991 research outputs found
Control of Heliothis spp. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae on flue- cured tobacco in north Queensland
In trials on tobacco in northern Queensland in 1972-76, sprays of 0.025% methomyl and 0.05% monocrotophos were effective against larvae of Heliothis spp. Other promising insecticides were 0.1% acephate, 0.05% carbofuran, 0.75% chlorpyrifos, 0.06% endosulfan, 0.075% mephosfolan, 0.03% permethrin, 0.06% prothiofos and sulprofos, 0.03% fenpropathrin, and a mixture of 0.05% chlordimeform hydrochloride with 0.05% Bacillus thuringiensis
Unconventional Cosmology
I review two cosmological paradigms which are alternative to the current
inflationary scenario. The first alternative is the "matter bounce", a
non-singular bouncing cosmology with a matter-dominated phase of contraction.
The second is an "emergent" scenario, which can be implemented in the context
of "string gas cosmology". I will compare these scenarios with the inflationary
one and demonstrate that all three lead to an approximately scale-invariant
spectrum of cosmological perturbations.Comment: 45 pages, 10 figures; invited lectures at the 6th Aegean Summer
School "Quantum Gravity and Quantum Cosmology", Chora, Naxos, Greece, Sept.
12 - 17 2012, to be publ. in the proceedings; these lecture notes form an
updated version of arXiv:1003.1745 and arXiv:1103.227
Automated distal coronary bypass with a novel magnetic coupler (MVP system)
AbstractObjectiveWe sought to assess the feasibility of performing sutureless distal coronary artery bypass anastomoses with a novel magnetic coupling device.MethodsFrom May 2000 to April 2001, single-vessel side-to-side coronary artery bypass grafting on a beating heart was performed in 39 domestic white pigs (35-60 kg) without the use of mechanical stabilization, shunts, or perfusion bridges. Animals were divided into 2 groups. Seventeen pigs underwent right internal thoracic artery to right coronary artery bypass grafting through a median sternotomy (group 1) with a novel magnetic vascular positioning system (MVP system; Ventrica, Inc, Fremont, Calif). Twenty-two pigs underwent left internal thoracic artery to left anterior descending artery grafting with the MVP anastomotic device through a left anterior minithoracotomy (group 2). This system consists of 2 pairs of elliptical magnetic implants and a deployment device. One pair of magnets forms the anastomotic docking port within the graft; the other pair forms an identical anastomotic docking port within the target vessel. The anastomosis is created when the 2 docking ports magnetically couple. Anastomotic patency was evaluated by means of angiography during the first postoperative week and at 1 month. Histologic studies were performed at different time points as late as 6 months.ResultsRight internal thoracic artery to right coronary artery anastomoses and left internal thoracic artery to left anterior descending artery anastomoses were successfully performed with the system in all animals. The self-adherent and self-aligning properties of the implants allowed for immediate and secure approximation of the arteries (total anastomotic time between 2-3 minutes). Anastomoses were constructed without a stabilization platform. Five nondevice-related deaths occurred postoperatively. One-week angiography, performed in 35 surviving animals, showed a patent graft and anastomosis in all cases. The patency rate at 1 month was 97% (33/34). Histologic studies as late as 6 months demonstrated neointimal coverage of the magnets without any significant luminal obstruction. Histology also confirmed the presence of viable tissue between magnets.ConclusionThe MVP anastomotic system uses magnetic force to create rapid and secure distal coronary artery anastomoses, which might facilitate minimally invasive and totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass surgery
Spatiotemporal endothelial cell-pericyte association in tumors as shown by high resolution 4D intravital imaging
Endothelial cells and pericytes are integral cellular components of the vasculature with distinct interactive functionalities. To study dynamic interactions between these two cells we created two transgenic animal lines. A truncated eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase) construct was used as a GFP tag for endothelial cell evaluation and an inducible Cre-lox recombination, under control of the Pdgfrb (platelet derived growth factor receptor beta) promoter, was created for pericyte assessment. Also, eNOStag-GFP animals were crossed with the already established Cspg4-DsRed mice expressing DsRed fluorescent protein in pericytes. For intravital imaging we used tumors implanted in the dorsal skinfold of these transgenic animals. This setup allowed us to study time and space dependent complexities, such as distribution, morphology, motility, and association between both vascular cell types in all angiogenetic stages, without the need for additional labeling. Moreover, as fluorescence was still clearly detectable after fixation, it is possible to perform comparative histology following intravital evaluation. These transgenic mouse lines form an excellent model to capture collective and individual cellular and subcellular endothelial cell-pericyte dynamics and will help answer key questions on the cellular and molecular relationship between these two cells
Effects of Temperature and Moisture on Sheet Molding Compounds
