WorldWideScience

Sample records for major pigment paradox

  1. Extreme diversity in noncalcifying haptophytes explains a major pigment paradox in open oceans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Hui; Probert, Ian; Uitz, Julia; Claustre, Hervé; Aris-Brosou, Stéphane; Frada, Miguel; Not, Fabrice; de Vargas, Colomban

    2009-01-01

    The current paradigm holds that cyanobacteria, which evolved oxygenic photosynthesis more than 2 billion years ago, are still the major light harvesters driving primary productivity in open oceans. Here we show that tiny unicellular eukaryotes belonging to the photosynthetic lineage of the Haptophyta are dramatically diverse and ecologically dominant in the planktonic photic realm. The use of Haptophyta-specific primers and PCR conditions adapted for GC-rich genomes circumvented biases inherent in classical genetic approaches to exploring environmental eukaryotic biodiversity and led to the discovery of hundreds of unique haptophyte taxa in 5 clone libraries from subpolar and subtropical oceanic waters. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that this diversity emerged in Paleozoic oceans, thrived and diversified in the permanently oxygenated Mesozoic Panthalassa, and currently comprises thousands of ribotypic species, belonging primarily to low-abundance and ancient lineages of the “rare biosphere.” This extreme biodiversity coincides with the pervasive presence in the photic zone of the world ocean of 19′-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin (19-Hex), an accessory photosynthetic pigment found exclusively in chloroplasts of haptophyte origin. Our new estimates of depth-integrated relative abundance of 19-Hex indicate that haptophytes dominate the chlorophyll a-normalized phytoplankton standing stock in modern oceans. Their ecologic and evolutionary success, arguably based on mixotrophy, may have significantly impacted the oceanic carbon pump. These results add to the growing evidence that the evolution of complex microbial eukaryotic cells is a critical force in the functioning of the biosphere. PMID:19622724

  2. Pigment dispersion syndrome and pigmentary glaucoma--a major review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niyadurupola, Nuwan; Broadway, David C

    2008-12-01

    Pigment dispersion syndrome (PDS) is an interesting condition that can lead to secondary open angle glaucoma. Pigmentary glaucoma is primarily a disease of young people, myopes and men. PDS is characterized by the presence of Krukenberg spindles, iris trans-illumination defects, trabecular meshwork pigmentation and backward bowing of the iris. Posterior bowing of the iris causes rubbing of the pigmented iris epithelium against lens structures, liberation of pigment and trabecular meshwork changes that result in reduced aqueous outflow with the risk of glaucoma. Peripheral laser iridotomy can reverse backward bowing of the iris and may prevent progression of pigmentary glaucoma.

  3. Quantum Quasi-Paradoxes and Quantum Sorites Paradoxes

    CERN Document Server

    Smarandache, F

    1997-01-01

    There can be generated many paradoxes or quasi-paradoxes that may occur from the combination of quantum and non-quantum worlds in physics. Even the passage from the micro-cosmos to the macro-cosmos, and reciprocally, can generate unsolved questions or counter-intuitive ideas. We define a quasi-paradox as a statement which has a prima facie self-contradictory support or an explicit contradiction, but which is not completely proven as a paradox. We present herein four elementary quantum quasi-paradoxes and their corresponding quantum Sorites paradoxes, which form a class of quantum quasi-paradoxes.

  4. Quantum Quasi-Paradoxes and Quantum Sorites Paradoxes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Smarandache F.

    2005-04-01

    Full Text Available There can be generated many paradoxes or quasi-paradoxes that may occur from the combination of quantum and non-quantum worlds in physics. Even the passage from the micro-cosmos to the macro-cosmos, and reciprocally, can generate unsolved questions or counter-intuitive ideas. We define a quasi-paradox as a statement which has a prima facie self-contradictory support or an explicit contradiction, but which is not completely proven as a paradox. We present herein four elementary quantum quasi-paradoxes and their corresponding quantum Sorites paradoxes, which form a class of quantum quasi-paradoxes.

  5. Adiposopathy and Obesity Paradox

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Indriyanti Rafi Sukmawati

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Obesity has reached global epidemic proportions in both adults and children and is associated with numerous comorbidities, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM, dyslipidemia and major cardiovascular diseases (CVD. CONTENT: Adiposity may cause adipocyte and adipose tissue anatomic and functional abnormalities, termed adiposopathy (adipose-opathy or "sick fat," that result in endocrine and immune derangements. Adiposopathy may directly contribute to CVD through pericardiac and perivascular effects on the myocardium and blood vessels. Adiposopathy may also indirectly contribute to CVD through promoting or worsening major CVD risk factors such as T2DM, high blood pressure, and dyslipidemia. Despite this adverse association, numerous studies have documented an obesity paradox in which overweight and obese people with established CVD, including hypertension, heart failure, coronary heart disease, and peripheral arterial disease, have a better prognosis compared with nonoverweight/nonobese patients. These paradoxical findings are made less paradoxical when the pathogenic potential of excessive body fat is assessed based on adipose tissue dysfunction rather than simply on increased fat mass alone. SUMMARY: Adiposopathy is defined as pathological adipose tissue function that may be promoted and exacerbated by fat accumulation (adiposity and sedentary lifestyle in genetically susceptible patients. Adiposopathy is a root cause of some of the most common metabolic diseases observed in clinical practice, including T2DM, hypertension and dyslipidemia. KEYWORDS: adiposopathy, adiposity, obesity paradox, adipocyte dysfunction, adipose hypertrophy, adipose hyperplasia.

  6. The Oxygen Paradox, the French Paradox, and age-related diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davies, Joanna M S; Cillard, Josiane; Friguet, Bertrand; Cadenas, Enrique; Cadet, Jean; Cayce, Rachael; Fishmann, Andrew; Liao, David; Bulteau, Anne-Laure; Derbré, Frédéric; Rébillard, Amélie; Burstein, Steven; Hirsch, Etienne; Kloner, Robert A; Jakowec, Michael; Petzinger, Giselle; Sauce, Delphine; Sennlaub, Florian; Limon, Isabelle; Ursini, Fulvio; Maiorino, Matilde; Economides, Christina; Pike, Christian J; Cohen, Pinchas; Salvayre, Anne Negre; Halliday, Matthew R; Lundquist, Adam J; Jakowec, Nicolaus A; Mechta-Grigoriou, Fatima; Mericskay, Mathias; Mariani, Jean; Li, Zhenlin; Huang, David; Grant, Ellsworth; Forman, Henry J; Finch, Caleb E; Sun, Patrick Y; Pomatto, Laura C D; Agbulut, Onnik; Warburton, David; Neri, Christian; Rouis, Mustapha; Cillard, Pierre; Capeau, Jacqueline; Rosenbaum, Jean; Davies, Kelvin J A

    2017-12-01

    transduction pathways to increase expression of protective genes, by mechanisms that are completely different from those by which the same agent induces toxicity at high concentrations. In this review, we explore the influences and effects of paradoxes such as the Oxygen Paradox and the French Paradox on the etiology, progression, and outcomes of many of the major human age-related diseases, as well as the basic biological phenomenon of ageing itself.

  7. Simpson's Paradox, Lord's Paradox, and Suppression Effects are the same phenomenon – the reversal paradox

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gunnell David

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract This article discusses three statistical paradoxes that pervade epidemiological research: Simpson's paradox, Lord's paradox, and suppression. These paradoxes have important implications for the interpretation of evidence from observational studies. This article uses hypothetical scenarios to illustrate how the three paradoxes are different manifestations of one phenomenon – the reversal paradox – depending on whether the outcome and explanatory variables are categorical, continuous or a combination of both; this renders the issues and remedies for any one to be similar for all three. Although the three statistical paradoxes occur in different types of variables, they share the same characteristic: the association between two variables can be reversed, diminished, or enhanced when another variable is statistically controlled for. Understanding the concepts and theory behind these paradoxes provides insights into some controversial or contradictory research findings. These paradoxes show that prior knowledge and underlying causal theory play an important role in the statistical modelling of epidemiological data, where incorrect use of statistical models might produce consistent, replicable, yet erroneous results.

  8. Paradoxical Personality and Academic Achievement in College Students From Buenos Aires

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agustín Freiberg Hoffmann

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a study on paradoxical personality, defined as a distinctive feature in creative persons, developed with 350 college students from Buenos Aires. Goals aimed at describing and analysing possible significant differences of paradoxical traits in students from diverse majors representing seven different fields of study, and examining the relationship between each bipolar trait and academic achievement. The sample was composed of 7 groups (n = 50 by group representing fields of study typically offered in public universities, Biology, Computer Science, Engineering, Law, Nutrition, Psychology, and History of Art. Analyses by career provided descriptive information about students of these majors, concerning their paradoxical personality profiles. Correlational studies verified significant associations between academic achievement and most paradoxical traits in majors such as Computer Science, Nutrition and Psychology. Results are discussed regarding practical outcomes and teaching programs.

  9. A paradox in the global description of the multiverse

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bousso, Raphael [Center for Theoretical Physics, Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-7300 (United States); Freivogel, Ben [Center for Theoretical Physics, Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-7300 (United States)

    2007-06-15

    We use an argument by Page to exhibit a paradox in the global description of the multiverse: the overwhelming majority of observers arise from quantum fluctuations and not by conventional evolution. Unless we are extremely atypical, this contradicts observation. The paradox does not arise in the local description of the multiverse, but similar arguments yield interesting constraints on the maximum lifetime of metastable vacua.

  10. A paradox in the global description of the multiverse

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bousso, Raphael; Freivogel, Ben

    2007-01-01

    We use an argument by Page to exhibit a paradox in the global description of the multiverse: the overwhelming majority of observers arise from quantum fluctuations and not by conventional evolution. Unless we are extremely atypical, this contradicts observation. The paradox does not arise in the local description of the multiverse, but similar arguments yield interesting constraints on the maximum lifetime of metastable vacua

  11. Cushing syndrome in a young woman due to primary pigmented nodular adrenal disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hackman, Kathryn L; Davis, Anna L; Curnow, Paul A; Serpell, Jonathan W; McLean, Catriona A; Topliss, Duncan J

    2010-01-01

    To report a case of Cushing syndrome due to apparently sporadic primary pigmented nodular adrenal disease in a young woman. We describe the clinical, biochemical, radiologic, and histologic findings of Cushing syndrome due to the rare condition of primary pigmented nodular adrenal disease. A 30-year-old woman presented with a 2-year history of worsening itch without rash over her shoulders and arms and weight gain, particularly around the abdomen and face. Careful questioning did not elicit any history of exogenous glucocorticoid use (systemic or topical), including hydrocortisone. On examination, the patient had a slightly rounded and plethoric face, a small buffalo hump, central adiposity, and thin skin with a few small striae on her inner thighs. No features of the Carney complex were observed. Investigations showed hypercortisolism with suppressed corticotropin and normal adrenal imaging despite documentation of enlarged adrenal glands at removal. High-dose dexamethasone administration was followed by a decrease in urinary free cortisol excretion rather than a paradoxical rise as previously reported in primary pigmented nodular adrenal disease. No mutations were detected in the PRKAR1A gene. Primary pigmented nodular adrenal disease should be suspected in patients with corticotropin-independent Cushing syndrome who have normal adrenal imaging. The role of genetic testing in apparently sporadic cases is not established, but cumulative experience may be helpful in defining the frequency of PRKAR1A mutations.

  12. Paradoxes of maternal mourning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brice, C W

    1991-02-01

    It has been customary to conceptualize mourning as a phasic or stage phenomenon (Lindemann 1944; Parkes 1972; Bowlby 1980; Knapp 1986). Such a conceptualization has proved to be of tremendous didactic value, especially in terms of succinctly organizing and communicating the major affects, behaviors, and reactions of mourning. It is, however, my belief, based upon clinical experience with many forms of bereavement, that the phenomenon of mourning is not comprised of clearly delineated stages and phases. I have come to conceptualize the phenomenon of mourning the death of a loved person as involving the bereaved's struggle with a series of more or less unresolvable paradoxes rather than as a progression through stages that possess relatively distinct and predictable beginning and ending points. The specific paradoxes encountered by a bereaved person differ, of course, in accordance with the relationship that was lost (mother, father, spouse, child, or sibling), the developmental stage of the bereaved (childhood, adolescence, adulthood, or maturity), the type of death (sudden or prolonged), and the cause of death (illness, murder, suicide, or accident). In this paper, I will address those paradoxes that seem specific to maternal mourning - that is, to mothers who are mourning the death of a child.

  13. Tachyons without paradoxes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barrowes, S.C.

    1977-01-01

    Tachyon paradoxes, including causality paradoxes, have persisted within tachyon theories and left little hope for the existence of observable tachyons. A way is presented to solve the causality paradoxes, along with two other paradoxes, by the introduction of an absolute frame of reference in which a tachyon effect may never precede its cause. Relativity for ordinary matter is unaffected by this, even if the tachyons couple to ordinary particles. Violations of the principle of relativity due to the absolute frame would appear only in the case of free tachyons

  14. Intimate partner violence against women and the Nordic paradox.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gracia, Enrique; Merlo, Juan

    2016-05-01

    Nordic countries are the most gender equal countries in the world, but at the same time they have disproportionally high prevalence rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women. High prevalence of IPV against women, and high levels of gender equality would appear contradictory, but these apparently opposite statements appear to be true in Nordic countries, producing what could be called the 'Nordic paradox'. Despite this paradox being one of the most puzzling issues in the field, this is a research question rarely asked, and one that remains unanswered. This paper explores a number of theoretical and methodological issues that may help to understand this paradox. Efforts to understand the Nordic paradox may provide an avenue to guide new research on IPV and to respond to this major public health problem in a more effective way. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Proton beam modification of lead white pigments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beck, L.; Gutiérrez, P.C.; Miserque, F.; Thomé, L.

    2013-01-01

    Pigments and paint materials are known to be sensitive to particle irradiation. Occasionally, the analysis of paintings by PIXE can induce a slight or dark stain depending on the experimental conditions (beam current, dose, particle energy). In order to understand this discoloration, we have irradiated various types of art white pigments – lead white (hydrocerussite and basic lead sulfate), gypsum, calcite, zinc oxide and titanium oxide – with an external 3 MeV proton micro-beam commonly used for PIXE experiments. We have observed various sensitivities depending on the pigment. No visible change occurs for calcite and titanium oxide, whereas lead white pigments are very sensitive. For the majority of the studied compounds, the discoloration is proportional to the beam current and charge. The damage induced by proton beam irradiation in lead white pigments was studied by micro-Raman and XPS spectroscopies. Structural modifications and dehydration were detected. Damage recovery was investigated by thermal treatment and UV-light irradiation. The discoloration disappeared after one week of UV illumination, showing that PIXE experiments could be safely undertaken for pigments and paintings

  16. Is the EPR paradox really a paradox?

    OpenAIRE

    Tartaglia, A.

    1998-01-01

    The EPR paradox and the meaning of the Bell inequality are discussed. It is shown that considering the quantum objects as carrying with them ''instruction kits'' telling them what to do when meeting a measurement apparatus any paradox disappears. In this view the quantum state is characterized by the prescribed behaviour rather than by the specific value a parameter assumes as a result of an interaction.

  17. Generalized Hardy's Paradox

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Shu-Han; Xu, Zhen-Peng; Su, Hong-Yi; Pati, Arun Kumar; Chen, Jing-Ling

    2018-01-01

    Here, we present the most general framework for n -particle Hardy's paradoxes, which include Hardy's original one and Cereceda's extension as special cases. Remarkably, for any n ≥3 , we demonstrate that there always exist generalized paradoxes (with the success probability as high as 1 /2n -1) that are stronger than the previous ones in showing the conflict of quantum mechanics with local realism. An experimental proposal to observe the stronger paradox is also presented for the case of three qubits. Furthermore, from these paradoxes we can construct the most general Hardy's inequalities, which enable us to detect Bell's nonlocality for more quantum states.

  18. Chemical characterisation of zircon-cadmium sulfoselenide ceramic pigments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gazulla Barreda, M. F.; Rodrigo Edo, M.; Blasco Roca, E.; Orduna Cordero, M.

    2013-01-01

    The present paper addresses the development of a methodology that allows the complete chemical characterisation of zircon cadmium sulfoselenide ceramic pigments including minor and major elements. To develop the methodology, five zircon-cadmium sulfoselenide pigments with different hues were selected, studying the different measurement process steps, from sample preparation to the optimisation of the measurement of the different components of the pigments by spectroscopic techniques (WD-XRF and elemental analysis by combustion and IR detection). The chemical characterisation method developed was validated with synthetic standards prepared from the mixture of certified reference materials and pure oxides because no certified referenced materials of this type of pigments were commercially available. The developed method can be used for a complete chemical characterization of zircon-cadmium sulfoselenide ceramic pigments with a very low uncertainty for all the elements analysed. (Author)

  19. Interaction between Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb. leaf pigment and rice proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Li; Xu, Yuan; Zhou, Sumei; Qian, Haifeng; Zhang, Hui; Qi, Xiguang; Fan, Meihua

    2016-03-01

    In this study, we investigated the interaction of Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb. leaf (VBTL) pigment and rice proteins. In the presence of rice protein, VBTL pigment antioxidant activity and free polyphenol content decreased by 67.19% and 68.11%, respectively, and L(∗) of the protein-pigment complex decreased significantly over time. L(∗) values of albumin, globulin and glutelin during 60-min pigment exposure decreased by 55.00, 57.14, and 54.30%, respectively, indicating that these proteins had bound to the pigment. A significant difference in protein surface hydrophobicity was observed between rice proteins and pigment-protein complexes, indicating that hydrophobic interaction is a major binding mechanism between VBTL pigment and rice proteins. A significant difference in secondary structures between proteins and protein-pigment complexes was also uncovered, indicating that hydrogen bonding may be another mode of interaction between VBTL pigment and rice proteins. Our results indicate that VBTL pigment can stain rice proteins with hydrophobic and hydrogen interactions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. The periodontal pain paradox: Difficulty on pain assesment in dental patients (The periodontal pain paradox hypothesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haryono Utomo

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available In daily dental practice, the majority of patients’ main complaints are related to pain. Most patients assume that all pains inside the oral cavity originated from the tooth. One particular case is thermal sensitivity; sometimes patients were being able to point the site of pain, although there is neither visible caries nor secondary caries in dental radiograph. In this case, gingival recession and dentin hypersensitivity are first to be treated to eliminate the pain. If these treatments failed, pain may misdiagnose as pulpal inflammation and lead to unnecessary root canal treatment. Study in pain during periodontal instrumentation of plaque-related periodontitis revealed that the majority of patients feel pain and discomfort during probing and scaling. It seems obvious because an inflammation, either acute or chronic is related to a lowered pain threshold. However, in contrast, in this case report, patient suffered from chronic gingivitis and thermal sensitivity experienced a relative pain-free sensation during probing and scaling. Lowered pain threshold which accompanied by a blunted pain perception upon periodontal instrumentation is proposed to be termed as the periodontal pain paradox. The objective of this study is to reveal the possibility of certain factors in periodontal inflammation which may involved in the periodontal pain paradox hypothesis. Patient with thermal hypersensitivity who was conducted probing and scaling, after the relative pain-free instrumentation, thermal hypersensitivity rapidly disappeared. Based on the successful periodontal treatment, it is concluded that chronic gingivitis may modulate periodontal pain perception which termed as periodontal pain paradox

  1. The quercetin paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boots, Agnes W.; Li, Hui; Schins, Roel P.F.; Duffin, Rodger; Heemskerk, Johan W.M.; Bast, Aalt; Haenen, Guido R.M.M.

    2007-01-01

    Free radical scavenging antioxidants, such as quercetin, are chemically converted into oxidation products when they protect against free radicals. The main oxidation product of quercetin, however, displays a high reactivity towards thiols, which can lead to the loss of protein function. The quercetin paradox is that in the process of offering protection, quercetin is converted into a potential toxic product. In the present study, this paradox is evaluated using rat lung epithelial (RLE) cells. It was found that quercetin efficiently protects against H 2 O 2 -induced DNA damage in RLE cells, but this damage is swapped for a reduction in GSH level, an increase in LDH leakage as well as an increase of the cytosolic free calcium concentration. To our knowledge, this is the first study that indicates that the quercetin paradox, i.e. the exchange of damage caused by quercetin and its metabolites, also occurs in living lung cells. Following depletion of GSH in the cells by BSO pre-treatment, this quercetin paradox becomes more pronounced, confirming that the formation of thiol reactive quercetin metabolites is involved in the quercetin paradox. The quercetin paradox in living cells implies that the anti-oxidant directs oxidative damage selectively to thiol arylation. Apparently, the potential toxicity of metabolites formed during the actual antioxidant activity of free radical scavengers should be considered in antioxidant supplementation

  2. Paradoxes in probability theory

    CERN Document Server

    Eckhardt, William

    2013-01-01

    Paradoxes provide a vehicle for exposing misinterpretations and misapplications of accepted principles. This book discusses seven paradoxes surrounding probability theory.  Some remain the focus of controversy; others have allegedly been solved, however the accepted solutions are demonstrably incorrect. Each paradox is shown to rest on one or more fallacies.  Instead of the esoteric, idiosyncratic, and untested methods that have been brought to bear on these problems, the book invokes uncontroversial probability principles, acceptable both to frequentists and subjectivists. The philosophical disputation inspired by these paradoxes is shown to be misguided and unnecessary; for instance, startling claims concerning human destiny and the nature of reality are directly related to fallacious reasoning in a betting paradox, and a problem analyzed in philosophy journals is resolved by means of a computer program.

  3. Genetic and Virulent Difference Between Pigmented and Non-pigmented Staphylococcus aureus

    OpenAIRE

    Jing Zhang; Yujuan Suo; Daofeng Zhang; Fangning Jin; Hang Zhao; Chunlei Shi

    2018-01-01

    Staphyloxanthin (STX), a golden carotenoid pigment produced by Staphylococcus aureus, is suggested to act as an important virulence factor due to its antioxidant properties. Restraining biosynthesis of STX was considered as an indicator of virulence decline in pigmented S. aureus isolates. However, it is not clear whether natural non-pigmented S. aureus isolates have less virulence than pigmented ones. In this study, it is aimed to compare the pigmented and non-pigmented S. aureus isolates to...

  4. Paradoxes and Innovation in Family Firms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ingram, Amy E.; Lewis, Marianne W.; Barton, Sid

    2016-01-01

    thinkers are more likely to manage these tensions and fuel innovative behavior. Leveraging family business and organizational paradox literatures, this multi-stage exploratory study develops measures of paradoxical tensions and paradoxical thinking in family firms, and tests these propositions. Findings...... indicate that paradoxical tensions may stymie innovative behavior, but that leaders' paradoxical thinking is positively related to innovative behavior....

  5. Fermi's paradox: The last challenge for copernicanism?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ćirković M.M.

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available We review Fermi's paradox (or the 'Great Silence' problem, not only arguably the oldest and crucial problem for the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence (SETI, but also a conundrum of profound scientific, philosophical and cultural importance. By a simple analysis of observation selection effects, the correct resolution of Fermi's paradox is certain to tell us something about the future of humanity. Already more than three quarters of century old puzzle and a quarter of century since the last major review paper in the field by G. David Brin has generated many ingenious discussions and hypotheses. We analyze the often tacit methodological assumptions built in various answers to this puzzle and attempt a new classification of the numerous solutions proposed in an already huge literature on the subject. Finally, we consider the ramifications of various classes of hypotheses for the practical SETI projects. Somewhat paradoxically, it seems that the class of (neocatastrophic hypotheses gives, on the balance, the strongest justification to optimism regarding our current and near-future SETI efforts.

  6. Paradoxes in Practice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Charlotte Øland; Schulze, Pernille; Larsen, Mette Vinther

    The purpose of this paper is to explore how paradoxes unfold in management practices and how moments of relational dialogic, self-reflexive learning can transform these paradoxes into new understandings of the complexities of organizing and management. We work with paradox, not as a label...... to explore ‘the flux of reality from within’ with the managers. We therefore draw on Bakhtin’s ideas regarding ongoing centripetal (monologic) and centrifugal (dialogic) forces of language and aim to demonstrate how working with language and the awareness of the embodied embedded practices at the same time...

  7. Genetic and Virulent Difference Between Pigmented and Non-pigmented Staphylococcus aureus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jing; Suo, Yujuan; Zhang, Daofeng; Jin, Fangning; Zhao, Hang; Shi, Chunlei

    2018-01-01

    Staphyloxanthin (STX), a golden carotenoid pigment produced by Staphylococcus aureus , is suggested to act as an important virulence factor due to its antioxidant properties. Restraining biosynthesis of STX was considered as an indicator of virulence decline in pigmented S. aureus isolates. However, it is not clear whether natural non-pigmented S. aureus isolates have less virulence than pigmented ones. In this study, it is aimed to compare the pigmented and non-pigmented S. aureus isolates to clarify the genetic and virulent differences between the two groups. Here, 132 S. aureus isolates were divided into two phenotype groups depending on the absorbance (OD 450 ) of the extracted carotenoids. Then, all isolates were subjected to spa typing and multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and then the detection of presence of 30 virulence factors and the gene integrity of crtN and crtM . Furthermore, 24 typical S. aureus isolates and 4 S. argenteus strains were selected for the murine infection assay of in vivo virulence, in which the histological observation and enumeration of CFUs were carried out. These isolates were distributed in 26 sequence types (STs) and 49 spa types. The pigmented isolates were scattered in 25 STs, while the non-pigmented isolates were more centralized, which mainly belonged to ST20 (59%) and ST25 (13%). Among the 54 non-pigmented isolates, about 20% carried intact crtN and crtM genes. The in vivo assay suggested that comparing with pigmented S. aureus , non-pigmented S. aureus and S. argenteus strains did not show a reduced virulence in murine sepsis models. Therefore, it suggested that there were no significant genetic and virulent differences between pigmented and non-pigmented S. aureus .

  8. Antiparticle in Light of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Paradox and Klein Paradox

    OpenAIRE

    Ni, Guang-jiong; Guan, Hong; Zhou, Weimin; Yan, Jun

    2000-01-01

    The original version of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox and the Klein paradox of Klein-Gordon (KG) equation are discussed to show the necessity of existence of antiparticle with its wavefunction being fixed unambiguously. No concept of "hole" is needed.

  9. Genetic and Virulent Difference Between Pigmented and Non-pigmented Staphylococcus aureus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jing Zhang

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Staphyloxanthin (STX, a golden carotenoid pigment produced by Staphylococcus aureus, is suggested to act as an important virulence factor due to its antioxidant properties. Restraining biosynthesis of STX was considered as an indicator of virulence decline in pigmented S. aureus isolates. However, it is not clear whether natural non-pigmented S. aureus isolates have less virulence than pigmented ones. In this study, it is aimed to compare the pigmented and non-pigmented S. aureus isolates to clarify the genetic and virulent differences between the two groups. Here, 132 S. aureus isolates were divided into two phenotype groups depending on the absorbance (OD450 of the extracted carotenoids. Then, all isolates were subjected to spa typing and multilocus sequence typing (MLST, and then the detection of presence of 30 virulence factors and the gene integrity of crtN and crtM. Furthermore, 24 typical S. aureus isolates and 4 S. argenteus strains were selected for the murine infection assay of in vivo virulence, in which the histological observation and enumeration of CFUs were carried out. These isolates were distributed in 26 sequence types (STs and 49 spa types. The pigmented isolates were scattered in 25 STs, while the non-pigmented isolates were more centralized, which mainly belonged to ST20 (59% and ST25 (13%. Among the 54 non-pigmented isolates, about 20% carried intact crtN and crtM genes. The in vivo assay suggested that comparing with pigmented S. aureus, non-pigmented S. aureus and S. argenteus strains did not show a reduced virulence in murine sepsis models. Therefore, it suggested that there were no significant genetic and virulent differences between pigmented and non-pigmented S. aureus.

  10. Annular and central heavy pigment deposition on the posterior lens capsule in the pigment dispersion syndrome: pigment deposition on the posterior lens capsule in the pigment dispersion syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turgut, Burak; Türkçüoğlu, Peykan; Deniz, Nurettin; Catak, Onur

    2008-12-01

    To report annular and central heavy pigment deposition on the posterior lens capsule in a case of pigment dispersion syndrome. Case report. A 36-year-old female with bilateral pigment dispersion syndrome presented with progressive decrease in visual acuity in the right eye over the past 1-2 years. Clinical examination revealed the typical findings of pigment dispersion syndrome including bilateral Krunkenberg spindles, iris transillumination defects, and dense trabecular meshwork pigmentation. Remarkably, annular and central dense pigmentation of the posterior lens capsule was noted in the right eye. Annular pigment deposition on the posterior lens capsule may be a rare finding associated with pigment dispersion syndrome. Such a finding suggests that there may be aqueous flow into the retrolental space in some patients with this condition. The way of central pigmentation is the entrance of aqueous to Berger's space. In our case, it is probable that spontaneous detachment of the anterior hyaloid membrane aided this entrance.

  11. Multisetting Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger paradoxes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Weidong; Yu, Sixia; Oh, C. H.

    2017-01-01

    The Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) paradox provides an all-versus-nothing test for the quantum nonlocality. In most of the GHZ paradoxes known so far each observer is allowed to measure only two alternative observables. Here we present a general construction for GHZ paradoxes in which each observer measures more than two observables given that the system is prepared in the n -qudit GHZ state. By doing so we are able to construct a multisetting GHZ paradox for the n -qubit GHZ state, with n being arbitrary, which is genuine n -partite; i.e., no GHZ paradox exists when restricted to a subset of a number of observers for a given set of Mermin observables. Our result fills up the gap of the absence of a genuine GHZ paradox for the GHZ state of an even number of qubits, especially the four-qubit GHZ state as used in GHZ's original proposal.

  12. Pigment dispersion syndrome: a clinical study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scheie, H G; Cameron, J D

    1981-01-01

    This study involved a group of 407 patients (799 eyes) with pigment dispersion syndrome gathered from a glaucoma population of 9200 patients. The sex distribution was equal. The majority (65%) of patients were myopic. The incidence of retinal detachment was 6.4%. No patients were black, but 5 were mulatto. Approximately one-quarter of the patients wih pigment dispersion syndrome (31% of the men, 19% of the women) had glaucoma. The average age of onset of glaucoma was 15 years less than in control patients with chronic simple glaucoma. When both eyes were affected by glaucoma, the glaucoma was consistently more severe in the eye with the more heavily pigmented angle. The degree of iris transillumination was found to be of no importance in predicting the presence of glaucoma or the severity of trabecular pigmentation. The pressure in 66% of the eyes with pigmentary glaucoma was controlled medically. A higher percentage of patients with pigmentary glaucoma required surgery than patients in the control group with chronic simple glaucoma. Men with pigmentary glaucoma required surgery at a much earlier age than women with pigmentary glaucoma. PMID:7236571

  13. Underlying Paradox in the European Union's Multilingualism Policies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Fern L.

    2013-01-01

    The European Union (EU) has developed comprehensive policies in recent years to promote multilingualism. In this article, major EU policy statements on multilingualism are analyzed to demonstrate how their underlying language ideology produces paradox by both encouraging multilingualism and regulating its definition within the EU. The first…

  14. Pigment dispersion syndrome associated with optic nerve melanocytoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asorey-García, A; Méndez-Hernández, C D; Santos-Bueso, E; García-Feijoo, J

    2015-10-01

    A 60-year old patient was referred for cataract surgery. The examination showed retrokeratic pigment in the left eye, which had an intraocular pressure of 24 mm Hg. The funduscopy showed a brown lesion on the left optic disk, with adjacent vitreous seeding of pigment. The patient was thus diagnosed with secondary pigment dispersion syndrome due to optic disk melanocytoma. Although melanocytoma is most commonly a benign, stationary tumor, it may present with major complications leading to significant visual loss. A patient with melanocytoma of the optic disk should be examined periodically. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Oftalmología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  15. Intraclutch variation in avian eggshell pigmentation: the anaemia hypothesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Coster, Greet; De Neve, Liesbeth; Lens, Luc

    2012-10-01

    Many passerine species lay eggs that are speckled with dark protoporphyrin pigmentation. Because protoporphyrin is mainly derived from the blood, we here formulate and test a new hypothesis that links an increase in anaemia along the laying sequence to within-clutch variation in egg pigmentation. More intense pigmentation is expected if pigments accumulate during enhanced red blood cell production in response to anaemia. Reduced pigmentation is expected if pigments are derived from the degradation of red blood cells that circulate in smaller numbers due to blood loss. To test this hypothesis, we manipulated anaemia in great tit (Parus major) females by infesting the nests with hen fleas (Ceratophyllus gallinae) prior to egg laying. Polychromatophil (i.e., immature red blood cells) percentage, as a measure of blood cell production, was positively correlated with parasite load confirming that female great tits experienced stronger anaemia when infested with haematophagous parasites during egg laying. We found a positive relationship between spot darkness and laying order that weakened under high parasite load. This result suggests that anaemia in females due to blood-sucking parasites led to diminished protoporphyrin from disintegrated red blood cells and hence a decreased deposition of protoporphyrin. However, the overall increase in pigment darkness along the laying sequence suggests that pigments also accumulate by enhanced red blood cell production caused by anaemia due to egg production itself.

  16. Tachyons and causal paradoxes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maund, J.B.

    1979-01-01

    Although the existence of tachyons is not ruled out by special relativity, it appears that causal paradoxes will arise if there are tachyons. The usual solutions to these paradoxes employ some form of the reinterpretation principle. In this paper it is argued first that, the principle is incoherent, second, that even if it is not, some causal paradoxes remain, and third, the most plausible ''solution,'' which appeals to boundary conditions of the universe, will conflict with special relativity

  17. Iris phenotypes and pigment dispersion caused by genes influencing pigmentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Michael G; Hawes, Norman L; Trantow, Colleen M; Chang, Bo; John, Simon W M

    2008-10-01

    Spontaneous mutations altering mouse coat colors have been a classic resource for discovery of numerous molecular pathways. Although often overlooked, the mouse iris is also densely pigmented and easily observed, thus representing a similarly powerful opportunity for studying pigment cell biology. Here, we present an analysis of iris phenotypes among 16 mouse strains with mutations influencing melanosomes. Many of these strains exhibit biologically and medically relevant phenotypes, including pigment dispersion, a common feature of several human ocular diseases. Pigment dispersion was identified in several strains with mutant alleles known to influence melanosomes, including beige, light, and vitiligo. Pigment dispersion was also detected in the recently arising spontaneous coat color variant, nm2798. We have identified the nm2798 mutation as a missense mutation in the Dct gene, an identical re-occurrence of the slaty light mutation. These results suggest that dysregulated events of melanosomes can be potent contributors to the pigment dispersion phenotype. Combined, these findings illustrate the utility of studying iris phenotypes as a means of discovering new pathways, and re-linking old ones, to processes of pigmented cells in health and disease.

  18. Skin Pigmentation Disorders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pigmentation means coloring. Skin pigmentation disorders affect the color of your skin. Your skin gets its color from a pigment called melanin. Special cells in the skin make melanin. When these cells become damaged or ...

  19. Production and chemical characterization of pigments in filamentous fungi.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Souza, Patrícia Nirlane da Costa; Grigoletto, Tahuana Luiza Bim; de Moraes, Luiz Alberto Beraldo; Abreu, Lucas M; Guimarães, Luís Henrique Souza; Santos, Cledir; Galvão, Luciano Ribeiro; Cardoso, Patrícia Gomes

    2016-01-01

    Production of pigments by filamentous fungi is gaining interest owing to their use as food colourants, in cosmetics and textiles, and because of the important biological activities of these compounds. In this context, the objectives of this study were to select pigment-producing fungi, identify these fungi based on internal transcribed spacer sequences, evaluate the growth and pigment production of the selected strains on four different media, and characterize the major coloured metabolites in their extracts. Of the selected fungal strains, eight were identified as Aspergillus sydowii (CML2967), Aspergillus aureolatus (CML2964), Aspergillus keveii (CML2968), Penicillium flavigenum (CML2965), Penicillium chermesinum (CML2966), Epicoccum nigrum (CML2971), Lecanicillium aphanocladii (CML2970) and Fusarium sp. (CML2969). Fungal pigment production was influenced by medium composition. Complex media, such as potato dextrose and malt extract, favoured increased pigment production. The coloured compounds oosporein, orevactaene and dihydrotrichodimerol were identified in extracts of L. aphanocladii (CML2970), E. nigrum (CML2971), and P. flavigenum (CML2965), respectively. These results indicate that the selected fungal strains can serve as novel sources of pigments that have important industrial applications.

  20. A quick assessment of the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 pigments : From lab to conservation studio!

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Driel, B.A.; Kooyman, P.J.; van den Berg, K.J.; Schmidt-Ott, A.; Dik, J.

    2015-01-01

    Titanium dioxide is the most abundantly used white pigment of the 20th century. The pigment is still in use, both in the production of contemporary art and for the conservation of older artwork as a retouching pigment. Unfortunately, next to its positive characteristics, the pigment has one major

  1. Quantum paradoxes and physical reality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van der Merwe, Alwyn; Selleri, Franco

    1990-01-01

    This book is devoted to the most fundamental themes of quantum physics: acausality, wave-particle duality, Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox, and so on. These are matters of growing interest for physicists. Several paradoxes have plagued quantum physics since its beginnings, the easiest of which to solve are the paradoxes of completeness (Schroedinger's cat, Wigner's friend, de Broglie's box, etc.). At a deeper level is the paradox of wave-particle duality whose solution probably requires the Einstein-de Broglie picture of atomic systems. The most difficult of them all is the EPR paradox (incompatibility between local realism and quantum theory). The book shows that experimental research can, in principle, solve paradoxes such as EPR and wave-particle duality but that the experiments performed on Bell-type inequalities have instead left the conceptual situation fundamentally unmodified. For a fair understanding of the Einstein-de Broglie and of the Bohr-Heisenberg ideas, an 'internal' lecture of physics is not enough. Such 'external' elements as individual biographies, history of culture, and philosophical preconceptions prove also to be important. (author). refs.; figs.; tabs

  2. Electromagnetic reaction paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aspden, H.

    1984-01-01

    Alternative explanations for free-electron diamagnetism appear paradoxical and inconsistent with the reactive induction properties of magnetic materials. It is shown that the paradox can be eliminated by a generalized definition of the magnetic field with interesting spin-off consequences, including a justification for the anomalous doubling of the positron's effective mass in a free-electron environment

  3. Methods and principles of pigment dispersing to maximize ink opacity and performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schaeffer, W.R.

    1999-01-01

    Four classes of oligomers were evaluated for their pigment dispersing capabilities. These include and aliphatic urethanes, epoxy acrylates, polyesters and a novel class of acrylated resins. This will show that surface tension and chemical structure are major factors influencing pigment and final ink performance properties

  4. Radwaste paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carter, L.J.

    1983-01-01

    The Paradox Basin is one of the places where the US Department of Energy is looking for a site for a deep-mined repository for high-level radioactive waste. This seems appropriately symbolic because the geologic disposal problem has increasingly taken on the aspect of a political and technical conundrum, replete with real or seeming contradictions and paradoxes. A central paradox is that, while the concept of sequestering long-lived wastes in mined repositories is attractive intuitively, the very efforts made to confirm the suitability of particular rock formations give rise to further uncertainties. The new law contemplates repository construction will start as early as 1989. Experience so far at the several sites suggests that the technical and political questions tend to proliferate rather than diminish as more becomes known about the geology and hydrology. The following sites were discussed: the Hanford basalt; the Nevada tuff; and salt beds and salt domes (Utah, Texas, Mississippi). (DP)

  5. Comment on the extinct paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levine, D.M.

    1983-11-01

    The extinction paradox is a contradiction between geometrical optics results which predict that at high frequencies the scattering cross section of an object should equal its geometrical cross section and rigorous scattering theory which shows that at high frequencies the scattering cross section approaches twice the geometrical cross section of the object. Confusion about the reason for this paradox persists today even though the nature of the paradox was correctly identified many years ago by Brillouin. The resolution of the paradox is restated and illustrated with an example, and then the implications to the interpretation of scattering cross sections are identified

  6. The three-box paradox revisited

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ravon, Tamar; Vaidman, Lev

    2007-01-01

    The classical three-box paradox of Kirkpatrick (2003 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 36 4891) is compared to the original quantum three-box paradox of Aharonov and Vaidman (1991 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 24 2315). It is argued that the quantum three-box experiment is a 'quantum paradox' in the sense that it is an example of a classical task which cannot be accomplished using classical means, but can be accomplished using quantum devices. It is shown that Kirkpatrick's card game is analogous to a different game with a particle in three boxes which does not contain paradoxical features

  7. The Simpson's paradox unraveled

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hernán, Miguel A; Clayton, David; Keiding, Niels

    2011-01-01

    Background In a famous article, Simpson described a hypothetical data example that led to apparently paradoxical results. Methods We make the causal structure of Simpson’s example explicit. Results We show how the paradox disappears when the statistical analysis is appropriately guided by subject......-matter knowledge. We also review previous explanations of Simpson’s paradox that attributed it to two distinct phenomena: confounding and non-collapsibility. Conclusion Analytical errors may occur when the problem is stripped of its causal context and analyzed merely in statistical terms....

  8. Dense pigmentation of the posterior lens capsule associated with the pigment dispersion syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Danny Y; Volpicelli, Mark; Singh, Kuldev

    2003-12-01

    To report an unusual case of pigment dispersion syndrome associated with unilateral dense pigmentation of the posterior lens capsule. Case report. A 59-year-old male with bilateral pigment dispersion syndrome presented with progressive decrease in visual acuity in the left eye over the past 10 to 20 years. Clinical examination revealed the typical findings of pigment dispersion syndrome including the presence of bilateral Krunkenberg spindles, iris transillumination defects, and heavy trabecular meshwork pigmentation. Of note, there was remarkably dense pigmentation of the posterior lens capsule in the eye with decreased visual acuity. Pigmentation of the posterior lens capsule may be a rare finding associated with pigment dispersion syndrome. Such a finding suggests that there may be aqueous flow into the retrolental space in some patients with this condition. The optimal treatment of this unusual condition remains undetermined.

  9. Quantum paradoxes and physical reality

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Van der Merwe, Alwyn (Denver Univ., CO (USA). Dept. of Physics) (ed.); Selleri, Franco (Bologna Univ. (Italy). Ist. di Fisica)

    1990-01-01

    This book is devoted to the most fundamental themes of quantum physics: acausality, wave-particle duality, Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox, and so on. These are matters of growing interest for physicists. Several paradoxes have plagued quantum physics since its beginnings, the easiest of which to solve are the paradoxes of completeness (Schroedinger's cat, Wigner's friend, de Broglie's box, etc.). At a deeper level is the paradox of wave-particle duality whose solution probably requires the Einstein-de Broglie picture of atomic systems. The most difficult of them all is the EPR paradox (incompatibility between local realism and quantum theory). The book shows that experimental research can, in principle, solve paradoxes such as EPR and wave-particle duality but that the experiments performed on Bell-type inequalities have instead left the conceptual situation fundamentally unmodified. For a fair understanding of the Einstein-de Broglie and of the Bohr-Heisenberg ideas, an 'internal' lecture of physics is not enough. Such 'external' elements as individual biographies, history of culture, and philosophical preconceptions prove also to be important. (author). refs.; figs.; tabs.

  10. Paradoxical embolism: computed tomography demonstration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaye, J.; Hayward, M.

    2001-01-01

    Paradoxical emboli are rare and often presumptively diagnosed. A case of paradoxical embolism, in which both the arterial and venous emboli were documented on CT, is described. While paradoxical emboli are not infrequently diagnosed clinically on a presumptive basis, it is rare to document them with imaging such as CT which, in the present case, confirmed the diagnosis. Copyright (2001) Blackwell Science Pty Ltd

  11. An American Paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jamieson, D.

    2006-01-01

    This paper explores the paradox that while Americans generally identify themselves as environmentalists, they show little willingness to voluntarily restrain their behavior or to support specific fiscal policies that would result in increased levels of environmental protection. I explore the role of values in the explanation of this paradox, and discuss some of the difficulties involved in studying values and their role in human behavior

  12. Black Hole Paradoxes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joshi, Pankaj S.; Narayan, Ramesh

    2016-01-01

    We propose here that the well-known black hole paradoxes such as the information loss and teleological nature of the event horizon are restricted to a particular idealized case, which is the homogeneous dust collapse model. In this case, the event horizon, which defines the boundary of the black hole, forms initially, and the singularity in the interior of the black hole at a later time. We show that, in contrast, gravitational collapse from physically more realistic initial conditions typically leads to the scenario in which the event horizon and space-time singularity form simultaneously. We point out that this apparently simple modification can mitigate the causality and teleological paradoxes, and also lends support to two recently suggested solutions to the information paradox, namely, the ‘firewall’ and ‘classical chaos’ proposals. (paper)

  13. Einstein and the twin paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pesic, Peter

    2003-01-01

    Einstein was the first to discuss and resolve the 'twin paradox', which in 1905 he did not consider paradoxical and treated as a consequence of lack of simultaneity. He maintained this view until at least 1914. However, in 1918 Einstein brought forward arguments about accelerated frames of reference that tended to overshadow his initial resolution. His earlier arguments were gradually rediscovered during the subsequent controversy about this 'paradox'

  14. Managing operational paradoxes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olson, J.; Baker, K.; Thurber, J.

    1992-01-01

    The economic, regulatory, and social environment of commercial nuclear power has changed dramatically in the last 10 yr. In addition to the increased regulatory pressure resulting from the Three Mile Island incident and other factors, nuclear utilities have experienced increasing financial pressure from state public utility commissions and investors. To successfully manage nuclear power plants in today's environment requires different skills and strategies than were required 10 yr ago. External pressures on the utility and plant organization have created a series of operational paradoxes unmatched in the history of commercial nuclear power. This paper is based on a synthesis of findings and observations from a series of studies conducted by the authors over the past 10 yr. The authors identify a series of specific paradoxes facing managers of nuclear power plants and suggest several strategies for managing these paradoxes

  15. Five paradox on energy system management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frisch, J.R.

    1995-01-01

    Five paradox are detailed on energy management: internationalization of energy questions but always regional management is present, short term problems must be solved but without forgetting long term problems in environment, the third paradox is : we have time but we are in a hurry, we have reserves but ten, twenty or thirty years are necessary to adapt our energy system; the fourth paradox is : we cannot manage energy by managing only energy, for example : finances system development and environment importance. The last and fifth paradox is : the market, yes, but state too, as regulative force

  16. Small molecule screening identifies targetable zebrafish pigmentation pathways

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Colanesi, Sarah; Taylor, Kerrie L; Temperley, Nicholas D

    2012-01-01

    Small molecules complement genetic mutants and can be used to probe pigment cell biology by inhibiting specific proteins or pathways. Here, we present the results of a screen of active compounds for those that affect the processes of melanocyte and iridophore development in zebrafish and investig......Small molecules complement genetic mutants and can be used to probe pigment cell biology by inhibiting specific proteins or pathways. Here, we present the results of a screen of active compounds for those that affect the processes of melanocyte and iridophore development in zebrafish...... and investigate the effects of a few of these compounds in further detail. We identified and confirmed 57 compounds that altered pigment cell patterning, number, survival, or differentiation. Additional tissue targets and toxicity of small molecules are also discussed. Given that the majority of cell types...

  17. Extending Cantor Paradox

    OpenAIRE

    Leon, Antonio

    2008-01-01

    The inconsistencies involved in the foundation of set theory were invariably caused by infinity and self-reference; and only with the opportune axiomatic restrictions could them be obviated. Throughout history, both concepts have proved to be an exhaustible source of paradoxes and contradictions. It seems therefore legitimate to pose some questions concerning their formal consistency. This is just the objective of this paper. Starting from an extension of Cantor's paradox that suggests the in...

  18. Paradoxical aortic stenosis: A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cavaca, Rita; Teixeira, Rogério; Vieira, Maria João; Gonçalves, Lino

    2017-04-01

    Aortic stenosis (AS) is a complex systemic valvular and vascular disease with a high prevalence in developed countries. The new entity "paradoxical low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis" refers to cases in which patients have severe AS based on assessment of aortic valve area (AVA) (≤1 cm 2 ) or indexed AVA (≤0.6 cm 2 /m 2 ), but paradoxically have a low mean transvalvular gradient (<40 mmHg) and a low stroke volume index (≤35 ml/m 2 ), despite preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (≥50%). A search was carried out in the PubMed database on paradoxical AS for the period 2007-2014. A total of 57 articles were included for this review. The prevalence of paradoxical AS ranged from 3% to 35% of the population with severe degenerative AS. It was more frequent in females and in older patients. Paradoxical AS was associated with characteristic left ventricular remodeling as well as an increase in systemic arterial stiffness. It was noted that there may be errors and inaccuracies in the calculation of AVA by the continuity equation, which could erroneously suggest the paradoxical phenotype. There are new diagnostic methods to facilitate the study of AS, such as aortic valve calcium score, valvuloarterial impedance and the longitudinal mechanics of the left ventricle. With regard to its natural history, it is not clear whether paradoxical AS corresponds to an advance stage of the disease or if paradoxical AS patients have a distinct phenotype with specific characteristics. Valve replacement, either surgical or percutaneous, may be indicated in patients with severe and symptomatic paradoxical AS. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  19. Characteristic Elemental Composition of Oil Pigments using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Yong Sam; Kim, Sun Ha; Sun, Gwang Min; Lim, Jong Myung; Moon, Jong Hwa; Kim, Young Jin; Lim, Sung Jin; Song, Yu Na; Kim, Ken

    2009-01-01

    The principal aim of this study is to identify the applicability of instrumental neutron activation analysis as a non-destructive examination tool for the quantitative composition analysis associated with authentication, restoration, and conservation of art objects in the field of cultural heritage. Generally, the chemical composition of pigments are associated with the colors such as white, yellow, orange, red, green, blue and black, and it varies with raw materials of pigments. According to the colors of a different pigments, chemical compositions are as follows; for example, white pigments were used for a mixture of Pb(CO 3 ) 2 , PbSO 4 , PbO, Pb(OH) 2 , ZnO, ZnS, TiO 2 , BaSO 4 , CaCO 3 , Al 2 O 3 , As 2 S 3 , etc.; black pigments were series of carbon black, borne ash, MnO+Mn 2 O 3 , etc.; red pigments were Fe 2 O 3 , Pb 3 O 4 , HgS, PbMo 4 , CdS+CdSe, etc.; brown and yellow pigments were PbCrO 4 , ZnCrO 4 , CdS-ZnS, K 3 [Co(NO 2 ) 6 ], Pb(SbO 3 ) 2 , C 19 H 16 O 11 Mg, SrCrO 4 , etc.; green pigments were Cr 2 O 3 , Cr 2 O(OH) 4 , Cu(C 2 H 3 O 2 )-2Cu(OH) 2 ), Cr 2 O 3 -Al 2 O 3 -CoO, etc.; blue pigments were Fe 4 [Fe(CN) 6 ] 3 , CoO-Al 2 O 3 , Na 8 - 10 Al 6 Si 6 O 24 S 2-4 , etc. This first step is to obtain quantitative data on the concentrations of major, minor and trace elements in oil pigments and to explain pigment sources by statistical treatment as reported in many literatures. The determination of major, minor and micro elements in the subject materials are essential in many fields of basic science and technology as well as commercial and industrial fields. In particular, direct analysis of a sample offers a more effective investigation method in these fields. Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) has an inherent advantage of being a non-destructive, simultaneously multi-elemental analysis with high accuracy and sensitivity. In order to characterize the elemental contents of art objects, the quantitative analysis of oil pigment series was

  20. Can Rose’s paradox be useful in crime prevention?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christoffersen, Mogens; Joshi, Heather

    2015-01-01

    Geoffrey Rose’s prevention paradox obtains when the majority of cases with an adverse outcome come from a population of low or moderate risk, and only a few from a minority ‘high risk’ group. Preventive treatment is then better targeted widely than on the ‘high risk’ minority. This study tests wh...

  1. Explaining the harmonic sequence paradox.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmidt, Ulrich; Zimper, Alexander

    2012-05-01

    According to the harmonic sequence paradox, an expected utility decision maker's willingness to pay for a gamble whose expected payoffs evolve according to the harmonic series is finite if and only if his marginal utility of additional income becomes zero for rather low payoff levels. Since the assumption of zero marginal utility is implausible for finite payoff levels, expected utility theory - as well as its standard generalizations such as cumulative prospect theory - are apparently unable to explain a finite willingness to pay. This paper presents first an experimental study of the harmonic sequence paradox. Additionally, it demonstrates that the theoretical argument of the harmonic sequence paradox only applies to time-patient decision makers, whereas the paradox is easily avoided if time-impatience is introduced. ©2011 The British Psychological Society.

  2. The core paradox.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kennedy, G. C.; Higgins, G. H.

    1973-01-01

    Rebuttal of suggestions from various critics attempting to provide an escape from the seeming paradox originated by Higgins and Kennedy's (1971) proposed possibility that the liquid in the outer core was thermally stably stratified and that this stratification might prove a powerful inhibitor to circulation of the outer core fluid of the kind postulated for the generation of the earth's magnetic field. These suggestions are examined and shown to provide no reasonable escape from the core paradox.

  3. Salt disposal: Paradox Basin, Utah

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-04-01

    This report presents the findings of a study conducted for the National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) Program. Permanent disposal options are examined for salt resulting from the excavation of a waste repository in the bedded salt deposits of the Paradox Basin of southeastern Utah. The study is based on a repository salt backfill compaction of 60% of the original density which leaves a total of 8 million tons of 95% pure salt to be disposed of over a 30-year period. The feasibility, impacts, and mitigation methods are examined for five options: commercial disposal, permanent onsite surface disposal, permanent offsite disposal, deepwell injection, and ocean and Great Salt Lake disposal. The study concludes the following: Commercial marketing of all repository salt would require a subsidy for transportation to major salt markets. Permanent onsite surface storage is both economically and technically feasible. Permanent offsite disposal is technically feasible but would incur additional transportation costs. Selection of an offsite location would provide a means of mitigating impacts associated with surface storage at the repository site. Deepwell injection is an attractive disposal method; however, the large water requirement, high cost of development, and poor performance of similar operating brine disposal wells eliminates this option from consideration as the primary means of disposal for the Paradox Basin. Ocean disposal is expensive because of high transportation cost. Also, regulatory approval is unlikely. Ocean disposal should be eliminated from further consideration in the Paradox Basin. Great Salt Lake disposal appears to be technically feasible. Great Salt Lake disposal would require state approval and would incur substantial costs for salt transportation. Permanent onsite disposal is the least expensive method for disposal of all repository salt

  4. Internal and external factors affecting photosynthetic pigment composition in plants: a meta-analytical approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esteban, Raquel; Barrutia, Oihana; Artetxe, Unai; Fernández-Marín, Beatriz; Hernández, Antonio; García-Plazaola, José Ignacio

    2015-04-01

    Photosynthetic pigment composition has been a major study target in plant ecophysiology during the last three decades. Although more than 2000 papers have been published, a comprehensive evaluation of the responses of photosynthetic pigment composition to environmental conditions is not yet available. After an extensive survey, we compiled data from 525 papers including 809 species (subkingdom Viridiplantae) in which pigment composition was described. A meta-analysis was then conducted to assess the ranges of photosynthetic pigment content. Calculated frequency distributions of pigments were compared with those expected from the theoretical pigment composition. Responses to environmental factors were also analysed. The results revealed that lutein and xanthophyll cycle pigments (VAZ) were highly responsive to the environment, emphasizing the high phenotypic plasticity of VAZ, whereas neoxanthin was very stable. The present meta-analysis supports the existence of relatively narrow limits for pigment ratios and also supports the presence of a pool of free 'unbound' VAZ. Results from this study provide highly reliable ranges of photosynthetic pigment contents as a framework for future research on plant pigments. © 2014 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2014 New Phytologist Trust.

  5. From the BMI paradox to the obesity paradox: the obesity-mortality association in coronary heart disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antonopoulos, A S; Oikonomou, E K; Antoniades, C; Tousoulis, D

    2016-10-01

    Despite a strong association between body weight and mortality in the general population, clinical evidence suggests better clinical outcome of overweight or obese individuals with established coronary heart disease. This finding has been termed the 'obesity paradox', but its existence remains a point of debate, because it is mostly observed when body mass index (BMI) is used to define obesity. Inherent limitations of BMI as an index of adiposity, as well as methodological biases and the presence of confounding factors, may account for the observed findings of clinical studies. In this review, our aim is to present the data that support the presence of a BMI paradox in coronary heart disease and then explore whether next to a BMI paradox a true obesity paradox exists as well. We conclude by attempting to link the obesity paradox notion to available translational research data supporting a 'healthy', protective adipose tissue phenotype. © 2016 World Obesity. © 2016 World Obesity.

  6. Ecological-friendly pigments from fungi.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durán, Nelson; Teixeira, Maria F S; De Conti, Roseli; Esposito, Elisa

    2002-01-01

    The dyestuff industry is suffering from the increases in costs of feedstock and energy for dye synthesis, and they are under increasing pressure to minimize the damage to the environment. The industries are continuously looking for cheaper, more environmentally friendly routes to existing dyes. The aim of this minireview is to discuss the most important advances in the fungal pigment area and its interest in biotechnological applications. Characteristic pigments are produced by a wide variety of fungi and the chemical composition of natural dyes are described. These pigments exhibit several biological activities besides cytotoxicity. The synthetic pigments authorized by the EC and in USA and the natural pigments available in the world market are discussed. The obstacle to the exploitation of new natural pigments sources is the food legislation, requesting costly toxicological research, manufacturing costs, and acceptance by consumers. The dislike for novel ingredients is likely to be the biggest impediment for expansion of the pigment list in the near future. If the necessary toxicological testing and the comparison with accepted pigments are made, the fungal pigments, could be acceptable by the current consumer. The potentiality of pigment production in Brazil is possible due to tremendous Amazonian region biodiversity.

  7. A Major Facilitator Superfamily protein encoded by TcMucK gene is not required for cuticle pigmentation, growth and development in Tribolium castaneum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mun, Seulgi; Noh, Mi Young; Osanai-Futahashi, Mizuko; Muthukrishnan, Subbaratnam; Kramer, Karl J; Arakane, Yasuyuki

    2014-06-01

    Insect cuticle pigmentation and sclerotization (tanning) are vital physiological processes for insect growth, development and survival. We have previously identified several colorless precursor molecules as well as enzymes involved in their biosynthesis and processing to yield the mature intensely colored body cuticle pigments. A recent study indicated that the Bombyx mori (silkmoth) gene, BmMucK, which encodes a protein orthologous to a Culex pipiens quiquefasciatus (Southern house mosquito) cis,cis, muconate transporter, is a member of the "Major Facilitator Superfamily" (MFS) of transporter proteins and is associated with the appearance of pigmented body segments of naturally occurring body color mutants of B. mori. While RNA interference of the BmMucK gene failed to result in any observable phenotype, RNAi using a dsRNA for an orthologous gene from the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, was reported to result in molting defects and darkening of the cuticle and some body parts, leading to the suggestion that orthologs of MucK genes may differ in their functions among insects. To verify the role and essentiality of the ortholog of this gene in development and body pigmentation function in T. castaneum we obtained cDNAs for the orthologous gene (TcMucK) from RNA isolated from the GA-1 wild-type strain of T. castaneum. The sequence of a 1524 nucleotides-long cDNA for TcMucK which encodes the putatively full-length protein, was assembled from two overlapping RT-PCR fragments and the expression profile of this gene during development was analyzed by real-time PCR. This cDNA encodes a 55.8 kDa protein consisting of 507 amino acid residues and includes 11 putative transmembrane segments. Transcripts of TcMucK were detected throughout all of the developmental stages analyzed. The function of this gene was explored by injection of two different double-stranded RNAs targeting different regions of the TcMucK gene (dsTcMucKs) into young larvae to down

  8. Paradoxical cerebral air embolism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopez-Negrete, L.; Garcia-Lozano, J.; Sanchez, J. L.; Sala, J.

    2000-01-01

    We present a fatal case of intracranial air embolism produced by the passage of intravenous air to the arteries owing to the existence of a patent foremen ovale associated with pulmonary hypertension, which permitted a right-left shunt (paradoxical embolism). The pathophysiological mechanisms of pneumcephalus and paradoxical embolism are discussed and the pertinent literature is reviewed. (Author) 6 refs

  9. Fermi's Paradox - The Last Challenge For Copernicanism?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ćirković, M. M.

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available We review Fermi's paradox (or the "Great Silence" problem, not only arguably the oldest and crucial problem for the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence (SETI, but also a conundrum of profound scientific, philosophical and cultural importance. By a simple analysis of observation selection effects, the correct resolution of Fermi's paradox is certain to tell us something about the future of humanity. Already more than three quarters of century old puzzle -- and a quarter of century since the last major review paper in the field by G. David Brin -- has generated many ingenious discussions and hypotheses. We analyze the often tacit methodological assumptions built in various answers to this puzzle and attempt a new classification of the numerous solutions proposed in an already huge literatureon the subject. Finally, we consider the ramifications of variousclasses of hypotheses for the practical SETI projects. Somewhatparadoxically, it seems that the class of (neocatastrophichypotheses gives, on the balance, the strongest justification tooptimism regarding our current and near-future SETI efforts.

  10. Middle ground approach to paradox: Within- and between-culture examination of the creative benefits of paradoxical frames.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leung, Angela K-Y; Liou, Shyhnan; Miron-Spektor, Ella; Koh, Brandon; Chan, David; Eisenberg, Roni; Schneider, Iris

    2018-03-01

    Thriving in increasingly complex and ambiguous environments requires creativity and the capability to reconcile conflicting demands. Recent evidence with Western samples has suggested that paradoxical frames, or mental templates that encourage individuals to recognize and embrace contradictions, could produce creative benefits. We extended the timely, but understudied, topic by studying the nuances of for whom and why creative advantages of paradoxical frames emerge. We suggest that people endorsing a middle ground approach are less likely to scrutinize conflict and reconcile with integrative solutions, thus receiving less creative benefits of paradoxical frames. Five studies that examined individual and cultural differences in middle ground endorsement support our theory. Study 1 found that paradoxical frames increased creativity, but failed to replicate that experienced conflict mediated the relationship in a Taiwanese sample. In both within- and between-culture analysis, we showed that the creative advantages of thinking paradoxically and experiencing conflict emerged among individuals who endorse lower (vs. higher) levels of middle ground (Study 2) and among Israelis whose culture predominantly endorses middle ground strategy less, but not among Singaporeans whose culture predominantly endorses middle ground more (Study 3). Study 4 further demonstrated the causal role of middle ground in the paradox-conflict-creativity link. To answer "why," Study 5 situationally induced integrative complex thinking that sets distinctions and forms syntheses among contradictory elements, and found that low endorsers of middle ground performed more creatively when they engaged integrative complex thinking to cope with paradoxes. This program of studies offers important insights on harnessing paradoxical experiences to catalyze creativity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  11. UV-B affects the immune system and promotes nuclear abnormalities in pigmented and non-pigmented bullfrog tadpoles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franco-Belussi, Lilian; Fanali, Lara Zácari; De Oliveira, Classius

    2018-03-01

    Ultra-Violet (UV) radiation is a stressor of the immune system and causes DNA damage. Leukocytes can change in response to environmental changes in anurans, making them an important biomarker of stressful situations. The initial barrier against UV in ectothermic animals is melanin-containing cells in skin and in their internal organs. Here, we tested the effects of UV exposure on immune cells and DNA integrity in pigmented and non-pigmented tadpoles of Lithobates catesbeianus. We used an inflammation model with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Escherichia coli to test synergic effects of UV and LPS. We tested the following hypotheses: 1) DNA damage caused by UV will be more pronounced in non-pigmented than in pigmented animals; 2) LPS increases leukocytes in both pigmented and non-pigmented animals by systemic inflammation; 3) The combined LPS and UV exposure will decrease the number of leukocytes. We found that the frequency of immune cells differed between pigmented and non-pigmented tadpoles. UV exposure increased mast cells and DNA damage in erythrocytes in both pigmented and non-pigmented tadpoles, while leukocytes decreased after UV exposure. Non-pigmented tadpoles experienced DNA damage and a lower lymphocyte count earlier than pigmented tadpoles. UV altered immune cells likely as a consequence of local and systemic inflammation. These alterations were less severe in pigmented than in non-pigmented animals. UV and LPS increased internal melanin in pigmented tadpoles, which were correlated with DNA damage and leukocytes. Here, we described for the first time the effects of UV and LPS in immune cells of pigmented and non-pigmented tadpoles. In addition, we demonstrated that internal melanin in tadpoles help in these defenses, since leukocyte responses were faster in non-pigmented animals, supporting the hypothesis that melanin is involved in the initial innate immune response. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Photosynthetic pigments of oceanic Chlorophyta belonging to prasinophytes clade VII.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopes Dos Santos, Adriana; Gourvil, Priscillia; Rodríguez, Francisco; Garrido, José Luis; Vaulot, Daniel

    2016-02-01

    The ecological importance and diversity of pico/nanoplanktonic algae remains poorly studied in marine waters, in part because many are tiny and without distinctive morphological features. Amongst green algae, Mamiellophyceae such as Micromonas or Bathycoccus are dominant in coastal waters while prasinophytes clade VII, yet not formerly described, appear to be major players in open oceanic waters. The pigment composition of 14 strains representative of different subclades of clade VII was analyzed using a method that improves the separation of loroxanthin and neoxanthin. All the prasinophytes clade VII analyzed here showed a pigment composition similar to that previously reported for RCC287 corresponding to pigment group prasino-2A. However, we detected in addition astaxanthin for which it is the first report in prasinophytes. Among the strains analyzed, the pigment signature is qualitatively similar within subclades A and B. By contrast, RCC3402 from subclade C (Picocystis) lacks loroxanthin, astaxanthin, and antheraxanthin but contains alloxanthin, diatoxanthin, and monadoxanthin that are usually found in diatoms or cryptophytes. For subclades A and B, loroxanthin was lowest at highest light irradiance suggesting a light-harvesting role of this pigment in clade VII as in Tetraselmis. © 2015 Phycological Society of America.

  13. Characteristic Elemental Composition of Oil Pigments using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chung, Yong Sam; Kim, Sun Ha; Sun, Gwang Min; Lim, Jong Myung; Moon, Jong Hwa; Kim, Young Jin [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lim, Sung Jin; Song, Yu Na; Kim, Ken [National Museum of Contemporary Art, Gwacheon (Korea, Republic of)

    2009-10-15

    The principal aim of this study is to identify the applicability of instrumental neutron activation analysis as a non-destructive examination tool for the quantitative composition analysis associated with authentication, restoration, and conservation of art objects in the field of cultural heritage. Generally, the chemical composition of pigments are associated with the colors such as white, yellow, orange, red, green, blue and black, and it varies with raw materials of pigments. According to the colors of a different pigments, chemical compositions are as follows; for example, white pigments were used for a mixture of Pb(CO{sub 3}){sub 2}, PbSO{sub 4}, PbO, Pb(OH){sub 2}, ZnO, ZnS, TiO{sub 2}, BaSO{sub 4}, CaCO{sub 3}, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, As{sub 2}S{sub 3}, etc.; black pigments were series of carbon black, borne ash, MnO+Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3}, etc.; red pigments were Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Pb{sub 3}O{sub 4}, HgS, PbMo{sub 4}, CdS+CdSe, etc.; brown and yellow pigments were PbCrO{sub 4}, ZnCrO{sub 4}, CdS-ZnS, K{sub 3}[Co(NO{sub 2}){sub 6}], Pb(SbO{sub 3}){sub 2}, C{sub 19}H{sub 16}O{sub 11}Mg, SrCrO{sub 4}, etc.; green pigments were Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Cr{sub 2}O(OH){sub 4}, Cu(C{sub 2}H{sub 3}O{sub 2})-2Cu(OH){sub 2}), Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-CoO, etc.; blue pigments were Fe{sub 4}[Fe(CN){sub 6}]{sub 3}, CoO-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Na{sub 8}-{sub 10}Al{sub 6}Si{sub 6}O{sub 24}S{sub 2-4}, etc. This first step is to obtain quantitative data on the concentrations of major, minor and trace elements in oil pigments and to explain pigment sources by statistical treatment as reported in many literatures. The determination of major, minor and micro elements in the subject materials are essential in many fields of basic science and technology as well as commercial and industrial fields. In particular, direct analysis of a sample offers a more effective investigation method in these fields. Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) has an inherent advantage of being a

  14. Carbachol-mediated pigment granule dispersion in retinal pigment epithelium requires Ca2+ and calcineurin

    OpenAIRE

    Johnson, Adam S; Garc?a, Dana M

    2007-01-01

    Abstract Background Inside bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) retinal pigment epithelial cells, pigment granules move in response to extracellular signals. During the process of aggregation, pigment motility is directed toward the cell nucleus; in dispersion, pigment is directed away from the nucleus and into long apical processes. A number of different chemicals have been found to initiate dispersion, and carbachol (an acetylcholine analog) is one example. Previous research indicates that the ca...

  15. What Paradox?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holt, Robin; Zundel, Mike

    2017-01-01

    This chapter investigates the relationship between paradox and the logical typing of classes and members. Class-based thinking affords efficiency in communication and the progressive, additive development of knowledge, but also creates fissures, shortcuts, truncations, and delimitations that gene......This chapter investigates the relationship between paradox and the logical typing of classes and members. Class-based thinking affords efficiency in communication and the progressive, additive development of knowledge, but also creates fissures, shortcuts, truncations, and delimitations...... that emphasizes interconnectedness and interdependency, which Gregory Bateson calls “grace”: the successful integration of smaller with wider arcs of awareness. This is developed here into a method for studying organizational phenomena using the example of an organizational routine, arguing that this may be one...

  16. The Policy Maker's Anguish: Regulating Personal Data Behavior Between Paradoxes and Dilemmas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Compañó, Ramón; Lusoli, Wainer

    Regulators in Europe and elsewhere are paying great attention to identity, privacy and trust in online and converging environments. Appropriate regulation of identity in a ubiquitous information environment is seen as one of the major drivers of the future Internet economy. Regulation of personal identity data has come to the fore including mapping conducted on digital personhood by the OECD; work on human rights and profiling by the Council of Europe andmajor studies by the European Commission with regard to self-regulation in the privacy market, electronic identity technical interoperability and enhanced safety for young people. These domains overlap onto an increasingly complex model of regulation of individuals' identity management, online and offline. This chapter argues that policy makers struggle to deal with issues concerning electronic identity, due to the apparently irrational and unpredictable behavior of users when engaging in online interactions involving identity management. Building on empirical survey evidence from four EU countries, we examine the first aspect in detail - citizens' management of identity in a digital environment. We build on data from a large scale (n = 5,265) online survey of attitudes to electronic identity among young Europeans (France, Germany, Spain, UK) conducted in August 2008. The survey asked questions about perceptions and acceptance of risks, general motivations, attitudes and behaviors concerning electronic identity. Four behavioral paradoxes are identified in the analysis: a privacy paradox (to date well known), but also a control paradox, a responsibility paradox and an awareness paradox. The chapter then examines the paradoxes in relation of three main policy dilemmas framing the debate on digital identity. The paper concludes by arguing for an expanded identity debate spanning policy circles and the engineering community.

  17. Long anterior zonules and pigment dispersion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moroi, Sayoko E; Lark, Kurt K; Sieving, Paul A; Nouri-Mahdavi, Kouros; Schlötzer-Schrehardt, Ursula; Katz, Gregory J; Ritch, Robert

    2003-12-01

    To describe pigment dispersion associated with long anterior zonules. Multicenter observational case series. Fifteen patients, seven of whom were treated for glaucoma or ocular hypertension, were identified with long anterior zonules and pigment dispersion. Transmission electron microscopy was performed on one anterior capsule specimen. All patients had anterior zonules that inserted centrally on the lens capsule. Signs of pigment dispersion included corneal endothelial pigmentation, loss of the pupillary ruff, and variable trabecular meshwork pigmentation. Ultrasound biomicroscopy verified the lack of posterior iris insertion and concavity. There was no exfoliation material. Transmission electron microscopy showed zonular lamellae with adherent pigment granules, and no exfoliation material. Long anterior zonules inserted onto the central lens capsule may cause mechanical disruption of the pigment epithelium at the pupillary ruff and central iris leading to pigment dispersion.

  18. Variation of Synechococcus Pigment Genetic Diversity Along Two Turbidity Gradients in the China Seas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Xiaomin; Liu, Hongbin; Choi, Donghan; Noh, Jae Hoon

    2018-01-01

    Synechococcus are important and widely distributed picocyanobacteria that encompass a high pigment diversity. In this study, we developed a primer set (peBF/peAR) for amplifying the cpeBA operon sequence from Synechococcus genomic DNA to study Synechococcus pigment diversity along two turbidity gradients in the China seas. Our data revealed that all previously reported pigment types occurred in the South (SCS) and East (ECS) China Seas. In addition, a novel pigment genetic type (type 3f), represented by the high phycourobilin Synechococcus sp. strain KORDI-100 (Exc495:545 = 2.35), was detected. This pigment genetic type differs from the 3c/3d types not only for a very high PUB/PEB ratio but also for a different intergenic spacer sequence and gene organization of the phycobilisome. Synechococcus of different pigment types exhibited clear niche differentiation. Type 2 dominated in the coastal waters, whereas type 3c/3d and 3f were predominant in oceanic waters of the SCS in summer. In the ECS, however, type 3a was the major pigment type throughout the transect. We suggest that in marine environment, various pigment types often co-occur but with one type dominant and PUB/PEB ratio is related to geographic distribution of Synechococcus pigment types. The two marginal seas of China have markedly different Synechococcus pigment compositions.

  19. Optical tweezers and paradoxes in electromagnetism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pfeifer, Robert N C; Nieminen, Timo A; Heckenberg, Norman R; Rubinsztein-Dunlop, Halina

    2011-01-01

    The widespread application of optical forces and torques has contributed to renewed interest in the fundamentals of the electromagnetic force and torque, including long-standing paradoxes such as the Abraham–Minkowski controversy and the angular momentum density of a circularly polarized plane wave. We discuss the relationship between these electromagnetic paradoxes and optical tweezers. In particular, consideration of possible optical tweezers experiments to attempt to resolve these paradoxes strongly suggests that they are beyond experimental resolution, yielding identical observable results in all cases

  20. Another paradox involving the second law of thermodynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sheehan, D.P.

    1996-01-01

    Recently a paradox has been posed that appears to challenge the second law of thermodynamics in a plasma blackbody environment [D. P. Sheehan, Phys. Plasmas 2, 1893 (1995)]. In this paper another, related paradox is posed in an unmagnetized Q plasma. Laboratory experiments simulating some necessary conditions for the paradoxical system corroborate theoretical predictions and fail to resolve the paradox in favor of the second law. copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics

  1. Photosynthetic Pigments in Diatoms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuczynska, Paulina; Jemiola-Rzeminska, Malgorzata; Strzalka, Kazimierz

    2015-09-16

    Photosynthetic pigments are bioactive compounds of great importance for the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. They are not only responsible for capturing solar energy to carry out photosynthesis, but also play a role in photoprotective processes and display antioxidant activity, all of which contribute to effective biomass and oxygen production. Diatoms are organisms of a distinct pigment composition, substantially different from that present in plants. Apart from light-harvesting pigments such as chlorophyll a, chlorophyll c, and fucoxanthin, there is a group of photoprotective carotenoids which includes β-carotene and the xanthophylls, diatoxanthin, diadinoxanthin, violaxanthin, antheraxanthin, and zeaxanthin, which are engaged in the xanthophyll cycle. Additionally, some intermediate products of biosynthetic pathways have been identified in diatoms as well as unusual pigments, e.g., marennine. Marine algae have become widely recognized as a source of unique bioactive compounds for potential industrial, pharmaceutical, and medical applications. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on diatom photosynthetic pigments complemented by some new insights regarding their physico-chemical properties, biological role, and biosynthetic pathways, as well as the regulation of pigment level in the cell, methods of purification, and significance in industries.

  2. Photosynthetic Pigments in Diatoms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulina Kuczynska

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Photosynthetic pigments are bioactive compounds of great importance for the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. They are not only responsible for capturing solar energy to carry out photosynthesis, but also play a role in photoprotective processes and display antioxidant activity, all of which contribute to effective biomass and oxygen production. Diatoms are organisms of a distinct pigment composition, substantially different from that present in plants. Apart from light-harvesting pigments such as chlorophyll a, chlorophyll c, and fucoxanthin, there is a group of photoprotective carotenoids which includes β-carotene and the xanthophylls, diatoxanthin, diadinoxanthin, violaxanthin, antheraxanthin, and zeaxanthin, which are engaged in the xanthophyll cycle. Additionally, some intermediate products of biosynthetic pathways have been identified in diatoms as well as unusual pigments, e.g., marennine. Marine algae have become widely recognized as a source of unique bioactive compounds for potential industrial, pharmaceutical, and medical applications. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on diatom photosynthetic pigments complemented by some new insights regarding their physico-chemical properties, biological role, and biosynthetic pathways, as well as the regulation of pigment level in the cell, methods of purification, and significance in industries.

  3. Four nuclear paradoxes which affect Japanese public opinion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Y.

    1985-01-01

    Four major paradoxes - sociological, political, economic and psychological - are described with respect to the contemporary use of nuclear energy, drawing attention to Japan. Sociologically nuclear energy is a paradox because it is an irreversible social process; politically because it discriminates between the 'have' and 'have not' countries, making rich countries richer and poor countries poorer (political power); economically because, despite strong opposition for various reasons, there are also strong economic incentives for localities and individuals (stronger opposition may bring about greater profit in the long run); psychologically, because its acceptance or rejection tends to depend on the emotional 'psycho-logic' which seems to operate in the psychological process of individuals. Public acceptance seems to be both an institutional and a psychological process; consequently a close examination of the cross-pressures, resulting from all the influences is needed, to achieve public acceptance. Finally, it seems important to take into consideration cultural uniqueness as well as cross-cultural similarities. (author)

  4. Yule-Simpson's Paradox in Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goltz, Heather Honore; Smith, Matthew Lee

    2010-01-01

    Yule (1903) and Simpson (1951) described a statistical paradox that occurs when data is aggregated. In such situations, aggregated data may reveal a trend that directly contrasts those of sub-groups trends. In fact, the aggregate data trends may even be opposite in direction of sub-group trends. To reveal Yule-Simpson's paradox (YSP)-type…

  5. Global Commodity Chains & World Income Inequalities: The Missing Link of Inequality and the “Upgrading” Paradox

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin D. Brewer

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available This article links key findings from two major research literatures within contemporary development and globalization studies: global commodity/value chains, and world income inequalities. Forging this missing link exposes what I call the “upgrading paradox” within commodity and value chain analysis. The paradox hinges on the disconnect between the global commodity/value chain literature’s focus on the potential for firms and nations to “upgrade” their position within chains and the roots of the global commodity chain construct in world-systems analysis, a theoretical framework that rejects the potential for widespread and generalizable developmental progress. Findings from the world income inequalities literature do indeed confirm the paradoxical nature of the upgrading discourse, so I conclude by discussing two potential paths for a “post-paradox” commodity chain analysis.

  6. Identification and Assessment of Paradoxical Ventricular Wall Motion Using ECG Gated Blood Pool Scan - Comparison of cine Loop , Phase Analysis and Paradox Image -

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Jae Tae; Kim, Gwang Weon; Lee, Kyu Bo; Chung, Byung Chun; Whang, Kee Suk; Chae, Sung Chul; Paek, Wee Hyun; Cheon, Jae Eun; Lee, Hyong Woo; Chung, Jin Hong

    1990-01-01

    Sixty-four patients with paradoxical ventricular wall motion noticed both in angiocardiography or 2-dimensional echocardiography were assessed by ECG gated blood pool scan (GBPS). Endless cine loop image, phase and amplitude images and paradox image obtained by visual inspection of each cardiac beat or Fourier transformation of acquired raw data were investigated to determine the incremental value of GBPS with these processing methods for identification of paradoxical ventricular wall motion. The results were as follows:1) Paradoxical wall motions were observed on interventricular septum in 34 cases, left ventricular free wall in 26 and right ventricular wall in 24. Underlying heart diseases were is chemic (23 cases) valvular(9), congenital heart disease (12), cardiomyopathy (5), pericardial effusion(5), post cardiac surgery(3), corpulmonale (2), endocarditis (l) and right ventricular tumor(l). 2) Left ventricular ejection fractions of patients with paradoxical left ventricular wall motion were significantly lower than those with paradoxical septal motion (p <0.005). 3) The sensitivity of each processing methods for detecting paradoxical wall motion was 76.9% by phase analysis, 74.6% by endless cine loop mapping and 68.4% by paradox image manipulation respectively. Paradoxial motions visualized only in phase, paradox or both images were appeared as hypokinesia or akinesia in cine loop image. 4) All events could be identified by at least one of above three processing methods, however only 34 cases (48.4%) showed the paradoxical motions in all of the three images. By these findings, we concluded that simultaneous inspection of all above three processing methods-endless cine loop, phase analysis and paradox image is necessary for accurate identification and assessment of paradoxical ventricular wall motion when performing GBPS.

  7. Identification and Assessment of Paradoxical Ventricular Wall Motion Using ECG Gated Blood Pool Scan - Comparison of cine Loop , Phase Analysis and Paradox Image -

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Jae Tae; Kim, Gwang Weon; Lee, Kyu Bo; Chung, Byung Chun; Whang, Kee Suk; Chae, Sung Chul; Paek, Wee Hyun; Cheon, Jae Eun [Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Hyong Woo; Chung, Jin Hong [Yeongnam National University College of Medicine, Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

    1990-07-15

    Sixty-four patients with paradoxical ventricular wall motion noticed both in angiocardiography or 2-dimensional echocardiography were assessed by ECG gated blood pool scan (GBPS). Endless cine loop image, phase and amplitude images and paradox image obtained by visual inspection of each cardiac beat or Fourier transformation of acquired raw data were investigated to determine the incremental value of GBPS with these processing methods for identification of paradoxical ventricular wall motion. The results were as follows:1) Paradoxical wall motions were observed on interventricular septum in 34 cases, left ventricular free wall in 26 and right ventricular wall in 24. Underlying heart diseases were is chemic (23 cases) valvular(9), congenital heart disease (12), cardiomyopathy (5), pericardial effusion(5), post cardiac surgery(3), corpulmonale (2), endocarditis (l) and right ventricular tumor(l). 2) Left ventricular ejection fractions of patients with paradoxical left ventricular wall motion were significantly lower than those with paradoxical septal motion (p <0.005). 3) The sensitivity of each processing methods for detecting paradoxical wall motion was 76.9% by phase analysis, 74.6% by endless cine loop mapping and 68.4% by paradox image manipulation respectively. Paradoxial motions visualized only in phase, paradox or both images were appeared as hypokinesia or akinesia in cine loop image. 4) All events could be identified by at least one of above three processing methods, however only 34 cases (48.4%) showed the paradoxical motions in all of the three images. By these findings, we concluded that simultaneous inspection of all above three processing methods-endless cine loop, phase analysis and paradox image is necessary for accurate identification and assessment of paradoxical ventricular wall motion when performing GBPS.

  8. Man Is a Paradox

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    王茂娟

    2009-01-01

    In the poem "Always", the author Pablo Neruda employs the first person narration to incisively reveal the paradoxical traits in human nature by exploring man in relation to love. "I" play a role shifting from a calm narrator to a furious one, and the last recovering to a mild one, which offers a multiple visual angle to observe humanity. In sum, by means of continuous changes of my inner feelings in the poem, Pablo Neruda reveals the paradoxical humanity .

  9. Activation of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors elicits pigment granule dispersion in retinal pigment epithelium isolated from bluegill.

    Science.gov (United States)

    González, Alfredo; Crittenden, Elizabeth L; García, Dana M

    2004-07-13

    In fish, melanin pigment granules in the retinal pigment epithelium disperse into apical projections as part of the suite of responses the eye makes to bright light conditions. This pigment granule dispersion serves to reduce photobleaching and occurs in response to neurochemicals secreted by the retina. Previous work has shown that acetylcholine may be involved in inducing light-adaptive pigment dispersion. Acetylcholine receptors are of two main types, nicotinic and muscarinic. Muscarinic receptors are in the G-protein coupled receptor superfamily, and five different muscarinic receptors have been molecularly cloned in human. These receptors are coupled to adenylyl cyclase, calcium mobilization and ion channel activation. To determine the receptor pathway involved in eliciting pigment granule migration, we isolated retinal pigment epithelium from bluegill and subjected it to a battery of cholinergic agents. The general cholinergic agonist carbachol induces pigment granule dispersion in isolated retinal pigment epithelium. Carbachol-induced pigment granule dispersion is blocked by the muscarinic antagonist atropine, by the M1 antagonist pirenzepine, and by the M3 antagonist 4-DAMP. Pigment granule dispersion was also induced by the M1 agonist 4-[N-(4-chlorophenyl) carbamoyloxy]-4-pent-2-ammonium iodide. In contrast the M2 antagonist AF-DX 116 and the M4 antagonist tropicamide failed to block carbachol-induced dispersion, and the M2 agonist arecaidine but-2-ynyl ester tosylate failed to elicit dispersion. Our results suggest that carbachol-mediated pigment granule dispersion occurs through the activation of Modd muscarinic receptors, which in other systems couple to phosphoinositide hydrolysis and elevation of intracellular calcium. This conclusion must be corroborated by molecular studies, but suggests Ca2+-dependent pathways may be involved in light-adaptive pigment dispersion.

  10. Activation of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors elicits pigment granule dispersion in retinal pigment epithelium isolated from bluegill

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Crittenden Elizabeth L

    2004-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In fish, melanin pigment granules in the retinal pigment epithelium disperse into apical projections as part of the suite of responses the eye makes to bright light conditions. This pigment granule dispersion serves to reduce photobleaching and occurs in response to neurochemicals secreted by the retina. Previous work has shown that acetylcholine may be involved in inducing light-adaptive pigment dispersion. Acetylcholine receptors are of two main types, nicotinic and muscarinic. Muscarinic receptors are in the G-protein coupled receptor superfamily, and five different muscarinic receptors have been molecularly cloned in human. These receptors are coupled to adenylyl cyclase, calcium mobilization and ion channel activation. To determine the receptor pathway involved in eliciting pigment granule migration, we isolated retinal pigment epithelium from bluegill and subjected it to a battery of cholinergic agents. Results The general cholinergic agonist carbachol induces pigment granule dispersion in isolated retinal pigment epithelium. Carbachol-induced pigment granule dispersion is blocked by the muscarinic antagonist atropine, by the M1 antagonist pirenzepine, and by the M3 antagonist 4-DAMP. Pigment granule dispersion was also induced by the M1 agonist 4-[N-(4-chlorophenyl carbamoyloxy]-4-pent-2-ammonium iodide. In contrast the M2 antagonist AF-DX 116 and the M4 antagonist tropicamide failed to block carbachol-induced dispersion, and the M2 agonist arecaidine but-2-ynyl ester tosylate failed to elicit dispersion. Conclusions Our results suggest that carbachol-mediated pigment granule dispersion occurs through the activation of Modd muscarinic receptors, which in other systems couple to phosphoinositide hydrolysis and elevation of intracellular calcium. This conclusion must be corroborated by molecular studies, but suggests Ca2+-dependent pathways may be involved in light-adaptive pigment dispersion.

  11. Natural pigments and sacred art

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelekian, Lena, ,, Lady

    2010-05-01

    Since the dawn of mankind, cavemen has expressed himself through art. The earliest known cave paintings date to some 32,000 years ago and used 4 colours derived from the earth. These pigments were iron oxides and known as ochres, blacks and whites. All pigments known by the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans and Renaissance man were natural and it was not until the 18th century that synthetic pigments were made and widely used. Until that time all art, be it sacred or secular used only natural pigments, of which the preparation of many have been lost or rarely used because of their tedious preparation. As a geologist, a mineralogist and an artist specializing in iconography, I have been able to rediscover 89 natural pigments extracted from minerals. I use these pigments to paint my icons in the traditional Byzantine manner and also to restore old icons, bringing back their glamour and conserving them for years to come. The use of the natural pigments in its proper way also helps to preserve the traditional skills of the iconographer. In the ancient past, pigments were extremely precious. Many took an exceedingly long journey to reach the artists, and came from remote countries. Research into these pigments is the work of history, geography and anthropology. It is an interesting journey in itself to discover that the blue aquamarines came from Afghanistan, the reds from Spain, the greens Africa, and so on. In this contribution I will be describing the origins, preparation and use of some natural pigments, together with their history and provenance. Additionally, I will show how the natural pigments are used in the creation of an icon. Being a geologist iconographer, for me, is a sacrement that transforms that which is earthly, material and natural into a thing of beauty that is sacred. As bread and wine in the Eucharist, water during baptism and oil in Holy Union transmit sanctification to the beholder, natural pigments do the same when one considers an icon. The

  12. Phototrophic pigment production with microalgae

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mulders, K.J.M.

    2014-01-01

    Abstract

    Microalgal pigments are regarded as natural alternatives for food colorants. To facilitate optimization of microalgae-based pigment production, this thesis aimed to obtain key insights in the pigment metabolism of phototrophic microalgae, with the main focus on secondary

  13. Diversity and functional properties of bistable pigments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsukamoto, Hisao; Terakita, Akihisa

    2010-11-01

    Rhodopsin and related opsin-based pigments, which are photosensitive membrane proteins, have been extensively studied using a wide variety of techniques, with rhodopsin being the most understood G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). Animals use various opsin-based pigments for vision and a wide variety of non-visual functions. Many functionally varied pigments are roughly divided into two kinds, based on their photoreaction: bistable and monostable pigments. Bistable pigments are thermally stable before and after photo-activation, but monostable pigments are stable only before activation. Here, we review the diversity of bistable pigments and their molecular characteristics. We also discuss the mechanisms underlying different molecular characteristics of bistable and monostable pigments. In addition, the potential of bistable pigments as a GPCR model is proposed.

  14. Skin pigmentation kinetics after UVB exposure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ravnbak, M.H.; Philipsen, P.A.; Wiegell, S.R.

    2008-01-01

    There have been few previous studies of the kinetics of pigmentation following ultraviolet B (UVB) exposure, and these have included only fair-skinned persons. The current study investigated pigmentation increase to steady state and fading in 12 Scandinavians and 12 Indians/Pakistanis. Over...... a period of 3 weeks the subjects were UV-irradiated 6 times on the right side of the back and 12 times on the left side using a Solar Simulator and narrowband UVB with equal sub-Minimal Melanogenesis Doses (individually predetermined). Pigmentation was measured from skin remittance at 555 urn and 660 nm...... (allowing correction for erythema). The absolute pigmentation increase was independent of pre-exposure pigmentation, therefore the percentage pigmentation increase was higher in fair-skinned volunteers. The UV dose to minimal pigmentation was higher in darker-skinned persons for single and multiple UV...

  15. Glutamate microinjection in the medial septum of rats decreases paradoxical sleep and increases slow wave sleep.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukherjee, Didhiti; Kaushik, Mahesh K; Jaryal, Ashok Kumar; Kumar, Velayudhan Mohan; Mallick, Hruda Nanda

    2012-05-09

    The role of the medial septum in suppressing paradoxical sleep and promoting slow wave sleep was suggested on the basis of neurotoxic lesion studies. However, these conclusions need to be substantiated with further experiments, including chemical stimulation studies. In this report, the medial septum was stimulated in adult male rats by microinjection of L-glutamate. Sleep-wakefulness was electrophysiologically recorded, through chronically implanted electrodes, for 2 h before the injection and 4 h after the injection. There was a decrease in paradoxical sleep during the first hour and an increase in slow wave sleep during the second hour after the injection. The present findings not only supported the lesion studies but also showed that the major role of the medial septum is to suppress paradoxical sleep.

  16. Quantum Zeno and anti-Zeno paradoxes

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Abstract. Continuous observation of a time independent projection operator is known to prevent change of state (the quantum Zeno paradox). We discuss the recent result that generic continuous measurement of time dependent projection operators will in fact ensure change of state: an anti-Zeno paradox.

  17. Bosonic analog of the Klein paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wagner, R. E.; Ware, M. R.; Su, Q.; Grobe, R.

    2010-01-01

    The standard Klein paradox describes how an incoming electron scatters off a supercritical electrostatic barrier that is so strong that it can generate electron-positron pairs. This fermionic system has been widely discussed in textbooks to illustrate some of the discrepancies between quantum mechanical and quantum field theoretical descriptions for the pair creation process. We compare the fermionic dynamics with that of the corresponding bosonic system. We point out that the direct counterpart of the Pauli exclusion principle (the central mechanism to resolve the fermionic Klein paradox) is stimulated emission, which leads to the resolution of the analogous bosonic paradox.

  18. Three Paradoxes of the Future Prediction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. V. Pivovarov

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper is devoted to the issue of predicting the future. While creating the future image of the mankind as a whole, and Russia in particular, extrapolated some 50 or 100 years ahead, such cultural forms as religion, philosophy, education and art make their significant impact. However, philosophy plays a special role of critical methodology in coordinating the futurological efforts. It works as a tuning fork that tunes up the orchestra of various sciences and other forms of social consciousness. Being dialectical, philosophers find out and analyze the contradictions – paradoxes, antinomies, and aporias - involved in such activities as prophesizing, prognosticating, predicting and foreseeing. On the basis of the retrospective analysis, the author considers the most significant paradoxes facing the futurologists engaged in predicting the general course of historic events; the paradoxes being denoted as follows: the antinomy of academic ignorance, paradox of newness and paradox of an emergent effect. The analysis results in conclusion that the large-scale, long-term «scientific predictions of the future», claiming to be the truth and pretending for historical value and accuracy, are impossible or at least doubtful. Nevertheless, global prognoses are highly valued, widely discussed and always in demand in society due to the purposeful human intellect. 

  19. Three Paradoxes of the Future Prediction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. V. Pivovarov

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The paper is devoted to the issue of predicting the future. While creating the future image of the mankind as a whole, and Russia in particular, extrapolated some 50 or 100 years ahead, such cultural forms as religion, philosophy, education and art make their significant impact. However, philosophy plays a special role of critical methodology in coordinating the futurological efforts. It works as a tuning fork that tunes up the orchestra of various sciences and other forms of social consciousness. Being dialectical, philosophers find out and analyze the contradictions – paradoxes, antinomies, and aporias - involved in such activities as prophesizing, prognosticating, predicting and foreseeing. On the basis of the retrospective analysis, the author considers the most significant paradoxes facing the futurologists engaged in predicting the general course of historic events; the paradoxes being denoted as follows: the antinomy of academic ignorance, paradox of newness and paradox of an emergent effect. The analysis results in conclusion that the large-scale, long-term «scientific predictions of the future», claiming to be the truth and pretending for historical value and accuracy, are impossible or at least doubtful. Nevertheless, global prognoses are highly valued, widely discussed and always in demand in society due to the purposeful human intellect. 

  20. First accelerator carbon-14 date for pigment from a rock painting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van der Merwe, N.J.; Sealy, J.; Yates, R.

    1987-01-01

    South Africa is particularly blessed with rock art: thousands of paintings and engravings provide a window on the cognitive systems of prehistoric populations. A major stumbling block in studying the art is the lack of a method for dating it. This article shows that some of the paintings can be directly dated by means of accelerator 14 C counting of carbon from black pigment. The advent of accelerator 14 C provides the capability of analysing very small samples and brings pigments from rock paintings into the realm of datable materials

  1. Production of Monascus-like pigments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2012-01-01

    the cultivation medium with an inoculum of Penicillium to form a cultivation composition; d) cultivating the inoculated cultivation composition of (c); e) separating the one or more produced pigment compositions. The method of the invention may be used for producing Monascus-like pigment compositions for use......The present invention relates to a method for producing one or more Monascus-like pigment composition from Penicillium species comprising: a) providing a cultivation medium comprising a high concentration of C-and N-sources and a high C/N molar ratio, b) adjusting pH to about 5 to 8, c) inoculating...... as colouring agents in food items or non food items. The inventions further relates to Monascus-like pigment composition obtainable by a method of the inventions as well as use of the pigments....

  2. Chemometric classification of pigmented rice varieties based on antioxidative properties in relation to color

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Phaiwan Pramai

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The pigmented Thai rice varieties including red and black color and non-pigmented rice (white collected from different growth sites in the north of Thailand and were determined for color and antioxidant properties. Anthocyanins were the major compound in group of black rice (21.15-441.96 mg/100 g rice. Total phenolic, flavonoid, and -tocopherol contents were highest in the black rice followed by red rice and antioxidant capacities were predominant in pigmented varieties. Black rice grown in mountainous area presented the highest antioxidant activity compared to the other growing locations. The color parameters, especially L* value presented the negative correlations with antioxidant parameters, while the antioxidant contents, excepted -oryzanol content had significant correlation with antioxidant capacities. Pigmented rice varieties could be clearly classified into 4 groups using PCA and HCA, which provided a good indicator to classify pigmented rice varieties based on color and antioxidative properties.

  3. Use of informed consent with therapeutic paradox.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farkas, M M

    1992-01-01

    Debate persists in the literature and among clinicians about the ethical appropriateness of paradoxical interventions. It has been suggested that informed consent with therapeutic paradox would alleviate ethical concerns of deception, manipulation, harm to the client, and withholding of information from the client in therapy. The purpose of this study was to explore health care consumer reactions to the benefits and risks of therapeutic paradox as stated in a consent for treatment form. The study explored the responses of 32 medical patients to a hypothetical consent for treatment form for therapeutic paradox. Data were collected in a brief semistructured interview after subjects read the hypothetical consent form. Utilizing a case study, the investigator then offered an example of a successful paradoxical intervention and additional subject comments were solicited. Content analysis of the responses was made. Health care consumers had mixed responses to the consent form. While the consent form served as an obstacle for some consumers, many were willing to sign the consent form and accept treatment even though they had internal reservations and questions. Appropriateness of the consent form format is discussed.

  4. Negative freedom and the liberal paradoxes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Hees, M.V.B.P.M

    In their game-theoretic formulations, the liberal paradoxes of Amartya Sm and Alan Gibbard show a tension between freedom on the one hand, and Pareto optimality and stability on the other. This article examines what happens to the liberal paradoxes if a negative conception of freedom is used. Given

  5. Activation of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors elicits pigment granule dispersion in retinal pigment epithelium isolated from bluegill

    OpenAIRE

    González, Alfredo; Crittenden, Elizabeth L; García, Dana M

    2004-01-01

    Abstract Background In fish, melanin pigment granules in the retinal pigment epithelium disperse into apical projections as part of the suite of responses the eye makes to bright light conditions. This pigment granule dispersion serves to reduce photobleaching and occurs in response to neurochemicals secreted by the retina. Previous work has shown that acetylcholine may be involved in inducing light-adaptive pigment dispersion. Acetylcholine receptors are of two main types, nicotinic and musc...

  6. Simpson’s Paradox in Psychological Science: A Practical Guide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rogier eKievit

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available The direction of an association at the population-level may be reversed within the subgroups comprising that population—a striking observation called Simpson’s paradox. When facing this pattern, psychologists often view it as anomalous. Here, we argue that Simpson’s paradox is more common than conventionally thought, and typically results in incorrect interpretations – potentially with harmful consequences. We support this claim by drawing on empirical results from cognitive neuroscience, behavior genetics, psychopathology, personality psychology, educational psychology, intelligence research, and simulation studies. We show that Simpson’s Paradox is most likely to occur when inferences are drawn across different levels of explanation (e.g., from populations to subgroups, or subgroups to individuals. We propose a set of statistical markers indicative of the paradox, and offer psychometric solutions for dealing with the paradox when encountered—including a toolbox in R for detecting Simpson’s Paradox. We show that explicit modeling of situations in which the paradox might occur not only prevents incorrect interpretations of data, but also results in a deeper understanding of what data tell us about the world.

  7. Geologic appraisal of Paradox basin salt deposits for water emplacement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hite, Robert J.; Lohman, Stanley William

    1973-01-01

    Thick salt deposits of Middle Pennsylvanian age are present in an area of 12,000 square miles in the Paradox basin of southeast Utah and southwest Colorado. The deposits are in the Paradox Member of the Hermosa Formation. The greatest thickness of this evaporite sequence is in a troughlike depression adjacent to the Uncompahgre uplift on the northeast side of the basin.The salt deposits consist of a cyclical sequence of thick halite units separated by thin units of black shale, dolomite, and anhydrite. Many halite units are several hundred feet thick and locally contain economically valuable potash deposits.Over much of the Paradox basin the salt deposits occur at depths of more than 5,000 feet. Only in a series of salt anticlines located along the northeastern side of the basin do the salt deposits rise to relatively shallow depths. The salt anticlines can be divided geographically and structurally into five major systems. Each system consists of a long undulating welt of thickened salt over which younger rocks are arched in anticlinal form. Locally there are areas along the axes of the anticlines where the Paradox Member was never covered by younger sediments. This allowed large-scale migration of Paradox strata toward and up through these holes in the sediment cover forming diapiric anticlines.The central or salt-bearing cores of the anticlines range in thickness from about 2,500 to 14,000 feet. Structure in the central core of the salt anticlines is the result of both regional-compression and flowage of the Paradox Member into the anticlines from adjacent synclines. Structure in the central cores of the salt anticlines ranges from relatively undeformed beds to complexly folded and faulted masses, in which stratigraphic continuity is undemonstrable.The presence of thick cap rock .over many of the salt anticlines is evidence of removal of large volumes of halite by groundwater. Available geologic and hydrologic information suggests that this is a relatively slow

  8. Dissimilar pigment regulation in Serpula lacrymans and Paxillus involutus during inter-kingdom interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tauber, James P; Gallegos-Monterrosa, Ramses; Kovács, Ákos T; Shelest, Ekaterina; Hoffmeister, Dirk

    2018-01-01

    Production of basidiomycete atromentin-derived pigments like variegatic acid (pulvinic acid-type) and involutin (diarylcyclopentenone) from the brown-rotter Serpula lacrymans and the ectomycorrhiza-forming Paxillus involutus, respectively, is induced by complex nutrition, and in the case of S. lacrymans, bacteria. Pigmentation in S. lacrymans was stimulated by 13 different bacteria and cell-wall-damaging enzymes (lytic enzymes and proteases), but not by lysozyme or mechanical damage. The use of protease inhibitors with Bacillus subtilis or heat-killed bacteria during co-culturing with S. lacrymans significantly reduced pigmentation indicating that enzymatic hyphal damage and/or released peptides, rather than mechanical injury, was the major cause of systemic pigment induction. Conversely, no significant pigmentation by bacteria was observed from P. involutus. We found additional putative transcriptional composite elements of atromentin synthetase genes in P. involutus and other ectomycorrhiza-forming species that were absent from S. lacrymans and other brown-rotters. Variegatic and its precursor xerocomic acid, but not involutin, in return inhibited swarming and colony biofilm spreading of Bacillus subtilis, but did not kill B. subtilis. We suggest that dissimilar pigment regulation by fungal lifestyle was a consequence of pigment bioactivity and additional promoter motifs. The focus on basidiomycete natural product gene induction and regulation will assist in future studies to determine global regulators, signalling pathways and associated transcription factors of basidiomycetes.

  9. Consciousness and the "Causal Paradox"

    OpenAIRE

    Velmans, Max

    1996-01-01

    Viewed from a first-person perspective consciousness appears to be necessary for complex, novel human activity - but viewed from a third-person perspective consciousness appears to play no role in the activity of brains, producing a "causal paradox". To resolve this paradox one needs to distinguish consciousness of processing from consciousness accompanying processing or causing processing. Accounts of consciousness/brain causal interactions switch between first- and third-person perspectives...

  10. Pigment production from a mangrove Penicillium

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    SAM

    2014-06-25

    Jun 25, 2014 ... Key words: Penicillium, 2-(4-acetyl phenyl) acetic acid, bio elements, salts, soluble pigment. .... Table 1. Characteristics of the pigment fractions after solvent extraction. ..... naphthoquinone pigment by Fusarium verticillioides.

  11. Second Parrondo's Paradox in Scale Free Networks

    OpenAIRE

    Toyota, Norihito

    2012-01-01

    Parrondo's paradox occurs in sequences of games in which a winning expectation value of a payoff may be obtained by playing two games in a random order, even though each game in the sequence may be lost when played individually.Several variations of Parrondo's games apparently with the same paradoxical property have been introduced by G.P. Harmer and D. Abbott; history dependence, one dimensional line, two dimensional lattice and so on. I have shown that Parrondo's paradox does not occur in s...

  12. A Paradoxical Approach to Vocational Indecision.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopez, Frederick G.

    1983-01-01

    Describes a case study in which a paradoxical intervention was effectively used in treating a vocationally indecisive college student and his overly involved father. The quality of the father-son interaction improved as the student's anxiety decreased. Implications for the use of paradox in other situations are discussed. (Author/JAC)

  13. New Paradoxes of Risky Decision Making

    Science.gov (United States)

    Birnbaum, Michael H.

    2008-01-01

    During the last 25 years, prospect theory and its successor, cumulative prospect theory, replaced expected utility as the dominant descriptive theories of risky decision making. Although these models account for the original Allais paradoxes, 11 new paradoxes show where prospect theories lead to self-contradiction or systematic false predictions.…

  14. Human retinal pigment epithelial cell-induced apoptosis in activated T cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, A; Wiencke, A K; la Cour, M

    1998-01-01

    human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells can induce apoptosis in activated T cells. METHODS: Fas ligand (FasL) expression was detected by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. Cultured RPE cells were cocultured with T-cell lines and peripheral blood lymphocytes for 6 hours to 2 days. Induction...... of apoptosis was detected by 7-amino-actinomycin D and annexin V staining. RESULTS: Retinal pigment epithelial cells expressed FasL and induced apoptosis in activated Fas+ T cells. Blocking of Fas-FasL interaction with antibody strongly inhibited RPE-mediated T-cell apoptosis. Retinal pigment epithelial cells...... induced apoptosis in several activated T-cell populations and T-cell lines, including T-cell antigen receptor (TCR)-CD3-negative T-cell lines. In contrast, RPE cells induced little or no apoptosis in resting peripheral T cells. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II monoclonal antibodies, which...

  15. A novel thiamine-derived pigment, pyrizepine, formed by the Maillard reaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Igoshi, Asuka; Noda, Kyoko; Murata, Masatsune

    2018-04-26

    To find a Maillard pigment derived from thiamine, a solution containing glucose and thiamine was heated and analyzed with high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with diode-array detection. As a result, a unique peak showing an absorption maximum at 380 nm was detected. This peak was then isolated from a reaction solution containing glucose, lysine and thiamine, and was identified as 1-(2-methyl-6,9-dihydro-5H-pyrimido[4,5-e][1,4]diazepin-7-yl)ethan-1-one using instrumental analyses. This compound, named pyrizepine, was a novel yellow pigment having a fused ring consisting of pyrimidine and diazepine. Pyrizepine was a major low-molecular-weight pigment in the reaction solution. The structure suggests that pyrizepine is formed by condensation reaction between a degradation product of thiamine and a tetrosone derivative formed from glucose by the Maillard reaction.

  16. Virtue Acquisition: The Paradox of Striving

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snow, Nancy

    2016-01-01

    Aristotelian-inspired accounts of virtue acquisition stress guided practice and habituated action to develop virtue. This emphasis on action can lead to the "paradox of striving". The paradox occurs when we try too hard to act well and thereby spoil our efforts. I identify four forms of striving--forcing, impulsivity, overthinking, and…

  17. Family Fathers Lost in Theatre Paradox

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kuhlmann, Annelis

    2008-01-01

    Diderot's influence on theatre is well known through The Paradox of Acting (Paradoxe sur le comédien). However, Diderot also wrote a few drames bourgeois, among which is The Family Father (Le Père de famille), which still in Diderot's days was edited in Copenhagen in French, and which in Danish...

  18. Paradox, reprimand and extinction in adults with mental handicap.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, V E; Chamove, A S

    1991-08-01

    To assess the efficacy of paradoxical directives, levels of challenging behaviour during 2 weeks of paradox, reprimand and extinction were compared with baseline levels in four adults with mental handicaps attending a day centre. Paradox was the most effective procedure for reducing the frequency and severity of challenging behaviour by an average of over 70% by the end of 2 weeks and up to 90% in certain subjects; extinction was least effective. Paradox was most effective with more defiant subjects, when staff rated treatment success as low, when improvement using extinction and reprimand was poorest, and in reducing aggressive behaviour. The present authors suggest the overjustification effect offers an explanation for the effects of paradox.

  19. New paradoxes in intertemporal choice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li-Lin Rao

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Similar to research on risky choice, the traditional analysis of intertemporal choice takes the view that an individual behaves so as to maximize the discounted sum of all future utilities. The well-known Allais paradox contradicts the fundamental postulates of maximizing the expected value or utility of a risky option. We describe a violation of the law of diminishing marginal utility as well as an intertemporal version of the Allais paradox.

  20. Paradoxical therapy in conversion disorder

    OpenAIRE

    ATAOĞLU, Ahmet

    1998-01-01

    Paradoxical therapy consists of suggesting that the patient intentionally engages in the unwanted behaviour, such as performing complusive ritual or bringing on a conversion attack. In this study paradoxical intention (PI) was used with to half of the patients with conversion disorders, while the other half were treated with diazepam in order to examine the efficiency of the PI versus diazepam in conversion disorder. Patients treated with PI appeared to have a greater improvement r...

  1. Hairless pigmented guinea pigs: a new model for the study of mammalian pigmentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bolognia, J L; Murray, M S; Pawelek, J M

    1990-09-01

    A stock of hairless pigmented guinea pigs was developed to facilitate studies of mammalian pigmentation. This stock combines the convenience of a hairless animal with a pigmentary system that is similar to human skin. In both human and guinea pig skin, active melanocytes are located in the basal layer of the interfollicular epidermis. Hairless albino guinea pigs on an outbred Hartley background (CrI:IAF/HA(hr/hr)BR; designated hr/hr) were mated with red-haired guinea pigs (designated Hr/Hr). Red-haired heterozygotes from the F1 generation (Hr/hr) were then mated with each other or with hairless albino guinea pigs. The F2 generation included hairless pigmented guinea pigs that retained their interfollicular epidermal melanocytes and whose skin was red-brown in color. Following UV irradiation, there was an increase in cutaneous pigmentation as well as an increase in the number of active epidermal melanocytes. An additional strain of black hairless guinea pigs was developed using black Hr/Hr animals and a similar breeding scheme. These two strains should serve as useful models for studies of the mammalian pigment system.

  2. Evaluation of seismic reflection data in the Davis and Lavender Canyons study area, Paradox Basin, Utah

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kitcho, C.A.; Wong, I.G.; Turcotte, F.T.

    1986-08-01

    Seismic reflection data purchased from petroleum industry brokers and acquired through group speculative surveys were interpreted for information on the regional subsurface geologic structure and stratigraphy within and surrounding the Davis and Lavender Canyons study area in the Paradox Basin of southeastern Utah. Structures of interest were faults, folds, joints, and collapse structures related to salt dissolution. The seismic reflection data were used to interpret stratigraphy by identifying continuous and discontinuous reflectors on the seismic profiles. Thickening and thinning of strata and possible areas of salt flowage or dissolution could be identified from the seismic data. Identifiable reflectors included the tops of the Precambrian and Mississippian, a distinctive interbed close to the middle of the Pennsylvanian Paradox salt formation (probably the interval between Salt Cycles 10 and 13), and near the top of the Paradox salt. Of the 56 faults identified from the seismic reflection interpretation, 33 trend northwest, west-northwest, or west, and most affect only the deeper part of the stratigraphic section. These faults are part of the deep structural system found throughout the Paradox Basin, including the fold and fault belt in the northeast part of the basin. The faults bound basement Precambrian blocks that experienced minor activity during Mississippian and early Pennsylvanian deposition, and showed major displacement during early Paradox salt deposition as the Paradox Basin subsided. Based on the seismic data, most of these faults appear to have an upward terminus between the top of the Mississippian and the salt interbed reflector

  3. Sensitizing pigment in the fly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vogt, K.; Kirschfeld, K.

    1983-01-01

    The sensitizing pigment hypothesis for the high UV sensitivity in fly photoreceptors (R1-6) is further substantiated by measurements of the polarisation sensitivity in the UV. The quantum yield of the energy transfer from sensitizing pigment to rhodopsin was estimated by electrophysiological measurements of the UV sensitivity and the rhabdomeric absorptance (at 490 nm) in individual receptor cells. The transfer efficiency is >=0.75 in receptors with an absorptance in the rhabdomeres of 0.55-0.95. This result suggests that the sensitizing pigment is bound in some way to the rhodopsin. A ratio of two molecules of sensitizing pigment per one rhodopsin is proposed. (orig.)

  4. Raman Spectroscopy of Microbial Pigments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, Howell G. M.; Oren, Aharon

    2014-01-01

    Raman spectroscopy is a rapid nondestructive technique providing spectroscopic and structural information on both organic and inorganic molecular compounds. Extensive applications for the method in the characterization of pigments have been found. Due to the high sensitivity of Raman spectroscopy for the detection of chlorophylls, carotenoids, scytonemin, and a range of other pigments found in the microbial world, it is an excellent technique to monitor the presence of such pigments, both in pure cultures and in environmental samples. Miniaturized portable handheld instruments are available; these instruments can be used to detect pigments in microbiological samples of different types and origins under field conditions. PMID:24682303

  5. Thermoeconomic diagnosis and entropy generation paradox

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sigthorsson, Oskar; Ommen, Torben Schmidt; Elmegaard, Brian

    2017-01-01

    In the entropy generation paradox, the entropy generation number, as a function of heat exchanger effectiveness, counter-intuitively approaches zero in two limits symmetrically from a single maximum. In thermoeconomic diagnosis, namely in the characteristic curve method, the exergy destruction...... to the entropy generation paradox, as a decreased heat exchanger effectiveness (as in the case of an operation anomaly in the component) can counter-intuitively result in decreased exergy destruction rate of the component. Therefore, along with an improper selection of independent variables, the heat exchanger...... increases in case of an operation anomaly in a component. The normalised exergy destruction rate as the dependent variable therefore resolves the relation of the characteristic curve method with the entropy generation paradox....

  6. Effect of pigment concentration on fastness and color values of thermal and UV curable pigment printing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baysal, Gulcin; Kalav, Berdan; Karagüzel Kayaoğlu, Burçak

    2017-10-01

    In the current study, it is aimed to determine the effect of pigment concentration on fastness and colour values of thermal and ultraviolet (UV) curable pigment printing on synthetic leather. For this purpose, thermal curable solvent-based and UV curable water-based formulations were prepared with different pigment concentrations (3, 5 and 7%) separately and applied by screen printing technique using a screen printing machine. Samples printed with solvent-based formulations were thermally cured and samples printed with water-based formulations were cured using a UV curing machine equipped with gallium and mercury (Ga/Hg) lamps at room temperature. The crock fastness values of samples printed with solvent-based formulations showed that increase in pigment concentration was not effective on both dry and wet crock fastness values. On the other hand, in samples printed with UV curable water-based formulations, dry crock fastness was improved and evaluated as very good for all pigment concentrations. However, increasing the pigment concentration affected the wet crock fastness values adversely and lower values were observed. As the energy level increased for each irradiation source, the fastness values were improved. In comparison with samples printed with solvent-based formulations, samples printed with UV curable water-based formulations yielded higher K/S values at all pigment concentrations. The results suggested that, higher K/S values can be obtained in samples printed with UV curable water-based formulations at a lower pigment concentration compared to samples printed with solvent-based formulations.

