NASA Lidar system support and MOPA technology demonstration

A series of lidar design and technology demonstration tasks in support of a CO2 lidar program is discussed. The first of these tasks is discussed in Section VI of this report under the heading of NASA Optical Lidar Design and it consists of detailed recommendations for the layout of a CO2 Doppler lidar incorporating then existing NASA optical components and mounts. The second phase of this work consisted of the design, development, and delivery to NASA of a novel acousto-optic laser frequency stabilization system for use with the existing NASA ring laser transmitter. The second major task in this program encompasses the design and experimental demonstration of a master oscillator-power amplifier (MOPA) laser transmitter utilizing a commercially available laser as the amplifier. The MOPA design including the low chirp master oscillator is discussed in detail. Experimental results are given for one, two and three pass amplification. The report includes operating procedures for the MOPA system

A minimum-dissipation time-integration strategy for large-eddy simulation of incompressible turbulent flows

Adaptive time stepping can significantly enhance the accuracy and the efficiency of computational methods. In this work, a time-integration strategy with adaptive time step control is proposed for large-eddy simulation of turbulent flows. The algorithm is based on Runge-Kutta methods and consists in adjusting the time-step size dynamically to ensure that the numerical dissipation rate due to the temporal scheme is smaller than the molecular and subgrid-scale ones within a desired tolerance. The effectiveness of the method, as compared to standard CFL-like criteria, is assessed by large-eddy simulations of the three-dimensional Taylor-Green Vortex

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation during in vitro and in vivo digestion of raw and cooked broccoli (brassica oleracea var. Italica)

Broccoli is rich in glucosinolates, which can be converted upon chewing and processing into Aryl hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR) ligands. Activation of AhR plays an important role in overall gut homeostasis but the role of broccoli processing on the generation of AhR ligands is still largely unknown. In this study, the effects of temperature, cooking method (steaming versus boiling), gastric pH and further digestion of broccoli on AhR activation were investigated in vitro and in ileostomy subjects. For the in vitro study, raw, steamed (t = 3 min and t = 6 min) and boiled (t = 3 min and t = 6 min) broccoli were digested in vitro with different gastric pH. In the in vivo ileostomy study, 8 subjects received a broccoli soup or a broccoli soup plus an exogenous myrosinase source. AhR activation was measured in both in vitro and in vivo samples by using HepG2-Lucia™ AhR reporter cells. Cooking broccoli reduced the AhR activation measured after gastric digestion in vitro, but no effect of gastric pH was found. Indole AhR ligands were not detected or detected at very low levels both after intestinal in vitro digestion and in the ileostomy patient samples, which resulted in no AhR activation. This suggests that the evaluation of the relevance of glucosinolates for AhR modulation in the gut cannot prescind from the way broccoli is processed, and that broccoli consumption does not necessarily produce substantial amounts of AhR ligands in the large intestine

A comparison between the β-globin gene clusters of domestic sheep (Ovis aries) and Sardinian mouflon (Ovis gmelini musimon)

International audienc

Effect of a Short-Course Treatment with Synbiotics on Plasma p-Cresol Concentration in Kidney Transplant Recipients.

We evaluated whether a short-term course with synbiotics may lower plasma p-Cresol concentrations in kidney transplant patients (KTRs) who accumulate this uremic toxin both because of increased production by their dysbiotic gut microbiome and because of reduced elimination by the transplanted kidneys. METHODS: Thirty-six KTRs (29 males, mean age 49.6 ± 9.1 years) with transplant vintage > 12 months, stable graft function, and no episode of acute rejection or infection in the last 3 months were enrolled in this single-center, parallel-group, double-blinded, randomized (2:1 synbiotic to placebo) study. Synbiotic (Probinul Neutro, CadiGroup, Rome, Italy) or placebo was taken at home for 30 days, as 5 g powder packets dissolved in water three times a day far from meals. The main outcome measure was the decrease in total plasma p-Cresol measured by high-performance liquid chromatography at baseline and after 15 and 30 days of placebo or synbiotic treatment. RESULTS: After 15 and 30 days of treatment, plasma p-Cresol decreased by 40% and 33% from baseline (both p < 0.05), respectively, in the synbiotic group, whereas it remained stable in the placebo group. After 30 days of treatment, no significant change was observed in either group in renal function, glycemia, plasma lipids, or albumin concentration. Treatment was well tolerated and did not induce any change in stool characteristics. CONCLUSION: The results of this pilot study suggest that treatment with synbiotics may be effective to lower plasma p-Cresol concentrations in KTRs. Prospective larger scale, longer term studies are needed to establish whether cardiovascular prognosis could also be improved with this nutritional intervention

