271 research outputs found
Surprise, surprise! (again): the 2017 British general election exit poll
While most pollsters and pundits expected the Conservatives to win an increased majority in Britain's June election, the election day exit poll forecast something different. John Curtice, Stephen Fisher, Jouni Kuha and Jonathan Mellon explain how the poll works, and why it made the right call
Near-tropical subsurface ice on Mars
Near-surface perennial water ice on Mars has been previously inferred down to
latitudes of about 45{\deg} and could result from either water vapor diffusion
through the regolith under current conditions or previous ice ages
precipitations. In this paper we show that at latitudes as low as 25{\deg} in
the southern hemisphere buried water ice in the shallow (< 1 m) subsurface is
required to explain the observed surface distribution of seasonal CO2 frost on
pole facing slopes. This result shows that possible remnants of the last ice
age, as well as water that will be needed for the future exploration of Mars,
are accessible significantly closer to the equator than previously thought,
where mild conditions for both robotic and human exploration lie
Identification of a putative man-made object from an underwater crash site using CAD model superimposition
In order to identify an object in video, a comparison with an exemplar object is typically needed. In this paper, we discuss the methodology used to identify an object detected in underwater video that was recorded during an investigation into Amelia Earhart\u27s purported crash site. A computer aided design (CAD) model of the suspected aircraft component was created based on measurements made from orthogonally rectified images of a reference aircraft, and validated against historical photographs of the subject aircraft prior to the crash. The CAD model was then superimposed on the underwater video, and specific features on the object were geometrically compared between the CAD model and the video. This geometrical comparison was used to assess the goodness of fit between the purported object and the object identified in the underwater video
Implementation and evaluation of a dynamic contrast enhanced mr perfusion protocol for glioblastoma using a 0.35T mri-Linac system
MRI-linear accelerator (MRI-Linac) systems allow for daily tracking of MRI
changes during radiotherapy (RT). Since one common MRI-Linac operates at 0.35T,
there are efforts towards developing protocols at that field strength. In this
study we demonstrate the implementation of a post-contrast 3DT1-weighted
(3DT1w) and dynamic contrast enhancement (DCE) protocol to assess glioblastoma
response to RT using a 0.35T MRI-Linac. The protocol implemented was used to
acquire 3DT1w and DCE data from a flow phantom and two patients with
glioblastoma (a responder and a non-responder) who underwent RT on a
0.35T-MRI-Linac. The detection of post-contrast enhanced volumes was evaluated
by comparing the 3DT1w images from the 0.35T-MRI-Linac to images obtained using
a 3T-standalone scanner. The DCE data were tested temporally and spatially
using data from the flow phantom and patients. K-trans maps were derived from
DCE at three time points (a week before treatment: Pre RT, four weeks through
treatment: Mid RT, and three weeks after treatment: Post RT) and were validated
with patients treatment outcomes. The 3D-T1 contrast enhancement volumes were
visually and volumetrically similar (+/- 0.6-3.6%) between 0.35T MRI-Linac and
3T. DCE images showed temporal stability, and associated K-trans maps were
consistent with patient response to treatment. On average, K-trans values
showed a 54% decrease and 8.6% increase for a responder and non-responder
respectively when Pre RT and Mid RT images were compared. Our findings support
the feasibility of obtaining post-contrast 3DT1w and DCE data from patients
with glioblastoma using a 0.35T MRI-Linac system
KELT-7b: A hot Jupiter transiting a bright V=8.54 rapidly rotating F-star
We report the discovery of KELT-7b, a transiting hot Jupiter with a mass of
MJ, radius of RJ, and an orbital
period of days. The bright host star (HD33643;
KELT-7) is an F-star with , Teff K, [Fe/H]
, and . It has a mass of
Msun, a radius of Rsun, and
is the fifth most massive, fifth hottest, and the ninth brightest star known to
host a transiting planet. It is also the brightest star around which KELT has
discovered a transiting planet. Thus, KELT-7b is an ideal target for detailed
characterization given its relatively low surface gravity, high equilibrium
