2,587 research outputs found
Technical note: a fast and reproducible autosampler for direct vapor equilibration isotope measurements
No full textAbstract. To investigate water movement in environmental systems, stable isotope (2H and 18O) ratios of water are commonly used tracers. Analyzing the isotopic ratios of water in or adsorbed to substances like soil or plant tissue necessitates the extraction or equilibration of water prior to analysis. One such method, direct vapor equilibration, is popular due to its cost-effectiveness and straightforward sample processing. However, sample analysis requires significant manual labor, thereby limiting the number of samples that can be analyzed. This limitation is compounded by the fact that stored samples undergo evaporative isotopic changes over time. Moreover, manual measurements require many laborious procedural steps that can easily compromise reproducibility. The operator has to subjectively decide if the measurements are stable and then record the analyzer readings. To address these challenges, we have developed a system that automates the analysis process. Our autosampler for vapor samples, named VapAuSa, features a modular design that allows for up to 350 ports for direct vapor equilibration samples. These ports sequentially connect the prepared samples to a laser isotope analyzer, enabling continuous automated measurements. Within the accompanying software, measurement criteria can be specified, facilitating reproducible analysis. The developed system was tested by co-measuring 90 soil samples and 21 liquid water samples with known δ values. VapAuSa measurements have a negligible measurement bias (<1×10-13 ‰ for both δ2H and δ18O) and similar measurement repeatability compared to manual analysis of identical samples (δ2H=±4.5 ‰ and δ18O=±0.58 ‰ for VapAuSa measurements vs. δ2H=±5.7 ‰ and δ18O=±0.37 ‰ for manual analysis). However, the increased sample throughput minimizes storage-induced isotopic changes. Moreover, VapAuSa triples sample throughput per week while also reducing the direct labor time to just 10 % of that required for manual processing
Development, Implementation, and Industry Reception of a Novel Multi-source, Data-driven Building Energy Management Toolkit
No full textInefficient and uninformed operations negatively impact building energy performance, leading to wide disparities between predicted and actual energy use in commercial and institutional buildings. Though ample research in data-driven building operations analytics has derived various methodologies for extracting energy-saving insights that can inform best practices, these approaches have traditionally remained disparate, and are mostly inaccessible to operations personnel who can benefit from these approaches in augmenting their duties and optimizing building energy efficiency. This research explores the development, implementation, and industry reception of a novel multi-source, data-driven building energy management toolkit as a synthesis of established data-driven approaches in the literature. Energy-saving insights identified from over five separate case study buildings demonstrated the toolkit's multifaceted application to identify operational deficiencies, and interviews with building operators and facility managers regarding the toolkit's outputs were conducted to identify possible barriers which may inhibit operations professionals from effectively deriving and utilizing data-driven insights
Development of a Software Tool for Analyzing Experimental Data of a Recycling Machine
No full textAuthor DI Markus Kirchmayr, BScMasterarbeit Universität Linz 2022Arbeit nach Ablauf der Sperre auf den öffentlichen PCs in den Bibliotheken der JKU+Medizin abrufba
Development of a Software Tool for Analyzing Experimental Data of a Recycling Machine
No full textAuthor DI Markus Kirchmayr, BScMasterarbeit Universität Linz 2022Arbeit nach Ablauf der Sperre auf den öffentlichen PCs in den Bibliotheken der JKU+Medizin abrufba
Strategi Pelayanan Lintas Budaya Berdasarkan Markus 4:1-34
Full text linkHarming & Katarina, Cross-cultural Service Strategy based on Mark 4: 1-34. The author conducted a study of the text of Mark 4: 1-34 using qualitative research literature study using the biblical hermeneutic principle. Based on the analysis of the text of Mark 4: 1-34 the authors find there are four cross-cultural service strategies namely by understanding local culture, using media. Harming & Katarina, Strategi Pelayanan Lintas budaya Berdasarkan Markus 4:1-34. Penulis melakukan penelitian terhadap teks Markus 4:1-34 dengan menggunakan penelitian kualitatif studi pustaka dengan menggunakan prinsip hermeneutik Alkitab. Berdasarkan analisis terhadap teks Markus 4:1-34 penulis menemukan ada empat strategi pelayanan lintas budaya yaitu dengan memahami budaya lokal, menggunakan media yang ada dalam budaya, memberdayakan potensi yang ada, dan menciptakan terobosan
Tagging of Biomedical Articles on CiteULike: A Comparison of User, Author and Professional Indexing
