Mapping surface temperature in large lakes with MODIS data

Satellite sensor MODIS on two platforms can produce Sea Surface Temperature over certain regions about three to four times per day. Our objective was to test if the MODIS SST product can be applied for lakes whose surface areas are large enough to be observed at the MODIS spatial resolution and to compare the satellite-derived lake surface temperatures with in situ measurements. Surface temperatures for Lakes Vänern and Vättern in Sweden, two of the largest European lakes, are extracted from the MODIS/Terra images for period 2001-2003. The results are analyzed on different quality levels, as all MODIS L2 products are equipped with an additional quality flag. We present temperature development over 2001-2003, and show the capability of the MODIS SST product to couple the known thermodynamical features in the lakes under study, where temperature varies greatly with space and time. These results can complement lake monitoring programs anywhere.     

How would an EU-membership of the Visegrád- countries affect Europe‘s economic geography?EU-membership of the Visegrád-countries

The question posed in the title of the paper is answered by simulating EU-integration of the Visegrád-countries by a spatial computable general equilibrium (SCGE) model. A two-sector model is calibrated for a system of almost 100 regions covering the whole area of Europe and a rest of world region. The sectors are a local sector, producing non-tradables under perfect competition, and a tradables sector, producing a large number of tradable varieties under monopolistic competition. Trade between regions is costly, with costs depending on geographic distance and national impediments to trade. The model is calibrated such that the equilibrium solution reproduces benchmark data about international trade and regional incomes. Economic integration is simulated by reducing impediments to trade between integrating countries and calculating a new counterfactual equilibrium.     

Optimal Control of Solar Sludge Dryers

Optimal control (OC) methodology is used to develop a control policy for a batch-operated solar sludge dryer with ventilation as the dominant control. Batch performance criteria and instantaneous optimization criteria are developed for two economic environments: quota limited and capital limited. The general formulation, as well as simplifications resulting from the multiplicative form of the evaporation (drying) rate model, are presented. The multiplicative form results in a single constant number, called here “control intensity,” which is used to guide the on-line control decisions. These decisions turn out to be independent of the dry solids content (DSC) of the sludge. Further simplification, by assuming a strictly constant weather, is used to demonstrate the general effects of the economic and physical (weather) environment on the solution.

The OC approach is used to address, via simulation under realistic weather conditions, several design, operation, and pricing problems. In particular, the following have been considered: sizing of the ventilation fans, determination of a fair fee for sludge disposal, finding the best final DSC, and evaluating the effect of the price of electricity. Regarding the particular location represented by the data, it has been shown that the installed capacity of the ventilation fans should be increased and that there seems to be sufficient economic incentive for solar drying.     

智能卡IC-电子商务的安全密钥

引言 电子商务是建立在信任基础上的.在现实世界中,信任是通过人际关系、签名及其他证明方式建立起来的.而在电子世界里,信任的创建必须脱离这些书面的证明方式.事实上,电子身份证可提供确凿的证据,表明客户及厂商的真实身份.     

Local mobility within villin 14T probed via heteronuclear relaxation measurements and a reduced spectral density mapping

Villin 14T, a representative domain from the actin severing and bundling protein villin, binds calcium ions and actin monomers. To begin to understand the contributions of mobility to the villin-calcium and villin-actin interactions, relaxation rates for magnetization involving the amide nitrogens and protons have been measured for 15N-labeled villin 14T in solution. Although we have measured the complete set of rates required for a full spectral density map, difficulties in the accurate measurement of relaxation rates for antiphase coherence and two-spin order led us to consider a reduced mapping formalism. From the reduced spectral density map, a model-free analysis, or directly from the measured Nx,y relaxation rates, local variations in mobility along the backbone of villin 14T have been revealed. Fast motions are evident not only at the amino and carboxyl termini but also in the turn between strands beta 4 and beta 5 of the central beta-sheet and in the turn between helix alpha 3 and strand beta 7. Slower motions are suggested for the turn between strands beta 2 and beta 3. Motions on the microsecond to millisecond time scale have been probed directly by examining the dependence of the proton transverse relaxation rate on the spin-locking field strength. Leu11 shows a strong dependence on field strength, implying conformational exchange with a time constant of 125 +/- 69 microseconds. The backbone at the actin-binding interface appears to be rather rigid.     

