Atrial natriuretic factor

The discovery of the first well-defined natriuretic hormone, the Atrial Natriuretic Factor (ANF), has prompted research on its impact on volume regulation in health and disease. The natriuretic, diuretic, and smooth muscle-relaxing properties suggest an important role of this novel hormone in pathophysiological states with sodium or volume retention, such as congestive heart failure or cirrhosis of the liver. Investigations on the implications of ANF in liver disease have been performed for little more than 1 year, and results are still controversial in many respects. At present, it seems very likely that there is no absolute deficiency of plasma ANF in patients with cirrhosis. Moreover, elevated plasma levels in cirrhotics with ascites have been reported by several groups. However, as yet, a molecular characterization of this increased immunoreactivity is still lacking. There is disagreement on the reduced release of and renal response to ANF in subgroups of cirrhotics; however, stimulus-response-coupling might be impaired. Further studies are needed to elucidate the pathophysiological implications and therapeutical potential of ANF in patients with chronic liver disease

Plant Physiological Aspects of Silicon

The element silicon, Si, represents an anomaly in plant physiology (Epstein, 1994, 1999b). Plants contain the element in amounts comparable to those of such macronutrient elements as phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, viz. at tissue concentrations (dry weight basis) of about 0.1-10%, although both lower and higher values may be encountered. In some plants, such as rice and sugarcane, Si may be the mineral element present in largest amount. In much of plant physiological research, however, Si is considered a nonentity. Thus, not a single formulation of the widely used nutrient solutions includes Si. Experimental plants grown in these solutions are therefore abnormally low in their content of the element, being able to obtain only what Si is present as an unavoidable contaminant of the nutrient salts used, and from the experimental environment and their own seeds. The reason for the astonishing discrepancy between the prominence of Si in plants and its neglect in much of the enterprise of plant physiological research is that Si does not qualify as an ''essential'' element. Ever since the introduction of the solution culture method in the middle of the last century (Epstein, 1999a, b) it has been found that higher plants can grow in nutrient solutions in the formulation of which Si is not included. The only exceptions are the Equisitaceae (horsetails or scouring rushes), for which Si is a quantitatively major essential element

Averaged Energy Conditions and Evaporating Black Holes

In this paper the averaged weak (AWEC) and averaged null (ANEC) energy conditions, together with uncertainty principle-type restrictions on negative energy (``quantum inequalities''), are examined in the context of evaporating black hole backgrounds in both two and four dimensions. In particular, integrals over only half-geodesics are studied. We determine the regions of the spacetime in which the averaged energy conditions are violated. In all cases where these conditions fail, there appear to be quantum inequalities which bound the magnitude and extent of the negative energy, and hence the degree of the violation. The possible relevance of these results for the validity of singularity theorems in evaporating black hole spacetimes is discussed.Comment: Sections 2.1 and 2.2 have been revised and some erroneous statements corrected. The main conclusions and the figures are unchanged. 27 pp, plain Latex, 3 figures available upon reques

On the spin-statistics connection in curved spacetimes

The connection between spin and statistics is examined in the context of locally covariant quantum field theory. A generalization is proposed in which locally covariant theories are defined as functors from a category of framed spacetimes to a category of $*$-algebras. This allows for a more operational description of theories with spin, and for the derivation of a more general version of the spin-statistics connection in curved spacetimes than previously available. The proof involves a "rigidity argument" that is also applied in the standard setting of locally covariant quantum field theory to show how properties such as Einstein causality can be transferred from Minkowski spacetime to general curved spacetimes.Comment: 17pp. Contribution to the proceedings of the conference "Quantum Mathematical Physics" (Regensburg, October 2014

Plant Growth Optimization by Vegetable Production System in HI-SEAS Analog Habitat

The Vegetable Production System (Veggie) is a scientific payload designed to support plant growth for food production under microgravity conditions. The configuration of Veggie consists of an LED lighting system with modular rooting pillows designed to contain substrate media and time-release fertilizer. The pillows were designed to be watered passively using capillary principles but have typically been watered manually by the astronauts in low-Earth orbit (LEO). The design of Veggie allows cabin air to be drawn through the plant enclosure for thermal and humidity control and for supplying CO2 to the plants. Since its delivery to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2014, Veggie has undergone several experimental trials by various crews. Ground unit testing of Veggie was conducted during an 8-month Mars analog study in a semi-contained environment of a simulated habitat located at approximately 8,200 feet (2,500 m) elevation on the Mauna Loa volcano on the Island of Hawaii. The Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) offered conditions (habitat, mission, communications, etc.) intended to simulate a planetary exploration mission. This paper provides data and analyses to show the prospect for optimized use of the current Veggie design for human habitats. Lessons learned during the study may provide opportunities for updating the system design and operational parameters for current Veggie experiments being conducted onboard the ISS and for payloads on future deep space missions

