Mean-field transfer-matrix study of the magnetic phase diagram of CsNiF3_{\bf 3}

A method for treating ferromagnetic chains coupled with antiferromagnetic interactions on an hexagonal lattice is presented in this paper. The solution of the $1D$ part of the problem is obtained by classical transfer-matrix while the coupling between the chains is processed by mean-field theory. This method is applied with success to the phase diagram and angular dependence of the critical field of CsNiF$_3$. Results concerning the general influence of single-ion anisotropy on the magnetic ordering of such systems are also presented.Comment: J1K 2R1 14 pages (RevTex 3.0 preprint), 7 Postscript figures uuencoded at the end, Report# CRPS-94-2

Nanodielectics (A "Universal" Panacea for Solving All Electrical Insualation Problems?)

This text summarizes the keynote presentation that is based on the full-length paper of the same title. Dr. Fréchette's oral presentation should not be seen as a summary of the “Brainstorm paper” but a glance at some major accomplishments, hinrances and still remaining questions relative to nanodielectrics. Are nanodielectrics a “universal” panacea? The answer to that question is no - but they've got a lot of potential

Engineered thermostable fungal cellulases exhibit efficient synergistic cellulose hydrolysis at elevated temperatures

A major obstacle to using widely available and low-cost lignocellulosic feedstocks to produce renewable fuels and chemicals is the high cost and low efficiency of the enzyme mixtures used to hydrolyze cellulose to fermentable sugars. One possible solution entails engineering current cellulases to function efficiently at elevated temperatures in order to boost reaction rates and exploit several other advantages of a higher temperature process. Here we describe the creation of the most stable reported fungal endoglucanase, a derivative of Hypocrea jecorina (anamorph Trichoderma reesei) Cel5A, by combining stabilizing mutations identified using consensus design, chimera studies, and structure-based computational methods. The engineered endoglucanase has an optimal temperature that is 17 °C higher than wild type H. jecorina Cel5A, and hydrolyzes 1.5 times as much cellulose over 60 h at its optimum temperature compared to the wild type enzyme at its optimal temperature.This enzyme complements previously-engineered highly-active, thermostable variants of the fungal cellobiohydrolases Cel6A and Cel7A in a thermostable cellulase mixture that hydrolyzes cellulose synergistically at an optimum temperature of 70 °C over 60 h.The thermostable mixture produces three times as much total sugar as the best mixture of the wild type enzymes operating at its optimum temperature of 60 °C, clearly demonstrating the advantage of higher-temperature cellulose hydrolysis

Comparison of Family 9 Cellulases from Mesophilic and Thermophilic Bacteria

Cellulases containing a family 9 catalytic domain and a family 3c cellulose binding module (CBM3c) are important components of bacterial cellulolytic systems. We measured the temperature dependence of the activities of three homologs: Clostridium cellulolyticum Cel9G, Thermobifida fusca Cel9A, and C. thermocellum Cel9I. To directly compare their catalytic activities, we constructed six new versions of the enzymes in which the three GH9-CBM3c domains were fused to a dockerin both with and without a T. fusca fibronectin type 3 homology module (Fn3). We studied the activities of these enzymes on crystalline cellulose alone and in complex with a miniscaffoldin containing a cohesin and a CBM3a. The presence of Fn3 had no measurable effect on thermostability or cellulase activity. The GH9-CBM3c domains of Cel9A and Cel9I, however, were more active than the wild type when fused to a dockerin complexed to scaffoldin. The three cellulases in complex have similar activities on crystalline cellulose up to 60°C, but C. thermocellum Cel9I, the most thermostable of the three, remains highly active up to 80°C, where its activity is 1.9 times higher than at 60°C. We also compared the temperature-dependent activities of different versions of Cel9I (wild type or in complex with a miniscaffoldin) and found that the thermostable CBM is necessary for activity on crystalline cellulose at high temperatures. These results illustrate the significant benefits of working with thermostable enzymes at high temperatures, as well as the importance of retaining the stability of all modules involved in cellulose degradation

