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At least 19 records

The radii of SU Cas and TU Cas

It is possible to obtain the masses of Cepheid variables by several methods involving the pulsation theory. However, these masses are frequently smaller than those indicated by the theory of stellar evolution. The cause of this discrepancy is not fully understood. Since the pulsation theory indicates that there is a relation among the mass, the radius and the period, the discrepancy also manifests itself in the radii of these stars. With this in mind, radius determinations for two Cepheids, SU Cas and TU Cas, were undertaken. It is concluded that because of the agreement between the present radius and the beat radius of TU Cas, the pulsation theory is giving correct information about the radii of beat Cepheids. This implies that the luminosities of short period Cepheids have been overestimated. Thus, the solution to the mass discrepancy should perhaps be sought in the theory of stellar evolution or in the possibility of mass loss.

Niva, G. D.↗

Investigation of brightness changes of MZ Cas and TZ Cas in B- and V-light

The results are presented concerning statistical processing of two-color observations of MZ Cas and TZ Cas. Light histograms, dispersion and statistical amplitudes are given. Light variations of the variables are represented by normal stochastic processes. Observational data are tabulated.

Lukatskaya, F. I.↗

Brachiopod δ 34 S CAS microanalyses indicate a dynamic, climate-influenced Permo-Carboniferous sulfur cycle

Early isotopic studies of sulfate in carbonate minerals (carbonate associated sulfate; CAS) suggested that carbonates can provide a reliable, well-dated archive of the marine sulfur cycle through time. However, subsequent research has shown that diagenetic alteration can impose highly heterogeneous CAS sulfur isotopic compositions (δ 34 S CAS ) among different carbonate phases within sediments. Such alteration necessitates targeted sampling of well-preserved, primary carbonate phases. Here, we present a new record of Carboniferous and Early Permian brachiopod δ 34 S CAS generated from over 130 measurements of microsampled brachiopod shells. Our record refines existing brachiopod δ 34 S CAS records and confirms a large, ~6.5‰ δ 34 S CAS decrease in the Early Carboniferous. Importantly, the record also features a novel 3–5‰ increase in δ 34 S CAS near the Serpukhovian-Bashkirian boundary (323.4 Ma) that coincides with carbonate δ 13 C and δ 18 O increases. Variability in δ 34 S CAS is minor both within (≤0.3‰) and among (≤2‰) individual co-depositional brachiopod specimens. A taxon-specific δ 34 S CAS offset is present one species (Composita subtilita) that also exhibits a δ 13 C offset, supporting the existence of biological “vital effects” on δ 34 S CAS . Geologic evidence and mathematical modeling of the Permo-Carboniferous carbon and sulfur cycles suggest that changes in the burial ratio of organic carbon to pyrite sulfur (R C:S ) are insufficient to explain the observed mid-Carboniferous δ 34 S CAS record. We find that changes in the 34 S depletion of pyrite relative to seawater sulfate ( 34 ε) or in the δ 34 S of the input to the ocean (δ 34 S in ) are also needed. Large additions of O 2 from organic carbon burial during the Permo-Carboniferous cannot be entirely compensated for with sulfur cycle changes; lower than modern late Visean pO 2 and/or additional O 2 sinks are needed to keep pO 2 at plausible levels. Based on the geologic context surrounding our record's mid-Carboniferous δ 34 S CAS increase, we advocate for simultaneous changes in pyrite burial, 34 ε, and δ 34 S in , driven by sea level or tectonically induced changes in environments of sulfur burial, as a viable mechanism to produce rapid seawater δ 34 S changes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Spacer2PAM: A computational framework to guide experimental determination of functional CRISPR-Cas system PAM sequences

