5,029 research outputs found
Interactions between the endocrine and immune systems in locusts
The prophenoloxidase cascade in the haemolymph of mature adult Locusta migratoria migratorioides (R & F) is activated in response to injection of laminarin, a -1,3 glucan. Co-injection of adipokinetic hormone-I (Lom-AKH-I) and laminarin prolongs the activation of the enzyme in a dose-dependent manner. However, injections of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) do not activate prophenoloxidase unless AKH is co-injected, when there is a dose-dependent increase in the level of phenoloxidase that persists in the haemolymph for several hours. Even when AKH is co-injected, the highest levels of phenoloxidase activity are always greater after injection of laminarin than after LPS, and these two immunogens must activate the prophenoloxidase cascade by quite distinct pathways. In the present study, interactions between the endocrine and immune systems were examined with respect to activation of prophenoloxidase and the formation of nodules: injection of LPS induces nodule formation in adult locusts. With LPS from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, nodules form exclusively in dense accumulations in the anterior portion of the abdomen on either side of the dorsal blood vessel associated with the dorsal diaphragm. However, with LPS from Escherichia coli, fewer nodules are formed but with a similar distribution, except that occasionally some nodules are aligned additionally on either side of the ventral nerve cord. Co-injection of Lom-AKH-I with LPS from either bacteria stimulates greater numbers of nodules to be formed. This effect of coinjection of AKH on nodule formation is seen at low doses of hormone with only 0.3 or 0.4 pmol of Lom-AKH-1, respectively, increasing the number of nodules by 50%. Injections of octopamine or 5-hydroxytryptamine do not mimic either of the actions of Lom-AKH-I described here. Co-injection of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, captopril, reduces nodule formation in response to injections of LPS but has no effect on the activation of phenoloxidase. Co-injection of an inhibitor of eicosanoid synthesis, dexamethasone, with LPS influences nodule formation (with or without AKH) in different ways according to the dose of dexamethasone used, but does not affect activation of prophenoloxidase. Eicosanoid synthesis is important for nodule formation, but not for the activation of the prophenoloxidase cascade in locust haemolymph
Automatic normal orientation in point clouds of building interiors
Orienting surface normals correctly and consistently is a fundamental problem
in geometry processing. Applications such as visualization, feature detection,
and geometry reconstruction often rely on the availability of correctly
oriented normals. Many existing approaches for automatic orientation of normals
on meshes or point clouds make severe assumptions on the input data or the
topology of the underlying object which are not applicable to real-world
measurements of urban scenes. In contrast, our approach is specifically
tailored to the challenging case of unstructured indoor point cloud scans of
multi-story, multi-room buildings. We evaluate the correctness and speed of our
approach on multiple real-world point cloud datasets
Radiation-induced insulator discharge pulses in the CRRES internal discharge monitor satellite experiment
The Internal Discharge Monitor (IDM) was designed to observe electrical pulses from common electrical insulators in space service. The sixteen insulator samples included twelve planar printed circuit boards and four cables. The samples were fully enclosed, mutually isolated, and space radiation penetrated 0.02 cm of aluminum before striking the samples. Pulsing began on the seventh orbit, the maximum pulse rate occurred on the seventeenth orbit when 13 pulses occurred, and the pulses slowly diminished to about one per 3 orbits six months later. After 8 months, the radiation belts abruptly increased and the pulse rates attained a new high. These pulse rates were in agreement with laboratory experience on shorter time scales. Several of the samples never pulsed. If the pulses were not confined within IDM, the physical processes could spread to become a full spacecraft anomaly. The IDM results indicate the rate at which small insulator pulses occur. Small pulses are the seeds of larger satellite electrical anomalies. The pulse rates are compared with space radiation intensities, L shell location, and spectral distributions from the radiation spectrometers on the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite
Fat transforms ascorbic acid from inhibiting to promoting acid-catalysed N-nitrosation
<b>Background</b>: The major potential site of acid nitrosation is the proximal stomach, an anatomical site prone to
a rising incidence of metaplasia and adenocarcinoma. Nitrite, a pre-carcinogen present in saliva, can be
converted to nitrosating species and N-nitroso compounds by acidification at low gastric pH in the presence
of thiocyanate.
<b>Aims</b>: To assess the effect of lipid and ascorbic acid on the nitrosative chemistry under conditions simulating
the human proximal stomach.
