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The environment power system analysis tool development program

The Environment Power System Analysis Tool (EPSAT) is being developed to provide space power system design engineers with an analysis tool for determining system performance of power systems in both naturally occurring and self-induced environments. The program is producing an easy to use computer aided engineering (CAE) tool general enough to provide a vehicle for technology transfer from space scientists and engineers to power system design engineers. The results of the project after two years of a three year development program are given. The EPSAT approach separates the CAE tool into three distinct functional units: a modern user interface to present information, a data dictionary interpreter to coordinate analysis; and a data base for storing system designs and results of analysis

Changes in women’s facial skin color over the ovulatory cycle are not detectable by the human visual system

Human ovulation is not advertised, as it is in several primate species, by conspicuous sexual swellings. However, there is increasing evidence that the attractiveness of women’s body odor, voice, and facial appearance peak during the fertile phase of their ovulatory cycle. Cycle effects on facial attractiveness may be underpinned by changes in facial skin color, but it is not clear if skin color varies cyclically in humans or if any changes are detectable. To test these questions we photographed women daily for at least one cycle. Changes in facial skin redness and luminance were then quantified by mapping the digital images to human long, medium, and shortwave visual receptors. We find cyclic variation in skin redness, but not luminance. Redness decreases rapidly after menstrual onset, increases in the days before ovulation, and remains high through the luteal phase. However, we also show that this variation is unlikely to be detectable by the human visual system. We conclude that changes in skin color are not responsible for the effects of the ovulatory cycle on women’s attractiveness

Methodology capture: discriminating between the "best" and the rest of community practice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The methodologies we use both enable and help define our research. However, as experimental complexity has increased the choice of appropriate methodologies has become an increasingly difficult task. This makes it difficult to keep track of available bioinformatics software, let alone the most suitable protocols in a specific research area. To remedy this we present an approach for capturing methodology from literature in order to identify and, thus, define best practice within a field.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our approach is to implement data extraction techniques on the full-text of scientific articles to obtain the set of experimental protocols used by an entire scientific discipline, molecular phylogenetics. Our methodology for identifying methodologies could in principle be applied to any scientific discipline, whether or not computer-based. We find a number of issues related to the nature of best practice, as opposed to community practice. We find that there is much heterogeneity in the use of molecular phylogenetic methods and software, some of which is related to poor specification of protocols. We also find that phylogenetic practice exhibits field-specific tendencies that have increased through time, despite the generic nature of the available software. We used the practice of highly published and widely collaborative researchers ("expert" researchers) to analyse the influence of authority on community practice. We find expert authors exhibit patterns of practice common to their field and therefore act as useful field-specific practice indicators.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We have identified a structured community of phylogenetic researchers performing analyses that are customary in their own local community and significantly different from those in other areas. Best practice information can help to bridge such subtle differences by increasing communication of protocols to a wider audience. We propose that the practice of expert authors from the field of evolutionary biology is the closest to contemporary best practice in phylogenetic experimental design. Capturing best practice is, however, a complex task and should also acknowledge the differences between fields such as the specific context of the analysis.</p

Mutagenesis of a cAMP Response Element within the Latency-Associated Transcript Promoter of HSV-1 Reduces Adrenergic Reactivation

AbstractMutagenesis of a cyclic AMP response element (CRE) within the LAT promoter of HSV-1 reduces the ability of LAT expression to be induced in transient assays, but has only a minimal impact on reactivation of the virus inin vitrosystems. Here we show that a CRE mutation results in a significant reduction of adrenergically induced reactivationin vivoin the rabbit eye model. Spontaneous reactivation frequencies were also reduced. In addition, we demonstrate that this mutation has no effect on the amount of LAT expressed during latency when compared with the parent, 17syn+, and the rescuant. These results indicate a greater effect of CRE on induced reactivationin vivothan inin vitrosystems, but also suggest that the CRE in the LAT promoter is not autonomous in conducting the reactivation signal

MHCY haplotype impacts Campylobacter jejuni colonization in a backcross [(Line 61 x Line N) x Line N] population:Research Note

MHCY is a candidate region for influencing immune responses in chickens. MHCY contains multiple specialized, polymorphic MHC class I loci along with loci belonging to 4 additional gene families. In this study, MHCY haplotypes were tested for association with cecal colonization after Campylobacter jejuni infection of a backcross [(Line 6(1) × Line N) × Line N] population derived from 2 White Leghorn research lines, Line 6(1) and Line N, that were previously shown to exhibit heritable differences in colonization. Samples were obtained for 51 birds challenged with 10(8) CFU Campylobacter jejuni at 3 wk of age. Viable C. jejuni in the ceca were enumerated 5 d postinfection and counts were log-transformed for analysis. Birds were assigned to either low or high colonization groups based on the individual count being below or above the mean bacterial count for all birds. The mean bacterial count of the low infection group differed significantly from the high infection group. Sex and MHCB haplotype had similar distributions within the 2 groups. Overall, 7 MHCY haplotypes were found to be segregating. Two were significantly associated with C. jejuni colonization. MHCY Y18 was associated with low colonization (P = 3.00 × 10(−5)); whereas MHCY Y11a was associated with high colonization (P = 0.008). The MHCY haplotype impacted the mean bacterial count among all birds with MHCY Y18 having the lowest bacterial count compared with MHCY Y11a and all other MHCY (Y5, Y7, Y8, Y11b, and Y11c) haplotypes. These findings support further investigation of the contribution of chicken MHCY in resistance to Campylobacter colonization

