Sample records for safety envelope defined

  1. Evolution of Space Shuttle Range Safety Ascent Flight Envelope Design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brewer, Joan; Davis, Jerel; Glenn, Christopher

    2011-01-01

    For every space vehicle launch from the Eastern Range in Florida, the range user must provide specific Range Safety (RS) data products to the Air Force's 45th Space Wing in order to obtain flight plan approval. One of these data products is a set of RS ascent flight envelope trajectories that define the normal operating region of the vehicle during powered flight. With the Shuttle Program launching 135 manned missions over a 30-year period, 135 envelope sets were delivered to the range. During this time, the envelope methodology and design process evolved to support mission changes, maintain high data quality, and reduce costs. The purpose of this document is to outline the shuttle envelope design evolution and capture the lessons learned that could apply to future spaceflight endeavors.

  2. Ares I-X Range Safety Flight Envelope Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Starr, Brett R.; Olds, Aaron D.; Craig, Anthony S.

    2011-01-01

    Ares I-X was the first test flight of NASA's Constellation Program's Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle designed to provide manned access to low Earth orbit. As a one-time test flight, the Air Force's 45th Space Wing required a series of Range Safety analysis data products to be developed for the specified launch date and mission trajectory prior to granting flight approval on the Eastern Range. The range safety data package is required to ensure that the public, launch area, and launch complex personnel and resources are provided with an acceptable level of safety and that all aspects of prelaunch and launch operations adhere to applicable public laws. The analysis data products, defined in the Air Force Space Command Manual 91-710, Volume 2, consisted of a nominal trajectory, three sigma trajectory envelopes, stage impact footprints, acoustic intensity contours, trajectory turn angles resulting from potential vehicle malfunctions (including flight software failures), characterization of potential debris, and debris impact footprints. These data products were developed under the auspices of the Constellation's Program Launch Constellation Range Safety Panel and its Range Safety Trajectory Working Group with the intent of beginning the framework for the operational vehicle data products and providing programmatic review and oversight. A multi-center NASA team in conjunction with the 45th Space Wing, collaborated within the Trajectory Working Group forum to define the data product development processes, performed the analyses necessary to generate the data products, and performed independent verification and validation of the data products. This paper outlines the Range Safety data requirements and provides an overview of the processes established to develop both the data products and the individual analyses used to develop the data products, and it summarizes the results of the analyses required for the Ares I-X launch.

  3. Definition and Means of Maintaining the Emergency Notification and Evacuation System Portion of the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) Safety Envelope

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    WHITE, W.F.

    2000-04-04

    The purpose of this document is to provide the definition and means of maintaining the safety envelope (SE) for the Emergency Notification and Evacuation System (ENES). Together with the appendices, it provides: (1) The system requirements for determining system operability (Section 3.0); (2) Evaluations of equipment to determine the safety boundary for the system (Section 4.0); (3) List of system drawings that are annotated to show the SE boundaries (Appendix A); (4) Identification of the SE equipment by reference to systems and drawings (Appendix B); (5) Requirements for the individual SE equipment (Section 4.0); and (6) A list of themore » operational and surveillance procedures necessary to operate and maintain the system equipment within the SE (Sections 5.0 and 6.0). The Private Automatic Exchange (PAX) phones and PAX switchers are outside the safety envelope defined in WHC-SD-CP-OSR-010, Section 5.4.10, ''Safety Communication and Alarm Systems,'' Section 5.4.1 0.1, ''Major Components and Operating Characteristics,'' and Section 5.4.10.1.12, ''PAX System.'' The PAX override microphone system maintains the safety envelope, and functions as a backup to the evacuation sirens during an emergency.« less

  4. Safety envelope for load tolerance of structural element design based on multi-stage testing

    DOE PAGES

    Park, Chanyoung; Kim, Nam H.

    2016-09-06

    Structural elements, such as stiffened panels and lap joints, are basic components of aircraft structures. For aircraft structural design, designers select predesigned elements satisfying the design load requirement based on their load-carrying capabilities. Therefore, estimation of safety envelope of structural elements for load tolerances would be a good investment for design purpose. In this article, a method of estimating safety envelope is presented using probabilistic classification, which can estimate a specific level of failure probability under both aleatory and epistemic uncertainties. An important contribution of this article is that the calculation uncertainty is reflected in building a safety envelope usingmore » Gaussian process, and the effect of element test data on reducing the calculation uncertainty is incorporated by updating the Gaussian process model with the element test data. It is shown that even one element test can significantly reduce the calculation uncertainty due to lacking knowledge of actual physics, so that conservativeness in a safety envelope is significantly reduced. The proposed approach was demonstrated with a cantilever beam example, which represents a structural element. The example shows that calculation uncertainty provides about 93% conservativeness against the uncertainty due to a few element tests. As a result, it is shown that even a single element test can increase the load tolerance modeled with the safety envelope by 20%.« less

  5. Reviewed approach to defining the Active Interlock Envelope for Front End ray tracing

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Seletskiy, S.; Shaftan, T.

    To protect the NSLS-II Storage Ring (SR) components from damage from synchrotron radiation produced by insertion devices (IDs) the Active Interlock (AI) keeps electron beam within some safe envelope (a.k.a Active Interlock Envelope or AIE) in the transverse phase space. The beamline Front Ends (FEs) are designed under assumption that above certain beam current (typically 2 mA) the ID synchrotron radiation (IDSR) fan is produced by the interlocked e-beam. These assumptions also define how the ray tracing for FE is done. To simplify the FE ray tracing for typical uncanted ID it was decided to provide the Mechanical Engineering groupmore » with a single set of numbers (x,x’,y,y’) for the AIE at the center of the long (or short) ID straight section. Such unified approach to the design of the beamline Front Ends will accelerate the design process and save valuable human resources. In this paper we describe our new approach to defining the AI envelope and provide the resulting numbers required for design of the typical Front End.« less

  6. Definition and means of maintaining the supply ventilation system seismic shutdown portion of the PFP safety envelope

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Keck, R.D.

    1997-01-21

    The purpose of this document is to record the technical evaluation of the Limiting Condition for Operation (LCO) described in the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) Operational Safety Requirements, WHC-SD-CP-OSR- 010, Rev. 0. Kay 1994, Section 3.2.3, `Supply Ventilation System Seismic Shutdown.` This document, with its appendices, provides the following: 1. The system functional requirements for determining system operability (Section 3). 2. Evaluations of equipment to determine the safety boundary for the system (Section 4). 3. A list of annotated drawings which show the safety envelope boundaries (Appendix C). 4. A list of the safety envelope equipment (Appendix B). 5. Functionalmore » requirements for the individual safety envelope equipment, including appropriate setpoints and process parameters (Section 4.1). 6. A list of the operational, maintenance and surveillance procedures necessary to operate and maintain the system equipment within the safety envelope (Sections 5 and 6 and Appendix A).« less

  7. Definition and means of maintaining the criticality detectors and alarms portion of the PFP safety envelope

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    White, W.F.

    The purpose of this document is to provide the definition and means of maintaining the Safety Envelope (SE) related to the Criticality Alarm System (CAS). This document provides amplification of the Limiting Condition for Operation (LCO) described in the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) Operational Safety Requirements (OSR), WHC-SD-CP-OSR-010, Rev. 0, 1994, Section 3.1.2, Criticality Detectors and Alarms. This document, with its appendices, provides the following: (1) System functional requirements for determining system operability (Section 3); (2) A list of annotated system block diagrams which indicate the safety envelope boundaries (Appendix C); (3) A list of the Safety Class 1 andmore » 2 Safety Envelope (SC-1/2 SE) equipment for input into the Master Component Index (Appendix B); (4) Functional requirements for individual SC-1/2 SE components, including appropriate setpoints and process parameters (Section 6 and Appendix A); (5) A list of the operational, maintenance and surveillance procedures necessary to operate and maintain the SC-1/2 SE components as required by the LCO (Section 6 and Appendix A).« less

  8. Evolution of Space Shuttle Range Safety (RS) Ascent Flight Envelope Design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brewer, Joan D.

    2011-01-01

    Ascent flight envelopes are trajectories that define the normal operating region of a space vehicle s position from liftoff until the end of powered flight. They fulfill part of the RS data requirements imposed by the Air Force s 45th Space Wing (45SW) on space vehicles launching from the Eastern Range (ER) in Florida. The 45SW is chartered to protect the public by minimizing risks associated with the inherent hazards of launching a vehicle into space. NASA s Space Shuttle program has launched 130+ manned missions over a 30 year period from the ER. Ascent envelopes were delivered for each of those missions. The 45SW envelope requirements have remained largely unchanged during this time. However, the methodology and design processes used to generate the envelopes have evolved over the years to support mission changes, maintain high data quality, and reduce costs. The evolution of the Shuttle envelope design has yielded lessons learned that can be applied to future endevours. There have been numerous Shuttle ascent design enhancements over the years that have caused the envelope methodology to evolve. One of these Shuttle improvements was the introduction of onboard flight software changes implemented to improve launch probability. This change impacted the preflight nominal ascent trajectory, which is a key element in the RS envelope design. While the early Shuttle nominal trajectories were designed preflight using a representative monthly mean wind, the new software changes involved designing a nominal ascent trajectory on launch day using real-time winds. Because the actual nominal trajectory position was not known until launch day, the envelope analysis had to be customized to account for this nominal trajectory variation in addition to the other envelope components.

  9. Road safety risk evaluation and target setting using data envelopment analysis and its extensions.

    PubMed

    Shen, Yongjun; Hermans, Elke; Brijs, Tom; Wets, Geert; Vanhoof, Koen

    2012-09-01

    Currently, comparison between countries in terms of their road safety performance is widely conducted in order to better understand one's own safety situation and to learn from those best-performing countries by indicating practical targets and formulating action programmes. In this respect, crash data such as the number of road fatalities and casualties are mostly investigated. However, the absolute numbers are not directly comparable between countries. Therefore, the concept of risk, which is defined as the ratio of road safety outcomes and some measure of exposure (e.g., the population size, the number of registered vehicles, or distance travelled), is often used in the context of benchmarking. Nevertheless, these risk indicators are not consistent in most cases. In other words, countries may have different evaluation results or ranking positions using different exposure information. In this study, data envelopment analysis (DEA) as a performance measurement technique is investigated to provide an overall perspective on a country's road safety situation, and further assess whether the road safety outcomes registered in a country correspond to the numbers that can be expected based on the level of exposure. In doing so, three model extensions are considered, which are the DEA based road safety model (DEA-RS), the cross-efficiency method, and the categorical DEA model. Using the measures of exposure to risk as the model's input and the number of road fatalities as output, an overall road safety efficiency score is computed for the 27 European Union (EU) countries based on the DEA-RS model, and the ranking of countries in accordance with their cross-efficiency scores is evaluated. Furthermore, after applying clustering analysis to group countries with inherent similarity in their practices, the categorical DEA-RS model is adopted to identify best-performing and underperforming countries in each cluster, as well as the reference sets or benchmarks for those

  10. Defining the pharmaceutical system to support proactive drug safety.

    PubMed

    Lewis, Vicki R; Hernandez, Angelica; Meadors, Margaret

    2013-02-01

    The military, aviation, nuclear, and transportation industries have transformed their safety records by using a systems approach to safety and risk mitigation. This article creates a preliminary model of the U.S. pharmaceutical system using available literature including academic publications, policies, and guidelines established by regulatory bodies and drug industry trade publications. Drawing from the current literature, the goals, roles, and individualized processes of pharmaceutical subsystems will be defined. Defining the pharmaceutical system provides a vehicle to assess and address known problems within the system, and provides a means to conduct proactive risk analyses, which would create significant pharmaceutical safety advancement.

  11. Jacketed lamp bulb envelope

    DOEpatents

    MacLennan, Donald A.; Turner, Brian P.; Gitsevich, Aleksandr; Bass, Gary K.; Dolan, James T.; Kipling, Kent; Kirkpatrick, Douglas A.; Leng, Yongzhang; Levin, Izrail; Roy, Robert J.; Shanks, Bruce; Smith, Malcolm; Trimble, William C.; Tsai, Peter

    2001-01-01

    A jacketed lamp bulb envelope includes a ceramic cup having an open end and a partially closed end, the partially closed end defining an aperture, a lamp bulb positioned inside the ceramic cup abutting the aperture, and a reflective ceramic material at least partially covering a portion of the bulb not abutting the aperture. The reflective ceramic material may substantially fill an interior volume of the ceramic cup not occupied by the bulb. The ceramic cup may include a structural feature for aiding in alignment of the jacketed lamp bulb envelope in a lamp. The ceramic cup may include an external flange about a periphery thereof. One example of a jacketed lamp bulb envelope includes a ceramic cup having an open end and a closed end, a ceramic washer covering the open end of the ceramic cup, the washer defining an aperture therethrough, a lamp bulb positioned inside the ceramic cup abutting the aperture, and a reflective ceramic material filling an interior volume of the ceramic cup not occupied by the bulb. A method of packing a jacketed lamp bulb envelope of the type comprising a ceramic cup with a lamp bulb disposed therein includes the steps of filling the ceramic cup with a flowable slurry of reflective material, and applying centrifugal force to the cup to pack the reflective material therein.

  12. Creating a Lunar EVA Work Envelope

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Griffin, Brand N.; Howard, Robert; Rajulu, Sudhakar; Smitherman, David

    2009-01-01

    A work envelope has been defined for weightless Extravehicular Activity (EVA) based on the Space Shuttle Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), but there is no equivalent for planetary operations. The weightless work envelope is essential for planning all EVA tasks because it determines the location of removable parts, making sure they are within reach and visibility of the suited crew member. In addition, using the envelope positions the structural hard points for foot restraints that allow placing both hands on the job and provides a load path for reacting forces. EVA operations are always constrained by time. Tasks are carefully planned to ensure the crew has enough breathing oxygen, cooling water, and battery power. Planning first involves computers using a virtual work envelope to model tasks, next suited crew members in a simulated environment refine the tasks. For weightless operations, this process is well developed, but planetary EVA is different and no work envelope has been defined. The primary difference between weightless and planetary work envelopes is gravity. It influences anthropometry, horizontal and vertical mobility, and reaction load paths and introduces effort into doing "overhead" work. Additionally, the use of spacesuits other than the EMU, and their impacts on range of motion, must be taken into account. This paper presents the analysis leading to a concept for a planetary EVA work envelope with emphasis on lunar operations. There is some urgency in creating this concept because NASA has begun building and testing development hardware for the lunar surface, including rovers, habitats and cargo off-loading equipment. Just as with microgravity operations, a lunar EVA work envelope is needed to guide designers in the formative stages of the program with the objective of avoiding difficult and costly rework.

  13. On-Line Safe Flight Envelope Determination for Impaired Aircraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lombaerts, Thomas; Schuet, Stefan; Acosta, Diana; Kaneshige, John

    2015-01-01

    The design and simulation of an on-line algorithm which estimates the safe maneuvering envelope of aircraft is discussed in this paper. The trim envelope is estimated using probabilistic methods and efficient high-fidelity model based computations of attainable equilibrium sets. From this trim envelope, a robust reachability analysis provides the maneuverability limitations of the aircraft through an optimal control formulation. Both envelope limits are presented to the flight crew on the primary flight display. In the results section, scenarios are considered where this adaptive algorithm is capable of computing online changes to the maneuvering envelope due to impairment. Furthermore, corresponding updates to display features on the primary flight display are provided to potentially inform the flight crew of safety critical envelope alterations caused by the impairment.

  14. Refinement of Optimal Work Envelope for Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) Suit Operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jaramillo, Marcos A.; Angermiller, Bonnie L.; Morency, Richard M.; Rajululu, Sudhakar L.

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Work Envelope study is to determine and revise the work envelope defined in NSTS 07700 "System Description and Design Data - Extravehicular Activities" [1], arising from an action item as a result of the Shoulder Injury Tiger Team findings. The aim of this study is to determine a common work envelope that will encompass a majority of the crew population while minimizing the possibility of shoulder and upper arm injuries. There will be approximately two phases of testing: arm sweep analysis to be performed in the Anthropometry and Biomechanics Facility (ABF), and torso lean testing to be performed on the Precision Air Bearing Facility (PABF). NSTS 07700 defines the preferred work envelope arm reach in terms of maximum reach, and defines the preferred work envelope torso flexibility of a crewmember to be a net 45 degree backwards lean [1]. This test served two functions: to investigate the validity of the standard discussed in NSTS 07700, and to provide recommendations to update this standard if necessary.

  15. Diffusion in Stellar Envelopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seaton, M. J.

    Abundances in stellar atmospheres can depend on diffusive movements in much deeper layers of stellar envelopes. Diffusion in envelopes is also of interest in that it can lead to changes in opacities and hence to the structures of stars. For envelopes the radiative accelerations grad can be expressed in terms of quantities which depend only on temperatures, densities and chemical compositions. Computations have been made for the elements C, N, O, Ne, Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, Ar, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe and Ni and tables are being made generally available through CDS (Strasbourg). Some results from those computations will be presented. The computed values of grad are used to study diffusion of iron-group elements in envelopes of HgMn stars. It is shown that one can define a value tau_0 of the Rosseland-mean optical depth tau such that diffusive movements for tau >= tau_0 do not depend on those for tau <= tau_0. For Cr and Mn we obtain solutions with tau_0 = 1 and are able to make some meaningful comparisons of abundances, as computed and as observed in atmospheres. For Fe we find that diffusive movements are slowed down in regions of T ~= 10^5 K where the dominant ionisation stages are near argon-like. Diffusion of Fe-group elements can produce substantial changes in opacities.

  16. Envelope Protection and Recovery Guidance for Upset Conditions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lombaerts, Thomas; Schuet, Stefan; Acosta, Diana; Kaneshige, John; Shish, Kim

    2016-01-01

    The slides are an overview and summary of past and current research projects in the field of envelope protection, upset prevention and upset recovery, with the aim to avoid loss of control accidents and improve safety in air transportation.

  17. 29 CFR 500.133 - Substantive Federal and State safety and health standards defined.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 29 Labor 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Substantive Federal and State safety and health standards defined. 500.133 Section 500.133 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) WAGE AND HOUR DIVISION... Migrant Workers Housing Safety and Health § 500.133 Substantive Federal and State safety and health...

  18. Defining attributes of patient safety through a concept analysis.

    PubMed

    Kim, Linda; Lyder, Courtney H; McNeese-Smith, Donna; Leach, Linda Searle; Needleman, Jack

    2015-11-01

    The aim of this study was to report an analysis of the concept of patient safety. Despite recent increase in the number of work being done to clarify the concept and standardize measurement of patient safety, there are still huge variations in how the term is conceptualized and how to measure patient safety data across various healthcare settings and in research. Concept analysis. A literature search was conducted through PubMed and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Plus using the terms 'patient safety' in the title and 'concept analysis,' 'attributes' or 'definition' in the title and or abstract. All English language literature published between 2002-2014 were considered for the review. Walker and Avant's method guided this analysis. The defining attributes of patient safety include prevention of medical errors and avoidable adverse events, protection of patients from harm or injury and collaborative efforts by individual healthcare providers and a strong, well-integrated healthcare system. The application of Collaborative Alliance of Nursing Outcomes indicators as empirical referents would facilitate the measurement of patient safety. With the knowledge gained from this analysis, nurses may improve patient surveillance efforts that identify potential hazards before they become adverse events and have a stronger voice in health policy decision-making that influence implementation efforts aimed at promoting patient safety, worldwide. Further studies are needed on development of a conceptual model and framework that can aid with collection and measurement of standardized patient safety data. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Full waveform inversion using envelope-based global correlation norm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oh, Ju-Won; Alkhalifah, Tariq

    2018-05-01

    To increase the feasibility of full waveform inversion on real data, we suggest a new objective function, which is defined as the global correlation of the envelopes of modelled and observed data. The envelope-based global correlation norm has the advantage of the envelope inversion that generates artificial low-frequency information, which provides the possibility to recover long-wavelength structure in an early stage. In addition, the envelope-based global correlation norm maintains the advantage of the global correlation norm, which reduces the sensitivity of the misfit to amplitude errors so that the performance of inversion on real data can be enhanced when the exact source wavelet is not available and more complex physics are ignored. Through the synthetic example for 2-D SEG/EAGE overthrust model with inaccurate source wavelet, we compare the performance of four different approaches, which are the least-squares waveform inversion, least-squares envelope inversion, global correlation norm and envelope-based global correlation norm. Finally, we apply the envelope-based global correlation norm on the 3-D Ocean Bottom Cable (OBC) data from the North Sea. The envelope-based global correlation norm captures the strong reflections from the high-velocity caprock and generates artificial low-frequency reflection energy that helps us recover long-wavelength structure of the model domain in the early stages. From this long-wavelength model, the conventional global correlation norm is sequentially applied to invert for higher-resolution features of the model.

  20. Tegument Assembly and Secondary Envelopment of Alphaherpesviruses

    PubMed Central

    Owen, Danielle J.; Crump, Colin M.; Graham, Stephen C.

    2015-01-01

    Alphaherpesviruses like herpes simplex virus are large DNA viruses characterized by their ability to establish lifelong latent infection in neurons. As for all herpesviruses, alphaherpesvirus virions contain a protein-rich layer called “tegument” that links the DNA-containing capsid to the glycoprotein-studded membrane envelope. Tegument proteins mediate a diverse range of functions during the virus lifecycle, including modulation of the host-cell environment immediately after entry, transport of virus capsids to the nucleus during infection, and wrapping of cytoplasmic capsids with membranes (secondary envelopment) during virion assembly. Eleven tegument proteins that are conserved across alphaherpesviruses have been implicated in the formation of the tegument layer or in secondary envelopment. Tegument is assembled via a dense network of interactions between tegument proteins, with the redundancy of these interactions making it challenging to determine the precise function of any specific tegument protein. However, recent studies have made great headway in defining the interactions between tegument proteins, conserved across alphaherpesviruses, which facilitate tegument assembly and secondary envelopment. We summarize these recent advances and review what remains to be learned about the molecular interactions required to assemble mature alphaherpesvirus virions following the release of capsids from infected cell nuclei. PMID:26393641

  1. Aircraft Flight Envelope Determination using Upset Detection and Physical Modeling Methods

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Keller, Jeffrey D.; McKillip, Robert M. Jr.; Kim, Singwan

    2009-01-01

    The development of flight control systems to enhance aircraft safety during periods of vehicle impairment or degraded operations has been the focus of extensive work in recent years. Conditions adversely affecting aircraft flight operations and safety may result from a number of causes, including environmental disturbances, degraded flight operations, and aerodynamic upsets. To enhance the effectiveness of adaptive and envelope limiting controls systems, it is desirable to examine methods for identifying the occurrence of anomalous conditions and for assessing the impact of these conditions on the aircraft operational limits. This paper describes initial work performed toward this end, examining the use of fault detection methods applied to the aircraft for aerodynamic performance degradation identification and model-based methods for envelope prediction. Results are presented in which a model-based fault detection filter is applied to the identification of aircraft control surface and stall departure failures/upsets. This application is supported by a distributed loading aerodynamics formulation for the flight dynamics system reference model. Extensions for estimating the flight envelope due to generalized aerodynamic performance degradation are also described.

  2. 75 FR 74022 - Safety Analysis Requirements for Defining Adequate Protection for the Public and the Workers

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-11-30

    ... DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD [Recommendation 2010-1] Safety Analysis Requirements for Defining Adequate Protection for the Public and the Workers AGENCY: Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board... Nuclear Facilities Safety Board has made a recommendation to the Secretary of Energy requesting an...

  3. 75 FR 69648 - Safety Analysis Requirements for Defining Adequate Protection for the Public and the Workers

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-11-15

    ... DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD [Recommendation 2010-1] Safety Analysis Requirements for Defining Adequate Protection for the Public and the Workers AGENCY: Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board... Facilities Safety Board has made a recommendation to the Secretary of Energy requesting an amendment to the...

  4. A model for the sustainable selection of building envelope assemblies

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Huedo, Patricia, E-mail: huedo@uji.es; Mulet, Elena, E-mail: emulet@uji.es; López-Mesa, Belinda, E-mail: belinda@unizar.es

    2016-02-15

    The aim of this article is to define an evaluation model for the environmental impacts of building envelopes to support planners in the early phases of materials selection. The model is intended to estimate environmental impacts for different combinations of building envelope assemblies based on scientifically recognised sustainability indicators. These indicators will increase the amount of information that existing catalogues show to support planners in the selection of building assemblies. To define the model, first the environmental indicators were selected based on the specific aims of the intended sustainability assessment. Then, a simplified LCA methodology was developed to estimate themore » impacts applicable to three types of dwellings considering different envelope assemblies, building orientations and climate zones. This methodology takes into account the manufacturing, installation, maintenance and use phases of the building. Finally, the model was validated and a matrix in Excel was created as implementation of the model. - Highlights: • Method to assess the envelope impacts based on a simplified LCA • To be used at an earlier phase than the existing methods in a simple way. • It assigns a score by means of known sustainability indicators. • It estimates data about the embodied and operating environmental impacts. • It compares the investment costs with the costs of the consumed energy.« less

  5. Defining and measuring patient safety.

    PubMed

    Pronovost, Peter J; Thompson, David A; Holzmueller, Christine G; Lubomski, Lisa H; Morlock, Laura L

    2005-01-01

    Despite the growing demand for improved safety in health care, debate remains regarding the magnitude of the problem and the degree to which harm is preventable. To a great extent, this debate stems from variation in the definition and methods for measuring safety, its "shadow" error, and the degree of preventability. This article reviews the definition of safety and error, discusses approaches to measuring safety, and provides a framework for investigating incidents that unveils how the systems under which care is delivered may contribute to adverse incidents.

  6. Habitat classification modeling with incomplete data: Pushing the habitat envelope

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Zarnetske, P.L.; Edwards, T.C.; Moisen, Gretchen G.

    2007-01-01

    Habitat classification models (HCMs) are invaluable tools for species conservation, land-use planning, reserve design, and metapopulation assessments, particularly at broad spatial scales. However, species occurrence data are often lacking and typically limited to presence points at broad scales. This lack of absence data precludes the use of many statistical techniques for HCMs. One option is to generate pseudo-absence points so that the many available statistical modeling tools can be used. Traditional techniques generate pseudoabsence points at random across broadly defined species ranges, often failing to include biological knowledge concerning the species-habitat relationship. We incorporated biological knowledge of the species-habitat relationship into pseudo-absence points by creating habitat envelopes that constrain the region from which points were randomly selected. We define a habitat envelope as an ecological representation of a species, or species feature's (e.g., nest) observed distribution (i.e., realized niche) based on a single attribute, or the spatial intersection of multiple attributes. We created HCMs for Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis atricapillus) nest habitat during the breeding season across Utah forests with extant nest presence points and ecologically based pseudo-absence points using logistic regression. Predictor variables were derived from 30-m USDA Landfire and 250-m Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) map products. These habitat-envelope-based models were then compared to null envelope models which use traditional practices for generating pseudo-absences. Models were assessed for fit and predictive capability using metrics such as kappa, thresholdindependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) plots, adjusted deviance (Dadj2), and cross-validation, and were also assessed for ecological relevance. For all cases, habitat envelope-based models outperformed null envelope models and were more ecologically relevant, suggesting

  7. The psychic envelopes in psychoanalytic theories of infancy

    PubMed Central

    Mellier, Denis

    2014-01-01

    This paper aims to review the topic of psychic envelopes and to sketch the main outlines of this concept in infancy. We first explore the origins of the concept in Freud's “protective shield” and then its development in adult psychoanalysis before going on to see how this fits in infancy with post-Bionian psychoanalysis and development. Four central notions guide this review: (1) Freud's “protective shield” describes a barrier to protect the psychic apparatus against potentially overflowing trauma. It is a core notion which highlights a serious clinical challenge for patients for whom the shield is damaged or faulty: the risk of confusion of borders between the internal/external world, conscious/unconscious, mind/body, or self-conservation/sexuality. (2) Anzieu's “Skin-Ego” is defined by the different senses of the body. The different layers of experienced sensation, of this body-ego, go on to form the psychic envelope. This theory contributes to our understanding of how early trauma, due to the failures of maternal care, can continue to have an impact in adult life. (3) Bick's “psychic skin” establishes the concept in relation to infancy. The mother's containing functions allow a first psychic skin to develop, which then defines an infant's psychic space and affords the infant a degree of self-containment. Houzel then conceptualized this process as a stabilization of drive forces. (4) Stern's “narrative envelope” derives from the intersection between psychoanalysis and neuroscience. It gives us another way to conceptualize the development of pre-verbal communication. It may also pave the way for a finer distinction of different types of envelopes. Ultimately, in this review we find that psychic envelopes in infancy can be viewed from four different perspectives (economic, topographical, dynamic, and genetic) and recommend further investigation. PMID:25076924

  8. Enveloping Aerodynamic Decelerator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nock, Kerry T. (Inventor); Aaron, Kim M. (Inventor); McRonald, Angus D. (Inventor); Gates, Kristin L. (Inventor)

    2018-01-01

    An inflatable aerodynamic deceleration method and system is provided for use with an atmospheric entry payload. The inflatable aerodynamic decelerator includes an inflatable envelope and an inflatant, wherein the inflatant is configured to fill the inflatable envelope to an inflated state such that the inflatable envelope surrounds the atmospheric entry payload, causing aerodynamic forces to decelerate the atmospheric entry payload.

  9. The envelope of ballistic trajectories and elliptic orbits

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Butikov, Eugene I.

    2015-11-01

    Simple geometric derivations are given for the shape of the "safety domain" boundary for the family of Keplerian orbits of equal energy in a central gravitational field and for projectile trajectories in a uniform field. Examples of practical uses of the envelope of the family of orbits are discussed and illustrated by computer simulations. This material is appropriate for physics teachers and undergraduate students studying classical mechanics and orbital motions.

  10. Multi-scale signed envelope inversion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Guo-Xin; Wu, Ru-Shan; Wang, Yu-Qing; Chen, Sheng-Chang

    2018-06-01

    Envelope inversion based on modulation signal mode was proposed to reconstruct large-scale structures of underground media. In order to solve the shortcomings of conventional envelope inversion, multi-scale envelope inversion was proposed using new envelope Fréchet derivative and multi-scale inversion strategy to invert strong contrast models. In multi-scale envelope inversion, amplitude demodulation was used to extract the low frequency information from envelope data. However, only to use amplitude demodulation method will cause the loss of wavefield polarity information, thus increasing the possibility of inversion to obtain multiple solutions. In this paper we proposed a new demodulation method which can contain both the amplitude and polarity information of the envelope data. Then we introduced this demodulation method into multi-scale envelope inversion, and proposed a new misfit functional: multi-scale signed envelope inversion. In the numerical tests, we applied the new inversion method to the salt layer model and SEG/EAGE 2-D Salt model using low-cut source (frequency components below 4 Hz were truncated). The results of numerical test demonstrated the effectiveness of this method.

  11. Analysis of vehicle's safety envelope under car-following model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tang, Tie-Qiao; Zhang, Jian; Chen, Liang; Shang, Hua-Yan

    2017-05-01

    In this paper, we propose an improved car-following model to explore the impacts of vehicle's two safety distances (i.e., the front safety distance and back safety distance) on the traffic safety during the starting process. The numerical results show that our model is prominently safer than the FVD (full velocity difference) model, i.e., our model is better than the FVD model from the perspective of the traffic safety, which shows that each driver should consider his two safety distances during his driving process.

  12. Numerical Investigation of the Hydrogen Jet Flammable Envelope Extent with Account for Unsteady Phenomena

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chernyavsky, Boris; Benard, Pierre

    2010-11-01

    An important aspect of safety analysis in hydrogen applications is determination of the extent of flammable gas envelope in case of hydrogen jet release. Experimental investigations had shown significant disagreements between the extent of average flammable envelope predicted by steady-state numerical methods, and the region observed to support ignition, with proposed cause being non-steady jet phenomena resulting in significant variations of instantaneous gas concentration and velocity fields in the jet. In order to investigate the influence of these transient phenomena, a numerical investigation of hydrogen jet at low Mach number had been performed using unsteady Large Eddy Simulation. Instantaneous hydrogen concentration and velocity fields were monitored to determine instantaneous flammable envelope. The evolution of the instantaneous fields, including the development of the turbulence structures carrying hydrogen, their extent and frequency, and their relation with averaged fields had been characterized. Simulation had shown significant variability of the flammable envelope, with jet flapping causing shedding of large scale rich and lean gas pockets from the main jet core, which persist for significant times and substantially alter the extent of flammability envelope.

  13. Defining quality metrics and improving safety and outcome in allergy care.

    PubMed

    Lee, Stella; Stachler, Robert J; Ferguson, Berrylin J

    2014-04-01

    The delivery of allergy immunotherapy in the otolaryngology office is variable and lacks standardization. Quality metrics encompasses the measurement of factors associated with good patient-centered care. These factors have yet to be defined in the delivery of allergy immunotherapy. We developed and applied quality metrics to 6 allergy practices affiliated with an academic otolaryngic allergy center. This work was conducted at a tertiary academic center providing care to over 1500 patients. We evaluated methods and variability between 6 sites. Tracking of errors and anaphylaxis was initiated across all sites. A nationwide survey of academic and private allergists was used to collect data on current practice and use of quality metrics. The most common types of errors recorded were patient identification errors (n = 4), followed by vial mixing errors (n = 3), and dosing errors (n = 2). There were 7 episodes of anaphylaxis of which 2 were secondary to dosing errors for a rate of 0.01% or 1 in every 10,000 injection visits/year. Site visits showed that 86% of key safety measures were followed. Analysis of nationwide survey responses revealed that quality metrics are still not well defined by either medical or otolaryngic allergy practices. Academic practices were statistically more likely to use quality metrics (p = 0.021) and perform systems reviews and audits in comparison to private practices (p = 0.005). Quality metrics in allergy delivery can help improve safety and quality care. These metrics need to be further defined by otolaryngic allergists in the changing health care environment. © 2014 ARS-AAOA, LLC.

  14. Defining and Measuring Safety Climate: A Review of the Construction Industry Literature.

    PubMed

    Schwatka, Natalie V; Hecker, Steven; Goldenhar, Linda M

    2016-06-01

    Safety climate measurements can be used to proactively assess an organization's effectiveness in identifying and remediating work-related hazards, thereby reducing or preventing work-related ill health and injury. This review article focuses on construction-specific articles that developed and/or measured safety climate, assessed safety climate's relationship with other safety and health performance indicators, and/or used safety climate measures to evaluate interventions targeting one or more indicators of safety climate. Fifty-six articles met our inclusion criteria, 80% of which were published after 2008. Our findings demonstrate that researchers commonly defined safety climate as perception based, but the object of those perceptions varies widely. Within the wide range of indicators used to measure safety climate, safety policies, procedures, and practices were the most common, followed by general management commitment to safety. The most frequently used indicators should and do reflect that the prevention of work-related ill health and injury depends on both organizational and employee actions. Safety climate scores were commonly compared between groups (e.g. management and workers, different trades), and often correlated with subjective measures of safety behavior rather than measures of ill health or objective safety and health outcomes. Despite the observed limitations of current research, safety climate has been promised as a useful feature of research and practice activities to prevent work-related ill health and injury. Safety climate survey data can reveal gaps between management and employee perceptions, or between espoused and enacted policies, and trigger communication and action to narrow those gaps. The validation of safety climate with safety and health performance data offers the potential for using safety climate measures as a leading indicator of performance. We discuss these findings in relation to the related concept of safety culture and

  15. Traffic fatality indicators in Brazil: State diagnosis based on data envelopment analysis research.

    PubMed

    Bastos, Jorge Tiago; Shen, Yongjun; Hermans, Elke; Brijs, Tom; Wets, Geert; Ferraz, Antonio Clóvis Pinto

    2015-08-01

    The intense economic growth experienced by Brazil in recent decades and its consequent explosive motorization process have evidenced an undesirable impact: the increasing and unbroken trend in traffic fatality numbers. In order to contribute to road safety diagnosis on a national level, this study presents a research into two main indicators available in Brazil: mortality rate (represented by fatalities per capita) and fatality rate (represented by two sub-indicators, i.e., fatalities per vehicle and fatalities per vehicle kilometer traveled). These indicators were aggregated into a composite indicator or index through a multiple layer data envelopment analysis (DEA) composite indicator model, which looks for the optimum combination of indicators' weights for each decision-making unit, in this case 27 Brazilian states. The index score represents the road safety performance, based on which a ranking of states can be made. Since such a model has never been applied for road safety evaluation in Brazil, its parameters were calibrated based on the experience of more consolidated European Union research in ranking its member countries using DEA techniques. Secondly, cluster analysis was conducted aiming to provide more realistic performance comparisons and, finally, the sensitivity of the results was measured through a bootstrapping method application. It can be concluded that by combining fatality indicators, defining clusters and applying bootstrapping procedures a trustworthy ranking can be created, which is valuable for nationwide road safety planning. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Single-round selection yields a unique retroviral envelope utilizing GPR172A as its host receptor.

    PubMed

    Mazari, Peter M; Linder-Basso, Daniela; Sarangi, Anindita; Chang, Yehchung; Roth, Monica J

    2009-04-07

    The recognition by a viral envelope of its cognate host-cell receptor is the initial critical step in defining the viral host-range and tissue specificity. This study combines a single-round of selection of a random envelope library with a parallel cDNA screen for receptor function to identify a distinct retroviral envelope/receptor pair. The 11-aa targeting domain of the modified feline leukemia virus envelope consists of a constrained peptide. Critical to the binding of the constrained peptide envelope to its cellular receptor are a pair of internal cysteines and an essential Trp required for maintenance of titers >10(5) lacZ staining units per milliliter. The receptor used for viral entry is the human GPR172A protein, a G-protein-coupled receptor isolated from osteosarcoma cells. The ability to generate unique envelopes capable of using tissue- or disease-specific receptors marks an advance in the development of efficient gene-therapy vectors.

  17. Defining and classifying medical error: lessons for patient safety reporting systems.

    PubMed

    Tamuz, M; Thomas, E J; Franchois, K E

    2004-02-01

    It is important for healthcare providers to report safety related events, but little attention has been paid to how the definition and classification of events affects a hospital's ability to learn from its experience. To examine how the definition and classification of safety related events influences key organizational routines for gathering information, allocating incentives, and analyzing event reporting data. In semi-structured interviews, professional staff and administrators in a tertiary care teaching hospital and its pharmacy were asked to describe the existing programs designed to monitor medication safety, including the reporting systems. With a focus primarily on the pharmacy staff, interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative research methods. Eighty six interviews were conducted, including 36 in the hospital pharmacy. Examples are presented which show that: (1) the definition of an event could lead to under-reporting; (2) the classification of a medication error into alternative categories can influence the perceived incentives and disincentives for incident reporting; (3) event classification can enhance or impede organizational routines for data analysis and learning; and (4) routines that promote organizational learning within the pharmacy can reduce the flow of medication error data to the hospital. These findings from one hospital raise important practical and research questions about how reporting systems are influenced by the definition and classification of safety related events. By understanding more clearly how hospitals define and classify their experience, we may improve our capacity to learn and ultimately improve patient safety.

  18. The structure of common-envelope remnants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hall, Philip D.

    2015-05-01

    We investigate the structure and evolution of the remnants of common-envelope evolution in binary star systems. In a common-envelope phase, two stars become engulfed in a gaseous envelope and, under the influence of drag forces, spiral to smaller separations. They may merge to form a single star or the envelope may be ejected to leave the stars in a shorter period orbit. This process explains the short orbital periods of many observed binary systems, such as cataclysmic variables and low-mass X-ray binary systems. Despite the importance of these systems, and of common-envelope evolution to their formation, it remains poorly understood. Specifically, we are unable to confidently predict the outcome of a common-envelope phase from the properties at its onset. After presenting a review of work on stellar evolution, binary systems, common-envelope evolution and the computer programs used, we describe the results of three computational projects on common-envelope evolution. Our work specifically relates to the methods and prescriptions which are used for predicting the outcome. We use the Cambridge stellar-evolution code STARS to produce detailed models of the structure and evolution of remnants of common-envelope evolution. We compare different assumptions about the uncertain end-of-common envelope structure and envelope mass of remnants which successfully eject their common envelopes. In the first project, we use detailed remnant models to investigate whether planetary nebulae are predicted after common-envelope phases initiated by low-mass red giants. We focus on the requirement that a remnant evolves rapidly enough to photoionize the nebula and compare the predictions for different ideas about the structure at the end of a common-envelope phase. We find that planetary nebulae are possible for some prescriptions for the end-of-common envelope structure. In our second contribution, we compute a large set of single-star models and fit new formulae to the core radii of

  19. Envelopes in eclipsing binary stars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Huang, S.

    1972-01-01

    Theoretical research on eclipsing binaries is presented. The specific areas of investigation are the following: (1) the relevance of envelopes to the study of the light curves of eclipsing binaries, (2) the disk envelope, and (3) the spherical envelope.

  20. Envelope: interactive software for modeling and fitting complex isotope distributions.

    PubMed

    Sykes, Michael T; Williamson, James R

    2008-10-20

    An important aspect of proteomic mass spectrometry involves quantifying and interpreting the isotope distributions arising from mixtures of macromolecules with different isotope labeling patterns. These patterns can be quite complex, in particular with in vivo metabolic labeling experiments producing fractional atomic labeling or fractional residue labeling of peptides or other macromolecules. In general, it can be difficult to distinguish the contributions of species with different labeling patterns to an experimental spectrum and difficult to calculate a theoretical isotope distribution to fit such data. There is a need for interactive and user-friendly software that can calculate and fit the entire isotope distribution of a complex mixture while comparing these calculations with experimental data and extracting the contributions from the differently labeled species. Envelope has been developed to be user-friendly while still being as flexible and powerful as possible. Envelope can simultaneously calculate the isotope distributions for any number of different labeling patterns for a given peptide or oligonucleotide, while automatically summing these into a single overall isotope distribution. Envelope can handle fractional or complete atom or residue-based labeling, and the contribution from each different user-defined labeling pattern is clearly illustrated in the interactive display and is individually adjustable. At present, Envelope supports labeling with 2H, 13C, and 15N, and supports adjustments for baseline correction, an instrument accuracy offset in the m/z domain, and peak width. Furthermore, Envelope can display experimental data superimposed on calculated isotope distributions, and calculate a least-squares goodness of fit between the two. All of this information is displayed on the screen in a single graphical user interface. Envelope supports high-quality output of experimental and calculated distributions in PNG or PDF format. Beyond simply

  1. 14 CFR 31.25 - Factor of safety.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... envelope stress. (c) A factor of safety of at least five must be used in the design of all fibrous or non... any single failure will not jeopardize safety of flight. (d) In applying factors of safety, the effect...

  2. Removal of envelope protein-free retroviral vectors by anion-exchange chromatography to improve product quality.

    PubMed

    Rodrigues, Teresa; Alves, Ana; Lopes, António; Carrondo, Manuel J T; Alves, Paula M; Cruz, Pedro E

    2008-10-01

    We have investigated the role of the retroviral lipid bilayer and envelope proteins in the adsorption of retroviral vectors (RVs) to a Fractogel DEAE matrix. Intact RVs and their degradation components (envelope protein-free vectors and solubilized vector components) were adsorbed to this matrix and eluted using a linear gradient. Envelope protein-free RVs (Env(-)) and soluble envelope proteins (gp70) eluted in a significantly lower range of conductivities than intact RVs (Env(+)) (13.7-30 mS/cm for Env(-) and gp70 proteins vs. 47-80 mS/cm for Env(+)). The zeta (zeta)-potential of Env(+) and Env(-) vectors was evaluated showing that envelope proteins define the pI of the viral particles (pI (Env(+)) < 2 versus 3 < pI (Env(-)) < 4) and that Env(+) and Env(-) vectors have similar zeta-potentials within pH 5 and 8. The results presented herein indicate that the adsorption of retroviral particles occurs through multi-point interaction of the envelope proteins with the cationic groups on the chromatographic matrix. The strength of this adsorption is thus dependent on the amount of envelope protein present in the viral lipid bilayer. In conclusion, AEXc enables the separation of gp70 proteins as well as envelope protein-free vectors constituting a significant improvement to the quality of retroviral preparations for gene therapy applications.

  3. Defining the patient safety attitudes and influencing factors of health professionals working at maternity hospitals.

    PubMed

    Tunçer Ünver, Gamze; Harmanci Seren, Arzu Kader

    2018-02-27

    To determine patient safety attitudes of midwives, nurses and physicians and to examine the difference or correlation in patient safety attitudes of midwives, nurses and physicians working in maternity hospitals. It has been suggested that it is necessary to define the factors affecting patient safety attitudes of health professionals working in maternity hospitals. A descriptive and correlational design was employed.The sample comprised 58 midwives, 134 nurses and 63 physicians (255) in two maternity hospitals in Istanbul, Turkey. The data were collected using an 'information form' and a 'Patient Safety Attitude Questionnaire'. The safety attitudes of participants were generally found to be negative. However, midwives had more positive patient safety attitudes and the age, unit, adequacy of patient safety training and the importance of patient safety were the most effective variables. As health professionals working in maternity hospitals generally have negative patient safety attitudes and because patient safety training provided better attitudes among the participants, these training programmes should be developed and implemented considering the differences among age groups and units. Health professionals have different views on the patient safety culture; therefore, training needs to involve everyone to create a shared vision for patient safety. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  4. HIV-1 Envelope Glycoproteins from Diverse Clades Differentiate Antibody Responses and Durability among Vaccinees

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    ABSTRACT Induction of broadly cross-reactive antiviral humoral responses with the capacity to target globally diverse circulating strains is a key goal for HIV-1 immunogen design. A major gap in the field is the identification of diverse HIV-1 envelope antigens to evaluate vaccine regimens for binding antibody breadth. In this study, we define unique antigen panels to map HIV-1 vaccine-elicited antibody breadth and durability. Diverse HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins were selected based on genetic and geographic diversity to cover the global epidemic, with a focus on sexually acquired transmitted/founder viruses with a tier 2 neutralization phenotype. Unique antigenicity was determined by nonredundancy (Spearman correlation), and antigens were clustered using partitioning around medoids (PAM) to identify antigen diversity. Cross-validation demonstrated that the PAM method was better than selection by reactivity and random selection. Analysis of vaccine-elicited V1V2 binding antibody in longitudinal samples from the RV144 clinical trial revealed the striking heterogeneity among individual vaccinees in maintaining durable responses. These data support the idea that a major goal for vaccine development is to improve antibody levels, breadth, and durability at the population level. Elucidating the level and durability of vaccine-elicited binding antibody breadth needed for protection is critical for the development of a globally efficacious HIV vaccine. IMPORTANCE The path toward an efficacious HIV-1 vaccine will require characterization of vaccine-induced immunity that can recognize and target the highly genetically diverse virus envelope glycoproteins. Antibodies that target the envelope glycoproteins, including diverse sequences within the first and second hypervariable regions (V1V2) of gp120, were identified as correlates of risk for the one partially efficacious HIV-1 vaccine. To build upon this discovery, we experimentally and computationally evaluated humoral

  5. Defining lactation acuity to improve patient safety and outcomes.

    PubMed

    Mannel, Rebecca

    2011-05-01

    While substantial evidence exists identifying risks factors associated with premature weaning from breastfeeding, there are no previously published definitions of patient acuity in the lactation field. This article defines evidence-based levels of lactation acuity based on maternal and infant characteristics. Patient acuity, matching severity of illness to intensity of care required, is an important determinant of patient safety and outcomes. It is often used as part of a patient classification system to determine staffing needs and acceptable workloads in health care settings. As acuity increases, more resources, including more skilled clinicians, are needed to provide optimal care. Developing an evidence-based definition of lactation acuity can help to standardize terminology, more effectively distribute health care staff resources, encourage research to verify the validity and reliability of lactation acuity, and potentially improve breastfeeding initiation and duration rates.

  6. Cortical processing of dynamic sound envelope transitions.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Yi; Wang, Xiaoqin

    2010-12-08

    Slow envelope fluctuations in the range of 2-20 Hz provide important segmental cues for processing communication sounds. For a successful segmentation, a neural processor must capture envelope features associated with the rise and fall of signal energy, a process that is often challenged by the interference of background noise. This study investigated the neural representations of slowly varying envelopes in quiet and in background noise in the primary auditory cortex (A1) of awake marmoset monkeys. We characterized envelope features based on the local average and rate of change of sound level in envelope waveforms and identified envelope features to which neurons were selective by reverse correlation. Our results showed that envelope feature selectivity of A1 neurons was correlated with the degree of nonmonotonicity in their static rate-level functions. Nonmonotonic neurons exhibited greater feature selectivity than monotonic neurons in quiet and in background noise. The diverse envelope feature selectivity decreased spike-timing correlation among A1 neurons in response to the same envelope waveforms. As a result, the variability, but not the average, of the ensemble responses of A1 neurons represented more faithfully the dynamic transitions in low-frequency sound envelopes both in quiet and in background noise.

  7. Differential protein partitioning within the herpesvirus tegument and envelope underlies a complex and variable virion architecture

    PubMed Central

    Bohannon, Kevin Patrick; Jun, Yonggun; Gross, Steven P.; Smith, Gregory Allan

    2013-01-01

    The herpesvirus virion is a multilayered structure consisting of a DNA-filled capsid, tegument, and envelope. Detailed reconstructions of the capsid are possible based on its icosahedral symmetry, but the surrounding tegument and envelope layers lack regular architecture. To circumvent limitations of symmetry-based ultrastructural reconstruction methods, a fluorescence approach was developed using single-particle imaging combined with displacement measurements at nanoscale resolution. An analysis of 11 tegument and envelope proteins defined the composition and plasticity of symmetric and asymmetric elements of the virion architecture. The resulting virion protein map ascribes molecular composition to density profiles previously acquired by traditional ultrastructural methods, and provides a way forward to examine the dynamics of the virion architecture during infection. PMID:23569236

  8. Differential protein partitioning within the herpesvirus tegument and envelope underlies a complex and variable virion architecture.

    PubMed

    Bohannon, Kevin Patrick; Jun, Yonggun; Gross, Steven P; Smith, Gregory Allan

    2013-04-23

    The herpesvirus virion is a multilayered structure consisting of a DNA-filled capsid, tegument, and envelope. Detailed reconstructions of the capsid are possible based on its icosahedral symmetry, but the surrounding tegument and envelope layers lack regular architecture. To circumvent limitations of symmetry-based ultrastructural reconstruction methods, a fluorescence approach was developed using single-particle imaging combined with displacement measurements at nanoscale resolution. An analysis of 11 tegument and envelope proteins defined the composition and plasticity of symmetric and asymmetric elements of the virion architecture. The resulting virion protein map ascribes molecular composition to density profiles previously acquired by traditional ultrastructural methods, and provides a way forward to examine the dynamics of the virion architecture during infection.

  9. Nonstationary envelope process and first excursion probability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yang, J.

    1972-01-01

    A definition of the envelope of nonstationary random processes is proposed. The establishment of the envelope definition makes it possible to simulate the nonstationary random envelope directly. Envelope statistics, such as the density function, joint density function, moment function, and level crossing rate, which are relevent to analyses of catastrophic failure, fatigue, and crack propagation in structures, are derived. Applications of the envelope statistics to the prediction of structural reliability under random loadings are discussed in detail.

  10. Do bioclimate variables improve performance of climate envelope models?

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Watling, James I.; Romañach, Stephanie S.; Bucklin, David N.; Speroterra, Carolina; Brandt, Laura A.; Pearlstine, Leonard G.; Mazzotti, Frank J.

    2012-01-01

    Climate envelope models are widely used to forecast potential effects of climate change on species distributions. A key issue in climate envelope modeling is the selection of predictor variables that most directly influence species. To determine whether model performance and spatial predictions were related to the selection of predictor variables, we compared models using bioclimate variables with models constructed from monthly climate data for twelve terrestrial vertebrate species in the southeastern USA using two different algorithms (random forests or generalized linear models), and two model selection techniques (using uncorrelated predictors or a subset of user-defined biologically relevant predictor variables). There were no differences in performance between models created with bioclimate or monthly variables, but one metric of model performance was significantly greater using the random forest algorithm compared with generalized linear models. Spatial predictions between maps using bioclimate and monthly variables were very consistent using the random forest algorithm with uncorrelated predictors, whereas we observed greater variability in predictions using generalized linear models.

  11. STS-8 postal Stamp envelope

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1983-01-01

    STS-8 postal Stamp envelope with Challenger insignia, USA eagle stamp, 25th NASA anniversary stamp. The envelope is stamped with various postmarks, one saying Kennedy Space Center, Fl., another saying 'Returned to earth, Edwards AFB, CA'.

  12. Ares I-X Range Safety Analyses Overview

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Starr, Brett R.; Gowan, John W., Jr.; Thompson, Brian G.; Tarpley, Ashley W.

    2011-01-01

    Ares I-X was the first test flight of NASA's Constellation Program's Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle designed to provide manned access to low Earth orbit. As a one-time test flight, the Air Force's 45th Space Wing required a series of Range Safety analysis data products to be developed for the specified launch date and mission trajectory prior to granting flight approval on the Eastern Range. The range safety data package is required to ensure that the public, launch area, and launch complex personnel and resources are provided with an acceptable level of safety and that all aspects of prelaunch and launch operations adhere to applicable public laws. The analysis data products, defined in the Air Force Space Command Manual 91-710, Volume 2, consisted of a nominal trajectory, three sigma trajectory envelopes, stage impact footprints, acoustic intensity contours, trajectory turn angles resulting from potential vehicle malfunctions (including flight software failures), characterization of potential debris, and debris impact footprints. These data products were developed under the auspices of the Constellation's Program Launch Constellation Range Safety Panel and its Range Safety Trajectory Working Group with the intent of beginning the framework for the operational vehicle data products and providing programmatic review and oversight. A multi-center NASA team in conjunction with the 45th Space Wing, collaborated within the Trajectory Working Group forum to define the data product development processes, performed the analyses necessary to generate the data products, and performed independent verification and validation of the data products. This paper outlines the Range Safety data requirements and provides an overview of the processes established to develop both the data products and the individual analyses used to develop the data products, and it summarizes the results of the analyses required for the Ares I-X launch.

  13. 78 FR 31838 - Special Conditions: Embraer S.A., Model EMB-550 Airplanes; Flight Envelope Protection: General...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-28

    ... new control architecture and a full digital flight control system which provides flight envelope... Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing... metal with composite empennage and control surfaces. The Model EMB-550 airplane is designed for 8...

  14. 77 FR 75066 - Special Conditions: Airbus, A350-900 Series Airplane; Flight Envelope Protection (Icing and Non...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-12-19

    ... Protection (Icing and Non-Icing Conditions); High Incidence Protection and Alpha-Floor Systems AGENCY... or unusual design features associated with flight envelope protection in icing and non- icing... establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards. DATES...

  15. Envelope-receptor interactions in Nipah virus pathobiology.

    PubMed

    Lee, Benhur

    2007-04-01

    Nipah (NiV) and Hendra (HeV) viruses are members of the newly defined Henipavirus genus of the Paramyxoviridae. Nipah virus (NiV) is an emergent paramyxovirus that causes fatal encephalitis in up to 70% of infected patients, and there is increasing evidence of human-to-human transmission. NiV is designated a priority pathogen in the NIAID Biodefense Research Agenda, and could be a devastating agent of agrobioterrorism if used against the pig farming industry. Endothelial syncytium is a pathognomonic feature of NiV infections, and is mediated by the fusion (F) and attachment (G) envelope glycoproteins. This review summarizes what is known about the pathophysiology of NiV infections, and documents the identification of the NiV receptor. EphrinB2, the NiV and HeV receptor, is expressed on endothelial cells and neurons, consistent with the known cellular tropism for NiV. We discuss how the identification of the henipahvirus receptor sheds light on the pathobiology of NiV infection, and how it will spur the rational development of effective therapeutics. In addition, ephrinB3, a related protein, can serve as an alternative receptor, and we suggest that differential usage of ephrinB2 versus B3 may explain the variant pathogenic profiles observed between NiV and HeV. Thus, identifying the NiV receptors opens the door for a more comprehensive analysis of the envelope-receptor interactions in NiV pathobiology. Finally, we also describe how galectin-1 (an innate immune defense lectin) can interact with specific N-glycans on the Nipah envelope fusion protein, underscoring the potential role that innate immune defense mechanisms may play against emerging pathogens.

  16. 14 CFR 29.87 - Height-velocity envelope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Category A engine isolation requirements, the height-velocity envelope for complete power failure must be... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Height-velocity envelope. 29.87 Section 29... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Flight Performance § 29.87 Height-velocity envelope. (a...

  17. Nonstationary envelope process and first excursion probability.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yang, J.-N.

    1972-01-01

    The definition of stationary random envelope proposed by Cramer and Leadbetter, is extended to the envelope of nonstationary random process possessing evolutionary power spectral densities. The density function, the joint density function, the moment function, and the crossing rate of a level of the nonstationary envelope process are derived. Based on the envelope statistics, approximate solutions to the first excursion probability of nonstationary random processes are obtained. In particular, applications of the first excursion probability to the earthquake engineering problems are demonstrated in detail.

  18. Energizing the last phase of common-envelope removal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soker, Noam

    2017-11-01

    We propose a scenario where a companion that is about to exit a common-envelope evolution (CEE) with a giant star accretes mass from the remaining envelope outside its deep orbit and launches jets that facilitate the removal of the remaining envelope. The jets that the accretion disc launches collide with the envelope and form hot bubbles that energize the envelope. Due to gravitational interaction with the envelope, which might reside in a circumbinary disc, the companion migrates farther in, but the inner boundary of the circumbinary disc continues to feed the accretion disc. While near the equatorial plane mass leaves the system at a very low velocity, along the polar directions velocities are very high. When the primary is an asymptotic giant branch star, this type of flow forms a bipolar nebula with very narrow waists. We compare this envelope-removal process with four other last-phase common-envelope-removal processes. We also note that the accreted gas from the envelope outside the orbit in the last phase of the CEE might carry with it angular momentum that is anti-aligned to the orbital angular momentum. We discuss the implications to the possibly anti-aligned spins of the merging black hole event GW170104.

  19. Role of HIV-2 envelope in Lv2-mediated restriction

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Reuter, Sandra; Kaumanns, Patrick; Buschhorn, Sabine B.

    2005-02-05

    We have characterized envelope protein pseudotyped HIV-2 particles derived from two HIV-2 isolates termed prCBL23 and CBL23 in order to define the role of the envelope protein for the Lv2-mediated restriction to infection. Previously, it has been described that the primary isolate prCBL23 is restricted to infection of several human cell types, whereas the T cell line adapted isolate CBL23 is not restricted in these cell types. Molecular cloning of the two isolates revealed that the env and the gag gene are responsible for the observed phenotype and that this restriction is mediated by Lv2, which is distinct from Ref1/Lv1more » (Schmitz, C., Marchant, D., Neil, S.J., Aubin, K., Reuter, S., Dittmar, M.T., McKnight, A., Kizhatil, K., Albritton, L.M., 2004. Lv2, a novel postentry restriction, is mediated by both capsid and envelope. J. Virol. 78 (4), 2006-2016). We generated pseudotyped viruses consisting of HIV-2 (ROD-A{delta}env-GFP, ROD-A{delta}env-RFP, or ROD-A{delta}env-REN) and the prCBL23 or CBL23 envelope proteins as well as chimeric proteins between these envelopes. We demonstrate that a single amino acid exchange at position 74 in the surface unit of CBL23-Env confers restriction to infection. This single point mutation causes tighter CD4 binding, resulting in a less efficient fusion into the cytosol of the restricted cell line. Prevention of endosome formation and prevention of endosome acidification enhance infectivity of the restricted particles for GHOST/X4 cells indicating a degradative lysosomal pathway as a cause for the reduced cytosolic entry. The described restriction to infection of the primary isolate prCBL23 is therefore largely caused by an entry defect. A remaining restriction to infection (19-fold) is preserved when endosomal acidification is prevented. This restriction to infection is also dependent on the presence of the point mutation at position 74 (G74E)« less

  20. Testing the Definition of the ESC Envelope

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vincent, Mark A.

    2017-01-01

    The previous effort, including a successful Change Control Request, addressed shrinking the size of the Earth Science Constellations' (ESC) Envelope by reducing the Margin. Fundamental to the purpose of the Envelope is the case where the argument of perigee of the secondary object circulates from 90 degrees to 270 degrees. This ("outside of the envelope, always outside the envelope") case was tested both numerically in a spreadsheet and analytically. Results showed how it is important to include the fact that a secondary with a different semi-major axis has a different frozen eccentricity value.

  1. Efficient common-envelope ejection through dust-driven winds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Glanz, Hila; Perets, Hagai B.

    2018-04-01

    Common-envelope evolution (CEE) is the short-lived phase in the life of an interacting binary-system during which two stars orbit inside a single shared envelope. Such evolution is thought to lead to the inspiral of the binary, the ejection of the extended envelope and the formation of a remnant short-period binary. However, detailed hydrodynamical models of CEE encounter major difficulties. They show that following the inspiral most of the envelope is not ejected; though it expands to larger separations, it remains bound to the binary. Here we propose that dust-driven winds can be produced following the CEE. These can evaporate the envelope following similar processes operating in the ejection of the envelopes of AGB stars. Pulsations in an AGB-star drives the expansion of its envelope, allowing the material to cool down to low temperatures thus enabling dust condensation. Radiation pressure on the dust accelerates it, and through its coupling to the gas it drives winds which eventually completely erode the envelope. We show that the inspiral phase in CE-binaries can effectively replace the role of stellar pulsation and drive the CE expansion to scales comparable with those of AGB stars, and give rise to efficient mass-loss through dust-driven winds.

  2. Injection envelope matching in storage rings

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Minty, M.G.; Spence, W.L.

    1995-05-01

    The shape and size of the transverse phase space injected into a storage ring can be deduced from turn-by-turn measurements of the transient behavior of the beam envelope in the ring. Envelope oscillations at 2 x the {beta}-tron frequency indicate the presence of a {beta}-mismatch, while envelope oscillations at the {beta}-tron frequency are the signature of a dispersion function mismatch. Experiments in injection optimization using synchrotron radiation imaging of the beam and a fast-gated camera at the SLC damping rings are reported.

  3. Injection envelope matching in storage rings

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Minty, M. G.; Spence, W. L.

    1995-05-01

    The shape and size of the transverse phase space injected into a storage ring can be deduced from turn-by-turn measurements of the transient behavior of the beam envelope in the ring. Envelope oscillations at 2 x the beta-tron frequency indicate the presence of a beta-mismatch, while envelope oscillations at the beta-tron frequency are the signature of a dispersion function mismatch. Experiments in injection optimization using synchrotron radiation imaging of the beam and a fast-gated camera at the SLC damping rings are reported.

  4. Envelope Protection for In-Flight Ice Contamination

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gingras, David R.; Barnhart, Billy P.; Ranaudo, Richard J.; Ratvasky, Thomas P.; Morelli, Eugene A.

    2010-01-01

    Fatal loss-of-control (LOC) accidents have been directly related to in-flight airframe icing. The prototype system presented in this paper directly addresses the need for real-time onboard envelope protection in icing conditions. The combinations of a-priori information and realtime aerodynamic estimations are shown to provide sufficient input for determining safe limits of the flight envelope during in-flight icing encounters. The Icing Contamination Envelope Protection (ICEPro) system has been designed and implemented to identify degradations in airplane performance and flying qualities resulting from ice contamination and provide safe flight-envelope cues to the pilot. Components of ICEPro are described and results from preliminary tests are presented.

  5. Development of microgravity, full body functional reach envelope using 3-D computer graphic models and virtual reality technology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lindsey, Patricia F.

    1994-01-01

    In microgravity conditions mobility is greatly enhanced and body stability is difficult to achieve. Because of these difficulties, optimum placement and accessibility of objects and controls can be critical to required tasks on board shuttle flights or on the proposed space station. Anthropometric measurement of the maximum reach of occupants of a microgravity environment provide knowledge about maximum functional placement for tasking situations. Calculations for a full body, functional reach envelope for microgravity environments are imperative. To this end, three dimensional computer modeled human figures, providing a method of anthropometric measurement, were used to locate the data points that define the full body, functional reach envelope. Virtual reality technology was utilized to enable an occupant of the microgravity environment to experience movement within the reach envelope while immersed in a simulated microgravity environment.

  6. The challenge of defining risk-based metrics to improve food safety: inputs from the BASELINE project.

    PubMed

    Manfreda, Gerardo; De Cesare, Alessandra

    2014-08-01

    In 2002, the Regulation (EC) 178 of the European Parliament and of the Council states that, in order to achieve the general objective of a high level of protection of human health and life, food law shall be based on risk analysis. However, the Commission Regulation No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs requires that food business operators ensure that foodstuffs comply with the relevant microbiological criteria. Such criteria define the acceptability of a product, a batch of foodstuffs or a process, based on the absence, presence or number of micro-organisms, and/or on the quantity of their toxins/metabolites, per unit(s) of mass, volume, area or batch. The same Regulation describes a food safety criterion as a mean to define the acceptability of a product or a batch of foodstuff applicable to products placed on the market; moreover, it states a process hygiene criterion as a mean indicating the acceptable functioning of the production process. Both food safety criteria and process hygiene criteria are not based on risk analysis. On the contrary, the metrics formulated by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 2004, named Food Safety Objective (FSO) and Performance Objective (PO), are risk-based and fit the indications of Regulation 178/2002. The main aims of this review are to illustrate the key differences between microbiological criteria and the risk-based metrics defined by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and to explore the opportunity and also the possibility to implement future European Regulations including PO and FSO as supporting parameters to microbiological criteria. This review clarifies also the implications of defining an appropriate level of human protection, how to establish FSO and PO and how to implement them in practice linked to each other through quantitative risk assessment models. The contents of this review should clarify the context for application of the results collected during the EU funded project named BASELINE (www

  7. The South Carolina bridge-scour envelope curves

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Benedict, Stephen T.; Feaster, Toby D.; Caldwell, Andral W.

    2016-09-30

    The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the South Carolina Department of Transportation, conducted a series of three field investigations to evaluate historical, riverine bridge scour in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions of South Carolina. These investigations included data collected at 231 riverine bridges, which lead to the development of bridge-scour envelope curves for clear-water and live-bed components of scour. The application and limitations of the South Carolina bridge-scour envelope curves were documented in four reports, each report addressing selected components of bridge scour. The current investigation (2016) synthesizes the findings of these previous reports into a guidance manual providing an integrated procedure for applying the envelope curves. Additionally, the investigation provides limited verification for selected bridge-scour envelope curves by comparing them to field data collected outside of South Carolina from previously published sources. Although the bridge-scour envelope curves have limitations, they are useful supplementary tools for assessing the potential for scour at riverine bridges in South Carolina.

  8. Nuclear envelope: positioning nuclei and organizing synapses

    PubMed Central

    Razafsky, David; Hodzic, Didier

    2015-01-01

    The nuclear envelope plays an essential role in nuclear positioning within cells and tissues. This review highlights advances in understanding the mechanisms of nuclear positioning during skeletal muscle and central nervous system development. New findings, particularly about Atype lamins and Nesprin1, may link nuclear envelope integrity to synaptic integrity. Thus synaptic defects, rather than nuclear mispositioning, may underlie human pathologies associated with mutations of nuclear envelope proteins. PMID:26079712

  9. 14 CFR 121.423 - Pilot: Extended Envelope Training.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Pilot: Extended Envelope Training. 121.423... REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Training Program § 121.423 Pilot: Extended Envelope Training. (a) Each certificate holder must include in its approved training program, the extended envelope...

