Effects of space plasma on an oxide coating of spacecraft's surface materials

The aim of this paper is to study the properties of the materials for spacecraft surfaces under the effects of simulated low Earth orbit (LEO) plasma environment to understand the effects of charging and discharging phenomena, which are known to take place when spacecraft is moving through space plasma in LEO. Anodized aluminum Al2O3 samples were prepared using electrochemical techniques with different thicknesses to investigate the role of the Al2O3 coating in the charging and discharging phenomena. Penning plasma source is used to generate plasma using Ar gas flowing through the vacuum chamber. The peak current and the voltage waveform associated with charging and discharging processes, when a negatively biased voltage is applied to the substrate, are discussed. The structural properties before and after plasma exposure are investigated through the morphology and optical analyses of the samples. Morphological analyses confirmed the significant contribution of space plasma in the variation of the crystalline structure, and sample characteristics are dependent on the value of the thickness. In addition, the results confirm the variation of optical properties and the microcrystalline structure over the surface of the anodic oxide film

Effects of Noise on Rabbit’s Blood

Experiments are described in which domestic rabbits were deliberately subjected to a daily 3-4 hours noise regime (65 dB) for 18, 28, 40 and 50 days, to determine its effects on the blood. Noise exposure to rabbits caused a general increase in its biochemical parameters such as urea, uric acid, creatinine, cholesterol, and triglycerides, while glucose level decreased significantly. Our results indicate a general decrease of total protein, albumin and globulin levels. The results indicated that noise exposure at split dose could be harmful. It found that recovery period were able to alleviate some of those harmful changes

Changes in the lipids of frozen chickens

A szerzők fagyasztott, egyes mintáknál előzetesen hőkezelt egyiptomi -csirke zsír- és bőrszövetének összes zsírtartalmát, peroxid-számát, thiobarbitursav-számát és szabad zsírsavtartalmát vizsgálták. A fagyasztást — 20 °C-on végezték, a fagyasztott mintákat — 4 °C-on tárolták. Megállapították, hogy a peroxid-szám, thiobarbitursav-szám, a szabad zsírsav %-os értéke, valamint a lipidtartalom változása a zsír oxidációja és hidrolízise a tárolás során jelentősebben növekedett a hőkezeletlen mintákban, mint a hőkezeitekben. Les auteurs ont étudié, dans des échantillons de poulets d’Egypte, dont quelques-uns avaient subit un traitement thermique préalable, la teneur en graisse totale du tissus adipeux et de la peau, les valeurs de péroxyde et d’acide thiobarbiturique ainsi que la teneur en acides libres. La congélation s’est effectuée ä -2 0 ° C et l ’entreposage des échantillons congelés ä -4 ° С. On a établi que, lors de I’entreposage, les valeurs de péroxyde et d’acide thiobarbiturique, le pourcentage d’acides libres ainsi que les variations de la teneur en lipides, Toxydation et Thydrolyse de la graisse, ont augmenté de tagon plus prononcéc dans les échantillons non traités que dans ceux qui avaient subit un traitement thermique

Chapter 10 - Industry

This chapter provides an update to developments on mitigation in the industry sector since the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) (IPCC, 2007), but has much wider coverage. Industrial activities create all the physical products (e.g., cars, agricultural equipment, fertilizers, textiles, etc.) whose use delivers the final services that satisfy current human needs. Compared to the industry chapter in AR4, this chapter analyzes industrial activities over the whole supply chain, from extraction of primary materials (e.g., ores) or recycling (of waste materials), through product manufacturing, to the demand for the products and their services. It includes a discussion of trends in activity and emissions, options for mitigation (technology, practices, and behavioural aspects), estimates of the mitigation potentials of some of these options and related costs, co-benefits, risks and barriers to their deployment, as well as industry-specific policy instruments. Findings of integrated models (long-term mitigation pathways) are also presented and discussed from the sector perspective. In addition, at the end of the chapter, the hierarchy in waste management and mitigation opportunities are synthesized, covering key waste-related issues that appear across all chapters in the Working Group III contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5)