  7. On Hardy's paradox, weak measurements, and multitasking diagrams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meglicki, Zdzislaw

    2011-01-01

    We discuss Hardy's paradox and weak measurements by using multitasking diagrams, which are introduced to illustrate the progress of quantum probabilities through the double interferometer system. We explain how Hardy's paradox is avoided and elaborate on the outcome of weak measurements in this context. -- Highlights: → Hardy's paradox explained and eliminated. → Weak measurements: what is really measured? → Multitasking diagrams: introduced and used to discuss quantum mechanical processes.

  8. Central posterior capsule pigmentation in a patient with pigment dispersion and previous ocular trauma: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Mezaine, Hani S

    2010-01-01

    We report a 55-year-old man with unusually dense, unilateral central posterior capsule pigmentation associated with the characteristic clinical features of pigment dispersion syndrome, including a Krukenberg's spindle and dense trabecular pigmentation in both eyes. A history of an old blunt ocular trauma probably caused separation of the anterior hyaloid from the back of the lens, thereby creating an avenue by which pigment could reach the potential space of Berger's from the posterior chamber.

  9. Paradox in a non-linear capacitated transportation problem

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dahiya Kalpana

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses a paradox in fixed charge capacitated transportation problem where the objective function is the sum of two linear fractional functions consisting of variables costs and fixed charges respectively. A paradox arises when the transportation problem admits of an objective function value which is lower than the optimal objective function value, by transporting larger quantities of goods over the same route. A sufficient condition for the existence of a paradox is established. Paradoxical range of flow is obtained for any given flow in which the corresponding objective function value is less than the optimum value of the given transportation problem. Numerical illustration is included in support of theory.

  10. A Krein quantization approach to Klein paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Payandeh, Farrin; Fathi, Mohsen; Mohammad Pur, Toradj; Moghaddam, Zahra Gh.

    2013-01-01

    In this paper we first introduce the famous Klein paradox. Afterwards by proposing the Krein quantization approach and taking the negative modes into account, we will show that the expected and exact current densities could be achieved without confronting any paradox. (authors)

  11. The paradoxes of the interaction-free measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vaidman, L.; Tel Aviv Univ.

    2001-01-01

    Interaction-free measurements introduced by Elitzur and Vaidman (1993) allow finding infinitely fragile objects without destroying them. Paradoxical features of these and related measurements are discussed. The resolution of the paradoxes in the framework of the Many-Worlds Interpretation is proposed. (orig.)

  12. Improved analysis of Monascus pigments based on their pH-sensitive UV-Vis absorption and reactivity properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Kan; Chen, Gong; Pistolozzi, Marco; Xia, Fenggeng; Wu, Zhenqiang

    2016-09-01

    Monascus pigments, a mixture of azaphilones mainly composed of red, orange and yellow pigments, are usually prepared in aqueous ethanol and analysed by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The pH of aqueous ethanol used during sample preparation and analysis has never been considered a key parameter to control; however, this study shows that the UV-Vis spectra and colour characteristics of the six major pigments are strongly influenced by the pH of the solvent employed. In addition, the increase of solvent pH results in a remarkable increase of the amination reaction of orange pigments with amino compounds, and at higher pH (≥ 6.0) a significant amount of orange pigment derivatives rapidly form. The consequent impact of these pH-sensitive properties on pigment analysis is further discussed. Based on the presented results, we propose that the sample preparation and analysis of Monascus pigments should be uniformly performed at low pH (≤ 2.5) to avoid variations of UV-Vis spectra and the creation of artefacts due to the occurrence of amination reactions, and ensure an accurate analysis that truly reflects pigment characteristics in the samples.

  13. The visual pigment cyanide effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crescitelli, F; Karvaly, B

    1989-12-01

    The visual pigment of the Tokay gecko (Gekko gekko) with its in situ absorption maximum at 521 nm has its spectral position at 500 to 505 nm when chloride-deficient digitonin is used for the extraction. In this case the addition of chloride or bromide to the extract restores the maximum to 521 nm. This property, characteristic of gecko pigments in general, does not occur with any of the rhodopsins that have been tested. Simple salts of cyanide, a pseudohalogenoid with an ionic radius close to those of chloride and bromide and/or its hydrolysis product attacks both this gecko pigment and rhodopsins in the dark. This is seen as a slow thermal loss of photopigment if (sodium) cyanide is present at concentrations above 40 mM for the gecko pigment and 150 mM for the rhodopsins of the midshipman (Porichthys notatus) and of the frog (Rana pipiens). In all cases the loss of the photopigment is accompanied by the appearance of a spectral product with maximum absorption at about 340 nm. Cyanide addition has no effect on the photosensitivity of the native pigments and neither does it alter, as do chloride, bromide and other anions, the spectral absorbance curve. The spectral product at 340 nm also appears when the visual pigments are photolyzed in the presence of cyanide salts below the threshold concentrations given above. Incubation of digitonin-solubilized all-trans-retinal with (sodium) cyanide leads to a reaction product with absorption spectrum similar to that obtained with visual pigments under comparable conditions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  14. The clock paradox as a cosmological problem

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu, K.Y.

    1975-01-01

    In this paper the clock paradox is discussed within the framework of the general theory of relativity. It is shown that in general the aging asymmetry exists. It is also argued that the clock paradox, according to Mach's principle, is essentially a cosmological problem. (author)

  15. High efficiency non-viral transfection of retinal and iris pigment epithelial cells with pigment epithelium-derived factor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thumann, G; Stöcker, M; Maltusch, C; Salz, A K; Barth, S; Walter, P; Johnen, S

    2010-02-01

    Transplantation of pigment epithelial cells in patients with age-related macular degeneration and Parkinson's disease has the potential to improve functional rehabilitation. Genetic modification of cells before transplantation may allow the delivery of neuroprotective factors to achieve functional improvement. As transplantation of cells modified using viral vectors is complicated by the possible dissemination of viral particles and severe immune reactions, we have explored non-viral methods to insert genetic material in pigment epithelial cells. Using lipofection or nucleofection ARPE-19 cells, freshly isolated and primary retinal and iris pigment epithelial (IPE) cells were transfected with plasmids encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) and with three plasmids encoding recombinant pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) and GFP. Transfection efficiency was evaluated by fluorescence microscopy and stability of protein expression by immunoblotting. Pigment epithelial cells were successfully transfected with plasmid encoding GFP. Expression of GFP in ARPE-19 was transient, but was observed for up to 1 year in IPE cells. Analysis of pigment epithelial cells transfected with PEDF plasmids revealed that PEDF fusion proteins were successfully expressed and functionally active. In conclusion, efficient transfer of genetic information in pigment epithelial cells can be achieved using non-viral transfection protocols.

  16. Central posterior capsule pigmentation in a patient with pigment dispersion and previous ocular trauma: A case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Al-Mezaine Hani

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available We report a 55-year-old man with unusually dense, unilateral central posterior capsule pigmentation associated with the characteristic clinical features of pigment dispersion syndrome, including a Krukenberg′s spindle and dense trabecular pigmentation in both eyes. A history of an old blunt ocular trauma probably caused separation of the anterior hyaloid from the back of the lens, thereby creating an avenue by which pigment could reach the potential space of Berger′s from the posterior chamber.

  17. The paradox of scientific expertise

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alrøe, Hugo Fjelsted; Noe, Egon

    2011-01-01

    Modern societies depend on a growing production of scientific knowledge, which is based on the functional differentiation of science into still more specialised scientific disciplines and subdisciplines. This is the basis for the paradox of scientific expertise: The growth of science leads to a f...... cross-disciplinary research and in the collective use of different kinds of scientific expertise, and thereby make society better able to solve complex, real-world problems.......Modern societies depend on a growing production of scientific knowledge, which is based on the functional differentiation of science into still more specialised scientific disciplines and subdisciplines. This is the basis for the paradox of scientific expertise: The growth of science leads...... to a fragmentation of scientific expertise. To resolve this paradox, the present paper investigates three hypotheses: 1) All scientific knowledge is perspectival. 2) The perspectival structure of science leads to specific forms of knowledge asymmetries. 3) Such perspectival knowledge asymmetries must be handled...

  18. Ending the myth of the St Petersburg Paradox

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert Vivian

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Nicolas Bernoulli suggested the St Petersburg game, nearly 300 years ago, which is widely believed to produce a paradox in decision theory. This belief stems from a long standing mathematical error in the original calculation of the expected value of the game. This article argues that, in addition to the mathematical error, there are also methodological considerations which gave rise to the paradox. This article explains these considerations and why because of the modern computer, the same considerations, when correctly applied, also demonstrate that no paradox exists. Because of the longstanding belief that a paradox exists it is unlikely the mere mathematical correction will end the myth. The article explains why it is the methodological correction which will dispel the myth.

  19. Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger paradoxes from qudit graph states.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Weidong; Yu, Sixia; Oh, C H

    2013-03-08

    One fascinating way of revealing quantum nonlocality is the all-versus-nothing test due to Greenberger, Horne, and Zeilinger (GHZ) known as the GHZ paradox. So far genuine multipartite and multilevel GHZ paradoxes are known to exist only in systems containing an odd number of particles. Here we shall construct GHZ paradoxes for an arbitrary number (greater than 3) of particles with the help of qudit graph states on a special kind of graphs, called GHZ graphs. Furthermore, based on the GHZ paradox arising from a GHZ graph, we derive a Bell inequality with two d-outcome observables for each observer, whose maximal violation attained by the corresponding graph state, and a Kochen-Specker inequality testing the quantum contextuality in a state-independent fashion.

  20. Identification of organic pigments in tattoo inks and permanent make-up using laser desorption ionisation mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niederer, Markus; Hauri, Urs; Kroll, Lydia; Hohl, Christopher

    2017-01-01

    Nowadays, about 12% of the European and 20% of the US population are tattooed. Rising concerns regarding consumer safety, led to legal restrictions on tattoo and permanent make-up (PMU) inks. Restrictions also include bans on certain colourants. Both ink types use organic pigments for colour-giving, plus inorganic pigments for white and black and colour tones. Pigments are only sparingly soluble in common solvents and occur as suspended particles in the ink matrix. Their detection and identification therefore pose a major challenge for laboratories involved in monitoring the legal compliance of tattoo inks and PMU. We overcame this challenge by developing a direct laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry method, which included an easy sample clean up. The method proved to be capable of detecting and identifying organic pigments in almost all of the tested ink samples. Method validation and routine deployment during market surveys showed the method to be fit for purpose. Pigment screening of 396 tattoo inks and 55 PMU taken from the Swiss market between 2009 and 2017 lead to the following conclusions: Pigment variety is much greater in tattoo inks (18) than in PMU (10); four prohibited pigments (Pigment Green 7, Pigment Red 122, Pigment Violet 19 and 23) were found in both ink types; for PMU, these four pigments made up 12% of the pigment findings, compared to 32% for tattoo inks. Therefore, legal compliance of PMU was at a higher level. A comparison of pigments found with those declared on tattoo ink labels clearly showed that banned pigments are rarely declared, but rather masked by listing non present legal pigments and label forging; therefore, highlighting the urgency of widespread market controls.

  1. Temperature relaxation and the Kapitza boundary resistance paradox

    OpenAIRE

    Brink, Alec Maassen van den; Dekker, H.

    1994-01-01

    The calculation of the Kapitza boundary resistance between dissimilar harmonic solids has since long (Little [Can. J. Phys. 37, 334 (1959)]) suffered from a paradox: this resistance erroneously tends to a finite value in the limit of identical solids. We resolve this paradox by calculating temperature differences in the final heat-transporting state, rather than with respect to the initial state of local equilibrium. For a one-dimensional model we thus derive an exact, paradox-free formula fo...

  2. A Dichotomic Analysis of the Surprise Examination Paradox

    OpenAIRE

    Franceschi, Paul

    2002-01-01

    This paper presents a dichotomic analysis of the surprise examination paradox. In section 1, I analyse the surprise notion in detail. I introduce then in section 2, the distinction between a monist and dichotomic analysis of the paradox. I also present there a dichotomy leading to distinguish two basically and structurally different versions of the paradox, respectively based on a conjoint and a disjoint definition of the surprise. In section 3, I describe the solution to SEP corresponding to...

  3. Contralateral paradoxical response to chemotherapy in tuberculous ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Pleural effusions may occur as a complication of primary tuberculosis or an established pulmonary or extrapulmonary infection. New formation or expansion of a tuberculous lesion during chemotherapy is referred to as paradoxical response. Paradoxical response has been described to occur weeks or months after starting ...

  4. Two novel deletions (array CGH findings) in pigment dispersion syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mikelsaar, Ruth; Molder, Harras; Bartsch, Oliver; Punab, Margus

    2007-12-01

    We report the first male with pigment dispersion syndrome and a balanced translocation t(10;15)(p11.1;q11.1). Cytogenetic analyses using Giemsa banding and FISH methods, and array CGH were performed. Array CGH analyses did not show altered DNA sequences in the breakpoints of the translocation, but revealed two novel deletions in 2q22.1 and 18q22.1. We suppose that the coexistence of t(10;15) and pigment dispersion syndrome in our patient is a coincidence. The deletion in 2q22.1, where the gene LRP1B has been located, may play a major role in the dysembryogenesis of the eye and cause the disorder.

  5. Unveiling consumer's privacy paradox behaviour in an economic exchange.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Motiwalla, Luvai F; Li, Xiao-Bai

    2016-01-01

    Privacy paradox is of great interest to IS researchers and firms gathering personal information. It has been studied from social, behavioural, and economic perspectives independently. However, prior research has not examined the degrees of influence these perspectives contribute to the privacy paradox problem. We combine both economic and behavioural perspectives in our study of the privacy paradox with a price valuation of personal information through an economic experiment combined with a behavioural study on privacy paradox. Our goal is to reveal more insights on the privacy paradox through economic valuation on personal information. Results indicate that general privacy concerns or individual disclosure concerns do not have a significant influence on the price valuation of personal information. Instead, prior disclosure behaviour in specific scenario, like with healthcare providers or social networks, is a better indicator of consumer price valuations.

  6. Nitric oxide-dependent pigment migration induced by ultraviolet radiation in retinal pigment cells of the crab Neohelice granulata.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Filgueira, Daza de Moraes Vaz Batista; Guterres, Laís Pereira; Votto, Ana Paula de Souza; Vargas, Marcelo Alves; Boyle, Robert Tew; Trindade, Gilma Santos; Nery, Luiz Eduardo Maia

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to verify the occurrence of pigment dispersion in retinal pigment cells exposed to UVA and UVB radiation, and to investigate the possible participation of a nitric oxide (NO) pathway. Retinal pigment cells from Neohelice granulata were obtained by cellular dissociation. Cells were analyzed for 30 min in the dark (control) and then exposed to 1.1 and 3.3 J cm(-2) UVA, 0.07 and 0.9 J cm(-2) UVB, 20 nmβ-PDH (pigment dispersing hormone) or 10 μm SIN-1 (NO donor). Histological analyses were performed to verify the UV effect in vivo. Cultured cells were exposed to 250 μm L-NAME (NO synthase blocker) and afterwards were treated with UVA, UVB or β-PDH. The retinal cells in culture displayed significant pigment dispersion in response to UVA, UVB and β-PDH. The same responses to UVA and UVB were observed in vivo. SIN-1 did not induce pigment dispersion in the cell cultures. L-NAME significantly decreased the pigment dispersion induced by UVA and UVB but not by β-PDH. All retinal cells showed an immunopositive reaction against neuronal nitric oxide synthases. Therefore, UVA and UVB radiation are capable of inducing pigment dispersion in retinal pigment cells of Neohelice granulata and this dispersion may be nitric oxide synthase dependent. © 2010 The Authors. Journal Compilation. The American Society of Photobiology.

  7. What Is Sexual Orientation All About? Explaining an Evolutionary Paradox

    OpenAIRE

    Brad Bowins

    2015-01-01

    Numerous psychological, biological, and evolutionary theories have been proposed to explain sexual orientation. For a theory to be valid it must account for the evolutionary or Darwinian paradox of how homosexual behavior seemingly blocking evolutionary fitness could have evolved. Typically it is only evolutionary based theories that attempt to address this issue. All theories proposed to date have limitations, a major one being that they tend to be specific for male or female sexual orientat...

  8. State of art in research of ceramic pigments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sulcova, P.; Trojan, M.

    2004-01-01

    The research of our laboratory is focused on investigation of special inorganic pigments, mainly on ceramic pigments. many pigments used just now are questionable from the hygienic point of view. The fact that the most of the pigments contain problematic elements opens necessity of substitution of pigments containing toxic metals (chromium). Yellow ceramic pigments commonly used such as Pb 2 Sb 2 O 7 , PbCrO 4 and CdS are now being expelled from the market because of their toxicity. For this reason the main attention has been directed to the synthesis of new inorganic compounds mainly with yellow, orange and red colour hues, which can be used as pigments for colouring of glaze, plastics or building materials. In harmony with this postulate the pigments based on CeO 2 represent new special inorganic pigments with high-temperature stability have been synthesized. The commercial significance is in thermal, chemical and light stability, combined with their low toxicity. (author)

  9. True bursal pigmented villonodular synovitis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdelwahab, Ibrahim Fikry; Kenan, Samuel; Steiner, German C.; Abdul-Quader, Mohammed

    2002-01-01

    We describe two cases of pigmented villonodular synovitis affecting true bursae. This study was also designed to discuss the term ''pigmented villonodular bursitis'', not confined to true synovial bursae, sometimes creating misunderstanding. (orig.)

  10. Organic Semiconductors based on Dyes and Color Pigments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gsänger, Marcel; Bialas, David; Huang, Lizhen; Stolte, Matthias; Würthner, Frank

    2016-05-01

    Organic dyes and pigments constitute a large class of industrial products. The utilization of these compounds in the field of organic electronics is reviewed with particular emphasis on organic field-effect transistors. It is shown that for most major classes of industrial dyes and pigments, i.e., phthalocyanines, perylene and naphthalene diimides, diketopyrrolopyrroles, indigos and isoindigos, squaraines, and merocyanines, charge-carrier mobilities exceeding 1 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) have been achieved. The most widely investigated molecules due to their n-channel operation are perylene and naphthalene diimides, for which even values close to 10 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) have been demonstrated. The fact that all of these π-conjugated colorants contain polar substituents leading to strongly quadrupolar or even dipolar molecules suggests that indeed a much larger structural space shows promise for the design of organic semiconductor molecules than was considered in this field traditionally. In particular, because many of these dye and pigment chromophores demonstrate excellent thermal and (photo-)chemical stability in their original applications in dyeing and printing, and are accessible by straightforward synthetic protocols, they bear a particularly high potential for commercial applications in the area of organic electronics. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. The Lindley paradox in optical interferometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mauri, Camillo; Paris, Matteo G.A.

    2016-01-01

    The so-called Lindley paradox is a counterintuitive statistical effect where the Bayesian and frequentist approaches to hypothesis testing give radically different answers, depending on the choice of the prior distribution. In this paper we address the occurrence of the Lindley paradox in optical interferometry and discuss its implications for high-precision measurements. In particular, we focus on phase estimation by Mach–Zehnder interferometers and show how to mitigate the conflict between the two approaches by using suitable priors. - Highlights: • We address the occurence of Lindley paradox in interferometry and discuss its implications for high-precision measurements. • We show how to mitigate the conflict between Bayesian and frequentist approach to interferometry using suitable priors. • Our results apply to calibration of homodyne detectors for quantum tomography.

  12. Synthesis of new environment-friendly yellow pigments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Furukawa, Shinya; Masui, Toshiyuki; Imanaka, Nobuhito

    2006-01-01

    New inorganic pigments based on amorphous cerium tungstate, Ce 1-x M x W 2 O 8 (M = Zr or Ti, 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.6), were synthesized and their color properties were characterized from the viewpoint of possible ecological inorganic pigments. The Ce 1-x M x W 2 O 8 materials absorb the visible and the ultraviolet light under 500 nm efficiently, which is originated in the O 2p -Ce 4f and the O 2p -W 5d double charge transfer transitions, and, as a result, the pigments can show a brilliant yellow color. The optical absorption edge wavelength of these pigments depends on the Zr or Ti content, and the effective yellow hue was observed at x = 0.2 for both pigments. The color properties of the present pigments suggest that they have a potential to be applied as a satisfactory pigment for paints. Furthermore, these pigments can be prepared by a simple co-precipitation method. They are inert and safe and do not produce side effects in the human body because they are composed of non-toxic and safe elements

  13. Investigating Pigment Radicals in Black Rice Using HPLC and Multi-EPR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakagawa, Kouichi; Maeda, Hayato

    2017-01-01

    We investigated the location and distribution of paramagnetic species in black and white rice using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), X-band (9 GHz) EPR imaging (EPRI), and HPLC. EPR primarily detected two paramagnetic species in black rice, which were identified as a stable radical and Mn 2+ species, based on the g values and hyperfine components of the EPR signals. The signal from the stable radical appeared at g ≈ 2.00 and was relatively strong and stable. Subsequent noninvasive two-dimensional (2D) EPRI revealed that this stable radical was primarily located in the pigmented region of black rice, while very few radicals were observed in the rice interior. Pigments extracted from black rice were analyzed using HPLC; the major compound was found to be cyanidin-3-glucoside. EPR and HPLC results indicate that the stable radical was only found within the pigmented region of the rice, and that it could either be cyanidin-3-glucoside, or one of its oxidative decomposition products.

  14. Swapping one red pigment for another.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davies, Kevin M

    2015-01-01

    Betalains are bright red and yellow pigments, which are produced in only one order of plants, the Caryophyllales, and replace the more familiar anthocyanin pigments. The evolutionary origin of betalain production is a mystery, but a new study has identified the first regulator of betalain production and discovered a previously unknown link between the two pigment pathways.

  15. Mathematical fallacies and paradoxes

    CERN Document Server

    Bunch, Bryan

    1982-01-01

    Stimulating, thought-provoking analysis of the most interesting intellectual inconsistencies in mathematics, physics, and language, including being led astray by algebra (De Morgan's paradox). 1982 edition.

  16. Modification of cadmium pigments for colouring of polyolefins

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kalinskaya, T.V.; Livshits, I.M.

    1976-01-01

    Modification conditions are studied of cadmium pigments, obtained by different methods, aliphatic acids(C 5 , C 8 and C 17 ). It is found, that cadmium pigments can adsorb acids with the number of atoms of carbon not less than 8. Stearic acid adsorption on lemon cadmium pigment taken as an example has shown the efficiency of pigment modification influence on its dispersancy in non-polar medium. Modification of yellow cadmium pigments of stearic acid makes possible to obtain pigment output forms ensuring a good particle distribution during polyolefine colouring

  17. The penetration depth and lateral distribution of pigment related to the pigment grain size and the calendering of paper

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buelow, K.; Kristiansson, P.; Schueler, B.; Tullander, E.; Oestling, S.; Elfman, M.; Malmqvist, K.; Pallon, J.; Shariff, A.

    2002-01-01

    The interaction of ink and newspaper has been investigated and the specific question of penetration of ink into the paper has been addressed with a nuclear microprobe using particle induced X-ray emission. The penetration depth of the newsprint is a critical factor in terms of increasing the quality of newsprint and minimising the amount of ink used. The objective of the experiment was to relate the penetration depth of pigment with the calendering of the paper. The dependence of the penetration depth on the pigment grain size was also studied. To study the penetration depth of pigment in paper, cyan ink with Cu as a tracer of the coloured pigment was used. For the study of the penetration depth dependence of pigment size, specially grounded Japanese ink with well-defined pigment grain size was used. This was compared to Swedish ink with pigment grains with normal size-distribution. The results show that the calendering of the paper considerably affects the penetration depth of ink

  18. Importance of Selecting Appropriate Wavelength, While Quantifying Growth and Production of Quorum Sensing Regulated Pigments in Bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joshi, Chinmayi; Kothari, Vijay; Patel, Pooja

    2016-01-01

    Pigment production is regulated by quorum-sensing (QS) in certain bacteria which are being widely used as model organisms in different QS labs. This paper emphasizes importance of selecting an appropriate wavelength for quantification of bacterial growth and pigmentation. While screening different natural/synthetic preparations for their possible QSmodulating potential, it becomes very much necessary to establish that the observed effect is truly QS-associated, and not falsely inflated owing to inaccurate quantification of bacterial cell density/ pigment intensity. Pigments were extracted in suitable organic solvents, whereas quantification of bacterial growth and extracted pigments was done photometrically. Findings reported in this paper, suggest that while quantifying cell density in a pigmented bacterial suspension, such a wavelength (e.g. 764 nm) should be selected at which pigment interference is either absent or minimum. Additionally, importance of appropriate dilution of the bacterial cell suspensions, prior to photometric measurement has been highlighted. This work indicates that while working with pigmented bacteria, it is important to pay attention to the absorption spectrum of the pigment(s) involved, and also to dilute the dense bacterial suspensions appropriately prior to measuring optical density, so as to avoid any major deviation of OD from the proportionality to the cell density. Besides presenting the experimental data in this paper, patents regarding measurement of cell growth, as well as those indicating the potential of commercialization of various aspects of QS research have been mentioned.

  19. Ozone Sensitivity and Catalase Activity in Pigmented and Non-Pigmented Strains of Serratia Marcescens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Ondarza, José

    2017-01-01

    Ozone exposure rapidly leads to bacterial death, making ozone an effective disinfectant in food industry and health care arena. However, microbial defenses may moderate this effect and play a role in the effective use of oxidizing agents for disinfection. Serratia marcescens is an opportunistic pathogen, expressing genes differentially during infection of a human host. A better understanding of regulatory systems that control expression of Serratia 's virulence genes and defenses is therefore valuable. Here, we investigated the role of pigmentation and catalase in Serratia marcescens on survival to ozone exposure. Pigmented and non-pigmented strains of Serratia marcescens were cultured to exponential or stationary phase and exposed to 5 ppm of gaseous ozone for 2.5 - 10 minutes. Survival was calculated via plate counts. Catalase activity was measured photometrically and tolerance to hydrogen peroxide was assayed by disk-diffusion. Exposure of S. marcescens to 5 ppm gaseous ozone kills > 90% of cells within 10 minutes in a time and concentration-dependent manner. Although pigmented Serratia (grown at 28°C) survived ozonation better than unpigmented Serratia (grown at 35°C), non-pigmented mutant strains of Serratia had similar ozone survival rates, catalase activity and H 2 O 2 tolerance as wild type strains. Rather, ozone survival and catalase activity were elevated in 6 hour cultures compared to 48 hour cultures. Our studies did not bear out a role for prodigiosin in ozone survival. Rather, induction of oxidative stress responses during exponential growth increased both catalase activity and ozone survival in both pigmented and unpigmented S. marcescens .

  20. Carbachol-mediated pigment granule dispersion in retinal pigment epithelium requires Ca2+ and calcineurin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Adam S; García, Dana M

    2007-12-19

    Inside bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) retinal pigment epithelial cells, pigment granules move in response to extracellular signals. During the process of aggregation, pigment motility is directed toward the cell nucleus; in dispersion, pigment is directed away from the nucleus and into long apical processes. A number of different chemicals have been found to initiate dispersion, and carbachol (an acetylcholine analog) is one example. Previous research indicates that the carbachol-receptor interaction activates a Gq-mediated pathway which is commonly linked to Ca2+ mobilization. The purpose of the present study was to test for involvement of calcium and to probe calcium-dependent mediators to reveal their role in carbachol-mediated dispersion. Carbachol-induced pigment granule dispersion was blocked by the calcium chelator BAPTA. In contrast, the calcium channel antagonist verapamil, and incubation in Ca2+-free medium failed to block carbachol-induced dispersion. The calcineurin inhibitor cypermethrin blocked carbachol-induced dispersion; whereas, two protein kinase C inhibitors (staurosporine and bisindolylmaleimide II) failed to block carbachol-induced dispersion, and the protein kinase C activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate failed to elicit dispersion. A rise in intracellular calcium is necessary for carbachol-induced dispersion; however, the Ca2+ requirement is not dependent on extracellular sources, implying that intracellular stores are sufficient to enable pigment granule dispersion to occur. Calcineurin is a likely Ca2+-dependent mediator involved in the signal cascade. Although the pathway leads to the generation of diacylglycerol and calcium (both required for the activation of certain PKC isoforms), our evidence does not support a significant role for PKC.

  1. On the Mathematics of the Jeffreys-Lindley Paradox

    OpenAIRE

    Villa, Cristiano; Walker, Stephen

    2015-01-01

    This paper is concerned with the well known Jeffreys-Lindley paradox. In a Bayesian set up, the so-called paradox arises when a point null hypothesis is tested and an objective prior is sought for the alternative hypothesis. In particular, the posterior for the null hypothesis tends to one when the uncertainty, i.e. the variance, for the parameter value goes to infinity. We argue that the appropriate way to deal with the paradox is to use simple mathematics, and that any philosophical argumen...

  2. Production of Monascus-like pigments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2012-01-01

    The present invention relates to a method for producing one or more Monascus-like pigment composition from Penicillium species comprising: a) providing a cultivation medium comprising a high concentration of C-and N-sources and a high C/N molar ratio, b) adjusting pH to about 5 to 8, c) inoculati...... as colouring agents in food items or non food items. The inventions further relates to Monascus-like pigment composition obtainable by a method of the inventions as well as use of the pigments....

  3. Paradoxical response to dexamethasone and spontaneous hypocortisolism in Cushing's disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lila, Anurag R; Sarathi, Vijaya; Bandgar, Tushar R; Shah, Nalini S

    2013-01-01

    Paradoxical response to dexamethasone and spontaneous development of hypocortisolism are rare features of Cushing's disease. We report a 13-year-old boy with Cushing's disease owing to a pituitary macroadenoma. On initial evaluation, he had partial suppression of serum cortisol by dexamethasone. He developed transient hypocortisolism after first adenomectomy, but the disease recurred after 1 year. Repeat evaluation showed recurrent hypercortisolism and paradoxical response to dexamethasone. He underwent second surgery and, postoperatively, hypercostisolism persisted even after 2 years of surgery. Repeat evaluations after 8 years of second surgery revealed persistent hypocortisolism despite residual tumour of same size and similar plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels. We have also shown that the paradoxical increase in serum cortisol was preceded by a paradoxical increase in ACTH. The paradoxical response persisted despite hypocortisolism. This patient with Cushing's disease had two very rare features: paradoxical response to dexamethasone and spontaneous development of hypocortisolism. PMID:23365169

  4. Melanin targeting for intracellular drug delivery: Quantification of bound and free drug in retinal pigment epithelial cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rimpelä, Anna-Kaisa; Hagström, Marja; Kidron, Heidi; Urtti, Arto

    2018-05-31

    Melanin binding affects drug distribution and retention in pigmented ocular tissues, thereby affecting drug response, duration of activity and toxicity. Therefore, it is a promising possibility for drug targeting and controlled release in the pigmented cells and tissues. Intracellular unbound drug concentrations determine pharmacological and toxicological actions, but analyses of unbound vs. total drug concentrations in pigmented cells are lacking. We studied intracellular binding and cellular drug uptake in pigmented retinal pigment epithelial cells and in non-pigmented ARPE-19 cells with five model drugs (chloroquine, propranolol, timolol, diclofenac, methotrexate). The unbound drug fractions in pigmented cells were 0.00016-0.73 and in non-pigmented cells 0.017-1.0. Cellular uptake (i.e. distribution ratio Kp), ranged from 1.3 to 6300 in pigmented cells and from 1.0 to 25 in non-pigmented cells. Values for intracellular bioavailability, F ic , were similar in both cells types (although larger variation in pigmented cells). In vitro melanin binding parameters were used to predict intracellular unbound drug fraction and cell uptake. Comparison of predictions with experimental data indicates that other factors (e.g. ion-trapping, lipophilicity-related binding to other cell components) also play a role. Melanin binding is a major factor that leads to cellular uptake and unbound drug fractions of a range of 3-4 orders of magnitude indicating that large reservoirs of melanin bound drug can be generated in the cells. Understanding melanin binding has important implications on retinal drug targeting, efficacy and toxicity. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  5. Non-destructive provenance differentiation of prehistoric pigments by external PIXE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beck, L.; Salomon, H.; Lahlil, S.; Lebon, M.; Odin, G.P.; Coquinot, Y.; Pichon, L.

    2012-01-01

    The elemental analysis of minerals/rocks has been often used for the determination of their geological origin. When these natural rocks were exploited by prehistoric civilizations as objects, weapons, or pigments, the composition of the minerals can provide information on the mobility, the exchanges and the interaction between groups of population. In this paper, we will present results obtained from archaeological samples of prehistoric pigments, mainly iron and manganese oxides. PIXE analysis has been applied to samples of the prehistoric cave “La grotte du Renne” in Arcy-sur-Cure, France (Chatelperronian, 38,000–34,000 BP). Because most of the archaeological objects are decorated or display some use marks, it is not possible to take samples. Consequently, we have used a non-destructive technique thanks to the external beam of AGLAE (C2RMF, Paris). In order to improve the limits of detection (LOD less than 10 ppm from Cu to Sb), a metal absorber has been placed on the X-ray detector to preferentially filter the Fe–K or Mn–K lines. Based on the quantitative analysis of major and trace elements, we have obtained groups of compositions corresponding to different geological sources. We demonstrate in this study that it is possible to extend PIXE analysis to the characterization of prehistoric pigments such as iron and manganese oxides for differentiating potential sources of pigments in archaeological contexts.

  6. True bursal pigmented villonodular synovitis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abdelwahab, Ibrahim Fikry [Department of Radiology, New York Methodist Hospital, Affiliated with New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY (United States); Kenan, Samuel [Department of Orthopedics, New York University Medical Center, NY (United States); Steiner, German C. [Department of Pathology, Hospital for Joint Diseases/Orthopedic Institute, New York, NY (United States); Abdul-Quader, Mohammed [Department of Radiology, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University, New York, NY (United States)

    2002-06-01

    We describe two cases of pigmented villonodular synovitis affecting true bursae. This study was also designed to discuss the term ''pigmented villonodular bursitis'', not confined to true synovial bursae, sometimes creating misunderstanding. (orig.)

  7. Temporal variation in community composition, pigmentation, and Fv/Fm of desert cyanobacterial soil crusts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowker, M.A.; Reed, S.C.; Belnap, J.; Phillips, S.L.

    2002-01-01

    Summers on the Colorado Plateau (USA) are typified by harsh conditions such as high temperatures, brief soil hydration periods, and high UV and visible radiation. We investigated whether community composition, physiological status, and pigmentation might vary in biological soil crusts as a result of such conditions. Representative surface cores were sampled at the ENE, WSW, and top microaspects of 20 individual soil crust pedicels at a single site in Canyonlands National Park, Utah, in spring and fall of 1999. Frequency of cyanobacterial taxa, pigment concentrations, and dark adapted quantum yield (Fv/Fm) were measured for each core. The frequency of major cyanobacterial taxa was lower in the fall compared to spring. The less-pigmented cyanobacterium Microcoleus vaginatus showed significant mortality when not in the presence of Nostoc spp. and Scytonema myochrous (Dillw.) Agardh. (both synthesizers of UV radiation-linked pigments) but had little or no mortality when these species were abundant. We hypothesize that the sunscreen pigments produced by Nostoc and Scytonema in the surface of crusts protect other, less-pigmented taxa. When fall and spring samples were compared, overall cyanobacterial frequency was lower in fall, while sunscreen pigment concentrations, chlorophyll a concentration, and Fv/Fm were higher in fall. The ratio of cyanobacterial frequency/chlorophyll a concentrations was 2-3 times lower in fall than spring. Because chlorophyll a is commonly used as a surrogate measure of soil cyanobacterial biomass, these results indicate that seasonality needs to be taken into consideration. In the fall sample, most pigments associated with UV radiation protection or repair were at their highest concentrations on pedicel tops and WSW microaspects, and at their lowest concentrations on ENE microaspects. We suggest that differential pigment concentrations between microaspects are induced by varying UV radiation dosage at the soil surface on these different

  8. Does evaporation paradox exist in China?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z. T. Cong

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available One expected consequence of global warming is the increase in evaporation. However, lots of observations show that the rate of evaporation from open pans of water has been steadily decreasing all over the world in the past 50 years. The contrast between expectation and observation is called "evaporation paradox". Based on data from 317 weather stations in China from 1956 to 2005, the trends of pan evaporation and air temperature were obtained and evaporation paradox was analyzed. The conclusions include: (1 From 1956 to 2005, pan evaporation paradox existed in China as a whole while pan evaporation kept decreasing and air temperature became warmer and warmer, but it does not apply to Northeast and Southeast China; (2 From 1956 to 1985, pan evaporation paradox existed narrowly as a whole with unobvious climate warming trend, but it does not apply to Northeast China; (3 From 1986 to 2005, in the past 20 years, pan evaporation paradox did not exist for the whole period while pan evaporation kept increasing, although it existed in South China. Furthermore, the trend of other weather factors including sunshine duration, windspeed, humidity and vapor pressure deficit, and their relations with pan evaporation are discussed. As a result, it can be concluded that pan evaporation decreasing is caused by the decreasing in radiation and wind speed before 1985 and pan evaporation increasing is caused by the decreasing in vapor pressure deficit due to strong warming after 1986. With the Budyko curve, it can be concluded that the actual evaporation decreased in the former 30 years and increased in the latter 20 year for the whole China.

  9. Crystalline Organic Pigment-Based Field-Effect Transistors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Haichang; Deng, Ruonan; Wang, Jing; Li, Xiang; Chen, Yu-Ming; Liu, Kewei; Taubert, Clinton J; Cheng, Stephen Z D; Zhu, Yu

    2017-07-05

    Three conjugated pigment molecules with fused hydrogen bonds, 3,7-diphenylpyrrolo[2,3-f]indole-2,6(1H,5H)-dione (BDP), (E)-6,6'-dibromo-[3,3'-biindolinylidene]-2,2'-dione (IIDG), and 3,6-di(thiophen-2-yl)-2,5-dihydropyrrolo-[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione (TDPP), were studied in this work. The insoluble pigment molecules were functionalized with tert-butoxylcarbonyl (t-Boc) groups to form soluble pigment precursors (BDP-Boc, IIDG-Boc, and TDPP-Boc) with latent hydrogen bonding. The single crystals of soluble pigment precursors were obtained. Upon simple thermal annealing, the t-Boc groups were removed and the soluble pigment precursor molecules with latent hydrogen bonding were converted into the original pigment molecules with fused hydrogen bonding. Structural analysis indicated that the highly crystalline soluble precursors were directly converted into highly crystalline insoluble pigments, which are usually only achievable by gas-phase routes like physical vapor transport. The distinct crystal structure after the thermal annealing treatment suggests that fused hydrogen bonding is pivotal for the rearrangement of molecules to form a new crystal in solid state, which leads to over 2 orders of magnitude enhancement in charge mobility in organic field-effect transistor (OFET) devices. This work demonstrated that crystalline OFET devices with insoluble pigment molecules can be fabricated by their soluble precursors. The results indicated that a variety of commercially available conjugated pigments could be potential active materials for high-performance OFETs.

  10. Production of brown and black pigments by using flotation waste from copper slag.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozel, Emel; Turan, Servet; Coruh, Semra; Ergun, Osman Nuri

    2006-04-01

    One of the major problems in copper-producing countries is the treatment of the large amount of copper slag or copper flotation waste generated from copper slag which contains significant amounts of heavy metals such as Cu, Zn, Pb and Co. Dumping or disposal of such large quantities of flotation waste from copper slag causes environmental and space problems. In this study, the treatment of flotation waste from copper slag by a thermal method and its use as an iron source in the production of inorganic brown and black pigments that are used in the ceramic industry were investigated. The pigments were produced by calcining different amounts of flotation waste and chromite, Cr2O3, ZnO and CoO mixtures. The pigments obtained were added to transparent ceramic glazes and porcelainized tile bodies. Their colours were defined by L*a*b* measurements with a spectrophotometer. The results showed that flotation waste from copper slag could be used as an iron source to produce brown and black pigments in both ceramic body and glazes.

  11. Linear perspective and framing in the vista paradox

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Costa, Marco; Bonetti, Leonardo

    2017-01-01

    The vista paradox is the illusion in which an object seen through a frame appears to shrink in apparent size as the observer approaches the frame. In four studies, we tested the effect of framing and fixating on the target object. The first two studies assessed the vista paradox in a large scale...... inserted within five frames differing in size. In the fourth study linear perspective was added to the images. The results showed that both frame size and linear perspective cues were critical factors for the vista paradox illusion....

  12. Familial occurrence of pigment dispersion syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bovell, A M; Damji, K F; Dohadwala, A A; Hodge, W G; Allingham, R R

    2001-02-01

    Pigment dispersion syndrome affects up to 4% of the white population. It is characterized by the presence of transillumination defects, Krukenberg's spindle and dense trabecular meshwork pigmentation. Open-angle glaucoma will develop in as many as 50% of affected patients. In this study we describe the familial occurrence of pigment dispersion syndrome in six North American pedigrees and the phenotypic characteristics with respect to pigment dispersion syndrome and glaucoma. Probands with pigment dispersion syndrome were identified in glaucoma clinics at university eye centres in Ottawa and Durham, NC. Families with two or more affected members were evaluated. All willing members in each family underwent a thorough clinical examination and were classified as affected with pigment dispersion syndrome, suspect or unaffected. The previous medical records were reviewed to obtain the past medical and ocular history, including risk factors for glaucoma. All six families are white. Three families show at least two generations of affected members. Of the 43 subjects examined 58% were women. All 14 affected members showed moderate to heavy trabecular meshwork pigmentation and either Krukenberg's spindle or transillumination defects. The affected members were also considerably more myopic (mean spherical equivalent for the right eye -4.72 dioptres) than the suspect group or the unaffected group (mean spherical equivalent -0.79 D and +1.19 D respectively) (p pigment dispersion syndrome. Our ultimate goal is to identify the gene(s) that causes this disorder in order to clarify its molecular etiology and pathophysiology. This may give rise to a molecular classification of the disease as well as provide the foundation for genetic testing and new treatment approaches.

  13. Pigmented xerodermoid - Report of three cases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Das Jayanta Kumar

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available Pigmented xerodermoid, a rare genodermatosis, presents with clinical features and pathology similar to xeroderma pigmentosum, but at a later age. DNA repair replication is normal, but there is total depression of DNA synthesis after exposure to UV radiation. Two siblings in their teens and a man in his thirties with features of pigmented xerodermoid, e.g. photophobia, freckle-like lesions, keratoses, dryness of skin, and hypo- and hyper-pigmentation, are described. Although classically the onset of pigmented xerodermoid is said to be delayed till third to fourth decade of life, it seems the disease may appear earlier in the tropics. Early diagnosis and management could be life-saving.

  14. Some biological activities of pigments extracted from Micrococcus roseus (PTCC 1411) and Rhodotorula glutinis (PTCC 5257).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rostami, Hossein; Hamedi, Hassan; Yolmeh, Mahmoud

    2016-12-01

    The importance of replacing synthetic pigments with natural types is increasing day by day in the food industry due to the harmful effects of some synthetic pigments. Microorganisms are a major source of natural pigments, which nowadays have attracted the attention of researchers. In this study, carotenoid pigments were produced by Micrococcus roseus and Rhodotorula glutinis, and some of their biological properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory activities were evaluated. Given the results, bacteria, especially gram-positive bacteria, had higher sensitivity to the pigments extracted from M. roseus (PEM) and R. glutinis (PER) compared to molds so that Bacillus cereus and Alternaria citri had the highest and the lowest sensitivity, respectively. PER showed a higher antioxidant activity compared with PEM in the various methods of measuring antioxidant activity. In vitro and in vivo anti-tumor-promoting activities of PER were measured significantly more than PEM (P <0.05). Both pigment extracts remarkably inhibited the 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced inflammation, so that ID 50 (50% inhibitory dose) of PEM and PER were 0.22 and 0.09 mg/ear, respectively. © The Author(s) 2016.

  15. The happiness paradox

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bollen, Johan; Gonçalves, Bruno; Leemput, van de Ingrid; Ruan, Guangchen

    2017-01-01

    Most individuals in social networks experience a so-called Friendship Paradox: they are less popular than their friends on average. This effect may explain recent findings that widespread social network media use leads to reduced happiness. However the relation between popularity and happiness is

  16. The Hydrostatic Paradox.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Alpha E.

    1995-01-01

    Presents an example demonstrating the quantitative resolution of the hydrostatic paradox which is the realization that the force due to fluid pressure on the bottom of a vessel can be considerably greater or considerably less than the weight of the fluid in the vessel. (JRH)

  17. Carbachol-mediated pigment granule dispersion in retinal pigment epithelium requires Ca2+ and calcineurin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    García Dana M

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Inside bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus retinal pigment epithelial cells, pigment granules move in response to extracellular signals. During the process of aggregation, pigment motility is directed toward the cell nucleus; in dispersion, pigment is directed away from the nucleus and into long apical processes. A number of different chemicals have been found to initiate dispersion, and carbachol (an acetylcholine analog is one example. Previous research indicates that the carbachol-receptor interaction activates a Gq-mediated pathway which is commonly linked to Ca2+ mobilization. The purpose of the present study was to test for involvement of calcium and to probe calcium-dependent mediators to reveal their role in carbachol-mediated dispersion. Results Carbachol-induced pigment granule dispersion was blocked by the calcium chelator BAPTA. In contrast, the calcium channel antagonist verapamil, and incubation in Ca2+-free medium failed to block carbachol-induced dispersion. The calcineurin inhibitor cypermethrin blocked carbachol-induced dispersion; whereas, two protein kinase C inhibitors (staurosporine and bisindolylmaleimide II failed to block carbachol-induced dispersion, and the protein kinase C activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate failed to elicit dispersion. Conclusion A rise in intracellular calcium is necessary for carbachol-induced dispersion; however, the Ca2+ requirement is not dependent on extracellular sources, implying that intracellular stores are sufficient to enable pigment granule dispersion to occur. Calcineurin is a likely Ca2+-dependent mediator involved in the signal cascade. Although the pathway leads to the generation of diacylglycerol and calcium (both required for the activation of certain PKC isoforms, our evidence does not support a significant role for PKC.

  18. Key factors for UV curable pigment dispersions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Magny, B.; Pezron, E.; Ciceron, P.H.; Askienazy, A.

    1999-01-01

    UV oligomers with good pigment dispersion are needed to allow good formulation flexibility and possibility to apply thinner films. Pigment dispersion mainly depends on three phenomena: the wetting of agglomerates, the breakage of agglomerates by mechanical stress and the stabilization of smaller agglomerates and primary particles against flocculation. It has been shown that oligomers with low viscosity and low surface tension induce a good pigment wetting. Examples of monomers and oligomers for good pigment dispersion are given

  19. The "Paradox of Interdisciplinarity" in Australian Research Governance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woelert, Peter; Millar, Victoria

    2013-01-01

    This paper identifies what can be called the "paradox of interdisciplinarity" (Weingart 2000) in Australian higher education research governance and explores some of its constitutive dimensions. In the Australian context, the paradox of interdisciplinarity primarily concerns the proliferation of a programmatic discourse of…

  20. Paradox image: a noninvasive index of regional left-ventricular dyskinesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holman, B.L.; Wynne, J.; Idoine, J.; Zielonka, J.; Neill, J.

    1979-01-01

    The paradox image, a functional image of regional dyskinesis derived from the equilibrium (gated) radionuclide ventriculogram, was constructed by subtracting the background-corrected end-diastolic frame from the background-corrected end-systolic frame. In 11 patients showing dyskinesis by contrast ventriculography, the percentage of left-ventricular picture elements containing paradox ranged from 3.6 to 55.6% (21.44% +- 4.45 s.e.m.). In 11 patients with normokinesis and in eight patients with hypookinesis by contrast ventriculography, the left-ventricular picture elements demonstrating paradox were less than 1.1% in all cases. In nine patients with akinesis, the percentage of left-ventricular picture elements containing paradox was 2.05% +- 0.96 s.e.m. and was less than 2% in seven patients. There was also an excellent agreement between the location of dyskinesis on the paradox image and that by contrast ventriculography. The paradox image is a sensitive indicator of left-ventricular dyskinesis and should be useful in the evaluation of patients with suspected left-ventricular asynergy

  1. Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox and quantum steering in pulsed optomechanics

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Q. Y.; Reid, M. D.

    2013-11-01

    We describe how to generate an Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox between a mesoscopic mechanical oscillator and an optical pulse. We find two types of paradox, defined by whether it is the oscillator or the pulse that shows the effect Schrödinger called “steering”. Only the oscillator paradox addresses the question of mesoscopic local reality for a massive system. In that case, EPR's “elements of reality” are defined for the oscillator, and it is these elements of reality that are falsified (if quantum mechanics is complete). For this sort of paradox, we show that a thermal barrier exists, meaning that a threshold level of pulse-oscillator interaction is required for a given thermal occupation n0 of the oscillator. We find there is no equivalent thermal barrier for the entanglement of the pulse with the oscillator or for the EPR paradox that addresses the local reality of the optical system. Finally, we examine the possibility of an EPR paradox between two entangled oscillators. Our work highlights the asymmetrical effect of thermal noise on quantum nonlocality.

  2. The gecko visual pigments. The behavior of opsin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crescitelli, F

    1979-05-01

    The 521-pigment extracted out of the retina of the Tokay gecko has the typical stereospecificity of the vertebrate visual pigments. This is true for the pigment in the chloride-depleted, "blue-shifted" state as well as for the normal pigment with added chloride. While in the chloride-deficient state, pigment regeneration occurred with both 11-cis- and 9-cis-retinals and the regenerated photopigments were also in the blue-shifted, chloride-depleted state. As with the native pigment, these regenerated pigments were bathochromically shifted to their normal positions by the addition of chloride. Chloride-deficient opsin by itself also responded to chloride for the pigment regenerated with 11-cis-retinal from such chloride-treated opsin was in the normal 521-position. Regeneration was always rapid, reaching completion in less than 5 min, and was significantly faster than for cow rhodopsin regenerating under the same conditions. This rapid rate was found with or without chloride, with both 11-cis- and 9-cis-retinals and in the presence of the sulfhydryl poison, p-hydroxymercuribenzoate (PMB). Like the native chloride-deficient pigment, the regenerated chloride-depleted photopigments responded to PMB by a blue shift beyond the position of the chloride-deficient state. The addition of chloride to these "poisoned" regenerated pigments caused a bathochromic shift of such magnitude as to indicate a repair of both the PMB and chloride-deficient blue shift. In this discussion the possible implications of these results to phylogenetic considerations are considered as well as to some molecular properties of the 521-pigment.

  3. Non-aqueous pigmented inkjet inks

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    DEROOVER, GEERT; Bernaerts, Katrien; HOOGMARTENS, IVAN

    2009-01-01

    A non-aqueous inkjet ink comprises a benzimidazolone pigment and a polymeric dispersant according to Formula (I): wherein, T represents hydrogen or a polymerization terminating group; Z represents theA non-aqueous inkjet ink comprises a benzimidazolone pigment and a polymeric dispersant according to

  4. Microscopic Analysis of Pigments Extracted from Spalting Fungi

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarath M. Vega Gutierrez

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Pigments that are currently available in the market usually come from synthetic sources, or, if natural, often need mordants to bind to the target substrate. Recent research on the fungal pigment extracts from Scytalidium cuboideum, Scytalidium ganodermophthorum, Chlorociboria aeruginosa, and Chlorociboria aeruginascens have been shown to successfully dye materials, like wood, bamboo, and textiles, however, there is no information about their binding mechanisms. Due to this, a microscopic study was performed to provide information to future manufacturers interested in these pigments. The results of this study show that S. ganodermophthorum and C. aeruginosa form an amorphous layer on substrates, while S. cuboideum forms crystal-like structures. The attachment and morphology indicate that there might be different chemical and physical interactions between the extracted pigments and the materials. This possibility can explain the high resistance of the pigments to UV light and color fastness that makes them competitive against synthetic pigments. These properties make these pigments a viable option for an industry that demands natural pigments with the properties of the synthetic ones.

  5. Simpson's paradox in psychological science: a practical guide

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kievit, R.A.; Frankenhuis, W.E.; Waldorp, L.J.; Borsboom, D.

    2013-01-01

    The direction of an association at the population-level may be reversed within the subgroups comprising that population—a striking observation called Simpson's paradox. When facing this pattern, psychologists often view it as anomalous. Here, we argue that Simpson's paradox is more common than

  6. Pervasive Technologies and the Paradoxes of Multimodal Digital Communication

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandra Petroni

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Contemporary societies are greatly challenged by paradoxes in all facets of life. Digital communication encodes and produces meaning by making use of these contradictory relations. In this contribution, three digital paradoxes will be presented. The first paradox is grounded in the process of remediation in digital settings which mirrors a contradictory double logic. Digital culture, in fact, wants both to multiply its media and to eliminate all traces of mediation. The second antinomy has its origins in the new concept of linguistic entropy: a structured information disorder that is regulated by usability and multimodality. In accordance with the second paradox, the third one stems from further processes that are framing, a multimodal resource, and linking, a hypertextual resource.

  7. The Tolman-Regge antitelephone paradox: Its solution by tachyon mechanics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Recami, E.

    The possibility of solving (at least 'in microphysics') all the ordinary causal paradoxes devised for Tachyons is not yet widely recognized; on the contrary, the effectiveness of the Stuckelberg-Feynman 'switching principle' is often misunderstood. It is therefore shown in details and rigorously how to solve the oldest causal paradox, originally proposed by Tolman, which is the Kernel of so many further tachyon paradoxes. The key to the solution is a careful application of Tachyon Kinematics. Which can be unambiguously derived from Special Relativity. A systematic, thorough analysis of all tachyon paradoxes is going to appear elsewhere. (Author) [pt

  8. Nietzsche et les paradoxes de la force

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arnaud François

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available According to this paper, the Nietzschean notion of force actually consists of a number of paradoxes, which I seek to formulate through the philosophical problems they pose. These paradoxes revolve around this fundamental paradox: on the one hand, force is able to rise and fall, but precisely how could such an increase and such a decrease be designed, as far as only what is given once for all can accept quantitative determinations? I come to draw two methods to answer this question (contrariety between two positive forces, reactivity of one force against the other, which suggest two ways of posing the biological and medical problems today, related to the notions of health and disease, in the scope of which Nietzsche has encountered it.

  9. The Surprise Examination Paradox and the Second Incompleteness Theorem

    OpenAIRE

    Kritchman, Shira; Raz, Ran

    2010-01-01

    We give a new proof for Godel's second incompleteness theorem, based on Kolmogorov complexity, Chaitin's incompleteness theorem, and an argument that resembles the surprise examination paradox. We then go the other way around and suggest that the second incompleteness theorem gives a possible resolution of the surprise examination paradox. Roughly speaking, we argue that the flaw in the derivation of the paradox is that it contains a hidden assumption that one can prove the consistency of the...

  10. Gingival Pigmentation Affected by Smoking among Different Age Groups: A Quantitative Analysis of Gingival Pigmentation Using Clinical Oral Photographs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kato, Tomotaka; Mizutani, Shinsuke; Takiuchi, Hiroya; Sugiyama, Seiichi; Hanioka, Takashi; Naito, Toru

    2017-08-04

    The presence of any age-related differences in gingival pigmentation associated with smoking, particularly in a young population, remains to be fully investigated. The purpose of this study was to determine the age-related differences in smoking gingival pigmentation. Gingival pigmentation was analyzed using the gingival melanosis record (GMR) and Hedin's classification with frontal oral photographs taken at 16 dental offices in Japan. Participants were categorized into 10-year age groups, and their baseline photographs were compared. In addition, to evaluate the effect of smoking cessation on gingival pigmentation, subjects were divided into a former smoker group (stopped smoking) and current smoker group. A total of 259 patients 19 to 79 years of age were analyzed. People in their 30s showed the most widespread gingival pigmentation. In addition, subjects in their 20s showed a weak effect of smoking cessation on gingival pigmentation. These findings suggested that the gingival pigmentation induced by smoking was more remarkable in young people than in middle-aged people. This information may be useful for anti-smoking education, especially among young populations with a high affinity for smoking.

  11. Unveiling consumer’s privacy paradox behaviour in an economic exchange

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiao-Bai

    2015-01-01

    Privacy paradox is of great interest to IS researchers and firms gathering personal information. It has been studied from social, behavioural, and economic perspectives independently. However, prior research has not examined the degrees of influence these perspectives contribute to the privacy paradox problem. We combine both economic and behavioural perspectives in our study of the privacy paradox with a price valuation of personal information through an economic experiment combined with a behavioural study on privacy paradox. Our goal is to reveal more insights on the privacy paradox through economic valuation on personal information. Results indicate that general privacy concerns or individual disclosure concerns do not have a significant influence on the price valuation of personal information. Instead, prior disclosure behaviour in specific scenario, like with healthcare providers or social networks, is a better indicator of consumer price valuations. PMID:27708687

  12. Seasonal variation in specific leaf area, epicuticular wax and pigments in 15 woody species from northeastern mexico during summer and winter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, H.G.; Maiti, R.; Kumari, A.

