Complete Genome Sequences of Zika Virus Strains Isolated from the Blood of Patients in Thailand in 2014 and the Philippines in 2012

Here, we present the complete genome sequences of two Zika virus (ZIKV) strains, Zika virus/Homo sapiens-tc/THA/2014/SV0127-14 and Zika virus/H. sapiens-tc/PHL/2012/CPC-0740, isolated from the blood of patients collected in Thailand, 2014, and the Philippines, 2012, respectively. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed that both strains belong to the Asian lineage

CO and CI maps of the starburst galaxy M82

The first map of an external galaxy in the 3P₁ - 3P0 fine-structure line of atomic carbon (CI) is presented towards the nucleus of the starbuster M82, and compared with the distinction of the CO J = 4 - 3 molecular emission. The CI traces features that are seen in lower transition CO maps, and shows that CI and the CO are well mixed and have similar spatial distributions. There are small differences between the CO J = 4 - 3 line and lower transition CO data towards the NE part of the molecular ring, where the emission is less prominent. The abundance ratio [CI]/[CO] across M82 is very high, with an average value ~ 0.5 across most of the nucleus, a factor at least 5 times that which is typical of dense molecular cloud cores seen in our own Galaxy. This means that on average, CI is overabundant towards M82. This result can be explained using models which provide enhancements to the CI abundance above normal Interstellar Medium values, a result of a greater cosmic ray flux in M82, or where there is substantial mixing of the gas

Galactic Cosmic Rays from Supernova Remnants: II Shock Acceleration of Gas and Dust

This is the second paper (the first was astro-ph/9704267) of a series analysing the Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) composition and origin. In this we present a quantitative model of GCR origin and acceleration based on the acceleration of a mixture of interstellar and/or circumstellar gas and dust by supernova remnant blast waves. We present results from a nonlinear shock model which includes (i) the direct acceleration of interstellar gas-phase ions, (ii) a simplified model for the direct acceleration of weakly charged dust grains to energies of order 100keV/amu simultaneously with the gas ions, (iii) frictional energy losses of the grains colliding with the gas, (iv) sputtering of ions of refractory elements from the accelerated grains and (v) the further shock acceleration of the sputtered ions to cosmic ray energies. The calculated GCR composition and spectra are in good agreement with observations.Comment: to appear in ApJ, 51 pages, LaTeX with AAS macros, 9 postscript figures, also available from ftp://wonka.physics.ncsu.edu/pub/elliso

A Postscript to a Paper of A. Baker

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135153/1/blms0075.pd

Comparison of Different Methods for Nonlinear Diffusive Shock Acceleration

We provide a both qualitative and quantitative comparison among different approaches aimed to solve the problem of non-linear diffusive acceleration of particles at shocks. In particular, we show that state-of-the-art models (numerical, Monte Carlo and semi-analytical), even if based on different physical assumptions and implementations, for typical environmental parameters lead to very consistent results in terms of shock hydrodynamics, cosmic ray spectrum and also escaping flux spectrum and anisotropy. Strong points and limits of each approach are also discussed, as a function of the problem one wants to study.Comment: 26 pages, 4 figures, published version (references updated

Pollen Morphology and Its Relationship to the Taxonomy of the Genus Sarracenia (Sarraceniaceae)

Despite nearly a century of research, the systematic relationships among North American pitcher plants in the genus Sarracenia (Sarraceniaceae) remain unresolved. In this study we analyzed pollen morphology of the 11 currently recognized species of Sarracenia and examined how variations in key pollen characteristics relate to our current understanding of the taxonomy of this genus. We used principal components analysis to explore variations in pollen grain size (equatorial diameter and length) and shape (number of colpi) among Sarracenia species, and used cluster analysis to compare systematic groupings of Sarracenia based on floral, vegetative, and pollen characters. We compared these results with a previously published phylogeny based on molecular data. Groupings based on pollen characteristics alone did not align completely with those based on molecular or all morphological data. In clusters based on pollen alone and those using all morphological characters, S. purpurea and S. rosea formed a single group, and S. flava, S. alata, and S. leucophylla grouped together consistently. The pollen morphology of S. jonesii and S. alabamensis differed substantially from that of S. rubra, supporting the current systematic treatment of the genus that recognizes these three taxa as distinct species.Other Research Uni

Measurement of the Equilibrium Emittance of an Electron-Cooled 45 MeV Proton Beam

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY-931478

Study of the Feasibility of Decreasing the Emittance of the SSC Beam Through the Use of Electron Cooling in the SSC Medium Energy Booster

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY-931478