogical practice regarding the use of experiments in leadership development in public management programmes. We suggest that we may need to understand more properly the socio-spatial dynamics making experiments possible (or...... be facilitated to explore our two research questions: A. what are the preconditions for the experiment to exist and become a strong pedagogical vehicle in a leadership programme and B. what kind of experiment is afforded by each arrangement? Facilitating the professional practitioner’s learning through...... the design of experiments taking place in the practitioner’s own organization builds on a critical pedagogy that points to the need of including the professional practitioner’s professional experience and identity in the learning process. In our understanding, the context of public leadership in contemporary...

  4. Cost-Benefit Analysis of Implementing a Car-Sharing Model to the Navy’s Passenger Vehicle Fleet

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-12-01

    Project Life (CY$). ....................................................................................58 Table 22. Annual Fuel Consumption per...Information Technology JAX Jacksonville, FL MIDLANT Mid-Atlantic MIDWEST Mid-Western MPG Miles per Gallon MSRP Manufacturers Suggested Retail ...which is not present in the other options. a. Operational Command Lease Process Although operational commands experience periods in which no

  5. Base excision repair deficient mice lacking the Aag alkyladenine DNA glycosylase.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    B.P. Engelward (Bevin); G. Weeda (Geert); M.D. Wyatt; J.L.M. Broekhof (Jose'); J. de Wit (Jan); I. Donker (Ingrid); J.M. Allan (James); B. Gold (Bert); J.H.J. Hoeijmakers (Jan); L.D. Samson (Leona)

    1997-01-01

    textabstract3-methyladenine (3MeA) DNA glycosylases remove 3MeAs from alkylated DNA to initiate the base excision repair pathway. Here we report the generation of mice deficient in the 3MeA DNA glycosylase encoded by the Aag (Mpg) gene. Alkyladenine DNA glycosylase turns out to be the major DNA

  6. Ammonia Synthesis using Ti and Nb Nitride Nano-particles Prepared by Mesoporous Graphitic C3N4

    KAUST Repository

    Kumagai, Hiromu; Takanabe, Kazuhiro; Kubota, Jun; Domen, Kazunari

    2015-01-01

    TiN and NbN nanoparticles were synthesized from mesoporous graphitic C3N4 (mpg-C3N4) as a reactive template and used as the catalyst for ammonia synthesis. The obtained TiN and NbN nanoparticles possess high surface areas of 299 and 275 m2 g-1

  7. Synthesis of tantalum carbide and nitride nanoparticles using a reactive mesoporous template for electrochemical hydrogen evolution

    KAUST Repository

    Alhajri, Nawal Saad; Yoshida, Hiroshi; Anjum, Dalaver H.; Garcia Esparza, Angel T.; Kubota, Jun; Domen, Kazunari; Takanabe, Kazuhiro

    2013-01-01

    Tantalum carbide and nitride nanocrystals were prepared through the reaction of a tantalum precursor with mesoporous graphitic (mpg)-C 3N4. The effects of the reaction temperature, the ratio of the Ta precursor to the reactive template (mpg-C3N4), and the selection of the carrier gas (Ar, N2 and NH3) on the resultant crystal phases and structures were investigated. The produced samples were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), CHN elemental analyses, thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), nitrogen sorption, a temperature-programmed reaction with mass spectroscopy (MS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicate that the different tantalum phases with cubic structure, TaN, Ta2CN, and TaC, can be formed under a flow of nitrogen when formed at different temperatures. The Ta3N5 phase with a Ta5+ oxidation state was solely obtained at 1023 K under a flow of ammonia, which gasified the C 3N4 template and was confirmed by detecting the decomposed gaseous products via MS. Significantly, the formation of TaC, Ta2CN, and TaN can be controlled by altering the weight ratio of the C 3N4 template relative to the Ta precursor at 1573 K under a flow of nitrogen. The high C3N4/Ta precursor ratio generally resulted in high carbide content rather than a nitride one, consistent with the role of mpg-C3N4 as a carbon source. Electrochemical measurements revealed that the synthesized nanomaterials were consistently able to produce hydrogen under acidic conditions (pH 1). The obtained Tafel slope indicates that the rate-determining step is the Volmer discharge step, which is consistent with adsorbed hydrogen being weakly bound to the surface during electrocatalysis. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

  8. Permutation importance: a corrected feature importance measure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altmann, André; Toloşi, Laura; Sander, Oliver; Lengauer, Thomas

    2010-05-15

    In life sciences, interpretability of machine learning models is as important as their prediction accuracy. Linear models are probably the most frequently used methods for assessing feature relevance, despite their relative inflexibility. However, in the past years effective estimators of feature relevance have been derived for highly complex or non-parametric models such as support vector machines and RandomForest (RF) models. Recently, it has been observed that RF models are biased in such a way that categorical variables with a large number of categories are preferred. In this work, we introduce a heuristic for normalizing feature importance measures that can correct the feature importance bias. The method is based on repeated permutations of the outcome vector for estimating the distribution of measured importance for each variable in a non-informative setting. The P-value of the observed importance provides a corrected measure of feature importance. We apply our method to simulated data and demonstrate that (i) non-informative predictors do not receive significant P-values, (ii) informative variables can successfully be recovered among non-informative variables and (iii) P-values computed with permutation importance (PIMP) are very helpful for deciding the significance of variables, and therefore improve model interpretability. Furthermore, PIMP was used to correct RF-based importance measures for two real-world case studies. We propose an improved RF model that uses the significant variables with respect to the PIMP measure and show that its prediction accuracy is superior to that of other existing models. R code for the method presented in this article is available at http://www.mpi-inf.mpg.de/ approximately altmann/download/PIMP.R CONTACT: altmann@mpi-inf.mpg.de, laura.tolosi@mpi-inf.mpg.de Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

  9. Neutral lipids associated with haemozoin mediate efficient and rapid β-haematin formation at physiological pH, temperature and ionic composition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ambele Melvin A

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The malaria parasite disposes of host-derived ferrihaem (iron(IIIprotoporphyrin IX, Fe(IIIPPIX by conversion to crystalline haemozoin in close association with neutral lipids. Lipids mediate synthetic haemozoin (β-haematin formation very efficiently. However, the effect on reaction rates of concentrations of lipid, Fe(IIIPPIX and physiologically relevant ions and biomolecules are unknown. Methods Lipid emulsions containing Fe(IIIPPIX were prepared in aqueous medium (pH 4.8, 37°C to mediate β-haematin formation. The reaction was quenched at various times and free Fe(IIIPPIX measured colorimetrically as a pyridine complex and the kinetics and yields analysed. Products were also characterized by FTIR, TEM and electron diffraction. Autofluorescence was also used to monitor β-haematin formation by confocal microscopy. Results At fixed Fe(IIIPPIX concentration, β-haematin yields remained constant with decreasing lipid concentration until a cut-off ratio was reached whereupon efficiency decreased dramatically. For the haemozoin-associated neutral lipid blend (NLB and monopalmitoylglycerol (MPG, this occurred below a lipid/Fe(IIIPPIX (L/H ratio of 0.54. Rate constants were found to increase with L/H ratio above the cut-off. At 16 μM MPG, Fe(IIIPPIX concentration could be raised until the L/H ratio reached the same ratio before a sudden decline in yield was observed. MPG-mediated β-haematin formation was relatively insensitive to biologically relevant cations (Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, or anions (H2PO4−, HCO3−, ATP, 2,3-diphosphoglycerate, glutathione. Confocal microscopy demonstrated β-haematin formation occurs in association with the lipid particles. Conclusions Kinetics of β-haematin formation have shown that haemozoin-associated neutral lipids alone are capable of mediating β-haematin formation at adequate rates under physiologically realistic conditions of ion concentrations to account for haemozoin formation.

  10. Sensor development at the semiconductor laboratory of the Max-Planck-Society

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bähr, A.; Lechner, P.; Ninkovic, J.

    2017-12-01

    For more than twenty years the semiconductor laboratory of the Max-Planck Society (MPG-HLL) is developing high-performing, specialised, scientific silicon sensors including the integration of amplifying electronics on the sensor chip. This paper summarises the actual status of these devices like pnCCDs and DePFET Active Pixel Sensors and their applications.

  11. Advanced Automotive Diesel Assessment Program, executive summary

    Science.gov (United States)

    1983-01-01

    The objectives of this analytical study were: to select one advanced automotive diesel engine (AAD) concept which would increase the tank mileage of a 3,000 pound passenger car from the present 35 mpg to at least 52 mpg; to identify long term component research and development work required to bring the selected concept to fruition; and to prepare a development strategy that will bring the selected concept to a prototype testing phase. Cummins Engine Company has completed this study. The selected concept is a 4 stroke cycle, direct injection, spark assisted, advanced adiabatic diesel engine with positive displacement compounding plus expander and part load air preheating. The engine does not use a liquid coolant nor liquid lubricants. It is a 4 cylinder, in-line, 77 mm bore x 77 mm stroke, 1.434 liters displacement engine weighing 300 lb, and rated at 70 BHP at 3000 rpm. Installation dimensions are 621 mm length x 589 mm width x 479 mm height (24.4 inch x 22 inch x 18.9 inch).

  12. BMP2 induces PANC-1 cell invasion by MMP-2 overexpression through ROS and ERK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jun; Ben, Qi-Wen; Yao, Wei-Yan; Zhang, Jian-Jun; Chen, Da-Fan; He, Xiang-Yi; Li, Lei; Yuan, Yao-Zong

    2012-06-01

    The emerging roles of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) in the initiation and progression of multiple cancers have drawn great attention in cancer research. We hypothesized that BMP2 promotes cancer metastasis by modulating MMP-2 secretion and activity through intracellular ROS regulation and ERK activation in human pancreatic cancer. Our data show that stimulation of PANC-1 cells with BMP2 induced MMP-2 secretion and activation, associated with decreased E-cadherin expression, resulting in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) and cell invasion. Blockade of ROS by the ROS scavenger, 2-MPG, abolished cell invasion, inhibited the EMT process and decreased MMP-2 expression, suggesting ROS accumulation caused an increase in MMP-2 expression in BMP2-stimulated PANC-1 cell invasion. Furthermore, treatment of PANC-1 cells with 2-MPG or ERK inhibitor PD98059 reduced the phosphorylation of ERK, resulting in attenuation of BMP2-induced cell invasion and MMP-2 activation. Taken together, these results suggest that BMP2 induces the cell invasion of PANC-1 cells by enhancing MMP-2 secretion and acting through ROS accumulation and ERK activation.

  13. Transcriptional repressor domain of MBD1 is intrinsically disordered and interacts with its binding partners in a selective manner.

    KAUST Repository

    Hameed, Umar Farook Shahul

    2014-05-09

    Methylation of DNA CpG sites is a major mechanism of epigenetic gene silencing and plays important roles in cell division, development and carcinogenesis. One of its regulators is the 64-residue C-terminal Transcriptional Repressor Domain (the TRD) of MBD1, which recruits several repressor proteins such as MCAF1, HDAC3 and MPG that are essential for the gene silencing. Using NMR spectroscopy, we have characterized the solution structure of the C-terminus of MBD1 (MBD1-c, residues D507 to Q605), which included the TRD (A529 to P592). Surprisingly, the MBD1-c is intrinsically disordered. Despite its lack of a tertiary folding, MBD1-c could still bind to different partner proteins in a selective manner. MPG and MCAF1Δ8 showed binding to both the N-terminal and C-terminal residues of MBD1-c but HDAC3 preferably bound to the C-terminal region. This study reveals how MBD1-c discriminates different binding partners, and thus, expands our understanding of the mechanisms of gene regulation by MBD1.

  14. Energy conservation through utilization of mechanical energy storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eisenhaure, D. B.; Bliamptis, T. E.; Downer, J. R.; Heinemann, P. C.

    Potential benefits regarding fuel savings, necessary technology, and evaluation criteria for the development of flywheel-hybrid vehicles are examined. A case study is quoted in which adoption of flywheel-hybrid vehicles in a taxi fleet would result in an increase of 10 mpg average to 32 mpg. Two proposed systems are described, one involving direct engine power to the flywheel and the second regenerating the flywheel from braking energy through a continuously variable transmission. Fuel consumption characteristics are considered the ultimate determinant in the choice of configuration, while material properties and housing shape determine the flywheel speed range. Vehicle losses are characterized and it is expected that a flywheel at 12,000 rpm will experience less than one hp average parasitic power loss. Flywheel storage is suitable for smaller engines because larger engines dominate the power train mass. Areas considered important for further investigation include reliability of an engine run near maximum torque, noise and vibration associated with flywheel operation, start up delays, compatibility of driver controls, integration of normal with regenerative braking systems, and, most importantly, the continuously variable transmission.

  15. Transcriptional repressor domain of MBD1 is intrinsically disordered and interacts with its binding partners in a selective manner.

    KAUST Repository

    Hameed, Umar Farook Shahul; Lim, Jackwee; Zhang, Qian; Wasik, Mariusz A; Yang, Daiwen; Swaminathan, Kunchithapadam

    2014-01-01

    Methylation of DNA CpG sites is a major mechanism of epigenetic gene silencing and plays important roles in cell division, development and carcinogenesis. One of its regulators is the 64-residue C-terminal Transcriptional Repressor Domain (the TRD) of MBD1, which recruits several repressor proteins such as MCAF1, HDAC3 and MPG that are essential for the gene silencing. Using NMR spectroscopy, we have characterized the solution structure of the C-terminus of MBD1 (MBD1-c, residues D507 to Q605), which included the TRD (A529 to P592). Surprisingly, the MBD1-c is intrinsically disordered. Despite its lack of a tertiary folding, MBD1-c could still bind to different partner proteins in a selective manner. MPG and MCAF1Δ8 showed binding to both the N-terminal and C-terminal residues of MBD1-c but HDAC3 preferably bound to the C-terminal region. This study reveals how MBD1-c discriminates different binding partners, and thus, expands our understanding of the mechanisms of gene regulation by MBD1.

  16. International Research and Development in Systems Biology

    Science.gov (United States)

    2005-10-01

    Genetics Berlin, Germany Hans Lehrach, Edda Klipp, Silke Sperling Yeast stress response and mitochondrial damage; Downs syndrome; cardiac...molgen.mpg.de, Dr. Edda Klipp, Axel Kowald, Christoph Wierling, Dr. Silke Sperling BACKGROUND The Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics was...the cardiovascular genetics group. RESEARCH PROJECTS Dr. Edda Klipp is the head of the kinetic modeling group. She described her group’s

  17. Comparative study of radiopharmaceuticals as radiodiagnostic agent of cardiac damage in rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gallego Heise, R.

    1983-01-01

    Six radiopharmaceuticals were screened in a small-animal model as potential infarct-localizing agents. The model used was subcutaneous inyection of isoproterenol (30 mg/kg of body weight) - induced myocardial lesions in rats, similar to an infarct and ischemia in human beings, corroborated by histological findings. The uptake of each radiopharmaceuticals is measured at various times after lesion initiation. The results are expressed as % I.D./g and through the contrast relations between the activity of whole heart of treated rats and the others tissues. The relation damaged heart/normal heart (DH/NH) of the phosphorated radiopharmaceuticals (sup(99m) Tc-PPi, sup(99m) Tc-MDP, sup(113m) In-EDTMP), and 197 Hg-MPG are significatively greater in rats with heart damaged than in the controls animals (undamaged); these were followed by sup(99m) Tc-GH and sup(99m) Tc-DMSA. Sup(99m) Tc-PPi, was the tracer that showed the mot favorable concentration in the lesion and the best target-non target ratios in most of the time intervals. At early time intervals 197 Hg-MPG showed the best DH/NH relation. (Author)

  18. Cathodic electrogenerated chemiluminescence of aromatic Tb(III) chelates at polystyrene-graphite composite electrodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salminen, Kalle; Grönroos, Päivi; Tuomi, Sami; Kulmala, Sakari

    2017-01-01

    Tb(III) chelates exhibit intense hot electron-induced electrogenerated chemiluminescence during cathodic polarization of metal/polystyrene-graphite (M/PG) electrodes in fully aqueous solutions. The M/PG working electrode provides a sensitive means for the determination of aromatic Tb(III) chelates at nanomolar concentration levels with a linear log-log calibration curve spanning more than five orders of magnitude. The charge transport and other properties of these novel electrodes were studied by electrochemiluminescence measurements and cyclic voltammetry. The present composite electrodes can by utilized both under pulse polarization and DC polarization unlike oxide-coated metal electrodes which do not tolerate cathodic DC polarization. The present cost-effective electrodes could be utilized e.g. in immunoassays where polystyrene is extensively used as a solid phase for various bioaffinity assays by using electrochemiluminescent Tb(III) chelates or e.g. Ru(bpy) 3 2+ as labels. - Highlights: • Generation of hydrated electrons at Polystyrene-graphite electrodes. • The insulating polystyrene layer on the outer electrode surface seems necessary. • Hydrated electrons are able to produce chemiluminescence. • Strongest signal and lowest std. dev. achieved at same graphite weight fraction.

  19. Near-term hybrid vehicle program, phase 1. Appendix B: Design trade-off studies. [various hybrid/electric power train configurations and electrical and mechanical drive-line components

    Science.gov (United States)

    1979-01-01

    The relative attractiveness of various hybrid/electric power train configurations and electrical and mechanical drive-line components was studied. The initial screening was concerned primarily with total vehicle weight and economic factors and identified the hybrid power train combinations which warranted detailed evaluation over various driving cycles. This was done using a second-by-second vehicle simulation program which permitted the calculations of fuel economy, electricity usage, and emissions as a function of distance traveled in urban and highway driving. Power train arrangement possibilities were examined in terms of their effect on vehicle handling, safety, serviceability, and passenger comfort. A dc electric drive system utilizing a separately excited motor with field control and battery switching was selected for the near term hybrid vehicle. Hybrid vehicle simulations showed that for the first 30 mi (the electric range of the vehicle) in urban driving, the fuel economy was 80 mpg using a gasoline engine and 100 mpg using a diesel engine. In urban driving the hybrid would save about 75% of the fuel used by the conventional vehicle and in combined urban/highway driving the fuel saving is about 50%.

  20. Fat-saturated diffusion-weighted imaging with three-dimensional MP-RAGE sequence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Numano, Tomokazu; Homma, Kazuhiro; Takahashi, Nobuyuki; Hirose, Takeshi

    2005-01-01

    Image misrepresentation due to chemical shifts can create image artifacts on MR images. Distinguishing the organization and affected area can be difficult due to the chemical shift artifacts. Chemical shift selective (CHESS) is a method of decreasing chemical shift artifacts. In this study we have developed a new sequence for fat-saturated three-dimensional diffusion weighted MR imaging. This imaging was done during in vivo studies using an animal experiment MR imaging system at 2.0 T. In this sequence a preparation phase with a ''CHESS-90 deg RF-Motion Proving Gradient (MPG-180 deg RF-MPG-90 deg RF pulse train) was used to sensitize the magnetization to fat-saturated diffusion. Centric k-space acquisition order is necessary to minimize saturation effects from tissues with short relaxation times. From experimental results obtained with a phantom, the effect of the diffusion weighting and the effect of the fat-saturation were confirmed. From rat experimental results, fat-saturated diffusion weighted image data (0.55 x 0.55 x 0.55 mm 3 : voxel size) were obtained. This sequence was useful for in vivo imaging. (author)

  1. Flow pattern in the ventricle of brain with cilia beating and CSF circulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yong; Westendorf, Christian; Faubel, Regina; Eichele, Gregor; Bodenschatz, Eberhard

    We recently discovered that cilia of the ventral third ventricle (v3V) of mammalian brain generate a complex flow network close to the wall. However, the flow pattern in the overall three dimensional v3V, especially under physiological condition, remains to be investigated. Computational fluid dynamics is arguably the best approach for such investigations. Several v3V geometries are reconstructed from different data for comparison study. The lattice Boltzmann method and immersed boundary method are used to reproduce the experimental set-up for an opened v3V firstly. The experimentally recorded cilia induced flow network is projected on the curved v3V wall. The flow maps obtained numerically at different heights from the v3V wall agree with the experimental data qualitatively. We then consider the entire v3V with ciliary flow network along the wall for boundary condition. Moreover, we add a time dependent flow rate to represent the CSF circulation, and study flow pattern in the ventricle. We thank the Max Planck Society (MPG) for financial support. This work is conducted within the Physics and Medicine Initiative at Goettingen Campus between MPG and University Medical Center.

  2. History of EISCAT - Part 4: On the German contribution to the early years of EISCAT

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haerendel, Gerhard

    2016-07-01

    The decision of the Max Planck Society (MPG) to get involved in the establishment of an incoherent scatter radar in northern Europe was intimately linked to the future of the Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy (MPAe) in Katlenburg-Lindau. Delegates of the MPG played an important role in defining the rules for participation in EISCAT during the period from 1973 to 1975. The "technical" period from 1976 to 1981 was mainly devoted to the development of the UHF transmitter and the klystrons. The latter encountered great difficulties, causing substantial delays. During the same period the ionospheric heating facility was established by MPAe at Ramfjordmoen, Norway. The period following the inauguration in August 1981 saw a great number of changes in the leading personnel. In this context much attention had to be given to taxation rules. Besides continuing hardware problems with the UHF radar, severe problems arose with design and manufacturing of the VHF klystrons, requiring changes of the contractor. However, by fall of 1983 the UHF radar was able to reach the intended operational level. In 1984 important steps were made for archiving and for proper exploitation of the EISCAT data.

  3. Submarine geologic disposal of nuclear waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hollister, C.D.; Corliss, B.H.; Anderson, D.R.

    1980-01-01

    Site suitability characteristics of submarine geological formations for the disposal of radioactive wastes include the distribution coefficient of the host medium, permeability, viscoelastic nature of the sediments, influence of organic material on remobilization, and effects of thermal stress. The submarine geological formation that appears to best satisfy these criteria is abyssal ''red'' clay. Regions in the ocean that have coarse-grained deposits, high or variable thermal conductivity, high organic carbon content, and sediment thickness of less than 50 m are not being considered at this time. The optimum geological environment should be tranquil and have environmental predictability over a minimum of 10 5 years. Site selection activities for the North Atlantic and North Pacific are reviewed and future activities which include international cooperation are discussed. A paleoenvironmental model for Cenozoic sedimentation in the central North Pacific is presented based on studies of a long core from the Mid-Plate Gyre MPG-1 area, and is an example of the type of study that will be carried out in other seabed study areas. The data show that the MPG-1 region has been an area of slow, continuous accumulation during the past 65 million years. (author)

  4. Comparison of local and imported osteosynthetic mandibular bone plates in terms of micro hardness in modified simulated body fluid at periodic intervals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anwar, R.; Kaleem, M.; Baig, AM.; Jamal, M.

    2015-01-01

    To determine the micro hardness of novel Pakistani manufactured osteosynthetic titanium bone mini plates (MPP) and imported osteosynthetic titanium bone mini plates (MPG) in body like conditions. Study Design: Descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out at School of Chemical and Material Engineering, NUST from March to May 2013. Material and Methods: Microvicker hardness tester was used for assessment of micro hardness of two types of plates. The hardness was checked before conditioning and after conditioning at (six different places) on interval of 1, 7,14,21,28 and 40 days in modified simulated body fluid with ph 7.4 and temperature 37 degree C. Results: Result showed that hardness of MPG was higher than MPP and after conditioning in simulated body fluid at all time periods, hardness of both types of plates was increased. Conclusion: It can be concluded from this study that micro hardness of imported plates is more than local plates so recommendations should be sent to manufacturers of local industry of Pakistan to improve the hardness of local plates so that they can meet international standards. (author)

  5. Sixth International Workshop on Laser Physics (LPHYS 97) Volume 8, No. 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    1998-01-01

    Microcavity Trap F. De Martini, O. Jedrkiewicz, and P. Mataloni Dipartimento di Fisica , Universita di Roma "La Sapienza," Istituto Nationale di...Fizica, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas, Apartado 21827, Caracas 1020 A, Venezuela e-mail: yukalov@solids.iccmp.br Received August...Optics, Garching, Germany Herbert .Walther @ mpq. mpg. de Douwe A. Wiersma University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands wiersma@chem.rug.nl

  6. BiCluE - Exact and heuristic algorithms for weighted bi-cluster editing of biomedical data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sun, Peng; Guo, Jiong; Baumbach, Jan

    2013-01-01

    to solve the weighted bi-cluster editing problem. It implements (1) an exact algorithm based on fixed-parameter tractability and (2) a polynomial-time greedy heuristics based on solving the hardest part, edge deletions, first. We evaluated its performance on artificial graphs. Afterwards we exemplarily...... problem. BiCluE as well as the supplementary results are available online at http://biclue.mpi-inf.mpg.de webcite....

  7. Quarterly title list for the period ending September 1976

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1976-01-01

    The title list of the Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik and the Projektgruppe fuer Laserforschung of the MPG is concerned with the period from July until September 1976, and it contains: a) 12 titles and abstracts of laboratory reports, b) 37 titles of publications (30 abstracts), c) 20 titles of articles submitted for publication (16 abstracts), and d) 25 titles of lectures (12 abstracts). (GG) [de

  8. Determination of characteristics of feromagnetic material using modern data acquisition system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Koprivica Branko

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes the use of modern measuring and data acquisition system for determining characteristics of feromagnetic material. For this purpose data acquisition card NI USB-6009, PC with data acquisition software and fluxmeter Electrical Steel Measuring System MPG 100 D were used. Based on the results obtained by measurements the modeling of hysteresis loop is performed by using appropriate mathematical model.

  9. Self-bunching electron guns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mako, Frederick M.; Len, L. K.

    1999-05-01

    We report on three electron gun projects that are aimed at power tube and injector applications. The purpose of the work is to develop robust electron guns which produce self-bunched, high-current-density beams. We have demonstrated, in a microwave cavity, self-bunching, cold electron emission, long life, and tolerance to contamination. The cold process is based on secondary electron emission. FMT has studied using simulation codes the resonant bunching process which gives rise to high current densities (0.01-5 kA/cm2), high charge bunches (up to 500 nC/bunch), and short pulses (1-100 ps) for frequencies from 1 to 12 GHz. The beam pulse width is nominally ˜5% of the rf period. The first project is the L-Band Micro-Pulse Gun (MPG). Measurements show ˜40 ps long micro-bunches at ˜20 A/cm2 without contamination due to air exposure. Lifetime testing has been carried out for about 18 months operating at 1.25 GHz for almost 24 hours per day at a repetition rate of 300 Hz and 5 μs-long macro-pulses. Approximately 5.8×1013 micro-bunches or 62,000 coulombs have passed through this gun and it is still working fine. The second project, the S-Band MPG, is now operational. It is functioning at a frequency of 2.85 GHz, a repetition rate of 30 Hz, with a 2 μs-long macro-pulse. It produces about 45 A in the macro-pulse. The third project is a 34.2 GHz frequency-multiplied source driven by an X-Band MPG. A point design was performed at an rf output power of 150 MW at 34.2 GHz. The resulting system efficiency is 53% and the gain is 60 dB. The system efficiency includes the input cavity efficiency, input driver efficiency (a 50 MW klystron at 11.4 GHz), output cavity efficiency, and the post-acceleration efficiency.

  10. Prospective assessment of the frequency of low gradient severe aortic stenosis with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction: Critical impact of aortic flow misalignment and pressure recovery phenomenon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ringle, Anne; Castel, Anne-Laure; Le Goffic, Caroline; Delelis, François; Binda, Camille; Bohbot, Yohan; Ennezat, Pierre Vladimir; Guerbaai, Raphaëlle A; Levy, Franck; Vincentelli, André; Graux, Pierre; Tribouilloy, Christophe; Maréchaux, Sylvestre

    2018-02-10

    The frequency of paradoxical low-gradient severe aortic stenosis (AS) varies widely across studies. The impact of misalignment of aortic flow and pressure recovery phenomenon on the frequency of low-gradient severe AS with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) has not been evaluated in prospective studies. To investigate prospectively the impact of aortic flow misalignment by Doppler and lack of pressure recovery phenomenon correction on the frequency of low-gradient (LG) severe aortic stenosis (AS) with preserved LVEF. Aortic jet velocities and mean pressure gradient (MPG) were obtained by interrogating all windows in 68 consecutive patients with normal LVEF and severe AS (aortic valve area [AVA] ≤1cm 2 ) on the basis of the apical imaging window alone (two-dimensional [2D] apical approach). Patients were classified as having LG or high-gradient (HG) AS according to MPG 35mL/m 2 or ≤35mL/m 2 , on the basis of the 2D apical approach, the multiview approach (multiple windows evaluation) and AVA corrected for pressure recovery. The proportion of LG severe AS was 57% using the 2D apical approach alone. After the multiview approach and correction for pressure recovery, the proportion of LG severe AS decreased from 57% to 13% (LF-LG severe AS decreased from 23% to 3%; NF-LG severe AS decreased from 34% to 10%). As a result, 25% of patients were reclassified as having HG severe AS (AVA ≤1cm 2 and MPG ≥40mmHg) and 19% as having moderate AS. Hence, 77% of patients initially diagnosed with LG severe AS did not have "true" LG severe AS when the multiview approach and the pressure recovery phenomenon correction were used. Aortic flow misevaluation, resulting from lack of use of multiple windows evaluation and pressure recovery phenomenon correction, accounts for a large proportion of incorrectly graded AS and considerable overestimation of the frequency of LG severe AS with preserved LVEF. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  11. Urine testing to monitor the impact of HPV vaccination in Bhutan and Rwanda.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franceschi, Silvia; Chantal Umulisa, M; Tshomo, Ugyen; Gheit, Tarik; Baussano, Iacopo; Tenet, Vanessa; Tshokey, Tshokey; Gatera, Maurice; Ngabo, Fidele; Van Damme, Pierre; Snijders, Peter J F; Tommasino, Massimo; Vorsters, Alex; Clifford, Gary M

    2016-08-01

    Bhutan (2010) and Rwanda (2011) were the first countries in Asia and Africa to introduce national, primarily school-based, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programmes. These target 12 year-old girls and initially included catch-up campaigns (13-18 year-olds in Bhutan and ninth school grade in Rwanda). In 2013, to obtain the earliest indicators of vaccine effectiveness, we performed two school-based HPV urine surveys; 973 female students (median age: 19 years, 5th-95th percentile: 18-22) were recruited in Bhutan and 912 (19 years, 17-20) in Rwanda. Participants self-collected a first-void urine sample using a validated protocol. HPV prevalence was obtained using two PCR assays that differ in sensitivity and type spectrum, namely GP5+/GP6+ and E7-MPG. 92% students in Bhutan and 43% in Rwanda reported to have been vaccinated (median vaccination age = 16, 5th-95th: 14-18). HPV positivity in urine was significantly associated with sexual activity measures. In Rwanda, HPV6/11/16/18 prevalence was lower in vaccinated than in unvaccinated students (prevalence ratio, PR = 0.12, 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.03-0.51 by GP5+/GP6+, and 0.45, CI: 0.23-0.90 by E7-MPG). For E7-MPG, cross-protection against 10 high-risk types phylogenetically related to HPV16 or 18 was of borderline significance (PR = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.45-1.01). In Bhutan, HPV6/11/16/18 prevalence by GP5+/GP6+ was lower in vaccinated than in unvaccinated students but CIs were broad. In conclusion, our study supports the feasibility of urine surveys to monitor HPV vaccination and quantifies the effectiveness of the quadrivalent vaccine in women vaccinated after pre-adolescence. Future similar surveys should detect increases in vaccine effectiveness if vaccination of 12 year-olds continues. © 2016 UICC.

  12. Adjusting parameters of aortic valve stenosis severity by body size

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Minners, Jan; Gohlke-Baerwolf, Christa; Kaufmann, Beat A

    2014-01-01

    stenosis (jet velocity ≥2.5 m/s) and related to outcomes in a second cohort of 1525 patients from the Simvastatin/Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis (SEAS) study. RESULTS: Whereas jet velocity and MPG were independent of body size, AVA was significantly correlated with height, weight, BSA and BMI (Pearson...... correlation coefficient (r) 0.319, 0.281, 0.317 and 0.126, respectively, all pcorrelation between AVA and body size...

  13. How Improved Fuel Efficiency May Change U.S. Middle East Policy

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-14

    corporations through diplomatic channels to reduce risks and permit U.S. companies to operate under foreign laws and customs . The federal government should...insufficient Corporate Average Fuel Economy ( CAFE ) standards are two reasons for unchecked demand and the inability to wean the transportation...and development into alternative fuels. Over the past 32 years Congress raised the CAFE standard only 6.9 miles per gallon (mpg), from 17.2 to 24.1

  14. Advanced oxidation process-biological system for wastewater containing a recalcitrant pollutant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oller, I; Malato, S; Sánchez-Pérez, J A; Maldonado, M I; Gernjak, W; Pérez-Estrada, L A

    2007-01-01

    Two advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), ozonation and photo-Fenton, combined with a pilot aerobic biological reactor at field scale were employed for the treatment of industrial non-biodegradable saline wastewater (TOC around 200 mgL(-1)) containing a biorecalcitrant compound, alpha-methylphenylglycine (MPG), at a concentration of 500 mgL(-1). Ozonation experiments were performed in a 50-L reactor with constant inlet ozone of 21.9 g m(-3). Solar photo-Fenton tests were carried out in a 75-L pilot plant made up of four compound parabolic collector (CPC) units. The catalyst concentration employed in this system was 20 mgL(-1) of Fe2+ and the H2O2 concentration was kept in the range of 200-500mgL(-1). Complete degradation of MPG was attained after 1,020 min of ozone treatment, while only 195 min were required for photo-Fenton. Samples from different stages of both AOPs were taken for Zahn-Wellens biocompatibility tests. Biodegradability enhancement of the industrial saline wastewater was confirmed (>70% biodegradability). Biodegradable compounds generated during the preliminary oxidative processes were biologically mineralised in a 170-L aerobic immobilised biomass reactor (IBR). The global efficiency of both AOP/biological combined systems was 90% removal of an initial TOC of over 500 mgL(-1).

  15. Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of mannosyl-3-phosphoglycerate synthase from Rubrobacter xylanophilus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sá-Moura, Bebiana; Albuquerque, Luciana; Empadinhas, Nuno; Costa, Milton S. da; Pereira, Pedro José Barbosa; Macedo-Ribeiro, Sandra

    2008-01-01

    The enzyme mannosyl-3-phosphoglycerate synthase from R. xylanophilus has been expressed, purified and crystallized. The crystals belong to the hexagonal space group P6 5 22 and diffract to 2.2 Å resolution. Rubrobacter xylanophilus is the only Gram-positive bacterium known to synthesize the compatible solute mannosylglycerate (MG), which is commonly found in hyperthermophilic archaea and some thermophilic bacteria. Unlike the salt-dependent pattern of accumulation observed in (hyper)thermophiles, in R. xylanophilus MG accumulates constitutively. The synthesis of MG in R. xylanophilus was tracked from GDP-mannose and 3-phosphoglycerate, but the genome sequence of the organism failed to reveal any of the genes known to be involved in this pathway. The native enzyme was purified and its N-terminal sequence was used to identify the corresponding gene (mpgS) in the genome of R. xylanophilus. The gene encodes a highly divergent mannosyl-3-phosphoglycerate synthase (MpgS) without relevant sequence homology to known mannosylphosphoglycerate synthases. In order to understand the specificity and enzymatic mechanism of this novel enzyme, it was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized. The crystals thus obtained belonged to the hexagonal space group P6 5 22 and contained two protein molecules per asymmetric unit. The structure was solved by SIRAS using a mercury derivative

  16. XAS Investigation of bio-relevant cobalt complexes in aqueous media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bresson, C.; Lamouroux, C.; Esnouf, S.; Solari, P.L.; Den Auwer, C.

    2006-01-01

    Cobalt is an essential element of biological cycles involved in numerous metallo-biomolecules, but it becomes a toxic element at high concentration or a radio-toxic element because of its use in the nuclear industry. 'Molecular speciation' in biological media is an essential prerequisite to evaluate its chemical behaviour as well as its toxic or beneficial effects. In this scheme, we have focused on the coordination properties of the thiol-containing amino acid cysteine (Cys) and the pseudo-peptide N-(2-mercapto-propionyl) glycine (MPG) towards the Co 2+ cation in aqueous media. XAS at the Co K edge and traditional spectroscopic techniques have been coupled in order to structurally characterize the cobalt coordination sphere. Oxidation states and geometries of the bis- and tris-cysteinato Co(III) complexes are in agreement with the literature data. In addition, bond lengths between the metallic centre and the donor atoms have been determined. The structure of a new dimeric N-(2-mercapto-propionyl) glycinato Co(II) complex in solution is also reported. The coordination of MPG to Co(II) through the thiolate and carboxylate functions is ascertained. This work provides fundamental structural information about bio-relevant complexes of cobalt, which will contribute to our understanding of the chemical behaviour and the biological role of this radionuclide. (authors)

  17. Geriatric Challenges - Tackling With Innovative Measures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M A Hassan

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available is a natural process. India has 77 million elderly people and is expected to have 177 million by 2025. By the year 2050, one fifth of total population will be graying. Ninety percent of the elderly are from unorganized sector with no social security. Over 73 percent of 60 plus are illiterate and dependent on physical labour. Forty percent people live below the povertyline. Recent studies have shown that 89.62 percent of elderly population has multiple morbidities. The leading symptoms or group of symptoms in both males and females pertain to visual impairment / diminished vision (65% & 56.2% respectively. Other problems include heart diseases, respiratory diseases, joints pains, hearing problems etc.Many innovative experimental studies have been done to reverse the biochemical and pathological changes that occur during ageing by using chemicals and drugs. In various studies it has been established that the use of Ca2 (+ antagonists leads to reversal of atherosclerotic process, similarly 2 - mercapto propionly glycine (MPG and oxidized MPG improve heart functioning. Centrophenoxine considered as an ageing reversal drug is regarded as neuroenergeticum in human therapy. Ginkgo biloba extract can improve the cerebral function. Topically applied all-trans retionic acid can repair and probably prevent photo ageing.

  18. Automotive advertising copy test. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1984-11-01

    In order to better understand consumer perceptions and use of the mileage estimates as presented in print advertising, the Department of Energy, in conjunction with the Federal Trade Commission and the EPA, initiated a research project. Purpose was to: measure recall/recognition of EPA Estimated MPG/highway mileage estimates in print ads; determine consumer expectations and believability of advertised mileage guidelines; measure recall/comprehension of mileage disclaimers; and determine how consumers utilize published mileage estimates.

  19. VizieR Online Data Catalog: Transiting planet GJ 1132 (Southworth+, 2017)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Southworth, J.; Mancini, L.; Madhusudhan, N.; Molliere, P.; Ciceri, S.; Henning, T.

    2018-05-01

    Light curves of 10 transits of the extrasolar planetary system GJ 1132 are presented. The data were obtained using the MPG 2.2m telescope with GROND imager, and observed simultaneously in the g, r, i, z, J, H and K passbands. The errorbars for each transit have been scaled so the best-fitting model (obtained using the JKTEBOP code) has a reduced chi-squared value of 1.0. (1 data file).

  20. No-observed effect levels are associated with up-regulation of MGMT following MMS exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doak, Shareen H; Brüsehafer, Katja; Dudley, Ed; Quick, Emma; Johnson, George; Newton, Russell P; Jenkins, Gareth J S

    2008-12-15

    The alkylating agents methyl methanesulphonate (MMS) and ethyl methanesulphonate (EMS) have non-linear dose-response curves, with a no-observed effect level (NOEL) and a lowest observed effect level (LOEL) for both gross chromosomal damage and mutagenicity. However, the biological mechanism responsible for the NOEL has yet to be identified. A strong candidate is DNA repair as it may be able to efficiently remove alkyl adducts at low doses resulting in a NOEL, but at higher doses fails to fully remove all lesions due to saturation of enzymatic activity resulting in a LOEL and subsequent linear increases in mutagenicity. We therefore assessed the transcriptional status of N-methylpurine-DNA glycoslase (MPG) and O(6)-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), which represent the first line of defence following exposure to alkylating agents through the respective enzymatic removal of N7-alkylG and O(6)-alkylG. The relative MPG and MGMT gene expression profiles were assessed by real-time RT-PCR following exposure to 0-2 microg/ml MMS for 1-24h. MPG expression remained fairly steady, but in contrast significant up-regulation of MGMT was observed when cells were treated with 0.5 and 1.0 microg/ml MMS for 4h (2.5- and 6.5-fold increases respectively). These doses lie within the NOEL for MMS mutagenicity (LOEL is 1.25 microg/ml), thus this boost in MGMT expression at low doses may be responsible for efficiently repairing O(6)methylG lesions and creating the non-linear response for mutations. However, as the LOEL for MMS clastogenicity is 0.85 microg/ml, O(6)-alkylG is unlikely to be responsible for the clastogenicity observed at these concentrations. Consequently, at low doses N7-methylG is possibly the predominant cause of MMS clastogenicity, while O(6)-methylG is more likely to be responsible for MMS mutagenicity, with MGMT up-regulation playing a key role in removal of O(6)-alkylG lesions before they are fixed as permanent point mutations, resulting in non-linear dose

  1. Assessment of the Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Potential of Ultra-Clean Hybrid-Electric Vehicles

    OpenAIRE

    Burke, A.F.; Miller, M.

    1997-01-01

    The study focused on the emission reduction and fuel economy benefits of the application of hybrid/electric powertrain technology to tight-duty vehicles (mid-size and compact passenger cars). The approach taken was to calculate the exhaust emissions (gm/mi) energy use (Wh/mi and mpg) for a wide range of vehicle designs (steel and light-weight materials), engines, energy storage devices, control strategies, and driving cycles using two vehicle simulation programs (SIMPLEV and AVTE). The full f...

  2. Are you familiar with the ROeV (X-ray ordinance) and the MPG (medical products law)?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ewen, K.

    1999-01-01

    The contribution reproduces a catalogue of 30 questions with which radiologists may test whether their knowledge is up to date with the latest legislation referring to their profession. The catalogue is in the form of a multiple-choice test, but the solutions given are not restricted to mere answers but also encompass information explaining the legal context. (orig./CB) [de

  3. The balancing role of evaluation mechanisms: cases of publicly funded research institutions: MPG, HGF, and CAS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Luo, Junwen

    2016-01-01

    Evaluation has been designed and used as an instrument of organisational governance for publicly funded research institutions (PRIs). Such an instrument can justify external public support and provide internal evidence for decision-making and organisational learning. Under given national and

  4. Imitation of deuterium plasma interaction with the surface of carbon materials in gaseous divertor conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Korshunov, S.N. E-mail: sinet@nfi.kiae.ru; Guseva, M.I.; Gureev, V.M.; Danelyan, L.S.; Khripunov, B.I.; Kolbasov, B.N.; Kulikauskas, V.S.; Litnovsky, A.M.; Martynenko, Yu.V.; Petrov, V.B.; Zatekin, V.V

    2003-03-01

    The experiments on simulation of gas divertor conditions were done in the LENTA facility under interaction of a plasma flow with neutral gas. The samples of carbon materials were exposed in a steady-state deuterium plasma (ion energy 5 eV, ion flux 5x10{sup 21} m{sup -2} s{sup -1}, fluence 10{sup 26} m{sup -2}) at 1470 K (MPG-8) and at 1320 K (SEP NB31). Heavy deuterocarbon molecules (C{sub 2}D{sub 2}, C{sub 2}D{sub 4}, C{sub 2}D{sub 6}) were observed in mass spectra of the discharge. This fact and high erosion yields show the presence of chemical erosion. Deuterium accumulation in carbon materials was studied by elastic recoil detection analysis. The integral deuterium content is 6x10{sup 18} m{sup -2} in SEP NB31 and 1.95x10{sup 19} m{sup -2} in MPG-8. The profiles of C and Mo atom distributions in deposited layer on Mo collector is 'X'-like. Carbon atoms distribution in deposited layer on Si is uniform. The integral deuterium content in co-deposited layers is 1.4x10{sup 21} m{sup -2} on Si and 4.8x10{sup 20} m{sup -2} on Mo. A globular structure of co-deposited layer on Mo collector was found.

  5. The Hamburg Ocean-Atmosphere Parameters and Fluxes from Satellite Data (HOAPS): A climatological atlas of satellite-derived air-sea interaction parameters over the world oceans

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Grassl, H.; Jost, V.; Schulz, J.; RameshKumar, M.R.; Bauer, P.; Schluessel, P.

    and the corresponding atmospheric circulation over this region has profound influence on the global weather and climate. In the past, several authors have made important contributions in the form of atlases mostly using ship data (Baumgartner and Reichel, 1975... available to interested users for non-commercial scientific research. For details of how to access the fields see: http:// www.mpimet.mpg.de/Depts/Physik/HOAPS. 1 Chapter I Introduction Oceans play a very important role in the global climate system...

  6. Eröffnung des „Hauses der Astronomie“ auf dem Königsstuhl

    OpenAIRE

    Pössel, Markus; Tschira, Klaus

    2012-01-01

    Mit dem „Haus der Astronomie“ (HdA) auf dem Königsstuhl ist ein neues Zentrum für astronomische Bildungs- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit in Heidelberg eröffnet. Das Haus der Astronomie ist eine gemeinsame Einrichtung der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (MPG) und der Klaus Tschira Stiftung unter Beteiligung der Stadt Heidelberg und der Ruperto Carola, deren Zentrum für Astronomie eng mit dem HdA zusammenarbeitet. Ziel des HdA ist es, astronomische Forschung einer breiten Öffentlichkeit in verständlicher Fo...

  7. The CfA redshift survey - Data for the NGP + 30 zone

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huchra, John P.; Geller, Margaret J.; De Lapparent, Valerie; Corwin, Harold G., Jr.

    1990-01-01

    Redshifts and morphological types are presented for a complete sample of 1093 galaxies with m(pg) less than or equal to 15.5 mag in a 6-deg-wide strip crossing the north Galactic pole. Also presented are redshifts for an additional 92 fainter galaxies in the same strip. Outside of the core of the Coma Cluster, both early- and late-type galaxies trace essentially the same structures in redshift space. Thinner slices illustrate the small velocity dispersion perpendicular to the surfaces in the survey.

  8. Comparison of Ferry Boat and Highway Bridge Energy Use

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wayne D. Cottrell

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Passenger ferries serve a variety of transport needs in the U.S., such as providing vital links across bodies of water, and supplementing highway bridges. In some cases in which there is a ferry connection but no bridge, a bridge would be impractical; in other cases, a bridge might be feasible. The paper compares the energy consumption of ferries and motor vehicles on bridges, to determine which link is more fuel efficient. One finding is that limited data are available on ferry boat fuel consumption: despite there being 208 ferry boat operators in the U.S. as of 2008, only eight were providing energy use data to the National Transit Database. Examinations of three of the systems found that the passenger-MPG of the ferries ranged from 2.61 to 14.00 (1.11 to 5.95 km/L, while that of the motor vehicles on adjacent highway bridge connections ranged from 25.34 to 32.45 (10.77 to 13.79 km/L. Data from the eight systems are used to develop a ferry MPG model. The model is used to show that the Ryer Island and Charles Hall Ferries are less fuel efficient than hypothetical bridges in those locations. The fuel efficiencies and consumptions of the ferries would equal those of motor vehicles on the bridges, however, if smaller vessels were used, and if the frequency of service was reduced.

  9. GGF2 is neuroprotective in a rat model of cavernous nerve injury-induced erectile dysfunction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burnett, Arthur L; Sezen, Sena F; Hoke, Ahmet; Caggiano, Anthony O; Iaci, Jennifer; Lagoda, Gwen; Musicki, Biljana; Bella, Anthony J

    2015-04-01

    Erectile dysfunction is a major complication of radical prostatectomy, commonly associated with penile neuropathy. In animal models of peripheral nerve injury, glial growth factor-2 (GGF2), a member of the neuregulin family of growth factors, has neuroprotective and neurorestorative properties, but this potential has not been established after cavernous nerve (CN) injury. The effectiveness of GGF2 in preserving axonal integrity and recovering erectile function in a rat model of radical prostatectomy-associated CN injury. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent bilateral CN crush injury (BCNI) or sham surgery. Rats were administered GGF2 (0.5, 5, or 15 mg/kg) or vehicle subcutaneously 24 hour pre and 24-hour post-BCNI, and once weekly for 5 weeks. Erectile function was assessed in response to electrical stimulation of the CN. CN survival was assessed by fluorogold retrograde axonal tracing in major pelvic ganglia (MPG). Unmyelinated axons in the CNs were quantitated by electron microscopy. Erectile function recovery, CN survival, and unmyelinated CN axon preservation in response to GGF2 treatment following BCNI. Erectile function was decreased (P cells in the MPG was reduced (P Schwann cells in the BCNI group was higher (P Schwann cell compared with the BCNI group. GGF2 promotes erectile function recovery following CN injury in conjunction with preserving unmyelinated CN fibers. Our findings suggest the clinical opportunity to develop GGF2 as a neuroprotective therapy for radical prostatectomy. © 2015 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

  10. Making the case for direct hydrogen storage in fuel cell vehicles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    James, B.D.; Thomas, C.E.; Baum, G.N.; Lomas, F.D. Jr.; Kuhn, I.F. Jr. [Directed Technologies, Inc., Arlington, VA (United States)

    1997-12-31

    Three obstacles to the introduction of direct hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are often states: (1) inadequate onboard hydrogen storage leading to limited vehicle range; (2) lack of an hydrogen infrastructure, and (3) cost of the entire fuel cell system. This paper will address the first point with analysis of the problem/proposed solutions for the remaining two obstacles addressed in other papers. Results of a recent study conducted by Directed Technologies Inc. will be briefly presented. The study, as part of Ford Motor Company/DOE PEM Fuel Cell Program, examines multiple pure hydrogen onboard storage systems on the basis of weight, volume, cost, and complexity. Compressed gas, liquid, carbon adsorption, and metal hydride storage are all examined with compressed hydrogen storage at 5,000 psia being judged the lowest-risk, highest benefit, near-term option. These results are combined with recent fuel cell vehicle drive cycle simulations to estimate the onboard hydrogen storage requirement for full vehicle range (380 miles on the combined Federal driving schedule). The results indicate that a PNGV-like vehicle using powertrain weights and performance realistically available by the 2004 PNGV target data can achieve approximate fuel economy equivalent to 100 mpg on gasoline (100 mpg{sub eq}) and requires storage of approximately 3.6 kg hydrogen for full vehicle storage quantity allows 5,000 psia onboard storage without altering the vehicle exterior lines or appreciably encroaching on the passenger or trunk compartments.

  11. SNPsnap: a Web-based tool for identification and annotation of matched SNPs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pers, Tune Hannes; Timshel, Pascal; Hirschhorn, Joel N.

    2015-01-01

    -localization of GWAS signals to gene-dense and high linkage disequilibrium (LD) regions, and correlations of gene size, location and function. The SNPsnap Web server enables SNP-based enrichment analysis by providing matched sets of SNPs that can be used to calibrate background expectations. Specifically, SNPsnap...... efficiently identifies sets of randomly drawn SNPs that are matched to a set of query SNPs based on allele frequency, number of SNPs in LD, distance to nearest gene and gene density. Availability and implementation : SNPsnap server is available at http://www.broadinstitute.org/mpg/snpsnap/. Contact: joelh...

  12. In vivo repair of methylation damage in Aag 3-methyladenine DNA glycosylase null mouse cells

    OpenAIRE

    Smith, Stephen A.; Engelward, Bevin P.

    2000-01-01

    3-Methyladenine (3MeA) DNA glycosylases initiate base excision repair by removing 3MeA. These glycosylases also remove a broad spectrum of spontaneous and environmentally induced base lesions in vitro. Mouse cells lacking the Aag 3MeA DNA glycosylase (also known as the Mpg, APNG or ANPG DNA glycosylase) are susceptible to 3MeA-induced S phase arrest, chromosome aberrations and apoptosis, but it is not known if Aag is solely responsible for repair of 3MeA in vivo. Here we show that in Aag–/– c...

  13. The additional greenhouse effect and the global climate: Do we burn our future. Der zusaetzliche Treibhauseffekt und das Weltklima: Verbrennen wir unsere Zukunft

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grassl, H [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Meteorologie, Hamburg (Germany, F.R.)

    1990-09-10

    The article is the abridged version of a lecture of the general meeting of the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (MPG). The most important gases which influence the climate, their concentration and sources are presented. Climate models predict for a doubling of the pre-industrial CO{sub 2}-content an increase of the mean temperature by 2.5deg C with an uncertainty of 1.5deg to 4.5deg C. The significance of even slight changes in precipitation is stressed and appropriate steps are called for in order to reduce the energy consumption. (KW).

  14. Pulsating stars in the region of Carina Nebula

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Steslicki, Marek [Astronomical Institute, University of Wroclaw (Poland)], E-mail: steslicki@astro.uni.wroc.p1

    2008-10-15

    We present the results of a search for pulsating stars in the region of Carina Nebula which includes three very young open clusters: Trumpler 14, 15 and 16. The search was made with the Wide Field Imager (WFI) on the MPG/ESO 2.2-m telescope in La Silla (Chile). In total, about 16,000 stars have been analyzed using classical Fourier techniques. We found over 20 pulsating {delta}-Scuti type stars in this region. Most of them are probable members of open clusters at the pre-main sequence evolutionary stage.

  15. GeneCAT--novel webtools that combine BLAST and co-expression analyses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mutwil, Marek; Obro, Jens; Willats, William G T

    2008-01-01

    The gene co-expression analysis toolbox (GeneCAT) introduces several novel microarray data analyzing tools. First, the multigene co-expression analysis, combined with co-expressed gene networks, provides a more powerful data mining technique than standard, single-gene co-expression analysis. Second...... orthologs in the plant model organisms Arabidopsis thaliana and Hordeum vulgare (Barley). GeneCAT is equipped with expression data for the model plant A. thaliana, and first to introduce co-expression mining tools for the monocot Barley. GeneCAT is available at http://genecat.mpg.de....

  16. Partial degradation of five pesticides and an industrial pollutant by ozonation in a pilot-plant scale reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maldonado, M.I.; Malato, S.; Perez-Estrada, L.A.; Gernjak, W.; Oller, I.; Domenech, Xavier; Peral, Jose

    2006-01-01

    Aqueous solutions of a mixture of several pesticides (alachlor, atrazine, chlorfenvinphos, diuron and isoproturon), considered PS (priority substances) by the European Commission, and an intermediate product of the pharmaceutical industry (α-methylphenylglycine, MPG) chosen as a model industrial pollutant, have been degraded at pilot-plant scale using ozonation. This study is part of a large research project [CADOX Project, A Coupled Advanced Oxidation-Biological Process for Recycling of Industrial Wastewater Containing Persistent Organic Contaminants, Contract No.: EVK1-CT-2002-00122, European Commission, http://www.psa.es/webeng/projects/cadox/index.html[1

  17. Measurements of the thermophysical properties of graphite composites for a neutron target converter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhmurikov, E.I. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, 690090 Novosibirsk, SB RAS (Russian Federation); Savchenko, I.V.; Stankus, S.V.; Yatsuk, O.S. [Kutateladze Institute of Thermal Physics, 690090 Novosibirsk, SB RAS (Russian Federation); Tecchio, L.B., E-mail: tecchio@lnl.infn.it [Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro-Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Legnaro (Italy)

    2012-05-11

    The thermo-physical characteristics of both nuclear, industrial graphite, such as MPG-6 from NIIGRAFIT or SGL composite from SGL Carbon Group, and the first synthesized graphite composite based on a carbon {sup 13}S isotope have been measured from room temperature to 1675 K by laser flash method on an LFA-427 setup from Netzsch (Germany). The results obtained are compared to the previous data of X-Ray analysis and high-resolution electron microscopy and can be used in thermal calculations of the design of a neutron converter graphite target.

  18. Measurements of the thermophysical properties of graphite composites for a neutron target converter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhmurikov, E.I.; Savchenko, I.V.; Stankus, S.V.; Yatsuk, O.S.; Tecchio, L.B.

    2012-01-01

    The thermo-physical characteristics of both nuclear, industrial graphite, such as MPG-6 from NIIGRAFIT or SGL composite from SGL Carbon Group, and the first synthesized graphite composite based on a carbon 13 S isotope have been measured from room temperature to 1675 K by laser flash method on an LFA-427 setup from Netzsch (Germany). The results obtained are compared to the previous data of X-Ray analysis and high-resolution electron microscopy and can be used in thermal calculations of the design of a neutron converter graphite target.

  19. Partial degradation of five pesticides and an industrial pollutant by ozonation in a pilot-plant scale reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maldonado, M.I. [PSA - Plataforma Solar de Almeria, CIEMAT, Crta Senes km 4, Tabernas, Almeria 04200 (Spain); Malato, S. [PSA - Plataforma Solar de Almeria, CIEMAT, Crta Senes km 4, Tabernas, Almeria 04200 (Spain); Perez-Estrada, L.A. [PSA - Plataforma Solar de Almeria, CIEMAT, Crta Senes km 4, Tabernas, Almeria 04200 (Spain); Gernjak, W. [PSA -Plataforma Solar de Almeria, CIEMAT, Crta Senes km 4, Tabernas, Almeria 04200 (Spain); Oller, I. [PSA - Plataforma Solar de Almeria, CIEMAT, Crta Senes km 4, Tabernas, Almeria 04200 (Spain); Domenech, Xavier [Departament de Quimica, Edifici Cn, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona (Spain); Peral, Jose [Departament de Quimica, Edifici Cn, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona (Spain)]. E-mail: jose.peral@uab.es

    2006-11-16

    Aqueous solutions of a mixture of several pesticides (alachlor, atrazine, chlorfenvinphos, diuron and isoproturon), considered PS (priority substances) by the European Commission, and an intermediate product of the pharmaceutical industry ({alpha}-methylphenylglycine, MPG) chosen as a model industrial pollutant, have been degraded at pilot-plant scale using ozonation. This study is part of a large research project [CADOX Project, A Coupled Advanced Oxidation-Biological Process for Recycling of Industrial Wastewater Containing Persistent Organic Contaminants, Contract No.: EVK1-CT-2002-00122, European Commission, http://www.psa.es/webeng/projects/cadox/index.html[1

  20. Transmission electron-microscopic studies of structural changes in polycrystalline graphite after high temperature irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Platonov, P.A.; Gurovich, B.A.; Shtrombakh, Ya.I.; Karpukhin, V.I.