    2017-01-01

    The present study has been undertaken on the variability in specific leaf area, epicuticular wax and pigment content of 15 native woody species in northeastern Mexico. The species showed considerable variability in responses of these leaf traits. Majority of the species showed a decline in specific leaf area and epicuticular wax content. With respect to pigments, only few species showed a decrease, but some species showed an increase in pigments (chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll (a+b)) showing mechanism of adaptation to winter season.However, in few species there was a decline in pigment contents showing susceptibility to winter. (author)

  13. The ABC-paradox: is Time Driven ABC relevant for small and Medium sized enterprises (SME)?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fladkjær, Henrik Find; Jensen, Erling

    Several articles suggest that Activity Based Costing (ABC) has failed to succeed in practical use. It is even argued that we have an ABC-paradox. Activity Based Costing has won theoretically in nu-merous articles in journals, through books, being included in all major Business Accounting text-books...

  14. PRODUCTION OF MONASCUS-LIKE AZAPHILONE PIGMENT

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2009-01-01

    The present invention relates to the field of biotechnological production of polyketide based colorants from filamentous fungi, in particular a method for preparing a biomass comprising a Monascus-like pigment composition from a nontoxigenic and non-pathogenic fungal source. The present invention...... further relates to use of the Monascus-like pigment composition as a colouring agent for food items and/or non-food items, and a cosmetic composition comprising the Monascus-like pigment composition....

  15. Pigmented xerodermoid - Report of three cases

    OpenAIRE

    Das Jayanta Kumar; Gangopadhyay Asok Kumar

    2005-01-01

    Pigmented xerodermoid, a rare genodermatosis, presents with clinical features and pathology similar to xeroderma pigmentosum, but at a later age. DNA repair replication is normal, but there is total depression of DNA synthesis after exposure to UV radiation. Two siblings in their teens and a man in his thirties with features of pigmented xerodermoid, e.g. photophobia, freckle-like lesions, keratoses, dryness of skin, and hypo- and hyper-pigmentation, are described. Although classically the on...

  16. Production of Monascus-like azaphilone Pigment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2009-01-01

    The present invention relates to the field of biotechnological production of polyketide based colorants from filamentous fungi, in particular a method for preparing a biomass comprising a Monascus-like pigment composition from a nontoxigenic and non-pathogenic fungal source. The present invention...... further relates to use of the Monascus-like pigment composition as a colouring agent for food items and/or non-food items, and a cosmetic composition comprising the Monascus-like pigment composition....

  17. Proper-time quantum-mechanics and the Klein paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thaller, B.

    1981-01-01

    Scattering at high potential-steps is treated in the framework of relativistic proper-time theory. No paradox arises in contrast to Dirac's wavemechanics (''Klein's paradox''); pair creation may happen with a certain probability and may be described as a scattering process with ordinary quantum-mechanical methods. (author)

  18. Photosynthetic Pigments in Diatoms

    OpenAIRE

    Kuczynska, Paulina; Jemiola-Rzeminska, Malgorzata; Strzalka, Kazimierz

    2015-01-01

    Photosynthetic pigments are bioactive compounds of great importance for the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. They are not only responsible for capturing solar energy to carry out photosynthesis, but also play a role in photoprotective processes and display antioxidant activity, all of which contribute to effective biomass and oxygen production. Diatoms are organisms of a distinct pigment composition, substantially different from that present in plants. Apart from light-harvestin...

  19. Time symmetry and interpretation of quantum mechanics. [Paradoxes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    de Beauregard, O.C.

    1976-10-01

    A drastic resolution of the quantum paradoxes is proposed, combining (I) von Neumann's postulate that collapse of the state vector is due to the act of observation, and (II) my reinterpretation of von Neumann's quantal irreversibility as an equivalence between wave retardation and entropy increase, both being ''factlike'' rather than ''lawlike'' (Mehlberg). This entails a coupling of the two de jure symmetries between (I) retarded and (II) advanced waves, and between Aristotle's information as (I) learning and (II) willing awareness. Symmetric acceptance of cognizance as a source of retarded waves, and of will as a sink of advanced waves, is submitted as a central ''paradox'' of the Copernican or Einsteinian sort, out of which new light is shed upon previously known paradoxes, such as the EPR paradox, Schroedinger's cat, and Wigner's friend. Parapsychology is thus found to creep into the picture.

  20. Chemical characterisation of zircon-cadmium sulfoselenide ceramic pigments; Caracterizacion quimica de pigmentos ceramicos a base de sulfoseleniuro de cadmio

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gazulla Barreda, M. F.; Rodrigo Edo, M.; Blasco Roca, E.; Orduna Cordero, M.

    2013-07-01

    The present paper addresses the development of a methodology that allows the complete chemical characterisation of zircon cadmium sulfoselenide ceramic pigments including minor and major elements. To develop the methodology, five zircon-cadmium sulfoselenide pigments with different hues were selected, studying the different measurement process steps, from sample preparation to the optimisation of the measurement of the different components of the pigments by spectroscopic techniques (WD-XRF and elemental analysis by combustion and IR detection). The chemical characterisation method developed was validated with synthetic standards prepared from the mixture of certified reference materials and pure oxides because no certified referenced materials of this type of pigments were commercially available. The developed method can be used for a complete chemical characterization of zircon-cadmium sulfoselenide ceramic pigments with a very low uncertainty for all the elements analysed. (Author)

  1. Mutations in CTNNA1 cause butterfly-shaped pigment dystrophy and perturbed retinal pigment epithelium integrity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Saksens, N.T.; Krebs, M.P.; Schoenmaker, F.E.; Hicks, W.; Yu, M.; Shi, L.; Rowe, L.; Collin, G.B.; Charette, J.R.; Letteboer, S.J.; Neveling, K.; Moorsel, T.W. van; Abu-Ltaif, S.; Baere, E. De; Walraedt, S.; Banfi, S.; Simonelli, F.; Cremers, F.P.; Boon, C.J.; Roepman, R.; Leroy, B.P.; Peachey, N.S.; Hoyng, C.B.; Nishina, P.M.; Hollander, A.I. den

    2016-01-01

    Butterfly-shaped pigment dystrophy is an eye disease characterized by lesions in the macula that can resemble the wings of a butterfly. Here we report the identification of heterozygous missense mutations in the CTNNA1 gene (encoding alpha-catenin 1) in three families with butterfly-shaped pigment

  2. Seperation, identification and analysis of pigment (melanin ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Nine strains among 180 Streptomyces isolates produce a diffusible dark brown pigment on both peptone-yeast extract agar and synthetic tyrosine-agar. They also show the positive reaction to Ltyrosine or L-dopa substrates. The pigment has been referred to be as merely as dark brown watersoluble pigment, as melanoid or ...

  3. Temperature relaxation at the Kapitza-boundary-resistance paradox

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Maassen van den Brink, A.; Dekker, H.

    1995-01-01

    The calculation of the Kapitza boundary resistance between dissimilar harmonic solids has for a long time [W. A. Little, Can. J. Phys. 37, 334 (1959)] presented a paradox: this resistance erroneously tends to a finite value in the limit of identical solids. We resolve this paradox by calculating

  4. Un théoricien paradoxal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacques Dubois

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Professeur de littérature française à Paris-VIII et psychanalyste, Pierre Bayard a publié en quinze ans une dizaine d’ouvrages critiques dans la collection « Paradoxe » des éditions de Minuit. À croire que cette collection a été créée à sa seule intention tant chacun de ses livres inverse radicalement un principe bien établi et pousse le paradoxe jusqu’à ses ultimes conséquences, voire jusqu’à l’absurde. L’exemple le plus flagrant est ce Comment parler des livres que l’on n’a pas lus ?, qui, ...

  5. A Resolution of the Paradox of Enrichment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Z. C.; Li, Y. Charles

    2015-06-01

    The paradox of enrichment was observed by Rosenzweig [1971] in a class of predator-prey models. Two of the parameters in the models are crucial for the paradox. These two parameters are the prey's carrying capacity and prey's half-saturation for predation. Intuitively, increasing the carrying capacity due to enrichment of the prey's environment should lead to a more stable predator-prey system. Analytically, it turns out that increasing the carrying capacity always leads to an unstable predator-prey system that is susceptible to extinction from environmental random perturbations. This is the so-called paradox of enrichment. Our resolution here rests upon a closer investigation on a dimensionless number H formed from the carrying capacity and the prey's half-saturation. By recasting the models into dimensionless forms, the models are in fact governed by a few dimensionless numbers including H. The effects of the two parameters: carrying capacity and half-saturation are incorporated into the number H. In fact, increasing the carrying capacity is equivalent (i.e. has the same effect on H) to decreasing the half-saturation which implies more aggressive predation. Since there is no paradox between more aggressive predation and instability of the predator-prey system, the paradox of enrichment is resolved. The so-called instability of the predator-prey system is characterized by the existence of a stable limit cycle in the phase plane, which gets closer and closer to the predator axis and prey axis. Due to random environmental perturbations, this can lead to extinction. We also further explore spatially dependent models for which the phase space is infinite-dimensional. The spatially independent limit cycle which is generated by a Hopf bifurcation from an unstable steady state, is linearly stable in the infinite-dimensional phase space. Numerical simulations indicate that the basin of attraction of the limit cycle is riddled. This shows that spatial perturbations can

  6. Paradox Lost? No, Paradox Found! Reply to Tomasello and Akhtar (2003).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naigles, Letitia R.

    2003-01-01

    Asserts that the posited paradox between infancy and toddlerhood language was not eliminated by Tomasello and Akhtar's appeal to infants' robust statistical learning abilities. Maintains that scrutiny of their studies supports the resolution that abstracting linguistic form is easy for infants and that toddlers find it difficult to integrate…

  7. Diversities in virulence, antifungal activity, pigmentation and DNA fingerprint among strains of Burkholderia glumae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karki, Hari S; Shrestha, Bishnu K; Han, Jae Woo; Groth, Donald E; Barphagha, Inderjit K; Rush, Milton C; Melanson, Rebecca A; Kim, Beom Seok; Ham, Jong Hyun

    2012-01-01

    Burkholderia glumae is the primary causal agent of bacterial panicle blight of rice. In this study, 11 naturally avirulent and nine virulent strains of B. glumae native to the southern United States were characterized in terms of virulence in rice and onion, toxofalvin production, antifungal activity, pigmentation and genomic structure. Virulence of B. glumae strains on rice panicles was highly correlated to virulence on onion bulb scales, suggesting that onion bulb can be a convenient alternative host system to efficiently determine the virulence of B. glumae strains. Production of toxoflavin, the phytotoxin that functions as a major virulence factor, was closely associated with the virulence phenotypes of B. glumae strains in rice. Some strains of B. glumae showed various levels of antifungal activity against Rhizoctonia solani, the causal agent of sheath blight, and pigmentation phenotypes on casamino acid-peptone-glucose (CPG) agar plates regardless of their virulence traits. Purple and yellow-green pigments were partially purified from a pigmenting strain of B. glumae, 411gr-6, and the purple pigment fraction showed a strong antifungal activity against Collectotrichum orbiculare. Genetic variations were detected among the B. glumae strains from DNA fingerprinting analyses by repetitive element sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR) for BOX-A1R-based repetitive extragenic palindromic (BOX) or enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) sequences of bacteria; and close genetic relatedness among virulent but pigment-deficient strains were revealed by clustering analyses of DNA fingerprints from BOX-and ERIC-PCR.

  8. Spin entanglement, decoherence and Bohm's EPR paradox.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cavalcanti, E G; Drummond, P D; Bachor, H A; Reid, M D

    2009-10-12

    We obtain criteria for entanglement and the EPR paradox for spin-entangled particles and analyse the effects of decoherence caused by absorption and state purity errors. For a two qubit photonic state, entanglement can occur for all transmission efficiencies. In this case, the state preparation purity must be above a threshold value. However, Bohm's spin EPR paradox can be achieved only above a critical level of loss. We calculate a required efficiency of 58%, which appears achievable with current quantum optical technologies. For a macroscopic number of particles prepared in a correlated state, spin entanglement and the EPR paradox can be demonstrated using our criteria for efficiencies eta > 1/3 and eta > 2/3 respectively. This indicates a surprising insensitivity to loss decoherence, in a macroscopic system of ultra-cold atoms or photons.

  9. HIV As Trojan Exosome: Immunological Paradox Explained?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hildreth, James E K

    2017-01-01

    The HIV pandemic is still a major global challenge, despite the widespread availability of antiretroviral drugs. An effective vaccine would be the ideal approach to bringing the pandemic to an end. However, developing an effective HIV vaccine has proven to be an elusive goal. Three major human HIV vaccine trials revealed a strong trend toward greater risk of infection among vaccine recipients versus controls. A similar observation was made in a macaque SIV vaccine study. The mechanism explaining this phenomenon is not known. Here, a model is presented that may explain the troubling results of vaccine studies and an immunological paradox of HIV pathogenesis: preferential infection of HIV-specific T cells. The central hypothesis of this perspective is that as "Trojan exosomes" HIV particles can directly activate HIV-specific T cells enhancing their susceptibility to infection. Understanding the biology of HIV as an exosome may provide insights that enable novel approaches to vaccine development.

  10. Linear optics implementation of weak values in Hardy's paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahnert, S.E.; Payne, M.C.

    2004-01-01

    We propose an experimental setup for the implementation of weak measurements in the context of the gedanken experiment known as Hardy's paradox. As Aharonov et al. [Y. Aharonov, A. Botero, S. Popescu, B. Reznik, and J. Tollaksen, Phys. Lett. A301, 130 (2002)] showed, these weak values form a language with which the paradox can be resolved. Our analysis shows that this language is indeed consistent and experimentally testable. It also reveals exactly how a combination of weak values can give rise to an apparently paradoxical result

  11. Candida glabrata tryptophan-based pigment production via the Ehrlich pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brunke, Sascha; Seider, Katja; Almeida, Ricardo Sergio; Heyken, Antje; Fleck, Christian Benjamin; Brock, Matthias; Barz, Dagmar; Rupp, Steffen; Hube, Bernhard

    2010-04-01

    Pigments contribute to the pathogenicity of many fungi, mainly by protecting fungal cells from host defence activities. Here, we have dissected the biosynthetic pathway of a tryptophan-derived pigment of the human pathogen Candida glabrata, identified key genes involved in pigment production and have begun to elucidate the possible biological function of the pigment. Using transcriptional analyses and a transposon insertion library, we have identified genes associated with pigment production. Targeted deletion mutants revealed that the pigment is a by-product of the Ehrlich pathway of tryptophan degradation: a mutant lacking a tryptophan-upregulated aromatic aminotransferase (Aro8) displayed significantly reduced pigmentation and a recombinantly expressed version of this protein was sufficient for pigment production in vitro. Pigment production is tightly regulated as the synthesis is affected by the presence of alternative nitrogen sources, carbon sources, cyclic AMP and oxygen. Growth of C. glabrata on pigment inducing medium leads to an increased resistance to hydrogen peroxide, an effect which was not observed with a mutant defective in pigmentation. Furthermore, pigmented yeast cells had a higher survival rate when exposed to human neutrophils and caused increased damage in a monolayer model of human epithelia, indicating a possible role of pigmentation during interactions with host cells.

  12. The nuclear paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eibenschutz, J.

    1989-01-01

    In this work it is discussed the nuclear paradox. One side, the nuclear power is important for technological development, on the other hand, it has been frequently questioned by society. It is pointed out as well, that many other factors are more dangerous to man such as environment polution. (A.C.A.S.)

  13. Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox and measurement of quantum system

    OpenAIRE

    Kladko, Konstantin

    1999-01-01

    Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox is considered in a relation to a measurement of an arbitrary quantum system . It is shown that the EPR paradox always appears in a gedanken experiment with two successively joined measuring devices.

  14. DNA damage in isolated rat hepatocytes exposed to C.I. pigment orange 5 and C.I. pigment yellow 12 by the alkaline comet assay

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Møller, P; Wallin, Håkan; Grunnet, N

    1998-01-01

    The induction of DNA damage by commonly used printing ink pigments, C.I. pigment orange 5 (C.I. 12075) and C.I. pigment yellow 12 (C.I. 21090), was investigated in freshly isolated rat hepatocytes with the comet assay. C.I. pigment yellow 12 is a 3,3'-dichlorobenzidine-based diarylide pigment...

  15. Microearthquake studies in the vicinity of the Cane Creek Potash Mine, Paradox Basin, Utah

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wong, I.G.; Humphrey, J.R.; Silva, W.J.

    1987-08-01

    For a 12-week period in 1984, a 5- to 9-station high-resolution network of analog and digital microearthquake recorders operated monitoring seismicity. The solution mine, previously a room-and-pillar mine located at an average depth of 1 km in the late-Paleozoic Paradox Formation, was undergoing a major brine extraction and refilling. The objective was to determine whether the seismicity previously observed in the vicinity of the mine by the Paradox Basin microearthquake network was associated with the mining activities. Several thousand events of two types were recorded: (1) events identical in appearance to tectonic microearthquakes that occurred throughout the region, and (2) unusual harmonic surface-wave-like events thought to be caused by the collapsing of a column of salt in the main shaft. 31 refs., 36 figs., 3 tabs

  16. Paradoxical perception of surfaces in the Shepard tabletop illusion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tyler, Christopher W

    2011-01-01

    The Shepard tabletop illusion, consisting of different perspective embeddings of two identical parallelograms as tabletops, affords a profound difference in their perceived surface shapes. My analysis reveals three further paradoxical aspects of this illusion, in addition to its susceptibility to the ‘inverse perspective illusion’ of the implied orthographic perspective of the table images. These novel aspects of the illusion are: a paradoxical slant of the tabletops, a paradoxical lack of perceived depth, and a paradoxical distortion of the length of the rear legs. The construction of the illusion resembles scenes found in ancient Chinese scroll paintings, and an analysis of the source of the third effect shows that the interpretation in terms of surfaces can account for the difference in treatment of the filled-in versus open forms in the Chinese painting from more than 1000 years ago. PMID:23145230

  17. Impact of Pigments on Self-Compacting Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ernestas Ivanauskas

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available We describe an impact of using iron oxide pigment on self-compacting concrete (SCC properties. We have experimented with adding portions of iron oxide pigment from 3 % to 6 % into cement paste. A few alternative pigments (chromic oxide and iron oxide hydroxide were used for performing the same experiments. The impact of these pigments on a normal cement paste is described in this paper. We demonstrate that iron oxide pigment reduces the need for water in a normal cement paste. However, adding the pigment also reduces the compressive strength of concrete up to 20 %. The concrete specimens were tested in various time spans, i.e. 1 day to 28 days, by keeping them in 20 ± 2 ºC water – normal consolidation regimen. Some of the specimens were processed in steam chamber, at 60 ºC in order to make the process of the cement hydration faster, as well as to estimate an impact of active SiO2 proportion in ash on SCC properties. We show that using iron oxide pigment for SCC mixture increases the slump-flow property of concrete mix up to 5 %. Experiments with solidified concrete have demonstrated that iron oxide diminishes water absorption up to 6 % and decreases open concrete porosity that makes concrete resistant against freezing. Article in Lithuanian

  18. Macular pigment and visual performance in glare: benefits for photostress recovery, disability glare, and visual discomfort.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stringham, James M; Garcia, Paul V; Smith, Peter A; McLin, Leon N; Foutch, Brian K

    2011-09-22

    One theory of macular pigment's (MP) presence in the fovea is to improve visual performance in glare. This study sought to determine the effect of MP level on three aspects of visual performance in glare: photostress recovery, disability glare, and visual discomfort. Twenty-six subjects participated in the study. Spatial profiles of MP optical density were assessed with heterochromatic flicker photometry. Glare was delivered via high-bright-white LEDs. For the disability glare and photostress recovery portions of the experiment, the visual task consisted of correct identification of a 1° Gabor patch's orientation. Visual discomfort during the glare presentation was assessed with a visual discomfort rating scale. Pupil diameter was monitored with an infrared (IR) camera. MP level correlated significantly with all the outcome measures. Higher MP optical densities (MPODs) resulted in faster photostress recovery times (average P disability glare contrast thresholds (average P visual discomfort (P = 0.002). Smaller pupil diameter during glare presentation significantly correlated with higher visual discomfort ratings (P = 0.037). MP correlates with three aspects of visual performance in glare. Unlike previous studies of MP and glare, the present study used free-viewing conditions, in which effects of iris pigmentation and pupil size could be accounted for. The effects described, therefore, can be extended more confidently to real-world, practical visual performance benefits. Greater iris constriction resulted (paradoxically) in greater visual discomfort. This finding may be attributable to the neurobiologic mechanism that mediates the pain elicited by light.

  19. An Applet for the Investigation of Simpson's Paradox

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneiter, Kady; Symanzik, Jurgen

    2013-01-01

    This article describes an applet that facilitates investigation of Simpson's Paradox in the context of a number of real and hypothetical data sets. The applet builds on the Baker-Kramer graphical representation for Simpson's Paradox. The implementation and use of the applet are explained. This is followed by a description of how the applet has…

  20. An alternative resolution to the Mansuripur paradox

    Science.gov (United States)

    Redfern, Francis

    2016-04-01

    In 2013 an article published online by the journal Science declared that the paradox proposed by Masud Mansuripur was resolved. This paradox concerns a point charge-Amperian magnetic dipole system as seen in a frame of reference where they are at rest and one in which they are moving. In the latter frame an electric dipole appears on the magnetic dipole. A torque is then exerted upon the electric dipole by the point charge, a torque that is not observed in the at-rest frame. Mansuripur points out this violates the relativity principle and suggests the Lorentz force responsible for the torque be replaced by the Einstein-Laub force. The resolution of the paradox reported by Science, based on numerous papers in the physics literature, preserves the Lorentz force but depends on the concept of hidden momentum. Here I propose a different resolution based on the overlooked fact that the charge-magnetic dipole system contains linear and angular electromagnetic field momentum. The time rate of change of the field angular-momentum in the frame through which the system is moving cancels that due to the charge-electric dipole interaction. From this point of view hidden momentum is not needed in the resolution of the paradox.

  1. An alternative resolution to the Mansuripur paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Redfern, Francis

    2016-01-01

    In 2013 an article published online by the journal Science declared that the paradox proposed by Masud Mansuripur was resolved. This paradox concerns a point charge-Amperian magnetic dipole system as seen in a frame of reference where they are at rest and one in which they are moving. In the latter frame an electric dipole appears on the magnetic dipole. A torque is then exerted upon the electric dipole by the point charge, a torque that is not observed in the at-rest frame. Mansuripur points out this violates the relativity principle and suggests the Lorentz force responsible for the torque be replaced by the Einstein–Laub force. The resolution of the paradox reported by Science, based on numerous papers in the physics literature, preserves the Lorentz force but depends on the concept of hidden momentum. Here I propose a different resolution based on the overlooked fact that the charge-magnetic dipole system contains linear and angular electromagnetic field momentum. The time rate of change of the field angular–momentum in the frame through which the system is moving cancels that due to the charge-electric dipole interaction. From this point of view hidden momentum is not needed in the resolution of the paradox. (paper)

  2. Pigment particles analysis with a total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometer: study of influence of instrumental parameters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Coccato, Alessia; Vandenabeele, Peter [Ghent University, Department of Archaeology, Ghent (Belgium); Vekemans, Bart; Vincze, Laszlo; Moens, Luc [Ghent University, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Ghent (Belgium)

    2016-12-15

    Total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) analysis is an excellent tool to determine major, minor and trace elements in minuscule amounts of samples, making this technique very suitable for pigment analysis. Collecting minuscule amounts of pigment material from precious works of art by means of a cotton swab is a well-accepted sampling method, but poses specific challenges when TXRF is to be used for the characterization of the unknown material. (orig.)

  3. The nature of quantum paradoxes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tarozzi, G.; Van der Merwe, A.

    1988-01-01

    The nature of Quantum Paradoxes provides an exhaustive general view of the most recent studies and research carried out by Italian scientists and philosophers of science in the field of the foundations of quantum physics, employing a critical stance and an alternative to the orthodox Copenhagen interpretation. During the last twenty years the Italians have produced a remarkable amount of work on the quantum-mechanical theory of measurement, the interpretation of the wave-function, the axiomatization of quantum formalism, Bell-type theorems and realistic local theories, thus creating one of the most advanced contributions to the problems of understanding Nature and clarifying the origin of the quantum paradoxes. (author). refs.; figs.; tabs

  4. Klein paradox and vacuum polarization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Damour, T.

    1977-01-01

    This contribution reviews some of the methods which can be used when studying quantum fields in a given stationary classical external field. The attention is mainly directed towards cases where real pair creation can occur in such a stationary background. The paradigm of this situation is the Klein paradox. This paradox is best approached by the introduction of some energy diagrams whose direct extension to black holes physics has proven to be very useful. Finally processes of real pair creation around a Kerr-Newman (charged and rotating) black hole and their feedback on the geometry are briefly discussed. It is also shown how the Hawking process can be recovered in this approach. (Auth.)

  5. Microbial Production of Food Grade Pigments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laurent Dufossé

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available The controversial topic of synthetic dyes in food has been discussed for many years. The scrutiny and negative assessment of synthetic food dyes by the modern consumer have raised a strong interest in natural colouring alternatives. Nature is rich in colours (minerals, plants, microalgae, etc., and pigment-producing microorganisms (fungi, yeasts, bacteria are quite common. Among the molecules produced by microorganisms are carotenoids, melanins, flavins, quinones, and more specifically monascins, violacein or indigo. The success of any pigment produced by fermentation depends upon its acceptability on the market, regulatory approval, and the size of the capital investment required to bring the product to market. A few years ago, some expressed doubts about the successful commercialization of fermentation-derived food grade pigments because of the high capital investment requirements for fermentation facilities and the extensive and lengthy toxicity studies required by regulatory agencies. Public perception of biotechnology-derived products also had to be taken into account. Nowadays some fermentative food grade pigments are on the market: Monascus pigments, astaxanthin from Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous, Arpink Red from Penicillium oxalicum, riboflavin from Ashbya gossypii, b-carotene from Blakeslea trispora. The successful marketing of pigments derived from algae or extracted from plants, both as a food colour and a nutritional supplement, reflects the presence and importance of niche markets in which consumers are willing to pay a premium for »all natural ingredients«.

  6. Studies on pigments of the myxomycete Physarum nudum. II. Separation and optical properties of the pigments from plasmodia cultured in darkness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Raczkowski

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the data on Separation and some optical properties of the pigments obtained from the plasmodium of the myxomycete Physarum nudum grown in the dark. Pigment Separation was performed by means of thin-layer chromatography with celulose MN 300 as adsorbent and with the solvent: tert.-butylalcohol, H2O, 3N NH4OH at the ratio 5:2:1 In these conditions the chromatograms revealed 12 coloured bands from which pigments were eluted and their absorption spectra as well as the spectra of fluorescence emission were determined. The isolated pigments differ from one another by their physical properties (different Rf values, localization of absorption maxima, and behaviour in acid solution. Nevertheless, certain analogies perceptible between particular pigments per-mitted to distinguish 3 families of the studied pigments demonstrating similar properties.

  7. Fish pigmentation and the melanocortin system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cal, Laura; Suarez-Bregua, Paula; Cerdá-Reverter, José Miguel; Braasch, Ingo; Rotllant, Josep

    2017-09-01

    The melanocortin system is a complex neuroendocrine signaling mechanism involved in numerous physiological processes in vertebrates, including pigmentation, steroidogenesis and metabolic control. This review focuses at one of its most fascinating function in fish, its regulatory role in the control of pigmentation, in which the melanocortin 1 receptor (Mc1r), its agonist α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-Msh), and the endogenous antagonist agouti signaling protein (Asip1) are the main players. Functional control of Mc1r, which is highly expressed in fish skin and whose activation stimulates melanin production and melanosome dispersion in fish melanophores, is considered a key mechanism for vertebrate pigment phenotypes. The α-Msh peptide, the most documented Mc1r agonist involved in pigmentation, is produced in the pituitary gland, activating melanin synthesis by binding to Mc1r in fish melanophores. Finally, Asip1 is the putative factor for establishing the evolutionarily conserved dorso-ventral pigment pattern found across vertebrates. However, we are just starting to understand how other melanocortin system components are acting in this complex regulatory network. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. On Hardy's paradox, weak measurements, and multitasking diagrams

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meglicki, Zdzislaw, E-mail: gustav@indiana.edu [Indiana University, Office of the Vice President for Information Technology, 601 E. Kirkwood Ave., Room 116, Bloomington, IN 47405-1223 (United States)

    2011-07-04

    We discuss Hardy's paradox and weak measurements by using multitasking diagrams, which are introduced to illustrate the progress of quantum probabilities through the double interferometer system. We explain how Hardy's paradox is avoided and elaborate on the outcome of weak measurements in this context. -- Highlights: → Hardy's paradox explained and eliminated. → Weak measurements: what is really measured? → Multitasking diagrams: introduced and used to discuss quantum mechanical processes.

  9. Teleost Fish-Specific Preferential Retention of Pigmentation Gene-Containing Families After Whole Genome Duplications in Vertebrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lorin, Thibault; Brunet, Frédéric G.; Laudet, Vincent; Volff, Jean-Nicolas

    2018-01-01

    Vertebrate pigmentation is a highly diverse trait mainly determined by neural crest cell derivatives. It has been suggested that two rounds (1R/2R) of whole-genome duplications (WGDs) at the basis of vertebrates allowed changes in gene regulation associated with neural crest evolution. Subsequently, the teleost fish lineage experienced other WGDs, including the teleost-specific Ts3R before teleost radiation and the more recent Ss4R at the basis of salmonids. As the teleost lineage harbors the highest number of pigment cell types and pigmentation diversity in vertebrates, WGDs might have contributed to the evolution and diversification of the pigmentation gene repertoire in teleosts. We have compared the impact of the basal vertebrate 1R/2R duplications with that of the teleost-specific Ts3R and salmonid-specific Ss4R WGDs on 181 gene families containing genes involved in pigmentation. We show that pigmentation genes (PGs) have been globally more frequently retained as duplicates than other genes after Ts3R and Ss4R but not after the early 1R/2R. This is also true for non-pigmentary paralogs of PGs, suggesting that the function in pigmentation is not the sole key driver of gene retention after WGDs. On the long-term, specific categories of PGs have been repeatedly preferentially retained after ancient 1R/2R and Ts3R WGDs, possibly linked to the molecular nature of their proteins (e.g., DNA binding transcriptional regulators) and their central position in protein-protein interaction networks. Taken together, our results support a major role of WGDs in the diversification of the pigmentation gene repertoire in the teleost lineage, with a possible link with the diversity of pigment cell lineages observed in these animals compared to other vertebrates. PMID:29599177

  10. A Simple Explanation of the Classic Hydrostatic Paradox

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kontomaris, Stylianos-Vasileios; Malamou, Anna

    2016-01-01

    An interesting problem in fluid mechanics, with significant educational importance, is the classic hydrostatic paradox. The hydrostatic paradox states the fact that in different shaped containers, with the same base area, which are filled with a liquid of the same height, the applied force by the liquid on the base of each container is exactly the…

  11. Pigment dispersion syndrome masquerading as acute anterior uveitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez-Gonzalez, Luis Alonso; Rodríguez-García, Alejandro; Foster, C Stephen

    2011-06-01

    Signs and symptoms of pigment dispersion may be confused with those of acute anterior uveitis. This case series is intended to aid the ophthalmologist in the clinical differentiation between these two disorders. The authors present a series of 6 patients with pigment dispersion who were initially diagnosed as having acute anterior uveitis and treated with anti-inflammatory medication, including corticosteroids. The patients were referred for a second opinion due to poor or no response to therapy and were found to have pigment dispersion instead of uveitis. Symptoms of pigment dispersion may consist of blurred vision, redness, ocular pain, and photophobia, all of which are also symptoms of acute anterior uveitis. These symptoms, plus the fact that pigment floating in the aqueous humor can be mistaken for inflammation, make diagnosis challenging. Moreover, the possible co-existence of true anterior uveitis and pigment dispersion makes the diagnosis and treatment more difficult.

  12. Light-induced vegetative anthocyanin pigmentation in Petunia

    OpenAIRE

    Albert, Nick W.; Lewis, David H.; Zhang, Huaibi; Irving, Louis J.; Jameson, Paula E.; Davies, Kevin M.

    2009-01-01

    The Lc petunia system, which displays enhanced, light-induced vegetative pigmentation, was used to investigate how high light affects anthocyanin biosynthesis, and to assess the effects of anthocyanin pigmentation upon photosynthesis. Lc petunia plants displayed intense purple anthocyanin pigmentation throughout the leaves and stems when grown under high-light conditions, yet remain acyanic when grown under shade conditions. The coloured phenotypes matched with an accumulation of anthocyanins...

  13. Explaining seemingly paradoxical consumer experiences: conjoining weekly road rage and church attendance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gau, Li-Shiue; Woodside, Arch G; Martin, Drew

    2015-02-01

    The purposes of the current study are threefold: Provide evidence that an extreme paradoxical group exists-people frequently attending church and exhibiting road rage, profile this group, and frame possible explanations for the seemingly paradoxical behaviors. This study employs data from a national (USA) lifestyle survey conducted by Market Facts with 3,350 American respondents. The major questions asked about church participation and road-rage behavior ("giving a finger" and "flashing headlights"). Nomologically, relevant activities include 3 items for church goers and 3 items for road-rage givers. Additionally, 14 items profiled the lifestyles of the unique paradoxical behavior segment. Utilizing cross-tabulation tables, property space analyses identify the double extreme (XX) group (18 people) and other 6 groups with a significant chi-square test, confirming the extreme group exists. Analyses of variance test results show that comparing nomologically relevant activities among the seven groups is all statistically significant, indicating the nomological validity is met. Overall, the XX group tends to have more males, be younger, and have a higher proportion of people working in sales. The profile of lifestyle analyses shows the XX group members have both high ambitions and expectations, might be very frustrated individuals, and equip with the adventurous and masculine traits related to aggression. The XX behavior group's demographic and psychographic characteristics portray similar lifestyles that differ from other groups. Case-based analyses provide further contextual information of nuances to XX segment individuals. The limited energy theory, the Eagleman's theory of unconscious mind, and justification theory help to explain why people conjointly go to church and commit road rage. Addressing chronic paradoxical behaviors provides implications for social de-marketing to reduce aggressive anti-social behavior such as road rage. Frequent church attendance may

  14. Clinical characteristics of pigment dispersion syndrome in Chinese patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qing, G; Wang, N; Tang, X; Zhang, S; Chen, H

    2009-08-01

    To report clinical findings and characteristics of pigment dispersion syndrome (PDS) in Chinese patients. PDS suspects with any one of the following signs: corneal endothelial pigmentation, iris transillumination defects (ITDs), pigment granule dusting on anterior iris surface, posterior iris bowing, trabecular meshwork (TM) pigmentation, and lenticular or zonular pigmentation were evaluated for PDS at the glaucoma specialty clinic at Beijing Tongren Eye Centre. Diagnosis of PDS required at least two of the following signs: Krukenberg spindle, moderate-to-heavy TM pigmentation (>or=Scheie II) and any degree of lenticular and/or zonular pigmentation. Eighteen patients (12 males and six females) were identified as having PDS during a 1-year period, with mean age of 35.5+/-7.0 years (range, 22-49). All but two eyes from two patients had myopia of -0.5 D or greater, with mean spherical equivalent power of -5.20+/-5.80 D (range, -24.75+/-0.5). The average IOP at initial diagnosis was 33.7+/-10.5 mm Hg (range, 16-56). Fifteen patients (83.3%) were found to have pigmentary glaucoma at their initial diagnosis. All patients showed homogenous increased TM pigmentation as well as lenticular and/or zonular pigmentation. 61.1% of patients (11 of 18) had Krukenberg spindle. None of the patients exhibited spoke-like midperipheral ITDs except for trace-isolated transillumination in both eyes of the two patients. The most common clinical findings in Chinese PDS patients include homogeneous TM pigmentation and pigment granule dusting on lens zonules and/or posterior peripheral lens surface. ITDs are uncommon in Chinese patients with PDS.

  15. Pigmented skin disorders: Evaluation and treatment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kroon, M.W.

    2015-01-01

    Pigmentary disorders are disturbances of human skin color. Minor changes in the cellular physiology of the skin can dramatically affect pigment production in positive or negative manner. In this these, associated diseases, therapeutical options and disease parameters for the pigmentation disorder

  16. Positive selection of a duplicated UV-sensitive visual pigment coincides with wing pigment evolution in Heliconius butterflies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Briscoe, Adriana D.; Bybee, Seth M.; Bernard, Gary D.; Yuan, Furong; Sison-Mangus, Marilou P.; Reed, Robert D.; Warren, Andrew D.; Llorente-Bousquets, Jorge; Chiao, Chuan-Chin

    2010-01-01

    The butterfly Heliconius erato can see from the UV to the red part of the light spectrum with color vision proven from 440 to 640 nm. Its eye is known to contain three visual pigments, rhodopsins, produced by an 11-cis-3-hydroxyretinal chromophore together with long wavelength (LWRh), blue (BRh) and UV (UVRh1) opsins. We now find that H. erato has a second UV opsin mRNA (UVRh2)—a previously undescribed duplication of this gene among Lepidoptera. To investigate its evolutionary origin, we screened eye cDNAs from 14 butterfly species in the subfamily Heliconiinae and found both copies only among Heliconius. Phylogeny-based tests of selection indicate positive selection of UVRh2 following duplication, and some of the positively selected sites correspond to vertebrate visual pigment spectral tuning residues. Epi-microspectrophotometry reveals two UV-absorbing rhodopsins in the H. erato eye with λmax = 355 nm and 398 nm. Along with the additional UV opsin, Heliconius have also evolved 3-hydroxy-DL-kynurenine (3-OHK)-based yellow wing pigments not found in close relatives. Visual models of how butterflies perceive wing color variation indicate this has resulted in an expansion of the number of distinguishable yellow colors on Heliconius wings. Functional diversification of the UV-sensitive visual pigments may help explain why the yellow wing pigments of Heliconius are so colorful in the UV range compared to the yellow pigments of close relatives lacking the UV opsin duplicate. PMID:20133601

  17. Surgical Management of Iatrogenic Pigment Dispersion Glaucoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mierlo, Camille Van; Pinto, Luis Abegão; Stalmans, Ingeborg

    2015-01-01

    Iatrogenic pigment dispersion syndrome generally originates from a repetitive, mechanical trauma to the pigmented posterior epithelium of the iris. This trauma can arise after intraocular surgery, most commonly due to an abnormal contact between the intraocular lens (IOL) and the iris. Whether surgical removal of this primary insult can lead to a successful intraocular pressure (IOP) control remains unclear. Case-series. Patients with IOP elevation and clinical signs of pigment dispersion were screened for a diagnosis of iatrogenic IOL-related pigment dispersion. Three patients in which the IOL or the IOL-bag complex caused a pigment dispersion through a repetitive iris chafing were selected. In two cases, replacement of a sulcus-based single-piece IOL (patient 1) or a sub-luxated in-the-bag IOL (patient 2) by an anterior-chamber (AC) iris-fixed IOL led to a sustained decrease in IOP. In the third case, extensive iris atrophy and poor anatomical AC parameters for IOL implantation precluded further surgical intervention. IOL-exchange appears to be a useful tool in the management of iatrogenic pigment dispersion glaucoma due to inappropriate IOL implantation. This cause-oriented approach seems to be effective in controlling IOP, but should be offered only if safety criteria are met. How to cite this article: Van Mierlo C, Abegao Pinto L, Stalmans I. Surgical Management of Iatrogenic Pigment Dispersion Glaucoma. J Curr Glaucoma Pract 2015;9(1):28-32.

  18. DNA:DNA hybridization studies on the pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hood, D W; Dow, C S; Green, P N

    1987-03-01

    The genomic relatedness among 36 strains of pink-pigmented facultatively methylotrophic bacteria (PPFMs) was estimated by determination of DNA base composition and by DNA:DNA hybridization studies. A reproducible hybridization system was developed for the rapid analysis of multiple DNA samples. Results indicated that the PPFMs comprise four major and several minor homology groups, and that they should remain grouped in a single genus, Methylobacterium.

  19. Skin Pigmentation Kinetics after Exposure to Ultraviolet A

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ravnbak, M.H.; Philipsen, P.A.; Wiegell, S.R.

    2009-01-01

    Multiple exposures to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) are the norm in nature and phototherapy. However, studies of the kinetics of pigmentation following UVA exposure have included only fair-skinned persons. The aim of this study was to investigate steady-state pigmentation and fading in 12 Scandinav......Multiple exposures to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) are the norm in nature and phototherapy. However, studies of the kinetics of pigmentation following UVA exposure have included only fair-skinned persons. The aim of this study was to investigate steady-state pigmentation and fading in 12...... Scandinavians and 12 Indians/Pakistanis after 6 and 12 exposures on the back using broadband UVA and UVA1 with equal sub-minimal melanogenic doses (individually predetermined). Pigmentation was measured by skin reflectance at 555 and 660 urn. The UV dose to minimal pigmentation was higher in dark......-skinned persons after a single broadband UVA exposure, but independent of pigmentation/skin type after single and multiple UVA1 exposures. To elicit minimal melanogenic doses after 6 and 12 exposures, every dose is lowered by a factor of 2 and 3, respectively, but the cumulative dose increases three- and four...

  20. The Black Star: Lived Paradoxes in the Poetry of Paul Celan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dorit Lemberger

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Celan’s poetry is deemed universal and experimental, and its main characteristic is to “explore possibilities of sense-making.” His poetry is also acknowledged to be the apex of Jewish post-Holocaust poetry, contending with existentialist questions such as the existence God in the Holocaust and the possibility of restoring Jewish identity. In this paper I will examine how Celan uses paradoxes in his poetry to create atheistic and skeptical expressions. The technique of paradox expresses the concurrent existence of two contradictory possibilities; the article will present three types of paradox typical of Celan’s poetry: (1 the affirmation and denial of the existence of God; (2 the mention of rituals from Jewish tradition, while voiding them of their conventional meaning; (3 the use of German, specifically, for the reconstitution of Jewish identity. My main argument is that paradox in Celan’s work creates a unique voice of atheism and skepticism, since it preserves the ideas that it rejects as a source for fashioning meaning. In order to explore how Celan constructs paradox, I will use Wittgenstein’s resolutions of the paradoxes that emerge from the use of language, and I will show how they illuminate Celan’s use of this technique. The article will examine three Wittgensteinian methods of resolving the paradoxes that Celan employs in his oeuvre: highlighting, containing, and dissolving.

  1. Time symmetry and the Einstein paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Costa de Beauregard, O.

    1977-01-01

    The characteristic difference between the paleoquantal calculation (addition of partial probabilities) and the neoquantal one (addition of partial amplitudes) for the correlation of photon polarizations in cascade transitions is derived in terms of elementary trigonometry. This deliberate use of simple formulae aims at a transparent rendering of the change in paradigm required by the so-called EPR paradox (which is truly the 1927 Einstein paradox), namely that 1) the two photons do not possess polarizations of their own when leaving the source C, but borrow one later, when interacting with the analysers L and N; 2) the die is thus not cast at C, but later, at L and N; 3) the correlation between the measurements at L and N is tied through C, in their common past. The tight connection between this ''Einstein nonseparability'' and the nonlocality in Feynman's ''theory of positrons'' is demonstrated through an analysis of the e + e - annihilation into two photons. Thus the Einstein paradox corresponds, in the ''new wavelike probability calculus'', to the Loschmid and Zermelo sort of paradox in the old probability calculus. That is, it contrasts the intrinsic time symmetry existing at the elementary level to the factlike macroscopic time asymmetry. The discussion deliberately by-passes the hidden-variable problem, the model in this being Einstein's by-passing of the mechanical aether when proposing special relativity. It is believed today, like in 1905, the problem is tayloring the wording after the (operationally good) mathematics. Moreover, that the change in paradigm, which is needed, comes through a victory of formalism over modelism. (author)

  2. Navigating Instructional Dialectics: Empirical Exploration of Paradox in Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Blair; Rudick, C. Kyle; Kerssen-Griep, Jeff; Golsan, Kathryn

    2018-01-01

    Navigating contradiction represents an integral part of the teaching process. While educational literature has discussed the paradoxes that teachers experience in the classroom, minimal empirical research has analyzed the strategies teachers employ to address these paradoxes. Using relational dialectics as a theoretical framework for understanding…

  3. Mimesis, fiction, paradoxes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Françoise Lavocat

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Les théories contemporaines de la fiction, comme les poétiques de la Renaissance, privilégient une conception de la mimesis fondée sur la vraisemblance : la démonstration du profit cognitif et moral de la fiction passe toujours par une définition de l’imitation (de quelque façon qu’on la définisse fondée sur la rationalité. L’auteur de cet article examine tout d’abord le statut des contradictions et de l’impossible chez quelques théoriciens actuels (principalement J.-M. Schaeffer, M.-L. Ryan, L. Doležel et poéticiens du 16e siècle (L. Castelvetro et F. Patrizi. Sont ensuite étudiées la forme et la fonction que prend l’impossible dans trois fictions narratives de la Renaissance. L’hypothèse majeure qui est défendue est que ces paradoxes permettent de penser le non-existant, dans la continuité de la scolastique médiévale et en relation avec une problématique religieuse, sérieuse ou parodique. Par là même, et en raison de leur auto-référentialité constitutive, les paradoxes inscrivent dans la fiction une réflexion sur elle-même qui n’a rien d’une apologie. La pensée de la fiction s’articule en définitive de façon bien différente dans les théories et dans les fictions elles-mêmes.Like Renaissance poetics, contemporary theories of fiction do favour a conception of mimesis based on likelihood. In order to underscore the benefits of fiction, in terms of cognition or ethics, both ancient and present-day authors usually identify imitation (however this is understood as a kind of rationality. The aim of this article is to question the status of contradictions and impossibilities, first in current theories of fiction (J-M Schaeffer, M.-L. Ryan, L. Doležel, then in two sixteenth century comments of Aristotle (by L. Castelvetro and F. Patrizi. In the following steps, forms and functions of the impossible are studied in three narratives of the Renaissance. The main hypothesis here is the following: in

  4. New physics and paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van der Spuy, E.

    1983-01-01

    Conflict between the finite and infinite in theoretical physics often results in paradox. By measuring phenomena for which such conflict exists, physicists may be able to discover in each case the basis of the conflict and thus may eventually reformulate physical laws

  5. Pigment Production by the Edible Filamentous Fungus Neurospora Intermedia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rebecca Gmoser

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The production of pigments by edible filamentous fungi is gaining attention as a result of the increased interest in natural sources with added functionality in the food, feed, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and textile industries. The filamentous fungus Neurospora intermedia, used for production of the Indonesian food “oncom”, is one potential source of pigments. The objective of the study was to evaluate the fungus’ pigment production. The joint effect from different factors (carbon and nitrogen source, ZnCl2, MgCl2 and MnCl2 on pigment production by N. intermedia is reported for the first time. The scale-up to 4.5 L bubble column bioreactors was also performed to investigate the effect of pH and aeration. Pigment production of the fungus was successfully manipulated by varying several factors. The results showed that the formation of pigments was strongly influenced by light, carbon, pH, the co-factor Zn2+ and first- to fourth-order interactions between factors. The highest pigmentation (1.19 ± 0.08 mg carotenoids/g dry weight biomass was achieved in a bubble column reactor. This study provides important insights into pigmentation of this biotechnologically important fungus and lays a foundation for future utilizations of N. intermedia for pigment production.

  6. Classification of lead white pigments using synchrotron radiation micro X-ray diffraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Welcomme, E.; Walter, P.; Menu, M.; Bleuet, P.; Hodeau, J.L.; Dooryhee, E.; Martinetto, P.

    2007-01-01

    Lead white pigment was used and synthesised for cosmetic and artistic purposes since the antiquity. Ancient texts describe the various recipes, and preparation processes as well as locations of production. In this study, we describe the results achieved on several paint samples taken from Matthias Gruenewald's works. Gruenewald, who was active between 1503 and 1524, was a major painter at the beginning of the German Renaissance. Thanks to X-ray diffraction analysis using synchrotron radiation, it is possible to associate the composition of the paint samples with the masters ancient recipes. Different approaches were used, in reflection and transmission modes, directly on minute samples or on paint cross-sections embedded in resin. Characterisation of lead white pigments reveals variations in terms of composition, graininess and proportion of mineral phases. The present work enlightens the presence of lead white as differentiable main composition groups, which could be specific of a period, a know-how or a geographical origin. In this way, we aim at understanding the choices and the trading of pigments used to realise paintings during northern European Renaissance. (orig.)

  7. Classification of lead white pigments using synchrotron radiation micro X-ray diffraction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Welcomme, E.; Walter, P.; Menu, M. [Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musees de France - CNRS UMR 171, Paris (France); Bleuet, P. [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, BP 220, Grenoble Cedex (France); Hodeau, J.L.; Dooryhee, E.; Martinetto, P. [Institut Neel CNRS-UPR 503-1, 25, Av. des Martyrs, BP 166, Grenoble Cedex 9 (France)

    2007-12-15

    Lead white pigment was used and synthesised for cosmetic and artistic purposes since the antiquity. Ancient texts describe the various recipes, and preparation processes as well as locations of production. In this study, we describe the results achieved on several paint samples taken from Matthias Gruenewald's works. Gruenewald, who was active between 1503 and 1524, was a major painter at the beginning of the German Renaissance. Thanks to X-ray diffraction analysis using synchrotron radiation, it is possible to associate the composition of the paint samples with the masters ancient recipes. Different approaches were used, in reflection and transmission modes, directly on minute samples or on paint cross-sections embedded in resin. Characterisation of lead white pigments reveals variations in terms of composition, graininess and proportion of mineral phases. The present work enlightens the presence of lead white as differentiable main composition groups, which could be specific of a period, a know-how or a geographical origin. In this way, we aim at understanding the choices and the trading of pigments used to realise paintings during northern European Renaissance. (orig.)

  8. A Zeno-like paradox in linear interaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weiss, J.

    1998-01-01

    The so-called Zeno-like paradox of infinite regressions and progressions connected by light cones, typical to particle dynamics of direct-interaction (ADD) theory, is examined for linear AAD interaction. It is shown that the paradox is resolved via convenient evaluating integral expressions which determine conserved quantities of Lorentz group to exhibit integral-free forms. As a result the formalism is also permitted to emerge the field confinement as one of substantial properties of linear interaction. (author)

  9. Spin entanglement, decoherence and Bohm's EPR paradox

    OpenAIRE

    Cavalcanti, E. G.; Drummond, P. D.; Bachor, H. A.; Reid, M. D.

    2007-01-01

    We obtain criteria for entanglement and the EPR paradox for spin-entangled particles and analyse the effects of decoherence caused by absorption and state purity errors. For a two qubit photonic state, entanglement can occur for all transmission efficiencies. In this case, the state preparation purity must be above a threshold value. However, Bohm's spin EPR paradox can be achieved only above a critical level of loss. We calculate a required efficiency of 58%, which appears achievable with cu...

  10. A Resolution of the Paradox of Enrichment

    OpenAIRE

    Feng, Z. C.; Li, Y. Charles

    2011-01-01

    The paradox of enrichment was observed by M. Rosenzweig in a class of predator-prey models. Two of the parameters in the models are crucial for the paradox. These two parameters are the prey's carrying capacity and prey's half-saturation for predation. Intuitively, increasing the carrying capacity due to enrichment of the prey's environment should lead to a more stable predator-prey system. Analytically, it turns out that increasing the carrying capacity always leads to an unstable predator-p...

  11. Preparation, characterization and application of some anti- corrosive molybdate pigments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abd El-Ghaffar, M.A.; El-Sawy, S.M.; Ahmed, N.M.

    2005-01-01

    Some molybdate pigments of single and mixed metal ions, namely, zinc, calcium and zinc-calcium molybdates were prepared, characterized and evaluated according to international standard methods. The evaluated pigments were incorporated in some paint formulations. The physicomechanical, chemical and corrosion protective properties of the paint films were measured; this was done in comparison with a commercial imported molybdate pigment. It was found that, the prepared pigments under investigation are fine white crystalline powders of suitable pigment properties. They can be successfully used as environmentally acceptable anti corrosive pigments. They can replace satisfactorily the similar commercial imported pigment and possess adequate or superior properties against corrosion

  12. Alternative Carrier Solvents for Pigments Extracted from Spalting Fungi

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lauren Pittis

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available The use of both naturally occurring and synthetic pigmented wood has been prevalent in woodcraft for centuries. Modern manifestations generally involve either woodworkers’ aniline dyes, or pigments derived from a special class of fungi known as spalting fungi. While fungal pigments are more renewable than anilines and pose less of an environmental risk, the carrier required for these pigments—dichloromethane (DCM—is both problematic for humans and tends to only deposit the pigments on the surface of wood instead of evenly within the material. Internal coloration of wood is key to adoption of a pigmenting system by woodworkers. To address this issue, five solvents that had moderate solubility with the pigments extracted from Chlorociboria aeruginosa and Scytalidium cuboideum were identified, in the hopes that a reduction in solubility would result in a greater amount of the pigment deposited inside the wood. Of the tested solvents, acetonitrile was found to produce the highest internal color in ash, Douglas-fir, madrone, mountain hemlock, Port-Orford cedar, Pacific silver fir, red alder and sugar maple. While these carrier solvents are not ideal for extracting the pigments from the fungi, acetonitrile in particular does appear to allow for more pigment to be deposited within wood. The use of acetonitrile over DCM offers new opportunities for possible industrial spalting applications, in which larger pieces of wood could be uniformly pigmented and sold to the end user in larger quantities than are currently available with spalted wood.

  13. Identification of organic pigments in tattoo inks and permanent make-ups using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry [version 1; referees: 2 approved

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Markus Niederer

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays, about 12% of the European and 20% of the US population are tattooed. Rising concerns regarding consumer safety, led to legal restrictions on tattoo inks and permanent make-up (PMU inks. Restrictions also include bans on certain hazardous colourants. Both ink types use organic pigments for colour-giving, plus inorganic pigments for white and black and colour tones. Pigments are only sparingly soluble in common solvents and occur as suspended particles in the ink matrix. Their detection and identification therefore pose a major challenge for laboratories involved in monitoring the legal compliance of tattoo inks and PMUs. We overcame this challenge by developing a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry method, which included an easy sample clean up. The method proved to be capable of detecting and identifying organic pigments in almost all of the tested ink samples. Method validation and routine deployment during market surveys showed the method to be fit for purpose. Pigment screening of 396 tattoo inks and 55 PMUs taken from the Swiss market between 2009 and 2017 lead to the following conclusions: Pigment variety is much greater in tattoo inks (18 than in PMUs (10; four prohibited pigments (Pigment Green 7, Pigment Red 122, Pigment Violet 19 and 23 were found in both ink types; for PMUs, these four pigments made up 12% of the pigment findings, compared to 32% for tattoo inks. Therefore, legal compliance of PMUs was at a higher level. A comparison of pigments found with those declared on tattoo ink labels clearly showed that banned pigments are rarely declared, but rather masked by listing not present legal pigments and label forging; therefore, highlighting the urgency of widespread market controls.

  14. Light-induced vegetative anthocyanin pigmentation in Petunia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albert, Nick W.; Lewis, David H.; Zhang, Huaibi; Irving, Louis J.; Jameson, Paula E.; Davies, Kevin M.

    2009-01-01

    The Lc petunia system, which displays enhanced, light-induced vegetative pigmentation, was used to investigate how high light affects anthocyanin biosynthesis, and to assess the effects of anthocyanin pigmentation upon photosynthesis. Lc petunia plants displayed intense purple anthocyanin pigmentation throughout the leaves and stems when grown under high-light conditions, yet remain acyanic when grown under shade conditions. The coloured phenotypes matched with an accumulation of anthocyanins and flavonols, as well as the activation of the early and late flavonoid biosynthetic genes required for flavonol and anthocyanin production. Pigmentation in Lc petunia only occurred under conditions which normally induce a modest amount of anthocyanin to accumulate in wild-type Mitchell petunia [Petunia axillaris×(Petunia axillaris×Petunia hybrida cv. ‘Rose of Heaven’)]. Anthocyanin pigmentation in Lc petunia leaves appears to screen underlying photosynthetic tissues, increasing light saturation and light compensation points, without reducing the maximal photosynthetic assimilation rate (Amax). In the Lc petunia system, where the bHLH factor Leaf colour is constitutively expressed, expression of the bHLH (Lc) and WD40 (An11) components of the anthocyanin regulatory system were not limited, suggesting that the high-light-induced anthocyanin pigmentation is regulated by endogenous MYB transcription factors. PMID:19380423

  15. Women's understanding of the "Nice guy paradox": a phenomenological study

    OpenAIRE

    2010-01-01

    M.A. The Nice Guy Paradox is a provocative perception that is commonly expressed within society and the mass media. According to this perception, nice guys are less successful in their relationships with women than other men. The Nice Guy Paradox causes much frustration and confusion for self-proclaimed nice guys. In addition, the implications of this perception may negatively influence the way in which men relate to women. For instance, the Nice Guy Paradox implies that if men want to be ...

  16. Non-conventional synthesis of ceramic pigments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dziubak, C.; Rutkowski, R.; Gebel, R.

    2003-01-01

    A short characterization of traditional methods of homogenization of components, used to produce ceramic pigments, was presented. Efficient and economic methods are searched to prepare raw material sets for ceramic pigments as alternative methods for the traditional way of wet mixing in ball mill or of dry mixing in the mixer of 'Z' type. The results of research of the use of sol-gel method to achieve these aims are presented. At the present stage of research, carried out on the yellow praseodymium and coral-pink iron-zirconium pigments show that traditional methods are better. (author)

  17. The Banach-Tarski paradox

    CERN Document Server

    Wagon, Stan

    1985-01-01

    The Banach-Tarski paradox is a most striking mathematical construction: it asserts that a solid ball may be taken apart into finitely many pieces that can be rearranged using rigid motions to form a ball twice as large as the original. This volume explore

  18. MAJOR OIL PLAYS IN UTAH AND VICINITY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chidsey, Thomas C.; Morgan, Craig D.; McClure, Kevin; Willis, Grant C.

