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Sample records for intermediate-peaked bl lacertae

  1. Observations of low and intermediate-frequency-peaked BL Lacs above 100 GeV with VERITAS

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    Errando M.

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Most of the ~ 50 blazars detected to date at TeV energies (E > 0.1 TeV are high-frequency-peaked BL Lacs (HBLs. Only a handful episodic detections of low- and intermediate-frequency-peaked BL Lacs (LBL/IBLs, with synchrotron peak frequencies in the infrared and optical regime have been reported by ground-based gamma-ray telescopes, typically during high-flux states. The VERITAS array located in southern Arizona has observed five known TeV LBL/IBLs since 2009: 3C 66A, WComae, PKS 1424+240, S5 0716+714 and BL Lacertae, with exposures of 5-10 hours/year, which so far resulted in the detection of a bright, sub-hour timescale gamma-ray flare of BL Lacertae in June 2011. We also report the detection and characterization of two new IBLs: VER J0521+211 and B2 1215+30.

  2. Discovery and characterization of the first low-peaked and intermediate-peaked BL Lacertae objects in the very high energy {gamma}-ray regime

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    Berger, Karsten

    2009-12-19

    20 years after the discovery of the Crab Nebula as a source of very high energy {gamma}-rays, the number of sources newly discovered above 100 GeV using ground-based Cherenkov telescopes has considerably grown, at the time of writing of this thesis to a total of 81. The sources are of different types, including galactic sources such as supernova remnants, pulsars, binary systems, or so-far unidentified accelerators and extragalactic sources such as blazars and radio galaxies. The goal of this thesis work was to search for {gamma}-ray emission from a particular type of blazars previously undetected at very high {gamma}-ray energies, by using the MAGIC telescope. Those blazars previously detected were all of the same type, the so-called high-peaked BL Lacertae objects. The sources emit purely non-thermal emission, and exhibit a peak in their radio-to-X-ray spectral energy distribution at X-ray energies. The entire blazar population extends from these rare, low-luminosity BL Lacertae objects with peaks at X-ray energies to the much more numerous, high-luminosity infrared-peaked radio quasars. Indeed, the low-peaked sources dominate the source counts obtained from space-borne observations at {gamma}-ray energies up to 10 GeV. Their spectra observed at lower {gamma}-ray energies show power-law extensions to higher energies, although theoretical models suggest them to turn over at energies below 100 GeV. This opened the quest for MAGIC as the Cherenkov telescope with the currently lowest energy threshold. In the framework of this thesis, the search was focused on the prominent sources BL Lac, W Comae and S5 0716+714, respectively. Two of the sources were unambiguously discovered at very high energy {gamma}-rays with the MAGIC telescope, based on the analysis of a total of about 150 hours worth of data collected between 2005 and 2008. The analysis of this very large data set required novel techniques for treating the effects of twilight conditions on the data quality

  3. Discovery and characterization of the first low-peaked and intermediate-peaked BL Lacertae objects in the very high energy γ-ray regime

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berger, Karsten

    2009-01-01

    20 years after the discovery of the Crab Nebula as a source of very high energy γ-rays, the number of sources newly discovered above 100 GeV using ground-based Cherenkov telescopes has considerably grown, at the time of writing of this thesis to a total of 81. The sources are of different types, including galactic sources such as supernova remnants, pulsars, binary systems, or so-far unidentified accelerators and extragalactic sources such as blazars and radio galaxies. The goal of this thesis work was to search for γ-ray emission from a particular type of blazars previously undetected at very high γ-ray energies, by using the MAGIC telescope. Those blazars previously detected were all of the same type, the so-called high-peaked BL Lacertae objects. The sources emit purely non-thermal emission, and exhibit a peak in their radio-to-X-ray spectral energy distribution at X-ray energies. The entire blazar population extends from these rare, low-luminosity BL Lacertae objects with peaks at X-ray energies to the much more numerous, high-luminosity infrared-peaked radio quasars. Indeed, the low-peaked sources dominate the source counts obtained from space-borne observations at γ-ray energies up to 10 GeV. Their spectra observed at lower γ-ray energies show power-law extensions to higher energies, although theoretical models suggest them to turn over at energies below 100 GeV. This opened the quest for MAGIC as the Cherenkov telescope with the currently lowest energy threshold. In the framework of this thesis, the search was focused on the prominent sources BL Lac, W Comae and S5 0716+714, respectively. Two of the sources were unambiguously discovered at very high energy γ-rays with the MAGIC telescope, based on the analysis of a total of about 150 hours worth of data collected between 2005 and 2008. The analysis of this very large data set required novel techniques for treating the effects of twilight conditions on the data quality. This was successfully achieved

  4. Sub-Hour X-Ray Variability of High-Energy Peaked BL Lacertae Objects

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    Bidzina Kapanadze

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The study of multi-wavelength flux variability in BL Lacertae objects is very important to discern unstable processes and emission mechanisms underlying their extreme observational features. While the innermost regions of these objects are not accessible from direct observations, we may draw conclusions about their internal structure via the detection of flux variations on various timescales, based on the light-travel argument. In this paper, we review the sub-hour X-ray variability in high-energy peaked BL Lacertae sources (HBLs that are bright at X-rays and provide us with an effective tool to study the details related to the physics of the emitting particles. The X-ray emission of these sources is widely accepted to be a synchrotron radiation from the highest-energy electrons, and the complex spectral variability observed in this band reflects the injection and radiative evolution of freshly-accelerated particles. The detection of sub-hour X-ray flux variability is very important since it can be related to the small-scale jet turbulent structures or triggered by unstable processes occurring in the vicinity of a central supermassive black hole. We summarize the fastest X-ray variability instances detected in bright HBLs and discuss their physical implications.

  5. BL Lacertae objects

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    Miller, J.S.

    1978-01-01

    An overview is given of the principal characteristics and problems associated with the prototype BL Lacertae. The most important characteristics of this group and its relevance, the consideration of a few particular objects in moderate detail, the relation between these objects QSOs, and normal galaxies, and finally the possible physical nature of BL Lac objects and the important questions they raise are treated. 15 references

  6. BL Lacertae objects

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    Disney, M.J.; Veron, P.

    1977-01-01

    The properties of BL Lacertae objects are discussed including their spectra, variability, and brightness. The historical development of observation, and the conclusion that these objects are possibly quasar-related objects rather than variable stars as originally supposed are treated. The possible mechanisms for the unusual luminosity of these objects are considered

  7. Sub-Hour X-Ray Variability of High-Energy Peaked BL Lacertae Objects

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    Bidzina Kapanadze

    2018-01-01

    The study of multi-wavelength flux variability in BL Lacertae objects is very important to discern unstable processes and emission mechanisms underlying their extreme observational features. While the innermost regions of these objects are not accessible from direct observations, we may draw conclusions about their internal structure via the detection of flux variations on various timescales, based on the light-travel argument. In this paper, we review the sub-hour X-ray variability in high-e...

  8. The cosmic evolution of Fermi BL Lacertae objects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ajello, M.; Romani, R. W.; Shaw, M. S.; Healey, S. E.; Michelson, P. F.; Gasparrini, D.; Bolmer, J.; Cotter, G.; Potter, W. J.; Finke, J.; Greiner, J.; Rau, A.; Schady, P.; King, O.; Max-Moerbeck, W.; Readhead, A. C. S.; Richards, J. L.

    2014-01-01

    Fermi has provided the largest sample of γ-ray-selected blazars to date. In this work we use a uniformly selected set of 211 BL Lacertae (BL Lac) objects detected by Fermi during its first year of operation. We obtained redshift constraints for 206 out of the 211 BL Lac objects in our sample, making it the largest and most complete sample of BL Lac objects available in the literature. We use this sample to determine the luminosity function of BL Lac objects and its evolution with cosmic time. We find that for most BL Lac classes the evolution is positive, with a space density peaking at modest redshift (z ≈ 1.2). Low-luminosity, high-synchrotron-peaked (HSP) BL Lac objects are an exception, showing strong negative evolution, with number density increasing for z ≲ 0.5. Since this rise corresponds to a drop-off in the density of flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), a possible interpretation is that these HSPs represent an accretion-starved end state of an earlier merger-driven gas-rich phase. We additionally find that the known BL Lac correlation between luminosity and photon spectral index persists after correction for the substantial observational selection effects with implications for the so-called 'blazar sequence'. Finally, by estimating the beaming corrections to the luminosity function, we find that BL Lac objects have an average Lorentz factor of γ=6.1 −0.8 +1.1 , and that most are seen within 10° of the jet axis.

  9. SEVEN-YEAR MULTI-COLOR OPTICAL MONITORING OF BL LACERTAE OBJECT S5 0716+714

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    Dai Yan; Wu Jianghua; Zhu Zonghong; Wang Lingzhi [Department of Astronomy, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Zhou Xu; Ma Jun [Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 20A Datun Road, Beijing 100012 (China); Yuan Qirong, E-mail: zhuzh@bnu.edu.cn [Department of Physics and Institute of Theoretical Physics, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046 (China)

    2013-02-15

    We have monitored the BL Lacertae object S5 0716+714 in five intermediate optical wavebands from 2004 September to 2011 April. Here, we present data that include 8661 measurements representing one of the largest databases obtained for an object in the optical domain. A simple analysis of the data indicates that the object was active most of the time, and intraday variability was frequently observed. In total, the object varied by 2.614 mag in the i band. Strong bluer-when-brighter chromatism was observed on long, intermediate, and short timescales.

  10. No evidence for radio-quiet BL Lacertae objects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stocke, J.T.; Morris, S.L.; Gioia, I.; Maccacaro, T.; Schild, R.E.

    1990-01-01

    Using a large, flux-limited sample of faint X-ray sources, a search has been conducted for radio-quiet BL Lacertae objects. None has been found. Thirty-two X-ray-selected BL Lac objects and BL Lac candidates have been found within the sources of the Einstein Medium Sensitivity Survey (EMSS). Thirty-one of these have been observed with the VLA and all have been detected at 5 GHz. While the optical magnitudes of the EMSS BL Lac objects range from 17 to 20.8, their radio-to-optical spectral indices occupy a very small range. The very bright X-ray-selected BL Lac objects like PKS 2155-304 and Markarian 501 have similar range values. Therefore, unlike the clear dichotomy between radio-loud quasars and radio-quiet QSOs, there is no evidence for two populations of Lacertids distinguished by radio loudness. 43 refs

  11. On the close environment of BL Lacertae objects

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    Falomo, R. (Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova (Italy)); Melnick, J. (European Southern Observatory, Santiago (Chile)); Tanzi, E.G. (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Milan (Italy))

    1990-06-21

    The local environment of BL Lacertae objects, which resemble quasars but lack emission lines, is poorly understood. In the few cases where the surrounding nebulosity has been studied in detail, it is consistent with the presence of a giant elliptical galaxy, but the evidence that the BL Lac and the putative galaxy are physically associated rests solely on their positional coincidence. An alternative hypothesis, that BL Lacs are gravitationally lensed and that the surrounding emission is from the foreground lensing object, gains some support from a number of observations which reveal less than perfect alignment between BL Lacs and surrounding emission. We have begun a systematic programme of high-resolution imaging aimed at understanding in a general way the local environment of BL Lacs. Here we describe a first series of images, which show the presence of emission features around most of the BL Lacs observed. Typically, this emission is close (<5 arcsec) to the BL Lac, and faint (m{sub R} = 21). We discuss the interpretation of these companions in terms of both interacting objects and gravitational lenses. (author).

  12. Multi-Band Intra-Night Optical Variability of BL Lacertae

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    Haritma Gaur

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available We monitored BL Lacertae frequently during 2014–2016 when it was generally in a high state. We searched for intra-day variability for 43 nights using quasi-simultaneous measurements in the B, V, R, and I bands (totaling 143 light curves; the typical sampling interval was about eight minutes. On hour-like timescales, BL Lac exhibited significant variations during 13 nights in various optical bands. Significant spectral variations are seen during most of these nights such that the optical spectrum becomes bluer when brighter. The amplitude of variability is usually greater for longer observations but is lower when BL Lac is brighter. No evidence for periodicities or characteristic variability time-scales in the light curves was found. The color variations are mildly chromatic on long timescales.

  13. Three new BL Lacertae objects in the Palomar-Green survey

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    Fleming, Thomas A.; Green, Richard F.; Jannuzi, Buell T.; Liebert, James; Smith, Paul S.; Fink, Henner

    1993-01-01

    We have identified three BL Lacertae objects in the Palomar-Green Survey which were previously misclassified as DC white dwarfs, namely PG 1246+586, PG 1424+240, and PG 1437+398. Our reclassification is based on the detection of these objects as x-ray sources in the ROSAT all-sky survey and upon our subsequent detection of intrinsic linearly polarized and variable optical emission from these sources. As a result of the ROSAT survey, the number of identified BL Lac objects in the Palomar-Green catalog of UV excess objects has been doubled. Corrected optical positions are presented for PG 1246+586 and PG 1437+398.

  14. Long term monitoring of Gamma-Ray emission from the BL Lacertae object (1ES 2200+420)

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    Gunawardhana, Isuru; VERITAS Collaboration

    2016-03-01

    Blazars are a class of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) that have relativistic jets pointing along the observer line of sight. Blazars exhibit variable emission extending from radio to TeV energies. The variability timescale of the TeV flux is a key component of understanding the location of the very high energy emission zones. Deep observations of the quiescent state measurements are also required to disentangle the flaring state emission from quiescent state emission, a prerequisite for understanding the origin of blazar spectral variability. BL Lacertae (also known as 1ES 2200+420), as the namesake for all BL Lac objects, is a prime example of one such blazar. The VERITAS Observatory, an Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope (IACT) array sensitive to gamma rays in the range from 85 GeV to 30 TeV, dedicates approximately 110 hours per year on deep observations of known gamma-ray blazars. In this talk, I will describe the TeV photon flux variability of BL Lacertae measured by VERITAS from 2013 to 2015.

  15. X-ray studies of BL Lacertae objects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Madejski, G.M.

    1986-01-01

    This thesis presents spectral x-ray data for BL Lac objects observed by the IPC and MPC aboard the Einstein Observatory and interprets that data in a context of their overall radiation spectra using synchrotron and synchrotron self-Compton models. The objects considered are: OJ 287, PKS 0735 + 178, I Zw 186, PKS 0548-322, Mkn 180, BL Lacertae, PKS 2155-304, H 0414-009 and H 0323 + 022. X-ray spectra of BL Lac objects are well described by a power law model with a low energy cutoff due to absorption within the own Galaxy. The best fit values of the energy spectral index α in the IPC (0.2-4.0 keV) band range from 0.73 to 2.35, with a mean of 1.2 and rms spread of 0.51. No single, universal index can fit the spectra of all objects. For all objects except PKS 0735 + 178, the x-ray spectrum is an extrapolation of the infrared/optical UV spectrum; in PKS 0735 + 178, the x-ray spectrum lies significantly below such an extrapolation. The overall electromagnetic distribution in those objects is interpreted as arising due to the synchrotron process in at least two spatial regions, with sizes respectively ∼10 18 cm for the radio component and ∼10 16 cm for the optical component. In objects where the x-ray spectrum lies on the extrapolation of the infrared-optical-ultraviolet spectrum, the x-ray emission is interpreted also to be due to the synchrotron process

  16. BL Lacertae: X-ray spectral evolution and a black-hole mass estimate

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    Titarchuk, Lev; Seifina, Elena

    2017-06-01

    We present an analysis of the spectral properties observed in X-rays from active galactic nucleus BL Lacertae using RXTE, Suzaku, ASCA, BeppoSAX, and Swift observations. The total time covered by these observations is approximately 20 yr. We show strong observational evidence that this source undergoes X-ray spectral transitions from the low hard state (LHS) through the intermediate state (IS) to the high soft state (HSS) during these observations. During the RXTE observations (1997-2001, 180 ks, for a total 145 datasets), the source was approximately 75%, 20% and only 5% of the time in the IS, LHS, and HSS, respectively. We also used Swift observations (470 datasets, for a total 800 ks), which occurred during 12 yr (2005-2016), the broadband (0.3-200 keV) data of BeppoSAX (1997-2000, 160 ks), and the low X-ray energy (0.3-10 keV) data of ASCA (1995-1999, 160 ks). Two observations of Suzaku (2006, 2013; 50 ks) in combinations with long-term RXTE and Swift data-sets fortunately allow us to describe all spectral states of BL Lac. The spectra of BL Lac are well fitted by the so-called bulk motion Comptonization (BMC) model for all spectral states. We have established the photon index saturation level, Γsat = 2.2 ± 0.1, in the Γ versus mass accretion rate (Ṁ) correlation. This Γ - Ṁ correlation allows us to estimate the black-hole (BH) mass in BL Lac to be MBH 3 × 107M⊙ for a distance of 300 Mpc. For the BH mass estimate, we use the scaling method taking stellar-mass Galactic BHs 4U 1543-47 and GX 339-4 as reference sources. The Γ - Ṁ correlation revealed in BL Lac is similar to those in a number of stellar-mass Galactic BHs and two recently studied intermediate-mass extragalactic BHs. It clearly shows the correlation along with the very extended Γ saturation at 2.2. This is robust observational evidence for the presence of a BH in BL Lac. We also reveal that the seed (disk) photon temperatures are relatively low, of order of 100 eV, which are consistent

  17. Correlated radio and optical variability in the BL Lacertae object 0716 + 714

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quirrenbach, A.; Witzel, A.; Krichbaum, T.P.; Wagner, S.; Sanchez-pons, F.

    1991-01-01

    Results are presented from simultaneous optical and radio observations of the BL Lacertae object 0716 + 714. During a 4-week period of continuous monitoring the source displayed in both wavelength regimes a transition between states of fast and slow variability with a change of the typical variability time scale from about 1 day to about 7 days. The simultaneous transition is interpreted as evidence for intrinsic source variability, and some consequences for the optical and radio emission regions are discussed. 19 refs

  18. Properties of optically selected BL Lacertae candidates from the SDSS

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    Kügler, S. D.; Nilsson, K.; Heidt, J.; Esser, J.; Schultz, T.

    2014-09-01

    Context. Deep optical surveys open the avenue for finding large numbers of BL Lac objects that are hard to identify because they lack the unique properties classifying them as such. While radio or X-ray surveys typically reveal dozens of sources, recent compilations based on optical criteria alone have increased the number of BL Lac candidates considerably. However, these compilations are subject to biases and may contain a substantial number of contaminating sources. Aims: In this paper we extend our analysis of 182 optically selected BL Lac object candidates from the SDSS with respect to an earlier study. The main goal is to determine the number of bona fide BL Lac objects in this sample. Methods: We examine their variability characteristics, determine their broad-band radio-UV spectral energy distributions (SEDs), and search for the presence of a host galaxy. In addition we present new optical spectra for 27 targets with improved signal-to-noise ratio with respect to the SDSS spectra. Results: At least 59% of our targets have shown variability between SDSS DR2 and our observations by more than 0.1-0.27 mag depending on the telescope used. A host galaxy was detected in 36% of our targets. The host galaxy type and luminosities are consistent with earlier studies of BL Lac host galaxies. Simple fits to broad-band SEDs for 104 targets of our sample derived synchrotron peak frequencies between 13.5 ≤ log 10(νpeak) ≤ 16 with a peak at log 10 ~ 14.5. Our new optical spectra do not reveal any new redshift for any of our objects. Thus the sample contains a large number of bona fide BL Lac objects and seems to contain a substantial fraction of intermediate-frequency peaked BL Lacs. Based on observations collected with the NTT on La Silla (Chile) operated by the European Southern Observatory under proposal 082.B-0133.Based on observations collected at the Centro Astronómico Hispano Alemán (CAHA), operated jointly by the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie and the

  19. Optical polarization of high-energy BL Lacertae objects

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    Hovatta, T.; Lindfors, E.; Blinov, D.; Pavlidou, V.; Nilsson, K.; Kiehlmann, S.; Angelakis, E.; Fallah Ramazani, V.; Liodakis, I.; Myserlis, I.; Panopoulou, G. V.; Pursimo, T.

    2016-12-01

    Context. We investigate the optical polarization properties of high-energy BL Lac objects using data from the RoboPol blazar monitoring program and the Nordic Optical Telescope. Aims: We wish to understand if there are differences between the BL Lac objects that have been detected with the current-generation TeV instruments and those objects that have not yet been detected. Methods: We used a maximum-likelihood method to investigate the optical polarization fraction and its variability in these sources. In order to study the polarization position angle variability, we calculated the time derivative of the electric vector position angle (EVPA) change. We also studied the spread in the Stokes Q/I-U/I plane and rotations in the polarization plane. Results: The mean polarization fraction of the TeV-detected BL Lacs is 5%, while the non-TeV sources show a higher mean polarization fraction of 7%. This difference in polarization fraction disappears when the dilution by the unpolarized light of the host galaxy is accounted for. The TeV sources show somewhat lower fractional polarization variability amplitudes than the non-TeV sources. Also the fraction of sources with a smaller spread in the Q/I-U/I plane and a clumped distribution of points away from the origin, possibly indicating a preferred polarization angle, is larger in the TeV than in the non-TeV sources. These differences between TeV and non-TeV samples seem to arise from differences between intermediate and high spectral peaking sources instead of the TeV detection. When the EVPA variations are studied, the rate of EVPA change is similar in both samples. We detect significant EVPA rotations in both TeV and non-TeV sources, showing that rotations can occur in high spectral peaking BL Lac objects when the monitoring cadence is dense enough. Our simulations show that we cannot exclude a random walk origin for these rotations. Conclusions: These results indicate that there are no intrinsic differences in the

  20. Multiwavelength Observations of the Blazar BL Lacertae: A New Fast TeV Gamma-Ray Flare

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    Abeysekara, A. U.; Benbow, W.; Bird, R.; Brantseg, T.; Brose, R.; Buchovecky, M.; Buckley, J. H.; Bugaev, V.; Connolly, M. P.; Cui, W.; Daniel, M. K.; Falcone, A.; Feng, Q.; Finley, J. P.; Fortson, L.; Furniss, A.; Gillanders, G. H.; Gunawardhana, I.; Hütten, M.; Hanna, D.; Hervet, O.; Holder, J.; Hughes, G.; Humensky, T. B.; Johnson, C. A.; Kaaret, P.; Kar, P.; Kertzman, M.; Krennrich, F.; Lang, M. J.; Lin, T. T. Y.; McArthur, S.; Moriarty, P.; Mukherjee, R.; O’Brien, S.; Ong, R. A.; Otte, A. N.; Park, N.; Petrashyk, A.; Pohl, M.; Pueschel, E.; Quinn, J.; Ragan, K.; Reynolds, P. T.; Richards, G. T.; Roache, E.; Rulten, C.; Sadeh, I.; Santander, M.; Sembroski, G. H.; Shahinyan, K.; Wakely, S. P.; Weinstein, A.; Wells, R. M.; Wilcox, P.; Williams, D. A.; Zitzer, B.; The VERITAS Collaboration; Jorstad, S. G.; Marscher, A. P.; Lister, M. L.; Kovalev, Y. Y.; Pushkarev, A. B.; Savolainen, T.; Agudo, I.; Molina, S. N.; Gómez, J. L.; Larionov, V. M.; Borman, G. A.; Mokrushina, A. A.; Tornikoski, M.; Lähteenmäki, A.; Chamani, W.; Enestam, S.; Kiehlmann, S.; Hovatta, T.; Smith, P. S.; Pontrelli, P.

    2018-04-01

    Combined with measurements made by very-long-baseline interferometry, the observations of fast TeV gamma-ray flares probe the structure and emission mechanism of blazar jets. However, only a handful of such flares have been detected to date, and only within the last few years have these flares been observed from lower-frequency-peaked BL Lac objects and flat-spectrum radio quasars. We report on a fast TeV gamma-ray flare from the blazar BL Lacertae observed by the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS). with a rise time of ∼2.3 hr and a decay time of ∼36 min. The peak flux above 200 GeV is (4.2 ± 0.6) × 10‑6 photon m‑2 s‑1 measured with a 4-minute-binned light curve, corresponding to ∼180% of the flux that is observed from the Crab Nebula above the same energy threshold. Variability contemporaneous with the TeV gamma-ray flare was observed in GeV gamma-ray, X-ray, and optical flux, as well as in optical and radio polarization. Additionally, a possible moving emission feature with superluminal apparent velocity was identified in Very Long Baseline Array observations at 43 GHz, potentially passing the radio core of the jet around the time of the gamma-ray flare. We discuss the constraints on the size, Lorentz factor, and location of the emitting region of the flare, and the interpretations with several theoretical models that invoke relativistic plasma passing stationary shocks.

  1. Variability of the BL Lacertae objects PKS 2155 - 304 and OJ 287 in the far-ultraviolet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maraschi, L.; Treves, A.; Tagliaferri, G.; Tanzi, E.G.; CNR, Istituto di Fisica Cosmica, Milan, Italy)

    1986-01-01

    All the ultraviolet spectra of the two bright BL Lacertae objects PKS 2155 - 304 and OJ 287 taken with the International Ultraviolet Explorer in the period 1978-1984 are examined. For each spectrum the best-fitting power law is determined and a correlation between spectral slope and intensity is searched for. The correlation, if present, is weak. This is discussed in terms of models of the continuum emission of active galactic nuclei. 31 references

  2. Variability of the BL Lacertae objects PKS 2155 - 304 and OJ 287 in the far-ultraviolet

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maraschi, L.; Treves, A.; Tagliaferri, G.; Tanzi, E.G.

    1986-05-01

    All the ultraviolet spectra of the two bright BL Lacertae objects PKS 2155 - 304 and OJ 287 taken with the International Ultraviolet Explorer in the period 1978-1984 are examined. For each spectrum the best-fitting power law is determined and a correlation between spectral slope and intensity is searched for. The correlation, if present, is weak. This is discussed in terms of models of the continuum emission of active galactic nuclei. 31 references.

  3. Probing the Innermost Regions of AGN Jets and Their Magnetic Fields with RadioAstron. I. Imaging BL Lacertae at 21 Microarcsecond Resolution

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    Gómez, José L.; Lobanov, Andrei P.; Bruni, Gabriele; Kovalev, Yuri Y.; Marscher, Alan P.; Jorstad, Svetlana G.; Mizuno, Yosuke; Bach, Uwe; Sokolovsky, Kirill V.; Anderson, James M.; Galindo, Pablo; Kardashev, Nikolay S.; Lisakov, Mikhail M.

    2016-02-01

    We present the first polarimetric space very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) imaging observations at 22 GHz. BL Lacertae was observed in 2013 November 10 with the RadioAstron space VLBI mission, including a ground array of 15 radio telescopes. The instrumental polarization of the space radio telescope is found to be less than 9%, demonstrating the polarimetric imaging capabilities of RadioAstron at 22 GHz. Ground-space fringes were obtained up to a projected baseline distance of 7.9 Earth diameters in length, allowing us to image the jet in BL Lacertae with a maximum angular resolution of 21 μas, the highest achieved to date. We find evidence for emission upstream of the radio core, which may correspond to a recollimation shock at about 40 μas from the jet apex, in a pattern that includes other recollimation shocks at approximately 100 and 250 μas from the jet apex. Polarized emission is detected in two components within the innermost 0.5 mas from the core, as well as in some knots 3 mas downstream. Faraday rotation analysis, obtained from combining RadioAstron 22 GHz and ground-based 15 and 43 GHz images, shows a gradient in rotation measure and Faraday-corrected polarization vector as a function of position angle with respect to the core, suggesting that the jet in BL Lacertae is threaded by a helical magnetic field. The intrinsic de-boosted brightness temperature in the unresolved core exceeds 3× {10}12 K, suggesting, at the very least, departure from equipartition of energy between the magnetic field and radiating particles.

  4. Short timescale photometric and polarimetric behavior of two BL Lacertae type objects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Covino, S.; Baglio, M. C.; Foschini, L.; Sandrinelli, A.; Tavecchio, F.; Treves, A.; Zhang, H.; Barres de Almeida, U.; Bonnoli, G.; Boettcher, M.; Cecconi, M.; D'Ammando, F.; Fabrizio, L. di; Giarrusso, M.; Leone, F.; Lindfors, E.; Lorenzi, V.; Molinari, E.; Paiano, S.; Prandini, E.; Raiteri, C. M.; Stamerra, A.; Tagliaferri, G.

    2015-01-01

    Context. Blazars are astrophysical sources whose emission is dominated by non-thermal processes, typically interpreted as synchrotron and inverse Compton emission. Although the general picture is rather robust and consistent with observations, many aspects are still unexplored. Aims. Polarimetric monitoring can offer a wealth of information about the physical processes in blazars. Models with largely different physical ingredients can often provide almost indistinguishable predictions for the total flux, but usually are characterized by markedly different polarization properties. We explore, with a pilot study, the possibility to derive structural information about the emitting regions of blazars by means of a joint analysis of rapid variability of the total and polarized flux at optical wavelengths. Methods. Short timescale (from tens of seconds to a couple of minutes) optical linear polarimetry and photometry for two blazars, BL Lacertae and PKS 1424+240, was carried out with the PAOLO polarimeter at the 3.6 m Telescopio Nazionale Galileo. Several hours of almost continuous observations were obtained for both sources. Results. Our intense monitoring allowed us to draw strongly different scenarios for BL Lacertae and PKS 1424+240, with the former characterized by intense variability on time-scales from hours to a few minutes and the latter practically constant in total flux. Essentially the same behavior is observed for the polarized flux and the position angle. The variability time-scales turned out to be as short as a few minutes, although involving only a few percent variation of the flux. The polarization variability time-scale is generally consistent with the total flux variability. Total and polarized flux appear to be essentially uncorrelated. However, even during our relatively short monitoring, different regimes can be singled out. Conclusions. No simple scenario is able to satisfactorily model the very rich phenomenology exhibited in our data. As a

  5. The near-infrared continua of BL Lacertae objects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allen, D.A.; Ward, M.J.; Hyland, A.R.

    1982-01-01

    Accurate photometry at J, H and K (1.2 to 2.2 μm) has been secured of 53 BL Lac objects. A power-law continuum is an exceptionally good fit to the data, and the colours are distinct from those of quasars. There is no indication of the additional infrared continuum seen in quasars and which is believed to arise in circumnuclear dust. We argue that dust is very scarce in the nuclei of BL Lac objects, and thus we expect gas to be equally scarce. Hence we attribute the lack of optical emission lines to an absence of ionized nuclear gas. We further argue that BL Lac objects could underlie quasars, the latter exhibiting line and thermal continuum emission at ultraviolet, optical and near-infrared wavelengths due to the presence of circumnuclear gas and dust. The strong-lined optically violent variable quasars have colours typical of BL Lac objects rather than quasars, and may represent intermediate cases. The JHK colours of the BL Lac objects overlap with those of the empty-radio-field infrared sources. Such objects probably represent the redder extreme of a range of spectral indices in BL Lac objects. (author)

  6. Soft X-ray observations of two BL Lacertae objects - markarian 421 and 501

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, K.P.; Garmire, G.P.

    1985-01-01

    This paper reports on the soft X-ray (0.15-2.8 keV) observations of two BL Lacertae-type objects, viz., Mrk 421 and Mrk 501. The observations were made with the low-energy detectors on the HEAO 1 satellite during the period 1977 August-1978 December. Steep, soft X-ray power-law spectra with photon index Gamma = 3 are found for both Mrk 421 and Mrk 501. The power-law models are found to give a significantly better fit than the thermal models to the observed pulse-height spectra of Mrk 421 and Mrk 501. Day-to-day soft X-ray (0.25 keV band) intensity variations are observed only in Mrk 501. No significant change is found in Gamma from both the BL Lac objects during the period of observations. However, the sum of all the X-ray observations from 1976 until 1980 can be understood in terms of two spectral components of variable intensity to account for the X-ray emission observed between 0.15 and 20 keV from Mrk 421 and Mrk 501. 24 references

  7. Magnetic Field Studies in BL Lacertae through Faraday Rotation and a Novel Astrometric Technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sol N. Molina

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available It is thought that dynamically important helical magnetic fields twisted by the differential rotation of the black hole’s accretion disk or ergosphere play an important role in the launching, acceleration, and collimation of active galactic nuclei (AGN jets. We present multi-frequency astrometric and polarimetric Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA images at 15, 22, and 43 GHz, as well as Faraday rotation analyses of the jet in BL Lacertae as part of a sample of AGN jets aimed to probe the magnetic field structure at the innermost scales to test jet formation models. The novel astrometric technique applied allows us to obtain the absolute position at mm wavelengths without any external calibrator.

  8. ASCA and Contemporaneous Ground-based Observations of the BL Lacertae Objects 1749+096 and 2200+420 (BL Lac)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sambruna, R.M.; Ghisellini, G.; Hooper, E.; Kollgaard, R.I.; Pesce, J.E.; Urry, C.M.

    1999-01-01

    We present ASCA observations of the radio-selected BL Lacertae objects 1749+096 (z=0.32) and 2200+420 (BL Lac, z=0.069) performed in 1995 September and November, respectively. The ASCA spectra of both sources can be described as a first approximation by a power law with photon index Γ∼2. This is flatter than for most X-ray endash selected BL Lacs observed with ASCA, in agreement with the predictions of current blazar unification models. While 1749+096 exhibits tentative evidence for spectral flattening at low energies, a concave continuum is detected for 2200+420: the steep low-energy component is consistent with the high-energy tail of the synchrotron emission responsible for the longer wavelengths, while the harder tail at higher energies is the onset of the Compton component. The two BL Lacs were observed with ground-based telescopes from radio to TeV energies contemporaneously with ASCA. The spectral energy distributions are consistent with synchrotron self-Compton emission from a single homogeneous region shortward of the IR/optical wavelengths, with a second component in the radio domain related to a more extended emission region. For 2200+420, comparing the 1995 November state with the optical/GeV flare of 1997 July, we find that models requiring inverse Compton scattering of external photons provide a viable mechanism for the production of the highest (GeV) energies during the flare. In particular, an increase of the external radiation density and of the power injected in the jet can reproduce the flat γ-ray continuum observed in 1997 July. A directly testable prediction of this model is that the line luminosity in 2200+420 should vary shortly after (∼1 month) a nonthermal synchrotron flare. copyright copyright 1999. The American Astronomical Society

  9. Relativistic Beaming and Orientation Effects in BL Lacertae Objects ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    tation paradigm for high peaked and low-peaked BL Lacs (X-ray and radio selected .... consequences of relativistic beaming and geometric projection were studied in high- ... model. If we assume α = 0 (for synchrotron self-absorbed sources) and β ∼ 1, it can .... for RBL and XBL subsamples at confidence level of ∼ 95.0%.

  10. The ultraviolet to infrared energy distribution of the BL Lacertae object PKS 0422+00 at two different brightness levels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Falomo, R.; Bouchet, P.; Maraschi, L.; Treves, A.; Tanzi, E.G. (Padova, Osservatorio Astronomico, Padua (Italy) European Southern Observatory, La Silla (Chile) Milano Universita, Milan (Italy) CNR, Istituto di Fisica Cosmica, Milan (Italy))

    1989-10-01

    The BL Lacertae object PKS 0422+00 was observed with IUE (International Ultraviolet Explorer) on August 31-September 1, 1987, when the visual magnitude of the object was V = 16.2, and again about 4 months later (January 10, 1988) during an active state (V = 15.6). Quasi-simultaneous optical to infrared observations allow deriving a detailed spectral flux distribution from 8 x 10 to the 13th to 2.5 x 10 the 15th Hz, for each epoch. Fits in terms of broken power laws and logarithmic parabolas are discussed. 32 refs.

  11. The ultraviolet to infrared energy distribution of the BL Lacertae object PKS 0422+00 at two different brightness levels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Falomo, R.; Bouchet, P.; Maraschi, L.; Treves, A.; Tanzi, E.G.

    1989-01-01

    The BL Lacertae object PKS 0422+00 was observed with IUE (International Ultraviolet Explorer) on August 31-September 1, 1987, when the visual magnitude of the object was V = 16.2, and again about 4 months later (January 10, 1988) during an active state (V = 15.6). Quasi-simultaneous optical to infrared observations allow deriving a detailed spectral flux distribution from 8 x 10 to the 13th to 2.5 x 10 the 15th Hz, for each epoch. Fits in terms of broken power laws and logarithmic parabolas are discussed. 32 refs

  12. Seven-Year Multi-Colour Optical Monitoring of BL Lacertae Object ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2016-01-27

    Jan 27, 2016 ... We monitored the BL Lac object S5 0716+714 in five intermediate optical passbands from 2004 September to 2011 April. The object was active most of the time and intra-day variability was frequently observed. The total variation amplitude tended to decrease with decreasing frequency. Strong ...

  13. BL Lacertae Objects Beyond Redshift 1.3 - UV-to-NIR Photometry and Photometric Redshift for Fermi/LAT Blazars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rau, A.; Schady, P.; Greiner, J.; Salvato, M.; Ajello, M.; Bottacini, E.; Gehrels, N.; Afonso, P. M. J.; Elliott, J.; Filgas, R.; hide

    2011-01-01

    Context. Observations of the gamma-ray sky with Fermi led to significant advances towards understanding blazars, the most extreme class of Active Galactic Nuclei. A large fraction of the population detected by Fermi is formed by BL Lacertae (BL Lac) objects, whose sample has always suffered from a severe redshift incompleteness due to the quasi-featureless optical spectra. Aims. Our goal is to provide a significant increase of the number of confirmed high-redshift BL Lac objects contained in the 2 LAC Fermi/LAT catalog. Methods. For 103 Fermi/LAT blazars, photometric redshifts using spectral energy distribution fitting have been obtained. The photometry includes 13 broad-band filters from the far ultraviolet to the near-IR observed with Swift/UVOT and the multi-channel imager GROND at the MPG/ESO 2.2m telescope. Data have been taken quasi-simultaneously and the remaining source-intrinsic variability has been corrected for. Results. We release the UV-to-near-IR 13-band photometry for all 103 sources and provide redshift constraints for 75 sources without previously known redshift. Out of those, eight have reliable photometric redshifts at z > or approx. 1.3, while for the other 67 sources we provide upper limits. Six of the former eight are BL Lac objects, which quadruples the sample of confirmed high-redshift BL Lac. This includes three sources with redshifts higher than the previous record for BL Lac, including CRATES J0402-2615, with the best-fit solution at z approx. = 1.9.

  14. Soft X-Ray Observations of a Complete Sample of X-Ray--selected BL Lacertae Objects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perlman, Eric S.; Stocke, John T.; Wang, Q. Daniel; Morris, Simon L.

    1996-01-01

    We present the results of ROSAT PSPC observations of the X-ray selected BL Lacertae objects (XBLs) in the complete Einstein Extended Medium Sensitivity Survey (EM MS) sample. None of the objects is resolved in their respective PSPC images, but all are easily detected. All BL Lac objects in this sample are well-fitted by single power laws. Their X-ray spectra exhibit a variety of spectral slopes, with best-fit energy power-law spectral indices between α = 0.5-2.3. The PSPC spectra of this sample are slightly steeper than those typical of flat ratio-spectrum quasars. Because almost all of the individual PSPC spectral indices are equal to or slightly steeper than the overall optical to X-ray spectral indices for these same objects, we infer that BL Lac soft X-ray continua are dominated by steep-spectrum synchrotron radiation from a broad X-ray jet, rather than flat-spectrum inverse Compton radiation linked to the narrower radio/millimeter jet. The softness of the X-ray spectra of these XBLs revives the possibility proposed by Guilbert, Fabian, & McCray (1983) that BL Lac objects are lineless because the circumnuclear gas cannot be heated sufficiently to permit two stable gas phases, the cooler of which would comprise the broad emission-line clouds. Because unified schemes predict that hard self-Compton radiation is beamed only into a small solid angle in BL Lac objects, the steep-spectrum synchrotron tail controls the temperature of the circumnuclear gas at r ≤ 1018 cm and prevents broad-line cloud formation. We use these new ROSAT data to recalculate the X-ray luminosity function and cosmological evolution of the complete EMSS sample by determining accurate K-corrections for the sample and estimating the effects of variability and the possibility of incompleteness in the sample. Our analysis confirms that XBLs are evolving "negatively," opposite in sense to quasars, with Ve/Va = 0.331±0.060. The statistically significant difference between the values for X

  15. A Search for Low-Luminosity BL Lacertae Objects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rector, Travis A.; Stocke, John T.; Perlman, Eric S.

    1999-05-01

    Many properties of BL Lacs have become explicable in terms of the ``relativistic beaming'' hypothesis, whereby BL Lacs are FR 1 radio galaxies viewed nearly along the jet axis. However, a possible problem with this model is that a transition population between beamed BL Lacs and unbeamed FR 1 galaxies has not been detected. A transition population of ``low-luminosity BL Lacs'' was predicted to exist in abundance in X-ray-selected samples such as the Einstein Extended Medium Sensitivity Survey (EMSS) by Browne & Marcha. However, these BL Lacs may have been misidentified as clusters of galaxies. We have conducted a search for such objects in the EMSS with the ROSAT High-Resolution Imager (HRI) here we present ROSAT HRI images, optical spectra, and VLA radio maps for a small number of BL Lacs that were previously misidentified in the EMSS catalog as clusters of galaxies. While these objects are slightly lower in luminosity than other EMSS BL Lacs, their properties are too similar to the other BL Lacs in the EMSS sample to ``bridge the gap'' between BL Lacs and FR 1 radio galaxies. Also, the number of new BL Lacs found is too low to alter significantly the X-ray luminosity function or value for the X-ray-selected EMSS BL Lac sample. Thus, these observations do not explain fully the discrepancy between the X-ray- and radio-selected BL Lac samples.

  16. The collective emission of electromagnetic waves from astrophysical jets - Luminosity gaps, BL Lacertae objects, and efficient energy transport

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baker, D. N.; Borovsky, Joseph E.; Benford, Gregory; Eilek, Jean A.

    1988-01-01

    A model of the inner portions of astrophysical jets is constructed in which a relativistic electron beam is injected from the central engine into the jet plasma. This beam drives electrostatic plasma wave turbulence, which leads to the collective emission of electromagnetic waves. The emitted waves are beamed in the direction of the jet axis, so that end-on viewing of the jet yields an extremely bright source (BL Lacertae object). The relativistic electron beam may also drive long-wavelength electromagnetic plasma instabilities (firehose and Kelvin-Helmholtz) that jumble the jet magnetic field lines. After a sufficient distance from the core source, these instabilities will cause the beamed emission to point in random directions and the jet emission can then be observed from any direction relative to the jet axis. This combination of effects may lead to the gap turn-on of astrophysical jets. The collective emission model leads to different estimates for energy transport and the interpretation of radio spectra than the conventional incoherent synchrotron theory.

  17. Clustering environments of BL Lac objects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wurtz, Ronald; Ellingson, Erica; Stocke, John T.; Yee, H. K. C.

    1993-01-01

    We report measurements of the amplitude of the BL Lac galaxy spatial covariance function, B(gb), for the fields of five BL Lacertae objects. We present evidence for rich clusters around MS 1207+39 and MS 1407+59, and confirm high richness for the cluster containing H0414+009. We discuss the ease of 3C 66 A and find evidence for a poor cluster based on an uncertain redshift of z = 0.444. These data suggest that at least some BL Lac objects are consistent with being FR 1 radio galaxies in rich clusters.

  18. Properties of BL Lac objects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wolfe, A.M.; Pittsburgh, University, Pittsburgh, Pa.)

    1980-01-01

    The properties of BL Lacertae objects are examined in light of their recently realized similarities to quasars and associations with galactic radiation. The criteria typically used to define BL Lac objects are analyzed, with attention given to radio spectra, optical continual, radio and optical variability, optical polarization and emission lines, and evidence that BL Lac objects and optically violent variables represent the most compact and strongly variable sources among the general class of quasars is discussed. Connections between BL Lac objects and the galaxies in which they have been observed to be embedded are discussed and it is pointed out that no low-luminosity quasars have been found to be associated with first-ranked giant ellipticals. Future observations which may clarify the properties and relationships of BL Lac objects are indicated

  19. Six-year optical monitoring of the BL Lacertae object 1ES 0806+52.4

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Man, Zhongyi; Zhang, Xiaoyuan; Wu, Jianghua [Department of Astronomy, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Zhou, Xu [Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 20A Datun Road, Beijing 100012 (China); Yuan, Qirong, E-mail: jhwu@bnu.edu.cn [Department of Physics and Institute of Theoretical Physics, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046 (China)

    2014-12-01

    We present the results of the first systematic long-term multicolor optical monitoring of the BL Lacertae object 1ES 0806+52.4. The monitoring was performed in multiple passbands with a 60/90 cm Schmidt telescope from 2005 December to 2011 February. The overall brightness of this object decreased from 2005 December to 2008 December but was regained after that. A sharp outburst probably occurred around the end of our monitoring program. Overlapping the long-term trend are some short-term small-amplitude oscillations. No intranight variability was found in the object, which is in accordance with the historical observations before 2005. By investigating the color behavior, we found a strong bluer-when-brighter chromatism for the long-term variability of 1ES 0806+52.4. The total amplitudes at the c, i, and o bands are 1.18, 1.12, and 1.02 mag, respectively. The amplitudes tend to increase toward shorter wavelengths, which may be a major cause of the bluer-when-brighter chromatism. Such bluer-when-brighter chromatisms are also found in other blazars, such as S5 0716+714, OJ 287. The hard-X-ray data collected from the Swift/BAT archive was correlated with our optical data. No positive result was found, the reason for which may be that the hard-X-ray flux is a combination of the synchrotron and inverse Compton emission, but with different timescales and cadences under the leptonic synchrotron self-Compton model.

  20. Polarized radio outbursts in BL Lacertae. I. Polarized emission from a compact jet. II. The flux and polarization of a piston-driven shock

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aller, H.D.; Aller, M.F.; Hughes, P.A.

    1985-01-01

    A second highly polarized burst in BL Lacertae observed in 1983 which has very similar properties to the earlier burst in 1981-82 is described, and it is shown that in both bursts the electric vector of the polarized emission is nearly parallel to the observed extended structure. A weak shock, moving relativistically close to the line of sight, appears to be a very effective means of producing the observed behavior. A simple model is developed to represent the outbursts as due to a piston-driven shock which exhibits polarized emission due to compression of the otherwise random magnetic field of a collimated flow. It is shown that the general features of total flux, polarized flux, and polarization position angle as a function of frequency and time can be understood in terms of such a model. 34 references

  1. The Optical Microvariability and Spectral Changes of the BL ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    strong bluer-when-brighter chromatism was found while different spectral behaviours were found on intranight time scales. Key words. BL lacertae objects: individual (S5 0716+714)—galaxies: active—galaxies: photometry. 1. Introduction. Since the development of CCD in the 80s, microvariability of blazars has been.

  2. On the Location of the gamma-Ray Outburst Emission in the BL Lacertae Object AO 0235 + 164 Through Observations Across the Electromagnetic Spectrum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agudo, Ivan; Marscher, Alan P.; Jorstad, Svetlana G.; Larionov, Valeri M.; Gomez, Jose L.; Laehteenmaeki, Anne; Smith, Paul S.; Nilsson, Kari; Readhead, Anthony C. S.; Aller, Margo F.; hide

    2011-01-01

    We present observations of a major outburst at centimeter, millimeter, optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray wavelengths of the BL Lacertae object AO 0235+164. We analyze the timing of multi-waveband variations in the flux and linear polarization, as well as changes in Very Long Baseline Array images at A = 7 mm with approx.0.15 milliarcsec resolution. The association of the events at different wavebands is confirmed at high statistical significance by probability arguments and Monte Carlo simulations. A series of sharp peaks in optical linear polarization, as well as a pronounced maximum in the 7 mm polarization of a superluminal jet knot, indicate rapid fluctuations in the degree of ordering of the magnetic field. These results lead us to conclude that the outburst occurred in the jet both in the quasi-stationary "core" and in the superluminal knot, both parsecs downstream of the supermassive black hole. We interpret the outburst as a consequence of the propagation of a disturbance, elongated along the line of sight by light-travel time delays, that passes through a standing recollimation shock in the core and propagates down the jet to create the superluminal knot. The multi-wavelength light curves vary together on long timescales (months/ years), but the correspondence is poorer on shorter timescales. This, as well as the variability of the polarization and the dual location of the outburst, agrees with the expectations of a multi-zone emission model in which turbulence plays a major role in modulating the synchrotron and inverse Compton fluxes.

  3. Optical polarimetry of quasi-stellar and BL Lac objects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wills, D.; Wills, B.J.; Breger, M.; Hsu, J.

    1980-01-01

    We report observations of 39 extragalactic objects, using a new polarimeter at McDonald Observatory. Most of the observations were made in January and June 1980. Some new BL Lac objects were found, and some of the previously known members of this class were also observed. Polarization exceeding 3--4 times the formal rms uncertainties was found in about ten QSO's. Rapid changes of polarization and/or position angle occurred in some of the BL Lacertae objects, usually with <0.1-mag change in the total light

  4. Fermi-LAT γ-ray anisotropy and intensity explained by unresolved radio-loud active galactic nuclei

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mauro, Mattia Di; Cuoco, Alessandro; Donato, Fiorenza; Siegal-Gaskins, Jennifer M.

    2014-01-01

    Radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) are expected to contribute substantially to both the intensity and anisotropy of the isotropic γ-ray background (IGRB). In turn, the measured properties of the IGRB can be used to constrain the characteristics of proposed contributing source classes. We consider individual subclasses of radio-loud AGN, including low-, intermediate-, and high-synchrotron-peaked BL Lacertae objects, flat-spectrum radio quasars, and misaligned AGN. Using updated models of the γ-ray luminosity functions of these populations, we evaluate the energy-dependent contribution of each source class to the intensity and anisotropy of the IGRB. We find that collectively radio-loud AGN can account for the entirety of the IGRB intensity and anisotropy as measured by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). Misaligned AGN provide the bulk of the measured intensity but a negligible contribution to the anisotropy, while high-synchrotron-peaked BL Lacertae objects provide the dominant contribution to the anisotropy. In anticipation of upcoming measurements with the Fermi-LAT and the forthcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array, we predict the anisotropy in the broader energy range that will be accessible to future observations

  5. Fermi-LAT γ-ray anisotropy and intensity explained by unresolved radio-loud active galactic nuclei

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mauro, Mattia Di; Cuoco, Alessandro; Donato, Fiorenza [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Torino, via P. Giuria 1, Torino, 10125 Italy (Italy); Siegal-Gaskins, Jennifer M., E-mail: mattia.dimauro@to.infn.it, E-mail: alessandro.cuoco@to.infn.it, E-mail: donato@to.infn.it, E-mail: jsg@tapir.caltech.edu [California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91125 (United States)

    2014-11-01

    Radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) are expected to contribute substantially to both the intensity and anisotropy of the isotropic γ-ray background (IGRB). In turn, the measured properties of the IGRB can be used to constrain the characteristics of proposed contributing source classes. We consider individual subclasses of radio-loud AGN, including low-, intermediate-, and high-synchrotron-peaked BL Lacertae objects, flat-spectrum radio quasars, and misaligned AGN. Using updated models of the γ-ray luminosity functions of these populations, we evaluate the energy-dependent contribution of each source class to the intensity and anisotropy of the IGRB. We find that collectively radio-loud AGN can account for the entirety of the IGRB intensity and anisotropy as measured by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). Misaligned AGN provide the bulk of the measured intensity but a negligible contribution to the anisotropy, while high-synchrotron-peaked BL Lacertae objects provide the dominant contribution to the anisotropy. In anticipation of upcoming measurements with the Fermi-LAT and the forthcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array, we predict the anisotropy in the broader energy range that will be accessible to future observations.

  6. Accretion disk emission from a BL Lacertae object

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wandel, A.; Urry, C.M.

    1991-01-01

    It is suggested here that the UV and X-ray emission of BL Lac objects may originate in an accretion disk. Using detailed calculations of accretion disk spectra, the best-measured ultraviolet and soft X-ray spectra of the BL Lac object PKS 2155-304 are fitted, and the mass and accretion rate required is determined. The ultraviolet through soft X-ray continuum is well fitted by the spectrum of an accretion disk, but near-Eddington accretion rates are required to produce the soft X-ray excess. A hot disk or corona could Comptonize soft photons from the cool disk and produce the observed power-law spectrum in the 1-10 keV range. The dynamic time scale in the disk regions that contribute most of the observed ultraviolet and soft X-ray photons are consistent with the respective time scales for intensity variations observed in these two wave bands; the mass derived from fitting the continuum spectrum is consistent with the limit derived from the fastest hard X-ray variability. 37 refs

  7. THE SPECTRAL INDEX PROPERTIES OF FERMI BLAZARS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fan, J. H.; Yang, J. H.; Yuan, Y. H.; Wang, J.; Gao, Y., E-mail: jhfan_cn@yahoo.com.cn [Center for Astrophysics, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006 (China)

    2012-12-20

    In this paper, a sample of 451 blazars (193 flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), 258 BL Lacertae objects) with corresponding X-ray and Fermi {gamma}-ray data is compiled to investigate the correlation both between the X-ray spectral index and the {gamma}-ray spectral index and between the spectral index and the luminosity, and to compare the spectral indexes {alpha}{sub X}, {alpha}{sub {gamma}}, {alpha}{sub X{gamma}}, and {alpha}{sub {gamma}X{gamma}} for different subclasses. We also investigated the correlation between the X-ray and the {gamma}-ray luminosity. The following results have been obtained. Our analysis indicates that an anti-correlation exists between the X-ray and the {gamma}-ray spectral indexes for the whole sample. However, when we considered the subclasses of blazars (FSRQs, the low-peaked BL Lacertae objects (LBLs) and the high-peaked BL Lacertae objects (HBLs)) separately, there is not a clear relationship for each subclass. Based on the Fermi-detected sources, we can say that the HBLs are different from FSRQs, while the LBLs are similar to FSRQs.

  8. Energy distribution and variability of BL Lac objects. The cases of PKS 2155-304 and 3C 66A

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maraschi, L.; Maccagni, D.; Tanzi, E.G.; Treves, A.

    1983-01-01

    The BL Lacertae objects, PKS 2155-304 and 3C66A have been observed in the ultraviolet and the X-ray region. The radiation flux in both regions are discussed with respect to its energy and time dependence. (Auth.)

  9. BROAD Lyα EMISSION FROM THREE NEARBY BL LACERTAE OBJECTS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stocke, John T.; Danforth, Charles W.; Perlman, Eric S.

    2011-01-01

    We present far-UV HST/COS spectra of four nearby BL Lac objects. BL Lac spectra are dominated by a smooth, power-law continuum which arises in a relativistic jet. However, the spectra are not necessarily featureless; weak, broad- and/or narrow-line emission is sometimes seen in high-quality optical spectra. We present detections of Lyα emission in HST/COS spectra of Mrk 421 (z = 0.030) and PKS 2005-489 (z = 0.071) as well as an archival HST/GHRS observation of Mrk 501 (z = 0.0337). Archival HST/STIS observations of PKS 2155-304 (z = 0.116) show no Lyα emission to a very low upper limit. Using the assumption that the broad-line region (BLR) clouds are symmetrically placed around the active galactic nucleus (AGN), we use these measured Lyα emission features to constrain either the relativistic Γ values for the ionizing continuum produced by the jet (in the ionization-bounded case) or the mass of warm gas (in the density-bounded case). While realistic Γ values can be obtained for all four cases, the values for Mrk 421 and PKS 2155-304 are high enough to suggest that covering factors of BLR clouds of ∼1%-2% might be required to provide consistency with earlier values of Doppler boosting and viewing angles suggested for this class of BL Lacs. This discrepancy also exists in the case of M 87, where the amount of Doppler boosting in our direction is expected to be minimal, again suggestive of a small covering factor of BLR clouds. If, as these small covering factors might suggest, the assumptions of a density-bounded model could be more correct, then the observed Lyα luminosities require that BL Lac/FR 1 nuclei possess very little warm gas (10 -4 to 10 -5 M sun ) as suggested by Guilbert et al. If these clouds are in pressure balance with a hotter (∼10 6 K) gas, the BLR contains too little mass to power the AGN by accretion alone.

  10. ERRATIC JET WOBBLING IN THE BL LACERTAE OBJECT OJ287 REVEALED BY SIXTEEN YEARS OF 7 mm VLBA OBSERVATIONS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Agudo, Ivan; Gomez, Jose L. [Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia, CSIC, Apartado 3004, 18080 Granada (Spain); Marscher, Alan P.; Jorstad, Svetlana G. [Institute for Astrophysical Research, Boston University, 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 (United States); Perucho, Manel [Departament d' Astronomia i Astrofisica, Universitat de Valencia, Dr. Moliner 50, E-46100 Burjassot, Valencia (Spain); Piner, B. Glenn [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Whittier College, 13406 East Philadelphia Street, Whittier, CA 90608 (United States); Rioja, Maria [Observatorio Astronomico Nacional, Apdo. 112, E-28803 Alcala de Henares, Madrid (Spain); Dodson, Richard, E-mail: iagudo@iaa.es [ICRAR/University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia)

    2012-03-01

    We present the results from an ultra-high-resolution 7 mm Very Long Baseline Array study of the relativistic jet in the BL Lacertae object OJ287 from 1995 to 2011 containing 136 total intensity images. Analysis of the image sequence reveals a sharp jet-position-angle swing by >100 Degree-Sign during [2004,2006], as viewed in the plane of the sky, which we interpret as the crossing of the jet from one side of the line of sight to the other during a softer- and longer-term swing of the inner jet. Modulating such long-term swing, our images also show for the first time a prominent erratic wobbling behavior of the innermost {approx}0.4 mas of the jet with fluctuations in position angle of up to {approx}40 Degree-Sign over timescales {approx}2 yr. This is accompanied by highly superluminal motions along non-radial trajectories, which reflect the remarkable non-ballistic nature of the jet plasma on these scales. The erratic nature and short timescales of the observed behavior rule out scenarios such as binary black hole systems, accretion disk precession, and interaction with the ambient medium as possible origins of the phenomenon on the scales probed by our observations, although such processes may cause longer-term modulation of the jet direction. We propose that variable asymmetric injection of the jet flow, perhaps related to turbulence in the accretion disk, coupled with hydrodynamic instabilities leads to the non-ballistic dynamics that causes the observed non-periodic changes in the direction of the inner jet.

  11. PG 1553 + 11 - A bright optically selected BL Lacertae object

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Falomo, R.; Treves, A.

    1990-01-01

    A detailed study of the bright optically selected BL Lac object PG 1553 + 11 is presented. UV observations, obtained during a high state of the source, together with simultaneous optical spectrophotometry and near-IR photometry, allow the spectral flux distribution to be examined from 8 x 10 to the 13th to 2.5 x 10 to the 15th Hz. This distribution is compared with that derived from quasi-simultaneous observations obtained when the source was a factor of about 3 fainter. It is found that, in the higher state, the spectrum can be described by two power laws connected by a break at about 10 to the 15th Hz, while in the low state the shape is more complex. The overall spectrum of the object is compared with the average energy distribution of X-ray and radio-selected BL Lac objects, showing that it is closer to the former class. 25 refs

  12. Long-Term Optical Spectra Variability of BL Lacertae Object S5 ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    —methods: periodogram analysis method, wavelet analysis method. 1. Introduction. S5 0716+714 is a typical BL Lac object, and it is very striking due to its observational properties. Heidt & Wagner (1996) found a period of 4 days through flux ...

  13. Wine industry market strategies. Case study: Lacerta Winery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    NEACSU Nicoleta Andreea

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Wine market in Romania is in constant development. More and more manufacturers appear on the market, and the competition is increasingly fierce. Although it has an area of the largest planted with vines, Romania is not distinguished among major exporters. Using EU funds made available, new manufacturers appear who developed the premium wine sector. Among the investments carried out in recent years in this sector is Lacerta Winery, an Austrian investment, which sold the first wine under the brand Lacerta in 2011.

  14. NEW HIGH- z FERMI BL LACS WITH THE PHOTOMETRIC DROPOUT TECHNIQUE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kaur, A.; Ajello, M.; Hartmann, D. H.; Paliya, V. S. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, SC 29634-0978 (United States); Rau, A.; Greiner, J.; Bolmer, J.; Schady, P. [Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstraße 1, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Domínguez, A., E-mail: akaur@g.clemson.edu [Grupo de Altas Energías, Universidad Complutense, E-28040 Madrid (Spain)

    2017-01-01

    Determining redshifts for BL Lacertae (BL Lac) objects using the traditional spectroscopic method is challenging due to the absence of strong emission lines in their optical spectra. We employ the photometric dropout technique to determine redshifts for this class of blazars using the combined 13 broadband filters from Swift -UVOT and the multi-channel imager GROND at the MPG 2.2 m telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory. The wavelength range covered by these 13 filters extends from far-ultraviolet to the near-infrared. We report results on 40 new Fermi- detected BL Lacs with the photometric redshift determinations for five sources, with 3FGL J1918.2–4110 being the most distant in our sample at z  = 2.16. Reliable upper limits are provided for 20 sources in this sample. Using the highest energy photons for these Fermi -LAT sources, we evaluate the consistency with the gamma-ray horizon due to the extragalactic background light.

  15. The ultraviolet to X-ray continua of BL Lac objects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    George, I.M.; Warwick, R.S.; McHardy, I.M.

    1988-01-01

    The results from EXOSAT observations of three X-ray bright BL Lacertae objects, Mrk 501, 1218 + 304 and Mrk 180 are presented. All three sources have soft power-law X-ray spectra with low-energy cut-offs consistent with absorption in the line-of-sight gas column density through our own galaxy. The three objects also exhibit significant spectral variability in the X-ray band on time-scales ranging from a few days to a year. In each case, X-ray flux and spectral index appear to be correlated, in the sense that the X-ray spectrum hardens as the source brightens. The intrinsic ultraviolet to X-ray spectrum of these and several other X-ray bright BL Lac objects can be modelled as a power-law continuum of energy index ∼1.0 below about 0.1 keV, above which the spectral slope steepens. (author)

  16. Phylogenetic Position of Barbus lacerta Heckel, 1843

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mustafa Korkmaz

    2015-11-01

    As a result, five clades come out from phylogenetic reconstruction and in phylogenetic tree Barbus lacerta determined to be sister group of Barbus macedonicus, Barbus oligolepis and Barbus plebejus complex.

  17. Fulltext PDF

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    eral methods. The parameters of the binary black hole system OJ 287 are determined. Key words. AGNs—Blazars (BL Lacertae objects-BLs & Flat Spectrum. Radio Quasars)—continuum. 1. Introduction. The term 'blazar' coined by Ed Spiegel refers to BL Lacertae objects (BLs) and flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs).

  18. Male-male aggression peaks at intermediate relatedness in a social spider mite

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sato, Y.; Egas, M.; Sabelis, M.W.; Mochizuki, A.

    2013-01-01

    Theory predicts that when individuals live in groups or colonies, male-male aggression peaks at intermediate levels of local average relatedness. Assuming that aggression is costly and directed toward nonrelatives and that competition for reproduction acts within the colony, benefits of aggressive

  19. A Very High Energy Gamma-Ray Spectrum of 1ES 2344+514

    OpenAIRE

    Schroedter, M.; Badran, H. M.; Buckley, J. H.; Gordo, J. Bussons; Carter-Lewis, D. A.; Duke, C.; Fegan, D. J.; Fegan, S. F.; Finley, J. P.; Gillanders, G. H.; Grube, J.; Horan, D.; Kenny, G. E.; Kertzman, M.; Kosack, K.

    2005-01-01

    The BL Lacertae (BL Lac) object 1ES 2344+514 (1ES 2344), at a redshift of 0.044, was discovered as a source of very high energy (VHE) gamma rays by the Whipple Collaboration in 1995 \\citep{2344Catanese98}. This detection was recently confirmed by the HEGRA Collaboration \\citep{2344Hegra03}. As is typical for high-frequency peaked blazars, the VHE gamma-ray emission is highly variable. On the night of 20 December, 1995, a gamma-ray flare of 5.3-sigma significance was detected, the brightest ou...

  20. Multi-Wave Luminosity of High-Synchrotron-Peaked TeV BL Lacs ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    LIR, Lγ) in the radio, near-infrared and γ-ray wave bands for HSP. TeV BL Lacs. The results show that there are significant intrinsic cor- relations between LR and Lγ and between LIR and Lγ in all states. (high/average/low), and suggest that for HSP TeV BL Lacs, the Syn- chrotron Self-Compton radiation (SSC) is the main ...

  1. Glutamate availability is important in intramuscular amino acid metabolism and TCA cycle intermediates but does not affect peak oxidative metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mourtzakis, M; Graham, T E; González-Alonso, J; Saltin, B

    2008-08-01

    Muscle glutamate is central to reactions producing 2-oxoglutarate, a tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediate that essentially expands the TCA cycle intermediate pool during exercise. Paradoxically, muscle glutamate drops approximately 40-80% with the onset of exercise and 2-oxoglutarate declines in early exercise. To investigate the physiological relationship between glutamate, oxidative metabolism, and TCA cycle intermediates (i.e., fumarate, malate, 2-oxoglutarate), healthy subjects trained (T) the quadriceps of one thigh on the single-legged knee extensor ergometer (1 h/day at 70% maximum workload for 5 days/wk), while their contralateral quadriceps remained untrained (UT). After 5 wk of training, peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) in the T thigh was greater than that in the UT thigh (PTCA cycle intermediates. In the UT thigh, peak exercise (vs. rest) induced an increase in fumarate (0.33+/-0.07 vs. 0.02+/-0.01 mmol/kg dry wt (dw), PTCA cycle, glutamate and TCA cycle intermediates do not directly affect VO2peak in either trained or untrained muscle.

  2. The broadband spectral energy distributions of SDSS blazars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Huai-Zhen; Chen, Luo-En; Jiang, Yun-Guo; Yi, Ting-Feng

    2015-07-01

    We compiled the radio, optical and X-ray data of blazars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey database, and presented the distribution of luminosities and broadband spectral indices. The distribution of luminosities shows that the averaged luminosity of flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) is larger than that of BL Lacertae (BL Lac) objects. On the other hand, the broadband spectral energy distribution reveals that FSRQs and low energy peaked BL Lac objects have similar spectral properties, but high energy peaked BL Lac objects have a distinct spectral property. This may be due to the fact that different subclasses of blazars have different intrinsic environments and are at different cooling levels. Even so, a unified scheme is also revealed from the color-color diagram, which hints that there are similar physical processes operating in all objects under a range of intrinsic physical conditions or beaming parameters. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

  3. Peaking cladding temperature and break equivalent size of intermediate break loss of coolant accident

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luo Bangqi

    2012-01-01

    The analysis results of intermediate break loss of coolant accident for the nuclear power plant of million kw level showed to be as following: (1) At the begin of life, the break occur simultaneity reactor shutdown with L(X)P. it's equivalent break size and peaking cladding temperature is respectively 20 cm and 849℃. (2) At the begin of life, the break occur simultaneity reactor shutdown without loop. the reactor coolant pumps will be stop after reactor shutdown 10 minutes, it's equivalent break size and peaking cladding temperature is respectively 10.5 cm and 921℃. (3) At the bur up of 31 GWd/t(EOC1). the break occur simultaneity reactor shutdown without loop, the reactor coolant pumps will be stop after reactor shutdown 20 minutes, it's equivalent break size and peaking cladding temperature is respectively 8 cm and 1145℃. The above analysis results showed that the peaking cladding temperature of intermediate break loss of coolant accident is not only related with the break equivalent size and core bur up, and is closely related with the stop time of coolant pumps because the coolant pumps would drive the coolant from safety system to produce the seal loop in break loop and affect the core coolant flow, results in the fuel cladding temperature increasing or damaging. Therefore, the break spectrum, burn up spectrum, the stop time of coolant pumps and operator action time will need to detail analysis and provide appropriate operating procedure, otherwise the peaking cladding temperature will exceed 1204℃ and threaten the safety of the reactor core when the intermediate break loss of coolant accident occur in some break equivalent size, burn up, stop pumps time and operator action not appropriate. The pressurizer pressure low signal simultaneity containment pressure higher signal were used as the operator manual close the signal of reactor coolant pumps after reactor shutdown of 20 minutes. have successful solved the operator intervention time from 10 minutes

  4. Assessment of high temperature nuclear energy storage systems for the production of intermediate and peak-load electric power

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fox, E.C.; Fuller, L.C.; Silverman, M.D.

    1977-01-01

    Increased cost of energy, depletion of domestic supplies of oil and natural gas, and dependence on foreign suppliers, have led to an investigation of energy storage as a means to displace the use of oil and gas presently being used to generate intermediate and peak-load electricity. Dedicated nuclear thermal energy storage is investigated as a possible alternative. An evaluation of thermal storage systems is made for several reactor concepts and economic comparisons are presented with conventional storage and peak power producing systems. It is concluded that dedicated nuclear storage has a small but possible useful role in providing intermediate and peak-load electric power

  5. Analysis of the need for intermediate and peaking technologies in the year 2000

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barrager, S.M.; Campbell, G.L.

    1980-04-01

    This analysis was conducted to assess the impact of load management on the future need for intermediate- and peak-generating technologies (IPTs) such as combustion turbines, pumped storage, and cycling coal plants. There will be a reduced need for IPTs if load-management activities such as time-of-use pricing, together with customer-owned energy-storage devices, hot-water-heater controls, and interruptible service, can economically remove most of the variation from electric-power demands. Therefore, the analysis assesses the need for IPTs in an uncertain future, which will probably include load management and time-differentiated electricity prices. Section 2 provides a condensed description of the models used in the analysis. (Details and data sets are contained in the appendixes.) Results of sensitivities on growth rates, model parameters, and appliance saturations are discussed in Section 3, which also contains the analysis of the potential impacts of customer energy storage, appliance control, and time-of-use pricing. The future need for intermediate and peaking technologies is analyzed in Section 4.

  6. Glutamate availability is important in intramuscular amino acid metabolism and TCA cycle intermediates but does not affect peak oxidative metabolism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mourtzakis, M.; Graham, T.E.; Gonzalez-Alonso, J.

    2008-01-01

    Muscle glutamate is central to reactions producing 2-oxoglutarate, a tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediate that essentially expands the TCA cycle intermediate pool during exercise. Paradoxically, muscle glutamate drops approximately 40-80% with the onset of exercise and 2-oxoglutarate...... declines in early exercise. To investigate the physiological relationship between glutamate, oxidative metabolism, and TCA cycle intermediates (i.e., fumarate, malate, 2-oxoglutarate), healthy subjects trained (T) the quadriceps of one thigh on the single-legged knee extensor ergometer (1 h/day at 70......% maximum workload for 5 days/wk), while their contralateral quadriceps remained untrained (UT). After 5 wk of training, peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) in the T thigh was greater than that in the UT thigh (Pglutamate infusion. Peak...

  7. Optical Spectra Evolution of BL Lac Objects XW Bi1,∗ , BZ Wang2

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    low-frequency peaked BL Lac objects (LBLs) is steeper than the high- frequency peaked BL Lac ... vision of BL Lac objects. Many investigators .... We are grateful to the Scientific Research Foundation of the Education Department of Yunnan ...

