On the origin of variable structures in the winds of hot luminous stars

Examination of the temporal variability properties of several strong optical recombination lines in a large sample of Galactic Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars reveals possible trends, especially in the more homogeneous WC than the diverse WN subtypes, of increasing wind variability with cooler subtypes. This could imply that a serious contender for the driver of the variations is stochastic, magnetic subsurface convection associated with the 170 kK partial-ionization zone of iron, which should occupy a deeper and larger zone of greater mass in cooler WR subtypes. This empirical evidence suggests that the heretofore proposed ubiquitous driver of wind variability, radiative instabilities, may not be the only mechanism playing a role in the stochastic multiple small-scaled structures seen in the winds of hot luminous stars. In addition to small-scale stochastic behaviour, subsurface convection guided by a global magnetic field with localized emerging loops may also be at the origin of the large-scale corotating interaction regions as seen frequently in O stars and occasionally in the winds of their descendant WR stars.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures and 2 tables. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 201

Protecting role of cosolvents in protein denaturation by SDS: a structural study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recently, we reported a unique approach to preserve the activity of some proteins in the presence of the denaturing agent, Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS). This was made possible by addition of the amphipathic solvent 2,4-Methyl-2-PentaneDiol (MPD), used as protecting but also as refolding agent for these proteins. Although the persistence of the protein activity in the SDS/MPD mixture was clearly established, preservation of their structure was only speculative until now.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this paper, a detailed X-ray study addresses the pending question. Crystals of hen egg-white lysozyme were grown for the first time in the presence of MPD and denaturing concentrations of SDS. Depending on crystallization conditions, tetragonal crystals in complex with either SDS or MPD were collected. The conformation of both structures was very similar to the native lysozyme and the obtained complexes of SDS-lysozyme and MPD-lysozyme give some insights in the interplay of protein-SDS and protein-MPD interactions.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study clearly established the preservation of the enzyme structure in a SDS/MPD mixture. It is hypothesized that high concentrations of MPD would change the properties of SDS and lower or avoid interactions between the denaturant and the protein. These structural data therefore support the hypothesis that MPD avoids disruption of the enzyme structure by SDS and can protect proteins from SDS denaturation.</p

Effect of unsteady wind on drifting snow: first investigations

Wind is not always a steady flow. It can oscillate, producing blasts. However, most of the current numerical models of drifting snow are constrained by one major assumption: forcing winds are steady and uniform. Moreover, very few studies have been done to verify this hypothesis, because of the lack of available instrumentation and measurement difficulties. Therefore, too little is known about the possible role of wind gust in drifting snow. In order to better understand the effect of unsteady winds, we have performed both experiments at the climatic wind tunnel at the CSTB (Centre Scientifique et Technique des Bâtiments) in Nantes, France, and in situ experiments on our experimental high-altitude site, at the Lac Blanc Pass. These experiments were carried out collaboratively with Cemagref (France), Météo-France, and the IFENA (Switzerland). Through the wind tunnel experiments, we found that drifting snow is in a state of permanent disequilibrium in the presence of fluctuating airflows. In addition, the in situ experiments show that the largest drifting snow episodes appear during periods of roughly constant strong wind, whereas a short but strong blast does not produce significant drifting snow.&nbsp;</p> <p style='line-height: 20px;'><b>Key words.</b> Drifting snow, blowing snow, gust, blast, acoustic senso

A multi-approach survey as the most reliable tool to accurately assess biodiversity: an example of thai murine rodents

Wildlife surveys rely on an accurate taxonomic framework. Identification tools used to reach this goal are not equivalent and may depend on several objectives and constraints, including sampling conservation difficulties, the invasiveness of the sampling techniques, sampling capacity, the relevance of the results, materials needed, the cost and the user time required in the field and laboratory. This article presents and discusses the advantages and limits of each identification tool used in the Ceropath (Community ecology of rodents and their pathogens in South East Asia) program to reach a fast and relevant identification of the rodents sampled. It is concluded that there needs to be a combination of the results from different methods, including the most recent ones, to achieve an improvement in taxonomic identification

Biogenesis of HLA Ligand Presentation in Immune Cells Upon Activation Reveals Changes in Peptide Length Preference.