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

Anti-prostate cancer metabolites from the soil-derived Aspergillus neoniveus

Prostate cancer (PCa) ranks as one of the most commonly diagnosed malignancies worldwide. Toxicity, lack of clinical efficacy, and development of resistance phenotypes are the main challenges in the control of prostate malignancies. Notably, castration-resistance prostate cancer (CRPCa) is a highly aggressive and metastatic phenotype of the disease with a poor prognosis and very limited therapeutic options. Herein, we report the isolation and genotypic identification of a soil-derived fungus Aspergillus neoniveus using the PCR-based internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region amplification approach. HPLC/MS investigation of the metabolic profile of the ethyl acetate extract from the fungal biomass revealed tentative identification of forty-five compounds belonging to various chemical classes including γ-butyrolactones, alkaloids, phenolics, and quinoids. Furthermore, the chromatographic purification of microbial extract enabled the identification of nervonic acid methyl ester (1) for the first time from endophytic fungi, as well as acetyl aszonalenin (2), and butyrolactone II (3) for the first time from A. neoniveus. The chemical frameworks of the isolated compounds were identified via extensive spectral analysis including 1 and 2D NMR and MS. The X-ray crystal structure and absolute configuration of acetyl aszonalenin (2) were also determined. Additionally, screening of in vitro anticancer activity of the fungal extract revealed its potential antiproliferative and anti-migratory activities against five different prostate cancer cells (PC3, PC-3M, DU-145, CWR-R1ca, and 22Rv1), including different cells with the castration-resistance phenotype. Moreover, the isolated metabolites significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and colonization of human prostate cancer cells at low micromolar levels, thus providing credence for future investigation of these metabolites in relevant anti-prostate cancer animal models. Furthermore, computational target prediction tools identified the cannabinoid G-protein coupled receptors type 1 (CB1) as a potential biological target mediating, at least in part, the anticancer effects of acetylaszonalenin (2). Moreover, molecular modeling and docking studies revealed a favorable binding pose at the CB1 receptor orthosteric ligand pocket aided by multiple polar and hydrophobic interactions with critical amino acids. In conclusion, the Aspergillus neoniveus-derived prenylated indole alkaloid acetylaszonalenin has promising anticancer activity and is amenable to further hit-to-lead optimization for the control of prostate malignancies via modulating CB1 receptor

Accuracy of single progesterone test to predict early pregnancy outcome in women with pain or bleeding: Meta-analysis of cohort studies

Objective To determine the accuracy with which a single progesterone measurement in early pregnancy discriminates between viable and non-viable pregnancy. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy studies. Data sources Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, ProQuest, Conference Proceedings Citation Index, and the Cochrane Library from inception until April 2012, plus reference lists of relevant studies. Study selection Studies were selected on the basis of participants (women with spontaneous pregnancy of less than 14 weeks of gestation); test (single serum progesterone measurement); outcome (viable intrauterine pregnancy, miscarriage, or ectopic pregnancy) diagnosed on the basis of combinations of pregnancy test, ultrasound scan, laparoscopy, and histological examination; design (cohort studies of test accuracy); and sufficient data being reported. Results 26 cohort studies, including 9436 pregnant women, were included, consisting of 7 studies in women with symptoms and inconclusive ultrasound assessment and 19 studies in women with symptoms alone. Among women with symptoms and inconclusive ultrasound assessments, the progesterone test (5 studies with 1998 participants and cut-off values from 3.2 to 6 ng/mL) predicted a non-viable pregnancy with pooled sensitivity of 74.6% (95% confidence interval 50.6% to 89.4%), specificity of 98.4% (90.9% to 99.7%), positive likelihood ratio of 45 (7.1 to 289), and negative likelihood ratio of 0.26 (0.12 to 0.57). The median prevalence of a non-viable pregnancy was 73.2%, and the probability of a non-viable pregnancy was raised to 99.2% if the progesterone was low. For women with symptoms alone, the progesterone test had a higher specificity when a threshold of 10 ng/mL was used (9 studies with 4689 participants) and predicted a non-viable pregnancy with pooled sensitivity of 66.5% (53.6% to 77.4%), specificity of 96.3% (91.1% to 98.5%), positive likelihood ratio of 18 (7.2 to 45), and negative likelihood ratio of 0.35 (0.24 to 0.50). The probability of a non-viable pregnancy was raised from 62.9% to 96.8%. Conclusion A single progesterone measurement for women in early pregnancy presenting with bleeding or pain and inconclusive ultrasound assessments can rule out a viable pregnancy.Jorine Verhaegen, Ioannis D Gallos, Norah M van Mello, Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, Yemisi Takwoingi, Hoda Harb, Jonathan J Deeks, Ben W J Mol, Arri Coomarasam

The planarity of the stickface motion in the field hockey hit

The field hockey hit is an important but poorly understood stroke. This study investigated the planarity of the stickface motion during the downswing, in order to better characterise the kinematics and to assess the suitability of planar pendulum models for simulating the hit. Thirteen experienced female field hockey players were filmed executing hits with a single approach step, and the kinematics of the centre of the stickface were measured. A method was developed for identifying how far back from impact the stickface motion was planar. Orthogonal least-squares regression was used to determine best-fit planes for sections of the stickface path of varying length, each of which ended at impact, and these sections were considered planar if the mean residual between the stickface path and the fitted plane was less than 0.25% of the distance traveled by the stickface during that period. On average the stickface motion was planar for the last 83±12% of its downswing path, with the length of the planar section ranging from 1.85 m to 2.70 m. The suitability of a planar model for the stickface motion was supported, but further investigation of the stick and arm kinematics is warranted