Lawson criterion for ignition exceeded in an inertial fusion experiment

For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin "burn propagation" into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While "scientific breakeven" (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser energy), this Letter reports the first controlled fusion experiment, using laser indirect drive, on the National Ignition Facility to produce capsule gain (here 5.8) and reach ignition by nine different formulations of the Lawson criterion

Systemic and vascular inflammation in experimental allergic asthma

Allergic asthma and atherosclerosis are inflammatory diseases characterized by similar sets of circulating inflammatory cells, in addition to mast cells in the airway and vessel wall. Animal models and human studies provide evidence of a potential interaction between the two apparently unrelated diseases. The main objective of this study was to determine whether experimental allergic asthma is accompanied by inflammatory responses, measured as the activation of the vasculature and the presence of immune cells in the perivascular adipose tissue. For this purpose, male Dunkin Hartley guinea pigs weighing 250 - 300 g were sensitized twice with 10 μg ovalbumin dissolved in aluminium hydroxide (Al(OH) ). Allergen inhalation was performed 10 days after the second immunization and continued 5 days a week for 2 months. After that period, T cell and macrophage content was measured by flow cytometry. The aortic expression of inflammatory markers was studied by real-time PCR. The number of T cells in the peripheral blood was significantly greater in the allergic group in comparison to the sham group. We did not find any significant differences in the leukocyte content of the perivascular adipose tissue between the groups. Nor did we identify significant changes in the expression of inflammatory markers (tumor necrosis factor, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) and adhesion molecules (intercellular adhesion molecules and vascular cell adhesion molecules) in the aorta. Interestingly, we observed a significantly decreased expression of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) mRNA in the aortic vessel of the allergic group compared to the sham group

Data from: No support for the sexy‐sperm hypothesis in the seed beetle: sons of monandrous females fare better in post‐copulatory competition

The sexy-sperm hypothesis posits that polyandrous females derive an indirect fitness benefit from multi-male mating because they increase the probability their eggs are fertilized by males whose sperm have high fertilizing efficiency, which is assumed to be heritable and conferred on their sons. However, whether this process occurs is contentious because father-to-son heritability may be constrained by the genetic architecture underlying traits important in sperm competition within certain species. Previous empirical work has revealed such genetic constraints in the seed beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus, a model system in sperm competition studies in which female multi-male mating is ubiquitous. Using the seed beetle, I tested a critical prediction of the sexy-sperm hypothesis that polyandrous females produce sons that are on average more successful under sperm competition than sons from monandrous females. Contrary to the prediction of the sexy-sperm hypothesis, I found that sons from monandrous females had significantly higher relative paternity in competitive double matings. Moreover, post-hoc analyses revealed that these sons produced significantly larger ejaculates when second to mate, despite being smaller. This study is the first to provide empirical evidence for post-copulatory processes favoring monandrous sons and discusses potential explanations for the unexpected bias in paternity

Clinical implications of glucocorticoid receptors in human leukemia

Normal lymphoid cells contain glucocorticoid receptor. A variety of stimuli that activate these cells also induce increases in receptor concentration. Similar glucocorticoid receptors can be detected in lymphoid cells from patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Absence of the glucocorticoid receptor (usually found in treated patients) predicts lack of glucocorticoid responsiveness. Furthermore, in our hands, glucocorticoid receptor levels correlate with the duration of complete remission in ALL (though not in other forms of leukemia). This association is independent of cell type, age, sex, or initial leukocyte count. The level of receptor shows a negative correlation with increasing aggressiveness of the tumor (null-cell leukemia greater than T-cell leukemia greater than Burkitt's lymphoma)