secCl is a cys-loop ion channel necessary for the chloride conductance that mediates hormone-induced fluid secretion in Drosophila

Organisms use circulating diuretic hormones to control water balance (osmolarity), thereby avoiding dehydration and managing excretion of waste products. The hormones act through G-protein-coupled receptors to activate second messenger systems that in turn control the permeability of secretory epithelia to ions like chloride. In insects, the chloride channel mediating the effects of diuretic hormones was unknown. Surprisingly, we find a pentameric, cys-loop chloride channel, a type of channel normally associated with neurotransmission, mediating hormone-induced transepithelial chloride conductance. This discovery is important because: 1) it describes an unexpected role for pentameric receptors in the membrane permeability of secretory epithelial cells, and 2) it suggests that neurotransmitter-gated ion channels may have evolved from channels involved in secretion

A methodology for finding persons of national interest

The asymmetrical threats that challenge U.S. national policies are not large standing armies, but rather individuals who seek to usurp and coerce U.S. national interests. The nature of today's threats call for the U.S. military to change from finding, fixing, and destroying the enemy's forces to identifying, locating and capturing rogue individuals in order to destroy networks. To counter such threats, the USG will have to quickly and efficiently identify and find these targets globally. Unfortunately, no military doctrine, framework or process currently exists for finding and apprehending these Persons of National Interest (PONIs). Since military planners and intelligence analysts are neither educated nor trained in the methods or procedures necessary to find and capture PONIs, this thesis will propose a methodology to do so. This involves the development of an analytical process, and an organizational structure and procedure to identify and locate PONIs. Consequently, the United States government's ability to prosecute the war on terrorism today, and to find and apprehend PONIs in the future, depends on its ability to develop and institutionalize a comprehensive manhunting strategy now.http://archive.org/details/manhuntingmethod109451921US Air Force (USAF) author.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Glued laminated timber beams reinforced with sisal fibres

The current appeal for sustainable building materials has expanded the use of timber in construction. However, due to timber be a raw material, natural defects are present, what reduce its strength capacity and cause, in particular, brittle failures in the tensile region of timber beams. In order to increase the mechanical properties of these beams, fibre reinforcement can be applied. In this context, natural fibres, such as Sisal fibres, already used in various fields of construction, are an alternative for reinforcement of timber structural elements, by taking into account their adequate mechanical properties and, in special, for low-mechanical resistance wood species, such as Pinu sp, a species used widely in timber construction. This paper deals with an experimental analysis glued laminated timber beams (Glulam) of Pinus sp species, reinforced by Sisal fibres. Bending tests were performed on six beams with the following dimensions, 53 mm-width by 180 mm-height by 3000 mm-length, which were prepared with eight lamellas by 8 mm-thickness. These beams were reinforced with Sisal strips that were glued by Epoxy adhesive on the bottom part of these beams. In addition, comparisons of result with non-reinforced Glulam were carried out. From the analyses of the experimental results, a decrease of 20 to 30% for the normal stresses, 5 to 10% for the shear stresses and 8 to 12 % for the displacements in relation to non-reinforced beams were verified8439039

Anisotropy of the space orientation of radio sources. I: The catalog

A catalog of the extended extragalactic radio sources consisting of 10461 objects is compiled based on the list of radio sources of the FIRST survey. A total of 1801 objects are identified with galaxies and quasars of the SDSS survey and the Veron-Veron catalog. The distribution of the position angles of the axes of radio sources from the catalog is determined, and the probability that this distribution is equiprobable is shown to be less then 10^(-7). This result implies that at Z equal to or smaller then 0.5, spatial orientation of the axes of radio sources is anisotropic at a statistically significant level.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

On the Relation Between Peak Luminosity and Parent Population of Type Ia Supernovae: A New Tool for Probing the Ages of Distant Galaxies

