519 research outputs found
On some singularities of the correlation functions that determine neutrino opacities
Certain perturbation graphs in the calculation of the effects of the medium
on neutrino scattering in supernova matter have a nonintegrable singularity in
a physical region. A number of papers have addressed the apparent pathology
through an ansatz that invokes higher order (rescattering) effects. Taking the
Gamow-Teller terms as an example, we display an expression for the spin-spin
correlation function that determines the cross-sections. It is clear from the
form that there are no pathologies in the order by order perturbation
expansion. Explicit formulae are given for a simple case, leading to an answer
that is very different from one given by other authors.Comment: 8 page
Femtosecond laser impact on calcium phosphate bioceramics assessed by micro-Raman spectroscopy and osteoblastic behaviour
The present work is an investigation of the biological response to the presence of grooves 3 µm deep, 15 µm wide and spaced by 100 µm, produced with femtosecond laser on ß-tricalcium phosphate (ß-TCP). The heat affected zone generated by the laser irradiation was investigated. Micro-Raman spectroscopy showed a transformation from ß-TCP phase into a-TCP phase, localised inside the grooves. The X Ray Diffraction analyses, correlated with micro-Raman data, confirmed that the use of femtosecond pulsed laser enables to limit the thermal impact. A selection of optimised process parameters allowed to obtain ß-TCP micro-patterned surfaces avoiding any phase transformation. The increase of the wettability with the micro-patterning, compared to smooth surfaces, was highlighted. An improvement of the osteoblastic proliferation was also demonstrated. Finally, the tendency of cell elongation along the grooves direction showed the ability of osteoblastic cells to adapt their morphology to the support topography on which they grow.The authors are grateful to the JECS Trust for funding the visit of Marie Lasgorceix to the Laboratory INEB (Contract N°2015106). Marie Lasgorceix also acknowledges the Walloon Region for financial support, within the “BEWARE” program (convention n°1510392) co-funded by Wallonia and European Union (FP7 – Marie Curie Actions) . The authors are grateful to Dr Sylvain Desprez (Materia Nova, Mons, Belgium) for micro-Raman analyses. This publication is based on the work of COST Action MP1301, funded by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) www.cost.eu
Gr1+IL-4-producing innate cells are induced in response to Th2 stimuli and suppress Th1-dependent antibody responses
Alum is used as a vaccine adjuvant and induces T<sub>h</sub>2 responses and T<sub>h</sub>2-driven antibody isotype production against co-injected antigens. Alum also promotes the appearance in the spleen of Gr1+IL-4+ innate cells that, via IL-4 production, induce MHC II-mediated signaling in B cells. To investigate whether these Gr1+ cells accumulate in the spleen in response to other T<sub>h</sub>2-inducing stimuli and to understand some of their functions, the effects of injection of alum and eggs from the helminth, Schistosoma mansoni, were compared. Like alum, schistosome eggs induced the appearance of Gr1+IL-4+ cells in spleen and promoted MHC II-mediated signaling in B cells. Unlike alum, however, schistosome eggs did not promote CD4 T cell responses against co-injected antigens, suggesting that the effects of alum or schistosome eggs on splenic B cells cannot by themselves explain the T cell adjuvant properties of alum. Accordingly, depletion of IL-4 or Gr1+ cells in alum-injected mice had no effect on the ability of alum to improve expansion of primary CD4 T cells. However, Gr1+ cells and IL-4 played some role in the effects of alum, since depletion of either resulted in antibody responses to antigen that included not only the normal T<sub>h</sub>2-driven isotypes, like IgG1, but also a T<sub>h</sub>1-driven isotype, IgG2c. These data suggest that alum affects the immune response in at least two ways: one, independent of Gr1+ cells and IL-4, that promotes CD4 T cell proliferation and another, via Gr1+IL-4+ cells, that participates in the polarization of the response
Precision Prediction for the Big-Bang Abundance of Primordial Helium
Within the standard models of particle physics and cosmology we have
calculated the big-bang prediction for the primordial abundance of \he to a
theoretical uncertainty of less than 0.1 \pct ,
improving the current theoretical precision by a factor of 10. At this accuracy
the uncertainty in the abundance is dominated by the experimental uncertainty
in the neutron mean lifetime, . The following
physical effects were included in the calculation: the zero and
finite-temperature radiative, Coulomb and finite-nucleon-mass corrections to
the weak rates; order- quantum-electrodynamic correction to the plasma
density, electron mass, and neutrino temperature; and incomplete neutrino
decoupling. New results for the finite-temperature radiative correction and the
QED plasma correction were used. In addition, we wrote a new and independent
nucleosynthesis code designed to control numerical errors to be less than
0.1\pct. Our predictions for the \EL[4]{He} abundance are presented in the form
of an accurate fitting formula. Summarizing our work in one number, . Further,
the baryon density inferred from the Burles-Tytler determination of the
primordial D abundance, , leads to the
prediction: . This ``prediction'' and an accurate measurement of the primeval \he
abundance will allow an important consistency test of primordial
nucleosynthesis.Comment: Replaced fitting formulas - new versions differ by small but
significant amount. Other minor changes. 30 pages, 17 figures, 5 table
Interactions of Bacillus Mojavensis and Fusarium Verticillioides With a Benzoxazolinone (Boa) and Its Transformation Product, Apo
