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Extended Edited Synoptic Cloud Reports from Ships and Land Stations Over the Globe, 1952-1996
Surface synoptic weather reports for the entire globe, gathered from various available data sets, were processed, edited, and rewritten to provide a single data set of individual observations of clouds, spanning the 44 years 1952-1995 for ship data and the 26 years 1971-1996 for land station data. In addition to the cloud portion of the synoptic report, each edited report also includes the associated pressure, present weather, wind, air temperature, and dew point (and sea surface temperature over oceans)
In Things We Trust? Towards trustability in the Internet of Things
This essay discusses the main privacy, security and trustability issues with
the Internet of Things
Lightâlimited photosynthesis under energyâsaving film decreases eggplant yield
Glasshouse films with adjustable light transmittance and energyâefficient designs have the potential to reduce (up to 80%) the high energy cost for greenhouse horticulture operations. Whether these films compromise the quantity and quality of light transmission for photosynthesis and crop yield remains unclear. A âSmart Glassâ film ULRâ80 (SG) was applied to a highâtech greenhouse horticulture facility, and two experimental trials were conducted by growing eggplant (Solanum melongena) using commercial vertical cultivation and management practices. SG blocked 85% of ultraviolet (UV), 58% of farâred, and 26% of red light, leading to an overall reduction of 19% in photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, 380â699 nm) and a 25% reduction in total season fruit yield. There was a 53% (season mean) reduction in net shortâwave radiation (radiometer range, 385â2,105 nm upward; 295â2,685 nm downward) that generated a net reduction of 8% in heat load and reduced water and nutrient consumption by 18%, leading to improved energy and resource use efficiency. Eggplant adjusted to the altered SG light environment via decreased maximum lightâsaturated photosynthetic rates (Amax) and lower xanthophyll deâepoxidation state. The shift in light characteristics under SG led to reduced photosynthesis, which may have reduced source (leaf) to sink (fruit) carbon distribution, increased fruit abortion and decreased fruit yield, but did not affect nutritional quality. We conclude that SG increases energy and resource use efficiency, without affecting fruit quality, but the reduction in photosynthesis and eggplant yield is high. The solution is to reâengineer the SG to increase penetration of UV and PAR, while maintaining blockage of glasshouse heat gain
New evidence for strong nonthermal effects in Tycho's supernova remnant
For the case of Tycho's supernova remnant (SNR) we present the relation
between the blast wave and contact discontinuity radii calculated within the
nonlinear kinetic theory of cosmic ray (CR) acceleration in SNRs. It is
demonstrated that these radii are confirmed by recently published Chandra
measurements which show that the observed contact discontinuity radius is so
close to the shock radius that it can only be explained by efficient CR
acceleration which in turn makes the medium more compressible. Together with
the recently determined new value erg of the SN
explosion energy this also confirms our previous conclusion that a TeV
gamma-ray flux of erg/(cms) is to be expected from
Tycho's SNR. Chandra measurements and the HEGRA upper limit of the TeV
gamma-ray flux together limit the source distance to kpc.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Astrophysics and
Space Science, Proc. of "The Multi-Messenger Approach to High-Energy
Gamma-ray Sources (Third Workshop on the Nature of Unidentified High-Energy
Sources)", Barcelona, July 4-7, 200
Changes in Optical Conductivity due to Readjustments in Electronic Density of States
Within the model of elastic impurity scattering, we study how changes in the
energy dependence of the electronic density of states (EDOS)
around the Fermi energy are reflected in the frequency-dependent
optical conductivity . While conserving the total number of
states in we compute the induced changes in as a
function of and in the corresponding optical scattering rate
. These quantities mirror some aspects of the EDOS
changes but the relationship is not direct. Conservation of optical oscillator
strength is found not to hold, and there is no sum rule on the optical
scattering rate although one does hold for the quasiparticle scattering.
