Borel Representation of τ\tau Hadronic Spectral Function Moments in Contour-Improved Perturbation Theory

We show that the Borel representations of $\tau$ hadronic spectral function moments based on contour-improved perturbation theory (CIPT) in general differ from those obtained within fixed-order perturbation theory (FOPT). We demonstrate that the Borel sums obtained from both types of Borel representations in general differ as well and that the apparently conflicting asymptotic behavior of the FOPT and CIPT series, which has been subject to many studies in the past literature, can be understood quantitatively from these results. The discrepancy between the CIPT and FOPT Borel sums, which we call the 'asymptotic separation', can be computed analytically and is related to inverse exponential terms in the strong coupling. The asymptotic separation arises from the singular and non-analytic infrared renormalon structures in the Borel function of the underlying Adler function where the leading dimension four gluon condensate renormalon has the highest weight. The size of the asymptotic difference is in general larger than that of the FOPT Borel sum ambiguity, but it can be modulated in a predictable way by choosing specific spectral function moments. Even though moments can be designed where the asymptotic difference is smaller than the FOPT Borel sum ambiguity, the asymptotic separation can as a matter of principle not be avoided entirely. The asymptotic separation has important implications for the standard operator product expansion approach used for spectral function moment predictions.Comment: 38 pages, 9 figures, references and a footnote added, minor text additions, results unchange

Integrating and Visualizing Tropical Cyclone Data Using the Real Time Mission Monitor

The Real Time Mission Monitor (RTMM) is a visualization and information system that fuses multiple Earth science data sources, to enable real time decision-making for airborne and ground validation experiments. Developed at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, RTMM is a situational awareness, decision-support system that integrates satellite imagery, radar, surface and airborne instrument data sets, model output parameters, lightning location observations, aircraft navigation data, soundings, and other applicable Earth science data sets. The integration and delivery of this information is made possible using data acquisition systems, network communication links, network server resources, and visualizations through the Google Earth virtual globe application. RTMM is extremely valuable for optimizing individual Earth science airborne field experiments. Flight planners, scientists, and managers appreciate the contributions that RTMM makes to their flight projects. A broad spectrum of interdisciplinary scientists used RTMM during field campaigns including the hurricane-focused 2006 NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (NAMMA), 2007 NOAA-NASA Aerosonde Hurricane Noel flight, 2007 Tropical Composition, Cloud, and Climate Coupling (TC4), plus a soil moisture (SMAP-VEX) and two arctic research experiments (ARCTAS) in 2008. Improving and evolving RTMM is a continuous process. RTMM recently integrated the Waypoint Planning Tool, a Java-based application that enables aircraft mission scientists to easily develop a pre-mission flight plan through an interactive point-and-click interface. Individual flight legs are automatically calculated "on the fly". The resultant flight plan is then immediately posted to the Google Earth-based RTMM for interested scientists to view the planned flight track and subsequently compare it to the actual real time flight progress. We are planning additional capabilities to RTMM including collaborations with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the joint development of a Tropical Cyclone Integrated Data Exchange and Analysis System (TC IDEAS) which will serve as a web portal for access to tropical cyclone data, visualizations and model output

Application of microsatellite markers to parentage studies in grapevine

The use of microsatellites in genetic analysis does not only allow differentiation but also identification and parentage analysis of grapevine cultivars. Many of the cultivars which are of great economic importance, like Cabernet Sauvignon, have been selected and propagated centuries ago and often lack reliable documentation about their origins. In our study, 51 grapevine cultivars were genotyped at 24 microsatellite loci and searched for possible parent-offspring combinations. Our data confirm the origin of Cabernet Sauvignon from a cross between Cabernet franc and Sauvignon blanc. Furthermore we proved the parentage of the cultivars Neuburger (Silvaner x Veltliner rot), Blauburger (Portugieser blau x Blaufränkisch), Zweigelt (Blaufränkisch x St. Laurent) and Müller-Thurgau (Rheinriesling x Chasselas de Courtillier) at 24 SSR loci

Genetic variability and incidence of systemic diseases in wild vines (Vitis vinifera ssp. silvestris) along the Danube

In the riparian woods of Danube and March east of Vienna 87 wild specimens of Vitis vinifera ssp. silvestris were genetically analysed and compared. The silvestris population can be split into 6 distinct groups, but this clustering cannot be explained solely by the geographical distance. The unique genetic variability observed represents a strong case for preservation of wild grapevines.The incidence of bacterioses, viroses and nematodes transmitting nepoviruses to these vines were registered. None of the analysed specimens suffered from Agrobacterium vitis-induced crown gall. Only some vines were infected by viral pathogens such as GLRaV I and SLRV. Thus the wild vines do not constitute a risk for the surrounding commercial vineyards. On the other hand, diseases spread from cultivated grapevines may seriously harm the wild vine population. Four species of nematodes transmitting nepoviruses were registered. Samples of Xiphinema vuittenezi and Longidorus attenuatus from the Lobau (natural forests, north of the Danube in the area of Vienna) differ morphometrically from others found on arable soils or isolated from the research area.

