Formation energies of complexes of hydrogen and carbon atoms with vacancy in fcc aluminum from first-principles

The DFT calculations are performed to investigate the interactions of hydrogen and carbon atoms with vacancy in fee aluminum. The solution energies of hydrogen and carbon atoms in aluminum, the cohesive energies of these atoms with vacancy and the formation energies of impurity-vacancy complexes were calculatedyesБелгородский государственный университе

Words make people think, ... but pictures make people feel: The effect negative vs. positive images on charitable behavior

We ran an experiment where the subjects initially played a four-round dictator game, after which each subject was shown either a set of positive images or a set of negative images. Finally the subjects played another four-round dictator game.
The effect of the sign of images shown is clear on the players’ behaviors: positive images have moderate effects on charitable behavior while negative images dramatically increase charity.
We could therefore infer from our experimental results that showing negative images of the Haitian and Chilean catastrophes to the international public would have significant positive impacts on international donations to the victims and the rebuilding programs in both countries

Electrical determination of the valence-band discontinuity in HgTe-CdTe heterojunctions

Current-voltage behavior is studied experimentally in a Hg0.78Cd0.22Te-CdTe-Hg0.78Cd0.22Te heterostructure grown by molecular beam epitaxy. At temperatures above 160 K, energy-band diagrams suggest that the dominant low-bias current is thermionic hole emission across the CdTe barrier layer. This interpretation yields a direct determination of 390±75 meV for the HgTe-CdTe valence-band discontinuity at 300 K. Similar analyses of current-voltage data taken at 190–300 K suggest that the valence-band offset decreases at low temperatures in this heterojunction

Couples living with type 1 diabetes : an integrative review of the impacts on health and wellbeing

Impacts of type 1 diabetes and relationship factors on health and wellbeing of both persons with diabetes and partners (T1D partners) have not been investigated. Integrative review methods evaluated the evidence. From 323 titles, we included 24 studies involving 16,083 persons with diabetes and 1020 T1D partners. Studies were quantitative (n = 13), qualitative (n = 9) and mixed methods (n = 2). Maintaining resilient, good quality, intimate relationships optimises physical and psychological outcomes for persons with diabetes. Partners experience disturbed sleep and while general psychological health is maintained, distress surrounding hypoglycaemia is overwhelming for over a third of partners. Nurturing quality relationships could reap significant health benefits

Acrolein involvement in sensory and behavioral hypersensitivity following spinal cord injury in the rat

Growing evidence suggests that oxidative stress, as associated with spinal cord injury (SCI), may play a critical role in both neuroinflammation and neuropathic pain conditions. The production of the endogenous aldehyde acrolein, following lipid peroxidation during the inflammatory response, may contribute to peripheral sensitization and hyperreflexia following SCI via the TRPA1-dependent mechanism. Here we report that there are enhanced levels of acrolein and increased neuronal sensitivity to the aldehyde for at least 14 days after SCI. Concurrent with injury-induced increases in acrolein concentration is an increased expression of TRPA1 in the lumbar (L3-L6) sensory ganglia. As proof of the potential pronociceptive role for acrolein, intrathecal injections of acrolein revealed enhanced sensitivity to both tactile and thermal stimuli for up to 10 days, supporting the compound’s pro-nociceptive functionality. Treatment of SCI animals with the acrolein scavenger hydralazine produced moderate improvement in tactile responses as well as robust changes in thermal sensitivity for up to 49 days. Taken together, these data suggests that acrolein directly modulates SCI-associated pain behavior, making it a novel therapeutic target for preclinical and clinical SCI as an analgesic

Double blockade of CD14 and complement C5 abolishes the cytokine storm and improves morbidity and survival in polymicrobial sepsis in mice