  8. The B-L scotogenic models for Dirac neutrino masses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Weijian; Wang, Ruihong; Han, Zhi-Long; Han, Jin-Zhong

    2017-12-01

    We construct the one-loop and two-loop scotogenic models for Dirac neutrino mass generation in the context of U(1)_{B-L} extensions of standard model. It is indicated that the total number of intermediate fermion singlets is uniquely fixed by the anomaly free condition and the new particles may have exotic B-L charges so that the direct SM Yukawa mass term \\bar{ν }_Lν _R\\overline{φ ^0} and the Majorana mass term (m_N/2)\\overline{ν _R^C}ν _R are naturally forbidden. After the spontaneous breaking of the U(1)_{B-L} symmetry, the discrete Z2 or Z3 symmetry appears as the residual symmetry and gives rise to the stability of intermediate fields as DM candidates. Phenomenological aspects of lepton flavor violation, DM, leptogenesis and LHC signatures are discussed.

  9. Studies of the jet in BL Lacertae. I. Recollimation shock and moving emission features

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cohen, M. H.; Hovatta, T. [Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Meier, D. L. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Arshakian, T. G. [I. Physikalisches Institut, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicher Strasse 77, D-50937 Köln (Germany); Homan, D. C. [Department of Physics, Denison University, Granville, OH 43023 (United States); Kovalev, Y. Y. [Astro Space Center of Lebedev Physical Institute, Profsoyuznaya 84/32, 117997 Moscow (Russian Federation); Lister, M. L.; Richards, J. L. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, 525 Northwestern Avenue, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Pushkarev, A. B.; Savolainen, T., E-mail: mhc@astro.caltech.edu [Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf Dem Hügel 69, D-53121 Bonn (Germany)

    2014-06-01

    Parsec-scale VLBA images of BL Lac at 15 GHz show that the jet contains a permanent quasi-stationary emission feature 0.26 mas (0.34 pc projected) from the core, along with numerous moving features. In projection, the tracks of the moving features cluster around an axis at a position angle of –166.°6 that connects the core with the standing feature. The moving features appear to emanate from the standing feature in a manner strikingly similar to the results of numerical two-dimensional relativistic magneto-hydrodynamic (RMHD) simulations in which moving shocks are generated at a recollimation shock (RCS). Because of this, and the close analogy to the jet feature HST-1 in M87, we identify the standing feature in BL Lac as an RCS. We assume that the magnetic field dominates the dynamics in the jet, and that the field is predominantly toroidal. From this we suggest that the moving features are compressions established by slow and fast mode magneto-acoustic MHD waves. We illustrate the situation with a simple model in which the slowest moving feature is a slow-mode wave, and the fastest feature is a fast-mode wave. In the model, the beam has Lorentz factor Γ{sub beam}{sup gal}≈3.5 in the frame of the host galaxy and the fast mode wave has Lorentz factor Γ{sub Fwave}{sup beam}≈1.6 in the frame of the beam. This gives a maximum apparent speed for the moving features, β{sub app} = v{sub app}/c = 10. In this model the Lorentz factor of the pattern in the galaxy frame is approximately three times larger than that of the beam itself.

  10. A case of partial melanism in Lacerta agilis (Linnaeus, 1758) from the Czech Republic

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Smolinský, Radovan

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 29, 1-2 (2016), s. 110-112 ISSN 1013-4425 Institutional support: RVO:68081766 Keywords : Lacerta agilis * partial melanism * Czech Republic Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 1.194, year: 2016

  11. Quasi-simultaneous ultraviolet, optical, and infrared observations of the BL Lacertae object PKS 0048-09

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Falomo, R.; Bouchet, P.; Maraschi, L.; Treves, A.; Tanzi, E.G.

    1988-01-01

    This paper reports on quasi-simultaneous UV, optical, and IR observations of the BL Lac object PKS 0048-09, carried out on January 7-9, 1987, when the object was in a moderately high optical state. The data were used to derive a detailed energy distribution from about 10 to the 14th to about 2.5 x 10 to the 15th Hz. A comparison of observations obtained on January 7-9, 1987, with observations on September 12, 1986, pertaining to a lower state of the source, indicates spectral hardening with increasing intensity on time scales of months. 26 references

  12. Quasi-simultaneous ultraviolet, optical, and infrared observations of the BL Lacertae object PKS 0048-09

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Falomo, R.; Bouchet, P.; Maraschi, L.; Treves, A.; Tanzi, E.G.

    1988-12-01

    This paper reports on quasi-simultaneous UV, optical, and IR observations of the BL Lac object PKS 0048-09, carried out on January 7-9, 1987, when the object was in a moderately high optical state. The data were used to derive a detailed energy distribution from about 10 to the 14th to about 2.5 x 10 to the 15th Hz. A comparison of observations obtained on January 7-9, 1987, with observations on September 12, 1986, pertaining to a lower state of the source, indicates spectral hardening with increasing intensity on time scales of months. 26 references.

  13. Quasi-simultaneous observations of the BL Lac object MK 501 in X-ray, UV, visible, IR and radio frequencies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kondo, D. M.; Worrall, D. M.; Mushotzky, R. F.; Hackney, R. L.; Hackney, K. H.; Oke, J. B.; Yee, H.; Neugebauer, G.; Matthews, K.; Feldman, P. A.

    1980-01-01

    Quasi-simultaneous observations of the BL Lacertae (Lac) objects MK 501 were performed for the first time at X-ray, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and radio frequencies. The observed spectral slope from the X-ray to UV regions is positive and continuous, but that from the mid UV to visible light region becomes gradually flat and possibly turns down toward lower frequencies; the optical radio emission can not be accounted for by a single power law. Several theoretical models were considered for the emission mechanism. A quantitative comparison was performed with the synchrotron-self-Compton model; the total spectrum is found consistent with this model. The spectrum from visible light to X-ray is consistent with synchrotron radiation or with inverse-Compton scattering by a hot thermal cloud of electrons. The continuity of the spectral slope from X-ray to UV implied by the current data suggests that the previous estimates of the total luminosity of this BL Lac object is underestimated by a factor of about three or four.

  14. Rhabdias lacertae n. sp. (Nematoda: Rhabdiasidae), the first rhabdiasid species parasitising lizards in Europe

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Moravec, František

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 77, č. 1 (2010), s. 23-27 ISSN 0165-5752 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60220518 Keywords : Rhabdias * Lacerta * Slovakia Subject RIV: GJ - Animal Vermins ; Diseases, Veterinary Medicine Impact factor: 1.056, year: 2010

  15. Multi-wavelength studies of TeV γ-ray emitting BL Lac objects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaufmann, Sarah Sabine

    2012-01-01

    The discovery of TeV γ-ray emission of BL Lac objects gave new insights in the particle acceleration and the emission processes of the highly relativistic jets. To shed light on the conditions in the high energetic jets of the TeV γ-ray emitting BL Lac objects, I have studied in great detail the spectral energy distribution (SED) of sources with different characteristics. BL Lac objects with exceptional very high energy spectra (soft and hard spectra) and with large differences in the emission peak frequencies, to cover the different classes of BL Lac objects, have been chosen. The basic aim of this thesis was, to study with new, simultaneous multi- avelength (MWL) observations, if the emission processes of these extreme cases of TeV BL Lac objects can be explained by the synchrotron Self-Compton (SSC) model which is well established for the class of BL Lac objects at lower energies. We proposed MWL observations in the optical, UV and X-ray regime, to be conducted simultaneous to very high energy observations with the H.E.S.S. experiment, to study the emission processes. Simultaneous observations are crucial, since BL Lac objects are variable at all wavebands. I have analysed the MWL observations and conducted detailed variability and spectral studies in each wavelength range. The different kind of absorption at each wavelength as well as the influence of the host galaxy of the AGN has been considered to obtain the intrinsic jet spectrum. I have then applied the commonly used theoretical jet model, the SSC model, to the SED. I conducted a MWL campaign on a BL Lac object with the softest TeV spectrum, PKS 2005-489, during which it was observed in a very bright X-ray state. The good spectral coverage of the emission peaks allowed a detailed study of the SSC model. The extreme BL Lac object 1ES 0229+200 exhibits a hard intrinsic TeV spectrum. With my MWL campaign I found a clear cut-off in the optical range and therefore a high minimum Lorentz factor is needed to

  16. Multi-wavelength studies of TeV γ-ray emitting BL Lac objects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kaufmann, Sarah Sabine

    2012-12-21

    The discovery of TeV γ-ray emission of BL Lac objects gave new insights in the particle acceleration and the emission processes of the highly relativistic jets. To shed light on the conditions in the high energetic jets of the TeV γ-ray emitting BL Lac objects, I have studied in great detail the spectral energy distribution (SED) of sources with different characteristics. BL Lac objects with exceptional very high energy spectra (soft and hard spectra) and with large differences in the emission peak frequencies, to cover the different classes of BL Lac objects, have been chosen. The basic aim of this thesis was, to study with new, simultaneous multi- avelength (MWL) observations, if the emission processes of these extreme cases of TeV BL Lac objects can be explained by the synchrotron Self-Compton (SSC) model which is well established for the class of BL Lac objects at lower energies. We proposed MWL observations in the optical, UV and X-ray regime, to be conducted simultaneous to very high energy observations with the H.E.S.S. experiment, to study the emission processes. Simultaneous observations are crucial, since BL Lac objects are variable at all wavebands. I have analysed the MWL observations and conducted detailed variability and spectral studies in each wavelength range. The different kind of absorption at each wavelength as well as the influence of the host galaxy of the AGN has been considered to obtain the intrinsic jet spectrum. I have then applied the commonly used theoretical jet model, the SSC model, to the SED. I conducted a MWL campaign on a BL Lac object with the softest TeV spectrum, PKS 2005-489, during which it was observed in a very bright X-ray state. The good spectral coverage of the emission peaks allowed a detailed study of the SSC model. The extreme BL Lac object 1ES 0229+200 exhibits a hard intrinsic TeV spectrum. With my MWL campaign I found a clear cut-off in the optical range and therefore a high minimum Lorentz factor is needed to

  17. An Alternate Light Curve Solution of AR Lacertae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hong Suh Park

    1984-09-01

    Full Text Available Photoelectric UBV light curves of AR Lacertae made in one season during 1981-82 are presented. Although the shape of the light curves in the outside eclipses show a strong distortion, the scatter of observations as well as phase coverage are better than those previously available. Fourier coefficients are derived from the V-light curve and observed curve successfully rectified to the Russell model. Light curve solutions are computed and the geometrical and physical parameters of AR Lac are derived as as = 0.812, ag = 0.341, j = 86°3, Ls = 0.372, Lg = 0.628, k = 0.53, Xs = 0.85, Xg = 0.4.

  18. Simultaneous X-ray, ultraviolet, and optical observations of the BL Lacertae object PKS 2155-304

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Treves, A.; Morini, M.; Chiappetti, L.; Fabian, A.; Falomo, R.

    1989-01-01

    A series of observations at optical, UV, and X-ray frequencies of PKS 2155-304, one of the brightest BL Lac objects is reported. Spectral fits given for various epochs show that the medium energy data are well fitted by single power laws plus absorption, with energy index between 1.5 and 2. Marginal evidence for an absorption edge at about 7 keV is found, as is evidence for some spectral depression at about 1 keV. This may be modeled with an edge at 660 + or - 26 eV with optical depth tau = 1.8 + or - 0.2. Energy distributions on several occasions are reconstructed, and the optical, UV, and X-ray intensities are found to be correlated in all cases but one. The variability amplitudes decrease and the time scales increase with decreasing frequency. These results indicate a synchrotron origin for the X-rays and distinct but connected emission regions for the X-ray, UV, and optical bands. 46 refs

  19. The REX survey as a Tool to Test the Beaming Model for BL Lacs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caccianiga, A.; della Ceca, R.; Gioia, I. M.; Maccacaro, T.; Wolter, A.

    We present the preliminary properties of the BL Lacs discovered in the REX survey (Caccianiga et al. 1998). In particular, we discuss a few sources with optical spectral properties ``intermediate'' between those of BL Lacs and those of elliptical galaxies. These objects could harbour weak (in the optical band) sources of non-thermal continuum in their nuclei and, if confirmed, they could represent the faint tail of the BL Lac population. The existence of such ``weak'' BL Lacs is matter of discussion in recent literature (e.g. Marcha et al. 1996) and could lead to a revision of the defining criteria of a BL Lac and, consequently, of their cosmological and statistical properties.

  20. Variability of BL Lacertae type object

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cayatte, V

    1987-10-01

    This object is among the brightest and the most violently variable of this galaxy class with active nuclei. It has been studied in many wavelength domains and in polarimetry. Some important results are reported here and more particularly on its variability. These observations bring some elements for a better knowledge of the inner source.

  1. Towards the ecology and conservation of sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) populations in Southern England

    OpenAIRE

    Fearnley, Helen

    2009-01-01

    The sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) is a rare, elusive and cryptic reptile species of conservation importance in the UK. Knowledge of its ecology and behaviour has limited the development of a reliable and effective methodology for population monitoring; this threatens to compromise conservation effort. The behaviour of sand lizards varies seasonally, with sex and with environmental conditions, none of which are fully understood. This aim of this thesis is to further our ecological knowledge of ...

  2. Extragalactic active objects in the radio and infrared bands

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sikora, M [Polska Akademia Nauk, Warsaw. Centrum Astronomiczne

    1981-01-01

    This paper is the second in a series of papers concerning extragalactic active objects. We discuss the properties of Seyfert's galaxies, radiogalaxies, quasars and BL Lacertae objects in the radio and infrared bands.

  3. First detection of very-high-energy gamma-ray emission from the extreme blazar PGC 2402248 with the MAGIC telescopes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mirzoyan, Razmik

    2018-04-01

    The MAGIC collaboration reports the first detection of very-high-energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray emission from PGC 2402248, also known as 2WHSP J073326.7+515354 (Chang et al. 2016, A & A, 598, A17) with coordinates R.A.: 07:33:26.7 h, Dec: +51:53:54.99 deg. The source is classified as an extreme high-energy peaked BL Lacertae object of unknown redshift, included in the 2WHSP catalog with a synchrotron peak located at 10^17.9 Hz. PGC 2402248 was observed with the MAGIC telescopes from 2018/01/23 to 2018/04/18 (MJD 58141-58226) for about 23 h. The preliminary analysis of these data resulted in the detection of PGC 2402248 with a statistical significance of more than 6 standard deviations.

  4. Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy | Indian Academy of Sciences

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2016-01-27

    Jan 27, 2016 ... The optical spectra index of the low-frequency peaked BL Lac objects (LBLs) is steeper than the high-frequency peaked BL Lac objects (HBLs);; The spectra tend to be softer when the source becomes brighter for LBLs and the intermediate BL Lac objects (IBLs) (i.e., bluer-when-brighter), and the spectra of ...

  5. Spotted fever group rickettsiae detected in immature stages of ticks parasitizing on Iberian endemic lizard Lacerta schreiberi Bedriaga, 1878

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kubelová, M.; Papoušek, I.; Bělohlávek, T.; Goüy de Bellocq, Joëlle; Baird, Stuart J. E.; Široký, P.

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 6, č. 6 (2015), s. 711-714 ISSN 1877-959X Institutional support: RVO:68081766 Keywords : Spotted fever group rickettsiae * Rickettsia monacensis * Rickettsia helvetica * Ixodes ricinus * Lacerta schreiberi Subject RIV: GJ - Animal Vermins ; Diseases, Veterinary Medicine Impact factor: 2.690, year: 2015

  6. The REX survey as a tool to test the beaming model for BL Lacs

    CERN Document Server

    Caccianiga, A; MacCacaro, T; Wolter, A; Gioia, I M

    1999-01-01

    In the context of the beaming model (BM) BL Lac and FR I radio galaxies are thought to be the same class of sources seen at different angles. If this picture is correct, we expect to find some transition objects with intermediate properties between the two classes. To date, this intermediate population of objects is missing, probably due to the limiting fluxes of the current X-ray/radio surveys and/or to the criteria used to separate BL Lacs from normal elliptical galaxies. As pointed out by Browne and Marcha (1993), the detection of the transition objects requires particular attention since the "weak" BL Lac nucleus is hidden by the light of the host elliptical galaxy. A useful criterion often used to assess the presence of a non-thermal source, in addition to the stellar emission of the host galaxy, is the Ca contrast at 4000 AA (K/sub 4000/). This quantity, which is defined as the relative depression of the spectrum across 4000 AA, is a typical feature observed in a "normal" elliptical galaxy; the samples ...

  7. Gamma-Ray Loudness, Synchrotron Peak Frequency, and Parsec-scale Properties of Blazars Detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linford, J. D.; Taylor, G. B.; Schinzel, F. K.

    2012-09-01

    The parsec-scale radio properties of 232 active galactic nuclei, most of which are blazars, detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have been observed contemporaneously by the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 5 GHz. Data from both the first 11 months (1FGL) and the first 2 years (2FGL) of the Fermi mission were used to investigate these sources' γ-ray properties. We use the ratio of the γ-ray-to-radio luminosity as a measure of γ-ray loudness. We investigate the relationship of several radio properties to γ-ray loudness and to the synchrotron peak frequency. There is a tentative correlation between γ-ray loudness and synchrotron peak frequency for BL Lac objects in both 1FGL and 2FGL, and for flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) in 2FGL. We find that the apparent opening angle tentatively correlates with γ-ray loudness for FSRQs, but only when we use the 2FGL data. We also find that the total VLBA flux density correlates with the synchrotron peak frequency for BL Lac objects and FSRQs. The core brightness temperature also correlates with synchrotron peak frequency, but only for the BL Lac objects. The low-synchrotron-peaked (LSP) BL Lac object sample shows indications of contamination by FSRQs which happen to have undetectable emission lines. There is evidence that the LSP BL Lac objects are more strongly beamed than the rest of the BL Lac object population.

  8. GAMMA-RAY LOUDNESS, SYNCHROTRON PEAK FREQUENCY, AND PARSEC-SCALE PROPERTIES OF BLAZARS DETECTED BY THE FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Linford, J. D.; Taylor, G. B.; Schinzel, F. K., E-mail: jlinford@unm.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of New Mexico, MSC07 4220, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 (United States)

    2012-09-20

    The parsec-scale radio properties of 232 active galactic nuclei, most of which are blazars, detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have been observed contemporaneously by the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 5 GHz. Data from both the first 11 months (1FGL) and the first 2 years (2FGL) of the Fermi mission were used to investigate these sources' {gamma}-ray properties. We use the ratio of the {gamma}-ray-to-radio luminosity as a measure of {gamma}-ray loudness. We investigate the relationship of several radio properties to {gamma}-ray loudness and to the synchrotron peak frequency. There is a tentative correlation between {gamma}-ray loudness and synchrotron peak frequency for BL Lac objects in both 1FGL and 2FGL, and for flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) in 2FGL. We find that the apparent opening angle tentatively correlates with {gamma}-ray loudness for FSRQs, but only when we use the 2FGL data. We also find that the total VLBA flux density correlates with the synchrotron peak frequency for BL Lac objects and FSRQs. The core brightness temperature also correlates with synchrotron peak frequency, but only for the BL Lac objects. The low-synchrotron-peaked (LSP) BL Lac object sample shows indications of contamination by FSRQs which happen to have undetectable emission lines. There is evidence that the LSP BL Lac objects are more strongly beamed than the rest of the BL Lac object population.

  9. GAMMA-RAY LOUDNESS, SYNCHROTRON PEAK FREQUENCY, AND PARSEC-SCALE PROPERTIES OF BLAZARS DETECTED BY THE FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Linford, J. D.; Taylor, G. B.; Schinzel, F. K.

    2012-01-01

    The parsec-scale radio properties of 232 active galactic nuclei, most of which are blazars, detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have been observed contemporaneously by the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 5 GHz. Data from both the first 11 months (1FGL) and the first 2 years (2FGL) of the Fermi mission were used to investigate these sources' γ-ray properties. We use the ratio of the γ-ray-to-radio luminosity as a measure of γ-ray loudness. We investigate the relationship of several radio properties to γ-ray loudness and to the synchrotron peak frequency. There is a tentative correlation between γ-ray loudness and synchrotron peak frequency for BL Lac objects in both 1FGL and 2FGL, and for flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) in 2FGL. We find that the apparent opening angle tentatively correlates with γ-ray loudness for FSRQs, but only when we use the 2FGL data. We also find that the total VLBA flux density correlates with the synchrotron peak frequency for BL Lac objects and FSRQs. The core brightness temperature also correlates with synchrotron peak frequency, but only for the BL Lac objects. The low-synchrotron-peaked (LSP) BL Lac object sample shows indications of contamination by FSRQs which happen to have undetectable emission lines. There is evidence that the LSP BL Lac objects are more strongly beamed than the rest of the BL Lac object population.

  10. Rapid X-ray and optical variability in the X-ray selected BL Lacertae object IE 1402.3 + 0416

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giommi, P.; Barr, P.; Gioia, I.M.; Maccacaro, T.; Schild, R.; Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge)

    1986-01-01

    Results from X-ray and optical observations of the X-ray-discovered BL Lac object 1E 1402.3 + 0416 are presented, where the X-ray measurements were carried out with the Channel Multiplier Array (CMA) and Medium Energy experiment (ME) detectors on board Exosat. These measurements revealed an intensity decrease by a factor of two on a time scale of a few hours. At maximum flux, the source was significantly greater than at the time of the Einstein Image Proportional Counter (IPC) discovery observation. The 2-6 keV X-ray spectrum was determined by the ME experiment, and IPC, HRI, and CMA data were subsequently compared. The source varied over the years by a factor of five; its brightest state was within the last three years. It is noted that a redshift greater than 0.2 would require that anisotropic emission mechanisms be invoked. 18 references

  11. BL-2a and BL-4a: certified uranium reference ores

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steger, H.F.; Bowman, W.S.; Zechanowitsch, G.; Sutarno, R.

    1982-05-01

    Samples of two uranium ores BL-2a and BL-4a from Beaverlodge, Saskatchewan, were prepared as compositional reference materials to replace the similar certified ores, BL-2 and BL-4, of which the stock had been exhausted. Each ore was ground to minus 74 μm, blended in one lot and bottled in 200-g units. The homogeneity of the ores with respect to uranium was confirmed by both a neutron activation and a fluorimetric analytical procedure performed by two commercial laboratories. The recommended value for uranium is based on the results of one determination on each of 25 bottles by the volumetric-umpire method performed at CANMET. A statistical analysis of the data gave a recommended value for uranium of 0.426% for BL-2a and 0.1248% for BL-4a

  12. A Search for QPOs in the Blazar OJ287: Preliminary Results from the 2015/2016 Observing Campaign

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Zola, S.; Valtonen, M.J.; Bhatta, G.; Goyal, A.; Debski, B.; Baran, A.; Krzesinski, J.; Siwak, M.; Ciprini, S.; Gopakumar, A.; Hudec, René; Jelínek, Martin; Štrobl, Jan

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 4, č. 4 (2016), 41/1-41/7 E-ISSN 2075-4434 Grant - others:GA ČR(CZ) GA13-33324S Institutional support: RVO:67985815 Keywords : active galaxies * BL Lacertae objects * supermassive black holes Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics

  13. B-L mediated SUSY breaking with radiative B-L symmetry breaking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kikuchi, Tatsuru; Kubo, Takayuki

    2008-01-01

    We explore a mechanism of radiative B-L symmetry breaking in analogous to the radiative electroweak symmetry breaking. The breaking scale of B-L symmetry is related to the neutrino masses through the see-saw mechanism. Once we incorporate the U(1) B-L gauge symmetry in SUSY models, the U(1) B-L gaugino, Z-tilde B-L appears, and it can mediate the SUSY breaking (Z-prime mediated SUSY breaking) at around the scale of 10 6 GeV. Then we find a links between the neutrino mass (more precisly the see-saw or B-L scale of order 10 6 GeV) and the Z-prime mediated SUSY breaking scale. It is also very interesting that the gluino at the weak scale becomes relatively light, and almost compressed mass spectra for the gaugino sector can be realized in this scenario, which is very interesting in scope of the LHC.

  14. Galaxies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1981-01-01

    Normal galaxies, radio galaxies, and Seyfert galaxies are considered. The large magellanic cloud and the great galaxy in Andromedia are highlighted. Quasars and BL lacertae objects are also discussed and a review of the spectral observations of all of these galaxies and celestial objects is presented

  15. VERY LONG BASELINE INTERFEROMETRY SEARCH FOR THE RADIO COUNTERPART OF HESS J1943+213

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gabanyi, K. E. [Konkoly Observatory, Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 67, Budapest H-1525 (Hungary); Dubner, G.; Giacani, E. [Instituto de Astronomia y Fisica del Espacio (CONICET-UBA), CC 67, Suc. 28, 1428 Buenos Aires (Argentina); Paragi, Z.; Pidopryhora, Y. [Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe, Postbus 2, 7990 AA Dwingeloo (Netherlands); Frey, S., E-mail: gabanyi@konkoly.hu [FOeMI Satellite Geodetic Observatory, P.O. Box 585, H-1592 Budapest (Hungary)

    2013-01-01

    HESS J1943+213, a TeV point source close to the Galactic plane recently discovered by the H.E.S.S. Collaboration, was proposed to be an extreme BL Lacertae object, though a pulsar wind nebula (PWN) nature could not be completely discarded. To investigate its nature, we performed high-resolution radio observations with the European Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (EVN) and reanalyzed archival continuum and H I data. The EVN observations revealed a compact radio counterpart of the TeV source. The low brightness temperature and the resolved nature of the radio source are indications against the beamed BL Lacertae hypothesis. The radio/X-ray source appears immersed in a {approx}1' elliptical feature, suggesting a possible galactic origin (PWN nature) for the HESS source. We found that HESS J1943+213 is located in the interior of a {approx}1 Degree-Sign diameter H I feature and explored the possibility of them being physically related.

  16. X-ray variability of the BL Lacertae object PKS 2155 - 304 in the 0.1-6 keV range

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morini, M.; Chiappetti, L.; Maccagni, D.; Maraschi, L.; Molteni, D.; CNR, Istituto di Fisica Cosmica, Milan, Italy; CNR, Istituto di Fisica Cosmica; Milano Universita, Italy; Palermo Universita, Italy)

    1986-01-01

    Observations of the bright BL Lac object PKS 2155 - 304 obtained at 1-6 keV using the ME argon counters and channel-multiplier array at the focus of the Exosat LE telescope, in conjunction with the 0.05-2-keV-bandpass 3000-A Lexan filter, during a total of 30 h in October-November 1983 and November 1984 are reported. The data are presented in tables and graphs and characterized. Findings discussed include an overall variation of a factor of 10, one factor-of-four increase over 4 h, and maximum luminosity variation dL/dt = 2 x 10 to the 42nd erg/s sq for H = 100 km/s Mpc (corresponding to a lower limit of mass of 10 to the 8th solar mass and a gravitational radius of 3 x 10 to the 13th cm). The implications of these results for theoretical models of the X-ray emission source are considered. 17 references

  17. Optical Spectroscopy of SDSS J004054.65-0915268: Three Possible Scenarios for the Classification. A z ˜ 5 BL Lacertae, a Blue FSRQ, or a Weak Emission Line Quasar

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landoni, M.; Zanutta, A.; Bianco, A.; Tavecchio, F.; Bonnoli, G.; Ghisellini, G.

    2016-02-01

    The haunt of high-redshift BL Lacerate objects is day by day more compelling to firmly understand their intrinsic nature and evolution. SDSS J004054.65-0915268 is, at the moment, one of the most distant BL Lac candidates, at z ˜ 5. We present a new optical-near-IR spectrum obtained with ALFOSC-NOT with a new, custom designed dispersive grating aimed to detect broad emission lines that could disprove this classification. In the obtained spectra, we do not detect any emission features and we provide an upper limit to the luminosity of the C IV broad emission line. Therefore, the nature of the object is then discussed, building the overall spectral energy distribution (SED) and fitting it with three different models. Our fits, based on SED modeling with different possible scenarios, cannot rule out the possibility that this source is indeed a BL Lac object, though the absence of optical variability and the lack of strong radio flux seem to suggest that the observed optical emission originates from a thermalized accretion disk.

  18. The Sedentary Multi-Frequency Survey. I. Statistical Identification and Cosmological Properties of HBL BL Lacs

    OpenAIRE

    Giommi, P.; Menna, M. T.; Padovani, P.

    1999-01-01

    We have assembled a multi-frequency database by cross-correlating the NVSS catalog of radio sources with the RASSBSC list of soft X-ray sources, obtaining optical magnitude estimates from the Palomar and UK Schmidt surveys as provided by the APM and COSMOS on-line services. By exploiting the nearly unique broad-band properties of High-Energy Peaked (HBL) BL Lacs we have statistically identified a sample of 218 objects that is expected to include about 85% of BL Lacs and that is therefore seve...

  19. Analysis of the need for intermediate and peaking technologies in the year 2000. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barrager, S.M.; Campbell, G.L.

    1980-04-01

    This analysis was conducted to assess the impact of load management on the future need for intermediate- and peak-generating technologies (IPTs) such as combustion turbines, pumped storage, and cycling coal plants. There would be a reduced need for IPTs if load-management activities such as time-of-use pricing, together with customer-owned energy-storage devices, hot-water-heater controls, and interruptible service can economically remove most of the variation from electric power demands. The objective of this analysis is to assess the need for IPTs in an uncertain future, which will probably include load management and time-differentiated electricity prices. The analysis is exploratory in nature and broad in scope. It does not attempt to predict the future or to model precisely the technical characteristics or economic desirability of load management. Rather, its purpose is to provide research and development planners with some basic insights into the order of magnitude of possible hourly demand shifts on a regional basis and to determine the impact of load management on daily and seasonal variations in electricity demand.

  20. Long-term spectral and temporal behavior of the high-frequency peaked BL LAC object 1ES 1959+650

    Science.gov (United States)

    Backes, M.; Uellenbeck, M.; Hayashida, M.; Satalecka, K.; Tescaro, D.; Terzić, T.; MAGIC Collaboration; Fuhrmann, L.; Nestoras, I.; F-GAMMA project; Lähteenmäki, A.; Tornikoski, M.; Nieppola, E.; Metsähovi; Böttcher, M.; Collmar, W.; Weidinger, M.

    2012-12-01

    The high-frequency peaked BL Lac object 1ES 1959+650 is well-known for an exceptional outburst, which was observed at very high energy (VHE) γ-rays by the Whipple 10m and HEGRA telescopes in 2002. Remarkably, this outburst lacked associated X-ray emission (a socalled "orphan flare") and by this cannot easily be described by standard Synchrotron Self Compton (SSC) models. Models based on hadronic emission processes have also been proposed to explain the observed behavior. Subsequent multi-wavelength observations during a low flux state at TeV energies in 2006 can, instead, be explained by a standard single-zone SSC model. In this context, 1ES 1959+650 has been regularly monitored by the MAGIC telescope since 2005. During these years, no significant variation in the VHE γ-ray flux has been observed. The low energy part of this is in very good agreement with the high-energy part of the time-integrated energy spectrum as measured by Fermi-LAT. Based on this constant flux level in VHE γ-rays, we assembled the time-integrated spectral energy distribution (SED) of 1ES 1959+650 from radio to VHE γ-rays. Despite the non-variability at very high energies, significant flux and spectral variations have been observed at optical and X-ray frequencies in the meanwhile. Furthermore, the shape of the SED at high energy γ-rays as measured by Fermi-LAT is essentially flat which cannot be explained by either conventional single-zone SSC models, or models invoking external radiation fields (EC).

  1. A Multiwavelength Study of Flaring Activity in the High-energy Peaked BL Lac Object 1ES 1959+650 During 2015–2016

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kaur, Navpreet; Chandra, S.; Baliyan, Kiran S; Sameer; Ganesh, S. [Astronomy and Astrophysics Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380009 (India)

    2017-09-10

    We present the results from a multiwavelength study of the flaring activity in the high-energy peaked BL Lac object 1ES 1959+650 during 2015 January–2016 June. The source underwent two major outbursts, during 2015 March and 2015 October, across the whole electromagnetic spectrum (EMS). We used data from Fermi -LAT and Swift -XRT/UVOT, and optical data from Mt. Abu InfraRed Observatory and Steward Observatory to look for possible correlations between the emissions at different energies and the nature of the variability during the flaring state. During the 2015 October outburst, the nightly averaged V -band brightest magnitude, 14.45(0.03), and faintest magnitude, 14.45(0.03), were recorded. Apart from long-term flares, rapid and short-term variabilities were noticed at all energies. Our study suggests that the flaring activities at all frequencies, with diverse flare durations and time lags, are correlated. The magnetic field strength is estimated to be 4 G using the synchrotron-cooling timescale (2.3 hr), and the upper limits on the sizes of both emission regions, γ -ray and optical, are estimated to be of the order of 10{sup 16} cm. The quasi-simultaneous flux enhancements in 15 GHz and VHE γ -ray emissions indicate a fresh injection of plasma into the jet, which interacts with a standing submillimeter core, resulting in co-spatial emissions across the EMS. The synchrotron peak shifts to higher frequency in the spectral energy distribution while the γ -ray spectra softens during the flaring. The shape of the inverse-Compton spectra indicates a change in the particle energy distribution pre- and post-flare.

  2. Characterization of (357439) 2004 BL86 on its close approach to Earth in 2015

    Science.gov (United States)

    Birlan, M.; Popescu, M.; Nedelcu, D. A.; Turcu, V.; Pop, A.; Dumitru, B.; Stevance, F.; Vaduvescu, O.; Moldovan, D.; Rocher, P.; Sonka, A.; Mircea, L.

    2015-09-01

    Context. The potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) (357439) 2004 BL86 grazed Earth on January 26, 2015 at a distance of about 1.2 million km. This favorable geometry allowed observing it to derive its physical and dynamical parameters. (357439) 2004 BL86 was previously estimated to be a 500-m body. We study it also considering possible mechanisms that might mitigate the effect of asteroids that might become dangerous for Earth. Aims: Physical and dynamical investigations of this peculiar object were performed to be able to characterize this object. Methods: We used spectral observations obtained in the visible (V) using the Isaac Newton Telescope and in the near-infrared (NIR) using the InfraRed Telescope Facility. A complementary photometric survey during two nights was also provided by the Astronomical Observatory Cluj-Feleacu station in Romania. We anlyzed the data using reliable mathematical tools that were previously published under the acronym M4AST. Results: VNIR spectral observations classify (357439) 2004 BL86 as V-type asteroid. The mineralogical analysis reveals its similarities to howardite-eucrite-diogenite meteorites. The band analysis reveals that the object is more similar to a eucritic and howarditic composition, and that it originated from the crust of a large parent body. The analysis yields a mineralogical solution of Wo17Fs39 with an error bar of 4%. Based on the average value of the thermal albedo for V-type objects, its diameter was re-estimated to a value of 290 ± 30 m. The dynamical analysis shows a chaotical behavior of (357439) 2004 BL86. The statistics on meteorite falls show that (357439) 2004 BL86 does not appear to significantly contribute to the current howardite-eucrite-diogenite meteorite flux. For the two photometrical observing runs the following values of the rotational period and peak-to-peak amplitude were estimated for the light curves: 2.637 ± 0.024 h, 0.105 ± 0.007 mag, and 2.616 ± 0.061 h, 0.109 ± 0.018 mag

  3. OPTICAL SPECTROSCOPY OF SDSS J004054.65-0915268: THREE POSSIBLE SCENARIOS FOR THE CLASSIFICATION. A z ∼ 5 BL LACERTAE, A BLUE FSRQ, OR A WEAK EMISSION LINE QUASAR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Landoni, M.; Zanutta, A.; Bianco, A.; Tavecchio, F.; Bonnoli, G.; Ghisellini, G.

    2016-01-01

    The haunt of high-redshift BL Lacerate objects is day by day more compelling to firmly understand their intrinsic nature and evolution. SDSS J004054.65-0915268 is, at the moment, one of the most distant BL Lac candidates, at z ∼ 5. We present a new optical-near-IR spectrum obtained with ALFOSC-NOT with a new, custom designed dispersive grating aimed to detect broad emission lines that could disprove this classification. In the obtained spectra, we do not detect any emission features and we provide an upper limit to the luminosity of the C iv broad emission line. Therefore, the nature of the object is then discussed, building the overall spectral energy distribution (SED) and fitting it with three different models. Our fits, based on SED modeling with different possible scenarios, cannot rule out the possibility that this source is indeed a BL Lac object, though the absence of optical variability and the lack of strong radio flux seem to suggest that the observed optical emission originates from a thermalized accretion disk

  4. Redshift of the BL Lacertae object PKS 2005-489

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Falomo, R.; Maraschi, L.; Treves, A.; Tanzi, E.G.

    1987-07-01

    In a high-resolution spectrum of PKS 2005-489 taken on Aug. 16, 1986 two weak emission lines (EW = about 1 A) were detected at 7031 and 7051 A. Identification with H-alpha and the 6583-A forbidden line of N II is proposed at a redshift z = 0.071. The observations correspond to a relatively faint state of the source with B = about 14.7. 12 references.

  5. Redshift of the BL Lacertae object PKS 2005-489

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Falomo, R.; Maraschi, L.; Treves, A.; Tanzi, E.G.; Milano Universita, Milan, Italy; CNR, Istituto di Fisica Cosmica, Milan, Italy)

    1987-01-01

    In a high-resolution spectrum of PKS 2005-489 taken on Aug. 16, 1986 two weak emission lines (EW = about 1 A) were detected at 7031 and 7051 A. Identification with H-alpha and the 6583-A forbidden line of N II is proposed at a redshift z = 0.071. The observations correspond to a relatively faint state of the source with B = about 14.7. 12 references

  6. The NuSTAR view on Hard-TeV BL Lacs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costamante, L.; Bonnoli, G.; Tavecchio, F.; Ghisellini, G.; Tagliaferri, G.; Khangulyan, D.

    2018-05-01

    Hard-TeV BL Lacs are a new type of blazars characterized by a hard intrinsic TeV spectrum, locating the peak of their gamma-ray emission in the spectral energy distribution (SED) above 2-10 TeV. Such high energies are problematic for the Compton emission, using a standard one-zone leptonic model. We study six examples of this new type of BL Lacs in the hard X-ray band with NuSTAR. Together with simultaneous observations with the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, we fully constrain the peak of the synchrotron emission in their SED, and test the leptonic synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model. We confirm the extreme nature of 5 objects also in the synchrotron emission. We do not find evidence of additional emission components in the hard X-ray band. We find that a one-zone SSC model can in principle reproduce the extreme properties of both peaks in the SED, from X-ray up to TeV energies, but at the cost of i) extreme electron energies with very low radiative efficiency, ii) conditions heavily out of equipartition (by 3 to 5 orders of magnitude), and iii) not accounting for the simultaneous UV data, which then should belong to a different emission component, possibly the same as the far-IR (WISE) data. We find evidence of this separation of the UV and X-ray emission in at least two objects. In any case, the TeV electrons must not "see" the UV or lower-energy photons, even if coming from different zones/populations, or the increased radiative cooling would steepen the VHE spectrum.

  7. Spontaneous B-L breaking as the origin of the hot early universe

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Buchmueller, W.; Domcke, V.; Schmitz, K.

    2012-03-15

    The decay of a false vacuum of unbroken B-L symmetry is an intriguing and testable mechanism to generate the initial conditions of the hot early universe. If B-L is broken at the grand unification scale, the false vacuum phase yields hybrid inflation, ending in tachyonic preheating. The dynamics of the B - L breaking Higgs field and thermal processes produce an abundance of heavy neutrinos whose decays generate entropy, baryon asymmetry and gravitino dark matter. We study the phase transition for the full supersymmetric Abelian Higgs model. For the subsequent reheating process we give a detailed time-resolved description of all particle abundances. The competition of cosmic expansion and entropy production leads to an intermediate period of constant 'reheating' temperature, during which baryon asymmetry and dark matter are produced. Consistency of hybrid inflation, leptogenesis and gravitino dark matter implies relations between neutrino parameters and superparticle masses, in particular a lower bound on the gravitino mass of 10 GeV.

  8. Evolutionary behaviour of AGN: Investigations on BL Lac objects and Seyfert II galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beckmann, V.

    2000-12-01

    The evolution and nature of AGN is still one of the enigmatic questions in astrophysics. While large and complete Quasar samples are available, special classes of AGN, like BL Lac objects and Seyfert II galaxies, are still rare objects. In this work I present two new AGN samples. The first one is the HRX-BL Lac survey, resulting in a sample of X-ray selected BL Lac objects. This sample results from 223 BL Lac candidates based on a correlation of X-ray sources with radio sources. The identification of this sample is 98% complete. 77 objects have been identified as BL Lac objects and form the HRX-BL Lac complete sample, the largest homogeneous sample of BL Lac objects existing today. For this sample, redshifts are now known for 62 objects (81 %). In total I present 101 BL Lac objects in the enlarged HRX-BL Lac survey, for which redshift information is available for 84 objects. During the HRX-BL Lac survey I found several objects of special interest. 1ES 1517+656 turned out to be the brightest known BL Lac object in the universe. 1ES 0927+500 could be the first BL Lac object with a line detected in the X-ray region. RX J1211+2242 is probably the the counterpart of the up to now unidentified gamma-ray source 3EG J1212+2304. Additionally I present seven candidates for ultra high frequency peaked BL Lac objects. RX J1054+3855 and RX J1153+3517 are rare high redshift X-ray bright QSO or accreting binary systems with huge magnetic fields. For the BL Lac objects I suggest an unified scenario in which giant elliptical galaxies, formed by merging events of spiral galaxies at z > 2, start as powerful, radio dominated BL Lacs. As the jet gets less powerful, the BL Lacs start to get more X-ray dominated, showing less total luminosities (for z definition to objects with a calcium break up to 40%, but do not support for the HBL the idea of allowing emission lines in the spectra of BL Lac galaxies. A way to find high redshift BL Lac objects might be the identification of faint X

  9. High-energy X-ray diffraction studies of short- and intermediate-range structure in oxide glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuya, Kentaro

    2002-01-01

    The feature of high-energy X-ray diffraction method is explained. The oxide glasses studies by using BL04B2, high-energy X-ray diffraction beam line of SPring-8, and the random system materials by high-energy monochromatic X-ray diffraction are introduced. An advantage of third generation synchrotron radiation is summarized. On SPring-8, the high-energy X-ray diffraction experiments of random system are carried out by BL04B2 and BL14B1 beam line. BL04B2 can select Si (111)(E=37.8 keV, λ=0.033 nm) and Si(220)(E=61.7 keV, λ=0.020 nm) as Si monochromator. The intermediate-range structure of (MgO) x (P 2 O 5 ) 1-x glass ,MgP 2 O 6 glass, B 2 O 3 glass, SiO 2 and GeO 2 are explained in detail. The future and application of high-energy X-ray diffraction are stated. (S.Y.)

  10. Intermediate-range order in lead metasilicate glass

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suzuya, Kentaro [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Ako, Hyogo (Japan)]|[Argonne National Lab., IL (United States). Materials Science Div.; Price, D.L.; Saboungi, M.L. [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States). Materials Science Div.; Ohno, Hideo [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Ako, Hyogo (Japan)

    1997-03-01

    The complementarity of anomalous X-ray scattering (AXS) and neutron diffraction (ND) techniques is used here to investigate the nature and origin of intermediate-range order in lead metasilicate glass. Both X-ray and neutron source factors reveal small peaks at low wave vector which are shown to be associated with intermediate-range order of the Pb-O network. The combination of AXS and ND is shown to be a powerful tool to correlate contributions from the different atom pairs to such a peak. The information thus derived is compared with results from alkali germanate glasses and with structural data on corresponding crystalline compounds.

  11. Effective spectral index properties for Fermi blazars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, JiangHe; Fan, JunHui; Liu, Yi; Zhang, YueLian; Tuo, ManXian; Nie, JianJun; Yuan, YuHai

    2018-05-01

    Blazars are a special subclass of active galactic nuclei with extreme observation properties. This subclass can be divided into two further subclasses of flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and BL Lacertae objects (BL Lacs) according to their emission line features. To compare the spectral properties of FSRQs and BL Lacs, the 1.4 GHz radio, optical R-band, 1 keV X-ray, and 1 GeV γ-ray flux densities for 1108 Fermi blazars are calculated to discuss the properties of the six effective spectral indices of radio to optical ( α RO), radio to X-ray ( α RX), radio to γ ray ( α Rγ), optical to X-ray ( α OX), optical to γ ray ( α Oγ), and X-ray to γ ray ( α Xγ). The main results are as follows: For the averaged effective spectral indices, \\overline {{α _{OX}}} > \\overline {{α _{Oγ }}} > \\overline {{α _{Xγ }}} > \\overline {{α _{Rγ }}} > \\overline {{α _{RX}}} > \\overline {{α _{RO}}} for samples of whole blazars and BL Lacs; \\overline {{α _{Xγ }}} ≈ \\overline {{α _{Rγ }}} ≈ \\overline {{α _{RX}}} for FSRQs and low-frequency-peaked BL Lacs (LBLs); and \\overline {{α _{OX}}} ≈ \\overline {{α _{Oγ }}} ≈ \\overline {{α _{Xγ }}} for high-synchrotron-frequency-peaked BL Lacs (HBLs). The distributions of the effective spectral indices involving optical emission ( α RO, α OX, and α Oγ) for LBLs are different from those for FSRQs, but if the effective spectral index does not involve optical emission ( α RX, α Rγ, and α Xγ), the distributions for LBLs and FSRQs almost come from the same parent population. X-ray emissions from blazars include both synchrotron and inverse Compton (IC) components; the IC component for FSRQs and LBLs accounts for a larger proportion than that for HBLs; and the radiation mechanism for LBLs is similar to that for FSRQs, but the radiation mechanism for HBLs is different from that for both FSRQs and LBLs in X-ray bands. The tendency of α Rγ decreasing from LBLs to HBLs suggests that the synchrotron self

  12. Measuring the spin of the primary black hole in OJ287

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Valtonen, M.J.; Mikkola, S.; Merritt, D.; Gopakumar, A.; Lehto, H.J.; Hyvönen, L. T.; Rampadarath, H.; Saunders, R.; Bašta, Milan; Hudec, R.

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 709, č. 2 (2010), s. 725-732 ISSN 0004-637X R&D Projects: GA ČR GA205/08/1207 Grant - others:GA ČR(CZ) GA102/09/0997 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10030501 Keywords : black hole physics * BL Lacertae objects * individual (OJ287) Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics Impact factor: 7.436, year: 2010

  13. THE SECOND CATALOG OF ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI DETECTED BY THE FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Allafort, A.; Bechtol, K.; Berenji, B.; Blandford, R. D.; Bloom, E. D.; Borgland, A. W.; Bottacini, E.; Antolini, E.; Bonamente, E.; Atwood, W. B.; Bouvier, A.; Axelsson, M.; Baldini, L.; Bellazzini, R.; Bregeon, J.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.

    2011-01-01

    The second catalog of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) in two years of scientific operation is presented. The second LAT AGN catalog (2LAC) includes 1017 γ-ray sources located at high Galactic latitudes (|b| > 10°) that are detected with a test statistic (TS) greater than 25 and associated statistically with AGNs. However, some of these are affected by analysis issues and some are associated with multiple AGNs. Consequently, we define a Clean Sample which includes 886 AGNs, comprising 395 BL Lacertae objects (BL Lac objects), 310 flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), 157 candidate blazars of unknown type (i.e., with broadband blazar characteristics but with no optical spectral measurement yet), 8 misaligned AGNs, 4 narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1s), 10 AGNs of other types, and 2 starburst galaxies. Where possible, the blazars have been further classified based on their spectral energy distributions (SEDs) as archival radio, optical, and X-ray data permit. While almost all FSRQs have a synchrotron-peak frequency 14 Hz, about half of the BL Lac objects have a synchrotron-peak frequency >10 15 Hz. The 2LAC represents a significant improvement relative to the first LAT AGN catalog (1LAC), with 52% more associated sources. The full characterization of the newly detected sources will require more broadband data. Various properties, such as γ-ray fluxes and photon power-law spectral indices, redshifts, γ-ray luminosities, variability, and archival radio luminosities and their correlations are presented and discussed for the different blazar classes. The general trends observed in 1LAC are confirmed.

  14. miR expression in MYC-negative DLBCL/BL with partial trisomy 11 is similar to classical Burkitt lymphoma and different from diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zajdel, Michalina; Rymkiewicz, Grzegorz; Chechlinska, Magdalena; Blachnio, Katarzyna; Pienkowska-Grela, Barbara; Grygalewicz, Beata; Goryca, Krzysztof; Cieslikowska, Maria; Bystydzienski, Zbigniew; Swoboda, Pawel; Walewski, Jan; Siwicki, Jan Konrad

    2015-07-01

    Fast and reliable differential diagnosis of Burkitt lymphoma (BL) vs. diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is of major importance for therapeutic decisions and patient outcome. Aggressive B cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (B-NHLs) that do not belong to the abovementioned entities were categorized by the current WHO lymphoma classification as "B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable, with features intermediate between DLBCL and BL" (DLBCL/BL). We have recently described a DLBCL/BL subgroup with recurrent chromosome 11q aberrations, resembling BL (B-NHLs[11q]). Here, we analyzed 102 prospectively collected fine needle aspirates from patients with aggressive B-NHLs in order to investigate the potential of microRNA (miR)-155, its precursor BIC, as well as miR-21 and miR-26a to differentiate BL from DLBCL, and from DLBCL/BL that include B-NHLs[11q]. Both BL and DLBCL/BL cases, including B-NHLs[11q], demonstrated significantly lower expression levels of miR-155/BIC, miR-21, and miR-26a compared to primary DLBCL. In conclusion, the miRs expression in B-NHLs[11q] provides a new suggestion, in addition to pathomorphological and clinical similarities between classical, i.e., MYC translocation-positive BL, and B-NHLs[11q], to recognize the B-NHLs[11q] subgroup of DLBCL/BL category as a MYC translocation-negative variant of BL in most cases, and points to the potential utility of miR-155/BIC/miR-21/miR-26a for the differential diagnosis of a heterogeneous category of DLBCL/BL.

  15. Simulation of the peak efficiency for a stacked NaI(Tl) spectrometer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoshida, H; Murohka, H; Anami, K; Nohtomi, A; Uozumi, Y; Sakae, T; Matoba, M [Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka (Japan). Faculty of Engineering; Koori, N; Maki, T

    1996-07-01

    A stacked NaI(Tl) spectrometer has been developed to measure proton spectra in wide energy range. In the measurement of charged particles with intermediate energy, the detecting efficiency of the spectrometer decreases considerably due to nuclear reactions or out-scattering in the detector material. A Monte Carlo simulation code has been developed to estimate the peak efficiency (peak-to-total ratio) of the spectrometer. The calculated efficiency for intermediate energy is in good agreement with the experimental one. (author)

  16. Comparisons of Jet Properties between GeV Radio Galaxies and Blazars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, Zi-Wei; Zhang, Jin; Cui, Wei; Liang, En-Wei; Zhang, Shuang-Nan

    2017-09-01

    We compile a sample of spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 12 GeV radio galaxies (RGs), including eight FR I RGs and four FR II RGs. These SEDs can be represented with the one-zone leptonic model. No significant unification, as expected in the unification model, is found for the derived jet parameters between FR I RGs and BL Lacertae objects (BL Lacs) and between FR II RGs and flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs). However, on average FR I RGs have a larger {γ }{{b}} (break Lorentz factor of electrons) and lower B (magnetic field strength) than FR II RGs, analogous to the differences between BL Lacs and FSRQs. The derived Doppler factors (δ) of RGs are on average smaller than those of blazars, which is consistent with the unification model such that RGs are the misaligned parent populations of blazars with smaller δ. On the basis of jet parameters from SED fits, we calculate their jet powers and the powers carried by each component, and compare their jet compositions and radiation efficiencies with blazars. Most of the RG jets may be dominated by particles, like BL Lacs, not FSRQs. However, the jets of RGs with higher radiation efficiencies tend to have higher jet magnetization. A strong anticorrelation between synchrotron peak frequency and jet power is observed for GeV RGs and blazars in both the observer and co-moving frames, indicating that the “sequence” behavior among blazars, together with the GeV RGs, may be intrinsically dominated by jet power.

  17. The Discovery of Low-Luminosity BL Lacs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rector, Travis A.; Stocke, John T.

    1995-12-01

    Many of the properties of BL Lacs have become explicable in terms of the ``relativistic beaming'' hypothesis whereby BL Lacs are ``highly beamed'' FR-I radio galaxies (i.e. our line of sight to these objects is nearly along the jet axis). Further, radio-selected BL Lacs (RBLs) are believed to be seen nearly ``on-axis'' (the line-of-sight angle theta ~ 8deg ) while X-ray selected BL Lacs (XBLs) are seen at larger angles (theta ~ 30deg ; the X-ray emitting jet is believed to be less collimated). However, a major problem with this model was that a transition population between beamed BL Lacs and unbeamed FR-Is had not been detected. Low-luminosity BL Lacs may be such a transition population, and were predicted to exist by Browne and Marcha (1993). We present ROSAT HRI images, VLA radio maps and optical spectra which confirm the existence of low-luminosity BL Lacs, objects which were previously mis-identified in the EMSS catalog as clusters of galaxies. Thus our results strengthen the relativistic beaming hypothesis.

  18. Testing the Black Hole No-hair Theorem with OJ287

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Valtonen, M.J.; Mikkola, S.; Lehto, H.J.; Gopakumar, A.; Hudec, René; Poledníková, J.

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 742, č. 1 (2011), 22/1-22/12 ISSN 0004-637X R&D Projects: GA ČR GA205/08/1207 Grant - others:GA ČR(CZ) GA102/09/0997; GA MŠk(CZ) ME09027 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10030501 Keywords : black hole physics * BL Lacertae objects Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics Impact factor: 6.024, year: 2011

  19. Multifrequency observations of the BL Lacertae object PKS 0537 - 441

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maraschi, L.; Treves, A.; Schwartz, D. A.; Tanzi, E. G.

    1985-01-01

    PKS 0537 - 441 was repeatedly observed in the UV band with the International Ultraviolet Explorer and in the X-ray with the Einstein Observatory. On September 27, 1980, simultaneous observations in the two bands were obtained. Near-infrared photometry preceding and following the simultaneous observations by about one month is available from the literature, as is radio monitoring at 408 and 5000 MHz. Comparison of the observed X-ray flux with that predicted by the standard synchrotron self-Compton formalism, with a source dimension deduced from radio variability at 5 GHz, indicates that this component of the radio emission must be moving at relativistic speed with an effective projected Doppler beaming factor of about 10.

  20. Multifrequency observations of the BL Lacertae object PKS 0537 - 441

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maraschi, L.; Treves, A.; Schwartz, D.A.; Tanzi, E.G.

    1985-07-01

    PKS 0537 - 441 was repeatedly observed in the UV band with the International Ultraviolet Explorer and in the X-ray with the Einstein Observatory. On September 27, 1980, simultaneous observations in the two bands were obtained. Near-infrared photometry preceding and following the simultaneous observations by about one month is available from the literature, as is radio monitoring at 408 and 5000 MHz. Comparison of the observed X-ray flux with that predicted by the standard synchrotron self-Compton formalism, with a source dimension deduced from radio variability at 5 GHz, indicates that this component of the radio emission must be moving at relativistic speed with an effective projected Doppler beaming factor of about 10. 28 references.

  1. Multifrequency observations of the BL Lacertae object PKS 0537 - 441

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maraschi, L.; Treves, A.; Schwartz, D.A.; Tanzi, E.G.; CNR, Istituto di Fisica Cosmica, Milan, Italy; Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA)

    1985-01-01

    PKS 0537 - 441 was repeatedly observed in the UV band with the International Ultraviolet Explorer and in the X-ray with the Einstein Observatory. On September 27, 1980, simultaneous observations in the two bands were obtained. Near-infrared photometry preceding and following the simultaneous observations by about one month is available from the literature, as is radio monitoring at 408 and 5000 MHz. Comparison of the observed X-ray flux with that predicted by the standard synchrotron self-Compton formalism, with a source dimension deduced from radio variability at 5 GHz, indicates that this component of the radio emission must be moving at relativistic speed with an effective projected Doppler beaming factor of about 10. 28 references

  2. Broad-Band Spectral Indices Variability of BL Lacertae by Wavelet ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    by Wavelet Method. Hao-Jing Zhang1,2,∗, Jing-Ming Bai1, Yu-Ying Bao3 & Xiong Zhang2. 1Yunnan Astronomical Observatory, National Astronomical Observatory, ... 3Department of Physics, Yuxi Teachers' College, Yuxi, Yunnan 653100, China. ∗ ... broad-band spectral indices—periodic variation—methods: numerical:.

  3. Using the Markov chain Monte Carlo method to study the physical properties of GeV-TeV BL Lac objects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Longhua; Wang, Jiancheng; Yang, Chuyuan; Yuan, Zunli; Mao, Jirong; Kang, Shiju

    2018-01-01

    We fit the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 46 GeV-TeV BL Lac objects in the frame of leptonic one-zone synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model and investigate the physical properties of these objects. We use the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method to obtain the basic parameters, such as magnetic field (B), the break energy of the relativistic electron distribution (γ ^' }b), and the electron energy spectral index. Based on the modeling results, we support the following scenarios for GeV-TeV BL Lac objects. (1) Some sources have large Doppler factors, implying other radiation mechanism should be considered. (2) Compared with flat spectrum quasars (FSRQs), GeV-TeV BL Lac objects have weaker magnetic fields and larger Doppler factors, which cause the ineffective cooling and shift the SEDs to higher bands. Their jet powers are around 4.0 × 1045 erg s-1, compared with radiation power, 5.0 × 1042 erg s-1, indicating that only a small fraction of jet power is transformed into the emission power. (3) For some BL Lacs with large Doppler factors, their jet components could have two substructures, e.g., the fast core and the slow sheath. For most GeV-TeV BL Lacs, Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities are suppressed by their higher magnetic fields, leading to micro-variability or intro-day variability in the optical bands. (4) Combined with a sample of FSRQs, an anti-correlation between the peak luminosity, Lpk, and the peak frequency, νpk, is obtained, favoring the blazar sequence scenario. In addition, an anti-correlation between the jet power, Pjet, and the break Lorentz factor, γb, also supports the blazar sequence.

  4. Effects of Differing Response-Force Requirements on Food-Maintained Responding in C57BL/6J Mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zarcone, Troy J.; Chen, Rong; Fowler, Stephen C.

    2009-01-01

    The effect of force requirements on response effort was examined using inbred C57BL/6J mice trained to press a disk with their snout. Lateral peak forces greater than 2 g were defined as responses (i.e., all responses above the measurement threshold). Different, higher force requirements were used to define criterion responses (a subclass of all…

  5. Cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of the human RuvBL1–RuvBL2 complex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gorynia, Sabine; Matias, Pedro M.; Bandeiras, Tiago M.; Donner, Peter; Carrondo, Maria Arménia

    2008-01-01

    A truncated variant of the human RuvBL1–RuvBL2 complex was cloned, expressed, purified and crystallised. Synchrotron diffraction data to 4 Å resolution were used to carry out a preliminary crystallographic analysis of the complex. The complex of RuvBL1 and its homologue RuvBL2, two evolutionarily highly conserved eukaryotic proteins belonging to the AAA + (ATPase associated with diverse cellular activities) family of ATPases, was co-expressed in Escherichia coli. For crystallization purposes, the flexible domains II of RuvBL1 and RuvBL2 were truncated. The truncated RuvBL1–RuvBL2 complex was crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method at 293 K. The crystals were hexagonal-shaped plates and belonged to either the orthorhombic space group C222 1 , with unit-cell parameters a = 111.4, b = 188.0, c = 243.4 Å and six monomers in the asymmetric unit, or the monoclinic space group P2 1 , with unit-cell parameters a = 109.2, b = 243.4, c = 109.3 Å, β = 118.7° and 12 monomers in the asymmetric unit. The crystal structure could be solved by molecular replacement in both possible space groups and the solutions obtained showed that the complex forms a dodecamer

  6. VLBA Observations of Low Luminosity Flat Spectrum Radio Galaxies and BL Lac Objects: Polarisation Properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bondi, M.; Dallacasa, D.; Stanghellini, C.; Marchã, M. J. M.

    We obtained two-epoch VLBA observations at 5 GHz of a list of radio galaxies drawn from the 200 mJy sample (Marcha et al. 1996). The objects selected for milli-arcsecond scale observations are classified, on the basis of their optical spectroscopic and polarimetric properties, as BL Lac objects, normal weak line radio galaxies, broad line radio galaxies, and transition objects (those with intermediate properties). We present preliminary results on the radio polarization properties, on the milli-arcsecond scale, of objects with different optical properties and discuss structural variations detected from the two epochs.

  7. Similarities in the dynamical behavior across the classical peak effect and the second magnetization peak in single crystals of 2H-NbSe2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thakur, A.D.; Ramakrishnan, S.; Grover, A.K.; Chandrasekhar Rao, T.V.; Uji, S.; Terashima, T.; Higgins, M.J.

    2005-01-01

    The classical peak effect (CPE) and the second magnetization peak (SMP) are two distinct anomalies in critical current of superconductors. A nascent pinned single crystal sample of 2HNbSe 2 (T c (0) ∼7.2 K) shows only the sharp CPE. In a moderately pinned sample (T c (0) ∼6 K), the sharp CPE broadens with the addition of characteristic structure (stepwise amorphization) between the onset and the peak positions of the CPE. Also, there emerges another anomalous peak akin to SMP prior to the CPE. We have looked at samples of 2H-NbSe 2 with intermediate levels of quenched random pinning (T c (0) ∼ 7.1 K) and successfully explored the two peaks down to 50 mK. (author)

  8. Polarization Properties of 24 Fermi-Detected Blazars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linford, Justin; Taylor, G. B.; Schinzel, F. K.; Zavala, R. T.

    2013-01-01

    Gamma-ray emitting blazars have been shown to frequently have significant polarization at radio wavelengths. In early 2012, we obtained Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of 24 blazars detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. These observations utilized the new 2 gigabit-per-second mode of the VLBA. We observed each source with full polarization at 8.4 GHz, 15 GHz, and 22 GHz with 256 MHz of total bandwidth per polarization. Our sample contains 14 flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and 10 BL Lacertae objects (BL Lacs). We analyze the spectral index, rotation measure, and magnetic field structures of these 24 gamma-ray loud blazars.

  9. Summary of the workshop on active galaxies and quasars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weistrop, D.

    1981-01-01

    The paper reports highlights of discussions carried out at the Tenth Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics concerning BL Lacertae objects and quasars and their relationship to active galactic nuclei. The discussions considered X-ray, optical and radio observations of active galaxies and quasars showing features which may be interpreted as jets or beams, and X-ray and VLBI observations of core-jet structures exhibiting apparent supraluminal expansion. Attention was also given to the properties of the energy source in the center of the active galaxies and quasars, the nature of quasar emission line regions, the production of the continuum in quasars and active galactic nuclei, and evidence for the association of quasars and BL Lac objects with galaxies

  10. Radium-226 in certified uranium reference ores DL-1a, BL-4a, DH-1a and BL-5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, C.W.; Steger, H.F.

    1983-05-01

    Radium-226 radioactivity in uranium reference ores BL-4a and BL-5 and uranium-thorium reference ores DL-1a and DH-1a was determined in an interlaboratory program. Twelve of thirteen participants used certified radium solutions from the United States National Bureau of Standards (NBS) for calibration purposes. Recommended values of sup(226)Ra activity and associated parameters were calculated by statistical treatment of the results. In all cases, the recommended values are within 2 percent of activities predicted assuming secular equilibrium in the sup(238)U decay series. The recommended values for radium activity are 1.40, 15.5, 31.5 and 857 Bq/ for DL-1a, BL-4a, DH-1a and BL-5, respectively

  11. Hypercholesterolemia Induced by a PCSK9 Gain-of-Function Mutation Augments Angiotensin II-Induced Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in C57BL/6 Mice-Brief Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Hong; Howatt, Deborah A; Balakrishnan, Anju; Graham, Mark J; Mullick, Adam E; Daugherty, Alan

    2016-09-01

    Gain-of-function mutations of PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9) lead to hypercholesterolemia. This study was to determine whether infection of normocholesterolemic mice with an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector expressing a gain-of-function mutation of mouse PCSK9 increased angiotensin II (AngII)-induced abdominal aortic aneurysms. In an initial study, male C57BL/6 mice were injected intraperitoneally with either an empty vector or PCSK9 gain-of-function mutation (D377Y). AAV at 3 doses and fed a saturated fat-enriched diet for 6 weeks. Two weeks after AAV injection, mice were infused with AngII for 4 weeks. Plasma PCSK9 concentrations were increased dose dependently in mice injected with AAV containing PCSK9D377Y mutation and positively associated with elevations of plasma cholesterol concentrations. Infection with intermediate and high doses of PCSK9D377Y.AAV led to equivalent increases of maximal width of abdominal aortas in C57BL/6 mice infused with AngII. Therefore, the intermediate dose was used in subsequent experiments. We then determined effects of PCSK9D377Y.AAV infection on 5 normolipidemic mouse strains, demonstrating that C57BL/6 mice were the most susceptible to this AAV infection. PCSK9D377Y.AAV infected male C57BL/6 mice were also compared with age-matched male low-density lipoprotein receptor(-/-) mice. Although plasma cholesterol concentrations were lower in mice infected with PCSK9D377Y.AAV, these mice had equivalent abdominal aortic aneurysmal formation, compared to low-density lipoprotein receptor(-/-) mice. In a separate study, reduced plasma PCSK9 concentrations by PCSK9 antisense oligonucleotides in male low-density lipoprotein receptor(-/-) mice did not influence AngII-induced abdominal aortic aneurysms. AAV-mediated infection with a mouse PCSK9 gain-of-function mutation is a rapid, easy, and efficient approach for inducing hypercholesterolemia and promoting abdominal aortic aneurysms in C57BL/6 mice infused with Ang

  12. Polarimetry and photometry of active quasars at visual and near-infrared wavelengths

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, P.S.

    1986-01-01

    The optical and near-infrared continua of highly luminous BL Lacertae (BL Lac) objects and optically violent variable (OVV) quasars are studied through simultaneous broad-band photometry and linear polarimetry. Nineteen BL Lacs and OVVs were monitored during a ∼1 1/2-year period, with the major aim of characterizing the wavelength-dependent polarization exhibited by these objects. Optical (UBVRI) observations were conducted at the UCSD/U. Minn. 1.5-m telescope on Mt. Lemmon, Arizona. Simultaneous (within 1 hr.) near-infrared (JHK) measurements were made using the KPNO 2.1-m telescope. Most of the BL Lac objects exhibit large variations in polarization and brightness on time scale of less than a week. The degree of fractional linear polarization (P) is not observed to be related to brightness or optical spectral index. Most BL Lacs did not show a preferred polarization position angle (theta). Wavelength-dependent P and theta are observed in almost all BL Lacs, but not always simultaneously. The OVV quasar 1156 + 295 shows behavior very similar to the BL Lac objects. 3C 345 Exhibited polarization properties that are quite different from those of the BL Lacs. This object showed a clear correlation between brightness and P

  13. The importance of habitat resistance for movement decisions in the common lizard, Lacerta vivipara

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zajitschek Susanne RK

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Movement behaviour can be influenced by a multitude of biotic and abiotic factors. Here, we investigate the speed of movement in relation to environmental and individual phenotypic properties in subadult common lizards (Lacerta vivipara. We aim to disentangle the importance of substrate, cover, humidity, basking opportunity and individual phenotype on moving tendencies in 12 treatment combinations, at which each lizard was tested. Results We find that movement behaviour depends on the starting conditions, the physical properties of the dispersal corridor, and on the individuals’ phenotype. Specifically, the presence of cover and substrate providing suitable traction in the corridor had positive effects on individual movement decisions. Additionally, we find high phenotypic variation in the propensity to move dependent on the presence of cover. Individual back patterns also strongly affected movement decisions in interaction with the physical properties of the dispersal corridor. Conclusions Our results highlight the importance of understanding the habitat resistance for movement patterns, with humid habitats with covering vegetation providing the best conditions to initiate movement in the common lizard. In addition, population effects, differences in back pattern phenotype and individual plasticity were identified as key parameters influencing movement behaviour.

  14. UV-deprived coloration reduces success in mate acquisition in male sand lizards (Lacerta agilis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mats Olsson

    Full Text Available Recent work on animal signals has revealed a wide occurrence of UV signals in tetrapods, in particular birds, but also in lizards (and perhaps other Squamate reptiles. Our previous work on the Swedish sand lizard (Lacerta agilis has verified, both in correlative selection analyses in the wild and with laboratory and field experiments, the importance of the green 'badge' on the body sides of adult males for securing mating opportunities, probably mostly through deterring rival males rather than attracting females. The role of UV in communication has, however, never been examined.Here we show that when measured immediately after spring skin shedding, there is also signaling in the UV. By UV-depriving the signal (reflectance with sun block chemicals fixated with permeable, harmless spray dressing, we show that males in the control group (spray dressing only had significantly higher success in mate acquisition than UV-deprived males.These results suggest that at least two colour traits in sand lizards, badge area and UV, contribute to rival deterrence and/or female choice on UV characters, which elevates success in mate acquisition in UV intact male sand lizards.

  15. 76 FR 21946 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 990-BL; Schedule A (Form 990-BL), Form 6069

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-19

    ... Initial Excise Tax Return for Black Lung Benefit Trusts and Certain Related Persons, and Form 6069, Return of Excise Tax on Excess Contributions to Black Lung Benefit Trust Under Section 4953 and Computation...: Form 990-BL, Schedule A (Form 990-BL), Information and Initial Excise Tax Return for Black Lung Benefit...

  16. A Comparison of the Effects of Benzalkonium Chloride on Ocular Surfaces between C57BL/6 and BALB/c Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qian Yang

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Models of benzalkonium chloride (BAC-induced ocular disruption have been created and are widely used in various animals. This study aimed to compare the effects of BAC on the ocular surfaces of C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice. C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice were treated separately with BAC eye-drops at different concentrations. Eyes were evaluated by scoring epithelial disruption, corneal opacity and neovascularization in vivo, and by histological assays with hematoxylin/eosin (H/E and periodic acid-Schiff stainings and by determining the expression of inflammatory factors in vitro on Days 7 and 14. The in vivo corneal epithelial disruption, corneal edema/opacity and neovascularization, which were in accordance with the results of the H/E staining and peaked at Day 7, were observed in a dose-dependent manner in the BAC-treated mice, with more severe signs in the C57BL/6 mice than the BALB/c mice. The loss of conjunctival goblet cells in the conjunctivas and the increasing expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1, growth-regulated protein alpha (GROa and macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha (MIP-1a in the corneas were found in a dose-dependent manner in both strains of mice. Topical application of BAC can dramatically disrupt the ocular surfaces of C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice, and the disruptions were much more severe in the C57BL/6 mice that received high doses of BAC.

  17. Magnetic excitations in intermediate valence semiconductors with singlet ground state

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kikoin, K.A.; Mishchenko, A.S.

    1994-01-01

    The explanation of the origin inelastic peaks in magnetic neutron scattering spectra of the mixed-valent semiconductor SmB 6 is proposed. It is shown that the excitonic theory of intermediate valence state not only gives the value of the peak frequency but also explains the unusual angular dependence of intensity of inelastic magnetic scattering and describes the dispersion of magnetic excitations in good agreement with experiment

  18. Peak reading detector circuit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Courtin, E.; Grund, K.; Traub, S.; Zeeb, H.