    1985-01-01

    Transmission electron-microscopic investigation of polycrystalline graphite before and after irradiation is carried out. The direct use of graphite samples after ion thinning, as an inquiry subject is the basic peculiarity of the work. Main structural components of MPG-6 graphite before and after irradiation are revealed, the structural mechanism of the reactor graphite destruction under irradiation is demonstrated. The mean values of L αm and L cm crystallite dimensions are determined. Radiation defects, occuring in some crystallites after irradiation are revealed by the dark-field electron microscopy method

  1. Novel particle and radiation sources and advanced materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mako, Frederick [FM Technologies, Inc. and Electron Technologies, Inc. (United States)

    2016-03-25

    The influence Norman Rostoker had on the lives of those who had the pleasure of knowing him is profound. The skills and knowledge I gained as a graduate student researching collective ion acceleration has fueled a career that has evolved from particle beam physics to include particle and radiation source development and advanced materials research, among many other exciting projects. The graduate research performed on collective ion acceleration was extended by others to form the backbone for laser driven plasma ion acceleration. Several years after graduate school I formed FM Technologies, Inc., (FMT), and later Electron Technologies, Inc. (ETI). Currently, as the founder and president of both FMT and ETI, the Rostoker influence can still be felt. One technology that we developed is a self-bunching RF fed electron gun, called the Micro-Pulse Gun (MPG). The MPG has important applications for RF accelerators and microwave tube technology, specifically clinically improved medical linacs and “green” klystrons. In addition to electron beam and RF source research, knowledge of materials and material interactions gained indirectly in graduate school has blossomed into breakthroughs in materials joining technologies. Most recently, silicon carbide joining technology has been developed that gives robust helium leak tight, high temperature and high strength joints between ceramic-to-ceramic and ceramic-to-metal. This joining technology has the potential to revolutionize the ethylene production, nuclear fuel and solar receiver industries by finally allowing for the practical use of silicon carbide as furnace coils, fuel rods and solar receptors, respectively, which are applications that have been needed for decades.

  2. Novel particle and radiation sources and advanced materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mako, Frederick

    2016-01-01

    The influence Norman Rostoker had on the lives of those who had the pleasure of knowing him is profound. The skills and knowledge I gained as a graduate student researching collective ion acceleration has fueled a career that has evolved from particle beam physics to include particle and radiation source development and advanced materials research, among many other exciting projects. The graduate research performed on collective ion acceleration was extended by others to form the backbone for laser driven plasma ion acceleration. Several years after graduate school I formed FM Technologies, Inc., (FMT), and later Electron Technologies, Inc. (ETI). Currently, as the founder and president of both FMT and ETI, the Rostoker influence can still be felt. One technology that we developed is a self-bunching RF fed electron gun, called the Micro-Pulse Gun (MPG). The MPG has important applications for RF accelerators and microwave tube technology, specifically clinically improved medical linacs and “green” klystrons. In addition to electron beam and RF source research, knowledge of materials and material interactions gained indirectly in graduate school has blossomed into breakthroughs in materials joining technologies. Most recently, silicon carbide joining technology has been developed that gives robust helium leak tight, high temperature and high strength joints between ceramic-to-ceramic and ceramic-to-metal. This joining technology has the potential to revolutionize the ethylene production, nuclear fuel and solar receiver industries by finally allowing for the practical use of silicon carbide as furnace coils, fuel rods and solar receptors, respectively, which are applications that have been needed for decades.

  3. Novel particle and radiation sources and advanced materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mako, Frederick

    2016-03-01

    The influence Norman Rostoker had on the lives of those who had the pleasure of knowing him is profound. The skills and knowledge I gained as a graduate student researching collective ion acceleration has fueled a career that has evolved from particle beam physics to include particle and radiation source development and advanced materials research, among many other exciting projects. The graduate research performed on collective ion acceleration was extended by others to form the backbone for laser driven plasma ion acceleration. Several years after graduate school I formed FM Technologies, Inc., (FMT), and later Electron Technologies, Inc. (ETI). Currently, as the founder and president of both FMT and ETI, the Rostoker influence can still be felt. One technology that we developed is a self-bunching RF fed electron gun, called the Micro-Pulse Gun (MPG). The MPG has important applications for RF accelerators and microwave tube technology, specifically clinically improved medical linacs and "green" klystrons. In addition to electron beam and RF source research, knowledge of materials and material interactions gained indirectly in graduate school has blossomed into breakthroughs in materials joining technologies. Most recently, silicon carbide joining technology has been developed that gives robust helium leak tight, high temperature and high strength joints between ceramic-to-ceramic and ceramic-to-metal. This joining technology has the potential to revolutionize the ethylene production, nuclear fuel and solar receiver industries by finally allowing for the practical use of silicon carbide as furnace coils, fuel rods and solar receptors, respectively, which are applications that have been needed for decades.

  4. Response properties of the pharyngeal branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve for umami taste in mice and rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitagawa, Junichi; Takahashi, Yoshihiro; Matsumoto, Shigeji; Shingai, Tomio

    2007-04-24

    Many studies have reported the mechanism underlying umami taste. However, there are no investigations of responses to umami stimuli taste originating from chemoreceptors in the pharyngeal region. The pharyngeal branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve (GPN-ph) innervating the pharynx has unique responses to taste stimulation that differs from responses of the chorda tympani nerve and lingual branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve. Water evokes robust response, but NaCl solutions at physiological concentrations do not elicit responses. The present study was designed to examine umami taste (chemosensory) responses in the GPN-ph. Response characteristics to umami taste were compared between mice and rats. In mice, stimulation with compounds eliciting umami taste (0.1M monosodium L-glutamate (MSG), 0.01M inosine monophosphate (IMP) and the mixture of 0.1M MSG+0.01M IMP) evoked higher responses than application of distilled water (DW). However, synergistic response of a mixture of 0.1M MSG+0.01M IMP was not observed. In rats, there is no significant difference between the responses to umami taste (0.1M MSG, 0.01M IMP and the mixture of 0.1M MSG+0.01M IMP) and DW. Monopotassium glutamate (MPG) was used in rats to examine the contribution of the sodium component of MSG on the response. Stimulation with 0.1M MPG evoked a higher response when compared with responses to DW. The present results suggest that umami taste compounds are effective stimuli of the chemoreceptors in the pharynx of both mice and rats.

  5. Translocation of cell-penetrating peptides into Candida fungal pathogens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Zifan; Karlsson, Amy J

    2017-09-01

    Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are small peptides capable of crossing cellular membranes while carrying molecular cargo. Although they have been widely studied for their ability to translocate nucleic acids, small molecules, and proteins into mammalian cells, studies of their interaction with fungal cells are limited. In this work, we evaluated the translocation of eleven fluorescently labeled peptides into the important human fungal pathogens Candida albicans and C. glabrata and explored the mechanisms of translocation. Seven of these peptides (cecropin B, penetratin, pVEC, MAP, SynB, (KFF) 3 K, and MPG) exhibited substantial translocation (>80% of cells) into both species in a concentration-dependent manner, and an additional peptide (TP-10) exhibiting strong translocation into only C. glabrata. Vacuoles were involved in translocation and intracellular trafficking of the peptides in the fungal cells and, for some peptides, escape from the vacuoles and localization in the cytosol were correlated to toxicity toward the fungal cells. Endocytosis was involved in the translocation of cecropin B, MAP, SynB, MPG, (KFF) 3 K, and TP-10, and cecropin B, penetratin, pVEC, and MAP caused membrane permeabilization during translocation. These results indicate the involvement of multiple translocation mechanisms for some CPPs. Although high levels of translocation were typically associated with toxicity of the peptides toward the fungal cells, SynB was translocated efficiently into Candida cells at concentrations that led to minimal toxicity. Our work highlights the potential of CPPs in delivering antifungal molecules and other bioactive cargo to Candida pathogens. © 2017 The Protein Society.

  6. Identifications and limited spectroscopy for Luyten common proper motion stars with probable white dwarf components. I - Pair brighter than 17th magnitude

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oswalt, Terry D.; Hintzen, Paul M.; Luyten, Willem J.

    1988-01-01

    Identifications are provided for 103 bright Luyten common proper motion (CPM) stellar systems with m(pg) less than 17.0 mag containing likely white dwarf (WD) components. New spectral types are presented for 55 components, and spectral types for 51 more are available in the literature. With the CPM systems previously published by Giclas et al. (1978), the Luyten stars provide a uniform sample of nearly 200 pairs or multiples brighter than 17h magnitude. Selection effects biasing the combined samples are discussed; in particular, evidence is presented that fewer than 1 percent of wide WD binaries have been detected.

  7. Model Year 2017 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2016-11-01

    The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles.

  8. Model Year 2012 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2011-11-01

    The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles.

  9. Model Year 2013 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2012-12-01

    The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles.

  10. Model Year 2011 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2010-11-01

    The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles.

  11. Model Year 2018 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2017-12-07

    The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles.

  12. PROTOTIPE VIDEO EDITOR DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN DIRECT X DAN DIRECT SHOW

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Djoni Haryadi Setiabudi

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Technology development had given people the chance to capture their memorable moments in video format. A high quality digital video is a result of a good editing process. Which in turn, arise the new need of an editor application. In accordance to the problem, here the process of making a simple application for video editing needs. The application development use the programming techniques often applied in multimedia applications, especially video. First part of the application will begin with the video file compression and decompression, then we'll step into the editing part of the digital video file. Furthermore, the application also equipped with the facilities needed for the editing processes. The application made with Microsoft Visual C++ with DirectX technology, particularly DirectShow. The application provides basic facilities that will help the editing process of a digital video file. The application will produce an AVI format file after the editing process is finished. Through the testing process of this application shows the ability of this application to do the 'cut' and 'insert' of video files in AVI, MPEG, MPG and DAT formats. The 'cut' and 'insert' process only can be done in static order. Further, the aplication also provide the effects facility for transition process in each clip. Lastly, the process of saving the new edited video file in AVI format from the application. Abstract in Bahasa Indonesia : Perkembangan teknologi memberi kesempatan masyarakat untuk mengabadikan saat - saat yang penting menggunakan video. Pembentukan video digital yang baik membutuhkan proses editing yang baik pula. Untuk melakukan proses editing video digital dibutuhkan program editor. Berdasarkan permasalahan diatas maka pada penelitian ini dibuat prototipe editor sederhana untuk video digital. Pembuatan aplikasi memakai teknik pemrograman di bidang multimedia, khususnya video. Perencanaan dalam pembuatan aplikasi tersebut dimulai dengan pembentukan

  13. Tungsten carbide nanoparticles as efficient cocatalysts for photocatalytic overall water splitting

    KAUST Repository

    Garcia Esparza, Angel T.

    2012-12-17

    Tungsten carbide exhibits platinum-like behavior, which makes it an interesting potential substitute for noble metals in catalytic applications. Tungsten carbide nanocrystals (≈5 nm) are directly synthesized through the reaction of tungsten precursors with mesoporous graphitic C3N 4 (mpg-C3N4) as the reactive template in a flow of inert gas at high temperatures. Systematic experiments that vary the precursor compositions and temperatures used in the synthesis selectively generate different compositions and structures for the final nanocarbide (W 2C or WC) products. Electrochemical measurements demonstrate that the WC phase with a high surface area exhibits both high activity and stability in hydrogen evolution over a wide pH range. The WC sample also shows excellent hydrogen oxidation activity, whereas its activity in oxygen reduction is poor. These tungsten carbides are successful cocatalysts for overall water splitting and give H2 and O2 in a stoichiometric ratio from H 2O decomposition when supported on a Na-doped SrTiO3 photocatalyst. Herein, we present tungsten carbide (on a small scale) as a promising and durable catalyst substitute for platinum and other scarce noble-metal catalysts in catalytic reaction systems used for renewable energy generation. Platinum replacement: The phase-controlled synthesis of tungsten carbide nanoparticles from the nanoconfinement of a mesoporous graphite C 3N4 (mpg-C3N4) reactive template is shown. The nanomaterials catalyze hydrogen evolution/oxidation reactions, but are inactive in the oxygen reduction reaction. Tungsten carbide is an effective cocatalyst for photocatalytic overall water splitting (see picture). Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  14. Synthesis and characterization of DNA minor groove binding alkylating agents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iyer, Prema; Srinivasan, Ajay; Singh, Sreelekha K; Mascara, Gerard P; Zayitova, Sevara; Sidone, Brian; Fouquerel, Elise; Svilar, David; Sobol, Robert W; Bobola, Michael S; Silber, John R; Gold, Barry

    2013-01-18

    Derivatives of methyl 3-(1-methyl-5-(1-methyl-5-(propylcarbamoyl)-1H-pyrrol-3-ylcarbamoyl)-1H-pyrrol-3-ylamino)-3-oxopropane-1-sulfonate (1), a peptide-based DNA minor groove binding methylating agent, were synthesized and characterized. In all cases, the N-terminus was appended with an O-methyl sulfonate ester, while the C-terminus group was varied with nonpolar and polar side chains. In addition, the number of pyrrole rings was varied from 2 (dipeptide) to 3 (tripeptide). The ability of the different analogues to efficiently generate N3-methyladenine was demonstrated as was their selectivity for minor groove (N3-methyladenine) versus major groove (N7-methylguanine) methylation. Induced circular dichroism studies were used to measure the DNA equilibrium binding properties of the stable sulfone analogues; the tripeptide binds with affinity that is >10-fold higher than that of the dipeptide. The toxicities of the compounds were evaluated in alkA/tag glycosylase mutant E. coli and in human WT glioma cells and in cells overexpressing and under-expressing N-methylpurine-DNA glycosylase, which excises N3-methyladenine from DNA. The results show that equilibrium binding correlates with the levels of N3-methyladenine produced and cellular toxicity. The toxicity of 1 was inversely related to the expression of MPG in both the bacterial and mammalian cell lines. The enhanced toxicity parallels the reduced activation of PARP and the diminished rate of formation of aldehyde reactive sites observed in the MPG knockdown cells. It is proposed that unrepaired N3-methyladenine is toxic due to its ability to directly block DNA polymerization.

  15. Echocardiography underestimates stroke volume and aortic valve area: implications for patients with small-area low-gradient aortic stenosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chin, Calvin W L; Khaw, Hwan J; Luo, Elton; Tan, Shuwei; White, Audrey C; Newby, David E; Dweck, Marc R

    2014-09-01

    Discordance between small aortic valve area (AVA; area (LVOTarea) and stroke volume alongside inconsistencies in recommended thresholds. One hundred thirty-three patients with mild to severe AS and 33 control individuals underwent comprehensive echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Stroke volume and LVOTarea were calculated using echocardiography and MRI, and the effects on AVA estimation were assessed. The relationship between AVA and MPG measurements was then modelled with nonlinear regression and consistent thresholds for these parameters calculated. Finally the effect of these modified AVA measurements and novel thresholds on the number of patients with small-area low-gradient AS was investigated. Compared with MRI, echocardiography underestimated LVOTarea (n = 40; -0.7 cm(2); 95% confidence interval [CI], -2.6 to 1.3), stroke volumes (-6.5 mL/m(2); 95% CI, -28.9 to 16.0) and consequently, AVA (-0.23 cm(2); 95% CI, -1.01 to 0.59). Moreover, an AVA of 1.0 cm(2) corresponded to MPG of 24 mm Hg based on echocardiographic measurements and 37 mm Hg after correction with MRI-derived stroke volumes. Based on conventional measures, 56 patients had discordant small-area low-gradient AS. Using MRI-derived stroke volumes and the revised thresholds, a 48% reduction in discordance was observed (n = 29). Echocardiography underestimated LVOTarea, stroke volume, and therefore AVA, compared with MRI. The thresholds based on current guidelines were also inconsistent. In combination, these factors explain > 40% of patients with discordant small-area low-gradient AS. Copyright © 2014 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Tungsten carbide nanoparticles as efficient cocatalysts for photocatalytic overall water splitting

    KAUST Repository

    Garcia Esparza, Angel T.; Cha, Dong Kyu; Ou, Yiwei; Kubota, Jun; Domen, Kazunari; Takanabe, Kazuhiro

    2012-01-01

    Tungsten carbide exhibits platinum-like behavior, which makes it an interesting potential substitute for noble metals in catalytic applications. Tungsten carbide nanocrystals (≈5 nm) are directly synthesized through the reaction of tungsten precursors with mesoporous graphitic C3N 4 (mpg-C3N4) as the reactive template in a flow of inert gas at high temperatures. Systematic experiments that vary the precursor compositions and temperatures used in the synthesis selectively generate different compositions and structures for the final nanocarbide (W 2C or WC) products. Electrochemical measurements demonstrate that the WC phase with a high surface area exhibits both high activity and stability in hydrogen evolution over a wide pH range. The WC sample also shows excellent hydrogen oxidation activity, whereas its activity in oxygen reduction is poor. These tungsten carbides are successful cocatalysts for overall water splitting and give H2 and O2 in a stoichiometric ratio from H 2O decomposition when supported on a Na-doped SrTiO3 photocatalyst. Herein, we present tungsten carbide (on a small scale) as a promising and durable catalyst substitute for platinum and other scarce noble-metal catalysts in catalytic reaction systems used for renewable energy generation. Platinum replacement: The phase-controlled synthesis of tungsten carbide nanoparticles from the nanoconfinement of a mesoporous graphite C 3N4 (mpg-C3N4) reactive template is shown. The nanomaterials catalyze hydrogen evolution/oxidation reactions, but are inactive in the oxygen reduction reaction. Tungsten carbide is an effective cocatalyst for photocatalytic overall water splitting (see picture). Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Meeting U.S. passenger vehicle fuel economy standards in 2016 and beyond

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheah, Lynette; Heywood, John

    2011-01-01

    New fuel economy standards require new U.S. passenger vehicles to achieve at least 34.1 miles per gallon (MPG) on average by model year 2016, up from 28.8 MPG today. In this paper, the magnitude, combinations and timings of the changes required in U.S. vehicles that are necessary in order to meet the new standards, as well as a target of doubling the fuel economy within the next two decades are explored. Scenarios of future vehicle characteristics and sales mix indicate that the 2016 mandate is aggressive, requiring significant changes starting from today. New vehicles must forgo horsepower improvements, become lighter, and a greater number will use advanced, more fuel-efficient powertrains, such as smaller turbocharged engines, hybrid-electric drives. Achieving a factor-of-two increase in fuel economy by 2030 is also challenging, but more feasible since the auto industry will have more lead time to respond. A discussion on the feasibility of meeting the new fuel economy mandate is included, considering vehicle production planning realities and challenges in deploying new vehicle technologies into the market. - Research Highlights: → The new 2016 fuel economy standards for passenger vehicles in the U.S. can be met, but are aggressive. → Future vehicles must forgo horsepower improvements, become lighter, and a greater number will use advanced, more fuel efficient powertrains. → The challenge of meeting the fuel economy targets is defined by both the magnitude and the timing of these requirements. → Doubling the fuel economy by 2030 is also challenging, but more feasible since the auto industry will have more lead time to respond.

  18. Simulation of dust production in ITER transient events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pestchanyi, S.E.; Landman, I.S.

    2008-01-01

    Dust production from the divertor armour during edge-localised modes (ELMs) has been investigated. Analysis of available experimental data on the dust particle production and the particles distribution on size for the MPG-8 graphite and for NB31 carbon fibre composite (CFC) under the disruption-like surface heat load allowed revealing the unknown mechanical parameters of the NB31 CFC. Using these data the code PEGASUS-3D has been fitted and verified for simulation of the dust production by ELMs. First simulation of the dust production for the ELM of 1 MJ/m 2 heat load and 0.5 ms time duration has been calculated

  19. PyFDAP: automated analysis of fluorescence decay after photoconversion (FDAP) experiments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bläßle, Alexander; Müller, Patrick

    2015-03-15

    We developed the graphical user interface PyFDAP for the fitting of linear and non-linear decay functions to data from fluorescence decay after photoconversion (FDAP) experiments. PyFDAP structures and analyses large FDAP datasets and features multiple fitting and plotting options. PyFDAP was written in Python and runs on Ubuntu Linux, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows operating systems. The software, a user guide and a test FDAP dataset are freely available for download from http://people.tuebingen.mpg.de/mueller-lab. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  20. Changes in the physical and mechanical properties of graphite on irradiation in ditolylmethane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gavrilin, A.I.; Lebedev, I.G.; Sudakova, N.V.; Rizvanov, V.K.

    1987-01-01

    Results are presented from the irradiation and mechanical and structural testing of four grades of graphite - GMZ, VPG, MPG-6, and PG-50 - for use as moderator materials in organic cooled and graphite moderated reactors. Irradiation was carried out in the ARBUS-AST-1 reactor. Photomicrography was used to determine pore structure and ultimate strength in bending and compression was determined mechanically. Irradiation was found to increase the strength of GMZ, PMG-6, and PG-50 considerably, due to the healing of microdefects as a result of the pores filling with radiolysis products from the coolant, ditolylmethane. Conversely, VPG graphite, which has closed porosity, lost strength on irradiation

  1. Relations between elliptic multiple zeta values and a special derivation algebra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Broedel, Johannes; Matthes, Nils; Schlotterer, Oliver

    2016-01-01

    We investigate relations between elliptic multiple zeta values (eMZVs) and describe a method to derive the number of indecomposable elements of given weight and length. Our method is based on representing eMZVs as iterated integrals over Eisenstein series and exploiting the connection with a special derivation algebra. Its commutator relations give rise to constraints on the iterated integrals over Eisenstein series relevant for eMZVs and thereby allow to count the indecomposable representatives. Conversely, the above connection suggests apparently new relations in the derivation algebra. Under https://tools.aei.mpg.de/emzv we provide relations for eMZVs over a wide range of weights and lengths. (paper)

  2. Simulation of dust production in ITER transient events

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pestchanyi, S.E. [Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Institute for Pulsed Power and Microwave Technology, P.B. 3640, D-76021 Karlsruhe (Germany)], E-mail: sergey.pestchanyi@ihm.fzk.de; Landman, I.S. [Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Institute for Pulsed Power and Microwave Technology, P.B. 3640, D-76021 Karlsruhe (Germany)

    2008-12-15

    Dust production from the divertor armour during edge-localised modes (ELMs) has been investigated. Analysis of available experimental data on the dust particle production and the particles distribution on size for the MPG-8 graphite and for NB31 carbon fibre composite (CFC) under the disruption-like surface heat load allowed revealing the unknown mechanical parameters of the NB31 CFC. Using these data the code PEGASUS-3D has been fitted and verified for simulation of the dust production by ELMs. First simulation of the dust production for the ELM of 1 MJ/m{sup 2} heat load and 0.5 ms time duration has been calculated.

  3. Search for the neutrinoless ββ decay in 76Ge with the GERDA experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cattadori, C.; Knapp, M.; Kröninger, K.; Liu, X.; Pandola, L.; Pullia, A.; Tomei, C.; Ur, C.; Zocca, F.

    2011-01-01

    The GERmanium Detector Array, GERDA, [Gerda Collaboration, Abt I et al., Proposal, a (http://www.mpi-hd.mpg.de/ge76/home.html)] is designed to search for neutrinoless double beta (0νββ)-decay of 76 Ge. The importance of such a search is emphasized by the evidence of a non-zero neutrino mass from flavour oscillation experiments and by the recent claim [Klapdor-Kleingrothaus H V et al., Phys. Lett. B 586, 198 (2004)] based on data of the Heidelberg-Moscow experiment. GERDA will be installed in the Hall A of the Gran Sasso underground Laboratory (LNGS), Italy. The construction of GERDA will start in 2006.

  4. On the improvement of HTGR fuel elements corrosion resistance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chernikov, A.S.; Kurbakov, S.D.

    1996-01-01

    The results of corrosion tests of matrix graphite based on calcinated (30PG graphite) and non-calcinated (MPG graphite) petroleum cokes in helium containing 0.01-1 vol.% water vapour in the temperature range 600-1200degC are presented. The results of investigation of matrix graphite components reactivity are considered. It is shown that the filler graphite 30PG has the minimum activity towards the water vapour. The influence of impurities content on the oxidation rate are considered. The results of corrosion tests of matrix graphite coated with protective layers (silicon carbide and aluminium phosphates) in the air environment at 1600degC, 1 h, are given. (author)

  5. Minerals Policy Statement 2: controlling and mitigating the environmental effects of minerals extraction in England

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2005-03-15

    Minerals Policy Statement 2 (MPS2) sets out the policies and considerations that the UK Government expects Mineral Planning Authorities to follow when preparing development plans and in considering application for minerals development. This supercedes Minerals Policy Guidance 11 (MPG 11). Annex 1: Dust to MPS2 sets out the policy considerations in relation to dust from mineral workings and associated operations, and how they should be dealt with in local development plans and in considering individual applications. Annex 2: Noise to MPS2 addresses policy in relation to noise from mineral workings. These have been abstracted separately for the Coal Abstracts database. 58 refs., 2 apps.

  6. Demonstration Project for a Multi-Material Lightweight Prototype Vehicle as Part of the Clean Energy Dialogue with Canada

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Skszek, Tim [Vehma International Of America, Inc., Troy, MI (United States)

    2015-12-29

    The intent of the Multi-Material Lightweight Vehicle (“MMLV”) was to assess the feasibility of achieving a significant level of vehicle mass reduction, enabling engine downsizing resulting in a tangible fuel reduction and environmental benefit. The MMLV project included the development of two (2) lightweight vehicle designs, referred to as Mach-I and Mach-II MMLV variants, based on a 2013 Ford production C/D segment production vehicle (Fusion). Weight comparison, life cycle assessment and limited full vehicle testing are included in the project scope. The Mach-I vehicle variant was comprised of materials and processes that are commercially available or previously demonstrated. The 363 kg mass reduction associated with the Mach-I design enabled use of a one-liter, three-cylinder, gasoline turbocharged direct injection engine, maintaining the performance and utility of the baseline vehicle. The full MMLV project produced seven (7) MMLV Mach-I “concept vehicles” which were used for testing and evaluation. The full vehicle tests confirmed that MMLV Mach-I concept vehicle performed approximately equivalent to the baseline 2013 Ford Fusion vehicle thereby validating the design of the multi material lightweight vehicle design. The results of the Life Cycle Assessment, conducted by third party consultant, indicated that if the MMLV Mach-I design was built and operated in North America for 250,000 km (155,343 miles) it would produce significant environmental and fuel economy benefits including a 16% reduction in Global Warming Potential (GWP) and 16% reduction in Total Primary Energy (TPE). The LCA calculations estimated the combined fuel economy of 34 mpg (6.9 l/100 km) associated with the MMLV Mach-I Design compared to 28 mpg (8.4 l/100 km) for the 2013 Ford Fusion.

  7. Population genetic variation in the tree fern Alsophila spinulosa (Cyatheaceae): effects of reproductive strategy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ting; Su, Yingjuan; Li, Yuan

    2012-01-01

    Essentially all ferns can perform both sexual and asexual reproduction. Their populations represent suitable study objects to test the population genetic effects of different reproductive systems. Using the diploid homosporous fern Alsophila spinulosa as an example species, the main purpose of this study was to assess the relative impact of sexual and asexual reproduction on the level and structure of population genetic variation. Inter-simple sequence repeats analysis was conducted on 140 individuals collected from seven populations (HSG, LCH, BPC, MPG, GX, LD, and ZHG) in China. Seventy-four polymorphic bands discriminated a total of 127 multilocus genotypes. Character compatibility analysis revealed that 50.0 to 70.0% of the genotypes had to be deleted in order to obtain a tree-like structure in the data set from populations HSG, LCH, MPG, BPC, GX, and LD; and there was a gradual decrease of conflict in the data set when genotypes with the highest incompatibility counts were successively deleted. In contrast, in population ZHG, only 33.3% of genotypes had to be removed to achieve complete compatibility in the data set, which showed a sharp decline in incompatibility upon the deletion of those genotypes. All populations examined possessed similar levels of genetic variation. Population ZHG was not found to be more differentiated than the other populations. Sexual recombination is the predominant source of genetic variation in most of the examined populations of A. spinulosa. However, somatic mutation contributes most to the genetic variation in population ZHG. This change of the primary mode of reproduction does not cause a significant difference in the population genetic composition. Character compatibility analysis represents an effective approach to separate the role of sexual and asexual components in shaping the genetic pattern of fern populations.

  8. Reactive Oxygen Species and Mitochondrial KATP Channels Mediate Helium-Induced Preconditioning Against Myocardial Infarction In Vivo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pagel, Paul S.; Krolikowski, John G.; Pratt, Phillip F.; Shim, Yon Hee; Amour, Julien; Warltier, David C.; Weihrauch, Dorothee

    2008-01-01

    Objectives Helium produces preconditioning by activating prosurvival kinases, but the roles of reactive oxygen species (ROS) or mitochondrial KATP channels in this process are unknown. We tested the hypothesis that ROS and mitochondrial KATP channels mediate helium-induced preconditioning in vivo. Design Randomized, prospective study. Setting University research laboratory. Participants Male New Zealand white rabbits. Interventions Rabbits (n=64) were instrumented for measurement of systemic hemodynamics and subjected to a 30 min left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) occlusion and 3 h reperfusion. In separate experimental groups, rabbits (n=7 or 8 per group) were randomly assigned to receive 0.9% saline (control) or three cycles of 70% helium-30% oxygen administered for 5 min interspersed with 5 min of an air-oxygen mixture before LAD occlusion with or without the ROS scavengers N-acetylcysteine (NAC; 150 mg/kg) or N-2-mercaptoproprionyl glycine (2-MPG; 75 mg/kg), or the mitochondrial KATP antagonist 5-hydroxydecanoate (5-HD; 5 mg/kg). Statistical analysis of data was performed with analysis of variance for repeated measures followed by Bonferroni's modification of Student's t test. Measurements and Main Results Myocardial infarct size was determined using triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining and presented as a percentage of the left ventricular area at risk. Helium significantly (P<0.05) reduced infarct size (23±4% of the area at risk; mean±SD) compared with control (46±3%). NAC, 2-MPG, and 5-HD did not affect irreversible ischemic injury when administered alone (49±5, 45±6, and 45±3%), but these drugs blocked reductions in infarct size produced by helium (45±4, 45±2, and 44±3%). Conclusions The results suggest that ROS and mitochondrial KATP channels mediate helium-induced preconditioning in vivo. PMID:18662630

  9. Basic consideration of diffusion/perfusion imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamagawa, Yoichi; Kimura, Hirohiko; Matsuda, Tsuyoshi; Kawamura, Yasutaka; Nakatsugawa, Shigekazu; Ishii, Yasushi; Sakuma, Hajime; Tsukamoto, Tetsuji.

    1990-01-01

    In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), microscopic motion of biological system such as molecular diffusion of water and microcirculation of blood in the capillary network (perfusion) has been proposed to cause signal attenuation as an intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM). Quantitative imaging of the IVIM phenomenon was attempted to generate from a set of spin-echo (SE) sequences with or without sensitization by motion probing gradient (MPG). The IVIM imaging is characterized by a parameter, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), which is an integration of both the diffusion and the perfusion factor on voxel-by-voxel basis. Hard ware was adjusted to avoid image artifact mainly produced by eddy current. Feasibility of the method was tested using bottle phantom filled with water at different temperature and acetone, and the calculated ADC values of these media corresponded well with accepted values of diffusion. The method was then applied to biological system to investigate mutual participation of diffusion/perfusion on the ADC value. The result of tumor model born on nude mouse suggested considerable participation of perfusion factor which immediately disappeared after sacrificing the animal. Meanwhile, lower value of sacrificed tissue without microcirculation was suggested to have some restriction of diffusion factor by biological tissue. To substantiate the restriction effect on the diffusion, a series of observation have made on a fiber phantom, stalk of celory with botanical fibers and human brain with nerve fibers, in applying unidirectional MPG along the course of these banch of fiber system. The directional restriction effect of diffusion along the course of fiber (diffusion anisotrophy) was clearly visualized as directional change of ADC value. The present method for tissue characterization by diffusion/perfusion on microscopic level will provide a new insight for evaluation of functional derangement in human brain and other organs. (author)

  10. Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Value Proposition Study: Phase 1, Task 3: Technical Requirements and Procedure for Evaluation of One Scenario

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sikes, Karen R [ORNL; Hinds, Shaun [Sentech, Inc.; Hadley, Stanton W [ORNL; McGill, Ralph N [ORNL; Markel, Lawrence C [ORNL; Ziegler, Richard E [ORNL; Smith, David E [ORNL; Smith, Richard L [ORNL; Greene, David L [ORNL; Brooks, Daniel L [ORNL; Wiegman, Herman [GE Global Research; Miller, Nicholas [GE; Marano, Dr. Vincenzo [Ohio State University

    2008-07-01

    In Task 2, the project team designed the Phase 1 case study to represent the 'baseline' plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) fleet of 2030 that investigates the effects of seventeen (17) value propositions (see Table 1 for complete list). By creating a 'baseline' scenario, a consistent set of assumptions and model parameters can be established for use in more elaborate Phase 2 case studies. The project team chose southern California as the Phase 1 case study location because the economic, environmental, social, and regulatory conditions are conducive to the advantages of PHEVs. Assuming steady growth of PHEV sales over the next two decades, PHEVs are postulated to comprise approximately 10% of the area's private vehicles (about 1,000,000 vehicles) in 2030. New PHEV models introduced in 2030 are anticipated to contain lithium-ion batteries and be classified by a blended mileage description (e.g., 100 mpg, 150 mpg) that demonstrates a battery size equivalence of a PHEV-30. Task 3 includes the determination of data, models, and analysis procedures required to evaluate the Phase 1 case study scenario. Some existing models have been adapted to accommodate the analysis of the business model and establish relationships between costs and value to the respective consumers. Other data, such as the anticipated California generation mix and southern California drive cycles, have also been gathered for use as inputs. The collection of models that encompasses the technical, economic, and financial aspects of Phase 1 analysis has been chosen and is described in this deliverable. The role of PHEV owners, utilities (distribution systems, generators, independent system operators (ISO), aggregators, or regional transmission operators (RTO)), facility owners, financing institutions, and other third parties are also defined.

  11. Population genetic variation in the tree fern Alsophila spinulosa (Cyatheaceae: effects of reproductive strategy.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ting Wang

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Essentially all ferns can perform both sexual and asexual reproduction. Their populations represent suitable study objects to test the population genetic effects of different reproductive systems. Using the diploid homosporous fern Alsophila spinulosa as an example species, the main purpose of this study was to assess the relative impact of sexual and asexual reproduction on the level and structure of population genetic variation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Inter-simple sequence repeats analysis was conducted on 140 individuals collected from seven populations (HSG, LCH, BPC, MPG, GX, LD, and ZHG in China. Seventy-four polymorphic bands discriminated a total of 127 multilocus genotypes. Character compatibility analysis revealed that 50.0 to 70.0% of the genotypes had to be deleted in order to obtain a tree-like structure in the data set from populations HSG, LCH, MPG, BPC, GX, and LD; and there was a gradual decrease of conflict in the data set when genotypes with the highest incompatibility counts were successively deleted. In contrast, in population ZHG, only 33.3% of genotypes had to be removed to achieve complete compatibility in the data set, which showed a sharp decline in incompatibility upon the deletion of those genotypes. All populations examined possessed similar levels of genetic variation. Population ZHG was not found to be more differentiated than the other populations. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Sexual recombination is the predominant source of genetic variation in most of the examined populations of A. spinulosa. However, somatic mutation contributes most to the genetic variation in population ZHG. This change of the primary mode of reproduction does not cause a significant difference in the population genetic composition. Character compatibility analysis represents an effective approach to separate the role of sexual and asexual components in shaping the genetic pattern of fern populations.

  12. Automotive Stirling engine: Mod 2 design report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nightingale, Noel P.

    1986-01-01

    The design of an automotive Stirling engine that achieves the superior fuel economy potential of the Stirling cycle is described. As the culmination of a 9-yr development program, this engine, designated the Mod 2, also nullifies arguments that Stirling engines are heavy, expensive, unreliable, demonstrating poor performance. Installed in a General Motors Chevrolet Celebrity car, this engine has a predicted combined fuel economy on unleaded gasoline of 17.5 km/l (41 mpg)- a value 50% above the current vehicle fleet average. The Mod 2 Stirling engine is a four-cylinder V-drive design with a single crankshaft. The engine is also equipped with all the controls and auxiliaries necessary for automotive operation.

  13. VizieR Online Data Catalog: HeI 5876 & 10830Å EWs of solar-type stars (Andretta+, 2017)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andretta, V.; Giampapa, M. S.; Covino, E.; Reiners, A.; Beeck, B.

    2017-11-01

    A total of 134 FEROS spectra (R=48000) of our targets (including telluric standards) were acquired on the night of UT 2011 December 6-7; spectral coverage from 3500 to 9200Å. The Fiber Extended-range Optical Spectrograph (FEROS) was mounted at the 2.2m Max-Planck Gesellschaft/European Southern Observatory (MPG/ESO) telescope at La Silla (Chile). The HeIλ10830 spectroscopic observations were carried out on the same night as the FEROS D3 observations, using the CRyogenic high-resolution InfraRed Echelle Spectrograph (CRIRES), mounted at Unit Telescope 1 (Antu) of the VLT array at Cerro Paranal. The details of the observations is given in table 1. (3 data files).

  14. Chemical radioprotection to bone marrow stem cells after whole body gamma irradiation to mice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dey, J.; Dey, T.B.; Ganguly, S.K.; Nagpal, K.K.; Ghose, A.

    1988-11-01

    Protection to mice bone marrow stem cells has been noted as early as two days after whole body gamma ray exposure by prior treatment with combination of hydroxytryptophan (HT) and one of the two thiol drugs viz., aminoethylisothiuronium bromide hydrobromide (AET) (20 mg/kg body weight) and B-mercaptopropionylglicine (MPG). The levels of protection to bone marrow stem cells thus obtained have been compared to that obtained by treating with the optimum radioprotecting dose of AET (200 mg/kg body weight). The study reports the bone marrow stem cells status after two days of 3 Gy, 5 Gy and 10 Gy whole body gamma irradiation in relation to the mentioned radioprotecting treatments as studied by spleen colony forming method.

  15. Report of the first research coordination meeting (RCM) for the co-ordinated research project (CRP E2 40 07) on development of a quality assurance programme for radiation therapy dosimetry in developing countries. IAEA, Vienna, 6-10 October 1997

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Izewska, J.

    1998-01-01

    In 1994, a group of consultants was asked to advice the Agency on the expansion of the IAEA/WHO TLD postal dose check service for radiotherapy hospitals by transfer of know-how to national level. The consultants advised the Agency to initiate the Co-ordinated Research Programme (CRP) to transfer the IAEA well established TLD methodology to the countries where existing resources enable set up of the External Audit Groups - nationally recognised groups in charge of operating external quality audits for radiotherapy dosimetry. The External Audit Groups (EAG) include the SSDL, a Measuring Centre (MC) and a Medical Physics Group (MPG), and these groups work in close co-operation during all steps of the TLD audits

  16. Photoassisted oxygen reduction reaction on mpg-C3N4: The effects of elements doping on the performance of ORR

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Qiuchen; Zhou, Feng; Zhan, Su; Huang, Naibao; Tian, Yu

    2018-02-01

    The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a crux step in the fuel cells, which is limited to the catalysts. Low-cost nonmetal inorganic catalysts were considered to be the best prospect that may replace platinum. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), which has wide prospect in photocatalysis, was found with the activity of ORR. In calculation work, we used the elements of the VIA family (O, S, and Se) to dope g-C3N4 and investigated the electronic properties and the ability of O2 adsorption in details based on the first principle. The result suggested that the performance of ORR of g-C3N4 may be enhanced by O doping, which can uplift the Fermi level of g-C3N4 and weaken the OH- absorption ability to enhance the O2 adsorption ability. After that, we synthetised O/g-C3N4 and S/g-C3N4 to test their ORR performance. According to the result, O doping can significantly enhance the performance of ORR of g-C3N4 which correspond with the calculation result. Then, the photo-assistant method was used to further enhance the ORR of g-C3N4 which was caused by the transition of the photo-induced electrons of g-C3N4 from VB to CB.

  17. Model Year 2015 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2014-12-01

    The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles. The vehicles listed have been divided into three classes of cars, three classes of light duty trucks, and three classes of special purpose vehicles.

  18. Description of charging/discharging processes of the LISA sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sumner, Tim; Araujo, Henrique; Davidge, David; Howard, Alex; Lee, Chris; Rochester, Geoff; Shaul, Diana; Wass, Peter

    2004-01-01

    The next generation of gravitational experiments in space is likely to use completely isolated proof-masses. For example, LISA uses proof-masses as mirrors in interferometers for gravitational wave astronomy (Bender et al 1998 Pre-phase A report MPG-233 pp 1-191) and STEP uses proof-masses in Earth orbit for an equivalence principle test (Sumner et al 2003 at press). Nongravitational forces will act on these proof-masses if they become charged, through the action of cosmic rays and solar flare particles for example. This paper examines the consequences of proof-mass charging for LISA, and presents results from using GEANT4 to assess the charging processes. Finally, there is a brief discussion of a means of controlling the charge down to an acceptable level

  19. NABEECO

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ibragimov, R.; Martens, Johan; Guo, Jian-Ying

    2013-01-01

    Motivation: A growing number of biological networks of ever increasing sizes are becoming available nowadays, making the ability to solve Network Alignment of primer importance. However, computationally the problem is hard for data sets of real-world sizes. Results: we developed NABEECO, a novel...... and robust Network Alignment heuristic based on Bee Colony Optimization. We use the so-called Graph Edit Distance (GED) as optimization criterion, which is defined as the minimal amount of edge and node modifications necessary to transform one graph into another. We compare NABEECO on a set of protein...... knowledge about node/edge similarity, though this is not required a priori. NABEECO together with a more detailed description and all data sets used are publicly available at http://nabeeco.mpi- inf.mpg.de....

  20. Model Year 2009 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2008-10-01

    The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles. The vehicles listed have been divided into three classes of cars, three classes of light duty trucks, and three classes of special purpose vehicles.

  1. Model Year 2005 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2004-11-01

    The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles. The vehicles listed have been divided into three classes of cars, three classes of light duty trucks, and three classes of special purpose vehicles.

  2. Data mining in newt-omics, the repository for omics data from the newt.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Looso, Mario; Braun, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    Salamanders are an excellent model organism to study regenerative processes due to their unique ability to regenerate lost appendages or organs. Straightforward bioinformatics tools to analyze and take advantage of the growing number of "omics" studies performed in salamanders were lacking so far. To overcome this limitation, we have generated a comprehensive data repository for the red-spotted newt Notophthalmus viridescens, named newt-omics, merging omics style datasets on the transcriptome and proteome level including expression values and annotations. The resource is freely available via a user-friendly Web-based graphical user interface ( http://newt-omics.mpi-bn.mpg.de) that allows access and queries to the database without prior bioinformatical expertise. The repository is updated regularly, incorporating new published datasets from omics technologies.

  3. Model Year 2016 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2015-11-01

    The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles. The vehicles listed have been divided into three classes of cars, three classes of light duty trucks, and three classes of special purpose vehicles.

  4. Infrared galaxies in the IRAS minisurvey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soifer, B. T.; Neugebauer, G.; Rowan-Robinson, M.; Clegg, P. E.; Emerson, J. P.; Houck, J. R.; De Jong, T.; Aumann, H. H.; Beichman, C. A.; Boggess, N.

    1984-01-01

    A total of 86 galaxies have been detected at 60 microns in the high galactic latitude portion of the IRAS minisurvey. The surface density of detected galaxies with flux densities greater than 0.5 Jy is 0.25 sq deg. Virtually all the galaxies detected are spiral galaxies and have an infrared to blue luminosity ratio ranging from 50 to 0.5. For the infrared-selected sample, no obvious correlation exists between infrared excess and color temperature. The infrared flux from 10 to 100 microns contributes approximately 5 percent of the blue luminosity for galaxies in the magnitude range 14 less than m(pg) less than 18 mag. The fraction of interacting galaxies is between one-eighth and one-fourth of the sample.

  5. Model Year 2010 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2009-10-14

    The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles. The vehicles listed have been divided into three classes of cars, three classes of light duty trucks, and three classes of special purpose vehicles.

  6. Model Year 2014 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2013-12-01

    The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles. The vehicles listed have been divided into three classes of cars, three classes of light duty trucks, and three classes of special purpose vehicles.

  7. Development & optimization of a rule-based energy management strategy for fuel economy improvement in hybrid electric vehicles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asfoor, Mostafa

    The gradual decline of oil reserves and the increasing demand for energy over the past decades has resulted in automotive manufacturers seeking alternative solutions to reduce the dependency on fossil-based fuels for transportation. A viable technology that enables significant improvements in the overall energy conversion efficiencies is the hybridization of conventional vehicle drive systems. This dissertation builds on prior hybrid powertrain development at the University of Idaho. Advanced vehicle models of a passenger car with a conventional powertrain and three different hybrid powertrain layouts were created using GT-Suite. These different powertrain models were validated against a variety of standard driving cycles. The overall fuel economy, energy consumption, and losses were monitored, and a comprehensive energy analysis was performed to compare energy sources and sinks. The GT-Suite model was then used to predict the formula hybrid SAE vehicle performance. Inputs to this model were a numerically predicted engine performance map, an electric motor torque curve, vehicle geometry, and road load parameters derived from a roll-down test. In this case study, the vehicle had a supervisory controller that followed a rule-based energy management strategy to insure a proper power split during hybrid mode operation. The supervisory controller parameters were optimized using discrete grid optimization method that minimized the total amount of fuel consumed during a specific urban driving cycle with an average speed of approximately 30 [mph]. More than a 15% increase in fuel economy was achieved by adding supervisory control and managing power split. The vehicle configuration without the supervisory controller displayed a fuel economy of 25 [mpg]. With the supervisory controller this rose to 29 [mpg]. Wider applications of this research include hybrid vehicle controller designs that can extend the range and survivability of military combat platforms. Furthermore, the

  8. P Wave Dispersion is Increased in Pulmonary Stenosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Namik Ozmen

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim: The right atrium pressure load is increased in pulmonary stenosis (PS that is a congenital anomaly and this changes the electrophysiological characteristics of the atria. However, there is not enough data on the issue of P wave dispersion (PWD in PS. Methods: Forty- two patients diagnosed as having valvular PS with echocardiography and 33 completely healthy individuals as the control group were included in the study. P wave duration, p wave maximum (p max and p minimum (p min were calculated from resting electrocariography (ECG obtained at the rate of 50 mm/sec. P wave dispersion was derived by subtracting p min from p max. The mean pressure gradient (MPG at the pulmonary valve, structure of the valve and diameters of the right and left atria were measured with echocardiography. The data from two groups were compared with the Mann-Whitney U test and correlation analysis was performed with the Pearson correlation technique. Results: There wasn’t any statistically significance in the comparison of age, left atrial diameter and p min between two groups. While the MPG at the pulmonary valve was 43.11 ± 18.8 mmHg in PS patients, it was 8.4 ± 4.5 mmHg in the control group. While p max was 107.1 ± 11.5 in PS group, it was 98.2 ± 5.1 in control group (p=0.01, PWD was 40.4 ± 1.2 in PS group, and 27.2 ± 9.3 in the control group (p=0.01Moreover, while the diameter of the right atrium in PS group was greater than that of the control group, (38.7 ± 3.9 vs 30.2 ± 2.5, p=0.02. We detected a correlation between PWD and pressure gradient in regression analysis. Conclusion: P wave dispersion and p max are increased in PS. While PWD was correlated with the pressure gradient that is the degree of narrowing, it was not correlated with the diameters of the right and left atria.

  9. Preliminary list of the lepidopterous insects in the Arizona State University Hasbrouck Insect Collection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sangmi Lee

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The Arizona State University Hasbrouck Insect Collection (ASUHIC is one of the vital Southwest Arthropod collections in America North of Mexico, providing important biological information. The principal objective of the Catalog is to give a complete list of the lepidopterous insects held in the ASUHIC. Furthermore, it will be an online catalog of the Lepidoptera of Arizona. The preliminary Lepidoptera checklist is presented, consisting of 1983 species and 175 subspecies of 55 families in approximately 60,000 holdings at the ASUHIC. This article follows the recent classification and nomenclature (Hodges RW. 1983. Check list of the Lepidoptera of America north of Mexico. London, UK: E.W. Classey Ltd. and the Wedge Entomological Research Foundation; Moth Photographers Group (MPG. 2014. http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/MainMenu.shtml.

  10. A study of ADC value in PROPELLER DWI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naka, Takanori; Takahashi, Mitsuyuki

    2009-01-01

    Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) is rapidly becoming widespread in MRI, with many reports of the differential diagnosis using the Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) being seen. We examined the influence of scan parameter on ADC in periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction (PROPELLER)-DWI. Neither the repetition time (TR) nor T1 value had a major influence on the ADC value. Number of motion probing gradient (MPG) pulse, effective echo time (TE), and T2 value were the factors in which the ADC value was changed. In addition, the ADC value has been changed by the scan sequence. The factor that influenced the ADC value was able to be confirmed by this experiment. It is necessary to understand the influence that an individual factor has on ADC. (author)

  11. Titanium Nitride Nanoparticle Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Alkaline Solution

    KAUST Repository

    Ohnishi, R.

    2013-03-12

    Monodispersed TiN nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution (7–23 nm) were synthesized using mesoporous graphitic (mpg)-C3N4 templates with different pore sizes. The nano-materials were examined as electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media. The TiN nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), N2 sorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and C-H-N elemental analysis. The ORR current increased as the TiN particle size decreased, and hence the surface area of TiN nanoparticles reactive to ORR increased. Rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE) measurements revealed that the ORR on TiN surfaces proceeded mainly via a two-electron pathway, producing H2O2 as the main product. Mechanistic aspects of ORR on TiN surfaces are discussed.

  12. Titanium Nitride Nanoparticle Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Alkaline Solution

    KAUST Repository

    Ohnishi, R.; Katayama, M.; Cha, Dong Kyu; Takanabe, Kazuhiro; Kubota, J.; Domen, K.

    2013-01-01

    Monodispersed TiN nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution (7–23 nm) were synthesized using mesoporous graphitic (mpg)-C3N4 templates with different pore sizes. The nano-materials were examined as electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media. The TiN nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), N2 sorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and C-H-N elemental analysis. The ORR current increased as the TiN particle size decreased, and hence the surface area of TiN nanoparticles reactive to ORR increased. Rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE) measurements revealed that the ORR on TiN surfaces proceeded mainly via a two-electron pathway, producing H2O2 as the main product. Mechanistic aspects of ORR on TiN surfaces are discussed.

  13. Evidence to the Marley Hill Public Inquiry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wilson, G.K. (Council for the Protection of Rural England (UK). Durham and Teesdale Branch)

    1989-11-01

    George Kenneth Wilson, a retired power station enginer, and holder of such offices as Vice-Chairman of the CPRE Durham and Teesdale Branch, Secretary of the Derwent Valley Protection Society and an officer of the Opencast Mining Intelligence Group, presents reasons for dismissing the appeal for opencast mining at the Marley Hill site in the NE of England saying that the Mineral Planning Guidance Note, MPG3 seemed to be repeating mistakes inherent in the previous 'Plan for coal'. He considers that the application cannot be justified on the grounds of demand or forecast market trends. The type of coal is unsuitable for local power station boilers. The working of the site would destroy a large area of pleasant countryside. The standard of restoration of the 32 sites surrounding Marley Hill is in his opinion very poor.

  14. Multi-unit Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) plants producing hydrogen fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Logan, B.G.

    1993-12-01

    A quantitative energy pathway comparison is made between a modern oil refinery and genetic fusion hydrogen plant supporting hybrid-electric cars powered by gasoline and hydrogen-optimized internal combustion engines, respectively, both meeting President Clinton's goal for advanced car goal of 80 mpg gasoline equivalent. The comparison shows that a fusion electric plant producing hydrogen by water electrolysis at 80% efficiency must have an electric capacity of 10 GWe to support as many hydrogen-powered hybrid cars as one modern 200,000 bbl/day-capacity oil refinery could support in gasoline-powered hybrid cars. A 10 GWe fusion electric plant capital cost is limited to 12.5 B$ to produce electricity at 2.3 cents/kWehr, and hydrogen production by electrolysis at 8 $/GJ, for equal consumer fuel cost per passenger mile as in the oil-gasoline-hybrid pathway

  15. Denmark’s Master of Public Governance Program

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Greve, Carsten; Pedersen, Anne Reff

    2017-01-01

    This paper focuses on Denmark’s Master of Public Governance and its assessments and lessons learned. Denmark is seen to have an efficient economy and public sector, a digitalized public service delivery system, and an advanced work–life balance. The Danish government invested substantial resources...... into developing a Master of Public Governance program – a flexible and modular program for public managers to take over a period of up to six years. The paper focuses on the Copenhagen version of the Master of Public Governance program. More than 1000 public managers from central, regional and local government...... are now active in pursuing an executive public management education through this program. The development, structure, content and the innovative teaching ideas are presented. The available data, including an official evaluation of the MPG program, is used to assess the program and present some lessons...

  16. Dietary elevated sucrose modulation of diesel-induced genotoxicity in the colon and liver of Big Blue rats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Risom, L.; Moller, P.; Hansen, Max

    2003-01-01

    Earlier studies have indicated that sucrose possesses either co-carcinogenic or tumor-promoter effects in colon carcinogenesis induced by genotoxic carcinogens. In this study we investigated the role of sucrose on diesel exhaust particle (DEP)-induced genotoxicity in the colonic mucosa and liver......-breaks and DNA adducts in liver. DEP and sucrose treatment did not have any effect on mutation frequency in colon and liver. Oxidative DNA damage detected as 8-oxodG (8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine) and endonuclease III or formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase sensitive sites was unaltered in colon and liver....... The mRNA expression levels of the DNA repair enzymes N-methylpurine DNA glycosylase (MPG), 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (OGG1) and ERCC1 (part of the nucleotide excision repair complex) measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction were increased in liver by DEP feeding. In colon...

  17. Around 1500 near-Earth-asteroid orbits improved via EURONEAR

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaduvescu, O.; Hudin, L.; Birlan, M.; Popescu, M.; Tudorica, A.; Toma, R.

    2014-07-01

    Born in 2006 in Paris, the European Near Earth Asteroids Research project (EURONEAR, euronear.imcce.fr) aims ''to study NEAs and PHAs using existing telescopes available to its network and hopefully in the future some automated dedicated 1--2 m facilities''. Although we believe the first aim is fulfilled, the second was not achieved yet, requiring serious commitment from the European NEA researchers and funding agencies. Mainly using free labor by about 30 students and amateur astronomers (from Romania, Chile, UK, France, etc), the PI backed up by his associates M. Birlan (IMCCE Paris) and J. Licandro (IAC Tenerife) and a few other astronomers of the EURONEAR network having access to a few telescopes are approaching around 1,500 observed NEAs whose orbits were improved based on our astrometric contributions. To achive this milestone, we used two main resources and a total of 15 facilities: i) Observing time obtained at 11 professional 1--4 m class telescopes (Chile, La Palma, France, Germany) plus 3 smaller 30--50 cm educational/public outreach telescopes (Romania and Germany) adding about 1,000 observed NEAs; and ii) astrometry obtained from data mining of 4 major image archives (ESO/MPG WFI, INT WFC, CFHTLS Megacam and Subaru SuprimeCam) adding about 500 NEAs recovered in archival images. Among the highlights, about 100 NEAs, PHAs and VIs were observed, recovered or precovered in archives at their second opposition (up to about 15 years away from discovery) or have their orbital arc much extended, and a few VIs and PHAs were eliminated. Incidentally, about 15,000 positions of almost 2,000 known MBAs were reported (mostly in the INT, ESO/MPG and Blanco large fields). About 40 new (one night) NEO candidates and more than 2,000 (one night) unknown MBAs were reported, including about 150 MBAs credited as EURONEAR discoveries. Based on the INT and Blanco data we derived some statistics about the MBA and NEA population observable with 2m and 4m telescopes, proposing a

  18. Greenhouse Gas Exchange in Small Arctic Thaw Ponds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laurion, I.; Bégin, P. N.; Bouchard, F.; Preskienis, V.

    2014-12-01

    Arctic lakes and ponds can represent up to one quarter of the land surface in permafrost landscapes, particularly in lowland tundra landscapes characterized by ice wedge organic polygons. Thaw ponds can be defined as the aquatic ecosystems associated to thawing of organic soils, either resulting from active layer processes and located above low-center peat polygons (hereafter low-center polygonal or LCP ponds), or resulting from thermokarst slumping above melting ice wedges linked to the accelerated degradation of permafrost (hereafter ice-wedge trough or IWT ponds). These ponds can merge together forming larger water bodies, but with relatively stable shores (hereafter merged polygonal or MPG ponds), and with limnological characteristics similar to LCP ponds. These aquatic systems are very small and shallow, and present a different physical structure than the larger thermokarst lakes, generated after years of development and land subsidence. In a glacier valley on Bylot Island, Nunavut, Canada, thermokarst and kettle lakes together represent 29% of the aquatic area, with a thermal profile resembling those of more standard arctic lakes (mixed epilimnion). The IWT ponds (44% of the area) are stratified for a large fraction of the summer despite their shallowness, while LCP and MPG ponds (27% of the area) show a more homogeneous water column. This will affect gas exchange in these diverse aquatic systems, in addition to their unique microbiota and organic carbon lability that control the production and consumption rates of greenhouse gases. The stratification in IWT ponds generates hypoxic conditions at the bottom, and together with the larger availability of organic carbon, stimulates methanogenesis and limits the mitigating action of methanotrophs. Overall, thaw ponds are largely supersaturated in methane, with IWT ponds dominating the emissions in this landscape (92% of total aquatic emissions estimated for the same valley), and they present large variations in

  19. Fueling diesel engines with methyl-ester soybean oil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schumacher, L.G.; Hires, W.G.; Borgelt, S.C.

    1993-01-01

    Two 5.9 liter Cummins engines were fueled for a combined total of more than 80,467 km (50,000 miles). One truck, a 1991 Dodge, has been driven approximately 48,280 km (30,000 miles). The other, a 1992 Dodge, has been driven approximately 32,187 km (20,000 miles). Fueling these engines with soydiesel increase engine power by 3 percent (1991 engine) and reduced power by 6 percent (1992 engine). The pickups averaged more than 7.1 km/L (16.7 mpg). Analysis of used engine oil samples indicated that the engines were wearing at normal rate. The black exhaust smoke normally observed when a diesel engine accelerates was reduced as much as 86 percent when the diesel engine was fueled with 100% soydiesel. Increased EPA exhaust emissions requirements for diesel engines have created much interest in the use of soydiesel as fuel for diesel engines

  20. A NEW DISTANT MILKY WAY GLOBULAR CLUSTER IN THE PAN-STARRS1 3π SURVEY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laevens, Benjamin P. M.; Martin, Nicolas F.; Sesar, Branimir; Rix, Hans-Walter; Schlafly, Edward F.; Bernard, Edouard J.; Ferguson, Annette M. N.; Slater, Colin T.; Bell, Eric F.; Burgett, William S.; Chambers, Kenneth C.; Denneau, Larry; Kaiser, Nicholas; Kudritzki, Rolf-Peter; Magnier, Eugene A.; Morgan, Jeffrey S.; Sweeney, William E.; Draper, Peter W.; Metcalfe, Nigel; Price, Paul A.

