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The slow cell death response when screening chemotherapeutic agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Blois, Joseph; Smith, Adam; Josephson, Lee

2011-09-01

To examine the correlation between cell death and a common surrogate of death used in screening assays, we compared cell death responses to those obtained with the sulforhodamine B (SRB) cell protein-based "cytotoxicity" assay. With the SRB assay, the Hill equation was used to obtain an IC50 and final cell mass, or cell mass present at infinite agent concentrations, with eight adherent cell lines and four agents (32 agent/cell combinations). Cells were treated with high agent concentrations (well above the SRB IC50) and the death response determined as the time-dependent decrease in cells failing to bind both annexin V and vital fluorochromes by flow cytometry. Death kinetics were categorized as fast (5/32) (similar to the reference nonadherent Jurkat line), slow (17/32), or none (10/32), despite positive responses in the SRB assay in all cases. With slow cell death, a single exposure to a chemotherapeutic agent caused a slow, progressive increase in dead (necrotic) and dying (apoptotic) cells for at least 72 h. Cell death (defined by annexin and/or fluorochrome binding) did not correlate with the standard SRB "cytotoxicity" assay. With the slow cell death response, a single exposure to an agent caused a slow conversion from vital to apoptotic and necrotic cells over at least 72 h (the longest time point examined). Here, increasing the time of exposure to agent concentrations modestly above the SRB IC50 provides a method of maximizing cell kill. If tumors respond similarly, sustained low doses of chemotherapeutic agents, rather than a log-kill, maximum tolerated dose strategy may be an optimal strategy of maximizing tumor cell death.
Cecum lymph node dendritic cells harbor slow-growing bacteria phenotypically tolerant to antibiotic treatment.

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Patrick Kaiser

2014-02-01

Full Text Available In vivo, antibiotics are often much less efficient than ex vivo and relapses can occur. The reasons for poor in vivo activity are still not completely understood. We have studied the fluoroquinolone antibiotic ciprofloxacin in an animal model for complicated Salmonellosis. High-dose ciprofloxacin treatment efficiently reduced pathogen loads in feces and most organs. However, the cecum draining lymph node (cLN, the gut tissue, and the spleen retained surviving bacteria. In cLN, approximately 10%-20% of the bacteria remained viable. These phenotypically tolerant bacteria lodged mostly within CD103⁺CX₃CR1⁻CD11c⁺ dendritic cells, remained genetically susceptible to ciprofloxacin, were sufficient to reinitiate infection after the end of the therapy, and displayed an extremely slow growth rate, as shown by mathematical analysis of infections with mixed inocula and segregative plasmid experiments. The slow growth was sufficient to explain recalcitrance to antibiotics treatment. Therefore, slow-growing antibiotic-tolerant bacteria lodged within dendritic cells can explain poor in vivo antibiotic activity and relapse. Administration of LPS or CpG, known elicitors of innate immune defense, reduced the loads of tolerant bacteria. Thus, manipulating innate immunity may augment the in vivo activity of antibiotics.
Determining octanol-water partition coefficients for extremely hydrophobic chemicals by combining "slow stirring" and solid-phase microextraction.

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Jonker, Michiel T O

2016-06-01

Octanol-water partition coefficients (KOW ) are widely used in fate and effects modeling of chemicals. Still, high-quality experimental KOW data are scarce, in particular for very hydrophobic chemicals. This hampers reliable assessments of several fate and effect parameters and the development and validation of new models. One reason for the limited availability of experimental values may relate to the challenging nature of KOW measurements. In the present study, KOW values for 13 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were determined with the gold standard "slow-stirring" method (log KOW 4.6-7.2). These values were then used as reference data for the development of an alternative method for measuring KOW . This approach combined slow stirring and equilibrium sampling of the extremely low aqueous concentrations with polydimethylsiloxane-coated solid-phase microextraction fibers, applying experimentally determined fiber-water partition coefficients. It resulted in KOW values matching the slow-stirring data very well. Therefore, the method was subsequently applied to a series of 17 moderately to extremely hydrophobic petrochemical compounds. The obtained KOW values spanned almost 6 orders of magnitude, with the highest value measuring 10(10.6) . The present study demonstrates that the hydrophobicity domain within which experimental KOW measurements are possible can be extended with the help of solid-phase microextraction and that experimentally determined KOW values can exceed the proposed upper limit of 10(9) . Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1371-1377. © 2015 SETAC. © 2015 SETAC.
Slow-cycling stem cells in hydra contribute to head regeneration

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Niraimathi Govindasamy

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Adult stem cells face the challenge of maintaining tissue homeostasis by self-renewal while maintaining their proliferation potential over the lifetime of an organism. Continuous proliferation can cause genotoxic/metabolic stress that can compromise the genomic integrity of stem cells. To prevent stem cell exhaustion, highly proliferative adult tissues maintain a pool of quiescent stem cells that divide only in response to injury and thus remain protected from genotoxic stress. Hydra is a remarkable organism with highly proliferative stem cells and ability to regenerate at whole animal level. Intriguingly, hydra does not display consequences of high proliferation, such as senescence or tumour formation. In this study, we investigate if hydra harbours a pool of slow-cycling stem cells that could help prevent undesirable consequences of continuous proliferation. Hydra were pulsed with the thymidine analogue 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU and then chased in the absence of EdU to monitor the presence of EdU-retaining cells. A significant number of undifferentiated cells of all three lineages in hydra retained EdU for about 8–10 cell cycles, indicating that these cells did not enter cell cycle. These label-retaining cells were resistant to hydroxyurea treatment and were predominantly in the G2 phase of cell cycle. Most significantly, similar to mammalian quiescent stem cells, these cells rapidly entered cell division during head regeneration. This study shows for the first time that, contrary to current beliefs, cells in hydra display heterogeneity in their cell cycle potential and the slow-cycling cells in this population enter cell cycle during head regeneration. These results suggest an early evolution of slow-cycling stem cells in multicellular animals.
Cell proliferation of Paramecium tetraurelia on a slow rotating clinostat

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Sawai, Satoe; Mogami, Yoshihiro; Baba, Shoji A.

Paramecium is known to proliferate faster under microgravity conditions, and slower under hypergravity. Experiments using axenic culture medium have demonstrated that hypergravity affected directly on the proliferation of Paramecium itself. In order to assess the mechanisms underlying the physiological effects of gravity on cell proliferation, Paramecium tetraurelia was grown under clinorotation (2.5 rpm) and the time course of the proliferation was investigated in detail on the basis of the logistic analysis. On the basis of the mechanical properties of Paramecium, this slow rate of the rotation appears to be enough to simulate microgravity in terms of the randomization of the cell orientation with respect to gravity. P. tetraurelia was cultivated in a closed chamber in which cells were confined without air bubbles, reducing the shear forces and turbulences under clinorotation. The chamber is made of quartz and silicone rubber film; the former is for the optically-flat walls for the measurement of cell density by means of a non-invasive laser optical-slice method, and the latter for gas exchange. Because of the small dimension for culture space, Paramecium does not accumulate at the top of the chamber in spite of its known negative gravitactic behavior. We measured the cell density at regular time intervals without breaking the configuration of the chamber, and analyzed the proliferation parameters by fitting the data to a logistic equation. As a result, P. tetraurelia showed reduced proliferation under slow clinorotation. The saturation of the cell density as well as the maximum proliferation rate decreased, although we found no significant changes on the half maximal time for proliferation. We also found that the mean swimming velocity decreased under slow clinorotation. These results were not consistent with those under microgravity and fast rotating clinostat. This may suggest that randomization of the cell orientation performed by slow rotating clinostat has
Slowness and sparseness have diverging effects on complex cell learning.

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Jörn-Philipp Lies

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Following earlier studies which showed that a sparse coding principle may explain the receptive field properties of complex cells in primary visual cortex, it has been concluded that the same properties may be equally derived from a slowness principle. In contrast to this claim, we here show that slowness and sparsity drive the representations towards substantially different receptive field properties. To do so, we present complete sets of basis functions learned with slow subspace analysis (SSA in case of natural movies as well as translations, rotations, and scalings of natural images. SSA directly parallels independent subspace analysis (ISA with the only difference that SSA maximizes slowness instead of sparsity. We find a large discrepancy between the filter shapes learned with SSA and ISA. We argue that SSA can be understood as a generalization of the Fourier transform where the power spectrum corresponds to the maximally slow subspace energies in SSA. Finally, we investigate the trade-off between slowness and sparseness when combined in one objective function.
Berberine slows cell growth in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonon, Anna; Mangolini, Alessandra; Pinton, Paolo; Senno, Laura del; Aguiari, Gianluca

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Berberine at appropriate doses slows cell proliferation in ADPKD cystic cells. •Reduction of cell growth by berberine occurs by inhibition of ERK and p70-S6 kinase. •Higher doses of berberine cause an overall cytotoxic effect. •Berberine overdose induces apoptotic bodies formation and DNA fragmentation. •Antiproliferative properties of this drug make it a new candidate for ADPKD therapy. -- Abstract: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common hereditary monogenic disorder characterized by development and enlargement of kidney cysts that lead to loss of renal function. It is caused by mutations in two genes (PKD1 and PKD2) encoding for polycystin-1 and polycystin-2 proteins which regulate different signals including cAMP, mTOR and EGFR pathways. Abnormal activation of these signals following PC1 or PC2 loss of function causes an increased cell proliferation which is a typical hallmark of this disease. Despite the promising findings obtained in animal models with targeted inhibitors able to reduce cystic cell growth, currently, no specific approved therapy for ADPKD is available. Therefore, the research of new more effective molecules could be crucial for the treatment of this severe pathology. In this regard, we have studied the effect of berberine, an isoquinoline quaternary alkaloid, on cell proliferation and apoptosis in human and mouse ADPKD cystic cell lines. Berberine treatment slows cell proliferation of ADPKD cystic cells in a dose-dependent manner and at high doses (100 μg/mL) it induces cell death in cystic cells as well as in normal kidney tubule cells. However, at 10 μg/mL, berberine reduces cell growth in ADPKD cystic cells only enhancing G 0 /G 1 phase of cell cycle and inhibiting ERK and p70-S6 kinases. Our results indicate that berberine shows a selected antiproliferative activity in cellular models for ADPKD, suggesting that this molecule and similar natural compounds could open new opportunities
Berberine slows cell growth in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bonon, Anna; Mangolini, Alessandra [Department of Biomedical and Specialty Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara (Italy); Pinton, Paolo [Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Section of General Pathology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara (Italy); Senno, Laura del [Department of Biomedical and Specialty Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara (Italy); Aguiari, Gianluca, E-mail: dsn@unife.it [Department of Biomedical and Specialty Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara (Italy)

2013-11-22

Highlights: •Berberine at appropriate doses slows cell proliferation in ADPKD cystic cells. •Reduction of cell growth by berberine occurs by inhibition of ERK and p70-S6 kinase. •Higher doses of berberine cause an overall cytotoxic effect. •Berberine overdose induces apoptotic bodies formation and DNA fragmentation. •Antiproliferative properties of this drug make it a new candidate for ADPKD therapy. -- Abstract: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common hereditary monogenic disorder characterized by development and enlargement of kidney cysts that lead to loss of renal function. It is caused by mutations in two genes (PKD1 and PKD2) encoding for polycystin-1 and polycystin-2 proteins which regulate different signals including cAMP, mTOR and EGFR pathways. Abnormal activation of these signals following PC1 or PC2 loss of function causes an increased cell proliferation which is a typical hallmark of this disease. Despite the promising findings obtained in animal models with targeted inhibitors able to reduce cystic cell growth, currently, no specific approved therapy for ADPKD is available. Therefore, the research of new more effective molecules could be crucial for the treatment of this severe pathology. In this regard, we have studied the effect of berberine, an isoquinoline quaternary alkaloid, on cell proliferation and apoptosis in human and mouse ADPKD cystic cell lines. Berberine treatment slows cell proliferation of ADPKD cystic cells in a dose-dependent manner and at high doses (100 μg/mL) it induces cell death in cystic cells as well as in normal kidney tubule cells. However, at 10 μg/mL, berberine reduces cell growth in ADPKD cystic cells only enhancing G{sub 0}/G{sub 1} phase of cell cycle and inhibiting ERK and p70-S6 kinases. Our results indicate that berberine shows a selected antiproliferative activity in cellular models for ADPKD, suggesting that this molecule and similar natural compounds could open new
Microstructured extremely thin absorber solar cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Biancardo, Matteo; Krebs, Frederik C

2007-01-01

In this paper we present the realization of extremely thin absorber (ETA) solar cells employing conductive glass substrates functionalized with TiO2 microstructures produced by embossing. Nanocrystalline or compact TiO2 films on Indium doped tin oxide (ITO) glass substrates were embossed by press......In this paper we present the realization of extremely thin absorber (ETA) solar cells employing conductive glass substrates functionalized with TiO2 microstructures produced by embossing. Nanocrystalline or compact TiO2 films on Indium doped tin oxide (ITO) glass substrates were embossed...
Exocytosis from chromaffin cells: hydrostatic pressure slows vesicle fusion

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Stühmer, Walter

2015-01-01

Pressure affects reaction kinetics because chemical transitions involve changes in volume, and therefore pressure is a standard thermodynamic parameter to measure these volume changes. Many organisms live in environments at external pressures other than one atmosphere (0.1 MPa). Marine animals have adapted to live at depths of over 7000 m (at pressures over 70 MPa), and microorganisms living in trenches at over 110 MPa have been retrieved. Here, kinetic changes in secretion from chromaffin cells, measured as capacitance changes using the patch-clamp technique at pressures of up to 20 MPa are presented. It is known that these high pressures drastically slow down physiological functions. High hydrostatic pressure also affects the kinetics of ion channel gating and the amount of current carried by them, and it drastically slows down synaptic transmission. The results presented here indicate a similar change in volume (activation volume) of 390 ± 57 Å3 for large dense-core vesicles undergoing fusion in chromaffin cells and for degranulation of mast cells. It is significantly larger than activation volumes of voltage-gated ion channels in chromaffin cells. This information will be useful in finding possible protein conformational changes during the reactions involved in vesicle fusion and in testing possible molecular dynamic models of secretory processes. PMID:26009771
Understanding the slow depletion of memory CD4+ T cells in HIV infection.

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Andrew Yates

2007-05-01

Full Text Available The asymptomatic phase of HIV infection is characterised by a slow decline of peripheral blood CD4(+ T cells. Why this decline is slow is not understood. One potential explanation is that the low average rate of homeostatic proliferation or immune activation dictates the pace of a "runaway" decline of memory CD4(+ T cells, in which activation drives infection, higher viral loads, more recruitment of cells into an activated state, and further infection events. We explore this hypothesis using mathematical models.Using simple mathematical models of the dynamics of T cell homeostasis and proliferation, we find that this mechanism fails to explain the time scale of CD4(+ memory T cell loss. Instead it predicts the rapid attainment of a stable set point, so other mechanisms must be invoked to explain the slow decline in CD4(+ cells.A runaway cycle in which elevated CD4(+ T cell activation and proliferation drive HIV production and vice versa cannot explain the pace of depletion during chronic HIV infection. We summarize some alternative mechanisms by which the CD4(+ memory T cell homeostatic set point might slowly diminish. While none are mutually exclusive, the phenomenon of viral rebound, in which interruption of antiretroviral therapy causes a rapid return to pretreatment viral load and T cell counts, supports the model of virus adaptation as a major force driving depletion.
Slow light in moving media

Science.gov (United States)

Leonhardt, U.; Piwnicki, P.

2001-06-01

We review the theory of light propagation in moving media with extremely low group velocity. We intend to clarify the most elementary features of monochromatic slow light in a moving medium and, whenever possible, to give an instructive simplified picture.
Antibodies to the CFTR modulate the turgor pressure of guard cell protoplasts via slow anion channels.

Science.gov (United States)

Leonhardt, N; Bazin, I; Richaud, P; Marin, E; Vavasseur, A; Forestier, C

2001-04-06

The plasma membrane guard cell slow anion channel is a key element at the basis of water loss control in plants allowing prolonged osmolite efflux necessary for stomatal closure. This channel has been extensively studied by electrophysiological approaches but its molecular identification is still lacking. Recently, we described that this channel was sharing some similarities with the mammalian ATP-binding cassette protein, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel [Leonhardt, N. et al. (1999) Plant Cell 11, 1141-1151]. Here, using the patch-clamp technique and a bioassay, consisting in the observation of the change in guard cell protoplasts volume, we demonstrated that a functional antibody raised against the mammalian CFTR prevented ABA-induced guard cell protoplasts shrinking and partially inhibited the slow anion current. Moreover, this antibody immunoprecipitated a polypeptide from guard cell protein extracts and immunolabeled stomata in Vicia faba leaf sections. These results indicate that the guard cell slow anion channel is, or is closely controlled by a polypeptide, exhibiting one epitope shared with the mammalian CFTR.
PN solutions for the slowing-down and the cell calculation problems in plane geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caldeira, Alexandre David

1999-01-01

In this work P N solutions for the slowing-down and cell problems in slab geometry are developed. To highlight the main contributions of this development, one can mention: the new particular solution developed for the P N method applied to the slowing-down problem in the multigroup model, originating a new class of polynomials denominated Chandrasekhar generalized polynomials; the treatment of a specific situation, known as a degeneracy, arising from a particularity in the group constants and the first application of the P N method, for arbitrary N, in criticality calculations at the cell level reported in literature. (author)
Microbial Fuel Cells under Extreme Salinity

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Monzon del Olmo, Oihane

I developed a Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) that unprecedentedly works (i.e., produces electricity) under extreme salinity (≈ 100 g/L NaCl). Many industries, such as oil and gas extraction, generate hypersaline wastewaters with high organic strength, accounting for about 5% of worldwide generated effluents, which represent a major challenge for pollution control and resource recovery. This study assesses the potential for microbial fuel cells (MFCs) to treat such wastewaters and generate electricity under extreme saline conditions. Specifically, the focus is on the feasibility to treat hypersaline wastewater generated by the emerging unconventional oil and gas industry (hydraulic fracturing) and so, with mean salinity of 100 g/L NaCl (3-fold higher than sea water). The success of this novel technology strongly depends on finding a competent and resilient microbial community that can degrade the waste under extreme saline conditions and be able to use the anode as their terminal electron acceptor (exoelectrogenic capability). I demonstrated that MFCs can produce electricity at extremely high salinity (up to 250 g/l NaCl) with a power production of 71mW/m2. Pyrosequencing analysis of the anode population showed the predominance of Halanaerobium spp. (85%), which has been found in shale formations and oil reservoirs. Promoting Quorum sensing (QS, cell to cell communication between bacteria to control gene expression) was used as strategy to increase the attachment of bacteria to the anode and thus improve the MFC performance. Results show that the power output can be bolstered by adding 100nM of quinolone signal with an increase in power density of 30%, for the first time showing QS in Halanaerobium extremophiles. To make this technology closer to market applications, experiments with real wastewaters were also carried out. A sample of produced wastewater from Barnet Shale, Texas (86 g/L NaCl) produced electricity when fed in an MFC, leading to my discovery of another
Reduced cells based on extremal principles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gruber, B.

1989-01-01

It is known that the Buerger cell, a+b+c=abs min, is ambiguous. Uniqueness is usually achieved by an additional system of inequalities which leads to the generally accepted Niggli cell. However, this system is rather unusual and does not suggest any geometrical meaning for the Niggli cell. In this paper four types of unique cells originating from the Buerger cell are introduced by means of simple conditions which have an extremal character. Any of these cells may stand for a reduced cell and has an express geometrical property. One of the four types coincides with the Niggli cell, which is thus given a geometrical interpretation. Systems of inequalities are shown that allow recognition of the cell of any type and algorithms are presented for achieving it. An algorithm for obtaining all Buerger cells of a lattice is included. The use of the reciprocal lattice enables the definition of four further unique cells which, however, need not be Buerger cells and are not discussed in detail. The mathematics must deal with a number of inequalities which often contain square roots, and sometimes rather intricate technical tricks are required. (orig.)
Interaction of fast and slow dynamics in endocrine control systems with an application to β-cell dynamics.

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Wang, Yi-Fang; Khan, Michael; van den Berg, Hugo A

2012-01-01

Endocrine dynamics spans a wide range of time scales, from rapid responses to physiological challenges to with slow responses that adapt the system to the demands placed on it. We outline a non-linear averaging procedure to extract the slower dynamics in a way that accounts properly for the non-linear dynamics of the faster time scale and is applicable to a hierarchy of more than two time scales, although we restrict our discussion to two scales for the sake of clarity. The procedure is exact if the slow time scale is infinitely slow (the dimensionless ε-quantity is the period of the fast time scale fluctuation times an upper bound to the slow time scale rate of change). However, even for an imperfect separation of time scales we find that this construction provides an excellent approximation for the slow-time dynamics at considerably reduced computational cost. Besides the computation advantage, the averaged equation provided a qualitative insight into the interaction of the time scales. We demonstrate the procedure and its advantages by applying the theory to the model described by Tolić et al. [I.M. Tolić, E. Mosekilde, J. Sturis, Modeling the insulin-glucose feedback system: the significance of pulsatile insulin secretion, J. Theor. Biol. 207 (2000) 361-375.] for ultradian dynamics of the glucose-insulin homeostasis feedback system, extended to include β-cell dynamics. We find that the dynamics of the β-cell mass are dependent not only on the glycemic load (amount of glucose administered to the system), but also on the way this load is applied (i.e. three meals daily versus constant infusion), effects that are lost in the inappropriate methods used by the earlier authors. Furthermore, we find that the loss of the protection against apoptosis conferred by insulin that occurs at elevated levels of insulin has a functional role in keeping the β-cell mass in check without compromising regulatory function. We also find that replenishment of β-cells from a
A comparison of cryopreservation methods: Slow-cooling vs. rapid-cooling based on cell viability, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and CD34+ enumeration of human umbilical cord blood mononucleated cells

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Sandra Ferry

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The finding of human umbilical cord blood as one of the most likely sources of hematopoietic stem cells offers a less invasive alternative for the need of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Due to the once-in-a-life time chance of collecting it, an optimum cryopreservation method that can preserve the life and function of the cells contained is critically needed. Methods Until now, slow-cooling has been the routine method of cryopreservation; however, rapid-cooling offers a simple, efficient, and harmless method for preserving the life and function of the desired cells. Therefore, this study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of slow- and rapid-cooling to preserve umbilical cord blood of mononucleated cells suspected of containing hematopoietic stem cells. The parameters used in this study were differences in cell viability, malondialdehyde content, and apoptosis level. The identification of hematopoietic stem cells themselves was carried out by enumerating CD34+ in a flow cytometer. Results Our results showed that mononucleated cell viability after rapid-cooling (91.9% was significantly higher than that after slow-cooling (75.5%, with a p value = 0.003. Interestingly, the malondialdehyde level in the mononucleated cell population after rapid-cooling (56.45 μM was also significantly higher than that after slow-cooling (33.25 μM, with a p value p value = 0.138. However, CD34+ enumeration was much higher in the population that underwent slow-cooling (23.32 cell/μl than in the one that underwent rapid-cooling (2.47 cell/μl, with a p value = 0.001. Conclusions Rapid-cooling is a potential cryopreservation method to be used to preserve the umbilical cord blood of mononucleated cells, although further optimization of the number of CD34+ cells after rapid-cooling is critically needed.
Base Oil-Extreme Pressure Additive Synergy in Lubricants

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Extreme pressure (EP) additives are those containing reactive elements such as sulfur, phosphorus, and chlorine. In lubrication processes that occur under extremely severe conditions (e.g., high pressure and/or slow speed), these elements undergo chemical reactions generating new materials (tribofi...
Slow, stopped and stored light

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Welch, G.; Scully, M.

2005-01-01

Light that can been slowed to walking pace could have applications in telecommunications, optical storage and quantum computing. Whether we use it to estimate how far away a thunderstorm is, or simply take it for granted that we can have a conversation with someone on the other side of the world, we all know that light travels extremely fast. Indeed, special relativity teaches us that nothing in the universe can ever move faster than the speed of light in a vacuum: 299 792 458 ms sup - sup 1. However, there is no such limitation on how slowly light can travel. For the last few years, researchers have been routinely slowing light to just a few metres per second, and have recently even stopped it dead in its tracks so that it can be stored for future use. Slow-light has considerable popular appeal, deriving perhaps from the importance of the speed of light in relativity and cosmology. If everyday objects such as cars or people can travel faster than 'slow' light, for example, then it might appear that relativistic effects could be observed at very low speeds. Although this is not the case, slow light nonetheless promises to play an important role in optical technology because it allows light to be delayed for any period of time desired. This could lead to all-optical routers that would increase the bandwidth of the Internet, and applications in optical data storage, quantum information and even radar. (U.K.)

The Relationship between Respiration-Related Membrane Potential Slow Oscillations and Discharge Patterns in Mitral/Tufted Cells: What Are the Rules?

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Briffaud, Virginie; Fourcaud-Trocmé, Nicolas; Messaoudi, Belkacem; Buonviso, Nathalie; Amat, Corine

2012-01-01

Background A slow respiration-related rhythm strongly shapes the activity of the olfactory bulb. This rhythm appears as a slow oscillation that is detectable in the membrane potential, the respiration-related spike discharge of the mitral/tufted cells and the bulbar local field potential. Here, we investigated the rules that govern the manifestation of membrane potential slow oscillations (MPSOs) and respiration-related discharge activities under various afferent input conditions and cellular excitability states. Methodology and Principal Findings We recorded the intracellular membrane potential signals in the mitral/tufted cells of freely breathing anesthetized rats. We first demonstrated the existence of multiple types of MPSOs, which were influenced by odor stimulation and discharge activity patterns. Complementary studies using changes in the intracellular excitability state and a computational model of the mitral cell demonstrated that slow oscillations in the mitral/tufted cell membrane potential were also modulated by the intracellular excitability state, whereas the respiration-related spike activity primarily reflected the afferent input. Based on our data regarding MPSOs and spike patterns, we found that cells exhibiting an unsynchronized discharge pattern never exhibited an MPSO. In contrast, cells with a respiration-synchronized discharge pattern always exhibited an MPSO. In addition, we demonstrated that the association between spike patterns and MPSO types appeared complex. Conclusion We propose that both the intracellular excitability state and input strength underlie specific MPSOs, which, in turn, constrain the types of spike patterns exhibited. PMID:22952828
Spatial planning via extremal optimization enhanced by cell-based local search

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sidiropoulos, Epaminondas

2014-01-01

A new treatment is presented for land use planning problems by means of extremal optimization in conjunction to cell-based neighborhood local search. Extremal optimization, inspired by self-organized critical models of evolution has been applied mainly to the solution of classical combinatorial optimization problems. Cell-based local search has been employed by the author elsewhere in problems of spatial resource allocation in combination with genetic algorithms and simulated annealing. In this paper it complements extremal optimization in order to enhance its capacity for a spatial optimization problem. The hybrid method thus formed is compared to methods of the literature on a specific characteristic problem. It yields better results both in terms of objective function values and in terms of compactness. The latter is an important quantity for spatial planning. The present treatment yields significant compactness values as emergent results
GMLC Extreme Event Modeling -- Slow-Dynamics Models for Renewable Energy Resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Korkali, M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Min, L. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2017-03-30

The need for slow dynamics models of renewable resources in cascade modeling essentially arises from the challenges associated with the increased use of solar and wind electric power. Indeed, the main challenge is that the power produced by wind and sunlight is not consistent; thus, renewable energy resources tend to have variable output power on many different timescales, including the timescales that a cascade unfolds.
Sexual dimorphism in epigenomicresponses of stem cells to extreme fetal growth

Science.gov (United States)

Delahaye, Fabien; Wijetunga, N. Ari; Heo, Hye J.; Tozour, Jessica N.; Zhao, Yong Mei; Greally, John M.; Einstein, Francine H.

2014-01-01

Extreme fetal growth is associated with increased susceptibility to a range of adult diseases through an unknown mechanism of cellular memory. We tested whether heritable epigenetic processes in long-lived CD34+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) showed evidence for re-programming associated with the extremes of fetal growth. Here we show that both fetal growth restriction and over-growth are associated with global shifts towards DNA hypermethylation, targeting cis-regulatory elements in proximity to genes involved in glucose homeostasis and stem cell function. We find a sexually dimorphic response; intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with substantially greater epigenetic dysregulation in males, whereas large for gestational age (LGA) growth predominantly affects females. The findings are consistent with extreme fetal growth interacting with variable fetal susceptibility to influence cellular aging and metabolic characteristics through epigenetic mechanisms, potentially generating biomarkers that could identify infants at higher risk for chronic disease later in life. PMID:25300954
A Primer to Slow Light

OpenAIRE

Leonhardt, U.

2001-01-01

Laboratory-based optical analogs of astronomical objects such as black holes rely on the creation of light with an extremely low or even vanishing group velocity (slow light). These brief notes represent a pedagogical attempt towards elucidating this extraordinary form of light. This paper is a contribution to the book Artificial Black Holes edited by Mario Novello, Matt Visser and Grigori Volovik. The paper is intended as a primer, an introduction to the subject for non-experts, not as a det...
FROM SLOW FOOD TO SLOW TOURISM

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Bac Dorin Paul

2014-12-01

Full Text Available One of the effects of globalization is the faster pace of our lives. This rhythm can be noticed in all aspects of life: travel, work, shopping, etc. and it has serious negative effects. It has become common knowledge that stress and speed generate serious medical issues. Food and eating habits in the modern world have taken their toll on our health. However, some people took a stand and argued for a new kind of lifestyle. It all started in the field of gastronomy, where a new movement emerged – Slow Food, based on the ideas and philosophy of Carlo Petrini. Slow Food represents an important adversary to the concept of fast food, and is promoting local products, enjoyable meals and healthy food. The philosophy of the Slow Food movement developed in several directions: Cittaslow, slow travel and tourism, slow religion and slow money etc. The present paper will account the evolution of the concept and its development during the most recent years. We will present how the philosophy of slow food was applied in all the other fields it reached and some critical points of view. Also we will focus on the presence of the slow movement in Romania, although it is in a very early stage of development. The main objectives of the present paper are: to present the chronological and ideological evolution of the slow movement; to establish a clear separation of slow travel and slow tourism, as many mistake on for the other; to review the presence of the slow movement in Romania. Regarding the research methodology, information was gathered from relevant academic papers and books and also from interviews and discussions with local entrepreneurs. The research is mostly theoretical and empirical, as slow food and slow tourism are emerging research themes in academic circles.
Role of biological membranes in slow-wave sleep.

Science.gov (United States)

Karnovsky, M L

1991-02-01

Two involvements of cellular membranes in slow-wave sleep (SWS) are discussed. In the first the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is focussed upon, and in the second, the plasmalemma, where specific binding sites (receptors?) for promoters of slow-wave sleep are believed to be located. The study concerning the ER focuses on an enzyme in the brain, glucose-6-phosphatase, which, although present at low levels, manifests greatly increased activity during SWS compared to the waking state. The work on the plasmalemma has to do with the specific binding of muramyl peptides, inducers of slow-wave sleep, to various cells, and membrane preparations of various sorts, including those from brain tissue. Such cells as macrophages from mice, B-lymphocytes from human blood, and cells from a cell line (C-6 glioma) have been examined in this context.
Partial fast-to-slow conversion of regenerating rat fast-twitch muscle by chronic low-frequency stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Pette, Dirk; Sketelj, Janez; Skorjanc, Dejan; Leisner, Elmi; Traub, Irmtrud; Bajrović, Fajko

2002-01-01

Chronic low-frequency stimulation (CLFS) of rat fast-twitch muscles induces sequential transitions in myosin heavy chain (MHC) expression from MHCIIb --> MHCIId/x --> MHCIIa. However, the 'final' step of the fast-to-slow transition, i.e., the upregulation of MHCI, has been observed only after extremely long stimulation periods. Assuming that fibre degeneration/regeneration might be involved in the upregulation of slow myosin, we investigated the effects of CLFS on extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles regenerating after bupivacaine-induced fibre necrosis. Normal, non-regenerating muscles responded to both 30- and 60-day CLFS with fast MHC isoform transitions (MHCIIb --> MHCIId --> MHCIIa) and only slight increases in MHCI. CLFS of regenerating EDL muscles caused similar transitions among the fast isoforms but, in addition, caused significant increases in MHCI (to approximately 30% relative concentration). Stimulation periods of 30 and 60 days induced similar changes in the regenerating bupivacaine-treated muscles, indicating that the upregulation of slow myosin was restricted to regenerating fibres, but only during an early stage of regeneration. These results suggest that satellite cells and/or regenerating fast rat muscle fibres are capable of switching directly to a slow program under the influence of CLFS and, therefore, appear to be more malleable than adult fibres.
The Potential of/for 'Slow': Slow Tourists and Slow Destinations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Guiver

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Slow tourism practices are nothing new; in fact, they were once the norm and still are for millions of people whose annual holiday is spent camping, staying in caravans, rented accommodation, with friends and relations or perhaps in a second home, who immerse themselves in their holiday environment, eat local food, drink local wine and walk or cycle around the area. So why a special edition about slow tourism? Like many aspects of life once considered normal (such as organic farming or free-range eggs, the emergence of new practices has highlighted differences and prompted a re-evaluation of once accepted practices and values. In this way, the concept of ‘slow tourism’ has recently appeared as a type of tourism that contrasts with many contemporary mainstream tourism practices. It has also been associated with similar trends already ‘branded’ slow: slow food and cittaslow (slow towns and concepts such as mindfulness, savouring and well-being.
Extremely high concentration of folates in premature newborns.

Science.gov (United States)

Zikavska, T; Brucknerova, I

2014-01-01

Extremely high concentration of folates in premature newborns: case reports. Folates are a group of water soluble compounds, which are important for metabolic processes in human body. These are important during periods of rapid cell growth. The most accurate indicator of long-term folate level status in the body is the determination of red blood cell (RBC) folate concentrations. The optimal level of RBC folate is not known in neonatal period. Authors discuss the reasons for extremely high level of RBC folate concentrations. In our work we present the cases of two premature newborns with extremely high level of RBC folate concentrations, which were analyzed immunochemically on the first day of life and after six weeks of life. In both cases we measured RBC folate concentrations on the 1st day of life. After 6 weeks we found extremely high RBC folate concentration level (5516.67 ng/ml) in the first case after RBC transfusions. In second case after two months of life the RBC folate concentration level was doubled (2335.1 ng/ml) until 24 hours after RBC transfusion compared to levels after birth. The normal range of RBC folate values vary in newborns. The upper limit of daily dose of folic acid in pregnancy and neonatal period is not known. On the other hand it is an easily excreted water-soluble vitamin but in premature newborn it can lead to the disruption of metabolic balance and slow its degradation. Some factors can have an impact on RBC folate concentration. Blood transfusion can be one of the main influences on RBC folate concentration. To clarify these mechanisms further studies are required (Ref. 29).
Slow Orbit Feedback at the ALS Using Matlab

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Portmann, G.

1999-01-01

The third generation Advanced Light Source (ALS) produces extremely bright and finely focused photon beams using undulatory, wigglers, and bend magnets. In order to position the photon beams accurately, a slow global orbit feedback system has been developed. The dominant causes of orbit motion at the ALS are temperature variation and insertion device motion. This type of motion can be removed using slow global orbit feedback with a data rate of a few Hertz. The remaining orbit motion in the ALS is only 1-3 micron rms. Slow orbit feedback does not require high computational throughput. At the ALS, the global orbit feedback algorithm, based on the singular valued decomposition method, is coded in MATLAB and runs on a control room workstation. Using the MATLAB environment to develop, test, and run the storage ring control algorithms has proven to be a fast and efficient way to operate the ALS
Neurogenetics of slow axonal transport: from cells to animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Sadananda, Aparna; Ray, Krishanu

2012-09-01

Slow axonal transport is a multivariate phenomenon implicated in several neurodegenerative disorders. Recent reports have unraveled the molecular basis of the transport of certain slow component proteins, such as the neurofilament subunits, tubulin, and certain soluble enzymes such as Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IIa (CaM kinase IIa), etc., in tissue cultured neurons. In addition, genetic analyses also implicate microtubule-dependent motors and other housekeeping proteins in this process. However, the biological relevance of this phenomenon is not so well understood. Here, the authors have discussed the possibility of adopting neurogenetic analyses in multiple model organisms to correlate molecular level measurements of the slow transport phenomenon to animal behavior, thus facilitating the investigation of its biological efficacy.
Lower Extremity Muscle Activity During a Women's Overhand Lacrosse Shot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Millard Brianna M.

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to describe lower extremity muscle activity during the lacrosse shot. Participants (n=5 females, age 22±2 years, body height 162.6±15.2 cm, body mass 63.7±23.6 kg were free from injury and had at least one year of lacrosse experience. The lead leg was instrumented with electromyography (EMG leads to measure muscle activity of the rectus femoris (RF, biceps femoris (BF, tibialis anterior (TA, and medial gastrocnemius (GA. Participants completed five trials of a warm-up speed shot (Slow and a game speed shot (Fast. Video analysis was used to identify the discrete events defining specific movement phases. Full-wave rectified data were averaged per muscle per phase (Crank Back Minor, Crank Back Major, Stick Acceleration, Stick Deceleration. Average EMG per muscle was analyzed using a 4 (Phase x 2 (Speed ANOVA. BF was greater during Fast vs. Slow for all phases (p0.05. RF and GA were each influenced by the interaction of Phase and Speed (p<0.05 with GA being greater during Fast vs. Slow shots during all phases and RF greater during Crank Back Minor and Major as well as Stick Deceleration (p<0.05 but only tended to be greater during Stick Acceleration (p=0.076 for Fast vs. Slow. The greater muscle activity (BF, RF, GA during Fast vs. Slow shots may have been related to a faster approach speed and/or need to create a stiff lower extremity to allow for faster upper extremity movements.
Tracking and Finding Slow-Proliferating/Quiescent Cancer Stem Cells with Fluorescent Nanodiamonds.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Hsin-Hung; Lee, Hsiao-Wen; Lin, Ruey-Jen; Huang, Chih-Wei; Liao, Yi-Chun; Chen, Yit-Tsong; Fang, Jim-Min; Lee, Te-Chang; Yu, Alice L; Chang, Huan-Cheng

2015-09-09

Quiescent cancer stem cells (CSCs) have long been considered to be a source of tumor initiation. However, identification and isolation of these cells have been hampered by the fact that commonly used fluorescent markers are not sufficiently stable, both chemically and photophysically, to allow tracking over an extended period of time. Here, it is shown that fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) are well suited for this application. Genotoxicity tests of FNDs with comet and micronucleus assays for human fibroblasts and breast cancer cells indicate that the nanoparticles neither cause DNA damage nor impair cell growth. Using AS-B145-1R breast cancer cells as the model cell line for CSC, it is found that the FND labeling outperforms 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) and carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE) in regards to its long-term tracking capability (>20 d). Moreover, through a quantification of their stem cell activity by measuring mammosphere-forming efficiencies (MFEs) and self-renewal rates, the FND-positive cells are identified to have an MFE twice as high as that of the FND-negative cells isolated from the same dissociated mammospheres. Thus, the nanoparticle-based labeling technique provides an effective new tool for tracking and finding slow-proliferating/quiescent CSCs in cancer research. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Slow-light enhancement of Beer-Lambert-Bouguer absorption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mortensen, Asger; Xiao, Sanshui

2007-01-01

We theoretically show how slow light in an optofluidic environment facilitates enhanced light-matter interactions, by orders of magnitude. The proposed concept provides strong opportunities for improving existing miniaturized chemical absorbance cells for Beer-Lambert-Bouguer absorption measureme......We theoretically show how slow light in an optofluidic environment facilitates enhanced light-matter interactions, by orders of magnitude. The proposed concept provides strong opportunities for improving existing miniaturized chemical absorbance cells for Beer-Lambert-Bouguer absorption...
Particle-in-cell studies of fast-ion slowing-down rates in cool tenuous magnetized plasma

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Eugene S.; Cohen, Samuel A.; Welch, Dale R.

2018-04-01

We report on 3D-3V particle-in-cell simulations of fast-ion energy-loss rates in a cold, weakly-magnetized, weakly-coupled plasma where the electron gyroradius, ρe, is comparable to or less than the Debye length, λDe, and the fast-ion velocity exceeds the electron thermal velocity, a regime in which the electron response may be impeded. These simulations use explicit algorithms, spatially resolve ρe and λDe, and temporally resolve the electron cyclotron and plasma frequencies. For mono-energetic dilute fast ions with isotropic velocity distributions, these scaling studies of the slowing-down time, τs, versus fast-ion charge are in agreement with unmagnetized slowing-down theory; with an applied magnetic field, no consistent anisotropy between τs in the cross-field and field-parallel directions could be resolved. Scaling the fast-ion charge is confirmed as a viable way to reduce the required computational time for each simulation. The implications of these slowing down processes are described for one magnetic-confinement fusion concept, the small, advanced-fuel, field-reversed configuration device.
A Simple and Efficient Method of Slow Freezing for Human Embryonic Stem Cells and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Imaizumi, Keitaro; Iha, Momoe; Nishishita, Naoki; Kawamata, Shin; Nishikawa, Shinichi; Akuta, Teruo

2016-01-01

Protocols available for the cryopreservation of human embryonic stem (ES) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are very inefficient and laborious compared to those for the cryopreservation of murine ES/iPS cells or other general cell lines. While the vitrification method may be adequate when working with small numbers of human ES/iPS cells, it requires special skills and is unsuitable when working with large cell numbers. Here, we describe a simple and efficient method for the cryopreservation of hES/hiPS cells that is based on a conventional slow freezing method that uses a combination of Pronase/EDTA for Stem™ and CP-5E™ [final concentrations: 6 % hydroxyethyl starch, 5 % DMSO, and 5 % ethylene glycol in saline]. CP-5E™ is highly effective for the cryopreservation of small cell clumps produced by hES/hiPS colony detachment in the presence of Pronase and EDTA (Pronase/EDTA for Stem™, a formulation containing multiple digestive enzymes from Streptomyces griseus). This novel method would be quite useful for large-scale hES/iPS cell banking for use in clinical applications.
Differential Sensitivities of Fast- and Slow-Cycling Cancer Cells to Inosine Monophosphate Dehydrogenase 2 Inhibition by Mycophenolic Acid

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Kan; Cao, Wanlu; Li, Juan; Sprengers, Dave; Hernanda, Pratika Y; Kong, Xiangdong; van der Laan, Luc JW; Man, Kwan; Kwekkeboom, Jaap; Metselaar, Herold J; Peppelenbosch, Maikel P; Pan, Qiuwei

2015-01-01

As uncontrolled cell proliferation requires nucleotide biosynthesis, inhibiting enzymes that mediate nucleotide biosynthesis constitutes a rational approach to the management of oncological diseases. In practice, however, results of this strategy are mixed and thus elucidation of the mechanisms by which cancer cells evade the effect of nucleotide biosynthesis restriction is urgently needed. Here we explored the notion that intrinsic differences in cancer cell cycle velocity are important in the resistance toward inhibition of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) by mycophenolic acid (MPA). In short-term experiments, MPA treatment of fast-growing cancer cells effectively elicited G0/G1 arrest and provoked apoptosis, thus inhibiting cell proliferation and colony formation. Forced expression of a mutated IMPDH2, lacking a binding site for MPA but retaining enzymatic activity, resulted in complete resistance of cancer cells to MPA. In nude mice subcutaneously engrafted with HeLa cells, MPA moderately delayed tumor formation by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis. Importantly, we developed a lentiviral vector–based Tet-on label-retaining system that enables to identify, isolate and functionally characterize slow-cycling or so-called label-retaining cells (LRCs) in vitro and in vivo. We surprisingly found the presence of LRCs in fast-growing tumors. LRCs were superior in colony formation, tumor initiation and resistance to MPA as compared with fast-cycling cells. Thus, the slow-cycling compartment of cancer seems predominantly responsible for resistance to MPA. PMID:26467706
Modular SiGe 130 nm Cell Library for Extreme Environments, Phase I

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National Aeronautics and Space Administration — NASA space missions utilizing application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) under extreme conditions have a critical need for high performance analog cell...
Slow conduction in mixed cultured strands of primary ventricular cells and stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Pavel Kucera

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Modern concepts for the treatment of myocardial diseases focus on novel cell therapeutic strategies involving stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (SCMs. However, functional integration of SCMs requires similar electrophysiological properties as primary cardiomyocytes (PCMs and the ability to establish intercellular connections with host myocytes in order to contribute to the electrical and mechanical activity of the heart. The aim of this project was to investigate the properties of cardiac conduction in a co-culture approach using SCMs and PCMs in cultured cell strands. Murine embryonic SCMs were pooled with fetal ventricular cells and seeded in predefined proportions on microelectrode arrays to form patterned strands of mixed cells. Conduction velocity (CV was measured during steady state pacing. SCM excitability was estimated from action potentials measured in single cells using the patch clamp technique. Experiments were complemented with computer simulations of conduction using a detailed model of cellular architecture in mixed cell strands.CV was significantly lower in strands composed purely of SCMs (5.5±1.5 cm/s, n=11 as compared to PCMs (34.9±2.9 cm/s, n=21 at similar refractoriness (100% SCMs: 122±25 ms, n=9; 100% PCMs: 139±67 ms, n=14. In mixed strands combining both cell types, CV was higher than in pure SCMs strands, but always lower than in 100% PCM strands. Computer simulations demonstrated that both intercellular coupling and electrical excitability limit CV.These data provide evidence that in cultures of murine ventricular cardiomyocytes, SCMs cannot restore CV to control levels resulting in slow conduction, which may lead to reentry circuits and arrhythmias.

Slow-wave sleep estimation on a load-cell-installed bed: a non-constrained method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Byung Hun; Chung, Gih Sung; Lee, Jin-Seong; Jeong, Do-Un; Park, Kwang Suk

2009-01-01

Polysomnography (PSG) involves simultaneous and continuous monitoring of relevant normal and abnormal physiological activity during sleep. At present, an electroencephalography-based rule is generally used for classifying sleep stages. However, scoring the PSG record is quite laborious and time consuming. In this paper, movement and cardiac activity were measured unobtrusively by a load-cell-installed bed, and sleep was classified into two stages: slow-wave sleep and non-slow-wave sleep. From the measured cardiac activity, we extracted heartbeat data and calculated heart rate variability parameters: standard deviation of R–R intervals SDNN, low frequency-to-high frequency ratio, alpha of detrended fluctuation analysis and correlation coefficient of R–R interval. The developed system showed a substantial concordance with PSG results when compared using a contingency test. The mean epoch-by-epoch agreement between the proposed method and PSG was 92.5% and Cohen's kappa was 0.62
Induction of chromosomal aberrations in human primary fibroblasts and immortalized cancer cells exposed to extremely-low-frequency electromagnetic fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seyyedi, S. S.; Mozdarani, H.; Rezaei Tavirani, M.; Heydari, S.

2010-01-01

Rapidly increasing possibilities of exposure to environmental extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields have become a topic of worldwide investigation. Epidemiological and laboratory studies suggest that exposure to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields may increase cancer risk therefore assessment of chromosomal damage in various cell lines might be of predictive value for future risk estimation. Materials and Methods: Primary cultures of fibroblasts from human skin biopsy were exposed to continuous extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (3, 50 and 60 Hz, sinusoidal, 3h, and 4 m T). Also immortalized cell lines, SW480, MCF-7 and 1321N1 were exposed to continuous extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (50 Hz, sinusoidal, 3 h, 4 m T). Metaphase plates Were prepared according to standard methods and stained in 5% Giemsa solution. Chromosomal aberrations of both chromosome and chromatid types were scored to evaluate the effects of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields on primary or established cell lines. Results: Results indicate that by increasing the frequency of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields, chromosomal aberrations were increased up to 7-fold above background levels in primary human fibroblast cells. In addition, continuous exposure to a 50 Hz electromagnetic field led to a significant increase in chromosomal aberrations in SW480, MCF-7 and 1321N1 cell lines compared to sham control. Conclusion: Results obtained indicate that extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields has the potential for induction of chromosomal aberrations in all cell types.
Cell surface alteration in Epstein-Barr virus-transformed cells from patients with extreme insulin resistance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorden, D.L.; Robert, A.; Moncada, V.Y.; Taylor, S.I.; Muehlhauser, J.C.; Carpentier, J.L.

1990-01-01

An abnormality was detected in the morphology of the cell surface of Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphocytes of patients with genetic forms of insulin resistance. In cells from two patients with leprechaunism and two patients with type A extreme insulin resistance, scanning electron microscopy demonstrated a decrease in the percentage of the cell surface occupied by microvilli in cells from the patients with leprechaunism and type A insulin resistance compared with control cells. When cells from a healthy control subject and one of the patients with leprechaunism (Lep/Ark-1) were incubated with 125 I-labeled insulin, there was a decrease in the percentage of 125 I-insulin associated with microvilli on the cell surface. Thus, the decreased localization of insulin receptors with the microvillous region of the cell surface was in proportion to the decrease in microvilli
Interfacial Engineering and Charge Carrier Dynamics in Extremely Thin Absorber Solar Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Edley, Michael

Photovoltaic energy is a clean and renewable source of electricity; however, it faces resistance to widespread use due to cost. Nanostructuring decouples constraints related to light absorption and charge separation, potentially reducing cost by allowing a wider variety of processing techniques and materials to be used. However, the large interfacial areas also cause an increased dark current which negatively affects cell efficiency. This work focuses on extremely thin absorber (ETA) solar cells that used a ZnO nanowire array as a scaffold for an extremely thin CdSe absorber layer. Photoexcited electrons generated in the CdSe absorber are transferred to the ZnO layer, while photogenerated holes are transferred to the liquid electrolyte. The transfer of photoexcited carriers to their transport layer competes with bulk recombination in the absorber layer. After charge separation, transport of charge carriers to their respective contacts must occur faster than interfacial recombination for efficient collection. Charge separation and collection depend sensitively on the dimensions of the materials as well as their interfaces. We demonstrated that an optimal absorber thickness can balance light absorption and charge separation. By treating the ZnO/CdSe interface with a CdS buffer layer, we were able to improve the Voc and fill factor, increasing the ETA cell's efficiency from 0.53% to 1.34%, which is higher than that achievable using planar films of the same material. We have gained additional insight into designing ETA cells through the use of dynamic measurements. Ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy revealed that characteristic times for electron injection from CdSe to ZnO are less than 1 ps. Electron injection is rapid compared to the 2 ns bulk lifetime in CdSe. Optoelectronic measurements such as transient photocurrent/photovoltage and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were applied to study the processes of charge transport and interfacial recombination
Radiosensitizing and toxic effects of the 2-nitroimidazole Ro-07-0582 in different phases of the cell cycle of extremely hypoxic human cells in vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petterson, E.O.

1978-01-01

The radiosensitizing effect of 5 and 30 mM of Ro-07-0582 (misonidazole) has been studied at different stages of the cell cycle of mitotically selected NHIK 3025 cells under aerobic and extremely hypoxic conditions. For cells irradiated under aerobic conditions no sensitizing effect was seen at any stage of the cell cycle. For cells irradiated under extremely hypoxic conditions there was a lower sensitizing effect in mid-G1 than in mid-S for low radiation doses (in the initial region of the dose-response curves). For high radiation doses, however, no significant difference in sensitizing effect on cells in mid-G1 and in mid-S was seen. For cells in mid-G1 the sensitizing effect increased with increasing radiation dose. The toxic effect of 30 mM Ro-07-0582 as measured by loss of reproductive capacity was studied at room temperature for contact times up to 6 hours under aerobic conditions and 3 hours under extremely hypoxic conditions. While no effect was seen under aerobic conditions there was a toxic effect for contact intervals above 1 hour under extremely hypoxic conditions. Cells in S were more sensitive to the toxic effect of Ro-07-0582 than cells in G1. Implications for clinical use are discussed
Slowing down the speed of light using an electromagnetically-induced-transparency mechanism in a modified reservoir

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Ronggang; Liu, Tong; Wang, Yingying; Li, Yujie; Gai, Bingzheng

2017-11-01

We propose an effective method to achieve extremely slow light by using both the mechanism of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and the localization of a coupled cavity waveguide (CCW). Based on quantum mechanics theory and the dispersion relation of a CCW, we derive a group-velocity formula that reveals both the effects of the EIT and CCW. Results show that ultralow light velocity at the order of several meters per second or even static light, could be obtained feasibly. In comparison with the EIT mechanism in a background of vacuum, this proposed method is more effective and realistic to achieve extremely slow light. And it exhibits potential values in the field of light storage.
Imaging of tissue sections with very slow electrons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frank, L., E-mail: ludek@isibrno.cz [Institute of Scientific Instruments AS CR, v.v.i., Královopolská 147, 61264 Brno (Czech Republic); Nebesářová, J.; Vancová, M. [Biology Centre AS CR, v.v.i., Branišovská 31, 37005 České Budějovice (Czech Republic); Paták, A.; Müllerová, I. [Institute of Scientific Instruments AS CR, v.v.i., Královopolská 147, 61264 Brno (Czech Republic)

2015-01-15

The examination of thin sections of tissues with electron microscopes is an indispensable tool. Being composed of light elements, samples of living matter illuminated with electrons at the usual high energies of tens or even hundreds of kiloelectronvolts provide very low image contrasts in transmission or scanning transmission electron microscopes. Therefore, heavy metal salts are added to the specimen during preparation procedures (post-fixation with osmium tetroxide or staining). However, these procedures can modify or obscure the ultrastructural details of cells. Here we show that the energy of electrons used for the scanned transmission imaging of tissue sections can be reduced to mere hundreds or even tens of electronvolts and can produce extremely high contrast even for samples free of any metal salts. We found that when biasing a sufficiently thin tissue section sample to a high negative potential in a scanning transmission electron microscope, thereby reducing the energy of the electrons landing on the sample, and collecting the transmitted electrons with a grounded detector, we obtain a high contrast revealing structure details not enhanced by heavy atoms. Moreover, bombardment with slow electrons sensitively depolymerises the resin in which the tissue is embedded, thereby enhancing the transmitted signal with no observable loss of structure details. The use of low-energy electrons requires ultrathin sections of a thickness of less than 10 nm, but their preparation is now possible. Ultralow energy STEM provides a tool enabling the observation of very thin biological samples without any staining. This method should also be advantageous for examination of 2D crystals, thin films of polymers, polymer blends, etc. - Highlights: • Sections of a thickness below 10 nm were imaged in STEM at hundreds and tens of eV. • Image contrast grows steeply with decreasing electron energy in the STEM. • Very slow electrons provide high contrast for samples free of
Nitrogen limitation and slow drying induce desiccation tolerance in conjugating green algae (Zygnematophyceae, Streptophyta from polar habitats.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martina Pichrtová

Full Text Available Filamentous Zygnematophyceae are typical components of algal mats in the polar hydro-terrestrial environment. Under field conditions, they form senescent vegetative cells, designated as pre-akinetes, which are tolerant to desiccation and osmotic stress.Pre-akinete formation and desiccation tolerance was investigated experimentally under monitored laboratory conditions in four strains of Arctic and Antarctic isolates with vegetative Zygnema sp. morphology. Phylogenetic analyses of rbcL sequences revealed one Arctic strain as genus Zygnemopsis, phylogenetically distant from the closely related Zygnema strains. Algae were cultivated in liquid or on solidified medium (9 weeks, supplemented with or lacking nitrogen. Nitrogen-free cultures (liquid as well as solidified consisted of well-developed pre-akinetes after this period. Desiccation experiments were performed at three different drying rates (rapid: 10% relative humidity, slow: 86% rh and very slow; viability, effective quantum yield of PS II, visual and ultrastructural changes were monitored. Recovery and viability of pre-akinetes were clearly dependent on the drying rate: slower desiccation led to higher levels of survival. Pre-akinetes survived rapid drying after acclimation by very slow desiccation.The formation of pre-akinetes in polar Zygnema spp. and Zygnemopsis sp. is induced by nitrogen limitation. Pre-akinetes, modified vegetative cells, rather than specialized stages of the life cycle, can be hardened by mild desiccation stress to survive rapid drying. Naturally hardened pre-akinetes play a key role in stress tolerance and dispersal under the extreme conditions of polar regions, where sexual reproduction and production of dormant stages is largely suppressed.
Cancer cell-soluble factors reprogram mesenchymal stromal cells to slow cycling, chemoresistant cells with a more stem-like state

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Ahmed El-Badawy

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs play different roles in modulating tumor progression, growth, and metastasis. MSCs are recruited to the tumor site in large numbers and subsequently have an important microenvironmental role in modulating tumor progression and drug sensitivity. However, the effect of the tumor microenvironment on MSC plasticity remains poorly understood. Herein, we report a paracrine effect of cancer cells, in which they secrete soluble factors that promote a more stem-like state in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs. Methods The effect of soluble factors secreted from MCF7, Hela, and HepG2 cancer cell lines on BM-MSCs was assessed using a Transwell indirect coculture system. After 5 days of coculture, BM-MSCs were characterized by flow cytometry for surface marker expression, by qPCR for gene expression profile, and by confocal immunofluorescence for marker expression. We then measured the sensitivity of cocultured BM-MSCs to chemotherapeutic agents, their cell cycle profile, and their response to DNA damage. The sphere formation, invasive properties, and in-vivo performance of BM-MSCs after coculture with cancer cells were also measured. Results Indirect coculture of cancer cells and BM-MSCs, without direct cell contact, generated slow cycling, chemoresistant spheroid stem cells that highly expressed markers of pluripotency, cancer cells, and cancer stem cells (CSCs. They also displayed properties of a side population and enhanced sphere formation in culture. Accordingly, these cells were termed cancer-induced stem cells (CiSCs. CiSCs showed a more mesenchymal phenotype that was further augmented upon TGF-β stimulation and demonstrated a high expression of the β-catenin pathway and ALDH1A1. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that MSCs, recruited to the tumor microenvironment in large numbers, may display cellular plasticity, acquire a more stem-like state, and acquire some properties of CSCs upon
Slow and sustained nitric oxide releasing compounds inhibit multipotent vascular stem cell proliferation and differentiation without causing cell death

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Curtis, Brandon M.; Leix, Kyle Alexander; Ji, Yajing; Glaves, Richard Samuel Elliot; Ash, David E.; Mohanty, Dillip K.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Multipotent vascular stem cells (MVSCs) proliferate and differentiate. • Nitric oxide inhibits proliferation of MVSCs. • Nitric oxide inhibits MVSC differentiation to mesenchymal-like stem cells (MSCs). • Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) neither de-differentiate nor proliferate. - Abstract: Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of cerebral and myocardial infarction. It is believed that neointimal growth common in the later stages of atherosclerosis is a result of vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) de-differentiation in response to endothelial injury. However, the claims of the SMC de-differentiation theory have not been substantiated by monitoring the fate of mature SMCs in response to such injuries. A recent study suggests that atherosclerosis is a consequence of multipotent vascular stem cell (MVSC) differentiation. Nitric oxide (NO) is a well-known mediator against atherosclerosis, in part because of its inhibitory effect on SMC proliferation. Using three different NO-donors, we have investigated the effects of NO on MVSC proliferation. Results indicate that NO inhibits MVSC proliferation in a concentration dependent manner. A slow and sustained delivery of NO proved to inhibit proliferation without causing cell death. On the other hand, larger, single-burst NO concentrations, inhibits proliferation, with concurrent significant cell death. Furthermore, our results indicate that endogenously produced NO inhibits MVSC differentiation to mesenchymal-like stem cells (MSCs) and subsequently to SMC as well
Slow and sustained nitric oxide releasing compounds inhibit multipotent vascular stem cell proliferation and differentiation without causing cell death

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Curtis, Brandon M.; Leix, Kyle Alexander [Department of Chemistry, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 (United States); Ji, Yajing [Department of Biomedical Science and Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 (United States); Glaves, Richard Samuel Elliot [Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 (United States); Ash, David E. [Department of Chemistry, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 (United States); Mohanty, Dillip K., E-mail: Mohan1dk@cmich.edu [Department of Chemistry, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 (United States)

2014-07-18

Highlights: • Multipotent vascular stem cells (MVSCs) proliferate and differentiate. • Nitric oxide inhibits proliferation of MVSCs. • Nitric oxide inhibits MVSC differentiation to mesenchymal-like stem cells (MSCs). • Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) neither de-differentiate nor proliferate. - Abstract: Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of cerebral and myocardial infarction. It is believed that neointimal growth common in the later stages of atherosclerosis is a result of vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) de-differentiation in response to endothelial injury. However, the claims of the SMC de-differentiation theory have not been substantiated by monitoring the fate of mature SMCs in response to such injuries. A recent study suggests that atherosclerosis is a consequence of multipotent vascular stem cell (MVSC) differentiation. Nitric oxide (NO) is a well-known mediator against atherosclerosis, in part because of its inhibitory effect on SMC proliferation. Using three different NO-donors, we have investigated the effects of NO on MVSC proliferation. Results indicate that NO inhibits MVSC proliferation in a concentration dependent manner. A slow and sustained delivery of NO proved to inhibit proliferation without causing cell death. On the other hand, larger, single-burst NO concentrations, inhibits proliferation, with concurrent significant cell death. Furthermore, our results indicate that endogenously produced NO inhibits MVSC differentiation to mesenchymal-like stem cells (MSCs) and subsequently to SMC as well.
Calcineurin regulates slow myosin, but not fast myosin or metabolic enzymes, during fast-to-slow transformation in rabbit skeletal muscle cell culture

Science.gov (United States)

Meißner, Joachim D; Gros, Gerolf; Scheibe, Renate J; Scholz, Michael; Kubis, Hans-Peter

2001-01-01

The addition of cyclosporin A (500 ng ml−1) - an inhibitor of the Ca2+-calmodulin-regulated serine/threonine phosphatase calcineurin - to primary cultures of rabbit skeletal muscle cells had no influence on the expression of fast myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms MHCIIa and MHCIId at the level of protein and mRNA, but reduced the expression of slow MHCI mRNA. In addition, no influence of cyclosporin A on the expression of citrate synthase (CS) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) mRNA was found. The level of enzyme activity of CS was also not affected. When the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 (4 × 10−7m) was added to the medium, a partial fast-to-slow transformation occurred. The level of MHCI mRNA increased, and the level of MHCIId mRNA decreased. Cotreatment with cyclosporin A was able to prevent the upregulation of MHCI at the level of mRNA as well as protein, but did not reverse the decrease in MHCIId expression. The expression of MHCIIa was also not influenced by cyclosporin A. Cyclosporin A was not able to prevent the upregulation of CS mRNA under Ca2+ ionophore treatment and failed to reduce the increased enzyme activity of CS. The expression of GAPDH mRNA was reduced under Ca2+ ionophore treatment and was not altered under cotreatment with cyclosporin A. When the myotubes in the primary muscle culture were electrostimulated at 1 Hz for 15 min periods followed by pauses of 30 min, a partial fast-to-slow transformation was induced. Again, cotreatment with cyclosporin A prevented the upregulation of MHCI at the level of mRNA and protein without affecting MHCIId expression. The nuclear translocation of the calcineurin-regulated transcription factor nuclear factor of activated thymocytes (NFATc1) during treatment with Ca2+ ionophore, and the prevention of the translocation in the presence of cyclosporin A, were demonstrated immunocytochemically in the myotubes of the primary culture. The effects of cyclosporin A demonstrate the involvement of
Intracellular Ca(2+) release from endoplasmic reticulum regulates slow wave currents and pacemaker activity of interstitial cells of Cajal.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Mei Hong; Sung, Tae Sik; O'Driscoll, Kate; Koh, Sang Don; Sanders, Kenton M

2015-04-15

Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) provide pacemaker activity in gastrointestinal muscles that underlies segmental and peristaltic contractions. ICC generate electrical slow waves that are due to large-amplitude inward currents resulting from anoctamin 1 (ANO1) channels, which are Ca(2+)-activated Cl(-) channels. We investigated the hypothesis that the Ca(2+) responsible for the stochastic activation of ANO1 channels during spontaneous transient inward currents (STICs) and synchronized activation of ANO1 channels during slow wave currents comes from intracellular Ca(2+) stores. ICC, obtained from the small intestine of Kit(+/copGFP) mice, were studied under voltage and current clamp to determine the effects of blocking Ca(2+) uptake into stores and release of Ca(2+) via inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)-dependent and ryanodine-sensitive channels. Cyclocpiazonic acid, thapsigargin, 2-APB, and xestospongin C inhibited STICs and slow wave currents. Ryanodine and tetracaine also inhibited STICs and slow wave currents. Store-active compounds had no direct effects on ANO1 channels expressed in human embryonic kidney-293 cells. Under current clamp, store-active drugs caused significant depolarization of ICC and reduced spontaneous transient depolarizations (STDs). After block of ryanodine receptors with ryanodine and tetracaine, repolarization did not restore STDs. ANO1 expressed in ICC has limited access to cytoplasmic Ca(2+) concentration, suggesting that pacemaker activity depends on Ca(2+) dynamics in restricted microdomains. Our data from studies of isolated ICC differ somewhat from studies on intact muscles and suggest that release of Ca(2+) from both IP3 and ryanodine receptors is important in generating pacemaker activity in ICC. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.
Intracellular Ca2+ release from endoplasmic reticulum regulates slow wave currents and pacemaker activity of interstitial cells of Cajal

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Mei Hong; Sung, Tae Sik; O'Driscoll, Kate; Koh, Sang Don

2015-01-01

Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) provide pacemaker activity in gastrointestinal muscles that underlies segmental and peristaltic contractions. ICC generate electrical slow waves that are due to large-amplitude inward currents resulting from anoctamin 1 (ANO1) channels, which are Ca2+-activated Cl− channels. We investigated the hypothesis that the Ca2+ responsible for the stochastic activation of ANO1 channels during spontaneous transient inward currents (STICs) and synchronized activation of ANO1 channels during slow wave currents comes from intracellular Ca2+ stores. ICC, obtained from the small intestine of Kit+/copGFP mice, were studied under voltage and current clamp to determine the effects of blocking Ca2+ uptake into stores and release of Ca2+ via inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)-dependent and ryanodine-sensitive channels. Cyclocpiazonic acid, thapsigargin, 2-APB, and xestospongin C inhibited STICs and slow wave currents. Ryanodine and tetracaine also inhibited STICs and slow wave currents. Store-active compounds had no direct effects on ANO1 channels expressed in human embryonic kidney-293 cells. Under current clamp, store-active drugs caused significant depolarization of ICC and reduced spontaneous transient depolarizations (STDs). After block of ryanodine receptors with ryanodine and tetracaine, repolarization did not restore STDs. ANO1 expressed in ICC has limited access to cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration, suggesting that pacemaker activity depends on Ca2+ dynamics in restricted microdomains. Our data from studies of isolated ICC differ somewhat from studies on intact muscles and suggest that release of Ca2+ from both IP3 and ryanodine receptors is important in generating pacemaker activity in ICC. PMID:25631870
Extreme hypoxia tolerance of naked mole-rat brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Larson, John; Park, Thomas J

2009-12-09

Mammalian brains have extremely high levels of aerobic metabolism and typically suffer irreversible damage after brief periods of oxygen deprivation such as occur during stroke or cardiac arrest. Here we report that brain tissue from naked mole-rats, rodents that live in a chronically low-oxygen environment, is remarkably resistant to hypoxia: naked mole-rat neurons maintain synaptic transmission much longer than mouse neurons and can recover from periods of anoxia exceeding 30 min. We suggest that brain tolerance to hypoxia may result from slowed or arrested brain development in these extremely long-lived animals.
Chitosan Feasibility to Retain Retinal Stem Cell Phenotype and Slow Proliferation for Retinal Transplantation

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Girish K. Srivastava

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Retinal stem cells (RSCs are promising in cell replacement strategies for retinal diseases. RSCs can migrate, differentiate, and integrate into retina. However, RSCs transplantation needs an adequate support; chitosan membrane (ChM could be one, which can carry RSCs with high feasibility to support their integration into retina. RSCs were isolated, evaluated for phenotype, and subsequently grown on sterilized ChM and polystyrene surface for 8 hours, 1, 4, and 11 days for analysing cell adhesion, proliferation, viability, and phenotype. Isolated RSCs expressed GFAP, PKC, isolectin, recoverin, RPE65, PAX-6, cytokeratin 8/18, and nestin proteins. They adhered (28 ± 16%, 8 hours and proliferated (40 ± 20 cells/field, day 1 and 244 ± 100 cells/field, day 4 significantly low (P95% and phenotype (cytokeratin 8/18, PAX6, and nestin proteins expression, day 11 on both surfaces (ChM and polystyrene. RSCs did not express alpha-SMA protein on both surfaces. RSCs express proteins belonging to epithelial, glial, and neural cells, confirming that they need further stimulus to reach a final destination of differentiation that could be provided in in vivo condition. ChM does not alternate RSCs behaviour and therefore can be used as a cell carrier so that slow proliferating RSCs can migrate and integrate into retina.
Extremely Low Frequency Magnetic Fields Induce Spermatogenic Germ Cell Apoptosis: Possible Mechanism

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Sang-Kon Lee

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The energy generated by an extremely low frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF is too weak to directly induce genotoxicity. However, it is reported that an extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF is related to DNA strand breakage and apoptosis. The testes that conduct spermatogenesis through a dynamic cellular process involving meiosis and mitosis seem vulnerable to external stress such as heat, MF exposure, and chemical or physical agents. Nevertheless the results regarding adverse effects of ELF-EMF on human or animal reproductive functions are inconclusive. According to the guideline of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP; 2010 for limiting exposure to time-varying MF (1 Hz to 100 kHz, overall conclusion of epidemiologic studies has not consistently shown an association between human adverse reproductive outcomes and maternal or paternal exposure to low frequency fields. In animal studies there is no compelling evidence of causal relationship between prenatal development and ELF-MF exposure. However there is increasing evidence that EL-EMF exposure is involved with germ cell apoptosis in testes. Biophysical mechanism by which ELF-MF induces germ cell apoptosis has not been established. This review proposes the possible mechanism of germ cell apoptosis in testes induced by ELF-MF.
Differential expression of FGF receptors and of myogenic regulatory factors in primary cultures of satellite cells originating from fast (EDL) and slow (Soleus) twitch rat muscles.

