The validity of eight neoclassical facial canons in the Turkish adults

The neoclassical canons were used to define the proportions between various areas of the head and face. Therefore, this study was done to establish the neoclassical canons of facial proportions in Turkish adults. A total of 200 healthy adults 20 to 35 years of age were examined. Using anthropometric landmarks, 5 horizontal and 9 vertical direct measurements were made on the faces with a sliding calliper. Results have been compared with 8 neoclassical facial canons. When comparing between sexes, a significant difference has been found in all measurements except the upper facial width, left eye-fissure width, forehead height I and II (p < 0.005). The nasofacial proportion has been found to include the most proportional subjects (33%) followed by the orbito-nasal (30%), the orbital proportion (25%) and the naso-oral proportion (17%) in the female. Considering the male, the orbital proportion has been found to include the most proportional subjects (23%) followed by the orbito-nasal proportion (21%), naso-facial proportion (19%) and the naso-oral proportion (17%). The neoclassical canons have been shown to rarely be applicable to Turkish adults and our results may contribute to determine the concepts of transcultural facial structures

Histopathological effects of maternal hair dye use on the cornea

The aim of this study is to investigate and compare the histopathological effects of hair dye additives, 2- amino-5-nitrophenol (2A5NP) and 2-nitro-p-phenylendiamin (2NPPD) on cornea of neonates from pregnant rats that have been administered these additives subcutaneously. The study included 90 neonates of 26 nulligravida wistar-albino rats among which ten were given 100 mg/kg/day 2A5NP (Group I), ten rats received 150 mg/kg/day 2NPPD (Group II) and control rats received saline (Group III) injections subcutaneously between 7th and 15th gestational days. No sign of toxicity was observed during the treatment and there was no gross abnormality in both the study and control groups. Histopathologicalchanges of cornea were seen in 22 of 30 newborn rats in Group I (73.4%), in 23 of 30 rats in Group II (76.7%) and only 5 of 30 rats in the control saline injected Group III (16.7%). Histopathological effect of the two additives were statistically significant when compared to the control group (Chi-square:27.63, p = 0.0001), but there was no difference between the effects of 2A5NP and 2NPPD additives on cornea (Chisquare: 0.089, p = 0.766). The present experimental study on rats confirmed the histopathological effect of 2A5NP and 2NPPD on cornea beyond doubt. In the light of which, we can speculate that maternal exposure of hair dyes during pregnancy has some teratogenic effects on newborn rat cornea

Topologically massive magnetic monopoles

We show that in the Maxwell-Chern-Simons theory of topologically massive electrodynamics the Dirac string of a monopole becomes a cone in anti-de Sitter space with the opening angle of the cone determined by the topological mass which in turn is related to the square root of the cosmological constant. This proves to be an example of a physical system, {\it a priory} completely unrelated to gravity, which nevertheless requires curved spacetime for its very existence. We extend this result to topologically massive gravity coupled to topologically massive electrodynamics in the framework of the theory of Deser, Jackiw and Templeton. These are homogeneous spaces with conical deficit. Pure Einstein gravity coupled to Maxwell-Chern-Simons field does not admit such a monopole solution

A perspective on using experiment and theory to identify design principles in dye-sensitized solar cells

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) have been the subject of wide-ranging studies for many years because of their potential for large-scale manufacturing using roll-to-roll processing allied to their use of earth abundant raw materials. Two main challenges exist for DSC devices to achieve this goal; uplifting device efficiency from the 12 to 14% currently achieved for laboratory-scale ‘hero’ cells and replacement of the widely-used liquid electrolytes which can limit device lifetimes. To increase device efficiency requires optimized dye injection and regeneration, most likely from multiple dyes while replacement of liquid electrolytes requires solid charge transporters (most likely hole transport materials – HTMs). While theoretical and experimental work have both been widely applied to different aspects of DSC research, these approaches are most effective when working in tandem. In this context, this perspective paper considers the key parameters which influence electron transfer processes in DSC devices using one or more dye molecules and how modelling and experimental approaches can work together to optimize electron injection and dye regeneration. This paper provides a perspective that theory and experiment are best used in tandem to study DSC device

Trkalian fields: ray transforms and mini-twistors

We study X-ray and Divergent beam transforms of Trkalian fields and their relation with Radon transform. We make use of four basic mathematical methods of tomography due to Grangeat, Smith, Tuy and Gelfand-Goncharov for an integral geometric view on them. We also make use of direct approaches which provide a faster but restricted view of the geometry of these transforms. These reduce to well known geometric integral transforms on a sphere of the Radon or the spherical Curl transform in Moses eigenbasis, which are members of an analytic family of integral operators. We also discuss their inversion. The X-ray (also Divergent beam) transform of a Trkalian field is Trkalian. Also the Trkalian subclass of X-ray transforms yields Trkalian fields in the physical space. The Riesz potential of a Trkalian field is proportional to the field. Hence, the spherical mean of the X-ray (also Divergent beam) transform of a Trkalian field over all lines passing through a point yields the field at this point. The pivotal point is the simplification of an intricate quantity: Hilbert transform of the derivative of Radon transform for a Trkalian field in the Moses basis. We also define the X-ray transform of the Riesz potential (of order 2) and Biot-Savart integrals. Then, we discuss a mini-twistor respresentation, presenting a mini-twistor solution for the Trkalian fields equation. This is based on a time-harmonic reduction of wave equation to Helmholtz equation. A Trkalian field is given in terms of a null vector in C3 with an arbitrary function and an exponential factor resulting from this reduction.Comment: 37 pages, http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.482610

