571 research outputs found
Islanding, growth mode and ordering in Si heteroepitaxy on Ge(001) substrates structured by thermal annealing
Si/Ge heteroepitaxial dots under tensile strain are grown on nanostructured
Ge substrates produced by high-temperature flash heating exploiting the
spontaneous faceting of the Ge(001) surface close to the onset of surface
melting. A very diverse growth mode is obtained depending on the specific
atomic structure and step density of nearby surface domains with different
vicinal crystallographic orientations. On highly-miscut areas of the Ge(001)
substrate, the critical thickness for islanding is lowered to about 5 ML, in
contrast to the 11 ML reported for the flat Ge(001) surface, while on
unreconstructed (1x1) domains the growth is Volmer-Weber driven. An explanation
is proposed considering the diverse relative contributions of step and surface
energies on misoriented substrates. In addition, we show that the bottom-up
pattern of the substrate naturally formed by thermal annealing determines a
spatial correlation for the dot sites
Perbandingan Virtual Private Network Protokol Menggunakan Point To Point Tunnel Protocol dan OpenVPN
Dengan semakin ketergantungannya user kepada teknologi internet tentu harus diimbangi dengan ketersediaan internet yang memadai dan handal, berbagai masalah justru muncul ketika internet tidak menjamin keamanan yang maksimal tanpa adanya metode-metode tertentu karena internet sendiri terbuka untuk umum, siapapun dapat mengakses didalamnya, untuk itu maka kerahasiaan serta autentifikasi atas informasi yang dikirim atau yang diterimapun bersifat terbuka. Sebelum mengimplementasikan Virtual Private Network (VPN) perlu dilakukan perbandingan antar protokol terutama protokol PPTP dan OpenVPN. Metode penelitian yang digunakan metode Network Development Life Cycle (NDLC) untuk mengimplementasikan konsep VPN beserta penerapan QoS. Perbandingan dilakukan dengan parameter kecepatan dan keamanan data pada saat dikirim maupun diterima. Hasil penelitian didapat kedua protokol memiliki kelebihan dan kekurangan masing-masing. Pada sisi kecepatan PPTP lebih unggul ketimbang OpenVPN, sedangkan pada sisi keamanan OpenVPN memiliki keamanan yang lebih baik ketimbang PPTP
Decidual endothelial cells express surface-bound C1q as a molecular bridge between endovascular trophoblast and decidual endothelium
This study was prompted by the observation that decidual endothelial cells (DECs), unlike endothelial cells (ECs) of blood vessels in normal skin, kidney glomeruli and brain, express surface-bound C1q in physiologic pregnancy. This finding was unexpected, because deposits of C1q are usually observed in pathologic conditions and are associated with complement activation. In the case of DECs, we failed to detect immunoglobulins and C4 co-localized with C1q on the cell surface. Surprisingly, DECs expressed mRNA for the three chains of C1q and secreted detectable level of this component in serum-free medium. The ability to synthesize C1q is acquired by DECs during pregnancy and is not shared by ECs obtained from endometrium and from other sources. Cell-associated C1q has a molecular weight similar to that of secreted C1q and is released from DECs following treatment with heparinase or incubation at low pH. This suggests that C1q binds to DECs and it is not constitutively expressed on the cell surface. C1q is localized at contact sites between endovascular trophoblast and DECs and acts as an intercellular molecular bridge because adhesion of endovascular trophoblast to DECs was inhibited by antibodies to C1q and to a receptor recognizing its globular portion expressed on trophoblast. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Anti-Candida and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of a Vaginal Gel Formulation: Novel Data Concerning Vaginal Infection and Dysbiosis
Vaginal ecosystem is a unique environment where, in physiological conditions, lactobacilli dominate. However, pathogenic microbial species responsible for vaginitis and vaginosis can also harbor vaginal microbiota. To extend the data published by De Seta and Larsen in Pathogens (2021), we analyzed here both the anti-Candida and anti-inflammatory properties of the vaginal gel formulation, Respecta® Balance Gel (RBG), commercialized as an adjuvant to treat vaginitis and vaginosis. We evaluated its activity by an in vitro model where a monolayer of A-431 vaginal epithelial cells was infected by Candida albicans in the presence of RBG or the placebo formulation (pRBG). Specifically, we tested the RBG capacity to counteract C. albicans virulence factors and their anti-inflammatory properties. Our results show that, unlike the placebo, RBG reduces C. albicans adhesion, its capacity to form hyphae and C. albicans-induced vaginal cell damage. Interestingly, both RBG and pRBG reduce LPS-induced IL-8 secretion (with RBG being the most effective), demonstrating that also the placebo retains anti-inflammatory properties. From our experimental approach, we highlighted the possible role of farnesol on such effects, but we would like to point out that lactic acid, polydextrose and glycogen too must be relevant in the actual application. In summary, our results show that RBG impairs C. albicans virulence and is able to reduce the inflammation in the vaginal environment, ultimately allowing the establishment of a balanced vaginal ecosystem
Finite difference lattice Boltzmann model with flux limiters for liquid-vapor systems
In this paper we apply a finite difference lattice Boltzmann model to study
the phase separation in a two-dimensional liquid-vapor system. Spurious
numerical effects in macroscopic equations are discussed and an appropriate
numerical scheme involving flux limiter techniques is proposed to minimize them
and guarantee a better numerical stability at very low viscosity. The phase
separation kinetics is investigated and we find evidence of two different
growth regimes depending on the value of the fluid viscosity as well as on the
liquid-vapor ratio.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.