Science.gov (United States)

Martelly, I; Soulet, L; Bonnavaud, S; Cebrian, J; Gautron, J; Barritault, D

2000-11-01

In the rat, the fast and slow twitch muscles respectively Extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and Soleus present differential characteristics during regeneration. This suggests that their satellite cells responsible for muscle growth and repair represent distinct cellular populations. We have previously shown that satellite cells dissociated from Soleus and grown in vitro proliferate more readily than those isolated from EDL muscle. Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are known as regulators of myoblast proliferation and several studies have revealed a relationship between the response of myoblasts to FGF and the expression of myogenic regulatory factors (MRF) of the MyoD family by myoblasts. Therefore, we presently examined the possibility that the satellite cells isolated from EDL and Soleus muscles differ in the expression of FGF receptors (FGF-R) and of MRF expression. FGF-R1 and -R4 were strongly expressed in proliferating cultures whereas FGF-R2 and R3 were not detected in these cultures. In differentiating cultures, only -R1 was present in EDL satellite cells while FGF-R4 was also still expressed in Soleus cells. Interestingly, the unconventional receptor for FGF called cystein rich FGF receptor (CFR), of yet unknown function, was mainly detected in EDL satellite cell cultures. Soleus and EDL satellite cell cultures also differed in the expression MRFs. These results are consistent with the notion that satellite cells from fast and slow twitch muscles belong to different types of myogenic cells and suggest that satellite cells might play distinct roles in the formation and diversification of fast and slow fibres.
Contribution to analytical solution of neutron slowing down problem in homogeneous and heterogeneous media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stefanovic, D.B.

1970-12-01

The objective of this work is to describe the new analytical solution of the neutron slowing down equation for infinite monoatomic media with arbitrary energy dependence of cross section. The solution is obtained by introducing Green slowing down functions instead of starting from slowing down equations directly. The previously used methods for calculation of fission neutron spectra in the reactor cell were numerical. The proposed analytical method was used for calculating the space-energy distribution of fast neutrons and number of neutron reactions in a thermal reactor cell. The role of analytical method in solving the neutron slowing down in reactor physics is to enable understating of the slowing down process and neutron transport. The obtained results could be used as standards for testing the accuracy od approximative and practical methods
Biofilms and planktonic cells of Deinococcus geothermalis in extreme environments

Science.gov (United States)

Panitz, Corinna; Reitz, Guenther; Rabbow, Elke; Rettberg, Petra; Flemming, Hans-Curt; Wingender, Jost; Froesler, Jan

In addition to the several extreme environments on Earth, Space can be considered as just another exceptional environment with a unique mixture of stress factors comprising UV radiation, vacuum, desiccation, temperature, ionizing radiation and microgravity. Life that processes in these environments can depend on the life forms and their state of living. The question is whether there are different strategies for individual microorganisms compared to communities of the same organisms to cope with the different factors of their surroundings. Comparative studies of the survi-val of these communities called biofilms and planktonic cell samples of Deinococcus geothermalis stand at the focal point of the presented investigations. A biofilm is a structured community of microorganisms that live encapsulated in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances on a surface. Microorganisms living in a biofilm usually have significantly different properties to cooperate than individually living microorganisms of the same species. An advantage of the biofilm is increased resistance to various chemical and physical effects, while the dense extracellular matrix and the outer layer of the cells protect the interior of the microbial consortium. The space experiment BOSS (Biofilm organisms surfing Space) as part the ESA experimental unit EXPOSE R-2 with a planned launch date in July 2014 will be subsequently mounted on the Russian Svesda module outside the ISS. An international team of scientists coordinated by Dr. P. Rettberg will investigate the hypothesis whether microorganisms organized as biofilm outmatch the same microorganisms exposed individually in the long-term survival of the harsh environmental conditions as they occur in space and on Mars. Another protective function in the samples could be dust par-ticles for instance Mars regolith simulant contained inside the biofilms or mixed with the planktonic cells, as additional shelter especially against the extraterrestrial UV

Slow Movement/Slow University: Critical Engagements. Introduction to the Thematic Section

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Maggie O'Neill

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This thematic section emerged from two seminars that took place at Durham University in England in November 2013 and March 2014 on the possibilities for thinking through what a change movement towards slow might mean for the University. Slow movements have emerged in relation to a number of topics: Slow food, Citta slow and more recently, slow science. What motivated us in the seminars was to explore how far these movements could help us address the acceleration and intensification of work within our own and other universities, and indeed, what new learning, research, philosophies, practices, structures and governance might emerge. This editorial introduction presents the concept of the "slow university" and introduces our critical engagements with slow. The articles presented here interrogate the potentialities, challenges, problems and pitfalls of the slow university in an era of corporate culture and management rationality. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1403166
Nonlinear dynamical triggering of slow slip

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, Paul A [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Knuth, Matthew W [WISCONSIN; Kaproth, Bryan M [PENN STATE; Carpenter, Brett [PENN STATE; Guyer, Robert A [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Le Bas, Pierre - Yves [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Daub, Eric G [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Marone, Chris [PENN STATE

2010-12-10

triggered slow-slip on the San Andreas Fault at Parkfield, CA., due to December, 2003 Mw6.5 San Simeon Earthquake (Breguier et al., Science 321, p.1478, 2008) shows very similar characteristics to what we observe in the laboratory, suggesting an extremely low in situ effective stress or a weak fault and a nonlinear-dynamical triggering mechanism.
Embryonic Stem Cells-loaded Gelatin Microcryogels Slow Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease

Science.gov (United States)

Geng, Xiao-Dong; Zheng, Wei; Wu, Cong-Mei; Wang, Shu-Qiang; Hong, Quan; Cai, Guang-Yan; Chen, Xiang-Mei; Wu, Di

2016-01-01

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become a public health problem. New interventions to slow or prevent disease progression are urgently needed. In this setting, cell therapies associated with regenerative effects are attracting increasing interest. We evaluated the effect of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) on the progression of CKD. Methods: Adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were subjected to 5/6 nephrectomy. We used pedicled greater omentum flaps packing ESC-loaded gelatin microcryogels (GMs) on the 5/6 nephrectomized kidney. The viability of ESCs within the GMs was detected using in vitro two-photon fluorescence confocal imaging. Rats were sacrificed after 12 weeks. Renal injury was evaluated using serum creatinine, urea nitrogen, 24 h protein, renal pathology, and tubular injury score results. Structural damage was evaluated by periodic acid-Schiff and Masson trichrome staining. Results: In vitro, ESCs could be automatically loaded into the GMs. Uniform cell distribution, good cell attachment, and viability were achieved from day 1 to 7 in vitro. After 12 weeks, in the pedicled greater omentum flaps packing ESC-loaded GMs on 5/6 nephrectomized rats group, the plasma urea nitrogen levels were 26% lower than in the right nephrectomy group, glomerulosclerosis index was 62% lower and tubular injury index was 40% lower than in the 5/6 nephrectomized rats group without GMs. Conclusions: In a rat model of established CKD, we demonstrated that the pedicled greater omentum flaps packing ESC-loaded GMs on the 5/6 nephrectomized kidney have a long-lasting therapeutic rescue function, as shown by the decreased progression of CKD and reduced glomerular injury. PMID:26879011
A point implicit time integration technique for slow transient flow problems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kadioglu, Samet Y., E-mail: kadioglu@yildiz.edu.tr [Department of Mathematical Engineering, Yildiz Technical University, 34210 Davutpasa-Esenler, Istanbul (Turkey); Berry, Ray A., E-mail: ray.berry@inl.gov [Idaho National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1625, MS 3840, Idaho Falls, ID 83415 (United States); Martineau, Richard C. [Idaho National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1625, MS 3840, Idaho Falls, ID 83415 (United States)

2015-05-15

Highlights: • This new method does not require implicit iteration; instead it time advances the solutions in a similar spirit to explicit methods. • It is unconditionally stable, as a fully implicit method would be. • It exhibits the simplicity of implementation of an explicit method. • It is specifically designed for slow transient flow problems of long duration such as can occur inside nuclear reactor coolant systems. • Our findings indicate the new method can integrate slow transient problems very efficiently; and its implementation is very robust. - Abstract: We introduce a point implicit time integration technique for slow transient flow problems. The method treats the solution variables of interest (that can be located at cell centers, cell edges, or cell nodes) implicitly and the rest of the information related to same or other variables are handled explicitly. The method does not require implicit iteration; instead it time advances the solutions in a similar spirit to explicit methods, except it involves a few additional function(s) evaluation steps. Moreover, the method is unconditionally stable, as a fully implicit method would be. This new approach exhibits the simplicity of implementation of explicit methods and the stability of implicit methods. It is specifically designed for slow transient flow problems of long duration wherein one would like to perform time integrations with very large time steps. Because the method can be time inaccurate for fast transient problems, particularly with larger time steps, an appropriate solution strategy for a problem that evolves from a fast to a slow transient would be to integrate the fast transient with an explicit or semi-implicit technique and then switch to this point implicit method as soon as the time variation slows sufficiently. We have solved several test problems that result from scalar or systems of flow equations. Our findings indicate the new method can integrate slow transient problems very
A point implicit time integration technique for slow transient flow problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kadioglu, Samet Y.; Berry, Ray A.; Martineau, Richard C.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • This new method does not require implicit iteration; instead it time advances the solutions in a similar spirit to explicit methods. • It is unconditionally stable, as a fully implicit method would be. • It exhibits the simplicity of implementation of an explicit method. • It is specifically designed for slow transient flow problems of long duration such as can occur inside nuclear reactor coolant systems. • Our findings indicate the new method can integrate slow transient problems very efficiently; and its implementation is very robust. - Abstract: We introduce a point implicit time integration technique for slow transient flow problems. The method treats the solution variables of interest (that can be located at cell centers, cell edges, or cell nodes) implicitly and the rest of the information related to same or other variables are handled explicitly. The method does not require implicit iteration; instead it time advances the solutions in a similar spirit to explicit methods, except it involves a few additional function(s) evaluation steps. Moreover, the method is unconditionally stable, as a fully implicit method would be. This new approach exhibits the simplicity of implementation of explicit methods and the stability of implicit methods. It is specifically designed for slow transient flow problems of long duration wherein one would like to perform time integrations with very large time steps. Because the method can be time inaccurate for fast transient problems, particularly with larger time steps, an appropriate solution strategy for a problem that evolves from a fast to a slow transient would be to integrate the fast transient with an explicit or semi-implicit technique and then switch to this point implicit method as soon as the time variation slows sufficiently. We have solved several test problems that result from scalar or systems of flow equations. Our findings indicate the new method can integrate slow transient problems very
Rhabdomyosarcoma of the extremity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rao, Bhaskar N

1997-01-01

Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common soft tissue sarcoma accounting for almost 55%. These tumors arise from unsegmented mesoderm or primitive mesenchyma, which have the capacity to differentiate into muscle. Less than 5% occur in the first year of life. Extremity rhabdomyosarcoma are mainly seen in the adolescent years. The most common histologic subtype is the alveolar variant. Other characteristics of extremity rhabdomyosarcoma include a predilection for lymph node metastasis, a high local failure, and a relatively low survival rate. They often present as slow painless masses; however, lesions in the hand and foot often present as painful masses and imaging studies may show invasion of the bone. Initial diagnostic approaches include needle biopsy or incisional biopsy for larger lesions. Excisional biopsy is indicated preferably for lesions less than 2.5 cm. following this in most instances therapy is initiated with multi agent chemotherapy depending upon response, the next modality may be either surgery with intent to cure or radiation therapy. Amputation of an extremity for local control is not considered in most instances. Prognostic factors that have been determined over the years to be of significance by multi variant analysis have included age, tumor size, invasiveness, presence of either nodal or distant metastasis, and complete excision whenever feasible, with supplemental radiation therapy for local control
Relatively slow stochastic gene-state switching in the presence of positive feedback significantly broadens the region of bimodality through stabilizing the uninduced phenotypic state.

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Hao; Wu, Pingping; Qian, Hong; Xie, Xiaoliang Sunney

2018-03-01

Within an isogenic population, even in the same extracellular environment, individual cells can exhibit various phenotypic states. The exact role of stochastic gene-state switching regulating the transition among these phenotypic states in a single cell is not fully understood, especially in the presence of positive feedback. Recent high-precision single-cell measurements showed that, at least in bacteria, switching in gene states is slow relative to the typical rates of active transcription and translation. Hence using the lac operon as an archetype, in such a region of operon-state switching, we present a fluctuating-rate model for this classical gene regulation module, incorporating the more realistic operon-state switching mechanism that was recently elucidated. We found that the positive feedback mechanism induces bistability (referred to as deterministic bistability), and that the parameter range for its occurrence is significantly broadened by stochastic operon-state switching. We further show that in the absence of positive feedback, operon-state switching must be extremely slow to trigger bistability by itself. However, in the presence of positive feedback, which stabilizes the induced state, the relatively slow operon-state switching kinetics within the physiological region are sufficient to stabilize the uninduced state, together generating a broadened parameter region of bistability (referred to as stochastic bistability). We illustrate the opposite phenotype-transition rate dependence upon the operon-state switching rates in the two types of bistability, with the aid of a recently proposed rate formula for fluctuating-rate models. The rate formula also predicts a maximal transition rate in the intermediate region of operon-state switching, which is validated by numerical simulations in our model. Overall, our findings suggest a biological function of transcriptional "variations" among genetically identical cells, for the emergence of bistability and
Revealing the cluster of slow transients behind a large slow slip event.

Science.gov (United States)

Frank, William B; Rousset, Baptiste; Lasserre, Cécile; Campillo, Michel

2018-05-01

Capable of reaching similar magnitudes to large megathrust earthquakes [ M w (moment magnitude) > 7], slow slip events play a major role in accommodating tectonic motion on plate boundaries through predominantly aseismic rupture. We demonstrate here that large slow slip events are a cluster of short-duration slow transients. Using a dense catalog of low-frequency earthquakes as a guide, we investigate the M w 7.5 slow slip event that occurred in 2006 along the subduction interface 40 km beneath Guerrero, Mexico. We show that while the long-period surface displacement, as recorded by Global Positioning System, suggests a 6-month duration, the motion in the direction of tectonic release only sporadically occurs over 55 days, and its surface signature is attenuated by rapid relocking of the plate interface. Our proposed description of slow slip as a cluster of slow transients forces us to re-evaluate our understanding of the physics and scaling of slow earthquakes.
Autophagy sustains the survival of human pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells under extreme nutrient deprivation conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sang Eun; Park, Hye-Jin; Jeong, Hye Kyoung; Kim, Mi-Jung; Kim, Minyeong; Bae, Ok-Nam; Baek, Seung-Hoon

2015-07-31

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas are an extremely aggressive and devastating type of cancer with high mortality. Given the dense stroma and poor vascularization, accessibility to nutrients is limited in the tumor microenvironment. Here, we aimed to elucidate the role of autophagy in promoting the survival of human pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells exposed to nutrient-deprived media (NDM) lacking glucose, amino acids, and serum. NDM inhibited Akt activity and phosphorylation of p70 S6K, and induced AMPK activation and mitochondrial depolarization. NDM also time-dependently increased LC3-II accumulation, number of GFP-LC3 puncta, and colocalization between GFP-LC3 and lysosomes. These results suggested that autophagy was progressively activated through Akt- and AMPK-mTOR pathway in nutrient-deficient PANC-1 cells. Autophagy inhibitors (chloroquine and wortmannin) or silencing of Atg5 augmented PANC-1 cell death in NDM. In cells exposed to NDM, chloroquine and wortmannin induced apoptosis and Z-VAD-fmk inhibited cytotoxicity of these inhibitors. These data demonstrate that autophagy is anti-apoptotic and sustains the survival of PANC-1 cells following extreme nutrient deprivation. Autophagy modulation may be a viable therapeutic option for cancer cells located in the core of solid tumors with a nutrient-deficient microenvironment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Slow-light enhancement of Beer-Lambert-Bouguer absorption

OpenAIRE

Mortensen, Niels Asger; Xiao, Sanshui

2007-01-01

We theoretically show how slow light in an optofluidic environment facilitates enhanced light-matter interactions, by orders of magnitude. The proposed concept provides strong opportunities for improving existing miniaturized chemical absorbance cells for Beer-Lambert-Bouguer absorption measurements widely employed in analytical chemistry.
Intra-arterial Autologous Bone Marrow Cell Transplantation in a Patient with Upper-extremity Critical Limb Ischemia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madaric, Juraj; Klepanec, Andrej; Mistrik, Martin; Altaner, Cestmir; Vulev, Ivan

2013-01-01

Induction of therapeutic angiogenesis by autologous bone marrow mononuclear cell transplantation has been identified as a potential new option in patients with advanced lower-limb ischemia. There is little evidence of the benefit of intra-arterial cell application in upper-limb critical ischemia. We describe a patient with upper-extremity critical limb ischemia with digital gangrene resulting from hypothenar hammer syndrome successfully treated by intra-arterial autologous bone marrow mononuclear cell transplantation.
MODELING OF REFLECTIVE PROPAGATING SLOW-MODE WAVE IN A FLARING LOOP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fang, X.; Yuan, D.; Van Doorsselaere, T.; Keppens, R.; Xia, C. [Centre for mathematical Plasma Astrophysics, Department of Mathematics, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200B, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium)

2015-11-01

Quasi-periodic propagating intensity disturbances have been observed in large coronal loops in extreme ultraviolet images over a decade, and are widely accepted to be slow magnetosonic waves. However, spectroscopic observations from Hinode/EIS revealed their association with persistent coronal upflows, making this interpretation debatable. We perform a 2.5D magnetohydrodynamic simulation to imitate the chromospheric evaporation and the following reflected patterns in a flare loop. Our model encompasses the corona, transition region, and chromosphere. We demonstrate that the quasi periodic propagating intensity variations captured by the synthesized Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly 131, 94 Å emission images match the previous observations well. With particle tracers in the simulation, we confirm that these quasi periodic propagating intensity variations consist of reflected slow mode waves and mass flows with an average speed of 310 km s{sup −1} in an 80 Mm length loop with an average temperature of 9 MK. With the synthesized Doppler shift velocity and intensity maps of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/Solar Ultraviolet Measurement of Emitted Radiation Fe xix line emission, we confirm that these reflected slow mode waves are propagating waves.
Carcinoma ex basal cell adenoma of the parotid gland: A report of an extremely rare case.

Science.gov (United States)

Kusafuka, Kimihide; Kawasaki, Takuya; Nakajima, Takashi; Sugino, Takashi

2017-07-01

Malignant non-basaloid tumors that arise from basal cell adenoma (BCA) are extremely rare. The patient was a 72-year-old Japanese male, who had noticed swelling of the left parotid region 21 years ago. A superficial lobectomy was performed. About 60% of the tumor was made up of cribriform and trabecular tissue composed of basaloid cells, which exhibited mild atypia and nuclear expression of β-catenin. This portion of the tumor was considered to be a BCA. In the other part of the tumor, the proliferation of large eosinophilic atypical cells, most of which formed intraductal structures, was observed. These tumor cells displayed cellular atypia, and some of them formed Roman bridge structures or contributed to intracapsular invasion. Immunohistochemically, these cells were positive for cytokeratin 7, gross cystic disease fluid proten-15 (GCDFP-15), androgen receptor (AR), and mammaglobin (MMG) and exhibited a high Ki-67 labeling index. So, this portion of the tumor was considered to be a salivary duct carcinoma (SDC). The tumor's final diagnosis was SDC ex BCA (intracapsular type), which is extremely rare. GCDFP-15, AR, MMG, and Ki-67 are useful immunohistochemical markers for diagnosing SDC ex BCA. © 2017 The Authors. Pathology International Published by Japanese Society of Pathology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.
Extreme Beta-Cell Deficiency in Pancreata of Dogs with Canine Diabetes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emily J Shields

Full Text Available The pathophysiology of canine diabetes remains poorly understood, in part due to enigmatic clinical features and the lack of detailed histopathology studies. Canine diabetes, similar to human type 1 diabetes, is frequently associated with diabetic ketoacidosis at onset or after insulin omission. However, notable differences exist. Whereas human type 1 diabetes often occurs in children, canine diabetes is typically described in middle age to elderly dogs. Many competing theories have been proposed regarding the underlying cause of canine diabetes, from pancreatic atrophy to chronic pancreatitis to autoimmune mediated β-cell destruction. It remains unclear to what extent β-cell loss contributes to canine diabetes, as precise quantifications of islet morphometry have not been performed. We used high-throughput microscopy and automated image processing to characterize islet histology in a large collection of pancreata of diabetic dogs. Diabetic pancreata displayed a profound reduction in β-cells and islet endocrine cells. Unlike humans, canine non-diabetic islets are largely comprised of β-cells. Very few β-cells remained in islets of diabetic dogs, even in pancreata from new onset cases. Similarly, total islet endocrine cell number was sharply reduced in diabetic dogs. No compensatory proliferation or lymphocyte infiltration was detected. The majority of pancreata had no evidence of pancreatitis. Thus, canine diabetes is associated with extreme β-cell deficiency in both new and longstanding disease. The β-cell predominant composition of canine islets and the near-total absence of β-cells in new onset elderly diabetic dogs strongly implies that similar to human type 1 diabetes, β-cell loss underlies the pathophysiology of canine diabetes.
The Diversity of Atomic Hydrogen in Slow Rotator Early-type Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Lisa M.; Serra, Paolo; Krajnović, Davor; Duc, Pierre-Alain

2018-02-01

We present interferometric observations of H I in nine slow rotator early-type galaxies of the ATLAS3D sample. With these data, we now have sensitive H I searches in 34 of the 36 slow rotators. The aggregate detection rate is 32% ± 8%, consistent with previous work; however, we find two detections with extremely high H I masses, whose gas kinematics are substantially different from what was previously known about H I in slow rotators. These two cases (NGC 1222 and NGC 4191) broaden the known diversity of H I properties in slow rotators. NGC 1222 is a merger remnant with prolate-like rotation and, if it is indeed prolate in shape, an equatorial gas disc; NGC 4191 has two counterrotating stellar discs and an unusually large H I disc. We comment on the implications of this disc for the formation of 2σ galaxies. In general, the H I detection rate, the incidence of relaxed H I discs, and the H I/stellar mass ratios of slow rotators are indistinguishable from those of fast rotators. These broad similarities suggest that the H I we are detecting now is unrelated to the galaxies' formation processes and was often acquired after their stars were mostly in place. We also discuss the H I nondetections; some of these galaxies that are undetected in H I or CO are detected in other tracers (e.g. FIR fine structure lines and dust). The question of whether there is cold gas in massive galaxies' scoured nuclear cores still needs work. Finally, we discuss an unusual isolated H I cloud with a surprisingly faint (undetected) optical counterpart.
Slow briefs: slow food....slow architecture

OpenAIRE

Crotch, Joanna

2012-01-01

We are moving too fast…fast lives, fast cars, fast food…..and fast architecture. We are caught up in a world that allows no time to stop and think; to appreciate and enjoy all the really important things in our lives. Recent responses to this seemingly unstoppable trend are the growing movements of Slow Food and Cittaslow. Both initiatives are, within their own realms, attempting to reverse speed, homogeny, expediency and globalisation, considering the values of regionality, patience, craft, ...
Multistage bioassociation of uranium onto an extremely halophilic archaeon revealed by a unique combination of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Bader, Miriam; Müller, Katharina; Foerstendorf, Harald; Drobot, Björn; Schmidt, Matthias; Musat, Niculina; Swanson, Juliet S; Reed, Donald T; Stumpf, Thorsten; Cherkouk, Andrea

2017-04-05

The interactions of two extremely halophilic archaea with uranium were investigated at high ionic strength as a function of time, pH and uranium concentration. Halobacterium noricense DSM-15987 and Halobacterium sp. putatively noricense, isolated from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant repository, were used for these investigations. The kinetics of U(VI) bioassociation with both strains showed an atypical multistage behavior, meaning that after an initial phase of U(VI) sorption, an unexpected interim period of U(VI) release was observed, followed by a slow reassociation of uranium with the cells. By applying in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, the involvement of phosphoryl and carboxylate groups in U(VI) complexation during the first biosorption phase was shown. Differences in cell morphology and uranium localization become visible at different stages of the bioassociation process, as shown with scanning electron microscopy in combination with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Our results demonstrate for the first time that association of uranium with the extremely halophilic archaeon is a multistage process, beginning with sorption and followed by another process, probably biomineralization. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Slow Manifolds and Multiple Equilibria in Stratocumulus-Capped Boundary Layers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junya Uchida

2010-12-01

Full Text Available In marine stratocumulus-capped boundary layers under strong inversions, the timescale for thermodynamic adjustment is roughly a day, much shorter than the multiday timescale for inversion height adjustment. Slow-manifold analysis is introduced to exploit this timescale separation when boundary layer air columns experience only slow changes in their boundary conditions. Its essence is that the thermodynamic structure of the boundary layer remains approximately slaved to its inversion height and the instantaneous boundary conditions; this slaved structure determines the entrainment rate and hence the slow evolution of the inversion height. Slow-manifold analysis is shown to apply to mixed-layer model and large-eddy simulations of an idealized nocturnal stratocumulus- capped boundary layer; simulations with different initial inversion heights collapse onto single relationships of cloud properties with inversion height. Depending on the initial inversion height, the simulations evolve toward a shallow thin-cloud boundary layer or a deep, well-mixed thick cloud boundary layer. In the large-eddy simulations, these evolutions occur on two separate slow manifolds (one of which becomes unstable if cloud droplet concentration is reduced. Applications to analysis of stratocumulus observations and to pockets of open cells and ship tracks are proposed.
Picosecond orientational dynamics of water in living cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Tros, Martijn; Zheng, Linli; Hunger, Johannes; Bonn, Mischa; Bonn, Daniel; Smits, Gertien J; Woutersen, Sander

2017-10-12

Cells are extremely crowded, and a central question in biology is how this affects the intracellular water. Here, we use ultrafast vibrational spectroscopy and dielectric-relaxation spectroscopy to observe the random orientational motion of water molecules inside living cells of three prototypical organisms: Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast), and spores of Bacillus subtilis. In all three organisms, most of the intracellular water exhibits the same random orientational motion as neat water (characteristic time constants ~9 and ~2 ps for the first-order and second-order orientational correlation functions), whereas a smaller fraction exhibits slower orientational dynamics. The fraction of slow intracellular water varies between organisms, ranging from ~20% in E. coli to ~45% in B. subtilis spores. Comparison with the water dynamics observed in solutions mimicking the chemical composition of (parts of) the cytosol shows that the slow water is bound mostly to proteins, and to a lesser extent to other biomolecules and ions.The cytoplasm's crowdedness leads one to expect that cell water is different from bulk water. By measuring the rotational motion of water molecules in living cells, Tros et al. find that apart from a small fraction of water solvating biomolecules, cell water has the same dynamics as bulk water.
Metastatic giant basal cell carcinoma: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellahammou, Khadija; Lakhdissi, Asmaa; Akkar, Othman; Rais, Fadoua; Naoual, Benhmidou; Elghissassi, Ibrahim; M'rabti, Hind; Errihani, Hassan

2016-01-01

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin cancer, characterised by a slow growing behavior, metastasis are extremely rare, and it occurs in less than 0, 1% of all cases. Giant basal cell carcinoma is a rare form of basal cell carcinoma, more aggressive and defined as a tumor measuring more than 5 cm at its largest diameter. Only 1% of all basal cell carcinoma develops to a giant basal cell carcinoma, resulting of patient's negligence. Giant basal cell carcinoma is associated with higher potential of metastasis and even death, compared to ordinary basal cell carcinoma. We report a case of giant basal cell carcinoma metastaticin lung occurring in a 79 years old male patient, with a fatal evolution after one course of systemic chemotherapy. Giant basal cell carcinoma is a very rare entity, early detection of these tumors could prevent metastasis occurrence and improve the prognosis of this malignancy.

Pretransplantation recipient regulatory T cell suppressive function predicts delayed and slow graft function after kidney transplantation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Minh-Tri J P; Fryml, Elise; Sahakian, Sossy K; Liu, Shuqing; Michel, Rene P; Lipman, Mark L; Mucsi, Istvan; Cantarovich, Marcelo; Tchervenkov, Jean I; Paraskevas, Steven

2014-10-15

Delayed graft function (DGF) and slow graft function (SGF) are a continuous spectrum of ischemia-reperfusion-related acute kidney injury (AKI) that increases the risk for acute rejection and graft loss after kidney transplantation. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are critical in transplant tolerance and attenuate murine AKI. In this prospective observational cohort study, we evaluated whether pretransplantation peripheral blood recipient Treg frequency and suppressive function are predictors of DGF and SGF after kidney transplantation. Deceased donor kidney transplant recipients (n=53) were divided into AKI (n=37; DGF, n=10; SGF, n=27) and immediate graft function (n=16) groups. Pretransplantation peripheral blood CD4CD25FoxP3 Treg frequency was quantified by flow cytometry. Regulatory T-cell suppressive function was measured by suppression of autologous effector T-cell proliferation by Treg in co-culture. Pretransplantation Treg suppressive function, but not frequency, was decreased in AKI recipients (Paccounting for the effects of cold ischemic time and donor age, Treg suppressive function discriminated DGF from immediate graft function recipients in multinomial logistic regression (odds ratio, 0.77; Pfunction is a potential independent pretransplantation predictor of DGF and SGF.
The diversity of atomic hydrogen in slow rotator early-type galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Lisa M.; Serra, Paolo; Krajnović, Davor; Duc, Pierre-Alain

2018-06-01

We present interferometric observations of H I in nine slow rotator early-type galaxies of the Atlas3D sample. With these data, we now have sensitive H I searches in 34 of the 36 slow rotators. The aggregate detection rate is 32 per cent ± 8 per cent, consistent with the previous work; however, we find two detections with extremely high H I masses, whose gas kinematics are substantially different from what was previously known about H I in slow rotators. These two cases (NGC 1222 and NGC 4191) broaden the known diversity of H I properties in slow rotators. NGC 1222 is a merger remnant with prolate-like rotation and, if it is indeed prolate in shape, an equatorial gas disc; NGC 4191 has two counter-rotating stellar discs and an unusually large H I disc. We comment on the implications of this disc for the formation of 2σ galaxies. In general, the H I detection rate, the incidence of relaxed H I discs, and the H I/stellar mass ratios of slow rotators are indistinguishable from those of fast rotators. These broad similarities suggest that the H I we are detecting now is unrelated to the galaxies' formation processes and was often acquired after their stars were mostly in place. We also discuss the H I non-detections; some of these galaxies that are undetected in H I or CO are detected in other tracers (e.g. FIR fine structure lines and dust). The question of whether there is cold gas in massive galaxies' scoured nuclear cores still needs work. Finally, we discuss an unusual isolated H I cloud with a surprisingly faint (undetected) optical counterpart.
Patterns of a slow air-water flow in a semispherical container

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balci, Adnan; Brøns, Morten; Herrada, Miguel A.

2016-01-01

This numerical study analyzes the development of eddies in a slow steady axisymmetric air-water flow in a sealed semispherical container, driven by a rotating top disk. As the water height, Hw, increases, new flow cells emerge in both water and air. First, an eddy emerges near the axis-bottom int......This numerical study analyzes the development of eddies in a slow steady axisymmetric air-water flow in a sealed semispherical container, driven by a rotating top disk. As the water height, Hw, increases, new flow cells emerge in both water and air. First, an eddy emerges near the axis...... on the air flow. In contrast to flows in cylindrical and conical containers, there is no interaction with Moffatt corner vortices here....
A fast-slow logic system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawashima, Hideo.

1977-01-01

A fast-slow logic system has been made for use in multi-detector experiments in nuclear physics such as particle-gamma and particle-particle coincidence experiments. The system consists of a fast logic system and a slow logic system. The fast logic system has a function of fast coincidences and provides timing signals for the slow logic system. The slow logic system has a function of slow coincidences and a routing control of input analog signals to the ADCs. (auth.)
Very slow neutrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frank, A.

1983-01-01

The history is briefly presented of the research so far of very slow neutrons and their basic properties are explained. The methods are described of obtaining very slow neutrons and the problems of their preservation are discussed. The existence of very slow neutrons makes it possible to perform experiments which may deepen the knowledge of the fundamental properties of neutrons. Their wavelength approximates that of visible radiation. The possibilities and use are discussed of neutron optical systems (neutron microscope) which could be an effective instrument for the study of the detailed arrangement, especially of organic substances. (B.S.)
Measuring and slowing decoherence in Electromagnetically induced transparency medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shuker, M.; Firstenberg, O.; Sagi, Y.; Ben-Kish, A.; Fisher, A.; Ron, A.; Davidson, N.

2005-01-01

Full Text:Electromagnetically induced transparency is a unique light-matter interaction that exhibits extremely narrow-band spectroscopic features along with low absorption. Recent interest in this phenomenon is driven by its possible applications in quantum information (slow light, storage of light), atomic clocks and precise magnetometers. The Electromagnetically induced transparency phenomenon takes place when an atomic ensemble is driven to a coherent superposition of its ground state sub-levels by two phase-coherent radiation fields. A key parameter of the Electromagnetically induced transparency medium, that limits its applicability, is the coherence lifetime of this superposition (decoherence rate). We have developed a simple technique to measure decay rates within the ground state of an atomic ensemble, and specifically the decoherence rate of the Electromagnetically induced transparency coherent superposition. Detailed measurements were performed in a Rubidium vapor cell at 60 - 80 with 30 Torr of Neon buffer gas. We have found that the Electromagnetically induced transparency decoherence is dominated by spin-exchange collisions between Rubidium atoms. We discuss the sensitivity of various quantum states of the atomic ensemble to spin exchange decoherence, and find a set of quantum states that minimize this effect. Finally, we demonstrate a unique quantum state which is both insensitive to spin exchange decoherence and constitutes an Electromagnetically induced transparency state of the medium
The unappreciated slowness of conventional tourism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G.R. Larsen

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Most tourists are not consciously engaging in ‘slow travel’, but a number of travel behaviours displayed by conventional tourists can be interpreted as slow travel behaviour. Based on Danish tourists’ engagement with the distances they travel across to reach their holiday destination, this paper explores unintended slow travel behaviours displayed by these tourists. None of the tourists participating in this research were consciously doing ‘slow travel’, and yet some of their most valued holiday memories are linked to slow travel behaviours. Based on the analysis of these unintended slow travel behaviours, this paper will discuss the potential this insight might hold for promotion of slow travel. If unappreciated and unintentional slow travel behaviours could be utilised in the deliberate effort of encouraging more people to travel slow, ‘slow travel’ will be in a better position to become integrated into conventional travel behaviour.
Thermal Implications for Extreme Fast Charge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keyser, Matthew A [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-08-14

Present-day thermal management systems for battery electric vehicles are inadequate in limiting the maximum temperature rise of the battery during extreme fast charging. If the battery thermal management system is not designed correctly, the temperature of the cells could reach abuse temperatures and potentially send the cells into thermal runaway. Furthermore, the cell and battery interconnect design needs to be improved to meet the lifetime expectations of the consumer. Each of these aspects is explored and addressed as well as outlining where the heat is generated in a cell, the efficiencies of power and energy cells, and what type of battery thermal management solutions are available in today's market. Thermal management is not a limiting condition with regard to extreme fast charging, but many factors need to be addressed especially for future high specific energy density cells to meet U.S. Department of Energy cost and volume goals.
Slow and fast dynamics model of a Malaria with Sickle-Cell genetic disease with multi-stage infections of the mosquitoes population

Science.gov (United States)

Dewi Siawanta, Shanti; Adi-Kusumo, Fajar; Irwan Endrayanto, Aluicius

2018-03-01

Malaria, which is caused by Plasmodium, is a common disease in tropical areas. There are three types of Plasmodium i.e. Plasmodium Vivax, Plasmodium Malariae, and Plasmodium Falciparum. The most dangerous cases of the Malaria are mainly caused by the Plasmodium Falciparum. One of the important characteristics for the Plasmodium infection is due to the immunity of erythrocyte that contains HbS (Haemoglobin Sickle-cell) genes. The individuals who has the HbS gene has better immunity against the disease. In this paper, we consider a model that shows the spread of malaria involving the interaction between the mosquitos population, the human who has HbS genes population and the human with normal gene population. We do some analytical and numerical simulation to study the basic reproduction ratio and the slow-fast dynamics of the phase-portrait. The slow dynamics in our model represents the response of the human population with HbS gene to the Malaria disease while the fast dynamics show the response of the human population with the normal gene to the disease. The slow and fast dynamics phenomena are due to the fact that the population of the individuals who have HbS gene is much smaller than the individuals who has normal genes.
Movement - uncontrolled or slow

Science.gov (United States)

Dystonia; Involuntary slow and twisting movements; Choreoathetosis; Leg and arm movements - uncontrollable; Arm and leg movements - uncontrollable; Slow involuntary movements of large muscle groups; Athetoid movements
Slowing down bubbles with sound

Science.gov (United States)

Poulain, Cedric; Dangla, Remie; Guinard, Marion

2009-11-01

We present experimental evidence that a bubble moving in a fluid in which a well-chosen acoustic noise is superimposed can be significantly slowed down even for moderate acoustic pressure. Through mean velocity measurements, we show that a condition for this effect to occur is for the acoustic noise spectrum to match or overlap the bubble's fundamental resonant mode. We render the bubble's oscillations and translational movements using high speed video. We show that radial oscillations (Rayleigh-Plesset type) have no effect on the mean velocity, while above a critical pressure, a parametric type instability (Faraday waves) is triggered and gives rise to nonlinear surface oscillations. We evidence that these surface waves are subharmonic and responsible for the bubble's drag increase. When the acoustic intensity is increased, Faraday modes interact and the strongly nonlinear oscillations behave randomly, leading to a random behavior of the bubble's trajectory and consequently to a higher slow down. Our observations may suggest new strategies for bubbly flow control, or two-phase microfluidic devices. It might also be applicable to other elastic objects, such as globules, cells or vesicles, for medical applications such as elasticity-based sorting.
KEK-IMSS Slow Positron Facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hyodo, T; Wada, K; Yagishita, A; Kosuge, T; Saito, Y; Kurihara, T; Kikuchi, T; Shirakawa, A; Sanami, T; Ikeda, M; Ohsawa, S; Kakihara, K; Shidara, T, E-mail: toshio.hyodo@kek.jp [High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) 1-1 Oho, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0801 (Japan)

2011-12-01

The Slow Positron Facility at the Institute of Material Structure Science (IMSS) of High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) is a user dedicated facility with an energy tunable (0.1 - 35 keV) slow positron beam produced by a dedicated 55MeV linac. The present beam line branches have been used for the positronium time-of-flight (Ps-TOF) measurements, the transmission positron microscope (TPM) and the photo-detachment of Ps negative ions (Ps{sup -}). During the year 2010, a reflection high-energy positron diffraction (RHEPD) measurement station is going to be installed. The slow positron generator (converter/ moderator) system will be modified to get a higher slow positron intensity, and a new user-friendly beam line power-supply control and vacuum monitoring system is being developed. Another plan for this year is the transfer of a {sup 22}Na-based slow positron beam from RIKEN. This machine will be used for the continuous slow positron beam applications and for the orientation training of those who are interested in beginning researches with a slow positron beam.
Connexin 39.9 Protein Is Necessary for Coordinated Activation of Slow-twitch Muscle and Normal Behavior in Zebrafish*

Science.gov (United States)

Hirata, Hiromi; Wen, Hua; Kawakami, Yu; Naganawa, Yuriko; Ogino, Kazutoyo; Yamada, Kenta; Saint-Amant, Louis; Low, Sean E.; Cui, Wilson W.; Zhou, Weibin; Sprague, Shawn M.; Asakawa, Kazuhide; Muto, Akira; Kawakami, Koichi; Kuwada, John Y.

2012-01-01

In many tissues and organs, connexin proteins assemble between neighboring cells to form gap junctions. These gap junctions facilitate direct intercellular communication between adjoining cells, allowing for the transmission of both chemical and electrical signals. In rodents, gap junctions are found in differentiating myoblasts and are important for myogenesis. Although gap junctions were once believed to be absent from differentiated skeletal muscle in mammals, recent studies in teleosts revealed that differentiated muscle does express connexins and is electrically coupled, at least at the larval stage. These findings raised questions regarding the functional significance of gap junctions in differentiated muscle. Our analysis of gap junctions in muscle began with the isolation of a zebrafish motor mutant that displayed weak coiling at day 1 of development, a behavior known to be driven by slow-twitch muscle (slow muscle). We identified a missense mutation in the gene encoding Connexin 39.9. In situ hybridization found connexin 39.9 to be expressed by slow muscle. Paired muscle recordings uncovered that wild-type slow muscles are electrically coupled, whereas mutant slow muscles are not. The further examination of cellular activity revealed aberrant, arrhythmic touch-evoked Ca2+ transients in mutant slow muscle and a reduction in the number of muscle fibers contracting in response to touch in mutants. These results indicate that Connexin 39.9 facilitates the spreading of neuronal inputs, which is irregular during motor development, beyond the muscle cells and that gap junctions play an essential role in the efficient recruitment of slow muscle fibers. PMID:22075003
Too slow, for Milton

OpenAIRE

Armstrong, N.

2011-01-01

Too slow, for Milton was written in 2011, as part of a memorial project for Milton Babbitt. The piece borrows harmonies from Babbitt's Composition for 12 Instruments (harmonies which Babbitt had in turn borrowed from Schoenberg's Ode to Napoleon), but unfolds them as part of a musical texture characterised by repetition, resonance, and a slow rate of change. As Babbitt once told me that my music was 'too slow', this seemed an appropriately obstinate form of homage.
Slow nucleation rates in chain inflation with QCD axions or monodromy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashoorioon, Amjad; Freese, Katherine; Liu, James T.

2009-01-01

The previous proposal (by two of us) of chain inflation with the QCD axion is shown to fail. The proposal involved a series of fast tunneling events, yet here it is shown that tunneling is too slow. We calculate the bubble nucleation rates for phase transitions in the thick wall limit, approximating the barrier by a triangle. A similar problem arises in realization of chain inflation in the string landscape that uses series of minima along the monodromy staircase around the conifold point. The basic problem is that the minima of the potential are too far apart to allow rapid enough tunneling in these two models. We entertain the possibility of overcoming this problem by modifying the gravity sector to a Brans-Dicke theory. However, one would need extremely small values for the Brans-Dicke parameter in the early universe. Many successful alternatives exist, including other axions (with mass scales not set by QCD) or potentials with comparable heights and widths that do not suffer from the problem of slow tunneling and provide successful candidates for chain inflation.
Polarized (3) He Spin Filters for Slow Neutron Physics.

Science.gov (United States)

Gentile, T R; Chen, W C; Jones, G L; Babcock, E; Walker, T G

2005-01-01

Polarized (3)He spin filters are needed for a variety of experiments with slow neutrons. Their demonstrated utility for highly accurate determination of neutron polarization are critical to the next generation of betadecay correlation coefficient measurements. In addition, they are broadband devices that can polarize large area and high divergence neutron beams with little gamma-ray background, and allow for an additional spin-flip for systematic tests. These attributes are relevant to all neutron sources, but are particularly well-matched to time of flight analysis at spallation sources. There are several issues in the practical use of (3)He spin filters for slow neutron physics. Besides the essential goal of maximizing the (3)He polarization, we also seek to decrease the constraints on cell lifetimes and magnetic field homogeneity. In addition, cells with highly uniform gas thickness are required to produce the spatially uniform neutron polarization needed for beta-decay correlation coefficient experiments. We are currently employing spin-exchange (SE) and metastability-exchange (ME) optical pumping to polarize (3)He, but will focus on SE. We will discuss the recent demonstration of 75 % (3)He polarization, temperature-dependent relaxation mechanism of unknown origin, cell development, spectrally narrowed lasers, and hybrid spin-exchange optical pumping.
An Extremely Rare and Unusual Case of Retroperitoneal and Pelvic Metastasis from Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Vallecula

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abhishek Purkayastha

2016-06-01

Full Text Available We report an extremely rare and unusual case of retroperitoneal and pelvic metastasis from primary squamous cell carcinoma of vallecula. Generally carcinoma oropharynx metastasizes to lungs, liver and bone while retroperitoneal and pelvic metastasis is rarely heard of. To the best of our knowledge this case is one of the scantly reported cases ever of this kind in the world. A 60-year-old male presented with dysphagia and hoarseness of voice of four month duration. Computed tomography (CT scan face and neck showed growth right vallecula. Biopsy of lesion showed squamous cell carcinoma. Metastatic work up was negative. He received definitive chemo-radiation. Patient during follow up presented with dyspepsia, abdominal discomfort and weight loss. Whole body positron emission tomography (WB PET scan revealed retroperitoneal and pelvic lymph node deposits which were confirmed as metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma by CT guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC. Patient was exhibited palliative chemotherapy but his general condition deteriorated and he finally succumbed to his metastatic illness. This case is being reported to highlight its extreme rarity, the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges it presented and its overall dismal prognosis.
Slow-light-enhanced upconversion for photovoltaic applications in one-dimensional photonic crystals.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Craig M; Reece, Peter J; Conibeer, Gavin J

2011-10-15

We present an approach to realizing enhanced upconversion efficiency in erbium (Er)-doped photonic crystals. Slow-light-mode pumping of the first Er excited state transition can result in enhanced emission from higher-energy levels that may lead to finite subbandgap external quantum efficiency in crystalline silicon solar cells. Using a straightforward electromagnetic model, we calculate potential field enhancements of more than 18× within he slow-light mode of a one-dimensional photonic crystal and discuss design trade-offs and considerations for photovoltaics.
Slow Tourism: Exploring the discourses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Guiver

2016-05-01

Full Text Available ‘Slow travel’ and ‘slow tourism’ are relatively new, but contested, concepts. This paper examines the meanings ascribed to them in the academic literature and websites targeted at potential tourists. It finds concurrence on aspects of savouring time at the destination and investing time to appreciate the locality, its people, history, culture and products, but detects different emphases. The academic literature stresses the benefits to the destination and global sustainability, while the websites focus on the personal benefits and ways of becoming a ‘slow tourist’. Food and drink epitomise the immersion in and absorption of the destination and the multi-dimensional tourism experience, contrasted with the superficiality of mainstream tourism. The paper discusses whether tourists practising slow tourism without using the label are slow tourists or not.
ZnO-nanorod arrays for solar cells with extremely thin sulfidic absorber

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belaidi, A.; Dittrich, Th.; Kieven, D.; Tornow, J.; Schwarzburg, K.; Kunst, M.; Allsop, N.; Lux-Steiner, M.-Ch. [Hahn-Meitner-Institute, Glienicker Str. 100, D-14109 Berlin (Germany); Gavrilov, S. [Moscow Institute of Electronic Technology, 124 498 Moscow (Russian Federation)

2009-06-15

Solar cells with an extremely thin sulfidic absorber have been prepared by spray ion layer gas reaction (ILGAR) of In{sub 2}S{sub 3} on ZnO-nanorod arrays. As transparent hole conductor, CuSCN was deposited on the coated ZnO nanorods by impregnation. Surface photovoltage spectroscopy was applied to characterize states contributing to excess carrier generation and charge separation. The charge-selective contact is formed at the In{sub 2}S{sub 3}/CuSCN interface region the states of which also contribute significantly to the photocurrent. The influence of annealing temperature and annealing time of the In{sub 2}S{sub 3}/CuSCN contact region on the open-circuit potential (V{sub OC}), short-circuit current (I{sub SC}) and fill factor (FF) was studied in detail. For solar cells based on ZnO-nanorod arrays (rod length 1.5 {mu}m), efficiency of 2.8% is obtained at AM1.5. (author)

Critical slowing down and error analysis in lattice QCD simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Virotta, Francesco

2012-02-21

In this work we investigate the critical slowing down of lattice QCD simulations. We perform a preliminary study in the quenched approximation where we find that our estimate of the exponential auto-correlation time scales as {tau}{sub exp}(a){proportional_to}a{sup -5}, where a is the lattice spacing. In unquenched simulations with O(a) improved Wilson fermions we do not obtain a scaling law but find results compatible with the behavior that we find in the pure gauge theory. The discussion is supported by a large set of ensembles both in pure gauge and in the theory with two degenerate sea quarks. We have moreover investigated the effect of slow algorithmic modes in the error analysis of the expectation value of typical lattice QCD observables (hadronic matrix elements and masses). In the context of simulations affected by slow modes we propose and test a method to obtain reliable estimates of statistical errors. The method is supposed to help in the typical algorithmic setup of lattice QCD, namely when the total statistics collected is of O(10){tau}{sub exp}. This is the typical case when simulating close to the continuum limit where the computational costs for producing two independent data points can be extremely large. We finally discuss the scale setting in N{sub f}=2 simulations using the Kaon decay constant f{sub K} as physical input. The method is explained together with a thorough discussion of the error analysis employed. A description of the publicly available code used for the error analysis is included.
Critical slowing down and error analysis in lattice QCD simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Virotta, Francesco

2012-01-01

In this work we investigate the critical slowing down of lattice QCD simulations. We perform a preliminary study in the quenched approximation where we find that our estimate of the exponential auto-correlation time scales as τ exp (a)∝a -5 , where a is the lattice spacing. In unquenched simulations with O(a) improved Wilson fermions we do not obtain a scaling law but find results compatible with the behavior that we find in the pure gauge theory. The discussion is supported by a large set of ensembles both in pure gauge and in the theory with two degenerate sea quarks. We have moreover investigated the effect of slow algorithmic modes in the error analysis of the expectation value of typical lattice QCD observables (hadronic matrix elements and masses). In the context of simulations affected by slow modes we propose and test a method to obtain reliable estimates of statistical errors. The method is supposed to help in the typical algorithmic setup of lattice QCD, namely when the total statistics collected is of O(10)τ exp . This is the typical case when simulating close to the continuum limit where the computational costs for producing two independent data points can be extremely large. We finally discuss the scale setting in N f =2 simulations using the Kaon decay constant f K as physical input. The method is explained together with a thorough discussion of the error analysis employed. A description of the publicly available code used for the error analysis is included.
Slow-tonic muscle fibers and their potential innervation in the turtle, Pseudemys (Trachemys) scripta elegans.

Science.gov (United States)

Callister, Robert J; Pierce, Patricia A; McDonagh, Jennifer C; Stuart, Douglas G

2005-04-01

A description is provided of the ratio of slow-tonic vs. slow- and fast-twitch fibers for five muscles in the adult turtle, Pseudemys (Trachemys) scripta elegans. The cross-sectional area of each fiber type and an estimation of the relative (weighted) cross-sectional area occupied by the different fiber types are also provided. Two hindlimb muscles (flexor digitorum longus, FDL; external gastrocnemius, EG) were selected on the basis of their suitability for future motor-unit studies. Three neck muscles (the fourth head of testo-cervicis, TeC4; the fourth head of retrahens capitus collique, RCCQ4; transversalis cervicis, TrC) were chosen for their progressively decreasing oxidative capacity. Serial sections were stained for myosin adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase), NADH-diaphorase, and alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (alpha-GPDH). Conventional fiber-type classification was then performed using indirect markers for contraction speed and oxidative (aerobic) vs. glycolytic (anaerobic) metabolism: i.e., slow oxidative (SO, including slow-twitch and possibly slow-tonic fibers), fast-twitch, oxidative-glycolytic (FOG), and fast-twitch glycolytic (Fg) fibers. Slow-tonic fibers in the SO class were then revealed by directing the monoclonal antibody, ALD-58 (raised against the slow-tonic fiber myosin heavy chain of chicken anterior latissimus dorsi), to additional muscle cross sections. All five of the tested muscles contained the four fiber types, with the ATPase-stained fibers including both slow-tonic and slow-twitch fibers. The extreme distributions of SO fibers were in the predominately glycolytic TrC vs. the predominately oxidative TeC4 muscle (TrC-SO, 9%; FOG, 20%; Fg, 71% vs. TeC4-SO, 58%: FOG, 16%; Fg, 25%). Across the five muscles, the relative prevalence of slow-tonic fibers (4-47%) paralleled that of the SO fibers (9-58%). TeC4 had the highest prevalence of slow-tonic fibers (47%). The test muscles exhibited varying degrees of regional concentration of each
Slow Earthquake Hunters: A New Citizen Science Project to Identify and Catalog Slow Slip Events in Geodetic Data

Science.gov (United States)

Bartlow, N. M.

2017-12-01

Slow Earthquake Hunters is a new citizen science project to detect, catalog, and monitor slow slip events. Slow slip events, also called "slow earthquakes", occur when faults slip too slowly to generate significant seismic radiation. They typically take between a few days and over a year to occur, and are most often found on subduction zone plate interfaces. While not dangerous in and of themselves, recent evidence suggests that monitoring slow slip events is important for earthquake hazards, as slow slip events have been known to trigger damaging "regular" earthquakes. Slow slip events, because they do not radiate seismically, are detected with a variety of methods, most commonly continuous geodetic Global Positioning System (GPS) stations. There is now a wealth of GPS data in some regions that experience slow slip events, but a reliable automated method to detect them in GPS data remains elusive. This project aims to recruit human users to view GPS time series data, with some post-processing to highlight slow slip signals, and flag slow slip events for further analysis by the scientific team. Slow Earthquake Hunters will begin with data from the Cascadia subduction zone, where geodetically detectable slow slip events with a duration of at least a few days recur at regular intervals. The project will then expand to other areas with slow slip events or other transient geodetic signals, including other subduction zones, and areas with strike-slip faults. This project has not yet rolled out to the public, and is in a beta testing phase. This presentation will show results from an initial pilot group of student participants at the University of Missouri, and solicit feedback for the future of Slow Earthquake Hunters.
A slowing-down problem

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carlvik, I; Pershagen, B

1958-06-15

An infinitely long circular cylinder of radius a is surrounded by an infinite moderator. Both media are non-capturing. The cylinder emits neutrons of age zero with a constant source density of S. We assume that the ratios of the slowing-down powers and of the diffusion constants are independent of the neutron energy. The slowing-down density is calculated for two cases, a) when the slowing-down power of the cylinder medium is very small, and b) when the cylinder medium is identical with the moderator. The ratios of the slowing-down density at the age {tau} and the source density in the two cases are called {psi}{sub V}, and {psi}{sub M} respectively. {psi}{sub V} and {psi}{sub M} are functions of y=a{sup 2}/4{tau}. These two functions ({psi}{sub V} and {psi}{sub M}) are calculated and tabulated for y = 0-0.25.
Analysis of myofibrillar proteins and transcripts in adult skeletal muscles of the American lobster Homarus americanus: variable expression of myosins, actin and troponins in fast, slow-twitch and slow-tonic fibres.

Science.gov (United States)

Medler, Scott; Mykles, Donald L

2003-10-01

Skeletal muscles are diverse in their contractile properties, with many of these differences being directly related to the assemblages of myofibrillar isoforms characteristic of different fibers. Crustacean muscles are similar to other muscles in this respect, although the majority of information about differences in muscle organization comes from vertebrate species. In the present study, we examined the correlation between myofibrillar protein isoforms and the patterns of myofibrillar gene expression in fast, slow-phasic (S(1)) and slow-tonic (S(2)) fibers of the American lobster Homarus americanus. SDS-PAGE and western blotting were used to identify isoform assemblages of myosin heavy chain (MHC), P75, troponin T (TnT) and troponin I (TnI). RT-PCR was used to monitor expression of fast and slow (S(1)) MHC, P75 and actin in different fiber types, and the MHC and actin levels were quantified by real-time PCR. Fast and slow fibers from the claw closers predominantly expressed fast and S(1) MHC, respectively, but also lower levels of the alternate MHC. By contrast, fast fibers from the deep abdominal muscle expressed fast MHC exclusively. In addition, slow muscles expressed significantly higher levels of actin than fast fibers. A distal bundle of fibers in the cutter claw closer muscle was found to be composed of a mixture of S(1) and S(2) fibers, many of which possessed a mixture of S(1) and S(2) MHC isoforms. This pattern supports the idea that S(1) and S(2) fibers represent extremes in a continuum of slow muscle phenotype. Overall, these patterns demonstrate that crustacean skeletal muscles cannot be strictly categorized into discrete fiber types, but a muscle's properties probably represent a point on a continuum of fiber types. This trend may result from differences in innervation pattern, as each muscle is controlled by a unique combination of phasic, tonic or both phasic and tonic motor nerves. In this respect, future studies examining how muscle phenotype
Minichromosome Maintenance Expression Defines Slow-Growing Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Schimmack

2016-10-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Small intestinal neuroendocrine neoplasm (SI-NEN proliferation is quantified by Ki67 measurements which capture G1-G2M phases of the cell cycle. G0 and early G1 phases, typical of slow-growing cells, can be detected by minichromosome maintenance protein (MCM expression. We hypothesized that these replication licensing markers may provide clinically relevant information to augment Ki67 in low-grade neuroendocrine neoplasia. METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining (IHC, Western blot analysis, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and copy number variations of MCM2, MCM3, and Ki67 were undertaken in SI-NENs (n = 22. MCM and Ki67 expression was compared by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis (tissue microarray, independent set [n = 55]. Forty-three pancreatic NENs and 14 normal tissues were included as controls. RESULTS: In SI-NENs, MCM2 (mean: 21.2%: range: 16%-25% and MCM3 (28.7%: 22%-34% were detected in significantly more cells than Ki67 (2.3%: 0%-7%, P < .01. MCM2 mRNA correlated with Ki67 IHC (P < .05. MCM3 protein expression was higher in metastases (38-fold than in normal small intestine (P = .06 and was largely absent in normal neuroendocrine cells. There was considerable variation at the MCM copy number level (0-4 copies. MCM3 expression in proliferating cells significantly predicted overall survival (P < .002. Combinations of Ki67 and MCM2/3 in algorithms differentiated low and higher proliferative lesions (overall survival: 12 vs 6.1 years, P = .06. MCM expression was not informative in pancreatic NENs. CONCLUSION: MCMs are expressed in a higher proportion of NEN cells than Ki67 in slow-growing small intestinal lesions and correlate with survival. Assessment can be used to augment Ki67 to improve prognostic classification in these low-grade tumors.
USING HINODE/EXTREME-ULTRAVIOLET IMAGING SPECTROMETER TO CONFIRM A SEISMOLOGICALLY INFERRED CORONAL TEMPERATURE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marsh, M. S.; Walsh, R. W.

2009-01-01

The Extreme-Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer on board the HINODE satellite is used to examine the loop system described in Marsh et al. by applying spectroscopic diagnostic methods. A simple isothermal mapping algorithm is applied to determine where the assumption of isothermal plasma may be valid, and the emission measure locii technique is used to determine the temperature profile along the base of the loop system. It is found that, along the base, the loop has a uniform temperature profile with a mean temperature of 0.89 ± 0.09 MK which is in agreement with the temperature determined seismologically in Marsh et al., using observations interpreted as the slow magnetoacoustic mode. The results further strengthen the slow mode interpretation, propagation at a uniform sound speed, and the analysis method applied in Marsh et al. It is found that it is not possible to discriminate between the slow mode phase speed and the sound speed within the precision of the present observations.
DNA repair capacity and rate of excision repair in UV-irradiated mammalian cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inoue, Masao; Takebe, Hiraku.

1978-01-01

Repair capacities of five mammalian cell strains were measured by colony-forming ability, HCR of UV-irradiated virus, UDS, pyrimidine dimer excision, and semi-conservative DNA replication. Colony-forming ability of UV-irradiated cells was high for human amnion FL cells and mouse L cells, slightly low for African green monkey CV-1 cells, and extremely low for xeroderma pigmentosum cells. HCR of UV-irradiated Herpes simplex virus was high in CV-1 cells, FL and normal human fibroblast cells, low in both XP and L cells. The amount of UDS was high in FL and normal human fibroblast cells, considerably low in CV-1 cells, and essentially no UDS was observed in XP cells. Rate of UDS after UV-irradiation was slower for CV-1 cells than FL and human fibroblast cells. Rate of the excision of thymine-containing dimers from the acid-insoluble fraction during post-irradiation incubation of the cells was rapid in FL and normal human cells and slow in CV-1 cells, and no excision took place in XP cells. Semi-conservative DNA synthesis was reduced after UV-irradiation in all cell lines, but subsequently recovered in FL, normal human and CV-1 cells. The onset of recovery was 4 h after UV-irradiation for FL and normal human cells, but about 6 h for CV-1 cells. The apparent intermediate repair of CV-1 cells except for HCR may be related to the slow rate of excision repair. ''Patch and cut'' model is more favorable than ''cut and patch'' model to elucidate these results. (auth.)
Differential Macrophage Response to Slow- and Fast-Growing Pathogenic Mycobacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Cecilia Helguera-Repetto

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM have recently been recognized as important species that cause disease even in immunocompetent individuals. The mechanisms that these species use to infect and persist inside macrophages are not well characterised. To gain insight concerning this process we used THP-1 macrophages infected with M. abscessus, M. fortuitum, M. celatum, and M. tuberculosis. Our results showed that slow-growing mycobacteria gained entrance into these cells with more efficiency than fast-growing mycobacteria. We have also demonstrated that viable slow-growing M. celatum persisted inside macrophages without causing cell damage and without inducing reactive oxygen species (ROS, as M. tuberculosis caused. In contrast, fast-growing mycobacteria destroyed the cells and induced high levels of ROS. Additionally, the macrophage cytokine pattern induced by M. celatum was different from the one induced by either M. tuberculosis or fast-growing mycobacteria. Our results also suggest that, in some cases, the intracellular survival of mycobacteria and the immune response that they induce in macrophages could be related to their growth rate. In addition, the modulation of macrophage cytokine production, caused by M. celatum, might be a novel immune-evasion strategy used to survive inside macrophages that is different from the one reported for M. tuberculosis.
Connecting slow earthquakes to huge earthquakes

OpenAIRE

Obara, Kazushige; Kato, Aitaro

2016-01-01

Slow earthquakes are characterized by a wide spectrum of fault slip behaviors and seismic radiation patterns that differ from those of traditional earthquakes. However, slow earthquakes and huge megathrust earthquakes can have common slip mechanisms and are located in neighboring regions of the seismogenic zone. The frequent occurrence of slow earthquakes may help to reveal the physics underlying megathrust events as useful analogs. Slow earthquakes may function as stress meters because of th...
Integrated Photonics Enabled by Slow Light

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mørk, Jesper; Chen, Yuntian; Ek, Sara

2012-01-01

In this talk we will discuss the physics of slow light in semiconductor materials and in particular the possibilities offered for integrated photonics. This includes ultra-compact slow light enabled optical amplifiers, lasers and pulse sources.......In this talk we will discuss the physics of slow light in semiconductor materials and in particular the possibilities offered for integrated photonics. This includes ultra-compact slow light enabled optical amplifiers, lasers and pulse sources....
Fast and slow spindles during the sleep slow oscillation: disparate coalescence and engagement in memory processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Mölle, Matthias; Bergmann, Til O; Marshall, Lisa; Born, Jan

2011-10-01

Thalamo-cortical spindles driven by the up-state of neocortical slow (memory consolidation during sleep. We examined interactions between SOs and spindles in human slow wave sleep, focusing on the presumed existence of 2 kinds of spindles, i.e., slow frontocortical and fast centro-parietal spindles. Two experiments were performed in healthy humans (24.5 ± 0.9 y) investigating undisturbed sleep (Experiment I) and the effects of prior learning (word paired associates) vs. non-learning (Experiment II) on multichannel EEG recordings during sleep. Only fast spindles (12-15 Hz) were synchronized to the depolarizing SO up-state. Slow spindles (9-12 Hz) occurred preferentially at the transition into the SO down-state, i.e., during waning depolarization. Slow spindles also revealed a higher probability to follow rather than precede fast spindles. For sequences of individual SOs, fast spindle activity was largest for "initial" SOs, whereas SO amplitude and slow spindle activity were largest for succeeding SOs. Prior learning enhanced this pattern. The finding that fast and slow spindles occur at different times of the SO cycle points to disparate generating mechanisms for the 2 kinds of spindles. The reported temporal relationships during SO sequences suggest that fast spindles, driven by the SO up-state feed back to enhance the likelihood of succeeding SOs together with slow spindles. By enforcing such SO-spindle cycles, particularly after prior learning, fast spindles possibly play a key role in sleep-dependent memory processing.
Light storage via slow-light four-wave mixing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan, Yun-Fei; Wang, Hai-Hua; Wei, Xiao-Gang; Li, Ai-Jun; Kang, Zhi-Hui; Wu, Jin-Hui; Zhang, Han-Zhuang; Xu, Huai-Liang; Gao, Jin-Yue

2012-01-01

We experimentally demonstrate a light storage via slow-light four-wave mixing in a solid-state medium with a four-level double lambda scheme. Using slow light based on electromagnetically induced transparency, we obtain a slowed four-wave mixing signal pulse together with the slowed probe pulse. During the propagation of light pulses, the storage and retrieval of both the slowed four-wave mixing pulse and the slowed probe pulse are studied by manipulating the intensities of the control fields. -- Highlights: ► A light storage via slow-light four-wave mixing is observed in a solid. ► The probe pulse is slowed under electromagnetically induced transparency. ► A slowed four-wave mixing pulse is obtained by slow light. ► The storage of slowed double pulses is studied.
Both neurons and astrocytes exhibited tetrodotoxin-resistant metabotropic glutamate receptor-dependent spontaneous slow Ca2+ oscillations in striatum.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Atsushi Tamura

Full Text Available The striatum plays an important role in linking cortical activity to basal ganglia outputs. Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs are densely expressed in the medium spiny projection neurons and may be a therapeutic target for Parkinson's disease. The group I mGluRs are known to modulate the intracellular Ca(2+ signaling. To characterize Ca(2+ signaling in striatal cells, spontaneous cytoplasmic Ca(2+ transients were examined in acute slice preparations from transgenic mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP in the astrocytes. In both the GFP-negative cells (putative-neurons and astrocytes of the striatum, spontaneous slow and long-lasting intracellular Ca(2+ transients (referred to as slow Ca(2+ oscillations, which lasted up to approximately 200 s, were found. Neither the inhibition of action potentials nor ionotropic glutamate receptors blocked the slow Ca(2+ oscillation. Depletion of the intracellular Ca(2+ store and the blockade of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors greatly reduced the transient rate of the slow Ca(2+ oscillation, and the application of an antagonist against mGluR5 also blocked the slow Ca(2+ oscillation in both putative-neurons and astrocytes. Thus, the mGluR5-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate signal cascade is the primary contributor to the slow Ca(2+ oscillation in both putative-neurons and astrocytes. The slow Ca(2+ oscillation features multicellular synchrony, and both putative-neurons and astrocytes participate in the synchronous activity. Therefore, the mGluR5-dependent slow Ca(2+ oscillation may involve in the neuron-glia interaction in the striatum.
Origin of the enhanced performance in poly(3-hexylthiophene) : [6,6]-phenyl C-61-butyric acid methyl ester solar cells upon slow drying of the active layer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mihailetchi, Valentin D.; Xie, Hangxing; Boer, Bert de; Popescu, Lacramioara M.; Hummelen, Jan C.; Blom, Paul W.M.; Koster, L. Jan Anton

2006-01-01

The origin of the enhanced performance of bulk heterojunction solar cells based on slowly dried films of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl C-61-butyric acid methyl ester is investigated, combining charge transport measurements with numerical device simulations. Slow drying leads to a
Revisited microanatomy of the corneal endothelial periphery: new evidence for continuous centripetal migration of endothelial cells in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Zhiguo; Campolmi, Nelly; Gain, Philippe; Ha Thi, Binh Minh; Dumollard, Jean-Marc; Duband, Sébastien; Peoc'h, Michel; Piselli, Simone; Garraud, Olivier; Thuret, Gilles

2012-11-01

The control of corneal transparency depends on the integrity of its endothelial monolayer, which is considered nonregenerative in adult humans. In pathological situations, endothelial cell (EC) loss, not offset by mitosis, can lead to irreversible corneal edema and blindness. However, the hypothesis of a slow, clinically insufficient regeneration starting from the corneal periphery remains debatable. The authors have re-evaluated the microanatomy of the endothelium in order to identify structures likely to support this homeostasis model. Whole endothelia of 88 human corneas (not stored, and stored in organ culture) with mean donor age of 80 ± 12 years were analyzed using an original flat-mounting technique. In 61% of corneas, cells located at the extreme periphery (last 200 μm of the endothelium) were organized in small clusters with two to three cell layers around Hassall-Henle bodies. In 68% of corneas, peripheral ECs formed centripetal rows 830 ± 295 μm long, with Descemet membrane furrows visible by scanning electron microscopy. EC density was significantly higher in zones with cell rows. When immunostained, ECs in the extreme periphery exhibited lesser differentiation (ZO-1, Actin, Na/K ATPase, CoxIV) than ECs in the center of the cornea but preferentially expressed stem cell markers (Nestin, Telomerase, and occasionally breast cancer resistance protein) and, in rare cases, the proliferation marker Ki67. Stored corneas had fewer cell clusters but more Ki67-positive ECs. We identified a novel anatomic organization in the periphery of the human corneal endothelium, suggesting a continuous slow centripetal migration, throughout life, of ECs from specific niches. Copyright © 2012 AlphaMed Press.
Effect of slow-solvent-vapour treatment on performance of polymer photovoltaic devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhi-Hui, Feng; Yan-Bing, Hou; Quan-Min, Shi; Xiao-Jun, Liu; Feng, Teng

2010-01-01

In this work, enhanced poly(3-hexylthiophene):[6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) bulkheterojunction photovoltaic devices are achieved via slow-solvent-vapour treatment. The correlations between the morphology of the active layer and the photovoltaic performance of polymer-based solar cell are investigated. The active layers are characterized by atomic force microscopy and optical absorption. The results show that slow-solvent-vapour treatment can induce P3HT self-organization into an ordered structure, leading to the enhanced absorption and efficient charge transport. (cross-disciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)
Transcriptome and network changes in climbers at extreme altitudes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fang Chen

Full Text Available Extreme altitude can induce a range of cellular and systemic responses. Although it is known that hypoxia underlies the major changes and that the physiological responses include hemodynamic changes and erythropoiesis, the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways mediating such changes are largely unknown. To obtain a more complete picture of the transcriptional regulatory landscape and networks involved in extreme altitude response, we followed four climbers on an expedition up Mount Xixiabangma (8,012 m, and collected blood samples at four stages during the climb for mRNA and miRNA expression assays. By analyzing dynamic changes of gene networks in response to extreme altitudes, we uncovered a highly modular network with 7 modules of various functions that changed in response to extreme altitudes. The erythrocyte differentiation module is the most prominently up-regulated, reflecting increased erythrocyte differentiation from hematopoietic stem cells, probably at the expense of differentiation into other cell lineages. These changes are accompanied by coordinated down-regulation of general translation. Network topology and flow analyses also uncovered regulators known to modulate hypoxia responses and erythrocyte development, as well as unknown regulators, such as the OCT4 gene, an important regulator in stem cells and assumed to only function in stem cells. We predicted computationally and validated experimentally that increased OCT4 expression at extreme altitude can directly elevate the expression of hemoglobin genes. Our approach established a new framework for analyzing the transcriptional regulatory network from a very limited number of samples.
Slow rupture of frictional interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Bar Sinai, Yohai; Brener, Efim A.; Bouchbinder, Eran

2012-02-01

The failure of frictional interfaces and the spatiotemporal structures that accompany it are central to a wide range of geophysical, physical and engineering systems. Recent geophysical and laboratory observations indicated that interfacial failure can be mediated by slow slip rupture phenomena which are distinct from ordinary, earthquake-like, fast rupture. These discoveries have influenced the way we think about frictional motion, yet the nature and properties of slow rupture are not completely understood. We show that slow rupture is an intrinsic and robust property of simple non-monotonic rate-and-state friction laws. It is associated with a new velocity scale cmin, determined by the friction law, below which steady state rupture cannot propagate. We further show that rupture can occur in a continuum of states, spanning a wide range of velocities from cmin to elastic wave-speeds, and predict different properties for slow rupture and ordinary fast rupture. Our results are qualitatively consistent with recent high-resolution laboratory experiments and may provide a theoretical framework for understanding slow rupture phenomena along frictional interfaces.