    2014-01-01

    We present a new satellite in the outer halo of the Galaxy, the first Milky Way satellite found in the stacked photometric catalog of the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System 1 (Pan-STARRS1) Survey. From follow-up photometry obtained with WFI on the MPG/ESO 2.2 m telescope, we argue that the object, located at a heliocentric distance of 145 ± 17 kpc, is the most distant Milky Way globular cluster yet known. With a total magnitude of M V = –4.3 ± 0.2 and a half-light radius of 20 ± 2 pc, it shares the properties of extended globular clusters found in the outer halo of our Galaxy and the Andromeda galaxy. The discovery of this distant cluster shows that the full spatial extent of the Milky Way globular cluster system has not yet been fully explored

  1. Bubble and Drop Nonlinear Dynamics experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    2003-01-01

    The Bubble and Drop Nonlinear Dynamics (BDND) experiment was designed to improve understanding of how the shape and behavior of bubbles respond to ultrasound pressure. By understanding this behavior, it may be possible to counteract complications bubbles cause during materials processing on the ground. This 12-second sequence came from video downlinked from STS-94, July 5 1997, MET:3/19:15 (approximate). The BDND guest investigator was Gary Leal of the University of California, Santa Barbara. The experiment was part of the space research investigations conducted during the Microgravity Science Laboratory-1R mission (STS-94, July 1-17 1997). Advanced fluid dynamics experiments will be a part of investigations plarned for the International Space Station. (189KB JPEG, 1293 x 1460 pixels; downlinked video, higher quality not available) The MPG from which this composite was made is available at http://mix.msfc.nasa.gov/ABSTRACTS/MSFC-0300163.html.

  2. Comparing the performance of biomedical clustering methods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wiwie, Christian; Baumbach, Jan; Röttger, Richard

    2015-01-01

    expression to protein domains. Performance was judged on the basis of 13 common cluster validity indices. We developed a clustering analysis platform, ClustEval (http://clusteval.mpi-inf.mpg.de), to promote streamlined evaluation, comparison and reproducibility of clustering results in the future......Identifying groups of similar objects is a popular first step in biomedical data analysis, but it is error-prone and impossible to perform manually. Many computational methods have been developed to tackle this problem. Here we assessed 13 well-known methods using 24 data sets ranging from gene....... This allowed us to objectively evaluate the performance of all tools on all data sets with up to 1,000 different parameter sets each, resulting in a total of more than 4 million calculated cluster validity indices. We observed that there was no universal best performer, but on the basis of this wide...

  3. Enhancement of 67Ga tumor-to-blood ratios by chelating agent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saji, Hideo; Yokoyama, Akira; Hata, Naotaka; Misaki, Atsushi; Tanaka, Hisashi.

    1980-01-01

    Chelating agent, such as, CaEDTA, CaDTPA, D-penicillamine, DMSA, desferoxamine, NTA, cysteine ethyl ester, BAL, α-MPG, phthalein complexone, were tested as a possible contrast enhancing agent for tumor imaging with 67 Ga-citrate. The intravenous administration of a chelating agent to Ehrlich's tumor bearing mice, one hour after the injection of 67 Ga-citrate, accelerated the blood clearance with only a very slight change of activity in the target, increasing the tumor-to-blood ratio, and consequently achieving a better visualization. Among the tested chelating agents, D-penicillamine showed the highest target-to-nontarget ratio at a shorter time: a good tumor-to-blood ratio, performed after 24 hr with non-treated animals, was achieved in only 1-3 hr with post-treated animals. Thus, D-penicillamine hold a considerable promise as a contrast enhancing agent for future clinical use. (author)

  4. Advanced hybrid vehicle propulsion system study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwarz, R.

    1982-01-01

    Results are presented of a study of an advanced heat engine/electric automotive hybrid propulsion system. The system uses a rotary stratified charge engine and ac motor/controller in a parallel hybrid configuration. The three tasks of the study were (1) parametric studies involving five different vehicle types, (2) design trade-off studies to determine the influence of various vehicle and propulsion system paramaters on system performance fuel economy and cost, and (3) a conceptual design establishing feasibility at the selected approach. Energy consumption for the selected system was .034 1/km (61.3 mpg) for the heat engine and .221 kWh/km (.356 kWh/mi) for the electric power system over a modified J227 a schedule D driving cycle. Life cycle costs were 7.13 cents/km (11.5 cents/mi) at $2/gal gasoline and 7 cents/kWh electricity for 160,000 km (100,000 mi) life.

  5. Conference: Seeing two black holes merge (with gravitational waves!) | 14 September | Uni Dufour

    CERN Multimedia

    2016-01-01

    GW150914: the first direct observation of gravitational waves from the inspiral and merger of two black holes - Conference by Prof. Bruce Allen, Albert Einstein Institute Hannover.   "Seeing two black holes merge (with gravitational waves!)" Uni Dufour - Auditorium U300 Wednesday, 14 September at 7 p.m.   Bruce Allen. (Photo: ©F. Vinken/MPG) Abstract: On 14 September 2015, the advanced LIGO gravitational wave instruments detected the gravitational wave signal emitted as two black holes, about one billion light years away from Earth, made a final few orbits around each other then merged together. This was big news around the world, because scientists have tried to make such observations for more than half a century. Before they merged, the two black holes were about 29 and 36 times as massive as the sun; after the merger was complete, a single black hole about 62 times the sun's mass was left behind. I'll describe what black holes are, how they (...

  6. A generalized self-similar spectrum for decaying homogeneous and isotropic turbulence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Pingfan; Pumir, Alain; Xu, Haitao

    2017-11-01

    The spectrum of turbulence in dissipative and inertial range can be described by the celebrated Kolmogorov theory. However, there is no general solution of the spectrum in the large scales, especially for statistically unsteady turbulent flows. Here we propose a generalized self-similar form that contains two length-scales, the integral scale and the Kolmogorov scale, for decaying homogeneous and isotropic turbulence. With the help of the local spectral energy transfer hypothesis by Pao (Phys. Fluids, 1965), we derive and solve for the explicit form of the energy spectrum and the energy transfer function, from which the second- and third-order velocity structure functions can also be obtained. We check and verify our assumptions by direct numerical simulations (DNS), and our solutions of the velocity structure functions compare well with hot-wire measurements of high-Reynolds number wind-tunnel turbulence. Financial supports from NSFC under Grant Number 11672157, from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and from the MPG are gratefully acknowledged.

  7. Development of a Targeted anti-HER2 scFv Chimeric Peptide for Gene Delivery into HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheraghi, Roya; Nazari, Mahboobeh; Alipour, Mohsen; Majidi, Asia; Hosseinkhani, Saman

    2016-12-30

    Chimeric polymers are known as suitable carriers for gene delivery. Certain properties are critical for a polymer to be used as a gene delivery vector. A new polymer was designed for the targeted delivery of genes into breast cancer cell lines, based on MPG peptide. It is composed of different functional domains, including HIV gp41, nuclear localization sequence of SV40 T-antigen, two C-terminus repeats of histone H1, and the scFv of anti-HER2 antibody. The results demonstrated that the vector can effectively condense plasmid DNA into nanoparticles with an average size of 250nm. Moreover, fusion of the scFv portion to the carrier brought about the specific recognition of HER2. Overall, the transfection efficiency of the vector demonstrated that it could deliver the desired gene into BT-474 HER2-positive breast cancer cells. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Application of amorphous filler metals in production of fusion reactor high heat flux components

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kalin, B A [Moskovskij Inzhenerno-Fizicheskij Inst., Moscow (Russian Federation); Fedotov, V T [Moskovskij Inzhenerno-Fizicheskij Inst., Moscow (Russian Federation); Grigoriev, A E [Moskovskij Inzhenerno-Fizicheskij Inst., Moscow (Russian Federation); Sevriukov, O N [Moskovskij Inzhenerno-Fizicheskij Inst., Moscow (Russian Federation); Pliushev, A N [Moskovskij Inzhenerno-Fizicheskij Inst., Moscow (Russian Federation); Skuratov, L A [Moskovskij Inzhenerno-Fizicheskij Inst., Moscow (Russian Federation); Polsky, V I [Moskovskij Inzhenerno-Fizicheskij Inst., Moscow (Russian Federation); Yakushin, V L [Moskovskij Inzhenerno-Fizicheskij Inst., Moscow (Russian Federation); Virgiliev, Yu S [State Research Institute of Graphite, Electrodnaya St. 2, 115524 Moscow (Russian Federation); Vasiliev, V L [TRINITI, Troitsk, 142092 Moscow District (Russian Federation); Tserevitinov, S S [TRINITI, Troitsk, 142092 Moscow District (Russian Federation)

    1995-03-01

    Amorphous ribbon-type filler metals represent a promising facility for fastening heterogeneous materials together. The advantage results from the homogeneity of element and phase compositions and the strictly specified geometrical dimensions of such fillers. Amorphous fillers Zr-Ti-Fe-Be, Zr-Ti-Ni-Cu and Ti-Zr-Ni-Cu and microcrystalline fillers Al-Si and Cu-Sn-Mn-In-Ni were produced by quenching at a rate of about 10{sup 6}Ks{sup -1}. Brazing of graphite with metals (Cu+MPG-6, Cu+RGT, Mo+MIG-1, V+MIG-1, V+RGT) was accomplished using ribbon-type fillers. Two types of metal-based samples were produced in the form of plates and rakes. The rakes were made by brazing three small graphite bars to the metal, the 2mm space between the bars being 0.25 of the bar height. The results of metallographic studies of the brazing zone and of tests on brazed structures treated by pulsed energy fluxes are discussed. (orig.).

  9. MIPS: a database for protein sequences and complete genomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mewes, H W; Hani, J; Pfeiffer, F; Frishman, D

    1998-01-01

    The MIPS group [Munich Information Center for Protein Sequences of the German National Center for Environment and Health (GSF)] at the Max-Planck-Institute for Biochemistry, Martinsried near Munich, Germany, is involved in a number of data collection activities, including a comprehensive database of the yeast genome, a database reflecting the progress in sequencing the Arabidopsis thaliana genome, the systematic analysis of other small genomes and the collection of protein sequence data within the framework of the PIR-International Protein Sequence Database (described elsewhere in this volume). Through its WWW server (http://www.mips.biochem.mpg.de ) MIPS provides access to a variety of generic databases, including a database of protein families as well as automatically generated data by the systematic application of sequence analysis algorithms. The yeast genome sequence and its related information was also compiled on CD-ROM to provide dynamic interactive access to the 16 chromosomes of the first eukaryotic genome unraveled. PMID:9399795

  10. NEW HIGH- z FERMI BL LACS WITH THE PHOTOMETRIC DROPOUT TECHNIQUE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kaur, A.; Ajello, M.; Hartmann, D. H.; Paliya, V. S. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, SC 29634-0978 (United States); Rau, A.; Greiner, J.; Bolmer, J.; Schady, P. [Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstraße 1, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Domínguez, A., E-mail: akaur@g.clemson.edu [Grupo de Altas Energías, Universidad Complutense, E-28040 Madrid (Spain)

    2017-01-01

    Determining redshifts for BL Lacertae (BL Lac) objects using the traditional spectroscopic method is challenging due to the absence of strong emission lines in their optical spectra. We employ the photometric dropout technique to determine redshifts for this class of blazars using the combined 13 broadband filters from Swift -UVOT and the multi-channel imager GROND at the MPG 2.2 m telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory. The wavelength range covered by these 13 filters extends from far-ultraviolet to the near-infrared. We report results on 40 new Fermi- detected BL Lacs with the photometric redshift determinations for five sources, with 3FGL J1918.2–4110 being the most distant in our sample at z  = 2.16. Reliable upper limits are provided for 20 sources in this sample. Using the highest energy photons for these Fermi -LAT sources, we evaluate the consistency with the gamma-ray horizon due to the extragalactic background light.

  11. Action of Bacopa monnieri to antagonize cisplatin-induced emesis in Suncus murinus (house musk shrew

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ihsan Ullah

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Bacopa monnieri (BM, family Scrophulariaceae is used in several traditional systems of medicine for the management of epilepsy, depression, neuropathic pain, sleep disorders and memory deficits. The present study investigated the potential of BM methanol (BM-MetFr and BM n-butanol fractions (BM-ButFr to reduce chemotherapy-induced emesis in Suncus murinus (house musk shrew. Cisplatin (30 mg/kg, i.p. reliably induced retching and/or vomiting over a 2 day period. BM-MetFr (10–40 mg/kg, s.c. and BM-ButFr (5–20 mg/kg, s.c. antagonized the retching and/or vomiting response by ∼59.4% (p  0.05. In conclusion, the n-butanol fractions of BM have anti-emetic activity comparable with palonosetron and MPG. BM may be useful alone or in combination with other anti-emetic drugs for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced emesis in man.

  12. Energy technology of tomorrow. Strategies and concepts. Conference contributions; Energietechnik von morgen. Strategien und Konzepte. Konferenzbeitraege

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2007-07-01

    Within the meeting 'Energy technology of tomorrow - Strategies and concepts' at 12th June, 2007 in Nuremberg (Federal Republic of Germany) the following lectures were held: (1) Cluster energy technology (Klaus Hassmann); (2) Dimension of future energy supply - prognoses/strategies/concepts (Ludger Mohrbach); (3) Future technologies for a CO{sub 2} reduced energy supply (Helmut Tschaffon); (4) Energy research - New specific targets and results (Hartmut Spliethoff); (5) Technological progress for future power plants at RWE (Frank Schwending); (6) Future potential of the generation of syngas with different energy sources (Sebastian Muschelknautz); (7) Innovations in plant engineering - on the way to a CO{sub 2} free power plant (Tobias Jockenhoevel); (8) Solar thermal power plants - status and prospects (Robert Piltz-Paal); (9) Perspectives of the generation of liquid hydrocarbons using nuclear energy (Kurt Kugeler); (10) Application of the MPG gasification technology in the refining of Canadian tar sands (Matthias Mueller-Hagedorn); (11) Perspectives for a sustainable supply with energy carriers (Ulrich Balfanz).

  13. Lack of Significant Effects of Chlamydia trachomatis Infection on Cervical Adenocarcinoma Risk: Nested Case-Control Study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vitaly Smelov

    Full Text Available A role of Chlamydia trachomatis in HPV-induced cervical carcinogenesis has been reported for cervical cancer but studies on cervical adenocarcinoma are limited.A total of 1,553 cervical smears taken up to 26 years before diagnosis in a large population-based nested case-control study of cervical adenocarcinoma (AC, 132 cases with matched controls, and adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS, 159 cases with matched controls were tested for C. trachomatis and HPV DNA by a type-specific PCR bead-based multiplex genotyping (TS-MPG assay.Only 1.7% of samples were positive for C. trachomatis, with no significant differences between AC/AIS cases and controls. HPV-positivity was detected in 49.3% of C. trachomatis-negative and 65.4% C. trachomatis-positive samples, respectively.A large prospective study did not find any risk for cervical adenocarcinoma and/or AIS conferred by C. trachomatis infection.C. trachomatis appears not to be involved in cervical adenocarcinomas.

  14. HELAS: local helioseismology data website

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schunker, Hannah; Gizon, Laurent; Roth, Markus

    2008-01-01

    The Local Helioseismology Network Activity is part of the European Helio-and Asteroseismology Network (HELAS). One aspect of the network activity is to collate multipurpose data sets and make them available to the community for local helioseismic analysis. The first stage of the project is underway whereby high quality and useful data sets have been selected and acquired. The HELAS Local Helioseismology Network Activity website at http://www.mps.mpg.de/projects/seismo/NA4/ provides this data ready to download. Furthermore, the data is supplemented with relevant documentation necessary for further analysis, including details about the data reduction process that has already been applied. The data primarily consists of Doppler velocity observations but also includes observations of the line-of-sight magnetic field, vector magnetic field measurements, intensity and travel time maps. The website will be continuously updated with data thereby providing convenient access to comprehensive data sets appropriate for use in local helioseismology.

  15. VizieR Online Data Catalog: Dwarf novae outbursts properties (Otulakowska-Hypka+, 2016)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Otulakowska-Hypka, M.; Olech, A.; Patterson, J.

    2017-11-01

    In this study, we used the following available catalogue data sources. The catalogue and atlas of CVs (https://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/cvcat/) by Downes et al. (2001PASP..113..764D, Cat. V/123) which contains 1830 objects that have been classified as a CV before 2006 February 1, when the catalogue was frozen. Catalogue of cataclysmic binaries, low-mass X-ray binaries and related objects (http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/RKcat/) by Ritter & Kolb (2003A&A...404..301R, Cat. B/cb). Although the reference corresponds to a catalogue which is over 10yr old, its newest edition 7.21 (2013 December 31) has been used in this study. This catalogue contains 1094 CVs. Catalogue of J. Patterson, that is the supplementary electronic material to the publication Patterson (2011) containing properties of 292 non-magnetic CVs with orbital periods smaller than 3h (http://cbastro.org/dwarfnovashort/) (1 data file).

  16. METscout: a pathfinder exploring the landscape of metabolites, enzymes and transporters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geffers, Lars; Tetzlaff, Benjamin; Cui, Xiao; Yan, Jun; Eichele, Gregor

    2013-01-01

    METscout (http://metscout.mpg.de) brings together metabolism and gene expression landscapes. It is a MySQL relational database linking biochemical pathway information with 3D patterns of gene expression determined by robotic in situ hybridization in the E14.5 mouse embryo. The sites of expression of ∼1500 metabolic enzymes and of ∼350 solute carriers (SLCs) were included and are accessible as single cell resolution images and in the form of semi-quantitative image abstractions. METscout provides several graphical web-interfaces allowing navigation through complex anatomical and metabolic information. Specifically, the database shows where in the organism each of the many metabolic reactions take place and where SLCs transport metabolites. To link enzymatic reactions and transport, the KEGG metabolic reaction network was extended to include metabolite transport. This network in conjunction with spatial expression pattern of the network genes allows for a tracing of metabolic reactions and transport processes across the entire body of the embryo.

  17. Subseabed disposal program annual report, January-December 1978. Volume II. Principal investigator progress reports

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1979-10-01

    The topics covered in this report include: geologic siting considerations for the disposal of radioactive wastes into submarine geologic formations; geologic assessment of the MPG-1 regions Central North Pacific; site mapping; geotechnical aspects of subsurface seabed disposal; heat transfer, thermal and fluid physics in the deep ocean sediments; mechanical response predictive capability; sediment-seawater interaction at 300 0 C, 500 bars; stability of actinides in chloride media; cannister corrosion studies; nuclide sorption and migration; development of apparatus and measurement of thermal conductivity of seabed illite and smectite at temperatures to 500 0 C at simulated depths to 15,000 ft (9000 psi); in-situ heat transfer experiments; preliminary seabed disposal transport modeling studies; radionuclide migration studies; radionuclide distributions in deep ocean cores; benthic biological studies; deep sea microbial studies; activity rates of abyssal communities; Deep-towed RUM III (Sandia Seabed working platform): a third-generation remote underwater manipulator; long coring facility program; transportation; legal, political, and institutional implications of the Seabed Program for radioactive waste disposal

  18. Structure, phase analysis and component composition of multilayer films depositing in T-10 tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guseva, M.I.; Gureev, V.M.; Khimchenko, L.N.; Kolbasov, B.N.; Vukolov, K.Yu.

    2005-01-01

    The structure and composition of the deuterocarbon films, formed on the internal surfaces of the T-10 tokamak vacuum chamber and on the stainless steel mirror-specimens positioned inside the T-10 tokamak upper stub pipe during the experimental campaigns in spring-summer of 2002 and autumn of 2003, are compared. Before the 2003 experimental campaign the ring diaphragm made of MPG-8 graphite was removed from the tokamak and MPG-8 graphite in the movable limiter was replaced by RGT-91 graphite. All the films have a multilayer structure. In the 2002 campaign all the films had homogeneous layer structure and smooth surface without any signs of physical sputtering. The films formed on the chamber walls in both campaigns were 'soft' and had reddish-brown colour. The average atomic D/C ratio in these films during 2002 campaign was of 0.66. The 'soft' film formation was caused by the plasma-wall interaction during the vacuum chamber conditioning under deuterium discharges. Preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis suggests that these films have amorphous structure and contain from 4 to 10 % fullerene-like substance with lattice constant in the range of 1.2-1.4 nm. Mirror surfaces could be screened during chamber conditioning and exposed to plasma only during working discharges. The films on mirrors were thinner than those on the vacuum chamber walls and, as a rule, semitransparent. The films deposited on the mirror surface, exposed to plasma only during working discharges, in 2002 were 'hard' with D/C = 0.26. Two crystalline phases with interplanar spacings of 0.359 and 0.304 nm at the Bragg angles 2θ of 24.8 and 28.8 deg respectively were revealed in a diffractogram of these films. In the 2003 campaign both types of films (formed on vacuum chamber walls and deposited on mirror specimens) were 'soft' with D/C ratio of 0.57 and 1.55 respectively. Deuterium concentration in the films is determined by the temperature of film formation - <370 K on mirror specimens and ∼520 K

  19. Radiation effects and radioprotectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Purohit, R.K., E-mail: dr_rajendra_purohit@yahoo.co.in [Radiation Biology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Govt. Dungar College, Bikaner (India); Bugalia, Saroj [Department of Zoology, S.K. Kalyan College, Sikar (India); Dakshene, Monika [Department of Chemistry, Govt. College, Kota (India)

    2012-07-01

    Radiation exposure causes damage to biological systems and these damages are mediated by the generation of free radicals and reactive oxygen species targeting vital cellular components such as DNA and membranes. DNA repair systems and the endogenous cellular biochemical defense mechanisms against reactive oxygen species and antioxidants enzymes like reduced Glutathione (GSH), Superoxide dismutase, Glutathione peroxidase catalase etc. fail upon exposures to higher as well as chronic radiation doses leading to alterations in cell functions, cell death or mutations. Radioprotectors prevent these alterations and protect cells and tissues from the deleterious effects of radiations. Radioprotectors are of great importance due to their possible and potential application during planned radiation exposures such as radiotherapy, diagnostic scanning, clean up operations in nuclear accidents, space expeditions etc. and Unplanned radiations exposures such as accidents in nuclear industry, nuclear terrorism, natural background radiation etc. Many of the available synthetic radioprotectors are toxic to mammalian system at doses required to be effective as radioprotector. Increasing uses of ionizing radiation have drawn the attention of many radiobiologists towards their undesired side effects produced in various tissues and for modifying them to facilitate the beneficial uses of radiation. Modification of radiation response is obtained by means of chemical substances that can significantly decrease the magnitude of response when present in a biological system during irradiation. Radioprotectors are chemicals that modify a cell's response to radiation. Radioprotectors are drugs that protect normal (non cancerous) cells from the damage caused by radiation therapy. These agents promote the repair of normal cells that are exposed to radiation. Various chemicals, like Cysteamine, MPG , WR-2721 have been tested for the protection against harmful effects of radiation. These radio

  20. Radiation effects and radioprotectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Purohit, R.K.; Bugalia, Saroj; Dakshene, Monika

    2012-01-01

    Radiation exposure causes damage to biological systems and these damages are mediated by the generation of free radicals and reactive oxygen species targeting vital cellular components such as DNA and membranes. DNA repair systems and the endogenous cellular biochemical defense mechanisms against reactive oxygen species and antioxidants enzymes like reduced Glutathione (GSH), Superoxide dismutase, Glutathione peroxidase catalase etc. fail upon exposures to higher as well as chronic radiation doses leading to alterations in cell functions, cell death or mutations. Radioprotectors prevent these alterations and protect cells and tissues from the deleterious effects of radiations. Radioprotectors are of great importance due to their possible and potential application during planned radiation exposures such as radiotherapy, diagnostic scanning, clean up operations in nuclear accidents, space expeditions etc. and Unplanned radiations exposures such as accidents in nuclear industry, nuclear terrorism, natural background radiation etc. Many of the available synthetic radioprotectors are toxic to mammalian system at doses required to be effective as radioprotector. Increasing uses of ionizing radiation have drawn the attention of many radiobiologists towards their undesired side effects produced in various tissues and for modifying them to facilitate the beneficial uses of radiation. Modification of radiation response is obtained by means of chemical substances that can significantly decrease the magnitude of response when present in a biological system during irradiation. Radioprotectors are chemicals that modify a cell's response to radiation. Radioprotectors are drugs that protect normal (non cancerous) cells from the damage caused by radiation therapy. These agents promote the repair of normal cells that are exposed to radiation. Various chemicals, like Cysteamine, MPG , WR-2721 have been tested for the protection against harmful effects of radiation. These radio

  1. Synthesis of IV-VI Transition Metal Carbide and Nitride Nanoparticles Using a Reactive Mesoporous Template for Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

    KAUST Repository

    Alhajri, Nawal Saad

    2016-01-01

    Interstitial carbides and nitrides of early transition metals in Groups IV-VI exhibit platinum-like behavior which makes them a promising candidate to replace noble metals in a wide variety of reactions. Most synthetic methods used to prepare these materials lead to bulk or micron size powder which limits their use in reactions in particular in catalytic applications. Attempts toward the production of transition metal carbide and nitride nanoparticles in a sustainable, simple and cheap manner have been rapidly increasing. In this thesis, a new approach was presented to prepare nano-scale transition metal carbides and nitrides of group IV-VI with a size as small as 3 nm through the reaction of transition metal precursor with mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (mpg-C3N4) that not only provides confined spaces for nanoparticles formation but also acts as a chemical source of nitrogen and carbon. The produced nanoparticles were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-programmed reaction with mass spectroscopy (MS), CHN elemental analyses, thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), nitrogen sorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of the reaction temperature, the ratio of the transition metal precursor to the reactive template (mpg-C3N4), and the selection of the carrier gas (Ar, N2, and NH3) on the resultant crystal phases and structures were investigated. The results indicated that different tantalum phases with cubic structure, TaN, Ta2CN, and TaC, can be formed under a flow of nitrogen by changing the reaction temperatures. Two forms of tantalum nitride, namely TaN and Ta3N5, were selectively formed under N2 and NH3 flow, respectively. Significantly, the formation of TaC, Ta2CN, and TaN can be controlled by altering the weight ratio of the C3N4 template relative to the Ta precursor at 1573 K under a flow of nitrogen where high C3N4/Ta precursor ratio generally resulted in high carbide

  2. pmx Webserver: A User Friendly Interface for Alchemistry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gapsys, Vytautas; de Groot, Bert L

    2017-02-27

    With the increase of available computational power and improvements in simulation algorithms, alchemical molecular dynamics based free energy calculations have developed into routine usage. To further facilitate the usability of alchemical methods for amino acid mutations, we have developed a web based infrastructure for obtaining hybrid protein structures and topologies. The presented webserver allows amino acid mutation selection in five contemporary molecular mechanics force fields. In addition, a complete mutation scan with a user defined amino acid is supported. The output generated by the webserver is directly compatible with the Gromacs molecular dynamics engine and can be used with any of the alchemical free energy calculation setup. Furthermore, we present a database of input files and precalculated free energy differences for tripeptides approximating a disordered state of a protein, of particular use for protein stability studies. Finally, the usage of the webserver and its output is exemplified by performing an alanine scan and investigating thermodynamic stability of the Trp cage mini protein. The webserver is accessible at http://pmx.mpibpc.mpg.de.

  3. Scenarios for multi-unit inertial fusion energy plants producing hydrogen fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Logan, B.G.

    1993-12-01

    This work describes: (a) the motivation for considering fusion in general, and Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) in particular, to produce hydrogen fuel powering low-emission vehicles; (b) the general requirements for any fusion electric plant to produce hydrogen by water electrolysis at costs competitive with present consumer gasoline fuel costs per passenger mile, for advanced car architectures meeting President Clinton's 80 mpg advanced car goal, and (c) a comparative economic analysis for the potential cost of electricity (CoE) and corresponding cost of hydrogen (CoH) from a variety of multi-unit IFE plants with one to eight target chambers sharing a common driver and target fab facility. Cases with either heavy-ion or diode-pumped, solid-state laser drivers are considered, with ''conventional'' indirect drive target gains versus ''advanced, e.g. Fast Ignitor'' direct drive gain assumptions, and with conventional steam balance-of-plant (BoP) versus advanced MHD plus steam combined cycle BoP, to contrast the potential economics under ''conventional'' and ''advanced'' IFE assumptions, respectively

  4. Study on diffusion anisotropy of cerebral ischemia using diffusion weighted echo-planar MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kajima, Toshio

    1997-01-01

    Focal cerebral ischemia was produced by occlusion of the intracranial main cerebral artery with a silicone cylinder in Wistar rats. Diffusion-weighted echo-planar images (DW-EPls) using the motion-probing gradient (MPG) method were acquired at 1-3 hours and 24-48 hours after occlusion. Apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) were calculated from these images in ischemic lesions and in normal unoccluded regions. Results were as follows. Ischemic lesions could be detected on the DW-EPIs at 1 hour after occlusion. The ADC of water in the brain tissue was smaller than that of free water as a result of restricted diffusion. Anisotropic diffusion that probably can be attributed to the myelin sheath was observed in the normal white matter. In the ischemic lesions, the ADC decreased rapidly within 1-3 hours after occlusion and then decreased gradually after 24-48 hours. In the ischemic white matter, diffusion anisotropy disappeared at 24-48 hours after occlusion. Diffusion-weighted imaging may have applications in the examination of pathophysiological mechanisms in cerebral ischemia by means of evaluation of ADC and diffusion anisotropy. (author)

  5. Deoxyinosine triphosphate induces MLH1/PMS2- and p53-dependent cell growth arrest and DNA instability in mammalian cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoneshima, Yasuto; Abolhassani, Nona; Iyama, Teruaki; Sakumi, Kunihiko; Shiomi, Naoko; Mori, Masahiko; Shiomi, Tadahiro; Noda, Tetsuo; Tsuchimoto, Daisuke; Nakabeppu, Yusaku

    2016-01-01

    Deoxyinosine (dI) occurs in DNA either by oxidative deamination of a previously incorporated deoxyadenosine residue or by misincorporation of deoxyinosine triphosphate (dITP) from the nucleotide pool during replication. To exclude dITP from the pool, mammals possess specific hydrolysing enzymes, such as inosine triphosphatase (ITPA). Previous studies have shown that deficiency in ITPA results in cell growth suppression and DNA instability. To explore the mechanisms of these phenotypes, we analysed ITPA-deficient human and mouse cells. We found that both growth suppression and accumulation of single-strand breaks in nuclear DNA of ITPA-deficient cells depended on MLH1/PMS2. The cell growth suppression of ITPA-deficient cells also depended on p53, but not on MPG, ENDOV or MSH2. ITPA deficiency significantly increased the levels of p53 protein and p21 mRNA/protein, a well-known target of p53, in an MLH1-dependent manner. Furthermore, MLH1 may also contribute to cell growth arrest by increasing the basal level of p53 activity. PMID:27618981

  6. KIRMES: kernel-based identification of regulatory modules in euchromatic sequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schultheiss, Sebastian J; Busch, Wolfgang; Lohmann, Jan U; Kohlbacher, Oliver; Rätsch, Gunnar

    2009-08-15

    Understanding transcriptional regulation is one of the main challenges in computational biology. An important problem is the identification of transcription factor (TF) binding sites in promoter regions of potential TF target genes. It is typically approached by position weight matrix-based motif identification algorithms using Gibbs sampling, or heuristics to extend seed oligos. Such algorithms succeed in identifying single, relatively well-conserved binding sites, but tend to fail when it comes to the identification of combinations of several degenerate binding sites, as those often found in cis-regulatory modules. We propose a new algorithm that combines the benefits of existing motif finding with the ones of support vector machines (SVMs) to find degenerate motifs in order to improve the modeling of regulatory modules. In experiments on microarray data from Arabidopsis thaliana, we were able to show that the newly developed strategy significantly improves the recognition of TF targets. The python source code (open source-licensed under GPL), the data for the experiments and a Galaxy-based web service are available at http://www.fml.mpg.de/raetsch/suppl/kirmes/.

  7. BOWiki: an ontology-based wiki for annotation of data and integration of knowledge in biology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gregorio Sergio E

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Motivation Ontology development and the annotation of biological data using ontologies are time-consuming exercises that currently require input from expert curators. Open, collaborative platforms for biological data annotation enable the wider scientific community to become involved in developing and maintaining such resources. However, this openness raises concerns regarding the quality and correctness of the information added to these knowledge bases. The combination of a collaborative web-based platform with logic-based approaches and Semantic Web technology can be used to address some of these challenges and concerns. Results We have developed the BOWiki, a web-based system that includes a biological core ontology. The core ontology provides background knowledge about biological types and relations. Against this background, an automated reasoner assesses the consistency of new information added to the knowledge base. The system provides a platform for research communities to integrate information and annotate data collaboratively. Availability The BOWiki and supplementary material is available at http://www.bowiki.net/. The source code is available under the GNU GPL from http://onto.eva.mpg.de/trac/BoWiki.

  8. Ammonia Synthesis using Ti and Nb Nitride Nano-particles Prepared by Mesoporous Graphitic C3N4

    KAUST Repository

    Kumagai, Hiromu

    2015-01-22

    TiN and NbN nanoparticles were synthesized from mesoporous graphitic C3N4 (mpg-C3N4) as a reactive template and used as the catalyst for ammonia synthesis. The obtained TiN and NbN nanoparticles possess high surface areas of 299 and 275 m2 g-1, respectively, making them attractive in the use of catalysis and support. Although most of the TiN and NbN particles show no measurable activity for ammonia formation, the nanoparticles enabled an ammonia synthesis rate of 31 μmol h-1 g-cat-1 at 673 K and 0.1 MPa of synthesis gas (N2 + 3H2) for both TiN and NbN catalysts. It is evident that the formation of nanoparticles with high nitride surface area is essential for the materials to function as catalysts in ammonia synthesis. The addition of Fe to TiN enhanced the ammonia synthesis activity, whereas it had detrimental effects on the catalytic activity of NbN. The properties of these catalysts in ammonia synthesis are discussed.

  9. MPS beam control software architecture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krauter, K.; Crane, M.

    1993-01-01

    The new Machine Protection System (MPS) now being tested at SLAC has a beam control subsystem resident in processors located close to the beam monitoring devices within the machine. There are two types of beam control micros: Algorithm Processors (AP's) which collect and evaluate data from monitoring devices, and a Supervisor (SUPE) which collects and evaluates data from all the AP's. The SUPE also receives the global machine beamcode indicating beam presence, and passes it on to the AP's. The SUPE receives the beamcode pattern from the Master Pattern Generator (MPG) via a shared-memory communication link. MIL-1553 serial communication is used between the SUPE and the AP's, and between the AP's and the monitoring devices. Multitasking software is used to allow high priority handling of data evaluation and low priority handling of host/user interfacing and event reporting. Pipelining of data between acquisition and evaluation and reporting is used to accommodate the processing capacity, while still supporting full processing at the 36OHz broadcast rate of the beamcode pattern

  10. In a campaign to conserve energy, Jamaica calls for promotion of rail transport and study of peak power

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Renwick, D

    1979-04-01

    Prime Minister M. Manley's government in Jamaica has included, in its 1978-1982 Five-Year Development Plan, a National Energy Plan that seeks to conserve energy and reduce dependence on imported oil by accelerating exploration for indigenous oil, instituting peak-load pricing for electricity used during certain daylight hours, phasing out subsidies on petroleum products other than kerosene over 12 mo, introducing taxes on petroleum fuels, promoting rail transportation, requiring a minimum 22 mpg fuel economy in imported cars, and encouraging use of alternative energy sources including hydropower, peat from local deposits, and sugarcane bagasse. In a study sponsored by the Norwegian Government, the Norwegian company, Geco, in collaboration with Petrojam, the Jamaican Government's corporation responsible for oil industry activities, has surveyed areas off the island's northwest, west, and southwest coasts. Imported oil presently costs Jamaica more than $200 million a year, which is 25Vertical Bar3< of the total import bill. In 1990, even with energy reduction, Jamaica will need $1.4 billion for imported oil.

  11. deepTools2: a next generation web server for deep-sequencing data analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramírez, Fidel; Ryan, Devon P; Grüning, Björn; Bhardwaj, Vivek; Kilpert, Fabian; Richter, Andreas S; Heyne, Steffen; Dündar, Friederike; Manke, Thomas

    2016-07-08

    We present an update to our Galaxy-based web server for processing and visualizing deeply sequenced data. Its core tool set, deepTools, allows users to perform complete bioinformatic workflows ranging from quality controls and normalizations of aligned reads to integrative analyses, including clustering and visualization approaches. Since we first described our deepTools Galaxy server in 2014, we have implemented new solutions for many requests from the community and our users. Here, we introduce significant enhancements and new tools to further improve data visualization and interpretation. deepTools continue to be open to all users and freely available as a web service at deeptools.ie-freiburg.mpg.de The new deepTools2 suite can be easily deployed within any Galaxy framework via the toolshed repository, and we also provide source code for command line usage under Linux and Mac OS X. A public and documented API for access to deepTools functionality is also available. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  12. MPS beam control software architecture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krauter, K.; Crane, M.

    1993-04-01

    The new Machine Protection System (MPS) now being tested at SLAC has a beam control subsystem resident in processors located close to the beam monitoring devices within the machine. There are two types of beam control micros: Algorithm Processors (AP's) which collect and evaluate data from monitoring devices, and a Supervisor (SUPE) which collects and evaluates data from all the AP's. The SUPE also receives the global machine beamcode indicating beam presence, and passes it on to the AP's. The SUPE receives the beamcode pattern from the Master Pattern Generator (MPG) via a shared-memory communication link. MIL-1553 serial communication is used between the SUPE and the AP's, and between the AP's and the monitoring devices. Multitasking software is used to allow high priority handling of data evaluation and low priority handling of host/user interfacing and event reporting. Pipelining of data between acquisition and evaluation and reporting is used to accomodate the processing capacity, while still supporting full processing at the 360Hz broadcast rate of the beamcode pattern

  13. DNA Base Excision Repair (BER) and Cancer Gene Therapy: Use of the Human N-mythlpurien DNA Glycosylase (MPG) to Sensitize Breast Cancer Cells to Low Dose Chemotherapy

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Harvey, Tia

    2003-01-01

    The DNA Base Excision Repair (PER) pathway is responsible for the repair of alkylation and oxidative DNA damage resulting in protection against the deleterious effects of endogenous and exogenous agents encountered on a daily basis...

  14. Anatomical details of the brainstem and cranial nerves visualized by high resolution readout-segmented multi-shot echo-planar diffusion-weighted images using unidirectional MPG at 3T

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naganawa, Shinji; Yamazaki, Masahiro; Kawai, Hisashi; Sone, Michihiko; Nakashima, Tsutomu; Isoda, Haruo

    2011-01-01

    We compared diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with readout-segmented multi-shot echo-planar imaging (rs-EPI) and single-shot EPI, both using unidirectional motion-probing gradient, in 10 patients for visualization of the anatomical structures in the brainstem. DWI by rs-EPI was significantly better than DWI by single-shot EPI for visualizing the medial longitudinal fasciculus, lateral lemniscus, corticospinal tract, and seventh/eighth cranial nerves and offered significantly less distortion of the brainstem. (author)

  15. In silico carbon molecular beam epitaxial growth of graphene on the h-BN substrate: carbon source effect on van der Waals epitaxy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jonghoon; Varshney, Vikas; Park, Jeongho; Farmer, Barry L.; Roy, Ajit K.

    2016-05-01

    molecular beam epitaxy (CMBE) techniques using solid carbon sublimation have reported relatively poor quality of the graphene. In this article, the CMBE growth of graphene on the h-BN substrate is numerically studied in order to identify the effect of the carbon source on the quality of the graphene film. The carbon molecular beam generated by the sublimation of solid carbon source materials such as graphite and glassy carbon is mostly composed of atomic carbon, carbon dimers and carbon trimers. Therefore, the graphene film growth becomes a complex process involving various deposition characteristics of a multitude of carbon entities. Based on the study of surface adsorption and film growth characteristics of these three major carbon entities comprising graphite vapour, we report that carbon trimers convey strong traits of vdW epitaxy prone to high quality graphene growth, while atomic carbon deposition is a surface-reaction limited process accompanied by strong chemisorption. The vdW epitaxial behaviour of carbon trimers is found to be substantial enough to nucleate and develop into graphene like planar films within a nanosecond of high flux growth simulation, while reactive atomic carbons tend to impair the structural integrity of the crystalline h-BN substrate upon deposition to form an amorphous interface between the substrate and the growing carbon film. The content of reactive atomic carbons in the molecular beam is suspected to be the primary cause of low quality graphene reported in the literature. A possible optimization of the molecular beam composition towards the synthesis of better quality graphene films is suggested. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Three movie files: 3mer-physorption.mpg and 3mer-chemisorption.mpg feature examples of the adsorption state sampling of a carbon trimer on the heated h-BN substrate as mentioned in the ``Single Molecule Adsorption Study'' section. In 3mer-film-growth.mpg, an instance of honey comb formation

  16. DNA repair in Mycobacterium tuberculosis revisited.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dos Vultos, Tiago; Mestre, Olga; Tonjum, Tone; Gicquel, Brigitte

    2009-05-01

    Our understanding of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA repair mechanisms is still poor compared with that of other bacterial organisms. However, the publication of the first complete M. tuberculosis genome sequence 10 years ago boosted the study of DNA repair systems in this organism. A first step in the elucidation of M. tuberculosis DNA repair mechanisms was taken by Mizrahi and Andersen, who identified homologs of genes involved in the reversal or repair of DNA damage in Escherichia coli and related organisms. Genes required for nucleotide excision repair, base excision repair, recombination, and SOS repair and mutagenesis were identified. Notably, no homologs of genes involved in mismatch repair were identified. Novel characteristics of the M. tuberculosis DNA repair machinery have been found over the last decade, such as nonhomologous end joining, the presence of Mpg, ERCC3 and Hlr - proteins previously presumed to be produced exclusively in mammalian cells - and the recently discovered bifunctional dCTP deaminase:dUTPase. The study of these systems is important to develop therapeutic agents that can counteract M. tuberculosis evolutionary changes and to prevent adaptive events resulting in antibiotic resistance. This review summarizes our current understanding of the M. tuberculosis DNA repair system.

  17. Infections are a global issue: infection addresses global issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grobusch, M P; Calleri, G; Bogner, J R

    2012-12-01

    Infections are of unifying global concern, despite regional differences in disease epidemiology, clinical appearance and the instruments to tackle them. The primary aim of Infection is "to be a forum for the presentation and discussion of clinically relevant information on infectious diseases… from all over the world". To that end, and as a reflection of the global burden of infectious diseases, we intend to increase the number of high-quality contributions from authors addressing the aetiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases from outside Europe and the affluent North (Chang et al. Infection 40:359-365, 2012; Misra et al. Infection 40:125-130, 2012). The Editorial Board of Infection envisages the journal as an interface between where infectious diseases meet and mix between "North and South"--i.e., the field of travel medicine--frequently functioning as a sentinel for altered/novel disease activities that are encountered as imported conditions. With the change in generation on the Editorial Board, Infection aims to expand the areas of tropical medicine, travel medicine and global health with its own section editors (GC and MPG). Contributions from outside Europe are actively encouraged.

  18. Self-bunching electron guns

    CERN Document Server

    Mako, F; Weilhammer, Peter

    1999-01-01

    We report on three electron gun projects that are aimed at power tube and injector applications. The purpose of the work is to develop robust electron guns which produce self-bunched, high-current-density beams. We have demonstrated cold emission, long life, and tolerance to contamination. The cold emission process is based on secondary electron emission. FMT has studied this resonant bunching process which gives rise to high current densities (0.01-5 kA/cm/sup 2/), high charge bunches (up to 100 nC/bunch), and short pulses (1-100 ps) for frequencies from 1 to 12 GHz. The beam pulse width is nominally ~5% of the RF period. The first project is the L-Band Micro-Pulse Gun (MPG). Measurements show ~40 ps long microbunches at ~20 A/cm/sup 2/ without contamination due to air exposure. Lifetime testing has been carried out for about 18 months operating at 1.25 GHz for almost 24 hours per day at a repetition rate of 300 Hz and 5 mu s-long macro- pulses. About 5.8*10/sup 13/ micro-bunches or 62,000 coulombs have pass...

  19. ModelMage: a tool for automatic model generation, selection and management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flöttmann, Max; Schaber, Jörg; Hoops, Stephan; Klipp, Edda; Mendes, Pedro

    2008-01-01

    Mathematical modeling of biological systems usually involves implementing, simulating, and discriminating several candidate models that represent alternative hypotheses. Generating and managing these candidate models is a tedious and difficult task and can easily lead to errors. ModelMage is a tool that facilitates management of candidate models. It is designed for the easy and rapid development, generation, simulation, and discrimination of candidate models. The main idea of the program is to automatically create a defined set of model alternatives from a single master model. The user provides only one SBML-model and a set of directives from which the candidate models are created by leaving out species, modifiers or reactions. After generating models the software can automatically fit all these models to the data and provides a ranking for model selection, in case data is available. In contrast to other model generation programs, ModelMage aims at generating only a limited set of models that the user can precisely define. ModelMage uses COPASI as a simulation and optimization engine. Thus, all simulation and optimization features of COPASI are readily incorporated. ModelMage can be downloaded from http://sysbio.molgen.mpg.de/modelmage and is distributed as free software.

  20. Nano-nitride cathode catalysts of Ti, Ta, and Nb for polymer electrolyte fuel cells: Temperature-programmed desorption investigation of molecularly adsorbed oxygen at low temperature

    KAUST Repository

    Ohnishi, Ryohji

    2013-01-10

    TiN, NbN, TaN, and Ta3N5 nanoparticles synthesized using mesoporous graphitic (mpg)-C3N4 templates were investigated for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) as cathode catalysts for polymer electrolyte fuel cells. The temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of molecularly adsorbed O2 at 120-170 K from these nanoparticles was examined, and the resulting amount and temperature of desorption were key factors determining the ORR activity. The size-dependent TiN nanoparticles (5-8 and 100 nm) were then examined. With decreasing particle size, the density of molecularly adsorbed O2 per unit of surface area increased, indicating that a decrease in particle size increases the number of active sites. It is hard to determine the electrochemical active surface area for nonmetal electrocatalysts (such as oxides or nitrides), because of the absence of proton adsorption/desorption peaks in the voltammograms. In this study, O2-TPD for molecularly adsorbed O2 at low temperature demonstrated that the amount and strength of adsorbed O2 were key factors determining the ORR activity. The properties of molecularly adsorbed O2 on cathode catalysts are discussed against the ORR activity. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

  1. Parker Hybrid Hydraulic Drivetrain Demonstration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Collett, Raymond [Parker-Hannifin Corporation, Cleveland, OH (United States); Howland, James [Parker-Hannifin Corporation, Cleveland, OH (United States); Venkiteswaran, Prasad [National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States)

    2014-03-31

    This report examines the benefits of Parker Hannifin hydraulic hybrid brake energy recovery systems used in commercial applications for vocational purposes. A detailed background on the problem statement being addressed as well as the solution set specific for parcel delivery will be provided. Objectives of the demonstration performed in high start & stop applications included opportunities in fuel usage reduction, emissions reduction, vehicle productivity, and vehicle maintenance. Completed findings during the demonstration period and parallel investigations with NREL, CALSTART, along with a literature review will be provided herein on this research area. Lastly, results identified in the study by third parties validated the savings potential in fuel reduction of on average of 19% to 52% over the baseline in terms of mpg (Lammert, 2014, p11), Parker data for parcel delivery vehicles in the field parallels this at a range of 35% - 50%, emissions reduction of 17.4% lower CO2 per mile and 30.4% lower NOx per mile (Gallo, 2014, p15), with maintenance improvement in the areas of brake and starter replacement, while leaving room for further study in the area of productivity in terms of specific metrics that can be applied and studied.

  2. Challenges facing air management for fuel cell systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Davis, P.B. [Department of Energy (United States); Sutton, R. [Argonne National Lab. (United States); Wagner, F.W. [Energetics Incorporated (United States)

    2000-07-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. automotive industry are working cooperatively under the auspices of the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) to develop a six-passenger automobile that can achieve up to 80 mpg. while meeting customer needs and all safety and emission requirements. These partners are continuing to invest heavily in the research and development of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells as a clean and efficient energy conversion system for the PNGV. A critical challenge facing fuel cell systems for the PNGV is the development of efficient, compact, cost-effective air management systems. The U.S. Department of Energy has been exploring several compressor/expander options for pressurized fuel cell systems, including scroll, toroidal intersecting vane, turbine, twin screw, and piston technologies. Each of these technologies has strengths and weaknesses regarding efficiency, pressure ratio over turndown, size and weight, and cost. This paper will present data from the U.S. Department of Energy's research and development efforts on air management systems and will discusses recent program developments resulting from an independent peer review evaluation. (author)

  3. ChlamyCyc: an integrative systems biology database and web-portal for Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

    Science.gov (United States)

    May, Patrick; Christian, Jan-Ole; Kempa, Stefan; Walther, Dirk

    2009-05-04

    The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is an important eukaryotic model organism for the study of photosynthesis and plant growth. In the era of modern high-throughput technologies there is an imperative need to integrate large-scale data sets from high-throughput experimental techniques using computational methods and database resources to provide comprehensive information about the molecular and cellular organization of a single organism. In the framework of the German Systems Biology initiative GoFORSYS, a pathway database and web-portal for Chlamydomonas (ChlamyCyc) was established, which currently features about 250 metabolic pathways with associated genes, enzymes, and compound information. ChlamyCyc was assembled using an integrative approach combining the recently published genome sequence, bioinformatics methods, and experimental data from metabolomics and proteomics experiments. We analyzed and integrated a combination of primary and secondary database resources, such as existing genome annotations from JGI, EST collections, orthology information, and MapMan classification. ChlamyCyc provides a curated and integrated systems biology repository that will enable and assist in systematic studies of fundamental cellular processes in Chlamydomonas. The ChlamyCyc database and web-portal is freely available under http://chlamycyc.mpimp-golm.mpg.de.

  4. VizieR Online Data Catalog: New minima timings and RVs for 3 eclipsing binaries (Zasche+, 2017)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zasche, P.; Jurysek, J.; Nemravova, J.; Uhlar, R.; Svoboda, P.; Wolf, M.; Honkova, K.; Masek, M.; Prouza, M.; Cechura, J.; Korcakova, D.; Slechta, M.

    2018-04-01

    Spectroscopy was obtained in two observatories. Most of the data points for these systems came from the Ondrejov observatory and its 2 m telescope (resolution R~12500). Additionally, data on BR Ind and some data on QS Aql were obtained with the FEROS instrument mounted on the 2.2 m MPG telescope located in La Silla Observatory in Chile (R~48000). Photometry for these three systems was collected over the time span of 2008 to 2016. Owing to the relatively high brightness of the targets, only rather small telescopes were used for these photometric observations. The system V773 Cas was observed (by one of the authors, PS) with a 34 mm refractor at a private observatory in Brno, Czech Republic, using an SBIG ST-7XME CCD camera. The star QS Aql was monitored (by one of the authors, RU) with a similar instrument at a private observatory in Jilove u Prahy, Czech Republic, using a G2-0402 CCD camera. The only southern star, BR Ind, was observed with the FRAM telescope (Prouza et al. 2010AdAst2010E..31P), installed and operated at the Pierre Auger Observatory at Malargue, Argentina. (2 data files).

  5. Models of protein and amino acid requirements for cattle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis Orlindo Tedeschi

    2015-03-01

    (MPl and calf birth weight and some form of an empirical, exponential equation to compute MP for pregnancy (MPp. The MP required for growth (MPg varied tremendously among the original models and their derivative works mainly due to the differences in computing growth pattern and the composition of the gain. The calculation of MCP differs among models; some rely on the total digestible nutrient (TDN; e.g., NRC, CNCPS level 1 intake to estimate MCP, while others use fermentable organic matter (FOM; e.g., INRA, DVE/OEB, fermentable carbohydrate (e.g., CNCPS level 2, NorFor, or metabolizable energy (ME; e.g., ARC, CSIRO, Rostock. Most models acknowledged the importance of ruminal recycled N, but not all accounted for it. Our Monte Carlo simulation indicated the prediction of most models for required MPl overlapped, confirming uniformity among models when predicting requirements for lactating animals, but a large variation in required MPg for growing animals exists.

  6. Evaluation of repeated measurements of radon-222 concentrations in well water sampled from bedrock aquifers of the Piedmont near Richmond, Virginia, USA: Effects of lithology and well characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harris, Shelley A.; Billmeyer, Ernest R.; Robinson, Michael A.

    2006-01-01

    Radon ( 222 Rn) concentrations in 26 ground water wells of two distinct lithologies in the Piedmont of Virginia were measured to assess variation in ground water radon concentrations (GWRC), to evaluate differences in concentrations related to well characteristics, lithology, and spatial distributions, and to assess the feasibility of predicting GWRC. Wells were sampled in accordance with American Public Health Association Method 7500 Rn-B, with modifications to include a well shaft profile analysis that determined the minimum purge time sufficient to remove the equivalent of one column of water from each well. Statistically significant differences in GWRC were found in the Trssu (1482±1711 pCi/L) and Mpg (7750±5188 pCi/L) lithologies, however, no significant differences were found among GWRC at each well over time. Using multiple regression, 86% of the variability (R 2 ) in the GWRC was explained by the lithology, latitudinal class, and water table elevation of the wells. The GWRC in a majority of the wells studied exceed US Environmental Protection Agency designated maximum contaminant level and AMCL. Results support modifications to sampling procedures and indicate that, in previous studies, variations in GWRC concentrations over time may have been due in part to differences in sampling procedures and not in source water

  7. Temperature correction and usefulness of ocean bottom pressure data from cabled seafloor observatories around Japan for analyses of tsunamis, ocean tides, and low-frequency geophysical phenomena

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inazu, D.; Hino, R.

    2011-11-01

    Ocean bottom pressure (OBP) data obtained by cabled seafloor observatories deployed around Japan, are known to be significantly affected by temperature changes. This paper examines the relationship between the OBP and temperature records of six OBP gauges in terms of a regression coefficient and lag at a wide range of frequencies. No significant temperature dependency is recognized in secular variations, while substantial increases, at rates of the order of 1 hPa/year, are commonly evident in the OBP records. Strong temperature dependencies are apparent for periods of hours to days, and we correct the OBP data based on the estimated OBP-temperature relationship. At periods longer than days, the temperature corrections work well for extracting geophysical signals for OBP data at a station off Hokkaido (KPG2), while other corrected data show insufficient signal-to-noise ratios. At a tsunami frequency, the correction can reduce OBP fluctuations, due to rapid temperature changes, by as much as millimeters, and is especially effective for data at a station off Shikoku (MPG2) at which rapid temperature changes most frequently occur. A tidal analysis shows that OBP data at a station off Honshu (TM1), and at KPG2, are useful for studies on the long-term variations of tidal constituents.

  8. Diffusion-weighted imaging of the rat pelvis using 3D water-excitation MP-RAGE MR sequence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Numano, Tomokazu; Homma, Kazuhiro; Hyodo, Koji; Nitta, Naotaka; Iwasaki, Nobuaki

    2008-01-01

    We developed a novel technique for fat-saturated, 3-dimensional (3D) diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging sequencing based upon the 3D magnetization-prepared, rapid gradient-echo (3D-MP-RAGE) method. We saturated fat using 2 techniques, chemical shift selective (CHESS; FatSat)-3D-DWI sequence versus water excitation (WE)-3D-DWI method, then compared the 2 sequences in terms of degree of fat suppression. In preparing the FatSat-3D-DWI sequence, we used a ''CHESS-90deg radiofrequency (RF)-motion probing gradient (MPG)-180deg RFMPG-90deg RF'' pulse-train, to sensitize the magnetization to fat-saturated diffusion. In contrast, in the WE-3D-DWI sequence, we selected a RAGE-excitation pulse with a binominal-pulse 1-1 or 1-2-1 for water-excited (fat-saturated) diffusion imaging. Experimental results in a phantom confirmed the effects of diffusion weighting and of fat saturation. Fat saturation was much better in the WE-3D-DWI sequence than the CHESS-3D-DWI sequence. From results from animal (rat pelvis) experiments using WE-3D-DWI, we obtained fat-saturated DWI. This sequence was useful for in vivo imaging. (author)

  9. HMM Logos for visualization of protein families

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Schultz Jörg

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Profile Hidden Markov Models (pHMMs are a widely used tool for protein family research. Up to now, however, there exists no method to visualize all of their central aspects graphically in an intuitively understandable way. Results We present a visualization method that incorporates both emission and transition probabilities of the pHMM, thus extending sequence logos introduced by Schneider and Stephens. For each emitting state of the pHMM, we display a stack of letters. The stack height is determined by the deviation of the position's letter emission frequencies from the background frequencies. The stack width visualizes both the probability of reaching the state (the hitting probability and the expected number of letters the state emits during a pass through the model (the state's expected contribution. A web interface offering online creation of HMM Logos and the corresponding source code can be found at the Logos web server of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics http://logos.molgen.mpg.de. Conclusions We demonstrate that HMM Logos can be a useful tool for the biologist: We use them to highlight differences between two homologous subfamilies of GTPases, Rab and Ras, and we show that they are able to indicate structural elements of Ras.

  10. Subseabed Disposal Project chemical response studies. Annual report, October 1982-September 1983

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brush, L.H.

