The geometry of the unipotent component of the moduli space of Weil-Deligne representations

In this paper, we study the moduli space of unipotent Weil-Deligne representations and characterise which irreducible components are smooth. We also study a certain class of unions of irreducible components, and prove that they are Cohen-Macaulay at points $(\Phi, N)$ with $\Phi$ regular semisimple. We apply the smoothness results proved earlier to show that a certain space of ordinary automorphic forms is a locally generically free module over the corresponding global deformation ring.Comment: 50 page

Research towards novel immunotherapeutic vectors: calixarene scaffolds

The aim of this project was to generate a new type of therapeutic delivery system and immunogenic vector, based on calixarenes, that is able to not only deliver immunogenic peptide but also act as a potential cancer vaccine. The introduction presents calixarenes derivatives in the context of supramolecular chemistry. Their properties on the nanoscale allow them to be potential adjuvants for cancer immunotherapeutics

Microplastic Fiber Abundance for South Carolina White Shrimp, Litopenaeus setiferus, Across Two Habitats

Coastal South Carolina is a prime destination for shrimping. The commercial White Shrimp, Litopenaeus setiferus, is one of the main species found in South Carolina estuaries and coastline. There are commercial and recreation fishing practices in South Carolina for L. setiferus, making it a species of interest for the public. Microplastics are additionally a large interest in the public and scientific community for research and solutions. The threats of plastic pollution are not fully understood in the marine environment, but there has been a boom of research discussing various effects and distributions of microplastics in the ocean recently. Shrimp species have been documented with microplastics in from various regions, such as Malaysia, Ecuador, the Southwest Atlantic, and Indian Ocean from a study using shrimps found in a Singapore market (Curren et al, 2020). In South Carolina, grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, was found to contain microplastics, however there are vast differences between P. pugio and L. setiferus (Gray and Weinstein, 2017). The objective of this study was to document the abundance of microplastic fibers in the commercial white shrimp, L. setiferus, in South Carolina

OF MIMICRY AND WOMAN: A FEMINIST POSTCOLONIAL READING OF WIDE SARGASSO SEA AND THE BIGGEST MODERN WOMAN OF THE WORLD

Feminist and postcolonial studies have shown a similar concern with the production of new and more empowering subjectivities for those historically cast as subaltern in androcentric western contexts. In literature, as in criticism, concepts such as revision and subversion receive unprecedented attention as discourse, and hence narrative, begins to be seen as the very site where identity and relations of power are constructed and negotiated. Among the many women writers who sought to counterbalance the white maleness of the literary canon by giving colonized women a voice and a (hi)story are writers as diverse as the Dominican-born English writer Jean Rhys and the Canadian novelist Susan Swan. In their major fictional works, respectively Wide Sargasso Sea (1966) and The Biggest Modern Woman of the World (1983), they challenge the tradition of both literature and history by providing secondary or marginal women characters with a story of their own. Based primarily on the concepts of subversion and rearticulation proposed by Judith Butler and Homi Bhabha, this paper investigates and compares the strategies of representation employed by Rhys and Swan in the above novels with special attention to the relationship between the protagonists’ bodily experiences and the countries and cultures they stand for

Investor Behavior Surrounding Trading Halts: Short Sales, Predation and Contagion Effects

This dissertation is comprised of three essays that focus on the interaction between exchange-mandated trading halts and short selling activity in the financial markets. In the first essay, the behavior of short sellers is examined surrounding interruptions in trading to determine if informed short sellers alter their trading patterns prior to and/or following a trading halt. This investigation also addresses the impact of short sales on market quality for halted stocks surrounding periods of interrupted trading, by examining returns, price volatility, and spreads. The second essay investigates if a short-selling contagion effect exists for contemporaries of firms experiencing a trading halt. Although trading suspensions represent a firm-specific event, they may be vieas \u27contagious\u27 in the sense that they possess information relevant to other firms in the same industry. The potential for an intra-industry effect supports an examination into whether shorting levels vary significantly for organizations that are informationally related to a firm experiencing a trading halt. The impact of short sales on the market quality of these contemporary firms is also determined by examining returns, price volatility, and spreads surrounding interruptions in trading for an industry member. Market activity surrounding trading halts is examined in the third essay to determine if predatory trading occurs. This research establishes if predatory behavior is present surrounding interruptions in trading or alternatively, if trading halts eliminates the opportunity for predation. This investigation also determines if documented changes in market quality for halted firms are linked to predatory trading