  10. Breaching the nuclear envelope in development and disease

    PubMed Central

    Hatch, Emily

    2014-01-01

    In eukaryotic cells the nuclear genome is enclosed by the nuclear envelope (NE). In metazoans, the NE breaks down in mitosis and it has been assumed that the physical barrier separating nucleoplasm and cytoplasm remains intact during the rest of the cell cycle and cell differentiation. However, recent studies suggest that nonmitotic NE remodeling plays a critical role in development, virus infection, laminopathies, and cancer. Although the mechanisms underlying these NE restructuring events are currently being defined, one common theme is activation of protein kinase C family members in the interphase nucleus to disrupt the nuclear lamina, demonstrating the importance of the lamina in maintaining nuclear integrity. PMID:24751535

  11. Carrier-envelope phase effects for a dipolar molecule interacting with two-color pump-probe laser pulses

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cheng Taiwang; Brown, Alex

    2004-12-01

    The interaction of a two-level dipolar molecule with two laser pulses, where one laser's frequency is tuned to the energy level separation (pump laser) while the second laser's frequency is extremely small (probe laser), is investigated. A dipolar molecule is one with a nonzero difference between the permanent dipole moments of the molecular states. As shown previously [A. Brown, Phys. Rev. A 66, 053404 (2002)], the final population transfer between the two levels exhibits a dependence on the carrier-envelope phase of the probe laser. Based on the rotating-wave approximation (RWA), an effective Hamiltonian is derived to account for the basicmore » characteristics of the carrier-envelope phase dependence effect. By analysis of the effective Hamiltonian, scaling properties of the system are found with regard to field strengths, pulse durations, and frequencies. According to these scaling properties, the final-state population transfer can be controlled by varying the carrier-envelope phase of the probe laser field using lasers with weak field strengths (low intensities) and relatively long pulse durations. In order to examine the possible roles of background states, the investigation is extended to a three-level model. It is demonstrated that the carrier-envelope phase effect still persists in a well-defined manner even when neighboring energy levels are present. These results illustrate the potential of utilizing excitation in dipolar molecules as a means of measuring the carrier-envelope phase of a laser pulse or if one can manipulate the carrier envelope phase, as a method of controlling population transfer in dipolar molecules. The results also suggest that the carrier-envelope phases must be taken into account properly when performing calculations involving pump-probe excitation schemes with laser frequencies which differ widely in magnitude.« less

  12. Antigenicity-defined conformations of an extremely neutralization-resistant HIV-1 envelope spike

    DOE PAGES

    Cai, Yongfei; Karaca-Griffin, Selen; Chen, Jia; ...

    2017-04-10

    Here, the extraordinary genetic diversity of the HIV-1 envelope spike [Env; trimeric (gp160) 3, cleaved to (gp120/gp41) 3] poses challenges for vaccine development. Envs of different clinical isolates exhibit different sensitivities to antibody-mediated neutralization. Envs of difficult-to-neutralize viruses are thought to be more stable and conformationally homogeneous trimers than those of easy-to-neutralize viruses, thereby providing more effective concealment of conserved, functionally critical sites. In this study we have characterized the antigenic properties of an Env derived from one of the most neutralization-resistant HIV-1 isolates, CH120.6. Sequence variation at neutralizing epitopes does not fully account for its exceptional resistance to antibodies.more » The full-length, membrane-bound CH120.6 Env is indeed stable and conformationally homogeneous. Its antigenicity correlates closely with its neutralization sensitivity, and major changes in antigenicity upon CD4 engagement appear to be restricted to the coreceptor site. The CH120.6 gp140 trimer, the soluble and uncleaved ectodomain of (gp160) 3, retains many antigenic properties of the intact Env, consistent with a conformation close to that of Env spikes on a virion, whereas its monomeric gp120 exposes many nonneutralizing or strain-specific epitopes. Thus, trimer organization and stability are important determinants not only for occluding many epitopes but also for conferring resistance to neutralization by all but a small set of antibodies. Env preparations derived from neutralization-resistant viruses may induce irrelevant antibody responses less frequently than do other Envs and may be excellent templates for developing soluble immunogens.« less

  13. Antigenicity-defined conformations of an extremely neutralization-resistant HIV-1 envelope spike

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cai, Yongfei; Karaca-Griffin, Selen; Chen, Jia

    Here, the extraordinary genetic diversity of the HIV-1 envelope spike [Env; trimeric (gp160) 3, cleaved to (gp120/gp41) 3] poses challenges for vaccine development. Envs of different clinical isolates exhibit different sensitivities to antibody-mediated neutralization. Envs of difficult-to-neutralize viruses are thought to be more stable and conformationally homogeneous trimers than those of easy-to-neutralize viruses, thereby providing more effective concealment of conserved, functionally critical sites. In this study we have characterized the antigenic properties of an Env derived from one of the most neutralization-resistant HIV-1 isolates, CH120.6. Sequence variation at neutralizing epitopes does not fully account for its exceptional resistance to antibodies.more » The full-length, membrane-bound CH120.6 Env is indeed stable and conformationally homogeneous. Its antigenicity correlates closely with its neutralization sensitivity, and major changes in antigenicity upon CD4 engagement appear to be restricted to the coreceptor site. The CH120.6 gp140 trimer, the soluble and uncleaved ectodomain of (gp160) 3, retains many antigenic properties of the intact Env, consistent with a conformation close to that of Env spikes on a virion, whereas its monomeric gp120 exposes many nonneutralizing or strain-specific epitopes. Thus, trimer organization and stability are important determinants not only for occluding many epitopes but also for conferring resistance to neutralization by all but a small set of antibodies. Env preparations derived from neutralization-resistant viruses may induce irrelevant antibody responses less frequently than do other Envs and may be excellent templates for developing soluble immunogens.« less

  14. 14 CFR 23.333 - Flight envelope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Flight envelope. 23.333 Section 23.333... STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Flight Loads § 23.333 Flight envelope. (a) General. Compliance with the strength requirements of this subpart must be shown at...

  15. 14 CFR 23.333 - Flight envelope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Flight envelope. 23.333 Section 23.333... STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Flight Loads § 23.333 Flight envelope. (a) General. Compliance with the strength requirements of this subpart must be shown at...

  16. 14 CFR 23.333 - Flight envelope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Flight envelope. 23.333 Section 23.333... STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Flight Loads § 23.333 Flight envelope. (a) General. Compliance with the strength requirements of this subpart must be shown at...

  17. 14 CFR 23.333 - Flight envelope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Flight envelope. 23.333 Section 23.333... STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Flight Loads § 23.333 Flight envelope. (a) General. Compliance with the strength requirements of this subpart must be shown at...

  18. 14 CFR 23.333 - Flight envelope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Flight envelope. 23.333 Section 23.333... STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Flight Loads § 23.333 Flight envelope. (a) General. Compliance with the strength requirements of this subpart must be shown at...

  19. Dynamics of Preferential Substrate Recognition in HIV-1 Protease: Redefining the Substrate Envelope

    PubMed Central

    Özen, Ayşegül; Haliloğlu, Türkan; Schiffer, Celia A.

    2011-01-01

    HIV-1 protease (PR) permits viral maturation by processing the Gag and Gag-Pro-Pol polyproteins. Though HIV-1 PR inhibitors (PIs) are used in combination antiviral therapy, the emergence of drug resistance has limited their efficacy. The rapid evolution of HIV-1 necessitates the consideration of drug resistance in novel drug-design strategies. Drug-resistant HIV-1 PR variants, while no longer efficiently inhibited, continue to efficiently hydrolyze the natural viral substrates. Though highly diverse in sequence, the HIV-1 PR substrates bind in a conserved three-dimensional shape we defined as the “substrate envelope”. We previously showed that resistance mutations arise where PIs protrude beyond the substrate envelope, as these regions are crucial for drug binding but not for substrate recognition. Here, we extend this model by considering the role of protein dynamics in the interaction of HIV-1 PR with its substrates. Seven molecular dynamics simulations of PR-substrate complexes were performed to estimate the conformational flexibility of substrates in their complexes. Interdependency of the substrate-protease interactions may compensate for the variations in cleavage-site sequences, and explain how a diverse set of sequences can be recognized as substrates by the same enzyme. This diversity may be essential for regulating sequential processing of substrates. We also define a dynamic substrate envelope as a more accurate representation of PR-substrate interactions. This dynamic substrate envelope, described by a probability distribution function, is a powerful tool for drug design efforts targeting ensembles of resistant HIV-1 PR variants with the aim of developing drugs that are less susceptible to resistance. PMID:21762811

  20. Envelope Structures of Gram-Positive Bacteria

    PubMed Central

    Rajagopal, Mithila; Walker, Suzanne

    2016-01-01

    Gram-positive organisms, including the pathogens Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecalis, have dynamic cell envelopes that mediate interactions with the environment and serve as the first line of defense against toxic molecules. Major components of the cell envelope include peptidoglycan, which is a well-established target for antibiotics, teichoic acids, capsular polysaccharides, surface proteins, and phospholipids. These components can undergo modification to promote pathogenesis, decrease susceptibility to antibiotics and host immune defenses, and enhance survival in hostile environments. This chapter will cover the structure, biosynthesis and important functions of major cell envelope components in Gram-positive bacteria. Possible targets for new antimicrobials will be noted. PMID:26919863

  1. Defining a Road Safety Audits Program for Enhancing Safety and Reducing Tort Liability

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2000-07-01

    Table of Contents: (1) Introduction; (2) Review of Safety Issues; (3) Review of Legal Liability Issues; (4) Summary of Safety and Legal Liability Issues. Prepared in cooperation with Wyoming Univ., Laramie. Dept. of Civil and Architectural Engineerin...

  2. The twilight envelope: a user-centered approach to describing roadway illumination at night.

    PubMed

    Andre, J; Owens, D A

    2001-01-01

    Visual recognition functions, such as acuity and contrast sensitivity, deteriorate rapidly over the declining luminances found during civil twilight. Thus civil twilight, a critical part of the transition between daylight and darkness, represents lighting conditions that may be useful to describe artificial illumination. Automotive headlamps project a three-dimensional beam that ranges from illumination levels comparable to daylight at the vehicle to the dark limit of civil twilight (3.3 1x) at some distance ahead. This twilight envelope is characterized as a distance beyond which foveal visual functions are severely impaired, and thus it provides a general, functional description of the useful extent of the headlamp beam. This user-centered approach to describing illumination is useful for characterizing visibility when driving at night or in other artificially lit environments. This paper discusses the twilight envelope approach and its application to intervehicle variations in headlamp systems. Actual or potential applications of this research include user-centered description of artificial illumination and driver/pedestrian safety education.

  3. Simulating a binary system that experiences the grazing envelope evolution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shiber, Sagiv; Soker, Noam

    2018-06-01

    We conduct three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations, and show that when a secondary star launches jets while performing spiral-in motion into the envelope of a giant star, the envelope is inflated, some mass is ejected by the jets, and the common envelope phase is postponed. We simulate this grazing envelope evolution (GEE) under the assumption that the secondary star accretes mass from the envelope of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star and launches jets. In these simulations we do not yet include the gravitational energy that is released by the spiraling-in binary system. Neither do we include the spinning of the envelope. Considering these omissions, we conclude that our results support the idea that jets might play a crucial role in the common envelope evolution or in preventing it.

  4. Adaptive envelope protection methods for aircraft

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Unnikrishnan, Suraj

    Carefree handling refers to the ability of a pilot to operate an aircraft without the need to continuously monitor aircraft operating limits. At the heart of all carefree handling or maneuvering systems, also referred to as envelope protection systems, are algorithms and methods for predicting future limit violations. Recently, envelope protection methods that have gained more acceptance, translate limit proximity information to its equivalent in the control channel. Envelope protection algorithms either use very small prediction horizon or are static methods with no capability to adapt to changes in system configurations. Adaptive approaches maximizing prediction horizon such as dynamic trim, are only applicable to steady-state-response critical limit parameters. In this thesis, a new adaptive envelope protection method is developed that is applicable to steady-state and transient response critical limit parameters. The approach is based upon devising the most aggressive optimal control profile to the limit boundary and using it to compute control limits. Pilot-in-the-loop evaluations of the proposed approach are conducted at the Georgia Tech Carefree Maneuver lab for transient longitudinal hub moment limit protection. Carefree maneuvering is the dual of carefree handling in the realm of autonomous Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Designing a flight control system to fully and effectively utilize the operational flight envelope is very difficult. With the increasing role and demands for extreme maneuverability there is a need for developing envelope protection methods for autonomous UAVs. In this thesis, a full-authority automatic envelope protection method is proposed for limit protection in UAVs. The approach uses adaptive estimate of limit parameter dynamics and finite-time horizon predictions to detect impending limit boundary violations. Limit violations are prevented by treating the limit boundary as an obstacle and by correcting nominal control

  5. Featured Image: Orbiting Stars Share an Envelope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kohler, Susanna

    2016-03-01

    This beautiful series of snapshots from a simulation (click for a better look!) shows what happens when two stars in a binary system become enclosed in the same stellar envelope. In this binary system, one of the stars has exhausted its hydrogen fuel and become a red giant, complete with an expanding stellar envelope composed of hydrogen and helium. Eventually, the envelope expands so much that the companion star falls into it, where it releases gravitational potential energy into the common envelope. A team led by Sebastian Ohlmann (Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies and University of Wrzburg) recently performed hydrodynamic simulations of this process. Ohlmann and collaborators discovered that the energy release eventually triggers large-scale flow instabilities, which leads to turbulence within the envelope. This process has important consequences for how these systems next evolve (for instance, determining whether or not a supernova occurs!). You can check out the authors video of their simulated stellar inspiral below, or see their paper for more images and results from their study.CitationSebastian T. Ohlmann et al 2016 ApJ 816 L9. doi:10.3847/2041-8205/816/1/L9

  6. Numerical simulation of dark envelope soliton in plasma

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Fang-Ping; Han, Juan-fang; Zhang, Jie; Gao, Dong-Ning; Li, Zhong-Zheng; Duan, Wen-Shan; Zhang, Heng

    2018-03-01

    One-dimensional (1-D) particle-in-cell simulation is used to study the propagation of dark envelop solitons described by the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) in electron-ion plasmas. The rational solution of the NLSE is presented, which is proposed as an effective tool for studying the dark envelope soliton in plasma. It is demonstrated by our numerical simulation that there is dark envelope soliton in electron-ion plasmas. The numerical results are in good agreements with the analytical ones from the NLSE which is obtained from the reductive perturbation method. The limitation of the amplitude of dark envelop solitons in plasma is noticed.

  7. Mechanism of protein import across the chloroplast envelope.

    PubMed

    Chen, K; Chen, X; Schnell, D J

    2000-01-01

    The development and maintenance of chloroplasts relies on the contribution of protein subunits from both plastid and nuclear genomes. Most chloroplast proteins are encoded by nuclear genes and are post-translationally imported into the organelle across the double membrane of the chloroplast envelope. Protein import into the chloroplast consists of two essential elements: the specific recognition of the targeting signals (transit sequences) of cytoplasmic preproteins by receptors at the outer envelope membrane and the subsequent translocation of preproteins simultaneously across the double membrane of the envelope. These processes are mediated via the co-ordinate action of protein translocon complexes in the outer (Toc apparatus) and inner (Tic apparatus) envelope membranes.

  8. Pre-Test Assessment of the Use Envelope of the Normal Force of a Wind Tunnel Strain-Gage Balance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ulbrich, N.

    2016-01-01

    The relationship between the aerodynamic lift force generated by a wind tunnel model, the model weight, and the measured normal force of a strain-gage balance is investigated to better understand the expected use envelope of the normal force during a wind tunnel test. First, the fundamental relationship between normal force, model weight, lift curve slope, model reference area, dynamic pressure, and angle of attack is derived. Then, based on this fundamental relationship, the use envelope of a balance is examined for four typical wind tunnel test cases. The first case looks at the use envelope of the normal force during the test of a light wind tunnel model at high subsonic Mach numbers. The second case examines the use envelope of the normal force during the test of a heavy wind tunnel model in an atmospheric low-speed facility. The third case reviews the use envelope of the normal force during the test of a floor-mounted semi-span model. The fourth case discusses the normal force characteristics during the test of a rotated full-span model. The wind tunnel model's lift-to-weight ratio is introduced as a new parameter that may be used for a quick pre-test assessment of the use envelope of the normal force of a balance. The parameter is derived as a function of the lift coefficient, the dimensionless dynamic pressure, and the dimensionless model weight. Lower and upper bounds of the use envelope of a balance are defined using the model's lift-to-weight ratio. Finally, data from a pressurized wind tunnel is used to illustrate both application and interpretation of the model's lift-to-weight ratio.

  9. Role of phosphatidylserine receptors in enveloped virus infection.

    PubMed

    Morizono, Kouki; Chen, Irvin S Y

    2014-04-01

    We recently demonstrated that a soluble protein, Gas6, can facilitate viral entry by bridging viral envelope phosphatidylserine to Axl, a receptor tyrosine kinase expressed on target cells. The interaction between phosphatidylserine, Gas6, and Axl was originally shown to be a molecular mechanism through which phagocytes recognize phosphatidylserine exposed on dead cells. Since our initial report, several groups have confirmed that Axl/Gas6, as well as other phosphatidylserine receptors, facilitate entry of dengue, West Nile, and Ebola viruses. Virus binding by viral envelope phosphatidylserine is now a viral entry mechanism generalized to many families of viruses. In addition to Axl/Gas6, various molecules are known to recognize phosphatidylserine; however, the effects of these molecules on virus binding and entry have not been comprehensively evaluated and compared. In this study, we examined most of the known human phosphatidylserine-recognizing molecules, including MFG-E8, TIM-1, -3, and -4, CD300a, BAI1, and stabilin-1 and -2, for their abilities to facilitate virus binding and infection. Using pseudotyped lentiviral vectors, we found that a soluble phosphatidylserine-binding protein, MFG-E8, enhances transduction. Cell surface receptors TIM-1 and -4 also enhance virus binding/transduction. The extent of enhancement by these molecules varies, depending on the type of pseudotyping envelope proteins. Mutated MFG-E8, which binds viral envelope phosphatidylserine without bridging virus to cells, but, surprisingly, not annexin V, which has been used to block phagocytosis of dead cells by concealing phosphatidylserine, efficiently blocks these phosphatidylserine-dependent viral entry mechanisms. These results provide insight into understanding the role of viral envelope phosphatidylserine in viral infection. Envelope phosphatidylserine has previously been shown to be important for replication of various envelope viruses, but details of this mechanism(s) were unclear

  10. A Signature in HIV-1 Envelope Leader Peptide Associated with Transition from Acute to Chronic Infection Impacts Envelope Processing and Infectivity

    PubMed Central

    Asmal, Mohammed; Hellmann, Ina; Liu, Weimin; Keele, Brandon F.; Perelson, Alan S.; Bhattacharya, Tanmoy; Gnanakaran, S.; Daniels, Marcus; Haynes, Barton F.; Korber, Bette T.; Hahn, Beatrice H.; Shaw, George M.; Letvin, Norman L.

    2011-01-01

    Mucosal transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) results in a bottleneck in viral genetic diversity. Gnanakaran and colleagues used a computational strategy to identify signature amino acids at particular positions in Envelope that were associated either with transmitted sequences sampled very early in infection, or sequences sampled during chronic infection. Among the strongest signatures observed was an enrichment for the stable presence of histidine at position 12 at transmission and in early infection, and a recurrent loss of histidine at position 12 in chronic infection. This amino acid lies within the leader peptide of Envelope, a region of the protein that has been shown to influence envelope glycoprotein expression and virion infectivity. We show a strong association between a positively charged amino acid like histidine at position 12 in transmitted/founder viruses with more efficient trafficking of the nascent envelope polypeptide to the endoplasmic reticulum and higher steady-state glycoprotein expression compared to viruses that have a non-basic position 12 residue, a substitution that was enriched among viruses sampled from chronically infected individuals. When expressed in the context of other viral proteins, transmitted envelopes with a basic amino acid position 12 were incorporated at higher density into the virus and exhibited higher infectious titers than did non-signature envelopes. These results support the potential utility of using a computational approach to examine large viral sequence data sets for functional signatures and indicate the importance of Envelope expression levels for efficient HIV transmission. PMID:21876761

  11. Identifying the most significant indicators of the total road safety performance index.

    PubMed

    Tešić, Milan; Hermans, Elke; Lipovac, Krsto; Pešić, Dalibor

    2018-04-01

    The review of the national and international literature dealing with the assessment of the road safety level has shown great efforts of the authors who tried to define the methodology for calculating the composite road safety index on a territory (region, state, etc.). The procedure for obtaining a road safety composite index of an area has been largely harmonized. The question that has not been fully resolved yet concerns the selection of indicators. There is a wide range of road safety indicators used to show a road safety situation on a territory. Road safety performance index (RSPI) obtained on the basis of a larger number of safety performance indicators (SPIs) enable decision makers to more precisely define the earlier goal- oriented actions. However, recording a broader comprehensive set of SPIs helps identify the strengths and weaknesses of a country's road safety system. Providing high quality national and international databases that would include comparable SPIs seems to be difficult since a larger number of countries dispose of a small number of identical indicators available for use. Therefore, there is a need for calculating a road safety performance index with a limited number of indicators (RSPI ln n ) which will provide a comparison of a sufficient quality, of as many countries as possible. The application of the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method and correlative analysis has helped to check if the RSPI ln n is likely to be of sufficient quality. A strong correlation between the RSPI ln n and the RSPI has been identified using the proposed methodology. Based on this, the most contributing indicators and methodologies for gradual monitoring of SPIs, have been defined for each country analyzed. The indicator monitoring phases in the analyzed countries have been defined in the following way: Phase 1- the indicators relating to alcohol, speed and protective systems; Phase 2- the indicators relating to roads and Phase 3- the indicators relating to

  12. Inhibition of Enveloped Viruses Infectivity by Curcumin

    PubMed Central

    Wen, Hsiao-Wei; Ou, Jun-Lin; Chiou, Shyan-Song; Chen, Jo-Mei; Wong, Min-Liang; Hsu, Wei-Li

    2013-01-01

    Curcumin, a natural compound and ingredient in curry, has antiinflammatory, antioxidant, and anticarcinogenic properties. Previously, we reported that curcumin abrogated influenza virus infectivity by inhibiting hemagglutination (HA) activity. This study demonstrates a novel mechanism by which curcumin inhibits the infectivity of enveloped viruses. In all analyzed enveloped viruses, including the influenza virus, curcumin inhibited plaque formation. In contrast, the nonenveloped enterovirus 71 remained unaffected by curcumin treatment. We evaluated the effects of curcumin on the membrane structure using fluorescent dye (sulforhodamine B; SRB)-containing liposomes that mimic the viral envelope. Curcumin treatment induced the leakage of SRB from these liposomes and the addition of the influenza virus reduced the leakage, indicating that curcumin disrupts the integrity of the membranes of viral envelopes and of liposomes. When testing liposomes of various diameters, we detected higher levels of SRB leakage from the smaller-sized liposomes than from the larger liposomes. Interestingly, the curcumin concentration required to reduce plaque formation was lower for the influenza virus (approximately 100 nm in diameter) than for the pseudorabies virus (approximately 180 nm) and the vaccinia virus (roughly 335 × 200 × 200 nm). These data provide insights on the molecular antiviral mechanisms of curcumin and its potential use as an antiviral agent for enveloped viruses. PMID:23658730

  13. Defining Risk.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tholkes, Ben F.

    1998-01-01

    Defines camping risks and lists types and examples: (1) objective risk beyond control; (2) calculated risk based on personal choice; (3) perceived risk; and (4) reckless risk. Describes campers to watch ("immortals" and abdicators), and several "treatments" of risk: avoidance, safety procedures and well-trained staff, adequate…

  14. 14 CFR 25.333 - Flight maneuvering envelope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Flight maneuvering envelope. 25.333 Section... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Flight Maneuver and Gust Conditions § 25.333 Flight maneuvering envelope. (a) General. The strength requirements must be met at each combination of...

  15. 14 CFR 25.333 - Flight maneuvering envelope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Flight maneuvering envelope. 25.333 Section... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY AIRPLANES Structure Flight Maneuver and Gust Conditions § 25.333 Flight maneuvering envelope. (a) General. The strength requirements must be met at each combination of...

  16. A Spectral Algorithm for Envelope Reduction of Sparse Matrices

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barnard, Stephen T.; Pothen, Alex; Simon, Horst D.

    1993-01-01

    The problem of reordering a sparse symmetric matrix to reduce its envelope size is considered. A new spectral algorithm for computing an envelope-reducing reordering is obtained by associating a Laplacian matrix with the given matrix and then sorting the components of a specified eigenvector of the Laplacian. This Laplacian eigenvector solves a continuous relaxation of a discrete problem related to envelope minimization called the minimum 2-sum problem. The permutation vector computed by the spectral algorithm is a closest permutation vector to the specified Laplacian eigenvector. Numerical results show that the new reordering algorithm usually computes smaller envelope sizes than those obtained from the current standard algorithms such as Gibbs-Poole-Stockmeyer (GPS) or SPARSPAK reverse Cuthill-McKee (RCM), in some cases reducing the envelope by more than a factor of two.

  17. 48 CFR 14.202-3 - Bid envelopes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Bid envelopes. 14.202-3 Section 14.202-3 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION CONTRACTING METHODS... envelopes bearing Postage and Fees Paid indicia shall not be distributed with the invitation for bids or...

  18. The limited role of recombination energy in common envelope removal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grichener, Aldana; Sabach, Efrat; Soker, Noam

    2018-05-01

    We calculate the outward energy transport time by convection and photon diffusion in an inflated common envelope and find this time to be shorter than the envelope expansion time. We conclude therefore that most of the hydrogen recombination energy ends in radiation rather than in kinetic energy of the outflowing envelope. We use the stellar evolution code MESA and inject energy inside the envelope of an asymptotic giant branch star to mimic energy deposition by a spiraling-in stellar companion. During 1.7 years the envelope expands by a factor of more than 2. Along the entire evolution the convection can carry the energy very efficiently outwards, to the radius where radiative transfer becomes more efficient. The total energy transport time stays within several months, shorter than the dynamical time of the envelope. Had we included rapid mass loss, as is expected in the common envelope evolution, the energy transport time would have been even shorter. It seems that calculations that assume that most of the recombination energy ends in the outflowing gas might be inaccurate.

  19. Disk-Planet Torques from Radiation-Hydrodynamics Calculations with Spatially-Resolved Planetary Envelopes Undergoing Solids' Accretion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    D'Angelo, G.

    2016-12-01

    D'Angelo & Bodenheimer (2013, ApJ, 778, 77) performed global 3D radiation-hydrodynamics disk-planet simulations aimed at studying envelope formation around planetary cores, during the phase of sustained planetesimal accretion. The calculations modeled cores of 5, 10, and 15 Earth masses orbiting a sun-like star in a protoplanetary disk extending from ap/2 to 2ap in radius, ap=5 or 10 AU being the core's orbital radius. The gas equation of state - for a solar mixture of H2, H, He - accounted for translational, rotational, and vibrational states, for molecular dissociation and atomic ionization, and for radiation energy. Dust opacity calculations applied the Mie theory to multiple grain species whose size distributions ranged from 5e-6 to 1 mm. Mesh refinement via grid nesting allowed the planets' envelopes to be resolved at the core-radius length scale. Passive tracers were used to determine the volume of gas bound to a core, defining the envelope, and resulting in planet radii comparable to the Bondi radius. The energy budjet included contributions from the accretion of solids on the cores, whose rates were self-consistently computed with a 1D planet formation code. At this stage of the planet's growth, gravitational energy released in the envelope by solids' accretion far exceeds that released by gas accretion. These models are used to determine the gravitational torques exerted by the disk's gas on the planet and the resulting orbital migration rates. Since the envelope radius is a direct product of the models, they allow for a non-ambiguous assessment of the torques exerted by gas not bound to the planet. Additionally, since planets' envelopes are fully resolved, thermal and dynamical effects on the surrounding disk's gas are accurately taken into account. The computed migration rates are compared to those obtained from existing semi-analytical formulations for planets orbiting in isothermal and adiabatic disks. Because these formulations do not account for

  20. The cell envelope proteome of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans

    PubMed Central

    Smith, Kenneth P.; Fields, Julia G.; Voogt, Richard D.; Deng, Bin; Lam, Ying-Wai; Mintz, Keith P.

    2014-01-01

    Summary The cell envelope of Gram-negative bacteria serves a critical role in maintenance of cellular homeostasis, resistance to external stress, and host-pathogen interactions. Envelope protein composition is influenced by the physiological and environmental demands placed on the bacterium. In this study, we report a comprehensive compilation of cell envelope proteins from the periodontal and systemic pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans VT1169, an afimbriated serotype b strain. The urea-extracted membrane proteins were identified by mass spectrometry-based shotgun proteomics. The membrane proteome, isolated from actively growing bacteria under normal laboratory conditions, included 648 proteins representing 28% of the predicted ORFs in the genome. Bioinformatic analyses were used to annotate and predict the cellular location and function of the proteins. Surface adhesins, porins, lipoproteins, numerous influx and efflux pumps, multiple sugar, amino acid and iron transporters, and components of the type I, II and V secretion systems were identified. Periplasmic space and cytoplasmic proteins with chaperone function were also identified. 107 proteins with unknown function were associated with the cell envelope. Orthologs of a subset of these uncharacterized proteins are present in other bacterial genomes, while others are found exclusively in A. actinomycetemcomitans. This knowledge will contribute to elucidating the role of cell envelope proteins in bacterial growth and survival in the oral cavity. PMID:25055881

  1. A general soft-enveloping strategy in the templating synthesis of mesoporous metal nanostructures.

    PubMed

    Fang, Jixiang; Zhang, Lingling; Li, Jiang; Lu, Lu; Ma, Chuansheng; Cheng, Shaodong; Li, Zhiyuan; Xiong, Qihua; You, Hongjun

    2018-02-06

    Metal species have a relatively high mobility inside mesoporous silica; thus, it is difficult to introduce the metal precursors into silica mesopores and suppress the migration of metal species during a reduction process. Therefore, until now, the controlled growth of metal nanocrystals in a confined space, i.e., mesoporous channels, has been very challenging. Here, by using a soft-enveloping reaction at the interfaces of the solid, liquid, and solution phases, we successfully control the growth of metallic nanocrystals inside a mesoporous silica template. Diverse monodispersed nanostructures with well-defined sizes and shapes, including Ag nanowires, 3D mesoporous Au, AuAg alloys, Pt networks, and Au nanoparticle superlattices are successfully obtained. The 3D mesoporous AuAg networks exhibit enhanced catalytic activities in an electrochemical methanol oxidation reaction. The current soft-enveloping synthetic strategy offers a robust approach to synthesize diverse mesoporous metal nanostructures that can be utilized in catalysis, optics, and biomedicine applications.

  2. Inability of keratinocytes lacking their specific transglutaminase to form cross-linked envelopes: absence of envelopes as a simple diagnostic test for lamellar ichthyosis.

    PubMed

    Jeon, S; Djian, P; Green, H

    1998-01-20

    Epidermal keratinocytes, late in their terminal differentiation, form cross-linked envelopes resistant to ionic detergent and reducing agent. Because the cross-linking process is catalyzed by the keratinocyte transglutaminase, the absence of active transglutaminase should result in failure of the keratinocyte to form a cross-linked envelope. Three keratinocyte strains bearing mutations in the keratinocyte transglutaminase were examined: two contained no detectable transglutaminase mRNA and none contained active enzyme. All three were unable to form cross-linked envelopes, either spontaneously in stratified cultures or upon induction with Ca2+. Although stratum corneum of normal humans and scales from patients with different ichthyotic diseases contain cross-linked envelopes, those from patients with transglutaminase-negative lamellar ichthyosis do not. Therefore, the disease due to the absence of transglutaminase may be readily distinguished from other ichthyotic disease by a simple test for cross-linked envelopes.

  3. 14 CFR 27.87 - Height-speed envelope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Height-speed envelope. 27.87 Section 27.87... STANDARDS: NORMAL CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Flight Performance § 27.87 Height-speed envelope. (a) If there is any combination of height and forward speed (including hover) under which a safe landing cannot be made under the...

  4. 14 CFR 27.87 - Height-speed envelope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Height-speed envelope. 27.87 Section 27.87... STANDARDS: NORMAL CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Flight Performance § 27.87 Height-speed envelope. (a) If there is any combination of height and forward speed (including hover) under which a safe landing cannot be made under the...

  5. Preserving Envelope Efficiency in Performance Based Code Compliance

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Thornton, Brian A.; Sullivan, Greg P.; Rosenberg, Michael I.

    2015-06-20

    The City of Seattle 2012 Energy Code (Seattle 2014), one of the most progressive in the country, is under revision for its 2015 edition. Additionally, city personnel participate in the development of the next generation of the Washington State Energy Code and the International Energy Code. Seattle has pledged carbon neutrality by 2050 including buildings, transportation and other sectors. The United States Department of Energy (DOE), through Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) provided technical assistance to Seattle in order to understand the implications of one potential direction for its code development, limiting trade-offs of long-lived building envelope components less stringentmore » than the prescriptive code envelope requirements by using better-than-code but shorter-lived lighting and heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) components through the total building performance modeled energy compliance path. Weaker building envelopes can permanently limit building energy performance even as lighting and HVAC components are upgraded over time, because retrofitting the envelope is less likely and more expensive. Weaker building envelopes may also increase the required size, cost and complexity of HVAC systems and may adversely affect occupant comfort. This report presents the results of this technical assistance. The use of modeled energy code compliance to trade-off envelope components with shorter-lived building components is not unique to Seattle and the lessons and possible solutions described in this report have implications for other jurisdictions and energy codes.« less

  6. Testing Common Envelopes on Double White Dwarf Binaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nandez, Jose L. A.; Ivanova, Natalia; Lombardi, James C., Jr.

    2015-06-01

    The formation of a double white dwarf binary likely involves a common envelope (CE) event between a red giant and a white dwarf (WD) during the most recent episode of Roche lobe overflow mass transfer. We study the role of recombination energy with hydrodynamic simulations of such stellar interactions. We find that the recombination energy helps to expel the common envelope entirely, while if recombination energy is not taken into account, a significant fraction of the common envelope remains bound. We apply our numerical methods to constrain the progenitor system for WD 1101+364 - a double WD binary that has well-measured mass ratio of q=0.87±0.03 and an orbital period of 0.145 days. Our best-fit progenitor for the pre-common envelope donor is a 1.5 ⊙ red giant.

  7. Inability of keratinocytes lacking their specific transglutaminase to form cross-linked envelopes: Absence of envelopes as a simple diagnostic test for lamellar ichthyosis

    PubMed Central

    Jeon, Saewha; Djian, Philippe; Green, Howard

    1998-01-01

    Epidermal keratinocytes, late in their terminal differentiation, form cross-linked envelopes resistant to ionic detergent and reducing agent. Because the cross-linking process is catalyzed by the keratinocyte transglutaminase, the absence of active transglutaminase should result in failure of the keratinocyte to form a cross-linked envelope. Three keratinocyte strains bearing mutations in the keratinocyte transglutaminase were examined: two contained no detectable transglutaminase mRNA and none contained active enzyme. All three were unable to form cross-linked envelopes, either spontaneously in stratified cultures or upon induction with Ca2+. Although stratum corneum of normal humans and scales from patients with different ichthyotic diseases contain cross-linked envelopes, those from patients with transglutaminase-negative lamellar ichthyosis do not. Therefore, the disease due to the absence of transglutaminase may be readily distinguished from other ichthyotic diseases by a simple test for cross-linked envelopes. PMID:9435253

  8. Validating predictions from climate envelope models

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Watling, J.; Bucklin, D.; Speroterra, C.; Brandt, L.; Cabal, C.; Romañach, Stephanie S.; Mazzotti, Frank J.

    2013-01-01

    Climate envelope models are a potentially important conservation tool, but their ability to accurately forecast species’ distributional shifts using independent survey data has not been fully evaluated. We created climate envelope models for 12 species of North American breeding birds previously shown to have experienced poleward range shifts. For each species, we evaluated three different approaches to climate envelope modeling that differed in the way they treated climate-induced range expansion and contraction, using random forests and maximum entropy modeling algorithms. All models were calibrated using occurrence data from 1967–1971 (t1) and evaluated using occurrence data from 1998–2002 (t2). Model sensitivity (the ability to correctly classify species presences) was greater using the maximum entropy algorithm than the random forest algorithm. Although sensitivity did not differ significantly among approaches, for many species, sensitivity was maximized using a hybrid approach that assumed range expansion, but not contraction, in t2. Species for which the hybrid approach resulted in the greatest improvement in sensitivity have been reported from more land cover types than species for which there was little difference in sensitivity between hybrid and dynamic approaches, suggesting that habitat generalists may be buffered somewhat against climate-induced range contractions. Specificity (the ability to correctly classify species absences) was maximized using the random forest algorithm and was lowest using the hybrid approach. Overall, our results suggest cautious optimism for the use of climate envelope models to forecast range shifts, but also underscore the importance of considering non-climate drivers of species range limits. The use of alternative climate envelope models that make different assumptions about range expansion and contraction is a new and potentially useful way to help inform our understanding of climate change effects on species.

  9. Application of the Envelope Difference Index to Spectrally Sparse Speech

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Souza, Pamela; Hoover, Eric; Gallun, Frederick

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: Amplitude compression is a common hearing aid processing strategy that can improve speech audibility and loudness comfort but also has the potential to alter important cues carried by the speech envelope. In previous work, a measure of envelope change, the Envelope Difference Index (EDI; Fortune, Woodruff, & Preves, 1994), was moderately…

  10. The Failure Envelope Concept Applied To The Bone-Dental Implant System.

    PubMed

    Korabi, R; Shemtov-Yona, K; Dorogoy, A; Rittel, D

    2017-05-17

    Dental implants interact with the jawbone through their common interface. While the implant is an inert structure, the jawbone is a living one that reacts to mechanical stimuli. Setting aside mechanical failure considerations of the implant, the bone is the main component to be addressed. With most failure criteria being expressed in terms of stress or strain values, their fulfillment can mean structural flow or fracture. However, in addition to those effects, the bony structure is likely to react biologically to the applied loads by dissolution or remodeling, so that additional (strain-based) criteria must be taken into account. While the literature abounds in studies of particular loading configurations, e.g. angle and value of the applied load to the implant, a general study of the admissible implant loads is still missing. This paper introduces the concept of failure envelopes for the dental implant-jawbone system, thereby defining admissible combinations of vertical and lateral loads for various failure criteria of the jawbone. Those envelopes are compared in terms of conservatism, thereby providing a systematic comparison of the various failure criteria and their determination of the admissible loads.

  11. Initial preclinical safety of non-replicating human endogenous retrovirus envelope protein-coated baculovirus vector-based vaccines against human papillomavirus.

    PubMed

    Han, Su-Eun; Kim, Mi-Gyeong; Lee, Soondong; Cho, Hee-Jeong; Byun, Youngro; Kim, Sujeong; Kim, Young Bong; Choi, Yongseok; Oh, Yu-Kyoung

    2013-12-01

    Human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) envelope protein-coated, baculovirus vector-based HPV 16 L1 (AcHERV-HPV16L1) is a non-replicating recombinant baculoviral vaccine. Here, we report an initial evaluation of the preclinical safety of AcHERV-HPV16L1 vaccine. In an acute toxicity study, a single administration of AcHERV-HPV16L1 DNA vaccine given intramuscularly (i.m.) to mice at a dose of 1 × 10(8) plaque-forming units (PFU) did not cause significant changes in body weight compared with vehicle-treated controls. It did cause a brief increase in the weights of some organs on day 15 post-treatment, but by day 30, all organ weights were not significantly different from those in the vehicle-treated control group. No hematological changes were observed on day 30 post-treatment. In a range-finding toxicity study with three doses of 1 × 10(7) , 2 × 10(7) and 5 × 10(7) PFU once daily for 5 days, the group treated with 5 × 10(7) PFU showed a transient decrease in the body weights from day 5 to day 15 post-treatment, but recovery to the levels similar to those in the vehicle-treated control group by post-treatment day 20. Organ weights were slightly higher for lymph nodes, spleen, thymus and liver after repeated dosing with 5 × 10(7) PFU on day 15, but had normalized by day 30. Moreover, repeated administration of AcHERV-HPV16L1 did not induce myosin-specific autoantibody in serum, and did not cause immune complex deposition or tissue damage at injection sites. Taken together, these results provide preliminary evidence of the preclinical safety of AcHERV-based HPV16L1 DNA vaccines in mice. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  12. Few-cycle carrier envelope phase-dependent stereo detection of electrons.

    PubMed

    Verhoef, Aart J; Fernández, Alma; Lezius, Matthias; O'Keeffe, Kevin; Uiberacker, Matthias; Krausz, Ferenc

    2006-12-01

    The spatial distribution of electrons emitted from atoms by few-cycle optical fields is known to be dependent on the carrier envelope phase, i.e., the phase of the field with respect to the pulse envelope. With respect to Paulus et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett.91, 253004 (2003)] we propose a greatly simplified device to measure and control the carrier envelope phase of few-cycle pulses with an accuracy of better than pi/10 based on this principle. We compared different schemes to control the carrier envelope phase of our pulses.

  13. Efficiency of planetesimal ablation in giant planetary envelopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pinhas, Arazi; Madhusudhan, Nikku; Clarke, Cathie

    2016-12-01

    Observations of exoplanetary spectra are leading to unprecedented constraints on their atmospheric elemental abundances, particularly O/H, C/H, and C/O ratios. Recent studies suggest that elemental ratios could provide important constraints on formation and migration mechanisms of giant exoplanets. A fundamental assumption in such studies is that the chemical composition of the planetary envelope represents the sum-total of compositions of the accreted gas and solids during the formation history of the planet. We investigate the efficiency with which accreted planetesimals ablate in a giant planetary envelope thereby contributing to its composition rather than sinking to the core. From considerations of aerodynamic drag causing `frictional ablation' and the envelope temperature structure causing `thermal ablation', we compute mass ablations for impacting planetesimals of radii 30 m to 1 km for different compositions (ice to iron) and a wide range of velocities and impact angles, assuming spherical symmetry. Icy impactors are fully ablated in the outer envelope for a wide range of parameters. Even for Fe impactors substantial ablation occurs in the envelope for a wide range of sizes and velocities. For example, iron impactors of sizes below ˜0.5 km and velocities above ˜30 km s-1 are found to ablate by ˜60-80 per cent within the outer envelope at pressures below 103 bar due to frictional ablation alone. For deeper pressures (˜107 bar), substantial ablation happens over a wider range of parameters. Therefore, our exploratory study suggests that atmospheric abundances of volatile elements in giant planets reflect their accretion history during formation.

  14. Carbon chemistry of circumstellar envelopes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bieging, John H.

    1990-01-01

    The chemical composition of envelopes surrounding cool evolved stars, as determined from microwave spectroscopic observations, is reviewed. Emphasis is placed on recent observations with the new large mm-wavelength telescopes and interferometer arrays, and on new theoretical work, especially concerning ion-molecule chemistry of carbon-bearing in these envelopes. Thermal (as opposed to maser) emission lines are discussed. Much progress has been made in the past few years in the theoretical understanding of these objects. It is already clear, however, that observations with the new generation of mm-telescopes will require substantial improvements in the theoretical models to achieve a thorough understanding of the data now becoming available.

  15. Gravitational Waves from Accreting Neutron Stars Undergoing Common-envelope Inspiral

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Holgado, A. Miguel; Ricker, Paul M.; Huerta, E. A.

    2018-04-01

    The common-envelope phase is a likely formation channel for close binary systems containing compact objects. Neutron stars in common envelopes accrete at a fraction of the Bondi–Hoyle–Lyttleton accretion rate, since the stellar envelope is inhomogeneous, but they may still be able to accrete at hypercritical rates (though not enough to become black holes). We show that common-envelope systems consisting of a neutron star with a massive primary may be gravitational-wave (GW) sources detectable in the Advanced LIGO band as far away as the Magellanic Clouds. To characterize their evolution, we perform orbital integrations using 1D models of 12 M ⊙ and 20 M ⊙ primaries, considering the effects of density gradient on the accretion onto the NS and spin evolution. From the range of possible accretion rates relevant to common-envelope evolution, we find that these systems may be louder GW sources than low-mass X-ray binaries like Sco X-1, which are currently the target of directed searches for continuous GWs. We also find that their strain amplitude signal may allow for novel constraints on the orbital separation and inspiral timescale in common envelopes when combined with pre-common-envelope electromagnetic observations.

  16. The upper bound of abutment scour defined by selected laboratory and field data

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Benedict, Stephen; Caldwell, Andral W.

    2015-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the South Carolina Department of Transportation, conducted a field investigation of abutment scour in South Carolina and used that data to develop envelope curves defining the upper bound of abutment scour. To expand upon this previous work, an additional cooperative investigation was initiated to combine the South Carolina data with abutment-scour data from other sources and evaluate the upper bound of abutment scour with the larger data set. To facilitate this analysis, a literature review was made to identify potential sources of published abutment-scour data, and selected data, consisting of 446 laboratory and 331 field measurements, were compiled for the analysis. These data encompassed a wide range of laboratory and field conditions and represent field data from 6 states within the United States. The data set was used to evaluate the South Carolina abutment-scour envelope curves. Additionally, the data were used to evaluate a dimensionless abutment-scour envelope curve developed by Melville (1992), highlighting the distinct difference in the upper bound for laboratory and field data. The envelope curves evaluated in this investigation provide simple but useful tools for assessing the potential maximum abutment-scour depth in the field setting.

  17. Three-dimensional envelope instability in periodic focusing channels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qiang, Ji

    2018-03-01

    The space-charge driven envelope instability can be of great danger in high intensity accelerators and was studied using a two-dimensional (2D) envelope model and three-dimensional (3D) macroparticle simulations before. In this paper, we study the instability for a bunched beam using a three-dimensional envelope model in a periodic solenoid and radio-frequency (rf) focusing channel and a periodic quadrupole and rf focusing channel. This study shows that when the transverse zero current phase advance is below 90 ° , the beam envelope can still become unstable if the longitudinal zero current phase advance is beyond 90 ° . For the transverse zero current phase advance beyond 90 ° , the instability stopband width becomes larger with the increase of the longitudinal focusing strength and even shows different structure from the 2D case when the longitudinal zero current phase advance is beyond 90 ° . Breaking the symmetry of two longitudinal focusing rf cavities and the symmetry between the horizontal focusing and the vertical focusing in the transverse plane in the periodic quadrupole and rf channel makes the instability stopband broader. This suggests that a more symmetric accelerator lattice design might help reduce the range of the envelope instability in parameter space.

  18. Multispectral radiation envelope characteristics of aerial infrared targets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kou, Tian; Zhou, Zhongliang; Liu, Hongqiang; Yang, Yuanzhi; Lu, Chunguang

    2018-07-01

    Multispectral detection signals are relatively stable and complementary to single spectral detection signals with deficiencies of severe scintillation and poor anti-interference. To take advantage of multispectral radiation characteristics in the application of infrared target detection, the concept of a multispectral radiation envelope is proposed. To build the multispectral radiation envelope model, the temperature distribution of an aerial infrared target is calculated first. By considering the coupling heat transfer process, the heat balance equation is built by using the node network, and the convective heat transfer laws as a function of target speed are uncovered. Then, the tail flame temperature distribution model is built and the temperature distributions at different horizontal distances are calculated. Second, to obtain the optimal detection angles, envelope models of reflected background multispectral radiation and target multispectral radiation are built. Finally, the envelope characteristics of the aerial target multispectral radiation are analyzed in different wavebands in detail. The results we obtained reflect Wien's displacement law and prove the effectiveness and reasonableness of the envelope model, and also indicate that the major difference between multispectral wavebands is greatly influenced by the target speed. Moreover, optimal detection angles are obtained by numerical simulation, and these are very important for accurate and fast target detection, attack decision-making and developing multispectral detection platforms.

  19. The upper bound of Pier Scour defined by selected laboratory and field data

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Benedict, Stephen; Caldwell, Andral W.

    2015-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the South Carolina Department of Transportation, conducted several field investigations of pier scour in South Carolina (Benedict and Caldwell, 2006; Benedict and Caldwell, 2009) and used that data to develop envelope curves defining the upper bound of pier scour. To expand upon this previous work, an additional cooperative investigation was initiated to combine the South Carolina data with pier-scour data from other sources and evaluate the upper bound of pier scour with this larger data set. To facilitate this analysis, a literature review was made to identify potential sources of published pier-scour data, and selected data were compiled into a digital spreadsheet consisting of approximately 570 laboratory and 1,880 field measurements. These data encompass a wide range of laboratory and field conditions and represent field data from 24 states within the United States and six other countries. This extensive database was used to define the upper bound of pier-scour depth with respect to pier width encompassing the laboratory and field data. Pier width is a primary variable that influences pier-scour depth (Laursen and Toch, 1956; Melville and Coleman, 2000; Mueller and Wagner, 2005, Ettema et al. 2011, Arneson et al. 2012) and therefore, was used as the primary explanatory variable in developing the upper-bound envelope curve. The envelope curve provides a simple but useful tool for assessing the potential maximum pier-scour depth for pier widths of about 30 feet or less.

  20. Fine epitope signature of antibody neutralization breadth at the HIV-1 envelope CD4-binding site.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Hao D; Grimm, Sebastian K; Gilman, Morgan Sa; Gwom, Luc Christian; Sok, Devin; Sundling, Christopher; Donofrio, Gina; Hedestam, Gunilla B Karlsson; Bonsignori, Mattia; Haynes, Barton F; Lahey, Timothy P; Maro, Isaac; von Reyn, C Fordham; Gorny, Miroslaw K; Zolla-Pazner, Susan; Walker, Bruce D; Alter, Galit; Burton, Dennis R; Robb, Merlin L; Krebs, Shelly J; Seaman, Michael S; Bailey-Kellogg, Chris; Ackerman, Margaret E

    2018-03-08

    Major advances in donor identification, antigen probe design, and experimental methods to clone pathogen-specific antibodies have led to an exponential growth in the number of newly characterized broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) that recognize the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein. Characterization of these bnAbs has defined new epitopes and novel modes of recognition that can result in potent neutralization of HIV-1. However, the translation of envelope recognition profiles in biophysical assays into an understanding of in vivo activity has lagged behind, and identification of subjects and mAbs with potent antiviral activity has remained reliant on empirical evaluation of neutralization potency and breadth. To begin to address this discrepancy between recombinant protein recognition and virus neutralization, we studied the fine epitope specificity of a panel of CD4-binding site (CD4bs) antibodies to define the molecular recognition features of functionally potent humoral responses targeting the HIV-1 envelope site bound by CD4. Whereas previous studies have used neutralization data and machine-learning methods to provide epitope maps, here, this approach was reversed, demonstrating that simple binding assays of fine epitope specificity can prospectively identify broadly neutralizing CD4bs-specific mAbs. Building on this result, we show that epitope mapping and prediction of neutralization breadth can also be accomplished in the assessment of polyclonal serum responses. Thus, this study identifies a set of CD4bs bnAb signature amino acid residues and demonstrates that sensitivity to mutations at signature positions is sufficient to predict neutralization breadth of polyclonal sera with a high degree of accuracy across cohorts and across clades.

  1. The Molecular Envelope around the Red Supergiant VY CMa

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Muller, S.; Dinh-V-Trung; Lim, J.; Hirano, N.; Muthu, C.; Kwok, S.

    2007-02-01

    We present millimeter interferometric observations of the molecular envelope around the red supergiant VY CMa with the Submillimeter Array (SMA). The high angular resolution (<2") allows us to derive the structure of the envelope as observed in the 1.3 mm continuum, 12CO(2-1), 13CO(2-1), and SO(65-54) lines emission. The circumstellar envelope is resolved into three components: (1) a dense, compact, and dusty central component, embedded in (2) a more diffuse and extended envelope, and (3) a high-velocity component. We construct a simple model, consisting of a spherically symmetric slowly expanding envelope and bipolar outflows with a wide opening angle (~120°) viewed close to the line of sight (i=15deg). Our model can explain the main features of the SMA data and previous single-dish CO multiline observations. An episode of enhanced mass loss along the bipolar direction is inferred from our modeling. The SMA data provide a better understanding of the complicated morphology seen in the optical/IR high-resolution observations.

  2. The nuclear envelope from basic biology to therapy.

    PubMed

    Worman, Howard J; Foisner, Roland

    2010-02-01

    The nuclear envelope has long been a focus of basic research for a highly specialized group of cell biologists. More recently, an expanding group of scientists and physicians have developed a keen interest in the nuclear envelope since mutations in the genes encoding lamins and associated proteins have been shown to cause a diverse range of human diseases often called laminopathies or nuclear envelopathies. Most of these diseases have tissue-selective phenotypes, suggesting that the nuclear envelope must function in cell-type- and developmental-stage-specific processes such as chromatin organization, regulation of gene expression, controlled nucleocytoplasmic transport and response to stress in metazoans. On 22-23 April 2009, Professor Christopher Hutchison organized the 4th British Nuclear Envelope Disease and Chromatin Organization meeting at the College of St Hild and St Bede at Durham University, sponsored by the Biochemical Society. In attendance were investigators with one common interest, the nuclear envelope, but with diverse expertise and training in animal and plant cell biology, genetics, developmental biology and medicine. We were each honoured to be keynote speakers. This issue of Biochemical Society Transactions contains papers written by some of the presenters at this scientifically exciting meeting, held in a bucolic setting where the food was tasty and the wine flowed freely. Perhaps at the end of this excellent meeting more questions were raised than answered, which will stimulate future research. However, what became clear is that the nuclear envelope is a cellular structure with critical functions in addition to its traditional role as a barrier separating the nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments in interphase eukaryotic cells.

  3. Personnel occupied woven envelope robot

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wessling, F. C.

    1986-01-01

    The use of nonmetallic or fabric structures for space application is considered. The following structures are suggested: (1) unpressurized space hangars; (2) extendable tunnels for soft docking; and (3) manned habitat for space stations, storage facilities, and work structures. The uses of the tunnel as a passageway: for personnel and equipment, eliminating extravehicular activity, for access to a control cabin on a space crane and between free flyers and the space station are outlined. The personnal occupied woven envelope robot (POWER) device is shown. The woven envelope (tunnel) acts as part of the boom of a crane. Potential applications of POWER are outlined. Several possible deflection mechanisms and design criteria are determined.

  4. Studies on the System Regulating Proton Movement across the Chloroplast Envelope 1

    PubMed Central

    Peters, Jeanne S.; Berkowitz, Gerald A.

    1991-01-01

    Studies were undertaken to further characterize the spinach (Spinacea oleracea) chloroplast envelope system, which facilitates H+ movement into and out of the stroma, and, hence, modulates photosynthetic activity by regulating stromal pH. It was demonstrated that high envelope-bound Mg2+ causes stromal acidification and photosynthetic inhibition. High envelope-bound Mg2+ was also found to necessitate the activity of a digitoxinand oligomycin-sensitive ATPase for the maintenance of high stromal pH and photosynthesis in the illuminated chloroplast. In chloroplasts that had high envelope Mg2+ and inhibited envelope ATPase activity, 2-(diethylamino)-N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)acetamide was found to raise stromal pH and stimulate photosynthesis. 2-(Diethylamino)-N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)acetamide is an amine anesthetic that is known to act as a monovalent cation channel blocker in mammalian systems. We postulate that the system regulating cation and H+ fluxes across the plastid envelope includes a monovalent cation channel in the envelope, some degree of (envelope-bound Mg2+ modulated) H+ flux linked to monovalent cation antiport, and ATPase-dependent H+ efflux. PMID:16668116

  5. Process envelopes for stabilisation/solidification of contaminated soil using lime-slag blend.

    PubMed

    Kogbara, Reginald B; Yi, Yaolin; Al-Tabbaa, Abir

    2011-09-01

    Stabilisation/solidification (S/S) has emerged as an efficient and cost-effective technology for the treatment of contaminated soils. However, the performance of S/S-treated soils is governed by several intercorrelated variables, which complicates the optimisation of the treatment process design. Therefore, it is desirable to develop process envelopes, which define the range of operating variables that result in acceptable performance. In this work, process envelopes were developed for S/S treatment of contaminated soil with a blend of hydrated lime (hlime) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) as the binder (hlime/GGBS = 1:4). A sand contaminated with a mixture of heavy metals and petroleum hydrocarbons was treated with 5%, 10% and 20% binder dosages, at different water contents. The effectiveness of the treatment was assessed using unconfined compressive strength (UCS), permeability, acid neutralisation capacity and contaminant leachability with pH, at set periods. The UCS values obtained after 28 days of treatment were up to ∼800 kPa, which is quite low, and permeability was ∼10(-8) m/s, which is higher than might be required. However, these values might be acceptable in some scenarios. The binder significantly reduced the leachability of cadmium and nickel. With the 20% dosage, both metals met the waste acceptance criteria for inert waste landfill and relevant environmental quality standards. The results show that greater than 20% dosage would be required to achieve a balance of acceptable mechanical and leaching properties. Overall, the process envelopes for different performance criteria depend on the end-use of the treated material.

  6. Development and evaluation of modified envelope correlation method for deep tectonic tremor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mizuno, N.; Ide, S.

    2017-12-01

    We develop a new location method for deep tectonic tremors, as an improvement of widely used envelope correlation method, and applied it to construct a tremor catalog in western Japan. Using the cross-correlation functions as objective functions and weighting components of data by the inverse of error variances, the envelope cross-correlation method is redefined as a maximum likelihood method. This method is also capable of multiple source detection, because when several events occur almost simultaneously, they appear as local maxima of likelihood.The average of weighted cross-correlation functions, defined as ACC, is a nonlinear function whose variable is a position of deep tectonic tremor. The optimization method has two steps. First, we fix the source depth to 30 km and use a grid search with 0.2 degree intervals to find the maxima of ACC, which are candidate event locations. Then, using each of the candidate locations as initial values, we apply a gradient method to determine horizontal and vertical components of a hypocenter. Sometimes, several source locations are determined in a time window of 5 minutes. We estimate the resolution, which is defined as a distance of sources to be detected separately by the location method, is about 100 km. The validity of this estimation is confirmed by a numerical test using synthetic waveforms. Applying to continuous seismograms in western Japan for over 10 years, the new method detected 27% more tremors than a previous method, owing to the multiple detection and improvement of accuracy by appropriate weighting scheme.

  7. An analysis of spectral envelope-reduction via quadratic assignment problems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    George, Alan; Pothen, Alex

    1994-01-01

    A new spectral algorithm for reordering a sparse symmetric matrix to reduce its envelope size was described. The ordering is computed by associating a Laplacian matrix with the given matrix and then sorting the components of a specified eigenvector of the Laplacian. In this paper, we provide an analysis of the spectral envelope reduction algorithm. We described related 1- and 2-sum problems; the former is related to the envelope size, while the latter is related to an upper bound on the work involved in an envelope Cholesky factorization scheme. We formulate the latter two problems as quadratic assignment problems, and then study the 2-sum problem in more detail. We obtain lower bounds on the 2-sum by considering a projected quadratic assignment problem, and then show that finding a permutation matrix closest to an orthogonal matrix attaining one of the lower bounds justifies the spectral envelope reduction algorithm. The lower bound on the 2-sum is seen to be tight for reasonably 'uniform' finite element meshes. We also obtain asymptotically tight lower bounds for the envelope size for certain classes of meshes.

  8. The impact of heat blanketing envelopes on neutron stars cooling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beznogov, M. V.; Yakovlev, D. G.; Fortin, M.; Haensel, P.; Zdunik, J. L.

    2017-11-01

    The goal of this work is to investigate the effects of chemical composition of heat blanketing envelopes of neutron stars on their thermal states and thermal evolution. To this purpose, we employ newly constructed models of the envelopes composed of binary ion mixtures (H-He, He-C, C-Fe) varying the mass of lighter ions (H, He or C) in the envelope. The results are compared with those calculated using the standard “onion-like” envelope. For illustration, we apply these results to estimate the internal temperature of the Vela pulsar and to study cooling of neutron stars. We show that uncertainties in the chemical composition of the envelopes can lead up to ~ 2.5 times uncertainty of the internal temperature of the star which significantly complicates theoretical reconstruction of the internal structure of cooling neutron stars from observations of their thermal surface emission.

  9. 14 CFR 29.1517 - Limiting height-speed envelope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Limiting height-speed envelope. 29.1517... Operating Limitations § 29.1517 Limiting height-speed envelope. For Category A rotorcraft, if a range of heights exists at any speed, including zero, within which it is not possible to make a safe landing...

  10. 14 CFR 29.1517 - Limiting height-speed envelope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Limiting height-speed envelope. 29.1517... Operating Limitations § 29.1517 Limiting height-speed envelope. For Category A rotorcraft, if a range of heights exists at any speed, including zero, within which it is not possible to make a safe landing...

  11. PAH formation in carbon-rich circumstellar envelopes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Feigelson, Eric D.; Frenklach, Michael

    1989-01-01

    While there is growing observational evidence that some fraction of interstellar carbon is in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's), the mechanisms by which these molecules might be formed have not been extensively studied. A detailed investigation of PAH production in the outflowing molecular envelopes of carbon-rich red giant star is presented. The gasphase kinetics of a chemical reaction mechanism developed to study soot production in hydrocarbon flames is modified to apply in circumstellar environments. It was found that astrophysically significant quantities of PAH's can be formed in carbon star envelopes provided the gas is sufficiently dense and resides for a long time in the temperature range of 900 to 1100 k. The precise yield of PAH's is very sensitive to astronomical parameters of the envelope (e.g., mass loss rate, outflow velocity, and acetylene abundance) and certain poorly determined chemical reaction rates.

  12. Processing of spectral and amplitude envelope of animal vocalizations in the human auditory cortex.

    PubMed

    Altmann, Christian F; Gomes de Oliveira Júnior, Cícero; Heinemann, Linda; Kaiser, Jochen

    2010-08-01

    In daily life, we usually identify sounds effortlessly and efficiently. Two properties are particularly salient and of importance for sound identification: the sound's overall spectral envelope and its temporal amplitude envelope. In this study, we aimed at investigating the representation of these two features in the human auditory cortex by using a functional magnetic resonance imaging adaptation paradigm. We presented pairs of sound stimuli derived from animal vocalizations that preserved the time-averaged frequency spectrum of the animal vocalizations and the amplitude envelope. We presented the pairs in four different conditions: (a) pairs with the same amplitude envelope and mean spectral envelope, (b) same amplitude envelope, but different mean spectral envelope, (c) different amplitude envelope, but same mean spectral envelope and (d) both different amplitude envelope and mean spectral envelope. We found fMRI adaptation effects for both the mean spectral envelope and the amplitude envelope of animal vocalizations in overlapping cortical areas in the bilateral superior temporal gyrus posterior to Heschl's gyrus. Areas sensitive to the amplitude envelope extended further anteriorly along the lateral superior temporal gyrus in the left hemisphere, while areas sensitive to the spectral envelope extended further anteriorly along the right lateral superior temporal gyrus. Posterior tonotopic areas within the left superior temporal lobe displayed sensitivity for the mean spectrum. Our findings suggest involvement of primary auditory areas in the representation of spectral cues and encoding of general spectro-temporal features of natural sounds in non-primary posterior and lateral superior temporal cortex. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. N1N8-bis(gamma-glutamyl)spermidine cross-linking in epidermal-cell envelopes. Comparison of cross-link levels in normal and psoriatic cell envelopes.

    PubMed Central

    Martinet, N; Beninati, S; Nigra, T P; Folk, J E

    1990-01-01

    N1N8-Bis(gamma-glutamyl)spermidine was found in exhaustive proteolytic digests of isolated cell envelopes from human epidermis at levels comparable with those of epsilon-(gamma-glutamyl)lysine. Significantly higher than normal amounts of these compounds, particularly the bis(gamma-glutamyl)polyamine, were observed in envelopes from afflicted areas (scales) of psoriatic patients. These findings support the notions that N1N8-bis(gamma-glutamyl)spermidine, like epsilon-(gamma-glutamyl)lysine, functions in cell envelopes as an enzyme-generated protein cross-link and stabilizing force and that individuals with the chronic, recurrent skin disease, psoriasis, exhibit in involved epidermis abnormal cell-envelope-protein cross-linking. PMID:2241917

  14. Direction of flagellar rotation in bacterial cell envelopes.

    PubMed Central

    Ravid, S; Eisenbach, M

    1984-01-01

    Cell envelopes with functional flagella, isolated from wild-type strains of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium by formation of spheroplasts with penicillin and subsequent osmotic lysis, demonstrate counterclockwise (CCW)-biased rotation when energized with an electron donor for respiration, DL-lactate. Since the direction of flagellar rotation in bacteria is central to the expression of chemotaxis, we studied the cause of this bias. Our main observations were: (i) spheroplasts acquired a clockwise (CW) bias if instead of being lysed they were further incubated with penicillin; (ii) repellents temporarily caused CW rotation of tethered bacteria and spheroplasts but not of their derived cell envelopes; (iii) deenergizing CW-rotating cheV bacteria by KCN or arsenate treatment caused CCW bias; (iv) cell envelopes isolated from CW-rotating cheC and cheV mutants retained the CW bias, unlike envelopes isolated from cheB and cheZ mutants, which upon cytoplasmic release lost this bias and acquired CCW bias; and (v) an inwardly directed, artificially induced proton current rotated tethered envelopes in CCW direction, but an outwardly directed current was unable to rotate the envelopes. It is concluded that (i) a cytoplasmic constituent is required for the expression of CW rotation (or repression of CCW rotation) in strains which are not defective in the switch; (ii) in the absence of this cytoplasmic constituent, the motor is not reversible in such strains, and it probably is mechanically constricted so as to permit CCW sense of rotation only; (iii) the requirement of CW rotation for ATP is not at the level of the motor or the switch but at one of the preceding functional steps of the chemotaxis machinery; (iv) the cheC and cheV gene products are associated with the cytoplasmic membrane; and (v) direct interaction between the switch-motor system and the repellent sensors is improbable. Images PMID:6370958

  15. Sensitivity to envelope-based interaural delays at high frequencies: center frequency affects the envelope rate-limitation.

    PubMed

    Bernstein, Leslie R; Trahiotis, Constantine

    2014-02-01

    Sensitivity to ongoing interaural temporal disparities (ITDs) was measured using bandpass-filtered pulse trains centered at 4600, 6500, or 9200 Hz. Save for minor differences in the exact center frequencies, those target stimuli were those employed by Majdak and Laback [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125, 3903-3913 (2009)]. At each center frequency, threshold ITD was measured for pulse repetition rates ranging from 64 to 609 Hz. The results and quantitative predictions by a cross-correlation-based model indicated that (1) at most pulse repetition rates, threshold ITD increased with center frequency, (2) the cutoff frequency of the putative envelope low-pass filter that determines sensitivity to ITD at high envelope rates appears to be inversely related to center frequency, and (3) both outcomes were accounted for by assuming that, independent of the center frequency, the listeners' decision variable was a constant criterion change in interaural correlation of the stimuli as processed internally. The finding of an inverse relation between center frequency and the envelope rate limitation, while consistent with much prior literature, runs counter to the conclusion reached by Majdak and Laback.

  16. Emotional Safety in Adventure Therapy Programs: Can It Be Defined?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vincent, Suzanne M.

    1995-01-01

    Ninety-eight adventure therapy professionals analyzed a proposed definition of emotional safety and rated 26 factors hypothesized to affect an individual's level of emotional safety during adventure activities. Factors were related to specific techniques used by instructors, instructor skills and abilities, the physical environment, and group…

  17. Hepatitis C Virus Proteins Interact with the Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRT) Machinery via Ubiquitination To Facilitate Viral Envelopment.