Abstract RNA-guided nucleases from CRISPR-Cas systems expand opportunities for precise, targeted genome modification. Endogenous CRISPR-Cas systems in many prokaryotes are attractive to circumvent expression, functionality, and unintended activity hurdles posed by heterologous CRISPR-Cas effectors. However, each CRISPR-Cas system recognizes a unique set of protospacer adjacent motifs (PAMs), which requires identification by extensive screening of randomized DNA libraries. This challenge hinders development of endogenous CRISPR-Cas systems, especially those based on multi-protein effectors and in organisms that are slow-growing or have transformation idiosyncrasies. To address this challenge, we present Spacer2PAM, an easy-to-use, easy-to-interpret R package built to predict and guide experimental determination of functional PAM sequences for any CRISPR-Cas system given its corresponding CRISPR array as input. Spacer2PAM can be used in a ‘Quick’ method to generate a single PAM prediction or in a ‘Comprehensive’ method to inform targeted PAM libraries small enough to screen in difficult to transform organisms. We demonstrate Spacer2PAM by predicting PAM sequences for industrially relevant organisms and experimentally identifying seven PAM sequences that mediate interference from the Spacer2PAM-informed PAM library for the type I-B CRISPR-Cas system from Clostridium autoethanogenum. We anticipate that Spacer2PAM will facilitate the use of endogenous CRISPR-Cas systems for industrial biotechnology and synthetic biology.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Transformation of OODT CAS to Perform Larger Tasks

A computer program denoted OODT CAS has been transformed to enable performance of larger tasks that involve greatly increased data volumes and increasingly intensive processing of data on heterogeneous, geographically dispersed computers. Prior to the transformation, OODT CAS (also alternatively denoted, simply, 'CAS') [wherein 'OODT' signifies 'Object-Oriented Data Technology' and 'CAS' signifies 'Catalog and Archive Service'] was a proven software component used to manage scientific data from spaceflight missions. In the transformation, CAS was split into two separate components representing its canonical capabilities: file management and workflow management. In addition, CAS was augmented by addition of a resource-management component. This third component enables CAS to manage heterogeneous computing by use of diverse resources, including high-performance clusters of computers, commodity computing hardware, and grid computing infrastructures. CAS is now more easily maintainable, evolvable, and reusable. These components can be used separately or, taking advantage of synergies, can be used together. Other elements of the transformation included addition of a separate Web presentation layer that supports distribution of data products via Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds, and provision for full Resource Description Framework (RDF) exports of metadata.

Mattmann, Chris↗

Welcome to the NASA High Performance Computing and Communications Computational Aerosciences (CAS) Workshop 2000

The purpose of the CAS workshop is to bring together NASA's scientists and engineers and their counterparts in industry, other government agencies, and academia working in the Computational Aerosciences and related fields. This workshop is part of the technology transfer plan of the NASA High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) Program. Specific objectives of the CAS workshop are to: (1) communicate the goals and objectives of HPCC and CAS, (2) promote and disseminate CAS technology within the appropriate technical communities, including NASA, industry, academia, and other government labs, (3) help promote synergy among CAS and other HPCC scientists, and (4) permit feedback from peer researchers on issues facing High Performance Computing in general and the CAS project in particular. This year we had a number of exciting presentations in the traditional aeronautics, aerospace sciences, and high-end computing areas and in the less familiar (to many of us affiliated with CAS) earth science, space science, and revolutionary computing areas. Presentations of more than 40 high quality papers were organized into ten sessions and presented over the three-day workshop. The proceedings are organized here for easy access: by author, title and topic.

Schulbach, Catherine H.↗

CasPEDIA Database: a functional classification system for class 2 CRISPR-Cas enzymes

