729 research outputs found
Public perceptions, anxiety, and behaviour change in relation to the swine flu outbreak: cross sectional telephone survey
Objective To assess whether perceptions of the swine flu outbreak predicted changes in behaviour among members of the public in England, Scotland, and Wales
The quantum-mechanical basis of an extended Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation for a current-carrying ferromagnetic wire
An extended Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation is introduced to describe
the dynamics of inhomogeneous magnetization in a current-carrying wire. The
coefficients of all the terms in this equation are calculated
quantum-mechanically for a simple model which includes impurity scattering.
This is done by comparing the energies and lifetimes of a spin wave calculated
from the LLG equation and from the explicit model. Two terms are of particular
importance since they describe non-adiabatic spin-transfer torque and damping
processes which do not rely on spin-orbit coupling. It is shown that these
terms may have a significant influence on the velocity of a current-driven
domain wall and they become dominant in the case of a narrow wall.Comment: 19 pages, 1 figur
Sterol carrier protein 2 regulates proximal tubule size in the Xenopus pronephric kidney by modulating lipid rafts
AbstractThe kidney is a homeostatic organ required for waste excretion and reabsorption of water, salts and other macromolecules. To this end, a complex series of developmental steps ensures the formation of a correctly patterned and properly proportioned organ. While previous studies have mainly focused on the individual signaling pathways, the formation of higher order receptor complexes in lipid rafts is an equally important aspect. These membrane platforms are characterized by differences in local lipid and protein compositions. Indeed, the cells in the Xenopus pronephric kidney were positive for the lipid raft markers ganglioside GM1 and Caveolin-1. To specifically interfere with lipid raft function in vivo, we focused on the Sterol Carrier Protein 2 (scp2), a multifunctional protein that is an important player in remodeling lipid raft composition. In Xenopus, scp2 mRNA was strongly expressed in differentiated epithelial structures of the pronephric kidney. Knockdown of scp2 did not interfere with the patterning of the kidney along its proximo-distal axis, but dramatically decreased the size of the kidney, in particular the proximal tubules. This phenotype was accompanied by a reduction of lipid rafts, but was independent of the peroxisomal or transcriptional activities of scp2. Finally, disrupting lipid micro-domains by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis using Mevinolin phenocopied the defects seen in scp2 morphants. Together these data underscore the importance for localized signaling platforms in the proper formation of the Xenopus kidney
A gene signature for post-infectious chronic fatigue syndrome
Background: At present, there are no clinically reliable disease markers for chronic fatigue syndrome. DNA chip microarray technology provides a method for examining the differential expression of mRNA from a large number of genes. Our hypothesis was that a gene expression signature, generated by microarray assays, could help identify genes which are dysregulated in patients with post-infectious CFS and so help identify biomarkers for the condition. Methods: Human genome-wide Affymetrix GeneChip arrays (39,000 transcripts derived from 33,000 gene sequences) were used to compare the levels of gene expression in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of male patients with post-infectious chronic fatigue (n = 8) and male healthy control subjects (n = 7). Results: Patients and healthy subjects differed significantly in the level of expression of 366 genes. Analysis of the differentially expressed genes indicated functional implications in immune modulation, oxidative stress and apoptosis. Prototype biomarkers were identified on the basis of differential levels of gene expression and possible biological significance Conclusion: Differential expression of key genes identified in this study offer an insight into the possible mechanism of chronic fatigue following infection. The representative biomarkers identified in this research appear promising as potential biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment
Perceptions and Reactions with Regard to Pneumonic Plague
We assessed perceptions and likely reactions of 1,005 UK adults to a hypothetical
terrorist attack involving pneumonic plague. Likely compliance with official
recommendations ranged from good (98% would take antimicrobial drugs) to poor (76% would
visit a treatment center). Perceptions about plague were associated with these
intentions
Radical exchange reaction of multi-spin isoindoline nitroxides followed by EPR spectroscopy
The synthesis of a rigid, isoindoline-functionalized tetraphenylmethane multi-spin system is described. The isoindoline nitroxide groups are used in a nitroxide exchange reaction with a TEMPO containing alkoxyamine. Using EPR spectroscopy it is possible to follow the exchange process and thereby find the optimal experimental conditions to have the maximum yield. The presented approach could be used to study the nitroxide exchange process of various systems and to determine the kinetics of the exchange process. The presented molecular components can be used as tectons in the construction of covalently linked organic networks or as model systems for EPR distance measurements
Coherent Pair Production by Photons in the 20-170 GeV Energy Range Incident on Crystals and Birefringence
The cross section for coherent pair production by linearly polarised photons
in the 20-170 GeV energy range was measured for photon aligned incidence on
ultra-high quality diamond and germanium crystals. The theoretical description
of coherent bremsstrahlung and coherent pair production phenomena is an area of
active theoretical debate and development. However, under our experimental
conditions, the theory predicted the combined cross section and polarisation
experimental observables very well indeed. In macroscopic terms, our experiment
measured a birefringence effect in pair production in a crystal. This study of
this effect also constituted a measurement of the energy dependent linear
polarisation of photons produced by coherent bremsstrahlung in aligned
crystals. New technologies for manipulating high energy photon beams can be
realised based on an improved understanding of QED phenomena at these energies.
In particular, this experiment demonstrates an efficient new polarimetry
technique. The pair production measurements were done using two independent
methods simultaneously. The more complex method using a magnet spectrometer
showed that the simpler method using a multiplicity detector was also viable.Comment: 10 pages, 13 figures, 1 table, REVTeX4 two column, Version for
publicatio
Linear to Circular Polarisation Conversion using Birefringent Properties of Aligned Crystals for Multi-GeV Photons
We present the first experimental results on the use of a thick aligned Si
crystal acting as a quarter wave plate to induce a degree of circular
polarisation in a high energy linearly polarised photon beam. The linearly
polarised photon beam is produced from coherent bremsstrahlung radiation by 178
GeV unpolarised electrons incident on an aligned Si crystal, acting as a
radiator. The linear polarisation of the photon beam is characterised by
measuring the asymmetry in electron-positron pair production in a Ge crystal,
for different crystal orientations. The Ge crystal therefore acts as an
analyser. The birefringence phenomenon, which converts the linear polarisation
to circular polarisation, is observed by letting the linearly polarised photons
beam pass through a thick Si quarter wave plate crystal, and then measuring the
asymmetry in electron-positron pair production again for a selection of
relative angles between the crystallographic planes of the radiator, analyser
and quarter wave plate. The systematics of the difference between the measured
asymmetries with and without the quarter wave plate are predicted by theory to
reveal an evolution in the Stokes parameters from which the appearance of a
circularly polarised component in the photon beam can be demonstrated. The
measured magnitude of the circularly polarised component was consistent with
the theoretical predictions, and therefore is in indication of the existence of
the birefringence effect.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures, 1 table, REVTeX4 two column, Version for
publicatio
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