    PubMed

    Barouch-Bentov, Rina; Neveu, Gregory; Xiao, Fei; Beer, Melanie; Bekerman, Elena; Schor, Stanford; Campbell, Joseph; Boonyaratanakornkit, Jim; Lindenbach, Brett; Lu, Albert; Jacob, Yves; Einav, Shirit

    2016-11-01

    Enveloped viruses commonly utilize late-domain motifs, sometimes cooperatively with ubiquitin, to hijack the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) machinery for budding at the plasma membrane. However, the mechanisms underlying budding of viruses lacking defined late-domain motifs and budding into intracellular compartments are poorly characterized. Here, we map a network of hepatitis C virus (HCV) protein interactions with the ESCRT machinery using a mammalian-cell-based protein interaction screen and reveal nine novel interactions. We identify HRS (hepatocyte growth factor-regulated tyrosine kinase substrate), an ESCRT-0 complex component, as an important entry point for HCV into the ESCRT pathway and validate its interactions with the HCV nonstructural (NS) proteins NS2 and NS5A in HCV-infected cells. Infectivity assays indicate that HRS is an important factor for efficient HCV assembly. Specifically, by integrating capsid oligomerization assays, biophysical analysis of intracellular viral particles by continuous gradient centrifugations, proteolytic digestion protection, and RNase digestion protection assays, we show that HCV co-opts HRS to mediate a late assembly step, namely, envelopment. In the absence of defined late-domain motifs, K63-linked polyubiquitinated lysine residues in the HCV NS2 protein bind the HRS ubiquitin-interacting motif to facilitate assembly. Finally, ESCRT-III and VPS/VTA1 components are also recruited by HCV proteins to mediate assembly. These data uncover involvement of ESCRT proteins in intracellular budding of a virus lacking defined late-domain motifs and a novel mechanism by which HCV gains entry into the ESCRT network, with potential implications for other viruses. Viruses commonly bud at the plasma membrane by recruiting the host ESCRT machinery via conserved motifs termed late domains. The mechanism by which some viruses, such as HCV, bud intracellularly is, however, poorly characterized. Moreover, whether

  18. Ares I-X Range Safety Simulation Verification and Analysis Independent Validation and Verification

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Merry, Carl M.; Tarpley, Ashley F.; Craig, A. Scott; Tartabini, Paul V.; Brewer, Joan D.; Davis, Jerel G.; Dulski, Matthew B.; Gimenez, Adrian; Barron, M. Kyle

    2011-01-01

    NASA s Ares I-X vehicle launched on a suborbital test flight from the Eastern Range in Florida on October 28, 2009. To obtain approval for launch, a range safety final flight data package was generated to meet the data requirements defined in the Air Force Space Command Manual 91-710 Volume 2. The delivery included products such as a nominal trajectory, trajectory envelopes, stage disposal data and footprints, and a malfunction turn analysis. The Air Force s 45th Space Wing uses these products to ensure public and launch area safety. Due to the criticality of these data, an independent validation and verification effort was undertaken to ensure data quality and adherence to requirements. As a result, the product package was delivered with the confidence that independent organizations using separate simulation software generated data to meet the range requirements and yielded consistent results. This document captures Ares I-X final flight data package verification and validation analysis, including the methodology used to validate and verify simulation inputs, execution, and results and presents lessons learned during the process

  19. Desaturation of oleoyl groups in envelope membranes from spinach chloroplasts.

    PubMed Central

    Schmidt, H; Heinz, E

    1990-01-01

    Envelope membranes isolated from chloroplasts of spinach (Spinacia oleracea) desaturate oleoyl groups in monogalactosyl diacylglycerol to linoleoyl groups. The desaturation requires NADPH in combination with ferredoxin and is not restricted to monogalactosyl diacylglycerol, since it is also observed in biosynthetic intermediates as, for example, in phosphatidic acid. This indicates a certain degree of unspecificity of the oleate desaturase in isolated envelope membranes. Lipid desaturation is another important function of chloroplast envelopes. PMID:11607123

  20. Ultraviolet Opacity and Fluorescence in Supernova Envelopes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Li, Hongwei; McCray, Richard

    1996-01-01

    By the time the expanding envelope of a Type 2 supernova becomes transparent in the optical continuum, most of the gamma-ray luminosity produced by radioactive Fe/Co/Ni clumps propagates into the hydrogen/helium envelope and is deposited there, if at all. The resulting fast electrons excite He 1 and H 1, the two- photon continua of which are the dominant internal sources of ultraviolet radiation. The UV radiation is blocked by scattering in thousands of resonance lines of metals and converted by fluorescence into optical and infrared emission lines that escape freely. We describe results of Monte Carlo calculations that simulate non-LTE scattering and fluorescence in more than five million allowed lines of Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni. For a model approximating conditions in the envelope of SN 1987A, the calculated emergent spectrum resembles the observed one. For the first 2 yr after explosion, the ultraviolet radiation (lambda less than or approximately equals 3000) is largely blocked and converted into a quasi continuum of many thousands of weak optical and infrared emission lines and some prominent emission features, such as the Ca 2 lambdalambda8600 triplet. Later, as the envelope cools and expands, it becomes more transparent, and an increasing fraction of the luminosity emerges in the UV band.

  1. Identification of new genes in a cell envelope-cell division gene cluster of Escherichia coli: cell envelope gene murG.

    PubMed Central

    Salmond, G P; Lutkenhaus, J F; Donachie, W D

    1980-01-01

    We report the identification, cloning, and mapping of a new cell envelope gene, murG. This lies in a group of five genes of similar phenotype (in the order murE murF murG murC ddl) all concerned with peptidoglycan biosynthesis. This group is in a larger cluster of at least 10 genes, all of which are involved in some way with cell envelope growth. Images PMID:6998962

  2. Co-ordination of growth, gas exchange and hydraulics define the carbon safety margin in tree species with contrasting drought strategies.

    PubMed

    Mitchell, P J; O'Grady, A P; Tissue, D T; Worledge, D; Pinkard, E A

    2014-05-01

    Gas exchange, growth, water transport and carbon (C) metabolism diminish during drought according to their respective sensitivities to declining water status. The timing of this sequence of declining physiological functions may determine how water and C relations compromise plant survival. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that the degree of asynchrony between declining C supply (photosynthesis) and C demand (growth and respiration) determines the rate and magnitude of changes in whole-plant non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) during drought. Two complementary experiments using two tree species (Eucalyptus globulus Labill. and Pinus radiata D. Don) with contrasting drought response strategies were performed to (i) assess changes in radial stem growth, transpiration, leaf water potential and gas exchange in response to chronic drought, and (ii) evaluate the concomitant impacts of these drought responses on the temporal patterns of NSC during terminal drought. The three distinct phases of water stress were delineated by thresholds of growth cessation and stomatal closure that defined the 'carbon safety margin' (i.e., the difference between leaf water potential when growth is zero and leaf water potential when net photosynthesis is zero). A wider C safety margin in E. globulus was defined by an earlier cessation of growth relative to photosynthesis that reduced the demand for NSC while maintaining C acquisition. By contrast, the narrower C safety margin in P. radiata was characterized by a synchronous decline in growth and photosynthesis, whereby growth continued under a declining supply of NSC from photosynthesis. The narrower C safety margin in P. radiata was associated with declines in starch concentrations after ∼ 90 days of chronic drought and significant depletion of starch in all organs at mortality. The observed divergence in the sensitivity of drought responses is indicative of a potential trade-off between maintaining hydraulic safety and adequate C

  3. Digital image envelope: method and evaluation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, H. K.; Cao, Fei; Zhou, Michael Z.; Mogel, Greg T.; Liu, Brent J.; Zhou, Xiaoqiang

    2003-05-01

    Health data security, characterized in terms of data privacy, authenticity, and integrity, is a vital issue when digital images and other patient information are transmitted through public networks in telehealth applications such as teleradiology. Mandates for ensuring health data security have been extensively discussed (for example The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, HIPAA) and health informatics guidelines (such as the DICOM standard) are beginning to focus on issues of data continue to be published by organizing bodies in healthcare; however, there has not been a systematic method developed to ensure data security in medical imaging Because data privacy and authenticity are often managed primarily with firewall and password protection, we have focused our research and development on data integrity. We have developed a systematic method of ensuring medical image data integrity across public networks using the concept of the digital envelope. When a medical image is generated regardless of the modality, three processes are performed: the image signature is obtained, the DICOM image header is encrypted, and a digital envelope is formed by combining the signature and the encrypted header. The envelope is encrypted and embedded in the original image. This assures the security of both the image and the patient ID. The embedded image is encrypted again and transmitted across the network. The reverse process is performed at the receiving site. The result is two digital signatures, one from the original image before transmission, and second from the image after transmission. If the signatures are identical, there has been no alteration of the image. This paper concentrates in the method and evaluation of the digital image envelope.

  4. Distinct Perceptual Grouping Pathways Revealed By Temporal Carriers and Envelopes

    PubMed Central

    Rainville, Stéphane; Clarke, Aaron

    2014-01-01

    Guttman et al. [2005, Vis. Res., 45(8), 1021-1030] investigated whether observers could perform temporal grouping in multi-element displays where each local element was stochastically modulated over time along one of several potential dimensions – or “messenger types” – such as contrast, position, orientation, or spatial scale. Guttman et al.’s data revealed that grouping discards messenger type and therefore support a single-pathway model that groups elements with similar temporal waveforms. In the current study, we carried out three experiments in which temporal-grouping information resided either in the carrier, the envelope, or the combined carrier and envelope of each messenger’s timecourse. Results revealed that grouping is highly specific for messenger type if carrier envelopes lack grouping information but largely messenger nonspecific if carrier envelopes contain grouping information. The imply that temporal grouping is mediated by several messenger-specific carrier pathways as well as by a messenger-nonspecific envelope pathways. Findings also challenge simple temporal-filtering accounts of perceptual grouping [Adelson & Farid, 1999, Science, 286, 2231a]. PMID:19146293

  5. Treatment envelope evaluation in transcranial magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound utilizing 3D MR thermometry

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Current clinical targets for transcranial magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (tcMRgFUS) are all located close to the geometric center of the skull convexity, which minimizes challenges related to focusing the ultrasound through the skull bone. Non-central targets will have to be reached to treat a wider variety of neurological disorders and solid tumors. Treatment envelope studies utilizing two-dimensional (2D) magnetic resonance (MR) thermometry have previously been performed to determine the regions in which therapeutic levels of FUS can currently be delivered. Since 2D MR thermometry was used, very limited information about unintended heating in near-field tissue/bone interfaces could be deduced. Methods In this paper, we present a proof-of-concept treatment envelope study with three-dimensional (3D) MR thermometry monitoring of FUS heatings performed in a phantom and a lamb model. While the moderate-sized transducer used was not designed for transcranial geometries, the 3D temperature maps enable monitoring of the entire sonication field of view, including both the focal spot and near-field tissue/bone interfaces, for full characterization of all heating that may occur. 3D MR thermometry is achieved by a combination of k-space subsampling and a previously described temporally constrained reconstruction method. Results We present two different types of treatment envelopes. The first is based only on the focal spot heating—the type that can be derived from 2D MR thermometry. The second type is based on the relative near-field heating and is calculated as the ratio between the focal spot heating and the near-field heating. This utilizes the full 3D MR thermometry data achieved in this study. Conclusions It is shown that 3D MR thermometry can be used to improve the safety assessment in treatment envelope evaluations. Using a non-optimal transducer, it is shown that some regions where therapeutic levels of FUS can be delivered, as suggested by

  6. Modification of selected South Carolina bridge-scour envelope curves

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Benedict, Stephen T.; Caldwell, Andral W.

    2012-01-01

    Historic scour was investigated at 231 bridges in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain physiographic provinces of South Carolina by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the South Carolina Department of Transportation. These investigations led to the development of field-derived envelope curves that provided supplementary tools to assess the potential for scour at bridges in South Carolina for selected scour components that included clear-water abutment, contraction, and pier scour, and live-bed pier and contraction scour. The envelope curves consist of a single curve with one explanatory variable encompassing all of the measured field data for the respective scour components. In the current investigation, the clear-water abutment-scour and live-bed contraction-scour envelope curves were modified to include a family of curves that utilized two explanatory variables, providing a means to further refine the assessment of scour potential for those specific scour components. The modified envelope curves and guidance for their application are presented in this report.

  7. Perfluorinated ionomer-enveloped sulfur cathodes for lithium-sulfur batteries.

    PubMed

    Song, Jongchan; Choo, Min-Ju; Noh, Hyungjun; Park, Jung-Ki; Kim, Hee-Tak

    2014-12-01

    Nafion is known to suppress the polysulfide (PS) shuttle effect, a major obstacle to achieving high capacity and long cycle life for lithium-sulfur batteries. However, elaborate control of the layer's configuration is required for high performance. In this regard, we designed a Nafion-enveloped sulfur cathode, where the Nafion layer is formed on the skin of the cathode, covering its surface and edge while not restricting the porosity. Discharge capacity and efficiency were enhanced with the enveloping configuration, demonstrating suppression of shuttle. The edge protection exhibited better cycling stability than an edge-open configuration. In the absence of the Nafion envelope, charged sulfur concentrated on the top region of the cathode because of the relatively lower PS concentration at the cathode surface. Surprisingly, for the Nafion-enveloped cathode, sulfur was evenly distributed along the cathode, indicating that the configuration imparts a uniform PS concentration within the cathode. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Sensitivity to Envelope Interaural Time Differences at High Modulation Rates

    PubMed Central

    Bleeck, Stefan; McAlpine, David

    2015-01-01

    Sensitivity to interaural time differences (ITDs) conveyed in the temporal fine structure of low-frequency tones and the modulated envelopes of high-frequency sounds are considered comparable, particularly for envelopes shaped to transmit similar fidelity of temporal information normally present for low-frequency sounds. Nevertheless, discrimination performance for envelope modulation rates above a few hundred Hertz is reported to be poor—to the point of discrimination thresholds being unattainable—compared with the much higher (>1,000 Hz) limit for low-frequency ITD sensitivity, suggesting the presence of a low-pass filter in the envelope domain. Further, performance for identical modulation rates appears to decline with increasing carrier frequency, supporting the view that the low-pass characteristics observed for envelope ITD processing is carrier-frequency dependent. Here, we assessed listeners’ sensitivity to ITDs conveyed in pure tones and in the modulated envelopes of high-frequency tones. ITD discrimination for the modulated high-frequency tones was measured as a function of both modulation rate and carrier frequency. Some well-trained listeners appear able to discriminate ITDs extremely well, even at modulation rates well beyond 500 Hz, for 4-kHz carriers. For one listener, thresholds were even obtained for a modulation rate of 800 Hz. The highest modulation rate for which thresholds could be obtained declined with increasing carrier frequency for all listeners. At 10 kHz, the highest modulation rate at which thresholds could be obtained was 600 Hz. The upper limit of sensitivity to ITDs conveyed in the envelope of high-frequency modulated sounds appears to be higher than previously considered. PMID:26721926

  9. Mechanism of Dissolution of Envelopes of the Extreme Halophile Halobacterium cutirubrum1

    PubMed Central

    Onishi, H.; Kushner, D. J.

    1966-01-01

    Onishi, H. (National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada), and D. J. Kushner. Mechanism of dissolution of envelopes of the extreme halophile Halobacterium cutirubrum. J. Bacteriol. 91:646–652. 1966.—Envelopes of Halobacterium cutirubrum dissolved rapidly in media of low ionic strength. Heating partially inhibited breakdown, probably because of nonspecific protein coagulation rather than inactivation of a lytic enzyme(s). Dissolution of envelopes in water did not involve splitting of peptide bonds or protein-lipid bonds, or any extensive breakdown of carbohydrate polymers. Dissolution was increased by alcohols and urea, even at high salt concentrations, but was not affected by metabolic inhibitors. Thus, no evidence was found for a dilution-activated lytic enzyme that contributes to envelope breakdown. Cells of H. cutirubrum were stable in 2 m NaCl, but lysis occurred in 2 m KCl or NH4Cl. This lysis did not involve an extensive breakdown of the envelope. No evidence for different sites of Na+, K+, and NH4+ action was obtained from the pattern of release of envelope constituents in different concentrations of these salts. Ultracentrifugation studies showed that adding salts to envelopes that had been dissolved in water led to a nonspecific reaggregation of envelope material. No difference was seen between the effects of KCl and NaCl, except at 3 to 4 m concentrations where KCl caused more aggregation. The preferential effect of Na+ on intact cells is probably due to its ability specifically to prevent leakage rather than to an overall effect on envelope integrity. Images PMID:5883109

  10. The Efficiency of Italian Secondary Schools and the Potential Role of Competition: A Data Envelopment Analysis Using OECD-PISA2006 Data

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Agasisti, Tommaso

    2013-01-01

    In this study, data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used to compute efficiency scores for a sample of Italian schools by employing OECD-PISA2006 data aggregated at school level. Efficiency has been defined as the ability to transform inputs (resources, student background, etc.) into outputs (student achievement). Different versions of the DEA models…

  11. A baculovirus polyhedron envelope protein: immunogold localization in infected cells and mature polyhedra.

    PubMed

    Russell, R L; Rohrmann, G F

    1990-01-01

    A polyclonal antiserum against a trpE fusion protein containing the complete open reading frame of the polyhedron envelope (PE) protein from the nuclear polyhedrosis virus of Orgyia pseudotsugata (OpMNPV) was used for immunogold staining and electron microscopic examination of polyhedra, isolated polyhedron envelopes, and infected insect cells at selected times postinfection. The antiserum specifically stained the peripheral envelope of mature polyhedra and also stained the envelope structure which remained after polyhedra were dissolved in dilute alkaline solutions. In OpMNPV-infected Lymantria dispar cells, the PE protein was detected by 48 hr postinfection (hr p.i.) but specific localization and staining of developing polyhedra were not evident. However, by 72 hr p.i. substantial and preferential staining of the periphery of developing polyhedra was evident even though a distinct polyhedron envelope was not yet observed. In addition, the periphery of fibrillar structures was stained by the PE antiserum. By 96 hr p.i., mature envelopes surrounded polyhedra and these polyhedron envelopes were stained with the PE antibody. The progression of PE protein staining during polyhedron morphogenesis indicates that the PE protein accumulates and becomes associated with developing polyhedra in the nucleus between 48 and 72 hr p.i. Very late in infection the mature polyhedron envelope forms on the polyhedron surface. The apparent affinity of the PE protein for the surface of maturing polyhedra suggests that it may be a major component of the polyhedron envelope or may form the matrix for the deposition of other components which contribute to the mature envelope. Immunogold staining and protease digestion experiments indicate that protein is an essential component of the polyhedron envelope.

  12. Conservation of the egg envelope digestion mechanism of hatching enzyme in euteleostean fishes.

    PubMed

    Kawaguchi, Mari; Yasumasu, Shigeki; Shimizu, Akio; Sano, Kaori; Iuchi, Ichiro; Nishida, Mutsumi

    2010-12-01

    We purified two hatching enzymes, namely high choriolytic enzyme (HCE; EC 3.4.24.67) and low choriolytic enzyme (LCE; EC 3.4.24.66), from the hatching liquid of Fundulus heteroclitus, which were named Fundulus HCE (FHCE) and Fundulus LCE (FLCE). FHCE swelled the inner layer of egg envelope, and FLCE completely digested the FHCE-swollen envelope. In addition, we cloned three Fundulus cDNAs orthologous to cDNAs for the medaka precursors of egg envelope subunit proteins (i.e. choriogenins H, H minor and L) from the female liver. Cleavage sites of FHCE and FLCE on egg envelope subunit proteins were determined by comparing the N-terminal amino acid sequences of digests with the sequences deduced from the cDNAs for egg envelope subunit proteins. FHCE and FLCE cleaved different sites of the subunit proteins. FHCE efficiently cleaved the Pro-X-Y repeat regions into tripeptides to dodecapeptides to swell the envelope, whereas FLCE cleaved the inside of the zona pellucida domain, the core structure of egg envelope subunit protein, to completely digest the FHCE-swollen envelope. A comparison showed that the positions of hatching enzyme cleavage sites on egg envelope subunit proteins were strictly conserved between Fundulus and medaka. Finally, we extended such a comparison to three other euteleosts (i.e. three-spined stickleback, spotted halibut and rainbow trout) and found that the egg envelope digestion mechanism was well conserved among them. During evolution, the egg envelope digestion by HCE and LCE orthologs was established in the lineage of euteleosts, and the mechanism is suggested to be conserved. © 2010 The Authors Journal compilation © 2010 FEBS.

  13. Carrier-envelope phase dynamics and noise analysis in octave-spanning Ti:sapphire lasers.

    PubMed

    Matos, Lia; Mücke, Oliver D; Chen, Jian; Kärtner, Franz X

    2006-03-20

    We investigate the carrier-envelope phase dynamics of octave-spanning Ti:sapphire lasers and perform a complete noise analysis of the carrier-envelope phase stabilization. We model the effect of the laser dynamics on the residual carrier-envelope phase noise by deriving a transfer function representation of the octave-spanning frequency comb. The modelled phase noise and the experimental results show excellent agreement. This greatly enhances our capability of predicting the dependence of the residual carrier-envelope phase noise on the feedback loop filter, the carrier-envelope frequency control mechanism and the pump laser used.

  14. Feasibility Study of Endo- and Exo-skeletal Framed Structures with Envelopes for LTA Platforms

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-02-15

    pathway for design and fabrication of Endo- and Exoskeleton framed elliptical envelopes was demonstrated. Envelope sizes of 2 ft x 0.5 ft and 5 ft x...Lighter than air, Endoskeleton, Exoskeleton , Helium filled envelope, Design, Fabrication Robert Sadler and Raghu Panduranga ARIS Inc 115-C, South...Structures with Envelopes for LTA Platforms Report Title ABSTRACT A pathway for design and fabrication of Endo- and Exoskeleton framed elliptical envelopes

  15. Carrier-envelope phase control by a composite plate.

    PubMed

    Ell, Richard; Birge, Jonathan R; Araghchini, Mohammad; Kärtner, Franz X

    2006-06-12

    We demonstrate a new concept to vary the carrier-envelope phase of a mode-locked laser by a composite plate while keeping all other pulse parameters practically unaltered. The effect is verified externally in an interferometric autocorrelator, as well as inside the cavity of an octave-spanning femtosecond oscillator. The carrier-envelope frequency can be shifted by half the repetition rate with negligible impact on pulse spectrum and energy.

  16. Data Envelopment Analysis: Measurement of Educational Efficiency in Texas

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carter, Lacy

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the efficiency of Texas public school districts through Data Envelopment Analysis. The Data Envelopment Analysis estimation method calculated and assigned efficiency scores to each of the 931 school districts considered in the study. The efficiency scores were utilized in two phases. First, the school…

  17. 47 CFR 80.157 - Radio officer defined.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Radio officer defined. 80.157 Section 80.157 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES STATIONS IN THE MARITIME SERVICES Operator Requirements Ship Station Operator Requirements § 80.157 Radio officer defined...

  18. Two Improved Algorithms for Envelope and Wavefront Reduction

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kumfert, Gary; Pothen, Alex

    1997-01-01

    Two algorithms for reordering sparse, symmetric matrices or undirected graphs to reduce envelope and wavefront are considered. The first is a combinatorial algorithm introduced by Sloan and further developed by Duff, Reid, and Scott; we describe enhancements to the Sloan algorithm that improve its quality and reduce its run time. Our test problems fall into two classes with differing asymptotic behavior of their envelope parameters as a function of the weights in the Sloan algorithm. We describe an efficient 0(nlogn + m) time implementation of the Sloan algorithm, where n is the number of rows (vertices), and m is the number of nonzeros (edges). On a collection of test problems, the improved Sloan algorithm required, on the average, only twice the time required by the simpler Reverse Cuthill-Mckee algorithm while improving the mean square wavefront by a factor of three. The second algorithm is a hybrid that combines a spectral algorithm for envelope and wavefront reduction with a refinement step that uses a modified Sloan algorithm. The hybrid algorithm reduces the envelope size and mean square wavefront obtained from the Sloan algorithm at the cost of greater running times. We illustrate how these reductions translate into tangible benefits for frontal Cholesky factorization and incomplete factorization preconditioning.

  19. 9 CFR 592.2 - Terms defined.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Terms defined. 592.2 Section 592.2 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE EGG PRODUCTS INSPECTION VOLUNTARY INSPECTION OF EGG PRODUCTS Definitions § 592.2 Terms defined. For the purpose of the regulations in this part, unless the contex...

  20. 9 CFR 592.2 - Terms defined.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Terms defined. 592.2 Section 592.2 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE EGG PRODUCTS INSPECTION VOLUNTARY INSPECTION OF EGG PRODUCTS Definitions § 592.2 Terms defined. For the purpose of the regulations in this part, unless the contex...

  1. 9 CFR 592.2 - Terms defined.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Terms defined. 592.2 Section 592.2 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE EGG PRODUCTS INSPECTION VOLUNTARY INSPECTION OF EGG PRODUCTS Definitions § 592.2 Terms defined. For the purpose of the regulations in this part, unless the contex...

  2. 9 CFR 592.2 - Terms defined.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Terms defined. 592.2 Section 592.2 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE EGG PRODUCTS INSPECTION VOLUNTARY INSPECTION OF EGG PRODUCTS Definitions § 592.2 Terms defined. For the purpose of the regulations in this part, unless the contex...

  3. Diffusion of iron-group elements in the envelopes of HgMn stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seaton, M. J.

    1999-08-01

    The observed abundance anomalies for iron-group elements in atmospheres of HgMn stars are due to diffusive movements which are driven by radiation-pressure forces and which persist in the stellar envelopes, going down to regions with temperatures of about 10^6K. Studies of diffusion in the envelopes are required both in order to understand the observed atmospheric abundances and in order to calculate the changes in opacities that result from changes in abundances. Let tau be the Rosseland-mean optical depth. It is shown that one can define an upper boundary, tautau_u, such that one can obtain solutions for the diffusive movements in the region of tau>=tau_u without any knowledge of what happens in the higher layers of tauenvelope solutions obtained using the methods described in this paper. The diffusive movements lead to changes in Rosseland-mean opacities by factors of up to 4. For Fe there is a build-up in concentrations in the region of log(T)~=5.1, where the dominant ionization stages are near Ar-like. This leads to the Z-bump in opacities being shifted from its normal position at log(T)~=5.3 to lower values of log(T) and becoming

  4. C. elegans Nuclear Envelope Proteins Emerin, MAN1, Lamin, and Nucleoporins Reveal Unique Timing of Nuclear Envelope Breakdown during Mitosis

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Kenneth K.; Gruenbaum, Yosef; Spann, Perah; Liu, Jun; Wilson, Katherine L.

    2000-01-01

    Emerin, MAN1, and LAP2 are integral membrane proteins of the vertebrate nuclear envelope. They share a 43-residue N-terminal motif termed the LEM domain. We found three putative LEM domain genes in Caenorhabditis elegans, designated emr-1, lem-2, and lem-3. We analyzed emr-l, which encodes Ce-emerin, and lem-2, which encodes Ce-MAN1. Ce-emerin and Ce-MAN1 migrate on SDS-PAGE as 17- and 52-kDa proteins, respectively. Based on their biochemical extraction properties and immunolocalization, both Ce-emerin and Ce-MAN1 are integral membrane proteins localized at the nuclear envelope. We used antibodies against Ce-MAN1, Ce-emerin, nucleoporins, and Ce-lamin to determine the timing of nuclear envelope breakdown during mitosis in C. elegans. The C. elegans nuclear envelope disassembles very late compared with vertebrates and Drosophila. The nuclear membranes remained intact everywhere except near spindle poles during metaphase and early anaphase, fully disassembling only during mid-late anaphase. Disassembly of pore complexes, and to a lesser extent the lamina, depended on embryo age: pore complexes were absent during metaphase in >30-cell embryos but existed until anaphase in 2- to 24-cell embryos. Intranuclear mRNA splicing factors disassembled after prophase. The timing of nuclear disassembly in C. elegans is novel and may reflect its evolutionary position between unicellular and more complex eukaryotes. PMID:10982402

  5. Fusion of Enveloped Viruses in Endosomes

    PubMed Central

    White, Judith M.; Whittaker, Gary R.

    2016-01-01

    Ari Helenius launched the field of enveloped virus fusion in endosomes with a seminal paper in the Journal of Cell Biology in 1980. In the intervening years a great deal has been learned about the structures and mechanisms of viral membrane fusion proteins as well as about the endosomes in which different enveloped viruses fuse and the endosomal cues that trigger fusion. We now recognize three classes of viral membrane fusion proteins based on structural criteria and four mechanisms of fusion triggering. After reviewing general features of viral membrane fusion proteins and viral fusion in endosomes, we delve into three characterized mechanisms for viral fusion triggering in endosomes: by low pH, by receptor binding plus low pH, and by receptor binding plus the action of a protease. We end with a discussion of viruses that may employ novel endosomal fusion triggering mechanisms. A key take home message is that enveloped viruses that enter cells by fusing in endosomes traverse the endocytic pathway until they reach an endosome that has all of the environmental conditions (pH, proteases, ions, intracellular receptors, and lipid composition) to (if needed) prime and (in all cases) trigger the fusion protein and to support membrane fusion. PMID:26935856

  6. High frequency vibration analysis by the complex envelope vectorization.

    PubMed

    Giannini, O; Carcaterra, A; Sestieri, A

    2007-06-01

    The complex envelope displacement analysis (CEDA) is a procedure to solve high frequency vibration and vibro-acoustic problems, providing the envelope of the physical solution. CEDA is based on a variable transformation mapping the high frequency oscillations into signals of low frequency content and has been successfully applied to one-dimensional systems. However, the extension to plates and vibro-acoustic fields met serious difficulties so that a general revision of the theory was carried out, leading finally to a new method, the complex envelope vectorization (CEV). In this paper the CEV method is described, underlying merits and limits of the procedure, and a set of applications to vibration and vibro-acoustic problems of increasing complexity are presented.

  7. Condensins exert force on chromatin-nuclear envelope tethers to mediate nucleoplasmic reticulum formation in Drosophila melanogaster.

    PubMed

    Bozler, Julianna; Nguyen, Huy Q; Rogers, Gregory C; Bosco, Giovanni

    2014-12-30

    Although the nuclear envelope is known primarily for its role as a boundary between the nucleus and cytoplasm in eukaryotes, it plays a vital and dynamic role in many cellular processes. Studies of nuclear structure have revealed tissue-specific changes in nuclear envelope architecture, suggesting that its three-dimensional structure contributes to its functionality. Despite the importance of the nuclear envelope, the factors that regulate and maintain nuclear envelope shape remain largely unexplored. The nuclear envelope makes extensive and dynamic interactions with the underlying chromatin. Given this inexorable link between chromatin and the nuclear envelope, it is possible that local and global chromatin organization reciprocally impact nuclear envelope form and function. In this study, we use Drosophila salivary glands to show that the three-dimensional structure of the nuclear envelope can be altered with condensin II-mediated chromatin condensation. Both naturally occurring and engineered chromatin-envelope interactions are sufficient to allow chromatin compaction forces to drive distortions of the nuclear envelope. Weakening of the nuclear lamina further enhanced envelope remodeling, suggesting that envelope structure is capable of counterbalancing chromatin compaction forces. Our experiments reveal that the nucleoplasmic reticulum is born of the nuclear envelope and remains dynamic in that they can be reabsorbed into the nuclear envelope. We propose a model where inner nuclear envelope-chromatin tethers allow interphase chromosome movements to change nuclear envelope morphology. Therefore, interphase chromatin compaction may be a normal mechanism that reorganizes nuclear architecture, while under pathological conditions, such as laminopathies, compaction forces may contribute to defects in nuclear morphology. Copyright © 2015 Bozler et al.

  8. Condensins Exert Force on Chromatin-Nuclear Envelope Tethers to Mediate Nucleoplasmic Reticulum Formation in Drosophila melanogaster

    PubMed Central

    Bozler, Julianna; Nguyen, Huy Q.; Rogers, Gregory C.; Bosco, Giovanni

    2014-01-01

    Although the nuclear envelope is known primarily for its role as a boundary between the nucleus and cytoplasm in eukaryotes, it plays a vital and dynamic role in many cellular processes. Studies of nuclear structure have revealed tissue-specific changes in nuclear envelope architecture, suggesting that its three-dimensional structure contributes to its functionality. Despite the importance of the nuclear envelope, the factors that regulate and maintain nuclear envelope shape remain largely unexplored. The nuclear envelope makes extensive and dynamic interactions with the underlying chromatin. Given this inexorable link between chromatin and the nuclear envelope, it is possible that local and global chromatin organization reciprocally impact nuclear envelope form and function. In this study, we use Drosophila salivary glands to show that the three-dimensional structure of the nuclear envelope can be altered with condensin II-mediated chromatin condensation. Both naturally occurring and engineered chromatin-envelope interactions are sufficient to allow chromatin compaction forces to drive distortions of the nuclear envelope. Weakening of the nuclear lamina further enhanced envelope remodeling, suggesting that envelope structure is capable of counterbalancing chromatin compaction forces. Our experiments reveal that the nucleoplasmic reticulum is born of the nuclear envelope and remains dynamic in that they can be reabsorbed into the nuclear envelope. We propose a model where inner nuclear envelope-chromatin tethers allow interphase chromosome movements to change nuclear envelope morphology. Therefore, interphase chromatin compaction may be a normal mechanism that reorganizes nuclear architecture, while under pathological conditions, such as laminopathies, compaction forces may contribute to defects in nuclear morphology. PMID:25552604

  9. Expanding the Envelope of UAS Certification: What it Takes to Type Certify a UAS for Precision Agricultural Spraying

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Maddalon, J. M.; Hayhurst, K. J.; Neogi, N. A.; Verstynen, H. A.; Clothier, R. A.

    2016-01-01

    One of the key challenges to the development of a commercial Unmanned Air-craft System (UAS) market is the lack of explicit consideration of UAS in the current regulatory framework. Despite recent progress, additional steps are needed to enable broad UAS types and operational models. This paper discusses recent research that examines how a risk-based approach for safety might change the process and substance of airworthiness requirements for UAS. The project proposed risk-centric airworthiness requirements for a midsize un-manned rotorcraft used for agricultural spraying and also identified factors that may contribute to distinguishing safety risk among different UAS types and operational concepts. Lessons learned regarding how a risk-based approach can expand the envelope of UAS certification are discussed.

  10. Spectral envelope sensitivity of musical instrument sounds.

    PubMed

    Gunawan, David; Sen, D

    2008-01-01

    It is well known that the spectral envelope is a perceptually salient attribute in musical instrument timbre perception. While a number of studies have explored discrimination thresholds for changes to the spectral envelope, the question of how sensitivity varies as a function of center frequency and bandwidth for musical instruments has yet to be addressed. In this paper a two-alternative forced-choice experiment was conducted to observe perceptual sensitivity to modifications made on trumpet, clarinet and viola sounds. The experiment involved attenuating 14 frequency bands for each instrument in order to determine discrimination thresholds as a function of center frequency and bandwidth. The results indicate that perceptual sensitivity is governed by the first few harmonics and sensitivity does not improve when extending the bandwidth any higher. However, sensitivity was found to decrease if changes were made only to the higher frequencies and continued to decrease as the distorted bandwidth was widened. The results are analyzed and discussed with respect to two other spectral envelope discrimination studies in the literature as well as what is predicted from a psychoacoustic model.

  11. 40 CFR 426.120 - Applicability; description of the incandescent lamp envelope manufacturing subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... incandescent lamp envelope manufacturing subcategory. 426.120 Section 426.120 Protection of Environment... POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Incandescent Lamp Envelope Manufacturing Subcategory § 426.120 Applicability; description of the incandescent lamp envelope manufacturing subcategory. The provisions of this subpart are...

  12. 40 CFR 426.120 - Applicability; description of the incandescent lamp envelope manufacturing subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... incandescent lamp envelope manufacturing subcategory. 426.120 Section 426.120 Protection of Environment... POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Incandescent Lamp Envelope Manufacturing Subcategory § 426.120 Applicability; description of the incandescent lamp envelope manufacturing subcategory. The provisions of this subpart are...

  13. 40 CFR 426.120 - Applicability; description of the incandescent lamp envelope manufacturing subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... incandescent lamp envelope manufacturing subcategory. 426.120 Section 426.120 Protection of Environment... POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Incandescent Lamp Envelope Manufacturing Subcategory § 426.120 Applicability; description of the incandescent lamp envelope manufacturing subcategory. The provisions of this subpart are...

  14. 40 CFR 426.120 - Applicability; description of the incandescent lamp envelope manufacturing subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... incandescent lamp envelope manufacturing subcategory. 426.120 Section 426.120 Protection of Environment... CATEGORY Incandescent Lamp Envelope Manufacturing Subcategory § 426.120 Applicability; description of the incandescent lamp envelope manufacturing subcategory. The provisions of this subpart are applicable to...

  15. 40 CFR 426.120 - Applicability; description of the incandescent lamp envelope manufacturing subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... incandescent lamp envelope manufacturing subcategory. 426.120 Section 426.120 Protection of Environment... CATEGORY Incandescent Lamp Envelope Manufacturing Subcategory § 426.120 Applicability; description of the incandescent lamp envelope manufacturing subcategory. The provisions of this subpart are applicable to...

  16. The Molecular and Dust Envelope of HD 56126

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meixner, M.; Zalucha, A.; Ueta, T.; Fong, D.; Justtanont, K.

    2004-10-01

    We present millimeter interferometry images of the CO J=1-0 line emission arising in the circumstellar envelope of HD 56126 (=IRAS 07134+1005), which is one of the best-studied 21 μm proto-planetary nebulae (PPNs). The CO emission extends from 1.2" to 7" in radius from the central star and appears consistent with a simple expanding envelope, as expected for a post-AGB star. The CO envelope is very clumpy with no apparent fast wind to explain these microstructures that must have arisen during the AGB mass loss. We quantitatively model the molecular envelope using a radiative transfer code that we have modified for detached shells. Our best-fit model reveals that two sequential winds created the circumstellar envelope of HD 56126: an AGB wind that lasted 6500 yr with a mass-loss rate of 5.1×10-6 Msolar yr-1 and a more intense superwind that lasted 840 yr with a mass-loss rate of 3×10-5 Msolar yr-1 and that ended the star's life on the AGB 1240 yr ago. The total mass of this envelope is 0.059 Msolar, which indicates a lower limit progenitor mass for the system of 0.66 Msolar, quite reasonable for this low-metallicity star that probably resides in the thick disk of the Galaxy. Comparison with images of the dust emission reveals a structure similar to that of the gas in the inner regions. Using 2-D UST, we model the dust emission of this source so that the model is consistent with the CO emission model and find a total dust mass of 7.8×10-4 Msolar, a superwind-dust mass-loss rate of 1.9×10-7 Msolar yr-1 and an AGB-dust mass-loss rate of 9.6×10-8 Msolar yr-1. We derive an average gas-to-dust mass ratio of 75, which is consistent with ISM values but low for what most consider for carbon stars. Our results indicate that TiC nanocrystals are probably not the carrier of the 21 μm feature.

  17. Experimental study of the flight envelope and research of safety requirements for hang-gliders

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Laburthe, C.

    1979-01-01

    The flight mechanic computations were computed, providing both the flight envelopes with all sorts of limits and a fairly precise idea of the influence of several parameters, such as pilot's weight, wing settings, aeroelasticity, etc... The particular problem of luffing dives was thoroughly analyzed, and two kinds of causes were exhibited in both the rules of luffing and aeroelastic effects. The general analysis of longitudinal stability showed a strong link with fabric tension, as expected through Nielsen's and Twaites' theory. Fabric tension strongly depending upon aeroelasticity, that parameter was found to be the most effective design one for positive stability. Lateral stability was found to be very similar in all gliders except perhaps the cylindro-conical. The loss of stability happens in roll at low angle of attack, whereas it happens in yaw at high angle. Turning performance was a bit suprising, with a common maximum value of approximately 55 deg of bank angle for a steady turn.

  18. Peculiarities of the circumstellar envelopes of some Herbig Ae/Be stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pogodin, M. A.

    1985-10-01

    The results of a spectral and photometric investigation of nine Herbig Ae/Be stars in the visible region of the spectrum in the period from 1978 to 1982 are presented. Certain physical and kinematic parameters of the circumstellar envelopes of the investigated objects are determined on the basis of the observational material obtained and Sobolev's (1947) probabilistic method for moving envelopes. It is shown that the observed spectral characteristics of the envelopes of Herbig Ae/Be stars and their variability can be explained by using models of extended isothermal envelopes with varying structural-kinematic parameters. The existence of a correlation between the amount of dust IR excess and the presence of signs of H2O absorption in the spectra of the investigated objects is noted.

  19. Magnified Neural Envelope Coding Predicts Deficits in Speech Perception in Noise.

    PubMed

    Millman, Rebecca E; Mattys, Sven L; Gouws, André D; Prendergast, Garreth

    2017-08-09

    Verbal communication in noisy backgrounds is challenging. Understanding speech in background noise that fluctuates in intensity over time is particularly difficult for hearing-impaired listeners with a sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). The reduction in fast-acting cochlear compression associated with SNHL exaggerates the perceived fluctuations in intensity in amplitude-modulated sounds. SNHL-induced changes in the coding of amplitude-modulated sounds may have a detrimental effect on the ability of SNHL listeners to understand speech in the presence of modulated background noise. To date, direct evidence for a link between magnified envelope coding and deficits in speech identification in modulated noise has been absent. Here, magnetoencephalography was used to quantify the effects of SNHL on phase locking to the temporal envelope of modulated noise (envelope coding) in human auditory cortex. Our results show that SNHL enhances the amplitude of envelope coding in posteromedial auditory cortex, whereas it enhances the fidelity of envelope coding in posteromedial and posterolateral auditory cortex. This dissociation was more evident in the right hemisphere, demonstrating functional lateralization in enhanced envelope coding in SNHL listeners. However, enhanced envelope coding was not perceptually beneficial. Our results also show that both hearing thresholds and, to a lesser extent, magnified cortical envelope coding in left posteromedial auditory cortex predict speech identification in modulated background noise. We propose a framework in which magnified envelope coding in posteromedial auditory cortex disrupts the segregation of speech from background noise, leading to deficits in speech perception in modulated background noise. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT People with hearing loss struggle to follow conversations in noisy environments. Background noise that fluctuates in intensity over time poses a particular challenge. Using magnetoencephalography, we demonstrate

  20. Isolating The Building Thermal Envelope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harrje, D. T.; Dutt, G. S.; Gadsby, K. J.

    1981-01-01

    The evaluation of the thermal integrity of building envelopes by infrared scanning tech-niques is often hampered in mild weather because temperature differentials across the envelope are small. Combining the infrared scanning with positive or negative building pressures, induced by a "blower door" or the building ventilation system, considerably extends the periods during which meaningful diagnostics can be conducted. Although missing or poorly installed insulation may lead to a substantial energy penalty, it is the search for air leakage sites that often has the largest potential for energy savings. Infrared inspection of the attic floor with air forced from the occupied space through ceiling by-passes, and inspecting the interior of the building when outside air is being sucked through the envelope reveals unexpected leakage sites. Portability of the diagnostic equipment is essential in these surveys which may include access into some tight spaces. A catalog of bypass heat losses that have been detected in residential housing using the combined infrared pressure differential technique is included to point out the wide variety of leakage sites which may compromise the benefits of thermal insulation and allow excessive air infiltration. Detection and suppression of such leaks should be key items in any building energy audit program. Where a calibrated blower door is used to pressurize or evacuate the house, the leakage rate can be quantified and an excessively tight house recognized. Houses that are too tight may be improved with a minimal energy penalty by forced ventilation,preferably with a heat recuperator and/or by providing combustion air directly to the furnace.

  1. Method and apparatus for controlling carrier envelope phase

    DOEpatents

    Chang, Zenghu [Manhattan, KS; Li, Chengquan [Sunnyvale, CA; Moon, Eric [Manhattan, KS

    2011-12-06

    A chirped pulse amplification laser system. The system generally comprises a laser source, a pulse modification apparatus including first and second pulse modification elements separated by a separation distance, a positioning element, a measurement device, and a feedback controller. The laser source is operable to generate a laser pulse and the pulse modification apparatus operable to modify at least a portion of the laser pulse. The positioning element is operable to reposition at least a portion of the pulse modification apparatus to vary the separation distance. The measurement device is operable to measure the carrier envelope phase of the generated laser pulse and the feedback controller is operable to control the positioning element based on the measured carrier envelope phase to vary the separation distance of the pulse modification elements and control the carrier envelope phase of laser pulses generated by the laser source.

  2. HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein

    DOEpatents

    Caulfield, Michael; Cupo, Albert; Dean, Hansi; Hoffenberg, Simon; King, C. Richter; Klasse, P. J.; Marozsan, Andre; Moore, John P.; Sanders, Rogier W.; Ward, Andrew; Wilson, Ian; Julien, Jean-Philippe

    2017-08-22

    The present application relates to novel HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins, which may be utilized as HIV-1 vaccine immunogens, and antigens for crystallization, electron microscopy and other biophysical, biochemical and immunological studies for the identification of broad neutralizing antibodies. The present invention encompasses the preparation and purification of immunogenic compositions, which are formulated into the vaccines of the present invention.

  3. The nuclear envelope as an integrator of nuclear and cytoplasmic architecture.

    PubMed

    Crisp, Melissa; Burke, Brian

    2008-06-18

    Initially perceived as little more than a container for the genome, our view of the nuclear envelope (NE) and its role in defining global nuclear architecture has evolved significantly in recent years. The recognition that certain human diseases arise from defects in NE components has provided new insight into its structural and regulatory functions. In particular, NE defects associated with striated muscle disease have been shown to cause structural perturbations not just of the nucleus itself but also of the cytoplasm. It is now becoming increasingly apparent that these two compartments display co-dependent mechanical properties. The identification of cytoskeletal binding complexes that localize to the NE now reveals a molecular framework that can seamlessly integrate nuclear and cytoplasmic architecture.

  4. Study of a safety margin system for powered-lift STOL aircraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Heffley, R. K.; Jewell, W. F.

    1978-01-01

    A study was conducted to explore the feasibility of a safety margin system for powered-lift aircraft which require a backside piloting technique. The objective of the safety margin system was to present multiple safety margin criteria as a single variable which could be tracked manually or automatically and which could be monitored for the purpose of deriving safety margin status. The study involved a pilot-in-the-loop analysis of several safety margin system concepts and a simulation experiment to evaluate those concepts which showed promise of providing a good solution. A system was ultimately configured which offered reasonable compromises in controllability, status information content, and the ability to regulate the safety margin at some expense of the allowable low speed flight path envelope.

  5. 76 FR 72369 - Safety Zone; Marco Island Marriott Charity Fireworks Display, Gulf of Mexico, Marco Island, FL

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-11-23

    ...-AA00 Safety Zone; Marco Island Marriott Charity Fireworks Display, Gulf of Mexico, Marco Island, FL... establish a temporary safety zone on the waters of the Gulf of Mexico in the vicinity of Marco Island... reached the Facility, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope. We will consider all...

  6. Thermal energy and economic analysis of a PCM-enhanced household envelope considering different climate zones in Morocco

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kharbouch, Yassine; Mimet, Abdelaziz; El Ganaoui, Mohammed; Ouhsaine, Lahoucine

    2018-07-01

    This study investigates the thermal energy potentials and economic feasibility of an air-conditioned family household-integrated phase change material (PCM) considering different climate zones in Morocco. A simulation-based optimisation was carried out in order to define the optimal design of a PCM-enhanced household envelope for thermal energy effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of predefined candidate solutions. The optimisation methodology is based on coupling Energyplus® as a dynamic simulation tool and GenOpt® as an optimisation tool. Considering the obtained optimum design strategies, a thermal energy and economic analysis are carried out to investigate PCMs' integration feasibility in the Moroccan constructions. The results show that the PCM-integrated household envelope allows minimising the cooling/heating thermal energy demand vs. a reference household without PCM. While for the cost-effectiveness optimisation, it has been deduced that the economic feasibility is stilling insufficient under the actual PCM market conditions. The optimal design parameters results are also analysed.

  7. Characterizing Functional Domains for TIM-Mediated Enveloped Virus Entry

    PubMed Central

    Moller-Tank, Sven; Albritton, Lorraine M.; Rennert, Paul D.

    2014-01-01

    ABSTRACT T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 1 (TIM-1) and other TIM family members were recently identified as phosphatidylserine (PtdSer)-mediated virus entry-enhancing receptors (PVEERs). These proteins enhance entry of Ebola virus (EBOV) and other viruses by binding PtdSer on the viral envelope, concentrating virus on the cell surface, and promoting subsequent internalization. The PtdSer-binding activity of the immunoglobulin-like variable (IgV) domain is essential for both virus binding and internalization by TIM-1. However, TIM-3, whose IgV domain also binds PtdSer, does not effectively enhance virus entry, indicating that other domains of TIM proteins are functionally important. Here, we investigate the domains supporting enhancement of enveloped virus entry, thereby defining the features necessary for a functional PVEER. Using a variety of chimeras and deletion mutants, we found that in addition to a functional PtdSer-binding domain PVEERs require a stalk domain of sufficient length, containing sequences that promote an extended structure. Neither the cytoplasmic nor the transmembrane domain of TIM-1 is essential for enhancing virus entry, provided the protein is still plasma membrane bound. Based on these defined characteristics, we generated a mimic lacking TIM sequences and composed of annexin V, the mucin-like domain of α-dystroglycan, and a glycophosphatidylinositol anchor that functioned as a PVEER to enhance transduction of virions displaying Ebola, Chikungunya, Ross River, or Sindbis virus glycoproteins. This identification of the key features necessary for PtdSer-mediated enhancement of virus entry provides a basis for more effective recognition of unknown PVEERs. IMPORTANCE T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 1 (TIM-1) and other TIM family members are recently identified phosphatidylserine (PtdSer)-mediated virus entry-enhancing receptors (PVEERs). These proteins enhance virus entry by binding the phospholipid, PtdSer, present on the viral

  8. Structure and Chemical Composition of Prospheroplast Envelopes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Hansenula anomala

    PubMed Central

    Darling, Sven; Theilade, Jørgen; Birch-Andersen, Aksel

    1972-01-01

    Cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Hansenula anomala were digested with snail enzyme under conditions yielding prospheroplasts. Surrounding envelopes were isolated after lysis of prospheroplasts in distilled water. The envelope material was embedded and sectioned for electron microscopy, and thin, hollow structures still retaining the elongated form of the original cells were seen. The envelopes were of low electron density in sections stained with uranyl magnesium acetate and lead citrate, but were more electron-dense when stained with phosphotungstic acid. Shadowed preparations of prospheroplast envelopes revealed structures resembling ghosts. These “ghosts” were similar to the original cells in form and size but seemed to be very thin. Varying numbers of anular structures (bud scars) were found on them. Chemical analyses of the envelope indicated that an alkali-soluble glucan was a major constituent. The results show that the prospheroplast envelope is part of the original cell wall of the yeast and is located in close apposition to the cytoplasmic membrane. Images PMID:4552997

  9. Synthesis and transfer of galactolipids in the chloroplast envelope membranes of Arabidopsis thaliana.

    PubMed

    Kelly, Amélie A; Kalisch, Barbara; Hölzl, Georg; Schulze, Sandra; Thiele, Juliane; Melzer, Michael; Roston, Rebecca L; Benning, Christoph; Dörmann, Peter

    2016-09-20

    Galactolipids [monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) and digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG)] are the hallmark lipids of photosynthetic membranes. The galactolipid synthases MGD1 and DGD1 catalyze consecutive galactosyltransfer reactions but localize to the inner and outer chloroplast envelopes, respectively, necessitating intermembrane lipid transfer. Here we show that the N-terminal sequence of DGD1 (NDGD1) is required for galactolipid transfer between the envelopes. Different diglycosyllipid synthases (DGD1, DGD2, and Chloroflexus glucosyltransferase) were introduced into the dgd1-1 mutant of Arabidopsis in fusion with N-terminal extensions (NDGD1 and NDGD2) targeting to the outer envelope. Reconstruction of DGDG synthesis in the outer envelope membrane was observed only with diglycosyllipid synthase fusion proteins carrying NDGD1, indicating that NDGD1 enables galactolipid translocation between envelopes. NDGD1 binds to phosphatidic acid (PA) in membranes and mediates PA-dependent membrane fusion in vitro. These findings provide a mechanism for the sorting and selective channeling of lipid precursors between the galactolipid pools of the two envelope membranes.

  10. Dynamic push-pull characteristics at three hand-reach envelopes: applications for the workplace.

    PubMed

    Calé-Benzoor, Maya; Dickstein, Ruth; Arnon, Michal; Ayalon, Moshe

    2016-01-01

    Pushing and pulling are common tasks in the workplace. Overexertion injuries related to manual pushing and pulling are often observed, and therefore the understanding of work capacity is important for efficient and safe workstation design. The purpose of the present study was to describe workloads obtained during different reach envelopes during a seated push-pull task. Forty-five women performed an isokinetic push-pull sequence at two velocities. Strength, work and agonist/antagonist muscle ratio were calculated for the full range of motion (ROM). We then divided the ROM into three reach envelopes - neutral, medium, and maximum reach. The work capacity for each direction was determined and the reach envelope work data were compared. Push capability was best at medium reach envelope and pulling was best at maximum reach envelope. Push/pull strength ratio was approximately 1. A recommendation was made to avoid strenuous push-pull tasks at neutral reach envelopes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  11. 29 CFR 500.133 - Substantive Federal and State safety and health standards defined.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ..., DEPARTMENT OF LABOR REGULATIONS MIGRANT AND SEASONAL AGRICULTURAL WORKER PROTECTION Motor Vehicle Safety and Insurance for Transportation of Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Workers, Housing Safety and Health for Migrant Workers Housing Safety and Health § 500.133 Substantive Federal and State safety and health...

  12. Probability distributions of the electroencephalogram envelope of preterm infants.

    PubMed

    Saji, Ryoya; Hirasawa, Kyoko; Ito, Masako; Kusuda, Satoshi; Konishi, Yukuo; Taga, Gentaro

    2015-06-01

    To determine the stationary characteristics of electroencephalogram (EEG) envelopes for prematurely born (preterm) infants and investigate the intrinsic characteristics of early brain development in preterm infants. Twenty neurologically normal sets of EEGs recorded in infants with a post-conceptional age (PCA) range of 26-44 weeks (mean 37.5 ± 5.0 weeks) were analyzed. Hilbert transform was applied to extract the envelope. We determined the suitable probability distribution of the envelope and performed a statistical analysis. It was found that (i) the probability distributions for preterm EEG envelopes were best fitted by lognormal distributions at 38 weeks PCA or less, and by gamma distributions at 44 weeks PCA; (ii) the scale parameter of the lognormal distribution had positive correlations with PCA as well as a strong negative correlation with the percentage of low-voltage activity; (iii) the shape parameter of the lognormal distribution had significant positive correlations with PCA; (iv) the statistics of mode showed significant linear relationships with PCA, and, therefore, it was considered a useful index in PCA prediction. These statistics, including the scale parameter of the lognormal distribution and the skewness and mode derived from a suitable probability distribution, may be good indexes for estimating stationary nature in developing brain activity in preterm infants. The stationary characteristics, such as discontinuity, asymmetry, and unimodality, of preterm EEGs are well indicated by the statistics estimated from the probability distribution of the preterm EEG envelopes. Copyright © 2014 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. The envelopes of amphibian oocytes: physiological modifications in Bufo arenarum.

    PubMed

    Barisone, Gustavo A; Albertali, Isabel E; Sánchez, Mercedes; Cabada, Marcelo O

    2003-02-11

    A characterization of the Amphibian Bufo arenarum oocyte envelope is presented. It was made in different functional conditions of the oocyte: 1) when it has been released into the coelomic cavity during ovulation (surrounded by the coelomic envelope, (CE), 2) after it has passed through the oviduct and is deposed (surrounded by the viteline envelope, (VE), and 3) after oocyte activation (surrounded by the fertilization envelope, (FE). The characterization was made by SDS-PAGE followed by staining for protein and glycoproteins. Labeled lectins were used to identify glycosidic residues both in separated components on nitrocellulose membranes or in intact oocytes and embryos. Proteolytic properties of the content of the cortical granules were also analyzed. After SDS-PAGE of CE and VE, a different protein pattern was observed. This is probably due to the activity of a protease present in the pars recta of the oviduct. Comparison of the SDS-PAGE pattern of VE and FE showed a different mobility for one of the glycoproteins, gp75. VE and FE proved to have different sugar residues in their oligosaccharide chains. Mannose residues are only present in gp120 of the three envelopes. N-acetyl-galactosamine residues are present in all of the components, except for gp69 in the FE. Galactose residues are present mainly in gp120 of FE. Lectin-binding assays indicate the presence of glucosamine, galactose and N-acetyl galactosamine residues and the absence (or non-availability) of N-acetyl-glucosamine or fucose residues on the envelopes surface. The cortical granule product (CGP) shows proteolytic activity on gp75 of the VE.

  14. The envelopes of amphibian oocytes: physiological modifications in Bufo arenarum

    PubMed Central

    Barisone, Gustavo A; Albertali, Isabel E; Sánchez, Mercedes; Cabada, Marcelo O

    2003-01-01

    A characterization of the Amphibian Bufo arenarum oocyte envelope is presented. It was made in different functional conditions of the oocyte: 1) when it has been released into the coelomic cavity during ovulation (surrounded by the coelomic envelope, (CE), 2) after it has passed through the oviduct and is deposed (surrounded by the viteline envelope, (VE), and 3) after oocyte activation (surrounded by the fertilization envelope, (FE). The characterization was made by SDS-PAGE followed by staining for protein and glycoproteins. Labeled lectins were used to identify glycosidic residues both in separated components on nitrocellulose membranes or in intact oocytes and embryos. Proteolytic properties of the content of the cortical granules were also analyzed. After SDS-PAGE of CE and VE, a different protein pattern was observed. This is probably due to the activity of a protease present in the pars recta of the oviduct. Comparison of the SDS-PAGE pattern of VE and FE showed a different mobility for one of the glycoproteins, gp75. VE and FE proved to have different sugar residues in their oligosaccharide chains. Mannose residues are only present in gp120 of the three envelopes. N-acetyl-galactosamine residues are present in all of the components, except for gp69 in the FE. Galactose residues are present mainly in gp120 of FE. Lectin-binding assays indicate the presence of glucosamine, galactose and N-acetyl galactosamine residues and the absence (or non-availability) of N-acetyl-glucosamine or fucose residues on the envelopes surface. The cortical granule product (CGP) shows proteolytic activity on gp75 of the VE. PMID:12694627

  15. Modeling study of seated reach envelopes based on spherical harmonics with consideration of the difficulty ratings.

    PubMed

    Yu, Xiaozhi; Ren, Jindong; Zhang, Qian; Liu, Qun; Liu, Honghao

    2017-04-01

    Reach envelopes are very useful for the design and layout of controls. In building reach envelopes, one of the key problems is to represent the reach limits accurately and conveniently. Spherical harmonics are proved to be accurate and convenient method for fitting of the reach capability envelopes. However, extensive study are required on what components of spherical harmonics are needed in fitting the envelope surfaces. For applications in the vehicle industry, an inevitable issue is to construct reach limit surfaces with consideration of the seating positions of the drivers, and it is desirable to use population envelopes rather than individual envelopes. However, it is relatively inconvenient to acquire reach envelopes via a test considering the seating positions of the drivers. In addition, the acquired envelopes are usually unsuitable for use with other vehicle models because they are dependent on the current cab packaging parameters. Therefore, it is of great significance to construct reach envelopes for real vehicle conditions based on individual capability data considering seating positions. Moreover, traditional reach envelopes provide little information regarding the assessment of reach difficulty. The application of reach envelopes will improve design quality by providing difficulty-rating information about reach operations. In this paper, using the laboratory data of seated reach with consideration of the subjective difficulty ratings, the method of modeling reach envelopes is studied based on spherical harmonics. The surface fitting using spherical harmonics is conducted for circumstances both with and without seat adjustments. For use with adjustable seat, the seating position model is introduced to re-locate the test data. The surface fitting is conducted for both population and individual reach envelopes, as well as for boundary envelopes. Comparison of the envelopes of adjustable seat and the SAE J287 control reach envelope shows that the latter

  16. CCR5 Signal Transduction in Macrophages by Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Envelopes

    PubMed Central

    Arthos, James; Rubbert, Andrea; Rabin, Ronald L.; Cicala, Claudia; Machado, Elizabeth; Wildt, Kathryne; Hanbach, Meredith; Steenbeke, Tavis D.; Swofford, Ruth; Farber, Joshua M.; Fauci, Anthony S.

    2000-01-01

    The capacity of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) envelopes to transduce signals through chemokine coreceptors on macrophages was examined by measuring the ability of recombinant envelope proteins to mobilize intracellular calcium stores. Both HIV and SIV envelopes mobilized calcium via interactions with CCR5. The kinetics of these responses were similar to those observed when macrophages were treated with MIP-1β. Distinct differences in the capacity of envelopes to mediate calcium mobilization were observed. Envelopes derived from viruses capable of replicating in macrophages mobilized relatively high levels of calcium, while envelopes derived from viruses incapable of replicating in macrophages mobilized relatively low levels of calcium. The failure to efficiently mobilize calcium was not restricted to envelopes derived from CXCR4-utilizing isolates but also included envelopes derived from CCR5-utilizing isolates that fail to replicate in macrophages. We characterized one CCR5-utilizing isolate, 92MW959, which entered macrophages but failed to replicate. A recombinant envelope derived from this virus mobilized low levels of calcium. When macrophages were inoculated with 92MW959 in the presence of MIP-1α, viral replication was observed, indicating that a CC chemokine-mediated signal provided the necessary stimulus to allow the virus to complete its replication cycle. Although the role that envelope-CCR5 signal transduction plays in viral replication is not yet understood, it has been suggested that envelope-mediated signals facilitate early postfusion events in viral replication. The data presented here are consistent with this hypothesis and suggest that the differential capacity of viral envelopes to signal through CCR5 may influence their ability to replicate in macrophages. PMID:10864653

  17. CCR5 signal transduction in macrophages by human immunodeficiency virus and simian immunodeficiency virus envelopes.

    PubMed

    Arthos, J; Rubbert, A; Rabin, R L; Cicala, C; Machado, E; Wildt, K; Hanbach, M; Steenbeke, T D; Swofford, R; Farber, J M; Fauci, A S

    2000-07-01

    The capacity of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) envelopes to transduce signals through chemokine coreceptors on macrophages was examined by measuring the ability of recombinant envelope proteins to mobilize intracellular calcium stores. Both HIV and SIV envelopes mobilized calcium via interactions with CCR5. The kinetics of these responses were similar to those observed when macrophages were treated with MIP-1beta. Distinct differences in the capacity of envelopes to mediate calcium mobilization were observed. Envelopes derived from viruses capable of replicating in macrophages mobilized relatively high levels of calcium, while envelopes derived from viruses incapable of replicating in macrophages mobilized relatively low levels of calcium. The failure to efficiently mobilize calcium was not restricted to envelopes derived from CXCR4-utilizing isolates but also included envelopes derived from CCR5-utilizing isolates that fail to replicate in macrophages. We characterized one CCR5-utilizing isolate, 92MW959, which entered macrophages but failed to replicate. A recombinant envelope derived from this virus mobilized low levels of calcium. When macrophages were inoculated with 92MW959 in the presence of MIP-1alpha, viral replication was observed, indicating that a CC chemokine-mediated signal provided the necessary stimulus to allow the virus to complete its replication cycle. Although the role that envelope-CCR5 signal transduction plays in viral replication is not yet understood, it has been suggested that envelope-mediated signals facilitate early postfusion events in viral replication. The data presented here are consistent with this hypothesis and suggest that the differential capacity of viral envelopes to signal through CCR5 may influence their ability to replicate in macrophages.

  18. Radio Imaging of Envelopes of Evolved Stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cotton, Bill

    2018-04-01

    This talk will cover imaging of stellar envelopes using radio VLBI techniques; special attention will be paid to the technical differences between radio and optical/IR interferomery. Radio heterodyne receivers allow a straightforward way to derive spectral cubes and full polarization observations. Milliarcsecond resolution of very bright, i.e. non thermal, emission of molecular masers in the envelopes of evolved stars can be achieved using VLBI techniques with baselines of thousands of km. Emission from SiO, H2O and OH masers are commonly seen at increasing distance from the photosphere. The very narrow maser lines allow accurate measurements of the velocity field within the emitting region.

  19. Fluorescence molecular painting of enveloped viruses.

    PubMed

    Metzner, Christoph; Kochan, Feliks; Dangerfield, John A

    2013-01-01

    In this study, we describe a versatile, flexible, and quick method to label different families of enveloped viruses with glycosylphosphatidylinositol-modified green fluorescent protein, termed fluorescence molecular painting (FMP). As an example for a potential application, we investigated virus attachment by means of flow cytometry to determine if viral binding behavior may be analyzed after FMP of enveloped viruses. Virus attachment was inhibited by using either dextran sulfate or by blocking attachment sites with virus pre-treatment. Results from the FMP-flow cytometry approach were verified by immunoblotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Since the modification strategy is applicable to a broad range of proteins and viruses, variations of this method may be useful in a range of research and applied applications from bio-distribution studies to vaccine development and targeted infection for gene delivery.

  20. Defining Safety in the Nursing Home Setting: Implications for Future Research.

    PubMed

    Simmons, Sandra F; Schnelle, John F; Sathe, Nila A; Slagle, Jason M; Stevenson, David G; Carlo, Maria E; McPheeters, Melissa L

    2016-06-01

    Currently, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Common Format for nursing homes (NHs) accommodates voluntary reporting for 4 adverse events: falls with injury, pressure ulcers, medication errors, and infections. In 2015, AHRQ funded a technical brief to describe the state of the science related to safety in the NH setting to inform a research agenda. Thirty-six recent systematic reviews evaluated NH safety-related interventions to address these 4 adverse events and reported mostly mixed evidence about effective approaches to ameliorate them. Furthermore, these 4 events are likely inadequate to capture safety issues that are unique to the NH setting and encompass other domains related to residents' quality of care and quality of life. Future research needs include expanding our definition of safety in the NH setting, which differs considerably from that of hospitals, to include contributing factors to adverse events as well as more resident-centered care measures. Second, future research should reflect more rigorous implementation science to include objective measures of care processes related to adverse events, intervention fidelity, and staffing resources for intervention implementation to inform broader uptake of efficacious interventions. Weaknesses in implementation contribute to the current inconclusive and mixed evidence base as well as remaining questions about what outcomes are even achievable in the NH setting, given the complexity of most resident populations. Also related to implementation, future research should determine the effects of specific staffing models on care processes related to safety outcomes. Last, future efforts should explore the potential for safety issues in other care settings for older adults, most notably dementia care within assisted living. Copyright © 2016 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. All rights reserved.

  1. Acute Modulation of Mycobacterial Cell Envelope Biogenesis by Front-Line Tuberculosis Drugs.

    PubMed

    Rodriguez-Rivera, Frances P; Zhou, Xiaoxue; Theriot, Julie A; Bertozzi, Carolyn R

    2018-05-04

    Front-line tuberculosis (TB) drugs have been characterized extensively in vitro and in vivo with respect to gene expression and cell viability. However, little work has been devoted to understanding their effects on the physiology of the cell envelope, one of the main targets of this clinical regimen. Herein, we use metabolic labeling methods to visualize the effects of TB drugs on cell envelope dynamics in mycobacterial species. We developed a new fluorophore-trehalose conjugate to visualize trehalose monomycolates of the mycomembrane using super-resolution microscopy. We also probed the relationship between mycomembrane and peptidoglycan dynamics using a dual metabolic labeling strategy. Finally, we found that metabolic labeling of both cell envelope structures reports on drug effects on cell physiology in two hours, far faster than a genetic sensor of cell envelope stress. Our work provides insight into acute drug effects on cell envelope biogenesis in live mycobacteria. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. Explaining iPTF14hls as a common-envelope jets supernova

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soker, Noam; Gilkis, Avishai

    2018-03-01

    We propose a common-envelope jets supernova scenario for the enigmatic supernova iPTF14hls where a neutron star that spirals-in inside the envelope of a massive giant star accretes mass and launches jets that power the ejection of the circumstellar shell and a few weeks later the explosion itself. To account for the kinetic energy of the circumstellar gas and the explosion, the neutron star should accrete a mass of ≈0.3 M⊙. The tens× M⊙ of circumstellar gas that accounts for some absorption lines is ejected, while the neutron star orbits for about one to several weeks inside the envelope of the giant star. In the last hours of the interaction, the neutron star merges with the core, accretes mass, and launches jets that eject the core and the inner envelope to form the explosion itself and the medium where the supernova photosphere resides. The remaining neutron star accretes fallback gas and further powers the supernova. We attribute the 1954 pre-explosion outburst to an eccentric orbit and temporary mass accretion by the neutron star at periastron passage prior to the onset of the common envelope phase.