A summary is given on the effects of moisture and temperature on the properties of chopped fiber reinforced sheet molding compounds. The properties surveyed include tensile strength and modulus, compression strength and modulus, shear strength and modulus, flexural strength and modulus, fatigue, creep, vibration damping, moisture absorption characteristics, and thermal expansion.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68648/2/10.1177_073168448300200201.pd
Looking Beyond Inflationary Cosmology
In spite of the phenomenological successes of the inflationary universe
scenario, the current realizations of inflation making use of scalar fields
lead to serious conceptual problems which are reviewed in this lecture. String
theory may provide an avenue towards addressing these problems. One particular
approach to combining string theory and cosmology is String Gas Cosmology. The
basic principles of this approach are summarized.Comment: invited talk at "Theory Canada 1" (Univ. of British Columbia,
Vancouver, Canada, June 2 - 4, 2005) (references updated
Regional specialization and fate specification of bone stromal cells in skeletal development
Bone stroma contributes to the regulation of osteogenesis and hematopoiesis but also to fracture healing and disease processes. Mesenchymal stromal cells from bone (BMSCs) represent a heterogenous mixture of different subpopulations with distinct molecular and functional properties. The lineage relationship between BMSC subsets and their regulation by intrinsic and extrinsic factors are not well understood. Here, we show with mouse genetics, ex vivo cell differentiation assays, and transcriptional profiling that BMSCs from metaphysis (mpMSCs) and diaphysis (dpMSCs) are fundamentally distinct. Fate-tracking experiments and single-cell RNA sequencing indicate that bone-forming osteoblast lineage cells and dpMSCs, including leptin receptor-positive (LepR(+)) reticular cells in bone marrow, emerge from mpMSCs in the postnatal metaphysis. Finally, we show that BMSC fate is controlled by platelet-derived growth factor receptor β (PDGFRβ) signaling and the transcription factor Jun-B. The sum of our findings improves our understanding of BMSC development, lineage relationships, and differentiation
Initial data for a head on collision of two Kerr-like black holes with close limit
We prove the existence of a family of initial data for the Einstein vacuum
equation which can be interpreted as the data for two Kerr-like black holes in
arbitrary location and with spin in arbitrary direction. This family of initial
data has the following properties: (i) When the mass parameter of one of them
is zero or when the distance between them goes to infinity, it reduces exactly
to the Kerr initial data. (ii) When the distance between them is zero, we
obtain exactly a Kerr initial data with mass and angular momentum equal to the
sum of the mass and angular momentum parameters of each of them. The initial
data depends smoothly on the distance, the mass and the angular momentum
parameters.Comment: 15 pages, no figures, Latex2
Cdk5 controls lymphatic vessel development and function by phosphorylation of Foxc2.
The lymphatic system maintains tissue fluid balance, and dysfunction of lymphatic vessels and valves causes human lymphedema syndromes. Yet, our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying lymphatic vessel development is still limited. Here, we show that cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is an essential regulator of lymphatic vessel development. Endothelial-specific Cdk5 knockdown causes congenital lymphatic dysfunction and lymphedema due to defective lymphatic vessel patterning and valve formation. We identify the transcription factor Foxc2 as a key substrate of Cdk5 in the lymphatic vasculature, mechanistically linking Cdk5 to lymphatic development and valve morphogenesis. Collectively, our findings show that Cdk5-Foxc2 interaction represents a critical regulator of lymphatic vessel development and the transcriptional network underlying lymphatic vascular remodeling
The Pseudo-Conformal Universe: Scale Invariance from Spontaneous Breaking of Conformal Symmetry
We present a novel theory of the very early universe which addresses the
traditional horizon and flatness problems of big bang cosmology and predicts a
scale invariant spectrum of perturbations. Unlike inflation, this scenario
requires no exponential accelerated expansion of space-time. Instead, the early
universe is described by a conformal field theory minimally coupled to gravity.
The conformal fields develop a time-dependent expectation value which breaks
the flat space so(4,2) conformal symmetry down to so(4,1), the symmetries of de
Sitter, giving perturbations a scale invariant spectrum. The solution is an
attractor, at least in the case of a single time-dependent field. Meanwhile,
the metric background remains approximately flat but slowly contracts, which
makes the universe increasingly flat, homogeneous and isotropic, akin to the
smoothing mechanism of ekpyrotic cosmology. Our scenario is very general,
requiring only a conformal field theory capable of developing the appropriate
time-dependent expectation values, and encompasses existing incarnations of
this idea, specifically the U(1) model of Rubakov and the Galileon Genesis
scenario. Its essential features depend only on the symmetry breaking pattern
and not on the details of the underlying lagrangian. It makes generic
observational predictions that make it potentially distinguishable from
standard inflation, in particular significant non-gaussianities and the absence
of primordial gravitational waves.Comment: 51 pages, 3 figures. v2 discussion and refs added, minus sign in
transformation laws fixed. Version appearing in JCA
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