Vibration/vacuum screening of space lubricants Final report

Evaluation of solid film lubricants for ball bearings in space environment

Positronium S state spectrum: analytic results at O(m alpha^6)

We present an analytic calculation of the O(m alpha^6) recoil and radiative recoil corrections to energy levels of positronium nS states and their hyperfine splitting. A complete analytic formula valid to O(m alpha^6) is given for the spectrum of S states. Technical aspects of the calculation are discussed in detail. Theoretical predictions are given for various energy intervals and compared with experimental results.Comment: 29 pages, revte

Universal features of the order-parameter fluctuations : reversible and irreversible aggregation

We discuss the universal scaling laws of order parameter fluctuations in any system in which the second-order critical behaviour can be identified. These scaling laws can be derived rigorously for equilibrium systems when combined with the finite-size scaling analysis. The relation between order parameter, criticality and scaling law of fluctuations has been established and the connexion between the scaling function and the critical exponents has been found. We give examples in out-of-equilibrium aggregation models such as the Smoluchowski kinetic equations, or of at-equilibrium Ising and percolation models.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figure

The second data release of the INT Photometric Ha Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane (IPHAS DR2)

The INT/WFC Photometric Hα Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane (IPHAS) is a 1800 deg2 imaging survey covering Galactic latitudes |b| < 5° and longitudes ℓ = 30°–215° in the r, i, and Hα filters using the Wide Field Camera (WFC) on the 2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) in La Palma. We present the first quality-controlled and globally calibrated source catalogue derived from the survey, providing single-epoch photometry for 219 million unique sources across 92 per cent of the footprint. The observations were carried out between 2003 and 2012 at a median seeing of 1.1 arcsec (sampled at 0.33 arcsec pixel−1) and to a mean 5σ depth of 21.2 (r), 20.0 (i), and 20.3 (Hα) in the Vega magnitude system. We explain the data reduction and quality control procedures, describe and test the global re-calibration, and detail the construction of the new catalogue. We show that the new calibration is accurate to 0.03 mag (root mean square) and recommend a series of quality criteria to select accurate data from the catalogue. Finally, we demonstrate the ability of the catalogue's unique (r − Hα, r − i) diagram to (i) characterize stellar populations and extinction regimes towards different Galactic sightlines and (ii) select and quantify Hα emission-line objects. IPHAS is the first survey to offer comprehensive CCD photometry of point sources across the Galactic plane at visible wavelengths, providing the much-needed counterpart to recent infrared surveys

Expression of Protease-Activated Receptor 1 and 2 and Anti-Tubulogenic Activity of Protease-Activated Receptor 1 in Human Endothelial Colony-Forming Cells

Endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) are obtained from the culture of human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (hPBMNC) fractions and are characterised by high proliferative and pro-vasculogenic potential, which makes them of great interest for cell therapy. Here, we describe the detection of protease-activated receptor (PAR) 1 and 2 amongst the surface proteins expressed in ECFCs. Both receptors are functionally coupled to extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1 and 2, which become activated and phosphorylated in response to selective PAR1- or PAR2-activating peptides. Specific stimulation of PAR1, but not PAR2, significantly inhibits capillary-like tube formation by ECFCs in vitro, suggesting that tubulogenesis is negatively regulated by proteases able to stimulate PAR1 (e.g. thrombin). The activation of ERKs is not involved in the regulation of tubulogenesis in vitro, as suggested by use of the MEK inhibitor PD98059 and by the fact that PAR2 stimulation activates ERKs without affecting capillary tube formation. Both qPCR and immunoblotting showed a significant downregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor 2 (VEGFR2) in response to PAR1 stimulation. Moreover, the addition of VEGF (50–100 ng/ml) but not basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) (25–100 ng/ml) rescued tube formation by ECFCs treated with PAR1-activating peptide. Therefore, we propose that reduction of VEGF responsiveness resulting from down-regulation of VEGFR2 is underlying the anti-tubulogenic effect of PAR1 activation. Although the role of PAR2 remains elusive, this study sheds new light on the regulation of the vasculogenic activity of ECFCs and suggests a potential link between adult vasculogenesis and the coagulation cascade

