576 research outputs found
A Chandra X-ray detection of the L dwarf binary Kelu-1: Simultaneous Chandra and Very Large Array observations
Magnetic activity in ultracool dwarfs, as measured in X-rays and H,
shows a steep decline after spectral type M7-M8. So far, no L dwarf has been
detected in X-rays. In contrast, L dwarfs may have higher radio activity than M
dwarfs. We observe L and T dwarfs simultaneously in X-rays and radio to
determine their level of magnetic activity in the context of the general
decline of magnetic activity with cooler effective temperatures. The field L
dwarf binary Kelu-1 was observed simultaneously with Chandra and the Very Large
Array. Kelu-1AB was detected in X-rays with erg/s, while it remained undetected in the radio down to a limit of erg/s/Hz. We argue that,
whereas the X-ray and H emissions decline in ultracool dwarfs with
decreasing effective temperature, the radio luminosity stays (more or less)
constant across M and early-L dwarfs. The radio surface flux or the luminosity
may better trace magnetic activity in ultracool dwarfs than the ratio of the
luminosity to the bolometric luminosity. Deeper radio observations (and at
short frequencies) are required to determine if and when the cut-off in radio
activity occurs in L and T dwarfs, and what kind of emission mechanism takes
place in ultracool dwarfs.Comment: Accepted for publication as a Letter in Astronomy & Astrophysic
Understanding urban hydrology through measurements of infiltration capacity of permeable pavements under real-live circumstances
Over the past decades various types of permeable pavements have been implemented in different municipalities in the Netherlands in order to improve infiltration capacity in urban areas and therewith being able to better treat stormwater runoff. With initial promising results this adaptation measure seemed to be the solution for urban flooding due to extreme precipitation. However, in practice, foreseen infiltration capacities were usually not met, often due unknown reasons. To better understand the functioning of permeable pavements in practice, we have studied - as part of the project Infiltrating Cities - over 100 existing permeable pavement installations in the Netherlands. At each location, infiltration capacity was tested through a full-scale infiltration testing procedure (flooded area about 40 m2) while conditional on-site factors were collected (location, age, type of permeable pavement, street-type, traffic density, vicinity of urban green, regular maintenance regime, etc.). By coupling this information we analyzed how these factors influence the infiltration capacity of permeable pavements in practice, e.g. through accelerated deterioration of infiltration capacity through time. In addition, we evaluated for a selected number of installations, how various types of maintenance may counteract this deterioration, hence improving the infiltration capacity of permeable pavements
The -cleus experiment: A gram-scale fiducial-volume cryogenic detector for the first detection of coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering
We discuss a small-scale experiment, called -cleus, for the first
detection of coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering by probing nuclear-recoil
energies down to the 10 eV-regime. The detector consists of low-threshold
CaWO and AlO calorimeter arrays with a total mass of about 10 g and
several cryogenic veto detectors operated at millikelvin temperatures.
Realizing a fiducial volume and a multi-element target, the detector enables
active discrimination of , neutron and surface backgrounds. A first
prototype AlO device, operated above ground in a setup without
shielding, has achieved an energy threshold of eV and further
improvements are in reach. A sensitivity study for the detection of coherent
neutrino scattering at nuclear power plants shows a unique discovery potential
(5) within a measuring time of weeks. Furthermore, a site
at a thermal research reactor and the use of a radioactive neutrino source are
investigated. With this technology, real-time monitoring of nuclear power
plants is feasible.Comment: 14 pages, 19 figure
Bid chimeras indicate that most BH3-only proteins can directly activate Bak and Bax, and show no preference for Bak versus Bax
The mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis is initiated by Bcl-2 homology region 3 (BH3)-only members of the Bcl-2 protein family. On upregulation or activation, certain BH3-only proteins can directly bind and activate Bak and Bax to induce conformation change, oligomerization and pore formation in mitochondria. BH3-only proteins, with the exception of Bid, are intrinsically disordered and therefore, functional studies often utilize peptides based on just their BH3 domains. However, these reagents do not possess the hydrophobic membrane targeting domains found on the native BH3-only molecule. To generate each BH3-only protein as a recombinant protein that could efficiently target mitochondria, we developed recombinant Bid chimeras in which the BH3 domain was replaced with that of other BH3-only proteins (Bim, Puma, Noxa, Bad, Bmf, Bik and Hrk). The chimeras were stable following purification, and each immunoprecipitated with full-length Bcl-xL according to the specificity reported for the related BH3 peptide. When tested for activation of Bak and Bax in mitochondrial permeabilization assays, Bid chimeras were ~1000-fold more effective than the related BH3 peptides. BH3 sequences from Bid and Bim were the strongest activators, followed by Puma, Hrk, Bmf and Bik, while Bad and Noxa were not activators. Notably, chimeras and peptides showed no apparent preference for activating Bak or Bax. In addition, within the BH3 domain, the h0 position recently found to be important for Bax activation, was important also for Bak activation. Together, our data with full-length proteins indicate that most BH3-only proteins can directly activate both Bak and Bax
Serviço de Ortopedia do HCPA: uma análise dos indicadores assistenciais no perÃodo de dez anos
Os distúrbios do sistema músculo-esquelético estão entre os que mais acometem a população em geral e motivam a procura de atendimento médico. Com o envelhecimento da nossa população e com os perfis epidemiológicos que colocam pessoas com mais de 55 anos como primeiras em busca de atendimento, a constante evolução da Ortopedia se faz necessária para atender essa demanda. Medir a qualidade e quantidade dos serviços de saúde é imprescindÃvel, uma vez que possibilita o planejamento, organização, avaliação e controle das atividades desenvolvidas. Dessa forma, decidimos avaliar os indicadores assistenciais do Serviço de Ortopedia do Hospital de ClÃnicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA) durante o perÃodo de dez anos, compreendendo de 2003 a 2013. Optamos, então, por fazer dois tipos de análises. Em uma delas, um comparativo do Serviço de Ortopedia em relação aos números totais do HCPA e, na outra, um comparativo interno do Serviço no perÃodo de dez anos
The Pro-Apoptotic Proteins, Bid and Bax, Cause a Limited Permeabilization of the Mitochondrial Outer Membrane That Is Enhanced by Cytosol
During apoptosis, an important pathway leading to caspase activation involves the release of cytochrome c from the intermembrane space of mitochondria. Using a cell-free system based on Xenopus egg extracts, we examined changes in the outer mitochondrial membrane accompanying cytochrome c efflux. The pro-apoptotic proteins, Bid and Bax, as well as factors present in Xenopus egg cytosol, each induced cytochrome c release when incubated with isolated mitochondria. These factors caused a permeabilization of the outer membrane that allowed the corelease of multiple intermembrane space proteins: cytochrome c, adenylate kinase and sulfite oxidase. The efflux process is thus nonspecific. None of the cytochrome c-releasing factors caused detectable mitochondrial swelling, arguing that matrix swelling is not required for outer membrane permeability in this system. Bid and Bax caused complete release of cytochrome c but only a limited permeabilization of the outer membrane, as measured by the accessibility of inner membrane-associated respiratory complexes III and IV to exogenously added cytochrome c. However, outer membrane permeability was strikingly increased by a macromolecular cytosolic factor, termed PEF (permeability enhancing factor). We hypothesize that PEF activity could help determine whether cells can recover from mitochondrial cytochrome c release
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