    1975-01-01

    The peak reading detector circuit serves for picking up the instants during which peaks of a given polarity occur in sequences of signals in which the extreme values, their time intervals, and the curve shape of the signals vary. The signal sequences appear in measuring the foetal heart beat frequence from amplitude-modulated ultrasonic, electrocardiagram, and blood pressure signals. In order to prevent undesired emission of output signals from, e. g., disturbing intermediate extreme values, the circuit consists of the series connections of a circuit to simulate an ideal diode, a strong unit, a discriminator for the direction of charging current, a time-delay circuit, and an electronic switch lying in the decharging circuit of the storage unit. The time-delay circuit thereby causes storing of a preliminary maximum value being used only after a certain time delay for the emission of the output signal. If a larger extreme value occurs during the delay time the preliminary maximum value is cleared and the delay time starts running anew. (DG/PB) [de

  19. Behavioral profiles of three C57BL/6 substrains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naoki Matsuo

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available C57BL/6 inbred strains of mice are widely used in knockout and transgenic research. To evaluate the loss-of-function and gain-of-function effects of the gene of interest, animal behaviors are often examined. However, an issue of C57BL/6 substrains that is not always appreciated is that behaviors are known to be strongly influenced by genetic background. To investigate the behavioral characteristics of C57BL/6 substrains, we subjected C57BL/6J, C57BL/6N, and C57BL/6C mice to a behavior test battery. We performed both a regular-scale analysis, in which experimental conditions were tightly-controlled, and meta-analysis from large number of behavioral data that we have collected so far through the comprehensive behavioral test battery applied to 700-2,200 mice in total. Significant differences among the substrains were found in the results of various behavioral tests, including the open field, rotarod, elevated plus maze, prepulse inhibition, Porsolt forced swim, and spatial working memory version of the 8-arm radial maze. Our results show a divergence of behavioral performance in C57BL/6 substrains, which suggest that small genetic differences may have a great influence on behavioral phenotypes. Thus, the genetic background of different substrains should be carefully chosen, equated, and considered in the interpretation of mutant behavioral phenotypes.

  20. Effect of Intermediate Hosts on Emerging Zoonoses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Jing-An; Chen, Fangyuan; Fan, Shengjie

    2017-08-01

    Most emerging zoonotic pathogens originate from animals. They can directly infect humans through natural reservoirs or indirectly through intermediate hosts. As a bridge, an intermediate host plays different roles in the transmission of zoonotic pathogens. In this study, we present three types of pathogen transmission to evaluate the effect of intermediate hosts on emerging zoonotic diseases in human epidemics. These types are identified as follows: TYPE 1, pathogen transmission without an intermediate host for comparison; TYPE 2, pathogen transmission with an intermediate host as an amplifier; and TYPE 3, pathogen transmission with an intermediate host as a vessel for genetic variation. In addition, we established three mathematical models to elucidate the mechanisms underlying zoonotic disease transmission according to these three types. Stability analysis indicated that the existence of intermediate hosts increased the difficulty of controlling zoonotic diseases because of more difficult conditions to satisfy for the disease to die out. The human epidemic would die out under the following conditions: TYPE 1: [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]; TYPE 2: [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]; and TYPE 3: [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] Simulation with similar parameters demonstrated that intermediate hosts could change the peak time and number of infected humans during a human epidemic; intermediate hosts also exerted different effects on controlling the prevalence of a human epidemic with natural reservoirs in different periods, which is important in addressing problems in public health. Monitoring and controlling the number of natural reservoirs and intermediate hosts at the right time would successfully manage and prevent the prevalence of emerging zoonoses in humans.

  1. Intermediate length scale dynamics of polyisobutylene

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farago, B.; Arbe, A.; Colmenero, J.; Faust, R.; Buchenau, U.; Richter, D.

    2002-01-01

    We report on a neutron spin echo investigation of the intermediate scale dynamics of polyisobutylene studying both the self-motion and the collective motion. The momentum transfer (Q) dependences of the self-correlation times are found to follow a Q -2/β law in agreement with the picture of Gaussian dynamics. In the full Q range of observation, their temperature dependence is weaker than the rheological shift factor. The same is true for the stress relaxation time as seen in sound wave absorption. The collective times show both temperature dependences; at the structure factor peak, they follow the temperature dependence of the viscosity, but below the peak, one finds the stress relaxation behavior

  2. European green lizard (Lacerta viridis) personalities: Linking behavioural types to ecologically relevant traits at different ontogenetic stages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bajer, Katalin; Horváth, Gergely; Molnár, Orsolya; Török, János; Garamszegi, László Zsolt; Herczeg, Gábor

    2015-02-01

    Consistent individual differences within (animal personality) and across (behavioural syndrome) behaviours became well recognized during the past decade. Nevertheless, our knowledge about the evolutionary and developmental mechanisms behind the phenomena is still incomplete. Here, we explored if risk-taking and exploration were consistent and linked to different ecologically relevant traits in wild-caught adult male European green lizards (Lacerta viridis) and in their 2-3 weeks old laboratory-reared offspring. Both adults and juveniles displayed animal personality, consistency being higher in juveniles. We found correlation between risk-taking and exploration (suggestive of a behavioural syndrome) only in adults. Juveniles were more explorative than adults. Large or ectoparasite-free adult males were more explorative than small or parasitized males. Juvenile females tended to be more risk-taking than males. Behaviour of fathers and their offspring did not correlate. We conclude that European green lizards show high behavioural consistency and age is an important determinant of its strength and links to traits likely affecting fitness. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Polarization burst in the BL Lac object AO 0235 + 164

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Impey, C D; Brand, P W.J.L. [Edinburgh Univ. (UK). Dept. of Astronomy; Tapia, S [Steward Observatory, Tucson, AZ (USA)

    1982-01-01

    Simultaneous infrared and optical polarimetry and photometry have been obtained for AO 0235 + 164 covering a five night period. The object underwent a polarization burst during which the 2.2 ..mu..m polarization rose from 17.5 to 28.7 per cent and fell again to 14.9 per cent. At its peak the degree of optical polarization was 43.9 per cent, the highest linear polarization observed in a BL Lac object. The data show the degree of polarization to increase towards shorter wavelengths, and the effect is inconsistent with either dilution by a galactic component or simple one-component synchrotron models. The large changes in polarization are not accompanied by large changes in flux, a result which is difficult to explain using conventional models of these objects. Other implications of the luminosity, polarization and variability are discussed.

  4. HYDROGEOLOGIC CHARACTERIZATION OF THE U-3bl COLLAPSE ZONE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bechtel Nevada and National Security Technologies, LLC

    2006-01-01

    The U-3bl collapse crater was formed by an underground nuclear test in August 1962. This crater and the adjoining U-3ax crater were subsequently developed and used as a bulk low-level radioactive waste disposal cell (U-3ax/bl), which is part of the Area 3 Radioactive Waste Management Site at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). Various investigations have been conducted to assess the hydrogeologic characteristics and properties in the vicinity of the U-3ax/bl waste disposal cell. This report presents data from one of these investigations, conducted in 1996. Also included in this report is a review of pertinent nuclear testing records, which shows that the testing operations and hydrogeologic setting of the U-3ax/bl site were typical for the period and location of testing

  5. Broad band energy distribution of UV-bright BL Lac objects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maraschi, L.; Tanzi, E.G.; Treves, A.

    1984-01-01

    IUE satellite data in the 1200-2000 and 1900-3200 A intervals of BL Lac objects are analyzed in terms of two discernible groups. A total of 25 BL Lac objects were observed, with differences between groups displayed in terms of the power slope of the energy of the UV emissions, i.e., slopes of 1 and 2. Comparisons of the spectra with those of quasars showed that quasars have a small spectral index in the 1000-6000 A band and no correlation exists between the spectral index and UV flux of the BL Lac objects. The comparisons underscore the lack of a thermal component for BL Lac objects. Steep spectral components in both BL Lac objects and highly polarized quasars emissions could both be due to synchrotron emission. Compton scattering of relativistic electrons off synchrotron photons could produce the X ray emissions. 44 references

  6. Broad band energy distribution of UV-bright BL Lac objects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maraschi, L.; Tanzi, E.G.; Treves, A.

    1984-01-01

    IUE satellite data in the 1200-2000 and 1900-3200 A intervals of BL Lac objects are analyzed in terms of two discernible groups. A total of 25 BL Lac objects were observed, with differences between groups displayed in terms of the power slope of the energy of the UV emissions, i.e., slopes of 1 and 2. Comparisons of the spectra with those of quasars showed that quasars have a small spectral index in the 1000-6000 A band and no correlation exists between the spectral index and UV flux of the BL Lac objects. The comparisons underscore the lack of a thermal component for BL Lac objects. Steep spectral components in both BL Lac objects and highly polarized quasars emissions could both be due to synchrotron emission. Compton scattering of relativistic electrons off synchrotron photons could produce the X ray emissions. 44 references.

  7. Infrared polarimetry and photometry of BL Lac objects. 3

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Holmes, P A; Brand, P W.J.L. [Edinburgh Univ. (UK). Dept. of Astronomy; Impey, C D [Hawaii Univ., Honolulu (USA). Inst. for Astronomy; Williams, P M [UKIRT, Hilo, HI (USA)

    1984-10-15

    The data presented here is part of a continuing monitoring programme of BL lac objects with J, H and K photometry and polarimetry. A total of 30 BL Lac objects have now been observed photometrically. Infrared polarimetry has also been obtained for 24 of these objects. The sample is sufficiently large to examine statistically, and several important correlations have emerged. Internight variations and wavelength dependence of polarization indicate that BL Lac objects, as a class, may be understood in terms of a relatively simple two-component model.

  8. Studies on a transplantable C57BL/6 mouse lymphoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kendall, C.E.

    1977-01-01

    A C57BL/6 mouse lymphoma was demonstrated to be of T cell origin by treating the lymphoma cells with anti-Thy 1.2 antisera in a complement-dependent cytotoxicity test. The lymphoma's growth pattern was described using flow microfluorometric determinations and spleen weight progression. C-type particles were identified in electron micrographs of the lymphoma. C57BL/6 mice were immunized against the lymphoma by injecting x-ray inactivated lymphoma cells into the mice. Protection of immunized mice against live lymphoma cells demonstrated tumor antigens on the lymphoma cells. The success of immunization was found to depend on: route of injection, antigen dosage, state of the antigen, number of injections and the vaccination-challenge interval. Attempts were made to passively transfer immunity from immunized C57BL/6 mice which had survived lymphoma challenge to non-treated, syngeneic mice. The route of immunization in the donors influenced the success of passively transferred immunity in the recipients. Serum from days 1 to 3 and days 11 to death (day 17) had an enhancing effect on lymphoma growth. However, sera from days 5 to 9 retarded lymphoma growth. The C57BL/6 lymphoma cells were injected into rabbits and other strains of mice to demonstrate tumor specificity. The lymphoma did not grow in rabbits and only grew in one mouse strain. This strain had the same major histocompatibility loci as C57BL/6 mice. Crosses were made between C57BL/6 mice and a resistant strain of mice (DBA/2 mice). The F 1 hybrids were found to be less susceptible to the lymphoma than the C57BL/6 strain. Sublethal x-irradiation of the F 1 mice decreased its ability to resist the C57BL/6 lymphoma. Immunization with x-ray inactivated C57BL/6 lymphoma cells increased survival after challenge with lymphoma in the F 1 mice

  9. A method for interpolating asymmetric peak shapes in multiplet γ-ray spectra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Siguang; Mao Yajun; Zhu Bo; Liang Yutie; Tang Peijia

    2009-01-01

    The peak shapes of γ-rays at various energies must be known before unfolding the multiplet spectra obtained by using semiconductor or scintillation detectors. Traditional methods describe isolated peaks with multi-parameter fitting functions, and assume that most of these parameters do not vary with energy because it is rare to find a spectrum with enough isolated peaks to constrain their dependence. We present an algorithm for interpolating the γ-ray profile at any intermediate energy given a pair of isolated γ-ray peaks from the spectrum under consideration. The algorithm is tested on experimental data and leads to a good agreement between the interpolated profile and the fitting function. This method is more accurate than the traditional approach, since all aspects of the peak shape are allowed to vary with energy. New definitions of Left-Half Width at Half Maximum, and Right-Half Width at Half Maximum for peak shape description are introduced in this paper. (authors)

  10. Opening of material analysis beamline (BL-5) at NewSUBARU for industrial enterprises

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasegawa, Takayuki; Uemura, Masaharu; Tsurui, Takafumi; Shimizu, Masayoshi; Amemiya, Kenta; Fukushima, Sei; Ohta, Toshiaki; Motoyama, Muneyuki; Kanda, Kazuhiro

    2010-01-01

    A material analysis beamline for the industrial enterprises' use was completed at BL-5 of NewSUBARU synchrotron radiation facility in University of Hyogo in March 2008. BL-5 consists of two branch lines, one is a double crystal monochromator beamline (BL-5A) for the use in the higher-energy region (1300-4000 eV) and the other is a varied line spacing plane grating (VLSPG) monochromator beamline (BL-5B) for the use in the lower-energy region (50-1300 eV). These two branch lines can be operated simultaneously. BL-5 covers the soft X-ray region from 50 to 4000 eV and X-ray absorption spectrum can be measured with a high-energy resolution. The XAFS measurements in the total electron yield (TEY) and fluorescence yield (FLY) can be performed at BL-5A and BL-5B. In addition, the XPS spectra can be measured at BL-5B. BL-5 will be managed and maintained by the Synchrotron Analysis L.L.C. (SALLC), which is composed of the industrial companies, in cooperation with the staffs of the Laboratory of Advanced Science and Technology for Industry in University of Hyogo. Industrial users can be assisted by staffs of SALLC in the measurement at BL-5. (author)

  11. 27Al MAS NMR spectroscopic identification of reaction intermediates in the carbothermal reduction and nitridation of alumina

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Woo-Sik; Chae, Seen-Ae

    2010-01-01

    The reaction intermediates in the carbothermal reduction and nitridation (CRN) reaction of γ-Al 2 O 3 were identified by 27 Al magic-angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. This identification ruled out the possibility of a reaction mechanism involving the gaseous reaction intermediates. In the CRN reaction of γ-Al 2 O 3 , AlO 4 units were converted to AlN stepwise via AlN x O 4-x (x = 1, 2, 3) intermediates, while AlO 6 units were more slowly converted to AlN than AlO 4 units and the NMR peaks of partially nitridated AlO 6 units were not detected. The NMR peak intensities of partially nitridated AlO 4 units became weaker with increasing reaction temperature.

  12. Failure Characteristics of Granite Influenced by Sample Height-to-Width Ratios and Intermediate Principal Stress Under True-Triaxial Unloading Conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xibing; Feng, Fan; Li, Diyuan; Du, Kun; Ranjith, P. G.; Rostami, Jamal

    2018-05-01

    The failure modes and peak unloading strength of a typical hard rock, Miluo granite, with particular attention to the sample height-to-width ratio (between 2 and 0.5), and the intermediate principal stress was investigated using a true-triaxial test system. The experimental results indicate that both sample height-to-width ratios and intermediate principal stress have an impact on the failure modes, peak strength and severity of rockburst in hard rock under true-triaxial unloading conditions. For longer rectangular specimens, the transition of failure mode from shear to slabbing requires higher intermediate principal stress. With the decrease in sample height-to-width ratios, slabbing failure is more likely to occur under the condition of lower intermediate principal stress. For same intermediate principal stress, the peak unloading strength monotonically increases with the decrease in sample height-to-width. However, the peak unloading strength as functions of intermediate principal stress for different types of rock samples (with sample height-to-width ratio of 2, 1 and 0.5) all present the pattern of initial increase, followed by a subsequent decrease. The curves fitted to octahedral shear stress as a function of mean effective stress also validate the applicability of the Mogi-Coulomb failure criterion for all considered rock sizes under true-triaxial unloading conditions, and the corresponding cohesion C and internal friction angle φ are calculated. The severity of strainburst of granite depends on the sample height-to-width ratios and intermediate principal stress. Therefore, different supporting strategies are recommended in deep tunneling projects and mining activities. Moreover, the comparison of test results of different σ 2/ σ 3 also reveals the little influence of minimum principal stress on failure characteristics of granite during the true-triaxial unloading process.

  13. Analysis of the correlation between γ-ray and radio emissions from γ-ray loud Blazar using the discrete correlation function

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng Yong; Zhang Xiong; Wu Lin; Mao Weiming; You Lisha

    2006-01-01

    The authors collect 119 γ-ray-loud Blazar (97 flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and 22 BL Lacertae objects (BL Lac)), and investigate respectively the correlation between the γ-ray emission (maximum, minimum, and average data) at 1 GeV and the radio emission at 8.4 GHz by discrete correlation function (DCF) method. Our main results are as follows: there is good correlation between the γ-ray in high state and average state and radio emissions for the whole 119 Blazar and 97 FSRQs. And there are no correlation between γ-ray emission and radio emission in low state. Our result shows that the γ-rays are associated with the radio emission from the jet, and that the γ-ray emission is likely to have come from the synchrotron self-compton model (SSC) process in this case. (authors)

  14. Charged particle multiplicities in heavy and light quark initiated events above the $Z^0$ peak

    CERN Document Server

    Abbiendi, G.; Akesson, P.F.; Alexander, G.; Allison, John; Amaral, P.; Anagnostou, G.; Anderson, K.J.; Arcelli, S.; Asai, S.; Axen, D.; Azuelos, G.; Bailey, I.; Barberio, E.; Barlow, R.J.; Batley, R.J.; Bechtle, P.; Behnke, T.; Bell, Kenneth Watson; Bell, P.J.; Bella, G.; Bellerive, A.; Benelli, G.; Bethke, S.; Biebel, O.; Bloodworth, I.J.; Boeriu, O.; Bock, P.; Bonacorsi, D.; Boutemeur, M.; Braibant, S.; Brigliadori, L.; Brown, Robert M.; Buesser, K.; Burckhart, H.J.; Campana, S.; Carnegie, R.K.; Caron, B.; Carter, A.A.; Carter, J.R.; Chang, C.Y.; Charlton, David G.; Csilling, A.; Cuffiani, M.; Dado, S.; Dallison, S.; De Roeck, A.; De Wolf, E.A.; Desch, K.; Dienes, B.; Donkers, M.; Dubbert, J.; Duchovni, E.; Duckeck, G.; Duerdoth, I.P.; Elfgren, E.; Etzion, E.; Fabbri, F.; Feld, L.; Ferrari, P.; Fiedler, F.; Fleck, I.; Ford, M.; Frey, A.; Furtjes, A.; Gagnon, P.; Gary, John William; Gaycken, G.; Geich-Gimbel, C.; Giacomelli, G.; Giacomelli, P.; Giunta, Marina; Goldberg, J.; Gross, E.; Grunhaus, J.; Gruwe, M.; Gunther, P.O.; Gupta, A.; Hajdu, C.; Hamann, M.; Hanson, G.G.; Harder, K.; Harel, A.; Harin-Dirac, M.; Hauschild, M.; Hauschildt, J.; Hawkes, C.M.; Hawkings, R.; Hemingway, R.J.; Hensel, C.; Herten, G.; Heuer, R.D.; Hill, J.C.; Hoffman, Kara Dion; Homer, R.J.; Horvath, D.; Howard, R.; Igo-Kemenes, P.; Ishii, K.; Jeremie, H.; Jovanovic, P.; Junk, T.R.; Kanaya, N.; Kanzaki, J.; Karapetian, G.; Karlen, D.; Kartvelishvili, V.; Kawagoe, K.; Kawamoto, T.; Keeler, R.K.; Kellogg, R.G.; Kennedy, B.W.; Kim, D.H.; Klein, K.; Klier, A.; Kluth, S.; Kobayashi, T.; Kobel, M.; Komamiya, S.; Kormos, Laura L.; Kramer, T.; Kress, T.; Krieger, P.; von Krogh, J.; Krop, D.; Kruger, K.; Kuhl, T.; Kupper, M.; Lafferty, G.D.; Landsman, H.; Lanske, D.; Layter, J.G.; Leins, A.; Lellouch, D.; Lettso, J.; Levinson, L.; Lillich, J.; Lloyd, S.L.; Loebinger, F.K.; Lu, J.; Ludwig, J.; Macpherson, A.; Mader, W.; Marcellini, S.; Marchant, T.E.; Martin, A.J.; Martin, J.P.; Masetti, G.; Mashimo, T.; Mattig, Peter; McDonald, W.J.; McKenna, J.; McMahon, T.J.; McPherson, R.A.; Meijers, F.; Mendez-Lorenzo, P.; Menges, W.; Merritt, F.S.; Mes, H.; Michelini, A.; Mihara, S.; Mikenberg, G.; Miller, D.J.; Moed, S.; Mohr, W.; Mori, T.; Mutter, A.; Nagai, K.; Nakamura, I.; Neal, H.A.; Nisius, R.; O'Neale, S.W.; Oh, A.; Okpara, A.; Oreglia, M.J.; Orito, S.; Pahl, C.; Pasztor, G.; Pater, J.R.; Patrick, G.N.; Pilcher, J.E.; Pinfold, J.; Plane, David E.; Poli, B.; Polok, J.; Pooth, O.; Przybycien, M.; Quadt, A.; Rabbertz, K.; Rembser, C.; Renkel, P.; Rick, H.; Roney, J.M.; Rosati, S.; Rozen, Y.; Runge, K.; Sachs, K.; Saeki, T.; Sahr, O.; Sarkisyan, E.K.G.; Schaile, A.D.; Schaile, O.; Scharff-Hansen, P.; Schieck, J.; Schoerner-Sadenius, Thomas; Schroder, Matthias; Schumacher, M.; Schwick, C.; Scott, W.G.; Seuster, R.; Shears, T.G.; Shen, B.C.; Sherwood, P.; Siroli, G.; Skuja, A.; Smith, A.M.; Sobie, R.; Soldner-Rembold, S.; Spano, F.; Stahl, A.; Stephens, K.; Strom, David M.; Strohmer, R.; Tarem, S.; Tasevsky, M.; Taylor, R.J.; Teuscher, R.; Thomson, M.A.; Torrence, E.; Toya, D.; Tran, P.; Trefzger, T.; Tricoli, A.; Trigger, I.; Trocsanyi, Z.; Tsur, E.; Turner-Watson, M.F.; Ueda, I.; Ujvari, B.; Vachon, B.; Vollmer, C.F.; Vannerem, P.; Verzocchi, M.; Voss, H.; Vossebeld, J.; Waller, D.; Ward, C.P.; Ward, D.R.; Watkins, P.M.; Watson, A.T.; Watson, N.K.; Wells, P.S.; Wengler, T.; Wermes, N.; Wetterling, D.; Wilson, G.W.; Wilson, J.A.; Wolf, G.; Wyatt, T.R.; Yamashita, S.; Zer-Zion, D.; Zivkovic, Lidija

    2002-01-01

    We have measured the mean charged particle multiplicities separately for bbbar, ccbar and light quark (uubar, ddbar, ssbar) initiated events produced in e+e- annihilations at LEP. The data were recorded with the OPAL detector at eleven different energies above Z0 peak, corresponding to the full statistics collected at LPE1.5 and LEP2. The difference in mean charged and particle multiplicities for bbbar and light quark events, delta_bl, measured over this energy range is consistent with an energy independent behaviour, as predicted by QCD, but is inconsistent with the prediction of a more phenomenological approach which assumes that the multiplicity accompanying the decay of a heavy quark is independent of the quark mass itself. Our results, which can be combined into the single measurement delta_bl = 3.44+-0.40(stat)+-0.89(syst) at a luminosity weighted average centre-of mass energy of 195 GeV, are also consistent with an energy independent behaviour as extrapolated from lower energy data.

  15. Fast Metabolite Identification in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Metabolomic Studies: Statistical Peak Sorting and Peak Overlap Detection for More Reliable Database Queries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoijemberg, Pablo A; Pelczer, István

    2018-01-05

    A lot of time is spent by researchers in the identification of metabolites in NMR-based metabolomic studies. The usual metabolite identification starts employing public or commercial databases to match chemical shifts thought to belong to a given compound. Statistical total correlation spectroscopy (STOCSY), in use for more than a decade, speeds the process by finding statistical correlations among peaks, being able to create a better peak list as input for the database query. However, the (normally not automated) analysis becomes challenging due to the intrinsic issue of peak overlap, where correlations of more than one compound appear in the STOCSY trace. Here we present a fully automated methodology that analyzes all STOCSY traces at once (every peak is chosen as driver peak) and overcomes the peak overlap obstacle. Peak overlap detection by clustering analysis and sorting of traces (POD-CAST) first creates an overlap matrix from the STOCSY traces, then clusters the overlap traces based on their similarity and finally calculates a cumulative overlap index (COI) to account for both strong and intermediate correlations. This information is gathered in one plot to help the user identify the groups of peaks that would belong to a single molecule and perform a more reliable database query. The simultaneous examination of all traces reduces the time of analysis, compared to viewing STOCSY traces by pairs or small groups, and condenses the redundant information in the 2D STOCSY matrix into bands containing similar traces. The COI helps in the detection of overlapping peaks, which can be added to the peak list from another cross-correlated band. POD-CAST overcomes the generally overlooked and underestimated presence of overlapping peaks and it detects them to include them in the search of all compounds contributing to the peak overlap, enabling the user to accelerate the metabolite identification process with more successful database queries and searching all tentative

  16. The B-L phase transition. Implications for cosmology and neutrinos

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schmitz, Kai

    2012-07-01

    We investigate the possibility that the hot thermal phase of the early universe is ignited in consequence of the B-L phase transition, which represents the cosmological realization of the spontaneous breaking of the Abelian gauge symmetry associated with B-L, the difference between baryon number B and lepton number L. Prior to the B-L phase transition, the universe experiences a stage of hybrid inflation. Towards the end of inflation, the false vacuum of unbroken B-L symmetry decays, which entails tachyonic preheating as well as the production of cosmic strings. Observational constraints on this scenario require the B-L phase transition to take place at the scale of grand unification. The dynamics of the B-L breaking Higgs field and the B-L gauge degrees of freedom, in combination with thermal processes, generate an abundance of heavy (s)neutrinos. These (s)neutrinos decay into radiation, thereby reheating the universe, generating the baryon asymmetry of the universe and setting the stage for the thermal production of gravitinos. The B-L phase transition along with the (s)neutrino-driven reheating process hence represents an intriguing and testable mechanism to generate the initial conditions of the hot early universe. We study the B-L phase transition in the full supersymmetric Abelian Higgs model, for which we derive and discuss the Lagrangian in arbitrary and unitary gauge. As for the subsequent reheating process, we formulate the complete set of Boltzmann equations, the solutions of which enable us to give a detailed and time-resolved description of the evolution of all particle abundances during reheating. Assuming the gravitino to be the lightest superparticle (LSP), the requirement of consistency between hybrid inflation, leptogenesis and gravitino dark matter implies relations between neutrino parameters and superparticle masses, in particular a lower bound on the gravitino mass of 10GeV. As an alternative to gravitino dark matter, we consider the case of

  17. The B-L phase transition. Implications for cosmology and neutrinos

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schmitz, Kai

    2012-07-15

    We investigate the possibility that the hot thermal phase of the early universe is ignited in consequence of the B-L phase transition, which represents the cosmological realization of the spontaneous breaking of the Abelian gauge symmetry associated with B-L, the difference between baryon number B and lepton number L. Prior to the B-L phase transition, the universe experiences a stage of hybrid inflation. Towards the end of inflation, the false vacuum of unbroken B-L symmetry decays, which entails tachyonic preheating as well as the production of cosmic strings. Observational constraints on this scenario require the B-L phase transition to take place at the scale of grand unification. The dynamics of the B-L breaking Higgs field and the B-L gauge degrees of freedom, in combination with thermal processes, generate an abundance of heavy (s)neutrinos. These (s)neutrinos decay into radiation, thereby reheating the universe, generating the baryon asymmetry of the universe and setting the stage for the thermal production of gravitinos. The B-L phase transition along with the (s)neutrino-driven reheating process hence represents an intriguing and testable mechanism to generate the initial conditions of the hot early universe. We study the B-L phase transition in the full supersymmetric Abelian Higgs model, for which we derive and discuss the Lagrangian in arbitrary and unitary gauge. As for the subsequent reheating process, we formulate the complete set of Boltzmann equations, the solutions of which enable us to give a detailed and time-resolved description of the evolution of all particle abundances during reheating. Assuming the gravitino to be the lightest superparticle (LSP), the requirement of consistency between hybrid inflation, leptogenesis and gravitino dark matter implies relations between neutrino parameters and superparticle masses, in particular a lower bound on the gravitino mass of 10GeV. As an alternative to gravitino dark matter, we consider the case of

  18. High-resolution two-dimensional liquid chromatography analysis of key linker drug intermediate used in antibody drug conjugates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venkatramani, C J; Huang, Shu Rong; Al-Sayah, Mohammad; Patel, Ila; Wigman, Larry

    2017-10-27

    In this manuscript, the application of high-resolution sampling (HRS) two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC) in the detailed analysis of key linker drug intermediate is presented. Using HRS, selected regions of the primary column eluent were transferred to a secondary column with fidelity enabling qualitative and quantitative analysis of linker drugs. The primary column purity of linker drug intermediate ranged from 88.9% to 94.5% and the secondary column purity ranged from 99.6% to 99.9%, showing lot-to-lot variability, significant differences between the three lots, and substantiating the synthetic and analytical challenges of ADCs. Over 15 impurities co-eluting with the linker drug intermediate in the primary dimension were resolved in the secondary dimension. The concentrations of most of these impurities were over three orders of magnitude lower than the linker drug. Effective peak focusing and high-speed secondary column analysis resulted in sharp peaks in the secondary dimension, improving the signal-to-noise ratios. The sensitivity of 2D-LC separation was over five fold better than conventional HPLC separation. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) was less than 0.01%. Many peaks originating from primary dimension were resolved into multiple components in the complementary secondary dimension, demonstrating the complexity of these samples. The 2D-LC was highly reproducible, showing good precision between runs with%RSD of peak areas less than 0.1 for the main component. The absolute difference in the peak areas of impurities less than 0.1% were within ±0.01% and for impurities in the range of 0.1%-0.3%, the absolute difference were ±0.02%, which are comparable to 1D-LC. The overall purity of the linker drug intermediate was determined from the product of primary and secondary column purity (HPLC Purity=%peak area of main component in the primary dimension×%peak area of main component in the secondary dimension). Additionally, the 2D-LC separation enables

  19. blé et seigle

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    SARAH

    hétérochromatine (séquences d'ADN non codante et riches en bases CG) des génomes d'un triticale primaire et leurs géniteurs, blé tendre et seigle d'une part, d'autre part de localiser les régions organisateurs nucléolaires (N.O.R) , les ...

  20. B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable, with features intermediate between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and classical Burkitt's lymphoma: A case report and review

    OpenAIRE

    Chettiankandy, Tabita Joy; Tupkari, Jagdish Vishnu; Kumar, Keshav; Ahire, Manisha Sandeep

    2016-01-01

    B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable, with features intermediate between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and classical Burkitt's lymphoma (BL), is a diagnostic provisional category in the World Health Organization 2008 classification of lymphomas. This category was designed as a measure to accommodate borderline cases that cannot be reliably classified into a single distinct disease entity after all available morphological, immunophenotypical and molecular studies have been performed. Typica...

  1. Blæksprutter beskyttes på niveau med hvirveldyr

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alstrup, Aage Kristian Olsen

    2015-01-01

    beskyttede. Et af de bedst studerede hvirvelløse dyr er blæksprutten, navnlig Octopus vulgaris. Vores viden om nerveimpulsen udbredelse stammer netop fra blæksprutter, da de har meget store nerveceller, der let lader sig undersøge. De to forskere fik faktisk Nobelprisen i 1963 for opdagelsen. Siden da har...

  2. The gravitational wave spectrum from cosmological B-L breaking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buchmueller, W.; Domcke, V.; Kamada, K.; Schmitz, K.

    2013-05-01

    Cosmological B-L breaking is a natural and testable mechanism to generate the initial conditions of the hot early universe. If B-L is broken at the grand unification scale, the false vacuum phase drives hybrid inflation, ending in tachyonic preheating. The decays of heavy B-L Higgs bosons and heavy neutrinos generate entropy, baryon asymmetry and dark matter and also control the reheating temperature. The different phases in the transition from inflation to the radiation dominated phase produce a characteristic spectrum of gravitational waves. We calculate the complete gravitational wave spectrum due to inflation, preheating and cosmic strings, which turns out to have several features. The production of gravitational waves from cosmic strings has large uncertainties, with lower and upper bounds provided by Abelian Higgs strings and Nambu-Goto strings, implying Ω GW h 2 ∝10 -13 -10 -8 , much larger than the spectral amplitude predicted by inflation. Forthcoming gravitational wave detectors such as eLISA, advanced LIGO and BBO/DECIGO will reach the sensitivity needed to test the predictions from cosmological B-L breaking.

  3. The gravitational wave spectrum from cosmological B-L breaking

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Buchmueller, W.; Domcke, V.; Kamada, K. [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Schmitz, K. [Tokyo Univ., Kashiwa (Japan). Kavli IPMU (WPI)

    2013-05-15

    Cosmological B-L breaking is a natural and testable mechanism to generate the initial conditions of the hot early universe. If B-L is broken at the grand unification scale, the false vacuum phase drives hybrid inflation, ending in tachyonic preheating. The decays of heavy B-L Higgs bosons and heavy neutrinos generate entropy, baryon asymmetry and dark matter and also control the reheating temperature. The different phases in the transition from inflation to the radiation dominated phase produce a characteristic spectrum of gravitational waves. We calculate the complete gravitational wave spectrum due to inflation, preheating and cosmic strings, which turns out to have several features. The production of gravitational waves from cosmic strings has large uncertainties, with lower and upper bounds provided by Abelian Higgs strings and Nambu-Goto strings, implying {Omega}{sub GW}h{sup 2}{proportional_to}10{sup -13}-10{sup -8}, much larger than the spectral amplitude predicted by inflation. Forthcoming gravitational wave detectors such as eLISA, advanced LIGO and BBO/DECIGO will reach the sensitivity needed to test the predictions from cosmological B-L breaking.

  4. EBL effect on the observation of multi-TeV flaring of 2009 from Markarian 501

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sahu, Sarira; Lemus Yanez, Marco Vladimir; Salvador Miranda, Luis; Rosales de Leon, Alberto [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares (Mexico); Gupta, Virendra [Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzandos del IPN Unidad Merida, Departamento de Fisica Aplicada, Yucatan (Mexico)

    2017-01-15

    Markarian 501 is a high-peaked BL Lacertae object and has undergone many major outbursts since its discovery in 1996. As a part of the multiwavelength campaign, in the year 2009 this blazar was observed for 4.5 months from March 9 to August 1 and during the period April 17 to May 5 it was observed by both space and ground based observatories covering the entire electromagnetic spectrum. A very strong high energy γ-ray flare was observed on May 1 by Whipple telescope in the energy range 317 GeV to 5 TeV and the flux was about 10 times higher than the average baseline flux. Previously during 1997 Markarian 501 had undergone another long outburst, which was observed by HEGRA telescopes and the energy spectrum was well beyond 10 TeV. The photohadronic model complemented by the extragalactic background radiation (EBL) correction fits well with the flares data observed by both Whipple and HEGRA. Our model predicts a steeper slope of the energy spectrum beyond 10 TeV, which is compatible with the improved analysis of the HEGRA data. (orig.)

  5. Exacerbation of substrate toxicity by IPTG in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) carrying a synthetic metabolic pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dvorak, Pavel; Chrast, Lukas; Nikel, Pablo I; Fedr, Radek; Soucek, Karel; Sedlackova, Miroslava; Chaloupkova, Radka; de Lorenzo, Víctor; Prokop, Zbynek; Damborsky, Jiri

    2015-12-21

    Heterologous expression systems based on promoters inducible with isopropyl-β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG), e.g., Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) and cognate LacI(Q)/P(lacUV5)-T7 vectors, are commonly used for production of recombinant proteins and metabolic pathways. The applicability of such cell factories is limited by the complex physiological burden imposed by overexpression of the exogenous genes during a bioprocess. This burden originates from a combination of stresses that may include competition for the expression machinery, side-reactions due to the activity of the recombinant proteins, or the toxicity of their substrates, products and intermediates. However, the physiological impact of IPTG-induced conditional expression on the recombinant host under such harsh conditions is often overlooked. The physiological responses to IPTG of the E. coli BL21(DE3) strain and three different recombinants carrying a synthetic metabolic pathway for biodegradation of the toxic anthropogenic pollutant 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP) were investigated using plating, flow cytometry, and electron microscopy. Collected data revealed unexpected negative synergistic effect of inducer of the expression system and toxic substrate resulting in pronounced physiological stress. Replacing IPTG with the natural sugar effector lactose greatly reduced such stress, demonstrating that the effect was due to the original inducer's chemical properties. IPTG is not an innocuous inducer; instead, it exacerbates the toxicity of haloalkane substrate and causes appreciable damage to the E. coli BL21(DE3) host, which is already bearing a metabolic burden due to its content of plasmids carrying the genes of the synthetic metabolic pathway. The concentration of IPTG can be effectively tuned to mitigate this negative effect. Importantly, we show that induction with lactose, the natural inducer of P lac , dramatically lightens the burden without reducing the efficiency of the synthetic TCP degradation

  6. Den Blå Drage

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ingerslev, Gitte Holten

    Denne publikation i serien Læselyst tjener tre formål. Den evaluerer læseprojektet Den blå drage i efteråret 2004 på Byskolen i Svendborg ? et projekt ledet af forfatteren Josefine Ottesen. Desuden gøres der rede for nogle af de teorier der støtter og begrunder arbejdsmåde og resultater i projektet...

  7. Infrared polarimetry and photometry of BL Lac objects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Impey, C D; Brand, P W.J.L. [Edinburgh Univ. (UK); Wolstencroft, R D; Williams, P M [Royal Observatory, Edinburgh (UK)

    1982-07-01

    Infrared polarimetry and photometry have been obtained for a sample of 18 BL Lac objects. The data covers a period of one year and is part of a continuing monitoring programme; all observations were in the J,H and K wavebands. Large and variable degrees of polarization are a common property of the sample. Two BL Lac objects show wavelength-dependent polarization, with the polarization increasing towards shorter wavelengths, and two objects show evidence for position angle rotations over a five-day period. The relationship between changes in polarized and total flux is also discussed. The BL Lac objects cover an enormous range of infrared luminosity; the three most luminous having Lsub(IR) > 10/sup 46/ erg s/sup -1/ and the other end of the range having infrared luminosities similar to normal elliptical galaxies. These are the first published infrared polarimetric observations for eight of the sample.

  8. Transfer and breakup reactions at intermediate energies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stokstad, R.G.

    1986-04-01

    The origin of the quasi-elastic peak in peripheral heavy-ion reactions is discussed in terms of inelastic scattering and transfer reactions to unbound states of the primary projectile-like fragment. The situation is analogous to the use of reverse kinematics in fusion reactions, a technique in which the object of study is moving with nearly the beam velocity. It appears that several important features of the quasi-elastic peak may be explained by this approach. Projectile-breakup reactions have attractive features for the study of nuclear structure. They may also be used to determine the partition of excitation energy in peripheral reactions. At intermediate energies, neutron-pickup reactions leading to four-body final states become important. Examples of experiments are presented that illustrate these points. 15 refs., 14 figs

  9. Flat radio-spectrum galaxies and BL Lacs I. Core properties

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dennett-Thorpe, J; Marcha, MJ

    This paper concerns the relationship of BL Lacs and flat-spectrum weak emission-line galaxies. We compare the weak emission-line galaxies and the BL Lacs in a sample of 57 flat-spectrum objects (Marcha et al. 1996), using high-frequency radio and non-thermal optical flux densities, spectral indices

  10. Spectroscopic studies of neutral and chemically oxidized species of β-carotene, lycopene and norbixin in CH2Cl2: Fluorescence from intermediate compounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alwis, D.D.D.H; Chandrika, U.G.; Jayaweera, P.M.

    2015-01-01

    Radical cations, dications and oxidized intermediate species of three carotenoids, namely, β-carotene, lycopene and norbixin, were generated in CH 2 Cl 2 solutions via chemical oxidation using anhydrous FeCl 3 . UV–vis, fluorescence and fluorescence-excitation spectroscopic studies were performed to understand and compare the nature of intermediate species generated during the chemical oxidation process and subsequent degradation. The intense emission observed at 550 nm can be assigned to the S 2 →S 0 (1 1 B u →1 1 A g ) transition of the carotenoid molecules. The 350 nm excitation during the oxidation process for β-carotene, lycopene and norbixin exhibit intense fluorescence peaks at 492 nm, 493 nm and 500 nm, respectively. These peaks are assigned to intermediate peroxy/epoxy compounds of the three molecules that are formed with molecular oxygen prior to the formation of oxidized short-chain stable compounds. - Highlights: • Fluorescence and UV–vis studies on β-carotene, lycopene and norbixin. • Oxidation, induced by FeCl 3 in CH 2 Cl 2 shows blue shifted fluorescence peaks. • Fluorescence peaks were assigned to intermediate peroxy/epoxy forms of carotenoids. • The D0→D3 transition of radical cations are observed in the near IR region

  11. Probiotic Strain Lactobacillus casei BL23 Prevents Colitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elsa Jacouton

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The gut microbiota plays a major role in intestinal health, and an imbalance in its composition can lead to chronic gut inflammation and a predisposition to developing colorectal cancer (CRC. Currently, the use of probiotic bacteria represents an emerging alternative to treat and prevent cancer. Moreover, consumption of these beneficial bacteria may also favorably modulate the composition of the gut microbiota, which has been described in several studies to play an important role in CRC carcinogenesis. In this context, the aim of this study was to assess the protective effect of oral treatment with Lactobacillus casei BL23, a probiotic strain well known for its anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. First, CRC was induced in C57BL6 mice by a single intraperitoneal injection with azoxymethane (8 mg/kg, followed by four courses of dextran sodium sulfate (2.5% in drinking water that were separated by an adjustable recovery period. At the time of sacrifice (day 46, tumor incidence, histological scores, and epithelial proliferation were determined in colon samples. Our results show that L. casei BL23 significantly protected mice against CRC development; specifically, L. casei BL23 treatment reduced histological scores and proliferative index values. In addition, our analysis revealed that L. casei BL23 had an immunomodulatory effect, mediated through the downregulation of the IL-22 cytokine, and an antiproliferative effect, mediated through the upregulation of caspase-7, caspase-9, and Bik. Finally, L. casei BL23 treatment tended to counterbalance CRC-induced dysbiosis in mice, as demonstrated by an analysis of fecal microbiota. Altogether our results demonstrate the high potential of L. casei BL23 for the development of new, probiotic-based strategies to fight CRC.

  12. The MHD intermediate shock interaction with an intermediate wave: Are intermediate shocks physical?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, C.C.

    1988-01-01

    Contrary to the usual belief that MHD intermediate shocks are extraneous, the authors have recently shown by numerical solutions of dissipative MHD equations that intermediate shocks are admissible and can be formed through nonlinear steepening from a continuous wave. In this paper, he clarifies the differences between the conventional view and the results by studying the interaction of an MHD intermediate shock with an intermediate wave. The study reaffirms his results. In addition, the study shows that there exists a larger class of shocklike solutions in the time-dependent dissiaptive MHD equations than are given by the MHD Rankine-Hugoniot relations. it also suggests a mechanism for forming rotational discontinuities through the interaction of an intermediate shock with an intermediate wave. The results are of importance not only to the MHD shock theory but also to studies such as magnetic field reconnection models

  13. Von Blüten, Göttern und Gelehrten

    OpenAIRE

    Zotter, Astrid

    2013-01-01

    Der Sanskrittext Puṣpacintāmaṇi (PuCi) behandelt Blüten als Darbringungen (upacāra) im wichtigsten hinduistischen Verehrungsritual, der pūjā. In ca. 400 Strophen werden über 200 Namen von Blüten genannt und für verschiedene Gottheiten und pūjās als geeignete oder ungeeignete Gaben vorgeschrieben. Der Text ist eine Kompilation (Nibandha), in der die Inhalte aus 47 namentlich genannten Quellentexten referiert werden. Ziel der Dissertation ist es nicht nur, diesen Text, der 1966 zum ersten Ma...

  14. The Radio-optical Spectra of BL Lacs and Possible Relatives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dennett-Thorpe, J.

    I consider the suggestion that, in a complete sample of flat-spectrum radio sources with available optical spectra (Marcha et al 1996), the strong emission line objects, or those with passive elliptical spectra are close relatives of the BL Lacs. New observations at four frequencies from 8 to 43GHz are presented, together with evidence for radio variability. Combined with other radio and optical data from the literature, we are able to construct the non-thermal SEDs and use these to address the questions: are the optically passive objects potentially `unrecognised' BL Lacs (either intrinsically weak and/or hidden by starlight)? What is the relationship between the surprising number of strong emission-line objects and the BL Lacs?

  15. Intermediate pond sizes contain the highest density, richness, and diversity of pond-breeding amphibians.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raymond D Semlitsch

    Full Text Available We present data on amphibian density, species richness, and diversity from a 7140-ha area consisting of 200 ponds in the Midwestern U.S. that represents most of the possible lentic aquatic breeding habitats common in this region. Our study includes all possible breeding sites with natural and anthropogenic disturbance processes that can be missing from studies where sampling intensity is low, sample area is small, or partial disturbance gradients are sampled. We tested whether pond area was a significant predictor of density, species richness, and diversity of amphibians and if values peaked at intermediate pond areas. We found that in all cases a quadratic model fit our data significantly better than a linear model. Because small ponds have a high probability of pond drying and large ponds have a high probability of fish colonization and accumulation of invertebrate predators, drying and predation may be two mechanisms driving the peak of density and diversity towards intermediate values of pond size. We also found that not all intermediate sized ponds produced many larvae; in fact, some had low amphibian density, richness, and diversity. Further analyses of the subset of ponds represented in the peak of the area distribution showed that fish, hydroperiod, invertebrate density, and canopy are additional factors that drive density, richness and diversity of ponds up or down, when extremely small or large ponds are eliminated. Our results indicate that fishless ponds at intermediate sizes are more diverse, produce more larvae, and have greater potential to recruit juveniles into adult populations of most species sampled. Further, hylid and chorus frogs are found predictably more often in ephemeral ponds whereas bullfrogs, green frogs, and cricket frogs are found most often in permanent ponds with fish. Our data increase understanding of what factors structure and maintain amphibian diversity across large landscapes.

  16. Thermostable Bacteriocin BL8 from Bacillus licheniformis isolated from marine sediment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smitha, S; Bhat, S G

    2013-03-01

    To isolate and characterize bacteriocin, BL8, from the bacteria identified as Bacillus licheniformis from marine environment. One-hundred and twelve bacterial isolates from sediment and water samples collected off the coast of Cochin, India, were screened for antibacterial activity. Strain BTHT8, identified as Bacillus licheniformis, inhibited the growth of Gram-positive test organisms. The active component labelled as bacteriocin BL8 was partially purified by ammonium sulphate fractionation and was subjected to glycine SDS-PAGE. The band exhibiting antimicrobial activity was electroeluted and analysed using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, and the molecular mass was determined as 1.4 kDa. N-terminal amino acid sequencing of BL8 gave a 13 amino acid sequence stretch. Bacteriocin BL8 was stable even after boiling at 100 °C for 30 min and over a wide pH range of 1-12. A novel, pH-tolerant and thermostable bacteriocin BL8, active against the tested Gram-positive bacteria, was isolated from Bacillus licheniformis. This study reports a stable, low molecular weight bacteriocin from Bacillus licheniformis. This bacteriocin can be used to address two important applications: as a therapeutic agent and as a biopreservative in food processing industry. © 2012 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  17. Kinetics of disorder-to-fcc phase transition via an intermediate bcc state

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Yongsheng; Nie Huifen; Bansil, Rama; Steinhart, Milos; Bang, Joona; Lodge, Timothy P.

    2006-01-01

    Time-resolved small-angle x-ray scattering measurements reveal that a long-lived intermediate bcc state forms when a poly(styrene-b-isoprene) diblock copolymer solution in an isoprene selective solvent is rapidly cooled from the disordered micellar fluid at high temperature to an equilibrium fcc state. The kinetics of the epitaxial growth of the [111] fcc peak from the [110] bcc peak was obtained by fitting the scattering data to a simple model of the transformation. The growth of the [111] fcc peak agrees with the Avrami model of nucleation and growth kinetics with an exponent n=1.4, as does the initial decay of the [110] bcc peak, with an exponent n=1.3. The data were also found to be in good agreement with the Cahn model of grain boundary nucleation and growth

  18. RADIO-WEAK BL LAC OBJECTS IN THE FERMI ERA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Massaro, F.; Marchesini, E. J. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Torino (UniTO), via Pietro Giuria 1, I-10125 Torino (Italy); D’Abrusco, R.; Smith, Howard A. [Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 60 Garden Street, 02138 Cambridge, MA (United States); Masetti, N. [INAF—Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Bologna, via Gobetti 101, I-40129, Bologna (Italy); Andruchow, I. [Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque, B1900FWA, La Plata (Argentina)

    2017-01-10

    The existence of “radio-weak BL Lac objects” (RWBLs) has been an open question, and has remained unsolved since the discovery that quasars could be radio-quiet or radio-loud. Recently, several groups identified RWBL candidates, mostly found while searching for low-energy counterparts of the unidentified or unassociated gamma-ray sources listed in the Fermi catalogs. Confirming RWBLs is a challenging task since they could be confused with white dwarfs (WDs) or weak emission line quasars (WELQs) when there are not sufficient data to precisely draw their broadband spectral energy distribution, and their classification is mainly based on a featureless optical spectra. Motivated by the recent discovery that Fermi BL Lacs appear to have very peculiar mid-IR emission, we show that it is possible to distinguish between WDs, WELQs, and BL Lacs using the [3.4]–[4.6]–[12] μ m color–color plot built using the WISE magnitudes when the optical spectrum is available. On the basis of this analysis, we identify WISE J064459.38+603131 and WISE J141046.00+740511.2 as the first two genuine RWBLs, both potentially associated with Fermi sources. Finally, to strengthen our identification of these objects as true RWBLs, we present multifrequency observations for these two candidates to show that their spectral behavior is indeed consistent with that of the BL Lac population.

  19. RADIO-WEAK BL LAC OBJECTS IN THE FERMI ERA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Massaro, F.; Marchesini, E. J.; D’Abrusco, R.; Smith, Howard A.; Masetti, N.; Andruchow, I.

    2017-01-01

    The existence of “radio-weak BL Lac objects” (RWBLs) has been an open question, and has remained unsolved since the discovery that quasars could be radio-quiet or radio-loud. Recently, several groups identified RWBL candidates, mostly found while searching for low-energy counterparts of the unidentified or unassociated gamma-ray sources listed in the Fermi catalogs. Confirming RWBLs is a challenging task since they could be confused with white dwarfs (WDs) or weak emission line quasars (WELQs) when there are not sufficient data to precisely draw their broadband spectral energy distribution, and their classification is mainly based on a featureless optical spectra. Motivated by the recent discovery that Fermi BL Lacs appear to have very peculiar mid-IR emission, we show that it is possible to distinguish between WDs, WELQs, and BL Lacs using the [3.4]–[4.6]–[12] μ m color–color plot built using the WISE magnitudes when the optical spectrum is available. On the basis of this analysis, we identify WISE J064459.38+603131 and WISE J141046.00+740511.2 as the first two genuine RWBLs, both potentially associated with Fermi sources. Finally, to strengthen our identification of these objects as true RWBLs, we present multifrequency observations for these two candidates to show that their spectral behavior is indeed consistent with that of the BL Lac population.

  20. Environment-dependence of behavioural consistency in adult male European green lizards (Lacerta viridis)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urszán, Tamás János; Bajer, Katalin; Molnár, Orsolya; Garamszegi, László Zsolt; Herczeg, Gábor

    2017-01-01

    Understanding the background mechanisms affecting the emergence and maintenance of consistent between-individual variation within population in single (animal personality) or across multiple (behavioural syndrome) behaviours has key importance. State-dependence theory suggests that behaviour is ‘anchored’ to individual state (e.g. body condition, gender, age) and behavioural consistency emerges through behavioural-state feedbacks. A number of relevant state variables are labile (e.g. body condition, physiological performance) and expected to be affected by short-term environmental change. Yet, whether short-term environmental shifts affect behavioural consistency during adulthood remains questionable. Here, by employing a full-factorial laboratory experiment, we explored if quantity of food (low vs. high) and time available for thermoregulation (3h vs. 10h per day) had an effect on activity and risk-taking of reproductive adult male European green lizards (Lacerta viridis). We focussed on different components of behavioural variation: (i) strength of behavioural consistency (repeatability for animal personality; between-individual correlation for behavioural syndrome), (ii) behavioural type (individual mean behaviour) and (iii) behavioural predictability (within-individual behavioural variation). Activity was repeatable in all treatments. Risk-taking was repeatable only in the low basking treatments. We found significant between-individual correlation only in the low food × long basking time group. The treatments did not affect behavioural type, but affected behavioural predictability. Activity predictability was higher in the short basking treatment, where it also decreased with size (≈ age). Risk-taking predictability in the short basking treatment increased with size under food limitation, but decreased when food supply was high. We conclude that short-term environmental change can alter various components of behavioural consistency. The effect could be

  1. Environment-dependence of behavioural consistency in adult male European green lizards (Lacerta viridis).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horváth, Gergely; Mészáros, Boglárka; Urszán, Tamás János; Bajer, Katalin; Molnár, Orsolya; Garamszegi, László Zsolt; Herczeg, Gábor

    2017-01-01

    Understanding the background mechanisms affecting the emergence and maintenance of consistent between-individual variation within population in single (animal personality) or across multiple (behavioural syndrome) behaviours has key importance. State-dependence theory suggests that behaviour is 'anchored' to individual state (e.g. body condition, gender, age) and behavioural consistency emerges through behavioural-state feedbacks. A number of relevant state variables are labile (e.g. body condition, physiological performance) and expected to be affected by short-term environmental change. Yet, whether short-term environmental shifts affect behavioural consistency during adulthood remains questionable. Here, by employing a full-factorial laboratory experiment, we explored if quantity of food (low vs. high) and time available for thermoregulation (3h vs. 10h per day) had an effect on activity and risk-taking of reproductive adult male European green lizards (Lacerta viridis). We focussed on different components of behavioural variation: (i) strength of behavioural consistency (repeatability for animal personality; between-individual correlation for behavioural syndrome), (ii) behavioural type (individual mean behaviour) and (iii) behavioural predictability (within-individual behavioural variation). Activity was repeatable in all treatments. Risk-taking was repeatable only in the low basking treatments. We found significant between-individual correlation only in the low food × long basking time group. The treatments did not affect behavioural type, but affected behavioural predictability. Activity predictability was higher in the short basking treatment, where it also decreased with size (≈ age). Risk-taking predictability in the short basking treatment increased with size under food limitation, but decreased when food supply was high. We conclude that short-term environmental change can alter various components of behavioural consistency. The effect could be

  2. Environment-dependence of behavioural consistency in adult male European green lizards (Lacerta viridis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gergely Horváth

    Full Text Available Understanding the background mechanisms affecting the emergence and maintenance of consistent between-individual variation within population in single (animal personality or across multiple (behavioural syndrome behaviours has key importance. State-dependence theory suggests that behaviour is 'anchored' to individual state (e.g. body condition, gender, age and behavioural consistency emerges through behavioural-state feedbacks. A number of relevant state variables are labile (e.g. body condition, physiological performance and expected to be affected by short-term environmental change. Yet, whether short-term environmental shifts affect behavioural consistency during adulthood remains questionable. Here, by employing a full-factorial laboratory experiment, we explored if quantity of food (low vs. high and time available for thermoregulation (3h vs. 10h per day had an effect on activity and risk-taking of reproductive adult male European green lizards (Lacerta viridis. We focussed on different components of behavioural variation: (i strength of behavioural consistency (repeatability for animal personality; between-individual correlation for behavioural syndrome, (ii behavioural type (individual mean behaviour and (iii behavioural predictability (within-individual behavioural variation. Activity was repeatable in all treatments. Risk-taking was repeatable only in the low basking treatments. We found significant between-individual correlation only in the low food × long basking time group. The treatments did not affect behavioural type, but affected behavioural predictability. Activity predictability was higher in the short basking treatment, where it also decreased with size (≈ age. Risk-taking predictability in the short basking treatment increased with size under food limitation, but decreased when food supply was high. We conclude that short-term environmental change can alter various components of behavioural consistency. The effect could be

  3. (M,N-Soft Intersection BL-Algebras and Their Congruences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xueling Ma

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to give a foundation for providing a new soft algebraic tool in considering many problems containing uncertainties. In order to provide these new soft algebraic structures, we discuss a new soft set-(M, N-soft intersection set, which is a generalization of soft intersection sets. We introduce the concepts of (M, N-SI filters of BL-algebras and establish some characterizations. Especially, (M, N-soft congruences in BL-algebras are concerned.

  4. Gene expression profiling in response to the histone deacetylase inhibitor BL1521 in neuroblastoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruijter, Annemieke J.M. de; Meinsma, Rutger J.; Bosma, Peter; Kemp, Stephan; Caron, Huib N.; Kuilenburg, Andre B.P. van

    2005-01-01

    Neuroblastoma is a childhood tumor with a poor survival in advanced stage disease despite intensive chemotherapeutic regimes. The new histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor BL1521 has shown promising results in neuroblastoma. Inhibition of HDAC resulted in a decrease in proliferation and metabolic activity, induction of apoptosis and differentiation of neuroblastoma cells. In order to elucidate the mechanism mediating the effects of BL1521 on neuroblastoma cells, we investigated the gene expression profile of an MYCN single copy (SKNAS) and an MYCN amplified (IMR32) neuroblastoma cell line after treatment with BL1521 using the Affymetrix oligonucleotide array U133A. An altered expression of 255 genes was observed in both neuroblastoma cell lines. The majority of these genes were involved in gene expression, cellular metabolism, and cell signaling. We observed changes in the expression of vital genes belonging to the cell cycle (cyclin D1 and CDK4) and apoptosis (BNIP3, BID, and BCL2) pathway in response to BL1521. The expression of 37 genes was altered by both BL1521 and Trichostatin A, which could indicate a common gene set regulated by different HDAC inhibitors. BL1521 treatment changed the expression of a number of MYCN-associated genes. Several genes in the Wnt and the Delta/Notch pathways were changed in response to BL1521 treatment, suggesting that BL1521 is able to induce the differentiation of neuroblastoma cells into a more mature phenotype

  5. The Seyfert galaxy population

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meurs, E.

    1982-01-01

    A large sample of Seyfert galaxies, many of which are Markarian galaxies, has been observed with the WSRT in lambda 21 cm continuum radiation. The results are presented, and the number of radio detected Seyferts has now increased considerably. A number of accurate optical positions are given that were needed to identify radio sources with the Seyfert galaxies observed. Optical and radio luminosity functions of Seyfert galaxies are derived. The results are compared with such functions for other categories of objects that may be related to these galaxies. The discussions focus on the possible connections between normal galaxies, Seyferts, and optically selected quasars. Three investigations are reported on individual objects that are related to Seyfert galaxies. WSRT observations of four bright, optically selected quasars are presented. The identification of an X-ray discovered BL Lacertae object is discussed. Its radio emission is on a much lower level than for other BL Lacs. Perhaps it is a radio-quiet object in this class, suggesting a comparable difference in radio emission for BL Lacs as is known for quasars. Photo-electric photometry for the Seyfert galaxy NGC 1566 is reported. Besides a monitoring programme, multi-aperture photometry is described. (Auth.)

  6. B-L violating supersymmetric couplings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramond, P.

    1983-01-01

    We consider two problems: one is the possible effect of the breaking of Peccei-Quinn symmetry on the inflationary universe scenario; the other is the remark that even the minimal supersymmetric SU 5 theory contains B-L violating couplings which give rise to neutrino masses and family-diagonal proton decay. However the strength of these couplings is limited by the gauge hierarchy

  7. Time-dependent inhomogeneous jet models for BL Lac objects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marlowe, A. T.; Urry, C. M.; George, I. M.

    1992-05-01

    Relativistic beaming can explain many of the observed properties of BL Lac objects (e.g., rapid variability, high polarization, etc.). In particular, the broadband radio through X-ray spectra are well modeled by synchrotron-self Compton emission from an inhomogeneous relativistic jet. We have done a uniform analysis on several BL Lac objects using a simple but plausible inhomogeneous jet model. For all objects, we found that the assumed power-law distribution of the magnetic field and the electron density can be adjusted to match the observed BL Lac spectrum. While such models are typically unconstrained, consideration of spectral variability strongly restricts the allowed parameters, although to date the sampling has generally been too sparse to constrain the current models effectively. We investigate the time evolution of the inhomogeneous jet model for a simple perturbation propagating along the jet. The implications of this time evolution model and its relevance to observed data are discussed.

  8. Calcium provision to oviparous and viviparous embryos of the reproductively bimodal lizard Lacerta (Zootoca) vivipara.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stewart, James R; Ecay, Tom W; Heulin, Benoit

    2009-08-01

    Embryos of oviparous squamate reptiles typically obtain calcium from both yolk and eggshell but differ from other oviparous amniotes (turtles, birds and crocodilians) because they are heavily dependent on calcium-rich yolk. Eggs of viviparous squamates lack calcareous eggshells, and embryos receive calcium solely from yolk or from both yolk and placenta. The pattern of calcium mobilization by amniote embryos has been predicted to influence the evolution of viviparity if embryos are dependent on calcium from the eggshell and calcium placentotrophy evolves subsequent to viviparity. We studied the pattern of maternal provision and embryonic utilization of calcium of an oviparous and a viviparous population of the reproductively bimodal lizard Lacerta vivipara to test the hypotheses: (1) oviparous embryos are not dependent on eggshell calcium and (2) calcium content of viviparous hatchlings does not differ from oviparous hatchlings. Our findings do not support either of these hypotheses because oviparous females oviposited eggs with heavily calcified shells and calcium-poor yolk, and embryonic mobilization of shell calcium was greater than for other oviparous squamates. The calcium content of yolk from viviparous females did not differ from oviparous yolk, but viviparous eggs lacked calcareous eggshells. Uterine secretion by viviparous females compensated for the low calcium content of yolk, and placental calcium transfer was among the highest recorded for squamates. The pattern of calcium provision in these two populations suggests that dependence on uterine calcium, either stored temporarily in an eggshell or transferred directly across a placenta, did not constrain the evolution of reproductive mode in this lineage.

  9. Highlights of SPring-8 BL23SU in 2001

    CERN Document Server

    Agui, A; Nakatani, T; Yokoya, A; Yoshigoe, A

    2002-01-01

    BL23SU in SPring-8 is a soft x-ray beamline for the material science project in JAERI. The insertion device, monochromator and other beamline equipments have been installed or developed. The beamline maintenance has also been continued. We report highlights of these activities for the BL23SU in 2001. Specially, it has proceeded with the countermeasure against the rise in the maximum radiant power, toward the low-energy operation realization. And, improvement in that precision proceeds through the COD correlation to the ID drive as well.

  10. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) in C57BL/6 Mice Detected through Proteomics Screening of the Amniotic Fluid

    Science.gov (United States)

    Datta, Susmita; Turner, Delano; Singh, Reetu; Ruest, L. Bruno; Pierce, William M.; Knudsen, Thomas B.

    2009-01-01

    BACKGROUND Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), a severe consequence of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, is associated with craniofacial defects, mental retardation, and stunted growth. Previous studies in C57BL/6J and C57BL/6N mice provide evidence that alcohol-induced pathogenesis follows early changes in gene expression within specific molecular pathways in the embryonic headfold. Whereas the former (B6J) pregnancies carry a high-risk for dysmorphogenesis following maternal exposure to 2.9 g/kg alcohol (two injections spaced 4.0 h apart on gestation day 8), the latter (B6N) pregnancies carry a low-risk for malformations. The present study used this murine model to screen amniotic fluid for biomarkers that could potentially discriminate between FAS-positive and FAS-negative pregnancies. METHODS B6J and B6N litters were treated with alcohol (exposed) or saline (control) on day 8 of gestation. Amniotic fluid aspirated on day 17 (n = 6 replicate litters per group) was subjected to trypsin digestion for analysis by matrix-assisted laser desorption–time of flight mass spectrometry with the aid of denoising algorithms, statistical testing, and classification methods. RESULTS We identified several peaks in the proteomics screen that were reduced consistently and specifically in exposed B6J litters. Preliminary characterization by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and multidimensional protein identification mapped the reduced peaks to alpha fetoprotein (AFP). The predictive strength of AFP deficiency as a biomarker for FAS-positive litters was confirmed by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. CONCLUSIONS These findings in genetically susceptible mice support clinical observations in maternal serum that implicate a decrease in AFP levels following prenatal alcohol damage. PMID:18240165

  11. Spectroscopic studies of neutral and chemically oxidized species of β-carotene, lycopene and norbixin in CH{sub 2}Cl{sub 2}: Fluorescence from intermediate compounds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alwis, D.D.D.H [Department of Chemistry, The Open University of Sri Lanka, Nawala (Sri Lanka); Department of Chemistry, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda (Sri Lanka); Chandrika, U.G. [Department of Biochemistry, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda (Sri Lanka); Jayaweera, P.M., E-mail: pradeep@sjp.ac.lk [Department of Chemistry, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda (Sri Lanka)

    2015-02-15

    Radical cations, dications and oxidized intermediate species of three carotenoids, namely, β-carotene, lycopene and norbixin, were generated in CH{sub 2}Cl{sub 2} solutions via chemical oxidation using anhydrous FeCl{sub 3}. UV–vis, fluorescence and fluorescence-excitation spectroscopic studies were performed to understand and compare the nature of intermediate species generated during the chemical oxidation process and subsequent degradation. The intense emission observed at 550 nm can be assigned to the S{sub 2}→S{sub 0} (1{sup 1}B{sub u}→1{sup 1}A{sub g}) transition of the carotenoid molecules. The 350 nm excitation during the oxidation process for β-carotene, lycopene and norbixin exhibit intense fluorescence peaks at 492 nm, 493 nm and 500 nm, respectively. These peaks are assigned to intermediate peroxy/epoxy compounds of the three molecules that are formed with molecular oxygen prior to the formation of oxidized short-chain stable compounds. - Highlights: • Fluorescence and UV–vis studies on β-carotene, lycopene and norbixin. • Oxidation, induced by FeCl{sub 3} in CH{sub 2}Cl{sub 2} shows blue shifted fluorescence peaks. • Fluorescence peaks were assigned to intermediate peroxy/epoxy forms of carotenoids. • The D0→D3 transition of radical cations are observed in the near IR region.

  12. Majorana dark matter with B+L gauge symmetry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chao, Wei [Amherst Center for Fundamental Interactions, Department of Physics,University of Massachusetts-Amherst,Amherst, MA 01003 United States (United States); Center for Advanced Quantum Studies,Department of Physics, Beijing Normal University,Beijing, 100875 (China); Guo, Huai-Ke [Amherst Center for Fundamental Interactions, Department of Physics,University of Massachusetts-Amherst,Amherst, MA 01003 United States (United States); Zhang, Yongchao [Service de Physique Théorique, Université Libre de Bruxelles,Boulevard du Triomphe, CP225, 1050 Brussels (Belgium)

    2017-04-07

    We present a new model that extends the Standard Model (SM) with the local B+L symmetry, and point out that the lightest new fermion ζ, introduced to cancel anomalies and stabilized automatically by the B+L symmetry, can serve as the cold dark matter candidate. We study constraints on the model from Higgs measurements, electroweak precision measurements as well as the relic density and direct detections of the dark matter. Numerical results reveal that the pseudo-vector coupling of ζ with Z and the Yukawa coupling with the SM Higgs are highly constrained by the latest results of LUX, while there are viable parameter space that could satisfy all the constraints and give testable predictions.

  13. Studies on emerging radiation leukemia virus variants in C57BL/Ka mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rassart, E.; Shang, M.; Boie, Y.; Jolicoeur, P.

    1986-01-01

    To analyze the emergence of radiation leukemia virus (RadLV) variants in primary X-ray-induced C57BL/Ka thymoma and to identify the virus responsible for the very high leukemogenic potential of passaged Kaplan strain BL/VL3 preparation, we cloned several primary and passaged ecotropic RadLV infectious genomes. By restriction analysis, we found that BL/VL3 cells harbor three related but different ecotropic RadLVs. Their restriction map differs significantly from those of primary RadLVs. Hybridization analysis also indicated that BL/VL3 and primary RadLVs differ in their p15E and long terminal repeat (LTR) regions. The LTR sequence of primary weakly leukemogenic RadLV has only one change, a C-rich sequence, generating a 6-base-pair direct repeat just in front of the promotor. The LTR of the primary nonleukemogenic RadLV only showed few base changes, mainly clustered in R and U5. The LTR from a moderately leukemogenic passaged BL/VL3 RadLV had conserved the C-rich sequence and acquired a 43-base-pair direct repeat in U3 and several other point mutations, small insertions, and deletions scattered in U3, R, and U5. All cloned primary RadLVs were fibrotropic, and some were weakly leukemogenic. All cloned BL/VL3 RadLVs were thymotropic and nonfibrotropic. The block of their replication was found to be after the synthesis of unintegrated linear and supercoiled viral DNA. Most of the BL/VL3 RadLVs were moderately leukemogenic, and one (V-13) was highly leukemogenic, being as virulent as the Moloney strain. We propose a model for the emergence of the RadLV variants and show that the virus responsible for the high leukemogenic potential of BL/VL3 preparation is a nondefective, ecotropic, lymphotropic, nonfibrotropic, unique retrovirus which most likely arose from a parental primary RadLV similar to those studied here

  14. PROBING THE TRANSITION BETWEEN THE SYNCHROTRON AND INVERSE-COMPTON SPECTRAL COMPONENTS OF 1ES 1959+650

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bottacini, E.; Schady, P.; Rau, A.; Zhang, X.-L.; Greiner, J.; Boettcher, M.; Ajello, M.; Fendt, C.

    2010-01-01

    1ES 1959+650 is one of the most remarkable high-peaked BL Lacertae objects (HBL). In 2002, it exhibited a TeV γ-ray flare without a similar brightening of the synchrotron component at lower energies. This orphan TeV flare remained a mystery. We present the results of a multifrequency campaign, triggered by the INTEGRAL IBIS detection of 1ES 1959+650. Our data range from the optical to hard X-ray energies, thus covering the synchrotron and inverse-Compton components simultaneously. We observed the source with INTEGRAL, the Swift X-Ray Telescope, and the UV-Optical Telescope, and nearly simultaneously with a ground-based optical telescope. The steep spectral component at X-ray energies is most likely due to synchrotron emission, while at soft γ-ray energies the hard spectral index may be interpreted as the onset of the high-energy component of the blazar spectral energy distribution (SED). This is the first clear measurement of a concave X-ray-soft γ-ray spectrum for an HBL. The SED can be well modeled with a leptonic synchrotron self-Compton model. When the SED is fitted this model requires a very hard electron spectral index of q ∼ 1.85, possibly indicating the relevance of second-order Fermi acceleration.

