Local neutral networks help maintain inaccurately replicating ribozymes.

Science.gov (United States)

Szilágyi, András; Kun, Ádám; Szathmáry, Eörs

2014-01-01

The error threshold of replication limits the selectively maintainable genome size against recurrent deleterious mutations for most fitness landscapes. In the context of RNA replication a distinction between the genotypic and the phenotypic error threshold has been made; where the latter concerns the maintenance of secondary structure rather than sequence. RNA secondary structure is treated as a proxy for function. The phenotypic error threshold allows higher per digit mutation rates than its genotypic counterpart, and is known to increase with the frequency of neutral mutations in sequence space. Here we show that the degree of neutrality, i.e. the frequency of nearest-neighbour (one-step) neutral mutants is a remarkably accurate proxy for the overall frequency of such mutants in an experimentally verifiable formula for the phenotypic error threshold; this we achieve by the full numerical solution for the concentration of all sequences in mutation-selection balance up to length 16. We reinforce our previous result that currently known ribozymes could be selectively maintained by the accuracy known from the best available polymerase ribozymes. Furthermore, we show that in silico stabilizing selection can increase the mutational robustness of ribozymes due to the fact that they were produced by artificial directional selection in the first place. Our finding offers a better understanding of the error threshold and provides further insight into the plausibility of an ancient RNA world.

A novel strategy for selection of allosteric ribozymes yields RiboReporter™ sensors for caffeine and aspartame

Science.gov (United States)

Ferguson, Alicia; Boomer, Ryan M.; Kurz, Markus; Keene, Sara C.; Diener, John L.; Keefe, Anthony D.; Wilson, Charles; Cload, Sharon T.

2004-01-01

We have utilized in vitro selection technology to develop allosteric ribozyme sensors that are specific for the small molecule analytes caffeine or aspartame. Caffeine- or aspartame-responsive ribozymes were converted into fluorescence-based RiboReporter™ sensor systems that were able to detect caffeine or aspartame in solution over a concentration range from 0.5 to 5 mM. With read-times as short as 5 min, these caffeine- or aspartame-dependent ribozymes function as highly specific and facile molecular sensors. Interestingly, successful isolation of allosteric ribozymes for the analytes described here was enabled by a novel selection strategy that incorporated elements of both modular design and activity-based selection methods typically used for generation of catalytic nucleic acids. PMID:15026535

Mapping the Chemical Space of the RNA Cleavage and Its Implications for Ribozyme Catalysis

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Mlýnský, V.; Kührová, P.; Jurečka, P.; Šponer, Jiří; Otyepka, M.; Banáš, Pavel

2017-01-01

Roč. 121, č. 48 (2017), s. 10828-10840 ISSN 1520-6106 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP208/12/1878 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : delta-virus ribozyme * self-cleaving ribozymes Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry OBOR OECD: Physical chemistry Impact factor: 3.177, year: 2016

Prebiotic Factors Influencing the Activity of a Ligase Ribozyme

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Fabrizio Anella

2017-04-01

Full Text Available An RNA-lipid origin of life scenario provides a plausible route for compartmentalized replication of an informational polymer and subsequent division of the container. However, a full narrative to form such RNA protocells implies that catalytic RNA molecules, called ribozymes, can operate in the presence of self-assembled vesicles composed of prebiotically relevant constituents, such as fatty acids. Hereby, we subjected a newly engineered truncated variant of the L1 ligase ribozyme, named tL1, to various environmental conditions that may have prevailed on the early Earth with the objective to find a set of control parameters enabling both tL1-catalyzed ligation and formation of stable myristoleic acid (MA vesicles. The separate and concurrent effects of temperature, concentrations of Mg2+, MA, polyethylene glycol and various solutes were investigated. The most favorable condition tested consists of 100 mM NaCl, 1 mM Mg2+, 5 mM MA, and 4 °C temperature, whereas the addition of Mg2+-chelating solutes, such as citrate, tRNAs, aspartic acid, and nucleoside triphosphates severely inhibits the reaction. These results further solidify the RNA-lipid world hypothesis and stress the importance of using a systems chemistry approach whereby a wide range of prebiotic factors interfacing with ribozymes are considered.

Two Divalent Metal Ions and Conformational Changes Play Roles in the Hammerhead Ribozyme Cleavage Reaction

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Mir, Aamir; Chen, Ji; Robinson, Kyle; Lendy, Emma; Goodman, Jaclyn; Neau, David; Golden, Barbara L.

2016-01-01

The hammerhead ribozyme is a self-cleaving RNA broadly dispersed across all kingdoms of life. Although it was the first of the small, nucleolytic ribozymes discovered, the mechanism by which it catalyzes its reaction remains elusive. The nucleobase of G12 is well positioned to be a general base, but it is unclear if or how this guanine base becomes activated for proton transfer. Metal ions have been implicated in the chemical mechanism, but no interactions between divalent metal ions and the cleavage site have been observed crystallographically. To better understand how this ribozyme functions, we have solved crystal structures of wild-type and G12A mutant ribozymes. We observe a pH-dependent conformational change centered around G12, consistent with this nucleotide becoming deprotonated. Crystallographic and kinetic analysis of the G12A mutant reveals a Zn2+ specificity switch suggesting a direct interaction between a divalent metal ion and the purine at position 12. The metal ion specificity switch and the pH–rate profile of the G12A mutant suggest that the minor imino tautomer of A12 serves as the general base in the mutant ribozyme. We propose a model in which the hammerhead ribozyme rearranges prior to the cleavage reaction, positioning two divalent metal ions in the process. The first metal ion, positioned near G12, becomes directly coordinated to the O6 keto oxygen, to lower the pKa of the general base and organize the active site. The second metal ion, positioned near G10.1, bridges the N7 of G10.1 and the scissile phosphate and may participate directly in the cleavage reaction. PMID:26398724

Thermodynamics and kinetics of RNA tertiary structure formation in the junctionless hairpin ribozyme.

Science.gov (United States)

White, Neil A; Hoogstraten, Charles G

2017-09-01

The hairpin ribozyme consists of two RNA internal loops that interact to form the catalytically active structure. This docking transition is a rare example of intermolecular formation of RNA tertiary structure without coupling to helix annealing. We have used temperature-dependent surface plasmon resonance (SPR) to characterize the thermodynamics and kinetics of RNA tertiary structure formation for the junctionless form of the ribozyme, in which loops A and B reside on separate molecules. We find docking to be strongly enthalpy-driven and to be accompanied by substantial activation barriers for association and dissociation, consistent with the structural reorganization of both internal loops upon complex formation. Comparisons with the parallel analysis of a ribozyme variant carrying a 2'-O-methyl modification at the self-cleavage site and with published data in other systems reveal a surprising diversity of thermodynamic signatures, emphasizing the delicate balance of contributions to the free energy of formation of RNA tertiary structure. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An anti-VEGF ribozyme embedded within the adenoviral VAI sequence inhibits glioblastoma cell angiogenic potential in vitro.

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Ciafrè, Silvia Anna; Niola, Francesco; Wannenes, Francesca; Farace, Maria Giulia

2004-01-01

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in tumor angiogenesis, where it functions as one of the major angiogenic factors sustaining growth and draining catabolites. In this study, we developed an anti-VEGF ribozyme targeted to the 5' part of human VEGF mRNA. We endowed this ribozyme with an additional feature expected to improve its activity in vivo, by cloning it into a VAI transcriptional cassette. VAI is originally part of the adenovirus genome, and is characterized by high transcription rates, good stability due to its strong secondary structure and cytoplasmic localization. Transfection of U87 human glioblastoma cells with plasmid vectors encoding for this ribozyme resulted in a strong (-56%) reduction of VEGF secreted in the extracellular medium, indicating a good biological activity of the ribozyme. Moreover, this reduction in VEGF secretion had the important functional consequence of drastically diminishing the formation of tube-like structures of human umbilical vascular endothelial cells in a Matrigel in vitro angiogenesis assay. In conclusion, our VAI-embedded anti-VEGF ribozyme is a good inhibitor of angiogenesis in vitro, in a glioblastoma cell context. Thus, it may represent a useful tool for future applications in vivo, for antiangiogenic gene therapy of glioblastoma and of highly vascularized tumors. Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel

Ribozyme Mediated gRNA Generation for In Vitro and In Vivo CRISPR/Cas9 Mutagenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Raymond Teck Ho; Ng, Ashley Shu Mei; Ingham, Philip W

2016-01-01

CRISPR/Cas9 is now regularly used for targeted mutagenesis in a wide variety of systems. Here we report the use of ribozymes for the generation of gRNAs both in vitro and in zebrafish embryos. We show that incorporation of ribozymes increases the types of promoters and number of target sites available for mutagenesis without compromising mutagenesis efficiency. We have tested this by comparing the efficiency of mutagenesis of gRNA constructs with and without ribozymes and also generated a transgenic zebrafish expressing gRNA using a heat shock promoter (RNA polymerase II-dependent promoter) that was able to induce mutagenesis of its target. Our method provides a streamlined approach to test gRNA efficiency as well as increasing the versatility of conditional gene knock out in zebrafish.

A speculated ribozyme site in the herpes simplex virus type 1 latency-associated transcript gene is not essential for a wild-type reactivation phenotype

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Carpenter, Dale; Singh, Sukhpreet; Osorio, Nelson; Hsiang, Chinhui; Jiang, Xianzhi; Jin, Ling; Jones, Clinton; Wechsler, Steven L

2010-01-01

During herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) latency in sensory neurons, LAT (latency-associated transcript) is the only abundantly expressed viral gene. LAT plays an important role in the HSV-1 latency-reactivation cycle, because LAT deletion mutants have a significantly decreased reactivation phenotype. Based solely on sequence analysis, it was speculated that LAT encodes a ribozyme that plays an important role in how LAT enhances the virus’ reactivation phenotype. Because LAT ribozyme activity has never been reported, we decided to test the converse hypothesis, namely, that this region of LAT does not encode a ribozyme function important for LAT’s ability to enhance the reactivation phenotype. We constructed a viral mutant (LAT-Rz) in which the speculated ribozyme consensus sequence was altered such that no ribozyme was encoded. We report here that LAT-Rz had a wild-type reactivation phenotype in mice, confirming the hypothesis that the speculated LAT ribozyme is not a dominant factor in stimulating the latency-reactivation cycle in mice. PMID:18982533

Ionic interactions and the global conformations of the hammerhead ribozyme

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bassi, G S; Møllegaard, N E; Murchie, A I

1995-01-01

Here we investigate the global conformation of the hammerhead ribozyme. Electrophoretic studies demonstrate that the structure is folded in response to the concentration and type of ions present. Folding based on colinear alignment of arms II and III is suggested, with a variable angle subtended ...

The influence of junction conformation on RNA cleavage by the hairpin ribozyme in its natural junction form.

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Thomson, J B; Lilley, D M

1999-01-01

In the natural form of the hairpin ribozyme the two loop-carrying duplexes that comprise the majority of essential bases for activity form two adjacent helical arms of a four-way RNA junction. In the present work we have manipulated the sequence around the junction in a way known to perturb the global folding properties. We find that replacement of the junction by a different sequence that has the same conformational properties as the natural sequence gives closely similar reaction rate and Arrhenius activation energy for the substrate cleavage reaction. By comparison, rotation of the natural sequence in order to alter the three-dimensional folding of the ribozyme leads to a tenfold reduction in the kinetics of cleavage. Replacement with the U1 four-way junction that is resistant to rotation into the antiparallel structure required to allow interaction between the loops also gives a tenfold reduction in cleavage rate. The results indicate that the conformation of the junction has a major influence on the catalytic activity of the ribozyme. The results are all consistent with a role for the junction in the provision of a framework by which the loops are presented for interaction in order to create the active form of the ribozyme. PMID:10024170

Competition Between Co(NH3)63+ and Inner Sphere Mg2+ Ions in the HDV Ribozyme

OpenAIRE

Gong, Bo; Chen, Jui-Hui; Bevilacqua, Philip C.; Golden, Barbara L.; Carey, Paul R.

2009-01-01

Divalent cations play critical structural and functional roles in many RNAs. While the hepatitis delta virus (HDV) ribozyme can undergo self-cleavage in the presence of molar concentrations of monovalent cations, divalent cations such as Mg2+ are required for efficient catalysis under physiological conditions. Moreover, the cleavage reaction can be inhibited with Co(NH3)63+, an analog of Mg(H2O)62+. Here, the binding of Mg2+ and Co(NH3)63+ to the HDV ribozyme are studied by Raman microscopic ...

DiGIR1 and NaGIR1: naturally occurring group I-like ribozymes with unique core organization and evolved biological role

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johansen, Steinar; Einvik, Christer; Nielsen, Henrik

2002-01-01

introns (twin-ribozyme introns) in distantly related organisms. The Didymium GIR1 (DiGIR1) and Naegleria GIR1 (NaGIR1) share fundamental features in structural organization and reactivity, and display significant differences when compared to the related group I splicing ribozymes. GIR1 lacks...

Complexity in pH-Dependent Ribozyme Kinetics: Dark pKa Shifts and Wavy Rate-pH Profiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Frankel, Erica A; Bevilacqua, Philip C

2018-02-06

Charged bases occur in RNA enzymes, or ribozymes, where they play key roles in catalysis. Cationic bases donate protons and perform electrostatic catalysis, while anionic bases accept protons. We previously published simulations of rate-pH profiles for ribozymes in terms of species plots for the general acid and general base that have been useful for understanding how ribozymes respond to pH. In that study, we did not consider interaction between the general acid and general base or interaction with other species on the RNA. Since that report, diverse small ribozyme classes have been discovered, many of which have charged nucleobases or metal ions in the active site that can either directly interact and participate in catalysis or indirectly interact as "influencers". Herein, we simulate experimental rate-pH profiles in terms of species plots in which reverse protonated charged nucleobases interact. These analyses uncover two surprising features of pH-dependent enzyme kinetics. (1) Cooperativity between the general acid and general base enhances population of the functional forms of a ribozyme and manifests itself as hidden or "dark" pK a shifts, real pK a shifts that accelerate the reaction but are not readily observed by standard experimental approaches, and (2) influencers favorably shift the pK a s of proton-transferring nucleobases and manifest themselves as "wavy" rate-pH profiles. We identify parallels with the protein enzyme literature, including reverse protonation and wavelike behavior, while pointing out that RNA is more prone to reverse protonation. The complexities uncovered, which arise from simple pairwise interactions, should aid deconvolution of complex rate-pH profiles for RNA and protein enzymes and suggest veiled catalytic devices for promoting catalysis that can be tested by experiment and calculation.

Phylogenetic footprinting of non-coding RNA: hammerhead ribozyme sequences in a satellite DNA family of Dolichopoda cave crickets (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae

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Venanzetti Federica

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The great variety in sequence, length, complexity, and abundance of satellite DNA has made it difficult to ascribe any function to this genome component. Recent studies have shown that satellite DNA can be transcribed and be involved in regulation of chromatin structure and gene expression. Some satellite DNAs, such as the pDo500 sequence family in Dolichopoda cave crickets, have a catalytic hammerhead (HH ribozyme structure and activity embedded within each repeat. Results We assessed the phylogenetic footprints of the HH ribozyme within the pDo500 sequences from 38 different populations representing 12 species of Dolichopoda. The HH region was significantly more conserved than the non-hammerhead (NHH region of the pDo500 repeat. In addition, stems were more conserved than loops. In stems, several compensatory mutations were detected that maintain base pairing. The core region of the HH ribozyme was affected by very few nucleotide substitutions and the cleavage position was altered only once among 198 sequences. RNA folding of the HH sequences revealed that a potentially active HH ribozyme can be found in most of the Dolichopoda populations and species. Conclusions The phylogenetic footprints suggest that the HH region of the pDo500 sequence family is selected for function in Dolichopoda cave crickets. However, the functional role of HH ribozymes in eukaryotic organisms is unclear. The possible functions have been related to trans cleavage of an RNA target by a ribonucleoprotein and regulation of gene expression. Whether the HH ribozyme in Dolichopoda is involved in similar functions remains to be investigated. Future studies need to demonstrate how the observed nucleotide changes and evolutionary constraint have affected the catalytic efficiency of the hammerhead.

Group I-like ribozymes with a novel core organization perform obligate sequential hydrolytic cleavages at two processing sites

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Einvik, C; Nielsen, Henrik; Westhof, E

1998-01-01

A new category of self-splicing group I introns with conserved structural organization and function is found among the eukaryotic microorganisms Didymium and Naegleria. These complex rDNA introns contain two distinct ribozymes with different functions: a regular group I splicing...... available GIR1 sequences and propose a common RNA secondary structure resembling that of group I splicing-ribozymes, but with some important differences. The GIR1s lack most peripheral sequence components, as well as a P1 segment, and, at approximately 160-190 nt, they are the smallest functional group I...... ribozymes known from nature. All GIR1s were found to contain a novel 6-bp pseudoknot (P15) within their catalytic core region. Experimental support of the proposed structure was obtained from the Didymium GIR1 by RNA structure probing and site-directed mutagenesis. Three-dimensional modeling indicates...

Ribozyme Activity of RNA Nonenzymatically Polymerized from 3 ',5 '-Cyclic GMP

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Pino, S.; Costanzo, G.; Giorgi, A.; Šponer, Jiří; Šponer, Judit E.; Di Mauro, E.

2013-01-01

Roč. 15, č. 12 (2013), s. 5362-5383 ISSN 1099-4300 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP208/10/2302; GA MŠk(CZ) ED1.1.00/02.0068 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : RNA polymerization * RNA origin * ribozymes Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 1.564, year: 2013

Hammerhead ribozyme activity and oligonucleotide duplex stability in mixed solutions of water and organic compounds

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Shu-ichi Nakano

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Nucleic acids are useful for biomedical targeting and sensing applications in which the molecular environment is different from that of a dilute aqueous solution. In this study, the influence of various types of mixed solutions of water and water-soluble organic compounds on RNA was investigated by measuring the catalytic activity of the hammerhead ribozyme and the thermodynamic stability of an oligonucleotide duplex. The compounds with a net neutral charge, such as poly(ethylene glycol, small primary alcohols, amide compounds, and aprotic solvent molecules, added at high concentrations changed the ribozyme-catalyzed RNA cleavage rate, with the magnitude of the effect dependent on the NaCl concentration. These compounds also changed the thermodynamic stability of RNA base pairs of an oligonucleotide duplex and its dependence on the NaCl concentration. Specific interactions with RNA molecules and reduced water activity could account for the inhibiting effects on the ribozyme catalysis and destabilizing effects on the duplex stability. The salt concentration dependence data correlated with the dielectric constant, but not with water activity, viscosity, and the size of organic compounds. This observation suggests the significance of the dielectric constant effects on the RNA reactions under molecular crowding conditions created by organic compounds.

Competition Between Co(NH3)63+ and Inner Sphere Mg2+ Ions in the HDV Ribozyme

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Bo; Chen, Jui-Hui; Bevilacqua, Philip C.; Golden, Barbara L.; Carey, Paul R.

2009-01-01

Divalent cations play critical structural and functional roles in many RNAs. While the hepatitis delta virus (HDV) ribozyme can undergo self-cleavage in the presence of molar concentrations of monovalent cations, divalent cations such as Mg2+ are required for efficient catalysis under physiological conditions. Moreover, the cleavage reaction can be inhibited with Co(NH3)63+, an analog of Mg(H2O)62+. Here, the binding of Mg2+ and Co(NH3)63+ to the HDV ribozyme are studied by Raman microscopic analysis of crystals. Raman difference spectra acquired at different metal ion conditions reveal changes in the ribozyme. When Mg2+ alone is introduced to the ribozyme, inner sphere coordination of Mg(H2O)x2+ (x≤5) to non-bridging PO2− oxygen, and changes in base stretches and phosphodiester group conformation are observed. In addition, binding of Mg2+ induces deprotonation of a cytosine assigned to the general acid C75, consistent with solution studies. When Co(NH3)63+ alone is introduced, deprotonation of C75 is again observed, as are distinctive changes in base vibrational ring modes and phosphodiester backbone conformation. In contrast to Mg2+ binding, Co(NH3)63+ binding does not perturb PO2− group vibrations, consistent with its ability to make only outer sphere contacts. Surprisingly, competitive binding studies reveal that Co(NH3)63+ ions displace some inner sphere-coordinated magnesium species, including ions coordinated to PO2− groups or the N7 of a guanine, likely G1 at the active site. These observations contrast with the tenet that Co(NH3)63+ ions displace only outer sphere magnesium ions. Overall, our data support two classes of inner sphere Mg2+-PO2− binding sites: sites that Co(NH3)63+ can displace, and others it cannot. PMID:19888753

Involvement of a cytosine side chain in proton transfer in the rate-determining step of ribozyme self-cleavage

Science.gov (United States)

Shih, I-hung; Been, Michael D.

2001-01-01

Ribozymes of hepatitis delta virus have been proposed to use an active-site cytosine as an acid-base catalyst in the self-cleavage reaction. In this study, we have examined the role of cytosine in more detail with the antigenomic ribozyme. Evidence that proton transfer in the rate-determining step involved cytosine 76 (C76) was obtained from examining cleavage activity of the wild-type and imidazole buffer-rescued C76-deleted (C76Δ) ribozymes in D2O and H2O. In both reactions, a similar kinetic isotope effect and shift in the apparent pKa indicate that the buffer is functionally substituting for the side chain in proton transfer. Proton inventory of the wild-type reaction supported a mechanism of a single proton transfer at the transition state. This proton transfer step was further characterized by exogenous base rescue of a C76Δ mutant with cytosine and imidazole analogues. For the imidazole analogues that rescued activity, the apparent pKa of the rescue reaction, measured under kcat/KM conditions, correlated with the pKa of the base. From these data a Brønsted coefficient (β) of 0.51 was determined for the base-rescued reaction of C76Δ. This value is consistent with that expected for proton transfer in the transition state. Together, these data provide strong support for a mechanism where an RNA side chain participates directly in general acid or general base catalysis of the wild-type ribozyme to facilitate RNA cleavage. PMID:11171978

Compaction of a Bacterial Group I Ribozyme Coincides with the Assembly of Core Helices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez-Salas, U.; Rangan, P.; Krueger, S.; Briber, R.; Thirumalai, D.; Woodson, S.

2004-01-01

Counterions are critical to the self-assembly of RNA tertiary structure because they neutralize the large electrostatic forces which oppose the folding process. Changes in the size and shape of the Azoarcus group I ribozyme as a function of Mg 2+ and Na + concentration were followed by small angle neutron scattering. In low salt buffer, the RNA was expanded, with an average radius of gyration (R g ) of 53 ± 1 Angstroms. A highly cooperative transition to a compact form (R g = 31.5 ± 0.5 Angstroms) was observed between 1.6 and 1.7 mM MgCl 2 . The collapse transition, which is unusually sharp in Mg 2+ , has the characteristics of a first-order phase transition. Partial digestion with ribonuclease T1 under identical conditions showed that this transition correlated with the assembly of double helices in the ribozyme core. Fivefold higher Mg 2+ concentrations were required for self-splicing, indicating that compaction occurs before native tertiary interactions are fully stabilized. No further decrease in Rg was observed between 1.7 and 20 mM MgCl 2 , indicating that the intermediates have the same dimensions as the native ribozyme, within the uncertainty of the data (± 1 Angstroms). A more gradual transition to a final R g of approximately 33.5 Angstroms was observed between 0.45 and 2 M NaCl. This confirms the expectation that monovalent ions not only are less efficient in charge neutralization but also contract the RNA less efficiently than multivalent ions

Disparate HDV ribozyme crystal structures represent intermediates on a rugged free-energy landscape

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Sripathi, K.N.; Tay, W.W.; Banáš, P.; Otyepka, M.; Šponer, Jiří; Walter, N. G.

2014-01-01

Roč. 20, č. 7 (2014), s. 1112-1128 ISSN 1355-8382 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) ED1.1.00/02.0068; GA ČR(CZ) GAP208/12/1878 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : time-resolved FRET * steady-state FRET * small ribozyme Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 4.936, year: 2014

Probing adenine rings and backbone linkages using base specific isotope-edited Raman spectroscopy: application to group II intron ribozyme domain V.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yuanyuan; Eldho, Nadukkudy V; Dayie, T Kwaku; Carey, Paul R

2010-04-27

with the differences in hydration radii. These subtle differences in electrostatic interactions may be related to observed variations in catalytic activity. For a reconstructed ribozyme comprising domains 1-3 (D123) connected in cis plus domain 5 (D5) supplied in trans, cleavage of spliced exon substrates in the presence of magnesium and K(+) or Cs(+) is more efficient than that in the presence of magnesium with Na(+) or Li(+).

Wobble pairs of the HDV ribozyme play specific roles in stabilization of active site dynamics

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Sripathi, K.N.; Banáš, P.; Réblová, K.; Šponer, Jiří; Otyepka, M.; Walter, Nils G.

2015-01-01

Roč. 17, č. 8 (2015), s. 5887-5900 ISSN 1463-9076 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP208/12/1878 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : HEPATITIS -DELTA-VIRUS * SELF-CLEAVING RIBOZYMES * ACID-BASE CATALYSIS Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 4.449, year: 2015

Chemical Feasibility of the General Acid/Base Mechanism of glmS Ribozyme Self-Cleavage

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Dubecký, M.; Walter, Nils G.; Šponer, Jiří; Otyepka, M.; Banáš, Pavel

2015-01-01

Roč. 103, č. 10 (2015), s. 550-562 ISSN 0006-3525 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) ED1.1.00/02.0068; GA ČR(CZ) GAP208/12/1878 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : MOLECULAR-DYNAMICS SIMULATIONS * ACTIVE-SITE GUANINE * HAIRPIN RIBOZYME Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 2.248, year: 2015

Stereospecificity of oligonucleotide interactions revisited: no evidence for heterochiral hybridization and ribozyme/DNAzyme activity.

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Kai Hoehlig

Full Text Available A major challenge for the application of RNA- or DNA-oligonucleotides in biotechnology and molecular medicine is their susceptibility to abundant nucleases. One intriguing possibility to tackle this problem is the use of mirror-image (l-oligonucleotides. For aptamers, this concept has successfully been applied to even develop therapeutic agents, so-called Spiegelmers. However, for technologies depending on RNA/RNA or RNA/DNA hybridization, like antisense or RNA interference, it has not been possible to use mirror-image oligonucleotides because Watson-Crick base pairing of complementary strands is (thought to be stereospecific. Many scientists consider this a general principle if not a dogma. A recent publication proposing heterochiral Watson-Crick base pairing and sequence-specific hydrolysis of natural RNA by mirror-image ribozymes or DNAzymes (and vice versa prompted us to systematically revisit the stereospecificity of oligonucleotides hybridization and catalytic activity. Using hyperchromicity measurements we demonstrate that hybridization only occurs among homochiral anti-parallel complementary oligonucleotide strands. As expected, achiral PNA hybridizes to RNA and DNA irrespective of their chirality. In functional assays we could not confirm an alleged heterochiral hydrolytic activity of ribozymes or DNAzymes. Our results confirm a strict stereospecificity of oligonucleotide hybridization and clearly argue against the possibility to use mirror-image oligonucleotides for gene silencing or antisense applications.

Design and kinetic analysis of hammerhead ribozyme and DNAzyme that specifically cleave TEL-AML1 chimeric mRNA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Woo-Hyung; Choi, Bo-Ra; Kim, Jae Hyun; Yeo, Woon-Seok; Oh, Sangtaek; Kim, Dong-Eun

2008-01-01

In order to develop the oligonucleotides to abolish an expression of TEL-AML1 chimeric RNA, which is a genetic aberration that causes the acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), hammerhead ribozymes and deoxyoligoribozymes that can specifically cleave TEL-AML1 fusion RNA were designed. Constructs of the deoxyribozyme with an asymmetric substrate binding arm (Dz26) and the hammerhead ribozyme with a 4 nt-bulged substrate binding arm in the stem III (buRz28) were able to cleave TEL-AML1 chimeric RNA specifically at sites close to the junction in vitro, without cleaving the normal TEL and AML1 RNA. Single-turnover kinetic analysis under enzyme-excess condition revealed that the buRz28 is superior to the Dz26 in terms of substrate binding and RNA-cleavage. In conjunction with current progress in a gene-delivery technology, the designed oligonucleotides that specifically cleave the TEL-AML1 chimeric mRNA are hoped to be applicable for the treatment of ALL in vivo

A Conserved Target Site in HIV-1 Gag RNA is Accessible to Inhibition by Both an HDV Ribozyme and a Short Hairpin RNA

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Robert J Scarborough

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Antisense-based molecules targeting HIV-1 RNA have the potential to be used as part of gene or drug therapy to treat HIV-1 infection. In this study, HIV-1 RNA was screened to identify more conserved and accessible target sites for ribozymes based on the hepatitis delta virus motif. Using a quantitative screen for effects on HIV-1 production, we identified a ribozyme targeting a highly conserved site in the Gag coding sequence with improved inhibitory potential compared to our previously described candidates targeting the overlapping Tat/Rev coding sequence. We also demonstrate that this target site is highly accessible to short hairpin directed RNA interference, suggesting that it may be available for the binding of antisense RNAs with different modes of action. We provide evidence that this target site is structurally conserved in diverse viral strains and that it is sufficiently different from the human transcriptome to limit off-target effects from antisense therapies. We also show that the modified hepatitis delta virus ribozyme is more sensitive to a mismatch in its target site compared to the short hairpin RNA. Overall, our results validate the potential of a new target site in HIV-1 RNA to be used for the development of antisense therapies.

Mechanistic and Structural Studies of Protein-Only RNase P Compared to Ribonucleoproteins Reveal the Two Faces of the Same Enzymatic Activity

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Cédric Schelcher

2016-06-01

Full Text Available RNase P, the essential activity that performs the 5′ maturation of tRNA precursors, can be achieved either by ribonucleoproteins containing a ribozyme present in the three domains of life or by protein-only enzymes called protein-only RNase P (PRORP that occur in eukaryote nuclei and organelles. A fast growing list of studies has investigated three-dimensional structures and mode of action of PRORP proteins. Results suggest that similar to ribozymes, PRORP proteins have two main domains. A clear functional analogy can be drawn between the specificity domain of the RNase P ribozyme and PRORP pentatricopeptide repeat domain, and between the ribozyme catalytic domain and PRORP N4BP1, YacP-like Nuclease domain. Moreover, both types of enzymes appear to dock with the acceptor arm of tRNA precursors and make specific contacts with the corner of pre-tRNAs. While some clear differences can still be delineated between PRORP and ribonucleoprotein (RNP RNase P, the two types of enzymes seem to use, fundamentally, the same catalytic mechanism involving two metal ions. The occurrence of PRORP and RNP RNase P represents a remarkable example of convergent evolution. It might be the unique witness of an ongoing replacement of catalytic RNAs by proteins for enzymatic activities.

Vesicle Encapsulation Studies Reveal that Single Molecule Ribozyme Heterogeneities Are Intrinsic

Science.gov (United States)

Okumus, Burak; Wilson, Timothy J.; Lilley, David M. J.; Ha, Taekjip

2004-01-01

Single-molecule measurements have revealed that what were assumed to be identical molecules can differ significantly in their static and dynamic properties. One of the most striking examples is the hairpin ribozyme, which was shown to exhibit two to three orders of magnitude variation in folding kinetics between molecules. Although averaged behavior of single molecules matched the bulk solution data, it was not possible to exclude rigorously the possibility that the variations around the mean values arose from different ways of interacting with the surface environment. To test this, we minimized the molecules' interaction with the surface by encapsulating DNA or RNA molecules inside 100- to 200-nm diameter unilamellar vesicles, following the procedures described by Haran and coworkers. Vesicles were immobilized on a supported lipid bilayer via biotin-streptavidin linkages. We observed no direct binding of DNA or RNA on the supported bilayer even at concentrations exceeding 100 nM, indicating that these molecules do not bind stably on the membrane. Since the vesicle diameter is smaller than the resolution of optical microscopy, the lateral mobility of the molecules is severely constrained, allowing long observation periods. We used fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, nuclease digestion, and external buffer exchange to show that the molecules were indeed encapsulated within the vesicles. When contained within vesicles, the natural form of the hairpin ribozyme exhibited 50-fold variation in both folding and unfolding rates in 0.5 mM Mg2+, which is identical to what was observed from the molecules tethered directly on the surface. This strongly indicates that the observed heterogeneity in dynamic properties does not arise as an artifact of surface attachment, but is intrinsic to the nature of the molecules. PMID:15454471

Loss of a highly conserved sterile alpha motif domain gene (WEEP) results in pendulous branch growth in peach trees.

Science.gov (United States)

Hollender, Courtney A; Pascal, Thierry; Tabb, Amy; Hadiarto, Toto; Srinivasan, Chinnathambi; Wang, Wanpeng; Liu, Zhongchi; Scorza, Ralph; Dardick, Chris

2018-05-15

Plant shoots typically grow upward in opposition to the pull of gravity. However, exceptions exist throughout the plant kingdom. Most conspicuous are trees with weeping or pendulous branches. While such trees have long been cultivated and appreciated for their ornamental value, the molecular basis behind the weeping habit is not known. Here, we characterized a weeping tree phenotype in Prunus persica (peach) and identified the underlying genetic mutation using a genomic sequencing approach. Weeping peach tree shoots exhibited a downward elliptical growth pattern and did not exhibit an upward bending in response to 90° reorientation. The causative allele was found to be an uncharacterized gene, Ppa013325 , having a 1.8-Kb deletion spanning the 5' end. This gene, dubbed WEEP , was predominantly expressed in phloem tissues and encodes a highly conserved 129-amino acid protein containing a sterile alpha motif (SAM) domain. Silencing WEEP in the related tree species Prunus domestica (plum) resulted in more outward, downward, and wandering shoot orientations compared to standard trees, supporting a role for WEEP in directing lateral shoot growth in trees. This previously unknown regulator of branch orientation, which may also be a regulator of gravity perception or response, provides insights into our understanding of how tree branches grow in opposition to gravity and could serve as a critical target for manipulating tree architecture for improved tree shape in agricultural and horticulture applications. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Heat capacity changes in RNA folding: application of perturbation theory to hammerhead ribozyme cold denaturation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mikulecky, Peter J; Feig, Andrew L

2004-01-01

In proteins, empirical correlations have shown that changes in heat capacity (DeltaC(P)) scale linearly with the hydrophobic surface area buried upon folding. The influence of DeltaC(P) on RNA folding has been widely overlooked and is poorly understood. In addition to considerations of solvent reorganization, electrostatic effects might contribute to DeltaC(P)s of folding in polyanionic species such as RNAs. Here, we employ a perturbation method based on electrostatic theory to probe the hot and cold denaturation behavior of the hammerhead ribozyme. This treatment avoids much of the error associated with imposing two-state folding models on non-two-state systems. Ribozyme stability is perturbed across a matrix of solvent conditions by varying the concentration of NaCl and methanol co-solvent. Temperature-dependent unfolding is then monitored by circular dichroism spectroscopy. The resulting array of unfolding transitions can be used to calculate a DeltaC(P) of folding that accurately predicts the observed cold denaturation temperature. We confirm the accuracy of the calculated DeltaC(P) by using isothermal titration calorimetry, and also demonstrate a methanol-dependence of the DeltaC(P). We weigh the strengths and limitations of this method for determining DeltaC(P) values. Finally, we discuss the data in light of the physical origins of the DeltaC(P)s for RNA folding and consider their impact on biological function.

Comparison of ab Initio, DFT, and Semiempirical QM/MM Approaches for Description of Catalytic Mechanism of Hairpin Ribozyme

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Mlýnský, V.; Banáš, P.; Šponer, Jiří; van der Kamp, M.W.; Mulholland, A.J.; Otyepka, M.

2014-01-01

Roč. 10, č. 4 (2014), s. 1608-1622 ISSN 1549-9618 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP208/12/1878; GA ČR(CZ) GBP301/11/P558; GA MŠk(CZ) ED1.1.00/02.0068 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : MOLECULAR-DYNAMICS SIMULATIONS * DELTA-VIRUS RIBOZYME * ACID-BASE CATALYSIS Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 5.498, year: 2014

Kinetic partitioning mechanism of HDV ribozyme folding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Jiawen; Gong, Sha; Wang, Yujie; Zhang, Wenbing, E-mail: wbzhang@whu.edu.cn [Department of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072 (China)

2014-01-14

RNA folding kinetics is directly tied to RNA biological functions. We introduce here a new approach for predicting the folding kinetics of RNA secondary structure with pseudoknots. This approach is based on our previous established helix-based method for predicting the folding kinetics of RNA secondary structure. In this approach, the transition rates for an elementary step: (1) formation, (2) disruption of a helix stem, and (3) helix formation with concomitant partial melting of an incompatible helix, are calculated with the free energy landscape. The folding kinetics of the Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) ribozyme and the mutated sequences are studied with this method. The folding pathways are identified by recursive searching the states with high net flux-in(out) population starting from the native state. The theory results are in good agreement with that of the experiments. The results indicate that the bi-phasic folding kinetics for the wt HDV sequence is ascribed to the kinetic partitioning mechanism: Part of the population will quickly fold to the native state along the fast pathway, while another part of the population will fold along the slow pathway, in which the population is trapped in a non-native state. Single mutation not only changes the folding rate but also the folding pathway.

Structural and catalytic effects of an invariant purine substitution in the hammerhead ribozyme: implications for the mechanism of acid–base catalysis

Science.gov (United States)

Schultz, Eric P.; Vasquez, Ernesto E.; Scott, William G.

2014-01-01

The hammerhead ribozyme catalyzes RNA cleavage via acid–base catalysis. Whether it does so by general acid–base catalysis, in which the RNA itself donates and abstracts protons in the transition state, as is typically assumed, or by specific acid–base catalysis, in which the RNA plays a structural role and proton transfer is mediated by active-site water molecules, is unknown. Previous biochemical and crystallographic experiments implicate an invariant purine in the active site, G12, as the general base. However, G12 may play a structural role consistent with specific base catalysis. To better understand the role of G12 in the mechanism of hammerhead catalysis, a 2.2 Å resolution crystal structure of a hammerhead ribozyme from Schistosoma mansoni with a purine substituted for G12 in the active site of the ribozyme was obtained. Comparison of this structure (PDB entry 3zd4), in which A12 is substituted for G, with three previously determined structures that now serve as important experimental controls, allows the identification of structural perturbations that are owing to the purine substitution itself. Kinetic measurements for G12 purine-substituted schistosomal hammerheads confirm a previously observed dependence of rate on the pK a of the substituted purine; in both cases inosine, which is similar to G in pK a and hydrogen-bonding properties, is unexpectedly inactive. Structural comparisons indicate that this may primarily be owing to the lack of the exocyclic 2-amino group in the G12A and G12I substitutions and its structural effect upon both the nucleotide base and phosphate of A9. The latter involves the perturbation of a previously identified and well characterized metal ion-binding site known to be catalytically important in both minimal and full-length hammerhead ribozyme sequences. The results permit it to be suggested that G12 plays an important role in stabilizing the active-site structure. This result, although not inconsistent with the

Structural and catalytic effects of an invariant purine substitution in the hammerhead ribozyme: implications for the mechanism of acid-base catalysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Schultz, Eric P; Vasquez, Ernesto E; Scott, William G

2014-09-01

The hammerhead ribozyme catalyzes RNA cleavage via acid-base catalysis. Whether it does so by general acid-base catalysis, in which the RNA itself donates and abstracts protons in the transition state, as is typically assumed, or by specific acid-base catalysis, in which the RNA plays a structural role and proton transfer is mediated by active-site water molecules, is unknown. Previous biochemical and crystallographic experiments implicate an invariant purine in the active site, G12, as the general base. However, G12 may play a structural role consistent with specific base catalysis. To better understand the role of G12 in the mechanism of hammerhead catalysis, a 2.2 Å resolution crystal structure of a hammerhead ribozyme from Schistosoma mansoni with a purine substituted for G12 in the active site of the ribozyme was obtained. Comparison of this structure (PDB entry 3zd4), in which A12 is substituted for G, with three previously determined structures that now serve as important experimental controls, allows the identification of structural perturbations that are owing to the purine substitution itself. Kinetic measurements for G12 purine-substituted schistosomal hammerheads confirm a previously observed dependence of rate on the pK(a) of the substituted purine; in both cases inosine, which is similar to G in pK(a) and hydrogen-bonding properties, is unexpectedly inactive. Structural comparisons indicate that this may primarily be owing to the lack of the exocyclic 2-amino group in the G12A and G12I substitutions and its structural effect upon both the nucleotide base and phosphate of A9. The latter involves the perturbation of a previously identified and well characterized metal ion-binding site known to be catalytically important in both minimal and full-length hammerhead ribozyme sequences. The results permit it to be suggested that G12 plays an important role in stabilizing the active-site structure. This result, although not inconsistent with the potential

Molecular trade-offs in RNA ligases affected the modular emergence of complex ribozymes at the origin of life

Science.gov (United States)

Weinberg, Marc S.; Michod, Richard E.

2017-01-01

In the RNA world hypothesis complex, self-replicating ribozymes were essential. For the emergence of an RNA world, less is known about the early processes that accounted for the formation of complex, long catalysts from small passively formed molecules. The functional role of small sequences has not been fully explored and, here, a possible role for smaller ligases is demonstrated. An established RNA polymerase model, the R18, was truncated from the 3′ end to generate smaller molecules. All the molecules were investigated for self-ligation functions with a set of oligonucleotide substrates without predesigned base pairing. The smallest molecule that exhibited self-ligation activity was a 40-nucleotide RNA. It also demonstrated the greatest functional flexibility as it was more general in the kinds of substrates it ligated to itself although its catalytic efficiency was the lowest. The largest ribozyme (R18) ligated substrates more selectively and with greatest efficiency. With increase in size and predicted structural stability, self-ligation efficiency improved, while functional flexibility decreased. These findings reveal that molecular size could have increased from the activity of small ligases joining oligonucleotides to their own end. In addition, there is a size-associated molecular-level trade-off that could have impacted the evolution of RNA-based life. PMID:28989747

Molecular trade-offs in RNA ligases affected the modular emergence of complex ribozymes at the origin of life

Science.gov (United States)

Dhar, Nisha; Weinberg, Marc S.; Michod, Richard E.; Durand, Pierre M.

2017-09-01

In the RNA world hypothesis complex, self-replicating ribozymes were essential. For the emergence of an RNA world, less is known about the early processes that accounted for the formation of complex, long catalysts from small passively formed molecules. The functional role of small sequences has not been fully explored and, here, a possible role for smaller ligases is demonstrated. An established RNA polymerase model, the R18, was truncated from the 3' end to generate smaller molecules. All the molecules were investigated for self-ligation functions with a set of oligonucleotide substrates without predesigned base pairing. The smallest molecule that exhibited self-ligation activity was a 40-nucleotide RNA. It also demonstrated the greatest functional flexibility as it was more general in the kinds of substrates it ligated to itself although its catalytic efficiency was the lowest. The largest ribozyme (R18) ligated substrates more selectively and with greatest efficiency. With increase in size and predicted structural stability, self-ligation efficiency improved, while functional flexibility decreased. These findings reveal that molecular size could have increased from the activity of small ligases joining oligonucleotides to their own end. In addition, there is a size-associated molecular-level trade-off that could have impacted the evolution of RNA-based life.

Structural analysis of the role of TPX2 in branching microtubule nucleation

Science.gov (United States)

Thawani, Akanksha

2017-01-01

The mitotic spindle consists of microtubules (MTs), which are nucleated by the γ-tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC). How the γ-TuRC gets activated at the right time and location remains elusive. Recently, it was uncovered that MTs nucleate from preexisting MTs within the mitotic spindle, which requires the protein TPX2, but the mechanism basis for TPX2 action is unknown. Here, we investigate the role of TPX2 in branching MT nucleation. We establish the domain organization of Xenopus laevis TPX2 and define the minimal TPX2 version that stimulates branching MT nucleation, which we find is unrelated to TPX2’s ability to nucleate MTs in vitro. Several domains of TPX2 contribute to its MT-binding and bundling activities. However, the property necessary for TPX2 to induce branching MT nucleation is contained within newly identified γ-TuRC nucleation activator motifs. Separation-of-function mutations leave the binding of TPX2 to γ-TuRC intact, whereas branching MT nucleation is abolished, suggesting that TPX2 may activate γ-TuRC to promote branching MT nucleation. PMID:28264915

Characterization of cis-Acting RNA Elements of Zika Virus by Using a Self-Splicing Ribozyme-Dependent Infectious Clone.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhong-Yu; Yu, Jiu-Yang; Huang, Xing-Yao; Fan, Hang; Li, Xiao-Feng; Deng, Yong-Qiang; Ji, Xue; Cheng, Meng-Li; Ye, Qing; Zhao, Hui; Han, Jian-Feng; An, Xiao-Ping; Jiang, Tao; Zhang, Bo; Tong, Yi-Gang; Qin, Cheng-Feng

2017-11-01

Zika virus (ZIKV) has caused significant outbreaks and epidemics in the Americas recently, raising global concern due to its ability to cause microcephaly and other neurological complications. A stable and efficient infectious clone of ZIKV is urgently needed. However, the instability and toxicity of flavivirus cDNA clones in Escherichia coli hosts has hindered the development of ZIKV infectious clones. Here, using a novel self-splicing ribozyme-based strategy, we generated a stable infectious cDNA clone of a contemporary ZIKV strain imported from Venezuela to China in 2016. The constructed clone contained a modified version of the group II self-splicing intron P.li.LSUI2 near the junction between the E and NS1 genes, which were removed from the RNA transcripts by an easy-to-establish in vitro splicing reaction. Transfection of the spliced RNAs into BHK-21 cells led to the production of infectious progeny virus that resembled the parental virus. Finally, potential cis -acting RNA elements in ZIKV genomic RNA were identified based on this novel reverse genetics system, and the critical role of 5'-SLA promoter and 5'-3' cyclization sequences were characterized by a combination of different assays. Our results provide another stable and reliable reverse genetics system for ZIKV that will help study ZIKV infection and pathogenesis, and the novel self-splicing intron-based strategy could be further expanded for the construction of infectious clones from other emerging and reemerging flaviviruses. IMPORTANCE The ongoing Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreaks have drawn global concern due to the unexpected causal link to fetus microcephaly and other severe neurological complications. The infectious cDNA clones of ZIKV are critical for the research community to study the virus, understand the disease, and inform vaccine design and antiviral screening. A panel of existing technologies have been utilized to develop ZIKV infectious clones. Here, we successfully generated a stable

A modern mode of activation for nucleic acid enzymes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dominique Lévesque

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Through evolution, enzymes have developed subtle modes of activation in order to ensure the sufficiently high substrate specificity required by modern cellular metabolism. One of these modes is the use of a target-dependent module (i.e. a docking domain such as those found in signalling kinases. Upon the binding of the target to a docking domain, the substrate is positioned within the catalytic site. The prodomain acts as a target-dependent module switching the kinase from an off state to an on state. As compared to the allosteric mode of activation, there is no need for the presence of a third partner. None of the ribozymes discovered to date have such a mode of activation, nor does any other known RNA. Starting from a specific on/off adaptor for the hepatitis delta virus ribozyme, that differs but has a mechanism reminiscent of this signalling kinase, we have adapted this mode of activation, using the techniques of molecular engineering, to both catalytic RNAs and DNAs exhibiting various activities. Specifically, we adapted three cleaving ribozymes (hepatitis delta virus, hammerhead and hairpin ribozymes, a cleaving 10-23 deoxyribozyme, a ligating hairpin ribozyme and an artificially selected capping ribozyme. In each case, there was a significant gain in terms of substrate specificity. Even if this mode of control is unreported for natural catalytic nucleic acids, its use needs not be limited to proteinous enzymes. We suggest that the complexity of the modern cellular metabolism might have been an important selective pressure in this evolutionary process.

The Adhesion Molecule KAL-1/anosmin-1 Regulates Neurite Branching through a SAX-7/L1CAM–EGL-15/FGFR Receptor Complex

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos A. Díaz-Balzac

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Neurite branching is essential for correct assembly of neural circuits, yet it remains a poorly understood process. For example, the neural cell adhesion molecule KAL-1/anosmin-1, which is mutated in Kallmann syndrome, regulates neurite branching through mechanisms largely unknown. Here, we show that KAL-1/anosmin-1 mediates neurite branching as an autocrine co-factor with EGL-17/FGF through a receptor complex consisting of the conserved cell adhesion molecule SAX-7/L1CAM and the fibroblast growth factor receptor EGL-15/FGFR. This protein complex, which appears conserved in humans, requires the immunoglobulin (Ig domains of SAX-7/L1CAM and the FN(III domains of KAL-1/anosmin-1 for formation in vitro as well as function in vivo. The kinase domain of the EGL-15/FGFR is required for branching, and genetic evidence suggests that ras-mediated signaling downstream of EGL-15/FGFR is necessary to effect branching. Our studies establish a molecular pathway that regulates neurite branching during development of the nervous system.

The critical domain size of stochastic population models.

Science.gov (United States)

Reimer, Jody R; Bonsall, Michael B; Maini, Philip K

2017-02-01

Identifying the critical domain size necessary for a population to persist is an important question in ecology. Both demographic and environmental stochasticity impact a population's ability to persist. Here we explore ways of including this variability. We study populations with distinct dispersal and sedentary stages, which have traditionally been modelled using a deterministic integrodifference equation (IDE) framework. Individual-based models (IBMs) are the most intuitive stochastic analogues to IDEs but yield few analytic insights. We explore two alternate approaches; one is a scaling up to the population level using the Central Limit Theorem, and the other a variation on both Galton-Watson branching processes and branching processes in random environments. These branching process models closely approximate the IBM and yield insight into the factors determining the critical domain size for a given population subject to stochasticity.

Convergence in gradient systems with branching of equilibria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galaktionov, V A; Pohozaev, Stanislav I; Shishkov, A E

2007-01-01

The basic model is a semilinear elliptic equation with coercive C 1 non-linearity: Δψ+f(ψ)=0 in Ω, ψ=0 on ∂Ω, where Ω subset of R N is a bounded smooth domain. The main hypothesis (H R ) about resonance branching is as follows: if a branching of equilibria occurs at a point ψ with k-dimensional kernel of the linearized operator Δ+f'(ψ)I, then the branching subset S k at ψ is a locally smooth k-dimensional manifold. For N=1 the first result on the stabilization to a single equilibrium is due to Zelenyak (1968). It is shown that Zelenyak's approach, which is based on the analysis of Lyapunov functions, can be extended to general gradient systems in Hilbert spaces with smooth resonance branching. The case of asymptotically small non-autonomous perturbations of such systems is also considered. The approach developed here represents an alternative to Hale's stabilization method (1992) and other similar techniques in the theory of gradient systems. Bibliography: 32 titles.

Kodiak: An Implementation Framework for Branch and Bound Algorithms

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Andrew P.; Munoz, Cesar A.; Narkawicz, Anthony J.; Markevicius, Mantas

2015-01-01

Recursive branch and bound algorithms are often used to refine and isolate solutions to several classes of global optimization problems. A rigorous computation framework for the solution of systems of equations and inequalities involving nonlinear real arithmetic over hyper-rectangular variable and parameter domains is presented. It is derived from a generic branch and bound algorithm that has been formally verified, and utilizes self-validating enclosure methods, namely interval arithmetic and, for polynomials and rational functions, Bernstein expansion. Since bounds computed by these enclosure methods are sound, this approach may be used reliably in software verification tools. Advantage is taken of the partial derivatives of the constraint functions involved in the system, firstly to reduce the branching factor by the use of bisection heuristics and secondly to permit the computation of bifurcation sets for systems of ordinary differential equations. The associated software development, Kodiak, is presented, along with examples of three different branch and bound problem types it implements.

Intratumor Heterogeneity and Branched Evolution Revealed by Multiregion Sequencing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gerlinger, Marco; Rowan, Andrew J.; Horswell, Stuart

2012-01-01

.RESULTS: Phylogenetic reconstruction revealed branched evolutionary tumor growth, with 63 to 69% of all somatic mutations not detectable across every tumor region. Intratumor heterogeneity was observed for a mutation within an autoinhibitory domain of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase, correlating with S6...

Importance of specific nucleotides in the folding of the natural form of the hairpin ribozyme.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, T J; Zhao, Z Y; Maxwell, K; Kontogiannis, L; Lilley, D M

2001-02-20

The hairpin ribozyme in its natural context consists of two loops in RNA duplexes that are connected as arms of a four-way helical junction. Magnesium ions induce folding into the active conformation in which the two loops are in proximity. In this study, we have investigated nucleotides that are important to this folding process. We have analyzed the folding in terms of the cooperativity and apparent affinity for magnesium ions as a function of changes in base sequence and functional groups, using fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Our results suggest that the interaction between the loops is the sum of a number of component interactions. Some sequence variants such as A10U, G+1A, and C25U exhibit loss of cooperativity and reduced affinity of apparent magnesium ion binding. These variants are also very impaired in ribozyme cleavage activity. Nucleotides A10, G+1, and C25 thus appear to be essential in creating the conformational environment necessary for ion binding. The double variant G+1A/C25U exhibits a marked recovery of both folding and catalytic activity compared to either individual variant, consistent with the proposal of a triple-base interaction among A9, G+1, and C25 [Pinard, R., Lambert, D., Walter, N. G., Heckman, J. E., Major, F., and Burke, J. M. (1999) Biochemistry 38, 16035-16039]. However, substitution of A9 leads to relatively small changes in folding properties and cleavage activity, and the double variant G+1DAP/C25U (DAP is 2,6-diaminopurine), which could form an isosteric triple-base interaction, exhibits folding and cleavage activities that are both very impaired compared to those of the natural sequence. Our results indicate an important role for a Watson--Crick base pair between G+1 and C25; this may be buttressed by an interaction with A9, but the loss of this has less significant consequences for folding. 2'-Deoxyribose substitution leads to folding with reduced magnesium ion affinity in the following order: unmodified RNA > dA9

Quantitative Analysis of Axonal Branch Dynamics in the Developing Nervous System.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kelsey Chalmers

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Branching is an important mechanism by which axons navigate to their targets during neural development. For instance, in the developing zebrafish retinotectal system, selective branching plays a critical role during both initial pathfinding and subsequent arborisation once the target zone has been reached. Here we show how quantitative methods can help extract new information from time-lapse imaging about the nature of the underlying branch dynamics. First, we introduce Dynamic Time Warping to this domain as a method for automatically matching branches between frames, replacing the effort required for manual matching. Second, we model branch dynamics as a birth-death process, i.e. a special case of a continuous-time Markov process. This reveals that the birth rate for branches from zebrafish retinotectal axons, as they navigate across the tectum, increased over time. We observed no significant change in the death rate for branches over this time period. However, blocking neuronal activity with TTX slightly increased the death rate, without a detectable change in the birth rate. Third, we show how the extraction of these rates allows computational simulations of branch dynamics whose statistics closely match the data. Together these results reveal new aspects of the biology of retinotectal pathfinding, and introduce computational techniques which are applicable to the study of axon branching more generally.

Transcriptome wide identification and characterization of starch branching enzyme in finger millet.

Science.gov (United States)

Tyagi, Rajhans; Tiwari, Apoorv; Garg, Vijay Kumar; Gupta, Sanjay

2017-01-01

Starch-branching enzymes (SBEs) are one of the four major enzyme classes involved in starch biosynthesis in plants and play an important role in determining the structure and physical properties of starch granules. Multiple SBEs are involved in starch biosynthesis in plants. Finger millet is calcium rich important serial crop belongs to grass family and the transcriptome data of developing spikes is available on NCBI. In this study it was try to find out the gene sequence of starch branching enzyme and annotate the sequence and submit the sequence for further use. Rice SBE sequence was taken as reference and for characterization of the sequence different in silico tools were used. Four domains were found in the finger millet Starch branching enzyme like alpha amylase catalytic domain from 925 to2172 with E value 0, N-terminal Early set domain from 634 to 915 with E value 1.62 e-42, Alpha amylase, C-terminal all-beta domain from 2224 to 2511 with E value 5.80e-24 and 1,4-alpha-glucan-branching enzyme from 421 to 2517 with E value 0. Major binding interactions with the GLC (alpha-d-glucose), CA (calcium ion), GOL (glycerol), TRS (2-amino-2-hydroxymethylpropane- 1, 3-diol), MG (magnesium ion) and FLC (citrate anion) are fond with different residues. It was found in the phylogenetic study of the finger millet SBE with the 6 species of grass family that two clusters were form A and B. In cluster A, finger millet showed closeness with Oryzasativa and Setariaitalica, Sorghum bicolour and Zea mays while cluster B was formed with Triticumaestivum and Brachypodium distachyon. The nucleotide sequence of Finger millet SBE was submitted to NCBI with the accession no KY648913 and protein structure of SBE of finger millet was also submitted in PMDB with the PMDB id - PM0080938. This research presents a comparative overview of Finger millet SBE and includes their properties, structural and functional characteristics, and recent developments on their post-translational regulation.

An extracellular cell-attached pullulanase confers branched α-glucan utilization in human gut Lactobacillus acidophilus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møller, Marie Sofie; Goh, Yong Jun; Rasmussen, Kasper Bøwig

2017-01-01

binding modules, a domain of unknown function, and a C-terminal surface layer association protein (SLAP) domain. Here we explore the specificity of a representative of this group of pullulanases, LaPul13_14 and its role in branched α-glucans metabolism in the well characterized Lactobacillus acidophilus...... in the presence of α-glucans but was repressed by glucose. The debranching activity is conferred exclusively by LaPul13_14 and is abolished in a mutant strain lacking a functional LaPul13_14 gene. Hydrolysis kinetics of recombinant LaPul13_14 confirmed the preference for short branched α-glucan oligomers....... Branched α-1,6-glucans in dietary starch and glycogen are non-degradable by human enzymes and constitute a metabolic resource for the gut microbiota. The role of health-beneficial lactobacilli prevalent in the human small intestine in starch metabolism remains unexplored in contrast to colonic bacterial...

Structural and Thermodynamic Basis for Weak Interactions between Dihydrolipoamide Dehydrogenase and Subunit-binding Domain of the Branched-chain [alpha]-Ketoacid Dehydrogenase Complex

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brautigam, Chad A.; Wynn, R. Max; Chuang, Jacinta L.; Naik, Mandar T.; Young, Brittany B.; Huang, Tai-huang; Chuang, David T. (AS); (UTSMC)

2012-02-27

The purified mammalian branched-chain {alpha}-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex (BCKDC), which catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of branched-chain {alpha}-keto acids, is essentially devoid of the constituent dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase component (E3). The absence of E3 is associated with the low affinity of the subunit-binding domain of human BCKDC (hSBDb) for hE3. In this work, sequence alignments of hSBDb with the E3-binding domain (E3BD) of the mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase complex show that hSBDb has an arginine at position 118, where E3BD features an asparagine. Substitution of Arg-118 with an asparagine increases the binding affinity of the R118N hSBDb variant (designated hSBDb*) for hE3 by nearly 2 orders of magnitude. The enthalpy of the binding reaction changes from endothermic with the wild-type hSBDb to exothermic with the hSBDb* variant. This higher affinity interaction allowed the determination of the crystal structure of the hE3/hSBDb* complex to 2.4-{angstrom} resolution. The structure showed that the presence of Arg-118 poses a unique, possibly steric and/or electrostatic incompatibility that could impede E3 interactions with the wild-type hSBDb. Compared with the E3/E3BD structure, the hE3/hSBDb* structure has a smaller interfacial area. Solution NMR data corroborated the interactions of hE3 with Arg-118 and Asn-118 in wild-type hSBDb and mutant hSBDb*, respectively. The NMR results also showed that the interface between hSBDb and hE3 does not change significantly from hSBDb to hSBDb*. Taken together, our results represent a starting point for explaining the long standing enigma that the E2b core of the BCKDC binds E3 far more weakly relative to other {alpha}-ketoacid dehydrogenase complexes.

Hierarchical assembly of branched supramolecular polymers from (cyclic Peptide)-polymer conjugates.

