The Critical Strips of the Sums 1 + 2z + ... + nz

We give a partition of the critical strip, associated with each partial sum 1 + 2z + ... + nz of the Riemann zeta function for Re z < −1, formed by infinitely many rectangles for which a formula allows us to count the number of its zeros inside each of them with an error, at most, of two zeros. A generalization of this formula is also given to a large class of almost-periodic functions with bounded spectrum.

Privileged Regions in Critical Strips of Non-lattice Dirichlet Polynomials

This paper shows, by means of Kronecker’s theorem, the existence of infinitely many privileged regions called r -rectangles (rectangles with two semicircles of small radius r ) in the critical strip of each function Ln(z):= 1−∑nk=2kz , n≥2 , containing exactly [Tlogn2π]+1 zeros of Ln(z) , where T is the height of the r -rectangle and [⋅] represents the integer part.

Evaluation of experimental rumble strips. Final report.

Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Baton Rouge

Laboratory testing of Alcoscan saliva-alcohol test strips. Technical report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Driver and Pedestrian Research, Washington, D.C.

Cantilever extension of ground control in strips of convergent photographs by analytical triangulation.

"Contract no. DA-44-009 Eng-2986, Department of the Army Project no. 8-35-11-106."

Lantern slides and film strips of the United States Department of Agriculture /

"Issued March, 1930."

Lantern slides and film strips of the United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.

Earlier edition issued by Extension service, Office of cooperative extension work.

Film strips of the U.S. Department of Agriculture : price list for 1941-42.

Cover title.

"Flight strips"-- : bargain airports-- /

"Reprint from Air trails pictorial."

Isolation, solution structure, and insecticidal activity of Kalata B2, a circular protein with a twist: Do Mobius strips exist in nature?

A large number of macrocyclic miniproteins with diverse biological activities have been isolated from the Rubiaceae, Violaceae, and Cucurbitaceae plant families in recent years. Here we report the three-dimensional structure determined using H-1 NMR spectroscopy and demonstrate potent insecticidal activity for one of these peptides, kalata B2. This peptide is one of the major components of an extract from the leaves of the plant Oldenlandia affinis. The structure consists of a distorted triple-stranded beta-sheet and a cystine knot arrangement of the disulfide bonds and is similar to those described for other members of the cyclotide family. The unique cyclic and knotted nature of these molecules makes them a fascinating example of topologically complex proteins. Examination of the sequences reveals that they can be separated into two subfamilies, one of which contains a larger number of positively charged residues and has a bracelet-like circularization of the backbone. The second subfamily contains a backbone twist due to a cis-peptidyl-proline bond and may conceptually be regarded as a molecular Mobius strip. Kalata B2 is the second putative member of the Mobius cyclotide family to be structurally characterized and has a cis-peptidyl-proline bond, thus validating the suggested name for this subfamily of cyclotides. The observation that kalata B2 inhibits the growth and development of Helicoverpa armigera larvae suggests a role for the cyclotides in plant defense. A comparison of the sequences and structures of kalata B1 and B2 provides insight into the biological activity of these peptides.

Development of an oligonucleotide-based SNP detection method on lateral flow strips using hexapet tages

Detection of point mutations or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is important in relation to disease susceptibility or detection in pathogens of mutations determining drug resistance or host range. There is an emergent need for rapid detection methods amenable to point-of-care applications. The purpose of this study was to reduce to practice a novel method for SNP detection and to demonstrate that this technology can be used downstream of nucleic acid amplification. The authors used a model system to develop an oligonucleotide-based SNP detection system on nitrocellulose lateral flow strips. To optimize the assay they used cloned sequences of the herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) DNA polymerase gene into which they introduced a point mutation. The assay system uses chimeric polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers that incorporate hexameric repeat tags ("hexapet tags"). The chimeric sequences allow capture of amplified products to predefined positions on a lateral flow strip. These "hexapet" sequences have minimal cross-reactivity and allow specific hybridization-based capture of the PCR products at room temperature onto lateral flow strips that have been striped with complementary hexapet tags. The allele-specific amplification was carried out with both mutant and wild-type primer sets present in the PCR mix ("competitive" format). The resulting PCR products carried a hexapet tag that corresponded with either a wild-type or mutant sequence. The lateral flow strips are dropped into the PCR reaction tube, and mutant sequence and wild-type sequences diffuse along the strip and are captured at the corresponding position on the strip. A red line indicative of a positive reaction is visible after 1 minute. Unlike other systems that require separate reactions and strips for each target sequence, this system allows multiplex PCR reactions and multiplex detection on a single strip or other suitable substrates. Unambiguous visual discrimination of a point mutation under room temperature hybridization conditions was achieved with this model system in 10 minutes after PCR. The authors have developed a capture-based hybridization method for the detection and discrimination of HSV-1 DNA polymerase genes that contain a single nucleotide change. It has been demonstrated that the hexapet oligonucleotides can be adapted for hybridization on the lateral flow strip platform for discrimination of SNPs. This is the first step in demonstrating SNP detection on lateral flow using the hexapet oligonucleotide capture system. It is anticipated that this novel system can be widely used in point-of-care settings.