Temperature as well as increases in impurity scattering lead to additional
changes in optical properties not seen in the constant EDOS case. These effects
have their origin in an averaging of the EDOS around the Fermi energy
on an energy scale set by the impurity scattering.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure
Multi-stakeholder consensus on a target product profile for an HIV cure
Developing a cure for HIV is a global priority. Target product profiles are a tool commonly used throughout the drug development process to align interested parties around a clear set of goals or requirements for a potential product. Three distinct therapeutic modalities (combination therapies, ex-vivo gene therapy, and in-vivo gene therapy) for a target product profile for an HIV cure were identified. Using a process of expert face-to-face consultation and an online Delphi consultation, we found a high degree of agreement regarding the criteria for the optimum target product profile. Although the minimum attributes for a cure were debated, the broad consensus was that an acceptable cure need not be as safe and effective as optimally delivered antiretroviral therapy. An intervention that successfully cured a reasonable fraction of adults would be sufficient to advance to the clinic. These target product profiles will require further discussion and ongoing revisions as the field matures
HIV-Specific T Cell Responses Are Highly Stable on Antiretroviral Therapy
HIV infection induces a robust T cell response that is sustained by high viremia, but falls following the onset of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Relatively little has been reported on the subsequent stability of the HIV-specific T cell response in individuals on durable therapy. Such data are critical for powering clinical trials testing T cell-based immunotherapies. In a cross-sectional study, HIV-specific T cell responses were detectable by ex vivo interferon (IFN)-Îł ELISpot (average âŒ1,100 spot-forming units [SFUs]/106 peripheral blood mononuclear cells) in persons living with HIV (PLWH; n = 34), despite median durable ART suppression of 5.0 years. No substantial association was detected between the summed HIV-specific T cell response and the size of the replication-competent HIV reservoir. T cell responses were next measured in participants sampled weekly, monthly, or yearly. HIV-specific T cell responses were highly stable over the time periods examined; within-individual variation ranged from 16% coefficient of variation (CV) for weekly to 27% CV for yearly sampling. These data were used to generate power calculations for future immunotherapy studies. The stability of the HIV-specific T cell response in suppressed PLWH will enable powered studies of small sizes (e.g., n = 6â12), facilitating rapid and iterative testing for T cell-based immunotherapies against HIV
Current assessment of the Red Rectangle band problem
In this paper we discuss our insights into several key problems in the
identification of the Red Rectangle Bands (RRBs). We have combined three
independent sets of observations in order to try to define the constraints
guiding the bands. We provide a summary of the general behavior of the bands
and review the evidence for a molecular origin of the bands. The extent,
composition, and possible absorption effects of the bands are discussed.
Comparison spectra of the strongest band obtained at three different spectral
resolutions suggests that an intrinsic line width of individual rotational
lines can be deduced. Spectroscopic models of several relatively simple
molecules were examined in order to investigate where the current data are
weak. Suggestions are made for future studies to enhance our understanding of
these enigmatic bands
Genomic analysis of two phlebotomine sand fly vectors of Leishmania from the New and Old World.
Phlebotomine sand flies are of global significance as important vectors of human disease, transmitting bacterial, viral, and protozoan pathogens, including the kinetoplastid parasites of the genus Leishmania, the causative agents of devastating diseases collectively termed leishmaniasis. More than 40 pathogenic Leishmania species are transmitted to humans by approximately 35 sand fly species in 98 countries with hundreds of millions of people at risk around the world. No approved efficacious vaccine exists for leishmaniasis and available therapeutic drugs are either toxic and/or expensive, or the parasites are becoming resistant to the more recently developed drugs. Therefore, sand fly and/or reservoir control are currently the most effective strategies to break transmission. To better understand the biology of sand flies, including the mechanisms involved in their vectorial capacity, insecticide resistance, and population structures we sequenced the genomes of two geographically widespread and important sand fly vector species: Phlebotomus papatasi, a vector of Leishmania parasites that cause cutaneous leishmaniasis, (distributed in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa) and Lutzomyia longipalpis, a vector of Leishmania parasites that cause visceral leishmaniasis (distributed across Central and South America). We categorized and curated genes involved in processes important to their roles as disease vectors, including chemosensation, blood feeding, circadian rhythm, immunity, and detoxification, as well as mobile genetic elements. We also defined gene orthology and observed micro-synteny among the genomes. Finally, we present the genetic diversity and population structure of these species in their respective geographical areas. These genomes will be a foundation on which to base future efforts to prevent vector-borne transmission of Leishmania parasites
Whole genome analysis of a schistosomiasis-transmitting freshwater snail
Biomphalaria snails are instrumental in transmission of the human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni. With the World Health Organization's goal to eliminate schistosomiasis as a global health problem by 2025, there is now renewed emphasis on snail control. Here, we characterize the genome of Biomphalaria glabrata, a lophotrochozoan protostome, and provide timely and important information on snail biology. We describe aspects of phero-perception, stress responses, immune function and regulation of gene expression that support the persistence of B. glabrata in the field and may define this species as a suitable snail host for S. mansoni. We identify several potential targets for developing novel control measures aimed at reducing snail-mediated transmission of schistosomiasis
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