268 research outputs found
EAS development curve at energy of 10(16) - 10(18) eV measured by optical Cerenkov light
The data of optical Cerenkov light from extensive air shower observed at the core distance more than 1 Km at Akeno are reexamined. Applying the new simulated results, the shower development curves for the individual events were constructed. For the showers of 10 to 17th power eV the average depth at the shower maximum is determined to be 660 + or - 40 gcm/2. The shower curve of average development is found to be well described by a Gaisser-Hillas shower development function with above shower maximum depth
Path Defense in Dynamic Defender-Attacker Blotto Games (dDAB) with Limited Information
We consider a path guarding problem in dynamic Defender-Attacker Blotto games
(dDAB), where a team of robots must defend a path in a graph against
adversarial agents. Multi-robot systems are particularly well suited to this
application, as recent work has shown the effectiveness of these systems in
related areas such as perimeter defense and surveillance. When designing a
defender policy that guarantees the defense of a path, information about the
adversary and the environment can be helpful and may reduce the number of
resources required by the defender to achieve a sufficient level of security.
In this work, we characterize the necessary and sufficient number of assets
needed to guarantee the defense of a shortest path between two nodes in dDAB
games when the defender can only detect assets within -hops of a shortest
path. By characterizing the relationship between sensing horizon and required
resources, we show that increasing the sensing capability of the defender
greatly reduces the number of defender assets needed to defend the path
Geology and taphonomy of a unique tyrannosaurid bonebed from the upper Campanian Kaiparowits Formation of southern Utah: implications for tyrannosaurid gregariousness
Tyrannosaurids are hypothesized to be gregarious, possibly parasocial carnivores engaging in cooperative hunting and extended parental care. A tyrannosaurid (cf. Teratophoneus curriei) bonebed in the late Campanian age Kaiparowits Formation of southern Utah, nicknamed the Rainbows and Unicorns Quarry (RUQ), provides the first opportunity to investigate possible tyrannosaurid gregariousness in a taxon unique to southern Laramidia. Analyses of the site’s sedimentology, fauna, flora, stable isotopes, rare earth elements (REE), charcoal content and taphonomy suggest a complex history starting with the deaths and transport of tyrannosaurids into a peri-fluvial, low-energy lacustrine setting. Isotopic and REE analyses of the fossil material yields a relatively homogeneous signature indicating the assemblage was derived from the same source and represents a fauna living in a single ecospace. Subsequent drying of the lake and fluctuating water tables simultaneously overprinted the bones with pedogenic carbonate and structurally weakened them through wet-dry cycling. Abundant charcoal recovered from the primary bone layer indicate a low temperature fire played a role in the site history, possibly triggering an avulsion that exhumed and reburied skeletal material on the margin of a new channel with minimal transport. Possible causes of mortality and concentration of the tyrannosaurids include cyanobacterial toxicosis, fire, and flooding, the latter being the preferred hypothesis. Comparisons of the RUQ site with other North American tyrannosaur bonebeds (Dry Island-Alberta; Daspletosaurus horneri-Montana) suggest all formed through similar processes. Combined with ichnological evidence, these tyrannosaur mass-burial sites could be part of an emerging pattern throughout Laramidia reflecting innate tyrannosaurid behavior such as habitual gregariousness
Multi-Modal Analysis of Vibration and Meteorological Data for Structures on the World Heritage Site “Battleship Island”
This paper reports the results of vibration and meteorological observations of a buildng built on Hashima, Nagasaki, southern part of Japan, which was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2015 [1], and analyzes its dynamic characteristics. Hashima is called "Battleship Island" because its appearance resembles a battleship due to the many buildings standing upon it. The structure contributing most to the battleship appearance is No. 3 Building. An accelerometer and a weather sensor have been installed in No. 3 Building for long-term measurements. Multi-modal analysis of vibration and meteorological data was performed for 5 months, and the dynamic characteristics of No. 3 Building were examined
Factor H-Related Protein 5 Interacts with Pentraxin 3 and the Extracellular Matrix and Modulates Complement Activation
Prognosis factors in the treatment of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw - Prognostic factors in the treatment of BRONJ -
Objectives: Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) is a relatively rare but serious side effect of
bisphosphonate (BP)-based treatments. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the risk factors and predictive
markers in cases where patients were refractory to a recommended conservative treatment offered in our hospital.
Patients and Methods: This single-center study collated the medical records of all patients treated for BRONJ between
2004 and 2011. A complete medical history, including detailed questionnaires, was collected for all patients,
focusing on identifying underlying risk factors, clinical features, location and bone marker levels of BRONJ.
Results: The mean BRONJ remission rate was 57.6%, and the median duration of remission was seven months.
