The levels of edit, second edition

The editorial process is analyzed, and five levels of edit are identified. These levels represent cumulative combinations of nine types of edit: Coordination, Policy, Integrity, Screening, Copy Clarification, Format, Mechanical Style, Language, and Substantive. The levels and types of edit, although developed for specific use with external reports at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, cover the general range of technical editing, especially as it applies to an in-house technical publications organization. Each type of edit is set forth in terms of groups of actions to be performed by editor. The edit-level concept has enhanced understanding and communication among editors, authors, and publications managers concerning the specific editorial work to be done on each manuscript. It has also proved useful as a management tool for estimating and monitoring cost

The interstellar gas experiment

The Interstellar Gas Experiment (IGE) exposed thin metallic foils to collect neutral interstellar gas particles. These particles penetrate the solar system due to their motion relative to the sun. Thus, it is possible to entrap them in the collecting foils along with precipitating magnetospheric and perhaps some ambient atmospheric particles. For the entire duration of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) mission, seven of these foils collected particles arriving from seven different directions as seen from the spacecraft. In the mass spectroscopic analysis of the noble gas component of these particles, we have detected the isotopes of He-3, He-4, Ne-20, and Ne-22. In the foil analyses carried out so far, we find a distribution of particle arrival directions which shows that a significant part of the trapped particles are indeed interstellar atoms. The analysis needed to subtract the competing fluxes of magnetospheric and atmospheric particles is still in progress

The Interstellar Gas Experiment: Analysis in progress

The Interstellar Gas Experiment (IGE) exposed thin metallic foils aboard the LDEF spacecraft in low Earth orbit in order to collect neutral interstellar particles which penetrate the solar system due to their motion relative to the sun. By mechanical penetration these atoms were imbedded in the collecting foils along with precipitating magnetospheric ions and, possibly, with ambient atmospheric atoms. During the entire LDEF mission, seven of these foils collected particles arriving from seven different directions as seen from the spacecraft. After the foils were returned to Earth, a mass spectrometric analysis of the noble gas component of the trapped particles was begun. The isotopes of He-3, He-4, Ne-20, and Ne-22 were detected. We have given a first account of the experiment. In order to infer the isotopic ratios in the interstellar medium from the concentrations found in the foils, several lines of investigation had to be initiated. The flux of ambient atmospheric noble gas atoms moving toward the foils due to the orbital motion of LDEF was estimated by detailed calculations. Any of these particles which evaded the baffles in the IGE collector could be entrapped in the foils as a background flux. However, the calculations have shown that this flux is negligible, which was the intent of the experiment hardware design. This conclusion is supported by the measurements. However, both the concentration of trapped helium and its impact energy indicate that the flux of magnetospheric ions which was captured was larger than had been expected. In fact, it appears that the magnetospheric particles constitute the largest fraction of the particles in the foils. Since little is known about this particle flux, their presence in the IGE foils appears fortunate. The analysis of these particles provides information about their isotropic composition and average flux

The new surprising behaviour of the two "prototype" blazars PKS 2155-304 and 3C 279

Recent VHE observations have unveiled a surprising behaviour in two well-known blazars at opposite sides of the blazar sequence. PKS 2155-304 have shown for the first time in an HBL a large Compton dominance, high gamma-ray luminosities and a cubic relation between X-ray and VHE fluxes. 3C 279 is the first FSRQ detected at VHE. The high luminosity required to overcome the significant absorption caused by the BLR emission cannot be easily reconciled with the historical and quasi-simultaneous SED properties. Both cases shed a new light on the structure and ambient fields of blazars. Contrary to previous claims, it is also shown that 3C 279 --as any FSRQ-- cannot in general provide robust constraints on the EBL.Comment: Proceedings of "4th Heidelberg International Symposium on High Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy 2008" (Gamma 2008), July 7-11, 2008. Slightly refined text with updated reference

Age and environment affect constitutive immune function in Red Knots (Calidris canutus)

