2,469 research outputs found
Prediction of rainfall intensity measurement errors using commercial microwave communication links
Commercial microwave radio links forming cellular communication networks are known to be a valuable instrument for measuring near-surface rainfall. However, operational communication links are more uncertain relatively to the dedicated installations since their geometry and frequencies are optimized for high communication performance rather than observing rainfall. Quantification of the uncertainties for measurements that are non-optimal in the first place is essential to assure usability of the data. <br><br> In this work we address modeling of instrumental impairments, i.e. signal variability due to antenna wetting, baseline attenuation uncertainty and digital quantization, as well as environmental ones, i.e. variability of drop size distribution along a link affecting accuracy of path-averaged rainfall measurement and spatial variability of rainfall in the link's neighborhood affecting the accuracy of rainfall estimation out of the link path. Expressions for root mean squared error (RMSE) for estimates of path-averaged and point rainfall have been derived. To verify the RMSE expressions quantitatively, path-averaged measurements from 21 operational communication links in 12 different locations have been compared to records of five nearby rain gauges over three rainstorm events. <br><br> The experiments show that the prediction accuracy is above 90% for temporal accumulation less than 30 min and lowers for longer accumulation intervals. Spatial variability in the vicinity of the link, baseline attenuation uncertainty and, possibly, suboptimality of wet antenna attenuation model are the major sources of link-gauge discrepancies. In addition, the dependence of the optimal coefficients of a conventional wet antenna attenuation model on spatial rainfall variability and, accordingly, link length has been shown. <br><br> The expressions for RMSE of the path-averaged rainfall estimates can be useful for integration of measurements from multiple heterogeneous links into data assimilation algorithms
Technical Note: Novel method for water vapor monitoring using wireless communication networks measurements
International audienceWe propose a new technique that overcomes the obstacles of the existing methods for monitoring near-surface water vapor, by estimating humidity from data collected through existing wireless communication networks. Weather conditions and atmospheric phenomena affect the electromagnetic channel, causing attenuations to the radio signals. Thus, wireless communication networks are in effect built-in environmental monitoring facilities. The wireless microwave links, used in these networks, are widely deployed by cellular providers for backhaul communication between base stations, a few tens of meters above ground level. As a result, the proposed method can provide moisture observations at high temporal and spatial resolution. Further, the implementation cost is minimal, since the data used are already collected and saved by the cellular operators. In addition ? many of these links are installed in areas where access is difficult such as orographic terrain and complex topography. As such, our method enables measurements in places that have been hard to measure in the past, or have never been measured before. We present results from real-data measurements taken from two microwave links used in a backhaul cellular network that show excellent correlation to surface station humidity measurements. The measurements were taken daily in two sites, one in northern Israel (28 measurements), the other in central Israel (29 measurements).The correlation of the microwave link measurements to those of the humidity gauges were 0.9 and 0.82 for the north and central sites, respectively. The RMSE were 20.8% and 33.1% for the northern and central site measurements, respectively
Universality of Long-Range Correlations in Expansion-Randomization Systems
We study the stochastic dynamics of sequences evolving by single site
mutations, segmental duplications, deletions, and random insertions. These
processes are relevant for the evolution of genomic DNA. They define a
universality class of non-equilibrium 1D expansion-randomization systems with
generic stationary long-range correlations in a regime of growing sequence
length. We obtain explicitly the two-point correlation function of the sequence
composition and the distribution function of the composition bias in sequences
of finite length. The characteristic exponent of these quantities is
determined by the ratio of two effective rates, which are explicitly calculated
for several specific sequence evolution dynamics of the universality class.
Depending on the value of , we find two different scaling regimes, which
are distinguished by the detectability of the initial composition bias. All
analytic results are accurately verified by numerical simulations. We also
discuss the non-stationary build-up and decay of correlations, as well as more
complex evolutionary scenarios, where the rates of the processes vary in time.
Our findings provide a possible example for the emergence of universality in
molecular biology.Comment: 23 pages, 15 figure
BMC Evol. Biol.
