1,137 research outputs found
Using AI/expert system technology to automate planning and replanning for the HST servicing missions
This paper describes a knowledge-based system that has been developed to automate planning and scheduling for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Servicing Missions. This new system is the Servicing Mission Planning and Replanning Tool (SM/PART). SM/PART has been delivered to the HST Flight Operations Team (FOT) at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) where it is being used to build integrated time lines and command plans to control the activities of the HST, Shuttle, Crew and ground systems for the next HST Servicing Mission. SM/PART reuses and extends AI/expert system technology from Interactive Experimenter Planning System (IEPS) systems to build or rebuild time lines and command plans more rapidly than was possible for previous missions where they were built manually. This capability provides an important safety factor for the HST, Shuttle and Crew in case unexpected events occur during the mission
Effect of arginine on oligomerization and stability of N-acetylglutamate synthase.
N-acetylglutamate synthase (NAGS; E.C.2.3.1.1) catalyzes the formation of N-acetylglutamate (NAG) from acetyl coenzyme A and glutamate. In microorganisms and plants, NAG is the first intermediate of the L-arginine biosynthesis; in animals, NAG is an allosteric activator of carbamylphosphate synthetase I and III. In some bacteria bifunctional N-acetylglutamate synthase-kinase (NAGS-K) catalyzes the first two steps of L-arginine biosynthesis. L-arginine inhibits NAGS in bacteria, fungi, and plants and activates NAGS in mammals. L-arginine increased thermal stability of the NAGS-K from Maricaulis maris (MmNAGS-K) while it destabilized the NAGS-K from Xanthomonas campestris (XcNAGS-K). Analytical gel chromatography and ultracentrifugation indicated tetrameric structure of the MmMNAGS-K in the presence and absence of L-arginine and a tetramer-octamer equilibrium that shifted towards tetramers upon binding of L-arginine for the XcNAGS-K. Analytical gel chromatography of mouse NAGS (mNAGS) indicated either different oligomerization states that are in moderate to slow exchange with each other or deviation from the spherical shape of the mNAGS protein. The partition coefficient of the mNAGS increased in the presence of L-arginine suggesting smaller hydrodynamic radius due to change in either conformation or oligomerization. Different effects of L-arginine on oligomerization of NAGS may have implications for efforts to determine the three-dimensional structure of mammalian NAGS
Coupling emitted light and chemical yields from stars: a basic constraint to population synthesis models of galaxies
In this paper we emphasize the close connection between the chemical and
spectrophotometric evolution of stellar systems: Chemical yields from stars
correspond to a precise fraction of their emitted light. We translate this
concept quantitatively. Starting from simple stellar populations, we derive
useful analytical relations to calculate the stellar fuel consumption (emitted
light) as a function of basic quantities predicted by stellar models, i.e. the
mass of the core and the chemical composition of the envelope. The final
formulas explicate the relation between integrated light contribution (total or
limited to particular evolutionary phases), chemical yields and stellar
remnants. We test their accuracy in the case of low- and intermediate-mass
stars, and indicate the way to extend the analysis to massive stars. This
formalism provides an easy tool to check the internal consistency between the
different stellar inputs adopted in galaxy models: The fuel computed by means
of the analytical formulas (corresponding to a given set of chemical yields)
should be compared to the exact values given by the luminosity integration
along the stellar evolutionary tracks or isochrones (corresponding to a given
set of spectrophotometric models). Only if both estimates of the fuel are
similar, the stellar inputs can be considered self-consistent in terms of their
energetics. This sets an important requirement to galaxy models, also in
consideration of the fact that different sources of input stellar data are
frequently used to model their spectro-photometric and chemical evolution.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in A&
Economies of visibility as a moderator of feminism: âNever mind Brexit. Who won Legsâit!â
This article utilizes economies of visibility to interpret how two UK women political leadersâ bodies are constructed in the press, online and by audience responses across several media platforms via a multimodal analysis. We contribute politicizing economies of visibility, lying at the intersection of politics of visibility and economies of visibility, as a possible new modality of feminist politics. We suggest this offers a space where feminism can be progressed. Analysis illustrates how economies of visibility moderate feminism and tie women leaders in various ways to their bodies; commodities constantly scrutinized. The study surfaces how media insist upon femininity through appearance from women leaders, serving to moderate power and feminist potential. We consider complexities attached to public consumption of powerful women's constructions, set up in opposition, where sexism is visible and visceral. This simultaneously fortifies moderate feminism and provokes feminism. The insistence on femininity nevertheless disrupts, through an arousal of audible and commanding feminist voices, to reconnect with the political project of women's equality
Quantum Quenches in Extended Systems
We study in general the time-evolution of correlation functions in a extended
quantum system after the quench of a parameter in the hamiltonian. We show that
correlation functions in d dimensions can be extracted using methods of
boundary critical phenomena in d+1 dimensions. For d=1 this allows to use the
powerful tools of conformal field theory in the case of critical evolution.