Full text linkThis paper examines the context of online indexing from the viewpoint of three different groups: users, authors, and professional indexers. User tags, author keywords and descriptors were collected from academic journal articles, which were both indexed in Pubmed and tagged on CiteULike, and analysed. Descriptive statistics, informetric measures, and thesaural term comparison shows that there are important differences in the use of keywords between the three groups in addition to similarities which can be used to enhance support for search and browse. While tags and author keywords were found that matched descriptors exactly, other terms which did not match but provided important expansion to the indexing lexicon were found. These additional terms could be used to enhance support for searching and browsing in article databases as well as to provide invaluable data for entry vocabulary and emergent terminology for regular updates to indexing systems. Additionally, the study suggests that tags support organisation by association to task, projects and subject while making important connections to traditional systems which classify into subject categories
Genome-wide association study identifies a variant in HDAC9 associated with large vessel ischemic stroke
Full text linkGenetic factors have been implicated in stroke risk, but few replicated associations have been reported. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for ischemic stroke and its subtypes in 3,548 affected individuals and 5,972 controls, all of European ancestry. Replication of potential signals was performed in 5,859 affected individuals and 6,281 controls. We replicated previous associations for cardioembolic stroke near PITX2 and ZFHX3 and for large vessel stroke at a 9p21 locus. We identified a new association for large vessel stroke within HDAC9 (encoding histone deacetylase 9) on chromosome 7p21.1 (including further replication in an additional 735 affected individuals and 28,583 controls) (rs11984041; combined P = 1.87 × 10<sup>−11</sup>; odds ratio (OR) = 1.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.28–1.57). All four loci exhibited evidence for heterogeneity of effect across the stroke subtypes, with some and possibly all affecting risk for only one subtype. This suggests distinct genetic architectures for different stroke subtypes
The ABC transporter MsbA adopts the wide inward-open conformation in E. coli cells
Full text linkMembrane proteins are currently investigated after detergent extraction from native cellular membranes and reconstitution into artificial liposomes or nanodiscs, thereby removing them from their physiological environment. However, to truly understand the biophysical properties of membrane proteins in a physiological environment, they must be investigated within living cells. Here, we used a spin-labeled nanobody to interrogate the conformational cycle of the ABC transporter MsbA by double electron-electron resonance. Unexpectedly, the wide inward-open conformation of MsbA, commonly considered a nonphysiological state, was found to be prominently populated in Escherichia coli cells. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that extensive lateral portal opening is essential to provide access of its large natural substrate core lipid A to the binding cavity. Our work paves the way to investigate the conformational landscape of membrane proteins in cells
The sense of a beginning : Bakhtinian dialogic criticism on 'the gospel' in Mark.
Full text linkContemporary literary approaches have caused paradigm shifts in Biblical Studies in the last two decades as it appears in a great deal of Markan studies using narrative, reader-response, deconstructive, feminist, and new historicist approaches. However, literary studies on the Gospel of Mark have not taken into account theoretical questions underlying those approaches. As a result biblical critics are driven by new trends without ever having a chance to examine the critical baggage of the approaches. Consequently, there is a gap of communication between the old and the new one. Therefore this thesis is an attempt to meet the need of enhancing the quality of critical endeavour in biblical studies. In the light of most recent competing critical theories of literature, the first contribution of this thesis is the methodological finding that Bakhtinian dialogic criticism contains the most profound philosophical and practical foundations for solving some crucial theoretical problems in contemporary literary theories. It is a critique to a Saussurian linguistic system of language which becomes the very foundation of modern and postmodern literary criticism. Bakhtinian literary theory shifts the foundation of literary criticism on linguistic signs into the creative activity of the socio-cultural production of human communication. The shift into socio-cultural reality of language communication makes the notion of 'genre' very important to unlock the problem of text and context in literary studies. Since the Gospel of Mark has fascinated most literary critics in Biblical Studies, the problem of 'genre' of this gospel is chosen as the focus of this study. Secondly, as no agreement is reached as to what 'genre' the Gospel of Mark belongs, this thesis makes its contribution to the discussion by locating the problem of 'genre' of Mark in the context of genre theories and argues that the Bakhtinian suggestion to find genre in the socio-cultural sphere by analysing artistic intercourse between narrative agents in Mark has freed the competing analysis from the unresolved problem between the kerygmatic (content oriented) approach and the analogical (form oriented) approach. To achieve finding 'genre' in the socio-cultural sphere, this thesis focuses on Bakhtinian analysis of the process of artistic intercourse between narrative agents. The narrative communicative interrelationships between narrative agents is constructed in this thesis as a 'stereophonic' Bakhtinian model of dialogic communication. This model is an original