The nature and distribution within the plant of the bacteria associated with certain leaf-nodulated species of the families Myrsinaceae and Rubiaceae

Imperial Users onl

Incompressible viscous flow in a curved pipe

Imperial Users onl

Identifying High Potential Police Officers and Role Characteristics.

Project commissioned in 2000 by the Metropolitan Police Service to carry out a psychometric assessment validation study as part of a career Pathways Project

Pion electromagnetic form factor from full lattice QCD

We present preliminary results from the first calculation of the pion electromagnetic form factor at physical light quark masses. This form factor parameterises the deviations from the behaviour of a point-like particle when a photon hits the pion. These deviations result from the internal structure of the pion and can thus be calculated in QCD. We use three sets (different lattice spacings) of n_f=2+1+1 lattice configurations generated by the MILC collaboration. The Highly Improved Staggered Quark formalism (HISQ) is used for all of the sea and valence quarks. Using lattice configurations with u/d quark masses very close to the physical value is an advantage, as we avoid the chiral extrapolation. We study the shape of the vector (f_+) form factor in the q^2 range from 0 to -0.12 GeV^2 and extract the mean square radius, <r^2_v>. The shape of the vector form factor and the resulting radius is compared with experiment

Coupled NASTRAN/boundary element formulation for acoustic scattering

A coupled finite element/boundary element capability is described for calculating the sound pressure field scattered by an arbitrary submerged 3-D elastic structure. Structural and fluid impedances are calculated with no approximation other than discretization. The surface fluid pressures and normal velocities are first calculated by coupling a NASTRAN finite element model of the structure with a discretized form of the Helmholtz surface integral equation for the exterior field. Far field pressures are then evaluated from the surface solution using the Helmholtz exterior integral equation. The overall approach is illustrated and validated using a known analytic solution for scattering from submerged spherical shells

Lysosomal acid lipase: at the crossroads of normal and atherogenic cholesterol metabolism

Unregulated cellular uptake of apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins in the arterial intima leads to the formation of foam cells in atherosclerosis. Lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) plays a crucial role in both lipoprotein lipid catabolism and excess lipid accumulation as it is the primary enzyme that hydrolyzes cholesteryl esters derived from both low density lipoprotein (LDL) and modified forms of LDL. Evidence suggests that as atherosclerosis progresses, accumulation of excess free cholesterol in lysosomes leads to impairment of LAL activity, resulting in accumulation of cholesteryl esters in the lysosome as well as the cytosol in foam cells. Impaired metabolism and release of cholesterol from lysosomes can lead to downstream defects in ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 regulation, needed to offload excess cholesterol from plaque foam cells. This review focuses on the role LAL plays in normal cholesterol metabolism and how the associated changes in its enzymatic activity may ultimately contribute to atherosclerosis progression

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients' self-reported satisfaction with assistive technology

Introduction : Assistive devices are prescribed for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients with motor deficits, but little is known about their perceived benefit. Therefore, we assessed ALS patients' satisfaction with commonly prescribed devices. Methods : A telephone survey of 63 ALS patients from a single multidisciplinary clinic was conducted to assess the frequency of use, perceived usefulness, and satisfaction with 33 assistive devices. Results : Of those assistive technologies used “often or always” by ≥20% of respondents, arm rails by the toilet, elevated toilet seat, shower seat, shower bars, and slip-on shoes were ranked very highly for both usefulness and satisfaction. The ankle brace for ambulation, transfer board, speaker phone, and electronic seating controls were also ranked highly. The button hook, dressing stick, and long-handled reaching tool received low ratings for both usefulness and satisfaction. Conclusions : ALS patients reported high usefulness and satisfaction levels with all bathroom adaptive devices and certain low-technology devices. Muscle Nerve, 2011Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/83747/1/21951_ftp.pd