Eighteen patients (34.6%) had persistent or progressive disease with a recommended conservative treatment for
BRONJ. Notably, urinary cross-linked N-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (NTX) levels in those resistant to
conservative treatment tended to be lower than in patients that healed well.
Conclusions: We confirm that a significant proportion of BRONJ sufferers are refractory to a recommended conservative
treatment and find that anticancer drugs, periodontal disease, the level of bone exposure and the dosage
of intravenous BPs (e.g. zoledronate) represent specific risk factors in BRONJ that may determine the success of a
recommended conservative treatment. Additionally, the NTX levels might be able to be a prognostic factor for the
conservative treatment of BRONJ; additional research is necessary
Measurement of tau polarization in e+ e- annihilation at sqrt{s}=58 GeV
The polarization of tau leptons in the reaction e+ e- --> tau+ tau- has been
measured using a e+e- collider, TRISTAN, at the center-of-mass energy of 58
GeV. From the kinematical distributions of daughter particles in tau --> e nu
nu-bar, mu nu nu-bar, rho nu or pi(K) nu decays, the average polarization of
tau- and its forward-backward asymmetry have been evaluated to be 0.012 +-
0.058 and 0.029 +- 0.057, respectively.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figure
Constraining the Movement of the Spiral Features and the Locations of Planetary Bodies within the AB Aur System
We present new analysis of multi-epoch, H-band, scattered light images of the
AB Aur system. We used a Monte Carlo, radiative transfer code to simultaneously
model the system's SED and H-band polarized intensity imagery. We find that a
disk-dominated model, as opposed to one that is envelope dominated, can
plausibly reproduce AB Aur's SED and near-IR imagery. This is consistent with
previous modeling attempts presented in the literature and supports the idea
that at least a subset of AB Aur's spirals originate within the disk. In light
of this, we also analyzed the movement of spiral structures in multi-epoch
H-band total light and polarized intensity imagery of the disk. We detect no
significant rotation or change in spatial location of the spiral structures in
these data, which span a 5.8 year baseline. If such structures are caused by
disk-planet interactions, the lack of observed rotation constrains the location
of the orbit of planetary perturbers to be >47 AU.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, Accepted to Ap
Tunicate cytostatic factor TC14-3 induces a polycomb group gene and histone modification through Ca2+ binding and protein dimerization
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>As many invertebrate species have multipotent cells that undergo cell growth and differentiation during regeneration and budding, many unique and interesting homeostatic factors are expected to exist in those animals. However, our understanding of such factors and global mechanisms remains very poor. Single zooids of the tunicate, <it>Polyandrocarpa </it><it>misakiensis</it>, can give off as many as 40 buds during the life span. Bud development proceeds by means of transdifferentiation of very limited number of cells and tissues. TC14-3 is one of several different but closely related polypeptides isolated from <it>P. misakiensis</it>. It acts as a cytostatic factor that regulates proliferation, adhesion, and differentiation of multipotent cells, although the molecular mechanism remains uncertain. The Polycomb group (PcG) genes are involved in epigenetic control of genomic activity in mammals. In invertebrates except <it>Drosophila</it>, PcG and histone methylation have not been studied so extensively, and genome-wide gene regulation is poorly understood.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>When Phe<sup>65 </sup>of TC14-3 was mutated to an acidic amino acid, the resultant mutant protein failed to dimerize. The replacement of Thr<sup>69 </sup>with Arg<sup>69 </sup>made dimers unstable. When Glu<sup>106 </sup>was changed to Gly<sup>106</sup>, the resultant mutant protein completely lost Ca<sup>2+ </sup>binding. All these mutant proteins lacked cytostatic activity, indicating the requirement of protein dimerization and calcium for the activity. <it>Polyandrocarpa </it><it>Eed</it>, a component of PcG, is highly expressed during budding, like TC14-3. When wild-type and mutant TC14-3s were applied in vivo and in vitro to <it>Polyandrocarpa </it>cells, only wild-type TC14-3 could induce <it>Eed </it>without affecting histone methyltransferase gene expression. Eed-expressing cells underwent trimethylation of histone H3 lysine27. <it>PmEed </it>knockdown by RNA interference rescued cultured cells from the growth-inhibitory effects of TC14-3.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results show that in <it>P. misakiensis</it>, the cytostatic activity of TC14-3 is mediated by <it>PmEed </it>and resultant histone modification, and that the gene expression requires both the protein dimerization and Ca<sup>2+</sup>-binding of TC14-3. This system consisting of a humoral factor, PcG, and histone methylation would contribute to the homeostatic regulation of cell growth and terminal differentiation of invertebrate multipotent cells.</p
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