Abstract CRISPR-Cas enzymes enable RNA-guided bacterial immunity and are widely used for biotechnological applications including genome editing. In particular, the Class 2 CRISPR-associated enzymes (Cas9, Cas12 and Cas13 families), have been deployed for numerous research, clinical and agricultural applications. However, the immense genetic and biochemical diversity of these proteins in the public domain poses a barrier for researchers seeking to leverage their activities. We present CasPEDIA (http://caspedia.org), the Cas Protein Effector Database of Information and Assessment, a curated encyclopedia that integrates enzymatic classification for hundreds of different Cas enzymes across 27 phylogenetic groups spanning the Cas9, Cas12 and Cas13 families, as well as evolutionarily related IscB and TnpB proteins. All enzymes in CasPEDIA were annotated with a standard workflow based on their primary nuclease activity, target requirements and guide-RNA design constraints. Our functional classification scheme, CasID, is described alongside current phylogenetic classification, allowing users to search related orthologs by enzymatic function and sequence similarity. CasPEDIA is a comprehensive data portal that summarizes and contextualizes enzymatic properties of widely used Cas enzymes, equipping users with valuable resources to foster biotechnological development. CasPEDIA complements phylogenetic Cas nomenclature and enables researchers to leverage the multi-faceted nucleic-acid targeting rules of diverse Class 2 Cas enzymes.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Tuning CAS Application using AIMS: An Automated Instrumentation and Monitoring System

To bring together NASA's scientists and engineers and their counterparts in industry, other government agencies, and academia working in the Computational AeroSciences (CAS) field. This workshop is part of the technology transfer plan of the High Performance Computing and Communications Program (HPCCP). Specific objectives of this Workshop are to: (1) communicate the goals and objectives of HPCCP in the area of CAS; (2) promote and disseminate CAS technology within the appropriate technical communities, including NASA, industry, academia, and other government labs; (3) help promote synergy among CAS scientists; and (4) permit feedback from peer researchers in issues pacing the CAS field in general and the HPCCP CAS program in particular.

Mehra, P.↗

NASA Controller Acceptability Study 1(CAS-1) Experiment Description and Initial Observations

This paper describes the Controller Acceptability Study 1 (CAS-1) experiment that was conducted by NASA Langley Research Center personnel from January through March 2014 and presents partial CAS-1 results. CAS-1 employed 14 air traffic controller volunteers as research subjects to assess the viability of simulated future unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operating alongside manned aircraft in moderate-density, moderate-complexity Class E airspace. These simulated UAS were equipped with a prototype pilot-in-the-loop (PITL) Detect and Avoid (DAA) system, specifically the Self-Separation (SS) function of such a system based on Stratway+ software to replace the see-and-avoid capabilities of manned aircraft pilots. A quantitative CAS-1 objective was to determine horizontal miss distance (HMD) values for SS encounters that were most acceptable to air traffic controllers, specifically HMD values that were assessed as neither unsafely small nor disruptively large. HMD values between 0.5 and 3.0 nautical miles (nmi) were assessed for a wide array of encounter geometries between UAS and manned aircraft. The paper includes brief introductory material about DAA systems and their SS functions, followed by descriptions of the CAS-1 simulation environment, prototype PITL SS capability, and experiment design, and concludes with presentation and discussion of partial CAS-1 data and results.

Chamberlain, James P.↗

Targeted assemblies of cas1 suggest CRISPR-Cas’s response to soil warming

Abstract There is an increasing interest in the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR-Cas) system to reveal potential virus–host dynamics. The universal and most conserved Cas protein, cas1 is an ideal marker to elucidate CRISPR-Cas ecology. We constructed eight Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) and assembled cas1 directly from metagenomes by a targeted-gene assembler, Xander, to improve detection capacity and resolve the diverse CRISPR-Cas systems. The eight HMMs were first validated by recovering all 17 cas1 subtypes from the simulated metagenome generated from 91 prokaryotic genomes across 11 phyla. We challenged the targeted method with 48 metagenomes from a tallgrass prairie in Central Oklahoma recovering 3394 cas1. Among those, 88 were near full length, 5 times more than in de-novo assemblies from the Oklahoma metagenomes. To validate the host assignment by cas1, the targeted-assembled cas1 was mapped to the de-novo assembled contigs. All the phylum assignments of those mapped contigs were assigned independent of CRISPR-Cas genes on the same contigs and consistent with the host taxonomies predicted by the mapped cas1. We then investigated whether 8 years of soil warming altered cas1 prevalence within the communities. A shift in microbial abundances was observed during the year with the biggest temperature differential (mean 4.16 °C above ambient). cas1 prevalence increased and even in the phyla with decreased microbial abundances over the next 3 years, suggesting increasing virus–host interactions in response to soil warming. This targeted method provides an alternative means to effectively mine cas1 from metagenomes and uncover the host communities.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Interstellar extinction toward the Cas OB6 association: Where is the dust?

