Sequence analysis of the cis-regulatory regions of the bithorax complex of Drosophila.

The bithorax complex (BX-C) of Drosophila, one of two complexes that act as master regulators of the body plan of the fly, has now been entirely sequenced and comprises approximately 315,000 bp, only 1.4% of which codes for protein. Analysis of this sequence reveals significantly overrepresented DNA motifs of unknown, as well as known, functions in the non-protein-coding portion of the sequence. The following types of motifs in that portion are analyzed: (i) concatamers of mono-, di-, and trinucleotides; (ii) tightly clustered hexanucleotides (spaced < or = 5 bases apart); (iii) direct and reverse repeats longer than 20 bp; and (iv) a number of motifs known from biochemical studies to play a role in the regulation of the BX-C. The hexanucleotide AGATAC is remarkably overrepresented and is surmised to play a role in chromosome pairing. The positions of sites of highly overrepresented motifs are plotted for those that occur at more than five sites in the sequence, when < 0.5 case is expected. Expected values are based on a third-order Markov chain, which is the optimal order for representing the BXCALL sequence.

Nanomateriais luminescentes de terras raras utilizando complexos de benzenotricarboxilatos como precursores

O material Y2O3:Eu3+ vem sendo usado comercialmente como luminóforo vermelho desde da década de 1960, em uma grande variedade de aplicações devido ao seu elevado rendimento quântico (próximo de 100 %), elevada pureza de cor e boa estabilidade. Portanto, este trabalho propõe um novo método de síntese baseado nos complexos benzenotricarboxilatos (BTC) de terras raras trivalentes (RE3+) dopados com íons Eu3+. O objetivo principal é produzir materiais luminescente RE2O3:Eu3+ a temperatura mais baixa (500 °C) e em escala nanométrica. Os complexos precursores [RE(BTC):Eu3+] e [RE(TLA)·n(H2O):Eu3+], onde RE3+: Y, Gd e Lu; BTC: ácido trimésico (TMA) e ácido trimelítico (TLA) foram calcinados em diferentes temperaturas de 500 a 1000 °C, a fim de obter os materiais luminescentes RE2O3:Eu3+. Os complexos foram caracterizados por análise elementar de carbono e hidrogênio, analise térmica (TG), espectroscopia de absorção no infravermelho (FTIR), difração de raios-X - método do pó (XPD) e microscopia eletrônica de varredura (SEM). Todos os complexos são cristalinos e termo estáveis até 460 °C. Dados de fosforescência dos complexos de Y, Gd e Lu mostram que o nível T1 do aníon BTC3- tem energia acima do nível emissor 5D0 do íon Eu3+, indicando que os ligantes podem atuar como sensibilizadores de energia intramolecular. O estudo das propriedades fotoluminescentes dos complexos dopados foi baseado nos espectros de excitação e emissão e curvas de decaimento de luminescência. Ademais, foram determinados os parâmetros de intensidades experimentais (Ωλ), tempos de vida (τ), taxas de decaimentos radiativo (Arad) e não-radiativo (Anrad). Os materiais luminescentes RE2O3:Eu3+ foram sintetizados de forma bem sucedida por meio do método benzenotricarboxilatos calcinados a 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 e 1000 °C, apresentando alta homogeneidade química e controle de tamanho de cristalito. Os nanomateriais foram caracterizados pelas técnicas de FTIR, XPD SEM e TEM revelando a obtenção dos materiais C-RE2O3:Eu3+ mesmo a 500 °C. Os dados de XPD dos materiais confirmaram um aumento do tamanho dos cristalitos de 5 até 52 nm (equação de Scherrer) de em função da temperatura de calcinação de 500 a 1000 °C, respectivamente, corroborados pelas técnicas de SEM e TEM. Os espectros de emissão de RE2O3:Eu3+ mostram uma banda larga atribuída a transição interconfiguracional de transferência de carga ligante-metal (LMCT) em 260 nm, i.e. O2-(2p)→Eu3+(4f6). Além disso, foram observadas linhas finas de absorção devido as transições intraconfiguracionais 4f do íon európio (7F0,1𔾹LJ; J: 0, 1, 2, 3 e 4), como esperado. As propriedades fotoluminescentes dos luminóforos foram baseadas nos espectros (excitação e emissão) e curvas de decaimento luminescente. Os parâmetros de intensidade experimental, tempos de vida, assim como as taxas de decaimentos radiativos e não radiativos foram calculados. As propriedades fotônicas dos nanomateriais são consistentes com o sítio de baixa simetria C2 ocupado pelo íon Eu3+ no C-RE2O3:Eu3+, produzindo emissão vermelha dominada pela transição hipersensível 5D0𔾻F2 do íon Eu3+ no sitio C2, ao invés do sítio centrossimétrico S6. Além disso, os nanomateriais Y2O3:Eu3+ exibem características espectroscópicas semelhantes e elevados valores de eficiência quântica (η~91 %), compatível com os luminóforos comerciais disponíveis no mercado. Este novo método pode ser utilizado para o desenvolvimento de novos nanomateriais contendo íons terras raras, assim como outros íons metálicos.