Background: Insertions and deletions of DNA segments (indels) are together with substitutions the major mutational processes that generate genetic variation. Here we focus on recent DNA insertions and deletions in protein coding regions of the human genome to investigate selective constraints on indels in protein evolution. Results: Frequencies of inserted and deleted amino acids differ from background amino acid frequencies in the human proteome. Small amino acids are overrepresented, while hydrophobic, aliphatic and aromatic amino acids are strongly suppressed. Indels are found to be preferentially located in protein regions that do not form important structural domains. Amino acid insertion and deletion rates in genes associated with elementary biochemical reactions (e. g. catalytic activity, ligase activity, electron transport, or catabolic process) are lower compared to those in other genes and are therefore subject to stronger purifying selection. Conclusion: Our analysis indicates that indels in human protein coding regions are subject to distinct levels of selective pressure with regard to their structural impact on the amino acid sequence, as well as to general properties of the genes they are located in. These findings confirm that many commonly accepted characteristics of selective constraints for substitutions are also valid for amino acid insertions and deletions
Polymorphism of the tumor necrosis factor beta gene in systemic lupus erythematosus
We investigated the Nco I restriction fragment
length polymorphism (RFLP) of the tumor necrosis
factor beta (TNFB) gene in 173 patients with systemic
lupus erythematosus (SLE), 192 unrelated
healthy controls, and eleven panel families, all of German
origin. The phenotype frequency of the TNFB*I
allele was significantly increased in patients compared
to controls (63.6% vs 47.1%, RR = 1.96, p <0.002).
The results of a two-point haplotype statistical analysis
between TNFB and HLA alleles show that there is linkage
disequilibrium between TNFB*I and HLA-A1,
Cw7, B8, DR3, DQ2, and C4A DE. The frequency of
TNFB*I was compared in SLE patients and controls in
the presence or absence of each of these alleles.
TNFB*I is increased in patients over controls only in
the presence of the mentioned alleles. Therefore, the
whole haplotypeA1, Cw7, B8, TNFB* I, C4A DE, DR3,
DQ2 is increased in patients and it cannot be determined
which of the genes carried by this haplotype is
responsible for the susceptibility to SLE. In addition,
two-locus associations were analyzed in 192 unrelated
healthy controls for TNFB and class I alleles typed by
serology, and for TNFB and class II alleles typed by
polymerase chain reaction/oligonucleotide probes. We
found positive linkage disequilibrium between
TNFB*I and the following alleles: HLA-A24, HLA-B8,
DRBI*0301, DRBI*ll04, DRBI*1302, DQAI*0501, DQBI*0201, DQBI*0604, and DPBI*OIO1. TNFB*2
is associated with HLA-B7, DRBI*1501, and
DQB I *0602
HLA-G: expression in human keratinocytes in vitro and in human skin in vivo
Classical, polymorphic major histocompatibility complex class I molecules are
expressed on most nucleated cells.They present peptides at the cell surface and,
thus, enable the immune system to scan peptides for their antigenicity. The
function of the other, nonclassical class I molecules in man is controversial.
HLA-G which has been shown by transfection experiments to be expressed at the
cell surface, is only transcribed in placental tissue and in the fetal eye.Therefore, a
role of HLA-G in the control of rejection of the allogeneic fetus has been
discussed. We found that HLA-G expression is induced in keratinocytes by
culture in vitro. Three different alternative splicing products of HLA-G can be
detected: a full length transcript, an mRNA lacking exon 3 and a transcript devoid
of exon 3 and 4. Reverse transcription followed by polymerase chain reaction also
revealed the presence of HLA-G mRNA in vivo in biopsies of either diseased or
healthy skin
Importance Of Quality Control in Reducing System Risk, a Lesson Learned From The Shuttle and a Recommendation for Future Launch Vehicles
This paper presents lessons learned from the Space Shuttle return to flight experience and the importance of these lessons learned in the development of new the NASA Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV). Specifically, the paper discusses the relationship between process control and system risk, and the importance of process control in improving space vehicle flight safety. It uses the External Tank (ET) Thermal Protection System (TPS) experience and lessons learned from the redesign and process enhancement activities performed in preparation for Return to Flight after the Columbia accident. The paper also, discusses in some details, the Probabilistic engineering physics based risk assessment performed by the Shuttle program to evaluate the impact of TPS failure on system risk and the application of the methodology to the CLV
Phototesting and photoprotection in LE
Photosensitivity and induction of skin lesions following UV radiation is a common problem of patients with cutaneous and systemic forms of lupus erythematosus. The detrimental effect of UV radiation to patients with lupus erythematosus was already recognized in the last century. Skin lesions can now be provoked under standardized conditions allowing the diagnosis and classification of patients with photosensitive disorders. The aim of this review is to give an overview on the history, test procedure and test results in patients with lupus erythematosus
- …