  3. Neural encoding of the speech envelope by children with developmental dyslexia.

    PubMed

    Power, Alan J; Colling, Lincoln J; Mead, Natasha; Barnes, Lisa; Goswami, Usha

    2016-09-01

    Developmental dyslexia is consistently associated with difficulties in processing phonology (linguistic sound structure) across languages. One view is that dyslexia is characterised by a cognitive impairment in the "phonological representation" of word forms, which arises long before the child presents with a reading problem. Here we investigate a possible neural basis for developmental phonological impairments. We assess the neural quality of speech encoding in children with dyslexia by measuring the accuracy of low-frequency speech envelope encoding using EEG. We tested children with dyslexia and chronological age-matched (CA) and reading-level matched (RL) younger children. Participants listened to semantically-unpredictable sentences in a word report task. The sentences were noise-vocoded to increase reliance on envelope cues. Envelope reconstruction for envelopes between 0 and 10Hz showed that the children with dyslexia had significantly poorer speech encoding in the 0-2Hz band compared to both CA and RL controls. These data suggest that impaired neural encoding of low frequency speech envelopes, related to speech prosody, may underpin the phonological deficit that causes dyslexia across languages. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Propolis envelope in Apis mellifera colonies supports honey bees against the pathogen, Paenibacillus larvae.

    PubMed

    Borba, Renata S; Spivak, Marla

    2017-09-12

    Honey bees have immune defenses both as individuals and as a colony (e.g., individual and social immunity). One form of honey bee social immunity is the collection of antimicrobial plant resins and the deposition of the resins as a propolis envelope within the nest. In this study, we tested the effects of the propolis envelope as a natural defense against Paenibacillus larvae, the causative agent of American foulbrood (AFB) disease. Using colonies with and without a propolis envelope, we quantified: 1) the antimicrobial activity of larval food fed to 1-2 day old larvae; and 2) clinical signs of AFB. Our results show that the antimicrobial activity of larval food was significantly higher when challenged colonies had a propolis envelope compared to colonies without the envelope. In addition, colonies with a propolis envelope had significantly reduced levels of AFB clinical signs two months following challenge. Our results indicate that the propolis envelope serves as an antimicrobial layer around the colony that helps protect the brood from bacterial pathogen infection, resulting in a lower colony-level infection load.

  5. Biochemical Requirements of Virus Wrapping by the Endoplasmic Reticulum: Involvement of ATP and Endoplasmic Reticulum Calcium Store during Envelopment of African Swine Fever Virus

    PubMed Central

    Cobbold, Christian; Brookes, Sharon M.; Wileman, Thomas

    2000-01-01

    Enwrapment by membrane cisternae has emerged recently as a mechanism of envelopment for large enveloped DNA viruses, such as herpesviruses, poxviruses, and African swine fever (ASF) virus. For both ASF virus and the poxviruses, wrapping is a multistage process initiated by the recruitment of capsid proteins onto membrane cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) or associated ER-Golgi intermediate membrane compartments. Capsid assembly induces progressive bending of membrane cisternae into the characteristic shape of viral particles, and envelopment provides virions with two membranes in one step. We have used biochemical assays for ASF virus capsid recruitment, assembly, and envelopment to define the cellular processes important for the enwrapment of viruses by membrane cisternae. Capsid assembly on the ER membrane, and envelopment by ER cisternae, were inhibited when cells were depleted of ATP or depleted of calcium by incubation with A23187 and EDTA or the ER calcium ATPase inhibitor, thapsigargin. Electron microscopy analysis showed that cells depleted of calcium were unable to assemble icosahedral particles. Instead, assembly sites contained crescent-shaped and bulbous structures and, in rare cases, empty closed five-sided particles. Interestingly, recruitment of the capsid protein from the cytosol onto the ER membrane did not require ATP or an intact ER calcium store. The results show that following recruitment of the virus capsid protein onto the ER membrane, subsequent stages of capsid assembly and enwrapment are dependent on ATP and are regulated by the calcium gradients present across the ER membrane cisternae. PMID:10666244

  6. Personnel occupied woven envelope robot power

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wessling, F. C.

    1988-01-01

    The Personnel Occupied Woven Envelope Robot (POWER) concept has evolved over the course of the study. The goal of the project was the development of methods and algorithms for solid modeling for the flexible robot arm.

  7. Potent Immune Responses in Rhesus Macaques Induced by Nonviral Delivery of a Self-amplifying RNA Vaccine Expressing HIV Type 1 Envelope With a Cationic Nanoemulsion

    PubMed Central

    Bogers, Willy M.; Oostermeijer, Herman; Mooij, Petra; Koopman, Gerrit; Verschoor, Ernst J.; Davis, David; Ulmer, Jeffrey B.; Brito, Luis A.; Cu, Yen; Banerjee, Kaustuv; Otten, Gillis R.; Burke, Brian; Dey, Antu; Heeney, Jonathan L.; Shen, Xiaoying; Tomaras, Georgia D.; Labranche, Celia; Montefiori, David C.; Liao, Hua-Xin; Haynes, Barton; Geall, Andrew J.; Barnett, Susan W.

    2015-01-01

    Self-amplifying messenger RNA (mRNA) of positive-strand RNA viruses are effective vectors for in situ expression of vaccine antigens and have potential as a new vaccine technology platform well suited for global health applications. The SAM vaccine platform is based on a synthetic, self-amplifying mRNA delivered by a nonviral delivery system. The safety and immunogenicity of an HIV SAM vaccine encoding a clade C envelope glycoprotein formulated with a cationic nanoemulsion (CNE) delivery system was evaluated in rhesus macaques. The HIV SAM vaccine induced potent cellular immune responses that were greater in magnitude than those induced by self-amplifying mRNA packaged in a viral replicon particle (VRP) or by a recombinant HIV envelope protein formulated with MF59 adjuvant, anti-envelope binding (including anti-V1V2), and neutralizing antibody responses that exceeded those induced by the VRP vaccine. These studies provide the first evidence in nonhuman primates that HIV vaccination with a relatively low dose (50 µg) of formulated self-amplifying mRNA is safe and immunogenic. PMID:25234719

  8. Criticality safety strategy for the Fuel Cycle Facility electrorefiner at Argonne National Laboratory, West

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mariani, R.D.; Benedict, R.W.; Lell, R.M.

    1993-09-01

    The Integral Fast Reactor being developed by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) combines the advantages of metal-fueled, liquid-metal-cooled reactors and a closed fuel cycle. Presently, the Fuel Cycle Facility (FCF) at ANL-West in Idaho Falls, Idaho is being modified to recycle spent metallic fuel from Experimental Breeder Reactor II as part of a demonstration project sponsored by the Department of Energy. A key component of the FCF is the electrorefiner (ER) in which the actinides are separated from the fission products. In the electrorefining process, the metal fuel is anodically dissolved into a high-temperature molten salt and refined uranium or uranium/plutoniummore » products are deposited at cathodes. In this report, the criticality safety strategy for the FCF ER is summarized. FCF ER operations and processes formed the basis for evaluating criticality safety and control during actinide metal fuel refining. In order to show criticality safety for the FCF ER, the reference operating conditions for the ER had to be defined. Normal operating envelopes (NOES) were then defined to bracket the important operating conditions. To keep the operating conditions within their NOES, process controls were identified that can be used to regulate the actinide forms and content within the ER. A series of operational checks were developed for each operation that wig verify the extent or success of an operation. The criticality analysis considered the ER operating conditions at their NOE values as the point of departure for credible and incredible failure modes. As a result of the analysis, FCF ER operations were found to be safe with respect to criticality.« less

  9. Arsenate arrests flagellar rotation in cytoplasm-free envelopes of bacteria.

    PubMed Central

    Margolin, Y; Barak, R; Eisenbach, M

    1994-01-01

    The effect of arsenate on flagellar rotation in cytoplasm-free flagellated envelopes of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium was investigated. Flagellar rotation ceased as soon as the envelopes were exposed to arsenate. Inclusion of phosphate intracellularly (but not extracellular) prevented the inhibition by arsenate. In a parallel experiment, the rotation was not affected by inclusion of an ATP trap (hexokinase and glucose) within the envelopes. It is concluded that arsenate affects the motor in a way other than reversible deenergization. This may be an irreversible damage to the cell or direct inhibition of the motor by arsenate. The latter possibility suggests that a process of phosphorylation or phosphate binding is involved in the motor function. PMID:8071237

  10. Ares I-X Range Safety Simulation and Analysis IV and V

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Merry, Carl M.; Brewer, Joan D.; Dulski, Matt B.; Gimenez, Adrian; Barron, Kyle; Tarpley, Ashley F.; Craig, A. Scott; Beaty, Jim R.; Starr, Brett R.

    2011-01-01

    NASA s Ares I-X vehicle launched on a suborbital test flight from the Eastern Range in Florida on October 28, 2009. NASA generated a Range Safety (RS) product data package to meet the RS trajectory data requirements defined in the Air Force Space Command Manual (AFSPCMAN) 91-710. Some products included were a nominal ascent trajectory, ascent flight envelopes, and malfunction turn data. These products are used by the Air Force s 45th Space Wing (45SW) to ensure public safety and to make flight termination decisions on launch day. Due to the criticality of the RS data, an independent validation and verification (IV&V) effort was undertaken to accompany the data generation analyses to ensure utmost data quality and correct adherence to requirements. As a result of the IV&V efforts, the RS product package was delivered with confidence that two independent organizations using separate simulation software generated data to meet the range requirements and yielded similar results. This document captures the Ares I-X RS product IV&V analysis, including the methodology used to verify inputs, simulation, and output data for certain RS products. Additionally a discussion of lessons learned is presented to capture advantages and disadvantages to the IV&V processes used.

  11. Common Envelope Shaping of Planetary Nebulae

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    García-Segura, Guillermo; Ricker, Paul M.; Taam, Ronald E.

    2018-06-01

    The morphology of planetary nebulae emerging from the common envelope phase of binary star evolution is investigated. Using initial conditions based on the numerical results of hydrodynamical simulations of the common envelope phase, it was found that the shapes and sizes of the resulting nebula are very sensitive to the effective temperature of the remnant core, the mass-loss rate at the onset of the common envelope phase, and the mass ratio of the binary system. These parameters are related to the efficiency of the mass ejection after the spiral-in phase, the stellar evolutionary phase (i.e., RG, AGB, or TP-AGB), and the degree of departure from spherical symmetry in the stellar wind mass-loss process itself, respectively. It was also found that the shapes are mostly bipolar in the early phase of evolution, but that they can quickly transition to elliptical and barrel-type shapes. Solutions for nested lobes are found where the outer lobes are usually bipolar and the inner lobes are elliptical, bipolar, or barrel-type, a result due to the flow of the photo-evaporated gas from the equatorial region. Also, the lobes can be produced without the need for two distinct mass ejection events. In all the computations, the bulk of the mass is concentrated in the orbital or equatorial plane, in the form of a large toroid, which can be either neutral (early phases) or photoionized (late phases), depending of the evolutionary state of the system.

  12. Criticality safety strategy and analysis summary for the fuel cycle facility electrorefiner at Argonne National Laboratory West

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mariani, R.D.; Benedict, R.W.; Lell, R.M.

    1996-05-01

    As part of the termination activities of Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) West, the spent metallic fuel from EBR-II will be treated in the fuel cycle facility (FCF). A key component of the spent-fuel treatment process in the FCF is the electrorefiner (ER) in which the actinide metals are separated from the active metal fission products and the reactive bond sodium. In the electrorefining process, the metal fuel is anodically dissolved into a high-temperature molten salt, and refined uranium or uranium/plutonium products are deposited at cathodes. The criticality safety strategy and analysis for the ANLmore » West FCF ER is summarized. The FCF ER operations and processes formed the basis for evaluating criticality safety and control during actinide metal fuel refining. To show criticality safety for the FCF ER, the reference operating conditions for the ER had to be defined. Normal operating envelopes (NOEs) were then defined to bracket the important operating conditions. To keep the operating conditions within their NOEs, process controls were identified that can be used to regulate the actinide forms and content within the ER. A series of operational checks were developed for each operation that will verify the extent or success of an operation. The criticality analysis considered the ER operating conditions at their NOE values as the point of departure for credible and incredible failure modes. As a result of the analysis, FCF ER operations were found to be safe with respect to criticality.« less

  13. Full-envelope aerodynamic modeling of the Harrier aircraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcnally, B. David

    1986-01-01

    A project to identify a full-envelope model of the YAV-8B Harrier using flight-test and parameter identification techniques is described. As part of the research in advanced control and display concepts for V/STOL aircraft, a full-envelope aerodynamic model of the Harrier is identified, using mathematical model structures and parameter identification methods. A global-polynomial model structure is also used as a basis for the identification of the YAV-8B aerodynamic model. State estimation methods are used to ensure flight data consistency prior to parameter identification.Equation-error methods are used to identify model parameters. A fixed-base simulator is used extensively to develop flight test procedures and to validate parameter identification software. Using simple flight maneuvers, a simulated data set was created covering the YAV-8B flight envelope from about 0.3 to 0.7 Mach and about -5 to 15 deg angle of attack. A singular value decomposition implementation of the equation-error approach produced good parameter estimates based on this simulated data set.

  14. Abundance of SiC2 in carbon star envelopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Massalkhi, S.; Agúndez, M.; Cernicharo, J.; Velilla Prieto, L.; Goicoechea, J. R.; Quintana-Lacaci, G.; Fonfría, J. P.; Alcolea, J.; Bujarrabal, V.

    2018-03-01

    Context. Silicon carbide dust is ubiquitous in circumstellar envelopes around C-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. However, the main gas-phase precursors leading to the formation of SiC dust have not yet been identified. The most obvious candidates among the molecules containing an Si-C bond detected in C-rich AGB stars are SiC2, SiC, and Si2C. To date, the ring molecule SiC2 has been observed in a handful of evolved stars, while SiC and Si2C have only been detected in the C-star envelope IRC +10216. Aim. We aim to study how widespread and abundant SiC2, SiC, and Si2C are in envelopes around C-rich AGB stars, and whether or not these species play an active role as gas-phase precursors of silicon carbide dust in the ejecta of carbon stars. Methods: We carried out sensitive observations with the IRAM 30 m telescope of a sample of 25 C-rich AGB stars to search for emission lines of SiC2, SiC, and Si2C in the λ 2 mm band. We performed non-LTE excitation and radiative transfer calculations based on the LVG method to model the observed lines of SiC2 and to derive SiC2 fractional abundances in the observed envelopes. Results: We detect SiC2 in most of the sources, SiC in about half of them, and do not detect Si2C in any source except IRC +10216. Most of these detections are reported for the first time in this work. We find a positive correlation between the SiC and SiC2 line emission, which suggests that both species are chemically linked; the SiC radical is probably the photodissociation product of SiC2 in the external layer of the envelope. We find a clear trend where the denser the envelope, the less abundant SiC2 is. The observed trend is interpreted as evidence of efficient incorporation of SiC2 onto dust grains, a process that is favored at high densities owing to the higher rate at which collisions between particles take place. Conclusions: The observed behavior of a decline in the SiC2 abundance with increasing density strongly suggests that SiC2 is an

  15. The use of specific antibodies to mediate fusion between Sendai virus envelopes and living cells.

    PubMed

    Loyter, A; Tomasi, M; Gitman, A G; Etinger, L; Nussbaum, O

    1984-01-01

    Incubation of Sendai virus particles with non-ionic detergents such as Triton X-100 completely solubilizes the viral envelopes. Removal of the detergent from the supernatant (which contains the two main viral glycoproteins) leads to the formation of fusogenic, reconstituted viral envelopes. Soluble macromolecules such as DNA or proteins can be enclosed within the reconstituted vesicles, while membrane components can be inserted into the viral envelopes. Fusion of such loaded or 'hybrid' reconstituted envelopes with living cells in culture results in either microinjection or transfer of the viral components to the recipient cells. Thus such reconstituted envelopes can serve as efficient carriers for the introduction of macromolecules of biological interest into living cells in culture. A more specific vehicle has been constructed by chemically coupling anti-cell membrane antibodies (anti-human erythrocyte antibody) to the viral envelope. Such antibody-bearing intact virus particles or reconstituted envelopes bound to and fused with virus receptor-depleted cells. In addition, anti-Sendai virus antibodies were coupled to neuraminidase-treated human erythrocytes. Such antibodies mediated the binding and fusion of intact Sendai virus particles and their reconstituted envelopes to virus receptor-depleted cells.

  16. Neural coding of sound envelope in reverberant environments.

    PubMed

    Slama, Michaël C C; Delgutte, Bertrand

    2015-03-11

    Speech reception depends critically on temporal modulations in the amplitude envelope of the speech signal. Reverberation encountered in everyday environments can substantially attenuate these modulations. To assess the effect of reverberation on the neural coding of amplitude envelope, we recorded from single units in the inferior colliculus (IC) of unanesthetized rabbit using sinusoidally amplitude modulated (AM) broadband noise stimuli presented in simulated anechoic and reverberant environments. Although reverberation degraded both rate and temporal coding of AM in IC neurons, in most neurons, the degradation in temporal coding was smaller than the AM attenuation in the stimulus. This compensation could largely be accounted for by the compressive shape of the modulation input-output function (MIOF), which describes the nonlinear transformation of modulation depth from acoustic stimuli into neural responses. Additionally, in a subset of neurons, the temporal coding of AM was better for reverberant stimuli than for anechoic stimuli having the same modulation depth at the ear. Using hybrid anechoic stimuli that selectively possess certain properties of reverberant sounds, we show that this reverberant advantage is not caused by envelope distortion, static interaural decorrelation, or spectral coloration. Overall, our results suggest that the auditory system may possess dual mechanisms that make the coding of amplitude envelope relatively robust in reverberation: one general mechanism operating for all stimuli with small modulation depths, and another mechanism dependent on very specific properties of reverberant stimuli, possibly the periodic fluctuations in interaural correlation at the modulation frequency. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/354452-17$15.00/0.

  17. Non-destructive inspections of illicit drugs in envelope using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Ning; Shen, Jingling; Lu, Meihong; Jia, Yan; Sun, Jinhai; Liang, Laishun; Shi, Yanning; Xu, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Cunlin

    2006-09-01

    The absorption spectra of two illicit drugs, methylenedioxyamphetarnine (MDA) and methamphetamine (MA), within and without two conventional envelopes are studied using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy technique. The characteristic absorption spectra of MDA and MA are obtained in the range of 0.2 THz to 2.5 THz. MDA has an obvious absorption peak at 1.41 THz while MA has obvious absorption peaks at 1.23 THz, 1.67 THz, 1.84 THz and 2.43 THz. We find that the absorption peaks of MDA and MA within the envelopes are almost the same as those without the envelopes respectively although the two envelopes have some different absorption in THz waveband. This result indicates that the type of illicit drugs in envelopes can be determined by identifying their characteristic absorption peaks, and THz time-domain spectroscopy is one of the most powerful candidates for illicit drugs inspection.

  18. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon formation in carbon-rich stellar envelopes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cherchneff, Isabelle; Barker, John R.; Tielens, Alexander G. G. M.

    1992-01-01

    A detailed chemical kinetic scheme is applied to stellar envelope profiles of gas density and temperature profiles in order to study the formation of PAH molecules in carbon-rich stellar outflows. Chemical concentration profiles are calculated for several envelope models by integrating the coupled continuity equations that include spherically expanding flows from an inner boundary at the shock formation radius. The influence of the 'inverse greenhouse' effect experienced by small PAHs is investigated and shown to increase the PAH yield by many orders of magnitude. It is shown that the route through propargyl radicals could be an important channel to produce benzene. PAH formation yields are found to be extremely sensitive to gas density and temperature and are much smaller than values inferred from the observed dust content of late-type carbon-rich stellar envelopes. It is therefore unlikely that aromatic molecules are generated in the stellar outflow itself.

  19. Thermal structure and cooling of neutron stars with magnetized envelopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Potekhin, A. Y.; Yakovlev, D. G.

    2001-07-01

    The thermal structure of neutron stars with magnetized envelopes is studied using modern physics input. The relation between the internal (Tint) and local surface temperatures is calculated and fitted by analytic expressions for magnetic field strengths B from 0 to 1016 G and arbitrary inclination of the field lines to the surface. The luminosity of a neutron star with dipole magnetic field is calculated and fitted as a function of B, Tint, stellar mass and radius. In addition, we simulate cooling of neutron stars with magnetized envelopes. In particular, we analyse ultramagnetized envelopes of magnetars and also the effects of the magnetic field of the Vela pulsar on the determination of critical temperatures of neutron and proton superfluids in its core.

  20. Piloted Simulator Evaluation of Maneuvering Envelope Information for Flight Crew Awareness

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lombaerts, Thomas; Schuet, Stefan; Acosta, Diana; Kaneshige, John; Shish, Kimberlee; Martin, Lynne

    2015-01-01

    The implementation and evaluation of an efficient method for estimating safe aircraft maneuvering envelopes are discussed. A Bayesian approach is used to produce a deterministic algorithm for estimating aerodynamic system parameters from existing noisy sensor measurements, which are then used to estimate the trim envelope through efficient high- fidelity model-based computations of attainable equilibrium sets. The safe maneuverability limitations are extended beyond the trim envelope through a robust reachability analysis derived from an optimal control formulation. The trim and maneuvering envelope limits are then conveyed to pilots through three axes on the primary flight display. To evaluate the new display features, commercial airline crews flew multiple challenging approach and landing scenarios in the full motion Advanced Concepts Flight Simulator at NASA Ames Research Center, as part of a larger research initiative to investigate the impact on the energy state awareness of the crew. Results show that the additional display features have the potential to significantly improve situational awareness of the flight crew.

  1. The Consonant-Weighted Envelope Difference Index (cEDI): A Proposed Technique for Quantifying Envelope Distortion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoover, Eric C.; Souza, Pamela E.; Gallun, Frederick J.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: The benefits of amplitude compression in hearing aids may be limited by distortion resulting from rapid gain adjustment. To evaluate this, it is convenient to quantify distortion by using a metric that is sensitive to the changes in the processed signal that decrease consonant recognition, such as the Envelope Difference Index (EDI;…

  2. Defining the public health threat of food fraud.

    PubMed

    Spink, John; Moyer, Douglas C

    2011-01-01

    Food fraud, including the more defined subcategory of economically motivated adulteration, is a food risk that is gaining recognition and concern. Regardless of the cause of the food risk, adulteration of food is both an industry and a government responsibility. Food safety, food fraud, and food defense incidents can create adulteration of food with public health threats. Food fraud is an intentional act for economic gain, whereas a food safety incident is an unintentional act with unintentional harm, and a food defense incident is an intentional act with intentional harm. Economically motivated adulteration may be just that-economically motivated-but the food-related public health risks are often more risky than traditional food safety threats because the contaminants are unconventional. Current intervention systems are not designed to look for a near infinite number of potential contaminants. The authors developed the core concepts reported here following comprehensive research of articles and reports, expert elicitation, and an extensive peer review. The intent of this research paper is to provide a base reference document for defining food fraud-it focuses specifically on the public health threat-and to facilitate a shift in focus from intervention to prevention. This will subsequently provide a framework for future quantitative or innovative research. The fraud opportunity is deconstructed using the criminology and behavioral science applications of the crime triangle and the chemistry of the crime. The research provides a food risk matrix and identifies food fraud incident types. This project provides a starting point for future food science, food safety, and food defense research. Food fraud, including the more defined subcategory of economically motivated adulteration, is a food protection threat that has not been defined or holistically addressed. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led to the development of food defense as an autonomous area of

  3. Carrier-envelope phase-dependent atomic coherence and quantum beats

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wu Ying; State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071; Yang Xiaoxue

    2007-07-15

    It is shown that the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) of few-cycle laser pulses has profound effects on the bound-state atomic coherence even in the weak-field regime where both tunneling and multiphoton ionization hardly take place. The atomic coherence thus produced is shown to be able to be mapped onto the CEP-dependent signal of quantum beats (and other quantum-interference phenomena) and hence might be used to extract information about and ultimately to measure the carrier-envelope phase.

  4. Effects of the Carrier-Envelope Phase in the Multiphoton Ionization Regime

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nakajima, Takashi; Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8581; Watanabe, Shuntaro

    2006-06-02

    We theoretically investigate the effects of the carrier-envelope phase of few-cycle laser pulses in the multiphoton ionization regime. For atoms with low ionization potential, total ionization yield barely exhibits phase dependence, as expected. However, population of some bound states clearly shows phase dependence. This implies that the measurement of the carrier-envelope phase would be possible through the photoemission between bound states without energy-and-angle-resolved photoelectron detection. The considered scheme could be particularly useful to measure the carrier-envelope phase for a light source without an amplifier, such as a laser oscillator, which cannot provide sufficient pulse energy to induce tunneling ionization.

  5. Automated analysis of cell migration and nuclear envelope rupture in confined environments.

    PubMed

    Elacqua, Joshua J; McGregor, Alexandra L; Lammerding, Jan

    2018-01-01

    Recent in vitro and in vivo studies have highlighted the importance of the cell nucleus in governing migration through confined environments. Microfluidic devices that mimic the narrow interstitial spaces of tissues have emerged as important tools to study cellular dynamics during confined migration, including the consequences of nuclear deformation and nuclear envelope rupture. However, while image acquisition can be automated on motorized microscopes, the analysis of the corresponding time-lapse sequences for nuclear transit through the pores and events such as nuclear envelope rupture currently requires manual analysis. In addition to being highly time-consuming, such manual analysis is susceptible to person-to-person variability. Studies that compare large numbers of cell types and conditions therefore require automated image analysis to achieve sufficiently high throughput. Here, we present an automated image analysis program to register microfluidic constrictions and perform image segmentation to detect individual cell nuclei. The MATLAB program tracks nuclear migration over time and records constriction-transit events, transit times, transit success rates, and nuclear envelope rupture. Such automation reduces the time required to analyze migration experiments from weeks to hours, and removes the variability that arises from different human analysts. Comparison with manual analysis confirmed that both constriction transit and nuclear envelope rupture were detected correctly and reliably, and the automated analysis results closely matched a manual analysis gold standard. Applying the program to specific biological examples, we demonstrate its ability to detect differences in nuclear transit time between cells with different levels of the nuclear envelope proteins lamin A/C, which govern nuclear deformability, and to detect an increase in nuclear envelope rupture duration in cells in which CHMP7, a protein involved in nuclear envelope repair, had been depleted

  6. Circumstellar envelopes of Cepheids: a possible bias affecting the distance scale?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kervella, Pierre; Gallenne, Alexandre; Mérand, Antoine

    2013-02-01

    Circumstellar envelopes (CSEs) have been detected around many Cepheids, first based on long-baseline interferometry, and now also using other observing techniques. These envelopes are particularly interesting for two reasons: their presence could impact the Cepheid distance scale, and they may be valuable tracers of stellar mass loss. Here we focus on their potential impact on the calibration of the Cepheid distance scale. We consider the photometric contribution of the envelopes in the visible, near-, and thermal-infrared domains. We conclude that the impact of CSEs on the apparent luminosities of Cepheids is negligible at visible wavelengths and generally weak (<5%) in the near-infrared (λ ~ 2 μm). In the thermal-infrared domain (λ ~ 8 μm), the flux contribution of the CSEs differs depending on the pulsation period: it is relatively weak (<15%) for stars with periods shorter than P ~ 10 days, but can reach ~ 30% for long-period Cepheids. We specifically discuss the long-period Galactic Cepheid RS Puppis, which exhibits a very large circumstellar, dusty envelope, and we conclude that this is not a representative case. Overall, the contribution of CSEs to the usual period-luminosity relations (from the visible to the K band) is mostly negligible. They could affect calibrations at longer wavelengths, although the presence of envelopes may have been partially taken into account in the existing empirical calibrations.

  7. Origin, differentiation and functional ultrastructure of egg envelopes in the cestode Echinococcus multilocularis Leuckart, 1863 (Cyclophyllidea: Taeniidae).

    PubMed

    Świderski, Zdzisław; Miquel, Jordi; Azzouz-Maache, Samira; Pétavy, Anne-Françoise

    2017-07-01

    The origin, differentiation and functional ultrastructure of oncospheral or egg envelopes in Echinococcus multilocularis Leuckart, 1863 were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and cytochemistry. The purpose of our study is to describe the formation of the four primary embryonic envelopes, namely vitelline capsule, outer envelope, inner envelope and oncospheral membrane, and their transformation into the oncospheral or egg envelopes surrounding the mature hexacanth. This transformation takes place in the preoncospheral phase of embryonic development. The vitelline capsule and oncospheral membrane are thin membranes, while the outer and inner envelopes are thick cytoplasmic layers formed by two specific types of blastomeres: the outer envelope by cytoplasmic fusion of two macromeres and the inner envelope by cytoplasmic fusion of three mesomeres. Both outer and inner envelopes are therefore cellular in origin and syncytial in nature. During the advanced phase of embryonic development, the outer and inner envelopes undergo great modifications. The outer envelope remains as a metabolically active layer involved in the storage of glycogen and lipids for the final stages of egg development and survival. The inner envelope is the most important protective layer because of its thick layer of embryophoric blocks that assures oncospheral protection and survival. This embryophore is the principal layer of mature eggs, affording physical and physiological protection for the differentiated embryo or oncosphere, since the outer envelope is stripped from the egg before it is liberated. The embryophore is very thick and impermeable, consisting of polygonal blocks of an inert keratin-like protein held together by a cementing substance. The embryophore therefore assures extreme resistance of eggs, enabling them to withstand a wide range of environmental temperatures and physicochemical conditions.

  8. Envelope detection using temporal magnetization dynamics of resonantly interacting spin-torque oscillator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakamura, Y.; Nishikawa, M.; Osawa, H.; Okamoto, Y.; Kanao, T.; Sato, R.

    2018-05-01

    In this article, we propose the detection method of the recorded data pattern by the envelope of the temporal magnetization dynamics of resonantly interacting spin-torque oscillator on the microwave assisted magnetic recording for three-dimensional magnetic recording. We simulate the envelope of the waveform from recorded dots with the staggered magnetization configuration, which are calculated by using a micromagnetic simulation. We study the data detection methods for the envelope and propose a soft-output Viterbi algorithm (SOVA) for partial response (PR) system as a signal processing system for three dimensional magnetic recording.

  9. The outer envelopes of globular clusters. II. NGC 1851, NGC 5824 and NGC 1261*

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuzma, P. B.; Da Costa, G. S.; Mackey, A. D.

    2018-01-01

    We present a second set of results from a wide-field photometric survey of the environs of Milky Way globular clusters. The clusters studied are NGC 1261, NGC 1851 and NGC 5824: all have data from the Dark Energy Camera on the Blanco 4 m telescope. NGC 5824 also has data from the Magellan Clay telescope with MegaCam. We confirm the existence of a large diffuse stellar envelope surrounding NGC 1851 of size at least 240 pc in radius. The radial density profile of the envelope follows a power-law decline with index γ = -1.5 ± 0.2 and the projected shape is slightly elliptical. For NGC 5824, there is no strong detection of a diffuse stellar envelope, but we find the cluster is remarkably extended and is similar in size (at least 230 pc in radius) to the envelope of NGC 1851. A stellar envelope is also revealed around NGC 1261. However, it is notably smaller in size with radius ∼105 pc. The radial density profile of the envelope is also much steeper with γ = -3.8 ± 0.2. We discuss the possible nature of the diffuse stellar envelopes, but are unable to draw definitive conclusions based on the current data. NGC 1851, and potentially NGC 5824, could be stripped dwarf galaxy nuclei, akin to the cases of ω Cen, M54 and M2. On the other hand, the different characteristics of the NGC 1261 envelope suggest that it may be the product of dynamical evolution of the cluster.

  10. Methodologies for Adaptive Flight Envelope Estimation and Protection

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tang, Liang; Roemer, Michael; Ge, Jianhua; Crassidis, Agamemnon; Prasad, J. V. R.; Belcastro, Christine

    2009-01-01

    This paper reports the latest development of several techniques for adaptive flight envelope estimation and protection system for aircraft under damage upset conditions. Through the integration of advanced fault detection algorithms, real-time system identification of the damage/faulted aircraft and flight envelop estimation, real-time decision support can be executed autonomously for improving damage tolerance and flight recoverability. Particularly, a bank of adaptive nonlinear fault detection and isolation estimators were developed for flight control actuator faults; a real-time system identification method was developed for assessing the dynamics and performance limitation of impaired aircraft; online learning neural networks were used to approximate selected aircraft dynamics which were then inverted to estimate command margins. As off-line training of network weights is not required, the method has the advantage of adapting to varying flight conditions and different vehicle configurations. The key benefit of the envelope estimation and protection system is that it allows the aircraft to fly close to its limit boundary by constantly updating the controller command limits during flight. The developed techniques were demonstrated on NASA s Generic Transport Model (GTM) simulation environments with simulated actuator faults. Simulation results and remarks on future work are presented.

  11. Temperature feedback control for long-term carrier-envelope phase locking.

    PubMed

    Yun, Chenxia; Chen, Shouyuan; Wang, He; Chini, Michael; Chang, Zenghu

    2009-09-20

    We report a double feedback loop for the improvement of the carrier-envelope phase stabilization of a chirped mirror based femtosecond laser oscillator. By combining the control of the Ti:sapphire crystal temperature and the modulation of the pump power, the carrier envelope offset frequency, fCEO, was locked for close to 20 h, which is much longer than the typical phase stabilization time with only pump power modulation.

  12. Characterization and Implementation of a Diverse Simian Immunodeficiency Virus SIVsm Envelope Panel in the Assessment of Neutralizing Antibody Breadth Elicited in Rhesus Macaques by Multimodal Vaccines Expressing the SIVmac239 Envelope

    PubMed Central

    Kilgore, Katie M.; Murphy, Megan K.; Burton, Samantha L.; Wetzel, Katherine S.; Smith, S. Abigail; Xiao, Peng; Reddy, Sharmila; Francella, Nicholas; Sodora, Donald L.; Silvestri, Guido; Cole, Kelly S.; Villinger, Francois; Robinson, James E.; Pulendran, Bali; Hunter, Eric; Collman, Ronald G.; Amara, Rama R.

    2015-01-01

    ABSTRACT Antibodies that can neutralize diverse viral strains are likely to be an important component of a protective human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) vaccine. To this end, preclinical simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-based nonhuman primate immunization regimens have been designed to evaluate and enhance antibody-mediated protection. However, these trials often rely on a limited selection of SIV strains with extreme neutralization phenotypes to assess vaccine-elicited antibody activity. To mirror the viral panels used to assess HIV-1 antibody breadth, we created and characterized a novel panel of 14 genetically and phenotypically diverse SIVsm envelope (Env) glycoproteins. To assess the utility of this panel, we characterized the neutralizing activity elicited by four SIVmac239 envelope-expressing DNA/modified vaccinia virus Ankara vector- and protein-based vaccination regimens that included the immunomodulatory adjuvants granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands, and CD40 ligand. The SIVsm Env panel exhibited a spectrum of neutralization sensitivity to SIV-infected plasma pools and monoclonal antibodies, allowing categorization into three tiers. Pooled sera from 91 rhesus macaques immunized in the four trials consistently neutralized only the highly sensitive tier 1a SIVsm Envs, regardless of the immunization regimen. The inability of vaccine-mediated antibodies to neutralize the moderately resistant tier 1b and tier 2 SIVsm Envs defined here suggests that those antibodies were directed toward epitopes that are not accessible on most SIVsm Envs. To achieve a broader and more effective neutralization profile in preclinical vaccine studies that is relevant to known features of HIV-1 neutralization, more emphasis should be placed on optimizing the Env immunogen, as the neutralization profile achieved by the addition of adjuvants does not appear to supersede the neutralizing antibody profile determined by the

  13. Role of Envelopment in the HEV Life Cycle

    PubMed Central

    Yin, Xin; Li, Xinlei; Feng, Zongdi

    2016-01-01

    Hepatitis E virus (HEV), an enterically transmitted hepatotropic virus, was thought to be non-enveloped for decades. However, recent studies have revealed that the virus circulating in the patient’s blood is completely cloaked in host membranes and resistant to neutralizing antibodies. The discovery of this novel enveloped form of HEV has raised a series of questions about the fundamental biology of HEV and the way this virus, which has been understudied in the past, interacts with its host. Here, we review recent advances towards understanding this phenomenon and discuss its potential impact on various aspects of the HEV life cycle and immunity. PMID:27548201

  14. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) Model in Operation Management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Malik, Meilisa; Efendi, Syahril; Zarlis, Muhammad

    2018-01-01

    Quality management is an effective system in operation management to develops, maintains, and improves quality from groups of companies that allow marketing, production, and service at the most economycal level as well as ensuring customer satisfication. Many companies are practicing quality management to improve their bussiness performance. One of performance measurement is through measurement of efficiency. One of the tools can be used to assess efficiency of companies performance is Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The aim of this paper is using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model to assess efficiency of quality management. In this paper will be explained CCR, BCC, and SBM models to assess efficiency of quality management.

  15. Isochronic carrier-envelope phase-shift compensator.

    PubMed

    Görbe, Mihaly; Osvay, Karoly; Grebing, Christian; Steinmeyer, Günter

    2008-11-15

    A concept for orthogonal control of phase and group delay inside a laser cavity by a specially designed compensator assembly is discussed. Similar to the construction of variable polarization retarder, this assembly consists of two thin wedge prisms made from appropriately chosen optical materials. Being shifted as a whole, the assembly allows changing the phase delay with no influence on the cavity round-trip time, whereas relative shifting of the prisms enables adjustment of the latter. This scheme is discussed theoretically and verified experimentally, indicating a factor 30 reduction of the influence on the repetition rate compared to the commonly used silica wedge pair. For a 2pi adjustment of the carrier-envelope phase shift, single-pass timing differences are reduced to the single-femtosecond regime. With negligible distortions of timing and dispersion, the described compensator device greatly simplifies carrier-envelope phase control and experiments in extreme nonlinear optics. Copyright (c) 2008 Optical Society of America.

  16. Transduction of Human Primitive Repopulating Hematopoietic Cells With Lentiviral Vectors Pseudotyped With Various Envelope Proteins

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Yoon-Sang; Wielgosz, Matthew M; Hargrove, Phillip; Kepes, Steven; Gray, John; Persons, Derek A; Nienhuis, Arthur W

    2010-01-01

    Lentiviral vectors are useful for transducing primitive hematopoietic cells. We examined four envelope proteins for their ability to mediate lentiviral transduction of mobilized human CD34+ peripheral blood cells. Lentiviral particles encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) were pseudotyped with the vesicular stomatitis virus envelope glycoprotein (VSV-G), the amphotropic (AMPHO) murine leukemia virus envelope protein, the endogenous feline leukemia viral envelope protein or the feline leukemia virus type C envelope protein. Because the relative amount of genome RNA per ml was similar for each pseudotype, we transduced CD34+ cells with a fixed volume of each vector preparation. Following an overnight transduction, CD34+ cells were transplanted into immunodeficient mice which were sacrificed 12 weeks later. The average percentages of engrafted human CD45+ cells in total bone marrow were comparable to that of the control, mock-transduced group (37–45%). Lenti-particles pseudotyped with the VSV-G envelope protein transduced engrafting cells two- to tenfold better than particles pseudotyped with any of the γ-retroviral envelope proteins. There was no correlation between receptor mRNA levels for the γ-retroviral vectors and transduction efficiency of primitive hematopoietic cells. These results support the use of the VSV-G envelope protein for the development of lentiviral producer cell lines for manufacture of clinical-grade vector. PMID:20372106

  17. Generation of Envelope-Modified Baculoviruses for Gene Delivery into Mammalian Cells.

    PubMed

    Hofmann, Christian

    2016-01-01

    Genetically modified baculoviruses can efficiently deliver and express genes in mammalian cells. The major prerequisite for the expression of a gene transferred by baculovirus is its control by a promoter that is active in mammalian cells. This chapter describes methods for producing second generation baculovirus vectors through modification of their envelope. Envelope modified baculoviruses offer additional new applications of the system, such as their use in in vivo gene delivery, targeting, and vaccination. Methods of generating a recombinant baculovirus vector with a modified envelope and its amplification and purification, including technical scale production, are discussed. A variety of notes give clues regarding specific technical procedures. Finally, methods to analyze the virus and transduction procedures are presented.

  18. Bacillus subtilis extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factors and defense of the cell envelope

    PubMed Central

    Helmann, John D.

    2016-01-01

    Summary Bacillus subtilis provides a model for investigation of the bacterial cell envelope, the first line of defense against environmental threats. Extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factors activate genes that confer resistance to agents that threaten the integrity of the envelope. Although their individual regulons overlap, σW is most closely associated with membrane-active agents, σX with cationic antimicrobial peptide resistance, and σV with resistance to lysozyme. Here, I highlight the role of the σM regulon, which is strongly induced by conditions that impair peptidoglycan synthesis and includes the core pathways of envelope synthesis and cell division, as well as stress-inducible alternative enzymes. Studies of these cell envelope stress responses provide insights into how bacteria acclimate to the presence of antibiotics. PMID:26901131

  19. A Matter of Millimeters: Defining the Processes for Critical Clearances on Curiosity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Florow, Brandon

    2013-01-01

    The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission presents an immense packaging problem in that it takes a rover the size of a car with a sky crane landing system and packs it tightly into a spacecraft. This creates many areas of close and critical clearances. Critical Clearances are defined as hardware-to-hardware or hardware-to-envelope clearances which fall below a pre-established location dependent threshold and pose a risk of hardware to hardware contact during events such as launch, entry, landing, and operations. Close Clearances, on the other hand, are defined as any clearance value that is chosen to be tracked but is larger than the critical clearance threshold for its region. Close clearances may be tracked for various reasons including uncertainty in design, large expected dynamic motion, etc.

  20. Use and interpretation of climate envelope models: a practical guide

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Watling, James I.; Brandt, Laura A.; Mazzotti, Frank J.; Romañach, Stephanie S.

    2013-01-01

    This guidebook is intended to provide a practical overview of climate envelope modeling for conservation professionals and natural resource managers. The material is intended for people with little background or experience in climate envelope modeling who want to better understand and interpret models developed by others and the results generated by such models, or want to do some modeling themselves. This is not an exhaustive review of climate envelope modeling, but rather a brief introduction to some key concepts in the discipline. Readers interested in a more in-depth treatment of much of the material presented here are referred to an excellent book, Mapping Species Distributions: Spatial Inference and Prediction by Janet Franklin. Also, a recent review (Araújo & Peterson 2012) provides an excellent, though more technical, discussion of many of the issues dealt with here. Here we treat selected topics from a practical perspective, using minimal jargon to explain and illustrate some of the many issues that one has to be aware of when using climate envelope models. When we do introduce specialized terminology in the guidebook, we bold the term when it is first used; a glossary of these terms is included at the back of the guidebook.

  1. Comparison of Egg Envelope Thickness in Teleosts and its Relationship to the Sites of ZP Protein Synthesis.

    PubMed

    Sano, Kaori; Kawaguchi, Mari; Katano, Keita; Tomita, Kenji; Inokuchi, Mayu; Nagasawa, Tatsuki; Hiroi, Junya; Kaneko, Toyoji; Kitagawa, Takashi; Fujimoto, Takafumi; Arai, Katsutoshi; Tanaka, Masaru; Yasumasu, Shigeki

    2017-05-01

    Teleost egg envelope generally consists of a thin outer layer and a thick inner layer. The inner layer of the Pacific herring egg envelope is further divided into distinct inner layers I and II. In our previous study, we cloned four zona pellucida (ZP) proteins (HgZPBa, HgZPBb, HgZPCa, and HgZPCb) from Pacific herring, two of which (HgZPBa and HgZPCa) were synthesized in the liver and two (HgZPBb and HgZPCb) in the ovary. In this study, we raised antibodies against these four proteins to identify their locations using immunohistochemistry. Our results suggest that inner layer I is constructed primarily of HgZPBa and Ca, whereas inner layer II consists primarily of HgZPBa. HgZPBb and Cb were minor components of the envelope. Therefore, the egg envelope of Pacific herring is primarily composed of liver-synthesized ZP proteins. A comparison of the thickness of the fertilized egg envelopes of 55 species suggested that egg envelopes derived from liver-synthesized ZP proteins tended to be thicker in demersal eggs than those in pelagic eggs, whereas egg envelopes derived from ovarian-synthesized ZP proteins had no such tendency. Our comparison suggests that the prehatching period of an egg with a thick egg envelope is longer than that of an egg with a thin egg envelope. We hypothesized that acquisition of liver-synthesized ZP proteins during evolution conferred the ability to develop a thick egg envelope, which allowed species with demersal eggs to adapt to mechanical stress in the prehatching environment by thickening the egg envelope, while pelagic egg envelopes have remained thin. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Refrigerated cryogenic envelope

    DOEpatents

    Loudon, John D.

    1976-11-16

    An elongated cryogenic envelope including an outer tube and an inner tube coaxially spaced within said inner tube so that the space therebetween forms a vacuum chamber for holding a vacuum. The inner and outer tubes are provided with means for expanding or contracting during thermal changes. A shield is located in the vacuum chamber intermediate the inner and outer tubes; and, a refrigeration tube for directing refrigeration to the shield is coiled about at least a portion of the inner tube within the vacuum chamber to permit the refrigeration tube to expand or contract along its length during thermal changes within said vacuum chamber.

  3. Appropriate IMFs associated with cepstrum and envelope analysis for ball-bearing fault diagnosis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tsao, Wen-Chang; Pan, Min-Chun

    2014-03-01

    The traditional envelope analysis is an effective method for the fault detection of rolling bearings. However, all the resonant frequency bands must be examined during the bearing-fault detection process. To handle the above deficiency, this paper proposes using the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) to select a proper intrinsic mode function (IMF) for the subsequent detection tools; here both envelope analysis and cepstrum analysis are employed and compared. By virtue of the band-pass filtering nature of EMD, the resonant frequency bands of structure to be measured are captured in the IMFs. As impulses arising from rolling elements striking bearing faults modulate with structure resonance, proper IMFs potentially enable to characterize fault signatures. In the study, faulty ball bearings are used to justify the proposed method, and comparisons with the traditional envelope analysis are made. Post the use of IMFs highlighting faultybearing features, the performance of using envelope analysis and cepstrum analysis to single out bearing faults is objectively compared and addressed; it is noted that generally envelope analysis offers better performance.

  4. Envelope responses in single-trial EEG indicate attended speaker in a 'cocktail party'.

    PubMed

    Horton, Cort; Srinivasan, Ramesh; D'Zmura, Michael

    2014-08-01

    Recent studies have shown that auditory cortex better encodes the envelope of attended speech than that of unattended speech during multi-speaker ('cocktail party') situations. We investigated whether these differences were sufficiently robust within single-trial electroencephalographic (EEG) data to accurately determine where subjects attended. Additionally, we compared this measure to other established EEG markers of attention. High-resolution EEG was recorded while subjects engaged in a two-speaker 'cocktail party' task. Cortical responses to speech envelopes were extracted by cross-correlating the envelopes with each EEG channel. We also measured steady-state responses (elicited via high-frequency amplitude modulation of the speech) and alpha-band power, both of which have been sensitive to attention in previous studies. Using linear classifiers, we then examined how well each of these features could be used to predict the subjects' side of attention at various epoch lengths. We found that the attended speaker could be determined reliably from the envelope responses calculated from short periods of EEG, with accuracy improving as a function of sample length. Furthermore, envelope responses were far better indicators of attention than changes in either alpha power or steady-state responses. These results suggest that envelope-related signals recorded in EEG data can be used to form robust auditory BCI's that do not require artificial manipulation (e.g., amplitude modulation) of stimuli to function.

  5. Importance of envelope modulations during consonants and vowels in segmentally interrupted sentencesa)

    PubMed Central

    Fogerty, Daniel

    2014-01-01

    The present study investigated the importance of overall segment amplitude and intrinsic segment amplitude modulation of consonants and vowels to sentence intelligibility. Sentences were processed according to three conditions that replaced consonant or vowel segments with noise matched to the long-term average speech spectrum. Segments were replaced with (1) low-level noise that distorted the overall sentence envelope, (2) segment-level noise that restored the overall syllabic amplitude modulation of the sentence, and (3) segment-modulated noise that further restored faster temporal envelope modulations during the vowel. Results from the first experiment demonstrated an incremental benefit with increasing resolution of the vowel temporal envelope. However, amplitude modulations of replaced consonant segments had a comparatively minimal effect on overall sentence intelligibility scores. A second experiment selectively noise-masked preserved vowel segments in order to equate overall performance of consonant-replaced sentences to that of the vowel-replaced sentences. Results demonstrated no significant effect of restoring consonant modulations during the interrupting noise when existing vowel cues were degraded. A third experiment demonstrated greater perceived sentence continuity with the preservation or addition of vowel envelope modulations. Overall, results support previous investigations demonstrating the importance of vowel envelope modulations to the intelligibility of interrupted sentences. PMID:24606291

  6. The Experimental Research on Seismic Capacity of the Envelope Systems with Steel Frame

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Jiuyang; Wang, Bingbing; Li, Hengxu

    2017-09-01

    In this paper, according to the present application situation of the external envelope systems steel frame in the severe cold region, the stuffed composite wall panels are improved, the flexible connection with the steel frame is designed, the reduced scale specimens are made, the seismic capacity test is made and some indexes of the envelope systems such as bearing capacity, energy consumption and ductility, etc. are compared, which provide reference for the development and application of the steel frame envelope systems.

  7. Integrated Safety Risk Reduction Approach to Enhancing Human-Rated Spaceflight Safety

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mikula, J. F. Kip

    2005-12-01

    This paper explores and defines the current accepted concept and philosophy of safety improvement based on a Reliability enhancement (called here Reliability Enhancement Based Safety Theory [REBST]). In this theory a Reliability calculation is used as a measure of the safety achieved on the program. This calculation may be based on a math model or a Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) of the system, or on an Event Tree Analysis (ETA) of the system's operational mission sequence. In each case, the numbers used in this calculation are hardware failure rates gleaned from past similar programs. As part of this paper, a fictional but representative case study is provided that helps to illustrate the problems and inaccuracies of this approach to safety determination. Then a safety determination and enhancement approach based on hazard, worst case analysis, and safety risk determination (called here Worst Case Based Safety Theory [WCBST]) is included. This approach is defined and detailed using the same example case study as shown in the REBST case study. In the end it is concluded that an approach combining the two theories works best to reduce Safety Risk.

  8. Bacillus subtilis extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factors and defense of the cell envelope.

    PubMed

    Helmann, John D

    2016-04-01

    Bacillus subtilis provides a model for investigation of the bacterial cell envelope, the first line of defense against environmental threats. Extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factors activate genes that confer resistance to agents that threaten the integrity of the envelope. Although their individual regulons overlap, σ(W) is most closely associated with membrane-active agents, σ(X) with cationic antimicrobial peptide resistance, and σ(V) with resistance to lysozyme. Here, I highlight the role of the σ(M) regulon, which is strongly induced by conditions that impair peptidoglycan synthesis and includes the core pathways of envelope synthesis and cell division, as well as stress-inducible alternative enzymes. Studies of these cell envelope stress responses provide insights into how bacteria acclimate to the presence of antibiotics. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Atomic and molecular hydrogen in the circumstellar envelopes of late-type stars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Glassgold, A. E.; Huggins, P. J.

    1983-01-01

    The distribution of atomic and molecular hydrogen in the expanding circumstellar envelopes of cool evolved stars is discussed. The main concern is to evaluate the effects of photodestruction of H2 by galactic UV radiation, including shielding of the radiation by H2 itself and by dust in the envelope. One of the most important parameters is the H/H2 ratio which is frozen out in the upper atmosphere of the star. For stars with photospheric temperatures greater than about 2500 K, atmospheric models suggest that the outflowing hydrogen is mainly atomic, whereas cooler stars should be substantially molecular. In the latter case, photodissociation of H2 and heavy molecules contribute to the atomic hydrogen content of the outer envelope. The presented estimates indicate that atomic hydrogen is almost at the limit of detection in the C-rich star IRC + 10216, and may be detectable in warmer stars. Failure to detect it would have important implications for the general understanding of circumstellar envelopes.

  10. 9 CFR 351.2 - Terms defined.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Terms defined. 351.2 Section 351.2 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AGENCY ORGANIZATION AND TERMINOLOGY; MANDATORY MEAT AND POULTRY PRODUCTS INSPECTION AND VOLUNTARY INSPECTION AND...

  11. Ares I-X Range Safety Simulation Verification and Analysis IV and V

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tarpley, Ashley; Beaty, James; Starr, Brett

    2010-01-01

    NASA s ARES I-X vehicle launched on a suborbital test flight from the Eastern Range in Florida on October 28, 2009. NASA generated a Range Safety (RS) flight data package to meet the RS trajectory data requirements defined in the Air Force Space Command Manual 91-710. Some products included in the flight data package were a nominal ascent trajectory, ascent flight envelope trajectories, and malfunction turn trajectories. These data are used by the Air Force s 45th Space Wing (45SW) to ensure Eastern Range public safety and to make flight termination decisions on launch day. Due to the criticality of the RS data in regards to public safety and mission success, an independent validation and verification (IV&V) effort was undertaken to accompany the data generation analyses to ensure utmost data quality and correct adherence to requirements. Multiple NASA centers and contractor organizations were assigned specific products to IV&V. The data generation and IV&V work was coordinated through the Launch Constellation Range Safety Panel s Trajectory Working Group, which included members from the prime and IV&V organizations as well as the 45SW. As a result of the IV&V efforts, the RS product package was delivered with confidence that two independent organizations using separate simulation software generated data to meet the range requirements and yielded similar results. This document captures ARES I-X RS product IV&V analysis, including the methodology used to verify inputs, simulation, and output data for an RS product. Additionally a discussion of lessons learned is presented to capture advantages and disadvantages to the IV&V processes used.

  12. Antigenic Properties of the HIV Envelope on Virions in Solution

    PubMed Central

    Mengistu, Meron; Lewis, George K.; Lakowicz, Joseph R.

    2014-01-01

    The structural flexibility found in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope glycoproteins creates a complex relationship between antigenicity and sensitivity to antiviral antibodies. The study of this issue in the context of viral particles is particularly problematic as conventional virus capture approaches can perturb antigenicity profiles. Here, we employed a unique analytical system based on fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), which measures antibody-virion binding with all reactants continuously in solution. Panels of nine anti-envelope monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and five virus types were used to connect antibody binding profiles with neutralizing activities. Anti-gp120 MAbs against the 2G12 or b12 epitope, which marks functional envelope structures, neutralized viruses expressing CCR5-tropic envelopes and exhibited efficient virion binding in solution. MAbs against CD4-induced (CD4i) epitopes considered hidden on functional envelope structures poorly bound these viruses and were not neutralizing. Anti-gp41 MAb 2F5 was neutralizing despite limited virion binding. Similar antigenicity patterns occurred on CXCR4-tropic viruses, except that anti-CD4i MAbs 17b and 19e were neutralizing despite little or no virion binding. Notably, anti-gp120 MAb PG9 and anti-gp41 MAb F240 bound to both CCR5-tropic and CXCR4-tropic viruses without exerting neutralizing activity. Differences in the virus production system altered the binding efficiencies of some antibodies but did not enhance antigenicity of aberrant gp120 structures. Of all viruses tested, only JRFL pseudoviruses showed a direct relationship between MAb binding efficiency and neutralizing potency. Collectively, these data indicate that the antigenic profiles of free HIV particles generally favor the exposure of functional over aberrant gp120 structures. However, the efficiency of virion-antibody interactions in solution inconsistently predicts neutralizing activity in vitro. PMID:24284318

  13. Hepatitis C Virus Proteins Interact with the Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRT) Machinery via Ubiquitination To Facilitate Viral Envelopment

    PubMed Central

    Barouch-Bentov, Rina; Neveu, Gregory; Xiao, Fei; Beer, Melanie; Bekerman, Elena; Schor, Stanford; Campbell, Joseph; Boonyaratanakornkit, Jim; Lindenbach, Brett; Lu, Albert; Jacob, Yves

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Enveloped viruses commonly utilize late-domain motifs, sometimes cooperatively with ubiquitin, to hijack the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) machinery for budding at the plasma membrane. However, the mechanisms underlying budding of viruses lacking defined late-domain motifs and budding into intracellular compartments are poorly characterized. Here, we map a network of hepatitis C virus (HCV) protein interactions with the ESCRT machinery using a mammalian-cell-based protein interaction screen and reveal nine novel interactions. We identify HRS (hepatocyte growth factor-regulated tyrosine kinase substrate), an ESCRT-0 complex component, as an important entry point for HCV into the ESCRT pathway and validate its interactions with the HCV nonstructural (NS) proteins NS2 and NS5A in HCV-infected cells. Infectivity assays indicate that HRS is an important factor for efficient HCV assembly. Specifically, by integrating capsid oligomerization assays, biophysical analysis of intracellular viral particles by continuous gradient centrifugations, proteolytic digestion protection, and RNase digestion protection assays, we show that HCV co-opts HRS to mediate a late assembly step, namely, envelopment. In the absence of defined late-domain motifs, K63-linked polyubiquitinated lysine residues in the HCV NS2 protein bind the HRS ubiquitin-interacting motif to facilitate assembly. Finally, ESCRT-III and VPS/VTA1 components are also recruited by HCV proteins to mediate assembly. These data uncover involvement of ESCRT proteins in intracellular budding of a virus lacking defined late-domain motifs and a novel mechanism by which HCV gains entry into the ESCRT network, with potential implications for other viruses. PMID:27803188

  14. Infection control in digital intraoral radiography: evaluation of microbiological contamination of photostimulable phosphor plates in barrier envelopes.

    PubMed

    MacDonald, David S; Waterfield, J Douglas

    2011-01-01

    The detectors (both solid-state sensors and photostimulable phosphor [PSP] plates) used for digital intraoral radiography cannot be autoclaved, and barriers are typically used to prevent the spread of infection. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a barrier envelope system for PSP plates. Disinfected PSP plates were aseptically inserted into barrier envelopes and placed in a periapical location. One PSP plate was placed in each of 28 patients, and 12 plates in each of 2 volunteers (D.S.M., J.D.W.). After retrieval, each PSP plate was removed from its barrier envelope, immersed in trypticase soy broth and aliquots were plated on trypticase soy agar. Bacterial colonies were counted 2 days later. Fifty-two PSP plates in barrier envelopes were evaluated for contamination. Quality assurance of the PSP plates before clinical placement revealed defects in the integrity of 4 barrier envelopes, caused by forceps-related damage or failure to achieve a uniform seal. These defects allowed substantial contamination. Contamination also occurred as a result of failure to extract the PSP plate from the barrier envelope cleanly. Of the 44 barriers with no obvious defects that were placed by either final-year dental students or a radiologist, only 3 allowed bacterial contamination of the PSP plate. Detectors contained in barrier envelopes remain a potential source of contamination. PSP plates must be disinfected between removal from a contaminated barrier envelope and placement in a new barrier envelope. In addition, placement into the barrier envelope should ideally be carried out under aseptic conditions. Finally, the integrity of each sealed barrier envelope must be verified visually before release to the clinic.

  15. IRC +10 216 in 3-D: morphology of a TP-AGB star envelope

    PubMed Central

    Guélin, M.; Patel, N.A.; Bremer, M.; Cernicharo, J.; Castro-Carrizo, A.; Pety, J.; Fonfría, J.P.; Agúndez, M.; Santander-García, M.; Quintana-Lacaci, G.; Velilla Prieto, L.; Blundell, R.; Thaddeus, P.

    2017-01-01

    During their late pulsating phase, AGB stars expel most of their mass in the form of massive dusty envelopes, an event that largely controls the composition of interstellar matter. The envelopes, however, are distant and opaque to visible and NIR radiation: their structure remains poorly known and the mass-loss process poorly understood. Millimeter-wave interferometry, which combines the advantages of longer wavelength, high angular resolution and very high spectral resolution is the optimal investigative tool for this purpose. Mm waves pass through dust with almost no attenuation. Their spectrum is rich in molecular lines and hosts the fundamental lines of the ubiquitous CO molecule, allowing a tomographic reconstruction of the envelope structure. The circumstellar envelope IRC +10 216 and its central star, the C-rich TP-AGB star closest to the Sun, are the best objects for such an investigation. Two years ago, we reported the first detailed study of the CO(2-1) line emission in that envelope, made with the IRAM 30-m telescope. It revealed a series of dense gas shells, expanding at a uniform radial velocity. The limited resolution of the telescope (HPBW 11″) did not allow us to resolve the shell structure. We now report much higher angular resolution observations of CO(2-1), CO(1-0), CN(2-1) and C4H(24-23) made with the SMA, PdB and ALMA interferometers (with synthesized half-power beamwidths of 3″, 1″ and 0.3″, respectively). Although the envelope appears much more intricate at high resolution than with an 11″ beam, its prevailing structure remains a pattern of thin, nearly concentric shells. The average separation between the brightest CO shells is 16″ in the outer envelope, where it appears remarkably constant. Closer to the star (< 40″), the shell pattern is denser and less regular, showing intermediary arcs. Outside the small (r < 0.3″) dust formation zone, the gas appears to expand radially at a constant velocity, 14.5 km s−1, with small

  16. Maximum Torque and Momentum Envelopes for Reaction Wheel Arrays

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Reynolds, R. G.; Markley, F. Landis

    2001-01-01

    Spacecraft reaction wheel maneuvers are limited by the maximum torque and/or angular momentum which the wheels can provide. For an n-wheel configuration, the torque or momentum envelope can be obtained by projecting the n-dimensional hypercube, representing the domain boundary of individual wheel torques or momenta, into three dimensional space via the 3xn matrix of wheel axes. In this paper, the properties of the projected hypercube are discussed, and algorithms are proposed for determining this maximal torque or momentum envelope for general wheel configurations. Practical implementation strategies for specific wheel configurations are also considered.

  17. Four signature motifs define the first class of structurally related large coiled-coil proteins in plants.

    PubMed Central

    Gindullis, Frank; Rose, Annkatrin; Patel, Shalaka; Meier, Iris

    2002-01-01

    Background Animal and yeast proteins containing long coiled-coil domains are involved in attaching other proteins to the large, solid-state components of the cell. One subgroup of long coiled-coil proteins are the nuclear lamins, which are involved in attaching chromatin to the nuclear envelope and have recently been implicated in inherited human diseases. In contrast to other eukaryotes, long coiled-coil proteins have been barely investigated in plants. Results We have searched the completed Arabidopsis genome and have identified a family of structurally related long coiled-coil proteins. Filament-like plant proteins (FPP) were identified by sequence similarity to a tomato cDNA that encodes a coiled-coil protein which interacts with the nuclear envelope-associated protein, MAF1. The FPP family is defined by four novel unique sequence motifs and by two clusters of long coiled-coil domains separated by a non-coiled-coil linker. All family members are expressed in a variety of Arabidopsis tissues. A homolog sharing the structural features was identified in the monocot rice, indicating conservation among angiosperms. Conclusion Except for myosins, this is the first characterization of a family of long coiled-coil proteins in plants. The tomato homolog of the FPP family binds in a yeast two-hybrid assay to a nuclear envelope-associated protein. This might suggest that FPP family members function in nuclear envelope biology. Because the full Arabidopsis genome does not appear to contain genes for lamins, it is of interest to investigate other long coiled-coil proteins, which might functionally replace lamins in the plant kingdom. PMID:11972898

  18. 48 CFR 52.223-3 - Hazardous Material Identification and Material Safety Data.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... offeror is the actual manufacturer of these items. Failure to submit the Material Safety Data Sheet prior... data. (f) Neither the requirements of this clause nor any act or failure to act by the Government shall... resistant envelope. [56 FR 55375, Oct. 25, 1991, as amended at 60 FR 34740, July 3, 1995; 62 FR 238, Jan. 2...

  19. The Envelope of Physiological Motion of the First Carpometacarpal Joint

    PubMed Central

    Crisco, Joseph J.; Patel, Tarpit; Halilaj, Eni; Moore, Douglas C.

    2015-01-01

    Much of the hand's functional capacity is due to the versatility of the motions at the thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) joint, which are presently incompletely defined. The aim of this study was to develop a mathematical model to completely describe the envelope of physiological motion of the thumb CMC joint and then to examine if there were differences in the kinematic envelope between women and men. In vivo kinematics of the first metacarpal with respect to the trapezium were computed from computed tomography (CT) volume images of 44 subjects (20M, 24F, 40.3 ± 17.7 yr) with no signs of CMC joint pathology. Kinematics of the first metacarpal were described with respect to the trapezium using helical axis of motion (HAM) variables and then modeled with discrete Fourier analysis. Each HAM variable was fit in a cyclic domain as a function of screw axis orientation in the trapezial articular plane; the RMSE of the fits was 14.5 deg, 1.4 mm, and 0.8 mm for the elevation, location, and translation, respectively. After normalizing for the larger bone size in men, no differences in the kinematic variables between sexes could be identified. Analysis of the kinematic data also revealed notable coupling of the primary rotations of the thumb with translation and internal and external rotations. This study advances our basic understanding of thumb CMC joint function and provides a complete description of the CMC joint for incorporation into future models of hand function. From a clinical perspective, our findings provide a basis for evaluating CMC pathology, especially the mechanically mediated aspects of osteoarthritis (OA), and should be used to inform artificial joint design, where accurate replication of kinematics is essential for long-term success. PMID:26201612

  20. Cold CO Gas in the Envelopes of FU Orionis-type Young Eruptive Stars

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kóspál, Á.; Ábrahám, P.; Moór, A.

    FU Orionis-type objects (FUors) are young stellar objects experiencing large optical outbursts due to highly enhanced accretion from the circumstellar disk onto the star. FUors are often surrounded by massive envelopes, which play a significant role in the outburst mechanism. Conversely, the subsequent eruptions might gradually clear up the obscuring envelope material and drive the protostar on its way to become a disk-only T Tauri star. Here we present an APEX {sup 12}CO and {sup 13}CO survey of eight southern and equatorial FUors. We measure the mass of the gaseous material surrounding our targets, locate the source of the COmore » emission, and derive physical parameters for the envelopes and outflows, where detected. Our results support the evolutionary scenario where FUors represent a transition phase from envelope-surrounded protostars to classical T Tauri stars.« less

  1. Performative building envelope design correlated to solar radiation and cooling energy consumption

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jacky, Thiodore; Santoni

    2017-11-01

    Climate change as an ongoing anthropogenic environmental challenge is predominantly caused by an amplification in the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs), notably carbon dioxide (CO2) in building sector. Global CO2 emissions are emitted from HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) occupation to provide thermal comfort in building. In fact, the amount of energy used for cooling or heating building is implication of building envelope design. Building envelope acts as interface layer of heat transfer between outdoor environment and the interior of a building. It appears as wall, window, roof and external shading device. This paper examines performance of various design strategy on building envelope to limit solar radiation and reduce cooling loads in tropical climate. The design strategies are considering orientation, window to wall ratio, material properties, and external shading device. This research applied simulation method using Autodesk Ecotect to investigate simultaneously between variations of wall and window ratio, shading device composition and the implication to the amount of solar radiation, cooling energy consumption. Comparative analysis on the data will determine logical variation between opening and shading device composition and cooling energy consumption. Optimizing the building envelope design is crucial strategy for reducing CO2 emissions and long-term energy reduction in building sector. Simulation technology as feedback loop will lead to better performative building envelope.

  2. Safety performance factor.

    PubMed

    Venkataraman, Naray

    2008-01-01

    Workplace safety performance is computed using frequency rate (FR) and severity rate (SR). Only work time lost due to occupational incidents that need to be reported is counted. FR and SR are the 2 most important safety performance indicators that are applied universally; however, calculations differ from country to country. All injuries and time lost should be considered while calculating safety performance. The extent of severity does not matter as every incident is counted. So, a new factor has to be defined; it should be based on the hours or days lost due to each occupational incident, irrespective of its severity. The new safety performance factor is defined as the average human-hour unit lost due to occupational accidents/incidents, including fatalities, first-aid incidents, bruises and cuts. The formula is simple and easy to apply.