    2003-01-01

    Utah oil fields have produced over 1.2 billion barrels (191 million m 3 ). However, the 13.7 million barrels (2.2 million m 3 ) of production in 2002 was the lowest level in over 40 years and continued the steady decline that began in the mid-1980s. The Utah Geological Survey believes this trend can be reversed by providing play portfolios for the major oil-producing provinces (Paradox Basin, Uinta Basin, and thrust belt) in Utah and adjacent areas in Colorado and Wyoming. Oil plays are geographic areas with petroleum potential caused by favorable combinations of source rock, migration paths, reservoir rock characteristics, and other factors. The play portfolios will include: descriptions and maps of the major oil plays by reservoir; production and reservoir data; case-study field evaluations; summaries of the state-of-the-art drilling, completion, and secondary/tertiary techniques for each play; locations of major oil pipelines; descriptions of reservoir outcrop analogs; and identification and discussion of land use constraints. All play maps, reports, databases, and so forth, produced for the project will be published in interactive, menu-driven digital (web-based and compact disc) and hard-copy formats. This report covers research activities for the fourth quarter of the first project year (April 1 through June 30, 2003). This work included describing outcrop analogs to the Jurassic Nugget Sandstone and Pennsylvanian Paradox Formation, the major oil producers in the thrust belt and Paradox Basin, respectively. Production-scale outcrop analogs provide an excellent view, often in three dimensions, of reservoir-facies characteristics and boundaries contributing to the overall heterogeneity of reservoir rocks. They can be used as a ''template'' for evaluation of data from conventional core, geophysical and petrophysical logs, and seismic surveys. The Nugget Sandstone was deposited in an extensive dune field that extended from Wyoming to Arizona. Outcrop analogs are

  19. Separating models, ideas, and data to avoid a paradox : Rejoinder to Humphry

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sijtsma, K.; Emons, W.H.M.

    2013-01-01

    This article is a rejoinder to Humphry’s (2013) comment on Sijtsma (2012). Sijtsma argued that the Rasch paradox does not exist but Humphry replies that the Rasch paradox can occur provided the measurement procedure is precise enough. The rejoinder argues that the debates about the Rasch paradox

  20. [Distribution Characteristics of Sedimentary Pigments in the Changjiang Estuary and Zhe-Min Coast and its Implications].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Dong; Yao, Peng; Zhao, Bin; Wang, Jin-peng; Pan, Hui-hui

    2015-08-01

    Compositions and contents of sedimentary pigments were examined using high performance liquid chromatography in order to discuss the spatial distributions of phytoplankton primary production, phytoplankton functional type and the preservation efficiency of phytoplankton pigments and their influencing factors. The results showed that: chloropigments [Chlorins, including chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and pheopigments (Pheo-a), such as pheophytin-a (PHtin-a), pheophorbide-a (PHide-a), pPheophytin-a (pPHtin-a), sterol chlorin esters (SCEs) and carotenol chlorin esters (CCEs)] were the major type of sedimentary pigments. The nutrients inputs from Changjiang Diluted Water and upwelling in the Zhe-Min coastal mud area were the major cause for the patchy distribution with high sedimentary chloropigment contents. Carotenoid contents showed no trending changes and exhibited high values in the Changjiang Estuary and Zhe-Min Coasts. Based on the relative proportions of each diagnostic carotenoid to the total diagnostic carotenoids in the sediments, the relative contributions of diatoms, dinoflagellates, prymnesiophytes, prasinophytes, cryptophytes and cyanobacterias in the phytoplankton fuctional types were 48.8% +/- 17.4%, 10.7% +/- 11.5%, 8.1% +/- 7.2%, 18.6% +/- 8.2%, 9.4% +/- 6.4% and 4.3% +/- 3.2%, respectively. The preference for external environmental conditions (e.g., nutrient level and water salinity) was the main cause for the decreasing trends of diatoms and dinoflagellates proportions and the increasing trends of prasinophytes, cryptophytes and cyanobacterias seawards. Based on the spatial distribution of Chl-a/Pheo-a ratios, the higher preservation efficiencies of sedimentary pigments in the coastal regions (e.g., outer edge of maximum turbidity zone in the Changjiang Estuary, mouth of the Hangzhou Bay and upwelling region in the Zhe-Min Coast) were mainly due to the higher sedimentation rate and seasonal occurrences of hypoxia in bottom water, and these regions with

  1. Pennsylvanian carbonate buildups, Paradox basin: Increasing reserves in heterogeneous, shallow-shelf reservoirs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montgomery, S.L.; Chidsey, T.C.; Eby, D.E.; Lorenz, D.M.; Culham, W.E.

    1999-01-01

    Productive carbonate buildups of Pennsylvanian age in the southern Paradox basin, Utah, contain up to 200 million bbl remaining oil potentially recoverable by enhanced recovery methods. These buildups comprise over 100 satellite fields to the giant Greater Aneth field, where secondary recovery operations thus far have been concentrated. Several types of satellite buildups exist and produce oil from the Desert Creek zone of the Paradox Formation. Many of the relevant fields have undergone early abandonment; wells in Desert Creek carbonate mounds commonly produce at very high initial rates (>1000 bbl/day) and then suffer precipitous declines. An important new study focused on the detailed characterization of five separate reservoirs has resulted in significant information relevant to their future redevelopment. Completed assessment of Anasazi field suggests that phylloid algal mounds, the major productive buildup type in this area, consist of ten separate lithotypes and can be described in terms of a two-level reservoir system with an underlying high-permeability mound-core interval overlain by a lower permeability but volumetrically larger supramound (mound capping) interval. Reservoir simulations and related performance predictions indicate that CO2 flooding of these reservoirs should have considerable success in recovering remaining oil reserves.Productive carbonate buildups of Pennsylvanian age in the southern Paradox basin, Utah, contain up to 200 million bbl remaining oil potentially recoverable by enhanced recovery methods. These buildups comprise over 100 satellite fields to the giant Greater Aneth field, where secondary recovery operations thus far have been concentrated. Several types of satellite buildups exist and produce oil from the Desert Creek zone of the Paradox Formation. Many of the relevant fields have undergone early abandonment; wells in Desert Creek carbonate mounds commonly produce at very high initial rates (>1000 bbl/day) and then suffer

  2. Evaluation of Paradoxical Septal Motion Following Cardiac Surgery with Gated Cardiac Blood Pool Scan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Seong Hae; Chung, June Key; Lee, Myung Chul; Cho, Bo Youn; Koh, Chang Soon; Suh, Kyung Phil

    1985-01-01

    The development of paradoxical interventricular septal motion is a common consequence of cardiopulmonary bypass operation. The reason for this postoperative abnormal septal motion is not clear. 41 patients were studied preoperatively and postoperatively with radionuclide blood pool scan to evaluate the frequency of development of paradoxical septal motion with right ventricular volume overload before surgery and the frequency of development of paradoxical septal motion after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, and to evaluate the change of EF related to the development of paradoxical septal motion after cardiac surgery. The results were as follows; 1) 7 of 41 patients with right ventricular volume overload (that is 17%) showed paradoxical septal motion before surgery. But 13 of 34 patients (that is 42%) had paradoxical septal motion after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. So open heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass related the development of paradoxical septal motion after surgery. 2) EF significantly decreased in patients who developed paradoxical septal motion after surgery, whereas the EF did not change in the patients who retained normal interventricular septal motion after surgery. So paradoxical septal motion usually reflected some diminution of left ventricular function, immediately after cardiac surgery.

  3. Evaluation of Paradoxical Septal Motion Following Cardiac Surgery with Gated Cardiac Blood Pool Scan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shin, Seong Hae; Chung, June Key; Lee, Myung Chul; Cho, Bo Youn; Koh, Chang Soon; Suh, Kyung Phil [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1985-03-15

    The development of paradoxical interventricular septal motion is a common consequence of cardiopulmonary bypass operation. The reason for this postoperative abnormal septal motion is not clear. 41 patients were studied preoperatively and postoperatively with radionuclide blood pool scan to evaluate the frequency of development of paradoxical septal motion with right ventricular volume overload before surgery and the frequency of development of paradoxical septal motion after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, and to evaluate the change of EF related to the development of paradoxical septal motion after cardiac surgery. The results were as follows; 1) 7 of 41 patients with right ventricular volume overload (that is 17%) showed paradoxical septal motion before surgery. But 13 of 34 patients (that is 42%) had paradoxical septal motion after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. So open heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass related the development of paradoxical septal motion after surgery. 2) EF significantly decreased in patients who developed paradoxical septal motion after surgery, whereas the EF did not change in the patients who retained normal interventricular septal motion after surgery. So paradoxical septal motion usually reflected some diminution of left ventricular function, immediately after cardiac surgery.

  4. 21 CFR 178.3725 - Pigment dispersants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... HUMAN CONSUMPTION (CONTINUED) INDIRECT FOOD ADDITIVES: ADJUVANTS, PRODUCTION AIDS, AND SANITIZERS Certain Adjuvants and Production Aids § 178.3725 Pigment dispersants. Subject to the provisions of this... 21 Food and Drugs 3 2010-04-01 2009-04-01 true Pigment dispersants. 178.3725 Section 178.3725 Food...

  5. Platelet-Rich Plasma Increases Pigmentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uysal, Cagri A; Ertas, Nilgun Markal

    2017-11-01

    Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous solution of plasma containing 4 to 7 times the baseline concentration of human platelets. Platelet-rich plasma has been widely popular in facial rejuvenation to attenuate wrinkles and has been practically used. The authors have been encountering various patients of increased hiperpigmentation following PRP applications that were performed to attenuate the postinflammatory hiperpigmentation especially after laser treatment. The authors have been using PRP for facial rejuvenation in selected patients and in 1 patient the authors have encountered increased pigmentation over the pigmented skin lesions that were present before the application. The authors recommend that the PRP might increase pigmentation especially in the face region and precautions might be taken before and after the application. Platelet-rich plasma should not be used for the treatment of post inflammatory hiperpigmentation.

  6. Encapsulating betalains from Opuntia ficus-indica fruits by ionic gelation: Pigment chemical stability during storage of beads.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Otálora, María Carolina; Carriazo, José Gregorio; Iturriaga, Laura; Osorio, Coralia; Nazareno, Mónica Azucena

    2016-07-01

    Betalain encapsulation was performed by ionic gelation as a stabilization strategy for these natural pigments. Betalains were extracted from purple cactus fruits and encapsulated in calcium-alginate and in combination of calcium alginate and bovine serum albumin. Beads were characterised by scanning electron microscopy and thermal analysis using differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry. Moisture sorption isotherms were determined. Bead morphology was affected by matrix composition. Pigments storage stability was evaluated at different equilibrium relative humidity and temperatures. Pigment composition of beads was determined by HPLC-MS-MS and degradation products were also analysed after storage; betalamic acid being the major one. Both types of matrices protected the encapsulated pigments, being their storage stability better at low relative humidity than that of the non-encapsulated control material. Antiradical activities of beads were proportional to remaining betalain contents. At high relative humidity, there was no protection and low storage stability was observed in the samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Hyperspectral remote sensing of plant pigments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blackburn, George Alan

    2007-01-01

    The dynamics of pigment concentrations are diagnostic of a range of plant physiological properties and processes. This paper appraises the developing technologies and analytical methods for quantifying pigments non-destructively and repeatedly across a range of spatial scales using hyperspectral remote sensing. Progress in deriving predictive relationships between various characteristics and transforms of hyperspectral reflectance data are evaluated and the roles of leaf and canopy radiative transfer models are reviewed. Requirements are identified for more extensive intercomparisons of different approaches and for further work on the strategies for interpreting canopy scale data. The paper examines the prospects for extending research to the wider range of pigments in addition to chlorophyll, testing emerging methods of hyperspectral analysis and exploring the fusion of hyperspectral and LIDAR remote sensing. In spite of these opportunities for further development and the refinement of techniques, current evidence of an expanding range of applications in the ecophysiological, environmental, agricultural, and forestry sciences highlights the growing value of hyperspectral remote sensing of plant pigments.

  8. Disability reconsidered: the paradox of physical therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roush, Susan E; Sharby, Nancy

    2011-12-01

    The purposes of this perspective article are: (1) to explore models of disability from the perspective of the academic discipline of disability studies (DS), (2) to consider the paradox of improving functional capacities while valuing disability as diversity, (3) to identify how physical therapy's use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) disablement model intersects with various disability models, and (4) to apply this broader understanding of disability to physical therapist practice, education, and research. The DS literature has been critical of rehabilitation professionals, particularly targeting the medical model of disability. In contrast, advocates for a social model of disability recognize disability as diversity. It is paradoxical for physical therapy to simultaneously work to ameliorate disability while celebrating it as diversity. The ICF biopsychosocial disablement model offers a mechanism to practice within this paradox and suggests that it is no longer sufficient to conceptualize disability as a purely individual matter that requires attention in isolation from the impact of the larger society.

  9. Identifying Quantum Structures in the Ellsberg Paradox

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aerts, Diederik; Sozzo, Sandro; Tapia, Jocelyn

    2014-10-01

    Empirical evidence has confirmed that quantum effects occur frequently also outside the microscopic domain, while quantum structures satisfactorily model various situations in several areas of science, including biological, cognitive and social processes. In this paper, we elaborate a quantum mechanical model which faithfully describes the Ellsberg paradox in economics, showing that the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics is capable to represent the ambiguity present in this kind of situations, because of the presence of contextuality. Then, we analyze the data collected in a concrete experiment we performed on the Ellsberg paradox and work out a complete representation of them in complex Hilbert space. We prove that the presence of quantum structure is genuine, that is, interference and superposition in a complex Hilbert space are really necessary to describe the conceptual situation presented by Ellsberg. Moreover, our approach sheds light on `ambiguity laden' decision processes in economics and decision theory, and allows to deal with different Ellsberg-type generalizations, e.g., the Machina paradox.

  10. The Amazon's energetic paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva, Marcos Vinicius Miranda da; Bermann, Celio

    1999-01-01

    The main energy sources in Amazon region are hydroelectric, biomass, and natural gas. Although abundance of these resources, the energy consumption in this region is one of the most low of Brazil. The article overviews this paradox. In this context, economical, geopolitical, and technical aspects are presented

  11. Reinterpretaion of the friendship paradox

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Jingcheng; Wu, Jianliang

    The friendship paradox (FP) is a sociological phenomenon stating that most people have fewer friends than their friends do. It is to say that in a social network, the number of friends that most individuals have is smaller than the average number of friends of friends. This has been verified by Feld. We call this interpreting method mean value version. But is it the best choice to portray the paradox? In this paper, we propose a probability method to reinterpret this paradox, and we illustrate that the explanation using our method is more persuasive. An individual satisfies the FP if his (her) randomly chosen friend has more friends than him (her) with probability not less than 1/2. Comparing the ratios of nodes satisfying the FP in networks, rp, we can see that the probability version is stronger than the mean value version in real networks both online and offline. We also show some results about the effects of several parameters on rp in random network models. Most importantly, rp is a quadratic polynomial of the power law exponent γ in Price model, and rp is higher when the average clustering coefficient is between 0.4 and 0.5 in Petter-Beom (PB) model. The introduction of the probability method to FP can shed light on understanding the network structure in complex networks especially in social networks.

  12. The Paradox of Openness

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Laursen, Keld; Salter, Ammon

    2014-01-01

    To innovate, firms often need to draw from, and collaborate with, a large number of actors from outside their organization. At the same time, firms need also to be focused on capturing the returns from their innovative ideas. This gives rise to a paradox of openness—the creation of innovations of...... or collaborate with competitors. We explore the implications of these findings for the literature on open innovation and innovation strategy.......To innovate, firms often need to draw from, and collaborate with, a large number of actors from outside their organization. At the same time, firms need also to be focused on capturing the returns from their innovative ideas. This gives rise to a paradox of openness—the creation of innovations...... often requires openness, but the commercialization of innovations requires protection. Based on econometric analysis of data from a UK innovation survey, we find a concave relationship between firms’ breadth of external search and formal collaboration for innovation, and the strength of the firms...

  13. [Primary pigmented breast adenocarcinoma in a male patient].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dauendorffer, J-N; Pages, C; Abd Alsamad, I; Bagot, M; Fraitag, S

    2013-01-01

    Pigmented mammary tumours are rare. Herein, we report the third case of primary pigmented breast adenocarcinoma in a male patient with clinical mimicking of nodular melanoma of the nipple. A male patient presented with a pigmented nodule of the right nipple. Histological examination of the lesion showed dermal and subcutaneous adenocarcinomatous proliferation. The perilesional stroma contained melanin both inside and outside macrophages, leading us to conclude on primary pigmented breast adenocarcinoma clinically mimicking nodular melanoma of the nipple. Local production of melanin by neoplastic cells in the mammary carcinoma was postulated as the cause of hyperpigmentation of the tumour. Other possible causes are transfer of melanin from overlying melanocytes of the pigmented areolar epidermis to the underlying neoplastic cells, or melanin synthesis by intratumoral melanocytes migrating from the epidermis (which strikes us as the most convincing interpretation for the reported case). Breast adenocarcinoma is a rare tumour in men and may present clinically as a pigmented lesion of the nipple, resulting in the problem of differential diagnosis with primary or metastasised nodular melanoma. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  14. Identification of non-indigenous phytoplankton species dominated bloom off Goa using inverted microscopy and pigment (HPLC) analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhaskar, P. V.; Roy, Rajdeep; Gauns, Mangesh; Shenoy, D. M.; Rao, V. D.; Mochemadkar, S.

    2011-12-01

    An unusual phytoplankton bloom dominated by unidentified green coloured spherical algal cells (˜5μm diameter) and dinoflagellates ( Heterocapsa, Scripsiella and Gymnodinium) was encountered along the coast of Goa, India during 27 and 29 January, 2005. Pigment analysis was carried out using both fluorometric and HPLC methods. Seawater samples collected from various depths within the intense bloom area showed high concentrations of Chl a (up to 106 mg m - 3) associated with low bacterial production (0.31 to 0.52 mg C m - 3 h - 1) and mesozooplankton biomass (0.03 ml m - 3). Pigment analyses of the seawater samples were done using HPLC detected marker pigments corresponding to prasinophytes, dinoflagellates and diatoms. Chlorophyll b (36-56%) followed by peridinin (15-30%), prasinoxanthin (11-17%) and fucoxanthin (7-15%) were the major diagnostic pigments while pigments of cryptophytes and cyanobacteria including alloxanthin and zeaxanthin formed <10%. Although microscopic analysis indicated a decline in the bloom, pheaophytin concentrations in the water column measured by both techniques were very low, presumably due to fast recycling and/or settling rate. The unique composition of the bloom and its probable causes are discussed in this paper.

  15. Bernstein's paradox of entangled quantum states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belinsky, A V; Chirkin, A S

    2013-01-01

    Bernstein's classical paradox of a regular colored-faced tetrahedron, while designed to illustrate the subtleties of probability theory, is strongly flawed in being asymmetric. Faces of tetrahedron are nonequivalent: three of them are single-colored, and one is many-colored. Therefore, even prior to formal calculations, a strong suspicion as to the independence of the color resulting statistics arises. Not so with entangled quantum states. In the schematic solutions proposed, while photon detection channels are completely symmetric and equivalent, the events that occur in them turn out to be statistically dependent, making the Bernstein paradox even more impressive due to the unusual behavior of quantum particles not obeying classical laws. As an illustrative example of the probability paradox, Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger multiqubit states are considered. (methodological notes)

  16. Micro-pigmentation: implications for patients and professionals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collingridge, Kim; Calcluth, Julie

    In the UK, reconstructive breast surgery is routinely offered to patients undergoing surgery for breast cancer. The results can be excellent, but without a nipple-areola complex the patient can feel incomplete. In response to patient need, an innovative nurse-led micro-pigmentation service has been developed in the authors' NHS trust, which provides women (and men) an opportunity to complete their reconstruction process. With the use of coloured pigments, micro-pigmentation creates a permanent image of a nipple-areola complex, which improves the aesthetic appearance of the surgically-created breast. As with the development of any new nurse-led innovation, the micro-pigmentation service has professional and client implications. Breast cancer can be devastating and may induce many psychological concerns, not least about body image and sexuality. This article addresses these issues, along with professional matters, such as autonomous practice, role expansion and the blurring of clinical boundaries. These factors are considered in relation to the nursing management of the micro-pigmentation service, where patient autonomy is encouraged to promote acceptance of self-image and closure on the breast cancer experience.

  17. Where Was Everybody? Olaf Stapledon and the Fermi Paradox

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baxter, S.

    In 1948 Olaf Stapledon gave an address to the BIS in which he summarised his vision of mankind's cosmic future: `One can imagine some sort of cosmical community of worlds ...' One might ask, however, since the universe is vastly older than mankind, why races on other worlds have not already built such a community. This is a `Fermi Paradox' question. The Paradox is based on the observation that there has been time for extraterrestrial intelligence to arise and colonise the Galaxy many times over, yet we see no sign of such endeavours. In this paper Stapledon's novels are retrospectively analysed from the point of view of the Fermi Paradox. In Last and First Men (1930) humanity is forever isolated because life and mind are rare in the Galaxy, and interstellar distances are too large ever to be traversed. These are classic candidate Fermi `solutions'. The `solution' implicit in Star Maker (1937) might be criticised in that it posits that humanity lives at a special epoch, with the cosmically transforming development of interstellar travel occurring a `mere' ten billion years after mankind, in a universe supposedly ~200bn years old. Stapledon died in 1950, the year the Paradox was formulated, and was probably unaware of the Paradox. However to apply retrospectively Fermi thinking to Stapledon's cosmologies is to gain a new insight into the author's philosophy.

  18. Quantum Bayesian networks with application to games displaying Parrondo's paradox

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pejic, Michael

    Bayesian networks and their accompanying graphical models are widely used for prediction and analysis across many disciplines. We will reformulate these in terms of linear maps. This reformulation will suggest a natural extension, which we will show is equivalent to standard textbook quantum mechanics. Therefore, this extension will be termed quantum. However, the term quantum should not be taken to imply this extension is necessarily only of utility in situations traditionally thought of as in the domain of quantum mechanics. In principle, it may be employed in any modelling situation, say forecasting the weather or the stock market---it is up to experiment to determine if this extension is useful in practice. Even restricting to the domain of quantum mechanics, with this new formulation the advantages of Bayesian networks can be maintained for models incorporating quantum and mixed classical-quantum behavior. The use of these will be illustrated by various basic examples. Parrondo's paradox refers to the situation where two, multi-round games with a fixed winning criteria, both with probability greater than one-half for one player to win, are combined. Using a possibly biased coin to determine the rule to employ for each round, paradoxically, the previously losing player now wins the combined game with probabilitygreater than one-half. Using the extended Bayesian networks, we will formulate and analyze classical observed, classical hidden, and quantum versions of a game that displays this paradox, finding bounds for the discrepancy from naive expectations for the occurrence of the paradox. A quantum paradox inspired by Parrondo's paradox will also be analyzed. We will prove a bound for the discrepancy from naive expectations for this paradox as well. Games involving quantum walks that achieve this bound will be presented.

  19. Anthocyanidins and anthocyanins: colored pigments as food, pharmaceutical ingredients, and the potential health benefits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khoo, Hock Eng; Azlan, Azrina; Tang, Sou Teng; Lim, See Meng

    2017-01-01

    Anthocyanins are colored water-soluble pigments belonging to the phenolic group. The pigments are in glycosylated forms. Anthocyanins responsible for the colors, red, purple, and blue, are in fruits and vegetables. Berries, currants, grapes, and some tropical fruits have high anthocyanins content. Red to purplish blue-colored leafy vegetables, grains, roots, and tubers are the edible vegetables that contain a high level of anthocyanins. Among the anthocyanin pigments, cyanidin-3-glucoside is the major anthocyanin found in most of the plants. The colored anthocyanin pigments have been traditionally used as a natural food colorant. The color and stability of these pigments are influenced by pH, light, temperature, and structure. In acidic condition, anthocyanins appear as red but turn blue when the pH increases. Chromatography has been largely applied in extraction, separation, and quantification of anthocyanins. Besides the use of anthocyanidins and anthocyanins as natural dyes, these colored pigments are potential pharmaceutical ingredients that give various beneficial health effects. Scientific studies, such as cell culture studies, animal models, and human clinical trials, show that anthocyanidins and anthocyanins possess antioxidative and antimicrobial activities, improve visual and neurological health, and protect against various non-communicable diseases. These studies confer the health effects of anthocyanidins and anthocyanins, which are due to their potent antioxidant properties. Different mechanisms and pathways are involved in the protective effects, including free-radical scavenging pathway, cyclooxygenase pathway, mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, and inflammatory cytokines signaling. Therefore, this review focuses on the role of anthocyanidins and anthocyanins as natural food colorants and their nutraceutical properties for health. Abbreviations : CVD: Cardiovascular disease VEGF: Vascular endothelial growth factor.

  20. Pigment Production from Immobilized Monascus sp. Utilizing Polymeric Resin Adsorption

    OpenAIRE

    Evans, Patrick J.; Wang, Henry Y.

    1984-01-01

    Pigment production by the fungus Monascus sp. was studied to determine why Monascus sp. provides more pigment in solid culture than in submerged culture. Adding a sterilized nonionic polymeric adsorbent resin directly to the growing submerged culture did not enhance the pigment production, thus indicating that pigment extraction is probably not a factor. Monascus cells immobilized in hydrogel were studied and exhibited decreased pigment production as a result of immobilization. This result is...

  1. Galileo's kinematical paradox and the role of resistive forces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aguiar, C E; Soares, V; Tort, A C

    2014-01-01

    We discuss Galileo's kinematical ‘paradox’ taking into account the effects of sliding friction and of resistive forces proportional to velocity. We show that sliding friction eliminates the paradox but still allows for very simple synchronous curves. Perhaps surprisingly, Galileo's paradox is preserved when the resistive force is proportional to velocity. (paper)

  2. Natural colorants: Pigment stability and extraction yield enhancement via utilization of appropriate pretreatment and extraction methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ngamwonglumlert, Luxsika; Devahastin, Sakamon; Chiewchan, Naphaporn

    2017-10-13

    Natural colorants from plant-based materials have gained increasing popularity due to health consciousness of consumers. Among the many steps involved in the production of natural colorants, pigment extraction is one of the most important. Soxhlet extraction, maceration, and hydrodistillation are conventional methods that have been widely used in industry and laboratory for such a purpose. Recently, various non-conventional methods, such as supercritical fluid extraction, pressurized liquid extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, pulsed-electric field extraction, and enzyme-assisted extraction have emerged as alternatives to conventional methods due to the advantages of the former in terms of smaller solvent consumption, shorter extraction time, and more environment-friendliness. Prior to the extraction step, pretreatment of plant materials to enhance the stability of natural pigments is another important step that must be carefully taken care of. In this paper, a comprehensive review of appropriate pretreatment and extraction methods for chlorophylls, carotenoids, betalains, and anthocyanins, which are major classes of plant pigments, is provided by using pigment stability and extraction yield as assessment criteria.

  3. Analysis of basidiomycete pigments in situ by Raman spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tauber, James P; Matthäus, Christian; Lenz, Claudius; Hoffmeister, Dirk; Popp, Jürgen

    2018-02-07

    Basidiomycetes, that is, mushroom-type fungi, are known to produce pigments in response to environmental impacts. As antioxidants with a high level of unsaturation, these compounds can neutralize highly oxidative species. In the event of close contact with other microbes, the enzymatically controlled pigment production is triggered and pigment secretion is generated at the interaction zone. The identification and analysis of these pigments is important to understand the defense mechanism of fungi, which is essential to counteract an uncontrolled spread of harmful species. Usually, a detailed analysis of the pigments is time consuming as it depends on laborious sample preparation and isolation procedures. Furthermore, the applied protocols often influence the chemical integrity of the compound of interest. A possibility to noninvasively investigate the pigmentation is Raman microspectroscopy. The methodology has the potential to analyze the chemical composition of the sample spatially resolved at the interaction zone. After the acquisition of a representative spectroscopic library, the pigment production by basidiomycetes was monitored for during response to different fungi and bacteria. The presented results describe a very efficient noninvasive way of pigment analysis which can be applied with minimal sample preparation. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Synthesis of chromium containing pigments from chromium galvanic sludges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andreola, F.; Barbieri, L.; Bondioli, F.; Cannio, M.; Ferrari, A.M.; Lancellotti, I.

    2008-01-01

    In this work the screening results of the scientific activity conducted on laboratory scale to valorise chromium(III) contained in the galvanic sludge as chromium precursor for ceramic pigments are reported. The valorisation of this waste as a secondary raw material (SRM) is obtained by achievement of thermal and chemical stable crystal structures able to color ceramic material. Two different pigments pink CaCr 0.04 Sn 0.97 SiO 5 and green Ca 3 Cr 2 (SiO 4 ) 3 were synthesized by solid-state reactions using dried Cr sludge as chromium oxide precursor. The obtained pigments were characterized by X-ray diffraction and SEM analysis. Furthermore the color developed in a suitable ceramic glaze was investigated in comparison with the color developed by the pigments prepared from pure Cr 2 O 3 . The characterization carried out corroborates the thermal and chemical stability of the synthesized pigments and, especially for the Cr-Sn pink pigment, the powders develop an intense color that is very similar to the color developed by the pigments obtained starting from pure Cr 2 O 3

  5. Preparation and Antioxidant Activity of Ethyl-Linked Anthocyanin-Flavanol Pigments from Model Wine Solutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Lingxi; Zhang, Minna; Zhang, Shuting; Cui, Yan; Sun, Baoshan

    2018-05-03

    Anthocyanin-flavanol pigments, formed during red wine fermentation and storage by condensation reactions between anthocyanins and flavanols (monomers, oligomers, and polymers), are one of the major groups of polyphenols in aged red wine. However, knowledge of their biological activities is lacking. This is probably due to the structural diversity and complexity of these molecules, which makes the large-scale separation and isolation of the individual compounds very difficult, thus restricting their further study. In this study, anthocyanins (i.e., malvidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-glucoside, and peonidin-3-glucoside) and (⁻)-epicatechin were first isolated at a preparative scale by high-speed counter-current chromatography. The condensation reaction between each of the isolated anthocyanins and (⁻)-epicatechin, mediated by acetaldehyde, was conducted in model wine solutions to obtain ethyl-linked anthocyanin-flavanol pigments. The effects of pH, molar ratio, and temperature on the reaction rate were investigated, and the reaction conditions of pH 1.7, molar ratio 1:6:10 (anthocyanin/(⁻)-epicatechin/acetaldehyde), and reaction temperature of 35 °C were identified as optimal for conversion of anthocyanins to ethyl-linked anthocyanin-flavanol pigments. Six ethyl-linked anthocyanin-flavanol pigments were isolated in larger quantities and collected under optimal reaction conditions, and their chemical structures were identified by HPLC-QTOF-MS and ECD analyses. Furthermore, DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays indicate that ethyl-linked anthocyanin-flavanol pigments show stronger antioxidant activities than their precursor anthocyanins.

  6. Preparation and Antioxidant Activity of Ethyl-Linked Anthocyanin-Flavanol Pigments from Model Wine Solutions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lingxi Li

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Anthocyanin-flavanol pigments, formed during red wine fermentation and storage by condensation reactions between anthocyanins and flavanols (monomers, oligomers, and polymers, are one of the major groups of polyphenols in aged red wine. However, knowledge of their biological activities is lacking. This is probably due to the structural diversity and complexity of these molecules, which makes the large-scale separation and isolation of the individual compounds very difficult, thus restricting their further study. In this study, anthocyanins (i.e., malvidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-glucoside, and peonidin-3-glucoside and (–-epicatechin were first isolated at a preparative scale by high-speed counter-current chromatography. The condensation reaction between each of the isolated anthocyanins and (–-epicatechin, mediated by acetaldehyde, was conducted in model wine solutions to obtain ethyl-linked anthocyanin-flavanol pigments. The effects of pH, molar ratio, and temperature on the reaction rate were investigated, and the reaction conditions of pH 1.7, molar ratio 1:6:10 (anthocyanin/(–-epicatechin/acetaldehyde, and reaction temperature of 35 °C were identified as optimal for conversion of anthocyanins to ethyl-linked anthocyanin-flavanol pigments. Six ethyl-linked anthocyanin-flavanol pigments were isolated in larger quantities and collected under optimal reaction conditions, and their chemical structures were identified by HPLC-QTOF-MS and ECD analyses. Furthermore, DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays indicate that ethyl-linked anthocyanin-flavanol pigments show stronger antioxidant activities than their precursor anthocyanins.

  7. The Assessment of Natural Pigmentation in Archaeological Wool

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Scharff, Annemette Bruselius

    2018-01-01

    Naturally coloured wool contains pigment grains that mainly occur as ellipsoidal organelles (eumelanin) or spher¬ical grains (pheomelanin). Eumelanin is the most commonly occurring pigment, but naturally coloured wool fi¬bres contain both eumelanin and pheomelanin. In black and brown wool....... This can especially be the case if the pigments are degraded. When analysing the textiles from Lønne Hede (a Danish Iron Age inhumation grave), it was difficult to gain exact information about the natural pigmentation in some of the samples. To investigate this further, four samples of red-brown yarns from...... patterned fragments were selected for analyses. Earlier dyestuff analyses of the red-brown yarns gave no results, and it was therefore necessary to test the yarns for natural pigmentation. Three different methods were used for the analy¬ses. Transmitted light microscopy of whole mounts of the fibres...

  8. Identification of organic pigments in tattoo inks and permanent make-up using laser desorption ionisation mass spectrometry [version 2; referees: 2 approved

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Markus Niederer

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays, about 12% of the European and 20% of the US population are tattooed. Rising concerns regarding consumer safety, led to legal restrictions on tattoo and permanent make-up (PMU inks. Restrictions also include bans on certain colourants. Both ink types use organic pigments for colour-giving, plus inorganic pigments for white and black and colour tones. Pigments are only sparingly soluble in common solvents and occur as suspended particles in the ink matrix. Their detection and identification therefore pose a major challenge for laboratories involved in monitoring the legal compliance of tattoo inks and PMU. We overcame this challenge by developing a direct laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry method, which included an easy sample clean up. The method proved to be capable of detecting and identifying organic pigments in almost all of the tested ink samples. Method validation and routine deployment during market surveys showed the method to be fit for purpose. Pigment screening of 396 tattoo inks and 55 PMU taken from the Swiss market between 2009 and 2017 lead to the following conclusions: Pigment variety is much greater in tattoo inks (18 than in PMU (10; four prohibited pigments (Pigment Green 7, Pigment Red 122, Pigment Violet 19 and 23 were found in both ink types; for PMU, these four pigments made up 12% of the pigment findings, compared to 32% for tattoo inks. Therefore, legal compliance of PMU was at a higher level. A comparison of pigments found with those declared on tattoo ink labels clearly showed that banned pigments are rarely declared, but rather masked by listing non present legal pigments and label forging; therefore, highlighting the urgency of widespread market controls.

  9. Energy flow in a bound electromagnetic field: resolution of apparent paradoxes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kholmetskii, A L; Yarman, T

    2008-01-01

    In this paper, we present a resolution of apparent paradoxes formulated in (Kholmetskii A L 2006 Apparent paradoxes in classical electrodynamics: the energy-momentum conservation law for a bound electromagnetic field Eur. J. Phys. 27 825-38; Kholmetskii A L and Yarman T 2008 Apparent paradoxes in classical electrodynamics: a fluid medium in an electromagnetic field Eur. J. Phys. 29 1127) and dealing with the energy flux in a bound electromagnetic field

  10. Consistent resolution of some relativistic quantum paradoxes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Griffiths, Robert B.

    2002-01-01

    A relativistic version of the (consistent or decoherent) histories approach to quantum theory is developed on the basis of earlier work by Hartle, and used to discuss relativistic forms of the paradoxes of spherical wave packet collapse, Bohm's formulation of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox, and Hardy's paradox. It is argued that wave function collapse is not needed for introducing probabilities into relativistic quantum mechanics, and in any case should never be thought of as a physical process. Alternative approaches to stochastic time dependence can be used to construct a physical picture of the measurement process that is less misleading than collapse models. In particular, one can employ a coarse-grained but fully quantum-mechanical description in which particles move along trajectories, with behavior under Lorentz transformations the same as in classical relativistic physics, and detectors are triggered by particles reaching them along such trajectories. States entangled between spacelike separate regions are also legitimate quantum descriptions, and can be consistently handled by the formalism presented here. The paradoxes in question arise because of using modes of reasoning which, while correct for classical physics, are inconsistent with the mathematical structure of quantum theory, and are resolved (or tamed) by using a proper quantum analysis. In particular, there is no need to invoke, nor any evidence for, mysterious long-range superluminal influences, and thus no incompatibility, at least from this source, between relativity theory and quantum mechanics

  11. A new explanation of the extinction paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berg, M.J.; Sorensen, C.M.; Chakrabarti, A.

    2011-01-01

    This work presents a new explanation for the extinction paradox and shows that the canonical explanations are incorrect. This paradox refers to the large size limit of a particle's extinction cross section. It is called a paradox because the geometrical optics approximation, which should be valid in this limit, predicts a cross section that is half of the true value. The new explanation is achieved by formulating the scattered wave in terms of an integral over the particle's surface where the seemingly unrelated Ewald-Oseen theorem appears in the formulation. By expressing the cross section in terms of this surface integral, the Ewald-Oseen theorem is analytically connected to the cross section. Several illustrations are used to reveal the significance of this connection: The paradox is seen to be a consequence of the requirement that the incident wave be canceled within the particle by secondary radiation from its own internal field. Following this, the canonical explanations are examined to reveal serious problems. In the process, the same asymptotic extinction behavior is shown to occur for small highly refractive dielectric particles, and thus is not just a large particle size or small wavelength effect as is often stated. The traditional explanations cannot account for this behavior while the new one actually predicts it. All in all, this work constitutes a fundamental reworking of 60 years of accepted understanding for the cause of the asymptotic behavior of the extinction cross section.

  12. Neurotized congenital melanocytic nevus resembling a pigmented neurofibroma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nidhi Singh

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Neurotized congenital melanocytic nevus and pigmented neurofibroma (PNF are close mimics and pose a clinicopathological challenge. We present a case of pigmented hypertrichotic plaque over lumbosacral region and discuss the differential diagnosis and its clinical, histopathological and immunohistochemistry features which may aid in differentiation. We highlight the difficulties faced in differentiating neurotized congenital melanocytic nevus from pigmented neurofibroma.

  13. Design principles of paradoxical signaling in the immune system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hart, Yuval

    A widespread feature of cell-cell signaling systems is paradoxical pleiotropy: the same secreted signaling molecule can induce opposite effects in the responding cells. For example, the cytokine IL-2 can promote proliferation and death of T-cells. The role of such paradoxical signaling remains unclear. We suggest that this mechanism provides homeostatic concentration of cells, independent of initial conditions. The crux of the paradoxical mechanism is the combination of a positive and a negative feedback loops creating two stable states - an OFF state and an ON state. Experimentally, we found that CD4 + cells grown in culture with a 30-fold difference in initial concentrations reached a homeostatic concentration nearly independent of initial cell levels (ON-state). Below an initial threshold, cell density decayed to extinction (OFF-state). Mathematical modeling explained the observed cell and cytokine dynamics and predicted conditions that shifted cell fate from homeostasis to the OFF-state. We suggest that paradoxical signaling provides cell circuits with specific dynamical features that are robust to environmental perturbations.

  14. The green paradox of the economics of exhaustible resources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cairns, Robert D.

    2014-01-01

    The green paradox states that an increasing tax on emissions of carbon dioxide, consonant with the expected increase in their marginal damages, may induce oil producers to shift their production toward the present and thereby to exacerbate the problem of climatic change. The model is based on Hotelling models of resource use that do not take the natural and technical features of oil production into account. Natural features include the decline of production through time according to a decline curve. Technical features include the requirement to sink investment in productive capacity. A model of a profit-maximizing firm indicates that, if these features are taken into account, the prediction of the green paradox is unlikely. - Highlights: • The green paradox is a direct application of Hotelling′s rule from the economics of exhaustible resources. • Hotelling′s analysis was a profound contribution to economic thought but evidence for it is weak. • Hotelling-style analysis assumes incorrectly that production can be rearranged at will among time periods. • Technological and geological features of oil production make the prediction of the green paradox unlikely

  15. Improving the quality of tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon through dietary incorporation of algae as a source of natural pigment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kunal Mondal

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Tiger shrimp is one of the major candidate species for export oriented aquaculture which dominates the seafood market in regions of European Union, Japan and USA. Carotenoid content in seafood has now become one of the important criteria in determining the quality of edible product. Recent trends in supplementing fish diets with natural pigment source are an alternative to the utilization of expensive synthetic pigments. In this context, green algae Enteromorpha intestinalis was selected as a source of natural pigment for inclusion in the diet of tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon. Astaxanthin being an important category of carotenoid pigment was monitored in shrimp muscle tissue during the feeding trial. Significant variation (p<0.05 was observed between the experimental groups as confirmed through ANOVA thus exhibiting higher astaxanthin content of shrimps (18.70 Å} 4.48 ppm fed with E. intestinalis incorporated diet as compared to control (15.80 Å} 2.33 ppm. The present programme therefore emphasizes on the quality improvement of aquaculture product by dietary inclusion of algae as a natural pigment source.

  16. A molecular investigation of adsorption onto mineral pigments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ninness, Brian J.

    Pigment suspensions are important in several processes such as ceramics, paints, inks, and coatings. In the wet state, pigments are combined with a variety of chemical species such as polymers, surfactants, and polyelectrolytes which produce a complex colloidal system. The adsorption, desorption, and redistribution of these species at the pigment-aqueous solution interface can have an impact on the behavior in both the wet state or its final dried state. The goal of this work is to establish a molecular picture of the adsorption properties of these pigmented systems. A novel in situ infrared technique has been developed which allows the detection of adsorbed surface species on pigment particles in an aqueous environment. The technique involves the use of a polymeric binder to anchor the colloidal pigment particles to the surface of an internal reflection element (IRE). The binder only weakly perturbs about 25% of the reactive surface sites (hydroxyl groups) on silica. The reaction of succinic anhydride with an aminosilanized silica surface has been quantified using this technique. The adsorption dynamics of the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (C16TAB) at the TiO2-aqueous solution interface has been investigated using Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflection spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) and electrokinetic analysis. At low bulk concentrations, C16TAB is shown to adsorb as isolated islands with a "defective" bilayer structure. Anionic probe molecules are shown to effectively "tune" the adsorbed surfactant microstructure. The results indicate that the structure of the adsorbed surfactant layer, and not the amount of adsorbed surfactant, dictates the subsequent adsorption behavior of the system. Atomic Layer Deposition is used to deposit a TiO2 layer onto the surfaces of silica and kaolin pigments. The process involves the cyclic reaction sequence of the vapors of TiCl4 and H2O. Three complete deposition cycles are needed before the surfaces

  17. Traversing boundaries: thrombus in transit with paradoxical embolism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Varun Miriyala

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available A 72-year-old male is diagnosed with paradoxical embolus after he presented with concurrent deep vein thrombosis, stroke, and multiple arterial emboli in the presence of a patent foramen ovale (PFO. Paradoxical embolus requires the passage of a thrombus from the venous into the arterial circulation through a right-to-left shunt leading to systemic embolism. But, despite the high incidence of PFO (27.3% across all age groups by autopsy, paradoxical embolism (PDE is uncommon, representing <2% of all arterial emboli. We present a case report where a thrombus has been directly observed passing through the PFO during an echocardiogram study; thus, clearly delineating the true cause of multiple thromboemboli and stoke in our patient. Subsequent Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE also interestingly showed the thrombus in transit in the aorta and pulmonary artery.

  18. Pigment and terracotta analyses of Hellenistic figurines in Crete

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maravelaki-Kalaitzaki, P.; Kallithrakas-Kontos, N.

    2003-01-01

    The results of the analyses performed on blue, black, brown, orange, white and purple pigments decorating Hellenistic figurines, excavated in a rock-cut tomb in the archaeological zone of Chania, Crete, Greece, are presented. Different spectroscopic techniques, such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence identified the compounds present in the chromatic layers. X-ray diffraction analysis gave complementary information and further support to the spectral assignments. Optical microscopy revealed the nature and sequence of the pigmented layer on the terracotta. Several precious pigments, such as Egyptian blue for the bluish areas, Tyrian purple for the purple ones, and the rare huntite for the white-pigmented areas were identified among the studied pigmented areas. The pigment analysis provides information on the technical aspects related to terracotta manufacture and preservation, and promotes historical indications on cultural and commercial changes among the Mediterranean civilisations

  19. The gecko visual pigment: the anion hypsochromic effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crescitelli, F; Karvaly, B

    1991-01-01

    The 521-pigment in the retina of the Tokay gecko (Gekko gekko) readily responds to particular physical and chemical changes in its environment. When solubilized in chloride deficient state the addition of Class I anions (Cl-, Br-) induces a bathochromic shift of the absorption spectrum. Class II anions (NO3-, IO3-, N3-, OCN-, SCN-, SeCN-, N(CN)2-), which exhibit ambidental properties, cause an hypsochromic shift. Class III anions (F-, I-, NO2-, CN-, AsO3-, SO2(4-), S2O2(3-) have no spectral effect on the 521-pigment. Cations appear to have no influence on the pigment absorption and Class I anions prevent or reverse the hypsochromic shift caused by Class II anions. It is suggested that the spectral displacements reflect specific changes in the opsin conformation, which alter the immediate (dipolar) environment of the retinal chromophore. The protein conformation seems to promote excited-state processes most in the native 521-pigment state and least in the presence of Class II anions. This in turn suggests that the photosensitivity of the 521-pigment is controlled by the excited rather than by the ground-state properties of the pigment.

  20. Antimicrobial activity of Micrococcus luteus Cartenoid pigment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huda Z. Majeed

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Cartenoids are group of pigments, with enormous types different structurally and functionally, have colors range from red to yellow found in a wide variety of plants, fungi, algae and bacteria. The animals took from food because they cannot make it, on contrary, the plants and microbes produce them due to subjection to environment. The aim of the study is to isolate and characterize the cartenoid pigment from Micrococcus luteus. The pigment extraction was done by acetone, and then was characterized with UltraViolet-Visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR spectroscopy. Then, it was tested for antibacterial activity against five different bacterial isolates and antifungal activity tests against six different fungal isolates by well diffusion method. The results found that, the extracted pigment having antibacterial activity and antifungal activity and having the ability to absorb UVA rays within the range of 300-500 nm. There was no significant difference in antimicrobial effect of pigment, even when the extraction and isolation were done by two culture mediums (Nutrient Broth and Luria Bertani Broth. There were considerable inhibition percentages of adhesion after subjection to Cartenoid pigment ranged between (5.71, 23.84 % for Klebsiella spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa respectively and all the 11 isolate changed from Biofilm producer to non-producer. The isolated compound can be used against different bacterial and fungal infections. So they had a great future in medicine, cosmetics and as a sun protecting agent.

  1. Multiscale Pigment Analysis of Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sestak, Erica; Manukyan, Khachatur; Wiescher, Michael; Gura, David

    2017-09-01

    Three medieval illuminated manuscripts (codd. Lat. b. 1; Lat. b. 2; Lat. e. 4), housed at the University of Notre Dame's Hesburgh Library, vary in style, pigments, scribes, and regions, despite all three being Psalters used in the Late Middle Ages. XRF and Raman spectroscopy, which provided the elemental and molecular composition of the pigments, respectively, were used to analyze the pigments' compositions in an attempt to narrow further the manuscripts' possible origins. This experimental investigation emphasizes the importance of understanding the history of the manuscript through their pigments. Codd. Lat. b. 1 and Lat. b. 2 are Latinate German Psalters from the fifteenth century likely used in Katharinenkloster in Nuremberg. While there are visible differences in style within each Psalter, the variations in some of the pigment compositions, such as the inconstant presence of zinc, suggest different admixtures. Cod. Lat. e. 4 is a Latinate English Psalter from the fourteenth century, and it was written by two scribes and illuminated by two distinct painters. It is currently being tested to determine whether there are any correlations between the scribes and painters. These physical analyses will clarify the origins and provenances of the manuscripts.

  2. Corrosion inhibition by lithium zinc phosphate pigment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alibakhshi, E.; Ghasemi, E.; Mahdavian, M.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Synthesis of lithium zinc phosphate (LZP) by chemical co-precipitation method. •Corrosion inhibition activity of pigments compare with zinc phosphate (ZP). •LZP showed superior corrosion inhibition effect in EIS measurements. •Evaluation of adhesion strength and dispersion stability. -- Abstract: Lithium zinc phosphate (LZP) has been synthesized through a co-precipitation process and characterized by XRD and IR spectroscopy. The inhibitive performances of this pigment for corrosion of mild steel have been discussed in comparison with the zinc phosphate (ZP) in the pigment extract solution by means of EIS and in the epoxy coating by means of salt spray. The EIS and salt spray results revealed the superior corrosion inhibitive effect of LZP compared to ZP. Moreover, adhesion strength and dispersion stability of the pigmented epoxy coating showed the advantage of LZP compared to ZP

  3. Differences in pigmentation between life cycle stages in Scrippsiella lachrymosa (dinophyceae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Persson, Agneta; Smith, Barry C; Cyronak, Tyler; Cooper, Emily; DiTullio, Giacomo R

    2016-02-01

    Various life cycle stages of cyst-producing dinoflagellates often appear differently colored under the microscope; gametes appear paler while zygotes are darker in comparison to vegetative cells. To compare physiological and photochemical competency, the pigment composition of discrete life cycle stages was determined for the common resting cyst-producing dinoflagellate Scrippsiella lachrymosa. Vegetative cells had the highest cellular pigment content (25.2 ± 0.5 pg · cell(-1) ), whereas gamete pigment content was 22% lower. The pigment content of zygotes was 82% lower than vegetative cells, even though they appeared darker under the microscope. Zygotes of S. lachrymosa contained significantly higher cellular concentrations of β-carotene (0.65 ± 0.15 pg · cell(-1) ) than all other life stages. Photoprotective pigments and the de-epoxidation ratio of xanthophylls-cycle pigments in S. lachrymosa were significantly elevated in zygotes and cysts compared to other stages. This suggests a role for accessory pigments in combating intracellular oxidative stress during sexual reproduction or encystment. Resting cysts contained some pigments even though chloroplasts were not visible, suggesting that the brightly colored accumulation body contained photosynthetic pigments. The differences in pigmentation between life stages have implications for interpretation of pigment data from field samples when sampled during dinoflagellate blooms. © 2015 Phycological Society of America.

  4. Mechanical paradox: the uphill roller

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cortes, Emilio; Cortes-Poza, D

    2011-01-01

    We analyse in detail the dynamics of a mechanical system which is a rigid body with the geometry of a double cone. This double cone is apparently able to spontaneously roll uphill along inclined rails. The experiment has been known for some centuries, and because of its peculiar behaviour, it has been named 'mechanical paradox'. Although this instrument is well known today, we have not found in the literature a dynamical study like the one we are presenting. A deeper analysis of this mechanical object will allow us to go further than explaining the apparent paradox in the system; it will show interesting features of the dynamics that are not evident or intuitive. In this work, we follow a complete study of the geometry, the kinematic variables and the Lagrangian dynamics of the problem for any set of the angular parameters and initial values, and obtain as a result a full description of the dynamic variables of this mechanical device. In addition to studying the dynamics of the system with the angles that yield the typical paradoxical behaviour, we study carefully what we call the constant potential geometry regime, where the centre of mass maintains its height, and found in this particular case some features of the dynamics which are not common in rolling objects. We believe that this work can offer the student good material to review some fundamental concepts of analytical mechanics.

  5. Production and biological activities of yellow pigments from Monascus fungi.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Gong; Wu, Zhenqiang

    2016-08-01

    Monascus yellow pigments (MYPs), are azaphilone compounds and one of the three main components of total Monascus pigments (MPs). Thirty-five hydrophilic or hydrophobic MYPs have been identified, with the majority being hydrophobic. Apart from screening special Monascus strains, some advanced approaches, such as extractive and high-cell-density fermentations, have been applied for developing or producing new MYPs, especially extracellular hydrophilic MYPs. The outstanding performance of MYPs in terms of resistance to photodegradation, as well as tolerance for temperature and pH, give natural MYPs reasonable prospects, compared with the orange and red MPs, for practical use in the present and future. Meanwhile, MYPs have shown promising potential for applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries based on their described bioactivities. This review briefly summarizes the reports to date on chemical structures, biological activities, biosynthetic pathways, production technologies, and physicochemical performances of MYPs. The existing problems for MYPs are discussed and research prospects proposed.

  6. Fe K-edge XANES of Maya blue pigment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Río, M. Sánchez del; Sodo, A.; Eeckhout, S. G.; Neisius, T.; Martinetto, P.; Dooryhée, E.; Reyes-Valerio, C.

    2005-08-01

    The utilization of techniques used in Materials Science for the characterization of artefacts of interest for cultural heritage is getting more and more attention nowadays. One of the products of the ancient Maya chemistry is the "Maya blue" pigment, made with natural indigo and palygorskite. This pigment is different from any other pigment used in other parts of the world. It is durable and acid-resistant, and still keeps many secrets to scientists even though it has been studied for more than 50 years. Although the pigment is basically made of palygorskite Si8(Mg2Al2)O20(OH)2(OH2)4.4H2O and an organic colourant (indigo: C16H10N2O2), a number of other compounds have been found in previous studies on archaeological samples, like other clays and minerals, iron nanoparticles, iron oxides, impurities of transition metals (Cr, Mn, Ti, V), etc. We measured at the ESRF ID26 beamline the Fe K-edge XANES spectra of the blue pigment in ancient samples. They are compared to XANES spectra of Maya blue samples synthesized under controlled conditions, and iron oxides usually employed as pigments (hematite and goethite). Our results show that the iron found in ancient Maya blue pigment is related to the Fe exchanged in the palygorskite clay. We did not find iron in metallic form or goethite in archaeological Maya blue.

  7. Fe K-edge XANES of Maya blue pigment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rio, M. Sanchez del; Sodo, A.; Eeckhout, S.G.; Neisius, T.; Martinetto, P.; Dooryhee, E.; Reyes-Valerio, C.

    2005-01-01

    The utilization of techniques used in Materials Science for the characterization of artefacts of interest for cultural heritage is getting more and more attention nowadays. One of the products of the ancient Maya chemistry is the 'Maya blue' pigment, made with natural indigo and palygorskite. This pigment is different from any other pigment used in other parts of the world. It is durable and acid-resistant, and still keeps many secrets to scientists even though it has been studied for more than 50 years. Although the pigment is basically made of palygorskite Si 8 (Mg 2 Al 2 )O 20 (OH) 2 (OH 2 ) 4 .4H 2 O and an organic colourant (indigo: C 16 H 10 N 2 O 2 ), a number of other compounds have been found in previous studies on archaeological samples, like other clays and minerals, iron nanoparticles, iron oxides, impurities of transition metals (Cr, Mn, Ti, V), etc. We measured at the ESRF ID26 beamline the Fe K-edge XANES spectra of the blue pigment in ancient samples. They are compared to XANES spectra of Maya blue samples synthesized under controlled conditions, and iron oxides usually employed as pigments (hematite and goethite). Our results show that the iron found in ancient Maya blue pigment is related to the Fe exchanged in the palygorskite clay. We did not find iron in metallic form or goethite in archaeological Maya blue

  8. The eight paradoxes of nuclear information

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Timbal-Duclaux, Louis

    1977-01-01

    As it now develops, the nuclear debate is essentially characterized by its technical, mythical and polemical fields. Due to the interrelation between these three characteristics, paradox tends to multiply, either on the requesters for information side or from those who answer it. As many problems the people or organizations, such as E.D.F. for example, have to cope with as there are parties in this debate. These different paradoxes are analyzed together with some means which permits a suitable answer to be found. To conclude it is noted that if the nuclear fear is mostly imaginary passional, irrational, the problem is not to ignore these characteristics but to 'give them a statute' [fr

  9. A Paraconsistentist Approach to Chisholm's Paradox

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcelo Esteban Coniglio

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available The Logics of Deontic (InConsistency (LDI’s can be considered as the deontic counterpart of the paraconsistent logics known as Logics of Formal (InConsistency. This paper introduces and studies new LDI’s and other paraconsistent deontic logics with different properties: systems tolerant to contradictory obligations; systems in which contradictory obligations trivialize; and a bimodal paraconsistent deontic logic combining the features of previous systems. These logics are used to analyze the well-known Chisholm’s paradox, taking profit of the fact that, besides contradictory obligations do not trivialize in LDI’s, several logical dependencies of classical logic are blocked in the context of LDI’s, allowing to dissolve the paradox.

  10. Combined Laser Treatment in a Patient with Pigment Dispersion Secondary to a Large Iris Pigment Epithelial Cyst

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Özlem Yıldırım

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available We reported a case of bilateral extensive iris pigment epithelial cysts masquerading as pigment dispersion. A-30-year-old male patient presented with a dull pain in both eyes and a decreased visual acuity OD. He underwent a complete ophthalmic examination. OD was injected and the cells were graded as +3 and pigmented a +2, in the OS. Intraocular pressures (IOP were measured as 42 (OD and 22 (OS mmHg. Gonioscopy revealed a confluent accumulation of dense pigment in both eyes. Visual fields, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (Spectral OCT/SLO OTI-OPKO Health. Inc, Miami, FL and optic nerve head tomography (HRT-II Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany results were within normal limits. On ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM, bilateral extensive cysts were identified in the midzonal portion of the iris and in the ciliary body. An, antiglaucomatous treatment was started. Then, we decided to perform both Nd:YAG laser iridocystotomyc and selective laser trabeculoplasty. Fourteen months after the combined therapy, the cysts had not recurred, and still apposed and the IOPs were under control without medication.