Nuclear Octupole Correlations and the Enhancement of Atomic Time-Reversal Violation

We examine the time-reversal-violating nuclear ``Schiff moment'' that induces electric dipole moments in atoms. After presenting a self-contained derivation of the form of the Schiff operator, we show that the distribution of Schiff strength, an important ingredient in the ground-state Schiff moment, is very different from the electric-dipole-strength distribution, with the Schiff moment receiving no strength from the giant dipole resonance in the Goldhaber-Teller model. We then present shell-model calculations in light nuclei that confirm the negligible role of the dipole resonance and show the Schiff strength to be strongly correlated with low-lying octupole strength. Next, we turn to heavy nuclei, examining recent arguments for the strong enhancement of Schiff moments in octupole-deformed nuclei over that of 199Hg, for example. We concur that there is a significant enhancement while pointing to effects neglected in previous work (both in the octupole-deformed nuclides and 199Hg) that may reduce it somewhat, and emphasizing the need for microscopic calculations to resolve the issue. Finally, we show that static octupole deformation is not essential for the development of collective Schiff moments; nuclei with strong octupole vibrations have them as well, and some could be exploited by experiment.Comment: 25 pages, 4 figures embedded in tex

Periodic Homogenization and Material Symmetry in Linear Elasticity

Here homogenization theory is used to establish a connection between the symmetries of a periodic elastic structure associated with the microscopic properties of an elastic material and the material symmetries of the effective, macroscopic elasticity tensor. Previous results of this type exist but here more general symmetries on the microscale are considered. Using an explicit example, we show that it is possible for a material to be fully anisotropic on the microscale and yet the symmetry group on the macroscale can contain elements other than plus or minus the identity. Another example demon- strates that not all material symmetries of the macroscopic elastic tensor are generated by symmetries of the periodic elastic structure.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figure

STRAIN DIFFERENCES IN THE EXPRESSION OF THE EPA-1-RESTRICTING ELEMENT

Epa-1-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) lyse epidermal cells (EC) of different Epa-1 + H-2 k strains, such as AKR, CBA, C58, and RF, at different levels. We used an H-2K k -specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) to test the hypothesis that this phenomenon is due to differences in the H-2-restricting element. Initially, we established the specificity of this mAb for the Epa-1-restricting element by demonstrating its capacity to inhibit the lysis of CBA EC by Epa-1-specific CTL. We then used it as the probe in a cellular radioimmunoassay to quantify the expression of the restricting element by EC of different H-2 k strains. We found that C58 and RF EC bound significantly less of the mAb than did CBA EC. Although AKR also bound less of the mAb than did CBA EC, the difference was not statistically significant. To examine the generality of this phenomenon, we quantified the expression of K k antigens on spleen cells (SC) of the same four strains. We found that RF SC, but not AKR or C58 SC, bound significantly less of the K k mAb than did CBA SC. Thus, the differential CTL lysis of Epa-1 + EC of different strains probably reflects differences in expression of the H-2-restricting element rather than of the nominal antigen.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75485/1/j.1744-313X.1987.tb00375.x.pd

Using intuitive awakening for business students to enhance strategic thinking skills

Intuition is essential to marketing scholarship and practice. Furthermore, under certain business conditions, it becomes invaluable as a primary mode of decision making. Reflecting this perspective, conceptual research on the topic is abundant. Empirical studies in business school settings that address marketing intuitive decision making are scarce. Without application of intuitive thinking at the marketing education class level, diffusion of this important skill in the educational sphere will not take place. In this research, while building on Andrew Cox’s (2001) conceptualization a power matrix framework between buyers and suppliers as a case theme, we test role-playing and experiential knowledge effects on graduate business students’ assessments of marketing communications, relationships, satisfaction and influence strategy dimensions involving intuitive decision making

Notes on a paper of Mess

These notes are a companion to the article "Lorentz spacetimes of constant curvature" by Geoffrey Mess, which was first written in 1990 but never published. Mess' paper will appear together with these notes in a forthcoming issue of Geometriae Dedicata.Comment: 26 page