Using Sensor Web Processes and Protocols to Assimilate Satellite Data into a Forecast Model

The goal of the Sensor Management Applied Research Technologies (SMART) On-Demand Modeling project is to develop and demonstrate the readiness of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) capabilities to integrate both space-based Earth observations and forecast model output into new data acquisition and assimilation strategies. The project is developing sensor web-enabled processing plans to assimilate Atmospheric Infrared Sounding (AIRS) satellite temperature and moisture retrievals into a regional Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model over the southeastern United States

Trouble at the top: The construction of a tenant identity in the governance of social housing organizations

The project of citizen governance has transformed the social housing sector in England where 20,000 tenants now sit as directors on the boards of housing associations, but the entrance of social housing tenants to the boardroom has aroused opposition from the chief executives of housing companies and triggered regulatory intervention from government inspectors. This paper investigates the cause of these tensions through a theoretical framework drawn from the work of feminist philosopher Judith Butler. It interprets housing governance as an identificatory project with the power to constitute tenant directors as regulated subjects, and presents evidence to suggest that this project of identity fails to completely enclose its subject, allowing tenant directors to engage in ‘identity work’ that threatens the supposed unity of the board. The paper charts the development of antagonism and political tension in the board rooms of housing companies to present an innovative account of the construction and contestation of identities in housing governance

Universal Rights and Wrongs

This paper argues for the important role of customers as a source of competitive advantage and firm growth, an issue which has been largely neglected in the resource-based view of the firm. It conceptualizes Penrose’s (1959) notion of an ‘inside track’ and illustrates how in-depth knowledge about established customers combines with joint problem-solving activities and the rapid assimilation of new and previously unexploited skills and resources. It is suggested that the inside track represents a distinct and perhaps underestimated way of generating rents and securing long-term growth. This also implies that the sources of sustainable competitive advantage in important respects can be sought in idiosyncratic interfirm relationships rather than within the firm itself

Beyond the biosynthetic gene cluster paradigm: Genome-wide coexpression networks connect clustered and unclustered transcription factors to secondary metabolic pathways

Fungal secondary metabolites are widely used as therapeutics and are vital components of drug discovery programs. A major challenge hindering discovery of novel secondary metabolites is that the underlying pathways involved in their biosynthesis are transcriptionally silent under typical laboratory growth conditions, making it difficult to identify the transcriptional networks that they are embedded in. Furthermore, while the genes participating in secondary metabolic pathways are typically found in contiguous clusters on the genome, known as biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), this is not always the case, especially for global and pathway-specific regulators of pathways’ activities. To address these challenges, we used 283 genome-wide gene expression data sets of the ascomycete cell factory Aspergillus niger generated during growth under 155 different conditions to construct two gene coexpression networks based on Spearman’s correlation coefficients (SCCs) and on mutual rank-transformed Pearson’s correlation coefficients (MR-PCCs). By mining these networks, we predicted six transcription factors, named MjkA to MjkF, to regulate secondary metabolism in A. niger. Overexpression of each transcription factor using the Tet-On cassette modulated the production of multiple secondary metabolites. We found that the SCC and MR-PCC approaches complemented each other, enabling the delineation of putative global (SCC) and pathway-specific (MR-PCC) transcription factors. These results highlight the potential of coexpression network approaches to identify and activate fungal secondary metabolic pathways and their products. More broadly, we argue that drug discovery programs in fungi should move beyond the BGC paradigm and focus on understanding the global regulatory networks in which secondary metabolic pathways are embedded.DFG, 404295023, Etablierung eines innovativen Ko-Kultivierungssystems zur Hochdurchsatzidentifizierung von antimikrobiellen WirkstoffenEC/FP7/607332/EU/Quantitative Biology for Fungal Secondary Metabolite Producers/QUANTFUN

Simulation of dimensionality effects in thermal transport

The discovery of nanostructures and the development of growth and fabrication techniques of one- and two-dimensional materials provide the possibility to probe experimentally heat transport in low-dimensional systems. Nevertheless measuring the thermal conductivity of these systems is extremely challenging and subject to large uncertainties, thus hindering the chance for a direct comparison between experiments and statistical physics models. Atomistic simulations of realistic nanostructures provide the ideal bridge between abstract models and experiments. After briefly introducing the state of the art of heat transport measurement in nanostructures, and numerical techniques to simulate realistic systems at atomistic level, we review the contribution of lattice dynamics and molecular dynamics simulation to understanding nanoscale thermal transport in systems with reduced dimensionality. We focus on the effect of dimensionality in determining the phononic properties of carbon and semiconducting nanostructures, specifically considering the cases of carbon nanotubes, graphene and of silicon nanowires and ultra-thin membranes, underlying analogies and differences with abstract lattice models.Comment: 30 pages, 21 figures. Review paper, to appear in the Springer Lecture Notes in Physics volume "Thermal transport in low dimensions: from statistical physics to nanoscale heat transfer" (S. Lepri ed.