A Data-Driven Design Evaluation Tool for Handheld Device Soft Keyboards

Thumb interaction is a primary technique used to operate small handheld devices such as smartphones. Despite the different techniques involved in operating a handheld device compared to a personal computer, the keyboard layouts for both devices are similar. A handheld device keyboard that considers the physical capabilities of the thumb may improve user experience. We developed and applied a design evaluation tool for different geometries of the QWERTY keyboard using a performance evaluation model. The model utilizes previously collected data on thumb motor performance and posture for different tap locations and thumb movement directions. We calculated a performance index (PITOT, 0 is worst and 2 is best) for 663 designs consisting in different combinations of three variables: the keyboard's radius of curvature (R) (mm), orientation (O) (°), and vertical location on the screen (L). The current standard keyboard performed poorly (PITOT = 0.28) compared to other designs considered. Keyboard location (L) contributed to the greatest variability in performance out of the three design variables, suggesting that designers should modify this variable first. Performance was greatest for designs in the middle keyboard location. In addition, having a slightly upward curve (R = −20 mm) and orientated perpendicular to the thumb's long axis (O = −20°) improved performance to PITOT = 1.97. Poorest performances were associated with placement of the keyboard's spacebar in the bottom right corner of the screen (e.g., the worst was for R = 20 mm, O = 40°, L = Bottom (PITOT = 0.09)). While this evaluation tool can be used in the design process as an ergonomic reference to promote user motor performance, other design variables such as visual access and usability still remain unexplored

Tablet Keyboard Configuration Affects Performance, Discomfort and Task Difficulty for Thumb Typing in a Two-Handed Grip

When holding a tablet computer with two hands, the touch keyboard configuration imposes postural constraints on the user because of the need to simultaneously hold the device and type with the thumbs. Designers have provided users with several possible keyboard configurations (device orientation, keyboard layout and location). However, potential differences in performance, usability and postures among these configurations have not been explored. We hypothesize that (1) the narrower standard keyboard layout in the portrait orientation leads to lower self-reported discomfort and less reach than the landscape orientation; (2) a split keyboard layout results in better overall outcomes compared to the standard layout; and (3) the conventional bottom keyboard location leads to the best outcomes overall compared to other locations. A repeated measures laboratory experiment of 12 tablet owners measured typing speed, discomfort, task difficulty, and thumb/wrist joint postures using an active marker system during typing tasks for different combinations of device orientation (portrait and landscape), keyboard layout (standard and split), and keyboard location (bottom, middle, top). The narrower standard keyboard with the device in the portrait orientation was associated with less discomfort (least squares mean (and S.E.) 2.9±0.6) than the landscape orientation (4.5±0.7). Additionally, the split keyboard decreased the amount of reaching required by the thumb in the landscape orientation as defined by a reduced range of motion and less MCP extension, which may have led to reduced discomfort (2.7±0.6) compared to the standard layout (4.5±0.7). However, typing speed was greater for the standard layout (127±5 char./min.) compared to the split layout (113±4 char./min.) regardless of device orientation and keyboard location. Usage guidelines and designers can incorporate these findings to optimize keyboard design parameters and form factors that promote user performance and usability for thumb interaction

Tyrosine Flourescence to Monitor the Denaturation of a Bacterial Protein

Tyrosine fluorescence was used to monitor the denaturation of a protein. The protein used as our model system was the regulatory subunit (RSU) of aspartate transcarbamoylase from E. coli. RSU is a dimer of two identical chains with one zinc ion bound per chain. It is also a typtophan-deficient protein so tyrosine flourescence was used as a probe to monitor changes during denaturation

Fourier and Gegenbauer expansions for a fundamental solution of the Laplacian in the hyperboloid model of hyperbolic geometry

Due to the isotropy $d$-dimensional hyperbolic space, there exist a spherically symmetric fundamental solution for its corresponding Laplace-Beltrami operator. On the $R$-radius hyperboloid model of $d$-dimensional hyperbolic geometry with $R>0$ and $d\ge 2$, we compute azimuthal Fourier expansions for a fundamental solution of Laplace's equation. For $d\ge 2$, we compute a Gegenbauer polynomial expansion in geodesic polar coordinates for a fundamental solution of Laplace's equation on this negative-constant sectional curvature Riemannian manifold. In three-dimensions, an addition theorem for the azimuthal Fourier coefficients of a fundamental solution for Laplace's equation is obtained through comparison with its corresponding Gegenbauer expansion.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1201.440