Soluble CD40 ligand can replace the normal T cell-derived CD40 ligand signal to B cells in T cell-dependent activation

We have constructed a soluble chimeric fusion protein between the mouse CD8 alpha chain and the mouse CD40 T cell ligand. This protein binds to both human and mouse B cells. By itself it induced a modest degree of B cell proliferation, but together with anti-immunoglobulin (anti-Ig) antibody it greatly stimulated B cell proliferation, as determined by both [3H]thymidine uptake and increase in cell numbers. These data are evidence that the CD40 ligand on T cells provides a signal that drives B cell proliferation. This signal is synergistic with that delivered by anti-Ig antibody

Thermomechanical behavior of plasma-sprayed ZrO2-Y2O3 coatings influenced by plasticity, creep and oxidation

Thermocycling of ceramic-coated turbomachine components produces high thermomechanical stresses that are mitigated by plasticity and creep but aggravated by oxidation, with residual stresses exacerbated by all three. These residual stresses, coupled with the thermocyclic loading, lead to high compressive stresses that cause the coating to spall. A ceramic-coated gas path seal is modeled with consideration given to creep, plasticity, and oxidation. The resulting stresses and possible failure modes are discussed

Model Reduction for Nonlinear Systems by Balanced Truncation of State and Gradient Covariance

Data-driven reduced-order models often fail to make accurate forecasts of high-dimensional nonlinear dynamical systems that are sensitive along coordinates with low-variance because such coordinates are often truncated, e.g., by proper orthogonal decomposition, kernel principal component analysis, and autoencoders. Such systems are encountered frequently in shear-dominated fluid flows where non-normality plays a significant role in the growth of disturbances. In order to address these issues, we employ ideas from active subspaces to find low-dimensional systems of coordinates for model reduction that balance adjoint-based information about the system's sensitivity with the variance of states along trajectories. The resulting method, which we refer to as covariance balancing reduction using adjoint snapshots (CoBRAS), is analogous to balanced truncation with state and adjoint-based gradient covariance matrices replacing the system Gramians and obeying the same key transformation laws. Here, the extracted coordinates are associated with an oblique projection that can be used to construct Petrov-Galerkin reduced-order models. We provide an efficient snapshot-based computational method analogous to balanced proper orthogonal decomposition. This also leads to the observation that the reduced coordinates can be computed relying on inner products of state and gradient samples alone, allowing us to find rich nonlinear coordinates by replacing the inner product with a kernel function. In these coordinates, reduced-order models can be learned using regression. We demonstrate these techniques and compare to a variety of other methods on a simple, yet challenging three-dimensional system and a nonlinear axisymmetric jet flow simulation with $10^5$ state variables

Contrasting multi-taxa diversity patterns between abandoned and non-intensively managed forests in the southern Dolomites

The abandonment of silvicultural activities can lead to changes in species richness and composition of biological communities, when compared to those found in managed forests. The aim of this study was to compare the multi-taxonomical diversity of two mature silver fir-beech-spruce forests in the southern Dolomites (Italy), corresponding to the European Union habitat type 9130. The two sites share similar ecological and structural characteristics, but differ in their recent management histories. In the last 50 years, one site underwent non-intensive management, while the other was left unmanaged and was included in a forest reserve. The species richness and composition of eight taxa were surveyed in the two sites between 2009 and 2011. The difference in mean species richness between the two forest management types was tested through permutation tests, while differences in species composition were tested by principal coordinates analysis and the permutational multivariate analysis of variance. Mean species richness of soil macrofungi, deadwood lichens, bark beetles, and longhorn beetles were significantly higher in the abandoned than in the non-intensively managed forests. Deadwood fungi and epiphytic lichens did not differ in mean species richness between the two study sites, while mean species richness of ground beetles and birds were higher in the non-intensively managed than in the abandoned forest. Significant differences in species composition between the two sites were found for all the taxa, except for longhorn beetles. These results indicate that improving forest landscape heterogeneity through the creation of a mosaic of abandoned and extensively managed forests should better fulfill the requirements of ecologically different taxa