Several results are obtained in generic dimension in the gaussian (mean-field)
approximation. These predictions are checked against the real-time evolution of
some solvable models that allows also to understand which features are valid
beyond the critical evolution.
All our findings may be explained in terms of a picture generally valid,
whereby quasiparticles, entangled over regions of the order of the correlation
length in the initial state, then propagate with a finite speed through the
system. Furthermore we show that the long-time results can be interpreted in
terms of a generalized Gibbs ensemble. We discuss some open questions and
possible future developments.Comment: 24 Pages, 4 figure
Cavity QED with a Bose-Einstein condensate
Cavity quantum electrodynamics (cavity QED) describes the coherent
interaction between matter and an electromagnetic field confined within a
resonator structure, and is providing a useful platform for developing concepts
in quantum information processing. By using high-quality resonators, a strong
coupling regime can be reached experimentally in which atoms coherently
exchange a photon with a single light-field mode many times before dissipation
sets in. This has led to fundamental studies with both microwave and optical
resonators. To meet the challenges posed by quantum state engineering and
quantum information processing, recent experiments have focused on laser
cooling and trapping of atoms inside an optical cavity. However, the tremendous
degree of control over atomic gases achieved with Bose-Einstein condensation
has so far not been used for cavity QED. Here we achieve the strong coupling of
a Bose-Einstein condensate to the quantized field of an ultrahigh-finesse
optical cavity and present a measurement of its eigenenergy spectrum. This is a
conceptually new regime of cavity QED, in which all atoms occupy a single mode
of a matter-wave field and couple identically to the light field, sharing a
single excitation. This opens possibilities ranging from quantum communication
to a wealth of new phenomena that can be expected in the many-body physics of
quantum gases with cavity-mediated interactions.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures; version accepted for publication in Nature;
updated Fig. 4; changed atom numbers due to new calibratio
Effectiveness of community outreach HIV prevention programs in Vietnam: A mixed methods evaluation
Background
In 2014, Vietnam was the first Southeast Asian country to commit to achieving the World Health Organizationâs 90â90-90 global HIV targets (90% know their HIV status, 90% on sustained treatment, and 90% virally suppressed) by 2020. This pledge represented further confirmation of Vietnamâs efforts to respond to the HIV epidemic, one feature of which has been close collaboration with the U.S. Presidentâs Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Starting in 2004, PEPFAR supported community outreach programs targeting high-risk populations (people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, and sex workers). To provide early evidence on program impact, in 2007â2008 we conducted a nationwide evaluation of PEPFAR-supported outreach programs in Vietnam. The evaluation focused on assessing program effect on HIV knowledge, high-risk behaviors, and HIV testing among high-risk populationsâresults relevant to Vietnamâs push to meet global HIV goals. Methods
We used a mixed-methods cross-sectional evaluation design. Data collection encompassed a quantitative survey of 2199 individuals, supplemented by 125 in-depth interviews. Participants were members of high-risk populations who reported recent contact with an outreach worker (intervention group) or no recent contact (comparison group). We assessed differences in HIV knowledge, risky behaviors, and HIV testing between groups, and between high-risk populations. Results
Intervention participants knew significantly more about transmission, prevention, and treatment than comparison participants. We found low levels of injection drug-use-related risk behaviors and little evidence of program impact on such behaviors. In contrast, a significantly smaller proportion of intervention than comparison participants reported risky sexual behaviors generally and within each high-risk population. Intervention participants were also more likely to have undergone HIV testing (76.1% vs. 47.0%, pâ\u3câ0.0001) and to have received pre-test (78.0% vs. 33.7%, pâ\u3câ0.0001) and post-test counseling (80.9% vs. 60.5%, pâ\u3câ0.0001). Interviews supported evidence of high impact of outreach among all high-risk populations. Conclusions