Estudo e aplicação de guias de ondas integrados ao substrato em frequências de micro-ondas.

Esse trabalho de pesquisa apresenta um estudo detalhado sobre guias de ondas integrados ao substrato (SIW) operando em frequências de micro-ondas com base na teoria de guias de ondas retangulares (RWG). O estudo sobre guias SIW associa equações apresentadas na literatura e utiliza simulações eletromagnéticas para desenvolver um procedimento de projeto bem definido. É considerada a integração entre guias SIW e linhas de transmissão de microfita, projetando-se transições entre essas duas estruturas com o propósito de prover casamento de impedância e de viabilizar a caracterização em frequências de micro-ondas. São apresentadas considerações sobre processos de fabricação de circuitos SIW em substratos constituídos por laminados de alta frequência. Uma vez estabelecidos os procedimentos de fabricação e os critérios de projeto, a tecnologia SIW é aplicada ao projeto de três guias de ondas SIW nas bandas S e X, que foram fabricados empregando laminados de alta-frequência. Foram projetados dois filtros SIW passa-faixa empregando cavidades ressonantes e postes metálicos indutivos. Os dois filtros operam na frequência central de 10,61 GHz, sendo que um deles tem banda de passagem de 7,5%e é de 3ª ordem e o outro filtro tem banda de passagem de 15%, sendo de 5ª ordem. Foram realizadas comparações entre o desempenho simulado e experimental das estruturas SIW projetadas. Os resultados de simulações eletromagnéticas e experimentais demonstraram boa concordância. Os projetos em tecnologia SIW apresentados neste trabalho de pesquisa possuem perdas de retorno melhores que 10 dB na banda de operação e perdas por inserção de 1,0 dB a 1,5 dB. É apresentada a análise da sensibilidade do desempenho dos guias de ondas e filtros SIW projetados a desvios dimensionais típicos do processo de fabricação por microfresagem mecânica. Com os resultados experimentais e de simulação foi possível validar os procedimentos de projeto e de fabricação de circuitos SIW operando em frequências de micro-ondas.