Science.gov (United States)

Koh, Ming Liang; Jolliffe, Katrina A; Perrier, Sébastien

2014-11-10

We report the synthesis and assembly of (N-methylated cyclic peptide)-polymer conjugates for which the cyclic peptide is attached to either the α- or both α- and ω- end groups of a polymer. A combination of chromatographic, spectroscopic, and scattering techniques reveals that the assembly of the conjugates follows a two-level hierarchy, initially driven by H-bond formation between two N-methylated cyclic peptides, followed by unspecific, noncovalent aggregation of this peptide into small domains that behave as branching points and lead to the formation of branched supramolecular polymers.

Investigation of retinal morphology alterations using spectral domain optical coherence tomography in a mouse model of retinal branch and central retinal vein occlusion.

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Andreas Ebneter

Full Text Available Retinal vein occlusion is a leading cause of visual impairment. Experimental models of this condition based on laser photocoagulation of retinal veins have been described and extensively exploited in mammals and larger rodents such as the rat. However, few reports exist on the use of this paradigm in the mouse. The objective of this study was to investigate a model of branch and central retinal vein occlusion in the mouse and characterize in vivo longitudinal retinal morphology alterations using spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Retinal veins were experimentally occluded using laser photocoagulation after intravenous application of Rose Bengal, a photo-activator dye enhancing thrombus formation. Depending on the number of veins occluded, variable amounts of capillary dropout were seen on fluorescein angiography. Vascular endothelial growth factor levels were markedly elevated early and peaked at day one. Retinal thickness measurements with spectral domain optical coherence tomography showed significant swelling (p<0.001 compared to baseline, followed by gradual thinning plateauing two weeks after the experimental intervention (p<0.001. Histological findings at day seven correlated with spectral domain optical coherence tomography imaging. The inner layers were predominantly affected by degeneration with the outer nuclear layer and the photoreceptor outer segments largely preserved. The application of this retinal vein occlusion model in the mouse carries several advantages over its use in other larger species, such as access to a vast range of genetically modified animals. Retinal changes after experimental retinal vein occlusion in this mouse model can be non-invasively quantified by spectral domain optical coherence tomography, and may be used to monitor effects of potential therapeutic interventions.

Technical normalization in the geoinformatics branch

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Bronislava Horáková

2006-09-01

Full Text Available A basic principle of the technical normalisation is to hold the market development by developing unified technical rules for all concerned subjects. The information and communication technological industry is characterised by certain specific features contrary to the traditional industry. These features bring to the normalisation domain new demands, mainly the flexibility enabling to reflect the rapidly development market of ICT elastic way. The goal of the paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current process of technical normalization in the geoinformatic branch

Branching structure and strain hardening of branched metallocene polyethylenes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torres, Enrique; Li, Si-Wan; Costeux, Stéphane; Dealy, John M.

2015-01-01

There have been a number of studies of a series of branched metallocene polyethylenes (BMPs) made in a solution, continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) polymerization. The materials studied vary in branching level in a systematic way, and the most highly branched members of the series exhibit mild strain hardening. An outstanding question is which types of branched molecules are responsible for strain hardening in extension. This question is explored here by use of polymerization and rheological models along with new data on the extensional flow behavior of the most highly branched members of the set. After reviewing all that is known about the effects of various branching structures in homogeneous polymers and comparing this with the structures predicted to be present in BMPs, it is concluded that in spite of their very low concentration, treelike molecules with branch-on-branch structure provide a large number of deeply buried inner segments that are essential for strain hardening in these polymers

Branching structure and strain hardening of branched metallocene polyethylenes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Torres, Enrique; Li, Si-Wan; Costeux, Stéphane; Dealy, John M., E-mail: john.dealy@mcgill.ca [Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0C4 (Canada)

2015-09-15

There have been a number of studies of a series of branched metallocene polyethylenes (BMPs) made in a solution, continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) polymerization. The materials studied vary in branching level in a systematic way, and the most highly branched members of the series exhibit mild strain hardening. An outstanding question is which types of branched molecules are responsible for strain hardening in extension. This question is explored here by use of polymerization and rheological models along with new data on the extensional flow behavior of the most highly branched members of the set. After reviewing all that is known about the effects of various branching structures in homogeneous polymers and comparing this with the structures predicted to be present in BMPs, it is concluded that in spite of their very low concentration, treelike molecules with branch-on-branch structure provide a large number of deeply buried inner segments that are essential for strain hardening in these polymers.

General base catalysis for cleavage by the active-site cytosine of the hepatitis delta virus ribozyme: QM/MM calculations establish chemical feasibility

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Banáš, Pavel; Rulíšek, Lubomír; Hánošová, V.; Svozil, Daniel; Walter, N.G.; Šponer, Jiří; Otyepka, Michal

2008-01-01

Roč. 112, č. 35 (2008), s. 11177-11187 ISSN 1520-6106 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LC512; GA MŠk(CZ) LC06030; GA AV ČR(CZ) IAA400040802; GA AV ČR 1QS500040581 Grant - others:NIH(US) GM62357 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40550506; CEZ:AV0Z50040507; CEZ:AV0Z50040702 Keywords : HDV ribozyme * catalysis * QM/MM calculations Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry Impact factor: 4.189, year: 2008

Synthesis and characterization of branched fcc/hcp ruthenium nanostructures and their catalytic activity in ammonia borane hydrolysis

KAUST Repository

AlYami, Noktan

2018-01-30

Several systems have shown the ability to stabilize uncommon crystal structures during the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles. By tailoring the nanoparticle crystal structure, the physical and chemical properties of the particles can also be controlled. Herein, we first synthesized branched nanoparticles of mixed hcp/fcc ruthenium, which were formed using tungsten carbonyl [W(CO)6] as both a reducing agent and a source of carbon monoxide. The branched particles were formed from multiple particulates off a central core. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) clearly showed that the branched structures consisted of aligned hcp crystal domains, a mixture of fcc and hcp crystal domains with several defects and misalignments, and particles that contained multiple cores and branches. Branched particles were also formed with molybdenum carbonyl [Mo(CO)6], and faceted particles of hcp and fcc particles were formed with Re2(CO)10 as a carbon monoxide source. Without metal carbonyls, small particles of spherical hcp ruthenium were produced, and their size could be controlled by the selection of the precursor. The ruthenium nanoparticles were tested for ammonia borane hydrolysis; the branched nanoparticles were more reactive for catalytic hydrogen evolution than the faceted hcp/fcc nanoparticles or the spherical hcp nanoparticles. This work showcases the potential of crystal phase engineering of transition metal nanoparticles by different carbon monoxide precursors for tailoring their catalytic reactivity.

Template-directed ligation of tethered mononucleotides by t4 DNA ligase for kinase ribozyme selection.

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David G Nickens

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: In vitro selection of kinase ribozymes for small molecule metabolites, such as free nucleosides, will require partition systems that discriminate active from inactive RNA species. While nucleic acid catalysis of phosphoryl transfer is well established for phosphorylation of 5' or 2' OH of oligonucleotide substrates, phosphorylation of diffusible small molecules has not been demonstrated. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This study demonstrates the ability of T4 DNA ligase to capture RNA strands in which a tethered monodeoxynucleoside has acquired a 5' phosphate. The ligation reaction therefore mimics the partition step of a selection for nucleoside kinase (deoxyribozymes. Ligation with tethered substrates was considerably slower than with nicked, fully duplex DNA, even though the deoxynucleotides at the ligation junction were Watson-Crick base paired in the tethered substrate. Ligation increased markedly when the bridging template strand contained unpaired spacer nucleotides across from the flexible tether, according to the trends: A(2>A(1>A(3>A(4>A(0>A(6>A(8>A(10 and T(2>T(3>T(4>T(6 approximately T(1>T(8>T(10. Bridging T's generally gave higher yield of ligated product than bridging A's. ATP concentrations above 33 microM accumulated adenylated intermediate and decreased yields of the gap-sealed product, likely due to re-adenylation of dissociated enzyme. Under optimized conditions, T4 DNA ligase efficiently (>90% joined a correctly paired, or TratioG wobble-paired, substrate on the 3' side of the ligation junction while discriminating approximately 100-fold against most mispaired substrates. Tethered dC and dG gave the highest ligation rates and yields, followed by tethered deoxyinosine (dI and dT, with the slowest reactions for tethered dA. The same kinetic trends were observed in ligase-mediated capture in complex reaction mixtures with multiple substrates. The "universal" analog 5-nitroindole (dNI did not support ligation when

Evolution of the RNase P RNA structural domain in Leptospira spp.

Science.gov (United States)

Ravishankar, Vigneshwaran; Ahmed, Ahmed; Sivagnanam, Ulaganathan; Muthuraman, Krishnaraja; Karthikaichamy, Anbarasu; Wilson, Herald A; Devendran, Ajay; Hartskeerl, Rudy A; Raj, Stephen M L

2014-12-01

We have employed the RNase P RNA (RPR) gene, which is present as single copy in chromosome I of Leptospira spp. to investigate the phylogeny of structural domains present in the RNA subunit of the tRNA processing enzyme, RNase P. RPR gene sequences of 150 strains derived from NCBI database along with sequences determined from 8 reference strains were examined to fathom strain specific structural differences present in leptospiral RPR. Sequence variations in the RPR gene impacted on the configuration of loops, stems and bulges found in the RPR highlighting species and strain specific structural motifs. In vitro transcribed leptospiral RPR ribozymes are demonstrated to process pre-tRNA into mature tRNA in consonance with the positioning of Leptospira in the taxonomic domain of bacteria. RPR sequence datasets used to construct a phylogenetic tree exemplified the segregation of strains into their respective lineages with a (re)speciation of strain SH 9 to Leptospira borgpetersenii, strains Fiocruz LV 3954 and Fiocruz LV 4135 to Leptospira santarosai, strain CBC 613 to Leptospira kirschneri and strain HAI 1536 to Leptospira noguchii. Furthermore, it allowed characterization of an isolate P2653, presumptively characterized as either serovar Hebdomadis, Kremastos or Longnan to Leptospira weilii, serovar Longnan. Copyright © 2014 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

A Concise Synthesis of Three Branches Derived from Polysaccharide RN1 and Anti-Pancreatic Cancer Activity Study

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Deqin Cai

2017-10-01

Full Text Available RN1, a polysaccharide from flowers of Panax pseudo-ginsieng Wall. Var. notoginseng (Burkill Hoo & Tseng, is a potential multi-targeting drug candidate for pancreatic cancer treatment. However, the active targeting domain of RN1 is still unknown. Herein, three RN1 derived branches were synthesized via [3+2] or [2+2] strategies, efficiently. Two pentasaccharides, 18 and 27, showed similar inhibition effect on pancreatic cancer BxPC-3 cells to that of RN1 at same concentration. Interestingly, tetrasaccharide 21 potently inhibited gemcitabineresistant cell line Panc-1 at high concentration. These suggest that the branches of RN1 might be the active targeting domain and tetrasaccharide 21 might be a potential leading compound for pancreatic cancer with gemcitabine resistance.

Limits of neutral drift: lessons from the in vitro evolution of two ribozymes.

Science.gov (United States)

Petrie, Katherine L; Joyce, Gerald F

2014-10-01

The relative contributions of adaptive selection and neutral drift to genetic change are unknown but likely depend on the inherent abundance of functional genotypes in sequence space and how accessible those genotypes are to one another. To better understand the relative roles of selection and drift in evolution, local fitness landscapes for two different RNA ligase ribozymes were examined using a continuous in vitro evolution system under conditions that foster the capacity for neutral drift to mediate genetic change. The exploration of sequence space was accelerated by increasing the mutation rate using mutagenic nucleotide analogs. Drift was encouraged by carrying out evolution within millions of separate compartments to exploit the founder effect. Deep sequencing of individuals from the evolved populations revealed that the distribution of genotypes did not escape the starting local fitness peak, remaining clustered around the sequence used to initiate evolution. This is consistent with a fitness landscape where high-fitness genotypes are sparse and well isolated, and suggests, at least in this context, that neutral drift alone is not a primary driver of genetic change. Neutral drift does, however, provide a repository of genetic variation upon which adaptive selection can act.

Branches of the Facial Artery.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Kun; Lee, Geun In; Park, Hye Jin

2015-06-01

The aim of this study is to review the name of the branches, to review the classification of the branching pattern, and to clarify a presence percentage of each branch of the facial artery, systematically. In a PubMed search, the search terms "facial," AND "artery," AND "classification OR variant OR pattern" were used. The IBM SPSS Statistics 20 system was used for statistical analysis. Among the 500 titles, 18 articles were selected and reviewed systematically. Most of the articles focused on "classification" according to the "terminal branch." Several authors classified the facial artery according to their terminal branches. Most of them, however, did not describe the definition of "terminal branch." There were confusions within the classifications. When the inferior labial artery was absent, 3 different types were used. The "alar branch" or "nasal branch" was used instead of the "lateral nasal branch." The angular branch was used to refer to several different branches. The presence as a percentage of each branch according to the branches in Gray's Anatomy (premasseteric, inferior labial, superior labial, lateral nasal, and angular) varied. No branch was used with 100% consistency. The superior labial branch was most frequently cited (95.7%, 382 arteries in 399 hemifaces). The angular branch (53.9%, 219 arteries in 406 hemifaces) and the premasseteric branch were least frequently cited (53.8%, 43 arteries in 80 hemifaces). There were significant differences among each of the 5 branches (P < 0.05) except between the angular branch and the premasseteric branch and between the superior labial branch and the inferior labial branch. The authors believe identifying the presence percentage of each branch will be helpful for surgical procedures.

Branched polynomial covering maps

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Vagn Lundsgaard

2002-01-01

A Weierstrass polynomial with multiple roots in certain points leads to a branched covering map. With this as the guiding example, we formally define and study the notion of a branched polynomial covering map. We shall prove that many finite covering maps are polynomial outside a discrete branch ...... set. Particular studies are made of branched polynomial covering maps arising from Riemann surfaces and from knots in the 3-sphere. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.......A Weierstrass polynomial with multiple roots in certain points leads to a branched covering map. With this as the guiding example, we formally define and study the notion of a branched polynomial covering map. We shall prove that many finite covering maps are polynomial outside a discrete branch...

Convergence criterion for branched contіnued fractions of the special form with positive elements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. I. Bodnar

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In this paper the problem of convergence of the important type of a multidimensional generalization of continued fractions, the branched continued fractions with independent variables, is considered. This fractions are an efficient apparatus for the approximation of multivariable functions, which are represented by multiple power series. When variables are fixed these fractions are called the branched continued fractions of the special form. Their structure is much simpler then the structure of general branched continued fractions. It has given a possibility to establish the necessary and sufficient conditions of convergence of branched continued fractions of the special form with the positive elements. The received result is the multidimensional analog of Seidel's criterion for the continued fractions. The condition of convergence of investigated fractions is the divergence of series, whose elements are continued fractions. Therefore, the sufficient condition of the convergence of this fraction which has been formulated by the divergence of series composed of partial denominators of this fraction, is established. Using the established criterion and Stieltjes-Vitali Theorem the parabolic theorems of branched continued fractions of the special form with complex elements convergence, is investigated. The sufficient conditions gave a possibility to make the condition of convergence of the branched continued fractions of the special form, whose elements lie in parabolic domains.

Entanglement branching operator

Science.gov (United States)

Harada, Kenji

2018-01-01

We introduce an entanglement branching operator to split a composite entanglement flow in a tensor network which is a promising theoretical tool for many-body systems. We can optimize an entanglement branching operator by solving a minimization problem based on squeezing operators. The entanglement branching is a new useful operation to manipulate a tensor network. For example, finding a particular entanglement structure by an entanglement branching operator, we can improve a higher-order tensor renormalization group method to catch a proper renormalization flow in a tensor network space. This new method yields a new type of tensor network states. The second example is a many-body decomposition of a tensor by using an entanglement branching operator. We can use it for a perfect disentangling among tensors. Applying a many-body decomposition recursively, we conceptually derive projected entangled pair states from quantum states that satisfy the area law of entanglement entropy.

Pulsational instabilities in hot pre-horizontal branch stars

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Battich Tiara

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The ϵ mechanism is a self-excitation mechanism of pulsations which acts on the regions where nuclear burning takes place. It has been shown that the ϵ mechanism can excite pulsations in models of hot helium-core flash, and that the pulsations of LS IV-14· 116, a He-enriched hot subdwarf star, could be explained that way. We aim to study the ϵmechanism effects on models of hot pre-horizontal branch stars and determine, if possible, a domain of instability in the log g — log Teff plane. We compute non-adiabatic non-radial pulsations on such stellar models, adopting different values of initial chemical abundances and mass of the hydrogen envelope at the time of the main helium flash. We find an instability domain of long-period (400 s ≲ P ≲ 2500 s g-modes for models with 22000K ≲ Teff ≲ 50000K and 4.67 ≲ log g ≲ 6.15.

Branched polynomial covering maps

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Vagn Lundsgaard

1999-01-01

A Weierstrass polynomial with multiple roots in certain points leads to a branched covering map. With this as the guiding example, we formally define and study the notion of a branched polynomial covering map. We shall prove that many finite covering maps are polynomial outside a discrete branch...... set. Particular studies are made of branched polynomial covering maps arising from Riemann surfaces and from knots in the 3-sphere....

Method and Apparatus of Multiplexing and Acquiring Data from Multiple Optical Fibers Using a Single Data Channel of an Optical Frequency-Domain Reflectometry (OFDR) System

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Jr., Allen R (Inventor); Chan, Hon Man (Inventor); Piazza, Anthony (Nino) (Inventor); Richards, William Lance (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A method and system for multiplexing a network of parallel fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor-fibers to a single acquisition channel of a closed Michelson interferometer system via a fiber splitter by distinguishing each branch of fiber sensors in the spatial domain. On each branch of the splitter, the fibers have a specific pre-determined length, effectively separating each branch of fiber sensors spatially. In the spatial domain the fiber branches are seen as part of one acquisition channel on the interrogation system. However, the FBG-reference arm beat frequency information for each fiber is retained. Since the beat frequency is generated between the reference arm, the effective fiber length of each successive branch includes the entire length of the preceding branch. The multiple branches are seen as one fiber having three segments where the segments can be resolved. This greatly simplifies optical, electronic and computational complexity, and is especially suited for use in multiplexed or branched OFS networks for SHM of large and/or distributed structures which need a lot of measurement points.

Axion-dilaton domain walls and fake supergravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sonner, Julian; Townsend, Paul K

2007-01-01

Dynamical systems methods are used to investigate domain-wall solutions of a two-parameter family of models in which gravity is coupled to an axion and to a dilaton with an exponential potential of either sign. A complete global analysis is presented for (i) constant axion and (ii) flat walls, including a study of bifurcations and a new exact domain-wall solution with non-constant axion. We reconsider 'fake-supergravity' issues in light of these results. We show, by example, how domain walls determine multi-valued superpotentials that branch at stationary points that are not stationary points of the potential, and we apply this result to potentials with anti-de Sitter vacua. We also show by example that 'adapted' truncation to a single-scalar model may be inconsistent, and we propose a 'generalized' fake-supergravity formalism that applies in some such cases

Neuro-Oncology Branch

Science.gov (United States)

... BTTC are experts in their respective fields. Neuro-Oncology Clinical Fellowship This is a joint program with ... can increase survival rates. Learn more... The Neuro-Oncology Branch welcomes Dr. Mark Gilbert as new Branch ...

BranchAnalysis2D/3D automates morphometry analyses of branching structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Srinivasan, Aditya; Muñoz-Estrada, Jesús; Bourgeois, Justin R; Nalwalk, Julia W; Pumiglia, Kevin M; Sheen, Volney L; Ferland, Russell J

2018-01-15

Morphometric analyses of biological features have become increasingly common in recent years with such analyses being subject to a large degree of observer bias, variability, and time consumption. While commercial software packages exist to perform these analyses, they are expensive, require extensive user training, and are usually dependent on the observer tracing the morphology. To address these issues, we have developed a broadly applicable, no-cost ImageJ plugin we call 'BranchAnalysis2D/3D', to perform morphometric analyses of structures with branching morphologies, such as neuronal dendritic spines, vascular morphology, and primary cilia. Our BranchAnalysis2D/3D algorithm allows for rapid quantification of the length and thickness of branching morphologies, independent of user tracing, in both 2D and 3D data sets. We validated the performance of BranchAnalysis2D/3D against pre-existing software packages using trained human observers and images from brain and retina. We found that the BranchAnalysis2D/3D algorithm outputs results similar to available software (i.e., Metamorph, AngioTool, Neurolucida), while allowing faster analysis times and unbiased quantification. BranchAnalysis2D/3D allows inexperienced observers to output results like a trained observer but more efficiently, thereby increasing the consistency, speed, and reliability of morphometric analyses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Coordinated movement of cytoplasmic and transmembrane domains of RyR1 upon gating.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Montserrat Samsó

2009-04-01

Full Text Available Ryanodine receptor type 1 (RyR1 produces spatially and temporally defined Ca2+ signals in several cell types. How signals received in the cytoplasmic domain are transmitted to the ion gate and how the channel gates are unknown. We used EGTA or neuroactive PCB 95 to stabilize the full closed or open states of RyR1. Single-channel measurements in the presence of FKBP12 indicate that PCB 95 inverts the thermodynamic stability of RyR1 and locks it in a long-lived open state whose unitary current is indistinguishable from the native open state. We analyzed two datasets of 15,625 and 18,527 frozen-hydrated RyR1-FKBP12 particles in the closed and open conformations, respectively, by cryo-electron microscopy. Their corresponding three-dimensional structures at 10.2 A resolution refine the structure surrounding the ion pathway previously identified in the closed conformation: two right-handed bundles emerging from the putative ion gate (the cytoplasmic "inner branches" and the transmembrane "inner helices". Furthermore, six of the identifiable transmembrane segments of RyR1 have similar organization to those of the mammalian Kv1.2 potassium channel. Upon gating, the distal cytoplasmic domains move towards the transmembrane domain while the central cytoplasmic domains move away from it, and also away from the 4-fold axis. Along the ion pathway, precise relocation of the inner helices and inner branches results in an approximately 4 A diameter increase of the ion gate. Whereas the inner helices of the K+ channels and of the RyR1 channel cross-correlate best with their corresponding open/closed states, the cytoplasmic inner branches, which are not observed in the K+ channels, appear to have at least as important a role as the inner helices for RyR1 gating. We propose a theoretical model whereby the inner helices, the inner branches, and the h1 densities together create an efficient novel gating mechanism for channel opening by relaxing two right

Bundle Branch Block

Science.gov (United States)

... known cause. Causes can include: Left bundle branch block Heart attacks (myocardial infarction) Thickened, stiffened or weakened ... myocarditis) High blood pressure (hypertension) Right bundle branch block A heart abnormality that's present at birth (congenital) — ...

Poisson branching point processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuo, K.; Teich, M.C.; Saleh, B.E.A.

1984-01-01

We investigate the statistical properties of a special branching point process. The initial process is assumed to be a homogeneous Poisson point process (HPP). The initiating events at each branching stage are carried forward to the following stage. In addition, each initiating event independently contributes a nonstationary Poisson point process (whose rate is a specified function) located at that point. The additional contributions from all points of a given stage constitute a doubly stochastic Poisson point process (DSPP) whose rate is a filtered version of the initiating point process at that stage. The process studied is a generalization of a Poisson branching process in which random time delays are permitted in the generation of events. Particular attention is given to the limit in which the number of branching stages is infinite while the average number of added events per event of the previous stage is infinitesimal. In the special case when the branching is instantaneous this limit of continuous branching corresponds to the well-known Yule--Furry process with an initial Poisson population. The Poisson branching point process provides a useful description for many problems in various scientific disciplines, such as the behavior of electron multipliers, neutron chain reactions, and cosmic ray showers

SETD2 loss-of-function promotes renal cancer branched evolution through replication stress and impaired DNA repair

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kanu, N.; Grönroos, E.; Martinez, P.

2015-01-01

Defining mechanisms that generate intratumour heterogeneity and branched evolution may inspire novel therapeutic approaches to limit tumour diversity and adaptation. SETD2 (Su(var), Enhancer of zeste, Trithorax-domain containing 2) trimethylates histone-3 lysine-36 (H3K36me3) at sites of active t...

Branches of the landscape

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dine, Michael; O'Neil, Deva; Sun Zheng

2005-01-01

With respect to the question of supersymmetry breaking, there are three branches of the flux landscape. On one of these, if one requires small cosmological constant, supersymmetry breaking is predominantly at the fundamental scale; on another, the distribution is roughly flat on a logarithmic scale; on the third, the preponderance of vacua are at very low scale. A priori, as we will explain, one can say little about the first branch. The vast majority of these states are not accessible even to crude, approximate analysis. On the other two branches one can hope to do better. But as a result of the lack of access to branch one, and our poor understanding of cosmology, we can at best conjecture about whether string theory predicts low energy supersymmetry or not. If we hypothesize that are on branch two or three, distinctive predictions may be possible. We comment of the status of naturalness within the landscape, deriving, for example, the statistics of the first branch from simple effective field theory reasoning

Module for the organization of a branch of the universal branch driver in the CAMAC standard

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguen Fuk; Smirnov, V.A.; Khmelevski, E.

1976-01-01

A module is elaborated for the organization of a branch of the universal branch driver in the CAMAC standard for the conjugation of a control crate trunk with a branch trunk. A block diagram of the module is described; its principal specifications are given. The universal branch driver system may accomodate up to 10 branch organization modules with one control source module

Statistical tracking of tree-like tubular structures with efficient branching detection in 3D medical image data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, X.; Heimann, T.; Lo, P.

2012-01-01

to their robustness against image noise and pathological changes. However, most tracking methods are limited to a specific application and do not support branching structures efficiently. In this work, we present a novel statistical tracking approach for the extraction of different types of tubular structures...... with ringlike cross-sections. Domain-specific knowledge is learned from training data sets and integrated into the tracking process by simple adaption of parameters. In addition, an efficient branching detection algorithm is presented. This approach was evaluated by extracting coronary arteries from 32 CTA data...... for the tracking of coronary arteries were achieved. For the extraction of airway trees, 51.3% of the total tree length, 53.6% of the total number of branches and a 4.98% false positive rate were attained. In both experiments, our approach is comparable to state-of-the-art methods....

[Croatian Medical Association--Branch Zagreb].

Science.gov (United States)

Kaić, Zvonimir; Sain, Snjezana; Gulić, Mirjana; Mahovlić, Vjekoslav; Krznarić, Zeljko

2014-01-01

The available literature shows us that "Druztvo ljeciteljah u Zagrebus (the Society of Healers in Zagreb) was founded as far back as the year 1845 by a total of thirteen members. This data allows us to follow the role of doctors and health workers in Zagreb through their everyday profession, research, organizational and social work as well as management through a period of over one hundred to seventy years. The Branch Zagreb was active before the official establishment of subsidiaries of CMA which is evident from the minutes of the regular annual assembly of the Croatian Medical Association on 21 March 1948. Until the end of 1956, there was no clear division of labor, functions and competencies between the Branch and the Main Board. Their actions were instead consolidated and the Branch operated within and under the name of Croatian Medical Association. In that year the Branch became independent. The Branch Zagreb is the largest and one of the most active branches of the Croatian Medical Association. At the moment, the Branch brings together 3621 members, regular members--doctors of medicine (2497), doctors of dental medicine (384), retired physicians (710), and associate members (30 specialists with higher education who are not doctors). The Branch is especially accomplished in its activities in the area of professional development of its members and therefore organizes a series of scientific conferences in the framework of continuous education of physicians, allowing its members to acquire necessary points for the extension of their operating license. The choir "Zagrebacki lijecnici pjevaci" (Zagreb Physicians' Choir) of the Croatian Medical Music Society of the CMA and its activities are inseparable from the Branch Zagreb. The Branch is firmly linked to the parent body, the CMA, and thus has a visible impact on the strategy and the activities of the Association as a whole. Most professional societies of the CMA have their headquarters in Zagreb and this is

Nucleotide sequence of a cDNA for branched chain acyltransferase with analysis of the deduced protein structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hummel, K.B.; Litwer, S.; Bradford, A.P.; Aitken, A.; Danner, D.J.; Yeaman, S.J.

1988-01-01

Nucleotide sequence was determined for a 1.6-kilobase human cDNA putative for the branched chain acyltransferase protein of the branched chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex. Translation of the sequence reveals an open reading frame encoding a 315-amino acid protein of molecular weight 35,759 followed by 560 bases of 3'-untranslated sequence. Three repeats of the polyadenylation signal hexamer ATTAAA are present prior to the polyadenylate tail. Within the open reading frame is a 10-amino acid fragment which matches exactly the amino acid sequence around the lipoate-lysine residue in bovine kidney branched chain acyltransferase, thus confirming the identity of the cDNA. Analysis of the deduced protein structure for the human branched chain acyltransferase revealed an organization into domains similar to that reported for the acyltransferase proteins of the pyruvate and α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complexes. This similarity in organization suggests that a more detailed analysis of the proteins will be required to explain the individual substrate and multienzyme complex specificity shown by these acyltransferases

An Extracellular Cell-Attached Pullulanase Confers Branched α-Glucan Utilization in Human Gut Lactobacillus acidophilus.

Science.gov (United States)

Møller, Marie S; Goh, Yong Jun; Rasmussen, Kasper Bøwig; Cypryk, Wojciech; Celebioglu, Hasan Ufuk; Klaenhammer, Todd R; Svensson, Birte; Abou Hachem, Maher

2017-06-15

Of the few predicted extracellular glycan-active enzymes, glycoside hydrolase family 13 subfamily 14 (GH13_14) pullulanases are the most common in human gut lactobacilli. These enzymes share a unique modular organization, not observed in other bacteria, featuring a catalytic module, two starch binding modules, a domain of unknown function, and a C-terminal surface layer association protein (SLAP) domain. Here, we explore the specificity of a representative of this group of pullulanases, Lactobacillus acidophilus Pul13_14 ( La Pul13_14), and its role in branched α-glucan metabolism in the well-characterized Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, which is widely used as a probiotic. Growth experiments with L. acidophilus NCFM on starch-derived branched substrates revealed a preference for α-glucans with short branches of about two to three glucosyl moieties over amylopectin with longer branches. Cell-attached debranching activity was measurable in the presence of α-glucans but was repressed by glucose. The debranching activity is conferred exclusively by La Pul13_14 and is abolished in a mutant strain lacking a functional La Pul13_14 gene. Hydrolysis kinetics of recombinant La Pul13_14 confirmed the preference for short-branched α-glucan oligomers consistent with the growth data. Curiously, this enzyme displayed the highest catalytic efficiency and the lowest K m reported for a pullulanase. Inhibition kinetics revealed mixed inhibition by β-cyclodextrin, suggesting the presence of additional glucan binding sites besides the active site of the enzyme, which may contribute to the unprecedented substrate affinity. The enzyme also displays high thermostability and higher activity in the acidic pH range, reflecting adaptation to the physiologically challenging conditions in the human gut. IMPORTANCE Starch is one of the most abundant glycans in the human diet. Branched α-1,6-glucans in dietary starch and glycogen are nondegradable by human enzymes and constitute a

The WW domain protein Kibra acts upstream of Hippo in Drosophila

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baumgartner, Roland; Poernbacher, Ingrid; Buser, Nathalie

2010-01-01

inactivating the transcriptional coactivator Yorkie is well established, much less is known about the upstream events that regulate Hippo signaling activity. The FERM domain proteins Expanded and Merlin appear to represent two different signaling branches that feed into the Hippo pathway. Signaling...... by the atypical cadherin Fat may act via Expanded, but how Merlin is regulated has remained elusive. Here, we show that the WW domain protein Kibra is a Hippo signaling component upstream of Hippo and Merlin. Kibra acts synergistically with Expanded, and it physically interacts with Merlin. Thus, Kibra...

Spiral branches and star formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zasov, A.V.

1974-01-01

Origin of spiral branches of galaxies and formation of stars in them are considered from the point of view of the theory of the gravitational gas condensation, one of comparatively young theories. Arguments are presented in favour of the stellar condensation theory. The concept of the star formation of gas is no longer a speculative hypothesis. This is a theory which assumes quantitative verification and explains qualitatively many facts observed. And still our knowledge on the nature of spiral branches is very poor. It still remains vague what processes give origin to spiral branches, why some galaxies have spirals and others have none. And shapes of spiral branches are diverse. Some cases are known when spiral branches spread outside boundaries of galaxies themselves. Such spirals arise exclusively in the region where there are two or some interacting galaxies. Only first steps have been made in the explanation of the galaxy spiral branches, and it is necessary to carry out new observations and new theoretical calculations

Current perspectives on shoot branching regulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cunquan YUAN,Lin XI,Yaping KOU,Yu ZHAO,Liangjun ZHAO

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Shoot branching is regulated by the complex interactions among hormones, development, and environmental factors. Recent studies into the regulatory mecha-nisms of shoot branching have focused on strigolactones, which is a new area of investigation in shoot branching regulation. Elucidation of the function of the D53 gene has allowed exploration of detailed mechanisms of action of strigolactones in regulating shoot branching. In addition, the recent discovery that sucrose is key for axillary bud release has challenged the established auxin theory, in which auxin is the principal agent in the control of apical dominance. These developments increase our understan-ding of branching control and indicate that regulation of shoot branching involves a complex network. Here, we first summarize advances in the systematic regulatory network of plant shoot branching based on current information. Then we describe recent developments in the synthesis and signal transduction of strigolactones. Based on these considerations, we further summarize the plant shoot branching regulatory network, including long distance systemic signals and local gene activity mediated by strigolactones following perception of external envi-ronmental signals, such as shading, in order to provide a comprehensive overview of plant shoot branching.

Characterization of the Diameter, branch angle and longevity of axial branches of Nothofagusobliqua

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patricio Corvalán Vera

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The lack of knowledge about grow dynamics of the living tree crown of Nothofagusobliqua secondary growth forests strongly limits the objective formulation of silvicultural schemes oriented to the industrial production of high quality wood. Therefore, in this work, we described basic relationships between tree size, age and angle branches insertion and the crown. Considering a sample data of 59 dominant trees, distributed in different age conditions, we applied a combined analysis technique of stem analysis, steam taper analysis and thickest branch measurement in each decile of the total height. This approach allowed us to determine that there is a significant relationship between the steam diameter, the angle insertion and the age of the branch, as well as the size and age of the trees. Also, the thicker branches tend to have lower insertion angles, to be older, to be located at lower relative heights and to be located in larger diameter sections. Taking into consideration these relationships, it is possible to build new predicted branch models as tools for the development of silvicultural schemes to suit different log grade.

Branch prediction in the pentium family

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fog, Agner

1998-01-01

How the branch prediction mechanism in the Pentium has been uncovered with all its quirks, and the incredibly more effective branch prediction in the later versions.......How the branch prediction mechanism in the Pentium has been uncovered with all its quirks, and the incredibly more effective branch prediction in the later versions....

Branching processes in biology

CERN Document Server

Kimmel, Marek

2015-01-01

This book provides a theoretical background of branching processes and discusses their biological applications. Branching processes are a well-developed and powerful set of tools in the field of applied probability. The range of applications considered includes molecular biology, cellular biology, human evolution and medicine. The branching processes discussed include Galton-Watson, Markov, Bellman-Harris, Multitype, and General Processes. As an aid to understanding specific examples, two introductory chapters, and two glossaries are included that provide background material in mathematics and in biology. The book will be of interest to scientists who work in quantitative modeling of biological systems, particularly probabilists, mathematical biologists, biostatisticians, cell biologists, molecular biologists, and bioinformaticians. The authors are a mathematician and cell biologist who have collaborated for more than a decade in the field of branching processes in biology for this new edition. This second ex...

Renal Branch Artery Stenosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersson, Zarah; Thisted, Ebbe; Andersen, Ulrik Bjørn

2017-01-01

Renovascular hypertension is a common cause of pediatric hypertension. In the fraction of cases that are unrelated to syndromes such as neurofibromatosis, patients with a solitary stenosis on a branch of the renal artery are common and can be diagnostically challenging. Imaging techniques...... that perform well in the diagnosis of main renal artery stenosis may fall short when it comes to branch artery stenosis. We report 2 cases that illustrate these difficulties and show that a branch artery stenosis may be overlooked even by the gold standard method, renal angiography....

Vegetation survey of PEN Branch wetlands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-01-01

A survey was conducted of vegetation along Pen Branch Creek at Savannah River Site (SRS) in support of K-Reactor restart. Plants were identified to species by overstory, understory, shrub, and groundcover strata. Abundance was also characterized and richness and diversity calculated. Based on woody species basal area, the Pen Branch delta was the most impacted, followed by the sections between the reactor and the delta. Species richness for shrub and groundcover strata were also lowest in the delta. No endangered plant species were found. Three upland pine areas were also sampled. In support of K Reactor restart, this report summarizes a study of the wetland vegetation along Pen Branch. Reactor effluent enters Indian Grove Branch and then flows into Pen Branch and the Pen Branch Delta.

A Dynamic Branch-Switching Method for Parametrically Excited Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.Y.T. Leung

1999-01-01

Full Text Available The branch-switching algorithm in static is applied to steady state dynamic problems. The governing ordinary differential equations are transformed to nonlinear algebraic equations by means of harmonic balance method using multiple frequency components. The frequency components of the (irrational nonlinearity of oscillator are obtained by Fast Fourier Transform and Toeplitz Jacobian method (FFT/TJM. All singularities, folds, flips, period doubling and period bubbling, are computed accurately in an analytical manner. Coexisting solutions can be predicted without using initial condition search. The consistence of both stability criteria in time and frequency domains is discussed. A highly nonlinear parametrically excited system is given as example. All connected solution paths are predicted.

Spiegelzymes® mirror-image hammerhead ribozymes and mirror-image DNAzymes, an alternative to siRNAs and microRNAs to cleave mRNAs in vivo?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eliza Wyszko

Full Text Available With the discovery of small non-coding RNA (ncRNA molecules as regulators for cellular processes, it became intriguing to develop technologies by which these regulators can be applied in molecular biology and molecular medicine. The application of ncRNAs has significantly increased our knowledge about the regulation and functions of a number of proteins in the cell. It is surprising that similar successes in applying these small ncRNAs in biotechnology and molecular medicine have so far been very limited. The reasons for these observations may lie in the high complexity in which these RNA regulators function in the cells and problems with their delivery, stability and specificity. Recently, we have described mirror-image hammerhead ribozymes and DNAzymes (Spiegelzymes® which can sequence-specifically hydrolyse mirror-image nucleic acids, such as our mirror-image aptamers (Spiegelmers discovered earlier. In this paper, we show for the first time that Spiegelzymes are capable of recognising complementary enantiomeric substrates (D-nucleic acids, and that they efficiently hydrolyse them at submillimolar magnesium concentrations and at physiologically relevant conditions. The Spiegelzymes are very stable in human sera, and do not require any protein factors for their function. They have the additional advantages of being non-toxic and non-immunogenic. The Spiegelzymes can be used for RNA silencing and also as therapeutic and diagnostic tools in medicine. We performed extensive three-dimensional molecular modelling experiments with mirror-image hammerhead ribozymes and DNAzymes interacting with D-RNA targets. We propose a model in which L/D-double helix structures can be formed by natural Watson-Crick base pairs, but where the nucleosides of one of the two strands will occur in an anticlinal conformation. Interestingly enough, the duplexes (L-RNA/D-RNA and L-DNA/D-RNA in these models can show either right- or left-handedness. This is a very new

The COMPASS-Like Complex Promotes Flowering and Panicle Branching in Rice1[OPEN

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shiliang; Jiang, Haiyang; Cheng, Beijiu

2018-01-01

Flowering time (heading date) and panicle branch number are important agronomic traits that determine yield in rice (Oryza sativa). The activation of flowering requires histone methylation, but the roles of trimethylation of Lys 4 of histone 3 (H3K4me3) in modulating heading date and panicle development are unclear. Here, we showed that the COMPASS-like complex promotes flowering and panicle branching. The rice (Oryza sativa) WD40 protein OsWDR5a interacts with the TRITHORAX-like protein OsTrx1/SET domain group protein 723 (SDG723) to form the core components of the COMPASS-like complex. Plants in which OsWDR5a or OsTrx1 expression was decreased by RNA interference produced fewer secondary branches and less grain and exhibited a delayed heading date under long-day and short-day conditions, whereas loss of OsWDR5a function resulted in embryo lethality. OsWDR5a binds to Early heading date 1 to regulate its H3K4me3 and expression levels. Together, our results show that the COMPASS-like complex promotes flowering and panicle development and suggest that modulation of H3K4me3 levels by the COMPASS-like complex is critical for rice development. PMID:29440594

Convectons in periodic and bounded domains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mercader, Isabel; Batiste, Oriol; Alonso, Arantxa; Knobloch, Edgar

2010-01-01

Numerical continuation is used to compute spatially localized convection in a binary fluid with no-slip laterally insulating boundary conditions and the results are compared with the corresponding ones for periodic boundary conditions (PBC). The change in the boundary conditions produces a dramatic change in the snaking bifurcation diagram that describes the organization of localized states with PBC: the snaking branches turn continuously into a large amplitude state that resembles periodic convection with defects at the sidewalls. Odd parity convectons are more affected by the boundary conditions since the sidewalls suppress the horizontal pumping action that accompanies these states in spatially periodic domains.

Convectons in periodic and bounded domains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mercader, Isabel; Batiste, Oriol; Alonso, Arantxa [Departament de Fisica Aplicada, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Barcelona (Spain); Knobloch, Edgar [Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)

2010-04-15

Numerical continuation is used to compute spatially localized convection in a binary fluid with no-slip laterally insulating boundary conditions and the results are compared with the corresponding ones for periodic boundary conditions (PBC). The change in the boundary conditions produces a dramatic change in the snaking bifurcation diagram that describes the organization of localized states with PBC: the snaking branches turn continuously into a large amplitude state that resembles periodic convection with defects at the sidewalls. Odd parity convectons are more affected by the boundary conditions since the sidewalls suppress the horizontal pumping action that accompanies these states in spatially periodic domains.

The efficiency of bank branches

OpenAIRE

Omid Takbiri; Mohammad Mohammadi; Bahman Naderi

2015-01-01

Banking industry has significant contribution in development of economies of developing countries. Most banks execute their operations through different branches. Therefore it is important to measure the relative efficiencies of these branches. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is one of the most useful tools in measuring banks’ performance. The present paper aims to extract ranking pattern of banks based on performance evaluation using DEA analysis. In the present research, 120 bank branches o...

Evolution of SH2 domains and phosphotyrosine signalling networks

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Bernard A.; Nash, Piers D.

2012-01-01

Src homology 2 (SH2) domains mediate selective protein–protein interactions with tyrosine phosphorylated proteins, and in doing so define specificity of phosphotyrosine (pTyr) signalling networks. SH2 domains and protein-tyrosine phosphatases expand alongside protein-tyrosine kinases (PTKs) to coordinate cellular and organismal complexity in the evolution of the unikont branch of the eukaryotes. Examination of conserved families of PTKs and SH2 domain proteins provides fiduciary marks that trace the evolutionary landscape for the development of complex cellular systems in the proto-metazoan and metazoan lineages. The evolutionary provenance of conserved SH2 and PTK families reveals the mechanisms by which diversity is achieved through adaptations in tissue-specific gene transcription, altered ligand binding, insertions of linear motifs and the gain or loss of domains following gene duplication. We discuss mechanisms by which pTyr-mediated signalling networks evolve through the development of novel and expanded families of SH2 domain proteins and the elaboration of connections between pTyr-signalling proteins. These changes underlie the variety of general and specific signalling networks that give rise to tissue-specific functions and increasingly complex developmental programmes. Examination of SH2 domains from an evolutionary perspective provides insight into the process by which evolutionary expansion and modification of molecular protein interaction domain proteins permits the development of novel protein-interaction networks and accommodates adaptation of signalling networks. PMID:22889907

The PCP genes Celsr1 and Vangl2 are required for normal lung branching morphogenesis

Science.gov (United States)

Yates, Laura L.; Schnatwinkel, Carsten; Murdoch, Jennifer N.; Bogani, Debora; Formstone, Caroline J.; Townsend, Stuart; Greenfield, Andy; Niswander, Lee A.; Dean, Charlotte H.

2010-01-01

The lungs are generated by branching morphogenesis as a result of reciprocal signalling interactions between the epithelium and mesenchyme during development. Mutations that disrupt formation of either the correct number or shape of epithelial branches affect lung function. This, in turn, can lead to congenital abnormalities such as cystadenomatoid malformations, pulmonary hypertension or lung hypoplasia. Defects in lung architecture are also associated with adult lung disease, particularly in cases of idiopathic lung fibrosis. Identifying the signalling pathways which drive epithelial tube formation will likely shed light on both congenital and adult lung disease. Here we show that mutations in the planar cell polarity (PCP) genes Celsr1 and Vangl2 lead to disrupted lung development and defects in lung architecture. Lungs from Celsr1Crsh and Vangl2Lp mouse mutants are small and misshapen with fewer branches, and by late gestation exhibit thickened interstitial mesenchyme and defective saccular formation. We observe a recapitulation of these branching defects following inhibition of Rho kinase, an important downstream effector of the PCP signalling pathway. Moreover, epithelial integrity is disrupted, cytoskeletal remodelling perturbed and mutant endoderm does not branch normally in response to the chemoattractant FGF10. We further show that Celsr1 and Vangl2 proteins are present in restricted spatial domains within lung epithelium. Our data show that the PCP genes Celsr1 and Vangl2 are required for foetal lung development thereby revealing a novel signalling pathway critical for this process that will enhance our understanding of congenital and adult lung diseases and may in future lead to novel therapeutic strategies. PMID:20223754

Critical evaluation of branch polarity and apical dominance as dictators of colony astogeny in a branching coral.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee Shaish

Full Text Available The high morphological resemblance between branching corals and trees, can lead to comparative studies on pattern formation traits, best exemplified in plants and in some cnidarians. Here, 81 branches of similar size of the hermatypic coral Stylophora pistillata were lopped of three different genets, their skeletons marked with alizarin red-S, and divided haphazardly into three morphometric treatment groups: (I upright position; (II horizontal position, intact tip; and (III horizontal position, cut tip. After 1 y of in-situ growth, the 45 surviving ramets were brought to the laboratory, their tissues removed and their architectures analyzed by 22 morphological parameters (MPs. We found that within 1 y, isolated branches developed into small coral colonies by growing new branches from all branch termini, in all directions. No architectural dissimilarity was assigned among the three studied genets of treatment I colonies. However, a major architectural disparity between treatment I colonies and colonies of treatments II and III was documented as the development of mirror structures from both sides of treatments II and III settings as compared to tip-borne architectures in treatment I colonies. We did not observe apical dominance since fragments grew equally from all branch sides without documented dominant polarity along branch axis. In treatment II colonies, no MP for new branches originating either from tips or from branch bases differed significantly. In treatment III colonies, growth from the cut tip areas was significantly lower compared to the base, again, suggesting lack of apical dominance in this species. Changes in branch polarity revealed genet associated plasticity, which in one of the studied genets, led to enhanced growth. Different genets exhibited canalization flexibility of growth patterns towards either lateral growth, or branch axis extension (skeletal weight and not porosity was measured. This study revealed that colony

Effect of the growth conditions on the anisotropy, domain structures and the relaxation in Co thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mallik, Srijani; Mallick, Sougata; Bedanta, Subhankar, E-mail: sbedanta@niser.ac.in

2017-04-15

We report a systematic study on the anisotropy symmetry, magnetic domains and magnetic relaxation behavior in Co thin films deposited on MgO (001) substrate by varying (i) the pre-annealing condition and (ii) the speed of substrate rotation during deposition. Substrate annealing prior to deposition leads to the formation of textured thin films. On contrary Co films prepared without substrate pre-annealing exhibit polycrystalline nature. Surface topography imaged by atomic force microscopy (AFM) depicts a profound effect of growth condition on grain size and its distribution. Magnetic hysteresis measurement along with simultaneous domain imaging has been performed by magneto optic Kerr effect (MOKE) based microscope by varying the angle (ϕ) between the easy axis and the direction of applied magnetic field. We observed the existence of cubic and uniaxial anisotropy due to the presence of substrate annealing and oblique angular deposition, respectively. Along the easy axis, magnetization reversal is governed by 180° domain wall motion via branched domains. However, for easy axis<ϕdomains appear in addition to branched domains during the reversal process. We observed that the magnetic relaxation behavior under constant magnetic field strongly depends on the size and distribution of the grains. - Highlights: • This article provides a systematic study of textured growth of Co on MgO(001) substrate. • The structure has clear implication on the magnetic properties. • The magnetic relaxation has been studied for both textured and polycrystalline films.

[Branches of the National Institute of Hygiene].

Science.gov (United States)

Gromulska, Marta

2008-01-01

National Epidemiological Institute (National Institute of Hygiene, from 7th September 1923) was established in 1918 in Warsaw and acted at national level. Its actions in the field of diseases combat were supported by bacteriological stations and vaccine production in voivodeship cities, which were taken charge of by the state, and names "National Epidemiological Institutes". According to the ministers resolution from 6th July 1921,Epidemiological Institutes were merged to National Central Epidemiological Institutes (PZH), the epidemiological institutes outside Warsaw were named branches, which were to be located in every voivodeship city, according to the initial organizational resolutions. There were country branches of NCEI in: Cracow, Lwów, Lódź, Toruń, Lublin, and Wilno in the period 1919-1923. New branches in Poznań (1925), Gdynia(1934), Katowice (Voivodeship Institute of Hygiene (1936), Luck (1937), Stanisławów (1937), Kielce(1938), and Brześć/Bug (Municipal Station acting as branch of National Central Epidemiological Institute. Branches were subordinated to NCEI-PZH) in Warsaw where action plans and unified research and diagnostic method were established and annual meeting of the country branches managers took place. All branches cooperated with hospitals, national health services, district general practitioners and administration structure in control of infectious diseases. In 1938, the post of branch inspector was established, the first of whom was Feliks Przesmycki PhD. Branches cooperated also with University of Cracow, University of Lwów and University of Wilno. In 1935, National Institutes of Food Research was incorporated in PZH, Water Department was established, and these areas of activity began to develop in the branches accordingly. In 1938 there were 13 branches of PZH, and each had three divisions: bacteriological, food research and water research. Three branches in Cracow, Kielce and Lublin worked during World War II under German

3-D branching of magnetic domains on compressed si-fe steel with goss texture

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Perevertov, Oleksiy; Schaefer, R.; Stupakov, Oleksandr

2014-01-01

Roč. 50, č. 11 (2014), s. 2007804 ISSN 0018-9464 R&D Projects: GA ČR GB14-36566G; GA ČR GA13-18993S Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : grain-oriented silicon steel * Kerr microscopy * magnetic domains * stress Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.386, year: 2014

THE BANKRUPT RISK IN FEED DISTRIBUTION BRANCH IN DOLJ DISTRICT – FDR MODEL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ovidiu CĂPRARIU

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract:In this article, we are intending to present a score function in order to calculate the bankrupt risk for a special domain: feed distribution.All analysis models of the bankruptcy risk have at their basis a score function according to which it is determined with approximation whether the company would get bankruptcy or would have performing economic results, in a period immediately following the analysis.Having a personal analysis in feed distribution branch, I elaborated a score function for counting bankrupt risk, based on financial and non-financial studies of many companies and we called this model “Feed Distribution Risk Model” (FDR. The target was to obtain a high level of precision, so I choose the feed industry and more specific only feed distribution branch and I analyzed statistics about the evolution of the feed distribution companies in Romania and about the normal level of some financial or non-financial indicators for these companies.I have choose five feed distribution companies and I counted two international score functions and two Romanian score function with FDR function. Finally, I concluded that the three main differences between the classic models and this one are that the FDR model is for a specified branch – the feed distribution, it uses an important number of indicators and uses non-financial indicators, which explain the shareholders bonity. As directions to continue the investigations, I propose the elaboration of another models for other branches and adjust the financial information with true dates.

Implications of the philosophy of Ch.S. Peirce for interdisciplinary design: developments in domain theory

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bax, M.F.T.; Trum, H.M.G.J.; Nauta jr., D.; Timmermans, H.J.P.; Vries de, de B.

2000-01-01

Subject of this paper is the establishment of a connection between categorical pragmatism, developed by Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914) through phenomenological analysis, and Domain Theory, developed by Thijs Bax and Henk Trum since 1977. The first is a phenomenological branch of philosophy, the

Detection of innersphere interactions between magnesium hydrate and the phosphate backbone of the HDV ribozyme using Raman crystallography.

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Bo; Chen, Yuanyuan; Christian, Eric L; Chen, Jui-Hui; Chase, Elaine; Chadalavada, Durga M; Yajima, Rieko; Golden, Barbara L; Bevilacqua, Philip C; Carey, Paul R

2008-07-30

A Raman microscope and Raman difference spectroscopy are used to detect the vibrational signature of RNA-bound magnesium hydrate in crystals of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) ribozyme and to follow the effects of magnesium hydrate binding to the nonbridging phosphate oxygens in the phosphodiester backbone. There is a correlation between the Raman intensity of the innersphere magnesium hydrate signature peak, near 322 cm-1, and the intensity of the PO2- symmetric stretch, near 1100 cm-1, perturbed by magnesium binding, demonstrating direct observation of -PO2-...Mg2+(H2O)x innersphere complexes. The complexes may be pentahydrates (x = 5) and tetrahydrates (x = 4). The assignment of the Raman feature near 322 cm-1 to a magnesium hydrate species is confirmed by isotope shifts observed in D2O and H218O that are semiquantitatively reproduced by calculations. The standardized intensity changes in the 1100 cm-1 PO2- feature seen upon magnesium hydrate binding indicates that there are approximately 5 innersphere Mg2+...-O2P contacts per HDV molecule when the crystal is exposed to a solution containing 20 mM magnesium.

Turing mechanism underlying a branching model for lung morphogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Hui; Sun, Mingzhu; Zhao, Xin

2017-01-01

The mammalian lung develops through branching morphogenesis. Two primary forms of branching, which occur in order, in the lung have been identified: tip bifurcation and side branching. However, the mechanisms of lung branching morphogenesis remain to be explored. In our previous study, a biological mechanism was presented for lung branching pattern formation through a branching model. Here, we provide a mathematical mechanism underlying the branching patterns. By decoupling the branching model, we demonstrated the existence of Turing instability. We performed Turing instability analysis to reveal the mathematical mechanism of the branching patterns. Our simulation results show that the Turing patterns underlying the branching patterns are spot patterns that exhibit high local morphogen concentration. The high local morphogen concentration induces the growth of branching. Furthermore, we found that the sparse spot patterns underlie the tip bifurcation patterns, while the dense spot patterns underlies the side branching patterns. The dispersion relation analysis shows that the Turing wavelength affects the branching structure. As the wavelength decreases, the spot patterns change from sparse to dense, the rate of tip bifurcation decreases and side branching eventually occurs instead. In the process of transformation, there may exists hybrid branching that mixes tip bifurcation and side branching. Since experimental studies have reported that branching mode switching from side branching to tip bifurcation in the lung is under genetic control, our simulation results suggest that genes control the switch of the branching mode by regulating the Turing wavelength. Our results provide a novel insight into and understanding of the formation of branching patterns in the lung and other biological systems.

Dynamic Crack Branching - A Photoelastic Evaluation,

Science.gov (United States)

1982-05-01

0.41 mPai and a 0.18 MPa, and predicted a theoretical kinking angle of 84°whichagreed well with experimentally measured angle. After crack kinking...Consistent crack branching’at KIb = 2.04 MPaI -i- and r = 1.3 mm verified this crack branching criterion. The crack branching angle predicted by--.’ DD

Tree Branching: Leonardo da Vinci's Rule versus Biomechanical Models

Science.gov (United States)

Minamino, Ryoko; Tateno, Masaki

2014-01-01

This study examined Leonardo da Vinci's rule (i.e., the sum of the cross-sectional area of all tree branches above a branching point at any height is equal to the cross-sectional area of the trunk or the branch immediately below the branching point) using simulations based on two biomechanical models: the uniform stress and elastic similarity models. Model calculations of the daughter/mother ratio (i.e., the ratio of the total cross-sectional area of the daughter branches to the cross-sectional area of the mother branch at the branching point) showed that both biomechanical models agreed with da Vinci's rule when the branching angles of daughter branches and the weights of lateral daughter branches were small; however, the models deviated from da Vinci's rule as the weights and/or the branching angles of lateral daughter branches increased. The calculated values of the two models were largely similar but differed in some ways. Field measurements of Fagus crenata and Abies homolepis also fit this trend, wherein models deviated from da Vinci's rule with increasing relative weights of lateral daughter branches. However, this deviation was small for a branching pattern in nature, where empirical measurements were taken under realistic measurement conditions; thus, da Vinci's rule did not critically contradict the biomechanical models in the case of real branching patterns, though the model calculations described the contradiction between da Vinci's rule and the biomechanical models. The field data for Fagus crenata fit the uniform stress model best, indicating that stress uniformity is the key constraint of branch morphology in Fagus crenata rather than elastic similarity or da Vinci's rule. On the other hand, mechanical constraints are not necessarily significant in the morphology of Abies homolepis branches, depending on the number of daughter branches. Rather, these branches were often in agreement with da Vinci's rule. PMID:24714065

Tree branching: Leonardo da Vinci's rule versus biomechanical models.

Science.gov (United States)

Minamino, Ryoko; Tateno, Masaki

2014-01-01

This study examined Leonardo da Vinci's rule (i.e., the sum of the cross-sectional area of all tree branches above a branching point at any height is equal to the cross-sectional area of the trunk or the branch immediately below the branching point) using simulations based on two biomechanical models: the uniform stress and elastic similarity models. Model calculations of the daughter/mother ratio (i.e., the ratio of the total cross-sectional area of the daughter branches to the cross-sectional area of the mother branch at the branching point) showed that both biomechanical models agreed with da Vinci's rule when the branching angles of daughter branches and the weights of lateral daughter branches were small; however, the models deviated from da Vinci's rule as the weights and/or the branching angles of lateral daughter branches increased. The calculated values of the two models were largely similar but differed in some ways. Field measurements of Fagus crenata and Abies homolepis also fit this trend, wherein models deviated from da Vinci's rule with increasing relative weights of lateral daughter branches. However, this deviation was small for a branching pattern in nature, where empirical measurements were taken under realistic measurement conditions; thus, da Vinci's rule did not critically contradict the biomechanical models in the case of real branching patterns, though the model calculations described the contradiction between da Vinci's rule and the biomechanical models. The field data for Fagus crenata fit the uniform stress model best, indicating that stress uniformity is the key constraint of branch morphology in Fagus crenata rather than elastic similarity or da Vinci's rule. On the other hand, mechanical constraints are not necessarily significant in the morphology of Abies homolepis branches, depending on the number of daughter branches. Rather, these branches were often in agreement with da Vinci's rule.

Cravity modulation of the moss Tortula modica branching

Science.gov (United States)

Khorkavtsiv, Yaroslava; Kit, Nadja

Among various abiotic factors the sensor system of plants constantly perceives light and gravitation impulses and reacts on their action by photo- and gravitropisms. Tropisms play fundamental part in ontogenesis and determination of plant forms. Essentially important question is how light initiating phototropic bending modulates gravitropism. In contrast to flower plants, red light is phototropically active for mosses, and phytochromic system controls initiation of apical growth, branching and photomorphogenesis of mosses. The aim of this investigation was to analyse cell branching of protonemata Tortula modica Zander depending on the direction of light and gravitation vector. The influence of light and gravitation on the form of protonemal turf T. modica, branching and the angle of lateral branches relative to axis of mother cell growth has been investigated. As moss protonemata is not branched in the darkness, light is necessary for branching activation. Minimally low intensity of the red light (0.2 mmol (.) m (-2) ({) .}sec (-1) ) induced branching without visual display of phototropic growth. It has been established that unidirectional action of light and gravitation intensifies branching, and, on the contrary, perpendicularly oriented vectors of factors weaken branches formation. Besides, parallel oriented vectors initiated branching from both cell sides, but oppositely directed vectors initiated branching only from one side. Clinostate rotation the change of the vector gravity and causes uniform cell branching, hence, light and gravitation mutually influence the branching system form of the protonemata cell. It has been shown that the angle of lateral branches in darkness does not depend on the direction of light and gravitation action. After lighting the local growth of the cell wall took place mainly under the angle 90 (o) to the axes of mother cell growth. Then the angle gradually decreased and in 3-4 cell divisions the lateral branch grew under the angle

Additional chain-branching pathways in the low-temperature oxidation of branched alkanes

KAUST Repository

Wang, Zhandong

2015-12-31

Chain-branching reactions represent a general motif in chemistry, encountered in atmospheric chemistry, combustion, polymerization, and photochemistry; the nature and amount of radicals generated by chain-branching are decisive for the reaction progress, its energy signature, and the time towards its completion. In this study, experimental evidence for two new types of chain-branching reactions is presented, based upon detection of highly oxidized multifunctional molecules (HOM) formed during the gas-phase low-temperature oxidation of a branched alkane under conditions relevant to combustion. The oxidation of 2,5-dimethylhexane (DMH) in a jet-stirred reactor (JSR) was studied using synchrotron vacuum ultra-violet photoionization molecular beam mass spectrometry (SVUV-PI-MBMS). Specifically, species with four and five oxygen atoms were probed, having molecular formulas of C8H14O4 (e.g., diketo-hydroperoxide/keto-hydroperoxy cyclic ether) and C8H16O5 (e.g., keto-dihydroperoxide/dihydroperoxy cyclic ether), respectively. The formation of C8H16O5 species involves alternative isomerization of OOQOOH radicals via intramolecular H-atom migration, followed by third O2 addition, intramolecular isomerization, and OH release; C8H14O4 species are proposed to result from subsequent reactions of C8H16O5 species. The mechanistic pathways involving these species are related to those proposed as a source of low-volatility highly oxygenated species in Earth\\'s troposphere. At the higher temperatures relevant to auto-ignition, they can result in a net increase of hydroxyl radical production, so these are additional radical chain-branching pathways for ignition. The results presented herein extend the conceptual basis of reaction mechanisms used to predict the reaction behavior of ignition, and have implications on atmospheric gas-phase chemistry and the oxidative stability of organic substances. © 2015 The Combustion Institute.

Optimization of multi-branch switched diversity systems

KAUST Repository

Nam, Haewoon

2009-10-01

A performance optimization based on the optimal switching threshold(s) for a multi-branch switched diversity system is discussed in this paper. For the conventional multi-branch switched diversity system with a single switching threshold, the optimal switching threshold is a function of both the average channel SNR and the number of diversity branches, where computing the optimal switching threshold is not a simple task when the number of diversity branches is high. The newly proposed multi-branch switched diversity system is based on a sequence of switching thresholds, instead of a single switching threshold, where a different diversity branch uses a different switching threshold for signal comparison. Thanks to the fact that each switching threshold in the sequence can be optimized only based on the number of the remaining diversity branches, the proposed system makes it easy to find these switching thresholds. Furthermore, some selected numerical and simulation results show that the proposed switched diversity system with the sequence of optimal switching thresholds outperforms the conventional system with the single optimal switching threshold. © 2009 IEEE.

Auxin transport in the evolution of branching forms.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, C Jill

2017-07-01

Contents 545 I. 545 II. 546 III. 546 IV. 548 V. 548 VI. 549 VII. 549 Acknowledgements 549 References 549 SUMMARY: Branching is one of the most striking aspects of land plant architecture, affecting resource acquisition and yield. Polar auxin transport by PIN proteins is a primary determinant of flowering plant branching patterns regulating both branch initiation and branch outgrowth. Several lines of experimental evidence suggest that PIN-mediated polar auxin transport is a conserved regulator of branching in vascular plant sporophytes. However, the mechanisms of branching and auxin transport and relationships between the two are not well known outside the flowering plants, and the paradigm for PIN-regulated branching in flowering plants does not fit bryophyte gametophytes. The evidence reviewed here suggests that divergent auxin transport routes contributed to the diversification of branching forms in distinct land plant lineages. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

Branch Width and Height Influence the Incorporation of Branches into Foraging Trails and Travel Speed in Leafcutter Ants Atta cephalotes (L.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Freeman, B M; Chaves-Campos, J

2016-06-01

Fallen branches are often incorporated into Atta cephalotes (L.) foraging trails to optimize leaf tissue transport rates and economize trail maintenance. Recent studies in lowlands show laden A. cephalotes travel faster across fallen branches than on ground, but more slowly ascending or descending a branch. The latter is likely because (1) it is difficult to travel up or downhill and (2) bottlenecks occur when branches are narrower than preceding trail. Hence, both branch height and width should determine whether branches decrease net travel times, but no study has evaluated it yet. Laden A. cephalotes were timed in relation to branch width and height across segments preceding, accessing, across, and departing a fallen branch in the highlands of Costa Rica. Ants traveled faster on branches than on cleared segments of trunk-trail, but accelerated when ascending or descending the branch-likely because of the absence of bottlenecks during the day in the highlands. Branch size did not affect ant speed in observed branches; the majority of which (22/24) varied from 11 to 120 mm in both height and width (average 66 mm in both cases). To determine whether ants exclude branches outside this range, ants were offered the choice between branches within this range and branches that were taller/wider than 120 mm. Ants strongly preferred the former. Our results indicate that A. cephalotes can adjust their speed to compensate for the difficulty of traveling on branch slopes. More generally, branch size should be considered when studying ant foraging efficiency.

Persistence-Based Branch Misprediction Bounds for WCET Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Puffitsch, Wolfgang

2015-01-01

Branch prediction is an important feature of pipelined processors to achieve high performance. However, it can lead to overly pessimistic worst-case execution time (WCET) bounds when being modeled too conservatively. This paper presents bounds on the number of branch mispredictions for local...... dynamic branch predictors. To handle interferences between branch instructions we use the notion of persistence, a concept that is also found in cache analyses. The bounds apply to branches in general, not only to branches that close a loop. Furthermore, the bounds can be easily integrated into integer...... linear programming formulations of the WCET problem. An evaluation on a number of benchmarks shows that with these bounds, dynamic branch prediction does not necessarily lead to higher WCET bounds than static prediction schemes....

Branched-chain fatty acid biosynthesis in a branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase mutant of Staphylococcus carnosus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beck, Hans Christian

2005-01-01

Fatty acid biosynthesis by a mutant strain of Staphylococcus carnosus deficient in branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase (IlvE) activity was analysed. This mutant was unable to produce the appropriate branched-chain alpha-ketoacid precursors for branched-chain fatty acid biosynthesis from...... in rich medium and growth in defined medium supplemented with 2-methylpropanoic acid lead to extensive alteration of the fatty acid composition in the cell membrane. In rich medium, a change from 51.7% to 17.1% anteiso-C15:0, and from 3.6% to 33.9% iso-C14:0 fatty acids as compared to the wild-type strain...... for 2-methylpropanoic acid production, revealing that the IlvE protein plays an important, but not essential role in the biosynthesis of branched-chain fatty acids and secondary metabolites in S. carnosus....

Wind-Induced Reconfigurations in Flexible Branched Trees

Science.gov (United States)

Ojo, Oluwafemi; Shoele, Kourosh

2017-11-01

Wind induced stresses are the major mechanical cause of failure in trees. We know that the branching mechanism has an important effect on the stress distribution and stability of a tree in the wind. Eloy in PRL 2011, showed that Leonardo da Vinci's original observation which states the total cross section of branches is conserved across branching nodes is the best configuration for resisting wind-induced fracture in rigid trees. However, prediction of the fracture risk and pattern of a tree is also a function of their reconfiguration capabilities and how they mitigate large wind-induced stresses. In this studies through developing an efficient numerical simulation of flexible branched trees, we explore the role of the tree flexibility on the optimal branching. Our results show that the probability of a tree breaking at any point depends on both the cross-section changes in the branching nodes and the level of tree flexibility. It is found that the branching mechanism based on Leonardo da Vinci's original observation leads to a uniform stress distribution over a wide range of flexibilities but the pattern changes for more flexible systems.

All change at the CERN UBS branch

CERN Multimedia

Antonella Del Rosso

2012-01-01

UBS branches across the country are being modernised, and the CERN branch is no exception. The Bulletin brings you a preview of the project, which will get under way in January 2013.   Mock-up of the renovated UBS branch. The changes at the UBS branch in CERN's Main Building will be no simple facelift. The entire bank will be renovated, transforming the present relatively confined premises into an open and attractive area. "The renovation of the UBS branches is part of a wider campaign designed to further enhance our customer relations," explains Ezio Mangia, the head of the CERN branch.  The UBS bank currently occupies three sets of premises in CERN's Main Building (two on the ground floor and one in the basement). "By the end of the work, which is scheduled to be completed by the middle of next year, CERN customers will benefit from a new area with open-plan counters and "hole-in-the-wall" machines accessible to...

Prebiotic branched galacto-oligosaccharides (gos)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lammerts van Bueren-Brandt, Alica; Dijkhuizen, Lubbert

2018-01-01

The invention relates to galacto-oligosaccharide (GOS) compositions and the use thereof. Provided is the use of a GOS composition comprising branched and linear GOS species having a degree of polymerization (DP) of 3, wherein the branched DP3 GOS species are present in excess of linear DP3 GOS

Branching trajectory continual integral

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maslov, V.P.; Chebotarev, A.M.

1980-01-01

Heuristic definition of the Feynman continual integral over branching trajectories is suggested which makes it possible to obtain in the closed form the solution of the Cauchy problem for the model Hartree equation. A number of properties of the solution is derived from an integral representation. In particular, the quasiclassical asymptotics, exact solution in the gaussian case and perturbation theory series are described. The existence theorem for the simpliest continual integral over branching trajectories is proved [ru

VD-411 branch driver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorbunov, N.V.; Karev, A.G.; Mal'tsev, Eh.I.; Morozov, B.A.

1985-01-01

The VD-411 branch driver for CAMAC moduli control by the SM-4 computer is described. The driver realizes data exchange with moduli disposed in 28 crates grouped in 4 branches. Data exchange can be carried out either in the program regime or in the regime of direct access to the memory. Fulfilment of 11 block regimes and one program regime is provided for. A possibility of individual programming of exchange methods in block regimes is left for users for organisation of quicker and most flexible data removal from the CAMAC moduli. In the regime of direct access the driver provides data transmission at the size up to 64 Kwords placing it in the computer memory of 2 M byte. High rate of data transmission and the developed system of interruptions ensure efficient utilization of the VD-411 branch driver at data removal from facilities in high energy physics experiments

Human vagus nerve branching in the cervical region.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Niels Hammer

Full Text Available Vagus nerve stimulation is increasingly applied to treat epilepsy, psychiatric conditions and potentially chronic heart failure. After implanting vagus nerve electrodes to the cervical vagus nerve, side effects such as voice alterations and dyspnea or missing therapeutic effects are observed at different frequencies. Cervical vagus nerve branching might partly be responsible for these effects. However, vagus nerve branching has not yet been described in the context of vagus nerve stimulation.Branching of the cervical vagus nerve was investigated macroscopically in 35 body donors (66 cervical sides in the carotid sheath. After X-ray imaging for determining the vertebral levels of cervical vagus nerve branching, samples were removed to confirm histologically the nerve and to calculate cervical vagus nerve diameters and cross-sections.Cervical vagus nerve branching was observed in 29% of all cases (26% unilaterally, 3% bilaterally and proven histologically in all cases. Right-sided branching (22% was more common than left-sided branching (12% and occurred on the level of the fourth and fifth vertebra on the left and on the level of the second to fifth vertebra on the right side. Vagus nerves without branching were significantly larger than vagus nerves with branches, concerning their diameters (4.79 mm vs. 3.78 mm and cross-sections (7.24 mm2 vs. 5.28 mm2.Cervical vagus nerve branching is considerably more frequent than described previously. The side-dependent differences of vagus nerve branching may be linked to the asymmetric effects of the vagus nerve. Cervical vagus nerve branching should be taken into account when identifying main trunk of the vagus nerve for implanting electrodes to minimize potential side effects or lacking therapeutic benefits of vagus nerve stimulation.

Thermoelectric effects in disordered branched nanowires

Science.gov (United States)

Roslyak, Oleksiy; Piriatinskiy, Andrei

2013-03-01

We shall develop formalism of thermal and electrical transport in Si1 - x Gex and BiTe nanowires. The key feature of those nanowires is the possibility of dendrimer type branching. The branching tree can be of size comparable to the short wavelength of phonons and by far smaller than the long wavelength of conducting electrons. Hence it is expected that the branching may suppress thermal and let alone electrical conductance. We demonstrate that the morphology of branches strongly affects the electronic conductance. The effect is important to the class of materials known as thermoelectrics. The small size of the branching region makes large temperature and electrical gradients. On the other hand the smallness of the region would allow the electrical transport being ballistic. As usual for the mesoscopic systems we have to solve macroscopic (temperature) and microscopic ((electric potential, current)) equations self-consistently. Electronic conductance is studied via NEGF formalism on the irreducible electron transfer graph. We also investigate the figure of merit ZT as a measure of the suppressed electron conductance.

Quantification of branching in model three-arm star polyethylene

KAUST Repository

Ramachandran, Ramnath; Beaucage, Gregory B.; Rai, Durgesh K.; Lohse, David J.; Sun, Thomas; Tsou, Andy; Norman, Alexander Iain; Hadjichristidis, Nikolaos

2012-01-01

The versatility of a novel scaling approach in quantifying the structure of model well-defined 3-arm star polyethylene molecules is presented. Many commercial polyethylenes have long side branches, and the nature and quantity of these branches varies widely among the various forms. For instance, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is typically a highly branched structure with broad distributions in branch content, branch lengths and branch generation (in hyperbranched structures). This makes it difficult to accurately quantify the structure and the inherent structure-property relationships. To overcome this drawback, model well-defined hydrogenated polybutadiene (HPB) structures have been synthesized via anionic polymerization and hydrogenation to serve as model analogues to long-chain branched polyethylene. In this article, model 3-arm star polyethylene molecules are quantified using the scaling approach. Along with the long-chain branch content in polyethylene, the approach also provides unique measurements of long-chain branch length and hyperbranch content. Such detailed description facilitates better understanding of the effect of branching on the physical properties of polyethylene. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Quantification of branching in model three-arm star polyethylene

KAUST Repository

Ramachandran, Ramnath

2012-01-24

The versatility of a novel scaling approach in quantifying the structure of model well-defined 3-arm star polyethylene molecules is presented. Many commercial polyethylenes have long side branches, and the nature and quantity of these branches varies widely among the various forms. For instance, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is typically a highly branched structure with broad distributions in branch content, branch lengths and branch generation (in hyperbranched structures). This makes it difficult to accurately quantify the structure and the inherent structure-property relationships. To overcome this drawback, model well-defined hydrogenated polybutadiene (HPB) structures have been synthesized via anionic polymerization and hydrogenation to serve as model analogues to long-chain branched polyethylene. In this article, model 3-arm star polyethylene molecules are quantified using the scaling approach. Along with the long-chain branch content in polyethylene, the approach also provides unique measurements of long-chain branch length and hyperbranch content. Such detailed description facilitates better understanding of the effect of branching on the physical properties of polyethylene. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Bi-objective branch-and-cut algorithms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gadegaard, Sune Lauth; Ehrgott, Matthias; Nielsen, Lars Relund

Most real-world optimization problems are of a multi-objective nature, involving objectives which are conflicting and incomparable. Solving a multi-objective optimization problem requires a method which can generate the set of rational compromises between the objectives. In this paper, we propose...... are strengthened by cutting planes. In addition, we suggest an extension of the branching strategy "Pareto branching''. Extensive computational results obtained for the bi-objective single source capacitated facility location problem prove the effectiveness of the algorithms....... and compares it to an upper bound set. The implicit bound set based algorithm, on the other hand, fathoms branching nodes by generating a single point on the lower bound set for each local nadir point. We outline several approaches for fathoming branching nodes and we propose an updating scheme for the lower...

Geology of the Cane Branch and Helton Branch watershed areas, McCreary County, Kentucky

Science.gov (United States)

Lyons, Erwin J.

1957-01-01

Cane Branch and Helton Branch in McCreary County, Kentucky, are about 1.4 miles apart (fig. 1). Can Branch, which is about 2.1 miles long, emptied into Hughes Fork of Beaver Creek. Its watershed area of about 1.5 square miles lies largely in the Wiborf 7 1/2-minute quadrangle (SW/4 Cumberland Falls 15-minute quadrangle), but the downstream part of the area extends northward into the Hail 7 1/2-minute quadrangle (NW/4 Cumberland Falls 15-minute quadrangle). Helton Branch, which is about 1.1 miles long, has two tributaries and empties into Little Hurricane Fork of Beaver Creek. It drains an area of about 0.8 square mile of while about 0.5 square mile is in the Hail quadrangle and the remainder in the Wilborg quadrangle. The total relief in the Can Branch area is about 500 feet and in the Helton Branch area about 400 feet. Narrow, steep-sided to canyon-like valley and winding ridges, typical of the Pottsville escarpment region, are characteristic of both areas. Thick woods and dense undergrowth cover much of the two areas. Field mapping was done on U.S. Geological Survey 7 1/2-minute maps having a scale of 1:24,000 and a contour interval of 20 feet. Elevations of lithologic contacts were determined with a barometer and a hand level. Aerial photographs were used principally to trace the cliffs formed by sandstone and conglomerate ledges. Exposures, except for those of the cliff- and ledge-forming sandstone and conglomerates, are not abundant. The most complete stratigraphic sections (secs. 3 and 4, fig. 2) in the two areas are exposed in cuts of newly completed Forest Service roads, but the rick in the upper parts of the exposures is weathered. To supplement these sections, additional sections were measured in cuts along the railroad and main highways in nor near the watersheds.

3rd Workshop on Branching Processes and their Applications

CERN Document Server

González, Miguel; Gutiérrez, Cristina; Martínez, Rodrigo; Minuesa, Carmen; Molina, Manuel; Mota, Manuel; Ramos, Alfonso; WBPA15

2016-01-01

This volume gathers papers originally presented at the 3rd Workshop on Branching Processes and their Applications (WBPA15), which was held from 7 to 10 April 2015 in Badajoz, Spain (http://branching.unex.es/wbpa15/index.htm). The papers address a broad range of theoretical and practical aspects of branching process theory. Further, they amply demonstrate that the theoretical research in this area remains vital and topical, as well as the relevance of branching concepts in the development of theoretical approaches to solving new problems in applied fields such as Epidemiology, Biology, Genetics, and, of course, Population Dynamics. The topics covered can broadly be classified into the following areas: 1. Coalescent Branching Processes 2. Branching Random Walks 3. Population Growth Models in Varying and Random Environments 4. Size/Density/Resource-Dependent Branching Models 5. Age-Dependent Branching Models 6. Special Branching Models 7. Applications in Epidemiology 8. Applications in Biology and Genetics Offer...

Randomly oriented twin domains in electrodeposited silver dendrites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivanović Evica R.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Silver dendrites were prepared by electrochemical deposition. The structures of Ag dendrites, the type of twins and their distribution were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM, Z-contrast high angle annular dark field transmission electron microscopy (HAADF, and crystallografically sensitive orientation imaging microscopy (OIM. The results revealed that silver dendrites are characterized by the presence of randomly distributed 180° rotational twin domains. The broad surface of dendrites was of the {111} type. Growth directions of the main dendrite stem and all branches were of type. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 172054

Coulomb branches with complex singularities

Science.gov (United States)

Argyres, Philip C.; Martone, Mario

2018-06-01

We construct 4d superconformal field theories (SCFTs) whose Coulomb branches have singular complex structures. This implies, in particular, that their Coulomb branch coordinate rings are not freely generated. Our construction also gives examples of distinct SCFTs which have identical moduli space (Coulomb, Higgs, and mixed branch) geometries. These SCFTs thus provide an interesting arena in which to test the relationship between moduli space geometries and conformal field theory data. We construct these SCFTs by gauging certain discrete global symmetries of N = 4 superYang-Mills (sYM) theories. In the simplest cases, these discrete symmetries are outer automorphisms of the sYM gauge group, and so these theories have lagrangian descriptions as N = 4 sYM theories with disconnected gauge groups.

Conformations and solution properties of star-branched polyelectrolytes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Borisov, O.V.; Zhulina, E.B.; Leermakers, F.A.M.; Ballauff, M.; Muller, A.H.E.

2011-01-01

Aqueous solutions of star-like polyelectrolytes (PEs) exhibit distinctive features that originate from the topological complexity of branched macromolecules. In a salt-free solution of branched PEs, mobile counterions preferentially localize in the intramolecular volume of branched macroions.

Vere-Jones' self-similar branching model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saichev, A.; Sornette, D.

2005-01-01

Motivated by its potential application to earthquake statistics as well as for its intrinsic interest in the theory of branching processes, we study the exactly self-similar branching process introduced recently by Vere-Jones. This model extends the ETAS class of conditional self-excited branching point-processes of triggered seismicity by removing the problematic need for a minimum (as well as maximum) earthquake size. To make the theory convergent without the need for the usual ultraviolet and infrared cutoffs, the distribution of magnitudes m ' of daughters of first-generation of a mother of magnitude m has two branches m ' ' >m with exponent β+d, where β and d are two positive parameters. We investigate the condition and nature of the subcritical, critical, and supercritical regime in this and in an extended version interpolating smoothly between several models. We predict that the distribution of magnitudes of events triggered by a mother of magnitude m over all generations has also two branches m ' ' >m with exponent β+h, with h=d√(1-s), where s is the fraction of triggered events. This corresponds to a renormalization of the exponent d into h by the hierarchy of successive generations of triggered events. For a significant part of the parameter space, the distribution of magnitudes over a full catalog summed over an average steady flow of spontaneous sources (immigrants) reproduces the distribution of the spontaneous sources with a single branch and is blind to the exponents β,d of the distribution of triggered events. Since the distribution of earthquake magnitudes is usually obtained with catalogs including many sequences, we conclude that the two branches of the distribution of aftershocks are not directly observable and the model is compatible with real seismic catalogs. In summary, the exactly self-similar Vere-Jones model provides an attractive new approach to model triggered seismicity, which alleviates delicate questions on the role of

Branching bisimulation congruence for probabilistic systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Trcka, N.; Georgievska, S.; Aldini, A.; Baier, C.

2008-01-01

The notion of branching bisimulation for the alternating model of probabilistic systems is not a congruence with respect to parallel composition. In this paper we first define another branching bisimulation in the more general model allowing consecutive probabilistic transitions, and we prove that

Airway branching morphogenesis in three dimensional culture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gudjonsson Thorarinn

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Lungs develop from the fetal digestive tract where epithelium invades the vascular rich stroma in a process called branching morphogenesis. In organogenesis, endothelial cells have been shown to be important for morphogenesis and the maintenance of organ structure. The aim of this study was to recapitulate human lung morphogenesis in vitro by establishing a three dimensional (3D co-culture model where lung epithelial cells were cultured in endothelial-rich stroma. Methods We used a human bronchial epithelial cell line (VA10 recently developed in our laboratory. This cell line cell line maintains a predominant basal cell phenotype, expressing p63 and other basal markers such as cytokeratin-5 and -14. Here, we cultured VA10 with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs, to mimic the close interaction between these cell types during lung development. Morphogenesis and differentiation was monitored by phase contrast microscopy, immunostainings and confocal imaging. Results We found that in co-culture with endothelial cells, the VA10 cells generated bronchioalveolar like structures, suggesting that lung epithelial branching is facilitated by the presence of endothelial cells. The VA10 derived epithelial structures display various complex patterns of branching and show partial alveolar type-II differentiation with pro-Surfactant-C expression. The epithelial origin of the branching VA10 colonies was confirmed by immunostaining. These bronchioalveolar-like structures were polarized with respect to integrin expression at the cell-matrix interface. The endothelial-induced branching was mediated by soluble factors. Furthermore, fibroblast growth factor receptor-2 (FGFR-2 and sprouty-2 were expressed at the growing tips of the branching structures and the branching was inhibited by the FGFR-small molecule inhibitor SU5402. Discussion In this study we show that a human lung epithelial cell line can be induced by endothelial cells to

Distribution and evolution of stable single α-helices (SAH domains in myosin motor proteins.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dominic Simm

Full Text Available Stable single-alpha helices (SAHs are versatile structural elements in many prokaryotic and eukaryotic proteins acting as semi-flexible linkers and constant force springs. This way SAH-domains function as part of the lever of many different myosins. Canonical myosin levers consist of one or several IQ-motifs to which light chains such as calmodulin bind. SAH-domains provide flexibility in length and stiffness to the myosin levers, and may be particularly suited for myosins working in crowded cellular environments. Although the function of the SAH-domains in human class-6 and class-10 myosins has well been characterised, the distribution of the SAH-domain in all myosin subfamilies and across the eukaryotic tree of life remained elusive. Here, we analysed the largest available myosin sequence dataset consisting of 7919 manually annotated myosin sequences from 938 species representing all major eukaryotic branches using the SAH-prediction algorithm of Waggawagga, a recently developed tool for the identification of SAH-domains. With this approach we identified SAH-domains in more than one third of the supposed 79 myosin subfamilies. Depending on the myosin class, the presence of SAH-domains can range from a few to almost all class members indicating complex patterns of independent and taxon-specific SAH-domain gain and loss.

Mechanistic insights into phosphoprotein-binding FHA domains.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Xiangyang; Van Doren, Steven R

2008-08-01

[Structure: see text]. FHA domains are protein modules that switch signals in diverse biological pathways by monitoring the phosphorylation of threonine residues of target proteins. As part of the effort to gain insight into cellular avoidance of cancer, FHA domains involved in the cellular response to DNA damage have been especially well-characterized. The complete protein where the FHA domain resides and the interaction partners determine the nature of the signaling. Thus, a key biochemical question is how do FHA domains pick out their partners from among thousands of alternatives in the cell? This Account discusses the structure, affinity, and specificity of FHA domains and the formation of their functional structure. Although FHA domains share sequence identity at only five loop residues, they all fold into a beta-sandwich of two beta-sheets. The conserved arginine and serine of the recognition loops recognize the phosphorylation of the threonine targeted. Side chains emanating from loops that join beta-strand 4 with 5, 6 with 7, or 10 with 11 make specific contacts with amino acids of the ligand that tailor sequence preferences. Many FHA domains choose a partner in extended conformation, somewhat according to the residue three after the phosphothreonine in sequence (pT + 3 position). One group of FHA domains chooses a short carboxylate-containing side chain at pT + 3. Another group chooses a long, branched aliphatic side chain. A third group prefers other hydrophobic or uncharged polar side chains at pT + 3. However, another FHA domain instead chooses on the basis of pT - 2, pT - 3, and pT + 1 positions. An FHA domain from a marker of human cancer instead chooses a much longer protein fragment that adds a beta-strand to its beta-sheet and that presents hydrophobic residues from a novel helix to the usual recognition surface. This novel recognition site and more remote sites for the binding of other types of protein partners were predicted for the entire family

Spontaneous Age-Related Neurite Branching in C. elegans

Science.gov (United States)

Tank, Elizabeth M. H.; Rodgers, Kasey E.; Kenyon, Cynthia

2011-01-01

The analysis of morphological changes that occur in the nervous system during normal aging could provide insight into cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disease. Previous studies have suggested that the nervous system of C. elegans maintains its structural integrity with age despite the deterioration of surrounding tissues. Unexpectedly, we observed that neurons in aging animals frequently displayed ectopic branches, and that the prevalence of these branches increased with time. Within age-matched populations, the branching of mechnosensory neurons correlated with decreased response to light touch and decreased mobility. The incidence of branching was influenced by two pathways that can affect the rate of aging, the Jun kinase pathway and the insulin/IGF-1 pathway. Loss of Jun kinase signaling, which slightly shortens lifespan, dramatically increased and accelerated the frequency of neurite branching. Conversely, inhibition of the daf-2 insulin/IGF-1-like signaling pathway, which extends lifespan, delayed and suppressed branching, and this delay required DAF-16/FOXO activity. Both JNK-1 and DAF-16 appeared to act within neurons in a cell-autonomous manner to influence branching, and, through their tissue-specific expression, it was possible to disconnect the rate at which branching occurred from the overall rate of aging of the animal. Old age has generally been associated with the decline and deterioration of different tissues, except in the case of tumor cell growth. To our knowledge, this is the first indication that aging can potentiate another form of growth, the growth of neurite branches, in normal animals. PMID:21697377

Activities of the Development Branch. 1978-1981

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Candame de Gallo, Rita; Marrapodi, M.R.E.; Baez, L.B.

1982-01-01

The activities carried out by the Development Branch from 1978 through 1981 are summarized. Subjects covered include: Metallurgy, Nuclear Fuels, Instrumentation and Control, Nuclear Reactors, as well as the various projects developed during this period and the administrative and technical activities of various groups belonging to this Branch. A list of publications by personnel of this Branch during the same period is also included. (C.A.K.) [es

Field electron emission from branched nanotubes film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng Baoqing; Tian Shikai; Yang Zhonghai

2005-01-01

We describe the preparation and analyses of films composed of branched carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The CNTs were grown on a Ni catalyst film using chemical vapor deposition from a gas containing acetylene. From scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) analyses, the branched structure of the CNTs was determined; the field emission characteristics in a vacuum chamber indicated a lower turn on field for branched CNTs than normal CNTs

Branching habit and the allocation of reproductive resources in conifers.

Science.gov (United States)

Leslie, Andrew B

2012-09-01

Correlated relationships between branch thickness, branch density, and twig and leaf size have been used extensively to study the evolution of plant canopy architecture, but fewer studies have explored the impact of these relationships on the allocation of reproductive resources. This study quantifies pollen cone production in conifers, which have similar basic reproductive biology but vary dramatically in branching habit, in order to test how differences in branch diameter influence pollen cone size and the density with which they are deployed in the canopy. Measurements of canopy branch density, the number of cones per branch and cone size were used to estimate the amount of pollen cone tissues produced by 16 species in three major conifer clades. The number of pollen grains produced was also estimated using direct counts from individual pollen cones. The total amount of pollen cone tissues in the conifer canopy varied little among species and clades, although vegetative traits such as branch thickness, branch density and pollen cone size varied over several orders of magnitude. However, branching habit controls the way these tissues are deployed: taxa with small branches produce small pollen cones at a high density, while taxa with large branches produce large cones relatively sparsely. Conifers appear to invest similar amounts of energy in pollen production independent of branching habit. However, similar associations between branch thickness, branch density and pollen cone size are seen across conifers, including members of living and extinct groups not directly studied here. This suggests that reproductive features relating to pollen cone size are in large part a function of the evolution of vegetative morphology and branching habit.

40 CFR 721.3627 - Branched synthetic fatty acid.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Branched synthetic fatty acid. 721... Substances § 721.3627 Branched synthetic fatty acid. (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified generically as a branched synthetic fatty acid...

Branching enzyme assay: selective quantitation of the alpha 1,6-linked glucosyl residues involved in the branching points.

Science.gov (United States)

Krisman, C R; Tolmasky, D S; Raffo, S

1985-06-01

Methods previously described for glycogen or amylopectin branching enzymatic activity are insufficiently sensitive and not quantitative. A new, more sensitive, specific, and quantitative one was developed. It is based upon the quantitation of the glucose residues joined by alpha 1,6 bonds introduced by varying amounts of branching enzyme. The procedure involved the synthesis of a polysaccharide from Glc-1-P and phosphorylase in the presence of the sample to be tested. The branched polysaccharide was then purified and the glucoses involved in the branching points were quantitated after degradation with phosphorylase and debranching enzymes. This method appeared to be useful, not only in enzymatic activity determinations but also in the study of the structure of alpha-D-glucans when combined with those of total polysaccharide quantitation, such as iodine and phenol-sulfuric acid.

Cash efficiency for bank branches.

Science.gov (United States)

Cabello, Julia García

2013-01-01

Bank liquidity management has become a major issue during the financial crisis as liquidity shortages have intensified and have put pressure on banks to diversity and improve their liquidity sources. While a significant strand of the literature concentrates on wholesale liquidity generation and on the alternative to deposit funding, the management of an inventory of cash holdings within the banks' branches is also a relevant issue as any significant improvement in cash management at the bank distribution channels may have a positive effect in reducing liquidity tensions. In this paper, we propose a simple programme of cash efficiency for the banks' branches, very easy to implement, which conform to a set of instructions to be imposed from the bank to their branches. This model proves to significantly reduce cash holdings at branches thereby providing efficiency improvements in liquidity management. The methodology we propose is based on the definition of some stochastic processes combined with renewal processes, which capture the random elements of the cash flow, before applying suitable optimization programmes to all the costs involved in cash movements. The classical issue of the Transaction Demand for the Cash and some aspects of Inventory Theory are also present. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000) C02, C60, E50.

Stalking the fourth domain in metagenomic data: searching for, discovering, and interpreting novel, deep branches in marker gene phylogenetic trees.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dongying Wu

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Most of our knowledge about the ancient evolutionary history of organisms has been derived from data associated with specific known organisms (i.e., organisms that we can study directly such as plants, metazoans, and culturable microbes. Recently, however, a new source of data for such studies has arrived: DNA sequence data generated directly from environmental samples. Such metagenomic data has enormous potential in a variety of areas including, as we argue here, in studies of very early events in the evolution of gene families and of species. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We designed and implemented new methods for analyzing metagenomic data and used them to search the Global Ocean Sampling (GOS expedition data set for novel lineages in three gene families commonly used in phylogenetic studies of known and unknown organisms: small subunit rRNA and the recA and rpoB superfamilies. Though the methods available could not accurately identify very deeply branched ss-rRNAs (largely due to difficulties in making robust sequence alignments for novel rRNA fragments, our analysis revealed the existence of multiple novel branches in the recA and rpoB gene families. Analysis of available sequence data likely from the same genomes as these novel recA and rpoB homologs was then used to further characterize the possible organismal source of the novel sequences. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Of the novel recA and rpoB homologs identified in the metagenomic data, some likely come from uncharacterized viruses while others may represent ancient paralogs not yet seen in any cultured organism. A third possibility is that some come from novel cellular lineages that are only distantly related to any organisms for which sequence data is currently available. If there exist any major, but so-far-undiscovered, deeply branching lineages in the tree of life, we suggest that methods such as those described herein currently offer the best way to search for them.

Space plasma branch at NRL

Science.gov (United States)

The Naval Research Laboratory (Washington, D.C.) formed the Space Plasma Branch within its Plasma Physics Division on July 1. Vithal Patel, former Program Director of Magnetospheric Physics, National Science Foundation, also joined NRL on the same date as Associate Superintendent of the Plasma Physics Division. Barret Ripin is head of the newly organized branch. The Space Plasma branch will do basic and applied space plasma research using a multidisciplinary approach. It consolidates traditional rocket and satellite space experiments, space plasma theory and computation, with laboratory space-related experiments. About 40 research scientists, postdoctoral fellows, engineers, and technicians are divided among its five sections. The Theory and Computation sections are led by Joseph Huba and Joel Fedder, the Space Experiments section is led by Paul Rodriguez, and the Pharos Laser Facility and Laser Experiments sections are headed by Charles Manka and Jacob Grun.

Distribution of degrees of polymerization in statistically branched polymers with tetrafunctional branch points: model calculations

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Netopilík, Miloš; Kratochvíl, Pavel

2006-01-01

Roč. 55, č. 2 (2006), s. 196-203 ISSN 0959-8103 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA100500501; GA AV ČR IAA4050403; GA AV ČR IAA4050409; GA ČR GA203/03/0617 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40500505 Keywords : statistical branching * tetrafunctional branch points * molecular-weight distribution Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry Impact factor: 1.475, year: 2006

40 CFR 721.10094 - Decene, branched and linear.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Decene, branched and linear. 721.10094... Substances § 721.10094 Decene, branched and linear. (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified as decene, branched and linear (PMN P-03-272; CAS...

Geometrical scaling, furry branching and minijets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwa, R.C.

1988-01-01

Scaling properties and their violations in hadronic collisions are discussed in the framework of the geometrical branching model. Geometrical scaling supplemented by Furry branching characterizes the soft component, while the production of jets specifies the hard component. Many features of multiparticle production processes are well described by this model. 21 refs

Conformal branching rules and modular invariants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walton, M.A.

1989-01-01

Using the outer automorphisms of the affine algebra SU(n), we show how the branching rules for the conformal subalgebra SU(pq) contains SU(p) x SU(q) may be simply calculated. We demonstrate that new modular invariant combinations of SU(n) characters are obtainable from the branching rules. (orig.)

The sensory-motor bridge neurorraphy: an anatomic study of feasibility between sensory branch of the musculocutaneous nerve and deep branch of the radial nerve.

Science.gov (United States)

Goubier, Jean-Noel; Teboul, Frédéric

2011-05-01

Restoring elbow flexion remains the first step in the management of total palsy of the brachial plexus. Non avulsed upper roots may be grafted on the musculocutaneous nerve. When this nerve is entirely grafted, some motor fibres regenerate within the sensory fibres quota. Aiming potential utilization of these lost motor fibres, we attempted suturing the sensory branch of the musculocutaneous nerve onto the deep branch of the radial nerve. The objective of our study was to assess the anatomic feasibility of such direct suturing of the terminal sensory branch of the musculocutaneous nerve onto the deep branch of the radial nerve. The study was carried out with 10 upper limbs from fresh cadavers. The sensory branch of the musculocutaneous muscle was dissected right to its division. The motor branch of the radial nerve was identified and dissected as proximally as possible into the radial nerve. Then, the distance separating the two nerves was measured so as to assess whether direct neurorraphy of the two branches was feasible. The excessive distance between the two branches averaged 6 mm (1-13 mm). Thus, direct neurorraphy of the sensory branch of the musculocutaneous nerve and the deep branch of the radial nerve was possible. When the whole musculocutaneous nerve is grafted, some of its motor fibres are lost amongst the sensory fibres (cutaneous lateral antebrachial nerve). By suturing this sensory branch onto the deep branch of the radial nerve, "lost" fibres may be retrieved, resulting in restoration of digital extension. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Hilbert Series and Mixed Branches of T[SU(N)] theories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carta, Federico [Departamento de Física Teórica and Instituto de Física Teórica UAM-CSIC,Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Hayashi, Hirotaka [Departamento de Física Teórica and Instituto de Física Teórica UAM-CSIC,Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Tokai University,4-1-1 Kitakaname, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa 259-1292 (Japan)

2017-02-07

We consider mixed branches of 3dN=4T[SU(N)] theory. We compute the Hilbert series of the Coulomb branch part of the mixed branch from a restriction rule acting on the Hilbert series of the full Coulomb branch that will truncate the magnetic charge summation only to the subset of BPS dressed monopole operators that arise in the Coulomb branch sublocus where the mixed branch stems. This restriction can be understood directly from the type IIB brane picture by a relation between the magnetic charges of the monopoles and brane position moduli. We also apply the restriction rule to the Higgs branch part of a given mixed branch by exploiting 3d mirror symmetry. Both cases show complete agreement with the results calculated by different methods.

Branching miter joints : principles and artwork

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verhoeff, T.; Verhoeff, K.; Hart, G.W.; Sarhangi, R.

2010-01-01

A miter joint connects two beams, typically of the same cross section, at an angle such that the longitudinal beam edges continue across the joint. When more than two beams meet in one point, like in a tree, we call this a branching joint. In a branching miter joint, the beams’ longitudinal edges

Right bundle branch block

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bussink, Barbara E; Holst, Anders Gaarsdal; Jespersen, Lasse

2013-01-01

AimsTo determine the prevalence, predictors of newly acquired, and the prognostic value of right bundle branch block (RBBB) and incomplete RBBB (IRBBB) on a resting 12-lead electrocardiogram in men and women from the general population.Methods and resultsWe followed 18 441 participants included...... in the Copenhagen City Heart Study examined in 1976-2003 free from previous myocardial infarction (MI), chronic heart failure, and left bundle branch block through registry linkage until 2009 for all-cause mortality and cardiovascular outcomes. The prevalence of RBBB/IRBBB was higher in men (1.4%/4.7% in men vs. 0.......5%/2.3% in women, P block was associated with significantly...

FY 1990 Applied Sciences Branch annual report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keyes, B.M.; Dippo, P.C. (eds.)

1991-11-01

The Applied Sciences Branch actively supports the advancement of DOE/SERI goals for the development and implementation of the solar photovoltaic technology. The primary focus of the laboratories is to provide state-of-the-art analytical capabilities for materials and device characterization and fabrication. The branch houses a comprehensive facility which is capable of providing information on the full range of photovoltaic components. A major objective of the branch is to aggressively pursue collaborative research with other government laboratories, universities, and industrial firms for the advancement of photovoltaic technologies. Members of the branch disseminate research findings to the technical community in publications and presentations. This report contains information on surface and interface analysis, materials characterization, development, electro-optical characterization module testing and performance, surface interactions and FTIR spectroscopy.

The influence of branch order on optimal leaf vein geometries: Murray's law and area preserving branching.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charles A Price

Full Text Available Models that predict the form of hierarchical branching networks typically invoke optimization based on biomechanical similitude, the minimization of impedance to fluid flow, or construction costs. Unfortunately, due to the small size and high number of vein segments found in real biological networks, complete descriptions of networks needed to evaluate such models are rare. To help address this we report results from the analysis of the branching geometry of 349 leaf vein networks comprising over 1.5 million individual vein segments. In addition to measuring the diameters of individual veins before and after vein bifurcations, we also assign vein orders using the Horton-Strahler ordering algorithm adopted from the study of river networks. Our results demonstrate that across all leaves, both radius tapering and the ratio of daughter to parent branch areas for leaf veins are in strong agreement with the expectation from Murray's law. However, as veins become larger, area ratios shift systematically toward values expected under area-preserving branching. Our work supports the idea that leaf vein networks differentiate roles of leaf support and hydraulic supply between hierarchical orders.

Optimization of multi-branch switched diversity systems

KAUST Repository

Nam, Haewoon; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2009-01-01

A performance optimization based on the optimal switching threshold(s) for a multi-branch switched diversity system is discussed in this paper. For the conventional multi-branch switched diversity system with a single switching threshold

Branched RNA: A New Architecture for RNA Interference

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Aviñó

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Branched RNAs with two and four strands were synthesized. These structures were used to obtain branched siRNA. The branched siRNA duplexes had similar inhibitory capacity as those of unmodified siRNA duplexes, as deduced from gene silencing experiments of the TNF-α protein. Branched RNAs are considered novel structures for siRNA technology, and they provide an innovative tool for specific gene inhibition. As the method described here is compatible with most RNA modifications described to date, these compounds may be further functionalized to obtain more potent siRNA derivatives and can be attached to suitable delivery systems.

Correlation between the ripple phase and stripe domains in membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernchou, Uffe; Midtiby, Henrik; Ipsen, John Hjort; Simonsen, Adam Cohen

2011-12-01

We investigate the relationship between stripe domains and the ripple phase in membranes. These have previously been observed separately without being linked explicitly. Past results have demonstrated that solid and ripple phases exhibit rich textural patterns related to the orientational order of tilted lipids and the orientation of ripple corrugations. Here we reveal a highly complex network pattern of ripple and solid domains in DLPC, DPPC bilayers with structures covering length scales from 10 nm to 100 μm. Using spincoated double supported membranes we investigate domains by correlated AFM and fluorescence microscopy. Cooling experiments demonstrate the mode of nucleation and growth of stripe domains enriched in the fluorescent probe. Concurrent AFM imaging reveals that these stripe domains have a one-to-one correspondence with a rippled morphology running parallel to the stripe direction. Both thin and thick stripe domains are observed having ripple periods of 13.5±0.2 nm and 27.4±0.6 nm respectively. These are equivalent to previously observed asymmetric/equilibrium and symmetric/metastable ripple phases, respectively. Thin stripes grow from small solid domains and grow predominantly in length with a speed of ~3 times that of the thick stripes. Thick stripes grow by templating on the sides of thinner stripes or can emerge directly from the fluid phase. Bending and branching angles of stripes are in accordance with an underlying six fold lattice. We discuss mechanisms for the nucleation and growth of ripples and discuss a generic phase diagram that may partly rationalize the coexistence of metastable and stable phases. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Crystal Structure of Full-length Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv Glycogen Branching Enzyme; Insights of N-Terminal [beta]-Sandwich in Sustrate Specifity and Enzymatic Activity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pal, Kuntal; Kumar, Shiva; Sharma, Shikha; Garg, Saurabh Kumar; Alam, Mohammad Suhail; Xu, H. Eric; Agrawal, Pushpa; Swaminathan, Kunchithapadam (NU Sinapore); (Van Andel); (IMT-India)

2010-07-13

The open reading frame Rv1326c of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) H37Rv encodes for an {alpha}-1,4-glucan branching enzyme (MtbGlgB, EC 2.4.1.18, Uniprot entry Q10625). This enzyme belongs to glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 13 and catalyzes the branching of a linear glucose chain during glycogenesis by cleaving a 1 {yields} 4 bond and making a new 1 {yields} 6 bond. Here, we show the crystal structure of full-length MtbGlgB (MtbGlgBWT) at 2.33-{angstrom} resolution. MtbGlgBWT contains four domains: N1 {beta}-sandwich, N2 {beta}-sandwich, a central ({beta}/{alpha}){sub 8} domain that houses the catalytic site, and a C-terminal {beta}-sandwich. We have assayed the amylase activity with amylose and starch as substrates and the glycogen branching activity using amylose as a substrate for MtbGlgBWT and the N1 domain-deleted (the first 108 residues deleted) Mtb{Delta}108GlgB protein. The N1 {beta}-sandwich, which is formed by the first 105 amino acids and superimposes well with the N2 {beta}-sandwich, is shown to have an influence in substrate binding in the amylase assay. Also, we have checked and shown that several GH13 family inhibitors are ineffective against MtbGlgBWT and Mtb{Delta}108GlgB. We propose a two-step reaction mechanism, for the amylase activity (1 {yields} 4 bond breakage) and isomerization (1 {yields} 6 bond formation), which occurs in the same catalytic pocket. The structural and functional properties of MtbGlgB and Mtb{Delta}108GlgB are compared with those of the N-terminal 112-amino acid-deleted Escherichia coli GlgB (EC{Delta}112GlgB).

Cadaveric Study of the Articular Branches of the Shoulder Joint.

Science.gov (United States)

Eckmann, Maxim S; Bickelhaupt, Brittany; Fehl, Jacob; Benfield, Jonathan A; Curley, Jonathan; Rahimi, Ohmid; Nagpal, Ameet S

This cadaveric study investigated the anatomic relationships of the articular branches of the suprascapular (SN), axillary (AN), and lateral pectoral nerves (LPN), which are potential targets for shoulder analgesia. Sixteen embalmed cadavers and 1 unembalmed cadaver, including 33 shoulders total, were dissected. Following dissections, fluoroscopic images were taken to propose an anatomical landmark to be used in shoulder articular branch blockade. Thirty-three shoulders from 17 total cadavers were studied. In a series of 16 shoulders, 16 (100%) of 16 had an intact SN branch innervating the posterior head of the humerus and shoulder capsule. Suprascapular sensory branches coursed laterally from the spinoglenoid notch then toward the glenohumeral joint capsule posteriorly. Axillary nerve articular branches innervated the posterolateral head of the humerus and shoulder capsule in the same 16 (100%) of 16 shoulders. The AN gave branches ascending circumferentially from the quadrangular space to the posterolateral humerus, deep to the deltoid, and inserting at the inferior portion of the posterior joint capsule. In 4 previously dissected and 17 distinct shoulders, intact LPNs could be identified in 14 (67%) of 21 specimens. Of these, 12 (86%) of 14 had articular branches innervating the anterior shoulder joint, and 14 (100%) of 14 LPN articular branches were adjacent to acromial branches of the thoracoacromial blood vessels over the superior aspect of the coracoid process. Articular branches from the SN, AN, and LPN were identified. Articular branches of the SN and AN insert into the capsule overlying the glenohumeral joint posteriorly. Articular branches of the LPN exist and innervate a portion of the anterior shoulder joint.

Tradeoffs Between Branch Mispredictions and Comparisons for Sorting Algorithms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brodal, Gerth Stølting; Moruz, Gabriel

2005-01-01

Branch mispredictions is an important factor affecting the running time in practice. In this paper we consider tradeoffs between the number of branch mispredictions and the number of comparisons for sorting algorithms in the comparison model. We prove that a sorting algorithm using O(dnlog n......) comparisons performs Omega(nlogd n) branch mispredictions. We show that Multiway MergeSort achieves this tradeoff by adopting a multiway merger with a low number of branch mispredictions. For adaptive sorting algorithms we similarly obtain that an algorithm performing O(dn(1+log (1+Inv/n))) comparisons must...... perform Omega(nlogd (1+Inv/n)) branch mispredictions, where Inv is the number of inversions in the input. This tradeoff can be achieved by GenericSort by Estivill-Castro and Wood by adopting a multiway division protocol and a multiway merging algorithm with a low number of branch mispredictions....

The impact of switching costs on closing of service branches

OpenAIRE

Baron, Mira G.

2002-01-01

The paper deals with the optimal location of service branches. Consumers can receive service from different firms and branches offering substitute services. The consumer chooses the firm and the branch. Examples are banking services (which firm and branch?), healthcare providers, insurance companies and their agents, brokerage firms and their branches. With the change in the accessibility of the internet, the service industry witnesses the impact of the change in technology. More customers pr...

Computational models of airway branching morphogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Varner, Victor D; Nelson, Celeste M

2017-07-01

The bronchial network of the mammalian lung consists of millions of dichotomous branches arranged in a highly complex, space-filling tree. Recent computational models of branching morphogenesis in the lung have helped uncover the biological mechanisms that construct this ramified architecture. In this review, we focus on three different theoretical approaches - geometric modeling, reaction-diffusion modeling, and continuum mechanical modeling - and discuss how, taken together, these models have identified the geometric principles necessary to build an efficient bronchial network, as well as the patterning mechanisms that specify airway geometry in the developing embryo. We emphasize models that are integrated with biological experiments and suggest how recent progress in computational modeling has advanced our understanding of airway branching morphogenesis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Three ancient hormonal cues co-ordinate shoot branching in a moss.

Science.gov (United States)

Coudert, Yoan; Palubicki, Wojtek; Ljung, Karin; Novak, Ondrej; Leyser, Ottoline; Harrison, C Jill

2015-03-25

Shoot branching is a primary contributor to plant architecture, evolving independently in flowering plant sporophytes and moss gametophytes. Mechanistic understanding of branching is largely limited to flowering plants such as Arabidopsis, which have a recent evolutionary origin. We show that in gametophytic shoots of Physcomitrella, lateral branches arise by re-specification of epidermal cells into branch initials. A simple model co-ordinating the activity of leafy shoot tips can account for branching patterns, and three known and ancient hormonal regulators of sporophytic branching interact to generate the branching pattern- auxin, cytokinin and strigolactone. The mode of auxin transport required in branch patterning is a key divergence point from known sporophytic pathways. Although PIN-mediated basipetal auxin transport regulates branching patterns in flowering plants, this is not so in Physcomitrella, where bi-directional transport is required to generate realistic branching patterns. Experiments with callose synthesis inhibitors suggest plasmodesmal connectivity as a potential mechanism for transport.

Aeroacoustics of pipe systems with closed branches

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tonon, D.; Hirschberg, A.; Golliard, J.; Ziada, S.

2011-01-01

Flow induced pulsations in resonant pipe networks with closed branches are considered in this review paper. These pulsations, observed in many technical applications, have been identified as self-sustained aeroacoustic oscillations driven by the instability of the flow along the closed branches. The

AGB [asymptotic giant branch]: Star evolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, S.A.

1987-01-01

Asymptotic giant branch stars are red supergiant stars of low-to-intermediate mass. This class of stars is of particular interest because many of these stars can have nuclear processed material brought up repeatedly from the deep interior to the surface where it can be observed. A review of recent theoretical and observational work on stars undergoing the asymptotic giant branch phase is presented. 41 refs

NUTRIENT CONTENT IN DURIAN (DURIO ZIBETHINUS L. BRANCH BARK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaime A. TEIXEIRA DA SILVA

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Durian (Durio zibethinus L. fruit form on the bark of branches. The aim of our research was to assess whether branches bearing different number of fruits have different nutrient contents in their bark. We determined the nitrogen (N, phosphorous (P, potassium (K, and carbon (C content in branch bark 30 days after fruit set using branches bearing different number of fruits per panicle (0, 1, 2 or >2 of two varieties (‘Otong’ and ‘Kani’. Bark was cut into 0.03 m long and 0.005 m wide segments with an average thickness of 0.00085 m. The bark of branches bearing a different number of fruits had the same N, P, K, and C content but different ratios of C/N, C/P, C/K, N/K, and P/K. The bark of ‘Otong’ branches had a higher N content but a lower C/N ratio than ‘Kani’ bark.

Flow structure in a downward branch pipe with a closed end. Characteristics of flow velocity in the branch pipe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyoshi, Koji; Nakamura, Akira; Takenaka, Nobuyuki

2016-01-01

Many pipes branch off from a main pipe in industrial plants. The penetration of hot water into the branch pipe causes thermal stratification. The thermal stratification layer fluctuates and causes thermal fatigue. The characteristics of velocity distributions in the branch pipe for inner diameters from D_b=21 mm to 43 mm were investigated by laser Doppler velocimetry in this paper. As for the flow in the branch pipe at L=4D_b, the mean velocity of the spiral flow was a simple forced vortex which indicated a straight velocity distribution. The maximum circumferential velocity U_θ _m_a_x and minimum axial velocity U_z _m_i_n at L=4D_b were expressed with D_b and main flow velocity. Empirical formulas were proposed for estimating the distributions of U_θ _m_a_x and U_z _m_i_n in the axial direction. (author)

Marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve: An anatomical study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayman Ahmad Khanfour

2014-06-01

Results: Results showed that the (MMBFN arises as a single branch, two branches, and three branches in 36.7%, 43.3% and 20% of specimens, respectively. In 83.3% of cases, one of the main or secondary branches of the marginal mandibular nerve crosses superficial (lateral to the facial vessels. There are communications either between the main or the secondary branches of the marginal mandibular nerve itself in 53.6% of specimens and with the buccal branch of the facial nerve in 40%, also with the anterior branch of the great auricular nerve in 3.3%, and with the transverse cervical nerve in 3.3% of specimens. The relationship of the nerve to the lower border of the mandible at a point midway between the angle of the mandible and symphysis menti is variable; it is either totally above it in most of the specimens 80%, or below it in 10% or at it in the remaining 10% of the specimens. The branches that lie above the lower border of the mandible are always deep into the superficial layer of the parotid fascia, while those branches that lie below the lower border of the mandible are intrafascially. The termination of the nerve is deep into the muscles of the ipsilateral lower lip in all specimens.

State-set branching

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Rune Møller; Veloso, Manuela M.; Bryant, Randal E.

2008-01-01

In this article, we present a framework called state-set branching that combines symbolic search based on reduced ordered Binary Decision Diagrams (BDDs) with best-first search, such as A* and greedy best-first search. The framework relies on an extension of these algorithms from expanding a sing...

Hybrid Bacterial Foraging and Particle Swarm Optimization for detecting Bundle Branch Block.

Science.gov (United States)

Kora, Padmavathi; Kalva, Sri Ramakrishna

2015-01-01

Abnormal cardiac beat identification is a key process in the detection of heart diseases. Our present study describes a procedure for the detection of left and right bundle branch block (LBBB and RBBB) Electrocardiogram (ECG) patterns. The electrical impulses that control the cardiac beat face difficulty in moving inside the heart. This problem is termed as bundle branch block (BBB). BBB makes it harder for the heart to pump blood effectively through the heart circulatory system. ECG feature extraction is a key process in detecting heart ailments. Our present study comes up with a hybrid method combining two heuristic optimization methods: Bacterial Forging Optimization (BFO) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) for the feature selection of ECG signals. One of the major controlling forces of BFO algorithm is the chemotactic movement of a bacterium that models a test solution. The chemotaxis process of the BFO depends on random search directions which may lead to a delay in achieving the global optimum solution. The hybrid technique: Bacterial Forging-Particle Swarm Optimization (BFPSO) incorporates the concepts from BFO and PSO and it creates individuals in a new generation. This BFPSO method performs local search through the chemotactic movement of BFO and the global search over the entire search domain is accomplished by a PSO operator. The BFPSO feature values are given as the input for the Levenberg-Marquardt Neural Network classifier.

Branching processes and neutral evolution

CERN Document Server

Taïb, Ziad

1992-01-01

The Galton-Watson branching process has its roots in the problem of extinction of family names which was given a precise formulation by F. Galton as problem 4001 in the Educational Times (17, 1873). In 1875, an attempt to solve this problem was made by H. W. Watson but as it turned out, his conclusion was incorrect. Half a century later, R. A. Fisher made use of the Galton-Watson process to determine the extinction probability of the progeny of a mutant gene. However, it was J. B. S. Haldane who finally gave the first sketch of the correct conclusion. J. B. S. Haldane also predicted that mathematical genetics might some day develop into a "respectable branch of applied mathematics" (quoted in M. Kimura & T. Ohta, Theoretical Aspects of Population Genetics. Princeton, 1971). Since the time of Fisher and Haldane, the two fields of branching processes and mathematical genetics have attained a high degree of sophistication but in different directions. This monograph is a first attempt to apply the current sta...

Asymptotic behaviour near extinction of continuous-state branching processes

OpenAIRE

Berzunza, Gabriel; Pardo, Juan Carlos

2016-01-01

In this note, we study the asymptotic behaviour near extinction of (sub-) critical continuous state branching processes. In particular, we establish an analogue of Khintchin's law of the iterated logarithm near extinction time for a continuous state branching process whose branching mechanism satisfies a given condition and its reflected process at its infimum.

Stochastic and deterministic causes of streamer branching in liquid dielectrics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jadidian, Jouya; Zahn, Markus; Lavesson, Nils; Widlund, Ola; Borg, Karl

2013-01-01

Streamer branching in liquid dielectrics is driven by stochastic and deterministic factors. The presence of stochastic causes of streamer branching such as inhomogeneities inherited from noisy initial states, impurities, or charge carrier density fluctuations is inevitable in any dielectric. A fully three-dimensional streamer model presented in this paper indicates that deterministic origins of branching are intrinsic attributes of streamers, which in some cases make the branching inevitable depending on shape and velocity of the volume charge at the streamer frontier. Specifically, any given inhomogeneous perturbation can result in streamer branching if the volume charge layer at the original streamer head is relatively thin and slow enough. Furthermore, discrete nature of electrons at the leading edge of an ionization front always guarantees the existence of a non-zero inhomogeneous perturbation ahead of the streamer head propagating even in perfectly homogeneous dielectric. Based on the modeling results for streamers propagating in a liquid dielectric, a gauge on the streamer head geometry is introduced that determines whether the branching occurs under particular inhomogeneous circumstances. Estimated number, diameter, and velocity of the born branches agree qualitatively with experimental images of the streamer branching

Environmental control of branching in petunia.