An Extremely Rare Case of Advanced Metastatic Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of Sinonasal Tract

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Yu Thar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SNEC is a rare form of malignancy. It mainly presents as bronchogenic neoplasm, and the extrapulmonary form accounts for only 0.1% to 0.4% of all cancers. These extrapulmonary tumors have been described most frequently in the urinary bladder, prostate, esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum, gall bladder, head and neck, cervix, and skin. Primary SNEC of the sinonasal tract is extremely rare with only less than 100 cases reported in the literature. Because of extreme rarity and aggressiveness of the tumor, the management for this entity varies considerably mandating multimodality approach. In this paper, we report a patient presented with left-sided facial swelling, and the histopathologic examination confirmed primary SNEC of left sinonasal tract. The tumor involved multiple paranasal sinuses with invasion into the left orbit and left infratemporal fossa and metastasized to cervical lymph nodes and bone. The patient encountered devastating outcome in spite of optimal medical management and treatment with palliative chemotherapy highlighting the necessity for further research of primary SNEC of head and neck.
Connecting slow earthquakes to huge earthquakes.

Science.gov (United States)

Obara, Kazushige; Kato, Aitaro

2016-07-15

Slow earthquakes are characterized by a wide spectrum of fault slip behaviors and seismic radiation patterns that differ from those of traditional earthquakes. However, slow earthquakes and huge megathrust earthquakes can have common slip mechanisms and are located in neighboring regions of the seismogenic zone. The frequent occurrence of slow earthquakes may help to reveal the physics underlying megathrust events as useful analogs. Slow earthquakes may function as stress meters because of their high sensitivity to stress changes in the seismogenic zone. Episodic stress transfer to megathrust source faults leads to an increased probability of triggering huge earthquakes if the adjacent locked region is critically loaded. Careful and precise monitoring of slow earthquakes may provide new information on the likelihood of impending huge earthquakes. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Extremely low frequency electromagnetic field exposure does not modulate Toll-like receptor signaling in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kleijn, de S.; Bouwens, M.; Verburg-van Kemenade, B.M.L.; Cuppen, J.J.M.; Ferwerda, G.; Hermans, P.

2011-01-01

The effects of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF) on human health remain unclear. It has been reported that ELF-EMF may modulate the innate immune response to microorganisms in animal models and mammalian cell-lines. With the recently gained insight in innate immune signaling
30 years of battling the cell wall.

Science.gov (United States)

Latgé, J P

2017-01-01

In Aspergillus fumigatus, like in other pathogenic fungi, the cell wall is essential for fungal growth as well as for resisting environmental stresses such as phagocytic killing. Most of the chemical analyses undertaken on the cell wall of A. fumigatus are focused on the mycelial cell wall because it is the vegetative stage of the fungus. However, the cell walls of the mycelium and conidium (which is the infective propagule) are different especially at the level of the surface layer, which plays a significant role in the interaction between A. fumigatus conidia and phagocytic cells of the immune system. In spite of the essential function of the cell wall in fungal life, progresses have been extremely slow in the understanding of biosynthesis as well in the identification of the key host responses against the cell wall components. A major difficulty is the fact that the composition and structural organization of the cell wall is not immutably set and is constantly reshuffled depending on the environmental conditions. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The International Society for Human and Animal Mycology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
A single pH fluorescent probe for biosensing and imaging of extreme acidity and extreme alkalinity.

Science.gov (United States)

Chao, Jian-Bin; Wang, Hui-Juan; Zhang, Yong-Bin; Li, Zhi-Qing; Liu, Yu-Hong; Huo, Fang-Jun; Yin, Cai-Xia; Shi, Ya-Wei; Wang, Juan-Juan

2017-07-04

A simple tailor-made pH fluorescent probe 2-benzothiazole (N-ethylcarbazole-3-yl) hydrazone (Probe) is facilely synthesized by the condensation reaction of 2-hydrazinobenzothiazole with N-ethylcarbazole-3-formaldehyde, which is a useful fluorescent probe for monitoring extremely acidic and alkaline pH, quantitatively. The pH titrations indicate that Probe displays a remarkable emission enhancement with a pK a of 2.73 and responds linearly to minor pH fluctuations within the extremely acidic range of 2.21-3.30. Interestingly, Probe also exhibits strong pH-dependent characteristics with pK a 11.28 and linear response to extreme-alkalinity range of 10.41-12.43. In addition, Probe shows a large Stokes shift of 84 nm under extremely acidic and alkaline conditions, high selectivity, excellent sensitivity, good water-solubility and fine stability, all of which are favorable for intracellular pH imaging. The probe is further successfully applied to image extremely acidic and alkaline pH values fluctuations in E. coli cells. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Interaction of slow highly-charged ions with metals and insulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamazaki, Y.

2007-01-01

Interaction of slow highly charged ions with insulator as well as metallic surfaces is discussed. In addition to the usual flat surface targets, studies with thin foils having a multitude of straight holes of ∼100 nm in diameter (micro-capillary foil) are introduced, which provide various unique information on the above surface interaction. In the case of an insulator micro-capillary foil, a so-called guiding effect was observed, where slow highly charged ions can transmit through the capillary tunnel keeping their initial charge state even when the capillary axis is tilted against the incident beam. A similar guiding effect has recently been found for slow highly-charged ions transmitted through a single tapered glass capillary. In both cases, the guiding effects are expected to be governed by a self-organized charging and discharging of the inner-wall of the insulator capillary. One of the prominent features of this guiding effect with the tapered capillary is the formation of a nano-size beam, which can be applied in various fields of science including surface nano-modification/analysis, nano-surgery of living cells, etc
Overview of the biology of extreme events

Science.gov (United States)

Gutschick, V. P.; Bassirirad, H.

2008-12-01

Extreme events have, variously, meteorological origins as in heat waves or precipitation extremes, or biological origins as in pest and disease eruptions (or tectonic, earth-orbital, or impact-body origins). Despite growing recognition that these events are changing in frequency and intensity, a universal model of ecological responses to these events is slow to emerge. Extreme events, negative and positive, contrast with normal events in terms of their effects on the physiology, ecology, and evolution of organisms, hence also on water, carbon, and nutrient cycles. They structure biogeographic ranges and biomes, almost surely more than mean values often used to define biogeography. They are challenging to study for obvious reasons of field-readiness but also because they are defined by sequences of driving variables such as temperature, not point events. As sequences, their statistics (return times, for example) are challenging to develop, as also from the involvement of multiple environmental variables. These statistics are not captured well by climate models. They are expected to change with climate and land-use change but our predictive capacity is currently limited. A number of tools for description and analysis of extreme events are available, if not widely applied to date. Extremes for organisms are defined by their fitness effects on those organisms, and are specific to genotypes, making them major agents of natural selection. There is evidence that effects of extreme events may be concentrated in an extended recovery phase. We review selected events covering ranges of time and magnitude, from Snowball Earth to leaf functional loss in weather events. A number of events, such as the 2003 European heat wave, evidence effects on water and carbon cycles over large regions. Rising CO2 is the recent extreme of note, for its climatic effects and consequences for growing seasons, transpiration, etc., but also directly in its action as a substrate of photosynthesis
Human myosin VIIa is a very slow processive motor protein on various cellular actin structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, Osamu; Komatsu, Satoshi; Sakai, Tsuyoshi; Tsukasaki, Yoshikazu; Tanaka, Ryosuke; Mizutani, Takeomi; Watanabe, Tomonobu M; Ikebe, Reiko; Ikebe, Mitsuo

2017-06-30

Human myosin VIIa (MYO7A) is an actin-linked motor protein associated with human Usher syndrome (USH) type 1B, which causes human congenital hearing and visual loss. Although it has been thought that the role of human myosin VIIa is critical for USH1 protein tethering with actin and transportation along actin bundles in inner-ear hair cells, myosin VIIa's motor function remains unclear. Here, we studied the motor function of the tail-truncated human myosin VIIa dimer (HM7AΔTail/LZ) at the single-molecule level. We found that the HM7AΔTail/LZ moves processively on single actin filaments with a step size of 35 nm. Dwell-time distribution analysis indicated an average waiting time of 3.4 s, yielding ∼0.3 s -1 for the mechanical turnover rate; hence, the velocity of HM7AΔTail/LZ was extremely slow, at 11 nm·s -1 We also examined HM7AΔTail/LZ movement on various actin structures in demembranated cells. HM7AΔTail/LZ showed unidirectional movement on actin structures at cell edges, such as lamellipodia and filopodia. However, HM7AΔTail/LZ frequently missed steps on actin tracks and exhibited bidirectional movement at stress fibers, which was not observed with tail-truncated myosin Va. These results suggest that the movement of the human myosin VIIa motor protein is more efficient on lamellipodial and filopodial actin tracks than on stress fibers, which are composed of actin filaments with different polarity, and that the actin structures influence the characteristics of cargo transportation by human myosin VIIa. In conclusion, myosin VIIa movement appears to be suitable for translocating USH1 proteins on stereocilia actin bundles in inner-ear hair cells. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
Water-Transfer Slows Aging in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Aviv; Weindling, Esther; Rabinovich, Efrat; Nachman, Iftach; Fuchs, Shai; Chuartzman, Silvia; Gal, Lihi; Schuldiner, Maya; Bar-Nun, Shoshana

2016-01-01

Transferring Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells to water is known to extend their lifespan. However, it is unclear whether this lifespan extension is due to slowing the aging process or merely keeping old yeast alive. Here we show that in water-transferred yeast, the toxicity of polyQ proteins is decreased and the aging biomarker 47Q aggregates at a reduced rate and to a lesser extent. These beneficial effects of water-transfer could not be reproduced by diluting the growth medium and depended on de novo protein synthesis and proteasomes levels. Interestingly, we found that upon water-transfer 27 proteins are downregulated, 4 proteins are upregulated and 81 proteins change their intracellular localization, hinting at an active genetic program enabling the lifespan extension. Furthermore, the aging-related deterioration of the heat shock response (HSR), the unfolded protein response (UPR) and the endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein degradation (ERAD), was largely prevented in water-transferred yeast, as the activities of these proteostatic network pathways remained nearly as robust as in young yeast. The characteristics of young yeast that are actively maintained upon water-transfer indicate that the extended lifespan is the outcome of slowing the rate of the aging process.
Contribution to analytical solution of neutron slowing down problem in homogeneous and heterogeneous media; Prilog analitickom resavanju problema usporavanja neutrona u homogenim i heterogenim sredinama

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stefanovic, D B [Institute of Nuclear Sciences Boris Kidric, Vinca, Beograd (Yugoslavia)

1970-07-01

The objective of this work is to describe the new analytical solution of the neutron slowing down equation for infinite monoatomic media with arbitrary energy dependence of cross section. The solution is obtained by introducing Green slowing down functions instead of starting from slowing down equations directly. The previously used methods for calculation of fission neutron spectra in the reactor cell were numerical. The proposed analytical method was used for calculating the space-energy distribution of fast neutrons and number of neutron reactions in a thermal reactor cell. The role of analytical method in solving the neutron slowing down in reactor physics is to enable understating of the slowing down process and neutron transport. The obtained results could be used as standards for testing the accuracy od approximative and practical methods.
Multistage bioassociation of uranium onto an extremely halophilic archaeon revealed by a unique combination of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bader, Miriam; Müller, Katharina; Foerstendorf, Harald; Drobot, Björn [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden – Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden (Germany); Schmidt, Matthias; Musat, Niculina [Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Swanson, Juliet S.; Reed, Donald T. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Repository Science and Operations, 1400 University Drive, Carlsbad, NM, 88220 (United States); Stumpf, Thorsten [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden – Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden (Germany); Cherkouk, Andrea, E-mail: a.cherkouk@hzdr.de [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden – Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden (Germany)

2017-04-05

Highlights: • First prolonged kinetics study of uranium to halophilic archaea was performed. • An atypical time-dependent bioassociation behavior of uranium was observed. • Unique combination of spectroscopic and microscopic methods was used. • In situ ATR FT-IR showed association of U(VI) to phosphoryl and carboxylate groups. • Time-dependent changes of U(VI) localization could be monitored by SEM/EDX. - Abstract: The interactions of two extremely halophilic archaea with uranium were investigated at high ionic strength as a function of time, pH and uranium concentration. Halobacterium noricense DSM-15987 and Halobacterium sp. putatively noricense, isolated from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant repository, were used for these investigations. The kinetics of U(VI) bioassociation with both strains showed an atypical multistage behavior, meaning that after an initial phase of U(VI) sorption, an unexpected interim period of U(VI) release was observed, followed by a slow reassociation of uranium with the cells. By applying in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, the involvement of phosphoryl and carboxylate groups in U(VI) complexation during the first biosorption phase was shown. Differences in cell morphology and uranium localization become visible at different stages of the bioassociation process, as shown with scanning electron microscopy in combination with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Our results demonstrate for the first time that association of uranium with the extremely halophilic archaeon is a multistage process, beginning with sorption and followed by another process, probably biomineralization.
Multistage bioassociation of uranium onto an extremely halophilic archaeon revealed by a unique combination of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bader, Miriam; Müller, Katharina; Foerstendorf, Harald; Drobot, Björn; Schmidt, Matthias; Musat, Niculina; Swanson, Juliet S.; Reed, Donald T.; Stumpf, Thorsten; Cherkouk, Andrea

2017-01-01

Highlights: • First prolonged kinetics study of uranium to halophilic archaea was performed. • An atypical time-dependent bioassociation behavior of uranium was observed. • Unique combination of spectroscopic and microscopic methods was used. • In situ ATR FT-IR showed association of U(VI) to phosphoryl and carboxylate groups. • Time-dependent changes of U(VI) localization could be monitored by SEM/EDX. - Abstract: The interactions of two extremely halophilic archaea with uranium were investigated at high ionic strength as a function of time, pH and uranium concentration. Halobacterium noricense DSM-15987 and Halobacterium sp. putatively noricense, isolated from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant repository, were used for these investigations. The kinetics of U(VI) bioassociation with both strains showed an atypical multistage behavior, meaning that after an initial phase of U(VI) sorption, an unexpected interim period of U(VI) release was observed, followed by a slow reassociation of uranium with the cells. By applying in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, the involvement of phosphoryl and carboxylate groups in U(VI) complexation during the first biosorption phase was shown. Differences in cell morphology and uranium localization become visible at different stages of the bioassociation process, as shown with scanning electron microscopy in combination with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Our results demonstrate for the first time that association of uranium with the extremely halophilic archaeon is a multistage process, beginning with sorption and followed by another process, probably biomineralization.
A rare case of extremely high counts of circulating tumor cells detected in a patient with an oral squamous cell carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Xianglei; Mastronicola, Romina; Tu, Qian; Faure, Gilbert Charles; De Carvalho Bittencourt, Marcelo; Dolivet, Gilles

2016-01-01

Despite aggressive regimens, the clinical outcome of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma remains poor. The detection of circulating tumor cells could potentially improve the management of patients with disseminated cancer, including diagnosis, treatment strategies, and surveillance. Currently, CellSearch ® is the most widely used and the only Food and Drug Administration-cleared system for circulating tumor cells detection in patients with metastatic breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer. In most cases of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, only low counts of circulating tumor cells have been reported. A 56-year-old white male with no particular medical history, was diagnosed with a squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity. According to the imaging results (computed tomography and 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography / computed tomography) and panendoscopy, the TNM staging was classified as T4N2M0. A non-interruptive pelvimandibulectomy was conducted according to the multidisciplinary meeting advices and the postoperative observations were normal. The patient complained of a painful cervical edema and a trismus 6 weeks after the surgery. A relapse was found by computed tomography and the patient died two weeks later. The search for circulating tumor cells in peripheral venous blood by using the CellSearch ® system revealed a very high count compared with published reports at three time points (pre-operative: 400; intra-operative: 150 and post-operative day 7: 1400 circulating tumor cells). Of note, all detected circulating tumor cells were epidermal growth factor receptor negative. We report here for the first time a rare case of oral squamous cell carcinoma with extremely high circulating tumor cells counts using the CellSearch ® system. The absolute number of circulating tumor cells might predict a particular phase of cancer development as well as a poor survival, potentially contributing to a personalized healthcare
Cell-Sediment Separation and Elemental Stoichiometries in Extreme Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Neveu, M.; Poret-peterson, A. T.; Lee, Z. M.; Anbar, A. D.; Elser, J. J.

2012-12-01

counting by epifluorescence microscopy indicated a cell recovery yield between 6 and 40% in field-collected samples (95% for cultured E. coli). Aluminum, assumed to be non-biological in origin, was used to estimate the extent of mineral contamination of isolated cell communities. These results show that our method is successful at separating microbial cells from sediment collected in extreme environments and preserving them for analysis of a broad suite of elements. Photosynthetic sites yielded much more cell material than hotter, chemosynthetic sites (Cox et al., 2011). We are currently measuring cellular elemental abundances and ratios in samples from relatively low-temperature (25 to 65°C), photosynthetic areas, spanning a wide range of pH (2 to 9.5) and composition. These measurements will be compared to existing datasets on the bulk sediment stoichiometry of these ecosystems, and to previous observations of cellular elemental composition. References: Redfield, A.C. (1934) In Daniel, R.J. [Ed.], James Johnstone Memorial Volume, pp. 176-192, Univ. Press Liverpool. Sterner, R.W., Elser, J.J. (2002) Ecological Stoichiometry Princeton Univ. Press, 441p. Havig, J.R., et al. (2011) JGR 116, G01005. Amalfitano, S., Fazi, S. (2008) J. of Microbiol. Methods 75, 237-243. Cox, A., et al. (2011) Chem. Geol. 280, 344-351.
Slow movement execution in event-related potentials (P300).

Science.gov (United States)

Naruse, Kumi; Sakuma, Haruo; Hirai, Takane

2002-02-01

We examined whether slow movement execution has an effect on cognitive and information processing by measuring the P300 component. 8 subjects performed a continuous slow forearm rotational movement using 2 task speeds. Slow (a 30-50% decrease from the subject's Preferred speed) and Very Slow (a 60-80% decrease). The mean coefficient of variation for rotation speed under Very Slow was higher than that under Slow, showing that the subjects found it difficult to perform the Very Slow task smoothly. The EEG score of alpha-1 (8-10 Hz) under Slow Condition was increased significantly more than under the Preferred Condition; however, the increase under Very Slow was small when compared with Preferred. After performing the task. P300 latency under Very Slow increased significantly as compared to that at pretask. Further, P300 amplitude decreased tinder both speed conditions when compared to that at pretask, and a significant decrease was seen under the Slow Condition at Fz, whereas the decrease under the Very Slow Condition was small. These differences indicated that a more complicated neural composition and an increase in subjects' attention might have been involved when the task was performed under the Very Slow Condition. We concluded that slow movement execution may have an influence on cognitive function and may depend on the percentage of decrease from the Preferred speed of the individual.
Slow-Photon-Effect-Induced Photoelectrical-Conversion Efficiency Enhancement for Carbon-Quantum-Dot-Sensitized Inorganic CsPbBr3 Inverse Opal Perovskite Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Shujie; Tang, Rui; Yin, Longwei

2017-11-01

All-inorganic cesium lead halide perovskite is suggested as a promising candidate for perovskite solar cells due to its prominent thermal stability and comparable light absorption ability. Designing textured perovskite films rather than using planar-architectural perovskites can indeed optimize the optical and photoelectrical conversion performance of perovskite photovoltaics. Herein, for the first time, this study demonstrates a rational strategy for fabricating carbon quantum dot (CQD-) sensitized all-inorganic CsPbBr 3 perovskite inverse opal (IO) films via a template-assisted, spin-coating method. CsPbBr 3 IO introduces slow-photon effect from tunable photonic band gaps, displaying novel optical response property visible to naked eyes, while CQD inlaid among the IO frameworks not only broadens the light absorption range but also improves the charge transfer process. Applied in the perovskite solar cells, compared with planar CsPbBr 3 , slow-photon effect of CsPbBr 3 IO greatly enhances the light utilization, while CQD effectively facilitates the electron-hole extraction and injection process, prolongs the carrier lifetime, jointly contributing to a double-boosted power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.29% and an increased incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency of up to 76.9%. The present strategy on CsPbBr 3 IO to enhance perovskite PCE can be extended to rationally design other novel optoelectronic devices. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Detection of cell proliferation in adults of the water bear Hypsibius dujardini (Tardigrada) via incorporation of a thymidine analog.

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, V; Bährle, R; Mayer, G

2018-04-01

The taxon Tardigrada, commonly called "water bears", consists of microscopic, eight-legged invertebrates that are well known for their ability to tolerate extreme environmental conditions. Their miniscule body size means that tardigrades possess a small total number of cells, the number and arrangement of which may be highly conserved in some organs. Although mitoses have been observed in several organs, the rate and pattern of cell divisions in adult tardigrades has never been characterized. In this study, we incubated live tardigrades over a period of several days with a thymidine analog in order to visualize all cells that had divided during this time. We focus on the midgut, the largest part of the digestive system. Our results show that new cells in the midgut arise from the anterior and posterior ends of this organ and either migrate or divide toward its middle. These cells divide at a constant rate and all cells of the midgut epithelium are replaced in approximately one week. On the other hand, we found no cell divisions in the nervous system or any other major organs, suggesting that the cell turnover of these organs may be extremely slow or dependent on changing environmental conditions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Application of Planar Broadband Slow-Wave Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edvardas Metlevskis

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Different types of planar broadband slow-wave systems are used for designing microwave devices. The papers published by Lithuanian scientists analyze and investigate the models of helical and meander slow-wave systems. The article carefully examines the applications of meander slow-wave systems and presents the areas where similar systems, e.g. mobile devices, RFID, wireless technologies are used and reviewed nowadays. The paper also focuses on the examples of the papers discussing antennas, filters and couplers that contain designed and fabricated meander slow-wave systems.Article in Lithuanian
Effectiveness of slow-release systems in CD40 agonistic antibody immunotherapy of cancer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fransen, Marieke F.; Cordfunke, Robert A.; Sluijter, Marjolein; Van Steenbergen, Mies J.; Drijfhout, Jan W.; Ossendorp, Ferry; Hennink, Wim E.; Melief, Cornelis J M

2014-01-01

Slow-release delivery has great potential for specifically targeting immune-modulating agents into the tumor-draining area. In prior work we showed that local treatment of slowly delivered anti-CD40 antibody induced robust anti-tumor CD8+ T cell responses without systemic toxicity. We now report on
A modified technique for application of tissue expanders for extremities in burn scars patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghalambor, A.

2007-01-01

Tissue expansion is considered a major advancement in reconstructive surgery. However, there are limitations to their application in the extremities and carries relatively higher rates of complications. The aim of this study was to propose a modification to this technique and assess the rate of complications with slower rate of expansion. Thirty females (age range 14 to 40) with burn scars in the upper or lower extremity (15 cases in each) were the subjects of this investigation. Various sized rectangular expanders were used and expanded at a rate of 5% of the maximum inflatable size over 20 weeks. All of the cases of expansion completed the procedure uneventfully. In one case that developed necrosis at the edge of the flap, one week after removal of the expander, which was debrided and repaired successfully completed the treatment. Slow expansion method is a useful method which can safely be applied for burn scars in the extremities. (author)

A statistical model of uplink inter-cell interference with slow and fast power control mechanisms

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina; Yilmaz, Ferkan; Dawy, Zaher; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2013-01-01

Uplink power control is in essence an interference mitigation technique that aims at minimizing the inter-cell interference (ICI) in cellular networks by reducing the transmit power levels of the mobile users while maintaining their target received signal quality levels at base stations. Power control mechanisms directly impact the interference dynamics and, thus, affect the overall achievable capacity and consumed power in cellular networks. Due to the stochastic nature of wireless channels and mobile users' locations, it is important to derive theoretical models for ICI that can capture the impact of design alternatives related to power control mechanisms. To this end, we derive and verify a novel statistical model for uplink ICI in Generalized-K composite fading environments as a function of various slow and fast power control mechanisms. The derived expressions are then utilized to quantify numerically key network performance metrics that include average resource fairness, average reduction in power consumption, and ergodic capacity. The accuracy of the derived expressions is validated via Monte-Carlo simulations. Results are generated for multiple network scenarios, and insights are extracted to assess various power control mechanisms as a function of system parameters. © 1972-2012 IEEE.
A statistical model of uplink inter-cell interference with slow and fast power control mechanisms

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina

2013-09-01

Uplink power control is in essence an interference mitigation technique that aims at minimizing the inter-cell interference (ICI) in cellular networks by reducing the transmit power levels of the mobile users while maintaining their target received signal quality levels at base stations. Power control mechanisms directly impact the interference dynamics and, thus, affect the overall achievable capacity and consumed power in cellular networks. Due to the stochastic nature of wireless channels and mobile users\\' locations, it is important to derive theoretical models for ICI that can capture the impact of design alternatives related to power control mechanisms. To this end, we derive and verify a novel statistical model for uplink ICI in Generalized-K composite fading environments as a function of various slow and fast power control mechanisms. The derived expressions are then utilized to quantify numerically key network performance metrics that include average resource fairness, average reduction in power consumption, and ergodic capacity. The accuracy of the derived expressions is validated via Monte-Carlo simulations. Results are generated for multiple network scenarios, and insights are extracted to assess various power control mechanisms as a function of system parameters. © 1972-2012 IEEE.
Efficient Planar Structured Perovskite Solar Cells with Enhanced Open-Circuit Voltage and Suppressed Charge Recombination Based on a Slow Grown Perovskite Layer from Lead Acetate Precursor.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Cong; Guo, Qiang; Wang, Zhibin; Bai, Yiming; Liu, Lin; Wang, Fuzhi; Zhou, Erjun; Hayat, Tasawar; Alsaedi, Ahmed; Tan, Zhan'ao

2017-12-06

For planar structured organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells (PerSCs) with the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene:polystyrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) hole transport layer, the open-circuit voltage (V oc ) of the device is limited to be about 1.0 V, resulting in inferior performance in comparison with TiO 2 -based planar counterparts. Therefore, increasing V oc of the PEDOT:PSS-based planar device is an important way to enhance the efficiency of the PerSCs. Herein, we demonstrate a novel approach for perovskite film formation and the film is formed by slow growth from lead acetate precursor via a one-step spin-coating process without the thermal annealing (TA) process. Because the perovskite layer grows slowly and naturally, high-quality perovskite film can be achieved with larger crystalline particles, less defects, and smoother surface morphology. Ultraviolet absorption, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy (photoluminescence), and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy are used to clarify the crystallinity, morphology, and internal defects of perovskite thin films. The power conversion efficiency of p-i-n PerSCs based on slow-grown film (16.33%) shows greatly enhanced performance compared to that of the control device based on traditional thermally annealed perovskite film (14.33%). Furthermore, the V oc of the slow-growing device reaches 1.12 V, which is 0.1 V higher than that of the TA device. These findings indicate that slow growth of the perovskite layer from lead acetate precursor is a promising approach to achieve high-quality perovskite film for high-performance PerSCs.
Incident ion charge state dependence of electron emission during slow multicharged ion-surface interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hughes, I.G.; Zeijlmans van Emmichoven, P.A.; Havener, C.C.; Overbury, S.H.; Robinson, M.T.; Zehner, D.M.; Meyer, F.W.

1992-01-01

Characteristic variations in the total electron yield γ as a function of crystal azimuthal orientation are reported for slow N 2+ , N 5+ and N 6+ ions incident on a Au(011) single crystal, together with measurements of γ as a function of incident ion velocity. Kinetic electron emission is shown to arise predominantly in close collisions between incident ions and target atoms, and potential electron emission is found to be essentially constant within our present velocity range. The incident ion charge state is shown to play no role in kinetic electron emission. Extremely fast neutralization times of the order of 10 - 15 secs are needed to explain the observations
Water-Transfer Slows Aging in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aviv Cohen

Full Text Available Transferring Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells to water is known to extend their lifespan. However, it is unclear whether this lifespan extension is due to slowing the aging process or merely keeping old yeast alive. Here we show that in water-transferred yeast, the toxicity of polyQ proteins is decreased and the aging biomarker 47Q aggregates at a reduced rate and to a lesser extent. These beneficial effects of water-transfer could not be reproduced by diluting the growth medium and depended on de novo protein synthesis and proteasomes levels. Interestingly, we found that upon water-transfer 27 proteins are downregulated, 4 proteins are upregulated and 81 proteins change their intracellular localization, hinting at an active genetic program enabling the lifespan extension. Furthermore, the aging-related deterioration of the heat shock response (HSR, the unfolded protein response (UPR and the endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein degradation (ERAD, was largely prevented in water-transferred yeast, as the activities of these proteostatic network pathways remained nearly as robust as in young yeast. The characteristics of young yeast that are actively maintained upon water-transfer indicate that the extended lifespan is the outcome of slowing the rate of the aging process.
"Slow" Voltage-Dependent Inactivation of CaV2.2 Calcium Channels Is Modulated by the PKC Activator Phorbol 12-Myristate 13-Acetate (PMA.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lei Zhu

Full Text Available CaV2.2 (N-type voltage-gated calcium channels (Ca2+ channels play key roles in neurons and neuroendocrine cells including the control of cellular excitability, neurotransmitter / hormone secretion, and gene expression. Calcium entry is precisely controlled by channel gating properties including multiple forms of inactivation. "Fast" voltage-dependent inactivation is relatively well-characterized and occurs over the tens-to- hundreds of milliseconds timeframe. Superimposed on this is the molecularly distinct, but poorly understood process of "slow" voltage-dependent inactivation, which develops / recovers over seconds-to-minutes. Protein kinases can modulate "slow" inactivation of sodium channels, but little is known about if/how second messengers control "slow" inactivation of Ca2+ channels. We investigated this using recombinant CaV2.2 channels expressed in HEK293 cells and native CaV2 channels endogenously expressed in adrenal chromaffin cells. The PKC activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA dramatically prolonged recovery from "slow" inactivation, but an inactive control (4α-PMA had no effect. This effect of PMA was prevented by calphostin C, which targets the C1-domain on PKC, but only partially reduced by inhibitors that target the catalytic domain of PKC. The subtype of the channel β-subunit altered the kinetics of inactivation but not the magnitude of slowing produced by PMA. Intracellular GDP-β-S reduced the effect of PMA suggesting a role for G proteins in modulating "slow" inactivation. We postulate that the kinetics of recovery from "slow" inactivation could provide a molecular memory of recent cellular activity and help control CaV2 channel availability, electrical excitability, and neurotransmission in the seconds-to-minutes timeframe.
Fast-slow continuum and reproductive strategies structure plant life-history variation worldwide.

Science.gov (United States)

Salguero-Gómez, Roberto; Jones, Owen R; Jongejans, Eelke; Blomberg, Simon P; Hodgson, David J; Mbeau-Ache, Cyril; Zuidema, Pieter A; de Kroon, Hans; Buckley, Yvonne M

2016-01-05

The identification of patterns in life-history strategies across the tree of life is essential to our prediction of population persistence, extinction, and diversification. Plants exhibit a wide range of patterns of longevity, growth, and reproduction, but the general determinants of this enormous variation in life history are poorly understood. We use demographic data from 418 plant species in the wild, from annual herbs to supercentennial trees, to examine how growth form, habitat, and phylogenetic relationships structure plant life histories and to develop a framework to predict population performance. We show that 55% of the variation in plant life-history strategies is adequately characterized using two independent axes: the fast-slow continuum, including fast-growing, short-lived plant species at one end and slow-growing, long-lived species at the other, and a reproductive strategy axis, with highly reproductive, iteroparous species at one extreme and poorly reproductive, semelparous plants with frequent shrinkage at the other. Our findings remain consistent across major habitats and are minimally affected by plant growth form and phylogenetic ancestry, suggesting that the relative independence of the fast-slow and reproduction strategy axes is general in the plant kingdom. Our findings have similarities with how life-history strategies are structured in mammals, birds, and reptiles. The position of plant species populations in the 2D space produced by both axes predicts their rate of recovery from disturbances and population growth rate. This life-history framework may complement trait-based frameworks on leaf and wood economics; together these frameworks may allow prediction of responses of plants to anthropogenic disturbances and changing environments.
A nucleation theory of cell surface capping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coutsias, E.A.; Wester, M.J.; Perelson, A.S.

1997-01-01

We propose a new theory of cell surface capping based on the principles of nucleation. When antibody interacts with cell surface molecules, the molecules initially form small aggregates called patches that later coalesce into a large aggregate called a cap. While a cap can form by patches being pulled together by action of the cell''s cytoskeleton, in the case of some molecules, disruption of the cytoskeleton does not prevent cap formation. Diffusion of large aggregates on a cell surface is slow, and thus we propose that a cap can form solely through the diffusion of small aggregates containing just one or a few cell surface molecules. Here we consider the extreme case in which single molecules are mobile, but aggregates of all larger sizes are immobile. We show that a set of patches in equilibrium with a open-quotes seaclose quotes of free cell surface molecules can undergo a nucleation-type phase transition in which the largest patch will bind free cell surface molecules, deplete the concentration of such molecules in the open-quotes seaclose quotes and thus cause the other patches to shrink in size. We therefore show that a cap can form without patches having to move, collide with each other, and aggregate
Prostate-specific membrane antigen-directed nanoparticle targeting for extreme nearfield ablation of prostate cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Seung S; Roche, Philip Jr; Giannopoulos, Paresa N; Mitmaker, Elliot J; Tamilia, Michael; Paliouras, Miltiadis; Trifiro, Mark A

2017-03-01

Almost all biological therapeutic interventions cannot overcome neoplastic heterogeneity. Physical ablation therapy is immune to tumor heterogeneity, but nearby tissue damage is the limiting factor in delivering lethal doses. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes offer a number of unique properties: chemical stability, photonic properties including efficient light absorption, thermal conductivity, and extensive surface area availability for covalent chemical ligation. When combined together with a targeting moiety such as an antibody or small molecule, one can deliver highly localized temperature increases and cause extensive cellular damage. We have functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes by conjugating an antibody against prostate-specific membrane antigen. In our in vitro studies using prostate-specific membrane antigen-positive LNCaP prostate cancer cells, we have effectively demonstrated cell ablation of >80% with a single 30-s exposure to a 2.7-W, 532-nm laser for the first time without bulk heating. We also confirmed the specificity and selectivity of prostate-specific membrane antigen targeting by assessing prostate-specific membrane antigen-null PC3 cell lines under the same conditions (<10% cell ablation). This suggests that we can achieve an extreme nearfield cell ablation effect, thus restricting potential tissue damage when transferred to in vivo clinical applications. Developing this new platform will introduce novel approaches toward current therapeutic modalities and will usher in a new age of effective cancer treatment squarely addressing tumoral heterogeneity.
Muscle fiber type specific induction of slow myosin heavy chain 2 gene expression by electrical stimulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crew, Jennifer R.; Falzari, Kanakeshwari; DiMario, Joseph X.

2010-01-01

Vertebrate skeletal muscle fiber types are defined by a broad array of differentially expressed contractile and metabolic protein genes. The mechanisms that establish and maintain these different fiber types vary throughout development and with changing functional demand. Chicken skeletal muscle fibers can be generally categorized as fast and fast/slow based on expression of the slow myosin heavy chain 2 (MyHC2) gene in fast/slow muscle fibers. To investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms that control fiber type formation in secondary or fetal muscle fibers, myoblasts from the fast pectoralis major (PM) and fast/slow medial adductor (MA) muscles were isolated, allowed to differentiate in vitro, and electrically stimulated. MA muscle fibers were induced to express the slow MyHC2 gene by electrical stimulation, whereas PM muscle fibers did not express the slow MyHC2 gene under identical stimulation conditions. However, PM muscle fibers did express the slow MyHC2 gene when electrical stimulation was combined with inhibition of inositol triphosphate receptor (IP3R) activity. Electrical stimulation was sufficient to increase nuclear localization of expressed nuclear-factor-of-activated-T-cells (NFAT), NFAT-mediated transcription, and slow MyHC2 promoter activity in MA muscle fibers. In contrast, both electrical stimulation and inhibitors of IP3R activity were required for these effects in PM muscle fibers. Electrical stimulation also increased levels of peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor-γ co-activator-1 (PGC-1α) protein in PM and MA muscle fibers. These results indicate that MA muscle fibers can be induced by electrical stimulation to express the slow MyHC2 gene and that fast PM muscle fibers are refractory to stimulation-induced slow MyHC2 gene expression due to fast PM muscle fiber specific cellular mechanisms involving IP3R activity.
Experimental demonstration of spinor slow light

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Meng-Jung; Ruseckas, Julius; Lee, Chin-Yuan; Kudriašov, Viačeslav; Chang, Kao-Fang; Cho, Hung-Wen; JuzeliÅ«nas, Gediminas; Yu, Ite A.

2016-03-01

Over the last decade there has been a continuing interest in slow and stored light based on the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) effect, because of their potential applications in quantum information manipulation. However, previous experimental works all dealt with the single-component slow light which cannot be employed as a qubit. In this work, we report the first experimental demonstration of two-component or spinor slow light (SSL) using a double tripod (DT) atom-light coupling scheme. The oscillations between the two components, similar to the Rabi oscillation of a two-level system or a qubit, were observed. Single-photon SSL can be considered as two-color qubits. We experimentally demonstrated a possible application of the DT scheme as quantum memory and quantum rotator for the two-color qubits. This work opens up a new direction in the slow light research.
Polymers having slow release function and their applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaetsu, Isao; Yamada, Akio.

1982-01-01

The research of giving slow releasing property to drugs by compounding them with suitable matrices and forming has been carried out actively in order to minimize the adverse effect, to reduce the frequency of administration and to improve the bioavailability of such drugs. The slow release function of drugs may be acquired by the copolymerization with synthetic and natural polymers. Drugs are mixed with monomers, and the mixture is polymerized by means of heat, light or radiation (gamma ray or electron beam). Various physical and chemical factors influencing on the rate of release are shown. The compound capsules of drugs and polymers may be used for chemotherapy, enzyme and hormone therapy, immunotherapy, artificial organs, medical and pharmaceutical applications in the form of suppositary, and administration by mucous membrane, subcutaneous and intra-fascia contact or burying. Mytomycin (MMC) of 1.6 mg/kg (LD 50 of i.v. injection) or 3.2 mg/kg (LD 50 x 2) was implanted in the abdomen of dogs. The release of MMC from the implanted capsules was relatively localized to the vicinity of implantation. More hydrophilic polymer (39 % water retention, for example, hydroxyethylmetacrylate polymer) gave more death (toxicity) cases than less hydrophilic one (2 % water retention, for example, diethylglycoldimetacrylate polymer) in the mice with Ehrlich ascites cancer cells, 5 x 10 6 cells/0.2 ml. Because of the nature of locally limited release of the drug, the capsules of anti-cancer drugs, analgesics, antibiotics, hormone, etc. should be delivered to disease foci by means of a fiber scope technique, or intravascular microcapsules. (Yamashita, S.)
Slow release of tetracycline from a mucoadhesive complex with sucralfate for eradication of Helicobacter pylori.

Science.gov (United States)

Higo, Shoichi; Takeuchi, Hirofumi; Yamamoto, Hiromitsu; Hino, Tomoaki; Kawashima, Yoshiaki

2008-10-01

Treatment composed of a gastric mucoadhesive antibiotic with slow release drug delivery is expected to be effective for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). In this study, we evaluated the slow release property of the tetracycline-sucralfate acidic complex. Tetracycline was the antibiotic selected because of its complexation capacity with sucralfate. Sustained release was tested using two different dissolution test methods: paddle and flow-through cell. The adhesive paste formed from the acidic complex displayed a longer sustained release profile of tetracycline using flow-through cell method. The milder conditions of the flow-through cell method better mimicked the fasted state of the stomach, suggesting that the oral administration with fasting is appropriate for the acidic complex. Furthermore, the paste formation protected the tetracycline from decomposition under an acidic condition, which apparently contributes to long-term release. Change in the zeta potential of the acidic complex particles was helpful in clarifying the release mechanisms of the tetracycline. The data indicated that the immediate release of tetracycline in the early stage of the test was indispensable to the subsequent paste formation that enables slow release. If administrated orally with fasting, the acidic complex rapidly adheres to the gastric mucosa and sustains long-term release of the tetracycline to the gastric lumen or mucus layer. This antibiotic delivery mechanism, which requires only a minimum dosage, may be effective for efficient eradication of H. pylori.
Adult fast myosin pattern and Ca2+-induced slow myosin pattern in primary skeletal muscle culture

Science.gov (United States)

Kubis, Hans-Peter; Haller, Ernst-August; Wetzel, Petra; Gros, Gerolf

1997-01-01

A primary muscle cell culture derived from newborn rabbit muscle and growing on microcarriers in suspension was established. When cultured for several weeks, the myotubes in this model develop the completely adult pattern of fast myosin light and heavy chains. When Ca2+ ionophore is added to the culture medium on day 11, raising intracellular [Ca2+] about 10-fold, the myotubes develop to exhibit properties of an adult slow muscle by day 30, expressing slow myosin light as well as heavy chains, elevated citrate synthase, and reduced lactate dehydrogenase. The remarkable plasticity of these myotubes becomes apparent, when 8 days after withdrawal of the ionophore a marked slow-to-fast transition, as judged from the expression of isomyosins and metabolic enzymes, occurs. PMID:9108130
Human rhabdomyosarcoma cell lines for rhabdomyosarcoma research: Utility and pitfalls

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashley R.P. Hinson

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS is the most common soft tissue sarcoma of childhood and adolescence. Despite intergroup clinical trials conducted in Europe and North America, outcomes for high risk patients with this disease have not significantly improved in the last several decades, and survival of metastatic or relapsed disease remains extremely poor. Accrual into new clinical trials is slow and difficult, so in vitro cell line research and in vivo xenograft models present an attractive alternative for preclinical research for this cancer type. Currently, 30 commonly used human RMS cell lines exist, with differing origins, karyotypes, histologies, and methods of validation. Selecting an appropriate cell line for RMS research has important implications for outcomes. There are also potential pitfalls in using certain cell lines including contamination with murine stromal cells, cross-contamination between cell lines, discordance between the cell line and its associated original tumor, imposter cell lines, and nomenclature errors that result in the circulation of two or more presumed unique cell lines that are actually from the same origin. These pitfalls can be avoided by testing for species-specific isoenzymes, microarray analysis, assays for subtype-specific fusion products, and short tandem repeat analysis.
Human Rhabdomyosarcoma Cell Lines for Rhabdomyosarcoma Research: Utility and Pitfalls

Science.gov (United States)

Hinson, Ashley R. P.; Jones, Rosanne; Crose, Lisa E. S.; Belyea, Brian C.; Barr, Frederic G.; Linardic, Corinne M.

2013-01-01

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma of childhood and adolescence. Despite intergroup clinical trials conducted in Europe and North America, outcomes for high risk patients with this disease have not significantly improved in the last several decades, and survival of metastatic or relapsed disease remains extremely poor. Accrual into new clinical trials is slow and difficult, so in vitro cell-line research and in vivo xenograft models present an attractive alternative for preclinical research for this cancer type. Currently, 30 commonly used human RMS cell lines exist, with differing origins, karyotypes, histologies, and methods of validation. Selecting an appropriate cell line for RMS research has important implications for outcomes. There are also potential pitfalls in using certain cell lines including contamination with murine stromal cells, cross-contamination between cell lines, discordance between the cell line and its associated original tumor, imposter cell lines, and nomenclature errors that result in the circulation of two or more presumed unique cell lines that are actually from the same origin. These pitfalls can be avoided by testing for species-specific isoenzymes, microarray analysis, assays for subtype-specific fusion products, and short tandem repeat analysis. PMID:23882450
Complete blood cell count components and coronary slow-flow phenomenon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arjmand N

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Nasim Arjmand, Mohammad Reza Dehghani Department of Cardiology, Seyyed-al-Shohada Heart Center, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, IranDespite the implementation of preventive strategies, ischemic heart disease and stroke remain the main causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide.1,2 Of the cardiovascular diseases, coronary slow-flow phenomenon (CSFP, with a prevalence rate of 1%–7% among patients undergoing diagnostic coronary angiography, has been found to be associated with cardiovascular events, including cardiac arrhythmia and acute coronary syndrome.3–5 However, the potential mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of CSFP remain unknown. Microvascular and endothelial dysfunctions, inflammation, diffuse atherosclerosis, and increased platelet aggregability have been reported to be the main possible etiologies for CSFP.6,7View original paper by Atlas and colleagues.
Slow-light effects in photonic crystal membrane lasers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xue, Weiqi; Yu, Yi; Ottaviano, Luisa

2015-01-01

In this paper, we present a systematic investigation of photonic crystal cavity laser operating in the slow-light regime. The dependence of lasing threshold on the effect of slow-light will be particularly highlighted.......In this paper, we present a systematic investigation of photonic crystal cavity laser operating in the slow-light regime. The dependence of lasing threshold on the effect of slow-light will be particularly highlighted....
Slow potentials in a melody recognition task.

Science.gov (United States)

Verleger, R; Schellberg, D

1990-01-01

In a previous study, slow negative shifts were found in the EEG of subjects listening to well-known melodies. The two experiments reported here were designed to investigate the variables to which these slow potentials are related. In the first experiment, two opposite hypotheses were tested: The slow shifts might express subjects' acquaintance with the melodies or, on the contrary, the effort invested to identify them. To this end, some of the melodies were presented in the rhythms of other melodies to make recognition more difficult. Further, melodies rated as very well-known and as very unknown were analysed separately. However, the slow shifts were not affected by these experimental variations. Therefore in the second experiment, on the one hand the purely physical parameters intensity and duration were varied, but this variation had no impact on the slow shifts either. On the other hand, recognition was made more difficult by monotonously repeating the pitch of the 4th tone for the rest of some melodies. The slow negative shifts were enhanced with these monotonous melodies. This enhancement supports the "effort" hypothesis. Accordingly, the ofter shifts obtained in both experiments might likewise reflect effort. But since the task was not demanding, it is suggested that these constant shifts reflect the effort invested for coping with the entire underarousing situation rather than with the task. Frequently, slow eye movements occurred in the same time range as the slow potentials, resulting in EOG potentials spreading to the EEG recording sites. Yet results did not change substantially when the EEG recordings were corrected for the influence of EOG potentials.
Radiation from the non-extremal fuzzball

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chowdhury, Borun D; Mathur, Samir D

2008-01-01

The fuzzball proposal says that the information of the black hole state is distributed throughout the interior of the horizon in a 'quantum fuzz'. There are special microstates where in the dual CFT we have 'many excitations in the same state'; these are described by regular classical geometries without horizons. Jejjala et al (2005 Phys. Rev. D 71 124030) constructed non-extremal regular geometries of this type. Cardoso et al (2006 Phys. Rev. D 73 064031, 2007 Phys. Rev. D 76 105015) then found that these geometries had a classical instability. In this paper, we show that the energy radiated through the unstable modes is exactly the Hawking radiation for these microstates. We do this by (i) starting with the semiclassical Hawking radiation rate, (ii) using it to find the emission vertex in the CFT, (iii) replacing the Boltzman distributions of the generic CFT state with the ones describing the microstate of interest, (iv) observing that the emission now reproduces the classical instability. Because the CFT has 'many excitations in the same state' we get the physics of a Bose-Einstein condensate rather than a thermal gas, and the usually slow Hawking emission increases, by Bose enhancement, to a classically radiated field. This system therefore provides a complete gravity description of information-carrying radiation from a special microstate of the non-extremal hole

Slow-light pulses in moving media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fiurasek, J.; Leonhardt, U.; Parentani, R.

2002-01-01

Slow light in moving media reaches a counterintuitive regime when the flow speed of the medium approaches the group velocity of light. Pulses can penetrate a region where a counterpropagating flow exceeds the group velocity. When the counterflow slows down, pulses are reflected
Dictyostelium cells bind a secreted autocrine factor that represses cell proliferation

OpenAIRE

Choe, Jonathan M; Bakthavatsalam, Deenadayalan; Phillips, Jonathan E; Gomer, Richard H

2009-01-01

Abstract Background Dictyostelium cells secrete the proteins AprA and CfaD. Cells lacking either AprA or CfaD proliferate faster than wild type, while AprA or CfaD overexpressor cells proliferate slowly, indicating that AprA and CfaD are autocrine factors that repress proliferation. CfaD interacts with AprA and requires the presence of AprA to slow proliferation. To determine if CfaD is necessary for the ability of AprA to slow proliferation, whether AprA binds to cells, and if so whether the...
Pulsar slow-down epochs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heintzmann, H.; Novello, M.

1981-01-01

The relative importance of magnetospheric currents and low frequency waves for pulsar braking is assessed and a model is developed which tries to account for the available pulsar timing data under the unifying aspect that all pulsars have equal masses and magnetic moments and are born as rapid rotators. Four epochs of slow-down are distinguished which are dominated by different braking mechanisms. According to the model no direct relationship exists between 'slow-down age' and true age of a pulsar and leads to a pulsar birth-rate of one event per hundred years. (Author) [pt
Numerical study of induced current perturbations in the vicinity of excitable cells exposed to extremely low frequency magnetic fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hassan, Noha; Chatterjee, Indira; Publicover, Nelson G; Craviso, Gale L

2003-01-01

Realistic three-dimensional cell morphologies were modelled to determine the current density induced in excitable cell culture preparations exposed to 60 Hz magnetic fields and to identify important factors that can influence the responses of cells to these fields. Cell morphologies representing single spherical adrenal chromaffin cells, single elongated smooth muscle cells and chromaffin cell aggregates in a Petri dish containing culture medium were modelled using the finite element method. The computations for a spherical cell revealed alterations in the magnitude and spatial distribution of the induced current density in the immediate vicinity of the cell. Maxima occurred at the equatorial sides and minima at the poles. Proximity of cells to each other as well as cell aggregate shape, size and orientation with respect to the induced current influenced the magnitude and spatial distribution of the induced current density. For an elongated cell, effects on the induced current density were highly dependent on cell orientation with respect to the direction of the induced current. These results provide novel insights into the perturbations in induced current that occur in excitable cell culture preparations and lay a foundation for understanding the mechanisms of interaction with extremely low frequency magnetic fields at the tissue level
Construction report of the PF slow-positron source. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enomoto, Atsushi; Kurihara, Toshikazu; Kobayashi, Hitoshi

1993-12-01

The slow positron source utilizing the electron beam of the 2.5 GeV electron beam accelerator which is the synchrotron radiation injector is being constructed. The outline of the project and the present state of construction are reported. As of November, 1993, by injecting the electron beam of about 10 W to the targets for producing positrons, the slow positrons of 4 x 10 4 e + /s has been obtained in the laboratory. Finally, with the electron beam of 30 kW, it is aimed at to obtain the slow positron beam of 2 x 10 9 e + /s. In the slow positron source, the electron beam from the 2.5 GeV linear accelerator is used as the primary beam. This beam is led to the target with electromagnets. Radiation shields were strengthened, and the electrostatic lens system was attached to efficiently extract and send out slow positrons. The conveying system for slow positrons is explained. Primary electron beam, target and moderator for producing slow positrons, the change to continuous current of pulsed slow positron beam and the heightening of luminance of slow positron beam, and the experiment on the utilization of slow positron beam, and the control system for positron conveyance path are reported. (K.I.)
Slow hot carrier cooling in cesium lead iodide perovskites

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Qing; Ripolles, Teresa S.; Even, Jacky; Ogomi, Yuhei; Nishinaka, Koji; Izuishi, Takuya; Nakazawa, Naoki; Zhang, Yaohong; Ding, Chao; Liu, Feng; Toyoda, Taro; Yoshino, Kenji; Minemoto, Takashi; Katayama, Kenji; Hayase, Shuzi

2017-10-01

Lead halide perovskites are attracting a great deal of interest for optoelectronic applications such as solar cells, LEDs, and lasers because of their unique properties. In solar cells, heat dissipation by hot carriers results in a major energy loss channel responsible for the Shockley-Queisser efficiency limit. Hot carrier solar cells offer the possibility to overcome this limit and achieve energy conversion efficiency as high as 66% by extracting hot carriers. Therefore, fundamental studies on hot carrier relaxation dynamics in lead halide perovskites are important. Here, we elucidated the hot carrier cooling dynamics in all-inorganic cesium lead iodide (CsPbI3) perovskite using transient absorption spectroscopy. We observe that the hot carrier cooling rate in CsPbI3 decreases as the fluence of the pump light increases and the cooling is as slow as a few 10 ps when the photoexcited carrier density is 7 × 1018 cm-3, which is attributed to phonon bottleneck for high photoexcited carrier densities. Our findings suggest that CsPbI3 has a potential for hot carrier solar cell applications.
Magnon Inflation: Slow Roll with Steep Potentials

CERN Document Server

Adshead, Peter; Burgess, C P; Hayman, Peter; Patil, Subodh P

2016-01-01

We find multi-scalar effective field theories (EFTs) that can achieve a slow inflationary roll despite having a scalar potential that does not satisfy the usual slow-roll condition (d V)^2 << V^2/Mp^2. They evade the usual slow-roll conditions on $V$ because their kinetic energies are dominated by single-derivative terms rather than the usual two-derivative terms. Single derivatives dominate during slow roll and so do not require a breakdown of the usual derivative expansion that underpins calculational control in much of cosmology. The presence of such terms requires some sort of UV Lorentz-symmetry breaking during inflation (besides the usual cosmological breaking). Chromo-natural inflation provides an example of a UV theory that can generate the multi-field single-derivative terms we consider, and we argue that the EFT we find indeed captures the slow-roll conditions for the background evolution for Chromo-natural inflation. We also show that our EFT can be understood as a multi-field generalization ...
Slow-light dynamics in nonlinear periodic waveguides couplers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sukhorukov, A.A.; Ha, S.; Powell, D.A.

2009-01-01

We predict pulse switching and reshaping through nonlinear mixing of two slow-light states with different phase velocities in the same frequency range, and report on the first experimental observation of slow-light tunneling between coupled periodic waveguides.......We predict pulse switching and reshaping through nonlinear mixing of two slow-light states with different phase velocities in the same frequency range, and report on the first experimental observation of slow-light tunneling between coupled periodic waveguides....
Sustainable Development of Slow Fashion Businesses: Customer Value Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sojin Jung

2016-06-01

Full Text Available As an alternative to the prevalent fast fashion model, slow fashion has emerged as a way of enhancing sustainability in the fashion industry, yet how slow fashion can enhance profitability is still largely unknown. Based on a customer value creation framework, this study empirically tested a structural model that specified the slow fashion attributes that contribute to creating perceived customer value, which subsequently increases a consumer’s intention to buy and pay a price premium for slow fashion products. An analysis of 221 U.S. consumer data revealed that delivering exclusive product value is significantly critical in creating customer value for slow fashion, and customer value, in turn, positively affects consumers’ purchase intentions. Further analysis also revealed that different slow fashion attributes distinctively affect customer value. This provides potential strategies on which slow fashion businesses can focus to secure an economically sustainable business model, thereby continuously improving environmental and social sustainability with the slow fashion ideal.
Slowed ageing, welfare, and population problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Wareham, Christopher

2015-10-01

Biological studies have demonstrated that it is possible to slow the ageing process and extend lifespan in a wide variety of organisms, perhaps including humans. Making use of the findings of these studies, this article examines two problems concerning the effect of life extension on population size and welfare. The first--the problem of overpopulation--is that as a result of life extension too many people will co-exist at the same time, resulting in decreases in average welfare. The second--the problem of underpopulation--is that life extension will result in too few people existing across time, resulting in decreases in total welfare. I argue that overpopulation is highly unlikely to result from technologies that slow ageing. Moreover, I claim that the problem of underpopulation relies on claims about life extension that are false in the case of life extension by slowed ageing. The upshot of these arguments is that the population problems discussed provide scant reason to oppose life extension by slowed ageing.
Kinetic slow mode-type solitons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Baumgärtel

2005-01-01

Full Text Available One-dimensional hybrid code simulations are presented, carried out in order both to study solitary waves of the slow mode branch in an isotropic, collisionless, medium-β plasma (βi=0.25 and to test the fluid based soliton interpretation of Cluster observed strong magnetic depressions (Stasiewicz et al., 2003; Stasiewicz, 2004 against kinetic theory. In the simulations, a variety of strongly oblique, large amplitude, solitons are seen, including solitons with Alfvenic polarization, similar to those predicted by the Hall-MHD theory, and robust, almost non-propagating, solitary structures of slow magnetosonic type with strong magnetic field depressions and perpendicular ion heating, which have no counterpart in fluid theory. The results support the soliton-based interpretation of the Cluster observations, but reveal substantial deficiencies of Hall-MHD theory in describing slow mode-type solitons in a plasma of moderate beta.
Identifying factors contributing to slow growth in pigs.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Y; Deen, J; Shurson, G C; Wang, L; Chen, C; Keisler, D H; Li, Y Z

2016-05-01

Pigs that grow slower than their contemporaries can cause complications for animal welfare and profitability. This study was conducted to investigate factors that may contribute to slow growth of pigs. Pigs ( = 440) farrowed by 65 sows were monitored from birth to market. Pigs were categorized as slow, average, and fast growers based on market weight adjusted to 170 d of age (slow growers were 125 kg). Blood samples were collected from 48 focal pigs at 9 and 21 wk of age and analyzed for hormone and free AA concentrations. Data were analyzed using the Mixed and Logistic procedures of SAS. Slow-growing pigs accounted for 10% of pigs marketed, average growers accounted for 49% of pigs marketed, and fast growers accounted for 41% of pigs marketed. Compared with fast growers, slow growers were lighter at birth ( ratio = 2.17, 95% confidence interval = 1.19 to 3.96, = 0.01). Litter size and parity of the pigs' dam were not associated with slow growth. These results suggest that low concentrations of IGF-1, insulin, leptin, and AA may contribute to or be associated with slow growth in pigs.
Hydro-Mechanical Modelling of Slow Slip Phenomena at the Subduction Interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Petrini, C.; Gerya, T.; Madonna, C.; van Dinther, Y.

2016-12-01

Subduction zones experience a spectrum of slip phenomena, ranging from large devastating megathrust earthquakes to aseismic slow slip events. Slow slip events, lasting hours to years and being perceptible only by instruments, are believed to have the capability to induce large earthquakes. It is also repeatedly proposed that such slow events are controlled by fluid-rock interactions along the subduction interface, thus calling for development of fully coupled seismo-hydro-mechanical modeling approaches to identify their physics and controlling parameters. We present a newly developed finite difference visco-elasto-plastic numerical code with marker-in-cell technique, which fully couples mechanical deformation and fluid flow. We use this to investigate how the presence of fluids in the pore space of a (de)compacting rock matrix affects elastic stress accumulation and release along a fluid-bearing subduction interface. The model simulates the spontaneous occurrence of quasi-periodic slow slip phenomena along self-consistently forming highly localized shearbands, which accommodate shear displacement between two plates. The produced elastic rebound events show a slip velocity on the order of cm/yr, which is in good agreement with measured data. The governing gradual strength decrease along the slowly propagating shear bands is related to a drop in total pressure caused by shear localization at nearly constant (slightly decreasing) fluid pressure. Gradual reduction of the difference between the total and fluid pressure decreases brittle/plastic strength of fluid-bearing rocks along the shear bands, thus providing a dynamic feedback mechanism for the accumulated elastic stress release at the subduction interface.
Slow rupture of frictional interfaces

OpenAIRE

Sinai, Yohai Bar; Brener, Efim A.; Bouchbinder, Eran

2011-01-01

The failure of frictional interfaces and the spatiotemporal structures that accompany it are central to a wide range of geophysical, physical and engineering systems. Recent geophysical and laboratory observations indicated that interfacial failure can be mediated by slow slip rupture phenomena which are distinct from ordinary, earthquake-like, fast rupture. These discoveries have influenced the way we think about frictional motion, yet the nature and properties of slow rupture are not comple...
Sensitivity of honeybee hygroreceptors to slow humidity changes and temporal humidity variation detected in high resolution by mobile measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Tichy, Harald; Kallina, Wolfgang

2014-01-01

The moist cell and the dry cell on the antenna of the male honeybee were exposed to humidities slowly rising and falling at rates between -1.5%/s and +1.5%/s and at varying amplitudes in the 10 to 90% humidity range. The two cells respond to these slow humidity oscillations with oscillations in impulse frequency which depend not only on instantaneous humidity but also on the rate with which humidity changes. The impulse frequency of each cell was plotted as a function of these two parameters and regression planes were fitted to the data points of single oscillation periods. The regression slopes, which estimate sensitivity, rose with the amplitude of humidity oscillations. During large-amplitude oscillations, moist and dry cell sensitivity for instantaneous humidity and its rate of change was high. During small-amplitude oscillations, their sensitivity for both parameters was low, less exactly reflecting humidity fluctuations. Nothing is known about the spatial and temporal humidity variations a honeybee may encounter when flying through natural environments. Microclimatic parameters (absolute humidity, temperature, wind speed) were measured from an automobile traveling through different landscapes of Lower Austria. Landscape type affected extremes and mean values of humidity. Differences between peaks and troughs of humidity fluctuations were generally smaller in open grassy fields or deciduous forests than in edge habitats or forest openings. Overall, fluctuation amplitudes were small. In this part of the stimulus range, hygroreceptor sensitivity is not optimal for encoding instantaneous humidity and the rate of humidity change. It seems that honeybee's hygroreceptors are specialized for detecting large-amplitude fluctuations that are relevant for a specific behavior, namely, maintaining a sufficiently stable state of water balance. The results suggest that optimal sensitivity of both hygroreceptors is shaped not only by humidity oscillation amplitudes but also
The effect of straggling on the slowing down of neutrons in radiation protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mostacci, D.; Molinari, V.; Teodori, F.; Pesic, M.