We have completed a multiband (ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared) study of the interstellar extinction properties of nine massive stars in IC 1805 and IC 1848, which are both part of Cas OB6 in the Perseus spiral arm. Our analysis includes determination of absolute extinction over the wavelength range from 3 micrometers to 1250 A. We have attempted to distinguish between foreground dust and dust local to Cas OB6. This is done by quantitatively comparing extinction laws of the least reddened sightlines (sampling mostly foreground dust) versus the most reddened sightlines (sampling a larger fraction of the dust in the Cas OB6 region). We have combined previous investigations to better understand the evolution of the interstellar medium in this active star forming region. We found no variation of extinction curve behavior between moderately reddend and heavily reddened Cas OB6 stars. None of the curves show any significant deviation from the Cardelli-Clayton-Mathis (CCM) R(sub upsilon)-dependent extinction. They are all consistent with that seen from diffuse dust. Most or all of the dust along the line of sight may be foreground to Cas OB6. Massive star forming regions can show significant deviations from CCM behavior which have been attributed to processing of the dust grains. Any dust local to the association must exist far from the hot stars in IC 1805 and IC 1848. A previous episode of star formation may have already cleared out the region of most of the gas and dust. Evidence for this can be seen in H I and IRAS data of the region.

Hanson, Margaret Murray↗

Selective Sorbent Design: CaS Aerogel for Rapid Remediation of Aqueous Pb (II)

Heavy metals are a persistent environmental problem due to their high toxicity, even at very low concentrations (parts per billion, ppb). The removal of such diluted heavy metals is challenging because of the competition the counterions (Ca 2+ , Na + , Mg 2+ , etc.) present in natural water bodies. The design of sorbents capable of removing ions below the action limit (15 ppb for Pb 2+ ) requires a strong driving force for selective uptake and rapid removal. In this work, we report the synthesis of porous CaS aerogels (surface area = 143.6 m 2 /g) by oxidative assembly of CaS nanoparticles and describe their use in selective Pb 2+ ion remediation from water. Despite the presence of amorphous CaCO 3 (up to 50 wt %) in the gel network, the gels demonstrated a capacity of 17.1 mmol Pb/g aerogel (3543 mg/g), and this could be augmented to 22.5 mmol Pb/g aerogel (4593 mg/g) by modifying the synthesis to reduce CaCO 3 content to ca. 15 wt %. Moreover, the selectivity of CaS aerogels toward Pb 2+ ions is high, as evidenced by little-to-no change in the distribution constant (K d ∼ 10 4 ) in the presence of competing ions (1 M) such as Na + , Mg 2+ , and Ca 2+ . During remediation with low concentrations (100 ppb) of Pb 2+ with CaS aerogels, the level of Pb 2+ dropped to 5.4 ppb (below the 15 ppb EPA limit) within 1 h with a 95.4% removal efficiency. In contrast to the CO 2 supercritically dried aerogels, lower surface area ambient dried gels (xerogels) only remove 40% of the lead ions from a 100 ppb solution, saturating within 1 h. The efficiency and rapidity of selective Pb 2+ uptake using CdS aerogels arise from a combination of a strong thermodynamic driving force for cation exchange (K eq = 2.5 × 10 27 ) and chemisorption along with favorable kinetics associated with the high surface area porous architecture. These results show that formation of high surface area metal chalcogenide aerogels by oxidative assembly to form nanocrystalline architectures, as previously demonstrated for II−VI and IV−VI semiconductors, can be extended to the more highly ionic alkaline earth sulfides.

