The Evolution of X-ray Bursts in the "Bursting Pulsar" GRO J1744-28

GRO J1744-28, commonly known as the `Bursting Pulsar', is a low mass X-ray binary containing a neutron star and an evolved giant star. This system, together with the Rapid Burster (MXB 1730-33), are the only two systems that display the so-called Type II X-ray bursts. These type of bursts, which last for 10s of seconds, are thought to be caused by viscous instabilities in the disk; however the Type II bursts seen in GRO J1744-28 are qualitatively very different from those seen in the archetypal Type II bursting source the Rapid Burster. To understand these differences and to create a framework for future study, we perform a study of all X-ray observations of all 3 known outbursts of the Bursting Pulsar which contained Type II bursts, including a population study of all Type II X-ray bursts seen by RXTE. We find that the bursts from this source are best described in four distinct phenomena or `classes' and that the characteristics of the bursts evolve in a predictable way. We compare our results with what is known for the Rapid Burster and put out results in the context of models that try to explain this phenomena.Comment: Accepted to MNRAS Aug 17 201

Relationships between the multiplication of chronic bee-paralysis virus and its associate particle

The amounts of chronic bee-paralysis virus associate (CPVA) produced in bees injected with purified chronic bee-paralysis virus (CPV) were negatively associated with the amounts, lengths of particles and maximum sedimentation coefficients of CPV. The ratio of the amounts of CPV/CPVA varied widely between individuals, but more CPVA was produced and CPV/CPVA ratios were smaller when CPVA was injected with the CPV preparations than when the latter were injected alone. The multiplication of the RNAs of CPV and of CPVA were also negatively correlated. The nature of the relationship between CPV and CPVA and the packaging arrangement of CPV RNA are discussed

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder-like traits and distractibility in the visual periphery

We examined the performance of non-clinical subjects with high and low levels of self-reported ADHD-like traits in a novel distractibility paradigm with far peripheral visual distractors, the likely origin of many distractors in everyday life. Subjects were tested on a Sustained Attention to Response Task with distractors appearing before some of the target/non-target stimuli. When the distractors appeared 80 ms before the targets/non-targets, participants with high levels of ADHD-like traits were less affected in their reaction times than those with lower levels. Reducing the distractor-target/non-target interval to 10 ms removed the reaction time advantage for the high group. We suggest that at 80 ms the distractors were cueing the arrival of the target/non-target and that those with high levels of ADHD-like traits were more sensitive to the cues. Increased sensitivity to stimuli in the visual periphery is consistent with hyper-responsiveness at the level of the superior colliculus

Dry period plane of energy: Effects on glucose tolerance in transition dairy cows

Overfeeding energy in the dry period can affect glucose metabolism and the energy balance of transition dairy cows with potential detrimental effects on the ability to successfully adapt to early lactation. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of different dry cow feeding strategies on glucose tolerance and on resting concentrations of blood glucose, glucagon, insulin, nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) in the peripartum period. Cows entering second or greater lactation were enrolled at dry-off (57 d before expected parturition) into 1 of 3 treatment groups following a randomized block design: cows that received a total mixed ration (TMR) formulated to meet but not exceed energy requirements during the dry period (n = 28, controlled energy); cows that received a TMR supplying approximately 150% of energy requirements during the dry period (n = 28, high energy); and cows that were fed the same diet as the controlled energy group for the first 28 d, after which the TMR was formulated to supply approximately 125% of energy requirements until calving (n = 28, intermediate energy). Intravenous glucose tolerance tests (IVGTT) with rapid administration of 0.25 g of glucose/kg of body weight were performed 28 and 10 d before expected parturition, as well as at 4 and 21 d after calving. Area under the curve for insulin and glucose, maximal concentration and time to half-maximal concentration of insulin and glucose, and clearance rates were calculated. Insulin resistance (IR) indices were calculated from baseline samples obtained during IVGTT and Spearman rank correlations determined between IVGTT parameters and IR indices. Treatment did not affect IVGTT parameters at any of the 4 time points. Correlation between IR indices and IVGTT parameters was generally poor. Overfeeding cows energy in excess of predicted requirements by approximately 50% during the entire dry period resulted in decreased postpartum basal plasma glucose and insulin, as well as increased glucagon, BHB, and NEFA concentrations after calving compared with cows fed a controlled energy diet during the dry period. In conclusion, overfeeding energy during the entire dry period or close-up period alone did not affect glucose tolerance as assessed by IVGTT but energy uptake during the dry period was associated with changes in peripartal resting concentrations of glucose, as well as postpartum insulin, glucagon, NEFA, and BHB concentrations

K2/Kleisli and GUS: Experiments in Integrated Access to Genomic Data Sources

The integration of heterogeneous data sources and software systems is a major issue in the biomed ical community and several approaches have been explored: linking databases, on-the- fly integration through views, and integration through warehousing. In this paper we report on our experiences with two systems that were developed at the University of Pennsylvania: an integration system called K2, which has primarily been used to provide views over multiple external data sources and software systems; and a data warehouse called GUS which downloads, cleans, integrates and annotates data from multiple external data sources. Although the view and warehouse approaches each have their advantages, there is no clear winner . Therefore, users must consider how the data is to be used, what the performance guarantees must be, and how much programmer time and expertise is available to choose the best strategy for a particular application

The design and performance of an improved target for MICE

The linear motor driving the target for the Muon Ionisation Cooling Experiment has been redesigned to improve its reliability and performance. A new coil-winding technique is described which produces better magnetic alignment and improves heat transport out of the windings. Improved field-mapping has allowed the more precise construction to be demonstrated, and an enhanced controller exploits the full features of the hardware, enabling increased acceleration and precision. The new user interface is described and analysis of performance data to monitor friction is shown to allow quality control of bearings and a measure of the ageing of targets during use

An ontology for major histocompatibility restriction

BACKGROUND: MHC molecules are a highly diverse family of proteins that play a key role in cellular immune recognition. Over time, different techniques and terminologies have been developed to identify the specific type(s) of MHC molecule involved in a specific immune recognition context. No consistent nomenclature exists across different vertebrate species. PURPOSE: To correctly represent MHC related data in The Immune Epitope Database (IEDB), we built upon a previously established MHC ontology and created an ontology to represent MHC molecules as they relate to immunological experiments. DESCRIPTION: This ontology models MHC protein chains from 16 species, deals with different approaches used to identify MHC, such as direct sequencing verses serotyping, relates engineered MHC molecules to naturally occurring ones, connects genetic loci, alleles, protein chains and multi-chain proteins, and establishes evidence codes for MHC restriction. Where available, this work is based on existing ontologies from the OBO foundry. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, representing MHC molecules provides a challenging and practically important test case for ontology building, and could serve as an example of how to integrate other ontology building efforts into web resources. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13326-016-0045-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users