DataWarp: Building Applications which Make Progress in an Inconsistent World

The usual approach to dealing with imperfections in data is to attempt to eliminate them. However, the nature of modern systems means this is often futile. This paper describes an approach which permits applications to operate notwithstanding inconsistent data. Instead of attempting to extract a single, correct view of the world from its data, a DataWarp application constructs a collection of interpretations. It adopts one of these and continues work. Since it acts on assumptions, the DataWarp application considers its recent work to be provisional, expecting eventually most of these actions will become definitive. Should the application decide to adopt an alternative data view, it may then need to void provisional actions before resuming work. We describe the DataWarp architecture, discuss its implementation and describe an experiment in which a DataWarp application in an environment containing inconsistent data achieves better results than its conventional counterpart

Fatty acid metabolism in marine fish: Low activity of fatty acyl Δ5 desaturation in gilthead sea bream ( Sparus aurata ) cells

Marine fish are known to have an absolute dietary requirement for C20 and C22 highly unsaturated fatty acids. Previous studies using cultured cell lines indicated that underlying this requirement in marine fish was either a deficiency in fatty acyl Δ5 desaturase or C18-20 elongase activity. Recently, Ghioni et al. (Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1437, 170-181, 1999) presented evidence that in turbot cells there was low activity of C18-20 elongase whereas Δ5 desaturase had high activity. In the present study, the fatty acid desaturase/elongase pathway was investigated in a cell line (SAF-1) from another carnivorous marine fish, sea bream. The metabolic conversions of a range of radiolabelled polyunsaturated fatty acids that comprised the direct substrates for Δ6 desaturase ([1-14C]18:2n-6 and [1-14C]18:3n-3), C18-20 elongase ([U-14C]18:4n-3), Δ5 desaturase ([1-14C]20:3n-6 and [U-14C]20:4n-3) and C20-22 elongase ([1-14C]20:4n-6 and [1-14C]20:5n-3) were utilized. The results showed that fatty acyl Δ6 desaturase in SAF-1 cells was highly active and there was substantial C18-20 elongase and C20-22 elongase activities. A deficiency in the desaturation/elongation pathway was clearly identified at the level of the fatty acyl Δ5 desaturase which was very low, particularly with 20:4n-3 as substrate. In comparison, the apparent activities of Δ6 desaturase, C18-20 elongase and C20-22 elongase were approximately 94-fold, 27-fold and 16-fold greater than that for Δ5 desaturase towards their respective n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid substrates. The evidence obtained in the SAF-1 cell line is consistent with the dietary requirement for C20 and C22 highly unsaturated fatty acids in the marine fish, the sea bream, being primarily due to a deficiency in fatty acid Δ5 desaturase activity

Socioeconomic disparities in the prevalence of multidrug resistance in Enterobacterales

We examined the association between multidrug resistance and socioeconomic status (SES), analyzing microbiological and ZIP-code-level socioeconomic data. Using generalized linear models, we determined that multidrug resistance is significantly and persistently more prevalent in samples taken from patients residing in low-income ZIP codes versus high-income ZIP codes in North Carolina

Elastic-to-plastic crossover below the peak effect in the vortex solid of YBa2Cu3O7 single crystals

We report on transport and ac susceptibility studies below the peak effect in twinned YBa2Cu3O7 single crystals. We find that disorder generated at the peak effect can be partially inhibited by forcing vortices to move with an ac driving current. The vortex system can be additionally ordered below a well-defined temperature where elastic interactions between vortices overcome pinning-generated stress and a plastic to elastic crossover seems to occur. The combined effect of these two processes results in vortex structures with different mobilities that give place to history effects.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Published in PRB Rapid Comm., February 1, 200

Effects of dietary vegetable oil on atlantic salmon hepatocyte fatty acid desaturation and liver fatty acid compositions

