Mammary blood flow and metabolic activity are linked by a feedback mechanism involving nitric oxide synthesis

To test which, if any, of the major milk precursors can elicit a rapid change in the rate of mammary blood flow (MBF) and to define the time course and magnitude of such changes, 4 lactating cows were infused with glucose, amino acids, or triacylglycerol into the external iliac artery feeding one udder half while iliac plasma flow (IPF) was monitored continuously by dye dilution. Adenosine and saline were infused as positive and negative controls, respectively, and insulin was infused to characterize the response to a centrally produced anabolic hormone. To test the roles of cyclooxygenase, NO synthase and ATP-sensitive K (K) channels in nutrient-mediated changes in blood flow, their respective inhibitors-indomethacin, N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME), and glibenclamide-were infused simultaneously with glucose. Each day, 1 infusate was given twice to each cow, over a 20-min period each time, separated by a 20-min washout period. In addition, each treatment protocol was administered on 2 separate days. A 73% increase in IPF during adenosine infusion showed that the mammary vasodilatory response was quadratic in time, with most changes occurring in the first 5min. Glucose infusion decreased IPF by 9% in a quadratic manner, most rapidly in the first 5min, indicating that a feedback mechanism of local blood flow control, likely through adenosine release, was operative in the mammary vasculature. Amino acid infusion increased IPF 9% in a linear manner, suggesting that mammary ATP utilization was stimulated more than ATP production. This could reflect a stimulation of protein synthesis. Triacylglycerol only tended to decrease IPF and insulin did not affect IPF. A lack of IPF response to glibenclamide indicates that K channels are not involved in MBF regulation. Indomethacin and L-NAME both depressed IPF. In the presence of indomethacin, glucose infusion caused a quadratic 9% increase in IPF. Indomethacin is an inhibitor of mitochondrial function, so the glucose-induced increase in IPF was interpreted as feedback on mammary adenosine release from an anabolic response to glucose. Because NO synthase was not inhibited during indomethacin infusion, the feedback system is postulated to act through endothelial NO synthase. In the presence of L-NAME, glucose infusion had no effect on IPF, indicating that endothelial cyclooxygenase is not involved in glucose-induced changes in MBF

Model for a Universe described by a non-minimally coupled scalar field and interacting dark matter

In this work it is investigated the evolution of a Universe where a scalar field, non-minimally coupled to space-time curvature, plays the role of quintessence and drives the Universe to a present accelerated expansion. A non-relativistic dark matter constituent that interacts directly with dark energy is also considered, where the dark matter particle mass is assumed to be proportional to the value of the scalar field. Two models for dark matter pressure are considered: the usual one, pressureless, and another that comes from a thermodynamic theory and relates the pressure with the coupling between the scalar field and the curvature scalar. Although the model has a strong dependence on the initial conditions, it is shown that the mixture consisted of dark components plus baryonic matter and radiation can reproduce the expected red-shift behavior of the deceleration parameter, density parameters and luminosity distance.Comment: 11 pages and 6 figures. To appear in GR

First principles electronic structure of spinel LiCr2O4: A possible half-metal?

We have employed first-principles electronic structure calculations to examine the hypothetical (but plausible) oxide spinel, LiCr2O4 with the d^{2.5} electronic configuration. The cell (cubic) and internal (oxygen position) structural parameters have been obtained for this compound through structural relaxation in the first-principles framework. Within the one-electron band picture, we find that LiCr2O4 is magnetic, and a candidate half-metal. The electronic structure is substantially different from the closely related and well known rutile half-metal CrO2. In particular, we find a smaller conduction band width in the spinel compound, perhaps as a result of the distinct topology of the spinel crystal structure, and the reduced oxidation state. The magnetism and half-metallicity of LiCr2O4 has been mapped in the parameter space of its cubic crystal structure. Comparisons with superconducting LiTi2O4 (d^{0.5}), heavy-fermion LiV2O4 (d^{1.5}) and charge-ordering LiMn2O4 (d^{3.5}) suggest the effectiveness of a nearly-rigid band picture involving simple shifts of the position of E_F in these very different materials. Comparisons are also made with the electronic structure of ZnV2O4 (d^{2}), a correlated insulator that undergoes a structural and antiferromagnetic phase transition.Comment: 9 pages, 7 Figures, version as published in PR