    1985-10-01

    Studies of the chemical response of deep-sea sediments to a subseabed repository for high-level radioactive waste continued during Fiscal Year 1983. Chemical Response Studies comprise Waste Package, Near-Field, and Far-Field Studies. This year, as in the past, investigators in the US Subseabed Disposal Project (SDP) carried out most of these chemical response experiments with red clay from the MPG 1 study location 1500 km north of Hawaii. The results of all studies carried out to date imply that oxidized red clay would form a highly effective barrier to radionuclides that form cationic species, but that anionic radionuclides would begin to escape from the sediment to the overlying water column on the order of thousands of years after emplacement. In Fiscal Year 1984, investigators in the US SDP will initiate chemical response studies with mildly reduced Atlantic clay- and carbonate-rich sediments in cooperation with the Sediment Barrier Task Group of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development - Nuclear Energy Agency Coordinated Program on the Assessment of the Subseabed Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Seabed Working Group). The objective of these US studies will be to quantify the chemical response of Atlantic sediments to a subseabed repository with a level of confidence similar to that for Pacific red clay

  11. Tear ferning test in healthy dogs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oriá, Arianne P; Raposo, Ana Claudia S; Araújo, Nayone L L C; Lima, Felipe B; Masmali, Ali M

    2017-11-07

    To evaluate and compare three tear sampling methods using two grading scales for administering the tear ferning test (TFT) to healthy dogs. In total, 90 dogs (180 eyes) were subjected to tear sampling using millimetered strips, reused after the Schirmer tear test (STT) (Schirmer group, SG). Then, the dogs were subdivided into three groups according to sampling approach: micropipette (MPG), microcapillary (MCG), and Schirmer sample 2 (S2G). The collected tears were dried on a clean microscope glass slide at room temperature and humidity. The ferning patterns were observed under a polarized light microscope and classified according to the Rolando and Masmali grading scales. Although all three methods were feasible, the STT was easier to perform in clinical settings. Type I and Grade 1 were the most commonly observed (64.17% and 61.7%, respectively) regardless of collection method. There was no significant difference between the STT median values and the TFT classifications. The TFT is appropriate for dogs and can be performed using the three suggested sampling methods, with a higher frequency of Type I and Grade 1. Thus, it is possible to use both grading scales in the classification of tear ferning in dogs. © 2017 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.

  12. Efficient simulation of intrinsic, extrinsic and external noise in biochemical systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pischel, Dennis; Sundmacher, Kai; Flassig, Robert J.

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Motivation: Biological cells operate in a noisy regime influenced by intrinsic, extrinsic and external noise, which leads to large differences of individual cell states. Stochastic effects must be taken into account to characterize biochemical kinetics accurately. Since the exact solution of the chemical master equation, which governs the underlying stochastic process, cannot be derived for most biochemical systems, approximate methods are used to obtain a solution. Results: In this study, a method to efficiently simulate the various sources of noise simultaneously is proposed and benchmarked on several examples. The method relies on the combination of the sigma point approach to describe extrinsic and external variability and the τ-leaping algorithm to account for the stochasticity due to probabilistic reactions. The comparison of our method to extensive Monte Carlo calculations demonstrates an immense computational advantage while losing an acceptable amount of accuracy. Additionally, the application to parameter optimization problems in stochastic biochemical reaction networks is shown, which is rarely applied due to its huge computational burden. To give further insight, a MATLAB script is provided including the proposed method applied to a simple toy example of gene expression. Availability and implementation: MATLAB code is available at Bioinformatics online. Contact: flassig@mpi-magdeburg.mpg.de Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. PMID:28881987

  13. ChlamyCyc: an integrative systems biology database and web-portal for Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kempa Stefan

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is an important eukaryotic model organism for the study of photosynthesis and plant growth. In the era of modern high-throughput technologies there is an imperative need to integrate large-scale data sets from high-throughput experimental techniques using computational methods and database resources to provide comprehensive information about the molecular and cellular organization of a single organism. Results In the framework of the German Systems Biology initiative GoFORSYS, a pathway database and web-portal for Chlamydomonas (ChlamyCyc was established, which currently features about 250 metabolic pathways with associated genes, enzymes, and compound information. ChlamyCyc was assembled using an integrative approach combining the recently published genome sequence, bioinformatics methods, and experimental data from metabolomics and proteomics experiments. We analyzed and integrated a combination of primary and secondary database resources, such as existing genome annotations from JGI, EST collections, orthology information, and MapMan classification. Conclusion ChlamyCyc provides a curated and integrated systems biology repository that will enable and assist in systematic studies of fundamental cellular processes in Chlamydomonas. The ChlamyCyc database and web-portal is freely available under http://chlamycyc.mpimp-golm.mpg.de.

  14. Discovery of methyl silane and confirmation of silyl cyanide in IRC +10216

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cernicharo, J.; Agúndez, M.; Velilla Prieto, L.; Guélin, M.; Pardo, J. R.; Kahane, C.; Marka, C.; Kramer, C.; Navarro, S.; Quintana-Lacaci, G.; Fonfría, J. P.; Marcelino, N.; Tercero, B.; Moreno, E.; Massalkhi, S.; Santander-García, M.; McCarthy, M. C.; Gottlieb, C. A.; Alonso, J. L.

    2017-10-01

    We report the discovery in space of methyl silane, CH3SiH3, from observations of ten rotational transitions between 80 and 350 GHz (Ju from 4 to 16) with the IRAM 30 m radio telescope. The molecule was observed in the envelope of the C-star IRC +10216. The observed profiles and our models for the expected emission of methyl silane suggest that the it is formed in the inner zones of the circumstellar envelope, 1-40 R∗, with an abundance of (0.5-1) × 10-8 relative to H2. We also observed several rotational transitions of silyl cyanide (SiH3CN), confirming its presence in IRC +10216 in particular, and in space in general. Our models indicate that silyl cyanide is also formed in the inner regions of the envelope, around 20 R∗, with an abundance relative to H2 of 6 × 10-10. The possible formation mechanisms of both species are discussed. We also searched for related chemical species but only upper limits could be obtained. This work was based on observations carried out with the IRAM 30-m telescope. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain).

  15. A 3000 TNOs Survey Project at ESO La Silla

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boehnhardt, H.; Hainaut, O.

    We propose a wide-shallow TNO search to be done with the Wide Field Imager (WFI) instrument at the 2.2m MPG/ESO telescope in La Silla/Chile. The WFI is a half-deg camera equipped with an 8kx8k CCD (0.24 arcsec/pixel). The telescope can support excellent seeing quality down to 0.5arcsec FWHM. A TNO search pilot project was run with the 2.2m+WFI in 1999: images with just 1.6sdeg sky coverage and typically 24mag limiting brightness revealed 6 new TNOs when processed with our new automatic detection program MOVIE. The project is now continued on a somewhat larger scale in order to find more TNOs and to fine-tune the operational environment for a full automatic on-line detection, astrometry and photometry of the objects at the telescope. The future goal is to perform - with the 2.2m+WFI and in an international colaboration - an even larger TNO survey over a major part of the sky (typically 2000sdeg in and out of Ecliptic) down to 24mag. Follow-up astrometry and photometry of the expected more than 3000 discovered objects will secure their orbital and physical characterisation for synoptic dynamical and taxonomic studies of the Transneptunian population.

  16. ClubSub-P: Cluster-Based Subcellular Localization Prediction for Gram-Negative Bacteria and Archaea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paramasivam, Nagarajan; Linke, Dirk

    2011-01-01

    The subcellular localization (SCL) of proteins provides important clues to their function in a cell. In our efforts to predict useful vaccine targets against Gram-negative bacteria, we noticed that misannotated start codons frequently lead to wrongly assigned SCLs. This and other problems in SCL prediction, such as the relatively high false-positive and false-negative rates of some tools, can be avoided by applying multiple prediction tools to groups of homologous proteins. Here we present ClubSub-P, an online database that combines existing SCL prediction tools into a consensus pipeline from more than 600 proteomes of fully sequenced microorganisms. On top of the consensus prediction at the level of single sequences, the tool uses clusters of homologous proteins from Gram-negative bacteria and from Archaea to eliminate false-positive and false-negative predictions. ClubSub-P can assign the SCL of proteins from Gram-negative bacteria and Archaea with high precision. The database is searchable, and can easily be expanded using either new bacterial genomes or new prediction tools as they become available. This will further improve the performance of the SCL prediction, as well as the detection of misannotated start codons and other annotation errors. ClubSub-P is available online at http://toolkit.tuebingen.mpg.de/clubsubp/ PMID:22073040

  17. NIFTY - Numerical Information Field Theory. A versatile PYTHON library for signal inference

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selig, M.; Bell, M. R.; Junklewitz, H.; Oppermann, N.; Reinecke, M.; Greiner, M.; Pachajoa, C.; Enßlin, T. A.

    2013-06-01

    NIFTy (Numerical Information Field Theory) is a software package designed to enable the development of signal inference algorithms that operate regardless of the underlying spatial grid and its resolution. Its object-oriented framework is written in Python, although it accesses libraries written in Cython, C++, and C for efficiency. NIFTy offers a toolkit that abstracts discretized representations of continuous spaces, fields in these spaces, and operators acting on fields into classes. Thereby, the correct normalization of operations on fields is taken care of automatically without concerning the user. This allows for an abstract formulation and programming of inference algorithms, including those derived within information field theory. Thus, NIFTy permits its user to rapidly prototype algorithms in 1D, and then apply the developed code in higher-dimensional settings of real world problems. The set of spaces on which NIFTy operates comprises point sets, n-dimensional regular grids, spherical spaces, their harmonic counterparts, and product spaces constructed as combinations of those. The functionality and diversity of the package is demonstrated by a Wiener filter code example that successfully runs without modification regardless of the space on which the inference problem is defined. NIFTy homepage http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/ift/nifty/; Excerpts of this paper are part of the NIFTy source code and documentation.

  18. Columbia River Hatchery Reform System-Wide Report.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Warren, Dan [Hatchery Scientific Review Group

    2009-04-16

    better meet both conservation and harvest goals. For each Columbia River Basin Environmentally Significant Unit (ESU), Distinct Population Segment (MPG) or Major Population Group (MPG) reviewed, the HSRG presents its findings and recommendations in the form of an HSRG solution. This package of recommended changes to current hatchery and harvest program design and operation is intended to demonstrate how the programs could be managed to significantly increase the likelihood of meeting the managers goals for both harvest and conservation of the ESU/DPS/MPG. The 'HSRG solution' also highlights the biological principles that the HSRG believes must form the foundation for successful use of hatcheries and fisheries as management tools.

  19. ["A decision meaning a new foundation...": from the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Anthropology, Human Genetics and Eugenics to the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sachse, Carola

    2011-01-01

    The Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (MPIMG) in Berlin-Dahlem dates its establishment to 1964. Its homepage makes no mention of its predecessor institutes, the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Anthropology, Human Genetics and Eugenics (KWIA) and the subsequent MPI for Comparative Genetics and Hereditary Pathology (MPIVEE). This article traces the two critical phases of transition regarding the constellations of academic staff, institutional and epistemic ruptures and continuities specific to the era. Only one of the five department heads from the final war years, Hans Nachtsheim, remained a researcher within the Max Planck Society (MPG); he nevertheless continued to advocate the pre-war and wartime eugenic agenda in the life sciences and social policy. The generational change of 1959/60 became a massive struggle within the institute, in which microbial genetics (with Fritz Kaudewitz) was pitted against human genetics (with Friedrich Vogel) and managed to establish itself after a fresh change in personnel in 1964/65. For the Dahlem institute, this involved a far-reaching reorientation of its research, but for the genetically oriented life sciences in the Max Planck Society as a whole it only meant that molecular biology, which was already being pursued in the West German institutes, gained an additional facility. With this realignment of research traditions, the Society was able to draw a line under the Nazi past without having to address it head-on.

  20. AlignMe—a membrane protein sequence alignment web server

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stamm, Marcus; Staritzbichler, René; Khafizov, Kamil; Forrest, Lucy R.

    2014-01-01

    We present a web server for pair-wise alignment of membrane protein sequences, using the program AlignMe. The server makes available two operational modes of AlignMe: (i) sequence to sequence alignment, taking two sequences in fasta format as input, combining information about each sequence from multiple sources and producing a pair-wise alignment (PW mode); and (ii) alignment of two multiple sequence alignments to create family-averaged hydropathy profile alignments (HP mode). For the PW sequence alignment mode, four different optimized parameter sets are provided, each suited to pairs of sequences with a specific similarity level. These settings utilize different types of inputs: (position-specific) substitution matrices, secondary structure predictions and transmembrane propensities from transmembrane predictions or hydrophobicity scales. In the second (HP) mode, each input multiple sequence alignment is converted into a hydrophobicity profile averaged over the provided set of sequence homologs; the two profiles are then aligned. The HP mode enables qualitative comparison of transmembrane topologies (and therefore potentially of 3D folds) of two membrane proteins, which can be useful if the proteins have low sequence similarity. In summary, the AlignMe web server provides user-friendly access to a set of tools for analysis and comparison of membrane protein sequences. Access is available at http://www.bioinfo.mpg.de/AlignMe PMID:24753425

  1. Alkylation induced cerebellar degeneration dependent on Aag and Parp1 does not occur via previously established cell death mechanisms.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carrie M Margulies

    Full Text Available Alkylating agents are ubiquitous in our internal and external environments, causing DNA damage that contributes to mutations and cell death that can result in aging, tissue degeneration and cancer. Repair of methylated DNA bases occurs primarily through the base excision repair (BER pathway, a multi-enzyme pathway initiated by the alkyladenine DNA glycosylase (Aag, also known as Mpg. Previous work demonstrated that mice treated with the alkylating agent methyl methanesulfonate (MMS undergo cerebellar degeneration in an Aag-dependent manner, whereby increased BER initiation by Aag causes increased tissue damage that is dependent on activation of poly (ADP-ribose polymerase 1 (Parp1. Here, we dissect the molecular mechanism of cerebellar granule neuron (CGN sensitivity to MMS using primary ex vivo neuronal cultures. We first established a high-throughput fluorescent imaging method to assess primary neuron sensitivity to treatment with DNA damaging agents. Next, we verified that the alkylation sensitivity of CGNs is an intrinsic phenotype that accurately recapitulates the in vivo dependency of alkylation-induced CGN cell death on Aag and Parp1 activity. Finally, we show that MMS-induced CGN toxicity is independent of all the cellular events that have previously been associated with Parp-mediated toxicity, including mitochondrial depolarization, AIF translocation, calcium fluxes, and NAD+ consumption. We therefore believe that further investigation is needed to adequately describe all varieties of Parp-mediated cell death.

  2. Alkylation induced cerebellar degeneration dependent on Aag and Parp1 does not occur via previously established cell death mechanisms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Margulies, Carrie M; Chaim, Isaac Alexander; Mazumder, Aprotim; Criscione, June; Samson, Leona D

    2017-01-01

    Alkylating agents are ubiquitous in our internal and external environments, causing DNA damage that contributes to mutations and cell death that can result in aging, tissue degeneration and cancer. Repair of methylated DNA bases occurs primarily through the base excision repair (BER) pathway, a multi-enzyme pathway initiated by the alkyladenine DNA glycosylase (Aag, also known as Mpg). Previous work demonstrated that mice treated with the alkylating agent methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) undergo cerebellar degeneration in an Aag-dependent manner, whereby increased BER initiation by Aag causes increased tissue damage that is dependent on activation of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (Parp1). Here, we dissect the molecular mechanism of cerebellar granule neuron (CGN) sensitivity to MMS using primary ex vivo neuronal cultures. We first established a high-throughput fluorescent imaging method to assess primary neuron sensitivity to treatment with DNA damaging agents. Next, we verified that the alkylation sensitivity of CGNs is an intrinsic phenotype that accurately recapitulates the in vivo dependency of alkylation-induced CGN cell death on Aag and Parp1 activity. Finally, we show that MMS-induced CGN toxicity is independent of all the cellular events that have previously been associated with Parp-mediated toxicity, including mitochondrial depolarization, AIF translocation, calcium fluxes, and NAD+ consumption. We therefore believe that further investigation is needed to adequately describe all varieties of Parp-mediated cell death.

  3. DNA repair is indispensable for survival after acute inflammation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calvo, Jennifer A.; Meira, Lisiane B.; Lee, Chun-Yue I.; Moroski-Erkul, Catherine A.; Abolhassani, Nona; Taghizadeh, Koli; Eichinger, Lindsey W.; Muthupalani, Sureshkumar; Nordstrand, Line M.; Klungland, Arne; Samson, Leona D.

    2012-01-01

    More than 15% of cancer deaths worldwide are associated with underlying infections or inflammatory conditions, therefore understanding how inflammation contributes to cancer etiology is important for both cancer prevention and treatment. Inflamed tissues are known to harbor elevated etheno-base (ε-base) DNA lesions induced by the lipid peroxidation that is stimulated by reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) released from activated neutrophils and macrophages. Inflammation contributes to carcinogenesis in part via RONS-induced cytotoxic and mutagenic DNA lesions, including ε-base lesions. The mouse alkyl adenine DNA glycosylase (AAG, also known as MPG) recognizes such base lesions, thus protecting against inflammation-associated colon cancer. Two other DNA repair enzymes are known to repair ε-base lesions, namely ALKBH2 and ALKBH3; thus, we sought to determine whether these DNA dioxygenase enzymes could protect against chronic inflammation-mediated colon carcinogenesis. Using established chemically induced colitis and colon cancer models in mice, we show here that ALKBH2 and ALKBH3 provide cancer protection similar to that of the DNA glycosylase AAG. Moreover, Alkbh2 and Alkbh3 each display apparent epistasis with Aag. Surprisingly, deficiency in all 3 DNA repair enzymes confers a massively synergistic phenotype, such that animals lacking all 3 DNA repair enzymes cannot survive even a single bout of chemically induced colitis. PMID:22684101

  4. Plug-in-Hybrid Vehicle Use, Energy Consumption, and Greenhouse Emissions: An Analysis of Household Vehicle Placements in Northern California

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Kammen

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available We report on the real-world use over the course of one year of a nickel-metal-hydride plug-in hybrid—the Toyota Plug-In HV—by a set of 12 northern California households able to charge at home and work. From vehicle use data, energy and greenhouse-emissions implications are also explored. A total of 1557 trips—most using under 0.5 gallons of gasoline—ranged up to 2.4 hours and 133 miles and averaged 14 minutes and 7 miles. 399 charging events averaged 2.6 hours. The maximum lasted 4.6 hours. Most recharges added less than 1.4 kWh, with a mean charge of 0.92 kWh. The average power drawn was under one-half kilowatt. The greenhouse gas emissions from driving and charging were estimated to be 2.6 metric tons, about half of the emissions expected from a 22.4-mpg vehicle (the MY2009 fleet-wide real-world average. The findings contribute to better understanding of how plug-in hybrids might be used, their potential impact, and how potential benefits and requirements vary for different plug-in-vehicle designs. For example, based on daily driving distances, 20 miles of charge-depleting range would have been fully utilized on 81% of days driven, whereas 40 miles would not have been fully utilized on over half of travel days.

  5. ClubSub-P: Cluster-based subcellular localization prediction for Gram-negative bacteria and Archaea.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nagarajan eParamasivam

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available The subcellular localization of proteins provides important clues to their function in a cell. In our efforts to predict useful vaccine targets against Gram-negative bacteria, we noticed that misannotated start codons frequently lead to wrongly assigned subcellular localizations. This and other problems in subcellular localization prediction, such as the relatively high false positive and false negative rates of some tools, can be avoided by applying multiple prediction tools to groups of homologous proteins. Here we present ClubSub-P, an online database that combines existing subcellular localization prediction tools into a consensus pipeline from more than 600 proteomes of fully sequenced microorganisms. On top of the consensus prediction at the level of single sequences, the tool uses clusters of homologous proteins from Gram-negative bacteria and from Archaea to eliminate false positive and false negative predictions. ClubSub-P can assign the subcellular localization of proteins from Gram-negative bacteria and Archaea with high precision. The database is searchable, and can easily be expanded using either new bacterial genomes or new prediction tools as they become available. This will further improve the performance of the subcellular localization prediction, as well as the detection of misannotated start codons and other annotation errors. ClubSub-P is available online at http://toolkit.tuebingen.mpg.de/clubsubp/

  6. Hexicon 2: automated processing of hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry data with improved deuteration distribution estimation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindner, Robert; Lou, Xinghua; Reinstein, Jochen; Shoeman, Robert L; Hamprecht, Fred A; Winkler, Andreas

    2014-06-01

    Hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) experiments analyzed by mass spectrometry (MS) provide information about the dynamics and the solvent accessibility of protein backbone amide hydrogen atoms. Continuous improvement of MS instrumentation has contributed to the increasing popularity of this method; however, comprehensive automated data analysis is only beginning to mature. We present Hexicon 2, an automated pipeline for data analysis and visualization based on the previously published program Hexicon (Lou et al. 2010). Hexicon 2 employs the sensitive NITPICK peak detection algorithm of its predecessor in a divide-and-conquer strategy and adds new features, such as chromatogram alignment and improved peptide sequence assignment. The unique feature of deuteration distribution estimation was retained in Hexicon 2 and improved using an iterative deconvolution algorithm that is robust even to noisy data. In addition, Hexicon 2 provides a data browser that facilitates quality control and provides convenient access to common data visualization tasks. Analysis of a benchmark dataset demonstrates superior performance of Hexicon 2 compared with its predecessor in terms of deuteration centroid recovery and deuteration distribution estimation. Hexicon 2 greatly reduces data analysis time compared with manual analysis, whereas the increased number of peptides provides redundant coverage of the entire protein sequence. Hexicon 2 is a standalone application available free of charge under http://hx2.mpimf-heidelberg.mpg.de.

  7. DeepBlue epigenomic data server: programmatic data retrieval and analysis of epigenome region sets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albrecht, Felipe; List, Markus; Bock, Christoph; Lengauer, Thomas

    2016-07-08

    Large amounts of epigenomic data are generated under the umbrella of the International Human Epigenome Consortium, which aims to establish 1000 reference epigenomes within the next few years. These data have the potential to unravel the complexity of epigenomic regulation. However, their effective use is hindered by the lack of flexible and easy-to-use methods for data retrieval. Extracting region sets of interest is a cumbersome task that involves several manual steps: identifying the relevant experiments, downloading the corresponding data files and filtering the region sets of interest. Here we present the DeepBlue Epigenomic Data Server, which streamlines epigenomic data analysis as well as software development. DeepBlue provides a comprehensive programmatic interface for finding, selecting, filtering, summarizing and downloading region sets. It contains data from four major epigenome projects, namely ENCODE, ROADMAP, BLUEPRINT and DEEP. DeepBlue comes with a user manual, examples and a well-documented application programming interface (API). The latter is accessed via the XML-RPC protocol supported by many programming languages. To demonstrate usage of the API and to enable convenient data retrieval for non-programmers, we offer an optional web interface. DeepBlue can be openly accessed at http://deepblue.mpi-inf.mpg.de. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  8. Molybdenum carbide-carbon nanocomposites synthesized from a reactive template for electrochemical hydrogen evolution

    KAUST Repository

    Alhajri, Nawal Saad

    2014-01-01

    Molybdenum carbide nanocrystals (Mo2C) with sizes ranging from 3 to 20 nm were synthesized within a carbon matrix starting from a mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (mpg-C3N4) template with confined pores. A molybdenum carbide phase (Mo2C) with a hexagonal structure was formed using a novel synthetic method involving the reaction of a molybdenum precursor with the carbon residue originating from C3N4 under nitrogen at various temperatures. The synthesized nanocomposites were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-programmed reaction with mass spectroscopy (MS), CHN elemental analyses, thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), nitrogen sorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicated that the synthesized samples have different surface structures and compositions, which are accordingly expected to exhibit different electrocatalytic activities toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Electrochemical measurements demonstrated that the sample synthesized at 1323 K exhibited the highest and most stable HER current in acidic media, with an onset potential of -100 mV vs. RHE, among the samples prepared in this study. This result is attributed to the sufficiently small particle size (∼8 nm on average) and accordingly high surface area (308 m2 g-1), with less oxidized surface entrapped within the graphitized carbon matrix. © 2014 the Partner Organisations.

  9. Tx2-6 toxin of the Phoneutria nigriventer spider potentiates rat erectile function☆

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nunes, K.P.; Costa-Gonçalves, A.; Lanza, L.F.; Cortes, S.F.; Cordeiro, M.N.; Richardson, M.; Pimenta, A.M.C.; Webb, R.C.; Leite, R.; De Lima, M.E.

    2011-01-01

    The venom of the spider Phoneutria nigriventer contains several toxins that have bioactivity in mammals and insects. Accidents involving humans are characterized by various symptoms including penile erection. Here we investigated the action of Tx2-6, a toxin purified from the P. nigriventer spider venom that causes priapism in rats and mice. Erectile function was evaluated through changes in intracavernosal pressure/mean arterial pressure ratio (ICP/MAP) during electrical stimulation of the major pelvic ganglion (MPG) of normotensive and deoxycorticosterone-acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertensive rats. Nitric oxide (NO) release was detected in cavernosum slices with fluorescent dye (DAF-FM) and confocal microscopy. The effect of Tx2-6 was also characterized after intracavernosal injection of a non-selective nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, L-NAME. Subcutaneous or intravenous injection of Tx2-6 potentiated the elevation of ICP/MAP induced by ganglionic stimulation. L-NAME inhibited penile erection and treatment with Tx2-6 was unable to reverse this inhibition. Tx2-6 treatment induced a significant increase of NO release in cavernosum tissue. Attenuated erectile function of DOCA-salt hypertensive rats was fully restored after toxin injection. Tx2-6 enhanced erectile function in normotensive and DOCA-salt hypertensive rats, via the NO pathway. Our studies suggest that Tx2-6 could be important for development of new pharmacological agents for treatment of erectile dysfunction. PMID:18397797

  10. Visibility of Open Acces Repositories of Digital University Libraries: A Case Study of the EU Visegrád Group

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erzsebet Dani

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available For scientific research institutions, as well as for scientists individually, the degree of accessibility of a given institution's and of an individual researcher's scientific achievement is of growing significance in this world of the internet: i.e., it is vitally important to know about and to have easy access to what research is conducted in what fields and with what results in the different institutions. In this study I intend to survey the present situation concerning the homepages of leading universities of the so-called Visegrad Group inside the European Union and the extent to which the present situation serves or fails to serve the cause of the philosophy of open access. My aim is twofold. (1 I will consider whether the scienetific-knowledge repositories built by universities are accessible or not, and/or how easy or difficult it is to access them. Provided that those repositories exist at all, because, in spite of the fact that the Berlin Declaration is generally adopted in principle, the homepages of a good number of the surveyed Visegrad Group universities or libraries do not make their research databases easily accessible or accessible at all, or they can be accessed in the given national language only. (2[1] http://openaccess.mpg.de/286432/Berlin-Declaration [09.18.2013.] [2] https://www.openaire.eu/en/contact-us/partners

  11. Generation and Characteristics of IV-VI transition Metal Nitride and Carbide Nanoparticles using a Reactive Mesoporous Carbon Nitride

    KAUST Repository

    Alhajri, Nawal Saad

    2016-02-22

    Interstitial nitrides and carbides of early transition metals in groups IV–VI exhibit platinum-like electronic structures, which make them promising candidates to replace noble metals in various catalytic reactions. Herein, we present the preparation and characterization of nano-sized transition metal nitries and carbides of groups IV–VI (Ti, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, and W) using mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (mpg-C3N4), which not only provides confined spaces for restricting primary particle size but also acts as a chemical source of nitrogen and carbon. We studied the reactivity of the metals with the template under N2 flow at 1023 K while keeping the weight ratio of metal to template constant at unity. The produced nanoparticles were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, CHN elemental analysis, nitrogen sorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that Ti, V, Nb, Ta, and Cr form nitride phases with face centered cubic structure, whereas Mo and W forme carbides with hexagonal structures. The tendency to form nitride or carbide obeys the free formation energy of the transition metal nitrides and carbides. This method offers the potential to prepare the desired size, shape and phase of transition metal nitrides and carbides that are suitable for a specific reaction, which is the chief objective of materials chemistry.

  12. The impact of feeding growing-finishing pigs with daily tailored diets using precision feeding techniques on animal performance, nutrient utilization, and body and carcass composition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andretta, I; Pomar, C; Rivest, J; Pomar, J; Lovatto, P A; Radünz Neto, J

    2014-09-01

    The impact of moving from conventional to precision feeding systems in growing-finishing pig operations on animal performance, nutrient utilization, and body and carcass composition was studied. Fifteen animals per treatment for a total of 60 pigs of 41.2 (SE = 0.5) kg of BW were used in a performance trial (84 d) with 4 treatments: a 3-phase (3P) feeding program obtained by blending fixed proportions of feeds A (high nutrient density) and B (low nutrient density); a 3-phase commercial (COM) feeding program; and 2 daily-phase feeding programs in which the blended proportions of feeds A and B were adjusted daily to meet the estimated nutritional requirements of the group (multiphase-group feeding, MPG) or of each pig individually (multiphase-individual feeding, MPI). Daily feed intake was recorded each day and pigs were weighed weekly during the trial. Body composition was assessed at the beginning of the trial and every 28 d by dual-energy X-ray densitometry. Nitrogen and phosphorus excretion was estimated as the difference between retention and intake. Organ, carcass, and primal cut measurements were taken after slaughter. The COM feeding program reduced (P carcass, and primal cut weights did not differ among treatments. Feeding growing-finishing pigs with daily tailored diets using precision feeding techniques is an effective approach to reduce nutrient excretion without compromising pig performance or carcass composition.

  13. Clinical experiences with a chemical radioprotector in tumor radiotherapy: WR-2721

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Y.

    1984-01-01

    Since cysteine was found to protect lethally irradiated rats, sulfhydryl compounds that provide protection of laboratory animals against lethal doses of ionizing radiations have also been given much attention. The SH compounds have been the most extensively investigated, and β-aminoethylisothiouronium (AET) and cysteamine have been selected as being representative of those drugs that are highly protective. However, clinical application is limited, as the toxicity of these compounds is high. In a series of experiments to reevaluate radioprotective agents with low toxicity, the authors found that 2-mercaptopropionylglycine (MPG) and adrenochrome monoguangylhydrazone methanesulfonate (AMM) have a potent radioprotector effect in a dose far below their toxic doses in both mice and humans. Recently, the development of effective thiophosphate derivatives of cysteamine, namely WR-2721 [S-2-(3-amino-propylaminoethyl)phosphorothioate] by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Commands, led to a reevaluation of these compounds and their potential in radiotherapy. Initial investigations indicated that WR-2721 provided a considerable degree of radioprotection to normal tissues. This compound provided excellent protection for normal tissues (DMF = 2-2.5) but little protection for the transplanted tumor. Thus this drug may have a differential protection in vivo and may be useful for improving the therapeutic ratio in cancer radiotherapy. The results of animal and chemical experiments in Japan are summarized herein

  14. HATS-43b, HATS-44b, HATS-45b, and HATS-46b: Four Short-period Transiting Giant Planets in the Neptune–Jupiter Mass Range

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brahm, R.; Hartman, J. D.; Jordán, A.; Bakos, G. Á.; Espinoza, N.; Rabus, M.; Bhatti, W.; Penev, K.; Sarkis, P.; Suc, V.; Csubry, Z.; Bayliss, D.; Bento, J.; Zhou, G.; Mancini, L.; Henning, T.; Ciceri, S.; de Val-Borro, M.; Shectman, S.; Crane, J. D.; Arriagada, P.; Butler, P.; Teske, J.; Thompson, I.; Osip, D.; Díaz, M.; Schmidt, B.; Lázár, J.; Papp, I.; Sári, P.

    2018-03-01

    We report the discovery of four short-period extrasolar planets transiting moderately bright stars from photometric measurements of the HATSouth network coupled to additional spectroscopic and photometric follow-up observations. While the planet masses range from 0.26 to 0.90 {M}{{J}}, the radii are all approximately a Jupiter radii, resulting in a wide range of bulk densities. The orbital period of the planets ranges from 2.7 days to 4.7 days, with HATS-43b having an orbit that appears to be marginally non-circular (e = 0.173 ± 0.089). HATS-44 is notable for having a high metallicity ([{Fe}/{{H}}] = 0.320 ± 0.071). The host stars spectral types range from late F to early K, and all of them are moderately bright (13.3 Carnegie Institute is operated by PU in conjunction with PUC, the station at the High Energy Spectroscopic Survey (H.E.S.S.) site is operated in conjunction with MPIA, and the station at Siding Spring Observatory (SSO) is operated jointly with ANU. This paper includes data gathered with the MPG 2.2 m and ESO 3.6 m telescopes at the ESO Observatory in La Silla. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 meter Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile.

  15. A comprehensive candidate gene approach identifies genetic variation associated with osteosarcoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mirabello, Lisa; Grotmol, Tom; Douglass, Chester; Hayes, Richard B; Hoover, Robert N; Savage, Sharon A; Yu, Kai; Berndt, Sonja I; Burdett, Laurie; Wang, Zhaoming; Chowdhury, Salma; Teshome, Kedest; Uzoka, Arinze; Hutchinson, Amy

    2011-01-01

    Osteosarcoma (OS) is a bone malignancy which occurs primarily in adolescents. Since it occurs during a period of rapid growth, genes important in bone formation and growth are plausible modifiers of risk. Genes involved in DNA repair and ribosomal function may contribute to OS pathogenesis, because they maintain the integrity of critical cellular processes. We evaluated these hypotheses in an OS association study of genes from growth/hormone, bone formation, DNA repair, and ribosomal pathways. We evaluated 4836 tag-SNPs across 255 candidate genes in 96 OS cases and 1426 controls. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Twelve SNPs in growth or DNA repair genes were significantly associated with OS after Bonferroni correction. Four SNPs in the DNA repair gene FANCM (ORs 1.9-2.0, P = 0.003-0.004) and 2 SNPs downstream of the growth hormone gene GH1 (OR 1.6, P = 0.002; OR 0.5, P = 0.0009) were significantly associated with OS. One SNP in the region of each of the following genes was significant: MDM2, MPG, FGF2, FGFR3, GNRH2, and IGF1. Our results suggest that several SNPs in biologically plausible pathways are associated with OS. Larger studies are required to confirm our findings

  16. Diffusion weighted imaging by MR method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Horikawa, Yoshiharu; Naruse, Shoji; Ebisu, Toshihiko; Tokumitsu, Takuaki; Ueda, Satoshi; Tanaka, Chuzo; Higuchi, Toshihiro; Umeda, Masahiro.

    1993-01-01

    Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging is a recently developed technique used to examine the micromovement of water molecules in vivo. We have applied this technique to examine various kinds of brain diseases, both experimentally and clinically. The calculated apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in vivo showed reliable values. In experimentally induced brain edema in rats, the pathophysiological difference of the type of edema (such as cytotoxic, and vasogenic) could be differentiated on the diffusion weighted MR images. Cytotoxic brain edema showed high intensity (slower diffusion) on the diffusion weighted images. On the other hand, vasogenic brain edema showed a low intensity image (faster diffusion). Diffusion anisotropy was demonstrated according to the direction of myelinated fibers and applied motion proving gradient (MPG). This anisotropy was also demonstrated in human brain tissue along the course of the corpus callosum, pyramidal tract and optic radiation. In brain ischemia cases, lesions were detected as high signal intensity areas, even one hour after the onset of ischemia. Diffusion was faster in brain tumor compared with normal brain. Histological differences were not clearly reflected by the ADC value. In epidermoid tumor cases, the intensity was characteristically high, was demonstrated, and the cerebrospinal fluid border was clearly demonstrated. New clinical information obtainable with this molecular diffusion method will prove to be useful in various clinical studies. (author)

  17. CoNekT: an open-source framework for comparative genomic and transcriptomic network analyses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Proost, Sebastian; Mutwil, Marek

    2018-05-01

    The recent accumulation of gene expression data in the form of RNA sequencing creates unprecedented opportunities to study gene regulation and function. Furthermore, comparative analysis of the expression data from multiple species can elucidate which functional gene modules are conserved across species, allowing the study of the evolution of these modules. However, performing such comparative analyses on raw data is not feasible for many biologists. Here, we present CoNekT (Co-expression Network Toolkit), an open source web server, that contains user-friendly tools and interactive visualizations for comparative analyses of gene expression data and co-expression networks. These tools allow analysis and cross-species comparison of (i) gene expression profiles; (ii) co-expression networks; (iii) co-expressed clusters involved in specific biological processes; (iv) tissue-specific gene expression; and (v) expression profiles of gene families. To demonstrate these features, we constructed CoNekT-Plants for green alga, seed plants and flowering plants (Picea abies, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Vitis vinifera, Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Zea mays and Solanum lycopersicum) and thus provide a web-tool with the broadest available collection of plant phyla. CoNekT-Plants is freely available from http://conekt.plant.tools, while the CoNekT source code and documentation can be found at https://github.molgen.mpg.de/proost/CoNekT/.

  18. KIVA-hpFE: Predictive turublent reactive and multiphase flow in engines : Science Supporting Mission of the Laboratory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carrington, David Bradley [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Waters, Jiajia [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2017-09-26

    Research and development of KIVA-hpFE for turbulent reactive and multiphase flow particularly as related to engine modeling program has relevance to National energy security and climate change. Climate change is a source problem, and energy national security is consumption of petroleum products problem. Accurately predicting engine processes leads to, lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, where engines in the transportation sector currently account for 26% of the U.S. GHG emissions. Less dependence on petroleum products leads to greater energy security. By Environmental Protection Agency standards, some vehicles are now reaching 42 to the 50 mpg mark. These are conventional gasoline engines. Continued investment and research into new technical innovations, the potential exists to save more than 4 million barrels of oil per day or approximately $200 to $400 million per day. This would be a significant decrease in emission and use of petroleum and a very large economic stimulus too! It is estimated with further advancements in combustion, the current emissions can be reduced up to 40%. Enabling better understanding of fuel injection and fuel-air mixing, thermodynamic combustion losses, and combustion/emission formation processes enhances our ability to help solve both problems. To provide adequate capability for accurately simulating these processes, minimize time and labor for development of engine technology, are the goals of our KIVA development program.

  19. Development of the lithium polymer battery for the GM Precept

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rouillard, R.; Richard, M.; Pomerleau, D.; St-Germain, P.; St-Pierre, C. [Argo-Tech Productions Inc., Boucherville, PQ (Canada); Gastonguay, L.; Choquette, Y. [Hydro-Quebec, Montreal, PQ (Canada). Research Inst

    2000-07-01

    The role that Hydro-Quebec and Argo-Tech played in the development of the GM Precept was discussed. The prototype hybrid electric-powered vehicle is a 5-passenger family sedan developed by General Motors. It is expected to achieve 80 mpg efficiency and emit fewer exhaust gases. The car's energy storage system uses lithium polymer battery (LPB) technology developed jointly by Hydro-Quebec and Argo-Tech. The development team had to meet the objectives of the GM Precept program using a unique electrochemical configuration, module and pack design. This included battery management and thermal management systems. The performance targets and parameters for the prototype were established by the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) program. In 1993, the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) issued a contract to Hydro-Quebec to further develop their ongoing research on the LPB for EV applications. This included improvements in base chemistry as well as in the development processes and manufacturing technologies needed to produce a high-performance, low-cost electric-vehicle battery, under a series of USABC cost-shared contracts. The design and performance data of the LPB in addition to tests at the cell level suggest that the commercialization of the LPB battery is achievable. Focus is now being placed on reproducibility and robustness. Commercialization is planned for 2005. refs., tabs., figs.

  20. Hexicon 2: Automated Processing of Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry Data with Improved Deuteration Distribution Estimation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindner, Robert; Lou, Xinghua; Reinstein, Jochen; Shoeman, Robert L.; Hamprecht, Fred A.; Winkler, Andreas

    2014-06-01

    Hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) experiments analyzed by mass spectrometry (MS) provide information about the dynamics and the solvent accessibility of protein backbone amide hydrogen atoms. Continuous improvement of MS instrumentation has contributed to the increasing popularity of this method; however, comprehensive automated data analysis is only beginning to mature. We present Hexicon 2, an automated pipeline for data analysis and visualization based on the previously published program Hexicon (Lou et al. 2010). Hexicon 2 employs the sensitive NITPICK peak detection algorithm of its predecessor in a divide-and-conquer strategy and adds new features, such as chromatogram alignment and improved peptide sequence assignment. The unique feature of deuteration distribution estimation was retained in Hexicon 2 and improved using an iterative deconvolution algorithm that is robust even to noisy data. In addition, Hexicon 2 provides a data browser that facilitates quality control and provides convenient access to common data visualization tasks. Analysis of a benchmark dataset demonstrates superior performance of Hexicon 2 compared with its predecessor in terms of deuteration centroid recovery and deuteration distribution estimation. Hexicon 2 greatly reduces data analysis time compared with manual analysis, whereas the increased number of peptides provides redundant coverage of the entire protein sequence. Hexicon 2 is a standalone application available free of charge under http://hx2.mpimf-heidelberg.mpg.de.

  1. Aag-initiated base excision repair promotes ischemia reperfusion injury in liver, brain, and kidney.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebrahimkhani, Mohammad R; Daneshmand, Ali; Mazumder, Aprotim; Allocca, Mariacarmela; Calvo, Jennifer A; Abolhassani, Nona; Jhun, Iny; Muthupalani, Sureshkumar; Ayata, Cenk; Samson, Leona D

    2014-11-11

    Inflammation is accompanied by the release of highly reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) that damage DNA, among other cellular molecules. Base excision repair (BER) is initiated by DNA glycosylases and is crucial in repairing RONS-induced DNA damage; the alkyladenine DNA glycosylase (Aag/Mpg) excises several DNA base lesions induced by the inflammation-associated RONS release that accompanies ischemia reperfusion (I/R). Using mouse I/R models we demonstrate that Aag(-/-) mice are significantly protected against, rather than sensitized to, I/R injury, and that such protection is observed across three different organs. Following I/R in liver, kidney, and brain, Aag(-/-) mice display decreased hepatocyte death, cerebral infarction, and renal injury relative to wild-type. We infer that in wild-type mice, Aag excises damaged DNA bases to generate potentially toxic abasic sites that in turn generate highly toxic DNA strand breaks that trigger poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (Parp) hyperactivation, cellular bioenergetics failure, and necrosis; indeed, steady-state levels of abasic sites and nuclear PAR polymers were significantly more elevated in wild-type vs. Aag(-/-) liver after I/R. This increase in PAR polymers was accompanied by depletion of intracellular NAD and ATP levels plus the translocation and extracellular release of the high-mobility group box 1 (Hmgb1) nuclear protein, activating the sterile inflammatory response. We thus demonstrate the detrimental effects of Aag-initiated BER during I/R and sterile inflammation, and present a novel target for controlling I/R-induced injury.

  2. The FORMEX plasma formulary

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Junker, J.

    1994-01-01

    A collection of formulas frequently used in the field of plasma physics has been compiled and prepared for evaluation with the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet program, which runs on an IBM-compatible PC as well as on a Macintosh computer. The present version of this plasma formulary, a worksheet named FORMEX, comprises 133 formulas depending on 23 variables. The formulas are evaluated numerically and these numerical values are promptly updated whenever any of the input variables is changed. A complete set of input variables can be chosen by the name of an experimental device. Stellarators and tokamaks, 16 altogether, have been incorporated in the formulary. A diagram can be displayed to show how a specific formula depends on any of its input variables. Each formula is extensively annotated to show it origin and give literature references. The formulary is operated with a series of macros, all inside the macro sheet named FORMAK, which are invoked by menu commands from a special menu bar. All the information from the formulary, the genuine formulas, the table of numerically evaluated plot coordinates, the notes, and the diagrams can be further processed or transferred to any other application with the help of the usual Excel commands. The formulary is open to adding more formulas and, if needed, variables as well as data of further experimental devices. The FORMEX and FORMAK files are made available by ANONYMOUS FTP via the address FTP.IPP-GARCHING.MPG.DE, which allows public access. (orig.)

  3. MIPS: a database for protein sequences, homology data and yeast genome information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mewes, H W; Albermann, K; Heumann, K; Liebl, S; Pfeiffer, F

    1997-01-01

    The MIPS group (Martinsried Institute for Protein Sequences) at the Max-Planck-Institute for Biochemistry, Martinsried near Munich, Germany, collects, processes and distributes protein sequence data within the framework of the tripartite association of the PIR-International Protein Sequence Database (,). MIPS contributes nearly 50% of the data input to the PIR-International Protein Sequence Database. The database is distributed on CD-ROM together with PATCHX, an exhaustive supplement of unique, unverified protein sequences from external sources compiled by MIPS. Through its WWW server (http://www.mips.biochem.mpg.de/ ) MIPS permits internet access to sequence databases, homology data and to yeast genome information. (i) Sequence similarity results from the FASTA program () are stored in the FASTA database for all proteins from PIR-International and PATCHX. The database is dynamically maintained and permits instant access to FASTA results. (ii) Starting with FASTA database queries, proteins have been classified into families and superfamilies (PROT-FAM). (iii) The HPT (hashed position tree) data structure () developed at MIPS is a new approach for rapid sequence and pattern searching. (iv) MIPS provides access to the sequence and annotation of the complete yeast genome (), the functional classification of yeast genes (FunCat) and its graphical display, the 'Genome Browser' (). A CD-ROM based on the JAVA programming language providing dynamic interactive access to the yeast genome and the related protein sequences has been compiled and is available on request. PMID:9016498

  4. THE FIRST HIGH-REDSHIFT QUASAR FROM Pan-STARRS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morganson, Eric; De Rosa, Gisella; Decarli, Roberto; Walter, Fabian; Rix, Hans-Walter [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Astronomie, Koenigstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Chambers, Ken; Burgett, William; Flewelling, Heather; Hodapp, Klaus; Kaiser, Nick; Magnier, Eugene; Sweeney, Bill; Waters, Christopher [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States); McGreer, Ian; Fan, Xiaohui [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 N Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Greiner, Jochen [Max-Planck-Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstrasse 1, 85748 Garching (Germany); Price, Paul, E-mail: morganson@mpia.de [Princeton University Observatory, 4 Ivy Lane, Peyton Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States)

    2012-06-15

    We present the discovery of the first high-redshift (z > 5.7) quasar from the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System 1 (Pan-STARRS1 or PS1). This quasar was initially detected as an i{sub P1} dropout in PS1, confirmed photometrically with the SAO Wide-field InfraRed Camera at Arizona's Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) and the Gamma-Ray Burst Optical/Near-Infrared Detector at the MPG 2.2 m telescope in La Silla. The quasar was verified spectroscopically with the MMT Spectrograph, Red Channel and the Cassegrain Twin Spectrograph at the Calar Alto 3.5 m telescope. Its near-infrared spectrum was taken at the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory (LBT) with the LBT Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Utility with Camera and Integral Field Unit for Extragalactic Research. It has a redshift of 5.73, an AB z{sub P1} magnitude of 19.4, a luminosity of 3.8 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 47} erg s{sup -1}, and a black hole mass of 6.9 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 9} M{sub Sun }. It is a broad absorption line quasar with a prominent Ly{beta} peak and a very blue continuum spectrum. This quasar is the first result from the PS1 high-redshift quasar search that is projected to discover more than 100 i{sub P1} dropout quasars and could potentially find more than 10 z{sub P1} dropout (z > 6.8) quasars.

  5. Oscillations in the wake of a flare blast wave

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tothova, D.; Innes, D. E.; Stenborg, G.

    2011-04-01

    Context. Oscillations of coronal loops in the Sun have been reported in both imaging and spectral observations at the onset of flares. Images reveal transverse oscillations, whereas spectra detect line-of-sight velocity or Doppler-shift oscillations. The Doppler-shift oscillations are commonly interpreted as longitudinal modes. Aims: Our aim is to investigate the relationship between loop dynamics and flows seen in TRACE 195 Å images and Doppler shifts observed by SUMER in Si iii 1113.2 Å and FeXIX 1118.1 Å at the time of a C.8-class limb flare and an associated CME. Methods: We carefully co-aligned the sequence of TRACE 195 Å images to structures seen in the SUMER Si iii, CaX, and FeXIX emission lines. Additionally, Hα observations of a lifting prominence associated with the flare and the coronal mass ejection (CME) are available in three bands around 6563.3 Å. They give constraints on the timing and geometry. Results: Large-scale Doppler-shift oscillations in FeXIX and transverse oscillations in intensity images were observed over a large region of the corona after the passage of a wide bright extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) disturbance, which suggests ionization, heating, and acceleration of hot plasma in the wake of a blast wave. The online movie associated to Fig. 2 is available at http://www.aanda.org and at http://www.mps.mpg.de/data/outgoing/tothova/movie.gif

  6. A study on the effects of the CAFE standard on consumers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jun, Seung-Pyo; Yoo, Hyoung Sun; Kim, Ji-Hui

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, we analyzed how the CAFE standard has affected improvements in the fuel economy of vehicles, as examined in other preceding studies, but in addition, we also analyzed how these standards have affected the level of consumer interest in fuel economy. Our goal was to determine what effects the government intervention has had on consumers, and whether such intervention ought to be continued. The results showed that not only has the CAFE standard had a direct and significant impact on improving fuel economy and increasing the market share of fuel-efficient vehicles, it has also boosted the development of technologies for enhancing fuel economy and raised consumer interest in fuel economy, thus indirectly contributing to overcoming market failure. The significance of this study is that we used publically available observed data and analyzed the recent impact of the CAFE standard specifically with a focus on the behavior and strategies exhibited by consumers and automakers. Another significance of this study is that it extends our purview to examine the effects that the CAFE standard has had in other countries (Korea). - Highlights: •CAFE standards have raised consumer interest in fuel economy such as MPG. •CAFE standards had a significant impact on increasing fuel-efficient vehicles •Sales of HEVs are more significantly affected by CAFE standards than by WTI. •CAFE standards had a significant impact on a foreign vehicle market. •Analysis suggests the standards will continue to be necessary for market growth.

  7. THE FIRST HIGH-REDSHIFT QUASAR FROM Pan-STARRS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morganson, Eric; De Rosa, Gisella; Decarli, Roberto; Walter, Fabian; Rix, Hans-Walter; Chambers, Ken; Burgett, William; Flewelling, Heather; Hodapp, Klaus; Kaiser, Nick; Magnier, Eugene; Sweeney, Bill; Waters, Christopher; McGreer, Ian; Fan, Xiaohui; Greiner, Jochen; Price, Paul

    2012-01-01

    We present the discovery of the first high-redshift (z > 5.7) quasar from the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System 1 (Pan-STARRS1 or PS1). This quasar was initially detected as an i P1 dropout in PS1, confirmed photometrically with the SAO Wide-field InfraRed Camera at Arizona's Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) and the Gamma-Ray Burst Optical/Near-Infrared Detector at the MPG 2.2 m telescope in La Silla. The quasar was verified spectroscopically with the MMT Spectrograph, Red Channel and the Cassegrain Twin Spectrograph at the Calar Alto 3.5 m telescope. Its near-infrared spectrum was taken at the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory (LBT) with the LBT Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Utility with Camera and Integral Field Unit for Extragalactic Research. It has a redshift of 5.73, an AB z P1 magnitude of 19.4, a luminosity of 3.8 × 10 47 erg s –1 , and a black hole mass of 6.9 × 10 9 M ☉ . It is a broad absorption line quasar with a prominent Lyβ peak and a very blue continuum spectrum. This quasar is the first result from the PS1 high-redshift quasar search that is projected to discover more than 100 i P1 dropout quasars and could potentially find more than 10 z P1 dropout (z > 6.8) quasars.

  8. WEATHER ON THE NEAREST BROWN DWARFS: RESOLVED SIMULTANEOUS MULTI-WAVELENGTH VARIABILITY MONITORING OF WISE J104915.57–531906.1AB

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Biller, Beth A.; Crossfield, Ian J. M.; Mancini, Luigi; Ciceri, Simona; Kopytova, Taisiya G.; Bonnefoy, Mickaël; Deacon, Niall R.; Schlieder, Joshua E.; Buenzli, Esther; Brandner, Wolfgang; Bailer-Jones, Coryn A. L.; Henning, Thomas; Goldman, Bertrand [Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Southworth, John [Astrophysics Group, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG (United Kingdom); Allard, France; Homeier, Derek; Freytag, Bernd [Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 allée d' Italie, F-69364 Lyon cedex 07 (France); Greiner, Jochen [Max-Planck Institute for extraterrestrische Physik, D-85748 Garching, Giessenbachstr (Germany)

    2013-11-20

    We present two epochs of MPG/ESO 2.2 m GROND simultaneous six-band (r'i'z' JHK) photometric monitoring of the closest known L/T transition brown dwarf binary WISE J104915.57–531906.1AB. We report here the first resolved variability monitoring of both the T0.5 and L7.5 components. We obtained 4 hr of focused observations on the night of 2013 April 22 (UT), as well as 4 hr of defocused (unresolved) observations on the night of 2013 April 16 (UT). We note a number of robust trends in our light curves. The r' and i' light curves appear to be anti-correlated with z' and H for the T0.5 component and in the unresolved light curve. In the defocused dataset, J appears correlated with z' and H and anti-correlated with r' and i', while in the focused dataset we measure no variability for J at the level of our photometric precision, likely due to evolving weather phenomena. In our focused T0.5 component light curve, the K band light curve displays a significant phase offset relative to both H and z'. We argue that the measured phase offsets are correlated with atmospheric pressure probed at each band, as estimated from one-dimensional atmospheric models. We also report low-amplitude variability in i' and z' intrinsic to the L7.5 component.

  9. Development of a CHP/DH system for the new town of Parand: An opportunity to mitigate global warming in Middle East

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mostafavi Tehrani, S. Saeed; Saffar-Avval, M.; Mansoori, Z.; Behboodi Kalhori, S.; Abbassi, A.; Dabir, B.; Sharif, M.

    2013-01-01

    As a result of the worldwide concern about global warming, projects that target reduction of greenhouse gas emissions have gained a lot of interest. The idea of this paper is to recover exhaust hot gases of an existing gas turbine power plant to meet dynamic thermal energy requirements of a residential area (the new town of Parand) situated in the suburb of Tehran, and also use the rest of the heat source potential to feed a steam turbine cycle. In close proximity to this town, there are two GT plants: Parand (954 MW e ) and Rudeshur (790 MW e ). For handling the CHP/STC/DH plant, two methods are considered along with thermal load following operation strategy: maximum power generation (MPG) and minimum fuel consumption (MFC). Then, the alternatives are compared in terms of annual PES, CO 2 abatement and NPV. For the best design from environmental viewpoint (Parand CHP-B), PES, CO 2 abatement and NPV are calculated to be 27.31%, 2.56 million tons and 1491 million dollar, respectively. -- Highlights: • To propose a technical and financial methodology to evaluate CHP/DH projects. • To address environmental advantages of CHPs with conventional plants. • To present practical operation strategies to increase benefits of CHP/DH plants. • To report/compare benefits of various CHP/DH alternatives for a case study in Iran. • To conduct a comprehensive energy analysis of proposed CHP/DH design options

  10. The 13Carbon footprint of B[e] supergiants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liermann, A.; Kraus, M.; Schnurr, O.; Fernandes, M. Borges

    2010-10-01

    We report on the first detection of 13C enhancement in two B[e] supergiants (B[e]SGs) in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Stellar evolution models predict the surface abundance in 13C to strongly increase during main-sequence and post-main-sequence evolution of massive stars. However, direct identification of chemically processed material on the surface of B[e]SGs is hampered by their dense, disc-forming winds, hiding the stars. Recent theoretical computations predict the detectability of enhanced 13C via the molecular emission in 13CO arising in the circumstellar discs of B[e]SGs. To test this potential method and to unambiguously identify a post-main-sequence B[e] SG by its 13CO emission, we have obtained high-quality K-band spectra of two known B[e] SGs in the Large Magellanic Cloud, using the Very Large Telescope's Spectrograph for INtegral Field Observation in the Near-Infrared (VLT/SINFONI). Both stars clearly show the 13CO band emission, whose strength implies a strong enhancement of 13C, in agreement with theoretical predictions. This first ever direct confirmation of the evolved nature of B[e]SGs thus paves the way to the first identification of a Galactic B[e]SG. Based on observations collected with the ESO VLT Paranal Observatory under programme 384.D-1078(A). E-mail: liermann@mpifr-bonn.mpg.de (AL); kraus@sunstel.asu.cas.cz (MK); oschnurr@aip.de (OS); borges@on.br (MBF)

  11. Biomolecule-coated metal nanoparticles on titanium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christensen, Stephen L; Chatt, Amares; Zhang, Peng

    2012-02-07

    Immobilizations of nanoparticles and biomolecules on biocompatible substrates such as titanium are two promising approaches to bringing new functionalities to Ti-based biomaterials. Herein, we used a variety of X-ray spectroscopic techniques to study and better understand metal-thiolate interactions in biofunctionalized metal nanoparticle systems supported on Ti substrates. Using a facile one-step procedure, a series of Au nanoparticle samples with varied biomolecule coatings ((2-mercatopropionyl)glycine (MPG) and bovine serum albumin (BSA)) and biomolecule concentrations are prepared. Ag and Pd systems are also studied to observe change with varying metal composition. The structure and properties of these biomolecule-coated nanoparticles are investigated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and element-specific X-ray techniques, including extended X-ray absorption fine structure (Au L(3)-edge), X-ray absorption near-edge structure (Au L(3), Ag L(3), Pd L(3), and S K-edge), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (Au 4f, Ag 3d, Pd 3d, and S 2p core level). It was found that, by comparison of SEM and X-ray spectroscopy results, the coating of metal nanoparticles with varying model biomolecule systems can have a significant effect on both surface coverage and organization. This work offers a facile chemical method for bio- and nanofunctionalization of Ti substrates as well as provides a physical picture of the structure and bonding of biocoated metal nanoparticles, which may lead to useful applications in orthopedics and biomedicine.

  12. Chlorobenzene induces oxidative stress in human lung epithelial cells in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feltens, Ralph; Moegel, Iljana; Roeder-Stolinski, Carmen; Simon, Jan-Christoph; Herberth, Gunda; Lehmann, Irina

    2010-01-01

    Chlorobenzene is a volatile organic compound (VOC) that is widely used as a solvent, degreasing agent and chemical intermediate in many industrial settings. Occupational studies have shown that acute and chronic exposure to chlorobenzene can cause irritation of the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract and eyes. Using in vitro assays, we have shown in a previous study that human bronchial epithelial cells release inflammatory mediators such as the cytokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in response to chlorobenzene. This response is mediated through the NF-κB signaling pathway. Here, we investigated the effects of monochlorobenzene on human lung cells, with emphasis on potential alterations of the redox equilibrium to clarify whether the chlorobenzene-induced inflammatory response in lung epithelial cells is caused via an oxidative stress-dependent mechanism. We found that expression of cellular markers for oxidative stress, such as heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), glutathione S-transferase π1 (GSTP1), superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) and dual specificity phosphatase 1 (DUSP1), were elevated in the presence of monochlorobenzene. Likewise, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were increased in response to exposure. However, in the presence of the antioxidants N-(2-mercaptopropionyl)-glycine (MPG) or bucillamine, chlorobenzene-induced upregulation of marker proteins and release of the inflammatory mediator MCP-1 are suppressed. These results complement our previous findings and point to an oxidative stress-mediated inflammatory response following chlorobenzene exposure.

