23,154 research outputs found
Response of rat hindlimb muscles to 12 hours recovery from tail-cast suspension
Previous work has shown a number of biochemical changes which accompany atrophy or reduced muscle growth in hindlimb of tail-casted, suspended rats. These results clearly show that altered muscle growth was due to changes in protein turnover. Accordingly, the rise in soleus tyrosine following unloading reflects the more negative protein balance. Other major changes we found included slower synthesis of glutamine as indicated by lower ratios of glutamine/glutamate and reduced levels of aspartate which coincide with slower aspartate and ammonia metabolism in vitro. In conjunction with the study of SL-3 rats, which were subjected to 12 h of post-flight gravity, a study of the effects of 12 h eight bearing on metabolism of 6-day unloaded hindlimb muscles was carried out
Responses of skeletal muscle to unloading, a review
Suspension models were used to study muscle response to reduced activity. During 6 days of tail casting, the soleus (SOL) atrophies while the extensor digitorum longus grows relatively normally. After discounting those changes in both muscles due primarily to increased secretion of adrenal hormones, the following conclusions regarding the specific responses of the SOL could be drawn: (1) Atrophy is probably due primarily to increased protein degradation; (2) Decreased synthesis of glutamine may result from reduced availability of ammonia due to diminished use of ATP; (3) Greater muscle glycogen seems to reflect an increased response to insulin of glucose uptake which leads to greater glucose metabolism; and (4) Faster catabolism of branched-chain amino acids can be attributed to enhanced flux through ketoacid dehydrogenase. Studies by others using tail casted suspended rats showed in the SOL: (1) a gradual switch from type 1 to type 2 fibers; (2) increased acid protease activity; and (3) altered muscle function and contractile duration. Using harness suspended rats, others showed in the SOL: (1) significant atrophy; (2) increased numbers of glucocorticoid receptors; and (3) no change in muscle fatigability
Hyperatlas: A New Framework for Image Federation
Hyperatlas is an open standard intended to facilitate the large-scale
federation of image-based data. The subject of hyperatlas is the space of
sphere-to-plane projection mappings (the FITS-WCS information), and the
standard consists of coherent collections of these on which data can be
resampled and thereby federated with other image data. We hope for a
distributed effort that will produce a multi-faceted image atlas of the sky,
made by federating many different surveys at different wavelengths and
different times. We expect that hyperatlas-compliant imagery will be published
and discovered through an International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA)
registry, and that grid-based services will emerge for the required resampling
and mosaicking.Comment: Published in ADASS XIII proceeding
Atlasmaker: A Grid-based Implementation of the Hyperatlas
The Atlasmaker project is using Grid technology, in combination with NVO
interoperability, to create new knowledge resources in astronomy. The product
is a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional, scientifically trusted image atlas of
the sky, made by federating many different surveys at different wavelengths,
times, resolutions, polarizations, etc. The Atlasmaker software does resampling
and mosaicking of image collections, and is well-suited to operate with the
Hyperatlas standard. Requests can be satisfied via on-demand computations or by
accessing a data cache. Computed data is stored in a distributed virtual file
system, such as the Storage Resource Broker (SRB). We expect these atlases to
be a new and powerful paradigm for knowledge extraction in astronomy, as well
as a magnificent way to build educational resources. The system is being
incorporated into the data analysis pipeline of the Palomar-Quest synoptic
survey, and is being used to generate all-sky atlases from the 2MASS, SDSS, and
DPOSS surveys for joint object detection.Comment: Published in the Proceedings of ADASS XI
Exploration of Parameter Spaces in a Virtual Observatory
Like every other field of intellectual endeavor, astronomy is being
revolutionised by the advances in information technology. There is an ongoing
exponential growth in the volume, quality, and complexity of astronomical data
sets, mainly through large digital sky surveys and archives. The Virtual
Observatory (VO) concept represents a scientific and technological framework
needed to cope with this data flood. Systematic exploration of the observable
parameter spaces, covered by large digital sky surveys spanning a range of
wavelengths, will be one of the primary modes of research with a VO. This is
where the truly new discoveries will be made, and new insights be gained about
the already known astronomical objects and phenomena. We review some of the
methodological challenges posed by the analysis of large and complex data sets
expected in the VO-based research. The challenges are driven both by the size
and the complexity of the data sets (billions of data vectors in parameter
spaces of tens or hundreds of dimensions), by the heterogeneity of the data and
measurement errors, including differences in basic survey parameters for the
federated data sets (e.g., in the positional accuracy and resolution,
wavelength coverage, time baseline, etc.), various selection effects, as well
as the intrinsic clustering properties (functional form, topology) of the data
distributions in the parameter spaces of observed attributes. Answering these
challenges will require substantial collaborative efforts and partnerships
between astronomers, computer scientists, and statisticians.Comment: Invited review, 10 pages, Latex file with 4 eps figures, style files
included. To appear in Proc. SPIE, v. 4477 (2001
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