Bonding in MgSi and AlMgSi Compounds Relevant to AlMgSi Alloys

The bonding and stability of MgSi and AlMgSi compounds relevant to AlMgSi alloys is investigated with the use of (L)APW+(lo) DFT calculations. We show that the $\beta$ and $\beta''$ phases found in the precipitation sequence are characterised by the presence of covalent bonds between Si-Si nearest neighbour pairs and covalent/ionic bonds between Mg-Si nearest neighbour pairs. We then investigate the stability of two recently discovered precipitate phases, U1 and U2, both containing Al in addition to Mg and Si. We show that both phases are characterised by tightly bound Al-Si networks, made possible by a transfer of charge from the Mg atoms.Comment: 11 pages, 30 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma: Patterns of Care and Survival in the Netherlands: A Population-Based Study

Background. Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and aggressive disease. Recently, focus has shifted toward a more aggressive and multimodal treatment approach. This study aimed to assess the patterns of care and survival for MPM patients in the Netherlands on a nationwide basis. Methods. The records of patients with a diagnosis of MPM from 1993 to 2016 were retrieved from the Dutch Cancer Registry. Data regarding diagnosis, staging, treatment, and survival were extracted. Cox regression analyses and Kaplan–Meier survival curves were used to study overall survival. Results. Between 1993 and 2016, MPM was diagnosed for 566 patients. Overall, the prognosis was very poor (24% 1-year survival). The most common morphologic subtype was the epithelioid subtype (88%), follo

Live cell tracking of symmetry break in actin cytoskeleton triggered by abrupt changes in micromechanical environments

With the aid of stimulus-responsive hydrogel substrates composed of ABA triblock copolymer micelles, we monitored the morphological dynamics of myoblast (C2C12) cells in response to an abrupt change in the substrate elasticity by live cell imaging. The remodeling of actin cytoskeletons could be monitored by means of transient transfection with LifeAct-GFP. Dynamic changes in the orientational order of actin filaments were characterized by an order parameter, which enables one to generalize the mechanically induced actin cytoskeletons as a break of symmetry. The critical role that acto-myosin complexes play in the morphological transition was verified by the treatment of cells with myosin II inhibitor (blebbistatin) and the fluorescence localization of focal adhesion contacts. Such dynamically tunable hydrogels can be utilized as in vitro cellular micro-environments that can exert time-dependent stimuli to mechanically regulate target cells

Linear Paul trap design for an optical clock with Coulomb crystals

We report on the design of a segmented linear Paul trap for optical clock applications using trapped ion Coulomb crystals. For an optical clock with an improved short-term stability and a fractional frequency uncertainty of 10^-18, we propose 115In+ ions sympathetically cooled by 172Yb+. We discuss the systematic frequency shifts of such a frequency standard. In particular, we elaborate on high precision calculations of the electric radiofrequency field of the ion trap using the finite element method. These calculations are used to find a scalable design with minimized excess micromotion of the ions at a level at which the corresponding second- order Doppler shift contributes less than 10^-18 to the relative uncertainty of the frequency standard

Equation of state and phonon frequency calculations of diamond at high pressures

The pressure-volume relationship and the zone-center optical phonon frequency of cubic diamond at pressures up to 600 GPa have been calculated based on Density Functional Theory within the Local Density Approximation and the Generalized Gradient Approximation. Three different approaches, viz. a pseudopotential method applied in the basis of plane waves, an all-electron method relying on Augmented Plane Waves plus Local Orbitals, and an intermediate approach implemented in the basis of Projector Augmented Waves have been used. All these methods and approximations yield consistent results for the pressure derivative of the bulk modulus and the volume dependence of the mode Grueneisen parameter of diamond. The results are at variance with recent precise measurements up to 140 GPa. Possible implications for the experimental pressure determination based on the ruby luminescence method are discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure