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At least 19 records

Cryo-electron microscopy structure of a zinc uptake ABC transporter

Zn2+ is an essential micronutrient required for many biological processes. Microorganisms employ high-affinity Zn2+ ABC transporters to take up zinc from the environment when it is scarce, yet the mechanism of zinc uptake and its regulation remain poorly understood. Here, we report the cryo-electron microscopy structure of the Zn2+ ABC transporter complex ZnuB-ZnuC from Escherichia coli. It contains two ZnuB transport and two ZnuC regulatory subunits. The ZnuB homodimer is in an outward-facing, closed conformation with a large hydrophilic cavity at the dimer interface. Each ZnuC subunit contains an N-terminal nucleotide-binding domain and a C-terminal zinc-sensing domain (ZSD). Zn2+ binding to the ZSD locks the transporter in a closed state, whereas under low-Zn2+ conditions, the disorder of ZSD permits ATP-driven zinc uptake. Zn2+ ABC transporters are ubiquitously utilized by pathogenic bacteria to compete with hosts for Zn2+. These findings reveal potential therapeutic targets for disrupting Zn2+ homeostasis in antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Application of edge-based finite elements and vector ABCs in 3D scattering

A finite element absorbing boundary condition (FE-ABC) solution of the scattering by arbitrary 3-D structures is considered. The computational domain is discretized using edge-based tetrahedral elements. In contrast to the node-based elements, edge elements can treat geometries with sharp edges, are divergence-less, and easily satisfy the field continuity condition across dielectric interfaces. They do, however, lead to a higher unknown count but this is balanced by the greater sparsity of the resulting finite element matrix. Thus, the computation time required to solve such a system iteratively with a given degree of accuracy is less than the traditional node-based approach. The purpose is to examine the derivation and performance of the ABC's when applied to 2-D and 3-D problems and to discuss the specifics of our FE-ABC implementation.

Chatterjee, A.

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F US-ABc Archbold grazed improved pasture

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-ABc Archbold grazed improved pasture. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-ABc Archbold grazed improved pasture produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - This site is an improved pasture, regularly fertilized (nitrogen, ~26 kg/ha every 2 years) and limed (~229 kg/ha every 5 years, and historically received phosphorus fertilizer until 1986; . The soil type is a fine sandy Spodosol

Bernacchi, Carl [Global Change and Photosynthesis

An ABC status report

The Advancing Blade Concept (ABC) uses two rigid counterrotating rotors in a coaxial arrangement to provide advancing blades on both sides of the aircraft. This makes use of the high dynamic pressure on the advancing side of the rotors at high forward speed, virtually ignoring the low dynamic pressure on the retreating side, while still keeping the rotor system in roll trim. Theoretically such a rotor system will maintain its lift potential as speed increases. The XH-59A was designed to investigate this theory. A description is provided of the flight test program from May, 1980 to January, 1981. A summary is presented of the knowledge gained throughout the entire program, and current pitfalls are reviewed. It is concluded that the ABC has been verified, with the XH-59A envelope of blade lift coefficient as a function of advance ratio greatly exceeding that of conventional helicopter rotor systems.

Linden, A. W.

Re-engineering the mission life cycle with ABC and IDEF

The theory behind re-engineering a business process is to remove the non-value added activities thereby lowering the process cost. In order to achieve this, one must be able to identify where the non-value added elements are located which is not a trivial task. This is because the non-value added elements are often hidden in the form of overhead and/or pooled resources. In order to be able to isolate these non-value added processes from among the other processes, one must first decompose the overall top level process into lower layers of sub-processes. In addition, costing data must be assigned to each sub-process along with the value the sub-process adds towards the final product. IDEF0 is a Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) process-modeling tool that allows for this functional decomposition through structured analysis. In addition, it illustrates the relationship of the process and the value added to the product or service. The value added portion is further defined in IDEF1X which is an entity relationship diagramming tool. The entity relationship model is the blueprint of the product as it moves along the 'assembly line' and therefore relates all of the parts to each other and the final product. It also relates the parts to the tools that produce the product and all of the paper work that is used in their acquisition. The use of IDEF therefore facilitates the use of Activity Based Costing (ABC). ABC is an essential method in a high variety, product-customizing environment, to facilitate rapid response to externally caused change. This paper describes the work being done in the Mission Operations Division to re-engineer the development and operation life cycle of Mission Operations Centers using these tools.

