1,501 research outputs found
Reaching out: Access to and use of banking services across countries.
[Dataset available: http://hdl.handle.net/10411/13604]
Exogenous Estrogen Boosts Circulating Estradiol Concentrations and Calcium Uptake by Duodenal Tissue in Heat-Stressed Hens
In the hen, heat stress (HS) disrupts shell calcification and reproductive processes, including hormone synthesis and egg production. Two studies were conducted to investigate palliative effects of exogenous estrogen or dietary vitamin D3 on Ca homeostasis and reproductive physiology during HS. Study 1: Hy-Line W36 hens were randomly assigned to thermoneutral (TN) or HS treatments and to 1 of 7 estrogen treatments: zero (control) or one Compudose 200 implant given 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, or 10 d before onset of HS. With no implant, HS reduced plasma estradiol (E2) and total Ca absorbed (CaT) by duodenal cells (P \u3c 0.05). In TN hens with implants, plasma E2 tripled within 24 h (P \u3c 0.05) and remained elevated (P \u3c 0.05) through d 9. In HS hens with implants, plasma E2 rose 6-fold (P \u3c 0.05) to equal TN+E2 concentrations and remained elevated through d 10. In TN and HS hens with implants, the rate of Ca absorption (CaTR) and CaT increased dramatically; the responses were quadratic and essentially identical. Study 2: Hy-Line W36 hens were provided diets formulated either according to NRC requirements (NRC, 1994), or with the addition of 22,000 IU/kg vitamin D3 (+VD hens). A 24-h HS episode was imposed 2 wk after initiation of the dietary regimen. Duodenal samples were collected for Ca absorption assays after the 24-h HS episode. Both CaTR and CaT in +VD hens were approximately 3-fold higher than in hens in the NVD group (P = 0.102). The results lead to the conclusion that exogenous estrogen, high levels of dietary vitamin D, or both, before a HS episode, are efficacious in alleviating at least some of the effects of HS and should be further investigated
6Li direct breakup lifetimes
alpha-d coincidence data were studied for the 6Li + 59Co reaction at E(lab) =
29.6 MeV. By using a kinematic analysis, it was possible to identify which
process, leading to the same final state, has the major contribution for each
of the selected angular regions. Contributions of the 6Li sequential and direct
breakup to the incomplete fusion/transfer process were discussed by considering
the lifetimes obtained by using a semiclassical approach, for both breakup
components.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, Invited Talk (Parrallel Sessions) of A. Szanto de
Toledo, prepared for the Proccedings of the 10th International Conference on
Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions, August 16-21, 2009, Beijing, China; submitted to
Nucl. Phys. A (Proceedings of NN2009
Negotiating the inhuman: Bakhtin, materiality and the instrumentalization of climate change
The article argues that the work of literary theorist Mikhail M. Bakhtin presents a starting point for thinking about the instrumentalization of climate change. Bakhtinâs conceptualization of humanâworld relationships, encapsulated in the concept of âcosmic terrorâ, places a strong focus on our perception of the âinhumanâ. Suggesting a link between the perceived alienness and instability of the world and in the exploitation of the resulting fear of change by political and religious forces, Bakhtin asserts that the latter can only be resisted if our desire for a false stability in the world is overcome. The key to this overcoming of fear, for him, lies in recognizing and confronting the worldly relations of the human body. This consciousness represents the beginning of oneâs âdeautomatizationâ from following established patterns of reactions to predicted or real changes. In the vein of several theorists and artists of his time who explored similar âdeautomatizationâ strategies â examples include Shklovskyâs âostranenieâ, Brechtâs âVerfremdungâ, Artaudâs emotional âcrueltyâ and Batailleâs âbase materialismâ â Bakhtin proposes a more playful and widely accessible experimentation to deconstruct our âhabitual picture of the worldâ. Experimentation is envisioned to take place across the material and the textual to increase possibilities for action. Through engaging with Bakhtinâs ideas, this article seeks to draw attention to relations between the imagination of the world and political agency, and the need to include these relations in our own experiments with creating climate change awareness
Estrogen Receptor-α Populations Change with Age in Commercial Laying Hens
