1,076 research outputs found
Preliminary benefit analysis of biological space processing
The value of weightlessness in bioprocessing is assessed. The ecomonic benefits are assessed for space processing urokinase and human lymphocytes for treatment of end stage renal disease and thromboembolisms
The proliferating cell nuclear antigen regulates retinoic acid receptor transcriptional activity through direct proteinâprotein interaction
Retinoic acid receptors (RARs) interact, in a ligand-dependent fashion, with many coregulators that participate in a wide spectrum of biological responses, ranging from embryonic development to cellular growth control. The transactivating function of these ligand-inducible transcription factors reside mainly, but not exclusively, in their ligand-binding domain (AF2), which recruits or dismiss coregulators in a ligand-dependent fashion. However, little is known about AF2-independent function(s) of RARs. We have isolated the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) as a repressor of RAR transcriptional activity, able to interact with an AF2-crippled RAR. The N-terminus of PCNA interacts directly with the DNA-binding domain of RAR, and PCNA is recruited to a retinoid-regulated promoter in intact cells. This interaction affects the transcriptional response to retinoic acid in a promoter-specific manner, conferring an unanticipated role to PCNA in transcriptional regulation. Our findings also suggest a role for RAR as a factor coordinating DNA transcription and repair
The Pulsed Power Converter and Septum Magnet System for Injection into the Electron Storage Ring at ESRF
At ESRF, the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, electrons are accelerated, via a 200Â MeV Linac and a 6Â GeV synchrotron booster, and injected into the storage ring at 10Â Hz rate. Two thin septum blade magnets and an eddy current sheet type septum magnet provide the final deflection of the injected beam. The operational requirements of the e- injection scheme and the resulting demanding hardware specifications are recalled. The pulsed septum magnets are briefly described. The design, circuit layout and construction of the power converters are related with emphasis on innovative aspects of general interest. Results of tests during commissioning are reported
Electric Utility Alignment with the SDGs & the Paris Climate Agreement
The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda poses a unique and critical challenge to the energy sector: how to scale access to clean energy to power sustainable, economic development for a growing population, while simultaneously decarbonizing global energy supply. Expanding access to clean energy will play a crucial role in achieving nearly every one of the Sustainable Development Goals, including those related to agricultural production, health outcomes, educational performance, water systems, access to infrastructure, and reducing inequalities. However, practices by some actors in the energy sector, and continued over-reliance on greenhouse gas-intensive fossil fuels also undermine global efforts to mitigate climate change and maintain healthy ecosystems and populations, and can exacerbate global conflict and inequality.
In recent years, a number of frameworks and standards have been created, to evaluate energy companiesâ alignment to the SDGs and to help companies and investors improve performance and decision-making. While such initiatives are surely a step in the right direction, to date, many of these tools fail to account holistically for the ways that energy sector conduct could impact sustainable development, and how those impacts map onto each of the 17 SDGs. This failing has allowed companies to âcherry pickâ their preferred reporting criteria while ignoring less convenient SDGs. Further, the lack of consensus around standards and evaluation metrics for SDG-aligned practice has led to broadly different conclusions about the same companiesâ conduct, undercutting confidence in the utility of evaluation frameworks altogether.
In order to assist both the energy and financial sectors in their alignment with the SDGs, CCSI and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network developed a conceptual framework to define SDG-aligned business practices in the energy sector, and in particular the utility sector.
The conceptual framework, composed of four pillars and applied to the utility sector, is as follows: Product: Is the utility a leader in zero-carbon electricity generation and is the utility on the path to reach zero carbon emissions by 2050 or earlier? Production process: Is the utilityâs production process socially and environmentally sustainable? Value chain responsibility: Is the utilityâs supply and value chain aligned with the SDGs and PCA? Citizenship: Is the utility a good corporate citizen?
The full report adapts the four pillar framework to the utility sector, evaluates the proposed framework against twelve existing sustainability initiatives, and compares the performance of the ten largest utilities in Europe and the United States, by market capitalization. The report also provides recommendations for next steps.