Aerogels↗

Implementation of an Orographic Drag Scheme Considering Orographic Anisotropy in All Flow Directions in the Earth System Model CAS‐ESM 2.0

Abstract A reasonable representation of orographic anisotropy in earth system models is vital for improving weather and climate modeling. In this study, we implement the orographic drag scheme, including 3‐D orographic anisotropy (3D‐AFD), into the Chinese Academy of Sciences Earth System Model version 2 (CAS‐ESM 2.0). Three groups of simulations named sensitivity run, medium‐range forecast, and seasonal forecast respectively are conducted using the updated CAS‐ESM model and validated against station observation and reanalysis data. These simulations are run using the three schemes—3D‐AFD scheme, the 3D orographic anisotropy scheme for the eight‐direction (3D‐8x), and the 2D isotropic scheme (2D)—to compare their performance in CAS‐ESM 2.0. Sensitivity runs show that the 3D‐AFD provide more continuous transition of calculated drag as function of wind direction than the 3D‐8x, while the drag calculated using the 2D scheme show no variation with change of wind direction. Enhanced drag in the medium range and seasonal forecast using the updated CAS‐ESM alleviates part of the winter wind speed bias over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and the cold bias over TP and the Siberian polar region. It is shown that the 3D‐AFD scheme alleviates more bias than that of the 3D‐8x scheme (by wind speed reduction of 1 ∼ 2 m/s and temperature of 1 ∼ 2 K) especially in the seasonal forecast. The results suggest that reasonable representation of the orographic anisotropy is important in climate modeling.

Xie, Jinbo↗

Inhibition mechanisms of AcrF9, AcrF8, and AcrF6 against type I-F CRISPR–Cas complex revealed by cryo-EM

Prokaryotes and viruses have fought a long battle against each other. Prokaryotes use CRISPR–Cas-mediated adaptive immunity, while conversely, viruses evolve multiple anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins to defeat these CRISPR–Cas systems. The type I-F CRISPR–Cas system in Pseudomonas aeruginosa requires the crRNA-guided surveillance complex (Csy complex) to recognize the invading DNA. Although some Acr proteins against the Csy complex have been reported, other relevant Acr proteins still need studies to understand their mechanisms. As such, here, we obtain three structures of previously unresolved Acr proteins (AcrF9, AcrF8, and AcrF6) bound to the Csy complex using electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM), with resolution at 2.57 Å, 3.42 Å, and 3.15 Å, respectively. The 2.57-Å structure reveals fine details for each molecular component within the Csy complex as well as the direct and water-mediated interactions between proteins and CRISPR RNA (crRNA). Our structures also show unambiguously how these Acr proteins bind differently to the Csy complex. AcrF9 binds to key DNA-binding sites on the Csy spiral backbone. AcrF6 binds at the junction between Cas7.6f and Cas8f, which is critical for DNA duplex splitting. AcrF8 binds to a distinct position on the Csy spiral backbone and forms interactions with crRNA, which has not been seen in other Acr proteins against the Csy complex. Our structure-guided mutagenesis and biochemistry experiments further support the anti-CRISPR mechanisms of these Acr proteins. Our findings support the convergent consequence of inhibiting degradation of invading DNA by these Acr proteins, albeit with different modes of interactions with the type I-F CRISPR–Cas system.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Csx3 is a cyclic oligonucleotide phosphodiesterase associated with type III CRISPR–Cas that degrades the second messenger cA 4