  15. Hydrogeologic Characterization of the U-3bl Collapse Zone

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    NSTec Geotechnical Services

    2006-01-01

    The U-3bl collapse crater was formed by an underground nuclear test in August 1962. This crater and the adjoining U-3ax crater were subsequently developed and used as a bulk low-level radioactive waste disposal cell (U-3ax/bl), which is part of the Area 3 Radioactive Waste Management Site at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). Various investigations have been conducted to assess the hydrogeologic characteristics and properties in the vicinity of the U-3ax/bl waste disposal cell. This report presents data from one of these investigations, conducted in 1996. Also included in this report is a review of pertinent nuclear testing records, which shows that the testing operations and hydrogeologic setting of the U-3ax/bl site were typical for the period and location of testing. Borehole U-3bl-D2 is a 45-degree-angle hole drilled from the edge of the crater under the waste cell to intercept the U-3bl collapse zone, the disturbed alluvium between the crater (surface collapse sink) and the nuclear test cavity. A casing-advance system with an air percussion hammer was used to drill the borehole, and air was used as the drilling fluid. Properties of the U-3bl crater collapse zone were determined from cores collected within the interval, 42.1 to 96.6 meters (138 to 317 feet) below the ground surface. Selected core samples were analyzed for particle density, particle size, bulk density, water retention, hydraulic conductivity, water content, water potential, chloride, carbonate, stable isotopes, and tritium. Physical and hydraulic properties were typical of alluvial valley sediments at the NTS. No visual evidence of preferential pathways for water transport was observed in the core samples. Soil parameters showed no trends with depth. Volumetric water content values ranged from 0.08 to 0.20 cubic meters per cubic meter, and tended to increase with depth. Water-retention relations were typical for soils of similar texture. Water potentials ranged from -1.9 MegaPascals at a depth of 42

  16. Asymmetric Gepner models III. B-L lifting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gato-Rivera, B. [NIKHEF Theory Group, Kruislaan 409, 1098 SJ Amsterdam (Netherlands); Instituto de Fisica Fundamental, CSIC, Serrano 123, Madrid 28006 (Spain); Schellekens, A.N., E-mail: t58@nikhef.n [NIKHEF Theory Group, Kruislaan 409, 1098 SJ Amsterdam (Netherlands); Instituto de Fisica Fundamental, CSIC, Serrano 123, Madrid 28006 (Spain); IMAPP, Radboud Universiteit, Nijmegen (Netherlands)

    2011-06-21

    In the same spirit as heterotic weight lifting, B-L lifting is a way of replacing the superfluous and ubiquitous U(1){sub B-L} with something else with the same modular properties, but different conformal weights and ground state dimensions. This method works in principle for all variants of (2,2) constructions, such as orbifolds, Calabi-Yau manifolds, free bosons and fermions and Gepner models, since it only modifies the universal SO(10)xE{sub 8} part of the CFT. However, it can only yield chiral spectra if the 'internal' sector of the theory provides a simple current of order 5. Here we apply this new method to Gepner models. Including exceptional invariants, 86 of them have the required order 5 simple current, and 69 of these yield chiral spectra. Three family spectra occur abundantly.

  17. Intermediate-range structure of amorphous GeSe{sub 2} alloy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Murakami, Y. [Department of Material and Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-8560 (Japan)], E-Mail: su105@kdeve.kj.yamagata-u.ac.jp; Usuki, T. [Department of Material and Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-8560 (Japan); Sakurai, M. [Institute for Material Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); Kohara, S. [Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, Sayo, Hyogo 769-5198 (Japan)

    2007-03-25

    Neutron and high-energy X-ray diffraction measurements have been carried out at KENS-KEK and SPring-8, in order to investigate detailed structures of amorphous GeSe{sub 2} prepared by the rapid quenching method. Considerable intermediate-range ordering is evident from the presence of a first sharp diffraction peak at low magnetides of the scattering vector. Well-defined first and second peaks are found at around 2.36 and 3.90 A in the pair distribution function g(r). A small shoulder related to the existence of edge-sharing tetrahedral units is observed at a shorter r side of the second peak in g(r). Partial distribution functions, partial structure factors and bond-angle distributions can be obtained by Reverse Monte Carlo simulation. Results suggest that there are homo-polar bonds in tetrahedral structural units, and then the glass network is constructed by not only corner-sharing but also edge-sharing tetrahedra.

  18. Infrared variability of the BL lacertae object OJ287 since its outburst in 1983

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gear, W.K.; Robson, E.I.; Brown, L.M.J.

    1986-01-01

    In early 1983, OJ287 was seen to undergo an outburst in its optical and infrared emission. The authors have monitored the near-infrared emission since the outburst. The fluxes have fluctuated considerably, with the lowest recordings being an order of magnitude less than those measured during the outburst. An excellent correlation between infrared flux and spectral index has been found; as the source gets fainter the spectrum gets steeper, and vice versa. (author)

  19. CNN-BLPred: a Convolutional neural network based predictor for β-Lactamases (BL) and their classes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Clarence; Ismail, Hamid D; Saigo, Hiroto; Kc, Dukka B

    2017-12-28

    The β-Lactamase (BL) enzyme family is an important class of enzymes that plays a key role in bacterial resistance to antibiotics. As the newly identified number of BL enzymes is increasing daily, it is imperative to develop a computational tool to classify the newly identified BL enzymes into one of its classes. There are two types of classification of BL enzymes: Molecular Classification and Functional Classification. Existing computational methods only address Molecular Classification and the performance of these existing methods is unsatisfactory. We addressed the unsatisfactory performance of the existing methods by implementing a Deep Learning approach called Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). We developed CNN-BLPred, an approach for the classification of BL proteins. The CNN-BLPred uses Gradient Boosted Feature Selection (GBFS) in order to select the ideal feature set for each BL classification. Based on the rigorous benchmarking of CCN-BLPred using both leave-one-out cross-validation and independent test sets, CCN-BLPred performed better than the other existing algorithms. Compared with other architectures of CNN, Recurrent Neural Network, and Random Forest, the simple CNN architecture with only one convolutional layer performs the best. After feature extraction, we were able to remove ~95% of the 10,912 features using Gradient Boosted Trees. During 10-fold cross validation, we increased the accuracy of the classic BL predictions by 7%. We also increased the accuracy of Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D performance by an average of 25.64%. The independent test results followed a similar trend. We implemented a deep learning algorithm known as Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to develop a classifier for BL classification. Combined with feature selection on an exhaustive feature set and using balancing method such as Random Oversampling (ROS), Random Undersampling (RUS) and Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE), CNN-BLPred performs

  20. Insights into North Atlantic deep water formation during the peak interglacial interval of Marine Isotope Stage 9 (MIS 9)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mokeddem, Zohra; McManus, Jerry F.

    2017-11-01

    Foraminifera abundance and stable isotope records from ODP Site 984 (61.25°N, 24.04°W, 1648 m) in the North Atlantic are used to reconstruct surface circulation variations and the relative strength of the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) formation over the period spanning the peak warmth of Marine Interglacial Stage (MIS) 9e ( 324-336 ka). This interval includes the preceding deglaciation, Termination 4 (T4), and the subsequent glacial inception of MIS 9d. The records indicate a greatly reduced contribution of NADW during T4, as observed in more recent deglaciations. In contrast with the most recent deglaciation, the lack of a significant NADW signal extended from T4 well into the peak interglacial MIS 9e and persisted nearly until the transition to the subsequent glacial stage MIS 9d. Although NADW formation resumed during MIS 9e, only depths greater than 2000 m appear to have been ventilated. The poorly ventilated intermediate depth of Site 984 (<2000 m) may have resulted on one hand from a general reduction of deep water ventilation by NADW during the study interval or, on the other hand, from different pathways of the spread of newly formed NADW that bypassed the study location. The intermediate depths may have also been invaded by southern-sourced waters as the formation of intermediate depth NADW weakened. The absence of any significant NADW signal at the water depth of Site 984 during the climatic optimum contrasts sharply with subsequent interglacial peaks (MIS 5e and the Holocene). Despite the perturbed intermediate depth circulation, oceanic heat transport northeastward was not interrupted and may have contributed to the relatively mild interglacial conditions of MIS 9e.

  1. Clinical Chemistry Reference Intervals for C57BL/6J, C57BL/6N, and C3HeB/FeJ Mice (Mus musculus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Otto, Gordon P; Rathkolb, Birgit; Oestereicher, Manuela A; Lengger, Christoph J; Moerth, Corinna; Micklich, Kateryna; Fuchs, Helmut; Gailus-Durner, Valérie; Wolf, Eckhard; Hrabě de Angelis, Martin

    2016-01-01

    Although various mouse inbred strains are widely used to investigate disease mechanisms and to establish new therapeutic strategies, sex-specific reference intervals for laboratory diagnostic analytes that are generated from large numbers of animals have been unavailable. In this retrospective study, we screened data from more than 12,000 mice phenotyped in the German Mouse Clinic from January 2006 through June 2014 and selected animals with the genetic background of C57BL/6J, C57BL/6N, or C3HeB/FeJ. In addition, we distinguished between the C57BL/6NTac substrain and C57BL/6N mice received from other vendors. The corresponding data sets of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, inorganic phosphate), lipids (cholesterol, triglyceride), and enzyme activities (ALT, AST, ALP, α-amylase) and urea, albumin, and total protein levels were analyzed. Significant effects of age and sex on these analytes were identified, and strain- or substrain- and sex-specific reference intervals for 90- to 135-d-old mice were calculated. In addition, we include an overview of the literature that reports clinical chemistry values for wild-type mice of different strains. Our results support researchers interpreting clinical chemistry values from various mouse mutants and corresponding wild-type controls based on the examined strains and substrains.

  2. MULTI-WAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS OF THE FLARING GAMMA-RAY BLAZAR 3C 66A IN 2008 OCTOBER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdo, A. A.; Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Bechtol, K.; Berenji, B.; Blandford, R. D.; Borgland, A. W.; Bouvier, A.; Buehler, R.; Baldini, L.; Bellazzini, R.; Bregeon, J.; Brez, A.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Buson, S.; Bonamente, E.; Brigida, M.; Bruel, P.

    2011-01-01

    The BL Lacertae object 3C 66A was detected in a flaring state by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and VERITAS in 2008 October. In addition to these gamma-ray observations, F-GAMMA, GASP-WEBT, PAIRITEL, MDM, ATOM, Swift, and Chandra provided radio to X-ray coverage. The available light curves show variability and, in particular, correlated flares are observed in the optical and Fermi-LAT gamma-ray band. The resulting spectral energy distribution can be well fitted using standard leptonic models with and without an external radiation field for inverse Compton scattering. It is found, however, that only the model with an external radiation field can accommodate the intra-night variability observed at optical wavelengths.

  3. Monsters in the sky

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maffei, P.

    1980-01-01

    The book treats astronomical objects and phenomena which remain unexplained or unproven by current investigators. Specific objects discussed include comets, satellite clouds surrounding the earth, tektites, the planet Vulcan (within the orbit of Mercury), Planet X (beyond Pluto), the Gum Nebula, planetary nebulae, supernovae, supernova remnants, transient X-ray sources, the possible extinction of the dinosaurs by an X-ray explosion and super-supernovae. Attention is also given to the star Eta Carinae, black holes, BL Lacertae objects, active galaxies, Markarian galaxies, N and compact galaxies, Seyfert galaxies, quasars, redshift anomalies, Stephan's quintet of galaxies, and intergalactic black holes or black dwarfs which may account for the mass necessary to bind together clusters of galaxies

  4. Multi-epoch intranight optical monitoring of eight radio-quiet BL Lac candidates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, P.; Gopal-Krishna; Stalin, C. S.; Chand, H.; Srianand, R.; Petitjean, P.

    2017-10-01

    For a new sample of eight weak-line quasars (WLQs) we report a sensitive search in 20 intranight monitoring sessions, for blazar-like optical flux variations on hour-like and longer time-scale (day/month/year-like). The sample consists exclusively of the WLQs that are not radio-loud and either have been classified as 'radio-weak probable BL Lac candidates' and/or are known to have exhibited at least one episode of large, blazar-like optical variability. Whereas only a hint of intranight variability is seen for two of these WLQs, J104833.5+620305.0 (z = 0.219) and J133219.6+622715.9 (z = 3.15), statistically significant internight variability at a few per cent level is detected for three of the sources, including the radio-intermediate WLQ J133219.6+622715.9 (z = 3.15) and the well-known bona fide radio-quiet WLQs J121221.5+534128.0 (z = 3.10) and WLQ J153259.9-003944.1 (z = 4.62). In the rest frame, this variability is intraday and in the far-ultraviolet band. On the time-scale of a decade, we find for three of the WLQs large brightness changes, amounting to 1.655 ± 0.009, 0.163 ± 0.010 and 0.144 ± 0.018 mag, for J104833.5+620305.0, J123743.1+630144.9 and J232428.4+144324.4, respectively. Whereas the latter two are confirmed radio-quiet WLQs, the extragalactic nature of J104833.5+620305.0 remains to be well established, thanks to the absence of any feature(s) in its available optical spectra. This study forms a part of our ongoing campaign of intranight optical monitoring of radio-quiet WLQs, in order to improve the understanding of this enigmatic class of active galactic nuclei and to look among them for a possible tiny, elusive population of radio-quiet BL Lacs.

  5. The intermediate disturbance hypothesis applies to tropical forests, but disturbance contributes little to tree diversity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bongers, Frans; Poorter, Lourens; Hawthorne, William D; Sheil, Douglas

    2009-08-01

    The intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH) predicts local species diversity to be maximal at an intermediate level of disturbance. Developed to explain species maintenance and diversity patterns in species-rich ecosystems such as tropical forests, tests of IDH in tropical forest remain scarce, small-scale and contentious. We use an unprecedented large-scale dataset (2504 one-hectare plots and 331,567 trees) to examine whether IDH explains tree diversity variation within wet, moist and dry tropical forests, and we analyse the underlying mechanism by determining responses within functional species groups. We find that disturbance explains more variation in diversity of dry than wet tropical forests. Pioneer species numbers increase with disturbance, shade-tolerant species decrease and intermediate species are indifferent. While diversity indeed peaks at intermediate disturbance levels little variation is explained outside dry forests, and disturbance is less important for species richness patterns in wet tropical rain forests than previously thought.

  6. Reactions of green lizards (Lacerta viridis) to major repellent compounds secreted by Graphosoma lineatum (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gregorovičová, Martina; Černíková, Alena

    2015-06-01

    The chemical defence of Heteroptera is primarily based on repellent secretions which signal the potential toxicity of the bug to its predators. We tested the aversive reactions of green lizards (Lacerta viridis) towards the major compounds of the defensive secretion of Graphosoma lineatum, specifically: (i) a mixture of three aldehydes: (E)-hex-2-enal, (E)-oct-2-enal, (E)-dec-2-enal; (ii) a mixture of these three aldehydes and tridecane; (iii) oxoaldehyde: (E)-4-oxohex-2-enal; (iv) secretion extracted from metathoracic scent glands of G. lineatum adults and (v) hexane as a non-polar solvent. All chemicals were presented on a palatable food (Tenebrio molitor larvae). The aversive reactions of the green lizards towards the mealworms were evaluated by observing the approach latencies, attack latencies and approach-attack intervals. The green lizards exhibited a strong aversive reaction to the mixture of three aldehydes. Tridecane reduced the aversive reaction to the aldehyde mixture. Oxoaldehyde caused the weakest, but still significant, aversive reaction. The secretion from whole metathoracic scent glands also clearly had an aversive effect on the green lizards. Moreover, when a living specimen of G. lineatum or Pyrrhocoris apterus (another aposematic red-and-black prey) was presented to the green lizards before the trials with the aldehyde mixture, the aversive effect of the mixture was enhanced. In conclusion, the mixture of three aldehydes had the strong aversive effect and could signal the potential toxicity of G. lineatum to the green lizards. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  7. Intermediate valence spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gunnarsson, O.; Schoenhammer, K.

    1987-01-01

    Spectroscopic properties of intermediate valence compounds are studied using the Anderson model. Due to the large orbital and spin degeneracy N/sub f/ of the 4f-level, 1/N/sub f/ can be treated as a small parameter. This approach provides exact T = 0 results for the Anderson impurity model in the limit N/sub f/ → ∞, and by adding 1/N/sub f/ corrections some properties can be calculated accurately even for N/sub f/ = 1 or 2. In particular valence photoemission and resonance photoemission spectroscopies are studied. A comparison of theoretical and experimental spectra provides an estimate of the parameters in the model. Core level photoemission spectra provide estimates of the coupling between the f-level and the conduction states and of the f-level occupancy. With these parameters the model gives a fair description of other electron spectroscopies. For typical parameters the model predicts two structures in the f-spectrum, namely one structure at the f-level and one at the Fermi energy. The resonance photoemission calculation gives a photon energy dependence for these two peaks in fair agreement with experiment. The peak at the Fermi energy is partly due to a narrow Kondo resonance, resulting from many-body effects and the presence of a continuous, partly filled conduction band. This resonance is related to a large density of low-lying excitations, which explains the large susceptibility and specific heat observed for these systems at low temperatures. 38 references, 11 figures, 2 tables

  8. BL.-SL. *balnā „brazdas; oda“

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vincas Urbutis

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available BL.-SL. *balnā "SPLINT; HAUT"ZusammenfassungSl. *bolna „Splint (weiche saftige Holzschicht unter der Rinde; dünnes Häutchen, Haut“ (vgl. russ. болона́ „Splint“, čech. blána „dünnes Häutchen; Splint; (ačech. Haut, Fell“ hatte früher seine genaue formelle und semantische Entsprechung lit. *balna, von dem das Verb balnóti „schlagen, prügeln“ gebildet ist, dessen frühere Bedeutung „schälen, abhäuten“ war, vgl. nubalnóti „abscheuern, abhäuten, Haut abreißen“. Das läßt annehmen bl.—sl. *balnā „Splint; Haut“ — eine substantivierte feminine Form von dem Adjektiv, dessen Fortsetzung lit. bálnas (bal̃nas,-à „weiß, mit dem weißen Rücken (von einem Ochsen oder einer Kuh“ ist.

  9. CHARACTERIZATION OF A SAMPLE OF INTERMEDIATE-TYPE AGNs. I. SPECTROSCOPIC PROPERTIES AND SERENDIPITOUS DISCOVERY OF NEW DUAL AGNs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Benitez, Erika; Cruz-Gonzalez, Irene; Martinez, Benoni; Jimenez-Bailon, Elena [Instituto de Astronomia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Apdo. Postal 70-264, Mexico D.F. 04510 (Mexico); Mendez-Abreu, Jairo; Lopez-Martin, Luis [Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, E-38200 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Fuentes-Carrera, Isaura [Escuela Superior de Fisica y Matematicas, Instituto Politecnico Nacional (ESFM-IPN), U.P. Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Mexico D.F. 07730 (Mexico); Leon-Tavares, Jonathan [Aalto University Metsaehovi Radio Observatory, Metsaehovintie 114, FI-02540, Kylmaelae (Finland); Chavushyan, Vahram H., E-mail: erika@astro.unam.mx [Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica, Apdo. Postal 51-216, 72000 Puebla (Mexico)

    2013-01-20

    A sample of 10 nearby intermediate-type active galactic nuclei (AGNs) drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey is presented. The aim of this work is to provide estimations of the black hole (BH) mass for the sample galaxies from the dynamics of the broad-line region. For this purpose, a detailed spectroscopic analysis of the objects was done. Using Baldwin-Phillips-Terlevich diagnostic diagrams, we have carefully classified the objects as true intermediate-type AGNs and found that 80%{sup +7.2%} {sub -17.3%} are composite AGNs. The BH mass estimated for the sample is within 6.54 {+-} 0.16 < log M {sub BH} < 7.81 {+-} 0.14. Profile analysis shows that five objects (J120655.63+501737.1, J121607.08+504930.0, J141238.14+391836.5, J143031.18+524225.8, and J162952.88+242638.3) have narrow double-peaked emission lines in both the red (H{alpha}, [N II] {lambda}{lambda}6548,6583 and [S II] {lambda}{lambda}6716, 6731) and the blue (H{beta} and [O III] {lambda}{lambda}4959, 5007) regions of the spectra, with velocity differences ({Delta}V) between the double peaks within 114 km s{sup -1} < {Delta}V < 256 km s{sup -1}. Two of them, J121607.08+504930.0 and J141238.14+391836.5, are candidates for dual AGNs since their double-peaked emission lines are dominated by AGN activity. In searches of dual AGNs, type 1, type II, and intermediate-type AGNs should be carefully separated, due to the high serendipitous number of narrow double-peaked sources (50% {+-} 14.4%) found in our sample.

  10. Intermediate- and short-range order in phosphorus-selenium glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bytchkov, Aleksei; Hennet, Louis; Price, David L.; Miloshova, Mariana; Bychkov, Eugene; Kohara, Shinji

    2011-01-01

    State-of-the-art neutron and x-ray diffraction measurements have been performed to provide a definitive picture of the intermediate- and short-range structures of P x Se 1-x glasses spanning two glass regions, x 0.025-0.54 and 0.64-0.84. Liquid P 4 Se 3 and amorphous red P and Se were also measured. Detailed information was obtained about the development with increasing phosphorous concentration of intermediate-range order on the length scale ∼6 A ring , based on the behavior of the first sharp diffraction peak. Attention is also paid to the feature in the structure factor at 7.5 A ring -1 , identified in earlier numerical simulations, provides further evidence of the existence of molecular units. The real-space transforms yield a reliable statistical picture of the changing short-range order as x increases, using the information about types and concentrations of local structural units provided by previous NMR measurements to interpret the trends observed.

  11. VizieR Online Data Catalog: Blazars equivalent widths and radio luminosity (Landt+, 2004)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landt, H.; Padovani, P.; Perlman, E. S.; Giommi, P.

    2004-07-01

    Blazars are currently separated into BL Lacertae objects (BL Lacs) and flat spectrum radio quasars based on the strength of their emission lines. This is performed rather arbitrarily by defining a diagonal line in the Ca H&K break value-equivalent width plane, following Marcha et al. (1996MNRAS.281..425M). We readdress this problem and put the classification scheme for blazars on firm physical grounds. We study ~100 blazars and radio galaxies from the Deep X-ray Radio Blazar Survey (DXRBS, Cat. and ) and 2-Jy radio survey and find a significant bimodality for the narrow emission line [OIII]{lambda}5007. This suggests the presence of two physically distinct classes of radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN). We show that all radio-loud AGN, blazars and radio galaxies, can be effectively separated into weak- and strong-lined sources using the [OIII]{lambda}5007-[OII]{lambda}3727 equivalent width plane. This plane allows one to disentangle orientation effects from intrinsic variations in radio-loud AGN. Based on DXRBS, the strongly beamed sources of the new class of weak-lined radio-loud AGN are made up of BL Lacs at the ~75 per cent level, whereas those of the strong-lined radio-loud AGN include mostly (~97 per cent) quasars. (4 data files).

  12. VizieR Online Data Catalog: The CLASS BL Lac sample (Marcha+, 2013)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marcha, M. J. M.; Caccianiga, A.

    2014-04-01

    This paper presents a new sample of BL Lac objects selected from a deep (30mJy) radio survey of flat spectrum radio sources (the CLASS blazar survey). The sample is one of the largest well-defined samples in the low-power regime with a total of 130 sources of which 55 satisfy the 'classical' optical BL Lac selection criteria, and the rest have indistinguishable radio properties. The primary goal of this study is to establish the radio luminosity function (RLF) on firm statistical ground at low radio luminosities where previous samples have not been able to investigate. The gain of taking a peek at lower powers is the possibility to search for the flattening of the luminosity function which is a feature predicted by the beaming model but which has remained elusive to observational confirmation. In this study, we extend for the first time the BL Lac RLF down to very low radio powers ~1022W/Hz, i.e. two orders of magnitude below the RLF currently available in the literature. In the process, we confirm the importance of adopting a broader, and more physically meaningful set of classification criteria to avoid the systematic missing of low-luminosity BL Lacs. Thanks to the good statistics we confirm the existence of weak but significant positive cosmological evolution for the BL Lac population, and we detect, for the first time the flattening of the RLF at L~1025W/Hz in agreement with the predictions of the beaming model. (1 data file).

  13. NLO+NLL collider bounds, Dirac fermion and scalar dark matter in the B-L model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klasen, Michael [Westfaelische Wilhelms-Universitaet Muenster, Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Muenster (Germany); Lyonnet, Florian [Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX (United States); Queiroz, Farinaldo S. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Particle and Astroparticle Physics Division, Heidelberg (Germany)

    2017-05-15

    Baryon and lepton numbers being accidental global symmetries of the Standard Model (SM), it is natural to promote them to local symmetries. However, to preserve anomaly-freedom, only combinations of B-L are viable. In this spirit, we investigate possible dark matter realizations in the context of the U(1){sub B-L} model: (i) Dirac fermion with unbroken B-L; (ii) Dirac fermion with broken B-L; (iii) scalar dark matter; (iv) two-component dark matter. We compute the relic abundance, direct and indirect detection observables and confront them with recent results from Planck, LUX-2016, and Fermi-LAT and prospects from XENON1T. In addition to the well-known LEP bound M{sub Z}{sup {sub '}}/g{sub BL} >or similar 7 TeV, we include often ignored LHC bounds using 13 TeV dilepton (dimuon + dielectron) data at next-to-leading order plus next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy. We show that, for gauge couplings smaller than 0.4, the LHC gives rise to the strongest collider limit. In particular, we find M{sub Z}{sup {sub '}}/g{sub BL} > 8.7 TeV for g{sub BL} = 0.3. We conclude that the NLO+NLL corrections improve the dilepton bounds on the Z{sup '} mass and that both dark matter candidates are only viable in the Z{sup '} resonance region, with the parameter space for scalar dark matter being fully probed by XENON1T. Lastly, we show that one can successfully have a minimal two-component dark matter model. (orig.)

  14. Environmental Compliance Assessment and Management System (ECAMP), U.S. Air Force - German Supplement

    Science.gov (United States)

    1993-10-01

    lizard *Lacerta parva Zwerg-Zaumeidecbse dwad sand lizard *Lacerta. princeps Zagros-Eidecbse Zagros’ lizard *Lacerta viridis Smaragdeidechse green...Moschusbock musk beetle oak beetle Agrilus viridis Buchenprachtkaefer beech beetle (Lsubholzprachtksefer) deciduous tree beetles Anthaxia quadiipunctata...meadow sulfur -all European species not individually listed *Coistra. fragariae Erdbeereule strawberry moth *Consta. veronicae Rotbraune Wintereule red

  15. [A peak recognition algorithm designed for chromatographic peaks of transformer oil].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ou, Linjun; Cao, Jian

    2014-09-01

    In the field of the chromatographic peak identification of the transformer oil, the traditional first-order derivative requires slope threshold to achieve peak identification. In terms of its shortcomings of low automation and easy distortion, the first-order derivative method was improved by applying the moving average iterative method and the normalized analysis techniques to identify the peaks. Accurate identification of the chromatographic peaks was realized through using multiple iterations of the moving average of signal curves and square wave curves to determine the optimal value of the normalized peak identification parameters, combined with the absolute peak retention times and peak window. The experimental results show that this algorithm can accurately identify the peaks and is not sensitive to the noise, the chromatographic peak width or the peak shape changes. It has strong adaptability to meet the on-site requirements of online monitoring devices of dissolved gases in transformer oil.

  16. Observations Of Gamma-ray Loud Blazars With The VLBA At 5 GHz

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linford, Justin; Taylor, G. B.; Romani, R.; Readhead, A. C. S.; Reeves, R.; Richards, J. L.; Helmboldt, J. F.

    2011-01-01

    The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has been scanning the sky for more than a year. About half of the sources detected by Fermi's Large Area Telesope (LAT) are active galactic nuclei (AGN). Nearly all of these gamma-ray loud AGN are blazars; strong, compact radio emitters that exhibit variability in their flux and apparent superluminal motion in their jets. Several groups are currently monitoring the radio properties of these gamma-ray loud blazars. We present results from both archival and contemporaneous observations of 200 LAT-detected blazars using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at a frequency of 5 GHz (wavelength of 6 cm). Our large, flux-limited sample provides unique insights into the mechanism that produces strong gamma-ray emissions. We explore the parsec-scale properties of the cores and jets of these highly energetic objects, including core polarization. We compare the gamma-ray loud blazars to their gamma-ray quiet counterparts in the VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey (VIPS). We also investigate the differences between the BL Lacertae objects (BL Lacs) and flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs).

  17. FAINT RADIO-SOURCES WITH PEAKED SPECTRA .1. VLA OBSERVATIONS OF A NEW SAMPLE WITH INTERMEDIATE FLUX-DENSITIES

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    SNELLEN, IAG; ZHANG, M; SCHILIZZI, RT; ROTTGERING, HJA; DEBRUYN, AG; MILEY, GK

    We present 2 and 20 cm observations with the VLA of 25 candidate peaked spectrum radio sources. These data combined with those from earlier surveys have allowed us to construct radio spectra spanning a range of frequency from 0.3 to 15 GHz. Ten of the 25 sources are found to be variable with no

  18. Evaluation of the practical peak voltage quantity for clinical equipment in diagnostic radiology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pires, Joao dos Santos Justo

    2007-01-01

    The objective of this work is to evaluate the calculation of the Practical Peak Voltage (PPV) from the voltage waveform and the kerma contrast for two kinds of X-ray equipment: a single phase clinical equipment, a three phase clinical equipment. The PPV from a mammography system voltage waveform will also be established. The development of this work involves intermediate objectives that indicate the quality of the used methods to calculate the PPV. One of these intermediate objectives is the comparison between the invasive calculations of PPV (using a voltage divider) with the response of kVp meter that calculate the PPV. Another intermediate objective is to compare the PPV with the Contrast Equivalent Voltage (the original non-invasive PPV definition). The variation of the PPV with quantities that influence in the voltage waveform like ripple and sample rate will also be contemplated in this work. The results showed that the PPV quantity could be invasive determined trustworthy. Therefore, the ripple quantity is the mainly influence to determinate the PPV that affecting the non-invasive determination. This fact suggest that the non-invasive instruments manufacturers must reevaluate the calculation of the PPV quantity in their instruments. (author)

  19. CLUSTERING OF γ-RAY-SELECTED 2LAC FERMI BLAZARS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Allevato, V.; Finoguenov, A. [Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2a, FI-00014 Helsinki (Finland); Cappelluti, N. [University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 (United States)

    2014-12-20

    We present the first measurement of the projected correlation function of 485 γ-ray-selected blazars, divided into 175 BL Lacertae (BL Lacs) and 310 flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) detected in the 2 year all-sky survey by the Fermi-Large Area Telescope. We find that Fermi BL Lacs and FSRQs reside in massive dark matter halos (DMHs) with log M{sub h} = 13.35{sub −0.14}{sup +0.20} and log M{sub h} = 13.40{sub −0.19}{sup +0.15} h {sup –1} M {sub ☉}, respectively, at low (z ∼ 0.4) and high (z ∼ 1.2) redshift. In terms of clustering properties, these results suggest that BL Lacs and FSRQs are similar objects residing in the same dense environment typical of galaxy groups, despite their different spectral energy distributions, power, and accretion rates. We find no difference in the typical bias and hosting halo mass between Fermi blazars and radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs), supporting the unification scheme simply equating radio-loud objects with misaligned blazar counterparts. This similarity in terms of the typical environment they preferentially live in, suggests that blazars tend to occupy the center of DMHs, as already pointed out for radio-loud AGNs. This implies, in light of several projects looking for the γ-ray emission from DM annihilation in galaxy clusters, a strong contamination from blazars to the expected signal from DM annihilation.

  20. Ethanol inhibits B16-BL6 melanoma metastasis and cell phenotypes associated with metastasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kushiro, Kyoko; Núñez, Nomelí P

    2012-01-01

    Every year, approximately 68,000 new cases of malignant melanoma are diagnosed in the US. Ethanol consumption inhibits metastasis of melanoma in mice, but the mechanism is not well understood. C57BL/6J ob/+ mice, given either water or 20% ethanol, were injected intravenously with B16-BL6 melanoma cells to determine pulmonary metastasis. The effects of ethanol on cell phenotypes and markers of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition were determined in cell culture. In mice, ethanol consumption inhibited experimental pulmonary metastasis. This inhibition was associated with decreased body weight, and levels of systemic leptin, and insulin. In cell culture, ethanol inhibited B16-BL6 cell motility, invasion, and anchorage-independent growth. Additionally, ethanol reduced Snai1 expression and increased E-cadherin expression. Lastly, ethanol increased the expression of Kiss1 metastasis-suppressor and the metastasis suppressor Nm23/nucleoside diphosphate kinase. In both animal and in cell culture conditions, ethanol inhibited the metastatic ability of B16-BL6 melanoma cells.

  1. A contibution to the knowledge of the trophic spectrum of three lacertid lizards from Bulgaria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ivelin Mollov

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available A study on the trophic spectrum of three species of lacertid lizards (Lacerta agilis, Lacerta trilineata and Podarcis muralis was carried out, based on 20 specimens collected in the period 1967-1973 in various localities in Bulgaria. The analyzed data showed that the insects (Insecta are the most numerous and the most frequently met among the alimentary components of the total amount of food of the studied stomachs (except for Lacerta agilis, where spiders are slightly predominating. The non-insect components consisted spiders and isopods. The largest niche breadth was recorded in Lacerta trilineata (8.25, followed by Podarcis muralis (5.20 and Lacerta agilis (3.44. The niche overlap between the three species (pair-wise comparison showed medium values and in our opinion there should not be any serious competition for food resources at the places withsympatric distribution.

  2. Intermediate treatments

    Science.gov (United States)

    John R. Jones; Wayne D. Shepperd

    1985-01-01

    Intermediate treatments are those applied after a new stand is successfully established and before the final harvest. These include not only intermediate cuttings - primarily thinning - but also fertilization, irrigation, and protection of the stand from damaging agents.

  3. Roma-BZCAT: a multifrequency catalogue of blazars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Massaro, E.; Giommi, P.; Leto, C.; Marchegiani, P.; Maselli, A.; Perri, M.; Piranomonte, S.; Sclavi, S.

    2009-02-01

    We present a new catalogue of blazars based on multifrequency surveys and on an extensive review of the literature. Blazars are classified as BL Lacertae objects, as flat spectrum radio quasars or as blazars of uncertain/transitional type. Each object is identified by a root name, coded as BZB, BZQ and BZU for these three subclasses respectively, and by its coordinates. This catalogue is being built as a tool useful for the identification of the extragalactic sources that will be detected by present and future experiments for X and gamma-ray astronomy, like Swift, AGILE, Fermi-GLAST and Simbol-X. An electronic version is available from the ASI Science Data Center web site at http://www.asdc.asi.it/bzcat.

  4. Construction and performance of BL28 of the Photon Factory for circularly polarized synchrotron radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kagoshima, Y.; Muto, S.; Miyahara, T.; Koide, T.; Yamamoto, S.; Kitamura, H.

    1992-01-01

    A branch beamline, BL28A, has been constructed for the application of circularly polarized vacuum ultraviolet radiation. The radiation can be obtained in the helical undulator operation mode of an insertion device, EMPW number-sign 28, which is also cut for elliptically polarized hard x-ray radiation. T first harmonic of the helical undulator radiation can be tuned from 40 to 350 eV with its corresponding K value from 3 to 0.2. A monochromator working basically with constant deviation optics was installed, and has started its operation. A circularly polarized flux of ∼10 10 photons/s has been achieved with energy resolution of around 500--1000 at the first harmonic peak. The circular polarization after the monochromator was estimated to be higher than 70% by comparing theory and experiment on the magnetic circular dichroism of nickel films in the 3p-3d excitation region. The design philosophy of the beamline and recent results on the performance tests are presented

  5. Construction and performance of BL28 of the Photon Factory for circularly polarized synchrotron radiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kagoshima, Yasushi; Muto, Sadatsugu; Miyahara, Tsuneaki; Koide, Tsuneharu; Yamamoto, Shigeru; Kitamura, Hideo

    1992-01-01

    A branch beamline, BL28A, has been constructed for the application of circularly polarized vacuum ultraviolet radiation. The radiation can be obtained in the helical undulator operation mode of an insertion device, EMPW♯28, which is also cut for elliptically polarized hard x-ray radiation. T first harmonic of the helical undulator radiation can be tuned from 40 to 350 eV with its corresponding K value from 3 to 0.2. A monochromator working basically with constant deviation optics was installed, and has started its operation. A circularly polarized flux of ˜1010 photons/s has been achieved with energy resolution of around 500-1000 at the first harmonic peak. The circular polarization after the monochromator was estimated to be higher than 70% by comparing theory and experiment on the magnetic circular dichroism of nickel films in the 3p-3d excitation region. The design philosophy of the beamline and recent results on the performance tests are presented.

  6. Abnormally banded chromosomal regions in doxorubicin-resistant B16-BL6 murine melanoma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slovak, M L; Hoeltge, G A; Ganapathi, R

    1986-08-01

    B16-BL6 murine melanoma cells were selected for cytogenetic evaluation during the stepwise development of increasing resistance in vitro to the antitumor antibiotic, doxorubicin (DOX). Karyotypic studies demonstrated extensive heteroploidy with both numerical and structural abnormalities which were not present in the parental DOX-sensitive B16-BL6 cells. Trypsin-Giemsa banding revealed the presence of several marker chromosomes containing abnormally banding regions (ABRs) in the 44-fold B16-BL6 DOX-resistant subline. These ABRs appeared to be more homogeneously staining at the higher DOX concentrations. Length measurements (ABR index) in seven banded metaphases indicated a direct correlation with increasing DOX concentration. When the DOX-resistant cells were grown in drug-free medium for 1 yr, the drug-resistant phenotype gradually declined in parallel with the level of resistance and the ABR index. DOX-induced cytogenetic damage examined by sister chromatid exchange methodology in parental B16-BL6 cells indicated a linear sister chromatid exchange:DOX dose-response relationship. However, after continuous treatment of parental B16-BL6 cells with DOX (0.01 microgram/ml) for 30 days, sister chromatid exchange scores were found to return to base-line values. The B16-BL6 resistant cells demonstrated a cross-resistant phenotype with N-trifluoroacetyladriamycin-14-valerate, actinomycin D, and the Vinca alkaloids but not with 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine. The results suggest that ABR-containing chromosomes in DOX-resistant sublines may represent cytogenetic alterations of specific amplified genes involved in the expression of DOX resistance. Further studies are required to identify and define the possible gene products and to correlate their relationship to the cytotoxic action of doxorubicin.

  7. Stingray-inspired robot with simply actuated intermediate motion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neely, Lincoln; Gaiennie, Jack; Noble, Nick; Erickson, Jonathan C.

    2016-04-01

    Batoids, or rays, utilize unique forms of locomotion that may offer more efficient techniques of motorized propulsion in various marine environments. We present a novel biomimetic engineering design and assembly of a stingray-inspired robot swimmer. The robots locomotion mimics the Dasyatis americana, or southern stingray, whose distinction among rays is its intermediate motion, characterized by sweeping strokes that propagate between 1/2-1 wavelength of the fin profile in the posterior direction. Though oscillatory ( wavelengths) ray-based robots have been created, this project demonstrates new engineering possibilities in what is, to the best of our knowledge, the first intermediately propelled batoid-based robot. The robots fins were made of silicone rubber, cast in a 3-D printed mold, with wingspan of 42 cm (1/2 - 1/5 scale for males and females, respectively, scale of model organism). Two anteriorly placed servomotors per fin were used, all controlled by one wirelessly enabled Arduino microcontroller. Each servomotor oscillated a flexible rod with cylindrical joint, whose frequency, speed, and front-back phase delay were user-programmed over wireless connection. During free-swimming tests, the fin profile developed about 0.8 wavelength, qualifying for successful mimicry of its biological inspiration. The robot satisfactorily maintained straight-line motion, reaching average peak velocity of 9.4+/-1.0 cm/s (0.27-0.03 body lengths/second) at its optimum flapping frequency of 1.4 Hz. This is in the same order of magnitude of speed normalized to body length achieved by others in two recent batoid-based projects. In summary, our robot performed intermediate stingray locomotion with relatively fewer components, which reveals robust potential for innovation of the simple intermediate batoid-based robot swimmer.

  8. Lactobacillus plantarum BL011 cultivation in industrial isolated soybean protein acid residue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chaline Caren Coghetto

    Full Text Available Abstract In this study, physiological aspects of Lactobacillus plantarum BL011 growing in a new, all-animal free medium in bioreactors were evaluated aiming at the production of this important lactic acid bacterium. Cultivations were performed in submerged batch bioreactors using the Plackett-Burman methodology to evaluate the influence of temperature, aeration rate and stirring speed as well as the concentrations of liquid acid protein residue of soybean, soy peptone, corn steep liquor, and raw yeast extract. The results showed that all variables, except for corn steep liquor, significantly influenced biomass production. The best condition was applied to bioreactor cultures, which produced a maximal biomass of 17.87 g L-1, whereas lactic acid, the most important lactic acid bacteria metabolite, peaked at 37.59 g L-1, corresponding to a productivity of 1.46 g L-1 h-1. This is the first report on the use of liquid acid protein residue of soybean medium for L. plantarum growth. These results support the industrial use of this system as an alternative to produce probiotics without animal-derived ingredients to obtain high biomass concentrations in batch bioreactors.

  9. Management applicability of the intermediate disturbance hypothesis across Mongolian rangeland ecosystems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sasaki, Takehiro; Okubo, Satoru; Okayasu, Tomoo; Jamsran, Undarmaa; Ohkuro, Toshiya; Takeuchi, Kazuhiko

    2009-03-01

    The current growing body of evidence for diversity-disturbance relationships suggests that the peaked pattern predicted by the intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH) may not be the rule. Even if ecologists could quantify the diversity-disturbance relationship consistent with the IDH, the applicability of the IDH to land management has rarely been addressed. We examined two hypotheses related to the generality and management applicability of the IDH to Mongolian rangeland ecosystems: that the diversity-disturbance relationship varies as a function of landscape condition and that some intermediate scales of grazing can play an important role in terms of sustainable rangeland management through a grazing gradient approach. We quantified the landscape condition of each ecological site using an ordination technique and determined two types of landscape conditions: relatively benign and harsh environmental conditions. At the ecological sites characterized by relatively benign environmental conditions, diversity-disturbance relationships were generally consistent with the IDH, and maximum diversity was observed at some intermediate distance from the source of the grazing gradient. In contrast, the IDH was not supported at most (but not all) sites characterized by relatively harsh environmental conditions. The intermediate levels of grazing were generally located below the ecological threshold representing the points or zones at which disturbance should be limited to prevent drastic changes in ecological conditions, suggesting that there is little "conundrum" with regard to intermediate disturbance in the studied systems in terms of land management. We suggest that the landscape condition is one of the primary factors that cause inconsistencies in diversity-disturbance relationships. The ecological threshold can extend its utility in rangeland management because it also has the compatibility with the maintenance of species diversity. This study thus suggests that some

  10. Tidal disruption of white dwarfs by intermediate mass black holes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bode T.

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Modeling ultra-close encounters between a white dwarf and a spinning, intermediate mass black hole requires a full general relativistic treatment of gravity. This paper summarizes results from such a study. Our results show that the disruption process and prompt accretion of the debris strongly depend on the magnitude and orientation of the black hole spin. On the other hand, the late-time accretion onto the black hole follows the same decay, Ṁ ∝  t−5/3, estimated from Newtonian gravity disruption studies. The spectrum of the fallback material peaks in the soft X-rays and sustains Eddington luminosity for 1–3 yrs after the disruption. The orientation of the black hole spin has also a profound effect on how the outflowing debris obscures the central region. The disruption produces a burst of gravitational radiation with characteristic frequencies of ∼3.2 Hz and strain amplitudes of ∼10−18 for galactic intermediate mass black holes.

  11. Spectroscopy of optically selected BL Lac objects and their γ-ray emission

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sandrinelli, A.; Treves, A.; Farina, E. P.; Landoni, M. [Università degli Studi dell' Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, I-22100 Como (Italy); Falomo, R. [INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell Osservatorio 5, I-35122 Padova (Italy); Foschini, L.; Sbarufatti, B., E-mail: angela.sandrinelli@brera.inaf.it [INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via Emilio Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate (Italy)

    2013-12-01

    We present Very Large Telescope optical spectroscopy of nine BL Lac objects of unknown redshift belonging to the list of optically selected radio-loud BL Lac candidates. We explore their spectroscopic properties and possible link with gamma-ray emission. From the new observations we determine the redshifts of four objects from faint emission lines or from absorption features of their host galaxies. In three cases we find narrow intervening absorptions from which a lower limit to the redshift is inferred. For the remaining two featureless sources, lower limits to the redshift are deduced from the absence of spectral lines. A search for γ counterpart emission shows that six out of the nine candidates are Fermi γ-ray emitters and we find two new detections. Our analysis suggests that most of the BL Lac objects still lacking redshift information are most likely located at high redshifts.

  12. Induced immune response of Escherichia coli BL21 expressing recombinant MSP1a and MSP1b proteins of Anaplasma marginale

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katia Tamekuni

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available This work aims to evaluate the potential of immunization with E. coli BL21 expressing the recombinant rMSP1a and rMSP1b proteins of Anaplasma marginale. E. coli BL21 was transformed with recombinant plasmids pET102/msp1α and pET101/msp1β, and rMSP1a and rMSP1b were expressed after induction by IPTG. BALB/c mice were vaccinated with formolized BL21/rMSP1a and BL21/rMSP1b, and the production in mice sera of whole IgG was determined by ELISA. The mice immunized with BL21/rMSP1a showed a better humoral response for whole IgG when compared to the mice immunized with BL21/rMSP1b; these mice exhibited a small response after the second vaccination. Sera of mice immunized with BL21/rMSP1a reacted via western blot with BL21 and rMSP1a, with molecular masses varying from 70 to 105 kDa. Sera of mice immunized with BL21/rMSP1b reacted with BL21 and rMSP1b with a molecular mass of 100 kDa. These results demonstrate that BL21 containing rMSP1a and rMSP1b in the outer membrane were able to produce an immune response in mice, reinforcing its use in vaccine models against bovine anaplasmosis.Esse trabalho avaliou o potencial de imunização de Escherichia coli BL21 expressando as proteínas recombinantes rMSP1a e rMSP1b de Anaplasma marginale. A E. coli BL21 foi transformada com os plasmídios recombinantes pET102/msp1α e pET101/msp1β e as proteínas rMSP1a e rMSP1b foram expressas após indução com IPTG. Camundongos BALB/c foram vacinados com BL21/rMSP1a e BL21/rMSP1b formolisadas, e a produção de IgG total foi determinada pelo teste de ELISA nos soros dos camundongos imunizados. Os camundongos imunizados com a BL21/rMSP1a mostraram uma melhor resposta humoral para IgG total, comparada à resposta apresentada pelos camundongos imunizados com BL21/rMSP1b; estes camundongos exibiram uma menor resposta após a segunda vacinação. Soros de camundongos imunizados BL21/rMSP1a reagiram pelo western blot com BL21 e rMSP1a, com massa molecular variando de 70 a

  13. Regulation of methane oxidation in the facultative methanotroph Methylocella silvestris BL2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Theisen, Andreas R; Ali, M Hanif; Radajewski, Stefan; Dumont, Marc G; Dunfield, Peter F; McDonald, Ian R; Dedysh, Svetlana N; Miguez, Carlos B; Murrell, J Colin

    2005-11-01

    The molecular regulation of methane oxidation in the first fully authenticated facultative methanotroph Methylocella silvestris BL2 was assessed during growth on methane and acetate. Problems of poor growth of Methylocella spp. in small-scale batch culture were overcome by growth in fermentor culture. The genes encoding soluble methane monooxygenase were cloned and sequenced, which revealed that the structural genes for soluble methane monooxygenase, mmoXYBZDC, were adjacent to two genes, mmoR and mmoG, encoding a sigma54 transcriptional activator and a putative GroEL-like chaperone, located downstream (3') of mmoC. Transcriptional analysis revealed that the genes were all cotranscribed from a sigma54-dependent promoter located upstream (5') of mmo X. The transcriptional start site was mapped. Transcriptional analysis of soluble methane monooxygenase genes and expression studies on fermentor grown cultures showed that acetate repressed transcription of sMMO in M. silvestris BL2. The possibility of the presence of a particulate, membrane-bound methane monooxygenase enzyme in M. silvestris BL2 and the copper-mediated regulation of soluble methane monooxygenase was investigated. Both were shown to be absent. A promoter probe vector was constructed and used to assay transcription of the promoter of the soluble methane monoxygenase genes of M. silvestris BL2 grown under various conditions and with different substrates. These data represent the first insights into the molecular physiology of a facultative methanotroph.

  14. The gBL transport equations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mynick, H.E.

    1989-05-01

    The transport equations arising from the ''generalized Balescu- Lenard'' (gBL) collision operator are obtained, and some of their properties examined. The equations contain neoclassical and turbulent transport as two special cases, having the same structure. The resultant theory offers potential explanation for a number of results not well understood, including the anomalous pinch, observed ratios of Q/ΓT on TFTR, and numerical reproduction of ASDEX profiles by a model for turbulent transport invoked without derivation, but by analogy to neoclassical theory. The general equations are specialized to consideration of a number of particular transport mechanisms of interest. 10 refs

  15. Phenotypic stability of B16-BL6 melanoma exposed to low levels of tyrosine and phenylalanine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elstad, C A; Meadows, G G

    1990-01-01

    We previously demonstrated that tyrosine (Tyr) and phenylalanine (Phe) restriction suppresses metastatic heterogeneity of B16-BL6 (BL6) melanoma and selects for tumor variants with decreased metastatic potential. In this study, we investigate stability of this Tyr- and Phe-modulated tumor phenotype by sequentially transplanting BL6 in vivo into mice fed Low Tyr and Phe Diet. Metastatic potential of BL6 is suppressed after one subcutaneous passage. Suppression is unlikely to result from inhibition of tumor growth, since growth in vitro is significantly increased. The metastatic potential of the Tyr- and Phe-modulated tumor is unstable after in vivo passage, and lung colonizing ability is regenerated after ten in vivo passages. Conversely, the antimetastatic effect of Tyr and Phe restriction is stable after prolonged in vitro passage. The metastatic potential of tumors from mice fed Normal Diet is unstable after long-term in vitro culture. Sensitivity to adriamycin of BL6 from mice fed Low Tyr and Phe Diet is increased and is not altered by change in metastatic potential.

  16. Zika (PRVABC59 Infection Is Associated with T cell Infiltration and Neurodegeneration in CNS of Immunocompetent Neonatal C57Bl/6 Mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohanraj Manangeeswaran

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The recent spread of Zika virus (ZIKV and its association with increased rates of Guillain Barre and other neurological disorders as well as congenital defects that include microcephaly has created an urgent need to develop animal models to examine the pathogenesis of the disease and explore the efficacy of potential therapeutics and vaccines. Recently developed infection models for ZIKV utilize mice defective in interferon responses. In this study we establish and characterize a new model of peripheral ZIKV infection using immunocompetent neonatal C57BL/6 mice and compare its clinical progression, virus distribution, immune response, and neuropathology with that of C57BL/6-IFNAR KO mice. We show that while ZIKV infected IFNAR KO mice develop bilateral hind limb paralysis and die 5-6 days post-infection (dpi, immunocompetent B6 WT mice develop signs of neurological disease including unsteady gait, kinetic tremors, severe ataxia and seizures by 13 dpi that subside gradually over 2 weeks. Immunohistochemistry show viral antigen predominantly in cerebellum at the peak of the disease in both models. However, whereas IFNAR KO mice showed infiltration by neutrophils and macrophages and higher expression of IL-1, IL-6 and Cox2, B6 WT mice show a cellular infiltration in the CNS composed predominantly of T cells, particularly CD8+ T cells, and increased mRNA expression levels of IFNg, GzmB and Prf1 at peak of disease. Lastly, the CNS of B6 WT mice shows evidence of neurodegeneration predominantly in the cerebellum that are less prominent in mice lacking the IFN response possibly due to the difference in cellular infiltrates and rapid progression of the disease in that model. The development of the B6 WT model of ZIKV infection will provide insight into the immunopathology of the virus and facilitate assessments of possible therapeutics and vaccines.

  17. Quantitative SRXRF analysis on the BL15U1 beamline at SSRF

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Yanle; Yu Xiaohan

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, we give an introduction first to two quantification methods for synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence analysis (SRXRF), namely fundamental parameters method and Monte-Carlo simulation method, for their application on the BL15U1 beamline (hard X-ray microprobe) at SSRF (Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility). Effectiveness of the two methods is demonstrated and the XRF detection limits of the BL15U1 beamline are calculated. The results show that, quantitative analysis at the ppm level can be done using the two methods, with an accuracy of better than 10%. Although both the methods are valid for the SRXRF data analysis,the Monte Carlo method gives better analysis result, as it compares the simulated spectrum with the experiment spectrum, and this helps the determination of experiment parameters and thus minimizes the error caused by incorrect parameters. Finally, the detection limits shows that the BL15U1 beamline is capable of carrying out standard-of-the-art XRF experiment. (authors)

  18. High-energy proton irradiation of C57Bl6 mice under hindlimb unloading

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mendonca, Marc; Todd, Paul; Orschell, Christie; Chin-Sinex, Helen; Farr, Jonathan; Klein, Susan; Sokol, Paul

    2012-07-01

    Solar proton events (SPEs) pose substantial risk for crewmembers on deep space missions. It has been shown that low gravity and ionizing radiation both produce transient anemia and immunodeficiencies. We utilized the C57Bl/6 based hindlimb suspension model to investigate the consequences of hindlimb-unloading induced immune suppression on the sensitivity to whole body irradiation with modulated 208 MeV protons. Eight-week old C57Bl/6 female mice were conditioned by hindlimb-unloading. Serial CBC and hematocrit assays by HEMAVET were accumulated for the hindlimb-unloaded mice and parallel control animals subjected to identical conditions without unloading. One week of hindlimb-unloading resulted in a persistent, statistically significant 10% reduction in RBC count and a persistent, statistically significant 35% drop in lymphocyte count. This inhibition is consistent with published observations of low Earth orbit flown mice and with crewmember blood analyses. In our experiments the cell count suppression was sustained for the entire six-week period of observation and persisted for at least 7 days beyond the period of active hindlimb-unloading. C57Bl/6 mice were also irradiated with 208 MeV Spread Out Bragg Peak (SOBP) protons at the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute at the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility. We found that at 8.5 Gy hindlimb-unloaded mice were significantly more radiation sensitive with 35 lethalities out of 51 mice versus 15 out of 45 control (non-suspended) mice within 30 days of receiving 8.5 Gy of SOBP protons (p =0.001). Both control and hindlimb-unloaded stocktickerCBC analyses of 8.5 Gy proton irradiated and control mice by HEMAVET demonstrated severe reductions in WBC counts (Lymphocytes and PMNs) by day 2 post-irradiation, followed a week to ten days later by reductions in platelets, and then reductions in RBCs about 2 weeks post-irradiation. Recovery of all blood components commenced by three weeks post-irradiation. CBC analyses of 8

  19. Inhibition of B16-BL6 melanoma growth in mice by methionine-enkephalin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murgo, A J

    1985-08-01

    The antitumor effect of methionine-enkephalin [( Met]enkephalin) was demonstrated in C57BL/6J mice inoculated with B16-BL6 melanoma cells. Local subcutaneous tumor growth was inhibited with a 50-micrograms dose daily for 7 or 14 days. The antitumor effect of [Met]enkephalin was inhibited by the administration of the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone. Naloxone alone had no significant effect on tumor growth.

  20. The BL Lac objects PKS 1144-379

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nicolson, G.D.; Glass, I.S.; Feast, M.W.; Andrews, P.J.

    1979-01-01

    The highly variable radio source PKS 1144-379 has been monitored at 13 cm and 6 cm over a period of 3 years. It has been identified with an object whose photographic image is star-like. From infrared photometry, UBVRsub(KC)Isub(KC) photometry and spectroscopy, it is concluded that PKS 1144-379 is a BL Lac object with msub(v) approximately = 16.2. (author)

  1. Peak-interviewet

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Raalskov, Jesper; Warming-Rasmussen, Bent

    Peak-interviewet er en særlig effektiv metode til at gøre ubevidste menneskelige ressourcer bevidste. Fokuspersonen (den interviewede) interviewes om en selvvalgt, personlig succesoplevelse. Terapeuten/coachen (intervieweren) spørger ind til processen, som ledte hen til denne succes. Herved afdæk...... fokuspersonen ønsker at tage op (nye mål eller nye processer). Nærværende workingpaper beskriver, hvad der menes med et peak-interview, peakinterviwets teoretiske fundament samt metodikken til at foretage et tillidsfuldt og effektiv peak-interview....

  2. 'Peak oil' or 'peak demand'?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chevallier, Bruno; Moncomble, Jean-Eudes; Sigonney, Pierre; Vially, Rolland; Bosseboeuf, Didier; Chateau, Bertrand

    2012-01-01

    This article reports a workshop which addressed several energy issues like the objectives and constraints of energy mix scenarios, the differences between the approaches in different countries, the cost of new technologies implemented for this purposes, how these technologies will be developed and marketed, which will be the environmental and societal acceptability of these technical choices. Different aspects and issues have been more precisely presented and discussed: the peak oil, development of shale gases and their cost (will non conventional hydrocarbons modify the peak oil and be socially accepted?), energy efficiency (its benefits, its reality in France and other countries, its position in front of the challenge of energy transition), and strategies in the transport sector (challenges for mobility, evolution towards a model of sustainable mobility)

  3. Early metabolic adaptation in C57BL/6 mice resistant to high fat diet induced weight gain involves an activation of mitochondrial oxidative pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boulangé, Claire L; Claus, Sandrine P; Chou, Chieh J; Collino, Sebastiano; Montoliu, Ivan; Kochhar, Sunil; Holmes, Elaine; Rezzi, Serge; Nicholson, Jeremy K; Dumas, Marc E; Martin, François-Pierre J

    2013-04-05

    We investigated the short-term (7 days) and long-term (60 days) metabolic effect of high fat diet induced obesity (DIO) and weight gain in isogenic C57BL/6 mice and examined the specific metabolic differentiation between mice that were either strong-responders (SR), or non-responders (NR) to weight gain. Mice (n = 80) were fed a standard chow diet for 7 days prior to randomization into a high-fat (HF) (n = 56) or a low-fat (LF) (n = 24) diet group. The (1)H NMR urinary metabolic profiles of LF and HF mice were recorded 7 and 60 days after the diet switch. On the basis of the body weight gain (BWG) distribution of HF group, we identified NR mice (n = 10) and SR mice (n = 14) to DIO. Compared with LF, HF feeding increased urinary excretion of glycine conjugates of β-oxidation intermediate (hexanoylglycine), branched chain amino acid (BCAA) catabolism intermediates (isovalerylglycine, α-keto-β-methylvalerate and α-ketoisovalerate) and end-products of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) metabolism (N1-methyl-2-pyridone-5-carboxamide, N1-methyl-4-pyridone-3-carboxamide) suggesting up-regulation of mitochondrial oxidative pathways. In the HF group, NR mice excreted relatively more hexanoylglycine, isovalerylglycine, and fewer tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediate (succinate) in comparison to SR mice. Thus, subtle regulation of ketogenic pathways in DIO may alleviate the saturation of the TCA cycle and mitochondrial oxidative metabolism.

  4. Automated Peak Picking and Peak Integration in Macromolecular NMR Spectra Using AUTOPSY

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koradi, Reto; Billeter, Martin; Engeli, Max; Güntert, Peter; Wüthrich, Kurt

    1998-12-01

    A new approach for automated peak picking of multidimensional protein NMR spectra with strong overlap is introduced, which makes use of the program AUTOPSY (automatedpeak picking for NMRspectroscopy). The main elements of this program are a novel function for local noise level calculation, the use of symmetry considerations, and the use of lineshapes extracted from well-separated peaks for resolving groups of strongly overlapping peaks. The algorithm generates peak lists with precise chemical shift and integral intensities, and a reliability measure for the recognition of each peak. The results of automated peak picking of NOESY spectra with AUTOPSY were tested in combination with the combined automated NOESY cross peak assignment and structure calculation routine NOAH implemented in the program DYANA. The quality of the resulting structures was found to be comparable with those from corresponding data obtained with manual peak picking.

  5. Identification of riboflavin: revealing different metabolic characteristics between Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) and MG1655.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xinran; Wang, Qian; Qi, Qingsheng

    2015-06-01

    There are many physiological differences between Escherichia coli B and K-12 strains, owing to their different origins. Deeper insight into the metabolic and regulative mechanisms of these strains will inform improved usage of these industrial workhorses. In the present study, we observed that BL21 fermentation broth gradually turned yellow during cultivation. By spectral analysis and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry identification, we confirmed for the first time that the yellow substance accumulated in the fermentation broth is riboflavin. Comparing the enzyme sequences involved in riboflavin metabolism between BL21 and MG1655, we identified a site mutation on the 115 residue of bifunctional riboflavin kinase/FMN adenylyltransferase (RibF) in BL21. This His115Leu mutation was found to reduce enzyme activity to 55% of that of MG1655, which is probably one reason for riboflavin accumulation in BL21. Quantitative PCR analysis showed that genes of the entire branch of the riboflavin and FAD biosynthesis pathways in BL21 were up-regulated. Several physiological and metabolic characteristics of BL21 and MG1655 were found to be different, and may also be related to the riboflavin accumulation. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  6. The temperature dependence of intermediate range oxygen-oxygen correlations in liquid water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schlesinger, Daniel; Pettersson, Lars G. M.; Wikfeldt, K. Thor; Skinner, Lawrie B.; Benmore, Chris J.; Nilsson, Anders

    2016-01-01

    We analyze the recent temperature dependent oxygen-oxygen pair-distribution functions from experimental high-precision x-ray diffraction data of bulk water by Skinner et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 141, 214507 (2014)] with particular focus on the intermediate range where small, but significant, correlations are found out to 17 Å. The second peak in the pair-distribution function at 4.5 Å is connected to tetrahedral coordination and was shown by Skinner et al. to change behavior with temperature below the temperature of minimum isothermal compressibility. Here we show that this is associated also with a peak growing at 11 Å which strongly indicates a collective character of fluctuations leading to the enhanced compressibility at lower temperatures. We note that the peak at ∼13.2 Å exhibits a temperature dependence similar to that of the density with a maximum close to 277 K or 4 °C. We analyze simulations of the TIP4P/2005 water model in the same manner and find excellent agreement between simulations and experiment albeit with a temperature shift of ∼20 K.

  7. The temperature dependence of intermediate range oxygen-oxygen correlations in liquid water

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schlesinger, Daniel; Pettersson, Lars G. M., E-mail: Lars.Pettersson@fysik.su.se [Department of Physics, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Wikfeldt, K. Thor [Department of Physics, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Science Institute, University of Iceland, VR-III, 107 Reykjavik (Iceland); Skinner, Lawrie B.; Benmore, Chris J. [X-ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); Nilsson, Anders [Department of Physics, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025 (United States)

    2016-08-28

    We analyze the recent temperature dependent oxygen-oxygen pair-distribution functions from experimental high-precision x-ray diffraction data of bulk water by Skinner et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 141, 214507 (2014)] with particular focus on the intermediate range where small, but significant, correlations are found out to 17 Å. The second peak in the pair-distribution function at 4.5 Å is connected to tetrahedral coordination and was shown by Skinner et al. to change behavior with temperature below the temperature of minimum isothermal compressibility. Here we show that this is associated also with a peak growing at 11 Å which strongly indicates a collective character of fluctuations leading to the enhanced compressibility at lower temperatures. We note that the peak at ∼13.2 Å exhibits a temperature dependence similar to that of the density with a maximum close to 277 K or 4 °C. We analyze simulations of the TIP4P/2005 water model in the same manner and find excellent agreement between simulations and experiment albeit with a temperature shift of ∼20 K.

  8. Effects of electroacupuncture at BL33 on detrusor smooth muscle activity in a rat model of urinary retention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiaoxu; Liu, Kun; Zhi, Mujun; Mo, Qian; Gao, Xinyan; Liu, Zhishun

    2017-12-01

    Detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) underactivity may lead to urinary retention (UR). Electroacupuncture (EA) at BL33 may be effective in improving DSM contractions. This study aimed to investigate: (1) the effect of EA at BL33; and (2) the effect of different manipulation methods at BL33 on the modulation of DSM contractions in UR rats. 30 male Sprague-Dawley rats were anaesthetised with urethane and modelled by urethral outlet obstruction. First, 2 Hz EA at BL33, SP6 and LI4 wasrandomly applied to the UR rats for 5 min to observe the immediate effects (n=10); second, manual acupuncture (MA) (n=10) and 100 Hz EA (n=10) were applied with the same programme. DSM electromyography (EMG) and cystometrogram data were evaluated. (1) 2 Hz EA at BL33 and SP6 significantly increased DSM discharging frequency (0.80±0.10 Hz, P0.05). Compared with SP6, EA at BL33 had greater positive effects on DSM discharging frequency, duration of discharging, and duration of voiding (all P<0.05). (2) No statistically significant differences were shown between MA, 2 Hz EA and 100 Hz EA interventions when stimulating at BL33, SP6 or LI4. EA at BL33 improved DSM contractions to a greater degree than EA at SP6 or LI4. There were no differences in effect when stimulating using 2 Hz EA, 100 Hz EA and MA. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  9. Intercomparison of codes for intermediate energy nuclear data: The first step

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blann, M.; Gruppelaar, H.; Nagel, P.; Rodens, J.

    1994-01-01

    Several weak points of the intermediate energy nuclear data calculated in this exercise are described as introduction to some of the areas needing discussion at this meeting. These include nuclear structure effects on precompound spectra, large variations between codes in predicted total reaction cross sections, and in total neutron and proton multiplicities. INC codes don't reflect correct experimental Q values, and may have difficulties at very low angles due to overestimation of the quasi-elastic peak. We raise questions as to additional reaction properties (beyond n and p spectra) which may need benchmarking

  10. Bump masses for BL Her stars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davis, C.G.

    1982-01-01

    The masses of classical Cepheids can be determined by using the phase of the Hertzsprung bump on the light or velocity curve, Cox-Stewart opacities, and nonlinear pulsation theory. The fact that these bump masses are some 60% lower than the evolutionary masses raises some questions about this approach. In support of our method, we calculate the light curve for BL Her, a population II Cepheid, with an observed bump on the declining portion of its light curve. The nonlinear hydrodynamic model we use (Davis and Davison - 1978) resolves the light curve by dynamic zoning and allows us the opportunity to make a direct comparison of the calculated light curve to the observations, using a prescribed mass, luminosity and effective temperature. The parameters for BL Her are from a linear model (Hodson, Cox, and King - 1982) that has nearly the correct period (1./sup d/2) and the correct period ratio from resonance theory (π 2 /π 0 = 0.53) for a bump to appear on the declining portion of the light curve as observed. These parameters are: M = 0.55 M, L = 95.0 L, and T/sub eff/ = 6500 K. This mass is near the evolutionary mass as described by Schwartzschild and Haerm (1970). The model results agree well with the observations and the color-T/sub eff/ relation has the same slope as that observed for RR Lyrae stars by the Oke, Giver and Searle (1965) relationship

  11. Site Characterization Data from the U3ax/bl Exploratory Boreholes at the Nevada Test Site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2005-01-01

    This report provides qualitative analyses and preliminary interpretations of hydrogeologic data obtained from two 45-degree, slanted exploratory boreholes drilled within the Area 3 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS) at the Nevada Test Site. Borehole UE-3bl-D1 was drilled beneath the U3ax/bl mixed waste disposal unit, and Borehole UE-3bl-U1 was drilled in undisturbed alluvium adjacent to the disposal unit. The U3ax/bl disposal unit is located within two conjoined subsidence craters, U3ax and U3bl, which were created by underground nuclear testing. Data from these boreholes were collected to support site characterization activities for the U3ax/bl disposal unit and the entire Area 3 RWMS. Site characterization at disposal units within the Area 3 RWMS must address the possibility that subsidence craters and associated disturbed alluvium of the chimneys beneath the craters might serve as pathways for contaminant migration. The two boreholes were drilled and sampled to compare hydrogeologic properties of alluvium below the waste disposal unit with those of adjacent undisturbed alluvium. Whether Borehole UE-3bl-D1 actually penetrated the chimney of the U3bl crater is uncertain. Analyses of core samples showed little difference in hydrogeologic properties between the two boreholes. Important findings of this study include the following: No hazardous or radioactive constituents of waste disposal concern were found in the samples obtained from either borehole. No significant differences in physical and hydrogeologic properties between boreholes is evident, and no evidence of significant trends with depth for any of these properties was observed. The values observed are typical of sandy materials. The alluvium is dry, with volumetric water content ranging from 5.6 to 16.2 percent. Both boreholes exhibit a slight increase in water content with depth, the only such trend observed. Water potential measurements on core samples from both boreholes show a large positive

  12. Site Characterization Data from the U3ax/bl Exploratory Boreholes at the Nevada Test Site

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bechtel Nevada; U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office

    2005-08-01

    This report provides qualitative analyses and preliminary interpretations of hydrogeologic data obtained from two 45-degree, slanted exploratory boreholes drilled within the Area 3 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS) at the Nevada Test Site. Borehole UE-3bl-D1 was drilled beneath the U3ax/bl mixed waste disposal unit, and Borehole UE-3bl-U1 was drilled in undisturbed alluvium adjacent to the disposal unit. The U3ax/bl disposal unit is located within two conjoined subsidence craters, U3ax and U3bl, which were created by underground nuclear testing. Data from these boreholes were collected to support site characterization activities for the U3ax/bl disposal unit and the entire Area 3 RWMS. Site characterization at disposal units within the Area 3 RWMS must address the possibility that subsidence craters and associated disturbed alluvium of the chimneys beneath the craters might serve as pathways for contaminant migration. The two boreholes were drilled and sampled to compare hydrogeologic properties of alluvium below the waste disposal unit with those of adjacent undisturbed alluvium. Whether Borehole UE-3bl-D1 actually penetrated the chimney of the U3bl crater is uncertain. Analyses of core samples showed little difference in hydrogeologic properties between the two boreholes. Important findings of this study include the following: No hazardous or radioactive constituents of waste disposal concern were found in the samples obtained from either borehole. No significant differences in physical and hydrogeologic properties between boreholes is evident, and no evidence of significant trends with depth for any of these properties was observed. The values observed are typical of sandy materials. The alluvium is dry, with volumetric water content ranging from 5.6 to 16.2 percent. Both boreholes exhibit a slight increase in water content with depth, the only such trend observed. Water potential measurements on core samples from both boreholes show a large positive

  13. Comparison of male chimeric mice generated from microinjection of JM8.N4 embryonic stem cells into C57BL/6J and C57BL/6NTac blastocysts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fielder, Thomas J; Yi, Charles S; Masumi, Juliet; Waymire, Katrina G; Chen, Hsiao-Wen; Wang, Shuling; Shi, Kai-Xuan; Wallace, Douglas C; MacGregor, Grant R

    2012-12-01

    To identify ways to improve the efficiency of generating chimeric mice via microinjection of blastocysts with ES cells, we compared production and performance of ES-cell derived chimeric mice using blastocysts from two closely related and commonly used sub-strains of C57BL/6. Chimeras were produced by injection of the same JM8.N4 (C57BL/6NTac) derived ES cell line into blastocysts of mixed sex from either C57BL/6J (B6J) or C57BL/6NTac (B6NTac) mice. Similar efficiency of production and sex-conversion of chimeric animals was observed with each strain of blastocyst. However, B6J chimeric males had fewer developmental abnormalities involving urogenital and reproductive tissues (1/12, 8%) compared with B6NTac chimeric males (7/9, 78%). The low sample size did not permit determination of statistical significance for many parameters. However, in each category analyzed the B6J-derived chimeric males performed as well, or better, than their B6NTac counterparts. Twelve of 14 (86%) B6J male chimeras were fertile compared with 6 of 11 (55%) B6NTac male chimeras. Ten of 12 (83%) B6J chimeric males sired more than 1 litter compared with only 3 of 6 (50%) B6NTac chimeras. B6J male chimeras produced more litters per productive mating (3.42 ± 1.73, n = 12) compared to B6NTac chimeras (2.17 ± 1.33, n = 6). Finally, a greater ratio of germline transmitting chimeric males was obtained using B6J blastocysts (9/14; 64%) compared with chimeras produced using B6NTac blastocysts (4/11; 36%). Use of B6J host blastocysts for microinjection of ES cells may offer improvements over blastocysts from B6NTac and possibly other sub-strains of C57BL/6 mice.