The project aims at bringing coherence and rigor to SDG measurement, reporting, and tools, supporting engagement with the sector on responsible practices and enabling highly responsible SDG-oriented companies to set themselves apart from the rest
Electronic and optical properties of electromigrated molecular junctions
Electromigrated nanoscale junctions have proven very useful for studying
electronic transport at the single-molecule scale. However, confirming that
conduction is through precisely the molecule of interest and not some
contaminant or metal nanoparticle has remained a persistent challenge,
typically requiring a statistical analysis of many devices. We review how
transport mechanisms in both purely electronic and optical measurements can be
used to infer information about the nanoscale junction configuration. The
electronic response to optical excitation is particularly revealing. We briefly
discuss surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy on such junctions, and present new
results showing that currents due to optical rectification can provide a means
of estimating the local electric field at the junction due to illumination.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures, invited paper for forthcoming special issue of
Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter. For other related papers, see
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~natelson/publications.htm
The Foundations of Skeptical Theism
Some skeptical theists use Wykstraâs CORNEA constraint to undercut Rowe-style inductive arguments from evil. Many critics of skeptical theism accept CORNEA, but argue that Rowe-style arguments meet its constraint. But Justin McBrayer argues that CORNEA is itself mistaken. It is, he claims, akin to âsensitivityâ or âtruth-trackingâ constraints like those of Robert Nozick; but counterexamples show that inductive evidence is often insensitive. We here defend CORNEA against McBrayerâs chief counterexample. We first clarify CORNEA, distinguishing it from a deeper underlying principle that we dub âCORE.â We then give both principles a probabilistic construal, and show how, on this construal, the counterexample fail
X-ray/Optical/Radio Observations of a Resolved Supernova Remnant in NGC 6822
The supernova remnant (SNR), Ho 12, in the center of the dwarf irregular
galaxy NGC 6822 was previously observed at X-ray, optical, and radio
wavelengths. By using archival Chandra and ground-based optical data, we found
that the SNR is spatially resolved in X-rays and optical. In addition, we
obtained a ~5" resolution radio image of the SNR. These observations provide
the highest spatial resolution imaging of an X-ray/optical/radio SNR in that
galaxy to date. The multi-wavelength morphology, X-ray spectrum and
variability, and narrow-band optical imagings are consistent with a SNR. The
SNR is a shell-shaped object with a diameter of about 10" (24 pc). The
morphology of the SNR is consistent across the wavelengths while the Chandra
spectrum can be well fitted with a nonequilibrium ionization model with an
electron temperature of 2.8 keV and a 0.3-7 keV luminosity of 1.6e37 erg/s. The
age of the SNR is estimated to be 1700-5800 years.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in the Astronomical
Journa
Lesions of the ventral hippocampus attenuate the acquisition but not expression of signâtracking behavior in rats
Individual variation in the attribution of motivational salience to rewardârelated cues is believed to underlie addiction vulnerability. Pavlovian conditioned approach measures individual variation in motivational salience by identifying rats that are attracted to and motivated by reward cues (signâtrackers) or motivationally fixed on the reward itself (goalâtrackers). Previously, it has been demonstrated that signâtrackers are more vulnerable to addictionâlike behavior. Moreover, signâtrackers release more dopamine in the nucleus accumbens than goalâtrackers in response to rewardârelated cues, and signâ but not goalâtracking behavior is dopamineâdependent. In the present study, we investigated whether the ventral hippocampus, a potent driver of dopaminergic activity in the nucleus accumbens, modulates the acquisition and expression of Pavlovian conditioned approach behavior. In Experiment 1, lesions of the ventral, but not dorsal or total hippocampus, decreased signâtracking behavior. In Experiment 2, lesions of the ventral hippocampus did not affect the expression of signâ or goalâtracking behaviors nor conditioned reinforcement. In addition, temporary inactivation of the ventral subiculum, the main output pathway of the ventral hippocampus, did not affect the expression of signâ or goalâtracking behaviors. Highâpressure liquid chromatography of nucleus accumbens tissue punches revealed that ventral hippocampal lesions decreased levels of homovanillic acid and the homovanillic acid/dopamine ratio (a marker of dopamine release and metabolism) in only signâtrackers, and decreased accumbal norepinephrine levels in both signâ and goalâtrackers. These results suggest that the ventral hippocampus is important for the acquisition but not expression of signâtracking behavior, possibly as a result of altered dopamine and norepinephrine in the nucleus accumbens. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134415/1/hipo22619.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134415/2/hipo22619_am.pd
Galileo Lofts at MIT : housing and urban park
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2005.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 176-179).In August 2004, a development proposal titled "Galileo Lofts at MIT: Housing and Urban Park" was submitted to the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority for the provision of new housing and a public park on Parcel 7, in Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA. This study is a feasibility analysis of the development proposal. A market analysis and a marketability study were conducted to determine the appropriateness of the proposal for the East Cambridge, Kendall Square market. Demographic analysis identified two primary submarkets: 1) Cambridge Condo Submarket (i.e. demand for the location); 2) Loft Product Submarket (i.e. demand for the product type). To analyze supply and pricing, transaction data for the sale of condominiums within a one-mile radius of the proposed site, and data for the sale of comparable loft condominiums in the Greater Boston Area, were downloaded. Tests performed include descriptive statistics, regression analysis, and attribution analysis. A capital budget was estimated and a development model created to determine the financial feasibility of the proposal. Results indicated that the demand for residential products in the East Cambridge neighborhood priced for the "entry-level buyer" (i.e. up to 180,000 more to produce than they would generate in sales revenue. Other relief would be needed: some suggestions are given.by Lea J. Ledohowski and James J. Perrine.S.M
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