840 research outputs found
Shape complexity and fractality of fracture surfaces of swelled isotactic polypropylene with supercritical carbon dioxide
We have investigated the fractal characteristics and shape complexity of the
fracture surfaces of swelled isotactic polypropylene Y1600 in supercritical
carbon dioxide fluid through the consideration of the statistics of the islands
in binary SEM images. The distributions of area , perimeter , and shape
complexity follow power laws , , and , with the scaling ranges spanning
over two decades. The perimeter and shape complexity scale respectively as
and in two scaling regions delimited by . The fractal dimension and shape complexity increase when the temperature
decreases. In addition, the relationships among different power-law scaling
exponents , , , , and have been derived analytically,
assuming that , , and follow power-law distributions.Comment: RevTex, 6 pages including 7 eps figure
The filter-house of the larvacean Oikopleura dioica. A complex extracellular architecture : from fiber production to rudimentary state to inflated house
While cellulose is the most abundant macromolecule in the biosphere, most animals are unable to produce cellulose with the exception of tunicates. Some tunicates have evolved the ability to secrete a complex house containing cellulosic fibers, yet little is known about the early stages of the house building process. Here, we investigate the rudimentary house of Oikopleura dioica for the first time using complementary light and electron microscopic techniques. In addition, we digitally modelled the arrangement of chambers, nets, and filters of the functional, expanded house in three dimensions based on life-video-imaging. Combining 3D-reconstructions based on serial histological semithin-sections, confocal laser scanning microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and focused ion beam (FIB)-SEM, we were able to elucidate the arrangement of structural components, including cellulosic fibers, of the rudimentary house with a focus on the food concentration filter. We developed a model for the arrangement of folded structures in the house rudiment and show it is a precisely preformed structure with identifiable components intricately correlated with specific cells. Moreover, we demonstrate that structural details of the apical surfaces of Nasse cells provide the exact locations and shapes to produce the fibers of the house and interact amongst each other, with Giant Fol cells, and with the fibers to arrange them in the precise positions necessary for expansion of the house rudiment into the functional state. The presented data and hypotheses advance our knowledge about the interrelation of structure and function on different biological levels and prompt investigations into this astonishing biological object
Short- and long-term effects of hemodialysis on platelet and monocyte activity markers of atherosclerosis in patients with end-stage renal disease
Background: In hemodialysis (HD) patients cardiovascular events represent the predominant cause of mortality. Since platelet and monocyte activity markers play an important role in cardiovascular mortality, this study assessed the influence of HD on these markers.
Methods: Forty one HD patients (25 male, 16 female) were included. Blood samples were obtained before and after a single HD session at baseline and again after an elapsed period of 114 ± 21 days (91–175 days) on maintenance hemodialysis. Surface expression of CD40L and CD62P on platelets, tissue factor binding on monocytes and platelet-monocyte aggregates were measured by flow cytometry. Plasma levels of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFa) and soluble CD40L were analyzed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.
Results: Tissue factor on monocytes was significantly increased after a single HD session at baseline (p = 0.041), whereas platelet-monocyte aggregates, the expression of CD40L and CD62P on platelets did not change significantly. After a mean of 114 ± 21 days of HD therapy, tissue factor on monocytes (p < 0.0001), platelet-monocytes aggregates (p < 0.0001), plasma levels of MCP-1 (p = 0.012) and TNFa (p = 0.046) were significantly decreased compared to baseline values. In contrast, platelet surface expression of CD40L and CD62P as well as plasma levels of sCD40L and IL-6 were not attenuated significantly. There was no significant correlation detected between the markers examined and the cumulative time on hemodialysis.
Conclusions: Platelet and monocyte activity markers assessed in this study do not appear to be significantly increased by HD therapy. Therefore, these markers probably cannot be accountable for increased cardiovascular mortality in chronic HD patients
Response of Multi-strip Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chamber
A prototype of Multi-strip Multi-gap Resistive Plate chamber (MMRPC) with
active area 40 cm 20 cm has been developed at SINP, Kolkata. Detailed
response of the developed detector was studied with the pulsed electron beam
from ELBE at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. In this report the response
of SINP developed MMRPC with different controlling parameters is described in
details. The obtained time resolution () of the detector after slew
correction was 91.53 ps. Position resolution measured along ()
and across () the strip was 2.80.6 cm and 0.58 cm, respectively.
The measured absolute efficiency of the detector for minimum ionizing particle
like electron was 95.81.3 . Better timing resolution of the detector
can be achieved by restricting the events to a single strip. The response of
the detector was mainly in avalanche mode but a few percentage of streamer mode
response was also observed. A comparison of the response of these two modes
with trigger rate was studiedComment: 19 pages, 26 figure
Efficiency determination of resistive plate chambers for fast quasi-monoenergetic neutrons
Composite detectors made of stainless steel converters and multigap resistive
plate chambers have been irradiated with quasi-monoenergetic neutrons with a
peak energy of 175MeV. The neutron detection efficiency has been determined
using two different methods. The data are in agreement with the output of Monte
Carlo simulations. The simulations are then extended to study the response of a
hypothetical array made of these detectors to energetic neutrons from a
radioactive ion beam experiment.Comment: Submitted to Eur.Phys.J. A; upgraded version correcting some typos
and updating ref.
- …