1999-01-01

All those techniques developed to describe neutron transport that rely on the flux isotropy conditions prevailing within the reactor core can be of no help in the study of neutron beams. Two main problems must be solved in investigating beams: determining the relevant cross-sections and solving the transport equation. Often in addressing neutron radiation protection problems, the available cross-section data are extremely detailed whereas the transport equations used are rather unrefined, making wide use of the continuous slowing down approximation to calculate stopping powers (e.g., Bethe's expressions). In this paper a simple approach to calculating stopping power and range is presented, that takes into account the effect of neutron energy straggling. Comparison with MCNP results is also presented. (author)
Excitatory Neuronal Hubs Configure Multisensory Integration of Slow Waves in Association Cortex

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Satoshi Kuroki

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Summary: Multisensory integration (MSI is a fundamental emergent property of the mammalian brain. During MSI, perceptual information encoded in patterned activity is processed in multimodal association cortex. The systems-level neuronal dynamics that coordinate MSI, however, are unknown. Here, we demonstrate intrinsic hub-like network activity in the association cortex that regulates MSI. We engineered calcium reporter mouse lines based on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer sensor yellow cameleon (YC2.60 expressed in excitatory or inhibitory neurons. In medial and parietal association cortex, we observed spontaneous slow waves that self-organized into hubs defined by long-range excitatory and local inhibitory circuits. Unlike directional source/sink-like flows in sensory areas, medial/parietal excitatory and inhibitory hubs had net-zero balanced inputs. Remarkably, multisensory stimulation triggered rapid phase-locking mainly of excitatory hub activity persisting for seconds after the stimulus offset. Therefore, association cortex tends to form balanced excitatory networks that configure slow-wave phase-locking for MSI. Video Abstract: : Kuroki et al. performed cell-type-specific, wide-field FRET-based calcium imaging to visualize cortical network activity induced by multisensory inputs. They observed phase-locking of cortical slow waves in excitatory neuronal hubs in association cortical areas that may underlie multisensory integration. Keywords: wide-field calcium imaging, multisensory integration, cortical slow waves, association cortex, phase locking, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, spontaneous activity, excitatory neuron, inhibitory neuron, mouse
Gene expression profiling of fast- and slow- growing gonadotroph non-functioning pituitary adenomas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Falch, Camilla Maria; Sundaram, Arvind Y M; Øystese, Kristin Astrid

2018-01-01

Objective Reliable biomarkers associated with aggressiveness of non-functioning gonadotroph adenomas (GAs) are lacking. As the growth of tumor remnants is highly variable, molecular markers for growth potential prediction are necessary. We hypothesized that fast- and slow - growing GAs present......, GPM6A and six EMT-related genes (SPAG9, SKIL, MTDH, HOOK1, CNOT6L and PRKACB). MTDH, but not EMCN, demonstrated involvement in cell migration and association with EMT-markers. Conclusions Fast- and slow- growing GAs present different gene expression profiles and genes related to EMT have higher...... expression in fast-growing tumors. In addition to MTDH, identified as an important contributor to aggressiveness, the other genes might represent markers for tumor growth potential and possible targets for drug therapy. ....
Threshold Characteristics of Slow-Light Photonic Crystal Lasers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xue, Weiqi; Yu, Yi; Ottaviano, Luisa

2016-01-01

The threshold properties of photonic crystal quantum dot lasers operating in the slow-light regime are investigated experimentally and theoretically. Measurements show that, in contrast to conventional lasers, the threshold gain attains a minimum value for a specific cavity length. The experimental...... results are explained by an analytical theory for the laser threshold that takes into account the effects of slow light and random disorder due to unavoidable fabrication imperfections. Longer lasers are found to operate deeper into the slow-light region, leading to a trade-off between slow-light induced...
Slow brushing reduces heat pain in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Liljencrantz, J; Strigo, I; Ellingsen, D M; Krämer, H H; Lundblad, L C; Nagi, S S; Leknes, S; Olausson, H

2017-08-01

C-tactile (CT) afferents are unmyelinated low-threshold mechanoreceptors optimized for signalling affective, gentle touch. In three separate psychophysical experiments, we examined the contribution of CT afferents to pain modulation. In total, 44 healthy volunteers experienced heat pain and CT optimal (slow brushing) and CT sub-optimal (fast brushing or vibration) stimuli. Three different experimental paradigms were used: Concurrent application of heat pain and tactile (slow brushing or vibration) stimulation; Slow brushing, applied for variable duration and intervals, preceding heat pain; Slow versus fast brushing preceding heat pain. Slow brushing was effective in reducing pain, whereas fast brushing or vibration was not. The reduction in pain was significant not only when the CT optimal touch was applied simultaneously with the painful stimulus but also when the two stimuli were separated in time. For subsequent stimulation, the pain reduction was more pronounced for a shorter time interval between brushing and pain. Likewise, the effect was more robust when pain was preceded by a longer duration of brush stimulation. Strong CT-related pain reduction was associated with low anxiety and high calmness scores obtained by a state anxiety questionnaire. Slow brushing - optimal for CT activation - is effective in reducing pain from cutaneous heating. The precise mechanisms for the pain relief are as yet unknown but possible mechanisms include inhibition of nociceptive projection neurons at the level of the dorsal horn as well as analgesia through cortical mechanisms. Slow brushing stimuli - optimal for activation of C-tactile fibres - can reduce pain from cutaneous heating. No such effect was seen with fast brushing or vibration. These observations indicate the role of C-tactile fibres in pain modulation. © 2017 European Pain Federation - EFIC®.

Tandem queue with server slow-down

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Miretskiy, D.I.; Scheinhardt, W.R.W.; Mandjes, M.R.H.

2007-01-01

We study how rare events happen in the standard two-node tandem Jackson queue and in a generalization, the socalled slow-down network, see [2]. In the latter model the service rate of the first server depends on the number of jobs in the second queue: the first server slows down if the amount of
Slow-transit Constipation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bharucha, Adil E.; Philips, Sidney F.

2001-08-01

Idiopathic slow-transit constipation is a clinical syndrome predominantly affecting women, characterized by intractable constipation and delayed colonic transit. This syndrome is attributed to disordered colonic motor function. The disorder spans a spectrum of variable severity, ranging from patients who have relatively mild delays in transit but are otherwise indistinguishable from irritable bowel syndrome to patients with colonic inertia or chronic megacolon. The diagnosis is made after excluding colonic obstruction, metabolic disorders (hypothyroidism, hypercalcemia), drug-induced constipation, and pelvic floor dysfunction (as discussed by Wald ). Most patients are treated with one or more pharmacologic agents, including dietary fiber supplementation, saline laxatives (milk of magnesia), osmotic agents (lactulose, sorbitol, and polyethylene glycol 3350), and stimulant laxatives (bisacodyl and glycerol). A subtotal colectomy is effective and occasionally is indicated for patients with medically refractory, severe slow-transit constipation, provided pelvic floor dysfunction has been excluded or treated.
Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-sensitive Ca2+ release in rat fast- and slow-twitch skinned muscle fibres.

Science.gov (United States)

Talon, S; Huchet-Cadiou, C; Léoty, C

1999-11-01

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3), an intracellular messenger, induces Ca2+ release in various types of cells, particularly smooth muscle cells. Its role in skeletal muscle, however, is controversial. The present study shows that the application of InsP3 to rat slow- and fast-twitch saponin-skinned fibres induced contractile responses that were not related to an effect of InsP3 on the properties of the contractile proteins. The amplitude of the contractures was dependent upon the Ca(2+)-loading period, and was larger in slow- than in fast-twitch muscle. In both types of skeletal muscle, these responses, unlike caffeine contractures, were not inhibited by ryanodine (100 microM), but were abolished by heparin (20 micrograms.ml-1). In soleus muscle, the concentration of heparin required to inhibit the response by 50% (IC50) was 5.7 micrograms.ml-1, a similar value to that obtained previously in smooth muscle. Furthermore, the results show that in slow-twitch muscle, the InsP3 contractures have a "bell-shaped" dependency on the intracellular Ca2+ concentration. These results show that InsP3 receptors should be present in skeletal muscle. Thus, it is possible that InsP3 participates in the regulation of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release in skeletal muscle, particularly in slow-twitch fibres.
Magnetic resonance imaging features of extremity sarcomas of uncertain differentiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stacy, G.S.; Nair, L.

2007-01-01

The purpose of this review is to illustrate the pertinent clinical and imaging features of extremity sarcomas of uncertain differentiation, including synovial sarcoma, epithelioid sarcoma, clear-cell sarcoma, and alveolar soft part sarcoma. These tumours should be considered in the differential diagnosis when a soft-tissue mass is encountered in the extremity of an adolescent or young adult
Toward standardization of slow earthquake catalog -Development of database website-

Science.gov (United States)

Kano, M.; Aso, N.; Annoura, S.; Arai, R.; Ito, Y.; Kamaya, N.; Maury, J.; Nakamura, M.; Nishimura, T.; Obana, K.; Sugioka, H.; Takagi, R.; Takahashi, T.; Takeo, A.; Yamashita, Y.; Matsuzawa, T.; Ide, S.; Obara, K.

2017-12-01

Slow earthquakes have now been widely discovered in the world based on the recent development of geodetic and seismic observations. Many researchers detect a wide frequency range of slow earthquakes including low frequency tremors, low frequency earthquakes, very low frequency earthquakes and slow slip events by using various methods. Catalogs of the detected slow earthquakes are open to us in different formats by each referring paper or through a website (e.g., Wech 2010; Idehara et al. 2014). However, we need to download catalogs from different sources, to deal with unformatted catalogs and to understand the characteristics of different catalogs, which may be somewhat complex especially for those who are not familiar with slow earthquakes. In order to standardize slow earthquake catalogs and to make such a complicated work easier, Scientific Research on Innovative Areas "Science of Slow Earthquakes" has been developing a slow earthquake catalog website. In the website, we can plot locations of various slow earthquakes via the Google Maps by compiling a variety of slow earthquake catalogs including slow slip events. This enables us to clearly visualize spatial relations among slow earthquakes at a glance and to compare the regional activities of slow earthquakes or the locations of different catalogs. In addition, we can download catalogs in the unified format and refer the information on each catalog on the single website. Such standardization will make it more convenient for users to utilize the previous achievements and to promote research on slow earthquakes, which eventually leads to collaborations with researchers in various fields and further understanding of the mechanisms, environmental conditions, and underlying physics of slow earthquakes. Furthermore, we expect that the website has a leading role in the international standardization of slow earthquake catalogs. We report the overview of the website and the progress of construction. Acknowledgment: This
The Calcium-Activated Slow AHP: Cutting Through the Gordian Knot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo eAndrade

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The phenomenon known as the slow afterhyperpolarization (sAHP was originally described more than 30 years ago in pyramidal cells as a slow, Ca2+-dependent afterpotential controlling spike frequency adaptation. Subsequent work showed that similar sAHPs were widely expressed in the brain and were mediated by a Ca2+-activated potassium current that was voltage independent, insensitive to most potassium channel blockers, and strongly modulated by neurotransmitters. However the molecular basis for this current has remained poorly understood. The sAHP was initially imagined to reflect the activation of a potassium channel directly gated by Ca2+ but recent studies have begun to question this idea. The sAHP is distinct from the Ca2+-dependent fast and medium AHPs in that it appears to sense cytoplasmic [Ca2+]i and recent evidence implicates proteins of the neuronal calcium sensor family as diffusible cytoplasmic Ca2+ sensors for the sAHP. Translocation of Ca2+-bound sensor to the plasma membrane would then be an intermediate step between Ca2+ and the sAHP channels. Parallel studies strongly suggest that the sAHP current is carried by different potassium channel types depending on the cell type. Finally, the sAHP current is dependent on membrane PtdIns(4,5P2 and Ca2+ appears to gate this current by increasing PtdIns(4,5P2 levels. Because membrane PtdIns(4,5P2 is essential for the activity of many potassium channels, these finding have led us to hypothesize that the sAHP reflects a transient Ca2+-induced increase in the local availability of PtdIns(4,5P2 which then activates a variety of potassium channels. If this view is correct, the sAHP current would not represent a unitary ionic current but the embodiment of a generalized potassium channel gating mechanism. This model can potentially explain the cardinal features of the sAHP, including its cellular heterogeneity, slow kinetics, dependence on cytoplasmic [Ca2+], high temperature-dependence, and
WDR81 mutations cause extreme microcephaly and impair mitotic progression in human fibroblasts and Drosophila neural stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Cavallin, Mara; Rujano, Maria A; Bednarek, Nathalie; Medina-Cano, Daniel; Bernabe Gelot, Antoinette; Drunat, Severine; Maillard, Camille; Garfa-Traore, Meriem; Bole, Christine; Nitschké, Patrick; Beneteau, Claire; Besnard, Thomas; Cogné, Benjamin; Eveillard, Marion; Kuster, Alice; Poirier, Karine; Verloes, Alain; Martinovic, Jelena; Bidat, Laurent; Rio, Marlene; Lyonnet, Stanislas; Reilly, M Louise; Boddaert, Nathalie; Jenneson-Liver, Melanie; Motte, Jacques; Doco-Fenzy, Martine; Chelly, Jamel; Attie-Bitach, Tania; Simons, Matias; Cantagrel, Vincent; Passemard, Sandrine; Baffet, Alexandre; Thomas, Sophie; Bahi-Buisson, Nadia

2017-10-01

Microlissencephaly is a rare brain malformation characterized by congenital microcephaly and lissencephaly. Microlissencephaly is suspected to result from abnormalities in the proliferation or survival of neural progenitors. Despite the recent identification of six genes involved in microlissencephaly, the pathophysiological basis of this condition remains poorly understood. We performed trio-based whole exome sequencing in seven subjects from five non-consanguineous families who presented with either microcephaly or microlissencephaly. This led to the identification of compound heterozygous mutations in WDR81, a gene previously associated with cerebellar ataxia, intellectual disability and quadrupedal locomotion. Patient phenotypes ranged from severe microcephaly with extremely reduced gyration with pontocerebellar hypoplasia to moderate microcephaly with cerebellar atrophy. In patient fibroblast cells, WDR81 mutations were associated with increased mitotic index and delayed prometaphase/metaphase transition. Similarly, in vivo, we showed that knockdown of the WDR81 orthologue in Drosophila led to increased mitotic index of neural stem cells with delayed mitotic progression. In summary, we highlight the broad phenotypic spectrum of WDR81-related brain malformations, which include microcephaly with moderate to extremely reduced gyration and cerebellar anomalies. Our results suggest that WDR81 might have a role in mitosis that is conserved between Drosophila and humans. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Cellular processes involved in human epidermal cells exposed to extremely low frequency electric fields.

Science.gov (United States)

Collard, J-F; Hinsenkamp, M

2015-05-01

characterized by an accelerated regulation after extremely low frequency pulsed stimulation also confirms their role in the processes of cell proliferation and differentiation. Bioinformatics approach allows in-depth research, without the bias of pre-selection, on cellular processes involved in a huge gene list. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
[Better performance of Western blotting: quick vs slow protein transfer, blotting membranes and the visualization methods].

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Ling-Quan; Pu, Ying-Hui; Ma, Shi-Kun

2008-01-01

To study how the choices of the quick vs slow protein transfer, the blotting membranes and the visualization methods influence the performance of Western blotting. The cellular proteins were abstracted from human breast cell line MDA-MB-231 for analysis with Western blotting using quick (2 h) and slow (overnight) protein transfer, different blotting membranes (nitrocellulose, PVDF and nylon membranes) and different visualization methods (ECL and DAB). In Western blotting with slow and quick protein transfer, the prestained marker presented more distinct bands on nitrocellulose membrane than on the nylon and PVDF membranes, and the latter also showed clear bands on the back of the membrane to very likely cause confusion, which did not occur with nitrocellulose membrane. PVDF membrane allowed slightly clearer visualization of the proteins with DAB method as compared with nitrocellulose and nylon membranes, and on the latter two membranes, quick protein transfer was likely to result in somehow irregular bands in comparison with slow protein transfer. With slow protein transfer and chemiluminescence for visualization, all the 3 membranes showed clear background, while with quick protein transfer, nylon membrane gave rise to obvious background noise but the other two membranes did not. Different membranes should be selected for immunoblotting according to the actual needs of the experiment. Slow transfer of the proteins onto the membranes often has better effect than quick transfer, and enhanced chemiluminescence is superior to DAB for protein visualization and allows highly specific and sensitive analysis of the protein expressions.
Slow electron contribution to inelastic reflection anisotropy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Podsvirov, O.A.; Kuznetsov, Yu.A.

1980-01-01

Investigated is electron contribution with low energy (up to 1 keV) to the anisotropy of electron inelastic reflection (IRE) from silicon monocrystal (111) within 12-50 keV energy range of primary electrons. Experimental data on IRE anisotropy are presented: delay curves for silicon monocrystal, permitting to separate electrons with the energy up to 1 keV, dependences of IRE anisotropy on the energy of primary electrons for the systems - monocrystalline silicon-amorphous silicon film and delay curves for such systems (film thickness varies from 20 to 2000 A). Suggested is a phenomenologic model, permitting to take into account the contribution of slow electrons to IRE anisotropy: it is supposed, that three groups of electrons take part in the formation of the latter: elastic and inelastic reflected electrons, slow electrons, excited by primary electrons and slow electrons, generated by the reverse flow of the scattered electrons. Contribution of electrons, different by origin, to IRE anisotropy is evaluated in accordance with the experimental data on the basis of this model. It is stated, that slow electrons constitute approximately one half of the IRE anisotropy value, the contribution of both groups of slow electrons being approximately equal
Slow extraction control system of HIRFL-CSR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Wufeng; Qiao Weimin; Yuan Youjin; Mao Ruishi; Zhao Tiecheng

2013-01-01

For heavy-ion radiotherapy, HIRFL-CSR (Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou-Cooler Storage Ring) needs a long term uniform ion beam extraction from HIRFL-CSR main ring to high energy beam transport line to meet the requirement of heavy-ion radiotherapy's ion beam. Slow extraction control system uses the synchronous signal of HIRFL-CSR control system's timing system to realize process control. When the synchronous event data of HIRFL-CSR control system's timing system trigger controlling and changing data (frequency value, tune value, voltage value), the waveform generator will generate waveform by frequency value, tune value and voltage value, and will amplify the generated waveform by power amplifier to electrostatic deflector to achieve RF-KO slow extraction. The synchronous event receiver of slow extraction system is designed by using FPGA and optical fiber interface to keep high transmission speed and anti-jamming. HIRFL-CSR's running for heavy-ion radiotherapy and ten thousand seconds long period slow extraction experiments show that slow extraction control system is workable and can meet the requirement of heavy-ion radiotherapy's ion beam. (authors)
The cryogenic source of slow monochromatic positrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meshkov, I.N.; Pavlov, V.N.; Sidorin, A.O.; Yakovenko, S.L.

2008-01-01

The cryogenic source of slow monochromatic positrons based on the 22 Na isotope has been designed and constructed at JINR. Positrons emitted from radioactive source 22 Na have a very broad energy spectrum up to 0.5 MeV. To generate monochromatic beam of slow positrons the solid neon is used as a moderator. The solid neon allows forming slow positron beam of the energy of 1.2 eV at the spectrum width of 1 eV. The efficiency of moderation is 1 % of total positron flux
50Hz Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields Enhance Protein Carbonyl Groups Content in Cancer Cells: Effects on Proteasomal Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. M. Eleuteri

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Electromagnetic fields are an assessed cause of prolonging free radicals lifespan. This study was carried out to investigate the influence of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields on protein oxidation and on the 20S proteasome functionality, the complex responsible for the degradation of oxidized proteins. Caco 2 cells were exposed, for 24–72 hours, to 1 mT, 50 Hz electromagnetic fields. The treatment induced a time-dependent increase both in cell growth and in protein oxidation, more evident in the presence of TPA, while no changes in cell viability were detected. Exposing the cells to 50 Hz electromagnetic fields caused a global activation of the 20S proteasome catalytic components, particularly evident at 72 hours exposure and in the presence of TPA. The finding that EGCG, a natural antioxidant compound, counteracted the field-related pro-oxidant effects demonstrates that the increased proteasome activity was due to an enhancement in intracellular free radicals.
Neutron slowing-down time in finite water systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirschberg, S.

1981-11-01

The influence of the size of a moderator system on the neutron slowing-down time has been investigated. The experimental part of the study was performed on six cubes of water with side lengths from 8 to 30 cm. Neutrons generated in pulses of about 1 ns width were slowed down from 14 MeV to 1.457 eV. The detection method used was based on registration of gamma radiation from the main capture resonance of indium. The most probable slowing-down times were found to be 778 +- 23 ns and 898 +- 25 ns for the smallest and for the largest cubes, respectively. The corresponding mean slowing-down times were 1205 +- 42 ns and 1311 +- 42 ns. In a separate measurement series the space dependence of the slowing-down time close to the source was studied. These experiments were supplemented by a theoretical calculation which gave an indication of the space dependence of the slowingdown time in finite systems. The experimental results were compared to the slowing-down times obtained from various theoretical approaches and from Monte Carlo calculations. All the methods show a decrease of the slowing-down time with decreasing size of the moderator. This effect was least pronounced in the experimental results, which can be explained by the fact the measurements are spatially dependent. The agreement between the Monte Carlo results and those obtained using the diffusion approximation or the age-diffusion theory is surprisingly good, especially for large systems. The P1 approximation, on the other hand, leads to an overestimation of the effect of the finite size on the slowing-down time. (author)
Expression of CD73 slows down migration of skin dendritic cells, affecting the sensitization phase of contact hypersensitivity reactions in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Neuberger, A; Ring, S; Silva-Vilches, C; Schrader, J; Enk, A; Mahnke, K

2017-09-01

Application of haptens to the skin induces release of immune stimulatory ATP into the extracellular space. This "danger" signal can be converted to immunosuppressive adenosine (ADO) by the action of the ectonucleotidases CD39 and CD73, expressed by skin and immune cells. Thus, the expression and regulation of CD73 by skin derived cells may have crucial influence on the outcome of contact hypersensitivity (CHS) reactions. To investigate the role of CD73 expression during 2,4,6-trinitrochlorobenzene (TNCB) induced CHS reactions. Wild type (wt) and CD73 deficient mice were subjected to TNCB induced CHS. In the different mouse strains the resulting ear swelling reaction was recorded along with a detailed phenotypic analysis of the skin migrating subsets of dendritic cells (DC). In CD73 deficient animals the motility of DC was higher as compared to wt animals and in particular after sensitization we found increased migration of Langerin + DC from skin to draining lymph nodes (LN). In the TNCB model this led to a stronger sensitization as indicated by increased frequency of interferon-γ producing T cells in the LN and an increased ear thickness after challenge. CD73 derived ADO production slows down migration of Langerin + DC from skin to LN. This may be a crucial mechanism to avoid over boarding immune reactions against haptens. Copyright © 2017 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Comparison of collagen fibre architecture between slow-twitch cranial and fast-twitch caudal parts of broiler M. latissimus dorsi.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamura, Y N; Iwamoto, H; Tabata, S; Ono, Y

2003-07-01

1. Collagen fibre architectures of perimysium and endomysium in the slow-twitch cranial and fast-twitch caudal parts of broiler M. latissimus dorsi were compared. 2. Type I and III collagens were distributed in both perimysium and endomysium as indicated by their positive immunohistochemical reactions to polyclonal antibodies. 3. Cells invested by endomysium with no myofibres were larger in the cranial part because of the presence of larger slow-twitch myofibres. The honeycomb structure of endomysium was divided into several parts by thick perimysium. 4. The thick perimysial collagen fibres with parallel fibrils, which were interconnected by the loose reticular fibrils and thin fibres, were more numerous and thicker in the cranial part than the caudal. 5. Thick endomysial sidewall of cells in the cranial part was composed of a rougher reticulum of slightly thicker collagen fibrils compared with the thin sidewall in the caudal part. 6. These results indicated that both perimysial constitutions of collagen fibres and endomysial collagen fibrils had attained much larger growth in the slow-twitch cranial part than the fast-twitch caudal in broiler latissimus dorsi muscle.
Slow receptor dissociation kinetics differentiate macitentan from other endothelin receptor antagonists in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Gatfield

Full Text Available Two endothelin receptor antagonists (ERAs, bosentan and ambrisentan, are currently approved for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, a devastating disease involving an activated endothelin system and aberrant contraction and proliferation of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMC. The novel ERA macitentan has recently concluded testing in a Phase III morbidity/mortality clinical trial in PAH patients. Since the association and dissociation rates of G protein-coupled receptor antagonists can influence their pharmacological activity in vivo, we used human PASMC to characterize inhibitory potency and receptor inhibition kinetics of macitentan, ambrisentan and bosentan using calcium release and inositol-1-phosphate (IP(1 assays. In calcium release assays macitentan, ambrisentan and bosentan were highly potent ERAs with K(b values of 0.14 nM, 0.12 nM and 1.1 nM, respectively. Macitentan, but not ambrisentan and bosentan, displayed slow apparent receptor association kinetics as evidenced by increased antagonistic potency upon prolongation of antagonist pre-incubation times. In compound washout experiments, macitentan displayed a significantly lower receptor dissociation rate and longer receptor occupancy half-life (ROt(1/2 compared to bosentan and ambrisentan (ROt(1/2:17 minutes versus 70 seconds and 40 seconds, respectively. Because of its lower dissociation rate macitentan behaved as an insurmountable antagonist in calcium release and IP(1 assays, and unlike bosentan and ambrisentan it blocked endothelin receptor activation across a wide range of endothelin-1 (ET-1 concentrations. However, prolongation of the ET-1 stimulation time beyond ROt(1/2 rendered macitentan a surmountable antagonist, revealing its competitive binding mode. Bosentan and ambrisentan behaved as surmountable antagonists irrespective of the assay duration and they lacked inhibitory activity at high ET-1 concentrations. Thus, macitentan is a competitive
Slow Images and Entangled Photons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swordy, Simon

2007-01-01

I will discuss some recent experiments using slow light and entangled photons. We recently showed that it was possible to map a two dimensional image onto very low light level signals, slow them down in a hot atomic vapor while preserving the amplitude and phase of the images. If time remains, I will discuss some of our recent work with time-energy entangled photons for quantum cryptography. We were able to show that we could have a measurable state space of over 1000 states for a single pair of entangled photons in fiber.
Dynamically-downscaled projections of changes in temperature extremes over China

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Junhong; Huang, Guohe; Wang, Xiuquan; Li, Yongping; Lin, Qianguo

2018-02-01

In this study, likely changes in extreme temperatures (including 16 indices) over China in response to global warming throughout the twenty-first century are investigated through the PRECIS regional climate modeling system. The PRECIS experiment is conducted at a spatial resolution of 25 km and is driven by a perturbed-physics ensemble to reflect spatial variations and model uncertainties. Simulations of present climate (1961-1990) are compared with observations to validate the model performance in reproducing historical climate over China. Results indicate that the PRECIS demonstrates reasonable skills in reproducing the spatial patterns of observed extreme temperatures over the most regions of China, especially in the east. Nevertheless, the PRECIS shows a relatively poor performance in simulating the spatial patterns of extreme temperatures in the western mountainous regions, where its driving GCM exhibits more uncertainties due to lack of insufficient observations and results in more errors in climate downscaling. Future spatio-temporal changes of extreme temperature indices are then analyzed for three successive periods (i.e., 2020s, 2050s and 2080s). The projected changes in extreme temperatures by PRECIS are well consistent with the results of the major global climate models in both spatial and temporal patterns. Furthermore, the PRECIS demonstrates a distinct superiority in providing more detailed spatial information of extreme indices. In general, all extreme indices show similar changes in spatial pattern: large changes are projected in the north while small changes are projected in the south. In contrast, the temporal patterns for all indices vary differently over future periods: the warm indices, such as SU, TR, WSDI, TX90p, TN90p and GSL are likely to increase, while the cold indices, such as ID, FD, CSDI, TX10p and TN10p, are likely to decrease with time in response to global warming. Nevertheless, the magnitudes of changes in all indices tend to
Dictyostelium cells bind a secreted autocrine factor that represses cell proliferation.

Science.gov (United States)

Choe, Jonathan M; Bakthavatsalam, Deenadayalan; Phillips, Jonathan E; Gomer, Richard H

2009-02-02

Dictyostelium cells secrete the proteins AprA and CfaD. Cells lacking either AprA or CfaD proliferate faster than wild type, while AprA or CfaD overexpressor cells proliferate slowly, indicating that AprA and CfaD are autocrine factors that repress proliferation. CfaD interacts with AprA and requires the presence of AprA to slow proliferation. To determine if CfaD is necessary for the ability of AprA to slow proliferation, whether AprA binds to cells, and if so whether the binding requires the presence of CfaD, we examined the binding and effect on proliferation of recombinant AprA. We find that the extracellular accumulation of AprA increases with cell density and reaches a concentration of 0.3 microg/ml near a stationary cell density. When added to wild-type or aprA- cells, recombinant AprA (rAprA) significantly slows proliferation at 0.1 microg/ml and higher concentrations. From 4 to 64 microg/ml, the effect of rAprA is at a plateau, slowing but not stopping proliferation. The proliferation-inhibiting activity of rAprA is roughly the same as that of native AprA in conditioned growth medium. Proliferating aprA- cells show saturable binding of rAprA to 92,000 +/- 11,000 cell-surface receptors with a KD of 0.03 +/- 0.02 microg/ml. There appears to be one class of binding site, and no apparent cooperativity. Native AprA inhibits the binding of rAprA to aprA- cells with a Ki of 0.03 mug/ml, suggesting that the binding kinetics of rAprA are similar to those of native AprA. The proliferation of cells lacking CrlA, a cAMP receptor-like protein, or cells lacking CfaD are not affected by rAprA. Surprisingly, both cell types still bind rAprA. Together, the data suggest that AprA functions as an autocrine proliferation-inhibiting factor by binding to cell surface receptors. Although AprA requires CfaD for activity, it does not require CfaD to bind to cells, suggesting the possibility that cells have an AprA receptor and a CfaD receptor, and activation of both receptors is

The effect of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields on the chromosomal instability in bleomycin treated fibroblast cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Yoon Hee; Kim, Yang Jee; Lee, Joong Won; Kim, Gye Eun; Chung, Hai Won

2008-01-01

In order to determine the effect of Extremely Low Frequency ElectroMagnetic Fields (ELF-EMF) on the frequency of MicroNuclei (MN), aneuploidy and chromosomal rearrangement induced by BLeoMycin (BLM) in human fibroblast cells, a 60 Hz ELF-EMF of 0.8 mT field strength was applied either alone or with BLM throughout the culture period and a micronucleus-centromere assay was performed. Our results indicate that the frequencies of MN, aneuploidy and chromosomal rearrangement induced by BLM increased in a dose-dependent manner. The exposure of cells to 0.8 mT ELF-EMF followed by BLM exposure for 3 hours led to significant increases in the frequencies of MN and aneuploidy compared to BLM treatment for 3 hours alone (p<0.05), but no significant difference was observed between field exposed and sham exposed control cells. The obtained results suggest that low density ELF-EMF could act as enhancer of the initiation process of BLM rather than as an initiator of mutagenic effects in human fibroblast
Velocity Profiles of Slow Blood Flow in a Narrow Tube

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jinyu; Huang, Zuqia; Zhuang, Fengyuan; Zhang, Hui

1998-04-01

A fractal model is introduced into the slow blood motion. When blood flows slowly in a narrow tube, red cell aggregation results in the formation of an approximately cylindrical core of red cells. By introducing the fractal model and using the power law relation between area fraction φ and distance from tube axis ρ, rigorous velocity profiles of the fluid in and outside the aggregated core and of the core itself are obtained analytically for different fractal dimensions. It shows a blunted velocity distribution for a relatively large fractal dimension (D ˜ 2), which can be observed in normal blood; a pathological velocity profile for moderate dimension (D = 1), which is similar to the Segre-Silberberg effect; and a parabolic profile for negligible red cell concentration (D = 0), which likes in the Poiseuille flow. The project supported by the National Basic Research Project "Nonlinear Science", National Natural Science Foundation of China and the State Education Commission through the Foundation of Doctoral Training
Transformer Industry Productivity Slows.

Science.gov (United States)

Otto, Phyllis Flohr

1981-01-01

Annual productivity increases averaged 2.4 percent during 1963-79, slowing since 1972 to 1.5 percent; computer-assisted design and product standardization aided growth in output per employee-hour. (Author)
The Importance of Microtopography and Nurse Canopy for Successful Restoration Planting of the Slow-Growing Conifer Pilgerodendron uviferum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jürgen Bauhus

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Recent studies have shown that, owing to a lack of seed trees, the natural rate of recovery of fire-disturbed bog forests previously dominated by the endemic and endangered conifer Pilgerodendron uviferum (D. Don Florin is extremely slow. Hence, increasing the number of seed trees in the landscape through restoration planting could remove the principal biotic filter, limiting recovery of these forests. Here, we analyzed how the success of restoration plantings may be improved through the choice or manipulation of microsites in P. uviferum forests on Chiloé Island in North Patagonia. For this purpose, we manipulated microtopography in water-logged sites in bogs (mounds, flat terrain, mineral soil and changed canopy conditions (gaps, semi-open, closed canopy in upland sites with better drainage. In bogs, there was no significant effect of microtopography on growth and survival of P. uviferum plantings. However, fluorescence measurements indicated lower stress in seedlings established on mounds. Seedlings in upland areas established beneath a nurse canopy had lower mortality and higher relative shoot growth, foliar nutrients, photosynthetic light use efficiency and chlorophyll fluorescence values than those planted in the open. This indicates that seedlings of the slow growing P. uviferum can tolerate extremely wet conditions, yet suffer from stress when grown in the open. Here, the removal of canopy appeared to have also removed or reduced mycorrhizal networks for seedlings, leading to poorer nutrition and growth. Based on these results, recommendations for restoration plantings in highly degraded P. uviferum forests are presented.
Case Report: Multiple Myeloma with Gangrene of Extremities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N Gharahi

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Multiple myeloma represents a malignant proliferation of plasma cells derived from a single clone and it results in bone pain or fracture, renal failure, susceptibility to infections, anemia and hypercalcemia. The hyper viscosity syndrome is rare. Cryoglobulins are immunoglubulins that precipitate at temperatures less than 37degrees Celsius. Monoclonal cryoglobulins are usually present along with a specific hematologic disorder and are often asymptomatic. We report a second case of multiple myeloma with gangrene of all four extremities. Case: The Patient was a 77 year–old farmer with a 2 weeks history of coldness, pain and discoloration of the fingers of both the extremities which had extended to the mid forearm and shin regions. It was accompanied by skin erosions of the lower extremities, dark spots on the ear auricles and discoloration of the tip of the nose. On physical examination, quadrigangrene associated with ischemia of the auricles and tip of nose was seen. Serum proteins electrophoresis demonstrated monoclonal gammopathy and serum was positive for cryoglobulin, Bone marrow study showed neoplastic plasma cells infiltration. The patient was diagnosed as cryoglobulinemia based on multiple myeloma and treated accordingly.
Response of electret dosemeter to slow neutrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghilardi, A.J.P.; Pela, C.A.; Zimmerman, R.L.

1987-01-01

The response of electret dosemeter to slow neutrons exposure is cited, mentioning the preparation and the irradiation of dosemeter with Am-Be source. Some theory considerations about the response of electret dosemeter to slow and fast neutrons are also presented. (C.G.C.) [pt
Dystonia Associated with Idiopathic Slow Orthostatic Tremor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher Kobylecki

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Background: We aimed to characterize the clinical and electrophysiological features of patients with slow orthostatic tremor.Case Report: The clinical and neurophysiological data of patients referred for lower limb tremor on standing were reviewed. Patients with symptomatic or primary orthostatic tremor were excluded. Eight patients were identified with idiopathic slow 4–8 Hz orthostatic tremor, which was associated with tremor and dystonia in cervical and upper limb musculature. Coherence analysis in two patients showed findings different to those seen in primary orthostatic tremor.Discussion: Slow orthostatic tremor may be associated with dystonia and dystonic tremor.
Slow positron applications at slow positron facility of institute of materials structure science, KEK

Science.gov (United States)

Hyodo, Toshio; Mochizuki, Izumi; Wada, Ken; Toge, Nobukazu; Shidara, Tetsuo

2018-05-01

Slow Positron Facility at High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) is a user dedicated facility with an energy-tunable (0.1 - 35 keV) slow positron beam created by a dedicated ˜ 50 MeV linac. It operates in a short pulse (width 1-12 ns, variable, 5×106 e+/s) and a long pulse (width 1.2 µs, 5×107 e+/s) modes of 50 Hz. High energy positrons from pair creation are moderated by reemission after thermalization in W foils. The reemitted positrons are then electrostatically accelerated to a desired energy up to 35 keV and magnetically transported. A pulse-stretching section (pulse stretcher) is installed in the middle of the beamline. It stretches the slow positron pulse for the experiments where too many positrons annihilating in the sample at the same time has to be avoided. Four experiment stations for TRHEPD (total-reflection high-energy positron diffraction), LEPD (low-energy positron diffraction), Ps- (positronium negative ion), and Ps-TOF (positronium time-of-flight) experiments are connected to the beamline branches, SPF-A3, SPF-A4, SPF-B1 and SPF-B2, respectively. Recent results of these stations are briefly described.
Hidden slow pulsars in binaries

Science.gov (United States)

Tavani, Marco; Brookshaw, Leigh

1993-01-01

The recent discovery of the binary containing the slow pulsar PSR 1718-19 orbiting around a low-mass companion star adds new light on the characteristics of binary pulsars. The properties of the radio eclipses of PSR 1718-19 are the most striking observational characteristics of this system. The surface of the companion star produces a mass outflow which leaves only a small 'window' in orbital phase for the detection of PSR 1718-19 around 400 MHz. At this observing frequency, PSR 1718-19 is clearly observable only for about 1 hr out of the total 6.2 hr orbital period. The aim of this Letter is twofold: (1) to model the hydrodynamical behavior of the eclipsing material from the companion star of PSR 1718-19 and (2) to argue that a population of binary slow pulsars might have escaped detection in pulsar surveys carried out at 400 MHz. The possible existence of a population of partially or totally hidden slow pulsars in binaries will have a strong impact on current theories of binary evolution of neutron stars.
MRI and clinical features of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) in the pelvis and extremities: can LCH really look like anything?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samet, Jonathan; Weinstein, Joanna; Fayad, Laura M.

2016-01-01

To assess clinical and MRI features of Langerhans cell histiocytosis in the pelvis and extremities. The MRI and clinical features of 21 pathologically proven cases of LCH involving the pelvis and extremities were studied. Multiple characteristics of the lesions were evaluated (location, size, T1/ T2/post-contrast features, perilesional bone and soft tissue signal, endosteal scalloping, periosteal reaction, soft tissue mass, pathologic fracture). Pre-biopsy radiologic diagnoses were collected from the original clinical reports. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), temperature, and white blood cell count (WBC) were collected at the time of diagnosis when available. The locations of the LCH lesions included five humerus, four femur, five ilium, one tibia, one clavicle, and three scapula. Lesional size ranged from 1.8 to 7.1 cm, with a mean of 3.6 cm. All lesions demonstrated perilesional bone marrow edema, periosteal reaction, endosteal scalloping, and post-contrast enhancement. An associated soft tissue mass was present in 15/21 (71.4 %). Clinically, the WBC, ESR, and CRP were elevated in 2/14 (14 %), 8/12 (67 %), and 4/10 (40 %) of cases, respectively. Fever was documented in 1/15 (7 %) patients and pain was reported in 15/15 (100 %). The clinical and radiologic features of LCH in the pelvis and extremities overlap with infection and malignancy, but LCH must be considered in the differential diagnosis, as it routinely presents with aggressive MRI features, including endosteal scalloping, periosteal reaction, perilesional edema, and a soft tissue mass. Furthermore, an unknown skeletal lesion at presentation without aggressive MRI features is unlikely to represent LCH. (orig.)
MRI and clinical features of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) in the pelvis and extremities: can LCH really look like anything?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Samet, Jonathan [Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Medical Imaging, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children' s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL (United States); Weinstein, Joanna [Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Departments of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplant, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children' s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL (United States); Fayad, Laura M. [The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Baltimore, MD (United States)

2016-05-15

To assess clinical and MRI features of Langerhans cell histiocytosis in the pelvis and extremities. The MRI and clinical features of 21 pathologically proven cases of LCH involving the pelvis and extremities were studied. Multiple characteristics of the lesions were evaluated (location, size, T1/ T2/post-contrast features, perilesional bone and soft tissue signal, endosteal scalloping, periosteal reaction, soft tissue mass, pathologic fracture). Pre-biopsy radiologic diagnoses were collected from the original clinical reports. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), temperature, and white blood cell count (WBC) were collected at the time of diagnosis when available. The locations of the LCH lesions included five humerus, four femur, five ilium, one tibia, one clavicle, and three scapula. Lesional size ranged from 1.8 to 7.1 cm, with a mean of 3.6 cm. All lesions demonstrated perilesional bone marrow edema, periosteal reaction, endosteal scalloping, and post-contrast enhancement. An associated soft tissue mass was present in 15/21 (71.4 %). Clinically, the WBC, ESR, and CRP were elevated in 2/14 (14 %), 8/12 (67 %), and 4/10 (40 %) of cases, respectively. Fever was documented in 1/15 (7 %) patients and pain was reported in 15/15 (100 %). The clinical and radiologic features of LCH in the pelvis and extremities overlap with infection and malignancy, but LCH must be considered in the differential diagnosis, as it routinely presents with aggressive MRI features, including endosteal scalloping, periosteal reaction, perilesional edema, and a soft tissue mass. Furthermore, an unknown skeletal lesion at presentation without aggressive MRI features is unlikely to represent LCH. (orig.)
Slow desensitization of imatinib-induced nonimmediate reactions and dynamic changes of drug-specific CD4+CD25+CD134+ lymphocytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Klaewsongkram, Jettanong; Thantiworasit, Pattarawat; Sodsai, Pimpayao; Buranapraditkun, Supranee; Mongkolpathumrat, Pungjai

2016-11-01

Imatinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) and certain neoplastic diseases; however, nonimmediate adverse reactions are common. To describe the process of imatinib slow desensitization in patients who experienced nonimmediate reactions to imatinib and the dynamic change in drug-specific CD4 + CD25 + CD134 + T-lymphocyte percentages. Five patients diagnosed as having GISTs and with a recent history of imatinib-induced nonimmediate reactions (maculopapular exanthema with eosinophilia, exfoliative dermatitis, palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia, and drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms) were desensitized using a slow desensitization protocol. The reintroduced imatinib dosage was stepped up every week starting from 10 mg/d and increasing to 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, and 300 mg/d until the target dose of 400 mg/d was achieved. Prednisolone of up to 30 mg/d was allowed if allergic reactions recurred. The percentages of CD4 + CD25 + CD134 + T cells present after incubating peripheral blood mononuclear cells with imatinib, at baseline and after successful desensitization, were analyzed using flow cytometric analysis. By using a slow desensitization technique, all patients were able to receive 400 mg/d of imatinib, and prednisolone was gradually tapered off. The percentages of imatinib-induced CD4 + CD25 + CD134 + T cells decreased from a mean (SD) of 11.3% (6.5%) and 13.4% (7.3%) at baseline to 3.2% (0.7%) and 3.0% (1.1%) after successful desensitization, when stimulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells with 1 and 2 μM of imatinib, respectively. Slow desensitization is a helpful procedure in treating patients with imatinib-induced nonimmediate reactions other than simple maculopapular exanthema. The reduced percentages of imatinib-induced CD4 + CD25 + CD134 + T cells in these patients may be associated with immune tolerance. Copyright © 2016 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
Analysis of the neutron slowing down equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sengupta, A.; Karnick, H.

1978-01-01

The infinite series solution of the elementary neutron slowing down equation is studied using the theory of entire functions of exponential type and nonharmonic Fourier series. It is shown from Muntz--Szasz and Paley--Wiener theorems, that the set of exponentials ]exp(ilambda/sub n/u) ]/sup infinity//sub n/=-infinity, where ]lambda/sub n/]/sup infinity//sub n/=-infinity are the roots of the transcendental equation in slowing down theory, is complete and forms a basis in a lethargy interval epsilon. This distinctive role of the maximum lethargy change per collision is due to the Fredholm character of the slowing down operator which need not be quasinilpotent. The discontinuities in the derivatives of the collision density are examined by treating the slowing down equation in its differential-difference form. The solution (Hilbert) space is the union of a countable number of subspaces L 2 (-epsilon/2, epsilon/2) over each of which the exponential functions are complete
A new slow positron beam facility using a compact cyclotron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirose, Masafumi

1998-01-01

In 1993, Sumitomo Heavy Industries became the first in the world to successfully produce a slow positron beam using a compact cyclotron. Slow positron beam production using an accelerator had mainly consisted of using an electron linear accelerator (LINAC). However, the newly developed system that uses a compact cyclotron enabled cost reduction, downsizing of equipment, production of a DC slow positron beam, a polarized slow positron beam, and other benefits. After that, a genuine slow positron beam facility was developed with the construction of compact cyclotron No.2, and beam production in the new facility has already been started. The features of this new slow positron beam facility are explained below. 1) It is the world's first compact slow positron beam facility using a compact cyclotron. 2) It is the only genuine slow positron beam facility in the world which incorporates the production and use of a slow positron beam in the design stage of the cyclotron. To use a slow positron beam for non-destructive detection of lattice defects in semiconductor material, it is necessary to convert the beam into ultra-short pulses of several hundreds of pico-seconds. Sumitomo Heavy Industries has devised a new short-pulsing method (i.e. an induction bunching method) that enables the conversion of a slow positron beam into short pulses with an optimum pulsing electric field change, and succeeded in converting a slow positron beam into short pulses using this method for the first time in the world. Non-destructive detection of lattice defects in semiconductor material using this equipment has already been started, and some information about the depth distribution, size, density, etc. of lattice defects has already been obtained. (J.P.N.)
Investigating NARCCAP Precipitation Extremes via Bivariate Extreme Value Theory (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Weller, G. B.; Cooley, D. S.; Sain, S. R.; Bukovsky, M. S.; Mearns, L. O.

2013-12-01

We introduce methodology from statistical extreme value theory to examine the ability of reanalysis-drive regional climate models to simulate past daily precipitation extremes. Going beyond a comparison of summary statistics such as 20-year return values, we study whether the most extreme precipitation events produced by climate model simulations exhibit correspondence to the most extreme events seen in observational records. The extent of this correspondence is formulated via the statistical concept of tail dependence. We examine several case studies of extreme precipitation events simulated by the six models of the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) driven by NCEP reanalysis. It is found that the NARCCAP models generally reproduce daily winter precipitation extremes along the Pacific coast quite well; in contrast, simulation of past daily summer precipitation extremes in a central US region is poor. Some differences in the strength of extremal correspondence are seen in the central region between models which employ spectral nudging and those which do not. We demonstrate how these techniques may be used to draw a link between extreme precipitation events and large-scale atmospheric drivers, as well as to downscale extreme precipitation simulated by a future run of a regional climate model. Specifically, we examine potential future changes in the nature of extreme precipitation along the Pacific coast produced by the pineapple express (PE) phenomenon. A link between extreme precipitation events and a "PE Index" derived from North Pacific sea-surface pressure fields is found. This link is used to study PE-influenced extreme precipitation produced by a future-scenario climate model run.
Can fast and slow intelligence be differentiated?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Partchev, I.; de Boeck, P.

2012-01-01

Responses to items from an intelligence test may be fast or slow. The research issue dealt with in this paper is whether the intelligence involved in fast correct responses differs in nature from the intelligence involved in slow correct responses. There are two questions related to this issue: 1.
Readout concepts for the suppression of the slow component of BaF2 for the upgrade of the TAPS spectrometer at ELSA

Science.gov (United States)

Diehl, Stefan; Novotny, Rainer W.; Wohlfahrt, Benjamin; Beck, Reinhard

2015-02-01

For the measurement at extremely high interaction rates with fast scintillators, pile-up of consecutive events is a limiting factor. With a decay time of 600 ps of the fast crossluminescence component, Barium Fluoride (BaF2) is one of the fastest inorganic scintillators known today. However, the dominating slow component with a 3 orders of magnitude longer decay time of 630 ns limits the rate capability. To circumvent this limit, different approaches have been made in the past. The slow component can be suppressed for example by doping the crystals with rare earth ions like La3+. The paper will give an overview over the various concepts investigated in the past and present the suppression via optical band pass filters. This method has been chosen for the upgrade of the BaF2 crystals in the most forward region of the TAPS-spectrometer at ELSA in Bonn. It allows to reuse the existing crystals and to achieve a high degree of suppression of the slow component. The focus of the paper will be on the selection of the filters, the achievable rate capability and the energy resolution of the fast component.
"Slow-scanning" in Ground-based Mid-infrared Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Ohsawa, Ryou; Sako, Shigeyuki; Miyata, Takashi; Kamizuka, Takafumi; Okada, Kazushi; Mori, Kiyoshi; Uchiyama, Masahito S.; Yamaguchi, Junpei; Fujiyoshi, Takuya; Morii, Mikio; Ikeda, Shiro

2018-04-01

Chopping observations with a tip-tilt secondary mirror have conventionally been used in ground-based mid-infrared observations. However, it is not practical for next generation large telescopes to have a large tip-tilt mirror that moves at a frequency larger than a few hertz. We propose an alternative observing method, a "slow-scanning" observation. Images are continuously captured as movie data, while the field of view is slowly moved. The signal from an astronomical object is extracted from the movie data by a low-rank and sparse matrix decomposition. The performance of the "slow-scanning" observation was tested in an experimental observation with Subaru/COMICS. The quality of a resultant image in the "slow-scanning" observation was as good as in a conventional chopping observation with COMICS, at least for a bright point-source object. The observational efficiency in the "slow-scanning" observation was better than that in the chopping observation. The results suggest that the "slow-scanning" observation can be a competitive method for the Subaru telescope and be of potential interest to other ground-based facilities to avoid chopping.
The GLUT4 density in slow fibres is not increased in athletes. How does training increase the GLUT4 pool originating from slow fibres?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gaster, M; Franch, J; Beck-Nielsen, H

2001-01-01

% of the fraction in the control group. Thus, GLUT4 originating from slow-twitch fibres was increased by 30% (Pincreases slow-twitch fibre GLUT4 expression by means of an elevated slow-twitch fibre mass in human skeletal muscle.......The influence of training on GLUT4 expression in slow- and fast-twitch skeletal muscle fibres was studied in male endurance-trained athletes and control subjects. The trained state was ensured by elevated maximal oxygen uptake (29%), as well as citrate synthase (60%) and 3-hydroxy......-acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (38%) activities in muscle biopsy samples of the vastus lateralis. GLUT4 densities in slow- and fast-twitch fibres were measured by the use of a newly developed, sensitive method combining immunohistochemistry with morphometry, and no effect of training was found. GLUT4 density was higher in slow...
[Italy's Slow Medicine: a new paradigm in medicine].

Science.gov (United States)

Bonaldi, Antonio; Vernero, Sandra

2015-02-01

Italy's Slow Medicine was founded in 2011 as a movement aimed to promote processes of care based on appropriateness, but within a relation of listening, dialogue and decision sharing with the patient. The mission of Slow Medicine is synthetized by three key words: measured, because it acts with moderation, gradually and without waste; respectful, because it is careful in preserving the dignity and values of each person; and equitable, because it is committed to ensuring access to appropriate care for all. In a short time, the association spreads at national and international level, gathering the needs of change of a growing number of health professionals, patients and citizens, committed to manage health problems with a new cultural and methodological paradigm. Medicine is soaked with inappropriateness, wastes, conflicts of interest, and many clichés induce professionals and patients to consume more and more healthcare services in the illusion that it is always better doing more for improving health. Moreover, the dominant reductionist cultural model, on which the concept of health and disease is based today, considers man as a machine, investigated by a growing number of specialists, particularly interested in the pathophysiological mechanisms of diseases. The interest is mainly focused on technologies, while the person along with the relations with his/her family and the social environment are completely neglected. The systemic approach adopted by Slow Medicine, on the contrary, teaches us that health and disease are complex phenomena and the life of a person is more than the sum of the chemical reactions that occur in its cells. At different levels of complexity, in fact, new and unexpected properties appear, such as thinking, emotions, pleasure, health. These properties are not detectable in the individual elements and can only be studied using methods of analysis and knowledge belonging to other domains of knowledge, such as humanity sciences: philosophy

Magnon inflation: slow roll with steep potentials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adshead, Peter [Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Blas, Diego [Theoretical Physics Department, CERN,CH-1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Burgess, C.P.; Hayman, Peter [Physics & Astronomy, McMaster University,Hamilton, ON, L8S 4M1 (Canada); Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 2Y5 (Canada); Patil, Subodh P. [Department of Theoretical Physics, University of Geneva,24 Quai Ansermet, Geneva, CH-1211 (Switzerland)

2016-11-04

We find multi-scalar effective field theories (EFTs) that can achieve a slow inflationary roll despite having a scalar potential that does not satisfy G{sup ab}∂{sub a}V∂{sub b}V≪V{sup 2}/M{sub p}{sup 2} (where G{sub ab} is the target-space metric). They evade the usual slow-roll conditions on V because their kinetic energies are dominated by single-derivative terms rather than the usual two-derivative terms. Single derivatives dominate during slow roll and so do not require a breakdown of the usual derivative expansion that underpins calculational control in much of cosmology. The presence of such terms requires some sort of UV Lorentz-symmetry breaking during inflation (besides the usual cosmological breaking). Chromo-natural inflation provides one particular example of a UV theory that can generate the multi-field single-derivative terms we consider, and we argue that the EFT we find indeed captures the slow-roll conditions for its background evolution. We also show that our EFT can be understood as a multi-field generalization of the single-field Cuscuton models. The multi-field case introduces a new feature, however: the scalar kinetic terms define a target-space 2-form, F{sub ab}, whose antisymmetry gives new ways for slow roll to be achieved.
Diagnosing causes of extreme aerosol optical depth events

Science.gov (United States)

Bernstein, D. N.; Sullivan, R.; Crippa, P.; Thota, A.; Pryor, S. C.

2017-12-01

Aerosol burdens and optical properties exhibit substantial spatiotemporal variability, and simulation of current and possible future aerosol burdens and characteristics exhibits relatively high uncertainty due to uncertainties in emission estimates and in chemical and physical processes associated with aerosol formation, dynamics and removal. We report research designed to improve understanding of the causes and characteristics of extreme aerosol optical depth (AOD) at the regional scale, and diagnose and attribute model skill in simulating these events. Extreme AOD events over the US Midwest are selected by identifying all dates on which AOD in a MERRA-2 reanalysis grid cell exceeds the local seasonally computed 90th percentile (p90) value during 2004-2016 and then finding the dates on which the highest number of grid cells exceed their local p90. MODIS AOD data are subsequently used to exclude events dominated by wildfires. MERRA-2 data are also analyzed within a synoptic classification to determine in what ways the extreme AOD events are atypical and to identify possible meteorological `finger-prints' that can be detected in regional climate model simulations of future climate states to project possible changes in the occurrence of extreme AOD. Then WRF-Chem v3.6 is applied at 12-km resolution and regridded to the MERRA-2 resolution over eastern North America to quantify model performance, and also evaluated using in situ measurements of columnar AOD (AERONET) and near-surface PM2.5 (US EPA). Finally the sensitivity to (i) spin-up time (including procedure used to spin-up the chemistry), (ii) modal versus sectional aerosol schemes, (iii) meteorological nudging, (iv) chemistry initial and boundary conditions, and (v) anthropogenic emissions is quantified. Despite recent declines in mean AOD, supraregional (> 1000 km) extreme AOD events continue to occur. During these events AOD exceeds 0.6 in many Midwestern grid cells for multiple consecutive days. In all
Observing and modeling the spectrum of a slow slip event: Constraints on the scaling of slow slip and tremor

Science.gov (United States)

Hawthorne, J. C.; Bartlow, N. M.; Ghosh, A.

2017-12-01

We estimate the normalized moment rate spectrum of a slow slip event in Cascadia and then attempt to reproduce it. Our goal is to further assess whether a single physical mechanism could govern slow slip and tremor events, with durations that span 6 orders of magnitude, so we construct the spectrum by parameterizing a large slow slip event as the sum of a number of subevents with various durations. The spectrum estimate uses data from three sources: the GPS-based slip inversion of Bartlow et al (2011), PBO borehole strain measurements, and beamforming-based tremor moment estimates of Ghosh et al (2009). We find that at periods shorter than 1 day, the moment rate power spectrum decays as frequencyn, where n is between 0.7 and 1.4 when measured from strain and between 1.2 and 1.4 when inferred from tremor. The spectrum appears roughly flat at periods of 1 to 10 days, as both the 1-day-period strain and tremor data and the 6-day-period slip inversion data imply a moment rate power of 0.02 times the the total moment squared. We demonstrate one way to reproduce this spectrum: by constructing the large-scale slow slip event as the sum of a series of subevents. The shortest of these subevents could be interpreted as VLFEs or even LFEs, while longer subevents might represent the aseismic slip that drives rapid tremor reverals, streaks, or rapid tremor migrations. We pick the subevent magnitudes from a Gutenberg-Richter distribution and place the events randomly throughout a 30-day interval. Then we assign each subevent a duration that scales with its moment to a specified power. Finally, we create a moment rate function for each subevent and sum all of the moment rates. We compute the summed slow slip moment rate spectra with two approaches: a time-domain numerical computation and a frequency-domain analytical summation. Several sets of subevent parameters can allow the constructed slow slip event to match the observed spectrum. One allowable set of parameters is of
Bio-Inspired Extreme Wetting Surfaces for Biomedical Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Sera; Seo, Jungmok; Han, Heetak; Kang, Subin; Kim, Hyunchul; Lee, Taeyoon

2016-01-01

Biological creatures with unique surface wettability have long served as a source of inspiration for scientists and engineers. More specifically, materials exhibiting extreme wetting properties, such as superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic surfaces, have attracted considerable attention because of their potential use in various applications, such as self-cleaning fabrics, anti-fog windows, anti-corrosive coatings, drag-reduction systems, and efficient water transportation. In particular, the engineering of surface wettability by manipulating chemical properties and structure opens emerging biomedical applications ranging from high-throughput cell culture platforms to biomedical devices. This review describes design and fabrication methods for artificial extreme wetting surfaces. Next, we introduce some of the newer and emerging biomedical applications using extreme wetting surfaces. Current challenges and future prospects of the surfaces for potential biomedical applications are also addressed. PMID:28787916
A regulated response to impaired respiration slows behavioral rates and increases lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Cristina

2009-04-01

Full Text Available When mitochondrial respiration or ubiquinone production is inhibited in Caenorhabditis elegans, behavioral rates are slowed and lifespan is extended. Here, we show that these perturbations increase the expression of cell-protective and metabolic genes and the abundance of mitochondrial DNA. This response is similar to the response triggered by inhibiting respiration in yeast and mammalian cells, termed the "retrograde response". As in yeast, genes switched on in C. elegans mitochondrial mutants extend lifespan, suggesting an underlying evolutionary conservation of mechanism. Inhibition of fstr-1, a potential signaling gene that is up-regulated in clk-1 (ubiquinone-defective mutants, and its close homolog fstr-2 prevents the expression of many retrograde-response genes and accelerates clk-1 behavioral and aging rates. Thus, clk-1 mutants live in "slow motion" because of a fstr-1/2-dependent pathway that responds to ubiquinone. Loss of fstr-1/2 does not suppress the phenotypes of all long-lived mitochondrial mutants. Thus, although different mitochondrial perturbations activate similar transcriptional and physiological responses, they do so in different ways.
Shear stress induced by an interstitial level of slow flow increases the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells through TAZ activation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyung Min Kim

Full Text Available Shear stress activates cellular signaling involved in cellular proliferation, differentiation, and migration. However, the mechanisms of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC differentiation under interstitial flow are not fully understood. Here, we show the increased osteogenic differentiation of MSCs under exposure to constant, extremely low shear stress created by osmotic pressure-induced flow in a microfluidic chip. The interstitial level of shear stress in the proposed microfluidic system stimulated nuclear localization of TAZ (transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif, a transcriptional modulator of MSCs, activated TAZ target genes such as CTGF and Cyr61, and induced osteogenic differentiation. TAZ-depleted cells showed defects in shear stress-induced osteogenic differentiation. In shear stress induced cellular signaling, Rho signaling pathway was important forthe nuclear localization of TAZ. Taken together, these results suggest that TAZ is an important mediator of interstitial flow-driven shear stress signaling in osteoblast differentiation of MSCs.
Activity of the anticonvulsant lacosamide in experimental and human epilepsy via selective effects on slow Na+ channel inactivation.

Science.gov (United States)

Holtkamp, Dominik; Opitz, Thoralf; Niespodziany, Isabelle; Wolff, Christian; Beck, Heinz

2017-01-01

In human epilepsy, pharmacoresistance to antiepileptic drug therapy is a major problem affecting ~30% of patients with epilepsy. Many classical antiepileptic drugs target voltage-gated sodium channels, and their potent activity in inhibiting high-frequency firing has been attributed to their strong use-dependent blocking action. In chronic epilepsy, a loss of use-dependent block has emerged as a potential cellular mechanism of pharmacoresistance for anticonvulsants acting on voltage-gated sodium channels. The anticonvulsant drug lacosamide (LCM) also targets sodium channels, but has been shown to preferentially affect sodium channel slow inactivation processes, in contrast to most other anticonvulsants. We used whole-cell voltage clamp recordings in acutely isolated cells to investigate the effects of LCM on transient Na + currents. Furthermore, we used whole-cell current clamp recordings to assess effects on repetitive action potential firing in hippocampal slices. We show here that LCM exerts its effects primarily via shifting the slow inactivation voltage dependence to more hyperpolarized potentials in hippocampal dentate granule cells from control and epileptic rats, and from patients with epilepsy. It is important to note that this activity of LCM was maintained in chronic experimental and human epilepsy. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the efficacy of LCM in inhibiting high-frequency firing is undiminished in chronic experimental and human epilepsy. Taken together, these results show that LCM exhibits maintained efficacy in chronic epilepsy, in contrast to conventional use-dependent sodium channel blockers such as carbamazepine. They also establish that targeting slow inactivation may be a promising strategy for overcoming target mechanisms of pharmacoresistance. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International League Against Epilepsy.
Contributions of natural climate changes and human activities to the trend of extreme precipitation

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Lu; Huang, Jie; Chen, Xingwei; Chen, Ying; Liu, Meibing

2018-06-01

This study focuses on the analysis of the nonstationarity characteristics of extreme precipitation and their attributions in the southeastern coastal region of China. The maximum daily precipitation (MDP) series is extracted from observations at 79 meteorological stations in the study area during the first flood season (April-June) from 1960 to 2012. The trends of the mean (Mn) and variance (Var) of MDP are detected using the Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale, and Shape parameters (GAMLSS) and Mann-Kendall test. The contributions of natural climate change and human activities to the Mn and Var changes of MDP are investigated using six large-scale circulation variables and emissions of four greenhouse gases based on GAMLSS and a contribution analysis method. The results demonstrate that the nonstationarity of extreme precipitation on local scales is significant. The Mn and Var of extreme precipitation increase in the north of Zhejiang, the middle of Fujian, and the south of Guangdong. In general, natural climate change contributes more to Mn from 1960 to 2012 than to Var. However, human activities cause a greater Var in the rapid socioeconomic development period (1986-2012) than in the slow socioeconomic development period (1960-1985), especially in Zhejiang and Guangdong. The community should pay more attention to the possibility of extreme precipitation events and associated disasters triggered by human activities.
Neutron slowing-down time in matter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chabod, Sebastien P., E-mail: sebastien.chabod@lpsc.in2p3.fr [LPSC, Universite Joseph Fourier Grenoble 1, CNRS/IN2P3, Institut Polytechnique de Grenoble, 38000 Grenoble (France)

2012-03-21

We formulate the neutron slowing-down time through elastic collisions in a homogeneous, non-absorbing, infinite medium. Our approach allows taking into account for the first time the energy dependence of the scattering cross-section as well as the energy and temporal distribution of the source neutron population in the results. Starting from this development, we investigate the specific case of the propagation in matter of a mono-energetic neutron pulse. We then quantify the perturbation on the neutron slowing-down time induced by resonances in the scattering cross-section. We show that a resonance can induce a permanent reduction of the slowing-down time, preceded by two discontinuities: a first one at the resonance peak position and an echo one, appearing later. From this study, we suggest that a temperature increase of the propagating medium in presence of large resonances could modestly accelerate the neutron moderation.
Dictyostelium cells bind a secreted autocrine factor that represses cell proliferation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Phillips Jonathan E

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Dictyostelium cells secrete the proteins AprA and CfaD. Cells lacking either AprA or CfaD proliferate faster than wild type, while AprA or CfaD overexpressor cells proliferate slowly, indicating that AprA and CfaD are autocrine factors that repress proliferation. CfaD interacts with AprA and requires the presence of AprA to slow proliferation. To determine if CfaD is necessary for the ability of AprA to slow proliferation, whether AprA binds to cells, and if so whether the binding requires the presence of CfaD, we examined the binding and effect on proliferation of recombinant AprA. Results We find that the extracellular accumulation of AprA increases with cell density and reaches a concentration of 0.3 μg/ml near a stationary cell density. When added to wild-type or aprA- cells, recombinant AprA (rAprA significantly slows proliferation at 0.1 μg/ml and higher concentrations. From 4 to 64 μg/ml, the effect of rAprA is at a plateau, slowing but not stopping proliferation. The proliferation-inhibiting activity of rAprA is roughly the same as that of native AprA in conditioned growth medium. Proliferating aprA- cells show saturable binding of rAprA to 92,000 ± 11,000 cell-surface receptors with a KD of 0.03 ± 0.02 μg/ml. There appears to be one class of binding site, and no apparent cooperativity. Native AprA inhibits the binding of rAprA to aprA- cells with a Ki of 0.03 μg/ml, suggesting that the binding kinetics of rAprA are similar to those of native AprA. The proliferation of cells lacking CrlA, a cAMP receptor-like protein, or cells lacking CfaD are not affected by rAprA. Surprisingly, both cell types still bind rAprA. Conclusion Together, the data suggest that AprA functions as an autocrine proliferation-inhibiting factor by binding to cell surface receptors. Although AprA requires CfaD for activity, it does not require CfaD to bind to cells, suggesting the possibility that cells have an AprA receptor and a Cfa
The relationship between gamma frequency and running speed differs for slow and fast gamma rhythms in freely behaving rats

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Chenguang; Bieri, Kevin Wood; Trettel, Sean Gregory; Colgin, Laura Lee

2015-01-01

In hippocampal area CA1 of rats, the frequency of gamma activity has been shown to increase with running speed (Ahmed and Mehta, 2012). This finding suggests that different gamma frequencies simply allow for different timings of transitions across cell assemblies at varying running speeds, rather than serving unique functions. However, accumulating evidence supports the conclusion that slow (~25–55 Hz) and fast (~60–100 Hz) gamma are distinct network states with different functions. If slow and fast gamma constitute distinct network states, then it is possible that slow and fast gamma frequencies are differentially affected by running speed. In this study, we tested this hypothesis and found that slow and fast gamma frequencies change differently as a function of running speed in hippocampal areas CA1 and CA3, and in the superficial layers of the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC). Fast gamma frequencies increased with increasing running speed in all three areas. Slow gamma frequencies changed significantly less across different speeds. Furthermore, at high running speeds, CA3 firing rates were low, and MEC firing rates were high, suggesting that CA1 transitions from CA3 inputs to MEC inputs as running speed increases. These results support the hypothesis that slow and fast gamma reflect functionally distinct states in the hippocampal network, with fast gamma driven by MEC at high running speeds and slow gamma driven by CA3 at low running speeds. PMID:25601003
Mobility Performance in Slow- and High-Speed LTE Real Scenarios

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gimenez, Lucas Chavarria; Cascino, Maria Carmela; Stefan, Maria

2016-01-01

Mobility performance and handover data interruption times in real scenarios are studied by means of field measurements in an operational LTE network. Both slow- and high-speed scenarios are analyzed by collecting results from two different areas: Aalborg downtown and the highway which encircles...... in the city center as cells on the same site often cover different non-crossing street canyons. Moreover, no handover failures are experienced in the measurements which confirms robust LTE mobility performance. The average interruption time, which is at least equal to the handover execution time, lays within...... the same city. Measurements reveal that the terminal is configured by the network with different handover parametrization depending on the serving cell, which indicates the use of mobility robustness optimization. Although the network is dominated by three sector sites, no intra-site handovers are observed...
Slow wave activity and slow oscillations in sleepwalkers and controls: effects of 38 h of sleep deprivation.

Science.gov (United States)

Perrault, Rosemarie; Carrier, Julie; Desautels, Alex; Montplaisir, Jacques; Zadra, Antonio

2013-08-01

Sleepwalkers have been shown to have an unusually high number of arousals from slow wave sleep and lower slow wave activity (SWA) power during the night than controls. Because sleep deprivation increases the frequency of slow wave sleep (SWS) arousals in sleepwalkers, it may also affect the expression of the homeostatic process to a greater extent than shown previously. We thus investigated SWA power as well as slow wave oscillation (SWO) density in 10 sleepwalkers and nine controls at baseline and following 38 h of sleep deprivation. There was a significant increase in SWA during participants' recovery sleep, especially during their second non-rapid eye movement (NREM) period. SWO density was similarly increased during recovery sleep's first two NREM periods. A fronto-central gradient in SWA and SWO was also present on both nights. However, no group differences were noted on any of the 2 nights on SWA or SWO. This unexpected result may be related to the heterogeneity of sleepwalkers as a population, as well as our small sample size. SWA pressure after extended sleep deprivation may also result in a ceiling effect in both sleepwalkers and controls. © 2013 European Sleep Research Society.
Large Extremity Peripheral Nerve Repair

Science.gov (United States)

2016-12-01

LM, de Crombrugghe B. Some recent advances in the chemistry and biology of trans- forming growth factor-beta. J Cell Biol 1987;105:1039e45. 12. Hao Y...SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT In current war trauma, 20-30% of all extremity injuries and >80% of penetrating injuries being associated with peripheral nerve...through both axonal advance and in revascularization of the graft following placement. We are confident that this technology may allow us to
Eslicarbazepine and the enhancement of slow inactivation of voltage-gated sodium channels: a comparison with carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine and lacosamide.

