382 research outputs found

    Regional policy and the location of industry: an application of attraction theory

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    An active regional policy is exercised both by the British Government and by most other industrial countries. A major part of this policy in the United Kingdom has been and still is the relocation of industries from the prosperous regions. It would therefore seem as though the theories of the location of economic activity would have some relevance to this problem. In reviewing the empirical work on location and industrial mobility, it is concluded, that they lack a rigorous theoretical and methodological base, such that little reliance can be placed on their results. These studies do however suggest certain factors that need further examination in explaining location. The theoretical work on location is found to be unable to generate many general results or suggest empirically testable models. These studies do however suggest certain analytical tools that are found useful to attraction theory. Attraction theory is examined and modified. The limitations and assumption underlying this theory are made explicit. It is concluded that this model may be a useful took in evaluating government policy on the relocation of industry; The results of the application to the United Kingdom data are presented. These results seem to explain why certain regions have had higher unemployment than the national average and also suggest certain policy prescriptions. In implementing the attraction model data from regional input- output tables are necessary. Therefore there is a discussion of various methods of constructing these tables. The results of the method considered most appropriate is given for purposes of comparison with the attraction results

    Enhancements to Procedure for Estimating ESALs

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    Kentucky\u27s current procedure for estimating equivalent single axle loads (ESALs) was updated in 1990 to incorporate traffic data categorized by functional class rather than by statewide averages. This change resulted from the influx of data generated by automatic equipment used to classify and weigh vehicles in motion. A much wider range of geographic conditions and road conditions was sampled, and the expectation was that the data used in the estimation procedure would be more accurate as a result. The 1990 revisions were quite extensive, and, although model calibrations using 1989 and 1990 data have proven useful, the Division of Planning has sought refinements which would improve the calibrations and make them more useful for specific needs. In addition, the continuing analysis of weight and classification data for coal trucks has identified potential improvements that could produce more representative data for these types of vehicles. In response to these needs, a research study was proposed for FY 1992 with funds totaling 25,000(AppendixA).FundinglimitationsdelayedthestudyuntilFY1993andreducedtheamountto25,000 (Appendix A). Funding limitations delayed the study until FY 1993 and reduced the amount to 15,000. Although there was some decrease in scope, the study has been successful in 1) enhancing the accuracy of the calibration process; 2) improving the appearance, clarity, and utility of the output; and 3) potentially reducing year-to-year variations in the estimation of key quantities. In addition, a possible revision has been outlined which would eventually offer other benefits including a more definitive and accurate method for reflecting effects of coal movement. The purpose of this report is to explain and document the progress that has been made toward improving the ESAL-estimation process and exploiting the wealth of data being generated by the new vehicle classification and weighing program

    Proposal for Development of a Resource and Commodity Highway System

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    In 1986, the Kentucky General Assembly established the Extended Weight Coal and Coal By-Products Haul Road System. This system includes approximately 3,200 miles of the most significant coal-haul roads in the state and permits coal trucks to carry much larger payloads than trucks with other commodities. In many ways, the extended-weight system has been very successful. Coal-transportation productivity has been substantially increased, and Kentucky coal continues to remain competitive in the marketplace. At the same time, infrastructure costs have risen substantially--to considerably greater levels than the increase in revenue produced by the requisite coal decal fees--and the extended-weight system has proven to be difficult to manage. Moreover, there is a fundamental inequity in the preferential treatment that has been extended to coal haulers and to the specific regions in which they travel. In pursuit of its goal of providing the best possible transportation system to all citizens of the Commonwealth and its recognition of the key influence of transportation productivity on the national and international competitiveness of Kentucky industry, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet recently initiated an evaluation of the extended-weight system and an identification of ways in which the extended-weight system might evolve into a comprehensive trucking network that would effectively serve the entire Commonwealth. Key considerations in forming future alternatives included the necessity for 1) limited mileage in order to contain costs; 2) permanency to promote efficient management; 3) more lenient weight limits for commodities other than coal; 4) statewide service; and 5) a connected, continuous trucking network

    The role of the g9/2 orbital in the development of collectivity in the A = 60 region: The case of 61Co