We study the properties of Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) as functions of the radial distance from their host galaxy centers. Using a sample of 62 SNe Ia with reliable luminosity, reddening, and decline rate determinations, we find no significant radial gradients of SNe Ia peak absolute magnitudes or decline rates in elliptical+S0 galaxies, suggesting that the diversity of SN properties is not related to the metallicity of their progenitors. We do find that the range in brightness and light curve width of supernovae in spiral galaxies extends to brighter, broader values. These results are interpreted as support for an age, but not metallicity, related origin of the diversity in SNe Ia. If confirmed with a larger and more accurate sample of data, the age-luminosity relation would offer a new and powerful tool to probe the ages and age gradients of stellar populations in galaxies at redshift as high as $z\sim1-2$. The absence of significant radial gradients in the peak $\rm (B-V)_0$ and $\rm (V-I)_0$ colors of SNe Ia supports the redding correction method of Phillips et al (1999). We find no radial gradient in residuals from the SN Ia luminosity-width relation, suggesting that the relation is not affected by properties of the progenitor populations and supporting the reliability of cosmological results based upon the use of SNe Ia as distance indicators.Comment: 19 pages, incl. 3 tables & 3 figures; to appear in Nov 2000 issue of Ap

Herding cats: observing live coding in the wild

After a momentous decade of live coding activities, this paper seeks to explore the practice with the aim of situating it in the history of contemporary arts and music. The article introduces several key points of investigation in live coding research and discusses some examples of how live coding practitioners engage with these points in their system design and performances. In the light of the extremely diverse manifestations of live coding activities, the problem of defining the practice is discussed, and the question raised whether live coding will actually be necessary as an independent category

Nature and evolution of paleoproterozoic Sn and rare metal albitites from Central Brazil : constraints based on textural, geochemical, Ar-Ar, and oxygen isotopes

Economic and subeconomic concentrations of Sn, In, rare earth elements (REE), Ta, and Nb are known in Central Brazil, in the Goias Tin Province. The Sn-P enriched albitites studied in this paper occur in sharp contact with peraluminous granites of the Aurumina Suite (2.0–2.17 Ga) and schists of the Archean to Paleoproterozoic Ticunzal Formation, as dikes or lenses from late-stage magma of the peraluminous magmatism, probably in granite cupolas. Geological, petrological, and isotopic studies were conducted. The albitites consist of albite, quartz, cassiterite, apatite, K-feldspar, and muscovite, and have magmatic texture, such as alignment of albite laths, and snowball texture in quartz, apatite, and cassiterite. They are enriched in Na2O, P2O5, Sn, Ta, and Nb (Ta > Nb), and depleted in CaO, K2O, TiO2, MgO, Sr, Ba, Th, and REE. 40Ar/39Ar in muscovite gave a plateau age of 1996.55 ± 13 Ma, interpreted as approaching the crystallization age. Oxygen isotope data in albite-cassiterite pairs resulted in an equilibrium temperature of 653–1016 ◦C and isotopic fluid composition of 8.66–9.72h. They were formed by crystallization of a highly evolved and sodic granitic magma. This study has implications for Central Brazil’s economic potential and offers better understanding of tin behavior in rare, evolved peraluminous granitic magmas

Radio and optical intra-day variability observations of five blazars

We carried out a pilot campaign of radio and optical band intra-day variability (IDV) observations of five blazars (3C66A, S5 0716+714, OJ287, B0925+504, and BL Lacertae) on December 18--21, 2015 by using the radio telescope in Effelsberg (Germany) and several optical telescopes in Asia, Europe, and America. After calibration, the light curves from both 5 GHz radio band and the optical R band were obtained, although the data were not smoothly sampled over the sampling period of about four days. We tentatively analyse the amplitudes and time scales of the variabilities, and any possible periodicity. The blazars vary significantly in the radio (except 3C66A and BL Lacertae with only marginal variations) and optical bands on intra- and inter-day time scales, and the source B0925+504 exhibits a strong quasi-periodic radio variability. No significant correlation between the radio- and optical-band variability appears in the five sources, which we attribute to the radio IDV being dominated by interstellar scintillation whereas the optical variability comes from the source itself. However, the radio- and optical-band variations appear to be weakly correlated in some sources and should be investigated based on well-sampled data from future observations.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, accepted by MNRA