Science.gov (United States)

Hebeisen, Simon; Pires, Nuno; Loureiro, Ana I; Bonifácio, Maria João; Palma, Nuno; Whyment, Andrew; Spanswick, David; Soares-da-Silva, Patrício

2015-02-01

This study aimed at evaluating the effects of eslicarbazepine, carbamazepine (CBZ), oxcarbazepine (OXC) and lacosamide (LCM) on the fast and slow inactivated states of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSC). The anti-epileptiform activity was evaluated in mouse isolated hippocampal slices. The anticonvulsant effects were evaluated in MES and the 6-Hz psychomotor tests. The whole-cell patch-clamp technique was used to investigate the effects of eslicarbazepine, CBZ, OXC and LCM on sodium channels endogenously expressed in N1E-115 mouse neuroblastoma cells. CBZ and eslicarbazepine exhibit similar concentration dependent suppression of epileptiform activity in hippocampal slices. In N1E-115 mouse neuroblastoma cells, at a concentration of 250 μM, the voltage dependence of the fast inactivation was not influenced by eslicarbazepine, whereas LCM, CBZ and OXC shifted the V0.5 value (mV) by -4.8, -12.0 and -16.6, respectively. Eslicarbazepine- and LCM-treated fast-inactivated channels recovered similarly to control conditions, whereas CBZ- and OXC-treated channels required longer pulses to recover. CBZ, eslicarbazepine and LCM shifted the voltage dependence of the slow inactivation (V0.5, mV) by -4.6, -31.2 and -53.3, respectively. For eslicarbazepine, LCM, CBZ and OXC, the affinity to the slow inactivated state was 5.9, 10.4, 1.7 and 1.8 times higher than to the channels in the resting state, respectively. In conclusion, eslicarbazepine did not share with CBZ and OXC the ability to alter fast inactivation of VGSC. Both eslicarbazepine and LCM reduce VGSC availability through enhancement of slow inactivation, but LCM demonstrated higher interaction with VGSC in the resting state and with fast inactivation gating. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Suppression of chaos at slow variables by rapidly mixing fast dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Abramov, R.

2012-04-01

One of the key questions about chaotic multiscale systems is how the fast dynamics affects chaos at the slow variables, and, therefore, impacts uncertainty and predictability of the slow dynamics. Here we demonstrate that the linear slow-fast coupling with the total energy conservation property promotes the suppression of chaos at the slow variables through the rapid mixing at the fast variables, both theoretically and through numerical simulations. A suitable mathematical framework is developed, connecting the slow dynamics on the tangent subspaces to the infinite-time linear response of the mean state to a constant external forcing at the fast variables. Additionally, it is shown that the uncoupled dynamics for the slow variables may remain chaotic while the complete multiscale system loses chaos and becomes completely predictable at the slow variables through increasing chaos and turbulence at the fast variables. This result contradicts the common sense intuition, where, naturally, one would think that coupling a slow weakly chaotic system with another much faster and much stronger mixing system would result in general increase of chaos at the slow variables.
PF slow positron source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirakawa, A.; Enomoto, A.; Kurihara, T.

1993-01-01

A new slow-positron source is under construction at the Photon Factory. Positrons are produced by bombarding a tantalum rod with high-energy electrons; they are moderated in multiple tungsten vanes. We report here the present status of this project. (author)
JTC801 Induces pH-dependent Death Specifically in Cancer Cells and Slows Growth of Tumors in Mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Xinxin; Zhu, Shan; Xie, Yangchun; Liu, Jiao; Sun, Lingyi; Zeng, Dexing; Wang, Pengcheng; Ma, Xiaochao; Kroemer, Guido; Bartlett, David L; Billiar, Timothy R; Lotze, Michael T; Zeh, Herbert J; Kang, Rui; Tang, Daolin

2018-04-01

lineage kinase domain like pseudokinase [MLKL]), or ferroptosis (degradation of glutathione peroxidase 4 [GPX4]). Inhibitors of apoptosis (Z-VAD-FMK), necroptosis (necrosulfonamide), ferroptosis (ferrostatin-1), or autophagy (hydroxychloroquine) did not prevent JTC801-induced death of PANC1 or MiaPaCa2 cells. The cytotoxic effects of JTC801 in immortalized fibroblast cell lines was not affected by disruption of genes that promote apoptosis (Bax -/- /Bak -/- cells), necroptosis (Ripk1 -/- , Ripk3 -/- , or Mlkl -/- cells), ferroptosis (Gpx4 -/- cells), or autophagy (Atg3 -/- , Atg5 -/- , Atg7 -/- , or Sqstm1 -/- cells). We found JTC801 to induce a pH-dependent form cell death (alkaliptosis) in cancer cells but not normal cells (hepatocytes, bone marrow CD34 + progenitor cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, or dermal fibroblasts) or healthy tissues of C57BL/6 mice. JTC801 induced alkaliptosis in cancer cells by activating NF-κB, which repressed expression of the carbonic anhydrase 9 gene (CA9), whose product regulates pH balance in cells. In analyses of Cancer Genome Atlas data and tissue microarrays, we associated increased tumor level of CA9 mRNA or protein with shorter survival times of patients with pancreatic, kidney, or lung cancers. Knockdown of CA9 reduced the protective effects of NF-κB inhibition on JTC801-induced cell death and intracellular alkalinization in PANC1 and MiaPaCa2 cell lines. Oral administration of JTC801 inhibited growth of xenograft tumors (from PANC1, MiaPaCa2, SK-MEL-28, PC-3, 786-0, SF-295, HCT116, OV-CAR3, and HuH7 cells), orthotropic tumors (from KPC cells), lung metastases (from KPC cells) of mice, and slowed growth of tumors in KCH mice. In a screen of agents that interact with GPCR pathways, we found JTC801 to induce pH-dependent cell death (alkaliptosis) specifically in cancer cells such as PDAC cells, by reducing expression of CA9. Levels of CA9 are increased in human cancer tissues. JTC801 might be developed for treatment of
Fundamental limitations to gain enhancement in slow-light photonic structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grgic, Jure; Ott, Johan Raunkjar; Wang, Fengwen

2012-01-01

We present a non-perturbative analysis of light-matter interaction in active photonic crystal waveguides in the slow-light regime. Inclusion of gain is shown to modify the underlying dispersion law, thereby degrading the slow-light enhancement.......We present a non-perturbative analysis of light-matter interaction in active photonic crystal waveguides in the slow-light regime. Inclusion of gain is shown to modify the underlying dispersion law, thereby degrading the slow-light enhancement....
Nonlinear Gain Saturation in Active Slow Light Photonic Crystal Waveguides

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Yaohui; Mørk, Jesper

2013-01-01

We present a quantitative three-dimensional analysis of slow-light enhanced traveling wave amplification in an active semiconductor photonic crystal waveguides. The impact of slow-light propagation on the nonlinear gain saturation of the device is investigated.......We present a quantitative three-dimensional analysis of slow-light enhanced traveling wave amplification in an active semiconductor photonic crystal waveguides. The impact of slow-light propagation on the nonlinear gain saturation of the device is investigated....

Localization of Label-Retaining Cells in Murine Vocal Fold Epithelium

Science.gov (United States)

Leydon, Ciara; Bartlett, Rebecca S.; Roenneburg, Drew A.; Thibeault, Susan L.

2011-01-01

Purpose: Epithelial homeostasis is critical for vocal fold health, yet little is known about the cells that support epithelial self-renewal. As a known characteristic of stem cells is that they are slow-cycling in vivo, the purpose of this prospective controlled study was to identify and quantify slow-cycling cells or putative stem cells in murine…
Slow light enhancement and limitations in periodic media

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grgic, Jure

in the vicinity of the band edge. The minimum attainable group velocity will depend on the amount of imperfections. Since imperfections are inherited as part of any periodic structure it is necessary to take them into account when we are interested in slow light applications. Slowly propagating light gives rise......Properties of periodic dielectric media have attracted a big interest in the last two decades due to numerous exciting physical phenomena that cannot occur in homogeneous media. Due to their strong dispersive properties, the speed of light can be significantly slowed down in periodic structures....... When light velocity is much smaller than the speed of light in a vacuum, we describe this phenomena as slow light. In this thesis, we analyze important properties of slow light enhancement and limitations in periodic structures. We analyze quantitatively and qualitatively different technologies...
Theory of neutron slowing down in nuclear reactors

CERN Document Server

Ferziger, Joel H; Dunworth, J V

2013-01-01

The Theory of Neutron Slowing Down in Nuclear Reactors focuses on one facet of nuclear reactor design: the slowing down (or moderation) of neutrons from the high energies with which they are born in fission to the energies at which they are ultimately absorbed. In conjunction with the study of neutron moderation, calculations of reactor criticality are presented. A mathematical description of the slowing-down process is given, with particular emphasis on the problems encountered in the design of thermal reactors. This volume is comprised of four chapters and begins by considering the problems
Mandelbrot's Extremism

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beirlant, J.; Schoutens, W.; Segers, J.J.J.

2004-01-01

In the sixties Mandelbrot already showed that extreme price swings are more likely than some of us think or incorporate in our models.A modern toolbox for analyzing such rare events can be found in the field of extreme value theory.At the core of extreme value theory lies the modelling of maxima
Enhancement of sleep slow waves: underlying mechanisms and practical consequences.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michele eBellesi

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Even modest sleep restriction, especially the loss of sleep slow wave activity, is invariably associated with slower EEG activity during wake, the occurrence of local sleep in an otherwise awake brain, and impaired performance due to cognitive and memory deficits. Recent studies not only confirm the beneficial role of sleep in memory consolidation, but also point to a specific role for sleep slow waves. Thus, the implementation of methods to enhance sleep slow waves without unwanted arousals or lightening of sleep could have significant practical implications. Here we first review the evidence that it is possible to enhance sleep slow waves in humans using transcranial direct-current stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation. Since these methods are currently impractical and their safety is questionable, especially for chronic long-term exposure, we then discuss novel data suggesting that it is possible to enhance slow waves using sensory stimuli. We consider the physiology of the K-complex, a peripheral evoked slow wave, and show that, among different sensory modalities, acoustic stimulation is the most effective in increasing the magnitude of slow waves, likely through the activation of non-lemniscal ascending pathways to the thalamo-cortical system. In addition, we discuss how intensity and frequency of the acoustic stimuli, as well as exact timing and pattern of stimulation, affect sleep enhancement. Finally, we discuss automated algorithms that read the EEG and, in real-time, adjust the stimulation parameters in a closed-loop manner to obtain an increase in sleep slow waves and avoid undesirable arousals. In conclusion, while discussing the mechanisms that underlie the generation of sleep slow waves, we review the converging evidence showing that acoustic stimulation is safe and represents an ideal tool for slow wave sleep enhancement.
Proton energy dependence of slow neutron intensity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teshigawara, Makoto; Harada, Masahide; Watanabe, Noboru; Kai, Tetsuya; Sakata, Hideaki; Ikeda, Yujiro

2001-01-01

The choice of the proton energy is an important issue for the design of an intense-pulsed-spallation source. The optimal proton beam energy is rather unique from a viewpoint of the leakage neutron intensity but no yet clear from the slow-neutron intensity view point. It also depends on an accelerator type. Since it is also important to know the proton energy dependence of slow-neutrons from the moderators in a realistic target-moderator-reflector assembly (TMRA). We studied on the TMRA proposed for Japan Spallation Neutron Source. The slow-neutron intensities from the moderators per unit proton beam power (MW) exhibit the maximum at about 1-2 GeV. At higher proton energies the intensity per MW goes down; at 3 and 50 GeV about 0.91 and 0.47 times as low as that at 1 GeV. The proton energy dependence of slow-neutron intensities was found to be almost the same as that of total neutron yield (leakage neutrons) from the same bare target. It was also found that proton energy dependence was almost the same for the coupled and decoupled moderators, regardless the different moderator type, geometry and coupling scheme. (author)
Design and optimization of the lattice of the superconducting synchrotron SIS300 for slow extraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saa Hernandez, Angela

2011-10-01

The superconducting synchrotron SIS300 is planned to be built at the new Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR), at GSI-Darmstadt. SIS300 will be a versatile machine, which by means of a low-energy stretcher-mode or a high-energy ramped-mode will provide slowly extracted heavy ion beams towards the experimental areas. To reach the required maximum field of 4.5 T, cos(θ) magnets are necessary. Thus, SIS300 will become the first superconducting synchrotron worldwide with cos(θ) magnets providing resonant slow extraction. Since SIS300 will be installed in the same tunnel as the SIS100 synchrotron, the dipole layout of SIS300 cannot be freely chosen. Thus, a standard lattice cannot be applied. A redesign of the SIS300 lattice accepting compromises concerning the positions and phase advances between the optical elements has been proposed. Using the analytical model of the slow extraction, firstly proposed by Kobayashi, and the analytical description of the resonance driving modes, a multiobjective optimization algorithm has been developed for the optimization of the lattice under the given boundary conditions. The final goal of the lattice optimization is a higher efficiency of the slow extraction. The results are evaluated by means of tracking simulations performed with the code Elegant. The field quality in superconducting cos(θ) magnets is determined by the positions of the superconducting cable and the static and time-dependent effects of the current in the cable. Furthermore, the fast ramp rates of 1 T/s in the dipoles, which are fifty times faster than in any other superconducting cos(θ) magnet, together with the fact that the aperture is smaller than in conventional accelerator magnets, makes it extremely difficult to obtain a high-quality magnetic field. The unavoidable field errors affect the beam dynamics and worsen the slow extraction efficiency. Therefore, the field errors in the SIS300 dipoles have been estimated, and their effects have been
Design and optimization of the lattice of the superconducting synchrotron SIS300 for slow extraction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saa Hernandez, Angela

2011-10-15

The superconducting synchrotron SIS300 is planned to be built at the new Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR), at GSI-Darmstadt. SIS300 will be a versatile machine, which by means of a low-energy stretcher-mode or a high-energy ramped-mode will provide slowly extracted heavy ion beams towards the experimental areas. To reach the required maximum field of 4.5 T, cos({theta}) magnets are necessary. Thus, SIS300 will become the first superconducting synchrotron worldwide with cos({theta}) magnets providing resonant slow extraction. Since SIS300 will be installed in the same tunnel as the SIS100 synchrotron, the dipole layout of SIS300 cannot be freely chosen. Thus, a standard lattice cannot be applied. A redesign of the SIS300 lattice accepting compromises concerning the positions and phase advances between the optical elements has been proposed. Using the analytical model of the slow extraction, firstly proposed by Kobayashi, and the analytical description of the resonance driving modes, a multiobjective optimization algorithm has been developed for the optimization of the lattice under the given boundary conditions. The final goal of the lattice optimization is a higher efficiency of the slow extraction. The results are evaluated by means of tracking simulations performed with the code Elegant. The field quality in superconducting cos({theta}) magnets is determined by the positions of the superconducting cable and the static and time-dependent effects of the current in the cable. Furthermore, the fast ramp rates of 1 T/s in the dipoles, which are fifty times faster than in any other superconducting cos({theta}) magnet, together with the fact that the aperture is smaller than in conventional accelerator magnets, makes it extremely difficult to obtain a high-quality magnetic field. The unavoidable field errors affect the beam dynamics and worsen the slow extraction efficiency. Therefore, the field errors in the SIS300 dipoles have been estimated, and their
Human gamma oscillations during slow wave sleep.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mario Valderrama

Full Text Available Neocortical local field potentials have shown that gamma oscillations occur spontaneously during slow-wave sleep (SWS. At the macroscopic EEG level in the human brain, no evidences were reported so far. In this study, by using simultaneous scalp and intracranial EEG recordings in 20 epileptic subjects, we examined gamma oscillations in cerebral cortex during SWS. We report that gamma oscillations in low (30-50 Hz and high (60-120 Hz frequency bands recurrently emerged in all investigated regions and their amplitudes coincided with specific phases of the cortical slow wave. In most of the cases, multiple oscillatory bursts in different frequency bands from 30 to 120 Hz were correlated with positive peaks of scalp slow waves ("IN-phase" pattern, confirming previous animal findings. In addition, we report another gamma pattern that appears preferentially during the negative phase of the slow wave ("ANTI-phase" pattern. This new pattern presented dominant peaks in the high gamma range and was preferentially expressed in the temporal cortex. Finally, we found that the spatial coherence between cortical sites exhibiting gamma activities was local and fell off quickly when computed between distant sites. Overall, these results provide the first human evidences that gamma oscillations can be observed in macroscopic EEG recordings during sleep. They support the concept that these high-frequency activities might be associated with phasic increases of neural activity during slow oscillations. Such patterned activity in the sleeping brain could play a role in off-line processing of cortical networks.
Techniques for slow positron beam generation and the applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okada, Sohei

1994-01-01

Slow positron beams have been expected to be a powerful tool for observation of nature in wide range of research fields from materials science to basic physics, chemistry and biology. In this paper, at first, the beam technology is reviewed, which includes the positron generation, the transformation to slow positron beams and the beam manipulation such as beam stretching, bunching and brightness enhancement. Next, the present status of the slow positron beam applications to a variety of fields is demonstrated in terms of special characteristics of positron, that is, depth controllability, surface sensitivity, unique ionization channels and elemental anti-particle properties. Finally, prospects to produce intense slow positron beams are described. (author) 65 refs
How extreme is extreme hourly precipitation?

Science.gov (United States)

Papalexiou, Simon Michael; Dialynas, Yannis G.; Pappas, Christoforos

2016-04-01

The importance of accurate representation of precipitation at fine time scales (e.g., hourly), directly associated with flash flood events, is crucial in hydrological design and prediction. The upper part of a probability distribution, known as the distribution tail, determines the behavior of extreme events. In general, and loosely speaking, tails can be categorized in two families: the subexponential and the hyperexponential family, with the first generating more intense and more frequent extremes compared to the latter. In past studies, the focus has been mainly on daily precipitation, with the Gamma distribution being the most popular model. Here, we investigate the behaviour of tails of hourly precipitation by comparing the upper part of empirical distributions of thousands of records with three general types of tails corresponding to the Pareto, Lognormal, and Weibull distributions. Specifically, we use thousands of hourly rainfall records from all over the USA. The analysis indicates that heavier-tailed distributions describe better the observed hourly rainfall extremes in comparison to lighter tails. Traditional representations of the marginal distribution of hourly rainfall may significantly deviate from observed behaviours of extremes, with direct implications on hydroclimatic variables modelling and engineering design.
Slow wave maturation on a visual working memory task.

Science.gov (United States)

Barriga-Paulino, Catarina I; Rodríguez-Martínez, Elena I; Rojas-Benjumea, Ma Ángeles; Gómez, Carlos M

2014-07-01

The purpose of the present study is to analyze how the Slow Wave develops in the retention period on a visual Delayed Match-to-Sample task performed by 170 subjects between 6 and 26 years old, divided into 5 age groups. In addition, a neuropsychological test (Working Memory Test Battery for Children) was correlated with this Event Related Potential (ERP) in order to observe possible relationships between Slow Wave maturation and the components of Baddeley and Hitch's Working Memory model. The results showed a slow negativity during the retention period in the posterior region in all the age groups, possibly resulting from sustained neural activity related to the visual item presented. In the anterior region, a positive slow wave was observed in the youngest subjects. Dipole analysis suggests that this fronto-central positivity in children (6-13 years old) consists of the positive side of the posterior negativity, once these subjects only needed two posterior dipoles to explain almost all the neural activity. Negative correlations were shown between the Slow Wave and the Working Memory Test Battery for Children, indicating a commonality in assessing Working Memory with the Slow Wave and the neuropsychological testing. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Beneficial Effects of Slow Steaming in Bulk Freight Markets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Boone

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Slow steaming has recently been adopted into normal practice by many maritime shipping companies for the fuel and monetary savings it offers. The practice also offers savings in Greenhouse Gas (GHG emissions. With regulations coming into play such as the 2020 sulfur cap, slow steaming may be the least costly option for some maritime companies to adjust their operations. While some have accepted the new practice, there are still companies and vessels that see this exercise as a loss of revenue due to the extra time it takes to deliver goods to their destination. This paper reviews how the method of rating ships by their GHG emissions per nautical mile can be directly related to slow steaming. We propose that ships with poor ratings (E, F, G find mandatory regulations to slow steam or improve their CO2 output in some way. Those with superior ratings (A, B, C, D would benefit from incentives packages tied to their implementation of slow steaming practices. It will also examine how slow steaming benefits maritime businesses both economically and environmentally to find ways to lower their emissions and discusses the possible chain reaction that may occur if these eco-friendly shipping practices are observed.
Higgs Discovery: Impact on Composite Dynamics Technicolor & eXtreme Compositeness Thinking Fast and Slow

Science.gov (United States)

Sannino, Francesco

I discuss the impact of the discovery of a Higgs-like state on composite dynamics starting by critically examining the reasons in favour of either an elementary or composite nature of this state. Accepting the standard model interpretation I re-address the standard model vacuum stability within a Weyl-consistent computation. I will carefully examine the fundamental reasons why what has been discovered might not be the standard model Higgs. Dynamical electroweak breaking naturally addresses a number of the fundamental issues unsolved by the standard model interpretation. However this paradigm has been challenged by the discovery of a not-so-heavy Higgs-like state. I will therefore review the recent discovery1 that the standard model top-induced radiative corrections naturally reduce the intrinsic non-perturbative mass of the composite Higgs state towards the desired experimental value. Not only we have a natural and testable working framework but we have also suggested specic gauge theories that can realise, at the fundamental level, these minimal models of dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking. These strongly coupled gauge theories are now being heavily investigated via first principle lattice simulations with encouraging results. The new findings show that the recent naive claims made about new strong dynamics at the electroweak scale being disfavoured by the discovery of a not-so-heavy composite Higgs are unwarranted. I will then introduce the more speculative idea of extreme compositeness according to which not only the Higgs sector of the standard model is composite but also quarks and leptons, and provide a toy example in the form of gauge-gauge duality.
Benthic fauna of extremely acidic lakes (pH 2-3)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodrigues, G G

2001-07-01

The structure of the benthic invertebrate communities were investigated in terms of composition, abundance, and biomass from extremely acidic lakes with pH values from 2 to 3 in areas where coal was intensively mined in the Lusatian region in the eastern region of Germany. Benthic invertebrates colonisation on leaves and the breakdown rate processing of the three deciduous leaf: Betula pendula (birch), Fraxinus excelsior (ash), and Juglans regia (walnut) were investigated. Also, the main key-species of these acidic environments were investigated, in terms of description of pupal exuviae of Chironomus crassimanus and the feeding habit of this acid-resistant species through analysis of their gut content. The benthic food web in extremely acidic mining Lusatian lakes is very short in terms of species richness, trophic relationship, guilds and functional feeding groups. Collector-filters and scraper-grazers were absent in extremely acidic mining lakes (AML 107, AML 111 and AML 117). Shredders as Limnophyes minimus (Diptera, Chironomidae, Orthocladiinae) and Hydrozetes lacustris (Acari, Hydrozetidae) occurred in low abundance in AML 107 and AML 111, and it may be in response to slow leaf breakdown process in these ecosystems, except in AML 117 where the H. lacustris contributed most to ecosystems functioning via the processing of litter. Aquatic insects as Sialis lutaria (Megaloptera, Sialidae), Orectochilus villosus (Coleoptera, Gyrinidae), Coenagrion mercuriale (Odonata, Coenagrionidae), and Phryganeidae (Trichoptera) are the top-predators of these ecosystems. They did not depend on the level of pH in the lakes, but on the availability of food resources. (orig.)
Gadolinium-enhanced MR angiography of arterial occlusive disease in lower extremity : comparison with conventional digital subtraction angiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Sang June; Koh, Young Hwan; Cha, Joo Hee; Kim, Hyu Beom; Chung, Jin Wook; Park, Jae Hyung

2000-01-01

To compare the diagnostic value of gadolinium-enhanced MR angiography with that of conventional digital subtraction angiography for the evaluation of lower extremity arterial occlusive diseases. In 26 patients with symptomatic lower extremity arterial occlusive disease, both conventional digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and gadolinium-enhanced MR angiography (CE-MRA) were performed during the same week. MR angiography was performed using three-dimensional gradient-echo acquisition before, and two sequential acquisitions after, the administration of gadolinium (0.2 mmol/kg). In 23 patients, two separate, contiguous areas were scanned using additional doses. In three patients, only one field with a suspicious lesion was scanned. Three radiologists independently analyzed the CE-MRA and DSA findings of each vascular segment (20 segments per arterial tree) for the presence of obstructive lesions; the grade assigned was either mild or none (less than 50%), stenotic (50%-99%), or occlusion (100%). From among a total of 462 segments, DSA detected 99 which were significantly narrowed (stenosis, 33; occlusion, 66). Using MR angiography, 102 segments (stenosis 39; occlusion, 63) were identified, and 94 lesions (stenosis, 32; occlusion, 62) were graded correctly. Seven lesions were overestimated and four were underestimated. For the detection of hemodynamically significant stenosis or occlusions using MR angiography, sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy were 95%, 98%, and 98% (G=3D0.995, P less than 0.001), respectively. To prove the absence of lesions, we repeated DSA in two patients with arterial spasm due to puncture. Three occluded segments seen on DSA, which revealed intact segments on MR angiography, suggested slow distal flow after reconstitution. For the evaluation of lower extremity arterial occlusive disease, the diagnostic value of gadolinium-enhanced MR angiography is comparable with that of digital subtraction angiography. The advantages of the
AGS slow extraction improvements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glenn, J.W.; Smith, G.A.; Sandberg, J.N.; Repeta, L.; Weisberg, H.

1979-01-01

Improvement of the straightness of the F5 copper septum increased the AGS slow extraction efficiency from approx. 80% to approx. 90%. Installation of an electrostatic septum at H2O, 24 betatron wavelengths upstream of F5, further improved the extraction efficiency to approx. 97%
Extremely thin layer plastification for focused-ion beam scanning electron microscopy: an improved method to study cell surfaces and organelles of cultured cells.

Science.gov (United States)

VAN Donselaar, E G; Dorresteijn, B; Popov-Čeleketić, D; VAN DE Wetering, W J; Verrips, T C; Boekhout, T; Schneijdenberg, C T W M; Xenaki, A T; VAN DER Krift, T P; Müller, W H

2018-03-25

Since the recent boost in the usage of electron microscopy in life-science research, there is a great need for new methods. Recently minimal resin embedding methods have been successfully introduced in the sample preparation for focused-ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM). In these methods several possibilities are given to remove as much resin as possible from the surface of cultured cells or multicellular organisms. Here we introduce an alternative way in the minimal resin embedding method to remove excess of resin from two widely different cell types by the use of Mascotte filter paper. Our goal in correlative light and electron microscopic studies of immunogold-labelled breast cancer SKBR3 cells was to visualise gold-labelled HER2 plasma membrane proteins as well as the intracellular structures of flat and round cells. We found a significant difference (p flat cell contained 2.46 ± 1.98 gold particles, and a round cell 5.66 ± 2.92 gold particles. Moreover, there was a clear difference in the subcellular organisation of these two cells. The round SKBR3 cell contained many organelles, such as mitochondria, Golgi and endoplasmic reticulum, when compared with flat SKBR3 cells. Our next goal was to visualise crosswall associated organelles, septal pore caps, of Rhizoctonia solani fungal cells by the combined use of a heavy metal staining and our extremely thin layer plastification (ETLP) method. At low magnifications this resulted into easily finding septa which appeared as bright crosswalls in the back-scattered electron mode in the scanning electron microscope. Then, a septum was selected for FIB-SEM. Cross-sectioned views clearly revealed the perforate septal pore cap of R. solani next to other structures, such as mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, lipid bodies, dolipore septum, and the pore channel. As the ETLP method was applied on two widely different cell types, the use of the ETLP method will be beneficial to correlative studies of other cell
Clinical application of lower extremity CTA and lower extremity perfusion CT as a method of diagnostic for lower extremity atherosclerotic obliterans

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moon, Il Bong; Dong, Kyung Rae [Dept. Radiological Technology, Gwangju Health University, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Goo, Eun Hoe [Dept. Radiological Science, Cheongju University, Cheongju (Korea, Republic of)

2016-11-15

The purpose of this study was to assess clinical application of lower extremity CTA and lower extremity perfusion CT as a method of diagnostic for lower extremity atherosclerotic obliterans. From January to July 2016, 30 patients (mean age, 68) were studied with lower extremity CTA and lower extremity perfusion CT. 128 channel multi-detector row CT scans were acquired with a CT scanner (SOMATOM Definition Flash, Siemens medical solution, Germany) of lower extremity perfusion CT and lower extremity CTA. Acquired images were reconstructed with 3D workstation (Leonardo, Siemens, Germany). Site of lower extremity arterial occlusive and stenosis lesions were detected superficial femoral artery 36.6%, popliteal artery 23.4%, external iliac artery 16.7%, common femoral artery 13.3%, peroneal artery 10%. The mean total DLP comparison of lower extremity perfusion CT and lower extremity CTA, 650 mGy-cm and 675 mGy-cm, respectively. Lower extremity perfusion CT and lower extremity CTA were realized that were never be two examination that were exactly the same legions. Future through the development of lower extremity perfusion CT soft ware programs suggest possible clinical applications.
Slow wave cyclotron maser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kho, T.H.; Lin, A.T.

1988-01-01

Cyclotron masers such as Gyrotrons and the Autoresonance Masers, are fast wave devices: the electromagnetic wave's phase velocity v rho , is greater than the electron beam velocity, v b . To be able to convert the beam kinetic energy into radiation in these devices the beam must have an initial transverse momentum, usually obtained by propagating the beam through a transverse wiggler magnet, or along a nonuniform guide magnetic field before entry into the interaction region. Either process introduces a significant amount of thermal spread in the beam which degrades the performance of the maser. However, if the wave phase velocity v rho v b , the beam kinetic energy can be converted directly into radiation without the requirement of an initial transverse beam momentum, making a slow wave cyclotron maser a potentially simpler and more compact device. The authors present the linear and nonlinear physics of the slow wave cyclotron maser and examine its potential for practical application

Thermodynamics of extremal rotating thin shells in an extremal BTZ spacetime and the extremal black hole entropy

Science.gov (United States)

Lemos, José P. S.; Minamitsuji, Masato; Zaslavskii, Oleg B.

2017-02-01

In a (2 +1 )-dimensional spacetime with a negative cosmological constant, the thermodynamics and the entropy of an extremal rotating thin shell, i.e., an extremal rotating ring, are investigated. The outer and inner regions with respect to the shell are taken to be the Bañados-Teitelbom-Zanelli (BTZ) spacetime and the vacuum ground state anti-de Sitter spacetime, respectively. By applying the first law of thermodynamics to the extremal thin shell, one shows that the entropy of the shell is an arbitrary well-behaved function of the gravitational area A+ alone, S =S (A+). When the thin shell approaches its own gravitational radius r+ and turns into an extremal rotating BTZ black hole, it is found that the entropy of the spacetime remains such a function of A+, both when the local temperature of the shell at the gravitational radius is zero and nonzero. It is thus vindicated by this analysis that extremal black holes, here extremal BTZ black holes, have different properties from the corresponding nonextremal black holes, which have a definite entropy, the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy S (A+)=A/+4G , where G is the gravitational constant. It is argued that for extremal black holes, in particular for extremal BTZ black holes, one should set 0 ≤S (A+)≤A/+4G;i.e., the extremal black hole entropy has values in between zero and the maximum Bekenstein-Hawking entropy A/+4 G . Thus, rather than having just two entropies for extremal black holes, as previous results have debated, namely, 0 and A/+4 G , it is shown here that extremal black holes, in particular extremal BTZ black holes, may have a continuous range of entropies, limited by precisely those two entropies. Surely, the entropy that a particular extremal black hole picks must depend on past processes, notably on how it was formed. A remarkable relation between the third law of thermodynamics and the impossibility for a massive body to reach the velocity of light is also found. In addition, in the procedure, it
Squamous cell cancer (image)

Science.gov (United States)

Squamous cell cancer involves cancerous changes to the cells of the middle portion of the epidermal skin layer. It is ... malignant tumor, and is more aggressive than basal cell cancer, but still may be relatively slow-growing. It ...
Birth control - slow release methods

Science.gov (United States)

Contraception - slow-release hormonal methods; Progestin implants; Progestin injections; Skin patch; Vaginal ring ... might want to consider a different birth control method. SKIN PATCH The skin patch is placed on ...
Slow feature analysis: unsupervised learning of invariances.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiskott, Laurenz; Sejnowski, Terrence J

2002-04-01

Invariant features of temporally varying signals are useful for analysis and classification. Slow feature analysis (SFA) is a new method for learning invariant or slowly varying features from a vectorial input signal. It is based on a nonlinear expansion of the input signal and application of principal component analysis to this expanded signal and its time derivative. It is guaranteed to find the optimal solution within a family of functions directly and can learn to extract a large number of decorrelated features, which are ordered by their degree of invariance. SFA can be applied hierarchically to process high-dimensional input signals and extract complex features. SFA is applied first to complex cell tuning properties based on simple cell output, including disparity and motion. Then more complicated input-output functions are learned by repeated application of SFA. Finally, a hierarchical network of SFA modules is presented as a simple model of the visual system. The same unstructured network can learn translation, size, rotation, contrast, or, to a lesser degree, illumination invariance for one-dimensional objects, depending on only the training stimulus. Surprisingly, only a few training objects suffice to achieve good generalization to new objects. The generated representation is suitable for object recognition. Performance degrades if the network is trained to learn multiple invariances simultaneously.
Good, Clean, Fair: The Rhetoric of the Slow Food Movement

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Stephen

2008-01-01

This article outlines the origins of the Slow Food movement before examining the ways in which Slow Food rhetoric seeks to redefine gastronomy and combat the more deleterious effects of globalization. In articulating a new gastronomy, Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini attempts to reconstruct the gastronomy of Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, at once…
Experimental determination of the slow-neutron wavelength distribution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lebech, Bente; Mikke, K.; Sledziewska-Blocka, D.

1970-01-01

Different experiments for determining the slow-neutron wavelength distribution in the region 227-3 meV have been carried out, and the results compared. It is concluded that the slow-neutron wave-length distribution can be determined accurately by elastic scattering on a pure incoherent or a pure...
Extreme value distributions

CERN Document Server

Ahsanullah, Mohammad

2016-01-01

The aim of the book is to give a through account of the basic theory of extreme value distributions. The book cover a wide range of materials available to date. The central ideas and results of extreme value distributions are presented. The book rwill be useful o applied statisticians as well statisticians interrested to work in the area of extreme value distributions.vmonograph presents the central ideas and results of extreme value distributions.The monograph gives self-contained of theory and applications of extreme value distributions.
SPS slow extraction septa

CERN Multimedia

CERN PhotoLab

1979-01-01

SPS long straight section (LSS) with a series of 5 septum tanks for slow extraction (view in the direction of the proton beam). There are 2 of these: in LSS2, towards the N-Area; in LSS6 towards the W-Area. See also Annual Report 1975, p.175.
PRINCIPLES OF SLOW TRAVEL APPLIED TO TOURIST LEISURE CONTEMPORARY

OpenAIRE

Bauer, Rafael Chequer; Netto, Alexandre Panosso

2014-01-01

The article shows the concept of Slow Travel, a travel’s modality based in a new perspective of touristic use considering a slowdown style. In this way, the paper analyses the context of growing and development about Slow Travel, including its ideological matrix based in industrial revolution’s contestation, specially about the acceleration noted at contemporary society and its application inside the leisure and travel universes. At least, shows the main characteristics of Slow Travel, and it...
Long-term control of HIV-1 in hemophiliacs carrying slow-progressing allele HLA-B*5101.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawashima, Yuka; Kuse, Nozomi; Gatanaga, Hiroyuki; Naruto, Takuya; Fujiwara, Mamoru; Dohki, Sachi; Akahoshi, Tomohiro; Maenaka, Katsumi; Goulder, Philip; Oka, Shinichi; Takiguchi, Masafumi

2010-07-01

HLA-B*51 alleles are reported to be associated with slow disease progression to AIDS, but the mechanism underlying this association is still unclear. In the present study, we analyzed the effect of HLA-B*5101 on clinical outcome for Japanese hemophiliacs who had been infected with HIV-1 before 1985 and had been recruited in 1998 for this study. HLA-B*5101(+) hemophiliacs exhibited significantly slow progression. The analysis of HLA-B*5101-restricted HIV-1-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses to 4 HLA-B*-restricted epitopes in 10 antiretroviral-therapy (ART)-free HLA-B*5101(+) hemophiliacs showed that the frequency of Pol283-8-specific CD8(+) T cells was inversely correlated with the viral load, whereas the frequencies of CD8(+) T cells specific for 3 other epitopes were positively correlated with the viral load. The HLA-B*5101(+) hemophiliacs whose HIV-1 replication had been controlled for approximately 25 years had HIV-1 possessing the wild-type Pol283-8 sequence or the Pol283-8V mutant, which does not critically affect T-cell recognition, whereas other HLA-B*5101(+) hemophiliacs had HIV-1 with escape mutations in this epitope. The results suggest that the control of HIV-1 over approximately 25 years in HLA-B*5101-positive hemophiliacs is associated with a Pol283-8-specific CD8(+) T-cell response and that lack of control of HIV-1 is associated with the appearance of Pol283-8-specific escape mutants.
GLUT4 is reduced in slow muscle fibers of type 2 diabetic patients: is insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes a slow, type 1 fiber disease?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gaster, M; Staehr, P; Beck-Nielsen, H

2001-01-01

To gain further insight into the mechanisms underlying muscle insulin resistance, the influence of obesity and type 2 diabetes on GLUT4 immunoreactivity in slow and fast skeletal muscle fibers was studied. Through a newly developed, very sensitive method using immunohistochemistry combined...... with morphometry, GLUT4 density was found to be significantly higher in slow compared with fast fibers in biopsy specimens from lean and obese subjects. In contrast, in type 2 diabetic subjects, GLUT4 density was significantly lower in slow compared with fast fibers. GLUT4 density in slow fibers from diabetic...... was reduced to 77% in the obese subjects and to 61% in type 2 diabetic patients compared with the control subjects. We propose that a reduction in the fraction of slow-twitch fibers, combined with a reduction in GLUT4 expression in slow fibers, may reduce the insulin-sensitive GLUT4 pool in type 2 diabetes...
Characterization of slow-cycling cells in the mouse cochlear lateral wall.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Li

Full Text Available Cochlear spiral ligament fibrocytes (SLFs play essential roles in the physiology of hearing including ion recycling and the generation of endocochlear potential. In adult animals, SLFs can repopulate after damages, yet little is known about the characteristics of proliferating cells that support SLFs' self-renewal. Here we report in detail about the characteristics of cycling cells in the spiral ligament (SL. Fifteen P6 mice and six noise-exposed P28 mice were injected with 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU for 7 days and we chased BrdU retaining cells for as long as 60 days. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the BrdU positive IB4 (an endotherial marker negative cells expressed an early SLF marker Pou3f4 but negative for cleaved-Caspase 3. Marker studies revealed that type 3 SLFs displayed significantly higher percentage of BrdU+ cells compared to other subtypes. Notably, the cells retained BrdU until P72, demonstrating they were dividing slowly. In the noise-damaged mice, in contrast to the loss of the other types, the number of type 3 SLFs did not altered and the BrdU incorporating- phosphorylated Histone H3 positive type 3 cells were increased from day 1 to 14 after noise exposure. Furthermore, the cells repopulating type 1 area, where the cells diminished profoundly after damage, were positive for the type 3 SLF markers. Collectively, in the latral wall of the cochlea, type 3 SLFs have the stem cell capacity and may contribute to the endogenous regeneration of lateral wall spiral ligament. Manipulating type 3 cells may be employed for potential regenerative therapies.
Genetics Home Reference: myoclonic epilepsy with ragged-red fibers

Science.gov (United States)

... sensation in the extremities (peripheral neuropathy), and slow deterioration of intellectual function (dementia). People with this condition ... that use oxygen to convert the energy from food into a form cells can use through a ...
Inflationary dynamics with a smooth slow-roll to constant-roll era transition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Odintsov, S.D. [ICREA, Passeig Luis Companys, 23, 08010 Barcelona (Spain); Oikonomou, V.K., E-mail: odintsov@ieec.uab.es, E-mail: v.k.oikonomou1979@gmail.com [Laboratory for Theoretical Cosmology, Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics (TUSUR), Lenin Avenue 40, 634050 Tomsk (Russian Federation)

2017-04-01

In this paper we investigate the implications of having a varying second slow-roll index on the canonical scalar field inflationary dynamics. We shall be interested in cases that the second slow-roll can take small values and correspondingly large values, for limiting cases of the function that quantifies the variation of the second slow-roll index. As we demonstrate, this can naturally introduce a smooth transition between slow-roll and constant-roll eras. We discuss the theoretical implications of the mechanism we introduce and we use various illustrative examples in order to better understand the new features that the varying second slow-roll index introduces. In the examples we will present, the second slow-roll index has exponential dependence on the scalar field, and in one of these cases, the slow-roll era corresponds to a type of α-attractor inflation. Finally, we briefly discuss how the combination of slow-roll and constant-roll may lead to non-Gaussianities in the primordial perturbations.
Developmental block and programmed cell death in Bos indicus embryos: effects of protein supplementation source and developmental kinetics.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sheila Merlo Garcia

Full Text Available The aims of this study were to determine if the protein source of the medium influences zebu embryo development and if developmental kinetics, developmental block and programmed cell death are related. The culture medium was supplemented with either fetal calf serum or bovine serum albumin. The embryos were classified as Fast (n = 1,235 or Slow (n = 485 based on the time required to reach the fourth cell cycle (48 h and 90 h post insemination - hpi -, respectively. The Slow group was further separated into two groups: those presenting exactly 4 cells at 48 hpi (Slow/4 cells and those that reached the fourth cell cycle at 90 hpi (Slow. Blastocyst quality, DNA fragmentation, mitochondrial membrane potential and signs of apoptosis or necrosis were evaluated. The Slow group had higher incidence of developmental block than the Fast group. The embryos supplemented with fetal calf serum had lower quality. DNA fragmentation and mitochondrial membrane potential were absent in embryos at 48 hpi but present at 90 hpi. Early signs of apoptosis were more frequent in the Slow and Slow/4 cell groups than in the Fast group. We concluded that fetal calf serum reduces blastocyst development and quality, but the mechanism appears to be independent of DNA fragmentation. The apoptotic cells detected at 48 hpi reveal a possible mechanism of programmed cell death activation prior to genome activation. The apoptotic cells observed in the slow-developing embryos suggested a relationship between programmed cell death and embryonic developmental kinetics in zebu in vitro-produced embryos.
Face recognition using slow feature analysis and contourlet transform

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yuehao; Peng, Lingling; Zhe, Fuchuan

2018-04-01

In this paper we propose a novel face recognition approach based on slow feature analysis (SFA) in contourlet transform domain. This method firstly use contourlet transform to decompose the face image into low frequency and high frequency part, and then takes technological advantages of slow feature analysis for facial feature extraction. We named the new method combining the slow feature analysis and contourlet transform as CT-SFA. The experimental results on international standard face database demonstrate that the new face recognition method is effective and competitive.
Enhancing physics demos using iPhone slow motion

Science.gov (United States)

Lincoln, James

2017-12-01

Slow motion video enhances our ability to perceive and experience the physical world. This can help students and teachers especially in cases of fast moving objects or detailed events that happen too quickly for the eye to follow. As often as possible, demonstrations should be performed by the students themselves and luckily many of them will already have this technology in their pockets. The "S" series of iPhone has the slow motion video feature standard, which also includes simultaneous sound recording (somewhat unusual among slow motion cameras). In this article I share some of my experiences using this feature and provide advice on how to successfully use this technology in the classroom.
Study of Dynamic Characteristics of Slow-Changing Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yinong Li

2000-01-01

Full Text Available A vibration system with slow-changing parameters is a typical nonlinear system. Such systems often occur in the working and controlled process of some intelligent structures when vibration and deformation exist synchronously. In this paper, a system with slow-changing stiffness, damping and mass is analyzed in an intelligent structure. The relationship between the amplitude and the frequency of the system is studied, and its dynamic characteristic is also discussed. Finally, a piecewise linear method is developed on the basis of the asymptotic method. The simulation and the experiment show that a suitable slow-changing stiffness can restrain the amplitude of the system when the system passes through the resonant region.
Frequency response of slow beam extraction process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toyama, Takeshi; Sato, Hikaru; Marutsuka, Katsumi; Shirakata, Masashi.

1994-01-01

A servo control system has been incorporated into the practical slow extraction system in order to stabilize the spill structure less than a few kHz. Frequency responses of the components of the servo-spill control system and the open-loop frequency response were measured. The beam transfer function of the slow extraction process was derived from the measured data and approximated using a simple function. This is utilized to improve the performance of the servo-loop. (author)
Extremely Preterm Birth

Science.gov (United States)

... Events Advocacy For Patients About ACOG Extremely Preterm Birth Home For Patients Search FAQs Extremely Preterm Birth ... Spanish FAQ173, June 2016 PDF Format Extremely Preterm Birth Pregnancy When is a baby considered “preterm” or “ ...

Slow-light solitons in atomic media and doped optical fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korolkova, N.; Sinclair, G.F.; Leonhardt, U.

2005-01-01

Full text: We show how to generate optical solitons in atomic media that can be slowed down or accelerated at will. Such slow-light soliton is a polarization structure propagating with a speed that is proportional to the total intensity of the incident light. Ultimately, this method will allow the storage, retrieval and possibly the manipulation of the quantum information in atomic media. Solitons with controllable speed are constructed generalizing the theory of slow-light propagation to an integrable regime of nonlinear dynamics. For the first time, the inverse scattering method for slow-light solitons is developed. In contrast to the pioneering experimental demonstrations of slow light, we consider strong spin modulations where the non-linear dynamics of light and atoms creates polarization solitons. We also analyze how this scheme can be implemented in optical fibers doped with Lambda-atoms. In quantum-information applications, such slow-light solitons could complement the use of quantum solitons in fibres with the advantage of storing quantum information in media and complement methods for quantum memory with the advantages of non-linear dynamics, in particular the intrinsic stability of solitons. (author)
Physicochemical characterization of zinc-substituted calcium ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

as, repair of bone defects, tooth root replacements, ear implants, spine ... and bioresorbability, suitable for bone regeneration proces- ses. Brushite ... ing ability is extremely slow [20]. ... a crucial trace element for promoting osteoblastic cell pro-.
Ultrafast Photoinduced Electron Transfer in a π-Conjugated Oligomer/Porphyrin Complex

KAUST Repository

Aly, Shawkat Mohammede; Goswami, Subhadip; Alsulami, Qana; Schanze, Kirk S.; Mohammed, Omar F.

2014-01-01

Controlling charge transfer (CT), charge separation (CS), and charge recombination (CR) at the donor-acceptor interface is extremely important to optimize the conversion efficiency in solar cell devices. In general, ultrafast CT and slow CR
Controlling the Flow past a Semicircular Airfoil at Zero Angle of Attack Using Slot Suction in One or Two Vortex Cells for Attaining Extremal Lift

Science.gov (United States)

Isaev, S. A.; Baranov, P. A.; Sudakov, A. G.; Popov, I. A.; Usachov, A. E.

2017-12-01

Calculations using multiblock computational technologies and a model of shear-stress transport modified with allowance for the curvature of streamlines in turbulent airflow were performed at a zero angle of attack for a semicircular airfoil containing one or two surface vortex cells with slot suction. The results showed evidence of stabilization of a nearly undetached flow and attainment of an extremal lift of C y = 5.2 and a lift-to-drag ratio of K = 24 with allowance for energy losses for suction in the vortex cells.
Considering transient population dynamics in the conservation of slow life-history species: An application to the sandhill crane

Science.gov (United States)

Gerber, Brian D.; Kendall, William L.

2016-01-01

The importance of transient dynamics of structured populations is increasingly recognized in ecology, yet these implications are not largely considered in conservation practices. We investigate transient and long-term population dynamics to demonstrate the process and utility of incorporating transient dynamics into conservation research and to better understand the population management of slow life-history species; these species can be theoretically highly sensitive to short- and long-term transient effects. We are specifically interested in the effects of anthropogenic removal of individuals from populations, such as caused by harvest, poaching, translocation, or incidental take. We use the sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) as an exemplar species; it is long-lived, has low reproduction, late maturity, and multiple populations are subject to sport harvest. We found sandhill cranes to have extremely high potential, but low likelihood for transient dynamics, even when the population is being harvested. The typically low population growth rate of slow life-history species appears to buffer against many perturbations causing large transient effects. Transient dynamics will dominate population trajectories of these species when stage structures are highly biased towards the younger and non-reproducing individuals, a situation that may be rare in established populations of long-lived animals. However, short-term transient population growth can be highly sensitive to vital rates that are relatively insensitive under equilibrium, suggesting that stage structure should be known if perturbation analysis is used to identify effective conservation strategies. For populations of slow life-history species that are not prone to large perturbations to their most productive individuals, population growth may be approximated by equilibrium dynamics.
"On-off-on" switchable sensor: a fluorescent spiropyran responds to extreme pH conditions and its bioimaging applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Shulin; Zheng, Yang; Shen, Jie; Yang, Wantai; Yin, Meizhen

2014-11-26

A novel spiropyran that responds to both extreme acid and extreme alkali and has an "on-off-on" switch is reported. Benzoic acid at the indole N-position and carboxyl group at the indole 6-position contribute to the extreme acid response. The ionizations of carboxyl and phenolic hydroxyl groups cause the extreme alkali response. Moreover, the fluorescent imaging in bacterial cells under extreme pH conditions supports the mechanism of pH response.
Stimulation of neural differentiation in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields incorporated with MNPs.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Yun-Kyong; Lee, Dong Heon; Seo, Young-Kwon; Jung, Hyun; Park, Jung-Keug; Cho, Hyunjin

2014-10-01

Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) have been investigated as a new cell-therapeutic solution due to their capacity that could differentiate into neural-like cells. Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) therapy has emerged as a novel technique, using mechanical stimulus to differentiate hBM-MSCs and significantly enhance neuronal differentiation to affect cellular and molecular reactions. Magnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (MNPs) have recently achieved widespread use for biomedical applications and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-labeled nanoparticles are used to increase their circulation time, aqueous solubility, biocompatibility, and nonspecific cellular uptake as well as to decrease immunogenicity. Many studies have used MNP-labeled cells for differentiation, but there have been no reports of MNP-labeled neural differentiation combined with EMFs. In this study, synthesized PEG-phospholipid encapsulated magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles are used on hBM-MSCs to improve their intracellular uptake. The PEGylated nanoparticles were exposed to the cells under 50 Hz of EMFs to improve neural differentiation. First, we measured cell viability and intracellular iron content in hBM-MSCs after treatment with MNPs. Analysis was conducted by RT-PCR, and immunohistological analysis using neural cell type-specific genes and antibodies after exposure to 50 Hz electromagnetic fields. These results suggest that electromagnetic fields enhance neural differentiation in hBM-MSCs incorporated with MNPs and would be an effective method for differentiating neural cells.
Slow Antihydrogen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gabrielse, G.; Speck, A.; Storry, C.H.; Le Sage, D.; Guise, N.; Larochelle, P.C.; Grzonka, D.; Oelert, W.; Schepers, G.; Sefzick, T.; Pittner, H.; Herrmann, M.; Walz, J.; Haensch, T.W.; Comeau, D.; Hessels, E.A.

2004-01-01

Slow antihydrogen is now produced by two different production methods. In Method I, large numbers of H atoms are produced during positron-cooling of antiprotons within a nested Penning trap. In a just-demonstrated Method II, lasers control the production of antihydrogen atoms via charge exchange collisions. Field ionization detection makes it possible to probe the internal structure of the antihydrogen atoms being produced - most recently revealing atoms that are too tightly bound to be well described by the guiding center atom approximation. The speed of antihydrogen atoms has recently been measured for the first time. After the requested overview, the recent developments are surveyed
Slow Food: por um alimento bom, limpo e justo

OpenAIRE

Porazzi, Fabiele

2012-01-01

REVIEW:PETRINI, Carlo. Slow Food: princípios da nova gastronomia. Trad. de Renata Lúcia Botina. São Paulo: Editora Senac, 2009. 245 p. RESEÑA:PETRINI, Carlo. Slow Food: princípios da nova gastronomia. Trad. de Renata Lúcia Botina. São Paulo: Editora Senac, 2009. 245 p. http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/1807-1384.2012v9n1p384 RESENHA:PETRINI, Carlo. Slow Food: princípios da nova gastronomia. Trad. de Renata Lúcia Botina. São Paulo: Editora Senac, 2009. 245 p.
Slow light invisibility, teleportation, and other mysteries of light

CERN Document Server

Perkowitz, Sidney

2011-01-01

Slow Light is a popular treatment of today's astonishing breakthroughs in the science of light. Even though we don't understand light's quantum mysteries, we can slow it to a stop and speed it up beyond its Einsteinian speed limit, 186,000 miles/sec; use it for quantum telecommunications; teleport it; manipulate it to create invisibility; and perhaps generate hydrogen fusion power with it. All this is lucidly presented for non-scientists who wonder about teleportation, Harry Potter invisibility cloaks, and other fantastic outcomes. Slow Light shows how the real science and the fantasy inspire
Mental slowness in patients with Parkinson's disease: Associations with cognitive functions?

Science.gov (United States)

Vlagsma, Thialda T; Koerts, Janneke; Tucha, Oliver; Dijkstra, Hilde T; Duits, Annelien A; van Laar, Teus; Spikman, Jacoba M

2016-10-01

Motor slowness (bradykinesia) is a core feature of Parkinson's disease (PD). It is often assumed that patients show mental slowness (bradyphrenia) as well; however, evidence for this is debated. The aims of this study were to determine whether PD patients show mental slowness apart from motor slowness and, if this is the case, to what extent this affects their performance on neuropsychological tests of attention, memory, and executive functions (EF). Fifty-five nondemented PD patients and 65 healthy controls were assessed with a simple information-processing task in which reaction and motor times could be separated. In addition, all patients and a second control group (N = 138) were assessed with neuropsychological tests of attention, memory, and EF. While PD patients showed significantly longer reaction times than healthy controls, their motor times were not significantly longer. Reaction and motor times were only moderately correlated and were not related to clinical measures of disease severity. PD patients performed significantly worse on tests of attention and EF, and for the majority of neuropsychological tests 11-51% of the patients showed a clinically impaired performance. Reaction times did not, however, predict patients' test performance, while motor times were found to have a significant negative influence on tests of attention. PD patients show mental slowness, which can be separated from motor slowness. Neuropsychological test performance is not influenced by mental slowness; however, motor slowness can have a negative impact. When interpreting neuropsychological test performance of PD patients in clinical practice, motor slowness needs to be taken into account.
Mental slowness in patients with Parkinson's disease : Associations with cognitive functions?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vlagsma, Thialda T.; Koerts, Janneke; Tucha, Oliver; Dijkstra, Hilde T.; Duits, Annelien A.; Laar, van Teus; Spikman, Jacoba M.

2016-01-01

Introduction: Motor slowness (bradykinesia) is a core feature of Parkinson's disease (PD). It is often assumed that patients show mental slowness (bradyphrenia) as well; however, evidence for this is debated. The aims of this study were to determine whether PD patients show mental slowness apart
Total Glucosides of Paeony Promote Intestinal Motility in Slow Transit Constipation Rats through Amelioration of Interstitial Cells of Cajal.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Feiye Zhu

Full Text Available Using an atropine-diphenoxylate-induced slow transit constipation (STC model, this study explored the effects of the total glucosides of paeony (TGP in the treatment of STC and the possible mechanisms.A prospective experimental animal study.The constipation model was set up in rats with an oral gavage of atropine-diphenoxylate and then treated with the TGP. The volume and moisture content of the faeces were observed and the intestinal kinetic power was evaluated. Meanwhile, the colorimetric method and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA were employed to determine the changes of nitric oxide (NO, nitric oxide synthase (NOS, vasoative intestinal peptide (VIP and the P substance (SP in the serum, respectively. The protein expressions of c-kit and stem cell factor (SCF were assessed by immunohistochemical analysis and western blot, respectively, and the mRNA level of c-kit was measured by a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR.The TGP attenuated STC responses in terms of an increase in the fecal volume and moisture content, an enhancement of intestinal transit rate and the reduction of NO, NOS and VIP in the serum. In addition, the c-kit, a labeling of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC increased at both protein and mRNA levels. SCF, which serves as a ligand of c-kit also increased at protein level.The analysis of our data indicated that the TGP could obviously attenuate STC through improving the function of ICC and blocking the inhibitory neurotransmitters such as NO, NOS and VIP.
Total Glucosides of Paeony Promote Intestinal Motility in Slow Transit Constipation Rats through Amelioration of Interstitial Cells of Cajal

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Feiye; Xu, Shan; Zhang, Yongsheng; Chen, Fangming; Ji, Jinjun; Xie, Guanqun

2016-01-01

Objectives Using an atropine-diphenoxylate-induced slow transit constipation (STC) model, this study explored the effects of the total glucosides of paeony (TGP) in the treatment of STC and the possible mechanisms. Study Design A prospective experimental animal study. Methods The constipation model was set up in rats with an oral gavage of atropine-diphenoxylate and then treated with the TGP. The volume and moisture content of the faeces were observed and the intestinal kinetic power was evaluated. Meanwhile, the colorimetric method and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were employed to determine the changes of nitric oxide (NO), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), vasoative intestinal peptide (VIP) and the P substance (SP) in the serum, respectively. The protein expressions of c-kit and stem cell factor (SCF) were assessed by immunohistochemical analysis and western blot, respectively, and the mRNA level of c-kit was measured by a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results The TGP attenuated STC responses in terms of an increase in the fecal volume and moisture content, an enhancement of intestinal transit rate and the reduction of NO, NOS and VIP in the serum. In addition, the c-kit, a labeling of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) increased at both protein and mRNA levels. SCF, which serves as a ligand of c-kit also increased at protein level. Conclusion The analysis of our data indicated that the TGP could obviously attenuate STC through improving the function of ICC and blocking the inhibitory neurotransmitters such as NO, NOS and VIP. PMID:27478893
Using qualimetric engineering and extremal analysis to optimize a proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Besseris, George J.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We consider the optimal configuration of a PEMFC stack. • We utilize qualimetric engineering tools (Taguchi screening, regression analysis). • We achieve analytical solution on a restructured power-law fitting. • We discuss the Pt-cost involvement in the unit and area minimization scope. - Abstract: The optimal configuration of the proton exchange membrane fuel-cell (PEMFC) stack has received attention recently because of its potential use as an isolated energy distributor for household needs. In this work, the original complex problem for generating an optimal PEMFC stack based on the number of cell units connected in series and parallel arrangements as well as on the cell area is revisited. A qualimetric engineering strategy is formulated which is based on quick profiling the PEMFC stack voltage response. Stochastic screening is initiated by employing an L 9 (3 3 ) Taguchi-type OA for partitioning numerically the deterministic expression of the output PEMFC stack voltage such that to facilitate the sizing of the magnitude of the individual effects. The power and current household specifications for the stack system are maintained at the typical settings of 200 W at 12 V, respectively. The minimization of the stack total-area requirement becomes explicit in this work. The relationship of cell voltage against cell area is cast into a power-law model by regression fitting that achieves a coefficient of determination value of 99.99%. Thus, the theoretical formulation simplifies into a non-linear extremal problem with a constrained solution due to a singularity which is solved analytically. The optimal solution requires 22 cell units connected in series where each unit is designed with an area value of 151.4 cm 2 . It is also demonstrated how to visualize the optimal solution using the graphical method of operating lines. The total area of 3270.24 cm 2 becomes a new benchmark for the optimal design of the studied PEMFC stack configuration. It is
Phonon properties and slow organic-to-inorganic sub-lattice thermalization in hybrid perovskites

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Maria; Chang, Angela; Xia, Yi; Sadasivam, Sridhar; Guo, Peijun; Kinaci, Alper; Lin, Hao-Wu; Darancet, Pierre; Schaller, Richard

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite halide compounds have been investigated extensively for photovoltaics (PVs) and related applications. The thermal transport properties of hybrid perovskites, including phonon-carrier and phonon-phonon interactions, are of significance for their PV and solar thermoelectric applications. The interlocking organic and inorganic sublattices can be thought of as an extreme form of nanostructuring. A result of this nanostructuring is the large gap in phonon frequencies between the organic and inorganic sublattices, which is expected to create bottlenecks in phonon equilibration. In this work, we use a combination of ultrafast spectroscopy including photoluminescence and transient absorption, as well as first principles density functional theory (DFT), ab initio molecular dynamics calculations, phonon lifetimes derived from DFT force constants, and non-equilibrium phonon dynamics accounting for phonon lifetimes, to determine the phonon and charge interaction processes. We find evidence that thermalization of carriers occur at an atypically slow 50-100 ps time scale owing to the complex interplay between electronic and phonon excitations.
Extreme environment electronics

CERN Document Server

Cressler, John D

2012-01-01

Unfriendly to conventional electronic devices, circuits, and systems, extreme environments represent a serious challenge to designers and mission architects. The first truly comprehensive guide to this specialized field, Extreme Environment Electronics explains the essential aspects of designing and using devices, circuits, and electronic systems intended to operate in extreme environments, including across wide temperature ranges and in radiation-intense scenarios such as space. The Definitive Guide to Extreme Environment Electronics Featuring contributions by some of the world's foremost exp
Role of slow oscillatory activity and slow wave sleep in consolidation of episodic-like memory in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Oyanedel, Carlos N; Binder, Sonja; Kelemen, Eduard; Petersen, Kimberley; Born, Jan; Inostroza, Marion

2014-12-15

Our previous experiments showed that sleep in rats enhances consolidation of hippocampus dependent episodic-like memory, i.e. the ability to remember an event bound into specific spatio-temporal context. Here we tested the hypothesis that this enhancing effect of sleep is linked to the occurrence of slow oscillatory and spindle activity during slow wave sleep (SWS). Rats were tested on an episodic-like memory task and on three additional tasks covering separately the where (object place recognition), when (temporal memory), and what (novel object recognition) components of episodic memory. In each task, the sample phase (encoding) was followed by an 80-min retention interval that covered either a period of regular morning sleep or sleep deprivation. Memory during retrieval was tested using preferential exploration of novelty vs. familiarity. Consistent with previous findings, the rats which had slept during the retention interval showed significantly stronger episodic-like memory and spatial memory, and a trend of improved temporal memory (although not significant). Object recognition memory was similarly retained across sleep and sleep deprivation retention intervals. Recall of episodic-like memory was associated with increased slow oscillatory activity (0.85-2.0Hz) during SWS in the retention interval. Spatial memory was associated with increased proportions of SWS. Against our hypothesis, a relationship between spindle activity and episodic-like memory performance was not detected, but spindle activity was associated with object recognition memory. The results provide support for the role of SWS and slow oscillatory activity in consolidating hippocampus-dependent memory, the role of spindles in this process needs to be further examined. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A review of slow-release fluoride devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Toumba, K J; Al-Ibrahim, N S; Curzon, M E J

2009-09-01

Fluoride has been used to combat dental caries using a number of different clinical approaches. An exciting relatively new development is fluoride slow-releasing devices that consistently elevate intra-oral fluoride levels of plaque and saliva for prolonged periods of up to two years. The literature on the use of slow-releasing fluoride devices in dentistry were reviewed. A Medline search on key words was carried out. All papers in English were individually reviewed. Slow-releasing fluoride devices have been shown to be effective in elevating salivary fluoride levels in both animals and human studies and to enhance the remineralisation of dental enamel. They have been demonstrated to be safe to use and without the risk of fluoride toxicity. A double blind randomised clinical trial demonstrated 76% fewer new carious surface increment in high caries-risk children after two years. These devices have a number of potential uses in dentistry and in particular have great potential for caries prevention of non-compliant high caries-risk groups.
Extremely weak magnetic field exposure may inhibit hippocampal neurogenesis of Sprague Dawley rats

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, B.; Tian, L.; Cai, Y.; Xu, H.; Pan, Y.

2016-12-01

Hippocampal neurogenesis occurs throughout life in mammals brains and can be influenced by animals' age as well as environmental factors. Lines of evidences have shown that the magnetic field is an important physics environmental factor influencing many animals' growth and development, and extremely weak magnetic field exposures have been proved having serious adverse effects on the metabolism and behaviors in some animals, but few studies have examined the response of hippocampal neurogenesis to it. In the present study, we experimentally examined the extremely weak magnetic field effects on neurogenesis of the dentate gyrus (DG) of hippocampus of adult Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. Two types of magnetic fields were used, an extremely weak magnetic field (≤ 0.5μT) and the geomagnetic fields (strength 31-58μT) as controls. Thirty-two SD rats (3-weeks old) were used in this study. New cell survival in hippocampus was assessed at 0, 14, 28, and 42 days after a 7-day intraperitoneal injections of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU). Meanwhile, the amounts of immature neurons and mature neurons which are both related to hippocampal neurogenesis, as documented by labeling with doublecortin (DCX) and neuron (NeuN), respectively, were also analyzed at 0, 14, 28, and 42 days. Compared with geomagnetic field exposure groups, numbers of BrdU-, DCX-positive cells of DG of hippocampus in tested rats reduces monotonously and more rapidly after 14 days, and NeuN-positive cells significantly decreases after 28days when exposed in the extremely weak magnetic field condition. Our data suggest that the exposure to an extremely weak magnetic field may suppress the neurogenesis in DG of SD rats.

Quick-Connect, Slow-Disconnect Bolt

Science.gov (United States)

Weddendorf, Bruce

1995-01-01

Proposed bolt functions similarly to device described in article "Quick-Connect, Slow-Disconnect Nut" (MFS-28833). Bolt installed in standard threaded hole simply by pushing it into hole. Once inserted, bolt withdrawn only by turning it in conventional way.
Critical slowing down and error analysis in lattice QCD simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schaefer, Stefan [Humboldt-Universitaet, Berlin (Germany). Inst. fuer Physik; Sommer, Rainer; Virotta, Francesco [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany). John von Neumann-Inst. fuer Computing NIC

2010-09-15

We study the critical slowing down towards the continuum limit of lattice QCD simulations with Hybrid Monte Carlo type algorithms. In particular for the squared topological charge we find it to be very severe with an effective dynamical critical exponent of about 5 in pure gauge theory. We also consider Wilson loops which we can demonstrate to decouple from the modes which slow down the topological charge. Quenched observables are studied and a comparison to simulations of full QCD is made. In order to deal with the slow modes in the simulation, we propose a method to incorporate the information from slow observables into the error analysis of physical observables and arrive at safer error estimates. (orig.)
Slowing down of 100 keV antiprotons in Al foils

Science.gov (United States)

Nordlund, K.

2018-03-01

Using energy degrading foils to slow down antiprotons is of interest for producing antihydrogen atoms. I consider here the slowing down of 100 keV antiprotons, that will be produced in the ELENA storage ring under construction at CERN, to energies below 10 keV. At these low energies, they are suitable for efficient antihydrogen production. I simulate the antihydrogen motion and slowing down in Al foils using a recently developed molecular dynamics approach. The results show that the optimal Al foil thickness for slowing down the antiprotons to below 5 keV is 910 nm, and to below 10 keV is 840 nm. Also the lateral spreading of the transmitted antiprotons is reported and the uncertainties discussed.
Critical slowing down and error analysis in lattice QCD simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaefer, Stefan; Sommer, Rainer; Virotta, Francesco

2010-09-01

We study the critical slowing down towards the continuum limit of lattice QCD simulations with Hybrid Monte Carlo type algorithms. In particular for the squared topological charge we find it to be very severe with an effective dynamical critical exponent of about 5 in pure gauge theory. We also consider Wilson loops which we can demonstrate to decouple from the modes which slow down the topological charge. Quenched observables are studied and a comparison to simulations of full QCD is made. In order to deal with the slow modes in the simulation, we propose a method to incorporate the information from slow observables into the error analysis of physical observables and arrive at safer error estimates. (orig.)
A giant benign clear cell hidradenoma on the anterior trunk.