Fatty acyl desaturase activities, involved in the conversion of the C18 EFA, 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3, to the highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) 20:4n-6, 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3, are known to be under nutritional regulation. Specifically, the activity of the desaturation/elongation pathway is depressed when animals, including fish, are fed fish oils rich in n-3HUFA compared to animals fed vegetable oils rich in C18 EFA. The primary aims of the present study were a) to establish the relative importance of product inhibition (n-3HUFA) versus increased substrate concentration (C18 EFA) and, b) to determine whether 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3 differ in their effects, on the hepatic fatty acyl desaturation/elongation pathway in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Smolts were fed ten experimental diets containing blends of two vegetable oils, linseed (LO) and rapeseed oil (RO), and fish oil (FO) in a triangular mixture design for 50 weeks. Fish were sampled after 32 and 50 weeks, lipid and fatty acid composition of liver determined, fatty acyl desaturation/elongation activity estimated in hepatocytes using [1-14C]18:3n-3 as substrate, and the data subjected to regression analyses. Dietary 18:2n-6 was positively correlated, and n-3HUFA negatively correlated, with lipid content of liver. Dietary 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 were positively correlated with liver fatty acids with a slope greater than unity suggesting relative retention and deposition of these HUFA. In contrast, dietary 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3 were positively correlated with liver fatty acids with a slope of less than unity suggesting metabolism via β-oxidation and/or desaturation/elongation. Consistent with this, fatty acyl desaturation/elongation in hepatocytes was significantly increased by feeding diets containing vegetable oils. Dietary 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 levels were negatively correlated with hepatocyte fatty acyl desaturation. At 32 weeks, 18:2n-6 but not 18:3n-3, was positively correlated with hepatocyte fatty acyl desaturation activity whereas the reverse was true at 50 weeks. The data indicate that both feedback inhibition through increased n-3HUFA and decreased C18 fatty acyl substrate concentration are probably important in determining hepatocyte fatty acyl desaturation activities, and that 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3 may differ in their effects on this pathway

Peak effect and its evolution with defect structure in YBa2Cu3O7-d thin films at microwave frequencies

The vortex dynamics in YBa2Cu3O7-d thin films have been studied at microwave frequencies. A pronounced peak in the surface resistance, Rs, is observed in these films at frequencies of 4.88 and 9.55 GHz for magnetic fields varying from 0.2 to 0.8 T. The peak is associated with an order-disorder transformation of the flux line lattice as the temperature or field is increased. The occurrence of the peak in Rs is crucially dependent on the depinning frequency, wp and on the nature and concentration of growth defects present in these films. Introduction of artificial defects by swift heavy ion irradiation with 200 MeV Ag ion at a fluence of 4x1010 ions/cm2 enhances wp and suppresses the peak at 4.88 GHz but the peak at 9.55 GHz remains unaffected. A second peak at lower temperature has also been observed at 9.55 GHz. This is related to twin boundaries from angular dependence studies of Rs. Based on the temperature variation of Rs, vortex phase diagrams have been constructed at 9.55 GHz.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures Submitted to Physical Review

Egg quality determinants in cod (Gadus morhua L.): egg performance and lipids in eggs from farmed and wild broodstock

Lipids and essential fatty acids, particularly the highly unsaturated fatty acids, 20:5n-3 (eicosapentaenoic acid; EPA), 22:6n-3 (docosahexaenoic acid; DHA) and 20:4n-6 (arachidonic acid, AA) have been shown to be crucial determinants of marine fish reproduction directly affecting fecundity, egg quality, hatching success, larval malformation and pigmentation. In Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) culture, eggs from farmed broodstock can have much lower fertilisation and hatching rates than eggs from wild broodstock. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis that potential quality and performance differences between eggs from different cod broodstock would be reflected in differences in lipid and fatty acid composition. Thus eggs were obtained from three broodstock, farmed, wild/fed and wild/unfed, and lipid content, lipid class composition, fatty acid composition and pigment content were determined and related to performance parameters including fertilisation rate, symmetry of cell division and survival to hatching. Eggs from farmed broodstock showed significantly lower fertilisation rates, cell symmetry and survival to hatching rates than eggs from wild broodstock. There were no differences in total lipid content or the proportions of the major lipid classes between eggs from the different broodstock. However, eggs from farmed broodstock were characterised by having significantly lower levels of some quantitatively minor phospholipid classes, particularly phosphatidylinositol. There were no differences between eggs from farmed and wild broodstock in the proportions of saturated, monounsaturated and total polyunsaturated fatty acids. The DHA content was also similar. However, eggs from farmed broodstock had significantly lower levels of AA, and consequently significantly higher EPA/AA ratios than eggs from wild broodstock. Total pigment and astaxanthin levels were significantly higher in eggs from wild broodstock. Therefore, the levels of AA and phosphatidylinositol, the predominant AA-containing lipid class, and egg pigment content were positively related to egg quality or performance parameters such as fertilisation and hatching success rates, and cell symmetry

