904 research outputs found
Evolution of Salmonella within Hosts
Within-host evolution has resulted in thousands of variants of Salmonella that exhibit remarkable diversity in host range and disease outcome, from broad host range to exquisite host restriction, causing gastroenteritis to disseminated disease such as typhoid fever. Within-host evolution is a continuing process driven by genomic variation that occurs during each infection, potentiating adaptation to a new niche resulting from changes in animal husbandry, the use of antimicrobials, and emergence of immune compromised populations. We discuss key advances in our understanding of the evolution of Salmonella within the host, inferred from (i) the process of host adaptation of Salmonella pathovars in the past, and (ii) direct observation of the generation of variation and selection of beneficial traits during single infections
Simulation of truncated normal variables
We provide in this paper simulation algorithms for one-sided and two-sided
truncated normal distributions. These algorithms are then used to simulate
multivariate normal variables with restricted parameter space for any
covariance structure.Comment: This 1992 paper appeared in 1995 in Statistics and Computing and the
gist of it is contained in Monte Carlo Statistical Methods (2004), but I
receive weekly requests for reprints so here it is
In-situ measurements of the optical absorption of dioxythiophene-based conjugated polymers
Conjugated polymers can be reversibly doped by electrochemical means. This
doping introduces new sub-bandgap optical absorption bands in the polymer while
decreasing the bandgap absorption. To study this behavior, we have prepared an
electrochemical cell allowing measurements of the optical properties of the
polymer. The cell consists of a thin polymer film deposited on gold-coated
Mylar behind which is another polymer that serves as a counterelectrode. An
infrared transparent window protects the upper polymer from ambient air. By
adding a gel electrolyte and making electrical connections to the
polymer-on-gold films, one may study electrochromism in a wide spectral range.
As the cell voltage (the potential difference between the two electrodes)
changes, the doping level of the conjugated polymer films is changed
reversibly. Our experiments address electrochromism in
poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxy-thiophene) (PEDOT) and
poly(3,4-dimethyl-propylene-dioxy-thiophene) (PProDOT-Me). This closed
electrochemical cell allows the study of the doping induced sub-bandgap
features (polaronic and bipolaronic modes) in these easily oxidized and highly
redox switchable polymers. We also study the changes in cell spectra as a
function of polymer thickness and investigate strategies to obtain cleaner
spectra, minimizing the contributions of water and gel electrolyte features
Genome sequence of Acetomicrobium hydrogeniformans OS1
Acetomicrobium hydrogeniformans, an obligate anaerobe of the phylum Synergistetes, was isolated from oil production water. It has the unusual ability to produce almost 4 molecules H2/molecule glucose. The draft genome of A. hydrogeniformans OS1 (DSM 22491T) is 2,123,925 bp, with 2,068 coding sequences and 60 RNA genes
Multispectral snapshot demosaicing via non-convex matrix completion
Snapshot mosaic multispectral imagery acquires an undersampled data cube by
acquiring a single spectral measurement per spatial pixel. Sensors which
acquire frequencies, therefore, suffer from severe undersampling of
the full data cube. We show that the missing entries can be accurately imputed
using non-convex techniques from sparse approximation and matrix completion
initialised with traditional demosaicing algorithms. In particular, we observe
the peak signal-to-noise ratio can typically be improved by 2 to 5 dB over
current state-of-the-art methods when simulating a mosaic sensor
measuring both high and low altitude urban and rural scenes as well as
ground-based scenes.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, 1 tabl
Computational Methods for Structural Mechanics and Dynamics, part 1
The structural analysis methods research has several goals. One goal is to develop analysis methods that are general. This goal of generality leads naturally to finite-element methods, but the research will also include other structural analysis methods. Another goal is that the methods be amenable to error analysis; that is, given a physical problem and a mathematical model of that problem, an analyst would like to know the probable error in predicting a given response quantity. The ultimate objective is to specify the error tolerances and to use automated logic to adjust the mathematical model or solution strategy to obtain that accuracy. A third goal is to develop structural analysis methods that can exploit parallel processing computers. The structural analysis methods research will focus initially on three types of problems: local/global nonlinear stress analysis, nonlinear transient dynamics, and tire modeling