Analysis of amplification mechanisms and cross-frequency interactions in nonlinear flows via the harmonic resolvent

We propose a framework that elucidates the input-output characteristics of flows with complex dynamics arising from nonlinear interactions between different time scales. More specifically, we consider a periodically time-varying base flow, and perform a frequency-domain analysis of periodic perturbations about this base flow; the response of these perturbations is governed by the harmonic resolvent, which is a linear operator similar to the harmonic transfer function introduced by Wereley (1991). This approach makes it possible to explicitly capture the triadic interactions that are responsible for the energy transfer between different time scales in the flow. For instance, perturbations at frequency $\alpha$ are coupled with perturbations at frequency $\omega$ through the base flow at frequency $\omega-\alpha$. We draw a connection with resolvent analsyis, which is a special case of the harmonic resolvent when evaluated about a steady base flow. We show that the left and right singular vectors of the harmonic resolvent are the optimal response and forcing modes, which can be understood as full spatio-temporal signals that reveal space-time amplification characteristics of the flow. We illustrate the method on examples, including a three-dimensional system of ordinary differential equations and the flow over an airfoil at near-stall angle of attack

The thermal state and interior structure of Mars

©2018. American Geophysical UnionThe present‐day thermal state, interior structure, composition, and rheology of Mars can be constrained by comparing the results of thermal history calculations with geophysical, petrological, and geological observations. Using the largest‐to‐date set of 3‐D thermal evolution models, we find that a limited set of models can satisfy all available constraints simultaneously. These models require a core radius strictly larger than 1,800 km, a crust with an average thickness between 48.8 and 87.1 km containing more than half of the planet's bulk abundance of heat producing elements, and a dry mantle rheology. A strong pressure dependence of the viscosity leads to the formation of prominent mantle plumes producing melt underneath Tharsis up to the present time. Heat flow and core size estimates derived from the InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) mission will increase the set of constraining data and help to confine the range of admissible models.DFG, 280637173, FOR 2440: Materie im Inneren von Planeten - Hochdruck-, Planeten- und Plasmaphysi

Thermomechanical Design Criteria for Zr02-Y203 Coated Surfaces

Thermocycling of ceramic-coated turbomachine components produces high thermomechanical stresses that are mitigated by plasticity and creep but aggravated by oxidation, with residual stresses exacerbated by all three. These residual stresses, coupled with the thermocyclic loading, lead to high compressive stresses that cause the coating to spall. In the paper a ceramic-coated gas path seal is modeled with consideration given to creep, plasticity, and oxidation. The resulting stresses and possible failure modes are discussed

A comparison of the phytoplasma associated with Australian grapevine yellows to other phytoplasmas in grapevine

The phytoplasma associated with Australian grapevine yellows (AGY) was compared to other phytoplasma diseases of grapevine using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Comparison of eight different Australian isolates suggests that only one type of phytoplasma is associated with this disease. Based on RFLP analysis of the 16S rRNA gene, it was shown that AGY is different from the tomato big bud and sweet potato little leaf phytoplasma strains which are widespread in Australia and that it represents the only other phytoplasma strain recorded in Australia to date. Restriction profiles of grapevine phytoplasmas using Mse I suggest that AGY is unique but most closely resembles those phytoplasmas associated with grapevine diseases in the stolbur group. Sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene and adjacent spacer region supports this association. The uniqueness of AGY was confirmed by PCR assays using non-ribosomal primers; the primer pair STOL11f/r2 specific for stolbur phytoplasmas did not result in amplification products in grapevines affected with AGY; the primer pair fMLOl/rMLOl which amplifies a region of the tuf gene from phytoplasmas in the aster yellows cluster, amplified AGY DNA confirming its association within this phylogenetic group. RFLP analysis of the tufPCR product again highlighted a distinction between AGY and other stolbur phytoplasmas occurring in grapevine. The only other phytoplasma in Australia which is in the stolbur group is associated with dieback in papaya, and it has the same RFLP profile of the tuf PCR product as AGY