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    An extensive study of the level structure of 61Co has been performed following the complex 26Mg(48Ca, 2a4npg)61Co reaction at beam energies of 275, 290 and 320 MeV using Gammasphere and the Fragment Mass Analyzer (FMA). The low-spin structure is discussed within the framework of shell-model calculations using the GXPF1A effective interaction. Two quasi-rotational bands consisting of stretched-E2 transitions have been established up to spins I = 41/2 and (43/2), and excitation energies of 17 and 20 MeV, respectively. These are interpreted as signature partners built on a neutron {\nu}(g9/2)2 configuration coupled to a proton {\pi}p3/2 state, based on Cranked Shell Model (CSM) calculations and comparisons with observations in neighboring nuclei. In addition, four I = 1 bands were populated to high spin, with the yrast dipole band interpreted as a possible candidate for the shears mechanism, a process seldom observed thus far in this mass region

    Behavioral and Other Phenotypes in a Cytoplasmic Dynein Light Intermediate Chain 1 Mutant Mouse

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    The cytoplasmic dynein complex is fundamentally important to all eukaryotic cells for transporting a variety of essential cargoes along microtubules within the cell. This complex also plays more specialized roles in neurons. The complex consists of 11 types of protein that interact with each other and with external adaptors, regulators and cargoes. Despite the importance of the cytoplasmic dynein complex, we know comparatively little of the roles of each component protein, and in mammals few mutants exist that allow us to explore the effects of defects in dynein-controlled processes in the context of the whole organism. Here we have taken a genotype-driven approach in mouse (Mus musculus) to analyze the role of one subunit, the dynein light intermediate chain 1 (Dync1li1). We find that, surprisingly, an N235Y point mutation in this protein results in altered neuronal development, as shown from in vivo studies in the developing cortex, and analyses of electrophysiological function. Moreover, mutant mice display increased anxiety, thus linking dynein functions to a behavioral phenotype in mammals for the first time. These results demonstrate the important role that dynein-controlled processes play in the correct development and function of the mammalian nervous system

    Structure of the first representative of Pfam family PF04016 (DUF364) reveals enolase and Rossmann-like folds that combine to form a unique active site with a possible role in heavy-metal chelation.

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    The crystal structure of Dhaf4260 from Desulfitobacterium hafniense DCB-2 was determined by single-wavelength anomalous diffraction (SAD) to a resolution of 2.01 Å using the semi-automated high-throughput pipeline of the Joint Center for Structural Genomics (JCSG) as part of the NIGMS Protein Structure Initiative (PSI). This protein structure is the first representative of the PF04016 (DUF364) Pfam family and reveals a novel combination of two well known domains (an enolase N-terminal-like fold followed by a Rossmann-like domain). Structural and bioinformatic analyses reveal partial similarities to Rossmann-like methyltransferases, with residues from the enolase-like fold combining to form a unique active site that is likely to be involved in the condensation or hydrolysis of molecules implicated in the synthesis of flavins, pterins or other siderophores. The genome context of Dhaf4260 and homologs additionally supports a role in heavy-metal chelation

    Absorption Coefficient (ABSCO) Tables for the Orbiting Carbon Observatories: Version 5.1

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    The accuracy of atmospheric trace gas retrievals depends directly on the accuracy of the molecular absorption model used within the retrieval algorithm. For remote sensing of well-mixed gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), where the atmospheric variability is small compared to the background, the quality of the molecular absorption model is key. Recent updates to oxygen (O₂) absorption coefficients (ABSCO) for the 0.76 μm A-band and the water vapor (H₂O) continuum model within the 1.6 μm and 2.06 μm CO₂ bands used within the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2 and OCO-3) algorithm are described here. Updates in the O₂ A-band involve the inclusion of new laboratory measurements within multispectrum fits to improve relative consistency between O₂ line shapes and collision-induced absorption (CIA). The H₂O continuum model has been updated to MTCKD v3.2, which has benefited from information from a range of laboratory studies relative to the model utilized in the previous ABSCO version. Impacts of these spectroscopy updates have been evaluated against ground-based atmospheric spectra from the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) and within the framework of the OCO-2 algorithm, using OCO-2 soundings covering a range of atmospheric and surface conditions. The updated absorption coefficients (ABSCO version 5.1) are found to offer improved fitting residuals and reduced biases in retrieved surface pressure relative to the previous version (ABSCO v5.0) used within B8 and B9 of the OCO-2 retrieval algorithm and have been adopted for the OCO B10 Level 2 algorithm

