5,478 research outputs found
Classical analogy for the deflection of flux avalanches by a metallic layer
Sudden avalanches of magnetic flux bursting into a superconducting sample
undergo deflections of their trajectories when encountering a conductive layer
deposited on top of the superconductor. Remarkably, in some cases flux is
totally excluded from the area covered by the conductive layer. We present a
simple classical model that accounts for this behaviour and considers a
magnetic monopole approaching a semi-infinite conductive plane. This model
suggests that magnetic braking is an important mechanism responsible for
avalanche deflection.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure
Equatorial ozone characteristics as measured at Natal (5.9 deg S, 35.2 deg W)
Ozone density profiles obtained through electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) sonde measurements at Natal were analyzed. Time variations, as expected, are small. Outstanding features of the data are tropospheric densities substantially higher than those measured at other stations, and also a total ozone content that is higher than the averages given by satellite measurements
Turbulent flow-field effects in a hybrid CFD-CRN model for the prediction of NOxand CO emissions in aero-engine combustors
Immunosenescence, Inflammaging, and Frailty: Role of Myeloid Cells in Age-Related Diseases
The immune system is the central regulator of tissue homeostasis, ensuring tissue regeneration and protection against both pathogens and the neoformation of cancer cells. Its proper functioning requires homeostatic properties, which are maintained by an adequate balance of myeloid and lymphoid responses. Aging progressively undermines this ability and compromises the correct activation of immune responses, as well as the resolution of the inflammatory response. A subclinical syndrome of “homeostatic frailty” appears as a distinctive trait of the elderly, which predisposes to immune debilitation and chronic low-grade inflammation (inflammaging), causing the uncontrolled development of chronic and degenerative diseases. The innate immune compartment, in particular, undergoes to a sequela of age-dependent functional alterations, encompassing steps of myeloid progenitor differentiation and altered responses to endogenous and exogenous threats. Here, we will review the age-dependent evolution of myeloid populations, as well as their impact on frailty and diseases of the elderly
Double grain boundary configurations on graphite surfaces
We investigated the atomic structure of different kinds of grain boundaries on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) by scanning tunneling microscopy. We categorized several grain boundary configurations as a function of the misorientation angle between the adjacent grains, highlighting the occurrence of double grain boundaries (i.e., systems of two grain boundaries separated by a nanometric-scale inner region with specific atomic arrangement) for misorientation angles in the range 22°–32°. By using Molecular Dynamics simulations, we analyzed the structure and energy stability of single and double grain boundaries according to the misorientation angle. The experimental evidence is corroborated by Molecular Dynamics results and total energy calculations, which found a comparable stability between single and double grain boundaries for the same misorientation angle range. Our combination of experimental measurements and theoretical calculation extends the understanding of the structural configuration of large angle grain boundaries beyond the range of misorientation angles reported to date
Quantitative magneto-optical investigation of superconductor/ferromagnet hybrid structures
We present a detailed quantitative magneto-optical imaging study of several
superconductor/ferromagnet hybrid structures, including Nb deposited on top of
thermomagnetically patterned NdFeB, and permalloy/niobium with erasable and
tailored magnetic landscapes imprinted in the permalloy layer. The
magneto-optical imaging data is complemented with and compared to scanning Hall
probe microscopy measurements. Comprehensive protocols have been developed for
calibrating, testing, and converting Faraday rotation data to magnetic field
maps. Applied to the acquired data, they reveal the comparatively weaker
magnetic response of the superconductor from the background of larger fields
and field gradients generated by the magnetic layer.Comment: 21 pages, including 2 pages of supplementary materia
QSO 2237+0305 VR light curves from Gravitational Lenses International Time Project optical monitoring
We present VR observations of QSO 2237+0305 conducted by the GLITP
collaboration from 1999 October 1 to 2000 February 3. The observations were
made with the 2.56 m Nordic Optical Telescope at Roque de los Muchachos
Observatory, La Palma (Spain). The PSF fitting method and an adapted version of
the ISIS subtraction method have been used to derive the VR light curves of the
four components (A-D) of the quasar. The mean errors range in the intervals
0.01-0.04 mag (PSF fitting) and 0.01-0.02 mag (ISIS subtraction), with the
faintest component (D) having the largest uncertainties. We address the
relatively good agreement between the A-D light curves derived using different
filters, photometric techniques, and telescopes. The new VR light curves of
component A extend the time coverage of a high magnification microlensing peak,
which was discovered by the OGLE team.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, ApJ accepted (Feb 19
Multiple RNAs from the mouse carboxypeptidase M locus: functional RNAs or transcription noise?