  14. Therapeutic efficacy of interleukin-2 activated killer cells against adriamycin resistant mouse B16-BL6 melanoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gautam, S C; Chikkala, N F; Lewis, I; Grabowski, D R; Finke, J H; Ganapathi, R

    1992-01-01

    Development of multidrug-resistance (MDR) remains a major cause of failure in the treatment of cancer with chemotherapeutic agents. In our efforts to explore alternative treatment regimens for multidrug-resistant tumors we have examined the sensitivity of MDR tumor cell lines to lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cells. Adriamycin (ADM) resistant B16-BL6 melanoma, L1210 and P388 leukemic cell lines were tested for sensitivity to lysis by LAK cells in vitro. While ADM-resistant B16-BL6 and L1210 sublines were found to exhibit at least 2-fold greater susceptibility to lysis by LAK cells, sensitivity of ADM-resistant P388 cell was similar to that of parental cells. Since ADM-resistant B16-BL6 cells were efficiently lysed by LAK cells in vitro, the efficacy of therapy with LAK cells against the ADM-resistant B16-BL6 subline in vivo was evaluated. Compared to mice bearing parental B16-BL6 tumor cells, the adoptive transfer of LAK cells and rIL2 significantly reduced formation of experimental metastases (P less than 0.009) and extended median survival time (P less than 0.001) of mice bearing ADM-resistant B16-BL6 tumor cells. Results suggest that immunotherapy with LAK cells and rIL2 may be a useful modality in the treatment of cancers with the MDR phenotype.

  15. Total alkaloid content in various fractions of Tabernaemonata sphaerocarpa Bl. (Jembirit) leaves

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salamah, N.; Ningsih, D. S.

    2017-11-01

    Tabernaemontana sphaerocarpa Bl. (Jembirit) is one of the Apocynaceae family plants containing alkaloid compound. Traditionally, it is used as an anti-inflammatory medicine. It is found to have a new bisindole alkaloid compound that shows a potent cytotoxic activity in human cancer. This study aimed to know the total alkaloid content in some fractions of ethanolic extract of T. sphaerocarpa Bl. leaf powder was extracted by maceration method in 70% ethanol solvent. Then, the extract was fractionated in a separatory funnel using water, ethyl acetate, and hexane. The total alkaloid content in each fraction was analyzed with visible spectrophotometric methods based on the reaction with Bromocresol Green (BCG). The total alkaloids in water fraction and ethyl acetate fraction were (0.0312±0.0009)% and (0.0281±0.0014)%, respectively. Meanwhile, the total alkaloid content in hexane was not detected. The statistical analysis, performed in SPSS, resulted in a significant difference between the total alkaloids in water fraction and ethyl acetate fraction. The total alkaloid in water fraction of T. sphaerocarpa Bl. was higher than the one in ethyl acetate fraction.

  16. Comparative physical mapping between wheat chromosome arm 2BL and rice chromosome 4.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Tong Geon; Lee, Yong Jin; Kim, Dae Yeon; Seo, Yong Weon

    2010-12-01

    Physical maps of chromosomes provide a framework for organizing and integrating diverse genetic information. DNA microarrays are a valuable technique for physical mapping and can also be used to facilitate the discovery of single feature polymorphisms (SFPs). Wheat chromosome arm 2BL was physically mapped using a Wheat Genome Array onto near-isogenic lines (NILs) with the aid of wheat-rice synteny and mapped wheat EST information. Using high variance probe set (HVP) analysis, 314 HVPs constituting genes present on 2BL were identified. The 314 HVPs were grouped into 3 categories: HVPs that match only rice chromosome 4 (298 HVPs), those that match only wheat ESTs mapped on 2BL (1), and those that match both rice chromosome 4 and wheat ESTs mapped on 2BL (15). All HVPs were converted into gene sets, which represented either unique rice gene models or mapped wheat ESTs that matched identified HVPs. Comparative physical maps were constructed for 16 wheat gene sets and 271 rice gene sets. Of the 271 rice gene sets, 257 were mapped to the 18-35 Mb regions on rice chromosome 4. Based on HVP analysis and sequence similarity between the gene models in the rice chromosomes and mapped wheat ESTs, the outermost rice gene model that limits the translocation breakpoint to orthologous regions was identified.

  17. Lactobacillus plantarum BL011 cultivation in industrial isolated soybean protein acid residue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coghetto, Chaline Caren; Vasconcelos, Carolina Bettker; Brinques, Graziela Brusch; Ayub, Marco Antônio Záchia

    In this study, physiological aspects of Lactobacillus plantarum BL011 growing in a new, all-animal free medium in bioreactors were evaluated aiming at the production of this important lactic acid bacterium. Cultivations were performed in submerged batch bioreactors using the Plackett-Burman methodology to evaluate the influence of temperature, aeration rate and stirring speed as well as the concentrations of liquid acid protein residue of soybean, soy peptone, corn steep liquor, and raw yeast extract. The results showed that all variables, except for corn steep liquor, significantly influenced biomass production. The best condition was applied to bioreactor cultures, which produced a maximal biomass of 17.87gL -1 , whereas lactic acid, the most important lactic acid bacteria metabolite, peaked at 37.59gL -1 , corresponding to a productivity of 1.46gL -1 h -1 . This is the first report on the use of liquid acid protein residue of soybean medium for L. plantarum growth. These results support the industrial use of this system as an alternative to produce probiotics without animal-derived ingredients to obtain high biomass concentrations in batch bioreactors. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  18. Intermediate neutron spectrum problems and the intermediate neutron spectrum experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jaegers, P.J.; Sanchez, R.G.

    1996-01-01

    Criticality benchmark data for intermediate energy spectrum systems does not exist. These systems are dominated by scattering and fission events induced by neutrons with energies between 1 eV and 1 MeV. Nuclear data uncertainties have been reported for such systems which can not be resolved without benchmark critical experiments. Intermediate energy spectrum systems have been proposed for the geological disposition of surplus fissile materials. Without the proper benchmarking of the nuclear data in the intermediate energy spectrum, adequate criticality safety margins can not be guaranteed. The Zeus critical experiment now under construction will provide this necessary benchmark data

  19. Construction of a Wide-range High-resolution Beamline BL05 in NewSUBARU for Soft X-ray Spectroscopic Analysis on Industrial Materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kanda, K; Hasegawa, T; Uemura, M; Niibe, M; Haruyama, Y; Motoyama, M; Amemiya, K; Fukushima, S; Ohta, T

    2013-01-01

    A material analysis beamline which is designed to useable in the wide energy range, 50∼4000 eV for the various industrial demands, was constructed at BL05 in NewSUBARU for industrial companies' use in cooperation with the Laboratory of Advanced Science and Technology for Industry (LASTI), University of Hyogo and well-informed researchers in the industrial world. BL05 consists of two branch lines, which is mounted with a double crystal monochromator at BL05A and grating monochromator at BL05B. XAFS measurements in the total electron yield mode and partial fluorescence yield mode using a silicon drift detector can be performed at the both branch lines. In addition, the photoelectron spectra can be measured at BL05B. The maintenance and management of BL05 are performed by Synchrotron Analysis LLC (SALLC), which is a consortium of user companies of BL05, under the supervision of the LASTI staff. If industrial users want help with measurements at BL05, operators of SALLC can assist them.

  20. Construction of a Wide-range High-resolution Beamline BL05 in NewSUBARU for Soft X-ray Spectroscopic Analysis on Industrial Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanda, K.; Hasegawa, T.; Uemura, M.; Niibe, M.; Haruyama, Y.; Motoyama, M.; Amemiya, K.; Fukushima, S.; Ohta, T.

    2013-03-01

    A material analysis beamline which is designed to useable in the wide energy range, 50~4000 eV for the various industrial demands, was constructed at BL05 in NewSUBARU for industrial companies' use in cooperation with the Laboratory of Advanced Science and Technology for Industry (LASTI), University of Hyogo and well-informed researchers in the industrial world. BL05 consists of two branch lines, which is mounted with a double crystal monochromator at BL05A and grating monochromator at BL05B. XAFS measurements in the total electron yield mode and partial fluorescence yield mode using a silicon drift detector can be performed at the both branch lines. In addition, the photoelectron spectra can be measured at BL05B. The maintenance and management of BL05 are performed by Synchrotron Analysis LLC (SALLC), which is a consortium of user companies of BL05, under the supervision of the LASTI staff. If industrial users want help with measurements at BL05, operators of SALLC can assist them.

  1. Ultrasonic Transducer Peak-to-Peak Optical Measurement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pavel Skarvada

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Possible optical setups for measurement of the peak-to-peak value of an ultrasonic transducer are described in this work. The Michelson interferometer with the calibrated nanopositioner in reference path and laser Doppler vibrometer were used for the basic measurement of vibration displacement. Langevin type of ultrasonic transducer is used for the purposes of Electro-Ultrasonic Nonlinear Spectroscopy (EUNS. Parameters of produced mechanical vibration have to been well known for EUNS. Moreover, a monitoring of mechanical vibration frequency shift with a mass load and sample-transducer coupling is important for EUNS measurement.

  2. Effect of ketamine on exploratory behaviour in BALB/C and C57BL/6 mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akillioglu, Kubra; Melik, Emine Babar; Melik, Enver; Boga, Ayper

    2012-01-01

    In this study, we evaluated the effect of ketamine on exploratory locomotion behaviours in the Balb/c and C57BL/6 strains of mice, which differ in their locomotion behaviours. Intraperitoneal administration of ketamine at three different doses (1, 5 or 10 mg/kg, 0.1 ml/10 gr body weight) was performed on adult male Balb/c and C57BL/6 mice. The same volume of saline was applied to the control group. The open-field and elevated plus maze apparatus were used to evaluate exploratory locomotion. In the open-field test, Balb/c mice less spend time in the centre of the field and was decreased locomotor activity compared to C57BL/6 mice (pmice at 10 mg/kg dose caused an increase in locomotor activity and an increase in the amount of time spent in the centre in the open-field test, compared to the control group (pmice, ketamine treatment (1 and 10 mg/kg) decreased locomotor activity (pmice, the three different doses of ketamine application each caused a decrease in the frequency of centre crossing (pmice compared to C57BL/6 mice (pmice at 10 mg/kg dose caused an increase in the open-arm activity (pmice (pmice. In contrast, a subanaesthetic dose of ketamine decreased exploratory locomotion in C57BL/6 mice. In conclusion, hereditary factors may play an important role in ketamine-induced responses. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Nucleus of the solitary tract in the C57BL/6J mouse: Subnuclear parcellation, chorda tympani nerve projections, and brainstem connections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganchrow, Donald; Ganchrow, Judith R; Cicchini, Vanessa; Bartel, Dianna L; Kaufman, Daniel; Girard, David; Whitehead, Mark C

    2014-05-01

    The nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) processes gustatory and related somatosensory information rostrally and general viscerosensory information caudally. To compare its connections with those of other rodents, this study in the C57BL/6J mouse provides a subnuclear cytoarchitectonic parcellation (Nissl stain) of the NST into rostral, intermediate, and caudal divisions. Subnuclei are further characterized by NADPH staining and P2X2 immunoreactivity (IR). Cholera toxin subunit B (CTb) labeling revealed those NST subnuclei receiving chorda tympani nerve (CT) afferents, those connecting with the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) and reticular formation (RF), and those interconnecting NST subnuclei. CT terminals are densest in the rostral central (RC) and medial (M) subnuclei; less dense in the rostral lateral (RL) subnucleus; and sparse in the ventral (V), ventral lateral (VL), and central lateral (CL) subnuclei. CTb injection into the PBN retrogradely labels cells in the aforementioned subnuclei; RC and M providing the largest source of PBN projection neurons. Pontine efferent axons terminate mainly in V and rostral medial (RM) subnuclei. CTb injection into the medullary RF labels cells and axonal endings predominantly in V at rostral and intermediate NST levels. Small CTb injections within the NST label extensive projections from the rostral division to caudal subnuclei. Projections from the caudal division primarily interconnect subnuclei confined to the caudal division of the NST; they also connect with the area postrema. P2X2 -IR identifies probable vagal nerve terminals in the central (Ce) subnucleus in the intermediate/caudal NST. Ce also shows intense NADPH staining and does not project to the PBN. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. LACERTA I AND CASSIOPEIA III. TWO LUMINOUS AND DISTANT ANDROMEDA SATELLITE DWARF GALAXIES FOUND IN THE 3π PAN-STARRS1 SURVEY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, Nicolas F.; Laevens, Benjamin P. M.; Slater, Colin T.; Bell, Eric F.; Schlafly, Edward F.; Morganson, Eric; Rix, Hans-Walter; Bernard, Edouard J.; Ferguson, Annette M. N.; Finkbeiner, Douglas P.; Burgett, William S.; Chambers, Kenneth C.; Hodapp, Klaus W.; Kaiser, Nicholas; Kudritzki, Rolf-Peter; Magnier, Eugene A.; Morgan, Jeffrey S.; Tonry, John L.; Wainscoat, Richard J.; Price, Paul A.

    2013-01-01

    We report the discovery of two new dwarf galaxies, Lacerta I/Andromeda XXXI (Lac I/And XXXI) and Cassiopeia III/Andromeda XXXII (Cas III/And XXXII), in stacked Pan-STARRS1 r P1 - and i P1 -band imaging data. Both are luminous systems (M V ∼ –12) located at projected distances of 20.°3 and 10.°5 from M31. Lac I and Cas III are likely satellites of the Andromeda galaxy with heliocentric distances of 756 +44 -28 kpc and 772 +61 -56 kpc, respectively, and corresponding M31-centric distances of 275 ± 7 kpc and 144 +6 -4 kpc. The brightest of recent Local Group member discoveries, these two new dwarf galaxies owe their late discovery to their large sizes (r h = 4.2 +0.4 -0.5 arcmin or 912 +124 -93 pc for Lac I; r h = 6.5 +1.2 -1.0 arcmin or 1456 ± 267 pc for Cas III) and consequently low surface brightness (μ 0 ∼ 26.0 mag arcsec –2 ), as well as to the lack of a systematic survey of regions at large radii from M31, close to the Galactic plane. This latter limitation is now alleviated by the 3π Pan-STARRS1 survey, which could lead to the discovery of other distant Andromeda satellite dwarf galaxies.

  5. The Luminosity Functions of Old and Intermediate-Age Globular Clusters in NGC 3610

    OpenAIRE

    Whitmore, B. C.; Schweizer, F.; Kundu, A.; Miller, B. W.

    2002-01-01

    The WFPC2 Camera on board HST has been used to obtain high-resolution images of NGC 3610, a dynamically young elliptical galaxy. These observations supersede shorter, undithered HST observations where an intermediate-age population of globular clusters was first discovered. The new observations show the bimodal color distribution of globular clusters more clearly, with peaks at (V-I)o = 0.95 and 1.17. The luminosity function (LF) of the blue, metal-poor population of clusters in NGC 3610 turn...

  6. Intermediate-range chemical ordering of cations in molten RbCl-AgCl

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tahara, S. [Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa 903-0213 (Japan); Research and Utilization Division, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI, SPring-8), Hyogo 679-5198 (Japan); Kawakita, Y. [J-PARC Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Shimakura, H. [Faculty of Pharmacy, Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences, Niigata 956-8603 (Japan); Ohara, K. [Research and Utilization Division, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI, SPring-8), Hyogo 679-5198 (Japan); Fukami, T. [Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa 903-0213 (Japan); Takeda, S. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8581 (Japan)

    2015-07-28

    A first sharp diffraction peak (FSDP) is observed in the X-ray total structure factor of a molten mixture of RbCl-AgCl, while both pure melts of RbCl and AgCl do not exhibit FSDP individually. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to investigate the origin of the FSDP with the polarizable ion model (PIM). Coexistence of covalent Ag–Cl and ionic Rb–Cl bonds leads the system to evolve intermediate range ordering, which is simulated by introducing the induced polarization in different ways between Ag–Cl with fully polarizable treatment based on Vashishta-Raman potential and Rb–Cl with suppression over-polarization in the nearest neighbor contribution based on Born-Meyer potential. The partial structure factors for both the Ag–Ag and Rb–Rb correlations, S{sub AgAg}(Q) and S{sub RbRb}(Q), show a positive contribution to the FSDP, while S{sub AgRb}(Q) for the Ag–Rb correlation exhibits a negative contribution, indicating that Ag and Rb ions are distributed in an alternating manner within the intermediate-range length scale. The origin of the intermediate-range chemical ordering of cations can be ascribed to the preferred direction of the dipole moments of anions in the PIM.

  7. Intermediate-range chemical ordering of cations in molten RbCl-AgCl

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tahara, S.; Kawakita, Y.; Shimakura, H.; Ohara, K.; Fukami, T.; Takeda, S.

    2015-01-01

    A first sharp diffraction peak (FSDP) is observed in the X-ray total structure factor of a molten mixture of RbCl-AgCl, while both pure melts of RbCl and AgCl do not exhibit FSDP individually. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to investigate the origin of the FSDP with the polarizable ion model (PIM). Coexistence of covalent Ag–Cl and ionic Rb–Cl bonds leads the system to evolve intermediate range ordering, which is simulated by introducing the induced polarization in different ways between Ag–Cl with fully polarizable treatment based on Vashishta-Raman potential and Rb–Cl with suppression over-polarization in the nearest neighbor contribution based on Born-Meyer potential. The partial structure factors for both the Ag–Ag and Rb–Rb correlations, S AgAg (Q) and S RbRb (Q), show a positive contribution to the FSDP, while S AgRb (Q) for the Ag–Rb correlation exhibits a negative contribution, indicating that Ag and Rb ions are distributed in an alternating manner within the intermediate-range length scale. The origin of the intermediate-range chemical ordering of cations can be ascribed to the preferred direction of the dipole moments of anions in the PIM

  8. Evaluating the peak-to-valley dose ratio of synchrotron microbeams using PRESAGE fluorescence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Annabell, N.; Yagi, N.; Umetani, K.; Wong, C.; Geso, M.

    2012-01-01

    The peak-to-valley dose ratio of a microbeam array can be measured by fluorescence of PRESAGE dosimeters. Peak-to-valley dose ratios are calculated using this new technique and also by EBT2 film. Synchrotron-generated microbeam radiotherapy holds great promise for future treatment, but the high dose gradients present conventional dosimetry with a challenge. Measuring the important peak-to-valley dose ratio (PVDR) of a microbeam-collimated synchrotron source requires both a dosimeter and an analysis method capable of exceptional spatial resolution. The PVDR is of great interest since it is the limiting factor for potential application of the microbeam radiation therapy technique clinically for its tissue-sparing properties (i.e. the valley dose should be below the tolerance of normal tissue). In this work a new method of measuring the dose response of PRESAGE dosimeters is introduced using the fluorescence from a 638 nm laser on a confocal laser-scanning microscope. This fluorescent microscopy method produces dosimetry data at a pixel size as low as 78 nm, giving a much better spatial resolution than optical computed tomography, which is normally used for scanning PRESAGE dosimeters. Using this technique the PVDR of the BL28B2 microbeam at the SPring-8 synchrotron in Japan is estimated to be approximately 52:1 at a depth of 2.5 mm. The PVDR was also estimated with EBT2 GAFchromic films as 30.5:1 at the surface in order to compare the PRESAGE fluorescent results with a more established dosimetry system. This estimation is in good agreement with previously measured ratios using other dosimeters and Monte Carlo simulations. This means that it is possible to use PRESAGE dosimeters with confocal microscopy for the determination of PVDR

  9. StagBL : A Scalable, Portable, High-Performance Discretization and Solver Layer for Geodynamic Simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanan, P.; Tackley, P. J.; Gerya, T.; Kaus, B. J. P.; May, D.

    2017-12-01

    StagBL is an open-source parallel solver and discretization library for geodynamic simulation,encapsulating and optimizing operations essential to staggered-grid finite volume Stokes flow solvers.It provides a parallel staggered-grid abstraction with a high-level interface in C and Fortran.On top of this abstraction, tools are available to define boundary conditions and interact with particle systems.Tools and examples to efficiently solve Stokes systems defined on the grid are provided in small (direct solver), medium (simple preconditioners), and large (block factorization and multigrid) model regimes.By working directly with leading application codes (StagYY, I3ELVIS, and LaMEM) and providing an API and examples to integrate with others, StagBL aims to become a community tool supplying scalable, portable, reproducible performance toward novel science in regional- and planet-scale geodynamics and planetary science.By implementing kernels used by many research groups beneath a uniform abstraction layer, the library will enable optimization for modern hardware, thus reducing community barriers to large- or extreme-scale parallel simulation on modern architectures. In particular, the library will include CPU-, Manycore-, and GPU-optimized variants of matrix-free operators and multigrid components.The common layer provides a framework upon which to introduce innovative new tools.StagBL will leverage p4est to provide distributed adaptive meshes, and incorporate a multigrid convergence analysis tool.These options, in addition to a wealth of solver options provided by an interface to PETSc, will make the most modern solution techniques available from a common interface. StagBL in turn provides a PETSc interface, DMStag, to its central staggered grid abstraction.We present public version 0.5 of StagBL, including preliminary integration with application codes and demonstrations with its own demonstration application, StagBLDemo. Central to StagBL is the notion of an

  10. Temporal distributions, habitat associations and behaviour of the green lizard (Lacerta bilineata and wall lizard (Podarcis muralis on roads in a fragmented landscape in Western France

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roger Meek

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Observations of the green lizard (Lacerta bilineata and wall lizard (Podarcis muralis on roads in Western France indicated that basking close to the road edge was the predominant activity in L. bilineata but P. muralis mostly foraged. Spatial locations of road mortalities in both species reflected this with the median distances from the road edge greater in P. muralis. Temporal differences in road presence, based on mortality counts and those of live lizards, indicated significantly more lizards were present on roads during late summer and autumn, especially in P. muralis. A significant correlation was found between the monthly presence of live lizards and monthly road mortalities in P. muralis (r = 0.73 but not in L. bilineata (r = 0.64.  Numbers of L. bilineata found on roads bisecting low-density urban areas and roads bordered by hedgerows were higher than expected in relation to the occurrence of these habitats at roadsides. In P. muralis higher than expected numbers were found alongside low-density urban areas and roads bisecting woodland. Generally both species were less commonly seen on roads alongside agricultural areas with no hedgerow border.

  11. Junctional Adhesion Molecule (JAM)-C Deficient C57BL/6 Mice Develop a Severe Hydrocephalus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liebner, Stefan; Mittelbronn, Michel; Deutsch, Urban; Enzmann, Gaby; Adams, Ralf H.; Aurrand-Lions, Michel; Plate, Karl H.; Imhof, Beat A.; Engelhardt, Britta

    2012-01-01

    The junctional adhesion molecule (JAM)-C is a widely expressed adhesion molecule regulating cell adhesion, cell polarity and inflammation. JAM-C expression and function in the central nervous system (CNS) has been poorly characterized to date. Here we show that JAM-C−/− mice backcrossed onto the C57BL/6 genetic background developed a severe hydrocephalus. An in depth immunohistochemical study revealed specific immunostaining for JAM-C in vascular endothelial cells in the CNS parenchyma, the meninges and in the choroid plexus of healthy C57BL/6 mice. Additional JAM-C immunostaining was detected on ependymal cells lining the ventricles and on choroid plexus epithelial cells. Despite the presence of hemorrhages in the brains of JAM-C−/− mice, our study demonstrates that development of the hydrocephalus was not due to a vascular function of JAM-C as endothelial re-expression of JAM-C failed to rescue the hydrocephalus phenotype of JAM-C−/− C57BL/6 mice. Evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation within the ventricular system of JAM-C−/− mice excluded occlusion of the cerebral aqueduct as the cause of hydrocephalus development but showed the acquisition of a block or reduction of CSF drainage from the lateral to the 3rd ventricle in JAM-C−/− C57BL/6 mice. Taken together, our study suggests that JAM-C−/− C57BL/6 mice model the important role for JAM-C in brain development and CSF homeostasis as recently observed in humans with a loss-of-function mutation in JAM-C. PMID:23029139

  12. Macrophage-dependent clearance of systemically administered B16BL6-derived exosomes from the blood circulation in mice

    OpenAIRE

    Imai, Takafumi; Takahashi, Yuki; Nishikawa, Makiya; Kato, Kana; Morishita, Masaki; Yamashita, Takuma; Matsumoto, Akihiro; Charoenviriyakul, Chonlada; Takakura, Yoshinobu

    2015-01-01

    Previous studies using B16BL6-derived exosomes labelled with gLuc–lactadherin (gLuc-LA), a fusion protein of Gaussia luciferase (a reporter protein) and lactadherin (an exosome-tropic protein), showed that the exosomes quickly disappeared from the systemic circulation after intravenous injection in mice. In the present study, the mechanism of rapid clearance of intravenously injected B16BL6 exosomes was investigated. gLuc-LA-labelled exosomes were obtained from supernatant of B16BL6 cells aft...

  13. Study of nonlinear interaction between bunched beam and intermediate cavities in a relativistic klystron amplifier

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Y. [Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Institute of Applied Electronics, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Science and Technology on High Power Microwave Laboratory, Mianyang 621900 (China); Xu, Z.; Li, Z. H. [Institute of Applied Electronics, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Tang, C. X. [Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

    2012-07-15

    In intermediate cavities of a relativistic klystron amplifier (RKA) driven by intense relativistic electron beam, the equivalent circuit model, which is widely adopted to investigate the interaction between bunched beam and the intermediate cavity in a conventional klystron design, is invalid due to the high gap voltage and the nonlinear beam loading in a RKA. According to Maxwell equations and Lorentz equation, the self-consistent equations for beam-wave interaction in the intermediate cavity are introduced to study the nonlinear interaction between bunched beam and the intermediate cavity in a RKA. Based on the equations, the effects of modulation depth and modulation frequency of the beam on the gap voltage amplitude and its phase are obtained. It is shown that the gap voltage is significantly lower than that estimated by the equivalent circuit model when the beam modulation is high. And the bandwidth becomes wider as the beam modulation depth increases. An S-band high gain relativistic klystron amplifier is designed based on the result. And the corresponding experiment is carried out on the linear transformer driver accelerator. The peak output power has achieved 1.2 GW with an efficiency of 28.6% and a gain of 46 dB in the corresponding experiment.

  14. Study of nonlinear interaction between bunched beam and intermediate cavities in a relativistic klystron amplifier

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Y.; Xu, Z.; Li, Z. H.; Tang, C. X.

    2012-07-01

    In intermediate cavities of a relativistic klystron amplifier (RKA) driven by intense relativistic electron beam, the equivalent circuit model, which is widely adopted to investigate the interaction between bunched beam and the intermediate cavity in a conventional klystron design, is invalid due to the high gap voltage and the nonlinear beam loading in a RKA. According to Maxwell equations and Lorentz equation, the self-consistent equations for beam-wave interaction in the intermediate cavity are introduced to study the nonlinear interaction between bunched beam and the intermediate cavity in a RKA. Based on the equations, the effects of modulation depth and modulation frequency of the beam on the gap voltage amplitude and its phase are obtained. It is shown that the gap voltage is significantly lower than that estimated by the equivalent circuit model when the beam modulation is high. And the bandwidth becomes wider as the beam modulation depth increases. An S-band high gain relativistic klystron amplifier is designed based on the result. And the corresponding experiment is carried out on the linear transformer driver accelerator. The peak output power has achieved 1.2 GW with an efficiency of 28.6% and a gain of 46 dB in the corresponding experiment.

  15. An active state of the BL Lacertae object Markarian 421 detected by INTEGRAL in April 2013

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Pian, E.; Tuerler, M.; Fiocchi, M.; Boissay, R.; Bazzano, A.; Foschini, L.; Tavecchio, F.; Bianchin, V.; Castignani, G.; Ferrigno, C.; Raiteri, C.M.; Villata, M.; Beckmann, V.; D'Ammando, F.; Hudec, René; Malaguti, G.; Maraschi, L.; Pursimo, T.; Romano, P.; Soldi, S.; Stamerra, A.; Treves, A.; Ubertini, P.; Vercellone, S.; Walter, R.

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 570, October (2014), A77/1-A77/9 ISSN 0004-6361 Grant - others:GA(CZ) GA102/09/0997 Institutional support: RVO:67985815 Keywords : log-parabolic spectra * xmm-newton observations * radiation mechanisms Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics OBOR OECD: Astronomy (including astrophysics,space science) Impact factor: 4.378, year: 2014

  16. Electricity Portfolio Management: Optimal Peak / Off-Peak Allocations

    OpenAIRE

    Huisman, Ronald; Mahieu, Ronald; Schlichter, Felix

    2007-01-01

    textabstractElectricity purchasers manage a portfolio of contracts in order to purchase the expected future electricity consumption profile of a company or a pool of clients. This paper proposes a mean-variance framework to address the concept of structuring the portfolio and focuses on how to allocate optimal positions in peak and off-peak forward contracts. It is shown that the optimal allocations are based on the difference in risk premiums per unit of day-ahead risk as a measure of relati...

  17. Emilie Bláhová (13. 6. 1931 - 9. 10. 2016)

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Chromá, Martina

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 140, 1-2 (2017), s. 275-277 ISSN 0024-4457 Institutional support: RVO:68378017 Keywords : Bláhová, Emilie * obituary * paleoslavistics Subject RIV: AI - Linguistics OBOR OECD: Specific languages

  18. Paleoproductivity and intermediate-water ventilation in the subarctic Northwest Pacific during the last deglaciation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khim, B.; Ikehara, K.; Sagawa, T.; Shibahara, A.; Yamamoto, M.

    2010-12-01

    Laminated sediments during the last deglaciation in the subarctic North Pacific indicate significant depletion of dissolved oxygen concentration at intermediate water depths. Such a strong oxygen minimum zone results primarily from a combination of high surface water productivity and poor ventilation of intermediate waters. We investigated a variety of paleoclimatic proxies using about 8-m long piston core sediment (GH02-1030; 42o13.770N, 144o12.530E; water depth, 1212 m) obtained from the continental slope off Tokachi (eastern Hokkaido Island), which is the main path of the southwestward Oyashio Current in the subarctic Northwest Pacific. Laminated sediments were identified at the two horizons in the core GH02-1030; the upper one at 11.4-12.2 cal.kyr BP and the lower one at 14.1-14.7 cal.kyr BP, corresponding to Bølling-Allerød (B/A) and Preboreal (PB), respectively. Between these laminated layers, Younger Dryas occurred. Both laminated sediment layers are characterized by Bolivina tumida, B. pacifica, and Buliminella tenuata, indicating dysoxic bottom water conditions. Increased Mg/Ca-derived intermediate-water temperature and δ18OW values at B/A and PB periods suggest the poor ventilation of intermediate water because of the surface water freshening (i.e., decrease of surface-water salinity). UK'37-derived temperature record also supports the increase of surface-water temperature during B/A and PB intervals. During the last deglaciation, short-chain C14-C18 n-fatty acids, derived mainly from marine organisms, showed higher concentrations, indicating the increased surface-water production, and at the same time, abundant lignin reflected more contribution of terrigenous organic matter, supporting increased freshwater discharge. Variation of CaCO3 contents show remarkable double peaks, corresponding to B/A and PB periods, respectively, leading to the increase of TOC contents. Opal contents also follow similar pattern to CaCO3 contents, but are much less than the

  19. Spin-1/2 Triangular-Lattice Heisenberg Antiferromagnet with √{3} × √{3} -Type Distortion — Behavior around the Boundaries of the Intermediate Phase

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimada, Alisa; Nakano, Hiroki; Sakai, Tôru; Yoshimura, Kazuyoshi

    2018-03-01

    The S = 1/2 triangular-lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet with distortion is investigated by the numerical-diagonalization method. The examined distortion type is √{3} × √{3} . We study the case when the distortion connects the undistorted triangular lattice and the dice lattice. For the intermediate phase reported previously in this system, we obtain results of the boundaries of the intermediate phase for a larger system than those in the previous report and examine the system size dependence of the boundaries in detail. We also report the specific heat of this system, which shows a marked peak structure related to the appearance of the intermediate state.

  20. Peak regulation right

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao, Z. |; Ren, Z.; Li, Z.; Zhu, R.

    2005-01-01

    A peak regulation right concept and corresponding transaction mechanism for an electricity market was presented. The market was based on a power pool and independent system operator (ISO) model. Peak regulation right (PRR) was defined as a downward regulation capacity purchase option which allowed PRR owners to buy certain quantities of peak regulation capacity (PRC) at a specific price during a specified period from suppliers. The PRR owner also had the right to decide whether or not they would buy PRC from suppliers. It was the power pool's responsibility to provide competitive and fair peak regulation trading markets to participants. The introduction of PRR allowed for unit capacity regulation. The PRR and PRC were rated by the supplier, and transactions proceeded through a bidding process. PRR suppliers obtained profits by selling PRR and PRC, and obtained downward regulation fees regardless of whether purchases are made. It was concluded that the peak regulation mechanism reduced the total cost of the generating system and increased the social surplus. 6 refs., 1 tab., 3 figs

  1. Type II Cepheids: evidence for Na-O anticorrelation for BL Her type stars?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kovtyukh, V.; Yegorova, I.; Andrievsky, S.; Korotin, S.; Saviane, I.; Lemasle, B.; Chekhonadskikh, F.; Belik, S.

    2018-06-01

    The chemical composition of 28 Population II Cepheids and one RR Lyrae variable has been studied using high-resolution spectra. The chemical composition of W Vir variable stars (with periods longer than 8 d) is typical for the halo and thick disc stars. However, the chemical composition of BL Her variables (with periods of 0.8-4 d) is drastically different, although it does not differ essentially from that of the stars belonging to globular clusters. In particular, the sodium overabundance ([Na/Fe] ≈ 0.4) is reported for most of these stars, and the Na-O anticorrelation is also possible. The evolutionary tracks for BL Her variables (with a progenitor mass value of 0.8 solar masses) indicate that mostly helium-overabundant stars (Y = 0.30-0.35) can fall into the instability strip region. We suppose that it is the helium overabundance that accounts not only for the existence of BL Her variable stars but also for the observed abnormalities in the chemical composition of this small group of pulsating variables.

  2. USING THE METHODS OF WAVELET ANALYSIS AND SINGULAR SPECTRUM ANALYSIS IN THE STUDY OF RADIO SOURCE BL LAC

    OpenAIRE

    Donskykh, G. I.; Ryabov, M. I.; Sukharev, A. I.; Aller, M.

    2014-01-01

    We investigated the monitoring data of extragalactic source BL Lac. This monitoring was held withUniversityofMichigan26-meter radio  telescope. To study flux density of extragalactic source BL Lac at frequencies of 14.5, 8 and 4.8 GHz, the wavelet analysis and singular spectrum analysis were used. Calculating the integral wavelet spectra allowed revealing long-term  components  (~7-8 years) and short-term components (~ 1-4 years) in BL Lac. Studying of VLBI radio maps (by the program Mojave) ...

  3. Unimodal tree size distributions possibly result from relatively strong conservatism in intermediate size classes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yue Bin

    Full Text Available Tree size distributions have long been of interest to ecologists and foresters because they reflect fundamental demographic processes. Previous studies have assumed that size distributions are often associated with population trends or with the degree of shade tolerance. We tested these associations for 31 tree species in a 20 ha plot in a Dinghushan south subtropical forest in China. These species varied widely in growth form and shade-tolerance. We used 2005 and 2010 census data from that plot. We found that 23 species had reversed J shaped size distributions, and eight species had unimodal size distributions in 2005. On average, modal species had lower recruitment rates than reversed J species, while showing no significant difference in mortality rates, per capita population growth rates or shade-tolerance. We compared the observed size distributions with the equilibrium distributions projected from observed size-dependent growth and mortality. We found that observed distributions generally had the same shape as predicted equilibrium distributions in both unimodal and reversed J species, but there were statistically significant, important quantitative differences between observed and projected equilibrium size distributions in most species, suggesting that these populations are not at equilibrium and that this forest is changing over time. Almost all modal species had U-shaped size-dependent mortality and/or growth functions, with turning points of both mortality and growth at intermediate size classes close to the peak in the size distribution. These results show that modal size distributions do not necessarily indicate either population decline or shade-intolerance. Instead, the modal species in our study were characterized by a life history strategy of relatively strong conservatism in an intermediate size class, leading to very low growth and mortality in that size class, and thus to a peak in the size distribution at intermediate sizes.

  4. Spring diet and trophic partitioning in an alpine lizard community ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The influences of species interactions on habitat use, restrictions in trophic availability and evolutionary history as determinant factors are discussed. Keywords: trophic ecology, communities, pseudocommunity analysis, Lacerta perspicillata, Lacerta andreanszkyi, Podarcis vaucheri, Quedenfeldtia trachyblepharus, Morocco ...

  5. Intermediality and media change

    OpenAIRE

    2012-01-01

    This book is about intermediality as an approach to analysing and understanding media change. Intermediality and Media Change is critical of technological determinism that characterises 'new media discourse' about the ongoing digitalization, framed as a revolution and creating sharp contrasts between old and new media. Intermediality instead emphasises paying attention to continuities between media of all types and privileges a comparative perspective on technological changes in media over ti...

  6. BL-7010 demonstrates specific binding to gliadin and reduces gluten-associated pathology in a chronic mouse model of gliadin sensitivity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Justin L McCarville

    Full Text Available Celiac disease (CD is an autoimmune disorder in individuals that carry DQ2 or DQ8 MHC class II haplotypes, triggered by the ingestion of gluten. There is no current treatment other than a gluten-free diet (GFD. We have previously shown that the BL-7010 copolymer poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-styrene sulfonate (P(HEMA-co-SS binds with higher efficiency to gliadin than to other proteins present in the small intestine, ameliorating gliadin-induced pathology in the HLA-HCD4/DQ8 model of gluten sensitivity. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficiency of two batches of BL-7010 to interact with gliadin, essential vitamins and digestive enzymes not previously tested, and to assess the ability of the copolymer to reduce gluten-associated pathology using the NOD-DQ8 mouse model, which exhibits more significant small intestinal damage when challenged with gluten than HCD4/DQ8 mice. In addition, the safety and systemic exposure of BL-7010 was evaluated in vivo (in rats and in vitro (genetic toxicity studies. In vitro binding data showed that BL-7010 interacted with high affinity with gliadin and that BL-7010 had no interaction with the tested vitamins and digestive enzymes. BL-7010 was effective at preventing gluten-induced decreases in villus-to-crypt ratios, intraepithelial lymphocytosis and alterations in paracellular permeability and putative anion transporter-1 mRNA expression in the small intestine. In rats, BL-7010 was well-tolerated and safe following 14 days of daily repeated administration of 3000 mg/kg. BL-7010 did not exhibit any mutagenic effect in the genetic toxicity studies. Using complementary animal models and chronic gluten exposure the results demonstrate that administration of BL-7010 is effective and safe and that it is able to decrease pathology associated with gliadin sensitization warranting the progression to Phase I trials in humans.

  7. Intermediate Fragment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kruse Aagaard, Anders

    2015-01-01

    This text and its connected exhibition are aiming to reflect both on the thoughts, the processes and the outcome of the design and production of the artefact ‘Intermediate Fragment’ and making as a contemporary architectural tool in general. Intermediate Fragment was made for the exhibition ‘Enga...... of realising an exhibition object was conceived, but expanded, refined and concretised through this process. The context of the work shown here is an interest in a tighter, deeper connection between experimentally obtained material knowledge and architectural design....

  8. Limitation of peak fitting and peak shape methods for determination of activation energy of thermoluminescence glow peaks

    CERN Document Server

    Sunta, C M; Piters, T M; Watanabe, S

    1999-01-01

    This paper shows the limitation of general order peak fitting and peak shape methods for determining the activation energy of the thermoluminescence glow peaks in the cases in which retrapping probability is much higher than the recombination probability and the traps are filled up to near saturation level. Right values can be obtained when the trap occupancy is reduced by using small doses or by post-irradiation partial bleaching. This limitation in the application of these methods has not been indicated earlier. In view of the unknown nature of kinetics in the experimental samples, it is recommended that these methods of activation energy determination should be applied only at doses well below the saturation dose.

  9. C57BL/6 mice need MHC class II Aq to develop collagen-induced arthritis dependent on autoreactive T cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bäcklund, Johan; Li, Cuiqin; Jansson, Erik; Carlsen, Stefan; Merky, Patrick; Nandakumar, Kutty-Selva; Haag, Sabrina; Ytterberg, Jimmy; Zubarev, Roman A; Holmdahl, Rikard

    2013-07-01

    Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) has traditionally been performed in MHC class II A(q)-expressing mice, whereas most genetically modified mice are on the C57BL/6 background (expressing the b haplotype of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II region). However, C57BL/6 mice develop arthritis after immunisation with chicken-derived collagen type II (CII), but arthritis susceptibility has been variable, and the immune specificity has not been clarified. To establish a CIA model on the C57BL/6 background with a more predictable and defined immune response to CII. Both chicken and rat CII were arthritogenic in C57BL/6 mice provided they were introduced with high doses of Mycobacterium tuberculosis adjuvant. However, contaminating pepsin was strongly immunogenic and was essential for arthritis development. H-2(b)-restricted T cell epitopes on chicken or rat CII could not be identified, but expression of A(q) on the C57BL/6 background induced T cell response to the CII260-270 epitope, and also prolonged the arthritis to be more chronic. The putative (auto)antigen and its arthritogenic determinants in C57BL/6 mice remains undisclosed, questioning the value of the model for addressing T cell-driven pathological pathways in arthritis. To circumvent this impediment, we recommend MHC class II congenic C57BL/6N.Q mice, expressing A(q), with which T cell determinants have been thoroughly characterised.

  10. Governance-Default Risk Relationship and the Demand for Intermediated and Non-Intermediated Debt

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Husam Aldamen

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper explores the impact of corporate governance on the demand for intermediated debt (asset finance, bank debt, non-bank private debt and non-intermediated debt (public debt in the Australian debt market. Relative to other countries the Australian debt market is characterised by higher proportions of intermediated or private debt with a lower inherent level of information asymmetry in that private lenders have greater access to financial information (Gray, Koh & Tong 2009. Our firm level, cross-sectional evidence suggests that higher corporate governance impacts demand for debt via the mitigation of default risk. However, this relationship is not uniform across all debt types. Intermediated debt such as bank and asset finance debt are more responsive to changes in governance-default risk relationship than non-bank and non-intermediated debt. The implication is that a firm’s demand for different debt types will reflect its governance-default risk profile.

  11. Core shift effect in blazars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agarwal, A.; Mohan, P.; Gupta, Alok C.; Mangalam, A.; Volvach, A. E.; Aller, M. F.; Aller, H. D.; Gu, M. F.; Lähteenmäki, A.; Tornikoski, M.; Volvach, L. N.

    2017-07-01

    We studied the pc-scale core shift effect using radio light curves for three blazars, S5 0716+714, 3C 279 and BL Lacertae, which were monitored at five frequencies (ν) between 4.8 and 36.8 GHz using the University of Michigan Radio Astronomical Observatory (UMRAO), the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (CrAO) and Metsähovi Radio Observatory for over 40 yr. Flares were Gaussian fitted to derive time delays between observed frequencies for each flare (Δt), peak amplitude (A) and their half width. Using A ∝ να, we infer α in the range of -16.67-2.41 and using Δ t ∝ ν ^{1/k_r}, we infer kr ∼ 1, employed in the context of equipartition between magnetic and kinetic energy density for parameter estimation. From the estimated core position offset (Ωrν) and the core radius (rcore), we infer that opacity model may not be valid in all cases. The mean magnetic field strengths at 1 pc (B1) and at the core (Bcore) are in agreement with previous estimates. We apply the magnetically arrested disc model to estimate black hole spins in the range of 0.15-0.9 for these blazars, indicating that the model is consistent with expected accretion mode in such sources. The power-law-shaped power spectral density has slopes -1.3 to -2.3 and is interpreted in terms of multiple shocks or magnetic instabilities.

  12. Make peak flow a habit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asthma - make peak flow a habit; Reactive airway disease - peak flow; Bronchial asthma - peak flow ... 2014:chap 55. National Asthma Education and Prevention Program website. How to use a peak flow meter. ...

  13. Infrared polarimetry and photometry of BL Lac objects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Impey, C.D.; Williams, P.M.

    1984-01-01

    Photometry and polarimetry in the JHK wavebands have now been obtained for 25 BL Lac objects. Several new objects have been monitored for periods of up to five days, and accumulated data is sufficient for a statistical analysis of polarization properties. The selection effects operating on this sample are examined first. A power-law spectrum is consistent with the spectra of all but three objects. A number of important new results are reported. (author)

  14. JET PROPERTIES OF GeV-SELECTED RADIO-LOUD NARROW-LINE SEYFERT 1 GALAXIES AND POSSIBLE CONNECTION TO THEIR DISK AND CORONA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, Xiao-Na; Lin, Da-Bin; Liang, En-Wei [Department of Physics and GXU-NAOC Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004 (China); Zhang, Jin [National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China); Xue, Zi-Wei; Zhang, Shuang-Nan, E-mail: zhang.jin@hotmail.com [Key Laboratory for the Structure and Evolution of Celestial Objects, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650011 (China)

    2015-01-01

    The observed spectral energy distributions of five GeV-selected narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies are fitted with a model including the radiation ingredients from the relativistic jet, the accretion disk, and the corona. We compare the properties of these GeV NLS1 galaxies with flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), BL Lacertae objects (BL Lacs), and radio-quiet (RQ) Seyfert galaxies, and explore possible hints for jet-disk/corona connection. Our results show that the radiation physics and the jet properties of the GeV NLS1 galaxies resemble that of FSRQs. The luminosity variations of PMN J0948+0022 and 1H 0323+342 at the GeV band is tightly correlated with the beaming factor (δ), similar to that observed in FSRQ 3C 279. The accretion disk luminosities and the jet powers of the GeV NLS1 galaxies cover both the ranges of FSRQs and BL Lacs. With the detection of bright corona emission in 1H 0323+342, we show that the ratio of the corona luminosity (L {sub corona}) to the accretion disk luminosity (L {sub d}) is marginally within the high end of this ratio distribution for an RQ Seyfert galaxy sample, and the variation of jet luminosity may connect with L {sub corona}. However, it is still unclear whether a system with a high L {sub corona}/L {sub d} ratio prefers to power a jet.

  15. Peak tree: a new tool for multiscale hierarchical representation and peak detection of mass spectrometry data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Peng; Li, Houqiang; Wang, Honghui; Wong, Stephen T C; Zhou, Xiaobo

    2011-01-01

    Peak detection is one of the most important steps in mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. However, the detection result is greatly affected by severe spectrum variations. Unfortunately, most current peak detection methods are neither flexible enough to revise false detection results nor robust enough to resist spectrum variations. To improve flexibility, we introduce peak tree to represent the peak information in MS spectra. Each tree node is a peak judgment on a range of scales, and each tree decomposition, as a set of nodes, is a candidate peak detection result. To improve robustness, we combine peak detection and common peak alignment into a closed-loop framework, which finds the optimal decomposition via both peak intensity and common peak information. The common peak information is derived and loopily refined from the density clustering of the latest peak detection result. Finally, we present an improved ant colony optimization biomarker selection method to build a whole MS analysis system. Experiment shows that our peak detection method can better resist spectrum variations and provide higher sensitivity and lower false detection rates than conventional methods. The benefits from our peak-tree-based system for MS disease analysis are also proved on real SELDI data.

  16. Screening of sugarcane somaclones of variety bl4 for agronomic characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raza, S.; Qamarunnisa, S.; Jamil, I.

    2014-01-01

    Considering the environmental conditions of Pakistan where sugarcane breeding is constrained due to non viable fuzz (seeds) production. Somaclonal variation could prove to be a useful tool to overcome the difficulties in cane breeding. In the present study, 324 sugarcane somaclones regenerated from immature leaf roll callus of sugarcane variety BL4 were evaluated for their yield and yield contributing characters and the quality traits of cane. The field trial of somaclones showed variation in 160 somaclones from the mother plant in at least one character observed. Most of the somaclones showed variation in weight of stalks per plant; however, only twenty four out of 89 clones showed increase in the weight of the stalks per clump. The second highly variable trait was the number of stalks, 88 plants showed either increase or decrease in the number of stalks. It is noteworthy that the sucrose accumulation was not increased in any of the somaclones. Twenty one somaclones were selected for their increased yield potential. The comparative performance of these selected clones revealed that clones 'K-250, K-265, K-251, K-109, K-106, K-300 and K-315 gave better sugar yield /plant as compared to BL4. Maximum sugar yield/plant was observed in Clone 'K-250' (2.5 Kg) followed by K-265 (2.44 Kg), whereas the average sugar yield of BL4 was 1.2 Kg/plant. (author)

  17. Synchrotron total reflection X-ray fluorescence at BL-16 microfocus beamline of Indus-2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tiwari, M. K., E-mail: mktiwari@rrcat.gov.in; Singh, A. K., E-mail: mktiwari@rrcat.gov.in; Das, Gangadhar, E-mail: mktiwari@rrcat.gov.in; Chowdhury, Anupam, E-mail: mktiwari@rrcat.gov.in; Lodha, G. S., E-mail: mktiwari@rrcat.gov.in [Indus Synchrotrons Utilisation Division, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore-452013 (India)

    2014-04-24

    Determination of ultra trace elements is important in many disciplines both in basic and applied sciences. Numerous applications show their importance in medical science, environmental science, materials science, food processing and semiconductor industries and in maintaining the quality control of ultra pure chemicals and reagents. We report commissioning of a synchrotron based total reflection x-ray fluorescence (TXRF) facility on the BL-16 microfocus beamline of Indus-2. This paper describes the performance of the BL-16 TXRF spectrometer and the detailed description of its capabilities through examples of measured results.

  18. Constraining the red shifts of TeV BL Lac objects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Longhua; Wang, Jiancheng; Yan, Dahai; Yang, Chuyuan; Yuan, Zunli; Zhou, Ming

    2018-01-01

    We present a model-dependent method to estimate the red shifts of three TeV BL Lac objects (BL Lacs) through fitting their (quasi-)simultaneous multi-waveband spectral energy distributions (SEDs) with a one-zone leptonic synchrotron self-Compton model. Considering the impact of electron energy distributions (EEDs) on the results, we use three types of EEDs to fit the SEDs: a power-law EED with exponential cut-off (PLC), a log-parabola (PLLP) EED and the broken power-law (BPL) EED. We also use a parameter α to describe the uncertainties of the extragalactic background light models, as in Abdo et al. We then use a Markov chain Monte Carlo method to explore the multi-dimensional parameter space and obtain the uncertainties of the model parameters based on the observational data. We apply our method to obtain the red shifts of three TeV BL Lac objects in the marginalized 68 per cent confidence, and find that the PLC EED does not fit the SEDs. For 3C66A, the red shift is 0.14-0.31 and 0.16-0.32 in the BPL and PLLP EEDs. For PKS1424+240, the red shift is 0.55-0.68 and 0.55-0.67 in the BPL and PLLP EEDs. For PG1553+113, the red shift is 0.22-0.48 and 0.22-0.39 in the BPL and PLLP EEDs. We also estimate the red shift of PKS1424+240 in the high stage to be 0.46-0.67 in the PLLP EED, roughly consistent with that in the low stage.

  19. BL153 Partially Prevents High-Fat Diet Induced Liver Damage Probably via Inhibition of Lipid Accumulation, Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jian Wang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The present study was to investigate whether a magnolia extract, named BL153, can prevent obesity-induced liver damage and identify the possible protective mechanism. To this end, obese mice were induced by feeding with high fat diet (HFD, 60% kcal as fat and the age-matched control mice were fed with control diet (10% kcal as fat for 6 months. Simultaneously these mice were treated with or without BL153 daily at 3 dose levels (2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg by gavage. HFD feeding significantly increased the body weight and the liver weight. Administration of BL153 significantly reduced the liver weight but without effects on body weight. As a critical step of the development of NAFLD, hepatic fibrosis was induced in the mice fed with HFD, shown by upregulating the expression of connective tissue growth factor and transforming growth factor beta 1, which were significantly attenuated by BL153 in a dose-dependent manner. Mechanism study revealed that BL153 significantly suppressed HFD induced hepatic lipid accumulation and oxidative stress and slightly prevented liver inflammation. These results suggest that HFD induced fibrosis in the liver can be prevented partially by BL153, probably due to reduction of hepatic lipid accumulation, inflammation and oxidative stress.

  20. Inhibition of the metastatic spread and growth of B16-BL6 murine melanoma by a synthetic matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chirivi, R G; Garofalo, A; Crimmin, M J; Bawden, L J; Stoppacciaro, A; Brown, P D; Giavazzi, R

    1994-08-01

    The synthetic matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor batimastat was tested for its ability to inhibit growth and metastatic spread of the B16-BL6 murine melanoma in syngeneic C57BL/6N mice. Intraperitoneal administration of batimastat resulted in a significant inhibition in the number of lung colonies produced by B16-BL6 cells injected i.v. The effect of batimastat on spontaneous metastases was examined in mice inoculated in the hind footpad with B16-BL6 melanoma. The primary tumor was removed surgically after 26-28 days. Batimastat was administered twice a day from day 14 to day 28 (pre-surgery) or from day 26 to day 44 (post-surgery). With both protocols, the median number of lung metastases was not significantly affected, but there was a significant reduction in the weight of the metastases. Finally, the effect of batimastat was examined on s.c. growth of B16-BL6 melanoma. Batimastat administered daily, starting at day of tumor transplantation, resulted in a significant growth delay, whereas treatment starting at advanced stage tumor only reduced tumor growth marginally. Our results indicate that a matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor can not only prevent the colonization of secondary organs by B16-BL6 cells but also limit the growth of solid tumors.

  1. Temporal characteristics of stress-induced decrease in benzodiazepine reception in C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yarkova, M A; Seredenin, S B

    2014-10-01

    We studied the duration of the drop of specific (3)H-flunitrazepam binding by synaptosomal membranes from the brain of C57Bl/6 and BALB/c mice after open-field and "contact with predator" tests. It was found that reduced benzodiazepine reception in BALB/c mice after open-field test persisted for 1.5 h, but no changes of this parameter were found in C57Bl/6 mice. After contact with predator, the binding capacity of the benzodiazepine site of GABAA receptor was reduced for 8 h in BALB/c mice and for 24 h in C57Bl/6 mice.

  2. PHOTOMETRIC STUDIES OF THREE NEGLECTED SHORT-PERIOD CONTACT BINARIES GN BOOTIS, BL LEONIS, AND V1918 CYGNI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Y.-G.; Dai, H.-F.; Qian, S.-B.

    2013-01-01

    We present new photometry for three short-period contact binaries, GN Boo, BL Leo, and V1918 Cyg, observed from 2008 December to 2012 April using several small telescopes in China. Photometric models were deduced from new observations using the updated Wilson-Devinney Code. The results show that GN Boo and BL Leo are W-type contact binaries, while V1918 Cyg is an A-type one. The mass ratios and fill-out factors are q = 0.320(± 0.002) and f = 5.8(± 0.1)% for GN Boo, q = 0.476(± 0.005) and f = 21.3(± 1.1)% for BL Leo, q = 0.264(± 0.002), and f = 49.7(± 0.7)% for V1918 Cyg, respectively. From the (O – C) curves, it is discovered that the orbital periods of three binaries have varied in a complicated way, i.e., cyclic oscillation for GN Boo, long-term period decrease for BL Leo, and both for V1918 Cyg. The cyclic variations for GN Boo and V1918 Cyg may probably be attributed to the magnetic activity of the primary component or light-time effect due to the third body. Meanwhile, the secular period decreases for BL Leo and V1918 Cyg may result from mass transfer from the primary to the secondary, accompanying the mass and angular momentum loss from the central system. Finally, GN Boo, BL Leo, and V1918 Cyg will evolve into deep contact binaries. Additionally, a statistical study of 37 contact binaries with decreasing periods is given. We obtained the relations of q – f and q – dln P/dt, and preliminarily determined the mass loss rate of dln M/dt from the binary system.

  3. Stress and estrous cycle affect strategy but not performance of female C57BL/6J mice

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    ter Horst, J.P.; Kentrop, J.; de Kloet, E.R.; Oitzl, M.S.

    2013-01-01

    Stress induces a switch in learning strategies of male C57BL/6J mice from predominantly spatial to more stimulus-response learning. To study generalization of these findings over sex, we investigated female C57BL/6J mice at three phases of the estrous cycle under non stress and acute (10 min)

  4. A novel halophilic lipase, LipBL, showing high efficiency in the production of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dolores Pérez

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Among extremophiles, halophiles are defined as microorganisms adapted to live and thrive in diverse extreme saline environments. These extremophilic microorganisms constitute the source of a number of hydrolases with great biotechnological applications. The interest to use extremozymes from halophiles in industrial applications is their resistance to organic solvents and extreme temperatures. Marinobacter lipolyticus SM19 is a moderately halophilic bacterium, isolated previously from a saline habitat in South Spain, showing lipolytic activity. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A lipolytic enzyme from the halophilic bacterium Marinobacter lipolyticus SM19 was isolated. This enzyme, designated LipBL, was expressed in Escherichia coli. LipBL is a protein of 404 amino acids with a molecular mass of 45.3 kDa and high identity to class C β-lactamases. LipBL was purified and biochemically characterized. The temperature for its maximal activity was 80°C and the pH optimum determined at 25°C was 7.0, showing optimal activity without sodium chloride, while maintaining 20% activity in a wide range of NaCl concentrations. This enzyme exhibited high activity against short-medium length acyl chain substrates, although it also hydrolyzes olive oil and fish oil. The fish oil hydrolysis using LipBL results in an enrichment of free eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, but not docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, relative to its levels present in fish oil. For improving the stability and to be used in industrial processes LipBL was immobilized in different supports. The immobilized derivatives CNBr-activated Sepharose were highly selective towards the release of EPA versus DHA. The enzyme is also active towards different chiral and prochiral esters. Exposure of LipBL to buffer-solvent mixtures showed that the enzyme had remarkable activity and stability in all organic solvents tested. CONCLUSIONS: In this study we isolated, purified, biochemically characterized and immobilized a

  5. Boson peak, heterogeneity and intermediate-range order in binary SiO2-Al2O3 glasses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ando, Mariana F; Benzine, Omar; Pan, Zhiwen; Garden, Jean-Luc; Wondraczek, Katrin; Grimm, Stephan; Schuster, Kay; Wondraczek, Lothar

    2018-03-29

    In binary aluminosilicate liquids and glasses, heterogeneity on intermediate length scale is a crucial factor for optical fiber performance, determining the lower limit of optical attenuation and Rayleigh scattering, but also clustering and precipitation of optically active dopants, for example, in the fabrication of high-power laser gain media. Here, we consider the low-frequency vibrational modes of such materials for assessing structural heterogeneity on molecular scale. We determine the vibrational density of states VDoS g(ω) using low-temperature heat capacity data. From correlation with low-frequency Raman spectroscopy, we obtain the Raman coupling coefficient. Both experiments allow for the extraction of the average dynamic correlation length as a function of alumina content. We find that this value decreases from about 3.9 nm to 3.3 nm when mildly increasing the alumina content from zero (vitreous silica) to 7 mol%. At the same time, the average inter-particle distance increases slightly due to the presence of oxygen tricluster species. In accordance with Loewensteinian dynamics, this proves that mild alumina doping increases structural homogeneity on molecular scale.

  6. Photo-translocation of anti-HIV-1 drugs into TZM-bl cells

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Khanyile, T

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Targeted drug delivery into HIV-1 infected cells offers a reduction in toxicity and side effect. Using a femtosecond (fs) laser of different beam shapes anti-HIV-1 drugs are efficiently delivered into TZM-bl cells....

  7. Data on morphometric analysis of the pancreatic islets from C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thiago Aparecido da Silva

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The endocrine portion of the pancreas, which is characterized by pancreatic islets, has been widely investigated among different species. The BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice are extensively used in experimental research, and the morphometric differences in the pancreatic islets of these animals have not been evaluated so far. Thus, our data have a comparative perspective related to the morphometric analysis of area, diameters, circularity, and density of pancreatic islets from BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice. The data presented here are focused to evaluate the differences in morphology of pancreatic islets of two common laboratory mouse strains. Keywords: Pancreatic islets, Morphometry, BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice

  8. Cadmium Exposure Impairs Cognition and Olfactory Memory in Male C57BL/6 Mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Hao; Zhang, Liang; Abel, Glen M; Storm, Daniel R; Xia, Zhengui

    2018-01-01

    Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal of high interest to the superfund initiative. Recent epidemiology studies have suggested a possible association between Cd exposure and cognitive as well as olfactory impairments in humans. However, studies in animal models are needed to establish a direct causal relationship between Cd exposure and impairments in cognition and olfaction. This study aims to investigate the toxic effect of Cd on cognition and olfactory function in mice. One group of 8-week-old C57BL/6 male mice was exposed to 3 mg/l Cd (in the form of CdCl2) through drinking water for 20 weeks for behavior tests and final blood Cd concentration analysis. The behavior tests were conducted before, during, and after Cd exposure to analyze the effects of Cd on cognition and olfactory function. Upon completion of behavior tests, blood was collected to measure final blood Cd concentration. Two additional groups of mice were similarly exposed to Cd for 5 or 13 weeks for peak blood Cd concentration measurement. The peak blood Cd concentration was 2.125-2.25 μg/l whereas the final blood Cd concentration was 0.18 μg/l. At this exposure level, Cd impaired hippocampus-dependent learning and memory in novel object location test, T-maze test, and contextual fear memory test. It also caused deficits in short-term olfactory memory and odor-cued olfactory learning and memory. Results in this study demonstrate a direct relationship between Cd exposure and cognitive as well as olfactory impairments in an animal model. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  9. MHD intermediate shock discontinuities: Pt. 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kennel, C.F.; Blandford, R.D.; Coppi, P.

    1989-01-01

    Recent numerical investigations have focused attention once more on the role of intermediate shocks in MHD. Four types of intermediate shock are identified using a graphical representation of the MHD Rankine-Hugoniot conditions. This same representation can be used to exhibit the close relationship of intermediate shocks to switch-on shocks and rotational discontinuities. The conditions under which intermediate discontinuities can be found are elucidated. The variations in velocity, pressure, entropy and magnetic-field jumps with upstream parameters in intermediate shocks are exhibited graphically. The evolutionary arguments traditionally advanced against intermediate shocks may fail because the equations of classical MHD are not strictly hyperbolic. (author)

  10. Peak Experience Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Daniel G.; Evans, Jessica

    2010-01-01

    This paper emerges from the continued analysis of data collected in a series of international studies concerning Childhood Peak Experiences (CPEs) based on developments in understanding peak experiences in Maslow's hierarchy of needs initiated by Dr Edward Hoffman. Bridging from the series of studies, Canadian researchers explore collected…

  11. Opacity and noninear effects on theoretical BL Herculis models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hodson, S.W.; Cox, A.N.; King, D.S.

    1982-01-01

    Linear and nonlinear pulsation models for BL Herculis variables have been constructed to investigate the resonance which seems to occur when the ratio of the second overtone (Pi 2 ) to fundamental (Pi 0 ) radial periods is near 0.5. This resonance is shown to affect the shapes of the light and velocity curves and produce bumps on either ascending or descending light just as far classical Cepheids. Linear theory predicts the resonance to occur at periods between 1.7 and 3.0 days for 0.55 M/sub sun/ and between 2.1 and 4.0 days for 0.75 M/sub sun/ stars at the red and blue edges, respectively, of the stability strip. These periods are rather independent of the composition and opacity tables. However, observations show the resonance to be about 1.7 days for all BL Her variables by noticing that the bump phase switches from descending to ascending light as the period increases. Nonlinear calculations indicate that the linear theory predictions of Pi 2 /Pi 0 are not reliable just at Pi 2 /Pi 0 = 0.5, and the predicted resonance occurs always at the proper period as observed

  12. Engineering report on drilling in the Sand Wash Basin intermediate grade project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1980-09-01

    The Sand Wash Basin Intermediate Grade Drilling Project was conducted by Bendix Field Engineering Corporation in support of the US Department of Energy (DOE) National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) program. This project consisted of 19 drill holes ranging in depth from 275 to 1220 feet (83.9 to 372.1 m). A total of 11,569 feet (3528.5 m) was rotary drilled and 130 feet (39.7 m) were cored for a total of 11,699 feet (3568.2 m) for the project. The project objective was to provide comprehensive subsurface geologic data relevant to Intermediate Grade uranium mineralization of the Browns Park Formation in the Sugar Loaf Peak Site A, and the Little Juniper Mountain Site B areas. All boreholes are located on the USGS Juniper Hot Springs and the Lay 7.5-Minute Series (Topographic) Quadrangles. The project began May 2, 1980; drilling was completed June 3, 1980. Site restoration and clean up was initiated immediately upon the completion of the last borehole and was completed June 8, 1980

  13. Peak pool boiling heat flux from horizontal cylinders in subcooled liquids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elkassabgi, Y.

    1986-01-01

    The peak pool boiling heat flux is observed on horizontal cylindrical heaters in acetone, Freon-113, methanol, and isopropanol over ranges of subcooling from zero to 120 0 C. Photographs, and the data themselves, reveal that there are three distinct burnout mechanisms at different levels of subcooling. Three interpretive models provide the basis for accurate correlations of the present data, and data from the literature, in each of the three regimes. Burnout is dictated by condensation on the walls of the vapor jets and columns at low subcooling. In the intermediate regime, burnout is limited by natural convection which becomes very effective as vapor near the heater reduces boundary layer resistance. Burnout in the high-subcooling regime is independent of the level of subcoooling and is limited by the process of molecular effusion

  14. Iterative solution of multiple radiation and scattering problems in structural acoustics using the BL-QMR algorithm

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Malhotra, M. [Stanford Univ., CA (United States)

    1996-12-31

    Finite-element discretizations of time-harmonic acoustic wave problems in exterior domains result in large sparse systems of linear equations with complex symmetric coefficient matrices. In many situations, these matrix problems need to be solved repeatedly for different right-hand sides, but with the same coefficient matrix. For instance, multiple right-hand sides arise in radiation problems due to multiple load cases, and also in scattering problems when multiple angles of incidence of an incoming plane wave need to be considered. In this talk, we discuss the iterative solution of multiple linear systems arising in radiation and scattering problems in structural acoustics by means of a complex symmetric variant of the BL-QMR method. First, we summarize the governing partial differential equations for time-harmonic structural acoustics, the finite-element discretization of these equations, and the resulting complex symmetric matrix problem. Next, we sketch the special version of BL-QMR method that exploits complex symmetry, and we describe the preconditioners we have used in conjunction with BL-QMR. Finally, we report some typical results of our extensive numerical tests to illustrate the typical convergence behavior of BL-QMR method for multiple radiation and scattering problems in structural acoustics, to identify appropriate preconditioners for these problems, and to demonstrate the importance of deflation in block Krylov-subspace methods. Our numerical results show that the multiple systems arising in structural acoustics can be solved very efficiently with the preconditioned BL-QMR method. In fact, for multiple systems with up to 40 and more different right-hand sides we get consistent and significant speed-ups over solving the systems individually.

  15. Cat odor exposure induces distinct changes in the exploratory behavior and Wfs1 gene expression in C57Bl/6 and 129Sv mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raud, Sirli; Sütt, Silva; Plaas, Mario; Luuk, Hendrik; Innos, Jürgen; Philips, Mari-Anne; Kõks, Sulev; Vasar, Eero

    2007-10-16

    129Sv and C57Bl/6 (Bl6) strains are two most widely used inbred mice strains for generation of transgenic animals. The present study confirms the existence of substantial differences in the behavior of these two mice strains. The exploratory behavior of Bl6 mice in a novel environment was significantly higher compared to 129Sv mice. The exposure of mice to cat odor-induced an anxiety-like state in Bl6, but not in 129Sv mice. The levels of Wfs1 gene expression did not differ in the prefrontal cortex, mesolimbic area and temporal lobe of experimentally naive Bl6 and 129Sv mice. However, after cat odor exposure the expression of Wfs1 gene was significantly lower in the mesolimbic area and temporal lobe of Bl6 mice compared to 129Sv strain. Dynamics of Wfs1 gene expression and exploratory behavior suggest that the down-regulation of Wfs1 gene in Bl6 mice might be related to the increased anxiety. Further studies are needed to test the robustness and possible causal relationship of this finding.

  16. Phylogeography and demographic history of Lacerta lepida in the Iberian Peninsula: multiple refugia, range expansions and secondary contact zones

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hewitt Godfrey M

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The Iberian Peninsula is recognized as an important refugial area for species survival and diversification during the climatic cycles of the Quaternary. Recent phylogeographic studies have revealed Iberia as a complex of multiple refugia. However, most of these studies have focused either on species with narrow distributions within the region or species groups that, although widely distributed, generally have a genetic structure that relates to pre-Quaternary cladogenetic events. In this study we undertake a detailed phylogeographic analysis of the lizard species, Lacerta lepida, whose distribution encompasses the entire Iberian Peninsula. We attempt to identify refugial areas, recolonization routes, zones of secondary contact and date demographic events within this species. Results Results support the existence of 6 evolutionary lineages (phylogroups with a strong association between genetic variation and geography, suggesting a history of allopatric divergence in different refugia. Diversification within phylogroups is concordant with the onset of the Pleistocene climatic oscillations. The southern regions of several phylogroups show a high incidence of ancestral alleles in contrast with high incidence of recently derived alleles in northern regions. All phylogroups show signs of recent demographic and spatial expansions. We have further identified several zones of secondary contact, with divergent mitochondrial haplotypes occurring in narrow zones of sympatry. Conclusions The concordant patterns of spatial and demographic expansions detected within phylogroups, together with the high incidence of ancestral haplotypes in southern regions of several phylogroups, suggests a pattern of contraction of populations into southern refugia during adverse climatic conditions from which subsequent northern expansions occurred. This study supports the emergent pattern of multiple refugia within Iberia but adds to it by identifying a

  17. Phylogeography and demographic history of Lacerta lepida in the Iberian Peninsula: multiple refugia, range expansions and secondary contact zones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miraldo, Andreia; Hewitt, Godfrey M; Paulo, Octavio S; Emerson, Brent C

    2011-06-17

    The Iberian Peninsula is recognized as an important refugial area for species survival and diversification during the climatic cycles of the Quaternary. Recent phylogeographic studies have revealed Iberia as a complex of multiple refugia. However, most of these studies have focused either on species with narrow distributions within the region or species groups that, although widely distributed, generally have a genetic structure that relates to pre-Quaternary cladogenetic events. In this study we undertake a detailed phylogeographic analysis of the lizard species, Lacerta lepida, whose distribution encompasses the entire Iberian Peninsula. We attempt to identify refugial areas, recolonization routes, zones of secondary contact and date demographic events within this species. Results support the existence of 6 evolutionary lineages (phylogroups) with a strong association between genetic variation and geography, suggesting a history of allopatric divergence in different refugia. Diversification within phylogroups is concordant with the onset of the Pleistocene climatic oscillations. The southern regions of several phylogroups show a high incidence of ancestral alleles in contrast with high incidence of recently derived alleles in northern regions. All phylogroups show signs of recent demographic and spatial expansions. We have further identified several zones of secondary contact, with divergent mitochondrial haplotypes occurring in narrow zones of sympatry. The concordant patterns of spatial and demographic expansions detected within phylogroups, together with the high incidence of ancestral haplotypes in southern regions of several phylogroups, suggests a pattern of contraction of populations into southern refugia during adverse climatic conditions from which subsequent northern expansions occurred. This study supports the emergent pattern of multiple refugia within Iberia but adds to it by identifying a pattern of refugia coincident with the southern distribution

  18. [Efficacy observation of nonspecific low back pain treated with the dragon-tiger fighting needling method].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Feng; Cao, Dong-bo; Yuan, Yi-qin; Luo, Jian; Wen, Yan-yun; Wang, Yue; Yu, Jie

    2012-06-01

    To compare the difference in the clinical efficacy on nonspecific low back pain (NLBP) treated with the dragon-tiger fighting needling method, the uniform reinforcing-reducing method and the intermediate frequency physiotherapy. Ninety cases of NLBP were randomly divided into a dragon-tiger fighting needling group (group A), an uniform reinforcing-reducing needling group (group B) and an intermediate frequency physiotherapy group (group C), 30 cases in each one. In the group A, the dragon-tiger fighting needling method was used. In the group B, the uniform reinforcing-reducing method was applied. Two groups of acupoints were prescribed. One group included Shenshu (BL 23), Dachangshu (BL 25), Weizhong (BL 40) and Ashi points. The other group included Qihaishu (BL 24), Guanyuanshu (BL 26), Kunlun (BL 60), Yaoyangguan (GV 3). These two groups of acupoints were used alternatively in the above two groups. In the group C, the intermediate frequency physiotherapy was adopted in the pain area of the lumbar region. The treatment was given once per day in each group. Six treatments made one session. Totally, 2 sessions were required. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the Oswestry Disability Index (ODD and the clinical efficacy were observed in each group. The scores of VAS and ODI were reduced obviously after treatment in each group (P dragon-tiger fighting needling method achieves the much better efficacy on NLBP compared with either the uniform reinforcing-reducing method or the intermediate frequency physiotherapy. It is one of the more effective needling method for analgesia.