Science.gov (United States)

Drummond, Revel S M; Janssen, Bart J; Luo, Zhiwei; Oplaat, Carla; Ledger, Susan E; Wohlers, Mark W; Snowden, Kimberley C

2015-06-01

Plants alter their development in response to changes in their environment. This responsiveness has proven to be a successful evolutionary trait. Here, we tested the hypothesis that two key environmental factors, light and nutrition, are integrated within the axillary bud to promote or suppress the growth of the bud into a branch. Using petunia (Petunia hybrida) as a model for vegetative branching, we manipulated both light quality (as crowding and the red-to-far-red light ratio) and phosphate availability, such that the axillary bud at node 7 varied from deeply dormant to rapidly growing. In conjunction with the phenotypic characterization, we also monitored the state of the strigolactone (SL) pathway by quantifying SL-related gene transcripts. Mutants in the SL pathway inhibit but do not abolish the branching response to these environmental signals, and neither signal is dominant over the other, suggesting that the regulation of branching in response to the environment is complex. We have isolated three new putatively SL-related TCP (for Teosinte branched1, Cycloidia, and Proliferating cell factor) genes from petunia, and have identified that these TCP-type transcription factors may have roles in the SL signaling pathway both before and after the reception of the SL signal at the bud. We show that the abundance of the receptor transcript is regulated by light quality, such that axillary buds growing in added far-red light have greatly increased receptor transcript abundance. This suggests a mechanism whereby the impact of any SL signal reaching an axillary bud is modulated by the responsiveness of these cells to the signal. © 2015 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

BPP: a sequence-based algorithm for branch point prediction.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qing; Fan, Xiaodan; Wang, Yejun; Sun, Ming-An; Shao, Jianlin; Guo, Dianjing

2017-10-15

Although high-throughput sequencing methods have been proposed to identify splicing branch points in the human genome, these methods can only detect a small fraction of the branch points subject to the sequencing depth, experimental cost and the expression level of the mRNA. An accurate computational model for branch point prediction is therefore an ongoing objective in human genome research. We here propose a novel branch point prediction algorithm that utilizes information on the branch point sequence and the polypyrimidine tract. Using experimentally validated data, we demonstrate that our proposed method outperforms existing methods. Availability and implementation: https://github.com/zhqingit/BPP. djguo@cuhk.edu.hk. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Ideal crop plant architecture is mediated by tassels replace upper ears1, a BTB/POZ ankyrin repeat gene directly targeted by TEOSINTE BRANCHED1.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Zhaobin; Li, Wei; Unger-Wallace, Erica; Yang, Jinliang; Vollbrecht, Erik; Chuck, George

2017-10-10

Axillary branch suppression is a favorable trait bred into many domesticated crop plants including maize compared with its highly branched wild ancestor teosinte. Branch suppression in maize was achieved through selection of a gain of function allele of the teosinte branched1 (tb1) transcription factor that acts as a repressor of axillary bud growth. Previous work indicated that other loci may function epistatically with tb1 and may be responsible for some of its phenotypic effects. Here, we show that tb1 mediates axillary branch suppression through direct activation of the tassels replace upper ears1 ( tru1 ) gene that encodes an ankyrin repeat domain protein containing a BTB/POZ motif necessary for protein-protein interactions. The expression of TRU1 and TB1 overlap in axillary buds, and TB1 binds to two locations in the tru1 gene as shown by chromatin immunoprecipitation and gel shifts. In addition, nucleotide diversity surveys indicate that tru1 , like tb1 , was a target of selection. In modern maize, TRU1 is highly expressed in the leaf trace vasculature of axillary internodes, while in teosinte, this expression is highly reduced or absent. This increase in TRU1 expression levels in modern maize is supported by comparisons of relative protein levels with teosinte as well as by quantitative measurements of mRNA levels. Hence, a major innovation in creating ideal maize plant architecture originated from ectopic overexpression of tru1 in axillary branches, a critical step in mediating the effects of domestication by tb1.

Plexin A3 and turnout regulate motor axonal branch morphogenesis in zebrafish.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajiv Sainath

Full Text Available During embryogenesis motor axons navigate to their target muscles, where individual motor axons develop complex branch morphologies. The mechanisms that control axonal branching morphogenesis have been studied intensively, yet it still remains unclear when branches begin to form or how branch locations are determined. Live cell imaging of individual zebrafish motor axons reveals that the first axonal branches are generated at the ventral extent of the myotome via bifurcation of the growth cone. Subsequent branches are generated by collateral branching restricted to their synaptic target field along the distal portion of the axon. This precisely timed and spatially restricted branching process is disrupted in turnout mutants we identified in a forward genetic screen. Molecular genetic mapping positioned the turnout mutation within a 300 kb region encompassing eight annotated genes, however sequence analysis of all eight open reading frames failed to unambiguously identify the turnout mutation. Chimeric analysis and single cell labeling reveal that turnout function is required cell non-autonomously for intraspinal motor axon guidance and peripheral branch formation. turnout mutant motor axons form the first branch on time via growth cone bifurcation, but unlike wild-type they form collateral branches precociously, when the growth cone is still navigating towards the ventral myotome. These precocious collateral branches emerge along the proximal region of the axon shaft typically devoid of branches, and they develop into stable, permanent branches. Furthermore, we find that null mutants of the guidance receptor plexin A3 display identical motor axon branching defects, and time lapse analysis reveals that precocious branch formation in turnout and plexin A3 mutants is due to increased stability of otherwise short-lived axonal protrusions. Thus, plexin A3 dependent intrinsic and turnout dependent extrinsic mechanisms suppress collateral branch

Branching is coordinated with mitosis in growing hyphae of Aspergillus nidulans

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dynesen, Jens Østergaard; Nielsen, Jens

2003-01-01

Filamentous fungi like Aspergillus nidulans can effectively colonize their surroundings by the formation of new branches along the existing hyphae. While growth conditions, chemical perturbations, and mutations affecting branch formation have received great attention during the last decades......, the mechanisms that regulates branching is still poorly understood. In this study, a possible relation between cell cycle progression and branching was studied by testing the effect of a nuclei distribution mutation, cell cycle inhibitors. and conditional cell cycle mutations in combination with tip......-growth inhibitors and varying substrate concentrations on branch initiation. Formation of branches was blocked after inhibition of nuclear division, which was not caused by a reduced growth rate. In hyphae of a nuclei distribution mutant branching was severely reduced in anucleated hyphae whereas the number...

Branch formation induced by microbeam irradiation of Adiantum protonemata

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wada, M.

1998-01-01

Branches were induced in centrifuged Adiantum protonemal cells by partial irradiation with polarized red light. Nuclear behavior and microtubule pattern change during branch formation were investigated. A branch formed at any part where a red microbeam was focused along a long apical cell. The nucleus moved towards the irradiated area and remained there until a branch developed. The pattern of microtubules changed from parallel to oblique at the irradiated area and then a transverse arrangement of microtubules appeared on both sides of the area. It appeared as if the nucleus was suspended between two microtubule rings. This nuclear behavior and the changes in microtubule pattern were different from those observed during branch formation under whole cell irradiation. From the results of this work we suggest that there is an importance for precise control of experimental conditions

The normal distribution of thoracoabdominal aorta small branch artery ostia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cronin, Paul; Williams, David M.; Vellody, Ranjith; Kelly, Aine Marie; Kazerooni, Ella A.; Carlos, Ruth C.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the normal distribution of aortic branch artery ostia. CT scans of 100 subjects were retrospectively reviewed. The angular distributions of the aorta with respect to the center of the T3 to L4 vertebral bodies, and of branch artery origins with respect to the center of the aorta were measured. At each vertebral body level the distribution of intercostal/lumbar arteries and other branch arteries were calculated. The proximal descending aorta is posteriorly placed becoming a midline structure, at the thoracolumbar junction, and remains anterior to the vertebral bodies within the abdomen. The intercostal and lumbar artery ostia have a distinct distribution. At each vertebral level from T3 caudally, one intercostal artery originates from the posterior wall of the aorta throughout the thoracic aorta, while the other intercostal artery originates from the medial wall of the descending thoracic aorta high in the chest, posteromedially from the mid-thoracic aorta, and from the posterior wall of the aorta low in the chest. Mediastinal branches of the thoracic aorta originate from the medial and anterior wall. Lumbar branches originate only from the posterior wall of the abdominal aorta. Aortic branch artery origins arise with a bimodal distribution and have a characteristic location. Mediastinal branches of the thoracic aorta originate from the medial and anterior wall. Knowing the location of aortic branch artery ostia may help distinguish branch artery pseudoaneurysms from penetrating ulcers.

Directing the Branching Growth of Cuprous Oxide by OH- Ions

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Kunfeng; Si, Yunfei; Xue, Dongfeng

The effect of OH- ions on the branching growth of cuprous oxide microcrystals was systematically studied by a reduction route, where copper-citrate complexes were reduced by glucose under alkaline conditions. Different copper salts including Cu(NO3)2, CuCl2, CuSO4, and Cu(Ac)2 were used in this work. The results indicate that the Cu2O branching growth habit is closely correlated to the concentration of OH- ions, which plays an important role in directing the diffusion-limited branching growth of Cu2O and influencing the reduction power of glucose. A variety of Cu2O branching patterns including 6-pod, 8-pod and 24-pod branches, have been achieved without using template and surfactant. The current method can provide a good platform for studying the growth mechanism of microcrystal branching patterns.

["Habitual" left branch block alternating with 2 "disguised" bracnch block].

Science.gov (United States)

Lévy, S; Jullien, G; Mathieu, P; Mostefa, S; Gérard, R

1976-10-01

Two cases of alternating left bundle branch block and "masquerading block" (with left bundle branch morphology in the stnadard leads and right bundle branch block morphology in the precordial leads) were studied by serial tracings and his bundle electrocardiography. In case 1 "the masquerading" block was associated with a first degree AV block related to a prolongation of HV interval. This case is to our knowledge the first cas of alternating bundle branch block in which his bundle activity was recorded in man. In case 2, the patient had atrial fibrilation and His bundle recordings were performed while differents degrees of left bundle branch block were present: The mechanism of the alternation and the concept of "masquerading" block are discussed. It is suggested that this type of block represents a right bundle branch block associated with severe lesions of the "left system".

Medial branch neurotomy in low back pain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masala, Salvatore; Mammucari, Matteo; Simonetti, Giovanni; Nano, Giovanni; Marcia, Stefano

2012-01-01

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of pulsed radiofrequency medial branch dorsal ramus neurotomy in patients with facet joint syndrome. From January 2008 to April 2010, 92 patients with facet joint syndrome diagnosed by strict inclusion criteria and controlled diagnostic blocks undergone medial branch neurotomy. We did not exclude patients with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). Electrodes (20G) with 5-mm active tip were placed under fluoroscopy guide parallel to medial branch. Patients were followed up by physical examination and by Visual Analog Scale and Oswestry Disability Index at 1, 6, and 12 months. In all cases, pain improvement was statistically significant and so quality of life. Three non-FBSS patients had to undergo a second neurotomy because of non-satisfactory pain decrease. Complications were reported in no case. Medial branch radiofrequency neurotomy has confirmed its well-established effectiveness in pain and quality of life improvement as long as strict inclusion criteria be fulfilled and nerve ablation be accomplished by parallel electrode positioning. This statement can be extended also to FBSS patients. (orig.)

Medial branch neurotomy in low back pain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Masala, Salvatore; Mammucari, Matteo; Simonetti, Giovanni [Interventional Radiology and Radiotherapy University ' ' Tor Vergata' ' , Department of Diagnostic and Molecular Imaging, Rome (Italy); Nano, Giovanni [Interventional Radiology and Radiotherapy University ' ' Tor Vergata' ' , Department of Diagnostic and Molecular Imaging, Rome (Italy); University ' ' Tor Vergata' ' , Department of Radiology, Rome (Italy); Marcia, Stefano [S. Giovanni di Dio Hospital, Department of Diagnostic and Molecular Imaging, Cagliari (Italy)

2012-07-15

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of pulsed radiofrequency medial branch dorsal ramus neurotomy in patients with facet joint syndrome. From January 2008 to April 2010, 92 patients with facet joint syndrome diagnosed by strict inclusion criteria and controlled diagnostic blocks undergone medial branch neurotomy. We did not exclude patients with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). Electrodes (20G) with 5-mm active tip were placed under fluoroscopy guide parallel to medial branch. Patients were followed up by physical examination and by Visual Analog Scale and Oswestry Disability Index at 1, 6, and 12 months. In all cases, pain improvement was statistically significant and so quality of life. Three non-FBSS patients had to undergo a second neurotomy because of non-satisfactory pain decrease. Complications were reported in no case. Medial branch radiofrequency neurotomy has confirmed its well-established effectiveness in pain and quality of life improvement as long as strict inclusion criteria be fulfilled and nerve ablation be accomplished by parallel electrode positioning. This statement can be extended also to FBSS patients. (orig.)

Investigation of dielectric relaxation in systems with hierarchical organization: From time to frequency domain and back again

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yokoi, Koki [Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI (United States); Raicu, Valerică, E-mail: vraicu@uwm.edu [Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI (United States); Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI (United States)

2017-06-28

Relaxation in fractal structures was investigated theoretically starting from a simple model of a Cantorian tree and kinetic equations linking the change in the number of particles (e.g., electrical charges) populating each branch of the tree and their transfer to other branches or to the ground state. We numerically solved the system of differential equations obtained and determined the so-called cumulative distribution function of particles, which, in dielectric or mechanical relaxation parlance, is the same as the relaxation function of the system. As a physical application, we studied the relationship between the dielectric relaxation in time-domain and the dielectric dispersion in the frequency-domain. Upon choosing appropriate rate constants, our model described accurately well-known non-exponential and non-Debye time- and frequency-domain functions, such as stretched exponentials, Havrilliak–Negami, and frequency power law. Our approach opens the door to applying kinetic models to describe a wide array of relaxation processes, which traditionally have posed great challenges to theoretical modeling based on first principles. - Highlights: • Relaxation was investigated for a system of particles flowing through a Cantorian tree. • A set of kinetic equations was formulated and used to compute the relaxation function of the system. • The dispersion function of the system was computed from the relaxation function. • An analytical method was used to recover the original relaxation function from the dispersion function. • This formalism was used to study dielectric relaxation and dispersion in fractal structures.

Measurement of Tau Lepton Branching Fractions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nicol, N.

2003-12-19

We present {tau}{sup -} lepton branching fraction measurements based on data from the TPC/Two-Gamma detector at PEP. Using a sample of {tau}{sup -} {yields} {nu}{sub {tau}}K{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -} events, we examine the resonance structure of the K{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -} system and obtain the first measurements of branching fractions for {tau}{sup -} {yields} {nu}{sub {tau}}K{sub 1}{sup -}(1270) and {tau}{sup -} {yields} {nu}{sub {tau}}K{sub 1}{sup -}(1400). We also describe a complete set of branching fraction measurements in which all the decays of the {tau}{sup -} lepton are separated into classes defined by the identities of the charged particles and an estimate of the number of neutrals. This is the first such global measurement with decay classes defined by the four possible charged particle species, e, {mu}, {pi}, and K.

Tillering and panicle branching genes in rice.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Wei-hong; Shang, Fei; Lin, Qun-ting; Lou, Chen; Zhang, Jing

2014-03-01

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important staple food crops in the world, and rice tillering and panicle branching are important traits determining grain yield. Since the gene MONOCULM 1 (MOC 1) was first characterized as a key regulator in controlling rice tillering and branching, great progress has been achieved in identifying important genes associated with grain yield, elucidating the genetic basis of yield-related traits. Some of these important genes were shown to be applicable for molecular breeding of high-yielding rice. This review focuses on recent advances, with emphasis on rice tillering and panicle branching genes, and their regulatory networks. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Branching out Has So Much to Offer

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Joe

2012-01-01

In 1989 there were thirty ATM branches nationally. In January 2012 there were just twelve ATM branches with another three "proposed". How can that happen? How did it happen? Maybe the most pertinent question is: Why did it happen? There is no single answer to the last question, but perhaps it was something to do with the changes that…

Tracheobronchial Branching Anomalies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, Min Ji; Kim, Young Tong; Jou, Sung Shick; Park, A Young

2010-01-01

There are various congenital anomalies with respect to the number, length, diameter, and location of tracheobronchial branching patterns. The tracheobronchial anomalies are classified into two groups. The first one, anomalies of division, includes tracheal bronchus, cardiac bronchus, tracheal diverticulum, pulmonary isomerism, and minor variations. The second one, dysmorphic lung, includes lung agenesis-hypoplasia complex and lobar agenesis-aplasia complex

Tracheobronchial Branching Anomalies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hong, Min Ji; Kim, Young Tong; Jou, Sung Shick [Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan (Korea, Republic of); Park, A Young [Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Asan (Korea, Republic of)

2010-04-15

There are various congenital anomalies with respect to the number, length, diameter, and location of tracheobronchial branching patterns. The tracheobronchial anomalies are classified into two groups. The first one, anomalies of division, includes tracheal bronchus, cardiac bronchus, tracheal diverticulum, pulmonary isomerism, and minor variations. The second one, dysmorphic lung, includes lung agenesis-hypoplasia complex and lobar agenesis-aplasia complex

Modeling of branching density and branching distribution in low-density polyethylene polymerization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kim, D.M.; Iedema, P.D.

2008-01-01

Low-density polyethylene (ldPE) is a general purpose polymer with various applications. By this reason, many publications can be found on the ldPE polymerization modeling. However, scission reaction and branching distribution are only recently considered in the modeling studies due to difficulties

Pulsed positive corona streamer propagation and branching

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veldhuizen, E.M. van; Rutgers, W.R.

2002-01-01

The propagation and branching of pulsed positive corona streamers in a short gap is observed with high resolution in space and time. The appearance of the pre-breakdown phenomena can be controlled by the electrode configuration, the gas composition and the impedance of the pulsed power circuit. In a point-wire gap the positive corona shows much more branching than in the parallel plane gap with a protrusion. In air, the branching is more pronounced than in argon. The pulsed power circuit appears to operate in two modes, either as an inductive circuit creating a lower number of thick streamers or as a resistive circuit giving a higher number of thin streamers. A possible cause for branching is electrostatic repulsion of two parts of the streamer head. The electric field at the streamer head is limited, the maximum values found are ∼170 kV cm -1 in air and ∼100 kV cm -1 in argon. At these maximum field strengths, the electrons have 5-10 eV energy, so the ionization is dominated by two-step processes. Differences between argon and ambient air in the field strength at which streamers propagate are ascribed to the difference in de-excitation processes in noble and molecular gases. The fact that the pulsed power circuit can control the streamer structure is important for applications, but this effect must also be taken into account in fundamental studies of streamer propagation and branching. (author)

Pulsed positive corona streamer propagation and branching

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Veldhuizen, E.M. van [Department of Physics, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, Eindhoven (Netherlands)]. E-mail: e.m.v.veldhuizen@tue.nl; Rutgers, W.R. [Department of Physics, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, Eindhoven (Netherlands)

2002-09-07

The propagation and branching of pulsed positive corona streamers in a short gap is observed with high resolution in space and time. The appearance of the pre-breakdown phenomena can be controlled by the electrode configuration, the gas composition and the impedance of the pulsed power circuit. In a point-wire gap the positive corona shows much more branching than in the parallel plane gap with a protrusion. In air, the branching is more pronounced than in argon. The pulsed power circuit appears to operate in two modes, either as an inductive circuit creating a lower number of thick streamers or as a resistive circuit giving a higher number of thin streamers. A possible cause for branching is electrostatic repulsion of two parts of the streamer head. The electric field at the streamer head is limited, the maximum values found are {approx}170 kV cm{sup -1} in air and {approx}100 kV cm{sup -1} in argon. At these maximum field strengths, the electrons have 5-10 eV energy, so the ionization is dominated by two-step processes. Differences between argon and ambient air in the field strength at which streamers propagate are ascribed to the difference in de-excitation processes in noble and molecular gases. The fact that the pulsed power circuit can control the streamer structure is important for applications, but this effect must also be taken into account in fundamental studies of streamer propagation and branching. (author)

Reproductive success and mortality rates of Ceriodaphnia dubia maintained in water from Upper Three Runs, Pen Branch, and Fourmile Branch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Specht, W.L.

1994-12-01

It is anticipated that the new SRS NPDES permit will require toxicity testing of at numerous outfalls and receiving streams, using the standard test species, Ceriodaphnia dubia. Because SRS surface waters differ markedly from the standard culture water that is used for Ceriodaphnia, studies were undertaken to determine if unimpacted SRS surface waters will support this species. Three SRS surface waters were evaluated; Upper Three Runs at Road 8-1, Pen Branch at Road B, and Fourmile Branch at Road F. Toxicity tests were performed monthly on each water source for eleven months. All three water sources exhibited varying degrees of toxicity to Ceriodaphnia, with Pen Branch being the least toxic and Fourmile Branch being the most toxic. These results indicate that if in-stream toxicity testing is required, it may not be possible to separate the naturally occurring toxic effects of the receiving water from possible toxic effects of SRS effluents

A wavelet domain adaptive image watermarking method based on chaotic encryption

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Fang; Liu, Jian; Cao, Hanqiang; Yang, Jun

2009-10-01

A digital watermarking technique is a specific branch of steganography, which can be used in various applications, provides a novel way to solve security problems for multimedia information. In this paper, we proposed a kind of wavelet domain adaptive image digital watermarking method using chaotic stream encrypt and human eye visual property. The secret information that can be seen as a watermarking is hidden into a host image, which can be publicly accessed, so the transportation of the secret information will not attract the attention of illegal receiver. The experimental results show that the method is invisible and robust against some image processing.

Left bundle-branch block

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Risum, Niels; Strauss, David; Sogaard, Peter

2013-01-01

The relationship between myocardial electrical activation by electrocardiogram (ECG) and mechanical contraction by echocardiography in left bundle-branch block (LBBB) has never been clearly demonstrated. New strict criteria for LBBB based on a fundamental understanding of physiology have recently...

Secondary motion in three-dimensional branching networks

Science.gov (United States)

Guha, Abhijit; Pradhan, Kaustav

2017-06-01

A major aim of the present work is to understand and thoroughly document the generation, the three-dimensional distribution, and the evolution of the secondary motion as the fluid progresses downstream through a branched network. Six generations (G0-G5) of branches (involving 63 straight portions and 31 bifurcation modules) are computed in one go; such computational challenges are rarely taken in the literature. More than 30 × 106 computational elements are employed for high precision of computed results and fine quality of the flow visualization diagrams. The study of co-planar vis-à-vis non-planar space-filling configurations establishes a quantitative evaluation of the dependence of the fluid dynamics on the three-dimensional arrangement of the same individual branches. As compared to the secondary motion in a simple curved pipe, three distinctive features, viz., the change of shape and size of the flow-cross-section, the division of non-uniform primary flow in a bifurcation module, and repeated switchover from clockwise to anticlockwise curvature and vice versa in the flow path, make the present situation more complex. It is shown that the straight portions in the network, in general, attenuate the secondary motion, while the three-dimensionally complex bifurcation modules generate secondary motion and may alter the number, arrangement, and structure of vortices. A comprehensive picture of the evolution of quantitative flow visualizations of the secondary motion is achieved by constructing contours of secondary velocity | v → S | , streamwise vorticity ω S , and λ 2 iso-surfaces. It is demonstrated, for example, that for in-plane configuration, the vortices on any plane appear in pair (i.e., for each clockwise rotating vortex, there is an otherwise identical anticlockwise vortex), whereas the vortices on a plane for the out-of-plane configuration may be dissimilar, and there may even be an odd number of vortices. We have formulated three new parameters

The influence of flexible branches in flexible polymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wescott, J.T.

1998-06-01

In this work the influence of branches in flexible polymer systems has been investigated by consideration of (1) the behaviour of isolated poly-α-olefin chains and (2) the p -T phase behaviour of poly(4-methylpentene-1)(P4MP1). Molecular dynamics simulations of isolated poly-α-olefins were performed in order to gauge directly the effect of molecular structure on chain dimensions, flexibility (via the persistence length) and shape. Under Θ-conditions the addition of short linear branches was shown to increase the flexibility of the backbone. In conditions of good solvent, however, the effect of longer and bulkier branches was to increase the persistence length and average size of the coil with the arrangement of side chain atoms making a small difference. The side branches themselves also affected the solvent conditions experienced by the backbone, behaving much like bound solvent. Consideration of ethylene-α-olefin copolymers, where the branch content was varied from 0-50%, showed that under good solvent conditions the branches increased the chain stiffness only when the gap between side branches was less than five backbone carbon atoms. The backbone torsions were also shown to play an important role in determining these trends. For comparison with the above simulations, persistence length values for polyethylene (= 7.3±0.2A) and P4MP1 (=7.6±0.3A) were measured experimentally by neutron scattering in dilute solution. A value of 6.7±0.5 for the characteristic ratio of PE was also calculated. To investigate the role of a bulky side group in crystalline phases, wide angle X-ray diffraction experiments using a Hikosaka pressure cell were performed on P4MP1. Computer modelling, utilising the experimental data obtained, determined the structure of a disordered phase produced at room temperature and a new high pressure/high temperature phase. The disordered phase was found to be due to a collapse of the backbone combined with some disordering of the side chains

[Ways of appearing new branches in medicine in the years 1800-1914. An attempt at formulation of an issue].

Science.gov (United States)

Urbanek, Bozena

2009-01-01

A process of appearing medical branches lasted for many centuries. Its origins can be found already in long-ago civilizations. However, the comprehensive development of knowledge on the turn of the 18th century, its transmission by the press, professional contacts, including the foreign ones, brought about the consciousness of needs and activities in medical circles. A significant role in the process of appearing particular domains was played by technological progress. The inventions improved on cognitive processes within natural sciences and quickened exploring the new truths that were also employed in medical care. All these achievements of the 19th century, in Author's opinion, resulted in the significant development of particular domains called branches that nowadays are commonly accepted. Among medical and important for the development of separate branches one often mentions the achievements of pathological anatomy, and even bacteriology, which influenced the beginnings of medical analytic and development of diagnostics. Moreover, the progress of therapy in the years 1840-1870 brought about modern methods of getting pharmaceutical remedies and ways of using medicaments. The knowledge together with experiences let prepare description of particular diseases. There was also created a scientific workshop and methodological tactic, which was distinct for separate cases of illnesses. A great role was played by statistics and different ways of registering particulars, also by means of photography. Bibliography and scientific literature were to transmit and compare the knowledge. All these circumstances show the intricacy of the discussed issue. Additionally, the described conditions reveal the importance of other reasons that played a significant role in setting up separate specialization-non-medical reasons of social, economic or political nature. The last ones have not been analyzed inherently by us. What interesting, in some countries and especially in Anglo

Targeted Regression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Cancer-Specific RNA Replacement through MicroRNA Regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Juhyun; Won, Ranhui; Ban, Guyee; Ju, Mi Ha; Cho, Kyung Sook; Young Han, Sang; Jeong, Jin-Sook; Lee, Seong-Wook

2015-07-20

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a high fatality rate and limited therapeutic options with side effects and low efficacy. Here, we proposed a new anti-HCC approach based on cancer-specific post-transcriptional targeting. To this end, trans-splicing ribozymes from Tetrahymena group I intron were developed, which can specifically induce therapeutic gene activity through HCC-specific replacement of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) RNA. To circumvent side effects due to TERT expression in regenerating liver tissue, liver-specific microRNA-regulated ribozymes were constructed by incorporating complementary binding sites for the hepatocyte-selective microRNA-122a (miR-122a), which is down-regulated in HCC. The ribozyme activity in vivo was assessed in mouse models orthotopically implanted with HCC. Systemic administration of adenovirus encoding the developed ribozymes caused efficient anti-cancer effect and the least hepatotoxicity with regulation of ribozyme expression by miR-122a in both xenografted and syngeneic orthotopic murine model of multifocal HCC. Of note, the ribozyme induced local and systemic antitumor immunity, thereby completely suppressing secondary tumor challenge in the syngeneic mouse. The cancer specific trans-splicing ribozyme system, which mediates tissue-specific microRNA-regulated RNA replacement, provides a clinically relevant, safe, and efficient strategy for HCC treatment.

Statistical tracking of tree-like tubular structures with efficient branching detection in 3D medical image data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, X; Heimann, T; Meinzer, H P; Wegner, I; Lo, P; Sumkauskaite, M; Puderbach, M; De Bruijne, M

2012-01-01

The segmentation of tree-like tubular structures such as coronary arteries and airways is an essential step for many 3D medical imaging applications. Statistical tracking techniques for the extraction of elongated structures have received considerable attention in recent years due to their robustness against image noise and pathological changes. However, most tracking methods are limited to a specific application and do not support branching structures efficiently. In this work, we present a novel statistical tracking approach for the extraction of different types of tubular structures with ringlike cross-sections. Domain-specific knowledge is learned from training data sets and integrated into the tracking process by simple adaption of parameters. In addition, an efficient branching detection algorithm is presented. This approach was evaluated by extracting coronary arteries from 32 CTA data sets and distal airways from 20 CT scans. These data sets were provided by the organizers of the workshop ‘3D Segmentation in the Clinic: A Grand Challenge II-Coronary Artery Tracking (CAT08)’ and ‘Extraction of Airways from CT 2009 (EXACT’09)’. On average, 81.5% overlap and 0.51 mm accuracy for the tracking of coronary arteries were achieved. For the extraction of airway trees, 51.3% of the total tree length, 53.6% of the total number of branches and a 4.98% false positive rate were attained. In both experiments, our approach is comparable to state-of-the-art methods. (paper)

The Horizontal Branch of the Sculptor Dwarf galaxy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Salaris, Maurizio; de Boer, Thomas; Tolstoy, Eline; Fiorentino, Giuliana; Cassisi, Santi

2013-01-01

We have performed the first detailed simulation of the horizontal branch of the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy by means of synthetic modelling techniques, taking consistently into account the star formation history and metallicity evolution as determined from the main sequence and red giant branch

Critical Age-Dependent Branching Markov Processes and their ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

This paper studies: (i) the long-time behaviour of the empirical distribution of age and normalized position of an age-dependent critical branching Markov process conditioned on non-extinction; and (ii) the super-process limit of a sequence of age-dependent critical branching Brownian motions.

Finite-size scaling of survival probability in branching processes

OpenAIRE

Garcia-Millan, Rosalba; Font-Clos, Francesc; Corral, Alvaro

2014-01-01

Branching processes pervade many models in statistical physics. We investigate the survival probability of a Galton-Watson branching process after a finite number of generations. We reveal the finite-size scaling law of the survival probability for a given branching process ruled by a probability distribution of the number of offspring per element whose standard deviation is finite, obtaining the exact scaling function as well as the critical exponents. Our findings prove the universal behavi...

Intermittency in branching models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiu, C.B.; Texas Univ., Austin; Hwa, R.C.; Oregon Univ., Eugene

1990-01-01

The intermittency properties of three branching models have been investigated. The factorial moments show power-law behavior as function of small rapidity width. The slopes and energy dependences reveal different characteristics of the models. The gluon model has the weakest intermittency. (orig.)

Electronic Control on Linear versus Branched Alkylation of 2-/3-Aroylbenzofurans with Acrylates: Combined DFT and Synthetic Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Srinivas, Kolluru; Dangat, Yuvraj; Kommagalla, Yadagiri; Vanka, Kumar; Ramana, Chepuri V

2017-06-01

Investigations on the factors that govern unusual branched alkylation of 2-aroylbenzofurans with acrylates by Ru-catalyzed carbonyl-directed C-H activation has been carried out by calculating the kinetics associated with the two key steps-the coordination of the acrylate with the intermediate ruthenacycle and the subsequent migratory insertion reaction-studied with the help of DFT calculations. Eight possible orientations for each mode of alkylation have been considered for the calculations. From these calculations, it has been understood that there is a synergistic operation of the steric and electronic effects favoring the branched alkylation. Further DFT investigations on the alkylation of the isomeric 3-aroylbenzofurans indicated a preference for the linear alkylation and this has been verified experimentally. Overall, the observed/calculated complementary selectivity in the alkylation of 2-/3-aroylbenzofurans with acrylates reveals that the substrate-dependent charge distribution of the Ru-C bond in the intermediate ruthenacycle is an important determining factor and thus the current work opens up a new domain of substrate design for controlling regioselectivity. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Methods and Technologies Branch (MTB)

Science.gov (United States)

The Methods and Technologies Branch focuses on methods to address epidemiologic data collection, study design and analysis, and to modify technological approaches to better understand cancer susceptibility.

Ecological effects of contaminants in McCoy Branch, 1989-1990

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ryon, M.G. (ed.)

1992-01-01

The 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) required assessment of all current and former solid waste management units. Such a RCRA Facility Investigation (RFI) was required of the Y-12 Plant for their Filled Coal Ash Pond on McCoy Branch. Because the disposal of coal ash in the ash pond, McCoy Branch, and Rogers Quarry was not consistent with the Tennessee Water Quality Act, several remediation steps were implemented or planned for McCoy Branch to address disposal problems. The McCoy Branch RFI plan included provisions for biological monitoring of the McCoy Branch watershed. The objectives of the biological monitoring were to: (1) document changes in biological quality of McCoy Branch after completion of a pipeline and after termination of all discharges to Rogers Quarry, (2) provide guidance on the need for additional remediation, and (3) evaluate the effectiveness of implemented remedial actions. The data from the biological monitoring program will also determine if the classified uses, as identified by the State of Tennessee, of McCoy Branch are being protected and maintained. This report discusses results from toxicity monitoring of snails fish community assessment, and a Benthic macroinvertebrate community assessment.

Frosted branch angiitis associated with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gupta Amod

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Simultaneous occurrence of frosted branch angiitis and immune-mediated rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis is reported. The two diseases possibly share a common immune mechanism. Patients of frosted branch angiitis should undergo complete systemic evaluation including renal function tests even if the patient is systemically asymptomatic.

Turbulent penetration in T-junction branch lines with leakage flow

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kickhofel, John, E-mail: kickhofel@lke.mavt.ethz.ch; Valori, Valentina, E-mail: v.valori@tudelft.nl; Prasser, H.-M., E-mail: prasser@lke.mavt.ethz.ch

2014-09-15

Highlights: • New T-junction facility designed for adiabatic high velocity ratio mixing studies. • Trends in scalar mixing RMS and average in branch line presented and discussed. • Turbulent penetration has unique power spectrum relevant to thermal fatigue. • Forced flow oscillations translate to peaks in power spectrum in branch line. - Abstract: While the study of T-junction mixing with branch velocity ratios of near 1, so called cross flow mixing, is well advanced, to the point of realistic reactor environment fluid–structure interaction experiments and CFD benchmarking, turbulent penetration studies remain an under-researched threat to primary circuit piping. A new facility has been constructed for the express purpose of studying turbulent penetration in branch lines of T-junctions in the context of the high cycle thermal fatigue problem in NPPs. Turbulent penetration, which may be the result of a leaking valve in a branch line or an unisolable branch with heat losses, induces a thermal cycling region which may result in high cycle fatigue damage and failures. Leakage flow experiments have been performed in a perpendicular T-junction in a horizontal orientation with 50 mm diameter main pipe and branch pipe at velocity ratios (main/branch) up to 400. Wire mesh sensors are used as a means of measuring the mixing scalar in adiabatic tests with deionized and tap water. The near-wall region of highest scalar fluctuations is seen to vary circumferentially and in depth in the branch a great deal depending on the velocity ratio. The power spectra of the mixing scalar in the region of turbulent penetration are found to be dominated by high amplitude fluctuations at low frequencies, of particular interest to thermal fatigue. Artificial velocity oscillations in the main pipe manifest in the mixing spectra in the branch line in the form of a peak, the magnitude of which grows with increasing local RMS.

Branching time, indeterminism and tense logic

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ploug, Thomas; Øhrstrøm, Peter

2012-01-01

This paper deals with the historical and philosophical background of the introduction of the notion of branching time in philosophical logic as it is revealed in the hitherto unpublished mail-correspondence between Saul Kripke and A.N. Prior in the late 1950s. The paper reveals that the idea...... relativity. The correspondence underpins the point that Prior’s later development of branching time may be understood as a crucial part of his attempt at the formulating a conceptual framework integrating basic human notions of time and free choice....

Controlling branching in streamer discharge by laser background ionization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, E; Kato, S; Furutani, H; Sasaki, A; Kishimoto, Y

2011-01-01

Irradiation with a KrF laser controlled the positive streamer branching in atmospheric argon gas. This laser irradiation changed the amount of background ionization before the streamer discharge. Measuring the ionization current allowed us to evaluate the initial electron density formed by the KrF laser. We observed characteristic feather-like branching structure and found that it was only suppressed in the irradiated region. The threshold of ionization density which can influence the branching was evaluated to be 5 x 10 5 cm -3 . The relationship between the size of avalanche head and mean distance between initial electrons explained this suppression behaviour. These experimental results support that the feather-like structure originates from the branching model of Loeb-Meek, a probabilistic merging of individual avalanches.

Construction of N-doped carbon@MoSe2 core/branch nanostructure via simultaneous formation of core and branch for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Jiayu; Peng, Changqing; Zhang, Lili; Fu, Yongsheng; Li, Hang; Zhao, Xianmin; Zhu, Junwu; Wang, Xin

2017-01-01

Highlights: •N-doped carbon@MoSe 2 core/branch was prepared via a facile calcining method. •N-doped carbon core and MoSe 2 branch can be simultaneously constructed. •PANI played vital roles in the reduction of MoO 3 and elemental Se. •The core/branch structure remarkably improved the lithium storage performance. -- Abstract: Here, we report a one-step simultaneous-construction approach to synthesize N-doped carbon@MoSe 2 core/branch nanostructures by heating a mixture of MoO 3 /PANI hybrids and Se powders in argon atmosphere, without requiring a cumbersome multi-step process or highly toxic reducing agents. It is found that in the construction process, PANI played a crucial role in the reduction of MoO 3 and Se to form MoSe 2 nanosheet branches, while PANI itself was decomposed and carbonized into N-doped carbon nanorod cores. Interestingly, the coexistence of 1D and 2D nanostructures in the N-doped carbon@MoSe 2 core/branch system leads to excellent lithium storage performance, including a large discharging capacity of 1275 mA h g −1 , a high reversible lithium extraction capacity of 928 mA h g −1 and a coulombic efficiency of 72.8%. After 100 cycles, the NDC@MS electrode still delivers a reversible capacity of 906 mA h g −1 with a capacity retention ratio of 97.6%. The superior electrochemical properties can be attributed to the unique core/branch nanostructure of NDC@MS and the synergistic effect between the N-doped carbon nanorod cores and MoSe 2 nanosheet branches.

Multicriterial ranking approach for evaluating bank branch performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aleskerov, F; Ersel, H; Yolalan, R

14 ranking methods based on multiple criteria are suggested for evaluating the performance of the bank branches. The methods are explained via an illustrative example, and some of them are applied to a real-life data for 23 retail bank branches in a large-scale private Turkish commercial bank.

Towards an abstract parallel branch and bound machine

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A. de Bruin (Arie); G.A.P. Kindervater (Gerard); H.W.J.M. Trienekens

1995-01-01

textabstractMany (parallel) branch and bound algorithms look very different from each other at first glance. They exploit, however, the same underlying computational model. This phenomenon can be used to define branch and bound algorithms in terms of a set of basic rules that are applied in a

Branched-chain amino acids for hepatic encephalopathy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Als-Nielsen, B; Koretz, R L; Kjaergard, L L

2003-01-01

Hepatic encephalopathy may be caused by a decreased plasma ratio of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) to aromatic amino acids. Treatment with BCAA may therefore have a beneficial effect on patients with hepatic encephalopathy.......Hepatic encephalopathy may be caused by a decreased plasma ratio of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) to aromatic amino acids. Treatment with BCAA may therefore have a beneficial effect on patients with hepatic encephalopathy....

Structure and Function of a Novel ATPase that Interacts with Holliday Junction Resolvase Hjc and Promotes Branch Migration.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhai, Binyuan; DuPrez, Kevin; Doukov, Tzanko I; Li, Huan; Huang, Mengting; Shang, Guijun; Ni, Jinfeng; Gu, Lichuan; Shen, Yulong; Fan, Li

2017-04-07

Holliday junction (HJ) is a hallmark intermediate in DNA recombination and must be processed by dissolution (for double HJ) or resolution to ensure genome stability. Although HJ resolvases have been identified in all domains of life, there is a long-standing effort to search in prokaryotes and eukarya for proteins promoting HJ migration. Here, we report the structural and functional characterization of a novel ATPase, Sulfolobus islandicusPilT N-terminal-domain-containing ATPase (SisPINA), encoded by the gene adjacent to the resolvase Hjc coding gene. PINA is conserved in archaea and vital for S. islandicus viability. Purified SisPINA forms hexameric rings in the crystalline state and in solution, similar to the HJ migration helicase RuvB in Gram-negative bacteria. Structural analysis suggests that ATP binding and hydrolysis cause conformational changes in SisPINA to drive branch migration. Further studies reveal that SisPINA interacts with SisHjc and coordinates HJ migration and cleavage. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

33 CFR 117.927 - Coosaw River (Whale Branch).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Coosaw River (Whale Branch). 117.927 Section 117.927 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY... (Whale Branch). The draw of the Seaboard System Railroad bridge, mile 5.3 at Seabrook, and the draw of...

Measurement of the inclusive charmless and double-charm B branching ratios

CERN Document Server

Abreu, P; Adye, T; Adzic, P; Alekseev, G D; Alemany, R; Allport, P P; Almehed, S; Amaldi, Ugo; Amato, S; Andersson, P; Andreazza, A; Antilogus, P; Apel, W D; Arnoud, Y; Åsman, B; Augustin, J E; Augustinus, A; Baillon, Paul; Bambade, P; Barão, F; Barbier, R; Bardin, Dimitri Yuri; Barker, G; Baroncelli, A; Bärring, O; Bates, M J; Battaglia, Marco; Baubillier, M; Becks, K H; Begalli, M; Beillière, P; Belokopytov, Yu A; Belous, K S; Benvenuti, Alberto C; Bérat, C; Berggren, M; Bertini, D; Bertrand, D; Besançon, M; Bianchi, F; Bigi, M; Bilenky, S M; Billoir, P; Bizouard, M A; Bloch, D; Bonesini, M; Bonivento, W; Boonekamp, M; Booth, P S L; Borgland, A W; Borisov, G; Bosio, C; Botner, O; Boudinov, E; Bouquet, B; Bourdarios, C; Bowcock, T J V; Bozovic, I; Bozzo, M; Branchini, P; Brand, K D; Brenke, T; Brenner, R A; Brown, R; Brückman, P; Brunet, J M; Bugge, L; Buran, T; Burgsmüller, T; Buschmann, P; Cabrera, S; Caccia, M; Calvi, M; Camacho-Rozas, A J; Camporesi, T; Canale, V; Canepa, M; Carena, F; Carroll, L; Caso, Carlo; Castillo-Gimenez, M V; Cattai, A; Cavallo, F R; Cerruti, C; Chabaud, V; Chapkin, M M; Charpentier, P; Chaussard, L; Checchia, P; Chelkov, G A; Chen, M; Chierici, R; Chliapnikov, P V; Chochula, P; Chorowicz, V; Chudoba, J; Collins, P; Colomer, M; Contri, R; Cortina, E; Cosme, G; Cossutti, F; Cowell, J H; Crawley, H B; Crennell, D J; Crosetti, G; Cuevas-Maestro, J; Czellar, S; D'Almagne, B; Damgaard, G; Dauncey, P D; Davenport, Martyn; Da Silva, W; Deghorain, A; Della Ricca, G; Delpierre, P A; Demaria, N; De Angelis, A; de Boer, Wim; De Brabandere, S; De Clercq, C; La Vaissière, C de; De Lotto, B; De Min, A; De Paula, L S; Dijkstra, H; Di Ciaccio, Lucia; Di Diodato, A; Djannati, A; Dolbeau, J; Doroba, K; Dracos, M; Drees, J; Drees, K A; Dris, M; Duperrin, A; Durand, J D; Edsall, D M; Ehret, R; Eigen, G; Ekelöf, T J C; Ekspong, Gösta; Ellert, M; Elsing, M; Engel, J P; Erzen, B; Espirito-Santo, M C; Falk, E; Fanourakis, G K; Fassouliotis, D; Fayot, J; Feindt, Michael; Fenyuk, A; Ferrari, P; Ferrer, A; Fichet, S; Firestone, A; Fischer, P A; Flagmeyer, U; Föth, H; Fokitis, E; Fontanelli, F; Formenti, F; Franek, B J; Frodesen, A G; Frühwirth, R; Fulda-Quenzer, F; Fuster, J A; Galloni, A; Gamba, D; Gandelman, M; García, C; García, J; Gaspar, C; Gaspar, M; Gasparini, U; Gavillet, P; Gazis, E N; Gelé, D; Gerber, J P; Gerdyukov, L N; Ghodbane, N; Glege, F; Gokieli, R; Golob, B; González-Caballero, I; Gopal, Gian P; Gorn, L; Górski, M; Gracco, Valerio; Grahl, J; Graziani, E; Green, C; Grefrath, A; Gris, P; Grosdidier, G; Grzelak, K; Günther, M; Guy, J; Hahn, F; Hahn, S; Haider, S; Hajduk, Z; Hallgren, A; Hamacher, K; Harris, F J; Hedberg, V; Heising, S; Henriques, R P; Hernández, J J; Herquet, P; Herr, H; Hessing, T L; Heuser, J M; Higón, E; Holmgren, S O; Holt, P J; Holthuizen, D J; Hoorelbeke, S; Houlden, M A; Hrubec, Josef; Huet, K; Hultqvist, K; Jackson, J N; Jacobsson, R; Jalocha, P; Janik, R; Jarlskog, C; Jarlskog, G; Jarry, P; Jean-Marie, B; Johansson, E K; Jönsson, L B; Jönsson, P E; Joram, C; Juillot, P; Kapusta, F; Karafasoulis, K; Katsanevas, S; Katsoufis, E C; Keränen, R; Khokhlov, Yu A; Khomenko, B A; Khovanskii, N N; King, B J; Kjaer, N J; Klapp, O; Klein, H; Kluit, P M; Knoblauch, D; Kokkinias, P; Koratzinos, M; Korcyl, K; Kostyukhin, V; Kourkoumelis, C; Kuznetsov, O; Krammer, Manfred; Kreuter, C; Kronkvist, I J; Krumshtein, Z; Kubinec, P; Kucewicz, W; Kurvinen, K L; Lacasta, C; Lamsa, J; Lanceri, L; Lane, D W; Langefeld, P; Laugier, J P; Lauhakangas, R; Leder, Gerhard; Ledroit, F; Lefébure, V; Legan, C K; Leisos, A; Leitner, R; Lemonne, J; Lenzen, Georg; Lepeltier, V; Lesiak, T; Lethuillier, M; Libby, J; Liko, D; Lipniacka, A; Lippi, I; Lörstad, B; Loken, J G; Lopes, J H; López, J M; Loukas, D; Lutz, P; Lyons, L; MacNaughton, J N; Mahon, J R; Maio, A; Malek, A; Malmgren, T G M; Malychev, V; Mandl, F; Marco, J; Marco, R P; Maréchal, B; Margoni, M; Marin, J C; Mariotti, C; Markou, A; Martínez-Rivero, C; Martínez-Vidal, F; Martí i García, S; Matorras, F; Matteuzzi, C; Matthiae, Giorgio; Mazzucato, F; Mazzucato, M; McCubbin, M L; McKay, R; McNulty, R; McPherson, G; Medbo, J; Meroni, C; Meyer, W T; Michelotto, M; Migliore, E; Mirabito, L; Mitaroff, Winfried A; Mjörnmark, U; Moa, T; Møller, R; Mönig, K; Monge, M R; Moreau, X; Morettini, P; Münich, K; Mulders, M; Mundim, L M; Murray, W J; Muryn, B; Myatt, Gerald; Myklebust, T; Naraghi, F; Navarria, Francesco Luigi; Navas, S; Nawrocki, K; Negri, P; Némécek, S; Neufeld, N; Neumann, W; Neumeister, N; Nicolaidou, R; Nielsen, B S; Nieuwenhuizen, M; Nikolaenko, V; Nikolenko, M; Niss, P; Nomerotski, A; Normand, Ainsley; Nygren, A; Oberschulte-Beckmann, W; Obraztsov, V F; Olshevskii, A G; Onofre, A; Orava, Risto; Orazi, G; Österberg, K; Ouraou, A; Paganini, P; Paganoni, M; Paiano, S; Pain, R; Paiva, R; Palka, H; Papadopoulou, T D; Papageorgiou, K; Pape, L; Parkes, C; Parodi, F; Parzefall, U; Passeri, A; Pegoraro, M; Peralta, L; Pernegger, H; Pernicka, Manfred; Perrotta, A; Petridou, C; Petrolini, A; Phillips, H T; Piana, G; Pierre, F; Pimenta, M; Piotto, E; Podobnik, T; Podobrin, O; Pol, M E; Polok, G; Poropat, P; Pozdnyakov, V; Privitera, P; Pukhaeva, N; Pullia, Antonio; Radojicic, D; Ragazzi, S; Rahmani, H; Rames, J; Ratoff, P N; Read, A L; Rebecchi, P; Redaelli, N G; Regler, Meinhard; Reid, D; Reinhardt, R; Renton, P B; Resvanis, L K; Richard, F; Rídky, J; Rinaudo, G; Røhne, O M; Romero, A; Ronchese, P; Rosenberg, E I; Rosinsky, P; Roudeau, Patrick; Rovelli, T; Ruhlmann-Kleider, V; Ruiz, A; Saarikko, H; Sacquin, Yu; Sadovskii, A; Sajot, G; Salt, J; Sampsonidis, D; Sannino, M; Schneider, H; Schwickerath, U; Schyns, M A E; Scuri, F; Seager, P; Sedykh, Yu; Segar, A M; Sekulin, R L; Shellard, R C; Sheridan, A; Silvestre, R; Simonetto, F; Sissakian, A N; Skaali, T B; Smadja, G; Smirnov, N; Smirnova, O G; Smith, G R; Solovyanov, O; Sopczak, André; Sosnowski, R; Souza-Santos, D; Spassoff, Tz; Spiriti, E; Sponholz, P; Squarcia, S; Stampfer, D; Stanescu, C; Stanic, S; Stapnes, Steinar; Stavitski, I; Stevenson, K; Stocchi, A; Strauss, J; Strub, R; Stugu, B; Szczekowski, M; Szeptycka, M; Tabarelli de Fatis, T; Chikilev, O G; Tegenfeldt, F; Terranova, F; Thomas, J; Tilquin, A; Timmermans, J; Tkatchev, L G; Todorov, T; Todorova, S; Toet, D Z; Tomaradze, A G; Tomé, B; Tonazzo, A; Tortora, L; Tranströmer, G; Treille, D; Tristram, G; Trombini, A; Troncon, C; Tsirou, A L; Turluer, M L; Tyapkin, I A; Tyndel, M; Tzamarias, S; Überschär, B; Ullaland, O; Uvarov, V; Valenti, G; Vallazza, E; van Apeldoorn, G W; van Dam, P; Van Eldik, J; Van Lysebetten, A; Van Vulpen, I B; Vassilopoulos, N; Vegni, G; Ventura, L; Venus, W A; Verbeure, F; Verlato, M; Vertogradov, L S; Verzi, V; Vilanova, D; Vincent, P; Vitale, L; Vlasov, E; Vodopyanov, A S; Vrba, V; Wahlen, H; Walck, C; Waldner, F; Weiser, C; Wetherell, Alan M; Wicke, D; Wickens, J H; Wilkinson, G R; Williams, W S C; Winter, M; Witek, M; Wlodek, T; Wolf, G; Yi, J; Yushchenko, O P; Zaitsev, A; Zalewska-Bak, A; Zalewski, Piotr; Zavrtanik, D; Zevgolatakos, E; Zimin, N I; Zucchelli, G C; Zumerle, G

1998-01-01

The DELPHI experiment at LEP has measured the inclusive charmless $B$ hadron decay branching ratio, the $B$ branching ratio into two charmed particles, and the total number of charmed particles per $B$ decay, using the hadronic Z data taken between 1992 and 1995. The results are extracted from a fit to the $b$-tagging probability distribution based on the precise impact parameter measurements made using the microvertex detector. The inclusive charmless $B$ branching ratio, including $B$ decays into hidden charm ($c\\bar{c}$), is measured to be $0.033 \\pm 0.021$. The $B$ branching ratio into two open charmed particles is $0.136 \\pm 0.042$. The mean number of charmed particles per $B$ decay (including hidden charm) is $1.147 \\pm 0.041$. After subtracting the $B$ decay branching ratio into hidden charm, the charmless $B$ branching ratio is found to be $0.007 \\pm 0.021$, compatible with the Standard Model expectation. Models that predict an additional contribution to the charmless $B$ branching ratio of 0.037 or h...

Dy163-Ho163 branching: an s-process barometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beer, H.; Walter, G.; Macklin, R.L.

1984-01-01

The neutron capture cross sections of Dy163 and Er164 have been measured to analyze the s-process branching at Dy163-Ho163. The reproduction of the s-process abundance of Er164 via this branching is sensitive to temperature kT, neutron density, and electron density n/sub e/. The calculations using information from other branchings on kT and the neutron density n/sub n/ give constraints for n/sub e/ at the site of the s-process

Global solution branches for a nonlocal Allen-Cahn equation

Science.gov (United States)

Kuto, Kousuke; Mori, Tatsuki; Tsujikawa, Tohru; Yotsutani, Shoji

2018-05-01

We consider the Neumann problem of a 1D stationary Allen-Cahn equation with nonlocal term. Our previous paper [4] obtained a local branch of asymmetric solutions which bifurcates from a point on the branch of odd-symmetric solutions. This paper derives the global behavior of the branch of asymmetric solutions, and moreover, determines the set of all solutions to the nonlocal Allen-Cahn equation. Our proof is based on a level set analysis for an integral map associated with the nonlocal term.

Ecological effects of contaminants in McCoy Branch, 1991--1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ryon, M.G. [ed.

1996-09-01

The 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) required assessment of all current and former solid waste management units. Following guidelines under RCRA and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), a remedial investigation (RI) was required of the Y-12 Plant for their filled coal ash pond (FCAP) and associated areas on McCoy Branch. The RI process was initiated and assessments were presented. Because the disposal of coal ash in the ash pond, McCoy Branch, and Rogers Quarry was not consistent with the Tennessee Water Quality Act, several remediation steps were implemented between 1986 and 1994 for McCoy Branch to address disposal problems. The required ecological risk assessments of McCoy Branch watershed included provisions for biological monitoring of the watershed. The objectives of the biological monitoring were to (1) document changes in biological quality of McCoy Branch after completion of a pipeline bypassing upper McCoy Branch and further, after termination of all discharges to Rogers Quarry, (2) provide guidance on the need for additional remediation, and (3) evaluate the effectiveness of implemented remedial actions. The data from the biological monitoring program may also determine whether the goals of protection of human health and the environment of McCoy Branch are being accomplished.

Reconfigurable logic via gate controlled domain wall trajectory in magnetic network structure

Science.gov (United States)

Murapaka, C.; Sethi, P.; Goolaup, S.; Lew, W. S.

2016-01-01

An all-magnetic logic scheme has the advantages of being non-volatile and energy efficient over the conventional transistor based logic devices. In this work, we present a reconfigurable magnetic logic device which is capable of performing all basic logic operations in a single device. The device exploits the deterministic trajectory of domain wall (DW) in ferromagnetic asymmetric branch structure for obtaining different output combinations. The programmability of the device is achieved by using a current-controlled magnetic gate, which generates a local Oersted field. The field generated at the magnetic gate influences the trajectory of the DW within the structure by exploiting its inherent transverse charge distribution. DW transformation from vortex to transverse configuration close to the output branch plays a pivotal role in governing the DW chirality and hence the output. By simply switching the current direction through the magnetic gate, two universal logic gate functionalities can be obtained in this device. Using magnetic force microscopy imaging and magnetoresistance measurements, all basic logic functionalities are demonstrated. PMID:26839036

Contributions of individual domains to function of the HIV-1 Rev response element.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Carroll, Ina P; Thappeta, Yashna; Fan, Lixin; Ramirez-Valdez, Edric A; Smith, Sean; Wang, Yun-Xing; Rein, Alan

2017-08-16

The HIV-1 Rev response element (RRE) is a 351-base element in unspliced and partially spliced viral RNA; binding of the RRE by the viral Rev protein induces nuclear export of RRE-containing RNAs, as required for virus replication. It contains one long, imperfect double helix (domain I), one branched domain (domain II) containing a high-affinity Rev-binding site, and two or three additional domains. We previously reported that the RRE assumes an "A" shape in solution and suggested that the location of the Rev binding sites in domains I and II, opposite each other on the two legs of the A, is optimal for Rev binding and explains Rev's specificity for RRE-containing RNAs. Using SAXS and a quantitative functional assay, we have now analyzed a panel of RRE mutants. All the results support the essential role of the A shape for RRE function. Moreover, they suggest that the distal portion of domain I and the three crowning domains all contribute to the maintenance of the A shape. Domains I and II are necessary and sufficient for substantial RRE function, provided they are joined by a flexible linker that allows the two domains to face each other. IMPORTANCE Retroviral replication requires that some of the viral RNAs transcribed in the cell nucleus be exported to the cytoplasm without being spliced. To achieve this, HIV-1 encodes a protein, Rev, which binds to a complex, highly structured element within viral RNA, the Rev Response Element (RRE), and escorts RRE-containing RNAs from the nucleus. We previously reported that the RRE is "A"-shaped and suggested that this architecture, with the 2 legs opposite one another, can explain the specificity of Rev for the RRE. We have analyzed the functional contributions of individual RRE domains, and now report that several domains contribute, with some redundancy, to maintenance of the overall RRE shape. The data strongly support the hypothesis that the opposed placement of the 2 legs is essential for RRE function. Copyright © 2017

Multiprogrammation fast branch driver for microcomputer MICRAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaiser, Josef; Lacroix, Jean.

1975-01-01

This branch driver allows in association with the FIFO memories of the microcomputer Micral, very fast exchanges with the 7 crates of a CAMAC branch. A CAMAC programm (command, test, read, write) is loaded in the 1K FIFO buffer of the Micral before execution time and executed in sequence at a rate of 1,5μs per CAMAC command. After programm execution, data may be transferred directly on a magnetic tape [fr

Magnetic domains and magnetic stability of cohenite from the Morasko iron meteorite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reznik, B. [Institute of Applied Geosciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe (Germany); Kontny, A., E-mail: agnes.kontny@kit.edu [Institute of Applied Geosciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe (Germany); Uehara, M.; Gattacceca, J. [CNRS, Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, Coll France, CEREGE, Aix-en-Provence (France); Solheid, P.; Jackson, M. [Institute for Rock Magnetism, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)

2017-03-15

Magnetic properties, texture and microstructure of cohenite grains from Morasko iron meteorite have been investigated using electron backscattered diffraction, Bitter pattern technique, magneto-optical imaging method and magnetic force microscopy. Cohenite shows much stronger magnetic contrast compared to kamacite because it is magnetically harder than the Fe-Ni alloy, and thus causes higher stray fields. A surprising result is the high stability and reversibility of the global stripe-like magnetic domain structure in cohenite when applying high magnetic fields up to 1.5 T, and exposing it to high temperatures above the Curie temperature of about 220 °C. Heating up to 700 °C under atmosphere conditions has shown that cohenite remains stable and that the global magnetic domain structures mainly recover to its preheating state. This observation suggests that magnetic domains are strongly controlled by the crystal anisotropy of cohenite. Branching magnetic domain structures at the grain boundary to kamacite can be annealed, which indicates that they are very sensitive to record deformation. EBSD observations clearly demonstrate that increasing deviation from the easy [010] crystallographic axis and stress localization are the main factors controlling the distortion of Bitter patterns, and suggest a high sensitivity of the cohenite magnetic domain structure to local microstructural heterogeneities. The results of this study substantiate the theory that cohenite can be a good recorder of magnetic fields in planetary core material. - Highlights: • Magnetic domain structure of cohenite from the Morasko iron meteorite was investigated by Bitter pattern method, magneto-optical imaging and magnetic force microscopy. • Strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy explains high magnetic stability. • Magnetic domain structure shows high sensitivity to local microstructural heterogeneities. • Cohenite is probably a good recorder of magnetic fields in planetary core material.

Magnetic domains and magnetic stability of cohenite from the Morasko iron meteorite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reznik, B.; Kontny, A.; Uehara, M.; Gattacceca, J.; Solheid, P.; Jackson, M.

