391 research outputs found
A caricature of a singular curvature flow in the plane
We study a singular parabolic equation of the total variation type in one
dimension. The problem is a simplification of the singular curvature flow. We
show existence and uniqueness of weak solutions. We also prove existence of
weak solutions to the semi-discretization of the problem as well as convergence
of the approximating sequences. The semi-discretization shows that facets must
form. For a class of initial data we are able to study in details the facet
formation and interactions and their asymptotic behavior. We notice that our
qualitative results may be interpreted with the help of a special composition
of multivalued operators
Lipopolysaccharides and outer membrane proteins as main structures involved in complement evasion strategies of non-typhoidal Salmonella strains
Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) infections pose a serious public health problem. In addition to the typical course of salmonellosis, an infection with Salmonella bacteria can often lead to parenteral infections and sepsis, which are particularly dangerous for children, the elderly and immunocompromised. Bacterial resistance to serum is a key virulence factor for the development of systemic infections. Salmonella, as an enterobacterial pathogen, has developed several mechanisms to escape and block the antibacterial effects of the complement system. In this review, we discuss the relevance of outer membrane polysaccharides to the complement evasion mechanisms of NTS strains. These include the influence of the overall length and density of the lipopolysaccharide molecules, modifications of the O-antigen lipopolysaccharide composition and the role of capsular polysaccharides in opsonization and protection of the outer membrane from the lytic action of complement. Additionally, we discuss specific outer membrane protein complement evasion mechanisms, such as recruitment of complement regula-tory proteins, blocking assembly of late complement components to form the membrane attack complex and the proteolytic cleavage of complement proteins.Peer reviewe
Kinematics of Tycho-2 Red Giant Clump Stars
Based on the Ogorodnikov-Milne model, we analyze the proper motions of 95 633
red giant clump (RGC) stars from the Tycho-2 Catalogue. The following Oort
constants have been found: A = 15.9+-0.2 km/s/kpc and B = -12.0+-0.2 km/s/kpc.
Using 3632 RGC stars with known proper motions, radial velocities, and
photometric distances, we show that, apart from the star centroid velocity
components relative to the Sun, only the model parameters that describe the
stellar motions in the XY plane differ significantly from zero. We have studied
the contraction (a negative K-effect) of the system of RGC stars as a function
of their heliocentric distance and elevation above the Galactic plane. For a
sample of distant (500--1000 pc) RGC stars located near the Galactic plane
(|Z|<200 pc) with an average distance of d=0.7 kpc, the contraction velocity is
shown to be Kd= -3.5+-0.9 km/s; a noticeable vertex deviation, lxy = 9.1+-0.5
degrees, is also observed for them. For stars located well above the Galactic
plane (|Z|>=200 pc), these effects are less pronounced, Kd = -1.7+-0.5 km/s and
lxy = 4.9+-0.6 degrees. Using RGC stars, we have found a rotation around the
Galactic X axis directed toward the Galactic center with an angular velocity of
-2.5+-0.3 km/s/kpc, which we associate with the warp of the Galactic
stellar-gaseous disk.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures, 4 table
Potencial do cambuí (Myrciaria tenella) para a elaboração de fermentado.
O presente trabalho objetivou testar o potencial do cambuí, coletado de Morro do Chapéu-BA, para a elaboração de fermentado, como alternativa de agregação de valor para pequenos produtores extrativistas
A method to localize gamma-ray bursts using POLAR
The hard X-ray polarimeter POLAR aims to measure the linear polarization of
the 50-500 keV photons arriving from the prompt emission of gamma-ray bursts
(GRBs). The position in the sky of the detected GRBs is needed to determine
their level of polarization. We present here a method by which, despite of the
polarimeter incapability of taking images, GRBs can be roughly localized using
POLAR alone. For this purpose scalers are attached to the output of the 25
multi-anode photomultipliers (MAPMs) that collect the light from the POLAR
scintillator target. Each scaler measures how many GRB photons produce at least
one energy deposition above 50 keV in the corresponding MAPM. Simulations show
that the relative outputs of the 25 scalers depend on the GRB position. A
database of very strong GRBs simulated at 10201 positions has been produced.
When a GRB is detected, its location is calculated searching the minimum of the
chi2 obtained in the comparison between the measured scaler pattern and the
database. This GRB localization technique brings enough accuracy so that the
error transmitted to the 100% modulation factor is kept below 10% for GRBs with
fluence Ftot \geq 10^(-5) erg cm^(-2) . The POLAR localization capability will
be useful for those cases where no other instruments are simultaneously
observing the same field of view.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figure
Development of methodology for the determination of organic acids in must, grape juice and wine by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
Resumo. IUFoST 2012
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