  13. Predicting Light-Duty Vehicle Fuel Economy as a Function of Highway Speed

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thomas, John [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Hwang, Ho-Ling [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); West, Brian [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Huff, Shean [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

    2013-04-08

    The www.fueleconomy.gov website offers information such as window label fuel economy for city, highway, and combined driving for all U.S.-legal light-duty vehicles from 1984 to the present. The site is jointly maintained by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and also offers a considerable amount of consumer information and advice pertaining to vehicle fuel economy and energy related issues. Included with advice pertaining to driving styles and habits is information concerning the trend that as highway cruising speed is increased, fuel economy will degrade. An effort was undertaken to quantify this conventional wisdom through analysis of dynamometer testing results for 74 vehicles at steady state speeds from 50 to 80 mph. Using this experimental data, several simple models were developed to predict individual vehicle fuel economy and its rate of change over the 50-80 mph speed range interval. The models presented require a minimal number of vehicle attributes. The simplest model requires only the EPA window label highway mpg value (based on the EPA specified estimation method for 2008 and beyond). The most complex of these simple model uses vehicle coast-down test coefficients (from testing prescribed by SAE Standard J2263) known as the vehicle Target Coefficients, and the raw fuel economy result from the federal highway test. Statistical comparisons of these models and discussions of their expected usefulness and limitations are offered.

  14. Intracellular lipid dysregulation interferes with leukocyte function in the ovaries of meat-type hens under unrestricted feed intake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zu-Chen; Su, Chia-Ming; Xie, Yi-Lun; Chang, Chai-Ju; Chen, Jiang-Young; Wu, Shu-Wei; Chen, Yu-Hui; Walzem, Rosemary L; Huang, San-Yuan; Chen, Shuen-Ei

    2016-04-01

    Meat-type Red-feather country hens fed ad libitum (AD-hens) exhibit obesity-associated morbidities and a number of ovarian irregularities. Leukocyte participations in ovarian activities are unstudied in AD-hens. In contrast to feed-restricted hens (R-hens), ovulatory process of the F1 follicle appeared delayed in AD-hens in association with reduced F1 follicle progesterone content, gelatinase A (MMP-2) and collagenase-3 (MMP-13) activities coincident with elevated IL-1β and no production (Pcultures of granulosa cells with increasing numbers of leukocytes from either AD-hens or R-hens exhibited dose dependent reductions in progesterone production and increases in cell death. AD-hen leukocytes were less proapoptotic than their R counterparts (Pcultures with heterophils or monocytes in a dose-dependent manner (Pcultures than their respective counterparts (P<0.05). Both basal and LPS-induced IL-1β secretion and MMP-22 or MMP-2 activities in freshly isolated AD-hen leukocytes were reduced (P<0.05). Exposure of AD or R leukocytes to 0.5mM palmitate impaired IL-1β secretion and MMP-22 or MMP-2 activity. Inhibition of ceramide synthesis with FB1 and ROS production with n-MPG scavenging rescued MMP activity and IL-1β production in palmitate treated heterophils, but exacerbated monocyte suppression. These latter findings suggest that intracellular lipid dysregulation in leukocytes contributes to ovarian dysfunction in AD-hens. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Model predictive control of a lean-burn gasoline engine coupled with a passive selective catalytic reduction system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Pingen [Tennessee Technological University (TTU); Lin, Qinghua [Tennessee Technological University (TTU); Prikhodko, Vitaly Y. [ORNL

    2017-10-01

    Lean-burn gasoline engines have demonstrated 10–20% engine efficiency gain over stoichiometric engines and are widely considered as a promising technology for meeting the 54.5 miles-per-gallon (mpg) Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard by 2025. Nevertheless, NOx emissions control for lean-burn gasoline for meeting the stringent EPA Tier 3 emission standards has been one of the main challenges towards the commercialization of highly-efficient lean-burn gasoline engines in the United States. Passive selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems, which consist of a three-way catalyst and SCR, have demonstrated great potentials of effectively reducing NOx emissions for lean gasoline engines but may cause significant fuel penalty due to ammonia generation via rich engine combustion. The purpose of this study is to develop a model-predictive control (MPC) scheme for a lean-burn gasoline engine coupled with a passive SCR system to minimize the fuel penalty associated with passive SCR operation while satisfying stringent NOx and NH3 emissions requirements. Simulation results demonstrate that the MPC-based control can reduce the fuel penalty by 47.7% in a simulated US06 cycle and 32.0% in a simulated UDDS cycle, compared to the baseline control, while achieving over 96% deNOx efficiency and less than 15 ppm tailpipe ammonia slip. The proposed MPC control can potentially enable high engine efficiency gain for highly-efficient lean-burn gasoline engine while meeting the stringent EPA Tier 3 emission standards.

  16. Alkylation sensitivity screens reveal a conserved cross-species functionome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Svilar, David; Dyavaiah, Madhu; Brown, Ashley R.; Tang, Jiang-bo; Li, Jianfeng; McDonald, Peter R.; Shun, Tong Ying; Braganza, Andrea; Wang, Xiao-hong; Maniar, Salony; St Croix, Claudette M.; Lazo, John S.; Pollack, Ian F.; Begley, Thomas J.; Sobol, Robert W.

    2013-01-01

    To identify genes that contribute to chemotherapy resistance in glioblastoma, we conducted a synthetic lethal screen in a chemotherapy-resistant glioblastoma derived cell line with the clinical alkylator temozolomide (TMZ) and an siRNA library tailored towards “druggable” targets. Select DNA repair genes in the screen were validated independently, confirming the DNA glycosylases UNG and MYH as well as MPG to be involved in the response to high dose TMZ. The involvement of UNG and MYH is likely the result of a TMZ-induced burst of reactive oxygen species. We then compared the human TMZ sensitizing genes identified in our screen with those previously identified from alkylator screens conducted in E. coli and S. cerevisiae. The conserved biological processes across all three species composes an Alkylation Functionome that includes many novel proteins not previously thought to impact alkylator resistance. This high-throughput screen, validation and cross-species analysis was then followed by a mechanistic analysis of two essential nodes: base excision repair (BER) DNA glycosylases (UNG, human and mag1, S. cerevisiae) and protein modification systems, including UBE3B and ICMT in human cells or pby1, lip22, stp22 and aim22 in S. cerevisiae. The conserved processes of BER and protein modification were dual targeted and yielded additive sensitization to alkylators in S. cerevisiae. In contrast, dual targeting of BER and protein modification genes in human cells did not increase sensitivity, suggesting an epistatic relationship. Importantly, these studies provide potential new targets to overcome alkylating agent resistance. PMID:23038810

  17. Evaluation of ischemic damage of the corticospinal tract by diffusion tensor MRI. Utility in predicting functional outcome of corona radiata infarcts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Hideki; Matsuno, Akira; Okubo, Toshiyuki; Nakaguchi, Hiroshi; Murakami, Mineko; Ono, Seiichi; Takeuchi, Masato

    2011-01-01

    Motor impairment is one of the most frequent symptoms among stroke patients and often leads to post-stroke dependency, so evaluation of motor symptoms and underlining corticospinal tract (CST) damage is of prime importance. Motor impairment, ischemic lesion by diffusion weighted MRI, and clinical outcome were assessed in 15 acute to early subacute corona radiata infarct patients. Motor impairment was graded severe: limb movement synergy level, moderate: selective muscle activity possible and mild: isolated movements are well coordinated. Outcome at the time of discharge was assessed by modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Diffusion tensor MRI (GE Signa Excite system 1.5 T, Echo Planar Imaging, MPG 15) was conducted at 2.3±2.2 days from the onset of the clinical symptoms. CST was delineated 3-dimensionally with dTV.II.SR and Volume-one 1.72. CST-FA (fractional anisotropy) ratio and CST-Area % were calculated at the slice where CST-infarct overlap was maximal. CST-FA ratio and CST-Area % showed good correlation to motor impairment at presentation. Patients with severe motor impairment had lower CST-FA ratio and CSF-Area % than those with moderate or mild. CST-FA ratio was 0.73±0.22 in patients with poor clinical outcome (mRS 3-6) and 0.93±0.09 with good clinical outcome (mRS 0-2) (p=0.038). Diffusion tensor MRI is useful in evaluating ischemic CST damage and predicting functional outcome in patients with corona radiata infarcts in the acute to subacute stage. (author)

  18. PARP inhibitors protect against sex- and AAG-dependent alkylation-induced neural degeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allocca, Mariacarmela; Corrigan, Joshua J; Fake, Kimberly R; Calvo, Jennifer A; Samson, Leona D

    2017-09-15

    Alkylating agents are commonly used to treat cancer. Although base excision repair (BER) is a major pathway for repairing DNA alkylation damage, under certain conditions, the initiation of BER produces toxic repair intermediates that damage healthy tissues. The initiation of BER by the alkyladenine DNA glycosylase (AAG, a.k.a. MPG) can mediate alkylation-induced cytotoxicity in specific cells in the retina and cerebellum of male mice. Cytotoxicity in both wild-type and Aag -transgenic ( AagTg ) mice is abrogated in the absence of Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1). Here, we tested whether PARP inhibitors can also prevent alkylation-induced retinal and cerebellar degeneration in male and female WT and AagTg mice. Importantly, we found that WT mice display sex-dependent alkylation-induced retinal damage (but not cerebellar damage), with WT males being more sensitive than females. Accordingly, estradiol treatment protects males against alkylation-induced retinal degeneration. In AagTg male and female mice, the alkylation-induced tissue damage in both the retina and cerebellum is exacerbated and the sex difference in the retina is abolished. PARP inhibitors, much like Parp1 gene deletion, protect against alkylation-induced AAG-dependent neuronal degeneration in WT and AagTg mice, regardless of the gender, but their efficacy in preventing alkylation-induced neuronal degeneration depends on PARP inhibitor characteristics and doses. The recent surge in the use of PARP inhibitors in combination with cancer chemotherapeutic alkylating agents might represent a powerful tool for obtaining increased therapeutic efficacy while avoiding the collateral effects of alkylating agents in healthy tissues.

  19. Parp1 protects against Aag-dependent alkylation-induced nephrotoxicity in a sex-dependent manner.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calvo, Jennifer A; Allocca, Mariacarmela; Fake, Kimberly R; Muthupalani, Sureshkumar; Corrigan, Joshua J; Bronson, Roderick T; Samson, Leona D

    2016-07-19

    Nephrotoxicity is a common toxic side-effect of chemotherapeutic alkylating agents. Although the base excision repair (BER) pathway is essential in repairing DNA alkylation damage, under certain conditions the initiation of BER produces toxic repair intermediates that damage healthy tissues. We have shown that the alkyladenine DNA glycosylase, Aag (a.k.a. Mpg), an enzyme that initiates BER, mediates alkylation-induced whole-animal lethality and cytotoxicity in the pancreas, spleen, retina, and cerebellum, but not in the kidney. Cytotoxicity in both wild-type and Aag-transgenic mice (AagTg) was abrogated in the absence of Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (Parp1). Here we report that Parp1-deficient mice expressing increased Aag (AagTg/Parp1-/-) develop sex-dependent kidney failure upon exposure to the alkylating agent, methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), and suffer increased whole-animal lethality compared to AagTg and wild-type mice. Macroscopic, histological, electron microscopic and immunohistochemical analyses revealed morphological kidney damage including dilated tubules, proteinaceous casts, vacuolation, collapse of the glomerular tuft, and deterioration of podocyte structure. Moreover, mice exhibited clinical signs of kidney disease indicating functional damage, including elevated blood nitrogen urea and creatinine, hypoproteinemia and proteinuria. Pharmacological Parp inhibition in AagTg mice also resulted in sensitivity to MMS-induced nephrotoxicity. These findings provide in vivo evidence that Parp1 modulates Aag-dependent MMS-induced nephrotoxicity in a sex-dependent manner and highlight the critical roles that Aag-initiated BER and Parp1 may play in determining the side-effects of chemotherapeutic alkylating agents.

  20. BL Lacertae Objects Beyond Redshift 1.3 - UV-to-NIR Photometry and Photometric Redshift for Fermi/LAT Blazars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rau, A.; Schady, P.; Greiner, J.; Salvato, M.; Ajello, M.; Bottacini, E.; Gehrels, N.; Afonso, P. M. J.; Elliott, J.; Filgas, R.; hide

    2011-01-01

    Context. Observations of the gamma-ray sky with Fermi led to significant advances towards understanding blazars, the most extreme class of Active Galactic Nuclei. A large fraction of the population detected by Fermi is formed by BL Lacertae (BL Lac) objects, whose sample has always suffered from a severe redshift incompleteness due to the quasi-featureless optical spectra. Aims. Our goal is to provide a significant increase of the number of confirmed high-redshift BL Lac objects contained in the 2 LAC Fermi/LAT catalog. Methods. For 103 Fermi/LAT blazars, photometric redshifts using spectral energy distribution fitting have been obtained. The photometry includes 13 broad-band filters from the far ultraviolet to the near-IR observed with Swift/UVOT and the multi-channel imager GROND at the MPG/ESO 2.2m telescope. Data have been taken quasi-simultaneously and the remaining source-intrinsic variability has been corrected for. Results. We release the UV-to-near-IR 13-band photometry for all 103 sources and provide redshift constraints for 75 sources without previously known redshift. Out of those, eight have reliable photometric redshifts at z > or approx. 1.3, while for the other 67 sources we provide upper limits. Six of the former eight are BL Lac objects, which quadruples the sample of confirmed high-redshift BL Lac. This includes three sources with redshifts higher than the previous record for BL Lac, including CRATES J0402-2615, with the best-fit solution at z approx. = 1.9.

  1. Estimates of Active Region Area Coverage through Simultaneous Measurements of the He i λλ 5876 and 10830 Lines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Andretta, Vincenzo; Covino, Elvira [INAF—Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte Salita Moiariello, 16 I-80131 Naples (Italy); Giampapa, Mark S. [National Solar Observatory 950 N. Cherry Avenue Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Reiners, Ansgar [Institut für Astrophysik Georg-August-Universität Göttingen Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1 D-37077 Göttingen (Germany); Beeck, Benjamin, E-mail: andretta@oacn.inaf.it [Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 3 D-37077 Göttingen (Germany)

    2017-04-20

    Simultaneous, high-quality measurements of the neutral helium triplet features at 5876 Å and 10830 Å in a sample of solar-type stars are presented. The observations were made with ESO telescopes at the La Silla Paranal Observatory under program ID 088.D-0028(A) and MPG Utility Run for Fiber Extended-range Optical Spectrograph 088.A-9029(A). The equivalent widths of these features combined with chromospheric models are utilized to infer the fractional area coverage, or filling factor, of magnetic regions outside of spots. We find that the majority of the sample is characterized by filling factors less than unity. However, discrepancies occur among the coolest K-type and the warmest and most rapidly rotating F-type dwarf stars. We discuss these apparently anomalous results and find that in the case of K-type stars, they are an artifact of the application of chromospheric models best suited to the Sun than to stars with significantly lower T {sub eff}. The case of the F-type rapid rotators can be explained by the measurement uncertainties of the equivalent widths, but they may also be due to a non-magnetic heating component in their atmospheres. With the exceptions noted above, preliminary results suggest that the average heating rates in the active regions are the same from one star to the other, differing in the spatially integrated, observed level of activity due to the area coverage. Hence, differences in activity in this sample are mainly due to the filling factor of active regions.

  2. A likelihood ratio-based method to predict exact pedigrees for complex families from next-generation sequencing data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heinrich, Verena; Kamphans, Tom; Mundlos, Stefan; Robinson, Peter N; Krawitz, Peter M

    2017-01-01

    Next generation sequencing technology considerably changed the way we screen for pathogenic mutations in rare Mendelian disorders. However, the identification of the disease-causing mutation amongst thousands of variants of partly unknown relevance is still challenging and efficient techniques that reduce the genomic search space play a decisive role. Often segregation- or linkage analysis are used to prioritize candidates, however, these approaches require correct information about the degree of relationship among the sequenced samples. For quality assurance an automated control of pedigree structures and sample assignment is therefore highly desirable in order to detect label mix-ups that might otherwise corrupt downstream analysis. We developed an algorithm based on likelihood ratios that discriminates between different classes of relationship for an arbitrary number of genotyped samples. By identifying the most likely class we are able to reconstruct entire pedigrees iteratively, even for highly consanguineous families. We tested our approach on exome data of different sequencing studies and achieved high precision for all pedigree predictions. By analyzing the precision for varying degrees of relatedness or inbreeding we could show that a prediction is robust down to magnitudes of a few hundred loci. A java standalone application that computes the relationships between multiple samples as well as a Rscript that visualizes the pedigree information is available for download as well as a web service at www.gene-talk.de CONTACT: heinrich@molgen.mpg.deSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

  3. Gasoline-fueled hybrid vs. conventional vehicle emissions and fuel economy.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anderson, J.; Bharathan, D.; He, J.; Plotkin, S.; Santini, D.; Vyas, A.

    1999-06-18

    This paper addresses the relative fuel economy and emissions behavior, both measured and modeled, of technically comparable, contemporary hybrid and conventional vehicles fueled by gasoline, in terms of different driving cycles. Criteria pollutants (hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides) are discussed, and the potential emissions benefits of designing hybrids for grid connection are briefly considered. In 1997, Toyota estimated that their grid-independent hybrid vehicle would obtain twice the fuel economy of a comparable conventional vehicle on the Japan 10/15 mode driving cycle. This initial result, as well as the fuel economy level (66 mpg), made its way into the U.S. press. Criteria emissions amounting to one-tenth of Japanese standards were cited, and some have interpreted these results to suggest that the grid-independent hybrid can reduce criteria emissions in the U.S. more sharply than can a conventional gasoline vehicle. This paper shows that the potential of contemporary grid-independent hybrid vehicle technology for reducing emissions and fuel consumption under U.S. driving conditions is less than some have inferred. The importance (and difficulty) of doing test and model assessments with comparable driving cycles, comparable emissions control technology, and comparable performance capabilities is emphasized. Compared with comparable-technology conventional vehicles, grid-independent hybrids appear to have no clear criteria pollutant benefits (or disbenefits). (Such benefits are clearly possible with grid-connectable hybrids operating in zero emissions mode.) However, significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions (i.e., fuel consumption) are possible with hybrid vehicles when they are used to best advantage.

  4. Effects of DC bias on magnetic performance of high grades grain-oriented silicon steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, Guang; Cheng, Ling [Global Energy Interconnection Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Transmission Technology,Beijing 102211 (China); Lu, Licheng [State Grid Corporation of China, Beijing 100031 (China); Yang, Fuyao; Chen, Xin [Global Energy Interconnection Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Transmission Technology,Beijing 102211 (China); Zhu, Chengzhi [State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Company, Hangzhou 310007 (China)

    2017-03-15

    When high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission adopting mono-polar ground return operation mode or unbalanced bipolar operation mode, the invasion of DC current into neutral point of alternating current (AC) transformer will cause core saturation, temperature increasing, and vibration acceleration. Based on the MPG-200D soft magnetic measurement system, the influence of DC bias on magnetic performance of 0.23 mm and 0.27 mm series (P{sub 1.7}=0.70–1.05 W/kg, B{sub 8}>1.89 T) grain-oriented (GO) silicon steels under condition of AC / DC hybrid excitation were systematically realized in this paper. For the high magnetic induction GO steels (core losses are the same), greater thickness can lead to stronger ability of resisting DC bias, and the reasons for it were analyzed. Finally, the magnetostriction and A-weighted magnetostriction velocity level of GO steel under DC biased magnetization were researched. - Highlights: • Magnetic properties of 0.23 mm and 0.27 mm series (P{sub 1.7}=0.70–1.05 W/kg, B{sub 8}>1.89 T) grain-oriented (GO) silicon steels under condition of AC / DC hybrid excitation were systematically analyzed. • Influence of DC biased magnetization on core loss, magnetostriction, and A-weighted magnetostriction velocity level of GO steel were researched. • Greater thickness and relatively lower magnetic induction (B{sub 8}>1.89 T yet) of GO steel can lead to stronger ability of resisting DC bias, and the reasons for it were analyzed.

  5. Bioengineering a non-genotoxic vector for genetic modification of mesenchymal stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xuguang; Nomani, Alireza; Patel, Niket; Nouri, Faranak S; Hatefi, Arash

    2018-01-01

    Vectors used for stem cell transfection must be non-genotoxic, in addition to possessing high efficiency, because they could potentially transform normal stem cells into cancer-initiating cells. The objective of this research was to bioengineer an efficient vector that can be used for genetic modification of stem cells without any negative somatic or genetic impact. Two types of multifunctional vectors, namely targeted and non-targeted were genetically engineered and purified from E. coli. The targeted vectors were designed to enter stem cells via overexpressed receptors. The non-targeted vectors were equipped with MPG and Pep1 cell penetrating peptides. A series of commercial synthetic non-viral vectors and an adenoviral vector were used as controls. All vectors were evaluated for their efficiency and impact on metabolic activity, cell membrane integrity, chromosomal aberrations (micronuclei formation), gene dysregulation, and differentiation ability of stem cells. The results of this study showed that the bioengineered vector utilizing VEGFR-1 receptors for cellular entry could transfect mesenchymal stem cells with high efficiency without inducing genotoxicity, negative impact on gene function, or ability to differentiate. Overall, the vectors that utilized receptors as ports for cellular entry (viral and non-viral) showed considerably better somato- and genosafety profiles in comparison to those that entered through electrostatic interaction with cellular membrane. The genetically engineered vector in this study demonstrated that it can be safely and efficiently used to genetically modify stem cells with potential applications in tissue engineering and cancer therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Deuterium trapping in carbon fiber composites under high fluence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Airapetov, A.A.; Begrambekov, L.B.; Kuzmin, A.A.; Shigin, P.A.; Zakharov, A.M.

    2010-01-01

    The paper is devoted to investigation of deuterium trapping in CFC, dance graphite MPG-8 and pyrolytic graphite (PG) under plasma ion- and electron irradiation. Number of specific features of deuterium trapping and retention under plasma ion and electron irradiation is presented and discussed. In particular it is shown that 1) deuterium trapping takes place even when energy of impinging ions approaches zero; 2) deuterium is trapped under irradiation by plasma electrons; 3) under irradiation at equal fluences deuterium trapping is higher, when ion flux is smaller. High energy ion penetrating the surfaces are trapped in the traps created at the expense of their kinetic energy. The process may be named 'kinetic trapping'. Under low energy (smaller than 200 eV) electron and/or ion irradiation the energy of inelastic interaction on the surface provides creation of active centers, which initiate dissociation of deuterium sorbed on the surface, penetration of deuterium atoms into graphite and their trapping in specific low energy traps. The term 'potential trapping' is proposed for this type of trapping. Under high energy irradiation such atoms can fill the traps formed through kinetic mechanism. Origination of moveable deuterium atoms from the layer of surface sorption seems to be time dependent process and it is a reason of increase of trapping along with irradiation time. New features of deuterium trapping and retention in graphite evaluated in this study offer new opportunities for analysis and correct estimation of hydrogen isotope trapping and retention in tokamaks having graphite tiles. (authors)

  7. Human papillomavirus infection in women in four regions of Senegal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mbaye, El Hadji Seydou; Gheit, Tarik; Dem, Ahmadou; McKay-Chopin, Sandrine; Toure-Kane, Ndeye Coumba; Mboup, Souleymane; Tommasino, Massimo; Sylla, Bakary S; Boye, Cheikh Saad Bouh

    2014-02-01

    Cervical cancer is the most frequent cancer among women in Senegal. However, there are few data concerning the human papillomavirus (HPV) types inducing neoplasia and cervical cancers and their prevalence in the general population of Senegal. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of HPV infection in Senegalese women aged 18 years and older in Dakar Region and three other regions. Cervical samples were collected from 498 women aged 18-80 years (mean, 42.1 years) in Dakar Region. Also, 438 samples were collected from three other regions: Thiès, Saint-Louis, and Louga. The samples were screened for 21 HPV genotypes using an HPV type-specific E7 PCR bead-based multiplex genotyping assay (TS-MPG). The prevalence of high risk (HR)-HPV in Dakar Region was 17.4%. HPV 52 (3.2%) was the most prevalent HPV type, followed by HPV 31 (3.0%) and HPV 16, 45, and 53 (all 2.8%). In the Thiès, Saint-Louis, and Louga Regions, the prevalence of HR-HPV was 23.2%, 13.1%, and 19.4%, respectively. The study revealed the specificity of HPV prevalence in Dakar Region and other regions of Senegal. The observed patterns show some differences compared with other regions of the world. These findings raise the possibility that, in addition to HPV 16 and HPV 18, other HPV types should be considered for a vaccination program in Senegal. However, additional studies to determine the HPV type distribution in cervical cancer specimens in Senegal are required to further corroborate this hypothesis. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Assessment of global stellarator confinement: Status of the international stellarator confinement scaling data base

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dinklage, A.; Beidler, C.D.; Dose, V.; Geiger, J.; Kus, A.; Preuss, R.; Ascasibar, E.; Tribaldos, V.; Harris, J.H.; Murakami, S.; Sano, F.; Okamura, S.; Suzuki, Y.; Watanabe, K.Y.; Yamada, H.; Yokoyama, M.; Stroth, U.; Talmadge, J.

    2005-01-01

    Different stellarator/heliotron devices along with their respective flexibility cover a large magnetic configuration space. Since the ultimate goal of stellarator research aims at an alternative fusion reactor concept, the exploration of the most promising configurations requires a comparative assessment of the plasma performance and how different aspects of a 3D configuration influence it. Therefore, the International Stellarator Confinement Database (ISCDB) has been re- initiated in 2004 and the ISS95 database has been extended to roughly 3000 discharges from eight different devices. Further data-sets are continuously added. A revision of a data set restricted to comparable scenarios lead to the ISS04 scaling law which confirmed ISS95 but also revealed clearly the necessity to incorporate configuration descriptive parameters. In other words, an extension beyond the set of regression parameters used for ISS95/ISS04 appears to be necessary and candidates, such as the elongation are investigated. Since grouping of data is a key-issue for deriving ISS04, basic assumptions are revised, e.g. the dependence on the heating scheme. Moreover, an assessment of statistical approaches is investigated with respect to their impact on the scaling. A crucial issue is the weighting of data groups which is discussed in terms of error-in-variable techniques and Bayesian model comparison. The latter is employed for testing scaling ansatzes depending on scaling invariance principles hence allowing the assessment of applicability of theory-based scaling laws on stellarator confinement. 1. ISCDB resources are jointly hosted by NIFS and IPP, see http://iscdb.nifs.ac.jp and http://www.ipp.mpg.de/ISS. (author)

  9. Parametric analysis of technology and policy tradeoffs for conventional and electric light-duty vehicles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barter, Garrett E.; Reichmuth, David; Westbrook, Jessica; Malczynski, Leonard A.; West, Todd H.; Manley, Dawn K.; Guzman, Katherine D.; Edwards, Donna M.

    2012-01-01

    A parametric analysis is used to examine the supply demand interactions between the US light-duty vehicle (LDV) fleet, its fuels, and the corresponding primary energy sources through 2050. The analysis emphasizes competition between conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, including hybrids, and electric vehicles (EVs), represented by both plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles. We find that EV market penetration could double relative to our baseline case with policies to extend consumers' effective payback period to 7 years. EVs can also reduce per vehicle petroleum consumption by up to 5% with opportunities to increase that fraction at higher adoption rates. However, EVs have limited ability to reduce LDV greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with the current energy source mix. Alone, EVs cannot drive compliance with the most aggressive GHG emission reduction targets, even if the electricity grid shifts towards natural gas powered sources. Since ICEs will dominate the LDV fleet for up to 40 years, conventional vehicle efficiency improvements have the greatest potential for reductions in LDV GHG emissions and petroleum consumption over this time. Specifically, achieving fleet average efficiencies of 72 mpg or greater can reduce average GHG emissions by 70% and average petroleum consumption by 81%. - Highlights: ► Parametric analysis of the light duty vehicle fleet, its fuels, and energy sources. ► Conventional vehicles will dominate the fleet for up to 40 years. ► Improving gasoline powertrain efficiency is essential for GHG and oil use reduction. ► Electric vehicles have limited leverage over GHG emissions with the current grid mix. ► Consumer payback period extensions can double electric vehicle market share.

  10. Ionized and Molecular Gas Kinematics in a z = 1.4 Star-forming Galaxy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Übler, H.; Genzel, R.; Tacconi, L. J.; Förster Schreiber, N. M.; Neri, R.; Contursi, A.; Belli, S.; Nelson, E. J.; Lang, P.; Shimizu, T. T.; Davies, R.; Herrera-Camus, R.; Lutz, D.; Plewa, P. M.; Price, S. H.; Schuster, K.; Sternberg, A.; Tadaki, K.; Wisnioski, E.; Wuyts, S.

    2018-02-01

    We present deep observations of a z = 1.4 massive, star-forming galaxy (SFG) in molecular and ionized gas at comparable spatial resolution (CO 3–2, NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA); Hα, Large Binocular Telescope (LBT)). The kinematic tracers agree well, indicating that both gas phases are subject to the same gravitational potential and physical processes affecting the gas dynamics. We combine the one-dimensional velocity and velocity dispersion profiles in CO and Hα to forward-model the galaxy in a Bayesian framework, combining a thick exponential disk, a bulge, and a dark matter halo. We determine the dynamical support due to baryons and dark matter, and find a dark matter fraction within one effective radius of {f}DM}(≤slant {R}e)={0.18}-0.04+0.06. Our result strengthens the evidence for strong baryon-dominance on galactic scales of massive z ∼ 1–3 SFGs recently found based on ionized gas kinematics alone. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM Interferometer NOEMA. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain). Based on observations carried out with the LBT. The LBT is an international collaboration among institutions in the United States, Italy, and Germany. LBT Corporation partners are: LBT Beteiligungsgesellschaft, Germany, representing the Max-Planck Society, The Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam, and Heidelberg University; The University of Arizona on behalf of the Arizona Board of Regents; Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Italy; The Ohio State University, and The Research Corporation, on behalf of The University of Notre Dame, University of Minnesota and University of Virginia.

  11. Surface Ice and Tholins on the Extreme Centaur 2012 DR30

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szabó, Gy. M.; Kiss, Cs.; Pinilla-Alonso, N.; Hsiao, E. Y.; Marion, G. H.; Györgyey Ries, J.; Duffard, R.; Alvarez-Candal, A.; Sárneczky, K.; Vinkó, J.

    2018-04-01

    2012 {DR}}30 is one of the known solar system objects with the largest aphelion distance, exceeding 2200 au, on a high inclination orbit (i = 78°). It has been recognized to be either a borderline representative of high inclination, high perihelion distance (HiHq) objects, or even a new class of bodies, similar to HiHq objects for orbit but with an aphelion in the inner Oort Cloud. Here, we present photometry using long-term data from 2000 to 2013 taken by the SDSS sky survey, ESO MPG 2.2 m and McDonald 2.1 m telescopes, and a visual+near-infrared spectrum taken with the Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope and Magellan telescopes, providing insights into the surface composition of this body. Our best fit suggests that the surface contains 60% of complex organics (30% of Titan and 30% of Triton tholins) with a significant fraction of ice (30%, including pure water and water with inclusions of complex organics) and 10% silicates. The models also suggest a low limit of amorphous carbons, and hence the fragmentation of long-chained complex organics is slower than their rate of generation. 2012 {DR}}30 just recently passed the perihelion, and the long-term photometry of the object suggested ambiguous signs of activity, since the long-term photometric scatter well exceeded the supposed measurement errors and the expected brightness variation related to rotation. Photometric colors put 2012 {DR}}30 exactly between dark neutral and red objects, thus it either can be in a transition phase between the two classes or have differing surface properties from these populated classes.

  12. Distortion-free diffusion tensor imaging for evaluation of lumbar nerve roots: Utility of direct coronal single-shot turbo spin-echo diffusion sequence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakai, Takayuki; Doi, Kunio; Yoneyama, Masami; Watanabe, Atsuya; Miyati, Tosiaki; Yanagawa, Noriyuki

    2018-06-01

    Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) based on a single-shot echo planer imaging (EPI-DTI) is an established method that has been used for evaluation of lumbar nerve disorders in previous studies, but EPI-DTI has problems such as a long acquisition time, due to a lot of axial slices, and geometric distortion. To solve these problems, we attempted to apply DTI based on a single-shot turbo spin echo (TSE-DTI) with direct coronal acquisition. Our purpose in this study was to investigate whether TSE-DTI may be more useful for evaluation of lumbar nerve disorders than EPI-DTI. First, lumbar nerve roots of five healthy volunteers were evaluated for optimization of imaging parameters with TSE-DTI including b-values and the number of motion proving gradient (MPG) directions. Subsequently, optimized TSE-DTI was quantitatively compared with conventional EPI-DTI by using fractional anisotropy (FA) values and visual scores in subjective visual evaluation of tractography. Lumbar nerve roots of six patients, who had unilateral neurologic symptoms in one leg, were evaluated by the optimized TSE-DTI. TSE-DTI with b-value of 400 s/mm 2 and 32 diffusion-directions could reduce the image distortion compared with EPI-DTI, and showed that the average FA values on the symptomatic side for six patients were significantly lower than those on the non-symptomatic side (P DTI might show damaged areas of lumbar nerve roots without severe image distortion. TSE-DTI might improve the reproducibility in measurements of FA values for quantification of a nerve disorder, and would become a useful tool for diagnosis of low back pain. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Cruise report on geotechnical core processing; Cruise: ATLAS-84, ISHTE Component Test, R/V Melville Sept.-Oct., 1984

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva, A.J.; Lipkin, J.; Brandes, H.

    1986-01-01

    The primary objectives of the geotechnical core processing program on the component test cruise were to: a) obtain additional base line physical property data of the ISHTE site sediments in MPG-I; b) compare strengths determined in the cored sediments to those obtained in situ with the In Situ Vane (ISV) system; and c) obtain samples for detailed laboratory analysis. Original plans called for processing of at least four cores obtained with the 10.2 cm APL hydrostatic corer (HLC) and at least one core obtained with the 20.3 cm WHOI corer (GC). If possible it was also planned to process one of the HLC cores at dockside in an attempt to assess the effects of ship motions on shear strength measurements. Shipboard laboratory facilities were set up for geotechnical processing with the URI sampling gear. Sandia Laboratory supplied a laboratory miniature vane device and apparatus for conducting thermal conductivity tests. Shipboard measurements included shear strength (miniature vane and Torvane) and thermal conductivity. Sampling included disturbed samples for water content, bulk density and classification tests and undisturbed samples for consolidation, permeability, strength, creep and fabric analyses. Unfortunately no GC cores were obtained. Three HLC cores, obtained on two lowerings of the large platform, were processed in considerable detail. In addition it was decided to process three of the box cores recovered by the SIO biology group. Therefore, a total of six cores were processed for geotechnical purposes. The dockside processing plan was deleted because of uncertainties caused by recovery procedures and the fact that only three HLC cores were available. Results are summarized

  14. The Cosmic Christmas Ghost - Two Stunning Pictures of Young Stellar Clusters

    Science.gov (United States)

    2005-12-01

    Just like Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol takes us on a journey into past, present and future in the time of only one Christmas Eve, two of ESO' s telescopes captured various stages in the life of a star in a single image. ESO PR Photo 42a/05 shows the area surrounding the stellar cluster NGC 2467, located in the southern constellation of Puppis (" The Stern" ). With an age of a few million years at most, it is a very active stellar nursery, where new stars are born continuously from large clouds of dust and gas. The image, looking like a colourful cosmic ghost or a gigantic celestial Mandrill [1] , contains the open clusters Haffner 18 (centre) and Haffner 19 (middle right: it is located inside the smaller pink region - the lower eye of the Mandrill), as well as vast areas of ionised gas. The bright star at the centre of the largest pink region on the bottom of the image is HD 64315, a massive young star that is helping shaping the structure of the whole nebular region. ESO PR Photo 42a/05 was taken with the Wide-Field Imager camera at the 2.2m MPG/ESO telescope located at La Silla, in Chile. Another image of the central part of this area is shown as ESO PR Photo 42b/05. It was obtained with the FORS2 instrument at ESO' s Very Large Telescope on Cerro Paranal, also in Chile. ESO PR Photo 42b/05 zooms in on the open stellar cluster Haffner 18, perfectly illustrating three different stages of this process of star formation: In the centre of the picture, Haffner 18, a group of mature stars that have already dispersed their birth nebulae, represents the completed product or immediate past of the star formation process. Located at the bottom left of this cluster, a very young star, just come into existence and, still surrounded by its birth cocoon of gas, provides insight into the very present of star birth. Finally, the dust clouds towards the right corner of the image are active stellar nurseries that will produce more new stars in the future. Haffner 18 contains

  15. Seawater-sediment interaction at elevated temperatures and pressures: implications for the near field chemical environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seyfried, W.E. Jr.; Thornton, E.C.; Janecky, D.R.

    1981-01-01

    Results of four experiments are reported which document chemical exchange and mineralogic modification during seawater-sediment interaction at 200 0 to 300 0 C, 500 bars. Sediments used for this study are from MPG-1 (central North Pacific). Experimental conditions (T, P, W/R) were chosen to be reasonably analogous to conditions which will characterize the near field environment; that is a zone within approximately 1 m of the buried waste canister. In general, the major element chemistry of seawater was similarly modified in all experiments. The aqueous concentrations of Ca, Mg, Sr, and SO 4 decreased and SiO 2 /sub (aq)/, Na, K, and ΣCO 2 increased relative to values in seawater prior to reaction with sediments. pH decreased and remained distinctly acid. Con comitantly significant concentrations of heavy metals entered seawater from the sediments during reaction. Dissolution of Mn-rich phases profoundly affected alteration processes. For example, reaction of MnO 2 components of the smectite-rich sediment (Pacific smectite) with seawater created an unusually oxidizing milieu (fO 2 = 10 -7 74 ), and resulted in dissolution of significant quantities of Au from the reaction cell. Although illite-quartz-Fe-chlorite (sediment B)-seawater interaction also created a relatively oxidizing environment, this environment was not capable of oxidizing Au. Thus, in this regard (oxidation potential) sediment mineralogy exerts a strong influence. Mineralogic modification of sediment B at 200 0 and 300 0 C was minor and characterized by partial dissolution of illite and exchange of Fe for Mg in chlorite. In contrast the smectite-rich sediment, which, prior to reaction with seawater contained a poorly crystalline smectite phase, clinoptilolite, and amorphous material, recrystallized totally to a well defined smectite mineral. Anhydrite was abundantly present amongst the alteration products of all experiments

  16. Energy Efficiency in Heavy Vehicle Tires, Drivetrains, and Braking Systems; FINAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peter J. Blau

    2000-01-01

    This document was prepared to support the primary goals of the Department of Energy, Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies. These were recently stated as follows: ''Develop by 2004 the enabling technologies for a class 7-8 truck with a fuel efficiency of 10 mpg (at 65 mph) which will meet prevailing emission standards. For Class 3-6 trucks operating on an urban driving cycle, develop by 2004 commercially viable vehicles that achieve at least double the fuel economy of comparable current vehicles (1999), and as a research goal, reduce criteria pollutants to 30% below EPA standards. Develop by 2004 the diesel engine enabling technologies to support large-scale industry dieselization of Class 1 and 2 trucks, achieving a 35% fuel efficiency improvement over comparable gasoline-fueled trucks, while meeting applicable emissions standards.'' The enabling technologies for improving the fuel efficiency of trucks, include not only engine technologies but also technologies involved with lowering the rolling resistance of tires, reducing vehicle aerodynamic drag, improving thermal management, and reducing parasitic frictional losses in drive train components. Opportunities also exist for making better use of the energy that might ordinarily be dissipated during vehicle braking. Braking systems must be included in this evaluation since safety in truck operations is vital, and braking requirements are greater for vehicles having lowered resistance to rolling. The Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies has initiated a program to improve the aerodynamics of heavy vehicles through wind tunnel testing, computational modeling, and on-road evaluations. That activity is described in a separate multi-year plan; therefore, emphasis in this document will be on tires, drive trains, and braking systems. Recent, dramatic fluctuations in diesel fuel prices have emphasized the importance of effecting savings in truck fuel economy by implementing new component designs and materials

  17. Hybrid vehicle system studies and optimized hydrogen engine design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, J. R.; Aceves, S.

    1995-04-01

    We have done system studies of series hydrogen hybrid automobiles that approach the PNGV design goal of 34 km/liter (80 mpg), for 384 km (240 mi) and 608 km (380 mi) ranges. Our results indicate that such a vehicle appears feasible using an optimized hydrogen engine. We have evaluated the impact of various on-board storage options on fuel economy. Experiments in an available engine at the Sandia CRF demonstrated NO(x) emissions of 10 to 20 ppM at an equivalence ratio of 0.4, rising to about 500 ppm at 0.5 equivalence ratio using neat hydrogen. Hybrid simulation studies indicate that exhaust NO(x) concentrations must be less than 180 ppM to meet the 0.2 g/mile ULEV or Federal Tier II emissions regulations. LLNL has designed and fabricated a first generation optimized hydrogen engine head for use on an existing Onan engine. This head features 15:1 compression ratio, dual ignition, water cooling, two valves and open quiescent combustion chamber to minimize heat transfer losses. Initial testing shows promise of achieving an indicated efficiency of nearly 50% and emissions of less than 100 ppM NO(x). Hydrocarbons and CO are to be measured, but are expected to be very low since their only source is engine lubricating oil. A successful friction reduction program on the Onan engine should result in a brake thermal efficiency of about 42% compared to today's gasoline engines of 32%. Based on system studies requirements, the next generation engine will be about 2 liter displacement and is projected to achieve 46% brake thermal efficiency with outputs of 15 kW for cruise and 40 kW for hill climb.

  18. Nutritional requirements of sheep, goats and cattle in warm climates: a meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salah, N; Sauvant, D; Archimède, H

    2014-09-01

    The objective of the study was to update energy and protein requirements of growing sheep, goats and cattle in warm areas through a meta-analysis study of 590 publications. Requirements were expressed on metabolic live weight (MLW=LW0.75) and LW1 basis. The maintenance requirements for energy were 542.64 and 631.26 kJ ME/kg LW0.75 for small ruminants and cattle, respectively, and the difference was significant (Ptropical climate appeared to have higher ME requirements for maintenance relative to live weight (LW) compared with temperate climate ones and cattle. Maintenance requirements for protein were estimated via two approaches. For these two methods, the data in which retained nitrogen (RN) was used cover the same range of variability of observations. The regression of digestible CP intake (DCPI, g/kg LW0.75) against RN (g/kg LW0.75) indicated that DCP requirements are significantly higher in sheep (3.36 g/kg LW0.75) than in goats (2.38 g/kg LW0.75), with cattle intermediate (2.81 g/kg LW0.75), without any significant difference in the quantity of DCPI/g retained CP (RCP) (40.43). Regressing metabolisable protein (MP) or minimal digestible protein in the intestine (PDImin) against RCP showed that there was no difference between species and genotypes, neither for the intercept (maintenance=3.51 g/kg LW0.75 for sheep and goat v. 4.35 for cattle) nor for the slope (growth=0.60 g MP/g RCP). The regression of DCP against ADG showed that DCP requirements did not differ among species or genotypes. These new feeding standards are derived from a wider range of nutritional conditions compared with existing feeding standards as they are based on a larger database. The standards seem to be more appropriate for ruminants in warm and tropical climates around the world.

  19. Organic Species in Infrared Dark Clouds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasyunina, T.; Vasyunin, A. I.; Herbst, Eric; Linz, Hendrik; Voronkov, Maxim; Britton, Tui; Zinchenko, Igor; Schuller, Frederic

    2014-01-01

    It is currently assumed that infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) represent the earliest evolutionary stages of high-mass stars (>8 M ⊙). Submillimeter and millimeter-wave studies performed over the past 15 yr show that IRDCs possess a broad variety of properties, and hence a wide range of problems and questions that can be tackled. In this paper, we report an investigation of the molecular composition and chemical processes in two groups of IRDCs. Using the Mopra, APEX, and IRAM radio telescopes over the last four years, we have collected molecular line data for CO, H2CO, HNCO, CH3CCH, CH3OH, CH3CHO, CH3OCHO, and CH3OCH3. For all of these species we estimated molecular abundances. We then undertook chemical modeling studies, concentrating on the source IRDC028.34+0.06, and compared observed and modeled abundances. This comparison showed that to reproduce observed abundances of complex organic molecules, a zero-dimensional gas-grain model with constant physical conditions is not sufficient. We achieved greater success with the use of a warm-up model, in which warm-up from 10 K to 30 K occurs following a cold phase. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM 30 m Telescope. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain). This publication is based on data acquired with the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX). APEX is a collaboration between the Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, the European Southern Observatory, and the Onsala Space Observatory. The 22 m Mopra antenna is part of the Australia Telescope, which is funded by the Commonwealth of Australia for operations as a National Facility managed by CSIRO. The University of New South Wales Digital Filter Bank used for the observations with the Mopra Telescope was provided with support from the Australian Research Council.

  20. Characterization and Prediction of Protein Phosphorylation Hotspots in Arabidopsis thaliana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christian, Jan-Ole; Braginets, Rostyslav; Schulze, Waltraud X; Walther, Dirk

    2012-01-01

    The regulation of protein function by modulating the surface charge status via sequence-locally enriched phosphorylation sites (P-sites) in so called phosphorylation "hotspots" has gained increased attention in recent years. We set out to identify P-hotspots in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. We analyzed the spacing of experimentally detected P-sites within peptide-covered regions along Arabidopsis protein sequences as available from the PhosPhAt database. Confirming earlier reports (Schweiger and Linial, 2010), we found that, indeed, P-sites tend to cluster and that distributions between serine and threonine P-sites to their respected closest next P-site differ significantly from those for tyrosine P-sites. The ability to predict P-hotspots by applying available computational P-site prediction programs that focus on identifying single P-sites was observed to be severely compromised by the inevitable interference of nearby P-sites. We devised a new approach, named HotSPotter, for the prediction of phosphorylation hotspots. HotSPotter is based primarily on local amino acid compositional preferences rather than sequence position-specific motifs and uses support vector machines as the underlying classification engine. HotSPotter correctly identified experimentally determined phosphorylation hotspots in A. thaliana with high accuracy. Applied to the Arabidopsis proteome, HotSPotter-predicted 13,677 candidate P-hotspots in 9,599 proteins corresponding to 7,847 unique genes. Hotspot containing proteins are involved predominantly in signaling processes confirming the surmised modulating role of hotspots in signaling and interaction events. Our study provides new bioinformatics means to identify phosphorylation hotspots and lays the basis for further investigating novel candidate P-hotspots. All phosphorylation hotspot annotations and predictions have been made available as part of the PhosPhAt database at http://phosphat.mpimp-golm.mpg.de.

  1. Low-energy Shock Wave Therapy Ameliorates Erectile Dysfunction in a Pelvic Neurovascular Injuries Rat Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Huixi; Matheu, Melanie P; Sun, Fionna; Wang, Lin; Sanford, Melissa T; Ning, Hongxiu; Banie, Lia; Lee, Yung-Chin; Xin, Zhongcheng; Guo, Yinglu; Lin, Guiting; Lue, Tom F

    2016-01-01

    Erectile dysfunction (ED) caused by pelvic injuries is a common complication of civil and battlefield trauma with multiple neurovascular factors involved, and no effective therapeutic approach is available. To test the effect and mechanisms of low-energy shock wave (LESW) therapy in a rat ED model induced by pelvic neurovascular injuries. Thirty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats injected with 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) at newborn were divided into 4 groups: sham surgery (Sham), pelvic neurovascular injury by bilateral cavernous nerve injury and internal pudendal bundle injury (PVNI), PVNI treated with LESW at low energy (Low), and PVNI treated with LESW at high energy (High). After LESW treatment, rats underwent erectile function measurement and the tissues were harvested for histologic and molecular study. To examine the effect of LESW on Schwann cells, in vitro studies were conducted. The intracavernous pressure (ICP) measurement, histological examination, and Western blot (WB) were conducted. Cell cycle, Schwann cell activation-related markers were examined in in vitro experiments. LESW treatment improves erectile function in a rat model of pelvic neurovascular injury by leading to angiogenesis, tissue restoration, and nerve generation with more endogenous EdU(+) progenitor cells recruited to the damaged area and activation of Schwann cells. LESW facilitates more complete re-innervation of penile tissue with regeneration of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)-positive nerves from the MPG to the penis. In vitro experiments demonstrated that LESW has a direct effect on Schwann cell proliferation. Schwann cell activation-related markers including p-Erk1/2 and p75 were upregulated after LESW treatment. LESW-induced endogenous progenitor cell recruitment and Schwann cell activation coincides with angiogenesis, tissue, and nerve generation in a rat model of pelvic neurovascular injuries. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by

  2. Fibers in the NGC 1333 proto-cluster

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hacar, A.; Tafalla, M.; Alves, J.

    2017-10-01

    Are the initial conditions for clustered star formation the same as for non-clustered star formation? To investigate the initial gas properties in young proto-clusters we carried out a comprehensive and high-sensitivity study of the internal structure, density, temperature, and kinematics of the dense gas content of the NGC 1333 region in Perseus, one of the nearest and best studied embedded clusters. The analysis of the gas velocities in the position-position-velocity space reveals an intricate underlying gas organization both in space and velocity. We identified a total of 14 velocity-coherent, (tran-)sonic structures within NGC 1333, with similar physical and kinematic properties than those quiescent, star-forming (aka fertile) fibers previously identified in low-mass star-forming clouds. These fibers are arranged in a complex spatial network, build-up the observed total column density, and contain the dense cores and protostars in this cloud. Our results demonstrate that the presence of fibers is not restricted to low-mass clouds but can be extended to regions of increasing mass and complexity. We propose that the observational dichotomy between clustered and non-clustered star-forming regions might be naturally explained by the distinct spatial density of fertile fibers in these environments. Based on observations carried out under project number 169-11 with the IRAM 30 m Telescope. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain).Based on observations with the 100-m telescope of the MPIfR (Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie) at Effelsberg.Molecular line observations (spectral cubes) are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/606/A123

  3. New approaches to non-surgical sterilization for dogs and cats: Opportunities and challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rhodes, Linda

    2017-04-01

    Over the last 40 years, researchers have explored methods to non-surgically suppress fertility in animals. Immunocontraception has been used to control wildlife populations but does not confer long-term immunity. The gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist deslorelin, formulated as an implant to provide 6-month to 1-year suppression of fertility in male dogs, is available commercially in some countries. Neither of these approaches provide permanent sterility. A single-dose, permanent treatment would be a valuable tool in dog and cat population control. The Michelson Prize and Grants (MPG) programme was initiated "to eliminate shelter euthanasia of healthy, adoptable companion animals and reduce populations of feral and free-roaming cats and dogs" offering a $25 million US prize for a non-surgical sterilant that is effective as a single treatment in both male and female dogs and cats. Michelson Prize and Grants programme has offered US $50 million in grant money for research and has attracted scientists worldwide. Approaches under study include gene therapy, small interfering RNA to inhibit reproductive targets and delivery of cytotoxins to pituitary gonadotrophs or GnRH producing neurons in the hypothalamus. Research in implant technology that could deliver compounds over an animal's lifetime is also underway. Details of funded grants and results to date can be found at: http://www.michelsonprizeandgrants.org/michelson-grants/research-findings. The next steps are translating the most promising research into products. The Alliance for Contraception of Cats and Dogs (ACC&D) is helping to research practical methods of marking sterilized animals to avoid costly retreatment and population modelling that will help guide field workers in use of resources for sterilization programmes. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  4. Inter-machine validation study of neoclassical transport modelling in medium- to high-density stellarator-heliotron plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dinklage, A.; Beidler, C.D.; Baldzuhn, J.; Feng, Y.; Geiger, J.; Jakubowski, M.; Maaßberg, H.; Yokoyama, M.; Tanaka, K.; Satake, S.; Ida, K.; Miyazawa, J.; Morisaki, T.; Velasco, J.L.; López-Bruna, D.; Ascasíbar, E.; Arévalo, J.; López-Fraguas, A.; Gates, D.; Isaev, M.

    2013-01-01

    A comparative study of energy transport for medium- to high-density discharges in the stellarator-heliotrons TJ-II, W7-AS and LHD is carried out. The specific discharge parameters are chosen to apply a recently concluded benchmarking study of neoclassical (NC) transport coefficients (Beidler et al 2011 Nucl. Fusion 51 076001) to perform this validation study. In contrast to previous experiments at low densities for which electron transport was predominant (Yokoyama et al 2007 Nucl. Fusion 47 1213), the current discharges also exhibit significant ion energy transport. As it affects the energy transport in 3D devices, the ambipolar radial electric field is addressed as well. For the discharges described, ion-root conditions, i.e. a small negative radial electric field were found. The energy transport in the peripheral region cannot be explained by NC theory. Within a ‘core region’(r/a < 1/2 ∼ 2/3), the predicted NC energy fluxes comply with experimental findings for W7-AS. For TJ-II, compliance in the core region is found for the particle transport and the electron energy transport. For the specific LHD discharges, the core energy transport complied with NC theory except for the electron energy transport in the inward-shifted magnetic configuration. The NC radial electric field tends to agree with experimental results for all devices but is measured to be more negative in the core of both LHD and TJ-II. As a general observation, the energy confinement time approaches the gyro-Bohm-type confinement scaling ISS04 (Yamada et al 2005 Nucl. Fusion 45 1684). This work is carried out within the International Stellarator-Heliotron Profile Database (www.ipp.mpg.de/ISS and http://ishpdb.nifs.ac.jp/index.html). (paper)

  5. An Integrative Clinical Database and Diagnostics Platform for Biomarker Identification and Analysis in Ion Mobility Spectra of Human Exhaled Air

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Schneider Till

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Over the last decade the evaluation of odors and vapors in human breath has gained more and more attention, particularly in the diagnostics of pulmonary diseases. Ion mobility spectrometry coupled with multi-capillary columns (MCC/IMS, is a well known technology for detecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs in air. It is a comparatively inexpensive, non-invasive, high-throughput method, which is able to handle the moisture that comes with human exhaled air, and allows for characterizing of VOCs in very low concentrations. To identify discriminating compounds as biomarkers, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the detailed composition of human breath. Therefore, in addition to the clinical studies, there is a need for a flexible and comprehensive centralized data repository, which is capable of gathering all kinds of related information. Moreover, there is a demand for automated data integration and semi-automated data analysis, in particular with regard to the rapid data accumulation, emerging from the high-throughput nature of the MCC/IMS technology. Here, we present a comprehensive database application and analysis platform, which combines metabolic maps with heterogeneous biomedical data in a well-structured manner. The design of the database is based on a hybrid of the entity-attribute- value (EAV model and the EAV-CR, which incorporates the concepts of classes and relationships. Additionally it offers an intuitive user interface that provides easy and quick access to the platform’s functionality: automated data integration and integrity validation, versioning and roll-back strategy, data retrieval as well as semi-automatic data mining and machine learning capabilities. The platform will support MCC/IMS-based biomarker identification and validation. The software, schemata, data sets and further information is publicly available at http://imsdb.mpi-inf.mpg.de.

  6. Modeling of hybrid vehicle fuel economy and fuel engine efficiency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Wei

    "Near-CV" (i.e., near-conventional vehicle) hybrid vehicles, with an internal combustion engine, and a supplementary storage with low-weight, low-energy but high-power capacity, are analyzed. This design avoids the shortcoming of the "near-EV" and the "dual-mode" hybrid vehicles that need a large energy storage system (in terms of energy capacity and weight). The small storage is used to optimize engine energy management and can provide power when needed. The energy advantage of the "near-CV" design is to reduce reliance on the engine at low power, to enable regenerative braking, and to provide good performance with a small engine. The fuel consumption of internal combustion engines, which might be applied to hybrid vehicles, is analyzed by building simple analytical models that reflect the engines' energy loss characteristics. Both diesel and gasoline engines are modeled. The simple analytical models describe engine fuel consumption at any speed and load point by describing the engine's indicated efficiency and friction. The engine's indicated efficiency and heat loss are described in terms of several easy-to-obtain engine parameters, e.g., compression ratio, displacement, bore and stroke. Engine friction is described in terms of parameters obtained by fitting available fuel measurements on several diesel and spark-ignition engines. The engine models developed are shown to conform closely to experimental fuel consumption and motored friction data. A model of the energy use of "near-CV" hybrid vehicles with different storage mechanism is created, based on simple algebraic description of the components. With powertrain downsizing and hybridization, a "near-CV" hybrid vehicle can obtain a factor of approximately two in overall fuel efficiency (mpg) improvement, without considering reductions in the vehicle load.

  7. Technologies and policies for controlling greenhouse gas emissions from the U. S. automobile and light truck fleet.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Plotkin, S.

    1999-01-01

    The message conveyed by the above discussion is that there are no shortages of technologies available to improve the fuel efficiency of the U.S. fleet of autos and light trucks. It clearly is technically feasible to improve greatly the fuel economy of the average new light-duty vehicle. Many of these technologies require tradeoffs, however, that manufacturers are unwilling or (as yet) unable to make in today's market and regulatory environment. These tradeoffs involve higher costs (that might be reduced substantially over time with learning and economies of scale), technical risk and added complexity, emissions concerns (especially for direct injection engines, and especially with respect to diesel engine technology), and customer acceptance issues. Even with current low U.S. oil prices, however, many of these technologies may find their way into the U.S. market, or increase their market share, as a consequence of their penetration of European and Japanese markets with their high gasoline prices. Automotive technology is ''fungible'' that is, it can be easily transported from one market to another. Nevertheless, it probably is unrealistic to expect substantial increases in the average fuel economy of the U.S. light-duty fleet without significant changes in the market. Without such changes, the technologies that do penetrate the U.S. market are more likely to be used to increase acceleration performance or vehicle structures or enable four wheel drive to be included in vehicles without a net mpg penalty. In other words, technology by itself is not likely to be enough to raise fleet fuel economy levels - this was the conclusion of the 1995 Ailomar Conference on Energy and Sustainable Transportation, organized by the Transportation Research Board's Committees on Energy and Alternative Fuels, and it is one I share.