Outreach programs appear to have reduced risky sexual behaviors and increased use of HIV testing services among high-risk populations in Vietnam. These programs can play a key role in reducing gaps in the HIV care cascade, achieving the global 90â90-90 goals, and creating an AIDS-free generation
Vertical Structure of the Outer Accretion Disk in Persistent Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries
We have investigated the influence of X-ray irradiation on the vertical
structure of the outer accretion disk in low-mass X-ray binaries by performing
a self-consistent calculation of the vertical structure and X-ray radiation
transfer in the disk. Penetrating deep into the disk, the field of scattered
X-ray photons with energy \,keV exerts a significant influence on
the vertical structure of the accretion disk at a distance
\,cm from the neutron star. At a distance \,cm,
where the total surface density in the disk reaches
\,g\,cm, X-ray heating affects all layers of an
optically thick disk. The X-ray heating effect is enhanced significantly in the
presence of an extended atmospheric layer with a temperature
\,K above the accretion disk. We have derived
simple analytic formulas for the disk heating by scattered X-ray photons using
an approximate solution of the transfer equation by the Sobolev method. This
approximation has a \,% accuracy in the range of X-ray photon
energies \,keV.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures, published in Astronomy Letter
Constructing womenâs leadership representation in the UK press during a time of financial crisis : gender capitals and dialectical tensions
A continuing challenge for organizations is the persistent underrepresentation of women in senior roles, which gained a particular prominence during the global financial crisis (GFC). The GFC has raised questions regarding the forms of leadership that allowed the crisis to happen and alternative proposals regarding how future crises might be avoided. Within this context womenâs leadership has been positioned as an ethical alternative to styles of masculinist leadership that led to the crisis in the first place. Through a multimodal discursive analysis this article examines the socio-cultural assumptions sustaining the gendering of leadership in the popular press to critically analyse how womenâs leadership is represented during the GFC of 2008â2012. Highlighting the mediaâs portrayal of womenâs leadership as a gendered field of activity where different forms of gender capital come into play, we identify three sets of dialectics: women as leaders and women as feminine, women as credible leaders and women as lacking in credibility, and women as victims and women as their own worst enemies. Together, the dialectics work together to form a discursive pattern framed by a male leadership model that narrates the promise of women leaders, yet the disappointment that they are not men. Our study extends understandings regarding how female and feminine forms of gender capital operate dialectically, where the media employs feminine capital to promote womenâs positioning as leaders yet also leverages female capital as a constraint. We propose that this understanding can be of value to organizations to understand the impact and influence of discourse on efforts to promote women into leadership roles
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Regression, developmental trajectory and associated problems in disorders in the autism spectrum: the SNAP study
We report rates of regression and associated findings in a population derived group of 255 children aged 9-14 years, participating in a prevalence study of autism spectrum disorders (ASD); 53 with narrowly defined autism, 105 with broader ASD and 97 with non-ASD neurodevelopmental problems, drawn from those with special educational needs within a population of 56,946 children. Language regression was reported in 30% with narrowly defined autism, 8% with broader ASD and less than 3% with developmental problems without ASD. A smaller group of children were identified who underwent a less clear setback. Regression was associated with higher rates of autistic symptoms and a deviation in developmental trajectory. Regression was not associated with epilepsy or gastrointestinal problems
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