Testing term structure estimation methods:evidence from the UK STRIPs market

Prices and yields of UK government zero-coupon bonds are used to test alternative yield curve estimation models. Zero-coupon bonds permit a more pure comparison, as the models are providing only the interpolation service and also not making estimation feasible. It is found that better yield curves estimates are obtained by fitting to the yield curve directly rather than fitting first to the discount function. A simple procedure to set the smoothness of the fitted curves is developed, and a positive relationship between oversmoothness and the fitting error is identified. A cubic spline function fitted directly to the yield curve provides the best overall balance of fitting error and smoothness, both along the yield curve and within local maturity regions.

Far field of binary phase gratings with errors in the height of the strips

Diffraction gratings are not always ideal but, due to the fabrication process, several errors can be produced. In this work we show that when the strips of a binary phase diffraction grating present certain randomness in their height, the intensity of the diffraction orders varies with respect to that obtained with a perfect grating. To show this, we perform an analysis of the mutual coherence function and then, the intensity distribution at the far field is obtained. In addition to the far field diffraction orders, a "halo" that surrounds the diffraction order is found, which is due to the randomness of the strips height.

Modelling the effectiveness of grass buffer strips in managing muddy floods under a changing climate

Muddy floods occur when rainfall generates runoff on agricultural land, detaching and transporting sediment into the surrounding natural and built environment. In the Belgian Loess Belt, muddy floods occur regularly and lead to considerable economic costs associated with damage to property and infrastructure. Mitigation measures designed to manage the problem have been tested in a pilot area within Flanders and were found to be cost-effective within three years. This study assesses whether these mitigation measures will remain effective under a changing climate. To test this, the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model was used to examine muddy flooding diagnostics (precipitation, runoff, soil loss and sediment yield) for a case study hillslope in Flanders where grass buffer strips are currently used as a mitigation measure. The model was run for present day conditions and then under 33 future site-specific climate scenarios. These future scenarios were generated from three earth system models driven by four representative concentration pathways and downscaled using quantile mapping and the weather generator CLIGEN. Results reveal that under the majority of future scenarios, muddy flooding diagnostics are projected to increase, mostly as a consequence of large scale precipitation events rather than mean changes. The magnitude of muddy flood events for a given return period is also generally projected to increase. These findings indicate that present day mitigation measures may have a reduced capacity to manage muddy flooding given the changes imposed by a warming climate with an enhanced hydrological cycle. Revisions to the design of existing mitigation measures within existing policy frameworks are considered the most effective way to account for the impacts of climate change in future mitigation planning. 

Mucosal modulation of contractility in bladder strips from normal and overactive rat models and the effect of botulinum toxin A on overactive bladder strips

AIMS: To investigate the local, regulatory role of the mucosa on bladder strip contractility from normal and overactive bladders and to examine the effect of botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A).

METHODS: Bladder strips from spontaneously hyperactive rat (SHR) or normal rats (Sprague Dawley, SD) were dissected for myography as intact or mucosa-free preparations. Spontaneous, neurogenic and agonist-evoked contractions were investigated. SHR strips were incubated in BoNT-A (3 h) to assess effects on contractility.

RESULTS: Spontaneous contraction amplitude, force-integral or frequency were not significantly different in SHR mucosa-free strips compared with intacts. In contrast, spontaneous contraction amplitude and force-integral were smaller in SD mucosa-free strips than in intacts; frequency was not affected by the mucosa. Frequency of spontaneous contractions in SHR strips was significantly greater than in SD strips. Neurogenic contractions in mucosa-free SHR and SD strips at higher frequencies were smaller than in intact strips. The mucosa did not affect carbachol-evoked contractions in intact versus mucosa-free strips from SHR or SD bladders. BoNT-A reduced spontaneous contractions in SHR intact strips; this trend was also observed in mucosa-free strips but was not significant. Neurogenic and carbachol-evoked contractions were reduced by BoNT-A in mucosa-free but not intact strips. Depolarisation-induced contractions were smaller in BoNT-A-treated mucosa-free strips.

CONCLUSIONS: The mucosal layer positively modulates spontaneous contractions in strips from normal SD but not overactive SHR bladder strips. The novel finding of BoNT-A reduction of contractions in SHR mucosa-free strips indicates actions on the detrusor, independent of its classical action on neuronal SNARE complexes.