2017-01-01

Magnetic properties, texture and microstructure of cohenite grains from Morasko iron meteorite have been investigated using electron backscattered diffraction, Bitter pattern technique, magneto-optical imaging method and magnetic force microscopy. Cohenite shows much stronger magnetic contrast compared to kamacite because it is magnetically harder than the Fe-Ni alloy, and thus causes higher stray fields. A surprising result is the high stability and reversibility of the global stripe-like magnetic domain structure in cohenite when applying high magnetic fields up to 1.5 T, and exposing it to high temperatures above the Curie temperature of about 220 °C. Heating up to 700 °C under atmosphere conditions has shown that cohenite remains stable and that the global magnetic domain structures mainly recover to its preheating state. This observation suggests that magnetic domains are strongly controlled by the crystal anisotropy of cohenite. Branching magnetic domain structures at the grain boundary to kamacite can be annealed, which indicates that they are very sensitive to record deformation. EBSD observations clearly demonstrate that increasing deviation from the easy [010] crystallographic axis and stress localization are the main factors controlling the distortion of Bitter patterns, and suggest a high sensitivity of the cohenite magnetic domain structure to local microstructural heterogeneities. The results of this study substantiate the theory that cohenite can be a good recorder of magnetic fields in planetary core material. - Highlights: • Magnetic domain structure of cohenite from the Morasko iron meteorite was investigated by Bitter pattern method, magneto-optical imaging and magnetic force microscopy. • Strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy explains high magnetic stability. • Magnetic domain structure shows high sensitivity to local microstructural heterogeneities. • Cohenite is probably a good recorder of magnetic fields in planetary core material.

Transfer of extensor digiti minimi and extensor carpi ulnaris nerve branches to the intrinsic motor nerve branches: A histological study on cadaver.

Science.gov (United States)

Namazi, H; Haji Vandi, S

2017-06-01

In cases of high ulnar and median nerve palsy, result of nerve repair in term of intrinsic muscle recovery is unsatisfactory. Distal nerve transfer can alleviate the regeneration time and improve the results. Transfer of the extensor digiti minimi (EDM) and extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) nerve branches to the deep branch of ulnar nerve (DBUN)/recurrent branch of median nerve (RMN) at wrist had been used to restore intrinsic hand function but, incomplete recovery occurred. The axon count at the donor nerve has a strong influence on the final results. This cadaveric study aims to analyses the histology of this nerve transfer to evaluate whether these donor nerves are suitable for this transfer or another donor nerve may be considered. Ten cadaveric upper limbs dissected to identify the location of the EDM, ECU, RMN and DBUN. Surface area, fascicle count, and axon number was determined by histological methods. The mean of axon number in the EDM, ECU, RMN and DBUN branches was 5931, 7355, 30960 and 35426, respectively. In this study, the number of axons in the EDM and ECU branches was 37% (13281/35426) of that in the DBUN. Also, the number of axons in the EDM and ECU branches was 42% (13281/30960) of that in the RMN. The axon count data showed an unfavorable match between the EDM, ECU and DBUN/RMN. Therefore, it is suggested that another donor nerve with higher axon number to be considered. Cadaver study (histological study). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

MYOCARDIAL DEFORMATION AND COMPLETE LEFT BUNDLE BRANCH BLOCK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. N. Pavlyukova

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Tissue Doppler imaging is evolving as a useful echocardiographic tool for quantitative assessment of left ventricular systolic and diastolic function. Over the last 10 years, myocardial deformation imaging has become possible initially with tissue Doppler , and more recently with myocardial speckle-tracking using 2D echocardiography. Unlike simple tissue velocity measurements, deformation measurements are specific for the region of interest. Strain rate or strain measurements have been used as sensitive indicators for subclinical diseases, and it is the most widely used tool to assess mechanical dyssynchrony. Left bundle branch block is a frequent, etiologically heterogeneous, clinically hostile and diagnostically challenging entity. About 2% of patients underwent cardiac stress testing show stable or intermittent left bundle branch block. Presence of left bundle branch block is associated with a lower and slower diastolic coronary flow velocity especially during hyperemia. Stress echocardiography is the best option for the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease, albeit specificity and sensitivity reduce in patients with left bundle branch block in the territory of left anterior descending artery in presence of initial septum dyskinesia.

Measurements of the branching fractions of [Formula: see text] decays.

Science.gov (United States)

Aaij, R; Abellan Beteta, C; Adametz, A; Adeva, B; Adinolfi, M; Adrover, C; Affolder, A; Ajaltouni, Z; Albrecht, J; Alessio, F; Alexander, M; Ali, S; Alkhazov, G; Alvarez Cartelle, P; Alves, A A; Amato, S; Amhis, Y; Anderlini, L; Anderson, J; Andreassen, R; Appleby, R B; Aquines Gutierrez, O; Archilli, F; Artamonov, A; Artuso, M; Aslanides, E; Auriemma, G; Bachmann, S; Back, J J; Baesso, C; Balagura, V; Baldini, W; Barlow, R J; Barschel, C; Barsuk, S; Barter, W; Bauer, Th; Bay, A; Beddow, J; Bediaga, I; Belogurov, S; Belous, K; Belyaev, I; Ben-Haim, E; Benayoun, M; Bencivenni, G; Benson, S; Benton, J; Berezhnoy, A; Bernet, R; Bettler, M-O; van Beuzekom, M; Bien, A; Bifani, S; Bird, T; Bizzeti, A; Bjørnstad, P M; Blake, T; Blanc, F; Blanks, C; Blouw, J; Blusk, S; Bobrov, A; Bocci, V; Bondar, A; Bondar, N; Bonivento, W; Borghi, S; Borgia, A; Bowcock, T J V; Bowen, E; Bozzi, C; Brambach, T; van den Brand, J; Bressieux, J; Brett, D; Britsch, M; Britton, T; Brook, N H; Brown, H; Burducea, I; Bursche, A; Buytaert, J; Cadeddu, S; Callot, O; Calvi, M; Calvo Gomez, M; Camboni, A; Campana, P; Carbone, A; Carboni, G; Cardinale, R; Cardini, A; Carranza-Mejia, H; Carson, L; Carvalho Akiba, K; Casse, G; Cattaneo, M; Cauet, Ch; Charles, M; Charpentier, Ph; Chen, P; Chiapolini, N; Chrzaszcz, M; Ciba, K; Cid Vidal, X; Ciezarek, G; Clarke, P E L; Clemencic, M; Cliff, H V; Closier, J; Coca, C; Coco, V; Cogan, J; Cogneras, E; Collins, P; Comerma-Montells, A; Contu, A; Cook, A; Coombes, M; Coquereau, S; Corti, G; Couturier, B; Cowan, G A; Craik, D; Cunliffe, S; Currie, R; D'Ambrosio, C; David, P; David, P N Y; De Bonis, I; De Bruyn, K; De Capua, S; De Cian, M; De Miranda, J M; De Paula, L; De Silva, W; De Simone, P; Decamp, D; Deckenhoff, M; Degaudenzi, H; Del Buono, L; Deplano, C; Derkach, D; Deschamps, O; Dettori, F; Di Canto, A; Dickens, J; Dijkstra, H; Dogaru, M; Domingo Bonal, F; Donleavy, S; Dordei, F; Dosil Suárez, A; Dossett, D; Dovbnya, A; Dupertuis, F; Dzhelyadin, R; Dziurda, A; Dzyuba, A; Easo, S; Egede, U; Egorychev, V; Eidelman, S; van Eijk, D; Eisenhardt, S; Eitschberger, U; Ekelhof, R; Eklund, L; El Rifai, I; Elsasser, Ch; Elsby, D; Falabella, A; Färber, C; Fardell, G; Farinelli, C; Farry, S; Fave, V; Ferguson, D; Fernandez Albor, V; Ferreira Rodrigues, F; Ferro-Luzzi, M; Filippov, S; Fitzpatrick, C; Fontana, M; Fontanelli, F; Forty, R; Francisco, O; Frank, M; Frei, C; Frosini, M; Furcas, S; Furfaro, E; Gallas Torreira, A; Galli, D; Gandelman, M; Gandini, P; Gao, Y; Garofoli, J; Garosi, P; Garra Tico, J; Garrido, L; Gaspar, C; Gauld, R; Gersabeck, E; Gersabeck, M; Gershon, T; Ghez, Ph; Gibson, V; Gligorov, V V; Göbel, C; Golubkov, D; Golutvin, A; Gomes, A; Gordon, H; Grabalosa Gándara, M; Graciani Diaz, R; Granado Cardoso, L A; Graugés, E; Graziani, G; Grecu, A; Greening, E; Gregson, S; Grünberg, O; Gui, B; Gushchin, E; Guz, Yu; Gys, T; Hadjivasiliou, C; Haefeli, G; Haen, C; Haines, S C; Hall, S; Hampson, T; Hansmann-Menzemer, S; Harnew, N; Harnew, S T; Harrison, J; Harrison, P F; Hartmann, T; He, J; Heijne, V; Hennessy, K; Henrard, P; Hernando Morata, J A; van Herwijnen, E; Hicks, E; Hill, D; Hoballah, M; Hombach, C; Hopchev, P; Hulsbergen, W; Hunt, P; Huse, T; Hussain, N; Hutchcroft, D; Hynds, D; Iakovenko, V; Ilten, P; Jacobsson, R; Jaeger, A; Jans, E; Jansen, F; Jaton, P; Jing, F; John, M; Johnson, D; Jones, C R; Jost, B; Kaballo, M; Kandybei, S; Karacson, M; Karbach, T M; Kenyon, I R; Kerzel, U; Ketel, T; Keune, A; Khanji, B; Kochebina, O; Komarov, I; Koopman, R F; Koppenburg, P; Korolev, M; Kozlinskiy, A; Kravchuk, L; Kreplin, K; Kreps, M; Krocker, G; Krokovny, P; Kruse, F; Kucharczyk, M; Kudryavtsev, V; Kvaratskheliya, T; La Thi, V N; Lacarrere, D; Lafferty, G; Lai, A; Lambert, D; Lambert, R W; Lanciotti, E; Lanfranchi, G; Langenbruch, C; Latham, T; Lazzeroni, C; Le Gac, R; van Leerdam, J; Lees, J-P; Lefèvre, R; Leflat, A; Lefrançois, J; Leroy, O; Li, Y; Li Gioi, L; Liles, M; Lindner, R; Linn, C; Liu, B; Liu, G; von Loeben, J; Lopes, J H; Lopez Asamar, E; Lopez-March, N; Lu, H; Luisier, J; Luo, H; Machefert, F; Machikhiliyan, I V; Maciuc, F; Maev, O; Malde, S; Manca, G; Mancinelli, G; Mangiafave, N; Marconi, U; Märki, R; Marks, J; Martellotti, G; Martens, A; Martin, L; Martín Sánchez, A; Martinelli, M; Martinez Santos, D; Martins Tostes, D; Massafferri, A; Matev, R; Mathe, Z; Matteuzzi, C; Matveev, M; Maurice, E; Mazurov, A; McCarthy, J; McNulty, R; Meadows, B; Meier, F; Meissner, M; Merk, M; Milanes, D A; Minard, M-N; Molina Rodriguez, J; Monteil, S; Moran, D; Morawski, P; Mountain, R; Mous, I; Muheim, F; Müller, K; Muresan, R; Muryn, B; Muster, B; Naik, P; Nakada, T; Nandakumar, R; Nasteva, I; Needham, M; Neufeld, N; Nguyen, A D; Nguyen, T D; Nguyen-Mau, C; Nicol, M; Niess, V; Niet, R; Nikitin, N; Nikodem, T; Nisar, S; Nomerotski, A; Novoselov, A; Oblakowska-Mucha, A; Obraztsov, V; Oggero, S; Ogilvy, S; Okhrimenko, O; Oldeman, R; Orlandea, M; Otalora Goicochea, J M; Owen, P; Pal, B K; Palano, A; Palutan, M; Panman, J; Papanestis, A; Pappagallo, M; Parkes, C; Parkinson, C J; Passaleva, G; Patel, G D; Patel, M; Patrick, G N; Patrignani, C; Pavel-Nicorescu, C; Pazos Alvarez, A; Pellegrino, A; Penso, G; Pepe Altarelli, M; Perazzini, S; Perego, D L; Perez Trigo, E; Pérez-Calero Yzquierdo, A; Perret, P; Perrin-Terrin, M; Pessina, G; Petridis, K; Petrolini, A; Phan, A; Picatoste Olloqui, E; Pietrzyk, B; Pilař, T; Pinci, D; Playfer, S; Plo Casasus, M; Polci, F; Polok, G; Poluektov, A; Polycarpo, E; Popov, D; Popovici, B; Potterat, C; Powell, A; Prisciandaro, J; Pugatch, V; Puig Navarro, A; Qian, W; Rademacker, J H; Rakotomiaramanana, B; Rangel, M S; Raniuk, I; Rauschmayr, N; Raven, G; Redford, S; Reid, M M; Dos Reis, A C; Ricciardi, S; Richards, A; Rinnert, K; Rives Molina, V; Roa Romero, D A; Robbe, P; Rodrigues, E; Rodriguez Perez, P; Rogers, G J; Roiser, S; Romanovsky, V; Romero Vidal, A; Rouvinet, J; Ruf, T; Ruiz, H; Sabatino, G; Saborido Silva, J J; Sagidova, N; Sail, P; Saitta, B; Salzmann, C; Sanmartin Sedes, B; Sannino, M; Santacesaria, R; Santamarina Rios, C; Santovetti, E; Sapunov, M; Sarti, A; Satriano, C; Satta, A; Savrie, M; Savrina, D; Schaack, P; Schiller, M; Schindler, H; Schleich, S; Schlupp, M; Schmelling, M; Schmidt, B; Schneider, O; Schopper, A; Schune, M-H; Schwemmer, R; Sciascia, B; Sciubba, A; Seco, M; Semennikov, A; Senderowska, K; Sepp, I; Serra, N; Serrano, J; Seyfert, P; Shapkin, M; Shapoval, I; Shatalov, P; Shcheglov, Y; Shears, T; Shekhtman, L; Shevchenko, O; Shevchenko, V; Shires, A; Silva Coutinho, R; Skwarnicki, T; Smith, N A; Smith, E; Smith, M; Sobczak, K; Sokoloff, M D; Soler, F J P; Soomro, F; Souza, D; Souza De Paula, B; Spaan, B; Sparkes, A; Spradlin, P; Stagni, F; Stahl, S; Steinkamp, O; Stoica, S; Stone, S; Storaci, B; Straticiuc, M; Straumann, U; Subbiah, V K; Swientek, S; Syropoulos, V; Szczekowski, M; Szczypka, P; Szumlak, T; T'Jampens, S; Teklishyn, M; Teodorescu, E; Teubert, F; Thomas, C; Thomas, E; van Tilburg, J; Tisserand, V; Tobin, M; Tolk, S; Tonelli, D; Topp-Joergensen, S; Torr, N; Tournefier, E; Tourneur, S; Tran, M T; Tresch, M; Tsaregorodtsev, A; Tsopelas, P; Tuning, N; Ubeda Garcia, M; Ukleja, A; Urner, D; Uwer, U; Vagnoni, V; Valenti, G; Vazquez Gomez, R; Vazquez Regueiro, P; Vecchi, S; Velthuis, J J; Veltri, M; Veneziano, G; Vesterinen, M; Viaud, B; Vieira, D; Vilasis-Cardona, X; Vollhardt, A; Volyanskyy, D; Voong, D; Vorobyev, A; Vorobyev, V; Voß, C; Voss, H; Waldi, R; Wallace, R; Wandernoth, S; Wang, J; Ward, D R; Watson, N K; Webber, A D; Websdale, D; Whitehead, M; Wicht, J; Wiechczynski, J; Wiedner, D; Wiggers, L; Wilkinson, G; Williams, M P; Williams, M; Wilson, F F; Wishahi, J; Witek, M; Wotton, S A; Wright, S; Wu, S; Wyllie, K; Xie, Y; Xing, F; Xing, Z; Yang, Z; Young, R; Yuan, X; Yushchenko, O; Zangoli, M; Zavertyaev, M; Zhang, F; Zhang, L; Zhang, W C; Zhang, Y; Zhelezov, A; Zhong, L; Zvyagin, A

The branching fractions of the decay [Formula: see text] for different intermediate states are measured using data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb -1 , collected by the LHCb experiment. The total branching fraction, its charmless component [Formula: see text] and the branching fractions via the resonant [Formula: see text] states η c (1 S ) and ψ (2 S ) relative to the decay via a J / ψ intermediate state are [Formula: see text] Upper limits on the B + branching fractions into the η c (2 S ) meson and into the charmonium-like states X (3872) and X (3915) are also obtained.

Simple model of inhibition of chain-branching combustion processes

Science.gov (United States)

Babushok, Valeri I.; Gubernov, Vladimir V.; Minaev, Sergei S.; Miroshnichenko, Taisia P.

2017-11-01

A simple kinetic model has been suggested to describe the inhibition and extinction of flame propagation in reaction systems with chain-branching reactions typical for hydrocarbon systems. The model is based on the generalised model of the combustion process with chain-branching reaction combined with the one-stage reaction describing the thermal mode of flame propagation with the addition of inhibition reaction steps. Inhibitor addition suppresses the radical overshoot in flame and leads to the change of reaction mode from the chain-branching reaction to a thermal mode of flame propagation. With the increase of inhibitor the transition of chain-branching mode of reaction to the reaction with straight-chains (non-branching chain reaction) is observed. The inhibition part of the model includes a block of three reactions to describe the influence of the inhibitor. The heat losses are incorporated into the model via Newton cooling. The flame extinction is the result of the decreased heat release of inhibited reaction processes and the suppression of radical overshoot with the further decrease of the reaction rate due to the temperature decrease and mixture dilution. A comparison of the results of modelling laminar premixed methane/air flames inhibited by potassium bicarbonate (gas phase model, detailed kinetic model) with the results obtained using the suggested simple model is presented. The calculations with the detailed kinetic model demonstrate the following modes of combustion process: (1) flame propagation with chain-branching reaction (with radical overshoot, inhibitor addition decreases the radical overshoot down to the equilibrium level); (2) saturation of chemical influence of inhibitor, and (3) transition to thermal mode of flame propagation (non-branching chain mode of reaction). The suggested simple kinetic model qualitatively reproduces the modes of flame propagation with the addition of the inhibitor observed using detailed kinetic models.

A spatially-averaged mathematical model of kidney branching morphogenesis

KAUST Repository

Zubkov, V.S.

2015-08-01

© 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Kidney development is initiated by the outgrowth of an epithelial ureteric bud into a population of mesenchymal cells. Reciprocal morphogenetic responses between these two populations generate a highly branched epithelial ureteric tree with the mesenchyme differentiating into nephrons, the functional units of the kidney. While we understand some of the mechanisms involved, current knowledge fails to explain the variability of organ sizes and nephron endowment in mice and humans. Here we present a spatially-averaged mathematical model of kidney morphogenesis in which the growth of the two key populations is described by a system of time-dependant ordinary differential equations. We assume that branching is symmetric and is invoked when the number of epithelial cells per tip reaches a threshold value. This process continues until the number of mesenchymal cells falls below a critical value that triggers cessation of branching. The mathematical model and its predictions are validated against experimentally quantified C57Bl6 mouse embryonic kidneys. Numerical simulations are performed to determine how the final number of branches changes as key system parameters are varied (such as the growth rate of tip cells, mesenchyme cells, or component cell population exit rate). Our results predict that the developing kidney responds differently to loss of cap and tip cells. They also indicate that the final number of kidney branches is less sensitive to changes in the growth rate of the ureteric tip cells than to changes in the growth rate of the mesenchymal cells. By inference, increasing the growth rate of mesenchymal cells should maximise branch number. Our model also provides a framework for predicting the branching outcome when ureteric tip or mesenchyme cells change behaviour in response to different genetic or environmental developmental stresses.

A spatially-averaged mathematical model of kidney branching morphogenesis

KAUST Repository

Zubkov, V.S.; Combes, A.N.; Short, K.M.; Lefevre, J.; Hamilton, N.A.; Smyth, I.M.; Little, M.H.; Byrne, H.M.

2015-01-01

© 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Kidney development is initiated by the outgrowth of an epithelial ureteric bud into a population of mesenchymal cells. Reciprocal morphogenetic responses between these two populations generate a highly branched epithelial ureteric tree with the mesenchyme differentiating into nephrons, the functional units of the kidney. While we understand some of the mechanisms involved, current knowledge fails to explain the variability of organ sizes and nephron endowment in mice and humans. Here we present a spatially-averaged mathematical model of kidney morphogenesis in which the growth of the two key populations is described by a system of time-dependant ordinary differential equations. We assume that branching is symmetric and is invoked when the number of epithelial cells per tip reaches a threshold value. This process continues until the number of mesenchymal cells falls below a critical value that triggers cessation of branching. The mathematical model and its predictions are validated against experimentally quantified C57Bl6 mouse embryonic kidneys. Numerical simulations are performed to determine how the final number of branches changes as key system parameters are varied (such as the growth rate of tip cells, mesenchyme cells, or component cell population exit rate). Our results predict that the developing kidney responds differently to loss of cap and tip cells. They also indicate that the final number of kidney branches is less sensitive to changes in the growth rate of the ureteric tip cells than to changes in the growth rate of the mesenchymal cells. By inference, increasing the growth rate of mesenchymal cells should maximise branch number. Our model also provides a framework for predicting the branching outcome when ureteric tip or mesenchyme cells change behaviour in response to different genetic or environmental developmental stresses.

CO2 capture by polymeric membranes composed of hyper-branched polymers with dense poly(oxyethylene comb and poly(amidoamine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taniguchi Ikuo

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Due to CO2-philic nature of polyoxyethylene (POE, a dense POE comb structure was tethered onto PMMA backbone to develop CO2 separation membranes over N2. The resulting hyper-branched polymers displayed preferential CO2 permeation. When the polymer thin layer was formed on a high gas permeable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS support by a spray-coating manner, the resulting thin film composite (TFC membranes displayed very high CO2 permeability. However, the CO2 selectivity, which was the permeability ratio of CO2 over N2, was moderate and lower than 50. To enhance the selectivity, poly(amidoamine (PAMAM was introduced to the hyper-branched polymers in the CO2-selective layer of the TFC membranes. The CO2 selectivity increased from 47 to 90 with increasing PAMAM content to 40 wt%, and it was drastically enhanced to 350 with PAMAM content of 50 wt%. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC and laser microscope revealed formation of PAMAM-rich domain at the higher amine content, where CO2 could readily migrate in comparison to the other polymeric fractions.

CO2 capture by polymeric membranes composed of hyper-branched polymers with dense poly(oxyethylene) comb and poly(amidoamine)

Science.gov (United States)

Taniguchi, Ikuo; Wada, Norihisa; Kinugasa, Kae; Higa, Mitsuru

2017-11-01

Due to CO2-philic nature of polyoxyethylene (POE), a dense POE comb structure was tethered onto PMMA backbone to develop CO2 separation membranes over N2. The resulting hyper-branched polymers displayed preferential CO2 permeation. When the polymer thin layer was formed on a high gas permeable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) support by a spray-coating manner, the resulting thin film composite (TFC) membranes displayed very high CO2 permeability. However, the CO2 selectivity, which was the permeability ratio of CO2 over N2, was moderate and lower than 50. To enhance the selectivity, poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) was introduced to the hyper-branched polymers in the CO2-selective layer of the TFC membranes. The CO2 selectivity increased from 47 to 90 with increasing PAMAM content to 40 wt%, and it was drastically enhanced to 350 with PAMAM content of 50 wt%. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and laser microscope revealed formation of PAMAM-rich domain at the higher amine content, where CO2 could readily migrate in comparison to the other polymeric fractions.

Finite-size scaling of survival probability in branching processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia-Millan, Rosalba; Font-Clos, Francesc; Corral, Álvaro

2015-04-01

Branching processes pervade many models in statistical physics. We investigate the survival probability of a Galton-Watson branching process after a finite number of generations. We derive analytically the existence of finite-size scaling for the survival probability as a function of the control parameter and the maximum number of generations, obtaining the critical exponents as well as the exact scaling function, which is G(y)=2ye(y)/(e(y)-1), with y the rescaled distance to the critical point. Our findings are valid for any branching process of the Galton-Watson type, independently of the distribution of the number of offspring, provided its variance is finite. This proves the universal behavior of the finite-size effects in branching processes, including the universality of the metric factors. The direct relation to mean-field percolation is also discussed.

The Coulomb Branch of 3d N= 4 Theories

Science.gov (United States)

Bullimore, Mathew; Dimofte, Tudor; Gaiotto, Davide

2017-09-01

We propose a construction for the quantum-corrected Coulomb branch of a general 3d gauge theory with N=4 supersymmetry, in terms of local coordinates associated with an abelianized theory. In a fixed complex structure, the holomorphic functions on the Coulomb branch are given by expectation values of chiral monopole operators. We construct the chiral ring of such operators, using equivariant integration over BPS moduli spaces. We also quantize the chiral ring, which corresponds to placing the 3d theory in a 2d Omega background. Then, by unifying all complex structures in a twistor space, we encode the full hyperkähler metric on the Coulomb branch. We verify our proposals in a multitude of examples, including SQCD and linear quiver gauge theories, whose Coulomb branches have alternative descriptions as solutions to Bogomolnyi and/or Nahm equations.

Branch retinal artery occlusion in Susac's syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Evangelista Marrocos de Aragão

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Susac's syndrome is a rare disease attribuited to a microangiopathy involving the arterioles of the cochlea, retina and brain. Encefalopathy, hearing loss, and visual deficits are the hallmarks of the disease. Visual loss is due to multiple, recurrent branch arterial retinal occlusions. We report a case of a 20-year-old women with Susac syndrome presented with peripheral vestibular syndrome, hearing loss, ataxia, vertigo, and vision loss due occlusion of the retinal branch artery.

On Computational Power of Quantum Read-Once Branching Programs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farid Ablayev

2011-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper we review our current results concerning the computational power of quantum read-once branching programs. First of all, based on the circuit presentation of quantum branching programs and our variant of quantum fingerprinting technique, we show that any Boolean function with linear polynomial presentation can be computed by a quantum read-once branching program using a relatively small (usually logarithmic in the size of input number of qubits. Then we show that the described class of Boolean functions is closed under the polynomial projections.

BDC 500 branch driver controller

CERN Document Server

Dijksman, A

1981-01-01

This processor has been designed for very fast data acquisition and date pre-processing. The dataway and branch highway speeds have been optimized for approximately 1.5 mu sec. The internal processor cycle is approximately 0.8 mu sec. The standard version contains the following functions (slots): crate controller type A1; branch highway driver including terminator; serial I/O port (TTY, VDU); 24 bit ALU and 24 bit program counter; 16 bit memory address counter and 4 word stack; 4k bit memory for program and/or data; battery backup for the memory; CNAFD and crate LAM display; request/grant logic for time- sharing operation of several BDCs. The free slots can be equipped with e.g. extra RAM, computer interfaces, hardware multiplier/dividers, etc. (0 refs).

Beyond cross-domain learning: Multiple-domain nonnegative matrix factorization

KAUST Repository

Wang, Jim Jing-Yan; Gao, Xin

2014-01-01

Traditional cross-domain learning methods transfer learning from a source domain to a target domain. In this paper, we propose the multiple-domain learning problem for several equally treated domains. The multiple-domain learning problem assumes that samples from different domains have different distributions, but share the same feature and class label spaces. Each domain could be a target domain, while also be a source domain for other domains. A novel multiple-domain representation method is proposed for the multiple-domain learning problem. This method is based on nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF), and tries to learn a basis matrix and coding vectors for samples, so that the domain distribution mismatch among different domains will be reduced under an extended variation of the maximum mean discrepancy (MMD) criterion. The novel algorithm - multiple-domain NMF (MDNMF) - was evaluated on two challenging multiple-domain learning problems - multiple user spam email detection and multiple-domain glioma diagnosis. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is experimentally verified. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Beyond cross-domain learning: Multiple-domain nonnegative matrix factorization

KAUST Repository

Wang, Jim Jing-Yan

2014-02-01

Traditional cross-domain learning methods transfer learning from a source domain to a target domain. In this paper, we propose the multiple-domain learning problem for several equally treated domains. The multiple-domain learning problem assumes that samples from different domains have different distributions, but share the same feature and class label spaces. Each domain could be a target domain, while also be a source domain for other domains. A novel multiple-domain representation method is proposed for the multiple-domain learning problem. This method is based on nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF), and tries to learn a basis matrix and coding vectors for samples, so that the domain distribution mismatch among different domains will be reduced under an extended variation of the maximum mean discrepancy (MMD) criterion. The novel algorithm - multiple-domain NMF (MDNMF) - was evaluated on two challenging multiple-domain learning problems - multiple user spam email detection and multiple-domain glioma diagnosis. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is experimentally verified. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synthesis and characterization of an exact comb polyisoprene with three branches having the middle branch twice the molecular weight of the other two identical external branches

KAUST Repository

Ratkanthwar, Kedar

2013-01-01

An exact comb polyisoprene (PI) with three branches, with the middle branch having twice the molecular weight of the two other identical external branches, was synthesized by using anionic polymerization high vacuum techniques and appropriate chlorosilane chemistry. The synthetic approach involves (a) the selective replacement of the two chlorines of 4-(dichloromethylsilyl) diphenylethylene (DCMSDPE, key molecule) with identical PI chains by titration with PILi, (b) the addition of sec-BuLi to the double bond of DPE followed by the polymerization of isoprene from the newly created anionic site to form a 3-arm living star PI, (c) the selective replacement of the two chlorines of trichloromethylsilane with 3-arm star PI to form an H-shape intermediate, and (d) the replacement of the remaining chlorine of trichloromethylsilane by linear PI chains with double the molecular weight. All intermediate and final products were characterized via size exclusion chromatography, temperature gradient interaction chromatography and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. As expected, due to the inability to control the exact stoichiometry of the linking reactants, the main product (exact comb PI) is contaminated by a few by-products, despite the fact that anionic polymerization is the most efficient way to produce well-defined polymers. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Star-Branched Polymers (Star Polymers)

KAUST Repository

Hirao, Akira; Hayashi, Mayumi; Ito, Shotaro; Goseki, Raita; Higashihara, Tomoya; Hadjichristidis, Nikolaos

2015-01-01

The synthesis of well-defined regular and asymmetric mixed arm (hereinafter miktoarm) star-branched polymers by the living anionic polymerization is reviewed in this chapter. In particular, much attention is being devoted to the synthetic

Catabolism of leucine to branched-chain fatty acids in Staphylococcus xylosus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beck, Hans Christian; Hansen, A M; Lauritsen, F R

2004-01-01

Staphylococcus xylosus is an important starter culture in the production of flavours from the branched-chain amino acids leucine, valine and isoleucine in fermented meat products. The sensorially most important flavour compounds are the branched-chain aldehydes and acids derived from the correspo......Staphylococcus xylosus is an important starter culture in the production of flavours from the branched-chain amino acids leucine, valine and isoleucine in fermented meat products. The sensorially most important flavour compounds are the branched-chain aldehydes and acids derived from...

COELIAC TRUNK BRANCHING PATTERN AND VARIATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jude Jose Thomson

2017-01-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Anatomical variations involving the visceral arteries are common. However, variations in coeliac trunk are usually asymptomatic, they may become important in patients undergoing diagnostic angiography for gastrointestinal bleeding or prior to an operative procedure. This study was useful for knowing the possible morphological variations before an upper abdominal surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a descriptive study done by cadaveric dissection, conducted on thirty cadavers. The coeliac trunk being examined for its origin, branching pattern, distribution, and variations. Results were statistically analysed and compared with the previous studies. RESULTS In our study, 60% of the coeliac trunk shows variations and 40% have normal branching pattern. A complete absence of coeliac trunk was observed in one case. In the present study the Right inferior phrenic artery arising from coeliac trunk in 2 cases (6.6% and left inferior phrenic artery arising from coeliac trunk in 3 cases (9.9%. Both inferior phrenic arteries are arising from coeliac trunk in 2 cases (6.6%. The common hepatomesenteric trunk and gastro splenic trunk was found in 1 case (3.3%. Hepatosplenic trunk was found in 2 cases (6.6%. In another 2 cases (6.6% gastric and hepatic artery originate from coeliac trunk but splenic artery has a separate origin from abdominal aorta. An absent trunk was also found in 1 case (3.3%. In 5 cases (16.7% showed trifurcation with variation in the branching pattern. CONCLUSION The branching pattern and extreme degree variability in coeliac trunk as brought out in the observations of the present study make it obvious that the present study almost falls in description with previous studies.

Gibberellin Promotes Shoot Branching in the Perennial Woody Plant Jatropha curcas.

Science.gov (United States)

Ni, Jun; Gao, Congcong; Chen, Mao-Sheng; Pan, Bang-Zhen; Ye, Kaiqin; Xu, Zeng-Fu

2015-08-01

Strigolactone (SL), auxin and cytokinin (CK) interact to regulate shoot branching. CK has long been considered to be the only key phytohormone to promote lateral bud outgrowth. Here we report that gibberellin also acts as a positive regulator in the control of shoot branching in the woody plant Jatropha curcas. We show that gibberellin and CK synergistically promote lateral bud outgrowth, and that both hormones influence the expression of putative branching regulators, J. curcas BRANCHED1 and BRANCHED2, which are key transcription factors maintaining bud dormancy. Moreover, treatment with paclobutrazol, an inhibitor of de novo gibberellin biosynthesis, significantly reduced the promotion of bud outgrowth by CK, suggesting that gibberellin is required for CK-mediated axillary bud outgrowth. In addition, SL, a plant hormone involved in the repression of shoot branching, acted antagonistically to both gibberellin and CK in the control of lateral bud outgrowth. Consistent with this, the expression of JcMAX2, a J. curcas homolog of Arabidopsis MORE AXILLARY GROWTH 2 encoding an F-box protein in the SL signaling pathway, was repressed by gibberellin and CK treatment. We also provide physiological evidence that gibberellin also induces shoot branching in many other trees, such as papaya, indicating that a more complicated regulatory network occurs in the control of shoot branching in some perennial woody plants. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists.

Identification of candidate genes for dissecting complex branch number trait in chickpea.

Science.gov (United States)

Bajaj, Deepak; Upadhyaya, Hari D; Das, Shouvik; Kumar, Vinod; Gowda, C L L; Sharma, Shivali; Tyagi, Akhilesh K; Parida, Swarup K

2016-04-01

The present study exploited integrated genomics-assisted breeding strategy for genetic dissection of complex branch number quantitative trait in chickpea. Candidate gene-based association analysis in a branch number association panel was performed by utilizing the genotyping data of 401 SNP allelic variants mined from 27 known cloned branch number gene orthologs of chickpea. The genome-wide association study (GWAS) integrating both genome-wide GBS- (4556 SNPs) and candidate gene-based genotyping information of 4957 SNPs in a structured population of 60 sequenced desi and kabuli accessions (with 350-400 kb LD decay), detected 11 significant genomic loci (genes) associated (41% combined PVE) with branch number in chickpea. Of these, seven branch number-associated genes were further validated successfully in two inter (ICC 4958 × ICC 17160)- and intra (ICC 12299 × ICC 8261)-specific mapping populations. The axillary meristem and shoot apical meristem-specific expression, including differential up- and down-regulation (4-5 fold) of the validated seven branch number-associated genes especially in high branch number as compared to the low branch number-containing parental accessions and homozygous individuals of two aforesaid mapping populations was apparent. Collectively, this combinatorial genomic approach delineated diverse naturally occurring novel functional SNP allelic variants in seven potential known/candidate genes [PIN1 (PIN-FORMED protein 1), TB1 (teosinte branched 1), BA1/LAX1 (BARREN STALK1/LIKE AUXIN1), GRAS8 (gibberellic acid insensitive/GAI, Repressor of ga13/RGA and Scarecrow8/SCR8), ERF (ethylene-responsive element-binding factor), MAX2 (more axillary growth 2) and lipase] governing chickpea branch number. The useful information generated from this study have potential to expedite marker-assisted genetic enhancement by developing high-yielding cultivars with more number of productive (pods and seeds) branches in chickpea. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier

Maximum likelihood inference of small trees in the presence of long branches.

Science.gov (United States)

Parks, Sarah L; Goldman, Nick

2014-09-01

The statistical basis of maximum likelihood (ML), its robustness, and the fact that it appears to suffer less from biases lead to it being one of the most popular methods for tree reconstruction. Despite its popularity, very few analytical solutions for ML exist, so biases suffered by ML are not well understood. One possible bias is long branch attraction (LBA), a regularly cited term generally used to describe a propensity for long branches to be joined together in estimated trees. Although initially mentioned in connection with inconsistency of parsimony, LBA has been claimed to affect all major phylogenetic reconstruction methods, including ML. Despite the widespread use of this term in the literature, exactly what LBA is and what may be causing it is poorly understood, even for simple evolutionary models and small model trees. Studies looking at LBA have focused on the effect of two long branches on tree reconstruction. However, to understand the effect of two long branches it is also important to understand the effect of just one long branch. If ML struggles to reconstruct one long branch, then this may have an impact on LBA. In this study, we look at the effect of one long branch on three-taxon tree reconstruction. We show that, counterintuitively, long branches are preferentially placed at the tips of the tree. This can be understood through the use of analytical solutions to the ML equation and distance matrix methods. We go on to look at the placement of two long branches on four-taxon trees, showing that there is no attraction between long branches, but that for extreme branch lengths long branches are joined together disproportionally often. These results illustrate that even small model trees are still interesting to help understand how ML phylogenetic reconstruction works, and that LBA is a complicated phenomenon that deserves further study. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists.

Cold versus hot fusion deuterium branching ratios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fox, H.; Bass, R.

1995-01-01

A major source of misunderstanding of the nature of cold nuclear fusion has been the expectation that the deuterium branching ratios occurring within a palladium lattice would be consistent with the gas-plasma branching ratios. This misunderstanding has led to the concept of the dead graduate student, the 1989's feverish but fruitless search for neutron emissions from cold fusion reactors, and the follow-on condemnation of the new science of cold fusion. The experimental facts are that in a properly loaded palladium lattice, the deuterium fusion produces neutrons at little above background, a greatly less-than-expected production of tritium (the tritium desert), and substantially more helium-4 than is observed in hot plasma physics. The experimental evidence is now compelling (800 reports of success from 30 countries) that cold nuclear fusion is a reality, that the branching ratios are unexpected, and that a new science is struggling to be recognized. Commercialization of some types of cold fusion devices has already begun

A spiritual audit of a retail branch in a South African Bank

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David P. J. Smith

2008-10-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not employees in a branch of one of the leading South African banks are spiritually fulfilled at work, whilst living the values of the bank. The results indicate that employees in the branch are spiritually fulfilled at work, that they seem to be “living the values”, and that they believe the branch to be a spiritual workplace. The results are linked to certain interventions in the branch, and these interventions could be replicated across the branch network, reaping the advantages of a spiritual workplace.

6-O-Branched Oligo-β-glucan-Based Antifungal Glycoconjugate Vaccines.

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Guochao; Zhou, Zhifang; Liao, Jun; Zu, Luning; Wu, Qiuye; Guo, Zhongwu

2016-02-12

With the rapid growth in fungal infections and drug-resistant fungal strains, antifungal vaccines have become an especially attractive strategy to tackle this important health problem. β-Glucans, a class of extracellular carbohydrate antigens abundantly and consistently expressed on fungal cell surfaces, are intriguing epitopes for antifungal vaccine development. β-Glucans have a conserved β-1,3-glucan backbone with sporadic β-1,3- or β-1,6-linked short glucans as branches at the 6-O-positions, and the branches may play a critical role in their immunologic functions. To study the immunologic properties of branched β-glucans and develop β-glucan-based antifungal vaccines, three branched β-glucan oligosaccharides with 6-O-linked β-1,6-tetraglucose, β-1,3-diglucose, and β-1,3-tetraglucose branches on a β-1,3-nonaglucan backbone, which mimic the structural epitopes of natural β-glucans, were synthesized and coupled with keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) to form novel synthetic conjugate vaccines. These glycoconjugates were proved to elicit strong IgG antibody responses in mice. It was also discovered that the number, size, and structure of branches linked to the β-glucan backbone had a significant impact on the immunologic property. Moreover, antibodies induced by the synthetic oligosaccharide-KLH conjugates were able to recognize and bind to natural β-glucans and fungal cells. Most importantly, these conjugates elicited effective protection against systemic Candida albicans infection in mice. Thus, branched oligo-β-glucans were identified as functional epitopes for antifungal vaccine design and the corresponding protein conjugates as promising antifungal vaccine candidates.

Microsphere preparation using highly branched dextran degraded by electron beam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, Min Ho; Yoo, Sun Kyun [Joongbu Univ., Geumsan (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Hyun Suk; Lee, Byung Cheol [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2011-07-01

Dextrans as noble alternative consist predominantly of linear a-1,6 glucose linkages with some degree of branching via 1,2-, 1,3-, or 1,4- linkage. Dextrans have been investigated as potential macromolecular carriers for delivery of drugs and proteins, primarily to increase the longevity of therapeutic agents in the delivery of drugs and proteins, primarily to increase the longevity of therapeutic agents in the circulation. In most previous researches, linear type of dextrans with molecular weight of new type of drug delivery agent. Since 1950, the clinical dextran has been manufactured by acid hydrolysis, of which processes are multi-steps and time-consumed. Therefore, the objective of this research is evaluate the microsphere synthesised by highly branched dextran degraded by a electron beam radiation. Linear type of dextran was purchased from Sigma company. Branch type of dextran was produced and purified in our lab. The branch degree of dextran was evaluated using dextranase and analyzed by TLC. The air-dry dextran and two solution dextran was irradiated at room temperature using a electrostatic beam. The electron beam energy applied was 1.0 to 2.5 MeV. Dose was 70 kGy. The molecular average weight if 11,215,000 of linear dextran and 7,413,000 was degraded to 213,000 and 112,000, respectively. Branched dextran applied by a beam still retained its branched structure. The size of microsphere was dependant of the amount of PPG added to make water to water emulsion. Swelling of microsphere of branched dextran was higher than of linear dextran.

Microsphere preparation using highly branched dextran degraded by electron beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Min Ho; Yoo, Sun Kyun; Kang, Hyun Suk; Lee, Byung Cheol

2011-01-01

Dextrans as noble alternative consist predominantly of linear a-1,6 glucose linkages with some degree of branching via 1,2-, 1,3-, or 1,4- linkage. Dextrans have been investigated as potential macromolecular carriers for delivery of drugs and proteins, primarily to increase the longevity of therapeutic agents in the delivery of drugs and proteins, primarily to increase the longevity of therapeutic agents in the circulation. In most previous researches, linear type of dextrans with molecular weight of new type of drug delivery agent. Since 1950, the clinical dextran has been manufactured by acid hydrolysis, of which processes are multi-steps and time-consumed. Therefore, the objective of this research is evaluate the microsphere synthesised by highly branched dextran degraded by a electron beam radiation. Linear type of dextran was purchased from Sigma company. Branch type of dextran was produced and purified in our lab. The branch degree of dextran was evaluated using dextranase and analyzed by TLC. The air-dry dextran and two solution dextran was irradiated at room temperature using a electrostatic beam. The electron beam energy applied was 1.0 to 2.5 MeV. Dose was 70 kGy. The molecular average weight if 11,215,000 of linear dextran and 7,413,000 was degraded to 213,000 and 112,000, respectively. Branched dextran applied by a beam still retained its branched structure. The size of microsphere was dependant of the amount of PPG added to make water to water emulsion. Swelling of microsphere of branched dextran was higher than of linear dextran

A frequency domain approach to analyzing passive battery-ultracapacitor hybrids supplying periodic pulsed current loads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuperman, Alon; Aharon, Ilan; Kara, Avi; Malki, Shalev

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Passive battery-ultracapacitor hybrids are examined. → Frequency domain analysis is employed. → The ultracapacitor branch operates as a low-pass filter for the battery. → The battery supplies the average load demand. → Design requirements are discussed. - Abstract: A Fourier-based analysis of passive battery-ultracapacitor hybrid sources is introduced in the manuscript. The approach is first introduced for a general load, and then is followed by a study for a case of periodic pulsed current load. It is shown that the ultracapacitor branch is perceived by the battery as a low-pass filter, which absorbs the majority of the high frequency harmonic current and letting the battery to supply the average load demand in addition to the small part of dynamic current. Design requirements influence on the ultracapacitor capacitance and internal resistance choice are quantitatively discussed. The theory is enforced by simulation and experimental results, showing an excellent agreement.

Converging from branching to linear metrics on Markov chains

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bacci, Giorgio; Bacci, Giovanni; Larsen, Kim G.

2017-01-01

-approximant is computable in polynomial time in the size of the MC. The upper-approximants are bisimilarity-like pseudometrics (hence, branching-time distances) that converge point-wise to the linear-time metrics. This convergence is interesting in itself, because it reveals a nontrivial relation between branching...

Converging from Branching to Linear Metrics on Markov Chains

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bacci, Giorgio; Bacci, Giovanni; Larsen, Kim Guldstrand

2015-01-01

time in the size of the MC. The upper-approximants are Kantorovich-like pseudometrics, i.e. branching-time distances, that converge point-wise to the linear-time metrics. This convergence is interesting in itself, since it reveals a nontrivial relation between branching and linear-time metric...

An asymptotic analysis of closed queueing networks with branching populations

OpenAIRE

Bayer, N.; Coffman, E.G.; Kogan, Y.A.

1995-01-01

textabstractClosed queueing networks have proven to be valuable tools for system performance analysis. In this paper, we broaden the applications of such networks by incorporating populations of {em branching customers: whenever a customer completes service at some node of the network, it is replaced by N>=0 customers, each routed independently to a next node, where N has a given, possibly node-dependent branching distribution. Applications of these branching and queueing networks focus on {e...

An investigation of cognitive 'branching' processes in major depression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Williams Steven CR

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Patients with depression demonstrate cognitive impairment on a wide range of cognitive tasks, particularly putative tasks of frontal lobe function. Recent models of frontal lobe function have argued that the frontal pole region is involved in cognitive branching, a process requiring holding in mind one goal while performing sub-goal processes. Evidence for this model comes from functional neuroimaging and frontal-pole lesion patients. We have utilised these new concepts to investigate the possibility that patients with depression are impaired at cognitive 'branching'. Methods 11 non-medicated patients with major depression were compared to 11 matched controls in a behavioural study on a task of cognitive 'branching'. In the version employed here, we recorded participant's performance as they learnt to perform the task. This involved participants completing a control condition, followed by a working memory condition, a dual-task condition and finally the branching condition, which integrates processes in the working memory and dual-task conditions. We also measured participants on a number of other cognitive tasks as well as mood-state before and after the branching experiment. Results Patients took longer to learn the first condition, but performed comparably to controls after six runs of the task. Overall, reaction times decreased with repeated exposure on the task conditions in controls, with this effect attenuated in patients. Importantly, no differences were found between patients and controls on the branching condition. There was, however, a significant change in mood-state with patients increasing in positive affect and decreasing in negative affect after the experiment. Conclusion We found no clear evidence of a fundamental impairment in anterior prefrontal 'branching processes' in patients with depression. Rather our data argue for a contextual learning impairment underlying cognitive dysfunction in this disorder. Our

An investigation of cognitive 'branching' processes in major depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, Nicholas D; Seal, Marc L; Williams, Steven C R; Mehta, Mitul A

2009-11-10

Patients with depression demonstrate cognitive impairment on a wide range of cognitive tasks, particularly putative tasks of frontal lobe function. Recent models of frontal lobe function have argued that the frontal pole region is involved in cognitive branching, a process requiring holding in mind one goal while performing sub-goal processes. Evidence for this model comes from functional neuroimaging and frontal-pole lesion patients. We have utilised these new concepts to investigate the possibility that patients with depression are impaired at cognitive 'branching'. 11 non-medicated patients with major depression were compared to 11 matched controls in a behavioural study on a task of cognitive 'branching'. In the version employed here, we recorded participant's performance as they learnt to perform the task. This involved participants completing a control condition, followed by a working memory condition, a dual-task condition and finally the branching condition, which integrates processes in the working memory and dual-task conditions. We also measured participants on a number of other cognitive tasks as well as mood-state before and after the branching experiment. Patients took longer to learn the first condition, but performed comparably to controls after six runs of the task. Overall, reaction times decreased with repeated exposure on the task conditions in controls, with this effect attenuated in patients. Importantly, no differences were found between patients and controls on the branching condition. There was, however, a significant change in mood-state with patients increasing in positive affect and decreasing in negative affect after the experiment. We found no clear evidence of a fundamental impairment in anterior prefrontal 'branching processes' in patients with depression. Rather our data argue for a contextual learning impairment underlying cognitive dysfunction in this disorder. Our data suggest that MDD patients are able to perform high

Fault Branching and Long-Term Earthquake Rupture Scenario for Strike-Slip Earthquake

Science.gov (United States)

Klinger, Y.; CHOI, J. H.; Vallage, A.

2017-12-01

Careful examination of surface rupture for large continental strike-slip earthquakes reveals that for the majority of earthquakes, at least one major branch is involved in the rupture pattern. Often, branching might be either related to the location of the epicenter or located toward the end of the rupture, and possibly related to the stopping of the rupture. In this work, we examine large continental earthquakes that show significant branches at different scales and for which ground surface rupture has been mapped in great details. In each case, rupture conditions are described, including dynamic parameters, past earthquakes history, and regional stress orientation, to see if the dynamic stress field would a priori favor branching. In one case we show that rupture propagation and branching are directly impacted by preexisting geological structures. These structures serve as pathways for the rupture attempting to propagate out of its shear plane. At larger scale, we show that in some cases, rupturing a branch might be systematic, hampering possibilities for the development of a larger seismic rupture. Long-term geomorphology hints at the existence of a strong asperity in the zone where the rupture branched off the main fault. There, no evidence of throughgoing rupture could be seen along the main fault, while the branch is well connected to the main fault. This set of observations suggests that for specific configurations, some rupture scenarios involving systematic branching are more likely than others.

Total tree, merchantable stem and branch volume models for ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Total tree, merchantable stem and branch volume models for miombo woodlands of Malawi. Daud J Kachamba, Tron Eid. Abstract. The objective of this study was to develop general (multispecies) models for prediction of total tree, merchantable stem and branch volume including options with diameter at breast height (dbh) ...

The tree of life might be rooted in the branch leading to Nanoarchaeota.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Giulio, Massimo

2007-10-15

It is suggested that the tree of life might be rooted in the domain of the Archaea, in the branch leading to the phylum of Nanoarchaeota. This hypothesis seems to be corroborated by the uniqueness and ancestrality of some traits possessed by Nanoarchaeum equitans, such as split genes separately codifying for the 5' and 3' halves of the tRNA molecule. These half genes are the oldest ancestral form of gene we have ever seen. This, along with the absence of operons from the genome of N. equitans, would seem to indicate that this genome is a molecular fossil of the evolutionary stage which the ancestral genomes had reached when the first lines of divergence were established. Moreover, the late appearance of DNA coinciding with the rooting of the universal phylogenetic tree would make the genome of N. equitans a witness to this fundamental event.

Domains and domain loss

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haberland, Hartmut

2005-01-01

politicians and in the media, especially in the discussion whether some languages undergo ‘domain loss’ vis-à-vis powerful international languages like English. An objection that has been raised here is that domains, as originally conceived, are parameters of language choice and not properties of languages...

Improving the performance of DomainDiscovery of protein domain boundary assignment using inter-domain linker index

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zomaya Albert Y

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Knowledge of protein domain boundaries is critical for the characterisation and understanding of protein function. The ability to identify domains without the knowledge of the structure – by using sequence information only – is an essential step in many types of protein analyses. In this present study, we demonstrate that the performance of DomainDiscovery is improved significantly by including the inter-domain linker index value for domain identification from sequence-based information. Improved DomainDiscovery uses a Support Vector Machine (SVM approach and a unique training dataset built on the principle of consensus among experts in defining domains in protein structure. The SVM was trained using a PSSM (Position Specific Scoring Matrix, secondary structure, solvent accessibility information and inter-domain linker index to detect possible domain boundaries for a target sequence. Results Improved DomainDiscovery is compared with other methods by benchmarking against a structurally non-redundant dataset and also CASP5 targets. Improved DomainDiscovery achieves 70% accuracy for domain boundary identification in multi-domains proteins. Conclusion Improved DomainDiscovery compares favourably to the performance of other methods and excels in the identification of domain boundaries for multi-domain proteins as a result of introducing support vector machine with benchmark_2 dataset.

A new ripplon branch in He II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanatarov, I.V.; Tanatarov, I.V.; Adamenko, I.N.; Nemchenko, K.E.; Wyatt, A.F.G.

2010-01-01

We analyse the dispersion relation of ripplons, on the surface of superfluid helium, using the dispersive hydrodynamics approach and find a new ripplon branch. We obtain analytical equation for the dispersion relation and analytic expressions for the limiting cases. The probabilities of decay of unstable ripplons above the roton gap into rotons are derived. A numerical solution for the ripplon dispersion curve is obtained. The new ripplon branch is found at energies just below the instability point of the bulk spectrum, and is investigated; its stability is discussed.

Induced chorioretinal venous anastomosis in experimental retinal branch vein occlusion.

OpenAIRE

McAllister, I L; Yu, D Y; Vijayasekaran, S; Barry, C; Constable, I

1992-01-01

Iatrogenic retinal vein to choroidal vein anastomoses were created using laser photocoagulation in six of seven dog eyes in which a partial branch retinal vein occlusion had previously been created photochemically. A similar attempt to create an anastomosis was made in six control eyes in which no branch vein occlusion was present. In the eyes in which a branch retinal vein had been created, a venous chorioretinal anastomosis appeared to be present by 3 to 6 weeks. In three control eyes simil...

Business Systems Branch Abilities, Capabilities, and Services Web Page

Science.gov (United States)

Cortes-Pena, Aida Yoguely

2009-01-01

During the INSPIRE summer internship I acted as the Business Systems Branch Capability Owner for the Kennedy Web-based Initiative for Communicating Capabilities System (KWICC), with the responsibility of creating a portal that describes the services provided by this Branch. This project will help others achieve a clear view ofthe services that the Business System Branch provides to NASA and the Kennedy Space Center. After collecting the data through the interviews with subject matter experts and the literature in Business World and other web sites I identified discrepancies, made the necessary corrections to the sites and placed the information from the report into the KWICC web page.

Fast multiprogrammable branch driver for Micral mini-computer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaiser, J.; Lacroix, J.

1975-01-01

This branch driver allows in association with the stack memories of the minicomputer Micral, very fast exchanges with the 7 crates of a CAMAC branch. A CAMAC program (read, write and control commands) is loaded in the IK stack memory of the Micral and executed in sequence at a rate of 1,6μs per CAMAC command. After programm execution, data may be transferred directly on a magnetic tape

Branch-pipe-routing approach for ships using improved genetic algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Sui, Haiteng; Niu, Wentie

2016-09-01

Branch-pipe routing plays fundamental and critical roles in ship-pipe design. The branch-pipe-routing problem is a complex combinatorial optimization problem and is thus difficult to solve when depending only on human experts. A modified genetic-algorithm-based approach is proposed in this paper to solve this problem. The simplified layout space is first divided into threedimensional (3D) grids to build its mathematical model. Branch pipes in layout space are regarded as a combination of several two-point pipes, and the pipe route between two connection points is generated using an improved maze algorithm. The coding of branch pipes is then defined, and the genetic operators are devised, especially the complete crossover strategy that greatly accelerates the convergence speed. Finally, simulation tests demonstrate the performance of proposed method.

Kinematic evolution of the Mbakop Pan-African granitoids (western Cameroon domain): An integrated AMS and EBSD approach

Science.gov (United States)

Bella Nké, B. E.; Njanko, T.; Mamtani, M. A.; Njonfang, E.; Rochette, P.

2018-06-01

This study integrates anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility, microstructural and crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) data from the Mbakop granitic pluton (MGP; Pan-African age) in order to decipher its kinematic evolution. The MGP lies close to NE-SW branch of Central Cameroon Shear Zone (CCSZ) and is emplaced in gneissic basement. High mean magnetic susceptibility and presence of multi-domain magnetite are recorded. Quartz CPO measured using Electron Backscatter diffraction reveals dominance of rhomb , prism and prism slip in different samples, which is consistent with microstructures developed under upper greenschist/amphibolite facies conditions. Quartz CPO along with other kinematic indicators (feldspar porphyroclasts/mineral fish) indicate non-coaxial deformation was important during tectonic evolution of the MGP. Contrasting sense of shear is recorded implying multi-stage mylonitization in the Western Cameroon Domain. Top-towards-south sense of shear is related to regional D2 deformation (613-585 Ma), while top-towards-north is related to D3 (585-540 Ma). The magnetic fabric in MGP records D3. The obliquity between mean orientation of magnetic foliation (N12°E) and the NE-SW CCSZ branch (N48°E) gives kinematic vorticity number of 0.95. This indicates dominantly simple shear with a minor pure shear component. It is concluded that regional transpression was important during MGP emplacement.

Risk Factor Assessment Branch (RFAB)

Science.gov (United States)

The Risk Factor Assessment Branch (RFAB) focuses on the development, evaluation, and dissemination of high-quality risk factor metrics, methods, tools, technologies, and resources for use across the cancer research continuum, and the assessment of cancer-related risk factors in the population.

Two-phase flow through small branches in a horizontal pipe with stratified flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smoglie, C.

1984-12-01

This report presents the description and results of experiments designed to determine the mass flow rate and quality through a small break at the bottom, the top or the side of a main pipe with stratified gas-liquid flow. If the interface level is far below (above) the branch, only single-phase gas (liquid) flow enters the branch. For smaller distances the interface is locally deformed because of the pressure decrease due to the fluid acceleration near the branch inlet (Bernoulli effect) and liquid (gas) can be entrained. This report contains photographs illustrating the flow phenomena as well as a general correlation to determine the beginning of entrainment. Results are presented on the branch mass flow rate and quality as a function of a normalized distance between the interface and the branch inlet. A model was developed which enables to predict the branch quality and mass flux. Results from air-water flow through horizontal branches, were extrapolated for steam water flow at high pressure with critical branch mass flux. (orig./HP) [de

Chemoembolization Via Branches from the Splenic Artery in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Jin Woo; Kim, Hyo-Cheol; Chung, Jin Wook; Kim, Ji Dae; Kim, Gyoung Min; Lee, In Joon; Jae, Hwan Jun; Park, Jae Hyung

2012-01-01

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the radiologic findings and imaging response of chemoembolization via branches of the splenic artery in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: From January 2001 to July 2010, we observed tumor staining supplied by branches of the splenic artery in 34 (0.6%) of 5,413 patients with HCC. Computed tomography (CT) scans and digital subtraction angiograms of these patients were retrospectively reviewed in consensus by two investigators. Results: A total of 39 tumor feeding-vessels in 34 patients were identified: omental branches from the left gastroepiploic artery (n = 5), branches from the short gastric artery (n = 9), and omental branches directly from the splenic artery (n = 25). Branches of the splenic artery that supplied tumors were revealed on the celiac angiogram in 29 (85%) of 34 patients and were detected on pre-procedure CT images in 27 (79%) of 34 patients. Selective chemoembolization was achieved in 38 of 39 tumor-feeding vessels. Complete or partial response of the tumor fed by branches of the splenic artery, as depicted on follow-up CT scans, was achieved in 21 (62%) patients. No patient developed severe complications directly related to chemoembolization via branches of the splenic artery. Conclusions: Omental branches directly from the splenic artery are common tumor-feeding vessels of the splenic artery in cases of advanced HCC with multiple previous chemoembolizations. Tumor-feeding vessels of the splenic artery are usually visualized on the celiac angiogram or CT scan, and chemoembolization through them can be safely performed in most patients.

Environmental Control of Branching in Petunia1[OPEN

Science.gov (United States)

Oplaat, Carla; Wohlers, Mark W.

2015-01-01

Plants alter their development in response to changes in their environment. This responsiveness has proven to be a successful evolutionary trait. Here, we tested the hypothesis that two key environmental factors, light and nutrition, are integrated within the axillary bud to promote or suppress the growth of the bud into a branch. Using petunia (Petunia hybrida) as a model for vegetative branching, we manipulated both light quality (as crowding and the red-to-far-red light ratio) and phosphate availability, such that the axillary bud at node 7 varied from deeply dormant to rapidly growing. In conjunction with the phenotypic characterization, we also monitored the state of the strigolactone (SL) pathway by quantifying SL-related gene transcripts. Mutants in the SL pathway inhibit but do not abolish the branching response to these environmental signals, and neither signal is dominant over the other, suggesting that the regulation of branching in response to the environment is complex. We have isolated three new putatively SL-related TCP (for Teosinte branched1, Cycloidia, and Proliferating cell factor) genes from petunia, and have identified that these TCP-type transcription factors may have roles in the SL signaling pathway both before and after the reception of the SL signal at the bud. We show that the abundance of the receptor transcript is regulated by light quality, such that axillary buds growing in added far-red light have greatly increased receptor transcript abundance. This suggests a mechanism whereby the impact of any SL signal reaching an axillary bud is modulated by the responsiveness of these cells to the signal. PMID:25911529

Branch Development of Five-Year-Old Betula alnoides Plantations in Response to Planting Density

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chun-Sheng Wang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Branch development in the lower part of stem is critical to both early stem growth and wood quality of the most valuable section of tree, and its regulation through planting density has always been greatly concerned. Here the effect of planting density on branch development was examined in a five-year-old plantation of Betula alnoides with six planting densities (625, 833, 1111, 1250, 1667, and 2500 stems per hectare (sph in Guangdong Province, South China. Branch quantity (number, proportion, and density, morphology (diameter, length, and angle, position (height and orientation, and branch status (dead or alive were investigated for 54 dominant or co-dominant trees under six treatments of planting density after the growth of each tree was measured. Factors influencing branch development were also explored by mixed modelling. The results showed that the mean tree heights of 1250 and 1667 sph treatments were higher than those of other planting density treatments. The quantity of live branches decreased with increasing planting density. However, planting density had no significant effect on the number of all branches, and there existed no remarkable difference in branch number and proportion among four orientations. As for branch morphology, only the largest branch diameter had a significantly negative correlation with planting density. In addition, high planting density significantly increased the height of the largest branch within the crown. Mixed effects models indicated that branch diameter, length, and angle were closely correlated with each other, and they were all in positively significant correlation to the branch height at the stem section below six meters. It was concluded that properly increasing planting density will promote natural pruning, improve early branch control, and be beneficial for wood production from the most valuable section of the stem.

Dynamic Properties of Star-Branched Polymer Brushes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sikorski, A.; Romiszowski, P.

2004-01-01

We studied a simplified model of a polymer brush. It consisted of star-branched chains, which were restricted to a simple cubic lattice. Each star-branched macromolecule consisted of three linear arms of equal length emanating from a common origin (the branching point). The chains were grafted to an impenetrable surface, i.e. they were terminally attached to the surface with one arm. The number of chains was varied from low to high grafting density. The model system was studied at good solvent conditions because the excluded volume effect was the only potential of interaction included in the model. The properties of this model system were studied by means of Monte Carlo simulation. The sampling algorithm was based on local changes of chain conformations. The dynamic properties of the polymer brush were studied and correlated with its structure. The differences in relaxation times of particular star arms were shown. The short-time mobility of polymer layers was analyzed. The lateral self-diffusion of chains was also studied and discussed. (author)

78 FR 66265 - Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Elizabeth River, Eastern Branch, Norfolk, VA

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-05

... Operation Regulation; Elizabeth River, Eastern Branch, Norfolk, VA AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Notice... Elizabeth River Eastern Branch, mile 1.1, at Norfolk, VA. This deviation is necessary to facilitate... maintenance. The Norfolk Southern 5 railroad Bridge, at mile 1.1, across the Elizabeth River (Eastern Branch...

Monitoring of an RNA Multistep Folding Pathway by Isothermal Titration Calorimetry

OpenAIRE

Reymond, Cédric; Bisaillon, Martin; Perreault, Jean-Pierre

2009-01-01

Isothermal titration calorimetry was used to monitor the energetic landscape of a catalytic RNA, specifically that of the hepatitis delta virus ribozyme. Using mutants that isolated various tertiary interactions, the thermodynamic parameters of several ribozyme-substrate intermediates were determined. The results shed light on the impact of several tertiary interactions on the global structure of the ribozyme. In addition, the data indicate that the formation of the P1.1 pseudoknot is the lim...

Branching in current-voltage characteristics of intrinsic Josephson junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shukrinov, Yu M; Mahfouzi, F

2007-01-01

We study branching in the current-voltage characteristics of the intrinsic Josephson junctions of high-temperature superconductors in the framework of the capacitively coupled Josephson junction model with diffusion current. A system of dynamical equations for the gauge-invariant phase differences between superconducting layers for a stack of ten intrinsic junctions has been numerically solved. We have obtained a total branch structure in the current-voltage characteristics. We demonstrate the existence of a 'breakpoint region' on the current-voltage characteristics and explain it as a result of resonance between Josephson and plasma oscillations. The effect of the boundary conditions is investigated. The existence of two outermost branches and correspondingly two breakpoint regions for the periodic boundary conditions is shown. One branch, which is observed only at periodic boundary conditions, corresponds to the propagating of the plasma mode. The second one corresponds to the situation when the charge oscillations on the superconducting layers are absent, excluding the breakpoint. A time dependence of the charge oscillations at breakpoints is presented

Branched-Chain Amino Acids.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamamoto, Keisuke; Tsuchisaka, Atsunari; Yukawa, Hideaki

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), viz., L-isoleucine, L-leucine, and L-valine, are essential amino acids that cannot be synthesized in higher organisms and are important nutrition for humans as well as livestock. They are also valued as synthetic intermediates for pharmaceuticals. Therefore, the demand for BCAAs in the feed and pharmaceutical industries is increasing continuously. Traditional industrial fermentative production of BCAAs was performed using microorganisms isolated by random mutagenesis. A collection of these classical strains was also scientifically useful to clarify the details of the BCAA biosynthetic pathways, which are tightly regulated by feedback inhibition and transcriptional attenuation. Based on this understanding of the metabolism of BCAAs, it is now possible for us to pursue strains with higher BCAA productivity using rational design and advanced molecular biology techniques. Additionally, systems biology approaches using augmented omics information help us to optimize carbon flux toward BCAA production. Here, we describe the biosynthetic pathways of BCAAs and their regulation and then overview the microorganisms developed for BCAA production. Other chemicals, including isobutanol, i.e., a second-generation biofuel, can be synthesized by branching the BCAA biosynthetic pathways, which are also outlined.

On the anomalous characteristics in the P and R branches in a hydrogen fulcher band

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kado, Shinichiro; Okamoto, Atsushi; Yamasaki, Daisuke; Iida, Yohei; Kajita, Shin; Shikama, Taiichi; Oishi, Tetsutaro; Tanaka, Satoru; Xiao Bingjia

2006-01-01

Anomalous characteristics in the P and R branches in hydrogen Fulcher-α emissions were investigated with respect to rotational temperature and population in the excited electronic state (upper-Fulcher state). The ro-vibrational population distribution of the ground electronic state was deduced by applying the coronal equilibrium to the Q branch, and then the population for the P and R branches was predicted. The anomalies in P and R branches can be found in the rotational temperature and the branching ratio between the branches. Our results suggest that the sum of the emission from P and R branches seems to agree with that predicted based on the Q branch emission. (author)

The Coin Problem  and Pseudorandomness for Branching Programs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brody, Joshua; Verbin, Elad

2010-01-01

in the model of emph{read-once width-$w$ branching programs}. We prove that in order to succeed in this model, $beta$ must be at least $1/ (log n)^{Theta(w)}$. For constant $w$ this is tight by considering the recursive tribes function, and for other values of $w$ this is nearly tight by considering other read...... be distinguished by small-width read-once branching programs. We suggest one application for this kind of theorems: we prove that Nisan's Generator fools width-$w$ read-once emph{regular} branching programs, using seed length $O(w^4 log n log log n + log n log (1/eps))$. For $w=eps=Theta(1)$, this seed length...

Effect of reinforcement on plastic limit loads of branch junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Yun-Jae; Myeong, Man-Sik; Yoon, Kee-Bong

2009-01-01

This paper provides effects of reinforcement shape and area on plastic limit loads of branch junctions under internal pressure and in-plane/out-of-plane bending, via detailed three-dimensional finite element limit analysis assuming elastic-perfectly plastic material behaviour. It is found that reinforcement is most effective when (in-plane/out-of-plane) bending is applied to the branch pipe. When bending is applied to the run pipe, reinforcement is less effective when bending is applied to the branch pipe. The reinforcement effect is the least effective for internal pressure.

Stable isotopes in a branching coral monitor seasonal temperature variation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunbar, R.B.; Wellington, G.M.

1981-01-01

Results are reported of 18 O composition measurements of specimens of the branching reef coral Pocillopora damicornis, which have grown in the field, while seawater temperatures were continuously recorded. It is shown that seasonal temperature changes are accurately recorded by 18 O variations in branches of this reef coral and that isotopic profiles may be used to estimate growth rates of branching corals, which lack annual density banding. The method provides a technique for high resolution palaeoclimatic reconstruction of seasonal temperature ranges and accurate estimation of rates of reef carbonate production. (U.K.)

Two-phase flow through small branches in a horizontal pipe with stratified flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smoglie, C.

1985-02-01

In the field of reactor safety the occurrence of a small break in a horizontal primary coolant pipe is of great importance. This report presents the description and results of experiments designed to determine the mass flow rate and quality through a small break at the bottom, the top or the side of a main pipe with stratified gas-liquid flow. If the interface level is far below (above) the branch, only single-phase gas (liquid) flow enters the branch. For smaller distances the interface is locally deformed because of the pressure decrease due to the fluid acceleration near the branch inlet (Bernoulli effect) and liquid (gas) can be entrained. This report contains photographs illustrating the flow phenomena as well as a general correlation to determine the beginning of entrainment. Results are presented on the branch mass flow rate and quality as a function of a normalized distance between the interface and the branch inlet. A model was developed which enables to predict the branch quality and mass flux. Results from air-water flow through horizontal branches, were extrapolated for steam water flow at high pressure with critical branch mass flux. (orig./HS) [de

Electronic branching ratio of the τ lepton

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ammar, R.; Baringer, P.; Coppage, D.; Davis, R.; Kelly, M.; Kwak, N.; Lam, H.; Ro, S.; Kubota, Y.; Lattery, M.; Nelson, J.K.; Perticone, D.; Poling, R.; Schrenk, S.; Wang, R.; Alam, M.S.; Kim, I.J.; Nemati, B.; Romero, V.; Sun, C.R.; Wang, P.; Zoeller, M.M.; Crawford, G.; Fulton, R.; Gan, K.K.; Kagan, H.; Kass, R.; Lee, J.; Malchow, R.; Morrow, F.; Sung, M.K.; Whitmore, J.; Wilson, P.; Butler, F.; Fu, X.; Kalbfleisch, G.; Lambrecht, M.; Skubic, P.; Snow, J.; Wang, P.; Bortoletto, D.; Brown, D.N.; Dominick, J.; McIlwain, R.L.; Miller, D.H.; Modesitt, M.; Shibata, E.I.; Schaffner, S.F.; Shipsey, I.P.J.; Battle, M.; Ernst, J.; Kroha, H.; Roberts, S.; Sparks, K.; Thorndike, E.H.; Wang, C.; Stroynowski, R.; Artuso, M.; Goldberg, M.; Haupt, T.; Horwitz, N.; Kennett, R.; Moneti, G.C.; Playfer, S.; Rozen, Y.; Rubin, P.; Skwarnicki, T.; Stone, S.; Thulasidas, M.; Yao, W.; Zhu, G.; Barnes, A.V.; Bartelt, J.; Csorna, S.E.; Jain, V.; Letson, T.; Mestayer, M.D.; Akerib, D.S.; Barish, B.; Chadha, M.; Cowen, D.F.; Eigen, G.; Miller, J.S.; Urheim, J.; Weinstein, A.J.; Morrison, R.J.; Tajima, H.; Schmidt, D.; Sperka, D.; Procario, M.; Daoudi, M.; Ford, W.T.; Johnson, D.R.; Lingel, K.; Lohner, M.; Rankin, P.; Smith, J.G.; Alexander, J.; Bebek, C.; Berkelman, K.; Besson, D.; Browder, T.E.; Cassel, D.G.; Cheu, E.; Coffman, D.M.; Drell, P.S.; Ehrlich, R.; Galik, R.S.; Garcia-Sciveres, M.; Geiser, B.; Gittelman, B.; Gray, S.W.; Hartill, D.L.; Heltsley, B.K.; Honscheid, K.; Jones, C.; Kandaswamy, J.; Katayama, N.; Kim, P.C.; Kreinick, D.L.; Ludwig, G.S.; Masui, J.; Mevissen, J.; Mistry, N.B.; Nandi, S.; Ng, C.R.; Nordberg, E.; O'Grady, C.; Patterson, J.R.; Peterson, D.; Riley, D.; Sapper, M.; Selen, M.; Worden, H.; Worris, M.; Wuerthwein, F.; Avery, P.; Freyberger, A.; Rodriguez, J.; Yelton, J.; Henderson, S.; Kinoshita, K.; Pipkin, F.; Saulnier, M.; Wilson, R.; Wolinski, J.; Xiao, D.; Yamamoto, H.; Sadoff, A.J.

1992-01-01

Using data accumulated by the CLEO I detector operating at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring, we have measured the ratio R=Γ(τ→e bar ν e ν τ )/Γ 1 , where Γ 1 is the τ decay rate to final states with one charged particle. We find R=0.2231±0.0044±0.0073 where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic. Together with the measured topological one-charged-particle branching fraction, this yields the branching fraction of the τ lepton to electrons, B e =0.192±0.004±0.006

Chemical synthesis of a dual branched malto-decaose: A potential substrate for alpha-amylases

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damager, Iben; Jensen, Morten; Olsen, Carl Erik

2005-01-01

A convergent block strategy for general use in efficient synthesis of complex alpha-(1 -> 4)- and alpha-(1 -> 6)-malto-oligosaccharides is demonstrated with the first chemical synthesis of a malto-oligosaccharide, the decasoccharide 6,6""-bis(alpha-maltosyl)-maltohexaose, with two branch points....... Using this chemically defined branched oligosaccharide as a substrate, the cleavage pattern of seven different alpha-amylases were investigated. alpha-Amylases from human saliva, porcine pancreas, barley alpha-amylose 2 and recombinant barley alpha-amylase 1 all hydrolysed the decasaccharide selectively....... This resulted in a branched hexasaccharide and a branched tetrasoccharide. alpha-Amylases from Asperagillus oryzae, Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus sp. cleaved the decasoccharide at two distinct sites, either producing two branched pentasoccharides, or a branched hexasoccharide and a branched...

NCI: DCTD: Biometric Research Branch

Science.gov (United States)

The Biometric Research Branch (BRB) is the statistical and biomathematical component of the Division of Cancer Treatment, Diagnosis and Centers (DCTDC). Its members provide statistical leadership for the national and international research programs of the division in developmental therapeutics, developmental diagnostics, diagnostic imaging and clinical trials.

Isaac Newton Institute of Chile: The fifteenth anniversary of its "Yugoslavia" Branch

Science.gov (United States)

Dimitrijević, M. S.

In 2002, the Isaac Newton Institute of Chile established in Belgrade its "Yugoslavia" Branch, one of 15 branches in nine countries in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. On the occasion of fifteen years since its foundation, the activities of "Yugoslavia" Branch of the Isaac Newton Institute of Chile are briefly reviewed.

Cosmiclike domain walls in superfluid 3He-B: Instantons and diabolical points in (k,r) space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salomaa, M.M.; Volovik, G.E.

1988-01-01

The possible planar superfluid B-B boundaries between inequivalent B-phase vacua are considered; such B-B interfaces provide an analogy with the cosmic domain walls that are believed to have precipitated in the phase transitions of the early Universe. Several of them display nontrivial structure in (k,r) space (i.e., the union of the momentum and real spaces). Such a wall represents an instanton connecting two B-phase vacua with different k-space topology. The transition between the vacua occurs through the formation of a pointlike defect either in the (k,r) space, or in the (k,t) space. These defects are so-called diabolical points of codimension 4, at which the fermionic energy tends to zero, thus providing the fermionic zero modes. Such points are new examples (within condensed-matter physics) of the peculiar diabolical points, which are characterized by the occurrence of a contact between the different branches of the quasiparticle spectra; in the present case, the branches of particles and holes, respectively. These points are here discussed for the case of the superfluid phases of liquid 3 He in close analogy with the quantum field theory of fermions interacting with classical bosonic fields. The cosmiclike domain walls in superfluid 3 He-B are observable in principle; in particular, the motion of the superfluid A-B interface is governed at low temperatures by the periodical emission of these topological excitation planes

Partial branch and bound algorithm for improved data association in multiframe processing

Science.gov (United States)

Poore, Aubrey B.; Yan, Xin

1999-07-01

A central problem in multitarget, multisensor, and multiplatform tracking remains that of data association. Lagrangian relaxation methods have shown themselves to yield near optimal answers in real-time. The necessary improvement in the quality of these solutions warrants a continuing interest in these methods. These problems are NP-hard; the only known methods for solving them optimally are enumerative in nature with branch-and-bound being most efficient. Thus, the development of methods less than a full branch-and-bound are needed for improving the quality. Such methods as K-best, local search, and randomized search have been proposed to improve the quality of the relaxation solution. Here, a partial branch-and-bound technique along with adequate branching and ordering rules are developed. Lagrangian relaxation is used as a branching method and as a method to calculate the lower bound for subproblems. The result shows that the branch-and-bound framework greatly improves the resolution quality of the Lagrangian relaxation algorithm and yields better multiple solutions in less time than relaxation alone.

Experiments and numerical simulations of fluctuating thermal stratification in a branch pipe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakamura, Akira; Murase, Michio; Sasaki, Toru [Inst. of Nuclear Safety System Inc., Mihama, Fukui (Japan); Takenaka, Nobuyuki; Hamatani, Daisuke [Kobe Univ. (Japan)

2002-09-01

Many pipes branch off from the main pipe in plants. When the main flow in the main pipe is hotter than a branch pipe that branches off downward, the hot water penetrates into the branch pipe with the cavity flow that is induced by the main flow and causes thermal stratification. If the interface of the stratification fluctuates in an occluded branch pipe, thermal fatigue may occur in pipe wall. Some experiments and numerical simulations were conducted to elucidate the mechanism of this fluctuating thermal stratification. The vortex structures were observed in the experiments of straight or bent branch pipes. When the main flow was heated and the thermal stratification interface was at the elbow, a ''burst'' phenomenon occurred in the interface in connection with large heat fluctuation. The effects of pipe shape on the length of penetration were investigated in order to modify simulation conditions. The vortex structures and the fluctuating thermal stratification at elbow in the numerical simulation showed good agreement with experiments. (author)

Estimation of Branch Topology Errors in Power Networks by WLAN State Estimation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Hong Rae [Soonchunhyang University(Korea); Song, Kyung Bin [Kei Myoung University(Korea)

2000-06-01

The purpose of this paper is to detect and identify topological errors in order to maintain a reliable database for the state estimator. In this paper, a two stage estimation procedure is used to identify the topology errors. At the first stage, the WLAV state estimator which has characteristics to remove bad data during the estimation procedure is run for finding out the suspected branches at which topology errors take place. The resulting residuals are normalized and the measurements with significant normalized residuals are selected. A set of suspected branches is formed based on these selected measurements; if the selected measurement if a line flow, the corresponding branch is suspected; if it is an injection, then all the branches connecting the injection bus to its immediate neighbors are suspected. A new WLAV state estimator adding the branch flow errors in the state vector is developed to identify the branch topology errors. Sample cases of single topology error and topology error with a measurement error are applied to IEEE 14 bus test system. (author). 24 refs., 1 fig., 9 tabs.

A novel branched chain amino acids responsive transcriptional regulator, BCARR, negatively acts on the proteolytic system in Lactobacillus helveticus.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taketo Wakai

Full Text Available Transcriptional negative regulation of the proteolytic system of Lactobacillus helveticus CM4 in response to amino acids seems to be very important for the control of antihypertensive peptide production; however, it remains poorly understood. A 26-kDa protein with N-terminal cystathionine β-synthase domains (CBS domain protein, which seems to be involved in the regulatory system, was purified by using a DNA-sepharose bound 300-bp DNA fragment corresponding to the upstream regions of the six proteolytic genes that are down-regulated by amino acids. The CBS domain protein bound to a DNA fragment corresponding to the region upstream of the pepV gene in response to branched chain amino acids (BCAAs. The expression of the pepV gene in Escherichia coli grown in BCAA-enriched medium was repressed when the CBS domain protein was co-expressed. These results reveal that the CBS domain protein acts as a novel type of BCAA-responsive transcriptional regulator (BCARR in L. helveticus. From comparative analysis of the promoter regions of the six proteolysis genes, a palindromic AT-rich motif, 5'-AAAAANNCTWTTATT-3', was predicted as the consensus DNA motif for the BCARR protein binding. Footprint analysis using the pepV promotor region and gel shift analyses with the corresponding short DNA fragments strongly suggested that the BCARR protein binds adjacent to the pepV promoter region and affects the transcription level of the pepV gene in the presence of BCAAs. Homology search analysis of the C-terminal region of the BCARR protein suggested the existence of a unique βαββαβ fold structure that has been reported in a variety of ACT (aspartate kinase-chorismate mutase-tyrA domain proteins for sensing amino acids. These results also suggest that the sensing of BCAAs by the ACT domain might promote the binding of the BCARR to DNA sequences upstream of proteolysis genes, which affects the gene expression of the proteolytic system in L. helveticus.

Estimating biological elementary flux modes that decompose a flux distribution by the minimal branching property

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chan, Siu Hung Joshua; Solem, Christian; Jensen, Peter Ruhdal

2014-01-01

biologically feasible EFMs by considering their graphical properties. A previous study on the transcriptional regulation of metabolic genes found that distinct branches at a branch point metabolite usually belong to distinct metabolic pathways. This suggests an intuitive property of biologically feasible EFMs......, i.e. minimal branching. RESULTS: We developed the concept of minimal branching EFM and derived the minimal branching decomposition (MBD) to decompose flux distributions. Testing in the core Escherichia coli metabolic network indicated that MBD can distinguish branches at branch points and greatly...... knowledge, which facilitates interpretation. Comparison of the methods applied to a complex flux distribution in Lactococcus lactis similarly showed the advantages of MBD. The minimal branching EFM concept underlying MBD should be useful in other applications....

The singularity structure of scale-invariant rank-2 Coulomb branches

Science.gov (United States)

Argyres, Philip C.; Long, Cody; Martone, Mario

2018-05-01

We compute the spectrum of scaling dimensions of Coulomb branch operators in 4d rank-2 N=2 superconformal field theories. Only a finite rational set of scaling dimensions is allowed. It is determined by using information about the global topology of the locus of metric singularities on the Coulomb branch, the special Kähler geometry near those singularities, and electric-magnetic duality monodromies along orbits of the U(1) R symmetry. A set of novel topological and geometric results are developed which promise to be useful for the study and classification of Coulomb branch geometries at all ranks.

Association mapping in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) reveals independent control of apical vs. basal branching.

Science.gov (United States)

Nambeesan, Savithri U; Mandel, Jennifer R; Bowers, John E; Marek, Laura F; Ebert, Daniel; Corbi, Jonathan; Rieseberg, Loren H; Knapp, Steven J; Burke, John M

2015-03-11

Shoot branching is an important determinant of plant architecture and influences various aspects of growth and development. Selection on branching has also played an important role in the domestication of crop plants, including sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Here, we describe an investigation of the genetic basis of variation in branching in sunflower via association mapping in a diverse collection of cultivated sunflower lines. Detailed phenotypic analyses revealed extensive variation in the extent and type of branching within the focal population. After correcting for population structure and kinship, association analyses were performed using a genome-wide collection of SNPs to identify genomic regions that influence a variety of branching-related traits. This work resulted in the identification of multiple previously unidentified genomic regions that contribute to variation in branching. Genomic regions that were associated with apical and mid-apical branching were generally distinct from those associated with basal and mid-basal branching. Homologs of known branching genes from other study systems (i.e., Arabidopsis, rice, pea, and petunia) were also identified from the draft assembly of the sunflower genome and their map positions were compared to those of associations identified herein. Numerous candidate branching genes were found to map in close proximity to significant branching associations. In sunflower, variation in branching is genetically complex and overall branching patterns (i.e., apical vs. basal) were found to be influenced by distinct genomic regions. Moreover, numerous candidate branching genes mapped in close proximity to significant branching associations. Although the sunflower genome exhibits localized islands of elevated linkage disequilibrium (LD), these non-random associations are known to decay rapidly elsewhere. The subset of candidate genes that co-localized with significant associations in regions of low LD represents the most

Branch retinal vein occlusion associated with quetiapine fumarate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siang Lim

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background To report a case of branch retinal vein occlusion in a young adult with bipolar mood disorder treated with quetiapine fumarate. Case Presentation A 29 years old gentleman who was taking quetiapine fumarate for 3 years for bipolar mood disorder, presented with sudden vision loss. He was found to have a superior temporal branch retinal vein occlusion associated with hypercholesterolemia. Conclusion Atypical antipsychotic drugs have metabolic side effects which require regular monitoring and prompt treatment.

Anomalous scaling in an age-dependent branching model

OpenAIRE

Keller-Schmidt, Stephanie; Tugrul, Murat; Eguiluz, Victor M.; Hernandez-Garcia, Emilio; Klemm, Konstantin

2010-01-01

We introduce a one-parametric family of tree growth models, in which branching probabilities decrease with branch age $\\tau$ as $\\tau^{-\\alpha}$. Depending on the exponent $\\alpha$, the scaling of tree depth with tree size $n$ displays a transition between the logarithmic scaling of random trees and an algebraic growth. At the transition ($\\alpha=1$) tree depth grows as $(\\log n)^2$. This anomalous scaling is in good agreement with the trend observed in evolution of biological species, thus p...

Right bundle branch block and anterior wall ST elevation myocardial infarction.

Science.gov (United States)

Trofin, Monica; Israel, Carsten W; Barold, S Serge

2017-09-01

We report the case of an acute anterior wall ST elevation myocardial infarction with new left anterior fascicular block and pre-existing right bundle branch block. Due to a wide right bundle branch block, no ST segment elevation was visible in lead V1. The left anterior fascicular block was caused by proximal occlusion of the left artery descending and disappeared after acute revascularization. However, also the R' of the right bundle branch block became significantly shorter after revascularization, dismanteling a minor ST segment elevation. The ST elevation in lead V1 in anterior wall infarction and right bundle branch block may merge with the R' and cause a further QRS widening as an "equivalent" to the ST elevation.

Generalized Markov branching models

OpenAIRE

Li, Junping

2005-01-01

In this thesis, we first considered a modified Markov branching process incorporating both state-independent immigration and resurrection. After establishing the criteria for regularity and uniqueness, explicit expressions for the extinction probability and mean extinction time are presented. The criteria for recurrence and ergodicity are also established. In addition, an explicit expression for the equilibrium distribution is presented.\\ud \\ud We then moved on to investigate the basic proper...

Entrapment of the Martin-Gruber branch of median nerve in the forearm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anu Vinod Ranade

2016-07-01

Full Text Available We report a rare case of a dual neuro-vascular variation, which was observed in the right extremity of male cadaver. About an inch inferior to the elbow joint, three branches arose from the median nerve. These were the anterior interosseous branch, a Martin-Gruber branch (MGB and a muscular branch. The MGB coursed infero-medially to join with the ulnar nerve by running posterior to the ulnar artery. It was surprising to observe that the MGB passed between the ulnar artery and its venae comitantes. There was an acute angulation of the MGB here, suggesting entrapment at this site.

Branched flow and caustics in random media with magnetic fields

Science.gov (United States)

Metzger, Jakob; Fleischmann, Ragnar; Geisel, Theo

2009-03-01

Classical particles as well as quantum mechanical waves exhibit complex behaviour when propagating through random media. One of the dominant features of the dynamics in correlated, weak disorder potentials is the branching of the flow. This can be observed in several physical systems, most notably in the electron flow in two-dimensional electron gases [1], and has also been used to describe the formation of freak waves [2]. We present advances in the theoretical understanding and numerical simulation of classical branched flows in magnetic fields. In particular, we study branching statistics and branch density profiles. Our results have direct consequences for experiments which measure transport properties in electronic systems [3].[1] e.g. M. A. Topinka et al., Nature 410, 183 (2001), M. P. Jura et al., Nature Physics 3, 841 (2007)[2] E. J. Heller, L. Kaplan and A. Dahlen, J. Geophys. Res., 113, C09023 (2008)[3] J. J. Metzger, R. Fleischmann and T. Geisel, in preparation

Single-crystalline self-branched anatase titania nanowires for dye-sensitized solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhenquan; Yang, Huang; Wu, Fei; Fu, Jianxun; Wang, Linjun; Yang, Weiguang

2017-03-01

The morphology of the anatase titania plays an important role in improving the photovoltaic performance in dye-sensitized solar cells. In this work, single-crystalline self-branched anatase TiO2 nanowires have been synthesized by hydrothermal method using TBAH and CTAB as morphology controlling agents. The obtained self-branched TiO2 nanowires dominated by a large percentage of (010) facets. The photovoltaic conversion efficiency (6.37%) of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) based on the self-branched TiO2 nanowires shows a significant improvement (26.6%) compared to that of P25 TiO2 (5.03%). The enhanced performance of the self-branched TiO2 nanowires-based DSSC is due to heir large percent of exposed (010) facets which have strong dye adsorption capacity and effective charge transport of the self-branched 1D nanostructures.

Ds tagging of BRANCHED FLORETLESS 1 (BFL1 that mediates the transition from spikelet to floret meristem in rice (Oryza sativa L

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hoque Mohammad

2003-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The genetics of spikelet formation, a feature unique to grasses such as rice and maize, is yet to be fully understood, although a number of meristem and organ identity mutants have been isolated and investigated in Arabidopsis and maize. Using a two-element Ac/Ds transposon tagging system we have isolated a rice mutant, designated branched floretless 1 (bfl1 which is defective in the transition from spikelet meristem to floret meristem. Results The bfl1 mutant shows normal differentiation of the primary rachis-branches leading to initial spikelet meristem (bract-like structure equivalent to rudimentary glumes formation but fails to develop empty glumes and florets. Instead, axillary meristems in the bract-like structure produce sequential alternate branching, thus resulting in a coral shaped morphology of the branches in the developing panicle. The bfl1 mutant harbours a single Ds insertion in the upstream region of the BFL1 gene on chromosome 7 corresponding to PAC clone P0625E02 (GenBank Acc No. message URL http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=nucleotide&list_uids=34395191&dopt=GenBank&term=ap004570AP004570. RT-PCR analyses revealed a drastic reduction of BFL1 transcript levels in the bfl1 mutant compared to that in the wild-type. In each of the normal panicle-bearing progeny plants, from occasional revertant seeds of the vegetatively-propagated mutant plant, Ds was shown to be excised from the bfl1 locus. BFL1 contains an EREBP/AP2 domain and is most likely an ortholog of the maize transcription factor gene BRANCHED SILKLESS1 (BD1. Conclusions bfl1 is a Ds-tagged rice mutant defective in the transition from spikelet meristem (SM to floret meristem (FM. BFL1 is most probably a rice ortholog of the maize ERF (EREBP/AP2 transcription factor gene BD1. Based on the similarities in mutant phenotypes bfl1 is likely to be an allele of the previously reported frizzy panicle locus.

Automated Detection of Branch Shaking Locations for Robotic Cherry Harvesting Using Machine Vision

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suraj Amatya

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Automation in cherry harvesting is essential to reduce the demand for seasonal labor for cherry picking and reduce the cost of production. The mechanical shaking of tree branches is one of the widely studied and used techniques for harvesting small tree fruit crops like cherries. To automate the branch shaking operation, different methods of detecting branches and cherries in full foliage canopies of the cherry tree have been developed previously. The next step in this process is the localization of shaking positions in the detected tree branches for mechanical shaking. In this study, a method of locating shaking positions for automated cherry harvesting was developed based on branch and cherry pixel locations determined using RGB images and 3D camera images. First, branch and cherry regions were located in 2D RGB images. Depth information provided by a 3D camera was then mapped on to the RGB images using a standard stereo calibration method. The overall root mean square error in estimating the distance to desired shaking points was 0.064 m. Cherry trees trained in two different canopy architectures, Y-trellis and vertical trellis systems, were used in this study. Harvesting testing was carried out by shaking tree branches at the locations selected by the algorithm. For the Y-trellis system, the maximum fruit removal efficiency of 92.9% was achieved using up to five shaking events per branch. However, maximum fruit removal efficiency for the vertical trellis system was 86.6% with up to four shakings per branch. However, it was found that only three shakings per branch would achieve a fruit removal percentage of 92.3% and 86.4% in Y and vertical trellis systems respectively.

Survival probabilities for branching Brownian motion with absorption

OpenAIRE

Harris, John; Harris, Simon

2007-01-01

We study a branching Brownian motion (BBM) with absorption, in which particles move as Brownian motions with drift $-\\rho$, undergo dyadic branching at rate $\\beta>0$, and are killed on hitting the origin. In the case $\\rho>\\sqrt{2\\beta}$ the extinction time for this process, $\\zeta$, is known to be finite almost surely. The main result of this article is a large-time asymptotic formula for the survival probability $P^x(\\zeta>t)$ in the case $\\rho>\\sqrt{2\\beta}$, where $P^x$ is...

Intensity of rivalry among existing competitors in the wine-making branch

OpenAIRE

Radka Šperková; Helena Hejmalová

2012-01-01

The analysis of the rivalry among existing competitors in the wine-making branch is the aim of this paper. On the whole, the rivalry among existing companies in the wine-making branch may be described as intensive. When evaluating the level of intensity of rivalry among existing businesses in the branch, it is necessary to take into consideration their size and market share. Among first ten most significant companies on the market (84% market share) there is intensive competing. Individual co...

Metabolism of methyl-branched iodo palmitic acids in cultured hepatocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, G.; Pepin, D.; Loriette, C.; Chambaz, J.; Bereziat, G.; Vidal, M.; Apparu, M.; Coornaert, S.

1989-01-01

The metabolic fate of methyl-branched iodo fatty acids was studied in primary culture of rat hepatocytes. We compared 16-iodo-2-R,S-methyl palmitic acid (2-Me), which can be β oxidized, with 16-iodo-3-R,S-methyl palmitic acid (3-Me) which can be β oxidized only after an initial α oxydation and with 16-iodo-2,2-dimethyl palmitic acid (2,2-Me 2 ) and 16-iodo-3,3-dimethyl palmitic acid (3,3-Me 2 ) which cannot be β oxidized at all. The normal fate of natural fatty acids was given by comparative experiments with [1- 14 C] palmitic acid. Monomethyl-branched iodo fatty acids were taken up in the same range as palmitic acid but more than dimethyl-branched iodo fatty acids. After a 15-h incubation, acido-soluble products (ASP) accounted for 75% of the radioactivity taken up as 16-iodo-2-methyl palmitic acid, 50% as other methyl-branched iodo fatty acids and only 30% as palmitic acid. Cultured hepatocytes, labelled for 3 h with the various fatty acids and reincubated for 12 h without fatty acid, secreted large amounts of free dimethyl-branched iodo fatty acids as compared to the monomethyl ones and palmitic acid. Only hepatocytes prelabelled with 16-[ 125 I]iodo-2,2-dimethyl palmitic acid exhibited an appreciable secretion of labeled triglycerides, but at a lower rate than with [1- 14 C] palmitic acid. Conversely, the 16-iodo-monomethyl palmitic acids remained chiefly in hepatocyte triglycerides. Minute amounts of 16-iodo-methyl-branched palmitic acids were found in hepatocyte or secreted phospholipids as compared with palmitic acid. (orig.)

Measurement of the super-allowed branching ratio of $^{22}$Mg

CERN Multimedia

We propose to measure the super-allowed branching ratio and the half-life of $^{22}$Mg, one of the least-well-measured $0^{+} \\rightarrow 0^{+}$ transitions of the 14 nuclei used to determine V$_{ud}$ and to test the unitarity of the CKM matrix. We propose measurements which should allow to significantly improve the precision on the super-allowed branching ratio employing a precisely efficiency calibrated germanium detector and on the half-life. As no method exists to greatly improve (e.g. an order of magnitude) on previous results, the branching ratio and the half-life have to be measured several times with independent methods and in independent experiments.

Interactive Design and Visualization of Branched Covering Spaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Lawrence; Kumar, Prashant; Golbabaei, Sanaz; Zhang, Yue; Zhang, Eugene

2018-01-01

Branched covering spaces are a mathematical concept which originates from complex analysis and topology and has applications in tensor field topology and geometry remeshing. Given a manifold surface and an -way rotational symmetry field, a branched covering space is a manifold surface that has an -to-1 map to the original surface except at the ramification points, which correspond to the singularities in the rotational symmetry field. Understanding the notion and mathematical properties of branched covering spaces is important to researchers in tensor field visualization and geometry processing, and their application areas. In this paper, we provide a framework to interactively design and visualize the branched covering space (BCS) of an input mesh surface and a rotational symmetry field defined on it. In our framework, the user can visualize not only the BCSs but also their construction process. In addition, our system allows the user to design the geometric realization of the BCS using mesh deformation techniques as well as connecting tubes. This enables the user to verify important facts about BCSs such as that they are manifold surfaces around singularities, as well as the Riemann-Hurwitz formula which relates the Euler characteristic of the BCS to that of the original mesh. Our system is evaluated by student researchers in scientific visualization and geometry processing as well as faculty members in mathematics at our university who teach topology. We include their evaluations and feedback in the paper.

Fragrance Release from the Surface of Branched Poly (Amide S

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Youngs

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Enzymes are powerful tools in organic synthesis that are able to catalyse a wide variety of selective chemical transformations under mild and environmentally friendly conditions. Enzymes such as the lipases have also found applications in the synthesis and degradation of polymeric materials. However, the use of these natural catalysts in the synthesis and the post-synthetic modification of dendrimers and hyperbranched molecules is an application of chemistry yet to be explored extensively. In this study the use of two hydrolytic enzymes, a lipase from Candida cylindracea and a cutinase from Fusarium solani pisii, were investigated in the selective cleavage of ester groups situated on the peripheral layer of two families of branched polyamides. These branched polyamides were conjugated to simple fragrances citronellol and L-menthol via ester linkages. Hydrolysis of the ester linkage between the fragrances and the branched polyamide support was carried out in aqueous buffered systems at slightly basic pH values under the optimum operative conditions for the enzymes used. These preliminary qualitative investigations revealed that partial cleavage of the ester functionalities from the branched polyamide support had occurred. However, the ability of the enzymes to interact with the substrates decreased considerably as the branching density, the rigidity of the structure and the bulkiness of the polyamide-fragrance conjugates increased.

Centrosome Amplification Increases Single-Cell Branching in Post-mitotic Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Ricolo, Delia; Deligiannaki, Myrto; Casanova, Jordi; Araújo, Sofia J

2016-10-24

Centrosome amplification is a hallmark of cancer, although we are still far from understanding how this process affects tumorigenesis [1, 2]. Besides the contribution of supernumerary centrosomes to mitotic defects, their biological effects in the post-mitotic cell are not well known. Here, we exploit the effects of centrosome amplification in post-mitotic cells during single-cell branching. We show that Drosophila tracheal cells with extra centrosomes branch more than wild-type cells. We found that mutations in Rca1 and CycA affect subcellular branching, causing tracheal tip cells to form more than one subcellular lumen. We show that Rca1 and CycA post-mitotic cells have supernumerary centrosomes and that other mutant conditions that increase centrosome number also show excess of subcellular lumen branching. Furthermore, we show that de novo lumen formation is impaired in mutant embryos with fewer centrioles. The data presented here define a requirement for the centrosome as a microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) for the initiation of subcellular lumen formation. We propose that centrosomes are necessary to drive subcellular lumen formation. In addition, centrosome amplification increases single-cell branching, a process parallel to capillary sprouting in blood vessels [3]. These results shed new light on how centrosomes can contribute to pathology independently of mitotic defects. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The estimation of branching curves in the presence of subject-specific random effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Elmi, Angelo; Ratcliffe, Sarah J; Guo, Wensheng

2014-12-20

Branching curves are a technique for modeling curves that change trajectory at a change (branching) point. Currently, the estimation framework is limited to independent data, and smoothing splines are used for estimation. This article aims to extend the branching curve framework to the longitudinal data setting where the branching point varies by subject. If the branching point is modeled as a random effect, then the longitudinal branching curve framework is a semiparametric nonlinear mixed effects model. Given existing issues with using random effects within a smoothing spline, we express the model as a B-spline based semiparametric nonlinear mixed effects model. Simple, clever smoothness constraints are enforced on the B-splines at the change point. The method is applied to Women's Health data where we model the shape of the labor curve (cervical dilation measured longitudinally) before and after treatment with oxytocin (a labor stimulant). Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Branching of positive discharge streamers in air at varying pressures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Briels, T.M.P.; Veldhuizen, van E.M.; Ebert, U.M.

2005-01-01

The formation of positive streamers in a 17-mm gap in air is studied at pressures varying in the range from 1010 to 100 mbar. An intensified charge coupled device camera is used to image the discharge. At high pressures, the discharge shows many branches, while at low pressure, fewer branches arise.

Dorzolamide increases retinal oxygen tension after branch retinal vein occlusion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Noergaard, Michael Hove; Bach-Holm, Daniella; Scherfig, Erik

2008-01-01

To study the effect of dorzolamide on the preretinal oxygen tension (RPO(2)) in retinal areas affected by experimental branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) in pigs.......To study the effect of dorzolamide on the preretinal oxygen tension (RPO(2)) in retinal areas affected by experimental branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) in pigs....

Chemical Analysis of Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars in M62

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lapenna, E.; Mucciarelli, A.; Ferraro, F. R.; Origlia, L.; Lanzoni, B.; Massari, D.; Dalessandro, E.

2015-01-01

We have collected UVES-FLAMES high-resolution spectra for a sample of 6 asymptotic giant branch (AGB) and 13 red giant branch (RGB) stars in the Galactic globular cluster (GC) M62 (NGC 6266). Here we present the detailed abundance analysis of iron, titanium, and light elements (O, Na, Mg, and Al).

The BRCT domain is a phospho-protein binding domain.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Xiaochun; Chini, Claudia Christiano Silva; He, Miao; Mer, Georges; Chen, Junjie

2003-10-24

The carboxyl-terminal domain (BRCT) of the Breast Cancer Gene 1 (BRCA1) protein is an evolutionarily conserved module that exists in a large number of proteins from prokaryotes to eukaryotes. Although most BRCT domain-containing proteins participate in DNA-damage checkpoint or DNA-repair pathways, or both, the function of the BRCT domain is not fully understood. We show that the BRCA1 BRCT domain directly interacts with phosphorylated BRCA1-Associated Carboxyl-terminal Helicase (BACH1). This specific interaction between BRCA1 and phosphorylated BACH1 is cell cycle regulated and is required for DNA damage-induced checkpoint control during the transition from G2 to M phase of the cell cycle. Further, we show that two other BRCT domains interact with their respective physiological partners in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. Thirteen additional BRCT domains also preferentially bind phospho-peptides rather than nonphosphorylated control peptides. These data imply that the BRCT domain is a phospho-protein binding domain involved in cell cycle control.

Branching bisimulation congruence for probabilistic systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Andova, S.; Georgievska, S.; Trcka, N.

2012-01-01

A notion of branching bisimilarity for the alternating model of probabilistic systems, compatible with parallel composition, is defined. For a congruence result, an internal transition immediately followed by a non-trivial probability distribution is not considered inert. A weaker definition of

SERCA directs cell migration and branching across species and germ layers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danielle V. Bower

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Branching morphogenesis underlies organogenesis in vertebrates and invertebrates, yet is incompletely understood. Here, we show that the sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ reuptake pump (SERCA directs budding across germ layers and species. Clonal knockdown demonstrated a cell-autonomous role for SERCA in Drosophila air sac budding. Live imaging of Drosophila tracheogenesis revealed elevated Ca2+ levels in migratory tip cells as they form branches. SERCA blockade abolished this Ca2+ differential, aborting both cell migration and new branching. Activating protein kinase C (PKC rescued Ca2+ in tip cells and restored cell migration and branching. Likewise, inhibiting SERCA abolished mammalian epithelial budding, PKC activation rescued budding, while morphogens did not. Mesoderm (zebrafish angiogenesis and ectoderm (Drosophila nervous system behaved similarly, suggesting a conserved requirement for cell-autonomous Ca2+ signaling, established by SERCA, in iterative budding.

Particle-in-cell modeling of streamer branching in CO2 gas

KAUST Repository

Levko, Dmitry

2017-07-07

The mechanism of streamer branching remains one of the unsolved problems of low-temperature plasma physics. The understanding of this phenomenon requires very high-fidelity models that include, for instance, the kinetic description of electrons. In this paper, we use a two-dimensional particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collisional model to study the branching of anode-directed streamers propagating through short cathode-anode gap filled with atmospheric-pressure CO2 gas. We observe three key phenomena leading to the streamer branching at the considered conditions: flattening of the streamer head, the decrease of the streamer head thickness, and the generation at the streamer head of electrons having the energy larger than 50 eV. For the conditions of our studies, the non-homogeneous distribution of such energetic electrons at the streamer head is probably the primary mechanism responsible for the streamer branching.

Branched nanotrees with immobilized acetylcholine esterase for nanobiosensor applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Risveden, Klas; Dick, Kimberly A; Bhand, Sunil

2010-01-01

A novel lab-on-a-chip nanotree enzyme reactor is demonstrated for the detection of acetylcholine. The reactors are intended for use in the RISFET (regional ion sensitive field effect transistor) nanosensor, and are constructed from gold-tipped branched nanorod structures grown on SiN(x)-covered w......A novel lab-on-a-chip nanotree enzyme reactor is demonstrated for the detection of acetylcholine. The reactors are intended for use in the RISFET (regional ion sensitive field effect transistor) nanosensor, and are constructed from gold-tipped branched nanorod structures grown on Si......N(x)-covered wafers. Two different reactors are shown: one with simple, one-dimensional nanorods and one with branched nanorod structures (nanotrees). Significantly higher enzymatic activity is found for the nanotree reactors than for the nanorod reactors, most likely due to the increased gold surface area...

Unusually Looped and Muzzled Branches of Right Coronary Artery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anitha Guru

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Coronary artery disease (CAD is the major cause of death in developed countries as it accounts on an average for 1 of every 5 deaths. Morphological variations of coronary arterial system is one of the causative factor for CAD. Anatomical knowledge of all possible variant patterns of coronary arterial system is imperative in the diagnostic and therapeutic approach of CAD. We report here a rare branching pattern of right coronary artery (RCA. The origin of RCA was normal but the course and branching pattern of it were atypical. RCA was not occupying its usual position in atrioventricular (coronary sulcus and its course was incomplete. It gave a ventricular branch to right ventricle, which presented an unusual looping pattern. It terminated as right marginal artery following its muzzled appearance within the musculature of the ventricle.

Weighted Branching Simulation Distance for Parametric Weighted Kripke Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Foshammer, Louise; Larsen, Kim Guldstrand; Mariegaard, Anders

2016-01-01

This paper concerns branching simulation for weighted Kripke structures with parametric weights. Concretely, we consider a weighted extension of branching simulation where a single transitions can be matched by a sequence of transitions while preserving the branching behavior. We relax this notion...... to allow for a small degree of deviation in the matching of weights, inducing a directed distance on states. The distance between two states can be used directly to relate properties of the states within a sub-fragment of weighted CTL. The problem of relating systems thus changes to minimizing the distance...... which, in the general parametric case, corresponds to finding suitable parameter valuations such that one system can approximately simulate another. Although the distance considers a potentially infinite set of transition sequences we demonstrate that there exists an upper bound on the length...

Managing International Branch Campuses: Lessons Learnt from Eight Years on a Branch Campus in Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Christopher; Thabet, Rawy Abdelrahman

2018-01-01

Purpose: International branch campuses (IBCs) are complex entities and while much has been written about their expansion and development, the literature is largely from an external perspective. There have been few longitudinal studies examining the development of an IBC over time. The purpose of this paper is to review the development of one IBC…

Side-branch wire entrapment during bifurcation PCI: avoidance and management.

Science.gov (United States)

Burns, Andrew T; Gutman, Jack; Whitbourn, Rob

2010-02-15

An LAD/D1 bifurcation intervention was complicated by side-branch wire entrapment and unravelling requiring goose-neck snare removal. Residual microfilaments were retrieved from the main branch after further balloon inflations with a satisfactory final angiographic result and one-year follow-up. Various methods are available to avoid and deal with this complication.

Automatic detection of coronary arterial branches from X-ray angiograms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Shan; Eiho, Shigeru

1992-01-01

This paper describes a method to trace the coronary arterial boundaries automatically from x-ray angiograms. We developed an automatic procedure to detect the edges of an artery with its branches. The edge point is evaluated by a function based on smoothing differential operator on a searching line which is obtained by using the continuous properties of the arterial edges. Thus the boundary points along the artery are detected automatically. If there exists a branch on the boundary, it can be detected automatically. This information about the branch is stored on the stack of the search information and will be used to detect the branch artery. In our edge detection process, the required user interaction is only the manual definition of a starting point for the search, the direction of the search and the range for search. We tested this method on some images generated by a computer with different stenoses and on a coronary angiogram. These results show that this method is useful for analyzing coronary angiograms. (author)

The branch librarians' handbook

CERN Document Server

Rivers, Vickie

2004-01-01

""Recommended""--Booklist; ""an excellent addition...highly recommended""--Public Libraries; ""clear...very sound advice...strongly recommend""--Catholic Library World; ""excellent resource...organized...well written""--Against the Grain; ""interesting...thoroughly practical...a very good book...well organized...clearly written""--ARBA. This handbook covers a wide variety of issues that the branch librarian must deal with every day. Chapters are devoted to mission statements (the Dallas Public Library and Dayton Metro Library mission statements are highlighted as examples), library systems,

A DHHC-type zinc finger protein gene regulates shoot branching in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

hope&shola

Arabidopsis. Key words: Arabidopsis, DHHC-type zinc finger protein, At5g04270, shoot branching. ..... and human HIP14 (Ducker et al., 2004), were isolated and identified to .... the control of branching in the rms1 mutant of pea. Plant Physiol.

Branching pattern of lenticulostriate arteries observed by MR angiography at 3.0 T

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akashi, Toshiaki; Taoka, Toshiaki; Ochi, Tomoko; Miyasaka, Toshiteru; Wada, Takeshi; Sakamoto, Masahiko; Kichikawa, Kimihiko; Takewa, Megumi

2012-01-01

We hypothesized that the pattern of branching of the lenticulostriate arteries (LSAs) is involved in the variation of the distribution of the infarction within the LSA region. Our purpose was to evaluate the visibility of LSAs in 3D time-of-flight (TOF) MR angiography (MRA) with a 3.0 T scanner and to investigate the branching patterns of LSAs. We performed 3D TOF MRA at 3.0 T for 100 healthy subjects. We assessed the number of LSAs and the number of branches arising from each LSA by evaluating MRA source images. In 200 hemispheres, 330 LSAs were visualized (mean=1.65/hemisphere). In 3.5% of all hemispheres, no LSA was depicted; one LSA was depicted in 39%, two in 46.5%, and three in 11%. The maximum number of depicted LSA branches was five in 2% of all subjects, four in 7%, three in 26%, and two in 49% (mean=2.3/subject). A large LSA trunk with three or more branches was found in 35% of subjects. Visualization of LSAs was possible in 96.5% of subjects by use of 3.0 T MRA. LSA branching patterns were variable, and a large LSA trunk with three or more branches was common. (author)

Dissecting Genetic Network of Fruit Branch Traits in Upland Cotton by Association Mapping Using SSR Markers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yongjun Mei

Full Text Available Genetic architecture of branch traits has large influences on the morphological structure, photosynthetic capacity, planting density, and yield of Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.. This research aims to reveal the genetic effects of six branch traits, including bottom fruit branch node number (BFBNN, bottom fruit branch length (BFBL, middle fruit branch node number (MFBNN, middle fruit branch length (MFBL, upper fruit branch node number (UFBNN, and upper fruit branch length (UFBL. Association mapping was conducted for these traits of 39 lines and their 178 F1 hybrids in three environments. There were 20 highly significant Quantitative Trait SSRs (QTSs detected by mixed linear model approach analyzing a full genetic model with genetic effects of additive, dominance, epistasis and their environment interaction. The phenotypic variation explained by genetic effects ranged from 32.64 ~ 91.61%, suggesting these branch traits largely influenced by genetic factors.

The International Branch Campus as Transnational Strategy in Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkins, Stephen; Huisman, Jeroen

2012-01-01

The international branch campus is a phenomenon on the rise, but we still have limited knowledge of the strategic choices underlying the start of these ventures. The objective of this paper is to shed light on the motivations and decisions of universities to engage (or not) with the establishment of international branch campuses. As a point of…

Magnetization reversal and domain correlation for a non-collinear and out-of-plane exchange-coupled system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paul, Amitesh; Paul, N; Mattauch, Stefan

2011-01-01

We have investigated the impact of out-of-plane ferromagnetic (FM) anisotropy (which can be coincident with the direction of unidirectional anisotropy), where antiferromagnetic (AF) anisotropy is along the film plane. This provides a platform for non-collinear exchange coupling in an archetypal exchange coupled system in an unconventional way. We probe the in-plane magnetization by the depth-sensitive vector magnetometry technique. The experimental findings reveal a magnetization reversal (i) that is symmetric for both the branches of the hysteresis loop, (ii) that is characterized by vertically correlated domains associated with a strong transverse component of magnetization and (iii) that remains untrained (suppression of trained state) with field cycling. This scenario has been compared with in-plane magnetization reversal for a conventional in-plane unidirectional anisotropic case in the same system that shows usual asymmetric reversal and training for vertically uncorrelated domains. We explain the above observations for the out-of-plane case in terms of inhomogeneous magnetic states due to competing perpendicular anisotropies that result in non-collinear FM-AF coupling. This study provides direct evidence for the vertical correlation of domains mediated by out-of-plane exchange coupling.

Domain analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjørland, Birger

2017-01-01

The domain-analytic approach to knowledge organization (KO) (and to the broader field of library and information science, LIS) is outlined. The article reviews the discussions and proposals on the definition of domains, and provides an example of a domain-analytic study in the field of art studies....... Varieties of domain analysis as well as criticism and controversies are presented and discussed....

Inferring domain-domain interactions from protein-protein interactions with formal concept analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susan Khor

Full Text Available Identifying reliable domain-domain interactions will increase our ability to predict novel protein-protein interactions, to unravel interactions in protein complexes, and thus gain more information about the function and behavior of genes. One of the challenges of identifying reliable domain-domain interactions is domain promiscuity. Promiscuous domains are domains that can occur in many domain architectures and are therefore found in many proteins. This becomes a problem for a method where the score of a domain-pair is the ratio between observed and expected frequencies because the protein-protein interaction network is sparse. As such, many protein-pairs will be non-interacting and domain-pairs with promiscuous domains will be penalized. This domain promiscuity challenge to the problem of inferring reliable domain-domain interactions from protein-protein interactions has been recognized, and a number of work-arounds have been proposed. This paper reports on an application of Formal Concept Analysis to this problem. It is found that the relationship between formal concepts provides a natural way for rare domains to elevate the rank of promiscuous domain-pairs and enrich highly ranked domain-pairs with reliable domain-domain interactions. This piggybacking of promiscuous domain-pairs onto less promiscuous domain-pairs is possible only with concept lattices whose attribute-labels are not reduced and is enhanced by the presence of proteins that comprise both promiscuous and rare domains.

Inferring Domain-Domain Interactions from Protein-Protein Interactions with Formal Concept Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Khor, Susan

2014-01-01

Identifying reliable domain-domain interactions will increase our ability to predict novel protein-protein interactions, to unravel interactions in protein complexes, and thus gain more information about the function and behavior of genes. One of the challenges of identifying reliable domain-domain interactions is domain promiscuity. Promiscuous domains are domains that can occur in many domain architectures and are therefore found in many proteins. This becomes a problem for a method where the score of a domain-pair is the ratio between observed and expected frequencies because the protein-protein interaction network is sparse. As such, many protein-pairs will be non-interacting and domain-pairs with promiscuous domains will be penalized. This domain promiscuity challenge to the problem of inferring reliable domain-domain interactions from protein-protein interactions has been recognized, and a number of work-arounds have been proposed. This paper reports on an application of Formal Concept Analysis to this problem. It is found that the relationship between formal concepts provides a natural way for rare domains to elevate the rank of promiscuous domain-pairs and enrich highly ranked domain-pairs with reliable domain-domain interactions. This piggybacking of promiscuous domain-pairs onto less promiscuous domain-pairs is possible only with concept lattices whose attribute-labels are not reduced and is enhanced by the presence of proteins that comprise both promiscuous and rare domains. PMID:24586450

Flood-inundation and flood-mitigation modeling of the West Branch Wapsinonoc Creek Watershed in West Branch, Iowa

Science.gov (United States)

Cigrand, Charles V.

2018-03-26

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the city of West Branch and the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site of the National Park Service assessed flood-mitigation scenarios within the West Branch Wapsinonoc Creek watershed. The scenarios are intended to demonstrate several means of decreasing peak streamflows and improving the conveyance of overbank flows from the West Branch Wapsinonoc Creek and its tributary Hoover Creek where they flow through the city and the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site located within the city.Hydrologic and hydraulic models of the watershed were constructed to assess the flood-mitigation scenarios. To accomplish this, the models used the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center-Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC–HMS) version 4.2 to simulate the amount of runoff and streamflow produced from single rain events. The Hydrologic Engineering Center-River Analysis System (HEC–RAS) version 5.0 was then used to construct an unsteady-state model that may be used for routing streamflows, mapping areas that may be inundated during floods, and simulating the effects of different measures taken to decrease the effects of floods on people and infrastructure.Both models were calibrated to three historic rainfall events that produced peak streamflows ranging between the 2-year and 10-year flood-frequency recurrence intervals at the USGS streamgage (05464942) on Hoover Creek. The historic rainfall events were calibrated by using data from two USGS streamgages along with surveyed high-water marks from one of the events. The calibrated HEC–HMS model was then used to simulate streamflows from design rainfall events of 24-hour duration ranging from a 20-percent to a 1-percent annual exceedance probability. These simulated streamflows were incorporated into the HEC–RAS model.The unsteady-state HEC–RAS model was calibrated to represent existing conditions within the watershed. HEC–RAS model simulations with the

Against Consilience: Outsider Scholarship and the Isthmus Theory of Knowledge Domains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mike King

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The endless proliferation of human knowledge within sub-disciplines represents not so much a tree structure of knowledge from which we can stand back and admire some organic unity as the tentacles of an octopus dragging us down into anguished division. The anguish is genuine and has been expressed since the Enlightenment by many types of thinker. This paper argues however that the anguish does not in fact arise from the nature of human knowledge but from the mistaken belief in the possibility of its unification. The desire for the unitive has been erroneously transplanted from its proper context – the mystical – to the domain of knowledge, as the latter – particularly under the rubric of “science” – has become the only culturally legitimised stance towards the world. Conventional scholarship, while busy creating sub-branches and sub-sub-branches on which the leaves of new knowledge sprout with vigour and abandon, is powerless to avoid this feeling of anguish. It feels compromised in the thwarted longing for a lost sense unity. “Outsider scholarship” – of the type practiced by Koestler, Schumacher and Pirsig – is often preoccupied with just this question, but is free to propose various taxonomies of knowledge, often of an unfashionably hierarchical kind, that cut across conventional boundaries and which provide a basis for an uncompromised relationship with knowledge. This paper starts with a brief consideration of outsider scholarship, including its anachronistic characteristics, and then turns to Pirsig’s meditation on the technologies behind the word-processor, which lead to an “isthmus theory of knowledge domains.” It then considers Steven Jay Gould’s non-overlapping magisteria, and the hint from Ken Wilber about epistemological pluralism. These are then used to show why E. O. Wilson’s consilience is misguided: it represents the final triumph of logical positivism – a takeover bid for the humanities by the

Path integral formulation and Feynman rules for phylogenetic branching models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jarvis, P D; Bashford, J D; Sumner, J G [School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Tasmania, GPO Box 252C, 7001 Hobart, TAS (Australia)

2005-11-04

A dynamical picture of phylogenetic evolution is given in terms of Markov models on a state space, comprising joint probability distributions for character types of taxonomic classes. Phylogenetic branching is a process which augments the number of taxa under consideration, and hence the rank of the underlying joint probability state tensor. We point out the combinatorial necessity for a second-quantized, or Fock space setting, incorporating discrete counting labels for taxa and character types, to allow for a description in the number basis. Rate operators describing both time evolution without branching, and also phylogenetic branching events, are identified. A detailed development of these ideas is given, using standard transcriptions from the microscopic formulation of non-equilibrium reaction-diffusion or birth-death processes. These give the relations between stochastic rate matrices, the matrix elements of the corresponding evolution operators representing them, and the integral kernels needed to implement these as path integrals. The 'free' theory (without branching) is solved, and the correct trilinear 'interaction' terms (representing branching events) are presented. The full model is developed in perturbation theory via the derivation of explicit Feynman rules which establish that the probabilities (pattern frequencies of leaf colourations) arising as matrix elements of the time evolution operator are identical with those computed via the standard analysis. Simple examples (phylogenetic trees with two or three leaves), are discussed in detail. Further implications for the work are briefly considered including the role of time reparametrization covariance.

Path integral formulation and Feynman rules for phylogenetic branching models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarvis, P D; Bashford, J D; Sumner, J G

2005-01-01

A dynamical picture of phylogenetic evolution is given in terms of Markov models on a state space, comprising joint probability distributions for character types of taxonomic classes. Phylogenetic branching is a process which augments the number of taxa under consideration, and hence the rank of the underlying joint probability state tensor. We point out the combinatorial necessity for a second-quantized, or Fock space setting, incorporating discrete counting labels for taxa and character types, to allow for a description in the number basis. Rate operators describing both time evolution without branching, and also phylogenetic branching events, are identified. A detailed development of these ideas is given, using standard transcriptions from the microscopic formulation of non-equilibrium reaction-diffusion or birth-death processes. These give the relations between stochastic rate matrices, the matrix elements of the corresponding evolution operators representing them, and the integral kernels needed to implement these as path integrals. The 'free' theory (without branching) is solved, and the correct trilinear 'interaction' terms (representing branching events) are presented. The full model is developed in perturbation theory via the derivation of explicit Feynman rules which establish that the probabilities (pattern frequencies of leaf colourations) arising as matrix elements of the time evolution operator are identical with those computed via the standard analysis. Simple examples (phylogenetic trees with two or three leaves), are discussed in detail. Further implications for the work are briefly considered including the role of time reparametrization covariance

Sheathotomy in complicated cases of branch retinal vein occlusion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Crafoord, S.; Karlsson, N.; Cour, M. la

2008-01-01

Purpose: To report the clinical experience and results of using a microsurgical technique to decompress the arteriovenous connection in complicated branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) combined with haemorrhage, oedema an ischaemia. Methods: We carried out a retrospective, non-randomized, interve......Purpose: To report the clinical experience and results of using a microsurgical technique to decompress the arteriovenous connection in complicated branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) combined with haemorrhage, oedema an ischaemia. Methods: We carried out a retrospective, non...

Anomalous scaling in an age-dependent branching model.

Science.gov (United States)

Keller-Schmidt, Stephanie; Tuğrul, Murat; Eguíluz, Víctor M; Hernández-García, Emilio; Klemm, Konstantin

2015-02-01

We introduce a one-parametric family of tree growth models, in which branching probabilities decrease with branch age τ as τ(-α). Depending on the exponent α, the scaling of tree depth with tree size n displays a transition between the logarithmic scaling of random trees and an algebraic growth. At the transition (α=1) tree depth grows as (logn)(2). This anomalous scaling is in good agreement with the trend observed in evolution of biological species, thus providing a theoretical support for age-dependent speciation and associating it to the occurrence of a critical point.

Annealed star-branched polyelectrolytes in solution

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klein Wolterink, J.; Male, van J.; Cohen Stuart, M.A.; Koopal, L.K.; Zhulina, E.B.; Borisov, O.V.

2002-01-01

Equilibrium conformations of annealed star-branched polyelectrolytes (polyacids) are calculated with a numerical self-consistent-field (SCF) model. From the calculations we obtain also the size and charge of annealed polyelectrolyte stars as a function of the number of arms, pH, and the ionic

ORD’s Urban Watershed Management Branch

Science.gov (United States)

This is a poster for the Edison Science Day, tentatively scheduled for June 10, 2009. This poster presentation summarizes key elements of the EPA Office of Research and Development’s (ORD) Urban Watershed Management Branch (UWMB). An overview of the national problems posed by w...

Tau leptonic branching ratios

CERN Document Server

Buskulic, Damir; De Bonis, I; Décamp, D; Ghez, P; Goy, C; Lees, J P; Lucotte, A; Minard, M N; Odier, P; Pietrzyk, B; Ariztizabal, F; Chmeissani, M; Crespo, J M; Efthymiopoulos, I; Fernández, E; Fernández-Bosman, M; Gaitan, V; Garrido, L; Martínez, M; Orteu, S; Pacheco, A; Padilla, C; Palla, Fabrizio; Pascual, A; Perlas, J A; Sánchez, F; Teubert, F; Colaleo, A; Creanza, D; De Palma, M; Farilla, A; Gelao, G; Girone, M; Iaselli, Giuseppe; Maggi, G; Maggi, M; Marinelli, N; Natali, S; Nuzzo, S; Ranieri, A; Raso, G; Romano, F; Ruggieri, F; Selvaggi, G; Silvestris, L; Tempesta, P; Zito, G; Huang, X; Lin, J; Ouyang, Q; Wang, T; Xie, Y; Xu, R; Xue, S; Zhang, J; Zhang, L; Zhao, W; Bonvicini, G; Cattaneo, M; Comas, P; Coyle, P; Drevermann, H; Engelhardt, A; Forty, Roger W; Frank, M; Hagelberg, R; Harvey, J; Jacobsen, R; Janot, P; Jost, B; Kneringer, E; Knobloch, J; Lehraus, Ivan; Markou, C; Martin, E B; Mato, P; Minten, Adolf G; Miquel, R; Oest, T; Palazzi, P; Pater, J R; Pusztaszeri, J F; Ranjard, F; Rensing, P E; Rolandi, Luigi; Schlatter, W D; Schmelling, M; Schneider, O; Tejessy, W; Tomalin, I R; Venturi, A; Wachsmuth, H W; Wiedenmann, W; Wildish, T; Witzeling, W; Wotschack, J; Ajaltouni, Ziad J; Bardadin-Otwinowska, Maria; Barrès, A; Boyer, C; Falvard, A; Gay, P; Guicheney, C; Henrard, P; Jousset, J; Michel, B; Monteil, S; Montret, J C; Pallin, D; Perret, P; Podlyski, F; Proriol, J; Rossignol, J M; Saadi, F; Fearnley, Tom; Hansen, J B; Hansen, J D; Hansen, J R; Hansen, P H; Nilsson, B S; Kyriakis, A; Simopoulou, Errietta; Siotis, I; Vayaki, Anna; Zachariadou, K; Blondel, A; Bonneaud, G R; Brient, J C; Bourdon, P; Passalacqua, L; Rougé, A; Rumpf, M; Tanaka, R; Valassi, Andrea; Verderi, M; Videau, H L; Candlin, D J; Parsons, M I; Focardi, E; Parrini, G; Corden, M; Delfino, M C; Georgiopoulos, C H; Jaffe, D E; Antonelli, A; Bencivenni, G; Bologna, G; Bossi, F; Campana, P; Capon, G; Chiarella, V; Felici, G; Laurelli, P; Mannocchi, G; Murtas, F; Murtas, G P; Pepé-Altarelli, M; Dorris, S J; Halley, A W; ten Have, I; Knowles, I G; Lynch, J G; Morton, W T; O'Shea, V; Raine, C; Reeves, P; Scarr, J M; Smith, K; Smith, M G; Thompson, A S; Thomson, F; Thorn, S; Turnbull, R M; Becker, U; Braun, O; Geweniger, C; Graefe, G; Hanke, P; Hepp, V; Kluge, E E; Putzer, A; Rensch, B; Schmidt, M; Sommer, J; Stenzel, H; Tittel, K; Werner, S; Wunsch, M; Beuselinck, R; Binnie, David M; Cameron, W; Colling, D J; Dornan, Peter J; Konstantinidis, N P; Moneta, L; Moutoussi, A; Nash, J; San Martin, G; Sedgbeer, J K; Stacey, A M; Dissertori, G; Girtler, P; Kuhn, D; Rudolph, G; Bowdery, C K; Brodbeck, T J; Colrain, P; Crawford, G; Finch, A J; Foster, F; Hughes, G; Sloan, Terence; Whelan, E P; Williams, M I; Galla, A; Greene, A M; Kleinknecht, K; Quast, G; Raab, J; Renk, B; Sander, H G; Wanke, R; Van Gemmeren, P; Zeitnitz, C; Aubert, Jean-Jacques; Bencheikh, A M; Benchouk, C; Bonissent, A; Bujosa, G; Calvet, D; Carr, J; Diaconu, C A; Etienne, F; Thulasidas, M; Nicod, D; Payre, P; Rousseau, D; Talby, M; Abt, I; Assmann, R W; Bauer, C; Blum, Walter; Brown, D; Dietl, H; Dydak, Friedrich; Ganis, G; Gotzhein, C; Jakobs, K; Kroha, H; Lütjens, G; Lutz, Gerhard; Männer, W; Moser, H G; Richter, R H; Rosado-Schlosser, A; Schael, S; Settles, Ronald; Seywerd, H C J; Saint-Denis, R; Wolf, G; Alemany, R; Boucrot, J; Callot, O; Cordier, A; Courault, F; Davier, M; Duflot, L; Grivaz, J F; Heusse, P; Jacquet, M; Kim, D W; Le Diberder, F R; Lefrançois, J; Lutz, A M; Musolino, G; Nikolic, I A; Park, H J; Park, I C; Schune, M H; Simion, S; Veillet, J J; Videau, I; Abbaneo, D; Azzurri, P; Bagliesi, G; Batignani, G; Bettarini, S; Bozzi, C; Calderini, G; Carpinelli, M; Ciocci, M A; Ciulli, V; Dell'Orso, R; Fantechi, R; Ferrante, I; Foà, L; Forti, F; Giassi, A; Giorgi, M A; Gregorio, A; Ligabue, F; Lusiani, A; Marrocchesi, P S; Messineo, A; Rizzo, G; Sanguinetti, G; Sciabà, A; Spagnolo, P; Steinberger, Jack; Tenchini, Roberto; Tonelli, G; Triggiani, G; Vannini, C; Verdini, P G; Walsh, J; Betteridge, A P; Blair, G A; Bryant, L M; Cerutti, F; Gao, Y; Green, M G; Johnson, D L; Medcalf, T; Mir, L M; Perrodo, P; Strong, J A; Bertin, V; Botterill, David R; Clifft, R W; Edgecock, T R; Haywood, S; Edwards, M; Maley, P; Norton, P R; Thompson, J C; Bloch-Devaux, B; Colas, P; Emery, S; Kozanecki, Witold; Lançon, E; Lemaire, M C; Locci, E; Marx, B; Pérez, P; Rander, J; Renardy, J F; Roussarie, A; Schuller, J P; Schwindling, J; Trabelsi, A; Vallage, B; Johnson, R P; Kim, H Y; Litke, A M; McNeil, M A; Taylor, G; Beddall, A; Booth, C N; Boswell, R; Cartwright, S L; Combley, F; Dawson, I; Köksal, A; Letho, M; Newton, W M; Rankin, C; Thompson, L F; Böhrer, A; Brandt, S; Cowan, G D; Feigl, E; Grupen, Claus; Lutters, G; Minguet-Rodríguez, J A; Rivera, F; Saraiva, P; Smolik, L; Stephan, F; Apollonio, M; Bosisio, L; Della Marina, R; Giannini, G; Gobbo, B; Ragusa, F; Rothberg, J E; Wasserbaech, S R; Armstrong, S R; Bellantoni, L; Elmer, P; Feng, Z; Ferguson, D P S; Gao, Y S; González, S; Grahl, J; Harton, J L; Hayes, O J; Hu, H; McNamara, P A; Nachtman, J M; Orejudos, W; Pan, Y B; Saadi, Y; Schmitt, M; Scott, I J; Sharma, V; Turk, J; Walsh, A M; Wu Sau Lan; Wu, X; Yamartino, J M; Zheng, M; Zobernig, G

1996-01-01

A sample of 62249 \\tau-pair events is selected from data taken with the ALEPH detector in 1991, 1992 and 1993. The measurement of the branching fractions for \\tau decays into electrons and muons is presented with emphasis on the study of systematic effects from selection, particle identification and decay classification. Combined with the most recent ALEPH determination of the \\tau lifetime, these results provide a relative measurement of the leptonic couplings in the weak charged current for transverse W bosons.

Assessment of effect of reinforcement on plastic limit load of branch junction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myung, Man Sik; Kim, Yun Jae; Yoon, Ki Bong

2009-01-01

The present work provides effects of reinforcement shape and area on plastic limit loads of branch junctions, based on detailed three-dimensional finite element limit analysis and small strain FE limit analyses assuming elastic-perfectly plastic material behavior. Three types of loading are considered; internal pressure, in-plane bending on the branch pipe and in-plane bending on the run pipe. It is found that reinforcement is the most effective in the case when (in-plane/out-of-plane) bending is applied to the branch pipe. When bending is applied to the run pipe, reinforcement is less effective, compared to the case when bending is applied to the branch pipe. The reinforcement effect is the least effective for internal pressure.

A branch-and-price algorithm for solving the cutting strips problem

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chen, Zhiping; Hurkens, C.A.J.; Jong, de J.L.

1997-01-01

After giving a suitable model for the cutting strips problem, we present a branch-and-price algorithm for it by combining the column generation technique and the branch-and-bound method with LP relaxations. Some theoretical issues and implementation details about the algorithm are discussed,

One-dimensional calculation of flow branching using the method of characteristics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meier, R.W.; Gido, R.G.

1978-05-01

In one-dimensional flow systems, the flow often branches, such as at a tee or manifold. The study develops a formulation for calculating the flow through branch points with one-dimensional method of characteristics equations. The resultant equations were verified by comparison with experimental measurements

Variant Branching of the Common Femoral Artery in a Black Kenyan ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Branching pattern of common femoral artery is important during artery catheterization, orthopaedic, plastic and general surgery in the proximal thigh. Frequency of variant branching shows ethnic variation but there are no data for black African populations. Since atherosclerotic diseases are increasing and femoral artery ...

Walker Branch Watershed Vegetation Inventory, 1967-1997

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — ABSTRACT: The original objectives of the long-term vegetation survey of Walker Branch Watershed in eastern Tennessee (WBW; Curlin and Nelson 1968) was to quantify...

Overview of the Advanced High Frequency Branch

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, Felix A.

2015-01-01

This presentation provides an overview of the competencies, selected areas of research and technology development activities, and current external collaborative efforts of the NASA Glenn Research Center's Advanced High Frequency Branch.

The CERN branch of the UBS has a new manager

CERN Multimedia

2005-01-01

The staff of the UBS CERN branch (apart from Nicole Savoini, not in the picture). The new branch manager Mr Denis Mellet (fourth from the right) is standing just in front of his predecessor Mr Pierre Guyenon. Mr Pierre Guyenon, who has managed the CERN branch of the UBS for the last seven years, retired on 31 May. Pierre Guyenon was always committed to establishing a harmonious and trusting relationship between CERN, its employees and the bank. He also maintained an excellent atmosphere within his team. We would like to thank him for his work and wish him a happy retirement. Mr Denis Mellet, who has worked for the bank for many years in various capacities, has taken over from Mr Guyenon.

Architecture, Assembly, and Emerging Applications of Branched Functional Polyelectrolytes and Poly(ionic liquid)s.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Weinan; Ledin, Petr A; Shevchenko, Valery V; Tsukruk, Vladimir V

2015-06-17

Branched polyelectrolytes with cylindrical brush, dendritic, hyperbranched, grafted, and star architectures bearing ionizable functional groups possess complex and unique assembly behavior in solution at surfaces and interfaces as compared to their linear counterparts. This review summarizes the recent developments in the introduction of various architectures and understanding of the assembly behavior of branched polyelectrolytes with a focus on functional polyelectrolytes and poly(ionic liquid)s with responsive properties. The branched polyelectrolytes and poly(ionic liquid)s interact electrostatically with small molecules, linear polyelectrolytes, or other branched polyelectrolytes to form assemblies of hybrid nanoparticles, multilayer thin films, responsive microcapsules, and ion-conductive membranes. The branched structures lead to unconventional assemblies and complex hierarchical structures with responsive properties as summarized in this review. Finally, we discuss prospectives for emerging applications of branched polyelectrolytes and poly(ionic liquid)s for energy harvesting and storage, controlled delivery, chemical microreactors, adaptive surfaces, and ion-exchange membranes.

Phase separation phenomena in branching conduits. Topical report Dec 78-Dec 81

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saba, N.; Lahey, R.T. Jr.

1982-03-01

The analysis of Light Water Reactor (LWR) Loss-of-Coolant Accidents (LOCA's) requires that one be able to accurately calculate the two-phase flow splits in complex, branching conduits. The purpose of this study is to provide a general method for calculating the phase separation in a branching conduit. The degree of phase separation of a two-phase (air/water) mixture flowing through a plexiglas tee test section was measured. In addition, flow visualization, using high speed photography, was performed. The experimental design considerations, error analysis and the dependence of the observed phase separation on global parameters, such as inlet quality, mass flux and separation angle, are discussed. The pressure gradients were measured along the various conduits and the differential pressure was obtained at the tee junction by extrapolation. It was found that the degree of phase separation was quite pronounced, with the vapor phase preferentially separating into the branch. Using these data, a physically-based empirical model was developed with which to calculate the phasic distribution of a subsonic two-phase mixture in the downstream branches of a branching conduit

Orientational cross correlations between entangled branch polymers in primitive chain network simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Masubuchi, Yuichi; Pandey, Ankita; Amamoto, Yoshifumi; Uneyama, Takashi

2017-11-01

Although it has not been frequently discussed, contributions of the orientational cross-correlation (OCC) between entangled polymers are not negligible in the relaxation modulus. In the present study, OCC contributions were investigated for 4- and 6-arm star-branched and H-branched polymers by means of multi-chain slip-link simulations. Owing to the molecular-level description of the simulation, the segment orientation was traced separately for each molecule as well as each subchain composing the molecules. Then, the OCC was calculated between different molecules and different subchains. The results revealed that the amount of OCC between different molecules is virtually identical to that of linear polymers regardless of the branching structure. The OCC between constituent subchains of the same molecule is significantly smaller than the OCC between different molecules, although its intensity and time-dependent behavior depend on the branching structure as well as the molecular weight. These results lend support to the single-chain models given that the OCC effects are embedded into the stress-optical coefficient, which is independent of the branching structure.

Electrochemical synthesis and characterization of hierarchically branched ZnO nanostructures on ensembles of gold nanowires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ongaro, Michael; Gambirasi, Arianna; Favaro, Monica; Ugo, Paolo

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► ZnO branched nanofibres for photoelectrochemical applications. ► Branched nanostructures are obtained by electrochemical deposition of ZnO on gold template nanowires. ► Branched nanowires crystallographic phase determined by electron back scatter diffraction. ► Branched structures display improved performances for the photoelectrochemical oxidation of water. - Abstract: This study presents an electrosynthetic methodology to obtain hierarchically structured ZnO electrodes with improved surface area, by exploiting gold nanowires ensembles (3D-NEEs) as the growing substrate. By this way, semiconductor electrodes organized in the shape of fir-like branches are obtained. Branched nanofibres are characterized by electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), the latter technique allowing the determination of the crystalline habit of individual nanostructures. The hierarchical branched nanowires show enhanced performances with respect to water photooxidation in comparison with already known nanostructured materials such as 1D-ZnO nanowires.

Improved zeolite regeneration processes for preparing saturated branched-chain fatty acids

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrierite zeolite solid is an excellent catalyst for the skeletal isomerization of unsaturated linear-chain fatty acids (i.e., oleic acid) to unsaturated branched-chain fatty acids (i.e., iso-oleic acid) follow by hydrogenation to give saturated branched-chain fatty acids (i.e., isostearic acid). ...

Dynamics of target recognition by interstitial axon branching along developing cortical axons.

Science.gov (United States)

Bastmeyer, M; O'Leary, D D

1996-02-15

Corticospinal axons innervate their midbrain, hindbrain, and spinal targets by extending collateral branches interstitially along their length. To establish that the axon shaft rather than the axonal growth cone is responsible for target recognition in this system, and to characterize the dynamics of interstitial branch formation, we have studied this process in an in vivo-like setting using slice cultures from neonatal mice containing the entire pathway of corticospinal axons. Corticospinal axons labeled with the dye 1,1'-dioctodecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (or Dil) were imaged using time-lapse video microscopy of their pathway overlying the basilar pons, their major hindbrain target. The axon shaft millimeters behind the growth cone exhibits several dynamic behaviors, including the de novo formation of varicosities and filopodia-like extensions, and a behavior that we term "pulsation," which is characterized by a variable thickening and thining of short segments of the axon. An individual axon can have multiple sites of branching activity, with many of the branches being transient. These dynamic behaviors occur along the portion of the axon shaft overlying the basilar pons, but not just caudal to it. Once the collaterals extend into the pontine neuropil, they branch further in the neuropil, while the parent axon becomes quiescent. Thus, the branching activity is spatially restricted to specific portions of the axon, as well as temporally restricted to a relatively brief time window. These findings provide definitive evidence that collateral branches form de novo along corticospinal axons and establish that the process of target recognition in this system is a property of the axon shaft rather than the leading growth cone.

Studies on the production of branched-chain alcohols in engineered Ralstonia eutropha

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Jingnan [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry; Brigham, Christopher J.; Gai, Claudia S. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States). Dept. of Biology; Sinskey, Anthony J. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States). Dept. of Biology; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States). Div. of Health Sciences and Technology; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States). Engineering Systems Div.

2012-10-15

Wild-type Ralstonia eutropha H16 produces polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) as an intracellular carbon storage material during nutrient stress in the presence of excess carbon. In this study, the excess carbon was redirected in engineered strains from PHB storage to the production of isobutanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol (branched-chain higher alcohols). These branched-chain higher alcohols can directly substitute for fossil-based fuels and be employed within the current infrastructure. Various mutant strains of R. eutropha with isobutyraldehyde dehydrogenase activity, in combination with the overexpression of plasmid-borne, native branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis pathway genes and the overexpression of heterologous ketoisovalerate decarboxylase gene, were employed for the biosynthesis of isobutanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol. Production of these branched-chain alcohols was initiated during nitrogen or phosphorus limitation in the engineered R. eutropha. One mutant strain not only produced over 180 mg/L branched-chain alcohols in flask culture, but also was significantly more tolerant of isobutanol toxicity than wild-type R. eutropha. After the elimination of genes encoding three potential carbon sinks (ilvE, bkdAB, and aceE), the production titer improved to 270 mg/L isobutanol and 40 mg/L 3-methyl-1-butanol. Semicontinuous flask cultivation was utilized to minimize the toxicity caused by isobutanol while supplying cells with sufficient nutrients. Under this semicontinuous flask cultivation, the R. eutropha mutant grew and produced more than 14 g/L branched-chain alcohols over the duration of 50 days. These results demonstrate that R. eutropha carbon flux can be redirected from PHB to branched-chain alcohols and that engineered R. eutropha can be cultivated over prolonged periods of time for product biosynthesis. (orig.)

An Anomalous Branching of Coeliac Trunk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jadhav Surekha D

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Anatomical variations of the coeliac trunk arevery common. A variation of coeliac trunk oc-curs due to the developmental abnormalities inthe ventral splanchnic arteries. Present paperhighlights a rare variation of branching patternof coeliac trunk which was observed during rou-tine dissection. In a 63 year old male cadaver,we observed a bifurcation of coeliac trunk intoshort hepato-splenic and longer hepato-gastrictrunks. The hepato-splenic trunk divided intocommon hepatic artery and splenic artery. Cys-tic artery originated from proper hepatic arteryand then proper hepatic artery divided into rightand left hepatic arteries. Hepato-gastric trunkran laterally and upward, and then it divided intotwo branches: a left gastric artery and left ac-cessory hepatic artery. Knowledge of this rarevariation is clinically very important for sur-geons, especially while performing liver trans-plantation, gastric, gallbladder surgeries andtransarterial chemoembolization for hepatictumor and during invasive procedures like an-giography and also other radiological studies.

Influence of biopolymers on the solubility of branched-chain amino acids and stability of their solutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Chi Rac; Lee, Gyu Whan; Paik, Hyun-Dong; Chang, Pahn-Shick; Choi, Seung Jun

2018-01-15

This study confirmed the possibility of biopolymer-type stabilizers to increase the saturation concentration of branched-chain amino acids by preventing their crystallization/precipitation. Although microfluidization increased the initial solubility, it failed to increase the saturation concentration of the branched-chain amino acids. The saturation concentration of the branched-chain amino acids increased from 3.81% to 4.42% and 4.85% after the incorporation of food hydrocolloids and proteins, respectively. However, the branched-chain amino acids:stabilizer ratio did not affect the solubility. In the case of food hydrocolloid-based solutions, crystal formation and growth of branched-chain amino acids occurred during storage, resulting in the precipitation of branched-chain amino acid crystals. However, food proteins effectively increased the stability of the solubilized branched-chain amino acids. The improved solubility and stability of the solubilized branched-chain amino acids could be attributed to interactions between the functional groups (carboxyl, amine, sulfate, aliphatic, aromatic, etc.) of the stabilizer and the branched-chain amino acid molecules. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The YARHG domain: an extracellular domain in search of a function.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Penny Coggill

Full Text Available We have identified a new bacterial protein domain that we hypothesise binds to peptidoglycan. This domain is called the YARHG domain after the most highly conserved sequence-segment. The domain is found in the extracellular space and is likely to be composed of four alpha-helices. The domain is found associated with protein kinase domains, suggesting it is associated with signalling in some bacteria. The domain is also found associated with three different families of peptidases. The large number of different domains that are found associated with YARHG suggests that it is a useful functional module that nature has recombined multiple times.

Cross-Cultural Training of Expatriate Faculty Teaching in International Branch Campuses

Science.gov (United States)

Jauregui, Martin

2013-01-01

This study investigates the intersection between academics and culture in international branch campus using Stier's (2006) "cross-cultural characteristics and competencies." The purpose of this study was to examine the type of cross-cultural training being used by the international branch campuses in Qatar's Education City, in particular…

Comparing branch-and-price algorithms for the Multi-Commodity k-splittable Maximum Flow Problem

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gamst, Mette; Petersen, Bjørn

2012-01-01

-Protocol Label Switching. The problem has previously been solved to optimality through branch-and-price. In this paper we propose two exact solution methods both based on an alternative decomposition. The two methods differ in their branching strategy. The first method, which branches on forbidden edge sequences...

1H-NMR/13C-NMR studies of branched structures in PVC obtained at atmospheric pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braun, D.; Holzer, G.; Hjertberg, T.

1981-01-01

The 1 H-NMR-spectra of raw poly (vinyl cloride) obtained at atmospheric pressure (U-PVC) have revealed the presence of high concentrations of branches. The content of labile chlorine was determined by reaction with phenole in order to estimate the branch points with tertiary chlorine. The branch length of reductively dehalogenated U-PVC by 13 C-NMR analysis have provided evidence for both short chain branches including chloromethyl groups and 2.4-dichloro-n-butyl groups and long chain branching. For a number of U-polymers the total amount of branching ranges from 7.5 to 13.5/1000 C. The 13 C-NMR measurements point to a ratio of methyl/butyl branches of 1:1 and short chains/long chains of 6:1. (orig.)

Limit load solutions for piping branch junctions under out-of-plane bending

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Ying Hu; Lee, Kuk Hee; Jeon, Jun Young; Kim, Yun Jae

2009-01-01

Approximate plastic limit load solutions for piping branch junctions under out-of plane bending are obtained from detailed three-dimensional (3-D) FE limit analyses based on elastic-perfectly plastic materials with the small geometry change option. Two types of bending are considered; out-of-plane bending to the branch pipe and out-of-plane bending to the run pipe. Accordingly closed-form approximations are proposed for piping branch junctions under out-of-plane bending based on the FE results. The proposed solutions are valid for the branch-to-run pipe radius and thickness from 0.0 to 1.0, and the mean radius-to-thickness ratio of the run pipe from 2.0 to 20.0. And, this study provides effects of reinforcement area on plastic limit loads.

RAB-10 Regulates Dendritic Branching by Balancing Dendritic Transport

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Caitlin A.; Yan, Jing; Howell, Audrey S.; Dong, Xintong; Shen, Kang

2015-01-01

The construction of a large dendritic arbor requires robust growth and the precise delivery of membrane and protein cargoes to specific subcellular regions of the developing dendrite. How the microtubule-based vesicular trafficking and sorting systems are regulated to distribute these dendritic development factors throughout the dendrite is not well understood. Here we identify the small GTPase RAB-10 and the exocyst complex as critical regulators of dendrite morphogenesis and patterning in the C. elegans sensory neuron PVD. In rab-10 mutants, PVD dendritic branches are reduced in the posterior region of the cell but are excessive in the distal anterior region of the cell. We also demonstrate that the dendritic branch distribution within PVD depends on the balance between the molecular motors kinesin-1/UNC-116 and dynein, and we propose that RAB-10 regulates dendrite morphology by balancing the activity of these motors to appropriately distribute branching factors, including the transmembrane receptor DMA-1. PMID:26633194

Branch xylem density variations across the Amazon Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Patiño, S.; Lloyd, J.; Paiva, R.; Baker, T. R.; Quesada, C. A.; Mercado, L. M.; Schmerler, J.; Schwarz, M.; Santos, A. J. B.; Aguilar, A.; Czimczik, C. I.; Gallo, J.; Horna, V.; Hoyos, E. J.; Jimenez, E. M.; Palomino, W.; Peacock, J.; Peña-Cruz, A.; Sarmiento, C.; Sota, A.; Turriago, J. D.; Villanueva, B.; Vitzthum, P.; Alvarez, E.; Arroyo, L.; Baraloto, C.; Bonal, D.; Chave, J.; Costa, A. C. L.; Herrera, R.; Higuchi, N.; Killeen, T.; Leal, E.; Luizão, F.; Meir, P.; Monteagudo, A.; Neil, D.; Núñez-Vargas, P.; Peñuela, M. C.; Pitman, N.; Priante Filho, N.; Prieto, A.; Panfil, S. N.; Rudas, A.; Salomão, R.; Silva, N.; Silveira, M.; Soares Dealmeida, S.; Torres-Lezama, A.; Vásquez-Martínez, R.; Vieira, I.; Malhi, Y.; Phillips, O. L.

2009-04-01

Xylem density is a physical property of wood that varies between individuals, species and environments. It reflects the physiological strategies of trees that lead to growth, survival and reproduction. Measurements of branch xylem density, ρx, were made for 1653 trees representing 598 species, sampled from 87 sites across the Amazon basin. Measured values ranged from 218 kg m-3 for a Cordia sagotii (Boraginaceae) from Mountagne de Tortue, French Guiana to 1130 kg m-3 for an Aiouea sp. (Lauraceae) from Caxiuana, Central Pará, Brazil. Analysis of variance showed significant differences in average ρx across regions and sampled plots as well as significant differences between families, genera and species. A partitioning of the total variance in the dataset showed that species identity (family, genera and species) accounted for 33% with environment (geographic location and plot) accounting for an additional 26%; the remaining "residual" variance accounted for 41% of the total variance. Variations in plot means, were, however, not only accountable by differences in species composition because xylem density of the most widely distributed species in our dataset varied systematically from plot to plot. Thus, as well as having a genetic component, branch xylem density is a plastic trait that, for any given species, varies according to where the tree is growing in a predictable manner. Within the analysed taxa, exceptions to this general rule seem to be pioneer species belonging for example to the Urticaceae whose branch xylem density is more constrained than most species sampled in this study. These patterns of variation of branch xylem density across Amazonia suggest a large functional diversity amongst Amazonian trees which is not well understood.

Physiological covalent regulation of rat liver branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, R.A.; Powell, S.M.; Paxton, R.; Gillim, S.E.; Nagae, H.

1985-01-01

A radiochemical assay was developed for measuring branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase activity of Triton X-100 extracts of freeze-clamped rat liver. The proportion of active (dephosphorylated) enzyme was determined by measuring enzyme activities before and after activation of the complex with a broad-specificity phosphoprotein phosphatase. Hepatic branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase activity in normal male Wistar rats was 97% active but decreased to 33% active after 2 days on low-protein (8%) diet and to 13% active after 4 days on the same diet. Restricting protein intake of lean and obese female Zucker rats also caused inactivation of hepatic branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex. Essentially all of the enzyme was in the active state in rats maintained for 14 days on either 30 or 50% protein diets. This was also the case for rats maintained on a commercial chow diet (minimum 23% protein). However, maintaining rats on 20, 8, and 0% protein diets decreased the percentage of the active form of the enzyme to 58, 10, and 7% of the total, respectively. Fasting of chow-fed rats for 48 h had no effect on the activity state of hepatic branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase, i.e., 93% of the enzyme remained in the active state compared to 97% for chow-fed rats. However, hepatic enzyme of rats maintained on 8% protein diet was 10% active before starvation and 83% active after 2 days of starvation. Thus, dietary protein deficiency results in inactivation of hepatic branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex, presumably as a consequence of low hepatic levels of branched-chain alpha-ketoacids

Switchable field-tuned control of magnetic domain wall pinning along Co microwires by 3D e-beam lithographed structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blanco-Roldán, C., E-mail: c.blanco@cinn.es [Departamento de Física, Universidad de Oviedo, Avenida Calvo Sotelo s/n, 33007 Oviedo (Spain); Centro de Investigación en Nanomateriales y Nanotecnología CINN (CSIC, Universidad de Oviedo), Avenida de la Vega 4-6, 33940 El Entrego (Spain); Quirós, C.; Rodriguez-Rodriguez, G.; Vélez, M.; Martín, J.I.; Alameda, J.M. [Departamento de Física, Universidad de Oviedo, Avenida Calvo Sotelo s/n, 33007 Oviedo (Spain); Centro de Investigación en Nanomateriales y Nanotecnología CINN (CSIC, Universidad de Oviedo), Avenida de la Vega 4-6, 33940 El Entrego (Spain)

2016-02-15

Three-dimensional magnetic circuits composed of Co microwires crossed by elevated Co bridges have been patterned on Si substrate by e-beam lithography and lift-off process. The lithographic procedure includes a double resist procedure that optimizes the shape of the bridge, so that 200 nm air gaps can be routinely achieved in between the wire and bridge elements. Microwire magnetization reversal processes have been analyzed by magneto-optical Kerr effect microscopy with different remanent bridge configurations. When the Co bridge is magnetized along the in-plane direction parallel to the wire axis, its stray field induces a marked pinning effect on domain wall propagation along the wire below it, even without being in contact. Changing the sign of the remanent state of the bridge, domain wall pinning can be selected to occur in either the ascending or descending branches of the wire hysteresis loop. Thus, these wire-bridge 3D circuits provide a simple system for tunable domain wall pinning controllable through the pre-recorded bridge remanent state. - Highlights: • Electron beam lithography is used to fabricate a tridimensional magnetic circuit. • Proposed circuit is made of a Co bridge overcrossing a non-contacted Co microwire. • Domain wall propagation can be controlled by previous magnetization of the system. • Domain wall pinning in the wire depends on the applied magnetic field sign.

.Gov Domains API

Data.gov (United States)

General Services Administration — This dataset offers the list of all .gov domains, including state, local, and tribal .gov domains. It does not include .mil domains, or other federal domains outside...

40 CFR 721.10103 - Naphtha (Fischer-Tropsch), C4-11-alkane, branched and linear.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

...-alkane, branched and linear. 721.10103 Section 721.10103 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL..., branched and linear. (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified as naphtha (fischer-tropsch), C4-11-alkane, branched and linear (PMN P-04-235; CAS No...

Branch migration and the international dispersal of families.

Science.gov (United States)

Parr, N; Lucas, D; Mok, M

2000-01-01

This paper discusses the dispersal of facilities where family members migrate to different destination countries. Terminology for internationally dispersed families is proposed, and the term branch migration is suggested for the migration of related people from the same source country to different destination countries. Data from two 1993 surveys of senior secondary students show that 22% of Sydney students and 20% of Hong Kong students have relatives in two or more other countries. The data suggest that many Asian migrant families have branched between the US, Canada, Australia and other migrant-receiving nations. The causes and implications of the international dispersal of families are discussed.

Theoretical red-giant branches for globular clusters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

VandenBerg, D.A.

1984-01-01

The authors reports computations of stellar evolutionary sequences from the base of the red-giant branch to the helium flash. Representative models with masses in the range of 0.8 to 0.9 solar masses were selected in order that the stars on the giant branches had ages of approximately 16 billion yr. Initial numerical experiments indicated that a value of α = 1.6 for the ratio of the mixing length to the pressure scale height was needed to provide the best of the Z = 0.0001 model sequence with the observations of M92. Sequences for the other assumed metallicities, Z = 0.0003, 0.001, 0.003, and 0.006, were then computed for the same value of the mixing-length parameter and overlayed directly on the observations. (Auth.)

Fort Collins Science Center Ecosystem Dynamics Branch

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Jim; Melcher, C.; Bowen, Z.

2009-01-01

Complex natural resource issues require understanding a web of interactions among ecosystem components that are (1) interdisciplinary, encompassing physical, chemical, and biological processes; (2) spatially complex, involving movements of animals, water, and airborne materials across a range of landscapes and jurisdictions; and (3) temporally complex, occurring over days, weeks, or years, sometimes involving response lags to alteration or exhibiting large natural variation. Scientists in the Ecosystem Dynamics Branch of the U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, investigate a diversity of these complex natural resource questions at the landscape and systems levels. This Fact Sheet describes the work of the Ecosystems Dynamics Branch, which is focused on energy and land use, climate change and long-term integrated assessments, herbivore-ecosystem interactions, fire and post-fire restoration, and environmental flows and river restoration.

An Appraisal Of Public Branch Libraries In Nigeria: The Case Of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

An Appraisal Of Public Branch Libraries In Nigeria: The Case Of Delta State Public Branch Libraries. ... In these years, there has not been any significant developmental growth in physical, material and human resources to match the parallel growth in information need and use of the society in which they are located.

RRM domain of Arabidopsis splicing factor SF1 is important for pre-mRNA splicing of a specific set of genes

KAUST Repository

Lee, Keh Chien

2017-04-11

The RNA recognition motif of Arabidopsis splicing factor SF1 affects the alternative splicing of FLOWERING LOCUS M pre-mRNA and a heat shock transcription factor HsfA2 pre-mRNA. Splicing factor 1 (SF1) plays a crucial role in 3\\' splice site recognition by binding directly to the intron branch point. Although plant SF1 proteins possess an RNA recognition motif (RRM) domain that is absent in its fungal and metazoan counterparts, the role of the RRM domain in SF1 function has not been characterized. Here, we show that the RRM domain differentially affects the full function of the Arabidopsis thaliana AtSF1 protein under different experimental conditions. For example, the deletion of RRM domain influences AtSF1-mediated control of flowering time, but not the abscisic acid sensitivity response during seed germination. The alternative splicing of FLOWERING LOCUS M (FLM) pre-mRNA is involved in flowering time control. We found that the RRM domain of AtSF1 protein alters the production of alternatively spliced FLM-β transcripts. We also found that the RRM domain affects the alternative splicing of a heat shock transcription factor HsfA2 pre-mRNA, thereby mediating the heat stress response. Taken together, our results suggest the importance of RRM domain for AtSF1-mediated alternative splicing of a subset of genes involved in the regulation of flowering and adaptation to heat stress.

Silver nanocombs and branched nanowires formation in aqueous binary surfactants solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umar, Akrajas Ali; Oyama, Munetaka; Salleh, Muhamad Mat; Majlis, Burhanuddin Yeop

2012-01-01

Branched nanocrystals, particularly nanocombs, are a unique 1D-morphology that is normally formed in polytypic materials, such as ZnO, and rarely occurs in the highly symmetric fcc metallic system. Here, we report the chemical synthesis of nanocombs of a highly symmetrical fcc silver system that is realized by reducing the silver ions in the presence of a mixture of silver nanoseeds and binary surfactants, namely cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and hexamethylenetetramine (hexamine or HMT), under an alkaline condition. The silver nanocombs feature a high-degree branching orientation toward a single direction with good branch-to-branch spacing. The nanocombs formation was very sensitive to the concentrations of CTAB, HMT and NaOH in the reaction in which, in a typical case, nanocombs or curly nanowires were produced by controlling the concentration of these chemicals in the reaction. We hypothesized that the branching could be due to: (i) a kind of polytypism in such highly symmetrical fcc nanocrystals that was enabled by a selective surfactant adhesion process on the growing crystalline plane and (ii) lattice defects or twinning induced growth redirection in the nanocrystals. The silver nanocombs might generate a peculiar characteristic that is probably superior to those produced by other morphologies, such as nanorods, nanowires, and so on. Thus, it should find extensive use in the currently existing applications.

Approaches to evaluation of changes in capital structure in industrial branches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Landa

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Capital structure is described as a relation between equity and debts while the mutual consequences among items of company’s assets and resources employed as well as the cost of capital are also taken into account. Both, the theory and practice, at evaluation of approaches to capital structure are focu­sed on creation and optimization of capital structure. Relatively less frequent approach is the analy­sis of a state and of changes in capital structure on the level of whole business branch. But on this basis, it is possible to investigate some “average” approaches to selection of financial resources. At ca­pi­tal structure optimization (the proportion between equity and debts, a wide range of criteria plays a substantial role, e.g. cost of capital, risk, expected profitability, liquidity, dividend policy. These criteria have joint effect. This way, a logic question which criteria are preferred more and which criteria are preferred less appears. The article deals with the analysis of capital structure of three branches of manufacturing industry (the branch of production of plastics, the branch of production of electric equipments, the branch of production of textile in the years 2007–2009 with the special focus on development of financial structure, capital structure and on cost of capital.

Groundwater availability in the Crouch Branch and McQueen Branch aquifers, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, 1900-2012

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Bruce G.; Landmeyer, James E.

2014-01-01

Chesterfield County is located in the northeastern part of South Carolina along the southern border of North Carolina and is primarily underlain by unconsolidated sediments of Late Cretaceous age and younger of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Approximately 20 percent of Chesterfield County is in the Piedmont Physiographic Province, and this area of the county is not included in this study. These Atlantic Coastal Plain sediments compose two productive aquifers: the Crouch Branch aquifer that is present at land surface across most of the county and the deeper, semi-confined McQueen Branch aquifer. Most of the potable water supplied to residents of Chesterfield County is produced from the Crouch Branch and McQueen Branch aquifers by a well field located near McBee, South Carolina, in the southwestern part of the county. Overall, groundwater availability is good to very good in most of Chesterfield County, especially the area around and to the south of McBee, South Carolina. The eastern part of Chesterfield County does not have as abundant groundwater resources but resources are generally adequate for domestic purposes. The primary purpose of this study was to determine groundwater-flow rates, flow directions, and changes in water budgets over time for the Crouch Branch and McQueen Branch aquifers in the Chesterfield County area. This goal was accomplished by using the U.S. Geological Survey finite-difference MODFLOW groundwater-flow code to construct and calibrate a groundwater-flow model of the Atlantic Coastal Plain of Chesterfield County. The model was created with a uniform grid size of 300 by 300 feet to facilitate a more accurate simulation of groundwater-surface-water interactions. The model consists of 617 rows from north to south extending about 35 miles and 884 columns from west to east extending about 50 miles, yielding a total area of about 1,750 square miles. However, the active part of the modeled area, or the part where groundwater flow is simulated

Same but not alike: Structure, flexibility and energetics of domains in multi-domain proteins are influenced by the presence of other domains.

Science.gov (United States)

Vishwanath, Sneha; de Brevern, Alexandre G; Srinivasan, Narayanaswamy

2018-02-01

The majority of the proteins encoded in the genomes of eukaryotes contain more than one domain. Reasons for high prevalence of multi-domain proteins in various organisms have been attributed to higher stability and functional and folding advantages over single-domain proteins. Despite these advantages, many proteins are composed of only one domain while their homologous domains are part of multi-domain proteins. In the study presented here, differences in the properties of protein domains in single-domain and multi-domain systems and their influence on functions are discussed. We studied 20 pairs of identical protein domains, which were crystallized in two forms (a) tethered to other proteins domains and (b) tethered to fewer protein domains than (a) or not tethered to any protein domain. Results suggest that tethering of domains in multi-domain proteins influences the structural, dynamic and energetic properties of the constituent protein domains. 50% of the protein domain pairs show significant structural deviations while 90% of the protein domain pairs show differences in dynamics and 12% of the residues show differences in the energetics. To gain further insights on the influence of tethering on the function of the domains, 4 pairs of homologous protein domains, where one of them is a full-length single-domain protein and the other protein domain is a part of a multi-domain protein, were studied. Analyses showed that identical and structurally equivalent functional residues show differential dynamics in homologous protein domains; though comparable dynamics between in-silico generated chimera protein and multi-domain proteins were observed. From these observations, the differences observed in the functions of homologous proteins could be attributed to the presence of tethered domain. Overall, we conclude that tethered domains in multi-domain proteins not only provide stability or folding advantages but also influence pathways resulting in differences in

Using the Branching Story Approach to Motivate Students' Interest in Reading

Science.gov (United States)

Alduraby, Hanan; Liu, Jane

2014-01-01

This action research was to answer the pedagogical question: How effective can a branching story approach be as a motivational tool for elementary reading instruction? A branching story was created with hyperlinks built into a Powerpoint story. The young readers could interact with options at different turning points of the story, which activated…

Semileptonic b branching fractions at LEP

CERN Document Server

Gagnon, P

2000-01-01

I review recent results on semileptonic branching fractions at LEP for Z/sup 0/ to bb data, for the average b hadron then for b baryons. From the inclusive BR(b to lX), one can obtain the most precise value for the CKM matrix element V/sub cb/. (14 refs).

Estimating the Propagation of Interdependent Cascading Outages with Multi-Type Branching Processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qi, Junjian; Ju, Wenyun; Sun, Kai

2016-01-01

In this paper, the multi-type branching process is applied to describe the statistics and interdependencies of line outages, the load shed, and isolated buses. The offspring mean matrix of the multi-type branching process is estimated by the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm and can quantify the extent of outage propagation. The joint distribution of two types of outages is estimated by the multi-type branching process via the Lagrange-Good inversion. The proposed model is tested with data generated by the AC OPA cascading simulations on the IEEE 118-bus system. The largest eigenvalues of the offspring mean matrix indicate that the system is closer to criticality when considering the interdependence of different types of outages. Compared with empirically estimating the joint distribution of the total outages, good estimate is obtained by using the multitype branching process with a much smaller number of cascades, thus greatly improving the efficiency. It is shown that the multitype branching process can effectively predict the distribution of the load shed and isolated buses and their conditional largest possible total outages even when there are no data of them.

A branch and bound algorithm for the global optimization of Hessian Lipschitz continuous functions

KAUST Repository

Fowkes, Jaroslav M.

2012-06-21

We present a branch and bound algorithm for the global optimization of a twice differentiable nonconvex objective function with a Lipschitz continuous Hessian over a compact, convex set. The algorithm is based on applying cubic regularisation techniques to the objective function within an overlapping branch and bound algorithm for convex constrained global optimization. Unlike other branch and bound algorithms, lower bounds are obtained via nonconvex underestimators of the function. For a numerical example, we apply the proposed branch and bound algorithm to radial basis function approximations. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Pen Branch Delta and Savannah River Swamp Hydraulic Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, K.F.

1999-01-01

The proposed Savannah River Site (SRS) Wetlands Restoration Project area is located in Barnwell County, South Carolina on the southwestern boundary of the SRS Reservation. The swamp covers about 40.5 km2 and is bounded to the west and south by the Savannah River and to the north and east by low bluffs at the edge of the Savannah River floodplain. Water levels within the swamp are determined by stage along the Savannah River, local drainage, groundwater seepage, and inflows from four tributaries, Beaver Dam Creek, Fourmile Branch, Pen Branch, and Steel Creek. Historic discharges of heated process water into these tributaries scoured the streambed, created deltas in the adjacent wetland, and killed native vegetation in the vicinity of the delta deposits. Future releases from these tributaries will be substantially smaller and closer to ambient temperatures. One component of the proposed restoration project will be to reestablish indigenous wetland vegetation on the Pen Branch delta that covers about 1.0 km2. Long-term predictions of water levels within the swamp are required to determine the characteristics of suitable plants. The objective of the study was to predict water levels at various locations within the proposed SRS Wetlands Restoration Project area for a range of Savannah River flows and regulated releases from Pen Branch. TABS-MD, a United States Army Corps of Engineer developed two-dimensional finite element open channel hydraulic computer code, was used to model the SRS swamp area for various flow conditions

High-precision branching-ratio measurement for the superallowed β+ emitter 26Alm

Science.gov (United States)

Finlay, P.; Ball, G. C.; Leslie, J. R.; Svensson, C. E.; Andreoiu, C.; Austin, R. A. E.; Bandyopadhyay, D.; Cross, D. S.; Demand, G.; Djongolov, M.; Ettenauer, S.; Garrett, P. E.; Green, K. L.; Grinyer, G. F.; Hackman, G.; Leach, K. G.; Pearson, C. J.; Phillips, A. A.; Rand, E. T.; Sumithrarachchi, C. S.; Triambak, S.; Williams, S. J.

2012-05-01

A high-precision branching-ratio measurement for the superallowed β+ emitter 26Alm was performed at the TRIUMF-ISAC radioactive ion beam facility. An upper limit of ⩽12 ppm at 90% confidence level was found for the second forbidden β+ decay of 26Alm to the 21+ state at 1809 keV in 26Mg. An inclusive upper limit of ⩽15 ppm at 90% confidence level was found when considering all possible nonanalog β+/EC decay branches of 26Alm, resulting in a superallowed branching ratio of 100.0000-0.0015+0%.

Flexibility factors for small (d/D<1/3) branch connections with external loadings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodabaugh, E.C.; Moore, S.E.

1977-03-01

A piping system analysis is accurate only to the extent that the flexibilities of all portions of the piping system are accurately known. The use of a ''conservative'' flexibility factor is not possible because such a factor cannot be defined. Branch connections require a definition of flexibility factor which is conceptually different than commonly used for curved pipe. An appropriate definition for the flexibility factors of branch connections is presented. The background of the present Code formulations of flexibility factors for branch connections is discussed. Additional theoretical data and test data are summarized. Recommendations are given for revisions to Code formulations for handling the flexibility of branch connections in a piping system analysis

Impact of stone branch number on outcomes of percutaneous nephrolithotomy for treatment of staghorn calculi.

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Shiyong; Li, Li; Liu, Ranlu; Qiao, Baomin; Zhang, Zhihong; Xu, Yong

2014-02-01

To determine the impact of staghorn calculi branch number on outcomes of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL). Retrospectively, we evaluated 371 patients (386 renal units) who underwent PNL for staghorn calculi. All calculi were showed with CT three-dimensional reconstruction (3DR) imaging preoperatively. From 3DR images, the number of stone branching into minor renal calices was recorded. According to the number, patients were divided into four groups. Group 1: the branch number 2-4; Group 2: the branch number 5-7; Group 3: the branch number 8-10; Group 4: the branch number >10. The number of percutaneous tract, operative time, staged PNL, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, complications, main stone composition, and stone clearance rate were compared. A significantly higher ratio of multitract (pPNL (pPNL for calculi with a stone branch number ≥5. There was no statistical difference in intraoperative blood loss (p=0.101) and main stone composition (p=0.546). There was no statistically meaningful difference among the four groups based on the Clavien complication system (p=0.46). With the stone branch number more than five, the possibility of multitract and staged PNL, lower rate of stone clearance, and a longer postoperative hospital stay increases for staghorn calculi.

Code 672 observational science branch computer networks

Science.gov (United States)

Hancock, D. W.; Shirk, H. G.

1988-01-01

In general, networking increases productivity due to the speed of transmission, easy access to remote computers, ability to share files, and increased availability of peripherals. Two different networks within the Observational Science Branch are described in detail.

Modern prospects of development of branch of solar power

Science.gov (United States)

Luchkina, Veronika

2017-10-01

Advantages of solar energy for modern companies are evident already. Article describes mechanism of the solar electricity generation. Process of production of solar modules with appliance of the modern technologies of sun energy production. The branch of solar energy “green energy” become advanced in Russia and has a stable demand. Classification of investments on the different stages of construction projects of solar power plants and calculation of their economic efficiency. Studying of introduction of these technologies allows to estimate the modern prospects of development of branch of solar power.

Measurement of Tau Branching Ratios to Five Charged Hadrons

CERN Document Server

Ackerstaff, K.; Allison, John; Altekamp, N.; Anderson, K.J.; Anderson, S.; Arcelli, S.; Asai, S.; Ashby, S.F.; Axen, D.; Azuelos, G.; Ball, A.H.; Barberio, E.; Barlow, Roger J.; Bartoldus, R.; Batley, J.R.; Baumann, S.; Bechtluft, J.; Behnke, T.; Bell, Kenneth Watson; Bella, G.; Bentvelsen, S.; Bethke, S.; Betts, S.; Biebel, O.; Biguzzi, A.; Bird, S.D.; Blobel, V.; Bloodworth, I.J.; Bobinski, M.; Bock, P.; Bohme, J.; Boutemeur, M.; Braibant, S.; Bright-Thomas, P.; Brown, Robert M.; Burckhart, H.J.; Burgard, C.; Burgin, R.; Capiluppi, P.; Carnegie, R.K.; Carter, A.A.; Carter, J.R.; Chang, C.Y.; Charlton, David G.; Chrisman, D.; Ciocca, C.; Clarke, P.E.L.; Clay, E.; Cohen, I.; Conboy, J.E.; Cooke, O.C.; Couyoumtzelis, C.; Coxe, R.L.; Cuffiani, M.; Dado, S.; Dallavalle, G.Marco; Davis, R.; De Jong, S.; del Pozo, L.A.; De Roeck, A.; Desch, K.; Dienes, B.; Dixit, M.S.; Doucet, M.; Dubbert, J.; Duchovni, E.; Duckeck, G.; Duerdoth, I.P.; Eatough, D.; Estabrooks, P.G.; Etzion, E.; Evans, H.G.; Fabbri, F.; Fanfani, A.; Fanti, M.; Faust, A.A.; Fiedler, F.; Fierro, M.; Fischer, H.M.; Fleck, I.; Folman, R.; Furtjes, A.; Futyan, D.I.; Gagnon, P.; Gary, J.W.; Gascon, J.; Gascon-Shotkin, S.M.; Geich-Gimbel, C.; Geralis, T.; Giacomelli, G.; Giacomelli, P.; Gibson, V.; Gibson, W.R.; Gingrich, D.M.; Glenzinski, D.; Goldberg, J.; Gorn, W.; Grandi, C.; Gross, E.; Grunhaus, J.; Gruwe, M.; Hanson, G.G.; Hansroul, M.; Hapke, M.; Hargrove, C.K.; Hartmann, C.; Hauschild, M.; Hawkes, C.M.; Hawkings, R.; Hemingway, R.J.; Herndon, M.; Herten, G.; Heuer, R.D.; Hildreth, M.D.; Hill, J.C.; Hillier, S.J.; Hobson, P.R.; Hocker, James Andrew; Homer, R.J.; Honma, A.K.; Horvath, D.; Hossain, K.R.; Howard, R.; Huntemeyer, P.; Igo-Kemenes, P.; Imrie, D.C.; Ishii, K.; Jacob, F.R.; Jawahery, A.; Jeremie, H.; Jimack, M.; Joly, A.; Jones, C.R.; Jovanovic, P.; Junk, T.R.; Karlen, D.; Kartvelishvili, V.; Kawagoe, K.; Kawamoto, T.; Kayal, P.I.; Keeler, R.K.; Kellogg, R.G.; Kennedy, B.W.; Klier, A.; Kluth, S.; Kobayashi, T.; Kobel, M.; Koetke, D.S.; Kokott, T.P.; Kolrep, M.; Komamiya, S.; Kowalewski, Robert V.; Kress, T.; Krieger, P.; von Krogh, J.; Kyberd, P.; Lafferty, G.D.; Lanske, D.; Lauber, J.; Lautenschlager, S.R.; Lawson, I.; Layter, J.G.; Lazic, D.; Lee, A.M.; Lefebvre, E.; Lellouch, D.; Letts, J.; Levinson, L.; Liebisch, R.; List, B.; Littlewood, C.; Lloyd, A.W.; Lloyd, S.L.; Loebinger, F.K.; Long, G.D.; Losty, M.J.; Ludwig, J.; Lui, D.; Macchiolo, A.; Macpherson, A.; Mannelli, M.; Marcellini, S.; Markopoulos, C.; Martin, A.J.; Martin, J.P.; Martinez, G.; Mashimo, T.; Mattig, Peter; McDonald, W.John; McKenna, J.; Mckigney, E.A.; McMahon, T.J.; McPherson, R.A.; Meijers, F.; Menke, S.; Merritt, F.S.; Mes, H.; Meyer, J.; Michelini, A.; Mihara, S.; Mikenberg, G.; Miller, D.J.; Mir, R.; Mohr, W.; Montanari, A.; Mori, T.; Nagai, K.; Nakamura, I.; Neal, H.A.; Nellen, B.; Nisius, R.; O'Neale, S.W.; Oakham, F.G.; Odorici, F.; Ogren, H.O.; Oreglia, M.J.; Orito, S.; Palinkas, J.; Pasztor, G.; Pater, J.R.; Patrick, G.N.; Patt, J.; Perez-Ochoa, R.; Petzold, S.; Pfeifenschneider, P.; Pilcher, J.E.; Pinfold, J.; Plane, David E.; Poffenberger, P.; Poli, B.; Polok, J.; Przybycien, M.; Rembser, C.; Rick, H.; Robertson, S.; Robins, S.A.; Rodning, N.; Roney, J.M.; Roscoe, K.; Rossi, A.M.; Rozen, Y.; Runge, K.; Runolfsson, O.; Rust, D.R.; Sachs, K.; Saeki, T.; Sahr, O.; Sang, W.M.; Sarkisian, E.K.G.; Sbarra, C.; Schaile, A.D.; Schaile, O.; Scharf, F.; Scharff-Hansen, P.; Schieck, J.; Schmitt, B.; Schmitt, S.; Schoning, A.; Schorner, T.; Schroder, Matthias; Schumacher, M.; Schwick, C.; Scott, W.G.; Seuster, R.; Shears, T.G.; Shen, B.C.; Shepherd-Themistocleous, C.H.; Sherwood, P.; Siroli, G.P.; Sittler, A.; Skuja, A.; Smith, A.M.; Snow, G.A.; Sobie, R.; Soldner-Rembold, S.; Sproston, M.; Stahl, A.; Stephens, K.; Steuerer, J.; Stoll, K.; Strom, David M.; Strohmer, R.; Stumpf, L.; Tafirout, R.; Talbot, S.D.; Tanaka, S.; Taras, P.; Tarem, S.; Teuscher, R.; Thiergen, M.; Thomson, M.A.; von Torne, E.; Torrence, E.; Towers, S.; Trigger, I.; Trocsanyi, Z.; Tsur, E.; Turcot, A.S.; Turner-Watson, M.F.; Van Kooten, Rick J.; Vannerem, P.; Verzocchi, M.; Vikas, P.; Voss, H.; Wackerle, F.; Wagner, A.; Ward, C.P.; Ward, D.R.; Watkins, P.M.; Watson, A.T.; Watson, N.K.; Wells, P.S.; Wermes, N.; White, J.S.; Wilson, G.W.; Wilson, J.A.; Wyatt, T.R.; Yamashita, S.; Yekutieli, G.; Zacek, V.; Zer-Zion, D.