Science.gov (United States)

Demirci, Gulsen Tukenmez; Atis, Guldehan; Altunay, Ilknur Kivanç; Sakiz, Damlanur

2011-10-05

Clear cell hidradenoma (CCH) is an uncommon variant of benign cutaneous adnexal tumors. These tumors are clinically asymptomatic, solitary dermal nodules. They occur most frequently on the scalp, face abdomen and extremities. Growth is slow and malignant change is rare. 45-year-old woman presented with a nodule which had begun 4 years ago as a small nodular asymptomatic lesion and had a central ulceration and a minimal hemorrhagic discharge on her anterior abdomen wall. On dermatologic examination there was a 6.5×5×4 cm non-tender, soft reddish purple nodule, with lobular appearance and ulceration. In the laboratory investigations, all hematologic and biochemical tests were normal. A computed tomography (CT) scan demonstrated a cystic tumor with lobulated contour with contrast enhancement. The lesion was excised totally. In histopathological examination, the tumor was composed of biphasic smaller dark polygonal cells and larger clear cells and coarse nuclear chromatine. There were duct like structures. Immunohistochemical investigation was done for the suspicion of malignancy. Cytoplasm of clear cells and of duct like structures showed PAS-positive and d-PAS resistant staining. There was a positive reaction to epithelial membrane antigen and carcinoembryonic antigen. The mitotic index in Ki 67 examination was low. All these findings confirmed the diagnosis of benign CCH.
Slow oscillations orchestrating fast oscillations and memory consolidation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mölle, Matthias; Born, Jan

2011-01-01

Slow-wave sleep (SWS) facilitates the consolidation of hippocampus-dependent declarative memory. Based on the standard two-stage memory model, we propose that memory consolidation during SWS represents a process of system consolidation which is orchestrated by the neocortical memory. The slow oscillations temporally group neuronal activity into up-states of strongly enhanced neuronal activity and down-states of neuronal silence. In a feed-forward efferent action, this grouping is induced not only in the neocortex but also in other structures relevant to consolidation, namely the thalamus generating 10-15Hz spindles, and the hippocampus generating sharp wave-ripples, with the latter well known to accompany a replay of newly encoded memories taking place in hippocampal circuitries. The feed-forward synchronizing effect of the slow oscillation enables the formation of spindle-ripple events where ripples and accompanying reactivated hippocampal memory information become nested into the single troughs of spindles. Spindle-ripple events thus enable reactivated memory-related hippocampal information to be fed back to neocortical networks in the excitable slow oscillation up-state where they can induce enduring plastic synaptic changes underlying the effective formation of long-term memories. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Non-local Thermodynamic Equilibrium Abundance Analyses of the Extreme Helium Stars V652 Her and HD 144941

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pandey, Gajendra; Lambert, David L.

2017-01-01

Optical high-resolution spectra of V652 Her and HD 144941, the two extreme helium stars with exceptionally low C/He ratios, have been subjected to a non-LTE abundance analysis using the tools TLUSTY and SYNSPEC. Defining atmospheric parameters were obtained from a grid of non-LTE atmospheres and a variety of spectroscopic indicators including He i and He ii line profiles, and the ionization equilibrium of ion pairs such as C ii/C iii and N ii/N iii. The various indicators provide a consistent set of atmospheric parameters: T eff = 25,000 ± 300 K, log g = 3.10 ± 0.12(cgs), and ξ = 13 ± 2 km s −1 are provided for V652 Her, and T eff = 22,000 ± 600 K, log g = 3.45 ± 0.15 (cgs), and ξ = 10 km s −1 are provided for HD 144941. In contrast to the non-LTE analyses, the LTE analyses—LTE atmospheres and an LTE line analysis—with the available indicators do not provide a consistent set of atmospheric parameters. The principal non-LTE effect on the elemental abundances is on the neon abundance. It is generally considered that these extreme helium stars with their very low C/He ratio result from the merger of two helium white dwarfs. Indeed, the derived composition of V652 Her is in excellent agreement with predictions by Zhang and Jeffery, who model the slow merger of helium white dwarfs; a slow merger results in the merged star having the composition of the accreted white dwarf. In the case of HD 144941, which appears to have evolved from metal-poor stars, a slow merger is incompatible with the observed composition but variations of the merger rate may account for the observed composition. More detailed theoretical studies of the merger of a pair of helium white dwarfs are to be encouraged.
Non-local Thermodynamic Equilibrium Abundance Analyses of the Extreme Helium Stars V652 Her and HD 144941

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pandey, Gajendra [Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore, 560034 (India); Lambert, David L., E-mail: pandey@iiap.res.in, E-mail: dll@astro.as.utexas.edu [The W.J. McDonald Observatory and Department of Astronomy, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712-1083 (United States)

2017-10-01

Optical high-resolution spectra of V652 Her and HD 144941, the two extreme helium stars with exceptionally low C/He ratios, have been subjected to a non-LTE abundance analysis using the tools TLUSTY and SYNSPEC. Defining atmospheric parameters were obtained from a grid of non-LTE atmospheres and a variety of spectroscopic indicators including He i and He ii line profiles, and the ionization equilibrium of ion pairs such as C ii/C iii and N ii/N iii. The various indicators provide a consistent set of atmospheric parameters: T {sub eff} = 25,000 ± 300 K, log g = 3.10 ± 0.12(cgs), and ξ = 13 ± 2 km s{sup −1} are provided for V652 Her, and T {sub eff} = 22,000 ± 600 K, log g = 3.45 ± 0.15 (cgs), and ξ = 10 km s{sup −1} are provided for HD 144941. In contrast to the non-LTE analyses, the LTE analyses—LTE atmospheres and an LTE line analysis—with the available indicators do not provide a consistent set of atmospheric parameters. The principal non-LTE effect on the elemental abundances is on the neon abundance. It is generally considered that these extreme helium stars with their very low C/He ratio result from the merger of two helium white dwarfs. Indeed, the derived composition of V652 Her is in excellent agreement with predictions by Zhang and Jeffery, who model the slow merger of helium white dwarfs; a slow merger results in the merged star having the composition of the accreted white dwarf. In the case of HD 144941, which appears to have evolved from metal-poor stars, a slow merger is incompatible with the observed composition but variations of the merger rate may account for the observed composition. More detailed theoretical studies of the merger of a pair of helium white dwarfs are to be encouraged.
Slow oscillation amplitudes and up-state lengths relate to memory improvement.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dominik P J Heib

Full Text Available There is growing evidence of the active involvement of sleep in memory consolidation. Besides hippocampal sharp wave-ripple complexes and sleep spindles, slow oscillations appear to play a key role in the process of sleep-associated memory consolidation. Furthermore, slow oscillation amplitude and spectral power increase during the night after learning declarative and procedural memory tasks. However, it is unresolved whether learning-induced changes specifically alter characteristics of individual slow oscillations, such as the slow oscillation up-state length and amplitude, which are believed to be important for neuronal replay. 24 subjects (12 men aged between 20 and 30 years participated in a randomized, within-subject, multicenter study. Subjects slept on three occasions for a whole night in the sleep laboratory with full polysomnography. Whereas the first night only served for adaptation purposes, the two remaining nights were preceded by a declarative word-pair task or by a non-learning control task. Slow oscillations were detected in non-rapid eye movement sleep over electrode Fz. Results indicate positive correlations between the length of the up-state as well as the amplitude of both slow oscillation phases and changes in memory performance from pre to post sleep. We speculate that the prolonged slow oscillation up-state length might extend the timeframe for the transfer of initial hippocampal to long-term cortical memory representations, whereas the increase in slow oscillation amplitudes possibly reflects changes in the net synaptic strength of cortical networks.
Real-time tracking of cell cycle progression during CD8+ effector and memory T-cell differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kinjyo, Ichiko; Qin, Jim; Tan, Sioh-Yang; Wellard, Cameron J; Mrass, Paulus; Ritchie, William; Doi, Atsushi; Cavanagh, Lois L; Tomura, Michio; Sakaue-Sawano, Asako; Kanagawa, Osami; Miyawaki, Atsushi; Hodgkin, Philip D; Weninger, Wolfgang

2015-02-24

The precise pathways of memory T-cell differentiation are incompletely understood. Here we exploit transgenic mice expressing fluorescent cell cycle indicators to longitudinally track the division dynamics of individual CD8(+) T cells. During influenza virus infection in vivo, naive T cells enter a CD62L(intermediate) state of fast proliferation, which continues for at least nine generations. At the peak of the anti-viral immune response, a subpopulation of these cells markedly reduces their cycling speed and acquires a CD62L(hi) central memory cell phenotype. Construction of T-cell family division trees in vitro reveals two patterns of proliferation dynamics. While cells initially divide rapidly with moderate stochastic variations of cycling times after each generation, a slow-cycling subpopulation displaying a CD62L(hi) memory phenotype appears after eight divisions. Phenotype and cell cycle duration are inherited by the progeny of slow cyclers. We propose that memory precursors cell-intrinsically modulate their proliferative activity to diversify differentiation pathways.
The slowness I cherish: An attempt at sociological and political self-analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Lannoy

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Providing short accounts of personal experiences of slow travelling, the paper analyses the dimensions that, in the eyes of the author, lend these practices a genuine consistency and value. ‘Slow travel’, however, is not just a personal aspiration; it is also promoted as a fully-fledged policy, under the name of ‘slow tourism’. Yet, does the policy’s slowness reflect the same type of experiences as those that bring so much personal satisfaction to the author? The paper answers this question through a detailed self-analysis of the conditions for personal enjoyment of slow travel experiences; it demonstrates that ‘un-embeddedness’, unusual body sensations and techniques, visual anticipation, and symbolic isolation are its main ingredients. These dimensions are then compared with the policy principles of ‘slow tourism’, arguing that these two forms of slowness share nothing in common but their name, because they prove to be based on radically distinct enjoyment structures.
Late-type components of slow novae and symbiotic stars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Allen, D A [Anglo-Australian Observatory, Epping (Australia); Royal Observatory, Edinburgh (UK))

1980-08-01

It is argued that the various types of symbiotic stars and the slow novae are the same phenomena exhibiting a range of associated time-scales, the slow novae being of intermediate speed. Evidence is summarized showing that both types of object contain normal M giants or mira variables. This fact is at odds with currently fashionable single-star models for slow novae, according to which the M star is totally disrupted before the outburst. Spectral types of the late-type components are presented for nearly 80 symbiotic stars and slow novae, derived from 2 ..mu..m spectroscopy. It is found that both the intensity of the emission spectrum and the electron density of the gas are functions of the spectral type of the late-type star. Explanations for these correlations are given. On the assumption that the late-type components are normal giants, spectroscopic parallaxes are determined; credible distances are derived which indicate that the known symbiotic stars have been sampled as far afield as the Galactic Centre. Hydrogen shell flashes on a white dwarf accreting gas from the late-type components offer an attractive explanation of the phenomena of slow novae and symbiotic stars, and such models are discussed in the concluding section.
Ground-state magneto-optical resonances in cesium vapor confined in an extremely thin cell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andreeva, C.; Cartaleva, S.; Petrov, L.; Slavov, D.; Atvars, A.; Auzinsh, M.; Blush, K.

2007-01-01

Experimental and theoretical studies are presented related to the ground-state magneto-optical resonance observed in cesium vapor confined in an extremely thin cell (ETC), with thickness equal to the wavelength of the irradiating light. It is shown that utilization of the ETC allows one to examine the formation of a magneto-optical resonance on the individual hyperfine transitions, thus distinguishing processes resulting in dark (reduced absorption) or bright (enhanced absorption) resonance formation. We report experimental evidence of bright magneto-optical resonance sign reversal in Cs atoms confined in an ETC. A theoretical model is proposed based on the optical Bloch equations that involves the elastic interaction processes of atoms in the ETC with its walls, resulting in depolarization of the Cs excited state, which is polarized by the exciting radiation. This depolarization leads to the sign reversal of the bright resonance. Using the proposed model, the magneto-optical resonance amplitude and width as a function of laser power are calculated and compared with the experimental ones. The numerical results are in good agreement with those of experiment
Continuous neutron slowing down theory applied to resonances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Segev, M.

1977-01-01

Neutronic formalisms that discretize the neutron slowing down equations in large numerical intervals currently account for the bulk effect of resonances in a given interval by the narrow resonance approximation (NRA). The NRA reduces the original problem to an efficient numerical formalism through two assumptions: resonance narrowness with respect to the scattering bands in the slowing down equations and resonance narrowness with respect to the numerical intervals. Resonances at low energies are narrow neither with respect to the slowing down ranges nor with respect to the numerical intervals, which are usually of a fixed lethargy width. Thus, there are resonances to which the NRA is not applicable. To stay away from the NRA, the continuous slowing down (CSD) theory of Stacey was invoked. The theory is based on a linear expansion in lethargy of the collision density in integrals of the slowing down equations and had notable success in various problems. Applying CSD theory to the assessment of bulk resonance effects raises the problem of obtaining efficient quadratures for integrals involved in the definition of the so-called ''moderating parameter.'' The problem was solved by two approximations: (a) the integrals were simplified through a rationale, such that the correct integrals were reproduced for very narrow or very wide resonances, and (b) the temperature-broadened resonant line shapes were replaced by nonbroadened line shapes to enable analytical integration. The replacement was made in such a way that the integrated capture and scattering probabilities in each resonance were preserved. The resulting formalism is more accurate than the narrow-resonance formalisms and is equally as efficient
Expression of multiple slow myosin heavy chain genes reveals a diversity of zebrafish slow twitch muscle fibres with differing requirements for Hedgehog and Prdm1 activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Elworthy, Stone; Hargrave, Murray; Knight, Robert; Mebus, Katharina; Ingham, Philip W

2008-06-01

The zebrafish embryo develops a series of anatomically distinct slow twitch muscle fibres that characteristically express genes encoding lineage-specific isoforms of sarcomeric proteins such as MyHC and troponin. We show here that different subsets of these slow fibres express distinct members of a tandem array of slow MyHC genes. The first slow twitch muscle fibres to differentiate, which are specified by the activity of the transcription factor Prdm1 (also called Ubo or Blimp1) in response to Hedgehog (Hh) signalling, express the smyhc1 gene. Subsequently, secondary slow twitch fibres differentiate in most cases independently of Hh activity. We find that although some of these later-forming fibres also express smyhc1, others express smyhc2 or smyhc3. We show that the smyhc1-positive fibres express the ubo (prdm1) gene and adopt fast twitch fibre characteristics in the absence of Prdm1 activity, whereas those that do not express smyhc1 can differentiate independently of Prdm1 function. Conversely, some smyhc2-expressing fibres, although independent of Prdm1 function, require Hh activity to form. The adult trunk slow fibres express smyhc2 and smyhc3, but lack smyhc1 expression. The different slow fibres in the craniofacial muscles variously express smyhc1, smyhc2 and smyhc3, and all differentiate independently of Prdm1.
Applications of Slow Light in Telecommunications

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Boyd, Robert W; Gauthier, Daniel J; Gaeta, Alexander L

2006-01-01

.... Now, optical scientists are turning their attention toward developing useful applications of slow light, including controllable optical delay lines, optical buffers and true time delay methods...
Rapid adaptation of microalgae to bodies of water with extreme pollution from uranium mining: An explanation of how mesophilic organisms can rapidly colonise extremely toxic environments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

García-Balboa, C.; Baselga-Cervera, B. [Genetica, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid (Spain); García-Sanchez, A.; Igual, J.M. [Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC), PO Box 257, 37071 Salamanca (Spain); Lopez-Rodas, V. [Genetica, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Costas, E., E-mail: ecostas@vet.ucm.es [Genetica, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid (Spain)

2013-11-15

Highlights: •Some microalgae species survive to extreme environments in ponds of residual waters from uranium mining. •Adaptation of microalgae to U arose very fast. •Spontaneous mutations that confer large adaptive value were able to produce the adaptation to residual waters of U mining. •Adaptation to more extreme waters of U mining is only possible after the recombination subsequent to sexual mating. •Resistant microalgae bio-adsorbs uranium to the cell wall and internalises uranium inside the cytoplasm. -- Abstract: Extreme environments may support communities of microalgae living at the limits of their tolerance. It is usually assumed that these extreme environments are inhabited by extremophile species. However, global anthropogenic environmental changes are generating new extreme environments, such as mining-effluent pools of residual waters from uranium mining with high U levels, acidity and radioactivity in Salamanca (Spain). Certain microalgal species have rapidly adapted to these extreme waters (uranium mining in this area began in 1960). Experiments have demonstrated that physiological acclimatisation would be unable to achieve adaptation. In contrast, rapid genetic adaptation was observed in waters ostensibly lethal to microalgae by means of rare spontaneous mutations that occurred prior to the exposure to effluent waters from uranium mining. However, adaptation to the most extreme conditions was only possible after recombination through sexual mating because adaptation requires more than one mutation. Microalgae living in extreme environments could be the descendants of pre-selective mutants that confer significant adaptive value to extreme contamination. These “lucky mutants” could allow for the evolutionary rescue of populations faced with rapid environmental change.
Rapid adaptation of microalgae to bodies of water with extreme pollution from uranium mining: An explanation of how mesophilic organisms can rapidly colonise extremely toxic environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

García-Balboa, C.; Baselga-Cervera, B.; García-Sanchez, A.; Igual, J.M.; Lopez-Rodas, V.; Costas, E.

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Some microalgae species survive to extreme environments in ponds of residual waters from uranium mining. •Adaptation of microalgae to U arose very fast. •Spontaneous mutations that confer large adaptive value were able to produce the adaptation to residual waters of U mining. •Adaptation to more extreme waters of U mining is only possible after the recombination subsequent to sexual mating. •Resistant microalgae bio-adsorbs uranium to the cell wall and internalises uranium inside the cytoplasm. -- Abstract: Extreme environments may support communities of microalgae living at the limits of their tolerance. It is usually assumed that these extreme environments are inhabited by extremophile species. However, global anthropogenic environmental changes are generating new extreme environments, such as mining-effluent pools of residual waters from uranium mining with high U levels, acidity and radioactivity in Salamanca (Spain). Certain microalgal species have rapidly adapted to these extreme waters (uranium mining in this area began in 1960). Experiments have demonstrated that physiological acclimatisation would be unable to achieve adaptation. In contrast, rapid genetic adaptation was observed in waters ostensibly lethal to microalgae by means of rare spontaneous mutations that occurred prior to the exposure to effluent waters from uranium mining. However, adaptation to the most extreme conditions was only possible after recombination through sexual mating because adaptation requires more than one mutation. Microalgae living in extreme environments could be the descendants of pre-selective mutants that confer significant adaptive value to extreme contamination. These “lucky mutants” could allow for the evolutionary rescue of populations faced with rapid environmental change
Essential Data and Techniques for Conducting Microbial Fuel Cell and other Types of Bioelectrochemical System Experiments

KAUST Repository

Logan, Bruce E.

2012-01-01

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and other bioelectrochemical systems are new technologies that require expertise in a variety of technical areas, ranging from electrochemistry to biological wastewater treatment. There are certain data and critical information that should be included in every MFC study, such as specific surface area of the electrodes, solution conductivity, and power densities normalized to electrode surface area and volumes. Electrochemical techniques such as linear sweep voltammetry can be used to understand the performance of the MFC, but extremely slow scans are required for these biological systems compared to more traditional fuel cells. In this Minireview, the critical information needed for MFC studies is provided with examples of how results can be better conveyed through a full description of materials, the use of proper controls, and inclusion of a more complete electrochemical analysis. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Essential Data and Techniques for Conducting Microbial Fuel Cell and other Types of Bioelectrochemical System Experiments

KAUST Repository

Logan, Bruce E.

2012-04-19

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and other bioelectrochemical systems are new technologies that require expertise in a variety of technical areas, ranging from electrochemistry to biological wastewater treatment. There are certain data and critical information that should be included in every MFC study, such as specific surface area of the electrodes, solution conductivity, and power densities normalized to electrode surface area and volumes. Electrochemical techniques such as linear sweep voltammetry can be used to understand the performance of the MFC, but extremely slow scans are required for these biological systems compared to more traditional fuel cells. In this Minireview, the critical information needed for MFC studies is provided with examples of how results can be better conveyed through a full description of materials, the use of proper controls, and inclusion of a more complete electrochemical analysis. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Individualized Education Program (IEP Mata Pelajaran Kimia untuk Siswa Slow Learner

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rovik Rovik

2017-06-01

[Siswa slow learner menempati populasi tertinggi untuk siswa berkebutuhan khusus. Sebagai salah satu jenis learning disability, slow learner masih dapat belajar dengan teman sebayanya asalkan guru mempersiapkan program pembelajaran khusus yang telah dimodifikasi dari pembelajaran reguler. Program ini disebut Individualized Education Program (IEP. Penelitian ini mencoba mengembangkan IEP mata pelajaran kimia untuk slow learner, mengidentifikasi komponen yang dibutuhkan dalam menyusun IEP untuk slow learner, dan menganalisis judgement reviewers (guru kimia dan guru pendamping khusus dan peer reviewers terhadap IEP yang dikembangkan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan slow learner membutuhkan IEP sebagai dokumen utama panduan guru dalam pembelajaran kimia di kelas. Komponen pengembangan IEP meliputi identitas peserta didik, tim pengembangan dan pelaksana, asesmen yang pernah dilakukan, hambatan dan kekuatan, kebutuhan dan perlakuan, faktor pendukung dan penghambat, rencana perlakuan, dan modifikasi terhadap perangkat pembelajaran kimia reguler
Magnetic-field-dependent slow light in strontium atom-cavity system

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zeng-Xing; Wang, Bao; Kong, Cui; Xiong, Hao; Wu, Ying

2018-03-01

Realizing and controlling a long-lived slow light is of fundamental importance in physics and may find applications in quantum router and quantum information processing. In this work, we propose a feasible scheme to realize the slow light in a strontium atom-cavity system, in which the value of group delay can be continuously adjusted within a range of different Zeeman splittings and vacuum Rabi frequencies by varying the applied static magnetic field and the atom number instead of a strong coherent field. In our scheme, the major limitations of the slow-light structure, namely, dispersion and loss, can be effectively resolved, and so our scheme may help to achieve the practical application of slow light relevant to the optical communication network.
Electrodeposition of CdSe coatings on ZnO nanowire arrays for extremely thin absorber solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Majidi, Hasti [Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (United States); Baxter, Jason B., E-mail: jbaxter@drexel.ed [Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (United States)

2011-02-15

We report on electrodeposition of CdSe coatings onto ZnO nanowire arrays and determine the effect of processing conditions on material properties such as morphology and microstructure. CdSe-coated ZnO nanowire arrays have potential use in extremely thin absorber (ETA) solar cells, where CdSe absorbs visible light and injects photoexcited electrons into the ZnO nanowires. We show that room-temperature electrodeposition enables growth of CdSe coatings that are highly crystalline, uniform, and conformal with precise control over thickness and microstructure. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy show nanocrystalline CdSe in both hexagonal and cubic phases with grain size {approx}5 nm. Coating morphology depends on electrodeposition current density. Uniform and conformal coatings were achieved using moderate current densities of {approx}2 mA cm{sup -2} for nanowires with roughness factor of {approx}10, while lower current densities resulted in sparse nucleation and growth of larger, isolated islands. Electrodeposition charge density controls the thickness of the CdSe coating, which was exploited to investigate the evolution of the morphology at early stages of nucleation and growth. UV-vis transmission spectroscopy and photoelectrochemical solar cell measurements demonstrate that CdSe effectively sensitizes ZnO nanowires to visible light.
Electrodeposition of CdSe coatings on ZnO nanowire arrays for extremely thin absorber solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Majidi, Hasti; Baxter, Jason B.

2011-01-01

We report on electrodeposition of CdSe coatings onto ZnO nanowire arrays and determine the effect of processing conditions on material properties such as morphology and microstructure. CdSe-coated ZnO nanowire arrays have potential use in extremely thin absorber (ETA) solar cells, where CdSe absorbs visible light and injects photoexcited electrons into the ZnO nanowires. We show that room-temperature electrodeposition enables growth of CdSe coatings that are highly crystalline, uniform, and conformal with precise control over thickness and microstructure. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy show nanocrystalline CdSe in both hexagonal and cubic phases with grain size ∼5 nm. Coating morphology depends on electrodeposition current density. Uniform and conformal coatings were achieved using moderate current densities of ∼2 mA cm -2 for nanowires with roughness factor of ∼10, while lower current densities resulted in sparse nucleation and growth of larger, isolated islands. Electrodeposition charge density controls the thickness of the CdSe coating, which was exploited to investigate the evolution of the morphology at early stages of nucleation and growth. UV-vis transmission spectroscopy and photoelectrochemical solar cell measurements demonstrate that CdSe effectively sensitizes ZnO nanowires to visible light.
Slow light in semiconductor waveguides: Theory and experiment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mørk, Jesper; Öhman, Filip; Poel, Mike van der

2007-01-01

Slow light in multi-section quantum well waveguide structure is realized using either coherent population oscillations (CPO) and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is studied. The properties of the two schemes are compared and discussed.......Slow light in multi-section quantum well waveguide structure is realized using either coherent population oscillations (CPO) and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is studied. The properties of the two schemes are compared and discussed....
Numerical simulation of floating bodies in extreme free surface waves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Z. Hu

2011-02-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we use the in-house Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD flow code AMAZON-SC as a numerical wave tank (NWT to study wave loading on a wave energy converter (WEC device in heave motion. This is a surface-capturing method for two fluid flows that treats the free surface as contact surface in the density field that is captured automatically without special provision. A time-accurate artificial compressibility method and high resolution Godunov-type scheme are employed in both fluid regions (air/water. The Cartesian cut cell method can provide a boundary-fitted mesh for a complex geometry with no requirement to re-mesh globally or even locally for moving geometry, requiring only changes to cut cell data at the body contour. Extreme wave boundary conditions are prescribed in an empty NWT and compared with physical experiments prior to calculations of extreme waves acting on a floating Bobber-type device. The validation work also includes the wave force on a fixed cylinder compared with theoretical and experimental data under regular waves. Results include free surface elevations, vertical displacement of the float, induced vertical velocity and heave force for a typical Bobber geometry with a hemispherical base under extreme wave conditions.
Extreme cosmos

CERN Document Server

Gaensler, Bryan

2011-01-01

The universe is all about extremes. Space has a temperature 270°C below freezing. Stars die in catastrophic supernova explosions a billion times brighter than the Sun. A black hole can generate 10 million trillion volts of electricity. And hypergiants are stars 2 billion kilometres across, larger than the orbit of Jupiter. Extreme Cosmos provides a stunning new view of the way the Universe works, seen through the lens of extremes: the fastest, hottest, heaviest, brightest, oldest, densest and even the loudest. This is an astronomy book that not only offers amazing facts and figures but also re
Changes in Extremely Hot Summers over the Global Land Area under Various Warming Targets.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lei; Huang, Jianbin; Luo, Yong; Yao, Yao; Zhao, Zongci

2015-01-01

Summer temperature extremes over the global land area were investigated by comparing 26 models of the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) with observations from the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) and the Climate Research Unit (CRU). Monthly data of the observations and models were averaged for each season, and statistics were calculated for individual models before averaging them to obtain ensemble means. The summers with temperature anomalies (relative to 1951-1980) exceeding 3σ (σ is based on the local internal variability) are defined as "extremely hot". The models well reproduced the statistical characteristics evolution, and partly captured the spatial distributions of historical summer temperature extremes. If the global mean temperature increases 2°C relative to the pre-industrial level, "extremely hot" summers are projected to occur over nearly 40% of the land area (multi-model ensemble mean projection). Summers that exceed 5σ warming are projected to occur over approximately 10% of the global land area, which were rarely observed during the reference period. Scenarios reaching warming levels of 3°C to 5°C were also analyzed. After exceeding the 5°C warming target, "extremely hot" summers are projected to occur throughout the entire global land area, and summers that exceed 5σ warming would become common over 70% of the land area. In addition, the areas affected by "extremely hot" summers are expected to rapidly expand by more than 25%/°C as the global mean temperature increases by up to 3°C before slowing to less than 16%/°C as the temperature continues to increase by more than 3°C. The area that experiences summers with warming of 5σ or more above the warming target of 2°C is likely to maintain rapid expansion of greater than 17%/°C. To reduce the impacts and damage from severely hot summers, the global mean temperature increase should remain low.
Simplified slow anti-coincidence circuit for Compton suppression systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Azmi, Darwish

2008-01-01

Slow coincidence circuits for the anti-coincidence measurements have been considered for use in Compton suppression technique. The simplified version of the slow circuit has been found to be fast enough, satisfactory and allows an easy system setup, particularly with the advantage of the automatic threshold setting of the low-level discrimination. A well-type NaI detector as the main detector surrounded by plastic guard detector has been arranged to investigate the performance of the Compton suppression spectrometer using the simplified slow circuit. The system has been tested to observe the improvement in the energy spectra for medium to high-energy gamma-ray photons from terrestrial and environmental samples
Slowing down of 100 keV antiprotons in Al foils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Nordlund

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Using energy degrading foils to slow down antiprotons is of interest for producing antihydrogen atoms. I consider here the slowing down of 100 keV antiprotons, that will be produced in the ELENA storage ring under construction at CERN, to energies below 10 keV. At these low energies, they are suitable for efficient antihydrogen production. I simulate the antihydrogen motion and slowing down in Al foils using a recently developed molecular dynamics approach. The results show that the optimal Al foil thickness for slowing down the antiprotons to below 5 keV is 910 nm, and to below 10 keV is 840 nm. Also the lateral spreading of the transmitted antiprotons is reported and the uncertainties discussed. Keywords: Antiprotons, Stopping power, Slowing down, Molecular dynamics
Fast wave current drive above the slow wave density limit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McWilliams, R.; Sheehan, D.P.; Wolf, N.S.; Edrich, D.

1989-01-01

Fast wave and slow wave current drive near the mean gyrofrequency were compared in the Irvine Torus using distinct phased array antennae of similar principal wavelengths, frequencies, and input powers. The slow wave current drive density limit was measured for 50ω ci ≤ω≤500ω ci and found to agree with trends in tokamaks. Fast wave current drive was observed at densities up to the operating limit of the torus, demonstrably above the slow wave density limit
Hybrid metal-dielectric, slow wave structure with magnetic coupling and compensation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smirnov, A.V., E-mail: asmirnov@radiabeam.com [RadiaBeam Systems LLC, 1713 Stewart St., Santa Monica, CA 90404 (United States); Savin, E. [RadiaBeam Systems LLC, 1713 Stewart St., Santa Monica, CA 90404 (United States); National Research Nuclear University “MEPhI”, Moscow 115409 (Russian Federation)

2016-06-01

A number of electron beam vacuum devices such as small radiofrequency (RF) linear accelerators (linacs) and microwave traveling wave tubes (TWTs) utilize slow wave structures which are usually rather complicated in production and may require multi-step brazing and time consuming tuning. Fabrication of these devices becomes challenging at centimeter wavelengths, at large number of cells, and when a series or mass production of such structures is required. A hybrid, metal-dielectric, periodic structure for low gradient, low beam current applications is introduced here as a modification of Andreev’s disk-and-washer (DaW) structure. Compensated type of coupling between even and odd TE01 modes in the novel structure results in negative group velocity with absolute values as high as 0.1c–0.2c demonstrated in simulations. Sensitivity to material imperfections and electrodynamic parameters of the disk-and-ring (DaR) structure are considered numerically using a single cell model.
Slow magnetic monopoles search in NOvA

Science.gov (United States)

Antoshkin, Alexander; Frank, Martin

2018-04-01

The NOvA far detector is well suited for finding exotic particles due to its technical features (see [1]). One type of those exotic particles is a "slow" magnetic monopole. It is assumed that the energy deposition of such monopoles should be enough to be registered (see [2]). Measurement of the expected signals was performed on the NOvA test bench at JINR (see [3]). Result of this measurement allows us to perform slow monopole's research using NOvA software and hardware with high efficiency. As a whole, the research can lead to a discovery, or it can limit the existence of monopoles in a wide range of parameters, previously unreachable in other experiments (MACRO, SLIM, RICE, IceCube). Several special software tools have been developed. Slow Monopole Trigger has been created and implemented in the NOvA Data-Driven-Trigger system. Also, an online reconstruction algorithm has been developed and tested on 5% of the data. A technical description of these tools and current results of the analysis are presented in this work.
Slow dynamics in translation-invariant quantum lattice models

Science.gov (United States)

Michailidis, Alexios A.; Žnidarič, Marko; Medvedyeva, Mariya; Abanin, Dmitry A.; Prosen, Tomaž; Papić, Z.

2018-03-01

Many-body quantum systems typically display fast dynamics and ballistic spreading of information. Here we address the open problem of how slow the dynamics can be after a generic breaking of integrability by local interactions. We develop a method based on degenerate perturbation theory that reveals slow dynamical regimes and delocalization processes in general translation invariant models, along with accurate estimates of their delocalization time scales. Our results shed light on the fundamental questions of the robustness of quantum integrable systems and the possibility of many-body localization without disorder. As an example, we construct a large class of one-dimensional lattice models where, despite the absence of asymptotic localization, the transient dynamics is exceptionally slow, i.e., the dynamics is indistinguishable from that of many-body localized systems for the system sizes and time scales accessible in experiments and numerical simulations.
Mutually-modulated cross-gain modulation and slow light

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sternklar, Shmuel; Sarid, Eyal; Wart, Maxim; Granot, Er'el

2010-01-01

The interaction of pump and Stokes light in a Brillouin medium, where both beams are modulated, can be utilized for controlling the group velocity of the amplified Stokes (or depleted pump). The dependence of the group velocity for this mutually-modulated cross-gain modulation (MMXGM) technique on the Brillouin gain parameter is studied. A sharp transition to slow light occurs in the G 1 α/β≈1 regime, where G 1 is the Brillouin gain parameter, and α and β are the pump and Stokes modulation indices, respectively. A comparison of MMXGM slow light to the Brillouin dispersion-based slow-light technique reveals the fundamental differences between them. The formation of higher harmonics of the modulation frequency is also discussed. The theoretical predictions are experimentally corroborated and potential applications in fiber-based sensing and interferometry are discussed
On the reasons for bombarding uranium with slow neutrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Diyu

1997-01-01

Form the concepts of slow neutrons, the binding energy and the excitation energy of complex nuclei, and the activation energy in nuclear fission, the four reasons for bombarding uranium with slow neutrons are summed up. Not only the reasons for uranium fission are brought in light, but also the micromechanism is dealt with
Further outlooks: extremely uncomfortable; Die weiteren Aussichten: extrem ungemuetlich

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Resenhoeft, T.

2006-07-01

Climate is changing extremely in the last decades. Scientists dealing with extreme weather, should not only stare at computer simulations. They have also to turn towards psyche, seriously personal experiences, knowing statistics, relativise supposed sensational reports and last not least collecting more data. (GL)
Exploring carrier dynamics in semiconductors for slow light

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mørk, Jesper; Xue, Weiqi; Chen, Yaohui

2009-01-01

We give an overview of recent results on slow and fast light in active semiconductor waveguides. The cases of coherent population oscillations as well as electromagnetically induced transparency are covered, emphasizing the physics and fundamental limitations.......We give an overview of recent results on slow and fast light in active semiconductor waveguides. The cases of coherent population oscillations as well as electromagnetically induced transparency are covered, emphasizing the physics and fundamental limitations....
Xeroderma pigmentosum variants have a slow recovery of DNA synthesis after irradiation with ultraviolet light

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cleaver, J.E.; Thomas, G.H.; Park, S.D.

1979-01-01

Human cells (normal and xeroderma pigmentosum variant) irradiated with ultraviolet light and pulse-labelled with [ 3 H]thymidine underwent transient decline and recovery of molecular weights of newly synthesized DNA and rates of [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation. The ability of synthesize normal-sized DNA recovered more rapidly in both cell types than thymidine incorporation. During recovery cells steadily increased in their ability to replicate normalsized DNA on damaged templates. The molecular weight versus time curves fitted exponential functions with similar rate constants in normal and heterozygous xeroderma pigmentosum cells, but with a slower rate in two xeroderma pigmentosum variant cell lines. Caffeine added during the post-irradiation period eliminated the recovery of molecular weights in xeroderma pigmentsoum variant but not in normal cells. The recovery of the ability to synthesize normal-sized DNA represents a combination of a number of cellular regulatory processes, some of which are constitutive, and one of which is altered in the xeroderma pigmentosum variant such that recovery becomes slow and caffeine sensitive. (Auth.)
Azimuthal asymmetry of slow particles in high energy nuclear interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarkar, Subir; Goswami, T.D.

2002-01-01

An asymmetry in the angular distribution of slow particles in the azimuthal plane has been observed during high energy nuclear disintegration of photo emulsion nuclei exposed to 1.8 GeV/c k - and 20 GeV/c protons. The mechanism of disintegration is not in accordance with the cascade-evaporation model, which is based on isotropic emission of slow particles. Deviation from isotropy indicates that some of the slow particles might be emitted well before the thermal equilibrium is reached in the disintegrating system. (author)

What are extreme environmental conditions and how do organisms cope with them?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John C. WINGFIELD, J. Patrick KELLEY, Frédéric ANGELIER

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Severe environmental conditions affect organisms in two major ways. The environment may be predictably severe such as in deserts, polar and alpine regions, or individuals may be exposed to temporarily extreme conditions through weather, presence of predators, lack of food, social status etc. Existence in an extreme environment may be possible, but then to breed or molt in addition can present major bottlenecks that have resulted in the evolution of hormone-behavior adaptations to cope with unpredictable events. Examples of hormone-behavior adaptations in extreme conditions include attenuated testosterone secretion because territoriality and excess courtship may be too costly when there is one opportunity to reproduce. The individual may even become insensitive to testosterone when target areas of the brain regulating reproductive behavior no longer respond to the hormone. A second example is reduced sensitivity to glucocorticoids following acute stress during the breeding season or molt that allows successful reproduction and/or a vital renewal of the integument to endure extreme conditions during the rest of the year. Reduced sensitivity could involve: (a modulated response of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis, (b reduced sensitivity to high glucocorticoid levels, or (c a combination of (a and (b. Moreover, corticosteroid binding proteins (CBP buffer responses to stress by reducing the movement of glucocorticoids into target cells. Finally, intracellular enzymes (11b-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and variants can deactivate glucocorticoids entering cells thus reducing interaction with receptors. These mechanisms have important implications for climate change and increasing extremes of weather [Current Zoology 57 (3: 363–374, 2011].
Enhancing the sensitivity of slow light MZI biosensors through multi-hole defects

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Kun; Zhao, Yiliang; Hu, Shuren; Weiss, Sharon M.

2018-02-01

We demonstrate enhanced detection sensitivity of a slow light Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) sensor by incorporating multi-hole defects (MHDs). Slow light MZI biosensors with a one-dimensional photonic crystal in one arm have been previously shown to improve the performance of traditional MZI sensors based on the increased lightmatter interaction that takes place in the photonic crystal region of the structure. Introducing MHDs in the photonic crystal region increases the available surface area for molecular attachment and further increases the enhanced lightmatter interaction capability of slow light MZIs. The MHDs allow analyte to interact with a greater fraction of the guided wave in the MZI. For a slow light MHD MZI sensor with a 16 μm long sensing arm, a bulk sensitivity of 151,000 rad/RIU-cm is demonstrated experimentally, which is approximately two-fold higher than our previously reported slow light MZI sensors and thirteen-fold higher than traditional MZI biosensors with millimeter length sensing regions. For the label-free detection of nucleic acids, the slow light MZI with MHDs also exhibits a two-fold sensitivity improvement in experiment compared to the slow light MZI without MHDs. Because the detection sensitivity of slow light MHD MZIs scales with the length of the sensing arm, the tradeoff between detection limit and device size can be appropriately mitigated for different applications. All experimental results presented in this work are in good agreement with finite difference-time domain-calculations. Overall, the slow light MZI biosensors with MHDs are a promising platform for highly sensitive and multiplexed lab-on-chip systems.
Etching of semiconductor cubic crystals: Determination of the dissolution slowness surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Tellier, C. R.

1990-03-01

Equations of the representative surface of dissolution slowness for cubic crystals are determined in the framework of a tensorial approach of the orientation-dependent etching process. The independent dissolution constants are deduced from symmetry considerations. Using previous data on the chemical etching of germanium and gallium arsenide crystals, some possible polar diagrams of the dissolution slowness are proposed. A numerical and graphical simulation method is used to obtain the derived dissolution shapes. The influence of extrema in the dissolution slowness on the successive dissolution shapes is also examined. A graphical construction of limiting shapes of etched crystals appears possible using the tensorial representation of the dissolution slowness.
Slow and Fast Light, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — In response to the NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program 2015 Phase I Solicitation S3.08: Slow and Fast Light, Torch Technologies in partnership...
Perceptions of the Slow Food Cultural Trend among the Youth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lelia Voinea

2016-11-01

Full Text Available As they become increasingly aware of the importance of healthy eating and of the serious food imbalance caused by the overconsumption of industrial, ultra-processed and superorganoleptic food, consumers are now beginning to turn their attention to food choices guaranteeing both individual health and also of the environment . Thus, in recent years we are witnessing the rise of a cultural trend ‒ Slow Food. Slow Food has become an international movement that advocates for satisfying culinary pleasure, protects biological and cultural diversity, spread taste education, links "green" producers to consumers and believes that gastronomy intersects with politics, agriculture and ecology. Slow Food proposes a holistic approach to food problem, where the economic, sociocultural and environmental aspects are interlinked, being pursued as part of an overall strategy. In order to highlight the manner in which the principles of this cultural trend are perceived by the representatives of the new generation of consumers in Romania, exploratory research marketing was conducted among the students in the second year of the master’s program Quality Management, Expertise and Consumer Protection, from the Faculty of Business and Tourism from the Buchares t University of Economic Studies . The results of this research have shown an insufficient knowledge of Slow Food phenomenon and, especially, the Slow Food network activity in Romania. To show that the Slow Food type of food is a healthier option towards which the future consumer demand should be guided, especially those belonging to the younger generation, an antithetical comparative analysis of the nutritional value of two menus was performed: a suggestive one for the Slow Food feeding style and other one, specific to the fast food style. Slow Food style was considered antithetical to the fast food because many previous studies have shown a preference of the young for the fast-food type products, despite the
Concepts for a slow-positron target at the advanced photon source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lessner, E.; White, M.

1997-01-01

The Advanced Photon Source (APS) linear accelerator beam could be used to produce slow positrons during the hours between the storage ring injection cycles. Initial concepts for the design of a target that is optimized for slow-positron production are discussed, and simulation results are presented. Some possible ways to increase the nominal linac beam power for improved slow-positron production are also discussed
Implications of the Deep Minimum for Slow Solar Wind Origin

Science.gov (United States)

Antiochos, S. K.; Mikic, Z.; Lionello, R.; Titov, V. S.; Linker, J. A.

2009-12-01

The origin of the slow solar wind has long been one of the most important problems in solar/heliospheric physics. Two observational constraints make this problem especially challenging. First, the slow wind has the composition of the closed-field corona, unlike the fast wind that originates on open field lines. Second, the slow wind has substantial angular extent, of order 30 degrees, which is much larger than the widths observed for streamer stalks or the widths expected theoretically for a dynamic heliospheric current sheet. We propose that the slow wind originates from an intricate network of narrow (possibly singular) open-field corridors that emanate from the polar coronal hole regions. Using topological arguments, we show that these corridors must be ubiquitous in the solar corona. The total solar eclipse in August 2008, near the lowest point of the Deep Minimum, affords an ideal opportunity to test this theory by using the ultra-high resolution Predictive Science's (PSI) eclipse model for the corona and wind. Analysis of the PSI eclipse model demonstrates that the extent and scales of the open-field corridors can account for both the angular width of the slow wind and its closed-field composition. We discuss the implications of our slow wind theory for the structure of the corona and heliosphere at the Deep Minimum and describe further observational and theoretical tests. This work has been supported by the NASA HTP, SR&T, and LWS programs.
Long-Term Control of HIV-1 in Hemophiliacs Carrying Slow-Progressing Allele HLA-B*5101▿ †

Science.gov (United States)

Kawashima, Yuka; Kuse, Nozomi; Gatanaga, Hiroyuki; Naruto, Takuya; Fujiwara, Mamoru; Dohki, Sachi; Akahoshi, Tomohiro; Maenaka, Katsumi; Goulder, Philip; Oka, Shinichi; Takiguchi, Masafumi

2010-01-01

HLA-B*51 alleles are reported to be associated with slow disease progression to AIDS, but the mechanism underlying this association is still unclear. In the present study, we analyzed the effect of HLA-B*5101 on clinical outcome for Japanese hemophiliacs who had been infected with HIV-1 before 1985 and had been recruited in 1998 for this study. HLA-B*5101+ hemophiliacs exhibited significantly slow progression. The analysis of HLA-B*5101-restricted HIV-1-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses to 4 HLA-B*-restricted epitopes in 10 antiretroviral-therapy (ART)-free HLA-B*5101+ hemophiliacs showed that the frequency of Pol283-8-specific CD8+ T cells was inversely correlated with the viral load, whereas the frequencies of CD8+ T cells specific for 3 other epitopes were positively correlated with the viral load. The HLA-B*5101+ hemophiliacs whose HIV-1 replication had been controlled for approximately 25 years had HIV-1 possessing the wild-type Pol283-8 sequence or the Pol283-8V mutant, which does not critically affect T-cell recognition, whereas other HLA-B*5101+ hemophiliacs had HIV-1 with escape mutations in this epitope. The results suggest that the control of HIV-1 over approximately 25 years in HLA-B*5101-positive hemophiliacs is associated with a Pol283-8-specific CD8+ T-cell response and that lack of control of HIV-1 is associated with the appearance of Pol283-8-specific escape mutants. PMID:20410273
Effects of resistance training on fast- and slow-twitch muscles in rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Umnova

2010-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of resistance training (RT on muscle strength, the dependence of that on the fast-twitch (FT and slow-twitch (ST fibers hypertrophy, nuclear domain size, synthesis and degradation rate of contractile proteins and on the expression of myosin isoforms’. 16 weeks old Wistar rats were trained on a vertical treadmill for six days a week during six weeks. The power of exercise increased 4.9% per session. In RT group the mass of studied muscles increased about 10%, hindlimb grip strength increased from 5.20±0.27 N/100g bw to the 6.05±0.29 N/100g bw (p<0.05. Cross-sectional area and number of myonuclei of FT and ST fibers in plantaris (Pla and soleus (Sol muscles increased, myonuclear domain size did not change significantly. RT increased the MyHC IId isoforms relative content and decreased that of IIb and IIa isoforms in Pla muscle, in Sol muscle increased only IIa isoform. In Pla muscle the relative content of myosin light chain (MyLC 1slow and 2slow isoforms decreased and that of MyLC 2fast isoforms increased during RT. MyLC 3 and MyLC 2 ratio did not change significantly in Pla but increased in Sol muscle by 14.3±3.4�0(p<0.01. The rat RT programme caused hypertrophy of FT and ST muscle fibers, increase of myonuclear number via fusion of satellite cells with damaged fibers or formation of new muscle fibers as a result of myoblast fusion and myotubes formation, maintaining myonuclear domain size.
Molecular Evolution of Slow and Quick Anion Channels (SLACs and QUACs/ALMTs).

Science.gov (United States)

Dreyer, Ingo; Gomez-Porras, Judith Lucia; Riaño-Pachón, Diego Mauricio; Hedrich, Rainer; Geiger, Dietmar

2012-01-01

Electrophysiological analyses conducted about 25 years ago detected two types of anion channels in the plasma membrane of guard cells. One type of channel responds slowly to changes in membrane voltage while the other responds quickly. Consequently, they were named SLAC, for SLow Anion Channel, and QUAC, for QUick Anion Channel. Recently, genes SLAC1 and QUAC1/ALMT12, underlying the two different anion current components, could be identified in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Expression of the gene products in Xenopus oocytes confirmed the quick and slow current kinetics. In this study we provide an overview on our current knowledge on slow and quick anion channels in plants and analyze the molecular evolution of ALMT/QUAC-like and SLAC-like channels. We discovered fingerprints that allow screening databases for these channel types and were able to identify 192 (177 non-redundant) SLAC-like and 422 (402 non-redundant) ALMT/QUAC-like proteins in the fully sequenced genomes of 32 plant species. Phylogenetic analyses provided new insights into the molecular evolution of these channel types. We also combined sequence alignment and clustering with predictions of protein features, leading to the identification of known conserved phosphorylation sites in SLAC1-like channels along with potential sites that have not been yet experimentally confirmed. Using a similar strategy to analyze the hydropathicity of ALMT/QUAC-like channels, we propose a modified topology with additional transmembrane regions that integrates structure and function of these membrane proteins. Our results suggest that cross-referencing phylogenetic analyses with position-specific protein properties and functional data could be a very powerful tool for genome research approaches in general.
Molecular evolution of slow and quick anion channels (SLACs and QUACs/ALMTs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ingo eDreyer

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Electrophysiological analyses conducted about 25 years ago detected two types of anion channels in the plasma membrane of guard cells. One type of channel responds slowly to changes in membrane voltage while the other responds quickly. Consequently, they were named SLAC, for SLow Anion Channel, and QUAC, for QUick Anion Channel. Recently, genes SLAC1 and QUAC1/ALMT12, underlying the two different anion current components, could be identified in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Expression of the gene products in Xenopus oocytes confirmed the quick and slow current kinetics. In this study we provide an overview on our current knowledge on slow and quick anion channels in plants and analyze the molecular evolution of ALMT/QUAC-like and SLAC-like channels. We discovered fingerprints that allow screening databases for these channel types and were able to identify 192 (177 non-redundant SLAC-like and 422 (402 non-redundant ALMT/QUAC-like proteins in the fully sequenced genomes of 32 plant species. Phylogenetic analyses provided new insights into the molecular evolution of these channel types. We also combined sequence alignment and clustering with predictions of protein features, leading to the identification of known conserved phosphorylation sites in SLAC1-like channels along with potential sites that have not been yet experimentally confirmed. Using a similar strategy to analyze the hydropathicity of ALMT/QUAC-like channels, we propose a modified topology with additional transmembrane regions that integrates structure and function of these membrane proteins. Our results suggest that cross-referencing phylogenetic analyses with position-specific protein properties and functional data could be a very powerful tool for genome research approaches in general.
Response of Simple, Model Systems to Extreme Conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ewing, Rodney C. [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Lang, Maik [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

2015-07-30

The focus of the research was on the application of high-pressure/high-temperature techniques, together with intense energetic ion beams, to the study of the behavior of simple oxide systems (e.g., SiO₂, GeO₂, CeO₂, TiO₂, HfO₂, SnO₂, ZnO and ZrO₂) under extreme conditions. These simple stoichiometries provide unique model systems for the analysis of structural responses to pressure up to and above 1 Mbar, temperatures of up to several thousands of kelvin, and the extreme energy density generated by energetic heavy ions (tens of keV/atom). The investigations included systematic studies of radiation- and pressure-induced amorphization of high P-T polymorphs. By studying the response of simple stoichiometries that have multiple structural “outcomes”, we have established the basic knowledge required for the prediction of the response of more complex structures to extreme conditions. We especially focused on the amorphous state and characterized the different non-crystalline structure-types that result from the interplay of radiation and pressure. For such experiments, we made use of recent technological developments, such as the perforated diamond-anvil cell and in situ investigation using synchrotron x-ray sources. We have been particularly interested in using extreme pressures to alter the electronic structure of a solid prior to irradiation. We expected that the effects of modified band structure would be evident in the track structure and morphology, information which is much needed to describe theoretically the fundamental physics of track-formation. Finally, we investigated the behavior of different simple-oxide, composite nanomaterials (e.g., uncoated nanoparticles vs. core/shell systems) under coupled, extreme conditions. This provided insight into surface and boundary effects on phase stability under extreme conditions.
MMRW-BOOKS, Legacy books on slowing down, thermalization, particle transport theory, random processes in reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, M.M.R.

2007-01-01

Description: Prof. M.M..R Williams has now released three of his legacy books for free distribution: 1 - M.M.R. Williams: The Slowing Down and Thermalization of Neutrons, North-Holland Publishing Company - Amsterdam, 582 pages, 1966. Content: Part I - The Thermal Energy Region: 1. Introduction and Historical Review, 2. The Scattering Kernel, 3. Neutron Thermalization in an Infinite Homogeneous Medium, 4. Neutron Thermalization in Finite Media, 5. The Spatial Dependence of the Energy Spectrum, 6. Reactor Cell Calculations, 7. Synthetic Scattering Kernels. Part II - The Slowing Down Region: 8. Scattering Kernels in the Slowing Down Region, 9. Neutron Slowing Down in an Infinite Homogeneous Medium, 10.Neutron Slowing Down and Diffusion. 2 - M.M.R. Williams: Mathematical Methods in Particle Transport Theory, Butterworths, London, 430 pages, 1971. Content: 1 The General Problem of Particle Transport, 2 The Boltzmann Equation for Gas Atoms and Neutrons, 3 Boundary Conditions, 4 Scattering Kernels, 5 Some Basic Problems in Neutron Transport and Rarefied Gas Dynamics, 6 The Integral Form of the Transport Equation in Plane, Spherical and Cylindrical Geometries, 7 Exact Solutions of Model Problems, 8 Eigenvalue Problems in Transport Theory, 9 Collision Probability Methods, 10 Variational Methods, 11 Polynomial Approximations. 3 - M.M.R. Williams: Random Processes in Nuclear Reactors, Pergamon Press Oxford New York Toronto Sydney, 243 pages, 1974. Content: 1. Historical Survey and General Discussion, 2. Introductory Mathematical Treatment, 3. Applications of the General Theory, 4. Practical Applications of the Probability Distribution, 5. The Langevin Technique, 6. Point Model Power Reactor Noise, 7. The Spatial Variation of Reactor Noise, 8. Random Phenomena in Heterogeneous Reactor Systems, 9. Associated Fluctuation Problems, Appendix: Noise Equivalent Sources. Note to the user: Prof. M.M.R Williams owns the copyright of these books and he authorises the OECD/NEA Data Bank
Legacies from extreme drought increase ecosystem sensitivity to future extremes

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, M. D.; Knapp, A.; Hoover, D. L.; Avolio, M. L.; Felton, A. J.; Wilcox, K. R.

2016-12-01

Climate extremes, such as drought, are increasing in frequency and intensity, and the ecological consequences of these extreme events can be substantial and widespread. Although there is still much to be learned about how ecosystems will respond to an intensification of drought, even less is known about the factors that determine post-drought recovery of ecosystem function. Such knowledge is particularly important because post-drought recovery periods can be protracted depending on the extent to which key plant populations, community structure and biogeochemical processes are affected. These drought legacies may alter ecosystem function for many years post-drought and may impact future sensitivity to climate extremes. We experimentally imposed two extreme growing season droughts in a central US grassland to assess the impacts of repeated droughts on ecosystem resistance (response) and resilience (recovery). We found that this grassland was not resistant to the first extreme drought due to reduced productivity and differential sensitivity of the co-dominant C4 grass (Andropogon gerardii) and C3 forb (Solidago canadensis) species. This differential sensitivity led to a reordering of species abundances within the plant community. Yet, despite this large shift in plant community composition, which persisted post-drought, the grassland was highly resilient post-drought, due to increased abundance of the dominant C4 grass. Because of this shift to increased C4 grass dominance, we expected that previously-droughted grassland would be more resistant to a second extreme drought. However, contrary to these expectations, previously droughted grassland was more sensitive to drought than grassland that had not experienced drought. Thus, our result suggest that legacies of drought (shift in community composition) may increase ecosystem sensitivity to future extreme events.
Slowly evolving connectivity in recurrent neural networks: I. The extreme dilution regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wemmenhove, B; Skantzos, N S; Coolen, A C C

2004-01-01

We study extremely diluted spin models of neural networks in which the connectivity evolves in time, although adiabatically slowly compared to the neurons, according to stochastic equations which on average aim to reduce frustration. The (fast) neurons and (slow) connectivity variables equilibrate separately, but at different temperatures. Our model is exactly solvable in equilibrium. We obtain phase diagrams upon making the condensed ansatz (i.e. recall of one pattern). These show that, as the connectivity temperature is lowered, the volume of the retrieval phase diverges and the fraction of mis-aligned spins is reduced. Still one always retains a region in the retrieval phase where recall states other than the one corresponding to the 'condensed' pattern are locally stable, so the associative memory character of our model is preserved
Numerical Simulation of Floating Bodies in Extreme Free Surface Waves

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Zheng Zheng; Causon, Derek; Mingham, Clive; Qiang, Ling

2010-05-01

A task of the EPSRC funded research project 'Extreme Wave loading on Offshore Wave Energy Devices: a Hierarchical Team Approach' is to investigate the survivability of two wave energy converter (WEC) devices Pelamis and the Manchester Bobber using different CFD approaches. Both devices float on the water surface, generating the electricity from the motion of the waves. In this paper, we describe developments of the AMAZON-SC 3D numerical wave tank (NWT) to study extreme wave loading of a fixed or floating (in Heave motion) structure. The extreme wave formulation as an inlet condition is due to Dalzell (1999) and Ning et. al. (2009) in which a first or second-order Stokes focused wave can be prescribed. The AMAZON-SC 3D code (see e.g. Hu et al. (2009)) uses a cell centred finite volume method of the Godunov-type for the space discretization of the Euler and Navier Stokes equations. The computational domain includes both air and water regions with the air/water boundary captured as a discontinuity in the density field thereby admitting the break up and recombination of the free surface. Temporal discretisation uses the artificial compressibility method and a dual time stepping strategy to maintain a divergence free velocity field. Cartesian cut cells are used to provide a fully boundary-fitted gridding capability on an regular background Cartesian grid. Solid objects are cut out of the background mesh leaving a set of irregularly shaped cells fitted to the boundary. The advantages of the cut cell approach have been outlined previously by Causon et al. (2000, 2001) including its flexibility for dealing with complex geometries whether stationary or in relative motion. The field grid does not need to be recomputed globally or even locally for moving body cases; all that is necessary is to update the local cut cell data at the body contour for as long as the motion continues. The handing of numerical wave paddles and device motion in a NWT is therefore straightforward
Stochastic dynamic modeling of regular and slow earthquakes

Science.gov (United States)

Aso, N.; Ando, R.; Ide, S.

2017-12-01

Both regular and slow earthquakes are slip phenomena on plate boundaries and are simulated by a (quasi-)dynamic modeling [Liu and Rice, 2005]. In these numerical simulations, spatial heterogeneity is usually considered not only for explaining real physical properties but also for evaluating the stability of the calculations or the sensitivity of the results on the condition. However, even though we discretize the model space with small grids, heterogeneity at smaller scales than the grid size is not considered in the models with deterministic governing equations. To evaluate the effect of heterogeneity at the smaller scales we need to consider stochastic interactions between slip and stress in a dynamic modeling. Tidal stress is known to trigger or affect both regular and slow earthquakes [Yabe et al., 2015; Ide et al., 2016], and such an external force with fluctuation can also be considered as a stochastic external force. A healing process of faults may also be stochastic, so we introduce stochastic friction law. In the present study, we propose a stochastic dynamic model to explain both regular and slow earthquakes. We solve mode III problem, which corresponds to the rupture propagation along the strike direction. We use BIEM (boundary integral equation method) scheme to simulate slip evolution, but we add stochastic perturbations in the governing equations, which is usually written in a deterministic manner. As the simplest type of perturbations, we adopt Gaussian deviations in the formulation of the slip-stress kernel, external force, and friction. By increasing the amplitude of perturbations of the slip-stress kernel, we reproduce complicated rupture process of regular earthquakes including unilateral and bilateral ruptures. By perturbing external force, we reproduce slow rupture propagation at a scale of km/day. The slow propagation generated by a combination of fast interaction at S-wave velocity is analogous to the kinetic theory of gasses: thermal
Reappraisal of VAChT-Cre: Preference in slow motor neurons innervating type I or IIa muscle fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Misawa, Hidemi; Inomata, Daijiro; Kikuchi, Miseri; Maruyama, Sae; Moriwaki, Yasuhiro; Okuda, Takashi; Nukina, Nobuyuki; Yamanaka, Tomoyuki

2016-11-01

VAChT-Cre.Fast and VAChT-Cre.Slow mice selectively express Cre recombinase in approximately one half of postnatal somatic motor neurons. The mouse lines have been used in various studies with selective genetic modifications in adult motor neurons. In the present study, we crossed VAChT-Cre lines with a reporter line, CAG-Syp/tdTomato, in which synaptophysin-tdTomato fusion proteins are efficiently sorted to axon terminals, making it possible to label both cell bodies and axon terminals of motor neurons. In the mice, Syp/tdTomato fluorescence preferentially co-localized with osteopontin, a recently discovered motor neuron marker for slow-twitch fatigue-resistant (S) and fast-twitch fatigue-resistant (FR) types. The fluorescence did not preferentially co-localize with matrix metalloproteinase-9, a marker for fast-twitch fatigable (FF) motor neurons. In the neuromuscular junctions, Syp/tdTomato fluorescence was detected mainly in motor nerve terminals that innervate type I or IIa muscle fibers. These results suggest that the VAChT-Cre lines are Cre-drivers that have selectivity in S and FR motor neurons. In order to avoid confusion, we have changed the mouse line names from VAChT-Cre.Fast and VAChT-Cre.Slow to VAChT-Cre.Early and VAChT-Cre.Late, respectively. The mouse lines will be useful tools to study slow-type motor neurons, in relation to physiology and pathology. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Theory of disorder-induced coherent scattering and light localization in slow-light photonic crystal waveguides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patterson, M; Hughes, S

2010-01-01

We introduce a theoretical formalism to describe disorder-induced extrinsic scattering in slow light photonic crystal waveguides. This work details and extends the optical scattering theory used in a recent issue of Physics Review Letters (Patterson et al 2009 Phys. Rev. Lett. 102 253903) to describe coherent scattering phenomena and successfully explain related experimental measurements. Our presented theory, which combines Green function and coupled mode methods, allows us to self-consistently account for arbitrary multiple scattering for the propagating electric field and recover experimental features such as resonances near the band edge. The technique is fully three-dimensional and can calculate the effects of disorder on the propagating field over thousands of unit cells. As an application of this theory, we explore various sample lengths and disordered instances, and demonstrate the profound effect of multiple scattering in the waveguide transmission. The spectra yield rich features associated with disorder-induced localization and multiple scattering, which are shown to be exacerbated in the slow light propagation regime
Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Electrographic Status Epilepticus in Slow-Wave Sleep.

Science.gov (United States)

Carosella, Christopher M; Greiner, Hansel M; Byars, Anna W; Arthur, Todd M; Leach, James L; Turner, Michele; Holland, Katherine D; Mangano, Francesco T; Arya, Ravindra

2016-07-01

Electrographic status epilepticus in slow sleep or continuous spike and waves during slow-wave sleep is an epileptic encephalopathy characterized by seizures, neurocognitive regression, and significant activation of epileptiform discharges during nonrapid eye movement sleep. There is no consensus on the diagnostic criteria and evidence-based optimal treatment algorithm for children with electrographic status epilepticus in slow sleep. We describe a 12-year-old girl with drug-resistant electrographic status epilepticus in slow wave sleep that was successfully treated with vagus nerve stimulation. Her clinical presentation, presurgical evaluation, decision-making, and course after vagus nerve stimulator implantation are described in detail. After vagus nerve stimulator implantation, the girl remained seizure free for more than a year, resolved the electrographic status epilepticus in slow sleep pattern on electroencephalography, and exhibited significant cognitive improvement. Vagus nerve stimulation may be considered for electrographic status epilepticus in slow sleep. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling fast and slow earthquakes at various scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Ide, Satoshi

2014-01-01

Earthquake sources represent dynamic rupture within rocky materials at depth and often can be modeled as propagating shear slip controlled by friction laws. These laws provide boundary conditions on fault planes embedded in elastic media. Recent developments in observation networks, laboratory experiments, and methods of data analysis have expanded our knowledge of the physics of earthquakes. Newly discovered slow earthquakes are qualitatively different phenomena from ordinary fast earthquakes and provide independent information on slow deformation at depth. Many numerical simulations have been carried out to model both fast and slow earthquakes, but problems remain, especially with scaling laws. Some mechanisms are required to explain the power-law nature of earthquake rupture and the lack of characteristic length. Conceptual models that include a hierarchical structure over a wide range of scales would be helpful for characterizing diverse behavior in different seismic regions and for improving probabilistic forecasts of earthquakes.
Fast and slow myosins as markers of muscle injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Guerrero, M; Guiu-Comadevall, M; Cadefau, J A; Parra, J; Balius, R; Estruch, A; Rodas, G; Bedini, J L; Cussó, R

2008-07-01

The diagnosis of muscular lesions suffered by athletes is usually made by clinical criteria combined with imaging of the lesion (ultrasonography and/or magnetic resonance) and blood tests to detect the presence of non-specific muscle markers. This study was undertaken to evaluate injury to fast and slow-twitch fibres using specific muscle markers for these fibres. Blood samples were obtained from 51 non-sports people and 38 sportsmen with skeletal muscle injury. Western blood analysis was performed to determine fast and slow myosin and creatine kinase (CK) levels. Skeletal muscle damage was diagnosed by physical examination, ultrasonography and magnetic resonance and biochemical markers. The imaging tests were found to be excellent for detecting and confirming grade II and III lesions. However, grade I lesions were often unconfirmed by these techniques. Grade I lesions have higher levels of fast myosin than slow myosin with a very small increase in CK levels. Grade II and III lesions have high values of both fast and slow myosin. The evaluation of fast and slow myosin in the blood 48 h after the lesion occurs is a useful aid for the detection of type I lesions in particular, since fast myosin is an exclusive skeletal muscle marker. The correct diagnosis of grade I lesions can prevent progression of the injury in athletes undergoing continual training sessions and competitions, thus aiding sports physicians in their decision making.
Ecophysiology of gelatinous Nostoc colonies: unprecedented slow growth and survival in resource-poor and harsh environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Sand-Jensen, Kaj

2014-07-01

The cyanobacterial genus Nostoc includes several species forming centimetre-large gelatinous colonies in nutrient-poor freshwaters and harsh semi-terrestrial environments with extended drought or freezing. These Nostoc species have filaments with normal photosynthetic cells and N2-fixing heterocysts embedded in an extensive gelatinous matrix of polysaccharides and many other organic substances providing biological and environmental protection. Large colony size imposes constraints on the use of external resources and the gelatinous matrix represents extra costs and reduced growth rates. The objective of this review is to evaluate the mechanisms behind the low rates of growth and mortality, protection against environmental hazards and the persistence and longevity of gelatinous Nostoc colonies, and their ability to economize with highly limiting resources. Simple models predict the decline in uptake of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and a decline in the growth rate of spherical freshwater colonies of N. pruniforme and N. zetterstedtii and sheet-like colonies of N. commune in response to a thicker diffusion boundary layer, lower external DIC concentration and higher organic carbon mass per surface area (CMA) of the colony. Measured growth rates of N. commune and N. pruniforme at high DIC availability comply with general empirical predictions of maximum growth rate (i.e. doubling time 10-14 d) as functions of CMA for marine macroalgae and as functions of tissue thickness for aquatic and terrestrial plants, while extremely low growth rates of N. zetterstedtii (i.e. doubling time 2-3 years) are 10-fold lower than model predictions, either because of very low ambient DIC and/or an extremely costly colony matrix. DIC uptake is limited by diffusion at low concentrations for all species, although they exhibit efficient HCO3(-) uptake, accumulation of respiratory DIC within the colonies and very low CO2 compensation points. Long light paths and light attenuation by
Characteristics of Extreme Extratropical Cyclones in a High-Resolution Global Climate Model

Science.gov (United States)

Catalano, A. J.; Broccoli, A. J.; Kapnick, S. B.; Janoski, T. P.

