647 research outputs found
<Note>Use of a novel human object as a masturbatory tool by a wild male chimpanzee at Bulindi, Uganda
ăăĄă€ă«ć·źăæżăïŒ2021/10/11
Heat and momentum transport in a multicomponent mixture far from equilibrium
Explicit expressions for the heat and momentum fluxes are given for a
low-density multicomponent mixture in a steady state with temperature and
velocity gradients. The results are obtained from a formally exact solution of
the Gross-Krook model [Phys. Rev. {\bf 102}, 593 (1956)] of the Boltzmann
equation for a multicomponent mixture. The transport coefficients (shear
viscosity, viscometric functions, thermal conductivity and a cross coefficient
measuring the heat flux orthogonal to the thermal gradient) are nonlinear
functions of the velocity and temperature gradients and the parameters of the
mixture (particle masses, concentrations, and force constants). The description
applies for conditions arbitrarily far from equilibrium and is not restricted
to any range of mass ratios, molar fractions and/or size ratios. The results
show that, in general, the presence of the shear flow produces an inhibition in
the transport of momentum and energy with respect to that of the Navier-Stokes
regime. In the particular case of particles mechanically equivalent and in the
tracer limit, previous results are recovered.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, to appear in Physica
Test of Information Theory on the Boltzmann Equation
We examine information theory using the steady-state Boltzmann equation. In a
nonequilibrium steady-state system under steady heat conduction, the
thermodynamic quantities from information theory are calculated and compared
with those from the steady-state Boltzmann equation. We have found that
information theory is inconsistent with the steady-state Boltzmann equation.Comment: 12 page
Kinetic Theory of a Dilute Gas System under Steady Heat Conduction
The velocity distribution function of the steady-state Boltzmann equation for
hard-core molecules in the presence of a temperature gradient has been obtained
explicitly to second order in density and the temperature gradient. Some
thermodynamical quantities are calculated from the velocity distribution
function for hard-core molecules and compared with those for Maxwell molecules
and the steady-state Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook(BGK) equation. We have found
qualitative differences between hard-core molecules and Maxwell molecules in
the thermodynamical quantities, and also confirmed that the steady-state BGK
equation belongs to the same universality class as Maxwell molecules.Comment: 36 pages, 4 figures, 5 table
What can local authorities do to improve the social care-related quality of life of older adults living at home? Evidence from the Adult Social Care Survey
Local authorities spend considerable resources on social care at home for older adults. Given the expected growth in the population of older adults and budget cuts on local government, it is important to find efficient ways of maintaining and improving the quality of life of older adults. The ageing in place literature suggests that policies in other functions of local authorities may have a significant role to play. This study aims to examine the associations between social care-related quality of life (SCRQoL) in older adults and three potential policy targets for local authorities: (i) accessibility of information and advice, (ii) design of the home and (iii) accessibility of the local area. We used cross-sectional data from the English national Adult Social Care Survey (ASCS) 2010/2011 on service users aged 65 years and older and living at home (N=29,935). To examine the association between SCRQoL, as measured by the ASCOT, and three single-item questions about accessibility of information, design of the home and accessibility of the local area, we estimate linear and quantile regression models. After adjusting for physical and mental health factors and other confounders our findings indicate that SCRQoL is significantly lower for older adults who find it more difficult to find information and advice, for those who report that their home design is inappropriate for their needs and for those who find it more difficult to get around their local area. In addition, these three variables are as strongly associated with SCRQoL as physical and mental health factors. We conclude that in seeking to find ways to maintain and improve the quality of life of social care users living at home, local authorities could look more broadly across their responsibilities. Further research is required to explore the cost-effectiveness of these options compared to standard social care services
4-phenylbutyric Acid Regulates Collagen Synthesis and Secretion Induced by High Concentrations of Glucose in Human Gingival Fibroblasts
High glucose leads to physio/pathological alterations in diabetes patients. We investigated collagen production in human gingival cells that were cultured in high concentrations of glucose. Collagen synthesis and secretion were increased when the cells were exposed to high concentrations of glucose. We examined endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response because glucose metabolism is related to ER functional status. An ER stress response including the expression of glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), inositol requiring enzyme alpha (IRE-1α) and phosphoreukaryotic initiation factor alpha (p-eIF-2α) was activated in the presence of high glucose. Activating transcription factor 4 (ATF-4), a downstream protein of p-eIF-2α as well as a transcription factor for collagen, was also phosphorylated and translocalized into the nucleus. The chemical chaperone 4-PBA inhibited the ER stress response and ATF-4 phosphorylation as well as nuclear translocation. Our results suggest that high concentrations of glucose-induced collagen are linked to ER stress and the associated phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of ATF-4
The epidemiology of injuries across the weight-training sports