  8. Appendix U: benthic biological studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hessler, R.R.

    1981-01-01

    Characterization of the biology and standing crop of the benthic organisms is divided into two major categories: (1) those organisms (sessile or with limited mobility) that live on or within the sediment (infauna); and (2) highly mobile organisms that have contact (if only occasionally) with the sediment (benthopelagic organisms). At this time our studies of benthopelagic organisms are restricted to amphipods. The amphipods trapped at MPG-I (30 to 31 0 N, 159 0 W) in 1978 have been sorted to species and compared with those trapped at Climax II (28 0 N, 155 to 156 0 W) in 1977. The species composition is the same at both stations and the numerical representation of the various species appears to be equivalent. Instar categories based on morphological and size criteria have been determined for Eurythenes gryllus. Comparison of the size range of the instar categories, morphological characters and female to male ratio show no detectable differences in E. gryllus from the two areas. Individuals of one of the smaller species of amphipods (Paralicella caperesca) were trapped at 710 m above the sediment, demonstrating that although the primary range of this species is 0-1 m off the bottom, it is capable of wide bathymetric movements. Males mature at a much smaller size (7 cm vs 11.5 cm) than females. Females appear to breed only once while males seem to be reproductively mature for several instars. After attaining maturity, male growth decreases to almost half the previous rate, and the time interval between molts appears to increase substantially. Females approximate a linear growth rate throughout their instar stages. The data are insufficient to determine if a decrease in growth rate occurs at the molt to maturity (female 14). The apparent difference in the time to maturity for males and females results in a high number of mature males present in the population to fertilize relatively few females

  9. An inverse switch in DNA base excision and strand break repair contributes to melphalan resistance in multiple myeloma cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirta M L Sousa

    Full Text Available Alterations in checkpoint and DNA repair pathways may provide adaptive mechanisms contributing to acquired drug resistance. Here, we investigated the levels of proteins mediating DNA damage signaling and -repair in RPMI8226 multiple myeloma cells and its Melphalan-resistant derivative 8226-LR5. We observed markedly reduced steady-state levels of DNA glycosylases UNG2, NEIL1 and MPG in the resistant cells and cross-resistance to agents inducing their respective DNA base lesions. Conversely, repair of alkali-labile sites was apparently enhanced in the resistant cells, as substantiated by alkaline comet assay, autoribosylation of PARP-1, and increased sensitivity to PARP-1 inhibition by 4-AN or KU58684. Reduced base-excision and enhanced single-strand break repair would both contribute to the observed reduction in genomic alkali-labile sites, which could jeopardize productive processing of the more cytotoxic Melphalan-induced interstrand DNA crosslinks (ICLs. Furthermore, we found a marked upregulation of proteins in the non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ pathway of double-strand break (DSB repair, likely contributing to the observed increase in DSB repair kinetics in the resistant cells. Finally, we observed apparent upregulation of ATR-signaling and downregulation of ATM-signaling in the resistant cells. This was accompanied by markedly increased sensitivity towards Melphalan in the presence of ATR-, DNA-PK, or CHK1/2 inhibitors whereas no sensitizing effect was observed subsequent to ATM inhibition, suggesting that replication blocking lesions are primary triggers of the DNA damage response in the Melphalan resistant cells. In conclusion, Melphalan resistance is apparently contributed by modulation of the DNA damage response at multiple levels, including downregulation of specific repair pathways to avoid repair intermediates that could impair efficient processing of cytotoxic ICLs and ICL-induced DSBs. This study has revealed several novel

  10. Physical properties of the WASP-67 planetary system from multi-colour photometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mancini, L.; Southworth, J.; Ciceri, S.; Calchi Novati, S.; Dominik, M.; Henning, Th.; Jørgensen, U. G.; Korhonen, H.; Nikolov, N.; Alsubai, K. A.; Bozza, V.; Bramich, D. M.; D'Ago, G.; Figuera Jaimes, R.; Galianni, P.; Gu, S.-H.; Harpsøe, K.; Hinse, T. C.; Hundertmark, M.; Juncher, D.; Kains, N.; Popovas, A.; Rabus, M.; Rahvar, S.; Skottfelt, J.; Snodgrass, C.; Street, R.; Surdej, J.; Tsapras, Y.; Vilela, C.; Wang, X.-B.; Wertz, O.

    2014-08-01

    Context. The extrasolar planet WASP-67 b is the first hot Jupiter definitively known to undergo only partial eclipses. The lack of the second and third contact points in this planetary system makes it difficult to obtain accurate measurements of its physical parameters. Aims: By using new high-precision photometric data, we confirm that WASP-67 b shows grazing eclipses and compute accurate estimates of the physical properties of the planet and its parent star. Methods: We present high-quality, multi-colour, broad-band photometric observations comprising five light curves covering two transit events, obtained using two medium-class telescopes and the telescope-defocusing technique. One transit was observed through a Bessel-R filter and the other simultaneously through filters similar to Sloan g'r'i'z'. We modelled these data using jktebop. The physical parameters of the system were obtained from the analysis of these light curves and from published spectroscopic measurements. Results: All five of our light curves satisfy the criterion for being grazing eclipses. We revise the physical parameters of the whole WASP-67 system and, in particular, significantly improve the measurements of the planet's radius (Rb = 1.091 ± 0.046 RJup) and density (ρb = 0.292 ± 0.036 ρJup), as compared to the values in the discovery paper (Rb = 1.4 -0.2+0.3 RJup and ρb = 0.16 ± 0.08 ρJup). The transit ephemeris was also substantially refined. We investigated the variation of the planet's radius as a function of the wavelength, using the simultaneous multi-band data, finding that our measurements are consistent with a flat spectrum to within the experimental uncertainties. Based on data collected with GROND at the MPG 2.2 m telescope and DFOSC at the Danish 1.54 m telescope.Full Table 2 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/568/A127

  11. Design incentives to increase vehicle size created from the U.S. footprint-based fuel economy standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Whitefoot, Kate S.; Skerlos, Steven J.

    2012-01-01

    The recently amended U.S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards determine fuel-economy targets based on the footprint (wheelbase by track width) of vehicles such that larger vehicles have lower fuel-economy targets. This paper considers whether these standards create an incentive for firms to increase vehicle size by presenting an oligopolistic-equilibrium model in which automotive firms can modify vehicle dimensions, implement fuel-saving technology features, and trade off acceleration performance and fuel economy. Wide ranges of scenarios for consumer preferences are considered. Results suggest that the footprint-based CAFE standards create an incentive to increase vehicle size except when consumer preference for vehicle size is near its lower bound and preference for acceleration is near its upper bound. In all other simulations, the sales-weighted average vehicle size increases by 2–32%, undermining gains in fuel economy by 1–4 mpg (0.6–1.7 km/L). Carbon-dioxide emissions from these vehicles are 5–15% higher as a result (4.69×10 11 –5.17×10 11 kg for one year of produced vehicles compared to 4.47×10 11 kg with no size changes), which is equivalent to adding 3–10 coal-fired power plants to the electricity grid each year. Furthermore, results suggest that the incentive is larger for light trucks than for passenger cars, which could increase traffic safety risks. - Highlights: ► New U.S. fuel-economy standards may create an incentive to increase vehicle size. ► We model firms as choosing vehicle designs and prices in oligopolistic equilibrium. ► Vehicle size increases 2–32% for 20 out of 21 scenarios of consumer preferences. ► Increases in size reduce fuel economy gains from 5–13%, resulting in 5–15% higher CO 2 emissions. ► Incentive is larger for trucks than cars, which may increase traffic safety risks.

  12. PHIBSS: Unified Scaling Relations of Gas Depletion Time and Molecular Gas Fractions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tacconi, L. J.; Genzel, R.; Saintonge, A.; Combes, F.; García-Burillo, S.; Neri, R.; Bolatto, A.; Contini, T.; Förster Schreiber, N. M.; Lilly, S.; Lutz, D.; Wuyts, S.; Accurso, G.; Boissier, J.; Boone, F.; Bouché, N.; Bournaud, F.; Burkert, A.; Carollo, M.; Cooper, M.; Cox, P.; Feruglio, C.; Freundlich, J.; Herrera-Camus, R.; Juneau, S.; Lippa, M.; Naab, T.; Renzini, A.; Salome, P.; Sternberg, A.; Tadaki, K.; Übler, H.; Walter, F.; Weiner, B.; Weiss, A.

    2018-02-01

    This paper provides an update of our previous scaling relations between galaxy-integrated molecular gas masses, stellar masses, and star formation rates (SFRs), in the framework of the star formation main sequence (MS), with the main goal of testing for possible systematic effects. For this purpose our new study combines three independent methods of determining molecular gas masses from CO line fluxes, far-infrared dust spectral energy distributions, and ∼1 mm dust photometry, in a large sample of 1444 star-forming galaxies between z = 0 and 4. The sample covers the stellar mass range log(M */M ⊙) = 9.0–11.8, and SFRs relative to that on the MS, δMS = SFR/SFR(MS), from 10‑1.3 to 102.2. Our most important finding is that all data sets, despite the different techniques and analysis methods used, follow the same scaling trends, once method-to-method zero-point offsets are minimized and uncertainties are properly taken into account. The molecular gas depletion time t depl, defined as the ratio of molecular gas mass to SFR, scales as (1 + z)‑0.6 × (δMS)‑0.44 and is only weakly dependent on stellar mass. The ratio of molecular to stellar mass μ gas depends on (1+z{)}2.5× {(δ {MS})}0.52× {({M}* )}-0.36, which tracks the evolution of the specific SFR. The redshift dependence of μ gas requires a curvature term, as may the mass dependences of t depl and μ gas. We find no or only weak correlations of t depl and μ gas with optical size R or surface density once one removes the above scalings, but we caution that optical sizes may not be appropriate for the high gas and dust columns at high z. Based on observations of an IRAM Legacy Program carried out with the NOEMA, operated by the Institute for Radio Astronomy in the Millimetre Range (IRAM), which is funded by a partnership of INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain).

  13. Mass-spectrometer for on-line operation with an accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belyaev, B.N.; Gall', L.N.; Domkin, V.D.

    1974-01-01

    The paper describes the most essential elements and parameters of a mass-spectrometer designed for the on-line operation with the Leningrad Institute for Nuclear Physics synchrocyclotron with an extracted 1 GeV proton beam. The mass-spectrometer consists of two sections: analytical and measuring. A thermal ionization ion source is used for measuring isotope composition of nuclear reaction alkaline products produced in a target under the effect of 19 ev protons. While the selection and development of an ion-optical system for the source a provision had to be made for a high efficiency of the device as well as a stobility of parameters of the ion-optical system. To meet these requirements a massive electrode principle formed the basis of the system. Electrodes were a slit-type system consisted of three cylindrical lenses. Anion-optical system scheme is given in the paper. The employment of the ion-optical system with a small angle divergence in the horizontal plane provided for a high resolution of the spectrometer, approximately 400 at the relative aperture of 14-16%. The target consisted of a stack of MPG-6 graphite plates (20-30 pcs), 0.1 mm thick, 9x18 mm; the plates were fixed (1x10 0.1 mm apart by means of narrow in terlayers (1x10 mm) of the same material. For ensuring optimal diffusion and ionization depending upon the chemical element under study the target was heated up to 1.500-1.900 deg C. Results were obtained on the production cross-sections of lithium (6, 7, 8, 9 Li) isotope in the carbon target. While measuring sup(7, 8, 9)Li isotope yields the target irradiation period was 15 min and for 6 Li 3 min. The background was measured for each line of a mass-spectrum with proton beam off. The results obtained for the lithium isotope production cross section are of interests for discussions on problems of the light element production in cosmic rays

  14. Minoxidil sulfate induced the increase in blood-brain tumor barrier permeability through ROS/RhoA/PI3K/PKB signaling pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Yan-ting; Xue, Yi-xue; Wang, Yan-feng; Wang, Jin-hui; Chen, Xia; ShangGuan, Qian-ru; Lian, Yan; Zhong, Lei; Meng, Ying-nan

    2013-12-01

    Adenosine 5'-triphosphate-sensitive potassium channel (KATP channel) activator, minoxidil sulfate (MS), can selectively increase the permeability of the blood-tumor barrier (BTB); however, the mechanism by which this occurs is still under investigation. Using a rat brain glioma (C6) model, we first examined the expression levels of occludin and claudin-5 at different time points after intracarotid infusion of MS (30 μg/kg/min) by western blotting. Compared to MS treatment for 0 min group, the protein expression levels of occludin and claudin-5 in brain tumor tissue of rats showed no changes within 1 h and began to decrease significantly after 2 h of MS infusion. Based on these findings, we then used an in vitro BTB model and selective inhibitors of diverse signaling pathways to investigate whether reactive oxygen species (ROS)/RhoA/PI3K/PKB pathway play a key role in the process of the increase of BTB permeability induced by MS. The inhibitor of ROS or RhoA or PI3K or PKB significantly attenuated the expression of tight junction (TJ) protein and the increase of the BTB permeability after 2 h of MS treatment. In addition, the significant increases in RhoA activity and PKB phosphorylation after MS administration were observed, which were partly inhibited by N-2-mercaptopropionyl glycine (MPG) or C3 exoenzyme or LY294002 pretreatment. The present study indicates that the activation of signaling cascades involving ROS/RhoA/PI3K/PKB in BTB was required for the increase of BTB permeability induced by MS. Taken together, all of these results suggested that MS might increase BTB permeability in a time-dependent manner by down-regulating TJ protein expression and this effect could be related to ROS/RhoA/PI3K/PKB signal pathway. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Analysis of high accuracy, quantitative proteomics data in the MaxQB database.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schaab, Christoph; Geiger, Tamar; Stoehr, Gabriele; Cox, Juergen; Mann, Matthias

    2012-03-01

    scores. The information contained in MaxQB, including high resolution fragment spectra, is accessible to the community via a user-friendly web interface at http://www.biochem.mpg.de/maxqb.

  16. Multi-material size optimization of a ladder frame chassis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baker, Michael

    approximately 1 mile per gallon (MPG) in fuel economy.

  17. HMMerThread: detecting remote, functional conserved domains in entire genomes by combining relaxed sequence-database searches with fold recognition.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charles Richard Bradshaw

    proteins based on weak sequence similarity. Our predictions open up new avenues for biological and medical studies. Genome-wide HMMerThread domains are available at http://vm1-hmmerthread.age.mpg.de.

  18. Seeds of Life in Space (SOLIS). III. Zooming Into the Methanol Peak of the Prestellar Core L1544

    Science.gov (United States)

    Punanova, Anna; Caselli, Paola; Feng, Siyi; Chacón-Tanarro, Ana; Ceccarelli, Cecilia; Neri, Roberto; Fontani, Francesco; Jiménez-Serra, Izaskun; Vastel, Charlotte; Bizzocchi, Luca; Pon, Andy; Vasyunin, Anton I.; Spezzano, Silvia; Hily-Blant, Pierre; Testi, Leonardo; Viti, Serena; Yamamoto, Satoshi; Alves, Felipe; Bachiller, Rafael; Balucani, Nadia; Bianchi, Eleonora; Bottinelli, Sandrine; Caux, Emmanuel; Choudhury, Rumpa; Codella, Claudio; Dulieu, François; Favre, Cécile; Holdship, Jonathan; Jaber Al-Edhari, Ali; Kahane, Claudine; Laas, Jake; LeFloch, Bertrand; López-Sepulcre, Ana; Ospina-Zamudio, Juan; Oya, Yoko; Pineda, Jaime E.; Podio, Linda; Quenard, Davide; Rimola, Albert; Sakai, Nami; Sims, Ian R.; Taquet, Vianney; Theulé, Patrice; Ugliengo, Piero

    2018-03-01

    Toward the prestellar core L1544, the methanol (CH3OH) emission forms an asymmetric ring around the core center, where CH3OH is mostly in solid form, with a clear peak at 4000 au to the northeast of the dust continuum peak. As part of the NOEMA Large Project SOLIS (Seeds of Life in Space), the CH3OH peak has been spatially resolved to study its kinematics and physical structure and to investigate the cause behind the local enhancement. We find that methanol emission is distributed in a ridge parallel to the main axis of the dense core. The centroid velocity increases by about 0.2 km s‑1 and the velocity dispersion increases from subsonic to transonic toward the central zone of the core, where the velocity field also shows complex structure. This could be an indication of gentle accretion of material onto the core or the interaction of two filaments, producing a slow shock. We measure the rotational temperature and show that methanol is in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) only close to the dust peak, where it is significantly depleted. The CH3OH column density, N tot(CH3OH), profile has been derived with non-LTE radiative transfer modeling and compared with chemical models of a static core. The measured N tot(CH3OH) profile is consistent with model predictions, but the total column densities are one order of magnitude lower than those predicted by models, suggesting that the efficiency of reactive desorption or atomic hydrogen tunneling adopted in the model may be overestimated; or that an evolutionary model is needed to better reproduce methanol abundance. This work is based on observations carried out under project number L15AA with the IRAM NOEMA Interferometer and on observations carried out with the IRAM 30 m telescope. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain).

  19. Treatment with 4-methylpyrazole modulated stellate cells and natural killer cells and ameliorated liver fibrosis in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyon-Seung Yi

    Full Text Available Accumulating evidence suggests that retinol and its metabolites are closely associated with liver fibrogenesis. Recently, we demonstrated that genetic ablation of alcohol dehydrogenase 3 (ADH3, a retinol metabolizing gene that is expressed in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs and natural killer (NK cells, attenuated liver fibrosis in mice. In the current study, we investigated whether pharmacological ablation of ADH3 has therapeutic effects on experimentally induced liver fibrosis in mice.Liver fibrosis was induced by intraperitoneal injections of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 or bile duct ligation (BDL for two weeks. To inhibit ADH3-mediated retinol metabolism, 10 μg 4-methylpyrazole (4-MP/g of body weight was administered to mice treated with CCl4 or subjected to BDL. The mice were sacrificed at week 2 to evaluate the regression of liver fibrosis. Liver sections were stained for collagen and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA. In addition, HSCs and NK cells were isolated from control and treated mice livers for molecular and immunological studies.Treatment with 4-MP attenuated CCl4- and BDL-induced liver fibrosis in mice, without any adverse effects. HSCs from 4-MP treated mice depicted decreased levels of retinoic acids and increased retinol content than HSCs from control mice. In addition, the expression of α-SMA, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1, and type I collagen α1 was significantly reduced in the HSCs of 4-MP treated mice compared to the HSCs from control mice. Furthermore, inhibition of retinol metabolism by 4-MP increased interferon-γ production in NK cells, resulting in increased apoptosis of activated HSCs.Based on our data, we conclude that inhibition of retinol metabolism by 4-MP ameliorates liver fibrosis in mice through activation of NK cells and suppression of HSCs. Therefore, retinol and its metabolizing enzyme, ADH3, might be potential targets for therapeutic intervention of liver fibrosis.

  20. BDNF-hypersecreting human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells promote erectile function in a rat model of cavernous nerve electrocautery injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Lujie; Zhu, Jianqiang; Zhang, Xiong; Cui, Zhiqiang; Fu, Qiang; Huang, Jianwen; Lu, Hongkai

    2016-01-01

    Erectile dysfunction (ED) continues to be a significant problem for men following radical prostatectomy. We hypothesize that intracavernous injection of BDNF-hypersecreting human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs) can ameliorate ED in a rat model of cavernous nerve electrocautery injury (CNEI). Forty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: sham + PBS (n = 6), CNEI + PBS (n = 12), CNEI + hUCB-MSCs (n = 12) and CNEI + BDNF-hUCB-MSCs (n = 12). At day 28 post-surgery, erectile function was examined and specimens were harvested for histology. Immunofluorescence staining, Masson's trichrome staining and transmission electron microscopy were performed to determine the structural changes in corpus cavernosum. Cells that are injected into penis were labeled by BrdU and tracked by immunofluorescence staining. Three days post-surgery, the concentration of BDNF protein in penile tissues was measured by Western blotting. Rats intracavernosally injected with BDNF-hUCB-MSCs showed the most significant improvement in the ratio of maximal ICP to MAP (ICP/MAP). Histological examinations showed moderate recovery of nNOS-positive nerve fibers, ratio of smooth muscle to collagen and smooth muscle content in the CNEI + hUCB-MSCs group and remarkable recovery in the CNEI + BDNF-hUCB-MSCs group compared to the CNEI + PBS group. By TEM examination, atrophy of myelinated and non-myelinated nerve fibers was noted in CNEI + PBS group and significant recovery was observed in two treated groups. There were more BrdU-positive cells in the BDNF-hUCB-MSCs group than in the hUCB-MSCs group both in the penis and in the MPG. Three days post-surgery, the concentration of BDNF protein in penile tissues in BDNF-hUCB-MSCs group was much higher than in other groups. Intracavernous injection of BDNF-hypersecreting hUCB-MSCs can enhance the recovery of erectile function, promote the CNs regeneration and inhibit corpus cavernosum fibrosis after CNEI in a rat

  1. Molecular Gas in a Submillimeter Galaxy at z = 4.5: Evidence for a Major Merger at 1 Billion Years after the Big Bang

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schinnerer, E.; Carilli, C. L.; Capak, P.; Martinez-Sansigre, A.; Scoville, N. Z.; Smolčić, V.; Taniguchi, Y.; Yun, M. S.; Bertoldi, F.; Le Fevre, O.; de Ravel, L.

    2008-12-01

    We report the detection of CO molecular line emission in the z = 4.5 millimeter-detected galaxy COSMOS J100054+023436 (hereafter J1000+0234) using the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer (PdBI) and NRAO's Very Large Array (VLA). The 12CO(4-3) line as observed with PdBI has a full line width of ~1000 km s-1, an integrated line flux of 0.66 Jy km s-1, and a CO luminosity of 3.2 × 1010 L⊙. Comparison to the 3.3 σ detection of the CO(2-1) line emission with the VLA suggests that the molecular gas is likely thermalized to the J = 4-3 transition level. The corresponding molecular gas mass is 2.6 × 1010 M⊙ assuming an ULIRG-like conversion factor. From the spatial offset of the red- and blueshifted line peaks and the line width a dynamical mass of 1.1 × 1011 M⊙ is estimated assuming a merging scenario. The molecular gas distribution coincides with the rest-frame optical and radio position of the object while being offset by 0.5'' from the previously detected Lyα emission. J1000+0234 exhibits very typical properties for lower redshift (z ~ 2) submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) and thus is very likely one of the long sought after high-redshift (z > 4) objects of this population. The large CO(4-3) line width taken together with its highly disturbed rest-frame UV geometry suggest an ongoing major merger about a billion years after the big bang. Given its large star formation rate (SFR) of >1000 M⊙ yr-1 and molecular gas content this object could be the precursor of a "red and dead" elliptical observed at a redshift of z = 2. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain).

  2. Detection and characterization of 3D-signature phosphorylation site motifs and their contribution towards improved phosphorylation site prediction in proteins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Selbig Joachim

    2009-04-01

    relevant for the recognition of kinases and their cognate target sites and can be used for an improved prediction of phosphorylation sites. A web-based service (Phos3D implementing the developed structure-based P-site prediction method has been made available at http://phos3d.mpimp-golm.mpg.de.

  3. Reflected Glory

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-01

    The nebula Messier 78 takes centre stage in this image taken with the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile, while the stars powering the bright display take a backseat. The brilliant starlight ricochets off dust particles in the nebula, illuminating it with scattered blue light. Igor Chekalin was the overall winner of ESO's Hidden Treasures 2010 astrophotography competition with his image of this stunning object. Messier 78 is a fine example of a reflection nebula. The ultraviolet radiation from the stars that illuminate it is not intense enough to ionise the gas to make it glow - its dust particles simply reflect the starlight that falls on them. Despite this, Messier 78 can easily be observed with a small telescope, being one of the brightest reflection nebulae in the sky. It lies about 1350 light-years away in the constellation of Orion (The Hunter) and can be found northeast of the easternmost star of Orion's belt. This new image of Messier 78 from the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory is based on data selected by Igor Chekalin in his winning entry to the Hidden Treasures competition [1]. The pale blue tint seen in the nebula in this picture is an accurate representation of its dominant colour. Blue hues are commonly seen in reflection nebulae because of the way the starlight is scattered by the tiny dust particles that they contain: the shorter wavelength of blue light is scattered more efficiently than the longer wavelength red light. This image contains many other striking features apart from the glowing nebula. A thick band of obscuring dust stretches across the image from the upper left to the lower right, blocking the light from background stars. In the bottom right corner, many curious pink structures are also visible, which are created by jets of material being ejected from stars that have recently formed and are still buried deep in dust clouds. Two bright stars, HD 38563A and

  4. Clues to NaCN formation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quintana-Lacaci, G.; Cernicharo, J.; Velilla Prieto, L.; Agúndez, M.; Castro-Carrizo, A.; Fonfría, J. P.; Massalkhi, S.; Pardo, J. R.

    2017-11-01

    ), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain). This paper makes use of the following ALMA data: ADS/JAO.ALMA#2013.1.00432.S & ADS/JAO.ALMA#2016.1.01217.S.

  5. Probing highly obscured, self-absorbed galaxy nuclei with vibrationally excited HCN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aalto, S.; Martín, S.; Costagliola, F.; González-Alfonso, E.; Muller, S.; Sakamoto, K.; Fuller, G. A.; García-Burillo, S.; van der Werf, P.; Neri, R.; Spaans, M.; Combes, F.; Viti, S.; Mühle, S.; Armus, L.; Evans, A.; Sturm, E.; Cernicharo, J.; Henkel, C.; Greve, T. R.

    2015-12-01

    We present high resolution (0.̋4) IRAM PdBI and ALMA mm and submm observations of the (ultra) luminous infrared galaxies ((U)LIRGs) IRAS 17208-0014, Arp220, IC 860 and Zw049.057 that reveal intense line emission from vibrationally excited (ν2 = 1) J = 3-2 and 4-3 HCN. The emission is emerging from buried, compact (r 5 × 1013 L⊙ kpc-2. These nuclei are likely powered by accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and/or hot (>200 K) extreme starbursts. Vibrational, ν2 = 1, lines of HCN are excited by intense 14 μm mid-infrared emission and are excellent probes of the dynamics, masses, and physical conditions of (U)LIRG nuclei when H2 column densities exceed 1024 cm-2. It is clear that these lines open up a new interesting avenue to gain access to the most obscured AGNs and starbursts. Vibrationally excited HCN acts as a proxy for the absorbed mid-infrared emission from the embedded nuclei, which allows for reconstruction of the intrinsic, hotter dust SED. In contrast, we show strong evidence that the ground vibrational state (ν = 0), J = 3-2and 4-3 rotational lines of HCN and HCO+ fail to probe the highly enshrouded, compact nuclear regions owing to strong self- and continuum absorption. The HCN and HCO+ line profiles are double-peaked because of the absorption and show evidence of non-circular motions - possibly in the form of in- or outflows. Detections of vibrationally excited HCN in external galaxies are so far limited to ULIRGs and early-type spiral LIRGs, and we discuss possible causes for this. We tentatively suggest that the peak of vibrationally excited HCN emission is connected to a rapid stage of nuclear growth, before the phase of strong feedback. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM Plateau de Bure and ALMA Interferometers. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain). ALMA is a partnership of ESO (representing its member states), NSF (USA), and NINS (Japan), together with NRC (Canada) and NSC and ASIAA

  6. KnowLife: a versatile approach for constructing a large knowledge graph for biomedical sciences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ernst, Patrick; Siu, Amy; Weikum, Gerhard

    2015-05-14

    different text genres such as scientific publications, health portals, and online communities. Thus, it has the potential to serve as one-stop portal for a wide range of relations and use cases. To showcase the breadth and usefulness, we make the KnowLife KB accessible through the health portal (http://knowlife.mpi-inf.mpg.de).

  7. SmartPill® as an objective parameter for determination of severity and duration of postoperative ileus: study protocol of a prospective, two-arm, open-label trial (the PIDuSA study).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vilz, Tim O; Pantelis, Dimitrios; Lingohr, Philipp; Fimmers, Rolf; Esmann, Anke; Randau, Thomas; Kalff, Jörg C; Coenen, Martin; Wehner, Sven

    2016-07-08

    .1.05-5660-8976) and the local ethics committee (092/14-MPG). Findings will be disseminated through publications and conference presentations. NCT02329912; Pre-results. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  8. PageMan: An interactive ontology tool to generate, display, and annotate overview graphs for profiling experiments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hannah Matthew A

    2006-12-01

    well as a tutorial, and is freely available at http://mapman.mpimp-golm.mpg.de/pageman/. Conclusion PageMan allows multiple microarray experiments to be efficiently condensed into a single page graphical display. The flexible interface allows data to be quickly and easily visualized, facilitating comparisons within experiments and to published experiments, thus enabling researchers to gain a rapid overview of the biological responses in the experiments.

  9. Crystallography beyond periodic Crystal perfection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Estevez-Rams, E.

    2008-01-01

    Full text: The discovery of the quasi-crystals [D. Schechtman et. Al., Phys.] Rev. Lett. [53, 1951-1953 (1984)] made very narrow definition of the crystalline state based on the periodicity of a local arrangement of atoms. Since the definition of this State has been a matter of much controversy [G.R. Desiraju, Nature 423, 485 (2003); S. van Smaalen, IUCR Aperiodic Commission Reports. August 7, 2002; International Union of Crystallography. Report of the Executive Committee for 1991; ACTA Cryst. A48, 922-946 (1992)]. We will make a presentation of the current time of the crystallography in this regard from the conceptual point of view. We show the use of the formalism of algorithmic complexity or Kolmogorov [M. Li and P. Vitanyi, An Introduction to Kolmogorov Complexity and Its Applications (Springer Verlag, Heidelberg, 1993), W.H. Zurek, Phys.] Rev. 40, 4731 (1989); Nature 341, 119-124 (1989)] provides a different perspective on the nature of the Crystallographic order. Infinite crystals can be considered solid with zero algorithmic complexities by atom. Show statistical analysis of inorganic compounds [J.L.C. Daams et al., Atlas of Crystal Structure Types for Intermetallic Phases (ASM International, Ohio, 1991), Fachinformationszentrum/NIST Inorganic Crystal Structure Database, Karlsruhe (2003) icsd.fkf.mpg.de] demonstrating that the minimization of complexity is a trend in the crystalline arrangement. We will then compare the degree of disorder of some typical solids according to their algorithmic complexity. Finally, space diffraction will be studied from this same perspective and will be discussed that zero algorithmic complexities by point in space of diffraction does not necessarily imply the same thing for the Atomic arrangement. The discrete portion of the diffraction pattern is a fingerprint of the underlying order but not the actual existence of long-range order. Experimental results will be showcased [E. Estévez-Rams et al., Physical Review B, 63 (2001

  10. The CO-H2 van der Waals complex and complex organic molecules in cold molecular clouds: A TMC-1C survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Potapov, A.; Sánchez-Monge, Á.; Schilke, P.; Graf, U. U.; Möller, Th.; Schlemmer, S.

    2016-10-01

    Context. Almost 200 different species have been detected in the interstellar medium (ISM) during the last decades, revealing not only simple species but complex molecules with more than six atoms. Other exotic compounds, like the weakly-bound dimer (H2)2, have also been detected in astronomical sources like Jupiter. Aims: We aim to detect, for the first time, the CO-H2 van der Waals complex in the ISM, which could be a sensitive indicator for low temperatures if detected. Methods: We used the IRAM 30 m telescope, located in Pico Veleta (Spain), to search for the CO-H2 complex in a cold, dense core in TMC-1C (with a temperature of ~10 K). All the brightest CO-H2 transitions in the 3 mm (80-110 GHz) band were observed with a spectral resolution of 0.5-0.7 km s-1, reaching a rms noise level of ~2 mK. The simultaneous observation of a broad frequency band, 16 GHz, allowed us to conduct a serendipitous spectral line survey. Results: We did not detected any lines belonging to the CO-H2 complex. We set up a new, more stringent upper limit for its abundance to be [CO-H2]/[CO] ~ 5 × 10-6, while we expect the abundance of the complex to be in the range ~10-8-10-3. The spectral line survey has allowed us to detect 75 lines associated with 41 different species (including isotopologues). We detect a number of complex organic species, for example methyl cyanide (CH3CN), methanol (CH3OH), propyne (CH3CCH), and ketene (CH2CO), associated with cold gas (excitation temperatures ~7 K), confirming the presence of these complex species not only in warm objects but also in cold regimes. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM 30 m Telescope. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain).Reduced spectra (FITS files) are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/594/A117

  11. THE HALO MERGER RATE IN THE MILLENNIUM SIMULATION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR OBSERVED GALAXY MERGER FRACTIONS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Genel, Shy; Genzel, Reinhard; Bouche, Nicolas; Naab, Thorsten; Sternberg, Amiel

    2009-01-01

    fair agreement, within the large uncertainties of the observations. Our new halo merger trees are available at http://www.mpe.mpg.de/ir/MillenniumMergerTrees/.

  12. On the discovery of fast molecular gas in the UFO/BAL quasar APM 08279+5255 at z = 3.912

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feruglio, C.; Ferrara, A.; Bischetti, M.; Downes, D.; Neri, R.; Ceccarelli, C.; Cicone, C.; Fiore, F.; Gallerani, S.; Maiolino, R.; Menci, N.; Piconcelli, E.; Vietri, G.; Vignali, C.; Zappacosta, L.

    2017-12-01

    We have performed a high sensitivity observation of the UFO/BAL quasar APM 08279+5255 at z = 3.912 with NOEMA at 3.2 mm, aimed at detecting fast moving molecular gas. We report the detection of blueshifted CO(4-3) with maximum velocity (v95%) of -1340 km s-1, with respect to the systemic peak emission, and a luminosity of L' = 9.9 × 109μ-1 K km s-1 pc-2, where μ is the lensing magnification factor. We discuss various scenarios for the nature of this emission and conclude that this is the first detection of fast molecular gas at redshift > 3. We derived a mass flow rate of molecular gas in the range Ṁ = 3-7.4 × 103M⊙/yr and momentum boost ṖOF/ṖAGN 2-6, which is therefore consistent with a momentum conserving flow. For the largest ṖOF the scaling is also consistent with an energy conserving flow with an efficiency of 10-20%. The present data can hardly discriminate between the two expansion modes. The mass loading factor of the molecular outflow η = ṀOF/SFR is ≫ 1. We also detected a molecular emission line at a frequency of 94.83 GHz corresponding to a rest-frame frequency of 465.8 GHz; we tentatively identified this frequency with the cation molecule N2H+(5-4), which would be the first detection of this species at high redshift. We discuss the alternative possibility that this emission is due to a CO emission line from the, so far undetected, lens galaxy. Further observations of additional transitions of the same species with NOEMA can discriminate between the two scenarios. This work is based on observations carried out under project numbers S15CW and E15AF with the IRAM NOEMA Interferometer. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain). The reduced spectrum (FITS file) is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/608/A30

  13. Computing paths and cycles in biological interaction graphs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    von Kamp Axel

    2009-06-01

    /negative paths and cycles in interaction graphs is an important method for network analysis in Systems Biology. This contribution draws the attention of the community to this important computational problem and provides a number of new algorithms, partially specifically tailored for biological interaction graphs. All algorithms have been implemented in the CellNetAnalyzer framework which can be downloaded for academic use at http://www.mpi-magdeburg.mpg.de/projects/cna/cna.html.

  14. Physical conditions of the molecular gas in metal-poor galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunt, L. K.; Weiß, A.; Henkel, C.; Combes, F.; García-Burillo, S.; Casasola, V.; Caselli, P.; Lundgren, A.; Maiolino, R.; Menten, K. M.; Testi, L.

    2017-10-01

    Studying the molecular component of the interstellar medium (ISM) in metal-poor galaxies has been challenging because of the faintness of carbon monoxide emission, the most common proxy of H2. Here we present new detections of molecular gas at low metallicities, and assess the physical conditions in the gas through various CO transitions for 8 galaxies. For one, NGC 1140 (Z/Z⊙ 0.3), two detections of 13CO isotopologues and atomic carbon, [Ci](1-0) and an upper limit for HCN(1-0) are also reported. After correcting to a common beam size, we compared 12CO(2-1)/12CO(1-0) (R21) and 12CO(3-2)/12CO(1-0) (R31) line ratios of our sample with galaxies from the literature and find that only NGC 1140 shows extreme values (R21 R31 2). Fitting physical models to the 12CO and 13CO emission in NGC 1140 suggests that the molecular gas is cool (kinetic temperature Tkin ≲ 20 K), dense (H2 volume density nH2 ≳ 106 cm-3), with moderate CO column density (NCO 1016 cm-2) and low filling factor. Surprisingly, the [12CO]/[13CO] abundance ratio in NGC 1140 is very low ( 8-20), lower even than the value of 24 found in the Galactic Center. The young age of the starburst in NGC 1140 precludes 13CO enrichment from evolved intermediate-mass stars; instead we attribute the low ratio to charge-exchange reactions and fractionation, because of the enhanced efficiency of these processes in cool gas at moderate column densities. Fitting physical models to 12CO and [Ci](1-0) emission in NGC 1140 gives an unusually low [12CO]/[12C] abundance ratio, suggesting that in this galaxy atomic carbon is at least 10 times more abundant than 12CO. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM 30 m and the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX). IRAM is supported by the INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain), and APEX is a collaboration between the Max-Planck-Institut fur Radioastronomie, the European Southern Observatory, and the Onsala Space Observatory.

  15. The 2011 Periastron Passage of the Be Binary δ Scorpii

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miroshnichenko, A. S.; Pasechnik, A. V.; Manset, N.; Carciofi, A. C.; Rivinius, Th.; Štefl, S.; Gvaramadze, V. V.; Ribeiro, J.; Fernando, A.; Garrel, T.; Knapen, J. H.; Buil, C.; Heathcote, B.; Pollmann, E.; Mauclaire, B.; Thizy, O.; Martin, J.; Zharikov, S. V.; Okazaki, A. T.; Gandet, T. L.; Eversberg, T.; Reinecke, N.

    2013-04-01

    We describe the results of the world-wide observing campaign of the highly eccentric Be binary system δ Scorpii 2011 periastron passage which involved professional and amateur astronomers. Our spectroscopic observations provided a precise measurement of the system orbital period at 10.8092 ± 0.0005 yr. Fitting of the He II 4686 Å line radial velocity curve determined the periastron passage time on 2011 July 3, UT 9:20 with a 0.9-day uncertainty. Both these results are in a very good agreement with recent findings from interferometry. We also derived new evolutionary masses of the binary components (13 and 8.2 M ⊙) and a new distance of 136 pc from the Sun, consistent with the HIPPARCOS parallax. The radial velocity and profile variations observed in the Hα line near the 2011 periastron reflected the interaction of the secondary component and the circumstellar disk around the primary component. Using these data, we estimated a disk radius of 150 R ⊙. Our analysis of the radial velocity variations measured during the periastron passage time in 2000 and 2011 along with those measured during the 20th century, the high eccentricity of the system, and the presence of a bow shock-like structure around it suggest that δ Sco might be a runaway triple system. The third component should be external to the known binary and move on an elliptical orbit that is tilted by at least 40° with respect to the binary orbital plane for such a system to be stable and responsible for the observed long-term radial velocity variations. This paper is partially based on observations obtained at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) which is operated by the National Research Council of Canada, the Institut National des Sciences de l'Univers of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique de France, and the University of Hawaii, the 2.2 m MPG telescope operated at ESO/La Silla under program IDs 086.A-9019 and 087.A-9005, the IAC80 telescope in the Spanish Observatorio del Teide

  16. Energy conversion by ‘T-shaped’ cantilever type electromagnetic vibration based micro power generator from low frequency vibration sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siddique, Abu Raihan Mohammad; Mahmud, Shohel; Van Heyst, Bill

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • A T-shaped cantilever type electromagnetic vibration based MPG has been described. • The designed EVMPG is useful for low frequency based vibration sources. • Both experimental tests and theoretical analysis have been performed. • The final compact prototype was tested at different conditions of human movements. • The prototype can generate 35.2 mV and 0.22 mW at 7 Hz with 5.6 Ω. - Abstract: The design, development, and analyses of low-frequency vibration based T-shaped cantilever type electromagnetic micro power generators (EVMPGs) are presented in this paper. Four different configurations (Configurations A to D) of EVMPGs were designed and fabricated and subsequently characterized using detailed experimental and limited analytical techniques. Configuration A and B consisted of a single and a double cylindrical moving magnets (NdFeB), respectively, while Configuration C consisted of four rectangular moving magnets with respect to a fixed copper coil. In contrast, Configuration D used a moving coil between four rectangular magnets with a back-iron bar. The open circuit RMS voltage output was observed to be a maximum from Configuration D (98.2 mV at 6.29 Hz) with a base vibration acceleration of 0.8 m s"−"2. Therefore, Configuration D was selected for further experimental investigations, which included changing the back-iron bar thickness, changing the base acceleration level, and changing the air gap separation between the magnets in order to optimize this configuration. The maximum load RMS voltage and power outputs of Configuration D were 105.4 mV and 1.35 mW at 6.29 Hz for load resistance 8.2 Ω and a base acceleration of 0.8 m s"−"2 with a 4.2 mm back-iron bar when the air gap between the magnets was 20 mm. Finally, a small portable EVMPG prototype was developed based on the Configuration D and was tested at different human movement conditions (i.e., walking, quick walking, and running). The developed EVMPG prototype was capable of

  17. SOLIS IV. Hydrocarbons in the OMC-2 FIR4 Region, a Probe of Energetic Particle Irradiation of the Region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Favre, C.; Ceccarelli, C.; López-Sepulcre, A.; Fontani, F.; Neri, R.; Manigand, S.; Kama, M.; Caselli, P.; Jaber Al-Edhari, A.; Kahane, C.; Alves, F.; Balucani, N.; Bianchi, E.; Caux, E.; Codella, C.; Dulieu, F.; Pineda, J. E.; Sims, I. R.; Theulé, P.

    2018-06-01

    We report new interferometric images of cyclopropenylidene, c-C3H2, toward the young protocluster OMC-2 FIR 4. The observations were performed at 82 and 85 GHz with the NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) as part of the project Seeds Of Life In Space (SOLIS). In addition, IRAM-30 m data observations were used to investigate the physical structure of OMC-2 FIR 4. We find that the c-C3H2 gas emits from the same region where previous SOLIS observations showed bright HC5N emission. From a non-LTE analysis of the IRAM-30 m data, the c-C3H2 gas has an average temperature of ∼40 K, a H2 density of ∼3 × 105 cm‑3, and a c-C3H2 abundance relative to H2 of (7 ± 1) × 10‑12. In addition, the NOEMA observations provide no sign of significant c-C3H2 excitation temperature gradients across the region (about 3–4 beams), with T ex in the range 8 ± 3 up to 16 ± 7 K. We thus infer that our observations are inconsistent with a physical interaction of the OMC-2 FIR 4 envelope with the outflow arising from OMC-2 FIR 3, as claimed by previous studies. The comparison of the measured c-C3H2 abundance with the predictions from an astrochemical PDR model indicates that OMC-2 FIR 4 is irradiated by an FUV field ∼1000 times larger than the interstellar one, and by a flux of ionizing particles ∼4000 times larger than the canonical value of 1 × 10‑17 s‑1 from the Galaxy cosmic rays, which is consistent with our previous HC5N observations. This provides an important and independent confirmation of other studies that one, or more, source inside the OMC-2 FIR 4 region emits energetic (≥10 MeV) particles. Based on observations carried out under project number L15AA with the IRAM NOEMA Interferometer. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain).

  18. Two unusual hepatitis C virus subtypes, 2j and 2q, in Spain: Identification by nested-PCR and sequencing of a NS5B region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Margall, N; March, F; Español, M; Torras, X; Gallego, A; Coll, P

    2015-10-01

    Many studies have reported the use of the NS5B gene to subtype hepatitis C virus (HCV). Other HCV genes, such as HCV-5' UTR, Core (C) and E1, have also been used. In some studies, NS5B have been used together with 5'-UTR or C genes to improve genotyping results obtained using commercial procedures. Only two studies in Spain have compared molecular techniques versus commercial procedures regarding the efficacy of HCV subtyping. The aim of this study was to determine whether nested PCR and sequencing of a NS5B region was more reliable than commercial procedures to subtype HCV. We analyzed the results of HCV genotyping in [726] serum specimens collected from 2001 to 2013. From 2001 to 2011, we used PCR and INNO-LiPA hybridization or its new version Versant HCV Genotype 2.0 assay (471 samples). From 2012 to 2013, we used nested PCR and sequencing of a NS5B region (255 cases). This method used two pairs of primers to amplify the RNA of the sample converted to DNA by retrotranscription. The amplification product of 270 base pairs was further sequenced. To identify the subtype, the sequences obtained were compared to those in the international database: http://hcv.lanl.gov./content/sequence/, HCV/ToolsOutline.html and Geno2pheno[hcv] http://hcv.bioinf.mpi-inf.mpg.de/index.php. Nested PCR of a NS5B region and sequencing identified all but one subtype (0.4%, 1/255), differentiated all 1a subtypes from 1b subtypes, and characterized all HCV 2-4 subtypes. This approach also distinguished two subtypes, 2j and 2q, that had rarely been detected previously in Spain. However, commercial procedures failed to subtype 12.7% (60/471) of samples and to genotype 0.6% of specimens (3/471). Nested PCR and sequencing of a NS5B region improved the subtyping of HCV in comparison with classical procedures and identified two rare subtypes in Spain: 2j and 2q. However, full length genome sequencing is recommended to confirm HCV 2j and 2q subtypes. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  19. Comprehensive analysis of differential co-expression patterns reveal transcriptional dysregulation mechanism and identify novel prognostic lncRNAs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Z

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Zhen Li,1 Qianlan Yao,1 Songjian Zhao,1 Yin Wang,2,3 Yixue Li,1,4 Zhen Wang4 1School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2Shanghai Center for Bioinformation Technology, Shanghai Academy of Science and Technology, 3Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, Fudan University, 4Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China Abstract: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and occurs at a relatively high frequency in People’s Republic of China. However, the molecular mechanism underlying ESCC is still unclear. In this study, the mRNA and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA expression profiles of ESCC were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, and then differential co-expression analysis was used to reveal the altered co-expression relationship of gene pairs in ESCC tumors. A total of 3,709 mRNAs and 923 lncRNAs were differentially co-expressed between normal and tumor tissues, and we found that most of the gene pairs lost associations in the tumor tissues. The differential regulatory networking approach deciphered that transcriptional dysregulation was ubiquitous in ESCC, and most of the differentially regulated links were modulated by 37 TFs. Our study also found that two novel lncRNAs (ADAMTS9-AS1 and AP000696.2 might be essential in the development of ectoderm and epithelial cells, which could significantly stratify ESCC patients into high-risk and low-risk groups, and were much better than traditional clinical tumor markers. Further inspection of two risk groups showed that the changes in TF-target regulation in the high-risk patients were significantly higher than those in the low-risk patients. In addition, four signal transduction-related DCmRNAs (ERBB3, ENSA, KCNK7, MFSD5

  20. Screening and association testing of common coding variation in steroid hormone receptor co-activator and co-repressor genes in relation to breast cancer risk: the Multiethnic Cohort

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stallcup Michael R

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Only a limited number of studies have performed comprehensive investigations of coding variation in relation to breast cancer risk. Given the established role of estrogens in breast cancer, we hypothesized that coding variation in steroid receptor coactivator and corepressor genes may alter inter-individual response to estrogen and serve as markers of breast cancer risk. Methods We sequenced the coding exons of 17 genes (EP300, CCND1, NME1, NCOA1, NCOA2, NCOA3, SMARCA4, SMARCA2, CARM1, FOXA1, MPG, NCOR1, NCOR2, CALCOCO1, PRMT1, PPARBP and CREBBP suggested to influence transcriptional activation by steroid hormone receptors in a multiethnic panel of women with advanced breast cancer (n = 95: African Americans, Latinos, Japanese, Native Hawaiians and European Americans. Association testing of validated coding variants was conducted in a breast cancer case-control study (1,612 invasive cases and 1,961 controls nested in the Multiethnic Cohort. We used logistic regression to estimate odds ratios for allelic effects in ethnic-pooled analyses as well as in subgroups defined by disease stage and steroid hormone receptor status. We also investigated effect modification by established breast cancer risk factors that are associated with steroid hormone exposure. Results We identified 45 coding variants with frequencies ≥ 1% in any one ethnic group (43 non-synonymous variants. We observed nominally significant positive associations with two coding variants in ethnic-pooled analyses (NCOR2: His52Arg, OR = 1.79; 95% CI, 1.05–3.05; CALCOCO1: Arg12His, OR = 2.29; 95% CI, 1.00–5.26. A small number of variants were associated with risk in disease subgroup analyses and we observed no strong evidence of effect modification by breast cancer risk factors. Based on the large number of statistical tests conducted in this study, the nominally significant associations that we observed may be due to chance, and will need to be confirmed in other

  1. New observations and models of circumstellar CO line emission of AGB stars in the Herschel SUCCESS programme

    Science.gov (United States)

    Danilovich, T.; Teyssier, D.; Justtanont, K.; Olofsson, H.; Cerrigone, L.; Bujarrabal, V.; Alcolea, J.; Cernicharo, J.; Castro-Carrizo, A.; García-Lario, P.; Marston, A.

    2015-09-01

    supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain).Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

  2. Are genes associated with energy metabolism important in asthma and BMI?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szczepankiewicz, Aleksandra; Breborowicz, Anna; Sobkowiak, Paulina; Popiel, Anna

    2009-02-01

    Increased serum leptin levels have been observed in asthmatic patients. Leptin, via proliferation and activation of Th2 cells, may induce inflammation in asthma. It has also been demonstrated that leptin mRNA expression and protein levels increase in response to inflammatory stimuli. We hypothesized that polymorphisms in the leptin receptor, leptin and ghrelin genes, may affect their expression and, therefore, be responsible for altered response to increased leptin levels observed in asthma. To our knowledge, there were no studies on a potential role of LEPR, LEP, and GHRL polymorphisms in asthma. We analyzed 129 pediatric patients with asthma and 114 healthy children from the control group ranging from 6 to 18 years of age. The diagnosis of allergic asthma was based on clinical symptoms, the lung function test, and the positive skin prick test and/or increased immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels. Polymorphisms were genotyped by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Statistical analyses were performed with Statistica v.7.1 software (Statistica, StatSoft, Poland; available free at http://www.broad.mit.edu/mpg/haploview/index.php). Linkage disequilibrium analysis was performed with Haploview v.4.0. We observed a statistically significant association of the 3'UTR A/G and the -2549A/G polymorphisms of the leptin gene with asthma. No association with asthma was observed for the K109R and the Q223R polymorphisms of the LEPR gene and the Met72Leu polymorphism of the ghrelin gene. In the analysis of body mass index (BMI) stratified by genotype, we found an association of the -2549A/G LEP, but not of LEPR and GHRL polymorphisms, with higher BMI values in asthmatic patients. We found suggestive evidence for linkage between the two polymorphisms of the LEPR gene (D' = 0.84 CI: 0.71-0.92; r(2) = 0.29) in linkage disequilibrium analysis: The GG haplotype was more frequent in the control healthy group (p = 0.057). No linkage

  3. The radio spectral energy distribution of infrared-faint radio sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herzog, A.; Norris, R. P.; Middelberg, E.; Seymour, N.; Spitler, L. R.; Emonts, B. H. C.; Franzen, T. M. O.; Hunstead, R.; Intema, H. T.; Marvil, J.; Parker, Q. A.; Sirothia, S. K.; Hurley-Walker, N.; Bell, M.; Bernardi, G.; Bowman, J. D.; Briggs, F.; Cappallo, R. J.; Callingham, J. R.; Deshpande, A. A.; Dwarakanath, K. S.; For, B.-Q.; Greenhill, L. J.; Hancock, P.; Hazelton, B. J.; Hindson, L.; Johnston-Hollitt, M.; Kapińska, A. D.; Kaplan, D. L.; Lenc, E.; Lonsdale, C. J.; McKinley, B.; McWhirter, S. R.; Mitchell, D. A.; Morales, M. F.; Morgan, E.; Morgan, J.; Oberoi, D.; Offringa, A.; Ord, S. M.; Prabu, T.; Procopio, P.; Udaya Shankar, N.; Srivani, K. S.; Staveley-Smith, L.; Subrahmanyan, R.; Tingay, S. J.; Wayth, R. B.; Webster, R. L.; Williams, A.; Williams, C. L.; Wu, C.; Zheng, Q.; Bannister, K. W.; Chippendale, A. P.; Harvey-Smith, L.; Heywood, I.; Indermuehle, B.; Popping, A.; Sault, R. J.; Whiting, M. T.

    2016-10-01

    -wavelength SED modelling of one IFRS shows that it is different from ordinary AGN, although it is consistent with a composite starburst-AGN model with a star formation rate of 170 M⊙ yr-1. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain).

  4. Screening and association testing of common coding variation in steroid hormone receptor co-activator and co-repressor genes in relation to breast cancer risk: the Multiethnic Cohort

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haiman, Christopher A; Stallcup, Michael R; Greene, Geoffrey L; Press, Michael F; Garcia, Rachel R; Hsu, Chris; Xia, Lucy; Ha, Helen; Sheng, Xin; Le Marchand, Loic; Kolonel, Laurence N; Henderson, Brian E

    2009-01-01

    Only a limited number of studies have performed comprehensive investigations of coding variation in relation to breast cancer risk. Given the established role of estrogens in breast cancer, we hypothesized that coding variation in steroid receptor coactivator and corepressor genes may alter inter-individual response to estrogen and serve as markers of breast cancer risk. We sequenced the coding exons of 17 genes (EP300, CCND1, NME1, NCOA1, NCOA2, NCOA3, SMARCA4, SMARCA2, CARM1, FOXA1, MPG, NCOR1, NCOR2, CALCOCO1, PRMT1, PPARBP and CREBBP) suggested to influence transcriptional activation by steroid hormone receptors in a multiethnic panel of women with advanced breast cancer (n = 95): African Americans, Latinos, Japanese, Native Hawaiians and European Americans. Association testing of validated coding variants was conducted in a breast cancer case-control study (1,612 invasive cases and 1,961 controls) nested in the Multiethnic Cohort. We used logistic regression to estimate odds ratios for allelic effects in ethnic-pooled analyses as well as in subgroups defined by disease stage and steroid hormone receptor status. We also investigated effect modification by established breast cancer risk factors that are associated with steroid hormone exposure. We identified 45 coding variants with frequencies ≥ 1% in any one ethnic group (43 non-synonymous variants). We observed nominally significant positive associations with two coding variants in ethnic-pooled analyses (NCOR2: His52Arg, OR = 1.79; 95% CI, 1.05–3.05; CALCOCO1: Arg12His, OR = 2.29; 95% CI, 1.00–5.26). A small number of variants were associated with risk in disease subgroup analyses and we observed no strong evidence of effect modification by breast cancer risk factors. Based on the large number of statistical tests conducted in this study, the nominally significant associations that we observed may be due to chance, and will need to be confirmed in other studies. Our findings suggest that common coding

  5. 7th International Fermi Symposium

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-10-01

    especially encourage guest investigators worldwide to participate in this symposium to share results and to learn about upcoming opportunities. This meeting will focus on the new scientific investigations and results enabled by Fermi, the mission and instrument characteristics, future opportunities, coordinated observations and analysis techniques. In particular, we also encourage discussion of future prospects/science with Fermi in preparation for the upcoming NASA senior review. Details on the 7th International Fermi Symposium can be found here: https://events.mpe.mpg.de/Fermi2017

  6. The spatial glaciological data infrastructure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Y. Khromova

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Substantial and rapid environmental changes require developing methods which could be able to manage huge information flows, to optimize processes of the data acquisition, storage, analysis, and exchange. Such facilities can be provided by the newly developed GIS technologies. Digital data bases are used as the key component of the GIS methods. We present the system of glaciological data management, developed in the Institute of Geography of Russian Academy of Sciences (IGRAS. Digital Atlas «Snow and Ice on the Earth», glacier inventories and digital library are the basic structures making possible objective presentation of the glaciological knowledge and data. The system provides the data integration, access to the data base, and makes possible using the GIS techniques for analysis. Data integration technologies are designed to form the united information space of subject areas of the spatial data. The objects of integration in our study are the information resources of glaciology, accumulated in a distributed system of data on the IGRAS web servers and geoportals in forms of data and metadata bases, structured (in a particular format data files, object data files (plain text, documents, images, etc., and electronic atlases. The best option for formation of a large-scale distributed environment, integration of many information resources of glaciology is to provide the so-called interoperability of data. This refers to compliance with certain rules or usage of additional software tools that allows interaction between various spatial data. These are standards to which the integrated information resources of glaciology should satisfy. The result of integration of the glaciological data technology application is the series of software and technology solutions. The main result of this work is creation of geoportals «Electronic Earth» (www.webgeo.ru, «The Nature and Resources of the Russian North» (www.north.webgeo.ru, «IPY-IGRAS» (www.mpg

  7. Variable millimetre radiation from the colliding-wind binary Cygnus OB2 #8A

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blomme, R.; Fenech, D. M.; Prinja, R. K.; Pittard, J. M.; Morford, J. C.

    2017-12-01

    modelling of this system, based on solving the hydrodynamical equations, is required to give a definite answer. This work is based on observations carried out under project numbers S14AW and S16AU with the IRAM NOEMA Interferometer. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain).

  8. Close Look at Hybrid Vehicle Loyalty and Ownership

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hwang, Ho-Ling [ORNL; Chin, Shih-Miao [ORNL; Wilson, Daniel W [ORNL; Oliveira Neto, Francisco Moraes [ORNL; Taylor, Rob D [ORNL

    2013-01-01

    initially released their findings. In this brief review, the team has looked at factors that might contribute to a consumer choosing to not purchase a hybrid; including the increase in manufacture s overall vehicle mpg and the percentage of the vehicle market owned by hybrids.

  9. A Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopic survey of faint Galactic satellites: searching for the least massive dwarf galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, N. F.; Ibata, R. A.; Chapman, S. C.; Irwin, M.; Lewis, G. F.

    2007-09-01

    were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation. E-mail: martin@mpia-hd.mpg.de ‡ Canadian Space Agency Fellow.

