A New RL Constant for the Calculation of log P and n Values in Congeneric Compounds

Retention volumes of iodinated diethylstilbestrols and estradiols measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography on a silica column were found to be linearly related to their experimental partition coefficients (log P). The log P values calculated from the new RL parameter correlate well with experimental values and with those calculated by Hansch :n:-constants. The magnitudes of it-values for iodine in monosubstituted estradiols are discussed in terms of the contribution of steric and »proximity« effects to these constants. The reported technique may be a significant addition to the methodology of obtaining lipophylic-hydrophylic constants in structure- activity relationship studies

The AMIGA sample of isolated galaxies - II. Morphological refinement

We present a complete POSS II-based refinement of the optical morphologies for galaxies in the Karatchenseva's Catalog of Isolated Galaxies that forms the basis of the AMIGA project. Comparison with independent classifications made for an SDSS overlap sample of more than 200 galaxies confirms the reliability of the early vs. late-type discrimination and the accuracy of spiral subtypes within DeltaT = 1-2. CCD images taken at the OSN were also used to solve ambiguities. 193 galaxies are flagged for the presence of nearby companions or signs of distortion likely due to interaction. This most isolated sample of galaxies in the local Universe is dominated by 2 populations: 1) 82% spirals (Sa-Sd) with the bulk being luminous systems with small bulges (63% between types Sb-Sc) and 2) a significant population of early-type E-S0 galaxies (14%). Most of the types later than Sd are low luminosity galaxies concentrated in the local supercluster where isolation is difficult to evaluate. The late-type spiral majority of the sample spans a luminosity range M_B-corr = -18 to -22 mag. Few of the E/S0 population are more luminous than -21.0 marking an absence of, an often sought, super L* merger (eg fossil elliptical) population. The rarity of high luminosity systems results in a fainter derived M* for this population compared to the spiral optical luminosity function (OLF). The E-S0 population is from 0.2 to 0.6 mag fainter depending how the sample is defined. This marks the AMIGA sample as almost unique among samples that compare early and late-type OLFs separately. In other samples, which always involve galaxies in higher density environments, M*(E/S0) is almost always 0.3-0.5 mag brighter than M*(S), presumably reflecting a stronger correlation between M* and environmental density for early-type galaxies.Comment: A&A accepted, 13 pages, 9 figures, 8 tables. Higher resolution Fig. 1 and full tables are available on the AMIGA (Analysis of the interstellar Medium of Isolated GAlaxies) website at http://www.iaa.es/AMIGA.htm

On the environmental decoherence and spin interference in mesoscopic loop structures

Mechanisms of 'environmental decoherence' such as surface scattering, Elliot-Yafet process and precession mechanisms, as well as their influence on the spin phase relaxation are considered and compared. It is shown that the 'spin ballistic' regime is possible, when the phase relaxation length for the spin part of the wave function (WF)is much greater than the phase relaxation length for the 'orbital part'. In the presence of an additional magnetic field, the spin part of the electron's WF acquires a phase shift due to additional spin precession about that field. If the structure length is chosen to be greater than the phase relaxation length for the 'orbital part' and less than the phase relaxation length for the spin part of WF, it is possible to 'wash out' the quantum interference related to the phase coherence of the 'orbital part' of the WF, retaining at the same time that related to the phase coherence of the spin part and, hence, to reveal corresponding conductance oscillations

The V-Y Latissimus Dorsi Musculocutaneous Flap in the Reconstruction of Large Posterior Chest Wall Defects

Posterior chest wall defects are frequently encountered after excision of tumors as a result of trauma or in the setting of wound dehiscence after spine surgery. Various pedicled fasciocutaneous and musculocutaneous flaps have been described for the coverage of these wounds. The advent of perforator flaps has allowed the preservation of muscle function but their bulk is limited. Musculocutaneous flaps remain widely employed. The trapezius and the latissimus dorsi (LD) flaps have been used extensively for upper and middle posterior chest wounds, respectively. Their bulk allows for obliteration of the dead space in deep wounds. The average width of the LD skin paddle is limited to 10-12cm if closure of the donor site is expected without skin grafting. In 2001 a modification of the skin paddle design was introduced in order to allow large flaps to be raised without requiring grafts or flaps for donor site closure. This V-Y pattern allows coverage of large anterior chest defects after mastectomy. We have modified this flap to allow its use for posterior chest wall defects. We describe the flap design, its indications, and its limitations with three clinical cases. Level of Evidence V This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors at www.springer.com/0026