Mathematical modeling of drying process of unripe banana slices

Unripe banana flour (UBF) production employs bananas not submitted to maturation process, is an interesting alternative to minimize the fruit loss reduction related to inappropriate handling or fast ripening. The UBF is considered as a functional ingredient improving glycemic and plasma insulin levels in blood, have also shown efficacy on the control of satiety, insulin resistance. The aim of this work was to study the drying process of unripe banana slabs (Musa cavendishii, Nanicão) developing a transient drying model through mathematical modeling with simultaneous moisture and heat transfer. The raw material characterization was performed and afterwards the drying process was conducted at 40 ºC, 50 ºC e 60 ºC, the product temperature was recorded using thermocouples, the air velocity inside the chamber was 4 m·s-1. With the experimental data was possible to validate the diffusion model based on the Fick\'s second law and Fourier. For this purpose, the sorption isotherms were measured and fitted to the GAB model estimating the equilibrium moisture content (Xe), 1.76 [g H2O/100g d.b.] at 60 ºC and 10 % of relative humidity (RH), the thermophysical properties (k, Cp, ?) were also measured to be used in the model. Five cases were contemplated: i) Constant thermophysical properties; ii) Variable properties; iii) Mass (hm), heat transfer (h) coefficient and effective diffusivity (De) estimation 134 W·m-2·K-1, 4.91x10-5 m-2·s-1 and 3.278?10-10 m·s-2 at 60 ºC, respectively; iv) Variable De, it presented a third order polynomial behavior as function of moisture content; v) The shrinkage had an effect on the mathematical model, especially in the 3 first hours of process, the thickness experienced a contraction of about (30.34 ± 1.29) % out of the initial thickness, finding two decreasing drying rate periods (DDR I and DDR II), 3.28x10-10 m·s-2 and 1.77x10-10 m·s-2, respectively. COMSOL Multiphysics simulations were possible to perform through the heat and mass transfer coefficient estimated by the mathematical modeling.

Planktonic foraminiferal stratigraphy, datum levels and ages of ODP Sites 184-1146 and 184-1148, South China Sea

Over 30 first and last occurrence (FO and LO, respectively) planktonic foraminifer datums were recognized from the Oligocene-Miocene section of Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1148. Most datum levels occur in similar order as, and are by correlation as probably synchronous with, their open-ocean records. Several datum levels represent local bioevents resulting from dissolution and Site 1148's unique paleoceanographic setting in the northern South China Sea. An age of 9.5-9.8 Ma is estimated for the local LO of Globoquadrina dehiscens (257 meters composite depth [mcd]), whereas the local LO of Globorotalia fohsi s.l. (301 mcd) is projected to be at ~13.0 Ma and the local FO of Globigerinatella insueta (367 mcd) is projected to be at ~18.0 Ma. The combined planktonic foraminifer and nannofossil results indicate that the Oligocene-Miocene section at Site 1148 is not complete. Unconformities up to 2-3 m.y. in duration, occurring at and before the Oligocene/Miocene boundary (OHS1, OHS2, OHS3, and OHS4 = MHS1), are associated with slump deposits between 457 and 495 mcd that signal tectonic instability during the transition from rifting to spreading in the South China Sea. Shorter unconformities of <0.5 m.y. duration that truncate the Miocene section were more likely to have been caused by sea-bottom erosion as well as dissolution. A total of 12 Miocene unconformities, MHS1 through MHS12, are mainly affected by dissolution and an elevated carbonate compensation depth (CCD) during Miocene third-order glaciations recorded in deep-sea positive oxygen isotope Mi glaciation events. Respectively, they fall at ~457 mcd (MHS1 = Mi-1), 407 mcd (MHS2 = Mi-1a), 385 mcd (MHS3 = Mi-1aa), 366 mcd (MHS4 = Mi-1b), 358 mcd (MHS5 = MLi-1), 333 mcd (MHS6 = Mi-2), 318 mcd (MHS7 = MSi-1), 308 mcd (MHS8 = Mi-3), 295 mcd (MHS9 = Mi-4), 288 mcd (MHS10 = Mi-5), 256 mcd (MHS11 = Mi-6), and 250 mcd (MHS12 = Mi-7). The correlation of these unconformities with Mi events indicates that some related driving mechanisms have been operating, causing deepwater circulation changes concomitantly in world oceans and in the marginal South China Sea.

