Enhanced Leak Detection

A key requirement for Veeder-Root’s Enhanced Leak Detection System is that it be able to test in situ for the presence of leaks at gasoline dispensing facilities. Aside from the obvious issues of safety and lost product, this functionality is obligatory for compliance with environmental standards mandated by federal and state oversight bodies, such as the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). The SWRCB demands a testing procedure that includes conditions as close to operational as possible, while still using environmentally safe gases as a test fluid. Although the test parameters (e.g., pressure) are allowed to deviate from operating conditions in order to facilitate the test procedure, a prescribed rescaling of the test thresholds must then be applied to account for the deviation. Whether the test is run at operation conditions or in a slightly different parameter regime, the fact that the testing must be done on the product and return lines after installation at a service station presents significant challenges in devising an effective test strategy

Women, land, labour and survival: getting some basic facts straight

SUMMARY In the context of the current food crisis confronting most sub?Saharan African economies the need to unmask the identities of rural producers from a gender perspective is reinforced. This article focuses on three major issues which have tended towards ambiguity in analyses of rural political economy. First, the question of women's differential land use rights is analysed in terms of the impact agricultural modernisation has had on traditional status. Second, the complexity in household form and composition is drawn out. Finally, the support systems women rely on in times of impending disaster to ward off economic crises are examined. SOMMAIRE Dans le contexte de la crise actuelle de l'alimentation à laquelle ont à faire face la plupart des systèmes économiques de l'Afrique sub?saharienne, on a de plus en plus besoin de découvrir l'identité des producteurs ruraux du point de vue du sexe. Cet article se concentre sur les trois importants problèmes qui ont tendance à pencher du côté de l'ambiguïté dans les analyses de l'économie rurale politique. D'abord, la question des droits différentiels d'utilisation de la terre en ce qui concerne les femmes est analysée en termes de l'impact que la modernisation de l'agriculture a eu sur le statut traditionnel. Deuxièmement, la complexité de la forme et de la composition du groupe familial est mise en évidence. Finalement, on examine les systèmes de soutien sur lesquels les femmes comptent aux époques de désastres imminents pour éviter les crises économiques. RESUMEN En el contexto de la crisis alimentaria actual que afrontan la mayoría de las economías de la región del sub?Sahara del Africa, se ha reforzado la necesidad de desenmascarar las identidades de los productores rurales desde una perspectiva de género. Este articulo enfoca tres temas centrales sobre los cuales ha habido ambigüedad en los análisis de economía política rural. Primero, la cuestión de los derechos diferenciales de la mujer en el uso de la tierra es analizada en términos del impacto que la modernización agrícola ha tenido sobre su status tradicional. En segundo lugar, se destaca la complejidad de la forma y composición del hogar. Finalmente se examinan los sistemas de apoyo con que cuentan las mujeres para protegerse de las crisis económicas en tiempos de desastres inminentes

Non-destructive assay of nuclear waste containers using muon scattering tomography in the Horizon2020 CHANCE project

Methods for the non-destructive assay of nuclear waste drums are of great importance to the nuclear waste management community, especially where loss in continuity of knowledge about the content of drums happened or chemical processes altering the contents of the drums may occur. Muon scattering tomography has been shown to be a promising technique for the non-destructive assay of nuclear waste drums in a safe way. By measuring tracks of muons entering and leaving the probed sample and extracting scattering angles from the tracks, it is possible to draw conclusions about the contents of the sample and its spatial arrangement. Within the CHANCE project, a newly built large-scale mobile detector system for scanning and imaging the contents of nuclear waste drums using atmospheric muons is currently undergoing commissioning

The First VERITAS Telescope

The first atmospheric Cherenkov telescope of VERITAS (the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) has been in operation since February 2005. We present here a technical description of the instrument and a summary of its performance. The calibration methods are described, along with the results of Monte Carlo simulations of the telescope and comparisons between real and simulated data. The analysis of TeV $\gamma$-ray observations of the Crab Nebula, including the reconstructed energy spectrum, is shown to give results consistent with earlier measurements. The telescope is operating as expected and has met or exceeded all design specifications.Comment: Accepted by Astroparticle Physic

Plasma membrane profiling defines an expanded class of cell surface proteins selectively targeted for degradation by HCMV US2 in cooperation with UL141.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) US2, US3, US6 and US11 act in concert to prevent immune recognition of virally infected cells by CD8+ T-lymphocytes through downregulation of MHC class I molecules (MHC-I). Here we show that US2 function goes far beyond MHC-I degradation. A systematic proteomic study using Plasma Membrane Profiling revealed US2 was unique in downregulating additional cellular targets, including: five distinct integrin α-chains, CD112, the interleukin-12 receptor, PTPRJ and thrombomodulin. US2 recruited the cellular E3 ligase TRC8 to direct the proteasomal degradation of all its targets, reminiscent of its degradation of MHC-I. Whereas integrin α-chains were selectively degraded, their integrin β1 binding partner accumulated in the ER. Consequently integrin signaling, cell adhesion and migration were strongly suppressed. US2 was necessary and sufficient for degradation of the majority of its substrates, but remarkably, the HCMV NK cell evasion function UL141 requisitioned US2 to enhance downregulation of the NK cell ligand CD112. UL141 retained CD112 in the ER from where US2 promoted its TRC8-dependent retrotranslocation and degradation. These findings redefine US2 as a multifunctional degradation hub which, through recruitment of the cellular E3 ligase TRC8, modulates diverse immune pathways involved in antigen presentation, NK cell activation, migration and coagulation; and highlight US2's impact on HCMV pathogenesis.This study was financially supported by grant 101-2917-I-564-035 from the Taiwan National Science Council to JLH; by a Wellcome Trust Fellowship (093966/Z/10/Z) to MPW; an MRC Project Grant and Wellcome Trust Programme Grant (G1000236, WT090323MA) to GWW and PT, European Regional Development Fund and the State Budget of Czech Republic (RECAMO, CZ.1.05/ 2.1.00/03.0101) to ER; a Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellowship (084957/Z/08/Z) to PJL; and a Medical Research Council (MRC) grant (MC_UU_12014/3) to GSW and AJD. This study was additionally supported by the Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, UK.This is the final published version. It first appeared at http://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1004811

