834 research outputs found
Steroid receptor co-activator interacting protein (SIP) mediates EGF-stimulated expression of the prostaglandin synthase COX2 and prostaglandin release in human myometrium
Steroid receptor co-activator interacting protein (SIP) mediates EGF-stimulated expression of the prostaglandin synthase COX2 and prostaglandin release in human myometrium
Quantum effects on Higgs-strahlung events at Linear Colliders within the general 2HDM
The associated production of neutral Higgs bosons with the Z gauge boson is
investigated in the context of the future linear colliders, such as the ILC and
CLIC, within the general two-Higgs-doublet model (2HDM). We compute the
corresponding production cross-sections at one-loop, in full consistency with
the available theoretical and phenomenological constraints. We find that the
wave-function renormalization corrections to the external Higgs fields are the
dominant source of the quantum effects, which turn out to be large and
negative, and located predominantly in the region around \tan\beta=1 and
moderate values of the parameter \lambda_5 (being \lambda_5 < 0). This behavior
can be ultimately traced back to the enhancement potential of the triple Higgs
boson self-couplings, a trademark feature of the 2HDM with no counterpart in
the Higgs sector of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. The predicted
Higgs-strahlung rates comfortably reach a few tens of femtobarn, which means
barely 10^3 - 10^4 events per 500 inverse femtobarn of integrated luminosity.
Due to their great complementarity, we argue that the combined analysis of the
Higgs-strahlung events and the previously computed one-loop Higgs-pair
production processes could be instrumental to probe the structure of the Higgs
sector at future linac facilities.Comment: LaTeX, 16 pages, 9 Figures, 2 Tables. Extended discussion, references
added, matches published version in Phys. Rev.
Dynamics of Scalar Field Dark Matter With a Cosh-like Potential
The dynamics of a cosmological model fueled by scalar field dark matter with
a cosh-like potential plus a cosmological constant is investigated in detail.
It is revealed that the late-time attractor is always the de Sitter solution,
and that, depending on the values of the free parameters, the oscillating
solution of the scalar field -- modeling cold dark matter -- mediates between
some early stage (say, the radiation-dominated solution) and the accelerating
de Sitter attractor.Comment: 9 pages, 17 figures, uses RevTe
Prostaglandin pathway gene expression in human placenta, amnion and choriodecidua is differentially affected by preterm and term labour and by uterine inflammation
BACKGROUND: Elucidation of the biochemical pathways involved in activation of preterm and term human labour would facilitate the development of effective management and inform judgements regarding the necessity for preterm tocolysis and post-term induction. Prostaglandins act at all stages of human reproduction, and are potentially activators of labour. METHODS: Expression of 15 genes involved in prostaglandin synthesis, transport and degradation was measured by qPCR using tissue samples from human placenta, amnion and choriodecidua at preterm and full-term vaginal and caesarean delivery. Cellular localisation of eight prostaglandin pathway proteins was determined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Expression of prostaglandin pathway genes was differentially affected by factors including gestational age at delivery, and the incidence and duration of labour. Chorioamnionitis/deciduitis was associated with upregulation of PTGS2 (prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (prostaglandin G/H synthase and cyclooxygenase)), along with the inflammatory genes IL8 (interleukin 8), S100A8 (S100 calcium binding protein A8) and TLR2 (toll-like receptor 2), in amnion and choriodecidua, and with downregulation of CBR1 (carbonyl reductase 1) and HPGD (hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase 15-(NAD)) in choriodecidua. Protein localisation differed greatly between the various maternal and fetal cell types. CONCLUSIONS: Preterm and term labour are associated with distinct prostaglandin pathway expression profiles; inflammation provokes specific changes, unrelated to the presence of labour; spontaneous and induced term labour are indistinguishable
The feto-placental metabolome of spontaneous labour is not reproduced following induction of labour
Genotypic variability in radial resistance to water flow in olive roots and its response to temperature variations
As radial root resistance (Rp) represents one of the key components of the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum resistance catena modulating water transport, understanding its control is essential for physiologists, modelers and breeders. Reports of Rp, however, are still scarce and scattered in the scientific literature. In this study, we assessed genetic variability in Rp and its dependence on temperature in five widely used olive cultivars. In a first experiment, cultivar differences in Rp at 25 °C were evaluated from flow–pressure measurements in excised roots and subsequent analysis of root traits. In a second experiment, similar determinations were performed continually over a 5-h period in which temperature was gradually increased from 12 to 32 °C, enabling the assessment of Rp response to changing temperature. Despite some variability, our results did not show statistical differences in Rp among cultivars in the first experiment. In the second, cultivar differences in Rp were not significant at 12 °C, but they became so as temperature increased. Furthermore, the changes in Rp between 12 and 32 °C were higher than those expected by the temperature-driven decrease in water viscosity, with the degree of that change differing among cultivars. Also, Rp at 25 °C reached momentarily in the second experiment was consistently higher than in the first at that same, but fixed, temperature. Overall, our results suggest that there is limited variability in Rp among the studied cultivars when plants have been exposed to a given temperature for sufficient time. Temperature-induced variation in Rp might thus be partly explained by changes in membrane permeability that occur slowly, which explains why our values at 25 °C differed between experiments. The observed cultivar differences in Rp with warming also indicate faster acclimation of Rp to temperature changes in some cultivars than others.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Threading Through Macrocycles Enhances the Performance of Carbon Nanotubes as Polymer Fillers
In this work we study the reinforcement of polymers by mechanically
interlocked derivatives of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). We compare
the mechanical properties of fibers made of polymers and of composites with
pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), mechanically interlocked
derivatives of SWNTs (MINTs) and the corresponding supramolecular models.
Improvements of both Young's modulus and tensile strength of up to 200 % were
observed for the polystyrene-MINTs samples with an optimized loading of just
0.01 wt.%, while the supramolecular models with identical chemical composition
and loading showed negligible or even detrimental influence. This behavior is
found for three different types of SWNTs and two types of macrocycles.
Molecular dynamics simulations show that the polymer adopts an elongated
conformation parallel to the SWNT when interacting with MINT fillers,
irrespective of the macrocycle chemical nature, whereas a more globular
structure is taken upon facing with either pristine SWNTs or supramolecular
models. The MINT composite architecture thus leads to a more efficient
exploitation of the axial properties of the SWNTs and of the polymer chain at
the interface, in agreement with experimental results. Our findings demonstrate
that the mechanical bond imparts distinctive advantageous properties to SWNT
derivatives as polymer fillers.Comment: 39 pages, 19 figure
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