  19. Spontaneous autoimmunity in 129 and C57BL/6 mice-implications for autoimmunity described in gene-targeted mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anne E Bygrave

    2004-08-01

    Full Text Available Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE is a multisystem autoimmune disorder in which complex genetic factors play an important role. Several strains of gene-targeted mice have been reported to develop SLE, implicating the null genes in the causation of disease. However, hybrid strains between 129 and C57BL/6 mice, widely used in the generation of gene-targeted mice, develop spontaneous autoimmunity. Furthermore, the genetic background markedly influences the autoimmune phenotype of SLE in gene-targeted mice. This suggests an important role in the expression of autoimmunity of as-yet-uncharacterised background genes originating from these parental mouse strains. Using genome-wide linkage analysis, we identified several susceptibility loci, derived from 129 and C57BL/6 mice, mapped in the lupus-prone hybrid (129 x C57BL/6 model. By creating a C57BL/6 congenic strain carrying a 129-derived Chromosome 1 segment, we found that this 129 interval was sufficient to mediate the loss of tolerance to nuclear antigens, which had previously been attributed to a disrupted gene. These results demonstrate important epistatic modifiers of autoimmunity in 129 and C57BL/6 mouse strains, widely used in gene targeting. These background gene influences may account for some, or even all, of the autoimmune traits described in some gene-targeted models of SLE.

  20. Peak Oil and other threatening peaks-Chimeras without substance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Radetzki, Marian

    2010-01-01

    The Peak Oil movement has widely spread its message about an impending peak in global oil production, caused by an inadequate resource base. On closer scrutiny, the underlying analysis is inconsistent, void of a theoretical foundation and without support in empirical observations. Global oil resources are huge and expanding, and pose no threat to continuing output growth within an extended time horizon. In contrast, temporary or prolonged supply crunches are indeed plausible, even likely, on account of growing resource nationalism denying access to efficient exploitation of the existing resource wealth.

  1. Anomalous energy exchange in the gBL and quasilinear theories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mynick, H.E.

    1992-02-01

    The rate of turbulence-induced energy exchange W o between species is computed in the framework of the quasilinear and gBL transport theories, and the relationship between these two theories, and the relationship between these two similar theories is thereby elucidated. For both theories, general formal expressions for W o are developed, and then applied to the trapped electron mode for illustration. The general expressions for W o in the two theories are formally closely related, but can yield predictions of very different magnitude in concrete applications. The fact that quasilinear theory is not valid for saturated steady-state turbulence gives rise to certain peculiarities in its predictions for this normal experimental situation, such as permitting energy to flow from the cooler to the hotter species, even in the limit of thermal equilibrium, where real-space gradients vanish. The gBL theory may be viewed as a modification of quasilinear theory to be valid for steady-state turbulence, keeping extra terms due to the self-consistent back reaction of particles on the fluctuations, which are just such as to eliminate these peculiarities

  2. Immunobiologic effects of cytokine gene transfer of the B16-BL6 melanoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strome, S E; Krauss, J C; Cameron, M J; Forslund, K; Shu, S; Chang, A E

    1993-12-01

    The genetic modification of tumors offers an approach to modulate the host immune response to relatively weak native tumor antigens. We examined the immunobiologic effects of various cytokine genes transferred into the poorly immunogenic B16-BL6 murine melanoma. Retroviral expression vectors containing cDNAs for interleukin 2, interleukin 4, interferon gamma, or a neomycin-resistant control were electroporated into a B16-BL6 tumor clone. Selected transfected clones were examined for in vitro cytokine secretion and in vivo tumorigenicity. When cells from individual clones were injected intradermally into syngeneic mice, the interleukin 4-secreting clone grew significantly slower than did the neomycin-resistant transfected control, while the growth of the interleukin 2- and interferon gamma-expressing clones was not affected. Despite minimal cytokine secretion by interferon gamma-transfected cells, these cells expressed upregulated major histocompatibility class I antigen and were more susceptible to lysis by allosensitized cytotoxic T lymphocytes compared with parental or neomycin-resistant transfected tumor targets. We observed diverse immunobiologic effects associated with cytokine gene transfer into the B16-BL6 melanoma. Interleukin 4 transfection of tumor resulted in decreased in vivo tumorigenicity that may be related to a host immune response. Further studies to evaluate the host T-cell response to these gene-modified tumors are being investigated.

  3. Kron 3: a fourth intermediate age cluster in the SMC with evidence of multiple populations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hollyhead, K.; Lardo, C.; Kacharov, N.; Bastian, N.; Hilker, M.; Rejkuba, M.; Koch, A.; Grebel, E. K.; Georgiev, I.

    2018-05-01

    We present the results of a spectroscopic study of the intermediate age (≈6.5 Gyr) massive cluster Kron 3 in the Small Magellanic Cloud. We measure CN and CH band strengths (at ≃3839 and 4300 Å, respectively) using VLT FORS2 spectra of 16 cluster members and find a sub-population of five stars enriched in nitrogen. We conclude that this is evidence for multiple populations in Kron 3, the fourth intermediate age cluster, after Lindsay 1, NGC 416 and NGC 339 (ages 6-8 Gyr), to display this phenomenon originally thought to be a unique characteristic of old globular clusters. At ≈6.5 Gyr this is one of the youngest clusters with multiple populations, indicating that the mechanism responsible for their onset must operate until a redshift of at least 0.75, much later than the peak of globular cluster formation at redshift ˜3.

  4. Base-Load and Peak Electricity from a Combined Nuclear Heat and Fossil Combined-Cycle Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Conklin, Jim; Forsberg, Charles W.

    2007-01-01

    A combined-cycle power plant is proposed that uses heat from a high-temperature reactor and fossil fuel to meet base-load and peak electrical demands. The high-temperature gas turbine produces shaft power to turn an electric generator. The hot exhaust is then fed to a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) that provides steam to a steam turbine for added electrical power production. A simplified computational model of the thermal power conversion system was developed in order to parametrically investigate two different steady-state operation conditions: base load nuclear heat only from an Advanced High Temperature Reactor (AHTR), and combined nuclear heat with fossil heat to increase the turbine inlet temperature. These two cases bracket the expected range of power levels, where any intermediate power level can result during electrical load following. The computed results indicate that combined nuclear-fossil systems have the potential to offer both low-cost base-load electricity and lower-cost peak power relative to the existing combination of base-load nuclear plants and separate fossil-fired peak-electricity production units. In addition, electric grid stability, reduced greenhouse gases, and operational flexibility can also result with using the conventional technology presented here for the thermal power conversion system coupled with the AHTR

  5. Pengaruh Pembelajaran Project Based Learning (PjBL pada Materi Ekosistem terhadap Sikap dan Hasil Belajar Siswa SMAN 2 Malang

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susriyati Mahanal

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this research was to know the effect of Project Based Learning (PjBL to the attitude and student cognitive achievement in SMAN 2 Malang. This research applied quasy experimental with non-equivalent control group design. The populations of this research is all student of class X SMAN 2 Malang on academic year 2008/2009. The samples of this research were class X7 as experimental (PjBL and class X8 as control (conventional. The instrument of this research namely cognitive achievement test and attitude scale questionnaire to river ecosystem. This research data are quantitative data consisted by score cognitive achievement and attitude scale questionnaire to river ecosystem, collected on 14 Maret until 31 May 2009. Data were analysed by bilinear covariant statistical analysis (Ancova, continued with LSD test. The result of this research indicated that there were PjBL toward the cognitive achievement and student attitude to river ecosystem. Students with PjBl having attitude higher 11,65% from conventional students. Beside, students with PjBl having cognitive achievement higher 81,05% from conventional students. Based on this research, the researcher suggest to the teacher that this strategy can be implemented in biology learning.   Kata kunci: Project Based Learning, sikap terhadap ekosistem sungai, hasil belajar

  6. Bl-1020, a new γ-aminobutyric acid-enhanced antipsychotic: results of 6-week, randomized, double-blind, controlled, efficacy and safety study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geffen, Yona; Keefe, Richard; Rabinowitz, Jonathan; Anand, Ravi; Davidson, Michael

    2012-09-01

    BL-1020 is a γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-enhanced antipsychotic that combines dopamine antagonism with GABA agonist activity. On the basis of animal models, we tested the hypotheses that BL-1020 would be effective in ameliorating both psychotic symptoms and cognitive impairments, with a favorable safety profile in acutely ill schizophrenia patients. 363 hospital-based psychiatric patients in India, Romania, and United States aged 18 to 65 years and meeting criteria for DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of chronic schizophrenia were randomized double-blind to receive BL-1020 10 mg/d, BL-1020 20-30 mg/d, placebo, or risperidone (2-8 mg/d) for 6 weeks. The main outcome measures were the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS), brief assessment of cognition in schizophrenia, readiness for discharge questionnaire, clinical global impressions scale (CGI) , and extrapyramidal symptom rating scale. The study ran from July 2008 to June 2009. BL-1020 20-30 mg was significantly better than placebo on PANSS (P = .02) and CGI (P schizophrenia composite score when compared to placebo (effect size = 0.50, P = .009), risperidone (effect size = 0.43, P = .019), and BL-1020 10 mg (effect size = 0.42, P = .013) after 6 weeks. BL-1020 appears to be an effective antipsychotic with possible procognitive effects that will need to be further tested for short- and long-term effects. A further randomized controlled trial using the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-recommended Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia cognitive battery is ongoing. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00567710. © Copyright 2012 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

  7. Information acquisition and financial intermediation

    OpenAIRE

    Boyarchenko, Nina

    2012-01-01

    This paper considers the problem of information acquisition in an intermediated market, where the specialists have access to superior technology for acquiring information. These informational advantages of specialists relative to households lead to disagreement between the two groups, changing the shape of the intermediation-constrained region of the economy and increasing the frequency of periods when the intermediation constraint binds. Acquiring the additional information is, however, cost...

  8. The Discovery of a High-Redshift Quasar without Emission Lines from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Commissioning Data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan; Strauss; Gunn; Lupton; Carilli; Rupen; Schmidt; Moustakas; Davis; Annis; Bahcall; Brinkmann; Brunner; Csabai; Doi; Fukugita; Heckman; Hennessy; Hindsley; Ivezic; Knapp; Lamb; Munn; Pauls; Pier; Rockosi; Schneider; Szalay; Tucker; York

    1999-12-01

    We report observations of a luminous unresolved object at redshift z=4.62, with a featureless optical spectrum redward of the Lyalpha forest region, discovered from Sloan Digital Sky Survey commissioning data. The redshift is determined by the onset of the Lyalpha forest at lambda approximately 6800 Å and a Lyman limit system at lambda=5120 Å. A strong Lyalpha absorption system with weak metal absorption lines at z=4.58 is also identified in the spectrum. The object has a continuum absolute magnitude of -26.6 at 1450 Å in the rest frame (h0=0.5, q0=0.5) and therefore cannot be an ordinary galaxy. It shows no radio emission (the 3 sigma upper limit of its flux at 6 cm is 60 µJy), indicating a radio-to-optical flux ratio at least as small as that of the radio-weakest BL Lacertae objects known. It is also not linearly polarized to a 3 sigma upper limit of 4% in the observed I band. Therefore, it is either the most distant BL Lac object known to date, with very weak radio emission, or a new type of unbeamed quasar, whose broad emission line region is very weak or absent.

  9. A high-fat diet delays age-related hearing loss progression in C57BL/6J mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takeshi Fujita

    Full Text Available Age-related hearing loss (AHL, or presbycusis, is the most common sensory disorder among the elderly. We used C57BL/6J mice as an AHL model to determine a possible association between AHL and a high-fat diet (HFD.Forty C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to a control or HFD group. Each group was divided into the following subgroups: 1-, 3-, 5- and 12-month groups (HFD, n = 5/subgroup; control, n = 5/subgroup. Nine CBA/N-slc mice were also used as a 12-month control (n = 5 or 12-month HFD (n = 4 group. The mice were fed a HFD or normal (control diet throughout this study. Hearing function was evaluated at 1, 3, 5 and 12 months using auditory evoked brainstem responses (ABRs. Spiral ganglion cells (SGCs were also counted.The elevation of ABR thresholds (at 4 and 32 kHz at 3 and 5 months was significantly suppressed in the HFD group compared with the control groups for C57BL/6J mice. After 12 months, the elevation of ABR thresholds was significantly suppressed in the HFD group at all frequencies for C57BL/6J mice. In contrast, CBA/N-slc mice displayed opposite outcomes, as ABR thresholds at all frequencies at 12 months were significantly elevated in the HFD group compared with the control group. For the C57BL/6J mice at 12 months, SGC numbers significantly decreased in all parts of the cochleae in the control group compared with the HFD groups. In contrast, for the CBA/N-slc mice, SGC numbers significantly decreased, particularly in the upper parts of the cochleae in the HFD group compared with the control groups.The elevation in ABR thresholds and SGC loss associated with aging in the HFD-fed C57BL/6J mice were significantly suppressed compared with those in the normal diet-fed mice. These results suggest that HFD delays AHL progression in the C57B/6J mice.

  10. A High-Fat Diet Delays Age-Related Hearing Loss Progression in C57BL/6J Mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujita, Takeshi; Yamashita, Daisuke; Uehara, Natsumi; Inokuchi, Go; Hasegawa, Shingo; Otsuki, Naoki; Nibu, Ken-ichi

    2015-01-01

    Objective Age-related hearing loss (AHL), or presbycusis, is the most common sensory disorder among the elderly. We used C57BL/6J mice as an AHL model to determine a possible association between AHL and a high-fat diet (HFD). Methods Forty C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to a control or HFD group. Each group was divided into the following subgroups: 1-, 3-, 5- and 12-month groups (HFD, n = 5/subgroup; control, n = 5/subgroup). Nine CBA/N-slc mice were also used as a 12-month control (n = 5) or 12-month HFD (n = 4) group. The mice were fed a HFD or normal (control) diet throughout this study. Hearing function was evaluated at 1, 3, 5 and 12 months using auditory evoked brainstem responses (ABRs). Spiral ganglion cells (SGCs) were also counted. Results The elevation of ABR thresholds (at 4 and 32 kHz) at 3 and 5 months was significantly suppressed in the HFD group compared with the control groups for C57BL/6J mice. After 12 months, the elevation of ABR thresholds was significantly suppressed in the HFD group at all frequencies for C57BL/6J mice. In contrast, CBA/N-slc mice displayed opposite outcomes, as ABR thresholds at all frequencies at 12 months were significantly elevated in the HFD group compared with the control group. For the C57BL/6J mice at 12 months, SGC numbers significantly decreased in all parts of the cochleae in the control group compared with the HFD groups. In contrast, for the CBA/N-slc mice, SGC numbers significantly decreased, particularly in the upper parts of the cochleae in the HFD group compared with the control groups. Conclusions The elevation in ABR thresholds and SGC loss associated with aging in the HFD-fed C57BL/6J mice were significantly suppressed compared with those in the normal diet-fed mice. These results suggest that HFD delays AHL progression in the C57B/6J mice. PMID:25625852

  11. Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 110: Areas 3 RWMS U-3ax/bl Disposal Unit, Nevada Test Site, Nevada

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    J. L. Smith

    2001-08-01

    This Closure Report (CR) has been prepared for the Area 3 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS) U-3ax/bl Disposal Unit Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 110 in accordance with the reissued (November 2000) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Part B operational permit NEV HW009 (Nevada Division of Environmental Protection [NDEP], 2000) and the Federal Facility and Consent Order (FFACO) (NDEP et al., 1996). CAU 110 consists of one Corrective Action Site 03-23-04, described as the U-3ax/bl Subsidence Crater. Certifications of closure are located in Appendix A. The U-3ax/bl is a historic disposal unit within the Area 3 RWMS located on the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The unit, which was formed by excavating the area between two subsidence craters (U-3ax and U-3bl), was operationally closed in 1987. The U-3ax/bl disposal unit was closed under the RCRA, as a hazardous waste landfill. Existing records indicate that, from July 1968 to December 1987, U-3ax/bl received 2.3 x 10{sup 5} cubic meters (m{sup 3}) (8.12 x 10{sup 6} cubic feet [ft{sup 3}]) of waste. NTS atmospheric nuclear device testing generated approximately 95% of the total waste volume disposed of in U-3ax/bl; 80% of the total volume was generated from the Waste Consolidation Project. Area 3 is located in Yucca Flat, within the northeast quadrant of the NTS. The Yucca Flat watershed is a structurally closed basin encompassing an area of approximately 780 square kilometers (300 square miles). The structural geomorphology of Yucca Flat is typical of the Basin and Range Physiographic Province. Yucca Flat lies in one of the most arid regions of the country. Water balance calculations for Area 3 indicate that it is normally in a state of moisture deficit.

  12. Development of intermediate-scale structure at different altitudes within an equatorial plasma bubble: Implications for L-band scintillations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhattacharyya, A.; Kakad, B.; Gurram, P.; Sripathi, S.; Sunda, S.

    2017-01-01

    An important aspect of the development of intermediate-scale length (approximately hundred meters to few kilometers) irregularities in an equatorial plasma bubble (EPB) that has not been considered in the schemes to predict the occurrence pattern of L-band scintillations in low-latitude regions is how these structures develop at different heights within an EPB as it rises in the postsunset equatorial ionosphere due to the growth of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. Irregularities at different heights over the dip equator map to different latitudes, and their spectrum as well as the background electron density determine the strength of L-band scintillations at different latitudes. In this paper, VHF and L-band scintillations recorded at different latitudes together with theoretical modeling of the scintillations are used to study the implications of this structuring of EPBs on the occurrence and strength of L-band scintillations at different latitudes. Theoretical modeling shows that while S4 index for scintillations on a VHF signal recorded at an equatorial station may be >1, S4 index for scintillations on a VHF signal recorded near the crest of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) generally does not exceed the value of 1 because the intermediate-scale irregularity spectrum at F layer peak near the EIA crest is shallower than that found in the equatorial F layer peak. This also explains the latitudinal distribution of L-band scintillations. Thus, it is concluded that there is greater structuring of an EPB on the topside of the equatorial F region than near the equatorial F layer peak.

  13. Antimetastatic effect of PSK, a protein-bound polysaccharide, against the B16-BL6 mouse melanoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsunaga, K; Ohhara, M; Oguchi, Y; Iijima, H; Kobayashi, H

    1996-01-01

    We examined the effect of PSK, a protein-bound polysaccharide, upon in vivo metastasis and in vitro invasion of the B16-BL6 mouse melanoma cells. (1) PSK suppressed in vivo artificial and spontaneous lung metastases of B16-BL6 in C57BL/6 mice. (2) PSK in a dose-dependent fashion suppressed in vitro invasion and chemotaxis of the tumor cells using filters coated with a reconstituted basement membrane. (3) PSK had little effect on DNA synthesis in tumor cells in vitro, but suppressed tumor cell adhesion to, degradation of, and haptotaxis to components of the basement membrane. (4) PSK suppressed the binding of tumor cells to components of the basement membrane. These findings suggest that PSK may suppress metastasis through inhibition of tumor cell invasion and that this effect is the result of interactions between PSK and components of the basement membrane.

  14. Peak power ratio generator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moyer, R.D.

    A peak power ratio generator is described for measuring, in combination with a conventional power meter, the peak power level of extremely narrow pulses in the gigahertz radio frequency bands. The present invention in a preferred embodiment utilizes a tunnel diode and a back diode combination in a detector circuit as the only high speed elements. The high speed tunnel diode provides a bistable signal and serves as a memory device of the input pulses for the remaining, slower components. A hybrid digital and analog loop maintains the peak power level of a reference channel at a known amount. Thus, by measuring the average power levels of the reference signal and the source signal, the peak power level of the source signal can be determined.

  15. Computing Optical Variable Periods of BL Lac Object S5 0716+ 714 ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Computing Optical Variable Periods of BL Lac Object S5 0716+ 714 ... The study of long-term periodical variation is an important way to get the charac- ... continuous Fourier transform together, define a window function, and finally obtain.

  16. Identification of the linkage group of the Z sex chromosomes of the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis, Lacertidae) and elucidation of karyotype evolution in lacertid lizards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srikulnath, Kornsorn; Matsubara, Kazumi; Uno, Yoshinobu; Nishida, Chizuko; Olsson, Mats; Matsuda, Yoichi

    2014-12-01

    The sand lizard (Lacerta agilis, Lacertidae) has a chromosome number of 2n = 38, with 17 pairs of acrocentric chromosomes, one pair of microchromosomes, a large acrocentric Z chromosome, and a micro-W chromosome. To investigate the process of karyotype evolution in L. agilis, we performed chromosome banding and fluorescent in situ hybridization for gene mapping and constructed a cytogenetic map with 86 functional genes. Chromosome banding revealed that the Z chromosome is the fifth largest chromosome. The cytogenetic map revealed homology of the L. agilis Z chromosome with chicken chromosomes 6 and 9. Comparison of the L. agilis cytogenetic map with those of four Toxicofera species with many microchromosomes (Elaphe quadrivirgata, Varanus salvator macromaculatus, Leiolepis reevesii rubritaeniata, and Anolis carolinensis) showed highly conserved linkage homology of L. agilis chromosomes (LAG) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5(Z), 7, 8, 9, and 10 with macrochromosomes and/or macrochromosome segments of the four Toxicofera species. Most of the genes located on the microchromosomes of Toxicofera were localized to LAG6, small acrocentric chromosomes (LAG11-18), and a microchromosome (LAG19) in L. agilis. These results suggest that the L. agilis karyotype resulted from frequent fusions of microchromosomes, which occurred in the ancestral karyotype of Toxicofera and led to the disappearance of microchromosomes and the appearance of many small macrochromosomes.

  17. Visualization and in vivo tracking of the exosomes of murine melanoma B16-BL6 cells in mice after intravenous injection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahashi, Yuki; Nishikawa, Makiya; Shinotsuka, Haruka; Matsui, Yuriko; Ohara, Saori; Imai, Takafumi; Takakura, Yoshinobu

    2013-05-20

    The development of exosomes as delivery vehicles requires understanding how and where exogenously administered exosomes are distributed in vivo. In the present study, we designed a fusion protein consisting of Gaussia luciferase and a truncated lactadherin, gLuc-lactadherin, and constructed a plasmid expressing the fusion protein. B16-BL6 murine melanoma cells were transfected with the plasmid, and exosomes released from the cells were collected by ultracentrifugation. Strong luciferase activity was detected in the fraction containing exosomes, indicating their efficient labeling with gLuc-lactadherin. Then, the labeled B16-BL6 exosomes were intravenously injected into mice, and their tissue distribution was evaluated. Pharmacokinetic analysis of the exosome blood concentration-time profile revealed that B16-BL6 exosomes disappeared very quickly from the blood circulation with a half-life of approximately 2min. Little luciferase activity was detected in the serum at 4h after exosome injection, suggesting rapid clearance of B16-BL6 exosomes in vivo. Moreover, sequential in vivo imaging revealed that the B16-BL6 exosome-derived signals distributed first to the liver and then to the lungs. These results indicate that gLuc-lactadherin labeling is useful for tracing exosomes in vivo and that B16-BL6 exosomes are rapidly cleared from the blood circulation after systemic administration. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Affinity labelling in situ of the bL12 protein on E. coli 70S ribosomes by means of a tRNA dialdehyde derivative.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hountondji, Codjo; Créchet, Jean-Bernard; Le Caër, Jean-Pierre; Lancelot, Véronique; Cognet, Jean A H; Baouz, Soria

    2017-12-01

    In this report, we have used periodate-oxidized tRNA (tRNAox) as an affinity laleling reagent to demonstrate that: (i) the bL12 protein contacts the CCA-arm of P-site bound tRNA on the Escherichia coli 70S ribosomes; (ii) the stoichiometry of labelling is one molecule of tRNAox bound to one polypeptide chain of endogenous bL12; (iii) cross-linking in situ of bL12 with tRNAox on the ribosomes provokes the loss of activity; (iv) intact tRNA protects bL12 in the 70S ribosomes against cross-linking with tRNAox; (v) both tRNAox and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) compete for the same or for proximal cross-linking site(s) on bL12 inside the ribosome; (vi) the stoichiometry of cross-linking of PLP to the recombinant E. coli bL12 protein is one molecule of PLP covalently bound per polypeptide chain; (vii) the amino acid residue of recombinant bL12 cross-linked with PLP is Lys-65; (viii) Lys-65 of E. coli bL12 corresponds to Lys-53 of eL42 which was previously shown to cross-link with P-site bound tRNAox on human 80S ribosomes in situ; (ix) finally, E. coli bL12 and human eL42 proteins display significant primary structure similarities, which argues for evolutionary conservation of these two proteins located at the tRNA-CCA binding site on eubacterial and eukaryal ribosomes. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Japanese Biochemical Society. All rights reserved.

  19. Infrared polarimetry and photometry of BL Lac objects. 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Impey, C D [Hawaii Univ., Honolulu (USA). Inst. for Astronomy; Brand, P W.J.L. [Edinburgh Univ. (UK). Dept. of Astronomy; Wolstencroft, R D [Royal Observatory, Edinburgh (UK); Williams, P M [United Kingdom Infrared Telescope Unit, Hilo, Hawaii (USA)

    1984-07-15

    Photometry and polarimetry in the JHK wavebands have now been obtained for 25 BL Lac objects. Several new objects have been monitored for periods of up to five days, and accumulated data is sufficient for a statistical analysis of polarization properties. The selection effects operating on this sample are examined first. A power-law spectrum is consistent with the spectra of all but three objects. A number of important new results are reported.

  20. Discourses and Models of Intermediality

    OpenAIRE

    Schröter, Jens

    2011-01-01

    In his article "Discourses and Models of Intermediality" Jens Schröter discusses the question as to what relations do different discourses pose between different "media." Schröter identifies four models of discourse: 1) synthetic intermediality: a "fusion" of different media to super-media, a model with roots in the Wagnerian concept of Gesamtkunstwerk with political connotations, 2) formal (or transmedial) intermediality: a concept based on formal structures not "specific" to one medium but ...

  1. Fine mapping of a linkage peak with integration of lipid traits identifies novel coronary artery disease genes on chromosome 5

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nolan Daniel K

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Coronary artery disease (CAD, and one of its intermediate risk factors, dyslipidemia, possess a demonstrable genetic component, although the genetic architecture is incompletely defined. We previously reported a linkage peak on chromosome 5q31-33 for early-onset CAD where the strength of evidence for linkage was increased in families with higher mean low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C. Therefore, we sought to fine-map the peak using association mapping of LDL-C as an intermediate disease-related trait to further define the etiology of this linkage peak. The study populations consisted of 1908 individuals from the CATHGEN biorepository of patients undergoing cardiac catheterization; 254 families (N = 827 individuals from the GENECARD familial study of early-onset CAD; and 162 aorta samples harvested from deceased donors. Linkage disequilibrium-tagged SNPs were selected with an average of one SNP per 20 kb for 126.6-160.2 MB (region of highest linkage and less dense spacing (one SNP per 50 kb for the flanking regions (117.7-126.6 and 160.2-167.5 MB and genotyped on all samples using a custom Illumina array. Association analysis of each SNP with LDL-C was performed using multivariable linear regression (CATHGEN and the quantitative trait transmission disequilibrium test (QTDT; GENECARD. SNPs associated with the intermediate quantitative trait, LDL-C, were then assessed for association with CAD (i.e., a qualitative phenotype using linkage and association in the presence of linkage (APL; GENECARD and logistic regression (CATHGEN and aortas. Results We identified four genes with SNPs that showed the strongest and most consistent associations with LDL-C and CAD: EBF1, PPP2R2B, SPOCK1, and PRELID2. The most significant results for association of SNPs with LDL-C were: EBF1, rs6865969, p = 0.01; PPP2R2B, rs2125443, p = 0.005; SPOCK1, rs17600115, p = 0.003; and PRELID2, rs10074645, p = 0.0002. The most significant results for

  2. Time-resolved resonance Raman spectroscopy of intermediates of bacteriorhodopsin: The bK(590) intermediate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terner, J; Hsieh, C L; Burns, A R; El-Sayed, M A

    1979-07-01

    We have combined microbeam and flow techniques with computer subtraction methods to obtain the resonance Raman spectrum of the short lived batho-intermediate (bK(590)) of bacteriorhodopsin. Comparison of the spectra obtained in (1)H(2)O and (2)H(2)O, as well as the fact that the bK(590) intermediate shows large optical red shifts, suggests that the Schiff base linkage of this intermediate is protonated. The fingerprint region of the spectrum of bK(590), sensitive to the isomeric configuration of the retinal chromophore, does not resemble the corresponding region of the parent bR(570) form. The resonance Raman spectrum of bK(590) as well as the spectra of all of the other main intermediates in the photoreaction cycle of bacteriorhodopsin are discussed and compared with resonance Raman spectra of published model compounds.

  3. Role of Intermediate Filaments in Vesicular Traffic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azzurra Margiotta

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Intermediate filaments are an important component of the cellular cytoskeleton. The first established role attributed to intermediate filaments was the mechanical support to cells. However, it is now clear that intermediate filaments have many different roles affecting a variety of other biological functions, such as the organization of microtubules and microfilaments, the regulation of nuclear structure and activity, the control of cell cycle and the regulation of signal transduction pathways. Furthermore, a number of intermediate filament proteins have been involved in the acquisition of tumorigenic properties. Over the last years, a strong involvement of intermediate filament proteins in the regulation of several aspects of intracellular trafficking has strongly emerged. Here, we review the functions of intermediate filaments proteins focusing mainly on the recent knowledge gained from the discovery that intermediate filaments associate with key proteins of the vesicular membrane transport machinery. In particular, we analyze the current understanding of the contribution of intermediate filaments to the endocytic pathway.

  4. Induction of cell-mediated immunity against B16-BL6 melanoma in mice vaccinated with cells modified by hydrostatic pressure and chemical crosslinking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eisenthal, A; Ramakrishna, V; Skornick, Y; Shinitzky, M

    1993-05-01

    In the preceding paper we have demonstrated an increase in presentation of both major histocompatibility complex antigens (MHC) and a tumor-associated antigen of the weakly immunogenic B16 melanoma by a straight-forward technique. The method consists in modulating the tumor cell membrane by hydrostatic pressure and simultaneous chemical crosslinking of the cell-surface proteins. In B16-BL6 melanoma, the induced antigenic modulation was found to persist for over 48 h, which permitted the evaluation of the ability of modified B16-BL6 cells to induce immunity against unmodified B16-BL6 cells. In the present study, we have shown that a significant systemic immunity was induced only in mice that were immunized with modified B16-BL6 melanoma cells, whereas immunization with unmodified B16-BL6 cells had only a marginal effect when compared to the results in control sham-immunized mice. The induced immunity was specific since a single immunization affected the growth of B16-BL6 tumors but had no effect on MCA 106, an antigenically unrelated tumor. The addition of interleukin-2 to the immunization regimen had no effect on the antitumor responses induced by the modified B16-BL6 cells. The cell-mediated immunity conferred by immunization with treated B16-BL6 cells was confirmed in experiments in vitro where splenocytes from immunized mice could be sensitized to proliferate by the presence of B16-BL6 cells. In addition, the altered antigenicity of these melanoma cells appeared to correlate with their increased susceptibility to specific effectors. Thus, 51Cr-labeled B16-BL6 target cells, modified by pressure and crosslinking, in comparison to control labeled target cells, were lysed in much greater numbers by effectors such as lymphokine-activated killer cells and allogeneic cytotoxic lymphocytes (anti-H-2b), while such cells remained resistant to lysis by natural killer cells. Our findings indicate that the physical and chemical modifications of the tumor cells that are

  5. Intermediality: Bridge to Critical Media Literacy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pailliotet, Ann Watts; Semali, Ladislaus; Rodenberg, Rita K.; Giles, Jackie K.; Macaul, Sherry L.

    2000-01-01

    Defines "intermediality" as the ability to critically read and write with and across varied symbol systems. Relates it to critical media literacy. Offers rationales for teaching critical media literacy in general, and intermedial instruction in particular. Identifies seven guiding intermedial elements: theory, texts, processes, contexts,…

  6. The influences of age on T lymphocyte subsets in C57BL/6 mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jing Xie

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is to evaluate the age related changes of T lymphocyte subsets in C57BL/6 mice and immune function. Multi-color immunofluorescence techniques that were used to analyse relative numbers of T lymphocyte subsets include CD4+, CD8+, naive and memory CD4+ and CD8+, CD8+CD28+ T cells in peripheral blood of C57BL/6 mice from different age groups (Group I: 2 months old; Group II: 7 months old; Group III: 21 months old; Splenocytes isolated from different group mice were stimulated with Con A to evaluate the proliferative ability. Compared with group I, group II had a significant reduction in the percentage of CD4+, naive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and an increase in the percentage of CD8+ T cells, while group III had a significant reduction in the percentage of CD4+, naive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and increase in the percentage of CD8+, memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood. Compared with group II, group III had a significant reduction in the percentage of naive CD8+ T cells and increase in the percentage of memory CD4+ and CD8+, CD8+CD28+ T cells in peripheral blood. The T lymphocyte proliferation in vitro showed that groups II and III had a lower proliferative capacity than group I, between groups II and III, there was not a significant difference. We provide relative values for the T lymphocyte subsets in the different age groups of C57BL/6 mice. The immune system began aging at 7 months old in C57BL/6 mice under a specific pathogen free environment.

  7. On the independence of axioms in BL and MTL

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Chvalovský, Karel

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 197, 16 June (2012), s. 123-129 ISSN 0165-0114 R&D Projects: GA ČR GEICC/08/E018; GA ČR GD401/09/H007 Grant - others:GA UK(CZ) 73109/2009 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : non-classical logics * basic fuzzy logic (BL) * monoidal t-norm based logic (MTL) * Hilbert-style calculi * independence of axioms Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 1.749, year: 2012

  8. PolyaPeak: Detecting Transcription Factor Binding Sites from ChIP-seq Using Peak Shape Information

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Hao; Ji, Hongkai

    2014-01-01

    ChIP-seq is a powerful technology for detecting genomic regions where a protein of interest interacts with DNA. ChIP-seq data for mapping transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) have a characteristic pattern: around each binding site, sequence reads aligned to the forward and reverse strands of the reference genome form two separate peaks shifted away from each other, and the true binding site is located in between these two peaks. While it has been shown previously that the accuracy and resolution of binding site detection can be improved by modeling the pattern, efficient methods are unavailable to fully utilize that information in TFBS detection procedure. We present PolyaPeak, a new method to improve TFBS detection by incorporating the peak shape information. PolyaPeak describes peak shapes using a flexible Pólya model. The shapes are automatically learnt from the data using Minorization-Maximization (MM) algorithm, then integrated with the read count information via a hierarchical model to distinguish true binding sites from background noises. Extensive real data analyses show that PolyaPeak is capable of robustly improving TFBS detection compared with existing methods. An R package is freely available. PMID:24608116

  9. The occurrence of peculiar stars in open clusters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abt, H.A.; Levato, H.

    1978-01-01

    The authors have classified on the MK system a total of 455 stars in 12 open clusters and associations. The classification is based on wide (1.2 mm) spectra of two reciprocal dispersions (39, 128 A mm -1 ) obtained with the Kitt Peak 2.1 m and 90 cm reflectors respectively. The higher dispersion is necessary to show the subtle peculiarities found in some stars. The clusters are the Orion Nebula cluster, Orion OB1 association, Lacerta OB1 association, IC 2602, IC 4665, Pleiades, M39, M34, NGC 2516, NGC 6633, NGC 6475, and Coma. (Auth.)

  10. Relative thermoluminescent efficiencies proton/gamma and helium/gamma of peaks of high temperature in TLD-100 dosemeters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Flores M, E.

    2007-01-01

    The increase of the applications of ion beams in radiotherapy treatments has generated interest in the study of the thermoluminescent materials (TL) that allow to determine the applied doses. A way to quantify the TL response from these materials to ions is by means of the relative thermoluminescent efficiency. In the group of Thermoluminescent dosimetry of the Institute of Physics of the UNAM (IFUNAM) the thermoluminescent response of the TLD-100 dosemeters has been studied, which present a glow curve characteristic with several peaks that correspond to traps and luminescent centers in the material. The stable peaks know each other as 4, 5, 6a, 6b, 7, 8, 9 and 10. The efficiencies should be measured using the response so much to the radiation of interest (in this case protons and helium ions) as the response to gamma radiation. In previous works with ions of low energy taken place in the Pelletron accelerator of the IFUNAM was only measured the TL efficiency for the peak 5 and the total signal. It had not been possible to measure the efficiency of the peaks of high temperature (6a-10) because, for the gamma radiation, the peaks of high temperature show very small signals; however, recently Massillon carries out measures of efficiency TL of peaks of high temperature for ions of intermediate energy using a protocol special of reading and of deconvolution that allows to measure the signals coming from the peaks of high temperature. In this work is implemented this same protocol to complete the study of TL efficiencies at low energy of protons and helium and to determine if the values of efficiency depend on the used reading protocol. For it is reported it measures of the relative efficiency of the peaks of high temperature from the TLD-100 exposed to protons of 1.5 MeV and nuclei of helium of 3 and 7.5 MeV. (Author)

  11. Electron-atom scattering at intermediate energies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kingston, A.E.; Walters, H.R.J.

    1982-01-01

    The problems of intermediate energy scattering are approached from the low and high energy ends. At low intermediate energies difficulties associated with the use of pseudostates and correlation terms are discussed, special consideration being given to nonphysical pseudoresonances. Perturbation methods appropriate to high intermediate energies are described and attempts to extend these high energy approximations down to low intermediate energies are studied. It is shown how the importance of electron exchange effects develops with decreasing energy. The problem of assessing the 'effective completeness' of pseudostate sets at intermediate energies is mentioned and an instructive analysis of a 2p pseudostate approximation to elastic e - -H scattering is given. It is suggested that at low energies the Pauli Exclusion Principle can act to hide short range defects in pseudostate approximations. (author)

  12. A Quaternary Polybenzimidazole Membrane for Intermediate Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Xu, C.; Scott, K.; Li, Qingfeng

    2013-01-01

    at 150 °C with the PA acid loading level of 3.5 PRU (amount of H3PO4 per repeat unit of polymer QPBI). The QPBI membrane was characterized in terms of composition, structure and morphology by NMR, FTIR, SEM, and EDX. The fuel cell performance with the membrane gave peak power densities of 440 and 240 m......A quaternary ammonium polybenzimidazole (QPBI) membrane was synthesized for applications in intermediate temperature (100–200 °C) hydrogen fuel cells. The QPBI membrane was imbibed with phosphoric acid to provide suitable proton conductivity. The proton conductivity of the membrane was 0.051 S cm–1......W cm–2 using oxygen and air, respectively, at 175 °C....

  13. Project Based Learning (PjBL) Practices at Politeknik Kota Bharu, Malaysia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahman, Md. Baharuddin Haji Abdul; Daud, Khairul Azhar Mat; Jusoff, Kamaruzaman; Ghani, Nik Azida Abd

    2009-01-01

    This study explores the utilization of Project-based Learning module in the subject of project development for the Mechanical Engineering students at Politeknik Kota Bharu. This study focuses on the development of the PjBL module based on socio-constructivist approach. The objective of this study is to explore the influence of the utilization of…

  14. The new NCPSS BL19U2 beamline at the SSRF for small-angle X-ray scattering from biological macromolecules in solution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Na; Li, Xiuhong; Wang, Yuzhu; Liu, Guangfeng; Zhou, Ping; Wu, Hongjin; Hong, Chunxia; Bian, Fenggang; Zhang, Rongguang

    2016-10-01

    The beamline BL19U2 is located in the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF) and is its first beamline dedicated to biological material small-angle X-ray scattering (BioSAXS). The electrons come from an undulator which can provide high brilliance for the BL19U2 end stations. A double flat silicon crystal (111) monochromator is used in BL19U2, with a tunable monochromatic photon energy ranging from 7 to 15 keV. To meet the rapidly growing demands of crystallographers, biochemists and structural biologists, the BioSAXS beamline allows manual and automatic sample loading/unloading. A Pilatus 1M detector (Dectris) is employed for data collection, characterized by a high dynamic range and a short readout time. The highly automated data processing pipeline SASFLOW was integrated into BL19U2, with help from the BioSAXS group of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL, Hamburg), which provides a user-friendly interface for data processing. The BL19U2 beamline was officially opened to users in March 2015. To date, feedback from users has been positive and the number of experimental proposals at BL19U2 is increasing. A description of the new BioSAXS beamline and the setup characteristics is given, together with examples of data obtained.

  15. Influence of intermediate annealing on abnormal Goss grain growth in the rolled columnar-grained Fe-Ga-Al alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Yangyang; Li, Jiheng; Gao, Xuexu

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Texture of primary IA sample was dominated by γ-fiber with a peak at {1 1 1}<1 1 0>. • Texture of primary CR sample was dominated by {1 1 3}<1 1 4> texture. • Inhomogeneous microstructure was significantly improved in primary IA sample. • Strong Goss texture was obtained in final IA sample without surface energy control. - Abstract: Magnetostrictive Fe 82 Ga 4.5 Al 13.5 sheets with 0.1 at% NbC were prepared from directional solidified alloys with <0 0 1> preferred orientation. The slabs were hot rolled at 650 °C and warm rolled at 500 °C. Then some warm-rolled sheets were annealed intermediately at 850 °C for 5 min but the others not. After that, all the sheets were cold rolled to a final thickness of ∼0.3 mm. The microstructures, the textures and the distributions of second phase particles in the primary recrystallized samples were investigated. With intermediate annealing, the inhomogeneous microstructure was improved remarkably and strong Goss ({1 1 0}<0 0 1>) and γ-fiber (<1 1 1>//normal direction [ND]) textures were produced in the primary recrystallized samples. But, an evident disadvantage in size and quantity was observed for Goss grains in the primary recrystallized sample without intermediate annealing. After a final annealing, the final textures and magnetostrictions of samples with and without intermediate annealing were characterized. For samples without intermediate annealing, abnormal growth of {1 1 3} grains occurred and deteriorated the magnetostriction. In contrast, abnormal Goss grain growth occurred completely in samples with intermediate annealing and led to saturation magnetostriction as high as 156 ppm.

  16. Influence of intermediate annealing on abnormal Goss grain growth in the rolled columnar-grained Fe-Ga-Al alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Yangyang; Li, Jiheng; Gao, Xuexu, E-mail: gaox@skl.ustb.edu.cn

    2017-08-01

    Highlights: • Texture of primary IA sample was dominated by γ-fiber with a peak at {1 1 1}<1 1 0>. • Texture of primary CR sample was dominated by {1 1 3}<1 1 4> texture. • Inhomogeneous microstructure was significantly improved in primary IA sample. • Strong Goss texture was obtained in final IA sample without surface energy control. - Abstract: Magnetostrictive Fe{sub 82}Ga{sub 4.5}Al{sub 13.5} sheets with 0.1 at% NbC were prepared from directional solidified alloys with <0 0 1> preferred orientation. The slabs were hot rolled at 650 °C and warm rolled at 500 °C. Then some warm-rolled sheets were annealed intermediately at 850 °C for 5 min but the others not. After that, all the sheets were cold rolled to a final thickness of ∼0.3 mm. The microstructures, the textures and the distributions of second phase particles in the primary recrystallized samples were investigated. With intermediate annealing, the inhomogeneous microstructure was improved remarkably and strong Goss ({1 1 0}<0 0 1>) and γ-fiber (<1 1 1>//normal direction [ND]) textures were produced in the primary recrystallized samples. But, an evident disadvantage in size and quantity was observed for Goss grains in the primary recrystallized sample without intermediate annealing. After a final annealing, the final textures and magnetostrictions of samples with and without intermediate annealing were characterized. For samples without intermediate annealing, abnormal growth of {1 1 3} grains occurred and deteriorated the magnetostriction. In contrast, abnormal Goss grain growth occurred completely in samples with intermediate annealing and led to saturation magnetostriction as high as 156 ppm.

  17. The intermediate state in Patd

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ) Jesus had assumed. (concerning the 'intermediate state') as existing, anything which does not exist. Three basic things about the intermediate state emerge from the parable: (a) Jesus recognizes that at the moment of death, in ipso articulo.

  18. Higher order antibunching in intermediate states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Verma, Amit; Sharma, Navneet K.; Pathak, Anirban

    2008-01-01

    Since the introduction of binomial state as an intermediate state, different intermediate states have been proposed. Different nonclassical effects have also been reported in these intermediate states. But till now higher order antibunching is predicted in only one type of intermediate state, which is known as shadowed negative binomial state. Recently we have shown that the higher order antibunching is not a rare phenomenon [P. Gupta, P. Pandey, A. Pathak, J. Phys. B 39 (2006) 1137]. To establish our earlier claim further, here we have shown that the higher order antibunching can be seen in different intermediate states, such as binomial state, reciprocal binomial state, hypergeometric state, generalized binomial state, negative binomial state and photon added coherent state. We have studied the possibility of observing the higher order subpoissonian photon statistics in different limits of intermediate states. The effects of different control parameters on the depth of non classicality have also been studied in this connection and it has been shown that the depth of nonclassicality can be tuned by controlling various physical parameters

  19. Protein crystallography beamline (PX-BL21); its utilization and research highlights

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, Ashwani; Ghosh, Biplab; Singh, Rahul; Makde, Ravindra; Sharma, Surinder M.

    2016-01-01

    The protein crystallography beamline (PX-BL21) is sourced on 1.5 T bending magnet of 2.5 GeV Indus-2 synchrotron. This beamline has been designed to perform monochromatic and anomalous diffraction experiments on single crystals of biological macromolecules such as protein, DNA and their complexes. PX beamline also has a state-of-art ancillary biochemical laboratory to prepare single crystals of biological macromolecules. Since the commissioning of the beamline, it has been utilized by more than 70% of research groups working in the area of protein crystallography in India. About 30 crystal structures of proteins, determined using this beamline, have been deposited in Protein Data Bank (PDB). Some of these structures have been determined using experimental phasing, such as the single wavelength anomalous diffraction (SAD) experiments. The energy tunability of the synchrotron have been exploited to carry our various SAD experiments: Selenium-SAD, Zinc-SAD and Manganese-SAD and Sulphar-SAD. In the present talk, the key results from the PX-BL21 beamline will be discussed. (author)

  20. Peak capacity and peak capacity per unit time in capillary and microchip zone electrophoresis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foley, Joe P; Blackney, Donna M; Ennis, Erin J

    2017-11-10

    The origins of the peak capacity concept are described and the important contributions to the development of that concept in chromatography and electrophoresis are reviewed. Whereas numerous quantitative expressions have been reported for one- and two-dimensional separations, most are focused on chromatographic separations and few, if any, quantitative unbiased expressions have been developed for capillary or microchip zone electrophoresis. Making the common assumption that longitudinal diffusion is the predominant source of zone broadening in capillary electrophoresis, analytical expressions for the peak capacity are derived, first in terms of migration time, diffusion coefficient, migration distance, and desired resolution, and then in terms of the remaining underlying fundamental parameters (electric field, electroosmotic and electrophoretic mobilities) that determine the migration time. The latter expressions clearly illustrate the direct square root dependence of peak capacity on electric field and migration distance and the inverse square root dependence on solute diffusion coefficient. Conditions that result in a high peak capacity will result in a low peak capacity per unit time and vice-versa. For a given symmetrical range of relative electrophoretic mobilities for co- and counter-electroosmotic species (cations and anions), the peak capacity increases with the square root of the electric field even as the temporal window narrows considerably, resulting in a significant reduction in analysis time. Over a broad relative electrophoretic mobility interval [-0.9, 0.9], an approximately two-fold greater amount of peak capacity can be generated for counter-electroosmotic species although it takes about five-fold longer to do so, consistent with the well-known bias in migration time and resolving power for co- and counter-electroosmotic species. The optimum lower bound of the relative electrophoretic mobility interval [μ r,Z , μ r,A ] that provides the maximum

  1. Effects of intermediate frequency magnetic fields on male fertility indicators in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumari, K; Capstick, M; Cassara, A M; Herrala, M; Koivisto, H; Naarala, J; Tanila, H; Viluksela, M; Juutilainen, J

    2017-08-01

    Human exposure to intermediate frequency (IF) fields is increasing due to new applications such as electronic article surveillance systems, wireless power transfer and induction heating cookers. However, limited data is available on effects of IF magnetic fields (MF) on male fertility function. This study was conducted to assess possible effects on fertility indicators from exposure to IF MF. Male C57BL/6J mice were exposed continuously for 5 weeks to 7.5kHz MF at 12 and 120μT. Sperm cells from cauda epididymis were analysed for motility, total sperm counts, and head abnormalities. Motile sperm cells were classified as progressive or non-progressive. Testicular spermatid heads were counted as well. The body weight development and reproductive tissue weights were not affected. No exposure-related differences were observed in sperm counts or sperm head abnormalities. Proportion of non-motile cells was significantly decreased in the 120µT group, and a corresponding increase was seen in the percentage of motile cells (significant in non-progressive motile cells). In conclusion, no adverse effects on fertility indicators were observed. Increased sperm motility is an interesting finding that needs to be confirmed in further studies. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. BL-038, a Benzofuran Derivative, Induces Cell Apoptosis in Human Chondrosarcoma Cells through Reactive Oxygen Species/Mitochondrial Dysfunction and the Caspases Dependent Pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ju-Fang; Chen, Chien-Yu; Chen, Hsien-Te; Chang, Chih-Shiang; Tang, Chih-Hsin

    2016-09-07

    Chondrosarcoma is a highly malignant cartilage-forming bone tumor that has the capacity to invade locally and cause distant metastasis. Moreover, chondrosarcoma is intrinsically resistant to conventional chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The novel benzofuran derivative, BL-038 (2-amino-3-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-6-(4-methoxyphenyl)benzofuran-4-yl acetate), has been evaluated for its anticancer effects in human chondrosarcoma cells. BL-038 caused cell apoptosis in two human chondrosarcoma cell lines, JJ012 and SW1353, but not in primary chondrocytes. Treatment of chondrosarcoma with BL-038 also induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Furthermore, BL-038 decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and changed mitochondrial-related apoptosis, by downregulating the anti-apoptotic activity members (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL) and upregulating pro-apoptotic members (Bax, Bak) of the B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins, key regulators of the apoptotic machinery in cells. These results demonstrate that in human chondrosarcoma cells, the apoptotic and cytotoxic effects of BL-038 are mediated by the intrinsic mitochondria-mediated apoptotic pathway, which in turn causes the release of cytochrome c, the activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3, and the cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), to elicit apoptosis response. Our results show that the benzofuran derivative BL-038 induces apoptosis in chondrosarcoma cells.

  3. Effects of phenazepam on the behavior of C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice in the open field test after naloxone pretreatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seredenin, S B; Nadorova, A V; Kolik, L G; Yarkova, M A

    2013-07-01

    We studied the effects of phenazepam (0.075 mg/kg) after pretreatment (5 minutes before) with naloxone (10 mg/kg) on open-field behavior of C57Bl/6 and BALB/c mice. In ex vivo experiments, we studied the effects of naloxone (1 and 10 mg/kg) on receptor binding of [(3)H]-flunitrazepam by membranes of brain fraction (P1+P2) of C57Bl/6 and BALB/c mice. It was shown that naloxone increased motor activity in the open field in BALB/c mice and decreased this parameter in C57Bl/6 mice. During combined treatment, naloxone potentiated the activating effects of phenazepam on the open-field behavior of BALB/c mice and slightly increased the sedative effect of this drug in C57Bl/6 mice. Naloxone stimulated reception of [(3)H]-flunitrazepam in BALB/c mice and slightly increased radioligand binding in C57Bl/6 mice. These data attest to enhanced reception in benzodiazepine site of GABAA-receptor under conditions of opioid receptor blockade, the presence of anxiolytic or sedative (depending on the phenotype of the response to emotional stress) effect of naloxone, and co-directed effects of naloxone and benzodiazepine tranquilizer on open-field behavior of C57Bl/6 and BALB/c mice.

  4. Collagen-induced arthritis in C57BL/6 mice is associated with a robust and sustained T-cell response to type II collagen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inglis, Julia J; Criado, Gabriel; Medghalchi, Mino; Andrews, Melanie; Sandison, Ann; Feldmann, Marc; Williams, Richard O

    2007-01-01

    Many genetically modified mouse strains are now available on a C57BL/6 (H-2b) background, a strain that is relatively resistant to collagen-induced arthritis. To facilitate the molecular understanding of autoimmune arthritis, we characterised the induction of arthritis in C57BL/6 mice and then validated the disease as a relevant pre-clinical model for rheumatoid arthritis. C57BL/6 mice were immunised with type II collagen using different protocols, and arthritis incidence, severity, and response to commonly used anti-arthritic drugs were assessed and compared with DBA/1 mice. We confirmed that C57BL/6 mice are susceptible to arthritis induced by immunisation with chicken type II collagen and develop strong and sustained T-cell responses to type II collagen. Arthritis was milder in C57BL/6 mice than DBA/1 mice and more closely resembled rheumatoid arthritis in its response to therapeutic intervention. Our findings show that C57BL/6 mice are susceptible to collagen-induced arthritis, providing a valuable model for assessing the role of specific genes involved in the induction and/or maintenance of arthritis and for evaluating the efficacy of novel drugs, particularly those targeted at T cells.

  5. THE DISCOVERY OF γ-RAY EMISSION FROM THE BLAZAR RGB J0710+591

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Acciari, V. A.; Benbow, W.; Aliu, E.; Arlen, T.; Aune, T.; Bautista, M.; Beilicke, M.; Buckley, J. H.; Bugaev, V.; Dickherber, R.; Boettcher, M.; Boltuch, D.; Bradbury, S. M.; Byrum, K.; Cannon, A.; Cesarini, A.; Ciupik, L.; Cui, W.; Duke, C.; Falcone, A.

    2010-01-01

    The high-frequency-peaked BL Lacertae object RGB J0710+591 was observed in the very high-energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) wave band by the VERITAS array of atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. The observations, taken between 2008 December and 2009 March and totaling 22.1 hr, yield the discovery of VHE gamma rays from the source. RGB J0710+591 is detected at a statistical significance of 5.5 standard deviations (5.5σ) above the background, corresponding to an integral flux of (3.9 ± 0.8) x 10 -12 cm -2 s -1 (3% of the Crab Nebula's flux) above 300 GeV. The observed spectrum can be fit by a power law from 0.31 to 4.6 TeV with a photon spectral index of 2.69 ± 0.26 stat ± 0.20 sys . These data are complemented by contemporaneous multiwavelength data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope, the Swift X-ray Telescope, the Swift Ultra-Violet and Optical Telescope, and the Michigan-Dartmouth-MIT observatory. Modeling the broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) with an equilibrium synchrotron self-Compton model yields a good statistical fit to the data. The addition of an external-Compton component to the model does not improve the fit nor brings the system closer to equipartition. The combined Fermi and VERITAS data constrain the properties of the high-energy emission component of the source over 4 orders of magnitude and give measurements of the rising and falling sections of the SED.

  6. Induction of autocrine factor inhibiting cell motility from murine B16-BL6 melanoma cells by alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murata, J; Ayukawa, K; Ogasawara, M; Watanabe, H; Saiki, I

    1999-03-15

    We have previously reported that neuropeptide alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) successfully inhibited Matrigel invasion and haptotactic migration of B16-BL6 melanoma cells towards both fibronectin and laminin without affecting their growth. In the present study, we investigated the inhibitory mechanism of tumor cell motility by alpha-MSH. Alpha-MSH significantly blocked the autocrine motility factor (AMF)-enhanced cell motility. However, alpha-MSH did neither prevent the secretion of AMF from B16-BL6 cells nor alter the expression level of AMF receptor (gp78). On the other hand, alpha-MSH induced the secretion of the motility inhibitory factor(s) from B16-BL6 cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The induction of the motility inhibitor(s) was proportional to increasing levels of intracellular cAMP induced by alpha-MSH as well as forskolin, and the activity was abolished by an adenylate cyclase inhibitor, 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine (DDA). The motility-inhibiting activity in conditioned medium (CM) from alpha-MSH-treated B16-BL6 cells was found to have a m.w. below 3 kDa after fractionation. This activity was abolished by boiling but insensitive to trypsin. The treatment of tumor cells with cycloheximide reduced the activity in alpha-MSH-stimulated CM. Our results suggest that alpha-MSH inhibited the motility of B16-BL6 cells through induction of autocrine factor(s).

  7. [Therapy of intermediate uveitis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doycheva, D; Deuter, C; Zierhut, M

    2014-12-01

    Intermediate uveitis is a form of intraocular inflammation in which the vitreous body is the major site of inflammation. Intermediate uveitis is primarily treated medicinally and systemic corticosteroids are the mainstay of therapy. When recurrence of uveitis or side effects occur during corticosteroid therapy an immunosuppressive treatment is required. Cyclosporine A is the only immunosuppressive agent that is approved for therapy of uveitis in Germany; however, other immunosuppressive drugs have also been shown to be effective and well-tolerated in patients with intermediate uveitis. In severe therapy-refractory cases when conventional immunosuppressive therapy has failed, biologics can be used. In patients with unilateral uveitis or when the systemic therapy is contraindicated because of side effects, an intravitreal steroid treatment can be carried out. In certain cases a vitrectomy may be used.

  8. Lycopene pretreatment improves hepatotoxicity induced by acetaminophen in C57BL/6 mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bandeira, Ana Carla Balthar; da Silva, Rafaella Cecília; Rossoni, Joamyr Victor; Figueiredo, Vivian Paulino; Talvani, André; Cangussú, Silvia Dantas; Bezerra, Frank Silva; Costa, Daniela Caldeira

    2017-02-01

    Acetaminophen (APAP) is an antipyretic and analgesic drug that, in high doses, leads to severe liver injury and potentially death. Oxidative stress is an important event in APAP overdose. Researchers are looking for natural antioxidants with the potential to mitigate the harmful effects of reactive oxygen species in different models. Lycopene has been widely studied for its antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant potential of lycopene pretreatment in APAP-induced liver injury in C57BL/6 mice. C57BL/6 male mice were divided into the following groups: control (C); sunflower oil (CO); acetaminophen 500mg/kg (APAP); acetaminophen 500mg/kg+lycopene 10mg/kg (APAP+L10), and acetaminophen 500mg/kg+lycopene 100mg/kg (APAP+L100). Mice were pretreated with lycopene for 14 consecutive days prior to APAP overdose. Analyses of blood serum and livers were performed. Lycopene was able to improve redox imbalance, decrease thiobarbituric acid reactive species level, and increase CAT and GSH levels. In addition, it decreased the IL-1β expression and the activity of MMP-2. This study revealed that preventive lycopene consumption in C57BL/6 mice can attenuate the effects of APAP-induced liver injury. Furthermore, by improving the redox state, and thus indicating its potential antioxidant effect, lycopene was also shown to have an influence on inflammatory events. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. B16-BL6 melanoma cells release inhibitory factor(s) of active pump activity in isolated lymph vessels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakaya, K; Mizuno, R; Ohhashi, T

    2001-12-01

    We investigated whether supernatant cultured with melanoma cell lines B16-BL6 and K1735 or the Lewis lung carcinoma cell line (LLC) can regulate lymphatic pump activity with bioassay preparations isolated from murine iliac lymph vessels. B16-BL6 and LLC supernatants caused significant dilation of lymph microvessels with cessation of pump activity. B16-BL6 supernatant produced dose-related cessation of lymphatic pump activity. There was no significant tachyphylaxis in the supernatant-mediated inhibitory response of lymphatic pump activity. Pretreatment with 3 x 10(-5) M N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) or 10(-7) M or 10(-6) M glibenclamide and 5 x 10(-4) M 5-hydroxydecanoic acid caused significant reduction of supernatant-mediated inhibitory responses. Simultaneous treatment with 10(-3) M L-arginine and 3 x 10(-5) M L-NAME significantly lessened L-NAME-induced inhibition of the supernatant-mediated response, suggesting that endogenous nitric oxide (NO) plays important roles in supernatant-mediated inhibitory responses. Chemical treatment dialyzed substances of B16-BL6 cells may release nonpeptide substance(s) of <1,000 MW, resulting in significant cessation of lymphatic pump activity via production and release of endogenous NO and activation of mitochondrial ATP-sensitive K(+) channels.

  10. Peak-by-peak correction of Ge(Li) gamma-ray spectra for photopeaks from background

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cutshall, N H; Larsen, I L [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)

    1980-12-01

    Background photopeaks can interfere with accurate measurement of low levels of radionuclides by gamma-ray spectrometry. A flowchart for peak-by-peak correction of sample spectra to produce accurate results is presented.

  11. X-ray emission from BL Lac objects: Comparison to the synchrotron self-Compton models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schwartz, D.A.; Madejski, G.; Ku, W.H.-M.

    1982-01-01

    As one part of our joint study of the X-ray properties of BL Lac objects, the authors compare the measured X-ray flux densities with those predicted using the synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) formalism (Jones et al. 1974). Naive application of the formalism predicts X-ray fluxes from 10 -3 to 10 5 those observed. They therefore ask what we can learn by simply assuming the SSC mechanism, and looking for ways to reconcile the observed and measured X-ray fluxes. This paper reports investigation of beaming factors due to relativistic ejection of a radiation source which is isotropic in its own rest frame. The authors conclude that large Lorentz factors, GAMMA approximately > 10, do not apply to BL Lac objects as a class. (Auth.)

  12. Peaking-factor of PWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morioka, Noboru; Kato, Yasuji; Yokoi, M.

    1975-01-01

    Output peaking factor often plays an important role in the safety and operation of nuclear reactors. The meaning of the peaking factor of PWRs is categorized into two features or the peaking factor in core (FQ-core) and the peaking factor on the basis of accident analysis (or FQ-limit). FQ-core is the actual peaking factor realized in nuclear core at the time of normal operation, and FQ-limit should be evaluated from loss of coolant accident and other abnormal conditions. If FQ-core is lower than FQ-limit, the reactor may be operated at full load, but if FQ-core is larger than FQ-limit, reactor output should be controlled lower than FQ-limit. FQ-core has two kinds of values, or the one on the basis of nuclear design, and the other actually measured in reactor operation. The first FQ-core should be named as FQ-core-design and the latter as FQ-core-measured. The numerical evaluation of FQ-core-design is as follows; FQ-core-design of three-dimensions is synthesized with FQ-core horizontal value (X-Y) and FQ-core vertical value, the former one is calculated with ASSY-CORE code, and the latter one with one dimensional diffusion code. For the evaluation of FQ-core-measured, on-site data observation from nuclear reactor instrumentation or off-site data observation is used. (Iwase, T.)

  13. Peak-by-peak correction of Ge(Li) gamma-ray spectra for photopeaks from background

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cutshall, N.H.; Larsen, I.L.

    1980-01-01

    Background photopeaks can interfere with accurate measurement of low levels of radionuclides by gamma-ray spectrometry. A flowchart for peak-by-peak correction of sample spectra to produce accurate results is presented. (orig.)

  14. Evaluation of different time domain peak models using extreme learning machine-based peak detection for EEG signal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adam, Asrul; Ibrahim, Zuwairie; Mokhtar, Norrima; Shapiai, Mohd Ibrahim; Cumming, Paul; Mubin, Marizan

    2016-01-01

    Various peak models have been introduced to detect and analyze peaks in the time domain analysis of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. In general, peak model in the time domain analysis consists of a set of signal parameters, such as amplitude, width, and slope. Models including those proposed by Dumpala, Acir, Liu, and Dingle are routinely used to detect peaks in EEG signals acquired in clinical studies of epilepsy or eye blink. The optimal peak model is the most reliable peak detection performance in a particular application. A fair measure of performance of different models requires a common and unbiased platform. In this study, we evaluate the performance of the four different peak models using the extreme learning machine (ELM)-based peak detection algorithm. We found that the Dingle model gave the best performance, with 72 % accuracy in the analysis of real EEG data. Statistical analysis conferred that the Dingle model afforded significantly better mean testing accuracy than did the Acir and Liu models, which were in the range 37-52 %. Meanwhile, the Dingle model has no significant difference compared to Dumpala model.

  15. [Application of locomotor activity test to evaluate functional injury after global cerebral ischemia in C57BL/6 mice].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Li-quan; Xu, Jia-ni; Wang, Zhen-zhen; Zeng, Li-jun; Ye, Yi-lu; Zhang, Wei-ping; Wei, Er-qing; Zhang, Qi

    2014-05-01

    To evaluate the application of locomotor activity test in functional injury after global cerebral ischemia (GCI) in C57BL/6 mice. GCI was induced by bilateral carotid arteries occlusion for 30 min in C57BL/6 mice. Mice were divided into sham group, GCI group and minocycline group. Saline or minocycline (45 mg/kg) was i.p. injected once daily for 6 d after ischemia. At Day 6 after ischemia, locomotor activity was recorded for 1 h in open field test. Total distance, central distance, central distance ratio, periphery distance, periphery distance ratio, central time and periphery time were used to evaluate the behavior characteristics of locomotor activity in C57BL/6 mice after ischemia. The survival neuron density was detected by Nissl staining in hippocampus, cortex and striatum. Compared with sham group, total distance, central distance and central time increased and periphery time decreased in C57BL/6 mice after GCI (PsLocomotor activity in open field test can objectively evaluate the behavior injury after GCI in mice. Central distance and central time can be used as indexes of quantitative assessment.

  16. Mechanism of propylene oxidation over bismuth molybdate revealed by transient response method--1. An intermediate in the complete oxidation of C/sub 3/H/sub 6/

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kobayashi, M.; Futaya, R.

    1979-01-01

    An intermediate in the complete oxidation of C/sub 3/H/sub 6/ and its nature were deduced from transient response studies of a flow reactor system with a 1:1 bismuth-molybdenum catalyst at temperatures below ordinary operating temperatures. The formation of a stable surface intermediate with a non-allylic structure resembling that of propylene on every site of the catalyst surface occurred at 310/sup 0/C in the presence of propylene/oxygen or acrolein/oxygen; under oxidative conditions at 310/sup 0/C about eight times more intermediate formed directly from propylene than from adsorbed acrolein. The intermediate reacted with weakly adsorbed oxygen from the gas phase, but not with lattice oxygen, to decompose into CO/sub 2/; in temperature programed desorption studies (2.3/sup 0/C/min) it desorbed as CO/sub 2/ into a stream of helium above 220/sup 0/C (peak at 420/sup 0/C), apparently by reaction with oxygen diffused from the bulk to the surface.

  17. Indomethacin treatment prevents diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance, but not glucose intolerance in C57BL/6J mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    OBJECTIVE: We performed experiments to examine the metabolic consequences of inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX) activity in obesity-prone C57BL/6J mice fed a high fat/high sucrose (HF/HS) diet. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: C57BL/6J mice were fed a HF/HS diet for 7 weeks under thermoneutral conditio...

  18. Intermediate-term earthquake prediction and seismic zoning in Northern Italy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Panza, G.F.; Orozova Stanishkova, I.; Costa, G.; Vaccari, F.

    1993-12-01

    The algorithm CN for intermediate earthquake prediction has been applied to an area in Northern Italy, which has been chosen according to a recently proposed seismotectonic model. Earthquakes with magnitude ≥ 5.4 occur in the area with a relevant frequency and their occurrence is predicted by algorithm CN. Therefore a seismic hazard analysis has been performed using a deterministic procedure, based on the computation of complete synthetic seismograms. The results are summarized in a map giving the distribution of peak ground acceleration, but the complete time series are available, which can be used by civil engineers in the design of new seismo-resistant constructions and in the retrofitting of the existing ones. This risk reduction action should be intensified in connection with warnings issued on the basis of the forward predictions made by CN. (author). Refs, 7 figs, 1 tab

  19. Utveckling av bestrykning för papper avsedda för bläckstråleskrivare

    OpenAIRE

    Mattsson, Ylva

    2002-01-01

    Detta examensarbete har utförts på papperstillverkaren Arjo Wiggins’ forskningscenter i Beaconsfield,England. Företaget har planer på att börja tillverka en ny papperskvalitet för bläckstråleskrivare, varförsyftet med arbetet har varit att testa och utvärdera olika sammansättningar av kemikalier som lämparsig för bestrykning av bläckstrålepapper.Ett stort antal bestrykningar har testats med varierande resultat. Det svåraste har visat sig vara attnå en tillräckligt hög grad av vattenhållfasthe...

  20. Multiscale peak detection in wavelet space.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhi-Min; Tong, Xia; Peng, Ying; Ma, Pan; Zhang, Ming-Jin; Lu, Hong-Mei; Chen, Xiao-Qing; Liang, Yi-Zeng

    2015-12-07

    Accurate peak detection is essential for analyzing high-throughput datasets generated by analytical instruments. Derivatives with noise reduction and matched filtration are frequently used, but they are sensitive to baseline variations, random noise and deviations in the peak shape. A continuous wavelet transform (CWT)-based method is more practical and popular in this situation, which can increase the accuracy and reliability by identifying peaks across scales in wavelet space and implicitly removing noise as well as the baseline. However, its computational load is relatively high and the estimated features of peaks may not be accurate in the case of peaks that are overlapping, dense or weak. In this study, we present multi-scale peak detection (MSPD) by taking full advantage of additional information in wavelet space including ridges, valleys, and zero-crossings. It can achieve a high accuracy by thresholding each detected peak with the maximum of its ridge. It has been comprehensively evaluated with MALDI-TOF spectra in proteomics, the CAMDA 2006 SELDI dataset as well as the Romanian database of Raman spectra, which is particularly suitable for detecting peaks in high-throughput analytical signals. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves show that MSPD can detect more true peaks while keeping the false discovery rate lower than MassSpecWavelet and MALDIquant methods. Superior results in Raman spectra suggest that MSPD seems to be a more universal method for peak detection. MSPD has been designed and implemented efficiently in Python and Cython. It is available as an open source package at .