We studied subspecies, age and environmental effects on constitutive immune function (natural antibody and complement titres, haptoglobin activity and leukocyte concentrations) in Red Knots (Calidris canutus). We compared C. c. islandica and C. c. canutus in the Wadden Sea and found no difference in immune function between subspecies. However, C. c. canutus on their wintering grounds in Banc d’Arguin had higher natural antibody and lower complement levels than C. c. canutus or C. c. islandica in the Wadden Sea. This suggests that immune function is determined more by the surrounding environment than by subspecies. We also compared age classes in the Wadden Sea and found that first year birds had significantly lower natural antibody levels than adults, but that second year birds no longer differed from adults. Finally, we examined the interaction of age and environment in Banc d’Arguin. We found that first year birds (but not adults) in a low quality habitat had higher leukocyte concentrations than first year birds or adults in a high quality habitat. Differences in available resources and defence needs between environments, and differences among individuals differentially distributed between sites, are likely important contributors to the variation in immune function we report. Future studies, which examine these factors on wild birds, will be important for our understanding of how animals function in their natural environment.

Competition policy and exit rates: evidence from Switzerland

This paper provides evidence on the relation between the intensity of product-market competition and the probability of exit. We adopt a natural experiment approach to analyze the impact of a tightening of Swiss antitrust legislation on exit probabilities. Based on a sample of more than 68,000 firms from all major sectors of the Swiss economy, we find that the exit probability of non-exporting firms increased significantly, whereas the exit probability of exporting firms remained largely unaffected. Our results support the notion that there is a positive relationship between the intensity of product-market competition and the probability of exi

Mechanics of collagen-hydroxyapatite model nanocomposites

Bone is a hierarchical biological composite made of a mineral component (hydroxyapatite crystals) and anorganic part (collagen molecules). Small-scale deformation phenomena that occur in bone are thought tohave a significant influence on the large scale behavior of this material. However, the nanoscale behaviorof collagen–hydroxyapatite composites is still relatively poorly understood. Here we present a molec-ular dynamics study of a bone model nanocomposite that consist of a simple sandwich structure ofcollagen and hydroxyapatite, exposed to shear-dominated loading. We assess how the geometry of thecomposite enhances the strength, stiffness and capacity to dissipate mechanical energy. We find that H-bonds between collagen and hydroxyapatite play an important role in increasing the resistance againstcatastrophic failure by increasing the fracture energy through a stick-slip mechanism

Contemporary gene flow and mating system of Arabis alpina in a Central European alpine landscape

Background and Aims Gene flow is important in counteracting the divergence of populations but also in spreading genes among populations. However, contemporary gene flow is not well understood across alpine landscapes. The aim of this study was to estimate contemporary gene flow through pollen and to examine the realized mating system in the alpine perennial plant, Arabis alpina (Brassicaceae). Methods An entire sub-alpine to alpine landscape of 2 km2 was exhaustively sampled in the Swiss Alps. Eighteen nuclear microsatellite loci were used to genotype 595 individuals and 499 offspring from 49 maternal plants. Contemporary gene flow by pollen was estimated from paternity analysis, matching the genotypes of maternal plants and offspring to the pool of likely father plants. Realized mating patterns and genetic structure were also estimated. Key Results Paternity analysis revealed several long-distance gene flow events (≤1 km). However, most outcrossing pollen was dispersed close to the mother plants, and 84 % of all offspring were selfed. Individuals that were spatially close were more related than by chance and were also more likely to be connected by pollen dispersal. Conclusions In the alpine landscape studied, genetic structure occurred on small spatial scales as expected for alpine plants. However, gene flow also covered large distances. This makes it plausible for alpine plants to spread beneficial alleles at least via pollen across landscapes at a short time scale. Thus, gene flow potentially facilitates rapid adaptation in A. alpina likely to be required under ongoing climate chang

A new distributed real-time controller for robotics applications

A description is given of a dual-board real-time distributed control module based on the INMOS T414/T800 transputers. The CPU board provides fast external memory, support for the four 10-MHz serial transputer links including two fiber-optic links, and an I/O expansion connector. The board\u27s backplane connector is pin-compatible with the INMOS ITEM development system. The plug-in I/O board provides a bidirectional latched 32-bit I/O bus with full handshaking support. Half of this board is allotted to a wire-wrap prototyping area allowing for customization to specific I/O needs. It is asserted that an easily configurable network built from this low-cost modular design should be able to tackle the most demanding real-time control applications, with respect to computation as well as I/O requirements. A description is given of two particular applications presently underway in the Yale Robotics Laboratory