Transfer matrix solution of the Wako-Sait\^o-Mu\~noz-Eaton model augmented by arbitrary short range interactions

The Wako-Sait{\^o}-Mu\~noz-Eaton (WSME) model, initially introduced in the theory of protein folding, has also been used in modeling the RNA folding and some epitaxial phenomena. The advantage of this model is that it admits exact solution in the general inhomogeneous case (Bruscolini and Pelizzola, 2002) which facilitates the study of realistic systems. However, a shortcoming of the model is that it accounts only for interactions within continuous stretches of native bonds or atomic chains while neglecting interstretch (interchain) interactions. But due to the biopolymer (atomic chain) flexibility, the monomers (atoms) separated by several non-native bonds along the sequence can become closely spaced. This produces their strong interaction. The inclusion of non-WSME interactions into the model makes the model more realistic and improves its performance. In this study we add arbitrary interactions of finite range and solve the new model by means of the transfer matrix technique. We can therefore exactly account for the interactions which in proteomics are classified as medium- and moderately long-range ones.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figure

ALMA Observations of the Young Substellar Binary System 2M1207

We present ALMA observations of the 2M1207 system, a young binary made of a brown dwarf with a planetary-mass companion at a projected separation of about 40 au. We detect emission from dust continuum at 0.89 mm and from the $J = 3 - 2$ rotational transition of CO from a very compact disk around the young brown dwarf. The small radius found for this brown dwarf disk may be due to truncation from the tidal interaction with the planetary-mass companion. Under the assumption of optically thin dust emission, we estimated a dust mass of 0.1 $M_{\oplus}$ for the 2M1207A disk, and a 3$\sigma$ upper limit of $\sim 1~M_{\rm{Moon}}$ for dust surrounding 2M1207b, which is the tightest upper limit obtained so far for the mass of dust particles surrounding a young planetary-mass companion. We discuss the impact of this and other non-detections of young planetary-mass companions for models of planet formation, which predict the presence of circum-planetary material surrounding these objects.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in A

Research on the Geography of Agricultural Change: Redundant or Revitalized?

Future research directions for agricultural geography were the subject of debate in Area in the late 1980s. The subsequent application of political economy ideas undoubtedly revived interest in agricultural research. This paper argues that agricultural geography contains greater diversity than the dominant political economy discourse would suggest. It reviews ‘other’ areas of agricultural research on policy, post-productivism, people, culture and animals, presenting future suggestions for research. They should ensure that agricultural research continues revitalized rather than redundant into the next millennium

Heavy Baryon Production and Decay

The branching ratio B(Lambda_c -> p K- pi+) normalizes the production and decay of charmed and bottom baryons. At present, this crucial branching ratio is extracted dominantly from B.bar -> baryons analyses. This note questions several of the underlying assumptions and predicts sizable B.bar -> D(*) N N'.bar X transitions, which were traditionally neglected. It predicts B(Lambda_c -> p K- pi+) to be significantly larger (0.07 +/- 0.02) than the world average. Some consequences are briefly mentioned. Several techniques to measure B(Lambda_c -> p K- pi+) are outlined with existing or soon available data samples. By equating two recent CLEO results, an appendix obtains B(D0 -> K- pi+)= 0.035 +/- 0.002, which is somewhat smaller than the current world average.Comment: 27 pages, 4 eps figures, revte

Proceedings of the Semantics of African, Asian and Austronesian Languages (TripleA) 2

TripleA is a workshop series founded by linguists from the University of Tübingen and the University of Potsdam. Its aim is to provide a forum for semanticists doing fieldwork on understudied languages, and its focus is on languages from Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania. The second TripleA workshop was held at the University of Potsdam, June 3-5, 2015

Deep Paβ\beta Imaging of the Candidate Accreting Protoplanet AB Aur b

Giant planets grow by accreting gas through circumplanetary disks, but little is known about the timescale and mechanisms involved in the planet assembly process because few accreting protoplanets have been discovered. Recent visible and infrared (IR) imaging revealed a potential accreting protoplanet within the transition disk around the young intermediate-mass Herbig Ae star, AB Aurigae (AB Aur). Additional imaging in H$\alpha$ probed for accretion and found agreement between the line-to-continuum flux ratio of the star and companion, raising the possibility that the emission source could be a compact disk feature seen in scattered starlight. We present new deep Keck/NIRC2 high-contrast imaging of AB Aur to characterize emission in Pa$\beta$, another accretion tracer less subject to extinction. Our narrow band observations reach a 5$\sigma$ contrast of 9.6 mag at 0.6$''$, but we do not detect significant emission at the expected location of the companion, nor from other any other source in the system. Our upper limit on Pa$\beta$ emission suggests that if AB Aur b is a protoplanet, it is not heavily accreting or accretion is stochastic and was weak during the observations.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journa

Multi-Modal Stories: LIS Students Explore Reading, Literacy, and Library Service Through the Lens of ‘The 39 Clues”

The article presents a conceptual framework for exploring multi-modal stories for children using the children’s adventure series, The 39 Clues. The framework is accompanied by concrete examples of student learning experiences, in the form of student reflections on issues related to the convergence of media and the nature of reading and children’s library service in the 21st century. The article begins with a look at the series, The 39 Clues, describing its history and its format. It then provides a framework for exploring some of the issues related to reading The 39 Clues, first, by introducing some concepts from the literature associated with reading in the digital world and then, outlining some of the practical concerns that librarians might have in relation to The 39 Clues. The article then presents the reflections of five students – one MLIS student and four PhD students – who considered multi-modal stories in light of their future practice, research, and teaching in LIS. The article concludes by summarizing five over-arching themes that emerged from the students’ explorations - reading as a two-track experience, questions about authorship, evaluation skills needed to review multimodal stories, opportunities for information literacy instruction, and access and equity issues