A perpetual switching system in pulmonary capillaries
Of the 300 billion capillaries in the human lung, a small fraction meet normal oxygen requirements at rest, with the remainder forming a large reserve. The maximum oxygen demands of the acute stress response require that the reserve capillaries are rapidly recruited. To remain primed for emergencies, the normal cardiac output must be parceled throughout the capillary bed to maintain low opening pressures. The flow-distributing system requires complex switching. Because the pulmonary microcirculation contains contractile machinery, one hypothesis posits an active switching system. The opposing hypothesis is based on passive switching that requires no regulation. Both hypotheses were tested ex vivo in canine lung lobes. The lobes were perfused first with autologous blood, and capillary switching patterns were recorded by videomicroscopy. Next, the vasculature of the lobes was saline flushed, fixed by glutaraldehyde perfusion, flushed again, and then reperfused with the original, unfixed blood. Flow patterns through the same capillaries were recorded again. The 16-min-long videos were divided into 4-s increments. Each capillary segment was recorded as being perfused if at least one red blood cell crossed the entire segment. Otherwise it was recorded as unperfused. These binary measurements were made manually for each segment during every 4 s throughout the 16-min recordings of the fresh and fixed capillaries (>60,000 measurements). Unexpectedly, the switching patterns did not change after fixation. We conclude that the pulmonary capillaries can remain primed for emergencies without requiring regulation: no detectors, no feedback loops, and no effectors-a rare system in biology. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The fluctuating flow patterns of red blood cells within the pulmonary capillary networks have been assumed to be actively controlled within the pulmonary microcirculation. Here we show that the capillary flow switching patterns in the same network are the same whether the lungs are fresh or fixed. This unexpected observation can be successfully explained by a new model of pulmonary capillary flow based on chaos theory and fractal mathematics
Mini-mast CSI testbed user's guide
The Mini-Mast testbed is a 20 m generic truss highly representative of future deployable trusses for space applications. It is fully instrumented for system identification and active vibrations control experiments and is used as a ground testbed at NASA-Langley. The facility has actuators and feedback sensors linked via fiber optic cables to the Advanced Real Time Simulation (ARTS) system, where user defined control laws are incorporated into generic controls software. The object of the facility is to conduct comprehensive active vibration control experiments on a dynamically realistic large space structure. A primary goal is to understand the practical effects of simplifying theoretical assumptions. This User's Guide describes the hardware and its primary components, the dynamic characteristics of the test article, the control law implementation process, and the necessary safeguards employed to protect the test article. Suggestions for a strawman controls experiment are also included
Form factor for a family of quantum graphs: An expansion to third order
For certain types of quantum graphs we show that the random-matrix form
factor can be recovered to at least third order in the scaled time from
periodic-orbit theory. We consider the contributions from pairs of periodic
orbits represented by diagrams with up to two self-intersections connected by
up to four arcs and explain why all other diagrams are expected to give
higher-order corrections only.
For a large family of graphs with ergodic classical dynamics the diagrams
that exist in the absence of time-reversal symmetry sum to zero. The mechanism
for this cancellation is rather general which suggests that it may also apply
at higher-orders in the expansion. This expectation is in full agreement with
the fact that in this case the linear- contribution, the diagonal
approximation, already reproduces the random-matrix form factor for .
For systems with time-reversal symmetry there are more diagrams which
contribute at third order. We sum these contributions for quantum graphs with
uniformly hyperbolic dynamics, obtaining , in agreement with
random-matrix theory. As in the previous calculation of the leading-order
correction to the diagonal approximation we find that the third order
contribution can be attributed to exceptional orbits representing the
intersection of diagram classes.Comment: 23 pages (including 4 fig.) - numerous typos correcte
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