  10. Accurate Atmospheric Parameters at Moderate Resolution Using Spectral Indices: Preliminary Application to the MARVELS Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghezzi, Luan; Dutra-Ferreira, Letícia; Lorenzo-Oliveira, Diego; Porto de Mello, Gustavo F.; Santiago, Basílio X.; De Lee, Nathan; Lee, Brian L.; da Costa, Luiz N.; Maia, Marcio A. G.; Ogando, Ricardo L. C.; Wisniewski, John P.; González Hernández, Jonay I.; Stassun, Keivan G.; Fleming, Scott W.; Schneider, Donald P.; Mahadevan, Suvrath; Cargile, Phillip; Ge, Jian; Pepper, Joshua; Wang, Ji; Paegert, Martin

    2014-12-01

    performed with a subsample of 138 stars from the ELODIE stellar library, and the literature atmospheric parameters were recovered within 125 K for T eff, 0.10 dex for [Fe/H], and 0.29 dex for log g. These precisions are consistent with or better than those provided by the pipelines of surveys operating with similar resolutions. These results show that the spectral indices are a competitive tool to characterize stars with intermediate resolution spectra. Based on observations obtained with the 2.2 m MPG telescope at the European Southern Observatory (La Silla, Chile), under the agreement ESO-Observatório Nacional/MCT, and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, which is owned and operated by the Astrophysical Research Consortium.

  11. Tracer tests - possibilities and limitations. Experience from SKB fieldwork: 1977-2007

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Loefgren, Martin; Crawford, James; Elert, Mark (Kemakta Konsult AB, Stockholm (SE))

    2007-09-15

    Tracer tests have played, and still play, a central role in investigations relating to the understanding of radionuclide retention processes in the field. At present there is a debate within the scientific community concerning how, and to what extent, tracer tests can be used to evaluate large-scale and long-term transport and retardation of radionuclides and other solutes of interest for Safety Assessment of repositories for spent nuclear fuel. In this report the SKB fieldwork on tracer tests performed at Swedish sites from 1977 to 2007 is described and discussed. Furthermore, the knowledge and process understanding evolved during the decades of radionuclide transport experiments and modelling within the SKB programme is summarised. One of the main objectives of this report is to discuss what data and knowledge can be extracted from different in situ tests in a robust fashion. Given the level of complexity associated with transport processes that may occur over the timescale of a tracer test, the utility of tracer tests is considered in the context of evidence-based interpretations of data which we characterise in the form of a sequence of questions of increasing complexity. The complexity of this sequence ranges from whether connection can be confirmed between injection and withdrawal points to whether quantitative data can be extrapolated from a tracer test to be subsequently used in Safety Assessment. The main findings of this report are that: Field scale tracer tests can confirm flow connectivity. Field scale tracer tests confirm the existence of retention. Field scale tracer tests alone can only broadly substantiate our process understanding. However, if performing extensive Site Characterisation and integrating the tracer test results with the full range of geoscientific information available, much support can be given to our process understanding. Field scale tracer tests can deliver the product of the material property group MPG and the F-factor, valid

  12. Millimeter wave spectra of carbonyl cyanide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bteich, S. B.; Tercero, B.; Cernicharo, J.; Motiyenko, R. A.; Margulès, L.; Guillemin, J.-C.

    2016-07-01

    Korea), in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. The Joint ALMA Observatory is operated by ESO, AUI/NRAO, and NAOJ. This work was also based on observations carried out with the IRAM 30-m telescope. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain).The full Tables 3 and 4 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/592/A43

  13. First detection of rotational CO line emission in a red giant branch star

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groenewegen, M. A. T.

    2014-01-01

    Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX) telescope. APEX is a collaboration between the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, the European Southern Observatory, and the Onsala Space Observatory. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM 30 m Telescope under programme 183-11. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain).

  14. HATS-50b through HATS-53b: Four Transiting Hot Jupiters Orbiting G-type Stars Discovered by the HATSouth Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henning, Th.; Mancini, L.; Sarkis, P.; Bakos, G. Á.; Hartman, J. D.; Bayliss, D.; Bento, J.; Bhatti, W.; Brahm, R.; Ciceri, S.; Csubry, Z.; de Val-Borro, M.; Espinoza, N.; Fulton, B. J.; Howard, A. W.; Isaacson, H. T.; Jordán, A.; Marcy, G. W.; Penev, K.; Rabus, M.; Suc, V.; Tan, T. G.; Tinney, C. G.; Wright, D. J.; Zhou, G.; Durkan, S.; Lazar, J.; Papp, I.; Sari, P.

    2018-02-01

    We report the discovery of four close-in transiting exoplanets (HATS-50b through HATS-53b), discovered using the HATSouth three-continent network of homogeneous and automated telescopes. These new exoplanets belong to the class of hot Jupiters and orbit G-type dwarf stars, with brightness in the range V = 12.5–14.0 mag. While HATS-53 has many physical characteristics similar to the Sun, the other three stars appear to be metal-rich ([{Fe}/{{H}}]=0.2{--}0.3), larger, and more massive. Three of the new exoplanets, namely HATS-50b, HATS-51b, and HATS-53b, have low density (HATS-50b: 0.39+/- 0.10 {M}{{J}}, 1.130+/- 0.075 {R}{{J}}; HATS-51b: 0.768+/- 0.045 {M}{{J}}, 1.41+/- 0.19 {R}{{J}}; HATS-53b: 0.595+/- 0.089 {M}{{J}}, 1.340+/- 0.056 {R}{{J}}) and similar orbital periods (3.8297 days, 3.3489 days, 3.8538 days, respectively). Instead, HATS-52b is more dense (mass 2.24+/- 0.15 {M}{{J}} and radius 1.382+/- 0.086 {R}{{J}}) and has a shorter orbital period (1.3667 days). It also receives an intensive radiation from its parent star and, consequently, presents a high equilibrium temperature ({T}{eq}=1834+/- 73 K). HATS-50 shows a marginal additional transit feature consistent with an ultra-short-period hot super Neptune (upper mass limit 0.16 {M}{{J}}), which will be able to be confirmed with TESS photometry. The HATSouth network is operated by a collaboration consisting of Princeton University (PU), the Max Planck Institute für Astronomie (MPIA), the Australian National University (ANU), and the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC). The station at Las Campanas Observatory (LCO) of the Carnegie Institute is operated by PU in conjunction with PUC, the station at the High Energy Spectroscopic Survey (H.E.S.S.) site is operated in conjunction with MPIA, and the station at Siding Spring Observatory (SSO) is operated jointly with ANU. Based in part on observations made with the ESO 3.6 m, the NTT, the MPG 2.2 m and Euler 1.2 m Telescopes at the ESO Observatory in

  15. Material Science Activities for Fusion Reactors in Kazakhstan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tazhibayeva, I.; Kenzhin, E.; Kulsartov, T.; Shestakov, V.; Chikhray, Y.; Azizov, E.; Filatov, O.; Chernov, V.M.

    2007-01-01

    Full text of publication follows: Paper contains results of fusion material testing national program and results of activities on creation of material testing spherical tokamak. Hydrogen isotope behavior (diffusion, permeation, and accumulation) in the components of the first wall and divertor was studied taking into account temperature, pressure, and reactor irradiation. There were carried out out-of-pile and in-pile (reactors IVG-IM, WWRK, RA) studies of beryllium of various grades (TV-56, TShG-56, DV-56, TGP-56, TIP-56), graphites (RG-T, MPG-8, FP 479, R 4340), molybdenum, tungsten, steels (Cr18Ni10Ti, Cr16Ni15, MANET, F82H), alloys V-(4-6)Cr-( 4-5)Ti, Cu+1%Cr+0.1%Zr, and double Be/Cu and triple Be/Cu/steel structures. Tritium permeability from eutectic Pb+17%Li through steels Cr18Ni10Ti, Cr16Ni15, MANET, and F82H were studied taking into account protective coating effects. The tritium production rate was experimentally assessed during in-pile and post-reactor experiments. There were carried out radiation tests of ceramic Li 2 TiO 3 (96% enrichment by Li-6) with in-situ registration of released tritium and following post-irradiation material tests of irradiated samples. Verification of computer codes for simulation of accidents related to LOCA in ITER reactor was carried out. Codes' verification was carried out for a mockup of first wall in a form of three-layer cylinder of beryllium, bronze (Cu-Cr-Zr) and stainless steel. At present Kazakhstan Tokamak for Material testing (tokamak KTM) is created in National Nuclear Center of Republic of Kazakhstan in cooperation with Russian Federation organizations (start-up is scheduled on 2008). Tokamak KTM allows for expansion and specification of the studies and tests of materials, protection options of first wall, receiving divertor tiles and divertor components, methods for load reduction at divertor, and various options of heat/power removal, fast evacuation of divertor volume and development of the techniques for

  16. The first IRAM/PdBI polarimetric millimeter survey of active galactic nuclei. II. Activity and properties of individual sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trippe, S.; Neri, R.; Krips, M.; Castro-Carrizo, A.; Bremer, M.; Piétu, V.; Winters, J. M.

    2012-04-01

    good agreement with a = 2 as expected for a spherical or conical outflow. This study is based on observations carried out with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain).Table 4 is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

  17. Young and Exotic Stellar Zoo

    Science.gov (United States)

    2005-03-01

    Summary Super star clusters are groups of hundreds of thousands of very young stars packed into an unbelievably small volume. They represent the most extreme environments in which stars and planets can form. Until now, super star clusters were only known to exist very far away, mostly in pairs or groups of interacting galaxies. Now, however, a team of European astronomers [1] have used ESO's telescopes to uncover such a monster object within our own Galaxy, the Milky Way, almost, but not quite, in our own backyard! The newly found massive structure is hidden behind a large cloud of dust and gas and this is why it took so long to unveil its true nature. It is known as "Westerlund 1" and is a thousand times closer than any other super star cluster known so far. It is close enough that astronomers may now probe its structure in some detail. Westerlund 1 contains hundreds of very massive stars, some shining with a brilliance of almost one million suns and some two-thousand times larger than the Sun (as large as the orbit of Saturn)! Indeed, if the Sun were located at the heart of this remarkable cluster, our sky would be full of hundreds of stars as bright as the full Moon. Westerlund 1 is a most unique natural laboratory for the study of extreme stellar physics, helping astronomers to find out how the most massive stars in our Galaxy live and die. From their observations, the astronomers conclude that this extreme cluster most probably contains no less than 100,000 times the mass of the Sun, and all of its stars are located within a region less than 6 light-years across. Westerlund 1 thus appears to be the most massive compact young cluster yet identified in the Milky Way Galaxy. PR Photo 09a/05: The Super Star Cluster Westerlund 1 (2.2m MPG/ESO + WFI) PR Photo 09b/05: Properties of Young Massive Clusters Super Star Clusters Stars are generally born in small groups, mostly in so-called "open clusters" that typically contain a few hundred stars. From a wide range of

  18. Opening up a Colourful Cosmic Jewel Box

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-10-01

    The combination of images taken by three exceptional telescopes, the ESO Very Large Telescope on Cerro Paranal , the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO's La Silla observatory and the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, has allowed the stunning Jewel Box star cluster to be seen in a whole new light. Star clusters are among the most visually alluring and astrophysically fascinating objects in the sky. One of the most spectacular nestles deep in the southern skies near the Southern Cross in the constellation of Crux. The Kappa Crucis Cluster, also known as NGC 4755 or simply the "Jewel Box" is just bright enough to be seen with the unaided eye. It was given its nickname by the English astronomer John Herschel in the 1830s because the striking colour contrasts of its pale blue and orange stars seen through a telescope reminded Herschel of a piece of exotic jewellery. Open clusters [1] such as NGC 4755 typically contain anything from a few to thousands of stars that are loosely bound together by gravity. Because the stars all formed together from the same cloud of gas and dust their ages and chemical makeup are similar, which makes them ideal laboratories for studying how stars evolve. The position of the cluster amongst the rich star fields and dust clouds of the southern Milky Way is shown in the very wide field view generated from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 data. This image also includes one of the stars of the Southern Cross as well as part of the huge dark cloud of the Coal Sack [2]. A new image taken with the Wide Field Imager (WFI) on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile shows the cluster and its rich surroundings in all their multicoloured glory. The large field of view of the WFI shows a vast number of stars. Many are located behind the dusty clouds of the Milky Way and therefore appear red [3]. The FORS1 instrument on the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) allows a much closer look at the cluster itself. The telescope's huge mirror

  19. Resolving the Circumstellar Environment of the Galactic B[e] Supergiant Star MWC 137 from Large to Small Scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kraus, Michaela; Liimets, Tiina; Cappa, Cristina E.; Cidale, Lydia S.; Nickeler, Dieter H.; Duronea, Nicolas U.; Arias, Maria L.; Gunawan, Diah S.; Oksala, Mary E.; Borges Fernandes, Marcelo; Maravelias, Grigoris; Curé, Michel; Santander-García, Miguel

    2017-11-01

    The Galactic object MWC 137 has been suggested to belong to the group of B[e] supergiants. However, with its large-scale optical bipolar ring nebula and high-velocity jet and knots, it is a rather atypical representative of this class. We performed multiwavelength observations spreading from the optical to the radio regimes. Based on optical imaging and long-slit spectroscopic data, we found that the northern parts of the large-scale nebula are predominantly blueshifted, while the southern regions appear mostly redshifted. We developed a geometrical model consisting of two double cones. Although various observational features can be approximated with such a scenario, the observed velocity pattern is more complex. Using near-infrared integral-field unit spectroscopy, we studied the hot molecular gas in the vicinity of the star. The emission from the hot CO gas arises in a small-scale disk revolving around the star on Keplerian orbits. Although the disk itself cannot be spatially resolved, its emission is reflected by the dust arranged in arc-like structures and the clumps surrounding MWC 137 on small scales. In the radio regime, we mapped the cold molecular gas in the outskirts of the optical nebula. We found that large amounts of cool molecular gas and warm dust embrace the optical nebula in the east, south, and west. No cold gas or dust was detected in the north and northwestern regions. Despite the new insights into the nebula kinematics gained from our studies, the real formation scenario of the large-scale nebula remains an open issue. Based on observations collected with (1) the ESO VLT Paranal Observatory under programs 094.D-0637(B) and 097.D-0033(A), (2) the MPG 2.2 m telescope at La Silla Observatory, Chile, under programs 096.A-9030(A) and 096.A-9039(A), (3) the Gemini Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the

  20. H i and CO in the circumstellar environment of the S-type star RS Cancri

    Science.gov (United States)

    Libert, Y.; Winters, J. M.; Le Bertre, T.; Gérard, E.; Matthews, L. D.

    2010-06-01

    find a bipolar geometry that probably originates from the intrinsic behavior of recent mass-loss processes. With H i, we find a trail of gas, in a direction opposite to the proper motion of RS Cnc lending support to the hypothesis of an interaction with the interstellar medium. This work illustrates the powerful complementarity of CO and H i observations with regard to a more complete description of circumstellar environments around AGB stars. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain).

  1. EDITORIAL: Proceedings of the 11th Gravitational Wave Data Analysis Workshop, Potsdam, Germany, 18 21 December 2006

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krishnan, B.; Papa, M. A.; Schutz, B. F.

    2007-10-01

    mission planned for launch in 2010 and LISA in 2017. The special difficulties associated with data analysis for LISA are being addressed through the competitive mechanism of Mock LISA Data Challenges, and the results of the first challenge were presented and discussed at this workshop. The different sessions and the presentations at GWDAW11 reflect this incredible richness of activity. This volume collects papers which cover many of the topics and work presented at GWDAW11. The complete set of presentation slides can be found at the conference site http://gwdaw11.aei.mpg.de/program.html. As organizers of this workshop we would like to thank all the participants for taking part in this event and for the many lively discussions that we have enjoyed. We would also like to thank the editorial staff at CQG, especially Judith Adams and Tom Spicer, for their support and efficiency in preparing this volume.

  2. Multiyear Program Plan: Reducing Friction and Wear in Heavy Vehicles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    R.R. Fessler; G.R. Fenske

    1999-12-13

    improvement over equivalent gasoline-fueled trucks. (2) Develop by 2004 the enabling technology for a Class 7-8 truck with a fuel efficiency of 10 mpg (at 65 mph) that will meet prevailing emission standards, using either diesel or a liquid alternative fuel. (3) Develop by 2006 diesel engines with fuel flexibility and a thermal efficiency of 55% with liquid alternative fuels, and a thermal efficiency of 55% with dedicated gaseous fuels. (4) Develop a methodology for analyzing and evaluating the operation of a heavy vehicle as an integrated system, considering such factors as engine efficiency; emissions; rolling resistance; aerodynamic drag; friction, wear, and lubrication effects; auxiliary power units; material substitutions for reducing weight; and other sources of parasitic energy losses. Overarching these considerations is the need to preserve system functionality, cost, competitiveness, reliability, durability, and safety.

  3. Deuteration of ammonia in the starless core Ophiuchus/H-MM1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harju, J.; Daniel, F.; Sipilä, O.; Caselli, P.; Pineda, J. E.; Friesen, R. K.; Punanova, A.; Güsten, R.; Wiesenfeld, L.; Myers, P. C.; Faure, A.; Hily-Blant, P.; Rist, C.; Rosolowsky, E.; Schlemmer, S.; Shirley, Y. L.

    2017-04-01

    ammonia changes with physical conditions and time, the nuclear spin ratios of ammonia isotopologues do not probe the evolutionary stage of a cloud. Based on observations carried out with The Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX), the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT), and the IRAM 30 m Telescope. APEX is a collaboration between Max-Planck Institut für Radioastronomie (MPIfR), Onsala Space Observatory (OSO), and the European Southern Observatory (ESO). GBT is managed by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, which is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain).

  4. (Sub)millimeter emission lines of molecules in born-again stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tafoya, D.; Toalá, J. A.; Vlemmings, W. H. T.; Guerrero, M. A.; De Beck, E.; González, M.; Kimeswenger, S.; Zijlstra, A. A.; Sánchez-Monge, Á.; Treviño-Morales, S. P.

    2017-04-01

    from other observations. We derived a rotational temperature of Trot = 13 ± 1 K, and a total column density of NHCN = 1.6 ± 0.1 × 1016 cm-2 for V4334 Sgr. This result sets a lower limit on the amount of hydrogen that was ejected into the wind during the born-again event of this source. For V605 Aql, we obtained a lower limit for the integrated line intensities I12CO/I13CO> 4. This publication is based on data acquired with the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) and IRAM 30 m telescopes. APEX is a collaboration between the Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, the European Southern Observatory, and the Onsala Space Observatory. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain).

  5. Imaging the water snowline in a protostellar envelope with H13CO+

    Science.gov (United States)

    van 't Hoff, Merel L. R.; Persson, Magnus V.; Harsono, Daniel; Taquet, Vianney; Jørgensen, Jes K.; Visser, Ruud; Bergin, Edwin A.; van Dishoeck, Ewine F.

    2018-05-01

    location, making an outburst scenario unlikely. Conclusions: The spatial anticorrelation of H13CO+ and H218O emission provide proof of concept that H13CO+ can be used as a tracer of the water snowline. The NOEMA data are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/613/A29Based on observations carried out with the IRAM NOEMA interferometer. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain).

  6. Multiyear Program Plan: Reducing Friction and Wear in Heavy Vehicles; FINAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    R.R. Fessler; G.R. Fenske

    1999-01-01

    improvement over equivalent gasoline-fueled trucks. (2) Develop by 2004 the enabling technology for a Class 7-8 truck with a fuel efficiency of 10 mpg (at 65 mph) that will meet prevailing emission standards, using either diesel or a liquid alternative fuel. (3) Develop by 2006 diesel engines with fuel flexibility and a thermal efficiency of 55% with liquid alternative fuels, and a thermal efficiency of 55% with dedicated gaseous fuels. (4) Develop a methodology for analyzing and evaluating the operation of a heavy vehicle as an integrated system, considering such factors as engine efficiency; emissions; rolling resistance; aerodynamic drag; friction, wear, and lubrication effects; auxiliary power units; material substitutions for reducing weight; and other sources of parasitic energy losses. Overarching these considerations is the need to preserve system functionality, cost, competitiveness, reliability, durability, and safety

  7. Mechanism of wear and tribofilm formation with ionic liquids and ashless antiwear additives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Vibhu

    Increasingly stringent government regulation on emissions (EPA Emissions Standard Reference Guide and latest CAFE standards requiring an average fuel economy of 54.5 mpg (combined cars and trucks) by 2025) impose significant challenges to the automotive and lubricant industries calling for the development and implementation of lower viscosity ILSAC GF-5&6 and API-CJ4&5 oils which further limit the amount of SAPS and deposits in engines. Development of additives that result in lower ash content, volatility and anti-wear property plays a crucial role in being able to reach these standards. The current industrial additive technology i.e. zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) forms harmful deposits on catalytic convertor due to the volatility of Zn, S and P which, impairs its functionality and consequently results in higher emission from vehicles. In this research work, ionic liquids (IL's) that are non-volatile have been studied as new generation environment friendly antiwear additives along with other ashless anti-wear additives including boron based additives to overcome the current challenges of improving the fuel efficiency and reducing the amount of hazardous emissions. The goal of this thesis work is to study the tribological performance of selected IL's and develop a comprehensive understating of IL's chemistry and its consequences to their friction and wear outcomes. As first approach, various P, S and F based ionic liquids are studied for their tribological properties by analyzing the friction and wear results generated using standard tribological experiments. Following this, advanced surface characterization techniques such as X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, SEM, Nano-indentation, SPM techniques are used to investigate the chemical-mechanical properties of the antiwear films. Results indicate that the tribological properties of ionic liquids depend on their solubility in base oil (BO) as well as their chemical interaction with the

  8. Two Galaxies for a Unique Event

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-04-01

    To celebrate the 100 Hours of Astronomy, ESO is sharing two stunning images of unusual galaxies, both belonging to the Sculptor group of galaxies. The images, obtained at two of ESO's observatories at La Silla and Paranal in Chile, illustrate the beauty of astronomy. ESO PR Photo 14a/09 Irregular Galaxy NGC 55 ESO PR Photo 14b/09 Spiral Galaxy NGC 7793 As part of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 Cornerstone project, 100 Hours of Astronomy, the ambitious "Around the World in 80 Telescopes" event is a unique live webcast over 24 hours, following night and day around the globe to some of the most advanced observatories on and off the planet. To provide a long-lasting memory of this amazing world tour, observatories worldwide are revealing wonderful, and previously unseen, astronomical images. For its part, ESO is releasing outstanding pictures of two galaxies, observed with telescopes at the La Silla and Paranal observatories. The first of these depicts the irregular galaxy NGC 55, a member of the prominent Sculptor group of galaxies in the southern constellation of Sculptor. The galaxy is about 70 000 light-years across, that is, a little bit smaller than our own Milky Way. NGC 55 actually resembles more our galactic neighbour, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), although the LMC is seen face-on, whilst NGC 55 is edge-on. By studying about 20 planetary nebulae in this image, a team of astronomers found that NGC 55 is located about 7.5 million light-years away. They also found that the galaxy might be forming a bound pair with the gorgeous spiral galaxy NGC 300 . Planetary nebulae are the final blooming of Sun-like stars before their retirement as white dwarfs. This striking image of NGC 55, obtained with the Wide Field Imager on the 2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope at La Silla, is dusted with a flurry of reddish nebulae, created by young, hot massive stars. Some of the more extended ones are not unlike those seen in the LMC, such as the Tarantula Nebula. The quality

  9. IRC +10 216 in 3D: morphology of a TP-AGB star envelope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guélin, M.; Patel, N. A.; Bremer, M.; Cernicharo, J.; Castro-Carrizo, A.; Pety, J.; Fonfría, J. P.; Agúndez, M.; Santander-García, M.; Quintana-Lacaci, G.; Velilla Prieto, L.; Blundell, R.; Thaddeus, P.

    2018-02-01

    envelope suggests a more complex scenario for the last few thousand years. This work was based on observations carried out with the IRAM, SMA and ALMA telescopes. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain). The Submillimeter Array is a joint project between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (USA) and the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (Taiwan) and is funded by the Smithsonian Institution and the Academia Sinica. This paper makes use of the ALMA data: ADS/JAO.ALMA#2013.1.01215.S & ADS/JAO.ALMA#2013.1.00432.S. ALMA is a partnership of ESO (representing its member states), NSF (USA) and NINS (Japan), together with NRC (Canada), NSC and ASIAA (Taiwan) and KASI (Republic of Korea), in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. The Joint ALMA Observatory is operated by ESO, AUI/NRAO and NAOJ.

  10. Probing the CO and methanol snow lines in young protostars. Results from the CALYPSO IRAM-PdBI survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderl, S.; Maret, S.; Cabrit, S.; Belloche, A.; Maury, A. J.; André, Ph.; Codella, C.; Bacmann, A.; Bontemps, S.; Podio, L.; Gueth, F.; Bergin, E.

    2016-06-01

    pure N2 ices. Furthermore, we find very low CO abundances inside the snow lines in our sources, about an order of magnitude lower than the total CO abundance observed in the gas on large scales in molecular clouds before depletion sets in. Conclusions: The high CO binding energy may hint at CO being frozen out in a polar ice environment like amorphous water ice or in non-polar CO2-rich ice. The low CO abundances are comparable to values found in protoplanetary disks, which may indicate an evolutionary scenario where these low values are already established in the protostellar phase. Based on observations carried out under project number U052 with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain).

  11. The multi-phase winds of Markarian 231: from the hot, nuclear, ultra-fast wind to the galaxy-scale, molecular outflow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feruglio, C.; Fiore, F.; Carniani, S.; Piconcelli, E.; Zappacosta, L.; Bongiorno, A.; Cicone, C.; Maiolino, R.; Marconi, A.; Menci, N.; Puccetti, S.; Veilleux, S.

    2015-11-01

    kinetic energy is transferred to mechanical energy of the kpc-scale outflow, strongly supporting that the energy released during accretion of matter onto super-massive black holes is the ultimate driver of giant massive outflows. The momentum flux dot {P}OF derived for the large scale outflows in Mrk 231 enables us to estimate a momentum boost dot {P}OF/ dot {P} UFO ≈ [30-60]. The ratios Ėkin,UFO/Lbol,AGN = [1-5] % and Ėkin,OF/Lbol,AGN = [1-3] % agree with the requirements of the most popular models of AGN feedback. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain), and with Chandra and NuSTAR observatories.

  12. Testing the universality of the star-formation efficiency in dense molecular gas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimajiri, Y.; André, Ph.; Braine, J.; Könyves, V.; Schneider, N.; Bontemps, S.; Ladjelate, B.; Roy, A.; Gao, Y.; Chen, H.

    2017-08-01

    -dependent HCN conversion factor for external galaxies: αHerschel - HCNfit' = 64 × G0-0.34. Re-estimating the dense gas masses in external galaxies with αHerschel - HCNfit'(G0), we found that SFEdense is remarkably constant, with a scatter of less than 1.5 orders of magnitude around 4.5 × 10-8 yr-1, over eight orders of magnitude in dense gas mass. Conclusions: Our results confirm that SFEdense of galaxies is quasi-universal on a wide range of scales from 1-10 pc to > 10 kpc. Based on the tight link between star formation and filamentary structure found in Herschel studies of nearby clouds, we argue that SFEdense is primarily set by the "microphysics" of core and star formation along filaments. Partly based on observations carried out with the IRAM 30 m Telescope under project numbers 150-14 and 032-15. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain).

  13. Molecular gas properties of a lensed star-forming galaxy at z 3.6: a case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dessauges-Zavadsky, M.; Zamojski, M.; Rujopakarn, W.; Richard, J.; Sklias, P.; Schaerer, D.; Combes, F.; Ebeling, H.; Rawle, T. D.; Egami, E.; Boone, F.; Clément, B.; Kneib, J.-P.; Nyland, K.; Walth, G.

    2017-09-01

    galaxy evolution models. Instead, the measured molecular gas fraction as high as 60-79% in MACSJ0032-arc favors the continued increase in the gas fraction of galaxies with redshift as expected, despite the plateau observed between z 1.5 and z 2.5. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer, the IRAM 30 m telescope, and the NRAO Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. The Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM) is supported by CNRS/INSU (France), the MPG (Germany), and the IGN (Spain). The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

  14. Analysis of hydrogen as a Transportation Fuel FY17 Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pratt, Richard M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Luzi, Francesco [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Wilcox Freeburg, Eric D. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2017-09-30

    This report summarizes the results of literature reviews, surveys and analyses performed to evaluate the potential of hydrogen-fueled vehicles to be an economically viable transportation alternative. Five existing and important drivers of expanding hydrogen-fueled transportation adoption are multi-billion dollar sales reservations of Nikola Class 8 trucks, CALSTART viability analysis of hybrid-hydrogen drayage trucks in the shipyard cargo application, analysis showing economic advantages of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV)s over Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV)s beginning at 150-mile ranges, the announcement of a commercial 5kg electrolyzer, and commercial plans or vehicle availability by nine vehicle manufacturers of FCEV passenger vehicles. But hydrogen infrastructure availability needed to support broad adoption of hydrogen-fueled vehicles is limited to less than 50 publicly-available refueling stations, primarily in California. The demand side (consumer) economics associated with FCEV adoption showed strong economic sensitivity to the original vehicle’s fuel economy (mpg), distance traveled, and hydrogen (H2) generation costs. Seven use cases were used to evaluate the broad range of potential FCEV purchasers, including autonomous vehicle applications. Each consumer use case analysis resulted in a different hydrogen fuel cost that would be equivalent to the current fuel cost being paid by the consumer. The H2 generation costs (supply side) were sensitive to the volume of H2 supplied and H2 production costs needed to repay H2 supply facility capital costs and produce competitively-priced energy. H2FAST was used to more accurately incorporate capital, maintenance and production costs into a viable H2 supply cost to the consumer. When the H2 generation and consumer economics were combined, several applications with positive economics became clear. The availability of low-cost hydrogen pipeline connections, and therefore low-cost hydrogen, greatly benefits the

  15. Deepest Wide-Field Colour Image in the Southern Sky

    Science.gov (United States)

    2003-01-01

    LA SILLA CAMERA OBSERVES CHANDRA DEEP FIELD SOUTH ESO PR Photo 02a/03 ESO PR Photo 02a/03 [Preview - JPEG: 400 x 437 pix - 95k] [Normal - JPEG: 800 x 873 pix - 904k] [HiRes - JPEG: 4000 x 4366 pix - 23.1M] Caption : PR Photo 02a/03 shows a three-colour composite image of the Chandra Deep Field South (CDF-S) , obtained with the Wide Field Imager (WFI) camera on the 2.2-m MPG/ESO telescope at the ESO La Silla Observatory (Chile). It was produced by the combination of about 450 images with a total exposure time of nearly 50 hours. The field measures 36 x 34 arcmin 2 ; North is up and East is left. Technical information is available below. The combined efforts of three European teams of astronomers, targeting the same sky field in the southern constellation Fornax (The Oven) have enabled them to construct a very deep, true-colour image - opening an exceptionally clear view towards the distant universe . The image ( PR Photo 02a/03 ) covers an area somewhat larger than the full moon. It displays more than 100,000 galaxies, several thousand stars and hundreds of quasars. It is based on images with a total exposure time of nearly 50 hours, collected under good observing conditions with the Wide Field Imager (WFI) on the MPG/ESO 2.2m telescope at the ESO La Silla Observatory (Chile) - many of them extracted from the ESO Science Data Archive . The position of this southern sky field was chosen by Riccardo Giacconi (Nobel Laureate in Physics 2002) at a time when he was Director General of ESO, together with Piero Rosati (ESO). It was selected as a sky region towards which the NASA Chandra X-ray satellite observatory , launched in July 1999, would be pointed while carrying out a very long exposure (lasting a total of 1 million seconds, or 278 hours) in order to detect the faintest possible X-ray sources. The field is now known as the Chandra Deep Field South (CDF-S) . The new WFI photo of CDF-S does not reach quite as deep as the available images of the "Hubble Deep Fields

  16. Charting the Giants

    Science.gov (United States)

    2004-06-01

    the very massive galaxy cluster RXCJ1131.9-1955 at redshift z = 0.306 [3] in a very rich galaxy field with two major concentrations. It was originally found by George Abell and designated "Abell 1300". The image was obtained with the ESO/MPG 2.2-m telescope and the WFI camera at La Silla. ESO PR Photo 18c/04 ESO PR Photo 18c/04 Galaxy Cluster RXCJ0937.9-2020 [Preview - JPEG: 400 x 746 pix - 60k] [Normal - JPEG: 800 x 1491 pix - 1.3M] [HiRes - JPEG: 2380 x 4437 pix - 14.2M] Caption: PR Photo 18c/04 shows the much smaller, more nearby galaxy group RXCJ0937.9-2020 at a redshift of z = 0.034 [3]. It is dominated by the massive elliptical galaxy seen at the top of the image. The photo covers only the southern part of this group. Such galaxy groups with typical masses of a few 1013 solar masses constitute the smallest objects included in the REFLEX catalogue. This image was obtained with the FORS1 multi-mode instrument on the ESO 8.2-m VLT Antu telescope. ESO PR Video Clip 05/04 ESO PR Video Clip 05/04 Galaxy Clusters in the REFLEX Catalogue (3D-visualization) [MPG - 11.7Mb] Caption: ESO PR Video Clip 05/04 illustrates the three-dimensional distribution of the galaxy clusters identfied in the ROSAT All-Sky survey in the northern and southern sky. In addition to the galaxy clusters in the REFLEX catalogue this movie also contains those identified during the ongoing, deeper search for X-ray clusters: the extension of the southern REFLEX Survey and the northern complementary survey that is conducted by the MPE team at the Calar Alto observatory and at US observatories in collaboration with John Huchra and coworkers at the Harvard-Smithonian Center for Astrophysics. In total, more than 1400 X-ray bright galaxy cluster have been found to date. (Prepared by Ferdinand Jamitzky.) Following this idea, a European team of astronomers [2], under the leadership of Hans Böhringer (MPE, Garching, Germany), Luigi Guzzo (INAF, Milano, Italy), Chris A. Collins (JMU, Liverpool), and Peter

  17. Complex organic molecules in strongly UV-irradiated gas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuadrado, S.; Goicoechea, J. R.; Cernicharo, J.; Fuente, A.; Pety, J.; Tercero, B.

    2017-07-01

    minor role of pure gas-phase deuteration at very high temperatures. We find a HCO/H2CO/CH3OH ≃ 1/5/3 abundance ratio. These ratios are different from those inferred in hot cores and shocks. Taking into account the elevated gas and dust temperatures at the edge of the Bar (mostly mantle-free grains), we suggest the following scenarios for the formation of COMs: (I) hot gas-phase reactions not included in current models; (II) warm grain-surface chemistry; or (III) the PDR dynamics is such that COMs or precursors formed in cold icy grains deeper inside the molecular cloud desorb and advect into the PDR. Based on observations obtained with the IRAM 30 m telescope. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain).

  18. TIMASSS: the IRAS 16293-2422 millimeter and submillimeter spectral survey. I. Observations, calibration, and analysis of the line kinematics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caux, E.; Kahane, C.; Castets, A.; Coutens, A.; Ceccarelli, C.; Bacmann, A.; Bisschop, S.; Bottinelli, S.; Comito, C.; Helmich, F. P.; Lefloch, B.; Parise, B.; Schilke, P.; Tielens, A. G. G. M.; van Dishoeck, E.; Vastel, C.; Wakelam, V.; Walters, A.

    2011-08-01

    of both objects is consistent with the hypothesis that the source B rotates around the source A. Conclusions: This spectral survey, although obtained with single-dish telescopes at a low spatial resolution, allows us to separate the emission from two different components, thanks to the large number of lines detected. The data of the survey are public and can be retrieved on the TIMASSS web site. Based on observations with the IRAM-30 m telescope (IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain)), and with the JCMT-15 m telescope (operated by the Joint Astronomy Centre on behalf of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands Organisation of Scientific Research, and the National Research Council of Canada).Tables 2-4 are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.orgSurvey data is available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/532/A23.

  19. A LABOCA SURVEY OF THE EXTENDED CHANDRA DEEP FIELD SOUTH-SUBMILLIMETER PROPERTIES OF NEAR-INFRARED SELECTED GALAXIES

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greve, T. R.; Walter, F.; Bell, E. F.; Dannerbauer, H.; Rix, H.-W.; Schinnerer, E.; Weiss, A.; Kovacs, A.; Smail, I.; Coppin, K. E. K.; Alexander, D.; Zheng, X. Z.; Knudsen, K. K.; Bertoldi, F.; De Breuck, C.; Dickinson, M.; Gawiser, E.; Lutz, D.; Brandt, N.; Chapman, S. C.

    2010-01-01

    Using the 330 hr ESO-MPG 870 μm survey of the Extended Chandra Deep Field South (ECDF-S) obtained with the Large Apex BOlometer CAmera (LABOCA) on the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX), we have carried out a stacking analysis at submillimeter (submm) wavelengths of a sample of 8266 near-infra-red (near-IR) selected (K vega ≤ 20) galaxies, including 893 BzK galaxies, 1253 extremely red objects (EROs), and 737 distant red galaxies (DRGs), selected from the Multi-wavelength Survey by Yale-Chile (MUSYC). We measure average 870 μm fluxes of 0.22 ± 0.01 mJy (22.0σ), 0.48 ± 0.04 mJy (12.0σ), 0.39 ± 0.03 mJy (13.0σ), and 0.43 ± 0.04 mJy (10.8σ) for the K vega ≤ 20, BzK, ERO, and DRG samples, respectively. For the BzK, ERO, and DRG sub-samples, which overlap to some degree and are likely to be at z ≅ 1-2, this implies an average far-IR luminosity of ∼(1-5) x 10 11 L sun and star formation rate (SFR) of ∼20-90 M sun . Splitting the BzK galaxies into star-forming (sBzK) and passive (pBzK) galaxies, the former is significantly detected (0.50 ± 0.04 mJy, 12.5σ) while the latter is only marginally detected (0.34 ± 0.10 mJy, 3.4σ), thus confirming that the sBzK and pBzK criteria to some extent select obscured, star-forming, and truly passive galaxies, respectively. The K vega ≤ 20 galaxies are found to contribute 7.27 ± 0.34 Jy deg -2 (16.5% ± 5.7%) to the 870 μm extragalactic background light (EBL). sBzK and pBzK galaxies contribute 1.49 ± 0.22 Jy deg -2 (3.4% ± 1.3%) and 0.20 ± 0.14 Jy deg -2 (0.5% ± 0.3%) to the EBL. We present the first delineation of the average submm signal from the K vega ≤ 20 selected galaxies and their contribution to the submm EBL as a function of (photometric) redshift, and find a decline in the average submm signal (and therefore IR luminosity and SFR) by a factor ∼2-3 from z ∼ 2 to z ∼ 0. This is in line with a cosmic star formation history in which the star formation activity in galaxies increases

  20. Circumstellar ammonia in oxygen-rich evolved stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, K. T.; Menten, K. M.; Kamiński, T.; Wyrowski, F.; Lacy, J. H.; Greathouse, T. K.

    2018-04-01

    pumping and is at least ten times higher than that in the carbon-rich CSE of IRC +10216. NH3 in OH 231.8+4.2 and IRC +10420 is found to emit in gas denser than the ambient medium. Incidentally, we also derived a new period of IK Tau from its V-band light curve. Conclusions: NH3 is again detected in very high abundance in evolved stars, especially the oxygen-rich ones. Its emission mainly arises from localised spatial-kinematic structures that are probably denser than the ambient gas. Circumstellar shocks in the accelerated wind may contribute to the production of NH3. Future mid-infrared spectroscopy and radio imaging studies are necessary to constrain the radii and physical conditions of the formation regions of NH3. Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.Based on observations carried out under project numbers 216-09, 212-10, and 052-15 with the IRAM 30m Telescope. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain).Based on observations with ISO, an ESA project with instruments funded by ESA Member States (especially the PI countries: France, Germany, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom) and with the participation of ISAS and NASA.All the spectra used in the article are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/612/A48

  1. In Tarantula Territory

    Science.gov (United States)

    2002-06-01

    The largest emission nebula in the sky, the Tarantula Nebula (also known as NGC 2070 or 30 Doradus ) is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) , one of the satellite galaxies to our own Milky Way system. Seen far down in the southern sky at a distance of about 170,000 light-years, this beautiful nebula measures more than 1000 light-years across and extends over more than one third of a degree, almost, but not quite the size of the full moon. It received its descriptive name because of the unusual shape. It is a splendid object with a central cluster of hot and luminous young stars that powers strong emission from hydrogen and oxygen gas, making the Tarantula Nebula an easy and impressive target for observations, even with the unaided eye. It is well visible from ESO's mountain observatories at La Silla and Paranal in Chile and it has been the object of innumerable research programmes with many different telescopes. The present images of the Tarantula Nebula were obtained with the Wide-Field Imager (WFI) on the MPG/ESO 2.2-m telescope at the La Silla Observatory. This advanced digital camera has already produced many impressive pictures, cf. the WFI Photo Gallery [1]. As the name indicates, the WFI has a comparatively large field-of-view, 34 x 34 arcmin 2 , and it is therefore well suited to show the full extent of this stunning nebula. The WFI image PR Photo 14a/02 has been produced from 15 individual WFI-exposures obtained in September 2000. Details are available below about the way it was made. A large number of different and colourful objects are seen in this amazing image. The very complex nebulosity is prominent in most of the field; it predominantly emits red light from hydrogen atoms (the H-alpha spectral line at wavelength 656.2 nm) and green-blue light from hydrogen atoms (H-beta line at 486.2 nm) and oxygen ions (two [O III] lines at 495.7 and 500.7 nm). This emission is excited by the strong ultraviolet (UV) radiation emitted by hot young stars in

  2. Brilliant Star in a Colourful Neighbourhood

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    A spectacular new image from ESO's Wide Field Imager at the La Silla Observatory in Chile shows the brilliant and unusual star WR 22 and its colourful surroundings. WR 22 is a very hot and bright star that is shedding its atmosphere into space at a rate many millions of times faster than the Sun. It lies in the outer part of the dramatic Carina Nebula from which it formed. Very massive stars live fast and die young. Some of these stellar beacons have such intense radiation passing through their thick atmospheres late in their lives that they shed material into space many millions of times more quickly than relatively sedate stars such as the Sun. These rare, very hot and massive objects are known as Wolf-Rayet stars [1], after the two French astronomers who first identified them in the mid-nineteenth century, and one of the most massive ones yet measured is known as WR 22. It appears at the centre of this picture, which was created from images taken through red, green and blue filters with the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile. WR 22 is a member of a double star system and has been measured to have a mass at least 70 times that of the Sun. WR 22 lies in the southern constellation of Carina, the keel of Jason's ship Argo in Greek mythology. Although the star lies over 5000 light-years from the Earth it is so bright that it can just be faintly seen with the unaided eye under good conditions. WR 22 is one of many exceptionally brilliant stars associated with the beautiful Carina Nebula (also known as NGC 3372) and the outer part of this huge region of star formation in the southern Milky Way forms the colourful backdrop to this image. The subtle colours of the rich background tapestry are a result of the interactions between the intense ultraviolet radiation coming from hot massive stars, including WR 22, and the vast gas clouds, mostly hydrogen, from which they formed. The central part of this enormous complex

  3. Ethnomedical uses and pharmacological activities of most prevalent species of genus Piper in Panama: A review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durant-Archibold, Armando A; Santana, Ana I; Gupta, Mahabir P

    2018-05-10

    Piperaceae is the fifth largest family of plants in Panama. This review focuses on the ethnomedical uses of the most prevalent Panamanian species and biological activities of their extracts and/or constituents both in Panama and worldwide. Many species have a plethora of ethnomedical uses such as antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-Helicobacter pylori, antiulcer, antiprotozoal, estrogenic, insecticidal, local anesthetic, diuretic, and for women's health conditions. The aim of this review is to compile all ethnomedical uses of most prevalent species of Piper in Panama, and their extracts or phytoconstituents worldwide, through a complete literature search, so that it may allow selection of potential unexplored Piper species for future research and development of phytotherapeuticals for important ailments. This review conducted a thorough search in books and databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Sci-Finder, Scopus, ACS publications, Science Direct, and Reaxys (Elsevier), until October of 2017. The information provided in this review is based on peer-reviewed papers only in English. The key words used to search were: "Piper", "Piperaceae", "Panama", "Pharmacological activity", "Chemistry," "Toxicity," and "Clinical studies". Scientific names of the plants were validated through www.tropicos.org. Potential full-texts of eligible papers, irrespective of database, were identified. Study selection and data extraction were conducted by one author (AIS) and confirmed by others (MPG, ADA). The extracted data were summarized in tabular form and a narrative description was used to provide a summary of updated information. The ethnomedical uses of most prevalent 23 Panamanian species of Piper both in Panama as well in the world are provided. Of these species only Piper arboreum, Piper auritum, Piper cordulatum, Piper hispidum, Piper dariense, Piper multiplinervium and Piper umbellatum have ethnomedical uses in Panama. Some of the

  4. Britain Approaches ESO about Installation of Major New Telescope at Paranal

    Science.gov (United States)

    2000-02-01

    interesting celestial objects which can then be studied in much more detail with the many specialised instruments at the powerful VLT Unit Telescopes." ESO, the European Southern Observatory, has eight member states, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. The United Kingdom participated actively in the early discussions in the 1950's about the establishment of ESO, but later elected not to join, mainly because of its access to other southern astronomical facilities in Australia and South Africa. ESO already possesses a smaller survey instrument at the La Silla Observatory (Chile), with the optical Wide-Field Imager at the ESO/MPG 2.2-m telescope. In addition, the 2.6-m VLT Survey Telescope (VST) with the 16kx16k OmegaCam camera will be installed at Paranal in 2002. It will operate in the visual region of the spectrum and, together with VISTA's infrared capability, ensure unequalled sky- and wavelength coverage from one observing site. Notes [1] The announcement was made in a PPARC Press Release, available at http://www.pparc.ac.uk and at the AlphaGalileo site. [2] Universities in the VISTA Consortium are (in alphabetical order) Birmingham, Cambridge, Cardiff, Durham, Edinburgh, Hertfordshire, Keele, Central Lancashire, Leicester, Liverpool John Moores, Nottingham, Oxford, Queen Mary & Westfield College, Queen's University Belfast, St Andrews, Southampton, Sussex, University College London.

  5. The millimeter IRAM-30 m line survey toward IK Tauri

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velilla Prieto, L.; Sánchez Contreras, C.; Cernicharo, J.; Agúndez, M.; Quintana-Lacaci, G.; Bujarrabal, V.; Alcolea, J.; Balança, C.; Herpin, F.; Menten, K. M.; Wyrowski, F.

    2017-01-01

    chemical models for some molecules, highlight the need for a revision of standard chemical models. We were able to identify at least two different emission components in terms of rotational temperatures. The warm component, which is mainly traced out by SO2, is probably arising from the inner regions of the envelope (at ≲8 R∗) where SO2 has a fractional abundance of f(SO2) 10-6. This result should be considered for future investigation of the main formation channels of this, and other, parent species in the inner winds of O-rich AGB stars, which at present are not well reproduced by current chemistry models. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM-30 m Telescope. The Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM) is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain).Full Tables E.1 and E.2 and the reduced spectrum (FITS file) are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/597/A25

  6. Predição da composição corporal e dos requisitos de energia e proteína para ganho de peso de bovinos, não-castrados, alimentados com rações contendo diferentes níveis de concentrado Prediction of body composition and of energy and protein requirements for weight gain of Nellore bulls, fed diet with different levels of concentrate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonia Sherlânea Chaves Véras

    2001-06-01

    concentrate. The methodologies and the procedures were standardized and facilitated the overall analysis of the data. Regression equations of fat, protein and energy contents were fitted on the empty body weight (EBW of animals. By deriving these equations, the composition of EBW gain was obtained. The results showed that, for live weight gain: empty body weight gain ratio, the live weight gain should be multiplied by the factor .964. The protein and energy net requirements of a 400 kg LW bovine were 140.26 g/kg empty body weight gain (EBWG and 3.19 Mcal/kg EBWG, respectively. The MPm, MPg and CP requirements were 339.88 and 285.08 g/kg GPCVZ e 939,54 g/day, respectively. The ME and TDN requirements, for weight gain, were 8.62 Mcal/kg EBWG and 2.38 kg/kg EBWG, respectively, for diets with ME content of 2.4 Mcal/kg DM. For diets with ME content of 2.6 Mcal/kg DM, the requirements were of 6.38 Mcal/kg EBWG and 1.76 kg/kg EBWG, respectively.

  7. DEM simulation of granular flows in a centrifugal acceleration field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabrera, Miguel Angel; Peng, Chong; Wu, Wei

    2017-04-01

    The main purpose of mass-flow experimental models is abstracting distinctive features of natural granular flows, and allow its systematic study in the laboratory. In this process, particle size, space, time, and stress scales must be considered for the proper representation of specific phenomena [5]. One of the most challenging tasks in small scale models, is matching the range of stresses and strains among the particle and fluid media observed in a field event. Centrifuge modelling offers an alternative to upscale all gravity-driven processes, and it has been recently employed in the simulation of granular flows [1, 2, 3, 6, 7]. Centrifuge scaling principles are presented in Ref. [4], collecting a wide spectrum of static and dynamic models. However, for the case of kinematic processes, the non-uniformity of the centrifugal acceleration field plays a major role (i.e., Coriolis and inertial effects). In this work, we discuss a general formulation for the centrifugal acceleration field, implemented in a discrete element model framework (DEM), and validated with centrifuge experimental results. Conventional DEM simulations relate the volumetric forces as a function of the gravitational force Gp = mpg. However, in the local coordinate system of a rotating centrifuge model, the cylindrical centrifugal acceleration field needs to be included. In this rotating system, the centrifugal acceleration of a particle depends on the rotating speed of the centrifuge, as well as the position and speed of the particle in the rotating model. Therefore, we obtain the formulation of centrifugal acceleration field by coordinate transformation. The numerical model is validated with a series of centrifuge experiments of monodispersed glass beads, flowing down an inclined plane at different acceleration levels and slope angles. Further discussion leads to the numerical parameterization necessary for simulating equivalent granular flows under an augmented acceleration field. The premise of

  8. Novel Organic Materials for Multi-photon Photopolymerization and Photografting: Powerful Tools for Precise Microfabracation and Functionalization in 3D

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Z.

    2013-07-01

    benzylidene ketone-based 2PIs containing double bonds and dialkylamino groups were synthesized in one step via classical aldol condensation reactions. The results of quantum-chemical calculations and experimental tests indicated that the size of the central ring significantly affected the excited state energetics and emission quantum yields as well as the two-photon initiation efficiency. 4-methylcyclohexanone-based initiator M2CMK is far more efficient than its counterparts with a central five-membered ring. The ideal processing windows of M2CMK are as broad as those of B3FL but with much simpler synthesis. Straightforward synthesis combined with high 2PA initiation efficiency makes the novel initiator a promising candidate for commercialization. Based on the efficient core structures of cyclic benzylidene ketone, carboxylic acid sodium salts as water-borne functionalities were incorporated in order to expand the application range of 2PP to biofabrication. Those novel water-soluble 2PIs were applied to microfabrication at a writing speed as high as 100 mm/s within hydrophilic photopolymers with up to 50 wt% of water. Preliminary dark-cytotoxicity tests of the 2PIs were performed and the obtained results were compared to those of Irgacure 2959, the most commonly used photoinitiator in cell encapsulation. The second part of the thesis concerned on the novel arylazide used for multi-photon induced photografting (MPG), a powerful tool for 3D site-specific functionalization. As a proof-of-concept, commercial aromatic azide BAC-M was successfully grafted within the 3D matrix with high resolution under three-photon excitation. In order to enhance the grafting efficiency and reduce the required energies, we designed and synthesized a series of novel 2PA active fluoroaryl azides containing 'push-pull' structures. Desired functionalities, such as alkene and alkyne groups, were introduced at the terminal amino groups for post-modification after two-photon photografting. (author

  9. Light Dawns on Dark Gamma-ray Bursts

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-01

    Gamma-ray bursts are among the most energetic events in the Universe, but some appear curiously faint in visible light. The biggest study to date of these so-called dark gamma-ray bursts, using the GROND instrument on the 2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope at La Silla in Chile, has found that these gigantic explosions don't require exotic explanations. Their faintness is now fully explained by a combination of causes, the most important of which is the presence of dust between the Earth and the explosion. Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), fleeting events that last from less than a second to several minutes, are detected by orbiting observatories that can pick up their high energy radiation. Thirteen years ago, however, astronomers discovered a longer-lasting stream of less energetic radiation coming from these violent outbursts, which can last for weeks or even years after the initial explosion. Astronomers call this the burst's afterglow. While all gamma-ray bursts [1] have afterglows that give off X-rays, only about half of them were found to give off visible light, with the rest remaining mysteriously dark. Some astronomers suspected that these dark afterglows could be examples of a whole new class of gamma-ray bursts, while others thought that they might all be at very great distances. Previous studies had suggested that obscuring dust between the burst and us might also explain why they were so dim. "Studying afterglows is vital to further our understanding of the objects that become gamma-ray bursts and what they tell us about star formation in the early Universe," says the study's lead author Jochen Greiner from the Max-Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching bei München, Germany. NASA launched the Swift satellite at the end of 2004. From its orbit above the Earth's atmosphere it can detect gamma-ray bursts and immediately relay their positions to other observatories so that the afterglows could be studied. In the new study, astronomers combined Swift

  10. Molecular gas in the Herschel-selected strongly lensed submillimeter galaxies at z 2-4 as probed by multi-J CO lines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, C.; Omont, A.; Beelen, A.; Gao, Y.; van der Werf, P.; Gavazzi, R.; Zhang, Z.-Y.; Ivison, R.; Lehnert, M.; Liu, D.; Oteo, I.; González-Alfonso, E.; Dannerbauer, H.; Cox, P.; Krips, M.; Neri, R.; Riechers, D.; Baker, A. J.; Michałowski, M. J.; Cooray, A.; Smail, I.

    2017-12-01

    . The total mass of the molecular gas reservoir, (1-30) × 1010M⊙, derived based on the CO(3-2) fluxes and αCO(1-0) = 0.8 M⊙ ( K km s-1 pc2)-1, suggests a typical molecular gas depletion time tdep 20-100 Myr and a gas to dust mass ratio δGDR 30-100 with 20%-60% uncertainty for the SMGs. The ratio between CO line luminosity and the dust mass L'CO/Mdust appears to be slowly increasing with redshift for high-redshift SMGs, which need to be further confirmed by a more complete SMG sample at various redshifts. Finally, through comparing the linewidth of CO and H2O lines, we find that they agree well in almost all our SMGs, confirming that the emitting regions of the CO and H2O lines are co-spatially located. Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.Based on observations carried out under project number 076-16, 196-15 and 079-15 (PI: C. Yang); 252-11 and 124-11 (PI: P. van de Werf) with the IRAM-30 m Telescope. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain).The reduced spectra (FITS files) are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/608/A144

  11. New species of ice nucleating fungi in soil and air

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fröhlich-Nowoisky, Janine; Hill, Thomas C. J.; Pummer, Bernhard G.; Franc, Gray D.; Pöschl, Ulrich

    2014-05-01

    -8°C. The IN seem not be bound to cells because they can be easily washed off the mycelium. They pass through a 0.1 µm filter and can be inactivated by 60°C treatment. Ongoing investigations of various soil and air samples indicate that diverse ice nucleation active fungi from more than one phylum are not only present in air and soil but can also be abundant components of the cultivable community. A recently discovered group of IN fungi in soil was also found to possess easily suspendable IN smaller than 300 kDa. Ice nucleating fungal mycelium may ramify topsoils and release cell-free IN into it. If some of these IN survive decomposition or are adsorbed onto mineral surfaces this contribution will accumulate over time, perhaps to be transported with soil dust and influencing its ice nucleating properties. Thanks for collaboration and support to M.O. Andreae, B. Baumgartner, I. Germann-Müller, T. Godwill, L.E. Hanson, A.T. Kunert, J. Meeks, T. Pooya, S. Lelieveld, J. Odhiambo Obuya, C. Ruzene-Nespoli, and D. Sebazungu. The Max Planck Society (MPG), Ice Nuclei research UnIT (INUIT), the German Research Foundation (PO1013/5-1), and the National Science Foundation (NSF, grant 0841542) are acknowledged for financial support. 1. Fröhlich-Nowoisky, J., et al. (2009) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci., 106, 12814-12819 2. Després, V. R., et al. (2012) Tellus B, 64, 15598 3. Georgakopoulos, D.G., et al. (2009) Biogeosciences, 6, 721-737 4. Pouleur, S., et al. (1992) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 58, 2960-2964 5. Burrows, S.M., et al. (2009a) Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, (23), 9281-9297 6. Burrows, S.M., et al. (2009b) Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, (23), 9263-9280 7. Fröhlich-Nowoisky, J., et al. (2012) Biogeosciences, 9, 1125-1136 8. Huffman A. J. et al. (2013) Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 6151-6164

  12. Influence of plant productivity over variability of soil respiration: a multi-scale approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curiel Yuste, J.