  3. Seasonal benefits of a natural propolis envelope to honey bee immunity and colony health.

    PubMed

    Borba, Renata S; Klyczek, Karen K; Mogen, Kim L; Spivak, Marla

    2015-11-01

    Honey bees, as social insects, rely on collective behavioral defenses that produce a colony-level immune phenotype, or social immunity, which in turn impacts the immune response of individuals. One behavioral defense is the collection and deposition of antimicrobial plant resins, or propolis, in the nest. We tested the effect of a naturally constructed propolis envelope within standard beekeeping equipment on the pathogen and parasite load of large field colonies, and on immune system activity, virus and storage protein levels of individual bees over the course of a year. The main effect of the propolis envelope was a decreased and more uniform baseline expression of immune genes in bees during summer and autumn months each year, compared with the immune activity in bees with no propolis envelope in the colony. The most important function of the propolis envelope may be to modulate costly immune system activity. As no differences were found in levels of bacteria, pathogens and parasites between the treatment groups, the propolis envelope may act directly on the immune system, reducing the bees' need to activate the physiologically costly production of humoral immune responses. Colonies with a natural propolis envelope had increased colony strength and vitellogenin levels after surviving the winter in one of the two years of the study, despite the fact that the biological activity of the propolis diminished over the winter. A natural propolis envelope acts as an important antimicrobial layer enshrouding the colony, benefiting individual immunity and ultimately colony health. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  4. Envelope Protein Dynamics in Paramyxovirus Entry

    PubMed Central

    Plattet, Philippe; Plemper, Richard K.

    2013-01-01

    ABSTRACT Paramyxoviruses include major pathogens with significant global health and economic impact. This large family of enveloped RNA viruses infects cells by employing two surface glycoproteins that tightly cooperate to fuse their lipid envelopes with the target cell plasma membrane, an attachment and a fusion (F) protein. Membrane fusion is believed to depend on receptor-induced conformational changes within the attachment protein that lead to the activation and subsequent refolding of F. While structural and mechanistic studies have considerably advanced our insight into paramyxovirus cell adhesion and the structural basis of F refolding, how precisely the attachment protein links receptor engagement to F triggering remained poorly understood. Recent reports based on work with several paramyxovirus family members have transformed our understanding of the triggering mechanism of the membrane fusion machinery. Here, we review these recent findings, which (i) offer a broader mechanistic understanding of the paramyxovirus cell entry system, (ii) illuminate key similarities and differences between entry strategies of different paramyxovirus family members, and (iii) suggest new strategies for the development of novel therapeutics. PMID:23820396

  5. Envelope protein dynamics in paramyxovirus entry.

    PubMed

    Plattet, Philippe; Plemper, Richard K

    2013-07-02

    Paramyxoviruses include major pathogens with significant global health and economic impact. This large family of enveloped RNA viruses infects cells by employing two surface glycoproteins that tightly cooperate to fuse their lipid envelopes with the target cell plasma membrane, an attachment and a fusion (F) protein. Membrane fusion is believed to depend on receptor-induced conformational changes within the attachment protein that lead to the activation and subsequent refolding of F. While structural and mechanistic studies have considerably advanced our insight into paramyxovirus cell adhesion and the structural basis of F refolding, how precisely the attachment protein links receptor engagement to F triggering remained poorly understood. Recent reports based on work with several paramyxovirus family members have transformed our understanding of the triggering mechanism of the membrane fusion machinery. Here, we review these recent findings, which (i) offer a broader mechanistic understanding of the paramyxovirus cell entry system, (ii) illuminate key similarities and differences between entry strategies of different paramyxovirus family members, and (iii) suggest new strategies for the development of novel therapeutics.

  6. Transparent Helium in Stripped Envelope Supernovae

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Piro, Anthony L.; Morozova, Viktoriya S.

    2014-09-01

    Using simple arguments based on photometric light curves and velocity evolution, we propose that some stripped envelope supernovae (SNe) show signs that a significant fraction of their helium is effectively transparent. The main pieces of evidence are the relatively low velocities with little velocity evolution, as are expected deep inside an exploding star, along with temperatures that are too low to ionize helium. This means that the helium should not contribute to the shaping of the main SN light curve, and thus the total helium mass may be difficult to measure from simple light curve modeling. Conversely, such modeling may be more useful for constraining the mass of the carbon/oxygen core of the SN progenitor. Other stripped envelope SNe show higher velocities and larger velocity gradients, which require an additional opacity source (perhaps the mixing of heavier elements or radioactive nickel) to prevent the helium from being transparent. We discuss ways in which similar analysis can provide insights into the differences and similarities between SNe Ib and Ic, which will lead to a better understanding of their respective formation mechanisms.

  7. Enveloped Lives: Practicing Health and Care in Lithuania.

    PubMed

    Praspaliauskiene, Rima

    2016-12-01

    This article analyzes informal medical payments that the majority of Lithuanians give or feel compelled to give to doctors before or after treatment. It focuses on how patients and their caretakers encounter, practice, and enact informal payments in health care and how these payments create a reality of health care that is not limited to an economic rationality. Within such a frame, rather than being considered a gift or bribe, it conceptualizes these little white envelopes as a practice of health and care. The article shows how an envelope of money given to a doctor transcends the material patient-doctor transaction and emerges as a productive force for coping with illness, medical encounters, and misfortunes. © 2016 by the American Anthropological Association.

  8. High-performance envelopes for wood

    Treesearch

    Roger M. Rowell

    2007-01-01

    Wood can be coated with a clear finish, stained or painted to provide protection from water and ultra violet energy. In this case the coating and wood are two different phases that coexist. Another approach is to provide protection by “coating” in the surface not on the surface. Such an approach is referred to as an envelop rather than a coating. This can be done in...

  9. Phase Time and Envelope Time in Time-Distance Analysis and Acoustic Imaging

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chou, Dean-Yi; Duvall, Thomas L.; Sun, Ming-Tsung; Chang, Hsiang-Kuang; Jimenez, Antonio; Rabello-Soares, Maria Cristina; Ai, Guoxiang; Wang, Gwo-Ping; Goode Philip; Marquette, William; hide

    1999-01-01

    Time-distance analysis and acoustic imaging are two related techniques to probe the local properties of solar interior. In this study, we discuss the relation of phase time and envelope time between the two techniques. The location of the envelope peak of the cross correlation function in time-distance analysis is identified as the travel time of the wave packet formed by modes with the same w/l. The phase time of the cross correlation function provides information of the phase change accumulated along the wave path, including the phase change at the boundaries of the mode cavity. The acoustic signals constructed with the technique of acoustic imaging contain both phase and intensity information. The phase of constructed signals can be studied by computing the cross correlation function between time series constructed with ingoing and outgoing waves. In this study, we use the data taken with the Taiwan Oscillation Network (TON) instrument and the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) instrument. The analysis is carried out for the quiet Sun. We use the relation of envelope time versus distance measured in time-distance analyses to construct the acoustic signals in acoustic imaging analyses. The phase time of the cross correlation function of constructed ingoing and outgoing time series is twice the difference between the phase time and envelope time in time-distance analyses as predicted. The envelope peak of the cross correlation function between constructed ingoing and outgoing time series is located at zero time as predicted for results of one-bounce at 3 mHz for all four data sets and two-bounce at 3 mHz for two TON data sets. But it is different from zero for other cases. The cause of the deviation of the envelope peak from zero is not known.

  10. The neurovirulence and neuroinvasiveness of chimeric tick-borne encephalitis/dengue virus can be attenuated by introducing defined mutations into the envelope and NS5 protein genes and the 3' non-coding region of the genome

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Engel, Amber R., E-mail: engelam@mail.nih.go; Rumyantsev, Alexander A., E-mail: alexander.rumyantsev@sanofipasteur.co; Maximova, Olga A., E-mail: maximovao@mail.nih.go

    Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a severe disease affecting thousands of people throughout Eurasia. Despite the use of formalin-inactivated vaccines in endemic areas, an increasing incidence of TBE emphasizes the need for an alternative vaccine that will induce a more durable immunity against TBE virus (TBEV). The chimeric attenuated virus vaccine candidate containing the structural protein genes of TBEV on a dengue virus genetic background (TBEV/DEN4) retains a high level of neurovirulence in both mice and monkeys. Therefore, attenuating mutations were introduced into the envelope (E{sub 315}) and NS5 (NS5{sub 654,655}) proteins, and into the 3' non-coding region ({Delta}30) of TBEV/DEN4.more » The variant that contained all three mutations (v{Delta}30/E{sub 315}/NS5{sub 654,655}) was significantly attenuated for neuroinvasiveness and neurovirulence and displayed a reduced level of replication and virus-induced histopathology in the brains of mice. The high level of safety in the central nervous system indicates that v{Delta}30/E{sub 315}/NS5{sub 654,655} should be further evaluated as a TBEV vaccine.« less

  11. NASA System Safety Handbook. Volume 2: System Safety Concepts, Guidelines, and Implementation Examples

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dezfuli, Homayoon; Benjamin, Allan; Everett, Christopher; Feather, Martin; Rutledge, Peter; Sen, Dev; Youngblood, Robert

    2015-01-01

    This is the second of two volumes that collectively comprise the NASA System Safety Handbook. Volume 1 (NASASP-210-580) was prepared for the purpose of presenting the overall framework for System Safety and for providing the general concepts needed to implement the framework. Volume 2 provides guidance for implementing these concepts as an integral part of systems engineering and risk management. This guidance addresses the following functional areas: 1.The development of objectives that collectively define adequate safety for a system, and the safety requirements derived from these objectives that are levied on the system. 2.The conduct of system safety activities, performed to meet the safety requirements, with specific emphasis on the conduct of integrated safety analysis (ISA) as a fundamental means by which systems engineering and risk management decisions are risk-informed. 3.The development of a risk-informed safety case (RISC) at major milestone reviews to argue that the systems safety objectives are satisfied (and therefore that the system is adequately safe). 4.The evaluation of the RISC (including supporting evidence) using a defined set of evaluation criteria, to assess the veracity of the claims made therein in order to support risk acceptance decisions.

  12. Development and Implementation of a Model-Driven Envelope Protection System for In-Flight Ice Contamination

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gingras, David R.; Barnhart, Billy P.; Martos, Borja; Ratvasky, Thomas P.; Morelli, Eugene

    2011-01-01

    Fatal loss-of-control (LOC) accidents have been directly related to in-flight airframe icing. The prototype system presented in this paper directly addresses the need for real-time onboard envelope protection in icing conditions. The combinations of a-priori information and realtime aerodynamic estimations are shown to provide sufficient input for determining safe limits of the flight envelope during in-flight icing encounters. The Icing Contamination Envelope Protection (ICEPro) system has been designed and implemented to identify degradations in airplane performance and flying qualities resulting from ice contamination and provide safe flight-envelope cues to the pilot. Components of ICEPro are described and results from preliminary tests are presented.

  13. Behaviour of the vitelline envelope in Bufo arenarum oocytes matured in vitro in blockade to polyspermy.

    PubMed

    Oterino, J; Sánchez Toranzo, G; Zelarayán, L; Ajmat, M T; Bonilla, F; Bühler, M I

    2006-05-01

    During activation of amphibian eggs, cortical granule exocytosis causes elaborate ultrastructural changes in the vitelline envelope. These changes involve modifications in the structure of the vitelline envelope and formation of a fertilization envelope (FE) that can no longer be penetrated by sperm. In Bufo arenarum, as the egg traverses the oviduct, the vitelline envelope is altered by a trypsin-like protease secreted by the oviduct, which induces an increased susceptibility of the vitelline envelope to sperm lysins. Full-grown oocytes of B. arenarum, matured in vitro by progesterone, are polyspermic, although cortical granule exocytosis seems to occur within a normal chronological sequence. These oocytes can be fertilized with or without trypsin treatment, suggesting that the vitelline envelope is totally sperm-permeable. Vitelline envelopes without trypsin treatment cannot retain either gp90 or gp96. This suggests that these glycoproteins are involved in the block to polyspermy and that trypsin treatment of matured in vitro oocytes before insemination is necessary to enable vitelline envelopes to block polyspermy. The loss of the binding capacity in vitelline envelopes isolated from B. arenarum oocytes matured in vitro with trypsin treatment and activated by electric shock suggests that previous trypsin treatment is a necessary step for sperm block to occur. When in vitro matured oocytes were incubated with the product of cortical granules obtained from in vitro matured oocytes (vCGP), vitelline envelopes with trypsin treatment were able to block sperm entry. These oocytes exhibited the characteristic signs of activation. These results support the idea that B. arenarum oocytes can be activated by external stimuli and suggest the presence of unknown oocyte surface receptors linked to the activation machinery in response to fertilization. Electrophoretic profiles obtained by SDS-PAGE of solubilized vitelline envelopes from oocytes matured in vitro revealed the

  14. Cell envelopes of chemotaxis mutants of Escherichia coli rotate their flagella counterclockwise.

    PubMed Central

    Szupica, C J; Adler, J

    1985-01-01

    Flagella rotated exclusively counterclockwise in Escherichia coli cell envelopes prepared from wild-type cells, whose flagella rotated both clockwise and counterclockwise, from mutants rotating their flagella counterclockwise only, and even from mutants rotating their flagella primarily clockwise. Some factor needed for clockwise flagellar rotation appeared to be missing or defective in the cell envelopes. PMID:3884599

  15. Envelope molecular-orbital theory of extended systems. I. Electronic states of organic quasilinear nanoheterostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arce, J. C.; Perdomo-Ortiz, A.; Zambrano, M. L.; Mujica-Martínez, C.

    2011-03-01

    A conceptually appealing and computationally economical course-grained molecular-orbital (MO) theory for extended quasilinear molecular heterostructures is presented. The formalism, which is based on a straightforward adaptation, by including explicitly the vacuum, of the envelope-function approximation widely employed in solid-state physics leads to a mapping of the three-dimensional single-particle eigenvalue equations into simple one-dimensional hole and electron Schrödinger-like equations with piecewise-constant effective potentials and masses. The eigenfunctions of these equations are envelope MO's in which the short-wavelength oscillations present in the full MO's, associated with the atomistic details of the molecular potential, are smoothed out automatically. The approach is illustrated by calculating the envelope MO's of high-lying occupied and low-lying virtual π states in prototypical nanometric heterostructures constituted by oligomers of polyacetylene and polydiacetylene. Comparison with atomistic electronic-structure calculations reveals that the envelope-MO energies agree very well with the energies of the π MO's and that the envelope MO's describe precisely the long-wavelength variations of the π MO's. This envelope MO theory, which is generalizable to extended systems of any dimensionality, is seen to provide a useful tool for the qualitative interpretation and quantitative prediction of the single-particle quantum states in mesoscopic molecular structures and the design of nanometric molecular devices with tailored energy levels and wavefunctions.

  16. Defining quality in radiology.

    PubMed

    Blackmore, C Craig

    2007-04-01

    The introduction of pay for performance in medicine represents an opportunity for radiologists to define quality in radiology. Radiology quality can be defined on the basis of the production model that currently drives reimbursement, codifying the role of radiologists as being limited to the production of timely and accurate radiology reports produced in conditions of maximum patient safety and communicated in a timely manner. Alternately, quality in radiology can also encompass the professional role of radiologists as diagnostic imaging specialists responsible for the appropriate use, selection, interpretation, and application of imaging. Although potentially challenging to implement, the professional model for radiology quality is a comprehensive assessment of the ways in which radiologists add value to patient care. This essay is a discussion of the definition of radiology quality and the implications of that definition.

  17. Nuclear envelope breakdown induced by herpes simplex virus type 1 involves the activity of viral fusion proteins

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Maric, Martina; Haugo, Alison C.; Dauer, William

    2014-07-15

    Herpesvirus infection reorganizes components of the nuclear lamina usually without loss of integrity of the nuclear membranes. We report that wild-type HSV infection can cause dissolution of the nuclear envelope in transformed mouse embryonic fibroblasts that do not express torsinA. Nuclear envelope breakdown is accompanied by an eight-fold inhibition of virus replication. Breakdown of the membrane is much more limited during infection with viruses that lack the gB and gH genes, suggesting that breakdown involves factors that promote fusion at the nuclear membrane. Nuclear envelope breakdown is also inhibited during infection with virus that does not express UL34, but ismore » enhanced when the US3 gene is deleted, suggesting that envelope breakdown may be enhanced by nuclear lamina disruption. Nuclear envelope breakdown cannot compensate for deletion of the UL34 gene suggesting that mixing of nuclear and cytoplasmic contents is insufficient to bypass loss of the normal nuclear egress pathway. - Highlights: • We show that wild-type HSV can induce breakdown of the nuclear envelope in a specific cell system. • The viral fusion proteins gB and gH are required for induction of nuclear envelope breakdown. • Nuclear envelope breakdown cannot compensate for deletion of the HSV UL34 gene.« less

  18. An additional simple denitrification bioreactor using packed gel envelopes applicable to industrial wastewater treatment.

    PubMed

    Morita, Masahiko; Uemoto, Hiroaki; Watanabe, Atsushi

    2007-08-15

    A simple denitrification bioreactor for nitrate-containing wastewater without organic compounds was developed. This bioreactor consisted of packed gel envelopes in a single tank. Each envelope comprised two plates of gels containing Paracoccus denitrificans cells with an internal space between the plates. As an electron donor for denitrification, ethanol was injected into the internal space and not directly into the wastewater. P. denitrificans cells in the gel reduced nitrate to nitrogen gas by using the injected ethanol. Nitrate-containing desulfurization wastewater derived from a coal-fired thermal power plant was continuously treated with 20 packed gel envelopes (size, 1,000 x 900 x 12 mm; surface area, 1.44 m(2)) in a reactor tank (volume 1.5 m(3)). When the total nitrogen concentration in the inflow was around 150 mg-N x L(-1), the envelopes removed approximately 60-80% of the total nitrogen, and the maximum nitrogen removal rate was 5.0 g-N x day(-1) per square meter of the gel surface. This value corresponded to the volumetric nitrogen removal performance of 0.109 kg-N x m(-3) x day(-1). In each envelope, a high utilization efficiency of the electron donor was attained, although more than the double amount of the electron donor was empirically injected in the present activated sludge system to achieve denitrification when compared with the theoretical value. The bioreactor using the envelopes would be extremely effective as an additional denitrification system because these envelopes can be easily installed in the vacant spaces of preinstalled water treatment systems, without requiring additional facilities for removing surplus ethanol and sludge. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Constant envelope OFDM scheme for 6PolSK-QPSK

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Yupeng; Ding, Ding

    2018-03-01

    A constant envelope OFDM scheme with phase modulator (PM-CE-OFDM) for 6PolSK-QPSK modulation was demonstrated. Performance under large fiber launch power is measured to check its advantages in counteracting fiber nonlinear impairments. In our simulation, PM-CE-OFDM, RF-assisted constant envelope OFDM (RF-CE-OFDM) and conventional OFDM (Con-OFDM) are transmitted through 80 km standard single mode fiber (SSMF) single channel and WDM system. Simulation results confirm that PM-CE-OFDM has best performance in resisting fiber nonlinearity. In addition, benefiting from the simple system structure, the complexity and cost of PM-CE-OFDM system could be reduced effectively.

  20. Serial femtosecond X-ray diffraction of enveloped virus microcrystals

    DOE PAGES

    Lawrence, Robert M.; Conrad, Chelsie E.; Zatsepin, Nadia A.; ...

    2015-08-20

    Serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) using X-ray free-electron lasers has produced high-resolution, room temperature, time-resolved protein structures. We report preliminary SFX of Sindbis virus, an enveloped icosahedral RNA virus with ~700 Å diameter. Microcrystals delivered in viscous agarose medium diffracted to ~40 Å resolution. Small-angle diffuse X-ray scattering overlaid Bragg peaks and analysis suggests this results from molecular transforms of individual particles. Viral proteins undergo structural changes during entry and infection, which could, in principle, be studied with SFX. This is a pertinent step toward determining room temperature structures from virus microcrystals that may enable time-resolved studies of enveloped viruses.

  1. Archaeal viruses at the cell envelope: entry and egress

    PubMed Central

    Quemin, Emmanuelle R. J.; Quax, Tessa E. F.

    2015-01-01

    The cell envelope represents the main line of host defense that viruses encounter on their way from one cell to another. The cytoplasmic membrane in general is a physical barrier that needs to be crossed both upon viral entry and exit. Therefore, viruses from the three domains of life employ a wide range of strategies for perforation of the cell membrane, each adapted to the cell surface environment of their host. Here, we review recent insights on entry and egress mechanisms of viruses infecting archaea. Due to the unique nature of the archaeal cell envelope, these particular viruses exhibit novel and unexpected mechanisms to traverse the cellular membrane. PMID:26097469

  2. Carrier-envelope phase-stabilized attosecond pulses from asymmetric molecules

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lan Pengfei; Lu Peixiang; Cao Wei

    2007-08-15

    High-order harmonic generation from asymmetric molecules is investigated, and the concept of phase-stabilized infrared ultrashort laser pulses is extended to the extreme ultraviolet regime. It is shown that the ionization symmetry in consecutive half optical cycles is broken for asymmetric molecules, and both even and odd harmonics with comparable intensity are produced. In the time domain, only one attosecond pulse is generated in each cycle of the driving field, and the carrier-envelope phases of the attosecond pulses are equal. Consequently, a clean attosecond pulse train with the same carrier-envelope phase from pulse to pulse is obtained in the extreme ultravioletmore » regime.« less

  3. Interior thermal insulation systems for historical building envelopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jerman, Miloš; Solař, Miloš; Černý, Robert

    2017-11-01

    The design specifics of interior thermal insulation systems applied for historical building envelopes are described. The vapor-tight systems and systems based on capillary thermal insulation materials are taken into account as two basic options differing in building-physical considerations. The possibilities of hygrothermal analysis of renovated historical envelopes including laboratory methods, computer simulation techniques, and in-situ tests are discussed. It is concluded that the application of computational models for hygrothermal assessment of interior thermal insulation systems should always be performed with a particular care. On one hand, they present a very effective tool for both service life assessment and possible planning of subsequent reconstructions. On the other, the hygrothermal analysis of any historical building can involve quite a few potential uncertainties which may affect negatively the accuracy of obtained results.

  4. Speech rhythm analysis with decomposition of the amplitude envelope: characterizing rhythmic patterns within and across languages.

    PubMed

    Tilsen, Sam; Arvaniti, Amalia

    2013-07-01

    This study presents a method for analyzing speech rhythm using empirical mode decomposition of the speech amplitude envelope, which allows for extraction and quantification of syllabic- and supra-syllabic time-scale components of the envelope. The method of empirical mode decomposition of a vocalic energy amplitude envelope is illustrated in detail, and several types of rhythm metrics derived from this method are presented. Spontaneous speech extracted from the Buckeye Corpus is used to assess the effect of utterance length on metrics, and it is shown how metrics representing variability in the supra-syllabic time-scale components of the envelope can be used to identify stretches of speech with targeted rhythmic characteristics. Furthermore, the envelope-based metrics are used to characterize cross-linguistic differences in speech rhythm in the UC San Diego Speech Lab corpus of English, German, Greek, Italian, Korean, and Spanish speech elicited in read sentences, read passages, and spontaneous speech. The envelope-based metrics exhibit significant effects of language and elicitation method that argue for a nuanced view of cross-linguistic rhythm patterns.

  5. Do postage stamps versus pre-paid envelopes increase responses to patient mail surveys? A randomised controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Lavelle, Katrina; Todd, Chris; Campbell, Malcolm

    2008-05-28

    Studies largely from the market research field suggest that the inclusion of a stamped addressed envelope, rather than a pre-paid business reply, increases the response rate to mail surveys. The evidence that this is also the case regarding patient mail surveys is limited. The aim of this study is to investigate whether stamped addressed envelopes increase response rates to patient mail surveys compared to pre-paid business reply envelopes and compare the relative costs. A sample of 477 initial non-responders to a mail survey of patients attending breast clinics in Greater Manchester between 1/10/2002 - 31/7/2003 were entered into the trial: 239 were randomly allocated to receive a stamped envelope and 238 to receive a pre-paid envelope in with their reminder surveys. Overall cost and per item returned were calculated. The response to the stamped envelope group was 31.8% (95% CI: 25.9% - 37.7%) compared to 26.9% (21.3% - 32.5%) for the pre-paid group. The difference (4.9% 95% CI: -3.3% - 13.1%) is not significant at alpha = 0.05 (chi2 = 1.39; 2 tailed test, d.f. = 1; P = 0.239). The stamped envelopes were cheaper in terms of cost per returned item (1.20 pounds) than the pre-paid envelopes (1.67 pounds). However if the set up cost for the licence to use the pre-paid service is excluded, the cost of the stamped envelopes is more expensive than pre-paid returns (1.20 pounds versus 0.73 pounds). Compared with pre-paid business replies, stamped envelopes did not produce a statistically significant increase in response rate to this patient survey. However, the response gain of the stamped strategy (4.9%) is similar to that demonstrated in a Cochrane review (5.3%) of strategies to increase response to general mail surveys. Further studies and meta analyses of patient responses to mail surveys via stamped versus pre-paid envelopes are needed with sufficient power to detect response gains of this magnitude in a patient population.

  6. The resource envelope as a basis for space station management system scheduling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bush, Joy; Critchfield, Anna

    1987-01-01

    The Platform Management System (PMS) Resource Envelope Scheduling System (PRESS) expert system prototype developed for space station scheduling is described. The purpose of developing the prototype was too investigate the resource envelope concept in a practical scheduling application, using a commercially available expert system shell. PRESS is being developed on an IBM PC/AT using Teknowledge, Inc.'s M.1 expert system shell.

  7. Potent virucidal effect of pheophorbide a and pyropheophorbide a on enveloped viruses.

    PubMed

    Bouslama, Lamjed; Hayashi, Kyoko; Lee, Jung-Bum; Ghorbel, Abdelwahed; Hayashi, Toshimitsu

    2011-01-01

    In this study, we evaluated the inhibitory effect of ethanol and aqueous extracts from a stem of Opuntia ficus indica on replication of three kinds of viruses: two enveloped viruses [herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), influenza A virus (IFV-A)], and one non-enveloped virus [poliovirus type 1 (PV-1)]. Only ethanol extract from the cactus stem showed significant antiviral activity in vitro. Two chlorophyll derivatives, pheophorbide a and pyropheophorbide a, were isolated as active substances exhibiting potent virucidal effects on HSV-2 and IFV-A, but no activity against PV-1 was observed. These findings suggest that these active compounds might recognize specific glycoproteins of enveloped viruses, precluding their binding to host cell receptors and inhibiting viral infections.

  8. [Realization of Heart Sound Envelope Extraction Implemented on LabVIEW Based on Hilbert-Huang Transform].

    PubMed

    Tan, Zhixiang; Zhang, Yi; Zeng, Deping; Wang, Hua

    2015-04-01

    We proposed a research of a heart sound envelope extraction system in this paper. The system was implemented on LabVIEW based on the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT). We firstly used the sound card to collect the heart sound, and then implemented the complete system program of signal acquisition, pretreatment and envelope extraction on LabVIEW based on the theory of HHT. Finally, we used a case to prove that the system could collect heart sound, preprocess and extract the envelope easily. The system was better to retain and show the characteristics of heart sound envelope, and its program and methods were important to other researches, such as those on the vibration and voice, etc.

  9. Gene Targeting of Envoplakin, a Cytoskeletal Linker Protein and Precursor of the Epidermal Cornified Envelope

    PubMed Central

    Määttä, Arto; DiColandrea, Teresa; Groot, Karen; Watt, Fiona M.

    2001-01-01

    Envoplakin, a member of the plakin family of cytoskeletal linker proteins, is localized in desmosomes of stratified epithelial cells and is a component of the epidermal cornified envelope. Gene targeting in mouse embryonic stem cells was used to generate a null allele of envoplakin. No envoplakin transcripts from the targeted allele could be detected in the skin of newborn mice. Mice homozygous for the targeted allele were born in the normal Mendelian ratio and were fertile. They did not develop any discernible pathological phenotype up to the age of 1 year. The ultrastructural appearance of cornified envelopes from adult epidermis was indistinguishable between wild-type and knockout mice, and there was no evidence that the absence of envoplakin affected the subcellular distribution of periplakin or desmoplakin, two other plakins found in desmosomes. The proportion of immature cornified envelopes in the epidermis of newborn mice was greater in envoplakin-null animals than in heterozygous littermates or wild-type mice, and the envelopes had a larger surface area. This correlated with a slight delay in barrier acquisition during embryonic development. We conclude that although envoplakin is part of the scaffolding on which the cornified envelope is assembled, it is not essential for envelope formation or epidermal barrier function. PMID:11564887

  10. IRC +10 216 in 3D: morphology of a TP-AGB star envelope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guélin, M.; Patel, N. A.; Bremer, M.; Cernicharo, J.; Castro-Carrizo, A.; Pety, J.; Fonfría, J. P.; Agúndez, M.; Santander-García, M.; Quintana-Lacaci, G.; Velilla Prieto, L.; Blundell, R.; Thaddeus, P.

    2018-02-01

    During their late pulsating phase, AGB stars expel most of their mass in the form of massive dusty envelopes, an event that largely controls the composition of interstellar matter. The envelopes, however, are distant and opaque to visible and NIR radiation: their structure remains poorly known and the mass-loss process poorly understood. Millimeter-wave interferometry, which combines the advantages of longer wavelength, high angular resolution and very high spectral resolution is the optimal investigative tool for this purpose. Mm waves pass through dust with almost no attenuation. Their spectrum is rich in molecular lines and hosts the fundamental lines of the ubiquitous CO molecule, allowing a tomographic reconstruction of the envelope structure. The circumstellar envelope IRC +10 216 and its central star, the C-rich TP-AGB star closest to the Sun, are the best objects for such an investigation. Two years ago, we reported the first detailed study of the CO(2-1) line emission in that envelope, made with the IRAM 30-m telescope. It revealed a series of dense gas shells, expanding at a uniform radial velocity. The limited resolution of the telescope (HPBW 11″) did not allow us to resolve the shell structure. We now report much higher angular resolution observations of CO(2-1), CO(1-0), CN(2-1) and C4H(24-23) made with the SMA, PdB and ALMA interferometers (with synthesized half-power beamwidths of 3″, 1″ and 0.3″, respectively). Although the envelope appears much more intricate at high resolution than with an 11″ beam, its prevailing structure remains a pattern of thin, nearly concentric shells. The average separation between the brightest CO shells is 16″ in the outer envelope, where it appears remarkably constant. Closer to the star (<40″), the shell pattern is denser and less regular, showing intermediary arcs. Outside the small (r< 0.3'') dust formation zone, the gas appears to expand radially at a constant velocity, 14.5 km s-1, with small

  11. CS2 analysis in presence of non-Gaussian background noise - Effect on traditional estimators and resilience of log-envelope indicators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Borghesani, P.; Antoni, J.

    2017-06-01

    Second-order cyclostationary (CS2) analysis has become popular in the field of machine diagnostics and a series of digital signal processing techniques have been developed to extract CS2 components from the background noise. Among those techniques, squared envelope spectrum (SES) and cyclic modulation spectrum (CMS) have gained popularity thanks to their high computational efficiency and simple implementation. The effectiveness of CMS and SES has been previously quantified based on the hypothesis of Gaussian background noise and has led to statistical tests for the presence of CS2 peaks in squared envelope spectra and cyclic modulation spectra. However a recently established link of CMS with SES and of SES with kurtosis has exposed a potential weakness of those indicators in the case of highly leptokurtic background noise. This case is often present in practice when the machine is subjected to highly impulsive phenomena, either due to harsh operating conditions or to electric noise generated by power electronics and captured by the sensor. This study investigates and quantifies for the first time the effect of leptokurtic noise on the capabilities of SES and CMS, by analysing three progressively harsh situations: high kurtosis, infinite kurtosis and alpha-stable background noise (for which even first and second-order moments are not defined). Then the resilience of a recently proposed family of CS2 indicators, based on the log-envelope, is verified analytically, numerically and experimentally in the case of highly leptokurtic noise.

  12. Envelope responses in single-trial EEG indicate attended speaker in a “cocktail party”

    PubMed Central

    Horton, Cort; Srinivasan, Ramesh; D’Zmura, Michael

    2014-01-01

    Objective Recent studies have shown that auditory cortex better encodes the envelope of attended speech than that of unattended speech during multi-speaker (“cocktail party”) situations. We investigated whether these differences were sufficiently robust within single-trial EEG data to accurately determine where subjects attended. Additionally, we compared this measure to other established EEG markers of attention. Approach High-resolution EEG was recorded while subjects engaged in a two-speaker “cocktail party” task. Cortical responses to speech envelopes were extracted by cross-correlating the envelopes with each EEG channel. We also measured steady-state responses (elicited via high-frequency amplitude modulation of the speech) and alpha-band power, both of which have been sensitive to attention in previous studies. Using linear classifiers, we then examined how well each of these features could be used to predict the subjects’ side of attention at various epoch lengths. Main Results We found that the attended speaker could be determined reliably from the envelope responses calculated from short periods of EEG, with accuracy improving as a function of sample length. Furthermore, envelope responses were far better indicators of attention than changes in either alpha power or steady-state responses. Significance These results suggest that envelope-related signals recorded in EEG data can be used to form robust auditory BCI’s that do not require artificial manipulation (e.g., amplitude modulation) of stimuli to function. PMID:24963838

  13. Discriminating Dysarthria Type from Envelope Modulation Spectra

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liss, Julie M.; LeGendre, Sue; Lotto, Andrew J.

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: Previous research demonstrated the ability of temporally based rhythm metrics to distinguish among dysarthrias with different prosodic deficit profiles (J. M. Liss et al., 2009). The authors examined whether comparable results could be obtained by an automated analysis of speech envelope modulation spectra (EMS), which quantifies the…

  14. Envelope Interactions in Multi-Channel Amplitude Modulation Frequency Discrimination by Cochlear Implant Users.

    PubMed

    Galvin, John J; Oba, Sandra I; Başkent, Deniz; Chatterjee, Monita; Fu, Qian-Jie

    2015-01-01

    Previous cochlear implant (CI) studies have shown that single-channel amplitude modulation frequency discrimination (AMFD) can be improved when coherent modulation is delivered to additional channels. It is unclear whether the multi-channel advantage is due to increased loudness, multiple envelope representations, or to component channels with better temporal processing. Measuring envelope interference may shed light on how modulated channels can be combined. In this study, multi-channel AMFD was measured in CI subjects using a 3-alternative forced-choice, non-adaptive procedure ("which interval is different?"). For the reference stimulus, the reference AM (100 Hz) was delivered to all 3 channels. For the probe stimulus, the target AM (101, 102, 104, 108, 116, 132, 164, 228, or 256 Hz) was delivered to 1 of 3 channels, and the reference AM (100 Hz) delivered to the other 2 channels. The spacing between electrodes was varied to be wide or narrow to test different degrees of channel interaction. Results showed that CI subjects were highly sensitive to interactions between the reference and target envelopes. However, performance was non-monotonic as a function of target AM frequency. For the wide spacing, there was significantly less envelope interaction when the target AM was delivered to the basal channel. For the narrow spacing, there was no effect of target AM channel. The present data were also compared to a related previous study in which the target AM was delivered to a single channel or to all 3 channels. AMFD was much better with multiple than with single channels whether the target AM was delivered to 1 of 3 or to all 3 channels. For very small differences between the reference and target AM frequencies (2-4 Hz), there was often greater sensitivity when the target AM was delivered to 1 of 3 channels versus all 3 channels, especially for narrowly spaced electrodes. Besides the increased loudness, the present results also suggest that multiple envelope

  15. Envelope contributions to the representation of interaural time difference in the forebrain of barn owls.

    PubMed

    Tellers, Philipp; Lehmann, Jessica; Führ, Hartmut; Wagner, Hermann

    2017-09-01

    Birds and mammals use the interaural time difference (ITD) for azimuthal sound localization. While barn owls can use the ITD of the stimulus carrier frequency over nearly their entire hearing range, mammals have to utilize the ITD of the stimulus envelope to extend the upper frequency limit of ITD-based sound localization. ITD is computed and processed in a dedicated neural circuit that consists of two pathways. In the barn owl, ITD representation is more complex in the forebrain than in the midbrain pathway because of the combination of two inputs that represent different ITDs. We speculated that one of the two inputs includes an envelope contribution. To estimate the envelope contribution, we recorded ITD response functions for correlated and anticorrelated noise stimuli in the barn owl's auditory arcopallium. Our findings indicate that barn owls, like mammals, represent both carrier and envelope ITDs of overlapping frequency ranges, supporting the hypothesis that carrier and envelope ITD-based localization are complementary beyond a mere extension of the upper frequency limit. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The results presented in this study show for the first time that the barn owl is able to extract and represent the interaural time difference (ITD) information conveyed by the envelope of a broadband acoustic signal. Like mammals, the barn owl extracts the ITD of the envelope and the carrier of a signal from the same frequency range. These results are of general interest, since they reinforce a trend found in neural signal processing across different species. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

  16. Abnormal nuclear envelopes in the striatum and motor deficits in DYT11 myoclonus-dystonia mouse models.

    PubMed

    Yokoi, Fumiaki; Dang, Mai T; Zhou, Tong; Li, Yuqing

    2012-02-15

    DYT11 myoclonus-dystonia (M-D) is a movement disorder characterized by myoclonic jerks with dystonic symptoms and caused by mutations in paternally expressed SGCE, which codes for ε-sarcoglycan. Paternally inherited Sgce heterozygous knock-out (KO) mice exhibit motor deficits and spontaneous myoclonus. Abnormal nuclear envelopes have been reported in cellular and mouse models of early-onset DYT1 generalized torsion dystonia; however, the relationship between the abnormal nuclear envelopes and motor symptoms are not clear. Furthermore, it is not known whether abnormal nuclear envelope exists in non-DYT1 dystonia. In the present study, abnormal nuclear envelopes in the striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) were found in Sgce KO mice. To analyze whether the loss of ε-sarcoglycan in the striatum alone causes abnormal nuclear envelopes, motor deficits or myoclonus, we produced paternally inherited striatum-specific Sgce conditional KO (Sgce sKO) mice and analyzed their phenotypes. Sgce sKO mice exhibited motor deficits in both beam-walking and accelerated rotarod tests, while they did not exhibit abnormal nuclear envelopes, alteration in locomotion, or myoclonus. The results suggest that the loss of ε-sarcoglycan in the striatum contributes to motor deficits, while it alone does not produce abnormal nuclear envelopes or myoclonus. Development of therapies targeting the striatum to compensate for the loss of ε-sarcoglycan function may rescue the motor deficits in DYT11 M-D patients.

  17. Maximum Torque and Momentum Envelopes for Reaction Wheel Arrays

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Markley, F. Landis; Reynolds, Reid G.; Liu, Frank X.; Lebsock, Kenneth L.

    2009-01-01

    Spacecraft reaction wheel maneuvers are limited by the maximum torque and/or angular momentum that the wheels can provide. For an n-wheel configuration, the torque or momentum envelope can be obtained by projecting the n-dimensional hypercube, representing the domain boundary of individual wheel torques or momenta, into three dimensional space via the 3xn matrix of wheel axes. In this paper, the properties of the projected hypercube are discussed, and algorithms are proposed for determining this maximal torque or momentum envelope for general wheel configurations. Practical strategies for distributing a prescribed torque or momentum among the n wheels are presented, with special emphasis on configurations of four, five, and six wheels.

  18. Envelope and intensity based prediction of psychoacoustic masking and speech intelligibility.

    PubMed

    Biberger, Thomas; Ewert, Stephan D

    2016-08-01

    Human auditory perception and speech intelligibility have been successfully described based on the two concepts of spectral masking and amplitude modulation (AM) masking. The power-spectrum model (PSM) [Patterson and Moore (1986). Frequency Selectivity in Hearing, pp. 123-177] accounts for effects of spectral masking and critical bandwidth, while the envelope power-spectrum model (EPSM) [Ewert and Dau (2000). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 108, 1181-1196] has been successfully applied to AM masking and discrimination. Both models extract the long-term (envelope) power to calculate signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). Recently, the EPSM has been applied to speech intelligibility (SI) considering the short-term envelope SNR on various time scales (multi-resolution speech-based envelope power-spectrum model; mr-sEPSM) to account for SI in fluctuating noise [Jørgensen, Ewert, and Dau (2013). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 134, 436-446]. Here, a generalized auditory model is suggested combining the classical PSM and the mr-sEPSM to jointly account for psychoacoustics and speech intelligibility. The model was extended to consider the local AM depth in conditions with slowly varying signal levels, and the relative role of long-term and short-term SNR was assessed. The suggested generalized power-spectrum model is shown to account for a large variety of psychoacoustic data and to predict speech intelligibility in various types of background noise.

  19. Role of the Phosphatidylserine Receptor TIM-1 in Enveloped-Virus Entry

    PubMed Central

    Moller-Tank, Sven; Kondratowicz, Andrew S.; Davey, Robert A.; Rennert, Paul D.

    2013-01-01

    The cell surface receptor T cell immunoglobulin mucin domain 1 (TIM-1) dramatically enhances filovirus infection of epithelial cells. Here, we showed that key phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) binding residues of the TIM-1 IgV domain are critical for Ebola virus (EBOV) entry through direct interaction with PtdSer on the viral envelope. PtdSer liposomes but not phosphatidylcholine liposomes competed with TIM-1 for EBOV pseudovirion binding and transduction. Further, annexin V (AnxV) substituted for the TIM-1 IgV domain, supporting a PtdSer-dependent mechanism. Our findings suggest that TIM-1-dependent uptake of EBOV occurs by apoptotic mimicry. Additionally, TIM-1 enhanced infection of a wide range of enveloped viruses, including alphaviruses and a baculovirus. As further evidence of the critical role of enveloped-virion-associated PtdSer in TIM-1-mediated uptake, TIM-1 enhanced internalization of pseudovirions and virus-like proteins (VLPs) lacking a glycoprotein, providing evidence that TIM-1 and PtdSer-binding receptors can mediate virus uptake independent of a glycoprotein. These results provide evidence for a broad role of TIM-1 as a PtdSer-binding receptor that mediates enveloped-virus uptake. Utilization of PtdSer-binding receptors may explain the wide tropism of many of these viruses and provide new avenues for controlling their virulence. PMID:23698310

  20. Perception of stochastic envelopes by normal-hearing and cochlear-implant listeners

    PubMed Central

    Gomersall, Philip A.; Turner, Richard E.; Baguley, David M.; Deeks, John M.; Gockel, Hedwig E.; Carlyon, Robert P.

    2016-01-01

    We assessed auditory sensitivity to three classes of temporal-envelope statistics (modulation depth, modulation rate, and comodulation) that are important for the perception of ‘sound textures’. The textures were generated by a probabilistic model that prescribes the temporal statistics of a selected number of modulation envelopes, superimposed onto noise carriers. Discrimination thresholds were measured for normal-hearing (NH) listeners and users of a MED-EL pulsar cochlear implant (CI), for separate manipulations of the average rate and modulation depth of the envelope in each frequency band of the stimulus, and of the co-modulation between bands. Normal-hearing (NH) listeners' discrimination of envelope rate was similar for baseline modulation rates of 5 and 34 Hz, and much poorer than previously reported for sinusoidally amplitude-modulated sounds. In contrast, discrimination of model parameters that controlled modulation depth was poorer at the lower baseline rate, consistent with the idea that, at the lower rate, subjects get fewer ‘looks’ at the relevant information when comparing stimuli differing in modulation depth. NH listeners could discriminate differences in co-modulation across bands; a multidimensional scaling study revealed that this was likely due to genuine across-frequency processing, rather than within-channel cues. CI users' discrimination performance was worse overall than for NH listeners, but showed a similar dependence on stimulus parameters. PMID:26706708

  1. 10 CFR 434.516 - Building exterior envelope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... Proposed Design, the envelope characteristics of the Proposed Design shall be used. 516.2 Infiltration. For Prototype and Reference Buildings, the infiltration assumptions in subsection 516.2.1 shall be prescribed.... Infiltration shall impact perimeter zones only. 516.2.1 When the HVAC system is switched “on,” no infiltration...

  2. The laboratory investigation of surface envelope solitons: reflection from a vertical wall and collisions of solitons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Slunyaev, Alexey; Klein, Marco; Clauss, Günther F.

    2016-04-01

    Envelope soliton solutions are key elements governing the nonlinear wave dynamics within a simplified theory for unidirectional weakly modulated weakly nonlinear wave groups on the water surface. Within integrable models the solitons preserve their structure in collisions with other waves; they do not disperse and can carry energy infinitively long. Steep and short soliton-like wave groups have been shown to exist in laboratory tests [1] and, even earlier, in numerical simulations [2, 3]. Thus, long-living wave groups may play important role in the dynamics of intense sea waves and wave-structure interactions. The solitary wave groups may change the wave statistics and can be taken into account when developing approaches for the deterministic forecasting of dangerous waves, including so-called rogue waves. An experimental campaign has been conducted in the wave basin of the Technical University of Berlin on simulations of intense solitary wave groups. The first successful experimental observation of intense envelope solitons took place in this facility [1]. The new experiments aimed at following main goals: 1) to reproduce intense envelope solitons with different carrier wave lengths; 2) to estimate the rate of envelope soliton dissipation; 3) to consider the reflection of envelope solitons on a vertical wall; 4) to consider head-on collisions of envelope solitons, and 5) to consider overtaking interactions of envelope solitons. Up to 9 wave gauges were used in each experimental run, which enabled registration of the surface movement at different distances from the wavemaker, at different locations across the wave flume and near the wall. Besides surface displacements, the group envelope shapes were directly recorded, with use of phase shifts applied to the modulated waves generated by the wavemaker. [1] A. Slunyaev, G.F. Clauss, M. Klein, M. Onorato, Simulations and experiments of short intense envelope solitons of surface water waves. Phys. Fluids 25, 067105

  3. Full-Envelope Launch Abort System Performance Analysis Methodology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Aubuchon, Vanessa V.

    2014-01-01

    The implementation of a new dispersion methodology is described, which dis-perses abort initiation altitude or time along with all other Launch Abort System (LAS) parameters during Monte Carlo simulations. In contrast, the standard methodology assumes that an abort initiation condition is held constant (e.g., aborts initiated at altitude for Mach 1, altitude for maximum dynamic pressure, etc.) while dispersing other LAS parameters. The standard method results in large gaps in performance information due to the discrete nature of initiation conditions, while the full-envelope dispersion method provides a significantly more comprehensive assessment of LAS abort performance for the full launch vehicle ascent flight envelope and identifies performance "pinch-points" that may occur at flight conditions outside of those contained in the discrete set. The new method has significantly increased the fidelity of LAS abort simulations and confidence in the results.

  4. Computing the Envelope for Stepwise Constant Resource Allocations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Muscettola, Nicola; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    Estimating tight resource level is a fundamental problem in the construction of flexible plans with resource utilization. In this paper we describe an efficient algorithm that builds a resource envelope, the tightest possible such bound. The algorithm is based on transforming the temporal network of resource consuming and producing events into a flow network with noises equal to the events and edges equal to the necessary predecessor links between events. The incremental solution of a staged maximum flow problem on the network is then used to compute the time of occurrence and the height of each step of the resource envelope profile. The staged algorithm has the same computational complexity of solving a maximum flow problem on the entire flow network. This makes this method computationally feasible for use in the inner loop of search-based scheduling algorithms.

  5. Computing the Envelope for Stepwise-Constant Resource Allocations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Muscettola, Nicola; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    Computing tight resource-level bounds is a fundamental problem in the construction of flexible plans with resource utilization. In this paper we describe an efficient algorithm that builds a resource envelope, the tightest possible such bound. The algorithm is based on transforming the temporal network of resource consuming and producing events into a flow network with nodes equal to the events and edges equal to the necessary predecessor links between events. A staged maximum flow problem on the network is then used to compute the time of occurrence and the height of each step of the resource envelope profile. Each stage has the same computational complexity of solving a maximum flow problem on the entire flow network. This makes this method computationally feasible and promising for use in the inner loop of flexible-time scheduling algorithms.

  6. Evaluation of ISO CRS Envelopes Relative to U.S. Vehicles and Child Restraint Systems.

    PubMed

    Hu, Jingwen; Manary, Miriam A; Klinich, Kathleen D; Reed, Matthew P

    2015-01-01

    The objectives of this study are to use computer simulation to evaluate the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 13216-3:2006(E) child restraint system (CRS) envelopes relative to rear seat compartments from vehicles and CRSs in the U.S. market, investigate the potential compatibility issues of U.S. vehicles and CRSs, and demonstrate whether necessary modifications can be made to introduce such a system into compatibility evaluations between U.S. vehicles and CRSs. Three-dimensional geometry models for 26 vehicles and 16 convertible CRS designs developed previously were used. Geometry models of 3 forward-facing and 3 rear-facing CRS envelopes provided by the ISO were built in the current study. The virtual fit process closely followed the physical procedures described in the ISO standards. The results showed that the current ISO rear-facing envelopes can provide reasonable classifications for CRSs and vehicles, but the forward-facing envelopes do not represent products currently in the U.S. market. In particular, all of the selected vehicles could accommodate the largest forward-facing CRS envelope at the second-row seat location behind the driver seat. In contrast, half of the selected CRSs could not fit within any of the forward-facing ISO CRS envelopes, mainly due to protrusion at the rear-top corner of the envelope. The results also indicate that the rear seat compartment in U.S. vehicles often cannot accommodate a large portion of convertible CRSs in the rear-facing position. The increased demand for vehicle fuel economy and the recommendation to keep children rear-facing longer may lead to smaller cars and larger CRSs, which may increase the potential for fit problems. The virtual classifications indicated that contact between the forward-facing CRSs and the head restraints in the rear seats as well as that between the rear-facing CRSs and the back of the front seats is a main concern regarding the compatibility between the vehicles and the

  7. Incipient failure detection of space shuttle main engine turbopump bearings using vibration envelope detection

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hopson, Charles B.

    1987-01-01

    The results of an analysis performed on seven successive Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) static test firings, utilizing envelope detection of external accelerometer data are discussed. The results clearly show the great potential for using envelope detection techniques in SSME incipient failure detection.

  8. Envelope statistics of self-motion signals experienced by human subjects during everyday activities: Implications for vestibular processing.

    PubMed

    Carriot, Jérome; Jamali, Mohsen; Cullen, Kathleen E; Chacron, Maurice J

    2017-01-01

    There is accumulating evidence that the brain's neural coding strategies are constrained by natural stimulus statistics. Here we investigated the statistics of the time varying envelope (i.e. a second-order stimulus attribute that is related to variance) of rotational and translational self-motion signals experienced by human subjects during everyday activities. We found that envelopes can reach large values across all six motion dimensions (~450 deg/s for rotations and ~4 G for translations). Unlike results obtained in other sensory modalities, the spectral power of envelope signals decreased slowly for low (< 2 Hz) and more sharply for high (>2 Hz) temporal frequencies and thus was not well-fit by a power law. We next compared the spectral properties of envelope signals resulting from active and passive self-motion, as well as those resulting from signals obtained when the subject is absent (i.e. external stimuli). Our data suggest that different mechanisms underlie deviation from scale invariance in rotational and translational self-motion envelopes. Specifically, active self-motion and filtering by the human body cause deviation from scale invariance primarily for translational and rotational envelope signals, respectively. Finally, we used well-established models in order to predict the responses of peripheral vestibular afferents to natural envelope stimuli. We found that irregular afferents responded more strongly to envelopes than their regular counterparts. Our findings have important consequences for understanding the coding strategies used by the vestibular system to process natural second-order self-motion signals.

  9. Envelope statistics of self-motion signals experienced by human subjects during everyday activities: Implications for vestibular processing

    PubMed Central

    Carriot, Jérome; Jamali, Mohsen; Cullen, Kathleen E.

    2017-01-01

    There is accumulating evidence that the brain’s neural coding strategies are constrained by natural stimulus statistics. Here we investigated the statistics of the time varying envelope (i.e. a second-order stimulus attribute that is related to variance) of rotational and translational self-motion signals experienced by human subjects during everyday activities. We found that envelopes can reach large values across all six motion dimensions (~450 deg/s for rotations and ~4 G for translations). Unlike results obtained in other sensory modalities, the spectral power of envelope signals decreased slowly for low (< 2 Hz) and more sharply for high (>2 Hz) temporal frequencies and thus was not well-fit by a power law. We next compared the spectral properties of envelope signals resulting from active and passive self-motion, as well as those resulting from signals obtained when the subject is absent (i.e. external stimuli). Our data suggest that different mechanisms underlie deviation from scale invariance in rotational and translational self-motion envelopes. Specifically, active self-motion and filtering by the human body cause deviation from scale invariance primarily for translational and rotational envelope signals, respectively. Finally, we used well-established models in order to predict the responses of peripheral vestibular afferents to natural envelope stimuli. We found that irregular afferents responded more strongly to envelopes than their regular counterparts. Our findings have important consequences for understanding the coding strategies used by the vestibular system to process natural second-order self-motion signals. PMID:28575032

  10. The influence of grain growth in circumstellar dust envelopes on observed colors and polarization of some eruptive stars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Efimov, Yu. S.

    1989-01-01

    R CrB stars are classical examples of stars where dust envelope formation takes place. Dust envelope formation was detected around the Kuwano-Honda object (PU Vul) in 1980 to 1981 when the star's brightness fell to 8(sup m). Such envelopes are also formed at nova outbursts. The process of dust envelope formation leads to appreciable variations in optical characteristics, which are seen in specific color and polarization variations in the course of light fading and the appearance of IR radiation. It is shown that the model of a circumstellar dust envelope with aligned particles of changing size can be successfully applied to explain most phenomena observed at the time of light minima for a number of eruptive stars. The polarization may arise in a nonspherical dust envelope or be produced by alignment of nonspherical particles.

  11. Safety in the Physics Laboratory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bullen, Brother T. G.

    1974-01-01

    Briefly defines the legal aspects of safety. Presents prominent safety hazards and procedures that should be followed when dealing with electricity, radioactive materials, lasers, poisons, and vacuum apparatus. (GS)

  12. Genetic interaction maps in Escherichia coli reveal functional crosstalk among cell envelope biogenesis pathways.

    PubMed

    Babu, Mohan; Díaz-Mejía, J Javier; Vlasblom, James; Gagarinova, Alla; Phanse, Sadhna; Graham, Chris; Yousif, Fouad; Ding, Huiming; Xiong, Xuejian; Nazarians-Armavil, Anaies; Alamgir, Md; Ali, Mehrab; Pogoutse, Oxana; Pe'er, Asaf; Arnold, Roland; Michaut, Magali; Parkinson, John; Golshani, Ashkan; Whitfield, Chris; Wodak, Shoshana J; Moreno-Hagelsieb, Gabriel; Greenblatt, Jack F; Emili, Andrew

    2011-11-01

    As the interface between a microbe and its environment, the bacterial cell envelope has broad biological and clinical significance. While numerous biosynthesis genes and pathways have been identified and studied in isolation, how these intersect functionally to ensure envelope integrity during adaptive responses to environmental challenge remains unclear. To this end, we performed high-density synthetic genetic screens to generate quantitative functional association maps encompassing virtually the entire cell envelope biosynthetic machinery of Escherichia coli under both auxotrophic (rich medium) and prototrophic (minimal medium) culture conditions. The differential patterns of genetic interactions detected among > 235,000 digenic mutant combinations tested reveal unexpected condition-specific functional crosstalk and genetic backup mechanisms that ensure stress-resistant envelope assembly and maintenance. These networks also provide insights into the global systems connectivity and dynamic functional reorganization of a universal bacterial structure that is both broadly conserved among eubacteria (including pathogens) and an important target.

  13. Structural studies on Rauscher murine leukemia virus: isolation and characterization of viral envelopes.

    PubMed Central

    van de Ven, W J; Vermorken, A J; Onnekink, C; Bloemers, H P; Bloemendal, H

    1978-01-01

    A preparative method for isolating pure viral envelopes from a type-C RNA tumor virus, Rauscher murine leukemia virus, is described. Fractionation of virions of Rauscher murine leukemia virus was studied after disruption of the virions with the detergents sodium dodecyl sulfate of Nonidet P-40 in combination with ether. Fractionation was performed through flotation in a discontinuous sucrose gradient and, as appeared from electron microscopic examination, a pure viral envelope fraction was obtained in this way. By use of sensitive competition radioimmunoassays or sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis after immunoprecipitation with polyvalent and monospecific antisera directed against Rauscher murine leukemia virus proteins, the amount of the gag and env gene-encoded structural polypeptides in the virions and the isolated envelope fraction was compared. The predominant viral structural polypeptides in the purified envelope fraction were the env gene-encoded polypeptides gp70, p15(E), and p12(E), whereas, except for p15, there was only a relatively small amount of the gag gene-encoded structural polypeptides in this fraction. Images PMID:702639

  14. Synthesis and assembly of Hepatitis B virus envelope protein-derived particles in Escherichia coli.

    PubMed

    Li, Hao; Onbe, Keisuke; Liu, Qiushi; Iijima, Masumi; Tatematsu, Kenji; Seno, Masaharu; Tada, Hiroko; Kuroda, Shun' Ichi

    2017-08-19

    Hepatitis B virus (HBV) envelope particles have been synthesized in eukaryotic cells (e.g., mammalian cells, insect cells, and yeast cells) as an HB vaccine immunogen and drug delivery system (DDS) nanocarrier. Many researchers had made attempts to synthesize the particles in Escherichia coli for minimize the cost and time for producing HBV envelope particles, but the protein was too deleterious to be synthesized in E. coli. In this study, we generated deletion mutants of HBV envelope L protein (389 amino acid residues (aa)) containing three transmembrane domains (TM1, TM2, TM3). The ΔNC mutant spanning from TM2 to N-terminal half of TM3 (from 237 aa to 335 aa) was found as a shortest form showing spontaneous particle formation. After the N-terminal end of ΔNC mutant was optimized by the N-end rule for E. coli expression, the modified ΔNC mutant (mΔNC) was efficiently expressed as particles in E. coli. The molecular mass of mΔNC particle was approx. 670 kDa, and the diameter was 28.5 ± 6.2 nm (mean ± SD, N = 61). The particle could react with anti-HBV envelope S protein antibody, indicating the particles exhibited S antigenic domain outside as well as HBV envelope particles. Taken together, the E. coli-derived mΔNC particles could be used as a substitute of eukaryotic cell-derived HBV envelope particles for versatile applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. On Fock-space representations of quantized enveloping algebras related to noncommutative differential geometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jurčo, B.; Schlieker, M.

    1995-07-01

    In this paper explicitly natural (from the geometrical point of view) Fock-space representations (contragradient Verma modules) of the quantized enveloping algebras are constructed. In order to do so, one starts from the Gauss decomposition of the quantum group and introduces the differential operators on the corresponding q-deformed flag manifold (assumed as a left comodule for the quantum group) by a projection to it of the right action of the quantized enveloping algebra on the quantum group. Finally, the representatives of the elements of the quantized enveloping algebra corresponding to the left-invariant vector fields on the quantum group are expressed as first-order differential operators on the q-deformed flag manifold.

  16. AKNS eigenvalue spectrum for densely spaced envelope solitary waves

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Slunyaev, Alexey; Starobor, Alexey

    2010-05-01

    The problem of the influence of one envelope soliton to the discrete eigenvalues of the associated scattering problem for the other envelope soliton, which is situated close to the first one, is discussed. Envelope solitons are exact solutions of the integrable nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLS). Their generalizations (taking into account the background nonlinear waves [1-4] or strongly nonlinear effects [5, 6]) are possible candidates to rogue waves in the ocean. The envelope solitary waves could be in principle detected in the stochastic wave field by approaches based on the Inverse Scattering Technique in terms of ‘unstable modes' (see [1-3]), or envelope solitons [7-8]. However, densely spaced intense groups influence the spectrum of the associated scattering problem, so that the solitary trains cannot be considered alone. Here we solve the initial-value problem exactly for some simplified configurations of the wave field, representing two closely placed intense wave groups, within the frameworks of the NLS equation by virtue of the solution of the AKNS system [9]. We show that the analogues of the level splitting and the tunneling effects, known in quantum physics, exist in the context of the NLS equation, and thus may be observed in application to sea waves [10]. These effects make the detecting of single solitary wave groups surrounded by other nonlinear wave groups difficult. [1]. A.L. Islas, C.M. Schober (2005) Predicting rogue waves in random oceanic sea states. Phys. Fluids 17, 031701-1-4. [2]. A.R. Osborne, M. Onorato, M. Serio (2005) Nonlinear Fourier analysis of deep-water random surface waves: Theoretical formulation and and experimental observations of rogue waves. 14th Aha Huliko's Winter Workshop, Honolulu, Hawaii. [3]. C.M. Schober, A. Calini (2008) Rogue waves in higher order nonlinear Schrödinger models. In: Extreme Waves (Eds.: E. Pelinovsky & C. Kharif), Springer. [4]. N. Akhmediev, A. Ankiewicz, M. Taki (2009) Waves that appear from

  17. Abnormal nuclear envelopes in the striatum and motor deficits in DYT11 myoclonus-dystonia mouse models

    PubMed Central

    Yokoi, Fumiaki; Dang, Mai T.; Zhou, Tong; Li, Yuqing

    2012-01-01

    DYT11 myoclonus-dystonia (M-D) is a movement disorder characterized by myoclonic jerks with dystonic symptoms and caused by mutations in paternally expressed SGCE, which codes for ɛ-sarcoglycan. Paternally inherited Sgce heterozygous knock-out (KO) mice exhibit motor deficits and spontaneous myoclonus. Abnormal nuclear envelopes have been reported in cellular and mouse models of early-onset DYT1 generalized torsion dystonia; however, the relationship between the abnormal nuclear envelopes and motor symptoms are not clear. Furthermore, it is not known whether abnormal nuclear envelope exists in non-DYT1 dystonia. In the present study, abnormal nuclear envelopes in the striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) were found in Sgce KO mice. To analyze whether the loss of ɛ-sarcoglycan in the striatum alone causes abnormal nuclear envelopes, motor deficits or myoclonus, we produced paternally inherited striatum-specific Sgce conditional KO (Sgce sKO) mice and analyzed their phenotypes. Sgce sKO mice exhibited motor deficits in both beam-walking and accelerated rotarod tests, while they did not exhibit abnormal nuclear envelopes, alteration in locomotion, or myoclonus. The results suggest that the loss of ɛ-sarcoglycan in the striatum contributes to motor deficits, while it alone does not produce abnormal nuclear envelopes or myoclonus. Development of therapies targeting the striatum to compensate for the loss of ɛ-sarcoglycan function may rescue the motor deficits in DYT11 M-D patients. PMID:22080833

  18. A Joint Method of Envelope Inversion Combined with Hybrid-domain Full Waveform Inversion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    CUI, C.; Hou, W.

    2017-12-01

    Full waveform inversion (FWI) aims to construct high-precision subsurface models by fully using the information in seismic records, including amplitude, travel time, phase and so on. However, high non-linearity and the absence of low frequency information in seismic data lead to the well-known cycle skipping problem and make inversion easily fall into local minima. In addition, those 3D inversion methods that are based on acoustic approximation ignore the elastic effects in real seismic field, and make inversion harder. As a result, the accuracy of final inversion results highly relies on the quality of initial model. In order to improve stability and quality of inversion results, multi-scale inversion that reconstructs subsurface model from low to high frequency are applied. But, the absence of very low frequencies (< 3Hz) in field data is still bottleneck in the FWI. By extracting ultra low-frequency data from field data, envelope inversion is able to recover low wavenumber model with a demodulation operator (envelope operator), though the low frequency data does not really exist in field data. To improve the efficiency and viability of the inversion, in this study, we proposed a joint method of envelope inversion combined with hybrid-domain FWI. First, we developed 3D elastic envelope inversion, and the misfit function and the corresponding gradient operator were derived. Then we performed hybrid-domain FWI with envelope inversion result as initial model which provides low wavenumber component of model. Here, forward modeling is implemented in the time domain and inversion in the frequency domain. To accelerate the inversion, we adopt CPU/GPU heterogeneous computing techniques. There were two levels of parallelism. In the first level, the inversion tasks are decomposed and assigned to each computation node by shot number. In the second level, GPU multithreaded programming is used for the computation tasks in each node, including forward modeling, envelope

  19. 5-(Perylen-3-yl)Ethynyl-arabino-Uridine (aUY11), an Arabino-Based Rigid Amphipathic Fusion Inhibitor, Targets Virion Envelope Lipids To Inhibit Fusion of Influenza Virus, Hepatitis C Virus, and Other Enveloped Viruses

    PubMed Central

    Colpitts, Che C.; Ustinov, Alexey V.; Epand, Raquel F.; Epand, Richard M.; Korshun, Vladimir A.

    2013-01-01

    Entry of enveloped viruses requires fusion of viral and cellular membranes. Fusion requires the formation of an intermediate stalk structure, in which only the outer leaflets are fused. The stalk structure, in turn, requires the lipid bilayer of the envelope to bend into negative curvature. This process is inhibited by enrichment in the outer leaflet of lipids with larger polar headgroups, which favor positive curvature. Accordingly, phospholipids with such shape inhibit viral fusion. We previously identified a compound, 5-(perylen-3-yl)ethynyl-2′-deoxy-uridine (dUY11), with overall shape and amphipathicity similar to those of these phospholipids. dUY11 inhibited the formation of the negative curvature necessary for stalk formation and the fusion of a model enveloped virus, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). We proposed that dUY11 acted by biophysical mechanisms as a result of its shape and amphipathicity. To test this model, we have now characterized the mechanisms against influenza virus and HCV of 5-(perylen-3-yl)ethynyl-arabino-uridine (aUY11), which has shape and amphipathicity similar to those of dUY11 but contains an arabino-nucleoside. aUY11 interacted with envelope lipids to inhibit the infectivity of influenza virus, hepatitis C virus (HCV), herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 (HSV-1/2), and other enveloped viruses. It specifically inhibited the fusion of influenza virus, HCV, VSV, and even protein-free liposomes to cells. Furthermore, aUY11 inhibited the formation of negative curvature in model lipid bilayers. In summary, the arabino-derived aUY11 and the deoxy-derived dUY11 act by the same antiviral mechanisms against several enveloped but otherwise unrelated viruses. Therefore, chemically unrelated compounds of appropriate shape and amphipathicity target virion envelope lipids to inhibit formation of the negative curvature required for fusion, inhibiting infectivity by biophysical, not biochemical, mechanisms. PMID:23283943

  20. Effect of alkali on the structure of cell envelopes of Chlamydia psittaci elementary bodies.

    PubMed Central

    Narita, T; Wyrick, P B; Manire, G P

    1976-01-01

    Suspensions of isolated cell envelopes of infectious elementary bodies (EB) of Chlamydia psittaci at alkaline pH showed a rapid, extensive decrease in absorbance, accompanied by the release of a cell envelope component in a sedimentable form. This phenomenon was observed both at 0 C and with envelopes which had been previously heated to 100 C. Monovalent and divalent cations effectively inhibited the turbidity loss, whereas ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) caused an accelerated decrease in turbidity. The turbidity loss observed after incubation of the envelopes at alkaline pH could be reversed to the level of the initial value by dialysis against distilled water containing Mg2+. Thin-section electron photomicrographs of purified EB exposed to alkaline buffer with EDTA revealed the loss of the internal contents of cells, but these cells still maintained their round shapes. The cell surface of treated EB appeared pitted in negatively stained preparations, whereas intact EB had a smooth surface. Electron microscopic studies on negatively stained preparations of the clear supernatant obtained after the treatment of the envelope with alkaline buffer containing EDTA demonstrated the presence of spherical particles, approximately 6 to 7 nm in diameter, and rodlike particles, which appeared to be made up of two or more spherical particles. Images PMID:1375

  1. Neural Spike-Train Analyses of the Speech-Based Envelope Power Spectrum Model

    PubMed Central

    Rallapalli, Varsha H.

