Pre-processing of Wallops Station AN/FPQ-6 GEOS 2 data

Preprocessing, operation, and calibration procedures for Wallops radar syste

Frequency shift of hyperfine transitions due to blackbody radiation

We have performed calculations of the size of the frequency shift induced by a static electric field on the clock transition frequencies of the hyperfine splitting in Yb+, Rb, Cs, Ba+, and Hg+. The calculations are used to find the frequency shifts due to blackbody radiation which are needed for accurate frequency measurements and improvements of the limits on variation of the fine structure constant, alpha. Our result for Cs (delta nu E^2=-2.26 times 10^{-10}Hz/(V/m)^2) is in good agreement with early measurements and ab initio calculations. We present arguments against recent claims that the actual value might be smaller. The difference (approx 10%) is due to the contribution of the continuum spectrum in the sum over intermediate states.Comment: Added discussion of Cs results and reference

Negative phase time for Scattering at Quantum Wells: A Microwave Analogy Experiment

If a quantum mechanical particle is scattered by a potential well, the wave function of the particle can propagate with negative phase time. Due to the analogy of the Schr\"odinger and the Helmholtz equation this phenomenon is expected to be observable for electromagnetic wave propagation. Experimental data of electromagnetic wells realized by wave guides filled with different dielectrics confirm this conjecture now.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Vlasov Description Of Dense Quark Matter

We discuss properties of quark matter at finite baryon densities and zero temperature in a Vlasov approach. We use a screened interquark Richardson's potential consistent with the indications of Lattice QCD calculations. We analyze the choices of the quark masses and the parameters entering the potential which reproduce the binding energy (B.E.) of infinite nuclear matter. There is a transition from nuclear to quark matter at densities 5 times above normal nuclear matter density. The transition could be revealed from the determination of the position of the shifted meson masses in dense baryonic matter. A scaling form of the meson masses in dense matter is given.Comment: 15 pages 4 figure

Towards targeted dietary support for shift workers with type 2 diabetes (Shift-Diabetes study): A mixed-methods case study protocol

BACKGROUND: Blood glucose is higher in people working night-shifts compared to day-workers. Changes to eating behaviour, activity, and sleep patterns in addition to circadian disruption are likely to impact glucose management in night-shift workers with Type 2 diabetes. AIM: To investigate current dietary intake and glucose variability during night work, including barriers and facilitators to dietary behavior in this context. METHODS: A mixed-methods case study will be conducted. Shift workers with Type 2 diabetes working in a hospital setting will be recruited to this two-part study. Part 1: 70 participants will complete a 10-day observational study collecting data on continuous glucose, diet (self-report diary), sleep and physical activity during a period covering night work, rest days and non-night workdays. Mean glucose concentration and variability, and the mean healthy diet index score, will be compared between days of night work, non-night work and rest, after adjusting for other individual factors (sleep/physical activity/demographics). Part 2: A sample (n~13) will complete semi-structured interviews based on behavioural science frameworks to explore barriers/enablers to dietary behaviour when working night shifts. This will inform a quantitative survey to explore the generalisability of interview findings. DISCUSSION: Findings from Part 1 and 2 will be triangulated to identify potential intervention strategies to address key barriers and enablers to healthier eating, and in turn improved glucose control, in shift workers with Type 2 diabetes. This will be facilitated through stakeholder consultation and application of behavioural science frameworks

Atomic Parity Violation and Precision Electroweak Physics - An Updated Analysis

A new analysis of parity violation in atomic cesium has led to the improved value of the weak charge, $Q_W({\rm Cs}) = -72.06 \pm 0.46$. The implications of this result for constraining the Peskin-Takeuchi parameters S and T and for guiding searches for new Z bosons are discussed.Comment: 8 pages, LaTeX, 3 figures, Submitted to Physical Review D. Updated experimental inputs and references; clarification of notatio

ω-Conotoxin GVIA mimetics that bind and inhibit neuronal Cav2.2 ion channels

The neuronal voltage-gated N-type calcium channel (Cav2.2) is a validated target for the treatment of neuropathic pain. A small library of anthranilamide-derived ω-Conotoxin GVIA mimetics bearing the diphenylmethylpiperazine moiety were prepared and tested using three experimental measures of calcium channel blockade. These consisted of a 125I-ω-conotoxin GVIA displacement assay, a fluorescence-based calcium response assay with SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, and a whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology assay with HEK293 cells stably expressing human Cav2.2 channels. A subset of compounds were active in all three assays. This is the first time that compounds designed to be mimics of ω-conotoxin GVIA and found to be active in the 125I-ω-conotoxin GVIA displacement assay have also been shown to block functional ion channels in a dose-dependent manner

Impact of naturally occurring amino acid variations on the detection of HIV-1 p24 in diagnostic antigen tests.

The detection of HIV-1 p24 antigen in diagnostic tests relies on antibodies binding to conserved areas of the protein to cover the full range of HIV-1 subtypes. Using a panel of 43 different virus-like particles (VLPs) expressing Gag from clinical HIV-1 isolates, we previously found that some highly sensitive tests completely failed to detect p24 of certain VLPs, seemingly unrelated to their subtype. Here we aimed to investigate the reason for this failure, hypothesising that it might be due to single amino acid variations in conserved epitopes. Using amino acid alignment, we identified single amino acid variations at position 16 or 170 of p24, unique to those VLPs that failed to be detected in certain diagnostic tests. Through DNA-mutagenesis, these amino acids were changed to ones more commonly found at these positions. The impact of these changes on p24 detection was tested in commercial diagnostic tests as well as by Western Blot and ELISA, using epitope-specific antibodies. Changing positions 16 or 170 to consensus amino acids restored the detection of p24 by the investigated diagnostic tests as well as by epitope-specific antibodies in Western Blot and ELISA. Hence, single amino acid changes in conserved epitopes can lead to the failure of p24 detection and thus to false-negative results. To optimise HIV diagnostic tests, they should also be evaluated using isolates which harbour less-frequent epitope variants