Domain regime in two-dimensional disordered vortex matter

A detailed numerical study of the real space configuration of vortices in disordered superconductors using 2D London-Langevin model is presented. The magnetic field $B$ is varied between 0 and $B_{c2}$ for various pinning strengths $\Delta$. For weak pinning, an inhomogeneous disordered vortex matter is observed, in which the topologically ordered vortex lattice survives in large domains. The majority of the dislocations in this state are confined to the grain boundaries/domain walls. Such quasi-ordered configurations are observed in the intermediate fields, and we refer it as the domain regime (DR). The DR is distinct from the low-field and the high-fields amorphous regimes which are characterized by a homogeneous distribution of defects over the entire system. Analysis of the real space configuration suggests domain wall roughening as a possible mechanism for the crossover from the DR to the high-field amorphous regime. The DR also shows a sharp crossover to the high temperature vortex liquid phase. The domain size distribution and the roughness exponent of the lattice in the DR are also calculated. The results are compared with some of the recent Bitter decoration experiments.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figure

Lipid and fatty acid composition of parasitic caligid copepods belonging to the genus Lepeophtheirus

Sea lice are copepod ectoparasites that constitute a major barrier to the sustainability and economic viability of marine finfish aquaculture operations worldwide. In particular, the salmon louse, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, poses a considerable problem for salmoniculture in the northern hemisphere. The free-swimming nauplii and infective copepodids of L. salmonis are lecithotrophic, subsisting principally on maternally-derived lipid reserves. However, the lipids and fatty acids of sea lice have been sparsely studied and therefore the present project aimed to investigate the lipid and fatty acid composition of sea lice of the genus Lepeophtheirus obtained from a variety of fish hosts. Total lipid was extracted from eggs and adult female Lepeophtheirus salmonis obtained from both wild and farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) sampled at two time points, in the mid 1990’s and in 2009. In addition, L. salmonis from wild sea trout (Salmo trutta L.) and L. hippoglossi from wild Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus L.) were sampled and analyzed. The lipids of both females and egg strings of Lepeophtheirus were characterized by triacylglycerol (TAG) as the major neutral (storage) lipid with phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine as the major polar (membrane) lipids. The major fatty acids were 22:6n-3 (DHA), 18:1n-9 and 16:0, with lesser amounts of 20:5n-3, 22:5n-3 and 18:0. L. salmonis sourced from farmed salmon were characterized by higher levels of 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3 than lice from wild salmon. Egg strings had higher levels of TAG and lower DHA compared to females, whereas L. hippoglossi had lower levels of TAG and higher DHA than L. salmonis. The results demonstrate that the fatty acid compositions of lice obtained from wild and farmed salmon differ and that changes to the lipid and fatty acid composition of feeds for farmed salmon influence the louse compositions

Dynamic Vortex Phases and Pinning in Superconductors with Twin Boundaries

We investigate the pinning and driven dynamics of vortices interacting with twin boundaries using large scale molecular dynamics simulations on samples with near one million pinning sites. For low applied driving forces, the vortex lattice orients itself parallel to the twin boundary and we observe the creation of a flux gradient and vortex free region near the edges of the twin boundary. For increasing drive, we find evidence for several distinct dynamical flow phases which we characterize by the density of defects in the vortex lattice, the microscopic vortex flow patterns, and orientation of the vortex lattice. We show that these different dynamical phases can be directly related to microscopically measurable voltage - current V(I) curves and voltage noise. By conducting a series of simulations for various twin boundary parameters we derive several vortex dynamic phase diagrams.Comment: 5 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.