  1. Comparison of the cytokine immune response to pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica bioserotype 1B/O:8 and 2/O:9 in susceptible BALB/C and resistant C57BL/6 mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xin; Gu, Wenpeng; Qiu, Haiyan; Xia, Shengli; Zheng, Han; Xiao, Yuchun; Liang, Junrong; Jing, Huaiqi

    2013-10-01

    We investigated the lethality of pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica bioserotypes 1B/O:8 and 2/O:9 in susceptible BALB/C and resistant C57BL/6 mice; the cytokine alterations and histopathological changes were observed comparing the two strains in BALB/C mice. The data showed the 50% lethal dose (LD50) for the pathogenic Y. enterocolitica bioserotype 1B/O:8 was 10³ cfu in both BALB/C and C57BL/6 mice; while the LD50 for the 2/O:9 was 10⁸ cfu in BALB/C mice and 10⁹ cfu in C57BL/6 mice, a large difference. After infection with the two strains in BALB/C mice, GM-CSF (granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor), IFN-γ (interferon-γ), IL-1β (interleukin-1β), IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, and TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α) appeared as a cytokine storm in a short period, reached peak values, and then quickly decreased. This appeared important for the immune response and cytokine immunopathogenesis in pathogenic Y. enterocolitica infections. In the initial infection stage, GM-CSF, IL-6, and TNF-α of 2/O:9 were higher than 1B/O:8; and subsequently the status was reversed. However, levels of IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-12 following infection with 1B/O:8 were always higher than with 2/O:9. The histopathological changes in the liver and spleen in BALB/C mice infected with the two strains were similar at different times and doses. These observations show the different immunological effects and changes for pathogenic Y. enterocolitica 1B/O:8 and 2/O:9 infections using the mouse model. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Automated asteroseismic peak detections

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    de Montellano, Andres Garcia Saravia Ortiz; Hekker, S.; Themessl, N.

    2018-01-01

    Space observatories such as Kepler have provided data that can potentially revolutionize our understanding of stars. Through detailed asteroseismic analyses we are capable of determining fundamental stellar parameters and reveal the stellar internal structure with unprecedented accuracy. However......, such detailed analyses, known as peak bagging, have so far been obtained for only a small percentage of the observed stars while most of the scientific potential of the available data remains unexplored. One of the major challenges in peak bagging is identifying how many solar-like oscillation modes are visible...... of detected oscillation modes. The algorithm presented here opens the possibility for detailed and automated peak bagging of the thousands of solar-like oscillators observed by Kepler....

  3. Environmental impacts of public transport. Why peak-period travellers cause a greater environmental burden than off-peak travellers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rietveld, P.

    2002-01-01

    Given the difference between peak and off-peak occupancy rates in public transport, emissions per traveller kilometre are lower in the peak than in the off-peak period, whereas the opposite pattern is observed for cars. It is argued that it is much more fruitful to analyse environmental effects in marginal terms. This calls for a careful analysis of capacity management policies of public transport suppliers that are facing increased demand during both peak and off-peak periods. A detailed analysis of capacity management by the Netherlands Railways (NS) revealed that off-peak capacity supply is mainly dictated by the demand levels during the peak period. The analysis included the effects of increased frequency and increased vehicle size on environmental impacts, while environmental economies of vehicle size were also taken into account. The main conclusion is that the marginal environmental burden during the peak hours is much higher than is usually thought, whereas it is almost zero during the off-peak period. This implies a pattern that is the precise opposite of the average environmental burden. Thus, an analysis of environmental effects of public transport based on average performance would yield misleading conclusions [nl

  4. Intermediate structure and threshold phenomena

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hategan, Cornel

    2004-01-01

    The Intermediate Structure, evidenced through microstructures of the neutron strength function, is reflected in open reaction channels as fluctuations in excitation function of nuclear threshold effects. The intermediate state supporting both neutron strength function and nuclear threshold effect is a micro-giant neutron threshold state. (author)

  5. Neutrino mass, leptogenesis and FIMP dark matter in a U(1)_{B-L} model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biswas, Anirban; Choubey, Sandhya; Khan, Sarif

    2017-12-01

    The Standard Model (SM) is inadequate to explain the origin of tiny neutrino masses, the dark matter (DM) relic abundance and the baryon asymmetry of the Universe. In this work, to address all three puzzles, we extend the SM by a local U(1)_{B-L} gauge symmetry, three right-handed (RH) neutrinos for the cancellation of gauge anomalies and two complex scalars having non-zero U(1)_{B-L} charges. All the newly added particles become massive after the breaking of the U(1)_{B-L} symmetry by the vacuum expectation value (VEV) of one of the scalar fields φ _H. The other scalar field, φ _DM, which does not have any VEV, becomes automatically stable and can be a viable DM candidate. Neutrino masses are generated using the Type-I seesaw mechanism, while the required lepton asymmetry to reproduce the observed baryon asymmetry can be attained from the CP violating out of equilibrium decays of the RH neutrinos in TeV scale. More importantly within this framework, we study in detail the production of DM via the freeze-in mechanism considering all possible annihilation and decay processes. Finally, we find a situation when DM is dominantly produced from the annihilation of the RH neutrinos, which are at the same time also responsible for neutrino mass generation and leptogenesis.

  6. Intermediate algebra & analytic geometry

    CERN Document Server

    Gondin, William R

    1967-01-01

    Intermediate Algebra & Analytic Geometry Made Simple focuses on the principles, processes, calculations, and methodologies involved in intermediate algebra and analytic geometry. The publication first offers information on linear equations in two unknowns and variables, functions, and graphs. Discussions focus on graphic interpretations, explicit and implicit functions, first quadrant graphs, variables and functions, determinate and indeterminate systems, independent and dependent equations, and defective and redundant systems. The text then examines quadratic equations in one variable, system

  7. Probing BL Lac and Cluster Evolution via a Wide-angle, Deep X-ray Selected Sample

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perlman, E.; Jones, L.; White, N.; Angelini, L.; Giommi, P.; McHardy, I.; Wegner, G.

    1994-12-01

    The WARPS survey (Wide-Angle ROSAT Pointed Survey) has been constructed from the archive of all public ROSAT PSPC observations, and is a subset of the WGACAT catalog. WARPS will include a complete sample of >= 100 BL Lacs at F_x >= 10(-13) erg s(-1) cm(-2) . A second selection technique will identify ~ 100 clusters at 0.15 = 0.304 +/- 0.062 for XBLs but = 0.60 +/- 0.05 for RBLs. Models of the X-ray luminosity function (XLF) are also poorly constrained. WARPS will allow us to compute an accurate XLF, decreasing the error bars above by over a factor of two. We will also test for low-luminosity BL Lacs, whose non-thermal nuclear sources are dim compared to the host galaxy. Browne and Marcha (1993) claim the EMSS missed most of these objects and is incomplete. If their predictions are correct, 20-40% of the BL Lacs we find will fall in this category, enabling us to probe the evolution and internal workings of BL Lacs at lower luminosities than ever before. By removing likely QSOs before optical spectroscopy, WARPS requires only modest amounts of telescope time. It will extend measurement of the cluster XLF both to higher redshifts (z>0.5) and lower luminosities (LX<1x10(44) erg s(-1) ) than previous measurements, confirming or rejecting the 3sigma detection of negative evolution found in the EMSS, and constraining Cold Dark Matter cosmologies. Faint NELGs are a recently discovered major contributor to the X-ray background. They are a mixture of Sy2s, starbursts and galaxies of unknown type. Detailed classification and evolution of their XLF will be determined for the first time.

  8. Collagen-induced arthritis in C57BL/6 mice is associated with a robust and sustained T-cell response to type II collagen

    OpenAIRE

    Inglis, Julia J; Criado, Gabriel; Medghalchi, Mino; Andrews, Melanie; Sandison, Ann; Feldmann, Marc; Williams, Richard O

    2007-01-01

    Many genetically modified mouse strains are now available on a C57BL/6 (H-2b) background, a strain that is relatively resistant to collagen-induced arthritis. To facilitate the molecular understanding of autoimmune arthritis, we characterised the induction of arthritis in C57BL/6 mice and then validated the disease as a relevant pre-clinical model for rheumatoid arthritis. C57BL/6 mice were immunised with type II collagen using different protocols, and arthritis incidence, severity, and respo...

  9. Drivers of peak sales for pharmaceutical brands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fischer, Marc; Leeflang, Peter S. H.; Verhoef, Peter C.

    2010-01-01

    Peak sales are an important metric in the pharmaceutical industry. Specifically, managers are focused on the height-of-peak-sales and the time required achieving peak sales. We analyze how order of entry and quality affect the level of peak sales and the time-to-peak-sales of pharmaceutical brands.

  10. Analysis of Peak-to-Peak Current Ripple Amplitude in Seven-Phase PWM Voltage Source Inverters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriele Grandi

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Multiphase systems are nowadays considered for various industrial applications. Numerous pulse width modulation (PWM schemes for multiphase voltage source inverters with sinusoidal outputs have been developed, but no detailed analysis of the impact of these modulation schemes on the output peak-to-peak current ripple amplitude has been reported. Determination of current ripple in multiphase PWM voltage source inverters is important for both design and control purposes. This paper gives the complete analysis of the peak-to-peak current ripple distribution over a fundamental period for multiphase inverters, with particular reference to seven-phase VSIs. In particular, peak-to-peak current ripple amplitude is analytically determined as a function of the modulation index, and a simplified expression to get its maximum value is carried out. Although reference is made to the centered symmetrical PWM, being the most simple and effective solution to maximize the DC bus utilization, leading to a nearly-optimal modulation to minimize the RMS of the current ripple, the analysis can be readily extended to either discontinuous or asymmetrical modulations, both carrier-based and space vector PWM. A similar approach can be usefully applied to any phase number. The analytical developments for all different sub-cases are verified by numerical simulations.

  11. Idiopathic paraproteinemia. III. Increased frequency of paraproteinemia in thymectomized aging C57BL/KaLwRij and CBA/BrARij mice

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Radl, J.; Glopper, E. de; Berg, P. van den; Zwieten, M.J. van

    1980-01-01

    The influence of thymectomy on the appearance of idiopathic paraproteinemia (IP) during aging was investigated in mice of the C57BL/KaLwRij and CBA/BrARij strains, which under normal conditions develop IP in high and low frequency, respectively. Compared with sham-thymectomized mice, C57BL mice

  12. Regularities of intermediate adsorption complex relaxation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manukova, L.A.

    1982-01-01

    The experimental data, characterizing the regularities of intermediate adsorption complex relaxation in the polycrystalline Mo-N 2 system at 77 K are given. The method of molecular beam has been used in the investigation. The analytical expressions of change regularity in the relaxation process of full and specific rates - of transition from intermediate state into ''non-reversible'', of desorption into the gas phase and accumUlation of the particles in the intermediate state are obtained

  13. FINANCIAL INTERMEDIATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

    OpenAIRE

    Wenli Cheng

    2007-01-01

    This paper presents a simple general equilibrium model of financial intermediation, entrepreneurship and economic growth. In this model, the role of financial intermediation is to pool savings and to lend the pooled funds to an entrepreneur, who in turn invests the funds in a new production technology. The adoption of the new production technology improves individual real income. Thus financial intermediation promotes economic growth through affecting individuals’ saving behaviour and enabl...

  14. EFFECTIVENESS OF GLYPHOSATE AND 2.4 D AMIN HERBICIDES TO CONTROL WEEDS UNDER Shorea selanica Bl. PLANTATION IN CARITA TRIAL GARDEN, BANTEN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ari Wibowo

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available A trial was carried out in Carita, West Java, to identify the effectiveness of Glyphosate and 2.4 D Amin Herbicide to control weeds under Shorea selanica Bl. plantation. The trial was conducted through the application of Glyphosate and 2.4 D Amin Herbicide with dosages of 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 liter per ha and compared with Glyphosate herbicide 5 liter per ha, manual treatment, and control (no treatment. The result showed that Glyphosate and 2.4 D Amin Herbicide could be used to control weeds in order to maintaining S. selanica Bl. plantation. Minimum dosage of 6 liter/ha was effective to control weeds such as Chromolaena odorata DC, Mikania micrantha Will, Lantana camara L, Imperata cylindrica Beauv., Melastoma malabathricum L, and Boreria latifolia Bl. Furthermore, there was no symptom of poison on S. selanica Bl. plantation after herbicide application with all dosages applied.

  15. Some Intermediate-Level Violin Concertos.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abramson, Michael

    1997-01-01

    Contends that many violin students attempt difficult concertos before they are technically or musically prepared. Identifies a variety of concertos at the intermediate and advanced intermediate-level for students to study and master before attempting the advanced works by Bach and Mozart. Includes concertos by Vivaldi, Leclair, Viotti, Haydn,…

  16. Characterization in vitro and in vivo of progressively adriamycin-resistant B16-BL6 mouse melanoma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganapathi, R; Grabowski, D; Schmidt, H; Bell, D; Melia, M

    1987-07-01

    Adriamycin (ADR)-resistant sublines of B16-BL6 mouse melanoma selected by exposure to increasing concentrations of ADR were characterized in vitro for growth properties and in vivo for tumorigenicity and pulmonary metastases. The progressively resistant sublines adapted to grow in the presence of 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.25 microgram/ml ADR in monolayer culture were found to be 5-, 10-, 20-, and 40-fold ADR-resistant, respectively, compared to the parental sensitive cells, using a soft-agar colony assay and continuous ADR treatment for 7 days. The doubling time in monolayer culture of the parent sensitive and progressively ADR-resistant sublines of B16-BL6 melanoma cells was approximately 16-18 h. Although the colony-forming efficiency in soft agar of parental sensitive cells was only 0.5-4%, the 5-, 10-, 20-, and 40-fold ADR-resistant sublines had colony-forming efficiencies of 15, 20, 30, and 77%, respectively. Tumorigenicity in C57BL/6 mice of progressively ADR-resistant sublines was similar to parental sensitive cells following s.c. and i.p. implantation of 10(5)-10(6) tumor cells. Experimental pulmonary metastases were significantly lower in ADR-resistant sublines with progressive resistance. Additionally, unlike the parental sensitive and 5-fold ADR-resistant B16-BL6 cells, the 10-, 20-, and 40-fold ADR-resistant sublines were spontaneously nonmetastatic. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunochemical detection of P-glycoprotein revealed the presence of a Mr 170,000 plasma membrane glycoprotein in the 40-fold ADR-resistant subline and its counterpart maintained for 1 year in ADR-free medium. Results from this study suggest that progressively ADR-resistant B16-BL6 mouse melanoma cells selected in vitro demonstrate a marked increase in colony formation in soft agar and a decrease in the ability to produce pulmonary metastases, without alterations in tumorigenicity.

  17. How to use your peak flow meter

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... meter - how to use; Asthma - peak flow meter; Reactive airway disease - peak flow meter; Bronchial asthma - peak ... 2014:chap 55. National Asthma Education and Prevention Program website. How to use a peak flow meter. ...

  18. Welding. Performance Objectives. Intermediate Course.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vincent, Kenneth

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of nine terminal objectives for an intermediate welding course. The materials were developed for a 36-week (3 hours daily) course designed to prepare the student for employment in the field of welding. Electric welding and specialized (TIG & MIG)…

  19. The effects of varying resistance-training loads on intermediate- and high-velocity-specific adaptations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, K; Bishop, P; Hunter, G; Fleisig, G

    2001-08-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare changes in velocity-specific adaptations in moderately resistance-trained athletes who trained with either low or high resistances. The study used tests of sport-specific skills across an intermediate- to high-velocity spectrum. Thirty NCAA Division I baseball players were randomly assigned to either a low-resistance (40-60% 1 repetition maximum [1RM]) training group or a high-resistance (70-90% 1RM) training group. Both of the training groups intended to maximallv accelerate each repetition during the concentric phase (IMCA). The 10 weeks of training consisted of 4 training sessions a week using basic core exercises. Peak force, velocity, and power were evaluated during set angle and depth jumps as well as weighted jumps using 30 and 50% 1RM. Squat 1RMs were also tested. Although no interactions for any of the jump tests were found, trends supported the hypothesis of velocity-specific training. Percentage gains suggest that the combined use of heavier training loads (70-90% 1RM) and IMCA tend to increase peak force in the lower-body leg and hip extensors. Trends also show that the combined use of lighter training loads (40-60% 1RM) and IMCA tend to increase peak power and peak velocity in the lower-body leg and hip extensors. The high-resistance group improved squats more than the low-resistance group (p training loads and IMCA to increase 1RM strength in the lower bodies of resistance-trained athletes.

  20. Generation of T-cells reactive to the poorly immunogenic B16-BL6 melanoma with efficacy in the treatment of spontaneous metastases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geiger, J D; Wagner, P D; Cameron, M J; Shu, S; Chang, A E

    1993-04-01

    The B16-BL6 (BL6) melanoma is a poorly immunogenic murine tumor that is highly invasive and spontaneously metastasizes from the primary site. Utilizing an established anti-CD3/interleukin-2 (IL-2) culture procedure, we have previously reported that lymph nodes (LNs) draining immunogenic murine sarcomas contained preeffector cells that could be activated to differentiate into therapeutic effector cells for adoptive immunotherapy. By contrast, LNs draining the poorly immunogenic BL6 melanoma were found not to be a reliable source of preeffector cells. Instead, sensitization of preeffector cells reactive to BL6 required the subcutaneous inoculation of tumor admixed with Corynebacterium parvum. LN cells draining these vaccination sites demonstrated therapeutic efficacy only after subsequent anti-CD3/IL-2 activation. The sensitization of preeffector cells was dependent on the presence of tumor antigen and an optimal dose of C. parvum ( 140 days. All mice except one that received no treatment or was treated with IL-2 alone succumbed to visceral metastases with an MST of approximately 23 days. This study characterizes a model whereby the weak immune response to the BL6 melanoma can be positively or negatively modulated for the generation of antitumor reactive T-cells useful in adoptive immunotherapy.

  1. Differential Localization of Pain-Related and Pain-Unrelated Neural Responses for Acupuncture at BL60 Using BOLD fMRI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Na-Hee Kim

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to differentiate between pain-related and pain-unrelated neural responses of acupuncture at BL60 to investigate the specific effects of acupuncture. A total of 19 healthy volunteers were evaluated. fMRI was performed with sham or verum acupuncture stimulation at the left BL60 before and after local anesthesia. To investigate the relative BOLD signal effect for each session, a one-sample t-test was performed for individual contrast maps, and a paired t-test to investigate the differences between the pre- and post-anesthetic signal effects. Regarding verum acupuncture, areas that were more activated before local anesthesia included the superior, middle, and medial frontal gyri, inferior parietal lobule, superior temporal gyrus, thalamus, middle temporal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, culmen, and cerebellar tonsil. The postcentral gyrus was more deactivated before local anesthesia. After local anesthesia, the middle occipital gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus, postcentral gyrus, precuneus, superior parietal lobule, and declive were deactivated. Pre-anesthetic verum acupuncture at BL60 activated areas of vision and pain transmission. Post-anesthetic verum acupuncture deactivated brain areas of visual function, which is considered to be a pain-unrelated acupuncture response. It indicates that specific effects of acupoint BL60 are to control vision sense as used in the clinical setting.

  2. MRP-1 expression levels determine strain-specific susceptibility to sodium arsenic-induced renal injury between C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimura, Akihiko; Ishida, Yuko; Wada, Takashi; Yokoyama, Hitoshi; Mukaida, Naofumi; Kondo, Toshikazu

    2005-01-01

    To clarify the pathophysiological mechanism underlying acute renal injury caused by acute exposure to arsenic, we subcutaneously injected both BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice with sodium arsenite (NaAs; 13.5 mg/kg). BALB/c mice exhibited exaggerated elevation of serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (CRE) levels, compared with C57BL/6 mice. Moreover, half of BALB/c mice died by 24 h, whereas all C57BL/6 mice survived. Histopathological examination on kidney revealed severe hemorrhages, acute tubular necrosis, neutrophil infiltration, cast formation, and disappearance of PAS-positive brush borders in BALB/c mice, later than 10 h. These pathological changes were remarkably attenuated in C57BL/6 mice, accompanied with lower intrarenal arsenic concentrations, compared with BALB/c mice. Among heavy metal inducible proteins including multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP)-1, multidrug resistance gene (MDR)-1, metallothionein (MT)-1, and arsenite inducible, cysteine- and histidine-rich RNA-associated protein (AIRAP), intrarenal MDR-1, MT-1, and AIRAP gene expression was enhanced to a similar extent in both strains, whereas NaAs challenge augmented intrarenal MRP-1 mRNA and protein expression levels in C57BL/6 but not BALB/c mice. Moreover, the administration of a specific inhibitor of MRP-1, MK-571, significantly exaggerated acute renal injury in C57BL/6 mice. Thus, MRP-1 is crucially involved in arsenic efflux and eventually prevention of acute renal injury upon acute exposure to NaAs

  3. Absorption in the spectra of quasi stellar objects and BL Lac objects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perry, J.J.; Burbidge, E.M.; Burbidge, G.R.

    1978-06-01

    An extensive review is given of the observations of absorption in the spectra of QSOs and BL Lac objects. In Table Ia we summarize all of the information available up to May 1, 1978 on objects which show absorption. Following discussion of the observations in Section II, possible interpretations are critically discussed. (orig.) [de

  4. Money distribution with intermediation

    OpenAIRE

    Teles, Caio Augusto Colnago

    2013-01-01

    This pap er analyzes the distribution of money holdings in a commo dity money search-based mo del with intermediation. Intro ducing heterogeneity of costs to the Kiyotaki e Wright ( 1989 ) mo del, Cavalcanti e Puzzello ( 2010) gives rise to a non-degenerated distribution of money. We extend further this mo del intro ducing intermediation in the trading pro cess. We show that the distribution of money matters for savings decisions. This gives rises to a xed p oint problem for the ...

  5. Cis-bifenthrin induces immunotoxicity in adolescent male C57BL/6 mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xia; Gao, Xingli; He, Bingnan; Zhu, Jiawei; Lou, Huihui; Hu, Qinglian; Jin, Yuanxiang; Fu, Zhengwei

    2017-07-01

    Bifenthrin (BF) is an important synthetic pyrethroid. Previous studies have demonstrated that cis-BF exhibits toxic effects on development, the neurological, reproductive and endocrine system. In this study, we evaluated the immunotoxicity caused by cis-BF in adolescent male C57BL/6 mice. Mice were exposed orally to 0, 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg/d for 3 weeks. The results showed that body weight, spleen weight, and splenic cellularity decreased in mice exposed to 20 mg/kg/d cis-BF. Additionally, we found that the mRNA levels of the pro-inflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-6, CXCL-1, and TNF-α, in peritoneal macrophages, the spleen, and the thymus were inhibited in the cis-BF-treated groups. Moreover, MTT assays demonstrated that cis-BF inhibited splenocyte proliferation stimulated by LPS or Con A, as well as the secretion of IFN-γ on Con A stimulation. Collectively, the results of this study suggest that exposure to cis-BF has the potential to induce immunotoxicity in adolescent male C57BL/6 mice. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Search for intermediate vector bosons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klajn, D.B.; Rubbia, K.; Meer, S.

    1983-01-01

    Problem of registration and search for intermediate vector bosons is discussed. According to weak-current theory there are three intermediate vector bosons with +1(W + )-1(W - ) and zero (Z 0 ) electric charges. It was suggested to conduct the investigation into particles in 1976 by cline, Rubbia and Makintair using proton-antiproton beams. Major difficulties of the experiment are related to the necessity of formation of sufficient amount of antiparticles and the method of antiproton beam ''cooling'' for the purpose of reduction of its random movements. The stochastic method was suggested by van der Meer in 1968 as one of possible cooling methods. Several large detectors were designed for searching intermediate vector bosons

  7. High frequency mechanical ventilation affects respiratory system mechanics differently in C57BL/6J and BALB/c adult mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hadden, Hélène

    2013-01-15

    We tested the hypothesis that high frequency ventilation affects respiratory system mechanical functions in C57BL/6J and BALB/c mice. We measured respiratory mechanics by the forced oscillation technique over 1h in anesthetized, intubated, ventilated BALB/c and C57BL/6J male mice. We did not detect any change in airway resistance, Rn, tissue damping, G, tissue elastance, H and hysteresivity, eta in BALB/c mice during 1h of ventilation at 150 or at 450 breaths/min; nor did we find a difference between BALB/c mice ventilated at 150 breaths/min compared with 450 breaths/min. Among C57BL/6J mice, except for H, all parameters remained unchanged over 1h of ventilation in mice ventilated at 150 breaths/min. However, after 10 and 30 min of ventilation at 450 breaths/min, Rn, and respiratory system compliance were lower, and eta was higher, than their starting value. We conclude that high frequency mechanical ventilation affects respiratory system mechanics differently in C57BL/6J and BALB/c adult mice. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Validation of intermediate end points in cancer research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schatzkin, A; Freedman, L S; Schiffman, M H; Dawsey, S M

    1990-11-21

    Investigations using intermediate end points as cancer surrogates are quicker, smaller, and less expensive than studies that use malignancy as the end point. We present a strategy for determining whether a given biomarker is a valid intermediate end point between an exposure and incidence of cancer. Candidate intermediate end points may be selected from case series, ecologic studies, and animal experiments. Prospective cohort and sometimes case-control studies may be used to quantify the intermediate end point-cancer association. The most appropriate measure of this association is the attributable proportion. The intermediate end point is a valid cancer surrogate if the attributable proportion is close to 1.0, but not if it is close to 0. Usually, the attributable proportion is close to neither 1.0 nor 0; in this case, valid surrogacy requires that the intermediate end point mediate an established exposure-cancer relation. This would in turn imply that the exposure effect would vanish if adjusted for the intermediate end point. We discuss the relative advantages of intervention and observational studies for the validation of intermediate end points. This validation strategy also may be applied to intermediate end points for adverse reproductive outcomes and chronic diseases other than cancer.

  9. Biocatalytic Synthesis of Chiral Pharmaceutical Intermediates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramesh N. Patel

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available The production of single enantiomers of drug intermediates has become increasingly important in the pharmaceutical industry. Chiral intermediates and fine chemicals are in high demand from both the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries for the preparation of bulk drug substances and agricultural products. The enormous potential of microorganisms and enzymes for the transformation of synthetic chemicals with high chemo-, regio- and enantioselectivities has been demonstrated. In this article, biocatalytic processes are described for the synthesis of chiral pharmaceutical intermediates.

  10. Masses and pulsations of BL Herculis variables

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hodson, S.W.; Cox, A.N.; King, D.S.

    1981-01-01

    From linear results, the masses of BL Her variables must be nearer to 0.55 M /sub sun/ than 0.75 M /sub sun/ if the bump phase transition (resonance) is to be located anywhere near the observed period range of 1./sup d/5 to 1./sup d/7. The nonlinear results are consistent with the Simon resonance concept, but demonstrate that light and velocity curve shapes are a nonlinear phenomenon that require nonlinear period ratios to display the resonances only in the narrow, observed range of 1./sup d/5 to 1./sup d/7. The mass near 0.55 M /sub sun/ is in good agreement with evolution calculations (Sweigart and Gross, 1976) and nonlinear pulsation studies of Carson, Stothers, and Vemury (1981) and Stothers

  11. Simplifying biochemical models with intermediate species

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Feliu, Elisenda; Wiuf, Carsten

    2013-01-01

    techniques, we study systematically the effects of intermediate, or transient, species in biochemical systems and provide a simple, yet rigorous mathematical classification of all models obtained from a core model by including intermediates. Main examples include enzymatic and post-translational modification...... systems, where intermediates often are considered insignificant and neglected in a model, or they are not included because we are unaware of their existence. All possible models obtained from the core model are classified into a finite number of classes. Each class is defined by a mathematically simple...... canonical model that characterizes crucial dynamical properties, such as mono- and multistationarity and stability of steady states, of all models in the class. We show that if the core model does not have conservation laws, then the introduction of intermediates does not change the steady...

  12. Identification of immunodominant Leishmania major antigenic markers of the early C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice infection stages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sassi, Atfa; Kaak, Olfa; Elgaaied, Amel Benammar

    2015-08-24

    The C57BL/6 mouse strain is resistant to Leishmania (L.) major infection and, unlike susceptible BALB/c, develops small self healing cutaneous lesions. The specific antibody responses of C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice were previously characterized by the predominance of IgG2a ("resistant" isotype associated with Th1) and IgG1 ("pathogenic" isotype associated with Th2) antibodies, respectively. In this study, we looked for the presence of antigens able to elicit an exclusive or predominant IgG1 production during the early stages of C57BL/6 lesion development and checked whether they are recognized or not by BALB/c mice. We demonstrate first that IgG2a predominance in C57BL/6 sera occurs only late after infection whereas in BALB/c, IgG1 antibodies dominate mostly in the early stages. Interestingly, soon after inoculation of live amastigotes, C57BL/6 displayed an exclusive IgG1 reactivity against particular L. major antigens but with MWs different from those identified in BALB/c. Furthermore, mice immunized with killed amastigotes displayed striking differences in their immunodetection profiles, particularly for the IgG1 isotype. Taken together, the observed differences in the specific antibody repertoires between infected mice resulted, at least in part, from immunological events independent from those triggered by the replicating parasite, and bring new insights into the selection of future vaccine candidates. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  13. Unusual Physical Properties of the Chicxulub Crater Peak Ring: Results from IODP/ICDP Expedition 364

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christeson, G. L.; Gebhardt, C.; Gulick, S. P. S.; Le Ber, E.; Lofi, J.; Morgan, J. V.; Nixon, C.; Rae, A.; Schmitt, D. R.

    2017-12-01

    IODP/ICDP Expedition 364 Hole M0077A drilled into the peak ring of the Chicxulub impact crater, recovering core between 505.7 and 1334.7 m below the seafloor (mbsf). Physical property measurements include wireline logging data, a vertical seismic profile (VSP), Multi-Sensor Core Logger (MSCL) measurements, and discrete sample measurements. The Hole M0077A peak ring rocks have unusual physical properties. Across the boundary between post-impact sediment and crater breccia we measure a sharp decrease in velocities and densities, and an increase in porosity. Mean crater breccia values are 3000-3300 m/s, 2.14-2.15 g/cm3, and 31% for velocity, density, and porosity, respectively. This zone is also associated with a low-frequency reflector package on MCS profiles and a low-velocity layer in FWI images, both confirmed from the VSP dataset. The thin (24 m) crater melt unit has mean velocity measurements of 3800-4150 m/s, density measurements of 2.32-2.34 g/cm3, and porosity measurements of 20%; density and porosity values are intermediate between the overlying impact breccia and underlying granitic basement, while the velocity values are similar to those for the underlying basement. The Hole M0077A crater melt unit velocities and densities are considerably less than values of 5800 m/s and 2.68 g/cm3 measured at an onshore well located in the annular trough. The uplifted granitic peak ring materials have mean values of 4100-4200 m/s, 2.39-2.44 g/cm3, and 11% for compressional wave velocity, density, and porosity, respectively; these values differ significantly from typical granite which has higher velocities (5400-6000 m/s) and densities (2.62-2.67 g/cm3), and lower porosities (<1%). All Hole M0077A peak-ring velocity, density, and porosity measurements indicate considerable fracturing, and are consistent with numerical models for peak-ring formation.

  14. Reactions of stabilized Criegee Intermediates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vereecken, Luc; Harder, Hartwig; Novelli, Anna

    2014-05-01

    Carbonyl oxides (Criegee intermediates) were proposed as key intermediates in the gas phase ozonolysis of alkenes in 1975 by Rudolf Criegee. Despite the importance of ozonolysis in atmospheric chemistry, direct observation of these intermediates remained elusive, with only indirect experimental evidence for their role in the oxidation of hydrocarbons, e.g. through scavenging experiments. Direct experimental observation of stabilized CI has only been achieved since 2008. Since then, a concerted effort using experimental and theoretical means is in motion to characterize the chemistry and kinetics of these reactive intermediates. We present the results of theoretical investigations of the chemistry of Criegee intermediates with a series of coreactants which may be of importance in the atmosphere, in experimental setups, or both. This includes the CI+CI cross-reaction, which proceeds with a rate coefficient near the collision limit and can be important in experimental conditions. The CI + alkene reactions show strong dependence of the rate coefficient depending on the coreactants, but is generally found to be rather slow. The CI + ozone reaction is sufficiently fast to occur both in experiment and the free troposphere, and acts as a sink for CI. The reaction of CI with hydroperoxides, ROOH, is complex, and leads both to the formation of oligomers, as to the formation of reactive etheroxides, with a moderately fast rate coefficient. The importance of these reactions is placed in the context of the reaction conditions in different atmospheric environments ranging from unpolluted to highly polluted.

  15. Computing Optical Variable Periods of BL Lac Object S5 0716+714 ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2016-01-27

    Jan 27, 2016 ... From a large volume of literature, we have collected effective observation of BL Lac object S5 0716+714 in the optical band, and constructed its long-term light curve from 1994 to 2006 AD. The light curve shows that S5 0716+714 is very active and exhibits very complicated non-sinusoidal variations.

  16. The intermediate endpoint effect in logistic and probit regression

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacKinnon, DP; Lockwood, CM; Brown, CH; Wang, W; Hoffman, JM

    2010-01-01

    Background An intermediate endpoint is hypothesized to be in the middle of the causal sequence relating an independent variable to a dependent variable. The intermediate variable is also called a surrogate or mediating variable and the corresponding effect is called the mediated, surrogate endpoint, or intermediate endpoint effect. Clinical studies are often designed to change an intermediate or surrogate endpoint and through this intermediate change influence the ultimate endpoint. In many intermediate endpoint clinical studies the dependent variable is binary, and logistic or probit regression is used. Purpose The purpose of this study is to describe a limitation of a widely used approach to assessing intermediate endpoint effects and to propose an alternative method, based on products of coefficients, that yields more accurate results. Methods The intermediate endpoint model for a binary outcome is described for a true binary outcome and for a dichotomization of a latent continuous outcome. Plots of true values and a simulation study are used to evaluate the different methods. Results Distorted estimates of the intermediate endpoint effect and incorrect conclusions can result from the application of widely used methods to assess the intermediate endpoint effect. The same problem occurs for the proportion of an effect explained by an intermediate endpoint, which has been suggested as a useful measure for identifying intermediate endpoints. A solution to this problem is given based on the relationship between latent variable modeling and logistic or probit regression. Limitations More complicated intermediate variable models are not addressed in the study, although the methods described in the article can be extended to these more complicated models. Conclusions Researchers are encouraged to use an intermediate endpoint method based on the product of regression coefficients. A common method based on difference in coefficient methods can lead to distorted

  17. Closure Plan for Corrective Action Unit 110: Area 3 RWMS U-3ax/bl Disposal Unit, Nevada Test Site, Nevada

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fitzmaurice, T. M.

    2000-01-01

    This Closure Plan has been prepared for the Area 3 RWMS U-3ax/bl Disposal Unit Corrective Action Unit 110 in accordance with the Federal Facility and Consent Order (Nevada Division of Environmental Protection [NDEP] et al., 1996). The U-3ax/bl is a historic disposal unit within the Area 3 Radioactive Waste Management Site located on the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The unit, which was formed by excavating the area between two subsidence craters (U-3ax and U-3bl), was operationally closed in 1987. The U-3ax/bl disposal unit is scheduled for permanent closure under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act as a hazardous waste landfill. Existing records indicate that, from July 1968 to December 1987, U-3ax/bl received 2.3 x 10 5 cubic meters (8.12 x 10 6 cubic feet) of waste. NTS nuclear device testing generated approximately 95 percent of the total volume disposed of in U-3ax/bl, the majority of which came from the Waste Consolidation Project (80 percent of the total volume) (Elletson and Johnejack, 1995). Area 3 is located in Yucca Flat, within the northeast quadrant of the NTS. The Yucca Flat watershed is a structurally closed basin encompassing an area of approximately 780 square kilometers (300 square miles). The structural geomorphology of Yucca Flat is typical of the Basin and Range Physiographic Province. Yucca Flat lies in one of the most arid regions of the country. Water balance calculations for Area 3 indicate that it is continuously in a state of moisture deficit. The U-3ax/bl Disposal Unit will be closed in place by installing a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act equivalent cover. Following cover construction a fence will be installed around the cover to prevent accidental damage to the cover. Post-closure monitoring will consist of site inspections to determine the condition of the engineered cover and cover performance monitoring using Time-Domain Reflectometry arrays to monitor moisture migration in the cover. Any identified maintenance and repair

  18. Closure Plan for Corrective Action Unit 110: Area 3 RWMS U-3ax/bl Disposal Unit, Nevada Test Site, Nevada

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    T. M. Fitzmaurice

    2000-08-01

    This Closure Plan has been prepared for the Area 3 RWMS U-3ax/bl Disposal Unit Corrective Action Unit 110 in accordance with the Federal Facility and Consent Order (Nevada Division of Environmental Protection [NDEP] et al., 1996). The U-3ax/bl is a historic disposal unit within the Area 3 Radioactive Waste Management Site located on the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The unit, which was formed by excavating the area between two subsidence craters (U-3ax and U-3bl), was operationally closed in 1987. The U-3ax/bl disposal unit is scheduled for permanent closure under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act as a hazardous waste landfill. Existing records indicate that, from July 1968 to December 1987, U-3ax/bl received 2.3 x 10{sup 5} cubic meters (8.12 x 10{sup 6} cubic feet) of waste. NTS nuclear device testing generated approximately 95 percent of the total volume disposed of in U-3ax/bl, the majority of which came from the Waste Consolidation Project (80 percent of the total volume) (Elletson and Johnejack, 1995). Area 3 is located in Yucca Flat, within the northeast quadrant of the NTS. The Yucca Flat watershed is a structurally closed basin encompassing an area of approximately 780 square kilometers (300 square miles). The structural geomorphology of Yucca Flat is typical of the Basin and Range Physiographic Province. Yucca Flat lies in one of the most arid regions of the country. Water balance calculations for Area 3 indicate that it is continuously in a state of moisture deficit. The U-3ax/bl Disposal Unit will be closed in place by installing a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act equivalent cover. Following cover construction a fence will be installed around the cover to prevent accidental damage to the cover. Post-closure monitoring will consist of site inspections to determine the condition of the engineered cover and cover performance monitoring using Time-Domain Reflectometry arrays to monitor moisture migration in the cover. Any identified maintenance and

  19. Automated asteroseismic peak detections

    Science.gov (United States)

    García Saravia Ortiz de Montellano, Andrés; Hekker, S.; Themeßl, N.

    2018-05-01

    Space observatories such as Kepler have provided data that can potentially revolutionize our understanding of stars. Through detailed asteroseismic analyses we are capable of determining fundamental stellar parameters and reveal the stellar internal structure with unprecedented accuracy. However, such detailed analyses, known as peak bagging, have so far been obtained for only a small percentage of the observed stars while most of the scientific potential of the available data remains unexplored. One of the major challenges in peak bagging is identifying how many solar-like oscillation modes are visible in a power density spectrum. Identification of oscillation modes is usually done by visual inspection that is time-consuming and has a degree of subjectivity. Here, we present a peak-detection algorithm especially suited for the detection of solar-like oscillations. It reliably characterizes the solar-like oscillations in a power density spectrum and estimates their parameters without human intervention. Furthermore, we provide a metric to characterize the false positive and false negative rates to provide further information about the reliability of a detected oscillation mode or the significance of a lack of detected oscillation modes. The algorithm presented here opens the possibility for detailed and automated peak bagging of the thousands of solar-like oscillators observed by Kepler.

  20. Strawinsky: Ragtime, Oktett für Bläser, Neeme Järvi / Werner Pfister

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Pfister, Werner

    1995-01-01

    Uuest heliplaadist "Strawinsky: Ragtime, Oktett für Bläser, Die Geschichte vom Soldaten (Suite), Petruschka. Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Neeme Järvi". (AD: 1986-93). Chandos/Koch CD 9291 (WD:74'40")

  1. Systematic study of intermediate-scale structures of equatorial plasma irregularities in the ionosphere based on CHAMP observations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hermann eLühr

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Equatorial spread-F ionospheric plasma irregularities on the night-side, commonly called equatorial plasma bubbles (EPB, include electron density variations over a wide range of spatial scales. Here we focus on intermediate-scale structures ranging from 100 m to 10 km, which play an important role in the evolution of EPBs. High-resolution CHAMP magnetic field measurements sampled along north-south track at 50 Hz are interpreted in terms of diamagnetic effect for illustrating the details of electron density variations. We provide the first comprehensive study on intermediate-scale density structures associated with EPBs, covering a whole solar cycle from 2000 to 2010. The large number of detected events, almost 9000, allows us to draw a detailed picture of the plasma fine structure. The occurrence of intermediate-scale events is strongly favoured by high solar flux. During times of F10.7 < 100 sfu practically no events were observed. The longitudinal distribution of our events with respect to season or local time agrees well with that of the EPBs, qualifying the fine structure as a common feature, but the occurrence rates are smaller by a factor of 4 during the period 2000-2005. Largest amplitude electron density variations appear at the poleward boundaries of plasma bubbles. Above the dip-equator recorded amplitudes are small and fall commonly below our resolution. Events can generally be found at local times between 19 and 24 LT, with a peak lasting from 20 to 22 LT. The signal spectrum can be approximated by a power law. Over the frequency range 1 – 25 Hz we observe spectral indices between -1.4 and -2.6 with peak occurrence rates around -1.9. There is a weak dependence observed of the spectral index on local time. Towards later hours the spectrum becomes shallower. Similarly for the latitude dependence, there is a preference of shallower spectra for latitudes poleward of the ionisation anomaly crest. Our data suggest that the generation of

  2. Gravity with Intermediate Goods Trade

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sujin Jang

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper derives the gravity equation with intermediate goods trade. We extend a standard monopolistic competition model to incorporate intermediate goods trade, and show that the gravity equation with intermediates trade is identical to the one without it except in that gross output should be used as the output measure instead of value added. We also show that the output elasticity of trade is significantly underestimated when value added is used as the output measure. This implies that with the conventional gravity equation, the contribution of output growth can be substantially underestimated and the role of trade costs reduction can be exaggerated in explaining trade expansion, as we demonstrate for the case of Korea's trade growth between 1995 and 2007.

  3. Simultaneous collection method of on-peak window image and off-peak window image in Tl-201 imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murakami, Tomonori; Noguchi, Yasushi; Kojima, Akihiro; Takagi, Akihiro; Matsumoto, Masanori

    2007-01-01

    Tl-201 imaging detects the photopeak (71 keV, in on-peak window) of characteristic X-rays of Hg-201 formed from Tl-201 decay. The peak is derived from 4 rays of different energy and emission intensity and does not follow in Gaussian distribution. In the present study, authors made an idea for the method in the title to attain the more effective single imaging, which was examined for its accuracy and reliability with phantoms and applied clinically to Tl-201 scintigraphy in a patient. The authors applied the triple energy window method for data acquisition: the energy window setting was made on Hg-201 X-rays photopeak in three of the lower (3%, L), main (72 keV, M) and upper (14%, U) windows with the gamma camera with 2-gated detector (Toshiba E. CAM/ICON). L, M and U images obtained simultaneously were then constructed to images of on-peak (L+M, Mock on-peak) and off-peak (M+U) window settings for evaluation. Phantoms for line source with Tl-201-containing swab and for multi-defect with acrylic plate containing Tl-201 solution were imaged in water. The female patient with thyroid cancer was subjected to preoperative scintigraphy under the defined conditions. Mock on-, off-peak images were found to be equivalent to the true (ordinary, clinical) on-, off-peak ones, and the present method was thought usable for evaluation of usefulness of off-peak window data. (R.T.)

  4. Mobile communication and intermediality

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Helles, Rasmus

    2013-01-01

    communicative affordances of mobile devices in order to understand how people choose between them for different purposes. It is argued that mobile communication makes intermediality especially central, as the choice of medium is detached from the location of stationary media and begins to follow the user across......The article argues the importance of intermediality as a concept for research in mobile communication and media. The constant availability of several, partially overlapping channels for communication (texting, calls, email, Facebook, etc.) requires that we adopt an integrated view of the various...

  5. EXPERIMENTAL SUBCUTANEOUS CYSTICERCOSIS BY Taenia crassiceps IN BALB/c AND C57BL/6 MICE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pereira, Íria Márcia; Lima, Sarah Buzaim; Freitas, Aline de Araújo; Vinaud, Marina Clare; Junior, Ruy de Souza Lino

    2016-07-11

    Human cysticercosis is one of the most severe parasitic infections affecting tissues. Experimental models are needed to understand the host-parasite dynamics involved throughout the course of the infection. The subcutaneous experimental model is the closest to what is observed in human cysticercosis that does not affect the central nervous system. The aim of this study was to evaluate macroscopically and microscopically the experimental subcutaneous cysticercosis caused by Taenia crassiceps cysticerci in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice. Animals were inoculated in the dorsal subcutaneous region and macroscopic and microscopic aspects of the inflammatory process in the host-parasite interface were evaluated until 90 days after the inoculation (DAI). All the infected animals presented vesicles containing cysticerci in the inoculation site, which was translucent at 7 DAI and then remained opaque throughout the experimental days. The microscopic analysis showed granulation tissue in BALB/c mice since the acute phase of infection evolving to chronicity without cure, presenting 80% of larval stage cysticerci at 90 DAI. While C57BL/6 mice presented 67% of final stage cysticerci at 90 DAI, the parasites were surrounded by neutrophils evolving to the infection control. It is possible to conclude that the genetic features of susceptibility (BALB/c) or resistance (C57BL/6) were confirmed in an experimental subcutaneous model of cysticercosis.

  6. Neutrino mass, leptogenesis and FIMP dark matter in a U(1){sub B-L} model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Biswas, Anirban; Khan, Sarif [Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad (India); Homi Bhabha National Institute, Training School Complex, Mumbai (India); Choubey, Sandhya [Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad (India); Homi Bhabha National Institute, Training School Complex, Mumbai (India); AlbaNova University Center, Department of Theoretical Physics, School of Engineering Sciences, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm (Sweden)

    2017-12-15

    The Standard Model (SM) is inadequate to explain the origin of tiny neutrino masses, the dark matter (DM) relic abundance and the baryon asymmetry of the Universe. In this work, to address all three puzzles, we extend the SM by a local U(1){sub B-L} gauge symmetry, three right-handed (RH) neutrinos for the cancellation of gauge anomalies and two complex scalars having non-zero U(1){sub B-L} charges. All the newly added particles become massive after the breaking of the U(1){sub B-L} symmetry by the vacuum expectation value (VEV) of one of the scalar fields φ{sub H}. The other scalar field, φ{sub DM}, which does not have any VEV, becomes automatically stable and can be a viable DM candidate. Neutrino masses are generated using the Type-I seesaw mechanism, while the required lepton asymmetry to reproduce the observed baryon asymmetry can be attained from the CP violating out of equilibrium decays of the RH neutrinos in TeV scale. More importantly within this framework, we study in detail the production of DM via the freeze-in mechanism considering all possible annihilation and decay processes. Finally, we find a situation when DM is dominantly produced from the annihilation of the RH neutrinos, which are at the same time also responsible for neutrino mass generation and leptogenesis. (orig.)

  7. Effects of BCL oral administation and herbal acupuncture at BL18, BL19 on Liver function changes induced by Alcohol in the mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sa-Hyun Park

    2002-02-01

    Full Text Available This dissertation was designed to evaluate the effect of BCL(refinded Bambusae Caulis in Liqua-men oral administration and herbal acupuncture on alcohol metabolism and liver function. For this study. mice were damaged by a large quantity of alcohol and received treatment of either BCL 1 mg/kg in oral or BCL 250㎍/kg in herbal acupuncture-BL18 . BL19 bilateral. and then such parameters as GOT. GPT. catalase and superoxide dismustase(CuZn-SOD, Mn-SOD were measured. The results of the experiments were summarized as follows. 1. Compared with control group, the proper degree of alcohol in serum was not significantly differ from oral administration group and herbal acupuncture group. 2. Compared with control group. the activity of GOT in serum was significantly reduced both oral administration and herbal acupuncture group. 3. Compared with control group. the activity of GPT in serum was significantly reduced both oral administration and herbal acupuncture group. 4. The activity of catalase in liver cell tissue, compared with control group. was not sigificantly affected either by oral administration and herbal acupuncture group. 5. The activity of CuZn-SOD in liver cell tissue was not significantly change in herbal acupuncture and oral administration group. The activity of Mn-SOD was significantly increased in oral administration group. while it was not the case in acupuncture group. In conclusion. we consider that BCL oral administration and herbal acupuncture is highly effetive in recovering alcohol metabolism and liver disfunction induced by alcohol.

  8. Primary photodissociation pathways of epichlorohydrin and analysis of the C-C bond fission channels from an O(3P)+allyl radical intermediate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    FitzPatrick, Benjamin L.; Alligood, Bridget W.; Butler, Laurie J.; Lee, Shih-Huang; Lin, Jim Jr-Min

    2010-01-01

    This study initially characterizes the primary photodissociation processes of epichlorohydrin, c-(H 2 COCH)CH 2 Cl. The three dominant photoproduct channels analyzed are c-(H 2 COCH)CH 2 +Cl, c-(H 2 COCH)+CH 2 Cl, and C 3 H 4 O+HCl. In the second channel, the c-(H 2 COCH) photofission product is a higher energy intermediate on C 2 H 3 O global potential energy surface and has a small isomerization barrier to vinoxy. The resulting highly vibrationally excited vinoxy radicals likely dissociate to give the observed signal at the mass corresponding to ketene, H 2 CCO. The final primary photodissociation pathway HCl+C 3 H 4 O evidences a recoil kinetic energy distribution similar to that of four-center HCl elimination in chlorinated alkenes, so is assigned to production of c-(H 2 COC)=CH 2 ; the epoxide product is formed with enough vibrational energy to isomerize to acrolein and dissociate. The paper then analyzes the dynamics of the C 3 H 5 O radical produced from C-Cl bond photofission. When the epoxide radical photoproduct undergoes facile ring opening, it is the radical intermediate formed in the O( 3 P)+allyl bimolecular reaction when the O atom adds to an end C atom. We focus on the HCO+C 2 H 4 and H 2 CO+C 2 H 3 product channels from this radical intermediate in this report. Analysis of the velocity distribution of the momentum-matched signals from the HCO+C 2 H 4 products at m/e=29 and 28 shows that the dissociation of the radical intermediate imparts a high relative kinetic energy, peaking near 20 kcal/mol, between the products. Similarly, the energy imparted to relative kinetic energy in the H 2 CO+C 2 H 3 product channel of the O( 3 P)+allyl radical intermediate also peaks at high-recoil kinetic energies, near 18 kcal/mol. The strongly forward-backward peaked angular distributions and the high kinetic energy release result from tangential recoil during the dissociation of highly rotationally excited nascent radicals formed photolytically in this experiment

  9. Primary photodissociation pathways of epichlorohydrin and analysis of the C-C bond fission channels from an O(3P)+allyl radical intermediate

    Science.gov (United States)

    FitzPatrick, Benjamin L.; Alligood, Bridget W.; Butler, Laurie J.; Lee, Shih-Huang; Lin, Jim-Min, Jr.

    2010-09-01

    This study initially characterizes the primary photodissociation processes of epichlorohydrin, c-(H2COCH)CH2Cl. The three dominant photoproduct channels analyzed are c-(H2COCH)CH2+Cl, c-(H2COCH)+CH2Cl, and C3H4O+HCl. In the second channel, the c-(H2COCH) photofission product is a higher energy intermediate on C2H3O global potential energy surface and has a small isomerization barrier to vinoxy. The resulting highly vibrationally excited vinoxy radicals likely dissociate to give the observed signal at the mass corresponding to ketene, H2CCO. The final primary photodissociation pathway HCl+C3H4O evidences a recoil kinetic energy distribution similar to that of four-center HCl elimination in chlorinated alkenes, so is assigned to production of c-(H2COC)=CH2; the epoxide product is formed with enough vibrational energy to isomerize to acrolein and dissociate. The paper then analyzes the dynamics of the C3H5O radical produced from C-Cl bond photofission. When the epoxide radical photoproduct undergoes facile ring opening, it is the radical intermediate formed in the O(P3)+allyl bimolecular reaction when the O atom adds to an end C atom. We focus on the HCO+C2H4 and H2CO+C2H3 product channels from this radical intermediate in this report. Analysis of the velocity distribution of the momentum-matched signals from the HCO+C2H4 products at m/e=29 and 28 shows that the dissociation of the radical intermediate imparts a high relative kinetic energy, peaking near 20 kcal/mol, between the products. Similarly, the energy imparted to relative kinetic energy in the H2CO+C2H3 product channel of the O(P3)+allyl radical intermediate also peaks at high-recoil kinetic energies, near 18 kcal/mol. The strongly forward-backward peaked angular distributions and the high kinetic energy release result from tangential recoil during the dissociation of highly rotationally excited nascent radicals formed photolytically in this experiment. The data also reveal substantial branching to an HCCH+H3

  10. Genistein suppresses adhesion-induced protein tyrosine phosphorylation and invasion of B16-BL6 melanoma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, C; Han, R

    1998-07-03

    Protein tyrosine phosphorylation occurs as one of the earlier events in cancer cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interaction. With immunoblot analysis and immunofluorescence microscopy, genistein was found to suppress the tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins located at the cell periphery, including a 125 kDa protein, when B16-BL6 melanoma cells attached to and interacted with ECM. When accompanied by the suppression of adhesion-induced protein tyrosine phosphorylation, the invasive potential of B16-BL6 cells through reconstituted basement membrane was decreased significantly. However, neither adhesive capability nor cell growth was significantly affected by genistein. Therefore, the interruption of cancer cell-ECM interaction by suppression of protein tyrosine phosphorylation may contribute to invasion prevention of genistein.

  11. Does shoe heel design influence ground reaction forces and knee moments during maximum lunges in elite and intermediate badminton players?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wing-Kai Lam

    Full Text Available Lunge is one frequently executed movement in badminton and involves a unique sagittal footstrike angle of more than 40 degrees at initial ground contact compared with other manoeuvres. This study examined if the shoe heel curvature design of a badminton shoe would influence shoe-ground kinematics, ground reaction forces, and knee moments during lunge.Eleven elite and fifteen intermediate players performed five left-forward maximum lunge trials with Rounded Heel Shoe (RHS, Flattened Heel Shoe (FHS, and Standard Heel Shoes (SHS. Shoe-ground kinematics, ground reaction forces, and knee moments were measured by using synchronized force platform and motion analysis system. A 2 (Group x 3 (Shoe ANOVA with repeated measures was performed to determine the effects of different shoes and different playing levels, as well as the interaction of two factors on all variables.Shoe effect indicated that players demonstrated lower maximum vertical loading rate in RHS than the other two shoes (P < 0.05. Group effect revealed that elite players exhibited larger footstrike angle, faster approaching speed, lower peak horizontal force and horizontal loading rates but higher vertical loading rates and larger peak knee flexion and extension moments (P < 0.05. Analysis of Interactions of Group x Shoe for maximum and mean vertical loading rates (P < 0.05 indicated that elite players exhibited lower left maximum and mean vertical loading rates in RHS compared to FHS (P < 0.01, while the intermediate group did not show any Shoe effect on vertical loading rates.These findings indicate that shoe heel curvature would play some role in altering ground reaction force impact during badminton lunge. The differences in impact loads and knee moments between elite and intermediate players may be useful in optimizing footwear design and training strategy to minimize the potential risks for impact related injuries in badminton.

  12. Alternative Site Technology Deployment-Monitoring System for the U-3ax/bl Disposal Unit at the Nevada Test Site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dixon, J.M.; Levitt, D.G.; Rawlinson, S.E.

    2001-01-01

    In December 2000, a performance monitoring facility was constructed adjacent to the U-3ax/bl mixed waste disposal unit at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). Recent studies conducted in the arid southwestern United States suggest that a vegetated monolayer evapotranspiration (ET) closure cover may be more effective at isolating waste than traditional Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) multi-layered designs. The monitoring system deployed next to the U-3ax/bl disposal unit consists of eight drainage lysimeters with three surface treatments: two are left bare; two are revegetated with native species; two are being allowed to revegetate with invader species; and two are reserved for future studies. Soil used in each lysimeter is native alluvium taken from the same location as the soil used for the cover material on U-3ax/bl. The lysimeters were constructed so that any drainage to the bottom can be collected and measured. To provide a detailed evaluation of the cover performance, an ar ray of 16 sensors was installed in each lysimeter to measure soil water content, soil water potential, and soil temperature. Revegetation of the U-3ax/bl closure cover establishes a stable plant community that maximizes water loss through transpiration while at the same time, reduces water and wind erosion and ultimately restores the disposal unit to its surrounding Great Basin Desert environment

  13. Classical model of intermediate statistics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaniadakis, G.

    1994-01-01

    In this work we present a classical kinetic model of intermediate statistics. In the case of Brownian particles we show that the Fermi-Dirac (FD) and Bose-Einstein (BE) distributions can be obtained, just as the Maxwell-Boltzmann (MD) distribution, as steady states of a classical kinetic equation that intrinsically takes into account an exclusion-inclusion principle. In our model the intermediate statistics are obtained as steady states of a system of coupled nonlinear kinetic equations, where the coupling constants are the transmutational potentials η κκ' . We show that, besides the FD-BE intermediate statistics extensively studied from the quantum point of view, we can also study the MB-FD and MB-BE ones. Moreover, our model allows us to treat the three-state mixing FD-MB-BE intermediate statistics. For boson and fermion mixing in a D-dimensional space, we obtain a family of FD-BE intermediate statistics by varying the transmutational potential η BF . This family contains, as a particular case when η BF =0, the quantum statistics recently proposed by L. Wu, Z. Wu, and J. Sun [Phys. Lett. A 170, 280 (1992)]. When we consider the two-dimensional FD-BE statistics, we derive an analytic expression of the fraction of fermions. When the temperature T→∞, the system is composed by an equal number of bosons and fermions, regardless of the value of η BF . On the contrary, when T=0, η BF becomes important and, according to its value, the system can be completely bosonic or fermionic, or composed both by bosons and fermions

  14. Statistical analysis of the low-temperature dislocation peak of internal friction (Bordoni peak) in nanostructured copper

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vatazhuk, E.N.; Natsik, V.D.

    2011-01-01

    The temperature-frequency dependence of internal friction in the nanostructured samples of Cu and fibred composite C-32 vol.%Nb with the sizes of structure fragments approx 200 nm is analyzed. Experiments are used as initial information for such analysis. The characteristic for the heavily deformed copper Bordoni peak, located nearby a temperature 90 K, was recorded on temperature dependence of vibration decrement (frequencies 73-350 kHz) in previous experiments. The peak is due to the resonance interaction of sound with the system of thermal activated relaxators, and its width considerably greater in comparison with the width of standard internal friction peak with the single relaxation time. Statistical analysis of the peak is made in terms of assumption that the reason of broadening is random activation energy dispersion of relaxators as a result of intense distortion of copper crystal structure. Good agreement of experimental data and Seeger theory considers thermal activated paired kinks at linear segments of dislocation lines, placed in potential Peierls relief valley, as relaxators of Bordoni peak, was established. It is shown that the registered peak height in experiment correspond to presence at the average one dislocation segment in the interior of crystalline grain with size of 200 nm. Empirical estimates for the critical Peierls stress σp ∼ 2x10 7 Pa and integrated density of the interior grain dislocations ρ d ∼ 10 13 m -2 are made. Nb fibers in the composite Cu-Nb facilitate to formation of nanostructured copper, but do not influence evidently on the Bordoni peak.

  15. Communication: Anomalous temperature dependence of the intermediate range order in phosphonium ionic liquids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hettige, Jeevapani J.; Kashyap, Hemant K.; Margulis, Claudio J.

    2014-01-01

    In a recent article by the Castner and Margulis groups [Faraday Discuss. 154, 133 (2012)], we described in detail the structure of the tetradecyltrihexylphosphonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)-amide ionic liquid as a function of temperature using X-ray scattering, and theoretical partitions of the computationally derived structure function. Interestingly, and as opposed to the case in most other ionic-liquids, the first sharp diffraction peak or prepeak appears to increase in intensity as temperature is increased. This phenomenon is counter intuitive as one would expect that intermediate range order fades as temperature increases. This Communication shows that a loss of hydrophobic tail organization at higher temperatures is counterbalanced by better organization of polar components giving rise to the increase in intensity of the prepeak

  16. Using Peephole Optimization on Intermediate Code

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tanenbaum, A.S.; van Staveren, H.; Stevenson, J.W.

    1982-01-01

    Many portable compilers generate an intermediate code that is subsequently translated into the target machine's assembly language. In this paper a stack-machine-based intermediate code suitable for algebraic languages (e.g., PASCAL, C, FORTRAN) and most byte-addressed mini- and microcomputers is

  17. Pair production of intermediate vector bosons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mikaelian, K.O.

    1979-01-01

    The production of intermediate vector boson pairs W + W - , Z 0 Z 0 , W +- Z 0 and W +- γ in pp and p anti p collisions is discussed. The motivation is to detect the self-interactions among the four intermediate vector bosons

  18. Gastrodia elata Bl. Attenuated learning deficits induced by forced-swimming stress in the inhibitory avoidance task and Morris water maze.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Pei-Ju; Liang, Keng-Chen; Lin, Hui-Chen; Hsieh, Ching-Liang; Su, Kuan-Pin; Hung, Mei-Chu; Sheen, Lee-Yan

    2011-06-01

    This study adopted the forced-swimming paradigm to induce depressive symptoms in rats and evaluated the effects on learning and memory processing. Furthermore, the effects of the water extract of Gastrodia elata Bl., a well-known Chinese traditional medicine, on amnesia in rats subjected to the forced-swimming procedure were studied. Rats were subjected to the forced-swimming procedure, and the inhibitory avoidance task and Morris water maze were used to assess learning and memory performance. The acquisition of the two tasks was mostly impaired after the 15-minute forced-swimming procedure. Administration of the water extract of G. elata Bl. for 21 consecutive days at a dosage of 0.5 or 1.0 g/kg of body weight significantly improved retention in the inhibitory avoidance test, and the lower dose showed a better effect than the higher one and the antidepressant fluoxetine (18 mg/kg of body weight). In the Morris water maze, the lower dose of the water extract of G. elata Bl. significantly improved retention by shortening escape latency in the first test session and increasing the time in searching the target zone during the probe test. These findings suggest that water extracts of G. elata Bl. ameliorate the learning and memory deficits induced by forced swimming.

  19. An efficient chronic unpredictable stress protocol to induce stress-related responses in C57BL/6 mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monteiro, Susana; Roque, Susana; de Sá-Calçada, Daniela; Sousa, Nuno; Correia-Neves, Margarida; Cerqueira, João José

    2015-01-01

    Exposure to chronic stress can have broad effects on health ranging from increased predisposition for neuropsychiatric disorders to deregulation of immune responses. The chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) protocol has been widely used to study the impact of stress exposure in several animal models and consists in the random, intermittent, and unpredictable exposure to a variety of stressors during several weeks. CUS has consistently been shown to induce behavioral and immunological alterations typical of the chronic stress-response. Unfortunately C57BL/6 mice, one of the most widely used mouse strains, due to the great variety of genetically modified lines, seem to be resistant to the commonly used 4-week-long CUS protocol. The definition of an alternative CUS protocol allowing the use of C57BL/6 mice in chronic stress experiments is a need. Here, we show that by extending the CUS protocol to 8 weeks is possible to induce a chronic stress-response in C57BL/6 mice, as revealed by abrogated body weight gain, increased adrenals weight, and an overactive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis with increased levels of serum corticosterone. Moreover, we also observed stress-associated behavioral alterations, including the potentiation of anxious-like and depressive-like behaviors and a reduction of exploratory behavior, as well as subtle stress-related changes in the cell population of the thymus and of the spleen. The present protocol for C57BL/6 mice consistently triggers the spectrum of CUS-induced changes observed in rats and, thus, will be highly useful to researchers that need to use this particular mouse strain as an animal model of neuropsychiatric disorders and/or immune deregulation related to CUS.

  20. The peak in neutron powder diffraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laar, B. van; Yelon, W.B.

    1984-01-01

    For the application of Rietveld profile analysis to neutron powder diffraction data a precise knowledge of the peak profile, in both shape and position, is required. The method now in use employs a Gaussian shaped profile with a semi-empirical asymmetry correction for low-angle peaks. The integrated intensity is taken to be proportional to the classical Lorentz factor calculated for the X-ray case. In this paper an exact expression is given for the peak profile based upon the geometrical dimensions of the diffractometer. It is shown that the asymmetry of observed peaks is well reproduced by this expression. The angular displacement of the experimental profile with respect to the nominal Bragg angle value is larger than expected. Values for the correction to the classical Lorentz factor for the integrated intensity are given. The exact peak profile expression has been incorporated into a Rietveld profile analysis refinement program. (Auth.)

  1. Language in use intermediate : classroom book

    CERN Document Server

    Doff, Adrian

    1995-01-01

    ach of the four levels comprises about 80 hours of class work, with additional time for the self-study work. The Teacher's Book contains all the pages from the Classroom Book, with interleaved teaching notes including optional activities to cater for different abilities. There is a video to accompany the Beginner, Pre-intermediate and Intermediate levels. Each video contains eight stimulating and entertaining short programmes, as well as a booklet of photocopiable activities. Free test material is available in booklet and web format for Beginner and Pre-intermediate levels. Visit www.cambridge.org/elt/liu or contact your local Cambridge University Press representative.

  2. Language in use intermediate : teacher's book

    CERN Document Server

    Doff, Adrian

    1998-01-01

    Each of the four levels comprises about 80 hours of class work, with additional time for the self-study work. The Teacher's Book contains all the pages from the Classroom Book, with interleaved teaching notes including optional activities to cater for different abilities. There is a video to accompany the Beginner, Pre-intermediate and Intermediate levels. Each video contains eight stimulating and entertaining short programmes, as well as a booklet of photocopiable activities. Free test material is available in booklet and web format for Beginner and Pre-intermediate levels. Visit www.cambridge.org/elt/liu or contact your local Cambridge University Press representative.

  3. Fluorescence In Vivo Hybridization (FIVH) for Detection of Helicobacter pylori Infection in a C57BL/6 Mouse Model

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fontenete, Sílvia; Leite, Marina; Cappoen, Davie

    2016-01-01

    ). Finally, the efficiency of FIVH to detect H. pylori SS1 strain in C57BL/6 infected mice was evaluated ex vivo in mucus samples, in cryosections and paraffin-embedded sections by epifluorescence and confocal microscopy. RESULTS: H. pylori SS1 strain infecting C57BL/6 mice was successfully detected...... by the Cy3_HP_LNA/2OMe_PS probe in the mucus, attached to gastric epithelial cells and colonizing the gastric pits. The specificity of the probe for H. pylori was confirmed by microscopy. CONCLUSIONS: In the future this methodology can be used in combination with a confocal laser endomicroscope for in vivo......INTRODUCTION: In this study, we applied fluorescence in vivo hybridization (FIVH) using locked nucleic acid (LNA) probes targeting the bacterial rRNA gene for in vivo detection of H. pylori infecting the C57BL/6 mouse model. A previously designed Cy3_HP_LNA/2OMe_PS probe, complementary...

  4. Interpretation and code generation based on intermediate languages

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kornerup, Peter; Kristensen, Bent Bruun; Madsen, Ole Lehrmann

    1980-01-01

    The possibility of supporting high level languages through intermediate languages to be used for direct interpretation and as intermediate forms in compilers is investigated. An accomplished project in the construction of an interpreter and a code generator using one common intermediate form...

  5. Method and apparatus for current-output peak detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Geronimo, Gianluigi

    2017-01-24

    A method and apparatus for a current-output peak detector. A current-output peak detector circuit is disclosed and works in two phases. The peak detector circuit includes switches to switch the peak detector circuit from the first phase to the second phase upon detection of the peak voltage of an input voltage signal. The peak detector generates a current output with a high degree of accuracy in the second phase.

  6. Gamma-Ray Peak Integration: Accuracy and Precision

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Richard M. Lindstrom

    2000-01-01

    The accuracy of singlet gamma-ray peak areas obtained by a peak analysis program is immaterial. If the same algorithm is used for sample measurement as for calibration and if the peak shapes are similar, then biases in the integration method cancel. Reproducibility is the only important issue. Even the uncertainty of the areas computed by the program is trivial because the true standard uncertainty can be experimentally assessed by repeated measurements of the same source. Reproducible peak integration was important in a recent standard reference material certification task. The primary tool used for spectrum analysis was SUM, a National Institute of Standards and Technology interactive program to sum peaks and subtract a linear background, using the same channels to integrate all 20 spectra. For comparison, this work examines other peak integration programs. Unlike some published comparisons of peak performance in which synthetic spectra were used, this experiment used spectra collected for a real (though exacting) analytical project, analyzed by conventional software used in routine ways. Because both components of the 559- to 564-keV doublet are from 76 As, they were integrated together with SUM. The other programs, however, deconvoluted the peaks. A sensitive test of the fitting algorithm is the ratio of reported peak areas. In almost all the cases, this ratio was much more variable than expected from the reported uncertainties reported by the program. Other comparisons to be reported indicate that peak integration is still an imperfect tool in the analysis of gamma-ray spectra

  7. Probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp lactis Bl-04 interactions with prebiotic carbohydrates using differential proteomics and protein characterization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Morten Ejby

    of probiotics, primarily non-digestible carbohydrates, are termed prebiotics. The knowledge of prebiotic utilization and in particular the specificities of carbohydrate transport and metabolism are limited, hampering robust understanding for the basis of selective utilization of known prebiotics...... and the discovery and documentation of novel ones. In this project we set out to investigate the metabolism of carbohydrates that are prebiotic or potential prebiotic compounds utilized by the probiotic organisms Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM (NCFM) and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BL-04 (Bl-04). The aim...... of this Ph.D. thesis was the study of probiotic NCFM and Bl-04 interaction with prebiotic carbohydrates using differential proteomics and protein characterization. Proteomics is a potential omics tool to investigate probiotic bacteria and its response to prebiotic carbohydrates at the protein level...

  8. Search for intermediate vector bosons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cline, D.B.; Rubbia, C.; van der Meer, S.