A Qualitative Assessment of Guinea-Bissau’s Hunting History and Culture - and Their Implications for Primate Conservation

Illegal hunting and trade threaten the high biodiversity of Guinea-Bissau (GB) in West Africa, particularly for nonhuman primates (NHP). Primate carcasses are sold at bushmeat markets and at restaurants and the primate pet trade is active. Traditional medicine practitioners also use NHP body-parts further promoting the commerce of NHP skins. A better understanding of hunting and related trade activities, including the profile of hunters and their motivations, would improve NHP conservation in GB. However, information on commercial hunting is incomplete due to a general unwillingness to describe illegal activities by the local communities. Here, we investigated aspects of hunting practice and related commercial activities targeting NHP in GB by collecting qualitative ethnographic information using semi-structured interviews. Participants were asked about hunted species, techniques and hunting locations, their motivations to hunt wild NHP, uses of carcasses, and their perceptions on the demographic trajectory of hunted species. Eight participants in the study listed species hunted in GB, which included a total of seven NHP. Hunting areas described were spread across southern GB and included locations within the limits of national protected areas and formalized ecological corridors. Participants mentioned the trade in NHP meat at bushmeat restaurants as the primary motivation for primate-targeted hunting, with the exception of western chimpanzees, which are specifically targeted for the exotic pet trade. Several strategies are used in hunting NHP, including traps, firearms, and hunting dogs. The majority of hunted NHP were perceived as having declined in population size during recent decades. Episodes when military groups hunted NHP intensively using more sophisticated weapons and methods in the 1980s were also described. This study highlights how hunting and related activities are complex and multi-dimensional and illustrates the use of ethnographic methods to improve knowledge about illegal and concealed practices impacting NHP conservation. Our results suggest an urgent need to raise awareness of local communities and subsistence hunters living within protected areas about the environmental and social impacts of hunting.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Metropolis and Evangelical Life: Coherence and Fragmentation in the ‘Lost City of London’

This article examines the interplay of different processes of cultural and subjective fragmentation experienced by conservative evangelical Anglicans, based on an ethnographic study of a congregation in central London. The author focuses on the evangelistic speaking practices of members of this church to explore how individuals negotiate contradictory norms of interaction as they move through different city spaces, and considers their response to tensions created by the demands of their workplace and their religious lives. Drawing on Georg Simmel’s ‘The Metropolis and Mental Life’, the author argues that their faith provides a sense of coherence and unity that responds to experiences of cultural fragmentation characteristic of everyday life in the city, while simultaneously leading to a specific consciousness of moral fragmentation that is inherent to conservative evangelicalism

A Serpin shapes the extracellular environment to prevent influenza A virus maturation

Interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) act in concert to provide a tight barrier against viruses. Recent studies have shed light on the contribution of individual ISG effectors to the antiviral state, but most have examined those acting on early, intracellular stages of the viral life cycle. Here, we applied an image-based screen to identify ISGs inhibiting late stages of influenza A virus (IAV) infection. We unraveled a directly antiviral function for the gene SERPINE1, encoding plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1). By targeting extracellular airway proteases, PAI-1 inhibits IAV glycoprotein cleavage, thereby reducing infectivity of progeny viruses. This was biologically relevant for IAV restriction in vivo. Further, partial PAI-1 deficiency, attributable to a polymorphism in human SERPINE1, conferred increased susceptibility to IAV in vitro. Together, our findings reveal that manipulating the extracellular environment to inhibit the last step in a virus life cycle is an important mechanism of the antiviral response