Holographic analysis of thin films

Technique for monitoring deposition of films on surfaces, in place on a real-time basis, reads both the thickness and the uniformity of the deposited film. Holograms are produced from both reflected and transmitted light on one plate

Hybrid holographic system using reflected and transmitted object beams simultaneously Patent

Hybrid holographic system using reference, transmitted, and reflected beams simultaneousl

Hybrid holographic system

Improved holographic system has high degree of resolution and capability of providing a hologram of a moving object without requiring that the system have a high mechanical stability

A new view of nonlinear water waves: the Hilbert spectrum

We survey the newly developed Hilbert spectral analysis method and its applications to Stokes waves, nonlinear wave evolution processes, the spectral form of the random wave field, and turbulence. Our emphasis is on the inadequacy of presently available methods in nonlinear and nonstationary data analysis. Hilbert spectral analysis is here proposed as an alternative. This new method provides not only a more precise definition of particular events in time-frequency space than wavelet analysis, but also more physically meaningful interpretations of the underlying dynamic processes

Price and Profit: Investigating a Conundrum

Although few in number, studies consistently find that price explains little, if any, of the variation in profit across farms. This contrasts with farmers' opinions regarding the importance of price, as well as the use of price supports as a primary policy instrument. Using farm level data from the Illinois Farm Business Farm Management program for calendar years 1996 through 2004, a potential explanation for this conundrum is identified. Price is significantly more correlated with a farmer's variation in management return from year to year (approximately, +0.45) than with the variation in management return across farmers (approximately, +0.10). Thus, the conundrum arises out of different perspectives: farmers focus on the performance of their own farm over time while studies have focused on the variation among farms.Agricultural Finance,

Influence of frugivore activity on the species abundance of seedlings and saplings in a lowland tropical forest in Colombia

Although seed dispersal plays a critical role for plant regeneration, the long-term benefits of frugivores for recruitment success have been poorly explored. We evaluated the relative importance of tree species abundance and of frugivore-related factors for successful plant recruitment on 18 tree species in a lowland Colombian rain forest. We combined census data from four 1-ha plots of trees (>10 cm dbh), saplings (1-5 cm dbh) and seedlings ( less than 1.7 m) with a dataset describing tree-frugivore interactions. Seedling abundance was higher for large-seeded species dispersed by the spider monkey, while sapling abundance was higher for large-seeded species dispersed by birds. The identity of the dispersal agent and its interaction with seed size explained 20-30% of the total variance in seedling and sapling abundance across scales. Seed size consistently influenced the species abundance of seedlings and saplings across scales, but in opposite ways. These developmental changes suggest that what is beneficial to seedlings is not necessarily beneficial to saplings. Species identity explained 10-50% of the total variance in seedling and sapling abundance among and within 1-ha plots. Overall, our findings suggest that recruitment success is context-dependent as the relative importance of the different variables addressed may shift along spatial and temporal scales. © Cambridge University Press 2015

Extending invariant complex structures

We study the problem of extending a complex structure to a given Lie algebra g, which is firstly defined on an ideal h of g. We consider the next situations: h is either complex or it is totally real. The next question is to equip g with an additional structure, such as a (non)-definite metric or a symplectic structure and to ask either h is non-degenerate, isotropic, etc. with respect to this structure, by imposing a compatibility assumption. We show that this implies certain constraints on the algebraic structure of g. Constructive examples illustrating this situation are shown, in particular computations in dimension six are given.Comment: 22 pages, plus an Addendu

Molecular control of endothelial cell polarization and tube formation by Ras superfamily GTPases

The formation of blood vessels is a crucial step during early development so that newly formed tissues are able to undergo nutrient and gas exchange to support life. Fundamental to this process is the ability of endothelial cells (ECs) to change their shape and assemble into cell-lined capillary tube structures in a three-dimensional (3D) environment. Important steps during EC tube formation involve the proper spatial orientation of these cells in 3D environments, termed polarity, so that separate plasma membrane surfaces can be created to interface either with blood flow or the extracellular matrix environment that provides structural and biochemical support to cells. These separate membrane surfaces have important functional differences through the localization of key signaling molecules to either surface to maintain proper blood vessel function. While several key molecules have been identified to regulate blood vessel development, the basic molecular and cell-signaling mechanisms controlling this process are not well understood. The Ras superfamily of small GTPase molecules act as molecular switches to control an array of cellsignaling processes regulating things such as growth, motility, membrane trafficking events and organization of cell cytoskeletal proteins that control cell shape. Activity of these GTPases is regulated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) that help to turn GTPases "on" and GTPase activating proteins (GAPs) that turn GTPases "off" by regulating GTPase association with the nucleotide GTP, and nucleoside GDP. When in an activated state, the GTPases then associate with various downstream effector molecules to regulate different cell-signaling pathways. Utilizing a 3D collagen gel cell culture model to induce EC tube formation and capillary assembly in concert with gene expression knockdown techniques, we demonstrate key roles for the GTPases Rac2, k-Ras and Rap1B in addition to the previously identified requirement for Cdc42 and Rac1 activity in controlling EC tube formation. We also identify several key effectors acting downstream of these GTPases being IQGAP1, MRCK?, ?-Pix and GIT1. Furthermore, we show that the GAPs Arhgap31 and Rasa1 are key negative regulators of this process by inactivating Cdc42/Rac and k-Ras respectively. Additionally, the GTPases Rab3A, Rab3B, Rab8A, Rab11A, Rab27A, RalA and RalB along with the protein Caveolin-1 were shown to regulate key membrane trafficking and fusion events involved in EC tube formation. By using different techniques to identify proteins with fluorescent markers, we show that several key proteins controlling EC tube formation also regulate EC polarity during this process. Together, the activity of these molecules and other crucial co-regulators function to coordinate cell-signaling pathways to control EC polarization, membrane trafficking, and tube formation involved in the development of a functional capillary network. It is of great importance to understand how these separate events are controlled so that it will lead to more directed diagnosis and treatment of disease associated with capillary malfunction as well as advancements in aspects of blood vessel and tissue bioengineering

Voting Law Changes in 2012

Analyzes trends in state legislation that make voter registration and voting difficult, including requiring proof of citizenship, eliminating same-day registration, restricting early and absentee voting, and stricter rules for restoring voting rights