    2016-01-01

    Diagnosing and treating hearing impairment is challenging because people with similar degrees of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) often have different speech-recognition abilities. The speech-based envelope power spectrum model (sEPSM) has demonstrated that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNRENV) from a modulation filter bank provides a robust speech-intelligibility measure across a wider range of degraded conditions than many long-standing models. In the sEPSM, noise (N) is assumed to: (a) reduce S + N envelope power by filling in dips within clean speech (S) and (b) introduce an envelope noise floor from intrinsic fluctuations in the noise itself. While the promise of SNRENV has been demonstrated for normal-hearing listeners, it has not been thoroughly extended to hearing-impaired listeners because of limited physiological knowledge of how SNHL affects speech-in-noise envelope coding relative to noise alone. Here, envelope coding to speech-in-noise stimuli was quantified from auditory-nerve model spike trains using shuffled correlograms, which were analyzed in the modulation-frequency domain to compute modulation-band estimates of neural SNRENV. Preliminary spike-train analyses show strong similarities to the sEPSM, demonstrating feasibility of neural SNRENV computations. Results suggest that individual differences can occur based on differential degrees of outer- and inner-hair-cell dysfunction in listeners currently diagnosed into the single audiological SNHL category. The predicted acoustic-SNR dependence in individual differences suggests that the SNR-dependent rate of susceptibility could be an important metric in diagnosing individual differences. Future measurements of the neural SNRENV in animal studies with various forms of SNHL will provide valuable insight for understanding individual differences in speech-in-noise intelligibility.

  2. Authorization basis supporting documentation for plutonium finishing plant

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    King, J.P., Fluor Daniel Hanford

    1997-03-05

    The identification and definition of the authorization basis for the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) facility and operations are essential for compliance to DOE Order 5480.21, Unreviewed Safety Questions. The authorization basis, as defined in the Order, consists of those aspects of the facility design basis, i.e., the structures, systems and components (SSCS) and the operational requirements that are considered to be important to the safety of operations and are relied upon by DOE to authorize operation of the facility. These facility design features and their function in various accident scenarios are described in WHC-SD-CP-SAR-021, Plutonium Finishing Plant Final Safety Analysismore » Report (FSAR), Chapter 9, `Accident Analysis.` Figure 1 depicts the relationship of the Authorization Basis to its components and other information contained in safety documentation supporting the Authorization Basis. The PFP SSCs that are important to safety, collectively referred to as the `Safety Envelope` are discussed in various chapters of the FSAR and in WHC-SD-CP-OSR-010, Plutonium Finishing Plant Operational Safety Requirements. Other documents such as Criticality Safety Evaluation Reports (CSERS) address and support some portions of the Authorization Basis and Safety Envelope.« less

  3. The Mass Evolution of Protostellar Disks and Envelopes in the Perseus Molecular Cloud

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Andersen, Bridget; Stephens, Ian; Dunham, Michael; Pokhrel, Riwaj; Jørgensen, Jes; Frimann, Søren

    2018-01-01

    In the standard picture for low-mass star formation, a dense molecular cloud undergoes gravitational collapse to form a protostellar system consisting of a new central star, a circumstellar disk, and a surrounding envelope of remaining material. The mass distribution of the system evolves as matter accretes from the large-scale envelope through the disk and onto the protostar. While this general picture is supported by simulations and indirect observational measurements, the specific timescales related to disk growth and envelope dissipation remain poorly constrained. We present a rigorous test of a method introduced by Jørgensen et al. (2009) to obtain observational mass measurements of disks and envelopes around embedded protostars from unresolved (resolution of ~1000 AU) observations. Using data from the recent Mass Assembly of Stellar Systems and their Evolution with the SMA (MASSES) survey, we derive disk and envelope mass estimates for 59 protostellar systems in the Perseus molecular cloud. We compare our results to independent disk mass measurements from the VLA Nascent Disk and Multiplicity (VANDAM) survey and find a strong linear correlation. Then, leveraging the size and uniformity of our sample, we find no significant trend in protostellar mass distribution as a function of age, as approximated from bolometric temperatures. These results may indicate that the disk mass of a protostar is set near the onset of the Class 0 protostellar stage and remains roughly constant throughout the Class I protostellar stage.

  4. Noise-induced hearing loss increases the temporal precision of complex envelope coding by auditory-nerve fibers

    PubMed Central

    Henry, Kenneth S.; Kale, Sushrut; Heinz, Michael G.

    2014-01-01

    While changes in cochlear frequency tuning are thought to play an important role in the perceptual difficulties of people with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), the possible role of temporal processing deficits remains less clear. Our knowledge of temporal envelope coding in the impaired cochlea is limited to two studies that examined auditory-nerve fiber responses to narrowband amplitude modulated stimuli. In the present study, we used Wiener-kernel analyses of auditory-nerve fiber responses to broadband Gaussian noise in anesthetized chinchillas to quantify changes in temporal envelope coding with noise-induced SNHL. Temporal modulation transfer functions (TMTFs) and temporal windows of sensitivity to acoustic stimulation were computed from 2nd-order Wiener kernels and analyzed to estimate the temporal precision, amplitude, and latency of envelope coding. Noise overexposure was associated with slower (less negative) TMTF roll-off with increasing modulation frequency and reduced temporal window duration. The results show that at equal stimulus sensation level, SNHL increases the temporal precision of envelope coding by 20–30%. Furthermore, SNHL increased the amplitude of envelope coding by 50% in fibers with CFs from 1–2 kHz and decreased mean response latency by 0.4 ms. While a previous study of envelope coding demonstrated a similar increase in response amplitude, the present study is the first to show enhanced temporal precision. This new finding may relate to the use of a more complex stimulus with broad frequency bandwidth and a dynamic temporal envelope. Exaggerated neural coding of fast envelope modulations may contribute to perceptual difficulties in people with SNHL by acting as a distraction from more relevant acoustic cues, especially in fluctuating background noise. Finally, the results underscore the value of studying sensory systems with more natural, real-world stimuli. PMID:24596545

  5. Envelope Interactions in Multi-Channel Amplitude Modulation Frequency Discrimination by Cochlear Implant Users

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Rationale Previous cochlear implant (CI) studies have shown that single-channel amplitude modulation frequency discrimination (AMFD) can be improved when coherent modulation is delivered to additional channels. It is unclear whether the multi-channel advantage is due to increased loudness, multiple envelope representations, or to component channels with better temporal processing. Measuring envelope interference may shed light on how modulated channels can be combined. Methods In this study, multi-channel AMFD was measured in CI subjects using a 3-alternative forced-choice, non-adaptive procedure (“which interval is different?”). For the reference stimulus, the reference AM (100 Hz) was delivered to all 3 channels. For the probe stimulus, the target AM (101, 102, 104, 108, 116, 132, 164, 228, or 256 Hz) was delivered to 1 of 3 channels, and the reference AM (100 Hz) delivered to the other 2 channels. The spacing between electrodes was varied to be wide or narrow to test different degrees of channel interaction. Results Results showed that CI subjects were highly sensitive to interactions between the reference and target envelopes. However, performance was non-monotonic as a function of target AM frequency. For the wide spacing, there was significantly less envelope interaction when the target AM was delivered to the basal channel. For the narrow spacing, there was no effect of target AM channel. The present data were also compared to a related previous study in which the target AM was delivered to a single channel or to all 3 channels. AMFD was much better with multiple than with single channels whether the target AM was delivered to 1 of 3 or to all 3 channels. For very small differences between the reference and target AM frequencies (2–4 Hz), there was often greater sensitivity when the target AM was delivered to 1 of 3 channels versus all 3 channels, especially for narrowly spaced electrodes. Conclusions Besides the increased loudness, the present results

  6. Circumplanetary disc or circumplanetary envelope?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Szulágyi, J.; Masset, F.; Lega, E.; Crida, A.; Morbidelli, A.; Guillot, T.

    2016-08-01

    We present three-dimensional simulations with nested meshes of the dynamics of the gas around a Jupiter mass planet with the JUPITER and FARGOCA codes. We implemented a radiative transfer module into the JUPITER code to account for realistic heating and cooling of the gas. We focus on the circumplanetary gas flow, determining its characteristics at very high resolution (80 per cent of Jupiter's diameter). In our nominal simulation where the temperature evolves freely by the radiative module and reaches 13000 K at the planet, a circumplanetary envelope was formed filling the entire Roche lobe. Because of our equation of state is simplified and probably overestimates the temperature, we also performed simulations with limited maximal temperatures in the planet region (1000, 1500, and 2000 K). In these fixed temperature cases circumplanetary discs (CPDs) were formed. This suggests that the capability to form a CPD is not simply linked to the mass of the planet and its ability to open a gap. Instead, the gas temperature at the planet's location, which depends on its accretion history, plays also fundamental role. The CPDs in the simulations are hot and cooling very slowly, they have very steep temperature and density profiles, and are strongly sub-Keplerian. Moreover, the CPDs are fed by a strong vertical influx, which shocks on the CPD surfaces creating a hot and luminous shock-front. In contrast, the pressure supported circumplanetary envelope is characterized by internal convection and almost stalled rotation.

  7. Genetic Interaction Maps in Escherichia coli Reveal Functional Crosstalk among Cell Envelope Biogenesis Pathways

    PubMed Central

    Vlasblom, James; Gagarinova, Alla; Phanse, Sadhna; Graham, Chris; Yousif, Fouad; Ding, Huiming; Xiong, Xuejian; Nazarians-Armavil, Anaies; Alamgir, Md; Ali, Mehrab; Pogoutse, Oxana; Pe'er, Asaf; Arnold, Roland; Michaut, Magali; Parkinson, John; Golshani, Ashkan; Whitfield, Chris; Wodak, Shoshana J.; Moreno-Hagelsieb, Gabriel; Greenblatt, Jack F.; Emili, Andrew

    2011-01-01

    As the interface between a microbe and its environment, the bacterial cell envelope has broad biological and clinical significance. While numerous biosynthesis genes and pathways have been identified and studied in isolation, how these intersect functionally to ensure envelope integrity during adaptive responses to environmental challenge remains unclear. To this end, we performed high-density synthetic genetic screens to generate quantitative functional association maps encompassing virtually the entire cell envelope biosynthetic machinery of Escherichia coli under both auxotrophic (rich medium) and prototrophic (minimal medium) culture conditions. The differential patterns of genetic interactions detected among >235,000 digenic mutant combinations tested reveal unexpected condition-specific functional crosstalk and genetic backup mechanisms that ensure stress-resistant envelope assembly and maintenance. These networks also provide insights into the global systems connectivity and dynamic functional reorganization of a universal bacterial structure that is both broadly conserved among eubacteria (including pathogens) and an important target. PMID:22125496

  8. Detecting cell death with optical coherence tomography and envelope statistics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Farhat, Golnaz; Yang, Victor X. D.; Czarnota, Gregory J.; Kolios, Michael C.

    2011-02-01

    Currently no standard clinical or preclinical noninvasive method exists to monitor cell death based on morphological changes at the cellular level. In our past work we have demonstrated that quantitative high frequency ultrasound imaging can detect cell death in vitro and in vivo. In this study we apply quantitative methods previously used with high frequency ultrasound to optical coherence tomography (OCT) to detect cell death. The ultimate goal of this work is to use these methods for optically-based clinical and preclinical cancer treatment monitoring. Optical coherence tomography data were acquired from acute myeloid leukemia cells undergoing three modes of cell death. Significant increases in integrated backscatter were observed for cells undergoing apoptosis and mitotic arrest, while necrotic cells induced a decrease. These changes appear to be linked to structural changes observed in histology obtained from the cell samples. Signal envelope statistics were analyzed from fittings of the generalized gamma distribution to histograms of envelope intensities. The parameters from this distribution demonstrated sensitivities to morphological changes in the cell samples. These results indicate that OCT integrated backscatter and first order envelope statistics can be used to detect and potentially differentiate between modes of cell death in vitro.

  9. Organic Molecules in Oxygen-Rich Circumstellar Envelopes: Methanol and Hydrocarbons

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Charnley, S. B.; Tielens, A. G. G. M.; Kress, M. E.

    1995-01-01

    The existence of anomalously high abundances of gaseous CH4 has been invoked to explain the unexpectedly high abundances of the carbon-bearing molecules HCN and H2CO in the outflows from O-rich red giants. We have modelled the chemistry that proceeds in the outer envelope when CH4 is injected from the inner envelope. We find that photolysis by the interstellar radiation field drives an ion-neutral chemistry which produces several organic molecules. The calculated abundances of CH3OH, C2H and C2 can be comparable to those calculated for H2CO and HCN. Species such as C2H4, C2H2 and CH3CN can also be abundant. A search for CH3OH and C2H in several O-rich outflows known to exhibit strong HCN emission is needed. As it derives entirely from the CH4 photochain, is insensitive to the envelope temperature distribution, and has accessible transitions at millimetre wavelengths, the detection of the C2H radical would provide further indirect support for the presence of the hypothesized methane.

  10. Amplitude envelope correlations measure synchronous cortical oscillations in performing musicians.

    PubMed

    Zamm, Anna; Debener, Stefan; Bauer, Anna-Katharina R; Bleichner, Martin G; Demos, Alexander P; Palmer, Caroline

    2018-05-14

    A major question facing cognitive neuroscience is measurement of interbrain synchrony between individuals performing joint actions. We describe the application of a novel method for measuring musicians' interbrain synchrony: amplitude envelope correlations (AECs). Amplitude envelopes (AEs) reflect energy fluctuations in cortical oscillations over time; AE correlations measure the degree to which two envelope fluctuations are temporally correlated, such as cortical oscillations arising from two individuals performing a joint action. Wireless electroencephalography was recorded from two pianists performing a musical duet; an analysis pipeline is described for computing AEs of cortical oscillations at the duet performance frequency (number of tones produced per second) to test whether these oscillations reflect the temporal dynamics of partners' performances. The pianists' AE correlations were compared with correlations based on a distribution of AEs simulated from white noise signals using the same methods. The AE method was also applied to the temporal characteristics of the pianists' performances, to show that the observed pair's AEs reflect the temporal dynamics of their performance. AE correlations offer a promising approach for assessing interbrain correspondences in cortical activity associated with performing joint tasks. © 2018 New York Academy of Sciences.

  11. Carrier-envelope phase-dependent field-free molecular orientation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shu Chuancun; Yuan Kaijun; Hu Wenhui

    2009-07-15

    We present a strategy to achieve carrier-envelope phase-dependent field-free molecular orientation with the use of carrier-envelope phase (CEP) stabilization and asymmetric few-cycle terahertz (THz) laser pulses. The calculations are performed on the LiH molecule by an exact solution of the full time-dependent Schroedinger equation including both the vibrational and the rotational degrees of freedom. Our calculations show that an efficient field-free molecular orientation can be obtained even at considerable temperatures. Moreover, we find a simple dependence of the field-free orientation on the CEP, which implies that the CEP becomes an important parameter for control of molecular orientation. More importantly, themore » realization of this scenario is appealing based on the fact that the intense few-cycle THz pulse with duration as short as a few optical cycles is available as a research tool.« less

  12. Modelling safety of multistate systems with ageing components

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kołowrocki, Krzysztof; Soszyńska-Budny, Joanna

    An innovative approach to safety analysis of multistate ageing systems is presented. Basic notions of the ageing multistate systems safety analysis are introduced. The system components and the system multistate safety functions are defined. The mean values and variances of the multistate systems lifetimes in the safety state subsets and the mean values of their lifetimes in the particular safety states are defined. The multi-state system risk function and the moment of exceeding by the system the critical safety state are introduced. Applications of the proposed multistate system safety models to the evaluation and prediction of the safty characteristics ofmore » the consecutive “m out of n: F” is presented as well.« less

  13. Planetesimal dissolution in the envelopes of the forming, giant planets

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pollack, J. B.; Podolak, M.; Bodenheimer, P.; Christofferson, B.

    1986-01-01

    An evaluation is made of the capacity of planetesimals to penetrate the envelopes of giant planets during their growth phase, by means of a core instability mechanism in which the growing core becomes gradually more adept in the gravitational concentration of gas from its solar nebula environment, until a runaway gas accretion occurs. If most of the accreted mass is contained in planetesimals larger that about 1 km, the critical core mass for runaway accretion will not significantly change when planetesimal dissolution is taken into account; it is accordingly suggested that giant planet envelopes should contain above-solar proportions of virtually all elements, relative to hydrogen.

  14. Time-optimal Aircraft Pursuit-evasion with a Weapon Envelope Constraint

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Menon, P. K. A.

    1990-01-01

    The optimal pursuit-evasion problem between two aircraft including a realistic weapon envelope is analyzed using differential game theory. Six order nonlinear point mass vehicle models are employed and the inclusion of an arbitrary weapon envelope geometry is allowed. The performance index is a linear combination of flight time and the square of the vehicle acceleration. Closed form solution to this high-order differential game is then obtained using feedback linearization. The solution is in the form of a feedback guidance law together with a quartic polynomial for time-to-go. Due to its modest computational requirements, this nonlinear guidance law is useful for on-board real-time implementation.

  15. Sensitivity to changes in amplitude envelope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gallun, Erick; Hafter, Ervin R.; Bonnel, Anne-Marie

    2002-05-01

    Detection of a brief increment in a tonal pedestal is less well predicted by energy-detection (e.g., Macmillan, 1973; Bonnel and Hafter, 1997) than by sensitivity to changes in the stimulus envelope. As this implies a mechanism similar to an envelope extractor (Viemeister, 1979), sinusoidal amplitude modulation was used to mask a single ramped increment (10, 45, or 70 ms) added to a 1000-ms pedestal with carrier frequency (cf)=477 Hz. As in informational masking (Neff, 1994) and ``modulation-detection interference'' (Yost and Sheft, 1989), interference occurred with masker cfs of 477 and 2013 Hz. While slight masking was found with modulation frequencies (mfs) from 16 to 96 Hz, masking grew inversely with still lower mfs, being greatest for mf=4 Hz. This division is reminiscent of that said to separate sensations of ``roughness'' and ``beats,'' respectively (Terhardt, 1974), with the latter also being related to durations associated with auditory groupings in music and speech. Importantly, this result held for all of the signal durations and onset-offset ramps tested, suggesting that an increment on a pedestal is treated as a single auditory object whose detection is most difficult in the presence of other objects (in this case, ``beats'').

  16. Chemistry of Protostellar Envelopes and Disks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Flores Rivera, Lizxandra; Terebey, Susan; Willacy, Karen

    2018-06-01

    Molecule formation is dynamic during the protostar collapse phase, driven by changes in temperature, density, and UV radiation as gas and dust flows from the envelope onto the forming protoplanetary disk. In this work, we compare physical models based on two different collapse solutions. We modeled the chemistry (created by Karen Willacy) for C18O to see how its abundance changes over time using as primary input parameters the temperature and density profile that were produced by the dust Radiative Transfer (MCRT) model called HOCHUNK3D from Whitney (2003). Given this model, we produce synthetic line emission maps from L1527 IRS to simulate the Class 0/I protostar L1527 IRS using RADMC3D code and compare them with previous observations from ALMA. High concentrations of gas phase molecules of C18O are found within the 20 AU in areas in the envelope that are close to the surface of the disk. In the outermost part of the disk surface, the C18O freezes out beyond 400 AU, showing a much reduced abundance where the temperature profile drops down below 25 K. In cold regions, the radiation field plays an important role in the chemistry.

  17. Neutralizing antibodies decrease the envelope fluidity of HIV-1

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Harada, Shinji; Monde, Kazuaki; Tanaka, Yuetsu

    2008-01-05

    For successful penetration of HIV-1, the formation of a fusion pore may be required in order to accumulate critical numbers of fusion-activated gp41 with the help of fluidization of the plasma membrane and viral envelope. An increase in temperature to 40 {sup o}C after viral adsorption at 25 {sup o}C enhanced the infectivity by 1.4-fold. The enhanced infectivity was inhibited by an anti-CXCR4 peptide, T140, and anti-V3 monoclonal antibodies (0.5{beta} and 694/98-D) by post-attachment neutralization, but not by non-neutralizing antibodies (670-30D and 246-D) specific for the C5 of gp120 and cluster I of gp41, respectively. Anti-HLA-II and an anti-HTLV-I gp46more » antibody, LAT27, neutralized the molecule-carrying HIV-1{sub C-2(MT-2)}. The anti-V3 antibodies suppressed the fluidity of the HIV-1{sub C-2} envelope, whereas the non-neutralizing antibodies did not. The anti-HLA-II antibody decreased the envelope fluidity of HIV-1{sub C-2(MT-2)}, but not that of HIV-1{sub C-2}. Therefore, fluidity suppression by these antibodies represents an important neutralization mechanism, in addition to inhibition of viral attachment.« less

  18. Role of the nuclear envelope in the pathogenesis of age-related bone loss and osteoporosis

    PubMed Central

    Vidal, Christopher; Bermeo, Sandra; Fatkin, Diane; Duque, Gustavo

    2012-01-01

    The nuclear envelope is the most important border in the eukaryotic cell. The role of the nuclear envelope in cell differentiation and function is determined by a constant interaction between the elements of the nuclear envelope and the transcriptional regulators involved in signal transcription pathways. Among those components of the nuclear envelope, there is a growing evidence that changes in the expression of A-type lamins, which are essential components of the nuclear lamina, are associated with age-related changes in bone affecting the capacity of differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into osteoblasts, favoring adipogenesis and affecting the function and survival of the osteocytes. Overall, as A-type lamins are considered as the 'guardians of the soma', these proteins are also essential for the integrity and quality of the bone and pivotal for the longevity of the musculoskeletal system. PMID:23951459

  19. Characterization of the fusion core in zebrafish endogenous retroviral envelope protein

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shi, Jian; State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430071; Zhang, Huaidong

    2015-05-08

    Zebrafish endogenous retrovirus (ZFERV) is the unique endogenous retrovirus in zebrafish, as yet, containing intact open reading frames of its envelope protein gene in zebrafish genome. Similarly, several envelope proteins of endogenous retroviruses in human and other mammalian animal genomes (such as syncytin-1 and 2 in human, syncytin-A and B in mouse) were identified and shown to be functional in induction of cell–cell fusion involved in placental development. ZFERV envelope protein (Env) gene appears to be also functional in vivo because it is expressible. After sequence alignment, we found ZFERV Env shares similar structural profiles with syncytin and other type Imore » viral envelopes, especially in the regions of N- and C-terminal heptad repeats (NHR and CHR) which were crucial for membrane fusion. We expressed the regions of N + C protein in the ZFERV Env (residues 459–567, including predicted NHR and CHR) to characterize the fusion core structure. We found N + C protein could form a stable coiled-coil trimer that consists of three helical NHR regions forming a central trimeric core, and three helical CHR regions packing into the grooves on the surface of the central core. The structural characterization of the fusion core revealed the possible mechanism of fusion mediated by ZFERV Env. These results gave comprehensive explanation of how the ancient virus infects the zebrafish and integrates into the genome million years ago, and showed a rational clue for discovery of physiological significance (e.g., medicate cell–cell fusion). - Highlights: • ZFERV Env shares similar structural profiles with syncytin and other type I viral envelopes. • The fusion core of ZFERV Env forms stable coiled-coil trimer including three NHRs and three CHRs. • The structural mechanism of viral entry mediated by ZFERV Env is disclosed. • The results are helpful for further discovery of physiological function of ZFERV Env in zebrafish.« less

  20. Synthesis of wavelet envelope in 2-D random media having power-law spectra: comparison with FD simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sato, Haruo; Fehler, Michael C.

    2016-10-01

    The envelope broadening and the peak delay of the S-wavelet of a small earthquake with increasing travel distance are results of scattering by random velocity inhomogeneities in the earth medium. As a simple mathematical model, Sato proposed a new stochastic synthesis of the scalar wavelet envelope in 3-D von Kármán type random media when the centre wavenumber of the wavelet is in the power-law spectral range of the random velocity fluctuation. The essential idea is to split the random medium spectrum into two components using the centre wavenumber as a reference: the long-scale (low-wavenumber spectral) component produces the peak delay and the envelope broadening by multiple scattering around the forward direction; the short-scale (high-wavenumber spectral) component attenuates wave amplitude by wide angle scattering. The former is calculated by the Markov approximation based on the parabolic approximation and the latter is calculated by the Born approximation. Here, we extend the theory for the envelope synthesis of a wavelet in 2-D random media, which makes it easy to compare with finite difference (FD) simulation results. The synthetic wavelet envelope is analytically written by using the random medium parameters in the angular frequency domain. For the case that the power spectral density function of the random velocity fluctuation has a steep roll-off at large wavenumbers, the envelope broadening is small and frequency independent, and scattering attenuation is weak. For the case of a small roll-off, however, the envelope broadening is large and increases with frequency, and the scattering attenuation is strong and increases with frequency. As a preliminary study, we compare synthetic wavelet envelopes with the average of FD simulation wavelet envelopes in 50 synthesized random media, which are characterized by the RMS fractional velocity fluctuation ε = 0.05, correlation scale a = 5 km and the background wave velocity V0 = 4 km s-1. We use the radiation

  1. The Metabolite Transporters of the Plastid Envelope: An Update

    PubMed Central

    Facchinelli, Fabio; Weber, Andreas P. M.

    2011-01-01

    The engulfment of a photoautotrophic cyanobacterium by a primitive mitochondria-bearing eukaryote traces back to more than 1.2 billion years ago. This single endosymbiotic event not only provided the early petroalgae with the metabolic capacity to perform oxygenic photosynthesis, but also introduced a plethora of other metabolic routes ranging from fatty acids and amino acids biosynthesis, nitrogen and sulfur assimilation to secondary compounds synthesis. This implicated the integration and coordination of the newly acquired metabolic entity with the host metabolism. The interface between the host cytosol and the plastidic stroma became of crucial importance in sorting precursors and products between the plastid and other cellular compartments. The plastid envelope membranes fulfill different tasks: they perform important metabolic functions, as they are involved in the synthesis of carotenoids, chlorophylls, and galactolipids. In addition, since most genes of cyanobacterial origin have been transferred to the nucleus, plastidial proteins encoded by nuclear genes are post-translationally transported across the envelopes through the TIC–TOC import machinery. Most importantly, chloroplasts supply the photoautotrophic cell with photosynthates in form of reduced carbon. The innermost bilayer of the plastidic envelope represents the permeability barrier for the metabolites involved in the carbon cycle and is literally stuffed with transporter proteins facilitating their transfer. The intracellular metabolite transporters consist of polytopic proteins containing membrane spans usually in the number of four or more α-helices. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that connecting the plastid with the host metabolism was mainly a process driven by the host cell. In Arabidopsis, 58% of the metabolite transporters are of host origin, whereas only 12% are attributable to the cyanobacterial endosymbiont. This review focuses on the metabolite transporters of the inner envelope

  2. Advanced Envelope Research for Factory Built Housing, Phase 3. Design Development and Prototyping

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Levy, E.; Kessler, B.; Mullens, M.

    2014-01-01

    The Advanced Envelope Research effort will provide factory homebuilders with high performance, cost-effective alternative envelope designs. In the near term, these technologies will play a central role in meeting stringent energy code requirements. For manufactured homes, the thermal requirements, last updated by statute in 1994, will move up to the more rigorous IECC 2012 levels in 2013, the requirements of which are consistent with site built and modular housing. This places added urgency on identifying envelope technologies that the industry can implement in the short timeframe. The primary goal of this research is to develop wall designs that meet themore » thermal requirements based on 2012 IECC standards. Given the affordable nature of manufactured homes, impact on first cost is a major consideration in developing the new envelope technologies. This work is part of a four-phase, multi-year effort. Phase 1 identified seven envelope technologies and provided a preliminary assessment of three selected methods for building high performance wall systems. Phase 2 focused on the development of viable product designs, manufacturing strategies, addressing code and structural issues, and cost analysis of the three selected options. An industry advisory committee helped critique and select the most viable solution to move further in the research -- stud walls with continuous exterior insulation. Phase 3, the subject of the current report, focused on the design development of the selected wall concept and explored variations on the use of exterior foam insulation. The scope also included material selection, manufacturing and cost analysis, and prototyping and testing.« less

  3. Advanced Envelope Research for Factory Built Housing, Phase 3 -- Design Development and Prototyping

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Levy, E.; Kessler, B.; Mullens, M.

    2014-01-01

    The Advanced Envelope Research effort will provide factory homebuilders with high performance, cost-effective alternative envelope designs. In the near term, these technologies will play a central role in meeting stringent energy code requirements. For manufactured homes, the thermal requirements, last updated by statute in 1994, will move up to the more rigorous IECC 2012 levels in 2013, the requirements of which are consistent with site built and modular housing. This places added urgency on identifying envelope technologies that the industry can implement in the short timeframe. The primary goal of this research is to develop wall designs that meet themore » thermal requirements based on 2012 IECC standards. Given the affordable nature of manufactured homes, impact on first cost is a major consideration in developing the new envelope technologies. This work is part of a four-phase, multi-year effort. Phase 1 identified seven envelope technologies and provided a preliminary assessment of three selected methods for building high performance wall systems. Phase 2 focused on the development of viable product designs, manufacturing strategies, addressing code and structural issues, and cost analysis of the three selected options. An industry advisory committee helped critique and select the most viable solution to move further in the research -- stud walls with continuous exterior insulation. Phase 3, the subject of the current report, focused on the design development of the selected wall concept and explored variations on the use of exterior foam insulation. The scope also included material selection, manufacturing and cost analysis, and prototyping and testing.« less

  4. Joint Processing of Envelope Alignment and Phase Compensation for Isar Imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Tao; Jin, Guanghu; Dong, Zhen

    2018-04-01

    Range envelope alignment and phase compensation are spilt into two isolated parts in the classical methods of translational motion compensation in Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) imaging. In classic method of the rotating object imaging, the two reference points of the envelope alignment and the Phase Difference (PD) estimation are probably not the same point, making it difficult to uncouple the coupling term by conducting the correction of Migration Through Resolution Cell (MTRC). In this paper, an improved approach of joint processing which chooses certain scattering point as the sole reference point is proposed to perform with utilizing the Prominent Point Processing (PPP) method. With this end in view, we firstly get the initial image using classical methods from which a certain scattering point can be chose. The envelope alignment and phase compensation using the selected scattering point as the same reference point are subsequently conducted. The keystone transform is thus smoothly applied to further improve imaging quality. Both simulation experiments and real data processing are provided to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method compared with classical method.

  5. Balmer line profiles for infalling T Tauri envelopes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Calvet, Nuria; Hartmann, Lee

    1992-01-01

    The possibility that the Balmer emission lines of T Tauri stars arise in infalling envelopes rather than winds is considered. Line profiles for the upper Balmer lines are presented for models with cone geometry, intended to simulate the basic features of magnetospheric accretion from a circumstellar disk. An escape probability treatment is used to determine line source functions in nonspherically symmetric geometry. Thermalization effects are found to produce nearly symmetric H-alpha line profiles at the same time the higher Balmer series lines exhibit inverse P Cygni profiles. The infall models produce centrally peaked emission line wings, in good agreement with observations of many T Tauri stars. It is suggested that the Balmer emission of many T Tauri stars may be produced in an infalling envelope, with blue shifted absorption contributed by an overlying wind. Some of the observed narrow absorption components with small blueshifts may also arise in the accretion column.

  6. A novel intermediate in processing of murine leukemia virus envelope glycoproteins. Proteolytic cleavage in the late Golgi region.

    PubMed

    Bedgood, R M; Stallcup, M R

    1992-04-05

    The intracellular processing of the murine leukemia virus envelope glycoprotein precursor Pr85 to the mature products gp70 and p15e was analyzed in the mouse T-lymphoma cell line W7MG1. Kinetic (pulse-chase) analysis of synthesis and processing, coupled with endoglycosidase (endo H) and neuraminidase digestions revealed the existence of a novel high molecular weight processing intermediate, gp95, containing endo H-resistant terminally glycosylated oligosaccharide chains. In contrast to previously published conclusions, our data indicate that proteolytic cleavage of the envelope precursor occurs after the acquisition of endo H-resistant chains and terminal glycosylation and thus after the mannosidase II step. In the same W7MG1 cell line, the type and order of murine leukemia virus envelope protein processing events was identical to that for the mouse mammary tumor virus envelope protein. Interestingly, complete mouse mammary tumor virus envelope protein processing requires the addition of glucocorticoid hormone, whereas murine leukemia virus envelope protein processing occurs constitutively in these W7MG1 cells. We propose that all retroviral envelope proteins share a common processing pathway in which proteolytic processing is a late event that follows acquisition of endo H resistance and terminal glycosylation.

  7. Influence of the bud neck on nuclear envelope fission in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Melloy, Patricia G; Rose, Mark D

    2017-09-15

    Studies have shown that nuclear envelope fission (karyokinesis) in budding yeast depends on cytokinesis, but not distinguished whether this was a direct requirement, indirect, because of cell cycle arrest, or due to bud neck-localized proteins impacting both processes. To determine the requirements for karyokinesis, we examined mutants conditionally defective for bud emergence and/or nuclear migration. The common mutant phenotype was completion of the nuclear division cycle within the mother cell, but karyokinesis did not occur. In the cdc24 swe1 mutant, at the non-permissive temperature, multiple nuclei accumulated within the unbudded cell, with connected nuclear envelopes. Upon return to the permissive temperature, the cdc24 swe1 mutant initiated bud emergence, but only the nucleus spanning the neck underwent fission suggesting that the bud neck region is important for fission initiation. The neck may be critical for either mechanical reasons, as the contractile ring might facilitate fission, or for regulatory reasons, as the site of a protein network regulating nuclear envelope fission, mitotic exit, and cytokinesis. We also found that 77-85% of pairs of septin mutant nuclei completed nuclear envelope fission. In addition, 27% of myo1Δ mutant nuclei completed karyokinesis. These data suggested that fission is not dependent on mechanical contraction at the bud neck, but was instead controlled by regulatory proteins there. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Magnetization of Cloud Cores and Envelopes and Other Observational Consequences of Reconnection Diffusion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lazarian, A.; Esquivel, A.; Crutcher, R.

    2012-10-01

    Recent observational results for magnetic fields in molecular clouds reviewed by Crutcher seem to be inconsistent with the predictions of the ambipolar diffusion theory of star formation. These include the measured decrease in mass to flux ratio between envelopes and cores, the failure to detect any self-gravitating magnetically subcritical clouds, the determination of the flat probability distribution function (PDF) of the total magnetic field strengths implying that there are many clouds with very weak magnetic fields, and the observed scaling Bvpropρ2/3 that implies gravitational contraction with weak magnetic fields. We consider the problem of magnetic field evolution in turbulent molecular clouds and discuss the process of magnetic field diffusion mediated by magnetic reconnection. For this process that we termed "reconnection diffusion," we provide a simple physical model and explain that this process is inevitable in view of the present-day understanding of MHD turbulence. We address the issue of the expected magnetization of cores and envelopes in the process of star formation and show that reconnection diffusion provides an efficient removal of magnetic flux that depends only on the properties of MHD turbulence in the core and the envelope. We show that as the amplitude of turbulence as well as the scale of turbulent motions decrease from the envelope to the core of the cloud, the diffusion of the magnetic field is faster in the envelope. As a result, the magnetic flux trapped during the collapse in the envelope is being released faster than the flux trapped in the core, resulting in much weaker fields in envelopes than in cores, as observed. We provide simple semi-analytical model calculations which support this conclusion and qualitatively agree with the observational results. Magnetic reconnection is also consistent with the lack of subcritical self-gravitating clouds, with the observed flat PDF of field strengths, and with the scaling of field

  9. The positive binding energy envelopes of low-mass helium stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hall, Philip D.; Jeffery, C. Simon

    2018-04-01

    It has been hypothesized that stellar envelopes with positive binding energy may be ejected if the release of recombination energy can be triggered and the calculation of binding energy includes this contribution. The implications of this hypothesis for the evolution of normal hydrogen-rich stars have been investigated, but the implications for helium stars - which may represent mass-transfer or merger remnants in binary star systems - have not. Making a set of model helium stars, we find that those with masses between 0.9 and 2.4 M⊙ evolve to configurations with positive binding energy envelopes. We discuss consequences of the ejection hypothesis for such stars, and possible observational tests of these predictions.

  10. Envelope of coda waves for a double couple source due to non-linear elasticity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Calisto, Ignacia; Bataille, Klaus

    2014-10-01

    Non-linear elasticity has recently been considered as a source of scattering, therefore contributing to the coda of seismic waves, in particular for the case of explosive sources. This idea is analysed further here, theoretically solving the expression for the envelope of coda waves generated by a point moment tensor in order to compare with earthquake data. For weak non-linearities, one can consider each point of the non-linear medium as a source of scattering within a homogeneous and linear medium, for which Green's functions can be used to compute the total displacement of scattered waves. These sources of scattering have specific radiation patterns depending on the incident and scattered P or S waves, respectively. In this approach, the coda envelope depends on three scalar parameters related to the specific non-linearity of the medium; however these parameters only change the scale of the coda envelope. The shape of the coda envelope is sensitive to both the source time function and the intrinsic attenuation. We compare simulations using this model with data from earthquakes in Taiwan, with a good fit.

  11. Defining a reference set to support methodological research in drug safety.

    PubMed

    Ryan, Patrick B; Schuemie, Martijn J; Welebob, Emily; Duke, Jon; Valentine, Sarah; Hartzema, Abraham G

    2013-10-01

    Methodological research to evaluate the performance of methods requires a benchmark to serve as a referent comparison. In drug safety, the performance of analyses of spontaneous adverse event reporting databases and observational healthcare data, such as administrative claims and electronic health records, has been limited by the lack of such standards. To establish a reference set of test cases that contain both positive and negative controls, which can serve the basis for methodological research in evaluating methods performance in identifying drug safety issues. Systematic literature review and natural language processing of structured product labeling was performed to identify evidence to support the classification of drugs as either positive controls or negative controls for four outcomes: acute liver injury, acute kidney injury, acute myocardial infarction, and upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Three-hundred and ninety-nine test cases comprised of 165 positive controls and 234 negative controls were identified across the four outcomes. The majority of positive controls for acute kidney injury and upper gastrointestinal bleeding were supported by randomized clinical trial evidence, while the majority of positive controls for acute liver injury and acute myocardial infarction were only supported based on published case reports. Literature estimates for the positive controls shows substantial variability that limits the ability to establish a reference set with known effect sizes. A reference set of test cases can be established to facilitate methodological research in drug safety. Creating a sufficient sample of drug-outcome pairs with binary classification of having no effect (negative controls) or having an increased effect (positive controls) is possible and can enable estimation of predictive accuracy through discrimination. Since the magnitude of the positive effects cannot be reliably obtained and the quality of evidence may vary across outcomes

  12. Nuclear envelope breakdown induced by herpes simplex virus type 1 involves the activity of viral fusion proteins.

    PubMed

    Maric, Martina; Haugo, Alison C; Dauer, William; Johnson, David; Roller, Richard J

    2014-07-01

    Herpesvirus infection reorganizes components of the nuclear lamina usually without loss of integrity of the nuclear membranes. We report that wild-type HSV infection can cause dissolution of the nuclear envelope in transformed mouse embryonic fibroblasts that do not express torsinA. Nuclear envelope breakdown is accompanied by an eight-fold inhibition of virus replication. Breakdown of the membrane is much more limited during infection with viruses that lack the gB and gH genes, suggesting that breakdown involves factors that promote fusion at the nuclear membrane. Nuclear envelope breakdown is also inhibited during infection with virus that does not express UL34, but is enhanced when the US3 gene is deleted, suggesting that envelope breakdown may be enhanced by nuclear lamina disruption. Nuclear envelope breakdown cannot compensate for deletion of the UL34 gene suggesting that mixing of nuclear and cytoplasmic contents is insufficient to bypass loss of the normal nuclear egress pathway. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Comparing the information conveyed by envelope modulation for speech intelligibility, speech quality, and music quality.

    PubMed

    Kates, James M; Arehart, Kathryn H

    2015-10-01

    This paper uses mutual information to quantify the relationship between envelope modulation fidelity and perceptual responses. Data from several previous experiments that measured speech intelligibility, speech quality, and music quality are evaluated for normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners. A model of the auditory periphery is used to generate envelope signals, and envelope modulation fidelity is calculated using the normalized cross-covariance of the degraded signal envelope with that of a reference signal. Two procedures are used to describe the envelope modulation: (1) modulation within each auditory frequency band and (2) spectro-temporal processing that analyzes the modulation of spectral ripple components fit to successive short-time spectra. The results indicate that low modulation rates provide the highest information for intelligibility, while high modulation rates provide the highest information for speech and music quality. The low-to-mid auditory frequencies are most important for intelligibility, while mid frequencies are most important for speech quality and high frequencies are most important for music quality. Differences between the spectral ripple components used for the spectro-temporal analysis were not significant in five of the six experimental conditions evaluated. The results indicate that different modulation-rate and auditory-frequency weights may be appropriate for indices designed to predict different types of perceptual relationships.

  14. Comparing the information conveyed by envelope modulation for speech intelligibility, speech quality, and music quality

    PubMed Central

    Kates, James M.; Arehart, Kathryn H.

    2015-01-01

    This paper uses mutual information to quantify the relationship between envelope modulation fidelity and perceptual responses. Data from several previous experiments that measured speech intelligibility, speech quality, and music quality are evaluated for normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners. A model of the auditory periphery is used to generate envelope signals, and envelope modulation fidelity is calculated using the normalized cross-covariance of the degraded signal envelope with that of a reference signal. Two procedures are used to describe the envelope modulation: (1) modulation within each auditory frequency band and (2) spectro-temporal processing that analyzes the modulation of spectral ripple components fit to successive short-time spectra. The results indicate that low modulation rates provide the highest information for intelligibility, while high modulation rates provide the highest information for speech and music quality. The low-to-mid auditory frequencies are most important for intelligibility, while mid frequencies are most important for speech quality and high frequencies are most important for music quality. Differences between the spectral ripple components used for the spectro-temporal analysis were not significant in five of the six experimental conditions evaluated. The results indicate that different modulation-rate and auditory-frequency weights may be appropriate for indices designed to predict different types of perceptual relationships. PMID:26520329

  15. DISPERSING ENVELOPE AROUND THE KEPLERIAN CIRCUMBINARY DISK IN L1551 NE AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR BINARY GROWTH

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Takakuwa, Shigehisa; Kiyokane, Kazuhiro; Saigo, Kazuya

    2015-12-01

    We performed mapping observations of the Class I protostellar binary system L1551 NE in the C{sup 18}O (J = 3–2), {sup 13}CO (J = 3–2), CS (J = 7–6), and SO (J{sub N} = 7{sub 8}–6{sub 7}) lines with the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment (ASTE). The ASTE C{sup 18}O data were combined with our previous SMA C{sup 18}O data, which show a r ∼ 300 AU scale Keplerian disk around the protostellar binary system. The C{sup 18}O maps show a ∼20,000 AU scale protostellar envelope surrounding the central Keplerian circumbinary disk. The envelope exhibits a northeast (blue) to southwest (red) velocity gradient along the minor axis, which can be interpreted as amore » dispersing gas motion with an outward velocity of 0.3 km s{sup −1}, while no rotational motion in the envelope is seen. In addition to the envelope, two ≲4000 AU scale, high-velocity (≳1.3 km s{sup −1}) redshifted {sup 13}CO and CS emission components are found ∼40″ southwest and ∼20″ west of the protostellar binary. These redshifted components are most likely outflow components driven from the neighboring protostellar source L1551 IRS 5, and are colliding with the envelope in L1551 NE. The net momentum, kinetic, and internal energies of the L1551 IRS 5 outflow components are comparable to those of the L1551 NE envelope, and the interactions between the outflows and the envelope are likely to cause the dissipation of the envelope and thus suppression of further growth of the mass and mass ratio of the central protostellar binary in L1551 NE.« less

  16. Nuclear safety for the space exploration initiative

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dix, Terry E.

    1991-01-01

    The results of a study to identify potential hazards arising from nuclear reactor power systems for use on the lunar and Martian surfaces, related safety issues, and resolutions of such issues by system design changes, operating procedures, and other means are presented. All safety aspects of nuclear reactor power systems from prelaunch ground handling to eventual disposal were examined consistent with the level of detail for SP-100 reactor design at the 1988 System Design Review and for launch vehicle and space transport vehicle designs and mission descriptions as defined in the 90-day Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) study. Information from previous aerospace nuclear safety studies was used where appropriate. Safety requirements for the SP-100 space nuclear reactor system were compiled. Mission profiles were defined with emphasis on activities after low earth orbit insertion. Accident scenarios were then qualitatively defined for each mission phase. Safety issues were identified for all mission phases with the aid of simplified event trees. Safety issue resolution approaches of the SP-100 program were compiled. Resolution approaches for those safety issues not covered by the SP-100 program were identified. Additionally, the resolution approaches of the SP-100 program were examined in light of the moon and Mars missions.

  17. Abundances in red giant stars - Nitrogen isotopes in carbon-rich molecular envelopes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wannier, P. G.; Andersson, B.-G.; Olofsson, H.; Ukita, N.; Young, K.

    1991-01-01

    Results are presented of millimeter- and submillimeter-wave observations of HCN and HCCCN that were made of the circmustellar envelopes of eight carbon stars, including the two protoplanetary nebulae CRL 618 and CRL 2688. The observations yield a measure of the double ratio (N-14)(C-13)/(N-15)(C-12). Measured C-12/C-13 ratios are used to estimate the N-14/N-15 abundance ratio, with the resulting lower limits in all eight envelopes and possible direct determinations in two envelopes. The two determinations and four of the remaining six lower limits are found to be in excess of the terrestrial value of N-14/N-15 = 272, indicating an evolution of the nitrogen isotope ratio, which is consistent with stellar CNO processing. Observations of thermal SiO (v = 0, J = 2-1) emission show that the Si-29/Si-28 ratio can be determined in carbon stars, and further observations are indicated.

  18. The excess infrared emission of Herbig Ae/Be stars - Disks or envelopes?

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hartmann, Lee; Kenyon, Scott J.; Calvet, Nuria

    1993-01-01

    It is suggested that the near-IR emission in many Herbig Ae/Be stars arises in surrounding dusty envelopes, rather than circumstellar disks. It is shown that disks around Ae/Be stars are likely to remain optically thick at the required accretion rates. It is proposed that the IR excesses of many Ae/Be stars originate in surrounding dust nebulae instead of circumstellar disks. It is suggested that the near-IR emission of the envelope is enhanced by the same processes that produce anomalous strong continuum emission at temperatures of about 1000 K in reflection nebulae surrounding hot stars. This near-IR emission could be due to small grains transiently heated by UV photons. The dust envelopes could be associated with the primary star or a nearby companion star. Some Ae/Be stars show evidence for the 3.3-6.3-micron emission features seen in reflection nebulae around hot stars, which lends further support to this suggestion.

  19. Envelope matching for enhanced backward Raman amplification by using self-ionizing plasmas

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhang, Z. M.; Zhang, B.; Hong, W.

    2014-12-15

    Backward Raman amplification (BRA) in plasmas has been promoted as a means for generating ultrapowerful laser pulses. For the purpose of achieving the maximum intensities over the shortest distances, an envelope matching between the seed pulse and the amplification gain is required, i.e., the seed pulse propagates at the same velocity with the gain such that the peak of the seed pulse can always enjoy the maximum gain. However, such an envelope matching is absent in traditional BRA because in the latter the amplification gain propagates at superluminous velocity while the seed pulse propagates at the group velocity, which ismore » less than the speed of light. It is shown here that, by using self-ionizing plasmas, the speed of the amplification gain can be well reduced to reach the envelope matching regime. This results in a favorable BRA process, in which higher saturated intensity, shorter interaction length and higher energy-transfer efficiency are achieved.« less

  20. A HST Search to Constrain the Binary Fraction of Stripped-Envelope Supernovae

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fox, Ori

    2018-01-01

    Stripped-envelope supernovae (e.g., SNe IIb, Ib, and Ic) refer to a subset of core-collapse explosions with progenitors that have lost some fraction of their outer envelopes in pre-SN mass loss. Mounting evidence over the past decade suggests that the mass loss in a large fraction of these systems occurs due to binary interaction. An unbiased, statistically significant sample of companion-star characteristics (including deep upper limits) can constrain the binary fraction, having direct implications on the theoretical physics of both single star and binary evolution. To date, however, only two detections have been made: SNe 1993J and 2011dh. Over the past year, we have improved this sample with an HST WFC3/NUV survey for binary companions of three additional nearby stripped-envelope SNe: 2002ap, 2001ig, and 2010br. I will present a review of previous companion searches and results from our current HST survey, which include one detection and two meaningful upper limits.

  1. Envelope Responses in Single-Trial EEG Indicate Attended Speaker in a Cocktail Party

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-06-20

    users to modulate their brain activity, such as motor rhythms, in order to signal intent [13], but these often require considerable training . Other...BCIs forgo training and instead have subjects make choices by attending to one of multiple visual and/or auditory stimuli. By presenting each stimulus...modulated). An envelope-based BCI could operate on more naturalistic auditory stimuli, such as speech or music . For example, an envelope-based BCI

  2. Alignment error envelopes for single particle analysis.

    PubMed

    Jensen, G J

    2001-01-01

    To determine the structure of a biological particle to high resolution by electron microscopy, image averaging is required to combine information from different views and to increase the signal-to-noise ratio. Starting from the number of noiseless views necessary to resolve features of a given size, four general factors are considered that increase the number of images actually needed: (1) the physics of electron scattering introduces shot noise, (2) thermal motion and particle inhomogeneity cause the scattered electrons to describe a mixture of structures, (3) the microscope system fails to usefully record all the information carried by the scattered electrons, and (4) image misalignment leads to information loss through incoherent averaging. The compound effect of factors 2-4 is approximated by the product of envelope functions. The problem of incoherent image averaging is developed in detail through derivation of five envelope functions that account for small errors in 11 "alignment" parameters describing particle location, orientation, defocus, magnification, and beam tilt. The analysis provides target error tolerances for single particle analysis to near-atomic (3.5 A) resolution, and this prospect is shown to depend critically on image quality, defocus determination, and microscope alignment. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

  3. Precision envelope detector and linear rectifier circuitry

    DOEpatents

    Davis, Thomas J.

    1980-01-01

    Disclosed is a method and apparatus for the precise linear rectification and envelope detection of oscillatory signals. The signal is applied to a voltage-to-current converter which supplies current to a constant current sink. The connection between the converter and the sink is also applied through a diode and an output load resistor to a ground connection. The connection is also connected to ground through a second diode of opposite polarity from the diode in series with the load resistor. Very small amplitude voltage signals applied to the converter will cause a small change in the output current of the converter, and the difference between the output current and the constant current sink will be applied either directly to ground through the single diode, or across the output load resistor, dependent upon the polarity. Disclosed also is a full-wave rectifier utilizing constant current sinks and voltage-to-current converters. Additionally, disclosed is a combination of the voltage-to-current converters with differential integrated circuit preamplifiers to boost the initial signal amplitude, and with low pass filtering applied so as to obtain a video or signal envelope output.

  4. Tyre-road contact using a particle-envelope surface model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pinnington, Roger J.

    2013-12-01

    Determination of the contact forces is the central problem in all aspects of road-tyre interaction: i.e. noise, energy loss and friction. A procedure to find the contact forces under a rolling tyre is presented in four stages. First, the contact stiffness of a uniform peak array from indentations in the rubber tread, and also tyre carcass deflection, is described by some new simplified expressions. Second, a routine divides a single surface profile into equal search intervals, in which the highest peaks are identified. These are used to obtain the parameters for the interval, i.e. the mean envelope and the mean interval. The process is repeated at geometrically decreasing search intervals until the level of the data resolution, thereby describing the profile by a set of envelopes. The ‘strip profile’ ultimately used to describe the surface, is obtained by selecting the highest points across the profiles of one stone's width. The third stage is to combine the strip profile envelopes with the contact stiffness expressions, yielding the nonlinear stiffness-displacement, and force-displacement relationships for the chosen road-tyre combination. Finally the contact pressure distribution from a steady-state rolling tyre model is applied to the strip profile, via the force-displacement relationship, giving the local tyre displacements on the road texture. This displacement pattern is shown to be proportional to the time and space varying contact pressure, which then is incorporated into a wave equation for rolling contact.

  5. Multi-dimensional flood vulnerability assessment using data envelopment analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zahid, Zalina; Saharizan, Nurul Syuhada; Hamzah, Paezah; Hussin, Siti Aida Sheikh; Khairi, Siti Shaliza Mohd

    2017-11-01

    Malaysia has been greatly impacted by flood during monsoon seasons. Even though flood prone areas are well identified, assessment on the vulnerability of the disaster is lacking. Assessment of flood vulnerability, defined as the potential for loss when a disaster occurs, is addressed in this paper. The focus is on the development of flood vulnerability measurement in 11 states in Peninsular Malaysia using a non-parametric approach of Data Envelopment Analysis. Scores for three dimensions of flood vulnerability (Population Vulnerability, Social Vulnerability and Biophysical) were calculated using secondary data of selected input and output variables across an 11-year period from 2004 to 2014. The results showed that Johor and Pahang were the most vulnerable to flood in terms of Population Vulnerability, followed by Kelantan, the most vulnerable to flood in terms of Social Vulnerability and Kedah, Pahang and Terengganu were the most vulnerable to flood in terms of Biophysical Vulnerability among the eleven states. The results also showed that the state of Johor, Pahang and Kelantan to be most vulnerable across the three dimensions. Flood vulnerability assessment is important as it provides invaluable information that will allow the authority to identify and develop plans for flood mitigation and to reduce the vulnerability of flood at the affected regions.

  6. Prediction of Spacecraft Vibration using Acceleration and Force Envelopes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gordon, Scott; Kaufman, Daniel; Kern, Dennis; Scharton, Terry

    2009-01-01

    The base forces in the GLAST X- and Z-axis sine vibration tests were similar to those derived using generic inputs (from users guide and handbook), but the base forces in the sine test were generally greater than the flight data. Basedrive analyses using envelopes of flight acceleration data provided more accurate predictions of the base force than generic inputs, and as expected, using envelopes of both the flight acceleration and force provided even more accurate predictions The GLAST spacecraft interface accelerations and forces measured during the MECO transient were relatively low in the 60 to 150 Hz regime. One may expect the flight forces measured at the base of various spacecraft to be more dependent on the mass, frequencies, etc. of the spacecraft than are the corresponding interface acceleration data, which may depend more on the launch vehicle configuration.

  7. Influenza A virus targets a cGAS-independent STING pathway that controls enveloped RNA viruses.

    PubMed

    Holm, Christian K; Rahbek, Stine H; Gad, Hans Henrik; Bak, Rasmus O; Jakobsen, Martin R; Jiang, Zhaozaho; Hansen, Anne Louise; Jensen, Simon K; Sun, Chenglong; Thomsen, Martin K; Laustsen, Anders; Nielsen, Camilla G; Severinsen, Kasper; Xiong, Yingluo; Burdette, Dara L; Hornung, Veit; Lebbink, Robert Jan; Duch, Mogens; Fitzgerald, Katherine A; Bahrami, Shervin; Mikkelsen, Jakob Giehm; Hartmann, Rune; Paludan, Søren R

    2016-02-19

    Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) is known be involved in control of DNA viruses but has an unexplored role in control of RNA viruses. During infection with DNA viruses STING is activated downstream of cGAMP synthase (cGAS) to induce type I interferon. Here we identify a STING-dependent, cGAS-independent pathway important for full interferon production and antiviral control of enveloped RNA viruses, including influenza A virus (IAV). Further, IAV interacts with STING through its conserved hemagglutinin fusion peptide (FP). Interestingly, FP antagonizes interferon production induced by membrane fusion or IAV but not by cGAMP or DNA. Similar to the enveloped RNA viruses, membrane fusion stimulates interferon production in a STING-dependent but cGAS-independent manner. Abolishment of this pathway led to reduced interferon production and impaired control of enveloped RNA viruses. Thus, enveloped RNA viruses stimulate a cGAS-independent STING pathway, which is targeted by IAV.

  8. Comparative analysis of envelope proteomes in Escherichia coli B and K-12 strains.

    PubMed

    Han, Mee-Jung; Lee, Sang Yup; Hong, Soon Ho

    2012-04-01

    Recent genome comparisons of E. coli B and K-12 strains have indicated that the makeup of the cell envelopes in these two strains is quite different. Therefore, we analyzed and compared the envelope proteomes of E. coli BL21(DE3) and MG1655. A total of 165 protein spots, including 62 nonredundant proteins, were unambiguously identified by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Of these, 43 proteins were conserved between the two strains, whereas 4 and 16 strain-specific proteins were identified only in E. coli BL21(DE3) and MG1655, respectively. Additionally, 24 proteins showed more than 2-fold differences in intensities between the B and K-12 strains. The reference envelope proteome maps showed that E. coli envelope mainly contained channel proteins and lipoproteins. Interesting proteomic observations between the two strains were as follows: (i) B produced more OmpF porin with a larger pore size than K-12, indicating an increase in the membrane permeability; (ii) B produced higher amounts of lipoproteins, which facilitates the assembly of outer membrane beta-barrel proteins; and (iii) motility- (FliC) and chemotaxis-related proteins (CheA and CheW) were detected only in K-12, which showed that E. coli B is restricted with regard to migration under unfavorable conditions. These differences may influence the permeability and integrity of the cell envelope, showing that E. coli B may be more susceptible than K-12 to certain stress conditions. Thus, these findings suggest that E. coli K-12 and its derivatives will be more favorable strains in certain biotechnological applications, such as cell surface display or membrane engineering studies.

  9. Enhancement of the Accretion of Jupiters Core by a Voluminous Low-Mass Envelope

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lissauer, Jack J.; D'angelo, Gennaro; Weidenschilling, Stuart John; Bodenheimer, Peter; Hubickyj, Olenka

    2013-01-01

    We present calculations of the early stages of the formation of Jupiter via core nucleated accretion and gas capture. The core begins as a seed body of about 350 kilometers in radius and orbits in a swarm of planetesimals whose initial radii range from 15 meters to 100 kilometers. We follow the evolution of the swarm by accounting for growth and fragmentation, viscous and gravitational stirring, and for drag-induced migration and velocity damping. Gas capture by the core substantially enhances the cross-section of the planet for accretion of small planetesimals. The dust opacity within the atmosphere surrounding the planetary core is computed self-consistently, accounting for coagulation and sedimentation of dust particles released in the envelope as passing planetesimals are ablated. The calculation is carried out at an orbital semi-major axis of 5.2 AU and an initial solids' surface density of 10/g/cm^2 at that distance. The results give a core mass of 7 Earth masses and an envelope mass of approximately 0.1 Earth mass after 500,000 years, at which point the envelope growth rate surpasses that of the core. The same calculation without the envelope gives a core mass of only 4 Earth masses.

  10. Double core evolution. 7: The infall of a neutron star through the envelope of its massive star companion

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Terman, James L.; Taam, Ronald E.; Hernquist, Lars

    1995-01-01

    Binary systems with properties similar to those of high-mass X-ray binaries are evolved through the common envelope phase. Three-dimensional simulations show that the timescale of the infall phase of the neutron star depends upon the evolutionary state of its massive companion. We find that tidal torques more effectively accelerate common envelope evolution for companions in their late core helium-burning stage and that the infall phase is rapid (approximately several initial orbital periods). For less evolved companions the decay of the orbit is longer; however, once the neutron star is deeply embedded within the companion's envelope the timescale for orbital decay decreases rapidly. As the neutron star encounters the high-density region surrounding the helium core of its massive companion, the rate of energy loss from the orbit increases dramatically leading to either partial or nearly total envelope ejection. The outcome of the common envelope phase depends upon the structure of the evolved companion. In particular, it is found that the entire common envelope can be ejected by the interaction of the neutron star with a red supergiant companion in binaries with orbital periods similar to those of long-period Be X-ray binaries. For orbital periods greater than or approximately equal to 0.8-2 yr (for companions of mass 12-24 solar mass) it is likely that a binary will survive the common envelope phase. For these systems, the structure of the progenitor star is characterized by a steep density gradient above the helium core, and the common envelope phase ends with a spin up of the envelope to within 50%-60% of corotation and with a slow mass outflow. The efficiency of mass ejection is found to be approximately 30%-40%. For less evolved companions, there is insufficient energy in the orbit to unbind the common envelope and only a fraction of it is ejected. Since the timescale for orbital decay is always shorter than the mass-loss timescale from the common envelope

  11. Tatooines Future: The Eccentric Response of Keplers Circumbinary Planets to Common-Envelope Evolution of their Host Stars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kostov, Veselin B.; Moore, Keavin; Tamayo, Daniel; Jayawardhana, Ray; Rinehart, Stephen A.

    2016-01-01

    Inspired by the recent Kepler discoveries of circumbinary planets orbiting nine close binary stars, we explore the fate of the former as the latter evolve off the main sequence. We combine binary star evolution models with dynamical simulations to study the orbital evolution of these planets as their hosts undergo common-envelope stages, losing in the process a tremendous amount of mass on dynamical timescales. Five of the systems experience at least one Roche-lobe overflow and common-envelope stages (Kepler-1647 experiences three), and the binary stars either shrink to very short orbits or coalesce; two systems trigger a double-degenerate supernova explosion. Kepler's circumbinary planets predominantly remain gravitationally bound at the end of the common-envelope phase, migrate to larger orbits, and may gain significant eccentricity; their orbital expansion can be more than an order of magnitude and can occur over the course of a single planetary orbit. The orbits these planets can reach are qualitatively consistent with those of the currently known post-common-envelope, eclipse-time variations circumbinary candidates. Our results also show that circumbinary planets can experience both modes of orbital expansion (adiabatic and non-adiabatic) if their host binaries undergo more than one common-envelope stage; multiplanet circumbinary systems like Kepler-47 can experience both modes during the same common-envelope stage. Additionally, unlike Mercury orbiting the Sun, a circumbinary planet with the same semi-major axis can survive the common envelope evolution of a close binary star with a total mass of 1 Solar Mass.

  12. Obtaining Valid Safety Data for Software Safety Measurement and Process Improvement

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Basili, Victor r.; Zelkowitz, Marvin V.; Layman, Lucas; Dangle, Kathleen; Diep, Madeline

    2010-01-01

    We report on a preliminary case study to examine software safety risk in the early design phase of the NASA Constellation spaceflight program. Our goal is to provide NASA quality assurance managers with information regarding the ongoing state of software safety across the program. We examined 154 hazard reports created during the preliminary design phase of three major flight hardware systems within the Constellation program. Our purpose was two-fold: 1) to quantify the relative importance of software with respect to system safety; and 2) to identify potential risks due to incorrect application of the safety process, deficiencies in the safety process, or the lack of a defined process. One early outcome of this work was to show that there are structural deficiencies in collecting valid safety data that make software safety different from hardware safety. In our conclusions we present some of these deficiencies.

  13. Breast reconstruction with absorbable mesh sling: dynamic infrared thermography of skin envelope

    PubMed Central

    Hashimoto, Yoko; Yuasa, Takeshi; Suzuki, Yoshinori; Saisho, Hiroshi

    2017-01-01

    Background To immediate reconstruct ptosis breasts, we used polyglactin (Vicryl; Ethicon Inc., Somerville, NJ, USA) mesh as an inferolateral sling. However, Vicryl mesh is absorbable and losing function as a supporting structure. We doubt about the stability of the blood supply to the inferior part of the flap when it is in direct contact with inner implant. In this study, we examine the complications and the safety of the skin flap of this absorbable mesh sling (AMS) procedure. Methods The outcomes of 80 cases were examined, and the 1-year safety record of 40 cases was assessed. Complications were divided into minor complications, major complications requiring surgical intervention, and major complications requiring the reconstructive surgery to be halted. In addition, we examined the blood perfusion of the skin flap by dynamic infrared thermography (DIRT). Results Among 80 patients with AMS procedure, 73 breasts were reconstructed immediately and in one-stage. Complication outcomes are presented; there were 4 cases of minor flap necrosis (5%) and 4 of major complications resulting in surgical correction (5%). One patient required additional surgery, and the implant was moved into the musculocutaneous flap (1.3%). In 40 patients 1 year after surgery, DIRT showed significant decreased of blood perfusion in the ipsilateral inferior sites in comparison with the superior sites. Conclusions Blood perfusion was comparably insufficient in the inferior area of the reconstructed breast mound with AMS, where the pectoralis muscle could not be used to line the inside of the envelope. However, there were no severe flap complications due to ischemia. PMID:28210555

  14. Safety and Crashworthiness of Dual Mode Vehicles

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1974-01-01

    Safety features and the degree of safety expected of dual-mode systems are reviewed. Some of the inherent advantages and disadvantages of dual-mode transportation are also outlined. Possible categories of vehicle safety are defined to aid in developi...

  15. Getting physicians to open the survey: little evidence that an envelope teaser increases response rates.

    PubMed

    Ziegenfuss, Jeanette Y; Burmeister, Kelly; James, Katherine M; Haas, Lindsey; Tilburt, Jon C; Beebe, Timothy J

    2012-03-31

    Physician surveys are an important tool to assess attitudes, beliefs and self-reported behaviors of this policy relevant group. In order for a physician to respond to a mailed survey, they must first open the envelope. While there is some evidence that package elements can impact physician response rates, the impact of an envelope teaser is unknown. Here we assess this by testing the impact of adding a brightly colored "$25 incentive" sticker to the outside of an envelope on response rates and nonresponse bias in a survey of physicians. In the second mailing of a survey assessing physicians' moral beliefs and views on controversial health care topics, initial nonrespondents were randomly assigned to receive a survey in an envelope with a colored "$25 incentive" sticker (teaser group) or an envelope without a sticker (control group). Response rates were compared between the teaser and control groups overall and by age, gender, region of the United States, specialty and years in practice. Nonresponse bias was assessed by comparing the demographic composition of the respondents to the nonrespondents in the experimental and control condition. No significant differences in response rates were observed between the experimental and control conditions overall (p = 0.38) or after stratifying by age, gender, region, or practice type. Within the teaser condition, there was some variation in response rate by years since graduation. There was no independent effect of the teaser on response when simultaneously controlling for demographic characteristics (OR = 0.875, p = 0.4112). Neither response rates nor nonresponse bias were impacted by the use of an envelope teaser in a survey of physicians in the United States.

  16. A safety-based decision making architecture for autonomous systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Musto, Joseph C.; Lauderbaugh, L. K.

    1991-01-01

    Engineering systems designed specifically for space applications often exhibit a high level of autonomy in the control and decision-making architecture. As the level of autonomy increases, more emphasis must be placed on assimilating the safety functions normally executed at the hardware level or by human supervisors into the control architecture of the system. The development of a decision-making structure which utilizes information on system safety is detailed. A quantitative measure of system safety, called the safety self-information, is defined. This measure is analogous to the reliability self-information defined by McInroy and Saridis, but includes weighting of task constraints to provide a measure of both reliability and cost. An example is presented in which the safety self-information is used as a decision criterion in a mobile robot controller. The safety self-information is shown to be consistent with the entropy-based Theory of Intelligent Machines defined by Saridis.

  17. Effects of radial envelope modulations on the collisionless trapped-electron mode in tokamak plasmas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Hao-Tian; Chen, Liu

    2018-05-01

    Adopting the ballooning-mode representation and including the effects of radial envelope modulations, we have derived the corresponding linear eigenmode equation for the collisionless trapped-electron mode in tokamak plasmas. Numerical solutions of the eigenmode equation indicate that finite radial envelope modulations can affect the linear stability properties both quantitatively and qualitatively via the significant modifications in the corresponding eigenmode structures.

  18. Structural and functional adaptations of the mammalian nuclear envelope to meet the meiotic requirements.

    PubMed

    Link, Jana; Jahn, Daniel; Alsheimer, Manfred

    2015-01-01

    Numerous studies in the past years provided definite evidence that the nuclear envelope is much more than just a simple barrier. It rather constitutes a multifunctional platform combining structural and dynamic features to fulfill many fundamental functions such as chromatin organization, regulation of transcription, signaling, but also structural duties like maintaining general nuclear architecture and shape. One additional and, without doubt, highly impressive aspect is the recently identified key function of selected nuclear envelope components in driving meiotic chromosome dynamics, which in turn is essential for accurate recombination and segregation of the homologous chromosomes. Here, we summarize the recent work identifying new key players in meiotic telomere attachment and movement and discuss the latest advances in our understanding of the actual function of the meiotic nuclear envelope.

  19. Isolated Attosecond Pulse Generation without the Need to Stabilize the Carrier-Envelope Phase of Driving Lasers

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gilbertson, Steve; Khan, Sabih D.; Wu Yi

    2010-08-27

    Single isolated attosecond pulses can be extracted from a pulse train with an ultrafast gate in the generation target. By setting the gate width sufficiently narrow with the generalized double optical gating, we demonstrate that single isolated attosecond pulses can be generated with any arbitrary carrier-envelope phase value of the driving laser. The carrier-envelope phase only affects the photon flux, not the pulse duration or contrast. Our results show that isolated attosecond pulses can be generated using carrier-envelope phase unstabilized 23 fs pulses directly from chirped pulse amplifiers.

