525 research outputs found
Automated Cryocooler Monitor and Control System Software
This software is used in an automated cryogenic control system developed to monitor and control the operation of small-scale cryocoolers. The system was designed to automate the cryogenically cooled low-noise amplifier system described in "Automated Cryocooler Monitor and Control System" (NPO-47246), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 35, No. 5 (May 2011), page 7a. The software contains algorithms necessary to convert non-linear output voltages from the cryogenic diode-type thermometers and vacuum pressure and helium pressure sensors, to temperature and pressure units. The control function algorithms use the monitor data to control the cooler power, vacuum solenoid, vacuum pump, and electrical warm-up heaters. The control algorithms are based on a rule-based system that activates the required device based on the operating mode. The external interface is Web-based. It acts as a Web server, providing pages for monitor, control, and configuration. No client software from the external user is required
Electrochemiluminescence platform for the detection of C-reactive proteins : application of recombinant antibody technology to cardiac biomarker detection
This work exploits the high-affinity of recombinant antibodies and low background electrochemiluminescence (ECL) for cardiac-biomarker detection. The developed assay is capable of fg mL-1 detection limits as well as the detection of C-Reactive Protein (CRP) over a clinically relevant range. The assay demonstrated robust reproducibility, selectivity and stability while also highlighting a novel platform for detection of cardiac biomarkers at low concentrations
Nonstomatal limitations are responsible for drought-induced photosynthetic inhibition in four C4 grasses
Here, the contribution of stomatal and nonstomatal factors to photosynthetic inhibition under water stress in four tropical C(4) grasses was investigated (Panicum coloratum, Bothriochloa bladhii, Cenchrus ciliaris and Astrebla lappacea ). Plants were grown in well watered soil, and then the effects of soil drying were measured on leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence and water relations. During the drying cycle, leaf water potential (Psi(leaf)) and relative water content (RWC) decreased from c. -0.4 to -2.8 MPa and 100-40%, respectively. The CO(2) assimilation rates (A) and quantum yield of PSII (Phi(PSII)) of all four grasses decreased rapidly with declining RWC. High CO(2) concentration (2500 mul l(-1)) had no effect on A or Phi(PSII) at any stage of the drying cycle. Electron transport capacity and dark respiration rates were unaltered by drought. The CO(2) compensation concentrations of P. coloratum and C. ciliaris rose sharply when leaf RWC fell below 70%. In P. coloratum, 5% CO(2) did not prevent the decline of O(2) evolution rates under water stress. We conclude that inhibition of photosynthesis in the four C(4) grasses under water stress is dependent mainly on biochemical limitations
Star Clusters in M 31. IV. A Comparative Analysis of Absorption Line Indices in Old M 31 and Milky Way Clusters
We present absorption line indices measured in the integrated spectra of
globular clusters both from the Galaxy and from M 31. Our samples include 41
Galactic globular clusters, and more than 300 clusters in M 31. The conversion
of instrumental equivalent widths into the Lick system is described, and
zero-point uncertainties are provided. Comparison of line indices of old M 31
clusters and Galactic globular clusters suggests an absence of important
differences in chemical composition between the two cluster systems. In
particular, CN indices in the spectra of M 31 and Galactic clusters are
essentially consistent with each other, in disagreement with several previous
works. We reanalyze some of the previous data, and conclude that reported CN
differences between M 31 and Galactic clusters were mostly due to data
calibration uncertainties. Our data support the conclusion that the chemical
compositions of Milky Way and M 31 globular clusters are not substantially
different, and that there is no need to resort to enhanced nitrogen abundances
to account for the optical spectra of M 31 globular clusters.Comment: 72 pages, including 15 figures and 14 tables. Published by the
Astronomical Journa
A comparison of errorless and errorful therapies for dysgraphia after stroke.