Induction of an effective tumor immunity is a complex process that includes the appropriate presentation of the tumor antigens, activation of specific T cells, and the elimination of malignant cells. Potent and efficient T cell activation is dependent on multiple factors, such as timely expression of co-stimulatory molecules, the differentiation state of professional antigen presenting cells (e.g., dendritic cells; DCs), the functionality of the antigen processing and presentation machinery (APPM), and the repertoire of HLA class I and II-bound peptides (termed immunopeptidome) presented to T cells. So far, how molecular perturbations underlying DCs maturation and differentiation affect the in vivo cross-presented HLA class I and II immunopeptidomes is largely unknown. Yet, this knowledge is crucial for further development of DC-based immunotherapy approaches. We applied a state-of-the-art sensitive MS-based immunopeptidomics approach to characterize the naturally presented HLA-I and -II immunopeptidomes eluted from autologous immune cells having distinct functional and biological states including CD14 &lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; monocytes, immature DC (ImmDC) and mature DC (MaDC) monocyte-derived DCs and naive or activated T and B cells. We revealed a presentation of significantly longer HLA peptides upon activation that is HLA allotype specific. This was apparent in the self-peptidome upon cell activation and in the context of presentation of exogenously loaded antigens, suggesting that peptide length is an important feature with potential implications on the rational design of anti-cancer vaccines

Study of flavour dependencies in leptogenesis

We study the impact of flavours on the efficiency factors and give analytical and numerical results of the baryon asymmetry taking into account the different charged lepton Yukawa contributions and the complete (diagonal and off-diagonal) $L$ to $B-L$ conversion $A$ matrix. With this treatment we update the lower bound on the lightest right-handed neutrino mass.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures. typos corrected, some formulae modified. 2 figures and discussion adde

Free-standing flexible and biomimetic hybrid membranes for ions and ATP transport

The transport of metabolites across robust, flexible and free-standing biomimetic membranes made of three perforated poly (lactic acid) (pPLA) layers, separated by two anodically polymerized conducting layers of poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene-co-3-dodecylthiophene), and functionalized on the external pPLA layers with a voltage dependent anion channel (VDAC) protein, has been demonstrated. The three pPLA layers offer robustness and flexibility to the bioactive platform and the possibility of obtaining conducing polymer layers by in situ anodic polymerization. The incorporation of dodecylthiophene units, which bear a 12 carbon atoms long linear alkyl chain, to the conducting layers allows mimicking the amphiphilic environment offered by lipids in cells, increasing 32% the efficiency of the functionalization. Electrochemical impedance measurements in NaCl and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) solutions prove that the integration of the VDAC porin inside the PLA perforations considerably increases the membrane conductivity and is crucial for the electrolyte diffusion. Such results open the door for the development of advanced sensing devices for a broad panel of biomedical applicationsPeer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Propuesta de reacondicionamiento termo-energético en tipología escolar localizada en el área metropolitana de San Juan

Posteriormente al terremoto de 1944 acaecido en San Juan, fueron construidas bajo normativas del “Consejo de Reconstrucción” una serie de escuelas, entre las cuales se destaca la tipología en peine doble materializada por el Arq. Ramos Correa. Estos establecimientos deben remodelarse para adecuarlos a requerimientos físicos y funcionales de la actualidad, siendo el momento oportuno para dar también soluciones tecnológicas a componentes de la envolvente, que mejoren su comportamiento termo-energético. A tal fin, se desarrolla un procedimiento utilizando modelos de simulación que evalúan el desempeño del edificio antes y después de cambios propuestos, verificando el cumplimiento de los valores admisibles de las Normas IRAM. Con las mejoras planteadas la energía necesaria para calefacción disminuye entre 28% y 50%, cumpliendo los valores admisibles de la Transmitancia Térmica en calidad edilicia “B”. Las contribuciones se centran en lo metodológico-instrumental, y en lo tecnológico termo-energético para su transferencia inmediata a los organismos pertinentes.After the 1944 occurred earthquake in San Juan, a number of schools were built under regulations of the "Reconstruction Council", among them the “double comb” typology materialized by Arch. Ramos Correa stands out. These establishments should be refurbished to suit today´s physical and functional requirements, being the right time to also give technological solutions to envelope components, which improve their thermal-energy performance. Aimed to this, a method is developed using simulation models to evaluate the building performance before and after the proposed changes, to verify compliance with the permissible values of the IRAM Standards. With the proposed constructive improvements, the required energy for heating is reduced between 28% and 50% fulfilling the allowable values of the Thermal Transmittance at “B” building quality. The contributions are focused on instrumental-methodological aspects, and on those technological referred to thermalenergy efficiency, for its immediate transfer to the relevant agencies.Tema 5: Arquitectura ambientalmente consciente.Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanism

Propuesta de reacondicionamiento termo-energético en tipología escolar localizada en el área metropolitana de San Juan

Posteriormente al terremoto de 1944 acaecido en San Juan, fueron construidas bajo normativas del “Consejo de Reconstrucción” una serie de escuelas, entre las cuales se destaca la tipología en peine doble materializada por el Arq. Ramos Correa. Estos establecimientos deben remodelarse para adecuarlos a requerimientos físicos y funcionales de la actualidad, siendo el momento oportuno para dar también soluciones tecnológicas a componentes de la envolvente, que mejoren su comportamiento termo-energético. A tal fin, se desarrolla un procedimiento utilizando modelos de simulación que evalúan el desempeño del edificio antes y después de cambios propuestos, verificando el cumplimiento de los valores admisibles de las Normas IRAM. Con las mejoras planteadas la energía necesaria para calefacción disminuye entre 28% y 50%, cumpliendo los valores admisibles de la Transmitancia Térmica en calidad edilicia “B”. Las contribuciones se centran en lo metodológico-instrumental, y en lo tecnológico termo-energético para su transferencia inmediata a los organismos pertinentes.After the 1944 occurred earthquake in San Juan, a number of schools were built under regulations of the "Reconstruction Council", among them the “double comb” typology materialized by Arch. Ramos Correa stands out. These establishments should be refurbished to suit today´s physical and functional requirements, being the right time to also give technological solutions to envelope components, which improve their thermal-energy performance. Aimed to this, a method is developed using simulation models to evaluate the building performance before and after the proposed changes, to verify compliance with the permissible values of the IRAM Standards. With the proposed constructive improvements, the required energy for heating is reduced between 28% and 50% fulfilling the allowable values of the Thermal Transmittance at “B” building quality. The contributions are focused on instrumental-methodological aspects, and on those technological referred to thermalenergy efficiency, for its immediate transfer to the relevant agencies.Tema 5: Arquitectura ambientalmente consciente.Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanism

CP violation in scatterings, three body processes and the Boltzmann equations for leptogenesis

We obtain the Boltzmann equations for leptogenesis including decay and scattering processes with two and three body initial or final states. We present an explicit computation of the CP violating scattering asymmetries. We analyze their possible impact in leptogenesis, and we discuss the validity of their approximate expressions in terms of the decay asymmetry. In scenarios in which the initial heavy neutrino density vanishes, the inclusion of CP asymmetries in scatterings can enforce a cancellation between the lepton asymmetry generated at early times and the asymmetry produced at later times. We argue that a sizeable amount of washout is crucial for spoiling this cancellation, and we show that in the regimes in which the washouts are particularly weak, the inclusion of CP violation in scatterings yields a reduction in the final value of the lepton asymmetry. In the strong washout regimes the inclusion of CP violation in scatterings still leads to a significant enhancement of the lepton asymmetry at high temperatures; however, due to the independence from the early conditions that is characteristic of these regimes, the final value of the lepton asymmetry remains approximately unchanged.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figures. One appendix added. Some numerical results and corresponding figures (mainly fig. 3) corrected. Final version to be published in JHE