  20. Complex quantum enveloping algebras as twisted tensor products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chryssomalakos, Chryssomalis; Engeldinger, Ralf A.; Jurčo, Branislav; Schlieker, Michael; Zumino, Bruno

    1994-12-01

    We introduce a *-structure on the quantum double and its dual in order to make contact with various approaches to the enveloping algebras of complex quantum groups. Furthermore, we introduce a canonical basis in the quantum double, its universal R-matrices and give its relation to subgroups in the dual Hopf algebra.

  1. Parvoviruses Cause Nuclear Envelope Breakdown by Activating Key Enzymes of Mitosis

    PubMed Central

    Porwal, Manvi; Cohen, Sarah; Snoussi, Kenza; Popa-Wagner, Ruth; Anderson, Fenja; Dugot-Senant, Nathalie; Wodrich, Harald; Dinsart, Christiane; Kleinschmidt, Jürgen A.; Panté, Nelly; Kann, Michael

    2013-01-01

    Disassembly of the nuclear lamina is essential in mitosis and apoptosis requiring multiple coordinated enzymatic activities in nucleus and cytoplasm. Activation and coordination of the different activities is poorly understood and moreover complicated as some factors translocate between cytoplasm and nucleus in preparatory phases. Here we used the ability of parvoviruses to induce nuclear membrane breakdown to understand the triggers of key mitotic enzymes. Nuclear envelope disintegration was shown upon infection, microinjection but also upon their application to permeabilized cells. The latter technique also showed that nuclear envelope disintegration was independent upon soluble cytoplasmic factors. Using time-lapse microscopy, we observed that nuclear disassembly exhibited mitosis-like kinetics and occurred suddenly, implying a catastrophic event irrespective of cell- or type of parvovirus used. Analyzing the order of the processes allowed us to propose a model starting with direct binding of parvoviruses to distinct proteins of the nuclear pore causing structural rearrangement of the parvoviruses. The resulting exposure of domains comprising amphipathic helices was required for nuclear envelope disintegration, which comprised disruption of inner and outer nuclear membrane as shown by electron microscopy. Consistent with Ca++ efflux from the lumen between inner and outer nuclear membrane we found that Ca++ was essential for nuclear disassembly by activating PKC. PKC activation then triggered activation of cdk-2, which became further activated by caspase-3. Collectively our study shows a unique interaction of a virus with the nuclear envelope, provides evidence that a nuclear pool of executing enzymes is sufficient for nuclear disassembly in quiescent cells, and demonstrates that nuclear disassembly can be uncoupled from initial phases of mitosis. PMID:24204256

  2. Biliary Secretion of Quasi-Enveloped Human Hepatitis A Virus.

    PubMed

    Hirai-Yuki, Asuka; Hensley, Lucinda; Whitmire, Jason K; Lemon, Stanley M

    2016-12-06

    Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is an unusual picornavirus that is released from cells cloaked in host-derived membranes. These quasi-enveloped virions (eHAV) are the only particle type circulating in blood during infection, whereas only nonenveloped virions are shed in feces. The reason for this is uncertain. Hepatocytes, the only cell type known to support HAV replication in vivo, are highly polarized epithelial cells with basolateral membranes facing onto hepatic (blood) sinusoids and apical membranes abutting biliary canaliculi from which bile is secreted to the gut. To assess whether eHAV and nonenveloped virus egress from cells via vectorially distinct pathways, we studied infected polarized cultures of Caco-2 and HepG2-N6 cells. Most (>99%) progeny virions were released apically from Caco-2 cells, whereas basolateral (64%) versus apical (36%) release was more balanced with HepG2-N6 cells. Both apically and basolaterally released virions were predominantly enveloped, with no suggestion of differential vectorial release of eHAV versus naked virions. Basolateral to apical transcytosis of either particle type was minimal (<0.02%/h) in HepG2-N6 cells, arguing against this as a mechanism for differences in membrane envelopment of serum versus fecal virus. High concentrations of human bile acids converted eHAV to nonenveloped virions, whereas virus present in bile from HAV-infected Ifnar1 -/- Ifngr1 -/- and Mavs -/- mice banded over a range of densities extending from that of eHAV to that of nonenveloped virions. We conclude that nonenveloped virions shed in feces are derived from eHAV released across the canalicular membrane and stripped of membranes by the detergent action of bile acids within the proximal biliary canaliculus. HAV is a hepatotropic, fecally/orally transmitted picornavirus that can cause severe hepatitis in humans. Recent work reveals that it has an unusual life cycle. Virus is found in cell culture supernatant fluids in two mature, infectious forms: one

  3. IR photometry results and dust envelope model for symbiotic Mira star candidate V 335 Vul

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bogdanov, M. B.; Taranova, O. G.; Shenavrin, V. I.

    2017-10-01

    We present the results of JHKLM-photometry for the symbiotic Mira star candidate V 335 Vul. Based on the average flux data, supplemented by IRAS, MSX, AKARI, and WISE mid-IR observations, we calculated a model of a spherically symmetric dust envelope of the star, made up of amorphous carbon and silicon carbide particles. The optical depth of the envelope in the visible range with a dust temperature at the inner boundary of T 1 = 1300 K is τ V = 0.58. For an envelope expansion velocity of 26.5 km s-1, the estimated mass loss rate is equal to 5.7 × 10-7 M ⊙ yr-1.

  4. HIV-1 Envelope Glycoprotein Trafficking through the Endosomal Recycling Compartment Is Required for Particle Incorporation.

    PubMed

    Kirschman, Junghwa; Qi, Mingli; Ding, Lingmei; Hammonds, Jason; Dienger-Stambaugh, Krista; Wang, Jaang-Jiun; Lapierre, Lynne A; Goldenring, James R; Spearman, Paul

    2018-03-01

    The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein (Env) encodes specific trafficking signals within its long cytoplasmic tail (CT) that regulate incorporation into HIV-1 particles. Rab11-family interacting protein 1C (FIP1C) and Rab14 are host trafficking factors required for Env particle incorporation, suggesting that Env undergoes sorting from the endosomal recycling compartment (ERC) to the site of particle assembly on the plasma membrane. We disrupted outward sorting from the ERC by expressing a C-terminal fragment of FIP1C (FIP1C 560-649 ) and examined the consequences on Env trafficking and incorporation into particles. FIP1C 560-649 reduced cell surface levels of Env and prevented its incorporation into HIV-1 particles. Remarkably, Env was trapped in an exaggerated perinuclear ERC in a CT-dependent manner. Mutation of either the Yxxϕ endocytic motif or the YW 795 motif in the CT prevented Env trapping in the ERC and restored incorporation into particles. In contrast, simian immunodeficiency virus SIVmac239 Env was not retained in the ERC, while substitution of the HIV-1 CT for the SIV CT resulted in SIV Env retention in this compartment. These results provide the first direct evidence that Env traffics through the ERC and support a model whereby HIV-1 Env is specifically targeted to the ERC prior to FIP1C- and CT-dependent outward sorting to the particle assembly site on the plasma membrane. IMPORTANCE The HIV envelope protein is an essential component of the viral particle. While many aspects of envelope protein structure and function have been established, the pathway it follows in the cell prior to reaching the site of particle assembly is not well understood. The envelope protein has a very long cytoplasmic tail that interacts with the host cell trafficking machinery. Here, we utilized a truncated form of the trafficking adaptor FIP1C protein to arrest the intracellular transport of the envelope protein, demonstrating that it becomes

  5. 49 CFR 390.33 - Commercial motor vehicles used for purposes other than defined.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Commercial motor vehicles used for purposes other than defined. 390.33 Section 390.33 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY REGULATIONS FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER...

  6. A compound scattering pdf for the ultrasonic echo envelope and its relationship to K and Nakagami distributions.

    PubMed

    Shankar, P Mohana

    2003-03-01

    A compound probability density function (pdf) is presented to describe the envelope of the backscattered echo from tissue. This pdf allows local and global variation in scattering cross sections in tissue. The ultrasonic backscattering cross sections are assumed to be gamma distributed. The gamma distribution also is used to model the randomness in the average cross sections. This gamma-gamma model results in the compound scattering pdf for the envelope. The relationship of this compound pdf to the Rayleigh, K, and Nakagami distributions is explored through an analysis of the signal-to-noise ratio of the envelopes and random number simulations. The three parameter compound pdf appears to be flexible enough to represent envelope statistics giving rise to Rayleigh, K, and Nakagami distributions.

  7. Circumstellar gas associated with HL Tauri - Evidence for a remnant infalling envelope

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grasdalen, Gary L.; Sloan, Gregory; Stout, Natalie; Strom, Stephen E.; Welty, Alan D.

    1989-01-01

    Molecular carbon absorption lines in the spectrum of HL Tau has been discovered near 8775 A. These C2 lines have a heliocentric radial velocity of 43 + or - 3 km/s, redshifted by 23 + or - 3 km/s relative to the star and the associated molecular cloud. This velocity difference suggests that the molecular carbon absorption arises in an infalling envelope. Since KI and diffuse interstellar bands are much weaker than expected, the chemical composition and/or excitation conditions in the HL Tau envelope appear to differ substantially from those in the interstellar medium.

  8. Built-up outer wall and roofing sections for double walled envelope homes

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Brodhead, B.

    1980-01-01

    A site built system that uses the inner envelope wall is described. Blocking and vertical nailers are attached to this wall and sheathed with foil faced drywall to create the envelope cavity. An outer layer of 3 1/2 in. of Expended Poly Styrene provides continuous solid insulation. The trusses are also sheathed in foil faced drywall and insulated with 5 1/2 in. of E.P.S. This effectively surrounds the building with a continuous vapor and infiltration barrier. Construction details as well as cost breakdowns are presented.

  9. Envelope lipid-packing as a critical factor for the biological activity and stability of alphavirus particles isolated from mammalian and mosquito cells.

    PubMed

    Sousa, Ivanildo P; Carvalho, Carlos A M; Ferreira, Davis F; Weissmüller, Gilberto; Rocha, Gustavo M; Silva, Jerson L; Gomes, Andre M O

    2011-01-21

    Alphaviruses are enveloped arboviruses. The viral envelope is derived from the host cell and is positioned between two icosahedral protein shells (T = 4). Because the viral envelope contains glycoproteins involved in cell recognition and entry, the integrity of the envelope is critical for the success of the early events of infection. Differing levels of cholesterol in different hosts leads to the production of alphaviruses with distinct levels of this sterol loaded in the envelope. Using Mayaro virus, a New World alphavirus, we investigated the role of cholesterol on the envelope of alphavirus particles assembled in either mammalian or mosquito cells. Our results show that although quite different in their cholesterol content, Mayaro virus particles obtained from both cells share a similar high level of lateral organization in their envelopes. This organization, as well as viral stability and infectivity, is severely compromised when cholesterol is depleted from the envelope of virus particles isolated from mammalian cells, but virus particles isolated from mosquito cells are relatively unaffected by cholesterol depletion. We suggest that it is not cholesterol itself, but rather the organization of the viral envelope, that is critical for the biological activity of alphaviruses.

  10. Windows and Envelope R&D Opportunities Workshop

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Building Technologies Office

    BTO's Emerging Technologies program held a two-day workshop on “Windows and Envelope R&D Opportunities” on May 31 and June 1, 2017 at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois. A broad range of about 100 experts from industry, academia, national laboratories, and government participated, contributing their ideas, insights, and perspectives. Their feedback is intended to help inform and augment BTO’s research and development activities.

  11. Evaluation on the efficiency of the construction sector companies in Malaysia with data envelopment analysis model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weng Hoe, Lam; Jinn, Lim Shun; Weng Siew, Lam; Hai, Tey Kim

    2018-04-01

    In Malaysia, construction sector is essential parts in driving the development of the Malaysian economy. Construction industry is an economic investment and its relationship with economic development is well posited. However, the evaluation on the efficiency of the construction sectors companies listed in Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) with Data Analysis Envelopment (DEA) model have not been actively studied by the past researchers. Hence the purpose of this study is to examine the financial performance the listed construction sectors companies in Malaysia in the year of 2015. The results of this study show that the efficiency of construction sectors companies can be obtained by using DEA model through ratio analysis which defined as the ratio of total outputs to total inputs. This study is significant because the inefficient companies are identified for potential improvement.

  12. Do all Planetary Nebulae result from Common Envelopes?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    De Marco, O.; Moe, M.; Herwig, F.; Politano, M.

    2005-12-01

    The common envelope interaction is responsible for evolved close binaries. Some of these binaries reside in the middle of planetary nebulae (PN). Conventional wisdom has it that only about 10% of all PN contain close binary central stars. Recent observational results, however, strongly suggest that most or even all PN are in close binary systems. Interestingly, our population synthesis calculations predict that the number of post-common envelope PN is in agreement with the total number of PN in the Galaxy. On the other hand, if all stars (single and in binaries) with mass between ˜1-8 M⊙ eject a PN, there would be 10-20 times many more PN in the galaxy than observed. This theoretical result is in agreement with the observations in suggesting that binary interactions play a functional rather than marginal role in the creation of PN. FH acknowledges funds from the U.S. Dept. of Energy, under contract W-7405-ENG-36 to Los Alamos National Laboratory. MP gratefully acknowledges NSF grant AST-0328484 to Marquette University.

  13. Polyglycine Acts as a Rejection Signal for Protein Transport at the Chloroplast Envelope.

    PubMed

    Endow, Joshua K; Rocha, Agostinho Gomes; Baldwin, Amy J; Roston, Rebecca L; Yamaguchi, Toshio; Kamikubo, Hironari; Inoue, Kentaro

    2016-01-01

    PolyGly is present in many proteins in various organisms. One example is found in a transmembrane β-barrel protein, translocon at the outer-envelope-membrane of chloroplasts 75 (Toc75). Toc75 requires its N-terminal extension (t75) for proper localization. t75 comprises signals for chloroplast import (n75) and envelope sorting (c75) in tandem. n75 and c75 are removed by stromal processing peptidase and plastidic type I signal peptidase 1, respectively. PolyGly is present within c75 and its deletion or substitution causes mistargeting of Toc75 to the stroma. Here we have examined the properties of polyGly-dependent protein targeting using two soluble passenger proteins, the mature portion of the small subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (mSS) and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). Both t75-mSS and t75-EGFP were imported into isolated chloroplasts and their n75 removed. Resultant c75-mSS was associated with the envelope at the intermembrane space, whereas c75-EGFP was partially exposed outside the envelope. Deletion of polyGly or substitution of tri-Ala for the critical tri-Gly segment within polyGly caused each passenger to be targeted to the stroma. Transient expression of t75-EGFP in Nicotiana benthamiana resulted in accumulation of c75-EGFP exposed at the surface of the chloroplast, but the majority of the EGFP passenger was found free in the cytosol with most of its c75 attachment removed. Results of circular dichroism analyses suggest that polyGly within c75 may form an extended conformation, which is disrupted by tri-Ala substitution. These data suggest that polyGly is distinct from a canonical stop-transfer sequence and acts as a rejection signal at the chloroplast inner envelope.

  14. Polyglycine Acts as a Rejection Signal for Protein Transport at the Chloroplast Envelope

    DOE PAGES

    Endow, Joshua K.; Rocha, Agostinho Gomes; Baldwin, Amy J.; ...

    2016-12-09

    PolyGly is present in many proteins in various organisms. One example is found in a transmembrane β-barrel protein, translocon at the outer-envelope-membrane of chloroplasts 75 (Toc75). Toc75 requires its N-terminal extension (t75) for proper localization. t75 comprises signals for chloroplast import (n75) and envelope sorting (c75) in tandem. n75 and c75 are removed by stromal processing peptidase and plastidic type I signal peptidase 1, respectively. PolyGly is present within c75 and its deletion or substitution causes mistargeting of Toc75 to the stroma. Here in this study we have examined the properties of polyGly-dependent protein targeting using two soluble passenger proteins,more » the mature portion of the small subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (mSS) and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). Both t75-mSS and t75-EGFP were imported into isolated chloroplasts and their n75 removed. Resultant c75-mSS was associated with the envelope at the intermembrane space, whereas c75-EGFP was partially exposed outside the envelope. Deletion of polyGly or substitution of tri-Ala for the critical tri-Gly segment within polyGly caused each passenger to be targeted to the stroma. Transient expression of t75-EGFP in Nicotiana benthamiana resulted in accumulation of c75-EGFP exposed at the surface of the chloroplast, but the majority of the EGFP passenger was found free in the cytosol with most of its c75 attachment removed. Results of circular dichroism analyses suggest that polyGly within c75 may form an extended conformation, which is disrupted by tri-Ala substitution. These data suggest that polyGly is distinct from a canonical stop-transfer sequence and acts as a rejection signal at the chloroplast inner envelope.« less

  15. Low heat-leak cryogenic envelope

    DOEpatents

    DeHaan, James R.

    1976-10-19

    A plurality of cryogenic envelope sections are joined together to form a power transmission line. Each of the sections is comprised of inner and outer tubes having multilayer metalized plastic spirally wrapped within a vacuum chamber formed between the inner and outer tubes. A refrigeration tube traverses the vacuum chamber, but exits one section and enters another through thermal standoffs for reducing heat-leak from the outer tube to the refrigeration tube. The refrigeration tube passes through a spirally wrapped shield within each section's vacuum chamber in a manner so that the refrigeration tube is in close thermal contact with the shield, but is nevertheless slideable with respect thereto.

  16. Dynamic network data envelopment analysis for university hospitals evaluation

    PubMed Central

    Lobo, Maria Stella de Castro; Rodrigues, Henrique de Castro; André, Edgard Caires Gazzola; de Azeredo, Jônatas Almeida; Lins, Marcos Pereira Estellita

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To develop an assessment tool to evaluate the efficiency of federal university general hospitals. METHODS Data envelopment analysis, a linear programming technique, creates a best practice frontier by comparing observed production given the amount of resources used. The model is output-oriented and considers variable returns to scale. Network data envelopment analysis considers link variables belonging to more than one dimension (in the model, medical residents, adjusted admissions, and research projects). Dynamic network data envelopment analysis uses carry-over variables (in the model, financing budget) to analyze frontier shift in subsequent years. Data were gathered from the information system of the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC), 2010-2013. RESULTS The mean scores for health care, teaching and research over the period were 58.0%, 86.0%, and 61.0%, respectively. In 2012, the best performance year, for all units to reach the frontier it would be necessary to have a mean increase of 65.0% in outpatient visits; 34.0% in admissions; 12.0% in undergraduate students; 13.0% in multi-professional residents; 48.0% in graduate students; 7.0% in research projects; besides a decrease of 9.0% in medical residents. In the same year, an increase of 0.9% in financing budget would be necessary to improve the care output frontier. In the dynamic evaluation, there was progress in teaching efficiency, oscillation in medical care and no variation in research. CONCLUSIONS The proposed model generates public health planning and programming parameters by estimating efficiency scores and making projections to reach the best practice frontier. PMID:27191158

  17. A mail survey of United States hematologists and oncologists: a comparison of business reply versus stamped return envelopes.

    PubMed

    Streiff, M B; Dundes, L; Spivak, J L

    2001-04-01

    Mailed surveys are a popular means of obtaining data on large populations. In July 1999 a mail survey was conducted among 3000 randomly selected members of the American Society of Hematology to assess their approach to diagnosis and treatment of polycythemia vera. Because the researchers and the study population are members of the same professional organization with a vested interest in the results, we anticipated that the advantages of return stamped postage seen in previous studies would be less significant. The response rate for stamped return envelopes was 38% versus 32% for business reply envelopes. This statistically significant difference (P =.0005) of six percentage points is comparable to previous research. Excluding labor, the total cost per returned survey was $2.62 for business reply envelopes versus $1.82 for stamped return envelopes. We conclude that stamped return envelopes are a more effective and cost-efficient means of procuring data from physician specialists.

  18. Geometric and Kinematic Structure of the Outflow/Envelope System of L1527 Revealed by Subarcsecond-resolution Observation of CS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oya, Yoko; Sakai, Nami; Lefloch, Bertrand; López-Sepulcre, Ana; Watanabe, Yoshimasa; Ceccarelli, Cecilia; Yamamoto, Satoshi

    2015-10-01

    Subarcsecond-resolution images of the rotational line emissions of CS and c-C3H2 obtained toward the low-mass protostar IRAS 04368+2557 in L1527 with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array are investigated to constrain the orientation of the outflow/envelope system. The distribution of CS consists of an envelope component extending from north to south and a faint butterfly shaped outflow component. The kinematic structure of the envelope is well reproduced by a simple ballistic model of an infalling rotating envelope. Although the envelope has a nearly edge-on configuration, we find that the western side of the envelope faces the observer. This configuration is opposite to the direction of the large-scale (˜104 AU) outflow suggested previously from the 12CO (J = 3-2) observation, and to the morphology of infrared reflection near the protostar (˜200 AU). The latter discrepancy could originate from high extinction by the outflow cavity of the western side, or may indicate that the outflow axis is not parallel to the rotation axis of the envelope. Position-velocity diagrams show the accelerated outflow cavity wall, and its kinematic structure in the 2000 AU scale is explained by a standard parabolic model with the inclination angle derived from the analysis of the envelope. The different orientation of the outflow between the small and large scale implies a possibility of precession of the outflow axis. The shape and the velocity of the outflow in the vicinity of the protostar are compared with those of other protostars.

  19. CRITICALITY SAFETY CONTROLS AND THE SAFETY BASIS AT PFP

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kessler, S

    2009-04-21

    -2007. In reviewing documents used in classifying controls for Nuclear Safety, it was noted that DOE-HDBK-1188, 'Glossary of Environment, Health, and Safety Terms', defines an Administrative Control (AC) in terms that are different than typically used in Criticality Safety. As part of this CCR, a new term, Criticality Administrative Control (CAC) was defined to clarify the difference between an AC used for criticality safety and an AC used for nuclear safety. In Nuclear Safety terms, an AC is a provision relating to organization and management, procedures, recordkeeping, assessment, and reporting necessary to ensure safe operation of a facility. A CAC was defined as an administrative control derived in a criticality safety analysis that is implemented to ensure double contingency. According to criterion 2 of Section IV, 'Linkage to the Documented Safety Analysis', of DOESTD-3007-2007, the consequence of a criticality should be examined for the purposes of classifying the significance of a control or component. HNF-PRO-700, 'Safety Basis Development', provides control selection criteria based on consequence and risk that may be used in the development of a Criticality Safety Evaluation (CSE) to establish the classification of a component as a design feature, as safety class or safety significant, i.e., an Engineered Safety Feature (ESF), or as equipment important to safety; or merely provides defense-in-depth. Similar logic is applied to the CACs. Criterion 8C of DOE-STD-3007-2007, as written, added to the confusion of using the basic CCR from HNF-7098. The PFP CCR attempts to clarify this criterion by revising it to say 'Programmatic commitments or general references to control philosophy (e.g., mass control or spacing control or concentration control as an overall control strategy for the process without specific quantification of individual limits) is included in the PFP DSA'. Table 1 shows the PFP methodology for evaluating CACs. This evaluation process has been in use

  20. Abundances in red giant stars - Carbon and oxygen isotopes in carbon-rich molecular envelopes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wannier, P. G.; Sahai, R.

    1987-01-01

    Millimeter-wave observations have been made of isotopically substituted CO toward the envelopes of 11 carbon-rich stars. In every case, C-13O was detected and model calculations were used to estimate the C-12/C-13 abundance ratio. C-17O was detected toward three, and possibly four, envelopes, with sensitive upper limits for two others. The CO-18 variant was detected in two envelopes. New results include determinations of oxygen isotopic ratios in the two carbon-rich protoplanetary nebulae CRL 26688 and CRL 618. As with other classes of red giant stars, the carbon-rich giants seem to be significantly, though variably, enriched in O-17. These results, in combination with observations in interstellar molecular clouds, indicate that current knowledge of stellar production of the CNO nuclides is far from satisfactory.

  1. Carrier-Envelope Phase Effects in Plasma-Based Electron Acceleration with Few-Cycle Laser Pulses

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nerush, E. N.; Kostyukov, I. Yu.

    2009-07-17

    Carrier-envelope phase effects during the interaction of relativistically intense few-cycle laser pulses with a plasma are studied in the 'bubble' regime when an electron cavity (bubble) is formed behind the pulse. We show that for few-cycle laser pulses the cavity shape becomes asymmetric and depends strongly on the carrier-envelope phase. The carrier-envelope phase varies when the laser pulse propagates in plasma, which causes transverse oscillations of the cavity. Furthermore, the beam of electrons trapped by the cavity becomes modulated in the polarization plane. To describe these effects we derive an analytical model extended beyond the ponderomotive approximation. The degree ofmore » plasma cavity asymmetry as a function of the laser-plasma parameters is calculated. The obtained results are verified by particle-in-cell simulations.« less

  2. An Experimental Study of Cavitation Detection in a Centrifugal Pump Using Envelope Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tan, Chek Zin; Leong, M. Salman

    Cavitation represents one of the most common faults in pumps and could potentially lead to a series of failure in mechanical seal, impeller, bearing, shaft, motor, etc. In this work, an experimental rig was setup to investigate cavitation detection using vibration envelope analysis method, and measured parameters included sound, pressure and flow rate for feasibility of cavitation detection. The experiment testing included 3 operating points of the centrifugal pump (B.E.P, 90% of B.E.P and 80% of B.E.P). Suction pressure of the centrifugal pump was decreased gradually until the inception point of cavitation. Vibration measurements were undertaken at various locations including casing, bearing, suction and discharge flange of the centrifugal pump. Comparisons of envelope spectrums under cavitating and non-cavitating conditions were presented. Envelope analysis was proven useful in detecting cavitation over the 3 testing conditions. During the normal operating condition, vibration peak synchronous to rotational speed was more pronounced. It was however during cavitation condition, the half order sub-harmonic vibration component was clearly evident in the envelope spectrums undertaken at all measurement locations except at the pump bearing. The possible explanation of the strong sub-harmonic (½ of BPF) during cavitation existence in the centrifugal pump was due to insufficient time for the bubbles to collapse completely before the end of the single cycle.

  3. Identification of an Envelope Protein from the FRD Family of Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERV-FRD) Conferring Infectivity and Functional Conservation among Simians

    PubMed Central

    Blaise, Sandra; Ruggieri, Alessia; Dewannieux, Marie; Cosset, François-Loic; Heidmann, Thierry

    2004-01-01

    A member of the HERV-W family of human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) had previously been demonstrated to encode a functional envelope which can form pseudotypes with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 virions and confer infectivity on the resulting retrovirus particles. Here we show that a second envelope protein sorted out by a systematic search for fusogenic proteins that we made among all the HERV coding envelope genes and belonging to the HERV-FRD family can also make pseudotypes and confer infectivity. We further show that the orthologous envelope genes that were isolated from simians—from New World monkeys to humans—are also functional in the infectivity assay, with one singular exception for the gibbon HERV-FRD gene, which is found to be fusogenic in a cell-cell fusion assay, as observed for the other simian envelopes, but which is not infectious. Sequence comparison of the FRD envelopes revealed a limited number of mutations among simians, and one point mutation—located in the TM subunit—was shown to be responsible for the loss of infectivity of the gibbon envelope. The functional characterization of the identified envelopes is strongly indicative of an ancestral retrovirus infection and endogenization, with some of the envelope functions subsequently retained in evolution. PMID:14694139

  4. Identification of an envelope protein from the FRD family of human endogenous retroviruses (HERV-FRD) conferring infectivity and functional conservation among simians.

    PubMed

    Blaise, Sandra; Ruggieri, Alessia; Dewannieux, Marie; Cosset, François-Loic; Heidmann, Thierry

    2004-01-01

    A member of the HERV-W family of human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) had previously been demonstrated to encode a functional envelope which can form pseudotypes with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 virions and confer infectivity on the resulting retrovirus particles. Here we show that a second envelope protein sorted out by a systematic search for fusogenic proteins that we made among all the HERV coding envelope genes and belonging to the HERV-FRD family can also make pseudotypes and confer infectivity. We further show that the orthologous envelope genes that were isolated from simians-from New World monkeys to humans-are also functional in the infectivity assay, with one singular exception for the gibbon HERV-FRD gene, which is found to be fusogenic in a cell-cell fusion assay, as observed for the other simian envelopes, but which is not infectious. Sequence comparison of the FRD envelopes revealed a limited number of mutations among simians, and one point mutation-located in the TM subunit-was shown to be responsible for the loss of infectivity of the gibbon envelope. The functional characterization of the identified envelopes is strongly indicative of an ancestral retrovirus infection and endogenization, with some of the envelope functions subsequently retained in evolution.

  5. Nup53 Is Required for Nuclear Envelope and Nuclear Pore Complex Assembly

    PubMed Central

    Hawryluk-Gara, Lisa A.; Platani, Melpomeni; Santarella, Rachel

    2008-01-01

    Transport across the nuclear envelope (NE) is mediated by nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). These structures are composed of various subcomplexes of proteins that are each present in multiple copies and together establish the eightfold symmetry of the NPC. One evolutionarily conserved subcomplex of the NPC contains the nucleoporins Nup53 and Nup155. Using truncation analysis, we have defined regions of Nup53 that bind to neighboring nucleoporins as well as those domains that target Nup53 to the NPC in vivo. Using this information, we investigated the role of Nup53 in NE and NPC assembly using Xenopus egg extracts. We show that both events require Nup53. Importantly, the analysis of Nup53 fragments revealed that the assembly activity of Nup53 depleted extracts could be reconstituted using a region of Nup53 that binds specifically to its interacting partner Nup155. On the basis of these results, we propose that the formation of a Nup53–Nup155 complex plays a critical role in the processes of NPC and NE assembly. PMID:18256286

  6. Time dependent wave envelope finite difference analysis of sound propagation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baumeister, K. J.

    1984-01-01

    A transient finite difference wave envelope formulation is presented for sound propagation, without steady flow. Before the finite difference equations are formulated, the governing wave equation is first transformed to a form whose solution tends not to oscillate along the propagation direction. This transformation reduces the required number of grid points by an order of magnitude. Physically, the transformed pressure represents the amplitude of the conventional sound wave. The derivation for the wave envelope transient wave equation and appropriate boundary conditions are presented as well as the difference equations and stability requirements. To illustrate the method, example solutions are presented for sound propagation in a straight hard wall duct and in a two dimensional straight soft wall duct. The numerical results are in good agreement with exact analytical results.

  7. Envelope Responses in Single-trial EEG Indicate Attended Speaker in a Cocktail Party

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-06-25

    attention at the cued location, which may not produce strong lateralization in alpha power. In fact, a similar cocktail party study found that alpha...enhances selective speech envelope tracking in auditory cortex at a ‘ cocktail party ’ J. Neurosci. 33 1417–26 [9] Cherry E C 1953 Some experiments on the...Envelope responses in single-trial EEG indicate attended speaker in a ‘ cocktail party ’ Cort Horton1, Ramesh Srinivasan1,2 and Michael D’Zmura1

  8. Carrier-envelope-offset phase control of ultrafast optical rectification in resonantly excited semiconductors.

    PubMed

    Van Vlack, C; Hughes, S

    2007-04-20

    Ultrashort pulse light-matter interactions in a semiconductor are investigated within the regime of resonant optical rectification. Using pulse envelope areas of around 1.5-3.5 pi, a single-shot dependence on carrier-envelope-offset phase (CEP) is demonstrated for 5 fs pulse durations. A characteristic phase map is predicted for several different frequency regimes using parameters for thin-film GaAs. We subsequently suggest a possible technique to extract the CEP, in both sign and amplitude, using a solid state detector.

  9. Inherent envelope fluctuations in forward maskers: Effects of masker-probe delay for listeners with normal and impaired hearinga)

    PubMed Central

    Svec, Adam; Dubno, Judy R.; Nelson, Peggy B.

    2016-01-01

    Forward-masked thresholds increase as the magnitude of inherent masker envelope fluctuations increase for both normal-hearing (NH) and hearing-impaired (HI) adults for a short masker-probe delay (25 ms). The slope of the recovery from forward masking is shallower for HI than for NH listeners due to reduced cochlear nonlinearities. However, effects of hearing loss on additional masking due to inherent envelope fluctuations across masker-probe delays remain unknown. The current study assessed effects of hearing loss on the slope and amount of recovery from forward maskers that varied in inherent envelope fluctuations. Forward-masked thresholds were measured at 2000 and 4000 Hz, for masker-probe delays of 25, 50, and 75 ms, for NH and HI adults. Four maskers at each center frequency varied in inherent envelope fluctuations: Gaussian noise (GN) or low-fluctuation noise (LFN), with 1 or 1/3 equivalent rectangular bandwidths (ERBs). Results suggested that slopes of recovery from forward masking were shallower for HI than for NH listeners regardless of masker fluctuations. Additional masking due to inherent envelope fluctuations was greater for HI than for NH listeners at longer masker-probe delays, suggesting that inherent envelope fluctuations are more disruptive for HI than for NH listeners for a longer time course PMID:27036255

  10. K+ Stimulation of ATPase Activity Associated with the Chloroplast Inner Envelope 1

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Weihua; Berkowitz, Gerald A.

    1992-01-01

    Studies were conducted to characterize ATPase activity associated with purified chloroplast inner envelope preparations from spinach (Spinacea oleracea L.) plants. Comparison of free Mg2+ and Mg·ATP complex effects on ATPase activity revealed that any Mg2+ stimulation of activity was likely a function of the use of the Mg·ATP complex as a substrate by the enzyme; free Mg2+ may be inhibitory. In contrast, a marked (one- to twofold) stimulation of ATPase activity was noted in the presence of K+. This stimulation had a pH optimum of approximately pH 8.0, the same pH optimum found for enzyme activity in the absence of K+. K+ stimulation of enzyme activity did not follow simple Michaelis-Menton kinetics. Rather, K+ effects were consistent with a negative cooperativity-type binding of the cation to the enzyme, with the Km increasing at increasing substrate. Of the total ATPase activity associated with the chloroplast inner envelope, the K+-stimulated component was most sensitive to the inhibitors oligomycin and vanadate. It was concluded that K+ effects on this chloroplast envelope ATPase were similar to this cation's effects on other transport ATPases (such as the plasmalemma H+-ATPase). Such ATPases are thought to be indirectly involved in active K+ uptake, which can be facilitated by ATPase-dependent generation of an electrical driving force. Thus, K+ effects on the chloroplast enzyme in vitro were found to be consistent with the hypothesized role of this envelope ATPase in facilitating active cation transport in vivo. ImagesFigure 3 PMID:16668922

  11. [Some Features of Sound Signal Envelope by the Frog's Cochlear Nucleus Neurons].

    PubMed

    Bibikov, N G

    2015-01-01

    The responses of single neurons in the medullar auditory center of the grass frog were recorded extracellularly under the action of long tonal signals of the characteristic frequency modulated by repeating fragments of low-frequency (0-15 Hz, 0-50 Hz or 0-150 Hz) noise. Correlation method was used for evaluating the efficacy of different envelope fragments to ensure generation of a neuron pulse discharge. Carrying out these evaluations at different time intervals between a signal and a response the maximum delays were assessed. Two important envelope fragments were revealed. In majority of units the most effective was the time interval of the amplitude rise from mean value to maximum, and the fragment where the amplitude fall from maximum to mean value was the second by the efficacy. This type of response was observed in the vast majority of cells in the range of the envelope frequency bands 0-150 and 0-50 Hz. These cells performed half-wave rectification of such type of the envelope. However, in some neurons we observed more strong preference toward a time interval with growing amplitude, including even those where the amplitude value was smaller than the mean one. These properties were observed mainly for low-frequency (0-15 Hz) modulated signals at high modulation depth. The data show that even in medulla oblongata specialization of neural elements of the auditory pathway occurs with respect to time interval features of sound stimulus. This diversity is most evident for signals with a relatively slowly varying amplitude.

  12. Structure-based drug design for envelope protein E2 uncovers a new class of bovine viral diarrhea inhibitors that block virus entry.

    PubMed

    Pascual, María José; Merwaiss, Fernando; Leal, Emilse; Quintana, María Eugenia; Capozzo, Alejandra V; Cavasotto, Claudio N; Bollini, Mariela; Alvarez, Diego E

    2018-01-01

    Antiviral targeting of virus envelope proteins is an effective strategy for therapeutic intervention of viral infections. Here, we took a computer-guided approach with the aim of identifying new antivirals against the envelope protein E2 of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV). BVDV is an enveloped virus with an RNA genome responsible for major economic losses of the cattle industry worldwide. Based on the crystal structure of the envelope protein E2, we defined a binding site at the interface of the two most distal domains from the virus membrane and pursued a hierarchical docking-based virtual screening search to identify small-molecule ligands of E2. Phenyl thiophene carboxamide derivative 12 (PTC12) emerged as a specific inhibitor of BVDV replication from in vitro antiviral activity screening of candidate molecules, displaying an IC 50 of 0.30 μM against the reference NADL strain of the virus. Using reverse genetics we constructed a recombinant BVDV expressing GFP that served as a sensitive reporter for the study of the mechanism of action of antiviral compounds. Time of drug addition assays showed that PTC12 inhibited an early step of infection. The mechanism of action was further dissected to find that the compound specifically acted at the internalization step of virus entry. Interestingly, we demonstrated that similar to PTC12, the benzimidazole derivative 03 (BI03) selected in the virtual screen also inhibited internalization of BVDV. Furthermore, docking analysis of PTC12 and BI03 into the binding site revealed common interactions with amino acid residues in E2 suggesting that both compounds could share the same molecular target. In conclusion, starting from a targeted design strategy of antivirals against E2 we identified PTC12 as a potent inhibitor of BVDV entry. The compound can be valuable in the design of antiviral strategies in combination with already well-characterized polymerase inhibitors of BVDV. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights

  13. Studies of inactivation mechanism of non-enveloped icosahedral virus by a visible ultrashort pulsed laser

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Low-power ultrashort pulsed (USP) lasers operating at wavelengths of 425 nm and near infrared region have been shown to effectively inactivate viruses such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), M13 bacteriophage, and murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV). It was shown previously that non-enveloped, helical viruses such as M13 bacteriophage, were inactivated by a USP laser through an impulsive stimulated Raman scattering (ISRS) process. Recently, enveloped virus like MCMV has been shown to be inactivated by a USP laser via protein aggregation induced by an ISRS process. However, the inactivation mechanism for a clinically important class of viruses – non-enveloped, icosahedral viruses remains unknown. Results and discussions We have ruled out the following four possible inactivation mechanisms for non-enveloped, icosahedral viruses, namely, (1) inactivation due to ultraviolet C (UVC) photons produced by non-linear optical process of the intense, fundamental laser beam at 425 nm; (2) inactivation caused by thermal heating generated by the direct laser absorption/heating of the virion; (3) inactivation resulting from a one-photon absorption process via chromophores such as porphyrin molecules, or indicator dyes, potentially producing reactive oxygen or other species; (4) inactivation by the USP lasers in which the extremely intense laser pulse produces shock wave-like vibrations upon impact with the viral particle. We present data which support that the inactivation mechanism for non-enveloped, icosahedral viruses is the impulsive stimulated Raman scattering process. Real-time PCR experiments show that, within the amplicon size of 273 bp tested, there is no damage on the genome of MNV-1 caused by the USP laser irradiation. Conclusion We conclude that our model non-enveloped virus, MNV-1, is inactivated by the ISRS process. These studies provide fundamental knowledge on photon-virus interactions on femtosecond time scales. From the analysis of the transmission

  14. Carrier-envelope phase control of femtosecond mode-locked lasers and direct optical frequency synthesis

    PubMed

    Jones; Diddams; Ranka; Stentz; Windeler; Hall; Cundiff

    2000-04-28

    We stabilized the carrier-envelope phase of the pulses emitted by a femtosecond mode-locked laser by using the powerful tools of frequency-domain laser stabilization. We confirmed control of the pulse-to-pulse carrier-envelope phase using temporal cross correlation. This phase stabilization locks the absolute frequencies emitted by the laser, which we used to perform absolute optical frequency measurements that were directly referenced to a stable microwave clock.

  15. A Safety Index and Method for Flightdeck Evaluation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Latorella, Kara A.

    2000-01-01

    If our goal is to improve safety through machine, interface, and training design, then we must define a metric of flightdeck safety that is usable in the design process. Current measures associated with our notions of "good" pilot performance and ultimate safety of flightdeck performance fail to provide an adequate index of safe flightdeck performance for design evaluation purposes. The goal of this research effort is to devise a safety index and method that allows us to evaluate flightdeck performance holistically and in a naturalistic experiment. This paper uses Reason's model of accident causation (1990) as a basis for measuring safety, and proposes a relational database system and method for 1) defining a safety index of flightdeck performance, and 2) evaluating the "safety" afforded by flightdeck performance for the purpose of design iteration. Methodological considerations, limitations, and benefits are discussed as well as extensions to this work.

  16. Estimating Most Productive Scale Size in Data Envelopment Analysis with Integer Value Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dwi Sari, Yunita; Angria S, Layla; Efendi, Syahril; Zarlis, Muhammad

    2018-01-01

    The most productive scale size (MPSS) is a measurement that states how resources should be organized and utilized to achieve optimal results. The most productive scale size (MPSS) can be used as a benchmark for the success of an industry or company in producing goods or services. To estimate the most productive scale size (MPSS), each decision making unit (DMU) should pay attention the level of input-output efficiency, by data envelopment analysis (DEA) method decision making unit (DMU) can identify units used as references that can help to find the cause and solution from inefficiencies can optimize productivity that main advantage in managerial applications. Therefore, data envelopment analysis (DEA) is chosen to estimating most productive scale size (MPSS) that will focus on the input of integer value data with the CCR model and the BCC model. The purpose of this research is to find the best solution for estimating most productive scale size (MPSS) with input of integer value data in data envelopment analysis (DEA) method.

  17. Nuclear Envelope Protein SUN2 Promotes Cyclophilin-A-Dependent Steps of HIV Replication

    PubMed Central

    Lahaye, Xavier; Satoh, Takeshi; Gentili, Matteo; Cerboni, Silvia; Silvin, Aymeric; Conrad, Cécile; Ahmed-Belkacem, Abdelhakim; Rodriguez, Elisa C.; Guichou, Jean-François; Bosquet, Nathalie; Piel, Matthieu; Le Grand, Roger; King, Megan C.; Pawlotsky, Jean-Michel; Manel, Nicolas

    2016-01-01

    Summary During the early phase of replication, HIV reverse transcribes its RNA and crosses the nuclear envelope while escaping host antiviral defenses. The host factor Cyclophilin A (CypA) is essential for these steps and binds the HIV capsid; however, the mechanism underlying this effect remains elusive. Here, we identify related capsid mutants in HIV-1, HIV-2, and SIVmac that are restricted by CypA. This antiviral restriction of mutated viruses is conserved across species and prevents nuclear import of the viral cDNA. Importantly, the inner nuclear envelope protein SUN2 is required for the antiviral activity of CypA. We show that wild-type HIV exploits SUN2 in primary CD4+ T cells as an essential host factor that is required for the positive effects of CypA on reverse transcription and infection. Altogether, these results establish essential CypA-dependent functions of SUN2 in HIV infection at the nuclear envelope. PMID:27149839

  18. Interferometric view of the circumstellar envelopes of northern FU Orionis-type stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fehér, O.; Kóspál, Á.; Ábrahám, P.; Hogerheijde, M. R.; Brinch, C.

    2017-11-01

    Context. FU Orionis-type objects are pre-main sequence, low-mass stars with large outbursts in visible light that last for several years or decades. They are thought to represent an evolutionary phase during the life of every young star when accretion from the circumstellar disk is enhanced during recurring time periods. These outbursts are able to rapidly build up the star while affecting the physical conditions inside the circumstellar disk and thus the ongoing or future planet formation. In many models, infall from a circumstellar envelope seems to be necessary to trigger the outbursts. Aims: We characterise the morphology and the physical parameters of the circumstellar material around FU Orionis-type stars using the emission of millimetre-wavelength molecular tracers. The high-spatial-resolution study provides insight into the evolutionary state of the objects, the distribution of parameters in the envelopes and the physical processes forming the environment of these stars. Methods: We observed the J = 1-0 rotational transition of 13CO and C18O towards eight northern FU Orionis-type stars (V1057 Cyg, V1515 Cyg, V2492 Cyg, V2493 Cyg, V1735 Cyg, V733 Cep, RNO 1B and RNO 1C) and determine the spatial and velocity structure of the circumstellar gas on a scale of a few thousand AU. We derive temperatures and envelope masses and discuss the kinematics of the circumstellar material. Results: We detected extended CO emission associated with all our targets. Smaller-scale CO clumps were found to be associated with five objects with radii of 2000-5000 AU and masses of 0.02-0.5 M⊙; these are clearly heated by the central stars. Three of these envelopes are also strongly detected in the 2.7 mm continuum. No central CO clumps were detected around V733 Cep and V710 Cas which can be interpreted as envelopes but there are many other clumps in their environments. Traces of outflow activity were observed towards V1735 Cyg, V733 Cep and V710 Cas. Conclusions: The diversity of

  19. The Role of Amplitude Envelope in Lexical Tone Perception: Evidence from Cantonese Lexical Tone Discrimination in Adults with Normal Hearing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhou, Yining Victor

    2012-01-01

    Previously published studies on the role of amplitude envelope in lexical tone perception focused on Mandarin only. Amplitude envelope was found to co-vary with fundamental frequency in Mandarin lexical tones, and amplitude envelope alone could cue tone perception in Mandarin which uses primarily tone contour for phonemic tonal contrasts. The…

  20. Antiviral Peptides Targeting the West Nile Virus Envelope Protein▿

    PubMed Central

    Bai, Fengwei; Town, Terrence; Pradhan, Deepti; Cox, Jonathan; Ashish; Ledizet, Michel; Anderson, John F.; Flavell, Richard A.; Krueger, Joanna K.; Koski, Raymond A.; Fikrig, Erol

    2007-01-01

    West Nile virus (WNV) can cause fatal murine and human encephalitis. The viral envelope protein interacts with host cells. A murine brain cDNA phage display library was therefore probed with WNV envelope protein, resulting in the identification of several adherent peptides. Of these, peptide 1 prevented WNV infection in vitro with a 50% inhibition concentration of 67 μM and also inhibited infection of a related flavivirus, dengue virus. Peptide 9, a derivative of peptide 1, was a particularly potent inhibitor of WNV in vitro, with a 50% inhibition concentration of 2.6 μM. Moreover, mice challenged with WNV that had been incubated with peptide 9 had reduced viremia and fatality compared with control animals. Peptide 9 penetrated the murine blood-brain barrier and was found in the brain parenchyma, implying that it may have antiviral activity in the central nervous system. These short peptides serve as the basis for developing new therapeutics for West Nile encephalitis and, potentially, other flaviviruses. PMID:17151121

  1. NSF- and SNARE-mediated membrane fusion is required for nuclear envelope formation and completion of nuclear pore complex assembly in Xenopus laevis egg extracts.

    PubMed

    Baur, Tina; Ramadan, Kristijan; Schlundt, Andreas; Kartenbeck, Jürgen; Meyer, Hemmo H

    2007-08-15

    Despite the progress in understanding nuclear envelope (NE) reformation after mitosis, it has remained unclear what drives the required membrane fusion and how exactly this is coordinated with nuclear pore complex (NPC) assembly. Here, we show that, like other intracellular fusion reactions, NE fusion in Xenopus laevis egg extracts is mediated by SNARE proteins that require activation by NSF. Antibodies against Xenopus NSF, depletion of NSF or the dominant-negative NSF(E329Q) variant specifically inhibited NE formation. Staging experiments further revealed that NSF was required until sealing of the envelope was completed. Moreover, excess exogenous alpha-SNAP that blocks SNARE function prevented membrane fusion and caused accumulation of non-flattened vesicles on the chromatin surface. Under these conditions, the nucleoporins Nup107 and gp210 were fully recruited, whereas assembly of FxFG-repeat-containing nucleoporins was blocked. Together, we define NSF- and SNARE-mediated membrane fusion events as essential steps during NE formation downstream of Nup107 recruitment, and upstream of membrane flattening and completion of NPC assembly.

  2. Connecticut Department of Transportation safety techniques enhancement plan.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2015-03-15

    The Highway Safety Manual (HSM) defines a six-step cycle of safety management processes. This report evaluates the : Conncituct Department on how well conform to the six safety management steps. The methods recommended in the HSM : require additional...

  3. Sound envelope processing in the developing human brain: A MEG study.

    PubMed

    Tang, Huizhen; Brock, Jon; Johnson, Blake W

    2016-02-01

    This study investigated auditory cortical processing of linguistically-relevant temporal modulations in the developing brains of young children. Auditory envelope following responses to white noise amplitude modulated at rates of 1-80 Hz in healthy children (aged 3-5 years) and adults were recorded using a paediatric magnetoencephalography (MEG) system and a conventional MEG system, respectively. For children, there were envelope following responses to slow modulations but no significant responses to rates higher than about 25 Hz, whereas adults showed significant envelope following responses to almost the entire range of stimulus rates. Our results show that the auditory cortex of preschool-aged children has a sharply limited capacity to process rapid amplitude modulations in sounds, as compared to the auditory cortex of adults. These neurophysiological results are consistent with previous psychophysical evidence for a protracted maturational time course for auditory temporal processing. The findings are also in good agreement with current linguistic theories that posit a perceptual bias for low frequency temporal information in speech during language acquisition. These insights also have clinical relevance for our understanding of language disorders that are associated with difficulties in processing temporal information in speech. Copyright © 2015 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Mutations altering the gammaretrovirus endoproteolytic motif affect glycosylation of the envelope glycoprotein and early events of the virus life cycle

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Argaw, Takele; Wilson, Carolyn A., E-mail: carolyn.wilson@fda.hhs.gov

    Previously, we found that mutation of glutamine to proline in the endoproteolytic cleavage signal of the PERV-C envelope (RQKK to RPKK) resulted in non-infectious vectors. Here, we show that RPKK results in a non-infectious vector when placed in not only a PERV envelope, but also the envelope of a related gammaretrovirus, FeLV-B. The amino acid substitutions do not prevent envelope precursor cleavage, viral core and genome assembly, or receptor binding. Rather, the mutations result in the formation of hyperglycosylated glycoprotein and a reduction in the reverse transcribed minus strand synthesis and undetectable 2-LTR circular DNA in cells exposed to vectorsmore » with these mutated envelopes. Our findings suggest novel functions associated with the cleavage signal sequence that may affect trafficking through the glycosylation machinery of the cell. Further, the glycosylation status of the envelope appears to impact post-binding events of the viral life cycle, either membrane fusion, internalization, or reverse transcription. - Highlights: • Env cleavage signal impacts infectivity of gammaretroviruses. • Non-infectious mutants have hyper-glycosylated envelope that bind target cells. • Non-infectious mutants have defects in the formation of the double-stranded DNA. • Env cleavage motif has functions beyond cleavage of the env precursor.« less

  5. Investigation into constant envelope orthogonal frequency division multiplexing for polarization-division multiplexing coherent optical communication

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Yupeng; Ding, Ding

    2017-09-01

    Benefiting from the high spectral efficiency and low peak-to-average power ratio, constant envelope orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a promising technique in coherent optical communication. Polarization-division multiplexing (PDM) has been employed as an effective way to double the transmission capacity in the commercial 100 Gb/s PDM-QPSK system. We investigated constant envelope OFDM together with PDM. Simulation results show that the acceptable maximum launch power into the fiber improves 10 and 6 dB for 80- and 320-km transmission, respectively (compared with the conventional PDM OFDM system). The maximum reachable distance of the constant envelope OFDM system is able to reach 800 km, and even 1200 km is reachable if an ideal erbium doped fiber amplifier is employed.

  6. Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Nuclear Envelope Architecture Using Dual-Color Metal-Induced Energy Transfer Imaging.

    PubMed

    Chizhik, Anna M; Ruhlandt, Daja; Pfaff, Janine; Karedla, Narain; Chizhik, Alexey I; Gregor, Ingo; Kehlenbach, Ralph H; Enderlein, Jörg

    2017-12-26

    The nuclear envelope, comprising the inner and the outer nuclear membrane, separates the nucleus from the cytoplasm and plays a key role in cellular functions. Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), which are embedded in the nuclear envelope, control transport of macromolecules between the two compartments. Here, using dual-color metal-induced energy transfer (MIET), we determine the axial distance between Lap2β and Nup358 as markers for the inner nuclear membrane and the cytoplasmic side of the NPC, respectively. Using MIET imaging, we reconstruct the 3D profile of the nuclear envelope over the whole basal area, with an axial resolution of a few nanometers. This result demonstrates that optical microscopy can achieve nanometer axial resolution in biological samples and without recourse to complex interferometric approaches.

  7. 78 FR 18238 - Safety Zone; SFPD Training Safety Zone; San Francisco Bay, San Francisco, CA

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-03-26

    ... operations that require freedom of movement in a defined area. The safety zone is necessary to provide for... exercise. This restricted area is necessary to provide freedom of movement for law enforcement officers... message can be received without jeopardizing the safety or security of people, places or vessels. 7...

  8. Rapid Detection of Infectious Envelope Proteins by Magnetoplasmonic Toroidal Metasensors.

    PubMed

    Ahmadivand, Arash; Gerislioglu, Burak; Manickam, Pandiaraj; Kaushik, Ajeet; Bhansali, Shekhar; Nair, Madhavan; Pala, Nezih

    2017-09-22

    Unconventional characteristics of magnetic toroidal multipoles have triggered researchers to study these unique resonant phenomena by using both 3D and planar resonators under intense radiation. Here, going beyond conventional planar unit cells, we report on the observation of magnetic toroidal modes using artificially engineered multimetallic planar plasmonic resonators. The proposed microstructures consist of iron (Fe) and titanium (Ti) components acting as magnetic resonators and torus, respectively. Our numerical studies and following experimental verifications show that the proposed structures allow for excitation of toroidal dipoles in the terahertz (THz) domain with the experimental Q-factor of ∼18. Taking the advantage of high-Q toroidal line shape and its dependence on the environmental perturbations, we demonstrate that room-temperature toroidal metasurface is a reliable platform for immunosensing applications. As a proof of concept, we utilized our plasmonic metasurface to detect Zika-virus (ZIKV) envelope protein (with diameter of 40 nm) using a specific ZIKV antibody. The sharp toroidal resonant modes of the surface functionalized structures shift as a function of the ZIKV envelope protein for small concentrations (∼pM). The results of sensing experiments reveal rapid, accurate, and quantitative detection of envelope proteins with the limit of detection of ∼24.2 pg/mL and sensitivity of 6.47 GHz/log(pg/mL). We envision that the proposed toroidal metasurface opens new avenues for developing low-cost, and efficient THz plasmonic sensors for infection and targeted bioagent detection.

  9. Vitelline envelope of Bufo arenarum: biochemical and biological characterization.

    PubMed

    Barisone, Gustavo A; Hedrick, Jerry L; Cabada, Marcelo O

    2002-04-01

    Vitelline envelopes (VEs) of Bufo arenarum were isolated in order to study their composition and their role in fertilization. VEs are composed of four glycoproteins, with molecular masses of 120, 75, 41, and 38 kDa. To characterize its biological properties, we quantitatively determined sperm-VE binding and the induction of the acrosome reaction. Heterologous binding of B. arenarum sperm to Xenopus laevis VE components was observed with about one-third the efficiency of homologous binding. Equivalent binding of X. laevis sperm to the B. arenarum VE was observed. When B. arenarum sperm were incubated with fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled VE, the labeled glycoproteins bound to the anterior end of the sperm head, showing a lateral distribution. Induction of the acrosome reaction was evaluated by incubating sperm in hypotonic saline media with VE glycoproteins. VEs induced the acrosome reaction in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. The acrosome reaction was maximal after 10 min. The half-maximal effect was obtained at a glycoprotein concentration of 1 microg/ml. Specificity was determined using fertilization envelope glycoproteins, which failed to induce the acrosome reaction. The B. arenarum VE is biochemically similar to other egg envelopes. It also seems that its biological properties are similar to other species in regard to sperm binding and induction of the acrosome reaction. However, as far as we are aware, this is the first observation of the VE inducing the sperm acrosome reaction in amphibians. The relatively small differences observed in heterologous sperm-VE binding in X. laevis and B. arenarum are inconsistent with the current paradigm that species specificity in fertilization is regulated at the sperm-VE binding step.

  10. Characterization of Hepatitis C Virus Core Protein Multimerization and Membrane Envelopment: Revelation of a Cascade of Core-Membrane Interactions ▿

    PubMed Central

    Ai, Li-Shuang; Lee, Yu-Wen; Chen, Steve S.-L.

    2009-01-01

    The molecular basis underlying hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein maturation and morphogenesis remains elusive. We characterized the concerted events associated with core protein multimerization and interaction with membranes. Analyses of core proteins expressed from a subgenomic system showed that the signal sequence located between the core and envelope glycoprotein E1 is critical for core association with endoplasmic reticula (ER)/late endosomes and the core's envelopment by membranes, which was judged by the core's acquisition of resistance to proteinase K digestion. Despite exerting an inhibitory effect on the core's association with membranes, (Z-LL)2-ketone, a specific inhibitor of signal peptide peptidase (SPP), did not affect core multimeric complex formation, suggesting that oligomeric core complex formation proceeds prior to or upon core attachment to membranes. Protease-resistant core complexes that contained both innate and processed proteins were detected in the presence of (Z-LL)2-ketone, implying that core envelopment occurs after intramembrane cleavage. Mutations of the core that prevent signal peptide cleavage or coexpression with an SPP loss-of-function D219A mutant decreased the core's envelopment, demonstrating that SPP-mediated cleavage is required for core envelopment. Analyses of core mutants with a deletion in domain I revealed that this domain contains sequences crucial for core envelopment. The core proteins expressed by infectious JFH1 and Jc1 RNAs in Huh7 cells also assembled into a multimeric complex, associated with ER/late-endosomal membranes, and were enveloped by membranes. Treatment with (Z-LL)2-ketone or coexpression with D219A mutant SPP interfered with both core envelopment and infectious HCV production, indicating a critical role of core envelopment in HCV morphogenesis. The results provide mechanistic insights into the sequential and coordinated processes during the association of the HCV core protein with membranes in the

  11. Dual sensitivity of inferior colliculus neurons to ITD in the envelopes of high-frequency sounds: experimental and modeling study

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Le; Devore, Sasha; Delgutte, Bertrand

    2013-01-01

    Human listeners are sensitive to interaural time differences (ITDs) in the envelopes of sounds, which can serve as a cue for sound localization. Many high-frequency neurons in the mammalian inferior colliculus (IC) are sensitive to envelope-ITDs of sinusoidally amplitude-modulated (SAM) sounds. Typically, envelope-ITD-sensitive IC neurons exhibit either peak-type sensitivity, discharging maximally at the same delay across frequencies, or trough-type sensitivity, discharging minimally at the same delay across frequencies, consistent with responses observed at the primary site of binaural interaction in the medial and lateral superior olives (MSO and LSO), respectively. However, some high-frequency IC neurons exhibit dual types of envelope-ITD sensitivity in their responses to SAM tones, that is, they exhibit peak-type sensitivity at some modulation frequencies and trough-type sensitivity at other frequencies. Here we show that high-frequency IC neurons in the unanesthetized rabbit can also exhibit dual types of envelope-ITD sensitivity in their responses to SAM noise. Such complex responses to SAM stimuli could be achieved by convergent inputs from MSO and LSO onto single IC neurons. We test this hypothesis by implementing a physiologically explicit, computational model of the binaural pathway. Specifically, we examined envelope-ITD sensitivity of a simple model IC neuron that receives convergent inputs from MSO and LSO model neurons. We show that dual envelope-ITD sensitivity emerges in the IC when convergent MSO and LSO inputs are differentially tuned for modulation frequency. PMID:24155013

  12. Defining the fundamentals of care.

    PubMed

    Kitson, Alison; Conroy, Tiffany; Wengstrom, Yvonne; Profetto-McGrath, Joanne; Robertson-Malt, Suzi

    2010-08-01

    A three-stage process is being undertaken to investigate the fundamentals of care. Stage One (reported here) involves the use of a met a-narrative review methodology to undertake a thematic analysis, categorization and synthesis of selected contents extracted from seminal texts relating to nursing practice. Stage Two will involve a search for evidence to inform the fundamentals of care and a refinement of the review method. Stage Three will extend the reviews of the elements defined as fundamentals of care. This introductory paper covers the following aspects: the conceptual basis upon which nursing care is delivered; how the fundamentals of care have been defined in the literature and in practice; an argument that physiological aspects of care, self-care elements and aspects of the environment of care are central to the conceptual refinement of the term fundamentals of care; and that efforts to systematize such information will enhance overall care delivery through improvements in patient safety and quality initiatives in health systems.

  13. 2013 NASA Range Safety Annual Report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dumont, Alan G.

    2013-01-01

    Welcome to the 2013 edition of the NASA Range Safety Annual Report. Funded by NASA Headquarters, this report provides an Agency overview for current and potential range users. This report contains articles which cover a variety of subject areas, summaries of various activities performed during the past year, links to past reports, and information on several projects that may have a profound impact on the way business will be conducted in the future. Specific topics discussed in the 2013 NASA Range Safety Annual Report include a program overview and 2013 highlights, Range Safety Training, Independent Assessments, support to Program Operations at all ranges conducting NASA launch/flight operations, a continuing overview of emerging range safety-related technologies, and status reports from all of the NASA Centers that have Range Safety responsibilities. Every effort has been made to include the most current information available. We recommend this report be used only for guidance and that the validity and accuracy of all articles be verified for updates. As is the case each year, we had a wide variety of contributors to this report from across our NASA Centers and the national range safety community at large, and I wish to thank them all. On a sad note, we lost one of our close colleagues, Dr. Jim Simpson, due to his sudden passing in December. His work advancing the envelope of autonomous flight safety systems software/hardware development leaves a lasting impression on our community. Such systems are being flight tested today and may one day be considered routine in the range safety business. The NASA family has lost a pioneer in our field, and he will surely be missed. In conclusion, it has been a very busy and productive year, and I look forward to working with all of you in NASA Centers/Programs/Projects and with the national Range Safety community in making Flight/Space activities as safe as they can be in the upcoming year.

  14. A guidance manual for assessing scour potential using the South Carolina bridge-scour envelope curves

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Benedict, Stephen T.; Caldwell, Andral W.; Feaster, Toby D.

    2014-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the South Carolina Department of Transportation, conducted a series of three field investigations of bridge scour in order to better understand regional trends of scour within South Carolina. The studies collected historic-scour data at approximately 200 riverine bridges including measurements of clear-water abutment, contraction, and pier scour, as well as live-bed contraction and pier scour. These investigations provided valuable insights for regional scour trends and yielded bridge-scour envelope curves for assessing scour potential associated with all components of scour at riverine bridges in South Carolina. The application and limitations of these envelop cureves were documents in three reports, Each repoort addresses different components of bridge scour and this, there is a need to develop an integrated procedure for applying the South Carolina bridge-scour envelope curves. To address this need, the U.S. Geological Survey and the South Carolina Department of Transportation initiated a cooperative effort to develop an integrated procedure and document the method in a guidance manual. In addition to developing the integrated procedure, field data from other investigations outside of South Carolina were used to verify the South Carolina bridge-source envelope curves.

  15. Inhibitors of SARS-CoV Entry - Identification using an Internally-Controlled Dual Envelope Pseudovirion Assay

    PubMed Central

    Zhou, Yanchen; Agudelo, Juliet; Lu, Kai; Goetz, David H.; Hansell, Elizabeth; Chen, Yen Ting; Roush, William R.; McKerrow, James; Craik, Charles S.; Amberg, Sean M.; Simmons, Graham

    2011-01-01

    Severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) emerged as the causal agent of an endemic atypical pneumonia, infecting thousands of people worldwide. Although a number of promising potential vaccines and therapeutic agents for SARS-CoV have been described, no effective antiviral drug against SARS-CoV is currently available. The intricate, sequential nature of the viral entry process provides multiple valid targets for drug development. Here, we describe a rapid and safe cell-based high-throughput screening system, Dual Envelope Pseudovirion (DEP) Assay, for specifically screening inhibitors of viral entry. The assay system employs a novel dual envelope strategy, using lentiviral pseudovirions as targets whose entry is driven by the SARS-CoV Spike glycoprotein. A second, unrelated viral envelope is used as an internal control to reduce the number of false positives. As an example of the power of this assay a class of inhibitors is reported with the potential to inhibit SARS-CoV at two steps of the replication cycle, viral entry and particle assembly. This assay system can be easily adapted to screen entry inhibitors against other viruses with the careful selection of matching partner virus envelopes. PMID:21820471

  16. Recent findings relating to firefighter safety zones

    Treesearch

    Bret Butler; Russ Parsons; William Mell

    2015-01-01

    Designation of safety zones is a primary duty of all wildland firefighters. Unfortunately, information regarding what constitutes an adequate safety zone is inadequately defined. Measurements of energy release from wildland fires have been used to develop an empirically based safety zone guideline. The basis for this work is described here.

  17. Visualising Three Dimensional Damage and Failure Envelopes: Implications for True Triaxial Deformation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harland, S. R.; Browning, J.; Healy, D.; Meredith, P. G.; Mitchell, T. M.

    2017-12-01

    Ultimate failure in brittle rocks is commonly accepted to occur as a coalescence of micro-crack damage into a single failure plane. The geometry and evolution with stress of the cracks (damage) within the medium will play a role in dictating the geometry of the ultimate failure plane. Currently, the majority of experimental studies investigating damage evolution and rock failure use conventional triaxial stress states (σ1 > σ2 = σ3). Results from these tests can easily be represented on a Mohr-Coulomb plot (σn - τ), conveniently allowing the user to determine the geometry of the resultant failure plane. In reality however, stress in the subsurface is generally truly triaxial (σ1 > σ2 > σ3) and in this case, the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion is inadequate as it incorporates no dependence on the intermediate stress (σ2), which has been shown to play an important role in controlling failure. It has recently been shown that differential stress is the key driver in initiating crack growth, regardless of the mean stress. Polyaxial failure criteria that incorporate the effect of the intermediate stress do exist and include the Modified Lade, Modified Wiebols and Cook, and the Drucker-Prager criteria. However, unlike the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion, these polyaxial criteria do not offer any prediction of, or insight into, the geometry of the resultant failure plane. An additional downfall of all of the common conventional and polyaxial failure criteria is that they fail to describe the geometry of the damage (i.e. pre-failure microcracking) envelope with progressive stress; it is commonly assumed that the damage envelope is parallel to the ultimate brittle failure envelope. Here we use previously published polyaxial failure data for the Shirahama sandstone and Westerley granite to illustrate that the commonly used Mohr-Coulomb and polyaxial failure criteria do not sufficiently describe or capture failure or damage envelopes under true triaxial stress states

  18. Capture envelopes of rectangular hoods in cross drafts.

    PubMed

    Huang, R F; Sir, S Y; Chen, Y K; Yeh, W Y; Chen, C W; Chen, C C

    2001-01-01

    The suction fields of the rectangular hoods of various aspect ratios varying from 0.1 to 10 that are subject to the influence of cross drafts were experimentally studied in an apparatus consisting of a hood model/wind tunnel assembly. The velocity field on the symmetry plane was measured with a two-component laser Doppler anemometer. Being under the influence of cross draft, the suction field presents a characteristic capture envelope, which is described by a dividing streamline. The characteristics of the capture envelope were found to be determined by the cross-draft to hood-suction velocity ratio R and the hood-opening aspect ratio AR. The flow characteristics of the hoods with aspect ratios less than unity were dramatically different from those with aspect ratios greater than one. If areas of the hood openings had the same values, the hydraulic-diameter normalized characteristic length scales of the capture zone of the square hood were as same as those of the circular hood. When the diameter of a circular hood was equal to the width of a square hood, the physical dimensions of the capture zones created by these two hoods coincided with each other.

