30 research outputs found
Convergence of the expansion of the Laplace-Borel integral in perturbative QCD improved by conformal mapping
The optimal conformal mapping of the Borel plane was recently used to
accelerate the convergence of the perturbation expansions in QCD. In this work
we discuss the relevance of the method for the calculation of the Laplace-Borel
integral expressing formally the QCD Green functions. We define an optimal
expansion of the Laplace-Borel integral in the principal value prescription and
establish conditions under which the expansion is convergent.Comment: 10 pages, no figure
Observations of the High Redshift Universe
(Abridged) In these lectures aimed for non-specialists, I review progress in
understanding how galaxies form and evolve. Both the star formation history and
assembly of stellar mass can be empirically traced from redshifts z~6 to the
present, but how the various distant populations inter-relate and how stellar
assembly is regulated by feedback and environmental processes remains unclear.
I also discuss how these studies are being extended to locate and characterize
the earlier sources beyond z~6. Did early star-forming galaxies contribute
significantly to the reionization process and over what period did this occur?
Neither theory nor observations are well-developed in this frontier topic but
the first results presented here provide important guidance on how we will use
more powerful future facilities.Comment: To appear in `First Light in Universe', Saas-Fee Advanced Course 36,
Swiss Soc. Astrophys. Astron. in press. 115 pages, 64 figures (see
http://www.astro.caltech.edu/~rse/saas-fee.pdf for hi-res figs.) For lecture
ppt files see
http://obswww.unige.ch/saas-fee/preannouncement/course_pres/overview_f.htm
Anticholinesterase and Antioxidant Activities of Spilanthes filicaulis Whole Plant Extracts for the Management of Alzheimerâs Disease
Background: Spilanthes filicaulis is a tropical herb implicated as a memory enhancer in ethnomedicine. Objective: The study investigated acetyl/butyryl cholinesterase inhibitory and antioxidant activities of different extracts of S. filicaulis whole plant and correlated them to its phytochemical constituents. Methods: The powdered whole plant was successively extracted with n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol. Acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) and Butyryl cholinesterase (BuChE) inhibitory activity were evaluated by Ellman colorimetry assay. Antioxidant activity was tested using 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, ferric reducing power and nitric oxide scavenging assays. Total phenolic, flavonoid and tannin were estimated using standard methods. Correlation was determined using Quest Graphâą Regression Calculator. Results: Various extracts exhibited concentration-dependent AChE and BuChE inhibitory activity with ethyl acetate extract being the highest with IC50 of 0.77 ÎŒg/mL and 0.92 ÎŒg/mL for AChE and BuChE respectively. The ethyl acetate extract also showed the highest reducing power when compared with the other extracts. The methanol extract had slightly higher phenolic and flavonoid content and showed the highest DPPH radical scavenging effect. DPPH scavenging, AChE and BuChE inhibition had high correlation with the total flavonoid content with R2 values of 1.00, 0.800 and 0.992 respectively while nitric oxide scavenging had high correlation with phenolics and tannins with R2 = 0.942 and 0.806 respectively. Conclusion: These results show that the extracts of the whole plant of S. filicaulis possess significant AChE/BuChE inhibitory and antioxidant properties, mostly due to its flavonoid content, suggesting the possible use of the plant in neurodegenerative diseases such as AD
Modifying otter boards to reduce bottom contact: Effects on catches and efficiencies of triple-rigged penaeid trawls
Two otter-board modifications designed to minimise bottom contact (and therefore habitat impacts) were compared against conventional otter boards for their relative effects on the engineering and catching efficiencies of triple-rigged penaeid trawls. The first modification involved restricting the angle of attack (AOA) of a flat-rectangular otter board t