grofit: Fitting Biological Growth Curves with R

The grofit package was developed to fit many growth curves obtained under different conditions in order to derive a conclusive dose-response curve, for instance for a compound that potentially affects growth. grofit fits data to different parametric models and in addition provides a model free spline method to circumvent systematic errors that might occur within application of parametric methods. This amendment increases the reliability of the characteristic parameters (e.g.,lag phase, maximal growth rate, stationary phase) derived from a single growth curve. By relating obtained parameters to the respective condition (e.g.,concentration of a compound) a dose response curve can be derived that enables the calculation of descriptive pharma-/toxicological values like half maximum effective concentration (EC50). Bootstrap and cross-validation techniques are used for estimating confidence intervals of all derived parameters.

Best of SIDFEx applications, with a focus on deformation forecasts

Talk at IIICWG-DA workshop in Oslo, presenting the SIDFEx database and selevted highlights, focusing on sea-ice deformation forecast

Primary structure and functional expression of a cyclic nucleotidegated channel from rabbit aorta

Sequences specific for cyclic nucleotide-gated channels (CNG channels) have been amplified by PCR from cDNA of heart, aorta, sinoatrial node, cerebellum, C-cells and kidney. The complete amino acid sequence of a CNG channel from rabbit aorta has been deduced by cloning and sequence analysis of the cDNA. Synthetic RNA derived from this cDNA induces the formation of a functional CNG channel in Xenopus oocytes

Analysis of the mKir2.1 channel activity in potassium influx defective Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains determined as changes in growth characteristics

AbstractPotassium uptake defective Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains (Δtrk1,2 and Δtrk1,2 Δtok1) were used for the phenotypic analysis of the mouse inward rectifying Kir2.1 channel by growth analysis. Functional expression of both, multi-copy plasmid and chromosomally expressed GFP-mKir2.1 fusion constructs complemented the potassium uptake deficient phenotype in a pHout dependent manner. Upon application of Hygromycin B to chromosomally mKir2.1 expressing cells, significantly lower toxin sensitivity (EC50 15.4μM) compared to Δtrk1,2 Δtok1 cells (EC50 2.6μM) was observed. Growth determination of mKir2.1 expressing strains upon application of Ag+, Cs+ and Ba2+ as known blockers of mKir2.1 channels revealed significantly decreased channel function. Cells with mKir2.1 were about double sensitive to AgNO3, 350-fold more sensitive to CsCl and 1500-fold more sensitive to BaCl2 in comparison to the respective controls indicating functional expression and correct pharmacology

ERP Positive Displacement Pumps - Experimental Validation of a Type-Independent Efficiency Model

The European Union pursues ambitious objectives reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, energy related products (ERP) are regulated by the European Union's Ecodesign Directive in terms of energy efficiency. Until now positive displacement pumps are not involved. However, considering the EU strategy in similar domains, the probability is high that the Ecodesign Directive will focus on positive displacement pumps in the future due to the large quantity of sold pumps and the collective energy consumption. Positive displacement pumps are characterized by their wide range of applications, e.g. mobile hydraulics, chemical, or food industry, with very different application-relevant requirements (low pulsation, high precision etc.). For this reason, a variety of pump designs exist, e.g. piston pumps, gear pump or screw pumps. From a scientific and technical point of view, legal requirements are considered adequate if they take into account the physical behavior of the machines as well as the application-relevant requirements. Against this background, the authors presented a physically based approach towards an application-related efficiency guideline at IREC 2016 considering a methodology to identify the energetically relevant applications of positive displacement pumps and introducing a physically based, type independent and easy to apply efficiency model. Since 2017, within the framework of an AiF project, the authors collaborate with the VDMA to validate the above mentioned efficiency model by means of precise experimental measurements. Until the submission of this paper, efficiency measurements are conducted on gear pumps, screw pumps and rotary piston pumps. The full paper presents the validation results and discusses the conclusions in the context of a future energy efficiency guideline of positive displacement pumps

Localization of Events in Space-Time

The present paper deals with the quantum coordinates of an event in space-time, individuated by a quantum object. It is known that these observables cannot be described by self-adjoint operators or by the corresponding spectral projection-valued measure. We describe them by means of a positive-operator-valued (POV) measure in the Minkowski space-time, satisfying a suitable covariance condition with respect to the Poincare' group. This POV measure determines the probability that a measurement of the coordinates of the event gives results belonging to a given set in space-time. We show that this measure must vanish on the vacuum and the one-particle states, which cannot define any event. We give a general expression for the Poincare' covariant POV measures. We define the baricentric events, which lie on the world-line of the centre-of-mass, and we find a simple expression for the average values of their coordinates. Finally, we discuss the conditions which permit the determination of the coordinates with an arbitrary accuracy.Comment: 31 pages, latex, no figure