  19. Extending the Operational Envelope of a Turbofan Engine Simulation into the Sub-Idle Region

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chapman, Jeffryes W.; Hamley, Andrew J.; Guo, Ten-Huei; Litt, Jonathan S.

    2016-01-01

    In many non-linear gas turbine simulations, operation in the sub-idle region can lead to model instability. This paper lays out a method for extending the operational envelope of a map based gas turbine simulation to include the sub-idle region. This method develops a multi-simulation solution where the baseline component maps are extrapolated below the idle level and an alternate model is developed to serve as a safety net when the baseline model becomes unstable or unreliable. Sub-idle model development takes place in two distinct operational areas, windmilling/shutdown and purge/cranking/ startup. These models are based on derived steady state operating points with transient values extrapolated between initial (known) and final (assumed) states. Model transitioning logic is developed to predict baseline model sub-idle instability, and transition smoothly and stably to the backup sub-idle model. Results from the simulation show a realistic approximation of sub-idle behavior as compared to generic sub-idle engine performance that allows the engine to operate continuously and stably from shutdown to full power.

  20. Extending the Operational Envelope of a Turbofan Engine Simulation into the Sub-Idle Region

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chapman, Jeffryes Walter; Hamley, Andrew J.; Guo, Ten-Huei; Litt, Jonathan S.

    2016-01-01

    In many non-linear gas turbine simulations, operation in the sub-idle region can lead to model instability. This paper lays out a method for extending the operational envelope of a map based gas turbine simulation to include the sub-idle region. This method develops a multi-simulation solution where the baseline component maps are extrapolated below the idle level and an alternate model is developed to serve as a safety net when the baseline model becomes unstable or unreliable. Sub-idle model development takes place in two distinct operational areas, windmilling/shutdown and purge/cranking/startup. These models are based on derived steady state operating points with transient values extrapolated between initial (known) and final (assumed) states. Model transitioning logic is developed to predict baseline model sub-idle instability, and transition smoothly and stably to the backup sub-idle model. Results from the simulation show a realistic approximation of sub-idle behavior as compared to generic sub-idle engine performance that allows the engine to operate continuously and stably from shutdown to full power.

  1. Three-dimensional visualization of the Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus occlusion-derived virion envelopment process gives new clues as to its mechanism

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shi, Yang; Li, Kunpeng; Tang, Peiping

    2015-02-15

    Baculoviruses produce two virion phenotypes, occlusion-derived virion (ODV) and budded virion (BV). ODV envelopment occurs in the nucleus. Morphogenesis of the ODV has been studied extensively; however, the mechanisms underlying microvesicle formation and ODV envelopment in nuclei remain unclear. In this study, we used electron tomography (ET) together with the conventional electron microscopy to study the envelopment of Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) ODV. Our results demonstrate that not only the inner but also the outer nuclear membrane can invaginate and vesiculate into microvesicles and that intranuclear microvesicles are the direct source of the ODV membrane. Five main events inmore » the ODV envelopment process are summarized, from which we propose a model to explain this process. - Highlights: • Both the inner and outer nuclear membranes could invaginate. • Both the inner and outer nuclear membranes could vesiculate into microvesicles. • Five main events in the ODV envelopment process are summarized. • A model is proposed to explain this ODV envelopment.« less

  2. Extremely Low Mass: The Circumstellar Envelope of a Potential Proto-Brown Dwarf

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wiseman, Jennifer

    2011-01-01

    What is the environment for planet formation around extremely low mass stars? Is the environment around brown dwarfs and extremely low mass stars conducive and sufficiently massive for planet production? The determining conditions may be set very early in the process of the host object's formation. IRAS 16253-2429, the source of the Wasp-Waist Nebula seen in Spitzer IRAC images, is an isolated, very low luminosity ("VeLLO") Class 0 protostar in the nearby rho Ophiuchi cloud. We present VLA ammonia mapping observations of the dense gas envelope feeding the central core accreting system. We find a flattened envelope perpendicular to the outflow axis, and gas cavities that appear to cradle the outflow lobes as though carved out by the flow and associated (apparently precessing) jet, indicating environmental disruption. Based on the NH3 (1,1) and (2,2) emission distribution, we derive the mass, velocity fields and temperature distribution for the envelope. We discuss the combined evidence for this source to be one of the youngest and lowest mass sources in formation yet known, and discuss the ramifications for planet formation potential in this extremely low mass system.

  3. Testing Envelope Models of Young Stellar Objects with Submillimeter Continuum and Molecular-Line Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hogerheijde, Michiel R.; Sandell, Göran

    2000-05-01

    Theoretical models of star formation make predictions about the density and velocity structure of the envelopes surrounding isolated, low-mass young stars. This paper tests such models through high-quality submillimeter continuum imaging of four embedded young stellar objects in Taurus and previously obtained molecular-line data. Observations carried out with the Submillimeter Continuum Bolometer Array on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope at 850 and 450 μm of L1489 IRS, L1535 IRS, L1527 IRS, and TMC 1 reveal ~2000 AU elongated structures embedded in extended envelopes. The density distribution in these envelopes is equally well fitted by a radial power-law of index p=1.0-2.0 or with a collapse model such as that of Shu. This inside-out collapse model predicts 13CO, C18O, HCO+, and H13CO+ line profiles that closely match observed spectra toward three of our four sources. This shows that the inside-out collapse model offers a good description of YSO envelopes, but also that reliable constraints on its parameters require independent measurements of the density and the velocity structure, e.g., through continuum and line observations. For the remaining source, L1489 IRS, we find that a model consisting of a 2000 AU radius, rotating, disklike structure better describes the data. Possibly, this source is in transition between the embedded class I and the optically revealed T Tauri phases. The spectral index of the dust emissivity decreases from β=1.5-2.0 in the extended envelope to 1.0+/-0.2 in the central peaks, indicating grain growth or high optical depth on small scales. The observations of L1527 IRS reveal warm (>~30 K) material outlining, and presumably heated by, its bipolar outflow. This material comprises <~0.2 Msolar, comparable to the amount of swept-up CO but only 10% of the total envelope mass. Two apparently starless cores are found at ~10,000 AU from L1489 IRS and L1535 IRS. They are cold, 10-15 K, contain 0.5-3.0 Msolar, and have flat density

  4. Object Classification Based on Analysis of Spectral Characteristics of Seismic Signal Envelopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morozov, Yu. V.; Spektor, A. A.

    2017-11-01

    A method for classifying moving objects having a seismic effect on the ground surface is proposed which is based on statistical analysis of the envelopes of received signals. The values of the components of the amplitude spectrum of the envelopes obtained applying Hilbert and Fourier transforms are used as classification criteria. Examples illustrating the statistical properties of spectra and the operation of the seismic classifier are given for an ensemble of objects of four classes (person, group of people, large animal, vehicle). It is shown that the computational procedures for processing seismic signals are quite simple and can therefore be used in real-time systems with modest requirements for computational resources.

  5. Baking sunflower hulls within an aluminum envelope in a common laboratory oven yields charcoal.

    PubMed

    Arnal, Pablo Maximiliano

    2015-01-01

    Charcoals have been widely used by scientist to research the removal of contaminants from water and air. One key feature of charcoal is that it keeps macropores from the parent material - though anisotropically contracted - and can even develop meso- and micropores. However, the controlled thermochemical conversion of biomass into charcoal at laboratory scale normally requires special setups which involve either vacuum or inert gas. Those setups may not be affordable in research groups or educational institutions where the research of charcoals would be highly welcome. In this work, I propose a simple and effective method to steer the thermochemical process that converts sunflower hulls (SFH) into charcoal with basic laboratory resources. The carbonization method: •Place SFH in an airtight aluminum envelope.•Thermally treat SFH within the envelope in a common laboratory oven.•Open the envelope to obtain the carbonized sunflower hulls.

  6. Carrier-envelope phase control over pathway interference in strong-field dissociation of H2+.

    PubMed

    Kling, Nora G; Betsch, K J; Zohrabi, M; Zeng, S; Anis, F; Ablikim, U; Jochim, Bethany; Wang, Z; Kübel, M; Kling, M F; Carnes, K D; Esry, B D; Ben-Itzhak, I

    2013-10-18

    The dissociation of an H2+ molecular-ion beam by linearly polarized, carrier-envelope-phase-tagged 5 fs pulses at 4×10(14) W/cm2 with a central wavelength of 730 nm was studied using a coincidence 3D momentum imaging technique. Carrier-envelope-phase-dependent asymmetries in the emission direction of H+ fragments relative to the laser polarization were observed. These asymmetries are caused by interference of odd and even photon number pathways, where net zero-photon and one-photon interference predominantly contributes at H+ + H kinetic energy releases of 0.2-0.45 eV, and net two-photon and one-photon interference contributes at 1.65-1.9 eV. These measurements of the benchmark H2+ molecule offer the distinct advantage that they can be quantitatively compared with ab initio theory to confirm our understanding of strong-field coherent control via the carrier-envelope phase.

  7. Intrahypothalamic Injection of the HIV-1 Envelope Glycoprotein Induces Fever via Interaction with the Chemokine System

    PubMed Central

    Addou, Saad; Yondorf, Menachem; Geller, Ellen B.; Eisenstein, Toby K.; Adler, Martin W.

    2010-01-01

    Wasting syndrome is a common complication of HIV infection and is marked by progressive weight loss and weakness, often associated with fever. The mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of these syndromes are not well defined, and neither are the brain areas involved. The present study tests a new hypothesis: that the preoptic anterior hypothalamus (POAH), the main brain area for thermoregulation and fever, has a role in the pathogenesis of fever induced by glycoprotein 120 (gp120), the surface envelope protein used by the HIV to gain access into immune cells, and that the CXC chemokine receptors (CXCR4) that serve as a coreceptor for HIV entry mediate the effect. A sterilized stainless steel C313G cannula guide was implanted into the POAH, and a biotelemetry system was used to monitor the body temperature (Tb) changes. The administration of gp120 into the POAH induced fever in a dose-dependent manner. To demonstrate possible links between the gp120 and CXCR4 in generating the fever, we pretreated the rats with 1,1′-[1,4-phenylenebis(methylene)]bis[1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane] octohydrobromide dihydrate (AMD 3100), an antagonist of stromal cell-derived growth factor (SDF)-1α/CXCL12, acting at its receptor, CXCR4, 30 min before administration of gp120. AMD 3100 significantly reduced the gp120-induced fever. The present studies show that the presence of HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120 in the POAH provokes fever via interaction CXCR4 pathway. PMID:19906780

  8. Skin-sparing mastectomy: a survey based approach to defining standard of care.

    PubMed

    Shen, Jeannie; Ellenhorn, Joshua; Qian, Dajun; Kulber, David; Aronowitz, Joel

    2008-10-01

    Skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) followed by immediate reconstruction has been advocated as an effective treatment option for patients with early-stage breast carcinoma. It markedly improves the quality of breast reconstruction through preservation of the natural skin envelope and a smaller incision. The purpose of this study was to investigate general surgeons' attitudes towards SSM. A postal questionnaire survey of California general surgeons was conducted regarding SSM. Of 370 respondents who stated they performed breast cancer surgery, 331 perform mastectomy for cancer with planned immediate reconstruction. Ninety per cent of respondents did not feel that SSM resulted in higher rates of local recurrence. In addition, 70 per cent felt that the cosmetic results of immediate breast reconstruction after SSM were better than those after a standard mastectomy. Despite this, only 61 per cent perform SSM in most cases when immediate breast reconstruction is planned. The majority of general surgeons perform SSM and therefore it should be considered standard of care. Despite a growing body of literature demonstrating high rates of patient satisfaction and long-term oncologic safety with SSM, there remains significant variation in practice patterns among general surgeons. Additional effort in general surgery education regarding the feasibility and safety of SSM is needed.

  9. [An improved algorithm for electrohysterogram envelope extraction].

    PubMed

    Lu, Yaosheng; Pan, Jie; Chen, Zhaoxia; Chen, Zhaoxia

    2017-02-01

    Extraction uterine contraction signal from abdominal uterine electromyogram(EMG) signal is considered as the most promising method to replace the traditional tocodynamometer(TOCO) for detecting uterine contractions activity. The traditional root mean square(RMS) algorithm has only some limited values in canceling the impulsive noise. In our study, an improved algorithm for uterine EMG envelope extraction was proposed to overcome the problem. Firstly, in our experiment, zero-crossing detection method was used to separate the burst of uterine electrical activity from the raw uterine EMG signal. After processing the separated signals by employing two filtering windows which have different width, we used the traditional RMS algorithm to extract uterus EMG envelope. To assess the performance of the algorithm, the improved algorithm was compared with two existing intensity of uterine electromyogram(IEMG) extraction algorithms. The results showed that the improved algorithm was better than the traditional ones in eliminating impulsive noise present in the uterine EMG signal. The measurement sensitivity and positive predictive value(PPV) of the improved algorithm were 0.952 and 0.922, respectively, which were not only significantly higher than the corresponding values(0.859 and 0.847) of the first comparison algorithm, but also higher than the values(0.928 and 0.877) of the second comparison algorithm. Thus the new method is reliable and effective.

  10. Rapid Process to Generate Beam Envelopes for Optical System Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Howard, Joseph; Seals, Lenward

    2012-01-01

    The task of evaluating obstructions in the optical throughput of an optical system requires the use of two disciplines, and hence, two models: optical models for the details of optical propagation, and mechanical models for determining the actual structure that exists in the optical system. Previous analysis methods for creating beam envelopes (or cones of light) for use in this obstruction analysis were found to be cumbersome to calculate and take significant time and resources to complete. A new process was developed that takes less time to complete beam envelope analysis, is more accurate and less dependent upon manual node tracking to create the beam envelopes, and eases the burden on the mechanical CAD (computer-aided design) designers to form the beam solids. This algorithm allows rapid generation of beam envelopes for optical system obstruction analysis. Ray trace information is taken from optical design software and used to generate CAD objects that represent the boundary of the beam envelopes for detailed analysis in mechanical CAD software. Matlab is used to call ray trace data from the optical model for all fields and entrance pupil points of interest. These are chosen to be the edge of each space, so that these rays produce the bounding volume for the beam. The x and y global coordinate data is collected on the surface planes of interest, typically an image of the field and entrance pupil internal of the optical system. This x and y coordinate data is then evaluated using a convex hull algorithm, which removes any internal points, which are unnecessary to produce the bounding volume of interest. At this point, tolerances can be applied to expand the size of either the field or aperture, depending on the allocations. Once this minimum set of coordinates on the pupil and field is obtained, a new set of rays is generated between the field plane and aperture plane (or vice-versa). These rays are then evaluated at planes between the aperture and field, at a

  11. Interaural envelope correlation change discrimination in bilateral cochlear implantees: effects of mismatch, centering, and onset of deafness.

    PubMed

    Goupell, Matthew J

    2015-03-01

    Bilateral cochlear implant (CI) listeners can perform binaural tasks, but they are typically worse than normal-hearing (NH) listeners. To understand why this difference occurs and the mechanisms involved in processing dynamic binaural differences, interaural envelope correlation change discrimination sensitivity was measured in real and simulated CI users. In experiment 1, 11 CI (eight late deafened, three early deafened) and eight NH listeners were tested in an envelope correlation change discrimination task. Just noticeable differences (JNDs) were best for a matched place-of-stimulation and increased for an increasing mismatch. In experiment 2, attempts at intracranially centering stimuli did not produce lower JNDs. In experiment 3, the percentage of correct identifications of antiphasic carrier pulse trains modulated by correlated envelopes was measured as a function of mismatch and pulse rate. Sensitivity decreased for increasing mismatch and increasing pulse rate. The experiments led to two conclusions. First, envelope correlation change discrimination necessitates place-of-stimulation matched inputs. However, it is unclear if previous experience with acoustic hearing is necessary for envelope correlation change discrimination. Second, NH listeners presented with CI simulations demonstrated better performance than real CI listeners. If the simulations are realistic representations of electrical stimuli, real CI listeners appear to have difficulty processing interaural information in modulated signals.

  12. Advanced Range Safety System for High Energy Vehicles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Claxton, Jeffrey S.; Linton, Donald F.

    2002-01-01

    The advanced range safety system project is a collaboration between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the United States Air Force to develop systems that would reduce costs and schedule for safety approval for new classes of unmanned high-energy vehicles. The mission-planning feature for this system would yield flight profiles that satisfy the mission requirements for the user while providing an increased quality of risk assessment, enhancing public safety. By improving the speed and accuracy of predicting risks to the public, mission planners would be able to expand flight envelopes significantly. Once in place, this system is expected to offer the flexibility of handling real-time risk management for the high-energy capabilities of hypersonic vehicles including autonomous return-from-orbit vehicles and extended flight profiles over land. Users of this system would include mission planners of Space Launch Initiative vehicles, space planes, and other high-energy vehicles. The real-time features of the system could make extended flight of a malfunctioning vehicle possible, in lieu of an immediate terminate decision. With this improved capability, the user would have more time for anomaly resolution and potential recovery of a malfunctioning vehicle.

  13. 29 CFR 779.107 - Goods defined.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ...; advertising, motion pictures, newspaper and radio copy; art work and manuscripts for publication; sample books, letterheads, envelopes, shipping tags, labels, checkbooks, blankbooks, book covers, advertising circulars, and... written materials such as newspapers, magazines, brochures, pamphlets, bulletins, and announcements...

  14. Envelopes of Sets of Measures, Tightness, and Markov Control Processes

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gonzalez-Hernandez, J.; Hernandez-Lerma, O.

    1999-11-15

    We introduce upper and lower envelopes for sets of measures on an arbitrary topological space, which are then used to give a tightness criterion. These concepts are applied to show the existence of optimal policies for a class of Markov control processes.

  15. Influence of stellar radiation pressure on flow structure in the envelope of hot-Jupiter HD 209458b

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cherenkov, A. A.; Bisikalo, D. V.; Kosovichev, A. G.

    2018-03-01

    Close-in exoplanets are subjected to extreme radiation of their host stars. Photometric observations of the hot-Jupiter HD 209458b transit by HST/STIS detected strong absorption in the Ly α line, thus indicating the existence of a hydrogen envelope extending beyond the Roche lobe. The gasdynamic modelling (Bisikalo et al.) showed that the stable structure of this envelope is maintained by the balance between the Roche lobe overfilling and stellar wind pressure. Obviously, the dynamics and stability of the envelope can be affected by stellar radiation pressure. Using 3D gasdynamic simulations, we study the impact of radiation pressure in the Ly α line on the envelope of hot-Jupiter HD 209458b, and show that the effect is not strong enough to significantly affect the gasdynamics in the system. For a detectable radiation pressure effect the intensity of the Ly α line has to be by two orders of magnitude greater.

  16. Pushing the polymer envelope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tolley, Paul R.

    2005-09-01

    The pressure to "push the polymer envelope" is clear, given the exploding range of demanding applications with optical components. There are two keys to success: 1. Expanded range of polymers with suitable optical properties. 2. Sophisticated manufacturing process options with an overall system perspective: -Tolerances and costs established relative to need (proof-of-concept, prototype, low to high volume production). -Designed to integrate into an assembly that meets all environmental constraints, not just size and weight, which are natural polymer advantages. (Withstanding extreme temperatures and chemical exposure is often critical, as are easy clean-up and general resistance to surface damage.) -Highly repeatable. The thesis of this paper is that systematically innovating processes we already understand on materials we already know can deliver big returns. To illustrate, we introduce HRDT1, High Refraction Diamond Turning, a patent-pending processing option to significantly reduce total costs for high index, high thermal applications.

  17. Safety climate and mindful safety practices in the oil and gas industry.

    PubMed

    Dahl, Øyvind; Kongsvik, Trond

    2018-02-01

    The existence of a positive association between safety climate and the safety behavior of sharp-end workers in high-risk organizations is supported by a considerable body of research. Previous research has primarily analyzed two components of safety behavior, namely safety compliance and safety participation. The present study extends previous research by looking into the relationship between safety climate and another component of safety behavior, namely mindful safety practices. Mindful safety practices are defined as the ability to be aware of critical factors in the environment and to act appropriately when dangers arise. Regression analysis was used to examine whether mindful safety practices are, like compliance and participation, promoted by a positive safety climate, in a questionnaire-based study of 5712 sharp-end workers in the oil and gas industry. The analysis revealed that a positive safety climate promotes mindful safety practices. The regression model accounted for roughly 31% of the variance in mindful safety practices. The most important safety climate factor was safety leadership. The findings clearly demonstrate that mindful safety practices are highly context-dependent, hence, manageable and susceptible to change. In order to improve safety climate in a direction which is favorable for mindful safety practices, the results demonstrate that it is important to give the fundamental features of safety climate high priority and in particular that of safety leadership. Copyright © 2017 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. A Comparative Study of Data Envelopment Analysis and Other Approaches to Efficiency Evaluation and Estimation.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-11-01

    ADA27 91 A COMPARATIVE STJDO DATAENVEOPMENT ANALYSISAND / HER APPROACHES TO A .i)TEXAS UN VAT AUSIN CENTER FOCAS RE CCYR 5 NO BERRETIC STADIES A... COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS AND OTHER APPROACHES TO EFFICIENCY EVALUATION AND ESTIMATIONt by A. Charnes W.W. Cooper H.D. Sherman...School of Business, 1981, entitled "Measurement of Hospital Efficiency: A Comparative Analysis of Data Envelopment Analysis and Other Approaches for

  19. Biliary Secretion of Quasi-Enveloped Human Hepatitis A Virus

    PubMed Central

    Hirai-Yuki, Asuka; Hensley, Lucinda; Whitmire, Jason K.

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is an unusual picornavirus that is released from cells cloaked in host-derived membranes. These quasi-enveloped virions (eHAV) are the only particle type circulating in blood during infection, whereas only nonenveloped virions are shed in feces. The reason for this is uncertain. Hepatocytes, the only cell type known to support HAV replication in vivo, are highly polarized epithelial cells with basolateral membranes facing onto hepatic (blood) sinusoids and apical membranes abutting biliary canaliculi from which bile is secreted to the gut. To assess whether eHAV and nonenveloped virus egress from cells via vectorially distinct pathways, we studied infected polarized cultures of Caco-2 and HepG2-N6 cells. Most (>99%) progeny virions were released apically from Caco-2 cells, whereas basolateral (64%) versus apical (36%) release was more balanced with HepG2-N6 cells. Both apically and basolaterally released virions were predominantly enveloped, with no suggestion of differential vectorial release of eHAV versus naked virions. Basolateral to apical transcytosis of either particle type was minimal (<0.02%/h) in HepG2-N6 cells, arguing against this as a mechanism for differences in membrane envelopment of serum versus fecal virus. High concentrations of human bile acids converted eHAV to nonenveloped virions, whereas virus present in bile from HAV-infected Ifnar1−/− Ifngr1−/− and Mavs−/− mice banded over a range of densities extending from that of eHAV to that of nonenveloped virions. We conclude that nonenveloped virions shed in feces are derived from eHAV released across the canalicular membrane and stripped of membranes by the detergent action of bile acids within the proximal biliary canaliculus. PMID:27923925

  20. Of Acceptable Risk: Science and the Determination of Safety.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lowrance, William W.

    This book looks at the problems of determination of safety and the underlying concept of safety itself. It is believed that if certain pervasive themes are properly appreciated, the whole field of safety will be better understood. The first chapter of the book sketches the general nature of safety decisions, defining safety as a measure of the…

  1. Use of cost-effectiveness and comfort bases for selecting from among alternative envelope design strategies for a high-rise office building

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Emery, A.F.; Heerwagen, D.R.; Johnson, B.R.

    1981-01-01

    A continuing study of the thermal performance of a prototypical urban high-rise office building is reported. A series of alternative envelope compositions is evaluated in terms of occupant thermal comfort and benefit-cost issues. The thermal behavior of a perimeter single-person office with these envelopes is simulated using the computer program UWENSOL. Envelope variables included in the study are: percentage of glazing, types of glazing and glazing assemblies, and the mass and resistance of the opaque envelope. Annual energy consumptions are derived and, using a savings-to-investment ratio, the economic desirabilities of the various compositions are determined. Also, by employing the computermore » routine COMFORT which is based on the Fanger Comfort Equation, the extents of likely occupant comfort for the several envelopes are predicted.« less

  2. Measuring electrophysiological connectivity by power envelope correlation: a technical review on MEG methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    O'Neill, George C.; Barratt, Eleanor L.; Hunt, Benjamin A. E.; Tewarie, Prejaas K.; Brookes, Matthew J.

    2015-11-01

    The human brain can be divided into multiple areas, each responsible for different aspects of behaviour. Healthy brain function relies upon efficient connectivity between these areas and, in recent years, neuroimaging has been revolutionised by an ability to estimate this connectivity. In this paper we discuss measurement of network connectivity using magnetoencephalography (MEG), a technique capable of imaging electrophysiological brain activity with good (~5 mm) spatial resolution and excellent (~1 ms) temporal resolution. The rich information content of MEG facilitates many disparate measures of connectivity between spatially separate regions and in this paper we discuss a single metric known as power envelope correlation. We review in detail the methodology required to measure power envelope correlation including (i) projection of MEG data into source space, (ii) removing confounds introduced by the MEG inverse problem and (iii) estimation of connectivity itself. In this way, we aim to provide researchers with a description of the key steps required to assess envelope based functional networks, which are thought to represent an intrinsic mode of coupling in the human brain. We highlight the principal findings of the techniques discussed, and furthermore, we show evidence that this method can probe how the brain forms and dissolves multiple transient networks on a rapid timescale in order to support current processing demand. Overall, power envelope correlation offers a unique and verifiable means to gain novel insights into network coordination and is proving to be of significant value in elucidating the neural dynamics of the human connectome in health and disease.

  3. Viral and Cellular Determinants of the Hepatitis C Virus Envelope-Heparan Sulfate Interaction▿

    PubMed Central

    Barth, Heidi; Schnober, Eva K.; Zhang, Fuming; Linhardt, Robert J.; Depla, Erik; Boson, Bertrand; Cosset, Francois-Loic; Patel, Arvind H.; Blum, Hubert E.; Baumert, Thomas F.

    2006-01-01

    Cellular binding and entry of hepatitis C virus (HCV) are the first steps of viral infection and represent a major target for antiviral antibodies and novel therapeutic strategies. We have recently demonstrated that heparan sulfate (HS) plays a key role in the binding of HCV envelope glycoprotein E2 to target cells (Barth et al., J. Biol. Chem. 278:41003-41012, 2003). In this study, we characterized the HCV-HS interaction and analyzed its inhibition by antiviral host immune responses. Using recombinant envelope glycoproteins, virus-like particles, and HCV pseudoparticles as model systems for the early steps of viral infection, we mapped viral and cellular determinants of HCV-HS interaction. HCV-HS binding required a specific HS structure that included N-sulfo groups and a minimum of 10 to 14 saccharide subunits. HCV envelope binding to HS was mediated by four viral epitopes overlapping the E2 hypervariable region 1 and E2-CD81 binding domains. In functional studies using HCV pseudoparticles, we demonstrate that HCV binding and entry are specifically inhibited by highly sulfated HS. Finally, HCV-HS binding was markedly inhibited by antiviral antibodies derived from HCV-infected individuals. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that binding of the viral envelope to a specific HS configuration represents an important step for the initiation of viral infection and is a target of antiviral host immune responses in vivo. Mapping of viral and cellular determinants of HCV-HS interaction sets the stage for the development of novel HS-based antiviral strategies targeting viral attachment and entry. PMID:16928753

  4. 47 CFR 95.1125 - RF safety.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES PERSONAL RADIO SERVICES Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS) General Provisions § 95.1125 RF safety. Portable devices as defined in § 2.1093(b) of this chapter operating in the WMTS are subject to radio frequency...

  5. Gravitational waves from vacuum first-order phase transitions: From the envelope to the lattice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cutting, Daniel; Hindmarsh, Mark; Weir, David J.

    2018-06-01

    We conduct large scale numerical simulations of gravitational wave production at a first-order vacuum phase transition. We find a power law for the gravitational wave power spectrum at high wave number which falls off as k-1.5 rather than the k-1 produced by the envelope approximation. The peak of the power spectrum is shifted to slightly lower wave numbers from that of the envelope approximation. The envelope approximation reproduces our results for the peak power less well, agreeing only to within an order of magnitude. After the bubbles finish colliding, the scalar field oscillates around the true vacuum. An additional feature is produced in the UV of the gravitational wave power spectrum, and this continues to grow linearly until the end of our simulation. The additional feature peaks at a length scale close to the bubble wall thickness and is shown to have a negligible contribution to the energy in gravitational waves, providing the scalar field mass is much smaller than the Planck mass.

  6. THE MAGNETIC FIELD OF L1544. I. NEAR-INFRARED POLARIMETRY AND THE NON-UNIFORM ENVELOPE

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Clemens, Dan P.; Tassis, K.; Goldsmith, Paul F., E-mail: clemens@bu.edu, E-mail: tassis@physics.uoc.gr, E-mail: paul.f.goldsmith@jpl.nasa.gov

    2016-12-20

    The magnetic field ( B -field) of the starless dark cloud L1544 has been studied using near-infrared (NIR) background starlight polarimetry (BSP) and archival data in order to characterize the properties of the plane-of-sky B -field. NIR linear polarization measurements of over 1700 stars were obtained in the H band and 201 of these were also measured in the K band. The NIR BSP properties are correlated with reddening, as traced using the Rayleigh–Jeans color excess ( H – M ) method, and with thermal dust emission from the L1544 cloud and envelope seen in Herschel maps. The NIR polarizationmore » position angles change at the location of the cloud and exhibit their lowest dispersion there, offering strong evidence that NIR polarization traces the plane-of-sky B -field of L1544. In this paper, the uniformity of the plane-of-sky B -field in the envelope region of L1544 is quantitatively assessed. This allows evaluation of the approach of assuming uniform field geometry when measuring relative mass-to-flux ratios in the cloud envelope and core based on averaging of the radio Zeeman observations in the envelope, as done by Crutcher et al. In L1544, the NIR BSP shows the envelope B -field to be significantly non-uniform and likely not suitable for averaging Zeeman properties without treating intrinsic variations. Deeper analyses of the NIR BSP and related data sets, including estimates of the B -field strength and testing how it varies with position and gas density, are the subjects of later papers in this series.« less

  7. Remodeling of the Nuclear Envelope and Lamina during Bovine Preimplantation Development and Its Functional Implications

    PubMed Central

    Popken, Jens; Graf, Alexander; Krebs, Stefan; Blum, Helmut; Schmid, Volker J.; Strauss, Axel; Guengoer, Tuna; Zakhartchenko, Valeri; Wolf, Eckhard; Cremer, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    The present study demonstrates a major remodeling of the nuclear envelope and its underlying lamina during bovine preimplantation development. Up to the onset of major embryonic genome activation (MGA) at the 8-cell stage nuclei showed a non-uniform distribution of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). NPCs were exclusively present at sites where DNA contacted the nuclear lamina. Extended regions of the lamina, which were not contacted by DNA, lacked NPCs. In post-MGA nuclei the whole lamina was contacted rather uniformly by DNA. Accordingly, NPCs became uniformly distributed throughout the entire nuclear envelope. These findings shed new light on the conditions which control the integration of NPCs into the nuclear envelope. The switch from maternal to embryonic production of mRNAs was accompanied by multiple invaginations covered with NPCs, which may serve the increased demands of mRNA export and protein import. Other invaginations, as well as interior nuclear segments and vesicles without contact to the nuclear envelope, were exclusively positive for lamin B. Since the abundance of these invaginations and vesicles increased in concert with a massive nuclear volume reduction, we suggest that they reflect a mechanism for fitting the nuclear envelope and its lamina to a shrinking nuclear size during bovine preimplantation development. In addition, a deposit of extranuclear clusters of NUP153 (a marker for NPCs) without associated lamin B was frequently observed from the zygote stage up to MGA. Corresponding RNA-Seq data revealed deposits of spliced, maternally provided NUP153 mRNA and little unspliced, newly synthesized RNA prior to MGA, which increased strongly at the initiation of embryonic expression of NUP153 at MGA. PMID:25932910

  8. Remodeling of the Nuclear Envelope and Lamina during Bovine Preimplantation Development and Its Functional Implications.

    PubMed

    Popken, Jens; Graf, Alexander; Krebs, Stefan; Blum, Helmut; Schmid, Volker J; Strauss, Axel; Guengoer, Tuna; Zakhartchenko, Valeri; Wolf, Eckhard; Cremer, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    The present study demonstrates a major remodeling of the nuclear envelope and its underlying lamina during bovine preimplantation development. Up to the onset of major embryonic genome activation (MGA) at the 8-cell stage nuclei showed a non-uniform distribution of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). NPCs were exclusively present at sites where DNA contacted the nuclear lamina. Extended regions of the lamina, which were not contacted by DNA, lacked NPCs. In post-MGA nuclei the whole lamina was contacted rather uniformly by DNA. Accordingly, NPCs became uniformly distributed throughout the entire nuclear envelope. These findings shed new light on the conditions which control the integration of NPCs into the nuclear envelope. The switch from maternal to embryonic production of mRNAs was accompanied by multiple invaginations covered with NPCs, which may serve the increased demands of mRNA export and protein import. Other invaginations, as well as interior nuclear segments and vesicles without contact to the nuclear envelope, were exclusively positive for lamin B. Since the abundance of these invaginations and vesicles increased in concert with a massive nuclear volume reduction, we suggest that they reflect a mechanism for fitting the nuclear envelope and its lamina to a shrinking nuclear size during bovine preimplantation development. In addition, a deposit of extranuclear clusters of NUP153 (a marker for NPCs) without associated lamin B was frequently observed from the zygote stage up to MGA. Corresponding RNA-Seq data revealed deposits of spliced, maternally provided NUP153 mRNA and little unspliced, newly synthesized RNA prior to MGA, which increased strongly at the initiation of embryonic expression of NUP153 at MGA.

  9. Robust Maneuvering Envelope Estimation Based on Reachability Analysis in an Optimal Control Formulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lombaerts, Thomas; Schuet, Stefan R.; Wheeler, Kevin; Acosta, Diana; Kaneshige, John

    2013-01-01

    This paper discusses an algorithm for estimating the safe maneuvering envelope of damaged aircraft. The algorithm performs a robust reachability analysis through an optimal control formulation while making use of time scale separation and taking into account uncertainties in the aerodynamic derivatives. Starting with an optimal control formulation, the optimization problem can be rewritten as a Hamilton- Jacobi-Bellman equation. This equation can be solved by level set methods. This approach has been applied on an aircraft example involving structural airframe damage. Monte Carlo validation tests have confirmed that this approach is successful in estimating the safe maneuvering envelope for damaged aircraft.

  10. The role of short-time intensity and envelope power for speech intelligibility and psychoacoustic masking.

    PubMed

    Biberger, Thomas; Ewert, Stephan D

    2017-08-01

    The generalized power spectrum model [GPSM; Biberger and Ewert (2016). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 140, 1023-1038], combining the "classical" concept of the power-spectrum model (PSM) and the envelope power spectrum-model (EPSM), was demonstrated to account for several psychoacoustic and speech intelligibility (SI) experiments. The PSM path of the model uses long-time power signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), while the EPSM path uses short-time envelope power SNRs. A systematic comparison of existing SI models for several spectro-temporal manipulations of speech maskers and gender combinations of target and masker speakers [Schubotz et al. (2016). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 140, 524-540] showed the importance of short-time power features. Conversely, Jørgensen et al. [(2013). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 134, 436-446] demonstrated a higher predictive power of short-time envelope power SNRs than power SNRs using reverberation and spectral subtraction. Here the GPSM was extended to utilize short-time power SNRs and was shown to account for all psychoacoustic and SI data of the three mentioned studies. The best processing strategy was to exclusively use either power or envelope-power SNRs, depending on the experimental task. By analyzing both domains, the suggested model might provide a useful tool for clarifying the contribution of amplitude modulation masking and energetic masking.

  11. Common-envelope ejection in massive binary stars. Implications for the progenitors of GW150914 and GW151226

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kruckow, M. U.; Tauris, T. M.; Langer, N.; Szécsi, D.; Marchant, P.; Podsiadlowski, Ph.

    2016-11-01

    Context. The recently detected gravitational wave signals (GW150914 and GW151226) of the merger event of a pair of relatively massive stellar-mass black holes (BHs) calls for an investigation of the formation of such progenitor systems in general. Aims: We analyse the common-envelope (CE) stage of the traditional formation channel in binaries where the first-formed compact object undergoes an in-spiral inside the envelope of its evolved companion star and ejects the envelope in this process. Methods: We calculated envelope binding energies of donor stars with initial masses between 4 and 115M⊙ for metallicities of Z = ZMilky Way ≃ Z⊙/ 2 and Z = Z⊙/ 50, and derived minimum masses of in-spiralling objects needed to eject these envelopes. Results: In addition to producing double white dwarf and double neutron star binaries, CE evolution may also produce massive BH-BH systems with individual BH component masses of up to 50 - 60M⊙, in particular for donor stars evolved to giants beyond the Hertzsprung gap. However, the physics of envelope ejection of massive stars remains uncertain. We discuss the applicability of the energy-budget formalism, the location of the bifurcation point, the recombination energy, and the accretion energy during in-spiral as possible energy sources, and also comment on the effect of inflated helium cores. Conclusions: Massive stars in a wide range of metallicities and with initial masses of up to at least 115M⊙ may shed their envelopes and survive CE evolution, depending on their initial orbital parameters, similarly to the situation for intermediate- and low-mass stars with degenerate cores. In addition to being dependent on stellar radius, the envelope binding energies and λ-values also depend on the applied convective core-overshooting parameter, whereas these structure parameters are basically independent of metallicity for stars with initial masses below 60M⊙. Metal-rich stars ≳60M⊙ become luminous blue variables and do

  12. Carrier-Envelope Phase Effect on Atomic Excitation by Few-Cycle rf Pulses

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Li Hebin; Welch, George R.; Sautenkov, Vladimir A.

    2010-03-12

    We present an experimental and theoretical study of the carrier-envelope phase effects on population transfer between two bound atomic states interacting with intense ultrashort pulses. Radio frequency pulses are used to transfer population among the ground state hyperfine levels in rubidium atoms. These pulses are only a few cycles in duration and have Rabi frequencies of the order of the carrier frequency. The phase difference between the carrier and the envelope of the pulses has a significant effect on the excitation of atomic coherence and population transfer. We provide a theoretical description of this phenomenon using density matrix equations. Wemore » discuss the implications and possible applications of our results.« less

  13. Methodology for determination and use of the no-escape envelope of an air-to-air-missile

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Neuman, Frank

    1988-01-01

    A large gap exists between optimal control and differential-game theory and their applications. The purpose of this paper is to show how this gap may be bridged. Missile-avoidance of realistically simulated infrared heat-seeking, fire-and-forget missile is studied. In detailed simulations, sweeping out the discretized initial condition space, avoidance methods based on pilot experience are combined with those based on simplified optimal control analysis to derive an approximation to the no-escape missile envelopes. The detailed missile equations and no-escape envelopes were then incorporated into an existing piloted simulation of air-to-air combat to generate missile firing decisions as well as missile avoidance commands. The use of these envelopes was found to be effective in both functions.

  14. Hygrothermal Simulation: A Tool for Building Envelope Design Analysis

    Treesearch

    Samuel V. Glass; Anton TenWolde; Samuel L. Zelinka

    2013-01-01

    Is it possible to gauge the risk of moisture problems while designing the building envelope? This article provides a brief introduction to computer-based hygrothermal (heat and moisture) simulation, shows how simulation can be useful as a design tool, and points out a number of im-portant considerations regarding model inputs and limita-tions. Hygrothermal simulation...

  15. Endolithic algae and micrite envelope formation in Bahamian oolites as revealed by scanning electron microscopy.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Margolis, S.; Rex, R. W.

    1971-01-01

    Examination of Holocene Bahamian ooelites by scanning electron and light microscopy has revealed the morphology and orientation of aragonite crystals in the lamellar ooelitic envelope, and their modification by the boring activities of endolithic algae. The voids produced by these algae are found in progressive stages of being lined and filled with precipitated microcrystalline aragonite, which is similar to the process of micrite envelope formation in molluscan and other skeletal carbonate grains.

  16. [Safety culture: definition, models and design].

    PubMed

    Pfaff, Holger; Hammer, Antje; Ernstmann, Nicole; Kowalski, Christoph; Ommen, Oliver

    2009-01-01

    Safety culture is a multi-dimensional phenomenon. Safety culture of a healthcare organization is high if it has a common stock in knowledge, values and symbols in regard to patients' safety. The article intends to define safety culture in the first step and, in the second step, demonstrate the effects of safety culture. We present the model of safety behaviour and show how safety culture can affect behaviour and produce safe behaviour. In the third step we will look at the causes of safety culture and present the safety-culture-model. The main hypothesis of this model is that the safety culture of a healthcare organization strongly depends on its communication culture and its social capital. Finally, we will investigate how the safety culture of a healthcare organization can be improved. Based on the safety culture model six measures to improve safety culture will be presented.

  17. Permeability of the Peritrophic Envelopes of Herbivorous Insects to Dextran Sulfate: a Test of the Polyanion Exclusion Hypothesis.

    PubMed

    MARTIN, M M.; BARBEHENN, R V.

    1997-03-01

    We tested the hypothesis that the permeability of the peritrophic envelope in herbivorous insects is greatly reduced for polyanions as a result of an extensive network of anionic sites in the proteoglycans of the matrix. 14C-Dextran sulfate (polyanionic, 8000 M(w)) and fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled (FITC) dextran (monoanionic, 9400 M(w)) were introduced together into the endoperitrophic space of the midguts of Orgyia leucostigma (Lepidoptera) larvae and Melanoplus sanguinipes (Orthoptera) adults. In all cases more of the 14C-dextran sulfate permeated the peritrophic envelope than the FITC-dextran, the opposite of the result predicted by the polyanion exclusion hypothesis. We conclude that polyanion exclusion is not a mechanism that contributes significantly to the permeability properties of the peritrophic envelopes of these two species, or that explains the failure of tannic acid to cross the peritrophic envelopes of lepidopteran larvae. Copyright 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

  18. Simulating Convection in Stellar Envelopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tanner, Joel

    2014-01-01

    the mixing length parameter, which is relevant for improving the adiabatic structure of sub-photospheric convection. Since the MLT treatment of convection defines the thermal structure of the atmosphere and SAL arbitrarily, one strategy for calibrating the mixing length parameter is to tune it so that it matches the thermodynamics of the simulations. In particular, we consider adjusting the mixing length parameter such that the specific entropy of the model matches that of an equivalent simulation eliminates the need to arbitrarily set the parameter, and in principle will produce stellar models with more accurate radii. By examining simulations along contours in the log(g)-log(Teff) plane that correspond to the convective envelope adiabats, the variation in convective properties can be reduced to a simplified form that is more convenient for use in stellar models.

  19. A tenuous X-ray corona enveloping AE Aquarii

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Venter, L. A.; Meintjes, P. J.

    2007-06-01

    In this paper we propose that the observed unpulsed X-ray emission in AE Aquarii is the result of a very tenuous hot corona associated with the secondary star, which is pumped magnetohydrodynamically by the propeller action of the fast rotating white dwarf. It is shown that the closed coronal field of the secondary star envelops a substantial portion of the binary system, including the fast rotating magnetized white dwarf. This implies that the propeller outflow of material in AE Aquarii is initiated inside an enveloping magnetic cavity. The outflow crossing the secondary dead-zone field constitutes a βgen = (8πρv2esc/B2) >> 1 plasma, acting as a magnetohydrodynamic generator resulting in the induction of field-aligned currents in these closed magnetospheric circuits where βcir = (8πnkT/B2) << 1. The Ohmic heating of the coronal circuit can readily account for a Tx >= 107 K plasma in the coronal flux tubes connecting the generator and the stellar surface. Further, the bremsstrahlung losses of the thermal electrons in the coronal circuit can readily drive the observed unpulsed X-ray luminosity of Lx ~ 1031 ergs -1, which correlates with the luminosity and relatively large source implied by recent XMM-Newton observations.

  20. Formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in circumstellar envelopes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Frenklach, Michael; Feigelson, Eric D.

    1989-01-01

    Production of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in carbon-rich circumstellar envelopes was investigated using a kinetic approach. A detailed chemical reaction mechanism of gas-phase PAH formation and growth, containing approximately 100 reactions of 40 species, was numerically solved under the physical conditions expected in cool stellar winds. The chemistry is based on studies of soot production in hydrocarbon pyrolysis and combustion. Several first-ring and second-ring cyclization processes were considered. A linear lumping algorithm was used to describe PAH growth beyond the second aromatic ring. PAH production using this mechanism was examined with respect to a grid of idealized constant velocity stellar winds as well as several published astrophysical models. The basic result is that the onset of PAH production in the interstellar envelopes is predicted to occur within the temperature interval of 1100 to 900 K. The absolute amounts of the PAHs formed, however, are very sensitive to a number of parameters, both chemical and astrophysical, whose values are not accurately known. Astrophysically meaningful quantities of PAHs require particularly dense and slow stellar winds and high initial acetylene abundance. It is suggested that most of the PAHs may be produced in a relatively small fraction of carbon-rich red giants.

  1. Optimization for energy efficiency of underground building envelope thermal performance in different climate zones of China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shi, Luyang; Liu, Jing; Zhang, Huibo

    2017-11-01

    The object of this article is to investigate the influence of thermal performance of envelopes in shallow-buried buildings on energy consumption for different climate zones of China. For the purpose of this study, an effective building energy simulation tool (DeST) developed by Tsinghua University was chosen to model the heat transfer in underground buildings. Based on the simulative results, energy consumption for heating and cooling for the whole year was obtained. The results showed that the relationship between energy consumption and U-value of envelopes for underground buildings is different compared with above-ground buildings: improving thermal performance of exterior walls cannot reduce energy consumption, on the contrary, may result in more energy cost. Besides, it is can be derived that optimized U-values of underground building envelopes vary with climate zones of China in this study. For severe cold climate zone, the optimized U-value of underground building envelopes is 0.8W/(m2·K); for cold climate zone, the optimized U-value is 1.5W/(m2·K); for warm climate zone, the U-value is 2.0W/(m2·K).

  2. Monolithic carrier-envelope phase-stabilization scheme.

    PubMed

    Fuji, Takao; Rauschenberger, Jens; Apolonski, Alexander; Yakovlev, Vladislav S; Tempea, Gabriel; Udem, Thomas; Gohle, Christoph; Hänsch, Theodor W; Lehnert, Walter; Scherer, Michael; Krausz, Ferenc

    2005-02-01

    A new scheme for stabilizing the carrier-envelope (CE) phase of a few-cycle laser pulse train is demonstrated. Self-phase modulation and difference-frequency generation in a single periodically poled lithium niobate crystal that transmits the main laser beam allows CE phase locking directly in the usable output. The monolithic scheme obviates the need for splitting off a fraction of the laser output for CE phase control, coupling into microstructured fiber, and separation and recombination of spectral components. As a consequence, the output yields 6-fs, 800-nm pulses with an unprecedented degree of short- and long-term reproducibility of the electric field waveform.

  3. Ignition of detonation in accreted helium envelopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Glasner, S. Ami; Livne, E.; Steinberg, E.; Yalinewich, A.; Truran, James W.

    2018-05-01

    Sub-Chandrasekhar CO white dwarfs accreting helium have been considered as candidates for Type Ia supernova (SNIa) progenitors since the early 1980s (helium shell mass >0.1 M⊙). These models, once detonated, did not fit the observed spectra and light curve of typical SNIa observations. New theoretical work examined detonations on much less massive (<0.05 M⊙) envelopes. They find stable detonations that lead to light curves, spectra, and abundances that compare relatively well with the observational data. The exact mechanism leading to the ignition of helium detonation is a key issue, since it is a mandatory first step for the whole scenario. As the flow of the accreted envelope is unstable to convection long before any hydrodynamic phenomena develops, a multidimensional approach is needed in order to study the ignition process. The complex convective reactive flow is challenging to any hydrodynamical solver. To the best of our knowledge, all previous 2D studies ignited the detonation artificially. We present here, for the first time, fully consistent results from two hydrodynamical 2D solvers that adopt two independent accurate schemes. For both solvers, an effort was made to overcome the problematics raised by the finite resolution and numerical diffusion by the advective terms. Our best models lead to the ignition of a detonation in a convective cell. Our results are robust and the agreement between the two different numerical approaches is very good.

  4. Amplitude modulation of quantum-ion-acoustic wavepackets in electron-positron-ion plasmas: Modulational instability, envelope modes, extreme wavesa)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rahman, Ata-ur-; Kerr, Michael Mc; El-Taibany, Wael F.; Kourakis, Ioannis; Qamar, A.

    2015-02-01

    A semirelativistic fluid model is employed to describe the nonlinear amplitude modulation of low-frequency (ionic scale) electrostatic waves in an unmagnetized electron-positron-ion plasma. Electrons and positrons are assumed to be degenerated and inertialess, whereas ions are warm and classical. A multiscale perturbation method is used to derive a nonlinear Schrödinger equation for the envelope amplitude, based on which the occurrence of modulational instability is investigated in detail. Various types of localized ion acoustic excitations are shown to exist, in the form of either bright type envelope solitons (envelope pulses) or dark-type envelope solitons (voids, holes). The plasma configurational parameters (namely, the relativistic degeneracy parameter, the positron concentration, and the ionic temperature) are shown to affect the conditions for modulational instability significantly, in fact modifying the associated threshold as well as the instability growth rate. In particular, the relativistic degeneracy parameter leads to an enhancement of the modulational instability mechanism. Furthermore, the effect of different relevant plasma parameters on the characteristics (amplitude, width) of these envelope solitary structures is also presented in detail. Finally, the occurrence of extreme amplitude excitation (rogue waves) is also discussed briefly. Our results aim at elucidating the formation and dynamics of nonlinear electrostatic excitations in superdense astrophysical regimes.

  5. Multi-Fault Detection of Rolling Element Bearings under Harsh Working Condition Using IMF-Based Adaptive Envelope Order Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Ming; Lin, Jing; Xu, Xiaoqiang; Li, Xuejun

    2014-01-01

    When operating under harsh condition (e.g., time-varying speed and load, large shocks), the vibration signals of rolling element bearings are always manifested as low signal noise ratio, non-stationary statistical parameters, which cause difficulties for current diagnostic methods. As such, an IMF-based adaptive envelope order analysis (IMF-AEOA) is proposed for bearing fault detection under such conditions. This approach is established through combining the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD), envelope order tracking and fault sensitive analysis. In this scheme, EEMD provides an effective way to adaptively decompose the raw vibration signal into IMFs with different frequency bands. The envelope order tracking is further employed to transform the envelope of each IMF to angular domain to eliminate the spectral smearing induced by speed variation, which makes the bearing characteristic frequencies more clear and discernible in the envelope order spectrum. Finally, a fault sensitive matrix is established to select the optimal IMF containing the richest diagnostic information for final decision making. The effectiveness of IMF-AEOA is validated by simulated signal and experimental data from locomotive bearings. The result shows that IMF-AEOA could accurately identify both single and multiple faults of bearing even under time-varying rotating speed and large extraneous shocks. PMID:25353982

  6. Purification and characterization of zebrafish hatching enzyme - an evolutionary aspect of the mechanism of egg envelope digestion.

    PubMed

    Sano, Kaori; Inohaya, Keiji; Kawaguchi, Mari; Yoshizaki, Norio; Iuchi, Ichiro; Yasumasu, Shigeki

    2008-12-01

    There are two hatching enzyme homologues in the zebrafish genome: zebrafish hatching enzyme ZHE1 and ZHE2. Northern blot and RT-PCR analysis revealed that ZHE1 was mainly expressed in pre-hatching embryos, whereas ZHE2 was rarely expressed. This was consistent with the results obtained in an experiment conducted at the protein level, which demonstrated that one kind of hatching enzyme, ZHE1, was able to be purified from the hatching liquid. Therefore, the hatching of zebrafish embryo is performed by a single enzyme, different from the finding that the medaka hatching enzyme is an enzyme system composed of two enzymes, medaka high choriolytic enzyme (MHCE) and medaka low choriolytic enzyme (MLCE), which cooperatively digest the egg envelope. The six ZHE1-cleaving sites were located in the N-terminal regions of egg envelope subunit proteins, ZP2 and ZP3, but not in the internal regions, such as the ZP domains. The digestion manner of ZHE1 appears to be highly analogous to that of MHCE, which partially digests the egg envelope and swells the envelope. The cross-species digestion using enzymes and substrates of zebrafish and medaka revealed that both ZHE1 and MHCE cleaved the same sites of the egg envelope proteins of two species, suggesting that the substrate specificity of ZHE1 is quite similar to that of MHCE. However, MLCE did not show such similarity. Because HCE and LCE are the result of gene duplication in the evolutionary pathway of Teleostei, the present study suggests that ZHE1 and MHCE maintain the character of an ancestral hatching enzyme, and that MLCE acquires a new function, such as promoting the complete digestion of the egg envelope swollen by MHCE.

  7. Moving forward with safety culture.

    PubMed

    Weber, Michael

    2012-04-01

    Radiation safety and protection of people are shared goals of the Health Physics Society (HPS) and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). A positive safety culture contributes to achieving radiation safety and protection of people, which are important to both the HPS and the NRC. Through unprecedented collaboration and engagement with diverse stakeholders, the NRC and the stakeholders developed a Safety Culture Policy Statement. The policy statement defines safety culture and describes the traits of a positive safety culture. Consideration of both safety and security issues and the interface of safety and security are underlying principles that support the policy. Examination of significant events, both within the nuclear industry and in society at large, illustrates how weaknesses in these traits can contribute to the occurrence and consequences of safety incidents, including serious injury and loss of life. With the policy statement in place, the NRC is moving forward with outreach and education about safety culture. Health physicists and other radiation safety specialists play an essential role in enhancing safety culture.

  8. Lipid and fatty acid analysis of the Plodia interpunctella granulosis virus (PiGV) envelope

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shastri-Bhalla, K.; Funk, C. J.; Consigli, R. A.; Spooner, B. S. (Principal Investigator)

    1993-01-01

    Virus envelope was isolated from Plodia interpunctella granulosis virus, produced in early fourth-instar larvae. Both polar and neutral lipids were analyzed by two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography. Fatty acid composition of various individual neutral and polar lipids was determined by gas-liquid chromatography. The major components of envelope neutral lipid were diacylglycerols. Palmitic acid and stearic acid were the major saturated fatty acids in both polar and neutral lipids. Whereas palmitoleic acid was the major unsaturated fatty acids in neutral lipids, oleic acid was the major unsaturated fatty acid in the polar lipids.

  9. Requirement of cholesterol in the viral envelope for dengue virus infection.

    PubMed

    Carro, Ana C; Damonte, Elsa B

    2013-06-01

    The role of cholesterol in the virus envelope or in the cellular membranes for dengue virus (DENV) infection was examined by depletion with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (MCD) or nystatin. Pretreatment of virions with MCD or nystatin significantly reduced virus infectivity in a dose-dependent manner. By contrast, pre-treatment of diverse human cell lines with MCD or nystatin did not affect DENV infection. The four DENV serotypes were similarly inactivated by cholesterol-extracting drugs and infectivity was partially rescued when virion suspensions were treated with MCD in the presence of bovine serum. The addition of serum or exogenous water-soluble cholesterol after MCD treatment did not produce a reversion of MCD inactivating effect. Furthermore, virion treatment with extra cholesterol exerted also a virucidal effect. Binding and uptake of cholesterol-deficient DENV into the host cell were not impaired, whereas the next step of fusion between virion envelope and endosome membrane leading to virion uncoating and release of nucleocapsids to the cytoplasm appeared to be prevented, as determined by the retention of capsid protein in cells infected with MCD inactivated-DENV virions. Thereafter, the infection was almost completely inhibited, given the failure of viral RNA synthesis and viral protein expression in cells infected with MCD-treated virions. These data suggest that envelope cholesterol is a critical factor in the fusion process for DENV entry. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Expanded envelope concepts for aircraft control-element failure detection and identification

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Weiss, Jerold L.; Hsu, John Y.

    1988-01-01

    The purpose of this effort was to develop and demonstrate concepts for expanding the envelope of failure detection and isolation (FDI) algorithms for aircraft-path failures. An algorithm which uses analytic-redundancy in the form of aerodynamic force and moment balance equations was used. Because aircraft-path FDI uses analytical models, there is a tradeoff between accuracy and the ability to detect and isolate failures. For single flight condition operation, design and analysis methods are developed to deal with this robustness problem. When the departure from the single flight condition is significant, algorithm adaptation is necessary. Adaptation requirements for the residual generation portion of the FDI algorithm are interpreted as the need for accurate, large-motion aero-models, over a broad range of velocity and altitude conditions. For the decision-making part of the algorithm, adaptation may require modifications to filtering operations, thresholds, and projection vectors that define the various hypothesis tests performed in the decision mechanism. Methods of obtaining and evaluating adequate residual generation and decision-making designs have been developed. The application of the residual generation ideas to a high-performance fighter is demonstrated by developing adaptive residuals for the AFTI-F-16 and simulating their behavior under a variety of maneuvers using the results of a NASA F-16 simulation.

  11. Computing The No-Escape Envelope Of A Short-Range Missile

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Neuman, Frank

    1991-01-01

    Method for computing no-escape envelope of short-range air-to-air missile devised. Useful for analysis of both strategies for avoidance and strategies for attack. With modifications, also useful in analysis of control strategies for one-on-one air-to-air combat, or wherever multiple control strategies considered.

  12. General Theory of Carrier-Envelope Phase Effects

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Roudnev, V.; Esry, B. D.

    2007-11-30

    We present a general framework for understanding carrier-envelope phase (CEP) effects in a quantum system interacting with an intense, short laser pulse. We establish a simple connection between the CEP and the wave function that can be exploited to obtain the full CEP dependence of an observable given the wave function at a single CEP. Within this framework, all CEP effects are interpreted as interference between different photon amplitudes which, in turn, can be used to put limits on the pulse lengths and intensities required to see significant CEP effects.

  13. Herpes simplex virus glycoproteins gB and gH function in fusion between the virion envelope and the outer nuclear membrane.

    PubMed

    Farnsworth, Aaron; Wisner, Todd W; Webb, Michael; Roller, Richard; Cohen, Gary; Eisenberg, Roselyn; Johnson, David C

    2007-06-12

    Herpesviruses must traverse the nuclear envelope to gain access to the cytoplasm and, ultimately, to exit cells. It is believed that herpesvirus nucleocapsids enter the perinuclear space by budding through the inner nuclear membrane (NM). To reach the cytoplasm these enveloped particles must fuse with the outer NM and the unenveloped capsids then acquire a second envelope in the trans-Golgi network. Little is known about the process by which herpesviruses virions fuse with the outer NM. Here we show that a herpes simplex virus (HSV) mutant lacking both the two putative fusion glycoproteins gB and gH failed to cross the nuclear envelope. Enveloped virions accumulated in the perinuclear space or in membrane vesicles that bulged into the nucleoplasm (herniations). By contrast, mutants lacking just gB or gH showed only minor or no defects in nuclear egress. We concluded that either HSV gB or gH can promote fusion between the virion envelope and the outer NM. It is noteworthy that fusion associated with HSV entry requires the cooperative action of both gB and gH, suggesting that the two types of fusion (egress versus entry) are dissimilar processes.

  14. FOC Imaging of the Dusty Envelopes of Mass-Losing Supergiants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kastner, Joel

    1996-07-01

    Stars more massive than 10 M_odot are destined to explode as supernovae {SN}. Pre-SN mass loss can prolong core buildup, and the rate and duration of mass loss therefore largely determines a massive star's post-main sequence evolution and its position in the H-R diagram prior to SN detonation. The envelope ejected by a mass-losing supergiant also plays an important role in the formation and evolution of a SN remnant. We propose to investigate these processes with HST. We will use the FOC to image two massive stars that are in different stages of post-main sequence evolution: VY CMa, the prototype for a class of heavily mass-losing OH/IR supergiants, and HD 179821, a post-red supergiant that is likely in transition to the Wolf-Rayet phase. Both are known to possess compact reflection nebulae, but ground-based techniques are unable to separate the inner nebulosities from the PSF of the central stars. We will use the unparalleled resolution of the FOC to probe the structure of these nebulae at subarcsecond scales. These data will yield the mass loss histories of the central stars and will demonstrate the presence or absence of axisymmetric mass loss and circumstellar disks. In so doing, our HST/FOC program will define the role of mass loss in determining the fates of SN progenitors and SN remnants.

  15. Functional Analysis of the Hsp93/ClpC Chaperone at the Chloroplast Envelope1[OPEN

    PubMed Central

    Tanabe, Noriaki; Clarke, Adrian K.

    2016-01-01

    The Hsp100-type chaperone Hsp93/ClpC has crucial roles in chloroplast biogenesis. In addition to its role in proteolysis in the stroma, biochemical and genetic evidence led to the hypothesis that this chaperone collaborates with the inner envelope TIC complex to power preprotein import. Recently, it was suggested that Hsp93, working together with the Clp proteolytic core, can confer a protein quality control mechanism at the envelope. Thus, the role of envelope-localized Hsp93, and the mechanism by which it participates in protein import, remain unclear. To analyze the function of Hsp93 in protein import independently of its ClpP association, we created a mutant of Hsp93 affecting its ClpP-binding motif (PBM) (Hsp93[P-]), which is essential for the chaperone’s interaction with the Clp proteolytic core. The Hsp93[P-] construct was ineffective at complementing the pale-yellow phenotype of hsp93 Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutants, indicating that the PBM is essential for Hsp93 function. As expected, the PBM mutation negatively affected the degradation activity of the stromal Clp protease. The mutation also disrupted association of Hsp93 with the Clp proteolytic core at the envelope, without affecting the envelope localization of Hsp93 itself or its association with the TIC machinery, which we demonstrate to be mediated by a direct interaction with Tic110. Nonetheless, Hsp93[P-] expression did not detectably improve the protein import efficiency of hsp93 mutant chloroplasts. Thus, our results do not support the proposed function of Hsp93 in protein import propulsion, but are more consistent with the notion of Hsp93 performing a quality control role at the point of import. PMID:26586836

  16. A Cell-Cell Fusion Assay to Assess Arenavirus Envelope Glycoprotein Membrane-Fusion Activity.

    PubMed

    York, Joanne; Nunberg, Jack H

    2018-01-01

    For many viruses that enter their target cells through pH-dependent fusion of the viral and endosomal membranes, cell-cell fusion assays can provide an experimental platform for investigating the structure-function relationships that promote envelope glycoprotein membrane-fusion activity. Typically, these assays employ effector cells expressing the recombinant envelope glycoprotein on the cell surface and target cells engineered to quantitatively report fusion with the effector cell. In the protocol described here, Vero cells are transfected with a plasmid encoding the arenavirus envelope glycoprotein complex GPC and infected with the vTF7-3 vaccinia virus expressing the bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase. These effector cells are mixed with target cells infected with the vCB21R-lacZ vaccinia virus encoding a β-galactosidase reporter under the control of the T7 promoter. Cell-cell fusion is induced upon exposure to low-pH medium (pH 5.0), and the resultant expression of the β-galactosidase reporter is quantitated using a chemiluminescent substrate. We have utilized this robust microplate cell-cell fusion assay extensively to study arenavirus entry and its inhibition by small-molecule fusion inhibitors.

  17. Dynamic Assembly of Brambleberry Mediates Nuclear Envelope Fusion during Early Development

    PubMed Central

    Abrams, Elliott W.; Zhang, Hong; Marlow, Florence L.; Kapp, Lee; Lu, Sumei; Mullins, Mary C.

    2012-01-01

    Summary To accommodate the large cells following zygote formation, early blastomeres employ modified cell divisions. Karyomeres are one such modification, a mitotic intermediate wherein individual chromatin masses are surrounded by nuclear envelope, which then fuse to form a single mononucleus. We identified brambleberry, a maternal-effect zebrafish mutant that disrupts karyomere fusion resulting in formation of multiple micronuclei. brambleberry is a previously unannotated gene homologous to Kar5p, which participates in nuclear fusion in yeast. We demonstrate that Brambleberry is required for pronuclear fusion following fertilization in zebrafish. As karyomeres form, Brambleberry localizes to the nuclear envelope with prominent puncta evident near karyomere-karyomere interfaces corresponding to membrane fusion sites. Our studies identify the first factor acting in karyomere fusion and suggest that specialized proteins are necessary for proper nuclear division in large dividing blastomeres. PMID:22863006

  18. Nuclear envelopathies: a complex LINC between nuclear envelope and pathology.

    PubMed

    Janin, Alexandre; Bauer, Delphine; Ratti, Francesca; Millat, Gilles; Méjat, Alexandre

    2017-08-30

    Since the identification of the first disease causing mutation in the gene coding for emerin, a transmembrane protein of the inner nuclear membrane, hundreds of mutations and variants have been found in genes encoding for nuclear envelope components. These proteins can be part of the inner nuclear membrane (INM), such as emerin or SUN proteins, outer nuclear membrane (ONM), such as Nesprins, or the nuclear lamina, such as lamins A and C. However, they physically interact with each other to insure the nuclear envelope integrity and mediate the interactions of the nuclear envelope with both the genome, on the inner side, and the cytoskeleton, on the outer side. The core of this complex, called LINC (LInker of Nucleoskeleton to Cytoskeleton) is composed of KASH and SUN homology domain proteins. SUN proteins are INM proteins which interact with lamins by their N-terminal domain and with the KASH domain of nesprins located in the ONM by their C-terminal domain.Although most of these proteins are ubiquitously expressed, their mutations have been associated with a large number of clinically unrelated pathologies affecting specific tissues. Moreover, variants in SUN proteins have been found to modulate the severity of diseases induced by mutations in other LINC components or interactors. For these reasons, the diagnosis and the identification of the molecular explanation of "nuclear envelopathies" is currently challenging.The aim of this review is to summarize the human diseases caused by mutations in genes coding for INM proteins, nuclear lamina, and ONM proteins, and to discuss their potential physiopathological mechanisms that could explain the large spectrum of observed symptoms.

  19. Proteins required for lipopolysaccharide assembly in Escherichia coli form a trans-envelope complex†

    PubMed Central

    Chng, Shu-Sin; Gronenberg, Luisa S.; Kahne, Daniel

    2010-01-01

    The viability of Gram-negative organisms is dependent on the proper placement of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the outer leaflet of its outer membrane. LPS is synthesized inside the cell and transported to the surface by seven essential Lpt proteins. How these proteins cooperate to transport LPS is unknown. We show that these Lpt proteins can be found in a membrane fraction that contains inner and outer membranes, and that they co-purify. This constitutes the first evidence that the Lpt proteins form a trans-envelope complex. We suggest that this protein bridge provides a route for LPS transport across the cell envelope. PMID:20446753

  20. Use of virus-attached antibodies or insulin molecules to mediate fusion between Sendai virus envelopes and neuraminidase-treated cells.

    PubMed

    Gitman, A G; Kahane, I; Loyter, A

    1985-05-21

    Anti-human erythrocyte antibodies or insulin molecules were covalently coupled to the glycoproteins (the hemagglutinin/neuraminidase and the fusion polypeptides) of Sendai virus envelopes with N-succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate and succinimidyl 4-(p-maleimidophenyl)butyrate as cross-linking reagents. Reconstituted Sendai virus envelopes, bearing covalently attached anti-human erythrocyte antibodies or insulin molecules, were able to bind to but not fuse with virus receptor depleted human erythrocytes (neuraminidase-treated human erythrocytes). Only coreconstitution of Sendai virus glycoproteins, bearing attached anti-human erythrocyte antibodies or insulin molecules with intact, untreated viral glycoproteins, led to the formation of fusogenic, targeted reconstituted Sendai virus envelopes. Binding and fusion of reconstituted Sendai virus envelopes, bearing anti-human erythrocyte antibodies or insulin molecules, with neuraminidase-treated human erythrocytes were blocked by the monovalent fraction, obtained after papain digestion of immunoglobulins, made of anti-human erythrocyte antibodies or free insulin molecules, respectively. The results of this work demonstrate an active role of the viral binding protein (hemagglutinin/neuraminidase polypeptide) in the virus membrane fusion process and show a novel and efficient method for the construction of targeted, fusogenic Sendai virus envelopes.