Lamb shifts and hyperfine structure in 6Li+ and 7Li+: Theory and experiment

High-precision laser-resonance measurements accurate to ±0.5 MHz or better are reported for transitions among the 1s2s 3S1-1s2p 3PJ hyperfine manifolds for each of J=0, 1, and 2 in both Li+6 and Li+7. A detailed analysis of hyperfine structure is performed for both the S and P states, using newly calculated values for the magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole coupling constants, and the hyperfine shifts subtracted from the measurements. The resulting transition frequencies are then analyzed on three different levels. First, the isotope shifts in the fine-structure splittings are calculated from the relativistic reduced mass and recoil terms in the Breit interaction, and compared with experiment at the ±0.5-MHz level of accuracy. This comparison is particularly significant because J-independent theoretical uncertainties reduce through cancellation to the ±0.01-MHz level. Second, the isotope shifts in the full transition frequencies are used to deduce the difference in rms nuclear radii. The result is Rrms(6Li)-Rrms(7Li)=0.15±0.01 fm, in agreement with nuclear scattering data, but with substantially improved accuracy. Third, high-precision calculations of the low-order non-QED contributions to the transition frequencies are subtracted from the measurements to obtain the residual QED shifts. The isotope-averaged and spin-averaged effective shift for Li+7 is 37 429.40±0.39 MHz, with an additional uncertainty of ±1.5 MHz due to finite nuclear size corrections. The accuracy of 11 parts per million is the best two-electron Lamb shift measurement in the literature, and is comparable to the accuracies achieved in hydrogen. Theoretical contributions to the two-electron Lamb shift are discussed, including terms of order (αZ)4 recently obtained by Chen, Cheng, and Johnson [Phys. Rev. A 47, 3692 (1993)], and the results used to extract a QED shift for the 2 3S1 state. The result of 30 254±12 MHz is shown to be in good accord with theory (30 250±30 MHz) when two-electron corrections to the Bethe logarithm are taken into account by a 1/Z expansion method. © 1994 The American Physical Society

Genome landscapes and bacteriophage codon usage

Across all kingdoms of biological life, protein-coding genes exhibit unequal usage of synonmous codons. Although alternative theories abound, translational selection has been accepted as an important mechanism that shapes the patterns of codon usage in prokaryotes and simple eukaryotes. Here we analyze patterns of codon usage across 74 diverse bacteriophages that infect E. coli, P. aeruginosa and L. lactis as their primary host. We introduce the concept of a `genome landscape,' which helps reveal non-trivial, long-range patterns in codon usage across a genome. We develop a series of randomization tests that allow us to interrogate the significance of one aspect of codon usage, such a GC content, while controlling for another aspect, such as adaptation to host-preferred codons. We find that 33 phage genomes exhibit highly non-random patterns in their GC3-content, use of host-preferred codons, or both. We show that the head and tail proteins of these phages exhibit significant bias towards host-preferred codons, relative to the non-structural phage proteins. Our results support the hypothesis of translational selection on viral genes for host-preferred codons, over a broad range of bacteriophages.Comment: 9 Color Figures, 5 Tables, 53 Reference

A multiscale hybrid model for pro-angiogenic calcium signals in a vascular endothelial cell

Cytosolic calcium machinery is one of the principal signaling mechanisms by which endothelial cells (ECs) respond to external stimuli during several biological processes, including vascular progression in both physiological and pathological conditions. Low concentrations of angiogenic factors (such as VEGF) activate in fact complex pathways involving, among others, second messengers arachidonic acid (AA) and nitric oxide (NO), which in turn control the activity of plasma membrane calcium channels. The subsequent increase in the intracellular level of the ion regulates fundamental biophysical properties of ECs (such as elasticity, intrinsic motility, and chemical strength), enhancing their migratory capacity. Previously, a number of continuous models have represented cytosolic calcium dynamics, while EC migration in angiogenesis has been separately approached with discrete, lattice-based techniques. These two components are here integrated and interfaced to provide a multiscale and hybrid Cellular Potts Model (CPM), where the phenomenology of a motile EC is realistically mediated by its calcium-dependent subcellular events. The model, based on a realistic 3-D cell morphology with a nuclear and a cytosolic region, is set with known biochemical and electrophysiological data. In particular, the resulting simulations are able to reproduce and describe the polarization process, typical of stimulated vascular cells, in various experimental conditions.Moreover, by analyzing the mutual interactions between multilevel biochemical and biomechanical aspects, our study investigates ways to inhibit cell migration: such strategies have in fact the potential to result in pharmacological interventions useful to disrupt malignant vascular progressio

Prioritising surveillance for alien organisms transported as stowaways on ships travelling to South Africa

The global shipping network facilitates the transportation and introduction of marine and terrestrial organisms to regions where they are not native, and some of these organisms become invasive. South Africa was used as a case study to evaluate the potential for shipping to contribute to the introduction and establishment of marine and terrestrial alien species (i.e. establishment debt) and to assess how this varies across shipping routes and seasons. As a proxy for the number of species introduced (i.e. 'colonisation pressure') shipping movement data were used to determine, for each season, the number of ships that visited South African ports from foreign ports and the number of days travelled between ports. Seasonal marine and terrestrial environmental similarity between South African and foreign ports was then used to estimate the likelihood that introduced species would establish. These data were used to determine the seasonal relative contribution of shipping routes to South Africa's marine and terrestrial establishment debt. Additionally, distribution data were used to identify marine and terrestrial species that are known to be invasive elsewhere and which might be introduced to each South African port through shipping routes that have a high relative contribution to establishment debt. Shipping routes from Asian ports, especially Singapore, have a particularly high relative contribution to South Africa's establishment debt, while among South African ports, Durban has the highest risk of being invaded. There was seasonal variation in the shipping routes that have a high relative contribution to the establishment debt of the South African ports. The presented method provides a simple way to prioritise surveillance effort and our results indicate that, for South Africa, port-specific prevention strategies should be developed, a large portion of the available resources should be allocated to Durban, and seasonal variations and their consequences for prevention strategies should be explored further. (Résumé d'auteur