  11. Combined laser treatment in a patient with pigment dispersion secondary to a large iris pigment epithelial cyst.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aykan, Umit; Yıldırım, Ozlem

    2012-09-01

    We reported a case of bilateral extensive iris pigment epithelial cysts masquerading as pigment dispersion. A-30-year-old male patient presented with a dull pain in both eyes and a decreased visual acuity OD. He underwent a complete ophthalmic examination. OD was injected and the cells were graded as +3 and pigmented a +2, in the OS. Intraocular pressures (IOP) were measured as 42 (OD) and 22 (OS) mmHg. Gonioscopy revealed a confluent accumulation of dense pigment in both eyes. Visual fields, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (Spectral OCT/SLO OTI-OPKO Health. Inc, Miami, FL) and optic nerve head tomography (HRT-II Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) results were within normal limits. On ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM), bilateral extensive cysts were identified in the midzonal portion of the iris and in the ciliary body. An, antiglaucomatous treatment was started. Then, we decided to perform both Nd:YAG laser iridocystotomyc and selective laser trabeculoplasty. Fourteen months after the combined therapy, the cysts had not recurred, and still apposed and the IOPs were under control without medication.

  12. Single Molecule Spectroscopy on Photosynthetic Pigment-Protein Complexes

    CERN Document Server

    Jelezko, F; Schuler, S; Thews, E; Tietz, C; Wechsler, A; Wrachtrup, J

    2001-01-01

    Single molecule spectroscopy was applied to unravel the energy transfer pathway in photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes. Detailed analysis of excitation and fluorescence emission spectra has been made for peripheral plant antenna LHC II and Photosystem I from cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus. Optical transitions of individual pigments were resolved under nonselective excitation of antenna chlorophylls. High-resolution fluorescence spectroscopy of individual plant antenna LHC II indicates that at low temperatures, the excitation energy is localized on the red-most Chl a pool absorbing at 680 nm. More than one pigment molecule is responsible for the fluorescence emission of the LHC II trimer. The spectral lines of single Chl a molecules absorbing at 675 nm are broadened because of the Foerster energy transfer towards the red-most pigments. Low-temperature spectroscopy on single PS I trimers indicates that two subgroups of pigments, which are present in the red antenna pool, differ by the strength of t...

  13. Laying the ghost of twin paradox

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Popović Marko

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Someone's true age is not written in his ID, but in his biomarkers. Aging process is not caused by time passing, but by thermodynamically laws. Entropy, extent of metabolic reaction, and temperature are Lorentz invariant, so these facts make twin paradox impossible because there is no way for one twin to age slower than the other even if the time in his frame is dilated. Entropy is the function of state, not time. So as much as standard thermodynamics concerns, the path between two points in space is equivalent to the path between two states. Whether the point B is reached by moving faster using the longer way (with time dilatation, or slower by using shortcut (without time dilatation, the state of the system after completing the road should be the same. This is supported by the fact that when two twins reach the same space-time point (point B in which the state parameters are the same. If we use entropy as an age parameter, then both twins have the same entropy value and are exactly the same biological age. Therefore, the twin paradox is a logical mistake based on wrong first premise. Bergson symmetry is not necessary any more to explain the impossibility of twin paradox.

  14. Dovetailing talent management and diversity management: The exclusion-inclusion paradox

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Daubner, D.; Vinkenburg, C.J.; Jansen, Paul

    2017-01-01

    Purpose The purpose of this paper is to adopt a paradox lens for dovetailing the human resource management sub-domains of talent management (TM) and diversity management (DM), in the attempt to create closer alignment between the two. Design/methodology/approach The authors review paradox theory, TM

  15. Emerging greener extraction systems for fungal pigments isolation

    OpenAIRE

    Lebeau , Juliana; Venkatachalam , Mekala; Fouillaud , Mireille; Dufossé , Laurent; Caro , Yanis

    2016-01-01

    International audience; Filamentous fungi produce a mixture of various metabolites such as pigments, fatty acids, proteins and other cellular metabolites. Thus, extraction and isolation of the pigmented molecules of interest are necessary steps before proceeding to any further utilization of these metabolites for commercial applications. Pigments can be stored within the biomass, excreted in the fermentation broth or both, suggesting that extraction methods need to be developed accordingly to...

  16. The Neutrosophic Logic View to Schrodinger's Cat Paradox, Revisited

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Florentin Smarandache

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available The present article discusses Neutrosophic logic view to Schrodinger's cat paradox. We argue that this paradox involves some degree of indeterminacy (unknown which Neutrosophic logic can take into consideration, whereas other methods including Fuzzy logic cannot. To make this proposition clear, we revisit our previous paper by offering an illustration using modified coin tossing problem, known as Parrondo's game.

  17. Paradoxes in virtual team knowledge communication and trust building

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Nils Braad

    2012-01-01

    This thesis proposal presents paradoxes within current trust and knowledge management literatures as a lens for understanding challenges in virtual teams working across organisational and geographic boundaries. By exposing contradictions within current virtual team research, the author proposes...... a need for a different, multi-level, multi-theoretical approach to virtual team research in order to overcome the paradoxes. A moderate constructionist research position building on Critical Realism is proposed. To situate the project within current literatures, trust, knowledge management and virtual...... team literatures are reviewed. These are used to support the paradoxes used as a lens for understanding. A research design is presented building on interviews, documentary analysis and observations analysed using Social Network Analysis and James Gee’s framework for discourse analysis. Finally...

  18. The Colombian Left: A Paradoxical Past; A Promising Future?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charles Bergquist

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The essay explores the paradoxical history of the left in Colombia: how and why one of the weakest lefts in Latin America brought about the strongest and most lasting Marxist insurrection in the hemisphere in the decades following the Cuban Revolution. The article argues that the terms of this paradox are related, that the historic weakness of the left partly explains the force and longevity of revolutionary guerrillas, and that said paradox helps clarify not only the failure of several attempts to achieve a negotiated settlement of the armed conflict, but also the negative vote in the October 2016 plebiscite. Finally, it envisions a more promising future for the country’s left, provided that a lasting peace is consolidated.

  19. The klein paradox as a many particle problem

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bongaarts, P.J.M.; Ruijsenaars, S.N.M.

    1976-01-01

    A mathematically rigorous analysis of the Klein paradox is given in the many-particle formulation of the Dirac theory. This paradox was meant as an example demonstrating the negative energy problems of the single particle Dirac equation. However, it is shown that this problem does not disappear in the second quantized version of the Dirac theory. It corresponds with a situation which cannot be described properly within the framework of a field theory with an external potential

  20. Neoplasia versus hyperplasia of the retinal pigment epithelium

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heegaard, Steffen; Larsen, J.N.B.; Fledelius, Hans C.

    2001-01-01

    ophthalmology, retinal pigment epithelium, adenoma, tumor-like hyperplasia, histology, immunohistochemistry, tumor, neoplasm, ultrasonography......ophthalmology, retinal pigment epithelium, adenoma, tumor-like hyperplasia, histology, immunohistochemistry, tumor, neoplasm, ultrasonography...

  1. Variation of phytoplankton assemblages of Kongsfjorden in early autumn 2012: a microscopic and pigment ratio-based assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhaskar, Jane T; Tripathy, S C; Sabu, P; Laluraj, C M; Rajan, S

    2016-04-01

    Phytoplankton species distribution and composition were determined by using microscopy and pigment ratios in the Kongsfjorden during early autumn 2012. Variation in sea surface temperature (SST) was minimal and matched well with satellite-derived SST. Nutrients were generally limited. Surface phytoplankton abundance ranged from 0.21 × 10(3) to 10.28 × 10(3) cells L(-1). Phytoplankton abundance decreased with depth and did not show any significant correlation with chlorophyll a (chl a). Column-integrated phytoplankton cell counts (PCC) ranged from 94.3 × 10(6) cells m(-2) (Kf4) to 13.7 × 10(6) cells m(-2) (Kf5), while chl a was lowest at inner part of the fjord (6.3 mg m(-2)) and highest towards the mouth (24.83 mg m(-2)). Biomass from prymnesiophytes and raphidophytes dominated at surface and 10 m, respectively. The contribution of Bacillariophyceae to biomass was low. Generally, heterotrophic dinoflagellates were great in abundance (12.82 %) and ubiquitous in nature and were major contributors to biomass. Various chl pigments (chl b, chl c, phaeopigments (phaeo)) were measured to obtain pigment/chl a ratios to ascertain phytoplankton composition. Phaeo were observed only in inner fjord. Chl b:a ratios and microscopic observations indicated dominance of Chlorophyceae at greater depths than surface. Furthermore, microscopic observations confirmed dominance of chl c containing algae throughout the fjord. The study indicates that pigment ratios can be used as a tool for preliminary identification of major phytoplankton groups. However, under the presence of a large number of heterotrophic dinoflagellates such as Gymnodinium sp. and Gyrodinium sp., pigment signatures need to be supplemented by microscopic observations.

  2. Paradoxes in carcinogenesis: New opportunities for research directions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kramer Barnett S

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The prevailing paradigm in cancer research is the somatic mutation theory that posits that cancer begins with a single mutation in a somatic cell followed by successive mutations. Much cancer research involves refining the somatic mutation theory with an ever increasing catalog of genetic changes. The problem is that such research may miss paradoxical aspects of carcinogenesis for which there is no likely explanation under the somatic mutation theory. These paradoxical aspects offer opportunities for new research directions that should not be ignored. Discussion Various paradoxes related to the somatic mutation theory of carcinogenesis are discussed: (1 the presence of large numbers of spatially distinct precancerous lesions at the onset of promotion, (2 the large number of genetic instabilities found in hyperplastic polyps not considered cancer, (3 spontaneous regression, (4 higher incidence of cancer in patients with xeroderma pigmentosa but not in patients with other comparable defects in DNA repair, (5 lower incidence of many cancers except leukemia and testicular cancer in patients with Down's syndrome, (6 cancer developing after normal tissue is transplanted to other parts of the body or next to stroma previously exposed to carcinogens, (7 the lack of tumors when epithelial cells exposed to a carcinogen were transplanted next to normal stroma, (8 the development of cancers when Millipore filters of various pore sizes were was inserted under the skin of rats, but only if the holes were sufficiently small. For the latter paradox, a microarray experiment is proposed to try to better understand the phenomena. Summary The famous physicist Niels Bohr said "How wonderful that we have met with a paradox. Now we have some hope of making progress." The same viewpoint should apply to cancer research. It is easy to ignore this piece of wisdom about the means to advance knowledge, but we do so at our peril.

  3. On Johnson's Paradox: Hypothesis Verification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noble, Clyde E.

    1975-01-01

    When H. M. Johnson argued that all inductive reasoning is based on the fallacy of affirming the consequent and cannot therefore establish the 'truth' of scientific hypotheses, he posed a paradox for strict empiricists. Author examined Johnson's argument. (Editor/RK)

  4. Improving the quality of tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon through dietary incorporation of algae as a source of natural pigment

    OpenAIRE

    Kunal Mondal; Subhra Bikash Bhattacharyya; Abhijit Mitra

    2015-01-01

    Tiger shrimp is one of the major candidate species for export oriented aquaculture which dominates the seafood market in regions of European Union, Japan and USA. Carotenoid content in seafood has now become one of the important criteria in determining the quality of edible product. Recent trends in supplementing fish diets with natural pigment source are an alternative to the utilization of expensive synthetic pigments. In this context, green algae Enteromorpha intestinalis was selected as a...

  5. Finnish wallpaper pigments in the 18th-19th century: Presence of KFe3(CrO4)2(OH)6 and odd pigment mixtures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castro, Kepa; Knuutinen, Ulla; Vallejuelo, Silvia Fdez-Ortiz de; Irazola, Mireia; Madariaga, Juan Manuel

    2013-04-01

    Several Finish wallpapers from the 18th and 19th century were analysed by using Raman spectroscopy assisted with EDXRF instrumentation, in an attempt of determine the pigments used in their manufacture process as well as of trying to date some of the samples through pigment composition. All pigments present in samples were determined and surprisingly the unusual and strange iron (III) chromate yellow pigment was found. Besides, unusual mixtures were found to obtain fashionable colours, especially in blue and green areas, where more than one blue pigments were mixed with green and yellow pigments. Blue verditer, ultramarine blue, Prussian blue, chrome yellow, calcite, lead white, red and yellow iron oxide, gypsum and carbon black were identified. The presence of the risky and poisonous emerald green must be highlighted. The results were compared with those found in other wallpapers from Spain and France.

  6. Zinc deficiency leads to lipofuscin accumulation in the retinal pigment epithelium of pigmented rats.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sylvie Julien

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD is associated with lipofuscin accumulation whereas the content of melanosomes decreases. Melanosomes are the main storage of zinc in the pigmented tissues. Since the elderly population, as the most affected group for AMD, is prone to zinc deficit, we investigated the chemical and ultrastructural effects of zinc deficiency in pigmented rat eyes after a six-month zinc penury diet. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Adult Long Evans (LE rats were investigated. The control animals were fed with a normal alimentation whereas the zinc-deficiency rats (ZD-LE were fed with a zinc deficient diet for six months. Quantitative Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX microanalysis yielded the zinc mole fractions of melanosomes in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE. The lateral resolution of the analysis was 100 nm. The zinc mole fractions of melanosomes were significantly smaller in the RPE of ZD-LE rats as compared to the LE control rats. Light, fluorescence and electron microscopy, as well as immunohistochemistry were performed. The numbers of lipofuscin granules in the RPE and of infiltrated cells (Ø>3 µm found in the choroid were quantified. The number of lipofuscin granules significantly increased in ZD-LE as compared to control rats. Infiltrated cells bigger than 3 µm were only detected in the choroid of ZD-LE animals. Moreover, the thickness of the Bruch's membrane of ZD-LE rats varied between 0.4-3 µm and thin, rangy ED1 positive macrophages were found attached at these sites of Bruch's membrane or even inside it. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: In pigmented rats, zinc deficiency yielded an accumulation of lipofuscin in the RPE and of large pigmented macrophages in the choroids as well as the appearance of thin, rangy macrophages at Bruch's membrane. Moreover, we showed that a zinc diet reduced the zinc mole fraction of melanosomes in the RPE and modulated the thickness of the Bruch's membrane.

  7. Introduction, Copyright's Paradox

    OpenAIRE

    Netanel, Neil

    2008-01-01

    The United States Supreme Court famously labeled copyright “the engine of free expression” because it provides a vital economic incentive for much of the literature, commentary, music, art, and film that makes up our public discourse. Yet today’s greatly expanded copyright law often does the opposite—it can be used to quash news reporting, political commentary, church dissent, historical scholarship, cultural critique, and artistic expression. In Copyright’s Paradox, Neil Weinstock ...

  8. The mean, the median, and the St. Petersburg paradox.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayden, Benjamin Y; Platt, Michael L

    2009-06-01

    The St. Petersburg Paradox is a famous economic and philosophical puzzle that has generated numerous conflicting explanations. To shed empirical light on this phenomenon, we examined subjects' bids for one St. Petersburg gamble with a real monetary payment. We found that bids were typically lower than twice the smallest payoff, and thus much lower than is generally supposed. We also examined bids offered for several hypothetical variants of the St. Petersburg Paradox. We found that bids were weakly affected by truncating the gamble, were strongly affected by repeats of the gamble, and depended linearly on the initial "seed" value of the gamble. One explanation, which we call the median heuristic , strongly predicts these data. Subjects following this strategy evaluate a gamble as if they were taking the median rather than the mean of the payoff distribution. Finally, we argue that the distribution of outcomes embodied in the St. Petersburg paradox is so divergent from the Gaussian form that the statistical mean is a poor estimator of expected value, so that the expected value of the St. Petersburg gamble is undefined. These results suggest that this classic paradox has a straightforward explanation rooted in the use of a statistical heuristic.

  9. Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen paradox in atomic, nuclear, and particle physics

    CERN Document Server

    Afriat, Alexander

    1999-01-01

    This text is the first exhaustive treatise on the Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen (EPR) Paradox - the incompatibility, at empirical level, between local realism and the existing quantum theory The volume collates all the data and thought on the Paradox, from its original formulation in 1935, to some very recent theoretical developments The authors devote an entire chapter to the EPR Paradox for pairs of neutral kaons In addition, their text provides 6 different proofs of Bell's Theorem, about 150 references to the literature, and 74 illustrations

  10. Managing paradoxical tensions during the implementation of Lean capabilities for improvement

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Maalouf, Malek Miguel; Gammelgaard, Britta

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: – Through the identification and investigation of the organisational paradoxes in lean, the purpose of this paper is to deepen the understanding of lean implementation intricacies, and contribute to sustaining lean in companies. Design/methodology/approach: – Case study based on semi...... also points to a range managerial responses used for dealing with the three paradoxes and facilitating lean transformation. Research limitations/implications: – This is a theory development paper which increases the understanding regarding the role of the organisational paradoxes in facilitating...

  11. On the extinction paradox, the finiteness of resources, and the nature of probability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Munera, H.

    1991-01-01

    A talk by Lewins is discussed. Lewins addressed the subject of randomness in nature, and some implications for nuclear reactors. In particular, Lewins described the extinction paradox: a critical ''reactor is self-sustaining in the mean, nevertheless it will shut down with certainty!'' According to Lewins, the paradox arises because the idealized chain process leaves out the fact that resources are always finite (ie, the number of initial neutrons is finite, and the amount of fissile atoms in a reactor depends upon Avogadro's number). This explanation, however, only implies that the model used to reach the paradox is too naive to represent a real reactor (indeed, Lewins immediately explains more realistic models), but the paradox still remains in the context of the idealized chain reaction. Two ways of explaining the paradox are considered. (author)

  12. Fe K-edge XANES of Maya blue pigment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rio, M. Sanchez del [ESRF, Experiments Division, B.P. 220, F-38043, Grenoble Cedex (France)]. E-mail: srio@esrf.fr; Sodo, A. [ESRF, Experiments Division, B.P. 220, F-38043, Grenoble Cedex (France); Eeckhout, S.G. [ESRF, Experiments Division, B.P. 220, F-38043, Grenoble Cedex (France); Neisius, T. [ESRF, Experiments Division, B.P. 220, F-38043, Grenoble Cedex (France); Martinetto, P. [Laboratoire de Cristallographie, CNRS, Grenoble B.P. 166, F-38042, Grenoble Cedex 09 (France); Dooryhee, E. [Laboratoire de Cristallographie, CNRS, Grenoble B.P. 166, F-38042, Grenoble Cedex 09 (France); Reyes-Valerio, C. [INAH, Mexico DF (Mexico)

    2005-08-15

    The utilization of techniques used in Materials Science for the characterization of artefacts of interest for cultural heritage is getting more and more attention nowadays. One of the products of the ancient Maya chemistry is the 'Maya blue' pigment, made with natural indigo and palygorskite. This pigment is different from any other pigment used in other parts of the world. It is durable and acid-resistant, and still keeps many secrets to scientists even though it has been studied for more than 50 years. Although the pigment is basically made of palygorskite Si{sub 8}(Mg{sub 2}Al{sub 2})O{sub 20}(OH){sub 2}(OH{sub 2}){sub 4}.4H{sub 2}O and an organic colourant (indigo: C{sub 16}H{sub 10}N{sub 2}O{sub 2}), a number of other compounds have been found in previous studies on archaeological samples, like other clays and minerals, iron nanoparticles, iron oxides, impurities of transition metals (Cr, Mn, Ti, V), etc. We measured at the ESRF ID26 beamline the Fe K-edge XANES spectra of the blue pigment in ancient samples. They are compared to XANES spectra of Maya blue samples synthesized under controlled conditions, and iron oxides usually employed as pigments (hematite and goethite). Our results show that the iron found in ancient Maya blue pigment is related to the Fe exchanged in the palygorskite clay. We did not find iron in metallic form or goethite in archaeological Maya blue.

  13. A Hydrostatic Paradox Revisited

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganci, Salvatore

    2012-01-01

    This paper revisits a well-known hydrostatic paradox, observed when turning upside down a glass partially filled with water and covered with a sheet of light material. The phenomenon is studied in its most general form by including the mass of the cover. A historical survey of this experiment shows that a common misunderstanding of the phenomenon…

  14. The Schroedinger's paradox and the tranformation of quantum systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bitsakis, E.I.

    1980-01-01

    The Schroedinger's paradox is analysed, as an illustration of certain weaknesses of the Copenhagen's interpretation of quantum mechanics and of the limits of the quantum-mechanical description of phenomena. A realistic approach of the paradox indicates the necessity of a theory that would permit not only the calculation of probabilities, but also the description of physical processes, as taking place in space and time

  15. On the present status of the Klein Paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wergeland, H.

    1980-01-01

    Klein's paradox is a solution of Dirac's equation which implies that electrons may penetrate an electrostatic potential barrier even when their kinetic energy is lower than the barrier. Since the barrier is infinitely broad this is not a case of tunneling. A number of treatments of the paradox, by Sauter, Hylleraas, Jenssen and others are discussed, and the Boundary Value Problem is treated at some length. Examples are presented with an infinitely broad barrier and with a barrier of finite breadth. (JIW)

  16. Testing the Transivity Explanation of the Allais Paradox

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Groes, Ebbe; Jacobsen, Hans Jørgen; Sloth, Birgitte

    1999-01-01

    This paper uses a two-dimensional version of a standard common consequence experiment to test the intransitivity explanation of Allais-paradox-type violations of expected utility theory. We compare the common consequence effect of two choice problems differing only with respect to whether...... intransitivity as an explanation of the Allais Paradox. The question whether violations of expected utility are mainly due to intransitivity or to violation of independence is important since it is exactly on this issue the main new decision theories differ...

  17. Nanoscale Coloristic Pigments: Upper Limits on Releases from Pigmented Plastic during Environmental Aging, In Food Contact, and by Leaching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neubauer, Nicole; Scifo, Lorette; Navratilova, Jana; Gondikas, Andreas; Mackevica, Aiga; Borschneck, Daniel; Chaurand, Perrine; Vidal, Vladimir; Rose, Jerome; von der Kammer, Frank; Wohlleben, Wendel

    2017-10-17

    The life cycle of nanoscale pigments in plastics may cause environmental or human exposure by various release scenarios. We investigated spontaneous and induced release with mechanical stress during/after simulated sunlight and rain degradation of polyethylene (PE) with organic and inorganic pigments. Additionally, primary leaching in food contact and secondary leaching from nanocomposite fragments with an increased surface into environmental media was examined. Standardized protocols/methods for release sampling, detection, and characterization of release rate and form were applied: Transformation of the bulk material was analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray-tomography and Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR); releases were quantified by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), single-particle-ICP-MS (sp-ICP-MS), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Analytical Ultracentrifugation (AUC), and UV/Vis spectroscopy. In all scenarios, the detectable particulate releases were attributed primarily to contaminations from handling and machining of the plastics, and were not identified with the pigments, although the contamination of 4 mg/kg (Fe) was dwarfed by the intentional content of 5800 mg/kg (Fe as Fe 2 O 3 pigment). We observed modulations (which were at least partially preventable by UV stabilizers) when comparing as-produced and aged nanocomposites, but no significant increase of releases. Release of pigments was negligible within the experimental error for all investigated scenarios, with upper limits of 10 mg/m 2 or 1600 particles/mL. This is the first holistic confirmation that pigment nanomaterials remain strongly contained in a plastic that has low diffusion and high persistence such as the polyolefin High Density Polyethylene (HDPE).

  18. Pigment Production on L-Tryptophan Medium by Cryptococcus gattii and Cryptococcus neoformans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaskes, Stuart; Cammer, Michael; Nieves, Edward; Casadevall, Arturo

    2014-01-01

    In recent years strains previously grouped within Cryptococcus neoformans have been divided into two species C. neoformans and C. gattii, with Cryptococcus neoformans comprising serotypes A, D, and AD and C. gattii comprising serotypes B and C. Cryptococcus neoformans have also been subdivided into two varieties C. neoformans var. grubii, serotype A, and C. neoformans var. neoformans, serotype D. We analyzed the growth and pigment production characteristics of 139 strains of Cryptococcus spp. in L-tryptophan containing media. Nearly all strains of Cryptococcus, including each variety and serotype tested produced a pink water-soluble pigment (molecular weight of 535.2 Da) from L-tryptophan. Consequently, the partial separation of the species was based on whether the pink pigment was secreted into the medium (extracellular) or retained as an intracellular pigment. On L-tryptophan medium C. neoformans var. grubii and serotype AD produced a pink extracellular pigment. In contrast, for C. gattii, the pink pigment was localized intracellularly and masked by heavy production of brown pigments. Pigment production by C. neoformans var. neoformans was variable with some strains producing the pink extracellular pigment and others retained the pink pigment intracellularly. The pink intracellular pigment produced by strains of C. neoformans var. neoformans was masked by production of brown pigments. Cryptococcus laccase mutants failed to produce pigments from L-tryptophan. This is the first report that the enzyme laccase is involved in tryptophan metabolism. Prior to this report Cryptococcus laccase produced melanin or melanin like-pigments from heterocyclic compounds that contained ortho or para diphenols, diaminobenzenes and aminophenol compounds. The pigments produced from L-tryptophan were not melanin. PMID:24736553

  19. Pigment production on L-tryptophan medium by Cryptococcus gattii and Cryptococcus neoformans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaskes, Stuart; Cammer, Michael; Nieves, Edward; Casadevall, Arturo

    2014-01-01

    In recent years strains previously grouped within Cryptococcus neoformans have been divided into two species C. neoformans and C. gattii, with Cryptococcus neoformans comprising serotypes A, D, and AD and C. gattii comprising serotypes B and C. Cryptococcus neoformans have also been subdivided into two varieties C. neoformans var. grubii, serotype A, and C. neoformans var. neoformans, serotype D. We analyzed the growth and pigment production characteristics of 139 strains of Cryptococcus spp. in L-tryptophan containing media. Nearly all strains of Cryptococcus, including each variety and serotype tested produced a pink water-soluble pigment (molecular weight of 535.2 Da) from L-tryptophan. Consequently, the partial separation of the species was based on whether the pink pigment was secreted into the medium (extracellular) or retained as an intracellular pigment. On L-tryptophan medium C. neoformans var. grubii and serotype AD produced a pink extracellular pigment. In contrast, for C. gattii, the pink pigment was localized intracellularly and masked by heavy production of brown pigments. Pigment production by C. neoformans var. neoformans was variable with some strains producing the pink extracellular pigment and others retained the pink pigment intracellularly. The pink intracellular pigment produced by strains of C. neoformans var. neoformans was masked by production of brown pigments. Cryptococcus laccase mutants failed to produce pigments from L-tryptophan. This is the first report that the enzyme laccase is involved in tryptophan metabolism. Prior to this report Cryptococcus laccase produced melanin or melanin like-pigments from heterocyclic compounds that contained ortho or para diphenols, diaminobenzenes and aminophenol compounds. The pigments produced from L-tryptophan were not melanin.

  20. Pigment production on L-tryptophan medium by Cryptococcus gattii and Cryptococcus neoformans.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stuart Chaskes

    Full Text Available In recent years strains previously grouped within Cryptococcus neoformans have been divided into two species C. neoformans and C. gattii, with Cryptococcus neoformans comprising serotypes A, D, and AD and C. gattii comprising serotypes B and C. Cryptococcus neoformans have also been subdivided into two varieties C. neoformans var. grubii, serotype A, and C. neoformans var. neoformans, serotype D. We analyzed the growth and pigment production characteristics of 139 strains of Cryptococcus spp. in L-tryptophan containing media. Nearly all strains of Cryptococcus, including each variety and serotype tested produced a pink water-soluble pigment (molecular weight of 535.2 Da from L-tryptophan. Consequently, the partial separation of the species was based on whether the pink pigment was secreted into the medium (extracellular or retained as an intracellular pigment. On L-tryptophan medium C. neoformans var. grubii and serotype AD produced a pink extracellular pigment. In contrast, for C. gattii, the pink pigment was localized intracellularly and masked by heavy production of brown pigments. Pigment production by C. neoformans var. neoformans was variable with some strains producing the pink extracellular pigment and others retained the pink pigment intracellularly. The pink intracellular pigment produced by strains of C. neoformans var. neoformans was masked by production of brown pigments. Cryptococcus laccase mutants failed to produce pigments from L-tryptophan. This is the first report that the enzyme laccase is involved in tryptophan metabolism. Prior to this report Cryptococcus laccase produced melanin or melanin like-pigments from heterocyclic compounds that contained ortho or para diphenols, diaminobenzenes and aminophenol compounds. The pigments produced from L-tryptophan were not melanin.

  1. Pigments produced by the bacteria belonging to the genus Arthrobacter

    OpenAIRE

    Sutthiwong , Nuthathai; Caro , Yanis; Fouillaud , Mireille; Laurent , Philippe; Valla , A.; Dufossé , Laurent

    2013-01-01

    Poster communication, 7th International Congress of Pigments in Food – New technologies towards health, through colors, Novara, Italy, June 18-21, 2013.; International audience; Since several decades, pigments have been used as a taxonomic tool for the identification and classification of bacteria. Nowadays, pigment producing microorganisms have been also widely interested in scientific disciplines because of their biotechnological potential. With the growing interest in microbial pigments be...

  2. Paradoxical self-esteem and selectivity in the processing of social information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tafarodi, R W

    1998-05-01

    Paradoxical self-esteem is defined as contrasting levels of self-liking and self-competence. Consideration of the social and motivational implications of this uncommon form of self-esteem suggests that heightened selectivity in the processing of social information may be behind its persistence. Two experiments were conducted to confirm the prediction of heightened selectivity in paradoxicals. As expected, those paradoxically low in self-liking were more negatively biased in their memory for personality feedback (Study 1) and interpretation of valuatively ambiguous phrases (Study 2) than were their counterparts who shared the same low self-liking but were also low in self-competence. Symmetrical with this result, those paradoxically high in self-liking exhibited a heightened positive bias relative to those who were high in both self-liking and self-competence. The findings are discussed in relation to attitudes and motivation.

  3. A history of the Allais paradox.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heukelom, Floris

    2015-03-01

    This article documents the history of the Allais paradox, and shows that underneath the many discussions of the various protagonists lay different, irreconcilable epistemological positions. Savage, like his mentor von Neumann and similar to economist Friedman, worked from an epistemology of generalized characterizations. Allais, on the other hand, like economists Samuelson and Baumol, started from an epistemology of exact descriptions in which every axiom was an empirical claim that could be refuted directly by observations. As a result, the two sides failed to find a common ground. Only a few decades later was the now so-called Allais paradox rediscovered as an important precursor when a new behavioural economic subdiscipline started to adopt the epistemology of exact descriptions and its accompanying falsifications of rational choice theory.

  4. Pigment Production Analysis in Human Melanoma Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hopkin, Amelia Soto; Paterson, Elyse K; Ruiz, Rolando; Ganesan, Anand K

    2016-05-25

    The human epidermal melanocyte is a highly specialized pigmented cell that serves to protect the epidermis from ultraviolet (UV) damage through the production of melanin, or melanogenesis. Misregulation in melanogenesis leading to either hyper- or hypo-pigmentation is found in human diseases such as malasma and vitiligo. Current therapies for these diseases are largely unsuccessful and the need for new therapies is necessary. In order to identify genes and or compounds that can alter melanogenesis, methods are required that can detect changes in pigment production as well as expression of key melanogenesis transcription factors and enzymes. Here we describe methods to detect changes in melanogenesis in a human melanoma cell line, MNT-1, by (1) analyzing pigment production by measuring the absorbance of melanin present by spectrophotometry, (2) analyzing transcript expression of potent regulators of melanogenesis by qunatitative reverse-transcription (RT)PCR and (3) analyzing protein expression of potent regulators of melanogenesis by Western blot (WB).

  5. Multi-analytical study of historical semiconductor pigments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caporosso, V.

    2015-01-01

    This work is focused on the study of semiconductor-based pigments, which substituted traditional pigments in the second half of the 19. century. Synthetic semiconductor pigments may be chemically unstable due to the presence of many impurities unintentionally introduced during manufacturing. The aim of this work is to provide an insight on the application of X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) for the analysis of these painting materials, including both Cd- and Zn-based pigments. Three different approaches have been followed: the semi-quantitative analysis of samples with similar elemental composition, the complementary use of XRF and Raman spectroscopy for the analysis of elemental and molecular composition and the synchrotron-based XRF and XANES for the detection of impurities. The synergetic combination of different techniques provides information useful for the definition of specific markers for future analysis of paint-samples with implications for the conservation and treatment of late 19. and early 20. century paintings.

  6. Blue Pseudoazulene-Skeleton Pigments of Natural Origin

    OpenAIRE

    井上, 謙一郎; イノウエ, ケンイチロウ; KENICHIRO, INOUE

    1993-01-01

    Genipin, an iridoid constituent of Genipa americana, readily reacts with amino acids in the presence of oxygen to give a mixture of polymeric blue pigments whose structures are not determined. In the basic studies to elucidate the structure and formation mechnism of blue pigments, the reaction of genipin with methylamine in the absence of oxygen yielded 9 red compounds leading to blue pigments. In this article, the structures and spectroscopic properties of these red compounds were described....

  7. Killing Mosquitoes and Keeping Practice: Teacher Education as Sustaining Paradox

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keiser, David Lee

    2013-01-01

    The moral and ethical charge of teaching and teacher education includes sustaining equanimity and paradox, and maintaining poise amongst contradicting policies and interests. This paper draws upon the wisdom of the Tao Te Ching to address some paradoxes in education and teacher preparation. Specifically, the article looks at four chapters of the…

  8. Internal pigment cells respond to external UV radiation in frogs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franco-Belussi, Lilian; Nilsson Sköld, Helen; de Oliveira, Classius

    2016-05-01

    Fish and amphibians have pigment cells that generate colorful skins important for signaling, camouflage, thermoregulation and protection against ultraviolet radiation (UVR). However, many animals also have pigment cells inside their bodies, on their internal organs and membranes. In contrast to external pigmentation, internal pigmentation is remarkably little studied and its function is not well known. Here, we tested genotoxic effects of UVR and its effects on internal pigmentation in a neotropical frog, Physalaemus nattereri We found increases in body darkness and internal melanin pigmentation in testes and heart surfaces and in the mesenterium and lumbar region after just a few hours of UVR exposure. The melanin dispersion in melanomacrophages in the liver and melanocytes in testes increased after UV exposure. In addition, the amount of melanin inside melanomacrophages cells also increased. Although mast cells were quickly activated by UVR, only longer UVR exposure resulted in genotoxic effects inside frogs, by increasing the frequency of micronuclei in red blood cells. This is the first study to describe systemic responses of external UVR on internal melanin pigmentation, melanomacrophages and melanocytes in frogs and thus provides a functional explanation to the presence of internal pigmentation. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  9. Optimization and design of pigments for heat-insulating coatings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Guang-Hai; Zhang, Yue

    2010-12-01

    This paper reports that heat insulating property of infrared reflective coatings is obtained through the use of pigments which diffuse near-infrared thermal radiation. Suitable structure and size distribution of pigments would attain maximum diffuse infrared radiation and reduce the pigment volume concentration required. The optimum structure and size range of pigments for reflective infrared coatings are studied by using Kubelka—Munk theory, Mie model and independent scattering approximation. Taking titania particle as the pigment embedded in an inorganic coating, the computational results show that core-shell particles present excellent scattering ability, more so than solid and hollow spherical particles. The optimum radius range of core-shell particles is around 0.3 ~ 1.6 μm. Furthermore, the influence of shell thickness on optical parameters of the coating is also obvious and the optimal thickness of shell is 100-300 nm.

  10. Studies on the bio production of monascus red pigment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Emam, D.A.

    2007-01-01

    there is an increasing interest on natural pigments to replace some currently used synthetic dyes, since the latter have been associated with toxic effects in foods. the red pigment of the fungus Monascus is widely used in all the world as food additives or pharmaceuticals. although pigment production by Monascus spp.in chemically defined media is well documented, very few information is available about the use of agro-industrial wastes. in this regard, the present study has been devoted to investigate the effect of different parameters on red pigment production by the local isolated strain of M. purpureu, in an attempt to maximize the production, and also to develop a potential fermentation process for the production of red pigment using potato processing wastewater (PPW,waters used to wash the potato slices prior to cooking in chips and crisp manufacture) as cheap production medium

  11. New loophole for the EPR paradox

    OpenAIRE

    Feldmann, Michel

    1999-01-01

    We exhibit a classical model free from any paradox which exactly simulates the spin EPR test. We conclude that Bell's inequality violation is a strictly classical phenomenon, contrary to a general belief.

  12. On Aerts' overlooked solution to the EPR paradox

    OpenAIRE

    de Bianchi, Massimiliano Sassoli

    2018-01-01

    The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox was enunciated in 1935 and since then it has made a lot of ink flow. Being a subtle result, it has also been largely misunderstood. Indeed, if questioned about its solution, many physicists will still affirm today that the paradox has been solved by the Bell-test experimental results, which have shown that entangled states are real. However, this remains a wrong view, as the validity of the EPR ex-absurdum reasoning is independent from the Bell-test e...

  13. Scientific progress despite irreproducibility: A seeming paradox.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shiffrin, Richard M; Börner, Katy; Stigler, Stephen M

    2018-03-13

    It appears paradoxical that science is producing outstanding new results and theories at a rapid rate at the same time that researchers are identifying serious problems in the practice of science that cause many reports to be irreproducible and invalid. Certainly, the practice of science needs to be improved, and scientists are now pursuing this goal. However, in this perspective, we argue that this seeming paradox is not new, has always been part of the way science works, and likely will remain so. We first introduce the paradox. We then review a wide range of challenges that appear to make scientific success difficult. Next, we describe the factors that make science work-in the past, present, and presumably also in the future. We then suggest that remedies for the present practice of science need to be applied selectively so as not to slow progress and illustrate with a few examples. We conclude with arguments that communication of science needs to emphasize not just problems but the enormous successes and benefits that science has brought and is now bringing to all elements of modern society.

  14. The Paradox of Analogy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Botting

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available I will show that there is a type of analogical reasoning that instantiates a pattern of reasoning in confirmation theory that is considered at best paradoxical and at worst fatal to the entire syntactical approach to confirmation and explanation. However, I hope to elaborate conditions under which this is a sound (although not necessarily strong method of reasoning.

  15. Paradoxes of unstable electron

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okun, L.B.; Zeldovich, Ya.B.

    1978-01-01

    The hypothesis that electron is unstable - when it is consistent with the vanishing mass of the photon- leads to a number of paradoxical statements. The lifetime of the electron is determined by emission of a huge number of longitudinal photons and exponentially depends on the amount of emitted energy. This suggests to discuss searches for charge nonconservation in experiments with high energy particles

  16. Relative Pigment Composition and Remote Sensing Reflectance of Caribbean Shallow-Water Corals.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan L Torres-Pérez

    Full Text Available Reef corals typically contain a number of pigments, mostly due to their symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic dinoflagellates. These pigments usually vary in presence and concentration and influence the spectral characteristics of corals. We studied the variations in pigment composition among seven Caribbean shallow-water Scleractinian corals by means of High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC analysis to further resolve the discrimination of corals. We found a total of 27 different pigments among the coral species, including some alteration products of the main pigments. Additionally, pigments typically found in endolithic algae were also identified. A Principal Components Analysis and a Hierarchical Cluster Analysis showed the separation of coral species based on pigment composition. All the corals were collected under the same physical environmental conditions. This suggests that pigment in the coral's symbionts might be more genetically-determined than influenced by prevailing physical conditions of the reef. We further investigated the use of remote sensing reflectance (Rrs as a tool for estimating the total pigment concentration of reef corals. Depending on the coral species, the Rrs and the total symbiont pigment concentration per coral tissue area correlation showed 79.5-98.5% confidence levels demonstrating its use as a non-invasive robust technique to estimate pigment concentration in studies of coral reef biodiversity and health.

  17. Relative Pigment Composition and Remote Sensing Reflectance of Caribbean Shallow-Water Corals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torres-Pérez, Juan L; Guild, Liane S; Armstrong, Roy A; Corredor, Jorge; Zuluaga-Montero, Anabella; Polanco, Ramón

    2015-01-01

    Reef corals typically contain a number of pigments, mostly due to their symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic dinoflagellates. These pigments usually vary in presence and concentration and influence the spectral characteristics of corals. We studied the variations in pigment composition among seven Caribbean shallow-water Scleractinian corals by means of High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis to further resolve the discrimination of corals. We found a total of 27 different pigments among the coral species, including some alteration products of the main pigments. Additionally, pigments typically found in endolithic algae were also identified. A Principal Components Analysis and a Hierarchical Cluster Analysis showed the separation of coral species based on pigment composition. All the corals were collected under the same physical environmental conditions. This suggests that pigment in the coral's symbionts might be more genetically-determined than influenced by prevailing physical conditions of the reef. We further investigated the use of remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) as a tool for estimating the total pigment concentration of reef corals. Depending on the coral species, the Rrs and the total symbiont pigment concentration per coral tissue area correlation showed 79.5-98.5% confidence levels demonstrating its use as a non-invasive robust technique to estimate pigment concentration in studies of coral reef biodiversity and health.

  18. Art's Pedagogical Paradox

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalin, Nadine M.

    2014-01-01

    This article contributes to conversations concerning art education futures through engaging alternative relations between art, education, and democracy that mobilize education as art projects associated with the "pedagogical turn" as sites of liminality and paradox. An analysis of the art project, Pedagogical Factory, is used to outline…

  19. The Paradox of Modern Suffering

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dræby, Anders

    The Paradox of Suffering in modern western Culture In non-western cultures and pre-modern western cultures suffering is considered the normal state of life. Corrispondingly the suffering of oneself and that of other people form a central focus to most religions, their practices and philosophies...

  20. O paradoxo de Chalmers Chalmers' paradox

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gustavo Leal-Toledo

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available O Argumento dos Zumbis proposto por Chalmers, ao contrário de defender o dualismo, bane as qualia para um "mundo" onde elas não podem influenciar o julgamento que fazemos sobre nós mesmos. Por este motivo, pelo próprio argumento, podemos ser um zumbi e não saber. A isso Chalmers chamou de The Paradox of Phenomenal Judgment. O problema é que ele aceita tal paradoxo como parte de sua própria teoria. No entanto, este movimento filosófico não é aceitável e este paradoxo mina a teoria de Chalmers por dentro mostrando que o argumento dos zumbis é, na verdade, um argumento contra o dualismo. Chalmers tenta resolver este problema com uma série de argumentos que tem como base o fato de que a consciência é um bruto explanandum indubitável. No entanto, tal tentativa fracassa por uma série de razões que mostram que mesmo se ele estivesse correto, ainda poderíamos ser um zumbi e não saber.The Zombie Argument proposed by Chalmers, instead of working as a defense of dualism, banishes qualia to a 'world' where they cannot influence our judgments about ourselves. For this reason, according to the argument itself, we may be all zombies and not know it. This is what Chalmers called The Paradox of Phenomenal Judgment. The problem is that he accepts this paradox as part of his theory. This philosophical move, however, is not acceptable, for the paradox undermines Chalmers' theory, by showing that the zombie argument is, actually, an argument against dualism. Chalmers tries to solve this problem with many arguments based on the status of consciousness as brute indubitable explanandum. However, this attempt is a failure by a series of reasons showing that, even if he were right, we could still be zombies and not know it.

  1. Bolzano's Approach to the Paradoxes of Infinity: Implications for Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waldegg, Guillermina

    2005-01-01

    In this paper we analyze excerpts of "Paradoxes of the Infinite", the posthumous work of Bernard Bolzano (1781-1848), in order to show that Georg Cantor's (1845-1918) approach to the problem of defining actual mathematical infinity is not the most natural. In fact, Bolzano's approach to the paradoxes of infinity is more intuitive, while remaining…

  2. Globalization and Religion in Historical Perspective: A Paradoxical Relationship

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luke M. Herrington

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Religion has long been a driving force in the process of globalization. This idea is not controversial or novel thinking, nor is it meant to be. However, the dominant reasoning on the subject of globalization, expressed by authors like Thomas Friedman, places economics at the center of analysis, skewing focus from the ideational factors at work in this process. By expanding the definition of globalization to accommodate ideational factors and cultural exchange, religion’s agency in the process can be enabled. Interestingly, the story of religion and globalization is in some ways the history of globalization, but it is riddled with paradoxes, including the agent-opponent paradox, the subject of this article. Religion and globalization have a co-constitutive relationship, but religious actors are both agents of globalization and principals in its backlash. While some actors might benefit from a mutually reinforcing relationship with globalization, others are marginalized in some way or another, so it is necessary to expose the links and wedges that allow for such a paradox. To that end, the concepts of globalization and religious actors must be defined, and the history of the agent-opponent paradox, from the Buddhists of the Silk Road to the Jubilee campaign of 2000, must be elucidated.

  3. The mean, the median, and the St. Petersburg paradox

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin Y. Hayden

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available The St.~Petersburg Paradox is a famous economic and philosophical puzzle that has generated numerous conflicting explanations. To shed empirical light on this phenomenon, we examined subjects' bids for one St.~Petersburg gamble with a real monetary payment. We found that bids were typically lower than twice the smallest payoff, and thus much lower than is generally supposed. We also examined bids offered for several hypothetical variants of the St.~Petersburg Paradox. We found that bids were weakly affected by truncating the gamble, were strongly affected by repeats of the gamble, and depended linearly on the initial ``seed'' value of the gamble. One explanation, which we call the extit{median} extit{heuristic}, strongly predicts these data. Subjects following this strategy evaluate a gamble as if they were taking the median rather than the mean of the payoff distribution. Finally, we argue that the distribution of outcomes embodied in the St.~Petersburg paradox is so divergent from the Gaussian form that the statistical mean is a poor estimator of expected value, so that the expected value of the St.~Petersburg gamble is undefined. These results suggest that this classic paradox has a straightforward explanation rooted in the use of a statistical heuristic.

  4. Analysis of ancient pigments by Raman microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zuo Jian; Xu Cunyi

    1999-01-01

    Raman microscopy can be applied for the spatial resolution, and non-destructive in situ analysis of inorganic pigments in pottery, manuscripts and paintings. Compared with other techniques, it is the best single technique for this purpose. An overview is presented of the applications of Raman microscopy in the analysis of ancient pigments

  5. Heterotrophic cultivation of microalgae for pigment production: A review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Jianjun; Nagarajan, Dillirani; Zhang, Quanguo; Chang, Jo-Shu; Lee, Duu-Jong

    Pigments (mainly carotenoids) are important nutraceuticals known for their potent anti-oxidant activities and have been used extensively as high end health supplements. Microalgae are the most promising sources of natural carotenoids and are devoid of the toxic effects associated with synthetic derivatives. Compared to photoautotrophic cultivation, heterotrophic cultivation of microalgae in well-controlled bioreactors for pigments production has attracted much attention for commercial applications due to overcoming the difficulties associated with the supply of CO 2 and light, as well as avoiding the contamination problems and land requirements in open autotrophic culture systems. In this review, the heterotrophic metabolic potential of microalgae and their uses in pigment production are comprehensively described. Strategies to enhance pigment production under heterotrophic conditions are critically discussed and the challenges faced in heterotrophic pigment production with possible alternative solutions are presented. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Production of Monascus pigments as extracellular crystals by cell suspension culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Fengling; Liu, Lujie; Huang, Yaolin; Zhang, Xuehong; Wang, Zhilong

    2018-01-01

    It is generally accepted that Monascus pigments are predominantly cell-bound, including both intracellular and surface-bound pigments. This long-term misconception was corrected in the present work. Production of extracellular crystal pigments by submerged culture of Monascus sp. was confirmed by microscopic observation and collection of Monascus pigments from extracellular broth by direct membrane filtration. Following up the new fact, the bioactivity of mycelia as whole-cell biocatalyst for biosynthesis and biodegradation of Monascus pigments had been detailedly examined in both an aqueous solution and a nonionic surfactant micelle aqueous solution. Based on those experimental results, cell suspension culture in an aqueous medium was developed as a novel strategy for accumulation of high concentration of Monascus pigments. Thus, glucose feeding during submerged culture in the aqueous medium was carried out successfully and high orange Monascus pigments concentration of near 4 g/L was achieved.

  7. The Klein paradox: a new treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Truebenbacher, E

    2015-01-01

    The Dirac equation requires a treatment of the step potential that differs fundamentally from the traditional treatment, because the Dirac plane waves, besides momentum and spin, are characterized by a quantum number with the physical meaning of sign of charge. Since the Hermitean operator corresponding to this quantum number does not commute with the step potential, the time displacement parameter used in the ansatz of the stationary state does not have the physical meaning of energy. Therefore there are no paradoxal values of the ‘energy’. The new solution of the Dirac equation with a step potential is obtained. This solution, again, allows for phenomena of the Klein paradox type, but in addition it contains a positron amplitude localized at the threshold point of the step potential. (paper)

  8. Klein paradox in the Breit equation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krolikowski, W.; Turski, A.; Rzewuski, J.

    1979-01-01

    We demonstrate that in the Breit equation with a central potential V(r) having the property V(r 0 )=E there appears a Klein paradox at r=r 0 . This phenomenon, besides the previously found Klein paradox at r→infinite appearing if V(r)→infinite at r→infinite, seems to indicate that in the Breit equation valid in the single-particle theory the sea of particle-antiparticle pairs is not well separated from the considered two-body configuration. We conjecture that both phenomena should be absent from the Salpeter equation which is consistent with the hole theory. We prove this conjecture in the limit of m( 1 )→infinite and m( 2 )→infinite, where we neglect the terms approx. 1/m( 1 ) and 1/m( 2 ). (orig./WL) [de

  9. A third, ultraviolet-sensitive, visual pigment in the Tokay gecko (Gekko gekko).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loew, E R

    1994-06-01

    Numerous extraction and microspectrophotometric studies have shown that the nocturnal Tokay gecko (Gekko gekko), has two visual pigments: a "green" with lambda max at 521 nm and a "blue" at 467 nm. In addition, similar studies on other nocturnal gecko species have found only the same two classes of visual pigment. With the finding that some diurnal species of gecko have a third visual pigment class with lambda max peaking in the UV, doubts were raised concerning the presence of only two visual pigment classes in nocturnal forms. Therefore, a microspectrophotometric re-examination of the Tokay gecko was undertaken to look specifically for a UV visual pigment. A UV-absorbing pigment (364 nm lambda max) was found in approx. 20% of the thin outer segments of type C double rods, thought previously to contain only the 467 nm pigment. That this UV-absorbing pigment was truly a visual pigment was confirmed by its dichroism, behaviour following exposure to UV radiation and "nomogram" fit. It is suggested that this visual pigment had been seen in previous microspectrophotometric studies, but its similarity to known photoproducts peaking in the same spectral region resulted in a case of mistaken identity.

  10. Moving towards a geocentric, polycultural theory of organizational paradox

    OpenAIRE

    Keller, J.; Lewis, M. W.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose\\ud This paper comments on “Global implications of the indigenous epistemological system from the east” (Li, 2016), which provides an indigenous Chinese perspective on organizational paradox. Li introduces Yin-Yang balancing as an epistemological system that can help scholars examine and practitioners manage paradoxes. In this commentary, the purpose of this paper is to discuss the merits of Yin-Yang balancing and how this approach and other indigenous theories might enrich organizatio...

  11. Separation of Chloroplast Pigments Using Reverse Phase Chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reese, R. Neil

    1997-01-01

    Presents a protocol that uses reverse phase chromatography for the separation of chloroplast pigments. Provides a simple and relatively safe procedure for use in teaching laboratories. Discusses pigment extraction, chromatography, results, and advantages of the process. (JRH)

  12. Vibrational spectroscopic analyses of unique yellow feather pigments (spheniscins) in penguins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Daniel B; McGoverin, Cushla M; McGraw, Kevin J; James, Helen F; Madden, Odile

    2013-06-06

    Many animals extract, synthesize and refine chemicals for colour display, where a range of compounds and structures can produce a diverse colour palette. Feather colours, for example, span the visible spectrum and mostly result from pigments in five chemical classes (carotenoids, melanins, porphyrins, psittacofulvins and metal oxides). However, the pigment that generates the yellow colour of penguin feathers appears to represent a sixth, poorly characterized class of feather pigments. This pigment class, here termed 'spheniscin', is displayed by half of the living penguin genera; the larger and richer colour displays of the pigment are highly attractive. Using Raman and mid-infrared spectroscopies, we analysed yellow feathers from two penguin species (king penguin, Aptenodytes patagonicus; macaroni penguin, Eudyptes chrysolophus) to further characterize spheniscin pigments. The Raman spectrum of spheniscin is distinct from spectra of other feather pigments and exhibits 17 distinctive spectral bands between 300 and 1700 cm(-1). Spectral bands from the yellow pigment are assigned to aromatically bound carbon atoms, and to skeletal modes in an aromatic, heterocyclic ring. It has been suggested that the penguin pigment is a pterin compound; Raman spectra from yellow penguin feathers are broadly consistent with previously reported pterin spectra, although we have not matched it to any known compound. Raman spectroscopy can provide a rapid and non-destructive method for surveying the distribution of different classes of feather pigments in the avian family tree, and for correlating the chemistry of spheniscin with compounds analysed elsewhere. We suggest that the sixth class of feather pigments may have evolved in a stem-lineage penguin and endowed modern penguins with a costly plumage trait that appears to be chemically unique among birds.

  13. Susceptibility of the Tomato Mutant High Pigment-2dg (hp-2dg) to Orobanche spp. Infection

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lopez Raez, J.A.; Charnikhova, T.; Mulder, P.P.J.; Kohlen, W.; Bino, R.J.; Levin, I.; Bouwmeester, H.J.

    2008-01-01

    The consumption of natural products with potential health benefits has been continuously growing, and enhanced pigmentation is of major economic importance in fruits and vegetables. The tomato hp-2dg is an important mutant line that has been introgressed into commercial tomato cultivars marketed as

  14. Pigment from Streptomyces bellus MSA1 isolated from marine sediments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srinivasan, M.; Merlyn Keziah, S.; Hemalatha, M.; Subathra Devi, C.

    2017-11-01

    The existing study is purposeful on the intracellular pigment extraction from actinomycetes isolated from Kovalam Beach regions of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Only one actinobacterial isolate showed pigmented growth out of total 4 isolates. Ethyl acetate as the solvent was used in cell disruption technique for the extraction of intracellular pigments. UV-Visible spectrophotometry, FT-IR spectroscopy, HPLC and GC-MS were used for the partial characterization of the pigment. The extracted pigment was applied for the preparation of lip balm and assessing its textile dyeing property. In addition, the extracted pigment was analysed for antioxidant, antibacterial activity, MTT assay and haemolytic activity. On optimization, dextrose and maltose were the best carbon sources. The finest nitrogen sources were found to be casein and peptone. The optimum temperature range was 35°C -40°C and optimal pH was found to be between 6.0 and 8.0. The obtained results showed potent antioxidant activity and found to be non-toxic to human erythrocytes.

  15. Chronic Illness as a Source of Happiness: Paradox or perfectly normal?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoppe, S.

    2013-01-01

    In this paper I analyse the relation between happiness and chronic illness from the perspective of medical anthropology and disability studies. By looking at the disability paradox I deconstruct society’s view of people with a disability. I argue that the disability paradox is problematic as it

  16. Studies on pigments of the myxomycete Physarum nudum. II. Separation and optical properties of the pigments from plasmodia cultured in darkness

    OpenAIRE

    L. Raczkowski

    2015-01-01

    The paper presents the data on Separation and some optical properties of the pigments obtained from the plasmodium of the myxomycete Physarum nudum grown in the dark. Pigment Separation was performed by means of thin-layer chromatography with celulose MN 300 as adsorbent and with the solvent: tert.-butylalcohol, H2O, 3N NH4OH at the ratio 5:2:1 In these conditions the chromatograms revealed 12 coloured bands from which pigments were eluted and their absorption spectra as well as the spectra o...

  17. Game theory and non-linear dynamics: the Parrondo Paradox case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arena, P.; Fazzino, S.; Fortuna, L.; Maniscalco, P.

    2003-01-01

    In this paper a new research topic is explored on the role of chaos in a particular game problem: the Parrondo Paradox. In the original formulation of this paradox, it has been proved that two separate losing games can be combined following a random or periodic strategy in order to have a resulting winning game. In this paper, three key points will be dealt with. The first one regards the introduction of a strategy based on various chaotic time series: this could improve the gain in the classical two games Parrondo problem. The second one concerns with the introduction of a third loosing game based on the history of the game and not on the capital as in the classical Parrondo two games Problem. Finally, the Parrondo Paradox has been generalized for N games and an algorithm has been proposed in order to investigate through an optimization approach the region of probability parameter space in which Parrondo Paradox can occur

  18. Change of Monascus pigment metabolism and secretion in different extractive fermentation process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Gong; Tang, Rui; Tian, Xiaofei; Qin, Peng; Wu, Zhenqiang

    2017-06-01

    Monascus pigments that were generally produced intracellularly from Monascus spp. are important natural colorants in food industry. In this study, change of pigment metabolism and secretion was investigated through fed-batch extractive fermentation and continuous extractive fermentation. The biomass, secreting rate of pigment and total pigment yield closely correlated with the activated time of extractive fermentation as well as the composition of feeding nutrients. Metal ions played a key role in both the cell growth and pigment metabolism. Nitrogen source was necessary for a high productivity of biomass but not for high pigment yield. Furthermore, fermentation period for the fed-batch extractive fermentation could be reduced by 18.75% with a nitrogen source free feeding medium. Through a 30-day continuous extractive fermentation, the average daily productivity for total pigments reached 74.9 AU day -1 with an increase by 32.6 and 296.3% compared to that in a 6-day conventional batch fermentation and a 16-day fed-batch extractive fermentation, respectively. At the meantime, proportions of extracellular pigments increased gradually from 2.7 to 71.3%, and yellow pigments gradually became dominated in both intracellular and extracellular pigments in the end of continuous extractive fermentation. This findings showed that either fed-batch or continuous extractive fermentation acted as a promising method in the efficient production of Monascus pigments.