Optimal heat transport in rotating Rayleigh-B\'{e}nard convection at large Rayleigh numbers

The heat transport in rotating Rayleigh-B\'enard convection (RBC) can be significantly enhanced for moderate rotation, i.e., for an intermediate range of Rossby numbers $Ro$, compared to the non-rotating case. At Rayleigh numbers $Ra\lesssim5\cdot10^8$, the largest heat transport enhancement (HTE) is achieved when the thicknesses of kinetic and thermal boundary layer are equal. However, experimental and numerical observations show that, at larger $Ra$ ($\gtrsim5\cdot10^8$), the maximal HTE starts to deviate from the expected optimal boundary layer ratio and its amplitude decreases drastically. We present data from direct numerical simulations of rotating RBC in a periodic domain in the range of $10^7\leq Ra\leq10^{10}$ and $0\leq Ro^{-1}\leq40$ for Prandtl number $Pr=4.38$ and $6.4$ to identify the reason for the transition to this large $Ra$ regime of HTE. Our analysis reveals that the transition occurs once the bulk flow at the optimal boundary layer ratio changes to geostrophic turbulence for large $Ra$. In that flow state, the vertically coherent vortices, which support HTE by Ekman pumping at smaller $Ra$, dissolve into vertically decorrelated structures in the bulk, such that the enhancing effect of Ekman pumping and the influence of the boundary layer ratio become small. Additionally, more heat leaks out of the Ekman vortices as the fraction of thermal dissipation in the bulk increases. We find that the rotation induced shearing at the plates helps to increase the thermal dissipation in the bulk, and thus acts as a limiting factor for HTE at large $Ra$: beyond a certain ratio of wall shear stress to vortex strength, the heat transport decreases irrespectively of the boundary layer ratio. This $Pr$ dependent threshold, which roughly corresponds to a bulk accounting for $\approx1/3$ of the total thermal dissipation, sets the maximal HTE and the optimal rotation rate at large $Ra$.Comment: Main article: 21 pages, 10 figures; Supplementary material: 6 pages, 4 figures; Published in Phys. Rev. Fluid

Mass-Loss Rate Determination for the Massive Binary V444 Cyg using 3-D Monte-Carlo Simulations of Line and Polarization Variability

A newly developed 3-D Monte Carlo model is used, in conjunction with a multi-line non-LTE radiative transfer model, to determine the mass-loss rate of the Wolf-Rayet (W-R) star in the massive binary \object{V444 Cyg} (WN5+O6). This independent estimate of mass-loss rate is attained by fitting the observed \HeI (5876) \AA and \HeII (5412) \AA line profiles, and the continuum light curves of three Stokes parameters ((I, Q, U)) in the (V) band simultaneously. The high accuracy of our determination arises from the use of many observational constraints, and the sensitivity of the continuum polarization to the mass-loss rate. Our best fit model suggests that the mass-loss rate of the system is (\dot{M}_{\WR}=0.6(\pm 0.2) \times 10^{-5} M_{\sun} \mathrm{yr}^{-1} ), and is independent of the assumed distance to \object{V444 Cyg}. The fits did not allow a unique value for the radius of the W-R star to be derived. The range of the volume filling factor for the W-R star atmosphere is estimated to be in the range of 0.050 (for R_{\WR}=5.0 R_{\sun}) to 0.075 (for R_{\WR}=2.5 R_{\sun}). We also found that the blue-side of \HeI (5876 ) \AA and \HeII (5412) \AA lines at phase 0.8 is relatively unaffected by the emission from the wind-wind interaction zone and the absorption by the O-star atmosphere; hence, the profiles at this phase are suitable for spectral line fittings using a spherical radiative transfer model.Comment: 18 pages, 17 figures: Accepeted for publication in A&

The PRIMAP-hist national historical emissions time series

To assess the history of greenhouse gas emissions and individual countries' contributions to emissions and climate change, detailed historical data are needed. We combine several published datasets to create a comprehensive set of emissions pathways for each country and Kyoto gas, covering the years 1850 to 2014 with yearly values, for all UNFCCC member states and most non-UNFCCC territories. The sectoral resolution is that of the main IPCC 1996 categories. Additional time series of CO2 are available for energy and industry subsectors. Country-resolved data are combined from different sources and supplemented using year-to-year growth rates from regionally resolved sources and numerical extrapolations to complete the dataset. Regional deforestation emissions are downscaled to country level using estimates of the deforested area obtained from potential vegetation and simulations of agricultural land. In this paper, we discuss the data sources and methods used and present the resulting dataset, including its limitations and uncertainties. The dataset is available from doi:10.5880/PIK.2016.003 and can be viewed on the website accompanying this paper (http://www.pik-potsdam.de/primap-live/primap-hist/)