2017-12-01

In the northeastern United States, many of the strongest impacts from extratropical cyclones (ETCs) are associated with storms that exhibit slow movement, unusual tracks, or exceptional intensity. Examples of extreme ETCs include the Appalachian storm of November 1950, the Perfect Storm of October 1991, and the Superstorm of March 1993. Owing to the rare nature of these events, it is difficult to quantify the associated risks (e.g. high winds, storm surge) given the limited duration of high-quality observational datasets. Furthermore, storms with even greater impacts than those observed may be possible, particularly in a warming climate. In the context of tropical cyclones, Lin and Emanuel (2016) have used the metaphor "grey swans" to refer to high-impact events that have not been observed but may be physically possible. One method for analyzing "grey swans" is to generate a larger sample of ETCs using a coupled climate model. Therefore, we use long simulations (over 1,000 years with atmospheric constituents fixed at 1990 levels) from a global climate model (GFDL FLOR) with 50km atmospheric resolution. FLOR has been shown to realistically simulate the spatial distribution and climatology of ETCs during the reanalysis era. We will discuss the climatological features of these extreme ETC events.
The GPRC6A Receptor displays Constitutive Internalization and Sorting to the Slow Recycling Pathway

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Stine Engesgaard; Ammendrup-Johnsen, Ina; Jansen, Anna Mai

2017-01-01

The class C G protein-coupled receptor GPRC6A is a putative nutrient sensing receptor and represents a possible new drug target in metabolic disorders. However, the specific physiological role of this receptor has yet to be identified, and the mechanisms regulating its activity and cell surface...... availability also remain enigmatic. In the present study, we investigated the trafficking properties of GPRC6A by use of both a classical antibody feeding internalization assay in which cells were visualized using confocal microscopy and a novel internalization assay that is based on real-time measurements...... slow recycling pathway, which may be responsible for ensuring a persistent pool of GPRC6A receptors at the cell surface despite chronic agonist exposure. Distinct trafficking pathways have been reported for several of the class C receptors, and our results thus substantiate that non...
Transcriptional co-activator PGC-1 alpha drives the formation of slow-twitch muscle fibres.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Jiandie; Wu, Hai; Tarr, Paul T; Zhang, Chen-Yu; Wu, Zhidan; Boss, Olivier; Michael, Laura F; Puigserver, Pere; Isotani, Eiji; Olson, Eric N; Lowell, Bradford B; Bassel-Duby, Rhonda; Spiegelman, Bruce M

2002-08-15

The biochemical basis for the regulation of fibre-type determination in skeletal muscle is not well understood. In addition to the expression of particular myofibrillar proteins, type I (slow-twitch) fibres are much higher in mitochondrial content and are more dependent on oxidative metabolism than type II (fast-twitch) fibres. We have previously identified a transcriptional co-activator, peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor-gamma co-activator-1 (PGC-1 alpha), which is expressed in several tissues including brown fat and skeletal muscle, and that activates mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative metabolism. We show here that PGC-1 alpha is expressed preferentially in muscle enriched in type I fibres. When PGC-1 alpha is expressed at physiological levels in transgenic mice driven by a muscle creatine kinase (MCK) promoter, a fibre type conversion is observed: muscles normally rich in type II fibres are redder and activate genes of mitochondrial oxidative metabolism. Notably, putative type II muscles from PGC-1 alpha transgenic mice also express proteins characteristic of type I fibres, such as troponin I (slow) and myoglobin, and show a much greater resistance to electrically stimulated fatigue. Using fibre-type-specific promoters, we show in cultured muscle cells that PGC-1 alpha activates transcription in cooperation with Mef2 proteins and serves as a target for calcineurin signalling, which has been implicated in slow fibre gene expression. These data indicate that PGC-1 alpha is a principal factor regulating muscle fibre type determination.
The slow oscillation in cortical and thalamic networks: mechanisms and functions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Garrett T. Neske

2016-01-01

Full Text Available During even the most quiescent behavioral periods, the cortex and thalamus express rich spontaneous activity in the form of slow (<1 Hz, synchronous network state transitions. Throughout this so-called slow oscillation, cortical and thalamic neurons fluctuate between periods of intense synaptic activity (Up states and almost complete silence (Down states. The two decades since the original characterization of the slow oscillation in the cortex and thalamus have seen considerable advances in deciphering the cellular and network mechanisms associated with this pervasive phenomenon. There are, nevertheless, many questions regarding the slow oscillation that await more thorough illumination, particularly the mechanisms by which Up states initiate and terminate, the functional role of the rhythmic activity cycles in unconscious or minimally conscious states, and the precise relation between Up states and the activated states associated with waking behavior. Given the substantial advances in multineuronal recording and imaging methods in both in vivo and in vitro preparations, the time is ripe to take stock of our current understanding of the slow oscillation and pave the way for future investigations of its mechanisms and functions. My aim in this Review is to provide a comprehensive account of the mechanisms and functions of the slow oscillation, and to suggest avenues for further exploration.
Generalized slow roll for noncanonical kinetic terms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, Wayne

2011-01-01

We show that the generalized slow roll approach for calculating the power spectrum where the inflationary slow roll parameters are neither small nor slowly varying can be readily extended to models with noncanonical kinetic terms in the inflaton action. For example, rapid sound speed variations can arise in Dirac-Born-Infeld models with features in the warp factor leading to features in the power spectrum. Nonetheless there remains a single source function for deviations that is simply related to the power spectrum. Empirical constraints on this source function can be readily interpreted in the context of features in the inflaton potential or sound speed.
Enhanced traveling wave amplification of co-planar slow wave structure by extended phase-matching

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palm, Andrew; Sirigiri, Jagadishwar; Shin, Young-Min

2015-01-01

The electron beam co-propagating with slow waves in a staggered double grating array (SDGA) efficiently amplifies millimeter and sub-millimeter waves over a wide spectrum. Our theoretical and numerical analyses show that the power amplification in the fundamental passband is enhanced by the extended beam-wave phase-matching. Particle-in-cell simulations on the SDGA slow wave structure, designed with 10.4 keV and 50–100 mA sheet beam, indicate that maintaining beam-wave synchronization along the entire length of the circuit improves the gain by 7.3% leading to a total gain of 28 dB, corresponding to 62 W saturated power at the middle of operating band, and a 3-dB bandwidth of 7 GHz with 10.5% at V-band (73.5 GHz center frequency) with saturated peak power reaching 80 W and 28 dB at 71 GHz. These results also show a reasonably good agreement with analytic calculations based on Pierce small signal gain theory
Distinct slow and fast cortical theta dynamics in episodic memory retrieval.

Science.gov (United States)

Pastötter, Bernhard; Bäuml, Karl-Heinz T

2014-07-01

Brain oscillations in the theta frequency band (3-8 Hz) have been shown to be critically involved in human episodic memory retrieval. In prior work, both positive and negative relationships between cortical theta power and retrieval success have been reported. This study examined the hypothesis that slow and fast cortical theta oscillations at the edges of the traditional theta frequency band are differentially related to retrieval success. Scalp EEG was recorded in healthy human participants as they performed a cued-recall episodic memory task. Slow (~3 Hz) and fast (~7 Hz) theta oscillations at retrieval were examined as a function of whether an item was recalled or not and as a function of the items' output position at test. Recall success typically declines with output position, due to increases in interference level. The results showed that slow theta power was positively related but fast theta power was negatively related to retrieval success. Concurrent positive and negative episodic memory effects for slow and fast theta oscillations were dissociable in time and space, showing different time courses and different spatial locations on the scalp. Moreover, fast theta power increased from early to late output positions, whereas slow theta power was unaffected by items' output position. Together with prior work, the results suggest that slow and fast theta oscillations have distinct functional roles in episodic memory retrieval, with slow theta oscillations being related to processes of recollection and conscious awareness, and fast theta oscillations being linked to processes of interference and interference resolution. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Electrophysiological and biochemical studies of slow responses to serotonin and dopamine of snail identified neurons. Mediating role of the cyclic AMP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deterre, Philippe

1983-01-01

In this research thesis, the electrophysiological study of slow incoming currents induced in some identified neurons of the Helix aspersa snail by serotonin and dopamine shows that they are associated with a decrease of a potassium conductance involved in the modulation of the action potential duration. By means of enzymatic tests performed on a single cell, and of electrophysiological experiments, the author shows that the cyclic AMP is an intracellular mediator involved in the genesis of these slow responses. Moreover, the obtained results show that serotonin and dopamine act by binding to specific receptors, and that these receptors activate the adenylate-cyclase through a GTP binding protein [fr
Applications of slow positrons to cancer research: Search for selectivity of positron annihilation to skin cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jean, Y.C.; Li Ying; Liu Gaung; Chen, Hongmin; Zhang Junjie; Gadzia, Joseph E.

2006-01-01

Slow positrons and positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) have been applied to medical research in searching for positron annihilation selectivity to cancer cells. We report the results of positron lifetime and Doppler broadening energy spectroscopies in human skin samples with and without cancer as a function of positron incident energy (up to 8 μm depth) and found that the positronium annihilates at a significantly lower rate and forms at a lower probability in the samples having either basal cell carcinoma (BCC) or squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) than in the normal skin. The significant selectivity of positron annihilation to skin cancer may open a new research area of developing positron annihilation spectroscopy as a novel medical tool to detect cancer formation externally and non-invasively at the early stages
Applications of slow positrons to cancer research: Search for selectivity of positron annihilation to skin cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jean, Y.C. [Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 205 Spenscer Chemistry Building, 5009 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110 (United States)]. E-mail: jeany@umkc.edu; Li Ying [Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 205 Spenscer Chemistry Building, 5009 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110 (United States); Liu Gaung [Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 205 Spenscer Chemistry Building, 5009 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110 (United States); Chen, Hongmin [Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 205 Spenscer Chemistry Building, 5009 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110 (United States); Zhang Junjie [Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 205 Spenscer Chemistry Building, 5009 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110 (United States); Gadzia, Joseph E. [Dermatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66103 (United States); Kansas Medical Clinic, Topeka, KS 66614 (United States)

2006-02-28

Slow positrons and positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) have been applied to medical research in searching for positron annihilation selectivity to cancer cells. We report the results of positron lifetime and Doppler broadening energy spectroscopies in human skin samples with and without cancer as a function of positron incident energy (up to 8 {mu}m depth) and found that the positronium annihilates at a significantly lower rate and forms at a lower probability in the samples having either basal cell carcinoma (BCC) or squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) than in the normal skin. The significant selectivity of positron annihilation to skin cancer may open a new research area of developing positron annihilation spectroscopy as a novel medical tool to detect cancer formation externally and non-invasively at the early stages.
The influence of non thermal coherent EMR with low intensity and extremely high frequency on total activity and isoenzyme composition of peroxidase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nerkararyan, A.V.; Shahinyan, M.A.; Khachatryan, A.V.; Vardevanyan, P.O.

2011-01-01

In this work the influence of non-thermal coherent electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with low intensity and extremely high frequency on intensity of wheat developing germ metabolism has been investigated. Particularly, total activity and isoenzymatic composition of peroxidase of germ cells have been determined during their growth. The role of water in formation of organism response reaction to the external physical field effect has also been investigated. It has been shown, that water appears to be a primary element of extremely high frequency EMR effect on bio system. Extremely high frequency EMR irradiation of germinating seeds and the cultivation of dry seeds and their germs by irradiated water stimulate peroxidase synthesis in germ cells. The redistribution of quantitative composition of peroxidase molecular forms takes place in germ cells effected by EMR with extremely high frequency and low intensity
Preloading To Accelerate Slow-Crack-Growth Testing

Science.gov (United States)

Gyekenyesi, John P.; Choi, Sung R.; Pawlik, Ralph J.

2004-01-01

An accelerated-testing methodology has been developed for measuring the slow-crack-growth (SCG) behavior of brittle materials. Like the prior methodology, the accelerated-testing methodology involves dynamic fatigue ( constant stress-rate) testing, in which a load or a displacement is applied to a specimen at a constant rate. SCG parameters or life prediction parameters needed for designing components made of the same material as that of the specimen are calculated from the relationship between (1) the strength of the material as measured in the test and (2) the applied stress rate used in the test. Despite its simplicity and convenience, dynamic fatigue testing as practiced heretofore has one major drawback: it is extremely time-consuming, especially at low stress rates. The present accelerated methodology reduces the time needed to test a specimen at a given rate of applied load, stress, or displacement. Instead of starting the test from zero applied load or displacement as in the prior methodology, one preloads the specimen and increases the applied load at the specified rate (see Figure 1). One might expect the preload to alter the results of the test and indeed it does, but fortunately, it is possible to account for the effect of the preload in interpreting the results. The accounting is done by calculating the normalized strength (defined as the strength in the presence of preload the strength in the absence of preload) as a function of (1) the preloading factor (defined as the preload stress the strength in the absence of preload) and (2) a SCG parameter, denoted n, that is used in a power-law crack-speed formulation. Figure 2 presents numerical results from this theoretical calculation.
The Localizing Value Of Focal Delta Slowing In Temporal Lobe ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Slow wave EEG had a higher marginal probability than neuropsychological assessment of predicting the focus, and was equally effective as other investigative methods. Conclusion These results suggest that focal temporal delta slowing is useful in the localization of epileptogenic foci. There was no discordance with the ...
Global patterns of NDVI-indicated vegetation extremes and their sensitivity to climate extremes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Guo; Liu Hongyan; Yin Yi

2013-01-01

Extremes in climate have significant impacts on ecosystems and are expected to increase under future climate change. Extremes in vegetation could capture such impacts and indicate the vulnerability of ecosystems, but currently have not received a global long-term assessment. In this study, a robust method has been developed to detect significant extremes (low values) in biweekly time series of global normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from 1982 to 2006 and thus to acquire a global pattern of vegetation extreme frequency. This pattern coincides with vegetation vulnerability patterns suggested by earlier studies using different methods over different time spans, indicating a consistent mechanism of regulation. Vegetation extremes were found to aggregate in Amazonia and in the semi-arid and semi-humid regions in low and middle latitudes, while they seldom occurred in high latitudes. Among the environmental variables studied, extreme low precipitation has the highest slope against extreme vegetation. For the eight biomes analyzed, these slopes are highest in temperate broadleaf forest and temperate grassland, suggesting a higher sensitivity in these environments. The results presented here contradict the hypothesis that vegetation in water-limited semi-arid and semi-humid regions might be adapted to drought and suggest that vegetation in these regions (especially temperate broadleaf forest and temperate grassland) is highly prone to vegetation extreme events under more severe precipitation extremes. It is also suggested here that more attention be paid to precipitation-induced vegetation changes than to temperature-induced events. (letter)
γ-irradiation resistance and UV-sensitivity of extremely thermophilic archebacteria and eubacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kopylov, V.M.; Bonch-Osmolovskaya, E.A.; Svetlichnyi, V.A.; Miroshnichenko, M.L.; Skobkin, V.S.

1993-01-01

Cells of extremely thermophilic sulfur-dependent archebacteria Desulfurococcus amylolyticus Z533 and Thermococcus stelleri K15 are resistant to γ-irradiation. These archebacteria survive γ-irradiation at a dose of up to 5 kGy but are no longer viable after 8-9 kGy. Comparison of the survival profiles showed that archebacteria are 12 to 25 times more resistant to γ-irradiation at moderate doses (LD 50 and LD 90 ) than E. coli K12 but are 2 to 2.5 times more sensitive than D. radiodurans. γ-irradiation at a dose of 1 to 2.5 kGy killed extremely thermophilic anaerobic eubacteria Thermotoga maritima 2706 and Thermodesulfobacterium P. All extreme thermophiles studied were more sensitive to UV-irradiation than E. coli
Sensing of substratum rigidity and directional migration by fast-crawling cells

Science.gov (United States)

Okimura, Chika; Sakumura, Yuichi; Shimabukuro, Katsuya; Iwadate, Yoshiaki

2018-05-01

Living cells sense the mechanical properties of their surrounding environment and respond accordingly. Crawling cells detect the rigidity of their substratum and migrate in certain directions. They can be classified into two categories: slow-moving and fast-moving cell types. Slow-moving cell types, such as fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells, mesenchymal stem cells, etc., move toward rigid areas on the substratum in response to a rigidity gradient. However, there is not much information on rigidity sensing in fast-moving cell types whose size is ˜10 μ m and migration velocity is ˜10 μ m /min . In this study, we used both isotropic substrata with different rigidities and an anisotropic substratum that is rigid on the x axis but soft on the y axis to demonstrate rigidity sensing by fast-moving Dictyostelium cells and neutrophil-like differentiated HL-60 cells. Dictyostelium cells exerted larger traction forces on a more rigid isotropic substratum. Dictyostelium cells and HL-60 cells migrated in the "soft" direction on the anisotropic substratum, although myosin II-null Dictyostelium cells migrated in random directions, indicating that rigidity sensing of fast-moving cell types differs from that of slow types and is induced by a myosin II-related process.
Slow shocks and their transition to fast shocks in the inner solar wind

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Y.C.

1987-01-01

The jump conditions of MHD shocks may be directly calculated as functions of three upstream conditions: the shock Alfven number based on the normal component of the relative shock speed, the shock angle, and the plasma β value. The shock Alfven number is less than 1 for a slow shock and greater than 1 for a fast shock. A traveling, forward shock can be a slow shock in coronal space, where the Alfven speed is of the order of 1000 km/s. The surface of a forward slow shock has a bow-shaped geometry with its nose facing toward the sun. The decrease in the Alfven speed at increasing heliocentric distance causes the shock Alfven number of a forward slow shock to become greater than 1, and the shock eventually evolves from a slow shock into a fast shock. During the transition the shock system consists of a slow shock, a fast shock, and a rotational discontinuity. They intersect along a closed transition line. As the system moves outward from the sun, the area enclosed by the transition line expands, the fast shock grows stronger, and the slow shock becomes weaker. Eventually, the slow shock diminishes, and the entire shock system evolves into a forward fast shock. copyrightAmerican Geophysical Union 1987

A giant benign clear cell hidradenoma on the anterior trunk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Damlanur Sakiz

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Clear cell hidroadenoma (CCA is a uncommon variant of bening cutaneous adnexial tumors. These tumors are clinically asymptomatic, solitary dermal nodules. they occur most frequently on the scalp, face, abdomen and the extremities. Growth is slow and malignant change is rare. 45- year-old woman presented us with a nodule with a central ulceration and a minimal hemoragic discharge on her anterior abdomen wall which had begun 4 years ago as a small nodular asymptomatic lesion. On dermatological examination there was a 6.5x4x5 cm non-tender, soft reddish purple nodule with lobular appearence and ulceration. In the laboratory investigations, all the hematologic and biochemical tests were normal. A CT scan demonstrated a cyctic tumor with lobulated countour with contrast enhancement. The lesion excised totally. In histopathological examination the tumor was composed of biphasic smaller dark polygonal cells and larger clera cells and coarse nuclear chromatine. There were duct like structures. Immunohistochemical investigation was done for the suspicion of malignancy. Cytoplasm of clear cells and duct like structures showed PAS positive and d-Pas resistant staining. There was a positive reactivity to epithelial membrane antigen and carcinoembrionic antigen. The mitotic index in Ki 67 examination was low. All these findings confirmed the diagnosis of bening CCA.
INTERSESSION RELIABILITY OF UPPER EXTREMITY ISOKINETIC PUSH-PULL TESTING.

Science.gov (United States)

Riemann, Bryan L; Davis, Sarah E; Huet, Kevin; Davies, George J

2016-02-01

Based on the frequency pushing and pulling patterns are used in functional activities, there is a need to establish an objective method of quantifying the muscle performance characteristics associated with these motions, particularly during the later stages of rehabilitation as criteria for discharge. While isokinetic assessment offers an approach to quantifying muscle performance, little is known about closed kinetic chain (CKC) isokinetic testing of the upper extremity (UE). To determine the intersession reliability of isokinetic upper extremity measurement of pushing and pulling peak force and average power at slow (0.24 m/s), medium (0.43 m/s) and fast (0.61 m/s) velocities in healthy young adults. The secondary purpose was to compare pushing and pulling peak force (PF) and average power (AP) between the upper extremity limbs (dominant, non-dominant) across the three velocities. Twenty-four physically active men and women completed a test-retest (>96 hours) protocol in order to establish isokinetic UE CKC reliability of PF and AP during five maximal push and pull repetitions at three velocities. Both limb and speed orders were randomized between subjects. High test-retest relative reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC2, 1) were revealed for PF (.91-.97) and AP (.85-.95) across velocities, limbs and directions. PF typical error (% coefficient of variation) ranged from 6.1% to 11.3% while AP ranged from 9.9% to 26.7%. PF decreased significantly (p pushing were significantly greater than pulling at all velocities, however the push-pull differences in PF became less as velocity increased. There were no significant differences identified between the dominant and nondominant limbs. Isokinetically derived UE CKC push-pull PF and AP are reliable measures. The lack of limb differences in healthy normal participants suggests that clinicians can consider bilateral comparisons when interpreting test performance. The increase in pushing PF and
Observation of Ultra-Slow Antiprotons using Micro-channel Plate

Science.gov (United States)

Imao, H.; Torii, H. A.; Nagata, Y.; Toyoda, H.; Shimoyama, T.; Enomoto, Y.; Higaki, H.; Kanai, Y.; Mohri, A.; Yamazaki, Y.

2008-08-01

Our group ASACUSA-MUSASHI has succeeded in accumulating several million antiprotons and extracting them as monochromatic ultra-slow antiproton beams (10 eV-1 keV) at CERN AD. We have observed ultra-slow antiprotons using micro-channel plates (MCP). The integrated pulse area of the output signals generated when the MCP was irradiated by ultra-slow antiprotons was 6 times higher than that by electrons. As a long-term effect, we also observed an increase in the background rate presumably due to the radioactivation of the MCP surface. Irradiating the antiproton beams on the MCP induces antiproton-nuclear annihilations only on the first layer of the surface. Low-energy and short-range secondary particles like charged nuclear fragments caused by the "surface nuclear reactions" would be the origin of our observed phenomena.
Current Sheets in the Corona and the Complexity of Slow Wind

Science.gov (United States)

Antiochos, Spiro

2010-01-01

The origin of the slow solar wind has long been one of the most important problems in solar/heliospheric physics. Two observational constraints make this problem especially challenging. First, the slow wind has the composition of the closed-field corona, unlike the fast wind that originates on open field lines. Second, the slow wind has substantial angular extent, of order 30 degrees, which is much larger than the widths observed for streamer stalks or the widths expected theoretically for a dynamic heliospheric current sheet. We propose that the slow wind originates from an intricate network of narrow (possibly singular) open-field corridors that emanate from the polar coronal hole regions. Using topological arguments, we show that these corridors must be ubiquitous in the solar corona. The total solar eclipse in August 2008, near the lowest point of cycle 23 affords an ideal opportunity to test this theory by using the ultra-high resolution Predictive Science's (PSI) eclipse model for the corona and wind. Analysis of the PSI eclipse model demonstrates that the extent and scales of the open-field corridors can account for both the angular width of the slow wind and its closed-field composition. We discuss the implications of our slow wind theory for the structure of the corona and heliosphere at solar minimum and describe further observational and theoretical tests.
Early warnings of extreme winds using the ECMWF Extreme Forecast Index

OpenAIRE

Petroliagis, Thomas I.; Pinson, Pierre

2014-01-01

The European FP7 SafeWind Project aims at developing research towards a European vision of wind power forecasting, which requires advanced meteorological support concerning extreme wind events. This study is focused mainly on early warnings of extreme winds in the early medium-range. Three synoptic stations (airports) of North Germany (Bremen, Hamburg and Hannover) were considered for the construction of time series of daily maximum wind speeds. All daily wind extremes were found to be linked...
Formation of Heliospheric Arcs of Slow Solar Wind

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Higginson, A. K.; Zurbuchen, T. H. [Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Antiochos, S. K.; DeVore, C. R. [Heliophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Wyper, P. F., E-mail: aleida@umich.edu [Department of Mathematical Sciences, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)

2017-05-01

A major challenge in solar and heliospheric physics is understanding the origin and nature of the so-called slow solar wind. The Sun’s atmosphere is divided into magnetically open regions, known as coronal holes, where the plasma streams out freely and fills the solar system, and closed regions, where the plasma is confined to coronal loops. The boundary between these regions extends outward as the heliospheric current sheet (HCS). Measurements of plasma composition strongly imply that much of the slow wind consists of plasma from the closed corona that escapes onto open field lines, presumably by field-line opening or by interchange reconnection. Both of these processes are expected to release closed-field plasma into the solar wind within and immediately adjacent to the HCS. Mysteriously, however, slow wind with closed-field plasma composition is often observed in situ far from the HCS. We use high-resolution, three-dimensional, magnetohydrodynamic simulations to calculate the dynamics of a coronal hole with a geometry that includes a narrow corridor flanked by closed field and is driven by supergranule-like flows at the coronal-hole boundary. These dynamics produce giant arcs of closed-field plasma that originate at the open-closed boundary in the corona, but extend far from the HCS and span tens of degrees in latitude and longitude at Earth. We conclude that such structures can account for the long-puzzling slow-wind observations.
Orthostatic changes in the blood volumes of the lower extremities in practically healthy humans

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frolov, V K; Koshkin, V M; Karalkin, A V [Vtoroj Moskovskij Gosudarstvennyj Meditsinskij Inst. (USSR)

1979-07-01

The method and the results of measuring the blood volumes in the lower extremities in the horizontal and vertical position of the body are given. A combination of a single-sensor counter of the whole body and a gamma-chamber with the use of two nondiffuse active radioindicators, erythrocytes labelled with /sup 51/Cr and albumin-sup(99m)Tc in certain sequence, is found to be the most optimal for quantitative evaluation of the regional volumes of the blood. To raise the informativeness of the studies the authors recommend distinguishing ''rapid'' and ''slow'' fractions of the blood volume progressive growth in the crus since the correlation of these fractions reflect the specific features of an individual orthostatic reaction for each examinee.
Extreme Rainfall In A City

Science.gov (United States)

Nkemdirim, Lawrence

Cities contain many structures and activities that are vulnerable to severe weather. Heavy precipitation cause floods which can damage structures, compromise transportation and water supply systems, and slow down economic and social activities. Rain induced flood patterns in cities must be well understood to enable effective placement of flood control and other regulatory measures. The planning goal is not to eliminate all floods but to reduce their frequency and resulting damage. Possible approaches to such planning include probability based extreme event analysis. Precipitation is normally the most variable hydrologic element over a given area. This variability results from the distribution of clouds and in cloud processes in the atmosphere, the storm path, and the distribution of topographical features on the ground along path. Some studies suggest that point rainfall patterns are also affected by urban industrial effects hence some agreement that cities are wetter than the country surrounding them. However, there are still questions regarding the intra- urban distribution of precipitation. The sealed surfaces, urban structures, and the urban heat anomaly increase convection in cities which may enhance the generation of clouds. Increased dust and gaseous aerosols loads are effective condensation and sublimation nuclei which may also enhance the generation of precipitation. Based on these associations, the greatest amount of convection type rainfall should occur at city center. A study of summer rainfall in Calgary showed that frequencies of trace amounts of rainfall and events under 0.2mm are highest downtown than elsewhere. For amounts greater than than 0.2 mm, downtown sites were not favored. The most compelling evidence for urban-industrial precipitation enhancement came from the Metromex project around St. Loius, Missouri where maximum increases of between 5 to 30 per cent in summer rainfall downwind of the city was linked to urbanization and
Future Simulated Intensification of Precipitation Extremes, CMIP5 Model Uncertainties and Dependencies

Science.gov (United States)

Bador, M.; Donat, M.; Geoffroy, O.; Alexander, L. V.

2017-12-01

Precipitation intensity during extreme events is expected to increase with climate change. Throughout the 21st century, CMIP5 climate models project a general increase in annual extreme precipitation in most regions. We investigate how robust this future increase is across different models, regions and seasons. We find that there is strong similarity in extreme precipitation changes between models that share atmospheric physics, reducing the ensemble of 27 models to 14 independent projections. We find that future simulated extreme precipitation increases in most models in the majority of land grid cells located in the dry, intermediate and wet regions according to each model's precipitation climatology. These increases significantly exceed the range of natural variability estimated from long equilibrium control runs. The intensification of extreme precipitation across the entire spectrum of dry to wet regions is particularly robust in the extra-tropics in both wet and dry season, whereas uncertainties are larger in the tropics. The CMIP5 ensemble therefore indicates robust future intensification of annual extreme rainfall in particular in extra-tropical regions. Generally, the CMIP5 robustness is higher during the dry season compared to the wet season and the annual scale, but inter-model uncertainties in the tropics remain important.
Slow extraction from the IHEP accelerator by internal target scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maksimov, A.V.

1994-01-01

The existing slow extraction system is not able to satisfy the required quality of the beam time structure in the intensity region 10 10 - 10 11 ppp. Calculations on simulation of slow extraction by internal target scattering are presented. Two regime of slow extraction are analysed: nonresonant and resonant extraction by target scattering. Resonant extraction by target scattering is able to ensure intensity of extracted beam up to 10 11 . The agreement between calculations and experimental data is good enough. The calculation of extraction possibility by thin W-target scattering are also presented. In this case the extraction efficiency is about 85%. 15 refs., 6 figs
Efficiency evaluation of slow extraction from the synchrotron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kazarinov, N.Yu.; Mikhajlov, V.A.

1986-01-01

Analytical calculation of slow extraction of the beam out of the JINR synchrotron is made. The formulae for evaluation of the sextupole amplitudes and phases, quadrupole lens gradient range are obtained, the connection with circulated and extracted beam parameters is shown. The formulae for calculating optimal position of the septum-magnet or electrostatic septum are presented. On this basis the formula for estimating the efficiency of beam slow extraction out of the synchrotron is obtained under assumption that in the septum region during the extraction a quasistationary distribution of the beam density occurs
Wide-band slow-wave systems simulation and applications

CERN Document Server

Staras, Stanislovas

2012-01-01

The field of electromagnetics has seen considerable advances in recent years, based on the wide applications of numerical methods for investigating electromagnetic fields, microwaves, and other devices. Wide-Band Slow-Wave Systems: Simulation and Applications presents new technical solutions and research results for the analysis, synthesis, and design of slow-wave structures for modern electronic devices with super-wide pass-bands. It makes available, for the first time in English, significant research from the past 20 years that was previously published only in Russian and Lithuanian. The aut
Polymeric membrane studied using slow positron beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hung, W.-S.; Lo, C.-H.; Cheng, M.-L.; Chen Hongmin; Liu Guang; Chakka, Lakshmi; Nanda, D.; Tung, K.-L.; Huang, S.-H.; Lee, Kueir-Rarn; Lai, J.-Y.; Sun Yiming; Yu Changcheng; Zhang Renwu; Jean, Y.C.

2008-01-01

A radioisotope slow positron beam has been built at the Chung Yuan Christian University in Taiwan for the research and development in membrane science and technology. Doppler broadening energy spectra and positron annihilation lifetime have been measured as a function of positron energy up to 30 keV in a polyamide membrane prepared by the interfacial polymerization between triethylenetetraamine (TETA) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) on modified porous polyacrylonitrile (PAN) asymmetric membrane. The multilayer structures and free-volume depth profile for this asymmetric membrane system are obtained. Positron annihilation spectroscopy coupled with a slow beam could provide new information about size selectivity of transporting molecules and guidance for molecular designs in polymeric membranes
Slow Invariant Manifolds in Chemically Reactive Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Paolucci, Samuel; Powers, Joseph M.

2006-11-01

The scientific design of practical gas phase combustion devices has come to rely on the use of mathematical models which include detailed chemical kinetics. Such models intrinsically admit a wide range of scales which renders their accurate numerical approximation difficult. Over the past decade, rational strategies, such as Intrinsic Low Dimensional Manifolds (ILDM) or Computational Singular Perturbations (CSP), for equilibrating fast time scale events have been successfully developed, though their computation can be challenging and their accuracy in most cases uncertain. Both are approximations to the preferable slow invariant manifold which best describes how the system evolves in the long time limit. Strategies for computing the slow invariant manifold are examined, and results are presented for practical combustion systems.
The space charge effects on the slow extraction process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohmori, Chihiro.

1992-06-01

The calculation of the slow extraction which includes the space charge effects has been performed for the Compressor/Stretcher Ring (CSR) of the proposed Japanese Hadron Project. We have investigated the slow extraction of 1 GeV proton beam with an average current of 100μA. Calculation shows not only the emittance growth of the extracted beam but also decrease of the extraction efficiency and discontinuity of beam spill. (author)
A taste of ethical consumption at a slow food festival.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Lauren T; Germov, John; Fuller, Sascha; Freij, Maria

2015-08-01

This paper examines the motives and experiences of attendees at a Slow Food festival to gain an understanding of how people engage with ethical consumer projects. Slow Food is a global social movement aimed at promoting food that is regionally, ethically, and sustainably produced, and convivially consumed. The movement uses culinary tourist events, such as food festivals and farmers' markets, to promote its philosophy and attract new members. There have been no empirical studies of ethical consumption using a Slow Food event as a case study. This study uses an ethnographic approach and a framework of virtue ethics to explore the views of people attending a major Slow Food festival in the city of Melbourne, Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in situ with 33 participants (19 consumers and 14 stallholders) to discover their rationales for attending the festival, and their perspectives on ethical consumption. Transcripts were coded and thematically analysed, resulting in three themes reflecting varying degrees of public virtues (altruistic motivations) and private virtues (personal wellbeing): the quest for virtuous lifestyles through ethical consumption, the importance of co-production, and the challenges of putting ethical consumer projects like Slow Food into daily practice. The findings reveal the manner in which virtue ethics affects foodways and highlights the contingent and challenging nature of practising ethical eating. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Preserving human cells for regenerative, reproductive, and transfusion medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Asghar, Waseem; El Assal, Rami; Shafiee, Hadi; Anchan, Raymond M; Demirci, Utkan

2014-07-01

Cell cryopreservation maintains cellular life at sub-zero temperatures by slowing down biochemical processes. Various cell types are routinely cryopreserved in modern reproductive, regenerative, and transfusion medicine. Current cell cryopreservation methods involve freezing (slow/rapid) or vitrifying cells in the presence of a cryoprotective agent (CPA). Although these methods are clinically utilized, cryo-injury due to ice crystals, osmotic shock, and CPA toxicity cause loss of cell viability and function. Recent approaches using minimum volume vitrification provide alternatives to the conventional cryopreservation methods. Minimum volume vitrification provides ultra-high cooling and rewarming rates that enable preserving cells without ice crystal formation. Herein, we review recent advances in cell cryopreservation technology and provide examples of techniques that are utilized in oocyte, stem cell, and red blood cell cryopreservation. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Insulin receptor degradation is accelerated in cultured lymphocytes from patients with genetic syndromes of extreme insulin resistance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McElduff, A.; Hedo, J.A.; Taylor, S.I.; Roth, J.; Gorden, P.

1984-01-01

The insulin receptor degradation rate was examined in B lymphocytes that were obtained from peripheral blood of normal subjects and patients with several syndromes of extreme insulin resistance. The insulin receptors were surface labeled using Na 125 I/lactoperoxidase and the cells were returned to incubate in growth media. After varying periods of incubation, aliquots of cells were solubilized and the cell content of labeled receptor subunits were measured by immunoprecipitation with anti-receptor antibodies and NaDodSO4/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In cell lines from four patients in whom the number of insulin receptors was reduced by greater than 90%, the rate of receptor loss was greater than normal (t1/2 equals 3.8 +/- 0.9 h vs. 6.5 +/- 1.2 h; mean +/- SD, P less than 0.01). However, a similar acceleration in receptor degradation was seen in cells from five patients with extreme insulin resistance but low-normal insulin receptor concentration (t1/2 equals 4.4 +/- 0.9 h). Thus, all the patients with genetic syndromes of insulin resistance had accelerated receptor degradation, regardless of their receptor concentration. By contrast, insulin receptors on cultured lymphocytes that were obtained from patients with extreme insulin resistance secondary to autoantibodies to the insulin receptor had normal receptor degradation (t1/2 equals 6.1 +/- 1.9 h). We conclude that (a) accelerated insulin receptor degradation is an additional feature of cells from patients with genetic forms of insulin resistance; (b) that accelerated insulin receptor degradation may explain the low-normal receptor concentrations that were seen in some patients with extreme insulin resistance; and (c) that accelerated degradation does not explain the decreased receptor concentration in patients with very low insulin receptor binding and, therefore, by inference, a defect in receptor synthesis must be present in this subgroup
Extreme furfural tolerance of a soil bacterium Enterobacter cloacae GGT036.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Sun Young; Gong, Gyeongtaek; Park, Hong-Sil; Um, Youngsoon; Sim, Sang Jun; Woo, Han Min

2015-01-10

Detoxification process of cellular inhibitors including furfural is essential for production of bio-based chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass. Here we isolated an extreme furfural-tolerant bacterium Enterobacter cloacae GGT036 from soil sample collected in Mt. Gwanak, Republic of Korea. Among isolated bacteria, only E. cloacae GGT036 showed cell growth with 35 mM furfural under aerobic culture. Compared to the maximal half inhibitory concentration (IC50) of well-known industrial strains Escherichia coli (24.9 mM furfural) and Corynebacterium glutamicum (10 mM furfural) based on the cell density, IC50 of E. cloacae GGT036 (47.7 mM) was significantly higher after 24 h, compared to E. coli and C. glutamicum. Since bacterial cell growth was exponentially inhibited depending on linearly increased furfural concentrations in the medium, we concluded that E. cloacae GGT036 is an extreme furfural-tolerant bacterium. Recently, the complete genome sequence of E. cloacae GGT036 was announced and this could provide an insight for engineering of E. cloacae GGT036 itself or other industrially relevant bacteria. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Synthesis and characterization of emamectin-benzoate slow-release microspheres with different surfactants.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yan; Wang, Anqi; Wang, Chunxin; Cui, Bo; Sun, Changjiao; Zhao, Xiang; Zeng, Zhanghua; Shen, Yue; Gao, Fei; Liu, Guoqiang; Cui, Haixin

2017-10-06

Pesticide slow-release formulations provide a way to increase the efficiency of active components by reducing the amount of pesticide that needs to be applied. Slow-release formulations also increase the stability and prolong the control effect of photosensitive pesticides. Surfactants are an indispensable part of pesticide formulations, and the choice of surfactant can strongly affect formulation performance. In this study, emamectin-benzoate (EMB) slow-release microspheres were prepared by the microemulsion polymerization method. We explored the effect of different surfactants on the particle size and dispersity of EMB in slow-release microspheres. The results indicated that the samples had uniform spherical shapes with an average diameter of 320.5 ±5.24 nm and good dispersity in the optimal formulation with the polymeric stabilizer polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and composite non-ionic surfactant polyoxyethylene castor oil (EL-40). The optimal EMB pesticide slow-release microspheres had excellent anti-photolysis performance, stability, controlled release properties, and good leaf distribution. These results demonstrated that EMB slow-release microspheres are an attractive candidate for improving pesticide efficacy and prolonging the control effect of EMB in the environment.

Extreme meteorological conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Altinger de Schwarzkopf, M.L.

1983-01-01

Different meteorological variables which may reach significant extreme values, such as the windspeed and, in particular, its occurrence through tornadoes and hurricanes that necesarily incide and wich must be taken into account at the time of nuclear power plants' installation, are analyzed. For this kind of study, it is necessary to determine the basic phenomenum of design. Two criteria are applied to define the basic values of design for extreme meteorological variables. The first one determines the expected extreme value: it is obtained from analyzing the recurence of the phenomenum in a convened period of time, wich may be generally of 50 years. The second one determines the extreme value of low probability, taking into account the nuclear power plant's operating life -f.ex. 25 years- and considering, during said lapse, the occurrence probabilities of extreme meteorological phenomena. The values may be determined either by the deterministic method, which is based on the acknowledgement of the fundamental physical characteristics of the phenomena or by the probabilistic method, that aims to the analysis of historical statistical data. Brief comments are made on the subject in relation to the Argentine Republic area. (R.J.S.) [es
Determining the Extremes of the Cellular NAD(H) Level by Using an Escherichia coli NAD+-Auxotrophic Mutant ▿

OpenAIRE

Zhou, Yongjin; Wang, Lei; Yang, Fan; Lin, Xinping; Zhang, Sufang; Zhao, Zongbao K.

2011-01-01

NAD (NAD+) and its reduced form (NADH) are omnipresent cofactors in biological systems. However, it is difficult to determine the extremes of the cellular NAD(H) level in live cells because the NAD+ level is tightly controlled by a biosynthesis regulation mechanism. Here, we developed a strategy to determine the extreme NAD(H) levels in Escherichia coli cells that were genetically engineered to be NAD+ auxotrophic. First, we expressed the ntt4 gene encoding the NAD(H) transporter in the E. co...
Probabilistic Slow Features for Behavior Analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zafeiriou, Lazaros; Nicolaou, Mihalis A.; Zafeiriou, Stefanos; Nikitidis, Symeon; Pantic, Maja

A recently introduced latent feature learning technique for time-varying dynamic phenomena analysis is the so-called slow feature analysis (SFA). SFA is a deterministic component analysis technique for multidimensional sequences that, by minimizing the variance of the first-order time derivative
Learning slow features for behavior analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zafeiriou, Lazaros; Nicolaou, Mihalis A.; Zafeiriou, Stefanos; Nikitids, Symeon; Pantic, Maja

2013-01-01

A recently introduced latent feature learning technique for time varying dynamic phenomena analysis is the socalled Slow Feature Analysis (SFA). SFA is a deterministic component analysis technique for multi-dimensional sequences that by minimizing the variance of the first order time derivative
A millifluidic study of cell-to-cell heterogeneity in growth-rate and cell-division capability in populations of isogenic cells of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shima P Damodaran

Full Text Available To address possible cell-to-cell heterogeneity in growth dynamics of isogenic cell populations of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, we developed a millifluidic drop-based device that not only allows the analysis of populations grown from single cells over periods of a week, but is also able to sort and collect drops of interest, containing viable and healthy cells, which can be used for further experimentation. In this study, we used isogenic algal cells that were first synchronized in mixotrophic growth conditions. We show that these synchronized cells, when placed in droplets and kept in mixotrophic growth conditions, exhibit mostly homogeneous growth statistics, but with two distinct subpopulations: a major population with a short doubling-time (fast-growers and a significant subpopulation of slowly dividing cells (slow-growers. These observations suggest that algal cells from an isogenic population may be present in either of two states, a state of restricted division and a state of active division. When isogenic cells were allowed to propagate for about 1000 generations on solid agar plates, they displayed an increased heterogeneity in their growth dynamics. Although we could still identify the original populations of slow- and fast-growers, drops inoculated with a single progenitor cell now displayed a wider diversity of doubling-times. Moreover, populations dividing with the same growth-rate often reached different cell numbers in stationary phase, suggesting that the progenitor cells differed in the number of cell divisions they could undertake. We discuss possible explanations for these cell-to-cell heterogeneities in growth dynamics, such as mutations, differential aging or stochastic variations in metabolites and macromolecules yielding molecular switches, in the light of single-cell heterogeneities that have been reported among isogenic populations of other eu- and prokaryotes.
Numerical modeling of slow shocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winske, D.

1987-01-01

This paper reviews previous attempt and the present status of efforts to understand the structure of slow shocks by means of time dependent numerical calculations. Studies carried out using MHD or hybrid-kinetic codes have demonstrated qualitative agreement with theory. A number of unresolved issues related to hybrid simulations of the internal shock structure are discussed in some detail. 43 refs., 8 figs
Probing the positron moderation process using high-intensity, highly polarized slow-positron beams

Science.gov (United States)

Van House, J.; Zitzewitz, P. W.

1984-01-01

A highly polarized (P = 0.48 + or - 0.02) intense (500,000/sec) beam of 'slow' (Delta E = about 2 eV) positrons (e+) is generated, and it is shown that it is possible to achieve polarization as high as P = 0.69 + or - 0.04 with reduced intensity. The measured polarization of the slow e+ emitted by five different positron moderators showed no dependence on the moderator atomic number (Z). It is concluded that only source positrons with final kinetic energy below 17 keV contribute to the slow-e+ beam, in disagreement with recent yield functions derived from low-energy measurements. Measurements of polarization and yield with absorbers of different Z between the source and moderator show the effects of the energy and angular distributions of the source positrons on P. The depolarization of fast e+ transmitted through high-Z absorbers has been measured. Applications of polarized slow-e+ beams are discussed.
Pathological characteristics of extremely severe acute radiation injury in a patient's legs and hands after a very uneven accidental exposure to an extremely high dose of 192Ir

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Qing; Li Guomin; Liu Shujun; Yang Yijing; Li Fumeng; Yang Junhua

1997-01-01

The pathological characteristics of an extremely high dose radiation in the legs and hands of a patient is reported. the patient was exposed to 192 Ir γ-rays for 9 hours and 20 minutes, the activity of which was 2.76 TBq. The amputations of the right thigh and left forearm had to be performed 8 days after the irradiation and the debridements and skin graftings were performed on the right hand and the inner side of left knee 55 days after the radiation. Microscopically, massive necrosis of cells of the epidermis, cutaneous appendages, hypodermics and skeletal muscles, and hemorrhage in the dermis, hypodermics and skeletal muscles were seen in the local irradiated parts of the right shank. But the arrector pili muscles in the dermis of the right shank remained. On the fingers and the palm of the left hand, vacuolar degeneration and massive necrosis of the cells of epidermis were present with extensive neutrophil infiltration. Cysts of large or small size were formed from the necrotic cells, separating epidermis from dermis. There were degeneration and necrosis of glandular epithelium cells of sweat glands. Hemorrhage was present in dermis and hypodermics. All the hematopoietic tissues in the bone marrow in the upper ends of the tibia and fibula and in the lower ends of the femur, the radius and the ulna disappeared. Acute radiation ulcers were present on the skin of the left knee and on the skin of the thumb, index finger and middle finger of the right hand. The extremely severe acute radiation injury caused by extremely high dose of 192 Ir led to the necrosis of the extensive soft tissues deep to skeletal muscles and the disappearance of the hematopoietic tissues in the bone marrow
Unmasking the linear behaviour of slow motor adaptation to prolonged convergence.

Science.gov (United States)

Erkelens, Ian M; Thompson, Benjamin; Bobier, William R

2016-06-01

Adaptation to changing environmental demands is central to maintaining optimal motor system function. Current theories suggest that adaptation in both the skeletal-motor and oculomotor systems involves a combination of fast (reflexive) and slow (recalibration) mechanisms. Here we used the oculomotor vergence system as a model to investigate the mechanisms underlying slow motor adaptation. Unlike reaching with the upper limbs, vergence is less susceptible to changes in cognitive strategy that can affect the behaviour of motor adaptation. We tested the hypothesis that mechanisms of slow motor adaptation reflect early neural processing by assessing the linearity of adaptive responses over a large range of stimuli. Using varied disparity stimuli in conflict with accommodation, the slow adaptation of tonic vergence was found to exhibit a linear response whereby the rate (R(2) = 0.85, P < 0.0001) and amplitude (R(2) = 0.65, P < 0.0001) of the adaptive effects increased proportionally with stimulus amplitude. These results suggest that this slow adaptive mechanism is an early neural process, implying a fundamental physiological nature that is potentially dominated by subcortical and cerebellar substrates. © 2016 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Spatial ability of slow learners based on Hubert Maier theory

Science.gov (United States)

Permatasari, I.; Pramudya, I.; Kusmayadi, T. A.

2018-03-01

Slow learners are children who have low learning achievement (under the average of normal children) in one or all of the academic field, but they are not classified as a mentally retarded children. Spatial ability developed according to age and level of knowledge possessed, both from the neighborhood and formal education. Analyzing the spatial ability of students is important for teachers, as an effort to improve the quality of learning for slow learners. Especially on the implementation of inclusion school which is developing in Indonesia. This research used a qualitative method and involved slow learner students as the subject. Based on the data analysis it was found the spatial ability of slow learners, there were: spatial perception, students were able to describe the other shape of object when its position changed; spatial visualisation, students were able to describe the materials that construct an object; mental rotation, students cannot describe the object being rotated; spatial relation, students cannot describe the relations of same objects; spatial orientation, students were able to describe object from the others perspective.
Relationship between platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio and coronary slow flow.

Science.gov (United States)

Oylumlu, Muhammed; Doğan, Adnan; Oylumlu, Mustafa; Yıldız, Abdülkadir; Yüksel, Murat; Kayan, Fethullah; Kilit, Celal; Amasyalı, Basri

2015-05-01

The coronary slow flow phenomenon (CSFP), which is characterized by delayed distal vessel opacification in the absence of significant epicardial coronary disease, is an angiographic finding. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and coronary blood flow rate. This is a retrospective observational study. It was based on two medical centers. A total of 197 patients undergoing coronary angiography were included in the study, 95 of whom were patients with coronary slow flow without stenosis in coronary angiography and 102 of whom had normal coronary arteries and normal flow. The PLR was higher in the coronary slow flow group compared with the control groups (p=0.001). In the correlation analysis, PLR showed a significant correlation with left anterior descending (LAD) artery thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) frame count. After multiple logistic regression, high levels of PLR were independently associated with coronary slow flow, together with hemoglobin. PLR was higher in patients with CSFP, and we also showed that PLR was significantly and independently associated with CSFP.
[Relationship between muscle activity and kinematics of the lower extremity in slow motions of squats in humans].

Science.gov (United States)

Khorievin, V I; Horkovenko, A V; Vereshchaka, I V

2013-01-01

Squatting can be performed on ankle strategy when ankle joint is flexed more than a hip joint and on hip strategy when large changes occur at the hip joint. The relationships between changes ofjoint angles and electromyogram (EMG) of the leg muscles were studied in five healthy men during squatting that was performed at the ankle and hip strategies with a slow changes in the knee angle of 40 and 60 degrees. It is established that at ankle strategy the ankle muscles were activated ahead of joint angle changes and shifting the center of pressure (CT) on stabilographic platform, whereas activation of the thigh muscles began simultaneously with the change of the joint angles, showing the clear adaptation in successive trials and a linear relationships between the static EMG component and the angle changes of the ankle joint. In the case of hip strategy of squatting the thigh muscles were activated simultaneously with the change in the joint angles and the displacement of CT, whereas the ankle muscles were activated later than the thigh muscles, especially the muscle tibialis anterior, showing some adaptations in consecutive attempts. At the ankle strategy the EMG amplitude was greatest in thigh muscles, reproducing contour of changes in joint angles, whereas the ankle muscles were activated only slightly during changes of joint angles. In the case of hip strategy dominated the EMG amplitude of the muscle tibialis anterior, which was activated when driving down the trunk and fixation of the joint angles that was accompanied by a slight coactivation of the calf muscles with the step-like increase in the amplitude of the EMG of the thigh muscles. Choice of leg muscles to start the squatting on both strategies occurred without a definite pattern, which may indicate the existence of a wide range of options for muscle activity in a single strategy.
Early warnings of extreme winds using the ECMWF Extreme Forecast Index

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petroliagis, Thomas I.; Pinson, Pierre

2014-01-01

The European FP7 SafeWind Project aims at developing research towards a European vision of wind power forecasting, which requires advanced meteorological support concerning extreme wind events. This study is focused mainly on early warnings of extreme winds in the early medium-range. Three synoptic...... regimes. Overall, it becomes clear that the first indications of an extreme wind event might come from the ECMWF deterministic and/or probabilistic components capturing very intense weather systems (possible windstorms) in the medium term. For early warnings, all available EPS Extreme Forecast Index (EFI......) formulations were used, by linking daily maximum wind speeds to EFI values for different forecast horizons. From all possible EFI schemes deployed for issuing early warnings, the highest skill was found for the Gust Factor formulation (EFI-10FGI). Using EFI-10FGI, the corresponding 99% threshold could provide...
Left–right coordination from simple to extreme conditions during split‐belt locomotion in the chronic spinal adult cat

Science.gov (United States)

Desrochers, Étienne; Thibaudier, Yann; Hurteau, Marie‐France; Dambreville, Charline

2016-01-01

Key points Coordination between the left and right sides is essential for dynamic stability during locomotion.The immature or neonatal mammalian spinal cord can adjust to differences in speed between the left and right sides during split‐belt locomotion by taking more steps on the fast side.We show that the adult mammalian spinal cord can also adjust its output so that the fast side can take more steps.During split‐belt locomotion, only certain parts of the cycle are modified to adjust left–right coordination, primarily those associated with swing onset.When the fast limb takes more steps than the slow limb, strong left–right interactions persist.Therefore, the adult mammalian spinal cord has a remarkable adaptive capacity for left–right coordination, from simple to extreme conditions. Abstract Although left–right coordination is essential for locomotion, its control is poorly understood, particularly in adult mammals. To investigate the spinal control of left–right coordination, a spinal transection was performed in six adult cats that were then trained to recover hindlimb locomotion. Spinal cats performed tied‐belt locomotion from 0.1 to 1.0 m s−1 and split‐belt locomotion with low to high (1:1.25–10) slow/fast speed ratios. With the left hindlimb stepping at 0.1 m s−1 and the right hindlimb stepping from 0.2 to 1.0 m s−1, 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4 and 1:5 left–right step relationships could appear. The appearance of 1:2+ relationships was not linearly dependent on the difference in speed between the slow and fast belts. The last step taken by the fast hindlimb displayed longer cycle, stance and swing durations and increased extensor activity, as the slow limb transitioned to swing. During split‐belt locomotion with 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3 relationships, the timing of stance onset of the fast limb relative to the slow limb and placement of both limbs at contact were invariant with increasing slow/fast speed ratios. In contrast, the timing of
Sulfate-reducing bacteria slow intestinal transit in a bismuth-reversible fashion in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Ritz, N L; Lin, D M; Wilson, M R; Barton, L L; Lin, H C

2017-01-01

Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) serves as a mammalian cell-derived gaseous neurotransmitter. The intestines are exposed to a second source of this gas by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Bismuth subsalicylate binds H 2 S rendering it insoluble. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that SRB may slow intestinal transit in a bismuth-reversible fashion. Eighty mice were randomized to five groups consisting of Live SRB, Killed SRB, SRB+Bismuth, Bismuth, and Saline. Desulfovibrio vulgaris, a common strain of SRB, was administered by gavage at the dose of 1.0 × 10 9 cells along with rhodamine, a fluorescent dye. Intestinal transit was measured 50 minutes after gavage by euthanizing the animals, removing the small intestine between the pyloric sphincter and the ileocecal valve and visualizing the distribution of rhodamine across the intestine using an imaging system (IVIS, Perkin-Elmer). Intestinal transit (n=50) was compared using geometric center (1=minimal movement, 100=maximal movement). H 2 S concentration (n=30) was also measured when small intestinal luminal content was allowed to generate this gas. The Live SRB group had slower intestinal transit as represented by a geometric center score of 40.2 ± 5.7 when compared to Saline: 73.6 ± 5.7, Killed SRB: 77.9 ± 6.9, SRB+Bismuth: 81.0 ± 2.0, and Bismuth: 73.3 ± 4.2 (Pfashion in mice. Our results demonstrate that intestinal transit is slowed by SRB and this effect could be abolished by H 2 S-binding bismuth. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Late onset globoid cell leukodystrophy.

OpenAIRE

Grewal, R P; Petronas, N; Barton, N W

1991-01-01

A 29 year old male with onset of globoid cell leukodystrophy at age 14 is described. This is the first case of enzymatically confirmed globoid cell leukodystrophy with onset of symptoms after the age of ten. This patient is unique because of the late onset and slow progression and extends the clinical spectrum of globoid cell leukodystrophy.
Late onset globoid cell leukodystrophy.

Science.gov (United States)

Grewal, R P; Petronas, N; Barton, N W

1991-11-01

A 29 year old male with onset of globoid cell leukodystrophy at age 14 is described. This is the first case of enzymatically confirmed globoid cell leukodystrophy with onset of symptoms after the age of ten. This patient is unique because of the late onset and slow progression and extends the clinical spectrum of globoid cell leukodystrophy.
Thermoanaerobacter mathranii sp. nov., an ethanol-producing, extremely thermophilic anaerobic bacterium from a hot spring in Iceland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, L.; Nielsen, P.; Ahring, B.K.

1997-01-01

The extremely thermophilic ethanol-producing strain A3 was isolated from a hot spring in Iceland, The cells were rod-shaped, motile, and had terminal spores: cells from the mid-to-late exponential growth phase stained gram-variable but had a gram-positive cell wall structure when viewed...
The Roles of Cortical Slow Waves in Synaptic Plasticity and Memory Consolidation

OpenAIRE

Miyamoto, Daisuke; Hirai, Daichi; Murayama, Masanori

2017-01-01

Sleep plays important roles in sensory and motor memory consolidation. Sleep oscillations, reflecting neural population activity, involve the reactivation of learning-related neurons and regulate synaptic strength and, thereby affect memory consolidation. Among sleep oscillations, slow waves (0.5–4 Hz) are closely associated with memory consolidation. For example, slow-wave power is regulated in an experience-dependent manner and correlates with acquired memory. Furthermore, manipulating slow...
Crystal plastic earthquakes in dolostones: from slow to fast ruptures.

Science.gov (United States)

Passelegue, F. X.; Aubry, J.; Nicolas, A.; Fondriest, M.; Schubnel, A.; Di Toro, G.

2017-12-01

Dolostone is the most dominant lithology of the seismogenic upper crust around the Mediterranean Sea. Understanding the internal mechanisms controlling fault friction is crucial for understanding seismicity along active faults. Displacement in such fault zones is frequently highlighted by highly reflective (mirror-like) slip surfaces, created by thin films of nanogranular fault rock. Using saw-cut dolostone samples coming from natural fault zones, we conducted stick-slip experiments under triaxial loading conditions at 30, 60 and 90 MPa confining pressure and temperature ranging from 30 to 100 degrees C. At 30 and 65 degrees C, only slow rupture was observed and the experimental fault exhibits frictional behaviour, i.e. a dependence of normal stress on peak shear stress. At 65 degrees C, a strengthening behaviour is observed after the main rupture, leading to a succession of slow rupture. At 100 degrees C, the macroscopic behaviour of the fault becomes ductile, and no dependence of pressure on the peak shear stress is observed. In addition, the increase of the confining pressure up to 60 and 90 MPa allow the transition from slow to fast rupture, highlighted by the records of acoustic activity and by dynamic stress drop occurring in a few tens of microseconds. Using strain gages located along the fault surface and acoustic transducers, we were able to measure the rupture velocities during slow and fast rupture. Slow ruptures propagated around 0.1 m/s, in agreement with natural observations. Fast ruptures propagated up to supershear velocities, i.e. faster than the shear wave speed (>3500 m/s). A complete study of the microstructures was realized before and after ruptures. Slow ruptures lead to the production of mirror-like surface driven by the production of nanograins due to dislocation processes. Fast ruptures induce the production of amorphous material along the fault surface, which may come from decarbonation and melting processes. We demonstrate that the

Slow and fast light in semiconductor waveguides

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mørk, Jesper; Hansen, Per Lunnemann; Xue, Weiqi

2010-01-01

Investigations of slow and fast light effects in semiconductor waveguides entail interesting physics and point to a number of promising applications. In this review we give an overview of recent progress in the field, in particular focusing on the physical mechanisms of electromagnetically induced...... transparency and coherent population oscillations. While electromagnetically induced transparency has been the most important effect in realizing slowdown effects in atomic gasses, progress has been comparatively slow in semiconductors due to inherent problems of fast dephasing times and inhomogeneous...... broadening in quantum dots. The physics of electromagnetically induced transparency in semiconductors is discussed, emphasizing these limitations and recent suggestions for overcoming them. On the other hand, the mechanism of coherent population oscillations relies on wave mixing effects and is well suited...
Slow journalism in the “infoxication” era

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samia Benaissa Pedriza

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Slow journalism appears as a response to the information overload generated by the acceleration of the news production cycle in a digital era marked by the emergence of new operators (social networks, news aggregators. Both the study of cases practiced and the reflection on the function that the so-called “slow journalism” must exert today indicate that this type of journalism is still useful to improve the quality of information products. On the other hand, the existence of an increasing demand of multimedia contents that analyze the facts in depth is confirmed. That need is being covered by companies that are independent of the mainstream media, which are more interested in developing other mass demand markets such as latest news.
Optimization with Extremal Dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boettcher, Stefan; Percus, Allon G.

2001-01-01

We explore a new general-purpose heuristic for finding high-quality solutions to hard discrete optimization problems. The method, called extremal optimization, is inspired by self-organized criticality, a concept introduced to describe emergent complexity in physical systems. Extremal optimization successively updates extremely undesirable variables of a single suboptimal solution, assigning them new, random values. Large fluctuations ensue, efficiently exploring many local optima. We use extremal optimization to elucidate the phase transition in the 3-coloring problem, and we provide independent confirmation of previously reported extrapolations for the ground-state energy of ±J spin glasses in d=3 and 4
Patient-Derived Antibody Targets Tumor Cells

Science.gov (United States)

An NCI Cancer Currents blog on an antibody derived from patients that killed tumor cells in cell lines of several cancer types and slowed tumor growth in mouse models of brain and lung cancer without evidence of side effects.
Slow Money for Soft Energy: Lessons for Energy Finance from the Slow Money Movement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kock, Beaudry E. [Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford (United Kingdom)], e-mail: beaudry.kock@ouce.ox.ac.uk

2012-12-15

Energy infrastructure is decarbonizing, shifting from dirty coal to cleaner gas- and emissions-free renewables. This is an important and necessary change that unfortunately risks preserving many problematic technical and institutional properties of the old energy system: in particular, the large scales, high aggregation, and excessive centralization of renewable energy infrastructure and, importantly, its financing. Large-scale renewables carry environmental, social and political risks that cannot be ignored, and more importantly they may not alone accomplish the necessary decarbonization of the power sector. We need to revive a different approach to clean energy infrastructure: a 'softer' (Lovins 1978), more distributed, decentralized, local-scale strategy. To achieve this, we need a fundamentally different approach to the financing of clean energy infrastructure. I propose we learn from the 'Slow Money' approach being pioneered in sustainable agriculture (Tasch 2010), emphasizing a better connection to place, smaller scales, and a focus on quality over quantity. This 'slow money, soft energy' vision is not a repudiation of big-scale renewables, since there are some societal needs, which can only be met by big, centralized power. But we do not need the level of concentration in control and finance epitomized by the current trends in the global renewables sector: this can and must change.
Human skeletal muscle: transition between fast and slow fibre types.

Science.gov (United States)

Neunhäuserer, Daniel; Zebedin, Michaela; Obermoser, Magdalena; Moser, Gerhard; Tauber, Mark; Niebauer, Josef; Resch, Herbert; Galler, Stefan

2011-05-01

Human skeletal muscles consist of different fibre types: slow fibres (slow twitch or type I) containing the myosin heavy chain isoform (MHC)-I and fast fibres (fast twitch or type II) containing MHC-IIa (type IIA) or MHC-IId (type IID). The following order of decreasing kinetics is known: type IID > type IIA > type I. This order is especially based on the kinetics of stretch activation, which is the most discriminative property among fibre types. In this study we tested if hybrid fibres containing both MHC-IIa and MHC-I (type C fibres) provide a transition in kinetics between fast (type IIA) and slow fibres (type I). Our data of stretch activation kinetics suggest that type C fibres, with different ratios of MHC-IIa and MHC-I, do not provide a continuous transition. Instead, a specialized group of slow fibres, which we called "transition fibres", seems to provide a transition. Apart of their kinetics of stretch activation, which is most close to that of type IIA, the transition fibres are characterized by large cross-sectional areas and low maximal tensions. The molecular cause for the mechanical properties of the transition fibres is unknown. It is possible that the transition fibres contain an unknown slow MHC isoform, which cannot be separated by biochemical methods. Alternatively, or in addition, isoforms of myofibrillar proteins, other than MHC, and posttranslational modifications of myofibrillar proteins could play a role regarding the characteristics of the transition fibres.
Optimizing detection and analysis of slow waves in sleep EEG.

Science.gov (United States)

Mensen, Armand; Riedner, Brady; Tononi, Giulio

2016-12-01

Analysis of individual slow waves in EEG recording during sleep provides both greater sensitivity and specificity compared to spectral power measures. However, parameters for detection and analysis have not been widely explored and validated. We present a new, open-source, Matlab based, toolbox for the automatic detection and analysis of slow waves; with adjustable parameter settings, as well as manual correction and exploration of the results using a multi-faceted visualization tool. We explore a large search space of parameter settings for slow wave detection and measure their effects on a selection of outcome parameters. Every choice of parameter setting had some effect on at least one outcome parameter. In general, the largest effect sizes were found when choosing the EEG reference, type of canonical waveform, and amplitude thresholding. Previously published methods accurately detect large, global waves but are conservative and miss the detection of smaller amplitude, local slow waves. The toolbox has additional benefits in terms of speed, user-interface, and visualization options to compare and contrast slow waves. The exploration of parameter settings in the toolbox highlights the importance of careful selection of detection METHODS: The sensitivity and specificity of the automated detection can be improved by manually adding or deleting entire waves and or specific channels using the toolbox visualization functions. The toolbox standardizes the detection procedure, sets the stage for reliable results and comparisons and is easy to use without previous programming experience. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Mechanism of abnormally slow crystal growth of CuZr alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, X. Q.; Lü, Y. J.

2015-01-01

Crystal growth of the glass-forming CuZr alloy is shown to be abnormally slow, which suggests a new method to identify the good glass-forming alloys. The crystal growth of elemental Cu, Pd and binary NiAl, CuZr alloys is systematically studied with the aid of molecular dynamics simulations. The temperature dependence of the growth velocity indicates the different growth mechanisms between the elemental and the alloy systems. The high-speed growth featuring the elemental metals is dominated by the non-activated collision between liquid-like atoms and interface, and the low-speed growth for NiAl and CuZr is determined by the diffusion across the interface. We find that, in contrast to Cu, Pd, and NiAl, a strong stress layering arisen from the density and the local order layering forms in front of the liquid-crystal interface of CuZr alloy, which causes a slow diffusion zone. The formation of the slow diffusion zone suppresses the interface moving, resulting in much small growth velocity of CuZr alloy. We provide a direct evidence of this explanation by applying the compressive stress normal to the interface. The compression is shown to boost the stress layering in CuZr significantly, correspondingly enhancing the slow diffusion zone, and eventually slowing down the crystal growth of CuZr alloy immediately. In contrast, the growth of Cu, Pd, and NiAl is increased by the compression because the low diffusion zones in them are never well developed
Primary clear cell sarcoma of bone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, J.H.; Gu, M.J.; Kim, M.J.; Bae, Y.K.; Choi, W.H.; Shin, D.S.; Cho, K.H.

2003-01-01

Clear cell sarcoma is a rare soft tissue sarcoma of young adults with melanocytic differentiation. It occurs predominantly in the soft tissue of extremities, typically involving tendons and aponeuroses. Primary clear cell sarcoma of bone is extremely rare. We report a case of primary clear cell sarcoma of the right first metatarsal in a 48-year-old woman and provide a literature review of the entity. (orig.)
Kinetic Alfven waves and electron physics. II. Oblique slow shocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yin, L.; Winske, D.; Daughton, W.