  19. Lipids and pigment-protein complexes of photosynthetic apparatus of Deschampsia antarctica Desv. plants under UV-B radiation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Svietlova N. B.

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim. To investigate structural and functional modifications of major components of photosynthetic membranes of endemic antarctic species D. antarctica under UV-B radiation. Methods. For quantitative determination of photosynthetic membrane components we used Arnon’s method (for chlorophylls and carotenoids; separation of carotenoids was carried out by Merzlyak’s method; polar lipids were isolated by Zill and Harmon method in modification of Yakovenko and Mihno; glycolipids separation and identification we carried out by Yamamoto method; and sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol content was determined by Kean method. The separation, disintegration and determination of pigment-protein complexes of chloroplasts were carried out by Anderson method. Authenticity of differences between the mean arithmetic values of indices was set after the Student criterion. Differences were considered as reliable at p 0.05. Results. We determined structural and functional changes in lipids, carotenoids and pigment-protein complexes at the photosyntetic apparatus level in D. antarctica plants under UV-B radiation. Conclusions. Adaptation of D. antarctica plants to UV-B radiation is accompanied by a cascade of physiological and biochemical rearrangements at the level of photosynthetic apparatus, manifested as the changes in pigment, lipid and pigment-protein complexes content

  20. Do Attitudes toward School Influence the Underachievement of Turkish and Moroccan Minority Students in Flanders? The Attitude-Achievement Paradox Revisited

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'hondt, Fanny; Van Praag, Lore; Stevens, Peter A. J.; Van Houtte, Mieke

    2015-01-01

    While many ethnic minority students underachieve compared with their ethnic majority peers, they often hold very positive school attitudes. Mickelson (1990) explained this attitude-achievement paradox by the existence of a double set of attitudes. Abstract attitudes reflect the dominant ideas about schooling, while concrete attitudes refer to a…

  1. Pigments and oligomers for inks - moving towards the best combination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hutchinson, I.; Smith, S.; Grierson, W.; Devine, E.

    1999-01-01

    The formulation of UV curable printing inks depends on several complex factors. If the individual components of the ink are not complementary, then performance problems can arise. One critical combination is that between the pigment and the oligomer. In a new approach to improve understanding of pigment/oligomer interactions, the resources of a pigment manufacturer and an oligomer manufacturer have been combined to investigate the problem. Initial screening of process yellow pigments and several oligomer types highlighted performance variations which were then examined in more detail

  2. Optimization and design of pigments for heat-insulating coatings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Guang-Hai; Zhang Yue

    2010-01-01

    This paper reports that heat insulating property of infrared reflective coatings is obtained through the use of pigments which diffuse near-infrared thermal radiation. Suitable structure and size distribution of pigments would attain maximum diffuse infrared radiation and reduce the pigment volume concentration required. The optimum structure and size range of pigments for reflective infrared coatings are studied by using Kubelka—Munk theory, Mie model and independent scattering approximation. Taking titania particle as the pigment embedded in an inorganic coating, the computational results show that core-shell particles present excellent scattering ability, more so than solid and hollow spherical particles. The optimum radius range of core-shell particles is around 0.3 ∼ 1.6 μm. Furthermore, the influence of shell thickness on optical parameters of the coating is also obvious and the optimal thickness of shell is 100–300 nm. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

  3. A comprehensive study of eco-friendly natural pigment and its applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parmar, Ramendra Singh; Singh, Charu

    2018-03-01

    Actinomycetes, a large group of filamentous bacteria account for 70-80% of secondary metabolites available commercially. The present investigation was undertaken with an aim to identify and characterize pigment from actinomycetes. Actinomycetes were isolated from rhizosphere soil samples collected from different regions of Madhya Pradesh state. Out of 85 actinomycetes, only 5 actinomycetes showed pigment production and based on diffusible pigment production ability one actinomycete ARITM02 was selected. The extraction of pigment was done by solvent extraction method using methanol and purified by TLC and column chromatography. The pigment was characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy which showed the lamda maximum of 277.44. FTIR spectroscopy suggested various functional groups like amino group, amide group, hydroxide, benzene and lactone group. The Mass spectroscopy and NMR spectroscopy showed that the molecular mass of pigment is 621.7 and molecular formula is C34H43N3O8. The pigment was also tested for Antimicrobial activity against broad spectrum human pathogens, antioxidant test and toxicity test for safe use as a natural colorant in cosmetic, food, pharmaceutical and textile industries. The conclusion of study suggested that this novel pigment could be a versatile natural, safe and multipurpose.

  4. Application of instrumental neutron activation analysis for the examination of oil pigments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Y.S.; Kim, S.H.; Sun, G.M.; Lim, J.M.; Moon, J.H.; Kim, Y.J.; Lim, S.J.; Song, Y.N.; Kim, K.

    2011-01-01

    This study is to investigate the applicability of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) as a non-destructive examination tool for the quantitative chemical composition analysis associated with authentication, restoration and conservation of art objects in the field of cultural heritage. The quantitative analysis of major, minor and trace elements in Rembrandt's registered oil pigments recently collected at the Korean market as one of the art objects was carried out using INAA facilities of the HANARO research reactor at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute in collaboration with the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Korea. Analytical quality control was implemented using NIST SRM 2709, certified reference materials and metal standards. The analytical results for seventeen characteristic elements of thirty-one measured elements were statistically treated to identify the characteristic correlations and patterns between color and source of oil pigment and similarity degree of constituents using a cluster and discriminate analysis. (orig.)

  5. Authority as paradox: the transformations of Don Quijote.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Priel, Beatriz

    2006-12-01

    The author's contention is that the analysand's temporary attribution of authority to the analyst is inherent in the analytic situation; this is seen as a transitional and paradoxical form of authority pertaining neither to internal nor external reality, but dwelling in the analytic third. The author proposes a conceptualization of psychoanalytic authority as a form of aesthetic authority according to Gadamer's definitions. While the scientific and hermeneutic codes for the understanding of authority in psychoanalysis assume that the main issue at stake is the delimitation of the objectivity or the subjectivity of the analyst's knowledge, this aesthetic perspective centres on the analysand's attribution of a claim of truth to analytic interpretations, and on the experience of recognition. The experience of recognition of a possible truth is particular and context-bound, as well as self-transformational. A reading of three episodes from Cervantes's The history of Don Quixote de la Mancha illuminates the transitional and paradoxical character of aesthetic authority within a transformational dialogue. These episodes are read as dramatizations of different positions vis-à-vis the paradoxical authority that characterizes transformational dialogues.

  6. Paradoxical sphincter contraction is rarely indicative of anismus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Voderholzer, W A; Neuhaus, D A; Klauser, A G; Tzavella, K; Müller-Lissner, S A; Schindlbeck, N E

    1997-08-01

    Anismus is thought to be a cause of chronic constipation by producing outlet obstruction. The underlying mechanism is paradoxical contraction of the anal sphincter or puborectalis muscle. However, paradoxical sphincter contraction (PSC) also occurs in healthy controls, so anismus may be diagnosed too often because it may be based on a non-specific finding related to untoward conditions during the anorectal examination. To investigate the pathophysiological importance of PSC found at anorectal manometry in constipated patients and in patients with stool incontinence. Digital rectal examination and anorectal manometry were performed in 102 chronically constipated patients, 102 patients with stool incontinence, and in 18 controls without anorectal disease. In 120 of the 222 subjects defaecography was also performed. Paradoxical sphincter contraction was defined as a sustained increase in sphincter pressure during straining. Anismus was assumed when PSC was present on anorectal manometry and digital rectal examination and the anorectal angle did not widen on defaecography. Manometric PSC occurred about twice as often in constipated patients as in incontinent patients (41.2% versus 25.5%, p anismus is rare.

  7. The Merger Paradox and R&D

    OpenAIRE

    MIYAGIWA, Kaz; WAN, Jiangyun(Yunyun)

    2015-01-01

    The merger paradox is revisited in the presence of cost-reducing R&D in Cournot oligopoly. Two cases are found, in which merger is profitable without satisfying the 80-percent threshold requirement of Salant et al (1983).

  8. The functional morphology of color changing in a spider: development of ommochrome pigment granules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Insausti, Teresita C; Casas, Jérôme

    2008-03-01

    Studies on the formation of ommochrome pigment granules are very few, despite their generalized occurrence as screening pigments in insect eyes. This is particularly true for ommochrome granules responsible for epidermal coloration. The aims of this study were to characterize the localization of major body pigments in a color changing mimetic spider, Misumena vatia (Thomisidae), and to describe the formation and location of ommochrome pigment granules responsible for the spider's color change from white to yellow. The unpigmented cuticula of this spider is transparent. Both the guanine localized in guanine cells in the opisthosoma and the uric acid localized in epidermis cells in the prosoma are responsible for the white coloration. The bright yellow color is due to the combination of ommochrome pigment granules and the white reflectance from coincident guanine and/or uric acid. The formation of ommochrome pigment granules in epidermis cells proceeds via three distinctive steps. Translucent, UV fluorescent, progranules (type I) are produced by a dense network of endoplasmic reticulum associated with numerous mitochondria and glycogen rosettes. These progranules are present in white spiders only, and regularly distributed in the cytoplasm. The merging of several progranules of type I into a transient state (progranule type II) leads to the formation of granules (type III) characterized by their lack of fluorescence, their spherical sections and their osmophilic-electron-dense contents. They are found in yellow spiders and in the red stripes on the body sides. Their color varies from yellow to red. Thus, white spiders contain only type I granules, yellow tinted spiders contain type II and III granules and bright yellow spiders contain only type III granules. We present a synthetic view of the ontogeny of ommochrome granules. We discuss the physiology of color changing and the nature of the chemical compounds in the different types of granules. Extended studies on the

  9. Unusual extensive physiologic melanin pigmentation of the oral cavity: A clinical presentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K Mallikarjuna

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Pigmented lesions are commonly found in the oral cavity. Oral pigmentations may be physiological or pathological in nature. It may represent as a localized anomaly of limited significance or the presentation of potentially life threatening multisystem disease. Oral pigmentation has a multifactorial etiology. Most of the oral pigmentations are physiologic. Evaluation of a patient with pigmented lesions should include a full medical and dental history, extraoral and intraoral examinations. In this article, we report a case of extensive physiologic pigmentation of the oral cavity in a 12 year old female patient, posing a diagnostic challenge.

  10. "Paradox fikce" a emoce ve sportovních filmech

    OpenAIRE

    Sýkora, Matěj

    2013-01-01

    This bachelor thesis deals with the paradox of fiction and emotion of recipients of sports films. The work is divided into four main chapters. The first two aim to define the key terms fiction (the fictional world) and emotion. The third chapter briefly summarizes the most important theories dealing with the paradox of fiction (Radford and Weston, Walton, etc.) and offers an outline of a possible solution to the problem following neurobiological explorations of Antonio Damasio and selected co...

  11. Synchrotron powder diffraction on Aztec blue pigments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sanchez del Rio, M. [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, B.P. 220, Grenoble Cedex (France); Gutierrez-Leon, A.; Castro, G.R.; Rubio-Zuazo, J. [Spanish CRG Beamline at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, SpLine, B.P. 220, Grenoble Cedex (France); Solis, C. [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Instituto de Fisica, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Sanchez-Hernandez, R. [INAH Subdireccion de Laboratorios y Apoyo Academico, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Robles-Camacho, J. [INAH Centro Regional Michoacan, Morelia, Michoacan (Mexico); Rojas-Gaytan, J. [INAH Direccion de Salvamento Arqueologico, Naucalpan de Juarez (Mexico)

    2008-01-15

    Some samples of raw blue pigments coming from an archaeological rescue mission in downtown Mexico City have been characterized using different techniques. The samples, some recovered as a part of a ritual offering, could be assigned to the late Aztec period (XVth century). The striking characteristic of these samples is that they seem to be raw pigments prior to any use in artworks, and it was possible to collect a few {mu}g of pigment after manual grain selection under a microscopy monitoring. All pigments are made of indigo, an organic colorant locally known as anil or xiuhquilitl. The colorant is always found in combination with an inorganic matrix, studied by powder diffraction. In one case the mineral base is palygorskite, a rare clay mineral featuring micro-channels in its structure, well known as the main ingredient of the Maya blue pigment. However, other samples present the minerals sepiolite (a clay mineral of the palygorskite family) and calcite. Another sample contains barite, a mineral never reported in prehispanic paints. We present the results of characterization using high resolution powder diffraction recorded at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BM25A, SpLine beamline) complemented with other techniques. All of them gave consistent results on the composition. A chemical test on resistance to acids was done, showing a high resistance for the palygorskite and eventually sepiolite compounds, in good agreement with the excellent resistance of the Maya blue. (orig.)

  12. Synchrotron powder diffraction on Aztec blue pigments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánchez Del Río, M.; Gutiérrez-León, A.; Castro, G. R.; Rubio-Zuazo, J.; Solís, C.; Sánchez-Hernández, R.; Robles-Camacho, J.; Rojas-Gaytán, J.

    2008-01-01

    Some samples of raw blue pigments coming from an archaeological rescue mission in downtown Mexico City have been characterized using different techniques. The samples, some recovered as a part of a ritual offering, could be assigned to the late Aztec period (XVth century). The striking characteristic of these samples is that they seem to be raw pigments prior to any use in artworks, and it was possible to collect a few μg of pigment after manual grain selection under a microscopy monitoring. All pigments are made of indigo, an organic colorant locally known as añil or xiuhquilitl. The colorant is always found in combination with an inorganic matrix, studied by powder diffraction. In one case the mineral base is palygorskite, a rare clay mineral featuring micro-channels in its structure, well known as the main ingredient of the Maya blue pigment. However, other samples present the minerals sepiolite (a clay mineral of the palygorskite family) and calcite. Another sample contains barite, a mineral never reported in prehispanic paints. We present the results of characterization using high resolution powder diffraction recorded at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BM25A, SpLine beamline) complemented with other techniques. All of them gave consistent results on the composition. A chemical test on resistance to acids was done, showing a high resistance for the palygorskite and eventually sepiolite compounds, in good agreement with the excellent resistance of the Maya blue.

  13. Educating geographers in an era of the anthropocene: paradoxical natures - paradoxical cultures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grindsted, Thomas Skou

    2015-01-01

    Geographical imaginations are vital to make sense of challenges to sustainability which are produced and distributed across scale. Yet, a number of studies find that geography has been reluctant to integrate sustainability issues in its curricula. Geography is particularly interesting and can con...... of this finding is significant across disciplines. Thus, scholars and students should learn to go beyond the geopolitics of education in order to transcend the paradoxical-culture-natures identified...

  14. Gingival pigmentation beneath a metallic crown

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakai, T.; Hirayasu, R.; Sakai, H.; Hashimoto, N.

    1988-01-01

    Light and electron microscopic studies and energy dispersive X-ray analysis disclosed that the essential cause of gingival discoloration following the placement of a metallic crown, was marked deposition of melanin pigment. Deposition of melanin pigment was observed in epithelial cells, on basement membranes, and in fibroblasts, macrophages and among intercellular ground substance of the proprial layer. Brown or dark brown colored granules were observed in the deep portion of the proprial layer. Some metallic elements as silver and sulfur were detected. It was presumed that these materials were dental metals accidentally implanted in gingival tissues during the therapeutic procedure. The deposition of melanin pigment closely corresponded with mucosal tissue where these materials were present in the deep portion of the proprial layer. These findings suggested that these materials influenced the physiological metabolism of melanin and induced its pathological deposition in the proprial tissue. (author)

  15. [Isolation and preliminary characterization of carotenoids from pink-pigmented methylotrophs].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konovalova, A M; Shylin, S O; Rokytko, P V

    2006-01-01

    An effective method was developed for complete removal of pigments from the cells and solvent mixture for further separation of pigments using thin layer chromatography on silica gel. Carotenoid samples that have been obtained in this way are of good purity for further investigations. Carotenoid pigments of pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophic bacteria Methylobacterium have been characterized. These carotenoids are represented mainly by xanthophylls, particularly hydroxycarotenoids. Strains M. fujisawaense B-3365 and M. mesophilicum B-3352 also have nonpolar carotenes in a small amount. Physico-chemical properties of carotenoids have been studied.

  16. The Solvent Effectiveness on Extraction Process of Seaweed Pigment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Warkoyo Warkoyo

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Eucheuma cottonii seaweed is a species of seaweed cultured in Indonesian waters, because its cultivation is relatively easy and inexpensive. It has a wide variety of colors from green to yellow green, gray, red and brown, indicating photosynthetic pigments, such as chlorophyll and carotenoids. An important factor in the effectiveness of pigment extraction is the choice of solvent. The correct type of solvent in the extraction method of specific natural materials is important so that a pigment with optimum quality that is also benefical to the society can be produced. The target of this research is to obtain a high quality solvent type of carotenoid pigment. This research was conducted using a randomized block design with three (3 replications involving two factors namely solvent type (4 levels: aceton, ethanol, petroleum benzene, hexan & petroleum benzene and seaweed color (3 levels: brown, green and red. Research results indicated that each solvent reached a peak of maximal absorbance at  410-472 nm, namely carotenoids. The usage of acetone solvent gave the best pigment quality. Brown, green and red seaweed have pigment content of 1,28 mg/100 g; 0,98 mg/100 g; 1,35 mg/100 g and rendement of 6,24%; 4,85% and 6,65% respectively.

  17. MCM Paradox: Abundance of Eukaryotic Replicative Helicases and Genomic Integrity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, Mitali; Singh, Sunita; Pradhan, Satyajit; Narayan, Gopeshwar

    2014-01-01

    As a crucial component of DNA replication licensing system, minichromosome maintenance (MCM) 2-7 complex acts as the eukaryotic DNA replicative helicase. The six related MCM proteins form a heterohexamer and bind with ORC, CDC6, and Cdt1 to form the prereplication complex. Although the MCMs are well known as replicative helicases, their overabundance and distribution patterns on chromatin present a paradox called the "MCM paradox." Several approaches had been taken to solve the MCM paradox and describe the purpose of excess MCMs distributed beyond the replication origins. Alternative functions of these MCMs rather than a helicase had also been proposed. This review focuses on several models and concepts generated to solve the MCM paradox coinciding with their helicase function and provides insight into the concept that excess MCMs are meant for licensing dormant origins as a backup during replication stress. Finally, we extend our view towards the effect of alteration of MCM level. Though an excess MCM constituent is needed for normal cells to withstand stress, there must be a delineation of the threshold level in normal and malignant cells. This review also outlooks the future prospects to better understand the MCM biology.

  18. Service Recovery Paradox In Indian Banking Industry: An Empirical Investigation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arunesh Garg

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available The present study examines existence of service recovery paradox in Indian banking industry. The study is taken up in the tri-city of Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali. The respondents are catego- rized into failure and no-failure groups on the basis of their service experience. Failure group consti- tutes those respondents who have experienced service recovery, and has been further divided into five sub-groups ranging from service recovery++ (service recovery better than expected to service recovery- - (service recovery worse than expected. Service recovery paradox is examined by com- paring service recovery++ group with no-failure group. The study shows evidence for existence of service recovery paradox in relation to satisfaction. It has been concluded that for service recovery paradox to exist, recovery effort has to be exceptionally good and much better than expectation level of the customer. The study suggests that service managers should take service failure as an opportunity to appease customers by providing a much better than expected recovery experience. However, organizations should not plan to create service failure situations because if they falter on imparting the recovery, customer satisfaction may be influenced negatively.

  19. Ultraviolet radiation induces dose-dependent pigment dispersion in crustacean chromatophores.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gouveia, Glauce Ribeiro; Lopes, Thaís Martins; Neves, Carla Amorim; Nery, Luiz Eduardo Maia; Trindade, Gilma Santos

    2004-10-01

    Pigment dispersion in chromatophores as a response to UV radiation was investigated in two species of crustaceans, the crab Chasmagnathus granulata and the shrimp Palaemonetes argentinus. Eyestalkless crabs and shrimps maintained on either a black or a white background were irradiated with different UV bands. In eyestalkless crabs the significant minimal effective dose inducing pigment dispersion was 0.42 J/cm(2) for UVA and 2.15 J/cm(2) for UVB. Maximal response was achieved with 10.0 J/cm(2) UVA and 8.6 J/cm(2) UVB. UVA was more effective than UVB in inducing pigment dispersion. Soon after UV exposure, melanophores once again reached the initial stage of pigment aggregation after 45 min. Aggregated erythrophores of shrimps adapted to a white background showed significant pigment dispersion with 2.5 J/cm(2) UVA and 0.29 J/cm(2) UVC. Dispersed erythrophores of shrimps adapted to a black background did not show any significant response to UVA, UVB or UVC radiation. UVB did not induce any significant pigment dispersion in shrimps adapted to either a white or a black background. As opposed to the tanning response, which only protects against future UV exposure, the pigment dispersion response could be an important agent protecting against the harmful effects of UV radiation exposure.

  20. Serotyping and analysis of produced pigments kinds by Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stanković-Nedeljković Nataša

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aim. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa is devided into 20 serotypes on the base of the International Antigenic Typing Scheme. P. aeruginosa serotyping is important because of few reasons but epidemiological is the most important. The aim of the study was serotyping of P. aeruginosa clinical isolates, analysing of single clinical isolates P. aeruginosa present in the particular samples, and analysing of pyocianin and fluorescin production in different isolates of P. aeruginosa. Methods. A total of 223 isolates of P. aeruginosa, isolated in the microbiological laboratory of the Health Center “Aleksinac”, Aleksinac, were examinated. P. aeruginosa isolates were put on the pseudomonas isolation agar, pseudomonas agar base, acetamid agar, asparagin prolin broth, pseudomonas asparagin broth, Bushnnell-Haas agar, cetrimid agar base, King A and King B plates, plates for pyocianin production, plates for fluorescin production and tripticasa soya agar (Himedia. Polyvalent and monovalent serums were used in the agglutination (Biorad. Pigment production was analysed on the bases of growth on the plates for pyocianin and fluorescin production. Results. Serologically, we identificated the serovars as follows: O1, O3, O4, O5, O6, O7, O8, O10, O11 and O12. O1 (38% was the most often serovar, then O11 (19% and O6 (8.6%. A total of 18.6% (42 isolates did not agglutinate with any serum, whereas 21 isolates agglutinated only with polyvalent serum. The majority of P. aeruginosa isolates produced fluorescin, 129 (58.54%, 53 (22.94% produced pyocianin whereas 49 (21.21% isolates produced both pigments. Conclusion. P. aeruginosa was isolated most of the from urine, sputum and other materials. The majority often serovars were O1, O6 and O11. The most of isolates produced fluorescin (58.54%, while 22.94% producted pyocianin and 21.21% both pigments.

  1. Adaptationism fails to resolve Fermi's paradox

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ćirković Milan M.

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available One of the most interesting problems in the nascent discipline of astrobiology is more than half-century old Fermi's paradox: why, considering extraordinary young age of Earth and the Solar System in the Galactic context, don't we perceive much older intelligent communities or signposts of their activity? In spite of a vigorous research activity in recent years, especially bolstered by successes of astrobiology in finding extrasolar planets and extremophiles, this problem (also known as the "Great Silence" or "astrosociological" paradox remains as open as ever. In a previous paper, we have discussed a particular evolutionary solution suggested by Karl Schroeder based on the currently dominant evolutionary doctrine of adaptationism. Here, we extend that discussion with emphasis on the problems such a solution is bound to face, and conclude that it is ultimately quite unlikely. .

  2. Optimizing Angkak Pigments and Lovastatin Production By Monascus purpureus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    HASIM DANURI

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available Angkak pigments and lovastatin had been reported very useful as natural coloring agents, as an agent to increase thrombocyte level in Dengue hemorrhagic fever, and also as a compound that was able to control blood cholesterol level. Three strains of fungus Monascus purpureus AKI, AKII, and 915 were selected to produce angkak pigments and lovastatin in potato dextrose agar (PDA medium. The best fungus strain, which is AKII, was then applied in three kinds of rice media (white rice IR-42, red rice BP-1804-IF-9, and a combination of 1:1 (w/w white IR-42 and red rice BP-1804-IF-9 for solid fermentation. The best medium and fermentation times were determined for the production of angkak pigments and lovastatin separately. Results showed that strains, media, and duration of fermentations gave significant effect on the amount of pigment produced. Strain AKII produced highest concentration of angkak pigments. The combination of rice (White IR-42 and red rice BP-1804-IF-9 produced the highest pigment than the individual white and red rie it self. The optimum duration of fermentation was 16 days for strains AKI and AKII, but only 15 days for strain 915. Therefore the strain AKII with media combination of rice and a fermentation time of 16 days were used to investigate the additional effect of various minerals. Addition of the mineral individually gave significant increased on angkak pigment production by AKII, where as the addition of minerals mixture in the forth tube did not.

  3. Qualities and Inequalities in Online Social Networks through the Lens of the Generalized Friendship Paradox.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Momeni, Naghmeh; Rabbat, Michael

    2016-01-01

    The friendship paradox is the phenomenon that in social networks, people on average have fewer friends than their friends do. The generalized friendship paradox is an extension to attributes other than the number of friends. The friendship paradox and its generalized version have gathered recent attention due to the information they provide about network structure and local inequalities. In this paper, we propose several measures of nodal qualities which capture different aspects of their activities and influence in online social networks. Using these measures we analyse the prevalence of the generalized friendship paradox over Twitter and we report high levels of prevalence (up to over 90% of nodes). We contend that this prevalence of the friendship paradox and its generalized version arise because of the hierarchical nature of the connections in the network. This hierarchy is nested as opposed to being star-like. We conclude that these paradoxes are collective phenomena not created merely by a minority of well-connected or high-attribute nodes. Moreover, our results show that a large fraction of individuals can experience the generalized friendship paradox even in the absence of a significant correlation between degrees and attributes.

  4. Qualities and Inequalities in Online Social Networks through the Lens of the Generalized Friendship Paradox.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naghmeh Momeni

    Full Text Available The friendship paradox is the phenomenon that in social networks, people on average have fewer friends than their friends do. The generalized friendship paradox is an extension to attributes other than the number of friends. The friendship paradox and its generalized version have gathered recent attention due to the information they provide about network structure and local inequalities. In this paper, we propose several measures of nodal qualities which capture different aspects of their activities and influence in online social networks. Using these measures we analyse the prevalence of the generalized friendship paradox over Twitter and we report high levels of prevalence (up to over 90% of nodes. We contend that this prevalence of the friendship paradox and its generalized version arise because of the hierarchical nature of the connections in the network. This hierarchy is nested as opposed to being star-like. We conclude that these paradoxes are collective phenomena not created merely by a minority of well-connected or high-attribute nodes. Moreover, our results show that a large fraction of individuals can experience the generalized friendship paradox even in the absence of a significant correlation between degrees and attributes.

  5. The Obesity Paradox in Kidney Disease: How to Reconcile It With Obesity Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Obesity, a risk factor for de novo chronic kidney disease (CKD, confers survival advantages in advanced CKD. This so-called obesity paradox is the archetype of the reverse epidemiology of cardiovascular risks, in addition to the lipid, blood pressure, adiponectin, homocysteine, and uric acid paradoxes. These paradoxical phenomena are in sharp contradistinction to the known epidemiology of cardiovascular risks in the general population. In addition to advanced CKD, the obesity paradox has also been observed in heart failure, chronic obstructive lung disease, liver cirrhosis, and metastatic cancer, as well as in elderly individuals. These are populations in whom protein−energy wasting and inflammation are strong predictors of early death. Both larger muscle mass and higher body fat provide longevity in these patients, whereas thinner body habitus and weight loss are associated with higher mortality. Muscle mass appears to be superior to body fat in conferring an even greater survival. The obesity paradox may be the result of a time discrepancy between competing risk factors, that is, overnutrition as the long-term killer versus undernutrition as the short-term killer. Hemodynamic stability of obesity, lipoprotein defense against circulating endotoxins, protective cytokine profiles, toxin sequestration of fat mass, and antioxidation of muscle may play important roles. Despite claims that the obesity paradox is a statistical fallacy and a result of residual confounding, the consistency of data and other causality clues suggest a high biologic plausibility. Examining the causes and consequences of the obesity paradox may help uncover important pathophysiologic mechanisms leading to improved outcomes in patients with CKD.

  6. Radiation-curable coatings containing reactive pigment dispersants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ansel, R.E.

    1985-01-01

    Liquid coating compositions adapted to be cured by exposure to penetrating radiation are disclosed in which a liquid vehicle of coating viscosity having an ethylenically unsaturated portion comprising one or more polyethylenically unsaturated materials adapted to cure on radiation exposure, pigment dispersed in the vehicle, and an ethylenically unsaturated radiation-curable dispersant containing a carboxyl group for wetting the pigment and assisting in the stable dipsersion of the pigment in the vehicle. This dispersant is a half amide or half ester of an ethylenically unsaturated polycarboxylic acid anhydride, such as maleic anhydride, with an organic compound having a molecular weight of from 100 to 4000 and which contains a single hydroxy group or a single amino group as the sole reactive group thereof

  7. Pigments which reflect infrared radiation from fire

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berdahl, Paul H.

    1998-01-01

    Conventional paints transmit or absorb most of the intense infrared (IR) radiation emitted by fire, causing them to contribute to the spread of fire. The present invention comprises a fire retardant paint additive that reflects the thermal IR radiation emitted by fire in the 1 to 20 micrometer (.mu.m) wavelength range. The important spectral ranges for fire control are typically about 1 to about 8 .mu.m or, for cool smoky fires, about 2 .mu.m to about 16 .mu.m. The improved inventive coatings reflect adverse electromagnetic energy and slow the spread of fire. Specific IR reflective pigments include titanium dioxide (rutile) and red iron oxide pigments with diameters of about 1 .mu.m to about 2 .mu.m and thin leafing aluminum flake pigments.

  8. Proof-of-concept: 3D bioprinting of pigmented human skin constructs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, Wei Long; Qi, Jovina Tan Zhi; Yeong, Wai Yee; Naing, May Win

    2018-01-23

    Three-dimensional (3D) pigmented human skin constructs have been fabricated using a 3D bioprinting approach. The 3D pigmented human skin constructs are obtained from using three different types of skin cells (keratinocytes, melanocytes and fibroblasts from three different skin donors) and they exhibit similar constitutive pigmentation (pale pigmentation) as the skin donors. A two-step drop-on-demand bioprinting strategy facilitates the deposition of cell droplets to emulate the epidermal melanin units (pre-defined patterning of keratinocytes and melanocytes at the desired positions) and manipulation of the microenvironment to fabricate 3D biomimetic hierarchical porous structures found in native skin tissue. The 3D bioprinted pigmented skin constructs are compared to the pigmented skin constructs fabricated by conventional a manual-casting approach; in-depth characterization of both the 3D pigmented skin constructs has indicated that the 3D bioprinted skin constructs have a higher degree of resemblance to native skin tissue in term of the presence of well-developed stratified epidermal layers and the presence of a continuous layer of basement membrane proteins as compared to the manually-cast samples. The 3D bioprinting approach facilitates the development of 3D in vitro pigmented human skin constructs for potential toxicology testing and fundamental cell biology research.

  9. Kinetic of orange pigment production from Monascus ruber on submerged fermentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vendruscolo, Francielo; Schmidell, Willibaldo; de Oliveira, Débora; Ninow, Jorge Luiz

    2017-01-01

    Pigments produced by species of Monascus have been used to coloring rice, meat, sauces, wines and beers in East Asian countries. Monascus can produce orange (precursor), yellow and red pigments. Orange pigments have low solubility in culture media and when react with amino groups they become red and largely soluble. The orange pigments are an alternative to industrial pigment production because the low solubility facilitates the downstream operations. The aim of this work was to study the kinetic on the production of orange pigments by Monascus ruber CCT 3802. The shaking frequency of 300 rpm was favorable to production, whereas higher shaking frequencies showed negative effect. Pigment production was partially associated with cell growth, the critical dissolved oxygen concentration was between 0.894 and 1.388 mgO 2  L -1 at 30 °C, and limiting conditions of dissolved oxygen decreased the production of orange pigments. The maintenance coefficient (mo) and the conversion factor of oxygen in biomass (Yo) were 18.603 mgO 2  g x -1  h -1 and 3.133 g x  gO 2 -1 and the consideration of these parameters in the oxygen balance to estimate the biomass concentration provided good fits to the experimental data.

  10. Pigment Cell Differentiation in Sea Urchin Blastula-Derived Primary Cell Cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ageenko, Natalya V.; Kiselev, Konstantin V.; Dmitrenok, Pavel S.; Odintsova, Nelly A.

    2014-01-01

    The quinone pigments of sea urchins, specifically echinochrome and spinochromes, are known for their effective antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and antitumor activities. We developed in vitro technology for inducing pigment differentiation in cell culture. The intensification of the pigment differentiation was accompanied by a simultaneous decrease in cell proliferation. The number of pigment cells was two-fold higher in the cells cultivated in the coelomic fluids of injured sea urchins than in those intact. The possible roles of the specific components of the coelomic fluids in the pigment differentiation process and the quantitative measurement of the production of naphthoquinone pigments during cultivation were examined by MALDI and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Echinochrome A and spinochrome E were produced by the cultivated cells of the sand dollar Scaphechinus mirabilis in all tested media, while only spinochromes were found in the cultivated cells of another sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus intermedius. The expression of genes associated with the induction of pigment differentiation was increased in cells cultivated in the presence of shikimic acid, a precursor of naphthoquinone pigments. Our results should contribute to the development of new techniques in marine biotechnology, including the generation of cell cultures producing complex bioactive compounds with therapeutic potential. PMID:24979272

  11. Secondary pigmentary glaucoma in patients with underlying primary pigment dispersion syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sivaraman KR

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Kavitha R Sivaraman, Chirag G Patel, Thasarat S Vajaranant, Ahmad A ArefDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USAAbstract: Primary pigment dispersion syndrome (PPDS is a bilateral condition that occurs in anatomically predisposed individuals. PPDS may evolve into pigmentary glaucoma, but it is difficult to predict which patients will progress. Secondary pigment dispersion is more often unilateral and acquired as a result of surgery, trauma, or intraocular tumor, but can likewise lead to pigmentary glaucoma. We report two cases of patients with bilateral PPDS who developed secondary pigment dispersion and pigmentary glaucoma in one eye. Patients with PPDS who acquire a secondary mechanism of pigment dispersion may be at an increased risk of progression to pigmentary glaucoma, presumably due to an increased burden of liberated pigment. In addition to regular surveillance for progression to glaucoma from PPDS, secondary causes of pigmentary dispersion in these eyes should be considered when patients present with grossly asymmetric findings. When secondary pigment dispersion is identified in eyes with PPDS, we recommend prompt intervention to alleviate the cause of secondary pigment dispersion and/or aggressive control of intraocular pressure to limit glaucomatous damage.Keywords: primary pigment dispersion syndrome, pigmentary glaucoma

  12. Pigmentos maculares Macular pigments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renata Canovas

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available A luteína e a zeaxantina são pigmentos amarelos que se localizam na mácula. Devido à sua localização, diminuem e filtram a quantidade de luz principalmente azul que chega aos fotorreceptores, atuam como antioxidantes e podem melhorar a qualidade visual. Esta é uma revisão do seu mecanismo de incorporação, ação, possíveis aplicações e conhecimento científico a respeito.Lutein and Zeaxanthin are yellow pigments located at the macula. Because of your location macular pigments decrease and filter the amount of blue light that reach photoreceptors, protect the outer retina from oxidative stress and may improve the vision quality. This is a review regarding incorporation mechanism, function and knowledge update.

  13. Secondary pigmentary glaucoma in patients with underlying primary pigment dispersion syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sivaraman, Kavitha R; Patel, Chirag G; Vajaranant, Thasarat S; Aref, Ahmad A

    2013-01-01

    Primary pigment dispersion syndrome (PPDS) is a bilateral condition that occurs in anatomically predisposed individuals. PPDS may evolve into pigmentary glaucoma, but it is difficult to predict which patients will progress. Secondary pigment dispersion is more often unilateral and acquired as a result of surgery, trauma, or intraocular tumor, but can likewise lead to pigmentary glaucoma. We report two cases of patients with bilateral PPDS who developed secondary pigment dispersion and pigmentary glaucoma in one eye. Patients with PPDS who acquire a secondary mechanism of pigment dispersion may be at an increased risk of progression to pigmentary glaucoma, presumably due to an increased burden of liberated pigment. In addition to regular surveillance for progression to glaucoma from PPDS, secondary causes of pigmentary dispersion in these eyes should be considered when patients present with grossly asymmetric findings. When secondary pigment dispersion is identified in eyes with PPDS, we recommend prompt intervention to alleviate the cause of secondary pigment dispersion and/or aggressive control of intraocular pressure to limit glaucomatous damage.

  14. Governance and Developing Asia: Concepts, Measurements, Determinants, and Paradoxes

    OpenAIRE

    Quibria, M.G.

    2014-01-01

    Recent years have seen the emergence of a considerable volume of literature on governance and its role in economic and social development of a country. This paper provides a critical review of the literature. This review brings into the open a number of serious conceptual, measurement, and data issues as well as the existence of an Asian governance paradox - i.e., a general disjunction between growth and governance in most Asian economies. This paradox seems to suggest that much of the curren...

  15. Extensitivity of entropy and modern form of Gibbs paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Home, D.; Sengupta, S.

    1981-01-01

    The extensivity property of entropy is clarified in the light of a critical examination of the entropy formula based on quantum statistics and the relevant thermodynamic requirement. The modern form of the Gibbs paradox, related to the discontinuous jump in entropy due to identity or non-identity of particles, is critically investigated. Qualitative framework of a new resolution of this paradox, which analyses the general effect of distinction mark on the Hamiltonian of a system of identical particles, is outlined. (author)

  16. Monascus: a Reality on the Production and Application of Microbial Pigments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vendruscolo, Francielo; Meinicke Bühler, Rose Marie; Cesar de Carvalho, Júlio; de Oliveira, Débora; Moritz, Denise Estevez; Schmidell, Willibaldo; Ninow, Jorge Luiz

    2016-01-01

    Monascus species can produce yellow, orange, and red pigments, depending on the employed cultivation conditions. They are classified as natural pigments and can be applied for coloration of meat, fishes, cheese, beer, and pates, besides their use in inks for printer and dyes for textile, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. These natural pigments also present antimicrobial activity on pathogenic microorganisms and other beneficial effects to the health as antioxidant and anticholesterol activities. Depending on the substrates, the operational conditions (temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen), and fermentation mode (state solid fermentation or submerged fermentation), the production can be directed for one specific color dye. This review has a main objective to present an approach of Monascus pigments as a reality to obtaining and application of natural pigments by microorganisms, as to highlight properties that makes this pigment as promising for worldwide industrial applications.

  17. Self-Normalized Photoacoustic Technique for the Quantitative Analysis of Paper Pigments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balderas-López, J. A.; Gómez y Gómez, Y. M.; Bautista-Ramírez, M. E.; Pescador-Rojas, J. A.; Martínez-Pérez, L.; Lomelí-Mejía, P. A.

    2018-03-01

    A self-normalized photoacoustic technique was applied for quantitative analysis of pigments embedded in solids. Paper samples (filter paper, Whatman No. 1), attached with the pigment: Direct Fast Turquoise Blue GL, were used for this study. This pigment is a blue dye commonly used in industry to dye paper and other fabrics. The optical absorption coefficient, at a wavelength of 660 nm, was measured for this pigment at various concentrations in the paper substrate. It was shown that Beer-Lambert model for light absorption applies well for pigments in solid substrates and optical absorption coefficients as large as 220 cm^{-1} can be measured with this photoacoustic technique.

  18. Colloquium: The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox: From concepts to applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reid, M. D.; Drummond, P. D.; Bowen, W. P.; Cavalcanti, E. G.; Lam, P. K.; Bachor, H. A.; Andersen, U. L.; Leuchs, G.

    2009-01-01

    This Colloquium examines the field of the Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen (EPR) gedanken experiment, from the original paper of Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen, through to modern theoretical proposals of how to realize both the continuous-variable and discrete versions of the EPR paradox. The relationship with entanglement and Bell's theorem are analyzed, and the progress to date towards experimental confirmation of the EPR paradox is summarized, with a detailed treatment of the continuous-variable paradox in laser-based experiments. Practical techniques covered include continuous-wave parametric amplifier and optical fiber quantum soliton experiments. Current proposals for extending EPR experiments to massive-particle systems are discussed, including spin squeezing, atomic position entanglement, and quadrature entanglement in ultracold atoms. Finally, applications of this technology to quantum key distribution, quantum teleportation, and entanglement swapping are examined.

  19. Colloquium: The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox: From concepts to applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reid, M. D.; Drummond, P. D.; Bowen, W. P.; Cavalcanti, E. G.; Lam, P. K.; Bachor, H. A.; Andersen, U. L.; Leuchs, G. [ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum-Atom Optics and Centre for Atom Optics and Ultrafast Spectroscopy, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Melbourne, Victoria 3122 Australia (Australia); School of Physical Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072 (Australia); Centre for Quantum Dynamics, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland 4111 (Australia); ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum-Atom Optics, Building 38, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200 (Australia); Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, Building 309, 2800 Lyngby (Denmark); Max-Planck Institute for the Science of Light and Department of Physics, Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg, D-91058 Erlangen (Germany)

    2009-10-15

    This Colloquium examines the field of the Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen (EPR) gedanken experiment, from the original paper of Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen, through to modern theoretical proposals of how to realize both the continuous-variable and discrete versions of the EPR paradox. The relationship with entanglement and Bell's theorem are analyzed, and the progress to date towards experimental confirmation of the EPR paradox is summarized, with a detailed treatment of the continuous-variable paradox in laser-based experiments. Practical techniques covered include continuous-wave parametric amplifier and optical fiber quantum soliton experiments. Current proposals for extending EPR experiments to massive-particle systems are discussed, including spin squeezing, atomic position entanglement, and quadrature entanglement in ultracold atoms. Finally, applications of this technology to quantum key distribution, quantum teleportation, and entanglement swapping are examined.

  20. Colloquium: The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox: From concepts to applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reid, M. D.; Drummond, P. D.; Bowen, W. P.; Cavalcanti, E. G.; Lam, P. K.; Bachor, H. A.; Andersen, U. L.; Leuchs, G.

    2009-10-01

    This Colloquium examines the field of the Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen (EPR) gedanken experiment, from the original paper of Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen, through to modern theoretical proposals of how to realize both the continuous-variable and discrete versions of the EPR paradox. The relationship with entanglement and Bell’s theorem are analyzed, and the progress to date towards experimental confirmation of the EPR paradox is summarized, with a detailed treatment of the continuous-variable paradox in laser-based experiments. Practical techniques covered include continuous-wave parametric amplifier and optical fiber quantum soliton experiments. Current proposals for extending EPR experiments to massive-particle systems are discussed, including spin squeezing, atomic position entanglement, and quadrature entanglement in ultracold atoms. Finally, applications of this technology to quantum key distribution, quantum teleportation, and entanglement swapping are examined.

  1. The applications of VIP 397/418 bulbs in free radical white pigmented coatings: UV curing evaluation for different free radical white pigmented formulations (I)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rong Bao; McCartney, R.

    1999-01-01

    White pigmented coatings have gained commercial success using a Gallium doped microwave F600-V bulb. A novel VIP 397/418 bulb has been made recently, by Fusion UV Systems, to increase UV curing efficiency of white pigmented coatings. Previous research work has shown that the VIP 397/418 bulb can cure cationic white pigmented coatings 40-60% faster than a F600-V bulb. Further evaluations of free radical white pigmented coatings have produced significant data indicating that better physical properties (40-50%) or higher cure speeds (50%) can be obtained by using the VIP 397/418 bulb than a F600-V bulb

  2. Quantitative analysis of ancient Egyptian pigments by external PIXE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uda, M.; Tsunokami, T.; Murai, R.; Maeda, K.; Harigai, I.; Nakayama, Y.; Yoshimura, S.; Kikuchi, T.; Sakurai, K.; Sasa, Y.

    1993-01-01

    Pigments painted on Egyptian excavations in the 18th Dynasty were analyzed successfully by external PIXE with the aid of the X-ray diffraction. A white pigment was composed on Mg 3 Ca(CO 3 ) 4 ; red: αFe 2 O 3 , αFeO.OH and AsS; pink: Mixtures of white and red pigments; yellow: αFeO.OH and As 2 S 3 ; and blue: CaO.CuO.4SiO 2 . (orig.)

  3. Paradoxical reaction to the treatment of tuberculosis uncovering previously silent meningeal disease Reação paradoxal ao tratamento da tuberculose revelando doença meníngea previamente silenciosa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Walter A. Eyer-Silva

    2002-02-01

    Full Text Available The development of paradoxical clinical worsening following initiation of tuberculosis treatment may complicate the clinical course of both HIV-infected and uninfected patients. We report a severe manifestation of the so called paradoxical reaction to the treatment of tuberculosis that unmasked previously silent meningeal disease in a 34-year-old HIV-infected male patient.O desenvolvimento de piora clínica paradoxal como resposta ao início do tratamento da tuberculose pode complicar a evolução de pacientes com e sem infecção pelo HIV. Apresentamos uma grave manifestação da chamada reação paradoxal ao tratamento da tuberculose, que revelou doença meníngea previamente silenciosa em um paciente HIV-positivo de 34 anos.

  4. The Teacher's Paradox

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lilyquist, J. Gary

    1998-06-01

    New findings suggest that the way in which schools conduct their business is blocking our educational system from improving at a rate required to meet society's needs. A ground theory developed by exploring six organizational dimensions: external and internal environment cultures, leadership, strategy, structure, and results, verified the existence of the teacher's paradox. Implications suggest educational reformers must rethink approaches to school improvement by work within cultural boundaries. The forth coming book, "Are schools really like this?" presents "The Balance Alignment Model and Theory" to improve our schools using system thinking.

  5. Perspectives on Games, Computers, and Mental Health: Questions about Paradoxes, Evidences, and Challenges

    OpenAIRE

    Desseilles, Martin

    2016-01-01

    In the field of mental health, games and computerized games present questions about paradoxes, evidences, and challenges. This perspective article offers perspectives and personal opinion about these questions, evidences, and challenges with an objective of presenting several ideas and issues in this rapidly developing field. First, games raise some questions in the sense of the paradox between a game and an issue, as well as the paradox of using an amusing game to treat a serious pathology. ...

  6. MRI diagnosis of pigmented villonodular synovitis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shang Zhongpu; Sui Zhengyan; Xue Jianrong; Song Cuizhi; Liu Yuekui; Li Jinwang

    2007-01-01

    Objective: To explore the MRI characteristics of pigmented villonodular synovitis. Methods: MRI and clinic data of 14 patients with pigmented villonodular synovitis proved by pathology were reviewed retrospectively. Results: MRI showed diffusible lesions in all 14 cases. 12 cases were located in knee joint, 2 in hip. MRI revealed nodules and masses formed by villis hyperplasia in the joints. MRI demonstrated the nodules with slightly low signal intensity on both T 1 WI and T 2 WI in 13 cases, the destruction of the cartilage in 8 cases, the destruction of the ligament in 5 cases, and the hydropsy in joint cavity in 10 cases, the destruction of the meniscus in 2 cases. Conclusion: The typical features of pigmented villonodular synovitis on MRI revealed the nodules formed by villis hyperplasia in the joint. Hemosiderin in the nodules demonstrated slightly low signal intensity on both T 1 WI and T 2 WI, with the presence of typical features like 'foam rubber cushion' sign and 'lichen' sign. (authors)

  7. Progressive paradoxical sleep deprivation impairs partial memory following learning tasks in rats

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Chunmin Zhu; Xiangrong Yao; Weisheng Zhang; Yanfeng Song; Yiping Hou

    2008-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Complex learning tasks result in a greater number of paradoxical sleep phases, which can improve memory. The effect of paradoxical sleep deprivation, induced by "flower pot" technique, on spatial reference memory and working memory require further research. OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of progressive paradoxical sleep deprivation in rats, subsequent to learning, on memory using the Morris Water Maze. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: Controlled observation experiment. The experiment was performed at the Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University from December 2006 to October 2007. MATERIALS: Twenty-eight, male, Wistar rats, 3-4 months old, were provided by the Experimental Animal Center of Lanzhou University. The Morris Water Maze and behavioral analyses system was purchased from Genheart Company, Beijing, China. METHODS: All animals, according to a random digits table, were randomly divided into paradoxical sleep deprivation, tank control, and home cage control groups. Paradoxical sleep deprivation was induced by the "flower pot" technique for 72 hours, housing the rats on small platforms over water. Rats in the "tank control" and "home cage control" groups were housed either in a tank with large platforms over the water or in normal cages without paradoxical sleep deprivation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Morris Water Maze was employed for task learning and spatial memory testing. Rats in all groups were placed at six random starting points each day for four consecutive days. Each placement was repeated for two trials; the first trial represented reference memory and the second working memory. Rats in the first trial were allowed to locate the submerged platform within 120 seconds. Data, including swimming distance, escape latency, swimming velocity, percentage of time in correct quarter, and memory scores were recorded and analyzed automatically by behavioral analyses

  8. Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox in single pairs of images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lantz, Eric; Denis, Séverine; Moreau, Paul-Antoine; Devaux, Fabrice

    2015-10-05

    Spatially entangled twin photons provide a test of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox in its original form of position (image plane) versus impulsion (Fourier plane). We show that recording a single pair of images in each plane is sufficient to safely demonstrate an EPR paradox. On each pair of images, we have retrieved the fluctuations by subtracting the fitted deterministic intensity shape and then have obtained an intercorrelation peak with a sufficient signal to noise ratio to safely distinguish this peak from random fluctuations. A 95% confidence interval has been determined, confirming a high degree of paradox whatever the considered single pairs. Last, we have verified that the value of the variance of the difference between twin images is always below the quantum (poissonian) limit, in order to ensure the particle character of the demonstration. Our demonstration shows that a single image pattern can reveal the quantum and non-local behavior of light.

  9. Optimization of fermentation conditions for red pigment production ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    An extracellular pigment-producing ascomycetous filamentous fungi belonging to the genera Penicillium was obtained from soil and its optimal culture conditions investigated. The optimal culture conditions for pigment production were as follows; soluble starch 2% (670 units), peptone (880 units), pH 9.0 (900 units); ...

  10. Teaching Quantum Physics without Paradoxes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hobson, Art

    2007-01-01

    Although the resolution to the wave-particle paradox has been known for 80 years, it is seldom presented. Briefly, the resolution is that material particles and photons are the quanta of extended spatially continuous but energetically quantized fields. But because the resolution resides in quantum field theory and is not usually spelled out in…

  11. Micro-Macro Paradoxes of Entrepreneurship

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Søgaard, Villy

    2008-01-01

    Artiklen tager afsæt i det såkaldte micro-macro paradox fra Aids-Efficiency litteraturen og argumenterer for, at en tilsvarende problemstilling bør inddrages i vurderingen af f.eks. de beskæftigelsesmæssige konsekvenser af entrepreneuriel virksomhed. Den påviser også i en gennemgang af litteratur...

  12. [Is prophylactic YAG iridotomy useful in pigment dispersion syndrome?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosentreter, A; Schwenn, O; Funk, J; Dietlein, T

    2013-04-01

    Despite theoretical considerations concerning the advantage of iridotomy in eyes with pigment dispersion syndrome or early pigment glaucoma, there is a lack of clinical evidence that this procedure has a long-term effect in preventing glaucoma damage under these circumstances. However, several factors may contribute to this lack of evidence, e.g. the statistical problem of a low conversion rate from pigment dispersion syndrome to pigment glaucoma or the inclusion criteria in the studies treating patients older than 40 years or genetic dispositions in pigment glaucoma that are not yet fully clear. On the basis of current data the decision for YAG iridotomy should only be taken in patients younger than 40 years, if the midperipheral iris shows an inverse bowing and the intraocular pressure is normal or slightly increased with no progressive signs of optic nerve damage. In cases of insufficient intraocular pressure and visual defects due to glaucomatous optic nerve damage, incisional glaucoma surgery is usually necessary especially in younger patients with a long life expectancy.

  13. Fly ash based zeolitic pigments for application in anticorrosive paints

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shaw, Ruchi; Tiwari, Sangeeta

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this work is to evaluate the utilization of waste fly ash in anticorrosive paints. Zeolite NaY was synthesized from waste fly ash and subsequently modified by exchanging its nominal cation Na + with Mg 2+ and Ca 2+ ions. The metal ion exchanged zeolite was then used as anticorrosive zeolitic pigments in paints. The prepared zeolite NaY was characterized using X-Ray diffraction technique and Scanning electron microscopy. The size, shape and density of the prepared fly ash based pigments were determined by various techniques. The paints were prepared by using fly ash based zeolitic pigments in epoxy resin and the percentages of pigments used in paints were 2% and 5%. These paints were applied to the mild steel panels and the anticorrosive properties of the pigments were assessed by the electrochemical spectroscopy technique (EIS).

  14. An Inverse Modeling Approach to Estimating Phytoplankton Pigment Concentrations from Phytoplankton Absorption Spectra

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moisan, John R.; Moisan, Tiffany A. H.; Linkswiler, Matthew A.

    2011-01-01

    Phytoplankton absorption spectra and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) pigment observations from the Eastern U.S. and global observations from NASA's SeaBASS archive are used in a linear inverse calculation to extract pigment-specific absorption spectra. Using these pigment-specific absorption spectra to reconstruct the phytoplankton absorption spectra results in high correlations at all visible wavelengths (r(sup 2) from 0.83 to 0.98), and linear regressions (slopes ranging from 0.8 to 1.1). Higher correlations (r(sup 2) from 0.75 to 1.00) are obtained in the visible portion of the spectra when the total phytoplankton absorption spectra are unpackaged by multiplying the entire spectra by a factor that sets the total absorption at 675 nm to that expected from absorption spectra reconstruction using measured pigment concentrations and laboratory-derived pigment-specific absorption spectra. The derived pigment-specific absorption spectra were further used with the total phytoplankton absorption spectra in a second linear inverse calculation to estimate the various phytoplankton HPLC pigments. A comparison between the estimated and measured pigment concentrations for the 18 pigment fields showed good correlations (r(sup 2) greater than 0.5) for 7 pigments and very good correlations (r(sup 2) greater than 0.7) for chlorophyll a and fucoxanthin. Higher correlations result when the analysis is carried out at more local geographic scales. The ability to estimate phytoplankton pigments using pigment-specific absorption spectra is critical for using hyperspectral inverse models to retrieve phytoplankton pigment concentrations and other Inherent Optical Properties (IOPs) from passive remote sensing observations.

  15. Simpson’s Paradox in the interpretation of “leaky pipeline” data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Walton Paul H.

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The traditional ‘leaky pipeline’ plots are widely used to inform gender equality policy and practice. Herein, we demonstrate how a statistical phenomenon known as Simpson’s paradox can obscure trends in gender ‘leaky pipeline’ plots. Our approach has been to use Excel spreadsheets to generate hypothetical ‘leaky pipeline’ plots of gender inequality within an organisation. The principal factors, which make up these hypothetical plots, can be input into the model so that a range of potential situations can be modelled. How the individual principal factors are then reflected in ‘leaky pipeline’ plots is shown. We find that the effect of Simpson’s paradox on leaky pipeline plots can be simply and clearly illustrated with the use of hypothetical modelling and our study augments the findings in other statistical reports of Simpson’s paradox in clinical trial data and in gender inequality data. The findings in this paper, however, are presented in a way, which makes the paradox accessible to a wide range of people.

  16. The concave iris in pigment dispersion syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Lance; Ong, Ee Lin; Crowston, Jonathan

    2011-01-01

    To visualize the changes of the iris contour in patients with pigment dispersion syndrome after blinking, accommodation, and pharmacologic miosis using anterior segment optical coherence tomography. Observational case series. A total of 33 eyes of 20 patients with pigment dispersion syndrome. Each eye was imaged along the horizontal 0- to 180-degree meridian using the Visante Anterior Segment Imaging System (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA). Scans were performed at baseline and after focusing on an internal fixation target for 5 minutes, forced blinking, accommodation, and pharmacologic miosis with pilocarpine 2%. Quantitative analysis of the changes in the iris configuration. After 5 minutes of continual fixation, the iris became planar with the mean ± standard deviation curvature decreasing from 214 ± 74 μm to 67 ± 76 μm (P pigment dispersion syndrome after forced blinking, but the iris concavity recovered to 227 ± 113 μm (P = 0.34) and 238 ± 119 μm (P = 0.19) with the -3.0 and -6.0 diopter lenses, respectively. Pilocarpine-induced miosis caused the iris to assume a planar configuration in all subjects. This study shows that the iris in pigment dispersion syndrome assumes a planar configuration when fixating and that the concavity of the iris surface is not restored by blinking. Accommodation restored the iris concavity, suggesting that the posterior curvature of the iris in pigment dispersion syndrome is induced and probably maintained, at least in part, by accommodation. Copyright © 2011 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. A clearer view of the insect brain – combining bleaching with standard whole-mount immunocytochemistry allows confocal imaging of pigment-covered brain areas for 3D reconstruction.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Lisa Stöckl

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available In the study of insect neuroanatomy, three-dimensional reconstructions of neurons and neuropils have become a standard technique. As images have to be obtained from whole-mount brain preparations, pigmentation on the brain surface poses a serious challenge to imaging. In insects, this is a major problematic in the first visual neuropil of the optic lobe, the lamina, which is obstructed by the pigment of the retina as well as by the pigmented fenestration layer. This has prevented inclusion of this major processing center of the insect visual system into most neuroanatomical brain atlases and hinders imaging of neurons within the lamina by confocal microscopy. It has recently been shown that hydrogen peroxide bleaching is compatible with immunohistochemical labeling in insect brains, and we therefore developed a simple technique for removal of pigments on the surface of insect brains by chemical bleaching. We show that our technique enables imaging of the pigment-obstructed regions of insect brains when combined with standard protocols for both anti-synapsin-labeled as well as neurobiotin-injected samples. This method can be combined with different fixation procedures, as well as different fluorophore excitation wavelengths without negative effects on staining quality. It can therefore serve as an effective addition to most standard histology protocols used in insect neuroanatomy.