    2009-04-01

    general controlled by the seasonality of substrate supply by plants (via photosynthates translocation and/or litter) to soil. Although soil temperature and soil moisture exert a strong influence over the variation in SR, our results indicates that substrate supply by plant activity could exert a more important than previously expected role in the variability of soil respiration. 1. CREAF (Centre de Recerca Ecológica i Aplicacions Forestals), Unitat d'Ecofisiologia i Canvi Global CREAF-CEAB-CSIC, BELLATERRA (Barcelona), Spain (j.curiel@creaf.uab.es) 2. University of Antwerp (UA), Antwerp, Belgium (ivan.janssens@ua.ac.be) 3. Institute of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria (michael.bahn@uibk.ac.at) 4. UMR Ecologie et Ecophysiologie Forestières, Centre INRA de Nancy, France (longdoz@nancy.inra.fr) 5. ESPM, University of Calicornia at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, US (baldocchi@nature.berkeley.edu) 6. The Woods Hole Research Center, Falmouth, USA (edavidson@whrc.org) 7. Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany (markus.reichstein@bgc-jena.mpg.de) 8. Institute of Systems Biology and Ecology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Czech Republic (manuel@brno.cas.cz) 9. Università degli studi della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy (arriga@unitus.it) 10. Laurence Berkeley lab, Berkeley, CA, USA (mstorn@lbl.gov) 11. Gembloux Agricultural University, Gembloux, Belgium (aubinet.m@fsagx.ac.be) 12. Fundacion CEAM(Centro de Estudios Ambientales del Mediterráneo), Valencia, Spain (arnaud@ceam.es) 13. Institute of Hydrology and Meteorology, Technische Universität Dresden, Pienner, Germany (gruenwald@forst.tu-dresden.de) 14. Department of Environmental Sciences, Second University of Naples, Caserta, Italy (ilaria.inglima@unina2.it) 15. CNRS-CEFE Montpellier, France (Laurent.MISSON@cefe.cnrs.fr) 16. Agenzia Provinciale per l'Ambiente, Bolzano, Italy (leonar@inwind.it) 17. University of Helsinki Department of Forest Ecology, Helsinki, Finland (jukka

  13. Atoms-for-Peace: A Galactic Collision in Action

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-11-01

    European Southern Observatory astronomers have produced a spectacular new image of the famous Atoms-for-Peace galaxy (NGC 7252). This galactic pile-up, formed by the collision of two galaxies, provides an excellent opportunity for astronomers to study how mergers affect the evolution of the Universe. Atoms-for-Peace is the curious name given to a pair of interacting and merging galaxies that lie around 220 million light-years away in the constellation of Aquarius. It is also known as NGC 7252 and Arp 226 and is just bright enough to be seen by amateur astronomers as a very faint small fuzzy blob. This very deep image was produced by ESO's Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile. A galaxy collision is one of the most important processes influencing how our Universe evolves, and studying them reveals important clues about galactic ancestry. Luckily, such collisions are long drawn-out events that last hundreds of millions of years, giving astronomers plenty of time to observe them. This picture of Atoms-for-Peace represents a snapshot of its collision, with the chaos in full flow, set against a rich backdrop of distant galaxies. The results of the intricate interplay of gravitational interactions can be seen in the shapes of the tails made from streams of stars, gas and dust. The image also shows the incredible shells that formed as gas and stars were ripped out of the colliding galaxies and wrapped around their joint core. While much material was ejected into space, other regions were compressed, sparking bursts of star formation. The result was the formation of hundreds of very young star clusters, around 50 to 500 million years old, which are speculated to be the progenitors of globular clusters. Atoms-for-Peace may be a harbinger of our own galaxy's fate. Astronomers predict that in three or four billion years the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy will collide, much as has happened with Atoms-for-Peace. But don

  14. Complex organic molecules in the interstellar medium: IRAM 30 m line survey of Sagittarius B2(N) and (M)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belloche, A.; Müller, H. S. P.; Menten, K. M.; Schilke, P.; Comito, C.

    2013-11-01

    isotopologues of vinyl cyanide, cyanoacetylene, and hydrogen cyanide. We also report the detection of transitions from within twelve new vibrationally or torsionally excited states of known molecules. Absorption features produced by diffuse clouds along the line of sight are detected in transitions with low rotation quantum numbers of many simple molecules and are modeled with ~30-40 velocity components with typical linewidths of ~3-5 km s-1. Conclusions: Although the large number of unidentified lines may still allow future identification of new molecules, we expect most of these lines to belong to vibrationally or torsionally excited states or to rare isotopologues of known molecules for which spectroscopic predictions are currently missing. Significant progress in extending the inventory of complex organic molecules in Sgr B2(N) and deriving tighter constraints on their location, origin, and abundance is expected in the near future thanks to an ongoing spectral line survey at 3 mm with ALMA in its cycles 0 and 1. The present single-dish survey will serve as a solid basis for the line identification and analysis of such an interferometric survey. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM 30 m telescope. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain).Figures 2-7 and Tables 6-107 are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.orgThe observed and synthetic 3 mm spectra of Sgr B2(N) and (M), as well as the lists of line identifications corresponding to the blue lab- els in Figs. 2-7, are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/559/A47

  15. The Milky Way's Tiny but Tough Galactic Neighbour

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-10-01

    Today ESO announces the release of a stunning new image of one of our nearest galactic neighbours, Barnard's Galaxy, also known as NGC 6822. The galaxy contains regions of rich star formation and curious nebulae, such as the bubble clearly visible in the upper left of this remarkable vista. Astronomers classify NGC 6822 as an irregular dwarf galaxy because of its odd shape and relatively diminutive size by galactic standards. The strange shapes of these cosmic misfits help researchers understand how galaxies interact, evolve and occasionally "cannibalise" each other, leaving behind radiant, star-filled scraps. In the new ESO image, Barnard's Galaxy glows beneath a sea of foreground stars in the direction of the constellation of Sagittarius (the Archer). At the relatively close distance of about 1.6 million light-years, Barnard's Galaxy is a member of the Local Group, the archipelago of galaxies that includes our home, the Milky Way. The nickname of NGC 6822 comes from its discoverer, the American astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard, who first spied this visually elusive cosmic islet using a 125-millimetre aperture refractor in 1884. Astronomers obtained this latest portrait using the Wide Field Imager (WFI) attached to the 2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in northern Chile. Even though Barnard's Galaxy lacks the majestic spiral arms and glowing, central bulge that grace its big galactic neighbours, the Milky Way, the Andromeda and the Triangulum galaxies, this dwarf galaxy has no shortage of stellar splendour and pyrotechnics. Reddish nebulae in this image reveal regions of active star formation, where young, hot stars heat up nearby gas clouds. Also prominent in the upper left of this new image is a striking bubble-shaped nebula. At the nebula's centre, a clutch of massive, scorching stars send waves of matter smashing into the surrounding interstellar material, generating a glowing structure that appears ring-like from our perspective

  16. Effect of Intake Air Filter Condition on Vehicle Fuel Economy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Norman, Kevin M [ORNL; Huff, Shean P [ORNL; West, Brian H [ORNL

    2009-02-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) jointly maintain a fuel economy website (www.fueleconomy.gov), which helps fulfill their responsibility under the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to provide accurate fuel economy information [in miles per gallon (mpg)] to consumers. The site provides information on EPA fuel economy ratings for passenger cars and light trucks from 1985 to the present and other relevant information related to energy use such as alternative fuels and driving and vehicle maintenance tips. In recent years, fluctuations in the price of crude oil and corresponding fluctuations in the price of gasoline and diesel fuels have renewed interest in vehicle fuel economy in the United States. (User sessions on the fuel economy website exceeded 20 million in 2008 compared to less than 5 million in 2004 and less than 1 million in 2001.) As a result of this renewed interest and the age of some of the references cited in the tips section of the website, DOE authorized the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Fuels, Engines, and Emissions Research Center (FEERC) to initiate studies to validate and improve these tips. This report documents a study aimed specifically at the effect of engine air filter condition on fuel economy. The goal of this study was to explore the effects of a clogged air filter on the fuel economy of vehicles operating over prescribed test cycles. Three newer vehicles (a 2007 Buick Lucerne, a 2006 Dodge Charger, and a 2003 Toyota Camry) and an older carbureted vehicle were tested. Results show that clogging the air filter has no significant effect on the fuel economy of the newer vehicles (all fuel injected with closed-loop control and one equipped with MDS). The engine control systems were able to maintain the desired AFR regardless of intake restrictions, and therefore fuel consumption was not increased. The carbureted engine did show a decrease in

  17. Light, Wind and Fire - Beautiful Image of a Cosmic Sculpture

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-01

    000 light-years away from Earth and in close proximity to our home, the much larger Milky Way Galaxy. Like its sister the Large Magellanic Cloud, the Small Magellanic Cloud is visible with the unaided eye from the southern hemisphere and has served as an extragalactic laboratory for astronomers studying the dynamics of star formation. This particular image was obtained using the Wide Field Imager (WFI) instrument at the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. Images like this help astronomers chronicle star birth and evolution, while offering glimpses of how stellar development influences the appearance of the cosmic environment over time. More information ESO, the European Southern Observatory, is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive astronomical observatory. It is supported by 14 countries: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope, the world's most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory, and VISTA the largest survey telescope. ESO is the European partner of a revolutionary astronomical telescope ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. ESO is currently planning a 42-metre European Extremely Large optical/near-infrared Telescope, the E-ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky".

  18. More Saturnian Moons

    Science.gov (United States)

    2000-10-01

    Saturn takes the lead Following the discovery of at least four additional moons of that planet, Saturn has again taken the lead as the planet with the greatest number of known natural satellites. A corresponding announcement was made today by an international team of astronomers [1] at a meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in Pasadena (California, USA). The four new faint bodies were spotted during observations in August-September 2000 at several astronomical telescopes around the world. Subsequent orbital calculations have indicated that these objects are almost certainly new satellites of the giant planet. Two Saturnian moons found at La Silla ESO PR Photo 29a/00 ESO PR Photo 29a/00 [Preview - JPEG: 263 x 400 pix - 26k] [Normal - JPEG: 525 x 800 pix - 93k] ESO PR Photo 29b/00 ESO PR Photo 29b/00 [Preview - JPG: 289 x 400 pix - 43k] [Normal - JPG: 578 x 800 pix - 432k] ESO PR Photo 29c/00 ESO PR Photo 29c/00 [Animated GIF: 330 x 400 pix - 208k] Captions : The photos show the discovery images of two new Saturnian moons, as registered on August 7, 2000, with the Wide-Field Imager (WFI) camera at the MPG/ESO 2.2-m telescope at the La Silla Observatory. Photo PR 29a/00 displays the faint image of the newly discovered moon S/2000 S 1 in the lower right corner of the field. A spiral galaxy is seen in the upper left corner of this photo. The other objects are (background) stars in the Milky Way. Photo PR 29b/00 is a combination of three successive WFI exposures of the second moon, S/2000 S 2 . Because of its motion, there are three images (to the left). Photo PR 29c/00 is an animated GIF image of the same three exposures that demonstrates this motion. Technical details are found below. The observations of the first two objects are described on a Circular of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) that was issued today [2]. The images of these new moons were first registered on exposures made on August 7, 2000

  19. Exigências nutricionais de zebuínos: proteína Nutritional requirements of Zebu cattle: protein

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pedro Veiga Rodrigues Paulino

    2004-06-01

    objective of determining their protein requirements. Four steers were slaughtered at the beginning of the trial, compounding the reference group, three were fed at maintenance level and the remaining were uniformly allotted to a complete randomized design, of three treatments, with different levels of concentrate in the diets (5, 35, 65 %, in the total dry matter basis. As roughage was used Brachiaria brizantha and Cynodon sp. haylage. The diets were isonitrogenous and the animals were fed ad libitum. The protein content retained in the body was estimated by a regression equation obtained between the logarithm of the body content of protein and the logarithm of the empty body weight (EBW. The net requirements of protein for 1 kg of empty body gain (EBG were determined as the derivative of the equation of prediction of protein body content. The protein requirements for gain decreased as the live weight increased. The protein requirement found for an animal of 400 kg of live weight was 106.84 g/kg EBW, while for an animal of 200 kg, was 129.01 g/kg EBW. Considering a steer of 400 kg of live weight, the estimated metabolizable requirements of protein for maintenance (MPm and gain (MPg were, respectively, 339.88 and 217.14 g/kg LW. For this type of animal, the daily protein requirements in terms of degradable and undegradable protein were, respectively, 830.86 and 4.46 g. The requirement of crude protein was 835.32 g/d.

  20. Laboratory characterization and astrophysical detection of vibrationally excited states of vinyl cyanide in Orion-KL

    Science.gov (United States)

    López, A.; Tercero, B.; Kisiel, Z.; Daly, A. M.; Bermúdez, C.; Calcutt, H.; Marcelino, N.; Viti, S.; Drouin, B. J.; Medvedev, I. R.; Neese, C. F.; Pszczółkowski, L.; Alonso, J. L.; Cernicharo, J.

    2014-12-01

    = 1 ⇔ (ν11 = 1,ν15 = 1) dyad (at 806.4/809.9 K), and ν11 = 3 (at 987.9 K), are populated under warm and dense conditions, so they probe the hottest parts of the Orion-KL source. The vibrational temperatures derived for the ν11 = 1, ν11 = 2, and ν15 = 1 states are 252 ± 76 K, 242 ± 121 K, and 227 ± 68 K, respectively; all of them are close to the mean kinetic temperature of the hot core component (210 K). The total column density of CH2CHCN in the ground state is (3.0 ± 0.9) × 1015 cm-2. We report the detection of methyl isocyanide (CH3NC) for the first time in Orion-KL and a tentative detection of vinyl isocyanide (CH2CHNC). We also give column density ratios between the cyanide and isocyanide isomers, obtaining a N(CH3NC)/N(CH3CN) ratio of 0.002. Conclusions: Laboratory characterization of many previously unassigned vibrationally excited states of vinyl cyanide ranging from microwave to THz frequencies allowed us to detect these molecular species in Orion-KL. Column density, rotational and vibrational temperatures for CH2CHCN in their ground and excited states, and the isotopologues have been constrained by means of a sample of more than 1000 lines in this survey. The full Tables A.6-A.14 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/572/A44This work was based on observations carried out with the IRAM-30 m telescope. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain).

  1. X-rays Provide a New Way to Investigate Exploding Stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    2007-05-01

    exhausted. The duration of this X-ray emission traces the amount of material left on the white dwarf after the nova explosion. Optical Image of Andromeda Galaxy (M31) Optical Image of Andromeda Galaxy (M31) A well determined start time of the optical nova outburst and the X-ray turn-on and turn-off times are therefore important benchmarks for replication in computer models of novae. Whilst monitoring the M31 novae, frequently over several months, for the appearance and subsequent disappearance of the X-rays, Pietsch made an important discovery. Some novae start to emit X-rays and then turn them off again within just a few months. "These novae are a new class. They would have been overlooked before," says Pietsch. That's because previous surveys looked only every six months or so. Within that time, the fast X-ray novae could have blinked both on and off. In addition to discovering the short-lived ones, the new survey also confirms that other novae generate X-rays over a much longer time. XMM-Newton detected seven novae that were still shining X-rays into space, up to a decade after the original eruption. The differing lengths of times are thought to reflect the masses of the white dwarfs at the heart of the nova explosion. The fastest evolving novae are thought to be those coming from the most massive white dwarfs. To investigate further, the team have been awarded more XMM-Newton and Chandra observing time. They now plan to monitor M31's novae every ten days for several months, starting in November 2007 to glean more information about these puzzling stellar explosions. Notes for editors: X-ray monitoring of optical novae in M31 from July 2004 to February 2005 by W. Pietsch et al. is published in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 465, 375-392 (2007). For more information: Wolfgang Pietsch wnp@mpe.mpg.de Norbert Schartel Norbert.Schartel@sciops.esa.int

  2. Oocyte mitochondrial deletions and heteroplasmy in a bovine model of ageing and ovarian stimulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hammond, Elizabeth R; Green, Mark P; Shelling, Andrew N; Berg, Martin C; Peek, John C; Cree, Lynsey M

    2016-04-01

    the detection threshold for mtDNA heteroplasmy levels in individual oocytes, a novel NGS methodology was validated; artificial mixtures of the Bos taurus and Bos indicus mitochondrial genome were generated at 1, 2, 5, 15 and 50% ratios to experimentally mimic different levels of heteroplasmy. This NGS methodology was then employed to determine mtDNA heteroplasmy levels in single oocytes (n = 24). Oocyte mtDNA deletion and heteroplasmy data were analysed by binary logistic regression with respect to the effects of ovarian ageing and ovarian stimulation regimens. Ovarian ageing, but not ovarian stimulation, increased the number of oocytes exhibiting mtDNA deletions (P = 0.04). A minimum mtDNA heteroplasmy level of 2% was validated as a sensitive (97-100%) threshold for variant detection in individual oocytes using NGS. Few mtDNA heteroplasmies were detected across the individual oocytes, with only 15 oocyte-specific variants confined to two of the 24 oocytes studied. There was no relationship (P > 0.05) evident between ovarian ageing or ovarian stimulation and the presence of mtDNA heteroplasmies. The low number of oocytes collected from the natural ovarian cycles limited the analysis. Fertilization and developmental potential of the oocytes was not assessed as the oocytes were destroyed for mtDNA deletion and heteroplasmy analysis. If the findings of this model apply to the human, this study suggests that the incidence of mtDNA deletions increases with age, but not with degree of ovarian stimulation, while the frequency of mtDNA heteroplasmies may be low regardless of ovarian ageing or level of ovarian stimulation. Funding was provided by Fertility Associates, the Nurture Foundation for Reproductive Research, the Fertility Society of Australia, and the Auckland Medical Research Foundation. J.C.P. is a shareholder of Fertility Associates and M.P.G. received a fellowship from Fertility Associates. The other authors of this manuscript declare no conflict of interest that

  3. A Disturbed Galactic Duo

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-01

    The galaxies in this cosmic pairing, captured by the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile, display some curious features, demonstrating that each member of the duo is close enough to feel the distorting gravitational influence of the other. The gravitational tug of war has warped the spiral shape of one galaxy, NGC 3169, and fragmented the dust lanes in its companion NGC 3166. Meanwhile, a third, smaller galaxy to the lower right, NGC 3165, has a front-row seat to the gravitational twisting and pulling of its bigger neighbours. This galactic grouping, found about 70 million light-years away in the constellation Sextans (The Sextant), was discovered by the English astronomer William Herschel in 1783. Modern astronomers have gauged the distance between NGC 3169 (left) and NGC 3166 (right) as a mere 50 000 light-years, a separation that is only about half the diameter of the Milky Way galaxy. In such tight quarters, gravity can start to play havoc with galactic structure. Spiral galaxies like NGC 3169 and NGC 3166 tend to have orderly swirls of stars and dust pinwheeling about their glowing centres. Close encounters with other massive objects can jumble this classic configuration, often serving as a disfiguring prelude to the merging of galaxies into one larger galaxy. So far, the interactions of NGC 3169 and NGC 3166 have just lent a bit of character. NGC 3169's arms, shining bright with big, young, blue stars, have been teased apart, and lots of luminous gas has been drawn out from its disc. In NGC 3166's case, the dust lanes that also usually outline spiral arms are in disarray. Unlike its bluer counterpart, NGC 3166 is not forming many new stars. NGC 3169 has another distinction: the faint yellow dot beaming through a veil of dark dust just to the left of and close to the galaxy's centre [1]. This flash is the leftover of a supernova detected in 2003 and known accordingly as SN 2003cg. A supernova of this

  4. Resolving the clumpy circumstellar environment of the B[e] supergiant LHA 120-S 35

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torres, A. F.; Cidale, L. S.; Kraus, M.; Arias, M. L.; Barbá, R. H.; Maravelias, G.; Borges Fernandes, M.

    2018-05-01

    . The outermost regions show a complex structure, outlined by fragmented clumps or partial-ring features of Ca II and O I. Additionally, we observe variations in the profiles of the only visible absorption features, the He I lines. Conclusions: We suggest that LHA 120-S 35 has passed through the red-supergiant (RSG) phase and evolves back bluewards in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. In this scenario, the formation of the complex circumstellar structure could be the result of the wind-wind interactions of the post-RSG wind with the previously ejected material from the RSG. The accumulation of material in the circumstellar environment could be attributed to enhanced mass-loss, probably triggered by stellar pulsations. However, the presence of a binary companion cannot be excluded. Finally, we find that LHA 120-S 35 is the third B[e] supergiant belonging to a young stellar cluster. Based on data acquired using (1) the du Pont Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile, under the programme CNTAC 2008-02 (PI: Barbá), (2) the MPG 2.2-m Telescope at La Silla Observatory, Chile, under the programme ID.: 094.A-9029(D) and under the agreement MPI-Observatório Nacional/MCTIC, Prog. ID.: 096.A-9030(A), (3) the J. Sahade 2.15-m Telescope at Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito, operated under agreement between the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de la República Argentina and the National Universities of La Plata, Córdoba and San Juan, (4) the 8.1-m Telescope at Gemini South Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the National Science Foundation (United States), the National Research Council (Canada), CONICYT (Chile), the Australian Research Council (Australia), Ministério da Ciěncia, Tecnologia e Inovacão (Brazil) and Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva (Argentina), under the programme

  5. Risiken und Nebenwirkungen der Integration medizinischer Software in klinische IT-Strukturen – Erlanger Memorandum [Software as a medical device – side effects when applying the new European regulation on medical devices for IT products

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kaiser, J.

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available [english] European medical device regulations have been altered to cover pure software applications as well. They now may be classified as a medical device if used for medical diagnostics and/or medical treatment. Slowly, these regulations are being implemented into national law of the EEC member states, for example into the German MPG (Medical Product Law.For some software applications such as Picture Archiving and Communication systems (PACS a classification as medical device is – at least for parts of it – routine today, ruling e.g. the quality of medical monitor screens for assessment of x-ray pictures. For software applications such as patient data management systems (PDMS, electronic health records (EHR, laboratory information systems and similar systems this was not the case so far. This paper deals with the consequences which may arise if a PDMS used on intensive care units or even an EHR is now classified as a medical device, e.g. because it is able to deliver intelligent composite views on laboratory data, medical data, and treatment information to support diagnostic assessment or treatment advice.Modern clinical information systems, PDMS and EHR support the user with medical information and clinical decision support (CDSS. So there is doubt that they are used for diagnostics and/or treatment. Medical device regulations distinguish between medical product classes I (low risk, II and III (high risk of medical devices according to potential risks for the patient. IF CDSS functions e.g. as modules of a PDMS use vital sign values in the decision algorithms, the PDMS may even be classified as class II medical product, similar to e.g. intravenous pumps. If decision rules of a decision support-system are defined by IT-administrators working for a hospital itself it could even become manufacturer of the medical device.The authors discuss implications and demonstrate difficulties which arise for manufacturers as well as for hospitals or the

  6. Estimated disability-adjusted life years averted by long-term provision of long acting contraceptive methods in a Brazilian clinic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bahamondes, Luis; Bottura, Bruna F; Bahamondes, M Valeria; Gonçalves, Mayara P; Correia, Vinicius M; Espejo-Arce, Ximena; Sousa, Maria H; Monteiro, Ilza; Fernandes, Arlete

    2014-10-10

    .3 ± 5.7 (range 12-47) years in the 1980s, to 31.9 ± 7.4 (range 16-50) years in 2010-2011. The most common contraceptive chosen at the first consultation was copper IUD (48.3, 74.5 and 64.7% in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, respectively). For an evaluation over 20 years, the cumulative pregnancy rates (SEM) were 0.4 (0.2), 2.8 (2.1), 4.0 (0.4) and 1.3 (0.4) for the LNG-IUS, the implants, copper IUD and DMPA, respectively and cumulative continuation rates (SEM) were 15.1 (3.7), 3.9 (1.4), 14.1 (0.6) and 7.3 (1.7) for the LNG-IUS, implants, copper IUD and DMPA, respectively (P methods and DMPA to DALY averted was 37-60 maternal deaths; between 315 and 424 child mortalities; combined maternal morbidity and mortality and child mortality of between 634 and 853, and 1056-1412 unsafe abortions averted. The main limitations are the number of women who never returned to the clinic (overall 14% among the four methods under evaluation); consequently the pregnancy rate could be different. Other limitations include the analysis of two kinds of copper IUD and two kinds of contraceptive implants as the same IUD or implant, and the low number of users of implants. In addition, the DALY calculation relies on a number of estimates, which may vary in different parts of the world. LARC methods and DMPA are highly effective and women who were well-counselled used these methods for a long time. The benefit of averting maternal morbidity and mortality, child mortality, and unsafe abortions is an example to health policy makers to implement more family planning programmes and to offer contraceptive methods, mainly LARC and DMPA, at no cost or at affordable cost for the underprivileged population. This study received partial financial support from the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), grant # 2012/12810-4 and from the National Research Council (CNPq), grant #573747/2008-3. B.F.B., M.P.G., and V.M.C. were fellows from the scientific initiation programme from

  7. A Picture-perfect Pure-disc Galaxy

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-01

    The bright galaxy NGC 3621, captured here using the Wide Field Imager on the 2.2-metre telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile, appears to be a fine example of a classical spiral. But it is in fact rather unusual: it does not have a central bulge and is therefore described as a pure-disc galaxy. NGC 3621 is a spiral galaxy about 22 million light-years away in the constellation of Hydra (The Sea Snake). It is comparatively bright and can be seen well in moderate-sized telescopes. This picture was taken using the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile. The data were selected from the ESO archive by Joe DePasquale as part of the Hidden Treasures competition [1]. Joe's picture of NGC 3621 was ranked fifth in the competition. This galaxy has a flat pancake shape, indicating that it hasn't yet come face to face with another galaxy as such a galactic collision would have disturbed the thin disc of stars, creating a small bulge in its centre. Most astronomers think that galaxies grow by merging with other galaxies, in a process called hierarchical galaxy formation. Over time, this should create large bulges in the centres of spirals. Recent research, however, has suggested that bulgeless, or pure-disc, spiral galaxies like NGC 3621 are actually fairly common. This galaxy is of further interest to astronomers because its relative proximity allows them to study a wide range of astronomical objects within it, including stellar nurseries, dust clouds, and pulsating stars called Cepheid variables, which astronomers use as distance markers in the Universe [2]. In the late 1990s, NGC 3621 was one of 18 galaxies selected for a Key Project of the Hubble Space Telescope: to observe Cepheid variables and measure the rate of expansion of the Universe to a higher accuracy than had been possible before. In the successful project, 69 Cepheid variables were observed in this galaxy alone. Multiple monochrome images taken through

  8. A Pool of Distant Galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-11-01

    Anyone who has wondered what it might be like to dive into a pool of millions of distant galaxies of different shapes and colours, will enjoy the latest image released by ESO. Obtained in part with the Very Large Telescope, the image is the deepest ground-based U-band image of the Universe ever obtained. It contains more than 27 million pixels and is the result of 55 hours of observations with the VIMOS instrument. A Sea of Galaxies ESO PR Photo 39/08 A Pool of Distant Galaxies This uniquely beautiful patchwork image, with its myriad of brightly coloured galaxies, shows the Chandra Deep Field South (CDF-S), arguably the most observed and best studied region in the entire sky. The CDF-S is one of the two regions selected as part of the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS), an effort of the worldwide astronomical community that unites the deepest observations from ground- and space-based facilities at all wavelengths from X-ray to radio. Its primary purpose is to provide astronomers with the most sensitive census of the distant Universe to assist in their study of the formation and evolution of galaxies. The new image released by ESO combines data obtained with the VIMOS instrument in the U- and R-bands, as well as data obtained in the B-band with the Wide-Field Imager (WFI) attached to the 2.2 m MPG/ESO telescope at La Silla, in the framework of the GABODS survey. The newly released U-band image - the result of 40 hours of staring at the same region of the sky and just made ready by the GOODS team - is the deepest image ever taken from the ground in this wavelength domain. At these depths, the sky is almost completely covered by galaxies, each one, like our own galaxy, the Milky Way, home of hundreds of billions of stars. Galaxies were detected that are a billion times fainter than the unaided eye can see and over a range of colours not directly observable by the eye. This deep image has been essential to the discovery of a large number of new galaxies

  9. First Light with a 67-Million-Pixel WFI Camera

    Science.gov (United States)

    1999-01-01

    The newest astronomical instrument at the La Silla observatory is a super-camera with no less than sixty-seven million image elements. It represents the outcome of a joint project between the European Southern Observatory (ESO) , the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie (MPI-A) in Heidelberg (Germany) and the Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte (OAC) near Naples (Italy), and was installed at the 2.2-m MPG/ESO telescope in December 1998. Following careful adjustment and testing, it has now produced the first spectacular test images. With a field size larger than the Full Moon, the new digital Wide Field Imager is able to obtain detailed views of extended celestial objects to very faint magnitudes. It is the first of a new generation of survey facilities at ESO with which a variety of large-scale searches will soon be made over extended regions of the southern sky. These programmes will lead to the discovery of particularly interesting and unusual (rare) celestial objects that may then be studied with large telescopes like the VLT at Paranal. This will in turn allow astronomers to penetrate deeper and deeper into the many secrets of the Universe. More light + larger fields = more information! The larger a telescope is, the more light - and hence information about the Universe and its constituents - it can collect. This simple truth represents the main reason for building ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory. However, the information-gathering power of astronomical equipment can also be increased by using a larger detector with more image elements (pixels) , thus permitting the simultaneous recording of images of larger sky fields (or more details in the same field). It is for similar reasons that many professional photographers prefer larger-format cameras and/or wide-angle lenses to the more conventional ones. The Wide Field Imager at the 2.2-m telescope Because of technological limitations, the sizes of detectors most commonly in use in

  10. ESO's Two Observatories Merge

    Science.gov (United States)

    2005-02-01

    , a unique instrument capable of measuring stellar radial velocities with an unsurpassed accuracy better than 1 m/s, making it a very powerful tool for the discovery of extra-solar planets. In addition, astronomers have also access to the 2.2-m ESO/MPG telescope with its Wide Field Imager camera. A new control room, the RITZ (Remote Integrated Telescope Zentrum), allows operating all three ESO telescopes at La Silla from a single place. The La Silla Observatory is also the first world-class observatory to have been granted certification for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 Quality Management System. Moreover, the infrastructure of La Silla is still used by many of the ESO member states for targeted projects such as the Swiss 1.2-m Euler telescope and the robotic telescope specialized in the follow-up of gamma-ray bursts detected by satellites, the Italian REM (Rapid Eye Mount). In addition, La Silla is in charge of the APEX (Atacama Pathfinder Experiment) 12-m sub-millimetre telescope which will soon start routine observations at Chajnantor, the site of the future Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). The APEX project is a collaboration between the Max Planck Society in Germany, Onsala Observatory in Sweden and ESO. ESO also operates Paranal, home of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the VLT Interferometer (VLTI). Antu, the first 8.2-m Unit Telescope of the VLT, saw First Light in May 1998, starting what has become a revolution in European astronomy. Since then, the three other Unit Telescopes - Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun - have been successfully put into operation with an impressive suite of the most advanced astronomical instruments. The interferometric mode of the VLT (VLTI) is also operational and fully integrated in the VLT data flow system. In the VLTI mode, one state-of-the-art instrument is already available and another will follow soon. With its remarkable resolution and unsurpassed surface area, the VLT is at the forefront of

  11. A Cosmic Zoo in the Large Magellanic Cloud

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-01

    Astronomers often turn their telescopes to the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), one of the closest galaxies to our own Milky Way, in their quest to understand the Universe. In this spectacular new image from the Wide Field Imager (WFI) at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile, a celestial menagerie of different objects and phenomena in part of the LMC is on display, ranging from vast globular clusters to the remains left by brilliant supernovae explosions. This fascinating observation provides data for a wide variety of research projects unravelling the life and death of stars and the evolution of galaxies. The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is only about 160 000 light-years from our own Milky Way - very close on a cosmic scale. This proximity makes it a very important target as it can be studied in far more detail than more distant systems. The LMC lies in the constellation of Dorado (the Swordfish), deep in the southern sky and well placed for observations from ESO's observatories in Chile. It is one of the galaxies forming the Local Group surrounding the Milky Way [1]. Though enormous on a human scale, the LMC is less than one tenth the mass of our home galaxy and spans just 14 000 light-years compared to about 100 000 light-years for the Milky Way. Astronomers refer to it as an irregular dwarf galaxy [2]. Its irregularity, combined with its prominent central bar of stars suggests to astronomers that tidal interactions with the Milky Way and fellow Local Group galaxy, the Small Magellanic Cloud, could have distorted its shape from a classic barred spiral into its modern, more chaotic form. This image is a mosaic of four pictures from the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. The image covers a region of sky more than four times as large as the full Moon. The huge field of view of this camera makes it possible to see a very wide range of objects in the LMC in a single picture, although only a small part of the entire

  12. Comet Tempel 1 Went Back to Sleep

    Science.gov (United States)

    2005-07-01

    from beneath the surface. These data constitute another unique high-quality data set on comets. Comet Tempel 1 may thus be back to sleep but work only starts for the astronomers. More information On July 4, 2005, the NASA Deep Impact spacecraft launched a 360 kg impactor onto Comet 9P/Tempel 1. This experiment is seen by many as the first opportunity to study the crust and the interior of a comet, revealing new information on the early phases of the Solar System. ESO actively participated in pre- and post-impact observations. Apart from a long-term monitoring of the comet, for two days before and six days after, all major ESO telescopes - i.e. the four Unit Telescopes of the Very Large Telescope Array at Paranal, as well as the 3.6m, 3.5m NTT and the 2.2m ESO/MPG telescopes at La Silla - have been observing Comet 9P/Tempel 1, in a coordinated fashion and in very close collaboration with the space mission' scientific team. The simultaneous use of all ESO telescopes with all together 10 instruments has an enormous potential, since it allows for observation of the comet at different wavelengths in the visible and infrared by imaging, spectroscopy and polarimetry. Such multiplexing capabilities of the instrumentation do not exist at any other observatory in the world. More information is available at the dedicated Deep Impact at ESO web site.

  13. Three Good Reasons for Celebrating at the ESO/ST-ECF Science Archive Facility

    Science.gov (United States)

    2000-12-01

    Great Demand for Data from New "Virtual Observatory" Summary Due to a happy coincidence, the ESO/ST-ECF Science Archive Facility is celebrating three different milestones at the same time: * its 10th anniversary since the establishment in 1991 * the 10,000th request for data , and * the signing-up of active user number 2000 . This Archive contains over 8 Terabytes (1 Terabyte = 1 million million bytes) of valuable observational data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) and other ESO telescopes . Its success paves the way for the establishment of "Virtual Observatories" from which first-class data can be obtained by astronomers all over the world. This greatly enhances the opportunities for more (young) scientists to participate in front-line research. PR Photo 34/00 : Front-page of a new brochure, describing the ESO/ST-ECF Science Archive Facility. Just 10 years ago, on the 1st of January 1991, the ESO/ST-ECF (European Southern Observatory/Space Telescope-European Coordinating Facility) Science Archive Facility opened. It has since served the astronomical community with gigabyte after gigabyte of high-quality astronomical data from some of the world's leading telescopes. The Archive, which is located in Garching, just outside Munich (Germany), contains data from the 2.4-m NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope , as well as from several ESO telescopes: the four 8.2-m Unit Telescopes of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory , and the 3.5-m New Technology Telescope (NTT) , the 3.6-m telescope and the MPG/ESO 2.2-m telescope at La Silla. The Archive is a continuously developing project - in terms of amounts of data stored, the number of users and in particular because of the current dramatic development of innovative techniques for data handling and storage. In the year 2000 more than 2 Terabytes (2000 Gigabytes) of data were distributed to users worldwide. The archiving of VLT data has been described in ESO PR

  14. A Portrait of One Hundred Thousand and One Galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2002-08-01

    Rich and Inspiring Experience with NGC 300 Images from the ESO Science Data Archive Summary A series of wide-field images centred on the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 300 , obtained with the Wide-Field Imager (WFI) on the MPG/ESO 2.2-m telescope at the La Silla Observatory , have been combined into a magnificent colour photo. These images have been used by different groups of astronomers for various kinds of scientific investigations, ranging from individual stars and nebulae in NGC 300, to distant galaxies and other objects in the background. This material provides an interesting demonstration of the multiple use of astronomical data, now facilitated by the establishment of extensively documented data archives, like the ESO Science Data Archive that now is growing rapidly and already contains over 15 Terabyte. Based on the concept of Astronomical Virtual Observatories (AVOs) , the use of archival data sets is on the rise and provides a large number of scientists with excellent opportunities for front-line investigations without having to wait for precious observing time. In addition to presenting a magnificent astronomical photo, the present account also illustrates this important new tool of the modern science of astronomy and astrophysics. PR Photo 18a/02 : WFI colour image of spiral galaxy NGC 300 (full field) . PR Photo 18b/02 : Cepheid stars in NGC 300 PR Photo 18c/02 : H-alpha image of NGC 300 PR Photo 18d/02 : Distant cluster of galaxies CL0053-37 in the NGC 300 field PR Photo 18e/02 : Dark matter distribution in CL0053-37 PR Photo 18f/02 : Distant, reddened cluster of galaxies in the NGC 300 field PR Photo 18g/02 : Distant galaxies, seen through the outskirts of NGC 300 PR Photo 18h/02 : "The View Beyond" ESO PR Photo 18a/02 ESO PR Photo 18a/02 [Preview - JPEG: 400 x 412 pix - 112k] [Normal - JPEG: 1200 x 1237 pix - 1.7M] [Hi-Res - JPEG: 4000 x 4123 pix - 20.3M] Caption : PR Photo 18a/02 is a reproduction of a colour-composite image of the nearby spiral galaxy

  15. ESA's XMM-Newton sees matter speed-racing around a black hole

    Science.gov (United States)

    2005-01-01

    hi-res Size hi-res: 715 Kb Credits: NASA/Dana Berry, SkyWorks Digital ESA’s XMM-Newton sees matter speed-racing around a black hole Click here for animation in MOV format Movie still in TIFF format (9761 Kb) Movie still in JPG format (715 Kb) This animation depicts three hot chunks of matter orbiting a black hole. If placed in our Solar System, this black hole would appear like a dark abyss spread out nearly as wide as Mercury's orbit. And the three chunks (each as large as the Sun) would be as far out as Jupiter. They orbit the black hole in a lightning-quick 30 000 kilometres per second, over a tenth of the speed of light. hi-res Size hi-res: 220 Kb Credits: NASA/Dana Berry, SkyWorks Digital ESA’s XMM-Newton sees matter speed-racing around a black hole Click here for animation in MPG format Movie still in TIFF format (2553 Kb) Movie still in JPG format (220 Kb) This is a simplified illustration of two hot chunks of matter orbiting a black hole, showing how scientists tracked the blobs by observing their Doppler shift. First, we see one blob. Note how the energy emitted from this orbiting material rises to about 6.5 kilo-electron volt (an energy unit) as it moves towards us, and then falls to about 5.8 kilo-electron volt as it moves away. This is the 'Doppler effect' and a similar phenomenon happens with the changing pitch of a police siren. If it is approaching, the frequency of the sound is higher, but if it is receding the frequency is lower. Matter goes round and round; energy goes up and down. About 14 seconds into the animation, a second blob is added, which also displays a rise and fall in energy during its orbit. The observation, made with ESA’s XMM-Newton observatory, marks the first time scientists could trace individual blobs of shredded matter on a complete journey around a black hole. This provides a crucial measurement that has long been missing from black hole studies: an orbital period. Knowing this, scientists can measure black hole mass and

  16. ESO Observations of New Moon of Jupiter

    Science.gov (United States)

    2000-08-01

    " this object and "secure" its orbit. Recovery of S/1999 J 1 at La Silla Jupiter and its moons would again become visible in the early morning hours in late July with telescopes in the southern hemisphere. By a fortunate coincidence, observing time for observations of comets and asteroids had been allocated to Brett Gladman and his collaborators at two ESO telescopes in exactly this period. Just before sunrise on July 25, he used the Wide Field Imager (WFI) on the MPG/ESO 2.2-m telescope at La Silla to search for S/1999 J 1 . This camera has a comparatively large field-of-view, about 0.5 x 0.5 deg 2 , or about the size of the full moon. This was comfortably larger than the estimated uncertainty in the object's predicted position at the time of the observation. And indeed, S/1999 J 1 was spotted not too far from that location, weakly visible in the glare of the nearby waning moon. Detailed observations of S/1999 J 1 at Paranal Only three days later, in the early morning hours of July 28, the small object was again imaged, this time from the 8.2-m VLT ANTU telescope at Paranal. Brett Gladman and Hermann Boehnhardt , now knowing exactly where to look in the sky, used the FORS-1 multi-mode instrument to obtain exposures of S/1999 J 1 through several optical filters. The great light-collecting power of this telescope resulted in excellent images while S/1999 J 1 was moving across the sky, cf. PR Photos 19a-b/00 . These observations definitively confirmed the "recovery" of the object and also provided an accurate determination of its brightness and colour, cf. IAU Circular 7472 , published on August 3. From accurate positional measurements on these exposures and the earlier ones from La Silla, Gareth Williams of the Minor Planet Center was able to substantially improve the computation of the orbit of S/1999 J 1 around Jupiter. It was found ( IAU Circular 7469 ) to move in a somewhat elliptical orbit around Jupiter with a period of just over 2 years (768 days) and at a mean

  17. The GalileoMobile starts its South American voyage - Astronomy education goes on tour through the Andes Mountains

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-10-01

    forward to helping the team members make the GalileoMobile a great success." To chronicle this remarkable astronomy expedition, members of the GalileoMobile team will write entries for the GalileoMobile blog and Cosmic Diary, an online blog-cum-journal that is also a Cornerstone IYA2009 project, and run a Twitter feed and a Facebook page. The team will reach out to national newspapers, websites and television stations during the tour, and will be accompanied by a film crew who will produce a multilingual documentary of the expedition. Project Coordinator Philippe Kobel concludes: "We hope that, by showing the excitement of astronomical discovery, and the diversity and richness of the South American traditions, the GalileoMobile Project will encourage a feeling of 'unity under the same sky' between people of different cultures and backgrounds." The GalileoMobile is supported by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), whose host country is Chile and which is the seat of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) Secretariat, the Max Planck Society (MPG/MPE/MPA/MPS), NORDITA, Regione Molise and the Optical Society of America. Notes [1] To facilitate access to remote sites and foster the communication and translation in native non-Spanish languages, such as Quechua and Aymara, local university students or education officials will join the GalileoMobile team from time to time. More information ESO, the European Southern Observatory, is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive astronomical observatory. It is supported by 14 countries: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role

  18. First 3D view of solar eruptions

    Science.gov (United States)

    2004-07-01

    loops, rather than a bubble or rope-like structure. Although this technique had been independently developed previously to study relatively static structures in the solar atmosphere during eclipses, this is the first time that it is applied to fast moving CMEs. Moran and Davila believe that their method will complement data from the upcoming NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) mission, scheduled for launch in February 2006. STEREO will use two widely separated spacecraft to construct 3D views of CMEs by combining images from the different vantage points of the twin spacecraft. Commenting on this result, Bernhard Fleck, SOHO Project Scientist at ESA, said: "These are really amazing images. Once again scientists have come up with a clever idea for analysing SOHO data in ways that were not even dreamt of when the mission was designed." Movie: http://esamultimedia.esa.int/images/spcs/soho/soho20040702.mpg 3 stills from the movie http://esamultimedia.esa.int/images/spcs/soho/soho20040702c.tiff http://esamultimedia.esa.int/images/spcs/soho/soho20040702d.tiff http://esamultimedia.esa.int/images/spcs/soho/soho20040702e.tiff This movie shows a 3D rendering of the data in Figure 2. It starts out viewing the Sun from SOHO's perspective, then rotates the scene to view the data from the side, and finally from the top. Note that one distinct feature shown at about 11 o'clock in Figure 2 panel a has been left out of the movie, because it is a static structure and not a part of the CME. Notes to Editors: This new result by T. Moran and J. Davila is published in today’s issue of the magazine Science. More about SOHO SOHO is a project of international co-operation between ESA and NASA to study the Sun, from its deep core to the outer corona, and the solar wind. Fourteen European countries, led by the European Space Agency and prime contractor Astrium (formerly Matra-Marconi), built the SOHO spacecraft. It carries twelve instruments (nine European-led and three

  19. Gravitational Radiation from Binary Black Holes: Advances in the Perturbative Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lousto, C. O.

    2005-08-01

    meeting in the Albert Einstein Institute in Germany http://www.aei-potsdam.mpg.de/~lousto/CAPRA/Capra4.html/. In 2002 Capra 5 was held in Pennsylvania http://cgwp.gravity.psu.edu/events/Capra5/capra5-BKP_2002-05-24-1200.shtml, and in 2003 the venue for Capra 6 was Kyoto, Japan http://www2.yukawa.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~misao/capra6/html/. Continuing with the tradition of the meeting taking place in the US on alternate years, I organized the 7th Capra meeting in Brownsville, Texas http://cgwa.phys.utb.edu/Events/agendaView.php?EventID=3 in 2004. This year, the 8th Capra meeting will be in Oxford, UK http://www.sstd.rl.ac.uk/capra/Index.htm. This volume contains contributions describing the current state of the field and topical areas of interest. It also contains some reviews of the advances made since 1997 and, most interesting to the readers, it describes the open problems and future lines of research in the field. The contributions have been divided into four logical groups. Part I is a collection of papers that deal with first-order perturbation theory. They contain a brief summary of the metric and curvature approaches to perturbations in terms of waveforms and the reconstruction of the metric perturbations in preparation for the computation of the self-force. This section also reviews the energy-momentum balance approach that makes use of the information about the radiation emitted to first perturbative order to correct the trajectory of the particle. Part II comprises works reviewing and expanding the formalism of the self-force. It reviews the newest description in terms of the regular and singular parts of the fields, replacing the original description in terms of tail and divergent parts. Part III contains several examples of application of the self-force formulae, from scalar to gravitational fields and from post-Newtonian expansions to matched expansions. Finally, part IV introduces the problem of computing second-order perturbations of the gravitational field, assuming

  20. Milky Way Past Was More Turbulent Than Previously Known

    Science.gov (United States)

    2004-04-01

    been removed here. These observations provide the long-sought missing pieces of the puzzle to get a clear overview of the solar neighbourhood. They effectively mark the conclusion of a project started more than twenty years ago.. In fact, this work marks the fulfilment of an old dream by Danish astronomer Bengt Strömgren (1908-1987), who pioneered the study of the history of the Milky Way through systematic studies of its stars. Already in the 1950's he designed a special system of colour measurements to determine the chemical composition and ages of many stars very efficiently. And the Danish 50-cm and 1.5-m telescopes at the ESO La Silla Observatory (Chile) were constructed to make such projects possible. Another Danish astronomer, Erik Heyn Olsen made the first step in the 1980's by measuring the flux (light intensity) in several wavebands (in the "Strömgren photometric system") of 30,000 A, F and G stars over the whole sky to a fixed brightness limit. Next, ESA's Hipparcos satellite determined precise distances and velocities in the plane of the sky for these and many other stars. The missing link was the motions along the line of sight (the so-called radial velocities). They were then measured by the present team from the Doppler shift of spectral lines of the stars (the same technique that is used to detect planets around other stars), using the specialized CORAVEL instrument. Stellar orbits in the Milky Way ESO PR Video Clip 04/04 ESO Video Clip 04/04 Motions of the observed stars in the Milky Way [MPG - 1.3Mb] [Quick Time Video - 248k] [Animated GIF - 128k] Caption: ESO PR Video Clip 04/04 shows the stars studied during the present programme making their most recent orbital revolution around the Galactic centre before converging into the small volume where they were observed by the team. The duration of the video corresponds to about 250 million years. The yellow dot and white curve show how the Sun moved during this last of its about 20 laps around our

  1. Southern Fireworks above ESO Telescopes

    Science.gov (United States)

    1999-05-01

    - the PLANET observers turned their telescope and quickly obtained a series of CCD images in visual light of the sky region where the gamma-ray burst was detected, then shipped them off electronically to their Dutch colleagues [3]. Comparing the new photos with earlier ones in the digital sky archive, Vreeswijk, Galama and Rol almost immediately discovered a new, relatively bright visual source in the region of the gamma-ray burst, which they proposed as the optical counterpart of the burst, cf. their dedicated webpage at http://www.astro.uva.nl/~titus/grb990510/. The team then placed a message on the international Gamma-Ray Burster web-noteboard ( GCN Circular 310), thereby alerting their colleagues all over the world. One hour later, the narrow-field instruments on BeppoSax identified a new X-Ray source at the same location ( GCN Circular 311), thus confirming the optical identification. All in all, a remarkable synergy of human and satellite resources! Observations of GRB 990510 at ESO Vreeswijk, Galama and Rol, in collaboration with Nicola Masetti, Eliana Palazzi and Elena Pian of the BeppoSAX GRB optical follow-up team (led by Filippo Frontera ) and the Huntsville optical follow-up team (led by Chryssa Kouveliotou ), also contacted the European Southern Observatory (ESO). Astronomers at this Organization's observatories in Chile were quick to exploit this opportunity and crucial data were soon obtained with several of the main telescopes at La Silla and Paranal, less than 14 hours after the first detection of this event by the satellite. ESO PR Photo 22a/99 ESO PR Photo 22a/99 [Preview - JPEG: 211 x 400 pix - 72k] [Normal - JPEG: 422 x 800 pix - 212k] [High-Res - JPEG: 1582 x 3000 pix - 2.6M] ESO PR Photo 22b/99 ESO PR Photo 22b/99 [Preview - JPEG: 400 x 437 pix - 297k] [Normal - JPEG: 800 x 873 pix - 1.1M] [High-Res - JPEG: 2300 x 2509 pix - 5.9M] Caption to PR Photo 22a/99 : This wide-field photo was obtained with the Wide-Field Imager (WFI) at the MPG/ESO 2.2-m

  2. The Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA)

    Science.gov (United States)

    1999-06-01

    . The road ahead The three-year design and development phase of the project is now underway as a collaboration between Europe and the U.S., and Japan may also join in this effort. Assuming the construction phase begins about two years from now, limited operations of the array may begin in 2005 and the full array may become operational by 2009. Notes [1] Press Releases about this event have also been issued by some of the other organisations participating in this project: * CNRS (in French) * MPG (in German) * NOVA (in Dutch) * NRAO * NSF (ASCII and HTML versions) * PPARC [2] "ALMA" means "soul" in Spanish. [3] Additional information about ALMA is available on the web: * Articles in the ESO Messenger - "The Large Southern Array" (March 1998), "European Site Testing at Chajnantor" (December 1998) and "The ALMA Project" (June 1999), cf. http://www.eso.org/gen-fac/pubs/messenger/ * ALMA website at ESO at http://www.eso.org/projects/alma/ * ALMA website at the U.S. National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) at http://www.mma.nrao.edu/ * ALMA website in The Netherlands about the detectors at http://www.sron.rug.nl/alma/ ALMA/Chajnantor Video Clip and Photos ESO PR Video Clip 03/99 [MPEG-version] ESO PR Video Clip 03/99 (2450 frames/1:38 min) [MPEG Video; 160x120 pix; 2.1Mb] [MPEG Video; 320x240 pix; 10.0Mb] [RealMedia; streaming; 700k] [RealMedia; streaming; 2.3M] About ESO Video Clip 03/99 : This video clip about the ALMA project contains two sequences. The first shows a panoramic scan of the Chajnantor plain from approx. north-east to north-west. The Chajnantor mountain passes through the field-of-view and the perfect cone of the Licancabur volcano (5900 m) on the Bolivian border is seen at the end (compare also with ESO PR 24e/99 below. The second is a 52-sec animation with a change of viewing perspective of the array and during which the antennas move in unison. For convenience, the clip is available in four versions: two MPEG files of different sizes and two streamer

  3. Chandra and the VLT Jointly Investigate the Cosmic X-Ray Background

    Science.gov (United States)

    2001-03-01

    Hasinger , Gyula Szokoly (Astrophysical Institute Potsdam [AIP], Germany), Colin Norman , Roberto Gilli , Lisa Kewley , Wei Zheng , Andrew Zirm , JungXian Wang (Johns Hopkins University [JHU], Baltimore, USA), Ken Kellerman (National Radio Astronomy Observatory [NRAO], Charlottesville, USA), Ethan Schreier , Anton Koekemoer and Norman Grogin (Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), Baltimore, USA). [2] In astronomy, the redshift denotes the fraction by which the lines in the spectrum of an object are shifted towards longer wavelengths. The observed redshift of a distant galaxy or quasar gives a direct estimate of the apparent recession velocity as caused by the universal expansion. Since the expansion rate increases with the distance, the velocity is itself a function (the Hubble relation) of the distance to the object. Redshifts of 1 and 3.7 correspond to when the Universe was about 43% and 12% of its present age. The distances indicated in this Press Release depend on the cosmological model chosen and are based on an age of 19,000 million years. Technical information about the photos PR Photo 09a/01 shows B-, R- and I-band images of a 20 x 20 arcsec 2 area within the CDFS, centred on the Type II Quasar CXOCDFS J033229.9 -275106 . They were obtained with the MPG/ESO 2.2-m telescope and the Wide-Field Imager (WFI) at La Silla (B-band; 8 hrs exposure time) and the 8.2-m VLT ANTU telescope with the FORS1 multi-mode instrument at Paranal (R- and I-bands; each 2 hrs exposure). The measured magnitudes are R=23.5 and I=22.7. The overlaid contours show the associated Chandra X-ray source (smoothed with a sigma = 1 arcsec gaussian profile). North is up and East is left. The spectrum shown in PR Photo 09b/01 was obtained on November 25, 2000, with VLT ANTU and FORS1 in the multislit mode (150-I grism, 1.2 arcsec slit). The exposure time was 3 hours.

  4. SINFONI Opens with Upbeat Chords

    Science.gov (United States)

    2004-08-01

    the development of SINFONI for nearly 7 years. Some of the members of the Commissioning Teams are depicted in PR Photos 24g/04 and 24h/04; in addition to the SPIFFI team members present on the second photo, Walter Bornemann, Reinhard Genzel, Hans Gemperlein, Stefan Huber have also been working on the reintegration/commissioning in Paranal. Notes [1] This press release is issued in coordination between ESO, the Max-Planck-Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Garching, Germany, and the Nederlandse Onderzoekschool Voor Astronomie in Leiden, The Netherlands. A German version is available at http://www.mpg.de/bilderBerichteDokumente/dokumentation/pressemitteilungen/2004/pressemitteilung20040824/index.html and a Dutch version at http://www.astronomy.nl/inhoud/pers/persberichten/30_08_04.html. [2] The SINFONI team consists of Roberto Abuter, Andrew Baker, Walter Bornemann, Ric Davies, Frank Eisenhauer (SPIFFI Principal Investigator), Hans Gemperlein, Reinhard Genzel (MPE Director), Andrea Gilbert, Armin Goldbrunner, Matthew Horrobin, Stefan Huber, Christof Iserlohe, Matthew Lehnert, Werner Lieb, Dieter Lutz, Nicole Nesvadba, Claudia Röhrle, Jürgen Schreiber, Linda Tacconi, Matthias Tecza, Niranjan Thatte, Harald Weisz (Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, Garching, Germany), Anthony Brown, Paul van der Werf (NOVA, Leiden, The Netherlands), Eddy Elswijk, Johan Pragt, Jan Kragt, Gabby Kroes, Ton Schoenmaker, Rik ter Horst (ASTRON, Dwingeloo, The Netherlands), Henri Bonnet (SINFONI Project Manager), Roberto Castillo, Ralf Conzelmann, Romuald Damster, Bernard Delabre, Christophe Dupuy, Robert Donaldson, Christophe Dumas, Enrico Fedrigo, Gert Finger, Gordon Gillet, Norbert Hubin (Head of Adaptive Optics Dept.), Andreas Kaufer, Franz Koch, Johann Kolb, Andrea Modigliani, Guy Monnet (Head of Telescope Systems Division), Chris Lidman, Jochen Liske, Jean Louis Lizon, Markus Kissler-Patig (SINFONI Instrument Scientist), Jerome Paufique, Juha Reunanen

  5. Dancing around the Black Hole

    Science.gov (United States)

    2001-08-01

    the implied properties of the central stellar population of young stars will follow. Notes [1]: The team consists of Eric Emsellem (Principal Investigator, Centre de Recherche Astronomique de Lyon, France), Didier Greusard and Daniel Friedli (Geneva Observatory, Switzerland), Francoise Combes (DEMIRM, Paris, France), Herve Wozniak (Marseille Observatory, France), Emmanuel Pecontal (Centre de Recherche Astronomique de Lyon, France) and Stephane Leon (University of Cologne, Germany). [2]: Black Holes represent an extreme physical phenomenon; if the Earth were to become one, it would measure no more than a few millimetres across. The gravitational field around a black hole is so intense that even light can not escape from it. [3]: On its most energetic and dramatic scale, this scenario results in a quasar , a type of object first discovered in 1963. In this case, the highly energetic centre of a galaxy completely outshines the outer structures and the "quasi-stellar object" appears star-like in smaller telescopes. Technical information about the photos PR Photo 25a/01 with NGC 1097 is a reproduction from the ESO LV archive, extracted via the Hypercat facility. It is based on a 2-hour photographic exposure in the R-band (Kodak IIIa-F emulsion + RG630 filtre) with the ESO 1-m Schmidt Telescope at La Silla and covers a field of about 35 x 35 arcmin 2. On this and the following photos, North is up and East is left. PR Photo 25b/01 of the central region of NGC 1808 was reproduced from an H-band (1.6 µm) image obtained with the IRAC2 camera (now decommissioned) at the MPG/ESO 2.2-m telescope on La Silla. The exposure time was 50 sec and the field measures 2.0 x 2.1 arcmin 2 (original pixel size = 0.52 arcsec). PR Photo 25c/01 of the central region of NGC 5728 was obtained at the 3.5-m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) and the Adaptive-Optics PUEO instrument; the K-band (2.3 µm) exposure lasted 60 sec and the field measures 38 X 38 arcsec 2. PR Photo 25e/01 shows a raw

  6. Youngest Brown Dwarf Yet in a Multiple Stellar System

    Science.gov (United States)

    2000-07-01

    that direct detection and subsequent, effective spectroscopic verification of extra-solar planets is now quite feasible with a ground-based facility like the VLT. It is thus not a very daring prediction that the ongoing searches may soon lead to the first direct images of an extra-solar planet. These are indeed exciting times! More information The work described in this Press Release is discussed by the team in a research article that has been accepted for publication in the European journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. Another paper ( "Direct imaging search for planetary companions next to young nearby stars" ) is also available with more details about the current searches, including the spectrum of the background star at TWA-7. The Principal Investigator for this project may be contacted at: Ralph Neuhaeuser Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik D-85748 Garching Germany Phone +49-89-32993398 email: rne@mpe.mpg.de Notes [1]: The team consists of Ralph Neuhaeuser (Principal Investigator) and Nuria Huelamo (both Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, Garching, Germany), Eike Guenther (Landessternwarte Tautenburg, Germany), Monika Petr (Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Bonn, Germany), Wolfgang Brandner (Institute for Astronomy, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA) and João Alves (ESO, Garching, Germany). [2]: The hitherto sharpest image (0.25 arcsec) was obtained in March 1999, cf. ESO PR 06/99. It was obtained during a period of exceptionally good "seeing" (low level of atmospheric turbulence). The installation of adaptive optics at the VLT, foreseen in 2001, will provide a means to overcome the image smearing effect of air turbulence and hence, consistently obtain stellar images of a few hundredths of an arcsecond diameter, near the theoretical limit for an 8.2-m telescope (the telescope diffraction limit ). [3]: 1 solar mass = 2 x 10 30 kg. 1 Jupiter mass = 2 x 10 27 kg ~ 0.001 solar mass. Thus, the "BD-limit" of 0.08 solar masses corresponds to