370 research outputs found
Field-control, phase-transitions, and life's emergence
Instances of critical-like characteristics in living systems at each
organizational level as well as the spontaneous emergence of computation
(Langton), indicate the relevance of self-organized criticality (SOC). But
extrapolating complex bio-systems to life's origins, brings up a paradox: how
could simple organics--lacking the 'soft matter' response properties of today's
bio-molecules--have dissipated energy from primordial reactions in a controlled
manner for their 'ordering'? Nevertheless, a causal link of life's macroscopic
irreversible dynamics to the microscopic reversible laws of statistical
mechanics is indicated via the 'functional-takeover' of a soft magnetic
scaffold by organics (c.f. Cairns-Smith's 'crystal-scaffold'). A
field-controlled structure offers a mechanism for bootstrapping--bottom-up
assembly with top-down control: its super-paramagnetic components obey
reversible dynamics, but its dissipation of H-field energy for aggregation
breaks time-reversal symmetry. The responsive adjustments of the controlled
(host) mineral system to environmental changes would bring about mutual
coupling between random organic sets supported by it; here the generation of
long-range correlations within organic (guest) networks could include SOC-like
mechanisms. And, such cooperative adjustments enable the selection of the
functional configuration by altering the inorganic network's capacity to assist
a spontaneous process. A non-equilibrium dynamics could now drive the
kinetically-oriented system towards a series of phase-transitions with
appropriate organic replacements 'taking-over' its functions.Comment: 54 pages, pdf fil
Primary Amoebic (Naegleria fowleri) Meningoencephalitis Presenting as Status Epilepticus
Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rare entity. Usual presenting features are fever, headache and seizures with meningeal signs and this disease carries high mortality rate. We present a case report of PAM presenting as status epilepticus
Merged ionization/dissociation fronts in planetary nebulae
The hydrogen ionization and dissociation front around an ultraviolet
radiation source should merge when the ratio of ionizing photon flux to gas
density is sufficiently low and the spectrum is sufficiently hard. This regime
is particularly relevant to the molecular knots that are commonly found in
evolved planetary nebulae, such as the Helix Nebula, where traditional models
of photodissociation regions have proved unable to explain the high observed
luminosity in H_2 lines. In this paper we present results for the structure and
steady-state dynamics of such advection-dominated merged fronts, calculated
using the Cloudy plasma/molecular physics code. We find that the principal
destruction processes for H_2 are photoionization by extreme ultraviolet
radiation and charge exchange reactions with protons, both of which form H_2^+,
which rapidly combines with free electrons to undergo dissociative
recombination. Advection moves the dissociation front to lower column densities
than in the static case, which vastly increases the heating in the partially
molecular gas due to photoionization of He^0, H_2, and H^0. This causes a
significant fraction of the incident bolometric flux to be re-radiated as
thermally excited infrared H_2 lines, with the lower excitation pure rotational
lines arising in 1000 K gas and higher excitation H_2 lines arising in 2000 K
gas, as is required to explain the H_2 spectrum of the Helix cometary knots.Comment: 4 pages, accepted by ApJL, scheduled December 20 issu
Flight Test Evaluation of Mission Computer Algorithms for a Modern Trainer Aircraft
A low cost integrated avionics system has been realized on a modern trainer aircraft. Without using an expensive inertial navigation system onboard, acceptable level of accuracy for navigation, guidance, and weapon aiming is achieved by extensive data fusion within mission computer. The flight test evaluation of mission computer is carried out by assessing the overall performance under various navigation and guidance modes. In flight simulation is carried out for weapon aiming modes. The mission computer interfaces with various subsystems and implements the functional requirements for flight management and mission management. The aim of this paper is to discuss the algorithms of a data fusion intensive mission computer and flight test evaluation of these algorithms, for a typical modern trainer aircraft. The challenges and innovations involved in the work are also discussed.Defence Science Journal, 2013, 63(2), pp.164-173, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.63.425
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Blood-based bioenergetic profiling is related to differences in brain morphology in African Americans with Type 2 diabetes.
Blood-based bioenergetic profiling has promising applications as a minimally invasive biomarker of systemic bioenergetic capacity. In the present study, we examined peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) mitochondrial function and brain morphology in a cohort of African Americans with long-standing Type 2 diabetes. Key parameters of PBMC respiration were correlated with white matter, gray matter, and total intracranial volumes. Our analyses indicate that these relationships are primarily driven by the relationship of systemic bioenergetic capacity with total intracranial volume, suggesting that systemic differences in mitochondrial function may play a role in overall brain morphology
Autocrine epidermal growth factor signaling stimulates directionally persistent mammary epithelial cell migration
Cell responses to soluble regulatory factors may be strongly influenced by the mode of presentation of the factor, as in matrix-bound versus diffusible modes. The possibly diverse effect of presenting a growth factor in autocrine as opposed to exogenous (or paracrine) mode is an especially important issue in cell biology. We demonstrate here that migration behavior of human mammary epithelial cells in response to stimulation by epidermal growth factor (EGF) is qualitatively different for EGF presented in exogenous (paracrine), autocrine, and intracrine modes. When EGF is added as an exogenous factor to the medium of cells that express EGF receptor (EGFR) but not EGF, cell migration speed increases while directional persistence decreases. When these EGFR-expressing cells are made to also express via retroviral transfection EGF in protease-cleaveable transmembrane form on the plasma membrane, migration speed similarly increases, but directional persistence increases as well. Addition of exogenous EGF to these cells abrogates their enhanced directional persistence, reducing their directionality to a level similar to wild-type cells. If the EGFR-expressing cells are instead transduced with a gene encoding EGF in a soluble form, migration speed and directional persistence were unaffected. Thus, autocrine presentation of EGF at the plasma membrane in a protease-cleavable form provides these cells with an enhanced ability to migrate persistently in a given direction, consistent with their increased capability for organizing into gland-like structures. In contrast, an exogenous/paracrine mode of EGF presentation generates a “scattering” response by the cells. These findings emphasize the functional importance of spatial restriction of EGFR signaling, and suggest critical implications for growth factor–based therapeutic treatments
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