Desenvolvimento rural sustentável na região do município de Ibirubá- RS

Trabalho apresentado no 31º SEURS - Seminário de Extensão Universitária da Região Sul, realizado em Florianópolis, SC, no período de 04 a 07 de agosto de 2013 - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina.O referido programa busca através de diferentes ações integradas na relação ensino-pesquisa-extensão, desenvolver ações voltadas aos sistemas familiares de produção e comercialização, através dos princípios da interdisciplinaridade. Fazem parte dos parceiros deste programa organizações públicas e privadas do município de Ibirubá-RS. Este programa faz parte de uma iniciativa do Banco Brasil, em conjunto com diversas entidades do setor público e privado (IFRS, COOPEAGRI,Prefeitura Municipal, EMATER, entre outros) que visa qualificar a produção leiteira realizada por pequenos produtores através da prestação de serviços de assistência técnica e extensão rural. Com o foco na sustentabilidade o programa também prevê incrementar a diversificação produtiva nas propriedades rurais, facilitando o contato e a aprendizagem de novas tecnologias adaptadas as condições da agricultura familiar. Uma primeira etapa já fora realizada, em ação conjunta com professores e alunos do IFRS e entidades participantes do programa, efetuaram-se reuniões com as famílias convidadas, da Localidade Linha Pulador Sul, Ibirubá, RS. Esta localidade foi escolhida por motivos de melhor acessibilidade e boa aceitabilidade dos produtores para novas técnicas. Na primeira reunião, realizada na comunidade, foram apresentados os objetivos do programa para as famílias convidadas. Na segunda reunião houve participação das famílias rurais que aderiram ao programa, em um total de oito, na qual as entidades idealizadoras apresentaram aos presentes o modelo de questionário que será aplicado com intenção de fazer um diagnóstico da propriedade, e também foram determinadas as equipes responsáveis pela aplicação deste junto as famílias participantes. A partir de então foram determinadas as datas das visitas, as quais estão em andamento. A próxima etapa prevista será sistematizar os diagnósticos e realizar novos encontros com os produtores, a fim de validar os dados obtidos e criar as estratégias de ação que serão aplicadas nas propriedades rurais no decorrer do Programa

Mathematical surprises and Dirac's formalism in quantum mechanics

By a series of simple examples, we illustrate how the lack of mathematical concern can readily lead to surprising mathematical contradictions in wave mechanics. The basic mathematical notions allowing for a precise formulation of the theory are then summarized and it is shown how they lead to an elucidation and deeper understanding of the aforementioned problems. After stressing the equivalence between wave mechanics and the other formulations of quantum mechanics, i.e. matrix mechanics and Dirac's abstract Hilbert space formulation, we devote the second part of our paper to the latter approach: we discuss the problems and shortcomings of this formalism as well as those of the bra and ket notation introduced by Dirac in this context. In conclusion, we indicate how all of these problems can be solved or at least avoided.Comment: Largely extended and reorganized version, with new title and abstract and with 2 figures added (published version), 54 page

One thousand plant transcriptomes and the phylogenomics of green plants

Abstract: Green plants (Viridiplantae) include around 450,000–500,000 species1, 2 of great diversity and have important roles in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Here, as part of the One Thousand Plant Transcriptomes Initiative, we sequenced the vegetative transcriptomes of 1,124 species that span the diversity of plants in a broad sense (Archaeplastida), including green plants (Viridiplantae), glaucophytes (Glaucophyta) and red algae (Rhodophyta). Our analysis provides a robust phylogenomic framework for examining the evolution of green plants. Most inferred species relationships are well supported across multiple species tree and supermatrix analyses, but discordance among plastid and nuclear gene trees at a few important nodes highlights the complexity of plant genome evolution, including polyploidy, periods of rapid speciation, and extinction. Incomplete sorting of ancestral variation, polyploidization and massive expansions of gene families punctuate the evolutionary history of green plants. Notably, we find that large expansions of gene families preceded the origins of green plants, land plants and vascular plants, whereas whole-genome duplications are inferred to have occurred repeatedly throughout the evolution of flowering plants and ferns. The increasing availability of high-quality plant genome sequences and advances in functional genomics are enabling research on genome evolution across the green tree of life