Predictions of the causal entropic principle for environmental conditions of the universe

The causal entropic principle has been proposed as a superior alternative to the anthropic principle for understanding the magnitude of the cosmological constant. In this approach, the probability to create observers is assumed to be proportional to the entropy production \Delta S in a maximal causally connected region -- the causal diamond. We improve on the original treatment by better quantifying the entropy production due to stars, using an analytic model for the star formation history which accurately accounts for changes in cosmological parameters. We calculate the dependence of \Delta S on the density contrast Q=\delta\rho/\rho, and find that our universe is much closer to the most probable value of Q than in the usual anthropic approach and that probabilities are relatively weakly dependent on this amplitude. In addition, we make first estimates of the dependence of \Delta S on the baryon fraction and overall matter abundance. Finally, we also explore the possibility that decays of dark matter, suggested by various observed gamma ray excesses, might produce a comparable amount of entropy to stars.Comment: RevTeX4, 13pp, 10 figures; v2. clarified introduction, added ref

Targeted disruption of py235ebp-1: Invasion of erythrocytes by Plasmodium yoelii using an alternative Py235 erythrocyte binding protein

Plasmodium yoelii YM asexual blood stage parasites express multiple members of the py235 gene family, part of the super-family of genes including those coding for Plasmodium vivax reticulocyte binding proteins and Plasmodium falciparum RH proteins. We previously identified a Py235 erythrocyte binding protein (Py235EBP-1, encoded by the PY01365 gene) that is recognized by protective mAb 25.77. Proteins recognized by a second protective mAb 25.37 have been identified by mass spectrometry and are encoded by two genes, PY01185 and PY05995/PY03534. We deleted the PY01365 gene and examined the phenotype. The expression of the members of the py235 family in both the WT and gene deletion parasites was measured by quantitative RT-PCR and RNA-Seq. py235ebp-1 expression was undetectable in the knockout parasite, but transcription of other members of the family was essentially unaffected. The knockout parasites continued to react with mAb 25.77; and the 25.77-binding proteins in these parasites were the PY01185 and PY05995/PY03534 products. The PY01185 product was also identified as erythrocyte binding. There was no clear change in erythrocyte invasion profile suggesting that the PY01185 gene product (designated PY235EBP-2) is able to fulfill the role of EBP-1 by serving as an invasion ligand although the molecular details of its interaction with erythrocytes have not been examined. The PY01365, PY01185, and PY05995/PY03534 genes are part of a distinct subset of the py235 family. In P. falciparum, the RH protein genes are under epigenetic control and expression correlates with binding to distinct erythrocyte receptors and specific invasion pathways, whereas in P. yoelii YM all the genes are expressed and deletion of one does not result in upregulation of another. We propose that simultaneous expression of multiple Py235 ligands enables invasion of a wide range of host erythrocytes even in the presence of antibodies to one or more of the proteins and that this functional redundancy at the protein level gives the parasite phenotypic plasticity in the absence of differences in gene expression

Characterising the frequency response of impedance changes during evoked physiological activity in the rat brain

OBJECTIVE: Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) can image impedance changes associated with evoked physiological activity in the cerebral cortex using an array of epicortical electrodes. An impedance change is observed as the externally applied current, normally confined to the extracellular space is admitted into the conducting intracellular space during neuronal depolarisation. The response is largest at DC and decreases at higher frequencies due to capacitative transfer of current across the membrane. Biophysical modelling has shown that this effect becomes significant above 100 Hz. Recordings at DC, however, are contaminated by physiological endogenous evoked potentials. By moving to 1.7 kHz, images of somatosensory evoked responses have been produced down to 2 mm with a resolution of 2 ms and 200 μm. Hardware limitations have so far restricted impedance measurements to frequencies  2 kHz using improved hardware. APPROACH: Impedance changes were recorded during forepaw somatosensory stimulation in both cerebral cortex and the VPL nucleus of the thalamus in anaesthetised rats using applied currents of 1 kHz to 10 kHz. MAIN RESULTS: In the cortex, impedance changed by -0.04 ± 0.02 % at 1 kHz, reached a peak of -0.13 ± 0.05 % at 1475 Hz and decreased to -0.05 ± 0.02 % at 10 kHz. At these frequencies, changes in the thalamus were -0.26 ± 0.1%, -0.4 ± 0.15 % and -0.08 ± 0.03 % respectively. The signal-to-noise ratio was also highest at 1475 Hz with values of -29.5 ± 8 and -31.6 ±10 recorded from the cortex and thalamus respectively. Signficance: This indicates that the optimal frequency for imaging cortical and thalamic evoked activity using fast neural EIT is 1475 Hz