Background: Weight-training sports, including weightlifting, powerlifting, bodybuilding, strongman, Highland Games, and CrossFit, are weight-training sports that have separate divisions for males and females of a variety of ages, competitive standards, and bodyweight classes. These sports may be considered dangerous because of the heavy loads commonly used in training and competition. Objectives: Our objective was to systematically review the injury epidemiology of these weight-training sports, and, where possible, gain some insight into whether this may be affected by age, sex, competitive standard, and bodyweight class. Methods: We performed an electronic search using PubMed, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, and Embase for injury epidemiology studies involving competitive athletes in these weight-training sports. Eligible studies included peer-reviewed journal articles only, with no limit placed on date or language of publication. We assessed the risk of bias in all studies using an adaption of the musculoskeletal injury review method. Results: Only five of the 20 eligible studies had a risk of bias score â„75 %, meaning the risk of bias in these five studies was considered low. While 14 of the studies had sample sizes >100 participants, only four studies utilized a prospective design. Bodybuilding had the lowest injury rates (0.12â0.7 injuries per lifter per year; 0.24â1 injury per 1000 h), with strongman (4.5â6.1 injuries per 1000 h) and Highland Games (7.5 injuries per 1000 h) reporting the highest rates. The shoulder, lower back, knee, elbow, and wrist/hand were generally the most commonly injured anatomical locations; strains, tendinitis, and sprains were the most common injury type. Very few significant differences in any of the injury outcomes were observed as a function of age, sex, competitive standard, or bodyweight class. Conclusion: While the majority of the research we reviewed utilized retrospective designs, the weight-training sports appear to have relatively low rates of injury compared with common team sports. Future weight-training sport injury epidemiology research needs to be improved, particularly in terms of the use of prospective designs, diagnosis of injury, and changes in risk exposure
Macrophages: supportive cells for tissue repair and regeneration.
International audienceMacrophages, and more broadly inflammation, have been considered for a long time as bad markers of tissue homeostasis. However, if it is indisputable that macrophages are associated with many diseases in a deleterious way, new roles have emerged, showing beneficial properties of macrophages during tissue repair and regeneration. This discrepancy is likely due to the high plasticity of macrophages, which may exhibit a wide range of phenotypes and functions depending on their environment. Therefore, regardless of their role in immunity, macrophages play a myriad of roles in the maintenance and recovery of tissue homeostasis. They take a major part in the resolution of inflammation. They also exert various effects of parenchymal cells, including stem and progenitor cell, of which they regulate the fate. In the present review, few examples from various tissues are presented to illustrate that, beyond their specific properties in a given tissue, common features have been described that sustain a role of macrophages in the recovery and maintenance of tissue homeostasis
Substitution of Fish for Red Meat or Poultry and Risk of Ischemic Stroke
We investigated the risk of ischemic stroke and its subtypes when red meat or poultry was substituted with fish. A total of 57,053 participants aged 50⁻65 years at baseline were included in the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health study. All participants filled in a food-frequency questionnaire at recruitment. Potential ischemic stroke cases were identified by linkage to the Danish National Patient Register, and all cases were validated and subclassified. Substitutions were investigated as 150 g/week of fish for 150 g/week of red meat or of poultry using multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression models. During 13.5 years of follow-up, 1879 participants developed an ischemic stroke. Replacing red meat or poultry with fish was not associated with the rate of total ischemic stroke, but there was a statistically significant lower rate of large artery atherosclerosis when fish replaced processed (hazard ratio (HR): 0.78; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.67; 0.90) and unprocessed (HR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.75; 0.99) red meat. A statistically significant higher rate of cardioembolism was found when poultry was replaced by total fish (HR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.04; 1.93). When fatty fish replaced unprocessed red meat, a statistically significant lower rate of small-vessel occlusion was found (HR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.77; 0.99). In conclusion, replacing red meat with fish was not associated with risk of total ischemic stroke but was associated with a lower risk of subtypes of ischemic stroke
DAN (NBL1) promotes collective neural crest migration by restraining uncontrolled invasion
Neural crest cells are both highly migratory and significant to vertebrate organogenesis.
However, the signals that regulate neural crest cell migration remain unclear. Here, we
test the function of DAN, a BMP antagonist we detected by analysis of chick cranial
mesoderm. Our analysis shows that, prior to neural crest cell exit from the hindbrain,
DAN is expressed in the mesoderm, then it becomes absent along cell migratory
pathways. Cranial neural crest and metastatic melanoma cells avoid DAN protein stripes
in vitro. Addition of DAN reduces the speed of migrating cells, in vivo and in vitro
respectively. In vivo loss-of-function of DAN results in enhanced neural crest cell
migration by increasing speed and directionality. Computer model simulations support
the hypothesis that DAN restrains cell migration by regulating cell speed. Taken
together, our results identify DAN as a novel factor that inhibits uncontrolled neural crest
and metastatic melanoma invasion and promotes collective migration in a manner
consistent with inhibition of BMP signaling
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