Magnetic susceptibility (MS) measurements on the Sancerre (France) drill-core

The Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE) of the early Jurassic period involves one of the largest perturbations of the carbon cycle in the past 250 Ma, recorded by a pronounced negative carbon-isotope excursion (CIE). Numerous studies have focused on potential causes of the T-OAE and CIE, but are hampered by an uncertain timescale. Here we present high-resolution (~2 kyr) magnetic susceptibility (MS) measurements from the marine marls of the Sancerre-Couy drill-core, southern Paris Basin, spanning the entire Toarcian Stage. The MS variations document a rich series of sub-Milankovitch to Milankovitch frequencies (precession, obliquity and eccentricity) with the periodic g2-g5 (405 kyr) and quasi-periodic g4-g3 (~2.4 Myr Cenozoic mean periodicity) eccentricity terms being the most prominent. The MS-related g4-g3 variation reflects third-order eustatic sequences, and constrains the sequence stratigraphic framework of the Toarcian Stage. In addition, MS variations reveal a modulation of g2-g5 by g4-g3 eccentricity related cycles, suggesting that sea-level change was the main control on the deposition of the Toarcian Sancerre marls, in tune with the astro-climatic frequencies. The stable 405 kyr cyclicity constrains a minimum duration of the Toarcian Stage to ~8.3 Myr, and the well documented CIE, associated with the T-OAE, to ~300 to 500 kyr. The 405 kyr MS timescale calibrates the periodicity of the prominent high-frequency d13C cycles that occur in the decreasing part of the CIE to 30 to 34 kyr, consistent with the Toarcian obliquity period predicted for an Earth experiencing sustained tidal dissipation.

X-ray fluorescence scannings, diatoms, and dinocyst of ODP Site 189-1172

Eocene sediments drilled at the East Tasman Plateau (ETP) exhibit well-defined cycles, high-resolution magnetic stratigraphy, and environmentally-controlled dinoflagellate and diatom distribution patterns. We derive a cyclostratigraphy from the spectral analysis of high-resolution elemental concentration records (Ca, Fe) for this shallow marine time series spanning the middle to early late Eocene (C16n.2n - C21). Changes in carbonate content, the ratio between Gonyaulacoid and Peridinioid dinocysts, and relative abundance of "oligotrophic" diatoms serve as proxies for a high-resolution climatic and sea-level history with high values representing high sea-level stands and decreased eutrophy of surface waters. Changing ratios between high latitude dinocysts versus cosmopolitan species provide clues on sea surface temperature trends and water mass exchange. Our results show that the relatively shallow-water middle Eocene environments of the ETP are influenced by orbitally-forced climatic cycles superimposed on third order relative sea-level changes. Changes in the dominance of Milankovitch frequency at ~38.6 Ma (late Eocene) is related to an initial deepening-step within the Tasmanian Gateway prior to the major deepening during the middle late Eocene (~35.5 Ma). Decreasing sedimentation rates at 38 Ma and 37.2 Ma reflect winnowing associated with sea-level fall. This episode is followed by renewed transgression. Dinocyst distribution patterns indicate high latitude, probably cool temperate surface water conditions throughout, with the exception of a sudden surge in cosmopolitan species near the base of subchron C18.2r, at ~41 Ma; this event is tentatively correlated to the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum.

A Fifteenth-century courtesy book,

Bibliographies of works relating to the Second and Third orders of St. Francis: p. 41, 78.

Er règl ag en Drivet-Urh a benigen, instituet dré er Séraphiq-Patriarch Sant Françaes.

Written in the dialect of Vannes.

The land of poco tiempo,

The land of poco tiempo [New Mexico]--"Lo" who is not poor.--The city in the sky.--The Penitent brothers.--The chase of the chongo.--The wanderings of Cochiti.--The Apache warrior.--On the trail of the renegades.--New Mexican folk-songs.--A day of the saints.--The cities that were forgotten.

A time-domain test for some types of nonlinearity

The bispectrum and third-order moment can be viewed as equivalent tools for testing for the presence of nonlinearity in stationary time series. This is because the bispectrum is the Fourier transform of the third-order moment. An advantage of the bispectrum is that its estimator comprises terms that are asymptotically independent at distinct bifrequencies under the null hypothesis of linearity. An advantage of the third-order moment is that its values in any subset of joint lags can be used in the test, whereas when using the bispectrum the entire (or truncated) third-order moment is required to construct the Fourier transform. In this paper, we propose a test for nonlinearity based upon the estimated third-order moment. We use the phase scrambling bootstrap method to give a nonparametric estimate of the variance of our test statistic under the null hypothesis. Using a simulation study, we demonstrate that the test obtains its target significance level, with large power, when compared to an existing standard parametric test that uses the bispectrum. Further we show how the proposed test can be used to identify the source of nonlinearity due to interactions at specific frequencies. We also investigate implications for heuristic diagnosis of nonstationarity.

