Surface temperatures and temperature gradient features of the US Gulf Coast waters

Satellite thermal infrared data on the Gulf of Mexico show that a seasonal cycle exists in the horizontal surface temperature structure. In the fall, the surface temperatures of both coastal and deep waters are nearly uniform. With the onset of winter, atmospheric cold fronts, which are accompanied by dry, low temperature air and strong winds, draw heat from the sea. A band of cooler water forming on the inner shelf expands, until a thermal front develops seaward along the shelf break between the cold shelf waters and the warmer deep waters of the Gulf. Digital analysis of the satellite data was carried out in an interactive mode using a minicomputer and software. A time series of temperature profiles illustrates the temporal and spatial changes in the sea-surface temperature field

Identification of functional transcription factor binding sites using closely related Saccharomyces species

Comparative genomics provides a rapid means of identifying functional DNA elements by their sequence conservation between species. Transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) may constitute a significant fraction of these conserved sequences, but the annotation of specific TFBSs is complicated by the fact that these short, degenerate sequences may frequently be conserved by chance rather than functional constraint. To identify intergenic sequences that function as TFBSs, we calculated the probability of binding site conservation between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its two closest relatives under a neutral model of evolution. We found that this probability is <5% for 134 of 163 transcription factor binding motifs, implying that we can reliably annotate binding sites for the majority of these transcription factors by conservation alone. Although our annotation relies on a number of assumptions, mutations in five of five conserved Ume6 binding sites and three of four conserved Ndt80 binding sites show Ume6- and Ndt80-dependent effects on gene expression. We also found that three of five unconserved Ndt80 binding sites show Ndt80-dependent effects on gene expression. Together these data imply that although sequence conservation can be reliably used to predict functional TFBSs, unconserved sequences might also make a significant contribution to a species' biology

Cloud for Gaming

Cloud for Gaming refers to the use of cloud computing technologies to build large-scale gaming infrastructures, with the goal of improving scalability and responsiveness, improve the user's experience and enable new business models.Comment: Encyclopedia of Computer Graphics and Games. Newton Lee (Editor). Springer International Publishing, 2015, ISBN 978-3-319-08234-

Multiplicity of Bidding Strategies in Reverse Auctions

Multiplicity of Bidding Strategies in Reverse Auction

Dosimetric comparison study between intensity modulated radiation therapy and three-dimensional conformal proton therapy for pelvic bone marrow sparing in the treatment of cervical cancer.

The objective was to compare intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with 3D conformal proton therapy (3DCPT) in the treatment of cervical cancer. In particular, each technique's ability to spare pelvic bone marrow (PBM) was of primary interest in this study. A total of six cervical cancer patients (3 postoperative and 3 intact) were planned and analyzed. All plans had uniform 1.0 cm CTV-PTV margin and satisfied the 95% PTV with 100% isodose (prescription dose = 45 Gy) coverage. Dose-volume histograms (DVH) were analyzed for comparison. The overall PTV and PBM volumes were 1035.9 ± 192.2 cc and 1151.4 ± 198.3 cc, respectively. In terms of PTV dose conformity index (DCI) and dose homogeneity index (DHI), 3DCPT was slightly superior to IMRT with 1.00 ± 0.001, 1.01 ± 0.02, and 1.10 ± 0.02, 1.13 ± 0.01, respectively. In addition, 3DCPT demonstrated superiority in reducing lower doses (i.e., V30 or less) to PBM, small bowel and bladder. Particularly in PBM, average V10 and V20 reductions of 10.8% and 7.4% (p = 0.001 and 0.04), respectively, were observed. However, in the higher dose range, IMRT provided better sparing (&gt; V30). For example, in small bowel and PBM, average reductions in V45 of 4.9% and 10.0% (p = 0.048 and 0.008), respectively, were observed. Due to its physical characteristics such as low entrance dose, spread-out Bragg peak and finite particle range of protons, 3DCPT illustrated superior target coverage uniformity and sparing of the lower doses in PBM and other organs. Further studies are, however, needed to fully exploit the benefits of protons for general use in cervical cancer

On 'Optimal Bidding in a Uniform Price Auction with Multi-Unit Demand'

On 'Optimal Bidding in a Uniform Price Auction with Multi-Unit Demand

Update of axion CDM energy density

We improve the estimate of the axion CDM energy density by considering the new values of current quark masses, the QCD phase transition effect and a possible anharmonic effect.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures. References are added. A factor is correcte

Electronic density of states derived from thermodynamic critical field curves for underdoped La-Sr-Cu-O

Thermodynamic critical field curves have been measured for $La_{2-x}Sr_{x}CuO_{4+\delta}$ over the full range of carrier concentrations where superconductivity occurs in order to determine changes in the normal state density of states with carrier concentration. There is a substantial window in the $H-T$ plane where the measurements are possible because the samples are both thermodynamically reversible and the temperature is low enough that vortex fluctuations are not important. In this window, the data fit Hao-Clem rather well, so this model is used to determine $H_c$ and $\kappa_c$ for each temperature and carrier concentration. Using N(0) and the ratio of the energy gap to transition temperature, $\Delta (0)/k_BT_c$, as fitting parameters, the $H_c vs T$ curves give $\Delta (0)/k_BT_c \sim 2.0$ over the whole range of $x$. Values of N(0) remain rather constant in the optimum-doped and overdoped regime, but drops quickly toward zero in the underdoped regime.

Quantum-dot light-emitting diodes utilizing CdSe/ZnS nanocrystals embedded in TiO(2) thin film

Quantum-dot (QD) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are demonstrated on Si wafers by embedding core-shell CdSe/ZnS nanocrystals in TiO(2) thin films via plasma-enhanced metallorganic chemical vapor deposition. The n-TiO(2)/QDs/p-Si LED devices show typical p-n diode current-voltage and efficient electroluminescence characteristics, which are critically affected by the removal of QD surface ligands. The TiO(2)/QDs/Si system we presented can offer promising Si-based optoelectronic and electronic device applications utilizing numerous nanocrystals synthesized by colloidal solution chemistry.open181