Curvature contraction of convex hypersurfaces by nonsmooth speeds

We consider contraction of convex hypersurfaces by convex speeds, homogeneous of degree one in the principal curvatures, that are not necessarily smooth. We show how to approximate such a speed by a sequence of smooth speeds for which behaviour is well known. By obtaining speed and curvature pinching estimates for the flows by the approximating speeds, independent of the smoothing parameter, we may pass to the limit to deduce that the flow by the nonsmooth speed converges to a point in finite time that, under a suitable rescaling, is round in the C^2 sense, with the convergence being exponential

DAWN Mission Bus and Waveguide Venting Analysis Review

A concern was raised regarding the time after launch when the DAWN Mission Communications Subsystem, which contains a 100 Watt X-Band Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA) with a high voltage ((approximately 7 Kilo Volt (KV)) Electronic Power Converter (EPC), will be powered on for the first post-launch downlink. This activation is planned to be approximately one hour after launch. Orbital Sciences (the DAWN Mission spacecraft contractor) typically requires a 24-hour wait period prior to high voltage initiation for Earth-orbiting Science and GEO spacecraft. The concern relates to the issue of corona and/or radio frequency (RF) breakdown of the TWTA ((high voltage direct current (DC) and RF)), and of the microwave components (high voltage RF) in the presence of partial atmospheric pressures or outgassing constituents. In particular, generally the diplexer and circulator are susceptible to RF breakdown in the corona region due to the presence of small physical gaps ((~ 2.5 millimeter (mm)) between conductors that carry an RF voltage. The NESC concurred the DAWN Mission communication system is safe for activation

Phylesystem: a git-based data store for community-curated phylogenetic estimates

Motivation: Phylogenetic estimates from published studies can be archived using general platforms like Dryad (Vision, 2010) or TreeBASE (Sanderson et al., 1994). Such services fulfill a crucial role in ensuring transparency and reproducibility in phylogenetic research. However, digital tree data files often require some editing (e.g. rerooting) to improve the accuracy and reusability of the phylogenetic statements. Furthermore, establishing the mapping between tip labels used in a tree and taxa in a single common taxonomy dramatically improves the ability of other researchers to reuse phylogenetic estimates. As the process of curating a published phylogenetic estimate is not error-free, retaining a full record of the provenance of edits to a tree is crucial for openness, allowing editors to receive credit for their work and making errors introduced during curation easier to correct. Results: Here, we report the development of software infrastructure to support the open curation of phylogenetic data by the community of biologists. The backend of the system provides an interface for the standard database operations of creating, reading, updating and deleting records by making commits to a git repository. The record of the history of edits to a tree is preserved by git’s version control features. Hosting this data store on GitHub (http://github.com/) provides open access to the data store using tools familiar to many developers. We have deployed a server running the ‘phylesystem-api’, which wraps the interactions with git and GitHub. The Open Tree of Life project has also developed and deployed a JavaScript application that uses the phylesystem-api and other web services to enable input and curation of published phylogenetic statements

A survey of phytoestrogenic activity in Kansas flint hills pastures

The botanical composition and basal cover of three Kansas Flint Hills pastures located in Butler and Chase counties was surveyed to estimate the incidence of plant species that contain appreciable levels of estrogenic activity. Many-flowered scurfpea and Ladino clover were the only plant species classified as high in estrogenic activity. Although significant estrogenic activity existed in specific species, the willingness of livestock to consume those species is unclear