En:Journal of Chemical Ecology (2007, vol. 33, n. 10, p. 1885-1897)The benzoxazolinones, specifically benzoxazolin-2(3H)-one (BOA), are important transformation products of the benzoxazinones that can serve as allelochemicals providing resistance to maize from pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and insects. However, maize pathogens such as Fusarium verticillioides are capable of detoxifying the benzoxazolinones to 2-aminophenol (AP), which is converted to the less toxic N-(2-hydroxyphenyl) malonamic acid (HPMA) and 2-acetamidophenol (HPAA). As biocontrol strategies that utilize a species of endophytic bacterium, Bacillus mojavensis, are considered efficacious as a control of this Fusarium species, the in vitro transformation and effects of BOA on growth of this bacterium was examined relative to its interaction with strains of F. verticillioides. The results showed that a red pigment was produced and accumulated only on BOA-amended media when wild type and the progeny of genetic crosses of F. verticillioides are cultured in the presence of the bacterium. The pigment was identified as 2-amino-3H-phenoxazin-3-one (APO), which is a stable product. The results indicate that the bacterium interacts with the fungus preventing the usual transformation of AP to the nontoxic HPMA, resulting in the accumulation of higher amounts of APO than when the fungus is cultured alone. APO is highly toxic to F. verticillioides and other organisms. Thus, an enhanced biocontrol is suggested by this in vitro study.
=580 $aEn:Journal of Chemical Ecolog
Improving optical transmission of spark-plasma-sintered yag ceramics:Effect of powder conditioning and post-treatments
Three YAG powders were densified by means of spark plasma sintering (SPS), with the aim of developing optically transparent ceramics. The influence of the physico-chemical characteristics of the powders (purity, agglomeration state and stoichiometry) on the sintering and the optical transmission was investigated. Depending on the powder type, different pre-treatments and/or post-treatments were necessary to increase both homogeneity and optical transmission of the densified parts. In the case of agglomerated powders, dispersion by ultrasonication was efficient and led to better homogeneity and higher optical transmission. Post-treatments such as annealing and post-hipping in air were helpful to reduce oxygen vacancies and residual porosities and improved the optical transmission of the ceramics. The highest values of real in-line transmission (RIT) were obtained under SPS conditions of 50 MPa at 1500 °C and after annealing in air at 1150 °C for 12 h
Finite temperature effects on cosmological baryon diffusion and inhomogeneous Big-Bang nucleosynthesis
We have studied finite temperature corrections to the baryon transport cross
sections and diffusion coefficients. These corrections are based upon the
recently computed renormalized electron mass and the modified state density due
to the background thermal bath in the early universe. It is found that the
optimum nucleosynthesis yields computed using our diffusion coefficients shift
to longer distance scales by a factor of about 3. We also find that the minimum
value of abundance decreases by while and
increase. Effects of these results on constraints from primordial
nucleosynthesis are discussed. In particular, we find that a large baryonic
contribution to the closure density (\Omega_b h_{50}^{2} \lsim 0.4) may be
allowed in inhomogeneous models corrected for finite temperature.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Gene set enrichment analysis of microarray data from Pimephales promelas (Rafinesque), a non-mammalian model organism
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Methods for gene-class testing, such as Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), incorporate biological knowledge into the analysis and interpretation of microarray data by comparing gene expression patterns to pathways, systems and emergent phenotypes. However, to use GSEA to its full capability with non-mammalian model organisms, a microarray platform must be annotated with human gene symbols. Doing so enables the ability to relate a model organism's gene expression, in response to a given treatment, to potential human health consequences of that treatment. We enhanced the annotation of a microarray platform from a non-mammalian model organism, and then used the GSEA approach in a reanalysis of a study examining the biological significance of acute and chronic methylmercury exposure on liver tissue of fathead minnow (<it>Pimephales promelas</it>). Using GSEA, we tested the hypothesis that fathead livers, in response to methylmercury exposure, would exhibit gene expression patterns similar to diseased human livers.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We describe an enhanced annotation of the fathead minnow microarray platform with human gene symbols. This resource is now compatible with the GSEA approach for gene-class testing. We confirmed that GSEA, using this enhanced microarray platform, is able to recover results consistent with a previous analysis of fathead minnow exposure to methylmercury using standard analytical approaches. Using GSEA to compare fathead gene expression profiles to human phenotypes, we also found that fathead methylmercury-treated livers exhibited expression profiles that are homologous to human systems & pathways and results in damage that is similar to those of human liver damage associated with hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatitis B.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study describes a powerful resource for enabling the use of non-mammalian model organisms in the study of human health significance. Results of microarray gene expression studies involving fathead minnow, typically used for aquatic ecological toxicology studies, can now be used to generate hypotheses regarding consequences of contaminants and other stressors on humans. The same approach can be used with other model organisms with microarray platforms annotated in a similar manner.</p
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