811 research outputs found
Monitoring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Portsmouth Harbour, United Kingdom, using the Chemcatcher® passive sampling devices
Coherent bubble-sum approximation for coupled-channel resonance scattering
For coupled-channel resonance scattering we derive a model with a closed form
solution for the -matrix that satisfies unitarity and analyticity. The
two-channel case is handled explicitly for an arbitrary number of resonances.
The method focuses on the expansion of the transition matrix elements,
, in known analytical functions. The appropriate hadronic form
factors and the related energy shifts can be determined from the scattering
data. The differences between this method and the -matrix and the
Breit-Wigner approximation are illustrated in the case of the
resonances and .Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, code available from
http://www.phyast.pitt.edu/~norbertl/bubblegum2
Investigating the temporal trends in PAH, PCB and OCP concentrations in Hartbeespoort Dam, South Africa, using semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs)
The seasonal variability of persistent organic pollutants in Hartbeespoort Dam, South Africa, was investigated using semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) as passive samplers. Freely dissolved waterborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were sampled to investigate seasonal changes in their concentrations. Exposure of the passive samplers was done for 14 days at the same sampling site in each of the four seasons of the year, in 2011. The SPMD-derived analyte amounts enabled the calculation of time-weighted averages of free dissolved waterborne levels of the contaminants. Concentrations ranged from 30.0 ng·l-1 to 51.5 ng·l-1 for PAHs, 38 pg l-1 to 150 pg·l-1 for PCBs, 9.2 to 10.4 ng·l-1 for HCHs and 0.3 to 0.8 ng·l-1 for DDTs, respectively. It was also noted that the winter season generally exhibited higher contaminant concentrations for most compounds studied, which likely reflects the seasonality of their atmospheric deposition. An attempt was also made to identify possible sources of PAH contaminants in the dam by examining PAH ratios. These diagnostic ratios were inclined towards pyrogenic sources of pollution, except for the winter season where both pyrogenic and petrogenic sources likely contribute to the contamination pattern.Keywords: Hartbeespoort dam, persistent organic pollutants, semipermeable membrane devices, water-dissolved concentrations, temporal trends
Gene expression changes following extinction testing in a heroin behavioral incubation model
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A number of gene expression studies have investigated changes induced by drug exposure, but few reports describe changes that persist following relapse. In this study, genome-wide analysis of gene expression was conducted following an extinction session (90 min) in rats that expressed behavioral incubation of heroin-seeking and goal-directed behavior. As an important modulator of goal-directed behavior, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) was the target of genomic analysis. Rats were trained to self-administer heroin during 3 h daily sessions for 14 d. Following the self-administration period, rats were reintroduced to the self-administration chambers for a 90-minute extinction session in which they could seek heroin, but received none. Extinction sessions were conducted on groups after either 1 d or 14 d of drug-free enforced abstinence to demonstrate behavioral incubation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Behavioral data demonstrated incubation (increased expression) of heroin-seeking and goal-directed behavior after the 14 d abstinent period. That is, following 14 d of enforced abstinence, animals displayed heightened drug-seeking behavior when returned to the environment where they had previously received heroin. This increased drug-seeking took place despite the fact that they received no drug during this extinction session. Whole genome gene expression analysis was performed and results were confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). Microarrays identified 66 genes whose expression was identified as changed by at least 1.4 fold (p < 0.02) following 14 d of abstinence and the 90-minute extinction session compared to the saline treated controls. Orthogonal confirmation by RT-qPCR demonstrated significant alterations in <it>bdnf</it>, <it>calb1</it>, <it>dusp5</it>, <it>dusp6</it>, <it>egr1</it>, <it>npy</it>, <it>rgs2</it>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Ontological analysis indicates that several of the genes confirmed to be changed are important for neuroplasticity, and through that role may impact learning and behavior. The importance of drug-seeking behavior and memory of previous drug-taking sessions suggest that such genes may be important for relapse. The global gene expression analysis adds to the knowledge of heroin-induced changes and further highlights similarities between heroin and other drugs of abuse.</p
The Veldkamp space of multiple qubits
We introduce a point-line incidence geometry in which the commutation
relations of the real Pauli group of multiple qubits are fully encoded. Its
points are pairs of Pauli operators differing in sign and each line contains
three pairwise commuting operators any of which is the product of the other two
(up to sign).
We study the properties of its Veldkamp space enabling us to identify subsets
of operators which are distinguished from the geometric point of view. These
are geometric hyperplanes and pairwise intersections thereof.