The role of visual complexity and prototypicality regarding first impression of websites: Working towards understanding aesthetic judgments

This paper experimentally investigates the role of visual complexity (VC) and prototypicality (PT) as design factors of websites, shaping users' first impressions by means of two studies. In the first study, 119 screenshots of real websites varying in VC (low vs. medium vs. high) and PT (low vs. high) were rated on perceived aesthetics. Screenshot presentation time was varied as a between-subject factor (50 ms vs. 500 ms vs. 1000 ms). Results reveal that VC and PT affect participants' aesthetics ratings within the first 50 ms of exposure. In the second study presentation times were shortened to 17, 33 and 50 ms. Results suggest that VC and PT affect aesthetic perception even within 17 ms, though the effect of PT is less pronounced than the one of VC. With increasing presentation time the effect of PT becomes as influential as the VC effect. This supports the reasoning of the information-processing stage model of aesthetic processing (Leder et al., 2004), where VC is processed at an earlier stage than PT. Overall, websites with low VC and high PT were perceived as highly appealing.     

Neutrophil Extracellular Traps and Their Implications in Cardiovascular and Inflammatory Disease

Neutrophils are primary effector cells of innate immunity and fight infection by phagocytosis and degranulation. Activated neutrophils also release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in response to a variety of stimuli. These NETs are net-like complexes composed of cell-free DNA, histones and neutrophil granule proteins. Besides the evolutionarily conserved mechanism to capture and eliminate pathogens, NETs are also associated with pathophysiological processes of various diseases. Here, we elucidate the mechanisms of NET formation and their different implications in disease. We focused on autoinflammatory and cardiovascular disorders as the leading cause of death. Neutrophil extracellular traps are not only present in various cardiovascular diseases but play an essential role in atherosclerotic plaque formation, arterial and venous thrombosis, as well as in the development and progression of abdominal aortic aneurysms. Furthermore, NETosis can be considered as a source of autoantigens and maintains an inflammatory milieu promoting autoimmune diseases. Indeed, there is further need for research into the balance between NET induction, inhibition, and degradation in order to pharmacologically target NETs and their compounds without impairing the patient’s immune defense. This review may be of interest to both basic scientists and clinicians to stimulate translational research and innovative clinical approaches.     

GCase and LIMP2 Abnormalities in the Liver of Niemann Pick Type C Mice

The lysosomal storage disease Niemann–Pick type C (NPC) is caused by impaired cholesterol efflux from lysosomes, which is accompanied by secondary lysosomal accumulation of sphingomyelin and glucosylceramide (GlcCer). Similar to Gaucher disease (GD), patients deficient in glucocerebrosidase (GCase) degrading GlcCer, NPC patients show an elevated glucosylsphingosine and glucosylated cholesterol. In livers of mice lacking the lysosomal cholesterol efflux transporter NPC1, we investigated the expression of established biomarkers of lipid-laden macrophages of GD patients, their GCase status, and content on the cytosol facing glucosylceramidase GBA2 and lysosomal integral membrane protein type B (LIMP2), a transporter of newly formed GCase to lysosomes. Livers of 80-week-old Npc1^−/− mice showed a partially reduced GCase protein and enzymatic activity. In contrast, GBA2 levels tended to be reciprocally increased with the GCase deficiency. In Npc1^−/− liver, increased expression of lysosomal enzymes (cathepsin D, acid ceramidase) was observed as well as increased markers of lipid-stressed macrophages (GPNMB and galectin-3). Immunohistochemistry showed that the latter markers are expressed by lipid laden Kupffer cells. Earlier reported increase of LIMP2 in Npc1^−/− liver was confirmed. Unexpectedly, immunohistochemistry showed that LIMP2 is particularly overexpressed in the hepatocytes of the Npc1^−/− liver. LIMP2 in these hepatocytes seems not to only localize to (endo)lysosomes. The recent recognition that LIMP2 harbors a cholesterol channel prompts the speculation that LIMP2 in Npc1^−/− hepatocytes might mediate export of cholesterol into the bile and thus protects the hepatocytes.     

Luminescent Amphiphilic Aminoglycoside Probes to Study Transfection

We report the characterization of amphiphilic aminoglycoside conjugates containing luminophores with aggregation-induced emission properties as transfection reagents. These inherently luminescent transfection vectors are capable of binding plasmid DNA through electrostatic interactions; this binding results in an emission “on” signal due to restriction of intramolecular motion of the luminophore core. The luminescent cationic amphiphiles effectively transferred plasmid DNA into mammalian cells (HeLa, HEK 293T), as proven by expression of a red fluorescent protein marker. The morphologies of the aggregates were investigated by microscopy as well as ζ-potential and dynamic light-scattering measurements. The transfection efficiencies using luminescent cationic amphiphiles were similar to that of the gold-standard transfection reagent Lipofectamine® 2000.