First-principles quantum dynamics in interacting Bose gases: I. The positive P representation

The performance of the positive P phase-space representation for exact many- body quantum dynamics is investigated. Gases of interacting bosons are considered, where the full quantum equations to simulate are of a Gross-Pitaevskii form with added Gaussian noise. This method gives tractable simulations of many-body systems because the number of variables scales linearly with the spatial lattice size. An expression for the useful simulation time is obtained, and checked in numerical simulations. The dynamics of first-, second- and third-order spatial correlations are calculated for a uniform interacting 1D Bose gas subjected to a change in scattering length. Propagation of correlations is seen. A comparison is made with other recent methods. The positive P method is particularly well suited to open systems as no conservation laws are hard-wired into the calculation. It also differs from most other recent approaches in that there is no truncation of any kind.

Random vibration of the functionally graded laminates in thermal environments

This work deals with the random free vibration of functionally graded laminates with general boundary conditions and subjected to a temperature change, taking into account the randomness in a number of independent input variables such as Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio and thermal expansion coefficient of each constituent material. Based on third-order shear deformation theory, the mixed-type formulation and a semi-analytical approach are employed to derive the standard eigenvalue problem in terms of deflection, mid-plane rotations and stress function. A mean-centered first-order perturbation technique is adopted to obtain the second-order statistics of vibration frequencies. A detailed parametric study is conducted, and extensive numerical results are presented in both tabular and graphical forms for laminated plates that contain functionally graded material which is made of aluminum and zirconia, showing the effects of scattering in thermo-clastic material constants, temperature change, edge support condition, side-to-thickness ratio, and plate aspect ratio on the stochastic characteristics of natural frequencies. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exact eigenvalue correspondences between laminated plate theories via membrane vibration

Based on Reddy's third-order theory, the first-order theory and the classical theory, exact explicit eigenvalues are found for compression buckling, thermal buckling and vibration of laminated plates via analogy with membrane vibration, These results apply to symmetrically laminated composite plates with transversely isotropic laminae and simply supported polygonal edges, Comprehensive consideration of a Winkler-Pasternak elastic foundation, a hydrostatic inplane force, an initial temperature increment and rotary inertias is incorporated. Bridged by the vibrating membrane, exact correspondences are readily established between any pairs of buckling and vibration eigenvalues associated with different theories. Positive definiteness of the critical hydrostatic pressure at buckling, the thermobukling temperature increment and, in the range of either tension loading or compression loading prior to occurrence of buckling, the natural vibration frequency is proved. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Growth rates of Rhizocarpon geographicum lichens:A review with new data from Iceland

This paper reviews evidence from previous growth-rate studies on lichens of the yellow-green species of Subgenus Rhizocarpon - the family most commonly used in lichenometric dating. New data are presented from Rhizocarpon section Rhizocarpon thalli growing on a moraine in southern Iceland over a period of 4.33yr. Measurements of 38 lichen thalli, between 2001 and 2005, show that diametral growth rate (DGR, mmyr-1) is a function of thallus size. Growth rates increase rapidly in small thalli (<10 mm diameter), remain high (ca. 0.8 mm yr-1) and then decrease gradually in larger thalli (>50 mm diameter). Mean DGR in southern Iceland, between 2001 and 2005, was 0.64 mm yr-1 (SD = 0.24). The resultant growth-rate curve is parabolic and is best described by a third-order polynomial function. The striking similarity between these findings in Iceland and those of Armstrong (1983) in Wales implies that the shape of the growth-rate curve may be characteristic of Rhizocarpon geographicum lichens. The difference between the absolute growth rate in southern Iceland and Wales (ca. 66% faster) is probably a function of climate and micro-environment between the two sites. These findings have implications for previous lichenometric-dating studies, namely, that those studies which assume constant lichen growth rates over many decades are probably unreliable. © British Geological Survey/ Natural Environment Research Council copyright 2006.