    1982-01-01

    Over the past 15 years a new class of unified theories has been developed to describe the forces acting between elementary particles. The most successful of the new theories establishes a link between electromagnetism and the weak force. A crucial prediction of this unified electroweak theory is the existence of three massive particles called intermediate vector bosons. If these intermediate vector bosons exist and if they have properties attributed to them by electroweak theory, they should soon be detected, as the world's first particle accelerator with enough energy to create such particles has recently been completed at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva. The accelerator has been converted to a colliding beam machine in which protons and antiprotons collide head on. According to electroweak theory, intermediate vector bosons can be created in proton-antiproton collisions. (SC)

  9. Behavioral architecture of opioid reward and aversion in C57BL/6 substrains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stacey L Kirkpatrick

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Drug liking versus drug disliking is a subjective motivational measure in humans that assesses the addiction liability of drugs. Variation in this trait is hypothesized to influence vulnerability versus resilience toward substance abuse disorders and likely contains a genetic component. In rodents and humans, conditioned place preference (CPP / aversion (CPA is a Pavlovian conditioning paradigm whereby a learned preference for the drug-paired environment is used to infer drug liking whereas a learned avoidance or aversion is used to infer drug disliking. C57BL/6 inbred mouse substrains are nearly genetically identical, yet demonstrate robust differences in addiction-relevant behaviors, including locomotor sensitization to cocaine and consumption of ethanol. Here, we tested the hypothesis that B6 substrains would demonstrate differences in the rewarding properties of the mu opioid receptor agonist oxycodone (5 mg/kg, i.p. and the aversive properties of the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone (4 mg/kg, i.p.. Both substrains showed similar degrees of oxycodone-induced CPP; however, there was a three-fold enhancement of naloxone-induced CPA in agonist-naïve C57BL/6J relative to C57Bl/6NJ mice. Exploratory factor analysis of CPP and CPA identified unique factors that explain variance in behavioral expression of reward versus aversion. Conditioned Opioid-Like Behavior was a reward-based factor whereby drug-free locomotor variables resembling opioid treatment co-varied with the degree of CPP. Avoidance and Freezing was an aversion-based factor, whereby the increase in the number of freezing bouts co-varied with the degree of aversion. These results provide new insight into the behavioral architecture of the motivational properties of opioids. Future studies will use quantitative trait locus mapping in B6 substrains to identify novel genetic factors that contribute to the marked strain difference in NAL-CPA.

  10. 39 CFR 3001.39 - Intermediate decisions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 39 Postal Service 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Intermediate decisions. 3001.39 Section 3001.39 Postal Service POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION PERSONNEL RULES OF PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE Rules of General Applicability § 3001.39 Intermediate decisions. (a) Initial decision by presiding officer. In any proceedings in...

  11. 42 CFR 54.12 - Treatment of intermediate organizations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Treatment of intermediate organizations. 54.12... intermediate organizations. If a nongovernmental organization (referred to here as an “intermediate organization”), acting under a contract or other agreement with the Federal Government or a State or local...

  12. Complete genome sequence of the aerobic facultative methanotroph Methylocella silvestris BL2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yin; Crombie, Andrew; Rahman, M Tanvir; Dedysh, Svetlana N; Liesack, Werner; Stott, Matthew B; Alam, Maqsudul; Theisen, Andreas R; Murrell, J Colin; Dunfield, Peter F

    2010-07-01

    Methylocella silvestris BL2 is an aerobic methanotroph originally isolated from an acidic forest soil in Germany. It is the first fully authenticated facultative methanotroph. It grows not only on methane and other one-carbon (C(1)) substrates, but also on some compounds containing carbon-carbon bonds, such as acetate, pyruvate, propane, and succinate. Here we report the full genome sequence of this bacterium.

  13. Formation, structure, and stability of MHD intermediate shocks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, C.C.

    1990-01-01

    Contrary to the usual belief that MHD intermediate shocks are extraneous, the author has recently shown by numerical solutions of dissipative MHD equations that intermediate shocks are admissible and can be formed through nonlinear wave steepening from continuous waves. In this paper, the formation, structure and stability of intermediate shocks in dissipative MHD are considered in detail. The differences between the conventional theory and his are pointed out and clarified. He shows that all four types of intermediate shocks can be formed from smooth waves. He also shows that there are free parameters in the structure of the intermediate shocks, and that these parameters are related to the shock stability. In addition, he shows that a rotational discontinuity can not exist with finite width, indicate how this is related to the existence of time-dependent intermediate shocks, and show why the conventional theory is not a good approximation to dissipative MHD solutions whenever there is rotation in magnetic field

  14. Relationships between electroencephalographic spectral peaks across frequency bands

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sacha Jennifer Van Albada

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The degree to which electroenencephalographic (EEG spectral peaks are independent, and the relationships between their frequencies have been debated. A novel fitting method was used to determine peak parameters in the range 2–35 Hz from a large sample of eyes-closed spectra, and their interrelationships were investigated. Findings were compared with a mean-field model of thalamocortical activity, which predicts near-harmonic relationships between peaks. The subject set consisted of 1424 healthy subjects from the Brain Resource International Database. Peaks in the theta range occurred on average near half the alpha peak frequency, while peaks in the beta range tended to occur near twice and three times the alpha peak frequency on an individual-subject basis. Moreover, for the majority of subjects, alpha peak frequencies were significantly positively correlated with frequencies of peaks in the theta and low and high beta ranges. Such a harmonic progression agrees semiquantitatively with theoretical predictions from the mean-field model. These findings indicate a common or analogous source for different rhythms, and help to define appropriate individual frequency bands for peak identification.

  15. Relationships between Electroencephalographic Spectral Peaks Across Frequency Bands

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Albada, S. J.; Robinson, P. A.

    2013-01-01

    The degree to which electroencephalographic spectral peaks are independent, and the relationships between their frequencies have been debated. A novel fitting method was used to determine peak parameters in the range 2–35 Hz from a large sample of eyes-closed spectra, and their interrelationships were investigated. Findings were compared with a mean-field model of thalamocortical activity, which predicts near-harmonic relationships between peaks. The subject set consisted of 1424 healthy subjects from the Brain Resource International Database. Peaks in the theta range occurred on average near half the alpha peak frequency, while peaks in the beta range tended to occur near twice and three times the alpha peak frequency on an individual-subject basis. Moreover, for the majority of subjects, alpha peak frequencies were significantly positively correlated with frequencies of peaks in the theta and low and high beta ranges. Such a harmonic progression agrees semiquantitatively with theoretical predictions from the mean-field model. These findings indicate a common or analogous source for different rhythms, and help to define appropriate individual frequency bands for peak identification. PMID:23483663

  16. Hubbert's Peak -- A Physicist's View

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonald, Richard

    2011-04-01

    Oil, as used in agriculture and transportation, is the lifeblood of modern society. It is finite in quantity and will someday be exhausted. In 1956, Hubbert proposed a theory of resource production and applied it successfully to predict peak U.S. oil production in 1970. Bartlett extended this work in publications and lectures on the finite nature of oil and its production peak and depletion. Both Hubbert and Bartlett place peak world oil production at a similar time, essentially now. Central to these analyses are estimates of total ``oil in place'' obtained from engineering studies of oil reservoirs as this quantity determines the area under the Hubbert's Peak. Knowing the production history and the total oil in place allows us to make estimates of reserves, and therefore future oil availability. We will then examine reserves data for various countries, in particular OPEC countries, and see if these data tell us anything about the future availability of oil. Finally, we will comment on synthetic oil and the possibility of carbon-neutral synthetic oil for a sustainable future.

  17. The geomorphic structure of the runoff peak

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Rigon

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper develops a theoretical framework to investigate the core dependence of peak flows on the geomorphic properties of river basins. Based on the theory of transport by travel times, and simple hydrodynamic characterization of floods, this new framework invokes the linearity and invariance of the hydrologic response to provide analytical and semi-analytical expressions for peak flow, time to peak, and area contributing to the peak runoff. These results are obtained for the case of constant-intensity hyetograph using the Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF curves to estimate extreme flow values as a function of the rainfall return period. Results show that, with constant-intensity hyetographs, the time-to-peak is greater than rainfall duration and usually shorter than the basin concentration time. Moreover, the critical storm duration is shown to be independent of rainfall return period as well as the area contributing to the flow peak. The same results are found when the effects of hydrodynamic dispersion are accounted for. Further, it is shown that, when the effects of hydrodynamic dispersion are negligible, the basin area contributing to the peak discharge does not depend on the channel velocity, but is a geomorphic propriety of the basin. As an example this framework is applied to three watersheds. In particular, the runoff peak, the critical rainfall durations and the time to peak are calculated for all links within a network to assess how they increase with basin area.

  18. Diverse manifestations of tumorigenicity and immunogenicity displayed by the poorly immunogenic B16-BL6 melanoma transduced with cytokine genes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arca, M J; Krauss, J C; Strome, S E; Cameron, M J; Chang, A E

    1996-05-01

    We evaluated the in vivo response to the poorly immunogenic B16-BL6 (BL6) murine melanoma genetically altered to secrete interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-4, interferon gamma (IFN gamma) and granulocyte/macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Three parameters were evaluated: (1) tumorigenicity, (2) vaccination of naive animals, and (3) assessment of antitumor reactivity of T cells derived from tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLN). Secretion of IL-2 abrogated the tumorigenicity of BL6, while IFN gamma and IL-4 partially reduced tumorigenicity, and GM-CSF had no effect. Protective immunity to wild-type tumor challenge could not be achieved by vaccination with irradiated cytokine-secreting tumors, although IL-2 and IL-4 secretion appeared to retard the growth of the challenge inoculum significantly. An alternative method to evaluate the immunogenicity of the cytokine-secreting tumors was to measure the ability of T cells obtained from TDLN to mediate regression of wild-type tumor in adoptive immunotherapy. Neither IL-2 nor IFN gamma secretion resulted in the induction of immune T cells. By contrast, GM-CSF and IL-4 secretion were found to induce immune T cells in the TDLN with GM-CSF being superior to IL-4. The combined secretion of GM-CSF and IL-4 did not lead to enhanced induction of immune T cells. GM-CSF secretion was found to upregulate B7-1 expression in TDLN, consistent with an increase in the population of antigen-presenting cells. These studies demonstrated that reduced tumorigenicity by cytokine secretion did not correlate with increased immunogenicity. With the cytokines examined, there was limited capability of developing protective immunity against the BL6 tumor. Nevertheless, GM-CSF and IL-4 secretion significantly enhanced T cell immune reactivity to the poorly immunogenic BL6 tumor.

  19. Olfactory bulb proteins linked to olfactory memory in C57BL/6J mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Lin; Mauric, Veronika; Zheng, Jun-Fang; Kang, Sung Ung; Patil, Sudarshan; Höger, Harald; Lubec, Gert

    2010-08-01

    Information on systematic analysis of olfactory memory-related proteins is poor. In this study, the odor discrimination task to investigate olfactory recognition memory of adult male C57BL/6J mice was used. Subsequently, olfactory bulbs (OBs) were taken, proteins extracted, and run on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis with in-gel-protein digestion, followed by mass spectrometry and quantification of differentially expressed proteins. Dual specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MEK1), dihydropyrimidinase-related protein 1 (DRP1), and fascin are related with Lemon odor memory. Microtubule-associated protein RP/EB family member 3 is related to Rose odor memory. Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase is related with both Lemon and Rose odors memory. MEK1 and DRP1 levels were increased, while microtubule-associated protein RP/EB family member 3, fascin and hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase levels were decreased during olfactory memory. In summary, neurogenesis, signal transduction, cytoskeleton, and nucleotide metabolism are involved in olfactory memory formation and storage of C57BL/6J mice.

  20. Partially folded intermediates during trypsinogen denaturation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martins N.F.

    1999-01-01

    Full Text Available The equilibrium unfolding of bovine trypsinogen was studied by circular dichroism, differential spectra and size exclusion HPLC. The change in free energy of denaturation was = 6.99 ± 1.40 kcal/mol for guanidine hydrochloride and = 6.37 ± 0.57 kcal/mol for urea. Satisfactory fits of equilibrium unfolding transitions required a three-state model involving an intermediate in addition to the native and unfolded forms. Size exclusion HPLC allowed the detection of an intermediate population of trypsinogen whose Stokes radii varied from 24.1 ± 0.4 Å to 26.0 ± 0.3 Å for 1.5 M and 2.5 M guanidine hydrochloride, respectively. During urea denaturation, the range of Stokes radii varied from 23.9 ± 0.3 Å to 25.7 ± 0.6 Å for 4.0 M and 6.0 M urea, respectively. Maximal intrinsic fluorescence was observed at about 3.8 M urea with 8-aniline-1-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS binding. These experimental data indicate that the unfolding of bovine trypsinogen is not a simple transition and suggest that the equilibrium intermediate population comprises one intermediate that may be characterized as a molten globule. To obtain further insight by studying intermediates representing different stages of unfolding, we hope to gain a better understanding of the complex interrelations between protein conformation and energetics.

  1. Bacterial intermediate filaments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Charbon, Godefroid; Cabeen, M.; Jacobs-Wagner, C.

    2009-01-01

    Crescentin, which is the founding member of a rapidly growing family of bacterial cytoskeletal proteins, was previously proposed to resemble eukaryotic intermediate filament (IF) proteins based on structural prediction and in vitro polymerization properties. Here, we demonstrate that crescentin...

  2. An efficient chronic unpredictable stress protocol to induce stress-related responses in C57BL/6 mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susana eMonteiro

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Exposure to chronic stress can have broad effects on health ranging from increased predisposition for neuropsychiatric disorders to deregulation of immune responses. The chronic unpredictable stress (CUS protocol has been widely used to study the impact of stress exposure in several animal models and consists in the random, intermittent and unpredictable exposure to a variety of stressors during several weeks. CUS has consistently been shown to induce behavioral and immunological alterations typical of the chronic stress response. Unfortunately C57BL/6 mice, one of the most widely used mouse strains, due to the great variety of genetically modified lines, seem to be resistant to the commonly used 4-week-long CUS protocol. The definition of an alternative CUS protocol allowing the use of C57BL/6 mice in chronic stress experiments is a need. Here we show that by extending the CUS protocol to 8 weeks is possible to induce a chronic stress response in C57BL/6 mice, as revealed by abrogated body weight gain, increased adrenals weight and an overactive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA axis with increased levels of serum corticosterone. Moreover, we also observed stress-associated behavioral alterations, including the potentiation of anxious-like and depressive-like behaviors and a reduction of exploratory behavior, as well as subtle stress-related changes in the cell population of the thymus and of the spleen.The present protocol for C57BL/6 mice consistently triggers the spectrum of CUS-induced changes observed in rats and, thus, will be highly useful to researchers that need to use this particular mouse strain as an animal model of neuropsychiatric disorders and/or immune deregulation related to chronic unpredictable stress.

  3. Late inflammatory and thrombotic changes in irradiated hearts of C57BL/6 wild-type and atherosclerosis-prone ApoE-deficient mice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Patties, I.; Glasow, A. [University of Leipzig, Department of Radiation Therapy, Leipzig (Germany); Haagen, J. [University of Technology, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden (Germany); Doerr, W. [University of Technology, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden (Germany); CCC, Medical University/AKH, Department of Radiation Oncology and Christian Doppler Laboratory for Medical Radiation Research for Radiooncology, Vienna (Austria); Hildebrandt, G. [University of Rostock, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Rostock (Germany)

    2014-09-09

    Radiation-induced heart disease represents a late complication of thoracic radiotherapy. We investigated the inflammatory and thrombotic response after local heart irradiation in wild-type and atherosclerosis-prone mice. Atherosclerosis-prone ApoE{sup -/-} and C57BL/6 wild-type mice were sacrificed 20, 40, and 60 weeks after irradiation with 0.2, 2, 8, or 16 Gy. The expression of CD31, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), thrombomodulin (TM), and CD45 were quantified by immunofluorescence staining of heart tissue sections. Microvascular density decreased at 40 weeks after 16 Gy in C57BL/6 but not in ApoE{sup -/-} mice. CD31 expression declined in C57BL/6 mice at 40 weeks (8 Gy), but increased in ApoE{sup -/-} mice at 20 (2/8/16 Gy) and 60 weeks (16 Gy). Capillary area decreased in C57BL/6 at 40 weeks (8/16 Gy) but increased in ApoE{sup -/-} mice at 20 weeks (16 Gy). Endocardial VCAM-1 expression remained unchanged. TM-positive capillaries decreased at 40 weeks (8/16 Gy) in C57BL/6 and at 60 weeks (2/16 Gy) in ApoE{sup -/-} mice. Leukocyte infiltration transiently rose 40 weeks after 8 Gy (only ApoE{sup -/-}) and 16 Gy. After receiving a low irradiation dose of 0.2 Gy, no significant changes were observed in any of the mouse models. This study demonstrated that local heart irradiation affects microvascular structure and induces inflammatory/thrombotic responses in mice in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Thereby, significant prothrombotic changes were found in both strains, although they were progressive in ApoE{sup -/-} mice only. Proinflammatory responses, like the increase of adhesion molecules and leukocyte infiltration, were more pronounced and occurred at lower doses in ApoE{sup -/-} vs. C57BL/6 mice. These findings indicate that metabolic risk factors, such as decreased ApoE lipoproteins, may lead to an enhanced proinflammatory and prothrombotic late response in locally irradiated hearts. (orig.) [German] Strahlungsinduzierte kardiovaskulaere

  4. Magnolia Extract (BL153 Ameliorates Kidney Damage in a High Fat Diet-Induced Obesity Mouse Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenpeng Cui

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Accumulating evidence demonstrated that obesity is a risk factor for renal structural and functional changes, leading to the end-stage renal disease which imposes a heavy economic burden on the community. However, no effective therapeutic method for obesity-associated kidney disease is available. In the present study, we explored the therapeutic potential of a magnolia extract (BL153 for treating obesity-associated kidney damage in a high fat diet- (HFD- induced mouse model. The results showed that inflammation markers (tumor necrosis factor-α and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and oxidative stress markers (3-nitrotyrosine and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal were all significantly increased in the kidney of HFD-fed mice compared to mice fed with a low fat diet (LFD. Additionally, proteinuria and renal structure changes in HFD-fed mice were much more severe than that in LFD-fed mice. However, all these alterations were attenuated by BL153 treatment, accompanied by upregulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α and hexokinase II (HK II expression in the kidney. The present study indicates that BL153 administration may be a novel approach for renoprotection in obese individuals by antiinflammation and anti-oxidative stress most likely via upregulation of PGC-1α and HK II signal in the kidney.

  5. The effects of benzil amino purin (BAP and gibberellin with in vitro seedling growth of pulesari (Alyxia reinwardtii Bl

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heru Sudrajad

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Latar belakang: Status kelangkaan pulesari (Alyxia reinwardtii Bl. termasuk rawan (vulnerable karena tingginya permintaan dan mahalnya harga menyebabkan eksploitasi pulesari di hutan meningkat sedangkan upaya konservasi dan budidayanya belum ada. Selama ini perbanyakan pulesari hanya mengandalkan biji di alam. Benih pulesari persentase perkecambahannya tergolong sangat rendah, waktu lama dan sulit diperbanyak secara vegetatif. Memperhatikan sulitnya mendapatkan bibit pulesari secara konvensional maka perlu dilakukan dengan cara kultur jaringan. Metode: Penelitian dilakukan di laboratorium kultur jaringan Balai Besar Penelitian dan Pengembangan Tanaman Obat dan Obat Tradisional Tawangmangu selama tiga bulan. Bibit A. reinwardtii Bl. diperoleh dari Pringgondani Forest, Tawangmangu. Biji kupas dan dikeringkan selama lima hari, dicuci menggunakan aquadest steril, direndam pada 0,5% Agrept 5 menit kemudian pada 2,125% natrium hipochorida 5 menit dan dibilas menggunakan aquades steril. Media Murashige dan Skoog (MS disiapkan sesuai komposisi. Penelitian ini rancangan acak lengkap (RAL pola faktorial. Faktor pertama konsentrasi zat pengatur tumbuh BAP pada konsentrasi 3, 4 dan 5 mg/l dan faktor kedua konsentrasi giberelin dari 1, 2 dan 3 mg/l. Media MS yang dimodifikasi dengan penambahan BAP konsentrasi 3, 4, dan 5 mg/l dan giberelin konsentrasi 1, 2, dan 3 mg/l sehingga diperoleh 9 kombinasi perlakuan. Hasil: Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kombinasi perlakuan zat pengatur tumbuh BAP  mg/l dan giberelin 2 mg/l pada media MS terbentuk tunas dan akar. Tunas terbentuk pada 30 hari setelah tanam dengan tinggi 2 cm dan akar muncul pada 45 hari setelah tanam dalam satu kali percobaan. Kesimpulan: Pulesari (Alyxia reinwardtii Bl. dapat diperbanyak melalui kultur jaringan menggunakan biji sebagai eksplan. Kaca kunci : pulesari, Alyxia reinwardtii Bl, BAP dan giberelin Abstract Background: Alyxia reinwardtii Bl. in natural habitat becomes rare and reaches

  6. Modulation of B16-BL6 murine melanoma metastatic phenotype by tyrosine and phenylalanine restriction in the absence of host selection pressures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elstad, C A; Meadows, G G

    1993-01-01

    We previously showed that restriction of tyrosine (Tyr) and phenylalanine (Phe) in vivo dramatically suppresses the metastatic phenotype of B16-BL6 (BL6) murine melanoma. Present results indicate a direct effect of Tyr and Phe restriction on the tumor in the absence of host selection pressures. Lung colonizing ability of BL6 is dramatically suppressed after one passage in vitro in media containing low levels of Tyr and Phe. This antimetastatic effect is immediate, stable for at least 5 in vitro passages in Tyr and Phe restricted media, and evident event after levels of Tyr and Phe are restored to normal. Heterogeneity for lung colonizing ability is suppressed, as evidence by fewer tumor colonies formed by clones following i.v. inoculation into mice fed normal diet. This suppression of BL6 metastatic phenotype is not due to differential clearance and retention in the lung or to decreased growth, but is specific for these two amino acids. As the mechanism(s) for the antitumor effects of Tyr and Phe restriction are detailed, the relevance of Tyr and Phe restriction as an early adjuvant to effective cancer treatment can be explored.

  7. Quercetin inhibits the invasion and mobility of murine melanoma B16-BL6 cells through inducing apoptosis via decreasing Bcl-2 expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, X; Xu, Q; Saiki, I

    2000-01-01

    Quercetin has been known to have anti-tumor and anti-oxidation activities. In the present study, we have investigated its in vitro anti-metastatic activity. Quercetin inhibited the invasion and mobility of murine melanoma B16-BL6 cells in a dose-dependent manner but did not affect their adhesion to either laminin, fibronectin, or type VI collagen. Moreover, quercetin significantly inhibited the proliferation of B16-BL6 cells only in the case of time incubation longer than 48 h. Quercetin dose-dependently decreased the cell rates in S and G2-M phases of cell cycle. The effect of quercetin to cause a remarkable apoptosis of B16-BL6 cells was also demonstrated by flow cytometric assay as well as DNA fragmentation with a typical 180-bp ladder band in agarose electrophoresis and a quantitative analysis. Furthermore, quercetin markedly inhibited the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 but hardly influenced Bcl-XL. These results suggest that the inhibition of quercetin on invasiveness and migration of B16-BL6 cells are closely associated with the arrest of cell cycle as well as the induction of apoptosis by decreasing the Bcl-2 expression.

  8. Passive radio frequency peak power multiplier

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farkas, Zoltan D.; Wilson, Perry B.

    1977-01-01

    Peak power multiplication of a radio frequency source by simultaneous charging of two high-Q resonant microwave cavities by applying the source output through a directional coupler to the cavities and then reversing the phase of the source power to the coupler, thereby permitting the power in the cavities to simultaneously discharge through the coupler to the load in combination with power from the source to apply a peak power to the load that is a multiplication of the source peak power.

  9. Peak load arrangements : Assessment of Nordel guidelines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2009-07-01

    Two Nordic countries, Sweden and Finland, have legislation that empowers the TSO to acquire designated peak load resources to mitigate the risk for shortage situations during the winter. In Denmark, the system operator procures resources to maintain a satisfactory level of security of supply. In Norway the TSO has set up a Regulation Power Option Market (RKOM) to secure a satisfactory level of operational reserves at all times, also in winter with high load demand. Only the arrangements in Finland and Sweden fall under the heading of Peak Load Arrangements defined in Nordel Guidelines. NordREG has been invited by the Electricity Market Group (EMG) to evaluate Nordel's proposal for 'Guidelines for transitional Peak Load Arrangements'. The EMG has also financed a study made by EC Group to support NordREG in the evaluation of the proposal. The study has been taken into account in NordREG's evaluation. In parallel to the EMG task, the Swedish regulator, the Energy Markets Inspectorate, has been given the task by the Swedish government to investigate a long term solution of the peak load issue. The Swedish and Finnish TSOs have together with Nord Pool Spot worked on finding a harmonized solution for activation of the peak load reserves in the market. An agreement accepted by the relevant authorities was reached in early January 2009, and the arrangement has been implemented since 19th January 2009. NordREG views that the proposed Nordel guidelines have served as a starting point for the presently agreed procedure. However, NordREG does not see any need to further develop the Nordel guidelines for peak load arrangements. NordREG agrees with Nordel that the market should be designed to solve peak load problems through proper incentives to market players. NordREG presumes that the relevant authorities in each country will take decisions on the need for any peak load arrangement to ensure security of supply. NordREG proposes that such decisions should be

  10. Present status of intermediate band solar cell research

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cuadra, L.; Marti, A.; Luque, A.

    2004-01-01

    The intermediate band solar cell is a theoretical concept with the potential for exceeding the performance of conventional single-gap solar cells. This novel photovoltaic converter bases its superior theoretical efficiency over single-gap solar cells by enhancing its photogenerated current, via the two-step absorption of sub-band gap photons, without reducing its output voltage. This is achieved through a material with an electrically isolated and partially filled intermediate band located within a higher forbidden gap. This material is commonly named intermediate band material. This paper centres on summarising the present status of intermediate band solar cell research. A number of attempts, which aim to implement the intermediate band concept, are being followed: the direct engineering of the intermediate band material, its implementation by means of quantum dots and the highly porous material approach. Among other sub-band gap absorbing proposals, there is a renewed interest on the impurity photovoltaic effect, the quantum well solar cells and the particularly promising proposal for the use of up- and down-converters

  11. Mitochondrial intermediate peptidase: Expression in Escherichia coli and improvement of its enzymatic activity detection with FRET substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marcondes, Marcelo F.; Torquato, Ricardo J.S.; Assis, Diego M.; Juliano, Maria A.; Hayashi, Mirian A.F.; Oliveira, Vitor

    2010-01-01

    In the present study, soluble, functionally-active, recombinant human mitochondrial intermediate peptidase (hMIP), a mitochondrial metalloendoprotease, was expressed in a prokaryotic system. The hMIP fusion protein, with a poly-His-tag (6x His), was obtained by cloning the coding region of hMIP cDNA into the pET-28a expression vector, which was then used to transform Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) pLysS. After isolation and purification of the fusion protein by affinity chromatography using Ni-Sepharose resin, the protein was purified further using ion exchange chromatography with a Hi-trap resource Q column. The recombinant hMIP was characterized by Western blotting using three distinct antibodies, circular dichroism, and enzymatic assays that used the first FRET substrates developed for MIP and a series of protease inhibitors. The successful expression of enzymatically-active hMIP in addition to the FRET substrates will contribute greatly to the determination of substrate specificity of this protease and to the development of specific inhibitors that are essential for a better understanding of the role of this protease in mitochondrial functioning.

  12. Peak capacity, peak-capacity production rate, and boiling point resolution for temperature-programmed GC with very high programming rates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grall; Leonard; Sacks

    2000-02-01

    Recent advances in column heating technology have made possible very fast linear temperature programming for high-speed gas chromatography. A fused-silica capillary column is contained in a tubular metal jacket, which is resistively heated by a precision power supply. With very rapid column heating, the rate of peak-capacity production is significantly enhanced, but the total peak capacity and the boiling-point resolution (minimum boiling-point difference required for the separation of two nonpolar compounds on a nonpolar column) are reduced relative to more conventional heating rates used with convection-oven instruments. As temperature-programming rates increase, elution temperatures also increase with the result that retention may become insignificant prior to elution. This results in inefficient utilization of the down-stream end of the column and causes a loss in the rate of peak-capacity production. The rate of peak-capacity production is increased by the use of shorter columns and higher carrier gas velocities. With high programming rates (100-600 degrees C/min), column lengths of 6-12 m and average linear carrier gas velocities in the 100-150 cm/s range are satisfactory. In this study, the rate of peak-capacity production, the total peak capacity, and the boiling point resolution are determined for C10-C28 n-alkanes using 6-18 m long columns, 50-200 cm/s average carrier gas velocities, and 60-600 degrees C/min programming rates. It was found that with a 6-meter-long, 0.25-mm i.d. column programmed at a rate of 600 degrees C/min, a maximum peak-capacity production rate of 6.1 peaks/s was obtained. A total peak capacity of about 75 peaks was produced in a 37-s long separation spanning a boiling-point range from n-C10 (174 degrees C) to n-C28 (432 degrees C).

  13. Long-term artificial sweetener acesulfame potassium treatment alters neurometabolic functions in C57BL/6J mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei-na Cong

    Full Text Available With the prevalence of obesity, artificial, non-nutritive sweeteners have been widely used as dietary supplements that provide sweet taste without excessive caloric load. In order to better understand the overall actions of artificial sweeteners, especially when they are chronically used, we investigated the peripheral and central nervous system effects of protracted exposure to a widely used artificial sweetener, acesulfame K (ACK. We found that extended ACK exposure (40 weeks in normal C57BL/6J mice demonstrated a moderate and limited influence on metabolic homeostasis, including altering fasting insulin and leptin levels, pancreatic islet size and lipid levels, without affecting insulin sensitivity and bodyweight. Interestingly, impaired cognitive memory functions (evaluated by Morris Water Maze and Novel Objective Preference tests were found in ACK-treated C57BL/6J mice, while no differences in motor function and anxiety levels were detected. The generation of an ACK-induced neurological phenotype was associated with metabolic dysregulation (glycolysis inhibition and functional ATP depletion and neurosynaptic abnormalities (dysregulation of TrkB-mediated BDNF and Akt/Erk-mediated cell growth/survival pathway in hippocampal neurons. Our data suggest that chronic use of ACK could affect cognitive functions, potentially via altering neuro-metabolic functions in male C57BL/6J mice.

  14. Enhanced production of tetramethylpyrazine in Bacillus licheniformis BL1 by bdhA disruption and 2,3-butanediol supplementation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Wu; Xiao, Dongguang; Wang, Ruiming

    2016-03-01

    The 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) dehydrogenase gene (bdhA) of Bacillus licheniformis BL1 was disrupted to construct the tetramethylpyrazine (TMP)-producing BLA strain. During microaerobic fermentation, the bdhA-disrupted BLA strain produced 46.98 g TMP/l, and this yield was 23.99% higher than that produced by the parent BL1 strain. In addition, the yield of acetoin, which is a TMP precursor, also increased by 28.98% in BLA. The TMP production by BL1 was enhanced by supplementing the fermentation medium with 2,3-BD. The yield of TMP improved from 37.89 to 44.77 g/l as the concentration of 2,3-BD increased from 0 to 2 g/l. The maximum TMP and acetoin yields increased by 18.16 and 17.87%, respectively with the increase in 2,3-BD concentration from 0 to 2 g/l. However, no increase was observed when the concentration of 2,3-BD in the matrix was ≥3 g/l. This study provides a valuable strategy to enhance TMP and acetoin productivity of mutagenic strains by gene manipulation and optimizing fermentation conditions.

  15. Dynamical Black Hole Masses of BL Lac Objects from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Plotkin, Richard M.; Markoff, Sera; Trager, Scott C.; Anderson, Scott F.

    2012-01-01

    We measure black hole masses for 71 BL Lac objects from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) with redshifts out to z ∼ 0.4. We perform spectral decompositions of their nuclei from their host galaxies and measure their stellar velocity dispersions. Black hole masses are then derived from the black

  16. Degree of conversion of resin-based materials cured with dual-peak or single-peak LED light-curing units.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lucey, Siobhan M; Santini, Ario; Roebuck, Elizabeth M

    2015-03-01

    There is a lack of data on polymerization of resin-based materials (RBMs) used in paediatric dentistry, using dual-peak light-emitting diode (LED) light-curing units (LCUs). To evaluate the degree of conversion (DC) of RBMs cured with dual-peak or single-peak LED LCUs. Samples of Vit-l-escence (Ultradent) and Herculite XRV Ultra (Kerr) and fissure sealants Delton Clear and Delton Opaque (Dentsply) were prepared (n = 3 per group) and cured with either one of two dual-peak LCUs (bluephase(®) G2; Ivoclar Vivadent or Valo; Ultradent) or a single-peak (bluephase(®) ; Ivoclar Vivadent). High-performance liquid chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used to confirm the presence or absence of initiators other than camphorquinone. The DC was determined using micro-Raman spectroscopy. Data were analysed using general linear model anova; α = 0.05. With Herculite XRV Ultra, the single-peak LCU gave higher DC values than either of the two dual-peak LCUs (P < 0.05). Both fissure sealants showed higher DC compared with the two RBMs (P < 0.05); the DC at the bottom of the clear sealant was greater than the opaque sealant, (P < 0.05). 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyldiphenylphosphine oxide (Lucirin(®) TPO) was found only in Vit-l-escence. Dual-peak LED LCUs may not be best suited for curing non-Lucirin(®) TPO-containing materials. A clear sealant showed a better cure throughout the material and may be more appropriate than opaque versions in deep fissures. © 2014 BSPD, IAPD and John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. CHARACTERIZATION OF A SAMPLE OF INTERMEDIATE-TYPE ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI. II. HOST BULGE PROPERTIES AND BLACK HOLE MASS ESTIMATES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Benitez, Erika; Cruz-Gonzalez, Irene; Martinez, Benoni; Jimenez-Bailon, Elena [Instituto de Astronomia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Apdo. Postal 70-264, Mexico D.F. 04510 (Mexico); Mendez-Abreu, Jairo; Lopez-Martin, Luis [Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, E-38200 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Fuentes-Carrera, Isaura [Escuela Superior de Fisica y Matematicas, Instituto Politecnico Nacional (ESFM-IPN), U.P. Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Mexico D.F. 07730 (Mexico); Chavushyan, Vahram [Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica, Apdo. Postal 51-216, 72000 Puebla (Mexico); Leon-Tavares, Jonathan, E-mail: erika@astro.unam.mx [Aalto University Metsaehovi Radio Observatory, Metsaehovintie 114, 02540 Kylmaelae (Finland)

    2013-02-15

    We present a study of the host bulge properties and their relations with the black hole mass for a sample of 10 intermediate-type active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Our sample consists mainly of early-type spirals, four of them hosting a bar. For 70{sup +10} {sub -17}% of the galaxies, we have been able to determine the type of the bulge, and find that these objects probably harbor a pseudobulge or a combination of classical bulge/pseudobulge, suggesting that pseudobulges might be frequent in intermediate-type AGNs. In our sample, 50% {+-} 14% of the objects show double-peaked emission lines. Therefore, narrow double-peaked emission lines seem to be frequent in galaxies harboring a pseudobulge or a combination of classical bulge/pseudobulge. Depending on the bulge type, we estimated the black hole mass using the corresponding M {sub BH}-{sigma}* relation and found them within a range of 5.69 {+-} 0.21 < log M {sup {sigma}}*{sub BH} < 8.09 {+-} 0.24. Comparing these M {sup {sigma}}*{sub BH} values with masses derived from the FWHM of H{beta} and the continuum luminosity at 5100 A from their SDSS-DR7 spectra (M {sub BH}), we find that 8 out of 10 (80{sup +7} {sub -17}%) galaxies have black hole masses that are compatible within a factor of 3. This result would support that M {sub BH} and M {sup {sigma}}*{sub BH} are the same for intermediate-type AGNs, as has been found for type 1 AGNs. However, when the type of the bulge is taken into account, only three out of the seven (43{sup +18} {sub -15}%) objects of the sample have their M {sup {sigma}}*{sub BH} and M {sub BH} compatible within 3{sigma} errors. We also find that estimations based on the M {sub BH}-{sigma}* relation for pseudobulges are not compatible in 50% {+-} 20% of the objects.

  18. Repeated Administration of D-Amphetamine Induces Distinct Alterations in Behavior and Metabolite Levels in 129Sv and Bl6 Mouse Strains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Taavi Vanaveski

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available The main goal of the study was to characterize the behavioral and metabolomic profiles of repeated administration (for 11 days of d-amphetamine (AMPH, 3 mg/kg i. p., indirect agonist of dopamine (DA, in widely used 129S6/SvEvTac (129Sv and C57BL/6NTac (Bl6 mouse strains. Acute administration of AMPH (acute AMPH induced significantly stronger motor stimulation in Bl6. However, repeated administration of AMPH (repeated AMPH caused stronger motor sensitization in 129Sv compared acute AMPH. Body weight of 129Sv was reduced after repeated saline and AMPH, whereas no change occurred in Bl6. In the metabolomic study, acute AMPH induced an elevation of isoleucine and leucine, branched chain amino acids (BCAA, whereas the level of hexoses was reduced in Bl6. Both BCAAs and hexoses remained on level of acute AMPH after repeated AMPH in Bl6. Three biogenic amines [asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA, alpha-aminoadipic acid (alpha-AAA, kynurenine] were significantly reduced after repeated AMPH. Acute AMPH caused in 129Sv a significant reduction of valine, lysophosphatidylcholines (lysoPC a C16:0, lysoPC a C18:2, lysoPC a C20:4, phosphatidylcholine (PC diacyls (PC aa C34:2, PC aa C36:2, PC aa C36:3, PC aa C36:4 and alkyl-acyls (PC ae C38:4, PC ae C40:4. However, repeated AMPH increased the levels of valine and isoleucine, long-chain acylcarnitines (C14, C14:1-OH, C16, C18:1, PC diacyls (PC aa C38:4, PC aa C38:6, PC aa C42:6, PC acyl-alkyls (PC ae C38:4, PC ae C40:4, PC ae C40:5, PC ae C40:6, PC ae C42:1, PC ae C42:3 and sphingolipids [SM(OHC22:1, SM C24:0] compared to acute AMPH in 129Sv. Hexoses and kynurenine were reduced after repeated AMPH compared to saline in 129Sv. The established changes probably reflect a shift in energy metabolism toward lipid molecules in 129Sv because of reduced level of hexoses. Pooled data from both strains showed that the elevation of isoleucine and leucine was a prominent biomarker of AMPH-induced behavioral sensitization

  19. Peak experiences of psilocybin users and non-users.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cummins, Christina; Lyke, Jennifer

    2013-01-01

    Maslow (1970) defined peak experiences as the most wonderful experiences of a person's life, which may include a sense of awe, well-being, or transcendence. Furthermore, recent research has suggested that psilocybin can produce experiences subjectively rated as uniquely meaningful and significant (Griffiths et al. 2006). It is therefore possible that psilocybin may facilitate or change the nature of peak experiences in users compared to non-users. This study was designed to compare the peak experiences of psilocybin users and non-users, to evaluate the frequency of peak experiences while under the influence of psilocybin, and to assess the perceived degree of alteration of consciousness during these experiences. Participants were recruited through convenience and snowball sampling from undergraduate classes and at a musical event. Participants were divided into three groups, those who reported a peak experience while under the influence of psilocybin (psilocybin peak experience: PPE), participants who had used psilocybin but reported their peak experiences did not occur while they were under the influence of psilocybin (non-psilocybin peak experience: NPPE), and participants who had never used psilocybin (non-user: NU). A total of 101 participants were asked to think about their peak experiences and complete a measure evaluating the degree of alteration of consciousness during that experience. Results indicated that 47% of psilocybin users reported their peak experience occurred while using psilocybin. In addition, there were significant differences among the three groups on all dimensions of alteration of consciousness. Future research is necessary to identify factors that influence the peak experiences of psilocybin users in naturalistic settings and contribute to the different characteristics of peak experiences of psilocybin users and non-users.

  20. Extragalactic Peaked-spectrum Radio Sources at Low Frequencies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Callingham, J. R.; Gaensler, B. M.; Sadler, E. M.; Lenc, E. [Sydney Institute for Astronomy (SIfA), School of Physics, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia); Ekers, R. D.; Bell, M. E. [CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science (CASS), Marsfield, NSW 2122 (Australia); Line, J. L. B.; Hancock, P. J.; Kapińska, A. D.; McKinley, B.; Procopio, P. [ARC Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO) (Australia); Hurley-Walker, N.; Tingay, S. J.; Franzen, T. M. O.; Morgan, J. [International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102 (Australia); Dwarakanath, K. S. [Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bangalore 560080 (India); For, B.-Q. [International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia); Hindson, L.; Johnston-Hollitt, M. [School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140 (New Zealand); Offringa, A. R., E-mail: joseph.callingham@sydney.edu.au [Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON), Dwingeloo (Netherlands); and others

    2017-02-20

    We present a sample of 1483 sources that display spectral peaks between 72 MHz and 1.4 GHz, selected from the GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky Murchison Widefield Array (GLEAM) survey. The GLEAM survey is the widest fractional bandwidth all-sky survey to date, ideal for identifying peaked-spectrum sources at low radio frequencies. Our peaked-spectrum sources are the low-frequency analogs of gigahertz-peaked spectrum (GPS) and compact-steep spectrum (CSS) sources, which have been hypothesized to be the precursors to massive radio galaxies. Our sample more than doubles the number of known peaked-spectrum candidates, and 95% of our sample have a newly characterized spectral peak. We highlight that some GPS sources peaking above 5 GHz have had multiple epochs of nuclear activity, and we demonstrate the possibility of identifying high-redshift ( z > 2) galaxies via steep optically thin spectral indices and low observed peak frequencies. The distribution of the optically thick spectral indices of our sample is consistent with past GPS/CSS samples but with a large dispersion, suggesting that the spectral peak is a product of an inhomogeneous environment that is individualistic. We find no dependence of observed peak frequency with redshift, consistent with the peaked-spectrum sample comprising both local CSS sources and high-redshift GPS sources. The 5 GHz luminosity distribution lacks the brightest GPS and CSS sources of previous samples, implying that a convolution of source evolution and redshift influences the type of peaked-spectrum sources identified below 1 GHz. Finally, we discuss sources with optically thick spectral indices that exceed the synchrotron self-absorption limit.

  1. The dislocation-internal friction peak γ in tantalum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baur, J.; Benoit, W.; Schultz, H.

    1989-01-01

    Torsion-pendulum measurements were carried out on high-purity single crystal specimens of tantalum, having extremely low oxygen contents ( 2 peak, which appears close to γ is small traces of oxygen are presents. The γ 2 peak was formerly explained as a ''dislocation-enhanced Snoek peak''. The γ peak recovers at the peak temperature, whereas the γ 2 peak is more stable. On the basis of their results, and making use of earlier investigations of Rodrian and Schultz, the authors suggest that γ 2 is modified γ relaxation, related to screw-dislocation segments, stabilized by oxygen-decorated kinks. The stability of the γ 2 peak allows an accurate determination of the activation energy, found to be 1.00 +- 0.03 eV. This value is distinctly lower than the activation energy of the oxygen Snoek effect (1.10 eV) and is related here to the mechanism of ''kink-pair formation'' in screw dislocations, as the original γ peak. The numerical value is compatible with recent values derived from flow-stress measurements. The peak γ 2 shows increasing stability with increasing oxygen content. This is explained by single- and multi-decorated kinks

  2. Individual vision and peak distribution in collective actions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Peng

    2017-06-01

    People make decisions on whether they should participate as participants or not as free riders in collective actions with heterogeneous visions. Besides of the utility heterogeneity and cost heterogeneity, this work includes and investigates the effect of vision heterogeneity by constructing a decision model, i.e. the revised peak model of participants. In this model, potential participants make decisions under the joint influence of utility, cost, and vision heterogeneities. The outcomes of simulations indicate that vision heterogeneity reduces the values of peaks, and the relative variance of peaks is stable. Under normal distributions of vision heterogeneity and other factors, the peaks of participants are normally distributed as well. Therefore, it is necessary to predict distribution traits of peaks based on distribution traits of related factors such as vision heterogeneity and so on. We predict the distribution of peaks with parameters of both mean and standard deviation, which provides the confident intervals and robust predictions of peaks. Besides, we validate the peak model of via the Yuyuan Incident, a real case in China (2014), and the model works well in explaining the dynamics and predicting the peak of real case.

  3. Associations of Systemic Diseases with Intermediate Uveitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shoughy, Samir S; Kozak, Igor; Tabbara, Khalid F

    2016-01-01

    To determine the associations of systemic diseases with intermediate uveitis. The medical records of 50 consecutive cases with intermediate uveitis referred to The Eye Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were reviewed. Age- and sex-matched patients without uveitis served as controls. Patients had complete ophthalmic and medical examinations. There were 27 male and 23 female patients. Mean age was 29 years with a range of 5-62 years. Overall, 21 cases (42%) had systemic disorders associated with intermediate uveitis and 29 cases (58%) had no associated systemic disease. A total of 11 patients (22%) had asthma, 4 (8%) had multiple sclerosis, 3 (6%) had presumed ocular tuberculosis, 1 (2%) had inflammatory bowel disease, 1 (2%) had non-Hodgkin lymphoma and 1 (2%) had sarcoidosis. Evidence of systemic disease was found in 50 (5%) of the 1,000 control subjects. Bronchial asthma was found in 37 patients (3.7 %), multiple sclerosis in 9 patients (0.9%), inflammatory bowel disease in 3 patients (0.3%), and tuberculosis in 1 patient (0.1%). None of the control patients had sarcoidosis or lymphoma. There were statistically significant associations between intermediate uveitis and bronchial asthma (p = 0.0001), multiple sclerosis (p = 0.003) and tuberculosis (p = 0.0005). Bronchial asthma and multiple sclerosis were the most frequently encountered systemic diseases associated with intermediate uveitis in our patient population. Patients with intermediate uveitis should undergo careful history-taking and investigations to rule out associated systemic illness.

  4. Effects of genistein, a soybean-derived isoflavone, on proliferation and differentiation of B16-BL6 mouse melanoma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, C H; Chen, X G; Li, Y; Han, R

    1999-01-01

    Genistein, a soybean-derived isoflavone, may contribute to the lower cancer incidence in South Asian countries. In this study, the effects and molecular mechanisms of genistein on growth and differentiation of B16-BL6 mouse melanoma cells were investigated. Genistein suppressed the growth of these melanoma cells. The IC50 value is 15.5 microM. On the other hand, genistein induced the changes of cell shape and cytoskeletal network. The cytoskeletal filaments were induced to form a bundle along the direction of elongation of the cells. Moreover, tyrosine phosphorylation levels of cytoskeleton-associated proteins decreased after the cells were exposed to 20 or 30 microM of genistein for 3 days. All these morphological and molecular changes were accompanied by appearance of the differentiated phenotypes. Genistein induced the increase of cellular melanin content, enhancement of tyrosinase activity, and decrease of colonization potentials in soft agar in a time-dependent and dose-dependent manner. The effective concentration was no more than 10 microM after 3 days' exposure. The tumorigenic potentials of B16-BL6 cells in C57BL/6 mouse also decreased after exposure to 20 or 30 microM of genistein for 3 days. When expressions of tumor-related genes were investigated in the differentiation-induced cells, the content of P53 dramatically increased while that of c-Myc protein decreased. Therefore, due to its ability to induce cellular and molecular changes, genistein suppressed the growth and induced differentiated phenotypes in B16-BL6 melanoma cells.

  5. Contribution of sortase SrtA2 to Lactobacillus casei BL23 inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus internalization into bovine mammary epithelial cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renata F S Souza

    Full Text Available Probiotics have been considered as a promising strategy to prevent various diseases in both humans and animals. This approach has gained interest in recent years as a potential means to control bovine mastitis. In a previous study, we found that several L. casei strains, including BL23, were able to inhibit the internalization of S. aureus, a major etiologic agent of mastitis, into bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMEC. This antagonism required a direct contact between L. casei and bMEC or S. aureus, suggesting the inhibition relied on interactions between L. casei cell surface components and bMEC. In this study, we have investigated the impact of some candidates which likely influence bacteria host cell interactions. We have shown that L. casei BL23 fbpA retained its inhibitory potential, indicating that L. casei BL23 antagonism did not rely (solely on competition between S. aureus and L. casei fibronectin-binding proteins for adhesion to bMEC. We have then investigated the impact of four sortase mutants, srtA1, srtA2, srtC1 and srtC2, and a double mutant (srtA1-srtA2 on L. casei BL23 inhibitory potential. Sortases are responsible for the anchoring on the bacterial cell wall of LPXTG-proteins, which reportedly play an important role in bacteria-host cell interaction. All the srt mutants tested presented a reduced inhibition capacity, the most pronounced effect being observed with the srtA2 mutant. A lower internalization capacity of L. casei srtA2 into bMEC was also observed. This was associated with several changes at the surface of L. casei BL23 srtA2 compared to the wild type (wt strain, including altered abundance of some LPXTG- and moonlighting proteins, and modifications of cell wall structure. These results strongly support the role of sortase A2 in L. casei BL23 inhibition against S. aureus internalization. Deciphering the contribution of the cell surface components altered in srtA2 strain in the inhibition will require further

  6. Isotope resolution of the iron peak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Henke, R.P.; Benton, E.V.

    1977-01-01

    A stack of Lexan detectors from the Apollo 17 mission has been analyzed to obtain Z measurements of sufficient accuracy to resolve the iron peak into its isotopic components. Within this distribution several peaks are present. With the centrally located, most populated peak assumed to be 56 Fe, the measurements imply that the abundances of 54 Fe and 58 Fe are appreciable fractions of the 56 Fe abundance. This result is in agreement with those of Webber et al. and Siegman et al. but in disagreement with the predictions of Tsao et al. (Auth.)

  7. THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS ASTEROID 2004 BL86: A FRAGMENT OF A DIFFERENTIATED ASTEROID

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reddy, Vishnu; Sanchez, Juan A.; Takir, Driss; Corre, Lucille Le [Planetary Science Institute, 1700 East Fort Lowell Road, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Gary, Bruce L. [Hereford Arizona Observatory, Hereford, AZ 85615 (United States); Thomas, Cristina A. [NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Hardersen, Paul S. [Department of Space Studies, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58202 (United States); Ogmen, Yenal [Green Island Observatory, Geçitkale, Maǧusa, via Mersin 10  North Cyprus (Turkey); Benni, Paul [Acton Sky Portal, 3 Concetta Circle, Acton, MA 01720 (United States); Kaye, Thomas G. [Raemor Vista Observatory, Sierra Vista, AZ 85650 (United States); Gregorio, Joao [Atalaia Group, Crow Observatory (Portalegre) Travessa da Cidreira, 2 rc D, 2645-039 Alcabideche (Portugal); Garlitz, Joe [1155 Hartford Street, Elgin, OR 97827 (United States); Polishook, David [Weizmann Institute of Science, Herzl Street 234, Rehovot, 7610001 (Israel); Nathues, Andreas, E-mail: reddy@psi.edu [Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 3, D-37077 Göttingen (Germany)

    2015-09-20

    The physical characterization of potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) is important for impact hazard assessment and evaluating mitigation options. Close flybys of PHAs provide an opportunity to study their surface photometric and spectral properties that enable the identification of their source regions in the main asteroid belt. We observed PHA (357439) 2004 BL86 during a close flyby of the Earth at a distance of 1.2 million km (0.0080 AU) on 2015 January 26, with an array of ground-based telescopes to constrain its photometric and spectral properties. Lightcurve observations showed that the asteroid was a binary and subsequent radar observations confirmed the binary nature and gave a primary diameter of 300 m and a secondary diameter of 50–100 m. Our photometric observations were used to derive the phase curve of 2004 BL86 in the V-band. Two different photometric functions were fitted to this phase curve, the IAU H–G model and the Shevchenko model. From the fit of the H–G function we obtained an absolute magnitude of H = 19.51 ± 0.02 and a slope parameter of G = 0.34 ± 0.02. The Shevchenko function yielded an absolute magnitude of H = 19.03 ± 0.07 and a phase coefficient b = 0.0225 ± 0.0006. The phase coefficient was used to calculate the geometric albedo (Ag) using the relationship found by Belskaya and Schevchenko, obtaining a value of Ag = 40% ± 8% in the V-band. With the geometric albedo and the absolute magnitudes derived from the H–G and the Shevchenko functions we calculated the diameter (D) of 2004 BL86, obtaining D = 263 ± 26 and D = 328 ± 35 m, respectively. 2004 BL86 spectral band parameters and pyroxene chemistry are consistent with non-cumulate eucrite meteorites. A majority of these meteorites are derived from Vesta and are analogous with surface lava flows on a differentiated parent body. A non-diagnostic spectral curve match using the Modeling for Asteroids tool yielded a best-match with non-cumulate eucrite Bereba. Three other

  8. Differences in the degree of cerulein-induced chronic pancreatitis in C57BL/6 mouse substrains lead to new insights in identification of potential risk factors in the development of chronic pancreatitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ulmasov, Barbara; Oshima, Kiyoko; Rodriguez, Michael G; Cox, Roger D; Neuschwander-Tetri, Brent A

    2013-09-01

    A frequently used experimental model of chronic pancreatitis (CP) recapitulating human disease is repeated injection of cerulein into mice. C57BL/6 is the most commonly used inbred mouse strain for biomedical research, but widespread demand has led to generation of several substrains with subtly different phenotypes. In this study, two common substrains, C57BL/6J and C57BL/6NHsd, exhibited different degrees of CP, with C57BL/6J being more susceptible to repetitive cerulein-induced CP as assessed by pancreatic atrophy, pancreatic morphological changes, and fibrosis. We hypothesized that the deficiency of nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (NNT) protein in C57BL/6J is responsible for the more severe C57BL/6J phenotype but the parameters of CP in NNT-expressing transgenic mice generated on a C57BL6/J background do not differ with those of wild-type C57BL/6J. The highly similar genetic backgrounds but different CP phenotypes of these two substrains presents a unique opportunity to discover genes important in pathogenesis of CP. We therefore performed whole mouse genome Affymetrix microarray analysis of pancreatic gene expression of C57BL/6J and C57BL/6NHsd before and after induction of CP. Genes with differentially regulated expression between the two substrains that might be candidates in CP progression included Mmp7, Pcolce2, Itih4, Wdfy1, and Vtn. We also identified several genes associated with development of CP in both substrains, including RIKEN cDNA 1810009J06 gene (trypsinogen 5), Ccl8, and Ccl6. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Instream flow needs below peaking hydroelectric projects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Milhous, R.T.

    1991-01-01

    This paper reports on a method developed to assist in the determination of instream flow needs below hydroelectric projects operated in a peaking mode. Peaking hydroelectric projects significantly change streamflow over a short period of time; consequently, any instream flow methodology must consider the dual flows associated with peaking projects. The dual flows are the lowest flow and the maximum generation flow of a peaking cycle. The methodology is based on elements of the Physical Habitat Simulation System of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and uses habitat, rather than fish numbers or biomas, as at basic response variable. All aquatic animals are subject to the rapid changes in streamflow which cause rapid swings in habitat quality. Some aquatic organisms are relatively fixed in location in the stream while others can move when flows change. The habitat available from a project operated in peaking mode is considered to be the minimum habitat occurring during a cycle of habitat change. The methodology takes in to consideration that some aquatic animals can move and others cannot move during a peaking cycle

  10. Corticosterone facilitates extinction of fear memory in BALB/c mice but strengthens cue related fear in C57BL/6 mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brinks, V; de Kloet, E R; Oitzl, M S

    2009-04-01

    Corticosterone, the naturally occurring glucocorticoid of rodents is secreted in response to stressors and is known for its facilitating and detrimental effects on emotional learning and memory. The large variability in the action of corticosterone on processing of emotional memories is postulated to depend on genetic background and the spatio-temporal domain in which the hormone operates. To address this hypothesis, mice of two strains with distinct corticosterone secretory patterns and behavioural phenotype (BALB/c and C57BL/6J) were treated with corticosterone (250 microg/kg, i.p.), either 5 min before or directly after acquisition in a fear conditioning task. As the paradigm allowed assessing in one experimental procedure both context- and cue-related fear behaviour, we were able to detect generalization and specificity of fear. BALB/c showed generalized strong fear memory, while C57BL/6J mice discriminated between freezing during context- and cue episodes. Corticosterone had opposite effects on fear memory depending on the strain and time of injection. Corticosterone after acquisition did not affect C57BL/6J mice, but destabilized consolidation and facilitated extinction in BALB/c. Corticosterone 5 min before acquisition strengthened stress-associated signals: BALB/c no longer showed lower fear memory, while C57BL/6J mice displayed increased fear memory and impaired extinction in cue episodes. We propose that corticosterone-induced facilitation of fear memory in C57BL/6J mice can be used to study the development of fear memories, corticosterone administration in BALB/c mice presents a model to examine treatment. We conclude that genetic background and time of corticosterone action are modifiers of fear memory with interesting translational implications for anxiety-related diseases.

  11. Differential effects of age on circulating and splenic leukocyte populations in C57BL/6 and BALB/c male mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Filipov Nikolay M

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Despite several reports on age-related phenotypic changes of the immune system's cells, studies that use a multipoint age comparison between the specific and innate immune cell populations of prototypical Th1- and Th2-type polarized mouse strains are still lacking. Results Using a multipoint age comparison approach, cells from the two major immune system compartments, peripheral blood and spleen, and flow cytometry analysis, we found several principal differences in T cell and professional antigen presenting cell (APC populations originating from a prototypical T helper (Th 1 mouse strain, C57BL/6, and a prototypical Th2 strain, BALB/c. For example, regardless of age, there were strain differences in both peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC and spleens in the proportion of CD4+ (higher in the BALB/c strain, CD8+ T cells and CD11b+/CD11c+ APC (greater in C57BL/6 mice. Other differences were present only in PBMC (MHC class II + and CD19+ were greater in C57BL/6 mice or differences were evident in the spleens but not in circulation (CD3+ T cells were greater in C57BL/6 mice. There were populations of cells that increased with age in PBMC and spleens of both strains (MHC class II+, decreased in the periphery and spleens of both strains (CD11b+ or did not change in the PBMC and spleens of both strains (CD8+. We also found strain and age differences in the distribution of naïve and memory/activated splenic T cells, e.g., BALB/c mice had more memory/activated and less naive CD8+ and CD4+ T cells and the C57BL/6 mice. Conclusion Our data provide important information on the principal differences, within the context of age, in T cell and professional APC populations between the prototypical Th1 mouse strain C57BL/6 and the prototypical Th2 strain BALB/c. Although the age-related changes that occur may be rather subtle, they may be very relevant in conditions of disease and stress. Importantly, our data indicate that age and

  12. flowPeaks: a fast unsupervised clustering for flow cytometry data via K-means and density peak finding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ge, Yongchao; Sealfon, Stuart C

    2012-08-01

    For flow cytometry data, there are two common approaches to the unsupervised clustering problem: one is based on the finite mixture model and the other on spatial exploration of the histograms. The former is computationally slow and has difficulty to identify clusters of irregular shapes. The latter approach cannot be applied directly to high-dimensional data as the computational time and memory become unmanageable and the estimated histogram is unreliable. An algorithm without these two problems would be very useful. In this article, we combine ideas from the finite mixture model and histogram spatial exploration. This new algorithm, which we call flowPeaks, can be applied directly to high-dimensional data and identify irregular shape clusters. The algorithm first uses K-means algorithm with a large K to partition the cell population into many small clusters. These partitioned data allow the generation of a smoothed density function using the finite mixture model. All local peaks are exhaustively searched by exploring the density function and the cells are clustered by the associated local peak. The algorithm flowPeaks is automatic, fast and reliable and robust to cluster shape and outliers. This algorithm has been applied to flow cytometry data and it has been compared with state of the art algorithms, including Misty Mountain, FLOCK, flowMeans, flowMerge and FLAME. The R package flowPeaks is available at https://github.com/yongchao/flowPeaks. yongchao.ge@mssm.edu Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

  13. Upper limit of peak area

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Helene, O.A.M.

    1982-08-01

    The determination of the upper limit of peak area in a multi-channel spectra, with a known significance level is discussed. This problem is specially important when the peak area is masked by the background statistical fluctuations. The problem is exactly solved and, thus, the results are valid in experiments with small number of events. The results are submitted to a Monte Carlo test and applied to the 92 Nb beta decay. (Author) [pt

  14. Enhanced glucose tolerance in pancreatic-derived factor (PANDER knockout C57BL/6 mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shari L. Moak

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Pancreatic-derived factor (PANDER; also known as FAM3B is a uniquely structured protein strongly expressed within and secreted from the endocrine pancreas. PANDER has been hypothesized to regulate fasting and fed glucose homeostasis, hepatic lipogenesis and insulin signaling, and to serve a potential role in the onset or progression of type 2 diabetes (T2D. Despite having potentially pivotal pleiotropic roles in glycemic regulation and T2D, there has been limited generation of stable animal models for the investigation of PANDER function, and there are no models on well-established genetic murine backgrounds for T2D. Our aim was to generate an enhanced murine model to further elucidate the biological function of PANDER. Therefore, a pure-bred PANDER knockout C57BL/6 (PANKO-C57 model was created and phenotypically characterized with respect to glycemic regulation and hepatic insulin signaling. The PANKO-C57 model exhibited an enhanced metabolic phenotype, particularly with regard to enhanced glucose tolerance. Male PANKO-C57 mice displayed decreased fasting plasma insulin and C-peptide levels, whereas leptin levels were increased as compared with matched C57BL/6J wild-type mice. Despite similar peripheral insulin sensitivity between both groups, hepatic insulin signaling was significantly increased during fasting conditions, as demonstrated by increased phosphorylation of hepatic PKB/Akt and AMPK, along with mature SREBP-1 expression. Insulin stimulation of PANKO-C57 mice resulted in increased hepatic triglyceride and glycogen content as compared with wild-type C57BL/6 mice. In summary, the PANKO-C57 mouse represents a suitable model for the investigation of PANDER in multiple metabolic states and provides an additional tool to elucidate the biological function and potential role in T2D.

  15. Achieving high performance in intermediate temperature direct carbon fuel cells with renewable carbon as a fuel source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hao, Wenbin; He, Xiaojin; Mi, Yongli

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Bamboo fiber and waste paper were pyrolyzed to generate bamboo carbon and waste paper carbon as anode fuels of IT-DCFC. • Superior cell performance was achieved with the waste paper carbon. • The results suggested the high performance was due to the highest thermal reactivity and the catalytic inherent impurities. • Calcite and kaolinite as inherent impurities favored the thermal decomposition and the electrooxidation of carbon. - Abstract: Three kinds of carbon sources obtained from carbon black, bamboo fiber and waste paper were investigated as anode fuels in an intermediate temperature direct carbon fuel cell. The carbon sources were characterized with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, etc. The results indicated that the waste paper carbon was more abundant in calcite and kaolinite, and showed higher thermal reactivity in the intermediate temperature range compared with the other two carbon sources. The cell performance was tested at 650 °C in a hybrid single cell, using Sm 0.20 Ce 0.80 O 2−x as the electrolyte. As a result, the cell fed with waste paper carbon showed the highest performance among the three carbon sources, with a peak power density of 225 mW cm −2 . The results indicated that its inherent impurities, such as calcite and kaolinite, might favor the thermal gasification of renewable carbon sources, which resulted in the enhanced performance of the intermediate temperature direct carbon fuel cell

  16. ON ULTRA-HIGH-ENERGY COSMIC RAYS AND THEIR RESULTANT GAMMA-RAYS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gavish, Eyal; Eichler, David [Physics Department, Ben-Gurion University, Be’er-Sheva 84105 (Israel)

    2016-05-01

    The Fermi Large Area Telescope collaboration has recently reported on 50 months of measurements of the isotropic extragalactic gamma-ray background (EGRB) spectrum between 100 MeV and 820 GeV. Ultra-high-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) protons interact with the cosmic microwave background photons and produce cascade photons of energies 10 MeV–1 TeV that contribute to the EGRB flux. We examine seven possible evolution models for UHECRs and find that UHECR sources that evolve as the star formation rate (SFR), medium low luminosity active galactic nuclei type-1 ( L = 10{sup 43.5} erg s{sup −1} in the [0.5–2] KeV band), and BL Lacertae objects (BL Lacs) are the most acceptable given the constraints imposed by the observed EGRB. Other possibilities produce too much secondary γ -radiation. In all cases, the decaying dark matter (DM) contribution improves the fit at high energy, but the contribution of still unresolved blazars, which would leave the smallest role for decaying DM, may yet provide an alternative improvement. The possibility that the entire EGRB can be fitted with resolvable but not-yet-resolved blazars, as recently claimed by Ajello et al., would leave little room in the EGRB to accommodate γ -rays from extragalactic UHECR production, even for many source evolution rates that would otherwise be acceptable. We find that under the assumption of UHECRs being mostly protons, there is not enough room for producing extragalactic UHECRs with active galactic nucleus, gamma-ray burst, or even SFR source evolution. Sources that evolve as BL Lacs, on the other hand, would produce much less secondary γ -radiation and would remain a viable source of UHECRs, provided that they dominate.

  17. Isoporphyrin Intermediate in Heme Oxygenase Catalysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, John P.; Niemevz, Fernando; Buldain, Graciela; de Montellano, Paul Ortiz

    2008-01-01

    Human heme oxygenase-1 (hHO-1) catalyzes the O2- and NADPH-dependent oxidation of heme to biliverdin, CO, and free iron. The first step involves regiospecific insertion of an oxygen atom at the α-meso carbon by a ferric hydroperoxide and is predicted to proceed via an isoporphyrin π-cation intermediate. Here we report spectroscopic detection of a transient intermediate during oxidation by hHO-1 of α-meso-phenylheme-IX, α-meso-(p-methylphenyl)-mesoheme-III, and α-meso-(p-trifluoromethylphenyl)-mesoheme-III. In agreement with previous experiments (Wang, J., Niemevz, F., Lad, L., Huang, L., Alvarez, D. E., Buldain, G., Poulos, T. L., and Ortiz de Montellano, P. R. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 42593–42604), only the α-biliverdin isomer is produced with concomitant formation of the corresponding benzoic acid. The transient intermediate observed in the NADPH-P450 reductase-catalyzed reaction accumulated when the reaction was supported by H2O2 and exhibited the absorption maxima at 435 and 930 nm characteristic of an isoporphyrin. Product analysis by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry of the product generated with H2O2 identified it as an isoporphyrin that, on quenching, decayed to benzoylbiliverdin. In the presence of H218O2, one labeled oxygen atom was incorporated into these products. The hHO-1-isoporphyrin complexes were found to have half-lives of 1.7 and 2.4 h for the p-trifluoromethyl- and p-methyl-substituted phenylhemes, respectively. The addition of NADPH-P450 reductase to the H2O2-generated hHO-1-isoporphyrin complex produced α-biliverdin, confirming its role as a reaction intermediate. Identification of an isoporphyrin intermediate in the catalytic sequence of hHO-1, the first such intermediate observed in hemoprotein catalysis, completes our understanding of the critical first step of heme oxidation. PMID:18487208

  18. KEEFEKTIFAN MODEL PjBL DENGAN TUGAS CREATIVE MIND-MAP UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KONEKSI MATEMATIK SISWA

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    Zulfa Ainurrizqiyah

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Tujuan  penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui  peningkatan kemampuan koneksi matematik, apakah terdapat perbedaan serta manakah yang lebih baik antara pembelajaran dengan model PjBL dengan tugas creative mind-map dan pembelajaran ekspositori pada siswa kelas X materi Trigonometri. Penelitian eksperimen yang dilakukan dengan pre and posttest control group design ini memiliki populasi yakni siswa kelas X SMAN 1 Sukorejo tahun ajaran 2014/2015. Dengan menggunakan cluster random sampling, terpilih sampel yaitu siswa kelas XB sebagai kelas kontrol dengan pembelajaran ekspositori dan XC sebagai kelas eksperimen dengan model PjBL dengan tugas creative mind-map. Data kemampuan koneksi matematik dianalisis menggunakan uji proporsi, uji beda rata-rata. Berdasarkan uji proporsi, diperoleh lebih dari 75 % siswa kelas eksperimen mencapai nilai ketuntasan belajar, yaitu 75. Selain itu, diperoleh adanya perbedaan hasil kemampuan koneksi matematik antar kedua kelas dimana kelas eksperimen lebih baik daripada siswa kelas kontrol. Sedangkan untuk peningkatan menggunakan uji t berpasangan dan gain ternormalisasi dengan hasilnya yaitu terdapat peningkatan kemampuan koneksi matematik pada kelas eksperimen dengan kriteria tinggi.

  19. Respiratory syncytial virus increases lung cellular bioenergetics in neonatal C57BL/6 mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alsuwaidi, Ahmed R.; Albawardi, Alia; Almarzooqi, Saeeda; Benedict, Sheela; Othman, Aws R.; Hartwig, Stacey M.; Varga, Steven M.; Souid, Abdul-Kader

    2014-01-01

    We have previously reported that lung cellular bioenergetics (cellular respiration and ATP) increased in 4–10 week-old BALB/c mice infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This study examined the kinetics and changes in cellular bioenergetics in ≤2-week-old C57BL/6 mice following RSV infection. Mice (5–14 days old) were inoculated intranasally with RSV and the lungs were examined on days 1–10 post-infection. Histopathology and electron microscopy revealed preserved pneumocyte architectures and organelles. Increased lung cellular bioenergetics was noted from days 1–10 post-infection. Cellular GSH remained unchanged. These results indicate that the increased lung cellular respiration (measured by mitochondrial O 2 consumption) and ATP following RSV infection is independent of either age or genetic background of the host. - Highlights: • RSV infection increases lung cellular respiration and ATP in neonatal C57BL/6 mice. • Increased lung cellular bioenergetics is a biomarker of RSV infection. • Lung cellular glutathione remains unchanged in RSV infection

  20. Respiratory syncytial virus increases lung cellular bioenergetics in neonatal C57BL/6 mice

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    Alsuwaidi, Ahmed R., E-mail: alsuwaidia@uaeu.ac.ae [Departments of Pediatrics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 17666, Al Ain (United Arab Emirates); Albawardi, Alia, E-mail: alia.albawardi@uaeu.ac.ae [Departments of Pathology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 17666, Al Ain (United Arab Emirates); Almarzooqi, Saeeda, E-mail: saeeda.almarzooqi@uaeu.ac.ae [Departments of Pathology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 17666, Al Ain (United Arab Emirates); Benedict, Sheela, E-mail: sheela.benedict@uaeu.ac.ae [Departments of Pediatrics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 17666, Al Ain (United Arab Emirates); Othman, Aws R., E-mail: aws.rashad@uaeu.ac.ae [Departments of Pediatrics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 17666, Al Ain (United Arab Emirates); Hartwig, Stacey M., E-mail: stacey-hartwig@uiowa.edu [Department of Microbiology, Department of Pathology and Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 (United States); Varga, Steven M., E-mail: steven-varga@uiowa.edu [Department of Microbiology, Department of Pathology and Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 (United States); Souid, Abdul-Kader, E-mail: asouid@uaeu.ac.ae [Departments of Pediatrics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 17666, Al Ain (United Arab Emirates)

    2014-04-15

    We have previously reported that lung cellular bioenergetics (cellular respiration and ATP) increased in 4–10 week-old BALB/c mice infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This study examined the kinetics and changes in cellular bioenergetics in ≤2-week-old C57BL/6 mice following RSV infection. Mice (5–14 days old) were inoculated intranasally with RSV and the lungs were examined on days 1–10 post-infection. Histopathology and electron microscopy revealed preserved pneumocyte architectures and organelles. Increased lung cellular bioenergetics was noted from days 1–10 post-infection. Cellular GSH remained unchanged. These results indicate that the increased lung cellular respiration (measured by mitochondrial O{sub 2} consumption) and ATP following RSV infection is independent of either age or genetic background of the host. - Highlights: • RSV infection increases lung cellular respiration and ATP in neonatal C57BL/6 mice. • Increased lung cellular bioenergetics is a biomarker of RSV infection. • Lung cellular glutathione remains unchanged in RSV infection.