Concentration of electric dipole strength below the neutron separation energy in N = 82 nuclei

The semi-magic nuclei Ba-138, Ce-140, and Sm-144 have been investigated in photon scattering experiments up to an excitation energy of about 10 MeV. The distribution of the electric dipole strength shows a resonance like structure at energies between 5.5 and 8 MeV exhausting up to 1% of the isovector E1 Energy Weighted Sum Rule.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Results of Screening of Apparently Healthy Senior and Geriatric Dogs

Background: There is a growing interest in health care of elderly dogs; however, scientific information about physical and laboratory examination findings in this age group is limited. Objectives: To describe systolic blood pressure (SBP), and results of physical examination and laboratory tests in senior and geriatric dogs that were judged by the owner to be healthy. Animals: Hundred client-owned dogs. Methods: Dogs were prospectively recruited. Owners completed a questionnaire. SBP measurement, physical, orthopedic and neurologic examination, direct fundoscopy and Schirmer tear test were performed. Complete blood count, serum biochemistry, and urinalysis were evaluated. Results: Forty-one senior and 59 geriatric dogs were included. Mean SBP was 170 38 mmHg, and 53 dogs had SBP > 160 mmHg. Thirty-nine animals were overweight. A heart murmur was detected in 22, severe calculus in 21 and 1 or more (sub)cutaneous masses in 56 dogs. Thirty-two dogs had increased serum creatinine, 29 hypophosphatemia, 27 increased ALP, 25 increased ALT, and 23 leukopenia. Crystalluria, mostly amorphous crystals, was commonly detected (62/96). Overt proteinuria and borderline proteinuria were detected in 13 and 18 of 97 dogs, respectively. Four dogs had a positive urine bacterial culture. Frequency of orthopedic problems, frequency of (sub)cutaneous masses, and platelet count were significantly higher in geriatric compared with senior dogs. Body temperature, hematocrit, serum albumin, and serum total thyroxine concentration were significantly lower in geriatric compared with senior dogs. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Physical and laboratory abnormalities are common in apparently healthy elderly dogs. Veterinarians play a key role in implementing health screening and improving health care for elderly pets

Epigenetics and airways disease

Epigenetics is the term used to describe heritable changes in gene expression that are not coded in the DNA sequence itself but by post-translational modifications in DNA and histone proteins. These modifications include histone acetylation, methylation, ubiquitination, sumoylation and phosphorylation. Epigenetic regulation is not only critical for generating diversity of cell types during mammalian development, but it is also important for maintaining the stability and integrity of the expression profiles of different cell types. Until recently, the study of human disease has focused on genetic mechanisms rather than on non-coding events. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that disruption of epigenetic processes can lead to several major pathologies, including cancer, syndromes involving chromosomal instabilities, and mental retardation. Furthermore, the expression and activity of enzymes that regulate these epigenetic modifications have been reported to be abnormal in the airways of patients with respiratory disease. The development of new diagnostic tools might reveal other diseases that are caused by epigenetic alterations. These changes, despite being heritable and stably maintained, are also potentially reversible and there is scope for the development of 'epigenetic therapies' for disease

An Exciting Aspect of Nanotechnology: Unimolecular Electronics

This is a brief update on our experimental work towards better one-molecule-thick monolayer rectifiers of electrical current, and on theoretical progress towards a one-molecule amplifier of electrical current. This program aims to provide electronic devices at the 2 to 3 nm level, as a dramatic advance towards practical integrated circuits of the future