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A major effort of the scientific community has been to obtain complete pictures of the genomes of many organisms. This has been accomplished mainly by annotation of structural and functional elements in the genome sequence, a process that has been centred in the gene concept and, as a consequence, biased toward protein coding sequences. Recently, the explosion of transcriptome data generated and the discovery of many functional non-protein coding RNAs have painted a more detailed and complex scenario for the genome. Here we analyzed the mouse carboxypeptidase M <it>locus </it>in this broader perspective in order to define the mouse CPM gene structure and evaluate the existence of other transcripts from the same genomic region.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Bioinformatic analysis of nucleotide sequences that map to the mouse CPM <it>locus </it>suggests that, in addition to the mouse CPM mRNA, it expresses at least 33 different transcripts, many of which seem to be non-coding RNAs. We randomly chose to evaluate experimentally four of these extra transcripts. They are expressed in a tissue specific manner, indicating that they are not artefacts or transcriptional noise. Furthermore, one of these four extra transcripts shows expression patterns that differed considerably from the other ones and from the mouse CPM gene, suggesting that there may be more than one transcriptional unit in this <it>locus</it>. In addition, we have confirmed the mouse CPM gene RefSeq sequence by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and directional cloning.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study supports the recent view that the majority of the genome is transcribed and that many of the resulting transcripts seem to be non-coding RNAs from introns of genes or from independent transcriptional units. Although some of the information on the transcriptome of many organisms may actually be artefacts or transcriptional noise, we argue that it can be experimentally evaluated and used to find and define biological functional elements on the genome. Furthermore, the transcription of other functional RNAs besides the protein coding RNA from a specific genomic <it>locus </it>imposes extra care when designing and interpreting experiments involving genetic manipulations or expression detection and quantification.</p
Population pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of investigational regimens' drugs in the TB-PRACTECAL clinical trial (the PRACTECAL-PKPD study): a prospective nested study protocol in a randomised controlled trial
Introduction Drug-resistant
tuberculosis (TB) remains
a global health threat, with little over 50% of patients
successfully treated. Novel regimens like the ones being
studied in the TB-PRACTECAL
trial are urgently needed.
Understanding anti-TB
drug exposures could explain the
success or failure of these trial regimens. We aim to study
the relationship between the patients’ exposure to anti-TB
drugs in TB-PRACTECAL
investigational regimens and their
treatment outcomes.
Methods and analysis Adults with multidrug-resistant
TB randomised to investigational regimens in TB-PRACTECAL
will be recruited to a nested pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic
(PKPD) study. Venous blood samples
will be collected at 0, 2 and 23 hours postdose on day
1 and 0, 6.5 and 23 hours postdose during week 8 to
quantify drug concentrations in plasma. Trough samples
will be collected during week 12, 16, 20 and 24 visits.
Opportunistic samples will be collected during weeks
32 and 72. Drug concentrations will be quantified using
liquid chromatography-tandem
mass spectrometry.
Sputum samples will be collected at baseline, monthly to
week 24 and then every 2 months to week 108 for MICs
and bacillary load quantification. Full blood count, urea
and electrolytes, liver function tests, lipase, ECGs and
ophthalmology examinations will be conducted at least
monthly during treatment.
PK and PKPD models will be developed for each drug with
nonlinear mixed effects methods. Optimal dosing will be
investigated using Monte-Carlo
simulations.
Ethics and dissemination The study has been approved
by the Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) Ethics Review
Board, the LSHTM Ethics Committee, the Belarus RSPCPT
ethics committee and PharmaEthics and the University of
Witwatersrand Human Research ethics committee in South
Africa. Written informed consent will be obtained from all
participants. The study results will be shared with public
health authorities, presented at scientific conferences and
published in a peer-reviewed
journal.
Trial registration number NCT04081077; Pre-results
Doses de nitrogênio sobre o acúmulo de nitrogênio na parte aérea e raiz de mudas de cafeeiro (Coffea arábica).
bitstream/item/69000/1/047-maciel-doses.pdfPublicado também no Cadernos de Agroecologia, v. 7, n.2, 2012
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