contribution of this thesis for revising the traditional two dimensional model of narrative communication. Based on this dialogical model of communication, a special role is given to the Bakhtinian 'author-creator' in the realization process of genre through the interaction of polyphonic voices. Through the interaction of voices of the author-artist and the hero we are led to discover a relatively stable type of portraying and controlling reality in Mark, known as the genre of Roman 'satire'. The closest literary affinity is Satyrica by Petronius. This narrative strategy of 'satire' in Mark has its root in the prophetic discourse of the Old Testament which is saturating the speech of the narrator, John the Immerser, the centurion, the people, and even Jesus. Finally, the whole search for Markan 'genre' culminates in the analysis of the realization of genre through the analysis of Bakhtinian chronotope. The reality of the genre of Mark is its social reality that is in its role as dpxrj/ 'beginning'. As the Gospel of Mark proclaims itself as 'a beginning', it defines its claim of socio-cultural 'authority' in early Christianity. It is this 'sense of beginning' which enables the narrating and the narrated world of Mark to interact dialogically
Mechanistic and structural insights into the type VI secretion system tail of "vibrio cholerae"
Full text linkBacteria use many different types of secretion systems to interact with and modulate their environment. Secretion systems are involved in these tasks with a wide variety of functions. Their substrate proteins mediate motility, phagosomal escape, host modulation or interbacterial competition. Various different mechanisms exist, how the transport across membranes is mediated. Some substrates are secreted in two steps, others in only one step. Some secretion systems just export their cargo into the extracellular medium, whereas others deliver their substrates under specific circumstances into other cells. The Type VI Secretion System (T6SS) is the largest secretion system and can span the entire length of a bacterium. It contracts a long sheath and pushes an inner tube with associated effectors into a target cell. The tail is anchored to the cell envelope by a membrane complex and consists of sheath, tube and baseplate. The baseplate initiates polymerization of the sheath-tube complex and connects the sheath to the membrane complex. The membrane complex is formed by the membrane proteins TssJ, TssL and TssM. TssJ is located in the outer membrane, whereas TssL and TssM are inner membrane proteins. The baseplate is formed by TssE, TssF, TssG and TssK. TssK connects the baseplate to the membrane complex. TssF and TssG form the baseplate wedge and TssE connects the sheath to the baseplate. The central part of the baseplate consists of VgrG and PAAR-proteins. A trimer of VgrG-proteins forms the spike and the monomeric Zinc-containing PAAR-protein forms the spike tip. The inner Hcp-tube polymerizes on VgrG and the sheath polymerizes on TssE and wraps around the Hcp-tube. Polymerization of the sheath is mediated by a TssA cap at the growing end of the sheath, opposite of the baseplate. The sheath is a six-start helix of TssB and TssC (VipA and VipB) and its protomers form an interlaced network that is essential for stability of the sheath. Presumably, the baseplate triggers contraction of the sheath, which leads to an increase in the helical twist, widening of the diameter and shortening of the length of the sheath. The contraction pushes the inner tube with the associated spike and effectors into target cells. The contracted sheath is specifically recognized by the AAA+-protein ClpV that disassembles it. In recent years our understanding regarding structure and function of the T6SS advanced rapidly. However, certain aspects are not yet understood. This thesis will address progress on understanding different aspects of the T6SS mostly from a structural and mechanistic perspective. First, I will briefly describe other bacterial secretion systems and then present our findings on (i) the structure of the T6SS sheath in a contracted state, (ii) the mechanism of contraction of the sheath, (iii) the structure of the sheath in an extended state and (iv) structures of associated components, namely the baseplate and the cap. We solved the structure of the T6SS-sheath in a contracted state, discovered that it forms an interlaced helix and that the interlacing linkers are important for its function. We also proposed how specificity of ClpV binding to the contracted sheath is achieved. Further targeted mutagenesis lead to a model of how sheath contraction is propagated through the sheath. Some mutations stabilized the sheath in an extended state and made it possible to isolate it. Extended sheaths contain the inner Hcp-tube.We then structurally characterized the extended sheath-tube assembly and gained further insights into the rearrangement of domains as well as a deeper understanding of the binding mode of ClpV. The extended sheaths were also specifically associated with proteins of the baseplate and the cap. We described the structural arrangement of baseplate proteins and the cap and gained first insights in the relative orientation with the sheath in a near-native assembly. I will provide insights into the complete assembly of the cytosolic part of the T6SS. The knowledge about the T6SS that is presented here, can likely be transferred to related systems as contractile tailed phages or R-type pyocins
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