Older hens in production lay larger but fewer eggs than younger birds, and the incidence of soft and broken shells is greater in older hens than younger. These changes are attributable at least in part to changing hormone profiles and diminished ability of the hen to transport calcium at the duodenum. In further exploration of this relationship, a study was conducted with three ages of Hy-Line W-36 birds: prelay pullets (PL; 19 wk, 0% production), peak-production hens (PP; 29 wk, âŒ93% production), and late-stage hens (LS; 71 wk, âŒ80% production). Hens from the PP and LS groups were palpated for presence of an egg in the shell gland; hens were then euthanized and tissues (kidney, shell gland, hypothalamus) were removed for quantification of estrogen receptor- α (ERα) populations via immunocytochemical and Western blot analyses. Localization of ERα by immunostaining in the shell gland showed differences among age groups; however, no differences were noted in localization of ERα between age groups in the kidney and hypothalamus. In both the kidney and the shell gland there was a decrease in the amount of ERα, as detected by immunoblotting, in the LS hens compared to PL and PP birds (P \u3c 0.05). The results suggest that failure of calcium regulating mechanisms with age may be mediated at least in part through the reduced populations of estrogen receptors in certain critical tissues
Reaction mechanisms for weakly-bound, stable nuclei and unstable, halo nuclei on medium-mass targets
An experimental overview of reactions induced by the stable, but weakly-bound
nuclei 6Li, 7Li and 9Be, and by the exotic, halo nuclei 6He, 8B, 11Be and 17F
on medium-mass targets, such as 58Ni, 59Co or 64Zn, is presented. Existing data
on elastic scattering, total reaction cross sections, fusion processes, breakup
and transfer channels are discussed in the framework of a CDCC approach taking
into account the breakup degree of freedom.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, Invited Talk given by C. Beck to the 10th
International Conference on Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions, August 16-21, 2009
Beijing, China; Paper submitted to the NN2009 Proceedings, Nuclear Physics A
(to be published
Reaction mechanisms in the 6Li+59Co system
The reactions induced by the weakly bound 6Li projectile interacting with the
intermediate mass target 59Co were investigated. Light charged particles
singles and - coincidence measurements were performed at the near
barrier energies E_lab = 17.4, 21.5, 25.5 and 29.6 MeV. The main contributions
of the different competing mechanisms are discussed. A statistical model
analysis, Continuum-Discretized Coupled-Channels calculations and two-body
kinematics were used as tools to provide information to disentangle the main
components of these mechanisms. A significant contribution of the direct
breakup was observed through the difference between the experimental sequential
breakup cross section and the CDCC prediction for the non-capture breakup cross
section.Comment: 30 pages, 8 figure
Intrinsic quadrupole moment of the nucleon
We address the question of the intrinsic quadrupole moment Q_0 of the nucleon
in various models. All models give a positive intrinsic quadrupole moment for
the proton. This corresponds to a prolate deformation. We also calculate the
intrinsic quadrupole moment of the Delta(1232). All our models lead to a
negative intrinsic quadrupole moment of the Delta corresponding to an oblate
deformation.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure
Search for excited Ï-leptons and leptoquarks in the final state with Ï-leptons and jets in pp collisions at âs = 13 TeV
A search is reported for excited Ï-leptons and leptoquarks in events with two hadronically decaying Ï-leptons and two or more jets. The search uses proton-proton (pp) collision data at âs = 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment during the Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider in 2015â2018. The total integrated luminosity is 139 fbâ1. The excited Ï-lepton is assumed to be produced and to decay via a four-fermion contact interaction into an ordinary Ï-lepton and a quark-antiquark pair. The leptoquarks are assumed to be produced in pairs via the strong interaction, and each leptoquark is assumed to couple to a charm or lighter quark and a Ï-lepton. No excess over the background prediction is observed. Excited Ï-leptons with masses below 2.8 TeV are excluded at 95% CL in scenarios with the contact interaction scale Î set to 10 TeV. At the extreme limit of model validity where Î is set equal to the excited Ï-lepton mass, excited Ï-leptons with masses below 4.6 TeV are excluded. Leptoquarks with masses below 1.3 TeV are excluded at 95% CL if their branching ratio to a charm quark and a Ï-lepton equals 1. The analysis does not exploit flavour-tagging in the signal region
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