Sepsis and septic shock, caused by an excessive systemic host-inflammatory response, are associated with high morbidity and mortality. The complement system and TLRs provide important pattern recognition receptors initiating the cytokine storm by extensive cross-talk. We hypothesized that double blockade of complement C5 and the TLR coreceptor CD14 could improve survival of experimental polymicrobial sepsis. Mice undergoing cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)–induced sepsis were treated with neutralizing anti-CD14 Ab biG 53, complement C5 inhibitor coversin (Ornithodoros moubata C inhibitor), or a combination thereof. The inflammatory study (24-h observation) revealed statistically significant increases in 22 of 24 measured plasma biomarkers in the untreated CLP group, comprising 14 pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and 8 chemokines, growth factors, and granulocyte activation markers. Single CD14 or C5 blockade significantly inhibited 20 and 19 of the 22 biomarkers, respectively. Combined CD14 and C5 inhibition significantly reduced all 22 biomarkers (mean reduction 85%; range 54–95%) compared with the untreated CLP group. Double blockade was more potent than single treatment and was required to significantly inhibit IL-6 and CXCL1. Combined inhibition significantly reduced morbidity (motility and eyelid movement) and mortality measured over 10 d. In the positive control CLP group, median survival was 36 h (range 24–48 h). Combined treatment increased median survival to 96 h (range 24–240 h) (p = 0.001), whereas survival in the single-treatment groups was not significantly increased (median and range for anti-CD14 and anti-C5 treatment were 36 h [24–48 h] and 48 h [24–96 h]). Combined with standard intervention therapy, specific blockade of CD14 and C5 might represent a promising new therapeutic strategy for treatment of polymicrobial sepsis

Examining the role of the EU in Ugandan underdevelopment A case study of milk and cocoa trade

Denne bacheloren utforsker EU’s rolle i Ugandas underutvikling gjennom en analyse av handelsrelasjonene, med fokus på handel med melk og kakao. Med avhengighetsteori som teoretisk rammeverk undersøker studien hvordan handelsrelasjonen påvirker Ugandas utvikling. Gjennom en casestudieanalyse gir forskningen et nyansert innblikk i Ugandas landbrukssektor, handelsmønstre og økonomiske prestasjoner. Funnene tyder på at selv om EU’s handelsstøtteprogrammer, som Everything But Arms, har som mål å fremme handel med Uganda og stimulere til utvikling, hindrer strukturelle ubalanser og nasjonale interesser programmets effektivitet, særlig i melkesektoren. Kakaohandelen gir et gunstigere utfall for Uganda, og bidrar positivt til landets handelsbalanse og økonomiske vekst. Avhandlingen understreker kompleksiteten i handelen mellom EU og Uganda, og hvordan den påvirker utviklingen i landet.This thesis explores the role of the European Union in the underdevelopment of Uganda through an analysis of its trade relationship, with a focus on milk and cocoa trade. Deploying dependency theory as a theoretical framework, the study examines how the trade relationship impacts the development of Uganda. Through a case study analysis the research reveals a nuanced insight to Uganda’s agricultural sector, trade patterns and economic performance. The findings suggest that while the EU’s trade aid programs like Everything But Arms, aims to promote trade with Uganda and stimulate development, structural imbalances and domestic interests hinder it’s effectiveness, especially in the milk sector. The cocoa trade presents a more favorable outcome for Uganda, contributing positively to its trade balance and economic growth. The thesis underscores the complexities in EU-Ugandan trade, and how it impacts the development in Uganda

Identification of a functional interaction of HMGB1 with Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products in a model of neuropathic pain

Recent studies indicate that the release of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) following nerve injury may play a central role in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain. HMGB1 is known to influence cellular responses within the nervous system via two distinct receptor families; the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products (RAGE) and Toll-like receptors (TLRs). The degree to which HMGB1 activates a receptor is thought to be dependent upon the oxidative state of the ligand, resulting in the functional isoforms of all-thiol HMGB1 (at-HMGB1) acting through RAGE, and disufide HMGB1 (ds-HMGB1) interacting with TLR4. Though it is known that dorsal root ganglia (DRG) sensory neurons exposed to HMGB1 and TLR4 agonists can influence excitation, the degree to which at-HMGB1 signaling through neuronal RAGE contributes to neuropathic pain is unknown. Here we demonstrate that at-HMGB1 activation of nociceptive neurons is dependent on RAGE and not TLR4. To distinguish the possible role of RAGE on neuropathic pain, we characterized the changes in RAGE mRNA expression up to one month after tibial nerve injury (TNI). RAGE mRNA expression in lumbar dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is substantially increased by post-injury day (PID) 28 when compared with sham injured rodents. Protein expression at PID28 confirms this injury-induced event in the DRG. Moreover, a single exposure to monoclonal antibody to RAGE (RAGE Ab) failed to abrogate pain behavior at PID 7, 14 and 21. However, RAGE Ab administration produced reversal of mechanical hyperalgesia on PID28. Thus, at-HMGB1 activation through RAGE may be responsible for sensory neuron sensitization and mechanical hyperalgesia associated with chronic neuropathic pain states

Wisconsin industrial employers' perceptions of the need for graduates of specific industrial technology programs in the Wisconsin Technical College Districts

Includes bibliographical references