  18. Paradoxical response to dexamethasone and spontaneous hypocortisolism in Cushing's disease

    OpenAIRE

    Lila, Anurag R; Sarathi, Vijaya; Bandgar, Tushar R; Shah, Nalini S

    2013-01-01

    Paradoxical response to dexamethasone and spontaneous development of hypocortisolism are rare features of Cushing's disease. We report a 13-year-old boy with Cushing's disease owing to a pituitary macroadenoma. On initial evaluation, he had partial suppression of serum cortisol by dexamethasone. He developed transient hypocortisolism after first adenomectomy, but the disease recurred after 1 year. Repeat evaluation showed recurrent hypercortisolism and paradoxical response to dexamethasone. H...

  19. Evidence for the Existence of One Antenna-Associated, Lipid-Dissolved and Two Protein-Bound Pools of Diadinoxanthin Cycle Pigments in Diatoms[C][W

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lepetit, Bernard; Volke, Daniela; Gilbert, Matthias; Wilhelm, Christian; Goss, Reimund

    2010-01-01

    We studied the localization of diadinoxanthin cycle pigments in the diatoms Cyclotella meneghiniana and Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Isolation of pigment protein complexes revealed that the majority of high-light-synthesized diadinoxanthin and diatoxanthin is associated with the fucoxanthin chlorophyll protein (FCP) complexes. The characterization of intact cells, thylakoid membranes, and pigment protein complexes by absorption and low-temperature fluorescence spectroscopy showed that the FCPs contain certain amounts of protein-bound diadinoxanthin cycle pigments, which are not significantly different in high-light and low-light cultures. The largest part of high-light-formed diadinoxanthin cycle pigments, however, is not bound to antenna apoproteins but located in a lipid shield around the FCPs, which is copurified with the complexes. This lipid shield is primarily composed of the thylakoid membrane lipid monogalactosyldiacylglycerol. We also show that the photosystem I (PSI) fraction contains a tightly connected FCP complex that is enriched in protein-bound diadinoxanthin cycle pigments. The peripheral FCP and the FCP associated with PSI are composed of different apoproteins. Tandem mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the peripheral FCP is composed mainly of the light-harvesting complex protein Lhcf and also significant amounts of Lhcr. The PSI fraction, on the other hand, shows an enrichment of Lhcr proteins, which are thus responsible for the diadinoxanthin cycle pigment binding. The existence of lipid-dissolved and protein-bound diadinoxanthin cycle pigments in the peripheral antenna and in PSI is discussed with respect to different specific functions of the xanthophylls. PMID:20935178

  20. Fault-tolerant Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger paradox based on non-Abelian anyons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Dong-Ling; Wu, Chunfeng; Chen, Jing-Ling; Oh, C H

    2010-08-06

    We propose a scheme to test the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger paradox based on braidings of non-Abelian anyons, which are exotic quasiparticle excitations of topological states of matter. Because topological ordered states are robust against local perturbations, this scheme is in some sense "fault-tolerant" and might close the detection inefficiency loophole problem in previous experimental tests of the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger paradox. In turn, the construction of the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger paradox reveals the nonlocal property of non-Abelian anyons. Our results indicate that the non-Abelian fractional statistics is a pure quantum effect and cannot be described by local realistic theories. Finally, we present a possible experimental implementation of the scheme based on the anyonic interferometry technologies.

  1. Experimental test of the irreducible four-qubit Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger paradox

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Zu-En; Tang, Wei-Dong; Wu, Dian; Cai, Xin-Dong; Yang, Tao; Li, Li; Liu, Nai-Le; Lu, Chao-Yang; Żukowski, Marek; Pan, Jian-Wei

    2017-03-01

    The paradox of Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) disproves directly the concept of EPR elements of reality, based on the EPR correlations, in an all-versus-nothing way. A three-qubit experimental demonstration of the GHZ paradox was achieved nearly 20 years ago, followed by demonstrations for more qubits. Still, the GHZ contradictions underlying the tests can be reduced to a three-qubit one. We show an irreducible four-qubit GHZ paradox, and report its experimental demonstration. The bound of a three-setting-per-party Bell-GHZ inequality is violated by 7 σ . The fidelity of the GHZ state was around 81 % , and an entanglement witness reveals a violation of the separability threshold by 19 σ .

  2. A Canadian paradox: Tommy Douglas and eugenics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shevell, Michael

    2012-01-01

    Tommy Douglas is an icon of Canadian 20th Century political history and is considered by many as the "Father" of Medicare, a key component of our national identity. Throughout his career, he was associated at both the provincial and federal levels with progressive causes concerning disadvantaged populations. In his sociology Master's thesis written in the early 1930's, Douglas endorsed eugenic oriented solutions such as segregation and sterilization to address what was perceived to be an endemic and biologically determined problem. At first glance, this endorsement of eugenics appears to be paradoxical, but careful analysis revealed that this paradox has multiple roots in religion, political belief, historical exposure and our own desire to view our collective history in a favourable light.

  3. Rotating model for the equivalence principle paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilkins, D.C.

    1975-01-01

    An idealized system is described in which two inertial frames rotate relative to one another. When a (scalar) dipole is locally at rest in one frame, a paradox arises as to whether or not it will radiate. Fluxes of energy and angular momentum and the time development of the system are discussed. Resolution of the paradox involves several unusual features, including (i) radiation by an unmoving charge, an effect discussed by Chitre, Price, and Sandberg, (ii) different power seen by relatively accelerated inertial observers, and (iii) radiation reaction due to gravitational backscattering of radiation, in agreement with the work of C. and B. DeWitt. These results are obtained, for the most part, without the complications of curved space--time

  4. Steering, Entanglement, Nonlocality, and the EPR Paradox

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiseman, Howard; Jones, Steve; Andrew, Doherty

    2007-06-01

    The concept of steering was introduced by Schroedinger in 1935 as a generalization of the EPR paradox for arbitrary pure bipartite entangled states and arbitrary measurements by one party. Until now, it has never been rigorously defined, so it has not been known (for example) what mixed states are steerable (that is, can be used to exhibit steering). We provide an operational definition, from which we prove (by considering Werner states and Isotropic states) that steerable states are a strict subset of the entangled states, and a strict superset of the states that can exhibit Bell-nonlocality. For arbitrary bipartite Gaussian states we derive a linear matrix inequality that decides the question of steerability via Gaussian measurements, and we relate this to the original EPR paradox.

  5. [Spectral sensitivity and visual pigments of the coastal crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shukoliukov, S A; Zak, P P; Kalamkarov, G R; Kalishevich, O O; Ostrovskiĭ, M A

    1980-01-01

    It has been shown that the compound eye of the coastal crab has one photosensitive pigment rhodopsin and screening pigments, black and orange one. The orange pigment has lambda max = 480 nm, rhodopsin in digitonin is stable towards hydroxylamin action, has lambda max = 490-495 nm and after bleaching is transformed into free retinene and opsin. The pigments with lambda max = 430 and 475 nm of the receptor part of the eye are also solubilized. These pigments are not photosensitive but they dissociate under the effect of hydroxylamine. The curye of spectral sensitivity of the coastal crab has the basic maximum at approximately 525 nm and the additional one at 450 nm, which seems to be provided by a combination of the visual pigment--rhodopsin (lambda max 500 nm) with a carotinoid filter (lambda max 480-490). Specific features of the visual system of coastal crab are discussed.

  6. Calcium paradox and calcium entry blockers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ruigrok, T.J.C.; Slade, A.M.; Nayler, W.G.; Meijler, F.L.

    1984-01-01

    Reperfusion of isolated hearts with calcium-containing solution after a short period of calcium-free perfusion results in irreversible cell damage (calcium paradox). This phenomenon is characterized by an excessive influx of calcium into the cells, the rapid onset of myocardial contracture,

  7. Chlorophyll: The wonder pigment

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Bhat, S.R.

    Chlorophyll, the green plant pigment, a 'real life force' of living beings, besides synthesizing food, is a great source of vitamins, minerals and other phytochemicals. Adding chlorophyll rich food to our diet fortifies our body against health...

  8. Application of instrumental neutron activation analysis for the examination of oil pigments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chung, Y.S.; Kim, S.H.; Sun, G.M.; Lim, J.M.; Moon, J.H.; Kim, Y.J. [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lim, S.J.; Song, Y.N.; Kim, K. [National Museum of Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-07-01

    This study is to investigate the applicability of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) as a non-destructive examination tool for the quantitative chemical composition analysis associated with authentication, restoration and conservation of art objects in the field of cultural heritage. The quantitative analysis of major, minor and trace elements in Rembrandt's {sup registered} oil pigments recently collected at the Korean market as one of the art objects was carried out using INAA facilities of the HANARO research reactor at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute in collaboration with the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Korea. Analytical quality control was implemented using NIST SRM 2709, certified reference materials and metal standards. The analytical results for seventeen characteristic elements of thirty-one measured elements were statistically treated to identify the characteristic correlations and patterns between color and source of oil pigment and similarity degree of constituents using a cluster and discriminate analysis. (orig.)

  9. Barumiki antocyjanowe u Iris germanica [Anthocyanin pigments in Iris germanica L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Szczepańska

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Anthocyanin pigments occurring in the flowers of Iris germanica were investigated in five varieties: Rota, Wedgewood, Empress of India, Deputate Nomblot and Joanna. The relation between the colour of the flower and the amount of the pigment was studied. The pigments were extracted from the dry plant material with 1% hydrochloric acid in methanol. Paper chromatography and colorimetric determinations were used for identification of the pigments and their quantitative determination. The results allow the following conclusions: 1. The varieties investigated were characterized toy the occurrence of delphinidine glycoside; 2. The colour intensity is dependent on the anthocyanin pigments; 3. The colour spectrum of Iris sp. flowersis greatly extended by yellow copigments.

  10. Introducing the Levinthal's Protein Folding Paradox and Its Solution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez, Leandro

    2014-01-01

    The protein folding (Levinthal's) paradox states that it would not be possible in a physically meaningful time to a protein to reach the native (functional) conformation by a random search of the enormously large number of possible structures. This paradox has been solved: it was shown that small biases toward the native conformation result…

  11. Unraveling the chemical identity of meat pigments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pegg, R B; Shahidi, F

    1997-10-01

    This review examines the chemistry of nitrite curing of meat and meat products as it relates to the development of cured meat color and provides a detailed account of how nitrite-free processed meats could be prepared using the preformed cooked cured-meat pigment (CCMP). Thus, a chemical description of meat color, both raw and cooked, and characterization of nitrosylheme pigments follows. Based on electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), visible and infrared spectroscopic studies, evidence has been provided to support the hypothesis that the chemical structure of the preformed CCMP is identical to that of the pigment prepared in situ after thermal processing of nitrite-cured meat and is in fact a mononitrosylheme complex. An appendix, which describes the basic principles of EPR spectroscopy used in the context of this review, is attached.

  12. Corneal collagen crosslinking and pigment dispersion syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    LaHood, Benjamin R; Moore, Sacha

    2017-03-01

    We describe the case of a keratoconus patient with pigment dispersion syndrome (PDS) who was treated for progressive corneal ectasia with corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL). Pigment dispersion syndrome has been shown to have associated morphologic changes of the corneal endothelium. Corneal CXL has the potential to cause toxicity to the corneal endothelium, and adjacent pigment might increase the likelihood of damage. In this case, the presence of PDS had no detrimental effect on the outcome of treatment, and no complications were observed at 12 months follow-up, indicating that it may be safe to perform corneal CXL in the setting of PDS. This is an important observation as the number of indications for corneal CXL grows. Copyright © 2017 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Mechanical Paradox: The Uphill Roller

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cortes, Emilio; Cortes-Poza, D.

    2011-01-01

    We analyse in detail the dynamics of a mechanical system which is a rigid body with the geometry of a double cone. This double cone is apparently able to spontaneously roll uphill along inclined rails. The experiment has been known for some centuries, and because of its peculiar behaviour, it has been named "mechanical paradox". Although this…

  14. The Paradox of Painful Art

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smuts, Aaron

    2007-01-01

    Many of the most popular genres of narrative art are designed to elicit negative emotions: emotions that are experienced as painful or involving some degree of pain, which people generally avoid in their daily lives. Traditionally, the question of why people seek out such experiences of painful art has been presented as the paradox of tragedy, and…

  15. The Paradoxes of Liberalism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thompson, Grahame

    2011-01-01

    Jakob Vestergaard has produced one of the most telling analyses of the international financial architecture by deploying a broadly Foucauldian framework that invokes a novel description of neo-liberal governance, one organized around discipline, conditional exceptions and the pursuit of a ‘proper...... economy’. This review both welcomes but challenges some of Vestergaard's analysis. In so doing it explores further the paradoxes of liberalism and the fate of sovereignty in the current international context....

  16. Time travel paradoxes, path integrals, and the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Everett, Allen

    2004-01-01

    We consider two approaches to evading paradoxes in quantum mechanics with closed timelike curves. In a model similar to Politzer's, assuming pure states and using path integrals, we show that the problems of paradoxes and of unitarity violation are related; preserving unitarity avoids paradoxes by modifying the time evolution so that improbable events become certain. Deutsch has argued, using the density matrix, that paradoxes do not occur in the 'many worlds interpretation'. We find that in this approach account must be taken of the resolution time of the device that detects objects emerging from a wormhole or other time machine. When this is done one finds that this approach is viable only if macroscopic objects traversing a wormhole interact with it so strongly that they are broken into microscopic fragments

  17. [Analysis of pigments from Rhodotorula glutinis by Raman spectroscopy and thin layer chromatography].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Yu-feng; Tao, Zhan-hua; Wang, Xue; Li, Yong-qing; Liu, Jun-xian

    2012-03-01

    The pigments from Rhodotorula glutinis were separated by using thin layer chromatography, and the result showed that Rhodotorula glutinis cells could synthesize at least three kinds of pigments, which were beta-carotene, torulene, and torularhodin. The Raman spectra based on the three pigments were acquired, and original spectra were preprocessed by background elimination, baseline correction, and three-point-smoothing, then the averaged spectra from different pigments were investigated, and the result indicated that Raman shift which represents C-C bond was different, and the wave number of beta-carotene demonstrated the largest deviation, finally torulene and torularhodin in Rhodotorula glutinis had more content than beta-carotene. Quantitative analysis of Raman peak height ratio revealed that peak height ratio of pigments showed little difference, which could be used as parameters for further research on living cells, providing reference content of pigments. The above results suggest that Raman spectroscopy combined with thin layer chromatography can be applied to analyze pigments from Rhodotorula glutinis, provides abundant information about pigments, and serves as an effective method to study pigments.

  18. The Chinese Classroom Paradox: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Teacher Controlling Behaviors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Ning; Lam, Shui-Fong; Chan, Kam Chi

    2012-01-01

    Chinese classrooms present an intriguing paradox to the claim of self-determination theory that autonomy facilitates learning. Chinese teachers appear to be controlling, but Chinese students do not have poor academic performance in international comparisons. The present study addressed this paradox by examining the cultural differences in…

  19. Prodigiosin pigment of Serratia marcescens is associated with increased biomass production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haddix, Pryce L; Shanks, Robert M Q

    2018-04-03

    Serratia marcescens is a gram-negative, facultatively-anaerobic bacterium and opportunistic pathogen which produces the red pigment prodigiosin. We employed both batch culture and chemostat growth methods to investigate prodigiosin function in the producing organism. Pigmentation correlated with an increased rate of ATP production during population lag phase. Results with a lacZ transcriptional fusion to the prodigiosin (pig) biosynthetic operon revealed that operon transcription is activated by low cellular levels of ATP at high cell density. Furthermore, these data enabled estimation of the ATP per cell minimum value at which the operon is induced. Pigmented cells were found to accumulate ATP more rapidly and to multiply more quickly than non-pigmented cells during the high density growth phase. Finally, results with both batch and chemostat culture revealed that pigmented cells grow to approximately twice the biomass yield as non-pigmented S. marcescens bacteria. Prodigiosin production may, therefore, provide a growth advantage at ambient temperatures.

  20. Current perspective of yellowish-orange pigments from microorganisms- a review

    OpenAIRE

    Aruldass , Claira Arul; Dufossé , Laurent; Ahmad , Wan Azlina

    2018-01-01

    International audience; Natural yellowish-orange pigments are derived from bacteria, yeasts, fungi and microalgae, including Chryseobacterium, Monascus and Chlorella. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of these pigments in various aspects towards exploiting them for numerous functions. These pigments are produced in various shades of yellow-orange and categorised as carotenoids, anthraquinones, zeaxanthin, flexirubin and other compounds. They served as alternative colourants...

  1. EPR imaging and HPLC characterization of the pigment-based organic free radical in black soybean seeds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakagawa, Kouichi; Maeda, Hayato

    2017-02-01

    We investigated the location and distribution of paramagnetic species in dry black, brown, and yellow (normal) soybean seeds using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), X-band (9 GHz) EPR imaging (EPRI), and HPLC. EPR primarily detected two paramagnetic species in black soybean. These two different radical species were assigned as stable organic radical and Mn 2+  species based on the g values and hyperfine structures. The signal from the stable radical was noted at g ≈ 2.00 and was relatively strong and stable. Subsequent noninvasive two-dimensional (2D) EPRI of the radical present in black soybean revealed that the stable radical was primarily located in the pigmented region of the soybean coat, with very few radicals observed in the soybean cotyledon (interior). Pigments extracted from black soybean were analyzed using HPLC. The major compound was found to be cyanidin-3-glucoside. Multi-EPR and HPLC results indicate that the stable radical was only found within the pigmented region of the soybean coat, and it could be cyanidin-3-glucoside or an oxidative decomposition product.

  2. Obesity and poverty paradox in developed countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Żukiewicz-Sobczak, Wioletta; Wróblewska, Paula; Zwoliński, Jacek; Chmielewska-Badora, Jolanta; Adamczuk, Piotr; Krasowska, Ewelina; Zagórski, Jerzy; Oniszczuk, Anna; Piątek, Jacek; Silny, Wojciech

    2014-01-01

    Obesity is a civilization disease and the proportion of people suffering from it continues to grow, especially in the developed countries. Number of obese people in Europe has increased threefold over the last 20 years. The paradox of obesity and poverty relationship is observed especially in the developed and developing countries. In developing countries, along with economic development and income growth, the number of people with overweight and obesity is increasing. This paradox has a relationship with both the easy availability and low cost of highly processed foods containing 'empty calories' and no nutritional value. To date, this paradox has been described in the United States and the United Kingdom, although many European countries are also experiencing high percentages of obese people. Among the reasons for the growing obesity in the population of poor people are: higher unemployment, lower education level, and irregular meals. Another cause of obesity is low physical activity, which among the poor is associated with a lack of money for sports equipment. Due to the large rate of deaths caused by diseases directly linked to obesity, the governments of many countries implement prevention programmes of overweight and obesity. These programmes are based primarily on educating the public about a healthy lifestyle based on healthy eating, daily physical activity and avoiding alcohol and cigarettes.

  3. Obesity and poverty paradox in developed countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wioletta Żukiewicz-Sobczak

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Obesity is a civilization disease and the proportion of people suffering from it continues to grow, especially in the developed countries. Number of obese people in Europe has increased threefold over the last 20 years. The paradox of obesity and poverty relationship is observed especially in the developed and developing countries. In developing countries, along with economic development and income growth, the number of people with overweight and obesity is increasing. This paradox has a relationship with both the easy availability and low cost of highly processed foods containing ‘empty calories’ and no nutritional value. To date, this paradox has been described in the United States and the United Kingdom, although many European countries are also experiencing high percentages of obese people. Among the reasons for the growing obesity in the population of poor people are: higher unemployment, lower education level, and irregular meals. Another cause of obesity is low physical activity, which among the poor is associated with a lack of money for sports equipment. Due to the large rate of deaths caused by diseases directly linked to obesity, the governments of many countries implement prevention programmes of overweight and obesity. These programmes are based primarily on educating the public about a healthy lifestyle based on healthy eating, daily physical activity and avoiding alcohol and cigarettes.

  4. Resolving the Innovation Diffusion Paradox in Mobile App Stores

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Xiong, Bingqing; Tan, Chee-Wee; Wang, Weiquan

    2017-01-01

    to the abundance of apps and multitudinous promotional information. To this end, this study proposes branding as a strategy to tackle the innovation diffusion paradox. Specifically, we construct a research model that posits consumers’ brand awareness as an antecedent affecting their brand association and quality......The growing number of apps released on a daily basis has contributed to an innovation diffusion paradox whereby the frequency and intensity by which innovations are crowdsourced are stymieing their own diffusion. In mobile app stores, consumers are often constrained in their selection due...

  5. The obesity paradox in patients with peripheral arterial disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galal, Wael; van Gestel, Yvette R B M; Hoeks, Sanne E; Sin, Don D; Winkel, Tamara A; Bax, Jeroen J; Verhagen, Hence; Awara, Adel M M; Klein, Jan; van Domburg, Ron T; Poldermans, Don

    2008-11-01

    Cardiac events are the predominant cause of late mortality in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). In these patients, mortality decreases with increasing body mass index (BMI). COPD is identified as a cardiac risk factor, which preferentially affects underweight individuals. Whether or not COPD explains the obesity paradox in PAD patients is unknown. We studied 2,392 patients who underwent major vascular surgery at one teaching institution. Patients were classified according to COPD status and BMIs (ie, underweight, normal, overweight, and obese), and the relationship between these variables and all-cause mortality was determined using a Cox regression analysis. The median follow-up period was 4.37 years (interquartile range, 1.98 to 8.47 years). The overall mortality rates among underweight, normal, overweight, and obese patients were 54%, 50%, 40%, and 31%, respectively (p < 0.001). The distribution of COPD severity classes showed an increased prevalence of moderate-to-severe COPD in underweight patients. In the entire population, BMI (continuous) was associated with increased mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.94 to 0.98). In addition, patients who were classified as being underweight were at increased risk for mortality (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.00 to 2.01). However, after adjusting for COPD severity the relationship was no longer significant (HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 0.91 to 1.93). The excess mortality among underweight patients was largely explained by the overrepresentation of individuals with moderate-to-severe COPD. COPD may in part explain the "obesity paradox" in the PAD population.

  6. Production of colourful pigments consisting of amorphous arrays of silica particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshioka, Shinya; Takeoka, Yukikazu

    2014-08-04

    It is desirable to produce colourful pigments that have anti-fading properties and are environmentally friendly. In this Concept, we describe recently developed pigments that exhibit such characteristics. The pigments consist of amorphous arrays of submicron silica particles, and they exhibit saturated and angle-independent structural colours. Variously coloured pigments can be produced by changing the size of the particles, and the saturation of the colour can be controlled by incorporating small amounts of black particles. We review a simple analysis that is useful for interpreting the angular independence of the structural colours and discuss the remaining tasks that must be accomplished for the realistic application of these pigments. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Raman af hvide pigmenter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Reeler, Nini Elisabeth Abildgaard; Nielsen, Ole Faurskov; Sauer, Stephan P. A.

    2013-01-01

    Et samspil mellem kunst og kemi. I et samarbejde mellem Statens Museum for Kunst og Kemisk Institut på KU er Ramanspek-troskopi brugt til at definere sammensætningen af blandinger af blyhvidt og calcit i maleriers hvide pigmenter....

  8. Ultrastructural analysis of the pigment dispersion syndrome in DBA/2J mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schraermeyer, Mareike; Schnichels, Sven; Julien, Sylvie; Heiduschka, Peter; Bartz-Schmidt, Karl-Ulrich; Schraermeyer, Ulrich

    2009-11-01

    To characterise ocular pigment abnormalities associated with iris atrophy in DBA/2J mice as a model for human pigment dispersion syndrome. Immunohistochemistry, electron and light microscopy were performed to examine the eyes of DBA/2J mice ranging in age from 2.5 to 18 months old. The focus of our study was the description of the ultrastructural modifications in the irides of DBA/2J mice. The DBA/2J mice presented modifications in the melanosomes in all the pigmented parts of the eye, including the retinal pigment epithelial cells and choroidal melanocytes of the ciliary pigment epithelium. The extracellular matrix of the iris stroma disappeared with ageing. Pigmented cells detached from the iris and migrated into the trabecular meshwork exclusively on the anterior iris surface. These cells were identified as macrophages by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. There was no evidence that melanocytes or iris pigment epithelial cells migrated into the trabecular meshwork, but they became more and more depigmented. The aqueous outflow was blocked by pigment-laden cells, but not by cellular debris or melanosomes. No substantial amount of extracellular melanosomes was observed. The morphology of melanosomes is aberrant in all pigment cells in the eyes of DBA/2J mice. We conclude that the disease process begins with the transfer of both immature melanosomes from the iris pigment epithelium (IPE) and melanocytes to macrophages, which subsequently migrate into the trabecular meshwork. Accumulating macrophages cause a blockade of the chamber angle. As the disease progresses, the IPE, melanocytes and iris stroma, including blood vessels, disappear, leading to iris atrophy. It is speculated that the loss of these pigment cells is partly caused by reduction of the iris stroma.

  9. Chronic Illness as a Source of Happiness: Paradox or perfectly normal?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Hoppe

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available In this paper I analyse the relation between happiness and chronic illness from the perspective of medical anthropology and disability studies. By looking at the disability paradox I deconstruct society’s view of people with a disability. I argue that the disability paradox is problematic as it ignores the views of people with a disability. Moreover, such a paradox reinforces the idea that living with a chronic illness or disability is a devastating experience and that happiness and disability are mutally exclusive realities. Based on empiric examples of people who suffer from Multiple Sclerosis I demonstrate that people with a chronic illness can experience happiness in spite of illness, but also as a consequence of it. 

  10. TEM studies of the crystal growth of indanthrone pigments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McHendry, P.

    1998-01-01

    The aim of this work was to study the crystal growth of indanthrone during the pigmentation process. The colouring properties of a pigment are dependant on the chemical and crystallographic structure of the pigment. However, other factors are known to affect these properties including particle size, particle size distribution and level of dispersion in the chosen application medium. The parameters which affect the growth of the pigment particles were investigated with the emphasis placed on the mechanism by which growth took place. The final form of the crystals after growth was also investigated in some detail. Various electron microscopy techniques were employed in the investigations in this thesis. High and low magnification imaging and diffraction were studied on the CTEM (conventional transmission electron microscope) whilst PEELS (parallel electron energy loss spectroscopy) and DPC (differential phase contrast) studies took place on the VG HB5 STEM (scanning transmission electron microscope). In addition to these studies, x-ray diffraction and surface area analysis techniques were employed. The low magnification CTEM work gave good information on the size, shape and size distribution of the pigment particles and enabled detailed analysis of the level of growth attained under varied reaction conditions. (author)

  11. Paradoxical hypotension during dobutamine infusion for myocardial perfusion scintigraphy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erguen, E.L.; Caner, B.; Atalar, E.; Karanfil, A.; Tokgoezoglu, L.

    1998-01-01

    Dobutamine as a predominant beta-1 agonist increases heart rate and myocardial contractility and at sufficient high doses, it also increases systolic blood pressure. This study was undertaken to describe instances of paradoxical hypotension during dobutamine infusion for Tl-201 myocardial perfusion SPECT study and the relationship between scintigraphic findings and hypotension occurred during dobutamine infusion. Methods: In 201 consecutive patients unable to perform adequate exercise, dobutamine Tl-201 myocardial SPECT was performed. Dobutamine was infused starting from 10 μg/kg/min increasing to 40 μ/kg/min. Paradoxical hypotension was defined as a decrease in systolic blood pressure ≥ 20 mmHg compared with baseline study. Paradoxical hypotension was observed in 40 patients (Group A) out of 201 (19.9%) while no significant change in systolic blood pressure was detected in the remaining 161 patients (Group B). Mean maximum fall in systolic blood pressure was 39±18 mmHg (range: 20-90). In 33 of 40 patients (83%) with paradoxical hypotension, scintigraphy was normal compared to 131 (81%) of the remaining 161 patients. In patients of Group A, angiography, echocardiography and tilt table tests were performed in 13, 11 and 6 patients respectively. Nine of 13 angiographic evaluations (69%), 10 of 11 echocardiographic evaluations (91%), all of the tilt table tests were normal. Additionally, all of the patients of Group A were clinically followed up at least 6 months after the myocardial perfusion scintigraphy. None of the patients had a cardiac event except one patient during the follow-up period. Conclusion: Paradoxical hypotension during dobutamine infusion for myocardial scintigraphy is not an uncommon finding and up to 19.9% patients may develop such hypotension. To maximize test safety, precautions should be taken during dobutamine myocardial stress test, since remarkable decrease in systolic blood pressure may occur. Unlike hypotension occurring with exercise

  12. Retrospective Evaluation of Topical Bimatoprost and Iris Pigmentation Change.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaleski-Larsen, Lisa A; Ruth, Nadine H; Fabi, Sabrina G

    2017-12-01

    Topical bimatoprost is a topical prostaglandin analog originally used to treat glaucoma and more recently used to cosmetically induce hypertrichosis of the eyelashes. Iris pigmentation change has been noted in the treatment of glaucoma but has not been assessed with the cosmetic periorbital application of bimatoprost. To evaluate for iris pigmentation change with the long-term cosmetic use of topical bimatoprost. A retrospective chart review in a cosmetic dermatology practice of women (N = 50) who consistently purchased topical bimatoprost over an average of 4.59 years was compared with that of age-matched non-bimatoprost patients (N = 50). A blinded evaluator assessed each patient for iris pigmentary change. No iris pigmentation change was noted with the cutaneous application of bimatoprost. The cutaneous application of bimatoprost appears to be safe with minimal risk for iris pigmentation change.

  13. Loci associated with skin pigmentation identified in African populations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crawford, Nicholas G.; Kelly, Derek E.; Hansen, Matthew E. B.; Beltrame, Marcia H.; Fan, Shaohua; Bowman, Shanna L.; Jewett, Ethan; Ranciaro, Alessia; Thompson, Simon; Lo, Yancy; Pfeifer, Susanne P.; Jensen, Jeffrey D.; Campbell, Michael C.; Beggs, William; Hormozdiari, Farhad; Mpoloka, Sununguko Wata; Mokone, Gaonyadiwe George; Nyambo, Thomas; Meskel, Dawit Wolde; Belay, Gurja; Haut, Jake; Rothschild, Harriet; Zon, Leonard; Zhou, Yi; Kovacs, Michael A.; Xu, Mai; Zhang, Tongwu; Bishop, Kevin; Sinclair, Jason; Rivas, Cecilia; Elliot, Eugene; Choi, Jiyeon; Li, Shengchao A.; Hicks, Belynda; Burgess, Shawn; Abnet, Christian; Watkins-Chow, Dawn E.; Oceana, Elena; Song, Yun S.; Eskin, Eleazar; Brown, Kevin M.; Marks, Michael S.; Loftus, Stacie K.; Pavan, William J.; Yeager, Meredith; Chanock, Stephen; Tishkoff, Sarah

    2017-01-01

    Despite the wide range of skin pigmentation in humans, little is known about its genetic basis in global populations. Examining ethnically diverse African genomes, we identify variants in or near SLC24A5, MFSD12, DDB1, TMEM138, OCA2 and HERC2 that are significantly associated with skin pigmentation. Genetic evidence indicates that the light pigmentation variant at SLC24A5 was introduced into East Africa by gene flow from non-Africans. At all other loci, variants associated with dark pigmentation in Africans are identical by descent in southern Asian and Australo-Melanesian populations. Functional analyses indicate that MFSD12 encodes a lysosomal protein that affects melanogenesis in zebrafish and mice, and that mutations in melanocyte-specific regulatory regions near DDB1/TMEM138 correlate with expression of UV response genes under selection in Eurasians. PMID:29025994

  14. Ultraviolet radiation effects on pigmentation in the cyanobacterium ''Phormidium uncinatum''

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Donkor, V.A.; Haeder, D.P.

    1997-01-01

    The Baikal strain of the cyanobacterium Phormidium uncinatum was found to possess the photosynthetic pigments chlorophyll a, carotenoids, phycocyanin and allophycocyanin, while the Tuebingen strain of Phormidium contained, in addition to these, the biliprotein phycoerythrin. Sucrose gradient centrifugation of the pigment extracts resulted in a separation of the phycobiliproteins into several bands, which according to their absorption and fluorescence properties, were identified as monomers, trimers and hexamers. With increasing UV-B irradiation the heavier aggregates were broken down into smaller components. Photobleaching of these accessory pigments also occurred. FPLC gel filtration analyses of the pigments also showed loss of heavier aggregates of the phycobilins and bleaching of the pigments. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the sucrose gradient and FPLC fractions indicated loss of the biliproteins with increasing UV-B irradiation. The loss of the β- were more rapid than that of the α- subunits. Increasing levels of ultraviolet irradiation is therefore deleterious to these organism. (author)

  15. Properties of alginate fiber spun-dyed with fluorescent pigment dispersion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ping; Tawiah, Benjamin; Tian, Anli; Wang, Chunxia; Zhang, Liping; Fu, Shaohai

    2015-03-15

    Spun-dyed alginate fiber was prepared by the spun-dyeing method with the mixture of fluorescent pigment dispersion and sodium alginate fiber spinning solution, and its properties were characterized by SEM, TGA, DSC, and XRD. The results indicate that fluorescent pigment dispersion prepared with esterified poly (styrene-alt maleic acid) had excellent compatibility with sodium alginate fiber spinning solution, and small amount of fluorescent pigment could reduce the viscosity of spun-dyed spinning solutions. SEM photo of spun-dyed alginate fiber indicated that fewer pigment particles deposited on its surface. TGA, DSC, and XRD results suggested that thermal properties and crystal phase of spun-dyed alginate fibers had slight changes compared to the original alginate fibers. The fluorescence intensity of spun-dyed alginate fiber reached its maximum when the content of fluorescent pigment was 4%. The spun-dyed alginate fiber showed excellent rubbing and washing fastness. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Synthesis and Characterization of a New Heterocyclic Azo Pigment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asniza, M.; Issam, A.M.; Khalil, H.P.S.A.

    2011-01-01

    A new heterocyclic coupling agent has been produced from the reaction of maleic anhydride and p-aminophenol, namely N-(4-hexahydrophenol)maleimide. The coupling agent underwent azo coupling reaction with aromatic amine, which is p-aminophenol to produce a new heterocyclic azo pigment. The pigment was then subjected to solubility, hiding power and light fastness test. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Ultraviolet/ Visible (UV/Vis) Spectroscopy, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ( 1 H-NMR, 13 C-NMR) were used to obtain the characteristics and structural features of the pigment. (author)

  17. Fumed metallic oxides and conventional pigments for glossy inkjet paper

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Hyunkook

    Product development activity in the area of inkjet printing papers has accelerated greatly to meet the rapidly growing market for inkjet papers. Advancements in inkjet printing technology have also placed new demands on the paper substrate due to faster printing rates, greater resolution through increased drop volumes, and colorants added to the ink. To meet these requirements, papermakers are turning to pigmented size press formulations or pigmented coating systems. For inkjet coating applications, both the internal porosity of the pigment particles as well as the packing porosity of the coating affect print quality and dry time. Pores between the pigment particles allow for rapid diffusion of ink fluids into the coating structure, while also providing capacity for ink fluid uptake. Past research has shown the presence of coating cracks to increase the microroughness of the papers, consequently reducing the gloss of the silica/polyvinyl alcohol based coating colors. Coating cracks were not observed, at the same level of magnification, in the scanning electron microscopy images of alumina/polyvinyl alcohol coated papers. Studies are therefore needed to understand the influence of coating cracking on the microroughening of silica/polyvinyl alcohol based coatings and consequences to coating and ink gloss. Since micro roughening is known to be linked to shrinkage of the coating layer, studies are needed to determine if composite pigments can be formulated, which would enable the coating solids of the formulations to be increased to minimize the shrinkage of coating layer during drying. Coating solids greater than 55% solids are needed to reduce the difference between application solids and the coating's immobilization solids point in order to reduce shrinkage. The aim of this research was to address the above mentioned needed studies. Studies were performed to understand the influence of particle packing on gloss and ink jet print quality. Composite pigment structures

  18. R&D ADMINISTRATION IN THE HIGH TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY: HOW TO MANAGE A PARADOX

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nobuiuki Costa Ito

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available The competitive environment of the knowledge age is getting more complex, dynamic, and fast-moving each day. The high tech industry is intensively tied to its effects and demands for innovation, so the field of Research and Development must act strategically, generating innovations and granting success and sustainability to the business. However, there is a paradox in R&D which may lay traps and obstacles disguised by the busy day-to-day activity of the organization. The purpose of this paper is to point out directions that managers may take to cope with these contradictions in R&D administration. The R&D paradox is rooted in the conflict between exploitation, achieved by continual improvement through incremental innovation, and by exploration, which seeks new opportunities in the creation of new technologies through disruptive innovations. These two sides of the paradox demand different, and sometimes even divergent, organizations. Top management leadership is crucial for the acceptance and balancing of the contradictions created by this paradox, and can align exploitation/exploration through distributive and integrative decisions and transform companies into truly ambidextrous organizations.    Key-words:  Research & Development. Innovation. Paradox. Ambidextrous organizations. Strategy. 

  19. Paradoxical motion of interventricular septum on Tc-99m MIBI gated SPECT study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ergun, E.L.; Erbas, B.; Beylergil, V.; Demirturk, O.S.; Pasaoglu, I.

    2004-01-01

    After uncomplicated cardiac surgery, abnormal motion of the interventricular septum is frequently observed. The interventricular septum has often been found to display dyskinetic, or paradoxical motion by echocardiographic studies. This study was undertaken to describe instances of paradoxical motion of interventricular septum on Tc-99m MIBI gated SPECT studies in patients after coronary artery by pass graft surgery. Tc-99m MIBI gated SPECT in conjunction with stress myocardial perfusion SPECT was performed in 18 patients who had history of cardiac bypass graft surgery. Paradoxical motion of the interventricular septum was defined visually from Tc-99m MIBI gated SPECT. Perfusion of the interventricular septum was examined from myocardial perfusion images in the same study. Paradoxical motion of the interventricular septum was observed in 4 patients (22%). The interventricular septum was normally perfused in all patients. It was concluded that paradoxical motion of the interventricular septum in patients who had a history of cardiac by-pass graft surgery is not an uncommon finding and it can be observed with gated SPECT. The exact mechanism of this phenomenon is not well-known. A normal perfusion in interventricular wall helps to discriminate this situation from a real abnormality. (author)

  20. Zeno's paradox in quantum cellular automata

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Groessing, G [Atominst. der Oesterreichischen Universitaeten, Vienna (Austria); Zeilinger, A [Inst. fuer Experimentalphysik, Univ. Innsbruck (Austria)

    1991-07-01

    The effect of Zeno's paradox in quantum theory is demonstrated with the aid of quantum mechanical cellular automata. It is shown that the degree of non-unitarity of the cellular automaton evolution and the frequency of consecutive measurements of cellular automaton states are operationally indistinguishable. (orig.).

  1. Zeno's paradox in quantum cellular automata

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Groessing, G.; Zeilinger, A.

    1991-01-01

    The effect of Zeno's paradox in quantum theory is demonstrated with the aid of quantum mechanical cellular automata. It is shown that the degree of non-unitarity of the cellular automaton evolution and the frequency of consecutive measurements of cellular automaton states are operationally indistinguishable. (orig.)

  2. MODELING PARADOXES IN NOVICE AND EXPERT DESIGN

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dorst, Kees; Hansen, Claus Thorp

    2011-01-01

    In their ICED09 paper ‘Problem formulation as a discursive activity’, the authors have used an extensive educational case study to explore a framework for describing design as a discursive activity, centered around the paradoxical nature of the problem situation. The ‘working definition’ for para......In their ICED09 paper ‘Problem formulation as a discursive activity’, the authors have used an extensive educational case study to explore a framework for describing design as a discursive activity, centered around the paradoxical nature of the problem situation. The ‘working definition...... at play in a design situation, and extract themes that can lead to reformulation of the problem as well as the creation of innovative solutions. This behaviour is compared to the ways of working of novice designers (students) in the original case study....

  3. Pigment transformation and vertical flux in an area of convergence in the North Atlantic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Head, E. J. H.; Horne, E. P. W.

    Particulate samples from the water column, to depths of 80-120 m, were collected over a 10-day period during a bloom in the North Atlantic, near 37°N, 40°W, between 12 and 22 April 1990. These samples were analysed by HPLC for their chlorin and carotenoid content. The same analysis was carried out for samples of faecal pellets collected from copepods from depths of 0-100 m, which had fed in situ, and for material from sediment traps in the 100-500 m depth range. Water column pigment compositions were consistent with observations that diatoms and Phaeocystis were major components of the bloom. They also sometimes showed high concentrations of chlorophyllide a and a phaephorbide a-like pigment, which may be due to algal die-off and cell autolysis. Faecal pellets contained high concentrations of pyrophaeophorbide a lower amounts of unidentified phaeophorbides and some chlorophyll a, but none of the phaeophorbide a-like pigment found in the water column. Sediment traps contained high concentrations of the phaeophorbides characteristics of copepod faecal pellets and lower, approximately equal amounts of the water column phaeophorbide a-like pigment and chlorophyll a. The sampling area appeared to be in a jet of current, which was moving southwesterly along a front between Eastern Basin Water (to the north) and North Atlantic Central Water (to the south) and which seemed to be drawing in water from both these water masses. Areas of downwelling, thought to be associated with these convergent currents, may have accelerated the sedimentation of dead and dying phytoplankton cells.

  4. The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roy, S.M.

    1980-01-01

    The celebrated arguments of Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen claiming that quantum mechanics cannot be a complete theory are reviewed. Recent research climaxed by Bell's theorem shows that Einstein's locality or ''no telepathy'' postulate conflicts with quantum theory. It adds a new dimension to the paradox by catapulting the problem from the domain of metaphysics into that of experimental physics. (auth.)

  5. Time and situatedness Merleau-Ponty,s Response to McTaggart,s Paradox

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claudio Javier Cormick

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The article seeks to establish a relationship that has not yet been explored satisfactorily between Merleau-Ponty᾿s phenomenology of time and a central issue of analytical “theory of time”: McTaggart᾿s paradox. By clarifying the authentic meaning of Merleau-Ponty᾿s “subjectivism” regarding time, against Priest᾿s interpretation (1998, the article points out a convergence between the phenomenological approach and Michael Dummett᾿s theses developed in response to the abovementioned paradox. A “situational” solution to the paradox is attempted on the basis of Dummett᾿s ideas and Bimbenet᾿s interpretation of Merleau-Ponty᾿s “perspectivism”.

  6. Abnormal pigmentation within cutaneous scars: A complication of wound healing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah Chadwick

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Abnormally pigmented scars are an undesirable consequence of cutaneous wound healing and are a complication every single individual worldwide is at risk of. They present a challenge for clinicians, as there are currently no definitive treatment options available, and render scars much more noticeable making them highly distressing for patients. Despite extensive research into both wound healing and the pigment cell, there remains a scarcity of knowledge surrounding the repigmentation of cutaneous scars. Pigment production is complex and under the control of many extrinsic and intrinsic factors and patterns of scar repigmentation are unpredictable. This article gives an overview of human skin pigmentation, repigmentation following wounding and current treatment options.

  7. Bio production of red pigment by local isolate of Monascus purpureus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Youssef, B.M.; Khalaf, M.A.; Emam, D.A.; Hazaa, M.M.; Shash, S.M.

    2009-01-01

    There is an increased interest on natural pigments to replace some currently used synthetic dyes, since the latter have been associated with toxic effects in foods. The red pigment of the fungus Monascus is widely used in all the world as food additives or pharmaceuticals. The Monascus purpureus local strain, which was isolated from dried silage sample was employed for red pigment production in submerged fermentation (Sm F) conditions. Different fermentation parameters including: incubation period, temperature, initial ph of the medium, agitation, different carbon and nitrogen sources, bio elements and type of inoculum and its age; were carried out under Sm F conditions to enhance the red pigment production. The maximum red pigment production (1.27 gI -1 ) was achieved at incubation temperature 30 C, initial ph 5.5, agitation rate 150 rpm, 2% starch and 0.4% ammonium sulphate as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively, after 4 days when the production medium inoculated with 12 h age from seed culture inoculum. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of gamma irradiation on the activity of Monascus purpureus towards red pigment production. The maximum red pigment production (I.9 gI -1 ) was obtained at 0.5 kGy dose level

  8. Continuous-variable Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox with traveling-wave second-harmonic generation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olsen, M.K.

    2004-01-01

    The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox and quantum entanglement are at the heart of quantum mechanics. Here we show that single-pass traveling-wave second-harmonic generation can be used to demonstrate both entanglement and the paradox with continuous variables that are analogous to the position and momentum of the original proposal

  9. Corporal punishment contestations, paradoxes and implications for ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Corporal punishment contestations, paradoxes and implications for school leadership: A case study of two South African high schools. ... South African Journal of Education. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current ...

  10. Dissecting historical changes of selective pressures in the evolution of human pigmentation

    OpenAIRE

    Huang, Xin; Wang, Sijia; Jin, Li; He, Yungang

    2018-01-01

    Human pigmentation is a highly diverse trait among populations, and has drawn particular attention from both academic and non-academic investigators for thousands of years. To explain the diversity of human pigmentation, researchers have proposed that human pigmentation is adapted for ultraviolet radiation and driven by natural selection. Although studies have detected signals of natural selection in several human pigmentation genes, none have quantitatively investigated the historical select...

  11. Some reflections on the Renewal-theory paradox in queueing theory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert B. Cooper

    1998-01-01

    Full Text Available The classical renewal-theory (waiting time, or inspection paradox states that the length of the renewal interval that covers a randomly-selected time epoch tends to be longer than an ordinary renewal interval. This paradox manifests itself in numerous interesting ways in queueing theory, a prime example being the celebrated Pollaczek-Khintchine formula for the mean waiting time in the M/G/1 queue. In this expository paper, we give intuitive arguments that “explain” why the renewal-theory paradox is ubiquitous in queueing theory, and why it sometimes produces anomalous results. In particular, we use these intuitive arguments to explain decomposition in vacation models, and to derive formulas that describe some recently-discovered counterintuitive results for polling models, such as the reduction of waiting times as a consequence of forcing the server to set up even when no work is waiting.

  12. Pigment dispersion syndrome associated with spontaneous subluxation of crystalline lens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vikas Veerwal

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Pigment dispersion syndrome (PDS is an ocular condition characterized by a dispersion of iris pigment throughout the eye. This pigment is deposited in a characteristic manner on the corneal endothelium as Krukenberg's spindle, anterior surface of the iris, in the trabecular meshwork, on the lens and zonule and occasionally on the anterior hyaloid face. Even with deposition of pigment on zonular fibers, no zonular weakness, or zonular dehiscence has been reported in these cases. We report a unique case of PDS with bilateral spontaneous subluxation of crystalline lens. With characteristic findings of pigment distribution in both his eyes, the patient had concave iris configuration with heavily pigmented trabecular meshwork confirming the diagnosis of PDS. The patient had bilateral 180° temporal subluxation of crystalline lens in both his eyes. The usual cause of lens subluxation such as Marfan's Syndrome and Ehler's Danlos Syndrome was ruled out. The patient underwent right eye followed by left eye intracapsular cataract extraction with ab-interno technique with postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA of 6/9 in both eyes. Spontaneous subluxation of crystalline lens in isolated PDS is not known to occur and has been reported by means of this case. We recommend a thorough assessment of zonular status in all cases of PDS.

  13. Pigment dispersion syndrome associated with spontaneous subluxation of crystalline lens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veerwal, Vikas; Goyal, Jawahar Lal; Jain, Parul; Arora, Ritu

    2017-01-01

    Pigment dispersion syndrome (PDS) is an ocular condition characterized by a dispersion of iris pigment throughout the eye. This pigment is deposited in a characteristic manner on the corneal endothelium as Krukenberg's spindle, anterior surface of the iris, in the trabecular meshwork, on the lens and zonule and occasionally on the anterior hyaloid face. Even with deposition of pigment on zonular fibers, no zonular weakness, or zonular dehiscence has been reported in these cases. We report a unique case of PDS with bilateral spontaneous subluxation of crystalline lens. With characteristic findings of pigment distribution in both his eyes, the patient had concave iris configuration with heavily pigmented trabecular meshwork confirming the diagnosis of PDS. The patient had bilateral 180° temporal subluxation of crystalline lens in both his eyes. The usual cause of lens subluxation such as Marfan's Syndrome and Ehler's Danlos Syndrome was ruled out. The patient underwent right eye followed by left eye intracapsular cataract extraction with ab-interno technique with postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 6/9 in both eyes. Spontaneous subluxation of crystalline lens in isolated PDS is not known to occur and has been reported by means of this case. We recommend a thorough assessment of zonular status in all cases of PDS.

  14. Pigment identification on medieval manuscripts, paintings and other artefacts by Raman microscopy: applications to the study of three German manuscripts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burgio, Lucia; Ciomartan, Dan A.; Clark, Robin J. H.

    1997-03-01

    The identification of the pigments used to illuminate medieval manuscripts, paintings and other artefacts has received a major boost recently through perceptive studies carried out by Raman microscopy. A brief summary of the background of the technique is given. The results of studies on three illuminated German manuscripts are presented. The pigments vermilion HgS, iron oxide Fe 2O 3, azurite 2CuCO 3.Cu(OH) 2, malachite CuCo 3.Cu(OH) 2, lampblack (essentially carbon), white lead 2PbCO 3.Pb(OH) 2, lead tin yellow type I Pb 2SnO 4, and lazurite Na 8[Al 6Si 6O 24]S n (but only in admixture with Pb 2SnO 4, whereby it forms a green pigment), have been identified on these manuscripts on the basis of Raman microscopy and the results discussed.

  15. Ultraviolet radiation directly induces pigment production by cultured human melanocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Friedmann, P.S.; Gilchrest, B.A.

    1987-01-01

    In humans the major stimulus for cutaneous pigmentation is ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Little is known about the mechanism underlying this response, in part because of the complexity of interactions in whole epidermis. Using a recently developed culture system, human melanocytes were exposed daily to a physiologic range of UVR doses from a solar simulator. Responses were determined 24 hours after the last exposure. There was a dose-related increase in melanin content per cell and uptake of 14 C-DOPA, accompanied by growth inhibition. Cells from donors of different racial origin gave proportionately similar increases in melanin, although there were approximately tenfold differences in basal values. Light and electron microscopy revealed UVR-stimulated increases in dendricity as well as melanosome number and degree of melanization, analogous to the well-recognized melanocyte changes following sun exposure of intact skin. Similar responses were seen with Cloudman S91 melanoma cells, although this murine cell line required lower UVR dosages and fewer exposures for maximal stimulation. These data establish that UVR is capable of directly stimulating melanogenesis. Because cyclic AMP elevation has been associated in some settings with increased pigment production by cultured melanocytes, preliminary experiments were conducted to see if the effects of UVR were mediated by cAMP. Both alpha-MSH and isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX), as positive controls, caused a fourfold increase in cAMP level in human melanocytes and/or S91 cells, but following a dose of UVR sufficient to stimulate pigment production there was no change in cAMP level up to 4 hours after exposure. Thus, it appears that the UVR-induced melanogenesis is mediated by cAMP-independent mechanisms

  16. The 'push-pull' dosimeter: When two pigments are better than one

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bosi, Stephen G; Baldock, Clive; Smee, Robert

    2010-01-01

    A new kind of gel dosimeter (the 'push-pull' dosimeter) is proposed which would contain two spectrally complementary pigments, one which darkens with increasing dose and another which bleaches. The bleaching pigment would be optimised for high sensitivity and the darkening pigment for low sensitivity. By employing dual pigments optimised independently, the usual requisite compromises between sensitivity at low dose and accuracy at high dose would be relaxed. Such a gel, after exposure would be read using two successive optical CT scans employing two different scan wavelengths. The use of dual pigments could also reduce the occurrence of regions of high optical attenuation which generate artefacts in optical CT. This paper also presents results of simulations of the behaviour of such a gel when scanned using optical cone beam CT.

  17. Novel environment friendly corrosion inhibitor pigments based on naturally occurring clay minerals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bohm, S.; McMurray, H.N.; Worsley, D.A. [University of Wales, Swansea (United Kingdom). Dept. of Materials Engineering; Powell, S.M. [University of Wales, Swansea (United Kingdom). Engineering Doktorate Centre

    2001-12-01

    Novel, ceramic, corrosion inhibitor pigments consisting of cerium (III) and calcium (II) cation exchanged bentonites have been shown to provide effective cut-edge corrosion resistance in organic coated galvanised steel. The bentonite pigments were prepared from a naturally occurring (Wyoming) bentonite with a cation-exchange-capacity of 0.7 milli-equivalents per gram. Cation exchange was carried out by repeated washing with aqueous solutions of cerium (III) chloride and calcium (II) chloride to produce bentonites containing 31500 ppm exchangeable cerium (III) and 13500 ppm exchangeable calcium (II) respectively. The resulting bentonite pigments were dispersed in a polyester-resin based primer paint system to give a pigment volume concentration of 19%. For comparison, two similar primer systems were prepared containing a commercial calcium (II) exchanged silica pigment Shieldex: 60 000 ppm calcium (II) and a strontium chromate dispersion, both with a 19% pigment volume concentration. All three primer systems were applied (5 {mu}m) to the zinc surface of galvanised 0.7 mm gauge sheet steel and overcoated with an architectural polyester topcoat (18 {mu}m). The performance of the inhibitor pigments was compared by measuring the rate of corrosion-driven organic coating delamination from the cut edge of samples during 1000 h of salt-spray testing. The calcium (II) bentonite pigment exhibited an anti-delamination performance similar to that of strontium chromate but superior to that of Shieldex. However, the cerium (III) bentonite pigment was superior in performance to both strontium chromate and Shieldex. Thus, the bentonite pigments represent promising, environmentally friendly, ion-exchange corrosion inhibitors which exhibit good anti-delamination performance by comparison with current commercial systems. (orig.)

  18. The Parana paradox: can a model explain the decadal impacts of climate variability and land-cover change?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, E.; Moorcroft, P. R.; Livino, A.; Briscoe, J.

    2013-12-01

    Since the 1970s, despite a decrease in rainfall, flow in the Parana river has increased. This paradox is explored using the Ecosystem Demography (ED) model. If there were no change in land cover, the modeled runoff decreased from the 1970s to the 2000s by 11.8% (with 1970 land cover) or 18.8% (with 2008 land cover). When the model is run holding climate constant, the decadal average of the modeled runoff increased by 24.4% (with the 1970s climate) or by 33.6% (with 2000s climate). When the model is run allowing both the actual climate and land-cover changes, the model gives an increase in the decadal average of runoff by 8.5%. This agrees well with 10.5% increase in the actual stream flow as measured at Itaipu. There are three main conclusions from this work. First, the ED model is able to explain a major, paradoxical, reality in the Parana basin. Second, it is necessary to take into account both climate and land use changes when exploring past or future changes in river flows. Third, the ED model, now coupled with a regional climate model (i.e., EDBRAMS), is a sound basis for exploring likely changes in river flows in major South American rivers.

  19. Synthesis and characterization of hematite pigment obtained from a steel waste industry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prim, S.R. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of the State of Santa Catarina, Santa Catarina (Brazil); Folgueras, M.V., E-mail: dem2mvf@joinville.udesc.br [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of the State of Santa Catarina, Santa Catarina (Brazil); Lima, M.A. de [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of the State of Santa Catarina, Santa Catarina (Brazil); Hotza, D. [Departamento de Engenharia Quimica, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Santa Catarina (Brazil)

    2011-09-15

    Highlights: {yields} The study of using of a industrial waste for the synthesis of hematite pigments. {yields} The nanometer dimension this waste and your behavior as chromophore. {yields} The effect of process variables on the mechanisms of encapsulation sintered pigments. - Abstract: Pigments that meet environmental and technology requirements are the focus of the research in the ceramic sector. This study focuses on the synthesis of ceramic pigment by encapsulation of hematite in crystalline and amorphous silica matrix. Iron oxide from a metal sheet rolling process was used as chromophore. A different content of hematite and silica was homogenized by conventional and high energy milling. The powders obtained after calcinations between 1050 and 1200 {sup o}C for 2 h were characterized by X-ray diffraction and SEM analysis. The pigments were applied to ceramic enamel and porcelain body. The effect of pigment was measured by comparing L*a*b* values of the heated samples. Results showed that the color developed is influenced by variables such as oxide content employed, conditions of milling and processing temperature. The results showed that the use of pigment developed does not interfere in microstructural characteristics of pigmented material. The best hue was obtained from samples with 15 wt% of chromophore, heated at 1200 {sup o}C in amorphous silica matrix.

  20. six six six paradox : [luuletused] / Triin Tasuja

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Tasuja, Triin

    2008-01-01

    Sisu: six six six paradox ; cat stevens ; "vahel tundub, et mu ümber..." ; sääse ; Salaalaealised ; kolkalapsed ; longin mööda lumiseid tänavaid ; punkrock dekadents ; "Igast kirjaneitsist..." ; "mina olengi see saikochick..."