Level III Reliability Based Design employing Numerical Analysis - Application of RBD to FEM -

Risk and Reliability in Geotechnical Engineerin

Application of reliability based design (RBD) to Eurocode 7

Codes and Standard

The multi-band nonthermal emission from the supernova remnant RX J1713.7-3946

Nonthermal X-rays and very high-energy (VHE) $\gamma$-rays have been detected from the supernova remnant (SNR) RX J1713.7-3946, and especially the recent observations with the \textit{Suzaku} satellite clearly reveal a spectral cutoff in the X-ray spectrum, which directly relates to the cutoff of the energy spectrum of the parent electrons. However, whether the origin of the VHE $\gamma$-rays from the SNR is hadronic or leptonic is still in debate. We studied the multi-band nonthermal emission from RX J1713.7-3946 based on a semi-analytical approach to the nonlinear shock acceleration process by including the contribution of the accelerated electrons to the nonthermal radiation. The results show that the multi-band observations on RX J1713.7-3946 can be well explained in the model with appropriate parameters and the TeV $\gamma$-rays have hadronic origin, i.e., they are produced via proton-proton (p-p) interactions as the relativistic protons accelerated at the shock collide with the ambient matter.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, accepted by MNRA

O-mannosyl phosphorylation of alpha-dystroglycan is required for laminin binding.

Alpha-dystroglycan (alpha-DG) is a cell-surface glycoprotein that acts as a receptor for both extracellular matrix proteins containing laminin-G domains and certain arenaviruses. Receptor binding is thought to be mediated by a posttranslational modification, and defective binding with laminin underlies a subclass of congenital muscular dystrophy. Using mass spectrometry- and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based structural analyses, we identified a phosphorylated O-mannosyl glycan on the mucin-like domain of recombinant alpha-DG, which was required for laminin binding. We demonstrated that patients with muscle-eye-brain disease and Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy, as well as mice with myodystrophy, commonly have defects in a postphosphoryl modification of this phosphorylated O-linked mannose, and that this modification is mediated by the like-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (LARGE) protein. These findings expand our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie congenital muscular dystrophy

The SN 393 -- SNR RX J1713.7-3946 (G347.3-0.5) Connection

Although the connection of the Chinese "guest" star of 393 AD with the Galactic supernova remnant RX J1713.7-3946 (G347.3-0.5) made by Wang et al. in 1997 is consistent with the remnant's relatively young properties and the guest star's projected position within the `tail' of the constellation Scorpius, there are difficulties with such an association. The brief Chinese texts concerning the 393 AD guest star make no comment about its apparent brightness stating only that it disappeared after 8 months. However, at the remnant's current estimated 1 - 1.3 kpc distance and A_v ~ 3 mag, its supernova should have been a visually bright object at maximum light (-3.5 to -5.0 mag) and would have remained visible for over a year. The peak brightness ~ 0 magnitude adopted by Wang et al. and others would require the RX J1713.7-3946 supernova to have been a very subluminous supernova event similar to or fainter than CCSNe like SN 2005cs. We also note problems connecting SN 393 with a European record in which the Roman poet Claudian describes a visually brilliant star in the heavens around 393 AD that could be readily seen even in midday. Although several authors have suggested this account may be a reference to the Chinese supernova of 393, Scorpius would not be visible near midday in March when the Chinese first reported the 393 guest star. We review both the Chinese and Roman accounts and calculate probable visual brightnesses for a range of supernova subtypes and conclude that neither the Chinese nor the Roman descriptions are easily reconciled with an expected RX J1713.7-3946 supernova brightness and duration.Comment: 7 pages includes 2 tables. Accepted for publication in AJ. Revised text regarding subluminous SN

Enhanced charge?discharge properties of SnO2 nanocrystallites in confined carbon nanospace

Almost perfect embedding of SnO2 nanocrystallites in carbon nanopores was achieved by in situ synthesis using vaporized SnCl2 and silica opal-derived nanoporous carbons. The reversibility of SnO2-Sn conversion and Sn-Li alloying/de-alloying reactions was greatly enhanced by the confinement in regulated carbon nanospace

Experimental study of the atmospheric neutrino backgrounds for proton decay to positron and neutral pion searches in water Cherenkov detectors

The atmospheric neutrino background for proton decay to positron and neutral pion in ring imaging water Cherenkov detectors is studied with an artificial accelerator neutrino beam for the first time. In total, about 314,000 neutrino events corresponding to about 10 megaton-years of atmospheric neutrino interactions were collected by a 1,000 ton water Cherenkov detector (KT). The KT charged-current single neutral pion production data are well reproduced by simulation programs of neutrino and secondary hadronic interactions used in the Super-Kamiokande (SK) proton decay search. The obtained proton to positron and neutral pion background rate by the KT data for SK from the atmospheric neutrinos whose energies are below 3 GeV is about two per megaton-year. This result is also relevant to possible future, megaton-scale water Cherenkov detectors.Comment: 13 pages, 16 figure