Diffusion Processes of Aluminium Coatings for the Protection of Austenitic Stainless Steels

An aluminium-coated austenitic stainless steel has been subjected to heat treatments of various durations. The process has led to the formation of inter diffusion zones with characteristic non-directional and columnar structures.The formation of in termetallic compounds such as NiAl or Ni3Al prevails in the non-directional type, while substitutional solid solutions occur in the "columnar " type.One or both these structures can be obtained by balancing and regulating process activity through adequate heat treatments.The development of one or both structures can heighten the characteristics of the coating as regards coating protection or oxidation resistance at high temperatures

Polymorphisms in the SOCS7 gene and glucose homeostasis traits

BACKGROUND: SOCS7 is a member of the suppressor of cytokine signaling family of proteins and is expressed in skeletal muscle and islets. SOCS7 deficient mice develop islet hyperplasia in the setting of increased insulin sensitivity and normal glucose tolerance. The objective of this study was to determine if variants in SOCS7 play a role in variation of glucose and insulin levels and the development of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). RESULTS: Five SOCS7 tagging SNPs were genotyped in diabetic and nondiabetic Old Order Amish. A case–control study was performed in T2DM (n = 145) and normal glucose tolerant (n = 358) subjects. Nominal associations were observed with T2DM and the minor alleles for rs8068600 (P = 0.01) and rs8074124 (P = 0.04); however, only rs8068600 remained significant after Bonferroni adjustment for multiple comparisons (P = 0.01). Among nondiabetic Amish (n = 765), no significant associations with glucose or insulin traits including fasting or 2 hour glucose and insulin from the oral glucose tolerance test, insulin or glucose area under the curve, Matsuda Index or HOMA-IR were found for any of the SNPs. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, genetic variants in the SOCS7 gene do not impact variation in glucose homeostasis traits and only minimally impact risk of T2DM in the Old Order Amish. Our study was not able to address whether rare variants that potentially impact gene function might influence T2DM risk

4-Phenylpyridin-2-one derivatives: a novel class of positive allosteric modulator of the M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor

Positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of the M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M1 mAChR) are a promising strategy for the treatment of the cognitive deficits associated with diseases including Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia. Herein, we report the design, synthesis, and characterization of a novel family of M1 mAChR PAMs. The most active compounds of the 4-phenylpyridin-2-one series exhibited comparable binding affinity to the reference compound, 1-(4-methoxybenzyl)-4-oxo-1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxylic acid (BQCA) (1), but markedly improved positive cooperativity with acetylcholine, and retained exquisite selectivity for the M1 mAChR. Furthermore, our pharmacological characterization revealed ligands with a diverse range of activities, including modulators that displayed both high intrinsic efficacy and PAM activity, those that showed no detectable agonism but robust PAM activity and ligands that displayed robust allosteric agonism but little modulatory activity. Thus, the 4-phenylpyridin-2-one scaffold offers an attractive starting point for further lead optimization

A economia argentina no governo de Mauricio Macri

O artigo discute as perspectivas para as eleições argentinas, em 2019.Em primeiro plano, pessoas caminhando em uma praça. Ao fundo, a Casa Rosada, sede da presidência da república argentina, em Buenos Aires