Time-synchronous sampling in wireless sensor networks

Peer Reviewe

Structural and functional explorations of the MICOS Mic60-Mic19 subcomplex

Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles of great research interest due to their involvement in many crucial biological processes, such as ATP production, calcium homeostasis or apoptosis. Several human diseases are linked to altered mitochondrial morphology and mitochondrial dynamic defects, but the underlying disease mechanisms have remained mostly unclear. The mitochondrial contact site and cristae organizing system (MICOS) complex has crucial functions in mitochondrial membrane architecture, as it is involved in the formation of crista junctions and ensures that the cristae membrane remains attached to the inner boundary membrane. This hetero-oligomeric protein complex consists of at least six components in yeast and was shown to form large complexes in the megadalton mass range. MICOS can be divided into two subcomplexes built by Mic10 Mic12 Mic26 Mic27 and Mic60 Mic19, but their architecture and even the exact stoichiometry have not been clarified yet. In this work, the crystal structures of two fusion constructs containing conserved C terminal domains of Chaetomium thermophilum Mic60 and Mic19 were determined, providing insights into the organization of the MICOS Mic60-Mic19 subcomplex. Residues involved in the interaction between the mitofilin domain of Mic60 and the CHCH domain of Mic19 were identified and analyzed in detail by biochemical and cell-based methods. These studies revealed that single amino acid exchanges can disturb the interaction in vitro and lead to an abnormal cristae morphology in yeast mitochondria. The predicted lipid binding site (LBS) of Mic60 is part of the mitofilin domain, which assembles as an inter-domain swapped dimer. Structure-based analysis of the dimerization interface and the membrane binding site of the mitofilin domain elucidated the structural requirements for membrane binding and remodeling. Even though several proteins involved in mitochondrial shaping have been identified in the past, their exact mechanisms for establishing mitochondrial architecture have remained unexplored. The results of this work make a substantial contribution towards the characterization of the MICOS complex, therefore contributing to a molecular understanding of mitochondrial membrane remodeling and disease development.Die Forschung an Mitochondrien ist von großem Interesse, da diese dynamischen Organellen an vielen wichtigen zellulären Prozessen beteiligt sind, unter anderem an der Herstellung von ATP, der Calcium-Homöostase und dem programmierten Zelltod. Die Membranarchitektur und die Dynamik von Mitochondrien sind in zahlreichen menschlichen Krankheiten verändert; allerdings konnten die Mechanismen, welche zur Entstehung dieser Krankheiten führen, größtenteils noch nicht geklärt werden. Der Mitochondrial Contact Site and Cristae Organizing System (MICOS) Komplex leistet einen entscheidenden Beitrag für die Ausbildung und Erhaltung der mitochondrialen Architektur und trägt insbesondere dazu bei, die Cristae zu stabilisieren. MICOS setzt sich aus verschiedenen Proteinen zusammen und kann große Komplexe im Megadalton-Bereich bilden. In Hefe wurden bisher sechs Komponenten beschrieben, die in zwei Teilkomplexe assemblieren, bestehend aus Mic10-Mic12-Mic26-Mic27 und Mic60 Mic19. Allerdings konnten bisher weder die Architektur noch die exakte Zusammensetzung der Komponenten im MICOS-Komplex entschlüsselt werden. In dieser Arbeit wurden Kristallstrukturen von zwei Fusionskonstrukten bestimmt, welche die konservierten C terminalen Domänen von Mic60 und Mic19 aus Chaetomium thermophilum enthalten. Aminosäuren, die an der Interaktion zwischen der Mitofilin-Domäne von Mic60 und der CHCH-Domäne von Mic19 beteiligt sind, wurden identifiziert und charakterisiert. Mutationen in der Kontaktfläche konnten die Interaktion stören und führten zu veränderter Membranarchitektur von Hefe-Mitochondrien. Eine zuvor identifizierte Lipidbindestelle von Mic60 ist Teil der Mitofilin-Domäne, welche ein Domänen-übergreifendes Dimer im Kristall ausbildet. Durch strukturbasierte Mutagenese der Dimer- und Membran-Kontaktstellen konnten die molekularen Grundlagen der Membranbindung und -deformation entschlüsselt werden. Obwohl bereits einige Proteine, welche an der Formgebung der Mitochondrien beteiligt sind, identifiziert wurden, blieben die genauen Mechanismen bisher weitestgehend unerforscht. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit tragen wesentlich zur Charakterisierung des MICOS-Komplexes bei und führen damit zu einem erweiterten molekularen Verständnis der Membran-Deformierung in Mitochondrien und der Entstehung von mitochondrialen Erkrankungen

Наклеп при накатке отверстий

Tolerancing has long been identified as a crucial part in the development of optical systems. It aims at finding the best balance between quality and cost as tolerances closely tie together manufacturing expenses and performance. Tolerance effects have been included into the optimization function (merit function) by some lens designers to find insensitive designs1-5 and frequently compensators are employed to further improve the performance of assembled lenses. Compensators are limited to a small number of system parameters, but selective assembly of components can extend the number of parameters available for compensation. It can be employed to reduce tolerance effects of disturbed parameters by finding the best matches out of a set of components. In this work we discuss how desensitization and selective assembly can be combined to loosen tolerances and increase as-built performance. The investigations concentrate on tolerance insensitive design forms under the presence of selective assembly compensators. In contrast to desensitizing a given lens or introducing new design means we focus on introducing new assembly strategies into the design procedure and investigate how using selective assembly as a compensator while desensitizing the remaining design parameters can lead to even less sensitive designs