2007-01-01

One-dimensional (1D) particle-in-cell (PIC; kinetic ions and electrons) and hybrid (kinetic ions; adiabatic and massless fluid electrons) simulations of highly oblique slow shocks (θ Bn =84 deg. and β=0.1) [Yin et al., J. Geophys. Res., 110, A09217 (2005)] have shown that the dissipation from the ions is too weak to form a shock and that kinetic electron physics is required. The PIC simulations also showed that the downstream electron temperature becomes anisotropic (T e parallel )>T e perpendicular ), as observed in slow shocks in space. The electron anisotropy results, in part, from the electron acceleration/heating by parallel electric fields of obliquely propagating kinetic Alfven waves (KAWs) excited by ion-ion streaming, which cannot be modeled accurately in hybrid simulations. In the shock ramp, spiky structures occur in density and electron parallel temperature, where the ion parallel temperature decreases due to the reduction of the ion backstreaming speed. In this paper, KAW and electron physics in oblique slow shocks are further examined under lower electron beta conditions. It is found that as the electron beta is reduced, the resonant interaction between electrons and the wave parallel electric fields shifts to the tail of the electron velocity distribution, providing more efficient parallel heating. As a consequence, for β e =0.02, the electron physics is shown to influence the formation of a θ Bn =75 deg. shock. Electron effects are further enhanced at a more oblique shock angle (θ Bn =84 deg.) when both the growth rate and the range of unstable modes on the KAW branch increase. Small-scale electron and ion phase-space vortices in the shock ramp formed by electron-KAW interactions and the reduction of the ion backstreaming speed, respectively, are observed in the simulations and confirmed in homogeneous geometries in one and two spatial dimensions in the accompanying paper [Yin et al., Phys. Plasmas 14, 062104 (2007)]. Results from this study
Research Update: Relativistic origin of slow electron-hole recombination in hybrid halide perovskite solar cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pooya Azarhoosh

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The hybrid perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPI exhibits long minority-carrier lifetimes and diffusion lengths. We show that slow recombination originates from a spin-split indirect-gap. Large internal electric fields act on spin-orbit-coupled band extrema, shifting band-edges to inequivalent wavevectors, making the fundamental gap indirect. From a description of photoluminescence within the quasiparticle self-consistent GW approximation for MAPI, CdTe, and GaAs, we predict carrier lifetime as a function of light intensity and temperature. At operating conditions we find radiative recombination in MAPI is reduced by a factor of more than 350 compared to direct gap behavior. The indirect gap is retained with dynamic disorder.
Research Update: Relativistic origin of slow electron-hole recombination in hybrid halide perovskite solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Azarhoosh, Pooya; McKechnie, Scott; Frost, Jarvist M.; Walsh, Aron; van Schilfgaarde, Mark

2016-09-01

The hybrid perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPI) exhibits long minority-carrier lifetimes and diffusion lengths. We show that slow recombination originates from a spin-split indirect-gap. Large internal electric fields act on spin-orbit-coupled band extrema, shifting band-edges to inequivalent wavevectors, making the fundamental gap indirect. From a description of photoluminescence within the quasiparticle self-consistent GW approximation for MAPI, CdTe, and GaAs, we predict carrier lifetime as a function of light intensity and temperature. At operating conditions we find radiative recombination in MAPI is reduced by a factor of more than 350 compared to direct gap behavior. The indirect gap is retained with dynamic disorder.
The condition for classical slow rolling in new inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasaki, Misao; Nambu, Yasusada; Nakao, Ken-ichi.

1988-02-01

By means of the stochastic description of inflation, we investigate the dynamics of a fixed comoving domain in a continuously inflating universe on the global scale, both analytically and numerically. A particular attention is paid to the condition for a domain to enter the classical slow rolling phase. New inflationary universe models with the potential form, V(φ) ∼ V 0 - cφ 2n at φ ∼ 0 are considered. The critical value of the scalar field beyond which the field slowly rolls down the potential hill is estimated. We find, for all models under consideration, the condition for classical slow rolling is a sufficient condition for the expected amplitude of density perturbations to be smaller than unity. In other words, the density perturbation amplitude at the later Friedmann stage is always smaller than unity if the universe experienced the classical slow roll-over phase. (author)
The Slow Control System of the Auger Fluorescence Detectors

Science.gov (United States)

Barenthien, N.; Bethge, C.; Daumiller, K.; Gemmeke, H.; Kampert, K.-H.; Wiebusch, C.

2003-07-01

The fluorescence detector (FD) of the Pierre Auger experiment [1] comprises 24 telescopes that will be situated in 4 remote buildings in the Pampa Amarilla. It is planned to run the fluorescence detectors in absence of operators on site. Therefore, the main task of the Slow Control System (SCS) is to ensure a secure remote operation of the FD system. The Slow Control System works autonomously and continuously monitors those parameters which may disturb a secure operation. Commands from the data-acquisition system or the remote operator are accepted only if they do not violate safety rules that depend on the actual experimental conditions (e.g. high-voltage, wind-sp eed, light, etc.). In case of malfunctions (power failure, communication breakdown, ...) the SCS performs an orderly shutdown and subsequent startup of the fluorescence detector system. The concept and the implementation of the Slow Control System are presented.
The condition for classical slow rolling in new inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasaki, Misao; Nambu, Yasusada; Nakao, Ken-ichi

1988-01-01

By means of the stochastic description of inflation we investigate the dynamics of a fixed comoving domain in a continuously inflating universe on a global scale, both analytically and numerically. Particular attention is paid to the condition for a domain to enter the classical slow rolling phase. New inflationary universe models with the potential form V(φ) ≅ V 0 -cφ 2n at φ ≅ 0 are considered. The critical value of the scalar field beyond which the field slowly rolls down the potential hill is estimated. We find that for all models under consideration, the condition for classical slow rolling is a sufficient condition for the expected amplitude of density perturbations to be smaller than unity. In other words, the density perturbation amplitude at the later Friedmann stage is always smaller than unity if the universe experienced the classical slow roll-over phase. (orig.)
A Simple Slow-Sand Filter for Drinking Water Purification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. O. Yusuf

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Water-borne diseases are commonly encountered when pathogen-contaminated water is consumed. In rural areas, water is usually obtained from ponds, open shallow wells, streams and rain water during rainy season. Rain water is often contaminated by pathogens due to unhygienic of physical and chemical conditions of the roofs thereby making it unsafe for consumption. A simple slow sand filter mechanism was designed and fabricated for purification of water in rural areas where electricity is not available to power water purification devices. Rain water samples were collected from aluminum roof, galvanized roof and thatched roof. The waters samples were allowed to flow through the slow sand filter. The values of turbidity, total dissolved solids, calcium, nitrite, faecal coliform and total coliform from unfiltered water through thatched roof were 0.92 NTU, 27.23 mg/l, 6 mg/l, 0.16 mg/l, 5cfu/100ml and 6.0 cfu/100ml, respectively while the corresponding values for slow sand filter from thatched roof were 0.01 NTU, 0.23 mg/l, 2.5 mg/l, 0.1 mg/l, 0 cfu/100ml and 0 cfu/100ml, respectively. The values of turbidity, total dissolved solid, nitrite, calcium, faecal coliform and total coliform from unfiltered water for aluminum roof were 0.82 NTU, 23.68 mg/l, 2.70 mg/l, 1.0 mg/l, 4 cfu/100ml and 4cfu/100ml, respectively while the corresponding values for slow sand filter were 0.01 NTU, 0.16 mg/l, 0.57 mg/l, 0.2 mg/l, 0 cfu/100ml and 0 cfu/100ml, respectively. The values obtained for galvanized roof were also satisfactory. The slow sand filter is recommended for used in rural areas for water purification to prevent risk of water-borne diseases.
Sound asleep: Processing and retention of slow oscillation phase-targeted stimuli

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cox, R.; Korjoukov, I.; de Boer, M.; Talamini, L.M.

2014-01-01

The sleeping brain retains some residual information processing capacity. Although direct evidence is scarce, a substantial literature suggests the phase of slow oscillations during deep sleep to be an important determinant for stimulus processing. Here, we introduce an algorithm for predicting slow
Psychological predictors of the antihypertensive effects of music-guided slow breathing.

Science.gov (United States)

Modesti, Pietro Amedeo; Ferrari, Antonella; Bazzini, Cristina; Costanzo, Giusi; Simonetti, Ignazio; Taddei, Stefano; Biggeri, Annibale; Parati, Gianfranco; Gensini, Gian Franco; Sirigatti, Saulo

2010-05-01

The possibility that daily sessions of music-guided slow breathing may reduce 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (ABP), and predictors of efficacy were explored in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial with parallel design. Age-matched and sex-matched hypertensive patients were randomized to music-guided slow breathing exercises (4-6 breaths/min; 1: 2 ratio of inspiration: expiration duration) (Intervention; n = 29) or to control groups who were thought to relax while either listening to slow music (Control-M; n = 26) or reading a book (Control-R; n = 31). At baseline and at follow-up visits (1 week and 1, 3 and 6 months), ABP monitoring was performed. At mixed model analysis, intervention was associated with a significant reduction of 24-h (P = 0.001) and night-time (0100-0600 h) (P music-guided slow breathing significantly reduce 24-h systolic ABP, and psychological predictors of efficacy can be identified.
Generation and application of slow positrons based on a electron LINAC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurihara, Toshikazu

2002-01-01

History of slow positron in Institute of Materials Structure Science High Energy Accelerator Research Organization is explained. The principle of generation and application of intense positron beam is mentioned. Two sources of intense positron are radioactive decay of radioactive isotopes emitting positron and electron-positron pair creation. The radioactive decay method uses 58 Co, 64 Cu, 11 C, 13 N, 15 O and 18 F. The electron-positron pair creation method uses nuclear reactor or electron linear accelerator (LINAC). The positron experimental facility in this organization consists of electron LINAC, slow positron beam source, positron transport and experimental station. The outline of this facility is started. The intense slow positron beam is applied to research positronium work function, electron structure of surface. New method such as combination of positron lifetime measurement and slow positron beam or Auger electron spectroscopy by positron annihilation excitation and positron reemission microscope are developed. (S.Y.)
EEG slow-wave coherence changes in propofol-induced general anesthesia: Experiment and theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaier eWang

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The electroencephalogram (EEG patterns recorded during general anesthetic-induced coma are closely similar to those seen during slow-wave sleep, the deepest stage of natural sleep; both states show patterns dominated by large amplitude slow waves. Slow oscillations are believed to be important for memory consolidation during natural sleep. Tracking the emergence of slow-wave oscillations during transition to unconsciousness may help us to identify drug-induced alterations of the underlying brain state, and provide insight into the mechanisms of general anesthesia. Although cellular-based mechanisms have been proposed, the origin of the slow oscillation has not yet been unambiguously established. A recent theoretical study by Steyn-Ross et al. [Physical Review X 3(2, 021005 (2013] proposes that the slow oscillation is a network, rather than cellular phenomenon. Modeling anesthesia as a moderate reduction in gap-junction interneuronal coupling, they predict an unconscious state signposted by emergent low-frequency oscillations with chaotic dynamics in space and time. They suggest that anesthetic slow-waves arise from a competitive interaction between symmetry-breaking instabilities in space (Turing and time (Hopf, modulated by gap-junction coupling strength. A significant prediction of their model is that EEG phase coherence will decrease as the cortex transits from Turing--Hopf balance (wake to Hopf-dominated chaotic slow-waves (unconsciousness. Here, we investigate changes in phase coherence during induction of general anesthesia. After examining 128-channel EEG traces recorded from five volunteers undergoing propofol anesthesia, we report a significant drop in sub-delta band (0.05--1.5 Hz slow-wave coherence between frontal, occipital, and frontal-occipital electrode pairs, with the most pronounced wake-versus-unconscious coherence changes occurring at the frontal cortex.

Slow Light at High Frequencies in an Amplifying Semiconductor Waveguide

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Öhman, Filip; Yvind, Kresten; Mørk, Jesper

2006-01-01

We demonstrate slow-down of a modulated light signal in a semiconductor waveguide. Concatenated amplifying and absorbing sections simultaneously achieve both amplification and a controllable time delay at 15 GHz.......We demonstrate slow-down of a modulated light signal in a semiconductor waveguide. Concatenated amplifying and absorbing sections simultaneously achieve both amplification and a controllable time delay at 15 GHz....
Potential energy landscape signatures of slow dynamics in glass forming liquids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sastry, S.; Debenedetti, P. G.; Stillinger, F. H.

1999-01-01

We study the properties of local potential energy minima (inherent structures) sampled by liquids at low temperatures as an approach to elucidating the mechanisms of the observed dynamical slowing down observed as the glass transition temperature is approached. This onset of slow dynamics...
Rapidly reconfigurable slow-light system based on off-resonant Raman absorption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vudyasetu, Praveen K.; Howell, John C.; Camacho, Ryan M.

2010-01-01

We present a slow-light system based on dual Raman absorption resonances in warm rubidium vapor. Each Raman absorption resonance is produced by a control beam in an off-resonant Λ system. This system combines all optical control of the Raman absorption and the low-dispersion broadening properties of the double Lorentzian absorption slow light. The bandwidth, group delay, and central frequency of the slow-light system can all be tuned dynamically by changing the properties of the control beam. We demonstrate multiple pulse delays with low distortion and show that such a system has fast switching dynamics and thus fast reconfiguration rates.
Analysis of the frequency response of a TeO{sub 2} slow shear wave acousto-optic cell exposed to radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erteza, I.A.

1995-04-01

Radiation testing of photonic components is not new, however component level testing to date has not completely addressed quantities which are important to system behavior. One characteristic that is of particular importance for optical processing systems is the frequency response. In this report, we present the analysis of data from an experiment designed to provide a preliminary understanding of the effects of radiation on the frequency response of acousto-optic devices. The goal of the analysis is to describe possible physical mechanisms responsible for the radiation effects and to discuss the effects on signal processing functionality. The experiment discussed in this report was designed by Sandia National Laboratories and performed by Sandia and Phillips Laboratory personnel at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR). In the experiment, a TeO{sub 2} slow shear wave acousto-optic cell was exposed to radiation from the WSMR linear accelerator. The TeO{sub 2} cell was placed in an experimental configuration which allowed swept frequency diffracted power measurements to be taken during radiation exposure and recovery. A series of exposures was performed. Each exposure consisted of between 1 to 800, 1{mu}sec radiation pulses (yielding exposures of 2.25 kRad(Si) to 913 kRad(Si)), followed by recovery time. At low total and cumulative doses, the bandshape of the frequency response (i.e. diffracted power vs. frequency) remained almost identical during and after radiation. At the higher exposures, however, the amplitude and width of the frequency response changed as the radiation continued, but returned to the original shape slowly after the radiation stopped and recovery proceeded. It is interesting to note that the location of the Bragg degeneracy does not change significantly with radiation. In this report, we discuss these effects from the perspective of anisotropic Bragg diffraction and momentum mismatch, and we discuss the effect on the signal processing functionality.
On the late-type components of slow novae and symbiotic stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allen, D.A.

1980-01-01

It is argued that the various types of symbiotic stars and the slow novae are the same phenomena exhibiting a range of associated time-scales, the slow novae being of intermediate speed. Evidence is summarized showing that both types of object contain normal M giants or mira variables. This fact is at odds with currently fashionable single-star models for slow novae, according to which the M star is totally disrupted before the outburst. Spectral types of the late-type components are presented for nearly 80 symbiotic stars and slow novae, derived from 2 μm spectroscopy. It is found that both the intensity of the emission spectrum and the electron density of the gas are functions of the spectral type of the late-type star. Explanations for these correlations are given. On the assumption that the late-type components are normal giants, spectroscopic parallaxes are determined; credible distances are derived which indicate that the known symbiotic stars have been sampled as far afield as the Galactic Centre. Hydrogen shell flashes on a white dwarf accreting gas from the late-type components offer an attractive explanation of the phenomena of slow novae and symbiotic stars, and such models are discussed in the concluding section. (author)
Assessing the impact of future climate extremes on the US corn and soybean production

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Z.

2015-12-01

Future climate changes will place big challenges to the US agricultural system, among which increasing heat stress and precipitation variability were the two major concerns. Reliable prediction of crop productions in response to the increasingly frequent and severe extreme climate is a prerequisite for developing adaptive strategies on agricultural risk management. However, the progress has been slow on quantifying the uncertainty of computational predictions at high spatial resolutions. Here we assessed the risks of future climate extremes on the US corn and soybean production using the Agricultural Production System sIMulator (APSIM) model under different climate scenarios. To quantify the uncertainty due to conceptual representations of heat, drought and flooding stress in crop models, we proposed a new strategy of algorithm ensemble in which different methods for simulating crop responses to those extreme climatic events were incorporated into the APSIM. This strategy allowed us to isolate irrelevant structure differences among existing crop models but only focus on the process of interest. Future climate inputs were derived from high-spatial-resolution (12km × 12km) Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) simulations under Representative Concentration Pathways 4.5 (RCP 4.5) and 8.5 (RCP 8.5). Based on crop model simulations, we analyzed the magnitude and frequency of heat, drought and flooding stress for the 21st century. We also evaluated the water use efficiency and water deficit on regional scales if farmers were to boost their yield by applying more fertilizers. Finally we proposed spatially explicit adaptation strategies of irrigation and fertilizing for different management zones.
L-carnitine pretreatment protects slow-twitch skeletal muscles in a rat model of ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Demirel, Mert; Kaya, Burak; Cerkez, Cem; Ertunc, Mert; Sara, Yildirim

2013-10-01

Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury negatively affects the outcome of surgical interventions for amputated or severely traumatized extremities. This study aimed to evaluate the protective role of l-carnitine on the contractile properties of fast-twitch (extensor digitorum longus [EDL]) and slow-twitch (soleus [SOL]) skeletal muscles following I/R-induced injury in a rat model. Rats were divided into 4 groups (1) saline pretreatment, (2) l-carnitine pretreatment, (3) saline pretreatment and I/R, and (4) l-carnitine pretreatment and I/R. Twitch and tetanic contractions in the EDL and SOL muscles in each group were recorded. Additionally, a fatigue protocol was performed in these muscles. Twitch and tetanic contraction amplitudes were lower in the EDL and SOL muscles in which I/R was induced (P contraction amplitude in the SOL muscles following I/R (P muscles. l-Carnitine pretreatment did not alter the fatigue response in any of the muscles.
Microbial survival of space vacuum and extreme ultraviolet irradiation: strain isolation and analysis during a rocket flight.

Science.gov (United States)

Saffary, Roya; Nandakumar, Renu; Spencer, Dennis; Robb, Frank T; Davila, Joseph M; Swartz, Marvin; Ofman, Leon; Thomas, Roger J; DiRuggiero, Jocelyne

2002-09-24

We have recovered new isolates from hot springs, in Yellowstone National Park and the Kamchatka Peninsula, after gamma-irradiation and exposure to high vacuum (10(-6) Pa) of the water and sediment samples. The resistance to desiccation and ionizing radiation of one of the isolates, Bacillus sp. strain PS3D, was compared to that of the mesophilic bacterium, Deinococcus radiodurans, a species well known for its extraordinary resistance to desiccation and high doses of ionizing radiation. Survival of these two microorganisms was determined in real and simulated space conditions, including exposure to extreme UV radiation (10-100 nm) during a rocket flight. We found that up to 15 days of desiccation alone had little effect on the viability of either bacterium. In contrast, exposure to space vacuum ( approximately 10(-6) Pa) decreased cell survival by two and four orders of magnitude for Bacillus sp. strain PS3D and D. radiodurans, respectively. Simultaneous exposure to space vacuum and extreme UV radiation further decreased the survival of both organisms, compared to unirradiated controls. This is the first report on the isolated effect of extreme UV at 30 nm on cell survival. Extreme UV can only be transmitted through high vacuum, therefore its penetration into the cells may only be superficial, suggesting that in contrast to near UV, membrane proteins rather than DNA were damaged by the radiation.
Development of slow pyrolysis business operations in Finland - Hidaspyro

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fagernas, L. [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo (Finland)], email: leena.fagernas@vtt.fi

2012-07-01

Birch distillate, a by-product in slow pyrolysis process of charcoal production, was found to be a promising source for biological pesticides. However, product commercialization was problematic, for EU registration is costly, and composition, active ingredients and ecotoxicological properties were not known. In addition, constant quality and process optimisation were needed. More collaboration between SMEs and research institutes was required. The primary aim was to support and develop slow pyrolysis business operations of SMEs in Finland by generating knowledge that was needed.
Regional frequency analysis of extreme rainfall in Belgium based on radar estimates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Goudenhoofdt

2017-10-01

Full Text Available In Belgium, only rain gauge time series have been used so far to study extreme rainfall at a given location. In this paper, the potential of a 12-year quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE from a single weather radar is evaluated. For the period 2005–2016, 1 and 24 h rainfall extremes from automatic rain gauges and collocated radar estimates are compared. The peak intensities are fitted to the exponential distribution using regression in Q-Q plots with a threshold rank which minimises the mean squared error. A basic radar product used as reference exhibits unrealistic high extremes and is not suitable for extreme value analysis. For 24 h rainfall extremes, which occur partly in winter, the radar-based QPE needs a bias correction. A few missing events are caused by the wind drift associated with convective cells and strong radar signal attenuation. Differences between radar and gauge rainfall values are caused by spatial and temporal sampling, gauge underestimations and radar errors. Nonetheless the fit to the QPE data is within the confidence interval of the gauge fit, which remains large due to the short study period. A regional frequency analysis for 1 h duration is performed at the locations of four gauges with 1965–2008 records using the spatially independent QPE data in a circle of 20 km. The confidence interval of the radar fit, which is small due to the sample size, contains the gauge fit for the two closest stations from the radar. In Brussels, the radar extremes are significantly higher than the gauge rainfall extremes, but similar to those observed by an automatic gauge during the same period. The extreme statistics exhibit slight variations related to topography. The radar-based extreme value analysis can be extended to other durations.
Coldest Temperature Extreme Monotonically Increased and Hottest Extreme Oscillated over Northern Hemisphere Land during Last 114 Years.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Chunlüe; Wang, Kaicun

2016-05-13

Most studies on global warming rely on global mean surface temperature, whose change is jointly determined by anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHGs) and natural variability. This introduces a heated debate on whether there is a recent warming hiatus and what caused the hiatus. Here, we presented a novel method and applied it to a 5° × 5° grid of Northern Hemisphere land for the period 1900 to 2013. Our results show that the coldest 5% of minimum temperature anomalies (the coldest deviation) have increased monotonically by 0.22 °C/decade, which reflects well the elevated anthropogenic GHG effect. The warmest 5% of maximum temperature anomalies (the warmest deviation), however, display a significant oscillation following the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), with a warming rate of 0.07 °C/decade from 1900 to 2013. The warmest (0.34 °C/decade) and coldest deviations (0.25 °C/decade) increased at much higher rates over the most recent decade than last century mean values, indicating the hiatus should not be interpreted as a general slowing of climate change. The significant oscillation of the warmest deviation provides an extension of previous study reporting no pause in the hottest temperature extremes since 1979, and first uncovers its increase from 1900 to 1939 and decrease from 1940 to 1969.
Ideologies and Discourses: Extreme Narratives in Extreme Metal Music

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bojana Radovanović

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Historically speaking, metal music has always been about provoking a strong reaction. Depending on the characteristics of different sub-genres, one can focus on the sound, technique, visual appearance, and furthermore, the ideologies and ideas that are the foundation for each of the sub-genres. Although the majority of the metal community rejects accusations of being racially intolerant, some ideologies of extreme sub-genres (such as black metal are in fact formed around the ideas of self-conscious elitism expressed through interest in pagan mythology, racism, Nazism and fascism. There has been much interest in the Nazi era within the extreme metal scene thus influencing other sub-genres and artists. The aim of this paper is to examine various appearances of extreme narratives such as Nazism and racism in different sub-genres of metal, bearing in mind variations dependent on geographical, political, and other factors.
Response of Turkey Muscle Satellite Cells to Thermal Challenge. II. Transcriptome Effects in Differentiating Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kent M. Reed

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Background: Exposure of poultry to extreme temperatures during the critical period of post-hatch growth can seriously affect muscle development and thus compromise subsequent meat quality. This study was designed to characterize transcriptional changes induced in turkey muscle satellite cells by thermal challenge during differentiation. Our goal is to better define how thermal stress alters breast muscle ultrastructure and subsequent development.Results: Skeletal muscle satellite cells previously isolated from the Pectoralis major muscle of 7-wk-old male turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo from two breeding lines: the F-line (16 wk body weight-selected and RBC2 (randombred control line were used in this study. Cultured cells were induced to differentiate at 38°C (control or thermal challenge temperatures of 33 or 43°C. After 48 h of differentiation, cells were harvested and total RNA was isolated for RNAseq analysis. Analysis of 39.9 Gb of sequence found 89% mapped to the turkey genome (UMD5.0, annotation 101 with average expression of 18,917 genes per library. In the cultured satellite cells, slow/cardiac muscle isoforms are generally present in greater abundance than fast skeletal isoforms. Statistically significant differences in gene expression were observed among treatments and between turkey lines, with a greater number of genes affected in the F-line cells following cold treatment whereas more differentially expressed (DE genes were observed in the RBC2 cells following heat treatment. Many of the most significant pathways involved signaling, consistent with ongoing cellular differentiation. Regulation of Ca2+ homeostasis appears to be significantly affected by temperature treatment, particularly cold treatment.Conclusions: Satellite cell differentiation is directly influenced by temperature at the level of gene transcription with greater effects attributed to selection for fast growth. At lower temperature, muscle-associated genes in the
Extremal surface barriers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Engelhardt, Netta; Wall, Aron C.

2014-01-01

We present a generic condition for Lorentzian manifolds to have a barrier that limits the reach of boundary-anchored extremal surfaces of arbitrary dimension. We show that any surface with nonpositive extrinsic curvature is a barrier, in the sense that extremal surfaces cannot be continuously deformed past it. Furthermore, the outermost barrier surface has nonnegative extrinsic curvature. Under certain conditions, we show that the existence of trapped surfaces implies a barrier, and conversely. In the context of AdS/CFT, these barriers imply that it is impossible to reconstruct the entire bulk using extremal surfaces. We comment on the implications for the firewall controversy
Indomethacin Treatment of Mice with Premalignant Oral Lesions Sustains Cytokine Production and Slows Progression to Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Sara D; Young, M Rita I

2016-01-01

Current treatment options for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients are often ineffective due to tumor-localized and systemic immunosuppression. Using the 4-NQO mouse model of oral carcinogenesis, this study showed that premalignant oral lesion cells produce higher levels of the immune modulator, PGE 2 , compared to HNSCC cells. Inhibiting prostaglandin production of premalignant lesion cells with the pan-cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin stimulated their induction of spleen cell cytokine production. In contrast, inhibiting HNSCC prostaglandin production did not stimulate their induction of spleen cell cytokine production. Treatment of mice bearing premalignant oral lesions with indomethacin slowed progression of premalignant oral lesions to HNSCC. Flow cytometric analysis of T cells in the regional lymph nodes of lesion-bearing mice receiving indomethacin treatment showed an increase in lymph node cellularity and in the absolute number of CD8 + T cells expressing IFN-γ compared to levels in lesion-bearing mice receiving diluent control treatment. The cytokine-stimulatory effect of indomethacin treatment was not localized to regional lymph nodes but was also seen in the spleen of mice with premalignant oral lesions. Together, these data suggest that inhibiting prostaglandin production at the premalignant lesion stage boosts immune capability and improves clinical outcomes.
A tilted transversely isotropic slowness surface approximation

KAUST Repository

Stovas, A.

2012-05-09

The relation between vertical and horizontal slownesses, better known as the dispersion relation, for transversely isotropic media with a tilted symmetry axis (TTI) requires solving a quartic polynomial equation, which does not admit a practical explicit solution to be used, for example, in downward continuation. Using a combination of the perturbation theory with respect to the anelliptic parameter and Shanks transform to improve the accuracy of the expansion, we develop an explicit formula for the vertical slowness that is highly accurate for all practical purposes. It also reveals some insights into the anisotropy parameter dependency of the dispersion relation including the low impact that the anelliptic parameter has on the vertical placement of reflectors for a small tilt in the symmetry angle. © 2012 European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers.
An ultra-fine group slowing down benchmark

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ganapol, B. D.; Maldonado, G. I.; Williams, M. L.

2009-01-01

We suggest a new solution to the neutron slowing down equation in terms of multi-energy panels. Our motivation is to establish a computational benchmark featuring an ultra-fine group calculation, where the number of groups could be on the order of 100,000. While the CENTRM code of the SCALE code package has been shown to adequately treat this many groups, there is always a need for additional verification. The multi panel solution principle is simply to consider the slowing down region as sub regions of panels, with each panel a manageable number of groups, say 100. In this way, we reduce the enormity of dealing with the entire spectrum all at once by considering many smaller problems. We demonstrate the solution in the unresolved U3o8 resonance region. (authors)
Anismus in patients with normal and slow transit constipation.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, R; Duthie, G S; Bartolo, D C; Roe, A M; Locke-Edmunds, J; Mortensen, N J

1991-06-01

This study examined differences in anorectal function, with particular reference to anismus, which might explain why some patients with intractable constipation have slow and others have normal whole gut transit times. Twenty-four patients were studied; 13 with slow transit (all female, median age 32 years, range 16-52 years) and 11 with normal transit (eight women, three men, median age 37 years, range 21-60 years). Videoproctography with synchronous sphincteric electromyography and anorectal manometry was performed. There were no differences between the two groups, suggesting that slow transit constipation is not secondary to any abnormality in anorectal function and may therefore be a primary disorder of colonic motility. There was no correlation between electromyographic evidence of anismus (pelvic floor contraction on defaecation) and the ability of the patient to evacute the rectum or symptoms of obstructed defaecation. Electromyography findings alone can be misleading and should be related to proctographic evidence of incomplete rectal evacuation before functional anismus can be said to be present.
Table incremental slow injection CE-CT in lung cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Shoji; Maeda, Tomoho; Morita, Masaru

1988-01-01

The purpose of this study is to evaluate tumor enhancement in lung cancer under the table incremental study with slow injection of contrast media. The early serial 8 sliced images during the slow injection (1.5 ml/sec) of contrant media were obtained. Following the early images, delayed 8 same sliced images were taken in 2 minutes later. Chacteristic enhanced patterns of the primary cancer and metastatic mediastinal lymphnode were recognized in this study. Enhancement of the primary lesion was classified in 4 patterns, irregular geographic pattern, heterogeneous pattern, homogeneous pattern and rim-enhanced pattern. In mediastinal metastatic lymphadenopathy, three enhanced patterns were obtained, heterogeneous, homogeneous and ring enhanced pattern. Some characteristic enhancement patterns according to the histopathological finding of the lung cancer were obtained. With using this incremental slow injection CE-CT, precise information about the relationship between lung cancer and adjacent mediastinal structure, and obvious staining patterns of the tumor and mediastinal lymphnode were recognized. (author)
Generation and application of slow positrons based on a electron LINAC

CERN Document Server

Kurihara, T

2002-01-01

History of slow positron in Institute of Materials Structure Science High Energy Accelerator Research Organization is explained. The principle of generation and application of intense positron beam is mentioned. Two sources of intense positron are radioactive decay of radioactive isotopes emitting positron and electron-positron pair creation. The radioactive decay method uses sup 5 sup 8 Co, sup 6 sup 4 Cu, sup 1 sup 1 C, sup 1 sup 3 N, sup 1 sup 5 O and sup 1 sup 8 F. The electron-positron pair creation method uses nuclear reactor or electron linear accelerator (LINAC). The positron experimental facility in this organization consists of electron LINAC, slow positron beam source, positron transport and experimental station. The outline of this facility is started. The intense slow positron beam is applied to research positronium work function, electron structure of surface. New method such as combination of positron lifetime measurement and slow positron beam or Auger electron spectroscopy by positron annihil...

Overnight changes in the slope of sleep slow waves during infancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Fattinger, Sara; Jenni, Oskar G; Schmitt, Bernhard; Achermann, Peter; Huber, Reto

2014-02-01

Slow wave activity (SWA, 0.5-4.5 Hz) is a well-established marker for sleep pressure in adults. Recent studies have shown that increasing sleep pressure is reflected by an increased synchronized firing pattern of cortical neurons, which can be measured by the slope of sleep slow waves. Thus we aimed at investigating whether the slope of sleep slow waves might provide an alternative marker to study the homeostatic regulation of sleep during early human development. All-night sleep electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded longitudinally at 2, 4, 6, and 9 months after birth. Home recording. 11 healthy full-term infants (5 male, 6 female). None. The slope of sleep slow waves increased with age. At all ages the slope decreased from the first to the last hour of non rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep, even when controlling for amplitude differences (P why the steepest slope was found in the occipital derivation. Our results provide evidence that the homeostatic regulation of sleep develops early in human infants.
Phase of Spontaneous Slow Oscillations during Sleep Influences Memory-Related Processing of Auditory Cues.

Science.gov (United States)

Batterink, Laura J; Creery, Jessica D; Paller, Ken A

2016-01-27

Slow oscillations during slow-wave sleep (SWS) may facilitate memory consolidation by regulating interactions between hippocampal and cortical networks. Slow oscillations appear as high-amplitude, synchronized EEG activity, corresponding to upstates of neuronal depolarization and downstates of hyperpolarization. Memory reactivations occur spontaneously during SWS, and can also be induced by presenting learning-related cues associated with a prior learning episode during sleep. This technique, targeted memory reactivation (TMR), selectively enhances memory consolidation. Given that memory reactivation is thought to occur preferentially during the slow-oscillation upstate, we hypothesized that TMR stimulation effects would depend on the phase of the slow oscillation. Participants learned arbitrary spatial locations for objects that were each paired with a characteristic sound (eg, cat-meow). Then, during SWS periods of an afternoon nap, one-half of the sounds were presented at low intensity. When object location memory was subsequently tested, recall accuracy was significantly better for those objects cued during sleep. We report here for the first time that this memory benefit was predicted by slow-wave phase at the time of stimulation. For cued objects, location memories were categorized according to amount of forgetting from pre- to post-nap. Conditions of high versus low forgetting corresponded to stimulation timing at different slow-oscillation phases, suggesting that learning-related stimuli were more likely to be processed and trigger memory reactivation when they occurred at the optimal phase of a slow oscillation. These findings provide insight into mechanisms of memory reactivation during sleep, supporting the idea that reactivation is most likely during cortical upstates. Slow-wave sleep (SWS) is characterized by synchronized neural activity alternating between active upstates and quiet downstates. The slow-oscillation upstates are thought to provide a
The fast slow TDPAC spectrometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cekic, B.; Koicki, S.; Manasijevic, M.; Ivanovic, N.; Koteski, V.; Milosevic, Z.; Radisavljevic, I.; Cavor, J.; Novakovic, N.; Marjanovic, D.

2001-01-01

A 2-BaF 2 detector - fast slow time spectrometer for time differential perturbed angular correlations (TDPAC) experiments is described. This apparatus has been developed in the Group for Hyperfine Interactions in the Institute for Nuclear Sciences in VINCA. The excellent time resolution combined with high efficiency offered by these detectors enables one high counting rate performance and is operating in the wide temperature range 78-1200 K. (author)
A Model for the Sources of the Slow Solar Wind

Science.gov (United States)

Antiochos, S. K.; Mikić, Z.; Titov, V. S.; Lionello, R.; Linker, J. A.

2011-04-01

Models for the origin of the slow solar wind must account for two seemingly contradictory observations: the slow wind has the composition of the closed-field corona, implying that it originates from the continuous opening and closing of flux at the boundary between open and closed field. On the other hand, the slow wind also has large angular width, up to ~60°, suggesting that its source extends far from the open-closed boundary. We propose a model that can explain both observations. The key idea is that the source of the slow wind at the Sun is a network of narrow (possibly singular) open-field corridors that map to a web of separatrices and quasi-separatrix layers in the heliosphere. We compute analytically the topology of an open-field corridor and show that it produces a quasi-separatrix layer in the heliosphere that extends to angles far from the heliospheric current sheet. We then use an MHD code and MDI/SOHO observations of the photospheric magnetic field to calculate numerically, with high spatial resolution, the quasi-steady solar wind, and magnetic field for a time period preceding the 2008 August 1 total solar eclipse. Our numerical results imply that, at least for this time period, a web of separatrices (which we term an S-web) forms with sufficient density and extent in the heliosphere to account for the observed properties of the slow wind. We discuss the implications of our S-web model for the structure and dynamics of the corona and heliosphere and propose further tests of the model.
High prevalence of abnormal motor repertoire at 3 months corrected age in extremely preterm infants.

Science.gov (United States)

Fjørtoft, Toril; Evensen, Kari Anne I; Øberg, Gunn Kristin; Songstad, Nils Thomas; Labori, Cathrine; Silberg, Inger Elisabeth; Loennecken, Marianne; Møinichen, Unn Inger; Vågen, Randi; Støen, Ragnhild; Adde, Lars

2016-03-01

To compare early motor repertoire between extremely preterm and term-born infants. An association between the motor repertoire and gestational age and birth weight was explored in extremely preterm infants without severe ultrasound abnormalities. In a multicentre study, the early motor repertoire of 82 infants born extremely preterm (ELGAN:<28 weeks) and/or with extremely low birth weight (ELBW:<1000 g) and 87 term-born infants were assessed by the "Assessment of Motor Repertoire - 2 to 5 Months" (AMR) which is part of Prechtl's "General Movement Assessment", at 12 weeks post-term age. Fidgety movements were classified as normal if present and abnormal if absent, sporadic or exaggerated. Concurrent motor repertoire was classified as normal if smooth and fluent and abnormal if monotonous, stiff, jerky and/or predominantly fast or slow. Eight-teen ELBW/ELGAN infants had abnormal fidgety movements (8 absent, 7 sporadic and 3 exaggerated fidgety movements) compared with 2 control infants (OR:12.0; 95%CI:2.7-53.4) and 46 ELBW/ELGAN infants had abnormal concurrent motor repertoire compared with 17 control infants (OR:5.3; 95%CI:2.6-10.5). Almost all detailed aspects of the AMR differed between the groups. Results were the same when three infants with severe ultrasound abnormalities were excluded. In the remaining ELBW/ELGAN infants, there was no association between motor repertoire and gestational age or birth weight. ELBW/ELGAN infants had poorer quality of early motor repertoire than term-born infants.The findings were not explained by severe abnormalities on neonatal ultrasound scans and were not correlated to the degree of prematurity. The consequences of these abnormal movement patterns remain to be seen in future follow-up studies. Copyright © 2015 European Paediatric Neurology Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Mast cell activation disease

African Journals Online (AJOL)

EL-HAKIM

remodeling, wound healing, and tumor repression or growth. The broad scope .... lesions, and (iv) MC leukemia, probably representing the ..... Slow-release Vitamin C (increased degranulation of histamine; inhibition of mast cell degranulation ...
Characteristics of broadband slow earthquakes explained by a Brownian model

Science.gov (United States)

Ide, S.; Takeo, A.

2017-12-01

Brownian slow earthquake (BSE) model (Ide, 2008; 2010) is a stochastic model for the temporal change of seismic moment release by slow earthquakes, which can be considered as a broadband phenomena including tectonic tremors, low frequency earthquakes, and very low frequency (VLF) earthquakes in the seismological frequency range, and slow slip events in geodetic range. Although the concept of broadband slow earthquake may not have been widely accepted, most of recent observations are consistent with this concept. Then, we review the characteristics of slow earthquakes and how they are explained by BSE model. In BSE model, the characteristic size of slow earthquake source is represented by a random variable, changed by a Gaussian fluctuation added at every time step. The model also includes a time constant, which divides the model behavior into short- and long-time regimes. In nature, the time constant corresponds to the spatial limit of tremor/SSE zone. In the long-time regime, the seismic moment rate is constant, which explains the moment-duration scaling law (Ide et al., 2007). For a shorter duration, the moment rate increases with size, as often observed for VLF earthquakes (Ide et al., 2008). The ratio between seismic energy and seismic moment is constant, as shown in Japan, Cascadia, and Mexico (Maury et al., 2017). The moment rate spectrum has a section of -1 slope, limited by two frequencies corresponding to the above time constant and the time increment of the stochastic process. Such broadband spectra have been observed for slow earthquakes near the trench axis (Kaneko et al., 2017). This spectrum also explains why we can obtain VLF signals by stacking broadband seismograms relative to tremor occurrence (e.g., Takeo et al., 2010; Ide and Yabe, 2014). The fluctuation in BSE model can be non-Gaussian, as far as the variance is finite, as supported by the central limit theorem. Recent observations suggest that tremors and LFEs are spatially characteristic
Electromagnetic radiation damping of charges in external gravitational fields (weak field, slow motion approximation). [Harmonic coordinates, weak field slow-motion approximation, Green function

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rudolph, E [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik und Astrophysik, Muenchen (F.R. Germany)

1975-01-01

As a model for gravitational radiation damping of a planet the electromagnetic radiation damping of an extended charged body moving in an external gravitational field is calculated in harmonic coordinates using a weak field, slowing-motion approximation. Special attention is paid to the case where this gravitational field is a weak Schwarzschild field. Using Green's function methods for this purpose it is shown that in a slow-motion approximation there is a strange connection between the tail part and the sharp part: radiation reaction terms of the tail part can cancel corresponding terms of the sharp part. Due to this cancelling mechanism the lowest order electromagnetic radiation damping force in an external gravitational field in harmonic coordinates remains the flat space Abraham Lorentz force. It is demonstrated in this simplified model that a naive slow-motion approximation may easily lead to divergent higher order terms. It is shown that this difficulty does not arise up to the considered order.
Broadband slow light in one-dimensional logically combined photonic crystals.

Science.gov (United States)

Alagappan, G; Png, C E

2015-01-28

Here, we demonstrate the broadband slow light effects in a new family of one dimensional photonic crystals, which are obtained by logically combining two photonic crystals of slightly different periods. The logical combination slowly destroys the original translational symmetries of the individual photonic crystals. Consequently, the Bloch modes of the individual photonic crystals with different wavevectors couple with each other, creating a vast number of slow modes. Specifically, we describe a photonic crystal architecture that results from a logical "OR" mixture of two one dimensional photonic crystals with a periods ratio of r = R/(R - 1), where R > 2 is an integer. Such a logically combined architecture, exhibits a broad region of frequencies in which a dense number of slow modes with varnishing group velocities, appear naturally as Bloch modes.
Modelling of spatio-temporal precipitation relevant for urban hydrology with focus on scales, extremes and climate change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørup, Hjalte Jomo Danielsen

-correlation lengths for sub-daily extreme precipitation besides having too low intensities. Especially the wrong spatial correlation structure is disturbing from an urban hydrological point of view as short-term extremes will cover too much ground if derived directly from bias corrected regional climate model output...... of precipitation are compared and used to rank climate models with respect to performance metrics. The four different observational data sets themselves are compared at daily temporal scale with respect to climate indices for mean and extreme precipitation. Data density seems to be a crucial parameter for good...... happening in summer and most of the daily extremes in fall. This behaviour is in good accordance with reality where short term extremes originate in convective precipitation cells that occur when it is very warm and longer term extremes originate in frontal systems that dominate the fall and winter seasons...
Fluctuation-Response Relation and modeling in systems with fast and slow dynamics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Lacorata

2007-10-01

Full Text Available We show how a general formulation of the Fluctuation-Response Relation is able to describe in detail the connection between response properties to external perturbations and spontaneous fluctuations in systems with fast and slow variables. The method is tested by using the 360-variable Lorenz-96 model, where slow and fast variables are coupled to one another with reciprocal feedback, and a simplified low dimensional system. In the Fluctuation-Response context, the influence of the fast dynamics on the slow dynamics relies in a non trivial behavior of a suitable quadratic response function. This has important consequences for the modeling of the slow dynamics in terms of a Langevin equation: beyond a certain intrinsic time interval even the optimal model can give just statistical prediction.
Slow cryopreservation is not superior to vitrification in human spermatozoa; an experimental controlled study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed Shehata Ali Mohamed

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Spermatozoa cryopreservation is used for the management of infertility and some other medical conditions. The routinely applied cryopreservation technique depends on permeating cryoprotectants, whose toxic effects have raised the attention towards permeating cryoprotectants-free vitrification technique. Objective: To compare between the application of slow cryopreservation and vitrification on human spermatozoa. Materials and Methods: This was an experimental controlled study involving 33 human semen samples, where each sample was divided into three equal parts; fresh control, conventional slow freezing, and permeating cryoprotectants-free vitrification. Viability and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP of control and post-thawing spermatozoa were assessed with the sperm viability kit and the JC-1 kit, respectively, using fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis. Results: Significant reduction of the progressive motility, viability and MMP was observed by the procedure of freezing and thawing, while there was not any significant difference between both cryopreservation techniques. Cryopreservation resulted in 48% reduction of the percentage of viable spermatozoa and 54.5% rise in the percentage of dead spermatozoa. In addition, high MMP was reduced by 24% and low MMP was increased by 34.75% in response to freezing and thawing. Progressive motility of spermatozoa was correlated significantly positive with high MMP and significantly negative with low MMP in control as well as post-thawing specimens (r=0.8881/ -0.8412, 0.7461/ -0.7510 and 0.7603/ -0.7839 for control, slow and vitrification respectively, p=0.0001. Conclusion: Although both cryopreservation techniques have similar results, vitrification is faster, easier and associated with less toxicity and costs. Thus, vitrification is recommended for the clinical application.
Slow Growth and Urban Sprawl: Support for a New Regional Agenda?

Science.gov (United States)

Gainsborough, Juliet F.

2002-01-01

Assessed the possibilities for coalition building around growth related concerns, exploring support for slowing growth in New York City and Los Angeles. Analyzed data from surveys of urban and suburban dwellers regarding support for growth control measures. Suburbanites were much more receptive to slow growth policies than were urbanites, though…
Coexistence and transition between shear zones in slow granular flows.

Science.gov (United States)

Moosavi, Robabeh; Shaebani, M Reza; Maleki, Maniya; Török, János; Wolf, Dietrich E; Losert, Wolfgang

2013-10-04

We report experiments on slow granular flows in a split-bottom Couette cell that show novel strain localization features. Nontrivial flow profiles have been observed which are shown to be the consequence of simultaneous formation of shear zones in the bulk and at the boundaries. The fluctuating band model based on a minimization principle can be fitted to the experiments over a large variation of morphology and filling height with one single fit parameter, the relative friction coefficient μ(rel) between wall and bulk. The possibility of multiple shear zone formation is controlled by μ(rel). Moreover, we observe that the symmetry of an initial state, with coexisting shear zones at both side walls, breaks spontaneously below a threshold value of the shear velocity. A dynamical transition between two asymmetric flow states happens over a characteristic time scale which depends on the shear strength.
Changes of precipitation and extremes and the possible effect of urbanization in the Beijing metropolitan region during 1960-2012 based on homogenized observations

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhen; Yan, Zhongwei; Tu, Kai; Wu, Hongyi

2015-09-01

Daily precipitation series at 15 stations in the Beijing metropolitan region (BMR) during 1960-2012 were homogenized using the multiple analysis of series for homogenization method, with additional adjustments based on analysis of empirical cumulative density function (ECDF) regarding climate extremes. The cumulative density functions of daily precipitation series, the trends of annual and seasonal precipitation, and summer extreme events during 1960-2012 in the original and final adjusted series at Beijing station were comparatively analyzed to show the necessity and efficiency of the new method. Results indicate that the ECDF adjustments can improve the homogeneity of high-order moments of daily series and the estimation of climate trends in extremes. The linear trends of the regional-mean annual and seasonal (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) precipitation series are -10.16, 4.97, -20.04, 5.02, and -0.11 mm (10 yr)-1, respectively. The trends over the BMR increase consistently for spring/autumn and decrease for the whole year/summer; however, the trends for winter decrease in southern parts and increase in northern parts. Urbanization affects local trends of precipitation amount, frequency, and intensity and their geographical patterns. For the urban-influenced sites, urbanization tends to slow down the magnitude of decrease in the precipitation and extreme amount series by approximately -10.4% and -6.0%, respectively; enhance the magnitude of decrease in precipitation frequency series by approximately 5.7%; reduce that of extremes by approximately -8.9%; and promote the decreasing trends in the summer intensity series of both precipitation and extremes by approximately 6.8% and 51.5%, respectively.
Reduction in slow intercompartmental clearance of urea during dialysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowsher, D.J.; Krejcie, T.C.; Avram, M.J.; Chow, M.J.; Del Greco, F.; Atkinson, A.J. Jr.

1985-01-01

The kinetics of urea and inulin were analyzed in five anesthetized dogs during sequential 2-hour periods before, during, and after hemodialysis. The distribution of both compounds after simultaneous intravenous injection was characterized by three-compartment models, and the total volumes of urea (0.66 +/- 0.05 L/kg) and inulin (0.19 +/- 0.01 L/kg) distribution were similar to expected values for total body water and extravascular space, respectively. Intercompartmental clearances calculated before dialysis were used to estimate blood flows to the fast and slow equilibrating compartments. In agreement with previous results, the sum of these flows was similar to cardiac output, averaging 101% of cardiac output measured before dialysis (range 72% to 135%). Dialysis was accompanied by reductions in the slow intercompartmental clearances of urea (81%) and inulin (47%), which reflected a 90% attenuation in blood flow supplying the slow equilibrating compartments. This was estimated to result in a 10% average reduction in the efficiency with which urea was removed by dialysis (range 2.0% to 16.4%). Mean arterial pressure fell by less than 5% during dialysis, but total peripheral resistance increased by 47% and cardiac output fell by 35%. In the postdialysis period, total peripheral resistance and cardiac output returned toward predialysis values, but blood flow to the slow equilibrating peripheral compartment was still reduced by 80%. These changes parallel activation of the renin-angiotensin system, but further studies are required to establish causality
New insights into the interface between a single-crystalline metal electrode and an extremely pure ionic liquid: slow interfacial processes and the influence of temperature on interfacial dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Drüschler, Marcel; Borisenko, Natalia; Wallauer, Jens; Winter, Christian; Huber, Benedikt; Endres, Frank; Roling, Bernhard

2012-04-21

Ionic liquids are of high interest for the development of safe electrolytes in modern electrochemical cells, such as batteries, supercapacitors and dye-sensitised solar cells. However, electrochemical applications of ionic liquids are still hindered by the limited understanding of the interface between electrode materials and ionic liquids. In this article, we first review the state of the art in both experiment and theory. Then we illustrate some general trends by taking the interface between the extremely pure ionic liquid 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate and an Au(111) electrode as an example. For the study of this interface, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was combined with in situ STM and in situ AFM techniques. In addition, we present new results for the temperature dependence of the interfacial capacitance and dynamics. Since the interfacial dynamics are characterised by different processes taking place on different time scales, the temperature dependence of the dynamics can only be reliably studied by recording and carefully analysing broadband capacitance spectra. Single-frequency experiments may lead to artefacts in the temperature dependence of the interfacial capacitance. We demonstrate that the fast capacitive process exhibits a Vogel-Fulcher-Tamman temperature dependence, since its time scale is governed by the ionic conductivity of the ionic liquid. In contrast, the slower capacitive process appears to be Arrhenius activated. This suggests that the time scale of this process is determined by a temperature-independent barrier, which may be related to structural reorganisations of the Au surface and/or to charge redistributions in the strongly bound innermost ion layer. This journal is © the Owner Societies 2012
An atomic coilgun: using pulsed magnetic fields to slow a supersonic beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Narevicius, E; Parthey, C G; Libson, A; Narevicius, J; Chavez, I; Even, U; Raizen, M G

2007-01-01

We report the experimental demonstration of a novel method to slow atoms and molecules with permanent magnetic moments using pulsed magnetic fields. In our experiments, we observe the slowing of a supersonic beam of metastable neon from 461.0 ± 7.7 to 403 ± 16 m s -1 in 18 stages, where the slowed peak is clearly separated from the initial distribution. This method has broad applications as it may easily be generalized, using seeding and entrainment into supersonic beams, to all paramagnetic atoms and molecules
Construction of the spin-polarized slow positron beam with the RI source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakajyo, Terunobu; Tashiro, Mutsumi; Kanazawa, Ikuzo [Tokyo Gakugei Univ., Koganei (Japan); Komori, Fumio; Murata, Yoshimasa; Ito, Yasuo

1997-03-01

The electrostatic slow-positron beam is constructed by using {sup 22}Na source. We design the electrostatic lens, the system of the detector, and the Wien filter for the experiment`s system of the spin-polarized slow positron beam. The reemitted spin-polarized slow-positron spectroscopy is proposed for studying magnetic thin films and magnetic multilayers. We calculated the depolarized positron fractions in the Fe thin film Fe(10nm)/Cu(substrate) and the multilayers Cu(1nm)/Fe(10nm)/Cu(substrate). (author)
Nitrous oxide-induced slow and delta oscillations.

Science.gov (United States)

Pavone, Kara J; Akeju, Oluwaseun; Sampson, Aaron L; Ling, Kelly; Purdon, Patrick L; Brown, Emery N

2016-01-01

Switching from maintenance of general anesthesia with an ether anesthetic to maintenance with high-dose (concentration >50% and total gas flow rate >4 liters per minute) nitrous oxide is a common practice used to facilitate emergence from general anesthesia. The transition from the ether anesthetic to nitrous oxide is associated with a switch in the putative mechanisms and sites of anesthetic action. We investigated whether there is an electroencephalogram (EEG) marker of this transition. We retrospectively studied the ether anesthetic to nitrous oxide transition in 19 patients with EEG monitoring receiving general anesthesia using the ether anesthetic sevoflurane combined with oxygen and air. Following the transition to nitrous oxide, the alpha (8-12 Hz) oscillations associated with sevoflurane dissipated within 3-12 min (median 6 min) and were replaced by highly coherent large-amplitude slow-delta (0.1-4 Hz) oscillations that persisted for 2-12 min (median 3 min). Administration of high-dose nitrous oxide is associated with transient, large amplitude slow-delta oscillations. We postulate that these slow-delta oscillations may result from nitrous oxide-induced blockade of major excitatory inputs (NMDA glutamate projections) from the brainstem (parabrachial nucleus and medial pontine reticular formation) to the thalamus and cortex. This EEG signature of high-dose nitrous oxide may offer new insights into brain states during general anesthesia. Copyright © 2015 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stem cells engineering for cell-based therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Taupin, Philippe

2007-09-01

Stem cells carry the promise to cure a broad range of diseases and injuries, from diabetes, heart and muscular diseases, to neurological diseases, disorders and injuries. Significant progresses have been made in stem cell research over the past decade; the derivation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) from human tissues, the development of cloning technology by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and the confirmation that neurogenesis occurs in the adult mammalian brain and that neural stem cells (NSCs) reside in the adult central nervous system (CNS), including that of humans. Despite these advances, there may be decades before stem cell research will translate into therapy. Stem cell research is also subject to ethical and political debates, controversies and legislation, which slow its progress. Cell engineering has proven successful in bringing genetic research to therapy. In this review, I will review, in two examples, how investigators are applying cell engineering to stem cell biology to circumvent stem cells' ethical and political constraints and bolster stem cell research and therapy.
VERY SLOW SPEED AXIAL MOTION RELUCTANCE MOTOR

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Dr Obe

1984-09-01

Sep 1, 1984 ... VERY SLOW SPEED AXIAL MOTION RELUCTANCE MOTOR by. L. A. Agu ... order as that of the screw-thread motor can be obtained. LIST OF .... The n stator have equal non- magnetic spacers .... induction motor. An.
Elastic scattering of slow positrons by helium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amusia, M.Ya.; Cherepkov, N.A.; Chernysheva, L.V.; Shapiro, S.G.

1976-01-01

The s-, p-, d- and f-wave phaseshifts for elastic scattering of slow positrons by He are calculated using a simplified version of the random phase approximation with exchange, with virtual positronium formation effect taken into account. (author)
Regional analysis of whole cell currents from hair cells of the turtle posterior crista.

Science.gov (United States)

Brichta, Alan M; Aubert, Anne; Eatock, Ruth Anne; Goldberg, Jay M

2002-12-01

The turtle posterior crista is made up of two hemicristae, each consisting of a central zone containing type I and type II hair cells and a surrounding peripheral zone containing only type II hair cells and extending from the planum semilunatum to the nonsensory torus. Afferents from various regions of a hemicrista differ in their discharge properties. To see if afferent diversity is related to the basolateral currents of the hair cells innervated, we selectively harvested type I and II hair cells from the central zone and type II hair cells from two parts of the peripheral zone, one near the planum and the other near the torus. Voltage-dependent currents were studied with the whole cell, ruptured-patch method and characterized in voltage-clamp mode. We found regional differences in both outwardly and inwardly rectifying voltage-sensitive currents. As in birds and mammals, type I hair cells have a distinctive outwardly rectifying current (I(K,L)), which begins activating at more hyperpolarized voltages than do the outward currents of type II hair cells. Activation of I(K,L) is slow and sigmoidal. Maximal outward conductances are large. Outward currents in type II cells vary in their activation kinetics. Cells with fast kinetics are associated with small conductances and with partial inactivation during 200-ms depolarizing voltage steps. Almost all type II cells in the peripheral zone and many in the central zone have fast kinetics. Some type II cells in the central zone have large outward currents with slow kinetics and little inactivation. Although these currents resemble I(K,L), they can be distinguished from the latter both electrophysiologically and pharmacologically. There are two varieties of inwardly rectifying currents in type II hair cells: activation of I(K1) is rapid and monoexponential, whereas that of I(h) is slow and sigmoidal. Many type II cells either have both inward currents or only have I(K1); very few cells only have I(h). Inward currents are
Capillary waves in slow motion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seydel, Tilo; Tolan, Metin; Press, Werner; Madsen, Anders; Gruebel, Gerhard

2001-01-01

Capillary wave dynamics on glycerol surfaces has been investigated by means of x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy performed at grazing angles. The measurements show that thermally activated capillary wave motion is slowed down exponentially when the sample is cooled below 273 K. This finding directly reflects the freezing of the surface waves. The wave-number dependence of the measured time constants is in quantitative agreement with theoretical predictions for overdamped capillary waves
Observation of the molecular organization of calcium release sites in fast- and slow-twitch skeletal muscle with nanoscale imaging

OpenAIRE

Jayasinghe, Isuru D.; Munro, Michelle; Baddeley, David; Launikonis, Bradley S.; Soeller, Christian

2014-01-01

Localization microscopy is a fairly recently introduced super-resolution fluorescence imaging modality capable of achieving nanometre-scale resolution. We have applied the dSTORM variation of this method to image intracellular molecular assemblies in skeletal muscle fibres which are large cells that critically rely on nanoscale signalling domains, the triads. Immunofluorescence staining in fixed adult rat skeletal muscle sections revealed clear differences between fast- and slow-twitch fibres...
Experimental studies of heavy-ion slowing down in matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geissel, H.; Weick, H.; Scheidenberger, C.; Bimbot, R.; Gardes, D.

2002-08-01

Measurements of heavy-ion slowing down in matter differ in many aspects from experiments with light particles like protons and α-particles. An overview of the special experimental requirements, methods, data analysis and interpretation is presented for heavy-ion stopping powers, energy- and angular-straggling and ranges in the energy domain from keV/u up to GeV/u. Characteristic experimental results are presented and compared with theory and semiempirical predictions. New applications are outlined, which represent a challenge to continuously improve the knowledge of heavy-ion slowing down. (orig.)
Computation of saddle-type slow manifolds using iterative methods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristiansen, Kristian Uldall

2015-01-01

with respect to , appropriate estimates are directly attainable using the method of this paper. The method is applied to several examples, including a model for a pair of neurons coupled by reciprocal inhibition with two slow and two fast variables, and the computation of homoclinic connections in the Fitz......This paper presents an alternative approach for the computation of trajectory segments on slow manifolds of saddle type. This approach is based on iterative methods rather than collocation-type methods. Compared to collocation methods, which require mesh refinements to ensure uniform convergence...
Slow Reading: Reading along "Lectio" Lines

Science.gov (United States)

Badley, K. Jo-Ann; Badley, Ken

2011-01-01

The medieval monastic movement preserved and developed reading practices--lectio--from ancient Greek pedagogy as a slow, mindful approach to reading for formation. This ancient way of reading, now better known as lectio divina, challenges the fast, pragmatic reading so characteristic of our time. We propose that the present moment may be ripe for…
A tilted transversely isotropic slowness surface approximation

KAUST Repository

Stovas, A.; Alkhalifah, Tariq Ali

2012-01-01

for the vertical slowness that is highly accurate for all practical purposes. It also reveals some insights into the anisotropy parameter dependency of the dispersion relation including the low impact that the anelliptic parameter has on the vertical placement
On Kinetic Slow Modes, Fluid Slow Modes, and Pressure-balanced Structures in the Solar Wind

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verscharen, Daniel [Space Science Center and Department of Physics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824 (United States); Chen, Christopher H. K. [Department of Physics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Wicks, Robert T., E-mail: daniel.verscharen@unh.edu, E-mail: christopher.chen@imperial.ac.uk, E-mail: r.wicks@ucl.ac.uk [Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom)

2017-05-10

Observations in the solar wind suggest that the compressive component of inertial-range solar-wind turbulence is dominated by slow modes. The low collisionality of the solar wind allows for nonthermal features to survive, which suggests the requirement of a kinetic plasma description. The least-damped kinetic slow mode is associated with the ion-acoustic (IA) wave and a nonpropagating (NP) mode. We derive analytical expressions for the IA-wave dispersion relation in an anisotropic plasma in the framework of gyrokinetics and then compare them to fully kinetic numerical calculations, results from two-fluid theory, and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). This comparison shows major discrepancies in the predicted wave phase speeds from MHD and kinetic theory at moderate to high β . MHD and kinetic theory also dictate that all plasma normal modes exhibit a unique signature in terms of their polarization. We quantify the relative amplitude of fluctuations in the three lowest particle velocity moments associated with IA and NP modes in the gyrokinetic limit and compare these predictions with MHD results and in situ observations of the solar-wind turbulence. The agreement between the observations of the wave polarization and our MHD predictions is better than the kinetic predictions, which suggests that the plasma behaves more like a fluid in the solar wind than expected.
On Kinetic Slow Modes, Fluid Slow Modes, and Pressure-balanced Structures in the Solar Wind

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verscharen, Daniel; Chen, Christopher H. K.; Wicks, Robert T.

2017-01-01

Observations in the solar wind suggest that the compressive component of inertial-range solar-wind turbulence is dominated by slow modes. The low collisionality of the solar wind allows for nonthermal features to survive, which suggests the requirement of a kinetic plasma description. The least-damped kinetic slow mode is associated with the ion-acoustic (IA) wave and a nonpropagating (NP) mode. We derive analytical expressions for the IA-wave dispersion relation in an anisotropic plasma in the framework of gyrokinetics and then compare them to fully kinetic numerical calculations, results from two-fluid theory, and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). This comparison shows major discrepancies in the predicted wave phase speeds from MHD and kinetic theory at moderate to high β . MHD and kinetic theory also dictate that all plasma normal modes exhibit a unique signature in terms of their polarization. We quantify the relative amplitude of fluctuations in the three lowest particle velocity moments associated with IA and NP modes in the gyrokinetic limit and compare these predictions with MHD results and in situ observations of the solar-wind turbulence. The agreement between the observations of the wave polarization and our MHD predictions is better than the kinetic predictions, which suggests that the plasma behaves more like a fluid in the solar wind than expected.
A Model fot the Sources of the Slow Solar Wind

Science.gov (United States)

Antiochos, S. K.; Mikic, Z.; Titov, V. S.; Lionello, R.; Linker, J. A.

2011-01-01

Models for the origin of the slow solar wind must account for two seemingly contradictory observations: the slow wind has the composition of the closed-field corona, implying that it originates from the continuous opening and closing of flux at the boundary between open and closed field. On the other hand, the slow wind also has large angular width, up to approx.60deg, suggesting that its source extends far from the open-closed boundary. We propose a model that can explain both observations. The key idea is that the source of the slow wind at the Sun is a network of narrow (possibly singular) open-field corridors that map to a web of separatrices and quasi-separatrix layers in the heliosphere. We compute analytically the topology of an open-field corridor and show that it produces a quasi-separatrix layer in the heliosphere that extends to angles far from the heliospheric current sheet. We then use an MHD code and MDI/SOHO observations of the photospheric magnetic field to calculate numerically, with high spatial resolution, the quasi-steady solar wind, and magnetic field for a time period preceding the 2008 August 1 total solar eclipse. Our numerical results imply that, at least for this time period, a web of separatrices (which we term an S-web) forms with sufficient density and extent in the heliosphere to account for the observed properties of the slow wind. We discuss the implications of our S-web model for the structure and dynamics of the corona and heliosphere and propose further tests of the model. Key words: solar wind - Sun: corona - Sun: magnetic topology
Effects of slow repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with corticobasal syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Civardi, Carlo; Pisano, Fabrizio; Delconte, Carmen; Collini, Alessandra; Monaco, Francesco

2015-06-01

Corticobasal syndrome is characterized by asymmetric cortical sensorimotor dysfunction and parkinsonism; an altered cortical excitability has been reported. We explored with transcranial magnetic stimulation the motor cortical excitability in corticobasal syndrome, and the effects of slow repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. With transcranial magnetic stimulation, we studied two corticobasal syndrome patients. We determined bilaterally from the first dorsal interosseous muscle: relaxed threshold, and contralateral and ipsilateral silent period. We also evaluated the contralateral silent period after active/sham slow repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on the most affected side. At T0 the silent period was bilaterally short. On the most affected side, active slow repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation induced a short lasting prolongation of the contralateral silent period. In corticobasal syndrome, transcranial magnetic stimulation showed a reduction cortical inhibitory phenomenon potentially reversed transiently by slow repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.
Hamilton-Jacobi approach to non-slow-roll inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinney, W.H.

1997-01-01

I describe a general approach to characterizing cosmological inflation outside the standard slow-roll approximation, based on the Hamilton-Jacobi formulation of scalar field dynamics. The basic idea is to view the equation of state of the scalar field matter as the fundamental dynamical variable, as opposed to the field value or the expansion rate. I discuss how to formulate the equations of motion for scalar and tensor fluctuations in situations where the assumption of slow roll is not valid. I apply the general results to the simple case of inflation from an open-quotes invertedclose quotes polynomial potential, and to the more complicated case of hybrid inflation. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society
Effect of slow, small movement on the vibration-evoked kinesthetic illusion.

Science.gov (United States)

Cordo, P J; Gurfinkel, V S; Brumagne, S; Flores-Vieira, C

2005-12-01

The study reported in this paper investigated how vibration-evoked illusions of joint rotation are influenced by slow (0.3 degrees /s), small (2-4 degrees ) passive rotation of the joint. Normal human adults (n=15) matched the perceived position of the left ("reference") arm with the right ("matching") arm while vibration (50 pps, 0.5 mm) was applied for 30 s to the relaxed triceps brachii of the reference arm. Both arms were constrained to rotate horizontally at the elbow. Three experimental conditions were investigated: (1) vibration of the stationary reference arm, (2) slow, small passive extension or flexion of the reference arm during vibration, and (3) slow, small passive extension or flexion of the reference arm without vibration. Triceps brachii vibration at 50 pps induced an illusion of elbow flexion. The movement illusion began after several seconds, relatively fast to begin with and gradually slowing down to a stop. On average, triceps vibration produced illusory motion at an average latency of 6.3 s, amplitude of 9.7 degrees , velocity of 0.6 degrees /s, and duration of 16.4 s. During vibration, slow, small ( approximately 0.3 degrees /s, 1.3 degrees ) passive rotations of the joint dramatically enhanced, stopped, or reversed the direction of illusory movement, depending on the direction of the passive joint rotation. However, the subjects' perceptions of these passive elbow rotations were exaggerated: 2-3 times the size of the actual movement. In the absence of vibration, the subjects accurately reproduced these passive joint rotations. We discuss whether the exaggerated perception of slow, small movement during vibration is better explained by contributions of non muscle spindle Ia afferents or by changes in the mechanical transmission of vibration to the receptor.
Response of electret dosemeter to slow neutrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghilardi, A.J.P.; Pela, C.A.; Zimmerman, R.L.

1987-01-01

The response of the electret dosemeter to exposition of slow neutrons is studied. Different external coatings are used on the dosemeter (polyethylene, alminium, polyethylene + boron, aluminium + boron) and exposure curves (with and without water) are compared. (M.A.C.) [pt
Preliminary characterization of slow growing rhizobial strains ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

COMPAQ

2016-05-18

May 18, 2016 ... strains had a very slow growth rate in yeast malt (YM) agar medium, forming colonies less than 1 mm in ... dominant genus of symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria ... Single colonies were picked up and checked for purity by.
Statistics of Extremes

KAUST Repository

Davison, Anthony C.

2015-04-10

Statistics of extremes concerns inference for rare events. Often the events have never yet been observed, and their probabilities must therefore be estimated by extrapolation of tail models fitted to available data. Because data concerning the event of interest may be very limited, efficient methods of inference play an important role. This article reviews this domain, emphasizing current research topics. We first sketch the classical theory of extremes for maxima and threshold exceedances of stationary series. We then review multivariate theory, distinguishing asymptotic independence and dependence models, followed by a description of models for spatial and spatiotemporal extreme events. Finally, we discuss inference and describe two applications. Animations illustrate some of the main ideas. © 2015 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved.
Slow and fast light effects in semiconductor optical amplifiers for applications in microwave photonics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xue, Weiqi

This thesis analyzes semiconductor optical amplifiers based slow and fast light effects with particular focus on the applications in microwave photonics. We conceive novel ideas and demonstrate a great enhancement of light slow down. Furthermore, by cascading several slow light stages, >360 degree...... microwave phase shifts over a bandwidth of several tens of gigahertz are achieved. These also satisfy the basic requirements of microwave photonic systems. As an application demonstration, a tunable microwave notch filter is realized, where slow light based phase shifters provide 100% fractional tuning over...

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