On the Polarization of H-alpha Lines Scattered by Neutral Hydrogen in Active Galactic Nuclei

Raman scattering by atomic hydrogen converts the UV continuum around Ly$\beta$ into optical continuum around H$\alpha$, and the basic atomic physics has been discussed in several works on symbiotic stars. We propose that the same process may operate in active galactic nuclei (AGN) and calculate the linear polarization of the broad emission lines Raman-scattered by a high column neutral hydrogen compnent. The conversion efficiency of the Raman scattering process is discussed and the expected scattered flux is computed using the spectral energy distribution of an AGN given by a typical power law. The high column H {\sc i} component in AGN is suggested by many observations encompassing radio through UV and X-ray ranges. When the neutral hydrogen component with a column density $\sim 10^{22} cm^{-2}$ is present around the active nucleus, it is found that the scattered H$\alpha$ is characterized by a very broad width $\sim 20,000 km/s$ and that the strength of the polarized flux is comparable to that of the electron-scattered flux expected from a conventional unified model of narrow line AGN. The width of the scattered flux is mainly determined by the column density of the neutral scatterers where the total scattering optical depth becomes of order unity. The asymmetry in the Raman scattering cross section around Ly$\beta$ introduces red asymmetric polarized profiles around H$\alpha$. The effects of the blended Ly$\beta$ and O {\sc vi} 1034 doublet are also investigated. We briefly discuss the spectropolarimetric observations performed on the Seyfert galaxy IRAS 110548-1131 and the narrow line radio galaxy Cyg A.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

A study on postpartum symptoms and their related factors in Korea

AbstractObjectiveThis study was aimed to identify the physical and mental state of women after delivery, to investigate the factors that influence those, and to examine the effects of postpartum care performance, which is traditionally believed to be appropriate care in Korea, on women's physical and mental status.Materials and MethodsA total of 148 women who visited our hospital for postpartum check-up on the 2nd week or 6th week after delivery were selected. We researched postpartum care methods using a questionnaire and had the women self-evaluate their postpartum symptoms. Depression was evaluated using the Beck Depression Inventory.ResultsThe average points of the 27 postpartum symptoms was 2.70 points (from 1 = very good to 5 = very bad). Seventy-two women had depression. Factors related to postpartum symptoms and depression were smoking before pregnancy, low marital satisfaction, bad mood during and after pregnancy, lack of support from husbands, and bad quality of sleep during puerperium. Treating the joints of hands carefully when milking breasts, and avoiding squatting down, demonstrated a negative correlation with the average points of postpartum symptoms. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that mood during puerperium and Beck Depression Inventory points were significant factors related to the average points of postpartum symptoms and that the degree of support from husbands and mood during pregnancy were statistically related with depression.ConclusionMany women complained of postpartum discomfort. Although, while some postpartum care methods which are traditionally believed to be appropriate care in Korea can be helpful to women's recovery, most of them are not. We confirmed that physical symptoms and depression are closely related to each other

The genome-scale metabolic network analysis of Zymomonas mobilis ZM4 explains physiological features and suggests ethanol and succinic acid production strategies

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Zymomonas mobilis </it>ZM4 is a Gram-negative bacterium that can efficiently produce ethanol from various carbon substrates, including glucose, fructose, and sucrose, <it>via </it>the Entner-Doudoroff pathway. However, systems metabolic engineering is required to further enhance its metabolic performance for industrial application. As an important step towards this goal, the genome-scale metabolic model of <it>Z. mobilis </it>is required to systematically analyze <it>in silico </it>the metabolic characteristics of this bacterium under a wide range of genotypic and environmental conditions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The genome-scale metabolic model of <it>Z. mobilis </it>ZM4, ZmoMBEL601, was reconstructed based on its annotated genes, literature, physiological and biochemical databases. The metabolic model comprises 579 metabolites and 601 metabolic reactions (571 biochemical conversion and 30 transport reactions), built upon extensive search of existing knowledge. Physiological features of <it>Z. mobilis </it>were then examined using constraints-based flux analysis in detail as follows. First, the physiological changes of <it>Z. mobilis </it>as it shifts from anaerobic to aerobic environments (i.e. aerobic shift) were investigated. Then the intensities of flux-sum, which is the cluster of either all ingoing or outgoing fluxes through a metabolite, and the maximum <it>in silico </it>yields of ethanol for <it>Z. mobilis </it>and <it>Escherichia coli </it>were compared and analyzed. Furthermore, the substrate utilization range of <it>Z. mobilis </it>was expanded to include pentose sugar metabolism by introducing metabolic pathways to allow <it>Z. mobilis </it>to utilize pentose sugars. Finally, double gene knock-out simulations were performed to design a strategy for efficiently producing succinic acid as another example of application of the genome-scale metabolic model of <it>Z. mobilis</it>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The genome-scale metabolic model reconstructed in this study was able to successfully represent the metabolic characteristics of <it>Z. mobilis </it>under various conditions as validated by experiments and literature information. This reconstructed metabolic model will allow better understanding of <it>Z. mobilis </it>metabolism and consequently designing metabolic engineering strategies for various biotechnological applications.</p

Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation: A novel treatment of facial venous malformation

We performed radiofrequency ablation to treat a symptomatic facial venous malformation of a 24-year-old woman under ultrasound scan-guidance. The 20.25-cm sized original facial venous malformation in her right cheek markedly reduced without any scar formation and was grossly not visible after 1 month of the procedure. In the 3-month follow-up magnetic resonance imaging, original venous malformation reduced in volume to 5.40 cm. Radiofrequency ablation may provide an alternative treatment for facial venous malformations

What Questions do People Ask on a Human Papillomavirus Website? A Comparative Analysis of Public and Private Questions

Objective: In 2004, we launched the question and answer (Q&A) section on a human papillomavirus (HPV) website (www.hpvkorea.org) that provides ample and regularly updated information about HPV. The purpose of this study is to collect data pertaining to questions posed on this website about HPV and its related diseases and analyze the type of questions and frequency before and after introduction of HPV vaccine in Korea. Using these results, we intend to determine the clinical and practical implications for doctors treating HPV and for HPV website providers