Among the geometric hyperplanes one can find the set of self-dual operators
with respect to the Wootters spin-flip operation well-known from studies
concerning multiqubit entanglement measures. In the two- and three-qubit cases
a class of hyperplanes gives rise to Mermin squares and other generalized
quadrangles. In the three-qubit case the hyperplane with points corresponding
to the 27 Wootters self-dual operators is just the underlying geometry of the
E6(6) symmetric entropy formula describing black holes and strings in five
dimensions.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure; added references, corrected typos; minor change
Evidence for a negative-parity spin-doublet of nucleon resonances at 1.88\,GeV
Evidence is reported for two nucleon resonances with spin-parity
and at a mass just below 1.9\,GeV. The evidence is derived from a
coupled-channel analysis of a large number of pion and photo-produced
reactions. The two resonances are nearly degenerate in mass with two resonances
of the same spin but positive parity. Such parity doublets are predicted in
models claiming restoration of chiral symmetry in high-mass excitations of the
nucleon. Further examples of spin parity doublets are found in addition.
Alternatively, the spin doublet can be interpreted as member of the 56-plet
expected in the third excitation band of the nucleon. Implications for the
problem of the {\it missing resonances} are discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, 4 tables, minor revisio
Delta rho pi interaction leading to N* and Delta* resonances
We have performed a calculation for the three body system
by using the fixed center approximation to Faddeev equations, taking the
interaction between and , and, and and
from the chiral unitary approach. We find several peaks in the modulus
squared of the three-body scattering amplitude, indicating the existence of
resonances, which can be associated to known and and baryon states.Comment: Presented at the 21st European Conference on Few-Body Problems in
Physics, Salamanca, Spain, 30 August - 3 September 201
Time Delay and Time Advance in Resonance Theory
We propose a theory of the resonance-antiresonance scattering process which
differs considerably from the classical one (the Breit-Wigner theory), which is
commonly used in the phenomenological analysis. Here both resonances and
antiresonances are described in terms of poles of the scattering amplitude: the
resonances by poles in the first quadrant while the antiresonances by poles in
the fourth quadrant of the complex angular momentum plane. The latter poles are
produced by non-local potentials, which derive from the Pauli exchange forces
acting among the nucleons or the quarks composing the colliding particles.Comment: 30 pages, 7 figure
Immune Assisted Tissue Engineering via Incorporation of Macrophages in Cell-Laden Hydrogels Under Cytokine Stimulation
The function of soft tissues is intricately linked to their connections with the other systems of the body such as circulation, nervous system, and immune system. The presence of resident macrophages in tissues provides a means to control tissue homeostasis and also a way to react to the physical/biological insults and tissue damage. Thus, incorporation of resident macrophage like phenotype-controlled macrophages in engineered tissues can improve their fidelity as model tissues and also improve their rate of integration and facilitate the resolution of inflammation for regenerative medicine applications. Herein, we demonstrate two potential ways to immunoassist the remodeling process of engineered soft tissues in three-dimensional (3-D) gelatin based hydrogels containing fibroblasts and/or endothelial cells: (i) with supplementation of interleukin-4 (IL-4) in the presence of macrophages and (ii) in tri-culture via naive monocytes or differentiated macrophages. The presence of IL-4 had a proliferative effect on fibroblasts, with a significant boosting effect on proliferation and cytokine secretion in the presence of differentiated macrophages with an upregulation of activin, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), creating a more stimulating microenvironment. The addition of IL-4 in endothelial cell/macrophage co-culture configuration improved the organization of the sprout-like structures, with a boost in proliferation at day 1 and with an upregulation of IL-6 and IL-1RA at the earliest stage in the presence of differentiated macrophages creating a favorable microenvironment for angiogenesis. In tri-culture conditions, the presence of monocytes or macrophages resulted in a denser tissue-like structure with highly remodeled hydrogels. The presence of differentiated macrophages had a boosting effect on the angiogenic secretory microenvironment, such as IL-6 and IL-8, without any additional cytokine supplementation. The presence of fibroblasts in combination with endothelial cells also had a significant effect on the secretion of angiopoietin. Our results demonstrate that incorporation of macrophages in a resident macrophage function and their phenotype control have significant effects on the maturation and cytokine microenvironment of 3-D multiple cell type-laden hydrogels, which can be harnessed for better integration of implantable systems and for more physiologically relevant in vitro tissue models with an immune component
Corrigendum: Immune Assisted Tissue Engineering via Incorporation of Macrophages in Cell-Laden Hydrogels Under Cytokine Stimulation
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