Climate variations and tree growth between 1961 and 1995 in Austria

Using climate records from 20 weather stations, we investigated the changes in temperature, rainfall, and length of the growing season between 1961 and 1995. To establish a link between changes in climate and tree growth, we analyzed radial increment rates from tree rings over the same period. Our results indicate: (1) no change in precipitation over the period; (2) a highly significant increase (ct=0.01) in average annual temperature (1.13°C), minimum temperature (1.23°C), winter temperature (2.70° C) as well as a significant (a=0.05) increase in the length of the growing season (14 days) since 1961. For the early 1990s, lower radial increment rates as well as a decrease in the temperature related climate parameters are detectable. To understand the importance of climate on tree growth we use the ecosystem model FOREST-BGC and predict the annual net primary production (NPP). The trends in NPP are consistent with observed diameter increment rates determined from 1179 increment cores for Norway spruce from all over Austria

The effect of exposure to biomass smoke on respiratory symptoms in adult rural and urban Nepalese populations

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The Effect of Early vs. Normal Calf Weaning on Feedlot Performance and Herd Management: A Cross-Discipline Case Study

A study of early vs. normal weaning of calves concludes that early weaning improves feedlot production efficiency, reducing per day and per pound feedlot production costs. Early weaned steers finished higher thus feedlot profitability was not affected. Early weaning has a positive affect on cow health and pasture utilization rates.Livestock Production/Industries,

A PARTICULAR APPLICATION OF BROWNIAN MOTION TO SEQUENTIAL ANALYSIS

Abstract: This paper studies uniform distributional properties of particular stopping times for Brownian motion that are determined by a family of stopping curves indexed by p ∈ [0, 1]. These curves derive from the stopping curve for a sequential estimation problem in which the goal is to estimate a function of the Binomial parameter p that diverges as p approaches zero. The almost sure convergence and asymptotic normality of the stopping times for the Brownian analogue of this problem are obtained straightforwardly. The main result is the derivation of exponential bounds for the tail probabilities of a weighted mean square loss function expressible in terms of these stopping times. This result suffices to establish the uniform integrability of these loss functions in this continuous model, providing more importantly the methodology to prove the more difficult consistency result for the discrete Binomial problem. Brief historical comments about Brownian motion are included, as well as several open problems related to Brownian processes and sequential methods

Programación de la construcción del tercer anillo de muros anclados de una edificación aplicando el método de Líneas de Balance

En la industria de la construcción, la planificación y el control de cronograma de obra son importantes, debido a que se cometen diversos errores al momento de realizar la programación inicial de un proyecto, ya que durante la ejecución de obra se generan retrasos entre actividades al usar métodos convencionales como CPM y PERT por una ineficiente gestión del tiempo. En este trabajo de investigación se determinó los beneficios que se adquiere en la gestión del tiempo al aplicar la técnica de programación por Líneas de Balance (LDB), en la construcción de muros anclados del tercer anillo de una edificación, dado que este método facilita la visualización de las actividades en el cronograma, lo que ayuda a identificar los conflictos entre las tareas antes de que estos se realicen. Se realizó un análisis de las velocidades y rendimientos, a partir de los datos obtenidos de los cronogramas real y meta llevados a cabo con el método de LDB, para analizar la diferencia de velocidades representándolo en porcentajes, donde se evaluaron aquellos sectores y partidas que generan retrasos o adelantos en el cronograma, con el fin de calcular el incremento del rendimiento y la mejora de la ratio de mano de obra. Con base en los resultados obtenidos, la técnica de programación LDB mejoró la gestión del tiempo en 3.57% con relación a las velocidades de avance, empleando mejoras en el ratio y mano de obra a través del control del cronograma por porcentajes de avance de las actividades relativo a lo planificado. Además, se implementó un diagrama de flujo para una mejor aplicación de las LDB, en el control del proceso de las actividades de muros anclados.Trabajo de investigaciónCampus Lima Centr