<b>Methods</b>: The nitrosative chemistry was modelled in vitro by measuring the nitrosation of four secondary
amines under conditions simulating the proximal stomach. The N-nitrosamines formed were measured by gas
chromatographyโion-trap tandem mass spectrometry, while nitric oxide and oxygen levels were measured
amperometrically.
<b>Results</b>: In absence of lipid, nitrosative stress was inhibited by ascorbic acid through conversion of nitrosating
species to nitric oxide. Addition of ascorbic acid reduced the amount of N-nitrosodimethylamine formed by
fivefold, N-nitrosomorpholine by .1000-fold, and totally prevented the formation of N-nitrosodiethylamine
and N-nitrosopiperidine. In contrast, when 10% lipid was present, ascorbic acid increased the amount of Nnitrosodimethylamine,
N-nitrosodiethylamine and N-nitrosopiperidine formed by approximately 8-, 60- and
140-fold, respectively, compared with absence of ascorbic acid.
<b>Conclusion</b>: The presence of lipid converts ascorbic acid from inhibiting to promoting acid nitrosation. This
may be explained by nitric oxide, formed by ascorbic acid in the aqueous phase, being able to regenerate
nitrosating species by reacting with oxygen in the lipid phase
First Principles Analysis of Electron-Phonon Interaction in Graphene
The electron-phonon interaction in monolayer graphene is investigated by
using density functional perturbation theory. The results indicate that the
electron-phonon interaction strength is of comparable magnitude for all four
in-plane phonon branches and must be considered simultaneously. Moreover, the
calculated scattering rates suggest an acoustic phonon contribution that is
much weaker than previously thought, revealing the role of optical phonons even
at low energies. Accordingly it is predicted, in good agreement with a recent
measurement, that the intrinsic mobility of graphene may be more than an order
of magnitude larger than the high values reported in suspended samples.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure
Theory of Activated Transport in Bilayer Quantum Hall Systems
We analyze the transport properties of bilayer quantum Hall systems at total
filling factor in drag geometries as a function of interlayer bias, in
the limit where the disorder is sufficiently strong to unbind meron-antimeron
pairs, the charged topological defects of the system. We compute the typical
energy barrier for these objects to cross incompressible regions within the
disordered system using a Hartree-Fock approach, and show how this leads to
multiple activation energies when the system is biased. We then demonstrate
using a bosonic Chern-Simons theory that in drag geometries, current in a
single layer directly leads to forces on only two of the four types of merons,
inducing dissipation only in the drive layer. Dissipation in the drag layer
results from interactions among the merons, resulting in very different
temperature dependences for the drag and drive layers, in qualitative agreement
with experiment.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Geometrical Defects in Josephson Junction Arrays
Dislocations and disclinations in a lattice of Josephson junctions will
affect the dynamics of vortex excitations within the array. These defects
effectively distort the space in which the excitations move and interact. The
interaction energy between such defects and excitations are determined and
vortex trajectories in twisted lattices are calculated. Finally, possible
experiments observing these effects are presented.Comment: 26 pages including 5 figure
The disappearance of the "revolving door" patient in Scottish general practice: successful policies
<b>Background</b> We describe the health of "revolving door" patients in general practice in Scotland, estimate changes in their number over the timescale of the study, and explore reasons for changes, particularly related to NHS and government policy.<p></p>
<b>Methods</b> A mixed methods predominantly qualitative study, using a grounded theory approach, set in Scottish general practice. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with professional key informants, 6 Practitioner Services staff who administer the GP registration system and 6 GPs with managerial or clinical experience of working with "revolving door" patients. Descriptive statistical analysis and qualitative analysis of patient removal episodes linked with routine hospital admissions, outpatient appointments, drug misuse treatment episodes and deaths were carried out with cohorts of "revolving door" patients identified from 1999 to 2005 in Scotland.<p></p>
<b>Results</b> A "revolving door" patient is removed 4 or more times from GP lists in 7 years. Patients had complex health issues including substance misuse, psychiatric and physical health problems and were at high risk of dying. There was a dramatic reduction in the number of "revolving door" patients during the course of the study.<p></p>
<b>Conclusions</b> "Revolving door" patients in general practice had significant health problems. Their numbers have reduced dramatically since 2004 and this probably resulted from improved drug treatment services, pressure from professional bodies to reduce patient removals and the positive ethical regulatory and financial climate of the 2004 GMS GP contract. This is a positive development for the NHS
The Effect of Headphone Verses Room Music on Aerobic Performance
Please refer to the pdf version of the abstract located adjacent to the title
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