Dye-sensitized solar cells for efficient power generation under ambient lighting

Solar cells that operate efficiently under indoor lighting are of great practical interest as they can serve as electric power sources for portable electronics and devices for wireless sensor networks or the Internet of Things. Here, we demonstrate a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) that achieves very high power-conversion efficiencies (PCEs) under ambient light conditions. Our photosystem combines two judiciously designed sensitizers, coded D35 and XY1, with the copper complex Cu(II/I)(tmby) as a redox shuttle (tmby, 4,4′,6,6′-tetramethyl-2,2′-bipyridine), and features a high open-circuit photovoltage of 1.1 V. The DSC achieves an external quantum efficiency for photocurrent generation that exceeds 90% across the whole visible domain from 400 to 650 nm, and achieves power outputs of 15.6 and 88.5 mW cm–2 at 200 and 1,000 lux, respectively, under illumination from a model Osram 930 warm-white fluorescent light tube. This translates into a PCE of 28.9%

Novel insights into the mechanisms mediating the local antihypertrophic effects of cardiac atrial natriuretic peptide: role of cGMP-dependent protein kinase and RGS2

Cardiac atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) locally counteracts cardiac hypertrophy via the guanylyl cyclase-A (GC-A) receptor and cGMP production, but the downstream signalling pathways are unknown. Here, we examined the influence of ANP on β-adrenergic versus Angiotensin II (Ang II)-dependent (Gs vs. Gαq mediated) modulation of Ca2+i-handling in cardiomyocytes and of hypertrophy in intact hearts. L-type Ca2+ currents and Ca2+i transients in adult isolated murine ventricular myocytes were studied by voltage-clamp recordings and fluorescence microscopy. ANP suppressed Ang II-stimulated Ca2+ currents and transients, but had no effect on isoproterenol stimulation. Ang II suppression by ANP was abolished in cardiomyocytes of mice deficient in GC-A, in cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase I (PKG I) or in the regulator of G protein signalling (RGS) 2, a target of PKG I. Cardiac hypertrophy in response to exogenous Ang II was significantly exacerbated in mice with conditional, cardiomyocyte-restricted GC-A deletion (CM GC-A KO). This was concomitant to increased activation of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent prohypertrophic signal transducer CaMKII. In contrast, β-adrenoreceptor-induced hypertrophy was not enhanced in CM GC-A KO mice. Lastly, while the stimulatory effects of Ang II on Ca2+-handling were absent in myocytes of mice deficient in TRPC3/TRPC6, the effects of isoproterenol were unchanged. Our data demonstrate a direct myocardial role for ANP/GC-A/cGMP to antagonize the Ca2+i-dependent hypertrophic growth response to Ang II, but not to β-adrenergic stimulation. The selectivity of this interaction is determined by PKG I and RGS2-dependent modulation of Ang II/AT1 signalling. Furthermore, they strengthen published observations in neonatal cardiomyocytes showing that TRPC3/TRPC6 channels are essential for Ang II, but not for β-adrenergic Ca2+i-stimulation in adult myocytes

Left ventricular remodeling in swine after myocardial infarction: a transcriptional genomics approach

Despite the apparent appropriateness of left ventricular (LV) remodeling following myocardial infarction (MI), it poses an independent risk factor for development of heart failure. There is a paucity of studies into the molecular mechanisms of LV remodeling in large animal species. We took an unbiased molecular approach to identify candidate transcription factors (TFs) mediating the genetic reprogramming involved in post-MI LV remodeling in swine. Left ventricular tissue was collected from remote, non-infarcted myocardium, 3 weeks after MI-induction or sham-surgery. Microarray analysis identified 285 upregulated and 278 downregulated genes (FDR < 0.05). Of these differentially expressed genes, the promoter regions of the human homologs were searched for common TF binding sites (TFBS). Eighteen TFBS were overrepresented >two-fold (p < 0.01) in upregulated and 13 in downregulated genes. Left ventricular nuclear protein extracts were assayed for DNA-binding activity by protein/DNA array. Out of 345 DNA probes, 30 showed signal intensity changes >two-fold. Five TFs were identified in both TFBS and protein/DNA array analyses, which showed matching changes for COUP-TFII and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) only. Treatment of swine with the GR antagonist mifepristone after MI reduced the post-MI increase in LV mass, but LV dilation remained unaffected. Thus, using an unbiased approach to study post-MI LV remodeling in a physiologically relevant large animal model, we identified COUP-TFII and GR as potential key mediators of post-MI remodeling