    Absorption Coefficient (ABSCO) Tables for the Orbiting Carbon Observatories: Version 5.1

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    The accuracy of atmospheric trace gas retrievals depends directly on the accuracy of the molecular absorption model used within the retrieval algorithm. For remote sensing of well-mixed gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), where the atmospheric variability is small compared to the background, the quality of the molecular absorption model is key. Recent updates to oxygen (O₂) absorption coefficients (ABSCO) for the 0.76 μm A-band and the water vapor (H₂O) continuum model within the 1.6 μm and 2.06 μm CO₂ bands used within the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2 and OCO-3) algorithm are described here. Updates in the O₂ A-band involve the inclusion of new laboratory measurements within multispectrum fits to improve relative consistency between O₂ line shapes and collision-induced absorption (CIA). The H₂O continuum model has been updated to MTCKD v3.2, which has benefited from information from a range of laboratory studies relative to the model utilized in the previous ABSCO version. Impacts of these spectroscopy updates have been evaluated against ground-based atmospheric spectra from the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) and within the framework of the OCO-2 algorithm, using OCO-2 soundings covering a range of atmospheric and surface conditions. The updated absorption coefficients (ABSCO version 5.1) are found to offer improved fitting residuals and reduced biases in retrieved surface pressure relative to the previous version (ABSCO v5.0) used within B8 and B9 of the OCO-2 retrieval algorithm and have been adopted for the OCO B10 Level 2 algorithm

    Structure of a putative NTP pyrophosphohydrolase: YP_001813558.1 from Exiguobacterium sibiricum 255-15.

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    The crystal structure of a putative NTPase, YP_001813558.1 from Exiguobacterium sibiricum 255-15 (PF09934, DUF2166) was determined to 1.78 Å resolution. YP_001813558.1 and its homologs (dimeric dUTPases, MazG proteins and HisE-encoded phosphoribosyl ATP pyrophosphohydrolases) form a superfamily of all-α-helical NTP pyrophosphatases. In dimeric dUTPase-like proteins, a central four-helix bundle forms the active site. However, in YP_001813558.1, an unexpected intertwined swapping of two of the helices that compose the conserved helix bundle results in a `linked dimer' that has not previously been observed for this family. Interestingly, despite this novel mode of dimerization, the metal-binding site for divalent cations, such as magnesium, that are essential for NTPase activity is still conserved. Furthermore, the active-site residues that are involved in sugar binding of the NTPs are also conserved when compared with other α-helical NTPases, but those that recognize the nucleotide bases are not conserved, suggesting a different substrate specificity

    Structure of the γ-D-glutamyl-L-diamino acid endopeptidase YkfC from Bacillus cereus in complex with L-Ala-γ-D-Glu: insights into substrate recognition by NlpC/P60 cysteine peptidases.

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    Dipeptidyl-peptidase VI from Bacillus sphaericus and YkfC from Bacillus subtilis have both previously been characterized as highly specific γ-D-glutamyl-L-diamino acid endopeptidases. The crystal structure of a YkfC ortholog from Bacillus cereus (BcYkfC) at 1.8 Å resolution revealed that it contains two N-terminal bacterial SH3 (SH3b) domains in addition to the C-terminal catalytic NlpC/P60 domain that is ubiquitous in the very large family of cell-wall-related cysteine peptidases. A bound reaction product (L-Ala-γ-D-Glu) enabled the identification of conserved sequence and structural signatures for recognition of L-Ala and γ-D-Glu and, therefore, provides a clear framework for understanding the substrate specificity observed in dipeptidyl-peptidase VI, YkfC and other NlpC/P60 domains in general. The first SH3b domain plays an important role in defining substrate specificity by contributing to the formation of the active site, such that only murein peptides with a free N-terminal alanine are allowed. A conserved tyrosine in the SH3b domain of the YkfC subfamily is correlated with the presence of a conserved acidic residue in the NlpC/P60 domain and both residues interact with the free amine group of the alanine. This structural feature allows the definition of a subfamily of NlpC/P60 enzymes with the same N-terminal substrate requirements, including a previously characterized cyanobacterial L-alanine-γ-D-glutamate endopeptidase that contains the two key components (an NlpC/P60 domain attached to an SH3b domain) for assembly of a YkfC-like active site
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