1999-01-01

The branching ratios of the decay of the tau lepton to five charged hadrons have been measured with the OPAL detector at LEP using data collected between 1991 and 1995 at e+e- centre-of-mass energies close to the Z resonance. The branching ratios are measured to be BR(tau- to 3h-2h+nutau) = 0.091+-0.014+-0.005% BR(tau- to 3h-2h+pi0nutau) = 0.027+-0.018+-0.007% where the first error is statistical and the second systematic.

Controls on stream network branching angles, tested using landscape evolution models

Science.gov (United States)

Theodoratos, Nikolaos; Seybold, Hansjörg; Kirchner, James W.

2016-04-01

Stream networks are striking landscape features. The topology of stream networks has been extensively studied, but their geometry has received limited attention. Analyses of nearly 1 million stream junctions across the contiguous United States [1] have revealed that stream branching angles vary systematically with climate and topographic gradients at continental scale. Stream networks in areas with wet climates and gentle slopes tend to have wider branching angles than in areas with dry climates or steep slopes, but the mechanistic linkages underlying these empirical correlations remain unclear. Under different climatic and topographic conditions different runoff generation mechanisms and, consequently, transport processes are dominant. Models [2] and experiments [3] have shown that the relative strength of channel incision versus diffusive hillslope transport controls the spacing between valleys, an important geometric property of stream networks. We used landscape evolution models (LEMs) to test whether similar factors control network branching angles as well. We simulated stream networks using a wide range of hillslope diffusion and channel incision parameters. The resulting branching angles vary systematically with the parameters, but by much less than the regional variability in real-world stream networks. Our results suggest that the competition between hillslope and channeling processes influences branching angles, but that other mechanisms may also be needed to account for the variability in branching angles observed in the field. References: [1] H. Seybold, D. H. Rothman, and J. W. Kirchner, 2015, Climate's watermark in the geometry of river networks, Submitted manuscript. [2] J. T. Perron, W. E. Dietrich, and J. W. Kirchner, 2008, Controls on the spacing of first-order valleys, Journal of Geophysical Research, 113, F04016. [3] K. E. Sweeney, J. J. Roering, and C. Ellis, 2015, Experimental evidence for hillslope control of landscape scale, Science, 349

Four-branched compounds coupled Si and iron-rich intermetallics in near eutectic Al-Si alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Yuying; Liu, Xiangfa; Jiang, Binggang; Bian, Xiufang

2007-01-01

Many four-branched compounds coupled Si and iron-rich intermetallics were observed in near eutectic Al-Si alloy modified with Al-P master alloy. Such four-branched compounds have never been reported before, but in our case it seems to be commonly observed. In this work the growth characterization of the four-branched compounds are scrutinized with a JXA-8800 electron microprobe (EPMA). More deep study of the formation of four-branched compounds is performed by SEM and TEM analysis. The characterization of the four-branched compounds is that of a primary silicon in the center with four iron-rich intermetallics around. Experimental results also show that the precipitation of primary silicon is the key factor for the formation of four-branched compounds. And WHS-theory explains the growth mechanism of the four-branched compounds. In detail, subsequent twinning within the primary silicon provides four-fold coordination sites on the surface, and then the α-Al(Fe,Mn)-Si phase nucleates on the surface of the primary silicon

[Odd- and branched-chain fatty acids in milk fat--characteristic and health properties].

Science.gov (United States)

Adamska, Agata; Rutkowska, Jarosława

2014-08-22

This review analyzes the current state of knowledge on odd- and branched-chain fatty acids present in milk fat. Special attention is devoted to the characteristic, synthesis in ruminants, factors affecting their content in milk fat and pro-health properties of these compounds. The group of odd- and branched-chain fatty acids includes mainly saturated fatty acids with one or more methyl branches in the iso or anteiso position. These fatty acids are largely derived from ruminal bacteria and they have been transferred to ruminant tissue (milk and meat). For that reason they have been used as biomarkers of rumen fermentation. Odd- and branched-chain fatty acids are exogenous products for humans, and therefore have specific properties. The results of research from recent decades show that odd- and branched-chain fatty acids have anti-cancer activity. Branched-chain fatty acids may reduce the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis. Additionally, these compounds have a beneficial effect on proper tissue function and on functioning and development of the infant gut, whereas odd-chain fatty acids are considered as biomarkers of milk fat intake by humans. So far, not all the mechanisms of activity of these compounds are known thoroughly. They should be more carefully studied for application of their biological effects in prevention and treatment.

Public Library Websites as Electronic Branches: A Multi-Country Quantitative Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Velasquez, Diane L.; Evans, Nina

2018-01-01

Introduction: This paper describes the findings of a study of 1517 public library Websites in Australia, Canada, and the United States over a period of four years. These Websites are referred to as 'electronic branches' of the libraries, thereby extending the definition of physical library branches into the digital realm. The purpose of the…

Branch Point Withdrawal in Elongational Startup Flow by Time-Resolved Small Angle Neutron Scattering

KAUST Repository

Ruocco, N.

2016-05-27

We present a small angle neutron scattering (SANS) investigation of a blend composed of a dendritic polymer and a linear matrix with comparable viscosity in start-up of an elongational flow at Tg + 50. The two-generation dendritic polymer is diluted to 10% by weight in a matrix of a long well-entangled linear chains. Both components consist of mainly 1,4-cis-polyisoprene but differ in isotopic composition. The resulting scattering contrast is sufficiently high to permit time-resolved measurements of the system structure factor during the start-up phase and to follow the retraction processes involving the inner sections of the branched polymer in the nonlinear deformation response. The outer branches and the linear matrix, on the contrary, are in the linear deformation regime. The linear matrix dominates the rheological signature of the blend and the influence of the branched component can barely be detected. However, the neutron scattering intensity is predominantly that of the (branched) minority component so that its dynamics is clearly evident. In the present paper, we use the neutron scattering data to validate the branch point withdrawal process, which could not be unambiguously discerned from rheological measurements in this blend. The maximal tube stretch that the inner branches experience, before the relaxed outer arm material is incorporated into the tube is determined. The in situ scattering experiments demonstrate for the first time the leveling-off of the strain as the result of branch point withdrawal and chain retraction directly on the molecular level. We conclude that branch point motion in the mixture of architecturally complex polymers occurs earlier than would be expected in a purely branched system, presumably due to the different topological environment that the linear matrix presents to the hierarchically deep-buried tube sections. © 2016 American Chemical Society.

Branch Point Withdrawal in Elongational Startup Flow by Time-Resolved Small Angle Neutron Scattering

KAUST Repository

Ruocco, N.; Auhl, D.; Bailly, C.; Lindner, P.; Pyckhout-Hintzen, W.; Wischnewski, A.; Leal, L. G.; Hadjichristidis, Nikolaos; Richter, D.

2016-01-01

We present a small angle neutron scattering (SANS) investigation of a blend composed of a dendritic polymer and a linear matrix with comparable viscosity in start-up of an elongational flow at Tg + 50. The two-generation dendritic polymer is diluted to 10% by weight in a matrix of a long well-entangled linear chains. Both components consist of mainly 1,4-cis-polyisoprene but differ in isotopic composition. The resulting scattering contrast is sufficiently high to permit time-resolved measurements of the system structure factor during the start-up phase and to follow the retraction processes involving the inner sections of the branched polymer in the nonlinear deformation response. The outer branches and the linear matrix, on the contrary, are in the linear deformation regime. The linear matrix dominates the rheological signature of the blend and the influence of the branched component can barely be detected. However, the neutron scattering intensity is predominantly that of the (branched) minority component so that its dynamics is clearly evident. In the present paper, we use the neutron scattering data to validate the branch point withdrawal process, which could not be unambiguously discerned from rheological measurements in this blend. The maximal tube stretch that the inner branches experience, before the relaxed outer arm material is incorporated into the tube is determined. The in situ scattering experiments demonstrate for the first time the leveling-off of the strain as the result of branch point withdrawal and chain retraction directly on the molecular level. We conclude that branch point motion in the mixture of architecturally complex polymers occurs earlier than would be expected in a purely branched system, presumably due to the different topological environment that the linear matrix presents to the hierarchically deep-buried tube sections. © 2016 American Chemical Society.

The harvester with guiding device for branches; Oksien ohjaimilla varustettu harvesteri

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laurila, P [Biowatti Oy, Metsae (Finland); Rinne, S [YTY- Konsultointi, Jyvaeskylae (Finland)

1997-12-01

The collection of logging residue is slow and difficult since the orientation of branches is poor. To ease the handling, branches are orientated in-line with each other and tops with guiding devices attached to the harvester head of single-grip harvester. In trials quite satisfactory results have been achieved. Orientation of branches is good enough and in later trial runs make the guiding device will be made mechanically stronger. In off-road transport no advantage of using guiding device was noticed. However, if the methods of loading are changed, the result might be better. In future also the effect of guiding-device-made felling to the productivity of Chipset-terrain-chipper will be tested. (orig.)

Branch xylem density variations across the Amazon Basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Patiño

2009-04-01

Full Text Available Xylem density is a physical property of wood that varies between individuals, species and environments. It reflects the physiological strategies of trees that lead to growth, survival and reproduction. Measurements of branch xylem density, ρ_x, were made for 1653 trees representing 598 species, sampled from 87 sites across the Amazon basin. Measured values ranged from 218 kg m⁻³ for a Cordia sagotii (Boraginaceae from Mountagne de Tortue, French Guiana to 1130 kg m⁻³ for an Aiouea sp. (Lauraceae from Caxiuana, Central Pará, Brazil. Analysis of variance showed significant differences in average ρ_x across regions and sampled plots as well as significant differences between families, genera and species. A partitioning of the total variance in the dataset showed that species identity (family, genera and species accounted for 33% with environment (geographic location and plot accounting for an additional 26%; the remaining "residual" variance accounted for 41% of the total variance. Variations in plot means, were, however, not only accountable by differences in species composition because xylem density of the most widely distributed species in our dataset varied systematically from plot to plot. Thus, as well as having a genetic component, branch xylem density is a plastic trait that, for any given species, varies according to where the tree is growing in a predictable manner. Within the analysed taxa, exceptions to this general rule seem to be pioneer species belonging for example to the Urticaceae whose branch xylem density is more constrained than most species sampled in this study. These patterns of variation of branch xylem density across Amazonia suggest a large functional diversity amongst Amazonian trees which is not well understood.

Fabrication and characterization of branched carbon nanostructures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sharali Malik

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Carbon nanotubes (CNTs have atomically smooth surfaces and tend not to form covalent bonds with composite matrix materials. Thus, it is the magnitude of the CNT/fiber interfacial strength that limits the amount of nanomechanical interlocking when using conventional CNTs to improve the structural behavior of composite materials through reinforcement. This arises from two well-known, long standing problems in this research field: (a inhomogeneous dispersion of the filler, which can lead to aggregation and (b insufficient reinforcement arising from bonding interactions between the filler and the matrix. These dispersion and reinforcement issues could be addressed by using branched multiwalled carbon nanotubes (b-MWCNTs as it is known that branched fibers can greatly enhance interfacial bonding and dispersability. Therefore, the use of b-MWCNTs would lead to improved mechanical performance and, in the case of conductive composites, improved electrical performance if the CNT filler was better dispersed and connected. This will provide major benefits to the existing commercial application of CNT-reinforced composites in electrostatic discharge materials (ESD: There would be also potential usage for energy conversion, e.g., in supercapacitors, solar cells and Li-ion batteries. However, the limited availability of b-MWCNTs has, to date, restricted their use in such technological applications. Herein, we report an inexpensive and simple method to fabricate large amounts of branched-MWCNTs, which opens the door to a multitude of possible applications.

Angiographic imaging of the branching of the popliteal artery into the arteries of the lower leg

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prayer, L.; Karnel, F.; Schurawitzki, H.

1990-01-01

For the anatomic analysis of the branching of the popliteal artery into the lower leg arteries, 414 intra-arterial DSA images of the lower extremity (obtained in 223 patients) were available. In 90.1% of the material examined, a 'normal' branching was found. If one leg of a patient showed 'normal' branching, there was a probability of 6.9% to find a different branching of the artery in the other leg. In 9.9% of the examined legs deviations from standard branching were observed. If there was a deviation from standard observed in one leg, the probability of finding a variant of branching in the other leg as well was 4.4%. (orig./MG) [de

π0 decay branching ratios of 5ΛHe and 12ΛC hypernuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okada, S.; Ajimura, S.; Aoki, K.; Banu, A.; Bhang, H.C.; Fukuda, T.; Hashimoto, O.; Hwang, J.I.; Kameoka, S.; Kang, B.H.; Kim, E.H.; Kim, J.H.; Kim, M.J.; Maruta, T.; Miura, Y.; Miyake, Y.; Nagae, T.; Nakamura, M.; Nakamura, S.N.; Noumi, H.; Okayasu, Y.; Outa, H.; Park, H.; Saha, P.K.; Sato, Y.; Sekimoto, M.; Takahashi, T.; Tamura, H.; Tanida, K.; Toyoda, A.; Tsukada, K.; Watanabe, T.; Yim, H.J.

2005-01-01

We precisely measured π0 branching ratios of 5 Λ He and 12 Λ C hypernuclei produced via the (π+,K+) reaction. Using these π0 branching ratios with the π- branching ratios and lifetimes, we obtained the π0 decay widths and the non-mesonic weak decay widths with an accuracy of ∼5% (stat) for both hypernuclei

Continuous state branching processes in random environment: The Brownian case

OpenAIRE

Palau, Sandra; Pardo, Juan Carlos

2015-01-01

We consider continuous state branching processes that are perturbed by a Brownian motion. These processes are constructed as the unique strong solution of a stochastic differential equation. The long-term extinction and explosion behaviours are studied. In the stable case, the extinction and explosion probabilities are given explicitly. We find three regimes for the asymptotic behaviour of the explosion probability and, as in the case of branching processes in random environment, we find five...

Limit on $B_S^0\\to\\mu^+\\mu^-$ Branching Fraction

CERN Document Server

Chan, Wing Sheung

2013-01-01

A search for the decay Bs -> mu+mu- has been performed using proton-proton collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The Standard Model predicts the time-integrated branching fraction for the decay to be extremely small. CLs tests method is used in extracting upper limit of the branching fraction from the experimental data. This report describes the two test methods used, the counting method and the mass fit method, and compares them.

Photovoltaic Program Branch annual report, FY 1989

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Summers, K A [ed.

1990-03-01

This report summarizes the progress of the Photovoltaic (PV) Program Branch of the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) from October 1, 1988, through September 30, 1989. The branch is responsible for managing the subcontracted portion of SERI's PV Advanced Research and Development Project. In fiscal year (FY) 1989, this included nearly 50 subcontracts, with a total annualized funding of approximately $13.1 million. Approximately two-thirds of the subcontracts were with universities, at a total funding of nearly $4 million. The six technical sections of the report cover the main areas of the subcontracted program: Amorphous Silicon Research, Polycrystalline Thin Films, Crystalline Silicon Materials Research, High-Efficiency Concepts, New Ideas, and University Participation. Technical summaries of each of the subcontracted programs provide a discussion of approaches, major accomplishments in FY 1989, and future research directions. Each report will be cataloged individually.

Branched tetraether membrane lipids: A versatile group of molecular fossils as testimony of past climate change (Outstanding Young Scientist Lecture)

Science.gov (United States)

Weijers, J. W. H.

2009-04-01

Studying fossils of any kind provides a small window into past times and could learn us why the world around us is as it is today (and might become in the near future). Like paleontologists studying bone remains and palaeobotanists studying fossil plant remains, many organic geochemists study fossil molecules to learn about geochemical cycles, evolution, ecology and climate. Branched Glycerol Dialkyl Glycerol Tetraether (GDGT) membrane lipids are an example of such molecular fossils and have been the core subject of my research. These molecules were initially detected a decade ago in near coastal marine sediments and structurally resemble isoprenoid GDGTs, a group of membrane lipids synthesised by Archaea, a Domain of life separate from Bacteria and Eukarya. With nuclear magnetic resonance techniques we showed, however, that branched GDGTs are of bacterial rather than archaeal origin and analysis of soils, peat bogs and marine surface sediments pointed to a terrestrial origin. As isoprenoid GDGTs are mainly produced by marine archaea the ratio between the two groups, the Branched vs. Isoprenoid Tetraether (BIT) index, could be used to trace the input of soil organic matter into marine sediments. In this lecture I will provide examples of applications of this BIT index in the Channel River during the last Glacial Maximum and the Congo deep sea fan over the last deglaciation. Meanwhile, it appeared that in soils the distribution of individual branched GDGTs, which differ in their content of methyl branches and cyclopentane rings, was different from place to place. Analysis of over 100 soils at different locations revealed that the distribution of the branched GDGTs is most strongly related to both soil pH and annual mean air temperature. This is explained by the fact that bacteria have to adapt the composition of their cell membrane to ambient conditions in order to keep it properly functioning. This empirical relation opened opportunities to reconstruct past annual

Myocardial Bridges and their Relationship to the Anterior Interventricular Branch of the Left Coronary Artery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lima Vanildo Júnior de Melo

2002-01-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between myocardial bridges and the anterior interventricular branch (anterior descending of the left coronary artery. METHODS: The study was carried out with postmortem material, and methods of dissection and observation were used. We assessed the perimeter of the anterior interventricular branch of the left coronary artery using a pachymeter, calculated its proximal and distal diameters in relation to the myocardial bridge, and also its diameter under the myocardial bridge in 30 hearts. We also observed the position of the myocardial bridge in relation to the origin of the anterior interventricular branch. RESULTS: The diameters of the anterior interventricular branch were as follows: the mean proximal diameter was 2.76±0.76 mm; the mean diameter under the myocardial bridge was 2.08±0.54 mm; and the mean distal diameter was 1.98±0.59 mm. In 33.33% (10/30 of the cases, the diameter of the anterior interventricular branch under the myocardial bridge was lower than the diameter of the anterior interventricular branch distal to the myocardial bridge. In 3.33% (1/30 of the cases, an atherosclerotic plaque was found in the segment under the myocardial bridge. The myocardial bridge was located in the middle third of the anterior interventricular branch in 86.66% (26/30 of the cases. CONCLUSION: Myocardial bridges are more frequently found in the middle third of the anterior interventricular branch of the left coronary artery. The diameter of the anterior interventricular branch of the left coronary artery under the myocardial bridge may be smaller than after the bridge. Myocardial bridges may not provide protection against the formation of atherosclerotic plaque inside the anterior interventricular branch of the left coronary artery.

Origin of buds, branches, and sprouts

Science.gov (United States)

Kevin T. Smith

2014-01-01

Recent research shows that survivor trees in rural, managed forests rebuild broken crowns with new branches and foliage after ice storm injury (Shortle et al. 2014). Veteran trees in historic parks and landscapes show repeated cycles of crown loss and recovery (Fay 2002). Crown rebuilding or reiteration from sprouts is a physiological response with architectural...

Studies on the fatigue of branched connections related to the shakedown pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, T.R.

1977-01-01

The concept of shakedown is that regions which plastically deform during initial loading subsequently adopt an elastic mode of deformation. High strain fatigue, i.e. up to 10,000 cycles, will be eliminated. Two branches of different thickness were welded to a common cylindrical vessel and hydraulically tested, simultaneously. The test pressure was the shakedown limit for the stronger branch and about 1.5 x shakedown for the weaker branch. The thinner branch failed by penetration through the weld near the crotch corner at 3,543 cycles. The thicker branch was given 10,000 cycles when, since no cracks were apparent, a starter notch was made in the crotch corner. Leakage occurred after another 10,678 cycles. This crack was also influenced by weld defects. Using fracture mechanics and a reported relationship between crack rate and stress intensity factors, some predictions of endurance at design pressure are derived for these branches. These lives are compared with the British Standard 1515 formula for fatigue avoidance and with the curves given in Section III of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. The former is considered conservative, while the ASME Code curve requires an additional safety factor as suggested by Jettam; A multiplication factor of 2 on the nominal stress concentration factor for welds is then considered satisfactory. It is tentatively considered that such junctions manufactured to Class 1 standard are satisfactory for daily cycling for 30 years, but are marginal for twice daily cycling for that time. This conclusion is tentative, since it depends critically on the size of weld defects present

The effect of crack branching on the residual lifetime of machine components containing stress corrosion cracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magdowski, R.M.; Uggowitzer, P.J.; Speidel, M.O.

1985-01-01

A comparison is presented of theoretical, numerical and experimental investigations concerning the effect of crack branching on the reduction of stress intensity at the tip of single cracks. The results indicate that the division of a single crack into n branches reduces the stress intensity at the branch tips by a factor of about 1/√n. This permits branched cracks to grow to larger depths before becoming critical. The implication is that longer residual lifetimes and longer operating times between inspections can be calculated for machine components with growing branched stress corrosion cracks. (author)

Large branched self-assembled DNA complexes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tosch, Paul; Waelti, Christoph; Middelberg, Anton P J; Davies, A Giles

2007-01-01

Many biological molecules have been demonstrated to self-assemble into complex structures and networks by using their very efficient and selective molecular recognition processes. The use of biological molecules as scaffolds for the construction of functional devices by self-assembling nanoscale complexes onto the scaffolds has recently attracted significant attention and many different applications in this field have emerged. In particular DNA, owing to its inherent sophisticated self-organization and molecular recognition properties, has served widely as a scaffold for various nanotechnological self-assembly applications, with metallic and semiconducting nanoparticles, proteins, macromolecular complexes, inter alia, being assembled onto designed DNA scaffolds. Such scaffolds may typically contain multiple branch-points and comprise a number of DNA molecules selfassembled into the desired configuration. Previously, several studies have used synthetic methods to produce the constituent DNA of the scaffolds, but this typically constrains the size of the complexes. For applications that require larger self-assembling DNA complexes, several tens of nanometers or more, other techniques need to be employed. In this article, we discuss a generic technique to generate large branched DNA macromolecular complexes

Dorsal Branches of Abdominal Aorta in the Rabbit and the European Hare

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flešárová S.

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to describe the anatomical arrangement of the branches arising from the dorsal surface of the aorta abdominalis in the rabbit and the hare. The study was carried out on ten adult rabbits and ten adult European hares using the corrosion technique. After the euthanasia, the vascular network was perfused with saline. After polymerization of the casting medium, the maceration was carried out in a KOH solution. We found different variations in; the number of arteries, level of their origin and arrangement. The aa. lumbales of the same level arose by means of a common trunk or their origin was independent. The aa. lumbales VI or aa. lumbales VI et VII originated also from the a. sacralis mediana. By aa. lumbales we found an important interspecies difference in; number, diameter, ramification and density of dorsal branches, which are designated for the dorsal muscles of the body stem. All listed parameters of branches were higher in the hare. This anatomical arrangement of dorsal branches is adapted to the higher movement activity of the hare. According to our results, it can be concluded that the anatomical arrangement of the branches of the aorta abdominalis shows a higher number of variations in the domesticated rabbit in comparison with the hare.

Coronary artery disease confined to secondary branches of the left coronary system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iskandrian, A.S.; Klein, B.L.; Segal, B.L.; Kimbiris, D.; Bemis, C.E.

1981-01-01

Among 3,000 patients studied by coronary arteriography during a 4-year period, 31 patients (1%) had coronary artery disease limited to a diagonal branch of the left anterior descending (15 patients), marginal branch of the left circumflex (10 patients), or to both branches (6 patients). Ten patients had 50-69% and twenty-one had greater than or equal to 70% diameter narrowing. The suitability for grafting was noted in 20 patients as judged by the caliber and distribution of the diseased branches. Collaterals were noted in seven patients. Disease was present in 28 men and 3 women (age range 38-70 years). At least one major coronary risk factor was present in 27 patients. Angina was noted in 27 patients; prior myocardial infarction was noted in 5 patients by history and in 4 by ECG. The left ventriculogram was normal in 22 patients and showed mild segmental asynergy in 9; ejection fraction was normal in all. Exercise ECGs were positive in 12 of 25 patients; exercise 201thallium scans were positive in 13. All patients responded to medical therapy. In conclusion, among the population of patients who undergo catheterization, coronary branch disease is rare. The clinical findings are indistinguishable from patients with major coronary disease. Prognosis remains benign and patients respond to medical therapy

Ott1 (Rbm15) is essential for placental vascular branching morphogenesis and embryonic development of the heart and spleen.

Science.gov (United States)

Raffel, Glen D; Chu, Gerald C; Jesneck, Jonathan L; Cullen, Dana E; Bronson, Roderick T; Bernard, Olivier A; Gilliland, D Gary

2009-01-01

The infant leukemia-associated gene Ott1 (Rbm15) has broad regulatory effects within murine hematopoiesis. However, germ line Ott1 deletion results in fetal demise prior to embryonic day 10.5, indicating additional developmental requirements for Ott1. The spen gene family, to which Ott1 belongs, has a transcriptional activation/repression domain and RNA recognition motifs and has a significant role in the development of the head and thorax in Drosophila melanogaster. Early Ott1-deficient embryos show growth retardation and incomplete closure of the notochord. Further analysis demonstrated placental defects in the spongiotrophoblast and syncytiotrophoblast layers, resulting in an arrest of vascular branching morphogenesis. The rescue of the placental defect using a conditional allele with a trophoblast-sparing cre transgene allowed embryos to form a normal placenta and survive gestation. This outcome showed that the process of vascular branching morphogenesis in Ott1-deficient animals was regulated by the trophoblast compartment rather than the fetal vasculature. Mice surviving to term manifested hyposplenia and abnormal cardiac development. Analysis of global gene expression of Ott1-deficient embryonic hearts showed an enrichment of hypoxia-related genes and a significant alteration of several candidate genes critical for cardiac development. Thus, Ott1-dependent pathways, in addition to being implicated in leukemogenesis, may also be important for the pathogenesis of placental insufficiency and cardiac malformations.

Domain Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Bjørner, Dines

Before software can be designed we must know its requirements. Before requirements can be expressed we must understand the domain. So it follows, from our dogma, that we must first establish precise descriptions of domains; then, from such descriptions, “derive” at least domain and interface requirements; and from those and machine requirements design the software, or, more generally, the computing systems.

Branched-linear and agglomerate protein polymers as vaccine platforms.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Leyi; Xia, Ming; Huang, Pengwei; Fang, Hao; Cao, Dianjun; Meng, Xiang-Jin; McNeal, Monica; Jiang, Xi; Tan, Ming

2014-09-01

Many viral structural proteins and their truncated domains share a common feature of homotypic interaction forming dimers, trimers, and/or oligomers with various valences. We reported previously a simple strategy for construction of linear and network polymers through the dimerization feature of viral proteins for vaccine development. In this study, technologies were developed to produce more sophisticated polyvalent complexes through both the dimerization and oligomerization natures of viral antigens. As proof of concept, branched-linear and agglomerate polymers were made via fusions of the dimeric glutathione-s-transferase (GST) with either a tetrameric hepatitis E virus (HEV) protruding protein or a 24-meric norovirus (NoV) protruding protein. Furthermore, a monomeric antigen, either the M2e epitope of influenza A virus or the VP8* antigen of rotavirus, was inserted and displayed by the polymer platform. All resulting polymers were easily produced in Escherichia coli at high yields. Immunization of mice showed that the polymer vaccines induced significantly higher specific humoral and T cell responses than those induced by the dimeric antigens. Additional evidence in supporting use of polymer vaccines included the significantly higher neutralization activity and protective immunity of the polymer vaccines against the corresponding viruses than those of the dimer vaccines. Thus, our technology for production of polymers containing different viral antigens offers a strategy for vaccine development against infectious pathogens and their associated diseases. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of s-process branchings on stellar and meteoritic abundances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norman, E.B.; Lesko, K.T.; Crane, S.G.; Larimer, R.M.; Champagne, A.E.

1985-12-01

The level scheme and electromagnetic properties of 148 Pm have been studied using 149 Sm(d, 3 He) and 148 Nd(p,nγ) reactions. Combining these measurements with estimates for E2/M1 decay branching ratios leads to the tentative conclusion that 148 Pm/sup g,m/ are in thermal equilibrium during the s-process. The branch at 148 Pm then leads to an inferred s-process neutron density of 3 x 10 8 cm -3

Correlations in quantum systems and branch points in the complex plane

OpenAIRE

Rotter, I.

2001-01-01

Branch points in the complex plane are responsible for avoided level crossings in closed and open quantum systems. They create not only an exchange of the wave functions but also a mixing of the states of a quantum system at high level density. The influence of branch points in the complex plane on the low-lying states of the system is small.

Scattering amplitudes on the Coulomb branch of N=4 super Yang-Mills

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henn, J.M.

2010-01-01

We discuss planar scattering amplitudes on the Coulomb branch of N=4 super Yang-Mills. The vacuum expectation values on the Coulomb branch can be used to regulate infrared divergences. We argue that this has a number of conceptual as well as practical advantages over dimensional regularisation.

EFTPOS Impacts on Branch Banking: an extra organisational analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gregory Shailer

2000-05-01

Full Text Available Perceptions and experiences of bank branch managers and merchant who have installed EFTPOS are surveyed to investigate the impact of EFTPOS on branch banking activities using internal and extra-organisational perspectives. Impacts are identified by reference to banking activities and interpreted as efficiency, effectiveness and competitiveness impacts. It appears that bank managers may have difficulty in isolating the impacts of EFTPOS on banking activities from concurrent changes in banking practices and might overestimate some beneficial impacts. Results indicate a much richer view can be obtained using an organisational perspective of a system's impacts.

Experimental study on flow-induced acoustic resonance in square closed side branch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Hui; Gu Hanyang; Liu Xiaojing; Zhang Kai; Xie Yongcheng; Zu Hongbiao

2014-01-01

Flow-induced acoustic resonance is a phenomenon caused by the interaction of flow and acoustic fields in special structure. Acoustic resonance characteristic experiments were carried out on square closed side branch. The influences of the velocity in main pipe and the length of the side branch on acoustic resonance were studied. The range of occurrence and characteristics of pressure pulsation were analyzed. Three lengths of side branches (L/d=5.6 and 7) were experimentally studied and the Reynolds number in the experiment was 2.74 X 10 4 -2.429 X 10 5 while the Mach number was 0.025-0.218. The results show that the resonance frequency shows a lock-in phenomenon with the increase of velocity. As the length of the side branch increasing, the amplitude of the acoustic pressure and the resonance frequency decrease. In the considered structure, the acoustic resonance occurs when Strouhal number is 0.3-0.6 and 0.7-1.0. (authors)

Synthesis of copper hydroxide branched nanocages and their transformation to copper oxide

KAUST Repository

LaGrow, Alec P.

2014-08-21

Copper oxide nanostructures have been explored in the literature for their great promise in the areas of energy storage and catalysis, which can be controlled based on their shape. Herein we describe the synthesis of complex branched nanocages of copper hydroxide with an alternating stacked morphology. The size of the nanocages\\' core and the length of the branches can be controlled by the temperature and ratio of surfactant used, varying the length from 85 to 232 nm long, and varying the core size from 240 to 19 nm. The nanostructures\\' unique morphology forms by controlling the growth of an initial spherical seed, and the crystallization of the anisotropic arms. The Cu(OH)2 nanostructures can be converted to polycrystalline CuO branched nanocages and Cu2O nanoframes. We show that the branched nanocage morphology of CuO has markedly superior catalytic properties to previous reports with CuO nanomaterials, resulting in a rapid and efficient catalyst for C-S coupling. © 2014 American Chemical Society.

Vertical profile of branch CO2 efflux in a Norway spruce tree: a case study

Science.gov (United States)

Acosta, M.; Pavelka, M.

2012-04-01

Despite woody-tissue CO2 effluxes having been recognized as an important component of forest carbon budget due to the fraction of assimilates used and the dramatic increase in woody with stand development, there is limited research to determine the CO2 efflux vertical variability of woody-tissue components. For a better understanding and quantification of branch woody-tissue CO2 efflux in forest ecosystems, it is necessary to identify the environmental factors influencing it and the role of the branch distribution within the canopy. The proper assessment of this forest component will improve the knowledge of the ratio between ecosystem respiration and gross primary production at forest ecosystem. In order to achieve this goal, branch CO2 efflux of Norway spruce tree was measured in ten branches at five different whorls during the growing season 2004 (from June till October) in campaigns of 3-4 times per month at the Beskydy Mts., the Czech Republic, using a portable infrared gas analyzer operating as a closed system. Branch woody tissue temperature was measured continuously in ten minutes intervals for each sample position during the whole experiment period. On the basis of relation between CO2 efflux rate and woody tissue temperature a value of Q10 and normalized CO2 efflux rate (E10 - CO2 efflux rate at 10° C) were calculated for each sampled position. Estimated Q10 values ranged from 2.12 to 2.89 and E10 ranged from 0.41 to 1.19 ?molCO2m-2 s-1. Differences in branch CO2 efflux were found between orientations; East side branches presented higher efflux rate than west side branches. The highest branch CO2 efflux rate values were measured in August and the lowest in October, which were connected with woody tissue temperature and ontogenetic processes during these periods. Branch CO2 efflux was significantly and positively correlated with branch position within canopy and woody tissue temperature. Branches from the upper whorls showed higher respiration activity

Branch President gives evidence at Scottish Parliament.

Science.gov (United States)

2017-07-01

As the Scottish Government moves forward with its recently announced package of measures on animal health and welfare, Hayley Atkin, BVA Policy Officer, describes a busy month for the President of BVA Scottish Branch representing members in the Scottish Parliament. British Veterinary Association.

Herbivore-induced volatiles in the perennial shrub, Vaccinium corymbosum, and their role in inter-branch signaling.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez-Saona, Cesar R; Rodriguez-Saona, Luis E; Frost, Christopher J

2009-02-01

Herbivore feeding activates plant defenses at the site of damage as well as systemically. Systemic defenses can be induced internally by signals transported via phloem or xylem, or externally transmitted by volatiles emitted from the damaged tissues. We investigated the role of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) in activating a defense response between branches in blueberry plants. Blueberries are perennial shrubs that grow by initiating adventitious shoots from a basal crown, which produce new lateral branches. This type of growth constrains vascular connections between shoots and branches within plants. While we found that leaves within a branch were highly connected, vascular connectivity was limited between branches within shoots and absent between branches from different shoots. Larval feeding by gypsy moth, exogenous methyl jasmonate, and mechanical damage differentially induced volatile emissions in blueberry plants, and there was a positive correlation between amount of insect damage and volatile emission rates. Herbivore damage did not affect systemic defense induction when we isolated systemic branches from external exposure to HIPVs. Thus, internal signals were not capable of triggering systemic defenses among branches. However, exposure of branches to HIPVs from an adjacent branch decreased larval consumption by 70% compared to those exposed to volatiles from undamaged branches. This reduction in leaf consumption did not result in decreased volatile emissions, indicating that leaves became more responsive to herbivory (or "primed") after being exposed to HIPVs. Chemical profiles of leaves damaged by gypsy moth caterpillars, exposed to HIPVs, or non-damaged controls revealed that HIPV-exposed leaves had greater chemical similarities to damaged leaves than to control leaves. Insect-damaged leaves and young HIPV-exposed leaves had higher amounts of endogenous cis-jasmonic acid compared to undamaged and non-exposed leaves, respectively. Our results

SlCCD7 controls strigolactone biosynthesis, shoot branching and mycorrhiza-induced apocarotenoid formation in tomato.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vogel, J.T.; Walter, M.H.; Giavalisco, P.; Lytovchenko, A.; Kohlen, W.; Charnikhova, T.; Simkin, A.J.; Goulet, C.; Strack, D.; Bouwmeester, H.J.; Fernie, A.R.; Klee, H.J.

2010-01-01

The regulation of shoot branching is an essential determinant of plant architecture, integrating multiple external and internal signals. One of the signaling pathways regulating branching involves the MAX (more axillary branches) genes. Two of the genes within this pathway, MAX3/CCD7 and MAX4/CCD8,

Axisymmetric thermoviscoelastoplastic state of branched laminar shells, taking account of transverse-shear and torsional deformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galishin, A.Z.

1995-01-01

The nonaxisymmetric thermoelastic stress-strain state (SSS) of branched laminar orthotropic shells was considered; the axisymmetric thermoviscoelastic SSS of branched laminar orthotropic shells was considered; and the axisymmetric thermoviscoelastoplastic SSS of branched laminar isotropic shells was considered, taking into account of the transverse-shear deformation. In the present work, in contrast, the axisymmetric thermoviscoelastoplastic SSS of branched laminar isotropic shells is considered, taking account of transverse-shear and torsional deformation. Layers that are made from orthotropic materials and deform in the elastic region may be present

STARDUST FROM ASYMPTOTIC GIANT BRANCH STARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gail, H.-P.; Zhukovska, S. V.; Hoppe, P.; Trieloff, M.

2009-01-01

The formation of dust in the outflows of low- and intermediate-mass stars on the first giant branch and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) is studied and the relative contributions of stars of different initial masses and metallicities to the interstellar medium (ISM) at the instant of solar system formation are derived. These predictions are compared with the characteristics of the parent stars of presolar dust grains found in primitive meteorites and interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) inferred from their isotopic compositions. For this purpose, model calculations for dust condensation in stellar outflows are combined with synthetic models of stellar evolution on the first giant branch and AGB and an evolution model of the Milky Way for the solar neighborhood. The dust components considered are olivine, pyroxene, carbon, SiC, and iron. The corresponding dust production rates are derived for the solar vicinity. From these rates and taking into account dust destruction by supernova shocks in the ISM, the contributions to the inventory of presolar dust grains in the solar system are derived for stars of different initial masses and metallicities. It is shown that stars on the first giant branch and the early AGB are not expected to form dust, in accord with astronomical observations. Dust formation is concentrated in the last phase of evolution, the thermally pulsing AGB. Due to the limited lifetime of dust grains in the ISM only parent stars from a narrow range of metallicities are expected to contribute to the population of presolar dust grains. Silicate and silicon carbide dust grains are predicted to come from parent stars with metallicities not less than about Z ∼ 0.008 (0.6 x solar). This metallicity limit is higher than that inferred from presolar SiC grain isotope data. The population of presolar carbon dust grains is predicted to originate from a wider range of metallicities, down to Z ∼ 0.004. Masses of AGB stars that produce C-rich dust are in the range �

Strategy of Irrigation Branch in Russia

Science.gov (United States)

Zeyliger, A.; Ermolaeva, O.

2012-04-01

At this moment, at the starting time of the program on restoration of a large irrigation in Russia till 2020, the scientific and technical community of irrigation branch does not have clear vision on how to promote a development of irrigated agriculture and without repeating of mistakes having a place in the past. In many respects absence of a vision is connected to serious backlog of a scientific and technical and informational and technological level of development of domestic irrigation branch from advanced one. Namely such level of development is necessary for the resolving of new problems in new conditions of managing, and also for adequate answers to new challenges from climate and degradation of ground & water resources, as well as a rigorous requirement from an environment. In such important situation for irrigation branch when it is necessary quickly generate a scientific and technical politics for the current decade for maintenance of translation of irrigated agriculture in the Russian Federation on a new highly effective level of development, in our opinion, it is required to carry out open discussion of needs and requirements as well as a research for a adequate solutions. From political point of view a framework organized in FP6 DESIRE 037046 project is an example of good practice that can serve as methodical approach how to organize and develop such processes. From technical point of view a technology of operational management of irrigation at large scale presents a prospective alternative to the current type of management based on planning. From point of view ICT operational management demands creation of a new platform for the professional environment of activity. This platform should allow to perceive processes in real time, at their partial predictability on signals of a straight line and a feedback, within the framework of variability of decision making scenarious, at high resolution and the big ex-awning of sensor controls and the gauges

Intensity of rivalry among existing competitors in the wine-making branch

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radka Šperková

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The analysis of the rivalry among existing competitors in the wine-making branch is the aim of this paper. On the whole, the rivalry among existing companies in the wine-making branch may be described as intensive. When evaluating the level of intensity of rivalry among existing businesses in the branch, it is necessary to take into consideration their size and market share. Among first ten most significant companies on the market (84% market share there is intensive competing. Individual companies use all their tangible and intangible means in order to extend their share and attract new clients. The aim of this competing is to strengthen the clients’ trust in given brands, and it is about efforts to obtain the best positions possible for negotiations of wine distribution, mainly to chain stores, which requires favorable price quotes. The other group of subjects operating in this branch is formed mainly by small producers (16% market share. Given their small size, they are unable to effectively use the economy of scale, they do not make too big profit, and so they do not have enough finances for intensive competing.

Branching ratios and CP asymmetries in the decay B → VV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kramer, G.; Palmer, W.F.

1991-06-01

We carry out a systematic study of branching ratios, angular correlations, and CP asymmetries in the decay of neutral and charged B mesons to final states consisting of two vector mesons. The renormalization group improved effective Hamiltonian is evaluated in the vacuum insertion (factorization) approximation. OZI suppressed and annihilation terms are neglected. Current matrix elements are evaluated using the wave functions of Bauer, Stech and Wirbel. Branching ratios and angular correlations among subsequent decays of the vector mesons are calculated for 34 channels and a comparison is made with the data. As a first approximation, the calculational scheme provides a useful framework with which to organize the data. Interesting direct CP asymmetries are particularly evident in K*ω and K*ρ final states, where branching ratios are moderate. They are excellent probes of penguin term influence on decay amplitudes. Even larger direct asymmetries are present in ωρ and ρρ final states where, however, branching ratios are low and results are very model dependent. We show how B 0 -B 0 mixing phases are influenced by phases in the direct amplitudes. The effect is particularly strong for K* 0 D* 0 final states. (orig.)

Libraries across Land and Sea: Academic Library Services on International Branch Campuses

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Harriett

2013-01-01

This preliminary study explores how library services are offered at the international branch campuses of U.S. institutions of higher education, including librarians' experiences, challenges faced, and collaborations with the home U.S. institutions. The data from a Web survey distributed to international branch campus librarians, a conducted…

A time-domain finite element boundary integral approach for elastic wave scattering

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, F.; Lowe, M. J. S.; Skelton, E. A.; Craster, R. V.

2018-04-01

The response of complex scatterers, such as rough or branched cracks, to incident elastic waves is required in many areas of industrial importance such as those in non-destructive evaluation and related fields; we develop an approach to generate accurate and rapid simulations. To achieve this we develop, in the time domain, an implementation to efficiently couple the finite element (FE) method within a small local region, and the boundary integral (BI) globally. The FE explicit scheme is run in a local box to compute the surface displacement of the scatterer, by giving forcing signals to excitation nodes, which can lie on the scatterer itself. The required input forces on the excitation nodes are obtained with a reformulated FE equation, according to the incident displacement field. The surface displacements computed by the local FE are then projected, through time-domain BI formulae, to calculate the scattering signals with different modes. This new method yields huge improvements in the efficiency of FE simulations for scattering from complex scatterers. We present results using different shapes and boundary conditions, all simulated using this approach in both 2D and 3D, and then compare with full FE models and theoretical solutions to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of this numerical approach.

Branching geodesics in normed spaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanov, A O; Tuzhilin, A A

2002-01-01

We study branching extremals of length functionals on normed spaces. This is a natural generalization of the Steiner problem in normed spaces. We obtain criteria for a network to be extremal under deformations that preserve the topology of networks as well as under deformations with splitting. We discuss the connection between locally shortest networks and extremal networks. In the important particular case of the Manhattan plane, we get a criterion for a locally shortest network to be extremal

Cash efficiency for bank branches

OpenAIRE

Cabello, Julia Garc?a

2013-01-01

Bank liquidity management has become a major issue during the financial crisis as liquidity shortages have intensified and have put pressure on banks to diversity and improve their liquidity sources. While a significant strand of the literature concentrates on wholesale liquidity generation and on the alternative to deposit funding, the management of an inventory of cash holdings within the banks? branches is also a relevant issue as any significant improvement in cash management at the bank ...

Solid State Photovoltaic Research Branch

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1990-09-01

This report summarizes the progress of the Solid State Photovoltaic Research Branch of the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) from October 1, 1988, through September 30,l 1989. Six technical sections of the report cover these main areas of SERIs in-house research: Semiconductor Crystal Growth, Amorphous Silicon Research, Polycrystalline Thin Films, III-V High-Efficiency Photovoltaic Cells, Solid-State Theory, and Laser Raman and Luminescence Spectroscopy. Sections have been indexed separately for inclusion on the data base.

The Singularity Structure of Scale-Invariant Rank-2 Coulomb Branches

OpenAIRE

Argyres, Philip C.; Long, Cody; Martone, Mario

2018-01-01

We compute the spectrum of scaling dimensions of Coulomb branch operators in 4d rank-2 $\\mathcal{N}{=}2$ superconformal field theories. Only a finite rational set of scaling dimensions is allowed. It is determined by using information about the global topology of the locus of metric singularities on the Coulomb branch, the special K\\"ahler geometry near those singularities, and electric-magnetic duality monodromies along orbits of the $\\rm\\, U(1)_R$ symmetry. A set of novel topological and ge...

Domain decomposition method for solving elliptic problems in unbounded domains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khoromskij, B.N.; Mazurkevich, G.E.; Zhidkov, E.P.

1991-01-01

Computational aspects of the box domain decomposition (DD) method for solving boundary value problems in an unbounded domain are discussed. A new variant of the DD-method for elliptic problems in unbounded domains is suggested. It is based on the partitioning of an unbounded domain adapted to the given asymptotic decay of an unknown function at infinity. The comparison of computational expenditures is given for boundary integral method and the suggested DD-algorithm. 29 refs.; 2 figs.; 2 tabs

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α regulates branching morphogenesis during kidney development.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsuji, Kenji; Kitamura, Shinji; Makino, Hirofumi

2014-04-25

The kidneys are exposed to hypoxic conditions during development. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), an important mediator of the response to hypoxia, is believed to have an important role in development. However, the relationship between HIF and branching morphogenesis has not been elucidated clearly. In this study, we examined whether HIF regulates kidney development. We harvested kidneys from day 13 rat embryos (E13Ks) and cultured the organs under normoxic (20% O2/5% CO2) or hypoxic (5% O2/5% CO2) conditions. We evaluated the kidneys based on morphology and gene expression. E13Ks cultured under hypoxic conditions had significantly more ureteric bud (UB) branching than the E13Ks cultured under normoxic conditions. In addition, the mRNA levels of GDNF and GDNF receptor (GFR-α1), increased under hypoxic conditions in E13Ks. When we cultured E13Ks with the HIF-1α inhibitor digoxin or with siRNA targeting HIF-1α under hypoxic conditions, we did not observe increased UB branching. In addition, the expression of GDNF and GFR-α1 was inhibited under hypoxic conditions when the kidneys were treated with siRNA targeting HIF-1α. We also elucidated that hypoxia inhibited UB cell apoptosis and promoted the expression of FGF7 mRNA levels in metanephric mesenchymal (MM) cells in vitro. These findings suggest that hypoxic condition has important roles in inducing branching morphogenesis during kidney development. Hypoxia might mediate branching morphogenesis via not only GDNF/Ret but also FGF signaling pathway. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The largest subunit of RNA polymerase II from the Glaucocystophyta: functional constraint and short-branch exclusion in deep eukaryotic phylogeny

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stiller John W

2005-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Evolutionary analyses of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB1 have yielded important and at times provocative results. One particularly troublesome outcome is the consistent inference of independent origins of red algae and green plants, at odds with the more widely accepted view of a monophyletic Plantae comprising all eukaryotes with primary plastids. If the hypothesis of a broader kingdom Plantae is correct, then RPB1 trees likely reflect a persistent phylogenetic artifact. To gain a better understanding of RNAP II evolution, and the presumed artifact relating to green plants and red algae, we isolated and analyzed RPB1 from representatives of Glaucocystophyta, the third eukaryotic group with primary plastids. Results Phylogenetic analyses incorporating glaucocystophytes do not recover a monophyletic Plantae; rather they result in additional conflicts with the most widely held views on eukaryotic relationships. In particular, glaucocystophytes are recovered as sister to several amoebozoans with strong support. A detailed investigation shows that this clade can be explained by what we call "short-branch exclusion," a phylogenetic artifact integrally associated with "long-branch attraction." Other systematic discrepancies observed in RPB1 trees can be explained as phylogenetic artifacts; however, these apparent artifacts also appear in regions of the tree that support widely held views of eukaryotic evolution. In fact, most of the RPB1 tree is consistent with artifacts of rate variation among sequences and co-variation due to functional constraints related to C-terminal domain based RNAP II transcription. Conclusion Our results reveal how subtle and easily overlooked biases can dominate the overall results of molecular phylogenetic analyses of ancient eukaryotic relationships. Sources of potential phylogenetic artifact should be investigated routinely, not just when obvious "long-branch attraction" is encountered.

Measuring of the efficiency of bank branches on the basis of DEA approach

OpenAIRE

Korchahin, A.; Zhukau, A.

2010-01-01

The problem of the measuring of efficiency of bank branches in a bank strategic planning is considered. The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is employed as a managerial tool to evaluate performance of network of bank branches.

Employment of Veterans in the Federal Executive Branch

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — These quick facts use data from the 2011 Employment of Veterans in the Federal Executive Branch to compare Veteran employment in the Federal Government by agency,...

Short Lives with Long-Lasting Effects: Filopodia Protrusions in Neuronal Branching Morphogenesis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

George Leondaritis

Full Text Available The branching behaviors of both dendrites and axons are part of a neuronal maturation process initiated by the generation of small and transient membrane protrusions. These are highly dynamic, actin-enriched structures, collectively called filopodia, which can mature in neurons to form stable branches. Consequently, the generation of filopodia protrusions is crucial during the formation of neuronal circuits and involves the precise control of an interplay between the plasma membrane and actin dynamics. In this issue of PLOS Biology, Hou and colleagues identify a Ca2+/CaM-dependent molecular machinery in dendrites that ensures proper targeting of branch formation by activation of the actin nucleator Cobl.

The SHOCT domain: a widespread domain under-represented in model organisms.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruth Y Eberhardt

Full Text Available We have identified a new protein domain, which we have named the SHOCT domain (Short C-terminal domain. This domain is widespread in bacteria with over a thousand examples. But we found it is missing from the most commonly studied model organisms, despite being present in closely related species. It's predominantly C-terminal location, co-occurrence with numerous other domains and short size is reminiscent of the Gram-positive anchor motif, however it is present in a much wider range of species. We suggest several hypotheses about the function of SHOCT, including oligomerisation and nucleic acid binding. Our initial experiments do not support its role as an oligomerisation domain.

An Investigation of the Impact of International Branch Campuses on Organizational Culture

Science.gov (United States)

Tierney, William G.; Lanford, Michael

2015-01-01

The authors first survey the factors related to globalization that have stimulated the creation of international branch campuses. They then contend that the viability of an international branch campus should not be solely evaluated from a rational choice perspective oriented toward economic self-interest. Rather, the organizational culture of the…

Monopole operators and Hilbert series of Coulomb branches of 3 d = 4 gauge theories

Science.gov (United States)

Cremonesi, Stefano; Hanany, Amihay; Zaffaroni, Alberto

2014-01-01

This paper addresses a long standing problem - to identify the chiral ring and moduli space (i.e. as an algebraic variety) on the Coulomb branch of an = 4 superconformal field theory in 2+1 dimensions. Previous techniques involved a computation of the metric on the moduli space and/or mirror symmetry. These methods are limited to sufficiently small moduli spaces, with enough symmetry, or to Higgs branches of sufficiently small gauge theories. We introduce a simple formula for the Hilbert series of the Coulomb branch, which applies to any good or ugly three-dimensional = 4 gauge theory. The formula counts monopole operators which are dressed by classical operators, the Casimir invariants of the residual gauge group that is left unbroken by the magnetic flux. We apply our formula to several classes of gauge theories. Along the way we make various tests of mirror symmetry, successfully comparing the Hilbert series of the Coulomb branch with the Hilbert series of the Higgs branch of the mirror theory.

CPEB3 is associated with human episodic memory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian Vogler

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding (CPEB proteins are crucial for synaptic plasticity and memory in model organisms. A highly conserved, mammalian-specific short intronic sequence within CPEB3 has been identified as a ribozyme with self-cleavage properties. In humans the ribozyme sequence is polymorphic and harbors a single nucleotide polymorphism which influences cleavage activity of the ribozyme. Here we show that this variation is related to performance in an episodic memory task and that the effect of the variation depends on the emotional valence of the presented material. Our data support a role for human CPEB3 in human episodic memory.

Neutron fluctuations a treatise on the physics of branching processes

CERN Document Server

Pazsit, Imre; Pzsit, Imre

2007-01-01

The transport of neutrons in a multiplying system is an area of branching processes with a clear formalism. This book presents an account of the mathematical tools used in describing branching processes, which are then used to derive a large number of properties of the neutron distribution in multiplying systems with or without an external source. In the second part of the book, the theory is applied to the description of the neutron fluctuations in nuclear reactor cores as well as in small samples of fissile material. The question of how to extract information about the system under study is discussed. In particular the measurement of the reactivity of subcritical cores, driven with various Poisson and non-Poisson (pulsed) sources, and the identification of fissile material samples, is illustrated. The book gives pragmatic information for those planning and executing and evaluating experiments on such systems. - Gives a complete treatise of the mathematics of branching particle processes, and in particular n...

Functional morphology, biomechanics and biomimetic potential of stem-branch connections in Dracaena reflexa and Freycinetia insignis.

Science.gov (United States)

Masselter, Tom; Eckert, Sandra; Speck, Thomas

2011-01-01

Branching in plants is one of the most important assets for developing large arborescent growth forms with complex crowns. While the form and development of branching in gymnosperms and dicotyledonous trees is widely understood, very little is known about branching patterns and the structure of branch-stem-junctions in arborescent monocotyledons. For a better and quantitative understanding of the functional morphology of branch-stem-junctions in arborescent monocotyledons, we investigated the two species Dracaena reflexa and Freycinetia insignis. While D. reflexa is able to develop large arborescent forms with conspicuous crowns by anomalous secondary growth, F. insignis remains relatively small and is only capable of primary growth. Biomechanical investigations were performed by applying vertical loads up to rupture to lateral branches of both species. This allows the analysis of the fracture mechanics and the determination of the maximal force, stress and strain at rupture as well as the fracture toughness. Functional morphology was correlated with the mechanical behaviour of these plants and compared to data of other dicotyledonous trees. The high energy absorption found in the rupture process of lateral branches of D. reflexa and F. insignis makes them promising biological concept generators with a high potential for biomimetic implementation, i.e., for the development of branched fibre-reinforced technical composites. A wide range of constructional elements with branched (sub-)structures can be optimised by using solutions inspired by plant ramifications, e.g., in automotive and aerospace engineering, architecture, sports equipment and prosthetic manufacturing.

Organizing Organoids: Stem Cells Branch Out.

Science.gov (United States)

Davies, Jamie A

2017-12-07

In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Taguchi and Nishinakamura (2017) describe a carefully optimized method for making a branch-competent ureteric bud, a tissue fundamental to kidney development, from mouse embryonic stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells. The work illuminates embryology and has important implications for making more realistic kidney organoids. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Laughter-induced left bundle branch block.

Science.gov (United States)

Chow, Grant V; Desai, Dipan; Spragg, David D; Zakaria, Sammy

2012-10-01

We present the case of a patient with ischemic heart disease and intermittent left bundle branch block, reproducibly induced by laughter. Following treatment of ischemia with successful deployment of a drug-eluting stent, no further episodes of inducible LBBB were seen. Transient ischemia, exacerbated by elevated intrathoracic pressure during laughter, may have contributed to onset of this phenomenon. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A tree branch instead of a ligature: an unusual accidental hanging.

Science.gov (United States)

Vadysinghe, Amal Nishantha; Sivasubramanium, Murugupillai; Jayasooriya, Rankothge Pemasiri

2017-12-01

A unique case of accidental hanging due to compression of the neck of an adult by the branches of a coffee tree is reported. The decedent was a 42-year-old male who was found dead in a semi prone position on a slope. His neck was lodged in a wedge formed by two branches of a coffee tree, with his legs angled downwards on the slope. Autopsy revealed two friction abrasions located horizontally on either side of the front of the neck, just above the larynx. The findings were compatible with compression of the neck by the branches of the tree, with the body weight of the decedent contributing to compression. Subsequent complete autopsy examination confirmed the cause of death as hanging. Following an inquest the death was ruled to be accidental.

DAYLIGHTING PERFORMANCE OF HORIZONTAL LIGHT PIPE BRANCHING ON OPEN PLAN OFFICE SPACE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Feny ELSIANA

2015-12-01

Full Text Available For daylighting purpose, office buildings should have a shallow plan and increase the ratio of surface to building’s volume. However, intensive use of air-conditioning drives office building’s plan to be deep with a minimum surface to volume ratio. This leads to the presence of areas that have insufficient daylight level at the work plane. Considering limitations of some daylighting methods in distributing daylight to these areas, Horizontal Light Pipe (HLP was selected. The aim of this research was to evaluate and explain the effect of HLP branching on daylight quantity and distribution inside open plan office space. Experimental with simulation as a tool was used as the research method. HLP branching’s uniformity ratio, illuminance and Daylight Factor were compared with unbranching HLP, simultaneously with daylighting standards. Results showed that office space with HLP-L branching had higher daylight level than HLP-T branching, 296 lux and 295 lux, HLP-L and HLP-T, respectively. However, HLP-T branching distributed daylight more evenly than HLP-L branching, with uniformity ratio as 1.49:1 and 1.50:1, HLP-T and HLP-L, respectively. Both of them met the illuminance target value and uniformity at work plane. Light’s deflection and improvement amount of opening distribution decreased average illuminance and Daylight Factor up to 3.59%. Those also decreased uniformity of daylight inside the space.

Structural dynamics of precursor and product of the RNA enzyme from the hepatitis delta virus as revealed by molecular dynamics simulations

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Krasovská, Maryna V.; Šefčíková, J.; Špačková, Naďa; Šponer, Jiří; Walter, N.G.

2005-01-01

Roč. 351, č. 4 (2005), s. 731-748 ISSN 0022-2836 Grant - others:GA ČR(CZ) GA203/05/0009 Program:GA Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50040507 Keywords : HDV ribozyme * ribozyme self-cleavage * nucleic acids Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 5.229, year: 2005

Domain-to-domain coupling in voltage-sensing phosphatase.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakata, Souhei; Matsuda, Makoto; Kawanabe, Akira; Okamura, Yasushi

2017-01-01

Voltage-sensing phosphatase (VSP) consists of a transmembrane voltage sensor and a cytoplasmic enzyme region. The enzyme region contains the phosphatase and C2 domains, is structurally similar to the tumor suppressor phosphatase PTEN, and catalyzes the dephosphorylation of phosphoinositides. The transmembrane voltage sensor is connected to the phosphatase through a short linker region, and phosphatase activity is induced upon membrane depolarization. Although the detailed molecular characteristics of the voltage sensor domain and the enzyme region have been revealed, little is known how these two regions are coupled. In addition, it is important to know whether mechanism for coupling between the voltage sensor domain and downstream effector function is shared among other voltage sensor domain-containing proteins. Recent studies in which specific amino acid sites were genetically labeled using a fluorescent unnatural amino acid have enabled detection of the local structural changes in the cytoplasmic region of Ciona intestinalis VSP that occur with a change in membrane potential. The results of those studies provide novel insight into how the enzyme activity of the cytoplasmic region of VSP is regulated by the voltage sensor domain.