Structure of the first representative of Pfam family PF04016 (DUF364) reveals enolase and Rossmann-like folds that combine to form a unique active site with a possible role in heavy-metal chelation.

The crystal structure of Dhaf4260 from Desulfitobacterium hafniense DCB-2 was determined by single-wavelength anomalous diffraction (SAD) to a resolution of 2.01 Å using the semi-automated high-throughput pipeline of the Joint Center for Structural Genomics (JCSG) as part of the NIGMS Protein Structure Initiative (PSI). This protein structure is the first representative of the PF04016 (DUF364) Pfam family and reveals a novel combination of two well known domains (an enolase N-terminal-like fold followed by a Rossmann-like domain). Structural and bioinformatic analyses reveal partial similarities to Rossmann-like methyltransferases, with residues from the enolase-like fold combining to form a unique active site that is likely to be involved in the condensation or hydrolysis of molecules implicated in the synthesis of flavins, pterins or other siderophores. The genome context of Dhaf4260 and homologs additionally supports a role in heavy-metal chelation

Multiwavelength Observations of 1ES 1959+650, One Year After the Strong Outburst of 2002

In April-May 2003, the blazar 1ES 1959+650 showed an increased level of X-ray activity. This prompted a multiwavelength observation campaign with the Whipple 10 m gamma-ray telescope, the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, the Bordeaux Optical Observatory, and the University of Michigan Radio Astrophysical Observatory. We present the multiwavelength data taken from May 2, 2003 to June 7, 2003 and compare the source characteristics with those measured during observations taken during the years 2000 and 2002. The X-ray observations gave a data set with high signal-to-noise light curves and energy spectra; however, the gamma-ray observations did not reveal a major TeV gamma-ray flare. Furthermore, we find that the radio and optical fluxes do not show statistically significant deviations from those measured during the 2002 flaring periods. While the X-ray flux and X-ray photon index appear correlated during subsequent observations, the apparent correlation evolved significantly between the years 2000, 2002, and 2003. We discuss the implications of this finding for the mechanism that causes the flaring activity.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures, 2 table

Multiwavelength Observations of the Blazar Mrk 421 in December 2002 and January 2003

We report on a multiwavelength campaign on the TeV gamma-ray blazar Markarian (Mrk) 421 performed during December 2002 and January 2003. These target of opportunity observations were initiated by the detection of X-ray and TeV gamma-ray flares with the All Sky Monitor (ASM) on board the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) and the 10 m Whipple gamma-ray telescope.The campaign included observational coverage in the radio (University of Michigan Radio Astronomy Observatory), optical (Boltwood, La Palma KVA 0.6m, WIYN 0.9m), X-ray (RXTE pointed telescopes), and TeV gamma-ray (Whipple and HEGRA) bands. At TeV energies, the observations revealed several flares at intermediate flux levels, peaking between 1 and 1.5 times the flux from the Crab Nebula. While the time averaged spectrum can be fitted with a single power law of photon index Gamma =2.8, we find some evidence for spectral variability. Confirming earlier results, the campaign reveals a rather loose correlation between the X-ray and TeV gamma-ray fluxes. In one case, a very strong X-ray flare is not accompanied by a comparable TeV gamma-ray flare. Although the source flux was variable in the optical and radio bands, the sparse sampling of the optical and radio light curves does not allow us to study the correlation properties in detail. We present a simple analysis of the data with a synchrotron-self Compton model, emphasizing that models with very high Doppler factors and low magnetic fields can describe the data.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Structure of a putative NTP pyrophosphohydrolase: YP_001813558.1 from Exiguobacterium sibiricum 255-15.

The crystal structure of a putative NTPase, YP_001813558.1 from Exiguobacterium sibiricum 255-15 (PF09934, DUF2166) was determined to 1.78 Å resolution. YP_001813558.1 and its homologs (dimeric dUTPases, MazG proteins and HisE-encoded phosphoribosyl ATP pyrophosphohydrolases) form a superfamily of all-α-helical NTP pyrophosphatases. In dimeric dUTPase-like proteins, a central four-helix bundle forms the active site. However, in YP_001813558.1, an unexpected intertwined swapping of two of the helices that compose the conserved helix bundle results in a `linked dimer' that has not previously been observed for this family. Interestingly, despite this novel mode of dimerization, the metal-binding site for divalent cations, such as magnesium, that are essential for NTPase activity is still conserved. Furthermore, the active-site residues that are involved in sugar binding of the NTPs are also conserved when compared with other α-helical NTPases, but those that recognize the nucleotide bases are not conserved, suggesting a different substrate specificity