Despite the increasing significance of written communication, there is limited research into spelling therapy for adults with acquired dysgraphia. Existing studies have typically measured spelling accuracy as an outcome, although speed may also be important for functional writing. As spelling is relatively slow, effortful and prone to errors in people with dysgraphia, minimising errors within therapy could be a factor in therapy success. This within-participant case-series study investigated whether errorless and errorful therapies would differ in their effects on spelling speed and accuracy for four participants with acquired dysgraphia. Matched sets of words were treated with errorless or errorful therapy or left untreated. Results were collated one week and five weeks after therapy. Both therapy approaches were successful in improving spelling accuracy. For three participants, equivalent gains were demonstrated following errorless and errorful therapy. One participant made significantly greater improvements in spelling accuracy following errorless therapy. The effects were maintained five weeks later. There was no significant difference in post-therapy spelling speed between the two therapy conditions. The results of this study suggest that both errorful and errorless therapies can be effective methods with which to treat spelling in adults with acquired dysgraphia
Design, assessment, and in vivo evaluation of a computational model illustrating the role of CAV1 in CD4+ T-lymphocytes
Caveolin-1 (CAV1) is a vital scaffold protein heterogeneously expressed in both healthy and malignant tissue. We focus on the role of CAV1 when overexpressed in T-cell leukemia. Previously, we have shown that CAV1 is involved in cell-to-cell communication, cellular proliferation, and immune synapse formation; however, the molecular mechanisms have not been elucidated. We hypothesize that the role of CAV1 in immune synapse formation contributes to immune regulation during leukemic progression, thereby warranting studies of the role of CAV1 in CD4+ T-cells in relation to antigen-presenting cells. To address this need, we developed a computational model of a CD4+ immune effector T-cell to mimic cellular dynamics and molecular signaling under healthy and immunocompromised conditions (i.e., leukemic conditions). Using the Cell Collective computational modeling software, the CD4+ T-cell model was constructed and simulated under CAV1+/+, CAV1+/−, and CAV1−/− conditions to produce a hypothetical immune response. This model allowed us to predict and examine the heterogeneous effects and mechanisms of CAV1 in silico. Experimental results indicate a signature of molecules involved in cellular proliferation, cell survival, and cytoskeletal rearrangement that were highly affected by CAV1 knock out. With this comprehensive model of a CD4+ T-cell, we then validated in vivo protein expression levels. Based on this study, we modeled a CD4+ T-cell, manipulated gene expression in immunocompromised versus competent settings, validated these manipulations in an in vivo murine model, and corroborated acute T-cell leukemia gene expression profiles in human beings. Moreover, we can model an immunocompetent versus an immunocompromised microenvironment to better understand how signaling is regulated in patients with leukemia
Optical Colors of Intracluster Light in the Virgo Cluster Core
We continue our deep optical imaging survey of the Virgo cluster using the
CWRU Burrell Schmidt telescope by presenting B-band surface photometry of the
core of the Virgo cluster in order to study the cluster's intracluster light
(ICL). We find ICL features down to mu_b ~ 29 mag sq. arcsec, confirming the
results of Mihos et al. (2005), who saw a vast web of low-surface brightness
streams, arcs, plumes, and diffuse light in the Virgo cluster core using V-band
imaging. By combining these two data sets, we are able to measure the optical
colors of many of the cluster's low-surface brightness features. While much of
our imaging area is contaminated by galactic cirrus, the cluster core near the
cD galaxy, M87, is unobscured. We trace the color profile of M87 out to over
2000 arcsec, and find a blueing trend with radius, continuing out to the
largest radii. Moreover, we have measured the colors of several ICL features
which extend beyond M87's outermost reaches and find that they have similar
colors to the M87's halo itself, B-V ~ 0.8. The common colors of these features
suggests that the extended outer envelopes of cD galaxies, such as M87, may be
formed from similar streams, created by tidal interactions within the cluster,
that have since dissolved into a smooth background in the cluster potential.Comment: 14 pages. Published in ApJ, September 201
Comparing uni-modal and multi-modal therapies for improving writing in acquired dysgraphia after stroke.
Writing therapy studies have been predominantly uni-modal in nature; i.e., their central therapy task has typically been either writing to dictation or copying and recalling words. There has not yet been a study that has compared the effects of a uni-modal to a multi-modal writing therapy in terms of improvements to spelling accuracy. A multiple-case study with eight participants aimed to compare the effects of a uni-modal and a multi-modal therapy on the spelling accuracy of treated and untreated target words at immediate and follow-up assessment points. A cross-over design was used and within each therapy a matched set of words was targeted. These words and a matched control set were assessed before as well as immediately after each therapy and six weeks following therapy. The two approaches did not differ in their effects on spelling accuracy of treated or untreated items or degree of maintenance. All participants made significant improvements on treated and control items; however, not all improvements were maintained at follow-up. The findings suggested that multi-modal therapy did not have an advantage over uni-modal therapy for the participants in this study. Performance differences were instead driven by participant variables
The XMM Cluster Survey: The Stellar Mass Assembly of Fossil Galaxies
This paper presents both the result of a search for fossil systems (FSs)
within the XMM Cluster Survey and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the results
of a study of the stellar mass assembly and stellar populations of their fossil
galaxies. In total, 17 groups and clusters are identified at z < 0.25 with
large magnitude gaps between the first and fourth brightest galaxies. All the
information necessary to classify these systems as fossils is provided. For
both groups and clusters, the total and fractional luminosity of the brightest
galaxy is positively correlated with the magnitude gap. The brightest galaxies
in FSs (called fossil galaxies) have stellar populations and star formation
histories which are similar to normal brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs).
However, at fixed group/cluster mass, the stellar masses of the fossil galaxies
are larger compared to normal BCGs, a fact that holds true over a wide range of
group/cluster masses. Moreover, the fossil galaxies are found to contain a
significant fraction of the total optical luminosity of the group/cluster
within 0.5R200, as much as 85%, compared to the non-fossils, which can have as
little as 10%. Our results suggest that FSs formed early and in the highest
density regions of the universe and that fossil galaxies represent the end
products of galaxy mergers in groups and clusters. The online FS catalog can be
found at http://www.astro.ljmu.ac.uk/~xcs/Harrison2012/XCSFSCat.html.Comment: 30 pages, 50 figures. ApJ published version, online FS catalog added:
http://www.astro.ljmu.ac.uk/~xcs/Harrison2012/XCSFSCat.htm
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