Shocked molecular hydrogen towards the Tornado nebula
We present near-infrared and millimetre-line observations of the Tornado
nebula (G357.7-0.1). We detected 2.12 micron_m H2 1-0 S(1) line emission
towards the suspected site of interaction with a molecular cloud revealed by
the presence of an OH(1720 MHz) maser. The distribution of the H2 emission is
well correlated with the nonthermal radio continuum emission from the Tornado,
and the velocity of the H2 emission spans over 100 km/s, which both imply that
the H2 emission is shock excited. We also detected millimetre-lines from 12CO
and 13CO transitions at the velocity of the maser, and mapped the distribution
of the molecular cloud in a 2 x 2 arcmin^2 region around the maser. The peak of
the molecular cloud aligns well with an indentation in the nebula's radio
continuum distribution, suggesting that the nebula's shock is being decelerated
at this location, which is consistent with the presence of the OH(1720 MHz)
maser and shocked H2 emission at that location.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, minor changes, accepted to MNRA
A fast and long-lived outflow from the supermassive black hole in NGC 5548
Supermassive black holes in the nuclei of active galaxies expel large amounts
of matter through powerful winds of ionized gas. The archetypal active galaxy
NGC 5548 has been studied for decades, and high-resolution X-ray and UV
observations have previously shown a persistent ionized outflow. An observing
campaign in 2013 with six space observatories shows the nucleus to be obscured
by a long-lasting, clumpy stream of ionized gas never seen before. It blocks
90% of the soft X-ray emission and causes simultaneous deep, broad UV
absorption troughs. The outflow velocities of this gas are up to five times
faster than those in the persistent outflow, and at a distance of only a few
light days from the nucleus, it may likely originate from the accretion disk.Comment: 25 pages, 8 figures. This is the author's version of the work. It is
posted here by permission of the AAAS for personal use, not for
redistribution. The definitive version was published in Science,
electronically available at Science Express (June 19, 2014). For a brief
video explaining the key results of this paper, please visit
http://www.issibern.ch/teams/ngc5548/?page_id=2
Radio emission from Supernova Remnants
The explosion of a supernova releases almost instantaneously about 10^51 ergs
of mechanic energy, changing irreversibly the physical and chemical properties
of large regions in the galaxies. The stellar ejecta, the nebula resulting from
the powerful shock waves, and sometimes a compact stellar remnant, constitute a
supernova remnant (SNR). They can radiate their energy across the whole
electromagnetic spectrum, but the great majority are radio sources. Almost 70
years after the first detection of radio emission coming from a SNR, great
progress has been achieved in the comprehension of their physical
characteristics and evolution. We review the present knowledge of different
aspects of radio remnants, focusing on sources of the Milky Way and the
Magellanic Clouds, where the SNRs can be spatially resolved. We present a brief
overview of theoretical background, analyze morphology and polarization
properties, and review and critical discuss different methods applied to
determine the radio spectrum and distances. The consequences of the interaction
between the SNR shocks and the surrounding medium are examined, including the
question of whether SNRs can trigger the formation of new stars. Cases of
multispectral comparison are presented. A section is devoted to reviewing
recent results of radio SNRs in the Magellanic Clouds, with particular emphasis
on the radio properties of SN 1987A, an ideal laboratory to investigate
dynamical evolution of an SNR in near real time. The review concludes with a
summary of issues on radio SNRs that deserve further study, and analyzing the
prospects for future research with the latest generation radio telescopes.Comment: Revised version. 48 pages, 15 figure
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