3,283 research outputs found
Enzyme activity in terrestrial soil in relation to exploration of the Martian surface
Urease activity in soil is persistent for long periods under low water, low temperature, and sterile regimes, and it was suggested that some form of enzyme-protective mechanism exists in soil. Dublin soil was extracted by sonication in water followed by adding a mixture of salts. Urease activity is associated with the organo-mineral complex thus obtained and is resistant to the activities of proteolytic enzymes. Clay free soil organic matter prepared subsequently by filtration also exhibits urease activity which is resistant to proteolysis. Models consisting of enzymes with bentonite and lignin were found to mimic this resistance to proteolysis. A model system is presented which suggests both the origin and location of soil ureases and a reason for their persistence in nature
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The Effects of Methylphenidate on Cognitive Control in Active Methamphetamine Dependence Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Methamphetamine (MA) dependence is associated with cognitive deficits. Methylphenidate (MPH) has been shown to improve inhibitory control in healthy and cocaine-dependent subjects. This study aimed to understand the neurophysiological effects before and after acute MPH administration in active MA-dependent and control subjects. Fifteen MA-dependent and 18 control subjects aged 18–46 years were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging before and after either a single oral dose of MPH (18 mg) or placebo while performing a color-word Stroop task. Baseline accuracy was lower (p = 0.026) and response time (RT) was longer (p < 0.0001) for the incongruent compared to congruent condition, demonstrating the task probed cognitive control. Increased activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and parietal cortex during the incongruent and Stroop effect conditions, respectively was observed in MA-dependent compared to control subjects (p < 0.05), suggesting the need to recruit neural resources within these regions for conflict resolution. Post- compared to pre-MPH treatment, increased RT and DLPFC activation for the Stroop effect were observed in MA-dependent subjects (p < 0.05). In comparison to MPH-treated controls and placebo-treated MA-dependent subjects, MPH-treated MA-dependent subjects showed decreased activation of parietal and occipital regions during the incongruent and Stroop effect conditions (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that in MA-dependent subjects, MPH facilitated increased recruitment of the DLPFC for Stroop conflict resolution, and a decreased need for recruitment of neural resources in parietal and occipital regions compared to the other groups, while maintaining a comparable level of task performance to that achieved pre-drug administration. Due to the small sample size, the results from this study are preliminary; however, they inform us about the effects of MPH on the neural correlates of cognitive control in active MA-dependent subjects
Using discrete Darboux polynomials to detect and determine preserved measures and integrals of rational maps
In this Letter we propose a systematic approach for detecting and calculating
preserved measures and integrals of a rational map. The approach is based on
the use of cofactors and Discrete Darboux Polynomials and relies on the use of
symbolic algebra tools. Given sufficient computing power, all rational
preserved integrals can be found.
We show, in two examples, how to use this method to detect and determine
preserved measures and integrals of the considered rational maps.Comment: 8 pages, 1 Figur
Birational maps from polarization and the preservation of measure and integrals
The main result of this paper is the discretization of Hamiltonian systems of
the form , where is a constant symmetric matrix
and is a polynomial of degree in
any number of variables . The discretization uses the method of polarization
and preserves both the energy and the invariant measure of the differential
equation, as well as the dimension of the phase space. This generalises earlier
work for discretizations of first order systems with , and of second order
systems with and .Comment: Updated to final pre-publication versio
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