Mandl, Daniel

AmeriFlux US-ABc Archbold grazed improved pasture

This is the AmeriFlux version of the carbon flux data for the site US-ABc Archbold grazed improved pasture. Site Description - This site is an improved pasture, regularly fertilized (nitrogen, ~26 kg/ha every 2 years) and limed (~229 kg/ha every 5 years, and historically received phosphorus fertilizer until 1986; . The soil type is a fine sandy Spodosol

Bernacchi, Carl [Global Change and Photosynthesis

A Recipe for ABC Multifamily Retrofits: Technologies, Financing, and Project Delivery

This report documents the final technical accomplishments and outcomes of Rocky Mountain Institute’s project under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Award DE-EE0009064. The project aimed to develop, validate, and scale whole building retrofit solutions for multifamily buildings, including two configurations of Integrated Mechanical System Pods (IMSP-C and IMSP-U), in alignment with DOE Advanced Building Construction (ABC) initiative's decarbonization and energy efficiency goals. While the project made significant progress in Budget Period 1 (Phase 1) and throughout Budget Period 2 (Phase 2), activities were discontinued as of March 26, 2025, following a Stop Work Order issued by DOE. As such, this report reflects all completed work through that date. The project did not enter Budget Periods 3 and 4 (Phase 2), and demonstration site implementation, field M&V, and final commercialization execution were not conducted.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY

A comparative study of an ABC and an artificial absorber for truncating finite element meshes

The type of mesh termination used in the context of finite element formulations plays a major role on the efficiency and accuracy of the field solution. The performance of an absorbing boundary condition (ABC) and an artificial absorber (a new concept) for terminating the finite element mesh was evaluated. This analysis is done in connection with the problem of scattering by a finite slot array in a thick ground plane. The two approximate mesh truncation schemes are compared with the exact finite element-boundary integral (FEM-BI) method in terms of accuracy and efficiency. It is demonstrated that both approximate truncation schemes yield reasonably accurate results even when the mesh is extended only 0.3 wavelengths away from the array aperture. However, the artificial absorber termination method leads to a substantially more efficient solution. Moreover, it is shown that the FEM-BI method remains quite competitive with the FEM-artificial absorber method when the FFT is used for computing the matrix-vector products in the iterative solution algorithm. These conclusions are indeed surprising and of major importance in electromagnetic simulations based on the finite element method.

Oezdemir, T.

The ABCs of phase retrieval: Connecting the acronyms of scanning transmission electron microscopy

High-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM) is an indispensable tool for characterizing the structure and properties of materials down to the atomic scale. Conventional S/TEM imaging, however, is limited by the phase problem, whereby the phase of the electron exit wave is lost upon detection. Recent advances in diffractive imaging and 4D-STEM have enabled a range of phase-retrieval techniques that computationally reconstruct the missing information encoded in the phase of the transmission function. These approaches offer improved dose efficiency and enhanced sensitivity to weakly scattering signals, extending quantitative imaging to beam-sensitive materials composed of light elements. In this work, we introduce the phase problem in electron microscopy and survey the diverse landscape of phase-retrieval techniques used in the field. Despite their many acronyms and algorithmic variations, these techniques share a common physical and mathematical foundation. We present a unified framework that connects these seemingly distinct methods, from parallax imaging and tilt-corrected bright-field (tcBF-STEM), to aberration-corrected bright-field (acBF-STEM), optimum bright-field (OBF-STEM) and single-sideband (SSB) ptychography, as well as first-moment integrated center of mass techniques (iCOM) and iterative ptychographic algorithms. Based on these insights, we discuss the opportunities and practical limitations of applying these methods across different materials systems, detector designs, and microscope configurations.Graphical abstractRepresentative electron microscopy configurations used for phase retrieval and diffractive imaging in S/TEM: (a) Zernike phase-contrast transmission electron microscopy (TEM), (b) small-convergence-angle four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) for nanobeam-based phase reconstruction methods, and (c) large-convergence-angle 4D-STEM for ptychographic and related diffractive imaging techniques reviewed in this work.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE

The ABCs of On-Demand Transit (ODT)

On-demand mobility - also referred to as on-demand transit (ODT) - is a form of public mobility that is flexible with respect to where and when service is provided, and ODT deployments have increased significantly in recent years. Transit agencies are becoming increasingly interested in ODT, and due to differing definitions and various service design and business model options, it can be difficult to learn about the emerging industry. This work provides an overview of the definitions of ODT, recent trends internationally and in the U.S., ODT's benefits and challenges (particularly compared to fixed-route transit), three primary service design options, system costs and funding considerations, and a metrics framework for evaluating ODT systems to ensure continued successful performance. Identified benefits include increased service areas, short ride and wait times, increased user flexibility, potential to reduce energy consumption and emissions through shared trips and smaller, right-sized vehicles, increased safety and comfort through door-to-door service, and rich data streams including granular spatio-temporal data that can be analyzed to continuously improve the service. Challenges include scaling ODT service up as small increases in ridership require additional supply to keep service quality high, serving peak times including keeping low wait times, the lack of fixed schedule being challenging for commuters, integrating ODT services with nearby transit systems, and equity for riders without smartphones who cannot track the vehicle in a mobile app. Finally, an overview of seven ODT case studies (in Texas, Missouri, New York, and Ontario, Canada) performed by NREL and related analysis of travel time, energy and emissions, costs, and equity are presented. Initial key findings include: ODT can be cost- and energy-effective compared to fixed-route transit, ODT serves more people than other transit options, and ODT system deployments can be followed by rapid growth.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION

Durability of ABC Team Wall Assemblies

This study evaluates the long-term hygrothermal durability of four advanced retrofit wall systems using a field test facility located in Hollywood, South Carolina, representative of a mixed-humid coastal climate (Zone 3). The research focuses on assessing the thermal and moisture performance of a baseline wall assembly retrofitted with (1) Tremco/Dryvit prefabricated panel systems (Revitalite and Fedderlite), (2) Reinforced Fiberglass Plastic (RFP) panels developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and (3) Vacuum Insulated Panels (VIP) integrated with EPS by Home Innovation Research Labs (HIRL) and ORNL. A baseline wall representing a typical uninsulated wood-frame construction was used for comparison.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI

The ABC's required for establishing a practical computerized plant engineering management data base system

A system's approach is outlined in the paper to assist facility and Plant Engineers improve their organization's data management system. The six basic steps identified may appear somewhat simple; however, adequate planning, proper resources, and the involvement of management will determine the success of a computerized facility management data base. Helpful suggestions are noted throughout the paper to insure the development of a practical computerized data management system.

Maiocco, F. R.

Application of the ABC helicopter to the emergency medical service role

Attention is called to the use of helicopters in transporting the sick and injured to medical facilities. It is noted that the helicopter's speed of response and delivery increases patient survival rates and may reduce the cost of medical care and its burden on society. Among the vehicle characteristics desired for this use are a cruising speed of 200 knots, a single engine hover capability at 10,000 ft, and an absence of a tail rotor. Three designs for helicopters incorporating such new technologies as digital/optical control systems, all composite air-frames, and third-generation airfoils are presented. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to show the effect of design speed, mission radius, and single engine hover capability on vehicle weight, fuel consumption, operating costs, and productivity.

Levine, L. S.

The ABC of Population III

The author discusses the circumstances in which Population III stars are expected to form and examines their cosmological consequences. Consideration of their production of light, metals, and remnants places a strong constraint on their formation epoch and mass spectrum. However, these constraints would still allow Population III stars to provide the dark matter in galactic halos, a helium abundance of around 25 percent, a detectable background of gravitational waves, a possible infrared background, and the generation of large-scale cosmological structure through explosions. All of these features could be achieved by VMOs in the range 100 to 100,000 solar masses. On the other hand, the Population III scenario would be most compatible with the standard Big Bang picture if the stars were SMOs with mass around a million solar masses. Such stars could still provide the dark matter and detectable gravitational waves.

Carr, B. J.

Edge-based finite elements and vector ABCs applied to 3D scattering

An edge based finite element formulation with vector absorbing boundary conditions is presented for scattering by composite structures having boundaries satisfying impedance and/or transition conditions. Remarkably accurate results are obtained by placing the mesh a small fraction of a wavelength away from the scatterer.

Chatterjee, A.

Grosnaja ABCs: Magnesium isotope compositions

Three CAI's from the Grosnaja CV3 chondrite were analyzed for their magnesium isotopic compositions by the ion microprobe. The selected CAI's represent three distinct types: GR4(compact Type A), GR7(Type B) and GR2(Type C). Petrographic studies indicate that all three Grosnaja inclusions were subjected to secondary alterations. The Type A CAI GR4 is primarily composed of melilite with spinel and pyroxene occurring as minor phases. The rim of the inclusion does not exhibit distinct layered structure and secondary alteration products (garnet, Fe-rich olivine and Na-rich plagioclase) are present in some localized areas near the rim region. The average major element compositions of different mineral phases in GR4 are given. Preliminary REE data suggest a depletion of HREE relative to LREE by about a factor of 3 without any clear indication of interelement fractionation. The CAI GR7 has textural and minerological characteristics similar to Type B inclusions. The REE data show a pattern that is similar to Group 6 with enrichment in Eu and Yb. In addition, a depletion of HREE compared to LREE is also evident in this object. Melilite composition shows a broad range of akermanite content (Ak(sub 15-55)). Detailed petrographic study is in progress. GR2 is a anorthite-rich Type C inclusion with large plagioclase laths intergrown with Ti-rich pyroxene. The average plagioclase composition is close to pure anorthite (An99).

Goswami, J. N.

Investigation of finite element: ABC methods for electromagnetic field simulation

The mechanics of wave propagation in the presence of obstacles is of great interest in many branches of engineering and applied mathematics like electromagnetics, fluid dynamics, geophysics, seismology, etc. Such problems can be broadly classified into two categories: the bounded domain or the closed problem and the unbounded domain or the open problem. Analytical techniques have been derived for the simpler problems; however, the need to model complicated geometrical features, complex material coatings and fillings, and to adapt the model to changing design parameters have inevitably tilted the balance in favor of numerical techniques. The modeling of closed problems presents difficulties primarily in proper meshing of the interior region. However, problems in unbounded domains pose a unique challenge to computation, since the exterior region is inappropriate for direct implementation of numerical techniques. A large number of solutions have been proposed but only a few have stood the test of time and experiment. The goal of this thesis is to develop an efficient and reliable partial differential equation technique to model large three dimensional scattering problems in electromagnetics.

Chatterjee, A.