Demonstration of angular anisotropy in the output of Thematic Mapper

There is a dependence of TM output (proportional to scene radiance in a manner which will be discussed) upon season, upon cover type and upon view angle. The existence of a significant systematic variation across uniform scenes in p-type (radiometrically and geometrically pre-processed) data is demonstrated. Present pre-processing does remove the effects and the problem must be addressed because the effects are large. While this is in no way attributable to any shortcomings in the thematic mapper, it is an effect which is sufficiently important to warrant more study, with a view to developing suitable pre-processing correction algorithms

Secure Vehicular Communication Systems: Implementation, Performance, and Research Challenges

Vehicular Communication (VC) systems are on the verge of practical deployment. Nonetheless, their security and privacy protection is one of the problems that have been addressed only recently. In order to show the feasibility of secure VC, certain implementations are required. In [1] we discuss the design of a VC security system that has emerged as a result of the European SeVeCom project. In this second paper, we discuss various issues related to the implementation and deployment aspects of secure VC systems. Moreover, we provide an outlook on open security research issues that will arise as VC systems develop from today's simple prototypes to full-fledged systems

Calculation of gπNS11g_{\pi NS_{11}} and gηNS11g_{\eta NS_{11}} Couplings in QCD Sum Rules

We calculate the coupling constants, $g_{\pi NS_{11}}$ and $g_{\eta NS_{11}}, using QCD sum rules in the presence of an external meson field. A covariant derivative is introduced within the S_{11} interpolating field so that in the nonrelativistic limit the field dominantly reduces to two quarks in the s-wave state and one quark in the p-wave state. Our result for the couplings obtained by further making use of the soft-meson theorem qualitatively agrees with its phenomenological value extracted from the S_{11}(1535) decay width. The prediction for the couplings however depend on the value of quark-gluon condensate,$$, which is also important in the calculation of the S_{11}(1535) mass itself within the sum rule approach.Comment: 8 pages (no figure), revte

Comparison of Bacterial Diversity within the Coral Reef Sponge, Axinella corrugata, and the Encrusting Coral Erythropodium caribaeorum

We compared the Caribbean reef sponge, Axinella corrugata, with the Caribbean reef coral, Erythropodium caribaeorum for differences in their resident microbial communities. This cursory survey of bacterial diversity applied 16S rRNA gene sequences. Over 100 culture-independent sequences were generated from five different Axinella 16S rRNA libraries, and compared with 69 cultured isolates. The cultureindependent 16S rDNA clones displayed a higher diversity of Proteobacteria, including “uncultured” or “unknown” representatives from the Deltaproteobacteria. Arcobacterium, and Cyanobacteria were also found. We have also confirmed that Axinella sponges appeared to host specific microbial symbionts, similar to the previously identified clones termed “OSO” environmental samples. In contrast, seawater samples near Axinella were dominated by Pseudoalteromonas. Adjacent sediment samples yielded clones of Planctomycetacea, Proteobacteria, sulfate-reducing Desulfovibrio spp, and other Deltaproteobacteria. Anaerobe-like 16S rRNA sequences were detected after the oxygen supply to one Axinella sample was deliberately curtailed to assess temporal changes in the microbial community. E. caribaeorum yielded more Betaproteobacteria relative to Axinella 16S libraries, and also included the Gammaproteobacteria genus Spongiobacter. However, Axinella-derived microbes appeared phylogenetically deeper with greater sequence divergences than the coral. Overall this study indicated that marine microbial community diversity can be linked to specific source hosts and habitats

Analysis of resonance multipoles from polarization observables in eta photoproduction

A combined analysis of new eta photoproduction data for total and differential cross sections, target asymmetry and photon asymmetry is presented. Using a few reasonable assumptions we perform the first model-independent analysis of the E0+, E2- and M2- eta photoproduction multipoles. Making use of the well-known A3/2 helicity amplitude of the D13(1520) state we extract its branching ratio to the eta-N channel, Gamma(eta,N)/Gamma = (0.08 +- 0.01)%. At higher energies, we show that the photon asymmetry is extremely sensitive to small multipoles that are excited by photons in the helicity 3/2 state. The new GRAAL photon asymmetry data at higher energy show a clear signal of the F15(1680) excitation which permits extracting an F15(1680)->eta,N branching ratio of (0.15 +0.35 -0.10)%.Comment: 14 pages of LATEX including 7 postscript figure

MicroRNA profiling reveals marker of motor neuron disease in ALS models

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder marked by the loss of motor neurons (MNs) in the brain and spinal cord, leading to fatally debilitating weakness. Because this disease predominantly affects MNs, we aimed to characterize the distinct expression profile of that cell type to elucidate underlying disease mechanisms and to identify novel targets that inform on MN health during ALS disease time course. microRNAs (miRNAs) are short, noncoding RNAs that can shape the expression profile of a cell and thus often exhibit cell-type-enriched expression. To determine MN-enriched miRNA expression, we used Cre recombinase-dependent miRNA tagging and affinity purification in mice. By defining thein vivomiRNA expression of MNs, all neurons, astrocytes, and microglia, we then focused on MN-enriched miRNAs via a comparative analysis and found that they may functionally distinguish MNs postnatally from other spinal neurons. Characterizing the levels of the MN-enriched miRNAs in CSF harvested from ALS models of MN disease demonstrated that one miRNA (miR-218) tracked with MN loss and was responsive to an ALS therapy in rodent models. Therefore, we have used cellular expression profiling tools to define the distinct miRNA expression of MNs, which is likely to enrich future studies of MN disease. This approach enabled the development of a novel, drug-responsive marker of MN disease in ALS rodents.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease in which motor neurons (MNs) in the brain and spinal cord are selectively lost. To develop tools to aid in our understanding of the distinct expression profiles of MNs and, ultimately, to monitor MN disease progression, we identified small regulatory microRNAs (miRNAs) that were highly enriched or exclusive in MNs. The signal for one of these MN-enriched miRNAs is detectable in spinal tap biofluid from an ALS rat model, where its levels change as disease progresses, suggesting that it may be a clinically useful marker of disease status. Furthermore, rats treated with ALS therapy have restored expression of this MN RNA marker, making it an MN-specific and drug-responsive marker for ALS rodents.</jats:p

Polymer brushes in solid-state nanopores form an impenetrable entropic barrier for proteins

Polymer brushes are widely used to prevent the adsorption of proteins, but the mechanisms by which they operate have remained heavily debated for many decades. We show conclusive evidence that a polymer brush can be a remarkably strong kinetic barrier towards proteins by using poly(ethylene glycol) grafted to the sidewalls of pores in 30 nm thin gold films. Despite consisting of about 90% water, the free coils seal apertures up to 100 nm entirely with respect to serum protein translocation, as monitored label-free through the plasmonic activity of the nanopores. The conclusions are further supported by atomic force microscopy and fluorescence microscopy. A theoretical model indicates that the brush undergoes a morphology transition to a sealing state when the ratio between the extension and the radius of curvature is approximately 0.8. The brush-sealed pores represent a new type of ultrathin filter with potential applications in bioanalytical systems