Pulsar Spindown by a Fall-Back Disk and the P-P_dot Diagram

Neutron stars may be surrounded by fall-back disks formed from supernova core-collapse. If the disk circumscribes the light-cylinder, the neutron star will be an active radio pulsar spinning down under the propeller spin-down torque applied by the disk as well as the usual magnetic dipole radiation torque. Evolution across the P-P_dot diagram is very rapid when pulsar spin-down is dominated by the propeller torque. This explains the distribution of pulsars in the P-P_dot diagram.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, aastex, final version accepted for publication in ApJ

Richard M. Askin in a Senior Recital of Original Compositions

This is the program for the senior composition recital of Richard M. Askin. The recital took place on March 11, 1974, in the Mitchell Hall Auditorium

Analisis Daya Saing USAhatani Tebu di Propinsi Jawa Timur

In the aspect of sugarcane farming system, increasing productivity and sucrose content ofsugar cane (rendemen) are exactly needed to increase the productivity of sugar and farmerincomes. The objective of the research is to analyze competitiveness of farmer's sugarcanefarming system, which is measured by Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM). The research was held onsugar factories in East Java (Pesantren Baru in Kediri, Krebet Baru in Malang, Semboro inJember, and Pagotan in Madiun). The data are collected by interviewing farmers, 20 farmers ineach sugar factory. The results show that farmer's sugarcane farming systems are financiallyprofitable with average advantage about 2.5-8 million per hectare. Farmer's advantage in Madiunand Kediri districts are lower than it is in Malang and Jember districts. Although financiallysugarcane farming system is profitable, economically it is contrary. Farmer's financial loss infrom 2.0 to 4.0 million per hectare. Sugarcane farming system in Madiun dan Kediri districts arenot having comparative advantage (DRCR<1), different from they are in Malang, Jemberdistricts. Sugarcane farming system in Madiun and Kediri districts will have comparativeadvantage if the productivity is increased by 20 percent or the International sugar price isincreased to 220 US$/ton

Green fluorescent protein-based assays for high-throughput functional characterization and ligand-binding studies of biotin protein ligase

In E. coli and other prokaryotes such as Staphylococcus aureus, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, biotin protein ligase (BirA) is an emerging drug target as it is the sole enzyme capable of biotin transfer onto the BCCP subunit of ACC. There is currently a gap in simple yet efficient assays for rapidly identifying and characterising inhibitors targeting BirA. We present for the first time the development and validation of a simple and reliable DSF-GTP assay for the high-throughput screening of BirA: ligand interactions using a new GFP-tagged BirA of E. coli. In addition, we developed a new GFP-based biotinylation activity assay taking advantage of a GFP tethered with an AviTag. The data obtained with these assays revealed new insights into how the binding of individual or combinations of ligands affect the overall thermal stability and affinity of BirA. The DSF-GTP assay has a Z' value of 0.785 that makes it an excellent tool for future high-throughput screening of inhibitory compounds

Gator: a low-background counting facility at the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory

A low-background germanium spectrometer has been installed and is being operated in an ultra-low background shield (the Gator facility) at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory in Italy (LNGS). With an integrated rate of ~0.16 events/min in the energy range between 100-2700 keV, the background is comparable to those of the world's most sensitive germanium detectors. After a detailed description of the facility, its background sources as well as the calibration and efficiency measurements are introduced. Two independent analysis methods are described and compared using examples from selected sample measurements. The Gator facility is used to screen materials for XENON, GERDA, and in the context of next-generation astroparticle physics facilities such as DARWIN.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, published versio

High-Definition Optical Coherence Tomography for the in vivo Detection of Demodex Mites

Background: Demodex mites are involved in different skin diseases and are commonly detected by skin scrape tests or superficial biopsies. A new high-definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT) with high lateral and axial resolution in a horizontal (en-face) and vertical (slice) imaging mode might offer the possibility of noninvasive and fast in vivo examination of demodex mites. Methods: Twenty patients with demodex-related skin diseases and 20 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were examined by HD-OCT. Mites per follicle and follicles per field of view were counted and compared to skin scrape tests. Results: HD-OCT images depicted mites in the en-face mode as bright round dots in groups of 3-5 mites per hair follicle. In the patients with demodex-related disease, a mean number of 3.4 mites per follicle were detected with a mean number of 2.9 infested follicles per area of view compared to a mean of 0.6 mites in 0.4 infested follicles in the controls. The skin scrape tests were negative in 21% of the patients. Conclusion: The innovative HD-OCT enables fast and noninvasive in vivo recognition of demodex mites and might become a useful tool in the diagnosis and treatment monitoring of demodex-related skin diseases. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

Beras Dan Jebakan Kepentingan Jangka Pendek

Kebijakan tentang perberasan sangat sarat dengan berbagai kepentingan, sehingga banyak keputusan yang diambil oleh pemerintah cenderung mengarah pada kepentingan jangka pendek, seperti masalah harga pembelian pemerintah, impor dan kebijakan jangka pendek lainnya. Kalau diperhatikan secara seksama ada empat persoalan mendasar dalam masalah perberasan, yaitu : (1) lemahnya akurasi data; (2) miskinnya petani padi; (3) besarnya ketergantungan terhadap beras; dan (4) masalah harga serta distribusi beras. Agar persoalan ini dapat diselesaikan dengan baik, diperlukan adanya pemetaan persoalan secara tepat dalam berbagai perspektif waktu, dan kemudian merumuskan berbagai langkah operasional yang sistematis dan komprehensif. Hal yang utama diperlukan adalah kejelasan target akhir yang ingin dicapai, yang didasarkan pada proyeksi terhadap kebutuhan beras dan ketersediaan lahan dalam jangka panjang. Upaya ini diharapkan dapat mencegah terjadinya pengulangan program yang sama dari waktu ke waktu, tanpa kejelasan sasaran akhir yang ingin dicapai. Proses akumulasi serta sinergi yang saling memperkuat antar semua pemangku kepentingan terkait, merupakan kata kunci keberhasilan dalam menuntaskan masalah ini

Selective protein unfolding: a universal mechanism of action for the development of irreversible inhibitors

High-throughput differential scanning fluorimetry of GFP-tagged proteins (HT-DSF-GTP) was applied for the identification of novel enzyme inhibitors acting by a mechanism termed: selective protein unfolding (SPU). Four different protein targets were interrogated with the same library to identify target-selective hits. Several hits selectively destabilized bacterial biotin protein ligase. Structure–activity relationship data confirmed a structure-dependent mechanism of protein unfolding. Simvastatin and altenusin were confirmed to irreversibly inactivate biotin protein ligase. The principle of SPU combined with HT-DSF-GTP affords an invaluable and innovative workflow for the identification of new inhibitors with potential applications as antimicrobials and other biocides

Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Desa Lengkong melalui Pelatiham MS OFFICE

Perkembangan teknologi saat ini sudah sangat pesat dan bahkan tidak dapat dibendung lagi. Hampir setiap aspek kehidupan masyarakat dapat dimasuki oleh teknologi, baik itu aspek kehidupan pribadi maupun aspek kelompok dan dunia kerja. MS Office menjadi salah satu aplikasi yang paling banyak digunakan dalam kehidupan saat ini. MS Office menjadi salah satu persyaratan wajib untuk dapat masuk dalam dunia kerja. Pengetahuan tentang tata cara mengoperasikan MS Office merupakan pengetahuan yang wajib dimilki saat ini