temperature, and bright host star. The rapid rotation of the star (
km/s) results in a Rossiter-McLaughlin effect with an unusually large amplitude
of several hundred m/s. We find that the orbit normal of the planet is likely
to be well-aligned with the stellar spin axis, with a projected spin-orbit
alignment of degrees. This is currently the second most
rapidly rotating star to have a reflex signal (and thus mass determination) due
to a planetary companion measured.Comment: Accepted to The Astronomical Journa
KELT-6b: A P~7.9 d Hot Saturn Transiting a Metal-Poor Star with a Long-Period Companion
We report the discovery of KELT-6b, a mildly-inflated Saturn-mass planet
transiting a metal-poor host. The initial transit signal was identified in
KELT-North survey data, and the planetary nature of the occulter was
established using a combination of follow-up photometry, high-resolution
imaging, high-resolution spectroscopy, and precise radial velocity
measurements. The fiducial model from a global analysis including constraints
from isochrones indicates that the V=10.38 host star (BD+31 2447) is a mildly
evolved, late-F star with T_eff=6102 \pm 43 K, log(g_*)=4.07_{-0.07}^{+0.04}
and [Fe/H]=-0.28 \pm 0.04, with an inferred mass M_*=1.09 \pm 0.04 M_sun and
radius R_star=1.58_{-0.09}^{+0.16} R_sun. The planetary companion has mass
M_P=0.43 \pm 0.05 M_J, radius R_P=1.19_{-0.08}^{+0.13} R_J, surface gravity
log(g_P)=2.86_{-0.08}^{+0.06}, and density rho_P=0.31_{-0.08}^{+0.07}
g~cm^{-3}. The planet is on an orbit with semimajor axis a=0.079 \pm 0.001 AU
and eccentricity e=0.22_{-0.10}^{+0.12}, which is roughly consistent with
circular, and has ephemeris of T_c(BJD_TDB)=2456347.79679 \pm 0.00036 and
P=7.845631 \pm 0.000046 d. Equally plausible fits that employ empirical
constraints on the host star parameters rather than isochrones yield a larger
planet mass and radius by ~4-7%. KELT-6b has surface gravity and incident flux
similar to HD209458b, but orbits a host that is more metal poor than HD209458
by ~0.3 dex. Thus, the KELT-6 system offers an opportunity to perform a
comparative measurement of two similar planets in similar environments around
stars of very different metallicities. The precise radial velocity data also
reveal an acceleration indicative of a longer-period third body in the system,
although the companion is not detected in Keck adaptive optics images.Comment: Published in AJ, 17 pages, 15 figures, 6 table
High level secretion of cellobiohydrolases by Saccharomyces cerevisiae
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The main technological impediment to widespread utilization of lignocellulose for the production of fuels and chemicals is the lack of low-cost technologies to overcome its recalcitrance. Organisms that hydrolyze lignocellulose and produce a valuable product such as ethanol at a high rate and titer could significantly reduce the costs of biomass conversion technologies, and will allow separate conversion steps to be combined in a consolidated bioprocess (CBP). Development of <it>Saccharomyces cerevisiae </it>for CBP requires the high level secretion of cellulases, particularly cellobiohydrolases.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We expressed various cellobiohydrolases to identify enzymes that were efficiently secreted by <it>S. cerevisiae</it>. For enhanced cellulose hydrolysis, we engineered bimodular derivatives of a well secreted enzyme that naturally lacks the carbohydrate-binding module, and constructed strains expressing combinations of <it>cbh1 </it>and <it>cbh2 </it>genes. Though there was significant variability in the enzyme levels produced, up to approximately 0.3 g/L CBH1 and approximately 1 g/L CBH2 could be produced in high cell density fermentations. Furthermore, we could show activation of the unfolded protein response as a result of cellobiohydrolase production. Finally, we report fermentation of microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel™) to ethanol by CBH-producing <it>S. cerevisiae </it>strains with the addition of beta-glucosidase.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Gene or protein specific features and compatibility with the host are important for efficient cellobiohydrolase secretion in yeast. The present work demonstrated that production of both CBH1 and CBH2 could be improved to levels where the barrier to CBH sufficiency in the hydrolysis of cellulose was overcome.</p
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