Cas10 is the signature gene for type III CRISPR–Cas surveillance complexes. Unlike type I and type II systems, type III systems do not require a protospacer adjacent motif and target nascent RNA associated with transcriptionally active DNA. Further, target RNA recognition activates the cyclase domain of Cas10, resulting in the synthesis of cyclic oligoadenylate second messengers. These second messengers are recognized by ancillary Cas proteins harboring CRISPR-associated Rossmann fold (CARF) domains and regulate the activities of these proteins in response to invading nucleic acid. Csx3 is a distant member of the CARF domain superfamily previously characterized as a Mn 2+ -dependent deadenylation exoribonuclease. However, its specific role in CRISPR–Cas defense remains to be determined. Here we show that Csx3 is strongly associated with type III systems and that Csx3 binds cyclic tetra-adenylate (cA 4 ) second messenger with high affinity. Further, Csx3 harbors cyclic oligonucleotide phosphodiesterase activity that quickly degrades this cA 4 signal. In addition, structural analysis identifies core elements that define the CARF domain fold, and the mechanistic basis for ring nuclease activity is discussed. Overall, the work suggests that Csx3 functions within CRISPR–Cas as a counterbalance to Cas10 to regulate the duration and amplitude of the cA 4 signal, providing an off ramp from the programmed cell death pathway in cells that successfully cure viral infection.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Searching for fat tails in CRISPR-Cas systems: Data analysis and mathematical modeling

Understanding CRISPR-Cas systems—the adaptive defence mechanism that about half of bacterial species and most of archaea use to neutralise viral attacks—is important for explaining the biodiversity observed in the microbial world as well as for editing animal and plant genomes effectively. The CRISPR-Cas system learns from previous viral infections and integrates small pieces from phage genomes called spacers into the microbial genome. The resulting library of spacers collected in CRISPR arrays is then compared with the DNA of potential invaders. One of the most intriguing and least well understood questions about CRISPR-Cas systems is the distribution of spacers across the microbial population. Here, using empirical data, we show that the global distribution of spacer numbers in CRISPR arrays across multiple biomes worldwide typically exhibits scale-invariant power law behaviour, and the standard deviation is greater than the sample mean. We develop a mathematical model of spacer loss and acquisition dynamics which fits observed data from almost four thousand metagenomes well. In analogy to the classical ‘rich-get-richer’ mechanism of power law emergence, the rate of spacer acquisition is proportional to the CRISPR array size, which allows a small proportion of CRISPRs within the population to possess a significant number of spacers. Our study provides an alternative explanation for the rarity of all-resistant super microbes in nature and why proliferation of phages can be highly successful despite the effectiveness of CRISPR-Cas systems.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Calibrated Ancillary System (CAS) user's guide, volume 1

The Calibrated Ancillary System (CAS) provides real-time calibrated parameters from the orbiter downlink (ancillary data) to the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). This user's guide contains the introduction to the equipment, operation, general procedures, and specific procedures of the CAS. Volume 1 includes a general overview of the CAS relationships with other equipment, physical design, and hardware and software subsystems. In addition, a description of the user levels and tasks, an introduction to CAS operation, and an outline of general operating procedures are included.

Source record↗

Mullite+CAS Bond Coat for Environmental Barrier Coatings for Si-Based Ceramics

Current environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) for silicon-based ceramics consist of a bond coat and a top coat. Mullite bond coat modified by adding low CTE glass ceramics, such as BSAS (xBaO.1xSrO.Al2O3.2SiO2) or CAS (CaO.Al2O3.2SiO2), was developed in the NASA Enabling Propulsion Materials (EPM) Program. EBCs based on mullite+CAS bond coat were characterized using high steam thermal cycling test and high steam isothermal thermogravemitry (TGA) at 1225 C - 13,000 C. The Mullite+CAS bond coat showed far superior durability compared to mullite bond coat, due to enhanced crack resistance. A BSAS top coat provided further improved durability compared to EBCs with a yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) top coat. Still further improvement in the durability was achieved by adding a silicon bond coat between the mullite and the substrate. However, the silicon/mullite+CAS/BSAS EBC showed inferior long-term durability compared to the current state-of-the art EBC (silicon/mullite+BSAS/BSAS EBC), presumably due to the higher CAS-silica chemical reactivity.

Lee, Kang N.↗