Charge Exchange Spectra of Hydrogenic and He-like Iron

We present H-like Fe XXVI and He-like Fe XXV charge-exchange spectra resulting from collisions of highly charged iron with N2 gas at an energy of 10 eV/amu in an electron beam ion trap. Although individual high-n emission lines are not resolved in our measurements, we observe that the most likely level for Fe25+ --> Fe24+ electron capture is n~9, in line with expectations, while the most likely value for Fe26+ --> Fe25+ charge exchange is significantly higher. In the Fe XXV spectrum, the K-alpha emission feature dominates, whether produced via charge exchange or collisional excitation. The K-alpha centroid is lower in energy for the former case than the latter (6666 versus 6685 eV, respectively), as expected because of the strong enhancement of emission from the forbidden and intercombination lines, relative to the resonance line, in charge-exchange spectra. In contrast, the Fe XXVI high-n Lyman lines have a summed intensity greater than that of Ly-alpha, and are substantially stronger than predicted from theoretical calculations of charge exchange with atomic H. We conclude that the angular momentum distribution resulting from electron capture using a multi-electron target gas is significantly different from that obtained with H, resulting in the observed high-n enhancement. A discussion is presented of the relevance of our results to studies of diffuse Fe emission in the Galactic Center and Galactic Ridge, particularly with ASTRO-E2/Suzaku.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures (3 color), accepted by Ap

The Academics Athletics Trade-off: Universities and Intercollegiate Athletics

This analysis focuses on several key issues in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The intrinsic benefits of athletic programs are discussed in the first section. Trends in graduation rates and academic performance among athletes and how they correlate with the general student body are discussed in the second section. Finally, an overview of the revenues and expenses of athletic department budgets are discussed in an effort to gain a better understanding of the allocation of funds to athletics. In spite of recent growth in revenues and expenses, the athletic department budget comprises on average only 5 percent of the entire university budget at an FBS school, though spending and revenues have increased dramatically in recent years. In the grand scheme of things, American higher education faces several other, arguably more pressing, areas of reform. However, athletics is a significant and growing dimension of higher education that warrants in-depth examination

Muscle protein metabolism in neonatal alloxan-administered rats: effects of continuous and intermittent swimming training

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study aimed to examine the effects of intermittent and continuous swimming training on muscle protein metabolism in neonatal alloxan-administered rats.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Wistar rats were used and divided into six groups: sedentary alloxan (SA), sedentary control (SC), continuous trained alloxan (CA), intermittent trained alloxan (IA), continuous trained control (CC) and intermittent trained control (IC). Alloxan (250 mg/kg body weight) was injected into newborn rats at 6 days of age. The continuous training protocol consisted of 12 weeks of swimming training in individual cylinder tanks while supporting a load that was 5% of body weight; uninterrupted swimming for 1 h/day, five days a week. The intermittent training protocol consisted of 12 weeks of swimming training in individual cylinder tanks while supporting a load that was 15% of body weight; 30 s of activity interrupted by 30 s of rest for a total of 20 min/day, five days a week.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At 28 days, the alloxan animals displayed higher glycemia after glucose overload than the control animals. No differences in insulinemia among the groups were detected. At 120 days, no differences in serum albumin and total protein among the groups were observed. Compared to the other groups, DNA concentrations were higher in the alloxan animals that were subjected to continuous training, whereas the DNA/protein ratio was higher in the alloxan animals that were subjected to intermittent training.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>It was concluded that continuous and intermittent training sessions were effective in altering muscle growth by hyperplasia and hypertrophy, respectively, in alloxan-administered animals.</p

Leucine and tissue distribution of bulky and small neutral amino acids in rats: Dissociation between transport and insulin-mediated effects

The mechanism of the observed decrease in the plasma concentration of several amino acids in the presence of high levels of Leu has remained unexplained. In the present study a decrease in the plasma concentration of Ile, Val, Phe, Tyr, Met, Ala, Pro and Gly was observed after the intraperitoneal injection of Leu to weanling rats. Decreases in net intracellular concentrations in muscle accompanied the decrease in plasma of all of these amino acids except Pro and Gly. An increase in the distribution ratio muscle/plasma was observed exclusively for Gly after administration of Leu or of a non-insulinogenic transport system L analogue. Diazoxide suppressed the Leu-induced decreases in plasma and muscle intracellular concentrations of Ile and Val as well as of Pro in plasma. An increase in the distribution ratio liver/plasma was observed for Pro and Gly in the absence but not in the presence of diazoxide. All the above changes were statistically significant. Hence insulin probably mediates Leu effects, promoting an increased utilization of Ile and Val in muscle and of Pro in liver. A more direct effect of Leu appears to be involved in the apparent increased utilization of Phe, Tyr and Ala in the same tissue. Gly depletion in plasma can be explained by its trapping by inhibitory action of Leu on the exodus of Gly through transport system L.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42495/1/10545_2005_Article_BF01800357.pd

Determinants of perceived safety among the elderly: An exploratory study

A survey of randomly selected elderly residents (N = 301) of a largely rural county in Northwest Ohio sought to explore the perception of the fear of crime victimization. Those who participated in the study were asked a series of questions about their community, actual experiences of crime victimization, perception of fear related to victimization, and social support. Logistic regression analyses were computed to explore perceptions of neighborhood safety. Most participants reported limited experiences of victimization. As expected, in this rural environment, there was more reliance on informal supports and limited use of existing formal services