Electrodynamics of moving media First semiannual report, 1 May - 1 Nov. 1965

Electrodynamics of moving media - Minkowski covariant formulation - Radiation due to oscillating dipole in vacuum - Field of moving charge in bounded region and Cerenkov radiatio

Topics in electrodynamics of moving media Final report, 1 May 1965 - 1 May 1966

Electrodynamics of moving medi

On the Importance of ‘Spaciousness’ in LIS: Meditations on the Pandemic, Place, and a Post-Eurocentric Future

More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that we consider how this context has affected the field of library and information science (LIS).  While the pandemic’s effects can seem endless, I focus specifically on the existential fear the pandemic has generated and its implications for our field.  I link this existential fear particularly with our ability to share physical space together.  To this end, we must reinvigorate concepts such as library as place.  This paper shows how a contemplative focus in our profession can help in this regard.  However, this contemplative focus needs to move beyond Eurocentrism to truly expand the narrative in our field.  As such, I show how vāstu and its focus on inner ‘spaciousness’ can highlight new approaches to not just repair the damage wrought by neoliberalism and the pandemic, but to also find new ways to thrive both individually and collectively

Radiation due to an oscillating dipole over a lossless semi-infinite moving dielectric medium

Boundary value problems for radiation field due to oscillating dipole over moving dielectric mediu

Molecular approaches to increasing resistance of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) towards two insect pests; Cereal aphid (Sitobion avenae F.) and Wheat bulb fly (Delia coarctata Fallen).

Cereal aphid (Sitobion avenae) and wheat bulb fly (Delia coarctata) are serious pests of wheat in the UK. At the present, chemical pesticides are used to control these insects, but they are limited in effectiveness, and have undersirable ecological impacts. There is a need to improve wheat genetically to be resistant to such inset pests. The objectives of this work were to investigate digestive biochemistry in the selected insect pests of wheat, and to determine effects of potential endogenous resistance factors in wheat on digestion, nutrition and other insect metabolic processes. The aim was to develop new strategies for crop protection. Digestive biochemistry in S. avenae and D. coarctata was studied to characterise gut proteases and their inhibition by host plant proteinase inhibitors (PIs). Investigation of proteolytic digestion in S. avenae gut showed that in spite of being a phloem-feeding insect, cereal aphid could digest ingested protein, using cysteine proteases. D. coarctata larvae contained mainly serine protease activity. A serine protease (DcSP) and a cysteine protease (DcCathL) from D. coarctata gut tissue were expressed as recombinant proteins. Only DcCathL was recovered in active form. DcCathL was insecticidal to Mamestra brassicae when injected into hemolymph, causing systemic and extensive melanisation. DcCathL selectively degraded recombinant serpins from M. brassicae in in vitro assays, and is suggested to interfere with regulation of the proteolytic cascade leading to phenoloxidase activation and melanin production in vivo. DcCathL has potential as a biopesticide if it could be made effective when orally delivered. A cationic amino acid transporter from D. coarctata gut (DcCAAT) was also cloned as a target for RNA interference. Potential resistance factors in wheat were characterised by expression as recombinant proteins. Two PIs from wheat (subtilisin/chymotrypsin inhibitor; WSCI, and cysteine proteinase inhibitor; WCPI) were expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris, and purified. WSCI inhibited gut protease activity of both insects in in vitro and in vivo assays, whereas WCPI only inhibited S. avenae gut extract activity. On feeding, WSCI was antimetabolic to both insects, affecting both survival and growth, whereas WCPI was antimetabolic to S. avenae only. Wheat Hessian fly responsive (Hfr) genes are up-regulated in response to herbivory by Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor). The protein product Hfr-3 was expressed and purified, and showed antimetabolic effects on survival and growth of both S. avenae and D. coarctata. Both accumulated and induced defence proteins, like WSCI, WCPI and Hfr-3, have the potential to act as endogenous resistance factors in wheat towards a range of insect pests. Developing a wheat variety constitutively expressing these defence proteins by using traditional breeding methods and/or modern biotechnological tools is discussed

EVALUATING R&D PREMIUM IN THE INDIAN HEALTH AND PHARMACEUTICALS INDUSTRIES

The economic advantages of research and development (R&D) investment have shown conflicting results in empirical studies. This study aimed to examine a different approach, evaluating R&D premium and cross-sectional variability of equity returns, a particular case for the Indian healthcare industry. The primary motivation for this study arrived from the size of the healthcare industry, the world's third-largest and India's largest industry, and the investment made in R&D activities. Results demonstrated that India's annualized R&D premium was significantly greater than the current value, investment, profitability, and momentum premiums. It indicated that the new R&D risk factor in pricing models is a primary reference for Indian equity investors, particularly for companies with R&D spending. Results were robust in evaluating portfolio return using univariate and multivariate tests. Findings suggested that R&D augmented models outperformed conventional pricing models, denoting that the R&D factor undoubtedly revealed priced element and vital risk factor in designing pricing models for emerging countries like India. When adjusting to R&D investment and trading strategies, policymakers, and financial professionals should hereby evaluate their risk-return implication

University of North Florida Communiting Preferences Survey 2011

This report describes the 2011 Commuting Preferences Survey (CPS) of the University of North Florida (UNF). The goal of the survey is to assess the commuting preferences of the UNF community in order to design efficient and sustainable transportation practices. The UNF CPS was written by UNF Environmental Center staff and created using the online survey tool Vovici. Invitations to participate in the survey were sent to all UNF students, faculty, and staff by Institutional Research; the final response rate was 20.52%. The survey opened on March 7, 2011 and closed on April 11, 2011. Three alternative transportation modes were queried in the survey.https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/sustainability/1005/thumbnail.jp

Ccdc94 Protects Cells from Ionizing Radiation by Inhibiting the Expression of p53

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) represent one of the most deleterious forms of DNA damage to a cell. In cancer therapy, induction of cell death by DNA DSBs by ionizing radiation (IR) and certain chemotherapies is thought to mediate the successful elimination of cancer cells. However, cancer cells often evolve to evade the cytotoxicity induced by DNA DSBs, thereby forming the basis for treatment resistance. As such, a better understanding of the DSB DNA damage response (DSB–DDR) pathway will facilitate the design of more effective strategies to overcome chemo- and radioresistance. To identify novel mechanisms that protect cells from the cytotoxic effects of DNA DSBs, we performed a forward genetic screen in zebrafish for recessive mutations that enhance the IR–induced apoptotic response. Here, we describe radiosensitizing mutation 7 (rs7), which causes a severe sensitivity of zebrafish embryonic neurons to IR–induced apoptosis and is required for the proper development of the central nervous system. The rs7 mutation disrupts the coding sequence of ccdc94, a highly conserved gene that has no previous links to the DSB–DDR pathway. We demonstrate that Ccdc94 is a functional member of the Prp19 complex and that genetic knockdown of core members of this complex causes increased sensitivity to IR–induced apoptosis. We further show that Ccdc94 and the Prp19 complex protect cells from IR–induced apoptosis by repressing the expression of p53 mRNA. In summary, we have identified a new gene regulating a dosage-sensitive response to DNA DSBs during embryonic development. Future studies in human cancer cells will determine whether pharmacological inactivation of CCDC94 reduces the threshold of the cancer cell apoptotic response