2,175 research outputs found
Studies on the maize cold tolerance tests in the MartonvĂĄsĂĄr phytotron
The climatic conditions in Hungary and in the countries to which seed is exported
makes the study of maize cold tolerance and constant improvements in the cold tolerance
of MartonvĂĄsĂĄr hybrids especially important. An improvement in the early spring cold
tolerance of maize would allow it to be grown in more northern areas with a cooler
climate, while on traditional maize-growing areas the profitability of maize production
could be improved by earlier sowing, leading to a reduction in transportation and drying
costs and in diseases caused by Fusarium sp. The recognition of this fact led MartonvĂĄsĂĄr
researchers to start investigating this subject nearly four decades ago. The phytotron has
proved an excellent tool for studying and improving the cold tolerance of maize. The
review will give a brief summary of the results achieved in the field of maize cold
tolerance in the MartonvĂĄsĂĄr institute in recent decades
Concentration inequalities for random fields via coupling
We present a new and simple approach to concentration inequalities for
functions around their expectation with respect to non-product measures, i.e.,
for dependent random variables. Our method is based on coupling ideas and does
not use information inequalities. When one has a uniform control on the
coupling, this leads to exponential concentration inequalities. When such a
uniform control is no more possible, this leads to polynomial or
stretched-exponential concentration inequalities. Our abstract results apply to
Gibbs random fields, in particular to the low-temperature Ising model which is
a concrete example of non-uniformity of the coupling.Comment: New corrected version; 22 pages; 1 figure; New result added:
stretched-exponential inequalit
Search for Deeply Bound Kaonic Nuclear States with AMADEUS
We briefly report on the search for Deeply Bound Kaonic Nuclear States with
AMADEUS in the Sigma0 p channel following K- absorption on 12C and outline
future perspectives for this work
Plasma surface modification of poly(D,L-lactic acid) as a tool to enhance protein adsorption and the attachment of different cell types
We have studied the influence of oxygen radio frequency glow discharge (RfGD) on the surface and bulk properties of poly(D,L-lactic acid) (PDLLA) and the effect of this surface modification on both protein adsorption and bone cell behavior. PDLLA films were characterized before and after plasma surface modification by water contact angle, surface energy, and adhesion tension of water as well as by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray electron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy. RfGD-films showed an increase in hydrophilicity and surface energy when compared with untreated films. Surface morphological changes were observed by SEM. Chemical analysis indicated significant differences in both atomic percentages and oxygen functional group. Protein adsorption was evaluated by combining solute depletion and spectroscopic techniques. Bovine serum albumin (BSA), fibronectin (FN), vitronectin (VN), and fetal bovine serum (FBS) were used in this study. RfGD-treated surfaces adsorbed more BSA and FN from single specie solutions than FBS that is a more complex, multi-specie solution. MG63 osteoblast-like cells and primary cultures of fetal rat calvarial (FRC) cells were used to assess both the effect of RfGD treatment and protein adsorption on cell attachment and proliferation. In the absence of preadsorbed proteins, cells could not distinguish between treated and untreated surfaces, with the exception of MG63 cells cultured for longer periods of time. In contrast, the adsorption of proteins increased the cells' preference for treated surfaces, thus indicating a crucial role for adsorbed proteins in mediating the response of osteogenic cells to the RfGD-treated PDLLA surface.Contract grant sponsors: Presidential Research Enhancement Fund (PREF), UTHSCSA, San Antonio, TX, USAContract grant sponsor: Foundation lot Science kind Technology (FCT), Portugal; contract grant number: SFRH/BD/11188/2002 and partial funding through FEDER and POCTI programsContract grant sponsor: EU funded Project HIPPOCRATES; contract grant number: NMP3-CT-2003-505758 Contract grant sponsor: European NoE EXPERTISSUES;Contract grant number: NMP3-CT-2004-500283
Left ventricular pressure-volume relationship in a rat model of advanced aging-associated heart failure.
Aging is associated with profound changes in the structure and function of the heart. A fundamental understanding of these processes, using relevant animal models, is required for effective prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease in the elderly. Here, we studied cardiac performance in 4- to 5-mo-old (young) and 24- to 26-mo-old (old) Fischer 344 male rats using the Millar pressure-volume (P-V) conductance catheter system. We evaluated systolic and diastolic function in vivo at different preloads, including preload recruitable stroke work (PRSW), maximal slope of the systolic pressure increment (+dP/dt), and its relation to end-diastolic volume (+dP/dt-EDV) as well as the time constant of left ventricular pressure decay, as an index of relaxation. The slope of the end-diastolic P-V relation (EDPVR), an index of left ventricular stiffness, was also calculated. Aging was associated with decrease in left ventricular systolic pressure, +dP/dt, maximal slope of the diastolic pressure decrement, +dP/dt-EDV, PRSW, ejection fraction, stroke volume, cardiac and stroke work indexes, and efficiency. In contrast, total peripheral resistance, left ventricular end-diastolic volume, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, and EDPVR were greater in aging than in young animals. Taken together, these data suggest that advanced aging is characterized by decreased systolic performance accompanied by delayed relaxation and increased diastolic stiffness of the heart in male Fischer 344 rats. P-V analysis is a sensitive method to determine cardiac function in rats
VIP: An Experiment to Search for a Violation of the Pauli Exclusion Principle
The Pauli Exclusion Principle is a basic principle of Quantum Mechanics, and
its validity has never been seriously challenged. However, given its
fundamental standing, it is very important to check it as thoroughly as
possible. Here we describe the VIP (VIolation of the Pauli exclusion principle)
experiment, an improved version of the Ramberg and Snow experiment (E. Ramberg
and G. Snow, {\it Phys. Lett. B} {\bf 238}, 438 (1990)); VIP has just completed
the installation at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory, and aims to test the
Pauli Exclusion Principle for electrons with unprecedented accuracy, down to
. We report preliminary experimental
results and briefly discuss some of the implications of a possible violation.Comment: Plenary talk presented by E. Milotti at Meson 2006, Cracow, 9-13 June
200
New experimental limit on the Pauli Exclusion Principle violation by electrons
The Pauli Exclusion Principle (PEP) is one of the basic principles of modern
physics and, even if there are no compelling reasons to doubt its validity, it
is still debated today because an intuitive, elementary explanation is still
missing, and because of its unique stand among the basic symmetries of physics.
The present paper reports a new limit on the probability that PEP is violated
by electrons, in a search for a shifted K line in copper: the presence
of this line in the soft X-ray copper fluorescence would signal a transition to
a ground state already occupied by 2 electrons. The obtained value, , improves the existing limit by almost two
orders of magnitude.Comment: submitted to Phys. Lett.
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