Properties of Pt Schottky Type Contacts On High-Resistivity CdZnTe Detectors

In this paper we present studies of the I-V characteristics of CdZnTe detectors with Pt contacts fabricated from high-resistivity single crystals grown by the high-pressure Brigman process. We have analyzed the experimental I-V curves using a model that approximates the CZT detector as a system consisting of a reversed Schottky contact in series with the bulk resistance. Least square fits to the experimental data yield 0.78-0.79 eV for the Pt-CZT Schottky barrier height, and <20 V for the voltage required to deplete a 2 mm thick CZT detector. We demonstrate that at high bias the thermionic current over the Schottky barrier, the height of which is reduced due to an interfacial layer between the contact and CZT material, controls the leakage current of the detectors. In many cases the dark current is not determined by the resistivity of the bulk material, but rather the properties of the contacts; namely by the interfacial layer between the contact and CZT material.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figure

Identification and X-ray Co-crystal Structure of a Small-Molecule Activator of LFA-1-ICAM-1 Binding

The integrin Leucocyte function associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) is a heterodimeric immune receptor ubiquitously expressed on all leucocytes. Its interaction with Intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) provides a critical recognition event between T-cells and antigen presenting cells in the immune systems efforts to pull off an early stage cell mediated immune response.[1–3] The LFA-1/ICAM-1 axis has thus been explored as a target interaction for drug discovery.[4–7] Furthermore, the structural changes of LFA-1 upon activation and interaction with ICAM-1 also make the LFA-1/ICAM-1 interaction an interesting example of protein-protein interaction (PPI) inhibition by small molecule inhibitors.[8,9] While protein-protein interaction inhibition by small molecules is considered to be the ultimate art in drug design, even fewer examples of true agonists of PPIs have been reported.[10–12] As for LFA-1, such activators would have interesting applications in rare hereditary genetic disorders called Leucocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD) or as potential enhancers of tumour immunotherapy.[13,14] Although, one such activator has been described recently, closer biological investigation has shown that it ultimately worked as an inhibitor on a cellular level by locking the LFA-1/ICAM-1 interaction when reversibility was needed for detachment of immune cells from endothelial surfaces and tissue infiltration.[15] Herein we describe the identification and structural biology of IBE-667, an ICAM-1 binding enhancer for LFA-1 from on-bead screening of tagged one-bead one-compound combinatorial libraries by confocal nanoscanning and bead picking (CONA).[16] Cellular assays demonstrate the activity of IBE-667 in promoting the binding of LFA-1 on activated immune cells to ICAM-1. X-ray structure based analysis did not only allow us to explain the molecular features of IBE-667 binding to LFA-1 but also offers an explanation for its mode of action

Wnt7a Decreases Brain Endothelial Barrier Function Via β-Catenin Activation

The blood-brain barrier consists of tightly connected endothelial cells protecting the brain’s microenvironment from the periphery. These endothelial cells are characterized by specific tight junction proteins such as Claudin-5 and Occludin, forming the endothelial barrier. Disrupting these cells might lead to blood-brain barrier dysfunction. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway can regulate the expression of these tight junction proteins and subsequent barrier permeability. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro effects of Wnt7a mediated β-catenin signaling on endothelial barrier integrity. Mouse brain endothelial cells, bEnd.3, were treated with recombinant Wnt7a protein or XAV939, a selective inhibitor of Wnt/β-catenin mediated transcription to modulate the Wnt signaling pathway. The involvement of Wnt/HIF1α signaling was investigated by inhibiting Hif1α signaling with Hif1α siRNA. Wnt7a stimulation led to activation and nuclear translocation of β-catenin, which was inhibited by XAV939. Wnt7a stimulation decreased Claudin-5 expression mediated by β-catenin and decreased endothelial barrier formation. Wnt7a increased Hif1α and Vegfa expression mediated by β-catenin. However, Hif1α signaling pathway did not regulate tight junction proteins Claudin-5 and Occludin. Our data suggest that Wnt7a stimulation leads to a decrease in tight junction proteins mediated by the nuclear translocation of β-catenin, which hampers proper endothelial barrier formation. This process might be crucial in initiating endothelial cell proliferation and angiogenesis. Although HIF1α did not modulate the expression of tight junction proteins, it might play a role in brain angiogenesis and underlie pathogenic mechanisms in Wnt/HIF1α signaling in diseases such as cerebral small vessel disease