Existing Data Format for Two-Parameter Beta-Gamma Histograms for Radioxenon

There is a need to establish a commonly acceptable format for storing beta-gated coincidence data for stations in the International Monitoring System (IMS) for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The current aerosol RMS type data format is not applicable for radioxenon in that the current format contains implicit assumptions specific to conventional gamma-ray spectrometry. Some assumptions in the current RMS format are not acceptable for the beta-gated spectra expected from the U.S. Department of Energy PNNL Automated Radioxenon Sampler-Analyzer (ARSA) and other similar systems under use or development from various countries. The RMS data format is not generally applicable for radioxenon measurements in the CTBT for one or more of the following main reasons: 1) The RMS format does not currently support 2-dimensional data. That is, the RMS data format is setup for a simple l-dimensional gamma-ray energy histogram. Current data available from the ARSA system and planned for other radioxenon monitors includes spectral information from gamma-rays and betas/conversion electrons. It is worth noting that the beta/conversion electron energy information will be used to separate the contributions from the different radioxenons. 2) The RMS data format assumes that the conversion between counts and activity can be calculated based (in part) on a simple calibration curve (detector efficiency curve) that depends only on energy of the gamma-ray. In the case of beta-gated gamma-ray spectra and for 2-dimensional spectra, there are generally two detector calibration curves that must be convoluted, the lower energy cutoff for the betas must be considered, and the energy acceptance window must be taken into account to convert counts into activity. . 3) The RMS format has header information that contains aerosol-specific information that allows the activity (Bq) calculated to be converted into a concentration (Bq/SCM). This calculation is performed by dividing the activity calculated (Bq) into number of standard cubic meters of air (SCM) passed through the filters. Most xenon-samplers do not have a 100% collection and transfer efficiency, and these efficiencies should not be assumed constant, so that the total volume flow through the sampler may not be used to convert activity into concentration. There is a pretty straightforward analogy that requires, instead, the total volume of xenon gas measured by the xenon station for the conversion. The following paper describes one possible file format for storing the multi-parameter beta-gamma coincidence spectra generated by the DOE PNNL ARSA sampler. This format proposal was generated as a draft guide to begin discussions

X-Ray Spectroscopy of Stars

(abridged) Non-degenerate stars of essentially all spectral classes are soft X-ray sources. Low-mass stars on the cooler part of the main sequence and their pre-main sequence predecessors define the dominant stellar population in the galaxy by number. Their X-ray spectra are reminiscent, in the broadest sense, of X-ray spectra from the solar corona. X-ray emission from cool stars is indeed ascribed to magnetically trapped hot gas analogous to the solar coronal plasma. Coronal structure, its thermal stratification and geometric extent can be interpreted based on various spectral diagnostics. New features have been identified in pre-main sequence stars; some of these may be related to accretion shocks on the stellar surface, fluorescence on circumstellar disks due to X-ray irradiation, or shock heating in stellar outflows. Massive, hot stars clearly dominate the interaction with the galactic interstellar medium: they are the main sources of ionizing radiation, mechanical energy and chemical enrichment in galaxies. High-energy emission permits to probe some of the most important processes at work in these stars, and put constraints on their most peculiar feature: the stellar wind. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of cool and hot stars through the study of X-ray spectra, in particular high-resolution spectra now available from XMM-Newton and Chandra. We address issues related to coronal structure, flares, the composition of coronal plasma, X-ray production in accretion streams and outflows, X-rays from single OB-type stars, massive binaries, magnetic hot objects and evolved WR stars.Comment: accepted for Astron. Astrophys. Rev., 98 journal pages, 30 figures (partly multiple); some corrections made after proof stag

X-ray Absorption and Reflection in Active Galactic Nuclei

X-ray spectroscopy offers an opportunity to study the complex mixture of emitting and absorbing components in the circumnuclear regions of active galactic nuclei, and to learn about the accretion process that fuels AGN and the feedback of material to their host galaxies. We describe the spectral signatures that may be studied and review the X-ray spectra and spectral variability of active galaxies, concentrating on progress from recent Chandra, XMM-Newton and Suzaku data for local type 1 AGN. We describe the evidence for absorption covering a wide range of column densities, ionization and dynamics, and discuss the growing evidence for partial-covering absorption from data at energies > 10 keV. Such absorption can also explain the observed X-ray spectral curvature and variability in AGN at lower energies and is likely an important factor in shaping the observed properties of this class of source. Consideration of self-consistent models for local AGN indicates that X-ray spectra likely comprise a combination of absorption and reflection effects from material originating within a few light days of the black hole as well as on larger scales. It is likely that AGN X-ray spectra may be strongly affected by the presence of disk-wind outflows that are expected in systems with high accretion rates, and we describe models that attempt to predict the effects of radiative transfer through such winds, and discuss the prospects for new data to test and address these ideas.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astronomy and Astrophysics Review. 58 pages, 9 figures. V2 has fixed an error in footnote

The Efficacy of Generating Three Independent Anti-HIV-1 siRNAs from a Single U6 RNA Pol III-Expressed Long Hairpin RNA

RNA Interference (RNAi) effectors have been used to inhibit rogue RNAs in mammalian cells. However, rapidly evolving sequences such as the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) require multiple targeting approaches to prevent the emergence of escape variants. Expressed long hairpin RNAs (lhRNAs) have recently been used as a strategy to produce multiple short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeted to highly variant sequences. We aimed to characterize the ability of expressed lhRNAs to generate independent siRNAs that silence three non-contiguous HIV-1 sites by designing lhRNAs comprising different combinations of siRNA-encoding sequences. All lhRNAs were capable of silencing individual target sequences. However, silencing efficiency together with concentrations of individual lhRNA-derived siRNAs diminished from the stem base (first position) towards the loop side of the hairpin. Silencing efficacy against HIV-1 was primarily mediated by siRNA sequences located at the base of the stem. Improvements could be made to first and second position siRNAs by adjusting spacing arrangements at their junction, but silencing of third position siRNAs remained largely ineffective. Although lhRNAs offer advantages for combinatorial RNAi, we show that good silencing efficacy across the span of the lhRNA duplex is difficult to achieve with sequences that encode more than two adjacent independent siRNAs

Structural aspects of fungal allergens

Despite the increasing number of solved crystal structures of allergens, the key question why some proteins are allergenic and the vast majority is not remains unanswered. The situation is not different for fungal allergens which cover a wide variety of proteins with different chemical properties and biological functions. They cover enzymes, cell wall, secreted, and intracellular proteins which, except cross-reactive allergens, does not show any evidence for structural similarities at least at the three-dimensional level. However, from a diagnostic point of view, pure allergens biotechnologically produced by recombinant technology can provide us, in contrast to fungal extracts which are hardly producible as standardized reagents, with highly pure perfectly standardized diagnostic reagents