7,313 research outputs found
Prospects and status of quark mass renormalization in three-flavour QCD
We present the current status of a revised strategy to compute the running of
renormalized quark masses in QCD with three flavours of massless O(a) improved
Wilson quarks. The strategy employed uses the standard finite-size scaling
method in the Schr\"odinger functional and accommodates for the
non-perturbative scheme-switch which becomes necessary at intermediate
renormalized couplings as discussed in [arXiv:1411.7648].Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 1 table; Proceedings of the 33rd International
Symposium on Lattice Field Theory, 14-18 July 2015, Kobe, Japa
Effects of Liposomes Contained in Thermosensitive Hydrogels as Biomaterials Useful in Neural Tissue Engineering
Indexación: Scopus.Advances in the generation of suitable thermosensitive hydrogels for the delivery of cells in neural tissue engineering demonstrate a delicate relationship between physical properties and capabilities to promote cell proliferation and differentiation. To improve the properties of these materials, it is possible to add liposomes for the controlled release of bioactive elements, which in turn can affect the physical and biological properties of the hydrogels. In the present investigation, different hydrogels based on Pluronic F127 have been formulated with the incorporation of chitosan and two types of liposomes of two different sizes. The rheological and thermal properties and their relation with the neurite proliferation and growth of the PC12 cell line were evaluated. Our results show that the incorporation of liposomes modifies the properties of the hydrogels dependent on the concentration of chitosan and the lipid type in the liposomes, which directly affect the capabilities of the hydrogels to promote the viability and differentiation of PC12 cells. © 2017 by the authors.http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/10/112
On Higher Derivatives as Constraints in Field Theory: a Geometric Perspective
We formalize geometrically the idea that the (de Donder) Hamiltonian
formulation of a higher derivative Lagrangian field theory can be constructed
understanding the latter as a first derivative theory subjected to constraints.Comment: 7 page
Cell death induced by the application of alternating magnetic fields to nanoparticle-loaded dendritic cells
In this work, the capability of primary, monocyte-derived dendritic cells
(DCs) to uptake iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) is assessed and a
strategy to induce selective cell death in these MNP-loaded DCs using external
alternating magnetic fields (AMFs) is reported. No significant decrease in the
cell viability of MNP-loaded DCs, compared to the control samples, was observed
after five days of culture. The amount of MNPs incorporated into the cytoplasm
was measured by magnetometry, which confirmed that 1 to 5 pg of the particles
were uploaded per cell. The intracellular distribution of these MNPs, assessed
by transmission electron microscopy, was found to be primarily inside the
endosomic structures. These cells were then subjected to an AMF for 30 min, and
the viability of the blank DCs (i.e., without MNPs), which were used as control
samples, remained essentially unaffected. However, a remarkable decrease of
viability from approximately 90% to 2-5% of DCs previously loaded with MNPs was
observed after the same 30 min exposure to an AMF. The same results were
obtained using MNPs having either positive (NH2+) or negative (COOH-) surface
functional groups. In spite of the massive cell death induced by application of
AMF to MNP-loaded DCs, the amount of incorporated magnetic particles did not
raise the temperature of the cell culture. Clear morphological changes at the
cell structure after magnetic field application were observed using scanning
electron microscopy. Therefore, local damage produced by the MNPs could be the
main mechanism for the selective cell death of MNP-loaded DCs under an AMF.
Based on the ability of these cells to evade the reticuloendothelial system,
these complexes combined with an AMF should be considered as a potentially
powerful tool for tumour therapy.Comment: In Press. 33 pages, 11 figure
Efeito dos restos culturais do arroz sobre a ocorrência da "mela" e produção de feijão em Rio Branco, AC.
Este trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar o comportamento vegetativo e produtivo de feijão Phaseolus vulgaris L. em cuiltivo a lanço e plantio direto, sopbre os restos culturais do arroz.bitstream/item/145763/1/1150.pd
Removal of anionic surfactant from aqueous solutions by adsorption onto biochars:characterisation, kinetics, and mechanism
Biochar, a waste biomass-derived adsorbent, holds promise for decentralised wastewater treatment. However, limited research exists on its efficacy in adsorbing anionic surfactants in wastewater. To address this, the adsorption of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), a common anionic surfactant, was studied using various biochar types: rice husk biochar (RH-550 and RH-700), wheat straw biochar (WS-550 and WS-700) produced at 550°C and 700°C, wood-based biochar (OB), and activated carbon (AC) as a control. The study investigated the impact of pH (3–9), adsorbent loading (1–10 g/L), adsorbent size (<0.5–2.5 mm), contact time (5–180 min), and initial concentration (50–200 mg/L) on SDS removal. Under optimised conditions (100 mg/L SDS, 4 g/L adsorbent, 1–2 mm particle size, pH 8.3, and 180 min contact time), maximum SDS removals were RH-550 (78%), RH-700 (82.4%), WS-550 (89.5%), WS-700 (90.4%), AC (97%), and OB (88.4%). Among the tested adsorbent materials, WS-550 exhibited the highest SDS adsorption capacity at 66.23 mg/g compared to AC (80.65 mg/g), followed by RH-550 (49.75 mg/g), OB (45.87 mg/g), RH-700 (43.67 mg/g), and WS-700 (42.74 mg/g). SDS adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, indicating chemisorption on the adsorbent surface. The Freundlich isotherm model exhibited a better fit for the experimental data on SDS adsorption using all tested adsorbents except for RH-550. This study showed that biochars produced from agricultural and forestry residues are effective adsorbents for SDS in aqueous solutions and can be a promising sustainable and low-cost material for the treatment of greywater containing anionic surfactants (e.g. handwashing, laundry, kitchen, and bathroom greywaters)
Structure, growth and production of a remarkably abundant population of the common goby, Pomatoschistus microps (Actinopterygii: Gobiidae)
The common goby, Pomatoschistus microps,
is a relevant species from estuarine food webs, playing
important roles as predator of polychaetes and crustaceans
and as prey for larger fishes and crustaceans. The
Minho estuary (NW Portugal) is a relatively wellpreserved
and productive system. To assess the population
structure and production of P. microps in this
estuary, monthly samples were undertaken in three
different areas along an estuarine gradient in the lower
estuary. The density of P. microps varied considerably
among seasons and sampling stations, with higher densities
occurring in summer and autumn. The lowest
densities were found closer to the sea. In general, the
density of females was higher than the density of males
in all sampling stations, while juveniles were more
abundant within a salt marsh area. Compared with other
European estuaries, our data showed a remarkable
higher density and production values of P. microps.
This may be related to the high freshwater input and
the low salinities found in this estuary. In addition, we
hypothesize that the lower density of the sympatric
species P. minutus and the high availability of bivalve
shells observed in the Minho estuary may have also
contributed to the present results, once P. minutus and P.
microps often display a diet overlap and the bivalve
shells are crucial for the common goby reproduction.This research was supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway
through the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian
Financial Mechanism. A.T. Souza has a PhD grant (SFRH/BD/
71232/2010) from the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
(Portugal). I. Martins was financed for CIÊNCIA 2007 and the
project INPACTAR PTDC/MAR/111537/2009; FCT; COMPETE;
QREN; UE
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